Author: rincon

Per usual, the Los Angeles Dodgers are cracking skulls and taking names, but they’re doing so at an even higher level this season. In defeating the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, Los Angeles marked its first 15-4 start since 1977.

Here’s the Dodgers’ electric start to the 2026 MLB season by the numbers, entering Apr. 18’s slate of games:

0: Relievers Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia have each given up zero runs in eight appearances apiece.

0.50: Through his first three starts, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has recorded an 0.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and held opponents to a .113 batting average (18 innings pitched).

1: The Dodgers’ offense leads MLB with 35 home runs, 320 total bases, a .287 batting average, a .364 on-base percentage, a .499 slugging percentage and an .863 OPS.

1.04: After leading MLB with 10 blown saves — and posting a 4.74 ERA — in 2025, left-handed reliever Tanner Scott sports a 1.04 ERA and 0.58 WHIP through his first 10 appearances this season.

1.05: The Dodgers’ combined 1.05 WHIP and 6.2 hits surrendered per nine innings leads the sport.

4: Of backup catcher Dalton Rushing’s nine hits, four of them are home runs; he owns a .529/.556/1.353 slash line.

5: The Dodgers have won five of their first six series.

6: Max Muncy leads the team with six home runs, which have all been solo shots.

8: In what was his second MLB start since June 6, 2025, Justin Wrobleski, who has been a primary reliever for the Dodgers, pitched eight scoreless innings and gave up just two baserunners (two hits) against the New York Mets on Apr. 13.

9: Los Angeles has held its opponents to two or fewer runs in nine games.

21: Outfielder Andy Pages has totaled a team-high 21 RBIs, while blasting five home runs, stealing three bases and sporting a .412/.453/.691 slash line.

52: The Dodgers have a +52 run differential, which is second in MLB.

78.9: At 15-4, Los Angeles owns the best record in the sport (78.9% winning percentage).

143: The Dodgers’ 143 OPS+ leads the majors.

188: Opponents are hitting just .188 against the Dodgers’ starting rotation, which also sports a mere 0.99 WHIP. Both statistics are first in MLB.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There has been nothing Amazin’ about the New York Mets‘ start to the 2026 MLB season.

Not only are the Mets in last place in the National League East, they’ve lost nine consecutive games, falling to 7-13 (35.0% winning percentage) and now tied for the worst record in the sport.

Here’s New York’s nine-game losing streak by the numbers (Apr. 8-17):

0: The Mets have been shut out in three of the nine games during this losing streak.

1: Over the last seven days, they’ve hit one home run.

2: New York has lost two games with its opponents scoring no more than two runs.

5A: The first five losses in the skid came at home.

5B: Those initial five losses came against two teams that missed the playoffs last season: Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics.

6A: The Mets haven’t led at any point in six of the nine losses.

6B: Luke Weaver, whom the Mets signed to a two-year, $22 million deal in the offseason, has given up six runs over his last two appearances (1 ⅔ innings).

6.2: Opponents have scored a combined 56 runs against the Mets over this span (6.2 runs per game).

7: The Mets have scored a combined seven runs and drawn just six walks over their last five games, with both totals the worst mark in MLB over the last seven days.

13: Right-hander Kodai Senga has been unable to escape the fourth inning in each of his last two starts, surrendering a combined 13 earned runs, 19 baserunners (14 hits and five walks) and four home runs across 5 ⅔ innings.

16: New York has scored just 16 runs during this losing streak.

20: Brett Baty is 0 for his last 20.

22: The Mets’ nine-game losing streak is their worst run in 22 years, with New York losing 11 consecutive games in 2004; they finished 71-91 and were managed by Art Howe in 2004.

045: First baseman Mark Vientos is batting just .045 since New York’s last win (1 for 22). 

167: Luis Robert is hitting .167.

810: Left-hander David Peterson owns a combined 8.10 ERA over his last two starts and, stretching beyond the Mets’ nine-game losing streak, has given up at least four runs in each of his last three starts.

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Munetaka Murakami hit his first career grand slam, Davis Martin gave up three hits over seven innings, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Athletics 9-2 on Friday night.

Murakami went 3 for 5 with singles in the third and fourth innings before his 431-foot grand slam in the seventh, the third of the season for the White Sox, who now lead the majors. It was Murakami’s sixth homer of the season.

The White Sox had 15 hits. A’s starting pitcher Aaron Civale (2-1) gave up a career-high 11 through 4 2/3 innings. He threw 103 pitches and gave up five earned runs with four strikeouts and a walk.

Colson Montgomery doubled in a run in the first to get the White Sox rolling early and followed it up with an RBI single in the third. Edgar Quero hit an RBI groundout in the third and Luisangel Acuna and Andrew Benintendi both hit RBI doubles in the fifth.

Martin (3-1) had four strikeouts and gave up three hits, two walks and only one earned run.

Nick Kurtz hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth for the Athletics, sending Shea Langeliers home, and Andy Ibanez drove in Max Muncy in the bottom of the eighth.

Up next

The White Sox and Athletics continue their three-game series on Saturday, with Erick Fedde (0-3, 3.38 ERA) taking the mound for Chicago opposite Luis Severino (0-2, 5.59).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Jose Soriano pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning of his fifth consecutive win, Yoan Moncada and Josh Lowe homered, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped the San Diego Padres‘ eight-game winning streak with an 8-0 victory Friday night.

Adam Frazier had an RBI triple and Jo Adell had a two-run double for the Angels, who opened a six-game home stand by blowing out a Southern California rival.

Soriano (5-0) continued his spectacular start to the season despite four walks, recording eight strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 0.28 with just one run allowed in his 32 2/3 innings this season. The Angels’ ace increased his major league-leading strikeout total to 39, and he joined the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Aaron Ashby as MLB‘s only pitchers with five wins.

Three Los Angeles relievers wrapped up a combined three-hitter in San Diego’s first shutout loss of the season.

Before the first pitch, Angel Stadium aired a tribute video and observed a moment of silence for Garret Anderson, the longtime Angels outfielder and franchise hits leader whose death at 53 was announced by the team earlier Friday. The Angels are wearing a patch bearing Anderson’s initials on their uniform shoulders.

Matt Waldron (0-1) yielded six runs on eight hits in his season debut for the Padres, who followed a perfect 7-0 home stand with only their second loss in two weeks. San Diego had won 11 of 12 since its 2-5 start to the season.

Waldron started 26 games for the Padres in 2024, but just one last year — and then the occasional knuckleballer got a late start in the current season after undergoing a procedure on a hemorrhoid in February.

After Moncada’s homer began a three-run rally in the second, Soriano escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third by getting Jackson Merrill to ground out.

Nolan Schanuel chased Waldron with an RBI single in the fourth before Adell and Lowe delivered two-RBI hits off David Morgan.

Soriano left after Manny Machado singled and Xander Bogaerts walked, but Chase Silseth got Gavin Sheets to fly out to the warning track in right.

Up next

Germán Márquez (2-1, 5.54 ERA) takes the Big A mound for the Padres on Saturday to face the Halos’ struggling Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 7.50).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The family of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is nearing a sale of the team, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Padres aren’t commenting publicly on the process.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the imminent deal with private equity billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones. The team is expected to be sold for $3.9 billion in a record deal for a Major League Baseball team, easily topping the approximately $2.4 billion paid by Steven Cohen for the New York Mets in 2020.

The 53-year-old Feliciano is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm based in Santa Monica, California. The firm was part of an investment group that purchased Premier League club Chelsea in 2022, with Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly becoming the Blues’ chairman.

Seidler’s family began to explore a sale of the Padres last November, two years after the death of the popular Peter Seidler. His brother, John Seidler, has served as the Padres’ chairman since then.

Peter Seidler was part of a group that bought the Padres in 2012, and he became the team’s primary owner in 2020. He enthralled San Diego’s baseball fans with his free-spending eagerness to win the Padres’ first World Series, and general manager A.J. Preller built a series of exciting teams that have reached the MLB playoffs in four of the last six seasons — a first in team history.

The Padres’ potential sale price reflects their value as San Diego’s only franchise in North America’s four traditional major sports leagues, leading to a passionate fan base in their attractive home at downtown Petco Park. The team has set attendance records in each of the past three seasons, capped last season by drawing a whopping 3,437,201 fans — the second-most in the majors to the Dodgers, who play in their much larger stadium in Chavez Ravine.

Feliciano was born and raised in Puerto Rico before attending Princeton and Stanford. He co-founded Clearlake Capital two decades ago.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Garret Anderson, the multitalented outfielder who became the Los Angeles Angels‘ career hits leader and led the team to its only World Series title, has died. He was 53.

The Angels announced Anderson’s death Friday morning without immediately disclosing the cause or location.

Anderson reached the majors with the then-California Angels in 1994 and played for the club until 2008, primarily as a left fielder. He was a fixture in the heart of their batting order for his entire tenure, becoming the franchise’s career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8).

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels will wear a memorial patch this season bearing Anderson’s initials, the team announced. They will hold a moment of silence Friday before the Angels host the San Diego Padres.

Anderson was a three-time AL All-Star who finished as high as fourth in the AL MVP balloting, and he won two Silver Slugger awards. He memorably won the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP award in 2003 in Chicago.

His 272 career homers are third in Angels history behind Mike Trout and Tim Salmon. Only Trout has scored more runs in Angels history than Anderson.

In 2002, Anderson batted .306 and drove in a team-leading 123 runs for the then-Anaheim Angels, who won 99 games and earned a wild-card playoff berth. The Halos stormed through the playoffs to this franchise’s only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Anderson was a key factor in the Fall Classic, batting 9 of 32 with six RBIs. He drove in the final three runs of the series with a tiebreaking three-run double in the third inning of the Angels’ 4-1 victory over the Giants in Game 7.

Anderson finished his career with the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement in 2011. He was inducted into the Angels’ Hall of Fame in 2016, and he regularly worked for the team as a television broadcaster on its pregame and postgame shows over the ensuing decade.

Anderson was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1972. He attended Granada Hills High School in the suburban San Fernando Valley before the Angels drafted him in the fourth round in 1990.

The Angels said Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret “Trey” Anderson III.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Two years ago, Luis Arraez was traded away from a floundering Marlins team embarking on another rebuild under new leadership. The veteran infielder seemed to understand the business and the reality of the Marlins’ plight, and he harbored no obvious resentment toward his former employers as the team changed direction. 

In fact, weeks after getting dealt from Miami to San Diego, he was still raving about his old manager. 

“I respect that man a lot,” Arraez said. “He’s a special man.”

That man, Skip Schumaker, oversaw an unexpected 15-win year-over-year improvement in Miami in 2023. The Marlins’ 84 wins allowed them to reach the postseason for the first time in a full season in 20 years — they also made it to the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season — and earned Schumaker the honor of National League Manager of the Year in his first season as a big-league skipper. He got the most out of a Marlins team that had a minus-57 run differential, finding ways to win close games and instilling belief. 

The euphoria, however, was fleeting. 

The Marlins got swept in the wild-card series. Weeks later, Kim Ng, the general manager who gave Schumaker his opportunity, parted ways with the team after ownership reportedly sought to hire someone above her. The Arraez move began a firesale early in the 2024 season amid a 9-24 start, as new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix attempted to restock what was, at the time, one of the weakest farm systems in the sport. 

Schumaker tried to steer the ship through choppy waters. Jake Burger, a Marlins corner infielder and DH in 2023 and 2024, still remembers the energy his manager brought every day amid the turmoil and sudden change in direction. 

“I think we broke the major league record for transactions that year,” Burger recalled to me last week during the Rangers’ West Coast road trip. “It’s part of the game, part of the business. But for him, it was about showing up and doing the little things right on a daily basis.”

Positive vibes, however, can only do so much when the talent is inadequate. The novice group finished with 62 wins. Schumaker departed at season’s end, immediately becoming one of the hottest commodities on the coaching circuit. The problem? There weren’t many seats open.

Instead of trying to jump back into another rebuild somewhere else, Schumaker spent the 2025 season as a senior adviser to Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young. Schumaker used some of that time out of the manager’s chair to seek feedback around the league from coaches and players about what they felt he did right and what he did wrong in Miami. One such opportunity presented itself at an annual winter ski trip he takes with a handful of MLB managers. 

“You’re asking because feedback is growth,” Schumaker told me. “I just wanted to know what I was missing, what I did wrong, so you can grow from it.” 

Now, he can put the advice to practice. 

When the Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy parted ways after three seasons and a World Series championship together, Schumaker emerged as the heir apparent. 

“You don’t know if you’re ever going to get this chance again to manage,” Schumaker said. “To be here in this type of organization, with my son going to college at TCU next year, all of this is surreal.”

‘Players want to know where they stand’ 

Arraez was far from alone in his effusive praise of Schumaker, particularly when it came to his ability to communicate. 

“He’s very clear about what he expects from each guy and what role they’re going to be in,” said Burger, who has the unique perspective of having played for Schumaker both in Miami and now in Texas. “As baseball players, we understand the game, we understand there’s a 26-man roster and a 40-man roster and all that, but him being able to communicate that and portray ‘we still need you no matter what role you’re in’ I think is the most influential thing that stands out.”

The way multiple Rangers players described it to me, Schumaker leads like a player would, which makes sense considering he was an 11-year big-league veteran who played until 2015. In his current role, the 46-year-old manager seeks to fill in the gaps that occasionally were missing during his playing career. 

“I’m just convinced that players want to know where they stand,” Schumaker said. “That’s it. When I was a player, I was a bench player, I was an everyday player, I was back to a bench player, and there were times when I didn’t know where I stood. I’d have to come in and check the lineup and kind of wonder what they’re thinking.”

It could be awkward and intimidating for a player to walk into a manager’s office to ask those questions. Schumaker doesn’t want that uncertainty lingering, so he’s proactive. 

“I’m going to tell them why I think they should be hitting in the lineup where they are, what leverage situation, the reasons why,” Schumaker said, “and players prove me right or prove me wrong. That’s just what it is. You’re always allowed to pivot. It’s OK to be wrong. I’ve got no ego in this thing, and I’ve been wrong plenty of times.”

Immediately after Brandon Nimmo was traded from the Mets to the Rangers in November, Schumaker laid out to the veteran outfielder what was expected of him and asked to know more about his routine. 

“He told me right away, ‘If you’re not opposed to it, we’re looking at you at right field and leading off,’” Nimmo said. “He’s open-minded with all that stuff and just wants to make sure he has a plan, he’s prepared, and that he’s able to keep you in the right positions to keep you prepared.”

Schumaker’s hands-on techniques differ from the usual big-league manager. 

Before a game, you might see him throwing batting practice, then dropping by to chat with a fielder taking live reads off the bat, then walking to the outfield to meet with a reliever shagging balls, all within the same hour. 

“It is different,” Nimmo acknowledged, “but I think it’s good. He was a player. He understands it. And he still has that competitive drive in him to be the best he can be, so you see that when you’re around him.”

Added Rangers reliever Tyler Alexander: “If you need to talk to him, you can find him. He’s with us after games, hanging out with us in the clubhouse when he gets a chance. You see him in the weight room. He’s just available.” 

Is that a good thing? 

“Well, if he’s a good guy, it’s a good thing,” Alexander said with a grin. “And he is. He’s fun to talk to. You can have a conversation with him.”

Bibles And Bourbon 

Back home in Orange County, Schumaker holds a bible study group every Thursday night called Bibles and Bourbon. 

One night, one of the group members suggested that every person share their story. Schumaker had known most of the people in the group for more than a decade, but he obliged. 

“We each wrote down our story and shared it,” Schumaker recalled last week, “and it was super impactful.”

Immediately, he knew he wanted to take that idea to his team. 

“If I don’t know exactly who you were, who your heroes were, how you grew up,” Schumaker said, “how do I know what’s going to motivate you?” 

The work of discovering his players’ motivations is an ongoing, everyday process.

“If we don’t get them better every day or give them a little something, then we’re not doing our job,” Schumaker said. “If our staff is scared to talk to our players, then I hired the wrong guys. And I feel like we hired the right guys.”

Understanding how a player was raised can help. 

One time, on an off day in the middle of a Marlins season, Schumaker and his bench coach, Luis Urueta, flew down to Miami’s complex in the Dominican Republic just to get a better idea of how the players grew up. 

“We just spent a day and a half there, and flew home,” Schumaker said. “It wasn’t to get a report on it. It was literally to find out what these guys go through and where they live. Some guys have tough upbringings, and to get to the major leagues, it’s really impressive. That’s part of their story.”

Schumaker is intent on collaborative communication and wants the information and the messaging from the front office down to the players to be consistent. He wants to put players in the best position possible. 

Most importantly, though, he wants his players to know he cares. That he has their back. 

“This thing,” Schumaker said, “is all about relationships.”

“He cares about you, your family, what your needs and wants are on a daily basis, what makes you tick on a daily basis,” Burger said. “That’s the easiest way to explain it: He wants to get to know the person before the baseball player, that way he can get the most out of you as a baseball player.”

The Team Meeting 

One of Schumaker’s best traits, according to Nimmo, is his ability to keep things in perspective. 

“He does a really good job of wanting you to be prepared and do everything you can in order to be successful,” Nimmo said, “but not base your identity off that.”

One example came back in spring, when Schumaker called a team meeting to introduce his players to Cade Spinello, a 20-year-old brain tumor survivor he met through his involvement with the Jessie Rees Foundation. 

The foundation is inspired by Jessica Joy Rees and her motto to “Never Ever Give Up.” In the midst of her own fight with terminal cancer, the 12-year-old Rees wanted to help other kids receiving long-term, in-patient treatment at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, so she created and distributed JoyJars, stuffed with toys and games, to provide encouragement. 

Spinello, who was Rees’ “chemo buddy,” has talked to Schumaker’s teams every year for the last decade. The message this spring resonated with Nimmo.

“Whatever you do, and whatever you’re given, it’s such a blessing,” Nimmo said. “Do it to the best of your ability, but also realize this life is precious, and the time you get is precious, and enjoy it.”

The Rangers have followed their surprising 2023 World Series run by missing the playoffs each of the last two years, unable to get the most out of the talent in place. They hired Schumaker on a four-year deal, believing he was the best option to foster an environment of positivity, growth and development. 

If it works, it wouldn’t be the first time Schumaker has extracted the most out of a group. 

“If you like coming to work every day,” Schumaker said, “you’re going to have success.” 

___

In “Touching Base,” we check on the top players and topics making headlines around baseball and what comes next.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
 

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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 last night in Major League Baseball:

A near no-no for the Guardians

Cleveland has had baseball long enough to have multiple no-hitters in its history — 14 of them, in fact — but the last one came all the way back in 1981. To give you some perspective on how long ago that was, it’s three years before the Guardians’ manager, Stephen Vogt, was born. And hell, Vogt was born 10 years before FOX Sports was first founded. It’s been a while, is the thing.

On Thursday, the Guardians had a chance at their first no-no in 45 years, when rookie starter Parker Messick got through eight no-hit innings against the Orioles. It was just the 11th start of his career, as he made seven of them in 2025 without losing his rookie eligibility, and Thursday was his fourth of the current season. He has shined throughout his brief time in the majors — his combined ERA through his first 65.1 innings in the bigs is 2.07 — but has never been better than on Thursday.

Messick tied a career-high with nine strikeouts, walked two and didn’t allow a hit through the first eight innings against Baltimore. He would enter the ninth inning already at 106 pitches — his first time over 100 in the majors, and also the first time he pitched into the eighth or ninth — and give up a hit on the first pitch of that frame to center fielder Leody Taveras.

The Guardians kept Messick in the game at first, to pitch to shortstop Blaze Alexander and see if he could get out of this with a complete game, at least, but another single followed, and he was pulled. While Messick was charged with two runs on the day, those came about because the runners he bequeathed to closer Cade Smith both scored.

Cleveland did not end up breaking the no-hitter drought, but on the bright side: Parker Messick. He’s been pitching like the kind of shutdown starter the Guardians — which are not exactly an offense-first team — need if they are going to thrive in the AL Central. That’s not nothing.

Messick had help in securing the 4-2 W, most notably from star third baseman Jose Ramirez. Ramirez had a great catch in foul territory where he somehow managed to hold on to a ball that he snowconed while coming up against the wall…

…and he was also responsible for the first two runs of the day for the Guardians, when he belted a middle-middle 96 mph four-seamer over the fence in right-center field in the bottom of the first inning.

That’s 289 career homers for Ramirez now, who looks likely to become the ninth-ever player with 300 home runs and 300 steals at some point this summer.

Padres sweep Mariners for eighth-straight W

The Padres barely put up a fight for last year’s inaugural Vedder Cup between San Diego and the Seattle Mariners, but things are going very differently in 2026. The Padres won on Thursday, 5-2, sweeping the M’s and ensuring that the best result Seattle can get here is a season split with San Diego.

A four-run second inning did the job for the Padres. First baseman Gavin Sheets hit a one-out double, which was followed by back-to-back singles from DH Miguel Andujar and catcher Luis Campusano. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth would then reach on a fielding error to load the bases, which allowed a ground out by left fielder Ramon Laureano to score another run. Right fielder Fernando Tatis would then hit a two-run single to make it 4-0, and while the Padres didn’t need another run for the dub, they got it in the seventh on an RBI single by third baseman Manny Machado.

Mason Miller came in for the save and struck out the side to give San Diego its eighth-straight victory.

Miller is on an absurd run at the moment: he now holds the second-longest scoreless streak in Padres’ history, as he passed Randy Jones in this outing and is now at 30.2 innings without allowing a run. (The Padres are wearing patches to honor Jones this season, as died in November at the age of 75.) Cla Meredith’s franchise record is 33.2 innings.

Oh, and Miller is getting there by being dominant in a way that has literally never happened before.

Miller has pitched in nine games and thrown 9.1 innings. He has 23 strikeouts against two (2!) baserunners. The last time he gave up a run in a Padres’ uniform was Aug. 5, 2025, in his second appearance with the team: he struck out 42 batters with nine walks, four hits and no runs allowed for the rest of the regular season.

Caminero’s timely homer, for his mom

Junior Caminero bashed 45 homers in 2025, so his going yard in 2026 isn’t exactly a shocker. However, the Rays’ third baseman promised his mother that he would hit a homer for her on her birthday, and like a good, devoted son, he delivered.

This wasn’t just some random homer for mom, though. The Rays were down 3-2 to the White Sox in the ninth inning on the road when Caminero strode to the plate to leadoff the inning against new pitcher, Chicago closer Seranthony Dominguez. Dominguez missed with his first three offerings, and Caminero watched a 3-0 sinker up in the zone for strike one. Next came another 98-mph sinker, this time inside as it broke across the plate and right into the path of Caminero’s bat instead of underneath it. It barely made it over the wall, but it got out in a hurry and counts all the same.

Tampa Bay would end up plating three runs that inning, and the White Sox couldn’t muster a response in the bottom of the frame. The White Sox are now just 6-13, while the 11-7 Rays are winners of six in a row and atop the AL East. 

Angels rout Yankees as Trout makes history

Angels’ star center fielder Mike Trout was in position to make history against the Yankees on the road on Thursday — all he needed was one home run, and a couple of best-ever accolades would come his way. New York starter Max Fried pitched him carefully for most of the game, walking him twice early, putting Trout’s ability to hit a home run for the fourth-straight game — and his fifth in four days — into question for most of the series-concluding matchup.

Then, the seventh inning came, and reliever Angel Chivilli was on the mound instead. He threw one too many pitches in the strike zone, and did not fool Trout with an 89.7 mph changeup low in the zone following a much quicker slider in the same place a pitch before. The result? Explosive.

Trout didn’t just hit a homer. He drove that pitch 446 feet to deep left-center field, with an exit velocity of nearly 115 mph. He crushed that changeup, and put the Angels up 7-4 in the process. With this dinger, Trout became the first-ever opposing player at Yankee Stadium — any version — to hit a home run in four-straight games, and as it was his fifth of the series as well, he tied the all-time lead for home runs by a visiting player in a series against the Yankees, joining George Bell (1990), Darrell Evans (1985) Hall of Fame slugger Jimmie Foxx (1933).

Not wanting Trout to become the first-ever player to hit six long balls in a series against them, the Yankees then walked the red-hot slugger the next time up. It worked, sort of: the Yankees avoided another dinger from Trout himself, but that walk loaded the bases for right fielder Jo Adell, who hit a grand slam instead to get the game to its final score of 11-4.

The dinger after an intentional walk; there’s nothing quite as satisfying. 

The Yankees lost, but: Aaron Judge

Mike Trout obviously deserves attention for a series by a visiting player unlike any that has come before at Yankee Stadium, but living in his shadow a bit was the Yankees’ own star slugger, Aaron Judge. Judge went deep again on Thursday, too, giving him four home runs during the series.

That also ties Judge with Cardinals’ outfielder Jordan Walker for the MLB lead, while putting him atop the American League — one ahead of Trout. Both had a bit of a slow start to the season, but Trout is now up to .246/.416/594 with seven dingers, and Judge is at .236/.321/.597 with eight, so, safe to say they seem to be coming out of their respective early funks.

Brewers bunt three times in a row, win

The Blue Jays and Brewers were both having trouble scoring runs on Thursday, with the game still tied up at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh. So, Milwaukee decided that playing for one run wasn’t so bad when a single run might end up being all that was needed to win. They took this concept to the extreme, and bunted in three consecutive plate appearances.

Garrett Mitchell pinch-hit and drew a walk to start the inning, and then the bunting began. Outfielder Greg Jones was out on a sacrifice bunt to move Mitchell over, and that was followed by a bunt for a hit from third baseman David Hamilton when the throw to first took Kazuma Okamoto off the bag. Milwaukee decided to roll the dice a third time, having shortstop Joey Ortiz attempt to bunt Mitchell home from third, and while Ortiz ended up out, the damage was done; the Brewers now led, 2-1.

And that would end up being the final score. Hey, when you play for one run, that’s all you’ll get, but sometimes one run is enough.

Oneil Cruz has your hardest hit of 2026

Not a home run, no, but Pirates’ center fielder Oneil Cruz tattooed this ball all the same. That’s an exit velocity of 119 mph for Cruz on this double off of Nationals’ lefty Foster Griffin.

Cruz is no stranger to hitting baseballs very hard, but it is still funny that Cruz’s earlier hit, a single to center, came off the bat at “just” 94 mph. Guess he had to course correct a bit, and did he ever.

Tigers walk it off for sixth-straight win

What a game between the Tigers and Royals. It took a late rally for Detroit to come out ahead and notch their sixth-straight W, but they got there in the end. It took until the middle of the game for the scoring to truly get going, too, as it was just 2-1 Tigers through four innings, but then everything opened up. Detroit scored four runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-1, but then catcher Salvador Perez hit a sac fly to cut into the lead slightly, and a huge sixth inning put Kansas City ahead, thanks to a six-run effort.

The Tigers clawed back a run in the seventh, but things could have gone better than that for Detroit, if not for this incredible sliding catch out in right-center field by Kyle Isbel.

He had to consider not just his own place in the outfield relative to the wall, but also his incoming teammate, right fielder Jac Caglianone, who was also speeding to the fence to make the grab. The only way to make it work without incident was by sliding, and Isbel pulled it off — luckily, Calgianone knew enough to hop up against the wall to avoid running right into Isbel as he was defenseless on the ground.

On top of this bit of run prevention, the Royals got the one they did give up back in the top of the ninth to make it 9-7, Kansas City, with three outs to go for Detroit. This was not an insurmountable lead: Royals’ closer Lucas Erceg came in for the save, but instead, he allowed a leadoff single to second baseman Gleyber Torres and a walk (after an ABS challenge) to rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle. It looked like Erceg might escape trouble after getting the next two batters out, but left fielder Riley Greene doubled in both Torres and McGonigle, and suddenly it was tied up 9-9.

Third baseman Colt Keith, who entered the game earlier as a pinch-hitter, got an 89.8 mph changeup middle-middle from Erceg, and was not fooled. He laced it through the hole in the right side of the infield, and Greene came around to score the winning run.

The Tigers were in real trouble for a bit very recently, but have turned things around from a 4-9 start to now be 10-9. Meanwhile, the Royals just made getting back to .500 or better more difficult thanks to Detroit getting the brooms out. But hey, it’s early on both fronts: Detroit was a mess a week ago, and now they’re surging!

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Cleveland Guardians rookie Parker Messick lost his no-hitter on the first batter in the top of the ninth inning. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras knocked a single into right field to spoil Messick’s bid.

He carried the no-hitter through eight innings, in which Messick walked two batters and matched a career high with nine strikeouts. 

Messick was pulled from the game after allowing another hit to shortstop Blaze Alexander, and was ultimately tagged with two earned runs when relief pitcher Cade Smith allowed RBIs to Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso.

Messick came close to throwing the first no-hitter in the majors since Sept. 4, 2024, when Shota Imanaga and two Chicago Cubs relievers combined to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-0, and the first no-hitter for Cleveland’s organization since Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland has the majors’ longest current gap between no-hitters. 

Carlos Carrasco went 8 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on July 1, 2015, and Gavin Williams had a no-hitter for 8 1/3 innings last season on Aug. 6 against the New York Mets.

Carrasco came within one strike of a no-hitter when Rays left fielder Joey Butler lined a slider on an 0-2 count that just eluded the glove of leaping Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Juan Soto broke up Williams’ no-hit bid with a home run to center.

Messick faced one batter more than the minimum. He walked leadoff hitter Taylor Ward before retiring the next 15 batters. Ward hit a deep flyball to center field in the third inning that Steven Kwan caught at the wall, and Jose Ramirez made a nice stop on a grounder by Coby Mayo deep in the hole at third to end the fifth.

Messick walked Taveras leading off the sixth, but Ward grounded into a double play to end the inning. Ramírez also made a terrific grab in foul territory to retire Samuel Basallo leading off the eighth.

This was just Messick’s 11th career start at the major league level. He was the 54th overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Florida State and made his big league debut last year.

Messick came into the game with a 5-1 career mark and a 2.04 ERA. He was 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA in his first three starts this season.

The Guardians backed up Messick with Ramírez’s two-run homer in the first and RBI singles by Kwan in the fifth and George Valera in the sixth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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