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Samad Taylor had three hits, four RBIs, and a home run as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas beat Reno 9-5, with Jackson Wolf working five innings and Yuki Matsui adding two scoreless. Carson Tucker's tying 10th-inning triple wasn't enough as Double-A San Antonio fell 3-2 in 11, despite three scoreless innings from Ian Koenig. Wisconsin shut out High-A Fort Wayne 8-0, though Abraham Parra struck out seven. Carlos Medina led Low-A Lake Elsinore past Visalia 5-2 with three strikeouts as the Storm won their sixth straight. Chihuahuas Pound Out 11 Hits, Hold On To Beat Aces The El Paso Chihuahuas used an early flurry for a 9-5 home win over the Reno Aces, scoring eight of their nine runs across the first three innings. Samad Taylor led the 11-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. Nick Schnell scored three runs and drove in another. Jase Bowen added two hits, and Carlos Rodríguez and Nate Mondou each drove in a run. After Reno took an early 1-0 lead, El Paso answered in the bottom of the first when Rodríguez singled home Taylor, who had doubled, and Rodolfo Durán reached on a fielding error that allowed Nick Solak to score. Reno reclaimed the lead in the second, but Taylor responded with a three-run homer to left-center, scoring Schnell and Bowen for a 5-3 cushion. The Chihuahuas tacked on three more in the third, when Schnell reached on a fielder's choice that scored Durán, Bowen singled home Mason McCoy, and Taylor singled in Schnell to push the lead to 8-4. Starter Jackson Wolf worked five innings, allowing four hits, four runs (three earned), including a home run, while striking out three without issuing a walk. Eli Villalobos and Yuki Matsui combined for three scoreless relief innings with four strikeouts before Alek Jacob gave up a solo home run in the ninth. For Matsui, it was his longest outing during his rehab assignment, perhaps a signal his return to the Padres is close. The only thing he hasn't done is go back-to-back. EP_0426.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen 4 1 2 1 1 0 Samad Taylor 5 2 3 4 0 0 Nick Solak 3 1 0 0 1 0 Nate Mondou 1 0 1 1 0 0 Jose Miranda 5 0 0 0 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 1 1 0 0 Rodolfo Durán 4 1 1 0 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 1 0 0 0 Mason McCoy 4 1 1 0 0 1 Nick Schnell 3 3 1 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 4 4 3 0 3 1 Eli Villalobos 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Yuki Matsui 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 Missions Drop Extra-Innings Heartbreaker To Amarillo After a tight first nine innings, the San Antonio Missions lost a back-and-forth game 3-2 in 11 innings to Amarillo. Carson Tucker provided the offensive highlight with a tying triple leading off the bottom of the 10th to score the zombie runner, but the Missions were unable to bring him home despite loading the bases on a pair of walks. Romeo Sanabria worked three walks, Tirso Ornelas scored a run and doubled, and Chris Sargent added a single. San Antonio scored its first run in the second when Ornelas doubled with one out, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Braedon Karpathios sacrifice fly. The score held until the eighth, when Amarillo tied it on a solo home run off reliever Michael Flynn. In the 10th, Amarillo plated its zombie runner on a sacrifice fly. In the 11th, Amarillo's zombie runner went to third on a fielder's choice and then thrown out at the plate on a grounder to second baseman Francisco Acuna. With runners at first and second, Missions reliever Francis Pena got a fly ball for the second out, but the next batter doubled for the go-ahead run, with the second runner thrown out at the plate. Right-hander Ian Koenig opened with three scoreless innings, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out three. SA_0426.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 1 1 Romeo Sanabria 2 0 0 0 3 0 Leandro Cedeño 5 0 1 0 0 1 Kai Murphy 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 5 1 1 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 1 3 Albert Fabian 1 0 0 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 0 1 0 0 Carson Tucker 3 0 1 1 1 2 Chris Sargent 4 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 3 3 0 0 1 3 0 Omar Cruz 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 Sadrac Franco 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Michael Flynn 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Harry Gustin 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Francis Peña 2 1 2 0 1 1 0 TinCaps Shut Out At Home By Wisconsin The Fort Wayne TinCaps were shut out at home 8-0 by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who pounded out three home runs. The TinCaps managed only five hits and three walks and struck out 13 times. Jake Cunningham, Jack Costello, and Lamar King Jr. each contributed a hit, with Cunningham and Costello getting doubles. Kasen Wells went 1-for-3 with a walk. Wisconsin took control in the third inning. With the game tied 0-0, the Timber Rattlers ripped a solo home run, then drew two walks before stringing together back-to-back doubles that drove in two more runs to make it 3-0. They tacked on another run in the fifth on a single, manufactured a fifth run in the sixth, and pulled away with a two-homer outburst in the seventh that pushed the score to 7-0. A run in the ninth completed the scoring. Right-hander Abraham Parra struck out seven, but unable to limit the damage, working 4⅔ innings. He allowed four hits, four runs (three earned), two walks, and one home run. Player AB R H RBI BB K Jake Cunningham 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 0 1 0 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 1 0 0 1 Zach Evans 4 0 1 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jack Costello 3 0 1 0 0 0 Kavares Tears 2 0 0 0 1 0 Dylan Grego 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 4 2/3 4 4 3 2 7 1 Bernard Jose 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 2 2 Will Varmette 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 Luis Germán 2 1 1 1 3 3 0 Storm Roll Sweep 6 From Visalia Behind Frye, Quintana The Lake Elsinore Storm capped a six-game sweep of the visiting Visalia Rawhide with a 5-2 win, getting a productive night from the top of the order and timely contributions through the lineup. Jose Verdugo had two hits with an RBI and a stolen base. Bradley Frye tripled and drove in two runs. Jorge Quintana hit his first home run of the year. Qrey Lott contributed a double and an RBI, and Ryan Wideman went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and a run scored. After Visalia opened with a solo home run in the second, Quintana evened the score in the home half with a solo shot to center. The Storm broke the game open in the third inning. Yoiber Ocopio walked, came around to score on a Qrey Lott double. One out later, Lott scored on Bradley Frye's triple, and Frye in turn came home on a Jose Verdugo bunt that pushed Lake Elsinore in front 4-1. The Storm added an insurance run in the eighth when Frye's sacrifice fly brought home Wideman. Right-hander Carlos Medina turned in four innings, giving up two hits, one run and a walk while striking out three. Javier Chacon followed with two scoreless innings, Daichi Moriki struck out two in a scoreless inning, Sean Barnett yielded a run in the eighth, and Vicarte Domingo closed the night with a scoreless ninth. LE_0426.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 3 1 1 0 0 0 Bradley Frye 3 1 1 2 0 2 Jose Verdugo 3 0 2 1 0 1 Justin DeCriscio 4 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Duarte 3 0 0 0 1 0 Jorge Quintana 3 1 1 1 0 1 George Bilecki 3 0 0 0 0 2 Yoiber Ocopio 2 1 0 0 1 0 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 1 0 0 Conner Westenburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 4 2 1 1 1 3 1 Javier Chacon 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Daichi Moriki 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Sean Barnett 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Vicarte Domingo 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Padres Minor-League Transactions San Antonio Missions activated RHP Ian Koenig from the 7-day injured list. Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, K Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-3, R, 2 SB Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-4, K Romeo Sanabria: 0-for-2, 3 BB Truitt Madonna: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: 0-for-2, BB Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, BB, K Bryan Balzer: DNP View the full article

The Tommy Pham spark never materialized. Now, the New York Mets are moving on. Pham will be designated for assignment as the Mets are signing fellow outfielder Austin Slater, who was just DFA'd by the Miami Marlins and opted to become a free agent, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Sunday. Pham was called up April 13 as the Mets had lost five in a row and the offense had just been shut out twice by the Athletics. That streak would extend to 12 games before the Mets won back-to-back, only to be swept in a three-game series by the Colorado Rockies, including both ends of a doubleheader Sunday. For his part, the 38-year-old Pham went 0-for-13 with a run scored, one walk and seven strikeouts in nine games. The 33-year-old Slater was off to a 4-for-23 with a run scored, an RBI, four walks and nine strikeouts in 12 games with the Marlins. He was DFA'd by the Marlins and went unclaimed off waivers before being outrighted to Triple-A on Saturday. But Slater had the option of choosing free agency and he landed an opportunity to remain in the majors with the Mets. In his career, which started in 2017 and was mostly spent with the San Francisco Giants, Slater has a slash line of .247/.335/.381. View the full article

The Weekly Nutshell: The week opened on a positive note, with the Twins pulling off an impressive comeback win over Nolan McLean and the Mets. From there, it was all downhill. Minnesota dropped the next five straight, scoring two or fewer runs in four of the losses as the bullpen and defense repeatedly let them down. Any lingering good vibes from their surprising 8-1 hot streak were quickly erased by a counterbalancing 1-9 cold spell, and sadly the latest sample feels a lot more reflective of who this team is — for now, at least. On the bright side, we did get some previews of a more favorable future during this rough road trip, and hopefully there's more of that to come soon. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 4/20 through Sun, 4/26 *** Record Last Week: 1-5 (Overall: 12-16) Run Differential Last Week: -12 (Overall: +0) Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (2.5 GB) Latest Game Results Game 23 | MIN 5, NYM 3: Twins Break Through Against McLean, Top Spiraling Mets Twins bullpen: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 6 K Game 24 | NYM 3, MIN 2: Mets End Skid Despite Strong Debuts from Prielipp, Rojas Prielipp: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Game 25 | NYM 10, MIN 8: Exciting Comeback Falls Short as Bullpen Erases Momentum Jeffers: Game-tying GS Game 26 | TB 6, MIN 2: Bradley Gives Up Four Home Runs in Return to Tropicana Field Bradley: 6.1 IP, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 4 HR Game 27 | TB 6, MIN 1: Familiar Story as Pitchers, Bats Struggle in Fourth Straight Loss Rogers: 0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 ER Game 28 | TB 4, MIN 2: Rays Complete Sweep in Series Where Twins Never Held Lead Woods Richardson: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K IF YOU'D RATHER LISTEN TO THE WEEK IN REVIEW THAN READ IT, YOU CAN GET IT IN AUDIO FORM! FIND THE LATEST EPISODE ON OUR PODCAST PAGE, AS WELL AS ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNELS SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT! NEWS & NOTES The week opened with a flurry of roster moves, including a couple of high-profile prospect promotions. On Tuesday, left-hander Kendry Rojas was called up from Triple-A, and a day later he was joined by fellow southpaw Connor Prielipp. Ranked eighth and fifth respectively on Twins Daily's top prospects list, these are the two top arms in the high minors for the Twins. Both pitchers debuted on Wednesday against the Mets. The exciting promotions came at a cost. Mick Abel, coming off back-to-back excellent starts, was placed on the injured list Monday with right elbow inflammation, which flared up during his latest bullpen session. Fortunately, an MRI showed no structural damage and the team is viewing it as a best-case scenario for the emerging young righty. Hopefully he won't be sidelined for too long, but every precaution should be taken with this hopeful rotation staple. With the Abel IL move opening up one spot on the pitching staff, Kody Funderburk's transfer to the paternity list (congrats!) opened the other, at least for a few days. Funderburk was reinstated on Friday, sending Rojas back to the minors, but Prielipp remains on the roster and in the rotation for the time being. Royce Lewis returned from the IL after the minimum 10 days, confirming that his knee sprain indeed proved to be very minor. Ryan Kreidler returned to Triple-A in (essentially) a corresponding action. I'd have rather seen James Outman shipped out personally, but for now the Twins are keen to avoid exposing him and his .115 batting average to waivers. A few other quick roster notes: The Twins claimed reliever Christian Roa off waivers from the Astros, designating first baseman Eric Wagaman for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Roa has a similar profile to Garrett Acton: 27-year-old righty who's barely played in the majors but has posted big strikeout numbers in Triple-A. Wagaman, acquired from the Marlins during the offseason, was basically a flop, missing out on the Opening Day roster and then posting a .538 OPS in Triple-A before being cut from the 40-man. Travis Adams, who's been out since spring due to an elbow issue, moved his rehab up to St. Paul on Wednesday and is in line to become a bullpen option very soon. He appeared twice for the Saints, allowing three earned runs with five strikeouts and a walk over 3 ⅔ innings. The Twins signed veteran reliever Luis García, a 39-year-old righty with more than 600 appearances in the majors, to a minor-league contact. He also could factor into the bullpen depth equation pretty quickly, given his experience. A final unfortunate note: outfielder Alan Roden suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and will be sidelined for at least the next month. The hope is that he won't need surgery but as we're all aware, shoulder injuries are pesky and pernicious. It's a big downer for Roden after a thumb injury knocked him out down the stretch last year. HIGHLIGHTS While the Twins have flirted with competitiveness during the first month, this season was always going to be about getting a real glimpse of the future and ushering in the next wave of talent. That's why games like Wednesday's against the Mets are so invigorating, even if that one ultimately turned out to be a tough 3-2 loss. Prielipp was as advertised in his MLB debut, piling up whiffs with a power slide en route to six strikeouts with no walks over four innings. An exciting preview of things to come. Prielipp is going to be a force on this staff for some time as long as he can stay healthy. Rojas was not nearly as sharp when he made his own first MLB appearance, entering as a reliever later in the same game. He got through two scoreless frames but issued three walks with no strikeouts and labored a bit at times. That said, he was touching 98 with his fastball and got through the outing cleanly, so all in all it was far from a disastrous first impression. He was optioned back to Triple-A after one appearance but we'll surely see Rojas again soon. On offense, Austin Martin has been the clear standout and it's earning him more trust from his manager. This was best demonstrated on Friday when Martin found himself starting in right field and batting third against a right-handed starter in Drew Rasmussen. Martin still isn't quite starting every day, but he's moving well beyond the strict platoon role, and it's well deserved as he keeps getting on base in literally half of his plate appearances. Four hits and four walks in the past week leave Martin sitting with a .327/.500/.455 slash line, and he leads the team with 0.9 fWAR despite ranking eighth in plate appearances. He's also making far more of a defensive impact than we've seen in the past as he appears to grow comfortable and confident in the outfield. LOWLIGHTS There were some poor individual hitting and pitching performances over the course of the week, but what continues to really stick out as a negative for this team is the defense. Just excruciating to watch, night after night. Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) shared on Friday a list of the best and worst defenders in the major leagues, per Defensive Runs Saved. The Twins had three different players ranked as the least valuable fielder at his position: Ryan Jeffers at catcher, Brooks Lee at shortstop, Matt Wallner in right field. As a team the Twins have the third-worst defense in the majors by DRS. Jeffers is probably being underrated a little by defensive metrics that aren't fully accounting for the impact of his ABS challenging proficiency, and his bat is definitely adding value on the other side (he hit a big grand slam to briefly tie Thursday's game in the eighth), but the rough patches in his game have been evident. Earlier in Thursday's game he let a passed ball get by him in the second, costing Joe Ryan a strikeout and leading to three unearned runs scoring. Opposing baserunners are 15-for-19 on steals against Jeffers. He's been very good overall, but there are warts. The defensive metrics definitely check out on Lee, who is constantly letting grounders sneak past him at short. Statcast pegs his fielding range in the 3rd percentile. He was at least able to get his bat going to pull out of his latest slump, posting back-to-back three-hit games on Thursday and Friday. He's going to need to bring a lot more of that to be a useful player because he lacks the skills to be anything more than a liability at short. Wallner, at negative-5 DRS, is one of the worst overall defenders in all of baseball. He's getting terrible jumps in right field, his running speed has declined from last year, and his big arm hasn't yielded much value. Making matters worse is that Wallner also hasn't been able to find his groove at the plate. He's slashing .190/.281/.329 with a league-leading 36 strikeouts. He was 2-for-20 over his past seven games before sitting against a right-hander in the finale at Citi Field, which is perhaps a precursor to a more significant move if things stay as they are. Wallner does notably have an option remaining. Luke Keaschall doesn't quite make the cut as baseball's worst at his position, but he has not looked good at second base. Any hope that his arm strength would improve significantly as he distanced from elbow surgery hasn't really come to fruition. Keaschall's lackluster throwing ability — illustrated by a pattern of floating, fluttering, bouncing deliveries across the diamond — doesn't even meet the relatively low demands of second base. He's also been a complete mess at the plate, stranding 12 runners in Wednesday's and Thursday's losses alone, part of a 4-for-20 week that leaves his OPS hovering around .500. I'm cautiously optimistic that his offensive game will turn around, but I just don't see it working out for Keaschall in the infield, which is non-ideal for the Twins who are far deeper in the outfield. Rounding out the infield malaise is Lewis, who returned to the fold with a thump. At the plate he went 3-for-20 with six strikeouts and zero walks, and Lewis is tied for the worst Outs Above Average in the majors at negative-six. I'm pretty close to losing hope at this point. Lewis still sprinkles in the occasional reminder of his former prowess, including a home run and a nice defensive play down the third base line last week, but they are heavily outweighed by bafflingly inept play. It was entirely too easy to see this coming. The Twins were one of the worst defensive teams in baseball and did little to remedy that during the offseason. In fact, they actively worsened their state of affairs for the sake of saving money. They're paying Carlos Correa $10 million to play at an All-Star caliber level for another team — his 3 DRS and 2 OAA would both lead the Twins, as would his 1.0 fWAR through the first month of action. TRENDING STORYLINE How soon is too soon to take action on this rapidly unraveling ballclub? It seemed like their charmed 8-1 run was going to at least set them up to hang around the .500 mark even after regression inevitably set up, but the fall has been harder than anyone could've foreseen. Now they find themselves four games under, with no end to the losing in sight. What options are available to provide a jolt? Swapping Wallner out for someone like Emmanuel Rodriguez is the most straightforward lever to pull at the moment. Then again, Wallner is also one of the team's highest-upside bats and slumps are part of his game. Sending him to Triple-A at age 28 would be rough. Gabriel Gonzalez is a name to watch. He's batting just .202 for the Saints, suppressed by a .188 BABIP, but hit three homers this past week and has been seeing time at first base as the Twins seek to boost his defensive versatility. Kaelen Culpepper looms as a possible solution for the woes on the left side of the infield, but he probably needs to find more of a sustained groove before that's on the table — Culpepper ended the week in an 0-for-14 skid and his OPS is below .700. On the pitching side, Rojas should be back sooner than later, and I'd also like to see Prielipp stick around even after Abel recovers. He's clearly one of the staff's highest-caliber arms, and sending him back to the minors to waste bullets seems senseless at this point. Minnesota's optimal rotation probably includes Prielipp in favor of Simeon Woods Richardson, whose ERA inflated to 6.30 with a couple more ugly starts this past week, but that's not as straightforward since SWR is out of options. Would they consider a bullpen move if he keeps churning out clunker starts? A potentially relevant and related note here: Zebby Matthews delivered his finest start of the season on Sunday, striking out six over five shutout innings with just one hit and one walk allowed. After a brutal spring and start to the season at Triple-A, Matthews is maybe starting to round into form, with a 2.57 ERA and 16-to-2 K/BB ratio in 14 innings over his past three starts. LOOKING AHEAD The two clubs that faced off in the American League Championship Series last year are coming to Target Field in a jam-packed week that should hopefully feature some good weather and entertaining baseball. Prielipp and Ryan are both scheduled to start twice during the home stand. MONDAY, APRIL 27: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP Luis Castillo v. LHP Connor Prielipp TUESDAY, APRIL 28: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP Logan Gilbert v. RHP Joe Ryan WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP George Kirby v. RHP Taj Bradley THURSDAY, APRIL 30: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — RHP Kevin Gausman v. RHP Bailey Ober FRIDAY, MAY 1: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — RHP Dylan Cease v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson SATURDAY, MAY 2: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — LHP Patrick Corbin v. LHP Connor Prielipp SUNDAY, MAY 3: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — LHP Eric Lauer v. RHP Joe Ryan View the full article

If the Miami Marlins are going to make a run at the postseason in 2026, trust in their starting pitchers would be something to zero in on. In what has become a borderline running gag at this point, Clayton McCullough and his coaching staff were foiled by their reluctance to do so on Sunday. Max Meyer cruised through four innings on just 54 pitches against the San Francisco Giants, working around a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the fifth in what would wind up being his longest inning of the day, in terms of pitch count. McCullough relieved Meyer at just 77 pitches with Miami leading 3-1. Although the pitchers have vastly different résumés, one could not help but think back to the Sandy Alcantara incident earlier this month. For those unaware, Alcantara, vying for his second consecutive shutout, was relieved with one out in the top of the ninth after just 93 pitches for Anthony Bender. Bender, who entered with a pair of men on base, quickly coughed up the lead in what would ultimately be a 6-3 Marlins loss. The result on Sunday would prove no different, as the Giants won 6-3. "I thought Max had done his job, gotten us through five...we thought we had the right combination of guys to get to Pete (Fairbanks), but the game quickly turned on us, and the offense couldn't get it going outside of the Pauley homer...but it happens," explained Clayton McCullough. Calvin Faucher occupied the Bender role this time. For the fifth time already this season, his erratic command led to a leadoff walk. Rafael Devers would double home Casey Schmitt four pitches later, and Drew Gilbert would tie the game at 3-3 two batters later. The aforementioned Schmitt rubbed salt in the wound one inning later when his second home run in as many days landed into the left field stands of Oracle Park. San Francisco, which entered the series tied with the Red Sox for the fewest home runs in baseball, blasted six long balls in the weekend set. Making his second career appearance and first career start against the Marlins, Landen Roupp would be tagged for a three-spot in the second when Graham Pauley hit his first home run of the season. From then on out, though, Roupp went into cruise control, retiring the next 18 batters faced. It wasn't until a Heriberto Hernández walk with two outs in the top of the eighth that Miami would have another baserunner. In a season-high 7 ⅔ innings of work, Roupp allowed just two hits and struck out six. In his six starts to begin the season, Roupp owns a 2.55 ERA. The Pauley home run marked the first allowed by Roupp in 2026. Kyle Stowers was one of many Marlins players who were silenced offensively, but it was a notable game for him nonetheless. Making his first career start as a first baseman at the major league level, he collected an assist on a throw to second base and five putouts. Meyer, on the other hand, would punch out five in his five innings of work, lowering his season ERA to 3.30, and wrapping up a month of April where he posted a mark of 2.88. In 15 career starts in March/April, Meyer owns an ERA right at 3.00. Working around a first-pitch, leadoff triple from Jung Hoo Lee, Meyer would quickly find his groove, allowing just three hits the rest of the way. His one run allowed Sunday would be unearned due to an error on his part when trying to complete a double play. The aforementioned Lee collected nine hits in the weekend series, marking just the seventh time this decade that a player had nine or more hits in any three-game span against Miami. In defeat, the Marlins fall to 13-15, retaining a one-game lead over the Nationals for second in the National League East. Looking Ahead The Marlins will continue their tour of the west coast on Monday when they travel to Southern California to begin a three-game series against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38 ERA) will look to improve his fortunes against the Dodgers in the series opener. In nine career starts, Paddack owns a 5.91 ERA. He'll go up against the 2025 World Series MVP in Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.48 ERA). First pitch from Dodger Stadium is slated for 10:10 EST. View the full article

Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (78 Pitches, 47 Strikes, 60.3%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Woods Richardson (-0.21), Matt Wallner (-0.13), Josh Bell (-0.10) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): Well, the Twins are bad again. The starting pitching has sprung a few leaks, and the opportunistic offense has been silenced by the regression monster. When the team has managed to take a lead, the bullpen has given it right back. Add it all up, and the team is 1-9 in its past 10 games, immediately following an 8-1 stretch that had them at the top of the American League. Today featured Simeon Woods Richardson squaring off against old friend Griffin Jax, who was operating as an opener for bulk pitcher Jesse Scholtens. Woods Richardson has been less than great in 2026, with his encouraging strikeout ability from the second half of 2025 abandoning him. Jax looked good, keeping the Twins off balance and pitching around a few bloopers and infield hits in 2 1/3 innings. Woods Richardson got in trouble early and often, allowing a leadoff base hit to Chandler Simpson, only to be bailed out by a hard ground ball from the dangerous Junior Caminero. It was fielded perfectly at second base by Luke Keaschall, who converted it into an easy double play. A walk and a single brought the heat back up in the second, but Woods Richardson got Taylor Walls looking on a misplaced fastball (Ttrget outside, pitch hit the inside corner) to end that threat. He ran out of magic in the third. Hunter Feduccia led off with a swinging bunt that he beat out. He advanced to second on an errant throw from Woods Richardson. Simpson followed with another hit, then stole second. Woods Richardson fell behind Caminero 3-0, which would have prompted many pitchers to give in and put him on via the intentional walk. Woods Richardson somehow got Caminero to pop out on 3-1, but Jonathan Aranda singled to the gap in right-center field to bring home two runs. Yandy Díaz then rifled a fastball that was nearly in Ryan Jeffers's glove the opposite way for an impressive home run. All of a sudden, the score was 4-0 Rays. The Twins put two runners on in the third and fourth inning, now facing Scholtens, but Josh Bell hit a liner at 107 MPH that was caught to end the third. Royce Lewis popped out weakly to end the fourth. Three more Rays would reach in the fourth. Walls tried to score from second on the third single of the game from Simpson, but was thrown out by Trevor Larnach from left field. Caminero then tapped out to end the threat. A walk to Díaz in the fifth was the end of the line for Woods Richardson. The final line wasn't pretty: eight hits allowed, a homer and more walks (3) than strikeouts (2). His fastball did hit 94 MPH a few times, but he had quite a few in the low 90s and upper 80s. He floated his splitter into hittable locations more than once, though his slider was relatively sharp, Meanwhile, Scholtens was settling in, allowing a few walks but using his slider and splitter to precent the Twins from generating hard contact. He kept cruising until the seventh, when he hung a couple of sliders to the murderer's row of the Twins lineup: James Outman and Brooks Lee. Outman cracked a double, and Lee snuck a liner inside the right-field foul pole for a two-run home run. Cole Sulser came on and got the Rays out of the inning without any further damage, and pitched a quick eighth inning, as well. Minnesota never seriously threatened to get closer than the 4-2 final score. Things I'm Tracking: -Brooks Lee batted leadoff, contributing a home run and a walk. He wouldn't have been my choice for that lineup slot, but sometimes picking a leadoff hitter doesn't need to make sense. Remember when the Royals were perennial World Series contenders with Alcides Escobar hitting first? -Are Woods Richardson's mechanics out of whack? Is he dealing with a physical issue? Is he some kind of right-handed Shaun Marcum (feisty pitcher without a lot of "stuff" who was pretty good for a few years, but when he lost just a tick on his fastball he was basically unplayable)? -Good to have Kody Funderburk back. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.74. If he keeps this up, he'll have closing opportunities, given the bullpen's lack of talent. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Mariners to Target Field Monday, as they begin a four-game series. Connor Prielipp (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will face Luis Castillo (0-1, 5.21 ERA) as the Twins look to get off the mat against an underperforming Seattle team. Prielipp was inefficient but solid in his MLB debut against the Mets last time out, pitching four innings, walking none and striking out six. Castillo isn't the ace he once was, and hasn't looked good thus far in 2026, but he has a track record, and the Twins don't have a ton of threats in their lineup. Postgame Interviews: Coming soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 0 37 0 0 0 37 Orze 11 0 10 9 0 30 Topa 17 0 0 0 10 27 Rogers 12 0 0 15 0 27 Banda 0 9 7 0 9 25 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 20 20 Acton 0 0 0 18 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 0 7 7 View the full article

One reliever signed away. Another one sent on a rehab assignment. A third one returns to the MLB roster that he never should have banished from. One thing they have in common — apart from being three more bullpenners that the Mets treat with depraved indifference — is that none is an offensive answer for the punchless 2026 Mets. Transactions, 4/21/2026 GOING Signed away by MIN to Minor-League Contract Relief Pitchers Luis Garcia R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 High Level: MLB (2026) The shrubby beard of Luis Garcia was DFA'd — and the rest of him along with it — when adding Joey Gerber. There was no reason to think Garcia was washed up after 14 year of MLB relieving, but he hadn't been pitching that great, and having gone the day before and twice in three days, made him the guy to be thrown overboard. It's a ****** policy — prioritizing fresh arms over good arms, and filling out rosters with day laborers instead of teammates — but it's the way baseball works these days. Garcia wanted no part of Syracuse and rightfully asked for his release. Now he gets to work his way back to MLB status with Minnesota as a St. Paul Saint. Transactions, 4/25/2026 GOING Signed away by MIN to Minor-League Contract Relief Pitchers Joey Gerber R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 High Level: MLB (2026) As noted above, the fresh arm the Mets brought up at the cost of Luis Garcia was fellow MLB vet Joey Gerber. The Mets promptly deployed Gerber with mopup duty at the tail-end of a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers. He did everything you wanted him to do — throwing two scoreless innings, striking out five, and flashing dimples that went on for days. One had every reason to assume the shadow of the DFA dragon would fall on Gerberbaby's locker as soon as the game ended, but either injury or ******** roster manipulation intervened, and he was instead place on the IL with a finger blister. It probably isn't the first time a guy got a 10-day IL assignment followed by a rehab assignment (blister rehab?) over such an injury, but it sure feels like it. You hate to call out your GM for playing games with the Injured List, but there really isn't enough sand for Mets Roster Central to bury their heads in. Any how, we look forward to Gerber's return with the most pristine of finger tips. Transactions, 4/26/2026 COMING Promoted from Syracuse Relief Pitchers Austin Warren R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 High Level: MLB (2026) Today's double-header invited the Mets to add a 27th player to their roster. Teams invariably add extra pitching in such cases and the Mets brought up Austin (don't call him Adam) Warren. Aussie became a minor sensation earlier in the week when a Devin Williams ninth-inning collapse brought him in to clean up a messy situation with the bases loaded, no outs, and the fans hungry for blood. Of course he struck out the side, turning an angry crowd into chanters of his name. Of course he got a one-way ticket back to Syracuse. Of course he's likely to get into both games of today's double header, taking a hit for pitchers the Mets value more highly. Of course he's likely to be shipped out in short order again. Austin, as Ron Darling put it in the booth today, just gets outs. But because he lacks elite velocity, the Mets don't envision him as a pitcher they can develop into a more weaponizable part of their bullpen for high-leverage situations, so he and his kind get scrap-heaped, whether they are effective or not. Baseball, you make it so hard to love you sometimes. Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga Huascar Brazobán R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 Relief Pitchers Carl Edwards, Jr. Craig Kimbrel Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Austin Warren Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 33484 R/R DoB: 32291 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Brett Baty Bo Bichette Ronny Mauricio MJ Melendez R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Carson Benge Tommy Pham Luis Robert, Jr. Juan Soto Tyrone Taylor R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 32210 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 R/R DoB: 34356 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Joey Gerber Justin Hagenman R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. With Syracuse With Syracuse On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. With St. Lucie on Rehab Assignment On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders A.J. Minter Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Hayden Senger Francisco Lindor Jorge Polanco L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 With Syracuse on Rehab Assignment On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. With Syracuse With Syracuse, on Seven-Day IL With Syracuse On 10-Day Injured List with Strained Left Calf On 10-Day Injured List with right wrist contusion. Outfielders Outfielders Nick Morabito Jared Young R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 With Syracuse On 10-Day Injured List with torn left meniscus. Your Mets Coaching Staff Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coordinator Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitching Coach Carlos Mendoza Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1979-11-27 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Practice Pitcher Equipment Manager Bullpen Catchers Bullpen Catchers Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Reconditioning Coordinator Reconditioning Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Soft Tissue Specialist Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang Hiroto Kawamura DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? DoB: 22846 View the full article

The Vince Velasquez feel-good comeback story lasted one game. Velasquez, a right-handed pitcher, on Sunday was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs. But there was more bad news from the Cubs as left-hander Riley Martin went on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his left elbow. Left-hander Charlie Barnes and right-hander Yacksel Rios were called up from Triple-A Iowa. Rios was not on the 40-man roster, thus the need to DFA Velasquez. Martin makes it 11 pitchers currently on the IL for the Cubs. Velasquez pitched in Saturday's 12-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 2⅓ shutout inxnings with one hit and no walks while striking out one. He now hits the waiver wire. If Velasquez goes unclaimed or isn't traded, it is possible he returns to the organization. Martin was called up April 5 to make his MLB debut and appeared in eight games, posting a 2.16 ERA, walking two and striking out 10 in 8⅓ innings. Barnes is back after a brief call-up in which he appeared in one game, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in three innings on April 13 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Rios is a 32-year-old who made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has appeared in 92 games, all in relief, and has a 6.32 ERA. He lasted appeared in the majors in 2023 with the Oakland A's, pitching in three games and allowing seven runs in 1⅔ innings. View the full article

Coming into the season, the outlook for the Twins’ bullpen felt fairly clear. There were interesting arms and a handful of intriguing profiles, but not much certainty. Through the first few weeks, that hasn’t really changed. As a whole, this unit hasn’t been very strong, and the biggest issue has been inconsistency. It’s been difficult to know what you’re going to get from one night to the next. Even the hurlers who have flashed the ability to cruise through a tough patch in the opposing lineup seem to struggle when asked to do it two or three times in a short span. There have been a few bright spots, along with some real concerns. With that in mind, here’s where my confidence currently sits, working from lowest to highest. Zero Faith: Anthony Banda Coming into the year, Banda felt like someone who could carve out a legitimate late-inning, high-leverage role. That hasn’t come close to materializing. Through 10 2/3 innings, he’s sitting on a 9.28 ERA, allowing 13 hits, three walks, and hitting three batters. It’s not just the results, either; it’s the lack of any real rhythm. We haven’t seen him string together multiple solid outings, and in a 12-appearance sample, that becomes hard to ignore. Opponents are hitting .302 against him, the highest mark in the bullpen (among regular contributors), and there just isn’t much here right now that inspires confidence. Familiar, but Not Fun: Justin Topa It’s not exactly reassuring that the two relievers I trust the least are also among the most frequently used. Topa’s surface-level numbers don’t jump out in the same way. A 3.86 ERA is perfectly passable. But once you dig a little deeper, it becomes harder to buy in. A 1.54 WHIP paired with a 13.7% strikeout rate suggests that ERA is a bit lucky. He does a nice job generating ground balls and limiting loud contact, but the consistency hasn’t been there, which again feels like a recurring theme with this group. He’s the type of arm that can get through an inning cleanly one night, and then spend the next outing working out of constant traffic. That volatility makes him difficult to fully trust; he'd be a better fit for a team with a better defense. Next up, I’ve got a tie, and fittingly, it’s between two left-handed options. Sortable Southpaws: Taylor Rogers and Kody Funderburk Neither has done much to distinguish themselves, in a positive way. Both are carrying WHIPs north of 1.50. Neither generates much swing-and-miss, and both have run into issues with walks. On the surface, Funderburk’s 2.00 ERA looks far more appealing than Rogers’s 7.27, but the underlying numbers tell a different story. Funderburk’s 5.80 FIP and 6.47 xERA suggest he’s been living on the edge, and that some regression could be coming. In reality, both pitchers have fallen into that same inconsistency trap. There just hasn’t been a reliable rhythm, and at this point, it’s hard to feel overly confident in either left-handed option when the game is on the line. The Hard-Throwing Youngster: Andrew Morris Morris has been deployed as more of a length reliever, typically working in two- to three-inning stints. That role matters here, because if we were strictly evaluating him as a one-inning arm, he’d probably land higher on this list. The issue is what happens after that first inning. We’ve seen him run into more trouble the deeper he goes into outings, which has inflated his numbers, including a 7.71 ERA that doesn’t exactly scream reliability. But context is important. Half of the earned runs he’s allowed came on one swing, a bases-clearing double by TJ Friedl in a spot where Morris arguably shouldn’t have been in the game. Another two runs came on Bo Bichette’s game-winning double after Morris had already exited, with those runners inherited and ultimately allowed to score. When you look beyond the ERA, there’s actually a lot to like. His stuff has arguably been the best of anyone in this bullpen. He’s generating a ton of chase out of the zone, limiting hard contact, and attacking hitters with confidence, reflected in a strong 5.9% walk rate. If the Twins can keep him in more controlled two-inning bursts (or even shift him to a traditional one-inning role), there’s a good chance the results start to match the underlying performance. That brings us into the top three. The Journeyman: Garrett Acton Yes, there’s definitely some small sample influence here. Acton has only thrown 6 ⅔ innings, but it’s been an impressive stretch. He’s running a 2.70 ERA with a 2.54 xERA, and the underlying metrics are hard to ignore. A 34% whiff rate and 30.4% strikeout rate jump off the page, and he’s done an excellent job limiting hard contact. The stuff is playing well. The only reason he isn’t higher is the limited sample. If these numbers were stretched over 30 or 40 innings, we’d be having a very different conversation—one where he’s probably sitting at the top of this list, if only because of the uninspiring competition for that honor. Why Aren't You Better? Cole Sands In a bullpen like this, that placement says quite a bit. It’s not about overpowering stuff or eye-popping velocity. It’s much simpler than that; he’s steady. He’s predictable in the best way possible. Sands owns a 3.48 ERA, which is right in line with what we’ve come to expect from him, and there’s real value in that kind of consistency, especially in a group that hasn’t had much of it. He was probably my preseason pick as the most trustworthy reliever in this bullpen, and while the start hasn’t been dominant, there’s little reason to move off that stance. When he enters a game, there’s a level of calm that just doesn’t exist with most of the other options. However, two years ago, we got an extended look at a version of Sands who could dominate. Since the start of last year, that guy has shown up only in brief glimpses. Somehow, a Relief Ace: Eric Orze If the Twins needed to name a primary closer tomorrow, Orze would get my vote without much hesitation. He’s leaned heavily on his splitter, and it’s been a legitimate weapon, generating whiffs on over 30% of swings. Even when hitters make contact, they’re not doing much damage. His average exit velocity allowed, along with his hard-hit and barrel rates, all sit in the 83rd percentile or better among major-league pitchers. He’s missing bats at an above-average rate, generating strikeouts, and while the command isn’t perfect, it’s more than manageable, with a 9.3% walk rate. (Keep in mind that, with ABS having shrunk the strike zone, the league's overall walk rate is 9.7% so far this season.) The underlying metrics back it all up, with both Orze's FIP and xERA sitting at an elite 2.38. The results have been good, and the data suggest they could be even better moving forward. Yes, he’s blown a save, which does not help my case. But he’s also the only reliever in this bullpen to have multiple save opportunities, which says a lot about how he’s already being trusted. In a bullpen searching for stability, Orze has provided it. Right now, he stands alone as the arm I trust the most. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - April 24 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds): Bats lead 3–1 Season Record: 12–12 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds): Lookouts lead 3–1 Season Record: 9–10 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds): Tied 2–2 Season Record: 10–6 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros): Woodpeckers lead 4–0 Season Record: 9–10 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 12–12 Series Opponent: Louisville Bats (15–10) Series Standing: Trail 1–3 April 24: The Iowa Cubs suffered a second-straight defeat, falling to the Louisville Bats, 5-4, in extra innings on Friday night at Principal Park. The Cubs took the lead in the contest in the second on an RBI-single from Eric Yang (1-for-4). Kevin Alcántara (1-for-5) made it 2-0 Iowa with an RBI-single in the sixth. Trent Thornton started on the mound for the I-Cubs, working two scoreless innings and picking up a pair of strikeouts. Phil Maton, who was placed on the 15-day IL by the big-league Cubs on April 10, made his first rehab appearance at the Triple-A level, working a scoreless third, allowing two hits and striking out two. Jace Beck got the bulk of work in relief, firing three scoreless innings and whiffing a pair. The Bats got on the board in the eighth to make it 2-1 but Pedro Ramírez (0-for-3) restored the two-run advantage with an RBI-groundout in the home half of the frame. Louisville would rally in the ninth with a pair of runs to send the game to extras. Both teams would score in the 10th, with Jonathan Long (4-for-5) driving in the Cubs’ run but the Bats would go ahead again in the 11th and keep Iowa off the board, handing the home team the loss. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 9–10 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts (15–4) Series Standing: Trail 1-3 April 24: The Knoxville Smokies snapped their five-game losing skid with an 11-9 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Friday night. Ethan Hearn’s (1-for-4) two-run shot in the second, his first of the year, gave the Smokies the 2-0 but the Lookouts tied the ballgame with two runs in the third. Knoxville responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs to re-take the lead at 5-2. Owen Ayers (2-for-2) launched his first-career Double-A home run, a solo blast, and Edgar Alvarez (1-for-5) followed with a two-run shot later in the frame. Chattanooga cut the lead to 5-4 with runs in the fourth and fifth and would eventually take the lead with three runs in the eighth. The Smokies offense then erupted for sixth runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a two-run double from Alex Ramírez (1-for-5) and a grand slam from Andy Garriola (1-for-2) to make it 11-7. The Lookouts halved the deficit with a pair of runs in the ninth but Knoxville was able to hang on for the 11-9 victory. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 10–6 Series Opponent: Dayton Dragons (9–9) Series Standing: Tied 2–2 April 24: The South Bend Cubs fell to the Dayton Dragons, 6-4, in seven innings, in a rain-shortened game on Friday night at Day Air Ballpark. The Cubs took a 2-0 lead their first time to the plate through a sacrifice fly from Cameron Sisneros (1-for-1) and an RBI-double from Reginald Preciado (1-for-3). The Dragons answered with two runs of their own their first time up to make it 2-2. South Bend went back in front with two more runs in the third thanks to RBI-doubles from Kade Snell (1-for-3) and Sisneros. Dayton responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-4 and to take the lead for good. The hosts tacked on one more in the sixth before rain stopped play after seven. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 9–10 Series Opponent: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (7–12) Series Standing: Trail 0–4 April 24: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans suffered a fourth-straight defeat with a 5-2 loss to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, who claim a series win. The Woodpeckers took a 2-0 lead in the second and made it 3-0 after the sixth. The Pelicans scored on a wild pitch in the seventh but Fayetteville answered with two more in the eighth to make it 5-2. Myrtle Beach scored on a passed ball in the ninth but were unable to rally and ultimately fell 5-2. The Pelicans were held to just three hits offensively, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. View the full article

Syracuse fell 9-2 at Worcester as starter Bryce Conley walked six batters over four innings to take the loss, while Ji Hwan Bae's eighth-inning RBI single accounted for one of the Mets' two runs. St. Lucie surrendered a four-run ninth in an 8-7 loss to Palm Beach, with reliever Tyler McLoughlin charged with three earned runs. Jose Chirinos struck out six over 4 2/3 strong innings of work. The Binghamton and Brooklyn games were postponed. Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Walks And Late Damage Doom Syracuse In 9-2 Loss At Worcester Syracuse dropped a 9-2 decision at Worcester, undone by free passes and a pair of late innings. Starter Bryce Conley took the loss after four innings in which he allowed four hits, one earned run, six walks, and two strikeouts. Worcester scratched out a single run in the bottom of the fourth on a run-scoring groundout against Conley, then broke through with a pair in the bottom of the sixth on a run-scoring single and a run-scoring groundout to push the lead to 3-0. The Red Sox added three more in the bottom of the seventh, when a Worcester two-out double drove in two runs to make it 6-0. Syracuse finally got on the board in the top of the eighth after Yonny Hernández walked and came around on Ji Hwan Bae's run-scoring single. Worcester answered in the bottom of the eighth with three more against Onix Vega on a sacrifice fly and a pair of run-scoring singles. Tanner Witt struggled with command in 1 1/3 innings, walking four and giving up two earned runs. Ryan Lambert was charged with three earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, and Alex Carrillo turned in a clean inning with two strikeouts. Bae finished 1-for-4 with the RBI, Cristian Pache added a double, and Nick Morabito drew a walk and singled. Syracuse collected four hits, drew three walks, struck out 10 times, and left five runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 3 0 1 0 1 1 Ji Hwan Bae 4 0 1 1 0 3 Ryan Clifford 3 0 0 0 1 1 Christian Arroyo 4 0 0 0 0 0 Vidal Bruján 4 0 0 0 0 2 Cristian Pache 4 0 1 0 0 2 Ben Rortvedt 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jackson Cluff 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yonny Hernández 2 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryce Conley 4.0 4 1 1 6 2 0 Tanner Witt 1.1 1 2 2 4 3 0 Ryan Lambert 0.2 1 3 3 2 0 0 Alex Carrillo 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 Onix Vega 1.0 5 3 3 0 0 0 Binghamton Game Postponed The Binghamton Rumble Ponies game was postponed. Brooklyn Game Postponed The Brooklyn Cyclones game was postponed. Ninth-Inning Collapse Sends St. Lucie To 8-7 Loss Against Palm Beach St. Lucie watched a two-run lead disappear in the top of the ninth and fell 8-7 to Palm Beach. Palm Beach jumped on opener R.J. Gordon for three runs in the top of the first inning, with Gordon allowing three hits and three earned runs while recording one strikeout in 1/3 of an inning. Nate Lavender stabilized things with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit relief, and Joey Gerber followed with a clean third. Jose Chirinos turned in the night's best work for the Mets, striking out six over 4 2/3 innings while allowing three hits, one earned run, and a home run. The home offense flipped the game with a five-run sixth inning. Leadoff hitter Elian Peña singled, and Julio Zayas walked ahead of Simon Juan's two-run double that scored Peña and Zayas. Chase Meggers followed with a two-run single that brought home AJ Salgado and Juan, and Sam Biller singled home Meggers to put St. Lucie in front 5-3. Palm Beach pulled within one on a solo home run in the eighth, but Vladi Gomez walked with the bases loaded against Palm Beach pitching to score Juan, and Peña singled in Biller for a 7-4 lead. The bullpen could not protect it. Tyler McLoughlin walked two and gave up a run-scoring single, and Ryan Dollar took the loss after a run-scoring double and a two-run single put Palm Beach ahead. Peña finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk, and a run, Juan went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, and Meggers added two hits and two RBIs. St. Lucie collected nine hits, drew seven walks, struck out eight times, and left seven runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 2 1 1 0 JT Benson 4 0 0 0 1 2 Randy Guzman 2 0 0 0 0 0 Julio Zayas 1 1 0 0 1 1 Branny De Oleo 0 0 0 0 0 0 AJ Salgado 4 1 0 0 1 1 Simon Juan 5 2 2 2 0 1 Chase Meggers 5 1 2 2 0 1 Sam Biller 3 1 1 1 1 2 Sam Robertson 3 0 1 0 1 0 Vladi Gomez 3 0 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR R.J. Gordon 0.1 3 3 3 0 1 0 Nate Lavender 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Joey Gerber 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Chirinos 4.2 3 1 1 0 6 1 Tyler McLoughlin 0.1 1 3 3 2 0 0 Ryan Dollar 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Nolan McLean: DNP Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: DNP Jonah Tong: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-3, BB, K Jacob Reimer: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, R Mitch Voit: DNP Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, BB, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Ryan Lambert: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Dylan Ross: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP R.J. Gordon: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K View the full article

Twins System Recap: Ramiro Villanueva made his full-season debut and his first appearance since June of 2024. The 19-year-old delivered four shutout innings while striking out five batters to help lead Fort Myers to victory. Ryan Sprock was also a key contributor to that Mussels win. In terms of top prospects, Marek Houston continued to impress with his bat, tallying three hits while also stealing a couple of bases. More info on those performances and much more in tonight's video. View the full article

In the small (but scintillating) preview we got of Nolan McLean in 2025, we saw flashes of a future ace. We saw curveballs that have never curved quite so much, sinkers that sink at an alarming rate, and sweepers that defy the laws of physics. To nobody’s surprise, it is the same story so far in 2026. McLean currently sports a 99th percentile pitching run value. The breakdown on that: he's in the 98th percentile in fastball run value, 88th percentile in off-speed run value, and 78th percentile in run value. If that stat means little to you, just know that those numbers means that the rookie right-hander is among the best pitchers in the league at throwing every type of pitch. Not too shabby, huh? His 38 strikeouts is the seventh-most of all qualified pitchers. By all metrics, McLean can be considered at the forefront of the NL Rookie of the Year race. In the last 10 years, only four pitchers have won the award (Luis Gil and Paul Skenes in 2024, Devin Williams in 2020, and Michael Fulmer in 2026) but if there is ever a pitcher to run away with it, its McLean. McLean’s sinker is currently tied for second in pitch run value. The pitch only allows a .192 batting average and has generated a 25% strikeout rate. McLean’s sinker is his go-to pitch in terms of getting ahead and putting hitters away. The sinker produces a ridiculous 5.6 inches of induced vertical break, which is just comical for a sinker. For a pitch that starts outside and ends up at the stomach of a right-handed batter, it's about as effective as you'd expect. We still have yet to see the full breakout of McLean’s curveball. He throws that the least of his six offerings, though it's currently resulting in a .056 batting average. His Uncle Charlie famously spins as much as any single pitch in baseball, consistently registering between 3,300 and 3,450 RPMs. The difference between McLean right now and the Cy Young contender of the future is a more consistent attack pattern with his two big breakers. McLean’s only current metric that does not look absolutely bonkers is his chase rate, a measly 24.6% that only ranks in the 17th percentile. Of his 38 strikeouts, 13 were via a watched third strike. In that sense, you could argue that hitters aren't chasing outside the zone simply because they can’t pick up his pitches out of the hand. That's what's making Mason Miller so effective right now, and such a trait would be insanely potent with McLean's deep and powerful arsenal. His xERA (1.94) and xBA (.173) are both among the best expected figures of any starting pitcher. On a struggling New York Mets roster that's still working to climb out of a hole dug by that notorious 12-game losing streak, McLean is one of the few bright spots of the roster. His outings are starting to be anticipated by fans the way Jacob deGrom’s were during his run with the Mets. That's a bold comparison to be sure, but one McLean is inviting with his brilliance on the mound. View the full article

The balls were flying in Charlotte (as they always do), but runs were tough to come by below the AAA level - and heck, hits for that matter, for the youngest of the affiliates, nothing new there. Transactions: Nashville Sounds placed RHP Will Childers on the 7-day injured list retroactive to April 24. Nashville Sounds activated RHP Kaleb Bowman from the Development List. No word on what is ailing Childers, His ERA is 0.00 and WHIP is 1.00 through seven outings. It seems a retroactive placement in and of itself is hopeful of a short stint. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final, Game One: Nashville 12, Charlotte (White Sox) 5 Box Score and Game Log Final, Game Two: Charlotte 16, Nashville 6 Box Score and Game Log NOTE: Both games in Charlotte were seven-inning contests, while the Sounds were the home team in the nightcap due to a prior postponement in Nashville Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Split Doubleheader in Charlotte - Nashville Records 25 Hits, 11 Extra-Base Hits, and 18 Runs Across Two Games The Sounds' staff wisely included all five home runs from the doubleheader in video form (Eddys Leonard grand slam, Ethan Murray solo bomb, Jeferson Quero solo, Jett Williams two-run dinger, Luis Lara solo) in their report linked above, so I have peace of mind in knowing you will now familiarize yourself with those and all the statistical tidbits within. Also from Game One: Additional Game One Video: Ethan Murray two-RBI single Brock Wilken RBI single Cooper Pratt RBI triple Luis Lara RBI groundout Additional Game Two Video: Jeferson Quero sacrifice fly Ramon Rodriguez RBI single Our own @Spencer Michaelis added detail to the Lara home run here. OK, that was quite the feast for your eyes. The Knights scored 21 runs over 14 innings so you know there were some unfortunate pitches thrown by Sounds hurlers as well. Craig Yoho was taken deep twice within five pitches. All position players on the roster saw action, with Jacob Hurtubise and Freddy Zamora swapped in for Leonard and Murray in the later contest. Luis Lara did commit his first fielding error in Game Two but also threw out a runner at third base later in the game. Cooper Pratt was on base six times on the day, that's promising. Nashville batters only K'd eight times between the two games. Sounds pitchers walked ten total on the day. Robert Gasser's first appearance in fifteen days (third start overall) was brief (32 pitches, 22 strikes) and was aided by old friend Oliver Dunn's ill-fated attempt to steal home to end Gasser's second (and final) inning of work. Given Gasser's planned short stint, Garrett Stallings was forced to wear one in Game Two, and even with that Manager Rick Sweet wanted to see more than three innings out of the minor league veteran. Logan Henderson is Sunday's scheduled starter, and the Brewers have been conserving his bullets, with 3.1 innings being the longest Henderson's gone in his four appearances thus far - just 12.2 IP over four AAA games. Sweet will once again be glad to leave the Coors Field of the East. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Rocket City (Angels) 6, Biloxi 3 Box Score and Game Log Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives - RHP Tyson Hardin's interview available, discusses his changeup development process Shuckers Doubled by Trash Pandas on Mudbugs Night - Shuckers Drop Second Straight to Trash Pandas Mudbugs merch! (For you crawfish fans...) The Shuckers won the first three games of the series and hope to avoid a 3rd consecutive loss Sunday. The game summary mentions this as a second consecutive "rubber game". The first came about in the opening series of the season, which you may remember was a three-game weekend set. It is true that today's finale will decide whether the series ends in a split or a Shuckers win, but if the series isn't tied heading into the finale, is it really a rubber game? It's open to your interpretation (origination of the term, nothing to do with actual rubber). Oh yeah, the game. Nice that Damon Keith's recent IL stint was brief, .990 OPS through his ten games played: The lone hit for this young man in four AB's, but let it grace our screens - Made almost beat out this groundout, but it netted him an RBI. It was rosy for 20-year-old starter Manuel Rodriguez through four innings. Then came the Trash Panda 5th, all of this after two outs! Single (no video) Stolen base RBI single RBI double RBI single Single, runner to 3rd (no video) Stolen base, men on 2nd and 3rd Run-scoring balk (no video) RBI single Rodriguez has only walked five in his four starts, and none here. Biloxi batters only K'd four times but were 1-for-11 with RISP. This was Mike Boeve's 9th start in left field (4 at 3B, 2 at 1B, 4 as the DH). Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: Fort Wayne (Padres) 2, Wisconsin 1 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: TinCaps Snap Rattlers Win Streak - Wisconsin scores eleven runs on eleven hits to beat TinCaps Braylon Owens gives off Aaron Civale vibes, not the worst thing, young man (Civale signed for $7M with the Athletics for 2026). In the history of professional baseball, there have only been six "Braylon's", five of them are active, and it would be six if one had not been released by the Pirates last August. So yeah, it's a name that only caught traction early this century. It was shocking to learn that of the six, the only two who were born in Texas were the Timber Rattlers duo (by the way, you did see the Braylon Payne missile within the game summary linked above, right?). Payne does not turn 20 years old until mid-August. My goodness, he's been amazing all month. Defense is fun! Speaking of the Wisconsin game summary, here's the fateful bottom of the 8th inning sequence verbatim: "Omar Linares, the ninth batter in Fort Wayne’s order, drew a one-out walk. Jake Cunningham followed with a sharp single to right to put runners at the corners. Kasen Wells dropped a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Linares from third for a 1-0 lead. Galindez hit Lamar King Jr to load the bases before striking out Alex McCoy for the second out. That strikeout left McCoy hitless on the afternoon to end his hitting streak at fifteen games and ended the day for Galindez as the Rattlers went to the bullpen. Yerlin Rodriguez took over for Galindez and issued a four-pitch walk to Rosman Verdugo and Fort Wayne picked up a very important insurance run." Longtime Link Report readers might say, wait, Yerlin Rodriguez was brought in to replace another RHP who had just fanned a tough batter with the bases loaded and two outs? The Yerlin Rodriguez who had issued 12 free passes in 3.2 innings on the season-to-date and is beginning his 3rd high-powered yet roller-coaster and sometimes mind-numbing season with Wisconsin? Wouldn't you know it, Rodriguez fanned the next batter after the base on balls. This, folks, is why it's all about player development. Can it frustrate fans, sure. The final pitcher for the TinCaps was a southpaw. RH bat Daniel Dickinson walked immediately after the Payne home run. On the bench were fellow righties Marco Dinges and Andrew Fischer. Tempting to bat for LH swingers Eric Bitonti and Josiah Ragsdale, right? Please read the brief paragraph above this one again! Bitonti flied out to left, Ragsdale was caught looking (on what was definitely not a strike three, watched it live). Not the best angle on that final pitch, but judge for yourself, the CF view was just as questionable! Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 4, Wilson 1 Box Score and Game Log Home Runs Doom Wilson in Series Loss - Warbirds Drop Fourth Straight You know, we haven't really done nearly enough wordplay with this whole Warbirds vs. Shorebirds matchup. Have to believe there are some broadcast challenges there! Wilson was being no-hit until two were down in the 7th. Luis Lameda lines a single to break up the Delmarva no-no Had to wait until there were two outs in the 9th inning for this: That was Wilson's second hit of the night. The third hit immediately followed - Handelfry Encarnacion pulled a fly ball triple to right (no video available). Don't have the actuals on this, but how many times has Jose Anderson (4 HR, 19 RBI) accounted for all the Warbirds RBI in a game?) By the way, Anderson's K percentage now sits at 49.4% through 85 plate appearances. 19-year-old RHP Tyler Renz walked four today, giving him 14 through 18.1 IP over five appearances (four starts). Can't be easy (or fun) for these Wilson pitchers to lack run support, not to mention the brief dugout layovers with so many quick innings. Wilson batters drew ten walks (Brady Ebel twice plus he was hit by a pitch), so if it had been a no-hitter, it would have been of the ugly variety. Team RISP: 0-for-13. Team LOB: 14. It's been tempting all month to insert a Tom Hanks screaming "Wilson!" image into a report. Too many painful moments. All four Sunday games have early starts, none later than 1:00 Central. RHP Jason Woodward continues his return from a second Tommy John surgery in Fort Wayne for the Rattlers. Hope everyone caps off their weekend on a positive note, including a certain team playing at Am-Fam Field. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

The Minnesota Twins have quietly built a reputation for uncovering intriguing pitching talent outside the early rounds of the draft, and C.J. Culpepper fits that mold perfectly. Selected in the 13th round of the 2022 draft, Culpepper is part of a class that continues to pay dividends for the organization, alongside names like Connor Prielipp, Andrew Morris, Zebby Matthews, and Cory Lewis. A product of Cal Baptist, the 6-foot-3 right-hander has taken a steady, if occasionally interrupted, path through the system. Injuries have played a significant role in shaping his development, limiting his workload to 86, 58 1/3, and 59 1/3 innings across his three full professional seasons. A forearm strain in 2024 and a nerve issue in his finger that delayed his 2025 season both contributed to the stop-and-start nature of his progression. Even with those interruptions, Culpepper has been effective when on the mound. He owns a 3.21 career ERA and has allowed just 11 home runs across 852 plate appearances, a strong indicator of his ability to limit damage. There have also been stretches where everything has come together, including a strong finish at Double-A Wichita last season when he posted a 2.56 ERA over the final two months. While it has not always fully clicked, he has consistently shown enough to remain on the radar, moving from A ball in 2023 to Double-A in 2024 and holding that level again in 2025. Now in 2026, Culpepper is making his case louder than ever. Through five starts in Wichita, he owns a 2.75 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate while holding opposing hitters to a .213 batting average. The improvements are notable. His strikeout rate has jumped by roughly 7%, while his walk rate has ticked down by nearly 2%. Perhaps more impressively, he is producing these results while facing older competition more than half the time, a sign that his performance is not simply a product of being advanced for the level. The underlying profile helps explain the success. Culpepper is not a traditional overpowering arm, but he features a deep arsenal that allows him to attack hitters in different ways. His fastball typically sits in the mid-90s and has previously reached as high as 97 to 98 mph, though that top-end velocity was less consistent last season as he dealt with the lingering effects of injury. A return to full health could unlock that extra gear again. His best swing-and-miss offering is a low-80s sweeper that generates plenty of whiffs, and he complements it with a cutter in the upper 80s to low 90s. He will also mix in a curveball and changeup, though his most effective approach may come from leaning into a combination of his two-seamer, sweeper, and cutter to generate both strikeouts and ground balls. There are still questions to answer. Durability remains the biggest concern, as he has yet to eclipse 60 innings in either of the last two seasons. His control can waver at times, which could affect his long-term viability as a starter. Those factors, combined with a lack of experience at Triple-A, left him unselected in last year’s Rule 5 Draft. At the same time, the Twins are approaching a decision point. The Triple-A rotation already features several arms, including Zebby Matthews, Kendry Rojas, John Klein, Trent Baker, Aaron Rozek, and Cory Lewis, which creates a logjam for innings at the next level. But at some point, performance has to matter. Culpepper has shown he can handle Double-A hitters, and his early 2026 results suggest he is beginning to take a step forward rather than simply holding serve. Whether his long-term future is in the rotation or in a bullpen role built around his sinker and sweeper combination, the next step in answering those questions cannot happen in Wichita. There are plenty of more highly touted names in the system drawing attention, but Culpepper is making it increasingly difficult to ignore him. He may not have the pedigree or the headline-grabbing velocity, but right now, he has something just as important. Results. And at Double-A, there is not much left for him to prove. What stands out about Culpepper? Can he stick as a starting pitcher? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Justin Lamkin tossed six shutout innings with six strikeouts as Quad Cities walked off Lansing 3-2 in ten innings, with Austin Charles scoring the tying run and Nolan Sailors delivering the winning sacrifice fly. Yimi Presinal picked up the win in relief. In Toledo, Mitch Spence took the loss across five innings as Omaha was shut out 2-0 despite Josh Rojas's 2-for-4 day with a double. Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) and Columbia (Single-A) did not play due to weather. They will both have doubleheaders scheduled for Sunday, April 26th. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Bats Silenced In 2-0 Shutout Loss At Toledo Omaha was held without a run in a 2-0 loss in Toledo, mustering five hits and three walks across nine innings. Josh Rojas led the way, going 2-for-4 with a double. Tyler Tolbert, Drew Waters, and Luke Maile each added a single. Leadoff hitter John Rave went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while Kameron Misner also struck out twice in four at-bats. Luca Tresh drew a walk and struck out twice, and Gavin Cross drew a walk in two trips. Abraham Toro went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The Storm Chasers stranded seven runners and committed one error. Right-hander Mitch Spence was tagged with the loss after working five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, walking three, and striking out five. The Mud Hens broke through in the bottom of the third for the only runs of the game. Spence allowed a leadoff double, struck out the next batter, then issued a walk before a flyout brought the inning to two outs. A two-run double to right field plated both runners and pushed Toledo ahead 2-0. The bullpen kept Omaha in striking distance, but the offense could not respond. Bailey Falter followed with two innings of one-hit ball, walking none and striking out two. Steven Cruz closed the eighth on one hit, no walks, and two more strikeouts. The Storm Chasers put runners on base in several frames, but could not push one across. Player AB R H RBI BB K John Rave 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tyler Tolbert 4 0 1 0 0 1 Kameron Misner 4 0 0 0 0 2 Drew Waters 4 0 1 0 0 0 Luca Tresh 3 0 0 0 1 2 Josh Rojas 4 0 2 0 0 0 Abraham Toro 4 0 0 0 0 2 Gavin Cross 2 0 0 0 1 0 Luke Maile 3 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Mitch Spence 5 3 2 2 3 5 0 Bailey Falter 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Steven Cruz 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 River Bandits Walk Off Lansing 3-2 In Ten Innings Quad Cities erased a one-run deficit in the bottom of the tenth to walk off Lansing 3-2. Austin Charles went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, including the tying run in the tenth. Asbel Gonzalez singled, Trevor Werner singled and laid down a sacrifice bunt, Tyriq Kemp singled, and Derlin Figueroa added a hit. Leadoff man Nolan Sailors finished 0-for-4 but delivered the walk-off sacrifice fly. Blake Mitchell drew two walks and stole a base, while Ramon Ramirez drew a walk. The River Bandits stranded seven runners and committed two errors. Left-hander Justin Lamkin turned in a quality start, working six innings of shutout ball on four hits, walking three, and striking out six. Kamden Edge followed with two perfect innings, striking out two for a hold. Yimi Presinal entered for the ninth and gave up a leadoff walk and a single, then a sacrifice bunt produced a tying run when Presinal's throwing error allowed the runner home. Presinal worked around the damage to retire the next three batters and pitched two innings overall, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. Both runs charged to him were unearned. Quad Cities had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when Charles singled and scored on a Lansing throwing error during Erick Torres's at-bat. The Lugnuts pushed across an unearned run on a Presinal error in the tenth on a Riemer fielder's choice with the zombie runner aboard. In the bottom half, zombie runner Charles scored on Torres's sacrifice bunt that drew another throwing error, and the Sailors' sacrifice fly to left brought home Torres for the win. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 0 0 1 0 2 Asbel Gonzalez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Blake Mitchell 2 0 0 0 2 1 Ramon Ramirez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Derlin Figueroa 4 0 1 0 0 2 Austin Charles 4 2 1 0 0 1 Erick Torres 3 1 0 0 0 0 Trevor Werner 3 0 1 0 0 2 Tyriq Kemp 4 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Lamkin 6 4 0 0 3 6 0 Kamden Edge 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Yimi Presinal 2 1 2 0 1 3 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Carter Jensen: DNP Blake Mitchell: 0-for-2, 2 BB, SB, K David Shields: DNP Kendry Chourio: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Sean Gamble: DNP Josh Hammond: DNP Ramon Ramirez: 0-for-3, BB, K Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K Yandel Ricardo: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Daniel Vazquez: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Carson Roccaforte: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Warren Calcaño: DNP Frank Mozzicato: DNP View the full article

Justin Lamkin tossed six shutout innings with six strikeouts as Quad Cities walked off Lansing 3-2 in ten innings, with Austin Charles scoring the tying run and Nolan Sailors delivering the winning sacrifice fly. Yimi Presinal picked up the win in relief. In Toledo, Mitch Spence took the loss across five innings as Omaha was shut out 2-0 despite Josh Rojas's 2-for-4 day with a double. Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) and Columbia (Single-A) did not play due to weather. They will both have doubleheaders scheduled for Sunday, April 26th. Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Bats Silenced In 2-0 Shutout Loss At Toledo Omaha was held without a run in a 2-0 loss in Toledo, mustering five hits and three walks across nine innings. Josh Rojas led the way, going 2-for-4 with a double. Tyler Tolbert, Drew Waters, and Luke Maile each added a single. Leadoff hitter John Rave went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while Kameron Misner also struck out twice in four at-bats. Luca Tresh drew a walk and struck out twice, and Gavin Cross drew a walk in two trips. Abraham Toro went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The Storm Chasers stranded seven runners and committed one error. Right-hander Mitch Spence was tagged with the loss after working five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, walking three, and striking out five. The Mud Hens broke through in the bottom of the third for the only runs of the game. Spence allowed a leadoff double, struck out the next batter, then issued a walk before a flyout brought the inning to two outs. A two-run double to right field plated both runners and pushed Toledo ahead 2-0. The bullpen kept Omaha in striking distance, but the offense could not respond. Bailey Falter followed with two innings of one-hit ball, walking none and striking out two. Steven Cruz closed the eighth on one hit, no walks, and two more strikeouts. The Storm Chasers put runners on base in several frames, but could not push one across. Player AB R H RBI BB K John Rave 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tyler Tolbert 4 0 1 0 0 1 Kameron Misner 4 0 0 0 0 2 Drew Waters 4 0 1 0 0 0 Luca Tresh 3 0 0 0 1 2 Josh Rojas 4 0 2 0 0 0 Abraham Toro 4 0 0 0 0 2 Gavin Cross 2 0 0 0 1 0 Luke Maile 3 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Mitch Spence 5 3 2 2 3 5 0 Bailey Falter 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Steven Cruz 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 River Bandits Walk Off Lansing 3-2 In Ten Innings Quad Cities erased a one-run deficit in the bottom of the tenth to walk off Lansing 3-2. Austin Charles went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, including the tying run in the tenth. Asbel Gonzalez singled, Trevor Werner singled and laid down a sacrifice bunt, Tyriq Kemp singled, and Derlin Figueroa added a hit. Leadoff man Nolan Sailors finished 0-for-4 but delivered the walk-off sacrifice fly. Blake Mitchell drew two walks and stole a base, while Ramon Ramirez drew a walk. The River Bandits stranded seven runners and committed two errors. Left-hander Justin Lamkin turned in a quality start, working six innings of shutout ball on four hits, walking three, and striking out six. Kamden Edge followed with two perfect innings, striking out two for a hold. Yimi Presinal entered for the ninth and gave up a leadoff walk and a single, then a sacrifice bunt produced a tying run when Presinal's throwing error allowed the runner home. Presinal worked around the damage to retire the next three batters and pitched two innings overall, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. Both runs charged to him were unearned. Quad Cities had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when Charles singled and scored on a Lansing throwing error during Erick Torres's at-bat. The Lugnuts pushed across an unearned run on a Presinal error in the tenth on a Riemer fielder's choice with the zombie runner aboard. In the bottom half, zombie runner Charles scored on Torres's sacrifice bunt that drew another throwing error, and the Sailors' sacrifice fly to left brought home Torres for the win. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 0 0 1 0 2 Asbel Gonzalez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Blake Mitchell 2 0 0 0 2 1 Ramon Ramirez 3 0 0 0 1 1 Derlin Figueroa 4 0 1 0 0 2 Austin Charles 4 2 1 0 0 1 Erick Torres 3 1 0 0 0 0 Trevor Werner 3 0 1 0 0 2 Tyriq Kemp 4 0 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Lamkin 6 4 0 0 3 6 0 Kamden Edge 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Yimi Presinal 2 1 2 0 1 3 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Carter Jensen: DNP Blake Mitchell: 0-for-2, 2 BB, SB, K David Shields: DNP Kendry Chourio: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Sean Gamble: DNP Josh Hammond: DNP Ramon Ramirez: 0-for-3, BB, K Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K Yandel Ricardo: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Daniel Vazquez: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Carson Roccaforte: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Warren Calcaño: DNP Frank Mozzicato: DNP View the full article

Welcome to the 2026 MLB Consensus Draft Board. This is the fifth version of the board, which started in 2022 as a top 30. Since then, it’s expanded to around 150 players on an annual basis, and it's featured on eight different team sites. So what is the Consensus Board? How is it made? How should it be used? The concept is loosely based on Arif Hasan’s NFL Consensus Board. It’s meant to be a tool for folks getting interested in the MLB Draft. As I was learning about the draft, I struggled to navigate wildly varied rankings and evaluations of players. The Consensus Board takes every major publicly available board and combines them into a consensus ranking, eliminating some of the noise and variance of an extremely challenging evaluation process. We’ve found this process to be useful in ranking players in appropriate ranges through around the first five rounds of the draft. On the board, you’ll find player names, handedness, listed height and weight, age, and a write-up, walking through their strengths and opportunities as a prospect. As we go through the cycle, these will be updated with tweaks, final college stats, etc. Every time a major outlet (Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, etc.) releases an updated list, the consensus ranking shifts. As such, the board is a lagging reflection of what the industry thinks of the class and its key players. The final Consensus Board will incorporate at least 10 other boards as inputs. New MLB Mock Draft Board Features There are a few important features to point out to help you navigate the board. There’s a search bar to help you find players of interest. If you click ‘expand,’ the board will focus on the write-up you are engaged with, in addition to one immediately above it and one immediately below it. Additionally, you’ll find the logo of your team next to their draft slots to help understand where they are picking. There will be a player slotted there, based on their consensus ranking. Rather than using that ranking as an indicator of who the team might actually pick, it’s more useful to use it as a proxy for what caliber of talent is available at that slot. We’ll dig in deeper to team-specific mock drafts later in the cycle. The last important note is that this year, the board features ‘push’ updates. It updates automatically every hour. The board is typically updated with new write-ups five days per week, so check back regularly for updates. At #39, the Blue Jays Select: Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole' Miss Cade Townsend was a solid prep prospect ahead of the 2024 draft, cracking T200 and T300 lists, but he made it to campus at Ole Miss. After splitting time between starting and relieving in his freshman season, he entered 2026 strictly as a starter. It was an explosive start to his season. In his first 35 innings pitched, he managed a 2.32 FIP, striking out over 32% of hitters and walking just 4.8%. Unfortunately, he left his fifth start with shoulder discomfort, missing some time on the shelf. It's an appealing fastball that sits 93-95 mph but can grab 98 mph. It has good carry and plays best at the top of the strike zone. It's supplemented by a nasty curveball, a hammer with a ton of drop that he imparts upwards of 3,000 rpm of spin onto with consistency. Rounding out Townsend's arsenal is a cutter that sits in the high 80s, a slider and a changeup with good fade. The missed time and smaller frame might give some teams pause, but if he returns strong down the stretch, he's one of the biggest up arrow college arms in the class. View the full article

TRANSACTIONS RHP Ricky Castro was returned to Wichita from St. Paul. RHP Nick McAuliffe was promoted from the FCL to Cedar Rapids. McAuliffe spent a long time in college. He pitched at four different colleges. In 2023 and 2024, he pitched at East Stroudsburg University. He went undrafted. Last summer, he pitched independent ball for Evansville in the Frontier League (39 games) and for Sioux City in the American Association (2 games). The Twins signed him on Wednesday, and he joined the Kernels on Saturday. Infielder Bryan Acuna was activated from the Injured List. RHP Ramiro Villanueva was assigned to the Mighty Mussels. He was previously on the DSL Twins roster. Catcher Ricardo Pena was sent from the Mussels to the FCL. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Indianapolis 0 Box Score The Saints put three runs on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. They added one more in the sixth. But when there is a shutout, we should start with the pitching. It was an impressive showing for a bullpen game. Mike Paredes made the start and gave up two hits over three scoreless innings. He had one strikeout. The rehabbing Travis Adams struck out four batters over two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Lefty Aaron Rozek came on and gave up three hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Dan Altavilla and Drew Smith each threw perfect innings. Ben Ross started out the top of the third inning with his first Triple-A hit, a double down the left-field line. He advanced to third base on a line-drive singled by Walker Jenkins. Kaelen Culpepper grounded out but drove in scores. Gonzalez reached on a fielder’s choice. He went to third on a Ryan Kreidler single. Kreidler stole second. Kyler Fedko drove in two runs with a single to make it 3-0. Fedko led off the sixth with a walk. A few batters later, he scored the fourth run on a Tanner Schobel single. Orlando Arcia went 2-for 4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita, NW Arkansas Box Score This game sat in a delay for a while, but ultimately Mother Nature took the Win. These two teams will try to play two games on Sunday afternoon. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 7 Box Score For the fifth straight game, Marek Houston had a multi-hit game against Peoria. In those games, the Wake Forest alum is 12-for-24 with three doubles. In this game, Houston went 3-for-5 with his fourth double and two stolen bases. Caden Kendle went 3-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. Jay Thomason was 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season. Brandon Winokur had a double and two stolen bases in the game. Eli Jones started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits. In four innings, he walked one and struck out five batters. Nick Trabacchi came on and gave up two runs on one hit and one walk in 2 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Brent Francisco gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Dunedin 2 Box Score Ryan Sprock singled in Jayson Bass to give the Mussels a 1-0 lead in the second inning. A seven-run fifth inning put the Mussels ahead 8-0. Speck started that inning with a double and went to third on a wild pitch. Bryan Acuna walked. Sprock scored on a Dameury Pena ground out. Ramiro Dominguez drove in Acuna with a double. JP Smith singled in Dominguez to make it 4-0. Quentin Young’s third double stove in Smith. Jayson Bass singled Young to third. Young scored on a sac fly by Irvin Nunez. After a pitching change, Chourio walked. Sprock reached on an error which allowed Bass to score. Acuna singled in Chourio and the Mussels were ahead 8-0. Ramiro Villanueva was brought in to make his first Mussels start on Saturday. He tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked three and had five strikeouts. Aaron Falinski gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in three innings. Xavier Kolhosser had five strikeouts over two scoreless innings. Ramiro Dominguez, JP Smith, Ryan Sprock and Bryan Acuna each had two hits. Dominguez had two doubles. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2B(4), 2 K. Pitcher of the Day Ramiro Villanueva (Fort Myers): 4 IP, H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 62 pitches, 36 strikes (58.1%%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB(4) (batted first, played RF) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, BB, RBI, K, SB(5) (batted second, played SS) #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Did Not Play. #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play #5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, R, K (batted fourth, played DH) #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2B(4), 2 SB(6), 2 K (batted leadoff, played DH) #10 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #11 - RHP Riley Quick (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #13 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, 2B(4), R, 2 SB(7), K (batted third, played SS) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, 2B(3), R, RBI, 2 K (batted fourth, played SS) #15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch. #16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - Did Not Play. #17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Did Not Play. #18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch. #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, K. (batted second, played catcher) #20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 IL (right elbow sprain) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday: St. Paul @ Indianapolis (12:35 pm CT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (0-2, 7.71 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (12:30 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-1, 3.66 ERA), TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (2:05 pm CT) - RHP Michael Ross (1-0, 4.50 ERA) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (11:05 am CT) - RHP Merit Jones (0-1, 3.00 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 12-15 St. Paul Saints: 10-15 Wichita Wind Surge: 11-8 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 8-12 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 13-7 FCL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, May 4) DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article

The San Diego Padres' minor-league affiliates split four games. High-A Fort Wayne edged Wisconsin 2-1 behind five scoreless innings and eight strikeouts from Jamie Hitt. Low-A Lake Elsinore rallied for six runs in the sixth to top Visalia 6-5 as Lucas Giolito made his first start. Ethan Salas homered and doubled, but Double-A San Antonio fell 5-4 in 10 innings to Amarillo. Jase Bowen homered for Triple-A El Paso, which dropped an 8-2 decision to Reno after a six-run sixth. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres recalled IF Sung-Mun Song from El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas activated LHP Marco Gonzales from the 7-day injured list. LHP Omar Cruz assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas Fall To Reno On 6-Run Sixth Inning The El Paso Chihuahuas dropped an 8-2 decision to the visiting Reno Aces, undone by a six-run sixth inning. Marco Gonzales opened with two scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks, and two strikeouts. Sean Boyle followed with three-plus innings of relief and was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs on three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. El Paso scored in the bottom of the first when Samad Taylor walked, advanced on a Pablo Reyes single, and scored on a Nick Solak base hit to center. Reno tied it in the fifth on a two-run double, then broke the game open in the sixth. Two singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases, a two-run single brought home the go-ahead runs, a two-run single off Gillaspie made it 6-1, and a two-run double pushed the lead to 8-1. Leading off the eighth, Jase Bowen launched a solo home run, his team-leading seventh of the season, for the Chihuahuas' only other run. Solak added a multi-hit night with two singles and an RBI. EP_0425.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen 4 1 1 1 0 1 Samad Taylor 3 1 0 0 1 0 Pablo Reyes 4 0 1 0 0 0 Jose Miranda 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Solak 4 0 2 1 0 1 Rodolfo Duran 3 0 0 0 1 2 Mason McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castanon 4 0 0 0 0 1 Anthony Vilar 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Marco Gonzales 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Sean Boyle (L) 3 3 5 5 3 4 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 4 3 2 0 2 0 Misael Tamarez 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Salas Homers As Part of 3-Hit Night, But Missions Fall In 10 The San Antonio Missions came up short in 10 innings, losing 5-4 to the visiting Amarillo Sod Poodles despite a three-hit, three-RBI performance from Ethan Salas. Starter Jagger Haynes turned in five innings of two-run baseball, scattering four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Amarillo jumped ahead 2-0 in the first on a two-run double off Haynes. Salas tied the game in the third with a two-run home run, his second of the season and coming on back-to-back nights. Albert Fabian's solo shot in the seventh, his second of the season, trimmed Amarillo's lead to one, but the Sod Poodles answered in the top of the seventh with an RBI double and a run-scoring single. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, Murphy singled with one out and Salas roped a game-tying double to score him. In the 10th, Amarillo plated the zombie runner on a double, and the Missions stranded a runner in the bottom half when Tirso Ornelas was intentionally walked and Luis Verdugo struck out swinging to end it. SA_0425.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 4 1 2 3 1 0 Francisco Acuna 5 0 0 0 0 3 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 1 3 Leandro Cedeno 5 0 1 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 4 0 1 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 0 0 0 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 4 0 1 0 1 3 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 0 Albert Fabian 4 1 1 1 0 0 Kai Roberts 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kai Murphy 4 2 3 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 5 4 2 2 3 6 0 Andrew Dalquist 1 2/3 2 2 2 2 3 0 Johan Moreno 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 4 0 Andrew Moore (L) 2 2 1 0 0 3 0 Hitt's Eight-Strikeout Gem Lifts TinCaps Past Wisconsin Jamie Hitt was outstanding for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, striking out eight over five scoreless innings on two hits and no walks as Fort Wayne edged the visiting Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2-1. Clark Candiotti added two scoreless innings of relief on one hit, and Braian Salazar earned the win with two innings of one-run ball, one walk, two strikeouts, and a solo home run allowed. The TinCaps broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth. Oswaldo Linares drew a one-out walk, Jake Cunningham singled to right, and Kasen Wells put down a squeeze bunt to score Linares for a 1-0 lead. After Lamar King Jr. was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Alex McCoy struck out, Rosman Verdugo coaxed a bases-loaded walk to bring in Cunningham and make it 2-0. Wisconsin pulled within one in the ninth on a solo home run off Salazar. Salazar walked the next batter, then retired the next two and stranded the tying run. McCoy's hitting streak ended at 15 games as he went 0-for-3. Wells had two of Fort Wayne's four hits. FW_0425.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jake Cunningham 4 1 1 0 0 1 Kasen Wells 4 0 2 1 0 2 Lamar King Jr. 3 0 0 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 3 0 0 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 3 0 0 1 1 0 Zach Evans 3 0 0 0 1 1 Jack Costello 3 0 1 0 0 0 Jonathan Vastine 3 0 0 0 0 2 Oswaldo Linares 2 1 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 5 2 0 0 0 8 0 Clark Candiotti 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Braian Salazar (W) 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 Giolito Strikes Out 4 In Debut, Leaves With Minor Injury In Storm Triumph Right-handed starter Lucas Giolito made his first start since signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the Padres a few days ago as he works to get into game shape as the Lake Elsinore Storm rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Visalia Rawhide. The Storm won despite having only three hits as they drew eight walks. Giolito looked a little rusty, with his command not sharp and left after 63 pitches, sustaining a minor injury to his pitching hand. Giolito allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 2⅔ innings. He threw 40 strikes and faced 13 batters. Both of the hits Gioito allowed were doubles, one an opposite-field groundball just inside the first-base bag and the other the only hard hit off him, an RBI double rocketed off the wall in right-center. The final batter he faced hit a liner back at Giolito that he put his right hand up to try and catch the ball, but it whizzed past his had for an RBI groundout. While he did not have a publicized pitch count, the manager came out to get him without checking him for an injury. He flexed his right hand and his thumb in particular as the manager made his way to the mound. Giolito threw 19 pitches in the first inning, 29 in the second and 15 in the third. Meanwhile, the Storm trailed 3-0 entering the sixth, then sent nine batters to the plate and scored six runs. Lucas Giolito drew the start on a rehab assignment and allowed two runs over 2 2/3 innings on two hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. Rordy Mejia followed with 1 1/3 hitless innings and two strikeouts. Tyler Schmitt earned the win despite a rocky three innings of three-run ball on four hits, five walks, and two strikeouts, and Nick Falter retired all six batters he faced over two perfect innings to nail down his first save. The sixth-inning rally began with one-out walks to Ryan Wideman and Jose Verdugo, followed by a Truitt Madonna hit by pitch to load the bases. Justin DeCriscio singled to left to plate Wideman and Verdugo, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Luke Cantwell walked to reload the bases and, after an out, a balk was called to tie the game 3-3 and Yoiber Ocopio walked to load the bases again. George Bilecki cleared the bases with a three-run double for a 6-3 lead, but he was thrown out trying for a triple. Visalia chipped away with a run in the seventh and added another in the eighth, but Nick Falter slammed the door. LE1_0425.mp4 LE2_0425.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 2 1 0 0 2 0 Jose Verdugo 3 1 0 0 1 0 Truitt Madonna 3 1 0 0 0 2 Justin DeCriscio 4 1 1 2 0 1 Luke Cantwell 3 1 0 0 1 2 Kerrington Cross 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 3 0 1 0 0 1 Yoiber Ocopio 1 1 0 0 2 1 George Bilecki 2 0 1 3 1 0 Conner Westenburg 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lucas Giolito 2 2/3 2 2 2 3 4 0 Rordy Mejia 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Tyler Schmitt (W) 3 4 3 3 5 2 0 Nick Falter (S) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3, K Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, SB Jagger Haynes: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, 2 K Romeo Sanabria: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, R, 2 K Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP View the full article

When Jorge Polanco hit the Injured list, it was with a right wrist contusion, but he had already been relegated to DH duty exclusively (along with forcing the Mets to deploy pinch runners on the occasions when he'd reach late in a game) by an injured calf. Now, the Mets' poor fortunes have forced them to bring back Juan Soto from the IL before he is able to play the field. His injury, too, was too the calf. So now, with Francisco Lindor joining a club no one wants to join has brought scrutiny on Mets calf care. A pattern doesn't mean a common cause, but it sure leads to a common question. Transactions, 4/16/2026 COMING Transferred from St. Lucie to Brooklyn on Rehab Assignment Relief Pitchers A.J. Minter L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 High Level: MLB (2025) Mets Roster Central failed to announce this transaction in a timely matter, which is a shame because we love transactions. A.J. Minter, absent for the last year following season-ending lat surgery (the lat is the calf of the back, we suspect) is working his way, we are excited to say, back. His return to the big-league roster would give Carlos Mendoza a second lefthanded late-inning option. (For the time being, Medoza has been deploying erstwhile starters Sean Manaea and David Peterson out of the bullpen, but that appears to be neither weaponizable nor sustainable. It is, insummary, sub-potimal.) In his initial rehab assignment with St. Lucie, Minter threw two shutout innings in two appearances, striking out two and allowing no baserunners WHICH IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. Transactions, 4/21/2026 GOING COMING Retired Signed as International Amateur Free Agent out of The Dominican Republic, Projected for DSL Orange Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Brett Banks Derlin Rojas L/R DoB: 37167 High Level: A+(2026) R/R DoB: 2007-07-21 High Level: Academy (2026) On April 21st (the real Earth Day) one career ended and another began. There's a story behind Brett Banks, but one we don't yet have. Brett, who went through back surgery way back in high school, Brett was in the midst of an encouraging minor league career (2.47 ERA over 53 games since the Mets grabbed him in the 11th round out of UNC-Wilmington in 2023), and after a typically impressive 2025 campaign, the Mets thought enough of him to send him to The Arizona Fall League. But now, only three games (unscored upon in 4 1/3 innings) into the 2026 season, Brett has pulled the plug, and we can only guess he either sadly got bad news, or perhaps more happily found himself called to a new vocation. We will keep searching for updates. With Brett bowing out, 18-year-old Darlin Rojas arrives to backfill in his place in the system. It's not exactly high season for signing Dominican teenagers, but Mets scouts are always keeping their ear to the ground, and Derlin's relatively advanced age means there is no window during which he can be signed. Transactions, 4/22/2026 COMING Transferred from Brooklyn to Syracuse on Rehab Assignment Relief Pitchers A.J. Minter L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 High Level: MLB (2025) Three things are inevitable — death, taxes, and A.J. Minter's relentless ascent up the rehabilitation ladder toward his return to MLB glory. Among Mets veterans, A.J. is part of the exclusive Club J — joined by such illustrious fellow members as A.J. Ramos, C.J. Nitkowski, D.J. Carrasco, D.J. Dozier, DJ Stewart, J.J. Putz, current Met MJ Melendez, P.J. Conlon, R.J. Alvarez, T.J. McFarland, and T.J. Rivera. You'd think that, for the purposes of building such a club, locating a B.J. would be relatively low-hanging fruit, but alas. A.J.'s victory, nonetheless continues, as he plowed through Brooklyn giving up no runs in 1 2/3 innings, and possibly encountered fellow lefty Brett Banks as he pondered his retirement. Transactions, 4/23/2026 GOING GOING NEUTRAL COMING COMING Demoted to Syracuse Placed on 10-Day Injured List with Strained Left Calf Transferred from Rotation Promoted from Syracuse Promoted from Syracuse Relief Pitchers Infielders Relief Pitchers Starting Pitchers Infielders Austin Warren Francisco Lindor David Peterson Christian Scott Ronny Mauricio R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 High Level: MLB (2026) S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 High Level: MLB (2026) L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 High Level: MLB (2024) R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 High Level: MLB (2024) S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 High Level: MLB (2026) Here we have the transaction day that gives this post its theme. Just as Juan Soto returns to the Mets they lose their other top everyday player to another calf injury. While the team is keeping details about the injury close to the vest, two things are clear: (1) the injury is more severe than Soto's, and (2) Francisco Lindor has a history (including already this season) of returning to the field in surprisingly short order despite serious injuries. Francisco has been outfitted in a boot for the time being, so even the most optimistic Lindor fanbois and fangirz have to expect an absence of at least two weeks. In the meantime, we have a chance for Ronny Mauricio, captain of Gondor, to show his quality. Ronny returns to the Mets following a three-homer, five RBI game against Worcester on Tuesday, and before the Mets 12-game losing streak, it was a deep walkoff drive by Ronny that had given them their last win. Ronny is listed at only 6'3", but up at the plate, it looks like 5'3" of that is legs, and Mets Roster Central has noted a Darryl Strawberry-ish loop to his swing, along with the bat speed to take the high fastball the other way, but we're concerned those long limbs will make it hard for him to stick at shortstop. We, nonethless, are rooting loudly for him to stick on the roster this time around. Transactions, 4/24/2026 GOING NEUTRAL COMING Demoted to Syracuse Transferred from Bullpen Added to 40-Player Roster and Promoted from Syracuse Starting Pitchers Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Christian Scott David Peterson Carl Edwards, Jr. R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 High Level: MLB (2026) L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 High Level: MLB (2024) R/R DoB: 33484 High Level: MLB (2025) Christian Scott, as noted in the transaction above, returned to the big leagues after and absence of a season-plus following a career-interrupting visit from The UCL Phantom. Christian's start was ineffective, but it was good to see him back and healthy as the Mets got the win anyhow. Christian's quick boomerang back to the minors seemingly returns David Peterson to the rotation after working out of the bullpen his last two appearances. Carlos Mendoza, on the other hand, could possibly keep partnering him with an opener, but somebody needs to tell manager Carlos that the point of an opener is to push your "starter" deeper into games, so pulling Peterson after four innings isn't getting it done, strategically. If Peterson is deployed as such, his opening partner may be Carl Edwards, Jr. Carl hadn't been killing it in AAA, and he wasn't on the roster, but as a veteran of over 10 years in the big leagues, he was the sort of guy to jump the line. If he doesn't show much, well, maybe he buys a little bit more development time for Alex Carillo or somebody. Because aren't we all — you, me, the trash collectors, the cops, the zookeepers, and the president himself — just trying to keep a lid on things until somebody else comes along? Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Carl Edwards, Jr. Craig Kimbrel Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/R DoB: 33484 R/R DoB: 32291 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Brett Baty Bo Bichette Ronny Mauricio MJ Melendez R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Carson Benge Tommy Pham Luis Robert, Jr. Juan Soto Tyrone Taylor R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 32210 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 R/R DoB: 34356 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Joey Gerber Justin Hagenman R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. With Syracuse With Syracuse On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. On 15-Day Injured List with blistered right finger. On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders A.J. Minter Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Austin Warren Hayden Senger Francisco Lindor L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 With Syracuse on Rehab Assignment On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. With Syracuse With Syracuse, on Seven-Day IL With Syracuse With Syracuse On 10-Day Injured List with Strained Left Calf Infielders Outfielders Jorge Polanco Nick Morabito Jared Young S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 On 10-Day Injured List with right wrist contusion. With Syracuse On 10-Day Injured List with torn left meniscus. View the full article

SAN FRANCISCO — On a cold, overcast afternoon at Oracle Park, Miami’s offense failed to provide Eury Pérez with much run support as the Marlins fell to the San Francisco Giants, 6-2. With the loss, Miami drops back under .500 at 13–14. “I liked the way we made [Robbie] Ray work, got him to 70 pitches halfway through the third. We just couldn’t cash in, but overall I think our guys did a good job making him work,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “The guys who came out of the pen for them did a good job. They threw the ball well and were able to shut us down.” Making his sixth start of the season, right-hander Eury Pérez looked to build on what had been his best outing of the year at home against Milwaukee last Sunday. The 23-year-old tossed six innings of three-hit ball in that start, allowing no earned runs while striking out seven to earn his second win. McCullough’s message for Saturday was simple: get ahead early—something Pérez did effectively. Pérez was dominant through his first five innings, allowing just one walk while striking out six. Miami held a 1–0 lead at the time. He leaned heavily on his elite fastball, throwing it 61% of the time—in line with his season average. He generated nine whiffs overall, seven of which came on the fastball, which averaged 98 mph. “It was part of the plan to focus on the fastball, and I think it was working very well for me,” Pérez said through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “In that inning, I think they started to expect it, and they capitalized.” In the bottom of the sixth, Pérez allowed a double to Matt Chapman, and one batter later, Casey Schmitt launched a two-run homer to give San Francisco a 3–1 lead. “It was a fastball, and all the hard contact they got on me was on the fastball, unfortunately,” Pérez added. He then walked Jung Hoo Lee, marking the end of his afternoon. Pérez’s final line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO (Anthony Bender allowed one inherited runner to score). Overall, the young right-hander’s last two outings have been encouraging as his command has sharpened and he has largely avoided the kind of big innings that hurt him earlier in the year. “I thought he was fantastic,” McCullough said. “The strike-throwing was much better—other than a couple of leadoff walks, he filled it up with a good heater and was able to get hitters into tough counts. He kept us right there, but Schmitt just put a good swing on a fastball up and in.” As of Saturday night, Pérez is 2–2 with a 4.60 ERA, while his xFIP sits at 4.37. His next start is scheduled for Friday, May 1, against Philadelphia in Miami. Offense shut down Thirteen hours after putting up nine runs on 16 hits, Miami, as expected, rolled out an entirely different lineup vs. the left-hander Ray. Impact bats such as Liam Hicks and Owen Caissie were sat in favor of Heriberto Hernández (.479 OPS) and Leo Jiménez (13 AB since March 30, .643 OPS). The Giants also used southpaws Matt Gage and Erik Miller for an inning apiece in relief of Ray. The Marlins have made it clear they intend to stand by their philosophy of putting players in the best position to succeed, which means utilizing the platoon advantage against a veteran left-hander like Ray. Unfortunately, thus far this year, the non-everyday players inserted into the lineup against left-handed starters have performed poorly, which has cost the team. Austin Slater—DFA’d on Thursday—produced a .367 OPS vs. LHP. Hernández has a .467 OPS. Jiménez a .282 OPS. Meanwhile, left-handed bats the Marlins view as long-term pieces, such as Caissie and Marsee, have produced OPS marks of .718 and .694. The team has only played 27 games, so the sample size is still minuscule. However, following a game in which the offense had arguably its best performance of the season, it may be worth trotting out a similar lineup the following day, despite the opposing pitcher throwing from the left side. From both a development and competitive standpoint, it hasn’t made much sense to continue allowing Hernández to start against left-handed pitching—or any pitching, for that matter. “I continue to believe that Bert can get this thing going and come around,” McCullough said of his corner outfielder. “He’s a good option versus left, and we’ll continue to give him opportunities to do so and that’s how I see it at this point.” Hernández has one extra-base hit on the season in 21 games (.197 SLG). With the win, the Giants improved to 12-15 on the season and have forced a rubber match on Sunday afternoon. Max Meyer will get the ball against right-hander Landen Roupp. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox dismembered their coaching staff on the heels of a 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Alex Cora was relieved of his duties. Along with him, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, hitting coach Peter Fatse and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired. Also, Game Planning and Run Prevention Coach Jason Varitek will be reassigned from his position as planning and run prevention coach to a new, currently unannounced position. Cora was in the middle of his three-year extension he negotiated in the second half of 2024. He won 620 games during his time as manager of the Boston Red Sox with 108 of them coming in his first season in 2018. That season culminated in an AL East title along with a World Series championship. Teams under Cora never reached that same level again, missing the playoffs in 2019 before he was suspended for all of 2020 due to his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Upon his return in 2021, Cora led the Red Sox to the American League Championship Series. After that, the team suffered three consecutive losing seasons before making the playoffs in 2025. After a 10-17 start in 2026, the organization decided it was best to part ways with the manager and most of his coaching staff. Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy will take over as interim manager of the Boston Red Sox. Tracy had been the manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox since 2022 and has been viewed as a great up-and-coming manager who is excellent with young players. During his time in Worcester, Tracy managed several of the young players currently on the Red Sox roster including both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer and had been voted the best managerial prospect in both 2023 and 2024. Entering the 2026 season, Tracy had won 309 games as the WooSox manager and had a winning season in each year. So far in 2026 the Worcester Red Sox had a record of 13-11 under him. Prior to joining the Boston organization, Tracy worked in the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2015 through 2021. He also played eight professional seasons in the Rangers, Rockies and Royals organizations. Joining Tracy in Boston will be Chad Epperson as the interim third base coach. Epperson has been the manager of the Portland Sea Dogs since 2022. Collin Hetzler will join the major league hitting staff after being the hitting coach in Worcester since 2025. With this move, the Red Sox appear to be looking to have a manager with a history of developing young players to now handle a roster that is mixed with both young, up-and-coming talent and veteran leadership. What are your thoughts? Is this the right decision? Is it better to do it now, or would it have been better to wait? View the full article

The Boston Red Sox dismembered their coaching staff on the heels of a 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Alex Cora was relieved of his duties. Along with him, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, hitting coach Peter Fatse and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired. Also, Game Planning and Run Prevention Coach Jason Varitek will be reassigned from his position as planning and run prevention coach to a new, currently unannounced position. Cora was in the middle of his three-year extension he negotiated in the second half of 2024. He won 620 games during his time as manager of the Boston Red Sox with 108 of them coming in his first season in 2018. That season culminated in an AL East title along with a World Series championship. Teams under Cora never reached that same level again, missing the playoffs in 2019 before he was suspended for all of 2020 due to his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Upon his return in 2021, Cora led the Red Sox to the American League Championship Series. After that, the team suffered three consecutive losing seasons before making the playoffs in 2025. After a 10-17 start in 2026, the organization decided it was best to part ways with the manager and most of his coaching staff. Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy will take over as interim manager of the Boston Red Sox. Tracy had been the manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox since 2022 and has been viewed as a great up-and-coming manager who is excellent with young players. During his time in Worcester, Tracy managed several of the young players currently on the Red Sox roster including both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer and had been voted the best managerial prospect in both 2023 and 2024. Entering the 2026 season, Tracy had won 309 games as the WooSox manager and had a winning season in each year. So far in 2026 the Worcester Red Sox had a record of 13-11 under him. Prior to joining the Boston organization, Tracy worked in the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2015 through 2021. He also played eight professional seasons in the Rangers, Rockies and Royals organizations. Joining Tracy in Boston will be Chad Epperson as the interim third base coach. Epperson has been the manager of the Portland Sea Dogs since 2022. Collin Hetzler will join the major league hitting staff after being the hitting coach in Worcester since 2025. With this move, the Red Sox appear to be looking to have a manager with a history of developing young players to now handle a roster that is mixed with both young, up-and-coming talent and veteran leadership. What are your thoughts? Is this the right decision? Is it better to do it now, or would it have been better to wait? View the full article

The Boston Red Sox, off to a 10-17 start, fired manager Alex Cora and five members of the coaching staff Saturday in an early-season stunner. Another coach is being reassigned. Hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired by the Red Sox. Game-planning coach Jason Varitek is considering a possible reassignment. Chad Tracy, the manager of Triple-A Worcester, has been named interim manager. The moves came hours after the Red Sox pounded out a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Despite that offensive showing, the Red Sox were last in the AL East and had a .667 team OPS, which ranks 26th out of 30 teams, and ranked 20th in runs scored with 112 in 27 games (4.15 per game). Entering Saturday, the Red Sox had lost four straight and six of seven. Cora had two years remaining on his contract. (More to come.) View the full article

Box Score Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Victor Caratini (-0.16), Austin Martin (-0.9), Royce Lewis (-0.9) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The second of round of the Twins at the Trop included a pair of pitchers both looking to prove a lot to their teams. It was a largely uneventful affair, more notable for baseball weirdness than anything else. The oddities began early when Austin Martin came up against pitcher Shane McClanahan and blew an ABS challenge. On the next pitch, however, Martin attempted to call time but McClanahan threw anyway. Umpire Brian Walsh accidentally called for the ABS, and then confusion and debate continued for at least four minutes before the game continued. Walsh later missed another call for time from Byron Buxton, though luckily the pitch came in as a ball. Ober and Done With Bailey Ober made the start for Minnesota, continuing his surprisingly strong work that seems to be now erasing any concerns over velocity. The 6 foot 9 inch soft tosser allowed a walk to speed demon Chandler Simpson, but a surprisingly on point throw from Austin Martin turned a potential sacrifice fly into a double play as Ryan Jeffers nabbed him at the plate. (Curiously, the bench coach on the phone signaled to cash to play on, but Cash challenged nonetheless). Ober did not repeat the strikeout success he had in his two previous starts, but he continued his soft contact magic—managing to keep the Rays to only three hard hits all day. Unfortunately, one of those did critical damage. After a hit by pitch put Yandy Diaz on base, Jake Fraley connected with Ober’s change up and launched one 401 feet for a two run shot. Ober still pushed his way through to manage a Quality Start. A fifth inning walk to Richie Palacios got erased when the baserunner dragged a steal too far and Brooks Lee kept a tag (if there was a chance to challenge, the Rays were already out at the moment). After a Junior Caminero single through the infield, Derek Shelton trusted the giant to finish off the inning with a pop up and a soft grounder and keep the game where it needed to be. Comebacker, Shane McClanahan entered his the game since 2023 with a 5 ERA over 18 innings, though for a player who has missed two full seasons—including some months where he couldn't grip a single thing with his hand—the Rays should be happy to have him throwing 95mph while on the mound. While his first two innings looked strong, his command began faltering and put both Austin Martin and Josh Bell on base with two outs. However, McClanahan worked back a 3-0 count with Ryan Jeffers into a ground out to escape any damage. After throwing 35 pitches in the third inning, he managed a five pitch fourth inning. An error from Ben Williamson and a single from Buxton gave the Twins a chance to cash in with two on and one out, but McClanahan easily escaped the jam. He finished with seven strikeouts on a largely lifeless Twins offense. Bullpen Blues A continuing refrain for Minnesota ended whatever hope for a comeback. Tyler Rogers took over for Ober in the 7th inning and graced the Rays with a double, triple, and walk—none from their best hitters— before Shelton went to Eric Orze. The former Rays farmhand did not fair much better, allowing a pair of runs before the Twins managed to end in the inning. Garret Acton was given the eighth and added onto the pain after a Williamson double. If the Rays had questions about their bullpen after a bad week, they seemed in full force this week. Cash turned to Kevin Kelly for two innings followed by Hunter Bigge for one. Neither pitcher faced much resistance from the hitting crew. After posting a 106 WRC+ going into last Friday’s bout with the Reds, the team has been below average in hitting since then. Trevor Martin ran into some trouble after hitting Luke Keschall, who stole second and set up Royce Lewis for a RBI single. But that was all the Twins could manage. After sitting atop the American League, the team has now dropped eight of their last nine contests. Notes —Buxton smacked a catwalk ring in the third inning that led to a dropped pop up in the infield, but only some of the catwalks are considered fair territory while others force a foul ball. —Future Review? Josh Bell struck out on a "foul tip" in the eighth inning that a broadcast replay revealed as a check swing. However, such a call remains unreviewable in baseball. —ABS Winners today: Buxton, Jeffers (x2) Post-Game Interview: What's Next? Simeon Woods Richardson looks to finally manage a win after a rough series of starts, while the Rays turn to their long releif / "opener" Jesse Scholtens, who will aim for likely five innings. Bullpen Usage: MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Morris 0 0 0 37 0 0 37 Banda 0 18 0 9 7 0 34 Topa 0 17 17 0 0 0 34 Acton 0 0 0 0 0 18 18 Sands 0 23 0 0 0 0 23 Orze 0 0 11 0 10 9 30 Rogers 0 0 12 0 0 15 27 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 View the full article