Sports
MLB roundup: Phillies crush Mets, clinch playoff berth
Sep 20, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Alec Bohm hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fourth inning Friday night for the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who clinched a playoff berth by beating the New York Mets 12-2 in the second game of a four-game series.
Bohm finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the Phillies, who have reached the postseason for the third straight year. Philadelphia’s magic number for clinching the National League East for the first time since 2011 is one as the Phillies wrapped up the head-to-head tiebreaker vs. the Mets.
The Phillies scored the final 12 runs Friday to cool off the red-hot Mets, who had their four-game winning streak snapped but remained two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the race for the third and final NL wild-card spot.
J.T. Realmuto also homered for Philadelphia, and Nick Castellanos collected three hits. Cristopher Sanchez (11-9) tossed five innings of two-run ball to earn the win over David Peterson (9-3), who gave up five runs (four earned) in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.
Dodgers 6, Rockies 4
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run to move one off the major league lead as Los Angeles rallied past visiting Colorado.
Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez also homered for the Dodgers. Ohtani remained hot one day after going 6-for-6 with three homers and 10 RBIs while becoming the first player to reach 50 homers and 50 steals in a season. His homer and steal totals both rose to No. 52 on Friday.
Alex Vesia (4-4) got the win, and Michael Kopech registered his 14th save. Charlie Blackmon, Sam Hilliard and Michael Toglia each hit home runs for the Rockies. Kyle Freeland (5-8) gave up four runs in six innings.
Orioles 7, Tigers 1
Colton Cowser and James McCann each hit two of host Baltimore’s five home runs.
Anthony Santander also homered, for the second consecutive game, to give him 43 and Corbin Burnes (15-8) pitched seven shutout innings against Detroit for the second time in six days. The Orioles have won two straight games since losing eight of 10.
The Tigers were trying to build on their three-game sweep at Kansas City.
Giants 2, Royals 1
Heliot Ramos went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run to help visiting San Francisco beat Kansas City.
Mason Black (1-4) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his first major league victory. Patrick Bailey also drove in a run as the Giants won for the third time in the past four games.
Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits for Kansas City to raise his major league-leading average to .334. The Royals have dropped five straight games and 14 of their past 21 but remain in possession of the American League’s second wild-card spot.
Yankees 4, Athletics 2
Juan Soto, held out of the starting lineup because of a bruised knee, lined a pinch-hit double in the middle of a three-run, 10th-inning uprising as New York outlasted host Oakland in the opener of a three-game series.
The Yankees retained their four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles atop the American League East. New York’s magic number to win the division title dropped to five with eight games remaining.
The Athletics were held to three hits and have lost four of their past six games.
Guardians 5, Cardinals 1
Jose Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as visiting Cleveland defeated St. Louis and reduced its magic number to clinch the American League Central title to one.
Andres Gimenez and Lane Thomas also hit home runs for the Guardians, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Ben Lively (13-9) allowed one run in five innings, and Erik Sabrowski worked the last 2 1/3 innings to earn his first career save.
Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson (8-8) gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings.
Cubs 3, Nationals 1
Jameson Taillon scattered two hits across six scoreless innings as host Chicago topped Washington.
Taillon (11-8) walked two and struck out four while throwing 50 of his 80 pitches for strikes. He retired the final 10 batters he faced. Meanwhile, Dansby Swanson clubbed a solo shot to center and Mike Tauchman hit a two-run single as a pinch hitter for the Cubs, who have taken the first two games of a four-game series.
The Nationals’ sputtering offense failed to come through for starter Trevor Williams (5-1), who held the Cubs to one run and three hits in five innings. James Wood provided the only Washington offense with an eighth-inning homer, the only hit among the top five batters of the Nationals’ lineup (1-for-16).
Reds 8, Pirates 3
Tyler Stephenson had three hits, five RBIs and scored three times to help host Cincinnati top Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game series.
Reds starter Nick Martinez (10-6) threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine without walking a batter. Meanwhile, after giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead with a first-inning solo shot to center field, Stephenson smacked a three-run double in the third.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (11-11) had a rough night, allowing eight runs (all earned) on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five and fanned one. The Pirates struggled to get on base against Martinez, but finally got a run across on Oneil Cruz’s solo homer off reliever Brent Suter in the seventh inning. Pittsburgh then added two in the ninth.
Marlins 4, Braves 3
Jake Burger and Kyle Stowers each had two hits and an RBI to power Miami, which damaged visiting Atlanta’s playoff hopes with a narrow victory.
The Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League, have had some success against Atlanta this season, going 4-7 with two games remaining this weekend. Valente Bellozo (3-4) earned the win, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Miami used four relievers to lock it down as Jesus Tinoco earned his second save with a perfect ninth inning.
The Marlins got to Braves starter Charlie Morton (8-9) right away with a three-run, first-inning rally on Burger’s RBI double, Stowers’ run-scoring single and Jonah Bride’s sacrifice fly. Morton allowed four walks, seven hits and four runs in six innings.
Rays 1, Blue Jays 0
Jonathan Aranda ended Toronto starting pitcher Jose Berrios’ seven-game winning streak with one swing of the bat as Tampa Bay topped the Blue Jays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Down 1-2 while facing Berrios (16-10) in the sixth inning, Aranda struck for the game’s lone run when he golfed an 85 mph slurve 411 feet out to right-center, his fourth homer this season and first in a week after homering in Cleveland last Friday.
The Blue Jays managed five hits and fell to 4-7 against the Rays this season. Berrios gave up just the solo homer — his 30th surrendered — and five other hits. He struck out six and issued a walk.
Mariners 8, Rangers 2
Julio Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs and Josh Rojas homered and had two RBIs to lead Seattle past host Texas in the opener of a three-game series.
It was the fourth multi-homer game of Rodriguez’s career, while the five RBIs tied a career high. Victor Robles also had two hits, a stolen base and an RBI for Seattle. George Kirby (13-11) improved to 7-0 in nine career starts against Texas, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings while striking out four.
Adolis Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, Nathaniel Lowe had a two-run single and Ezequiel Duran also had three hits, including a ground-rule double for Texas. Jack Leiter (0-3), who entered at the start of the fourth inning in relief of Jacob deGrom, suffered the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits over five innings.
Astros 9, Angels 7
Alex Bregman, Jake Meyers and Kyle Tucker hit home runs to power Houston past visiting Los Angeles, a win that reduced the Astros’ magic number to four to clinch the American League West.
Bregman and Meyers keyed a five-run third inning that lifted Houston to a 6-1 lead. Bregman hit his 24th home run to center field, a two-run blast, before Meyers added a three-run shot to left field, his 13th. Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (10-14) surrendered both homers.
Anderson allowed six runs (three earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 4
Ketel Marte hit his career-high 33rd homer and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a solo shot as Arizona kept pace in the National League wild-card race with a victory over host Milwaukee.
The Diamondbacks snapped a 4-all tie with three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Gurriel’s 18th homer. Zac Gallen (13-6) allowed four runs, all on three homers in the fifth. He gave up seven hits, striking out five and walking one in five innings. Arizona is two games behind the San Diego Padres for the NL’s top wild-card spot. The Mets dropped a game behind the Diamondbacks with a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Milwaukee, which has lost two straight to Arizona since clinching the NL Central on Wednesday, got homers from William Contreras, Joey Ortiz and Garrett Mitchell. DL Hall (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Twins 4, Red Sox 2
Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner each had RBI singles during a three-run top of the 12th inning, helping to propel Minnesota over host Boston in the opener of a three-game series.
The Twins moved to a game ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card spot. Detroit lost 7-1 to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Connor Wong and Trevor Story each had two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox, who have lost four of five games.
Padres 3, White Sox 2 (10 innings)
Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped an RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning as San Diego nipped visiting Chicago, reducing the Padres’ magic number for earning a playoff berth to three.
With pinch runner Brandon Lockridge serving as the automatic runner at second, Tatis lined an 0-1 offering from Justin Anderson (1-2) to the gap in right-center. It was his second game-winning hit in his career, both this month.
Chicago fell to 36-118, two losses away from tying the 1962 New York Mets for the single-season record in the major leagues’ modern history. The White Sox, who have lost three straight, will have to win seven of their final eight games to avoid 120 defeats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres intent on shutting down Angels, winning 5th straight series
Apr 14, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) walks off the field during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images San Diego right-hander Michael King will try to win his third consecutive start Sunday afternoon when the Padres face the Los Angeles Angels in the rubber game of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
King (2-1, 2.78 ERA), one of the key pieces in the seven-player deal that sent Juan Soto from the Padres to the New York Yankees in December 2023, is trying to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign that saw him make just 15 starts and finish with a 5-3 record and 3.44 ERA.
King, 30, has back-to-back six-inning, four-hit starts, allowing two runs in an 8-2 victory at Pittsburgh on April 8 and giving up one run in a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
King has struck out 20 batters in 22 2/3 innings. His 2.78 ERA ranks in the top 15 in the National League, but he said he still has a “long way to go” to match his 2024 season, when he finished 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings.
“I still don’t feel super confident in the pitch locations that I’ve got right now,” King said after his win over the Mariners. “Mechanically, I’m definitely making adjustments.”
San Diego, which is 12-2 over its last 14 games, will try to win its fifth consecutive series.
The Padres saw their eight-game winning streak snapped with an 8-0 loss Friday to the Angels and red-hot Jose Soriano, who lowered his major-league-leading ERA to 0.28. Soriano allowed two hits and struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings as San Diego suffered its first shutout loss of the season.
The Padres bounced back to even the series on Saturday with a 4-1 victory. Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and two RBIs, Ramon Laureano also drove in two runs, and Mason Miller struck out two in a scoreless ninth to pick up his seventh save.
Laureano and Tatis each had an RBI single in the eighth inning to snap a 17-inning scoreless drought for the Padres, who were held to four hits over six innings while striking out eight times against Los Angeles starter Yusei Kikuchi.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Tatis said. “Obviously, we’re playing some good baseball out there, and Soriano came out and shut the door against us. We just regrouped and we trusted what got us here, and we (went) out and played some really good baseball.”
The Angels finished with just six hits in the loss on Friday but did make the game interesting in the ninth against Miller when Yoan Moncada, robbed of a home run in the second inning by Jackson Merrill, led off with a single and Vaughn Grissom garnered a four-pitch walk to give Los Angeles runners at first and second with one out. But Miller struck out out Logan O’Hoppe and then got Adam Frazier to ground out to second to end the game.
Miller extended his scoreless streak to 31 2/3 innings dating to Aug. 6, 2025. He has struck out 25 batters in 10 1/3 innings this season. Moncada’s single was one of just two hits Miller has given up this season.
“They never stopped fighting,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of his team. “They keep going. I mean (against) Mason Miller, they get two guys on and the tying run comes to the plate twice. Two shots at it against the best closer in the game. These guys keep fighting, and it’s fun to be a part of.”
Left-hander Reid Detmers (1-1, 3.57 ERA), who has pitched one scoreless inning of relief in his career against the Padres, will start for Los Angeles on Sunday.
King is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four appearances (two starts) against the Angels.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Redemption on mind of Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet in clash vs. Tigers
Apr 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Sunday will provide bounce-back opportunities for Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox will turn to Crochet (2-2, 7.58 ERA) for the first time since his career-worst outing last week when their four-game home series against the Detroit Tigers — tied at a game apiece — continues on Sunday afternoon. First pitch was pushed back three hours to 4:35 p.m. due to a forecast for rain in Boston.
Crochet allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits, three walks and a hit by pitch in just 1 2/3 innings in his most recent start Monday at the Minnesota Twins, a 13-6 loss. His ERA more than doubled from 3.12.
The major league strikeout leader in 2025 (255 in 205 1/3 innings) did not have a strikeout on Monday.
The ace left-hander had allowed just 13 runs over his eight prior outings, including one postseason appearance in 2025. He gave up more than five runs and pitched less than five innings only once last season — a 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Aug. 11 — and had worked at least six frames in two of his first three starts this season.
“Trying to look at it like I would any start. It’s tough to say following the last one, but that’s the only way to separate,” Crochet said.
He also will look to help the Red Sox turn around their fortunes following their 4-1 Saturday loss in which they struck out 10 times and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position across six innings against two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Boston, a 1-0 winner in 10 innings in Friday’s series opener, has gone back-to-back games scoring one or fewer runs on five or fewer hits.
“You have to chip away with aces,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You have to make sure when you have your chances to cash in, get it close enough.”
“A 4-0 game in the big leagues, we can turn it around anytime. We couldn’t find the way (against Skubal),” added first baseman Willson Contreras.
Both of Crochet’s career starts against the Tigers came in 2024, but he’s made nine total appearance against them. He is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in those games.
Detroit has had mixed results lately, having won seven of its past eight games while also snapping a nine-game road losing streak on Saturday.
“I don’t think any of us are too concerned about our road record (3-9),” Skubal said. “Obviously, it needs to get better and needs to improve. We need to win games on the road, but it’s such a small sample size. … We’re just trying to win every single day we show up to the yard.”
The Saturday game saw the Tigers take a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish when Kerry Carpenter drew a bases-loaded walk in the first. He added a solo home run in the fourth.
It also was a multi-hit day for Detroit’s touted infield prospect, Kevin McGonigle, who had an RBI single in the fourth and scored a run in the first.
“It was a well-played game all around,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought our at-bats were really tough early.”
With an opportunity to swing the series, the Tigers wil turn to their own southpaw in Framber Valdez (1-1, 3.75 ERA), who is coming off a season-long outing of seven innings on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals. He allowed just one run on four hits in a 2-1 Detroit win but wasn’t part of the decision.
Valdez has appeared in six games (four starts) against Boston, going 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Behind Kevin Gausman, Jays strive to stop skid in matchup vs. D-backs
Apr 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays will turn to right-hander Kevin Gausman in an attempt to escape an early-season funk when they meet the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game set in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.
The Diamondbacks secured the series win with a 6-2 victory Saturday on Corbin Carroll’s grand slam that broke a tie in the eighth, keeping each team on its current path.
Arizona has won four games in a row and 10 of its past 13, and has not lost a series since being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the season.
Carroll’s homer secured the Diamondbacks’ 10th comeback win of the season.
“We’ve played a lot of (close games),” Carroll said. “Maybe when you are in those situations, you know you don’t have to press.”
The Blue Jays have lost four straight games, six of their past seven, and have not won a series since a season-opening sweep of the Athletics.
Toronto has played through injured-list stints to George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger this year.
Gausman (0-1, 2.42 ERA) will oppose Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-1, 3.54) on Sunday.
Gausman has given up three runs or fewer in each of his four starts this season but remains winless despite his low ERA. In two of Gauman’s starts, the Blue Jays have managed just one run.
“We’re not scoring, but we’re definitely not scoring when he’s out there,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “I feel like he’s been as steady as he has ever been here. So looking for him to continue do that.
“He’s in a good place. Physically his delivery is sound. That’s the only time Kevin has been in trouble, with his delivery, and that’s been really good.”
Gausman gave up one run and three hits, striking out 21, over his first two starts, both no-decisions. He gave up three runs and six hits in his last outing, when he went five innings of a no-decision in the Blue Jays’ 9-7, 10-inning victory at Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Gausman has been successful against the Diamondbacks, going 6-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts).
Nelson, meanwhile, has been betrayed by his defense at times. He has given up 14 runs in four starts, but only eight runs were earned. Atlanta scored five unearned runs off him in his second start, a 17-2 loss on April 2.
Nelson gave up two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, a no-decision in a 9-7 loss at Baltimore on Monday, when the bullpen could not hold a 7-1 lead.
Nelson has increased his slider and curveball usage this season to complement his high-90s fastball. Against the Orioles, he had seven strikeouts — three on a fastball, three on a slider, and one on a curve.
“He’s had success pitching with velo (velocity) and only velo, but we want to allow him to go out there and change speeds, side-to-side as well as up-and-down,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “It’s a very conscious effort to have him pitch a little bit more than just going out there and let it eat with straight veto for 100 pitches.”
Nelson is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Blue Jays.
–Field Level Media
Padres intent on shutting down Angels, winning 5th straight series
Redemption on mind of Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet in clash vs. Tigers
