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

Red Sox nation needed a reason to smile on Opening Day after a trainwreck of a road trip (rail trip?) to start the season. The 1986 team is all well and good, but winning games in 2026 is more fun than thinking about games that were won 40 years ago. They also weirdly played a video celebrating 250 years of the United States, which made me smile, not because of patriotism, but because it felt really out of place for an opening day celebration. It was more of a “what the hell is going on” smile than an “I’m enjoying this video” smile. The woman in front of me was also astoundingly drunk for the early afternoon, and kept saying her partner was drinking a dark and stormy despite him clarifying it was a vodka lemonade. That was pretty funny, too.

When the game began, however, things were tense. Caleb Durbin grounded into a one-foot, inning-ending double play that elicited a chorus of boos from the Fenway faithful. Fortunately, to keep the crowd from a full riot, Sonny Gray brought his A-game.

Gray threw six innings of two-run baseball on 87 pitches with the game tied. He did it by getting ahead, pitching to the edges, and changing speeds regularly. Against righties, he does what he always does by pitching to the glove side. It was primarily a cutter that went for 60% strikes, albeit with a low zone rate, as well as five outs on balls in play. He paired it with backdoor sinkers that went for 63% strikes, although a few leaked back over the plate into the danger area. With two strikes, he turned to his lethal sweeper, but the command wasn’t quite there, and it only returned one strikeout against righties. The shape and velocity were consistent with last season, so the pitch should continue to miss bats with the right locations.

Against lefties, it was a more balanced mix, led by Gray’s four-seam fastball that he likes to throw up and inside. He followed it up with his cutter, curveball, and even a few well-spotted changeups that mostly lived on the edges and created weak contact. Overall, Gray kept the ball on the ground and avoided barrels. There were one or two mistakes that were hit, but even without his best put-away stuff, the veteran navigated the lineup two and a half times and gave the Red Sox a chance to win. That’s enough reading, let’s watch the tape and see how he got it done.

If you’re new here, I break down at-bats and try to explain why pitchers choose a certain pitch and how they work together in sequence. I make notes as I watch the game on what matchups are good to break down, but for the most part, I’m writing this as I rewatch, so I don’t remember what pitches are coming next.

2nd Inning vs. Miguel Andujar

We’ll start with Miguel Andujar in the second inning.

It’s a cutter that starts down the middle and cuts off the plate. Andujar is looking middle-in and whiffs. Great start. Gray throws everything on the glove side against righties and will likely continue to stay away from Andujar until he proves he can lay off.

At 0-1, Gray goes to a sweeper that breaks off the plate for ball one. Good idea, poor execution. At 1-1, Gray could go back to the cutter, a backdoor sinker, or even try to run a sinker in on the hands as a surprise.

He does try to backdoor the sinker, but yanks it for ball two. He’s trying to start this pitch away and have it clip the outside edge with its horizontal movement, but he misses his spot. At 2-1, his options are similar to 1-1. He also has the four-seam fastball that he can try to land on the outside edge for a take.

It’s the four-seam down the middle, and Andujar fouls it off. Andujar appears to be looking for a sinker coming towards him, because he pulls off this ball and gets it off the end of the bat. With two outs and nobody on, a walk isn’t the end of the world, but Gray should throw whatever he feels best about throwing to the edge.

It’s the backdoor sinker, and all Andujar can do is hit it on the ground. With two strikes, Andujar has to swing, and this is in a location where it’s hard to do much with. Great pitch.

4th Inning vs. Jackson Merrill

Here’s Jackson Merrill in the fourth inning. In the first meeting, everything Gray threw was on the glove side, with Merrill ultimately grounding out against a four-seam fastball.

Gray starts Merrill off with a curveball at the bottom of the zone. It’s fouled off for strike one. Getting ahead of hitters, especially lefties, is huge for Gray. He did a great job of that on Friday, going 17/22.

He tries to go inside with a fastball, but misses above the zone. That high above the zone will never get a whiff, but it’s out of the danger area as far as misses go.

Here’s a changeup that’s in a really good location, but Merrill takes it for ball two. It’s hard to say for sure, but it looks like he’s fooled by the movement and is lucky it fades off the plate.

This is fun. It’s essentially the same pitch, but this one is seven miles per hour harder. Merrill is timed up for something soft and is late, fouling it off. Now with two strikes, Gray could go to his sweeper at the back foot, a changeup away, or a curveball in the dirt. He also likes to throw a sinker at the front hip of lefties with two strikes.

It is the front hip sinker, but it starts too far inside to get the called strike. To this point, everything inside Merrill saw was breaking towards him. Gray is trying to start it just off the plate, so it runs back and Merrill takes it, but it starts right at him. 3-2.

It’s a cutter that starts down the middle and runs inside. Merrill gets around it and grounds out weakly to first. It’s not the best located pitch, but this is what Gray can do when he’s locating. He has pitches moving in each direction, and he can throw just about everything in the zone. It’s hard for hitters to see a pitch in a certain part of the plate and know what’s coming, and he misses barrels as a result. Nicely done.

5th Inning vs. Ramon Laureano

Let’s do one more. Here’s Ramon Laureano in the fifth inning. He flew out on a sinker inside his first time up.

It’s a sinker that starts outside and comes back for strike one. In his first at-bat, everything away from Laureano stayed away. This one starts away and comes back, and Gray is ahead 0-1.

Here’s a cutter that starts middle and cuts away. Laureano fouls it off, and it’s 0-2. As a general rule of thumb, if Gray is up 0-2 against a righty, it’s probably a sweeper.

This is disgusting. It starts on the inside edge and breaks 18 inches across the plate. For reference, home plate is 17 inches across. At 86 mph, it’s nearly impossible to hit when it’s located well.

Gray is at his best when he gets ahead of hitters and can throw his various fastballs in sequence. In his home debut, that’s exactly what he did. When he falls behind, and hitters can be more selective, he can get into trouble, but when he’s ahead, and hitters are forced to swing, they have a very hard time. When he gets to two-strike counts, that sweeper is nearly unhittable. There hasn’t been a lot to smile about for Red Sox fans, but Sonny Gray is showing he still has an arsenal that works.

Oral Hildebrand’s baseball story feels almost too perfect for its era. Disney could easily turn it into a coming-of-age summer classic.

Born in Indianapolis in 1907, his journey to the Yankees did not begin under bright lights. It started in the kind of Midwestern setting that shaped so many ballplayers of his generation, where imagination and a patch of open, mostly flat land could become a ballpark by afternoon. By the time Hildebrand hung up his cleats, that grounded beginning had turned into a 10-year major league career, capped by joining the Yankees for the final two seasons of his professional life and winning a World Series.

Oral Clyde Hildebrand
Born: April 7, 1907 (Indianapolis, IN)
Died: September 8, 1977 (Southport, IN)
Yankees Tenure: 1939-40

The roots of that journey began on the family farm outside Indianapolis.

Long before Butler, before Cleveland, and before the Bronx, Hildebrand’s early mornings were spent milking cows, hauling water, and tossing hay bales, the kind of repetitive, strength-building work that quietly shaped both his body and his discipline. Somewhere between the barn chores and the open fields, he began to realize his future was not meant to stay rooted in the barnyard.

The same strong arm that could sling feed and stack hay kept finding a more natural purpose on the diamond. That arm turned him into a star pitcher at Southport High School, but the road forward was hardly smooth. After graduating, Hildebrand remained on the farm for two years because he simply did not have the money to attend college.

Then came the break that changed everything.

A summer job in a machine shop, paired with extra money earned pitching weekend games for the Indianapolis Power and Light Company team, finally gave him the chance to move forward. That team happened to be owned by Norman Perry, who also owned the Indianapolis Indians, a connection that would quietly shape the next chapter of Hildebrand’s life.

With money finally in hand, the Indiana kid stayed close to home and enrolled at Butler University. Hildebrand was far more than just a pitcher there. He was also the center on Butler’s 1928-29 national championship basketball team, a reminder of how naturally athletic he was. But his Butler story took a turn when it was discovered that, under the alias “Roy Hilden,” he had been pitching for a semipro team in Brazil, Indiana, earning $40 a game.

That side hustle cost him his eligibility. Ruled ineligible by Butler’s Faculty Committee on Athletics, Hildebrand took the most logical next step and signed with Perry’s Indianapolis professional team. It proved to be the turning point that officially pushed him toward the majors.

In 1931, the Cleveland Indians acquired Hildebrand, and he soon made his major league debut. His Cleveland years formed the backbone of his career. In 1933, he put together one of the finest seasons by an American League starter that year. Hildebrand won 16 games, led the league with six shutouts, earned a selection to the first-ever All-Star Game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, and even tossed a one-hitter in a game that lasted only 82 minutes.

From 1933 through 1936, he became exactly what every good pitching staff needs: durable, dependable, and capable of eating up innings.

That reliability made him a valuable trade piece.

On January 17, 1937, Cleveland sent Hildebrand, Bill Knickerbocker, and Joe Vosmik to the St. Louis Browns. His stop in St. Louis never quite matched the peak of his Cleveland years, but he remained a veteran arm who continued to log meaningful innings, even as both the team and his numbers trended in the wrong direction.

Then came the move that changed how his career would be remembered. On October 26, 1938, the Browns traded Hildebrand and Buster Mills to the Yankees. What could have easily been just another late-career transaction instead became the defining turn of his journey. The veteran pitcher who had once dreamed of wearing pinstripes finally got his chance.

By the time Hildebrand arrived in the Bronx in 1939, the Yankees were already baseball’s standard. For a veteran entering the final chapters of his career, it represented the perfect chance to put the cherry on top. And he absolutely made the most of it. Hildebrand went 10-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 1939, giving the Yankees meaningful innings on a 106-win championship team. Perhaps the most historic game he started came on April 30, 1939, a cloudy afternoon that unknowingly would become the final game of Lou Gehrig’s legendary streak.

Then came October.

In the 1939 World Series against Cincinnati, Hildebrand took the ball in Game 4 and delivered four shutout innings, helping close out the sweep and secure the championship. For a player who had openly said he wanted to join the Yankees because of their winning tradition, there could not have been a better first season in the Bronx.

His own words say it best:

“I always wanted to be with the Yankees. When I was with the Indians, and later with the Browns, Joe McCarthy was just another manager of a rival team, in my estimation. Still, I always admired the way he ran his team, and I hoped someday I would be playing for him.”

A few days later, Hildebrand was involved in a car accident that left him with injuries to his hands and arms. He recovered enough to return in 1940, pitching in 13 relief appearances and going 1-1 in what became the final season of his major league career.

That 1939 championship became the perfect cherry on top of a decade-long journey that stretched from Indianapolis farm life to Cleveland success, through St. Louis, and finally to baseball immortality’s most famous stage. His career totals, 83 wins across 10 seasons, reflect a pitcher who kept finding ways to contribute at every stop.

But like so many of your favorite birthday pieces, it is the path that makes Oral Hildebrand memorable.

From the barnyard to the ballpark in the Bronx, his story remains one of the cleaner, more satisfying journeys in Yankees history.

Happy birthday, Oral Hildebrand.
Or maybe, just for legends’ sake, Roy Hilden.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series he

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The New York Mets open a homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday afternoon, and both teams are looking to stay hot in chilly NYC.

My Diamondbacks vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks for April 7 are calling for the Mets to keep it going with a home cover in a low-scoring affair.

Who will win Diamondbacks vs Mets today: Mets -1.5 (+145)

The New York Mets will once again not have Juan Soto, who strained his calf on Friday and is on the injured list. However, the Mets scored at least five runs in each of the three games they took at San Francisco over the weekend without Soto. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks also enter on a streak, going 5-2 straight-up in the last seven and covering the run line in seven of the last nine. 

I believe pitching will make the difference today.

New York has allowed the fourth-fewest runs in MLB and start Freddy Peralta against Arizona, which is averaging just 3.5 runs a game. 

Zac Gallen has been up-and-down in two starts this year, and the D-backs bullpen is 28th in ERA (6.50).

COVERS INTEL: After striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings over his career, Gallen struck out just 5.1 per nine in spring training, and is at 3.6 per nine in two regular season starts in 2026.

Diamondbacks vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 7 (-105)

Eventually, replacing a six-time Silver Slugger like Soto with Jared Young, Carson Benge, or Brett Baty will catch up with the Mets. This offense may come back to earth, especially with Francisco Lindor (two extra base hits in 48 AB) slumping. 

Arizona has seen everyone except Corbin Carroll mired in early-season slumps.

The Mets start last season's NL wins leader in Peralta, while the D-Backs start former All-Star Zac Gallen. Even with the earlier start, the air will be crisp and cold, so it's not the ideal hitting environment. 

Diamondbacks vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Arizona +130 | New York -155
• Run line: Arizona +1.5 | New York -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7 | Under 7

Diamondbacks vs Mets trend

The Mets have covered the F5 run line in 44 of their last 78 games at home (+7.00 Units / 7% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Mets.

How to watch Diamondbacks vs Mets and game info

Diamondbacks vs Mets latest injuries

Diamondbacks vs Mets weather

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As the Pittsburgh Pirates get into the swing of the MLB season, fans can catch all of Paul Skenes' strikeouts, Ryan O'Hearn's home runs and the double plays without ever leaving the couch.

With two games already out of the way this week and four ahead, there are several ways to tune in to Pittsburgh's Major League Baseball games from afar. Whether you're a diehard fan or a casual viewer, here are all your options for catching a Pirates game this week.

Where can I watch Pittsburgh Pirates games?

There are several ways to catch the upcoming Pittsburgh Pirates games this week.

• TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
• Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
• Radio: 93.7 The Fan

It was an inning Joe Espada, Ryan Weiss, and (most surprisingly) Jeremy Pena would like to forget.

All things considered, things were going about as well as could possibly be hoped for the Houston Astros through the first four innings of Monday’s game.

They built a 3-0 lead through the first four innings thanks to back to back doubles by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, and then an RBI single by Christian Walker to account for a pair of first inning runs.

Cam Smith hit an absolute moonshot for a solo HR in the fourth, measuring a whopping 462 feet. It was the 9th longest home run in Astros history.

Spot starter Cody Bolton had put up four straight zeros in an emergency fill-in role, taking the place of the injured Hunter Brown.

Unfortunately, there was a fifth inning. It was one that the Astros would like to forget, especially the manager, the shortstop, and the pitcher who came on in relief who wants to start.

Bolton, who had allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk through 4 innings while striking out 5, had given the Astros more than they could have expected. Joe Espada chose to roll the dice and send him back out for the 5th instead of going to Ryan Weiss for a clean start of an inning. It would be a mistake.

A tiring Bolton surrendered a leadoff single, and then a questionable walk (the first pitch was a strike but called a ball by home plate umpire Nestor Ceja. The Astros did not challenge.) After a sacrifice bunt moved runners to 2nd and 3rd, Espada then summoned Weiss to come into a situation he isn’t used to – men on base mid-inning.

Weiss has primarily worked a s a starter, and as a reliever come in to clean innings. This was Espada’s second miscalculation of the inning. It would only get worse from here.

Weiss would walk Kyle Karros to load the bases. A 2-run single by Edouard Julien would draw the Rockies with a run at 3-2.

Weiss would then seem to settle in, getting Mickey Moniak to pop up with Correa making a terrific catch against the netting for out number two. He would then get Hunter Goodman to ground to short for what should have been the third out.

Should have been.

Unfortunately for Weiss and the Astros, Pena seemed to misread the ball off the bat. His initial step was the wrong direction. What should have been a routine ground out became an RBI single and now the game was tied. The Rockies still has runners on the corners with 2 out.

The next batter was Troy Johnston. Weiss induced a soft grounder up the middle that Pena waited for behind the bag instead of charging. The ball hit the second base bag and caromed over Pena’s head. It would wind up scored a double and an RBI, and the Rockies would take a 4-3 lead.

T.J Rumfield would clear the bases with a 2-run triple to left center field that Jake Meyers (who was shaded to right center) couldn’t run down, and then over ran the ball. Joey Loperfido, backing up the play from left, had to field the ball and throw it in. It was now 6-3 Rockies.

Willi Castro would follow with an RBI single and the nightmare inning continued, it was now 7-3 Colorado.

Brenton Doyle would then ground to short to seemingly end the inning, but Pena dropped the ball for an error, and everyone was safe.

It was the third time Weiss should have been out of the inning.

Jake McCarthy would walk to load the bases before a single by Karros would drive in the Rockies 8th run of the inning. Julien would fly to left to finally end the nightmare, but not before the Rockies turned a 3-0 deficit into an 8-3 lead.

Here’s all the ugliness in one video.

The Astros would try to claw their way back into the game. In the top of the 6th, they had bases loaded and only one out. A sacrifice fly by Loperfido would make it an 8-4 game, but that’s all the Astros would get.

In the bottom of the inning, Johnston would take an inside sweeper off the plate from Weiss 407 feet to right for a solo homer, and a 9-4 Colorado lead.

In the top of the 7th, a one-out double by Pena and a two-out single by Altuve would generate a run, making it a 9-5 game.

In the 8th, Walker would lead off with a base hit, and Smith would follow with a double, giving the Astros two runners in scoring position with no out. An RBI groundout by Loperfido would make the score 9-6 and push Smith to 3rd. Yainer Diaz would follow with a single to drive in Cam to make it 9-7.

A Meyers double would give the Astros 2 runners in scoring position again, this time with one out, but they would fail to cash in. Pena would fly out to right. Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked, and then Altuve would ground out to end the inning.

Juan Mejia would get the Astros 1-2-3 in the 9th to earn his first Save of the season and second save of his career.

Houston fell to 6-5 with the loss.

The Astros look to get back in the win column Tuesday with Mike Burrows on the mound, opposed by the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland.

You know the story of the 2025 Cincinnati Reds. They found a way to keep their record just above the .500 mark, slipped into the playoffs as the final Wild Card in the National League, and were promptly bounced in two games by the future World Series champs.

They got their on the backs of their pitching – namely, their starting rotation, which was stellar all year long. Their offense, though, was simply lackluster at best. A guy who played on a bum thigh and slugged .373 with 4 homers over his final 83 games (360 PA) still managed to lead the team in homers.

Looking back at the statcast data for that club, you’ll find that the numbers backed up what we all watched. It never looked like the Reds hit the ball hard, and they certainly didn’t hit the ball over the fence much. Per statcast, only two teams hit the ball softer in terms of average exit velocity, the Reds mark of 88.6 mph worsted only by Cleveland and Houston. Their 99.2 EV50 was also second to last, their number of balls hit over 95 mph third worst.

We all hoped 2026 would be different. Cincinnati, too, certainly hoped so, and went out and added Eugenio Suarez to help bring some much needed thump. They also knew Elly De La Cruz would have a more healthy thigh to begin this year, while the likes of Tyler Stephenson and Matt McLain would be further removed from debilitating oblique problems. Plus, there’d be Sal Stewart in the lineup from the get-go, and we all know Sal smokes the ball as often as anyone.

So far, the evolution of Cincinnati’s offense into a more powerful one looks to be working.

In the extremely small sample size that is the season’s first 10 games, the Reds rank 4th in average exit velocity so far at 90.7 mph. That’s a jump of over 2 mph off last year’s dismal mark, and their 100.2 mph EV50 ranks 5th in the game. Individually, each of Stephenson (95.2 mph avg, 10th overall), De La Cruz (95.0 mph, 12th), and Stewart (93.8 mph, 28th) rank in the Top 30 in the game, and only the Kansas City Royals can make a claim of having three of their hitters all ranked that high.

The runs have yet to come, but the process seems to be impactful already.

The Cincinnati Reds are once again hitting the crud out of the ball.

Here’s the latest on Cade Horton, and it isn’t good (Bluesky link):

Now, here’s the rest of the news about Horton from earlier today.

This, clearly, is not good news about Cubs right-hander Cade Horton:

While we don’t hav any definitive information yet, a “not clean and not good” MRI is certainly not positive news. We’ll just have to wait until we get more news after Horton visits Dr. Meister.

Horton has already had one Tommy John surgery. Having a second one isn’t great, but pitchers can and do recover from those and are still productive. If it happens, it would mean Horton would miss the rest of 2026.

Justin Steele went down the same road. He’d had a previous TJS, had another one last year and will be returning soon. The Cubs were able to win 92 games without Steele. Losing Horton would be a big blow, but the Cubs do have some starting pitcher depth. That depth is about to be tested.

Let’s hope for good news instead of bad. As always, we await developments.

Hayden Senger

Week: 5 G, 17 AB, .412/.474/1.000, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB, .500 BABIP (Triple-A)

Season: 5 G, 17 AB, .412/.474/1.000, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB, .500 BABIP (Triple-A)

If these trends continue, Hayden Senger is on his way to being the greatest hitting catcher of all time. Odds are, these trends are not going to continue, but that sure would be fun, wouldn’t it? Hayden Senger isn’t exactly a guy who is known for his bat; in 46 games in Syracuse last season, he hit .218/.268/.339 with 5 home runs and in 2024, he hit .252/.323/.401 in 46 games with 3 home runs. At this rate, if Senger plays 46 games this year, he is on pace for roughly 27 long balls, and if he plays an entire season, he is on pace for roughly 84.

The 29-year-old was drafted back in 2018 out of Miami University of Ohio and in the first few years of his professional tenure with the Mets, was getting roughly a full-time catcher’s load, averaging 85 games in 2019, 2022, and 2023 and playing 61 in the COVID-delayed 2021 season. When he made it to the upper levels of the minor league ladder, it became apparent that his bat was a bit too anemic for the levels and he lost out on a lot of playing time, primarily relegated to back-up catching duties. Last season, he got a quick cup-of-coffee when Francisco Alvarez began the season hurt, but Luis Torrens eventually emerged as the better of the pair due to his better bat.

Barring the unlikely chance that Senger is a .412/.474/1.000 hitter from now until September, it is likely that the backstop will remain in the role that he’s settled into over the last few years. Better performance in Syracuse may buy him some more playing time, and depending on how well he does, could even theoretically get him some Major League playing time if certain factors line up, but we know who the “minor league veteran” is at this point, and his strength lies in his defense, ability to handle a pitching staff, and his baseball intangibles, not his bat. A random outlier season is obviously possible, but odds are, Senger will regress to the type of organizational guy you want in your system for everything else he brings to the table except his bat.

Cam Tilly

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (Single-A)

2025 Season: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 1 BB, 6 K, .000 BABIP (Double-A)

Not bad for your first professional game. Toeing the rubber for the St. Lucie Mets against the Palm Beach Cardinals in his first ever start as a member of the New York Mets organization, the 22-year-old right-hander threw five no-hit innings, walking one and striking out six. Tilly was drafted last season out of Auburn, where he threw two uninspiring seasons primarily in relief. The Mets selected him in the seventh round and he signed for $397,500, roughly $150,000 over the MLB-assigned slot value of $254,000 for the 223rd overall pick.

Based on reports and evaluations at the time, the 6’2”, 205-pound right-hander possessed a four-pitch repertoire featuring a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, and splitter. His fastball sat in the mid-90s fastball, topping out at 97 MPH, and featured high spin rates and above-average vertical induced break. His slider sat in the low-80s and featured spin rates in excess of 3,000 RPM, giving it late gyroscopic slice. His curveball sat in the upper-70s and also featured high spin rates, but lacked the bite that his slider possesses. His splitter sat in the low-to-mid-80s and featured late tumble. In a vacuum, all of his pitches looked good, but the right-hander had trouble commanding them, partially due to the break on them and partially because of the crossfire in his three-quarter delivery.

Looking at statcast data from his start for better clarity about Tilly as a pitcher, he utilized a four-seam fastball (19 pitches, 39%), changeup (10 pitches, 20%), cutter (8 pitches, 16%), slider (7 pitches, 14%), and curveball (5 pitches, 10%). His fastball was thrown for a 78% Strike Rate, his changeup was thrown for a 70% Strike Rate, his cutter was thrown for a 63% Strike Rate, his slider was thrown for a 57% Strike Rate and his curveball was thrown for a 20% Strike Rate. His fastball drew the most swings and misses, with a 60% Whiff Rate, while his curveball did not cause any swings and misses.

His fastball averaged 92.2 MPH, sitting between 89.9 MPH and 93.7 MPH. It averaged 2,420 RPM, ranging between 2,300 RPM and 2,540 RPM, giving the pitch an elite 19 inches of induced vertical break and 10 inches of horizontal movement. His cutter averaged 85.6 MPH, sitting between 84.5 MPH and 86.3 MPH. It averaged 2,520 RPM, ranging between 2,450 RPM and 2,600 RPM, giving the pitch 4 inches of horizontal jerk.

His changeup averaged 84.8 MPH, sitting between 83.3 MPH and 86.1 MPH. It averaged 910 RPM, ranging between 750 RPM and 1,090 RPM, giving the pitch 34 inches of vertical drop and 12 inches of horizontal hop.

His slider averaged 82.7 MPH, sitting between 80.8 MPH and 85 MPH. It averaged 2,710 RPM, ranging between 2,540 RPM and 2,880 RPM, giving the pitch 36 inches of vertical drop and 10 inches of horizontal slice. His curveball averaged 80.4 MPH, sitting between 79.8 MPH and 80.9 MPH. It averaged 2,810 RPM, ranging between 2,740 RPM and 2,895 RPM, giving the pitch 43 inches of vertical drop and 14 inches of horizontal break.

As is the case with any pitcher, these numbers and trends may change throughout the year, as Tilly is still not only a developing player, but it is literally the beginning of his baseball journey.

Players of the Week 2025

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly

This will be your weekly look at the hottest prospects in the system, highlighting the top performers at the plate and on the mound. Here’s the first hotlist.

Who’s Hot At The Plate?

Kevin Alvarez – While it’s only been two games for one of the Astros top prospects, Alvarez has looked the part. He went 4-for-9 with a double, 2 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. Great start for him.

Alejandro Nunez – Nunez is starting off the year back in Asheville after a solid 2025, and he’s off to a nice start this year. In two games, he is 3-for-8 with a double, home runs and 5 runs batted in.

Max Holy – Holy doesn’t provide a ton of power, but he gets on bases and steals bases, and he’s done that so far this year. In just two games, the 23-year-old has five walks and three stolen bases.

Shay Whitcomb – All Whitcomb does is hit in the minors, and this year is no different. He’s played in six Triple-A games and is hitting .308 with a doubles, 2 home runs, 7 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases.

Who’s Hot On The Mound?

Spencer Arrighetti – Arrighetti has made two starts for Sugar Land and to this point he hasn’t gone deep, but he’s been dominant. He’s tossed 8.1 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit while striking out 13.

Miguel Ullola – Ullola has also made two starts and been dominant so far. He’s totaled 9.2 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 15 batters. A good start for him.

Cole Hertzler – Hertzler has battled injuries in his pro career but now he’s healthy and performing well. In his one start this week, Hertzler struck out 5 over 4.2 scoreless innings for Asheville.

Gabel Pentecost – Pentecost, a 6th round pick from last year, made his pro debut this week. The right-hander struck out 7 batters over 4 scoreless innings while allowing just 2 hits.

Javier Perez – Perez was a choice of mine to breakout and he performed well in week one. In his first outing, the right-hander went 4 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit while striking out 8.

Brett Gillis – Gillis has also battled some injuries but appears to be healthy now and had a nice Double-A debut. The right-hander struck out 5 over 4 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits in his outing for the Hooks.

Jesus Carrera – Carrera has one thing the rest don’t have to this point, a no-hit streak. In his one outing this week, the 21-year-old tossed 4 no-hit innings while racking up 4 strikeouts.

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be credentialed for the Nats series against the Dodgers. That gave me a level of access I have not had before. Being in the press box, down on the field for batting practice and in the locker room gives me a new perspective to share with Nats fans.

It was a very cool experience, and was a dream come true. However, I was there to do a job. When you get there, the first real activity is to go into the locker room. Honestly, you spend a lot of the 50 minutes you get just lingering and observing. 

I chatted with some players there, which was awesome. When I went up to talk to Gus Varland, he was almost amused, asking how much he had to pay me for an interview. The conversation I had with him made up the meat of the story we put up a couple days ago. 

After that, there is a pre-game press conference with Blake Butera. One of the questions I asked him during those was why he wanted James Wood in the leadoff spot. Butera responded to that by saying, “James is one of the best hitters on our team and one of the best hitters in the league. When you talk about your best hitters, over the course of the season, you want to get them up to bat as much as possible”. Over the past couple games, Butera’s faith in Wood at the top of the lineup has been rewarded.

I enjoy Butera press conferences. He gives thoughtful answers and really tries to answer the questions. After that loss in the home opener, Butera was clearly pretty disappointed. The first thing he did was thank the fans and almost apologize to them as well. That was in the press conference after the game.

One of the coolest parts of the day is going down on the field for batting practice. You are right there and can even sit in the dugout. Being in the dugout was a bit of a pinch me moment. On the first day, Paul Toboni was available for questions. He held court for a bit over 15 minutes, and answered a variety of questions. There is even a photo from that scrum where you can see me.

I asked Toboni a couple questions. The first one was about Joey Wiemer, and how he would characterize him as a player and person. Toboni called Wiemer a “high energy guy” and a “great teammate”.  

The other question I asked was about Harry Ford. Despite the Nats having a need behind the plate, Ford, who the Nats traded for this offseason, did not do enough to win a job out of camp. Toboni gave an honest answer, which I appreciated.

He stressed that Ford needed to work on his defense. The Nats new President of Baseball Operations said he wanted Ford to show he can be an average or above average receiver over a decent sample of games. Defense was a question mark for Ford in Seattle, and clearly the Nats new regime still has some questions about it as well.

Toboni also emphasized Ford’s youth as a factor in the decision. Despite the fact he has been on top 100 lists for years at this point, Ford is still just 23 years old. I got the sense that Toboni believes in Ford, but did not quite think he was there yet.

Another exciting thing about this experience is you get to see some of the tools the Nats are using. Before one of the games, the Nats had a pitching machine out at shortstop and it was feeding balls on a hop to the first baseman. It was enlightening to see them actually putting the work in.

This season, I will be going to a good chunk of the home games to cover them. I feel like it is important to have this access to help give you guys the best information I can. Seeing what happens on the inside will help me give you guys a better idea of what is going on.

It is also a lot of fun to be in there and experience what it is like to be inside a locker room. However, as I mentioned, I am there to do a job. This will give me new information and perspective, but I will not allow myself to be soft either. Getting this intel is all about giving you guys a better idea about what is going on with the Washington Nationals.

What’s particularly frustrating about the Red Sox horrific start is that you can’t just point to one aspect of the game that the team is struggling with and hope for some positive regression in the near future. The sad fact of the matter is that the Red Sox are finding all sorts of different ways to lose baseball games. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Last night, those different ways included a Manny Ramirez-esque defensive play by Roman Anthony out in left field. Anthony’s arm isn’t injured, but clearly something isn’t right. Alex Cora says the issue is mechanics, while Anthony says “It’s just a mix of everything. But at the end of the day, it’s a simple play. It’s got to be at least competitive. And it wasn’t, again. So it’s terrible.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

At least the offense has woken up a little bit lately. Caleb Durbin had his best day at the plate as a Red Soxer last night (that’s right, I’m going with Red Soxer), notching two hits and scoring his first run with Boston. And his old manager in the opposite dugout hasn’t given up on him: “You can get down on him if you want.The fans can boo him. You can do whatever you want to do. But Caleb Durbin is a winner in every sense of the word.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

I thought we left those empty “winning ballplayer” platitudes behind back when David Eckstein retired. I guess I was wrong about that, but whether or not you want to insist that Caleb Durbin has some innately magical winning qualities, you can’t deny that he he hasn’t been helping the Red Sox win in 2026. And while we all know how April baseball works, it’s getting harder and harder to say “it’s early” given the historical record: “ [T]he Red Sox are the 187th team to lose at least eight of their first 10 games [since 1903]. Of the first 186, just 12 (6.5 percent) reached the postseason.” (Alex Speier Boston Globe)

With the playoffs threatening to slip out of sight before we even reach Patriots Day, it’s no wonder that the vibes inside the ballpark are ugly. Alex Cora, though, takes no issue with the boos that have rained down on his team this season: “Right now, we deserve whatever they’re thinking. We’re not playing good baseball, and we know it.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

And it’s not just boos that are ringing around Fenway. The last two losses have featured audible chants of “sell the team.” And regardless of what you think about that stance, you have to admit that this is hilarious:

Maybe a good old fashioned baseball brawl will wake them up? Willson Contreras certainly seems ready for one: “It’s not just the hit by pitch. That’s the 24th time they’ve hit me in my career — 24th. That’s the sixth time [Woodruff] has hit me. And they always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you.’ That gets old. So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s a message.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)