Worldwide Sports News

Detroit Tigers (5-9) vs. Miami Marlins (8-6)

Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica Park
Opponent Site: Fish On First
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Casey Mize (0-1, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Janson Junk (0-1, 3.09 ERA)

The suddenly slumping New York Yankees lost again on Friday night at Tropicana Field. The offense continues to come up short, and they just can’t buy a hit. We’re putting the bats to the side for a moment though to discuss Luis Gil and his first start of the season at the MLB level after struggling on Sunday in Triple-A. Skipped in his first time around because the Yankees only needed four starters through the first couple weeks, Gil’s in an important season, as the luster really faded from him last year after an AL Rookie of the Year win in 2024.

It’s safe to say things could have gone better on Friday. Four rocky innings of work and 88 pitches were the final tally, and to be completely honest, this was—for large stretches of his outing—2025 Gil all over again, struggling to throw strikes and to consistently generate swings and misses.

Gil allowed three runs on three hits and three walks in the four frames, striking out two. He also threw a wild pitch and hit a batter in the disappointing outing.

After struggling with velocity for much of the spring, Gil averaged 95.1 mph on his four-seamer on Friday against the Rays, down from the 95.3 mph of 2025 and a more impactful 96.6 the year before. This pitch was his bread and butter in 2024, when he won Rookie of the Year, but it just earned one swing-and-miss on 13 swings for a meager eight-percent whiff rate. For reference, the fastball earned an 18.8-percent whiff rate in 2025 and a 28.5-percent whiff rate in 2024.

For the night, Gil got just five empty swings: three on his slider, which he struggled to fully command, one on his changeup, and one on his four-seamer.

Gil threw 38 balls and 50 strikes on the night, but he was all over the place with all his pitches:

Gil opened the game trying to establish the four-seamer and complementing it mainly with sliders. He got two quick outs in the first inning before running into trouble, walking Jonathan Aranda and hanging this slider to Yandy Díaz, who gladly deposited it in the right field stands for a game-tying two-run dinger:

What looked like a quick and painless opening frame for Gil turned into a 32-pitch inning that set the tone for the rest of his outing and immediately capped his upside to go relatively deep into the game.

The second time through the lineup, Gil started to introduce more sinkers and changeups. The former actually helped him get five called strikes and led to a 57.9-mph average exit velocity in three batted-ball events, with just one of them going for a hit. One could argue that, with better command, the pitch could potentially be useful. It doesn’t look like a huge difference-making offering, though.

It’s hard to envision a successful Gil without better control, command, and velocity. Take away those three things, and his ceiling is severely capped.

It’s also important for him to maintain his velo deep into his outings. The pitch averaged 95.8 mph in the opening frame, and then slipped to 94.4 mph in the second, 93.8 mph in the third, and 94.4 mph again in the fourth. His sinker did average 96.6 mph in the third, though, but Gil just won’t be successful if he’s sitting in the 93-94 mph range.

Gil did make a nice defensive play on a squeeze play attempt by the Rays in the fourth, preventing another run from scoring. So at least his glove helped him out a little bit.

It’s still early. Heck, it’s Gil’s first start of the season. We are willing to grant him a pass, as we shouldn’t be judging a pitcher using just one outing. However, one thing needs to be said: given that this more of the same frustrating Gil, he will need to pick it up soon if he doesn’t want to be at serious risk of losing his rotation spot whenever Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón return. Unlike in the ALDS, he is fully behind Will Warren on the depth chart.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We have a full slate of 15 MLB games to choose from today, which offers up lots of options when it comes to prop betting from the matinee matchups to the late-night finishes on the West Coast. 

Keep reading to see my best MLB player props for Saturday, April 11, highlighted by a plus-money Jackson Merrill play.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Kodai Senga	Over 6.5 Ks	-108
Trent Grisham	1+ runs	-120
Jackson Merrill	1+ RBI	+125

Kodai Senga Over 6.5 strikeouts (-108)

Kodai Senga has looked sharp in his return to the New York Mets' rotation after a 2025 marred by injuries. 

He's recorded 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings over his first two starts, good for a rate of 12.3 per nine. That’s above his career mark of 10.2 per nine, and more like what Mets fans have expected after his outstanding rookie campaign in 2023.

The Athletics have been one of the more strikeout-heavy offenses in baseball early this season, racking up 133 Ks in their first 13 games. Senga should get plenty of swings and misses against this lineup, and that makes his strikeouts Over a great play.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, SNY

Trent Grisham 1+ runs (-120)

While Trent Grisham has been struggling in some ways in the early going – his .158 batting average looks ugly on the Jumbotron – he’s been excelling at his most important job, which is getting on base at the top of the New York Yankees lineup.

Grisham has a .347 OBP and has scored seven times in 13 games to start the season.

Journeyman Nick Martinez has given the Tampa Bay Rays some good innings to start the year, but I don’t have confidence in the 35-year-old to keep up this start.

The Yankees have underperformed offensively, but those struggles have mostly come against southpaws, while they have a .720 OPS against righties. I like Grisham to get on base and the rest of the New York lineup to bring him home tonight.

• Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, Rays.TV

Jackson Merrill 1+ RBI (+125)

Jackson Merrill hasn’t gotten himself into a groove yet this season, but his numbers still benefit from hitting behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and in front of Manny Machado. Merrill has seven RBIs in his first 14 games despite hitting .189 in that span.

Merrill has been historically strong against right-handed pitching, putting up an .855 OPS against righties in his career. Colorado Rockies starter Ryan Feltner isn’t an imposing matchup in that regard either, with only 38 2/3 innings at the MLB level in the last two years and a 5.17 career ERA. 

Facing Feltner could get the San Diego Padres lineup going, and with Merrill in the middle of it all, I like him to pick up an RBI tonight.

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rockies.TV, Padres.TV

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.

Saturday notes…

• TWO IS USUALLY ENOUGH: The Cubs have allowed no more than two runs in eight of their 13 games, but have lost two of the eight, both by 2-0. Last year, they were 51-7 when giving up two or fewer runs, including 13-5 when giving up exactly two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• SIX IS USUALLY ENOUGH: In yesterday’s loss, the Cubs made six hits and limited the Pirates to three. Before then, the Cubs had won all six previous games this season in which they had outhit their opponent. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE NICO FILES: Nico Hoerner has a 12-game on-base streak in which he is batting .357/.481/.571 (15-for-42) with six doubles, a home run, nine RBI and nine walks.
• GOOD STARTING: Cubs starting pitchers have a 2.47 ERA in the 13 games so far this year, which leads the NL and is second in MLB (Yankees, 2.40).

Cubs lineup:

The Pirates lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Pirates lineup.

Edward Cabrera, RHP vs. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP

Edward Cabrera has not only been the Cubs’ best starter so far this year, he’s been one of the top starters anywhere in MLB, alllowing just eight of the 41 hitters he’s faced so far to reach base, no runs allowed and nine strikeouts in 11.2 innings. The only little glitch is six walks, and that was an issue for him in Miami, so hopefully it doesn’t become one here.

Cabrera hasn’t faced the Pirates since 2023, and the only current Pirate who has more than a couple of at-bats against him is Marcell Ozuna (2-for-11 with four strikeouts).

Braxton Ashcraft did pretty well in his rookie season last year — 2.71 ERA, 1.249 WHIP in 26 appearances (eight starts). This year he’s going to be a full-time member of the Pirates rotation and he has made two pretty good starts to date, completing six innings in both. In his last outing, April 5 vs. the Orioles, he struck out eight.

He made two starts against the Cubs last year (plus one relief appearance) and allowed four runs in 11 total innings, with 10 strikeouts. Michael Busch homered off him in one of those outings. Pete Crow-Armstrong is 3-for-4 with two doubles.

In case you were wondering, he is not related to Graham Ashcraft of the Reds. But the two families did look into it last year before figuring out that they are not related.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. If you do go there to interact with Pirates fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Columbus Clippers (7-6) – AAA

COL 5 – WOR 8

Box Score

The Columbus Clippers and the Worcester Red Sox faced off in Worcester Friday evening. The Clippers have been struggling against the WooSox, staying just above .500 with last night’s loss marking 3 straight loses against the Red Sox.

It didn’t take long for Ryan Webb to start running into trouble. In the bottom of the second a lead off triple was converted to a run on a groundout. A one-out walk and hit by pitch put two on. George Valera, on rehab assignment in Columbus, committed a fielding error in left field allowing the runner on 2nd to score.

The Clippers defensive woes would continue for the remainder of the game, racking up 6 errors on the night. Webb fell to 0-2 on the year, pitching 3.1 innings. He allowed 2H, 4R (2ER), 6BB, with 4Ks. Jack Leftwich was the only pitcher to not have runs scored on his watch. Leftwich went 1.2IP, 2H, 0R/ER, 1BB, 1K. Andrew Walters pitched an inning, allowing a run on a solo homer. It was the only hit he allowed. Walters walked no batters and struck out 2. Colin Holderman pitched the remaining 2 innings. He allowed 3 hits with 3 runs, none of which were earned. He struck out 5.

The offense pieced together some runs after their shutout the day prior. Petey Halpin went 1-for-3 with a run and a RBI. Travis Bazzana went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strike out. Milan Tolentino made up for his defensive error, going 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the eighth.

But the scoring started with George Valera in the 6th inning, hitting the Clippers’ first homer of the series. Valera went 1-for-4 with a run and 2 RBI.

Akron RubberDucks (4-3) – AA

AKR 8 – HBG 6

Box Score

The RubberDucks were more successful in their Friday night game. Josh Hartle took the mound for Akron and had a solid start. Hartle pitched 4.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 5.

Jack Jasiak earned his second win of the season in his 2.1 innings of work. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits. Alaska Abney pitched 1.2, 1H, 1R, 2BB, 2K. Magnus Ellerts got the save, walking one in his 0.1 IP.

The RubberDucks offense performed well, scoring 8 runs on 7 hits and 9 walks.

Akron’s first run came in the 2nd inning. Nick Mitchell hit a lead off single, stealing 2nd and advancing to 3rd on a wild pitch. Joe Lampe drew a walk, but during Alex Mooney’s at bat, a balk scored Mitchell. Mooney and Jake Fox loaded the bases with walks of their own, but a strikeout and GIDP stopped the rally.

In the 4th inning Mitchell drew a lead off walk. Catcher Interference put runners on 1st and 2nd. Jake Fox hit a single on a liner to left, scoring Mitchell and Mooney.

The walks continued in the top of the 5th. Christian Knapczyk and Nick Mitchell drew back-to-back one-out walks. Joe Lampe hit an RBI single to put the RubberDucks up 5-3. In the next at bat, Alex Mooney hit a 3-run moon shot.

The exciting game ended with flair. Knapczyk had a beauty of a snag at 2nd for the final out of the game.

Lake County Captains (3-4) – High A

LC 3 – DAY 7

Box Score

Lake County struggled against the Dayton Dragons, losing by 4 runs. Braylon Doughty fell to 0-1 on the season. Doughty only pitched 2.1 innings. He allowed 4R (2ER) on 5H, striking out one batter. In the bottom of the 3rd a one-out fielding error on 2B Luke Hill set the Caps up for failure. Doughty gave up four straight singles, putting the Dragons up 3-2 before being pulled for Donovan Zsak. Zsak has pitched 1.2 innings so far this year. He finished the 3rd inning only allowing one walk before retiring the side. He is maintaining a 0.00 ERA. Jogly García pitched 4.0, securing the loss for the Captains. He gave up 3R (2ER) on 2H and 2BB. He struck out 3. Sean Matson pitched the 8th inning, striking out one and allowing one hit.

The Captains had a strong start. In the top of the first, Jace LaViolette and Dean Curley drew back-to-back one-out walks. Aaron Walton and Bennett Thompson hit back-to-back singles to put two runs on the board.

Lake County’s final run came in the top of the 6th. Bennett Thompson drew a lead off walk. He reached 2nd on a wild pitch and 3rd on a flyout. Luke Hill hit a two-out single to score Thompson.

Hill City Howlers (4-3) – Single A

FBG 3 – HC 5

Box Score

The Howlers took a win from the Fredericksburg Nationals. Jacob Zibin had a strong 4.0 inning outing. He allowed 1 run on 3H and 1BB, striking out 5. Luke Fernandez pitched 2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out 2 and walking 1. Keegan Zinn earned the win and recorded a blown save. In Zinn’s 2.0 innings of work, he allowed 2R/ER, 1BB, and struck out 2. Angel Perez earned his 2nd save of the season, closing the game. He walked 2 and struck out 2.

Cannon Peebles had a great game at the plate. He went 1-for-3 with 1R, 2RBI, 2BB, HR, and a SB.

The Howlers got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd. Juneiker Caceres drew a lead off walk which was followed by Cannon Peebles’s 2-run HR.

In the bottom of the 5th, the Howlers tacked on another run. Caceres and Pebbles drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. Yeiferth Castillo work a one-out walk to load the bases. Luis De La Cruz singled to first to score Caceres.

The final runs were scored in the bottom of the 8th. Luis De La Cruz was hit by pitch to lead off. He stole 2nd, but was caught stealing 3rd for the 2nd out of the inning. Yaikel Mijares drew a two-out walk and hustled to 3rd on Robert Arias’ single to right. Juneiker Caceres singled on a liner to left, scoring Mijares and Arias.

Two weeks into the season and the 2026 White Sox roller coaster already has been twisting us left, right, up and down. In such a tumultuous time, the Sox have swung between being swept to being the sweepers faster than Yermín Mercedes peaked and then abruptly retired from baseball in 2021. Ah, such memorable times with Tony La Russa.

After witnessing the highs and lows of such a small sample size, here are the extremely early, yet prevalent, themes that should be followed through the rest of the season.

This Sox crew is a lot more resilient
Now a full year removed from the horrors of 2024, this team is nowhere near cut from the same cloth. Despite playing pitifully on Opening Day and starting 1-5, the Sox have proven that they won’t just roll over and take losses.

As seen in their series against Toronto, the team knows how to step up. In the first two games of that series, the Sox lost but recovered the lead three times. The second game perfectly encapsulates this: After capturing an early lead, the Jays put up two runs in the sixth, quickly tampering the mood. In what would otherwise have been a typical blown win, Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montogmery delivered clutch home runs to pull the Sox ahead, 4-2, in the bottom of the sixth. Even after the Jays cut the lead to one run in the seventh, the Sox capitalized on fielding errors to add two insurance runs in the eighth. Props to Tristan Peters and Murakami’s defensive instincts that resulted in pulling off a bases-loaded, inning-ending double-play.

A similar story played out in the first two games against the Orioles, but unfortunately the Sox didn’t prevail.

This team certainly has more pep in its step, and they aren’t spiraling after losses or mistakes. You can feel the difference in this team’s attitude and mentality. If Chicago continues minimizing their number of blown wins and saves, they could creep into the wild card race.

There are no roster locks
No one’s locker is safe on the South Side. That was evident when Korey Lee was DFA’d and outrighted to Charlotte to make room for Reese McGuire, and it’ll only continue.

Opening Day starter Shane Smith only spent 13 days on the 26-man roster before being optioned to Charlotte after shouldering 10 runs in fewer than nine innings. On the same day, the Sox moved Brooks Baldwin to the 60-day IL, shutting him down for the season. Don’t forget that Mike Vasil, who was supposed to be a reliable reliever, also won’t play a single regular season game until mid-2027. While Smith may be able to bounce back and rejoin the rotation, the roster has quickly turned from slightly more predictable to very uncertain. 

This leaves the door open for dark horse players to emerge as unsung heroes. Peters has proven to be one of these guys after hitting a walk-off single in the home opener against the Blue Jays, and making several strong fielding plays. Anthony Kay has stepped forward as one of the top starters in the rotation after a nearly six-inning shutout and first MLB win since 2021 against the Royals on Thursday.

Any win will truly be a team effort from the Sox. As of now, there are no go-to guys who will carry this team. 

The farm will get tested
Chris Getz is getting a jump on the Triple-A talent at his disposal, which could make or break this season. Instead of snatching every free agent available on waivers, Getz has already called up six guys from Charlotte to plug injury gaps in the 26-man roster. While this is expected from a team that is always strapped for cash, nothing is a given with Getz steering the ship.

Unlike last year, expect Charlotte and even some of Birmingham to be drained of talent by the end of the season. Chicago’s development program and coaching staff will be put to the test with big names like Tanner McDougal, Sam Antonacci and William Bergolla Jr. on the fast-track to the Good Guys, and Bham guys including Braden Montomgery, Rikku Nishida and Calvin Harris potentially turning a major curve on their quest to the majors.

The Sox will either be exposed or praised for their youth once again. Hopefully, it goes as well as it did last year.