Sports
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres seek to secure split with Cardinals
May 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates with first baseman Ty France (25) after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Craig Stammen saw something in the at-bats of Fernando Tatis Jr. Friday night that no one else did.
The first-year manager of the San Diego Padres liked Tatis’ approach, even as he was going 0-for-2 with a walk as his team was being one-hit by the St. Louis Cardinals in a 6-0 shutout. So Stammen moved Tatis back to the No. 2 spot and was rewarded with a two-run single that made the difference in a 4-2 win Saturday.
Perhaps ready to make his normal sizable offensive contributions again, Tatis will aim to help San Diego salvage a split of its four-game series with St. Louis when the teams meet on Sunday.
Tatis still is without a homer through the team’s first 39 games, a dry stretch that has some questioning if the team should think of ways to unload him on someone else. But Stammen isn’t ready to answer that $340 million question just yet.
“I feel like he’s making some good decisions at the plate,” Stammen said. “And he’s been working hard in the cage, making some adjustments. And I also think the pitchers fear him, even if he’s not hitting as many home runs as we expect.”
Tatis is batting just .248 with 15 RBIs and a team-high nine steals in 12 attempts. The National League’s 2021 home run champion with 42, Tatis averaged more than 25 homers in his first six MLB seasons.
While Tatis and the Padres’ offense, which has just 10 hits in the series, try to put more barrels on balls, right-hander Walker Buehler (2-2, 5.64) aims for his second straight win. He earned a 10-5 decision in San Francisco Tuesday night, yielding four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
Lifetime, Buehler is 3-0 with a 3.90 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals, striking out 35 batters in 30 innings.
St. Louis counters with right-hander Kyle Leahy (4-3, 4.93), who last pitched Monday night and beat Milwaukee 6-3. Leahy scattered six hits over 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run while walking two and striking out five.
Leahy, who’s fired 5 1/3 scoreless innings in three career appearances against San Diego, has had multiple outings this year in which he found trouble after five innings. Eight of the 10 batters he’s faced in the sixth inning have reached and five have scored.
“It still comes down to execution and then the physical piece of everything and just getting over that hurdle,” he said.
The Cardinals saw a six-game road winning streak end Saturday but put up a good fight, even when facing Mason Miller. They loaded the bases in the ninth on two walks and a wild pitch on strike three to Yohel Pozo before Miller slipped a 101 mph fastball by JJ Wetherholt for a called third strike.
The hottest bat lately has been Ivan Herrera, who followed up a four-hit game on Friday night with two more on Saturday. That included an RBI double in the eighth that got St. Louis within 3-2, upping his average to .270.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carlos Rodon makes return to Yankees' rotation against Brewers
Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Veteran left-hander Carlos Rodon is scheduled to make his season debut for the visiting New York Yankees as they look to avoid a series sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Rodon has been sidelined since undergoing elbow surgery last October. He will be opposed by right-hander Logan Henderson (0-1, 4.50 ERA), making his third start this season.
The Brewers rallied against the Yankees bullpen to win 4-3 in 10 innings after being held to two hits over six scoreless innings by Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who lowered his MLB-best ERA to 1.35. After New York scored in the top of the 10th, the Brewers answered with two runs, capped by William Contreras’ walkoff sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
The series loss is the first for the Yankees since being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series April 10-12.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he doesn’t focus on the possibility of a sweep.
“I never look at like when we win the first two games, hey, we won the series,” Murphy said. “I don’t like to think about that. It’s win tonight, we’ll deal with game three tomorrow. I’m sure they have Rodon going. He’s special.”
Rodon made three minor-league rehab starts without a decision and put up a 3.38 ERA. That ERA ballooned after his final tune-up on Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, when he allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings in an 83-pitch outing. He walked two and struck out four.
“This being probably my third time through a lengthy rehab process, I have some experience, although most people don’t want to really say that,” Rodon told the New York Post on Saturday. “Just [leaning] back on those times and working on the craft and trying to get back here and help the team.”
Rodon was 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 33 starts last season and was named to the All-Star team. He was 0-0 with a 9.72 ERA in two postseason starts, allowing nine runs in 8 1/3 innings.
Rodon is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA in five career starts vs. Milwaukee. He has beaten the Brewers in his lone start against them each of the last two seasons, allowing a combined two runs on six hits in 11 1/3 innings.
Paul Goldschmidt accounted for the first two Yankees runs Saturday with a leadoff homer in the first inning and an RBI single in the fourth. He also singled in the seventh for his first three-hit game since August 2015. Goldschmidt has 21 career homers at American Family Field, his most at any visiting ballpark.
Henderson, who has split time this season with Triple-A Nashville, took the loss in his most recent start, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings in a 3-2 defeat at Washington last Sunday.
Henderson made five starts last season for the Brewers, going 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. He is facing the Yankees for the first time.
Jackson Chourio, whose infield single tied the game at 3-3 in the 10th inning on Saturday, has hit in four consecutive games since coming off the injured list. He is batting .444 (8-for-18) with three doubles and three RBIs since returning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cubs aim to launch new streak in series finale vs. Rangers
Apr 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) throws to first base but can’t get the out on San Diego Padres right fielder Ramon Laureano (5) during the fourth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images One day after having their 10-game winning streak snapped, the Chicago Cubs will look to begin a new streak when they face the Texas Rangers in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Chicago went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners in a 6-0 loss on Saturday. The Cubs had won 20 of their past 23 games before being shut out for the fourth time this season.
The lone bright spot for Chicago was left fielder Ian Happ, who extended his on-base streak to a career-high 30 games with a first-inning walk.
“Didn’t play well enough today and left a lot of guys on base,” Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman said. “But felt like we’re in a good spot, playing good baseball. Guys are preparing and executing the game plan.”
Josh Jung and Justin Foscue each hit solo homers for Texas, which snapped a two-game losing skid by outhitting the Cubs 9-4. Foscue’s blast was his first career homer in his 23rd major league game spread over three seasons.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” Foscue said. “There’s no other way to put it. I don’t think I felt my legs running around the bases. Pretty special moment. That was the best ball I’ve hit in the big leagues yet.”
Foscue started at first base in place of slumping Jake Burger, who was given a rest day by manager Skip Schumaker. Burger is hitting .130 over his last 18 games.
“I do think he’s getting closer,” Schumaker said. “He’s a hit or two away from getting extremely hot and carrying a team. Getting him going is going to be a big part of, you know, us getting back on track.”
Sunday’s pitching matchup features a pair of right-handers as Chicago’s Jameson Taillon (2-1, 4.24 ERA) faces the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom (2-2, 3.11).
Taillon, 34, allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds last Tuesday.
Taillon has given up nine home runs over his last six starts covering 35 2/3 innings.
Corey Seager is 4-for-14 (.286) against Taillon, who is 1-1 with a 5.86 ERA in five career starts versus Texas.
The Rangers will counter with deGrom, who yielded a season-high six runs over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-4 road loss to the New York Yankees last Tuesday.
Dansby Swanson is 7-for-34 (.206) with two homers against the 37-year-old deGrom, who is 2-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 11 career starts against Chicago.
The Cubs’ offense has been red-hot this month despite receiving minimal production from Bregman, who is batting .233 with three homers and 13 RBIs. Chicago manager Craig Counsell said it’s only a matter of time before Bregman returns to form.
“In a lot of ways, with what we’ve done so far this season and Alex is probably off to a little bit of a slower start by his standards, it makes me happy in a weird way that we’ve got some good Alex Bregman coming here,” Counsell said.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees Lead Weak American League Field Entering Summer
The American League has been trailing behind the National League for the last few years. Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays were a half-inch away from stealing the World Series, but as a whole, the NL has had significantly more depth, and the super villains that are the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, before I continue bashing the American League, I will give credit to 1 ½ teams. The New York Yankees look like a serious title contender this year. Aaron Judge is still doing Aaron Judge-like things, but this year he’s got Ben Rice to help him out on offense.
The lineup still feels like it needs another bat, but they have the pitching to carry them in the postseason. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren are already an elite front three, but a healthy Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón could take them up to an entirely new level.
Staying in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays have been the next best team in the AL, but I still need to see them perform like this for longer before I fully buy in. I don’t see a guy like Nick Martinez producing a 1.71 ERA all season long, but I do have solid faith in Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan to continue to produce at All-Star levels.
The top two in the AL are clearly out East, but is there anyone else in the Central and West that can even contend with them? Cleveland Guardians and the Athletics are currently leading their divisions, but they’re both incredibly flawed.
Cleveland will continue to show average pitching and hitting, yet they will most likely still win the AL Central because they poured the right amount of rum into Jobu’s cup. They likely don’t have the guns to win in the postseason, and their recent addition of Patrick Bailey might improve the pitching staff, but they somehow made their catching situation even worse offensively.
Moving out West, the Athletics have been a great story to start the year, but I don’t think they’re seriously ready to win their division. They absolutely have the offense to win the West, but their starting rotation is still a massive work in progress. Aaron Civale currently has the lowest ERA in their rotation, but he’s a guy who I think could give up 10 runs in a postseason start. I’m not sure this team is ready to contend, but if they got aggressive at the deadline and added a front-line starter, the timeline could speed up quite quickly for the A’s
I think there are two other AL teams that haven’t looked like contenders, but still need to be discussed. The Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners were the favorites to come out of their respective divisions, but both have stumbled out of the gate.
Detroit has a million injuries going on with their pitching, the most significant being elbow surgery for Tarik Skubal. If they can weather this storm and stay within striking distance of Cleveland, they certainly could still make noise with their pitching come October.
Seattle, on the other hand, has been healthy, but has been dealing with some uncharacteristically rough pitching from their rotation. I’m far more confident that they’ll figure this out and still win the West. Prediction markets still have the Mariners around a 50% chance to win the West, and I’d still bet on them to figure it out.
It’s way too early to count anyone out in the American League; however, if things don’t change, it might be a two-horse race with teams in the AL East.
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