First Pitch - April 7th, 2026

⚾ Welcome to First Pitch - Today is Tuesday, April 7th.

If you came here looking for a Phillies Giants recap you are s*** out of luck. I’m protesting covering any more Giants games until there is something positive to talk about.

I’ll be nice since I’m in a good mood, but if the Giants don’t win today I might be going on a full rant tomorrow (INCLUDING NAMES, looking at you JHL). They’re starting to flirt with spiraling out of control and it’s tough watching defense like this paired with an offense that can’t hit the red side of a barn.

Anyway, hope you all have a great day and there’s a real chance tomorrow’s edition turns into a full Giants rant again 🙂

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☝️👇 3 Up, 3 Down
Contreras boils over after another HBP, Swanson flashes elite defense, and Rushing breaks out with a two-homer night.

🚨 Nationals 9, Cardinals 6 — Three-homer eighth fuels massive comeback

🏟️ Rays 6, Cubs 4 — Tampa celebrates return to Trop with win

🔥 Brewers 8, Red Sox 6 — Milwaukee grinds out tense win in Boston

⚾➕ Extra Innings

😤 Contreras Frustrated After Getting Hit Again

Tensions boiled over as Willson Contreras voiced frustration after being hit by a pitch, adding another chapter to his ongoing issues against Boston.

💫 Defensive Gem: Swanson Pulls Off Highlight Play

Swanson showed off elite instincts and range with a play that belongs on every highlight reel.

💣 Rushing Goes Off with Two-Homer Night

Dalton Rushing put on a show at the plate, launching two home runs in a breakout performance.

Nationals 9, Cardinals 6 — Three-homer eighth fuels massive Nats comeback

The Nationals looked dead in the water heading into the eighth, down three runs and struggling to get anything going.

After the Cardinals stretched it to 6-3, the Nationals answered immediately. With two on, James Wood crushed a game-tying three-run homer to center. A few batters later, Brady House gave them the lead with a two-run shot, and CJ Abrams followed it up with another homer to cap off a six-run inning.

Earlier, Washington chipped in runs with RBI hits from Daylen Lile and Nasim Nuñez, and stayed within striking distance thanks to Zack Littell, who gave them five solid innings with one earned run and six strikeouts.

The Cardinals had taken control behind Ramón Urías and a late push in the eighth, but couldn’t stop the momentum once the Nationals lineup broke through.

Nationals

Cardinals

Rays 6, Cubs 4 — Tampa celebrates return to Trop with big win

The Rays marked their return to Tropicana Field with a win, riding timely power and strong pitching to take down the Cubs.

After falling behind early on a two-run single from Nico Hoerner, Tampa Bay answered right away. Cedric Mullins tied it with a two-run homer, then Yandy Díaz followed with an RBI knock to give the Rays the lead.

They kept adding from there. Junior Caminero launched a solo shot in the third, and later Jonathan Aranda delivered the biggest swing of the game with a two-run homer in the seventh to create some breathing room.

On the mound, Shane McClanahan worked through four innings, allowing two runs while striking out five. The bullpen took over from there and limited the Cubs to just two more runs the rest of the way to lock it down.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was more than enough for a big homecoming win.

Rays

Cubs

Brewers 8, Red Sox 6 — Brewers grind through tense one in Boston

This one had plenty of extra noise around it, but the Brewers still found a way to come out on top.

The Red Sox jumped ahead early, but Milwaukee answered with a messy but effective fourth inning that completely flipped the game. Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, and Jake Bauers all helped push runs across as the Brewers turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead.

The game kept swinging from there. Boston tied it again and got a huge night from Willson Contreras, but the Brewers kept responding. The biggest moment came in the eighth, when Garrett Mitchell lined a go-ahead single into left that brought home two runs after an error let Christian Yelich score all the way from first.

That gave Milwaukee the cushion it needed, and they added one more in the ninth before holding off a late push.

Brewers

Red Sox