The St. Louis Cardinals will try to win the series versus the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Dustin May, who is 1-2 with a 9.45 ERA on the season, will make his 4th start for the Cardinals. Slade Cecconi, who is 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA, will start for the Guardians.
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Coming into the season, one of the more polarizing prospects that was supposed to make his debut was Justin Crawford. One would think that a player that had as good a set of numbers from his minor league days as Crawford had would be the actual opposite of polarizing, but his case became an argument in “data vs. production”. From the scouting community, there was an overwhelming sense that Crawford’s success at the major league level would be muted due to his swing path and tendency to hit the ball on the ground. From Fangraphs:
Whether mechanical intervention will improve Crawford’s output, or whether it will happen naturally as he gets stronger, we just won’t know until he’s allowed to face and adjust to big league pitching over a long period of time. His groundball rate has at least been trending in the right direction since he turned pro. He was way up in the 70% range when he first debuted, and his spray chart looked like the most cartoonish slash-and-dash hitter. Zac Veen is a recent prospect whose underlying data contained similar warning signs (Crawford is also fairly chase prone), but his on-field performance began to dip once he reached the upper levels, while Crawford’s has not. Make no mistake; Crawford’s tools are going to help a big league club in some capacity, just probably as an action-pressing nine hole hitter who bunts and slashes his way on base.
Offensively, we could pretty much cut and paste any report we’ve written about Crawford since he was drafted here. He still hits the ball on the ground way too much, he still runs like the wind, he still puts the ball in play a lot, and he still swings at way too many pitches for a guy who has what is otherwise a 1990s leadoff man profile. He made some real improvements around the edges of his very durable broad profile in 2025—he cut his chase rate by over five points year-over-year, which got it from catastrophic to merely bad, while turning a few grounders into line drives—but for the most part what you think about his offensive game still depends on whether you think his reliance on nine-hopper singles can sustain a plus-or-better hit tool outcome in the majors. We’re probably a little less high on that profile than a lot of our peers in the public prospect analysis space.
And yet, so far this year as he has in his minor league career, he has produced. It’s still way, way too early to make any kind of definite determination about how actual career arc will be created, but he has gotten off to a start that has been quite good for a team that has had little production from its nine hole spot in the lineup over the past several seasons (all stats for Crawford and/or ninth spot in lineup through Monday’s game).
2026: .315/.403/.481
2025: .246/.307/.398
2024: .230/.279/.333
2023: .265/.314/.398
Based on what we’ve seen from Crawford, there are reasons to believe that he can actually producing. After all, bat control like this doesn’t come around too, too often.
With 10% of the season already in the books, it’s worth at least exploring what has happened so far with Crawford since he’s an interesting player.
Failure to launch
We all knew that one of the traits scouts have wanted Crawford to change has been how often he hits the ball on the ground. Baseball has changed so much from the Whitey Herzog days when Astroturf allowed players to hit the ball on a carpet and have it scoot into the outfield for a hit. Fielders have improved so much both in terms of their positioning and how well they field that a ball on the ground is almost an automatic out.
As of Monday, Crawford has an average launch angle when he hits the ball of -3.2o. If that number strikes you as a startingly low number, you’re not alone! I went back through the Statcast era (2015 on) to find qualified hitters that had a launch angle that was a negative throughout the entire season. To the surprise of no one, there were very few:
Eric Hosmer ‘18: -1.5o
Wilson Ramos ‘19: -0.1o
Raimel Tapia ‘21: -4.4o
Gilberto Celestino ‘22: -1.9o
Jake Mangum ‘25: -0.7o
These hitters are not ones that one would mistake for being productive in those seasons, so while it doesn’t mean it can’t happen, history suggests that it’s not going to happen. It’s possible for a player to go through an entire season having an average launch angle that low, but as you can see, the opposing team would be more than happy to have that happen. There just isn’t much of a threat to the defense.
Now, can we expect Crawford to have this low of a launch angle all season long? Probably not. At some point, he’s going to figure out how to drive the ball in the air and he does have some good power when he barrels up a baseball. He’s a lot of hittable pitches as well; he’s just hitting them into the ground.
For now, it’s just a curious thing, a negative launch angle, to see since it’s so rare that it happens for a full season. Maybe some balls in the air change things, maybe not.
BABIP, you BIP, we all BIP
Whenever one sees a ball trickle through the infield on the ground, get blooped down the line, get nubbed down the line, one silently says a prayer to the baseball gods to say think you. Specifically, the BABIP gods that allowed the ball to miss gloves on it’s way to the grass in the first place. It helps the personal numbers because, as is said, “it’s a line drive in the books!” However, having a high BABIP can often times signal that a regression is coming and with Crawford, it could be something to consider.
As of Tuesday morning, Crawford’s .405 BABIP is tied for 15th in the game among all active hitters and could be one that is ripe for regression. But what if it doesn’t regress as much as we think it will? He’s going to hit the ball on the ground as we see from above, but it’s not as though he isn’t hitting the ball hard. His average exit velocity of 88.5 miles per hour, right in the middle of the pack (and better than some current Phillies hitters). What if he’s going to be able to continue to just find holes and poke baseball down the line and keep being productive?
There’s no reason right now to change much of anything with Crawford. He’s finding success in the major leagues and isn’t being asked to do a lot hitting from the nine hole in the lineup. He can continue seeing how pitchers attack him and adjust accordingly. Moving him up in the lineup doesn’t really seem to be in the cards at the moment, nor should it be. He’s doing just fine where he is, though if he moved up a spot or two to better use his speed instead of anchoring him in front of Turner/Schwarber/Harper, that would be fine as well.
Long before the Yankees became the Yankees of Ruth, Gehrig, October mythology, and even Gerrit, Leonard Leslie “King” Cole (not to be confused with Nat) was one of the franchise’s most intriguing early arms. For a season, he looked like the kind of pitcher who could help stabilize a club still searching for its identity.
Instead, the ending was rushing toward him long before anyone realized it. Tragically the King’s New York chapter became one of the shortest, strangest, and saddest stories of the franchise’s early years.
Leonard Leslie “King” Cole
Born: April 15, 1886 (Toledo, IA)
Died: January 6, 1916 (Bay City, MI)
Yankees Tenure: 1914-1915
Before he ever became “King,” Leonard Leslie Cole’s story began in much humbler surroundings. Born on April 15, 1886, in the rural Iowa town of Toledo, Cole’s early life carried a level of instability that would quietly mirror the unpredictability of his later baseball career. A troubled family situation led to his separation from home at a young age, and by 14 he had been sent to the Industrial School for Boys in nearby Eldora. In those difficult early years, the baseball diamond quickly became home.
By his late teens, Cole had already built a reputation as a talented pitcher for Toledo’s town team, the kind of local arm whose name traveled beyond county lines before organized baseball ever formally called. His path to the majors was anything but ordinary.
In 1907, Cole joined one of the era’s barnstorming “Bloomer Girls” teams, one of the traveling girls clubs that toured the country playing against town, semipro, and minor league men’s teams. To help draw crowds and raise the level of play, these clubs often employed male pitchers and catchers known as “toppers,” players who wore wigs to blend into the novelty of the traveling roster. For a brief stretch, Leonard Cole was one of them.
It is one of the strangest and most perfect details in his baseball story: before becoming King Cole, he sharpened his game as a pitcher for a Bloomer Girls club, barnstorming across the Midwest and learning the loose, restless rhythms of early baseball life. That journey helped carry him to Bay City, Michigan, a place that would become deeply important to both his personal and professional life.
By 1908, Cole was pitching for semipro clubs in Iowa and Michigan, continuing to sharpen the command and durability that would later define his major league peak. Then in 1909, Bay City gave him the kind of platform every talented regional arm needed. He thrived there.
Cole went 21-7 as Bay City’s ace, a dominant season that drew the full attention of the Chicago Cubs, still a powerhouse having won three pennants in a row from 1906–08 and the last two World Series in a row. Chicago signed Cole and gave him a chance late that season to make his professional debut, and he made sure no one forgot it, throwing a six-hit shutout in his major league debut against the Cardinals while also collecting three hits at the plate.
Just like that, the road from rural Iowa, reform school, and barnstorming Bloomer Girls clubs had delivered him to the major leagues. The Bay City chapter changed more than just his baseball life.
During the offseason, Cole stayed in Michigan, took up barbering as a trade, and earned yet another fitting nickname: “The Bay City Barber.” It was there that he also met Ada Seder, beginning the relationship that would soon lead to marriage just as his Cubs career was taking off. By the time 1910 arrived, Cole was no longer just a fascinating baseball story. He was on his way to becoming one of the National League’s best pitchers and be anointed King.
Cole won 20 games for the Cubs in 1910, leading the Senior Circuit with a 1.80 ERA and posting the kind of frontline production that made him one of the National League’s top arms. In the Deadball Era, where one run often felt decisive, pitchers who could control games deep into the afternoon carried enormous value, and Cole fit that mold perfectly. It was the season that truly made “King” feel like more than just a nickname, and if the NL Rookie of the Year Award existed back then, he probably would’ve won going away.
The Cubs romped to their fourth pennant in five years with 104 wins but fell to the similarly potent Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. Cole got the start in Game 4, which ended up being the only playoff start of his career, and held the A’s to three runs in eight innings of work to help the Cubs stave off a sweep in their home park (West Side Grounds, Wrigley’s predecessor). Ace Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown relieved him and held the A’s in check while the Cubs rallied a couple outs from elimination to tie it in the ninth on a leadoff double by Frank Schulte and a game-tying triple from player-manager Frank Chance. They ended it in the 10th on a Jimmy Archer and a walk-off single from left fielder Jimmy Sheckard. Alas, the A’s followed suit, beating up on a tiring Brown—starting on no rest, because hey it was 1910—to take the series with a 7-2 triumph.
Cole followed that with another strong year in 1911, winning 18 games and proving the previous season was no fluke. Even if he did not quite match the 1910 peak, Cole still looked like the kind of pitcher a manager could trust every time they put him on the rubber. At his best, he was not overpowering so much as dependable, the kind of arm managers leaned on because they knew exactly what they were getting. Then came the collapse.
The 1912 season started disastrously in Chicago. The sharpness that had defined his best years disappeared almost overnight, and what had once looked like steady command turned into something far less reliable. The King had become the Jester and was so famous for the excuses he gave that he inspired short story “Alibi Ike.”
The Cubs eventually sent him to Pittsburgh to finish the season, where he was better, but not remotely close to the pitcher he had been just a few seasons ago. The brilliance of 1910 had already started to feel far away. So far away that Cole was sold by the Pirates to Columbus of the minor league American Association.
After spending the winter barbering in Chicago and Bay City, Cole proved his career wasn’t over by reporting to Columbus and having a stellar year. He posted a 23-11 record and received offers from several major league clubs following the season. The New York Yankees, now managed by Cole’s former boss with the Cubs, Chance, had the winning bid.
When New York picked him up for the 1914 season, Cole was still chasing the heights of his Cubs peak as much as he was trying to prove he still belonged in the major leagues at all. And for a time, it looked like he did. In that comeback season Cole went 10-9 with a 3.30 ERA making 15 starts in 33 games.
One fun fact from Cole’s first season with the Yankees popped up on October 2, 1914 at Fenway Park. Cole entered in relief of Carroll Brown, who started the game opposite of a rookie left-hander named George Herman Ruth in Boston. In the Babe’s third big-league game, the 19-year-old would limit his future team to six hits on the mound and lead off the seventh inning with a double off Cole — Ruth’s first MLB hit. Little did the 1,500 or so in attendance at the still-nascent ballpark know that they were witnessing history.
Cole’s first season with the Yankees gave the club exactly what early-era teams valued most from a pitcher: dependable innings and a calming presence on a still-developing staff. He was no longer the 20-game winner from his Cubs peak, but the command and poise that had once made him so valuable were still visible.
Across the 1914 and 1915 seasons, Cole would go 12-12 with a 3.27 ERA over 192.2 innings in pinstripes. Those numbers tell the story of a pitcher who still knew how to survive, compete, and help a club even as the overpowering version of his earlier career had faded.
That makes 1914 feel especially important in hindsight. It would be the final season in which Cole still looked like a veteran pitcher writing a respectable second act rather than a player unknowingly entering the final chapter of his life. That is what makes the turn into 1915 feel so much heavier.
In spring training, Yankees manager Bill Donovan noticed something was wrong. Cole had developed a growth on his leg, something he had apparently ignored for years because it had not yet caused him any pain. That detail says so much about the era and perhaps about Cole himself. Players then often pitched through discomfort, lived hard, and treated warning signs as inconveniences instead of alarms.
Cole’s instinct was simply to keep going until someone physically stopped him. That refusal to stop becomes the emotional center of the story. Even after surgery to try to address the tumors, Cole pushed to return quickly, insisting he would be back within weeks. And he did come back, pitching for the Yankees that summer despite diminished stuff and erratic command. The performances were uneven, and the club’s patience wore thin, but there is something deeply human in the image of a pitcher trying to outrun what his body was already telling him.
The quirks of his life off the mound only deepen that feeling. Cole’s 1915 season included missed trains, an indefinite suspension, and even an automobile accident in Yonkers that briefly put him in legal trouble, all while his health continued to deteriorate. It creates the portrait of a talented early ballplayer living with the loose structure and restless unpredictability of the pre-modern game, where routines were fragile and careers could tilt off course in an instant.
Then came the cruelest turn. By December, the cancer had returned aggressively. What had once seemed like a manageable operation became terminal illness, and on January 6, 1916, Cole died at just 29 years old. For a pitcher talented enough to win 54 major league games before turning 30, the loss feels especially haunting.
His Yankees chapter lasted only two seasons, but it remains one of the organization’s earliest reminders of how quickly baseball promise can vanish. What makes King Cole such a compelling birthday subject is not simply the tragedy. It is the strange mix of brilliance, stubbornness, unpredictability, and vulnerability that defined his final baseball years. In another era, maybe the diagnosis comes earlier. Maybe the recovery plan is stricter. Maybe the life lasts another few decades.
Instead, King Cole’s Yankees legacy became a snapshot of baseball’s rougher early century. A time where even “Kings” were still barbers in the offseason. A time when people and players alike ignored warning signs of their health. A time when the storylines the games and its players was able to create mattered almost as much as the games themselves.
Happy birthday, King Cole.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here
TV: NESN
First Pitch: 1:40 p.m. ET
Well, this series couldn’t have started any worse.
Red Sox starters gave up 15 earned runs in the first two games, thanks to disastrous starts from Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray. Boston’s lineup also got shutout for the first time this season and is lacking momentum entering Wednesday afternoon.
In another lineup shuffle, Ceddanne Rafaela moves up behind Roman Anthony in the No. 2 spot. Connelly Early gets the ball and while he needs to go deeper into starts, he’s impressed so far to the tune of a 2.63 ERA.
Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate in the series finale.
The Twins push for the sweep and sport the best record in the American League at 11-7. Simeon Woods Richardson takes the mound for Minnesota.
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The Texas Rangers and Athletics continue a four-game set tonight at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.
My Rangers vs. Athletics predictions are eyeing the hosts to erupt against Texas right-hander Kumar Rocker.
Read more for my MLB picks for Wednesday, April 15.
The Athletics bounced back in the second game of this series last night, winning 2-1. While they’ve struggled to score runs this season with only 3.9 per contest, tonight’s clash against Texas Rangers starter Kumar Rocker presents a clear opportunity to string together runs.
Rocker has a 4.75 ERA through two starts, and the A's are hitting a mind-boggling .588 against the righty.
The likes of Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom have hit him around the ballpark and sent him to the showers early in their lone clash against him in 2025, scoring five runs on seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
Rocker hasn't developed as much swing-and-miss as his prospect pedigree may have suggested, as he ranks in the 40th percentile in chase rate, the 34th in whiff, and 27th in K%. This sets an A's offense up for success at their launching pad of a home ballpark.
A's starter J.T. Ginn isn't anything to write home about, but he keeps the ball in the ballpark, limits hard contact, and doesn't walk anyone.
COVERS INTEL: Ginn has held opponents to a .184 average in 2026.Rocker is a very shaky starter, and he’s had just about zero luck against the Athletics in his career, owning an 11.37 ERA while surrendering eight earned runs across two starts.
While I do believe Ginn will improve upon allowing seven earned last week, Texas does have a .341 average against him across 44 at-bats.
Sutter Health Park is extremely hitter-friendly, especially with fly balls often turning into home runs due to the Sacramento air and wind patterns.
The Texas Rangers have hit the Game Total Over in 32 of their last 50 away games (+13.30 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. A's.
| Location | Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, CA |
| Date | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
| First pitch | 9:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | RSN, NBCSCA |
| Rangers starting pitcher | Kumar Rocker (0-1, 4.50 ERA) |
| A's starting pitcher | J.T. Ginn (0-0, 3.27 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
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First Pitch: 12:40 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe:Over the Monster
Rewind the clock to ‘46,
Of segregation politics:
A minor league second baseman, Jack;
Opponents wouldn’t play him ‘cause his skin was black.
The Army dropped him when he made a fuss
Of being ordered to the back of bus.
But then a star with Kansas City; Dodgers brought him aboard;
A future of acceptance he was bringing us toward:
Those
Teams laughed for so long,
“Your existence is wrong!”
Bore so much, wouldn’t flee:
You knew whom you’d be:
You’re an MVP
In number 42.
In ‘47, got the call to the Show;
Yes, some around supported, but the hate would only grow:
You’d hear the cruelest epithets from bench and stands,
Get block-written letters with murder in their plans.
But on the field, it was ball and bat,
Same ninety feet no matter where you’re at.
You hit .300, stole thirty bags,
And the Dodgers soon raised pennant flags;
Though
Teams laughed for so long,
You were proving ‘em wrong.
With no such guarantee,
You were whom you’d be:
You’re an MVP
In number 42.
You got down to business, and here you’d thrive,
You won Rookie of the Year, then a ring in ‘55.
One more season, then you were done;
Did you know what you’d begun?
It’s nearly eighty years since your debut,
And every player will be in 42.
Through all that old hate that’s rising and stark,
There’s plenty on field who have skin shaded dark.
So many further enshrined with a plaque
Who played because you opened up a crack.
Now there’s a game ahead, and the fans are awed;
We know today whom we must applaud!
Though
Teams laughed for so long,
You have proven ‘em wrong.
There’s so much to decree;
You were so more than you’d be:
You’re an MVP
In number 42;
Yes, you’re our MVP
In number 42.
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The cozy confines of Comerica Park have been kind to the Detroit Tigers since the calendar flipped to April.
Detroit rides a four-game home winning streak into Game 2 with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday after taking a tight 2-1 series opening win yesterday.
The Tigers, who are 6-1 in their last seven contests inside Comerica, will see that home cooking slow to a simmer tonight.
Our Royals vs. Tigers predictions like Kansas City’s starter and my MLB picks are riding with the Royals as short road dogs.
The Detroit Tigers’ recent run at home includes wins over Miami and St. Louis — two teams having issues keeping foes off the scoreboard.
The Kansas City Royals have been much stingier on that side of the plate, thanks in part to the efforts of starter Seth Lugo.
The right-hander’s 1-1 record over three outings doesn’t reflect his performance, allowing just three earned runs on 13 hits in less than 18 collective innings. What’s more impressive is that two of those starts came against the big bats of Atlanta and Milwaukee.
Lugo had a head start on the 2026 season after pitching well for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He’s already working deep into games, getting into the seventh inning in two of his first three outings.
That takes pressure off the Royals’ wobbly bullpen, which gave up two runs late in the series opening loss to Detroit.
COVERS INTEL: Kansas City allows the fewest runs in the opening six innings, including just 1.57 runs allowed through six frames in road games. The Royals are 6-11 O/U against first five inning totals, including 2-5 O/U in this derivative market as visitors.Lugo will keep Detroit’s bats in the check while he’s on the mound. As for Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, he’s coming off his best showing of the young season.
The righty went 5 1/3 innings versus Minnesota, allowing one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts. Flaherty has fanned six batters in each of his last two starts and faces a Kansas City lineup that has struggled to produce away from home.
The Royals are driving in an average of just two runs per road game – tied for lowest in the majors – while hitting a collective .171 BA. That’s pumped out a 1-6 Over/Under record on the road.
The Kansas City Royals have gone Under the total in 28 of their last 45 games (+9.60 Units/20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. Tigers.
| Location | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Date | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
| First pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLBN |
| Royals starting pitcher | Seth Lugo (1-1, 1.53 ERA) |
| Tigers starting pitcher | Jack Flaherty (0-1, 5.14 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
A.J. Ewing was one of the young standouts in Mets camp this year.
With numerous regulars competing in the WBC, the youngster took full advantage of his opportunity for playing time, showcasing the many ways he can impact the game.
Thus far, he’s been able to carryover that success to open the Double-A season.
Ewing reached three times in Tuesday’s Binghamton loss -- doubling in the third, singling up the middle in the fifth, then driving in a run with another single in the seventh.
He finished the day 3-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base.
The 21-year-old is now hitting a whopping .421 and he’s put together three multi-hit showings over his first eight appearances on the season.
Ewing has also walked (8) more than he’s stuck out (5), he’s ripped five doubles, and has swiped five bases to help rack up an incredible .538 OBP and 1.119 OPS.
He played second base on Tuesday for the third time this season, which as Joe DeMayo noted in his recent prospect mailbag is about maintaining his versatility.
Pair these early results with his strong finish with Binghamton last season, though, and there’s not much left for the former fourth-round pick to prove at the Double-A level.
If Ewing can keep this up, perhaps he’ll make the leap to Syracuse soon enough.
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No pitcher in baseball has more strikeouts over the last five years than Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, and I expect him to continue to rack up the Ks in tonight’s matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Read on to see why he’ll be the feature player in my Blue Jays vs. Brewers predictions and free MLB picks for Wednesday, April 15.
The Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff largely baffled the Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener with 12 strikeouts, and I expect that trend to continue with Dylan Cease on the mound tonight.
Cease has faced the Brewers four times in his career, and went Over today’s 6.5 strikeout total in each outing, averaging eight K’s per contest.
The slider has been his most effective putaway pitch this season, garnering 10 strikeouts on a58% whiff rate and a .053 opponent batting average.
Milwaukee has the ninth-highest strikeout rating against the slider with a 33% K-rate.
COVERS INTEL: Cease's 38.8% strikeout rate is second among MLB starters to throw at least 10 innings this season.The Blue Jays' bats seem to be coming around, sporting a .294 average over their last five games, averaging 10.4 hits per game. So I’ll continue to bet on the bats and take Over 4.5 hits against Brewers’ starter Chad Patrick.
Additionally, Patrick’s main pitch is his cutter, a pitch in which the Jays own a .389 batting average against this season.
I’m also going to keep the Daulton Varsho train rolling and take Over 0.5 hits for the outfielder. He’s recorded a hit in five straight, totaling nine base knocks in that stretch. It’s also a great matchup for him, as Varsho posted a .500 average against the cutter last season.
I’ll continue to bet on Varsho today, who looks to be turning things around at the plate with five extra-base hits in his last five games.
Three of those have been of the home run variety, and this is a plus-matchup for him to hit one out of the park again tonight. Not only did Varsho have a .500 average against the cutter last season, but his xSLG was also .752 with a 35% hard-hit rate.
Additionally, Patrick is a flyball pitcher who ranks in the 25th percentile in hard-hit rate. Varsho’s raw power should shine through tonight.
The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Game Total Over in 10 of their last 15 away games (+5.75 Units / 35% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Brewers.
| Location | American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI |
| Date | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | Brewers.TV, SN1 |
| Blue Jays starting pitcher | Dylan Cease (0-0, 2.45 ERA) |
| Brewers starting pitcher | Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.73 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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The New York Yankees split the first two games of their series with the Los Angeles Angels, earning a dramatic 11-10 win in the opener before dropping Game 2 in blowout fashion.
My Angels vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks expect the home side to get back on track this Wednesday, April 15.
Jack Kochanowicz has seen his counting numbers improve this season, but a lot of that stems from luck.
He owns a 5.02 xFIP — very close to last year’s 5.18 xFIP, when he had a 6.81 ERA to go with it.
Kochanowicz has also allowed a .204 average on balls put in play. That is unsustainably low and well below the near .300 BABIP allowed over 175 innings of work the two seasons prior.
All of these numbers suggest regression is coming, and the New York Yankees (third in fly-ball rate, seventh in hard-hit rate) are a good team to force the issue.
COVERS INTEL: Kochanowicz's xERA is nearly three runs higher than his actual ERA this season.Kochanowicz’s underlying profile screams regression, and the Yankees' tendency to hit the ball hard and put it in the air should serve them well in a hitter-friendly ballpark with warm weather and the wind blowing out.
When Kochanowicz departs from the game, the Yankees can look forward to facing a bullpen that ranks Bottom-10 in xFIP and SIERA.
The Los Angeles Angels should chip in their fair share of runs as well. Luis Gil has a tough time keeping the ball in the park, and the Angels rank first in fly-ball rate and second in homers this season.
The Angels have hit the Over in eight of their last nine games (+6.90 Units / 68% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Yankees.
| Location | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY |
| Date | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | FDSN W, Prime Video |
| Angels starting pitcher | Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.24 ERA) |
| Yankees starting pitcher | Luis Gil (0-1, 6.75 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Desperate for a win and clinging to a 7-6 lead over the Rockies on Tuesday night, Joe Espada sent Bryan King back to the mound to try to secure the game’s final three outs. Bryan Abreu, the team’s most accomplished healthy reliever, sat on a bench in the bullpen while Enyel De Los Santos, a journeyman 30-year old who signed with the Astros last August, got loose.
After retiring the first two batters he faced, King allowed hits to the next two, prompting Espada to summon De Los Santos to face the right-handed-hitting Jordan Beck. De Los Santos struck him out to end the game, securing the Astros’ first win after an eight-game losing streak.
It was a good night for a team that needed a win and a bullpen that has been maligned for the first 18 games of the season, but it was notable that Abreu, who was scored on in his first six appearances of the season, played no role in it.
“My focus is trying to match up the right pockets. Trying to put these guys in a position when they can deploy their pitches, go to the areas where they can get people out and trying to get them rolling that way,” Espada said.
That means the way Espada managed his bullpen in the final innings of Tuesday’s game will be the standard operating procedure moving forward.
“Once the dust settles some of these guys will start falling into those roles, but right now we’re going to try to get going that way and try to get these guys on a positive note,” Espada said.
The Astros bullpen is shorthanded with Josh Hader, who threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday, and Bennett Sousa, who recently started a rehab assignment, on the IL, but its ERA sits at 6.35, second worst in league, after surrendering just two runs over 5 1/3 against the Rockies on Tuesday.
Getting Hader and Sousa back will be a nice shot in the arm for the Astros bullpen, but it is hard to see it function at a high level without Abreu pitching at a high level. He had his first scoreless outing of the season on Sunday in Seattle, but he still allowed two baserunners and needed 27 pitches to record three outs.
Abreu will get his opportunities out of the Astros bullpen, but Espada didn’t sound like someone ready to use him in high leverage spots right now.
“I’m going to deploy him in moments where I think it’s what’s best for him and our team,” Espada said. “Once he gets going, he’s a force.”
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers have agreed to an eight-year, $150 million contract extension with rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle.
The deal begins next season and carries through 2034, covering his final five seasons of club control and his first three years he would have been eligible for free agency. The $150 million is guaranteed and the deal includes contract escalators for the final three seasons that could raise the value to a maximum of $160 million.
McGonigle will earn guaranteed salaries of $1 million in 2027, $7 million in 2028, $16 million in 2029, $21 million in 2030, $22 million in 2031 and $23 million in the 2032, 2033 and 2034 seasons.
The contract escalators could increase his 2032 maximum base salary to $25 million, his 2033 maximum to $26 million and his 2034 maximum to $28 million.
The deal includes a $14 million signing bonus and a $5 million bonus each time the contract is assigned to another major league team.
McGonigle, 21, had four hits in his major league debut, an 8-2 win at San Diego on March 26. He is hitting .311 with one homer and has a .417 on-base percentage. He has reached base in 13 consecutive starts and 15 of 16 games. He is one of only 10 players in the major leagues with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) among players with at least 11 walks.
The strong start has supported McGonigle’s preseason ranking as one of the game’s top prospects. He has started at third base and shortstop for the Tigers.
McGonigle was selected by the Tigers in the first round of the 2023 draft at No. 37 out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
If you do it once, it’s a fun (and in this particular case, heartwarming) story that we get to enjoy in the moment before moving on to the next thing. If you do it twice, then we’ve gotta talk about it. That’s what Dominic Smith has forced us to do after he did the daggone thing once again.
The Braves mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the eighth at Truist Park in order to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It’s a familiar scenario that we’ve seen play out a bunch of times in the past but now we’re all getting used to a new face doing the damage instead of one of the core group of Braves players that’s usually doing the damage. Dominic Smith has already written two exciting pages of the book that is the 2026 Braves season as he followed up his walk-off grand slam on March 28 with a bases-clearing opposite-field gapper with two outs in order to turn what was shaping up to be a disappointing series loss to the Marlins into a big-time turnaround.
It’d be one thing if it was just those two moments for Dominic Smith so far. That’d be cool but I’d imagine that folks would want more production in-between those two bits of brilliance at the plate. As it turns out, Smith has been delivering on a consistent basis here in the early goings for the Braves. He’s currently sporting a .395/.415/684 slash line with a .474 wOBA, .289 Isolated Power, three homers and 201 wRC+. While he’s likely going to cool down at some point, that’s some mighty-fine production through 41 plate appearances and 14 games!
The obvious hope is that once he does cool down, the plate production will be enough to where he’ll be able to deliver some solid production as one of the main designated hitters for the Braves. If his production last season across 63 games for the San Francisco Giants is any indication, he could very well be in line for a solid season. He hit .284/.333/.417 with a .325 wOBA (outperforming his xwOBA of .306) with five homers and 111 wRC+ across 225 plate appearances. For that to be happening in San Francisco, that’s not bad at all! So far, he’s managed to build upon that and get off to a scalding-hot start in a better environment for hitting here in Cobb County.
As it turns out, Dominic Smith has been making very good use of his time in both San Francisco and Atlanta by utilizing the resources that’s available to him in both locations — and by “resources,” I mean the former legends who used to ply their craft both here and there.
During his appearance in front of the media following Tuesday night’s game, Smith mentioned that he had had conversations about hitting with Barry Bonds while he was with the Giants and then he followed that up by quickly getting in touch with Braves legend Chipper Jones once he became part of the big league roster here. I’d say that whatever advice those two have been giving him has been stuff that he’s been taking to heart and applying to his game because he’s been putting up plate numbers that we haven’t seen from him since the seats were empty back in 2020.
That 2020 season was the last time when Dominic Smith was seen as a serious threat across the baseball world, as he slugged his way to a 166 wRC+ season with the New York Mets. Accruing 1.4 fWAR across just 50 games is a pretty solid achievement but unfortunately, he had’t even come close to that level of production since then. In fact, he scuffled mightily at the plate during his final two seasons with the Mets and he also spent some time in the wilderness in 2023 and 2024 as he bounced around with the Nationals, Red Sox and Reds. Based on that track record, it’s no wonder that we really didn’t get too hyped up about him around here once he was signed as a non-roster invitee — outside of the idea that he’d provide depth for Matt Olson at first base and an occasional option at DH.
Instead, he had himself a solid spring, played himself onto the big league roster for Opening Day and has proceeded to come up huge for the Braves in some big moments early on in the season. Despite all of that bouncing around that Dominic Smith did over the past few seasons, he still garnered respect from his opposition. Walt Weiss admitted as much during his post-game press conference following the win on Tuesday.
“I’ve watched him a lot from the other side — he was in the division with the Mets and the Nationals and it never felt good when he was in the box in a big spot,” said Weiss. “I knew he was going to be a tough out. He’s not going to chase and the ball’s probably going to be put in play.” Weiss also complimented Weiss on being willing to continue to improve his game. “Regardless of where [he’s] at in [his] career, [he’s] always looking to get better every day [he] shows up. Dom’s certainly that guy. All these guys are like that. Good for Dom — those are a couple of pretty good resources in Bonds and Chipper so he’s a smart guy too, going to the right people.”
Throughout all the scuffling, that determination to get better has finally started to pay off some dividends for Dominic Smith and the Braves appear to be the early beneficiaries of it so far. Again, it’s still very early days for both Smith and the Braves here in the 2026 season but so far, the early results have been encouraging. The Braves are off to a very solid start, Dominic Smith is hitting a hot bat and providing production at a spot that was a very big question mark for this lineup heading into the season.
There’s no telling what the future of any given long and winding baseball season will hold but for now, both Smith and the Braves are off to a very auspicious start. We’ll see if everybody can keep it up so that this team can finally get back to where they were in the past and if Dominic Smith can reach back and find some of that success that made him such an exciting talent back in 2020.
Will Jose Fernandez ever take a walk? Yesterday, he went 2-for-4, but failed to draw a base on balls for the 13th game since he made his debut on March 31st. That is getting him up there into some fairly rarefied company. Well, at least among non-pitchers. As far as records likely never to be broken, we have Enrique Burgos, who appeared 71 times for the Diamondbacks, without a walk. The fact he never came to the plate may have been a factor in this. But in terms of plate appearances to start a career, Fernandez is getting up there. That’s now 44 PA, which have resulted in 44 at-bats. No walks. No HBP. No catcher’s interference. Zero trots down the line to first.
He does have some way to go to reach the franchise record. For the longest time – over twenty years – the mark was held by Jerry Gil, the walkless wonder. In 2004, he played 26 times for the D-backs, coming to the plate 86 times without drawing a walk (he did get hit by a pitch ones). What’s more remarkable is, save one game as a pinch-runner for the Reds in 2007, that was his entire major-league career. Baseball Reference still tags that streak as active… No other position player has had a walkless career with as many PA for almost a hundred years, since Overton Tremper went 94 PA in 1927-28.
However, Gil was recently displaced as the franchise leader for walkless PA’s to start a career. And it was by someone currently on the roster. Nobody noticed much, since it took almost two full seasons to achieve it. But Jorge Barrosa went 35 games and 91 PA, before finally getting his first base on balls in the final game last year. Of course, baseball being baseball, he then walked again, the very next time up. Another D-back also makes the top 10 by games played. Ildemaro Vargas was walkless in his first 20 appearances, though a) they were back in 2017-18, and b) that covered only 28 PA. Right now, by PA, Fernandez sits sixth. We’ll see how much higher her rises!
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The Orioles play their 18th game of the year on Wednesday afternoon. They have gone the previous 17 games without facing a left-handed starting pitcher, the longest stretch of any of the other MLB teams. That streak ends today as Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez takes the mound against them. If the O’s can pull off the win, they’ll get the series win as they head off on a road trip. Lose and they won’t have managed to sustain good feelings after Monday’s big comeback win.
Although the Orioles have avoided having anyone new placed on the injured list, there’s still been roster shuffling ahead of the game. The team selected the contract of catcher Sam Huff from Norfolk and optioned reliever Nick Raquet back to Norfolk. That means the O’s will be a pitcher short in the bullpen today and for however long this lasts. Raquet did not make a very good first impression on Orioles fans and was lucky not to have given up more runs last night. In this case, there’s not too much downside to not having him out there.
The three catchers thing probably won’t last for long. Maybe it won’t even last until tomorrow’s game. Ahead of today’s game, manager Craig Albernaz indicated that he foresees another roster move coming within the next few days to get the team back to an eight-man bullpen.
I don’t know why the Orioles didn’t bring up Huff a couple of days ago; they’d telegraphed wanting to bring him along as soon as Adley Rutschman hit the injured list, but he’s only arrived today. Mike Elias is always doing weird things on the fringes of the roster. If it matters whether Huff or Maverick Handley is on the roster or how much playing time they’re getting, that’s probably not going to mean good things for the 2026 team. Sending either of them out seems to be the most obvious move.
Pitcher Jayvien Sandridge was designated for assignment to make room for Huff on the 40-man. The Orioles acquired him for cash considerations on March 29, sent him to Norfolk, and never opted to bring him to Baltimore before designating him in turn. Existing at the edge of the 26-man or 40-man rosters is not the most stable place to be.
This is a lineup, all right. It is not a lineup from which you might be expecting good things. I’m certainly not. Maybe they’ll surprise us. For me, it’s having Rodríguez as the cleanup hitter in his first start as an Oriole that really makes it. With three lefties coming up in the next five games, I’m curious how much of this is going to repeat.
Starting for the Orioles today is Kyle Bradish. At the outset of this season, things haven’t been going well for him, with a particular problem of nine walks in 13.2 innings.
Rodriguez has a 0.50 ERA through his first three starts of the year. Pretty good! It is not an Orioles lineup that’s likely inspiring much fear in him, though they are all still major league players and he can’t totally goof off or he’ll end up seeing his ERA balloon. His best is definitely better than their best and his decent might even be better than their best.
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This game is taking place on April 15, the day that MLB sets aside each year to honor the day in 1947 that Jackie Robinson made his debut and broke the color barrier in what had been a segregated game. All players will wear 42, the number that is retired league-wide in Robinson’s honor, on this day.
It is a good day to remember that, although overt segregation in public spaces was stamped out long ago, the legacy of this history of racism still impacts our society today. For baseball in particular, a decline in participation by Black Americans is partly rooted in the fact that the youth travel baseball culture that fuels a lot of the domestic talent pipeline in the sport now is off limits to many families for economic reasons rather than overt racial ones.
As this country gears up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, there is still work to be done to live up to the ideal that all men are created equal. The times in American history of which one can be proudest are the times where people worked or fought to make this reality. Jackie Robinson was a great ballplayer and a great American.