The San Diego Padres will take the majors’ longest winning streak into Anaheim, Calif., on Friday night when they open a three-game series against hot-hitting Mike Trout, major league ERA leader Jose Soriano and the Los Angeles Angels.

The Padres extended their winning streak to eight games with a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday before departing on the short trip north up Interstate 5.

San Diego’s Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth inning to record his sixth save of the season, throwing three fastballs that were clocked over 102 mph. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 30 2/3, three frames shy of Cla Meredith’s franchise record set in 2006.

Miller has struck out 23 in 9 1/3 innings this season and has allowed just one hit, a line-drive single to San Francisco’s Luis Arraez on April 1. Miller hasn’t given up a run since Aug. 5.

The Padres have reversed course since a 1-4 start.

“Not the start we wanted necessarily, but we know the group we have, and we’re playing at a high level right now,” Miller said.

Right-hander Matt Waldron (0-1, 7.71 ERA in 2025) will be activated from the injured list and get the start in Friday’s opener. He is taking over the spot in the rotation of Nick Pivetta, who went on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

Waldron began the season at Triple-A El Paso on a rehab assignment after undergoing surgery in late February for severe hemorrhoids. The veteran knuckleballer didn’t give up a run in three starts (12 innings) for the Chihuahuas, allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out 12.

Waldron is 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA in one career start against the Angels. On Friday, he will oppose Soriano (4-0, 0.33 ERA), who has allowed nine hits and nine walks while striking out 31 in 27 innings this season. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against San Diego.

Los Angeles went 4-3 on a seven-game eastern trip that concluded with a split of four games against the New York Yankees,

It was a record-setting series for Trout, who became the first opposing player to hit five homers against the Yankees in a series in the Bronx. He also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive games at Yankee Stadium.

“It means a lot to me,” Trout said. “There’s been a lot of great players that obviously played here. It’s awesome.”

“He’s been unbelievable,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of the three-time American League MVP, who has seven homers, 16 RBIs and a .246 batting average this season.

The Angels easily could have swept the series, giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning in a wild 11-10 loss in Monday’s opener. They lost 5-4 on Wednesday following a botched infield popup that opened the door for Jose Caballero’s eventual walk-off two-run double.

Los Angeles hit 13 home runs in the series with New York, including a grand slam by Jo Adell off reliever Ryan Yarbrough in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 11-4 victory.

“Fun series. Obviously lost a couple tough ones, but glad we got that bounce-back from last night after that tough ninth inning,” Trout said. “We took ownership of it, and we turned the page. Just turn the page and keep fighting. We have a great mindset in there, we’re close in there, and we’re just going to keep pushing and take it one game at a time.”

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers have started strong in defense of their second straight World Series championship.

They will look to continue that success when they open a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night in Denver.

Los Angeles will send Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 4.00 ERA) to the mound against Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, 2.16) in a matchup of right-handers.

The Dodgers completed a 5-1 homestand to improve to 14-4 this season. They won 11 of the 13 games against the Rockies in 2025 and are 31-8 against them since 2022.

Glasnow is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Colorado. He will pitch in hitter-friendly Coors Field for the first time.

Batting in altitude could benefit the Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker, who was one of the biggest free-agent signings of the winter. He has struck out 17 times in 67 at-bats this season (25.4%) after fanning just 88 times in 500 at-bats last season (17.6%) with the Chicago Cubs.

“He’s not a guy that typically chases down below, but he’s chasing a lot more down below, for me,” manager Dave Roberts said. “… Typically when guys chase, they’re trying to do a little bit too much.”

Tucker acknowledges he has been chasing pitches. He is batting only .239, with two homers and 11 RBIs.

“Sometimes you just find yourself chasing more; you just have to try and just narrow your zone a little bit and look in certain parts in the zone, rather than just like swinging at whatever’s thrown,” he said.

Tucker has faced Sugano once in his career, going 0-for-3 last year while Sugano was pitching for Baltimore. Sugano took the loss in his lone career encounter against the Dodgers, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in three innings.

Sugano is three starts into his first season with Colorado and second one in the majors. He pitched 12 seasons for Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants before signing first with the Orioles and then with the Rockies on a one-year, $5.1 million deal.

The 36-year-old has pitched well for a team that has stumbled at the start of the season.

“When you throw strikes, you’re usually efficient, and Sugano attacks the strike zone,” Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s done it in at least the first three outings (with the Rockies), and he’s done it his whole life.”

Sugano will try to pitch Colorado to its second straight win overall and its fifth in a row at home. The Rockies lost the first six games of the road trip to San Diego and Houston before squeaking out a 3-2 victory over the Astros on Thursday night.

The bullpen was sharp even though Colorado lost the first two games of the series, throwing 18 scoreless innings against the Astros.

Hunter Goodwin hit a solo homer on Thursday, marking the third time he had gone deep in the series vs. Houston.

–Field Level Media

After a day off, the Minnesota Twins will look to keep their potent offense rolling on Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds in Minneapolis.

Minnesota won eight of nine games before falling 9-5 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

The Twins are second in the American League in home runs with 26, and third in runs (103) and RBIs (98).

Austin Martin hit his first home run of the season in the first inning against Boston. Ryan Kreidler added a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins tried to rally.

Even though the team’s four-game winning streak ended on Wednesday, Martin said Minnesota is brimming with belief that it can be a contender. The Twins are tied for the most wins in the AL.

“This stretch has given us the confidence that we’re able to compete with anybody on the field,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter if we take care of what we need to take care of.”

Cincinnati, meanwhile, is tied atop the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds managed only one hit in a 3-0 home loss to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.

Cincinnati will look for rookie sensation Sal Stewart to continue the torrid start to his career. He leads the team in batting average (.303), home runs (seven), RBIs (17) and OPS (1.094).

“He’s a good hitter,” manager Terry Francona said. “First of all, his confidence is very high. He uses the whole field. There are a lot of reasons (for his success). He’ll take a bad swing but regroup. He doesn’t just give an at bat away. … It’s early; let’s let it play out. But he’s done a terrific job.”

It will be a homecoming for Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson (1-1, 5.28 ERA) on Friday. The Fairmont, Minn., native is scheduled to make his first career start against the Twins.

Williamson wasn’t involved in the decision of a 7-3 win against the Los Angeles Angels last Saturday. He racked up a career-high six walks in addition to allowing three runs and three hits over four innings.

Minnesota is set to send right-hander Joe Ryan (2-1, 3.80 ERA) to the mound. In 2023, Ryan yielded four runs on five hits in four innings to take the loss in his lone career start vs. Cincinnati.

In his previous outing, Ryan’s commanding performance set the tone in a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He threw a tidy 91 pitches over seven innings, surrendering two runs on two hits while striking out five.

Ryan got ahead in the count and was pleased to let Toronto swing away.

“If (hitters) want to hack early, get out early and (I get) to go more innings, please,” Ryan said about a lineup taking an aggressive approach against him. “That’s fine. I’m here to win baseball games.”

–Field Level Media

The Chicago White Sox possess the worst record in the majors as they head out on a six-game road trip.

The first three games will be against the Athletics, beginning Friday night in West Sacramento, Calif.

Chicago has won just six of 19 games this season and has dropped eight of its past 10. The trip will conclude with three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

The White Sox were outscored 21-11 while being swept in a three-game home set by the Tampa Bay Rays, ending with Thursday’s 5-3 setback.

“We haven’t had a ton to show for it, but hitting the ball hard,” White Sox manager Will Venable said after the latest loss. “Too much on the ground or at guys. They made a ton of plays, but stringing some good things for the offense.

“Still just missing that big hit and putting some of these crooked numbers up there. Have to keep going.”

Chicago has scored three runs or less 13 times this season and has the second-fewest runs in the majors (60). Only the San Francisco Giants (58) have fewer.

Among players with at least 30 at-bats, Chase Meidroth is the club’s leading hitter at a meager .222. Former Japanese star Munetaka Murakami has five homers through 19 games in the majors but is batting just .167 with 26 strikeouts in 60 at-bats.

Catcher Edgar Quero said he thinks it’s just a matter of time before the White Sox get their attack moving.

“Good contact makes you feel a little bit better and a little bit more confident,” he said. “Yeah, we are frustrated. We’ve been hitting the ball pretty well those three games (against Tampa Bay). “The last couple of games we’ve hit it pretty well. The ball is not going in the hole, but it’s part of the game, too. We need to keep fighting.”

The Athletics have been faring well and have won seven of their past nine games, counting Thursday’s 9-6 home loss to the Texas Rangers.

The Athletics had taken a one-run lead on Nick Kurtz’s wind-blown, three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning before Texas scored four in the ninth.

In the seventh inning, the heavy wind gusts turned Josh Jung’s fly to right into a two-run homer for the Rangers.

“Probably one of the more difficult games that I’ve been a part of in terms of the elements,” said Athletics fifth-year manager Mark Kotsay, who played 17 seasons in the majors.

The disappointing ninth-inning collapse gave the A’s a four-game split with the Rangers.

“I think we’ll be OK,” said A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez, who gave up two runs in five innings on Thursday. “This team has a lot of heart, as you’ve seen based on the times when myself or the rest of the staff, they give up some runs and the offense picks up right away. But it’s a long season and we’ve got a good team.”

Right-hander Aaron Civale (2-0, 1.72 ERA) will start for the Athletics on Friday. Civale, 30, beat the New York Mets on Sunday when he allowed four hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 1-0 triumph.

Civale is 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 12 career outings against the White Sox. Andrew Benintendi is 5-for-13 with two homers off him.

Right-hander Davis Martin (2-1, 2.50 ERA) will take the mound for Chicago. Martin, 29, most recently lost to the Kansas City Royals 2-0 last Friday, allowing two runs and seven hits over seven innings.

Martin is 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against the A’s. Lawrence Butler (2-for-8) has homered off him.

–Field Level Media

While a handful of sterling defensive plays bolstered the pitching line on Thursday, the Houston Astros unquestionably displayed improved performances on the mound in the final two games of their three-game interleague series against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

The Astros’ 3-2 loss snapped their seven-game home winning streak. However, after entering the series with the most runs allowed in the majors, Houston stacked a strong pitching effort on top of its 3-1 victory on Wednesday in advance of a three-game interleague series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals that begins on Friday.

“We are pounding the zone,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “There’s a plan, and we just need to be better at executing that. It’ll come. We’ve just got to continue to push and help those guys to get through it.”

Right-hander Peter Lambert will make his season debut for the Astros in the series opener. He posted a 1.84 ERA in three appearances (two starts) with Triple-A Sugar Land before being added to the major league taxi squad on Thursday. Lambert, 28, last pitched in the majors in 2024, when he went 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA in 28 appearances (three starts) for the Rockies.

In his lone career appearance against the Cardinals, Lambert allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings while taking an 8-3 loss with the Rockies on Aug. 23, 2019.

Right-hander Kyle Leahy (1-2, 5.14 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals on Friday. He was the pitcher of record in a 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday after permitting two runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts over four innings.

Leahy has a 3.18 ERA in three career relief appearances against the Astros. He faced Houston twice last season and allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts in three innings.

The Cardinals won the decisive match of their three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians 5-3 on Wednesday, claiming an afternoon affair after winning in walk-off fashion late Tuesday. St. Louis split its six-game homestand before embarking upon a six-game road trip.

Jordan Walker, who is tied for the major league lead in home runs (eight) and total bases (49), extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth-inning double in the series finale. Rookie JJ Wetherholt smacked a pair of homers in the Tuesday victory before walking twice and driving in a run on Wednesday.

In short order, the Cardinals have showcased a personality they hope will define their season.

“The one thing we wanted to anchor to and be committed to was the style of play and our preparation,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “And that’s what I’ll continue to point to when we talk about Walker, JJ … like all these guys. You’re building something that’s going to be fun to watch for a long time here, and you have to go about it the right way.

“And that’s what we’re committed to. Can we win those small moments and continue to stack them? I feel like our group continues to do that, and we can’t let up, regardless of what the outcome of the game is. Those are those little moments that we have to continue to win.”

–Field Level Media

It is not about how you start, right?

The Boston Red Sox are hoping that is the case for the first month of the long and winding Major League Baseball season.

Following Wednesday’s series-closing win at the Minnesota Twins, Boston kicks off a challenging seven-game homestand against the surging Detroit Tigers on Friday night. The four-game set extends through Monday’s traditional 11:05 a.m. start on the Patriots’ Day holiday in Massachusetts.

“We’re (three) weeks into the season, and we feel like we haven’t played anywhere close to our best baseball. And it could be way worse,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “Once we get rolling and once we get to doing the things that we know we can do on a consistent basis, we’re excited about that.”

The Red Sox were on the verge of being swept in Minnesota, falling down 1-0 in the first inning before scoring the next nine runs on the way to the 9-5 victory. Story hit a three-run home run and drove in five, while Andruw Monasterio went 3-for-5.

Connelly Early backed it all up with six innings of one-run pitching, and now Boston will turn the ball to left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA) for Friday’s start.

Suarez looks to build off his best performance in a Red Sox uniform last Saturday at St. Louis, as he allowed just three hits and struck out six while shutting out the Cardinals through six innings.

“He moved the ball around,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “It seems like his arm was a lot quicker than the first two (starts). It tells me he feels better.”

Suarez made starts for the Philadelphia Phillies against Detroit in each of the last two seasons. He went 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA across a combined 13 innings.

Meanwhile, Detroit hopes to bottle up its recent success as winners of six straight games, including a 10-9 comeback victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday. An up-and-down season has seen the Tigers go from 4-4 to 4-9 and back above the .500 mark to 10-9.

Riley Greene’s two-out, two-run double tied the score and Colt Keith’s walk-off single capped a three-run rally in the ninth inning to seal their third straight one-run win.

“Part of our DNA is our willingness to do anything, but the other part that comes with that is we’re going to play ‘til the end. We’ve had to do that,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “These are funky wins with one run, or coming up late. … Our guys play all 27 outs.”

The Tigers, who banged out a season-high 14 hits, held a 6-1 lead after five innings before the Royals posted a six-run seventh. The game also included nearly two hours of rain delays.

Dillon Dingler hit a two-run homer — his team-leading fourth of the season — in the fifth, while Greene’s heroic swing capped a 3-for-4 day.

“We’re being clutch on both sides, with our pitching and hitting, but we’re playing really clean, good baseball right now,” Keith said. “We’re showing it on the scorecard. We’re winning.”

Like Suarez, Detroit starter Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94) is also coming off his first win of the season after throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to beat the Miami Marlins last Saturday. He struck out five.

Mize is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in five career starts against the Red Sox. He struck out eight in a 6 1/3-inning road no-decision on Sept. 26 of last season.

Detroit has won the last two season series.

–Field Level Media

The New York Yankees encountered warmer weather and trouble preventing pitches from leaving their home ballpark during their last series.

After allowing 13 homers in their previous four games, the Yankees hope to make better pitches Friday night when they host the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game series.

The Yankees allowed three homers through their first 15 games, including their first homestand, which was played in temperatures under 60 degrees. Against the Angels, the average game-time temperature was 82 degrees and the Yankees settled for a four-game split.

New York earned a pair of wins in the ninth inning and hit nine homers. Aaron Judge hit four homers in the series but those were not enough since the Yankees allowed 32 runs and five homers to Mike Trout.

“The story of the series was we didn’t keep the ball in the ballpark and that’s something we’ve done really well up until this series and they kept coming at us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

New York has lost seven of its last nine games and is coming off a loss when Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice homered. The Yankees did little else offensively and had two at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Judge has five homers in his past five games. He is 14-for-48 (.292) with six homers and 11 RBIs over his past 13 games.

Kansas City’s 15 homers are the third fewest in the American League and it hit multiple homers for the fourth time in its first 19 games on Thursday. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino homered Thursday afternoon when the Royals overcame a five-run deficit by scoring six runs in the seventh before taking a 10-9 loss at Detroit.

Bobby Witt Jr. also had three hits after going 2-for-14 in his previous four games. The Royals finished with 13 hits and went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position but fell to 2-7 in its past nine games when Lucas Erceg allowed a two-run double to Riley Greene and a game-ending single to Colt Keith in the ninth.

“There were a lot of positives today,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “Obviously the big inning, we chipped away earlier than that. There were great at-bats throughout that seventh inning and even positives before that.”

Eight of Kansas City’s past nine games have been decided by two runs or fewer and its 5.98 ERA by relievers is the worst in the AL and second worst overall.

New York’s starters allowed eight homers against the Angels as Cam Schlittler (2-1, 2.49 ERA) attempts to bounce back from his first loss.

After scoreless outings at San Francisco and Seattle, Schlittler allowed three runs apiece in each of his past two starts against the Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. In Sunday’s 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay, Schlittler allowed three runs along with a career-high-tying seven hits in five innings.

Schlittler heads into his first career start against the Royals with 30 strikeouts in his first 21 2/3 innings.

Michael Wacha (2-0, 0.43), who has allowed a run in three starts spanning 21 innings, goes for the Royals. Wacha has 10 scoreless outings since joining the Royals in 2024 and allowed four hits in eight innings of Sunday’s 2-0 home win over the visiting Chicago White Sox.

Wacha is 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the Yankees. Wacha has held Judge to three hits in 24 at-bats with 11 strikeouts and limited Stanton to four hits in 17 at-bats.

–Field Level Media

Off to an unusual start, the Milwaukee Brewers are set to visit the Miami Marlins for a three-game series that starts on Friday.

Milwaukee is coming off a brutal stretch. The Brewers started 8-2 then lost six straight — their longest skid since June 2023 — until winning a pair of 2-1 contests over visiting Toronto on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Brewers won on Thursday in part because they bunted three straight times during their two-run, seventh-inning rally.

“Growing up playing the game, ‘small ball’ was huge,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Sproat said. “In the big leagues, you don’t see it as much, but it still works.”

Another unusual Brewers note: Aaron Ashby (5-0, 3.21 ERA) leads the majors in wins, yet he’s a reliever who has thrown just 14 innings this season.

Milwaukee went to the bullpen six times over the past two days, and those relievers combined to pitch 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Ashby got the victory in both games and will likely rest Friday.

The Brewers, who have yet to announce a starting pitcher for the series opener, had the best record in the National League last season. They are far from that team right now, but it hasn’t been wise to bet against them the past few years.

Not counting the COVID year, the Brewers are on a streak of eight straight winning seasons. They have won the NL Central in each of the past three seasons.

The Marlins, meanwhile, last season won 79 games — 17 more than in 2024.

However, they are coming off a 1-5 road trip. The good news for the Marlins is that they are 7-3 at home. In addition, they were off Thursday, which will give them a more rested bullpen compared to Milwaukee.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough sees some other positives such as DH/catcher Liam Hicks, who has a .900 OPS and enters Friday tied for fifth in the majors with 18 RBIs.

“Liam’s at-bat quality has been on display,” McCullough said. “Seeing him impact the ball has been encouraging.”

More good news for the Marlins could happen soon as 2025 All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers (strained right hamstring) is on a minor league rehab stint.

Besides Hicks, Miami’s leaders in OPS are Otto Lopez (.894), Xavier Edwards (.884), Connor Norby (.852) and Gold Glover Javier Sanoja (.801).

The Marlins enter Friday tied second in the majors in steals (25) but are tied for 26th in homers (14).

Miami on Friday will start right-hander Janson Junk (0-2, 4.32 ERA). He is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in his only appearance against Milwaukee, a five-inning start last July 26.

Junk, 30, made his Marlins debut in 2025, going 6-4 with a 4.17 ERA in the best season of his career. He made 21 appearances, including 16 starts. His breakthrough came about when he emphasized sliders and pounded the zone with more strikes.

–Field Level Media

The Washington Nationals return home from a strong road trip and open a three-game series against the struggling San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Washington went 5-2 against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates and enters the weekend tied for second in the National League East.

The road has not been kind to the Giants thus far. After salvaging the finale of a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, San Francisco is 2-4 on a nine-game Eastern swing.

The Nationals capped their trip with an 8-7, 10-inning win against the Pirates on Thursday. Washington split four games at Pittsburgh after sweeping three from Milwaukee and sits one game under .500.

“Couldn’t be happier, couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “I think our first 19 games have been against really good teams. It’s a good challenge early on to face these clubs and test where we’re at. When you go on the road like this and come out of it 5-2, it’s huge.”

Giants veteran Logan Webb (1-2, 5.25 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Zack Littell (0-1, 4.20) in the opener.

Last time out, Webb gave up four runs on five hits over six innings in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. He struck out six and walked three.

Webb is 4-1 with a 4.25 ERA in six starts vs. the Nationals.

Littell is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on Sunday, when he allowed three runs on six hits — three of them home runs — over five innings. He struck out three without a walk.

Littell lost his lone career start against the Giants when he gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2023.

San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a 3-0 win at Cincinnati. Landen Roupp tossed six innings of one-hit ball to help the Giants avert a sweep.

“I think I just wanted to go out there and stop the bleeding and get us back on the right track,” Roupp said. “I just wanted to go out there today, throw strikes and just give the team the best chance to win.”

Jung Hoo Lee went 3-for-4 in his fourth multi-hit game of the road trip. He has raised his average from .143 to .246 over his past six contests.

Tempers flared in the eighth inning when the Giants’ Willy Adames was hit by a pitch, and then the benches emptied after the Reds’ Sal Stewart struck out to end the game.

“I do think it is a team that’s already got strong camaraderie,” manager Tony Vitello said of his Giants. “I do think there does need to be a little bit more battle to them. It doesn’t mean breaking a bat or starting a fight or anything like that.”

In Pittsburgh, Washington’s James Wood singled home the automatic runner with two outs in the top of the 10th and Orlando Ribalta pitched the bottom half to secure an 8-7 Nationals win.

Wood, Daylin Lile and Drew Millas had two hits each for the Nationals, who scored eight runs despite going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Ribalta, 28, gave up a hit but earned his first major league save in his 28th big-league appearance.

“He seems to have a slow heartbeat at all times,” Butera said. “And it’s nice to have a guy like that on the mound in that situation.”

–Field Level Media

Craig Albernaz spent plenty of time in the home manager’s office during the last two seasons as a coach with the Cleveland Guardians.

Now managing the Baltimore Orioles, he is spending this weekend in the other clubhouse while going against his longtime friend, Cleveland skipper Stephen Vogt.

Orioles right-hander Chris Bassitt (0-2, 9.00 ERA) takes on Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (0-2, 6.38) in the second game of the four-game series on Friday.

“We used to say it to each other all the time in the past two years: Can you believe they let us do this?” Albernaz said. “And if you had told me Vogty and I would be managing together, I would say you were out of your mind. There was no way this would happen.”

Vogt named Albernaz his bench coach upon being hired ahead of the 2024 season, then promoted him to associate manager the next year. They guided the Guardians to back-to-back American League Central Division titles, in addition to a trip to the 2024 American League Championship Series.

When the Orioles wanted to interview Albernaz for their open position last winter, Vogt gave them a glowing review of his work. He later traveled to Baltimore to support “Alby” at his introductory press conference.

“We talk all the time, but it’s always good to catch up in person,” said Vogt, who won AL Manager of the Year each of his first two seasons on the job. “It’s going to be a fun series.”

Vogt rolled out the welcome mat and some new decor for Albernaz before the series opener on Thursday, which saw Cleveland rookie Parker Messick carry a no-hitter into the ninth inning in the Guardians’ 4-2 win.

All of the standard furniture in the visiting manager’s office was replaced with kid-sized versions, along with Spider-Man designs in the private bathroom. Bluey was the primary character in the former.

“That was awesome,” Albernaz said. “I’m going to have all of it sent back to Baltimore and make sure he gets the shipping receipt so he can pay for it.”

The Orioles dropped their third straight game, thanks to Messick’s near-masterpiece, but scored twice in the ninth after Cade Smith entered. Leody Taveras’ leadoff single broke up the no-hit bid and sparked a rally that saw Baltimore put the potential tying run in scoring position.

Messick was charged with both runs in eight-plus innings. The left-hander tied his career high with nine strikeouts in his longest outing as a professional, but he admitted disappointment after coming close to making history.

“I’ve never thrown a no-hitter, so from about the sixth inning on, I prayed pretty much between every inning,” said Messick, who surrendered two hits and two walks. “It was a good game, just one pitch (got away), and he snuck it through the hole.”

While Messick has sparkled with a 3-0 record and 1.05 ERA through four starts, both Bassitt and Bibee have been disappointing.

Bassitt signed as a free agent in February and has failed to get through the fifth in his three outings. The Ohio native is 1-3 with a 3.95 ERA in seven career starts against Cleveland, the last occurring on May 2, 2025, when he surrendered three runs in 5 1/3 innings while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bibee was rocked for eight runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 13-1 loss at Atlanta on Sunday. In three career starts against Baltimore, he is 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA and has given up four homers in 18 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media