Author: rincon

Embattled Mets closer Devin Williams allowed a tiebreaking RBI single to Luke Keaschall in the ninth inning, and New York lost its 12th consecutive game, falling 5-3 to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

The Mets’ skid is their longest since they dropped 12 straight from Aug. 10-23, 2002. No team has made the playoffs after a season in which it lost 12 in a row.

Matt Wallner followed Keaschall by drawing a bases-loaded walk off Williams (0-1), who didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced before being booed off the mound. Williams has allowed seven runs while recording four outs in his last three appearances.

The Mets were in position to end their streak when Nolan McLean retired the first 15 Twins batters and Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer in the third to give the Mets their biggest lead since April 5, when they beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2.

The homer was Lindor’s first with a man on base since last Aug. 15 — one day before McLean’s debut.

Wallner led off the sixth with a single off McLean and Byron Buxton homered with two outs. Keaschall tied the game with an RBI single in the seventh.

A quartet of Twins pitchers retired the final 14 Mets in order. Cole Sands (1-1) tossed the last two innings.

McLean allowed three runs and struck out 10 in 6 2/3 innings. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave up three runs and struck out two in five innings.

 Reporting by the Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Will Shohei Ohtani win the National League Cy Young? Will Aaron Judge be replaced as the American League MVP? Will the New York Mets turn things around? 

All those questions are answered on the latest edition of MLB on FOX’s “Fact or fiction” with MLB on FOX analyst Dontrelle Willis.

Shohei Ohtani will win the Cy Young: Fact

“He’s already pacing — 18 innings pitched, 18 strikeouts. He will continue to stay healthy. Dave Roberts and Co. are continuing to give him chances. Also, he’s conserving himself. He’s not running as much. You’re not going to see some of those triples that we know and love, especially on the days he has to go both ways, and start and hit. But he’s going to stay healthy, 14-2 last month, or they’re going to a 5-man rotation to get him enough reps to get him that Cy Young.”

Aaron Judge will win his 4th straight MVP: Fiction

“Yordan Alvarez is a monster. He will stay healthy. Leads the American League in home runs and RBIs, third in batting average. I know the Astros are in last place right now, so he’s going to have to consistently do damage to get them out of that cellar, but I think he’s going to win MVP.”

The Mets will finish last in the NL East: Fiction

“They better not come into last place, you hear me! All that talent. All that payroll. All that expectation. I believe that they’re going to get out of the cellar. Juan Soto will be back. (Bo) Bichette will be better. (Luis) Robert will be better… I just find it hard to believe they will come in last place. It’s been catastrophic, but I don’t believe it’s going to be all season long.”

The Pirates will make the playoffs: Fact

“They will get in. First of all, I love the addition of (Ryan) O’Hearn. He has been outstanding, leading the team in batting average. O’Neil Cruz is a healthy monster. Nineteen RBIs, nine stolen bases already on the season, and I love this rotation top to bottom. Yes, we know the ace, Paul Skenes, but the veteran (Mitch) Keller has a 2.7 ERA, (Braxton) Ashcraft has a 2.3 ERA. They have enough talent, and swing and miss in that rotation to keep their offense in games all day long. And the crowd is starting to feel it.”

Mason Miller will allow a run before the end of April: Fiction

“He is a machine right now. The fastball’s going anywhere from 100 to 103 miles an hour. The slider is harder than my fastball… He’s getting 70% whiff rate on the slider alone. You keep seeing that nasty changeup. Listen, he’s living on the edges. He is a tough cover. I don’t believe he’s going to give up a run, not only this month, but the next month as well.”

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Remember me?

That’s what Trout seemed to be asserting when he rocked the Bronx last week in a firework show that got everyone buzzing about his resurgence. Trout crushed five home runs in the Los Angeles Angels series against the Bombers, becoming the first visitor ever to hit a homer in all four games at Yankee Stadium. 

No matter how much the baseball landscape has changed over the years — new stars, new rules, new technology, more parity — Trout still stands out. Just like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, and Ken Griffey Jr. represented past eras, Trout is right there on the list of enduring legends and all-time greats. He serves as a bridge between generations of fans. He’s universally beloved in Major League Baseball.

So, what gives? How is Trout, in his age-34 season after 16 years in the big leagues, making it seem like he’s still in his prime? He chalked it up to a mentality shift. 

“I’m just going out there and having fun again,” Trout told me on the field at Yankee Stadium last week. “Just out there playing my game, feeling lighter on my feet. And I think we got a great group. We’re all pulling from one string.”

Trout is off to yet another terrific early-season start. His seven home runs entering Tuesday are tied for fourth-most in the league. His .958 OPS is ranked 13th in MLB. Under new Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, Trout is regularly patrolling center field again after mostly being in right field or designated hitter in recent years. Even though crushing the ball in April has been a trend for him lately, followed by the inevitable trip to the injured list, there’s legitimate reason to believe he can sustain this run for at least the majority of the season. 

The 11-time All-Star reflected on his career after the Angels’ last-place finish in the AL West last season. Trout couldn’t believe how fast his 15 years in MLB flew by, so he vowed to slow down and enjoy the moment. His perspective coming into spring training was intentionally different. He tried not to pay attention to outside noise. He tried not to take anything for granted, even the mundane moments of putting on an Angels uniform and slapping hands with his teammates before every game. He tried not to rush while working in the batting cage. As usual, people pulled him in different directions and asked him to fulfill multiple obligations. 

But he kept in mind his new objective: take a beat, and make things simpler. 

“He’s the greatest of all time,” Judge said of Trout last week in the Yankees clubhouse. “He’s been fun to watch his whole career, coming up at such a young age and instantly just putting yourself at the top of the list. It’s special. I know he’s had some tough injuries over the years, but it’s great to see him put himself back in a good spot this year.”

A small, but meaningful, change in perspective can do wonders for someone as elite as Trout. But there are also physical and mechanical transformations that are behind his exciting start to the season. 

Noting how difficult it is to return to peak form after athletes suffer lower-body injuries, including managing his knee injuries in 2024-25, Trout dropped about 5–7 pounds this offseason in an effort to be lighter on his feet. Now, after playing 21 games in center field this year, Trout is maintaining an elite sprint speed of 28.6 feet per second, which ranks in the 90th percentile. That’s an increase from last year’s sprint speed of 27.9 feet per second, which fell into the 62nd percentile. 

Mechanically, Trout has added a new step-back at the plate, bringing his back foot a step back right before connecting. Even though he’s experimented with it before, that’s something we haven’t seen Trout consistently execute over the years. The step-back has helped Trout get more underneath the ball, which has led to the power surge we’ve seen in the early part of the season. Not even Judge, who’s won the AL MVP three times in the past four seasons, could catch up to Trout’s torrent of homers at Yankee Stadium last week. The Yankee captain fell just short, slugging four homers to Trout’s five. 

“I love watching Judge,” Trout told me. “Just like in the last 8–9 years, competing against each other, it’s been fun. I’m a big fan of Judge, and every time I come back to Yankee Stadium, it’s always special going back and forth with him. Being on the West Coast, I don’t see him as much. But I love tuning in after the games and seeing what he’s doing. It’s great for baseball.”

Trout’s renaissance feels different now. 

He’s overcome injuries and concerns about his durability. He’s serious about pregame strength and training and postgame recovery in a way he hadn’t been before. He knows what he’s capable of doing, and how much his peers respect him. He’s finally feeling like himself again. The air of inevitability surrounding his at-bats has returned. In an era obsessed with launch-angle tweaks, swing paths, barrel rates and an avalanche of modern-baseball analytics, Trout’s greatness feels almost stubbornly pure. 

“It’s unreal,” Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said of Trout’s talent. “Cool showing from him and Judgey the whole series. Obviously, you don’t want that against us. But you got to acknowledge the greatness.”

Whispers of what could’ve been have followed Trout’s every injury over the years, and those maladies were so persistent that they became the norm. Even as Trout is regaining peak performance to start the season, there’s an industry-wide underlying fear attached to every home run, hit-by-pitch, or diving catch. With Trout, it seems like the threat of injuries is always knocking at the door. 

But, this year, the three-time MVP is ignoring the sound. He told himself he’d focus on having fun this season. And when an all-time great is having fun, so is everyone else. There are so few players that baseball fans can root for, no matter the jersey they wear. Trout breaks through that lens. Like Ichiro Suzuki, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr., and Albert Pujols, Trout is respected by everyone. 

So, Trout returning to vintage form isn’t just a personal comeback. It’s a boost for the entire sport. It’s a reminder of sustained excellence in an era of rapid player turnover. Seeing greatness again feels rare and nostalgic. Trout looks like Trout again. He’s reminding us how enormous the gap can be between being great and being generational. 

He’s no longer the young phenom, or the injury-riddled All-Star veteran. He’s the future walk-in Hall of Famer, proving his peak wasn’t a fluke.

___

“In The Dugout” is where we provide an insider’s view on the biggest and best storylines surrounding MLB’s top players and teams.

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Cubs manager Craig Counsell thinks a Major League Baseball rule that allows the Los Angeles Dodgers to carry 14 pitchers because of Shohei Ohtani is “bizarre.”

Major league teams are allowed to have a maximum of 13 pitchers on their active 26-man roster from opening day through Aug. 31. From Sept. 1 through the end of the season, the roster limits increase to 14 pitchers and 28 active players.

But Ohtani is designated as a two-way player, which means he doesn’t count as a pitcher. So the reigning World Series champions have a total of 14 pitchers on their active roster.

Asked about the 13-pitcher limit before Monday’s 5-1 victory over Philadelphia, Counsell said he has never understood the reasoning for the restriction.

[Shohei Ohtani On-Base Streak Tracker: Ohtani Ties Choo, Millar With 52-Straight]

“It’s a rule to help offense, I think, more than anything, if you ask me,” Counsell said. “And then there’s one team that’s allowed to carry basically one of both, and that he gets special consideration. Which is probably the most bizarre rule. … For one team.”

The two-way player designation is for players with at least 20 innings pitched in the major leagues and at least 20 big league starts as a position player or designated hitter with at least three plate appearances in each of those games. The player has to reach those numbers in the current or any one of the two most recent seasons.

The designation went into effect for the 2020 season. The 31-year-old Ohtani is the only current player who meets the criteria.

“There’s not another player like that, but one team gets different rules for that player,” said Counsell, who played in the majors for 16 years.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Orioles-Royals got wild

You might think, looking at the final score of 7-5 in the Orioles-Royals game from Monday, that this one was fairly offense-centric throughout. The truth is that all but two runs were scored from the ninth inning onward — everything changed as the game approached its original endpoint, and escalated from there. Observe!

In the bottom of the second, with the game still scoreless, Royals’ right fielder Jac Caglianone hit his first homer of the year, off of starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. Despite giving up 10 hits and walking three, Bradish gave up just that one run in his 5.1 innings of work: the next four Orioles’ relievers would allow just one hit and no runs combined.

Seth Lugo went seven shutout innings against Baltimore, and then Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth for a hold. Closer Lucas Erceg got the O’s down to their last strike, with Kansas City up 1-0… and then he blew it.

Catcher Samuel Basallo tied things up, 1-1, and the two teams headed to extras in what had been, to that point, a pitching-focused battle. While the 10th was scoreless and continued that trend, it was also the end of it. With two outs and the only baserunner on Blaze Alexander, who was placed there to start the 11th, DH Dylan Beavers managed a single to put the Orioles ahead for the first time all night.

The lead did not last. Center fielder Kyle Isbel bunted Isaac Collins to third to kick off the bottom of the inning and put the tying run for Kansas City 90 feet away. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. then singled Isbel home to make things even once more.

The Royals wouldn’t score again, however, bringing Baltimore back to the plate, where Basallo once again made his presence felt with an RBI single to give the O’s another lead.

This wouldn’t be a one and done like every other inning in the game for both sides, however. Baltimore poured it on from here. Second baseman Jeremiah Jackson followed Basallo’s single with one of his own, then third baseman Weston Wilson — who had entered as a pinch-runner earlier — drew the walk to load the bases. Center fielder Leody Taveras would then hit his second homer of the year, clearing the bases with a grand slam; 7-2, Orioles.

Cameron Foster came on in relief for Baltimore to try to close out this five-run lead, and it looked like he might falter in that. DH Salvador Perez led off with a single, then right fielder Lane Thomas walked to load the bases. Nick Loftin, who was playing second after coming in as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game, doubled in three runs, making it 7-5 with no outs.

That was all Kansas City could manage, though: the next three batters were retired by Foster in order, with a backwards K to wrap it up against Isbel.

The Orioles now sit just one game under .500 and 2.5 back in the AL East, which is collectively off to a slow start. The AL Central isn’t looking much better off, but the Royals have managed to sink to the bottom of it, anyway, thanks to losing what is now eight-straight.

MLB’s strikeout leader is Dylan Cease

There were some understandable questions about why the Blue Jays would be willing to give Dylan Cease a seven-year, $210 million deal this offseason, given the right-hander posted a 4.55 ERA in 2025 with the Padres. Teams are looking at far more than a basic stat like ERA when they make these decisions, though, and something no one could question was Cease’s ability to throw swing-and-miss pitches. Whatever Toronto saw that made him worthy of a franchise-record deal for a pitcher seems to be on display for all now, as Cease struck out 12 Angels on Monday in a 5-2 Blue Jays’ W, tying his own earlier mark for the most in a game so far in 2026, and now leads the majors in strikeouts with 44 on the season.

Cease is also the fastest Blue Jays pitcher ever to 44 strikeouts, per Blue Jays Nation; whatever little adjustment Toronto thought he needed to unlock his best self seems to have taken hold already. Of course, this is five starts and 25.2 innings, so no need to hand the righty the AL Cy Young Award just yet, but still: this is one hell of a start. Both referring to last night and 2026 as a whole for Cease.

Big Dumper dongs

Cal Raleigh bashed 60 homers for the Mariners in 2025, a record for the team, for catchers and for switch-hitters. He hasn’t been nearly as powerful out of the gate in 2026, but he has shown some flashes of that pop. We got another example that it’s still there yesterday, when Big Dumper went the other way on a sinker to the outside part of the zone, sending it 382 feet into the bullpen.

That’s Raleigh’s third homer of the year; through 24 games last season, he had nine. Still, Raleigh always being a 60-homer guy — or even a 50-homer guy — wasn’t an automatic just because it was done once. There have been just 10 such seasons in MLB’s long history, and all. The more important thing are the signs that Raleigh can get out of his slump, which has impacted more than just his power. Hitting a ball 382 feet the other way is one such sign that Raleigh will bounce back, maybe sooner than later. 

Rodriguez’s awkward adjustment

Nintendo used to have majority ownership of the Mariners, but now, the video game developer and publisher is just a minority investor. Apparently that’s all that’s needed for center fielder Julio Rodriguez to have some video game-esque reactions and adjustments to a fly ball hit at him, though. Look at this weirdo — the play, not Rodriguez.

That ball just kept hooking, which Rodriguez did not account for, but he still made a ridiculous change in direction himself for a catch that looked like a buggy animation from a baseball video game instead of a real one. 

No not Honkbal, Honk Ball

The square footage of a baseball field is immense, the probabilities for where a ball in play could land impacted by everything from the ability of the hitter and pitcher themselves to where the ball is in the zone and where the bat meets it and how hard. Somehow, this ball was struck in such a way that it landed near a goose that had otherwise been unbothered, and that bird took flight as a result.

Everyone was unharmed, that’s the important thing. Except for this baseball that Cubs’ shortstop Dansby Swanson had crushed an inning before, anyway.

And also the psyche of Phillies’ fans, that’s probably not at its strongest at the moment. Philadelphia dropped its sixth game in a row here, managing just one run against the Cubs. That’s just one more than the goose recorded.

Ohtani makes it 52

Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani did not make everyone wait long to see if he could extend his on-base streak to 52 games, tying the longest such streak of the last decade. In the third inning against Rockies’ starter Jose Quintana, the DH hit a liner to right for his first hit of the game.

While Ohtani had reached earlier on an error, those do not count for on-base streaks, but even this hit didn’t prove necessary, either, since he picked up a pair of walks later in the game, as well. 

He is now a single game away from moving into the top 25 for longest on-base streaks in MLB history. The top of the mountain is still a ways away, however: that Ted Williams guy was quite the hitter himself, and he made it on in 84-consecutive games back in 1949. Still! Ohtani can rocket most of the way up the list before he even runs out of April — the top few spots aside, history’s longest on-base streaks are mostly clustered together — fewer have reached where Ohtani is now, and even fewer have gone much further than this.

D’aww

No babies were harmed in the making of this catch.

Listen, you don’t have anywhere to go — there’s a baby in your hands. The ball is coming right at you, so your options are to attempt to catch it or at least deflect it from the direction of the child, or let the ball hit you, which hey, might hurt enough to make it tough to hold onto the baby. The right call was made here.

The better call? Giving the baseball to the baby afterward. The rest of this Dodgers-Rockies game wasn’t quite so cute for Colorado fans — they lost, 12-3 — but hey. Foul ball baby!

Friends don’t rob friends of hits

Elly De La Cruz and Junior Caminero were happy to see each other prior to the Reds-Rays tilt. The two early 20s Dominican-born infielders are close friends — Caminero described De La Cruz as his “brother” postgame, even, per MLB — so it was no surprise to see them embrace before they faced off on Monday.

Then the game started, though, and De La Cruz showed no mercy to Caminero on this ball hit to the shortstop’s right.

Make sure you watch through for the reaction by Caminero. In that exchange where he called De La Cruz a brother postgame? Caminero also joked through an interpreter that, “I’m not going to give him any food tomorrow. We were talking about exchanging something, but I’m not going to give him anything.” Man, baseball is a rough game.

Red Sox win early Patriots’ Day matchup

The Red Sox played their traditional Marathon Monday early game on Patriots’ Day, this time to wrap up a four-game series against the Tigers. Boston was attempting to even things up and not drop the series to Detroit, which had won the previous two games, and sent Sonny Gray to the mound to do it. Gray had to be lifted after 2.2 innings with hamstring tightness, however, so the bullpen had to hop in early.

In the fourth, 23-year-old rookie third baseman Hao-Yu Lee picked up his first career hit and RBI with a single off reliever Zack Kelly to tie things up 2-2. 

A couple of innings later, pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones subbed in for Kerry Carpenter and delivered a hit to left-center to drive in the go-ahead run.

Boston’s bats would wake up from here on. With the game tied in the bottom of the seventh, Ceddanne Rafaela pinch-hit and drove in two runs — nearly three — with a single to right, to put the Sox up 5-3. 

That was not going to be enough to win, but the Sox drove in another before the inning ended when backstop Carlos Narvaez singled in a run, and then Boston added two more in the eighth. And good thing, too, because the Tigers made it 8-6 against relievers Ryan Watson and Aroldis Chapman before running out of outs in the ninth.

Boston needed this W badly, to avoid dropping alone into fifth place in the AL East. The Tigers could have used it, too, in the way all teams need a win, but Detroit is at least just half-a-game out in the AL Central, not staring up from the bottom like the Sox. Boston gets the Yankees next, starting Tuesday, while Detroit takes on a Brewers team that is in last place, sure, but is also 12-9 while doing it — a better record than the Tigers have.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Just 48 players had ever managed an on-base streak of at least 50 games entering the 2026 season, but Shohei Ohtani made that 49. The Dodgers’ two-way superstar, through Apr. 20, has now reached base in 52 consecutive games, by either a walk or a hit, after a third inning single off Jose Quintana against the Rockies on Apr. 20.

The streak began on Aug. 24, 2025, and through Apr. 19 Ohtani had hit .281/.399/.597 with 55 hits — 16 of them home runs — 37 walks, eight intentional free passes and three hit by pitches. On Monday in the series finale against the Rockies, Ohtani pushed the streak to 52 games, tying him with Shin-Soo Choo — the last player to get to at least 50 games — as well as 10 other players who have managed the same, a group that includes the likes of Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig and Tris Speaker.

That ties Ohtani for the 28th-longest on-base streak in MLB history, and if he can keep getting on base, the DH will rocket up the all-time leaderboard. Getting to 53 games would put Ohtani not just in the top 25, but in a tie for 23rd with Alex Rodriguez and four others. Luke Appling is alone at 22nd, with 54. Three others — Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Harry Heilmann and Cobb again — are tied for 19th at 55. Five players are tied at 56-straight games, including modern-day legend Barry Bonds. And reaching base for 57 games in a row would get Ohtani into the top 10 all-time.

There comes a point where it becomes much more difficult for anyone to climb this leaderboard, however. Orlando Cabrera is fourth with 63-consecutive games, achieved in 2006. Ahead of the former shortstop, though, is Hall of Famer and Red Sox great Ted Williams with a 73-game on-base streak achieved in 1941, DiMaggio again with his top mark of 74 — also achieved in 1941, as part of his 56-game hitting streak — and then Williams in 1949, when he reached base in an absurd 84-straight games. Williams would bat .343/.490/.650 for the season, and win his second of two MVP awards.

Here are the top 25 on-base streaks in MLB history: Ohtani is one game away from making it to that point himself.

Streak data via Baseball-Reference

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

By year’s end, odds are we’ll be crowning Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as the MVPs yet again. 

To this point, though, neither player has been his team’s best hitter. 

Ohtani is flashing his two-way prowess with a dominant 0.50 ERA and a respectable .915 OPS, but another Dodgers teammate leads MLB in hits and batting average and is well ahead of him in every slash-line category. Judge, meanwhile, is pacing the Yankees with nine home runs, but another Bronx Bomber has the highest OPS in MLB. 

So, who is every team’s early MVP? We’ll take a look as part of this week’s power rankings: 

We might have a new poster boy for three true outcomes: Munetaka Murakami is tied for the third-most homers in MLB and also has the fourth-highest walk rate and 11th highest strikeout rate. 

Hunter Goodman looks poised for another 30-plus homer season, but the bigger story is what Antonio Senzatela is doing in a new long relief role on the mound. The veteran righty allowed his first run of the season Sunday, but he also picked up the win and now sports a 0.63 ERA in six appearances (14.1 innings) while throwing harder than ever before. 

Perhaps lost among the shocking disasters around the league, the Royals have now lost seven straight games and have scored the fewest runs in MLB. Michael Wacha (1.00 ERA) and Seth Lugo (1.48) are doing their part on the mound to try to give their team a chance, though. 

Woof. The losing streak is up to 11. Since 2020, 11 other teams have lost 11 straight games at some point in a season; none of them made the playoffs. The Mets can’t seem to score runs with Juan Soto sidelined, but at least they have a chance to win every time Nolan McLean pitches. He has the lowest WHIP of any qualified National League pitcher and, as expected, looks like an early Rookie of the Year contender. 

If I told you Yordan Alvarez was leading MLB in home runs and fWAR, you’d probably assume the Astros were doing quite well. And you would assume incorrectly. They have two wins in their last 14 games — both against the Rockies, who also swept them during that stretch — and their pitchers have a 6.11 ERA. Yikes. 

The pitching is, as expected, a problem. The offense, however, offers plenty of intrigue. CJ Abrams, who has nearly doubled both his walk rate and barrel rate in the early going, ranks fourth among all qualified hitters in OPS. As a team, the Nationals are tied for second in runs scored with the Dodgers and Astros, just one run behind the Braves. 

With Logan Webb, Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle all sporting ERAs over 5.00, the early work from Landen Roupp (2.38) has been needed in the Giants’ scuffling rotation. Roupp hasn’t allowed a home run, or even a barreled ball, through four starts. 

The Blue Jays rank in the bottom 10 in MLB in runs per game, which certainly wasn’t expected after they ranked fourth in the category last season. It could be a lot worse if it weren’t for Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease, who get co-early-season-MVP honors here. The Blue Jays are 5-4 in games in which they’ve started, and they’ve held the depleted Toronto rotation afloat. Among MLB pitchers who’ve thrown at least 20 innings, Cease is third in strikeout rate while Gausman is third in strikeout-to-walk percentage. 

As bad as it has been overall in Boston, Willson Contreras is giving the Red Sox everything they’ve needed at first base. As a team, Boston first basemen last year ranked 27th in fWAR and 26th in wRC+. With Contreras this year, they rank in the top five in both categories at the position. 

MLB’s shortstop leader in fWAR? Nope, not Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson or Elly De La Cruz. It’s Miami’s Otto Lopez, who’s hitting .338, the best mark of any player at his position. 

They have the worst run differential (-38) in all of MLB. No, not a typo. Yes, hard to believe. They’ve now lost five straight games and nine of 11, and they scored three runs total while getting swept by the Braves over the weekend. At least they have Cristopher Sánchez, who started three of the team’s eight wins and hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five starts. 

I would like to use this section to rave about Mike Trout, who leads all qualified AL center fielders in OPS as he turns back the clock to start the year… but this spot might need to be reserved for the Angels’ early Cy Young contender. José Soriano is 5-0 with a ridiculous 0.28 ERA. 

The Twins’ trade for 25-year-old right-hander Taj Bradley at last year’s deadline is looking like a huge win, especially with Pablo López out for the year. Bradley is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA through five starts; Griffin Jax, the player Bradley was traded for, has a 7.04 ERA in Tampa Bay. 

On a team with so much offensive firepower, Shea Langeliers can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. But he has been the A’s best hitter this year, and he leads all catchers with six homers, including a 467-foot blast that is the longest by any player in MLB this year. (Marvel at it here.) 

Jeremiah Jackson is slashing .303/.319/.561 with five homers despite walking just once with a chase rate over 40%. It may not be sustainable, but considering the injuries around the Baltimore infield, his production to this point has been vital. The other contender for the early-season honor is Taylor Ward, who hasn’t provided the power many expected (he hit his first home run of the year Sunday) but leads MLB in doubles and has a career-high .388 on-base percentage. 

The Rangers have to be feeling good about their one-for-one swap of Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien. Nimmo has been the Rangers’ best hitter (.311/.386/.522), while Semien has played at a replacement level so far in Queens. 

Bryan Woo has looked the part of an ace with a 2.25 ERA through five starts, but the bigger story in the Mariners’ rotation is Emerson Hancock. With the help of his sweeper, it seems to all be coming together for the 26-year-old, who’s 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and tied for the second-lowest WHIP (0.76) among all qualified MLB starters. 

The Rays rank 10th in OPS, thanks in large part to Yandy Díaz. He has the second-highest wRC+ of any qualified DH in MLB behind only Yordan Alvarez and is tied for the second-most hits of any player in baseball behind only Andy Pages. 

The early-season MVP award in Detroit can be split between arguably the best pitcher (Tarik Skubal) and rookie (Kevin McGonigle) in MLB. But it’s also worth giving some attention to Dillon Dingler, who has been tearing the cover off the baseball and leads all qualified catchers in OPS.

They’ve been arguably the most surprising team in baseball this year, and the breakout appears to be here for 23-year-old Jordan Walker. He ranks first among position players in bWAR and is tied for third in MLB in home runs and fifth in OPS. 

After a slow start, the Cubs are starting to kick into gear. Only two teams — the Braves and Dodgers — have a better run differential than them. That may not be a surprise, but Nico Hoerner being the Cubs’ best hitter certainly is; he’s tied for the MLB lead with 21 RBI, and he already has three home runs after hitting just seven each of the past two seasons. 

Sal Stewart leads all National League rookies in hits, homers, RBI and slugging. In a rookie class loaded with talent, Stewart and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean currently look like the best in the NL. 

The answer is always Jose Ramírez, who’s back to doing his thing after a slow start, but Parker Messick needs a mention. He’s 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA, and he had to earn those numbers. His four starts — all of which ended in Guardians wins — came against the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Orioles. He’s emerging as a sneaky AL Rookie of the Year contender. 

Brandon Lowe leads all MLB second basemen with seven home runs and a .600 slugging percentage and leads his new team with a .975 OPS. 

There was some fear that Corbin Carroll might not look the same after returning from a broken hamate bone in the spring; instead, he has been even better than usual, slashing .300/.390/.600. Carroll ranks eighth in MLB in OPS and leads the league in triples. 

While Jacob Misiorowski continues to rack up strikeouts — he leads MLB in the category — the most valuable player on the team is WBC standout Brice Turang. With four homers and the sixth-highest OPS in MLB, Turang is demonstrating he’s a lot more than a Platinum Glove defender. 

The best hitter in baseball so far this year is a Yankee, but it’s not the one you might think. Ben Rice leads all qualified hitters in on-base percentage (.476), slugging (.800), OPS (1.276) and wRC+ (246). Meanwhile, on the mound, Cam Schlittler leads all AL starters in K/BB% and fWAR. 

It takes a lot for a closer to be singled out on this list, but Mason Miller is deserving — 11 appearances, two hits, no runs, 27 strikeouts, two walks. Just absurd stuff. He’s 8-for-8 in save chances and, at this overpowering pace, could end up getting Cy Young consideration. 

Matt Olson leads the Braves in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS and has more doubles (10 total) than any first baseman in MLB. 

Shohei Ohtani has a 0.50 ERA and a 51-game on-base streak that is the third-longest in franchise history, but he’s not the team leader in WAR. That honor belongs to Andy Pages, who leads MLB in hits and batting average and ranks third in OPS. 

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There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from the weekend in Major League Baseball:

The Braves swept the Phillies

In 2025, it was the Braves that were a mess. It’s a new season, though, and Atlanta is thriving early while the other two favorites of the NL East falter. The Mets have now lost 11 in a row, while the Phillies were just swept by the Braves to drop to 8-13. Atlanta, meanwhile, is 15-7, four games up in the East over the Marlins: the Braves are the only team in the division with a winning record.

The series opened with a statement from Atlanta, as they shutout Philadelphia, 9-0, after scoring seven runs across the first three innings. Saturday’s contest was much different in some ways — the Braves were held to just three runs — but the Phillies’ bats were once again silenced by Atlanta’s pitching. This time, it was ace lefty Chris Sale doing the heavy lifting: he allowed a solo homer in the bottom of the second to Phillies’ rookie Felix Reyes in his big-league debut, but that was it. Sale went seven innings allowing just the one run and five hits total, striking out seven against a single walk. The 37-year-old starter has a 2.79 ERA to open the season, which is only high in the sense that his career mark with Atlanta is 2.49 over 55 games and 332.1 innings.

In Sunday’s series finale, the Phillies scored two in the first and were still ahead entering the fifth, but that was as far as that hope would last. The Braves had a three-run fifth to go up 4-2, and that was the final score, as well. Center fielder Michael Harris II led off with a single, then right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. followed with his own knock. Reliever Tim Mayza would replace starting pitcher and rookie Andrew Painter at this point, and he would fail to keep those inherited runners from scoring. Catcher Drake Baldwin walked to load the bases, bringing up first baseman Matt Olson with no outs. He would ground out, but push a run across to tie things 2-2, then third baseman Austin Riley (single) and second baseman Ozzie Albies (double) got Atlanta the rest of the way there.

The Phillies would threaten in the ninth, when Raisel Iglesias came on in relief of Robert Suarez. Second baseman Bryson Stott led off for Philly with a double, and then Justin Crawford walked after a pop out got Atlanta the first out it needed. Iglesias settled down with two on, and struck out shortstop Trea Turner before getting DH Kyle Schwarber to line out to Acuna in right, ending the game.

The Braves have been great to this point — their +57 run differential is the best in the majors, nine ahead of the Dodgers. The Phillies… have not. They are 8-13, so in one way, duh, but also this isn’t a case of poor luck. Philadelphia has been outscored by 38 runs, even more than the Mets — even more than everyone, actually, as the Phillies have the worst run differential in the league now, a fact not helped by the Braves limiting them to three runs over four games.

Cubs walk off Mets in extras

Speaking of the Mets: New York nearly ended its double-digit losing streak on Sunday, as the Mets were up 1-0 on the Cubs entering the ninth inning. That’s when Devin Williams came on in relief of Luke Weaver to close things out, though, and it’s when Chicago struck. Left fielder Ian Happ led off the inning with a single to left, and while Williams got right fielder Seiya Suzuki to strike out swinging on three pitches (with help on the second strike from an ABS challenge), pinch-hitter Michael Conforto then hit a double to push pinch-runner Scott Kingery across the plate.

The best the Mets could muster even with MJ Melendez starting the 10th on second was to move him to third base before making their third out of the frame, but the Cubs didn’t waste the freebie. Craig Kimbrel, in for Williams, got shortstop Dansby Swanson to pop out, but Pete Crow-Armstrong was the runner on second to start the inning, and he made it to third on a wild pitch when given the opportunity and then scored on a sac fly by second baseman Nico Hoerner.

That secured the sweep for the Cubs, who entered the weekend at .500 and are now three games over and 1.5 back in the NL Central. The Mets, meanwhile, have been outscored by 25 runs on the season, which is not great in a vacuum — it’s the fifth-worst run differential in MLB this year — but is even worse when you realize that New York was +18 when they last won on Apr. 7. New York has been outscored by 43 runs in just 11 games since. That is a much bigger problem than the absence of Juan Soto can explain.

[New York Mess: Mets’ 11-Game Losing Streak By The Numbers]

The Mets are back at it on Tuesday, with a series against the Twins. Minnesota has lost four in a row, so either way, a losing streak is going to end.

Twins falter in ninth against Reds

Speaking of Minnesota. The Twins were up 3-1 on the Reds entering the ninth inning at home on Sunday, which apparently was right where Cincinnati wanted to be. First baseman Spencer Steer led off the inning with a single against Andrew Morris, in his second inning of work, then catcher Tyler Stephenson followed with a single. Center fielder Dane Meyers, who entered earlier as a pinch-runner, walked to load the bases with one out for left fielder TJ Friedl. He made the Twins pay for the opportunity.

Friedl cleared the bases, putting Cincinnati up 4-3. Morris was replaced by Garrett Acton, who got the last two batters out to stand Friedl in scoring position, and then Minnesota managed to score a run in their half of the ninth off of Emilio Pagan, courtesy doubles by right fielder James Outman and left fielder Austin Martin (who had also entered as a pinch-runner earlier). The game was tied once more, but the Reds weren’t done scoring in bunches.

In the top of the 10th, Eugenio Suarez reached on an error by third baseman Tristan Gray, allowing Elly De La Cruz — who had started the inning on second — to score the go-ahead run. After an intentional walk to Will Benson, who had pinch-run for Stephenson in the prior inning, right fielder Rece Hinds doubled to send both Suarez and Benson home; 7-4, Reds. The Twins were a walk away from being set down 1-2-3 in the ninth, so all that was needed was that first run on an error, but Cincinnati made its statement for the series sweep, anyway.

Blue Jays blow it open immediately

The Blue Jays haven’t had the best of starts defending their American League pennant in 2026, but on Sunday, at least, Toronto looked like the dominant team from last season. The Jays plated eight runs in the first against the Diamondbacks: first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in a pair to open the floodgates, then DH Eloy Jimenez drove in Guerrero with a single. Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto made it 5-0 with a double, then right fielder Nathan Lukes — the leadoff man, up for the second time in the inning — hit a bases-loaded two-bagger to make it 8-0 Toronto.

Arizona would slow the Jays down from there, but the damage was done: the Diamondbacks scored four runs, but Toronto got another pair, leading to a 10-4 win for the Jays. While this was a serious showing by Toronto, it should be noted that this W helped them avoid being swept: Arizona won the first two games of the matchup, 6-3 and 6-2, and still took the series from the Jays despite Sunday’s beatdown.

Rockies, Dodgers had the inverse weekend

While Toronto won the finale on Sunday to avoid a sweep, things went different for their World Series opponents from last October. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 7-1 on Friday to open up their four-game series, but then dropped the next two to Colorado. 

On Saturday, the Dodgers hit a pair of homers off starter Ryan Feltner, but just three runs, which was also all they would get for the day. A trio of relievers kept Los Angeles off the board after Feltner exited in the sixth, and Colorado would score a pair in the bottom of the inning to go up 4-3, which was the eventual final score.

Sunday was more of the same, in the sense that the Dodgers were up early — Los Angeles was ahead 3-0 after their turn to bat in the fourth — but then the Rockies began to counter. A run on a single by first baseman TJ Rumfield in the fourth, then a homer by third baseman Kyle Karros in the fifth followed by a single from infielder Edouard Julien to tie things up 3-3.

The Dodgers would answer in the top of the sixth with an RBI single off the bat of second baseman Alex Freeland, but Colorado went up for good in the seventh when left fielder Mickey Moniak hit his sixth homer of the year, off of reliever Blake Treinen. It was a shot, too, 428 feet to right-center.

The Rockies would pile on, eventually going up 9-4 through eight. The Dodgers rallied in the ninth while down to their final three outs: catcher Will Smith singled in a run to score Shohei Ohtani, then pinch-hitter Daulton Rushing grounded out but pushed a run across in the process to make it 9-6. That would be where the rally ended, however, as the next batter — first baseman Ryan Ward — lined out with two runners in scoring position. 

Right fielder Troy Johnson made the diving catch here, but he was also responsible for what proved to be the game-winning hit on Saturday, a two-run double in the sixth. Pretty great weekend for him, given that.

The Dodgers and Rockies will face off in the series finale on Monday — Colorado has a chance for an extremely rare achievement, a series victory against Los Angeles, while the Dodgers can minimize the damage with a dub.

Ohtani has reached base in 51-straight games

It should not be lost that, even as the Dodgers lost, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani kept doing his thing. Back in the lineup after resting during his turn in the rotation, Ohtani kept on reaching base, extending the longest streak that the majors has seen since 2018 when Shin-Soo Choo made it on in 52-consecutive contests.

Ohtani made it 51-straight games on Sunday, collecting a pair of hits, with the first of those coming early on in the game. 

He can match Choo on Monday against Colorado, who is tied with Kevin Millar, but it will take reaching 53 in a row for Ohtani’s streak to be top-25 all-time. That might not sound that impressive on the surface, but these numbers start to pile up with a ton of ties. Getting to 54 would tie him for 22nd, then another for 19th. Ohtani needs 63 to tie the modern high mark set by Orlando Cabrera in 2006, and after that it’s all Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio instances. Ohtani has a ways to go for that yet, however.

Ramirez goes yard twice

Home run-related lightning round. Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez managed two homers on Sunday against the Orioles. Both against starter Trevor Rogers, too.

While the Guardians got just 4.2 innings out of their own starter, Joey Cantillo, Ramirez’s two solo shots helped Cleveland end up winning, anyway, 8-4.

Yes, the bullpen did a lot of heavy lifting there, too, shutting Baltimore down the rest of the way. But this isn’t a “great bullpen performances lightning round” is it?

Murakami is on fire

Munetaka Murakami has eight homers in 2026. Twice now he’s managed to homer in three-straight games for the White Sox. That’s a weird distribution, but hey, it’s working for the NPB import in his first year in MLB.

Dillon Dingler’s big dinger

Things did not go well for the Red Sox this weekend against the Tigers. This Dillon Dingler dong did not help matters.

Dingler had already doubled in a run in the first inning, too — the Tigers ended up winning 6-2, and Dingler is now batting .302/.380/.603 on the season with five long balls.

Alvarez the first to double-digit homers

Yordan Alvarez has spent his 2026 season reminding everyone of what the Astros were missing last summer, when multiple injuries limited both his production and how often he played. Healthy again for this year, the designated hitter and left fielder has been mashing: here he is claiming MLB’s home run lead with his ninth of the year.

Except, Alvarez went deep again over the weekend to push that to 10, making him the first to double-digits in the league. Alvarez is batting .333/.471/.790 with 10 dingers, leading the AL in RBIs with 21 and is first in wins above replacement in MLB, as well. Despite this, the Astros are in last, but this kind of performance from their star slugger has to give some hope for when Houston is healthier overall.

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