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

The 13-game NL East gauntlet continues on for the Atlanta Braves and so far, they’ve passed their first divisional test with flying colors. They’re 5-1 through the first six games and they’re two wins away from making this a successful divisional swing. They’re also just one win away from confirming a successful road trip on this seven-game jaunt across the Eastern Seaboard after picking up a very lovely sweep in Philadelphia.

With that being said, I think this Braves team has more than just the bare minimum expectations for success at the moment. They’ve already built up a relatively large cushion in the division and they’ve got an opportunity to continue to put plenty of space between them and the rest of their foes in the NL East. The good news is that it’s the type of opportunity that feels like a golden one for this team.

Sure, they’ll have to deal with the Phillies again but they’ll be doing it in their own dojo this weekend. Also, the Braves will have four games against the Nationals in the nation’s capital. While the Nationals clearly aren’t going to be moribund (as you’ll see below), it’s a situation where if the Braves are the caliber of team that we think they’re shaping up to be, they should be considering a series split as the bare minimum.

Let’s take a look at what lies ahead this week for the Braves:

April 20-23: Washington Nationals

Current Record: 10-12 Projected Record(via FanGraphs): 69-93

_{(We’re now using up-to-date standings since the Braves are finally into repeat opponent territory starting this week)}

Well this’ll certainly be an interesting series! The Nationals might be under .500 like the rest of the NL East but it’s not for lack of trying at the plate! While Atlanta has been cooking at the plate to the tune of a team wRC+ of 122 (tied for second in all of baseball with the Astros but 16 points behind the Dodgers for first place because of course), the Nationals aren’t that far behind with a team wRC+ of 109. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Michael Harris II’s good buddy CJ Abrams has been very dangerous at the plate so far — he’s hitting .320/.429/.600 with a 182 wRC+, six home runs and a .443 wOBA across 91 plate appearances and 21 games.

James Wood isn’t too far behind with a 153 wRC+ and they’ve also gotten strong contributions from Jorbit Vivas and Joey Wiemer now that they’ve gotten more chances to show their stuff. Ivan talked a bit about this offense during his article earlier and it’s going to be very interesting to see if they can keep it up against a Braves pitching staff that is proving to be very formidable for any opponent to deal with so far.

With that being said, there’s a reason why this team is still under .500 and it’s their pitching staff. Like, full stop: They have been straight-up bad on the mound so far this season. Their best pitcher (according to fWAR) so far has been Cade Cavalli, who is sporting a 4.12 ERA and a 3.59 FIP across 19.2 innings of work and five starts. That’s not great, and hopefully the Braves will be able to do plenty of damage against this pitching staff before they run into him in the series finale on Thursday afternoon.

Outside of Cavalli, this pitching staff has been varying degrees of mediocre-to-bad so far. If this was 2024, I’d be terrified at the prospect of the Braves having to deal with Jake Irvin but Atlanta appears to have slain that particular boogeyman after what they did to him last season so he seems like a manageable prospect for this Atlanta lineup. Foster Griffin has been more in the “okay” category and he did manage to limit the Dodgers to just one run over five innings on April 5 but he got dinged for four runs against the Pirates in his last time out. Then you have Zack Littell, who has gotten lit up so far this season. Again, he also has a five-inning, one-run stint to his name but he’s given up at least three runs in his other three starts and he even got smacked for eight runs in his most recent start.

As bleak as this starting rotation looks for Washington, the bullpen looks just as bad. The bullpen is currently sitting on an ERA- of 136 and a FIP- of 144 — that ERA- number is the second-worst mark in the NL and the FIP- is the worst. Both of those numbers are actually better than what the starting rotation is putting up, as they’ve collectively delivered an ERA- of 152 and a FIP- of 131. Even if these games end up turning into slugfests, I like Atlanta’s chances in those slugfests since their offense has been better as well. It would be a crying shame if the Braves didn’t put in some serious work at the plate during this series as this Nationals pitching staff appears to be ripe for the picking at the moment.

April 24-26: Philadelphia Phillies

Current Record: 8-13 Projected Record: 84-78

Assuming they don’t get right this week against the Cubs, the Phillies might be really hating baseball life by the time the get to Atlanta. The sweep they suffered at the hands of the Braves is now part of a five-game losing streak and a 2-8 stretch. If it wasn’t for the Mets being completely dreadful for two weeks now, the Phillies would be at the bottom of the NL right now. Instead, they’re next to the bottom and currently looking up at the Colorado Rockies in the NL standings. Are they going to be trailing the Rockies for much longer? Probably to but it’s still funny to see!

Either way, we just got done seeing Philadelphia and the problem is clear: They are doing some serious scuffling at the plate. They’re currently bottom-five as a team in the National League when it comes to team wRC+ (88) and outside of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, this lineup isn’t providing the type of production that we’re used to seeing from them and subsequently being annoyed by. Again there are some potential big boppers in this lineup so I don’t think that they’re going to stay down like this for a lot longer but I’m sure the Braves would appreciate it if they continued to scuffle while making their visit to Truist Park this weekend.

Atlanta will also be getting a bit of a break due to the Phillies’ visit to Wrigley Field being a four-gamer as well. Cristopher Sánchez is currently set to start the series finale in Chicago, which means the Braves will avoid get to avoid him this weekend. There is a chance that Zack Wheeler could return to the Phillies rotation just in time to see the Braves but if not, they’ll likely get another dose of Andrew Painter. On top of that, Atlanta will still have to deal with the tricky propositions of Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola on the weekend — Luzardo has been a tough customer for the Braves to deal with since his time with the Marlins and I think we’re all too well acquainted with Nola at this point in his career.

Either way, if the Cubs extend Philadelphia’s misery then the Braves could have a chance to really pour on the pain once this weekend rolls around. I’m not going to count any chickens before they hatch but Atlanta could be in line to put some serious distance between them and Philadelphia right away if all goes well for the Braves this week.

It’s hard to place all that much importance on an April series against a division rival, but the Mariners series win over the Rangers last weekend was pretty important. Not only did it serve as a reset after a tough stretch of games — not unlike the Astros series a few weekends ago — it also ensured Seattle has a much better chance to win the season series — and the all-important tiebreaker — later on this season. It’s probably too early to start worrying about things like that. First, the M’s need to take care of business against another upstart division rival.

The Athletics have gotten off to a bit of an up-and-down start to the season. A few weeks ago, they won consecutive series against the Astros, Yankees, and Mets but just dropped a three-game set against the White Sox last weekend. The young offense that looked so impressive last year has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. They’re just 19th in baseball with 4.14 runs scored per game. 

There are a ton of high-whiff, high-power guys populating the A’s lineup and then there’s Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil. Those two high-contact hitters aren’t enough to offset the high strikeout rates from guys like Nick Kurtz, Lawrence Butler, or Shea Langeliers; the team’s strikeout rate is fifth highest in baseball right now. After taking a pretty big step forward last year, Langeliers has been even better this season. He’s already blasted six home runs and is currently sporting a 163 wRC+. Kurtz, in particular, has gotten off to a slow start at the plate. The reigning Rookie of the Year has hit only two home runs this year, though he’s walking in more than a quarter of his plate appearances; opposing pitchers are treating him a lot more carefully after he torched the league last summer. He isn’t the only guy off to a slow start; Tyler Soderstrom (87 wRC+ so far), Wilson (68), and Butler (58) have all scuffled in April.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

J.T. Ginn has spent the last few seasons bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen for the A’s. He’s dealt with a number of injuries over the years, stunting his development, but the stuff models really love his sinker-slider combo. He gets a ton of groundballs with those two pitches and can turn to a pretty good changeup to get a whiff if he needs it. Considering the problems the A’s have had developing mid-rotation arms, and Ginn’s penchant for groundball contact, it’s surprising they haven’t given him a longer look in the rotation. 

Jacob Lopez was a surprise last year. Never regarded as a top prospect, and a throw-in in the Jeffrey Springs trade a few years ago, he had a stretch of 13 starts last summer where he ran a 2.64 ERA and a 3.08 FIP. He ran into the Mariners on August 24, allowed nine runs, and was placed on the IL with an elbow strain the next day. His raw stuff just isn’t that impressive; his fastball barely averages 90 mph and a slow looping slider is hardly optimized for whiffs. Still, some deception in his throwing motion allows his stuff to play up a bit.

The A’s signed Aaron Civale in February to give them another veteran innings eater while their top pitching prospects continue to develop in the minors. Pitching for his sixth team in four years, he’s a prototypical back-end starter with a deep repertoire. He doesn’t stand out in any one area, but average skills across the board help him work through a lineup a couple of times without courting disaster. His best pitch is a hammer curveball and he’ll mix in five other pitches to keep batters off balance.

The Big Picture:

The AL West standings are currently a big ol’ mess. The Rangers and A’s are tied in first with matching .500 records with the Angels and Mariners following close behind. And then there’s the Astros who are limping along at the bottom with the second worst record in the AL. Texas returns home to begin a long homestand beginning with a series against the Pirates, Los Angeles hosts the struggling Blue Jays, and Houston will try and turn things around in Cleveland this week.

As another former Mets’ skipper, Yogi Berra, once famously opined: “It’s getting late early”.

Fair or not, the writing is on the wall for current Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza: His time with the club is approaching its end.

It felt somewhat inevitable with last year’s collapse, and it appears all but etched in stone as the team’s losing streak reached an unfathomable, incomprehensible eleven games. The Mets haven’t lost 11 straight since the 2004 season—incidentally, the team fired Art Howe about a week after that losing streak ended. If they lose on Tuesday, their losing streak will reach 12 games, their longest since 2002. Bobby Valentine was fired at the end of that season. It’s simply hard to survive that much prolonged failure, whether it’s directly your fault or not.

The current Mets’ situation calls to mind another skipper who faced the ax. In 2006, the Mets seemed poised for a World Series run, and their season was cut short in the NLCS (sound familiar?) In 2007, the Mets suffered a monumental collapse which concluded with a loss to the Marlins on the final day of the regular season (again, familiar?) In 2008, a lethargic start with sky-high expectations led to the team firing Willie Randolph in one of the most embarrassing (and inappropriate) ways imaginable, in the middle of the night after a win at the start of a June West Coast trip. While these two situations are not entirely mirror images, they do bear striking resemblances, and will likely end the same way—did I mention the Mets also poached Randolph from the Yankees, much like Mendoza?

I think the current Mets regime knows well enough not to repeat the same mistakes of the past regime—I will add, for no reason in particular, that the Mets do have a trip to Anaheim Los Angeles coming up in a couple of weeks, so Mendoza may want to book a back-up return flight, just in case. Hell, Mendoza may not even have a job by Tuesday, let alone two weeks from now. But the greater point is that, when captaining a ship that goes down the way the 2007 and 2025 Mets, it’s hard to recover in the court of public perception, unless everything goes right (and everything has, decidedly, gone wrong).

One could argue that, in both instances, the Mets should have never let it get to the point it did. The collapse of 2007 greatly overshadowed the success of 2006, to the point that Randolph entered 2008 a dead man walking. Similarly, the failures of 2025 all but erased the good will built up during the 2024 OMG/Grimace/Rally Pumpkin playoff run. With the Mets jettisoning basically every coach besides Mendoza after last season, it seemingly made sense to just clean house entirely. In failing to do so, Mendoza entered 2026 on a short leash, one that has all but run out with a disastrous start nobody, not even the most pessimistic in the fanbase or in the media, could have seen coming.

So that brings us to the $64,000 question (or, more accurately, the $381 million question): What should the Mets do with Mendoza? In times like this, when expectations are what they are and results are…well, this…something has to be done, and as we’ve all come to learn, you can’t fire or trade an entire team. The torches are getting hotter, the pitchforks are getting sharper, and the screams are getting louder, so much so that Steve Cohen and David Stearns cannot ignore it for that much longer. This failure, to be clear, falls squarely on the shoulders of the players, and while Mendoza is far from a great manager, he is the easiest target to do something and show the outside world that they are taking this seriously.

I’m of the belief that most managers don’t really have much of an impact on the day-to-day results, especially in modern baseball. I can’t even really point to much he could do differently in this exact scenario to make things better. I don’t think firing Mendoza will functionally change anything, and I’m not a huge believer of firings to “light a fire under the players’ asses” or whatever phrase you want to use. If nothing else, the players, led by Francisco Lindor, have given Mendoza a vote of confidence, but the way they’re playing, that means less than nothing. At the end of the day, Mendoza is the public face of this mess, and there’s enough criticism of his work that it won’t seem like a desperation move and people will come to understand the rationale.

Mendoza has two things strongly working against him: a) the aforementioned collapse, and b) an expiring contract. The Mets have fired managers with many more years left on their deal, so parting with a manager with a few months left to go anyway will not phase them. If anything, it makes a decision much easier, allowing them to review an interim—Kai Correa? Carlos Beltran? Probably the former more than the latter—and make a determination on the future direction they want to go in.

We can’t close this discussion without addressing the elephant in the room: David Stearns. Fans are extremely split, to put it mildly, on the job he has done here, with some praising his focus on modernizing the organization and improving the farm system, and others blasting the choices he’s made to field a competitive major league roster. Many fans already entered this season ready to throw hands with Stearns for letting some fan favorites go, and that was before these results. Stearns, it stands to reason, should face as much criticism as anyone for the early-season struggles, but let’s make one thing clear (and I say this without any inside knowledge whatsoever): Stearns is under no threat to be fired, this year or likely in many future years. Steve Cohen has put a lot of trust into Stearns, and letting go of him this early will torpedo any trust the organization may have in searching for his replacement, and make the organization a laughingstock—well, more of one, anyway. Moreover, Cohen would have to return to making the baseball decisions, and he does not seem eager to do so. Love him or hate him, Stearns is here to stay, to make the decision on both the Mets manager and future player and personnel moves for the foreseeable future.

So that brings us back to Mendoza. The Mets ultimately face two choices: Fire Mendoza or do nothing at all. There are no player moves to be made and no front office decisions to be had. As such, Mendoza is probably gone, if not in April, then before Memorial Day. Aside from the brief boost that inevitably follows a move like this—a warning to the players, an improvement in performance, a reprieve of negative public perception—the team will likely continue to underwhelm and miss the playoffs. Very few teams have lost 11 straight and rebounded, and this one, while loaded with talent, doesn’t inspire confidence that it can buck that trend.

This is the time for decisive action, not waffling from the team’s leadership. Stearns and Cohen currently have the media and weight of the fanbase breathing down their necks, and are facing harsh economic blowback (an empty stadium, fewer merch and concession sales, etc.) if they do nothing. If this is the decision the team is currently leaning towards, then the firing should probably happen before tomorrow’s game, because if the team builds up any momentum between now and, say, when they decide to fire him, it’ll look even worse. Mendoza’s time is clearing ticking, so the best (and perhaps most humane) thing to do would be to not let it drag on any longer and relieve him of his duties. It’s not entirely fair, but as we’ve learn, baseball isn’t always that fair.

The New York Yankees have obviously had many successful decades in their history, but despite winning more games than anyone in baseball in the ’80s, it ranks among their lowest-achieving. After losing the World Series in 1981, the Bombers wouldn’t play postseason baseball for well over a decade, not playing meaningful October ball again until 1995. Though that stretch was rough on the organizational level, they were fortunate enough to at least enjoy a player who would be one of the franchise greats during that stretch, Don Mattingly.

The Captain of the Yankees, despite having his career cut short by injuries, was a six-time All-Star, won nine Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and an MVP award. In a so-so stretch in the Bronx, Mattingly provided excitement by reaching heights few players do.

Donald Arthur Mattingly
Born: April 20, 1961 (Evansville, IN)
Yankees Tenure: 1982-95

Drafted out of an Indiana high school in the 19th round of the 1979 MLB Draft, Mattingly absolutely tore up minor-league pitching from the beginning, and ascended to the big leagues within just a few years. After a solid season in Triple-A in 1982, Mattingly earned a call-up late in that season to join the big club in the Bronx. Wearing No. 46 at the time rather than the number that he would soon make famous, Mattingly recorded a pair of hits in seven games that season.

The future star earned himself a roster spot in 1983, but was unable to find much playing time on the veteran-laden team before returning to Triple-A Columbus. He once again destroyed the minors with an OPS over 1.000, and when a roster spot opened up due to Bobby Murcer’s retirement, Mattingly was called to fill it. Donnie Baseball would never look back.

That season, he showed he could at least survive in the big leagues with a 107 OPS+ in 305 plate appearances. As the years to come would show, Mattingly could do a far more than just survive — as he would enter more than a half-decade as one of the game’s better position players.

1984 was Mattingly’s first chance at a full-time role out of camp, and the lefty took full advantage of it. In 153 games, Donnie Baseball led the league in hits, doubles, and batting average (edging out teammate Dave Winfield in a memorable battle), while topping 20 homers and posting an astute 156 OPS+. That first All-Star season was only a sign of things to come, as Mattingly continued to blister American League pitching throughout the 1980s.

1985 saw Mattingly hit a different level, as he was now paired with speedster Rickey Henderson at the top of the lineup. The combination worked out as well as it could, as Henderson led the league with 146 runs, and Mattingly in RBI with 145. It was another step forward in the power department as well, as he swatted 35 homers, including 26 in the final 76 games. He led the league again in doubles, as well as RBI and total bases, while collecting another All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger, and the first of five straight Gold Gloves. His monster season was capped off with his selection as the 1985 American League MVP.

The following year was debatably even better for Mattingly. In 1986, the Yankees’ first baseman played in all 162 games, leading the league with a franchise-record (!) 238 hits and 53 doubles, also leading the majors at 388 total bases while swatting 30-plus homers once again en route to an AL-best (and career-best) 161 OPS+. He placed second in MVP voting, behind Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, but he continued to build on his trophy case, in the middle of what continued to be a stellar run.

As Mattingly entered his late-20s, he continued to produce as the leader of the Yankees. From 1987-89, the team captain averaged well over 20 homers, hit to the tune of a 136 OPS+, and collected an All-Star selection and a Gold Glove Award in each of those three years, as well as a Silver Slugger for good measure. The first of those seasons was one for the record books in two different ways, as Mattingly tied a record with homers in eight consecutive games from July 8th through the 18th and set a new standard with six grand slams in one year (a mark since tied by Cleveland’s Travis Hafner in 2006). It was a bit of a quirk, as he never hit a slam before ’87 and never hit another one after that year, but it was impressive nonetheless.

At the very beginning of the 1990 season, Mattingly signed a five-year $19.3 million deal, making him the highest-paid player in baseball. Despite the big price tag, this was also the time that Donnie Baseball’s career took a turn for the worse. By mid-season, he was hitting under .250, with essentially no power in the bat. It was not without reason, as the back he injured a few years prior was acting up again, and it was enough to force him to miss most of the season from July onward. It was the worst year of his career, as he hit just five homers with a 72 wRC+ in 428 plate appearances.

1991 was a subpar offensive year again, as Mattingly had a 99 wRC+ and hit just nine home runs in 152 games. He would experience a couple of bounce-back seasons in 1992 and ‘93, hitting 14 and 17 home runs respectively, and posting a 114 OPS+ in that span. He was no slouch, but his career was slowing down awfully fast for a 32-year-old former superstar.

Mattingly played well in the 1994 season, in what looked to be a prime chance for him to make his postseason debut with the Yanks leading the AL at 70-43, but it was a year that was cut short due to the strike. Although play resumed in ‘95, it was another disappointing year for Mattingly, now 34, and his worst in a few years with just six homers and a .754 OPS. Despite all this, he turned on the jets down the stretch as the Yankees just barely secured the first AL Wild Card with a 22-6 finish, Mattingly batting .321 with a .472 slugging percentage in his final month of regular-season play. He knew that he was probably jeopardizing any playing future due to severe wear and tear on his back through this kind of play, but his long wait for meaningful October baseball was over.

Although their postseason run only lasted through the Division Series thanks to a furious comeback by Seattle, Mattingly hit .417 with four doubles and a homer in his first postseason experience. It was a run that included one of the most thrilling moments in Yankees history, which literally made the old Yankee Stadium shake.

That postseason would come to stand as the end of Mattingly’s playing career at the age of 34. The Yankees would, of course, go on to win four World Series in the next five years.

Despite the lack of team success during his tenure, Mattingly’s impact on the franchise is impossible to deny. Not only did he help to usher in that new era of success, but there is something to be said for being the statistical and emotional leader of a team through forgettable times. Mattingly was also simply one of the game’s best at the peak of a career that was unfortunately cut short. The ripple effects of his leadership were felt during the dynasty that followed, as his character was held in the highest reverence by the likes of Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Paul O’Neill.

After his playing days were over, Mattingly went on to a successful career in the dugout, beginning as a hitting coach with the Yankees from 2004-06. He was bumped up to bench coach in 2007 and interviewed to succeed Joe Torre as Yankees skipper, but the club elected to go with Joe Girardi. So Mattingly joined Torre when he took the job as Dodgers manager, and he ended up succeeding him in LA in 2011. He was there at the ascendance of the Dodgers’ dynasty, winning the first three of their dozen division titles since 2013 before Dave Roberts replaced him. Mattingly then went on to lead the Marlins and garnered NL Manager of the Year honors for a surprise Wild Card berth with the Fish in the shortened 2020. He got his first taste of World Series play as the bench coach of the 2025 Blue Jays, but a ring continues to elude him. He currently serves as the bench coach for the Phillies, where his son Preston is the GM under Dave Dombrowski.

Although Mattingly has made a fair mark in the dugout for other franchises, it obviously pales in comparison to his impact on an otherwise dark period for the Yankees. His excellent play was poorly timed as far as the team goes, but that does not diminish its significance.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

In 2023, I thought it would be fun to title my series previews using lyrics from Beastie Boys songs. It seemed like a fine idea until the Phillies found themselves seven games under .500 in early June. I decided that they no longer deserved me making the effort to find an appropriate song lyric. Once I stopped, the team promptly began to play better.

As you may have noticed, I had been using Guns N’ Roses lyrics for my series preview titles, and just like in 2023, it hasn’t been going very well for the team. Therefore, GNR is being shelved, and I am switching back to the player-focused opposition research previews from last season. If the team’s fortunes turn around, feel free to thank me.

After a dreadful homestand, the Phillies will head to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs. Despite the Phillies’ success at home in recent seasons, it is probably for the best that they get away from the understandably irate hometown fans for a little bit.

After a slow start, the Cubs enter the series on a five-game winning streak, partly because they’ve had the good fortune of playing the Phillies and the Mets. One of their hottest hitters in second baseman Nico Hoerner, who appears to be adding top offensive performance to his elite defensive game.

Hoerner spent the first seven years of his career as an excellent defender (two Gold Gloves) and adequate hitter. You can do far worse than a Gold Glove middle infielder putting up an OPS over .700. But this season, he has been far more than adequate. He’s batting .325 with three home runs (his career high for a season is ten) and leads the NL with 21 RBIs.

There’s a good chance the Hoerner won’t be able to keep it up and he’ll slowly regress closer to the numbers we’re used to. But if he can find a way to continue this performance for a full season, he’ll likely find himself in MVP discussions at the end of the year.

Pennant year song battle

It’s a Mistake by Men at Work defeated Clumsy to hold on to the title.

The next contender comes from 2022 and describes how most Phillies fans feel about the team right now: I Hate U by SZA:

Vote now:

Additional thought about the series

Maybe the team really has collapsed, and the future is as bleak as some want to believe. But I still have trouble looking at the roster and seeing a bad team, despite what the on-field results indicate. It would be one thing if the older players were showing a drastic drop off, but that hasn’t really been the problem. It just seems to be a team-wide malaise in which they’ve been a special combination of unlucky and bad.

This core has gone through other awful stretches in recent seasons (Think May 2023 and July 2024) and eventually came out of it, so there’s reason to believe they will do so again. But darned if this hasn’t been painful to watch.

This past Friday, amid the Mets' then-eight-game losing streak, president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with reporters in the dugout ahead of the team's three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Stearns, who regularly makes himself available to reporters once per homestand and also speaks to provide updates on big injuries or big player moves, does not ordinarily have the kind of press gaggle that he did on Friday.

The Mets were on the road. There was no injury to announce. There was no move to discuss.

Stearns was simply being accountable, given the Mets' rough stretch.

That day, Stearns expressed confidence in manager Carlos Mendoza, talked about the team's offensive difficulties, and said that urgency was not the issue.

Then, the Mets went out and got swept by the Cubs, extending their losing streak to 11 games while falling to 7-15 on the year.

The season is by no means lost, but it's getting to a point where the Mets are flirting with digging a hole that might be too big to climb out of.

With that as the backdrop, who is to blame for what has gone wrong this season?

Let's assess it, from least responsible to most...

Carlos Mendoza

Managers are often the fall guys when teams underperform. And Mendoza, who is in the final guaranteed year of the three-year contract he signed when he was hired by Stearns in November of 2023, is a lame duck of sorts.

The Mets hold a club option on Mendoza for the 2027 season, but just overhauled most of his coaching staff and jettisoned a big chunk of the roster's core.

Still, there's seemingly not much Mendoza could be doing that would change what has befallen the Mets.

During their 11-game losing streak, the Mets have lost nine times because they couldn't score more than a few runs, and lost twice because Kodai Senga got shellacked.

This entire streak has also come without Juan Soto, which should add an asterisk to it -- especially when assessing the manager.

Meanwhile, already without Soto, the Mets recently lost Jorge Polanco to the IL.

That has left Mendoza to insert players who would either be backups or in Triple-A into a lineup that was already drastically underperforming.

If there's one thing that is fair to partially lay at the feet of Mendoza, it's the alarming amount of mental errors the team has made, including forgetting how many outs there are and being out of position. But it's unfair to blame him for whatever has been going on with Francisco Lindor, who has been in a bit of a fog in the field at times.

With all that said, it's fair to wonder what the Mets will do if their losing streak reaches 13 or 14 games, or if they have a brutal nine-game homestand against the Twins, Rockies, and Nationals.

David Stearns

As the person responsible for assembling the roster, it is Stearns who shoulders much more of the blame for what is happening.

That these struggles are going on a few months after Stearns really put his stamp on the team by moving on from Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Edwin Diaz has put an even bigger magnifying glass on the situation.

However, it's fair to point out that most people who cover baseball for a living (and most projection systems) had the 2026 Mets being a very good team. And after the 2025-26 offseason started slowly for New York, Stearns pounced late, turning the Mets into a team many thought would win the NL East.

But paper doesn't always translate to the field. And while Stearns brought in players whose additions were lauded (including Bo Bichette), his plan also meant that a big portion of the roster would be adjusting on the fly to a new team, a new market, and -- in some cases -- a new position.

About the positional situation...

Bichette being at third base (where he's looked much more smooth lately), a revolving door of players who aren't natural first basemen manning that position, and some others who are natural infielders being in right field with Soto out (including Brett Baty) hasn't helped. But it has also been blown out of proportion. Specifically, fielding issues haven't cost the Mets any games during this losing streak.

It should also be noted that Stearns' infamous "run prevention" term had just as much to do with pitching as it did with defense. It's strange that many seem to have forgotten that.

In any event, the early on-field returns on Stearns' offseason are poor. Aside from Luis Robert Jr., all of the key offensive additions have performed poorly at the plate. That includes Bichette (54 OPS+, uncharacteristically high strikeout rate), Jorge Polanco (who had a 52 OPS+ before landing on the IL) and Marcus Semien, who was brought in mostly for his glove, but whose struggles have been a tough juxtaposition with how Brandon Nimmo is performing for the Rangers -- slashing .311/.386/522 with four homers.

While Nimmo has excelled, the three other core pieces who are no longer Mets are not performing well. Alonso (92 OPS+, two homers), McNeil (94 OPS+), and Edwin Diaz (10.50 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, diminished velocity, possible health issue) have all had their own issues.

Devin Williams, Diaz's replacement, got off to a great start before getting tagged last week in the first game he had pitched in eight days, and blowing the save in Sunday's loss. So the jury is still very much out on that move.

The players

There have been some unforeseen circumstances thrown in the players' way to start the season.

The most crippling was the injury to Soto, which has taken an MVP-level bat out of the middle of the lineup.

Another is the fact that Lindor could still be dealing with the after-effects of surgery on his hamate bone.

The Mets have also played in some truly awful weather conditions over the first three-plus weeks of the season, and have been handed a schedule that borders on the absurd (including the fact that they've already made two separate trips to the West Coast).

But good teams persevere through obstacles, and this Mets team has not done so.

The most alarming thing on the offensive side has been the performance of Bichette. And while Lindor's bat has start to come around, others -- including Baty and Mark Vientos -- haven't done much. Carson Benge has been better lately, but still needs to do a lot more.

There's also the approach, which has been in between far too often, with hitters expanding the zone, failing to work deep counts, hitting the ball on the ground too much, and watching hittable fastballs go by.

On the pitching side of things, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Freddy Peralta have been formidable in the rotation. But both Senga and David Peterson have struggled so badly lately that their spots in the rotation came into question. 

The bullpen performed well out of the gate, but has stumbled lately, including poor performances by Williams, Luke Weaver, and Brooks Raley -- who were all terrific for the first few weeks of the season.

As has been noted already multiple times, though, this tailspin has been mostly on the offense. And it will be on that group to turn this around before it's too late.

Crochet concerns, and more takeaways from series split with Tigers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox offense woke up Monday to help salvage their four-game series against the Detroit Tigers with an 8-6 victory.

Boston mustered only four runs across the first three games of the series. Left-hander Ranger Suarez carried the load in Friday’s 1-0 win with eight scoreless innings, but Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet failed to make up for the lack of offense in Games 2 and 3. The Red Sox finally broke through with timely hitting — despite a glaring lack of power — in the series finale.

Now 9-13 on the season, the Red Sox will welcome the first-place New York Yankees (13-9) to Fenway Park for a pivotal three-game set. First, let’s get into our instant takeaways from the series split with Detroit:

Garrett Crochet’s struggles continue

After allowing 11 runs (10 earned) in just 1.2 IP in a nightmare start vs. the Minnesota Twins, Crochet had another rough outing against Detroit. The left-handed ace allowed five earned runs on seven hits, including two homers, in his third loss of the season. His ERA climbed to 7.88, effectively killing his American League Cy Young hopes after his runner-up finish last year.

A disastrous fifth inning spoiled what appeared to be a bounce-back start for Crochet on Sunday. He let up a Jahmai Jones solo homer before walking Gleyber Torres, allowing a single to Matt Vierling, and giving up a three-run homer to Dillon Dingler.

“Last one, it was so bad that you can’t really even have any emotion about it,” Crochet said after Sunday’s 6-2 loss. “This one, I felt like I was just dominating until I wasn’t.”

The good news is Crochet is fully healthy. His velocity returned to normal on Sunday as his 35 fastballs averaged 95.8 mph, up from his 94.9 mph on 13 fastballs in Minnesota. He’ll hope to rebound when Boston heads to Baltimore after its three-game series against the Yankees at Fenway Park.

Ranger Suarez has returned to form

Suarez has settled in after struggling through spring training, the World Baseball Classic, and his first two starts of the campaign. After tossing six scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston’s prized offseason acquisition didn’t allow a run in eight innings of work vs. Detroit.

With Crochet going through a rough patch, the Red Sox needed Suarez to step up and perform like the No. 2 starter he was expected to be when he signed a five-year, $130 million deal in free agency. He has done just that in his last two starts, and he’ll be counted on to continue that trend when he takes the hill against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Still no pop in the lineup

The Red Sox hit just one homer — a solo shot by Willson Contreras — in the four-game series against Detroit. They’re tied with the San Francisco Giants for the fewest homers (13) in MLB.

This was the expected consequence of failing to add another slugger to the lineup over the winter. Contreras, their lone significant offensive addition, leads the group with four homers this season. Wilyer Abreu (three) and Trevor Story (two) are the only Sox hitters with more than one homer thus far.

Ceddanne Rafaela stepping up

Rafaela was the hero in the series finale, coming through with a pinch-hit two-run double to put the Red Sox ahead in the seventh inning. It was a nice piece of hitting as he poked an 0-2 pitch down the right field line.

Rafaela has quietly been one of Boston’s most consistent bats. He ranks second among qualified Red Sox hitters in batting average (.286) and on-base percentage (.366), and third in OPS (.747).

It might be Payton Tolle time

Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray exited Monday’s start in the third inning due to right hamstring tightness. Manager Alex Cora stated after the game that the veteran will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury, but it isn’t expected to be serious.

Even if it’s a minor issue, Gray could miss at least one start. That may open the door for top Red Sox prospect Payton Tolle to rejoin the rotation. The hard-throwing left-hander already joined the club after being scratched from his scheduled Triple-A start on Saturday, in case a weather postponement forced Boston to play a doubleheader on Monday. It’s unclear how Tolle would fit into the Red Sox’ plans once Gray returns (if he’s even placed on the IL), but he has to be considered the clear frontrunner to replace Gray for a spot start if necessary.

This week’s minor league roundup will only feature the numbers accumulated prior to the start of play on Monday.

This was the 1st a week of full minor league play.

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old backstop Caden Bodine the top hitter in the Rays system; the Rays acquired the former 1st round pick in the Shane Baz deal. Bodine is currently hitting .407/.475/.630 with 2 HR over 63 PA; notably, he has only struck out twice.

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is the team’s top minor league pitcher. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far in three starts, Cremarosa has a 4.50 ERA | 1.51 FIP with a 42.9 K% & 1.8 BB% over 14 IP.

RUMBLINGS

• Infielder Jader Areinamo made his debut after opening the year on the Injured List with a hamstring issue. He is hitting .222/.263/.556 with 2 HR over 19 PA.
• Homer Bush began a rehab assignment with Single-A Charleston. Once his rehab is complete, he should take a starting job in Triple-A Durham
• Theo Gillen hasn’t played since going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on April 14th

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 30 TBF for pitchers)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr
OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr
SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr
HR: 4,Justyn-Henry Malloy and Dom Keegan
wRC+: 157, Victor Mesa Jr
SB: 14, Jacob Melton

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 0.00, Evan Reifert & Trevor Martin
FIP: 1.94, Andrew Wantz
K%: 35.3%, Logan Workman
BB%: 7.5%, Andrew Wantz
WHIP: 1.13, Evan Reifert
AVG: .080, Evan Reifert
WHIFF%: 17.8%, Kodi Whitley

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 2.45 ERA | 5.46 FIP | 26.3 K% | 21.3 BB% | .194 AVG | 12.7 WHIFF% | 18.1 IP
• #3 Jacob Melton
  • AAA: .207/.319/.397 | 41.1 K% | 15.1 BB% | 1 HR | 14 SB | 85 wRC+ | 73 PA

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .341, Cooper Kinney
OBP: .453, Cooper Kinney
SLG: .591, Cooper Kinney
HR: 3, Will Simpson
wRC+: 171, Cooper Kinney
SB: 16, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.00, Michael Forret
FIP: 4.63, Jack Kartsonas
K%: 28.3%, Santiago Suarez & Garrett Edwards
BB%:  6.5%, Jack Kartsonas
WHIP: 0.95, Garrett Edwards
AVG: .138, Michael Forret
WHIFF%: 16.3%, Santiago Suarez

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 T.J. Nichols
  • AA: 1.80 ERA | 2.12 FIP | 25.0 K% | 0.0 BB% | .300 AVG | 12.3 WHIFF% | 5 IP
    • 4/7: Placed on Injured List
• #6 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 6.08 ERA | 5.48 FIP | 28.3 K% | 8.3 BB% | .241 AVG | 14.3 WHIFF% | 13.1 IP
• #8 Michael Forret
  • AA: 2.00 ERA | 7.09 FIP | 27.0 K% | 21.6 BB% | .138 AVG | 16.3 WHIFF% | 9 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .317, Nathan Flewelling
OBP: .404, Nathan Flewelling
SLG: .683, Nathan Flewelling
HR: 4, Nathan Flewelling & Connor Hujsak
wRC+: 185, Nathan Flewelling
SB: 7, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.29, Andres Galan
FIP: 2.71, T.J. Fondtain
K%: 29.5%, Trevor Harrison
BB%: 2.6%, Jacob Kisting
WHIP: 0.70, Jacob Kisting
AVG: .162, Jacob Kisting
WHIFF%: 15.6%, Andres Galan

Top 10 Prospects

• #2 Theo Gillen
  • A+: .290/.371/.774 | 28.6 K% | 5.7 BB% | 4 HR | 3 SB | 194 wRC+ | 35 PA
• #5 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 3.72 ERA | 2.94 FIP | 25.6 K% | 7.0 BB% | .237 AVG | 13.8 WHIFF% | 9.2 IP
• #10 Aidan Smith
  • A+: Hasn’t played in 2026
    • 4/2: Placed on the Injured List

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .407, Caden Bodine
OBP: .475, Caden Bodine
SLG: .630, Caden Bodine
HR: 3, Brendan Summerhill and Daniel Pierce
wRC+: 196, Caden Bodine
SB: 4, Derek Datil & Daniel Pierce

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.00, Trey Pooser
FIP: 1.51, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 42.9%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 1.8%, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIP: 0.73, Alex Wallace
AVG: .147, Alex Wallace
WHIFF%: 20.2%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #7 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .286/.364/.510 | 34.5 K% | 7.3 BB% | 3 HR | 4 SB | 134 wRC+ | 55 PA
• #9 Brendan Summerhill
  • A: .188/.235/.375 | 23.5 K% | 3.9 BB% | 3 HR | 0 SB | 61 wRC+ | 51 PA

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

The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals begin a three-game set tonight at Kauffman Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. 

With the reliable Seth Lugo on the hill, I’m eyeing Kansas City to end their seven-game skid in my Orioles vs. Royals predictions. 

Read more for my MLB picks for Monday, April 20. 

Who will win Orioles vs Royals today: Royals moneyline (+102)

The Kansas City Royals are struggling, sitting eight games below .500, and scoring just four runs across their last two games. However, right-hander Seth Lugo takes the ball in the series opener, and he’s compiled a 1.48 ERA across four starts.

Kyle Bradish takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles, and he owns a 5.49 ERA. He sports a middling fastball that has been hit hard, and he's got an 11.4% walk rate, which ranks in the 33rd percentile.

It's a great opportunity for Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone to break out. Both rank among baseball's best in hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity, so their power outages to start the season are screaming positive regression.

KC has won two of its last three at Kauffman Stadium. While the Royals didn’t score a ton of runs in those games, they will capitalize on Bradish's uneven performance to eke out a win.

COVERS INTEL: Lugo is one of seven qualified starters not to allow a home run in 2026.

Orioles vs Royals Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+106)

Neither team is scoring a lot of runs this season. The Royals are 30th in runs scored, and they’ve cashed the Under in two of their last three. 

Baltimore has also hit the Under in two of its last four games, and is batting just .201 on the road in 2026. Three of the last four meetings between these teams have cashed the Under. 

While I expect the Royals to score some runs off the shaky Bradish, they’ve shown no ability to explode offensively. As for Lugo, he’s consistent, and he will limit the O’s.

Orioles vs Royals odds

• Moneyline: Orioles -104 | Royals +100
• Run line: Orioles -1.5 (+150) | Royals +1.5 (-156)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-127) | Under 8.5 (+122)

Orioles vs Royals trend

The Kansas City Royals have hit the Game Total Under in 31 of their last 50 games (+10.40 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Royals.

How to watch Orioles vs Royals and game info

Orioles vs Royals latest injuries

Orioles vs Royals weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Atlanta Braves are now just about halfway through a 13-game stretch of facing nothing but NL East opponents — including this Philadelphia Phillies team twice. Naturally, this seemed like the trickier proposition for the Braves to deal with since this was taking place in Philadelphia and they were dealing with a Phillies club that was desperate to get their season going in the right direction while also making a statement that they’d be nipping at the heels of the Braves sooner rather than later.

As it turned out, it was the Braves who made the statement. While Atlanta hadn’t dropped a series all season to this point, they still had yet to break out the brooms and establish real dominance over the course of a series. That changed after this weekend’s affairs, as the Braves picked a fantastic time to pick up their first sweep of the 2026 season. It’s one thing to sweep any other ballclub — it’s another to do it against the Phillies and in Philadelphia, no less. Let’s go ahead and take a look back at what ended up being a very lovely time for the Braves in Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Friday, April 17

Braves 9, Phillies 0

This was the perfect way for the Braves to start off this series, as Atlanta dominated this one from start-to-finish. The big story in this one was Austin Riley essentially picking up where he left off in that series win in Cobb County against the Marlins. He nearly had two dingers in that series finale, as one actually went over the fence and the other nearly went out but stayed in the stadium for a double. The ol’ bandbox in Philadelphia couldn’t contain Riley on this night, as he hit two bombs and plated four RBIs as he continued to make his presence felt for the Braves.

While the Braves were busy beating up on Taijuan Walker and the rest of Philadelphia’s pitching staff, the Phillies were unable to crack the code of Martín Pérez. The veteran hurler wrapped up a whirlwind week by going six innings and striking out four Phillies batters along the way. It was actually looking pretty shaky to start with for Pérez as he found himself in a bases-loaded situation in the very first inning but once he escaped that jam unscathed, it was relatively smooth sailing from there. Not even a one-out triple from Bryce Harper in the third could get Pérez to wobble.

Jose Suarez entered the game after Pérez was done and he ended up carrying the torch to the finish line as he covered the final three innings of this one. Winning a game 9-0 is very pleasing on its own merits. Winning 9-0, on the road, against a divisional rival and only having to use two pitchers in the process is worth its weight in gold, folks.

Saturday, April 18

Braves 3, Phillies 1

Right after the Braves got done shutting Philadelphia out with the unlikely-but-apparently-dynamic duo of Martín Pérez and Jose Suarez, it couldn’t have been a comforting thought for the Phillies knowing that their next trip to the ballpark meant that they’d have to contend with Chris Sale. Indeed, Sale ended up making life very difficult for Philadelphia’s lineup in this one as he finished up with just one run allowed on five hits while also striking out seven batters. The only blemish for Sale on the night came from Felix Reyes hitting a home run in the very fist at-bat of his major league career — outside of that, Sale did his job in ensuring that the misery continued for the Phillies.

That was as good as it got for the Phillies on the night, as they couldn’t figure out Sale and also had a devil of a time dealing with Dylan Lee and closer Robert Suarez — who closed this game out because Raisel Iglesias took the day off because he slept bad on his shoulder. As a 37-year-old, I can 100 percent relate to Raisel Iglesias being 36-years-old and having his day ruined because he slept funny. Brother, I feel you.

Anyways, the offense was delivered by Austin Riley (who is now on fire following his sluggish start to the season) and Mauricio Dubón. Riley’s luck has completely turned around because he plated one with an infield single that was hit basically in no-man’s land for the Phillies to effectively field. Mauricio Dubón continued to impress at the plate as his bloop RBI knock plated two runners in order to make it 3-1, which is how this game ended. If Chris Sale is on point, three runs is usually enough to get the job done and that was the case on Saturday.

Sunday, April 19

Braves 4, Phillies 2

We got another example of Walt Weiss putting his thumb on the scale when it comes to his bullpen decision-making. The Braves were clinging to the 4-2 lead (that eventually became the final score) in the fifth innings after they had pushed three runs across the plate in the top half of the inning in order to get to that point. Grant Holmes got into a situation where there was a runner on second with Kyle Schwarber set to come up to the plate. Instead of giving the Phillies a third crack at Holmes, Weiss made a shrewd decision to go to Aaron Bummer in order to get the final out of the fifth.

While Bummer did give up a double to Schwarber, he induced a ground ball that Austin Riley made a great play on in order to end the inning. Again, that decision ended up being crucial since the game ended up finishing 4-2. I’m not going to sit here and say that former manager Brian Snitker is a bad manager because that would be a lie but also I think we all know that this would’ve been handled differently if Snitker had been in charge. It’s likely that Snit would’ve kept Holmes in the game in order to let him get through five and qualify for the win. Instead of being loyal to a fault, Weiss decided to go with a fresh arm in that situation and the decision paid off. There are pros and cons to both approaches but if you’d rather see managers approach games with more of a sense of urgency then you had to have liked what you saw from Weiss in this moment.

Anyways. the fifth inning was certainly the decisive frame in this one. It started with the Braves loading up the bases down 2-1 (and running Andrew Painter from the game, who had been effective up until that point) and the game turned after Matt Olson collected an RBI on a groundout, Austin Riley legged out another infield RBI single to put Atlanta ahead and then Ozzie Albies delivered the double that gave them some cushion. The timely hitting and shutdown work from the bullpen helped ensure that Atlanta would leave Philadelphia with a satisfying sweep.

If last season’s start was the absolute nightmare scenario for the Atlanta Braves then this season’s start has been a dream start. Not only are they already eight games over .500 (as opposed to beginning the season seven games underwater), they’ve also gotten off to this hot start while everybody else in the division has been mediocre-to-bad. Having a five-game cushion already is pretty nice and being up 6.5 games on the Phillies and 8 games up on the Mets is pretty huge. I think we all know better than to start celebrating a divisional title in April but as far as opening up the season goes, the results couldn’t be more ideal for the Braves.

This might sound a bit silly or overcautious to say but the series-winning streak could very well be in jeopardy to begin this week. While the Nationals haven’t been in the best vein of form to get this season started (although it’s a pretty solid start for them relative to expectations), they have been hitting the ball pretty well so far and it’s always a tough ask of any road team to win a four-game series on the road. With that being said and when you consider how this Braves team is going at the moment, would you bet against them?

Either way, this is certainly an exciting start to the season for the Braves. Austin Riley is finally starting to heat up and look like himself, the pitching has continued to get the job done across the board, the defense has been lights-out (as you’ll see below) and there’s even help on the way in the form of Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider.

No matter how you slice it, the Braves are in a very good spot right now. They’ve started this 13-game NL East gauntlet with a 5-1 run and could potentially end this gauntlet by putting their divisional foes in a serious hole. We’ll see what happens going forward but for now, it’s time to have fun and enjoy this run. As we all know based on what happened last season, it certainly beats the alternative! Long may this strong run of form continue for the Braves, please.

All the good vibes from last week have disappeared as the Twins are now on a four-game skid, mostly thanks to an ineffective bullpen and bad defensive play. Despite three straight elite starts this weekend from Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, and Bailey Ober, who only gave up three earned runs in 18.1 combined innings, the rest of the team was fairly ineffective. It seems like when it rains, it pours for the Twins, with the news today that Mick Abel, who has been fairly impressive to start the season, is now on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, and the Twins, in response, have called up Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp. Let the youth movement begin!

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• We’re starting a new segment called Daily Questions! Provide your opinion on the Twins and debate with the community!
• Game threads and recaps are back! Commiserate with your fellow fans as we experience the season together.
• After looking at the Twins’ results against lefties, Zach Koenig evaluates the recent run of success against Cy Young contenders.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic looks at the Twins’ decision to promote pitching prospect Andrew Morris to the bullpen.
• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune checks in on Tom Pohlad and his approach to the season.
• In some good news, Betsy Helfand at the Pioneer Press checks in on Kody Funderburk and his wife, Alicia, as they prepare to add a new member to their family.
• Matthew Leach at MLB.com reviews the numbers behind the Twins’ 11-11 start to the season.

In the World of Baseball:

• It’s still a logjam in the American League, with seven teams (including the Twins) within 2.0 games of the league-leading Yankees. Maybe what is most surprising is how far the Astros and Royals have fallen in the standings, with the Astros on a four-game losing streak and the Royals on a seven-game losing streak.
• The Mets have been the story of the National League, as they are on an 11-game losing streak. Their NL East compatriots in Philadelphia have also been uncharacteristically bad, as they are on their own five-game losing streak.
• AJ Cassavell at MLB.com looks at how Mason Miller is powering the Padres in their recent winning ways.
• It’s never too early to think about the trade deadline. David Schoenfield at ESPN provides a trade candidate for each team.
• More feel-good stories (even if it’s for an AL Central rival) – Austin Hedges had a memorable day in Cleveland with a win and a marriage proposal.

The Cubs had an excellent week after dropping the first game of their series in Philadelphia. Following that loss, they reeled off five straight wins over the Phillies and Mets and outscored those teams 39-13 in the five games. So they got excellent pitching and lots of hitting, too.

Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.

Three up

Nico Hoerner continues his MVP-level play

Nico had a pair of three-hit games over the past week and overall hit .346/.357/.577 (9-for-26) with two home runs, four runs scored, two stolen bases and 11 RBI. He leads all of MLB with 21 RBI following Sunday’s walk-off sacrifice fly.

Beyond that, Nico continues to play his usual stellar defense. Here are two outstanding plays he made on Friday.

First, a diving stop of this ground ball [VIDEO].

Then, a leaping grab of this line drive [VIDEO].

Carson Kelly had some big hits

Kelly started four of the six games, but his biggest hit was, of course, the pinch-hit three-run homer he hit on Saturday [VIDEO].

Overall, Kelly batted .333/.412/.733 (5-for-15) in the five games in which he played, with two home runs, two walks and six RBI. He’s got to be one of the best free-agent signings the Cubs have made over the last few years. The team has a mutual $7.5 million option with him for 2027. Most mutual options get declined, but I’d love for the Cubs to find a way to keep him another year.

Shōta Imanaga looks like he’s back to his 2024 form

Imanaga had a brilliant, dominant outing against the Phillies last Wednesday, throwing six innings, allowing three hits and a run, striking out 11 [VIDEO].

After a somewhat-rough first start this year, Imanaga has a 1.06 ERA and 0.529 WHIP over his last three starts, with three walks and 24 strikeouts in 17 innings — and only one home run allowed in that span.

Keep that up and the Cubs ought to offer him a contract extension.

Hat tip to Riley Martin, who has been really good in relief since being called up. Over the week, Martin threw 3.1 shutout innings. He faced 11 batters and retired 10 of them, and is rapidly joining Craig Counsell’s circle of trust. I really like what I’ve seen from Martin so far — good pitch mix, good mound presence, attacks hitters.

Another hat tip to Moisés Ballesteros, who went 6-for-10 with a home run in five games over the past week.

Three down

Michael Busch continues to struggle

Busch had a good year in 2024 and a great 2025. Last year he smashed 34 homers during the regular season and four more in eight postseason games. That’s a pretty good established track record over more than 1,000 plate appearances.

Thus his .164/.262/.192 slash line in 84 PA, with no home runs, seems somewhat inexplicable. Good hitters do occasionally have struggles, but generally not for this long.

Here’s hoping he breaks out of it during the Phillies series at Wrigley this week.

One of these days, Alex Bregman will break out

Bregman hasn’t been bad… he just hasn’t been all that good, yet. He does draw walks, three of them over the week giving him a .357 OBP in the six games. Going 7-for-25 gave him a .280 BA, which also isn’t bad… but all of those hits were singles, and Bregman has only three extra-base hits this year (a double and two home runs).

Historically, Bregman has been a slow starter, as his career .762 OPS in March/April is his lowest of any month. Hopefully, he will heat up as the calendar turns to May. (Before that would be okay, too!)

Pete Crow-Armstrong is also off to a rough start

PCA had a slow beginning to his season in 2025, too, batting just .211/.286/.263 (12-for-57) with no home runs over his first 15 games, before he had a breakout series at Dodger Stadium, hitting a double, triple and two home runs.

This year, in 21 games, pretty similar: .222/.276/.309 (18-for-81) with one home run. He’s also been caught stealing three times in seven attempts.

The Cubs get to Dodger Stadium this weekend. Perhaps that will get him going.

PCA does continue to play stellar defense. Here’s a nice running catch he made on Sunday [VIDEO].

The defense alone gives him 0.7 bWAR so far this year, and he leads all of MLB in defensive bWAR with 0.8.