⚽ FA Cup semi-final updates from the 5.15pm BST kick-off
⚽ Live scores | York back in EFL after wild finish | Mail Scott
1 min: City waste no time in establishing how they plan to go about this. A lot of patient possession. Saints yet to have a touch.
Manchester City get the ball rolling. April. Wembley. Sun. It’s that time of year. What’s not to love?
Continue reading...The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic will feature the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Utah Mammoth on December 31, 2026, with puck drop set for late afternoon and a prime-time broadcast window in the Eastern time zone.
The Avalanche come in with a level of outdoor experience that few teams in the league can really match.
Over the past decade, Colorado has become a regular presence in these showcase games, including a 5–3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in the 2016 Stadium Series, a 3–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Falcon Stadium in 2020, and a 3–2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Lake Tahoe outdoor game in 2021, which was played without fans during the pandemic.
Different settings, different conditions, and a mix of results have all added up to a team that feels comfortable on hockey’s biggest outdoor stages.
Utah, by contrast, is still in the early chapters of its NHL story—but moving quickly.
In a short time, the organization has gone from expansion arrival to fully establishing its footprint in the market, acquiring the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, setting up a temporary practice facility, and pushing through early renovations at the Delta Center.
That progress has already carried into a full identity shift with the unveiling of the Utah Mammoth, the opening of a permanent practice facility, and continued upgrades to the arena, which has quickly developed into a loud, consistently sold-out home fueled by a growing fan base that feels more invested in the game.
Now all of that growth meets hockey’s biggest outdoor stage.
The game will be played at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus, set against the backdrop of Salt Lake City and the surrounding mountains. It’s a setting that fits the occasion—large, open, and visually striking, with a natural atmosphere that makes outdoor hockey feel even bigger than the game itself.
Utah is expected to embrace the moment fully, turning the entire weekend into something that feels closer to a citywide winter celebration than a standalone event. With the game landing on New Year’s Eve, it naturally becomes the centerpiece of a longer stretch of festivities across Salt Lake City.
Instead of just a single night of hockey, the city will likely be buzzing for days—concerts, downtown events, and winter-themed activities building around the matchup. Ski resorts and mountain tourism will also play a part, giving visiting fans plenty of reasons to turn the trip into a full experience. And along the way, it’s the kind of stage where a few new fans of the sport might stick around long after the final horn.
The Winter Classic will also mark a league-wide milestone, as all 32 NHL franchises will have now taken part in an outdoor game. For Utah, it’s a first appearance on that stage—and another meaningful step in its rapid rise from expansion team to one of the most closely watched new markets in the NHL.
Boro thrash Watford 5-1, West Brom 0-0 Ipswich
Charlton’s 2-1 win and Baggies’ point relegates Oxford
Middlesbrough’s hopes of winning automatic promotion remain alive after they thrashed Watford 5-1 at the Riverside. With second-placed Ipswich drawing 0-0 at West Brom, Boro moved to within a point of the top-two positions with one game to play – although Ipswich still have a game in hand.
Boro’s 5-1 victory was their joint-biggest win of the season and came thanks to doubles from Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway plus a goal from David Strelec. Watford’s goal came at the start of the second half from James Abankwah, but while the visitors were a match for their opponents for most of the first period, they were comprehensively outplayed after the break.
Continue reading...Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs will start in what is shaping up to be a sudden-death playoff elimination game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have dropped their first three games of their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers and could be eliminated with a loss tonight.
Šilovs has an extensive recent history of performing excellently when his teams need them most, which could ultimately make the difference tonight. In 2023, Šilovs registered a 7–3–0 record and .921 SV% at the IIHF World Championship to win Latvia their first-ever Bronze medal at the tournament.
The former Canucks goaltender’s history of clutch performances only continues from there. The goaltender backstopped the Canucks to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs back in 2024, even pulling off his first career playoff shutout in Vancouver’s series-clinching win against the Nashville Predators.
In the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, Šilovs recorded five shutouts and a 2.01 GAA to help the Abbotsford Canucks win their first AHL Championship in franchise history. The goaltender was named the AHL Playoff MVP for his performance in the post-season.
The Penguins have not showcased their best efforts since the post-season began. While they narrowly lost Game 1 by a score of 3–2, since then, each of their losses have been by three goals. Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 5:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:
One Canucks Player Featured In The Hockey News' Top 100 NHLers Of 2026
Canucks’ Hronek And Patera To Represent Czechia At 2026 Fortuna Hockey Games
Former Canucks Prospect Named 2026 AHL MVP
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
I guess the headline says it, Nathan Lukes hits the IL with a left hamstring strain. Yohendrick Piñango gets the call up. Yimi Garcia was moved to the 60-day IL to make room for Yohendrick.
Piñango is hitting .288/.370/.488 with 3 home runs in 22 games. He is a left-handed batter and also throws left-handed. He’s split time between left and right field, which surprised me because they usually place lefties in right field. I’m interested to see him place. He’s on the bench for today’s game.
Yohendrick is #13 on our top 40 prospects list this year. Tom M wrote:
The return for Nate Pearson at the 2024 deadline didn’t look like much at the time. Pinango signed with the Cubs out of Venezuela in 2018, and while he lit up the DSL the next summer he was pretty unremarkable over the three minor league seasons following the pandemic. A torrid first month of the 2024 season at A+ popped him onto the radar and probably lead to the trade. He bombed in his first 33 games in the Jays system, posting a .518 OPS at AA New Hampshire. It all came together in 2025, though. Pinango torched the Eastern league to the tune of .298/.406/.522, earning a promotion to AAA Buffalo. He cooled down there, but still posted a roughly average line with lots of walks, solid K numbers, and some pop.
Pinango has always been a solid contact hitter, but his breakout was fueled by trading an aggressive approach for a very selective one. He now watches more strikes than would be ideal, but he rarely chases and waits on pitches he can hammer. As for the hammering part, his max exit velocity in Buffalo was over 115mph. Only 30 major leaguers last year could say the same. his 91.9mph average exit velocity and 47.6% hard hit rate were both comfortably plus. The lone offensive knock on him is that while he hits enough fly balls, his best power comes a low angles, producing line drives and hard grounders instead of home runs. If he can fix that, he could be a cleanup calibre hitter, and even if he can’t the combination of patience, contact and strength is enough for a viable offensive profile.
There’s a lot of pressure on the bat, as Pinango is a below average runner whose ugly routes and iffy arm make him a liability even in left field. If it comes together offensively he can be a regular regardless, but anything short and he’s likely a bench bat or not an MLB player.
I hope we get to see him play some.
Today’s lineup against a lefty. Okamoto moves up.
Max Scherzer on ‘getting punched in the face’. Really, he can’t say much else, but I don’t know if there is anything left in that arm. The team hasn’t announced if Trey Yesavage will make one more minor league start or if he’ll be put in Scherzer’s (or Lauer’s) spot next time through the rotation.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing elimination heading into Game 4 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
They've been outplayed in the first three games of the series, being outscored 11-4 and have only one 5v5 goal. Their offense has been completely stifled, even though they finished the regular season with the third-most goals scored in the league.
The Flyers' neutral-zone trap has really frustrated them in this series, but the Penguins had the right idea to beat it in the first period of Game 3. They dumped the puck deep and went to work down low, with a shoot-first mentality. Their efforts were rewarded with their first lead of the series in the first period before they got away from it in the final two periods, eventually losing 5-2.
Head coach Dan Muse has looked out of his depth in this series and is set to make more lineup changes for Game 4. Ilya Solovyov is slated to come in for Connor Clifton while Arturs Silovs will start in goal over Stuart Skinner.
Muse is also reuniting Egor Chinakhov with Evgeni Malkin after the former was on the third line with Ben Kindel for Game 3. Elmer Soderblom is coming in for Justin Brazeau after the latter replaced the former on Wednesday.
Here's a look at the projected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Soderblom-Kindel-Mantha
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Solovyov
If the Penguins win this game, they'll return to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Monday.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, HBO Max, and SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
The Detroit Tigers dropped their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, 9-8, in a walk-off on Friday night after building an early lead and sitting through a two-hour rain delay.
On Saturday, they look to even things up behind right-hander Jack Flaherty. Opposite him on the mound for Cincinnati is fellow righty Brady Singer. Here’s a quick look at how they match up.
Time (ET): 7:15 p.m.
Place: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
SB Nation Site:Red Reporter
Media: FOX, Tigers Radio Network
Game 28: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 3.47 ERA) vs. RHP Brady Singer (1-1, 5.32 ERA)
| Player | G | IP | K% | BB% | GB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flaherty | 5 | 23.1 | 22.2 | 18.5 | 30.5 | 4.60 | 0.3 |
| Singer | 5 | 23.2 | 14.5 | 6.4 | 40.0 | 4.58 | 0.3 |
FLAHERTY
SINGER
I was wrong.
When the White Sox signed Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34-million deal, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong with him. A cursory glance at his NPB stats snowballed into a statistical analysis on his hypothetical impact on the 2025 Sox before he even stepped foot in the batter’s box, and ultimately landed on a conclusion that Murakami would be underwhelming.
While my predictions and assessments were grounded in logical projections and modeling, I’ll quote Dodgers and Blue Jays managers Dave Roberts and John Schneider from their latest interview with Jeff Passan: “Baseball happened.”
Murakami’s first 26 games in the big leagues has far exceeded expectations. While he unfortunately has lived up to his expectation of being an all-or-nothing hitter with a 40.3% whiff rate and 32.1% strikeout rate (ranked in the bottom-first and -eighth percentiles), his “all” has been nothing short of historic. Murakami’s healthy .256/.398/.622 slash line and towering 1.020 OPS indicate that he’s already near his ceiling of being the Japanese Babe Ruth.
Before the Sox’s 5-4 win over the Nationals, Murakami’s name was already etched in the history books for tying Shohei Ohtani’s record for most consecutive games with a home run by any Japanese-born player, owning the longest MLB rookie home run streak, and tying the franchise record homering in five consecutive games.
But his 11th home run was different.
Coming off the bat at 104 mph and traveling 415 feet, Murakami’s elegant and seemingly effortless lefty swing on Friday night flipped a switch numerically and emotionally:
MURAKAMI IS NOW TIED FOR THE LEAGUE LEAD IN HOMERS 🔥 https://t.co/RezIEx9y8Lpic.twitter.com/jRi8hyasEj
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2026
Murakami is now tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the most home runs in baseball and ranked among MLB’s Top 10 in wOBA (.430), xwOBA (.433), barrel percentage (25.5%) and hard hit percentage (65.5%). You can’t deny that the stats themselves are impressive, but attitude and passion can’t be boiled down into a single measure. What my math failed to account for is how Murakami’s presence on the team would impact the team’s momentum.
His Statcast 11 run value, measuring run creation, has rubbed off on his teammates and fueled Chicago’s palpable shift in style and grittiness that hasn’t been felt in years. The Sox have won 11 games before April has concluded, marking the first time since 2021 that Sox have finished with double digits in the win column at this point. And in 2021, the Sox went on to win the AL Central for the first time in 13 years. The excitement radiating off the players is felt by Sox fans who have endured anything but for the last three years, and now the rest of baseball is noticing.
For the next two years, Murakami isn’t just here to trend and collect his cash. He’s here to make a statement about himself and the Sox. Even when he invariably faces tough stretches, Murakami has already earned every penny in his contract by simply giving Sox fans hope that this new chapter is finally here. For that alone, Murakami has soared beyond expectations this spring, and I couldn’t be happier that my calculations didn’t account for this.
Roberto De Zerbi had said he wanted no crying in his camp after Brighton scored their late equaliser last week, and it was just as the Wolves fans had started chanting “You’re going to cry in a minute” that the substitute João Palhinha struck the goal that briefly helped Tottenham climb out of the relegation zone and avoid a club record of 16 consecutive league games without a win.
The Spurs manager ran on to the pitch, pumping his fists, after the Portugal midfielder, played onside by the former Spurs defender Matt Doherty, slid in to score after Richarlison had scuffed a shot goalwards when Pedro Porro’s corner fell his way in the 82nd minute.
Continue reading...⚽ Premier League updates from the 5.30pm BST kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Table | Top scorers | Follow us on Bluesky
Mikel Arteta’s pre-match thoughts
[On making only one change from the City game] We did a lot of great things, with some connections that we really liked througout the game.
[On how long Bukayo Saka might be able to play from the bench] We will see how the game goes. We have alternatives in the front line to change the game; we’ll use them in the right way.
Continue reading...Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.
The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers both feature Top-5 offenses, which were on full display in a 10 run series opener.
My Cubs vs. Dodgers predictions see another high-scoring affair in the cards Saturday night.
Let’s take a closer look at my daily MLB picks for April 25.
Colin Rea has pitched very well for the Chicago Cubs but his two best starts came against an 8-18 Philadelphia Phillies team.
There are also a couple of concerns in his numbers. For one, he ranks 26th among today’s projected starters in soft contact rate. He’s not generating much.
That’s not a great recipe heading into a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who rank first in hard hit rate against righties this season.
He also ranks 40th percentile or worst in whiffs and K%. He doesn’t miss many bats, and that could lead to problems against a powerful Dodgers offense.
COVERS INTEL:Six Dodgers batters possess a wOBA of .360 or higher against Rea’s pitch mix.The Dodgers rank first in average, second in OBP, and fourth in runs per game. They also hit the ball as hard as anybody, and Rea has not induced a lot of soft contact.
Chicago should score plenty of runs as well. They have plated at least six runs in six consecutive road games, and 4+ in eight of 10 away dates this season.
Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki is sporting a 6.11 ERA and allowing more than two homers per nine innings, which doesn’t set up well facing a Cubs team that slots fifth in homers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have hit the Moneyline in 35 of their last 50 games (+6.45 Units / 7% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Dodgers.
| Location | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date | Saturday, April 25, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:15 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
| Cubs starting pitcher | Colin Rea (3-0, 3.00 ERA) |
| Dodgers starting pitcher | Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.11 ERA) |
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.
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 Dodgers offense spent most of the last week wasting an incredible stretch by the starting rotation, coupled with a suddenly vulnerable bullpen having their worst week of the season. That fueled five losses over the last seven games, and now the Dodgers on Saturday turn to Roki Sasaki, the black sheep of the rotation still looking for some semblance of success to build on.
Los Angeles scored eight runs in their last four games, with four of those runs scored on Friday night though none after the fourth inning. The Dodgers inability to tack on runs has cost them dearly during this dismal stretch, which includes three or fewer runs in six of their last 12 games.
Shohei Ohtani is hitless in his last 12 at-bats, has two hits in 20 at-bats since his last extra-base hit, and is 7-for-43 (.163) since his last home run 13 days ago. Teoscar Hernández is also hitless in his last 12 at-bats and two for his last 28. Even Andy Pages after his impossibly hot start has three hits in his last 25 at-bats.
Signing Edwin Díaz was an attempt to improve on a Dodgers bullpen that was mostly a weakness in 2024, but with a diminished Díaz ineffective for two weeks and now sidelined for three months after arthroscopic elbow surgery, the Dodgers are relying on mostly the same cast of characters from last year.
Their four relievers they’ve used in the highest-leverage spots all had their worst games of the season this week. Jack Dreyer got a slider crushed for a three-run home run on Wednesday by Patrick Bailey, who owns a 19 wRC+ this season (and 73 wRC+ in his major league career). Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, and Tanner Scott coughed up a 4-0 lead in Friday night’s stunning loss to the Cubs.
That’s a recipe for losing games this week that saw Dodgers starters deliver two of the top eight game scores on the team this season — Emmet Sheehan 70 game score (6 1/3 IP, 1 R, 10 K Friday), Ohtani 69 game score (6 scoreless IP, 7 K Wednesday) — plus another seven-inning start by Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday in San Francisco.
Sasaki has four of the Dodgers’ worst six game scores in his starts this season, and enters his Saturday start on his bobblehead night with a 6.11 ERA and 5.67 xERA. Among the 302 major league pitchers with at least 10 innings this season, Sasaki ranks 256th in ERA, 264th in xERA, and 246th with a 5.9-percent strikeout minus walk rate.
The Dodgers are committed to letting Sasaki figure things out in the majors, with his last start coming the closest with one run allowed through four innings at Coors Field, but he was unable to finish the fifth inning. With Blake Snell likely needing three more minor league rehab starts before returning, and with River Ryan on the minor league injured list with a hamstring issue, the Dodgers don’t really have other options than Sasaki for a little bit.
Sasaki has recorded between 12 and 15 outs in his four starts this season, so Saturday sure feels like a day for Jake Eder to soak up some innings in relief and then get optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for a fresh arm on Sunday with four more games in this stretch of 13 games in 13 days.
1951
White Sox slugger Eddie Robinson hit the first rooftop home run by a Chicago player at Comiskey Park. Robinson’s blast was off of Al Widmar of the Browns, in the third inning of an 8-6 White Sox win. It was the eighth all-time home run over the roof.
Robinson hit 29 home runs that year and drove in 117 runs, as the Sox went 81-73-1.
1968
By losing 3-2 at Minnesota despite outhitting the Twins, 12-3, the White Sox fell to 0-10, the worst 10-game start in franchise history. The scoring would reverse the next day, mercifully snapping Chicago’s losing streak.
1969
Speaking of roof shots, 18 years later Buddy Bradford put a home run over the roof, capping a four-run first that put the White Sox ahead of the Twins, 4-1. Minnesota battled back ahead, 5-4, but the home team prevailed on a bases-loaded single from Carlos May for a walk-off win. It seems odd to say for a team that would finish 68-90 and fifth of six in the AL West, but the thrilling victory pushed the White Sox to 8-5 and into their only day in first place all season.
The towering shot was Bradford’s only hit of the game. It was the fourth White Sox roof shot ever, and the 18th overall.
2004
Coming over from the Bulls organization, Brooks Boyer was named White Sox vice president of marketing, replacing the taciturn and aloof Rob Gallas. Boyerimmediately instituted a series of great ad campaigns (including “Sox Pride” and “Win or Die Trying”) that keyed interest, tweaked the Cubs and generated excitement among the fan base. Things have taken a turn since those early salad days, including running popular play-by-play man, lifelong White Sox fan and Chicago native Jason Benetti into the arms of division rival Detroit.
2005
With a 6-0 win at Oakland, the White Sox improved to 16-4 — topping the 1973 team (15-5) for the best 20-game start in franchise history. Jon Garland moved to 4-0 with a 116-pitch shutout, yielding just four hits and a walk against three strikeouts. The Sox offense jumped on Barry Zito, with Pablo Ozuna (2-for-3, two runs, two steals) and Chris Widger (2-for-4, two-run homer) the unexpected standouts.
2014
It was the first big moment in what would be a stellar White Sox career for José Abreu. The Cuban native smashed a two-out, walk-off grand slam off Grant Balfour to beat the Rays, 9-6. The rookie tallied three hits and six RBIs in the game.
Abreu would cap off his rookie season by garnering the American League Rookie of the Year award from both The Sporting News and the BBWAA for blasting 36 home runs, with 35 doubles, 80 runs scored, 107 RBIs, a .317 batting average and leading the league in slugging percentage (.581).
2016
Relief pitcher Matt Albers threw his 30th consecutive scoreless outing, breaking the White Sox record set by Jesse Crain. Albers’ streak dated back to Aug. 5, 2015 and spanned 33 innings. Ironically, Albers’ streak was snapped in a game several days later, on April 30 in Baltimore, when a José Abreu error caused two unearned runs to cross the plate, charged to Albers.
Cincinnati Reds slugger Eugenio Suárez was a late scratch from the Friday evening lineup in the team’s series opener in Great American Ball Park against the Detroit Tigers. Nathaniel Lowe – who eventually ended up swatting a walk-off dinger – was moved into the DH spot for the game, and the initial hope was that it would merely be a one-off lineup change.
As it turns out, though, Suárez is going to head to the injured list. The back problem is actually an oblique issue, albeit a hopefully minor one, and that’s going to land Geno on the shelf for at least 10 days. So said Terry Francona to Charlie Goldsmith last night.
The Reds have not yet announced a corresponding roster move (or Suárez to the actual IL) just yet, but outfielder JJ Bleday was removed from his game with AAA Louisville early on Friday evening. Bleday slugged 20 homers for the Athletics as recently as 2024 and is off to a roaring start in AAA this year (.341/.462/.659 with 6 homers in 104 PA), and as replacements to the offense go, he’s about as good as one can hope for.
Notably, Suárez hitting the shelf removes a corner infield option from the roster, and instead of backfilling with someone with experience there (such as Noelvi Marte), Cincinnati’s front office is apparently turning to Bleday due to the flexibility of the rest of the roster. Spencer Steer has spent more time in the outfield this year that in previous seasons, but he’s got experience all over the infield if need be. Lowe, too, is an accomplished 1B with a Gold Glove under his belt, and his ability to play there regularly would allow Sal Stewart to play more 3B on days when Francona decides they actually need someone who can swing a bat there better than Ke’Bryan Hayes.
That’s the beauty of building a roster with positional flexibility, I suppose. When one player goes down with injury, it allows the front office to select the best offensive option they can instead of having to go glove-first.
My best guess is that you’ll see Lowe in the lineup at DH or 1B every time the team faces a RHP while Geno is on the shelf. That’s a pretty damn good insurance policy, as we witnessed just last night.
The Orioles hit so many home runs last night that they put up a message on the video board that there were no more fireworks to be had. This turned out to not be the case in the most literal sense, as the small little post-victory burst of fireworks still went off. It was fun, though. Their challenge for today: Do something almost as fun.
Due to expected rain later in the day, what had been scheduled for a 4:05 start was moved up, with the agreement of both teams and the league, to this 12:05 start time. It’s an early start for an MLB game. If that’s a disruption to anybody’s routine, hopefully it throws off the Red Sox more than the Orioles.
Also hopefully the shift in the start time doesn’t cause any problems for people who were hoping to get their hands on the Orioles hockey jersey giveaway, which seems to be one of the more desired ones on the list in the 2026 season. It looks like a neat one and unique compared to the usual array of shirts and hats with maybe a hoodie mixed in.
This is a reeling Red Sox team. We got to see some of why in last night’s game. The list of the struggling players includes today’s Boston starter, Garrett Crochet. He’s rocking a 7.88 ERA across his first five starts. As this is only year 1 of a five-year, $170 million contract for Crochet, I dare not hope that he will continue to be so bad. The batted ball luck has not been on his side, with a .368 BABIP allowed. That’s likely to come down. He’s still been getting elite numbers of strikeouts.
A win here would put the Orioles back above .500. The 2025 Orioles were never above .500 again after having a 3-2 record through their first five games. At times, this year’s team has felt eerily familiar to last year’s. Other times, they have shown they might be better able to weather their early problems and avoid the collapse that removes any possibility of something good happening later.
This is an “OK, we’re facing a lefty today” lineup that upsets me a lot less than some of the ones we’ve seen recently, because the only totally out of position guy is Alexander in left field. Hopefully it works out.
The Orioles are sending their own lefty the mound in the form of Trevor Rogers. So far in 2026, he’s not making like it’s 2025 again. I’ve said before and will say again that he was never going to carry a sub-2 ERA over a full season this year. Hopefully he can pitch well enough today to start lowering himself towards a 3.25 or so. If he can hold around there, I think the Orioles would be happy with that.