Category: Baseball

Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham both homered twice and the New York Yankees scored on a game-ending wild pitch in a three-run ninth inning to overcome Mike Trout’s two homers and five RBIs in an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night that stopped a five-game losing streak.

Judge and Jose Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night, but Caballero’s error on Trout’s fourth-inning leadoff grounder to shortstop led to four unearned runs.

Grisham’s pinch-hit, three-run homer off Shaun Anderson lifted New York into a 7-4 lead in the fifth. Trout, like Judge a three-time AL MVP, retied the score with a three-run drive in the sixth against Jake Bird.

Judge’s homer off Anderson leading off the bottom half gave him 47 multi-homer games, one more than Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth’s 68 among Yankees.

Josh Lowe knotted the score at 8 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, and Trout’s two-run drive in the eighth off Camilo Doval put the Angels ahead 10-8 with his 31st multi-homer game.

Grisham, who had five RBIs, tied the score at 10 with a two-run homer against closer Jordan Romano (0-1) in the ninth. Caballero doubled and stole third without a throw. And after Austin Wells walked, Caballero scored when Romano bounced a full-count slider to Ryan McMahon to the backstop.

Judge has 374 homers, one more than teammate Paul Goldschmidt. New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads active players with 454, missed by about a foot with a double off the center-field wall in the fifth. Trout has 408 homers.

Paul Blackburn (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.

Caballero allowed Trout’s grounder to glance off his glove for an error, leading to a 28-minute, 55-pitch top of the fourth that ended with Trout’s bases-loaded flyout to the center-field warning track.

Jorge Soler doubled for the Angels’ first hit and his AL-high 17th RBI. Jo Adell and Logan O’Hoppe hit two-out RBI singles off Will Warren, who threw 37 pitches in the inning while getting two outs. Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz walked a pair of batters, including Zach Neto with the bases loaded.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

FOX Sports’ MLB analyst Dontrelle Willis captured Major League Baseball’s pulse in the span of 90 seconds during this week’s rendition of “Hit and Run.” 

Here’s who was worthy of Willis’ praise this week. 

World Series Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

“You didn’t see the ring that I brought in a couple of days ago? The Dodgers, I’m taking. They’re just too deep of a lineup. They lead all of baseball in home runs, RBI and (slugging percentage). And really, Kyle Tucker hasn’t begun to be himself. But this is too deep and too experienced of a team.”

MLB’s Home Run Leader: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

“If he stays healthy, in Houston, I think that swing, plays to that ballpark. He has line to line power. Already six home runs on the year. They’re going to need him to stay healthy and give them 500 at-bats if they want a shot in the AL West. So I think he’s going to lead it. ” 

Best NL Shortstop: Elly de le Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

“He’s absolutely dynamic. Love what he does defensively. He has range. Hitting .280 right now. Leads the Cincinnati Reds in runs scored. He can do it all, and have some power as well.”

MLB’s Most Unhittable Pitcher: Mason Miller, San Diego Padres

“You see that bad man down there in San Diego, Mason Miller? He’s absolutely elite. The fastball plays anywhere from 100 miles an hour to 103. Slider is 92 miles an hour. He’s truly fun to watch.”

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

When do MLB’s many mercurial contenders want to reveal their true form?  

We’re only about 10% into the 2026 season, but only the two-time defending World Series champions Dodgers (11-4), Braves (10-6) and Padres (10-6) have double-digit wins, while 20 teams are within two games of .500. 

But numerous teams projected to be among the best in baseball have also, at times, looked like some of the worst.

Both the Yankees and Brewers started 8-2 … and then lost five straight games. The story’s similar for the Mets, who began 7-4 before dropping five in a row. The defending AL champion Blue Jays haven’t fared any better, starting 4-1 before losing eight of their last 10 games. 

The Astros were 6-3 before losing seven straight — a skid that’s still ongoing as they’ve fallen into last place in the AL West. The Mets (7-9) and Cubs (7-8) are also in last place in their respective divisions, while the Blue Jays (6-9) and Red Sox (6-9) are in a share for last in the AL East with the same number of wins as the Rockies (6-10) and White Sox (6-10). 

For many of these teams, injuries can help explain the unexpected volatility. 

This week’s power rankings include some of the latest injuries to monitor around the league. 

Top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this week, so that’s a reason to be excited. He can’t, however, fix the team’s offensive woes: The White Sox are slashing .193/.278/.306 with the fewest runs scored in MLB, and hamstring injuries to Kyle Teel and Austin Hays haven’t helped. 

The Rockies have a sweep of the Astros already under their belt, and their bullpen has held up well so far. But their rotation ranks 25th in ERA. They should get another veteran arm back to help with Jose Quintana expected to return from a hamstring strain this week. 

The Nationals can hit. They’re fourth in runs scored and OPS. The pitching, however, is another story. It would still be a problem at full strength, but setbacks for 2023 All-Star Josiah Gray in his return from Tommy John surgery — he’s now on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain — have provided fewer options.

Health is not the reason for the Giants’ early-season spiral: Their best players just aren’t performing. Logan Webb has a 5.25 ERA, while Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee are both hitting well below league average. To make matters worse, Luis Arraez, who’s hitting a team-high .304 to start the year, left Saturday’s game with a wrist contusion.

Reclamation projects Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah are both on the shelf. But the most important thing is Mike Trout is on the field, despite some hold-your-breath moments lately. He’s only hitting .208, but he has a .400 on-base percentage.  

Led by Xavier Edwards (.350 batting average) and Otto Lopez (.327), Miami’s offense had been a pleasant surprise to start the year until a trip this weekend to Detroit, where the Marlins plated three runs total over a three-game sweep. Getting 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers back from a hamstring strain sometime this month will provide a lift. 

Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch on his leg Friday and missed the rest of the weekend series against the Red Sox, though for now it doesn’t seem serious. The Cardinals are one of the healthier teams in the sport, and you should take a look at what 23-year-old Jordan Walker is doing. It looks like it’s all coming together for the 2020 first-round pick, who leads the majors with seven home runs. 

Cole Ragans left his last start early after taking a comebacker off the hand, but he’s still slated to make his next start. For now, it’s just something to keep an eye on. So is the progress of Carlos Estévez, who’s sidelined with a foot contusion and might need to use the time off to get right again mechanically after allowing six runs and dealing with diminished velocity in his first outing of the year. 

Another year, another laundry list of injuries. They’ve lost seven straight games, and the rotation is in shambles. Ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are both dealing with shoulder strains, and Houston’s starting pitchers have an MLB-worst 6.20 ERA. Now, Tatsuya Imai is also experiencing arm fatigue while 2025 All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña exited Saturday’s game with knee tightness. Is this the time to mention Houston’s relievers also have the worst ERA in MLB, and Josh Hader is still out? It’s bleak right now in Houston. 

Royce Lewis is hurt again, though his knee sprain appears to be relatively minor, so it isn’t as big of a blow as Pablo López’s season-ending elbow injury. Taj Bradley, however, is helping keep the rotation afloat. The former top Tampa Bay pitching prospect is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA through four starts and ranks third in MLB with 29 strikeouts. 

The reigning American League champs have lost eight of their last 10 games, own the second-worst run differential in MLB and continue to be ravaged by injuries. The pitching staff is depleted, the offense is missing Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger, and now George Springer is the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his toe. 

Hey, progress! After an abysmal start to the year, the Red Sox won series against the Brewers and Cardinals with the pitching staff performing more like Boston expected. Johan Oviedo is sidelined with a flexor strain, but Boston still has depth in the rotation and should get more in the coming weeks with Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval both on rehab assignments. 

The rotation is producing even with Ryan Pepiot starting the year on the IL, but the staff took another hit with Joe Boyle getting sidelined with an elbow strain. The more surprising issue is a bullpen that has a 6.35 ERA. The Rays could get needed reinforcements soon, however, in Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta. 

After a 2-6 start, the A’s are suddenly in a share of first place in the AL West following a New York trip that saw them go 5-1 against the Yankees and Mets. The offense has yet to reach its potential, though, and now Brent Rooker is on the shelf with an oblique strain. 

Thank goodness for the Edward Cabrera trade. This month has brought brutal pitching news for the Cubs, who will be without 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton for the rest of the year following season-ending elbow surgery. Starter Matthew Boyd and relievers Hunter Henry and Phil Maton also went on the injured list, though Boyd isn’t expected out long. 

It was a scary sight last week when Parker Meadows collided with Riley Greene and needed to be carted off the field after suffering a concussion and fractured arm. In the rotation, Justin Verlander has been out with hip inflammation since his first start back in Detroit, but he’s not expected to be sidelined for long. 

Rookie Rhett Lowder and 23-year-old Chase Burns have given the Reds’ rotation vital innings following Hunter Greene’s elbow surgery, but the Reds could use Nick Lodolo. The left-hander, who had a 3.33 ERA in 29 appearances last year, has yet to make his 2026 debut after dealing with a blister issue late in spring. 

Getting Zack Wheeler potentially before month’s end should provide a significant lift, though he won’t be able to fix Philadelphia’s uninspiring offense. The Phillies lost back-to-back series against the Giants and Diamondbacks while averaging fewer than three runs per game. Their offense ranks in the bottom 10 in both batting average and on-base percentage. 

Juan Soto had a hit in each of his first eight games before being sidelined with a calf strain. The Mets are missing his bat. Since losing Soto on April 3, the Mets’ offense ranks 28th in wRC+. 

Starter Bryce Miller is still out with an oblique strain, and outfielder Victor Robles was placed on the IL last week with a pec strain, but it’s been the offensive stars’ lack of production — not injuries — that explain Seattle’s slow start. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor all have batting averages that start with a “1.” 

The injuries are starting to pile up in Baltimore. Already starting the season with Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg sidelined, they added Adley Rutschman (ankle inflammation), Ryan Mountcastle (broken foot) and Tyler O’Neill (concussion) to the injured list last week. Meanwhile, starter Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery. The team, however, has won five of its last six games. 

Wyatt Langford is day-to-day with a quad issue, but the Rangers are mostly healthy. They swept the Mariners and salvaged their series at Dodger Stadium behind a Jacob deGrom gem, and the Texas pitching staff ranks seventh in ERA. 

The Snakes are suddenly streaking. Since getting swept by the Dodgers to start the year, they’ve swept the Tigers, split with the Braves, then won back-to-back series in Queens and Philadelphia, despite a growing list of injuries that now includes Jordan Lawlar (wrist fracture), Carlos Santana (adductor strain) and Gabriel Moreno (back tightness). However, Merrill Kelly is slated to return from injury to make his 2026 debut this week. 

The Pirates are a healthy group getting a big boost from their offseason additions. Newcomers Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe both rank in the top 30 among qualified hitters in wRC+, while Oneil Cruz is slashing .339/.400/.644 with five homers and five steals. The Pirates have won eight of their last 11 games and also boast a pitching staff with a top-five ERA. They deserve their due. 

The Guardians have a winning record despite a tough schedule to start the year, and now Hunter Gaddis is on the precipice of returning to help a Cleveland bullpen that sports an uncharacteristic 4.98 ERA. 

It was not a good injury weekend for the Brewers. Kyle Harrison banged up his left knee when Gary Sanchez whipped a fastball toward his legs as he went to cover first base. Harrison appears to have avoided any serious damage. More concerning is Christian Yelich’s hamstring issue and the Brewers’ five straight losses after jumping out to an 8-2 record. 

The Yankees have had the best rotation in MLB despite missing Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the year. The issue has been a healthy offense that nonetheless ranks 25th in OPS. The Yankees have averaged fewer than three runs per game over a five-game losing skid.

The Padres are surging. They’ve now won eight of their last nine games, but Nick Pivetta left his start Sunday with elbow stiffness. That’s a potentially significant development, considering the team’s lack of starting pitching depth. An elite bullpen helps, though. Mason Miller’s on an absurd run to start the year, striking out 19 of the 24 batters he has faced. 

Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had elbow surgery. Spencer Strider strained his oblique. Ha-Seong Kim slipped on ice and needed surgery to repair a torn tendon in his middle finger. Jurickson Profar failed another PED test and is out for the year. Despite another year of injury chaos, though, the Braves have looked like one of the best teams in baseball with a pitching staff that has banded together to produce the lowest ERA in MLB and an offense that trails only the Dodgers in home runs. 

Was there any question? The favorites are still piling up wins after losing Mookie Betts to an oblique injury, but it’s worth keeping an eye on Edwin Díaz. The Dodgers and their new closer have insisted he feels fine physically, but his velocity has been down lately, and Dave Roberts wouldn’t reveal if he was available Sunday. Something to monitor.  

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

In this age of AI, we’re all subjected to a slew of stuff that stretches reality and is often literally made up. 

So on social media, when you see a $500 bet that cashes for more than $330,000, it’s fair to be a bit skeptical.

But in the case of a Sunday parlay banking on home runs, it was indeed legit. Fanatics Sportsbook even sent out a post on X saying so.

More on that huge payday, some masterful Masters bets, an NBA parlay that paid big and other notable wagers, as we recap the week that was in sports betting.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Happy Homer Day

On Sunday morning, before the MLB slate kicked into gear, a Fanatics customer put $500 on a four-leg parlay of players to hit home runs. Leading off was Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, which is never a bad idea when betting on the long ball.

Also on the ticket to go yard at least once was the A’s Nick Kurtz, vs. the Mets, the Tigers’ Kerry Carpenter, vs. the Marlins, and the Pirates’ Brandon Lowe, vs. the Cubs.

The customer also utilized a profit boost, which took the odds from an already hefty +55596 (about 556/1) up to +66715 (just beyond 667/1).

Lowe wasn’t a long wait at all, homering in the second inning of the Pirates’ 7-6 loss. Kurtz hit a third-inning bomb, the only run of the game in a 1-0 A’s victory. Carpenter went yard in the sixth inning of the Tigers’ 8-2 rout.

As it turned out, Judge was the big sweat of this bet, homering in the ninth inning of the Yanks’ 5-4 loss.

But it doesn’t matter how a bet gets there, only that it gets there. The customer turned that 500 bucks into a whopping $334,076.48.

Masters Money

The Masters is always a huge draw, for both the public betting masses and the sharp golf bettors. The allure of Augusta National and the event being the first men’s major of the year brings out plenty of action.

At DraftKings Sportsbook, a customer plunked down $8,600 on Rory McIlroy winning a second straight green jacket, at odds of +1175.

Through two rounds, McIlroy had a six-shot lead and appeared to be on cruise control. But he’s got a habit of making things interesting, and did so throughout the weekend.

Still, McIlroy got to the finish line with a winning score of 12-under 276, one shot clear of a hard-charging Scottie Scheffler.

So the bettor bagged $101,050 in profit, for a total payout of $109,650.

At Fanatics on Saturday, a customer fully expected some home-run fireworks in the Astros-Mariners game, along with a McIlroy Masters victory. The bettor put $57.50 on a four-leg parlay.

With hefty odds of +32650 (326/1), and all four legs coming through, the customer walked away with $18,831.25.

But it’s not all about five- or six-figure wins. Most of us would be over the moon to turn a few bucks into a thousand or more.

A Fanatics customer bet $25 on Shane Lowry +5500 to record a hole in one at the Masters, then utilized a profit boost to hike those odds to +6600.

Lowry dunked it on the sixth hole Saturday — the second time he’s recorded a Masters ace — turning that $25 into $1,675. 

That’s a fine day’s work.

Total Takedown

There were seven NBA games on Wednesday. A FanDuel Sportsbook customer made two decisions: to get involved in all seven games, and to get an early payout.

The bettor put $25 on a seven-leg parlay of first-quarter totals, taking five Overs and two Unders.

All seven legs came through, at massive odds of +153393 — or in easier-to-digest terms, almost 1534/1, with the bettor utilizing a profit boost promotion to get those odds.

And that’s how 25 bucks becomes $38,373.25. Pretty nice ROI.

Here’s Hoping You Had It

As noted above, it’s not all about making major wagers to get even more major winners — or, as is often the case, losing major money. After all, it’s sports betting. 

Vegas wasn’t built on the backs of winners.

Sometimes, it’s just about getting a tenner down on something at longer odds for a nice little payday.

For example, last Tuesday, Amed Rosario was a hefty +20000 (200/1) to hit two homers in the Yankees’ home game vs. the A’s. Rosario hit a solo shot in the second inning to put New York up 1-0, then launched a three-run bomb in the eighth that gave the Yanks a 5-3 win.

If you’d put $10 on that, then you’d have an extra $2,000. Heck, even a $1 bet would’ve bolstered your bankroll by $200.

More Homerless Happiness

This MLB season, bettors are apparently intrigued by parlays on games to have no home runs. A week ago in this space, I reported a $10 parlay on three games to have no dingers, and the bettor cashed out for more than $16,000.

Last Tuesday, a DraftKings customer put a little more skin in the game on a three-leg, no-homers parlay: $500 at odds of +8500 (85/1). The bettor also utilized on an odds boost promotion, hiking the odds to +10200 (102/1).

The parlay got there, cashing in for $51,000 profit (total payout $51,500).

With that bet and the others above it, it’s always worth this reminder: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend. You’re gonna have more losers than winners. So keep your expectations and your bet size reasonable.

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 the weekend in Major League Baseball:

The Astros are spiraling

The Astros missed the 2025 postseason thanks to injuries derailing what should have been yet another season with October baseball in it. Losing slugger Yordan Alvarez for most of the year, combined with IL trips for star shortstop Jeremy Pena, didn’t help matters in a season when the Mariners were a force to be reckoned with and the Rangers were hanging around until the end.

Now, Alvarez is back and hitting as well as he ever has. The rest of the Astros? Well. You saw the subhed.

The Mariners dropped Houston 9-6 on Friday to open the weekend series between the two, and then Saturday started out promising but didn’t deliver. Center fielder Taylor Trammell went yard in the top of the second to give Houston a 3-2 lead…

…and then Alvarez hit a solo shot — his sixth home run of the year — to give Houston another run. Alvarez, by the way, is batting ..340/.500/.755 and leading the American League in dingers, so, safe to say he’s feeling better than last summer.

The Astros ended up chasing Mariners’ starter Luis Castillo after 3.1 innings, scoring seven runs against him in that short time frame. Houston would not score once against the Seattle bullpen — not even the runner they inherited from Castillo. This gave the Mariners time to claw their way back, and Seattle did just that: a five-run fifth inning, capped by center fielder Julio Rodriguez hitting a two-run homer, tied the game up 7-7.

The Mariners would then keep the game from going to extras with a walk-off single from shortstop J.P. Crawford in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Astros their sixth-straight defeat and second loss in the series.

And then Houston lost again to the Mariners on Sunday, 6-1. The weekend was maybe best exemplified by this one play from Sunday’s tilt.

The Astros just didn’t have an answer for the Mariners all weekend, even when things were seemingly going well. Houston is now 6-10; they will have to find an answer eventually, and not just for Seattle.

Yankees lose fifth-straight

On April 7, the Yankees defeated the Athletics, 5-3, to move to 8-2 on the season. For the second time in this early campaign, New York responded to a loss with a W, but that would also be the only game that the Yankees would win against the A’s. The Athletics would hand New York Ls in the next two games and the series, and then the Yankees went to Tampa Bay hoping for some respite against the Rays.

They did not get it. Tampa Bay swept the Yankees, even if right fielder Aaron Judge tried to change as much late in Sunday’s contest with a dinger. New York has dropped five-straight after having just two losses all season prior to this stretch.

The Yankees have lost these five games by a combined six runs, as they allowed 19 against 13 scored during this stretch: New York hasn’t been dominated here, so much as just lose close games. Against the A’s, 3-2 and 1-0 defeats, and facing Tampa Bay, 5-3, then 5-4 in consecutive contests. Per the YES Network, the 2026 Yankees are just the fourth team since 1900 to go 0-6 in one-run games through the first 15 games of a season. That’s a freak occurrence, a real rarity.

That’s not to excuse New York’s performance, by any means — a loss is a loss in the standings, and this not only puts the Rays even with New York despite dissimilar starts to the season, but lets the Blue Jays off the hook to a degree for their poor 6-9 start. 

There is a ton of season left for all parties involved, however, and these sorts of things happen, but we won’t know the true impact of this particular stretch for some time yet — if the Yankees start winning all their many winnable games again, maybe none of it matters five months from now. And if not, well. Those other three teams that all went 0-6 in one-run games to start the year finished well under .500. None of them were necessarily supposed to be as good as New York, though, so they are at least better-positioned for a turnaround than their historical counterparts.

A’s sweep Mets

The Athletics didn’t manage to sweep the Yankees — even if they came close — but managed to finish the job against a team from New York. The Mets have been without superstar outfielder Juan Soto for their last eight games, and while that didn’t matter so much for the first three of those, over the last five New York is missing his bat. They won 4-3 against the Diamondbacks to open their previous series, earning a walk-off to seal the W, but then scored three total runs against Arizona in the next two games. Over three contests with the A’s, the Mets scored six combined runs — and all of those in one game. The other two were shutouts. Sunday’s loss stung the most, as it was a 1-0 defeat that included this excellent play from center fielder Carson Benge that kept a pair of runs from scoring.

Nine runs in five games isn’t going to cut it, but it’s not like it’s just the offense that’s been a problem here. Unlike with the Yankees getting swept, nothing is working here for the Mets: they have been outscored 30-9 in these five games. Just getting Soto back isn’t going to fix that issue, as New York’s pitching needs to get it together again. Thanks to dropping five in a row, the Mets are now 7-9, last in the NL East.

Enough about the Mets, though. The A’s had themselves a great weekend. Nick Kurtz, Athletics first baseman and 2025 AL Rookie of the Year, hit his first homer of the season to give them the one run needed to down the Mets.

Right-hander Aaron Civale had another strong start for a rotation that needed it, going 5.2 scoreless with just three strikeouts, sure, but no walks and four hits allowed. Oh, and the day before, the A’s might have given up six runs, but they scored 11. So that worked out just fine.

It’s April 13 and all that, but the A’s are in first place in the AL West thanks to rattling off five wins in a row.

Nats sweep Brewers for first time in years

Now here’s something you don’t see every day. Specifically, not since 2011, when Nationals slugger James Wood was still eight years old. The Brewers were swept by Washington in a three-game set, winning 7-3, 3-1 and then 8-6 in an exciting back-and-forth finale.

Brewers’ second baseman Brice Turang kicked off the scoring with a solo homer in the third, then the aforementioned right fielder Wood answered with a dinger of his own to tie it up. Shortstop CJ Abrams drove in another with a sac fly, but Milwaukee tied it up again with a homer from first baseman Jake Bauers in the bottom of the fourth, then Turang went yard again in the fifth to make it 3-2 Brewers.

Then, in the seventh, the Nats scored three runs: on a pair of pinch-hit singles by Jose Tena and Curtis Mead, then Wood managed to nab home as part of a double-steal to make it 5-3. DH Brady House would single in yet another run, scoring Mead. That was a lot of work to get three runs — Milwaukee managed to even things up again with a single swing from DH Gary Sanchez, who had entered the game earlier as a pinch-hitter himself.

The Nats weren’t done, however. In the top of the eighth, Keibert Ruiz — a catcher who entered into the game as a defensive replacement for Tena after his pinch-hit — hit a ball up the middle to plate two runs, the last ones Washington would need for the day.

A wild ride, but the Nats ended up taking the game and the series, and are now a game under .500 thanks to the three consecutive victories.

Padres earn four-game sweep

There were, somehow, even more sweeps than this. The Padres earned the four-game variety, which started out last Thursday against the Rockies with a walk-off grand slam in extras from shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and then on Friday featured another walk-off, a three-run shot from first baseman Gavin Sheets — his second long ball of the day.

San Diego didn’t need a walk-off on Saturday or Sunday, as a trio of three-run innings gave them a 9-5 win over Colorado. And Sunday was instead a whole bunch of papercuts, a 7-2 win where San Diego scored in six different innings, the final run a 425-foot dong off the bat of center fielder Jackson Merrill.

San Diego is still 1.5 back of the Dodgers in the NL West, but are also the winners of five in a row, so things are at least looking better for them. As for Colorado, well. They are 6-10 now, but hey, they got to .500 for the first time this late in the season in years, at least that clock was reset if nothing else.

McGonigle’s first dinger

The Tigers were having a rough go of it against Minnesota, but lucky for Detroit they came up against the Marlins. That seemed like a potential problem, given the direction the two were heading in during the early part of the season, but instead, it looks like some balance is being restored to the universe instead. Hey you’re never going to believe this despite the theme of the weekend, but, the Tigers swept the Marlins.

Let’s focus on the big detail from the weekend, however. The first MLB homer for top prospect Kevin McGonigle. The Tigers’ shortstop led off the game, and in the bottom of the fifth inning sent a 97.3 mph Sandy Alcantara fastball — the only pitch of the at-bat — 408 feet to center. Even Alcantara can’t leave a ball middle-middle and expect to get away with it all the time.

Cubs walk off Pirates

The position of the Pirates and Cubs in the NL Central has seemed a little backwards so far in 2026, but Chicago tried to make things right — for them, of course, not Pittsburgh — on Sunday. After dropping the first two of the series to the Bucs, the Cubs looked like they might be getting swept —  you know, like so many other teams over the weekend. What else are you supposed to think when second baseman Brandon Lowe hits a grand slam to put the Pirates up 5-0 in the second inning?

Lowe then hit another dinger later on, to make it 6-2, undoing at least a little bit of the offense that the Cubs had managed in between. 

That would be all the offense that Pittsburgh would manage, however. The Cubs started scoring unanswered runs in the bottom of the fifth — third baseman and free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman drove in a run on a sac fly there and another on an infield fly in the seventh to make it 6-4, then in the eighth, Michael Busch pinch-hit and tied the game with a single to left.

In the ninth, still tied, Jose Urquidy came in from the Pirates’ bullpen. Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto doubled to start the frame, then Bregman singled pinch-runner Scott Kingery to third. The bases would end up loaded when right fielder Seiya Suzuki, back from the IL, walked, and then backstop Carson Kelly took it from there.

A better weekend for the Pirates than the Cubs, all things considered, but Pittsburgh blew a chance to take the whole series there.

Ohtani leadoff shot

Shohei Ohtani hit another leadoff dinger. Here it is:

Sometimes, that’s all the description you need to catch up on the weekend that was.

Jordan Walker keeps homering

It was not a great weekend for the Cardinals, with the Red Sox taking the series against them in St. Louis, but it was a great weekend for Jordan Walker. The Cardinals’ right fielder hit his sixth and seventh homers of the season against the Sox, and leads MLB in the category just a few weeks in.

Walker was always projected to have some real power at some point as he got a bit older, stronger and more refined, and we might very well be seeing that happen now with the 6-foot-6, 250-pound outfielder.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There is a stark difference in the recent history of the American League Cy Young award and the National League one. 

First, let’s check out the early odds for this season’s winners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of April 13. 

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American League Cy Young

Tarik Skubal: +225 (bet $10 to win $32.50 total)
Garrett Crochet: +425 (bet $10 to win $52.50 total)
Max Fried: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Bryan Woo: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Jacob deGrom: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
Jose Soriano: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Cam Schlittler: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Dylan Cease: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

National League Cy Young 

Paul Skenes: +340 (bet $10 to win $44 total)
Cristopher Sanchez: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Sandy Alcántara: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Chris Sale: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Jacob Misiorowski: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Shohei Ohtani: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Mason Miller: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

Here is what to know about these two oddsboards:

Recent AL History: Detroit’s Tarik Skubal has won the last two AL Cy Youngs, both in a landslide. He earned 26 of 30 first-place votes in 2025 and all 30 first-place votes in 2024. In 2024, he led all pitchers in WAR and strikeouts, was tied for the most wins in baseball, and led the AL in ERA. In 2025, he led AL pitchers in WAR and ERA. While Skubal is going for the three-peat, it’s important to note he’s the only AL pitcher to go back-to-back since Pedro Martinez won two in a row way back in 1999 and 2000.

Recent NL History: Paul Skenes took home the award last season, after leading all baseball in ERA. Even though Skenes went 10-10 overall, he still received all 30 first-place votes. Now, the Pittsburgh star will look to go back-to-back, a trend that is popular in the NL, unlike in the AL. Jacob deGrom won two in a row in 2018 and 2019, Max Scherzer won in both 2016 and 2017, Clayton Kershaw won in 2013 and 2014, Tim Lincecum won in 2008 and 2009, and Randy Johnson won in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. And just for good measure, Greg Maddux won the Cy Young in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. 

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The slumping Milwaukee Brewers could be losing another of their top hitters for at least a little while.

Christian Yelich was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals on Sunday with tightness in his left hamstring. The Brewers went on to fall 8-6 for their fifth straight loss.

“We’re most likely going to get some bad news on Yelich,” manager Pat Murphy said after the game.

Murphy said the 2018 NL MVP and three-time All-Star felt a “little twinge” in his hamstring and was undergoing imaging.

“There is some fluid in there, so let’s wait and see,” Murphy said. “He wanted to stay in the game, but … we’ve just got to be careful with these guys. We’re in April.”

Milwaukee is already missing Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn due to hand injuries. Chourio went on the IL just before Milwaukee’s season opener, while Vaughn appeared in one game before joining him.

The Brewers also are missing starting pitcher Quinn Priester (right thoracic outlet) and reliever Jared Koenig (elbow).

After winning eight of their first 10 games, the Brewers have lost five straight. They never dropped as many as five in a row last year while winning a franchise-record 97 games to post the best record in the majors.

The skid is their longest since June 2023.

Milwaukee did get some good news Sunday. Murphy said pitchers Brandon Sproat and Kyle Harrison “both seem to be OK” after both had their knees examined following Saturday’s loss.

“Harrison’s wrist is sore, because when he fell, he jammed his wrist, so we’re going to check that out,” Murphy said. “Sproat says he feels good.”

Yelich, 34, is batting .314 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 15 games. He was the designated hitter Sunday and went 0 for 2, hitting grounders each time. His replacement, Gary Sanchez, hit a tying, three-run homer in the seventh.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The 2026 MLB season is off to a blazing start, and history has already been made just a few weeks in.

We’re keeping track of all the major milestones reached and records broken across the league this season.

Here’s the latest:

José Ramírez Homers Against All MLB Teams

Ramírez has officially made more baseball history. The iconic third baseman and 13-year veteran is now the first Guardians player to hit a home run against all 29 other MLB teams. 

He accomplished the feat against Braves starter Martin Perez at Truist Park on Saturday, April 11. Ramírez pulled the 82-mph pitch down the left-field line, clearing the stadium’s fence on a 403-foot solo shot. No other slugger in the Guardians organization has at least one homer against every other team, per The Sporting News.

“Proud of myself,” Ramírez said, per MLB.com. “Thank God for that, but I’m really proud of that accomplishment.”

Ramírez’s 287 career home runs, all with the Guardians’ franchise, rank second behind Jim Thome (337). The four teams that Ramírez has homered against the most are the Tigers and White Sox (35 HRs), Royals (32) and Twins (27).

That was just the second history-making moment Ramírez had that week. On Monday, April 6, the 33-year-old appeared in his franchise-best 1,620th career game, snapping a mark held by Terry Turner for nearly 108 years.

[2026 MLB Power Rankings: What’s Been The Early Surprises For All 30 Teams?]

Stay tuned for updates.

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Carlos Narváez helped the Boston Red Sox secure a season-high seven runs in their 7–1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. After a night defined by a five-run ninth-inning surge, the Red Sox catcher stood out as a central force behind the victory. 

FOX Sports lead MLB analyst John Smoltz rewarded that performance by naming Narváez his latest “King of the Diamond” award winner. 

Narváez played well behind the plate, but he made sure to make an impact on offense even in the lower half of the batting order. He was able to go 2-for-4 on the night and scored one of the five runs in the ninth inning.

“We needed this game,” Narváez told Smoltz in the postgame conversation. “Of course, we had a close game until that ninth inning, but the message inside was to grind out at-bats. They got really good pitching. We haven’t hit how we expected, but grinding out at-bats, taking good pitches and long counts.”

The Red Sox struggled for the majority of the night, but were finally able to break through against reliever Matt Svanson in the ninth, as he gave up all five runs and allowed Boston to turn a quiet offensive performance into a decisive surge.

“Eventually, something happened,” Narváez said. “We saw that happen in the last inning. We grind out at bats and keep the lineup moving. I’m glad we had the big stretch at the end.”

Even with his offense coming alive, it was what he could get out of starting pitcher Ranger Suárez that earned him Smoltz’s recognition. 

After a 20-pitch first inning, Suárez settled in and took control. He finished with six scoreless innings, striking out six Cardinals while allowing just two hits.

“Mixing everything and trying to use every pitch like trying to go to the corner zone up away and in,” Narváez said. “He can go any pitch, any count, any location. So that’s what Ranger does. I know he was off to a slow start like everyone here, but he’s a superstar.”

Even while speaking with Smoltz after the game, Narváez made it clear just how special Suárez can be. Despite being named the King of the Diamond, he deflected attention away from himself and instead highlighted Suárez, who delivered one of his best performances of the season.

“He always showed up,” Narváez said. “It was always about time and he was locked in today and he executed every spot. Super happy for him to get back on track.”

 

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Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and Teoscar Hernandez followed with a three-run shot in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers ’ seventh victory in eight games, 6-3 over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.

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Emmet Sheehan (2-0) pitched six innings of four-hit ball with six strikeouts for the defending World Series champion Dodgers, whose 11-3 start is the best in the majors. Will Smith reached base four times and scored two runs.

Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff homer, another two-run shot and a double for the Rangers, who have lost six of nine with their back-to-back defeats at Dodger Stadium. The rest of Texas’ lineup managed just one hit, a sixth-inning single by Josh Jung.

Sheehan excelled against almost every Texas hitter except Nimmo, who hammered his second pitch 405 feet to dead center for the 15th leadoff homer of the longtime Mets slugger’s career.

Ohtani answered moments later with a blast to right for his first homer at Chavez Ravine this season while also extending his on-base streak to 45 games. The four-time MVP has four home runs in eight games after starting the season in a six-game homer drought.

Five batters later, Hernández brought home Smith and Freddie Freeman with a big shot to left, his third of the season.

Jack Leiter (1-1) yielded five runs on five hits and four walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning for Texas.

Nimmo’s two-run shot in the sixth trimmed LA’s lead to 5-3 and secured his first multi-homer game for his new team.

Hernández doubled and scored on Andy Pages‘ single in the eighth.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t give the ninth inning to new closer Edwin Diaz, who blew a three-run lead in Friday’s victory. Blake Treinen allowed two baserunners and got two outs before Alex Vesia struck out Danny Jansen to secure his first save.

Up next

RHP Jacob deGrom (0-0, 3.72 ERA) starts the series finale for Texas on Sunday against RHP Roki Sasaki (0-1, 7.00).

Reporting by The Associated Press. 

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