Worldwide Sports News

Finishing out a road trip in which they are 1-4, the Colorado Rockies look to go out on a high note with a series win before kicking off their home opener on Friday. Unfortunately for them, they face a tough customer for the Toronto Blue Jays (4-1), as it will be a battle of the Colorado kids to close out the series.

Kyle Freeland (0-1, 4.15 ERA) makes his second start of the year for the Rockies’ rotation. The first time through the rotation, the starting pitching hasn’t been bad, but it hasn’t been great. In the season opener, Freeland labored through 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts, having thrown 81 pitches. The Rockies remain the only team not to have a starting pitcher go five innings yet this season. It would be quite beneficial if Freeland could go a bit longer into this game and help relieve a bullpen that has already worked quite a bit to start the year. In his career, Freeland owns a 9.31 ERA against Toronto in two starts and a 7.20 ERA in his lone start at the Rogers Centre.

Kevin Gausman (0-0, 1.50 ERA) takes the hill for the Blue Jays after a spectacular performance in his first outing of the year. The Denver native allowed just one run on one hit, a home run, facing the Athletics in the season opener. He went six innings, didn’t allow a single walk, and struck out 11 batters on 83 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. Gausman has been one of the most reliable and effective starters in baseball since his 2020 season with the San Francisco Giants and has only gotten better while in Toronto. A certified workhorse, Gausman has thrown at least 170 innings a year over the last five seasons, all while boiling down to a two or three-pitch mix. Gausman offers pinpoint control, making his fastball and splitter mix effective against hitters, with a slider tossed in for good measure. He has a 4.78 ERA in his nine career starts against Colorado.

Additionally, the Rockies have activated Tyler Freeman from the injured list and sent Braxton Fulford down to Triple-A Albuquerque.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 11:07 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SBN Site: Bluebird Banter

Lineups:

For the visiting Rockies:

and the Blue Jays:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

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

Kevin Gausman’s splitter was too hard to handle for the A’s on opening night, and I expect similar struggles from the Colorado Rockies this afternoon.

Find out why with my Rockies vs. Blue Jays predictions and MLB picks for today's game.

Rockies vs Blue Jays predictions

Rockies vs Blue Jays best bet: Kevin Gausman Over 6.5 strikeouts (-145)

When Kevin Gausman is locating his split-finger fastball, he's one of the most unhittable pitchers in all of baseball. 

This was the case last week when he rang up 11 A’s batters on Opening Night, and I’m expecting a similar outcome this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies. 

The Rockies batted just .133 against the splitter last season with a MLB-worst 41.5% strikeout rate, including striking out eight times against Gausman in his lone start against them.

Gausman had a 34% K-rate with his splitter last season and a 72.7% rate in his last outing vs the A’s.

COVERS INTEL: Kevin Gausman is averaging 7.8 strikeouts per game over his last five starts.

Rockies vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

The Toronto Blue Jays are averaging 5.2 runs per game this season, going Over the 4.5-run mark in four out of their five games this year. With Freeland and his career 9.31 ERA when facing Toronto on the mound, I think they'll eclipse that mark again.

I’ll also add Kazuma Okamoto to go Over his hits prop. He’s logged a hit in every game this season, including two dingers, and will have the platoon advantage against Kyle Freeland.

Rockies vs Blue Jays SGP

• Kevin Gausman Over 6.5 strikeouts
• Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 hits
• Jays team total Over 4.5

Rockies vs Blue Jays home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+285)

I’m only making this a half-unit wager. Freeland is a line-drive contact pitcher who gets hit hard by righties, and the best line drive right-handed power hitter on the Jays is Vladdy, who's certainly primed to hit his first homer of the season.

Rockies vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Colorado +240 | Toronto -290
• Run line: Colorado +1.5 (+115) | Toronto -1.5 (-135)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Rockies vs Blue Jays trend

The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 games between these teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Rockies vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Rockies vs Blue Jays and game info

Rockies vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Rockies vs Blue Jays 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.

The Atlanta Braves are set to face off against the offensively struggling Athletics in a series finale that features both staff aces in Chris Sale and Luis Severino.

The Braves have only scored 3.80 runs thus far and the Athletics have only scored 3.20. The crazy part is even though the Braves have a thin rotation they have the second-best ERA per game in MLB. If the Braves win today, they will have won their first two series of the year and started 4-2. That seems much better than last year when the Braves were swept twice and started 0-7.

If the Braves lose then they will have lost a series to an inferior opponent on paper and started the season off with a .500 record in their first six games. Although this game is only one of many, it is a game that on paper they are supposed to win. If the Braves want to stay in playoff contention it is games like today that will be a key to them getting there.

First pitch is at 12:15 PM EDT.

Lineup

Preview

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Opening Week was a little bit funny in the NL West. Everyone expects the Los Angeles Dodgers to run away with the division, but it didn’t need to happen so fast, did it? But no. With one series in the books, the Dodgers stood a perfect 3-0, while the rest of the division had a combined record of 1-11.

It won’t stay that way forever, of course. The Dodgers have, thankfully, lost a baseball game since then, while your San Francisco Giants have won one (two, even!). But the sentiment remains: LA is expected to be in a subdivision of their own within the actual division.

Conventional wisdom has the Dodgers alone atop the NL West, and the Colorado Rockies alone at the bottom, while the Giants, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks battle for runner-up supremacy. In the expanded playoff era, the Giants don’t need to be the leader among that trio to make the playoffs — hell, they don’t even need to be second! — but it sure helps. Which means that we’ll likely spend the bulk of the year, if not all of it, watching the standings to see how the Giants stack up against Arizona and San Diego.

Both teams have their share of star power, accompanied by some very loud question marks. So we want to poll you and get your opinion: which team poses the biggest threat to the Giants in the standings?

Rise and shine everyone! We got an early one today as the Athletics wrap up their first road trip of the year. Toronto was not kind to us but Atlanta has been a bit better after yesterday’s first victory of the year. Another win today and we’ll also have our first series win of the season.

We got our Opening Day starter Luis Severino back on the mound for his second appearance of the year. His performance on Opening Night was solid as he pitched five full innings against the Blue Jays while only allowing two runs. The A’s would gladly take that again today against a Braves squad that is 3-2 to start their campaign.

Here’s how the starting lineup looks for the finale against the Braves:

With today being get away day for the club manager Mark Kotsay is giving a couple of his regulars the finale off. Catcher Shea Langeliers, who is tied for the league lead with four home runs already, gets breather as he’ll only DH today while Austin Wynns gets his catcher’s gear on. That means regular DH Brent Rooker will need to grab his outfielder’s glove and get ready to play the grass, taking over in right field for Lawrence Butler. who is just 1-for-12 to start the year.

No Nick Kurtz either today as Andy Ibanez gets the start at first base. We can likely expect to see Kurtz make a late-game appearance if the score is close so having his stick on the bench will come in handy if the A’s need a big hit.

And another day with no Jeff McNeil, who is also struggling to get going after collecting just one hit so far. This’ll be his second day off in a row so hopefully he’s not dealing with any sort of injury this early in the year. That means Darell Hernaiz gets his second start of the year at the keystone. He’s still looking for his first hit of the year after going 0-for-3 on Saturday. Maybe today’s the day for him.

The Braves meanwhile will be sending their own Opening Night starter to the mound in Chris Sale. He looked like the Chris Sale of old in his first start of the season, shutting the Kansas City Royals down for six innings and allowing just three hits. The A’s will be hoping to do more damage against the ace lefty.

And the Atlanta lineup:

First series win of the year? Sounds like a good way to end this East Coast road trip. Let’s go A’s!

The 2026 season for the Single-A Hill City Howlers begins Thursday.

First things first, the team underwent a rebrand in the offseason, transitioning from the Lynchburg Hillcats to the Hill City Howlers. Personally, I love it. They just sound more ferocious. The Howlers released a preliminary roster Tuesday. Here are the active players we have so far:

Pitchers:

Eudry Alcantara RHP, Jerfis Alfaro RHP, Harrison Bodendorf LHP, Wes Burton RHP, Luke Fernandez RHP, Miguel Flores LHP, Ettore Giulianelli RHP, Nelson Keljo LHP, Aidan Major RHP, Will McCausland RHP, Chase Mobley RHP, Joey Oakie RHP, Angel Perez RHP, Zane Petty RHP, Jacob Zibin RHP, Keegan Zinn RHP.

Analysis:

All eyes will be on top pitching prospect Joey Oakie as the headliner of this starting rotation, and rightfully so after his extremely promising finish to 2025. I’ll be interested to see what development former 10th round pick Jacob Zibin has made after pitching the entire 2025 campaign healthy for the first time in his career. Aidan Major, a 2024 fourth round pick, will be making his pro debut after missing last season with Tommy John surgery. Chase Mobley earned a huge bonus from Cleveland in 2024 and has a high ceiling, but likely will be a long developmental project.

Catchers:

Tyler Howard RHH, Victor Izturis LHH, Cannon Peebles SH.

Analysis:

I don’t see a ton here in terms of catching prospects, but Howard (11th round) and Peebles (17th round) were both 2025 draft picks by Cleveland while Izturis is finally making his full-season debut after three years in Arizona.

Infielders:

Luis De La Cruz SH 1B, Dauri Fernandez SH SS/3B, Anthony Martinez LHH 1B, Johnathan Martinez SH 2B, Yaikel Mijares SH 3B, Riley Nelson 1B LHH, Gabriel Rodriguez LHH SS.

Analysis:

Talk about a youth movement. The big names here are Dauri Fernandez and Gabriel Rodriguez. Fernandez had an extremely impressive 2025 campaign and could get a rocket strapped to him if his development continues in the same trajectory while Rodriguez has continued steady production and looks like he has the strong defensive chops to stay at shortstop. Nelson and Martinez also are interesting college bats from the 2025 draft.

Outfielders:

Robert Arias LHH CF, Juneiker Caceres LHH RF, Yeiferth Castillo LHH LF, Yerlin Luis SH LF, Jose Pirela LHH RF.

Analysis:

The oldest player in this group is Luis at an ancient 20 years old, incredible. Juneiker Caceres made a name for himself by raking a both Arizona and Lynchburg last season, but don’t forget about Robert Arias and Yeiferth Castillo. Arias has been an on-base machine his first two seasons, walking more than he struck out while Castillo has some sneaky power, blasting five home runs in Arizona last season despite standing just 5-foot-8.

Hill City is home of Cleveland’s youth movement, with prominent teenage infield, pitching and outfield prospects all getting huge full-season opportunities. Many of the high-end prospects may be on the other three full-season squads, but we’re getting a tremendous preview of the future of Cleveland’s offense and pitching with this team.

Which players are catching your eye as the Single-A season starts? Tell us in the comments below:

This Major League team is tough to watch, right? Well, guess what? The WooSox, featuring Nick Sogard, Nate Eaton, Kristian Campbell — all guys with playing time in the organization in the last year — are raking in the series opener in St. Paul. Let’s get right into it!

Worcester: W, 19-3 (BOX SCORE)

You ever see a box score that makes you blink at a certain stat and wish you were there, just to know how it felt to witness it in person? This was yesterday’s game for me.

The WooSox scored nineteen runs off of thirteen hits and TWENTY walks issued by the Saints (Twins AAA). This was actually the most walks drawn in the International League in two decades. St. Paul used seven pitchers and every single one of them issued a walk and all but former WooSox member Dan Altavilla allowed a hit. This game was honestly over in the first inning when the WooSox scored 8 runs, but it was REALLY over when Kristian Campbell emptied the bases with a long single in the sixth, making the game 12-3. It was so over that over wasn’t the word to use by the time Nick Sogard hit a grand slam. The slam was Sogard’s third hit of the game and capped off a 10-run sixth inning in which the team sent fourteen hitters to the plate. The game also featured Allan Castro’s first two hits and four RBIs of the season.

Even though the WooSox pitching staff walked nine St. Paul batters, that incredible sixth inning also capped off Seth Martinez powering through three innings in relief without allowing a baserunner. That grind of a relief effort helped matters, but no one was stopping the club regardless yesterday.

Have a happy Wednesday!

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

It’s the first "getaway day" of the new MLB season, which means MLB player props to bet on all day long.  

My best bets include a pair of strikeout props, one for Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is primed to pitch a gem against the Guardians.

That and more MLB picks for Wednesday, April 1.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Sandy Alcantara	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-106
Kazuma Okamoto	Over 0.5 RBI	+130
Yoshinobu Yamamoto	Over 6.5 strikeouts	-106

Sandy Alcantara Over 5.5 strikeouts (-106)

Sandy Alcantara looked a little more like his old self in his first start of the season. Now, the Miami Marlins ace will try to carry that momentum into start No. 2 when he takes the ball against the Chicago White Sox. 

Alcantara allowed just one unearned run on four hits while striking out five in a matchup against the Colorado Rockies, and today he gets to face one of the more free-swinging teams in baseball.

The White Sox have hit a bunch of home runs to start the season, but that swing-for-the-fences mentality also means a lot of strikeouts. Chicago is getting punched out a whopping 35.9% of the time so far this season.

Alcantara should work deep into this game, giving him plenty of opportunities to top this modest number.

• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, Marlins.TV

Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 RBI (+130)

People aren’t paying enough attention to how good Kazuma Okamoto’s bat is going to play in the big leagues. The former NPB star has a great swing path, which creates an impressive exit velocity, and we’ve seen that in his early at-bats with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Okamoto has at least one hit in each of his first five games with the Jays and enters today’s game against the Colorado Rockies with a .300 average, a .991 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.

Now, he gets a matchup with Rockies starter Kyle Freeland. The left-hander has been in the Bottom 13% in expected ERA and Bottom 8% in expected batting average each of the last four seasons.

Okamoto’s propensity to take the ball to all fields makes him a tough out for Freeland, and with him being in the middle of the Jays' lineup, I love him to drive in another run.

• Time: 1:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rockies.TV, Sportsnet 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 6.5 strikeouts (-106)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto picked up right where he left off last season, opening the 2026 MLB campaign by allowing two runs on five hits and striking out six over six innings in a matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace takes the ball against the Cleveland Guardians in the rubber. The 27-year-old is coming off a year where he ranked in the 89th percentile in strikeout rate, and there’s no reason to think he won’t keep that up against the Guardians.

Cleveland’s lineup has been a little more exciting with a little more pop thanks to Chase DeLauter’s hot start, but it’s also meant more strikeouts. The Guardians enter this game with the third-highest K-rate in baseball at 29.5%.

Yamamoto looks like one of the best pitchers in the world, and should be able to go deep enough to cover this number.

• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CleGuardians.TV, SNLA

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.

Shohei Ohtani was impressive in his pitching debut of 2026 on Tuesday night, throwing six scoreless innings to beat the Cleveland Guardians. He also reached base three times as the Dodgers designated hitter.

Sarah Langs of MLB.com dropped this wonderful nugget late Tuesday night.

These are regular-season streaks. The pitching streak for Ohtani dates back to last August 27, when he allowed a third-inning run to the Cincinnati Reds then added two more scoreless frames to finish out his time on the mound.

His September pitching starts were sparse, in part because he left his September 5 start in Baltimore with leg cramps, but did not permit a run in his 3 2/3 innings. Then he pitched five hitless innings against the Phillies on September 16 that really marked the last time Ohtani had any reins on him while pitching. He’s completed six innings every time out on regular rest since, including six scoreless innings last September 23 in Arizona.

The on-base streak dates back a few days earlier than the pitching streak. On August 23 in a loss in San Diego, Ohtani was 0-for-4, but has reached base in every game since, including the final 31 games last year and the first five this year. During those 36 straight games reaching base, Ohtani is hitting .276/.409/.597.

If he reaches base in his next game, Ohtani will have a new personal record of reaching base in 37 straight games. He also reached 36 straight games from September 11, 2022 to April 15, 2023 while with the Angels.

The longest on-base streak in Dodgers history is 70 straight games, by outfielder Fielder Jones in 1899 for Brooklyn. In the modern era, Duke Snider has the longest streak, at 58 games in 1954.

Ohtani still has a long way to go to catch those folks, but then again neither Jones nor Snider ever pitched.

Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles

Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 11:35 AM CDT (105.3 The Fan / RSN, Victory+)

Camden Yards

RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. LHP Trevor Rogers

Go Rangers!

Diamondbacks News

Jose Fernandez Hits Go-Ahead Homer to Save Snakes in MLB Debut
Diamondbacks prospect Jose Fernandez not only hit his first career home run in his major league debut on Tuesday, but he homered a second time to give Arizona the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning off Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen.

Who Is Jose Fernandez?
Jose Fernandez burst onto the scene with a strong spring training and then played the role of saviour as part of his big MLB debut last night.

Jose Fernandez’s Big MLB Debut Lifts Snakes Over Tigers
Arizona’s big spring breakout star translated that success into his MLB debut when he went deep twice to bring the Diamondbacks back from five runs down.

Jose Fernandez is Seventh Player with Two-Homer Debut
The Venezuelan is only the seventh player in MLB history — and first Diamondbacks player — to hit two homers in his MLB debut.

Back-to-Back History in the Desert
Michael Soroka had himself a stellar debut on Monday night. Jose Fernandez followed that performance with a historic debut of his own, launching two homers against the Tigers, including a go-ahead blast against all-star closer, Kenley Jensen.

Diamondbacks Back to Doing what They Do Best
After a rough series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Diamondbacks have rediscovered their swagger at home against the Tigers, where they are finding ways to come back when being counted out.

Jose Fernandez’s “Debut” a 12-K Marketing Stunt
Mickey O’Shea needs to toss those grapes in the rubbish bin. They are sour.

Other Baseball News

An Early, Nerdy Look at the Challenge System
Poking about at the various angles with which to consider the new challenge system and the math associated with it.

Who Are the Best Remaining Free Agents
Only one of the six is a position player.

2026 Ace Rankings
Kiley McDaniel assembles his list of the top-11 starters in the game. Unsurprisingly, Arizona is not represented.

Mariners Sign Colt Emerson to Eight-Year Extension
The Mariners announced the signing of top shortstop prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year extension that includes a club option for the 2034 campaign. Emerson, an ACES client, is reportedly guaranteed $95MM — a record for a player who has yet to make his MLB debut.

Cardinals Attempting to Extend JJ Wetherholt
Wetherholt was the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft. The University of West Virginia product mashed throughout his first full minor league season, batting .306/.421/.510 between the top two levels. He’s a consensus top prospect whom the Cardinals carried on the Opening Day roster and have immediately plugged in as their leadoff hitter. Wetherholt can play shortstop but is ticketed for second base work in St. Louis thanks to Masyn Winn.

That’s simply not fair MLB, such a mean April Fool’s joke.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won all but one of their first five games take on the Cleveland Guardians (3-3). Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won his first start, will be on the mound for the Dodgers. Gavin Williams is scheduled to start for Cleveland.

How to watch Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Date: Wednesday, April 1

• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET / 5:20 p.m. PT

• Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

• TV Channels: SportsNet LA, Guardians.TV Presented by Progressive

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Cleveland Guardians: 3-3 (No. 1 in AL Central)

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 4-1 (No. 1 in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -275 / Cleveland Guardians 220

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Cleveland Guardians: Gavin Williams (0-1, ERA: 5.40, K: 7, WHIP: 1.60)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, ERA: 3.00, K: 6, WHIP: 0.83)

Weather: 68°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 56,000 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass