SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 01: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners fields the ball against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park on April 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone and happy Friday!
The Mariners kick off the first of 13 games in a row today with a four-game homestand against the rival Astros. With several Mariners struggling through the first two weeks, this will serve as an opportunity to bounce back. Which player are you picking to right the ship during this stretch? I’m going with Josh Naylor.
In Mariners news…
Angela Lim at The Seattle Times outlined what you should eat at T-Mobile Park this year.
Jim Bowden argued that even when Bryce Miller comes back from injury, the Mariners should not consider trading a starting pitcher.
Brendan Donovan has been hot with the bat to start the season, but he’s still getting used to his new defensive home at third base. Shannon Drayer has the story.
Are you familiar with the secret door at T-Mobile Park that provides Gonzo cocktails? Zach Geballe shared the details of this new delight.
Old friend Jorge Polanco is off to a slow start to the season with the Mets, and is now dealing with an Achilles issue that has kept him out of the lineup for a few days.
Hey, look! The Cubs don’t have to face Paul Skenes in this series — and he’s made more career starts against the Cubs than any other team, seven of his total of 58. Skenes, incidentally, currently has the highest ERA of any Pirates starter. Don’t expect that to be the case much longer, though.
Austin Bechtold is a writer at our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. Here’s what he has to say about them.
Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
The division rivals played 13 times last season. Chicago won 10. The Cubs outscored the Pirates 54-26 and hit .256 against Pittsburgh’s pitching.
Chicago smacked an impressive 16 home runs, compared to the Pirates’ five, and earned a .740 OPS. The Pirates batted .182 as a team with a .523 OPS.
In all its charm, Wrigley Field has been a house of horrors for the Pirates in recent years.
The Pirates (7-5) look to set a new precedent in 2026, beginning this three-game series at Wrigley on Friday.
In his first full season as manager, Don Kelly has watched a dreadful offense come to life through the first 12 games.
After hitting a league-worst 117 home runs, the Pirates have already smashed 12, tied for eighth in MLB, and at one point held the National League lead.
A big reason why is offseason additions Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have hit three apiece.
The offense ranks tied for 9th in hits per game (8.3), 9th in average (.247), 6th in on-base (.338), 8th in slugging (.383), and 7th in OPS (.721). The Bucs consistently ranked in the bottom third, if not last, in every category last year.
One early carryover is strong starting pitching. Pittsburgh owns the 6th best starters ERA at 2.87, third in the NL behind the Cubs (2.72) and Atlanta Braves (2.79).
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller pitched in the Padres series at PNC Park, meaning the club will be without their top two arms against a vaunted Cubs (6-6) lineup.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball on Friday, opposite Shota Imanaga, who has dominated the Pirates for what feels like more than a decade (despite it only being three years).
Mlodzinski has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts, but hasn’t been able to pitch out of the fifth inning. The third time through the order is where Mlodzinski, primarily a reliever in his career, has struggled to get through innings.
Saturday plates Braxton Ashcraft against Edward Cabrera, who hasn’t allowed a run in 11.2 innings for Chicago since being traded from the Marlins.
Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s surprise starter after an impressive rookie year. Ashcraft earned a 2.71 ERA over 69.2 innings spanning 26 appearances, eight starts.
He has pitched six frames in each of his first two outings and allowed two runs or fewer both times.
All three games have solid pitching probables, but Sunday’s might be the most fascinating.
Former Pirate Jameson Taillon takes the ball against Bubba Chandler. The No. 11 overall prospect and second-highest ranked pitcher at the start of the season, Chandler touches 101 MPH with his fastball.
The problem is, you don’t always know where it’s going. Chandler’s control remains a main concern, as he has walked 10 batters in 8.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit over 4.1 innings in his season debut at Cincinnati, but walked six and struck out six.
Chandler walked four against the Padres on Monday and allowed five hits and three runs. He has elite stuff, but has work to do to become a consistent pitcher that the rotation can depend on.
Chicago was the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, providing three important games in April for who might take the grand prize in late September.
If the Pirates are going to begin to prove that their start and chances to compete in the Central aren’t a fluke, it begins on the road against a very good team.
Fun facts
The Cubs have played 2,621 previous games against the Pirates, their most against any opponent. They have played 2,525 vs. the Cardinals and 2,429 vs. the Reds.
Their 1,286 wins and 1,317 losses both are the most vs. an opponent. Their 605 losses at home are their most and their 690 wins at home are their third most, behind 715 vs. the Cardinals and 700 vs. the Reds.
Since 2015, the Cubs have won the season series against the Pirates every year while going 113-68-1 overall and 57-31 at Wrigley Field. They were 10-3 last year, including 5-2 at home.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Curtis Mead #45 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park on April 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not much was made of the March 28 trade between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago White Sox, when the Nats sent minor league catcher Boston Smith for first baseman Curtis Mead, who was designated for assignment three days earlier.
A 25-year-old now on his fourth franchise, he had posted just a .231 batting average, .304 on-base percentage, and .632 OPS with 6 home runs and 34 runs batted in across 460 MLB at-bats. He secured a spot on the major league roster after the conclusion of the team’s first series and has absolutely run with every opportunity he’s been given.
The season is still in its earliest stages, but of all the issues plaguing the Nationals in their early 4-8 skid to open the season, Mead has certainly not been one of them. Mead was a former top 50 prospect in the sport, so this is a player with pedigree. He was known as a pure hitter in the minors, but so far that has not translated in big leagues. However, there is a chance, even if it is slim, that he has unlocked something in DC.
He’s seen 17 total plate appearances in 6 games since being activated, and has come out to a flaming hot start. After going hitless in his first 2 games against the Philadelphia Phillies, the first team he saw time in the minor leagues with, he’s recorded a hit in 5 of his last 11 at-bats. Of those hits, 2 have been doubles and 1 was a home run, tacking on 3 RBIs, a stolen base, and 3 walks en route to a .333/.412/667 slash line on the season so far.
Obviously, it’s unreasonable to make any definitive statements on a player just a handful of games under their belt. It’s far from a rare occurrence to see players come out swinging and quickly taper off, but the rise in advanced stats has made it far easier to predict what’s real and what’s a facade.
It’s an extremely small sample…but with everything that Taboni has cooked so far…I think we’re on 👀 watch.
Crazier things have happened than a post hype breakout with an analytically savvy team… pic.twitter.com/QxEFt2c7dy
— ProspectVibeCheck (@PrspctVibeCheck) April 9, 2026
Baseball Savant is by far the most popular database for under-the-hood metrics, and taking one look at Mead’s full profile shows some extremely favorable signs. Every single one of his listed offensive statistics grades out at an above-average percentile, albeit he hasn’t yet recorded enough batted ball data to qualify for a full breakdown. What is available, however, should spark plenty of hope among the Nats fanbase.
Throwing out a few numbers, he’s posted an expected batting average (xBA) of .321, an average exit velocity of 94.2 MPH, and is squaring up the ball at a borderline elite level, all while rarely whiffing at anything.
For the record, while these numbers can lead to a comfortable regression to the mean, they definitely aren’t an end-all be-all. Even so, it would be unwise to chalk up his electric Nationals introduction to just fluky April baseball. Mead has flat-out been a fantastic baseball player to begin his Washington tenure, and if he can continue to post at the plate, President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni might have his first big analytical win since joining the organization.
Apr 8, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers (16) looks on after hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | Justine Willard-Imagn Images
It’ll be a black and orange fest at Camden Yards this weekend as the San Francisco Giants roll into town for an interleague matchup. The two similarly colored teams from opposite coasts and opposite leagues are infrequent opponents. The Orioles have faced the Giants just 27 times in their history, going 14-13. This is the Giants’ first visit to Camden Yards since 2024, when the Orioles averted a sweep on Anthony Santander’s walkoff homer in the series finale. The Giants also took two out of three from the O’s in San Francisco last year.
One familiar name in the Giants lineup is Rafael Devers, a longtime division rival of the Orioles during his Boston days. San Francisco took on the disgruntled Devers and his $300+ million salary from the Red Sox in a shocking trade last June, and since then his bat hasn’t resembled his Beantown best. Devers is hitting just .220/.278/.360 with two homers in 13 games this year. The O’s, who also have a high-priced first baseman who is currently hitting well below his career numbers, can commiserate.
Otherwise, though, the Giants’ infield has been carrying the team offensively, with veterans Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and three-time batting title winner Luis Arraez all hitting well so far. The outfield, on the other hand, has been a huge problem. Corner guys Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos each have an OPS+ of 29, which is horrid, but not as horrid as Harrison Bader’s 2. Yes, that’s an OPS+ of two. The veteran center fielder, signed as a free agent, is batting .114/.149/.205 with five hits in 47 PAs.
Overall, the Giants’ team OPS of .618 is tied for the third-worst in the majors. They’ve hit only five homers all season, last in MLB. They didn’t score their first run of the season until their third game, and didn’t score their second until Game 4. This is a struggling lineup that Orioles pitchers really need to exploit.
San Francisco’s pitching staff hasn’t been much better. Their longtime ace and Jesse Plemons lookalike Logan Webb has a 5.00 ERA through three starts, though most of that damage was done on Opening Night when he gave up seven runs to the Yankees. The rest of the rotation has been decidedly mediocre aside from Robbie Ray, who has a 2.08 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP in three starts. The O’s, fortunately, will miss him in this series.
The Giants, like the Orioles, have a rookie manager, but San Francisco’s was a much more unconventional pick. The Giants hired Tony Vitello, previously the head coach at the University of Tennessee, who became the first manager in MLB history hired directly from the college ranks. The early returns on Vitello haven’t been great, and fans are already mad at him for airing the team’s dirty laundry, among other things.
Roupp (pronounced ROOP, not ROWP) is a third-year righty with excellent taste in birthdays who moved to the Giants’ rotation full time last season. He’s a league average-ish pitcher who gets by on his quality offspeed pitches — a curveball and changeup — rather than his underwhelming fastball. At least there aren’t any Orioles hitters who struggle to hit breaking balls, right? …Right?
The last time Baz walked off the mound on April 4, his ERA was 3.27. Now it’s 80 points higher, thanks to a scoring change from his start in Pittsburgh that changed an error to a hit (and an unearned run to an earned run). Still, his Pirates outing was a nice bounceback from his rough O’s debut a week earlier. This will be Baz’s first career outing against the Giants, one of six MLB teams he’s never faced. But he has faced Devers, and has been dominant against him, holding him hitless in eight at-bats.
There is no local broadcast of this game. It will stream exclusively on Apple TV+.
Game 2: Saturday, 7:15 PM, FOX
RHP Logan Webb (1-1, 5.00) vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (0-2, 14.21)
Woof. On paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the series. As mentioned, Webb got lit up by the Yankees in MLB’s season-opening game, but he’s been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in baseball for the past six years, earning Cy Young votes every season from 2022-25. He’s a true workhorse in a day and age when such things are rare; Webb has thrown at least 204 innings in each of the past three seasons. He’ll generally allow his share of hits but they rarely turn into sustained rallies, because he doesn’t walk many batters (career 2.1 BB/9) and rarely allows home runs (0.6 HR/9). The two Orioles who have faced him the most, Pete Alonso and Tyler O’Neill, are a combined 5-for-30, so this might not be the day for the Polar Bear to break out of his deep freeze.
Meanwhile, Bassitt’s introduction to Baltimore has gone as badly as possible. In two starts, he’s been bombed for 10 runs, 12 hits, and six walks — plus three HBPs — in just 6.1 innings. It’s the full Charlie Morton experience. Unless the 37-year-old Bassitt has just hit the wall, he’s not supposed to be this bad (the Orioles hope). If he aims to bounce back against the Giants, he’ll need to be very careful with Devers, who has owned him with a 10-for-20, three-homer performance in his career. On the other hand, Bassitt has been brilliant against Adames (0-for-11, five strikeouts).
Game 3: Sunday, 1:35 PM, 1:35 PM, MASN
RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 3.97) vs. LHP Cade Povich (0-0, 3.18)
Show of hands, who picked Game 15 of the season as the first time we’d see a Cade Povich start this season? With all due respect to Cade, I was hoping that number would be in the triple digits. Or not at all. But with Zach Eflin having Tommy John surgery and Dean Kremer still stuck in the minors, the O’s are once again giving a shot to Povich, whose first 36 major league starts resulted in a 5.20 ERA and all too many abbreviated outings. I’m not expecting much from Cade, though he did have a workmanlike performance in long relief against the Pirates last week.
The Giants counter with the journeyman Houser, playing for his fifth team in the last four years. He was drafted by Mike Elias during his Astros days, a second-round pick in 2011, before being traded as a minor leaguer to the Brewers in 2015. After seven years in Milwaukee he bounced around to the Mets, White Sox, and Rays before landing with the Giants this offseason. The 33-year-old has faced the Orioles just twice in his career, including once with the White Sox last season, when he allowed nine baserunners in 6.1 innings but still managed a quality start. If the Orioles’ bats are going to heat up, this is the kind of pitcher to do it against.
How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series? Let us know in the comments below.
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 03: Jeff McNeil #22 of the Athletics watches the fireworks show with his family after the game between the Houston Astros and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a less-than-encouraging series to start the homestand, the Mets (7-6) will try to conclude on a higher note as they welcome the Oakland Sacramento Athletics (5-7) to Citi Field. The two teams squared off in California last April, with New York besting the A’s in two out of the three games.
The weather was cold, and the Mets’ bats were colder in a series loss to the Diamondbacks in which they won the first game 4-3 in walk-off fashion but fell 7-2 on Wednesday and 7-1 on Thursday. Tuesday’s win saw the Mets jump out 2-0 by the second inning before their bats disappeared until the eighth. Arizona put up a three-spot—aided by an ABS challenge overturn that directly led to the three runs—in the fifth, but the Mets scratched out a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to knot up the game. That set the stage for Ronny Mauricio to play hero, as Juan Soto’s roster replacement lined a single in the tenth in his first at-bat of the year to give New York the win.
The good vibes were shortlived, as the team appeared lifeless in their loss on Wednesday afternoon—like on Tuesday, this game was moved up to 4:10pm to deal with cold conditions, in front of a sparse and bundled-up crowd at Citi Field. David Peterson allowed five runs through the first two frames, and New York really could not recover. Sean Manaea was mostly solid in relief, but gave up two runs on a ball that Luis Robert Jr. dropped in the ninth. Nolan McLean took the mound on Thursday and was dominant, allowing just one hit through five and pitching into the seventh. However, with a 1-0 lead and two runners on, he was removed in favor of Luke Weaver, who had his first rough outing as a Met as he blew the lead and allowed four runs—two charged to McLean, and two charged to his ledger. Luis García allowed three in the eighth to put the game well out of New York’s reach.
The returns so far in Soto’s absence has been mixed. After an offensive outburst in the 2 8/9 games he missed in San Francisco, the Mets’ lineup looked listless. Some of it could likely be attributed to cold conditions and a lack of enthusiasm from the crowd, but it’s also hard to deny that the lineup generally looks a lot emptier without Soto’s bat in the lineup. With guys like Francisco Lindor continuing to struggle, and Jorge Polanco missing some time due to his achilles, it’s putting a lot of pressure on newcomers like Robert and Bo Bichette to pick up the slack, and an added burden on youngers like Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Francisco Alvarez to become impact bats in the lineup.
The A’s are coming off a series win in the Bronx, as they took two out of three from the Yankees. This follows a series in which they took two of three at home from the Astros. They did so in vastly different ways: They used offense to topple Houston, winning by scores of 11-4 and 12-0 (while losing the middle game 12-0), while their pitching excelled at Yankee Stadium, with 3-2 and 1-0 wins after losing the first game 5-3. The former should be no surprise, given how offense-friendly their temporary home ballpark has proven to be.
Shea Langaliers has gotten off to a torrid start this season for the A’s, slashing .289/.333/.644 with a 182 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR in 48 plate appearances. Among qualified American League bats, he’s 11th in wRC+ and tied for 15th in fWAR. Meanwhile, his five home runs are tied for the league lead, while his .978 OPS is 11th in the league, just ahead of teammate Max Muncy. Speaking of Muncy, he has a 161 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR in the same number of plate appearances, with two home runs and a team-leading 11 runs scored. Checking in on old friend Jeff McNeil, he has a 92 WRC+ and 0.1 fWAR in 35 plate appearances so far in his new home, and has a .258/.343/.290 slash line so far.
Friday, April 10: Clay Holmes vs. J.T. Ginn, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX
Holmes hurled seven shutout frames in his last outing as he earned his second win in as many starts this season. He was efficient with his pitches, throwing 90 across the seven frames, with 61 of them (68%) going for strikes. He issued two walks and struck our four, and he limited San Francisco to just three hits in the win. Holmes continues to excel as a starter, and he’s once again been one of the anchors to the team’s rotation early on in the season.
Ahead of the 2022 MLB season, J.T. Ginn was ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect on Amazin’ Avenue’s prospect rankings. Then the Mets traded him during that spring training in a package for Chris Bassitt, and Ginn has been in the Athletics’ system ever since, breaking through with the team in 2024. He spent much of the last two seasons oscillating between reliever and starter but he’s made all three of his appearances as a reliever this year before his spot start on Friday. He did make his first start of 2025 against the Mets as well and earned the victory (the second of his career), as he hurled 5 1/3 inning of one-run ball with six strikeouts and two walks.
Saturday, April 11: Kodai Senga vs. Jacob Lopez, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Senga returning to form has been one of the highlights of the early season, and a much welcome sight for a team that was debating trading the right-hander over the offseason. The right-hander threw five shutout innings his last start and was prime to finish up six shutout frames before running out of gas during his last two batters. He finished up with 5 2/3 pitches, allowing two earned runs on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. It’s still early, but signs have been very positive, dating back to spring, that Senga is back to his old self, and if he can stay healthy, he should continue to find success the way he’s been throwing.
Lopez is coming off the best year of his young career, finishing with a career-best 1.1 bWAR and finishing 2025 with a 4.08 ERA in 21 games (17 starts). However, he’s gotten off to a rough start this year, and it’s easy to point to the main culprit. Lopez has walked six batters against just six strikeouts in his two outings. In fact, in his first start, he walked five without striking out a batter, and then followed up that up with five more walks. Across the two starts, he’s thrown just 53% of his pitches (97 out of 183) for strikes. He will need to improve his control if he wants to get his season back on track.
Sunday, April 12: Freddy Peralta vs. Aaron Civale, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY
Peralta’s final line his last time out wasn’t as bad as it looked (4 2/3, three earned runs, three hits, three walks, five strikeouts) as he pitched four scoreless frames before tiring out in the fifth and failing to record the third and final out of the fifth. His ledger may have remained clean—he exited having allowed no earned runs with two outs in the frame—but a successful ABS challenge overturned an inning-ending strikeout and immediately led to the three runs scoring. Peralta also was less than efficient, needing 101 pitches to get through the outing and struggling with a high pitch count and deep counts from the first inning, which did not help his cause.
Civale has gone five innings in each of his two outings so far and has had mostly strong results. His first time out, he earned the win against the Braves, allowing two earned runs on four hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. He followed that up by allowing one earned run on two hits in a no decision against the Yankees. However, in that start, he walked four which was less than ideal, though he did also strike out three batters.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 07: Riley Greene #31 of the Detroit Tigers reacts to striking out against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Target Field on April 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 4-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a quiet day around baseball and particularly in the Yankees’ dugout, the Bombers getting one-hit to lose the rubber match against the Athletics, 1-0, with hardly a whimper of protest. There were only five other games around the league on this sleepy Thursday, and only one we’ll cover today for Rivalry Roundup, the Twins completing a four-game sweep of the Tigers to relegate the clawless cats to last place in the AL Central in the very early going.
Minnesota Twins (7-6) 3, Detroit Tigers (4-9) 1
This game featured two of the most profligate starting pitchers through the first two weeks, Twins starter Mick Abel entering the contest with an 11.05 ERA while Tigers starter Jack Flaherty wasn’t much better at a 7.56 ERA. Abel was the headliner in the deal that netted the Phillies closer Jhoan Duran at the last trade deadline while Flaherty declined his offseason opt-out to remain with the Tigers for a $20 million salary in 2026. Both pitchers came into this game having walked as many as they struck out, neither reaching the five inning mark in any of their appearances.
Both rebounded from such disappointing opens to their seasons to make this an actual pitchers’ duel. Flaherty went 5.2 innings, allowing a run on five hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts. However, it was Abel who came out on top with his six scoreless innings, the Twins righty allowing four hits and walking three while also tallying a half-dozen strikeouts. Abel doubled Flaherty’s whiff total — 14 to seven — his 95 mph four-seamer overpowering the Tigers lineup to achieve a 40-percent whiff rate.
In truth, this was far from an exhibition in timely hitting by either team, the Tigers going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight while the Twins were only slightly better — 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and nine men stranded. Detroit made Abel work early but with nothing to show for it. Colt Keith led off the first with a walk followed by a Gleyber Torres single to put a pair on with no outs. The second followed an identical trajectory, Zach McKinstry drawing a leadoff walk followed by a Javier Báez single. However, Abel struck out a pair both times before getting the inning-ending batted ball out. He also erased one-out doubles by Riley Greene in the third and Báez in the fourth.
Minnesota struck first in the fourth, Josh Bell blasting a booming leadoff home run to continue a hot start to the season for the DH — now with three home runs, ten RBIs, and a 204 wRC+ in his first 13 games.
After that, it was the Twins’ turn to be inefficient with runners on. Bell and Matt Wallner smacked one-out singles in the sixth while they put a further pair on in the seventh on an Austin Martin single and Byron Buxton walk, only to strand all four runners. That gave the Tigers the opportunity to tie the game in the seventh, Jake Rogers reaching on a HBP and advancing to third on a one-out single from Keith before jogging home on a Torres sac fly.
There was a really scary moment in the eighth, Bell hitting a leadoff liner to left-center that resulted in a collision between Greene and Parker Meadows. Meadows remained down on the field for several minutes, and though he was able to stand up with some assistance, the center fielder had to be carted off, the severity of the injury as yet unknown.
As it happens, those events signaled the beginning of the Twins’ game winning rally. The next batter Wallner drew a walk and advanced to second on a Victor Caratini single. Reliever Will Vest struck out Kody Clemens to draw within an out of escaping the jam, but Royce Lewis kept the rally alive with a two-out single to load the bases. With the righty Vest on the mound, Derek Shelton chose to pinch-hit the switch-hitting Brooks Lee for Martin, and boy did it pay off. Lee fought back from 0-2 down to eventually force a full count, and on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, he pulled a center-cut fastball through the right side and under the diving attempt by McKinstry to plate Wallner and Caratini as the winning runs.
After winning their first two games of the season, the Tigers have now lost nine of eleven to fall to last place in the division. Meanwhile, with the win the Twins creep over .500 for the first time since last June and find themselves second behind the Guardians.
COLUMBUS, GA - MARCH 31: David McCabe #24 of the Columbus Clingstones poses for a photo during the Columbus Clingstones photo day at Synovus Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 in Columbus, Georgia. (Photo by Kaylinn Gilstrap/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The affiliates left much to be desired on Thursday evening, but the one man who kept his great season rolling was David McCabe. McCabe has homered in half of Columbus’s games so far, and his performance led to the only win in the system. In Augusta Luis Arestigueta made his season debut and looked sharp, striking out six batters over three innings.
Carlos Carrasco, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2.40 ERA
Hayden Harris, RP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 6.23 ERA
It was a drag on the offensive end for the Gwinnett Stripers, who struggled to get anything going throughout this game save for a single big swing from Jim Jarvis. While the Sounds were applying steady pressure throughout the game the Stripers had no real signs of life with two outs in the fifth inning, when Sandy Leon poked a bloop hit the other way for just his second hit this season. On the very next pitch Brewer Hicklen hit a sharp liner back up the middle and into center field, and for the first time in the game Gwinnett was threatening a bit with two runners on and the top of the order up to bat. With the game sitting on a one run margin Jarvis had a chance to make a huge impact on this game, and the Sounds were giving him a diet of sliders on the inning half of the plate. When the count ran to 2-2 Jarvis got a slider that stayed in the top of the zone and he turned on it, hooking it fair down the right field line and into the visitor bullpen for a three-run home run. Aaron Shunk got Gwinnett right back rolling with their fourth straight hit, but the fun ended on a Rowdy Tellez strikeout and the Sounds clawed those runs back in the late innings. In the sixth the Stripers had a huge chance to score after a Ben Gamel leadoff walk that was followed by a double from Jose Azocar, but the left fielder cut the ball off before it could reach the wall and held Gamel at third base. The next two Stripers struck out with runners in scoring position, and Leon ended the inning with an infield pop up, spoiling what would be by far the biggest chance for Gwinnett in the later half of the game. Hicklen’s single to lead off the next inning was the final hit they would get in the game, and even he didn’t last on the basepaths when a laser from Schunk went straight at the third baseman with Hicklen running, turning into an inning-ending double play.
While the offense was in the pits Carlos Carrasco kept Gwinnett around in this game with a strong outing that saw him cover five innings of one-run ball. His early inning work was a bit shaky with the first two batters netting singles and former Striper Eddys Leonard tagging him for a second inning home run, but he found a rhythm quickly and begin retiring the order with ease. Carrasco allowed only one hit over the final three innings, and after that swing from Jarvis he was in line for a win. Unfortunately that lead would quickly dwindle and flip, as Anthony Molina had an outing that was marked by a huge defensive mistake. Though Molina was shaky and gave up a lot of contact, in the sixth inning he had the Sounds down to the final out with two runners on and none in, and he forced a soft roller over to the left side. Luke Williams made the pick and tossed to first, but put it in the dirt and the ball got past Tellez allowing two runners to score and tie the game. Molina came in for another inning and once again Eddys Leonard made his presence felt, hitting his second home run of the game to give the Sounds the lead and in the end the game. The only pitcher to slow him down was Hayden Harris, who appeared in the ninth inning just to face Leonard. A caught stealing accounted for the second out while Harris was on the mound, and Harris needed just four fastballs to retire Leonard on swings.
Owen Murphy, SP: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 5.40 ERA
Jhancarlos Lara, RP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 6.75 ERA
The Clingstones had some issues making contact in this game, recording 13 strikeouts and only six hits, but the Biscuits issued free pass after free pass to the top of the lineup and eventually they would take advantage of the wildness of the Montgomery staff. First, they walked the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning, only for a strikeout and a double play to eliminate a huge threat. Montgomery took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, and after three innings held fast to a 3-0 advantage. The second time through the order David McCabe made an impact with the lumber, crushing a monster home run to center field to put the Clingstones on the board. Jordan Groshans made it back-to-back home runs to pull Columbus within a run, but the fireworks faded and Columbus went back to struggling in key moments with runners on. In the top of the eighth inning they had another good chance with the top of the order up to bat, and once again the Biscuits issued three consecutive walks to load the bases. With the tying run on second base Drew Compton hit a dangerous grounder over to the right side of the infield, but the second baseman bobbled the ball a bit after tagging out Jordan Groshans, and that delay ensured that Compton had plenty of time to get to first and prevent the double play. Adam Zebrowski tied the game up with a base hit, a feat matched by Ambioris Tavarez who landed an inside-out liner just inside the right field line to give Columbus their first lead of the day. A wild pitch scored one more and Ethan Workinger fit a chopper perfectly between second base and short, extending the inning to a five run outburst and giving Columbus a comfortable lead.
Owen Murphy really struggled in this game as he could not find his command at all and Montgomery took advantage quickly. Murphy walked four batters and hit another, and never really seemed to settle in with the command of any of his pitches. In the third inning he allowed that hit batter and three walks in a span of just five batters, and after a base hit forced in the third run allowed Murphy was yanked from the game for Samuel Strickland. This was a highly out of character outing for Murphy, whose last remotely similar game as a professional came on July 20, 2023 when he walked four and struck out four over three innings. It’s just the third time he’s walked more hitters than he has struck out as a professional. After a shaky opener last week Jhancarlos Lara got back in the saddle with a good performance, limiting the action to just one walk and no hits over 1 2/3 innings and earning the win. The same cannot be said of Elison Joseph, who managed to not allow any runs despite walking four of the nine batters he faced. Joseph had a terrific outing last week and gave some hope he may turn things around after a disappointing regression last season, but this is more of the old ways we saw last season where he really seems to have no idea where the ball is going.
Swing and Misses
Jhancarlos Lara – 4
Samuel Strickland – 4
(3-3) Rome Emperors 5, (4-2) Bowling Green Hot Rods 10
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 6.35 ERA
It’s been a rough start to the season for Cedric De Grandpre and his command, as both outings have featured him struggling to find the strike zone. His first outing features enough control to work around his bad moments and keep a good final line, but in this one it was all over the place and he ran out of leash quickly. The first inning was solid enough despite a walk, but it all fell apart after a leadoff home run in the second inning. De Grandpre allowed three hits and two walks before being pulled, and if it wasn’t for a failed double steal attempt it could have been an even uglier line. Colin Burgess recording two caught stealing in the inning really kept the game reasonable for the time being, but that didn’t last. Jacob Shafer let up three more runs in the next inning, and just a third of the way through the game was already out of hand. After Shafer gave up two more runs in the fourth inning it was a beat down, and all of Rome’s runs came with the game well in hand.
The Rome lineup had all sorts of trouble with Bowling Green starter Jacob Kisting, who struck out the side in the first inning. It took four innings before a bloop single from Colby Jones had the Emperors in the hit column, but all the while Bowling Green was scoring the Emperors had no real answer. Logan Braunschweig finally got some good lumber on the ball and led off in the fifth inning with a single, and despite no more hits in the inning he was able to advance and score to get Rome off of the goose egg before Kisting left the game. Immediately the Emperors had more success against the mop up guys for Bowling Green, with Eric Hartman drawing a walk and scoring a run on a Mason Guerra double. Still the top of the order didn’t really have much say (especially with Gil and Owen Carey both sitting this one out), but that would change in the seventh inning. Isaiah Drake floated a single into center field to put runners on the corner, bringing up Cody Miller who has really struggled in the few games he’s played this year. He had a great swing in this at bat, though, hitting a deep fly ball to left field that fell for a corner and brought in Miller’s first RBI of the season. Isaiah Drake has struggled a bit with an elevated strikeout rate in the small sample so far this season, and there is a level of expectation that will happen as he tries to tap into his power more often, but it doesn’t seem to be a matter of any swing deficiencies causing it. His timing is fine and he’s making solid contact when he does get to the ball, so with a bigger sample size he should start to see his strikeout rate trickle back down to the impressive numbers we saw last season. He has, at least in this sample, been a lot more patient than he was in his 32 games in High-A last season. He got far too aggressive last season on borderline pitches and his walk rate plummeted after being promoted, but in his leadoff role this season he is showing a good eye and attacking the pitches he wants to hit more often, another good sign for him in the few times we’ve gotten to see him.
Swing and Misses
Cedric De Grandpre – 7
Jacob Kroeger – 6
Isaac Gallegos – 5
(2-4) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (2-4) Delmarva Shorebirds 7
Landon Biedelschies, SP: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 15.00 ERA
Luis Arestigueta, RP: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2.25 ERA
If you were hoping for a happy ending to a pretty lackluster day on the farm it’s not going to come in Augusta, as the GreenJackets had their worst collective offensive performance of the young season. Five hits to 15 strikeouts is never the ratio you want to see, and even some of the game’s bright spots came with their caveats. Tate Southisene drew two walks, but also struck out in his first two at bats both on pitches out of the strike zone. Southisene has been a bit off at the plate so far this season, with a handful of ugly at bats and a lot of swing-and-miss with an approach that’s bordered on too patient early in counts. Now, it could be the Braves trying to get him to see pitches, a teaching style that has become more common to the Braves in recent years, but it’s the contact that’s been the most unfortunate. So far it’s been mostly soft ground balls from Southisene and it’s clear the approach on what pitches he can drive needs a bit of work. Luis Guanipa had a couple of hits, one a hard hit line drive up the middle, but it’s been more of the same for him early this season. While he has the bat speed and barrel presence to make contact at a high rate he just swings at way too much and his swing mechanics aren’t consistent enough for him to drive the ball. The lack of walks is getting scarier and scarier and his swing decisions need to take a massive leap to get him to a point he can compete at the High-A level and make that jump.
Thursday featured two good Landon Beidelschies innings and one very sad one. Beidelschies was leaning heavily on his slider this outing, and while he mostly kept it in the zone and low in the early innings as he kept pounding them in there they started to get higher and more on his arm side. His release point deteriorated the deeper he went into the game. and the Shorebirds were all over anything he left in the strike zone. They racked up six straight hits in the third inning and scored five runs before Beidelschies was finally able to pick off a runner and get a strikeout to escape the nightmare. The most promising performance for either side of the ball came by Luis Arestigueta, who was terrific in his relief appearance finishing this game. Arestigueta commanded his fastball and slider well, and with the quality of those pitches he can always have some success if he stays around the zone. He slider had a sharp bite off the plate and he showed a more vertical fastball, one he was able to put at the top of the zone and get hitters to swing under. He hit a bit of a wall in the third inning and issued a walk, hit a batter, then walked another, but he settled back down with a strikeout and retired the final three guys in the inning. After a disappointing 2025 season this is a huge start to the year for Arestigueta, who has a great base with his slider and projectability. He didn’t utilize the changeup in this offering and that’s still a distant third pitch for him, but the main goal for him will be to stay in the rotation and get more than 42 innings this season.
Tonight in Seattle the Astros (6-7) and Mariners (4-9) meet. This is only slightly overstating it: Houston can’t pitch and Seattle can’t hit. Who blinks?
The favorites in the American League West before the season started, these teams are struggling. Houston has given up 35 runs in their last four games. Seattle scored a total of three runs in their three-game series against the Rangers earlier this week and have scored more than three runs in a game once in their last eleven games. Neither team is too far behind first place Texas, but there has to be an underlying sense of urgency brewing in each clubhouse as they prepare for this weekend series.
The pitching matchup features Houston right-hander Tatsuya Imai against Seattle’s red-hot Emerson Hancock. Hancock has been dominant to open the season, allowing just one earned run across nearly 13 innings for a sparkling 0.71 ERA. How he fares against the top of the Houston lineup will dictate the outcome of this game. Imai, meanwhile, showed marked improvement in his second start in North America after struggling with his command in his first start of the season. In Seattle he faces a team that strikes out an average of once per inning and has scored a total of 40 runs in 13 games. Only Cincinnati (39) has scored fewer runs in all of baseball. Its not surprising the Game Total is set at just 7.5 runs.
Last season, Seattle went 4-2 at home against Houston and took eight of thirteen against the Astros.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Astros vs. Mariners
Date: Friday, April 10, 2026
Time: 9:40PM EST
Site: T-Mobile Park
City: Seattle, WA
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Mariners.TV, SCHN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Astros vs. Mariners
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
Christian Walker has hit safely in 5 straight (9-23) and 10 of his last 11 games (16-44)
Yordan Alvarez is 1-11 over his last three games
Cam Smith is hitting .320 in the month of April
Cal Raleigh is 4-28 (.143) in April
Julio Rodriguez is 1-10 over his last 3 games and is hitting just .143 for the season
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Astros vs. Mariners
The Astros are 4-9 on the Run Line this season
The Mariners are 6-7 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 9 times in the Astros’ 13 games this season (9-4)
The OVER has cashed 5 times in Seattle’s 13 games (5-8)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions: Astros vs. Mariners
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s game between the Astros and the Mariners:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on Seattle on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total UNDER 7.5.
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Wyndham Clark’s birdie putt at 6 looks good. A straight roll. But it drifts a little to the right just before reaching the cup, enough to kink out. That really did look like it was going in. So he remains at -3 for both his round and the Tournament overall. He’s no longer the only player out there in red for his round today: Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November Masters of 2020, birdies 7 and 8 to move into credit today – he’s +3 overall – while the old trooper Freddie Couples birdies 2 to get back to +5. Such a shame about that hideous run at 15, 16 and 17 yesterday - quadruple bogey, double bogey, double bogey – but you can forgive a 66-year-old for running out of gas under the heat of the late-afternoon sun.
The Par 3 Contest winner Aaron Rai starts his second round calmly and confidently. Tea Olive found in regulation, and a long birdie putt that shaves the hole. He remains at -1 after yesterday’s 71, a round that promised more after going out in 33. Meanwhile Wyndham Clark’s run of consecutive birdies comes to an end at 5. Just a par, though he’s now landed his tee shot at 6 into the heart of the green, using the slope to bring his ball towards the flag tucked away front left. He’ll have a good look at birdie from 18 feet, a putt not exactly flat and straight, but as flat and straight as they come around here.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 19: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers on January 19, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The show must go on.
It’s a cliché this Philadelphia 76ers organization must know all too well at this point after the last few seasons, and it’s relevant yet again. With the news that Joel Embiid had appendicitis and an urgent, successful appendectomy yesterday in Houston, any modicum of hope that the Sixers might pull back into a playoff spot seemed to vanish instantaneously.
And with the Sixers’ rough loss to the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors’ win last night, the statistical odds of them doing so all but vanished as well. Though it’s still technically possible, it’s almost guaranteed at this point that the Sixers will not be able to get back into the No. 6 seed over the Raptors and will instead finish the regular season in a Play-In Tournament seed (7-10).
The harsh reality of the situation though is that, without Embiid, it can start to feel inconsequential anyway. Even if the Sixers had managed to sneak into the postseason, their ability to put up any sort of fight against other playoff teams was relatively contingent on Embiid being available to lead the way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I personally would have bet on them going far in the playoffs even with the big fella… but not having him feels like it nullifies even that tiny chance they would have had at a run.
But, again, the show must go on.
There are still two games left to be played for the Sixers in this rollercoaster of a regular season. The first of the final pair will come on Friday night as Philadelphia close their 16th and final back-to-back with a visit to the Indiana Pacers, less than 24 hours after that brutal loss in Houston. This being the second leg of a back-to-back means no official injury report for the Sixers until this afternoon. Obviously Embiid will not be available for this one, but we will let you know who else may have popped up on the report when it is posted later today.
The Pacers, meanwhile, are a tanking, 19-win team this season just looking to cross the finish line and get to the NBA lottery and draft. They were being led this campaign by Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 24.0 points a game in 63 contests this season, but he has missed Indiana’s last three contests due to an ankle injury. With the Pacers not exactly competing for anything, his season might be over.
In his absence, Obi Toppin has taken on a bit of a larger role, even coming off the bench. On Thursday, Toppin raced to 26 points on 11-for-14 field goal shooting with nine rebounds and three assists in just 18:35 on the floor against the Brooklyn Nets.
Indiana is also coming into Friday on the second leg of a back-to-back after that commanding 123-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets in a true tank-off Thursday night. That means no official injury report from them either until this afternoon. But honestly, even without Embiid at their disposal, there’s no iteration of this current Pacers squad that the Sixers shouldn’t be able to handle. (Again, I said shouldn’t. We all know that once they’re on the floor, it could turn out very differently.)
The Sixers are 3-0 against the Pacers this season, but Embiid was available for all three contests. Again, I truly do not believe the big fella is needed for this Philadelphia team to beat Indiana, especially if they actually play to their potential. Tyrese Maxey was damn near a triple-double in each of the two times he featured against the Pacers this season, with 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in one meeting and 29 points, eight assists and eight steals in the other. Yes, eight steals. This would be the perfect time for Maxey to really get back into the groove after seeming to struggle the last few contests, especially one of his career-worsts against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week.
The true reality of the situation Friday for Philadelphia is that, though they might be understandably disappointed and now headed for the Play-In, this game in Indiana is a golden opportunity to provide even the smallest morale boost to a squad of players that desperately needs it as the end of the regular season fast approaches.
You can’t go back and right the wrongs of all the extremely close losses throughout the season that got you here. You can’t undo the last few losses that took you out of a guaranteed playoff spot. You can’t magically make Embiid not have needed urgent surgery for appendicitis. The only thing you can do as the Sixers is use these last two games against easier opponents — first the Pacers on Friday, then the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday — to get your heads back on even a little bit straighter before the Play-In comes around. It might not be enough to change the ultimate outcome there even, but it’s the only thing that is within their control at this point.
The Sixers and Pacers tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Game Details
When: Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m. ET Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow:@LibertyBallers
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 30: Dustin May #85 of the Boston Red Sox exits the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on August 30, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Pirates won 10-3. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With former Red Sox great Dustin May taking the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals against his former team this evening (how many cheesy dad jokes will there be about the “Early May” pitching matchup this evening?), it got me thinking about the levels of the Rafael Devers fallout. Even if you were in favor of dumping Devers’ “underwater” contract, or felt that his decision not to “just pick up a glove” warranted a trade, it might be the subsequent moves that are more bothersome.
The Red Sox received pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III, and pitching prospect Jose Bello in the deal. The only player who remains with the franchise is Bello, a 35 FV prospect who is in A-ball.
Harrison was sent to Milwaukee as part of the Caleb Durbin deal. He has opened the season with two strong starts (1-0, 2,61) with 14 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. According to Brewers reporter Curt Hogg, “The Red Sox tried teaching him a new kick changeup last year, but Kyle Harrison couldn’t ever figure out. Fast forward to one grip suggestion from an old Giants teammate and trade to the Brewers later, and he’s suddenly discovered a new, nasty pitch.” Wonderful.
Tibbs only played 30 games at Portland before being flipped to the Dodgers for five subpar starts from the aforementioned Dustin May. Tibbs had a .900 OPS at Double-A for them last year, and now, albeit in the launching pad Pacific Coast League, he has seven bombs in twelve games, good for a 1.376 OPS and a 252 wRC+ at Triple-A.
Jordan Hicks had an 8.20 ERA for Boston in 21 games. There’s a strong argument to be made that he was the worst relief pitcher the team has employed for that many outings in this century. He was moved to the White Sox this winter, and the team had to attach prospect David Sandlin just to get rid of the contract. But not all of the contract. The Red Sox are still paying Hicks $4M this year and next. Hicks has a 7.94 ERA with Chicago and a negative-11.1 K-BB% in six outings.
Which of these things bothers you most: Devers, Harrison, Tibbs, or Hicks? Sound off in the comments, and be good to each other.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Athletics play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday night...
5 things to watch
Will the power output heat up with the weather?
With the exception of the relatively balmy weather on Opening Day (when the Mets smacked two homers and erupted for 11 runs), all of their home games so far (there have been six total) have been played in suboptimal conditions.
It was so cold on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Diamondbacks that the game times were shifted from 7:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.
This has created an environment where the ball is not carrying much, and resulted in a near total power outage during the recently completed three-game series against Arizona. Luis Robert Jr. hit a long solo homer on Thursday, but that was the only dinger hit by either the Mets or D-backs during the series.
Overall, the Mets -- who have also played four games at cavernous Oracle Park in San Francisco -- have hit just 10 home runs this season, which is more than just six teams.
Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and Jorge Polanco have yet to go yard, but perhaps the overall deep freeze lifts during the series against the A's, with the temperature expected to be around 60 degrees for all three games.
With Polanco hobbled, it has been Mark Vientos and Brett Baty getting most of the starts at first base.
Beyond the defensive adjustments being made in light of Polanco's Achilles (and more important) is the fact that the lineup is shortened when he's not in it.
And Polanco's absence has been felt even more since the Mets are already without Juan Soto, which means two of the regular top four hitters in their lineup are missing on days when Polanco sits.
Senga has been stellar to start the season, carrying over his spring training success.
In 11.2 innings over two starts (both on the road), Senga has allowed just four runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out 16.
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Senga's FIP (1.69) is more representative of how he's looked so far than his ERA (3.09).
But the most important thing is that he again looks healthy. And if it stays that way, it's fair to believe the results will follow.
During his four-year MLB career, Senga has a 3.00 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with a strikeout rate of 10.2. Translation? When he's healthy, he's an elite performer.
Jeff McNeil's return
McNeil, who was traded to the A's during the offseason, will be at Citi Field as a visitor for the first time.
The infielder, who spent the first eight years of his career in Queens, has started to heat up after a slow start to the season.
Over his last six games, McNeil is slashing .389/.476/.444 in 21 plate appearances.
That includes a pair of two-hit games against the Yankees in the Bronx.
The hot and cold A's
The A's are 5-7, but are coming off a series win over the Yanks.
Their offense has been all over the place and ordinarily all or nothing.
For example, they scored 23 runs in two wins over the Astros earlier this week, but were shut out in their one loss to Houston.
And even while taking two out of three games in the Bronx, the A's mustered just seven runs total.
One thing to keep an eye on is the health of slugger Brent Rooker, who exited Thursday's game early due to a back injury.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Luis Robert Jr.
Without Soto, Robert has been the toughest out in the lineup and the biggest source of power, hitting .333 with an NL-leading .480 OBP.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Freddy Peralta
Peralta, who gets the ball on Sunday, has looked better than his results. Expect that to start to match up.
Which A's player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Shea Langeliers
Langeliers is off to a strong start, with a 182 OPS+ over his first 45 at-bats.
Apr 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run against Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Valente Bellozo (not pictured) in the twelfth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Xander Bogaerts had to have felt a little disrespected when the Colorado Rockies elected to load the bases on back-to-back intentional walks to Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to load the bases with Jake Cronenworth on third base. Bogaerts took the first pitch of the at-bat for a ball and then belted the second pitch deep into the left field bleachers for the walk-off grand slam that gave the San Diego Padres a 7-3 win in the bottom of the 12th inning. Randy Vasquez started the game for San Diego and the late-game heroics covered up his third stellar start of the season. The right-hander worked into the sixth inning allowing one run, which came on a solo home run by Brenton Doyle, and did not allow a walk. Vasquez recorded eight strikeouts in the game. The Padres continue their series against the Rockies at Petco Park tonight at 6:40 p.m. and they will wear their City Connect 2.0 uniforms in a game for the first time.
Padres News:
The San Diego minor league affiliates were in action all week, but they had to compete with the weather as much as the opponent on the field. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides details about which prospects are drawing attention in the Padres organization.
Adrian Morejon has had a rough start to the 2026 season and Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball says he needs to get right quick if the San Diego bullpen is going to be the dominant force all of baseball expects it to be.
Seven other teams joined the Padres in unveiling their new City Connect uniforms on Thursday. See all of the new looks here.
A’s pitcher Jeffrey Springs took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium and said he did not know anything about it.
It’s another full slate of MLB games today, which means lots of opportunities for homers.
My MLB player props and home run analysis will include Kerry Carpenter and Josh Bell.
Read more in my MLB picks for Friday, April 10.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Kerry Carpenter
+440
Josh Bell
+490
Kerry Carpenter (+440)
Kerry Carpenter is only hitting .184 so far, but he’s already clubbed two home runs. That’s after going deep a career-high 26 times last season.
The slugger has smacked a homer twice in his last five contests. The Tigers take on a Marlins team sending Chris Paddack to the hill tonight.
Paddack has had a shaky start to the campaign. He’s already allowed two home runs in just 8 1/3 innings of work while posting an 8.31 ERA.
Opponents have a .475 xSLG against him, and Carpenter has already taken him deep, going 3-for-5 with a bomb.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marlins.TV, DSN
Josh Bell (+490)
Josh Bell is thriving early in his first season with the Twins.
The slugger is batting .317 with three home runs and 10 RBI, and he just went deep on Thursday evening against the Tigers, finishing the game 3-for-4.
Bell is up against a familiar arm tonight in Patrick Corbin, who won’t be happy to see Bell in the batter’s box.
The veteran is 4-for-16 lifetime versus Corbin with three bombs. He’s already smacked one homer this season off a left-handed hurler, and Corbin allowed 21 home runs last season.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Twins.TV, SN
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 4-11, +4.32 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Cincinnati Reds are off to a strong 8-5 start and trail only the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers in wins.
With emerging star Chase Burns taking the bump, my Angels vs. Reds predictions see the Reds winning their series opener on home soil.
Let’s break down my MLB picks for Friday, April 10.
Who will win Angels vs Reds today: Cincinnati Reds (-170)
Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns has allowed next to nothing through two games, holding opponents to a .154 average, .213 wOBA, and .77 ISO.
Burns leads all of today’s starters with a 37.2 K%, a 42% whiff rate, and a 20.6% swinging strike rate. He is giving up little to no contact and sitting hitters down at an electric rate.
The Angels rank 22nd in wOBA and 27th in line drive rate against right-handed pitching. They’re not a team that should cause Burns problems.
On the other side, Kochanowicz looks improved with a .211 average and .285 wOBA allowed. He draws a Reds offense sitting 28th in wOBA vs. righties.
With both sides struggling against righties and a good pitching matchup, the Under is appealing.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 0-2, -2.12 units
Over/Under bets: 0-2, -2.34 units
Angels vs Reds odds
Moneyline: Angels +163 | Reds -170
Run line: Angels +1.5 (-122) | Reds -1.5 (+117)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+122) | Under 9.5 (-127)
Angels vs Reds trend
The Cincinnati Reds have hit the Game Total Under in 29 of their last 50 games at home (+13.45 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Reds.
How to watch Angels vs Reds and game info
Location
Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
Date
Friday, April 10, 2026
First pitch
6:45 p.m. ET
TV
Apple TV
Angels starting pitcher
Jack Kochanowicz (1-0, 4.66 ERA)
Reds starting pitcher
Chase Burns (1-0, 0.82 ERA)
Angels vs Reds latest injuries
Angels vs Reds weather
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Kerry Carpenter
Josh Bell
COVERS INTEL: