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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Plaschke: Dodgers' inability to improve bullpen at trade deadline haunts them again
A lazy, lovely afternoon at Chavez Ravine was startled awake Sunday by three blue-curdling screams. The Dodger bullpen had struck again. Eighth inning, one out, Dodgers leading the Toronto Blue Jays by a run, rusty Blake Treinen on the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., boom, nooooo! Addison Barger, boom, nooooo! Ninth inning, game tied, Alex Vesia on the mound acting like a closer because the Dodgers don't have a healthy closer. Ernie Clement, boom, not again! Battered by three home runs in the last two innings Sunday, the Dodgers lost a game they should have won, blew a game they should have had, and planted an ominous message deep into the bowels of sweaty Dodger Stadium. Read more: Dave Roberts criticizes Shohei Ohtani after Dodgers' frustrating loss to Blue Jays This is a team trying to win a second consecutive championship without an adequate bullpen. The 5-4 loss wasted a sterling start by Tyler Glasnow, frittered away 10 hits and 13 walks from a burgeoning offense, ruined a chance to sweep the team with the best record in the American League, and created a trivia question that will be bandied about the league until the last week in October. What standout reliever did the Dodgers acquire at the trade deadline? Nobody. What standout reliever had their critics been begging them to acquire for weeks? Any of them. Maybe Andrew Friedman's previous deadline brilliance convinced everyone into thinking he could pull something off again, and maybe the public pressure was less than usual because of the credits earned by the 2024 title, but here's guessing much of Dodger nation woke up Monday morning after watching a reliever tagged with the loss in three of the last six games and thought... What just happened? Is it too late to fix? What happened was the Dodgers' belief in the recovering health of their bullpen. And, um, yeah, unless you want to bring Bobby Miller up from Oklahoma City to close games (not a bad idea, eh?), it's not getting fixed anytime soon. Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates should all be returning from the injured list, and the thought is that the Dodgers can find a closer somewhere in there, but you've seen them all and do you agree? There is also the belief in this weird bit of Dodger closer history — the final inning in their last two championships was worked by a starter. This is countered by the fact that the last two times Friedman didn't make a significant pitching upgrade at the deadline they were eliminated in the first round. So, yes, Friedman hasn't lost any of his smarts and Dave Roberts hasn't lost any of his savvy and they can probably piece this mess together for short periods in October. But between now and then, you need someone to make the big pitch in the clutch situation and save the offense from itself. You need a closer so you don't have the eternal optimist Roberts looking oddly despondent late Sunday afternoon. 'This is frustrating because I just felt there is no way we should lose this game today,' he said. He wasn't so upset with Vesia and Treinen — both guys have been put in tough spots, especially Treinen, who recently came off the injured list. He was mostly upset with the Dodger offense that made the withering bullpen — which has recorded the most innings in baseball — so necessary. The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead after six innings. The back-to-back dingers in the eighth cost them that lead. The Dodgers came back to tie it on a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the eighth. Clement's long ball grabbed the lead again for the Blue Jays in the ninth. 'Yeah, it's pretty frustrating,' Vesia said. But equally frustrating was the 16 men the Dodgers left on base, including leaving the bases loaded three times, twice in the last two innings. 'We had them on the ropes numerous times,' Roberts said. 'And for us not to win is so frustrating.' Read more: Blake Snell turns in a performance befitting his 'Snellzilla' nickname in Dodgers' blowout win How disappointed was Roberts? When is the last time you've heard him criticize Shohei Ohtani's play? Well, he did it Sunday, twice in a span of a minute. First, there was Ohtani ending the sixth inning by getting thrown out attempting to steal third base with Freeman at the plate. 'Not a good baseball play,' Roberts said. Then there was Ohtani striking out with a wild swing on a low and outside full-count pitch from Mason Fluharty — he of the 5.15 ERA — with bases loaded in the ninth. 'We've got to come up with one right there,' Roberts said. 'Chasing the ball down below ... is something that we can't have.' You know what could have prevented all this angst? A deeper bullpen. A more rested bullpen. A fixed bullpen. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers blow lead, then leave bases loaded and lose to the Blue Jays
Sunday was one of those cloudless late-summer Dodger Stadium afternoons in which the flags in center field stirred lazily in the slight breeze and the air felt far hotter than the thermometer said. The temperature was 83 degrees at the matinee's first pitch, yet many fans crowded into the top rows of the reserved and loge levels and stood atop the outfield pavilions in search of shade from an unrelenting sun that hovered directly overhead. As for the Dodgers, they were just as hot as the weather until the bullpen gate swung open at the start of the eighth inning Sunday, with relievers Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia giving up three solo home runs in the span of six batters in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The deciding run scored when second baseman Ernie Clement drove Vesia's first pitch over the wall in left field for this eighth homer of the season, ruining another splendid outing from starter Tyler Glasnow and a big offensive day from Shohei Ohtani, who reached base four times before striking out against reliever Mason Fluharty with the bases loaded in the ninth. Mookie Betts followed by grounding into a force out, the second time in as many innings the Dodgers left the bases loaded. The Dodgers had 10 hits and 13 walks on the afternoon but were one for 10 with runners in scoring position, stranding 16. Even more important: The loss, combined with the Padres' win over the Boston Red Sox in San Diego, cut the Dodgers' lead in the National League West to two games. The Blue Jays came to Los Angeles after a three-game sweep of the Rockies in Colorado in which they scored 45 runs and had 63 hits. Against the Dodgers, Toronto scored just three times and had just 17 hits entering the fifth inning. Glasnow did his part, giving up two runs and four hits through 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight. It was his fifth stellar start in six outings since returning from an inflamed shoulder last month and he left with a 3-2 lead, the first time since his first start of the season in March that he left a game with a chance at a win. Read more: Blake Snell turns in a performance befitting his 'Snellzilla' nickname in Dodgers' blowout win But the bullpen couldn't hold it, with Treinen giving up back-to-back homers to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger with one out in the eighth. After the Dodgers came back to tie the score on a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the inning, Vesia gave the lead right back in the ninth. Glasnow, as he has all season, deserved a better fate. He has given up more than two runs just once in his last nine starts and has given up just 20 hits in 34 2/3 innings since returning from the injured list. Yet he has little positive to show for it, with nine of his 11 starts ending with no decision despite a 3.06 ERA and .172 opponents' batting average. 'I really like the way that he's got the blinders on it, and nothing's affecting him,' Dodger manager Dave Roberts said before the game. 'To say a player, specifically Tyler, is unflappable is a big compliment, and I think that that's something he's worked on because he gets emotional. 'There's things that you can't control at times, and his ability to kind of lock back in, he's been really, really impressive.' Glasnow got off to a slow start, getting an out on his first pitch then missing the strike zone on five of his next six before Guerrero — who came in hitting .364 lifetime against Glasnow — drove a run-scoring double to the wall in center field. But by the time Glasnow came out to start the second inning, he had a lead. Ohtani evened the score, lining his 23rd career leadoff home run into the right-field bleachers to run his hitting streak to nine games, matching his season high. Two outs later, Freeman put the Dodgers in front, slicing an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center for his 14th homer of the season. Glasnow, who continued to struggle with his control, nearly gave the lead back, loading the bases on two walks sandwiched around a double by Joey Loperfido. But after a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, the right-hander got Nathan Lukes to ground into an inning-ending double play. That allowed the Dodgers to extend their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second when Freeman walked with the bases loaded. Read more: In a battle of 3,000K stars, Clayton Kershaw outduels Max Scherzer in Dodgers' win Glasnow wouldn't be in trouble again until the sixth, when Bo Bichette led off with a single and came around to score on a two-out flare to right by Ty France, cutting the lead to 3-2. That drove Glasnow from the mound an out short of the seventh inning. The Dodgers missed a chance to add to that lead shortly after Glasnow left when Ohtani was thrown out at third on the front end of a double steal with two on and two out and Freeman at the plate to end the sixth. That proved costly when Treinen, the fourth reliever summoned to close out the game, coughed on the lead on the back-to-back homers. Freeman wouldn't be denied his next opportunity, drawing his second bases-loaded walk of the game, and the fourth walk of the inning, on a full-count pitch to tie the score with two out in the eighth. But while the Dodgers would load the bases again the ninth, they would get no more. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
04-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy baseball cheat sheet: Stream José Soriano, add Alex Vesia and other THE BAT X insights
Baseball season is well underway, and with a plethora of articles, statistics and metrics available, it can be challenging to know who to start, sit, fade and trade. Using Derek Carty's THE BAT X projection system, The Athletic has developed a weekly rundown to inform fantasy managers about the road ahead. Advertisement THE BAT X has been the most accurate original projection system in fantasy for five consecutive years and provides estimates based on a wide range of metrics, including Statcast metrics like exit velocity and barrels, as well as ballpark effects, weather conditions, matchups and much more. Another important concept to understand is regression to the mean, which means players performing above their typical level of play are likely to decline, while those underperforming are likely to improve. If you're looking for a starting pitcher, THE BAT X suggests adding Dodgers lefty Alex Vesia, who is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA and some enticing Statcast metrics. His Whiff% is in the 87th percentile, and he boasts an incredible 35.8 K% (98th percentile). As for streamers, THE BAT X thinks Angels' righty José Soriano, still available in shallower leagues, could have a 3.15 ERA against the Tampa Bay Rays. He uses a mix of pitches but relies on his sinker and forces ground balls. As for hitters, Tyler Freeman is on the 'Waiver Targets: Hitters' list and has a .306 average on the season. He doesn't hit for power but has great plate discipline and 13 stolen bases on the season. The trade deadline is nearing, and if you believe Mookie Betts can turn his season around as the leadoff man for the hard-hitting Dodgers (and THE BAT X does), he could be available for a good price. Betts has struggled this season with a .233 batting average, but he still has 11 home runs and 8 stolen bases. His plate discipline is still stellar, and he's waiting for good pitches. If he can get his swing figured out and you get him at a good price, he could help you as the season closes. Another trade target, Corey Seager, had a terrible June but a phenomenal July. He's started slowly in August, but that could mean getting him at a good value. Even though his Whiff% is in the 21st percentile, his BB% is in the 92nd, and he can give you power. His xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, Barrel% and Hard-Hit% are all 93rd percentile or above. Look to the fades list to see who you could swap for the Rangers shortstop, who THE BAT X predicts will finish strong. Projections are based on a 12-team, mixed-league roto format with 23-player rosters. For a more thorough explanation of THE BAT X, read Carty's explainer. For first-time readers, we compare players' year-to-date value (value to this point in the season) against their projected rest-of-season value (value for the remainder of the season and not including YTD value). Values are expressed as dollars, and $0 represents a starting caliber player in the aforementioned 12-team mixed roto league format. This gives you an idea of which players may be available on your waiver wire, their value for the remainder of the year and why you should grab them before anyone else can. The differential can tell you all you need to know, but because this is a model, you'll want to use the projections alongside knowledge of your league. Like the waiver wire, fades are determined based on the year-to-date roster value compared to THE BAT X's projected rest-of-season value. Many talented players, who you could very well hold based on roster construction, are on this list. However, the point is that their success is projected to drop off; due to their YTD performance, they could be valuable trade bait and get you a higher return than their worth for the remainder of the season. Trade targets are similar to the waiver wire and fades, determined by current roster value versus THE BAT X's projected rest-of-season value. The projections indicate that you might want these players on your roster for the rest of the season. You can even compare this list to the 'Fade or Trade' list above to see if there are deals to be made. The names on this list are well-known, but these players haven't yet lived up to their previous or expected success, meaning you may be able to acquire a player on the come-up for a good value. Here are hitters with favorable pitching matchups this week. The 'Fantasy $Value' indicates a player's value in the matchup listed, while the 'Underlying $Value' refers to the skill level or expected performance of the player based on THE BAT X's advanced metrics and context-neutral data outside of the specific matchup listed. It's the player's value without external conditions like ballpark, the opponent, weather and their position in the lineup. It helps to separate a player's raw core ability from the value in a given matchup. Here's a look at hitters who have been over- and underperforming using weighted on-base percentage (wOBA) and expected weighted on-base percentage (xwOBA). Batters with an xwOBA lower than their actual wOBA could fall to numbers closer to expected, while hitters with lower wOBAs could surge as the season continues. This list includes players who have overperformed in the past 30 days, according to wOBA and xwOBA. The players on this list are the top underperformers in the past 30 days based on wOBA and xwOBA. Some of that underperformance can be chalked up to luck, and they're likely to rebound to numbers closer to their xwOBA. Finally, we get to the top-scoring offenses of the week. Based on matchups, these five teams are projected to score the most runs this week, meaning the individual players on each team could have fantasy values that exceed their underlying values. This list could help you identify streamers or make tough decisions in weekly lineups. The top one-start pitchers list is limited to players rostered at 50% or less. Because these players are more available, you may find a streamer worthy of a start in a competitive league if you need help in pitching categories. Otherwise, the list can aid in making tough roster calls. Two-start pitchers for the week are ranked based on THE BAT X's projection system, and the list excludes those with a projected negative value. Two-start pitchers are valuable in weekly lineups, and these projections can help you find a plug-and-play option. The projected stats can also help you decide who to start, who to bench and who to replace. The pitchers on the following list may be aces or above average, but they are projected to be in tough matchups that could hurt category stats or points in daily and weekly lineups. Based on matchups, the following bullpens are ripe with relievers to stream this week. If you have RP spots to fill or improve, this is the list for you. THE BAT X projections powered by EV Analytics. (Photo of José Soriano: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
Reuters
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Shohei Ohtani guides Dodgers past Giants to end seven-game skid
July 12 - Shohei Ohtani pitched three scoreless innings, Alex Vesia emerged from a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon. Michael Conforto had three hits and scored both Dodgers runs, helping the defending champions end their longest losing skid since 2017. After pitching as many as two innings in his return to the mound following 2023 elbow surgery, Ohtani got the Dodgers off in a positive direction when he retired nine of the 11 batters he faced in the first three innings. Jung Hoo Lee, who walked with two outs in the second, and Mike Yastrzemski, who singled with two outs in the third, were the only Giants baserunners against Ohtani. The Dodgers' two-way star has now pitched nine innings over five starts in his mound comeback, allowing just five hits and one run for a 1.00 ERA. Conforto singled then scored on a Tommy Edman infield out in the second and also came home on a Hyeseong Kim single in the sixth to produce the only scoring against Giants starter Landen Roupp and three relievers. Roupp (6-6) went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and seven hits. He walked one and struck out eight, one off his career high. Right-hander Emmet Sheehan (1-0) tag-teamed with Ohtani and took the combined shutout into the eighth before one-out singles by Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos, along with a walk to Yastrzemski, loaded the bases. Vesia came on to retire Rafael Devers on a deep fly ball to right-center field that scored Bailey, and got Matt Chapman to ground out to third to retain the 2-1 advantage. Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 19th save. Andy Pages chipped in with two singles for the Dodgers, who out-hit the Giants 8-3. Freedie Freeman's first-inning double for Los Angeles, his 24th of the season, was the game's only extra-base hit. The loss was just San Francisco's third in its past 10 games. - Field Level Media
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies rally to beat Dodgers 8-7
Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos watches after hitting a grand slam off Los Angeles Dodgers' Alex Vesia during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit a grand slam, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied with two runs in the seventh inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 on Sunday. The Phillies took two of three from the World Series champion Dodgers, a series that might not mean much by October but put a little juice into an early April weekend. Advertisement Teoscar Hernández homered twice and had five RBIs for the Dodgers, whose only two losses this season came in this three-game series. Castellanos hit his eighth career grand slam on reliever Alex Vesia's first pitch in the third inning. The Phillies scored six times in the third and led 6-4 entering the seventh. The Dodgers went ahead in a three-run seventh against Philadelphia's bullpen. Mookie Betts hit an RBI double, Hernández's fifth RBI came on a tying sacrifice fly and Will Smith knocked a run-scoring double off the right-field wall for 7-6 lead. Bryson Stott tied the game 7-all in the seventh with an RBI single off Blake Treinen (0-1) and Edmundo Sosa beat out at first base a potential double-play ball to shortstop that brought home the go-ahead run. Advertisement Hernández hit a two-run homer in the first inning and knocked his second shot off the right field foul pole in the fourth for his 19th career multihomer game. Orion Kerkering (1-0) got the win. José Alvarado worked the ninth for his second save. RED SOX 5, CARDINALS 4, 10 INNINGS, 1ST GAME RED SOX 18, CARDINALS 7, 2ND GAME BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer and tied a career high with six RBIs, Rafael Devers had four hits and drove in three runs, and Boston Red rolled to a win and a doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. Wilyer Abreu added a double and three RBIs for Boston, which finished with a season-best 22 hits. It was the 14th career four-hit game for Devers. Bregman posted his 10th career game with four hits. Advertisement All that offense made for an easy night for Hunter Dobbins (1-0), who scattered five hits and gave up two runs over five innings to win his major league debut. Cooper Criswell gave up four runs in the ninth, but went three innings for his first save. St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas (0-1) allowed nine runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings. Thomas Saggaese hit a three-run homer in the ninth and Brendan Donovan had two RBIs for the Cardinals. St. Louis extended a team record with its ninth straight game getting at least 10 hits. In the makeup of Saturday's rainout, Abreu singled off the Green Monster to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Red Sox rallied for a 5-4 victory in the opener. Devers, who began the season 0 for 21 with 15 strikeouts, also hit his first homer of the year in the first game. Pedro Pagés replaced St. Louis catcher Iván Herrera in the first game after he exited with left knee inflammation. Advertisement NATIONALS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4 WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Call and Paul DeJong each had two hits and drove in a run and Trevor Williams struck out six over five innings as Washington beat Arizona and handed Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes his first loss. Washington took two of three from Arizona, winning a series from the Diamondbacks for the first time since 2021. It was the Nationals' first home series victory over Arizona since 2017. Burnes (0-1) yielded four runs while throwing 89 pitches over five innings in his second start since signing a six-year, $210 million deal in January. He gave up Nathaniel Lowe's RBI double and Call' Advertisement Williams (1-0) allowed three runs and has pitched at least five innings in 14 of his 15 starts since joining the Nationals before last season. METS 2, BLUE JAYS 1 NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead single in the third inning and New York beat Toronto for its first series sweep of the Blue Jays in 24 years. New York extended its winning streak to four by taking three in a row from the Blue Jays. The Mets had last swept Toronto from July 15-17, 2001, at Shea Stadium. Bowden Francis (1-1) walked rookie Hayden Senger and Juan Soto in the third, Alonso singled and Brandon Nimmo followed with a sacrifice fly. Alonso has 11 RBIs this season. Advertisement David Peterson, Max Kranick (1-0), Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter and Edwin Díaz combined on a four-hitter against the Blue Jays, who went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and scored three runs in the series. A day after getting his first win this season, Díaz earned his second save. TIGERS 4, WHITE SOX 3 DETROIT (AP) — Spencer Torkelson smacked a two-run double to cap Detroit's three-run rally in the ninth inning and give the Tigers a win over the Chicago. Torkelson's one-out hit off Jordan Leasure (0-1) followed a bases-loaded walk by Andy Ibáñez. John Brebbia (1-0) got the win with one inning of scoreless relief. Advertisement Javier Báez had three hits and drove in a run for the Tigers. Jackson Jobe gave up three runs, two earned, and struck out four in five innings in his second career start. White Sox starter Martín Pérez limited the Tigers to one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Signed as a free agent in January, Pérez held Minnesota hitless for six innings in his White Sox debut last Monday. ROYALS 4, ORIOLES 1 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kris Bubic took a shutout into the seventh inning and Kansas City won its first series of the season with a victory over Baltimore. Bubic (2-0) allowed five hits, walked one and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings. His streak of 12 shutout innings was snapped when Ryan Mountcastle tripled to lead off the seventh and scored on Bubic's wild pitch one out later. Advertisement Bobby Witt Jr. had three of the Royals' 13 hits, falling a home run shy of the cycle. Salvador Perez, Mark Canha and Maikel Garcia each had two hits and scored a run. Carlos Estévez earned his second save with a hitless ninth for the Royals. Kansas City, which swept Baltimore in the wild-card round last year, won its first regular-season series against the Orioles since Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 2019, after having lost six of the last eight series with two ties. Jorge Mateo – starting in center field for the first time since April 20, 2024 – misplayed Witt's slicing liner into a triple, keying Kansas City's three-run first inning. BREWERS 8, REDS 2 Advertisement MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio homered twice and matched a career high with five RBIs as Milwaukee beat Cincinnati. Chad Patrick (1-0) allowed one run and two hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings for his first major league win. Since starting the season 0-4, the Brewers have won five of six. Spencer Steer went deep for the Reds, who have dropped five of six. Chourio hit a sacrifice fly in the third to open the scoring, and Christian Yelich had an RBI single. Chourio then capped a five-run fourth with a three-run homer that made it 7-0. He added a solo shot in the seventh. Brice Turang had two hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games and Sal Frelick's strong start to the season continued when he singled and scored in the fourth. Advertisement The offensive support made life easy for Patrick, who struck out four in his second big league start. The only run he gave up came when Steer led off the fifth with his first home run of the season. PIRATES 5, YANKEES 4, 11 INNINGS PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tommy Pham's run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted Pittsburgh to a victory over New York for just its second win in eight games. The Yankees scored three times in the ninth off Ryan Borucki to tie the game at 4. Oswald Peraza doubled in a run with two outs and Trent Grisham followed with a two-run single after hitting two homers in Saturday's 10-4 win. Advertisement Borucki was trying to earn the first save of his eight-year career. Jack Suwinski began the 11th as the automatic runner at second base and stole third with one out. Pham then hit a drive off the left-field wall against Devin Williams (0-1) for his fifth career walk-off hit. Pirates starter Andrew Heaney gave up only one run in seven innings while striking out 10. Joey Wentz (1-1) pitched a scoreless 11th for the win. ASTROS 9, TWINS 7, 10 INNINGS MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Altuve drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the 10th inning after Yordan Alvarez tied it with a two-run homer in the ninth and Houston rallied from an early six-run deficit to beat Minnesota. Advertisement Altuve's single off Twins reliever Louis Varland (1-1) scored automatic runner Brendan Rogers from third base. Jake Meyers then stole home on a double steal to make it 9-7. Josh Hader (1-0) retired all six batters he faced to earn the victory. The Twins led 7-1 after four innings, but the Astros came all the way back by scoring twice in the ninth off Twins reliever Griffin Jax to tie it at 7. Isaac Paredes led off with his fourth single of the game and Alvarez hit Jax's next pitch for his first home run of the season. Matt Wallner had four hits and Trevor Larnach drove in three runs for Minnesota. Advertisement ROCKIES 12, ATHLETICS 5 DENVER (AP) — Chase Dollander won his major league debut with five solid innings, and Colorado beat the Athletics, snapping a six-game skid. Dollander (1-0), the ninth overall pick in 2023, gave up a two-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning but worked out of a jam in the fourth. He benefited from Colorado's first big offensive game of the season. Brenton Doyle homered, doubled, singled and drove in four runs and Ezequiel Tovar tied a career-high with four hits and had three RBIs to help the Rockies salvage the finale of the three-game series. Doyle led off the bottom of the first with a homer and drove in two more with a double in the second off Joey Estes (0-2). Kris Bryant doubled, singled and drove in his first run of the season as Colorado took a 6-2 lead after three innings. Advertisement Lawrence Butler led off the fifth with a homer off Dollander, but the right-hander retired the next three to end his day. RANGERS 4, RAYS 3 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim's walk-off single with two outs in the ninth inning to center field scored Josh Smith and Texas beat Tampa Bay for its fifth consecutive win. Smith had a two-out double down the left-field line, his third hit to match a career high, off Edwin Uceta (0-1). Smith and Heim, hitting seventh and eighth in the order, combined for five of Texas' seven hits. Jacob Webb (1-0), the last of three Rangers relievers, stranded the potential go-ahead run at second in the ninth. Advertisement Neither of Texas' top late-inning relievers, Luke Jackson (five saves) nor Chris Martin (one), was available because of recent workloads. ANGELS 6, GUARDIANS 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Logan O'Hoppe homered in his fourth consecutive game, and Jorge Soler hit a tiebreaking shot in the sixth inning of Los Angeles' victory over Cleveland. Kyren Paris also homered for the Angels, who have won six of eight after taking two of three from Cleveland in their only home series during the first three weeks of the season. Los Angeles plays 15 of its first 18 away from home. O'Hoppe became the first catcher in Angels history to homer in four straight games when he connected leading off the second inning. He went deep at St. Louis last Wednesday before homering in all three games against Cleveland. Advertisement Kyle Manzardo homered for the Guardians, who finished 3-6 on their season-opening trip after losing five of the last six in Southern California. Tyler Anderson gave up two runs over five innings for the Angels, yielding one hit and four walks. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-0) pitched the sixth. PADRES 8, CUBS 7 CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Arraez had four hits, Fernando Tatis Jr. scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning when first baseman Justin Turner couldn't make the catch to finish a double play, and San Diego beat Chicago. The Padres' Gavin Sheets singled off Porter Hodge to tie it in the eighth. Jackson Merrill homered for the Padres, who had lost two straight after opening the season with seven consecutive victories for the best start in franchise history. Advertisement Kyle Tucker homered and drove in three runs and Nico Hoerner added three hits for the Cubs, whose five-game win streak ended. Ryan Pressly (0-1) took the loss after allowing one hit and a walk in the ninth. Robert Suarez threw a perfect ninth for his fourth save. The Padres went ahead 3-0 in the first inning. Ben Brown allowed two walks and a bunt single before hitting Jake Cronenworth to bring in a run. Xander Bogaerts reached on an infield single and Jason Heyward walked to score the other runs. The Cubs scored five runs in the bottom of the first. After Kyle Hart issued two walks, Tucker singled, Justin Turner had a sacrifice fly and Hoerner doubled to tie it. Logan Gillaspie, called up from Triple-A El Paso before the game, replaced Hart and was called for two balks while pitching to Carson Kelly, scoring two runs. Advertisement Tucker hit a two-run homer in the second inning for his fifth, tied for the NL lead. GIANTS 5, MARINERS 4 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wilmer Flores hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning and San Francisco beat Seattle Mariners to sweep the three-game series. Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer for the Giants, who are 8-1 and off to their best start since 2003. Randy Arozarena tied it at 4 for the Mariners in the ninth with an RBI double after Seattle was down to its last strike against Giants closer Camilo Doval (1-0). But Flores singled in Luis Matos with two outs on the first pitch he saw from Gregory Santos (0-2) to win it for the Giants. Advertisement Flores' hit came just after Mariners right fielder Victor Robles made a long dash for a terrific catch in the netting in foul territory by going over the low railing to snag a fly ball by Patrick Bailey. Robles appeared to hurt his arm on the play and was carted off the field. San Francisco challenged the call that it was a catch by Robles, but it was upheld. The Giants scored four times in the fourth after trailing 2-0, capped by Yastrzemski's opposite-field homer. Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh hit solo homers to put Seattle up 2-0. Giants starter Jordan Hicks allowed three runs in 5.1 innings. Seattle's Bryan Woo gave up four runs in six innings.
