Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Detroit Tigers’ starter Justin Verlander is eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list on April 16, but Verlander and the Tigers will take their time before talking about a date for a return. The long-time ace and future Hall of Famer was moved to the injured list on April 4 with left hip inflammation. However, the move was retroactive to April 1, meaning he could theoretically return on Thursday at Comerica Park against the Royals. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters before the Tigers victory over the Marlins on Saturday that a quick return isn’t in the cards.

Speaking to reporters after a Verlander bullpen session that reportedly went very well, Hinch said that it was still too soon to think about a timeline to activation. He also said that Verlander will at least need one rehab start or simulated game to stretch out fully before the Tigers consider taking him off the injured list. It’s possible that he could start a game for the Toledo Mud Hens sometime late this week or into next weekend, and then be on track to return during the Tigers’ home series against the Milwaukee Brewers from April 21-23.

Expect the timetable to be pushed back even a little further. If Verlander is going to rehab with the Mud Hens this week, he’d have to do so on the road in Louisville against the Bats. I suspect that the Tigers would consider that a sub-optimal spot for such an outing. Obviously a 43-year-old legend in the sport isn’t going to be taking the bus down to Louisville with Max Clark and the boys, but even on his own travel arrangements, the setting isn’t ideal.

The Tigers will want their own people with him to ensure everything in Verlander’s workouts and preparation go smoothly on start day. I’m not familiar enough with the Louisville Bats to evaluate their facilities, but the Cincinnati Reds affiliate is presumably somewhat less equipped than the Hens facilities after the Tigers and their affiliates put a lot of time and money into modernizing them over the past half decade. Much simpler to let Verlander stay in Detroit and simply drive down to Toledo on start day, prepare, pitch, and return immediately to Detroit for the usual post-start treatment and recovery protocols.

The Hens will return to Toledo on April 21 against the Omaha Storm Chasers, and that six-game set is probably more when we should expect a Verlander outing if they decide it’s worth giving him a Triple-A rehab start rather than just throwing bullpens and getting in a simulated game. Such an outing would no doubt be very well attended, and the Tigers would prefer their affiliates get a nice day at the box office rather than the Louisville Bats.

Of course, the crucial part of these considerations is the fact that Keider Montero has pitched well in two starts in Verlander’s stead. The 25-year-old right-hander has so far banished some of the control issues that plagued him in his first two seasons in the major leagues. After pitching for Team Venezuela in the WBC this spring, Montero never really got stretched out in the final weeks of spring training, and the Tigers kept his first outing for the Hens, as well as his two starts with the Tigers, on a short leash. Still, he’s thrown the ball well and shown maturity as in a pitcher in terms of course correcting when things start to go wrong in an outing.

Montero has allowed just two earned runs in 10 1/3 innings of work so far, and while it’s a very small sample, his walks are way down and his strikeouts are up. He’s looked very much in command of his game, and no doubt his performance has the Tigers wanting to see more before they’re faced with the tricky decision of how to proceed once Verlander is 100 percent. Montero’s success means there’s no rush to decide anything, but on the other hand, if he continues to pitch like this you can’t really send him down either, so the decisions do get tricker.

As I’ve said before, the reason for signing Verlander in the first place wasn’t nostalgia or overconfidence in his strong second half for the San Francisco Giants last year. Adding Verlander only cost the Tigers $2 million this season, allowing them to add starting depth without going over the luxury tax by deferring most of Verlander’s $13 million total. The penalties for going over and potentially losing revenue sharing funds would also hurt their draft pick compensation in 2027. This was just an opportunity to add depth into a pitching staff that doesn’t have much in the way of optionable members, knowing full wel that Verlander isn’t going to make 25-30 starts for them this season.

Adding Verlander gives them an additional usable starter without going over the threshold, but it also allows them a fair amount of flexibility. Plenty of teams make stashing an injury prone, but still effective veteran starter a regular feature of their offseason roster builds. A 43-year-old pitcher, no matter that he’s a freak and the greatest arm talent of the last quarter century in this case, is still 43 years old. Injuries aside, just to continue pitching at the game’s highest level takes a lot of work with the Tigers’ strength and conditioning staff, as well as with their physical therapists. It’s presumably rare that there’s literally nothing wrong physically, and that provides opportunities for the Tigers to give him stints on the injured list as needed, making sure that Verlander is only taking the mound when he really feels his best, while enabling them to use Montero or any other young starter who is pitching well.

In essence, you’re stashing an extra starting pitcher on the roster, knowing full well that you’ll never get 30 starts from them, and will instead have some flexibility in how that veteran starter and his replacement, Montero in this case, are deployed. That’s pretty useful depth, espcially early in the season when pitcher arm injuries are rampant. Later on in the season, the Tigers may have help coming in the form of Troy Melton or other young pitchers currently on the injured list. Right now, they need to succeed with what they’ve got. Of course, you can’t just hold a guy on the injured list forever with nothing wrong with them, and this is a lot simpler when the veteran starter isn’t a franchise legend. There may well come a point where some really difficult decisions have to be made. For now though, an issue is pretty easily massaged by stretching out Verlander’s rehab work.

So for now, stretching out Verlander’s timetable makes all the sense. If they have him throw bullpens this week, and then schedule a rehab start with the Hens somewhere in the 21-23rd of April, it allows Verlander to make such a start while still under the eye of the Tigers training staff, and pushes the decision on what to do when he returns off toward the end of the month.

Montero could then make another three starts while Verlander rehabs before the Tigers have to decide what to do with them both, and maybe two Verlander rehab starts are required, particularly if Montero is still pitching well. A lot can happen in a few weeks time during a baseball season that might make the longer term decisions simpler.

Saturday’s game against the Rays was not pretty viewing for Yankees fans. The Yankees held two separate late leads against Tampa Bay, but couldn’t hold onto either. In the 10th inning, the Rays took advantage of the auto-runner and bunted the Yankees to death, eventually scoring twice in the frame to overtake the Yankees.

With the Yankees now firmly in their first annoying stretch of the 2026 season, let’s see what the competition around the AL did in Saturday’s games.

Minnesota Twins (8-7) 7, Toronto Blue Jays (6-8) 4

The Blue Jays only actually allowed the Twins to score in one inning of the game. The issue is that inning was a seven-spot, which was plenty enough to doom Toronto.

The Jays started the game decently enough, as Daulton Varsho hit a two-run homer in the first to give them the lead. However, things flipped in a hurry a couple innings later.

In the third, Brooks Lee led off with Minnesota with a homer, but Toronto starter Eric Lauer then recorded an out. It would be a while before he got his next one. The next five Twins’ batters all reached base, with Josh Bell giving them the lead with a two-run single. Lauer then finally got the second out, but Trevor Larnach responded with a three-run homer to break the game open.

On the mound, Joe Ryan mostly cruised for the Twins, allowing just two those runs on two hits in seven innings. The Blue Jays picked up a couple runs off Minnesota’s bullpen in the ninth, but it was too little, too late. Further worrying for Toronto will be that George Springer suffered a fractured toe after fouling a pitch off his foot. As of last night, he was undergoing further scans to see what the severity and what the next steps were going to be.

Boston Red Sox (5-9) 7, St. Louis Cardinals (8-6) 1

The Red Sox used a five-run ninth to get some separation and pull away from the Cardinals, who had previously threatened to rally.

For much of the game, Willson Contreras’ two-RBI double in the fourth inning held up as the lone run-scoring moment. Red Sox offseason signing Ranger Suarez was looking the part for them, as he allowed just three hits in six scoreless innings. The Cardinals’ pitching wasn’t terrible themselves, as those two runs were the only they had allowed for much of the game, despite other chances for Boston.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jordan Walker got St. Louis on the board with a homer, however that would be the extent of their rally. The Red Sox responded with five runs on six hits in the top of the ninth to take any drama out of the ninth inning.

Seattle Mariners (6-9) 8, Houston Astros (6-9) 7

J.P. Crawford’s walk-off single allowed the Mariners to come all the way back after trailing by as many as five runs.

The game featured some wild swings early. Initially, the Mariners took a lead in the bottom of the first, but the Astros immediately responded with seven runs over the second, third, and fourth innings. However, Seattle then put up a five-spot in the fifth to climb all the way back, with Julio Rodríguez finally getting in the home run column to tie the game up.

The game remained tied going into the ninth, despite the Astros recording 17 hits on the game. The Astros’ Bryan Abreu got the first out of the bottom of the ninth, but then proceeded to walk the bases loaded. Crawford then dropped a single into left field, allowing the Mariners to get the walk-off win.

As mentioned, the Astros had plenty of chances, but they finished the game with 13 runners left on base.

Other Games

• Detroit Tigers (6-9) 6, Miami Marlins (8-7) 1: The Tigers scored five runs over the first three innings and never looked back in a win over the Marlins. On the mound, Casey Mize gave Detroit 5.2 solid innings, allowing just one run. On offense, Riley Greene led the way, driving home four runs and going 2-for-3 with a walk.

• Cleveland Guardians (9-6) 6, Atlanta Braves (9-6) 0: Cleveland’s Parker Messick allowed just four hits and two walks in 6.2 shutout innings and the Guardians cruised past the Braves. José Ramírez gave the Guardians a lead with a homer in the third at-bat of the game, and they never looked back from there, as Messick dominated and Cleveland slowly and surely added to their lead.

If you are going to sit there and tell me you have not been entertained by the St. Louis Cardinals so far this year, I would have to check your pulse. Whether it was JJ Wetherholt homering in his debut then walking off one game later, Jordan Walker sitting at the top of every offensive leaderboard, or the team in general sitting above .500, the Cardinals have been a fun, yet frustrating watch early in the 2026 season.

Heading into the weekend against the Boston Red Sox (traveling this weekend so have to get this scheduled before the series), the Cardinals entered the series with a 7-5 record that could easily be 3-9 or 9-3 depending on which bullpen showed up that day. Entering the year with a somewhat trustable back end of the pen, it seemed that the relief corps could be an underrated strength for the team, as long as they got into the late innings with a lead. Turns out, that was not the case.

Should the Cardinals pay for bullpen support if they compete for the NL Central this year?

At the beginning of the season, I pointed out how the Cardinals once again made minimal investment into their relief corps. A year after signing Phil Maton to the team’s lone major league deal in 2025, Chaim Bloom enlisted the help of reliever Ryne Stanek to bolster an untested bullpen with a $3.5 million contract, along with a $6 million club option for the 2027 season (if it happens). Stanek was projected to work with JoJo Romero at the back of the bullpen before each of them are ultimately traded this year. Now, just a few weeks into the season, maybe the Cardinals should pump the brakes and revisit that bullpen set up.

Firefighter Matt Svanson has been anything but, although he did have a solid performance his late time out. To really nobody’s surprise, Chris Roycroft was downright awful before getting demoted, and I don’t want to hear how he got soft-contacted into bad luck because the eye test backed up him getting hammered. Justin Bruihl is just John King with a different name, and Jared Shuster was just called up to fill the spot vacacted by Roycroft. Rule 5 pick Matt Pushard is on the IL with a knee issues, but got hit hard in his one outing prior to the “injury”.

Putting big financial commitments into the bullpen is something that teams shy away from unless they have an elite closer or lockdown late-inning arm. The same holds true for the Cardinals, with everyone outside of Stanek still playing on their arbitration contracts. That is not really a bullpen alignment that is set up for success, especially when we assumed that Stanek and Romero were going to be dealt at the deadline if not sooner. In order to get the best out of Stanek, he will have to hone in his command, walking five batters and allowing seven hits in just 5.2 innings of work, but all five runs he has allowed came in just two games. Romero has been solid, but he is taking on the stopper role, rather than closer, as he has pitched in the sixth, seventh, and eighth inning this year. Gordon Graceffo has been sort of a final option when the game has been close, and he has been effective in 4.2 innings while being helped by his defense a couple times. George Soriano, who was acquired in the Andre Granillo trade, has made an impression with a couple stellar outings sandwiched between some mediocre ones. The most consistent has been Riley O’Brien, a sentence that probably was not expected to be said at any point this year as ROB has typically struggled with command and health so far in his big league career. Through the first 12 games, he has yet to walk a batter or allow an earned run and has already picked up three saves.

So back to the question at hand. If the Cardinals are near the top of the division and in striking distance as the season continues, should they revamp the bullpen?

As a fan, I always want the Cardinals to win. I want them to go 162-0 and win their 12th World Series title. But, as a realist, I also understand that the team is not in their competitive window just yet. I will compare them to the Chicago Bears from last season, so if you’re not a Bears fan (I’m not either, I just live in the Chicago area), skip to the next paragraph. Coming into this last year, the Bears were going through their own transition season, changing head coaches and leadership while trying to bounce back from a couple tough years. Then, they overachieved big time, winning the NFC North and advancing in the playoffs. As the season progressed, their roster holes showed up and fans were clamoring for their GM to go out and add a high-cost superstar who could help them win the Super Bowl. The reality of it, though, is that the Bears were not just one player away and really just in the beginning of their process, so like Chaim Bloom says, all moves (or non-moves) should be future-focused first rather than the short-term as the goal is to build a strong foundation. That is how I see the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals.

It is 12 games in, yes, but they have probably already surpassed some preseason expectations and have started to build some optimism among the fanbase who now feel that this team will not actually battle the White Sox for the worst record, which I was informed was the plan multiple times by many social media GMs. The reality is, this team was never built to be bottom of the barrel. The lineup featured major league hitters and the rotation had arms with a track record. It was not like the Cardinals were planning to give Johnny Nobody 500 at-bats and 30 starts on the mound. The goal was always see what their current crop of talent could do in order to see who will be around for the future.

Because of this, giving up long-term assets for a short-term bullpen game would be illogical for this iteration of the Cardinals, unless the entire lineup continues putting up Jordan Walker numbers and the rotation is full of top-three arms. Because of the implausibility of that, any success this season should truly just be basked in by the fanbase as we get a glimpse towards the next great Cardinals team already taking the field in St. Louis. Bullpen arms rise in costs as the deadline approaches and with more teams able to qualify for the playoffs, the price will continue to go up. The shift I would be okay with for Bloom and the Cardinals, would be to just hold onto Romero and Stanek, as long as they keep producing like late inning arms. With relievers though, it would likely be in best practice to hold true to the plan and get whatever they can from those two relievers and see where the season takes us.

What do you think? Memphis shuttle? Dumpster dive? Make a splash? Let me know!

Thanks as always!

Columbus Clippers 7, Worcester Red Sox 0

Clippers improve to 8-3

All the metrics had been saying Kahlil Watson’s improved approach was going to lead to results and they proved prophetic Saturday as Watson had one of the best games of his MiLB career, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, a triple a walk and a stolen base.

Travis Bazzana also had a monster game, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored while Nolan Jones also homered.

Starting pitcher Rorik Maltrud was sensational, tossing 6.0 shutout innings on just two hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Dane Heuer, Franco Aleman and Steven Perez all followed with a scoreless inning of relief apiece, allowing just one hit while whiffing four combined.

Akron RubberDucks 11, Harrisburg Senators 3

RubberDucks improve to 5-3

Akron’s offense teed off for 11 runs on 14 hits Saturday, led by Wuilfredo Antunez, who went 3-for-5 with his second home run of the season and a triple.

Also having a huge game was Ralphy Velazquez, who blasted his second bomb of 2026 while going 2-for-5 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.

Nick Mitchell reached base safely twice, going 2-for-4 with a walk while Alex Mooney went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk and both Angel Genao and Jake Fox both went 2-for-5, with Genao also walking. Alfonsin Rosario doubled and was hit by a pitch.

Starting pitcher Cam Favors was outstanding, allowing one run on just one hit in 5.2 innings pitched. He struck out eight and walked three.

Matt Jachec closed out the victory with two scoreless innings.

Lake County Captains 0, Dayton Dragons 5

Captains fall to 3-5

There wasn’t much to say with this one. Lake County’s offense was practically nonexistent once again. No one reached base safely twice, although Garrett Howe and Jaison Chourio both doubled.

Starting pitcher Rafe Schlesinger was the tough-luck loser, giving up two runs on three hits in 4.0 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. He also hit three batters.

Cam Schuelke was the standout out of the bullpen, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

Hill City Howlers 8, Fredericksburg Nationals 4

Howlers improve to 5-3

Hill City erupted for eight runs on eight hits with nine walks.

Catcher Tyler Howard went 2-for-3 with two walks. Jose Perela went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk and Luis De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Dauri Fernandes walked twice with a stolen base and Jonathan Martinez walked, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases.

Starting pitcher Harrison Bodendorf was terrific, tossing 4.2 shutout innings of two-hit ball while striking otu nine and walking just one. The 6-foot-5 22-year-old southpaw who was a 10th round pick out of Oklahoma State last year just entered my radar.

Team News

Ketel Marte ends Diamondbacks’ 7-game home run drought in leadoff at-bat vs. Phillies
https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/ketel-marte-drought/3617527/

Gabriel Moreno reportedly headed for IL after D-backs’ 3-game winning streak ended by Phillies https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/gabriel-moreno-il-2/3617549/

It’s a girl! Pfaadt sports pink laces to help with gender reveal for brother’s familyhttps://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/brandon-pfaadt-pink-shoelaces-brother-s-gender-reveal

Latest Gabriel Moreno Injury Update is Brutal News for D-backshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/gabriel-moreno-injury-update-brutal-news-d-backs

D-backs Have Cause for Concern With Brandon Pfaadt’s Slow Starthttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/d-backs-concern-brandon-pfaadt-slow-start

Why The Diamondbacks’ Pitching Dilemma Isn’t as Tough as it Lookshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/diamondbacks-pitching-dilemma-soroka-pfaadt-nelson

Ill do some facts in the comments when Im off work at 1.

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It’s another full slate of baseball,  with 15 games and all 30 teams in action.

I’ve narrowed down my top three home run picks to Jordan Walker, Matt Olson, and Josh Bell. Read all the details in my MLB player props for Sunday, April 12.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Jordan Walker	+710
Matt Olson	+320
Josh Bell	+520
💲Today's HR parlay	+20992

Jordan Walker (+710)

Jordan Walker has always had pop in his bat, but the fourth-year pro has taken it to another level this season. His six home runs are tied with two others for the most in the majors, and equal his total over 111 games last season.

The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder has gone yard in four of his last five games, and he’ll enjoy a favorable matchup vs. the Boston Red Sox starter.

Brayan Bello has a massive 9.00 ERA and 2.50 WHIP over two starts, with righties batting .333.

• Time: 2:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NESN, Cardinals.TV

Matt Olson (+320)

Matt Olson is on a heater with a multi-run dinger in two of his last three outings.

The Atlanta Braves slugger has gone yard in four of his last nine games, and I like his matchup against this Cleveland Guardians pitching staff tonight.

The Guardians have given up 19 home runs in just 15 games this season — the third most in the majors.

Tanner Bibee hasn’t pitched beyond the fifth inning in any of his three outings, while Cleveland’s bullpen has allowed 10 homers, tied for the third most by any team.

• Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBC/Peacock

Josh Bell (+520)

It’s been a great start to the season for Josh Bell, who leads the Minnesota Twins with 12 RBI and co-leads the team with three home runs.

The first baseman will get plenty of good looks this afternoon against a banged-up Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff.

Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Jays after giving up a home run in each of his first two starts of the season. Toronto’s bullpen has also been brutal, allowing 10 dingers and an MLB-worst 70 hits.

• Time: 1:37 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Twins.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Jordan Walker	Bet Now +20992
Matt Olson
Josh Bell

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.

Toledo Mud Hens 3, St. Paul Saints 0 (box)

Toledo’s pitching staff threw a two-hit shutout against St. Paul on Saturday, as the Mud Hens put up three runs in the fifth to secure the win.

It wasn’t a high-offense day with just nine hits between both teams. Ben Malgeri and Gage Workman had multi-hit days with two apiece. Malgeri hit his second triple of the season. Trei Cruz, Cal Stevenson and Max Burt each had one hit, giving the bottom third of the lineup some life.

Cruz led off the deciding fifth inning with a line drive to right-center. It was the third time in five frames that Toledo got the leadoff man on, but this time the Mud Hens strung something together to actually score. Stevenson and Burt made it three singles in a row and brought in the first run of the game. The former grounded it through the right side, but Burt’s ball should have been caught. It was a standard pop-up to shallow right, and no one got there for St. Paul.

Max Clark grounded into what should have been an inning-ending double play. His speed forced a bad throw to first, and Stevenson scored on the error. Clark moved up to second on the throw and went to third on a wild pitch. Workman’s second single of the day brought Clark across. Even on a 0-4 day, Clark managed to do something productive.

Toledo didn’t record a hit for the rest of the day and struck out 12 times overall. That’s not the kind of offensive performance that usually wins ball games, but the pitching staff kept St. Cloud off the bases for most of the evening.

It was a bullpen day for the Mud Hens, which makes the performance all the more impressive. Sean Guenther got the start, and Brenan Hanifee relieved him after two innings. Hanifee threw two frames of his own before turning things over to Matt Seelinger, who got the win. Burch Smith was the only arm to throw a single inning, and Ricky Vanasco got the six-out save.

Vanasco had a team-high four strikeouts, without drawing a single whiff. He landed 10 called strikes, spread relatively evenly across his pitch mix. Vanasco is now up to 8 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He’s struck out 18 batters and walked just three this season. He’s just painting corners and confusing hitters with good sequencing.

Hanifee had three strikeouts and was missing barrels all day. He drew six whiffs on 13 swings and had five first-pitch strikes. Guenther also landed a good amount of first-pitch strikes — doing so on five of the six batters he faced. His velocity was up from its season, around two miles per hour all-around.

Malgeri: 2-3, 3B, BB, K

Clark: 0-4, R, K

Workman: 2-4, RBI, 2 K

Vanasco (S, 2): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 2:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday with the Mud Hens leading the series 3-2.

Chesapeake Baysox 4, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box)

Erie struggled to get on base consistently, and Chesapeake did not, leading to a 4-1 loss for the SeaWolves.

The BaySox reached base in every inning but the sixth by way of 10 hits, two walks and a hit batter. Six of those hits came off Erie’s starter, Carlos Pena, who wasn’t bad overall. He struck out six and allowed just one run, but he still took the loss. Walks and leadoff base hits put Pena under stress for most of his 4 1/3 innings. He gave up leadoff singles in three of the five innings he started, but only Frederick Bencosme scored in the fifth.

Sean Hunley relieved Pena and immediately started giving up extra-base hits. A double from Aron Estrada and a three-run home run from Ethan Anderson decided this game. It would’ve been nice to see Pena try to work out of the fifth. He was only at 77 pitches, and Hunley wasn’t too sharp out of the bullpen. He settled down after that, but the damage was already done.

Yosber Sanchez pitched the final two frames for Erie. He gave up a solo home run to Bencosme on his second pitch of the night, but the rest was fine. He hit a batter and gave up a single with two outs in the eighth before retiring the side.

The SeaWolves’ lone run came in the top of the seventh. Joe Campagna reached on catcher interference and moved around the bags on a Bennett Lee walk and Brett Callahan single. John Peck also singled, but Lee was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Tough break there.

Erie’s other three hits came from Justice Bigbie, Campagna and Chris Meyers — all singles that came before the seventh. The SeaWolves didn’t put up much of a fight in the final two frames, striking out five times. At least they scored the run off our old friend, Micah Ashman.

Bigbie: 1-4, K

Callahan: 1-3, RBI, BB

Pena (L, 0-1): 4.1 IP, 6 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday, with the Baysox leading the series 4-1.

Great Lakes Loons 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box)

West Michigan tried to fight back after a sloppy start from Rayner Castillo, but the Loons would not be denied, as they scored on every pitcher the Whitecaps threw.

Castillo bounced back from a run in the first with a 1-2-3 second, but he was knocked out with one out in the third after giving up four more runs. A leadoff home run spiraled as Castillo loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. He induced a pair of soft grounders, but the only play on the first one was at first base. The second should’ve been an out at third, but Samuel Gil didn’t get the ball to Junior Tilien in time for the tag. A two-run single ended Castillo’s day.

Duque Hebbert took over and was fine until the fifth. He gave up a leadoff double to Jose Meza in the fifth and spiraled from there. Are we sensing a theme here? Hebbert hit Nico Perez and threw away the ball on a pickoff attempt. Another double made it 7-1 before he got the final two outs.

Inohan Paniagua and CJ Weins each threw two innings. Paniagua gave up a run on a wild pitch after a double, and Weins gave up a solo homer in the ninth. Just a rough night for the entire staff.

Offensively, the Whitecaps battled, recording eight hits and walking six times. Nine batters left on base is the blemish, though. West Michigan stranded the bases loaded after scoring in the first — Roberto Campos singled in Jackson Strong. They didn’t get another baserunner until the sixth, when Gil led off with a single. A double play ended that threat.

Hunter Dobbins hit a two-run homer in the seventh, but the Whitecaps couldn’t make anything happen after a pair of walks later in the inning.

Garrett Pennington homered in the eighth, but solo home runs aren’t going to erase a four-run deficit. West Michigan had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, thanks to a trio of walks, but Pennington couldn’t strike twice, ending the game with the bags full— womp womp.

Pennington: 2-5, HR (2), R, RBI, K

Dobbins: 2-4, HR (1), R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Castillo (L, 0-2): 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps and Loons play at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the Loons leading the series 4-1. Just watch golf instead.

Daytona Tortugas 8, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)

Caleb Leys’ second appearance did not go as well as his first, and the Lakeland Flying Tigers never really bounced back from a seven-run second inning. It’s their first loss of the season.

After Bailey Horn worked a 1-2-3 first while on a rehab assignment, Leys gave up five runs on four hits in the second. Four extra-base hits in five batters is never good, and catcher interference piled on before he could get out of the inning. Carlos Rodriguez wasn’t much better in relief of Leys, giving up three more hits, including a ground-rule double and a triple. Just like that, it was 7-0 in favor of Daytona.

Beau Ankeney tripled to lead off the second, looking to spark a rally, but nothing happened after he scored on a sacrifice fly.

Carson Rucker did the same in the fourth, scoring on a groundout, but Daytona was more than happy to trade runs for outs after scoring an eighth run in the top of the fourth off a Jorger Petri wild pitch.

Not much happened after that. Zach MacDonald got hold of one in the seventh for a two-run shot, cutting the deficit to four runs. But Lakeland couldn’t string anything together offensively after that — a single here, an error there, but no more runs.

Despite the wild pitch, Petri was probably Lakeland’s best arm of the day. He struck out four and went three full innings. Donye Evans wasn’t bad either, throwing two hitless frames. Pedro Garcia struck out the side in the ninth. All three drew five or more whiffs — Garcia did so on seven swings for a 71% rate.

Rainer: 0-3, 2 K

MacDonald: 1-4, HR (2), R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Ankeney: 1-3, 3B (1), R, BB

Leys (L, 0-1): 0.2, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Petri: 3.0 IP, R, ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Evans: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K

Garcia: 1.0 IP, BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 12:00 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Sunday, with the Flying Tigers leading the series, 4-1.

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The Tampa Bay Rays have the brooms ready at the Trop, trying to complete a three-game sweep of the AL East-leading New York Yankees.

New York does seem to have the right guy going to break the skid, with ace Cam Schlittler getting the start.

My Yankees vs. Rays predictions and MLB picks ride with Schlittler, especially with an unsettled starting proposition for the home team.

Who will win Yankees vs Rays today: Yankees moneyline (-147)

Cam Schlittler has been dynamite on the road, going 2-0 without surrendering a run over 11 2/3 innings. He’s only surrendered three hits against 15 strikeouts, and opponents are batting just .079 against him.

In one start at Tropicana Field last year, Schlittler gave up just a hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings and fanned eight in a game the New York Yankees eventually won in extra innings.

Tampa has Drew Rasmussen slated to start, but that’s in flux with the birth of his second child. Jesse Scholtens was recalled from Triple-A Durham if he’s a no-go.

That’s an advantage for the Yankees.

COVERS INTEL:Through three starts, Cam Schilttler leads all starting pitchers with a 0.48 WHIP. He’s the only pitcher on that first page of leaders to not allow a walk yet this season (16 2/3 innings).

Yankees vs Rays Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-107)

The Tampa Bay Rays rank ninth in the majors in scoring, putting up 4.6 runs per game, but they will be running into a buzz saw in Schlittler, so I anticipate that number coming in low.

Rasmussen has allowed just two earned runs in two starts, but Tampa's bullpen has cratered after he’s finished his five innings, allowing 15 more runs in relief, and losing both games he’s started.

New York’s bats haven’t lifted off yet (16th in scoring), but this Rays bullpen is second-worst in the majors with a 6.04 ERA. This might be a good jump-off point.

Yankees vs Rays odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -138 | Rays +115
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+120) | Rays +1.5 (-140)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Yankees vs Rays trend

The Yankees lead the majors in fewest runs allowed per game at 2.79. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Rays.

How to watch Yankees vs Rays and game info

Yankees vs Rays latest injuries

Yankees vs Rays 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.

PHOENIX — Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta’s president of baseball operations, was waiting to cross the fairway with fellow patrons at the Masters golf tournament Thursday when a fan recognized him from across the ropes.

“Hey Alex, “Why don’t you lend the Falcons, Walt? He could help ‘em out.’

Anthopoulos: “Hey, that’s a hell of an idea. He could be the next Deion [Sanders]."

Even the Falcons chimed in on Atlanta manager Walt Weiss by tweeting: “Come put on the pads, Skip."

Weiss, 62, the former All-Star shortstop and American League Rookie of the Year, who played 14 years in the major leagues, won three pennants and the 1989 World Series with the Oakland A’s, and managed four years with the Colorado Rockies, still can’t believe one incident has overshadowed everything he has accomplished in his career.

Come put on the pads, Skip pic.twitter.com/A2XtqeWiaj

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 8, 2026

All he did was react to a baseball brawl that broke out between Atlanta and the Los Angeles Angels, running out of the dugout, flipping his hat off, and dropping down like he was on the football gridiron, tackling Angels DH Jorge Soler, 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, and wrapping his arms around him.

“That's a big man," Weiss said. “I just felt I’ve got to get him off his feet because he's going to hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, because he was on a war path."

Weiss may be 62 years old, and is 6-foot and 180 pounds, but he hits the gym every day, is a highly trained martial artist who has a black belt in taekwondo and training in MMA, including jiu-jitsu.

“If there was ever a manager who was prepared to break up a fight like that, it’s Walt,” said Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, who managed Weiss in Oakland. “He’s got the guts. And he has no fear.”

La Russa still remembers trying to break up a brawl in 1980 when he managed the Chicago White Sox against the Milwaukee Brewers when Ben Oglivie charged the mound after being hit by a pitch thrown by White Sox pitcher Mike Proly. La Russa wound up with a dislocated shoulder.

“When you get into one of those things, it’s scary as hell,” La Russa said. “You get worried about injuries on both sides. “But Walt put a stop to it. It reminded me of Stew [Dave Stewart] and [Pat] Corrales. You don’t mess with those guys.”

Corrales, who was managing Cleveland and had a brown belt in karate, charged the mound and went after Stewart in the infamous brawl against Oakland on July 1, 1986. He jumped up and tried to kick Stewart in the chest. Stewart, who was also trained in martial arts, knocked Corrales to the ground with one punch to the jaw.

So, just what Stewart’s reaction to his former A’s teammate?

“I was surprised to see Walt do that," Stewart said. “Most definitely a different breed of manager.

“That MMA came out.”

Oh, did it ever.

“Walter is an outstanding person, a quiet guy, but don’t press the wrong [expletive] button on him," said Rene Lachemann, who coached Weiss in Oakland and was on his coaching staff in Colorado. “You better be careful. He can hurt you."

Oh, like the time a pitcher yelled at Weiss when he was playing for the A’s, telling him to get back into the dugout after striking him out. Weiss picked up the clubhouse phone after the game, summoned the pitcher, and told him to meet him in the parking lot to settle their differences. The pitcher never showed up.

Or the time Weiss was managing the Rockies and overheard GM Jeff Bridich berate one of his coaches. Weiss stood up, got into Bridich’s face and told him, “You better get out of here before something bad happens to you."

“I’m telling you, you don’t mess with Walter," Lachemann said. “He’s quiet, but you push that button, you’re going to be sorry you did."

Atlanta’s players already are well-aware that Weiss has little patience for those who violate his cardinal rules. You better be on time. You better hustle. You better respect the game.

“He's an amazing person, and makes things simple," Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies says. “If you just play hard, play it right, he won't need to tell you anything."

And if you don’t, well, you’re going to find yourself inside Weiss’ office and hear about it, just as he had to remind one of his star players last week.

“I wouldn’t mess with him," Atlanta infielder Kyle Farmer said. “He’s out of my league. It’s kind of wild, honestly, seeing him in the gym. It’s like he’s got tennis balls behind his elbows. He’s got triceps for days."

And when Weiss is in the gym, blasting Led Zepelin over the speakers, it’s best to leave him alone.

“I call it my, 'Adult Swim,'"Weiss says. “That’s the time I get alone."

Weiss’ takedown of Soler exemplifies why he was the perfect choice to follow in the footsteps of Bobby Cox and Brian Snitker.

Despite a dizzying array of injuries in spring training, and facing a gauntlet of 13 consecutive games without a day off to open the season, Atlanta is sitting in first place in the NL East with a 9-6 record. It’s a far cry from a year ago when the team lost its first seven and finished with a 76-86 record, missing the postseason for the first time in eight years.

Weiss is clearly his own man, and has a different style than Cox and Snitker - serving eight years as a bench coach under Snitker - but possesses those same fundamentals, beliefs and leadership skills.

“Snit was different than Bobby, and Walt is different than Snit," Anthopoulos said, “but all three are highly respected and all share similar values with high character and integrity. Snit took some of those things from Bobby, and Walt will take some of those from Snit. And if Walt can come close to having even half the success as either of them, he’s going to be great."

Really, there have been no surprises with Weiss in charge, well, except for the fact that he downs chocolate milk like water. And there’s that superstitious ritual where he must eat a pizza before each series Atlanta plays, no matter what city they’re in.

“I didn’t know those things about him," Anthopoulos says, “but otherwise, the exact same guy."

He was one of the game’s most fiery competitors as a player and had La Russa convinced he’d make an ideal skipper.

“I always believed he’d be a great manager," La Russa said. “I used to tease him that he’s got more guts than brains, but he’s really a sharp guy. There’s nothing about the challenge that he isn’t prepared for mentally and physically.

“He was the same as a player. He had a real toughness to him, and loved the expectations and pressure of competing. If he could have stayed healthy, there’s no doubt to me that he would have been a Hall of Fame shortstop."

Says Weiss: “I feel honored to have played for Tony. I learned a lot about the game my first six years in the leagued playing for Tony. He’s a very close friend, and still to this day, he’s a sounding board for me."

Weiss, who became an instructor and special adviser in the Colorado Rockies’ front office for seven years after he retired as a player, first became manager in November, 2012, when Dan O’Dowd hired him to replace Jim Tracy after the Rockies’ worst season in franchise history.

The trouble was O’Dowd was soon demoted, and Weiss never felt the same support from Bill Geivett and Jeff Bridich, who later became in charge. He stayed for four years, going 283-365, and while owner Dick Monfort wanted him to continue, Weiss resigned because of his strained relationship with Bridich.

“To be honest with you," Weiss tells USA TODAY Sports, “I never felt like I had any support. Matter of fact, it felt like I was working against them. They knew I was Dan’s guy. So it was a really, really difficult situation. He wanted his own people. He did not want me there.

“But look, I probably wouldn't be sitting here today if I didn't have that opportunity in Colorado, as tough as it was. So, yeah, I'm grateful for that."

And already, he feels more comfortable and confident than he ever did with the Rockies.

“It’s just such a different scenario, here," Weiss said. “Here, the GM picked me, and has been nothing but supportive. Alex is a pleasure to work for. He just has an unbelievable feel, man. An unbelievable feel for situations. A great ability to read the room, to read people. It’s almost uncanny."

Weiss has had his opportunities to leave as Atlanta’s bench coach the past eight years. He turned down a job interview in Detroit before they hired AJ. Hinch, and in Miami before hiring Skip Schumaker. Sure, he was always open to managing again, but he was also quite content working in Atlanta and being Snitker’s right-hand man.

“I was really enjoying my time here," Weiss said. “I played here. I had a connection here, emotionally. And I loved working for Snit. It was going to have to take something really, really good for me to leave.

“I didn't have to manage again. That wasn't my goal. I always said, “Hey, if the right thing comes up, I’d do it again, but I’m not pursuing it.’ I would have loved to be Snit’s bench coach for another 10 years.

“But once Snit stepped down here and decided he was done, and his job became available, then it got my juices flowing. Just with this group of guys, and my connection to this organization, I really wanted to do it."

Still, there were no guarantees he’d be Snitker’s replacement. When the San Franciso Giants fired Bob Melvin and interviewed Nick Hundley, Weiss could have gone to San Francisco to be Hundley’s bench coach if he gotten the job instead of Tony Vitello. He might have followed Hundley to San Diego, too, if Hundley wound up with the managerial job instead of Craig Stammen.

Weiss instead waited at home in Colorado, and five weeks after Atlanta’s season was over, he was informed that he was Anthopoulos’ choice, and back as an MLB manager 10 years after last leading the Rockies.

“I don’t think he was really optimistic," Anthopoulos said. “When I called him to let him know on Zoom, he seemed shocked.”

While the season is just two weeks old, Weiss looks like the right choice. He refused to let his team have a letdown despite the ruthless adversity they suffered in spring training. They lost Spencer Strider to an oblique strain. Starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep went down with elbow injuries. Catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined with a hip labral tear. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim tore his finger tendon. Outfielder Jurickson Profar was popped a second time for PEDs and is done for the season. And they opened the year with that grueling 13-game stretch without a single off day while teams like the Yankees had four during the same period.

Yet, here is Atlanta, having outscored the opposition by a whopping 40 runs, the best run-differential in baseball. The pitching staff, despite the missing key pieces, is yielding an MLB-best 2.25 ERA with three shutouts, including a 1.30 ERA by the bullpen.

“We all know what Bobby [Cox] represented, the fundamentals, and how to play the game, and play it right," La Russa said. "Well, it’s the same with Walt. Even in Colorado, you saw how hard those guys played hard for him. You’re seeing it now.

“Walt is going to make that organization proud. He’s got the brains. He’s got the guts. He’s got no fear.

“Believe me, they hired the right guy."

During Saturday’s win in St. Louis, the Red Sox scored a season high seven runs. So with that established, let me stop and ask you a question: What player in a Boston uniform was most responsible for this offensive outburst?

Perhaps it was Willson Contreras, who went 2-4 with 3 RBI against his former team. Or maybe you’d give the nod to Jarren Duran, who picked up his first multi-hit game since Opening Day and seems to be a spark plug for this offense whenever he gets going. Heck, if you wanted to get cute, you could even say Ceddanne Rafaela, who was on base twice in the final three innings, including a line drive RBI single in the ninth that knocked in the first of the five runs forfeited in the final frame by the Cardinals.

But do you know who I’m going with as an answer to this question? Ranger Suarez. Why? Because the biggest reason the Red Sox lineup woke up and managed six consecutive singles in that ninth inning is because they were facing a reliever whose career might be in crisis if he doesn’t figure things out soon. Matt Svanson, the man on the mound for the meltdown, has now pitched in seven games so far this year, and he’s given up at least three runs in four of those outings. His ERA on the season is up to 15.58.

You know the old adage of how good pitching generally beats good hitting? Well I’d argue the opposite is also true. Bad lineups generally smack around bad pitching.

So from a Red Sox perspective, the biggest hero of the night is the guy most responsible for putting this puddle of pitcher on the mound. And well, the only reason the Red Sox offense got to face this guy is because they were winning a game where the Cardinals had already leaned heavily on their high leverage relievers in recent days. And guess what? They weren’t winning this game because of their offense.

I know that sounds silly given it’s the game where the Sox scored a season high seven runs, but at the end of eight innings, the score was still only 2-1. The entire foundation of this victory is the six scoreless frames tossed by Ranger Suarez, who in some ways made his real Red Sox debut in this outing.

If the Sox’ starter went say the same six innings, but instead allowed two or three men to cross the plate, this lineup doesn’t sniff seven runs! The Cardinals manage it completely differently with a lead. But they didn’t one. They were down because of what Ranger Suarez did, and now they’re thinking “it’s a long season, and we’re going to have to beat Chapman anyway, so let’s just call off the dogs and let it burn. We’ll get ’em tomorrow.”

This is how you get a fool’s gold seven run game.

But here’s the good news for this offense: Tonight’s formula is repeatable! Not down to every detail of course (guys with double digit ERAs tend to be endangered species in the MLB ecosystem), but the general framework is actually the exact blueprint for this squad to win the division. Get a good start from the starter, get a lead, and then get to face the soft underbelly of the opponent’s bullpen.

Even though this lineup isn’t good — and oh boy might it stink! — the Sox probably don’t have to score all that much to have lots of leads in the middle innings. In fact, even though the Sox scored just three runs on Tuesday, five runs on Wednesday, two runs on Friday after an off day Thursday, and two runs in the first eight innings on Saturday, the starter walked off the mound in each of those four games with a lead. If the rotation is really this good, and it might be, that’s a winning formula.

The single best way to improve your offense is to face weaker pitching, and this rotation might actually be good enough to ensure that generally happens in the second half of most games. You’ve got to love baseball!

One last thought here because I think Alex Bregman and Ranger Suarez are forever linked as two possible paths the Red Sox could have taken last winter, and Saturday was a big day on both fronts. Here’s Bregman with a game tying single in the for Cubs in their afternoon game:

These are the types of hits Alex Bregman gets, and these are the hits the Red Sox desperately need right now. But you know what? When you add up everything on Saturday’s scorecard, what Ranger Suarez did for his offense in the ninth inning (getting them in position to face Matt Svanson) was more valuable than what Bregman did for his offense in the ninth inning. (And that’s a pretty impressive bar considering Bregman came through with a clutch, two out, two strike, game tying RBI knock).

This is the calculus we’re going to keep revisiting. That second week of January changed everything when it comes to how these Red Sox are built, and for at least one Saturday night, it was actually for the better. We’ll keep checking back in.

The Dodgers have opened up their second homestand on a strong note after a successful road trip where they averaged 8.67 runs per game and took five of six contests. While players such as Andy Pages and Freddie Freeman flourished over the six-game stretch, Max Muncy looked as if to be starting the season on an opposite note.

Muncy had only four hits and two walks across 25 plate appearances away from home and was out of the starting lineup in the series finale against the Washington Nationals, and returned home hitting just .216 with a .623 OPS. In his first game back at home, Muncy lit a spark and had a monstrous three-home run game, the last of which being a walk-off home run to give the Dodgers an 8-7 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday.

The early results so far are indicative of the offseason regiment that Muncy underwent this past offseason, which included losing 17 lbs, and he is feeling much healthier than he was at the end of the World Series, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“Most importantly, I feel like my feet are moving on every ground ball,” Muncy said. “That’s something I’ve always struggled with in the past. I just get stuck a little bit, and that puts me in bad positions on certain hops, but I feel like everything is moving fluidly and I just feel healthy.”

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It took two weeks of regular season play for Shohei Ohtani to hit his first home run in front of the home crowd, and it came via a leadoff shot in Saturday’s win against Texas that also extended his league-leading on-base streak to 45 games.

Courtney Hollman of MLB.com notes that play-by-play announcer Stephen Nelson alluded to Dave Roberts predicting that Ohtani’s first extra-base hit and RBI at home would come on Saturday.

“I know Ohtani doesn’t have an extra-base hit or an RBI yet here at home,” said Roberts (via Nelson on the air). “Kinda crazy. But trust me it’s coming, and I think it’s coming tonight.”

After a rough pair of starts to open the season, Emmet Sheehan managed to toss a quality start and earn the win on Saturday by allowing three earned runs while striking out six and walking one over six innings.

Sheehan was utterly dominant against the majority of Texas’ lineups, with the only mistakes being a pair of home runs from Brandon Nimmo. He noted to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA that he’d prefer to have those mistake pitches back, but felt better on the mound compared to his two previous starts.

“There’s some pitches that I wanted to have back there, but delivery-wise, throw-wise, everything felt a lot better. The stuff was playing and I was executing a lot better today, so definitely a step in the right direction.”

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Sunday’s full 15-game MLB slate features plenty of strong spots that Polymarket traders may not have fully accounted for.

There are big names on the mound and teams finding their offensive rhythm, while others are still trying to settle in.

Find out more in my MLB picks for Sunday, April 12. 

MLB moneyline picks for April 12

Matchup	Pick
Diamondbacks vs Phillies	+117
Giants vs Orioles	-113
Twins vs Blue Jays	-100
Angels vs Reds	+104
Athletics vs Mets	+144
Marlins vs Tigers	+156
Yankees vs Rays	-138
Nationals vs Brewers	+178
White Sox vs Royals	-150
Red Sox vs Cardinals	-100
Pirates vs Cubs	+113
Rockies vs Padres	-178
Rangers vs Dodgers	+122
Astros vs Mariners	+138
Guardians vs Braves	-150

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 4-12.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for April 12

Diamondbacks vs Phillies: Diamondbacks (+117)

Diamondbacks win probability: 46%

This is one of the clearest mismatches on the board when you look at the mound.

Zac Gallen gives Arizona a real edge, and the Diamondbacks have been more consistent than the Phillies.

Giants vs Orioles: Orioles (-113)

Orioles win probability: 53%

San Francisco has actually held up well on the road so far, but Baltimore has been slightly more consistent and gets the benefit of being at home, which matters in a matchup that feels this even.

With no major edge on the mound, I’ll side with the Orioles bats. 

Twins vs Blue Jays: Twins (-100)

Twins win probability: 50%

Taj Bradley has been sharp, while Max Scherzer is prone to the long ball.

Minnesota has been steadier, and this pitching matchup favors them right now. In a near pick’em, backing the pitcher in better form is the right move.

Angels vs Reds: Angels (+104)

Angels win probability: 49%

José Soriano has been lights out, while Cincinnati’s offense has been inconsistent.

This should be a close one, but Los Angeles and Soriano have the edge over Andrew Abbott. 

Athletics vs Mets: Athletics (+144)

Athletics win probability: 41%

The Athletics can hit, and that matters in this matchup.

With Freddy Peralta on the mound, the A’s have enough offense to create problems, especially against a Mets lineup that has been inconsistent.

Marlins vs Tigers: Marlins (+156)

Marlins win probability: 39%

This line leans heavily on Tarik Skubal’s abilities, but Sandy Alcantara has been dealing thus far.

Miami has been competitive all season, and Detroit can't seem to cross the dish. Take the better bats in this one. 

Yankees vs Rays: Yankees (-138)

Yankees win probability: 58%

The Yankees have the deeper lineup and more ways to win this game.

Tampa Bay is always formidable at home, but New York’s offense gives them an edge over nine innings. In a matchup like this, the more complete team usually finds a way.

Nationals vs Brewers: Nationals (+178)

Nationals win probability: 36%

Washington can hit, and the numbers back it up. The Nationals have been more productive offensively than Milwaukee, making this price too high.

The Brewers’ 23% strikeout rate limits their lineup, while the Nationals have more than enough offense to prevail.

White Sox vs Royals: Royals (-150)

Royals win probability: 60%

Kansas City has been the better team and now faces a Chicago side without a confirmed starter.

The White Sox haven’t traveled well, and those struggles should continue against Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals. 

Red Sox vs Cardinals: Cardinals (-100)

Cardinals win probability: 50%

St. Louis has been playing some of the best baseball in the league, while Boston’s bats rank 23rd in wRC+.

That lack of production has shown up on the road, and those woes will likely continue this afternoon. 

Pirates vs Cubs: Pirates (+113)

Pirates win probability: 47%

Pittsburgh has been one of the better early-season teams, and that can continue here with Jameson Taillon carrying a 5.11 xFIP.

The Pirates’ offense ranks in the top 15 in wRC+, giving them the edge in what’s essentially a coin flip game.

Rockies vs Padres: Padres (-178)

Padres win probability: 64%

Kyle Freeland has been good, but this San Diego lineup owns a .785 OPS across 194 career at-bats against the veteran lefty.

The Padres’ offense is heating up and can be trusted to carry this matchup.

Rangers vs Dodgers: Rangers (+122)

Rangers win probability: 45%

Jacob deGrom gives Texas a chance against anyone, and that includes a strong Dodgers team.

Los Angeles is raking, but Roki Sasaki is off to an ugly start, and his 4.37 xFIP suggests his woes could continue today. 

Astros vs Mariners: Astros (+138)

Astros win probability: 42%

Seattle starter Logan Gilbert is off to a shaky start and looks overpriced, especially after allowing a .705 OPS across 164 at-bats against this Astros lineup. 

Houston is likely going with a bullpen game, and its arms can carry this matchup.

Guardians vs Braves: Braves (-150)

Braves win probability: 60%

Chris Sale gives Atlanta the edge on the mound, while Tanner Bibee’s 56% hard-hit rate is a concern.

The Braves’ bats have been more consistent, and that will carry them at home.

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.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are wrapping up another week of baseball today, which means it’s time to discuss our favorite highlights of the week!

This week, I’m giving the honors to Rafael Devers’ three-run home run in Wednesday’s 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Philies!

Devers faced off against Phillies starter Aaron Nola in the bottom of the sixth innings with Willy Adames on second after a double, and Luis Arráez on first after a walk. Devers came up with a big swing to deep centerfield to knock in three of his four RBI of the night.

I don’t have a video of just that play, but here’s the game highlights from the team’s YouTube account. Enjoy!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants wrap up their series against the Baltimore Orioles this morning at 10:35 a.m. PT.

It's midseason in high school baseball, so let's look at players who are producing results at a high level. Forget about rankings, radar guns or who has scholarship offers. These are the players making an impact.

No one has been better than sophomore pitcher Tyler George of Santa Margarita. With a 7-0 record, 0.85 ERA and just two walks in 41 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound 16-year-old has shown what a top pitcher is supposed to look like.

Few saw this coming — except for his freshman coach last season, Mike Hiserman, who said, "He was the most fundamentally sound all-around freshman baseball player I've ever coached. Was good at everything yet still immensely coachable. You tell him something once and he does it."

George said he has focused on mixing up his pitches — fastball, curveball, slider, change-up.

Read more:Prep sports roundup: Orange Lutheran defeats Norco to win Boras Classic South

"Just not overthrowing the ball, not throwing as hard as I can but hitting the spots and having a feel for my off-speed pitches," he said.

He threw all nine innings during a 1-0 win over Mater Dei that was full of drama.

"It was a lot of fun," he said. "The adrenaline was running. It was cool."

His brother, Hayden, is a freshman pitcher at UCLA, and he said Bruins coach John Savage has been asking Hayden about him, which is a good sign when he becomes available to talk to recruiters in the summer.

• Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.

• Brady Murrietta, Orange Lutheran: The senior catcher keeps throwing out baserunners trying to challenge him. He's also terrific on throws to the plate, picking up the hop and making the tag. And don't forget his clutch hitting. He leads the team in RBIs with 12.
  
• Troy Randall, Corona Santiago: The junior third baseman is hitting .460 with 29 hits and also has given up just two hits in 12 innings in a relief pitching role.
  
• Jake Kim, Harvard-Westlake: The junior has displayed power and consistency, making him one of the toughest outs in the Wolverines' lineup. He has 22 hits, a .500 batting average and four home runs.
  
• Malakye Matsumoto, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: With 22 hits and 17 RBIs, the senior third baseman has been delivering for 14-3 Notre Dame.
  
• Tate Belfanti, Cypress: The junior left-hander has 53 strikeouts in 28 innings while going 5-0.
  
• Jake Ange, Thousand Oaks: The junior was a starter for the basketball team and has come out and hit seven home runs, including a game in which he hit two grand slams.
  
• Dylan Seward, Norco: The junior shortstop has been producing since he was a starter as a freshman. He has 26 hits, 16 RBIs and makes the plays when the ball is hit in his direction.
  
• James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake: The senior shortstop has 26 hits, including four home runs, as the Wolverines' leadoff hitter.
  
• Gary Morse, Orange Lutheran: The 6-foot-8 pitcher is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 30 innings for the No. 1 team in Southern California.
  
• Caleb Trugman, Ayala: The two-way player has 23 hits and is 6-0 pitchers and an 0.76 ERA.
  
• Xavier Cadena, El Dorado: The outfielder has hit five home runs, driven in 19 runs and is batting .373.
  
• Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian: The senior catcher continues to be stellar behind the plate while also contributing 22 hits, including seven doubles.
  
• Landon Hovermale, Norco: A model of consistency, the left-handed Hovermale is 6-0 with an 0.95 ERA and has walked just four batters in 36 2/3 innings.
  
• Jackson Sellz, El Camino Real: The junior keeps throwing complete games for the defending City Section champs. He's 6-0 with a 1.20 ERA and five complete games.
  
• Jayden Rojas, Bell: The senior third baseman is batting .466 with 27 hits for 17-2 Bell. As a pitcher, he's 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 3, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA) 2

It was a very good night for Levi Wells, who retired the first 13 batters he faced. The 14th batter reached on an error by the rehabbing second baseman, Jackson Holliday. The 15th batter doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out in the fifth. After a strikeout, Levi allowed his second hit of the game, a single to score both runs. He exited with one out in the sixth inning with the final pitching line of 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. He threw 86 pitches, 64 for strikes.

All three Norfolk runs came via home run. Westin Wilson hit a two-run homer in the second inning and Creed Willems had a solo shot in the seventh. Wilson’s homer came when he pinch-hit for Sam Huff, who was pulled out of the game with the news that Adley Rutschman was headed to the IL. Huff is a catcher but was slated to DH last night.

Enrique Bradfield, Jr. went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Holliday singled and was hit by a pitch. Willems had a single to go with his homer.

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 4, Erie SeaWolves (DET) 1

This game remained scoreless until the fifth inning, when Ethan Anderson hit a home run with Frederick Bencosme (walk) and Aron Estrada (double) on base. In the seventh inning, Bencosme had a home run of his own. Anderson, Estrada, and Bencosme all had multi-hit games.

It was a bullpen game in Bowie, and a good one. Christian Herberholz started and struck out five batters in three shutout innings. He was followed by Yaqui Rivera (3 IP), Micah Ashman (2 IP), and Tyson Neighbors (1 IP). The only run scored in the seventh inning and was unearned after a batter reached on catcher’s interference.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 11, Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) 2

It was a fun night to be a Key! Ike Irish, Colin Tuft, Wehiwa Aloy, and Vance Honeycutt all hit their first home runs of the season. The Keys got on the board in the first inning with the Irish blast, and ended up scoring in six out of nine innings. Four of those were multi-run innings.

In addition to his homer, Honeycutt walked twice and had 4 RBI as the leadoff batter. Aloy had two hits. Tuft had three. Every hitter in the lineup had at least one hit, and eight of them reached base at least twice.

Not to be outdone by the offense was starting pitcher JT Quinn. In 4.2 shutout innings, Quinn allowed just two hits without a walk. He struck out 10 batters, seven of which were swinging.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Augusta GreenJackets (ATL) 4

The Shorebirds got the win, but Esteban Mejia did not have a good night. In just two-thirds of an inning, Mejia allowed four runs, walked one, and threw three wild pitches. He exited having allowed three runs with 34 pitches. It was a terrible showing by the prospect. Hopefully there are no injury concerns.

The bullpen picked up the slack with 8.1 innings with just one run allowed. Hunter Allen picked up the win with three innings pitched. He allowed just one run but walked four.

All three runs allowed by Mejia in the top of the first inning were canceled out by a three-run bottom of the first by the Shorebirds. After two walks and a single, DJ Layton cleared the bases with a triple. Delmarva pulled away with four runs scored between innings four through six. Layton had a two-hit game and Cobb Hightower picked up three singles.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Triple-A: Norfolk vs Jacksonville, 1:05. Starter: Brandon Young
• Double-A: Chesapeake vs Erie, 1:05. Starter: Sebastian Gongora
• High-A: Frederick @ Winston-Salem, 2:00. Starter: TBD
• Low-A: Delmarva vs Augusta, 2:05. Starter: Christian Rodriguez