Sports
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer aims to hit right notes vs. D-backs
Apr 12, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches to the Minnesota Twins during the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Max Scherzer’s off-day preparation includes time on the piano. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Scherzer (1-2, 9.58 ERA) will get the ball on Saturday for the Toronto Blue Jays against Zac Gallen (1-1, 3.60) of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The veteran right-handers will meet Saturday in Phoenix in the second game of a three-game set.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer found a keyboard in a room near the Blue Jays clubhouse on Friday and started tapping out Van Halen’s “Right Now.” He has credited the dexterity required to play the piano with extending his career by helping to relieve the discomfort of a troublesome right thumb injury.
“When you’re playing different keys and notes and chords, your hands are in very unique positions,” Scherzer told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal late in spring training.
“It makes you really work through your fingertips. By working those muscles in my hand, it got my fingers, ‘quote unquote,’ stronger. All of a sudden, that alleviated the thumb pain.”
Scherzer will attempt to put the Blue Jays out of their pain on Saturday. The reigning American League champions have lost five of the past six games and are 3-11 in April, occupying last place in the AL East.
Gallen, 30, also will look to extend an Arizona streak.
The Diamondbacks have won nine of the past 12 games after beating the Blue Jays 6-3 behind Michael Soroka’s fourth win of the season Friday.
Gallen pitched five scoreless innings in his most recent start and took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before the Philadelphia Phillies drove him out with five straight hits — including a homer and three doubles — as he took a no-decision in Arizona’s 4-3 victory.
“I think as a team, we believe in the talent that’s in here,” Gallen said. “I think guys are playing free and not playing scared.”
Gallen pitched six scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over Detroit on April 1, them went five innings in each of his successive two outings.
He has faced the Blue Jays twice in his career without much success, going 0-1 with a 9.35 ERA in two starts. The last time he pitched against Toronto came in 2024.
Scherzer allowed one run over six innings in a 5-1 victory over Colorado on March 31 but has given up 10 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his two starts since.
He left his April 6 start against the Los Angeles Dodgers after two innings while dealing with right forearm tightness, but he said that was not a factor in an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins last Sunday.
The Twins scored eight runs off Scherzer in 2 1/3 innings, with homers from Kody Clemens and Tristan Gray.
“It actually loosened up on me,” Scherzer said of the forearm after the game. “I felt like it was coming out of my hand better. I was able to throw all of my pitches and as I got out of that outing. I haven’t felt the forearm completely tighten up, so that’s a good sign.”
Scherzer, 41, is with his seventh team and in his 19th season. He began his career with the Diamondbacks, who selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft out of college at Missouri. In late 2009, he was dealt to the Tigers as part of a three-team, seven-player deal that also involved Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson.
He has started 12 games against Arizona and is 9-0 with a 2.65 ERA. He has struck out 111 and walked 19 in 78 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nolan Arenado, Michael Soroka carry D-backs over Jays
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Nolan Arenado homered for the third time in four games and drove in two, Michael Soroka won his fourth game and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 in Phoenix on Friday.
Arenado had two hits, and his two-out RBI single for a 5-2 lead capped a two-run seventh inning kept alive on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-out fielding error.
Soroka (4-0) gave up two runs and five hits in a season-long seven innings, with five strikeouts and no walks. He has more wins this season than in the previous five years combined, when he missed extended time with Achilles tendon, arm and shoulder injuries.
Ketel Marte had two hits and scored twice and Corbin Carroll and Jose Fernandez had run-scoring singles for the Diamondbacks, who have won nine of 12.
The D-Backs have won 12 games since March 30. NL West rival San Diego had won 12 in that span entering Friday.
Myles Straw had two hits, including his first homer, and Guerrero had an RBI single for the Blue Jays, who have lost five of six and 11 of 14.
Guerrero singled in a run in the eighth inning to make it 5-3 before Tim Tawa doubled in an insurance run in the Arizona half.
Paul Sewald pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for this seventh save.
Arizona second baseman Ildemaro Vargas singled to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 13 games, the longest such streak in franchise history. He has a 16-game hitting streak dating to last September.
Eric Lauer (1-3) gave up three runs and five hits in three innings, with four strikeouts and one walk. He entered in the second inning after Braydon Fisher pitched a scoreless first.
Straw and Jesus Sanchez singled to put runners on the corners with one out in the fourth before Lenyn Sosa’s sacrifice bunt drove in Straw for a 1-0 lead.
Arenado’s 382-foot homer tied it with two outs in the fourth. Carroll and Fernandez had RBI singles off Lauer in the fifth for a 3-1 lead.
Straw’s homer in the sixth cut the Blue Jays’ deficit to 3-2. Straw entered the game in the bottom of the third to replace center fielder Daulton Varsho, who was removed with left knee discomfort.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami wallops slam as White Sox rout A's
Apr 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates with left fielder Andrew Benintendi (23) after hitting a grand slam against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Munetaka Murakami launched a towering grand slam and Davis Martin tossed seven solid innings to help the Chicago White Sox trounce the Athletics 9-2 on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Murakami and Andrew Benintendi (one RBI) each had three hits and two runs as Chicago matched its highest scoring output of the season. The White Sox had scored the second-fewest runs in the majors (60) entering the contest.
Colson Montgomery had two hits and two RBIs, Edgar Quero and Luisangel Acuna each had two hits and one RBI and Chase Meidroth also recorded two hits for Chicago, which had lost eight of its previous 10 games. The White Sox had 15 hits in the opener of the three-game set.
Martin (3-1) gave up one run and three hits while pitching seven innings for the second straight turn. He struck out four and walked two.
Nick Kurtz and Andy Ibanez drove in runs for the A’s, who lost their second straight game.
Aaron Civale (2-1) allowed five runs and 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings for the Athletics. He struck out four and walked one.
The White Sox led by four runs with two outs in the seventh when the Athletics’ Elvin Alvarado walked Meidroth and Acuna and allowed an infield single to Benintendi.
Murakami then walloped a full-count fastball 431 feet to center field that cleared the high batter’s eye beyond the wall to give Chicago a 9-1 advantage.
Benintendi led off the game with a double and scored on Montgomery’s two-out two-bagger.
In the third, Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Montgomery started the inning with singles to make it 2-0. Later in the inning, Quero’s RBI grounder plated Vargas.
Davis retired the first 10 Athletics he faced before Acuna lost a fly ball hit to center by Shea Langeliers and it bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Kurtz followed with his RBI single to get the A’s on the board.
Acuna and Benintendi hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles in the fifth to make it 5-1.
After Martin exited, the A’s pushed across a run in the eighth against Doug Nikhazy when pinch hitter Ibanez’s groundout scored Max Muncy. Nikhazy pitched a scoreless ninth to end the four-hitter.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Emmanuel Sabbi, Whitecaps cruise to victory over Sporting KC
Apr 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Thomas Muller (13) celebrates scoring with defender Mathias Laborda (2) during the first half against the Sporting Kansas City at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images Emmanuel Sabbi scored one goal and assisted on another as the Vancouver Whitecaps continued the best start in club history with a dominant 3-0 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Friday night.
Bruno Caicedo added his first MLS goal in the 21-year-old’s third appearance — and first start — in the league as the Whitecaps raced out to their three-goal lead by the half-hour mark.
Thomas Muller added his fourth goal of the season for Vancouver (7-1-0, 21 points), which has played all but one of its first eight league matches at home while building an exceptional +18 goal differential.
The Whitecaps will have one more home game on April 25 against the Colorado Rapids. Then they will play eight straight on the road while BC Place is prepped and used as a 2026 World Cup venue.
Kansas City (1-6-1, 4 points) lost its fourth straight in MLS and fifth straight overall. Manager Raphael Wicky’s Sporting squad have been outscored 13-3 combined in those four league defeats.
Vancouver outshot Kansas City 25-3 and led 6-1 in efforts on target in a game that quickly tilted in the hosts’ favor.
Sabbi scored in the 13th minute on an attack that began when Vancouver intercepted a Kansas City goal kick at midfield.
Eventually it was White who got into the right side of the penalty area and chipped it over charging goalkeeper John Pulskamp but not into the net.
The ball arrived to Vancouver’s Mathias Laborda on the opposite post, who couldn’t direct an effort goal-bound under defensive pressure. Sabbi cleaned up the loose ball with a finish through the scrambling SKC defense, off a defender, off the crossbar and in.
Caicedo created the second goal in the 23rd minute. He snuck up field and intercepted Cielo Tschantret’s ill-advised square pass, then finished low from the edge of the area off the inside of the far right post.
Another long clearance intercepted at midfield led to the hosts making it 3-0 in the 28th minute.
This time it was Sabbi providing the service from the right wing after doing excellent work to keep the ball in play. His outswinging ball fell at the back post for Muller, who headed it firmly past the flailing Pulskamp.
–Field Level Media
