8-7 – deGrom steps up as Rangers take finale from Dodgers 5-2

Apr 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Los Angeles Dodgers scored two runs.

In a game where it felt like the Rangers should have won by double-digits, they decided it would be more fun to keep you engaged all afternoon as they avoided a sweep at the hands of the defending champion Dodgers by a margin kept almost inexplicably close until late.

After today’s starter Jacob deGrom gave up his customary solo home run to Shohei Ohtani to give the Dodgers an early lead, the Rangers kept getting runners on base against LA’s wild young starter Roki Sasaki and then kept figuring out the perfect way to do anything but bring them in.

Overall, Texas turned seven hits, eight walks, and an LA error through the first seven innings into just three runs. The dam finally broke in the 8th, however, with two more walks, two more hits, and a wild pitch as Texas added a couple of insurance runs.

Those insurance runs came after deGrom had exited and Jacob Latz allowed his first non-Muncy run of the season as the game teetered on the brink of “how do you lose this one?” as the Dodgers were a potential swing away from taking the lead. Luckily Cole Winn came in and cleaned up and then a third Ja(c)kob on the day got the save with Jakob Junis tossing a scoreless 9th.

Despite not exactly making the most of their opportunities (10 hits, 10 walks, 2-14 with RISP, 12 LOB), the five runs proved to be plenty with deGrom tossing a gem and the bullpen making use of the 8th inning cushion to help Texas escape LA with a sweep avoided.

Player of the Game: Batters of note include Josh Jung who had two hits and two walks, Danny Jansen who walked three times (and used five ABS challenges behind the plate, four of them successful!), Josh Smith who had two hits and the go-ahead RBI, and Evan Carter who homered and reached two other times via base on balls.

But with the current road trip long and without respite, and with the bullpen soaking up a lot of innings in the season’s first few weeks, the Rangers really needed deGrom to be at his most deGromy for as long as possible. deGrom answered with six innings of one-run ball against baseball’s modern juggernaut.

Following Ohtani’s 1st inning homer, deGrom allowed just three more hits. The Rangers’ elder ace did walk three (including an intentional walk to Ohtani) but he also struck out nine as he picked up his first win of the year.

Up Next: The Rangers are forced to trudge to West Sacramento for a series against the formerly Oakland Athletics in their first look at their AL West rivals in 2026. RHP Nathan Eovaldi will make the start for Texas in the opener against RHP Luis Severino for the Northern Californians.

The Monday night first pitch from Sutter Health Park is set for 8:40 pm CT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

Brewers expecting ‘bad news’ after losing Christian Yelich to hamstring injury, dropping 5th straight in sweep by Nationals

Three-time Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Christian Yelich left Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals with hamstring tightness.

It’s not clear when Yelich sustained the injury. Yelich went 0 for 2 in his first two at-bats, then was replaced in the lineup by Gary Sanchez in the fifth inning. The Brewers announced shortly afterward he was experiencing hamstring tightness.

The severity of the injury and a timeline for his return were not initially clear. But manager Pat Murphy wasn’t optimistic in his news conference after Milwaukee’s 8-6 loss.

“We’re most likely to get some bad news on Yelich,” Murphy told reporters, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.

The Brewers are awaiting the results of imaging on Yelich’s injured hamstring.

The injury is a blow to a reeling Brewers team that lost its fifth straight game to drop to 8-7. The loss completed a three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals.

Yelich, 34, is playing his 14th MLB season and his ninth with the Brewers. The 2018 NL MVP, Yelich is a three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and one-time Gold Glove winner.

Yelich made his most recent All-Star team in 2024. He didn’t make the All-Star team in 2025, but finished the season with 29 home runs, his highest tally since he hit 44 in 2019.

Yelich was off to a strong start prior to his injury. He entered Sunday slashing .327/.389/.469 with 1 home run, 10 RBI and 3 stolen bases in 14 games while hitting third in Milwaukee’s batting order.

Sunday’s loss dropped the third-place Brewers 1.5 games behind the first place Pittsburgh Pirates (9-5) in the NL Central. They’re tied with the St. Louis Cardinals (8-7) and one game behind the 9-7 Cincinnati Reds.

Phil Garner, former MLB manager and 3-time All-Star, dies at 76

Former MLB manager and player Phil Garner died Saturday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his family announced in a statement. He was 76.

Garner, a longtime MLB infielder and three-time All-Star, pivoted to a 15-year career as a manager. After stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers, Garner led the Houston Astros to their first pennant in 2005.

Before becoming a manager, Garner spent 16 years in the majors as a second and third baseman. He started his playing career with the Oakland Athletics, earning his first All-Star nod in his fourth and final year with the team.

Garner then played five years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he earned the nickname “Scrap Iron” for his tough demeanor. Garner played in 150 games in the 1979 season, when the Pirates won the World Series. He picked up his other two All-Star appearances in 1980 and 1981 during his time with the team.

Garner went on to play for three more teams, including a six-year stint with the Astros, who he would go on to manage.

After retiring from playing, Garner began his managerial career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1992, leading the team for eight seasons. Garner then spent three seasons as manager of the Detroit Tigers from 2000-2002, before being hired by the Astros partway through the 2004 season. He led Houston to its first World Series the very next season, with the team going 89-73 and winning the National League pennant before being swept by the Chicago White Sox in the World Series.

Garner amassed a 985-1,054 record across his managerial career. He held the Brewers franchise record for managerial wins until Craig Counsell passed him in 2022.

Several MLB teams, who Garner played for or managed, honored the late infielder on social media, including the Pirates, Brewers, A’s, Astros, Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers (where Garner played for one season).

In addition to posting a statement honoring Garner, the Brewers also held a moment of silence before Sunday’s home game against the Washington Nationals, via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.

White Sox reportedly calling up top pitching prospect Noah Schultz

The Chicago White Sox, whose 5-10 record is currently the worst in Major League Baseball, are calling up their top pitching prospect, according to several reports.

Noah Schultz, a 6-foot-10 left-hander, came into the season ranked as the White Sox’s No. 2 overall prospect by MLB.com (also rating him as the No. 46 overall prospect in baseball) and No. 1 by Baseball America. He was the team’s 2022 first-round draft pick (No. 26 overall) out of Oswego East High School in Illinois.

Schultz, 22, will start on Tuesday at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, the White Sox announced.

In three appearances this season for Triple-A Charlotte, Schultz compiled a 1.29 ERA and 3-0 record with 19 strikeouts and two walks in 14 innings. Last year, he progressed from Double-A to Triple-A while struggling with patellar tendinitis in his right knee. He finished with a 4.68 ERA in 17 starts and 77 strikeouts in 73 innings.

As could be expected, Schultz’s height makes him imposing to opposing hitters, something alluded to by Triple-A teammate Duncan Davitt.

“Just a nightmare for a hitter,” Davitt told MLB.com. “He’s kind of hard to play catch with sometimes just because it’s funky and it’s hard. He’s going to be a guy when he gets his chance.”

During two appearances in spring training, Schultz struck out five batters in 4 1/3 innings.

Starting pitching has not been an issue for the White Sox, despite their record. The rotation’s 3.99 ERA ranks seventh in the American League.

However, the outlier was Shane Smith, who compiled a 10.80 ERA in three starts with 10 earned runs, 12 hits and nine walks allowed in just 8 1/3 innings. He was demoted to Triple-A on Wednesday and Schultz is expected to take that spot in the starting rotation.

Though Schultz’s workload will be monitored closely at this point of his career, White Sox manager Will Venable indicated that he’s not being called up for a spot start.

“The plan is not to bring him up and send him back out here, right?” Venable said, via MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. “The thought is that we bring him up here when he’s ready, and go and let him do his thing.”

Hitting has been the issue for the White Sox, and another of the franchise’s top minor-leaguers may also join the team this coming week.

Infielder Sam Antonacci has a slash line of .317/.509/.488 with 15 walks in 58 Triple-A plate appearances. He could provide a boost to a lineup that ranks last in MLB with a .192 team batting average and .568 OPS. The team also carries a 20-inning scoreless streak into Sunday’s matchup with the Kansas City Royals.

Kings reportedly expected to keep HC Doug Christie despite 22-59 record this season

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly expected to keep head coach Doug Christie, according to the Athletic’s Sam Amick. Christie took over for Mike Brown as the Kings’ interim head coach last season before signing a three-year deal last summer.

The Kings are 22-59 and 14th in the Western Conference this season. Last year, Christie went 27-24 and was the ninth seed in the play-in before the Dallas Mavericks eliminated them.

After a slow start this season, the Kings have shown late progress under Christie. After starting the year 12-46 and setting a franchise record in February with a 16-game losing streak, the Kings have gone 10-13.

Most of the Kings’ wins down the stretch have come without the team’s star players, including Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Russell Westbrook and DeAndre Hunter, whom the team acquired in a trade for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.

While there have been signs of progress, there has been much left to be desired under Christie. The 55-year-old coach was recently cleared by the NBA of intentionally trying to lose in Tuesday’s 110-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Christie motioned to Doug McDermott to intentionally foul Seth Curry, who did not have the ball, with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Kings were leading by one point at the time of the foul. Curry is shooting 90% from the free-throw line this season and has shot 86.4% from the stripe for his career year. Curry went 1-of-2 from the line after the Kings’ foul.

Christie reportedly attempted to use the strategy to foul and call a timeout but did not realize the Kings were in the penalty.

Christie is early in his coaching career, having spent just three seasons as a Kings assistant before becoming interim coach last season. Previously, he was the Kings’ color commentator for one season. He played for the Lakers, Knicks, Raptors, Kings, Magic, Mavericks and Clippers during his 15-year NBA career.