Author: rincon

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:

Rockies win third in a row

The Colorado Rockies have won three games in a row, and are 5-6 for the season. Without context, that is mildly impressive and not-at-all impressive, but let’s consider the 2025 Rockies for a moment. That team didn’t win its fifth game of the season until the final day of April, and it took until June 4 to rattle off three consecutive dubs. Hell, Colorado had a three-game winning streak and a four-game winning streak in June last year, and still went just 10-16 for the month, which helps explain quite a bit of how the Rockies ended up avoiding the modern loss record but still finished as one of the worst teams to ever do it. So yeah, 5-6 on the morning of April 8 the following season? Colorado will take that.

Rockies’ starter Kyle Freeland threw 6.1 innings of one-run ball, striking out five Astros against one walk allowed. While the lefty allowed a homer to first baseman Christian Walker, he was otherwise tough on Houston’s hitters, and then reliever Antonio Senzatela finished out the game with 2.2 scoreless frames.

Willi Castro did most of the damage for Colorado, as the second baseman drove in the tying run in the second with a single, then in the fourth hit a two-run home run to drive in first baseman TJ Rumfield, giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead. Outfielder Mickey Moniak would add on to that lead later with a dinger of his own, but it was unnecessary given the work the pitchers were doing.

A good, dominant win from Colorado — that’s not something you get to say very often these days. They are off to a better start than usual, however, after losing over 100 games in three-straight seasons, so that kind of W — and the current win streak — are the kinds of signs fans will hope are good ones for digging out of a years-deep hole.

Braves, Angels brawl

Well this got out of hand in a hurry. Angels’ designated hitter Jorge Soler hit a home run off of Reynaldo Lopez in the first inning…

…and then was hit by a pitch by Lopez the next time up. The next time Soler came to the plate, Lopez threw a pitch to the backstop that was up-and-in, and the Angels’ DH did not appreciate it. A staredown and words were exchanged, and Soler charged the mound and Lopez.

While the same kind of slapping that happens in seemingly every bench-clearing incident in MLB happened here, Soler and Lopez also threw some actual punches with weight behind them here — luckily, those seemed to miss their mark, and teammates focused on separating the two rather than continuing the fighting. Both Soler and Lopez were ejected for their actions.

The two had been teammates on the Braves before, but when Soler isn’t with Atlanta, he has Lopez’s number: Soler is 14-for-23 in his career against Lopez, which helps explain why he might have thought Lopez’s frustration with facing Soler and failing once more was bubbling over into an HBP and pitch up near his head. Per Lopez’s own comments, he denies that’s the case, but MLB is sure to hand out punishment of some kind against the two for this disruption regardless of intent or it being a misunderstanding.

The Braves would end up winning, 7-2, despite making a couple of errors and having Lopez pulled early.

Rosario goes deep twice, Yankees win

It was a big day for Yankees’ third baseman Amed Rosario against the Athletics. In the bottom of the second, Rosario hit a solo shot 399 feet to left field off of starter Aaron Civale, who otherwise didn’t give up any runs despite four walks. Civale ended up going five innings without any further damage, and even left with the lead thanks to a three-run Athletics’ third. 

Mark Leiter Jr. came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth for the A’s, though, and Rosario was ready for him, too. So was seemingly the rest of the Yankees’ lineup: three consecutive singles opened the inning, from left fielder Cody Bellinger, first baseman Ben Rice and DH Giancarlo Stanton, then Rosario hit a three-run homer to complete a four-run inning for the Yankees.

New York would not score again, but didn’t need to: they were up 5-3 at this point, and righty David Bednar closed things out in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning to give the Yankees the W.

Ump jump

This one does what it says on the box. Hup!

Too late at the plate

The outcome of Royals-Guardians came right down to the end. The two entered the bottom of the ninth tied at 1-1, Kansas City having scored its lone run in the second and Cleveland in the fifth. Four Guardians’ relievers — Tim Herrin, Erik Sabrowski, Shawn Armstrong and Cade Smith — had combined for 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to follow starter Gavin Williams’ spotless last few frames. This gave Cleveland the chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth, and they did.

Right-hander John Schreiber came in from the bullpen for the Royals with the game on the line, and got the leadoff batter, second baseman Juan Brito, to ground out. Right fielder CJ Kayfus followed with a single, though, putting the winning run on base, and then Bo Naylor came in to pinch-hit and walked to bring up number-nine hitter and shortstop Brayan Rocchio. That’s not bad as far as strategies go: Rocchio is a career .221/.295/.327 hitter whose best-ever season featured an OPS+ of 76 — he’s there for his glove, folks.

But here, Rocchio’s bat showed up. He hit a hard grounder through the hole on the right side of the infield, and while right fielder Lane Thomas scooped it up and made a strong throw home, it wasn’t strong enough and Kayfus just beat the tag at the plate.

The Guardians won, pushing them to 7-5 early and keeping Kansas City at arm’s length early on in the AL Central. There’s a whole lot of season left, but every one of these head-to-head wins is going to matter in the Central this year.

Susac keeps swinging

Last week, Giants’ catcher Daniel Susac made his first-ever start, and went 3-for-3. The rookie was behind the plate once more on Tuesday, and he once again starred for San Francisco. While he did make an out for the first time all year, he still went 3-for-4, and this time managed to drive in a couple of runs, too, thanks to his first big-league triple.

Now, this was in the bottom of the eighth, and the Giants were already up 4-0, but it’s still pretty incredible that Susac has had seven trips to the plate in two games and managed to go 6-for-7 with a triple and a walk. Obviously he’s not going to be like this for his entire rookie season, but Susac was a quality bat in the minors, and the threshold for productive offense from catchers is pretty low in the majors these days — he can be a helpful piece on the Giants even in a backup role.

Bradley whiffs 10

The Twins’ bullpen helped, too, limiting the Tigers to a run over their 2.2 innings of work, but starting pitcher Taj Bradley did most of the heavy lifting here. In his 6.1 innings, the righty struck out 10 batters against a single walk allowed, and mostly scattered six hits to give up just one run to Detroit.

Bradley never quite took off for Tampa Bay before a midseason trade brought him to Minnesota in 2025, and trouble with home runs kept him from succeeding much in the half-dozen starts he made in a Twins’ uniform. To begin 2026, though, Bradley has allowed just two runs over three starts and 16.2 innings, striking out 22 batters while walking four, and without giving up a long ball. Whether that sticks remains to be seen, but if Bradley can figure out how to keep the ball in the yard with more regularity, it’s not difficult to see someone with his stuff take it to the next level like he has so far.

Skenes, Griffin lead Pirates to W

It’s April 8, so don’t get too excited, but the Pirates feel a little different this year. It’s not the record as much as the vibes: ace pitcher and reigning NL Cy Young Paul Skenes doesn’t feel so lonely on the roster, since Pittsburgh actually added some intriguing pieces like outfielder Ryan O’Hearn in free agency, and have already called up MLB’s top prospect, Konnor Griffin, in the early going. Griffin responded by hitting an RBI double in his first at-bat in the bigs, and he’s already shown off his glove, too.

On Tuesday, Skenes looked a lot more like he’s supposed to after a rough start to 2026, going 6.1 innings against the Padres while allowing just one run on two hits and two walks each — Skenes also struck out six. While he held San Diego down, Pittsburgh’s offense was humming: they were up 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, but then dropped another five runs on the Padres to put the game out of reach. Griffin delivered in that inning, too, hitting a two-run single — a hard-hit one with an exit velocity of 113.4 mph — to plate Pittsburgh’s last two of the night.

The Pirates won, and fans woke up to both that box score and the news that Griffin agreed to a nine-year deal worth at least $140 million — the largest contract in Pirates’ history. Pittsburgh hasn’t won anything yet, no, but that it feels like the team might actually want to at some point is already quite the shift.

Marlins waste Alcantara gem

Marlins’ starter Sandy Alcantara has been looking great to start 2026 after a rough summer last year: he threw seven innings without allowing a run in his opening start, threw a complete-game shutout in his second and went the first eight innings without allowing a run on Tuesday against the Reds.

The bad news is that the Marlins pulled Alcantara at the first sign of trouble in the ninth, when he was at 95 pitches after allowing a double to second baseman Matt McLain and a walk to shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Miami put righty reliever Anthony Bender in for Alcantara just needing two outs to secure a 2-0 win, and Bender couldn’t deliver to the point that one wonders why Alcantara wasn’t given the chance to get out of trouble himself. The one doing the wondering, by the way, was Alcantara himself, who did not appreciate not having input when he was only at 95 pitches and a righty was coming to the plate.

Bender would allow both baserunners to steal before he even recorded an out, and then the righty Alcantara mentioned, catcher Sal Stewart, hit a sacrifice fly to drive in McLain. DH Eugenio Suarez would then draw a walk to put runners at the corners, and Bender would then throw a wild pitch to the next batter, left fielder Spencer Steer, allowing De La Cruz to score the tying run.

The 10th inning didn’t go any better for Miami. Calvin Fauchner replaced Bender, with Steer starting the inning on second, and promptly threw his own wild pitch to move Steer to third. Backstop Tyler Stephenson would walk, and Nathaniel Lowe, who came in as a pinch-hitter earlier and had taken over at first, singled in the go-ahead run.

The Reds weren’t finished. Friedl would walk to load the bases, then McLain hit a two-run double. De La Cruz would ground out, but not without pushing another run across, making it 6-2 Reds. Remember, an inning before, Alcantara had a shutout going.

Miami would get a run in the bottom of the frame, but it wasn’t enough: you can see why Alcantara was annoyed enough postgame to bring it up with the media.

What a start for Mauricio

The bad news for the Mets is that star left fielder Juan Soto had to go on the IL for at least two weeks with a strained calf. The good news is that they called up utility infielder Ronny Mauricio to take Soto’s spot on the roster, and he delivered with a game-winning hit in his first plate appearance of the season.

Mauricio came up with shortstop Francisco Lindor already on third and just one out, and he crushed a middle-middle, 90.3 mph Paul Sewald fastball over the head of Diamondbacks’ right fielder Corbin Carroll. The Mets win, and while they still have to make it at least a couple of weeks without Soto, at least the bad luck didn’t immediately compound on itself.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were ejected after getting into a brawl on Tuesday night.

Soler homered off López in the first inning and was then hit by a 96 mph fastball from the right-hander his next time up. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim‘s mitt.

At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.

“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”

The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with the Braves.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss said. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I’ve got to get him off his feet because he’s going to hurt somebody. And so, that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”

López was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler’s batting helmet.

The two were teammates in Atlanta during the second half of the 2024 season.

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”

Atlanta led 4-2 when the fight occurred and went on to a 7-2 victory.

Soler’s two-run shot in the first made him 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles against López.

“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” Soler said. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”

Weiss understood why Soler was mad.

“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lópey [Lopez], and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didn’t look good,” Weiss said. “Lópey’s not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get them out. Our job is to get them out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mild-mannered guy. So, I think the switch flipped for him.

“There was no intent there. I just think that Lópey’s just overthrowing, because he’s had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him,” Weiss added.

López pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

“Obviously, the guy’s got good numbers off López and hits a homer in his first at-bat. Gets drilled up high in the wrist in his second at-bat and then the third one, takes a good swing and then throws the next one head-high. It wasn’t over his head, but it was head-high coming in,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said.

“I don’t blame Jorge one bit. He went out there and words were exchanged and Jorge went out,” Suzuki added. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, you know, it’s dangerous. I know it’s part of the game. I know it happens.”

The Angels won 6-2 on Monday in the opener of the three-game series. Tuesday night’s game was more eventful, to say the least.

“It gets your juices flowing a little bit, on both teams I’m sure,” Weiss said. “So, as long as nobody gets hurt, it’s kind of a good time. But as long as nobody gets hurt. But yeah, I was proud of our guys for the way we handled everything tonight.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

NEW YORK – The night before the Yankees home opener, Aaron Judge sent a message in the team group chat, simply saying: “Suits tomorrow.” 

So the team rolled up to the Bronx wearing suits. The clubhouse was fired up to follow the Yankee captain’s directive and continue that momentum onto the field. Their formal wear set the tone for what would end up being a series win against the Miami Marlins in front of a Bronx crowd that loved the new attitude from a team that has played heads-up baseball to start the season. 

“There’s been an intensity to everything they’ve done, and a focus on every little detail,” manager Aaron Boone said this past weekend in a crowded press conference room at Yankee Stadium. “I just think it’s a very hungry, focused group is how I’d describe it. And those guys are driving that.”

These days, the Yankees are taking everything seriously. Frankly, it’s a frame of mind that’s been missing and badly needed in recent years. 

Players have talked about wanting to be more aggressive on the basepaths this year, and we’ve already seen fruitful results in the early going. The Yankees enter Tuesday leading the American League in stolen bases, with Judge and, yes, even Giancarlo Stanton, swiping one bag each in their first nine games of the year. On Saturday, Stanton stole his first base in a regular-season game since 2020. He eventually trotted around the bases and scored on a passed ball in the Yankees’ comeback win. 

Even if it doesn’t always work out, as evidenced by Trent Grisham being thrown out at third base in the eighth inning of Friday’s win, the Yankees pushing the envelope is a positive change for the organization. 

Particularly in recent years under the Boone era, the team has been heavily criticized for their June swoons that feature a complete lack of fundamentals, sloppy play, and an absence of concentration and focus. Their mental mistakes reached the point of becoming a part of their identity. After the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the 2024 World Series, Los Angeles players said they were simply just waiting for the Bronx Bombers to slip up on the field. So, now, even the Yankees acknowledging their league-wide reputation and attempting to reverse it is refreshing. The most critical part will be maintaining that edge and accountability throughout the year. 

Slumps are going to happen. But a lack of hustle and poor situational hitting has seemingly become unacceptable for the Yankees, who are eager to win a championship in the Judge-Stanton-Gerrit Cole era. Good teams find ways to win even when they’re not at full strength or playing their best. 

Take Judge’s early-season performance, for example. The three-time MVP resembled a league-average hitter in the first week of the year, and the Yankees have still managed to put up a 7-2 start.

Judge entered Friday hitting .125/.160/.375 in his first six games of the season. Compare that mediocre performance to the start of 2024, when Judge hit .125/.214/.167 in his first six games of the season. Judge actually had a worse start to the ‘24 season than the one he experienced in the short sample this year. In both instances, the Yankees went 5-1 in that stretch. In both instances, Judge hit a home run in his seventh game. In ‘24, of course, Judge won his second-career MVP despite the slow start. This year, too, Judge is the favorite to win the award. 

There was a time not too long ago when the Yankees lineup was built to depend on year-long, MVP-caliber production from Judge in order to be competitive in the tough AL East. That’s part of why after Judge slammed into the Dodger Stadium bullpen gate and tore a ligament in his right big toe in June 2023, forcing him to miss 42 games that season, the Yankees couldn’t make up for his bat in the lineup. Forget even trying to flourish without the Yankee captain. The team struggled mightily to string wins together, playing under .500 during his absence before eventually missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years. 

Now, the Yankees are still dangerous without Judge putting up video-game numbers (yet). 

First baseman Ben Rice is off to a torrid start. He hit his third home run of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Marlins. He’s batting .370 in eight games, and he leads the major leagues with a 1.380 OPS so far this season. Right-hander Cam Schlittler enters his third start of the year on Tuesday having limited opposing hitters to a 0.79 batting average, which ranks third-lowest across all MLB pitchers. As a staff, Yankees starting pitchers open their series against the Athletics flaunting the best ERA (1.81) in MLB.

Yankees starters are throwing so well that, for the most part, they’ve been able to cover up the team’s weaknesses. The bullpen has permitted 10 earned runs in 13.2 innings their last four games entering Tuesday. The Yankees’ 6-9 hitters in Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon have a combined .144 average to start the year. That’s pretty abysmal, and outside of Chisholm, it’s not like those bats are underperforming, either.

Normally, the news of left-hander Carlos Rodon having a setback in his rehab would be fresh meat for those that are hyper-critical of the Yankees’ health and training processes. Rodon is recovering from an October surgery that removed loose bodies from his left elbow. On Sunday, after throwing 50 pitches in batting practice, he felt his right hamstring tighten up while running. That’s something worth watching as the southpaw attempts to rejoin the rotation sometime next month.

Rodon’s setback was just the latest reminder that the Yankees aren’t even at full strength yet. That will happen when their ace, Cole, returns from Tommy John rehab sometime around late May or early June. In theory, that will also happen when shortstop Anthony Volpe returns to the team after undergoing an October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. 

It’s been impressive to see what the Yankees can achieve while playing slapdash baseball. They went to the Fall Classic in 2024 while the rest of the world knew their season-long lack of fundamentals would hurt them. They tied the Blue Jays for the best record in the AL East in 2025, a 94-win season, while baserunning blunders and sloppy defense were a part of their formula. This year, the Yankees are cleaning up their mistakes and improving on the margins. It will be fascinating to see how much stronger they’ll be because of it. 

If they can hold onto that higher level of execution all year, it could be the difference between an early October exit and a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

“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

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:

Ramirez is 1-of-1

Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez went hitless on Monday — though he did draw two walks — and Cleveland lost to the Royals, 4-2. So what’s he doing in the feature spot up top in this article? Making some history, is all: Ramirez’s game last night was number 1,620 in a Guardians’ uniform, the most that anyone in the franchise has ever played for it. On top of that, it makes Ramirez the only active player to also be the leader in games played for their team.

Playing a lot is one thing, but Ramirez has also been excellent this whole time. He’s in his 14th year in the majors after debuting as a 20-year-old back in 2013, and has hit .278/.352/.502 in that time. He ranks fourth all-time among Cleveland position players in wins above replacement, behind only a trio of Hall of Famers in Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker and Lou Boudreau. He’s ahead of the likes of Kenny Lofton and Jim Thome — another Hall of Famer — in part because he has spent his entire career with Cleveland, but also because he’s just been that good.

He ranks seventh in hits (1,674), second in total bases (3,018) and home runs (286), third in doubles (400), second in RBIs (954) and stolen bases (289), and first in extra-base hits (729).

Ramirez also has the chance to be just the ninth player to ever reach the 300-home run, 300-stolen base club — and could do so as soon as this season — with plenty of potential to go beyond that, to levels that only Barry Bonds has ever reached. The Giants’ legend is the only player to ever reach 350-350; Ramirez is 33 years old and needs 64 more home runs and 61 more steals to get there. He went 39-41 in 2024 and 30-44 in 2025.

Ramirez is a future Hall of Famer who doesn’t get as many headlines or as much attention as he should, but that just means he is quietly moving up the ranks — he is and has been legit, and his continued push up both Cleveland’s and MLB’s leaderboards backs that up.

A first since ‘95

Now here’s a play you have to see, because you might not see another like it for decades, if the previous gap between them was any indication. All four Royals’ infielders touched this grounder from Guardians’ DH Rhys Hoskins, starting with third baseman Maikel Garcia. He couldn’t get a handle on it, and the ball bounced over to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who then tossed it to second base and Jonathan India before he fired to Vinny Pasquantino at first to get Hoskins. A 5-6-4-3 double play, the first since 1995.

Maybe you don’t want to give Garcia credit there at the start, since he didn’t actually pick it up and throw it, but his deflection went right to Witt to the point that it looks intentional even if it might not have been. Yeah, 5-6-4-3, that rocks.

Cam Smith crushed this

Things didn’t go so well for the Astros overall on Monday — the Rockies ended up with an eight-run fifth inning that won the game for Colorado — but before then, Houston gave us something to marvel at. Right fielder Cam Smith absolutely unloaded on a 2-0 pitch that could not possibly have caught more of the middle of the strike zone.

Smith sent that 95 mph fastball 462 feet to straightaway center, with an exit velocity just shy of 111 mph. He’s off to an excellent start in his sophomore campaign, hitting .297/.422/.595 with three home runs and 11 hits in the first 11 games of the season. Smith wasn’t bad last year by any means, but his rookie campaign showed off his defense more than his bat. If he has them both going at once this year, the AL West is not going to be thrilled.

Beat that bunt, you can’t

The Astros had Smith hitting a ball that Artemis II might have captured in its photos of Earth, but the Rockies had this bunt from their own right fielder, Troy Johnson. It’s basically the equivalent of impressiveness, but on the other end of the spectrum. Look at this thing roll: 

Literally nothing to be done about it. You can’t pick it up because it might roll foul. You can’t even pick it up when it’s showing that it might stay fair, because it’s too late then and the chance of it still rolling out of play are higher than those of an out at first at that point. A true thing of beauty, just a few hundred feet shorter than Smith’s own showcase hit. Baseball rules.

Freeman keeps doubling

Freddie Freeman is great at a lot of things, but the thing he might be best at? Hitting doubles. He’s MLB’s active leader, and hit number 551 on Monday against the Blue Jays: 

The game — which the Dodgers would win in a World Series rematch, 14-2 — was already well out of hand at that point, as Freeman drove in Los Angeles’ 11th run of the night with the two-bagger. So let’s just talk about Freeman for a second. The Dodgers’ first baseman has hit at least 43 doubles — and as many as 59 — five times in his career, and has a season with 39 in the mix, too. Two 35-double campaigns, and in 11 of his 16 completed seasons, managed at least 32 of them. In 2020, which was limited to 60 games thanks to COVID-19, Freeman led the majors with 23 — that very well could have ended up being his career-best season, if the whole thing had played out.

[4 Takeaways: Dodgers Defeat Blue Jays In World Series Rematch]

Freeman currently ranks 32nd in MLB history in doubles — 24 more will get him sole possession of 25th place, and another 25 would make him just the 19th player to ever pick up 600 of them. It’s not like doubles are the only thing Freeman hits, either. He has 370 career homers, too, after also smacking one of those on Monday. 

Just 12 players have ever managed to hit at least 550 doubles and 400 homers in their career. Freeman is 36 years old, but he’s also coming off of a season in which he hit .296/.367/.502, and has an even higher OPS+ than last year to start this one. He might even end up being the 10th 400 homer, 600 doubles player ever, at this rate; he’s just also at the age where you have to take those kinds of projections one year at a time.

Dalton Rushing x2

Obviously the Dodgers had more of an offensive attack than “just” Freddie Freeman, considering the score. He’s another big part of that result: Dalton Rushing. The Los Angeles catcher went deep twice against the Blue Jays, first in the seventh to give the Dodgers a 10-1 lead, off of reliever Tommy Nance… 

Then in the very next inning, off of Spencer Miles, to make it 14-1 Dodgers.

Good news, Blue Jays fans: Tuesday is a new day. Potential bad news? That one also features the Dodgers.

Dumper goes deep

The end result of this is that Mariners’ backstop Cal Raleigh, he of the 60-homer 2025, on Monday finally went yard for the first time in 2026. It ended up being the only offense that Seattle could generate against the Rangers, so Texas was the winner, but still, Raleigh deserves more here than just “he finally hit a dinger.” And that’s because he got it in a 12-pitch at-bat against Jacob deGrom.

Raleigh fouled off seven pitches, pushing the count to 3-2 on the eighth pitch of the at-bat before rattling off the last three fouls in a row. On the 12th pitch, a 99.1 mph four-seamer, Raleigh sent it back 418 feet to right. Just a tremendous battle between two elite players, and Raleigh fouled off some wicked pitches to get things to that point, too, with all but one of the fouls coming on pitches that very easily could have been called strikes, even in an ABS world.

What a snag!

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is a double-threat, in that he can hit plenty but he sure can play defense. And not just in the traditional ways, either. Check out this running snag to left-center — you can’t even really call it shallow left at that point, he’s nearly halfway into it — where he manages the over-the-shoulder catch with a flourish at the end to secure it.

The Cubs would end up falling to the Rays, 6-4, despite Swanson’s effort, but hey, we’ll get to that.

The Rays are back home

See?  The Rays went back to Tropicana Field for the first time in 561 days, following the destruction that Hurricane Milton wrought on it in Oct. 2024 — if you’ll recall, Milton tore through the roof of the Trop, allowing its winds and torrential rains to fill the stadium interior. Tampa Bay played in actual Tampa in 2025, at George M. Steinbrenner Field, but with the roof and insides once again fixed up, the Rays were able to go back to St. Petersburg for 2026.

And on Monday, Cedric Mullins hit the first home run of the season at the Trop for Tampa Bay.

The Rays’ center fielder lined a Jameson Taillon changeup to right, tying the game up at 2-2 in the second inning. DH Yandy Diaz would then single in another run, giving Tampa Bay a lead they would not relinquish in what became a 6-4 victory.

Soriano keeps rolling

What a start for Jose Soriano. The Angels’ right-hander went eight innings against the Braves on Monday, striking out 10 batters without walking any and allowing just three hits, one a solo homer — the lone blemish on an otherwise stellar performance. That shot came in the first inning, when catcher Drake Baldwin smashed his fifth homer of the year: Atlanta’s bats were almost entirely silent from that point forward, as one of the only other two hits also came in that frame.

Soriano has already amassed a league-best 20 innings, and is also leading the league in strikeouts with 21. He’s had plenty of success in the past, and his 2025 was much better than his 4.26 ERA indicated, too, but if he can limit walks while being his usual stingy self with homers, then the Angels really have something here in their rotation.

Nationals dinger their way to comeback

The Nationals went up on the Cardinals early, scoring a pair of runs in the first off of starter Andre Pallante, but the righty settled down from there and held Washington scoreless for his other four innings of work. St. Louis then scored once in the fifth, twice in the sixth and three times in the eighth to go up 6-3 on Washington. That was not enough of a lead.

In the bottom of the frame, right fielder James Wood hit his third long ball of the year, a three-run liner to center, to drive in Drew Millas and Joey Weimer, tying the game up 6-6. 

St. Louis changed pitchers, taking out Ryne Stanek for Matt Svanson, but things did not go better for him. First baseman Curtis Mead, who had pinch-hit earlier, doubled to left, and then third baseman Brady House hit his own homer to put the Nats up 8-6. Shortstop CJ Abrams then followed up with a solo shot to push the lead to 9-6 — St. Louis did not score again.

The Nationals aren’t exactly playing like a powerhouse early, but they are 4-6 with a run differential of just -1 to begin the year. Remember, this team lost 96 games in 2025, and avoided 100 because of a second half that was just regular bad instead of atrocious — maybe they can keep it going and get moving on that rebuild with more success than the last one.

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras had a warning for the Milwaukee Brewers after he was hit on the hand by a pitch Monday night from right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

“They always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you,’’’ Contreras said after the Brewers beat the scuffling Red Sox 8-6 at Fenway Park. “That gets old. So, next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s a message.”

Contreras has been hit by a pitch 131 times in his major-league career, including 24 times by the Brewers — which is 10 more than he’s been plunked by any other team. He has a testy history with Woodruff, who has nailed Contreras six times.

After the latest one, Contreras yelled at Woodruff from first base. Then, on a force play, Contreras slid hard into second, banging into shortstop David Hamilton’s left knee with his cleats and tearing his pants.

“I mean, we’ve been through that. It’s been like nine years for me. It seems like every year,” Woodruff said. “He’s trying to play a game, and he’s trying to get his side fired up, which is fine. Once I knew what was going on, I wasn’t going to let it affect me.”

Before getting traded to the Red Sox in the offseason, Contreras spent his first 10 big league seasons in the NL Central, where he played against Milwaukee a lot, first with the Chicago Cubs and then the St. Louis Cardinals.

Contreras was hit Monday night on the left hand with a fastball that grazed his fingers. Brewers manager Pat Murphy challenged the call, which was upheld following a replay review.

“I thought it wasn’t a hit by pitch,” Murphy said. “That’s why we challenged it. Those are really hard to get overturned.”

Contreras’ younger brother, William, was Milwaukee’s catcher Monday night.

Did he try to calm his big brother as he walked toward first with him?

“I tried,” he said. “He plays like that.”

Willson Contreras hit a solo homer in the ninth inning and reached base five times. He flung his bat not only after the homer, but his first-inning walk, too.

From behind the plate, his younger brother challenged a 2-0 pitch to Willson Contreras that was called a ball. The call was confirmed by ABS.

“I was going to check it whether it was my bother at the plate or not,” William Contreras said through a translator. “I saw it a little closer than it was.”

The teams have two games left in their three-game series.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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This rematch carried the weight of October, even if the game didn’t.

Meeting for the first time since the unforgettable Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Toronto Blue Jays in a 14-2 win on Monday night at the Rogers Centre. 

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Though the series opener was devoid of the close battles we saw in the Fall Classic, this was still a sequel worth watching. The matchup wasn’t as competitive, but it was certainly just as revealing. 

Here are my takeaways:

1. Deja Vu: Teo Takes Mad Max Deep

Teoscar Hernandez is familiar with Max Scherzer hanging his breaking balls. Batting cleanup for the second time this season, Hernandez took Scherzer deep on a slider that fell into the heart of the strike zone, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the first inning. It was déjà vu for these World Series rivals.

You’re forgiven if, amid all the ridiculous plays from the 18-inning Game 3 in last year’s Fall Classic, you forgot about this one. Last October, Hernandez went deep off Scherzer in his first at-bat against him, putting the Dodgers on the board in a six-hour, 39-minute game they would end up winning 6-5. That solo shot from Hernandez was the only home run he hit in the World Series. Conversely, the Dodgers’ left fielder has been heating up at the plate this past week.

Hernandez’s first-inning dinger on Monday night was his second in two days and his 10th hit in his last 20 at-bats. The veteran’s excellent production came after a disappointing 1-for-10 start to the season, underlined by manager Dave Roberts benching Hernandez against the Nationals on Saturday. Hernandez had a strong spring, but the 33-year-old still needs to find consistency at the plate — particularly while Mookie Betts spends time on the injured list with an oblique strain. Hernandez’s home run at his old haunts in the Rogers Centre should help him stay hot.

2. Scherzer’s Early Exit Points To Toronto’s Larger Problem

It’s early in the season, but the Blue Jays can’t find a reliable backend starter to save their lives. Scherzer was mysteriously pulled from the series opener against the Jays after just two innings. He allowed two runs on two hits, walked one batter, and struck out two. This was the 41-year-old’s second start of the season, and he only threw 36 pitches. Whether his early exit was due to poor performance or an injury, it’s the latest blow for a Blue Jays rotation in crisis.

Toronto is already missing four of its starting pitchers, including Trey Yesavage (right shoulder impingement), Cody Ponce (torn ACL), Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation), and Jose Berrios (right elbow stress fracture). Scherzer’s fastball velocity was down in the first inning Monday from his first outing of the year. Any prolonged absence from the veteran will spell disaster for the Blue Jays.

In a twist of fate, it’s likely that only the Dodgers could overcome the type of injury-bug running through the Jays’ rotation. Los Angeles has an embarrassing number of high-quality starters ready to be deployed in case of injuries to the major-league staff, highlighted by left-hander Justin Wrobleski’s outing on Monday. Considered a depth arm, the southpaw held Toronto to five innings of one-run ball. On the flip side, Blue Jays left-hander Josh Fleming couldn’t limit the damage after Scherzer’s exit. Fleming permitted four runs on six hits in just three innings of work from the bullpen.

3. A Tale of Two Offenses

No, this wasn’t batting practice. But the Dodgers sure treated the series opener like that, bullying Toronto’s beleaguered pitching staff for 14 runs and 17 hits, including five home runs, on Monday. No one had a better night than catcher Dalton Rushing, who went 4-for-4 with two homers. Coming off a sweep of the Nationals, Los Angeles’ powerful lineup has scored double-digit runs in three of its last four games for an absurd total of 45 runs in that stretch. By the bottom of the seventh inning, Roberts was able to get Freddie Freeman off his feet and replace him with first baseman Santiago Espinal. Second baseman Alex Freeland was the only batter in the Dodgers’ starting lineup who did not record a hit.

The Blue Jays offense, meanwhile, continued to come up empty. The lineup combined to go 4-for-26 against three Dodgers pitchers. It wasn’t until Dodgers’ veteran infielder Miguel Rojas took the mound in the ninth that the Jays collected their fifth hit and second run of the game. George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., David Schneider, Miles Straw, and Andres Gimenez all went hitless. The Blue Jays’ 36 runs scored so far this season are ranked 22nd in MLB. Their team OPS of .663 is ranked 18th in the majors. Their bats have just been unable to get it going.

Blue Jays fans were gloomy as they watched Kyle Tucker go 1-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored, and an RBI for the Dodgers. Toronto aggressively pursued Tucker, the top free agent of the offseason, before the outfielder signed a four-year, $240 million deal with Los Angeles. Despite reportedly offering a long-term deal and a competitive contract, the Blue Jays were again the bridesmaids this past winter, mirroring their failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani before the 2024 season. For the Jays, Monday night’s laugher against the Dodgers was a painful reminder of those swings and misses. 

4. What Happened To The Blue Jays’ Defense?

The Blue Jays added a pair of errors — and a third misplay that easily could’ve officially been scored as an error — as their sloppy play continued into the World Series rematch on Monday. Fleming replaced Scherzer in the third inning and immediately committed a throwing error to first base, allowing Shohei Ohtani’s 46 mph grounder to warp into two bases for Los Angeles’ leadoff man. What could’ve been an out turned into runs scored when Freeman launched a two-run homer moments later.

In the same inning, Kazuma Okamoto couldn’t field Andy Pages’ 105-mph line drive to third base. In the fifth, Guerrero Jr. flipped an errant throw to Fleming, as Max Muncy reached base on what the official scorer called a hit to lead off the inning. Moments later, Muncy scored on an Alex Freeland groundout, instantly punishing the Jays for their mistake. So far, this Blue Jays team does not remotely resemble the strong defensive club that went to the Fall Classic last season. 

Toronto ranked first in the majors in Fielding Run Value and fourth in Defensive Runs Saved last year. The Jays have already committed eight errors in 10 games this year. It’s been a difficult start to 2026 for the defending American League champions. After getting swept by the White Sox this past weekend, the Jays suffered a demoralizing loss to the almighty Dodgers. Toronto can at least take solace in the fact that its season didn’t truly turn around until the beginning of July last year. There’s a long way to go.

4 ½. What’s Next?

Bring out the popcorn for the second game of this much-anticipated matchup on Tuesday. Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto will go toe-to-toe against veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman as the Blue Jays look to punch back and even the series. 

After winning the 2025 World Series MVP, Yamamoto has a 3.00 ERA (four earned runs in 12 innings pitched) across two starts this season. Gausman, who was terrific in the playoffs last year, is off to a historic start for the Blue Jays. After dominating against the Rockies last Wednesday, Gausman became the only pitcher since at least 1900 with 10-plus strikeouts and no walks through each of his first two starts of the season. If there’s anyone who can stop the bleeding for the Jays, it’s Gausman. 

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.

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