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Dylan Garand, Adam Edström, Adam Sýkora, Matthew Robertson, and many of the New York Rangers’ young players of the past and present all have something in common. 

They’ve all been mentored by Jonny Brodzinski at the American Hockey League level with the Hartford Wolf Pack. 

The AHL is a developmental league, as a significant amount of attention and coverage within the league centers around young players. 

However, what is often overlooked is the importance of veteran players who compete in the AHL and hold prominent leadership roles. 

Since signing with the Rangers in October of 2020, Brodzinski has been a valuable piece for the organization, but a lot of his contributions haven’t even come in the NHL. 

From 2020 to 2024, Brodzinski played 113 games for the Wolf Pack, while also serving as the team’s captain for much of that time. 

Brodzinski is a player who’s always had to fight for a roster spot and work hard to earn his opportunities. Those experiences helped him relate more to younger players in similar situations, trying to work their way up to the NHL. 

“I think being in those situations a lot, it kind of helps me lead those guys a little bit better,” Brodzinski said. “Being a bubble guy pretty much my whole career, being the last guy cut out of camp three or four times, I think it can teach you a lot of things. What it takes to stay here, not only make it here, but then stay here, I think is the hardest part. Anybody can get up and play one or two games in the NHL, but it's a lot harder to stick and stay and really earn the trust of the coaching staff. Just trying to tell them (younger players) things that can help them stick.”

The 32-year-old forward has spent the vast majority of his professional hockey career playing at the AHL level. 

Through his time with the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, and the San Jose Barracuda, the San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate, Brodzinski transitioned from a young, wide-eyed kid into a bona fide leader, which he did by looking up to veterans in his shoes and learning from them.

“It kind of just evolved over time,” Brodzinski said of his leadership qualities. “When I was younger, I looked up to the leaders that were on the team, and kind of adapted my leadership style. Through that, I had a few guys that kind of led in a similar style that I do, where it's a little bit by example, but some of my best friends are the younger guys. It’s just about trying to empathise with everybody, being able to be good friends with everybody, I think is a huge asset… 

“Being down in Hartford, being with Ontario, and just kind of grinding it out there, and really trying to figure out my game personally. Once I did figure that out, it’s a little bit easier to help these younger guys get up through that American Hockey League bubble area, and kind of push through to this spot.”

In 48 games with the Rangers this season, the Minnesota native has recorded six goals, seven assists, and 13 points, while averaging 11:01 minutes. 

The impact that Brodzinski brings to the table goes far beyond his individual statistics. 

While not a regular mainstay in the Rangers’ lineup, Brodzinski has been up in the NHL for the past two seasons, with his presence carrying weight within the locker room. 

Brodzinski’s team-first mentality to be flexible regarding his specific role, on top of the way he’s taken it upon himself to mentor the team’s young talent, certainly does not go unnoticed amongst the Rangers’ coaches and teammates. 

“He’s a great pro,” Mike Sullivan said of Brodzinski. “He’s in and out of the lineup. He knows what his role is, he embraces it. He works hard when he's not in the lineup. He keeps himself ready when he gets in the lineup. He tries to make an impact and help us win. Sometimes we use them on the wing, sometimes we use him in the middle. We move him all around the lineup. I think he's a positive influence on the young players when they come up. He’s got a great attitude, and he embraces his role most importantly.”

Recently, the Rangers recalled Garand and Sýkora from the AHL, and the two have run with their NHL opportunity, taking full advantage of what could be an audition for the 2026-27 campaign.

Seeing them thrive with the Rangers brings joy to Brodzinski, who grew a strong bond with both of them in Hartford and empathizes with their journey to have gotten themselves to where they are now. 

“It’s great,” Brodzinski said of watching Garand and Sýkora play in the NHL. “I’ve been playing with them for a little while. I think it's the work ethic, more than anything, is what you see all the time. Before practice, after practice, they put so much into becoming the best hockey player that they can be. It’s really, really good to see it finally be rewarded. I think it’s just great.”

Adam Sýkora's ‘Unmatched Energy’ Uplifting Rangers Through The Home Stretch Of Season Adam Sýkora is the jolt of energy that doesn't seem to ever run out of steam. 

On Jan. 16, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter, outlining the team’s plan to “retool” the roster, with an emphasis of getting younger. 

Since the letter was released, we’ve seen more young players called up and given increased responsibility on a game-by-game basis. 

Similar to his days playing in the AHL, Brodzinski is focused on trying to help the team’s youth thrive and develop into players who could stick around with the Blueshirts for years to come. 

“It's awesome to see these guys here. It's awesome to see him succeed,” Brodzinski said. “It’s the best part about hockey, watching the next generation of Rangers’ break through and really have fun with it. I think they're bringing a lot of enthusiasm and energy, all the right things we need right now.”

The Cubs wrapped up their first series against the Nationals at home over the weekend. It didn’t go as planned with the North iders dropping two of three games after both Matthew Boyd and Shōta Imanaga had some trouble with the long ball. But the big news last week wasn’t the opening series, it came in terms of contract extensions, with Jed Hoyer and company wrapping up one big deal on the eve of Opening Day extending centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong through the 2032 season and completing another with second baseman Nico Hoerner at the end of the week. Today, let’s take a closer look at the numbers behind PCA’s deal. You can see the basic structure of the deal by year per Jon Heyman below:

The deal does not include a team option which ESPN’s Senior MLB Insider, Jeff Passan noted is rare for an extension of a young player under team control:

Obviously the money matters a lot here. Buying out PCA’s arbitration years at $55 million, followed by $30 million a year guaranteed in free agency says that the Cubs believe PCA will be a star. The fact that this is a six year deal rather than a longer deal like the fully guaranteed 12-year contract Julio Rodríguez signed for a guaranteed $209 million or a pre-debut deal like eight year contract Jackson Chourio signed for a guaranteed $82 million tells you a little bit about where the Cubs see PCA relative to two other young, star outfielders. Unlike PCA’s deal, both of those deals have options. Like PCA’s deal, both of those deals have escalators that can push the value of the contract far higher than its guaranteed rate, in PCA’s case adding potentially $18 million to the deal.

Pete Crow-Armstrong gets the benefit of being assured he’ll hit free agency before his age-30 season. That’s an interesting nugget in this deal given that the biggest question mark in terms of PCA’s long-term value is his ability to control (or not) the the strike zone. A skill that he could continue to improve on marking last year’s gains or one that could fall apart entirely as he ages. From FanGraphs’ write-up of the extension:

That’s decent, but I don’t know if I’d call it plus power or anything; Crow-Armstrong’s EV90 in 2025 was 81st out of 145 qualified hitters. That’s where the other two changes come in. As a rookie, PCA had a 79.2% Z-Contact%. Anything below 80% in that mark is survivable, but it’s hard to thrive in that range without truly elite power. In 2025, he raised his in-zone contact rate to 83.8%.

Third: He is getting the absolute maximum out of what contact he makes. The most valuable batted balls, in general, are hit in the air and to the pull side. In 2024, Crow-Armstrong put 19.3% of his batted balls in that direction, which is above average, even good. In 2025, that number was 30.2%, which was the seventh-highest figure out of 251 players on Baseball Savant’s leaderboard.

Crow-Armstrong hit 31 home runs last year because he got the absolute maximum out of his plate discipline and quality-of-contact numbers. Add in the defense and the baserunning, and I think this might literally be the best all-around baseball player you could have with a 4.5% walk rate and a .247 batting average.

But he’s still a player with a .247 batting average and a 4.5% walk rate. Or, to use the more legible figure I mentioned above, a .287 OBP. Last year, Crow-Armstrong made more outs per plate appearance than Nick Castellanos, Lenyn Sosa, and Ke’Bryan Hayes. Is it possible to be a franchise player if that’s true? We’ll find out.

To put this slightly differently, there are question marks about whether PCA will age like Javy Báez or Castellanos — both players who had above average contact skills, right until time caught up to them and then they didn’t.

In that sense, this deal is timed perfectly for both the Cubs and PCA. The Cubs will get a chance to see how that contact tool develops (or doesn’t) over the next six years. If it looks like it will age poorly, they locked down the very best years of PCA in centerfield at Wrigley Field and he should still be a valuable enough player to command additional years of service with another team. If it looks like that tool has improved, they can attempt to negotiate another extension that would make PCA a Cub for life. You can get a sense of the variability in PCA’s hit tool from this 15-game rolling wOBA chart through the 2025 season:

Even with some concerns about a contact tool that may provide some high-highs and low-lows similar to last season, his defense should provide a floor that makes the deal well worth the guaranteed $115 million. PCA is already one of the best defenders in the league. According to Statcast, he saved 22 runs in centerfield during the 2025 season and was tied with Bobby Witt Jr. for the league lead in outs above average with 24. The value of his run-prevention in centerfield alone makes this a smart extension for a Cubs team that tends to sign pitchers who pitch to contact.

And then there’s the chance that PCA finds the level he hit in the first half of 2025 consistently and puts up multiple 30-30 seasons during the lifetime of his extension. If PCA can be a perennial 30-30 guy in addition to the value his glove provides, this deal could wind up being a steal for the Cubs.

Milwaukee has acquired Venezuelan outfielder Luis Matos from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, LHP Sammy Peralta has been designated for assignment.

Matos, the Giants’ No. 7 prospect heading into the 2023 season, made his major league debut in May of that year and recorded at least 150 at-bats in each of the last three seasons. He mashed in the minors, posting an .837 OPS in Triple-A last season, but so far that production has failed to translate to the majors. He had the best season of his career in 2025, but his .690 OPS mark was still below-average.

Matos, who’s still just 24, was DFA’ed by San Francisco last week despite slashing .260/.327/.440 in 50 at-bats this spring. He figures to play a depth role in Milwaukee’s outfield as a right-handed option after the injuries to Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio in the last week. The team has not announced a corresponding move to open a spot on the 26-man active roster.

Also of note: Matos is a certified Brewer killer, with a career 1.255 OPS in 20 at-bats against Milwaukee. If you can’t stop ‘em, get ‘em.

Peralta, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Angels over the offseason. In parts of three MLB seasons with the White Sox and Angels, the lefty has made 30 relief appearances, with a 5.12 ERA, 4.29 FIP, and 37 strikeouts across 45 2/3 innings. He made six appearances this spring, allowing six runs (five earned) with three strikeouts over six innings of work. Sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin the season, he’ll now head back to waivers.

Baseball returns to Kansas City today as the Royals host the Twins for their 2026 home opener. After going 1-2 over the weekend against the Braves, the Royals will look for a win today to reach .500, as sort of meaningless as it is this early in the season.

Max has you covered on the series preview, as usual, which you can find here. He also has you covered on some of the logistics of opening day.

For today’s game, Kris Bubic takes the hill for the first time this season. We last saw him start a game during the regular season on July 26th, 2025, before he was injured and shut down for the season. He was in the midst of an excellent season in which he threw for a 2.55 ERA / 2.89 FIP / 3.3 fWAR. There was a lot of trade speculation during the offseason since he is entering the final year before free agency, but a trade never materialized. I imagine that speculation will restart in June/July depending on how the Royals are positioned in the playoff race. In the meantime, I just hope to see him healthy.

The Twins send Simeon Woods Richardson to start. He’s a big right-handed pitcher who throws roughly five pitches – a four seam fastball, slider, curveball, split-finger, and changeup. To me, the split-finger and changeup share a similar movement profile; his changeup is just slower. His fastball sits about 93 on average, so he doesn’t bring any overpowering heat and does not get a ton of strikeouts.

Woods Richardson pitched to a 4.04 ERA / 4.52 FIP / 1.2 fWAR in 23 appearances last year across 111.1 innings. He’s definitely hittable. It will be interesting to see if the new fence line at Kauffman will make itself known in the first game. It will be a warm opening day – the ball may carry more than usual for a March game, and Woods Richardson is a fly ball pitcher. The ingredients are here for some fun.

The game starts at 3:10pm US Central time. You can watch the game on Royals.TV, or if you are local to Kansas City, it will be available over-the-air on KCTV5/KSMO. You can listen on 96.5 The Fan or the Royals Radio Network.

Lineups:

The San Francisco Giants head south to take on their division rival San Diego Padres tonight at Petco Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who completed the 2025 season with a 3.80 ERA, 3.91 FIP with 102 strikeouts to 45 walks in 106.2 innings pitched.

He’ll be facing off against Padres right-hander Walker Buehler, who completed the 2025 season with a 4.93 ERA, 5.66 FIP with 92 strikeouts to 61 walk in 126 innings pitched between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. Buehler, of course, is a familiar face in the NL West, having played the majority of his career thus far with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Game #4

Who: San Francisco Giants (0-3) vs. San Diego Padres (1-2)

Where: Petco Park, San Diego, California

When: 6:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: Fox Sports 1

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

First Pitch (CT): 3:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Royals Review

After a back-and-forth game against the Orioles, the Twins are back in action this afternoon against Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are running back largely the same squad as 2025 and banking on better health from their pitchers and continued improvement from former Top 100 prospects Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. If that sounds similar to the Twins, you would be absolutely correct!

The Royals are sending lefty Kris Bubic to the mound for his first start of the season. Bubic was phenomenal in the first half last season, leading to an All-Star nod, but faltered down the stretch as fatigue and injuries kept him off the field. The Twins will run out the same lineup they did on Opening Day vs fellow lefty Trevor Rogers, though they’ll need Luke Keaschall and Ryan Jeffers to show some life if they want to get some traction.

Lineups

As the Colorado Rockies MLB and Triple-A teams move into action, rosters are becoming available for the rest of the organizations farm system.

Triple-A Albuquerque

The Albuquerque Isotopes will field the following roster to start the season:

For the Isotopes, the name of the game is tested depth.

Very few players on this roster are making their Triple-A debut. Instead, the Rockies brought in a group of versatile veterans, and some of them young players. The focus will be letting roster progression happen naturally using that depth rather than promoting players before they are ready.

Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) and Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) are the position players to watch. On the pitching side, LHP Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) is the big bullpen name. Then of course the roster features two starters on the cusp of promotion: RHP Gabriel Hughes (No. 12 PuRP) and LHP Sean Sullivan (No. 8 PuRP).

Double-A Hartford

This year, the Yard Goats will begin the season with the following roster:

Things become a bit more complicated when looking at the Yard Goats roster.

There are a number of repeat assignments, some of which are clearly warranted. The Rockies decision to send Victor Juárez (No. 44 PuRP) back to Hartford after ending last season in ABQ is an interesting move.

However, there are also a few aggressive promotions, like Jimmy Obertop (who wasn’t impressive in Spokane to end last season). The decision to send Braylen Wimmer (No. 40 PuRP) going back to Hartford is notable. He spent 45 games there last season and to go back to playing at a high level so soon after his brain surgery shows he believes in himself and the organization believes in him as well.

Look for LHP Griffin Herring (No. 10 PuRP) and INF Roc Riggio (No. 14 PuRP) to be in Albuquerque by the end of the season.

That said, that fact that Dyan Jorge (No. 21 PuRP), Zach Kokoska (No. 53 PuRP), and Benny Montgomery (No. 43 PuRP) are still not able to bust past Double-A is a concern.

High-A Spokane

The Spokane Indians will begin the season with the following players:

Here’s where things get interesting.

The Rockies were very aggressive with the pitching staff assignments. Having RHP Yujanyer Herrera (No. 22 PuRP) and RHP Jordy Vargas (No. 21 PuRP) healthy and pitching right out of the gate is excellent, and the organization finally letting RHP Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) off the leash after being overly cautious with him in Fresno last season.

RHP Brody Brecht (No. 3 PuRP) clearly has earned the promotion, and Antoine Jean (No. 46 PuRP) has received an aggressive assignment for his first affiliated professional ball. Everett Catlett is a repeat assignment, but he was solid in Spokane last year and he’ll no doubt be in Hartford at some point this season.

The rotation in Spokane will be one to watch.

The position players to watch are Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) and Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP), both on repeat after short assignments after the draft last year. The Rockies have also promoted Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP), who probably should have been in Spokane at some point last season.

Other than that, lots of familiar faces from Fresno getting the bump up to High-A.

The most notable omission? Ethan Holliday, who will start the season in Fresno.

Low-A Fresno

We’ll update the roster when it becomes available.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers welcome a postseason team from last season, the Cleveland Guardians, to Chavez Ravine for a three-game set.

Game 1 sees Roki Sasaki make his first start since last May, while Cleveland counters with prospect Parker Messick. 

That’s part of why my Guardians vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks expect the Over to hit in this interleague matchup, with first pitch at Dodger Stadium scheduled for 10:10 pm ET on Monday, March 30.

Guardians vs Dodgers predictions

Guardians vs Dodgers best bet: Over 8.5 (-120)

The Los Angeles Dodgers lineup is even more ridiculous with Kyle Tucker in the middle of it, as they scored 16 runs over the weekend. 

They face Parker Messick, a lefty making just his seventh career start. Messick isn't a hard thrower, and if he misses his spots against this Dodgers lineup, he could be in trouble.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians look like they finally might have another bat to support Jose Ramirez in Chase DeLauter, who’s already hit four dingers.

It’s hard to know what L.A. will get out of Roki Sasaki as a starter, so expect some runs.

COVERS INTEL: The Dodgers ranked third in OPS and fourth in wRC+ when facing left-handed pitching last season.

Guardians vs Dodgers same-game parlay (SGP)

Tucker is off to a solid if unspectacular start with his new team. He's 2-for-11 with two RBI and three runs scored.

I like this matchup for him tonight. He’s a lefty who always hits southpaws as well as he does right-handers, so we’re almost always getting value when he’s got a lefty-lefty matchup.

On the other side, no one’s had a hotter start to the season than Chase DeLauter. The rookie phenom has already slugged four home runs with a 1.412 OPS.

Guardians vs Dodgers SGP

• Over 8.5
• Kyle Tucker Over 0.5 RBI
• Chase DeLauter Over 0.5 RBI

Guardians vs Dodgers home run pick: Mookie Betts (+440)

Mookie Betts is my favorite value to go yard at Chavez Ravine tonight at this price. Betts had a terrible, slow start to last season and ended up with just 20 home runs. Still, seven of those came against left-handers in nearly 300 fewer at-bats.

Betts had a .750 OPS vs. lefties last season and has a career .897 OPS against them. He’s also gone deep once already this season, so I’m betting another early-season slump is unlikely.

Guardians vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Cleveland +154 | Los Angeles -184
• Run line: Cleveland +1.5 (-132) | Los Angeles -1.5 (+110)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Guardians vs Dodgers trend

The Dodgers have hit the team total Over in 22 of their last 35 games, good for +8.80 Units and a 22% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Guardians vs Dodgers and game info

Guardians vs Dodgers latest injuries

Guardians vs Dodgers weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

This week we have another fantastic episode for you “Birdo” brains! Joe Doyle of http://overslotbaseball.com/ joined Jake and Scott to talk all things MLB draft! The Cardinals own 6 of the top 86 picks in the 2026 MLB draft cycle. We will be covering all of the elements of that in the lead-up to one of the most consequential drafts in Cardinals history!

To follow along with all of Joe’s great insights and his podcast episodes with scouting directors and high-ranking executives, you can subscribe to his Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Overslot/membership

Follow Joe on X: https://x.com/JoeDoyleMiLB

This week, we talked about the upcoming CBA negotiations that could affect the lower levels of the minor leagues, the Cardinals’ new “type” and players who fit what they’re looking for now (hint: it’s no longer 92 MPH sinkers), players who are projecting in that 13 spot range, JJ Wetherholt and what Joe saw coming out of West Virginia, and much more! Oh, and this week is only 30 minutes so, for those of you who prefer a shorter episode, this ones for you!

Next week we will be doing our first “reader mailbag” episode of the season!

-Thanks for listening

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. These can be as high-profile as becoming the youngest MLB player to homer, steal, and walk on Opening Day, or as obscure as setting a team record for the most double-digit strikeout games on Opening Day over the past thirteen years — both of which are included in today’s list. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. So without further ado, let the stat party begin…

THURSDAY

Brandon Lowe’s early home run marked only the second time in 21 years that the Mets have surrendered a run in the first inning on Opening Day. In 2016, an Eric Hosmer single put the Royals up 1-0 against Matt Harvey in the first.

Pirates starter Paul Skenes was relieved after just 0.2 innings pitched, marking the shortest start for an opposing pitcher on Opening Dayin Mets history. Since 1983, only two other Opening Day starters (José Berrios in 2022 and Kyle Gibson in 2021) have failed to complete an inning of work.

The Mets’ pitching staff recorded double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day for the ninth time in the past thirteen seasons. No other National League team has done so more than seven times in that span.

The Mets scored eleven runs on Opening Day for the third time in franchise history, having done so previously in 2013 against the Padres and 1994 against the Cubs.

The Mets scored five runs in an inning on Opening Day for the fifth time in franchise history. They most recently did it back-to-back years in 2017 against the Braves and 2018 against the Cardinals.

The Mets hit multiple home runs on Opening Day for the first time since 2014, when Andrew Brown, Juan Lagares, and David Wright went deep against Stephen Strasburg, Tyler Clippard, and Jerry Blevins, respectively.

Carson Benge and Francisco Alvarez gave the Mets their first back-to-back homers on Opening Day since 1994, when José Vizcaíno and Todd Hundley went deep in the top of the third inning at Wrigley Field. Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds also accomplished the feat in 1988 at Montreal, with Strawberry’s legendary homer hitting the roof at Olympic Stadium.

Benge is one of only two Mets to homer in their MLB debut on Opening Day, joining Kaz Matsui in 2004. Benge is one of just nine Mets to reach base three times in their MLB debut, and the first since Steven Matz in 2015.

Benge is the only player to homer, walk, and steal a base in their MLB debut on Opening Day. Benge is one of just three players in the modern era to homer, walk, and steal a base in their MLB debut, joining Weston Wilson (2023) and Bert Campaneris (1964). 

Benge is also the youngest player to homer, walk, and steal a base on Opening Day, coming in just ahead of Bryce Harper and Barry Bonds. (credit: Metsmerized’s Mathew Brownstein)

Eight players made their Mets debut, marking the most in a given game since Opening Day in 1995. (credit: MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo)

For the fifth straight season, the Mets had an Opening Day starting pitcher who had never started on Opening Day for them before (Tylor Megill, Max Scherzer, Jose Quintana, Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta). That’s only happened one other time in Mets history, from 2013-2017 (Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Bartolo Colón, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard).

The Mets improved to 42-23 on Opening Day, with a .646 Opening Day winning percentage that ranks first among the 30 current major league clubs.

SATURDAY

The Mets remained locked in a 0-0 tie through nine innings for the first time since April 1, 2024, when they lost to the Tigers to fall to 0-4 on the season.

Luis Robert Jr. became the fourth player in Citi Field history to notch their first Mets homer in walk-off fashion, joining Henry Blanco (2010), Eric Young Jr. (2013), and Jesse Winker (2024).

Robert hit the Mets’ first walk-off home run while trailing in the eleventh inning or later since Dominic Smith did it on the final day of the 2019 season against the Braves. Just over two hours after Robert’s home run, Smith hit a walk-off grand slam in his first game as a member of the Braves. (credit: SNY’s Mets Pregame show)

SUNDAY

Starter Nolan McLean and right fielder Carson Benge were teammates at Oklahoma State, where McLean had more homers than Benge and Benge had more strikeouts than McLean. (credit: MLB on X)

In the first two innings, McLean threw three pitches over 98 mph. During his eight starts in the majors last season, McLean threw just one pitch over 98 mph.

McLean has recorded 65 strikeouts through his first nine career starts. That ties him with Al Leiter and Mark Prior for tenth all-time. Former Mets Dwight Gooden (73) and Nolan Ryan (71) rank sixth and eighth, respectively, while Thursday’s starter Paul Skenes (70) ranks ninth.

Luis Robert Jr. is one of only four Mets to record five RBI and reach base eight times in a season’s first three games, joining David Wright (2008), Mike Piazza (2004), and Bobby Bonilla (1995). He is also the fifteenth Met to record five RBI and five hits in a season’s first three games, and the first to do it since John Buck in 2013.

The Mets have now played extra innings in two of their first three games for the fourth time in franchise history, joining 1965 (Astros), 1985 (Cardinals), and 1991 (Phillies). All four instances have occurred with the Mets as the home team.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

Only three Mets have made 10+ Opening Day starts: David Wright (12), Tom Seaver (11), and Bud Harrelson (11).

With Opening Day and the first series of the year under their belts, the Red Sox stay on the road with three games agains the Houston Astros. This time it’s three games over three days, rather than over four, and the series in Texas will get us into April, a more natural time for baseball to be played.

Ranger Suárez will be making his Red Sox debut. Who is Ranger Suárez as a pitcher? It’s worth checking out Jake Roy’s breakdown on his finesse style. But suffice it to say he’s not blowing the world away with fastball velocity and is still really good. In eight years with the Phillies he put up a 3.38/3.54 ERA/FIP. He strikes out north of 20% of batters and over the last two years has dropped his walk percentage from about 9% to around 6%. He was a little behind thanks to some WBC usage but is still pitching in the fourth game of the season. He’s opposed by veteran Lane McCullers Jr., the first of three righties the Astros are starting. McCullers missed all of 2023 and 2024 due to injury and pitched in 16 games (13 starts) in 2025. The results were bad. He only tossed 8.0 innings this spring and while his walks and Ks were both going in the wrong direction, it was still just 8.0 innings. And even as he struggled in 2025 he was striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings. He’s possibly closer to 2022 than 2025. Can the lefty leaning Sox set him back?

The next debut day features Brayan Bello. Bello was brilliant for several months until a rough period down the stretch to close out the 2025 season. Asking Bello to be the #2 may have been too much, even when he shows flashes of great starts. But in the back half of the rotation? He might be the best #4 in the business. He made one start for the Dominican Republic and the WBC and looked good. He was good in Spring Training. These are small samples against varied competition but if he’s healthy he does have the ability to pitch well. Hunter brown finished third in the AL Cy Young voting behind Tarik Skubal and, of course, Garrett Crochet. In his first start of the season he tossed 4.2 scoreless innings while striking out 9. No walks, just four hits.

Boston follows up with the other Cy Young finalist: Garrett Crochet. Crochet basically didn’t miss a beat: 6.0 innings, 8 Ks, 2 BBs, 3 hits, no runs. The Pig is back at it. Mike Burrows for the Astros, however, wasn’t welcomed as warmly to the 2026 season. Over 5.2 innings Burrows gave up 9 hits (2 home runs), allowed 5 runs, walked 2, and struck out 6. Acquired in a three-team trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates that included the Tampa Bay Rays, this was his first outing as part of the Astros organization. The 25-year-old threw 96 innings for the Pirates in 2025 with a 3.94/4.00 ERA/FIP and 97 Ks vs 31 walks. It remains to be seen if the Astros get a little more out of him than Pittsburgh.

After one series Wilyer Abreu is red hot.

Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin are cold.

Connor Wong already has two hits.

And after this series it’s time for the home opener at Fenway Park.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday, March 30: Ranger Suárez (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Lance McCullers Jr. (— ERA / — FIP)

Tuesday, March 31: Brayan Bello (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Hunter Brown (0.00 ERA / 1.63 FIP)

Wednesday, April 1: Garrett Crochet (0.00 ERA / 1.24 FIP) vs. Mike Burrows (7.94 ERA / 6.44 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Monday, March 30 at 8:10 PM ET on NESN

Tuesday, March 31: 8:10 PM ET on NESN

Wednesday, April 1: 2:10 PM ET on NESN

The San Diego Padres avoided getting swept this Opening Weekend, winning, 3-0, on Saturday night against the Detroit Tigers.

Everything went great for the Friars in the series finale. The offense gave the San Diego pitching staff some cushion (that they wouldn’t end up needing). Randy Vásquez dominated the Tigers through six innings, and the bullpen handled business afterward.

With that, the first win of the Friars’ 2026 season is in the books, and they’re looking to add more to the win column. Who better to face than their division rivals from the Bay Area?

Taking the mound

Landen Roupp (SF) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

The 27-year-old Roupp will take the mound for San Francisco after impressing last season in his first full year as a starter.

Roupp converted over from the bullpen in 2024 and finished out ‘25 with a solid 3.80 ERA.

The Giants are pinning an abundance of hope on Roupp to perform in order to fill out the back end of their rotation.

More primarily, San Francisco has yet to win a game after being swept by the New York Yankees during Opening Weekend.

Buehler, on the other hand, struggled immensely in 2025 and is somewhat of a reclamation project for San Diego.

He was decent this spring and finished with a 6.60 ERA (most of that came from his final start where he got tagged for seven runs in three-and-a-third innings).

But if Buehler can find some of the form that saw him finish fourth in 2021 NL Cy Young voting, the Friars will see their starting rotation upside become a reality.

Batter up!

With Roupp being only the second right hander that San Diego has faced (and given that this formula worked against Detroit righty Jack Flaherty on Saturday), manager Craig Stammen will probably construct a lineup similar to that Tigers’ series finale:

1. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Jackson Merrill, CF
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Ramón Laureano, LF
8. Nick Castellanos, DH
9. Luis Campusano, C

It was a surprise to see Cronenworth in the leadoff spot for the Friars, but it will likely not be the last time.

Laureano could bat second after going 3-for-4 on Saturday night, but Tatis has a career .625 batting average against Roupp (eight at-bats). Tatis could even bat leadoff over Cronenworth due to that success.

Campusano is 2-for-2 in his career against Roupp, and he and starter Freddy Fermin have been sharing the backstop role relatively evenly thus far, so it seems possible he gets the start.

The DH spot will likely be filled by Castellanos with his splits versus righties being better than Miguel Andujar’s. But Ty France could also slot into that role since Castellanos has struggled at the plate so far (though France hasn’t been all that much better).

Relief corps

It’s impossible to understate just how much of a gem Vásquez pitched on Saturday night.

Because of that, only Kyle Hart (2 IP) and Mason Miller (1 IP) were used in relief. But with the strange, early off day that the Padres had Sunday, it’ll likely be all hands on deck with everybody available.

Miller was dominant in his 2026 debut for San Diego. The Friar Faithful can hope to see him close tonight so long as the offense can solve Roupp — alongside a shaky Giants bullpen.

It sure would be nice for the San Francisco Giants to get a win under their belt this week. Hopefully, that win happens in this series against the San Diego Padres. On the other hand, over the last four seasons, the Giants are just 10-19 at Petco Park. History is probably not a predictor of the present in the sports context, but talent usually is; in which case, it’s worth wondering if the Giants and Padres are that far apart on paper.

It’s expected to be a down year for the Padres, right? The team’s finances are such that AJ Preller couldn’t make a big splash in free agency and years of huge trades has emptied their farm system. They scored just 7 runs in their opening series against the Tiges, tied for third with the Rockies and just behind the Diamondbacks, putting all four non-Dodger NL West teams in the bottom 5 of the sport in terms of runs scored. By wRC+, San Diego’s 66 puts them just outside that bottom 5 at 6th place. Sustainable for all these NL West teams? Probably not. Plus, this series is a matchup of division rivals, so, expect a tough series.

Still, this is quite the series for remembering some guys.

The Padres, like the Giants, also had some pitching holes that needing patching in the offseason after losing Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez to free agency and Yu Darvish to injury, but San Diego went about it in a way that truly highlights their financial situation. Two of the three starters in this series are league minimum veterans who were picked up by San Diego just before Spring Training. Former Dodgers ace Walker Buehler and former Rockies ace German Marquez both have highlights and pedigree, but they are also emergency options. Will they flash former dominance or will the Giants be able to do damage against players who are essentially afterthoughts?

They also added some veteran hitters before Spring Training, picking up Nick Castellanos to DH after the Phillies released him, Miguel Andujar, and one-time All-Star Ty France.

Adding low-cost veteran players to the roster to serve as its depth is what the Angels do every year and it never really seems to work out for Perry Minasian. Will AJ Preller have better luck? His Padres are also being led by a rookie manager who has even less experience than Tony Vitello from an MLB coaching standpoint. The ceiling would seem to be very low.

Then again, they still have Fernando Tatis Jr. They still have Jackson Merrill. Manny Machado is off and running towards another .800+ OPS season (a career .305/.358/.520 in 483 PA vs. the Giants). Ramon Laureano, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, is off to a hot start. Their bullpen features Mason Miller’s 100+ mph fastball and, as usually, a bunch of fairly anonymous names who come in and get the job done.

I can’t believe I’m using this expression, but the Giants are looking to get off the schneid. They need a win, obviously, if only to halt the creeping dread created by another embarrassing homestand at Oracle Park. Rafael Devers seemed to live down to the national naysayers about his talent (and contract) with a lot of swing and miss in the strike zone; and, generally, it would be silly to say anything positive about a lineup that managed just 1 run in 27 innings at home. Logan Webb didn’t look so hot on top of Tony Vitello glitching out and leaving him in too long. The Padres are looking for a little validation too, though, and beating up on a team they’ve been able to handle might just give them the confidence they need to overcome their Los Angeles Angelsesque roster.

Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (0-3) at San Diego Padres (1-2)
Where: Petco Park | San Diego, California
When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:40pm PT, Wednesday at 1:10pm PT
National broadcasts: Monday (FS1)

Projected starters
Monday: Landen Roupp (season debut) vs. Walker Buehler (season debut)
Tuesday: Logan Webb (0-1, 10.80 ERA) vs. German Marquez (season debut)
Wednesday: Adrian Houser (season debut) vs. Nick Pivetta (0-1, 18.00 ERA)

Players to watch (besides Logan Webb & Manny Machado)

Padres

Gavin Sheets: Their starting first baseman is 0-for-8 to start the season. Last year, he hit 19 home runs and drove in 71 to go with a .746 OPS. In 21 games against the Giants, he’s 18-for-58 with a pair of homers, a triple, and 5 doubles to go with 17 RBI and 7 walks against 8 strikeouts. That’s a line of .310/.403/.534 in 67 PA. He’s 1-for-4 with a homer and 3 walks in 7 PA against Landen Roupp and 7-for-14 with 3 triples against Logan Webb.

Walker Buehler & German Marquez: They both could’ve been Giants in another life… before the team brought aboard two more investors and overcame all the “dead money” obligations that temporarily inflated their payroll. They’ll try to shake off their rough spring trainings (6.60 ERA for Buehler, 7.16 for Marquez) and reestablish themselves as reliable major league starters. They would not be the first players to use performances against the Giants as stepping stones to better things.

Adrian Morejon: Speaking of Spring Training stats (which don’t mean anything if they’re good and everything if they’re bad), the lefty reliever struck out 12 and walked just 1 in 8 IP. Last year, he had a 13-6 record out of the bullpen. He’s given up 6 runs in 26 career innings (19 G; 2.08 ERA) against the Giants while striking out 25 and walking 9.

Giants

Luis Arraez: The Giants’ second baseman will be facing his former team in a stadium where he has a career .294 batting average (139 G, 594 PA).

Jung Hoo Lee: He has a .297 average in 10 games at Petco along with a pair of home runs.

Keaton Winn: It would be really easy to say “Watch Ryan Walker every series,” because a lot of the Giants’ success this season (if that’s in the cards) is tied to how he performs; however, it’s going to take more than Walker to make this a formidable relief corps. The Giants have something in Caleb Kilian, but after that, it’s a rough draft. Winn has the stuff to become the third righty in the ‘pen and having Walker-Kilian-Winn as late inning relief options would shorten the game in a meaningful way.

Tony Vitello watch

Talent makes managing a whole lot easier, but as Tony Vitello demonstrated on Opening Night, that idea has a limit. Yes, Logan Webb is probably the best player on the roster — certainly, the best pitcher — but leaving him on the mound far longer than was warranted not only set back Webb (it’ll take a while to get that ERA down), but created a little doubt about the new manager’s confidence here in the early going. If there’s one area of the game where a manager does make a tangible impact beyond interpersonal relationships, it’s in managing the bullpen/making pitching changes. Beyond that, projecting confidence is one of those top-down behaviors that every successful organization demonstrates. The Giants were quiet and overmatched. A reflection of their manager right now?

This Padres matchup is a great test, because San Diego’s manager Craig Stammen is a brand new manager for 2026, too. He’s also an unconventional hire in that after the former reliever retired in 2023, he joined the Padres’ front office as an advisor before becoming the sixth manager hired by AJ Preller, San Diego’s President of Baseball Operations. He was a major league pitcher, though, which is more major league experience than Vitello had. He also picked up his first win this weekend.

Padres beat writer Dennis Lin wrote about Stammen’s path to the top step of the dugout and this bit stands out:

The modern game may be strengthening the case for pitchers as managers. The universal designated hitter effectively eliminated the double switch. The three-batter minimum simplified the bullpen chess that once demanded encyclopedic knowledge of platoon splits. Analytics script many in-game decisions before the first pitch is thrown. What managing means, more than ever, is handling people.

The “anyone can cook” vibes surrounding the manager position is probably another consequence of making the sport more “efficient” — as big data has the effect of cheapening the role — but Stammen and Vitello have the job, so they might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Admittedly, that might become tough to do if the losses really pile up.

Prediction time

Well, last time out, I said the Giants would avoid the sweep. They did not. However, I feel compelled to go with that again here because the alternative is an 0-6 start. Therefore, the Giants will notch their first win of the season.