MLB News and Moments Today :Private holidays are some of the best. Saturday’s May 4th celebration allowed “Star Wars” MLB social-media teams and scoreboard operators to give shape to anything related to the iconic franchise. More shenanigans may be in store for today as May 5th is not only Cinco de Mayo, but another day to celebrate “Star Wars” as it’s Revenge of the 5th.
MLB News and Moments Today: Today’s headline
12 straight for twins
If you believe the signs, Saturday was a great day for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins entered the day riding an 11-game winning streak. The last time they hit 12 in a row? That would be 33 years ago, the identical season the Twins last won the World Series. Saturday’s win was of the run-of-the-mill variety, with Max Kepler homering, Carlos Correa driving in a pair and right-hander Pablo Lopez striking out eight over six innings to beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1. The 1991 Twins team set a franchise record with 15 incessant wins en route to a World Series championship.
MLB News and Moments Today: Arraj shines in Padres debut
Luis Arez was very interested in joining the San Diego Padres. Hours after the trade that sent him from the Miami Marlins to the Padres became official, Arraj made a quick trip from Oakland, where the Marlins were facing the A’s, to Phoenix, where the Padres had just opened a series against the Diamondbacks. Arraez made an immediate impact. Batting leadoff as the designated hitter, he doubled in his first plate appearance and finished 4-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI in the Padres’ 13–1 win. The two-time batting champion became the first player in team history to hit four in his debut.
MLB News and Moments Today:Muncie drills 3 HRs, Dodgers blast Atlanta
When facing the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, it picks your poison. Mookie Betts? Shohei Ohtani? Freddie Freeman? Will Smith? They can all single-handedly win a game. But then there are other guys for the Dodgers. Andy Page is starting to look like an impact player. But Max Munsey has been doing it for years. On Saturday, he had one of those games, hitting three homers for the first time in his MLB career as the Dodgers blew out Atlanta 11-2. As part of a four-hit night, Muncie hit a two-run homer in the second inning, followed by solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings. That gives him 8 homers, tying Ohtani (who also homered Saturday) for the team lead. (More on Ohtani’s homer later.)
MLB News and Moments Today: A scores 20, reaching .500
Name the 1st team to score 20 runs in a game this season. If you mentioned the Oakland A’s, you probably had inside information. But A is the correct answer. The A’s, after a 3-hour, 23-minute rain delay, exploded against the Marlins for a 20-4 win. The onslaught included a 10-run third inning in which Brent Rucker hit two home runs, a two-run rocket and a three-run blast. He became the first A’s player since Mark McGuire on September 22, 1996, to hit a pair of homers in the same inning. Rooker’s big inning slightly overshadowed rookie third baseman Brett Harris, who hit the first two homers of his MLB career. It was also the A’s sixth straight win and moved them to .500 at 17-17.
Best moments from yesterday
Double color lightsaber
Watch Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson at bat on May 4. A question: is he a rebel or with the empire?
Ohtani gives Roberts a Porsche?
Shohei Ohtani hit his team-leading 8 homer of the season. Normally, that wouldn’t be a remarkable feat, but Ohtani’s blast broke a tie with manager Dave Roberts for most homers by a Japanese-born Dodgers player. Earlier in the day, Ohtani visited Roberts’ office and told the captain he had found something to commemorate Roberts’ mark: a car. It wasn’t a car though, it was a Porsche, albeit of the miniature variety.
A crew for brewing
It has long been a tradition for a team’s rookies to run a Starbucks before a day game at Wrigley Field. For the Milwaukee Brewers, one of MLB’s youngest teams, that means sending about one-third of the active roster to fetch drinks.
MLB News and Moments Today :Injury and other measures
⚾ New York Yankees Gerrit Cole (right elbow soreness) threw on the mound for the first time since spring training, saying, “It’s a good step.”
⚾ As expected, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trey Turner (left hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Infielder Cody Clemens was invoke up from Triple-A. Turner said he expects to be out for at least six weeks.
⚾ San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey went to IL with a seven-day concussion. Catcher Blake Sabol was raised from Triple-A.
⚾ The Chicago White Sox have called up top third base prospect Brian Ramos from Double-A to make his MLB debut. Ramos is the White Sox’s No. 4 prospect. Infielder-outfielder Danny Mendyk (lower back tightness) went on 10-day IL.
MLB News and Moments Today: Fantasy baseball coverage
The pitcher roundup begins
Heater performance
Reliever Rank