Alvarez also drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He started a five-run rally in the first inning by beating out an infield single with one out before coming around to score on a two-run knock by Dustin Harris. He then belted a 424-foot (107.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Young in the second inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 6-0. Alvarez also walked in the fourth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly. He has been lighting the world on fire so far this season, slashing a robust .356/.462/.737 to go with his league-leading 12 homers and 27 RBI.

It was part of a two-hit, three-RBI game for the 23-year-old. Walker’s homer came off Paul Skenes in the first inning, just a few batters after JJ Wetherholt took him deep. Walker hadn’t homered since April 13, and the strikeouts had been piling up lately, so this is a promising development. The swing-and-miss (plus his groundball rate) will continue to be what fantasy managers should track, since the bat speed and raw power are proven to play against major league pitching.

Hm, this Rutschman guy seems pretty good. He’s pushed his overall line to .356/.406/.661 on the season and has knocked in 17 runs in just 16 games. The talent was always there for lines like this despite woeful slashes in 2025 and 2024, but it’s great news for the Orioles that he’s apparently rediscovered his hitting talent. He’s already almost halfway to last year’s homer total of nine.

He’d allowed one hit and struck out two before leaving. Woodruff showed an alarming amount of diminished velocity, with his four-seamer averaging just 85.4 mph while topping out at 86.9 mph. Manager Pat Murphy said that Woodruff wasn’t feeling any pain, but that getting him out of the game felt like the right move. If this dead arm sort of issue leads to an IL stint, hopefully it won’t be a long one.

That’s two days in a row off for Pasquantino since he left Tuesday’s game with lower back tightness. Salvador Perez is batting fourth and playing first base while Elias Díaz grabs a start against LHP Jeffrey Springs.

Robert Jr. hasn’t played in three games, so this always seemed possible. The 28-year-old has played over 110 games only once in his career, and it seems like injuries will be a factor in yet another season for him. The Mets will likely continue to start Tyrone Taylor in center field with MJ Melendez in left field until Juan Soto is healthy enough to be in the outfield. A trade could certainly be in the cards for the Mets if they don’t want this season to get away from them.

Goodman took Reds relievers Luis Mey and Jose Franco deep in the fifth and seventh innings to record his second multi-homer performance since April 14. The 26-year-old backstop has gone deep seven times in his last 15 games. He’s striking out at an elevated rate compared to his previous career norms, but it’s a manageable tradeoff if the power surge continues.

Jones averaged a sizzling 99.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and topped out at 101.1 mph in his first rehab outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He threw 30 of 41 pitches for strikes and retired all nine batters he faced. The electrifying 24-year-old former top pitching prospect will need a couple additional weeks of rehab outings before he’s ready to return to Pittsburgh’s rotation, most likely around late May or early June.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters afterwards that initial X-rays were inconclusive, which means Domínguez will undergo additional imaging, including a CT scan, prior to Friday’s series opener against the Orioles back in New York. He added that he was in a great deal of pain when he left the contest after being hit by a pitch. It sounds like there’s a chance he manages to avoid the injured list, but that’s hardly a lock. There should be a definitive update on his status later this week.

Perdomo returns to Arizona’s lineup at shortstop and hitting leadoff following a two-game absence due to a left ankle sprain. The 26-year-old has gotten off to a slow start this season, slashing .250/.350/.393 with 11 runs scored, one homer, six RBI and six steals in 102 plate appearances over 25 games. He was one of last year’s biggest breakout stars with a 20-homer, 100-RBI, 27-steal campaign out of nowhere.