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It was during the 1996 season that the Florida Marlins hit the 80-win mark for the first time. The season, however, didn't start off great. Florida went just 4-11 over its first 15 games, but after avoiding the three-game sweep at the hand of the Atlanta Braves, the Marlins started to turn things around with a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That series started on this day 30 years ago. Scoreless through seven and a half innings at Joe Robbie Stadium on April 19, 1996, the Marlin bats finally woke up. Florida scored five times with two outs in the eighth to top the Dodgers, 5-0. For seven innings, Los Angeles' Ismael Valdez and Florida's Pat Rapp had traded zeroes. After Jay Powell worked around a two-out walk for Florida in the top of the eighth, the Marlins finally got a crack at the Dodgers' bullpen. Against Darren Hall, Joe Orsulak started the eighth with a single, but the right-hander responded by retiring a couple of big bats. After Gary Sheffield popped out, Hall fanned Jeff Conine. The third out, however, proved to be elusive. Terry Pendleton followed with a single to right field, but a misplay by Dodgers outfielder Raúl Mondesí allowed the ball to roll all the way to the wall and for pinch runner Jesús Tavárez to score. That's all Florida would need, but not all it would get. Greg Colbrunn followed with an RBI double to extend the lead to 2-0. After Charles Johnson walked, Kurt Abbott belted Hall's 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run home run to turn what had been a scoreless game into a romp. Hall was able to get Powell, the opposing reliever, to fly out but the damage was done. Robb Nen retired the top of the Dodgers' lineup in order to seal the win as the Marlins' staff hurled a three-hit shutout. Pendleton, Colbrunn and Abbott each finished with two of the 10 Florida hits. The Marlins went on to complete the three-game sweep and closed April by winning seven of 12. The 5-0 victory over the Dodgers was one of three shutouts from the month. It came on this day three decades ago. View the full article

Triple-A El Paso's game was postponed Saturday. Andrew Moore tossed two scoreless innings for Double-A San Antonio with three strikeouts, while Leandro Cedeño doubled home two runs in an 8-2 loss to the Midland RockHounds. Rosman Verdugo homered and drove in two runs for High-A Fort Wayne, and Alex McCoy added two doubles in a 16-9 defeat. Nick Falter struck out four over two scoreless innings for Low-A Lake Elsinore, which dropped a 10-1 decision to Stockton. Padres Minor-League Transactions RHP Andrew Thurman assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas. San Antonio Missions placed RHP Ian Koenig on the 7-day injured list. Lake Elsinore Storm placed RHP Landry Jurecka on the 7-day injured list. Chihuahuas' Game Suspended By Rain The El Paso Chihuahuas-Round Rock RockHounds game was suspended after two innings due to rain. The game was tied 1-1. The game will resume Sunday in the top of the third inning, with the regularly scheduled game to follow. Cedeño's 2-Run Double Provides Lone Offense In Missions' Loss Despite each team getting eight hits, the San Antonio Missions lost to the Midland RockHounds 8-2. The Missions' offense also drew three walks, but stranded seven runners. Midland opened the scoring with two runs in the first, added two more in the third, and pushed it to 6-0 with two home runs in the fourth. Luis Gutierrez started and worked three innings, taking the loss after surrendering four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two. Johan Moreno gave up two runs on three hits across two innings, both via the long ball. Andrew Moore offered a bright spot with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking two while striking out three. Sadrac Franco closed with one inning, allowing two runs on two walks. San Antonio's lone scoring came in the eighth, when Leandro Cedeño doubled to right field to plate Carson Tucker and Ryan Jackson. Cedeño finished 2-for-4. Jackson also had two hits and scored a run. Ethan Salas singled and stole a base, while Francisco Acuna reached base three times with a hit and two walks. SA_0418.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas (C) 4 0 1 0 0 2 Ryan Jackson (2B) 4 1 2 0 0 1 Romeo Sanabria (1B) 4 0 1 0 0 1 Leandro Cedeño (DH) 4 0 2 2 0 2 Tirso Ornelas (RF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna (SS) 2 0 1 0 2 0 Braedon Karpathios (CF) 4 0 0 0 0 1 Albert Fabian (LF) 3 0 0 0 1 1 Carson Tucker (3B) 4 1 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Johan Moreno 2 3 2 2 0 0 2 Luis Gutierrez (L) 3 4 4 4 2 2 0 Andrew Moore 2 1 0 0 2 3 0 Sadrac Franco 1 0 2 2 2 0 0 TinCaps' 8-Run Third Inning Squandered In Loss To Captains The Fort Wayne TinCaps put up an eight-run third inning, their biggest of the season, but the Lake County Captains pulled away for a 16-9 win. Fort Wayne finished with 11 hits, three walks, and one home run. Bernard Jose worked 2⅔ innings of relief and was charged with five runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out two while allowing two home runs. Starter Jamie Hitt went 2⅓ innings, allowing six runs. After Fort Wayne's big third inning made it 8-4, Lake County tied it in the bottom of the inning, then took command with three in the fifth, two in the sixth and three more in the seventh. Rosman Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three runs scored, and a walk. Alex McCoy extended his Midwest League-leading hitting streak to 10 games by adding two doubles, two RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored. Lamar King Jr. doubled and drove in a run, and Jack Costello also doubled with an RBI. Jake Cunningham collected two hits. FW_0418.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells (CF) 5 1 1 1 0 1 Rosman Verdugo (2B) 4 3 2 2 1 1 Carlos Rodriguez (C) 5 1 1 0 0 1 Alex McCoy (DH) 5 1 2 2 0 2 Lamar King Jr. (1B) 5 0 1 1 0 1 Kavares Tears (RF) 4 1 0 0 1 2 Jake Cunningham (LF) 4 0 2 0 0 1 Jack Costello (3B) 3 1 1 1 1 0 Dylan Grego (SS) 4 1 1 1 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Germán 0 2/3 3 2 2 2 2 0 Bernard Jose 2 2/3 2 5 5 2 2 2 Igor Gil 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Clark Candiotti (L) 1 1/3 5 3 3 3 3 0 Jamie Hitt 2 1/3 5 6 6 2 2 0 Storm Can't Overcomg 6-Run Fourth Inning, Drop Decision To Ports The Lake Elsinore Storm managed just five hits in a 10-1 loss to the Stockton Ports. The Storm drew four walks but stranded eight runners. Stockton broke a 1-1 tie with a six-run fourth inning. Starter Tyler Schmitt took the loss after working three innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two and giving up two home runs. Nick Falter tossed two scoreless innings, striking out four, allowing three hits, and walking one. Lake Elsinore tied the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth when Yoiber Ocopio doubled to score Jorge Quintana. The Ports answered with six runs in the bottom of the fourth and added three more in the sixth. Ocopio and Quintana each finished with a hit and a double, while George Bilecki reached three times with a hit and two walks. Bradley Frye singled, walked, and stole a base. LE_0418.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman (DH) 3 0 0 0 0 0 Bradley Frye (3B) 3 0 1 0 1 0 Jose Verdugo (2B) 3 0 0 0 1 1 Truitt Madonna (1B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio (LF) 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana (SS) 4 1 1 0 0 0 George Bilecki (RF) 2 0 1 0 2 0 Yoiber Ocopio (C) 4 0 1 1 0 0 Conner Westenburg (CF) 4 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nick Falter 2 3 0 0 1 4 0 Joseph Herrera 2 2 3 3 2 2 0 Tyler Schmitt (L) 3 6 7 7 2 2 2 Luke Cantwell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Padres Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 1-for-4, 2 K, SB Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, 2B, R Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-3 Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, K Romeo Sanabria: 1-for-4, K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4 Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP View the full article

TRANSACTIONS Utility man Jorel Ortega was activated from the Injured List. RHPs Matt Dalquist and Matt DesMarets joined the Fort Myers roster from the FCL Twins roster. The 23-year-old Dalquist went to UC-San Diego. He signed shortly following the 2025 draft (July 24, 2025) but didn’t make an appearance. DesMarets went to Concordia in California for two years. Then he went to UC-La Verne for the last two years. He went to pitch for Mankato in the Northwoods League last summer. On July 23, 2025, he signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Lehigh Valley 10 Box Score The Saints hit five home runs on Saturday afternoon at CHS Field. The IronPigs had just one. The Saints had just two hits that weren’t home runs. The IronPigs had 15 non-homer hits. So of course, the Saints lost a game in which they homered five times for the first time in their history. Andrew Bash started and gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Raul Brito came on and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in his 2 1/3 innings. Marco Raya came on to get the final out of the fifth inning and then pitched the sixth inning as well. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out three batters. Altavilla struck out four batters over two innings of work. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. This performance dropped his season ERA to 9.31. Drew Smith gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits and a walk in the ninth inning. Down 2-0 after just a half-inning, Royce Lewis got the Saints scoring started. He followed a Walker Jenkins walk with a home run into the bullpen. In the fourth inning, Tanner Schobel hit his first home run of the season. He crushed it over the batter's eye beyond center field. It gave the Saints a 3-2 lead. In the fifth inning, Emmanuel Rodriguez hit his fourth home run, a long blast hit 117.1 mph. That is the highest exit velocity by a Saints hitter in franchise history. In the sixth inning, Orlando Arcia lined his third home run of the season. Jump ahead to the ninth inning, and Aaron Sabato hit his first home run of the season. He posted an exit velocity of 111.6 mph. Schobel went 2-for-3 with a walk and the team’s lone single of the day. David Banuelos replaced Lewis at the DH position. He hit a double, the team’s lone double of the day. Lewis was 1-for-4 in the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 3 Box Score On Saturday night, it was the Wind Surge that took the early lead. They were also able to hang on. In the bottom of the second inning, Hendry Mendez hit his third home run of the season to make it 1-0. With one out in the bottom of the third, Kyle DeBarge walked and stole second. Ben Ross was hit by a pitch. Kala’i Rosario singled to drive in DeBarge. Rosario stole second, and Mendez followed with a two-run single. Billy Amick doubled to drive in Mendez and give the Surge a 5-0 lead. C.J. Culpepper was very good again. He had seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and a walk. He reached 75 pitches and dropped his season ERA to 1.62 ERA. Aaron Rozek came on to get the final out of the fifth inning. He also threw a scoreless sixth inning. He gave up two runs in the top of the seventh inning but was able to limit any further damage with a double play. Rozek was credited with the Win, his 16th career win with the Wind Surge tying him with Pierson Ohl for the all-time Wind Surge lead. In the bottom of the inning, Ben Ross reached on an error. With two outs, Amick drove in Ross to make it a 6-2 game. Spencer Bengard gave up a solo homer in the eighth inning, and Sam Ryan struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save. Mendez went 2-for-4 with his third homer and three RBI. Amick was 2-for-4 with his third double and two RBI. They say that all good things must end someday and add something about Autumn leaves needing to fall. Ben Ross’s hitting strike came to an end on Saturday. However, his on-base streak is now 14 games. Ross was hit by a pitch in the third inning. He walked in the sixth inning, and then he stole his eighth base of the season. He also reached on an error in the eighth inning. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 14 Box Score This game was quite the pitcher’s duel through, well, two innings. Quad Cities scored five runs in the third and four runs in the fourth. When the Kernels came to the plate for the bottom of the sixth, they were already down 10-0. The Kernels bats showed some life that inning. Well, actually, they did a good job at not swinging. Jaime Ferrer and Marek Houston walked. Then Eduardo Tait was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Khadim Diaw walked to put the Kernels on the scoreboard. Brandon Winokur drilled a double to right field to drive in two more runs. Jacob McCombs was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. A fourth run scored when Andy Lugo grounded into a force out. When the Kernels came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, they were down 13-4. Ferrer walked, and Luis Hernandez walked. With two outs, Diaw drove in Ferrer with a single. Miguel Briceno pinch hit and walked to load the bases. McCombs doubled to clear the bases and cut the deficit to 13-8. They re-loaded the bases but didn’t have that one more big hit left. Jason Doktorczyk started and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Nick Trabacchi came on and was charged with four runs on six hits (including two home runs) in 1 2/3 innings. Jacob Wosinski had four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Brent Francisco worked the final three innings. He gave up four runs on five hits (including two home runs) and a walk. The Kernels scored their eight runs on four hits and nine walks. Diaw was 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBI. Jaime Ferrer walked three times. McCombs was 2-for-4 with his fourth double and three RBI. The outfielder was the Twins seventh round pick in 2025 out of UC-Irvine. He is currently hitting .324/.425/.618 (1.043) with four doubles, three triples, and 10 RBI. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Lakeland 9 Box Score Matthew Dalquist started for the Mussels on Saturday. He gave up four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts and walked none. He threw an impressive 72.4% of his pitches were strikes. Adam Falinski came on and got the final out of the fifth inning. He gave up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk over the next two innings. Travis Adams had a strikeout in his 1-2-3 rehab inning. Mike McKenna pitched the ninth inning and was charged with three unearned runs on one hit and two walks. He struck out three batters. Down 6-0 going to the bottom of the sixth, Dameury Pena led off with a single to center. Yasser Mercedes followed with his second home run since returning earlier in the week. That’s as close as the Mussels got. Pena was 2-for-4 and is hitting .421. Jayson Bass went 2-for-3 with a walk and his third double. He also stole his second base. Ryan Sprock went 2-for-3. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 2-for-4, HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day C.J. Culpepper (Wichita): 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K, 75 pitches, 46 strikes (61.3%) 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) - 0-for-4, BB, R, K (batted first, played CF) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - Did Not Play #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, HR(4), R, RBI, 3K (batted third, played RF) #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, HBP, 2 K (batted second, catcher) #5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Did No Play #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, R, 2 K (batted leadoff, played SS) #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-3, 2B(3), 2 RBI, K (batted 4th, played CF). #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 3 K, E(8) (batted fourth, SS) #15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 2-for-4, HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, K (batted fourth, played LF) #17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, R, 2 K, SB(6) (batted first, played SS) #18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 75 pitches, 46 strikes (61.3%) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (batted third, DHd). #20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday: Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - RHP John Klein (0-1, 7.88 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (0-2, 7.11 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Nolan Santos (0-0, 8.6 ERA) Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CT) - RHP Kolten Smith (1-0, 0.00 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 11-10 St. Paul Saints: 8-11 Wichita Wind Surge:8-6 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 7-7 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 8-6 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

TRANSACTIONS Utility man Jorel Ortega was activated from the Injured List. RHPs Matt Dalquist and Matt DesMarets joined the Fort Myers roster from the FCL Twins roster. The 23-year-old Dalquist went to UC-San Diego. He signed shortly following the 2025 draft (July 24, 2025) but didn’t make an appearance. DesMarets went to Concordia in California for two years. Then he went to UC-La Verne for the last two years. He went to pitch for Mankato in the Northwoods League last summer. On July 23, 2025, he signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Lehigh Valley 10 Box Score The Saints hit five home runs on Saturday afternoon at CHS Field. The IronPigs had just one. The Saints had just two hits that weren’t home runs. The IronPigs had 15 non-homer hits. So of course, the Saints lost a game in which they homered five times for the first time in their history. Andrew Bash started and gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Raul Brito came on and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in his 2 1/3 innings. Marco Raya came on to get the final out of the fifth inning and then pitched the sixth inning as well. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out three batters. Altavilla struck out four batters over two innings of work. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. This performance dropped his season ERA to 9.31. Drew Smith gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits and a walk in the ninth inning. Down 2-0 after just a half-inning, Royce Lewis got the Saints scoring started. He followed a Walker Jenkins walk with a home run into the bullpen. In the fourth inning, Tanner Schobel hit his first home run of the season. He crushed it over the batter's eye beyond center field. It gave the Saints a 3-2 lead. In the fifth inning, Emmanuel Rodriguez hit his fourth home run, a long blast hit 117.1 mph. That is the highest exit velocity by a Saints hitter in franchise history. In the sixth inning, Orlando Arcia lined his third home run of the season. Jump ahead to the ninth inning, and Aaron Sabato hit his first home run of the season. He posted an exit velocity of 111.6 mph. Schobel went 2-for-3 with a walk and the team’s lone single of the day. David Banuelos replaced Lewis at the DH position. He hit a double, the team’s lone double of the day. Lewis was 1-for-4 in the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 3 Box Score On Saturday night, it was the Wind Surge that took the early lead. They were also able to hang on. In the bottom of the second inning, Hendry Mendez hit his third home run of the season to make it 1-0. With one out in the bottom of the third, Kyle DeBarge walked and stole second. Ben Ross was hit by a pitch. Kala’i Rosario singled to drive in DeBarge. Rosario stole second, and Mendez followed with a two-run single. Billy Amick doubled to drive in Mendez and give the Surge a 5-0 lead. C.J. Culpepper was very good again. He had seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and a walk. He reached 75 pitches and dropped his season ERA to 1.62 ERA. Aaron Rozek came on to get the final out of the fifth inning. He also threw a scoreless sixth inning. He gave up two runs in the top of the seventh inning but was able to limit any further damage with a double play. Rozek was credited with the Win, his 16th career win with the Wind Surge tying him with Pierson Ohl for the all-time Wind Surge lead. In the bottom of the inning, Ben Ross reached on an error. With two outs, Amick drove in Ross to make it a 6-2 game. Spencer Bengard gave up a solo homer in the eighth inning, and Sam Ryan struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save. Mendez went 2-for-4 with his third homer and three RBI. Amick was 2-for-4 with his third double and two RBI. They say that all good things must end someday and add something about Autumn leaves needing to fall. Ben Ross’s hitting strike came to an end on Saturday. However, his on-base streak is now 14 games. Ross was hit by a pitch in the third inning. He walked in the sixth inning, and then he stole his eighth base of the season. He also reached on an error in the eighth inning. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 14 Box Score This game was quite the pitcher’s duel through, well, two innings. Quad Cities scored five runs in the third and four runs in the fourth. When the Kernels came to the plate for the bottom of the sixth, they were already down 10-0. The Kernels bats showed some life that inning. Well, actually, they did a good job at not swinging. Jaime Ferrer and Marek Houston walked. Then Eduardo Tait was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Khadim Diaw walked to put the Kernels on the scoreboard. Brandon Winokur drilled a double to right field to drive in two more runs. Jacob McCombs was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. A fourth run scored when Andy Lugo grounded into a force out. When the Kernels came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, they were down 13-4. Ferrer walked, and Luis Hernandez walked. With two outs, Diaw drove in Ferrer with a single. Miguel Briceno pinch hit and walked to load the bases. McCombs doubled to clear the bases and cut the deficit to 13-8. They re-loaded the bases but didn’t have that one more big hit left. Jason Doktorczyk started and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Nick Trabacchi came on and was charged with four runs on six hits (including two home runs) in 1 2/3 innings. Jacob Wosinski had four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Brent Francisco worked the final three innings. He gave up four runs on five hits (including two home runs) and a walk. The Kernels scored their eight runs on four hits and nine walks. Diaw was 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBI. Jaime Ferrer walked three times. McCombs was 2-for-4 with his fourth double and three RBI. The outfielder was the Twins seventh round pick in 2025 out of UC-Irvine. He is currently hitting .324/.425/.618 (1.043) with four doubles, three triples, and 10 RBI. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Lakeland 9 Box Score Matthew Dalquist started for the Mussels on Saturday. He gave up four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts and walked none. He threw an impressive 72.4% of his pitches were strikes. Adam Falinski came on and got the final out of the fifth inning. He gave up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk over the next two innings. Travis Adams had a strikeout in his 1-2-3 rehab inning. Mike McKenna pitched the ninth inning and was charged with three unearned runs on one hit and two walks. He struck out three batters. Down 6-0 going to the bottom of the sixth, Dameury Pena led off with a single to center. Yasser Mercedes followed with his second home run since returning earlier in the week. That’s as close as the Mussels got. Pena was 2-for-4 and is hitting .421. Jayson Bass went 2-for-3 with a walk and his third double. He also stole his second base. Ryan Sprock went 2-for-3. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 2-for-4, HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day C.J. Culpepper (Wichita): 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 7 K, 75 pitches, 46 strikes (61.3%) 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) - 0-for-4, BB, R, K (batted first, played CF) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - Did Not Play #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, HR(4), R, RBI, 3K (batted third, played RF) #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, HBP, 2 K (batted second, catcher) #5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Did No Play #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, R, 2 K (batted leadoff, played SS) #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-3, 2B(3), 2 RBI, K (batted 4th, played CF). #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 3 K, E(8) (batted fourth, SS) #15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 2-for-4, HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, K (batted fourth, played LF) #17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, R, 2 K, SB(6) (batted first, played SS) #18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 75 pitches, 46 strikes (61.3%) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (batted third, DHd). #20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday: Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - RHP John Klein (0-1, 7.88 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (0-2, 7.11 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Nolan Santos (0-0, 8.6 ERA) Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CT) - RHP Kolten Smith (1-0, 0.00 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 11-10 St. Paul Saints: 8-11 Wichita Wind Surge:8-6 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 7-7 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 8-6 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

As the Mets' losing streak approached (and has now reached) 10 games, displaying an offensive downturn with no answers, Mets Roster Central regrets to report that the transactions the Mets are making do not even suggest management is pretending to offer a way forward. Transactions, 4/18/2026 GOING COMING Placed on 10-Day Injured List with Right Wrist Contusion Promoted from Syracuse Infielders Catchers Jorge Polanco Hayden Senger S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 High Level: MLB (2025) While Jorge Polanco has surprised few by being a suboptimal solution at first (and, more frequently, DH), his right wrist contusion (hadn't we been made to understand he had a calf strain or the like?) leading to an IL assignment can hardly be framed as good news. But hey, finding opportunity in crisis is what GMs and PoBOs are supposed to do. Maybe they press the right button, and maybe they call up the right replacement from the hundreds of aspiring ballplayers in the Mets system, and maybe they take a small step in the right direction. It's been known to happen. Hey, look at MJ Melendez. But in a great surprise to Mets Roster Central, the Mets decided to call up third-string catcher Hayden Senger. Hayden has of course shown himself to be a capable receiver, but one who hits like ... well, like a third-string catcher (.415 career OPS). And when a team scraping the bottom of the league-wide barrel in most every offensive category needs to replace a starting firstbaseman/DH type, chooses such a character, you can't be blamed if you ask, "Are we actually trying to win?" There is a logic to the move. At least, Gary Cohen bent over backwards trying to lay out some logic to it in the booth today, noting that the Cubs have a bullpen loaded the eyeballs with lefties, and so the presence of Senger would allow the team to more safely deploy Luis Torrens as a righthanded pinch-hitter, and more safely deploy Francisco Alvarez (who Gary described as "red hot," but can more accurately be observed as not as Arctic-ly cold as some others in the Mets lineup. The obvious retort to this is, if you want better options for a righthanded pinch-hitter, and righthanded DH, add a righthanded pinch-hitter/DH to roster and let the catchers do what they do from where they do it. Gary might well have said, "Calling up Hayden Senger gives the Mets a great chance to rob Peter in order to pay off that nasty debt to Paul." I mean, who are we kidding here, right? What Gary didn't mention — at least, not while Mets Roster Central was listening — is that Senger, despite his unseemly track record as an MLB batter, is leading 11-9 Syracuse in almost every offensive category, sporting a .257 / .316 / .714 // 1.030 slash line boosted up by five homeruns, more than anybody with the big club. You cannot be blamed for being dubious that he is the answer, but if you insist that the Mets shouldn't be messing with the catchers and instead call up the best offensive option ... the answer is still Senger. So maybe they keep him around for one more day as this lefty-heavy bullpen looms, and then call Ronny Mauricio back, but the message is the same — the Mets are going to have to find a way to bop, as the answer isn't coming in the form of a callup any time soon. 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 Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? 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 Craig Kimbrel Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Austin Warren Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 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 Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Hayden Senger Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Francisco Lindor Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Infielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Carson Benge MJ Melendez Tommy Pham Luis Robert, Jr. Tyrone Taylor R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 R/R DoB: 32210 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 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 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 Relief Pitchers Outfielders A.J. Minter Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Ronny Mauricio Jorge Polanco Nick Morabito L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 With St. Lucie 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 right wrist contusion. With Syracuse Outfielders Juan Soto Jared Young L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 On 15-Day Injured List with strained right calf On 10-Day Injured List with torn left meniscus. View the full article

MIAMI, FL — Sandy Alcantara thought Saturday was going to be a bounce-back start after a tough go in Detroit. He took the mound at loanDepot park having thrown "the best bullpen ever" prior to the game, but that did not translate to the game itself. Alcantara's command was completely off and the Marlins fell to the Milwaukee Brewers by a final score of 5-2. It's the club's third straight series loss. In five innings of work, Alcantara walked six, matching a career-high. Of the 24 batters he faced, he only landed 13 first-pitch strikes. His efficiency was not displayed, as he allowed multiple baserunners in every inning with the exception of the top of the first. "Just uncharacteristically struggling with the strike zone today," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "He really battled and grinded." After a nine-pitch top of the first, Alcantara struggled in the second inning, throwing 24 pitches. In the top of the third inning, Alcantara walked the bases loaded, but was bailed out by Gary Sanchez's inning-ending double play. He threw 20 pitches in the third. Brewers left fielder Brandon Lockridge knocked in an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning, tying the game, 1-1. In the ensuing inning, second baseman Brice Turang hit his fourth home run of the season, extending Milwaukee's lead, 3-1. Alcantara served Turang a cutter that landed middle-middle, and the second baseman took it 402 feet to right-center field. Alcantara's best pitch, his changeup, just was not there, but as the Marlins ace described it, "I wasn't controlling anything today." His changeup generated four whiffs, did not land for a first pitch strike and hitters had an average exit velo of 98.4 mph. Miami's bullpen has also continued to struggle, with Anthony Bender coming into the game for Alcantara, he surrendered two runs on one hit and was not able to get out of the inning, only getting two outs. Bender now has an 8.22 ERA in 7 ⅔ innings pitched. "He's such an important part of our bullpen and our team," McCullough said. "We've seen that on so many occasions, and right now, he's struggling to find the strike zone with the type of consistency that he needs to be successful, which is no secret. He knows that he's better than that right now. He's overthrown a little bit, and maybe trying to do a little bit too much." Connor Norby continues to ride the hot bat, now with a hit in nine of this last ten games. In the bottom of the second inning, Norby put the Marlins on the board with his seventh RBI of the season. That was the only damage they were able to do against Brandon Woodruff in his seven strong innings of work. The Marlins made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Heriberto Hernández, who grounded into a force out that scored Jakob Marsee. Javier Sanoja grounded out to end the game. Miami finished the game going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Marlins dropped to 9-12 on the season and will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday. In a piece of positive news, Kyle Stowers will be reinstated from the 10-day injured list prior to the series finale. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 16-April 17) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals): 2-2 Season Record: 9-10 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore Orioles): 4-0 Season Record: 8-4 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Spokane (Colorado Rockies): 2-2 Season Record: 4-9 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-2 Season Record: 7-6 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 9-10 Series Opponent: Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals) April 16: Postponed April 17, Game 1: On Friday, Charles McAdoo had himself one of the best all-around performances for a Buffalo player in 2026. During game one of the doubleheader with Rochester, he went wild, crushing a three-run home run in the top of the seventh innings to break it open for Buffalo. Before he brought home the win with the big blasts, he had two other hits, singles in the second inning and the sixth inning. He also added a stolen base after his single in the second. Rafael Lantigua gave the Bisons the early lead in the second inning, hitting a three-run home run himself. Out on the mound for Buffalo was one of their steady stars so far this season, Chad Dallas. He went three innings, giving up only one run, on three hits, while striking out six. Yariel Rodriguez came into the game in the seventh and put a stamp on the Buffalo win by striking out two and earning the save. The Bisons won 6-2 and brought their season record back to .500 at 9-9. April 17, Game 2: In game two of the doubleheader, it was yet again Charles McAdoo who was the standout player for Buffalo. In the top of the first inning, McAdoo followed a walk and a single with another big three-run home run. In the bottom half of the inning, Rochester answered with a crooked number of their own. They would score five runs off of Bisons starter Grant Rogers, highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Andrés Chaparro and Yohandy Morales. Unfortunately for Buffalo, their bats disappeared entirely, only getting one more hit in the seven-inning game. Rogers, Brendon Little, and Brendan Cellucci kept Rochester from adding any more runs after the first inning. Without any runs themselves, though, they fell 5-3 and dropped back below .500 to a 9-10 record. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 8-4 Series vs. Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) April 16: Thursday, Gage Stanifer was on the mound for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and he again pitched much better than his opening game at Double A this year. He went four innings, gave up just one hit, walked 3, struck out six, and was charged with two runs. Both runs scored after he left the game and reached via walks in the fifth inning during a thunderstorm they played through. With the New Hampshire offense, it wasn't much of a problem though. The Fisher Cats put up six runs in the fourth inning and the eighth inning. They had 15 hits (seven extra base hits), and the big one was a Jace Bohrofen home run in the eighth inning. Jackson Hornung, Alex Stone, and Jay Harry all had three hits apiece for New Hampshire, as they won big again, 12-6. April 17: The Friday night game against the Baysox had a similar feel to it as the Thursday one, but this time, things came out a bit differently. Richard Gallardo got the start for New Hampshire, went four innings and only surrendered two hits and two walks, but the Baysox scored five runs in the second inning. Aaron Parker started the scoring in the first inning for New Hampshire with an RBI single. In the bottom of the second down four runs, the Fisher Cats added three to cut the lead to one. Eddie Micheletti Jr. had an RBI single, a run scored on a passed ball, and Parker drove in a run with his second RBI single. Jackson Hornung continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the sixth, and Aron Estrada gave the lead back to the Baysox in the seventh with an RBI double. In the eighth, a groundout to the pitcher would score the tying run for the Fisher Cats, ultimately sending the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, an intentional walk of Sean Keys and a bunt single loaded the bases. A wild pitch by Daniel Lloyd let Nick Goodwin scramble home for the winning run and walk-off win for New Hampshire, 7-6. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 4-9 Series vs. Spokane (Colorado Rockies) April 16: On a day with a lot of strong pitching performances in the system, Daniel Guerra stepped up and provided one of his own. The 22-year-old righty struck out 11 hitters in five innings, without giving up a single hit and only walking two. Maddox Latta had his second homer in as many games to give the Canadians the early lead, and a throwing error in the fourth allowed Vancouver to grab two more runs. Trace Baker replaced Guerra in the sixth and struggled, giving up the lead immediately, allowing five runs, with four of them being earned, and was only able to get two outs. Eminen Flores kept it close by keeping it scoreless until the ninth inning, where Carter Cunningham continued to dominate with a clutch two-run homer to send it to extras. In the tenth inning, Tucker Toman was the batter with the sacks packed and hit his first homer of the season for a grand slam. Jonathan Todd gave up a two-run homer in the bottom of the tenth, but Vancouver was able to escape with the win. April 17: The Canadians took it to extra innings again this game, but instead of offensive performances driving the way, the pitching was incredible. Danny Thompson Jr. continues his scoreless campaign to start the season, with four innings of one-hit baseball, striking out eight batters. Aaron Munson has been streaky to start the season, but he was good this outing, striking out six more batters himself across three innings. Kelena Sauer made it the third pitcher in a row to go scoreless to end regulation, and he also struck out three hitters himself. The Canadians' offense sputtered, though, as they only mustered up five hits and three walks, leaving ten men on base. The Canadians couldn’t capitalize on the ghost runner in the top of the tenth, and Juanmi Vasquez gave up a walk-off base hit with two outs to lose the game for the Canadians. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 7-6 Series vs. Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies) April 16: José Berríos finally returned to the mound after getting put on the injured list in spring training due to a fractured elbow. The velo was up to where it was pre-injury, as he was sitting 95 mph on his fastballs. Berrios looked like he was working on stuff on his return, as he gave up five runs. The D-Jays were powered by shortstop Eric Snow, who knocked in the first two runs for Dunedin with a double, and Dariel Ramon scored Snow on an RBI single. The duo did it again in the fourth inning, as Snow’s aggressive baserunning led to a throwing error after he stole third, and Ramon hit his first career homer to take the lead back. Nolan Perry’s return from Tommy John hit its peak, as he struck out 12 batters in just five innings, only allowing a single hit. Unfortunately, Hawkeye was down during his outing, so we missed out on his pitch data, but the big righty was commanding his breaking balls and generated a ton of whiffs. Juan Sanchez made his debut and got his first pro hit. Austin Smith ended up blowing the lead in the ninth, leading to another extra-inning game for the D-Jays, and with the bases loaded, they once again walked it off, this time on a hit-by-pitch. April 17: The game started off horribly, as Karson Ligon was taken out of the game after feeling something on a warm-up pitch. Franly Urena was forced to start and pitched admirably in spite of the circumstances, striking out five batters, but giving up two runs. Peyton Williams had his first homer of the season in the second, and Aldo Gaxiola followed that up with an RBI double, and was then knocked in by Dariel Ramon’s first double of the season. Reece Wissinger pitched three and a third scoreless innings to keep the lead for the Jays, but the Threshers got to Diego Dominguez, and the offense couldn’t fight back, leading to a 5-3 loss. View the full article

Milwaukee Brewers prospect Frank Cairone's comeback from a serious vehicle collision in early January took another monumental step. According to an Instagram post, the 18-year-old left-hander taken in the second round last year by the Brewers has been cleared medically to rejoin the organization. The post said Cairone was reporting to the Brewers' complex in Phoenix this weekend. Cairone, who has yet to make his professional debut, has been working out at the Baseball Performance Center near his hometown in New Jersey. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander will continue to get back into baseball shape under the watchful eye of the Brewers' medical staff. During spring training, Brewers players showed their support for Cairone by wearing T-shirts bearing his initials. Cairone was the 68th player taken in last year's draft and signed with the Crew for a $1.1 million bonus instead of accepting a scholarship to Coastal Carolina. View the full article

Box Score SP: Taj Bradley 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (99 pitches, 62 strikes (63%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Cole Sands (-0.30), Eric Orze (-0.14), Byron Buxton (-0.10) Win Probability Chart (via BaseballSavant) The Twins dropped the series opener against Cincinnati Friday night because of missed opportunities at the plate. As they looked to face yet another left-handed starter in Andrew Abbott on yet another chilly Saturday, manager Derek Shelton looked to regain some heat in the lineup by shifting around both positions and batting order. Josh Bell moved up into the three-hole and Luke Keaschall dropped down to fifth. Ryan Kreidler got his first Twins start in center field, while Trevor Larnach got left and Austin Martin got right. Would the manager's moves provide the necessary spark to right the ship after a brief two-game losing skid? Or would the fact that Taj Bradley was on the mound mean that one run would be enough to get the Twins back into the win column? Starting Strategically Strong In the top of the first inning, the first Reds swing of course found its way into center field, but Kreidler looked like a natural in making the grab. The lineup changes also played early dividends, as Bell followed a Martin walk with a strategic push swing for a single through an empty right-side of the diamond. With runners at first and second, Ryan Jeffers saved his at-bat by fouling off a fastball at the very last second. On the next pitch, Jeffers timed the Abbott fastball perfectly and tripled his way into a 2-0 Twins lead. A Challenging Third The Twins' lead got cut in half in the top of the second inning when Bradley walked lead-off man Sal Stewart, and a Nathaniel Lowe double with one out put both men in scoring position. Taj escaped with only allowing a sacrifice fly to Tyler Stephenson, and the Twins built the lead back to 3-1 in the bottom of the third inning after three consecutive challenges went their way. First, Martin reached first base on an overturned call after an Elly De La Cruz bobble. Then Martin was ruled safe trying to reach second base on a Bell groundout, and even though the video seemed to show that he was out, the Reds challenge was unsuccessful in overturning the call on the field. Then, with two outs, the demoted Keaschall snuck a single into right field to plate Martin. Keaschall got picked off trying to steal second, but the Twins challenged and Luke was ruled safe. All in all, the longest one-run inning of my life came to a mericful end. More Defensive Issues Bite the Infield In the top of the fourth, Bradley got Eugenio Suarez to hit a grounder to the hole in short. Brooks Lee had two options: 1) Allow the ball to go through for a one out single. 2) Try to slide and snag the ball for no apparent reason. Lee chose option two, and booted the ball into no-man's land in short left field, allowing Suarez to reach second base on a gift double. Therefore, a Lowe inning-ending groundball double-play turned into a advance the runner to third groundout. On an 0-2 count, Stephenson struck again and plated a Suarez who should have never been there with a single. 3-2 Twins. RISP for the Win? After establishing the first Sam Caulder jinx of the season by flailing with runners in scoring position on Friday night, the Twins knew that winning a close game was going to require re-discovering their scoring ways in the middle innings. Through the first four frames on Saturday, the Twins left FIVE men on in scoring position as they nursed a one run lead. After a Bell single and a Larnach walk in the bottom of the fifth, Lee came up with a chance at redemption and he finally delivered with a single that plated Bell and pushed the lead back up to 4-2. Unfortunately, the RISP success stopped there, as Tristan Gray struck out with the bases loaded to push the "left behind" total to SEVEN after five innings. Bradley Continues to Deal, Bullpen Loses a Winning Hand With his pitch count climbing towards the magic 100 mark in the top of the sixth inning, Bradley saved his best for last. Taj struck out the last three men he faced with a mixture of 96 mph heat and buckling curve balls. Though the bullpen got brought into play a bit sooner than last time, Bradley kept the Reds mostly quiet throughout his start and gave the constant and steady performance that Twins fans have grown to appreciate this season. Justin Topa was first man out of the pen in the top of the seventh, and after surrendering a leadoff single to Rece Hinds, he settled down and got the next two Reds. Kody Funderburk entered the game to face lefty Will Benson, and Terry Francona countered by pinch-hitting righty Dane Myers. Funderburk got ahead and then plunked Myers which brought up De La Cruz again. This this, the Twins weren't so lucky and Elly finally stung the Twins with a run-scoring single to tighten the game at 4-3, but still advantage Twins. After Shelton got tossed for arguing in general during the De La Cruz bat, the pitching decisions were up to bench coach Mark Hallberg, and he went with Eric Orze in the top of the eighth, Two batters later, the Reds had runners at the corners with nobody out. Orze notched a strike out, but then allowed a sac fly to Hines to tie the game and to rob Bradley of another win. No Defense for This Loss Cole Sands took the top of the ninth, and another ground ball found its way past Lee and into left field, this time under his backhand attempt. While ruled a single by Spencer Steer, it was a makeable play for an average shortstop. After a sacrifice bunt, Myers blooped a heart-breaker over Keaschall's head to score Steer and to give the Reds their first lead of the day at 5-4. Could the Twins bats overcome their lack of clutch throughout the day, and deliver their first walk-off win of the season? Nope. Not even close, as the Reds slammed the door shut 1-2-3 to take the series in a second consecutive one-run victory. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage the series finale at home against the visiting Reds on Sunday afternoon. Twins send "crafty" righty Bailey Ober (2-0, 5.49 ERA) to the mound in search of more steady progress on his 2026 campaign. The Reds will send the former Royal RHP Brady Singer (1-1, 5.60 ERA) who is starting his second year of service in the Reds organization but has a 9.15 ERA at Target Field over his career. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THUR FRI SAT TOT Topa 0 13 0 11 10 36 Orze 0 12 0 0 15 35 Sands 15 0 0 20 12 35 Banda 0 24 0 0 0 24 Funderburk 0 14 0 8 10 22 Rogers 22 0 0 0 0 22 Morris 0 0 0 0 0 0 Acton 0 0 0 0 0 0 View the full article

Although he seems to be finally turning the corner at the plate, Roman Anthony has not gotten off to a start that both he and fans were hoping for. It’s a bit understandable as the Boston media circus and the organization have all placed an immense amount of pressure on the young slugger’s shoulders. After the team failed to bring back Alex Bregman, Anthony was thrust into the spotlight as the guy to carry the load offensively. He’s able to do that, but he’s only 21 and is currently in his first full season in the big leagues. Anthony’s start to the season mirrored the entire club’s: slow. From the beginning of the season until the end of the Cardinals series, he was slashing .200/.290/.309 with a .272 wOBA, 65 wRC+, and a -0.1 fWAR. In the most recent Twins series though, Anthony broke out. He went 5-for-10 with two doubles, two strikeouts, and three walks. As he was ascending through the minors, we heard a ton about his impressive eye and command of the strike zone. If we add that series back into his totals, we see the uptick. He’s now slashing .232/.338/.348 with a .313 wOBA, 94 wRC+, and 0.2 fWAR. What a difference a few games can make. Through the first month of the season, his steady plate discipline and eye to disappear. He was swinging through a lot of pitches that he had no business swinging at, and the numbers reflect that. He’s currently ranked in the 23rd percentile in whiff rate (30.4%), and his strikeout rate puts him in the 27th percentile at 26.3%. That’s less than ideal, but the Twins series looked different. He seemed more poised and confident in his swing choices. He wasn’t chasing as much and when he made contact, it was solid. And, in truth, that mirrors his contributions across the entire campaign thus far. The expected stats pass the eye test. An average exit velocity of 92.8 mph is nothing to sneeze at, and far more indicative of the solid work he's been doing in the batter's box to this point. He obviously has to correct his sudden penchant for whiffing; in particular, he's getting beat badly by off-speed stuff. His overall swing-and-miss rate on those offerings is 55.6%, which isn't sustainable at this level. There's no doubt that he has the talent to correct this flaw, but the league will adjust to even the slightest weakness that a player has. Anthony will have to adjust back, either by way of an altered plate approach or changing up his attack angle on his swing. Throughout his time in the minors, his offensive profile was built on the fact that his pitch recognition was top tier and he only swung at pitches he knew he could make contact on. We saw that last season once he was called up as well—he had an impressive eye at the plate. Right now, he's pressing to make things happen instead of being selective and looking for pitches he knows he can do damage on. Again, his at-bats in the Twins series looked far more like the at-bats he’s been known for since he entered the organization. There’s little reason to be worried about Anthony, even if he’s started the season slowly. He’s a young and has the ceiling for a perennial All-Star. His slow start has been less than ideal, but not everyone ramps up at the same rate in pro baseball. Sure, he demolished his time in the World Baseball Classic, but keeping that same energy through the start of a 162-game season is incredibly difficult to do. The underlying data is worth buying into, if only because the Red Sox need him to lead this offense in order to reach the heights they were built for. View the full article

MIAMI, FL — On Saturday, before the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers played the second of their three-game series, manager Clayton McCullough announced that Kyle Stowers (Grade 1 right hamstring strain) will be reinstated from the injured list on Sunday. The corresponding roster move has not been shared yet. Stowers, who only played in six spring training games, required a longer than usual rehab assignment, playing in five games with Triple-A Jacksonville, going 3-for-17. In his final rehab game, Stowers made his first professional start at first base, playing the entire game at the position. "Everything from the rehab checked out," McCullough said. "He continued to check the necessary boxes. Certainly, there was a physical component with how he felt, how the hamstring was. He got back-to-back nine inning games and he came out of that feeling like he's in a really good spot physically. I think mentally now he feels like, okay, 'I'm over this,' so Kyle is here today, and we'll have Kyle ready to go tomorrow." Last season, Stowers was the Marlins All-Star representative and slashed .288/.368/.544/.912 with 25 home runs, 73 RBI and a 149 wRC+. He finished the season on the injured list, suffering a left oblique strain. The last time Stowers played in a major league game was on August 15, 2025, against the Boston Red Sox. "He's certainly a huge part offensively of what we can do," McCullough said. "It helps really lengthen out the lineup. The type of season that he had last year, the power, on base that he displayed...Getting Kyle will really be a nice, a nice boost. Kyle is a really steady teammate. A lot of guys lean on him. He's not usually too up or down. I think he handles things in stride very well. A lot of that probably is due to his path of getting here, and he's been knocked down a lot, but he keeps getting up. Kyle brings a lot on both fronts, on the field and behind the scenes." Expect Stowers to be in the everyday lineup—it's just a matter of how his playing time will be split between the corner outfield spots and first base. The Marlins are big on versatility and will be using it with as many players as they can. The Marlins enter Saturday with an 9-11 record, having lost six of their last seven games. Brandon Woodruff and Sandy Alcantara are the starting pitchers for the 4:10 pm contest. View the full article

Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 14–16) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): Cubs lead 2–1 Season Record: 10–7 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins): Smokies lead 2–1 Season Record: 7–5 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Beloit Sky Carp (Miami Marlins): Lead 3–0 Season Record: 7–2 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Pelicans lead 2–1 Season Record: 7–5 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 10–7 Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (9–9) Series Standing: Lead 2–1 April 14: The Iowa Cubs opened their series at the Columbus Clippers with an 8-1 victory. Connor Noland earned his first win of the season, tossing 5.0 innings on one-run ball, allowing just five hits to go along with six strikeouts and no walks. The Clippers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the opening frame but the Cubs would take the lead for good in the second when James Triantos scored on a wild pitch. The I-Cubs would break the game open with five runs in the fifth, thanks to a two-run single from Pedro Ramírez and a two-run smash from Kevin Alcántara. The duo each went 2-for-5 in the contest with Alcántara’s home run marking his seventh of the campaign. The Iowa bullpen would turn in four scoreless frames as the staff as a whole would go on to register 10 strikeouts. April 15: The Cubs suffered a 9-4 defeat to the Clippers in the second game of the series. Iowa would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the second after a Justin Dean (1-for-5) double with two outs and would extend the lead to 4-0 with a run in the fourth but Columbus would score the next nine runs in the ballgame to earn the victory. Paul Campbell, making his organization debut in the start, allowed two runs over 4.0 innings of work, whiffing four batters and issuing no walks. April 16: The Cubs re-took the series lead with an 11-10 victory in extra innings over the Clippers. Iowa took a 5-0 lead after two, with Pedro Ramírez (4-for-6) driving in three of those runs, two of which coming on his fifth long ball of the year in the second. After Columbus got three runs back in their half of the second, Iowa plated two more in the third to make it 7-3. The Clippers would rally to cut the lead to 8-7 in the eighth and would send the game to extras with a run in the ninth. Ben Cowles (2-for-4) gave the I-Cubs the lead in the 10th with a sacrifice fly and Brett Bateman (2-for-5) and Ramírez each had RBI-singles to give Iowa an 11-8 edge. Columbus scored twice in the 10th but Iowa would hold on for the win. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 7–5 Series Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (3–8) Series Standing: Lead 2–1 April 14: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos with a 5-1 defeat. The Smokies were held to just four hits in the ballgame, two of which came off the bat of Jordan Nwogu (2-for-3). Nwogu drove in Knoxville’s only run with his RBI-single in the third. Tyler Schlaffer took the loss on the mound in the start, allowing four runs on two hits over 2.0 innings of work, striking out two and walking three. Luis Rujano worked 2 2/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, picking up one strikeout. April 15: The Smokies bounced back on Wednesday with an 8-0 shutout victory over the Blue Wahoos. Four Knoxville pitchers combined to blank Pensacola, with Jace Beck claiming the victory in relief after spinning 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six. The Smokies scored four times in the second, thanks to Ethan Hearn’s (2-for-4) two-run double and Alex Ramirez’ two-run single. Miguel Useche (1-for-1) launched his first homer of the year in the ninth as a pinch hitter. April 16: Knoxville claimed their first lead of the series with a 10-9 comeback victory over Pensacola. The Smokies took a 2-0 lead in the second through a solo shot from Edgar Alvarez (1-for-2) and an RBI-double from Andy Garriola (2-for-3) but the Blue Wahoos responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead. The hosts would add five more runs in the fifth to push their lead to 8-2. Knoxville would bring the contest level with six runs in the eighth, scoring two runs on wild pitches to begin the rally before drawing a bases-loaded walk to plate its third run of the inning. Alex Ramírez (1-for-4) would earn an RBI with a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI-single from Jordan Nwogu (1-for-6). Karson Simas (1-for-5) gave the Smokies the lead with an RBI-groundout. After the dramatic rally, the Blue Wahoos would score in eighth to re-claim their advantage but Knoxville rallied again with two in the ninth, with Ramirez driving in the go-ahead and tying runs with a base hit. Vince Reilly picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth to give the Smokies the win. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 7–2 Series Opponent: Beloit Sky Carp (4–7) Series Standing: Lead 3–0 April 14: The South Bend Cubs earned their fourth-straight victory with a 5-1 victory over the Beloit Sky Carp in the series opener. Owen Ayers (2-for-4) slugged a two-run shot in the first, his third of the year, that would give the Cubs the lead for good in the ballgame. Brooks Caple improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, firing nine strikeouts while dealing no walks. After Beloit cut the lead to one in the sixth, South Bend added two more runs in the bottom half of the frame to restore its cushion. The Cubs added one more run in the seventh and cruised to a 5-1 win. The South Bend pitching staff limited Beloit to just two hits in the contest, racking up 13 punchouts. April 15: The Cubs pushed their winning streak to five games with a 9-5 win over the Sky Carp on Wednesday. Beloit would take a 3-0 before South Bend stepped to the plate but the hosts hit back with two runs in the inning, thanks to an RBI-triple from Leonel Espinoza (1-for-4) and a Kade Snell (1-for-4) RBI-groundout. The Cubs would take a 4-3 lead after runs in the second and third but the visitors grabbed the lead right back after scoring twice in the top of the fourth. South Bend would take the lead for good after plating two runs in the home half of the fourth on Snell’s two-run single. Snell would pick up his fourth RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Ayers would go deep again in the eighth to make it 9-5 Cubs. Ethan Bell picked up the win in relief, blanking the Sky Carp over 1 2/3 frames, while Ethan Flanagan earned a save by tossing four shutout innings to close the game, whiffing seven batters. April 16: South Bend continued its torrid start to the season with a 7-5 triumph over Beloit to claim at least a series split and push its winning streak to six games. The Cubs used a four-run outburst in the third to take control of the game, with Reginald Preciado (1-for-4) and Justin Stransky (1-for-4) each picking up run-scoring hits in the inning.After the Sky Carp clawed one back in the fourth, Iowa hit back with two more runs thanks to Owen Ayer’s (2-for-5) two-run blast. Nazier Mulé took no decision in the start, allowing one run on four hits over 3 1/3 innings of work, striking out four. Brayden Spears picked up the win in relief to improve to 1-0 on the season and Kenyi Perez worked two scoreless frames to close out the contest and earn his first save of the season. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 7–5 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (3–9) Series Standing: Lead 2–1 April 14: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans opened their series against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers with a 4-0 shutout victory to snap a four-game losing skid. Hayden Frank worked four scoreless frames in his start, striking out three. Mason McGwire earned the win in relief after twirling three shutout innings, whiffing five batters. Cole Mathis (1-for-4) slugged a three-run shot in the third, his fourth of the season and Alexey Lumpuy picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. April 15: The Pelicans took a 2-0 series advantage with a 5-4 walk-off victory in 10 innings over the Cannon Ballers. Myrtle Beach took a 2-0 lead its first time to the plate thanks to a two-run blast with Cole Mathis (4-for-5) his fifth of the season. After Kannapolis evened the ballgame with two in the third, the Pelicans grabbed those runs right back with two more runs, thanks to another two-run shot from Mathis. The Cannon Ballers would score a run in each the fourth and eighth innings, tying the game at 4-4. The Pelicans would keep Kannapolis off the board in the 10th and Jose Escobar’s (3-for-4) RBI-single in the home half of the frame delivered the win. April 16: Myrtle Beach had its brief two-game winning streak snapped with a 9-4 defeat to Kannapolis. The Pelicans were held to just four hits and were led at the plate offensively by Josiah Hartshorn, who went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Noah Edders took the defeat in his start, allowing one run over three innings of work, striking out five while issuing just one walk. View the full article

Coleman Crow will have to wait to follow up his impressive MLB debut. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Crow back to Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and promoted right-hander Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A. Crow looked very poised and unleashed his dazzling curveball during his debut Friday against the Miami Marlins, going 5⅓ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The Brewers won 7-5 in 10 innings. He was called up to make a spot start with left-hander Kyle Harrison needing a few extra days after a slight injury to his left wrist in Sunday's start. Harrison is scheduled to have a bullpen session Saturday and return to the rotation in the next series against the Detroit Tigers. Rodriguez, a starter, will add length out of the Brewers' bullpen. He has made seven appearances, including three starts, over the last two seasons with the Crew, posting a 6.95 ERA. In three starts at Nashville this year, Rodriguez has an 8.71 ERA, allowing 10 runs on 16 hits and 10 walks with 12 strikeouts. View the full article

Veteran right-hander Corbin Martin had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa and will be in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen for Saturday's game against the New York Mets. Martin was called up after closer Daniel Palencia went on the 15-day injured list just before Friday's game with a strained left oblique. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed starter Cade Horton was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Horton underwent Tommy John surgery Thursday and will be out the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old Martin had appeared in just two games for Iowa this year, allowing one run on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts in two innings. The Cubs will be the fourth MLB team for Martin, who made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Houston Astros. He also pitched in 2021-22 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2025 with the Baltimore Orioles. He has appeared in 34 games, including 10 starts, across those four stops with a 6.95 FIP (5.79 ERA) with a 12.8% walk rate and 20.7 strikeout rate. View the full article

José E. Feliciano, the San Diego Padres’ next owner, isn’t an AI-generated billionaire. He only sounds like one. “As I recently discussed at Bloomberg Invest, this inflection point will generate significant investment opportunities for disciplined investors…” read a recent LinkedIn post. “The power grid is the backbone of the modern economy, and it’s about to undergo its most significant transformation yet,” declared another. “I studied at Princeton U to be a power engineer [sic] so this is a full circle moment for me!” Indeed, Feliciano’s LinkedIn profile, which is as exquisitely maintained and expertly pruned as a French garden, goes back that far. Princeton, ‘94. Stanford Business School, ‘99. “Did he cut his teeth as a financial analyst at a big investment firm?” you wonder. Of course: Goldman Sachs, 1994-97. “Then where did he make partner?” That would be at Tennenbaum Capital Partners, 2001-05. “Mere employees don’t make billions, though. How did he earn his fortune?” He co-founded Clearlake Capital Group, 2006. The Santa Monica-based Clearlake Capital is now a $90 billion, private equity behemoth. For their part, Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones are now worth an estimated $4 billion. But don’t worry. He found time through the years for five volunteer positions and to serve on the board at some 33 organizations. “Chairman, San Diego Padres” will soon be the next entry on his LinkedIn, after the reported $3.9 billion purchase from the Seidler family is approved by MLB owners. The organization on José’s résumé that would interest Padres fans the most is England’s Chelsea Football Club. In 2022, a consortium led by Clearlake Capital purchased the legendary club for an astounding $5.24 billion. The good: That amount didn’t stop Feliciano as “Co-Controlling Owner” from shoveling cash into Chelsea’s furnace. According to the BBC, the club under Clearlake’s leadership has spent no less than $2 billion on player acquisitions. The bad: That spending has resulted in the club winning only the 2024-25 Conference League and the 2025 Club World Cup, which, to elite European clubs, are two trophies that barely matter. And the ugly: Feliciano sounded like an unedited ChatGPT response when asked at a conference “Was this harder than you anticipated, owning a football club?” Within the six minutes of private equity gobbledygook—and sandwiched between complaints about scrutiny from sports media—Feliciano said something that should make Padres fans’ ears perk up: “The best way to make our club more valuable is to win.” Now, Chelsea operates in a uniquely challenging business environment in that the club competes for players in an international market, one that doesn’t offer the same economizing advantages of the U.S. market, and the efficiencies in a fluid game like soccer are... well, you get the idea. That point is Feliciano knows how to turn a profit. One does not become a multi-billionaire and a sports power broker without ruthlessly wringing out every cent from every Excel spreadsheet. But he also seems to respect the spiritual connection between club and supporter (or, perhaps, product and customer). “Earning the trust and confidence of our supporters—Please know that everyone at the club is relentlessly focused on delivering that,” Feliciano wrote last summer on LinkedIn about his Chelsea Lions. As of this writing, the Felicianos have yet to release a statement about their buying the Padres, but it’s doubtless that José is relishing the opportunity to buy into Major League Baseball’s legal monopoly. In the Premier League, Chelsea is subject to relegation, and the club must compete (i.e. spend) and constantly improve in all aspects of their operation to maintain their place in the world’s most watched football league. They also have to compete for fans in their own city. London has seven teams in the Premier League this season. None of that is a concern in the States. The Padres own the San Diego market in perpetuity, and no matter how bad the Padres are, they will remain in the world's most watched baseball league. Chelsea is bigger. The Padres are safer. To be sure, the Felicianos are bringing more to San Diego than mere business acumen. They are major philanthropists. The Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative has committed $250 million to various charitable efforts, and they contributed the largest gift by Black and Latino donors in Princeton University history. And both are only in their 50s. Padres fans are getting young, dynamic owners that could change not just the team but also the region for decades to come. The Padres, long a small-market minnow, will soon be, above all, a major private equity asset. Is that a good thing? It remains to seen—no one posts about their flaws or failures on LinkedIn. View the full article

The New York Mets have lost a second key bat to an injury. With superstar Juan Soto already on the injured list, the Mets placed first baseman Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL Saturday with a right wrist contusion. Catcher Hayden Senger was called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Polanco, a key offseason signing, last played Tuesday, going 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Like others in the Mets' lineup, he was off to a rough start offensively, putting up a .179/.246/.286 slash line with one homer and two RBIs in 14 of the Mets' 20 games. Senger won't be adding much offensively. His .257/.316/.714 slash line with five homers and 11 RBIs in 12 games at Syracuse marks above-average output for the 29-year-old catcher. He made his MLB debut a year ago, appearing in 33 games with the Mets and having a slash line of .181/.221/.194 with no homers and four RBIs. Brett Baty has started the last two games at first base with Polanco out of the lineup. View the full article

Moises Ballesteros entered 2025 as a top prospect who had already performed at the Triple-A level at 20 years of age and looked primed to make an impact with the big-league club. After a very brief and less-than-stellar debut in May, he rejoined the club in September and put together a .999 OPS that convinced the Chicago Cubs to put him on the playoff roster. It figured that he would heavily factor in to the Cubs' plans in 2026 and beyond, and so far he is doing just that. Ballesteros was known as a bat-first prospect with a contact-oriented, all fields approach and he largely performed as such in September of last year. With Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya in the fold again, he went into the offseason knowing that his clearest path to playing time might be as DH and made some clear changes in an attempt to win that job. First, he increased his average bat speed by 1.6 mph, up to 74.3 mph. Great work! Swinging the bat faster generally leads to higher exit velocities, which is exactly what has happened this year as Mo’s average exit velocity has leapt from 89 to 93. The major league average on balls with an 89-mph exit velocity is .227; on balls with a 93-mph exit velocity it is .260. For a guy who was already sporting an OPS that was 52% better than league average, that is an extremely valuable change. But it appears Ballesteros did not stop there. While we can certainly attribute some of the EV increase to the bat speed increase, it doesn’t explain the entirety of the jump. Swinging fast is good, but swinging fast and on plane is even better. What do I mean by on plane? Every pitch thrown from the mound has a descent angle towards the plate. Most pitches are between -5 and -20 degrees, breaking balls obviously being steeper than fastballs. Every swing has an attack angle (yes, John Smoltz, every swing ever). Hitters want to make as flush contact as possible, so they want to match the descent angle by swinging with an attack angle of between 5 and 20 degrees to give themselves the best opportunity to find the barrel. A lower attack angle swing is likely to lead to a ground ball; a higher attack angle to a fly ball. Ballesteros had an average attack angle of 5 degrees last year, right at the bottom of the range. This is likely what led to a 62% ground ball rate, not where he wants to be as someone with 1st-percentile foot speed, regardless of how hard he is hitting the ball. This season, he has increased his average to 8 degrees. Three degrees may not seem like a lot, but Statcast tracks the percentage of time a hitter swings between 5 and 20 degrees as ideal attack angle%, and boy does Ballesteros' year-over-year difference stand out. In 2025, he was in the ideal attack angle range just 46% of the time; in 2026, that number has exploded to 65%. So, not only is he swinging harder, he is on plane with the incoming pitch more frequently, leading him to hit it in the air 60% of the time. So, he is swinging faster and hitting the ball flush and in the air more frequently, leading to the aforementioned jump in EV. It doesn’t seem to be a fluke either. The biggest driver behind the increase in his ideal attack angle% looks to simply be an intent to catch the ball out front of the plate, as he has moved his intercept point almost six inches, from 4.5 inches deep to about an inch in front of the plate. A swing will have a higher attack angle towards the finish and catching the ball out front has allowed Ballesteros to make more contact when his swing is at a higher attack angle. In simpler terms, he is trying to pull the ball in the air and it is working. There is one other left-handed hitter in 2026 that swings the bat at 74 mph or higher and remains in the ideal attack angle range at least 65% of the time: Kyle Schwarber. That is mighty fine company to keep for a 22-year-old trying to stake his claim to the DH role on the North Side. View the full article

Jeremy's Pick-to-Click and Under-the-Radar man on the Mighty Mussels, Quentin Young and Ryan Sprock, will both see plenty of playing time on their infield. He goes over why both will be a strength to the Mighty Mussels roster this season, with strong opportunities to reach Cedar Rapids later in the year. View the full article

Lazaro Estrada gave the Blue Jays everything they could have asked for in his 2026 debut, pitching four scoreless innings in place of an injured Cody Ponce. The Jays optioned Estrada to the minors the following day. However, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports that the righty suffered a shoulder impingement in connection with that outing. As such, the Blue Jays have reversed his option and instead placed him on the major league 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 5. Estrada will be eligible to come off the IL on Monday, but it seems unlikely he'll be ready that soon. So, the Blue Jays have one less depth arm for the time being. Thankfully, both Trey Yesavage and José Berríos continue to make progress on their rehab assignments. Each could be ready to return at some point later this month. View the full article

The automated ball strike (ABS) system was always going to change the way games are managed, but it is quickly becoming clear that it is also changing how catchers are evaluated. For the Minnesota Twins, few players have embraced that shift more than Ryan Jeffers. What started as a rules experiment has become a legitimate skill separator, and Jeffers is leaning into it, boosting both his value and his framing profile. Twins Lean Into the Challenge Game From the moment the ABS challenge system was introduced in spring training, the Twins treated it like something to be optimized rather than tolerated. That mindset has carried into the regular season. As they were in camp, the Twins have been one of baseball’s most aggressive teams with ABS challenges. And overall, it has worked out well for them. It was particularly notable in Tuesday night’s win against the Tigers, when Ryan Jeffers had two successful challenges from behind the plate to end innings. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Twins had the most hitter challenges, the most successful hitter challenges, the second most catcher challenges, and the second most successful catcher challenges in MLB. Jeffers has been at the center of that aggression. Entering play on Thursday, among catchers, Jeffers has the third-most challenges. He is also tied for fourth place with 11 challenges won as a catcher. He is dominating in strikeouts gained from challenges with eight. No other catcher has more than five. “Being able to have the ability to trust myself to challenge it, but then to be able to challenge that in general,” Jeffers told reporters, “it’s a big wrinkle in the game now that I think some people are going to be really good at and some people are not going to be good at. It’s going to be a skill that’s going to be tracked and evaluated like any other skill is.” A Return to What Once Worked What makes this even more interesting is how it intersects with Jeffers’ framing history. Early in his career, Jeffers was viewed as a strong framing catcher. He presented the ball well, worked the edges of the zone, and consistently graded out as a positive behind the plate. From 2021-22, he combined for 10 runs from his framing alone. That skillset was part of what made him such an intriguing long-term option for the Twins. Then came adjustments. In an effort to improve other elements of his defensive game, Twins catching coaches altered Jeffers’ stance behind the plate. Most notably, he began working with a more exaggerated lower-half setup, often keeping a leg extended more regularly. The goal was to improve mobility and throwing, but it came with a trade-off. His framing numbers dipped. Last season, Jeffers ranked in the 44th percentile for framing at minus one run. From 2023-24, he combined to be worth -12 runs from framing. The visual presentation was not as clean, and the subtle movements that once helped him steal strikes were not showing up the same way. ABS Is Refocusing the Strike Zone This is where ABS has quietly helped reshape things. With the ability to challenge pitches, the emphasis shifts from selling borderline strikes to knowing the zone with precision. Catchers are no longer just performers behind the plate. They are decision makers with immediate consequences. For Jeffers, that has meant a renewed focus on the strike zone itself. Instead of relying purely on presentation, he is pairing that with conviction. If he believes a pitch clipped the zone, he has the confidence and now the mechanism to act on it. That mindset appears to be bleeding back into his framing. Entering this season, Jeffers has climbed to one framing runs and sits in the 76th percentile. It is not a massive jump on paper, but it is a meaningful one in context. The combination of improved results and elite challenge success suggests a catcher who is more in tune with the zone than he has been in recent years. ABS is not replacing framing. It is redefining how it matters. For Jeffers, the system has become more than a safety net. It is a tool that reinforces his instincts, sharpens his awareness, and, in the process, helps him rediscover a part of his game that once stood out. If this is what the early stages of ABS look like, the Twins may already have one of their most valuable practitioners behind the plate. What has stood out regarding Jeffers and ABS? Has his framing improved this year? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Mets' farm affiliates went 3-1 on Friday night. Syracuse beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5-3 behind home runs from Ronny Mauricio, Jihwan Bae, and Yonny Hernández, with Jack Wenninger earning the win. Binghamton toppled Akron 4-1 as Joander Suarez allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. Eli Serrano III homered. St. Lucie won 6-4 at Daytona thanks to Conner Ware striking out seven. Brooklyn lost 3-2 to Greensboro despite Mitch Voit's home run. Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Home Run Parade Powers Syracuse Past Scranton/Wilkes-Barre The Syracuse Mets topped the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 5-3 at home thanks to a three-homer night from their lineup. Jack Wenninger earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings while allowing one run on three hits, walking two, and striking out five. Ronny Mauricio led the offense from the two-hole, going 3-for-4 with a home run, one RBI, and two runs scored. Jihwan Bae added a three-RBI day on two hits, including a home run from the cleanup spot. Yonny Hernández went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, one RBI, and one run scored batting seventh. Nick Morabito singled and scored from the leadoff spot. Syracuse broke through in the third inning with two runs, tacked on one more in the fourth, and plated two more in the fifth to build the lead. Jonathan Pintaro worked 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Ryan Lambert followed with a scoreless 1/3 inning, walking one and striking out one. Daniel Duarte closed the door for his first save, pitching one inning and allowing one run on two hits. Syracuse finished with eight hits and just one walk, striking out eight times, while leaving five runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 4 1 1 0 0 1 Ronny Mauricio 4 2 3 1 0 0 Ryan Clifford 3 0 0 0 1 0 Ji Hwan Bae 4 1 2 3 0 1 Jackson Cluff 4 0 0 0 0 2 Cristian Pache 4 0 0 0 0 2 Yonny Hernández 4 1 2 1 0 0 Trace Willhoite 3 0 0 0 0 1 Onix Vega 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Wenninger 5 1/3 3 1 1 2 5 1 Jonathan Pintaro 2 1/3 2 1 1 1 3 1 Ryan Lambert 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Daniel Duarte 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Eli Serrano III's Blast Lifts Rumble Ponies Over Akron The Binghamton Rumble Ponies defeated the Akron RubberDucks 4-1 on the road, with a two-run sixth inning serving as the decisive frame. Joander Suarez picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings while allowing one run on three hits, walking three, and striking out five. Eli Serrano III provided the offensive highlight, launching a two-run home run from the three-hole to go along with a walk, one run scored, and two RBIs. Marco Vargas singled and drove in one run from the leadoff spot. Jacob Reimer added a hit, a walk, and a run scored. Wyatt Young contributed a hit and one RBI from the nine-hole. Kevin Parada reached base three times, drawing two walks, singling, and scoring once. Nick Lorusso also scored a run after drawing a walk. Binghamton built on its two-run sixth with another two-run seventh to pull ahead. Brian Metoyer tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Gabriel Rodriguez contributed a scoreless inning, and Carlos Guzman locked down the save with a clean frame that included two walks and two strikeouts. The Rumble Ponies finished with five hits, eight walks, and nine strikeouts, leaving 13 runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Marco Vargas 5 0 1 1 0 1 Jacob Reimer 4 1 1 0 1 0 Eli Serrano III 3 1 1 2 1 1 Jose Ramos 4 0 0 0 0 2 D'Andre Smith 3 0 0 0 1 1 Kevin Parada 2 1 1 0 2 0 Nick Lorusso 3 1 0 0 1 1 Matt Rudick 2 0 0 0 2 1 Wyatt Young 4 0 1 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joander Suarez 5 2/3 3 1 1 3 5 0 Brian Metoyer 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 Gabriel Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Guzman 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 Cyclones Fall To Greensboro Despite 18-Strikeout Effort The Brooklyn Cyclones dropped a 3-2 decision to the Greensboro Grasshoppers at home despite striking out 18 Grasshoppers. Wyatt Hudepohl took the loss in four innings of work, allowing one run on three hits, walking none, and striking out six. Bryce Jenkins followed with a scoreless frame, walking one and striking out two. Hoss Brewer pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits and a walk while fanning three. Joe Charles delivered 1 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and one walk, and Juan Arnaud closed with a scoreless inning featuring three strikeouts. Mitch Voit led Brooklyn at the plate from the leadoff spot, hitting a solo home run, drawing a walk, and driving in one run. John Bay added a single and scored once from the cleanup spot. Ronald Hernandez walked and drove in one run. The Cyclones' offense managed just two hits and two walks, struck out eight times, and left four runners on base. Greensboro pushed ahead with two runs in the seventh inning, and Brooklyn scored a run apiece in the seventh and eighth but fell short of the comeback. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 3 1 1 1 1 0 Antonio Jimenez 4 0 0 0 0 0 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 0 0 0 2 John Bay 3 1 1 0 0 0 Ronald Hernandez 2 0 0 1 1 0 Colin Houck 4 0 0 0 0 3 Yohairo Cuevas 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kevin Villavicencio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Diego Mosquera 2 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Wyatt Hudepohl 4 3 1 1 0 6 1 Bryce Jenkins 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Hoss Brewer 1 1/3 2 2 1 1 3 0 Joe Charles 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 4 0 Juan Arnaud 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Conner Ware's Five Innings Lead St. Lucie Past Daytona The St. Lucie Mets knocked off the Daytona Tortugas 6-4 on the road, with a late two-run eighth inning giving them the cushion they needed. Conner Ware earned the win, delivering five innings and allowing one run, none earned, on two hits while walking four and striking out seven. Joel Lara started and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Caden Wooster handled 1 1/3 innings of relief, giving up no runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. AJ Salgado led the offense with a solo home run, a walk, and two runs scored while also adding an RBI from the five-hole. Chase Meggers went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored batting seventh. Randy Guzman drew two walks, singled, and drove in one run from the three-hole. Julio Zayas contributed a hit, an RBI, and a run scored. Elian Peña singled, walked, and scored once from the leadoff spot. Sam Robertson added a hit, a walk, and a run scored. Sam Biller chipped in with a hit, a walk, and one RBI. St. Lucie finished with eight hits, six walks, 10 strikeouts, and left eight runners on base in the win. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 1 0 1 1 Sam Robertson 4 1 1 0 1 1 Randy Guzman 3 0 1 1 2 0 Julio Zayas 5 1 1 1 0 1 AJ Salgado 4 2 1 1 1 1 JT Benson 4 0 0 0 0 2 Chase Meggers 4 1 2 2 0 1 Branny De Oleo 4 0 0 0 0 2 Sam Biller 3 0 1 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Lara 2 2/3 2 3 3 1 4 0 Caden Wooster 1 1/3 2 0 0 1 1 0 Conner Ware 5 2 1 0 4 7 0 View the full article

The Brewers' offense had a great start to the season despite being without Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn since Opening Day, hitting .274/.379/.440 as a team, striking out 23.1% of the time, and walking at a rate of 13.9%. Their overall wOBA was at .368, good for third in the league during the stretch between Opening Day and April 6th. However, since then, the Brewers have hit .204/.304/.308, walking and striking out less than before, and their wOBA is .282. A big difference is in their BABIP: in the first stretch, the Brewers had a .352 BABIP, while this current stretch has them at .242. Regardless, the offense's sputtering wasn’t aided when Christian Yelich became sidelined with a left abductor injury on April 12th against the Nationals. This now leaves three big bats on the injured list, and it would be a good development for one of the weaker positional groups to start hitting in order for the Brewers to start scoring again. Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo, and David Hamilton have held down third base and shortstop so far this year, and it hasn’t been pretty to say the least. Hamilton currently leads the way out of those three in OPS, with Ortiz following and Rengifo ranking last among all Brewers batters so far this year. While Hamilton does have the highest OPS out of the three, that isn’t saying much at just .586. His advanced stats don’t show many signs of offensive improvement, as his xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, and bat speed are all in the 7th percentile or less in MLB. One positive to be found with Hamilton’s approach is that he doesn’t whiff and strikeout, and walks a lot. His walk percentage is currently in the top 6% of all MLB players, and when he gets on, his speed is a factor, as he already has four stolen bases to his name so far. Hamilton’s defense is solid as well, with +1 OAA already this season, but unless significant offensive improvements happen, he probably should remain in a bench role. Ortiz is a whole other story. The 27-year-old has a slashline of .204/.250/.204 so far in 2026, striking out 13 times while only walking thrice. These marks are all significantly lower than his 2025 numbers, which saw him finish with a .593 OPS. Ortiz’s xSLG and average exit velocity are both in the 3rd percentile, but his xBA is .041 points higher than his actual number, while his bat speed is above league average. These indicate that there may be some luck involved, and that Ortiz could potentially find more offense at the plate, but it isn’t likely, especially given that he is hitting the ball on the ground 68.4% of the time, a league high, and up 22.9 percent from last year. Like Hamilton, Ortiz possesses speed, and the Brewers love his defense at short, but with how shorthanded the Brewers are on offense right now, time should be ticking for Ortiz to make an adjustment to get back to his offensive numbers in 2023. A free agent signing from the offseason, Rengifo was brought on to replace Caleb Durbin, who was traded to Boston before the season began. He enters Friday with a .125/.173/.208 slash line, good for the worst OPS on the team and a 9 OPS+. It is safe to say it hasn’t worked out so far, and his advanced stats don’t show too many signs for improvement, as his xSLG, average exit velocity, and bat speed are all below or at the 21st percentile. Rengifo has been solid defensively with +1 OAA and isn’t as fast as the other two guys, so he may be the first to go if changes are made. The primary issue is that with the struggles on the left side of the dirt, there aren’t a ton of current options as to who could provide offense. Jett Williams was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade and could factor into the Brewers lineup later in the year, but he is currently struggling in Nashville, slashing .206/.342/.238 with one extra-base hit. A similar story can be told about Brock Wilken (.113/.254/.208), and recently extended Cooper Pratt (.186/.314/.209), and neither is likely ready to contribute for Milwaukee in the next few weeks. Other prospects like Jesus Made and Luis Pena are further down in the farm system, making it even more unrealistic for them to come up soon. As for the remaining internal options, there aren’t many, but Eddys Leonard could be an option if there isn’t an improvement. Leonard was signed to a minor league deal by the Brewers back in November, and while he hasn’t appeared in a major league game yet in his career, he has 40 career home runs at Triple-A and has started a total of 112 games at shortstop and third base at the Triple-A level as well. Leonard is currently slashing .245/.317/.491, but he would need to be added to the 40-man roster if he were to be called up. As for external options, trade rumors of Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes swirled after the Durbin trade, and he could still be on the market, given Houston's infield depth. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm could also be an intriguing one-year option as he is an unrestricted free agent after this season, although Bohm has had a very poor beginning of 2026 as well. Nonetheless, the Brewers will need to find an answer soon. Having barely any offensive production from two infield spots will not end well, the longer it progresses, and given the injuries early in the season, it may not be long before desperation kicks in and changes are made. View the full article

The 2026 season has only just begun, but Grand Central Mets is here to officially publish our new top-20 prospect rankings for the New York Mets' farm system. We'll break this down into four pieces (five prospects per piece), starting with Nos. 16-20. Note that these rankings were voted on by our front-page writing staff. In future iterations, we'll open up prospect voting to all of our members on the site. No. 20: R.J. Gordon, SP (Double-A Binghamton) 2025 stats: 128 2/3 IP, 3.36 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 27.3 K%, 8.5 BB%, 1.24 WHIP Gordon hasn't pitched this year due to a lat injury, which is expected to hold him out until early May. Upon his return, he should be a rotation fixture for the Rumble Ponies after he impressed in Double-A down the stretch in 2025. He lacks upper-echelon stuff, but a 24-year-old starter with above-average command and two above-average secondaries (his changeup and his slider) is going to get a look in the big leagues at some point. He honestly reminds me a bit of longtime Cubs stalwart Kyle Hendricks, who thrived with pinpoint control and movement despite lacking any velocity of note. Gordon throws harder than Hendricks ever did (he's been sitting 92-93 mph consistently with his fastball), but he also doesn't have quite the same knack for pitch sequence as "The Professor." A mid-2027 debut is firmly on the table if Gordon can get and stay healthy this year; at the very least a cup of coffee in Syracuse should be the expectation before 2026 is over. No. 19: Antonio Jimenez, SS (High-A Brooklyn) 2025 stats: .263/.345/.274, 83 wRC+, 0 HR, 8 SB, 13.6 K%, 10.9 BB% The Mets' third-round pick in the 2025 draft, Jimenez is known for his raw power despite failing to hit a home run last year. He's already hit two in 2026 with the Cyclones, and he possesses a tantalizing power-speed game that would play anywhere in a lineup. There are questions about his fit at shortstop, but he's got a rocket arm that would look really good at third base or in right field if he can't stick at the six. More importantly, he'll need to evolve his hit tool and plate discipline to survive at the highest level of the minors; he's already running a 33.3% strikeout rate through his first 40 plate appearances in High-A. A mid-2028 ETA is reasonable for the 21-year-old, who's a bit more raw than other college prospects, Still, the archetype he fits is the kind of player that could become Francisco Lindor's heir apparent at shortstop in Queens. No. 18: Dylan Ross, RP (Triple-A Syracuse) 2025 stats: 54.0 IP, 2.17 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 35.7 K%, 14.7 BB%, 1.15 WHIP There's no denying Ross' raw stuff out of the bullpen. He's got a triple-digit fastball, bitting splitter, and hard slider that allows him to work effectively against hitters on both sides of the plate. There's even a decent curveball in his mix, giving him four legitimate weapons that make him a menace to face in one-inning situations. The problem, of course, is that he just doesn't know where the ball is going. His walk rate in Syracuse last year (17.3%) was calamitous and simply untenable for a leverage reliever. He aids his own cause by striking out heaps of batters and producing weak contact routinely; even as he struggled to find the strike zone in Triple-A in 2025, he still struck out 30.7% of the batters he faced and allowed a ridiculous .106 opponent's batting average. The range of spectrums on Ross is enormous. At 25 years old, he's basically ready for the big leagues. If he ever finds consistency with his location, he could become a legitimate closing option at the MLB level. If not, he may never earn enough trust from his manager to tackle anything more than mop-up duty. No. 17: Ryan Lambert, RP (Triple-A Syracuse) 2025 stats: 50.0 IP, 1.62 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 39.5 K%, 13.2 BB%, 1.16 WHIP Another pure relief prospect, Lambert's fastball might be even better than thunderbolts that Ross hurls. He doesn't have quite the same upper-echelon velocity as his Syracuse teammate, but he produces absurd ride and spin on his heater and used it to generate a comical 38% whiff rate a year ago. Lambert, who is two years Ross' junior, also struggles with command, though it's not quite as egregious. The bigger problem is that he only has two pitches -- his fastball and a slider -- which gives left-handed batters a big advantage, since he doesn't have any breakers that run away from them. Still, his two-pitch mix is as good as anyone's in the minors, and he's got less bust potential than Ross thanks to slightly better command and exceptional feel for his fastball up in the zone. A 2026 debut isn't guaranteed, but if the Mets find themselves in need of high-upside bullpen reinforcements later in the year, Lambert should be the guy they call upon. No. 16: Eli Serrano III, OF (Double-A Binghamton) 2025 stats: .222/.332/.358, 113 wRC+, 7 HR, 9 SB, 20.1 K%, 13.1 BB% Serrano doesn't have any terribly loud tools, making him more of a jack of all trades and a master of none, hence why he's in the bottom quartile of our prospect rankings. That shouldn't blind anyone to his steady floor and impressive upside, though. His hit tool will always be the big question since he stands at a lanky 6'5", but that frame is ripe for more power as he adds strength. He'll turn 23 in May, and he's got some solid plate discipline for someone in their second full pro season, even if he's striking out more in 2026 as he adjusts to the Double-A caliber of pitching. After recording 10 outfield assists a year ago, calls for him to move to right field on a full-time basis will be loud. He's got more than enough speed to stick in center if his glove develops, but he'll have a home in the outfield regardless. He remains a ways off from the majors, and seeing as he isn't Rule 5 eligible until after the 2027 season, a 2028 debut feels like a reasonable estimate. View the full article

Transactions: Milwaukee Brewers optioned RHP Easton McGee to Nashville Sounds. Milwaukee Brewers recalled RHP Coleman Crow from Nashville Sounds. Nashville Sounds placed 3B Luke Adams on the 7-day injured list retroactive to April 15, 2026. Nashville Sounds activated SS Ethan Murray from the 7-day injured list. We are not aware of the nature of Adams' injury, but the fact his stint is backdated is hopeful. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final, Completion of Thursday's Suspended Game: Nashville 4, Worcester 2 Box Score and Game Log Final, Regularly Scheduled Game: Nashville 4, Worcester 2, seven innings as scheduled Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Sweep WooSox on Friday for 3,500 Franchise Wins Between the game notes and the summary, so many tidbits. Who knew it would be until the nightcap (Game 18) before Manager Rick Sweet called for a pinch-hitter? As always, you'll want to review those links above. Brock Wilken is now 6-for-54 but reached base in six of his seven plate appearances Friday and would you have guessed he leads the Sounds in RBI (another game summary tidbit). The view of home plate is cloudy, but the outfield grass is clear: For additional videos from the opener: Eddys Leonard RBI single Jacob Hurtubise RBI single It's primarily a "veteran" pitching staff in Nashville, and the four arms here go the job done, as the Game One box score will reveal. As for the nightcap, LHP Tate Kuehner is one of the young pups among the Sounds arms in his age 25 season, which is going swimmingly thus far: Luis Lara shifted to right field in Game Two to allow Jett Williams to play center. Wish the camera work was a bit better here, but Lara seems comfortable in the corner spot as well: Cooper Pratt was 1-for-8 combined (single) but is now 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. More video, and nice to see the Sounds "X" admin is carrying over the "pun fun" from 2025. The bases were loaded. Jacob made it hurt(ubise) Zamora this Zamora that Jett Williams nets the insurance run on a fielder's choice forceout Wilken's Game One double was the lone Nashville XBH on the night, 14 singles otherwise. Congratulations on the fine MLB debut, Coleman Crow! Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Columbus (Braves) 6, Biloxi 4 Box Score and Game Log Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives Via the Shuckers, game details: Hardin Sets Season-High with 6.0 Innings, Shuckers Fall to Clingstones - Hardin records first 6.0 inning start since July 2025, matches season-high with 7 strikeouts Tyson Hardin now with 19 K and just five walks in 12 innings through three starts. We don't have video on the positive side of his outing tonight, but you can sample two Columbus RBI knocks here and here, neither of which was pounded. Mainly, visit for the glorious Clingstones uniforms - they do really embrace that peach motif, don't they? I'm a sucker for a Shucker box score oddity - every player reached base exactly one time. That'll net you four runs, which sounds about right, not enough on this night though as two of the four runs Hardin allowed were unearned, and southpaw Jesus Broca had another uneven outing. Additional Biloxi video: Dylan O'Rae sacrifice fly Successful double steal ties the game - Kay-Lan Nicasia steals 2nd base. Jordyn Adams steals home. Not too many things more demoralizing than seeing the home team take a lead in the bottom of an 8th inning. The bottom three in the order went down quietly to end things. Here and here are the RBI base hits allowed by Broca. Mired in a 1-for-23 stretch (two walks), Mike Boeve sat this one out. Postponed: Peoria (Cardinals) at Wisconsin Kudos to the Timber Rattlers for being able to fight to a 7-4 record given the very daunting nature (pun intended) of the weather conditions this month. Thankfully, the Midwest League scheduled another visit by Peoria within the first half of the schedule, and this game will be made up as part of a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader on May 27th. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 7, Hill City (Guardians) 6 Box Score and Game Log Lameda’s Walk-Off Home Run Powers Wilson to Victory - Warbirds Hit two long-balls in win Jose Anderson has 21 home runs in 152 career games - considering he only turned 19 years old last November, that's impressive. You'll notice on Wilson home game highlights that there's no score bug (yet). Voice of the Warbirds Chris Edwards tells us it's on its way, just some technical issues to work out. Awesome moment for 20-year-old Luis Lameda, who was on base in all four trips in this one. Happy for him, the boys, and the fans, including yours truly, who caught this moment live. A little surprised we don't have a more traditional video of the walk-off winner; however, a reminder we're spoiled overall in terms of what we get across the landscape. Brady Ebel line drive RBI single 4-6-3 to maintain a 4-3 lead in the 5th Jose Anderson bases-loaded RBI walk (easy take) Filippo Di Turi sacrifice fly 20-year-old RHP Jarrette Bonet has now fanned 18 in 11.2 innings (six walks, 3.18 ERA). Nice work through three starts. Warbirds aren't going to light up the hit column often, and in fact, had only six knocks here. Eight walks drawn helped. Roster oddity - no Wilson transactions since the Opening Night roster was set on April 3rd. The Timber Rattlers have a 1:10 CT matinee on tap Saturday. The rest of the action falls in nicely after the big-league Brewers late-afternoon contest. Enjoy your Saturday! 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

Since the Alex Cora ejection and Trevor Story blowup in Cincinnati, the Boston Red Sox have failed to make the necessary adjustments to turn the ABS challenge system into an edge. The numbers aren’t terrible, but they don’t exactly inspire confidence in the team’s approach, either. Boston sits at a 45 percent overall success rate on challenges through more than three weeks, putting the club squarely in the lower half of the league. More telling is just how uneven that approach still feels. Cincinnati was only the beginning. What matters now is what the Red Sox have done since. Roman Anthony was blunt after the game: his third-inning challenge was poorly timed and put the team in a bind. Wilyer Abreu agreed. The message? Save them. Treat challenges like the finite, high-stakes resource that they are. Tools with the potential to tilt the odds when the game is actually on the line. Don’t burn one just because a pitch looks wrong in the moment. That messaging would have carried more weight if the games had looked cleaner since. They haven’t. The Red Sox have had some successful challenges alongside some continued misses. That’s to be expected. The bigger problem is that the overall pattern still feels unsettled, undecided even. If there’s a clear ABS plan in place in the clubhouse, it hasn’t shown up on the field. ABS does more than clean up a missed call. It changes how a team has to manage a game. It can change who trusts what, who speaks up and when a team decides a challenge is worth spending in that moment. Now that the system exists, everyone knows that a bad call may be fixable. But once those challenges are gone, the safety net they provide is gone as well, and the cost suddenly feels very real. Boston felt that sting in Cincinnati. The Red Sox burned challenges early and had nothing left for the bigger pitches later in the game. Story’s reaction and Cora’s ejection may have been what grabbed the headlines, but the real damage was the lost flexibility late in the game. The Red Sox didn’t just get frustrated; they ran out of chances when it counted most. By comparison, Cincinnati looked more comfortable with the system. The Reds weren’t just better at winning challenges; they seemed to understand the rhythm of the new rules. Meanwhile, Boston looked like a team challenging on feel, not one managing the system with much discipline. That part hasn’t been cleaned up. A system like ABS only becomes a real advantage when everyone shares the same idea of how to use it. Managers can’t call for challenges from the dugout. Coaches can’t wave one in. The decision belongs to the batter, pitcher, or catcher, and it has to happen immediately. So, any team strategy shows up in player habits: restraint, trust and some kind of internal hierarchy. Boston has not made that hierarchy obvious yet. Maybe there is a solid plan behind the scenes. Maybe the Red Sox are sharper internally than outside results suggest. From the outside, however, it still looks more reactive than deliberate. A challenge wasted in a low-leverage spot stings a lot more when a crucial pitch comes up later and the team has nothing left. The catcher piece stands out, too. If anyone should have an edge in this system, it's the guys with the best view of the zone. Boston hasn’t looked especially sharp there so far, with its catchers succeeding on just 43 percent of all challenges (28th in MLB). That doesn’t prove they’re doing it wrong, but it does make it fair to wonder whether they’re getting full value from the players best positioned to give them an accurate read. And that’s the real question. Not whether ABS is bad. Not whether one umpire can cost a team a game. Those takes are too easy. The useful question is whether the Red Sox have used the system deliberately enough to turn it into something more than an in-the-moment reaction. Cincinnati still matters for that very reason. Not just because Cora got tossed or Story lost his cool. It exposed a problem the Red Sox said they needed to learn from, and the games since haven’t shown the lesson has stuck. Over 162 games, this won’t decide everything. It doesn’t have to. Small edges are the point. One saved challenge in the seventh inning matters more than an emotional one in the third. One catcher-led overturn in a high-leverage spot matters more than proving a hitter was technically right two innings earlier. Teams that figure that out earlier are going to reap the benefits of the system. Teams that don’t are going to keep giving it away. The Red Sox don’t look like a team that has figured out its strategy with the new system. They still look like one working through it. Maybe that changes soon. Maybe a month from now Boston looks sharper, more selective and more comfortable with who should be driving these decisions. For right now, the clearest read is also the simplest one: what looked like one sloppy afternoon in Cincinnati is starting to feel more like an unresolved habit. View the full article