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

The A’s just keep winning! In New York for their fourth straight game the A’s took the first game of the weekend series against the Mets, winning 4-0 thanks to some late-game insurance that they ended up not really needing. Still love the foot on the gas pedal late though!

Ginn dominates in first start

We had a new starting pitcher outside of the season-opening rotation on the mound for our Athletics for the first time this season. Right-hander JT Ginn was tabbed tonight for his first start of the 2026 season after beginning the year as the team’s long man in the bullpen, taking the spot of Luis Morales.

Ginn hadn’t really pitched deep into any games this year. The longest he’d gone was in his first outing of the season when he took over after a short Morales start in the first series of the season. He’d reached 45 pitches in that outing and that was the goal the coaching staff probably had in mind for their young righty tonight.

Ginn began his night hot, striking out Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette to start tonight’s contest. He issued a walk in the second and allowed a single in the fourth but outside of those two batters Ginn sat down every Mets hitter he faced tonight. It was a dominant outing against a Mets lineup missing their biggest bat in Juan Soto, but it was still a great sight to see the 26-year-old absolutely control the team that drafted then traded him to the A’s way back in 2022.

• J.T. Ginn: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 68 pitches

It felt like a bit of a gamble to have him face the top of the order for a second time but Mark Kotsay’s roll of the dice worked out in his favor in this one. It had to have felt good for Ginn to show up his former organization in this one.

Bats mostly silent…. Mostly

Meanwhile the Mets had right-hander Clay Holmes on the mound for them tonight. The A’s were having a bit better luck early on against the former reliever but they weren’t able to cash in on those early chances.

That is, until the third inning. Backup outfielder Carlos Cortes, who looks likely to get more playing time with Brent Rooker out due to injury, singled to kick off the top of the third inning. A strikeout and walk put him in scoring position with one down but a force out seemingly killed the rally before it got started. Well Shea Langeliers had something else to say about that, collecting his first hit of the night to bring around the runner at second for the game’s first run of the game:

Shea gettin' us started! pic.twitter.com/Cf5dJmgIMn

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 10, 2026

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have him hitting at the top of the lineup. Worked out in this situation, that’s for sure. Now if only we can get Nick Kurtz going…

Then things got quite. Real quiet. Neither team was able to get much of any type of rally going at all through the middle frames. The biggest moment from these innings came in the bottom of the sixth. Right-hander Jack Perkins, only called up today, came on in relief of Mark Leiter Jr. and was immediately greeted with singles off the bats of Lindor and Bichette with no one out. Tough spot to be in, but the defense came up huge behind him. A groundball to Nick Kurtz was fielded by last year’s ROTY and the first baseman made the decision to go for the runner at third. It was risky but ended up being the smart decision as he nabbed the runner at the hot corner, and that was immediately followed by a groundball double play that squashed the Mets’ rally in its place:

The A's TURN TWO to exit the sixth unscathed 😤 pic.twitter.com/09W1QsRrDw

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 11, 2026

That might have been the biggest moment of the game. If the Mets get on the board then things could have snowballed and tonight’s recap would sound a lot different.

Perkins ended up pitching the next inning as well, and then got the first out of the eighth before making way for Scott Barlow, who did his job by getting the next two out to set up a save situation for the Athletics. Perkins ended up pitching 2 1/3 innings and allowing just three hits while collecting three punchouts. A successful first big league appearance of the season, and Barlow looks like he’s slowly getting himself on track as well.

Insurance time!

Clinging to a 1-0 lead the A’s were desperate for some cushion. Anything, even one run, would help take some pressure off the man in the ninth to be perfect. Well the A’s gave him that and more. It all started with Jacob Wilson collecting his third hit of the night (he’d finish 3-for-4 on the evening), and he was able to advance to second thanks to an error in left field by rookie outfielder Carson Benge. That was then followed by a Jeff McNeil single against his former team that brought home that much-needed insurance run:

Jeff McNeil brings Jacob Wilson home 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1J0OoD5Prz

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 11, 2026

The club wasn’t done there, either. Third baseman Max Muncy followed McNeil with a double than put two more runners in scoring position, and after a groundout from Cortes the A’s got the biggest hit of the night, a two-run single off the bat of center fielder Denzel Clarke:

Denzel Clarke knocks in two more ✌️ pic.twitter.com/gXyUR19YM8

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 11, 2026

So good to see Clarke find some success with the bat. We all know about the amazing glove he has on the grass in center field but it’s going to be his bat that keeps in him the lineup on a regular basis. Clarke spoke after the game with the guys about that ninth inning:

Denzel Clarke discusses the A's big ninth inning 👏 pic.twitter.com/vY9TPJfMqo

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 11, 2026

That rally all but sealed tonight’s outcome. Righty Elvis Alvarado came on for the ninth and pitched a clean inning, ending the game by getting old friend Marcus Semien to fly out to Soderstrom in left. Another win for the good guys!

Things broke the A’s way tonight. Ginn was fantastic and likely earned himself another start next week (which lines up to be against the Texas Rangers at home). The bats were quiet for most of the game but came through when it mattered most. Jeff McNeil had two hits and a huge RBI against his former squad. The bullpen did its job and then some with five shutout frames. The pitching staff has now gone 26 straight innings without allowing a run, and the team is coming off back-to-back wins against both New York teams. The Athletics are now 6-7 and are starting to play like the team A’s fans expected.

The A's last three games just serve to underscore the fact that the team's level of success this season will largely depend on the quality of pitching they get.

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 11, 2026

The series continues tomorrow afternoon with Game 2 of the series. It’s going to be left-hander Jacob Lopez on the bump for the good guys in what’ll be his third start of the season. His first two outings weren’t horrible, but he’s yet to give the team much length after only going 4 1/3 and 4 innings in both starts this year. The club could be taking things easy with him considering his injury that ended his campaign last season but it’d still be nice to get some more length out of him for the bullpen’s sake. The Mets meanwhile will send righty Kodai Senga out there tomorrow afternoon. He’s off to a quick start this year after missing essentially all of last season due to injury. In two career starts against the A’s he’s only allowed four runs spanning 11 2/3 frames. Not an easy test for the bats but four wins in a row should be plenty of motivation. But great win all around tonight!

Law’s still hungry 👀 pic.twitter.com/6WTUJMP8Em

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 11, 2026

The Phillies gazed upon their scoreless streak and said: no more. And so it was, in the bottom of the first inning on April 10th, 2026, that Trea Turner singled to left, and Kyle Schwarber walked, and Bryce Harper hit one to right to score Turner. The scoreless streak thus passed away at the age of twenty innings. It loved strikeouts and weakly hit fly balls, and its recipe for GIDPs was the envy of the neighborhood. It will be mourned by few who knew it. Brandon Marsh, not inclined to let said streak pass gracefully, proceeded to dance on its grave by blasting an opposite-field homer to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead.

Speaking of Marsh, he was occupying an unusual role: that of cleanup hitter. It’s not entirely new to him (he did it five times last year), but it is a less typical spot for the hirsute hero. But he had 11 hits in nine games coming into tonight, and he was playing against a team that offers so few lefty pitchers that they might really believe the old fiction about lefties being agents of evil, and so putting him at the four spot seemed like smart dealing.

Smart dealing was what Jesús Luzardo was doing, too, at least for a while. He had little trouble handling the Diamondbacks allowing no hits through four, along with six K’s. Michael Soroka accrued one more strikeout than that through four, but accompanied them with a significantly less clean line. It seemed obvious that Soroka’s start would be the lesser one.

José Fernandez’ single, slapped one past a diving Turner, ended the no-hit bid but gave little reason to doubt the overall shape of the game. But a subsequent walk allowed to the alliterative Tim Tawa put two on, and then that endangered species, the bunt, emerged from the underbrush (courtesy of Alek Thomas) to load the bases with none out. Luzardo needed to find his form again, and fast. For a moment, it looked like he had: Jorge Barrossa went down swinging helplessly at a sweeper well outside the zone. But Ketel Marte singled to score two, and Ildemaro Vargas singled to score another, and a game that began swimmingly became less so. A break for the Phillies occurred when Luzardo struck out Geraldo Perdomo, and survived a challenge on the final strike. Then a break of the bad variety: a James McCann double scored two, gave the Diamondbacks the lead, and chased a suddenly mortal Luzardo. Jonathan Bowlan came in and quickly ended the unfortunate frame.

Any hope for an immediate response from the Phillies was thwarted by Soroka, who ended his day mid-sixth. The Phillies entered the seventh still down by one, with Brad Keller tasked with keeping things there; he did. But the Phillies bats, tasked with making something happen, did not. All was quiet. Somewhere beneath the earth, the scoreless streak began to stir.

Orion Kerkering came out for the eighth; his second appearance of the year. He allowed a hit on a hard luck single, with a lightly hit ball bouncing perfectly up the third base line, giving Perdomo just enough time to dash to first. A steal put him on second, and a sacrifice bunt (it was a banner day for bunt buffs) advanced him to third. But Kerkering induced a popup to end the inning, and gave the Philadelphia offense another chance to redeem themselves, to stop the resurrection of the streak.

Immediate Ks from Harper and Marsh seemed to put the kibosh on that redemption, though a single from Stott kept the hope alive, if flickering. But Adolís Garcia struck out, giving the home club a whopping, woeful 16 strikeouts.

Tanner Banks took the ninth. He was successful in thwarting the Snakes, but he did allow another bunt for a single. The bunt is alive and well, deep in the deserts of Arizona.

So is the scoreless streak, unfortunately, deep in the heart of South Philly. Bohm flew to shallow center to start the bottom ninth, and J.T. Realmuto hit a sharp liner that found a glove. That brought Justin Crawford to the plate. He shrugged off his tendency to hit the ball on the ground, sending a Paul Sewald pitch flying towards right, and over the head of a leaping Snake, and off the wall, and before anyone had time to blink, he was on third base. But Turner flew out, and the young man’s heroism was for naught. The scoreless streak has emerged from its grave, zombie-like ,and is now at a healthy eight innings. It craves flyouts like Audrey II craved human flesh.

The Phillies are 6-7. They continue the series against the Diamondbacks tomorrow at 1:05.

Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Friday, April 10, 2026, 9:10 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / CW33)

UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium

RHP Kumar Rocker vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow

Go Rangers!

The Houston Astros (6-7) travel to the Mariners (4-9) this evening in Seattle in the first game of a three game series.

Astros game three starterRHP Tatsuya Imai will make his thirdstart of the season for the Astros, this time opposite RHP Emerson Hancock and the Mariners.

Friday’s TILT: The Astros and Mariners will play the first game of their three-game series this evening as the Astros look to end their four game losing streak

ON THE HUNT: RHP Tatsuya Imai is making his third career start after hurling 5.2 hutout innings in Sacramento. He carries a 1-0 record with a 4.32 ERA with thirteen strikeouts and seven walks in his first two starts.

ASTROS VS. Hancock: The Astros are facing Hancock for the third time in his career. He has a 1-0 record against the Astros with a 3.38 ERA in eight innings. Both outings were starts.

RIVALRY VS. THE MARINERS: The Astros hold a commanding 132-97 record lifetime against the Mariners and that doesn’t include their three game sweep in the 2022 ALDS. The Astros were 5-8 against the Mariners last season including the decisive three game sweep the Mariners laid on the Astros late in September last season.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros placed RHP Cristian Javier on the 15-day IL (retro 4/9) due to a grade two right shoulder strain and OF Jake Meyers on the 10-day IL (retro (4/9) due to a grade two right oblique strain…to take their spots on the active roster, the Astros have selected RHP J.P. France and OF Taylor Trammell from the Triple A Sugar Land…to make room on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred RHP Ronel Blanco to the 60-day IL.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, April 10, 8:40 p.m. CST

Location: Seattle, WA

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN

Radio: KBME 790 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Astros Lineup

SS Jeremy Pena

LF Yordan Alvarez

DH Jose Altuve

2B Isaac Paredes

3B Carlos Correa

1B Christian Walker

RF Cam Smith

DH Yainer Diaz

CF Joey Loperfido

C Christian Vazquez

Mariners Lineup

SS J.P. Crawford

C Cal Raleigh

CF Julio Rodriguez

1B Josh Naylor

LF Randy Arozorena

RF Luke Raley

2B Cole Young

DH Domonic Canzone

3B Leo Rivas

CF Denzel Clarke

The Tigers certainly had to be happy to get out of Minnesota after a brutal series against the Twins. They were welcomed back to Detroit with similarly chilly temperatures, and also facing off against an old friend. To open their weekend series against the Marlins, they were squaring off against Chris Paddack, who had a brief stint with the Tigers last season. He was up against Keider Montero, eager to prove himself after a rough first game of the season. The Tigers were also down one Parker Meadows, who headed to the IL, while Wenceel Perez was called up for the interim.

With one out in the top of the first, Xavier Edwards laced a triple to right, but despite getting a runner on third that early, the Marlins couldn’t convert the run. The home half started with a classic Pitch Com delay before getting underway. Kevin McGonigle won an ABS challenge, then right afterwards singled. With one out, a wild pitch allowed McGonigle to advance to second. Two outs followed, though, leaving McGonigle stranded.

Brief pause here to point out how visually confusing it is for the Tigers to be wearing solid orange while playing the Marlins. The new Friday home jerseys are nice, though. In the top of the second, Owen Caissie took a one-out walk. Two outs quickly followed. Perhaps the guys were hoping to wrap up early so they could watch the Artemis II splashdown? In the home half, Dillon Dingler got things going with a leadoff single. Kerry Carpenter singled right behind him, pushing Dingler to third. Then Spencer Torkelson came on to bring Dingler home with a single, and put the Tigers on the board first.

get us going Tork pic.twitter.com/Wf5j4PDfpS

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 10, 2026

With two outs, McGonigle had a nice battle against Paddack that ended in a walk, but the Tigers couldn’t manage to get any additional runs.

Montero had a nice 1-2-3 inning against the Marlins to get through the third efficiently. Colt Keith got the bottom half going with a leadoff single. Unfortunately a Riley Greene flyout was followed by a double play, and the Tigers were still stuck with just one run.

On the first pitch of the fourth inning, Kevin McGonigle made an incredible play, snatching up what could have easily been a base hit and getting it right over to first. Two outs followed, and Montero was just grooving.

magoogoogaga pic.twitter.com/ad7mHvbJVD

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 10, 2026

The Tigers were three-up, three-down in the bottom of the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, the Marlins finally got someone on base again with a one-out single from Connor Norby, but two outs followed. The Tigers wasted no time getting things going in the home half as Javier Baez hit a solo home run to left.

THE MAGNIFICENT JAVY BÁEZ pic.twitter.com/gfpjiatSeW

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 10, 2026

With two outs, Keith got a single, but was once again left on base.

In the top of the sixth, Montero continued dealing, and the Marlins used their last ABS callenge unsuccessfully on a called strike. Montero got the Marlins out in order. That was it for him for the night, going 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, on 80 pitches. A really nice outing for him. The Tigers went down in order in the home half, so hopefully the bullpen was sufficiently warmed.

Brant Hurter came in for the seventh and wasted no time or pitches getting through the Marlins in order. The Marlins made a pitching switch in the seventh as well, turning things over to Lake Bachar, who genuinely looks like Blake Snell wearing a wig. Perhaps he is, because he got the Tigers out in order.

Hurter was done after a single inning, being replaced by Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan gave up a leadoff walk to Norby. Graham Pauley then lined into an unassisted double play, and a groundout ended the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Riley Greene singled. Dingler was then hit by a pitch after a bit of a battle. On review, this actually looked like catcher interference but the hit by pitch ruling seemed to stand. Either way, the free baserunner ended up not mattering because the Tigers didn’t score any additional runs.

Kenley Jansen came on for the ninth, of course. Jansen did exactly what the Tigers hired him for, getting the Marlins out in order to hang on for the save. It was his 478th career save, tying him for third most saves of all time.

Final: Tigers 2, Marlins 0

Colorado Rockies (6-7) at San Diego Padres (7-6), April 10, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Nuestra alineación. pic.twitter.com/8YtZzG2XJr

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 10, 2026

Friday night vs. the Friars pic.twitter.com/MYsYfNBUem

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 10, 2026

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The Colorado Rockies dropped a hard-fought extra-innings game last night to the San Diego Padres, and the 7-3 final doesn’t quite reflect how close things were, Colorado stayed competitive behind a solid pitching effort and a strong night at the plate from Brenton Doyle, who connected on his first homer of the season. The sting of the loss fades a bit on what is a significant day for the organization off the field, as news of new minority ownership marks a notable moment in franchise history.  

It’s been that kind of start for the Rockies — fun, unpredictable, and sneaky competitive (even when the results don’t always follow) — and at 6-7, they’ll look to reset quickly and get back to .500 as the young season continues in San Diego against the 7-6 Padres. 

Taking the mound for the Rox tonight is Tomoyuki Sugano. Sugano has been a steady presence early, posting a 1.69 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP through his first 10.2 innings. He’s leaning on his four-seamer (30%) while using his cutter, splitter and sweeper in a fairly even mix (18%-19%). He’s not missing a ton of bats, but with a 51% ground-ball rate and just three walks in 41 batters faced, he’s done an excellent job limiting traffic and keeping things under control. 

Opposing Sugano is veteran righty Walker Buehler.  Buehler is still working his way back into form and has looked a bit uneven to start the season – seven earned runs and five walks across 6.2 innings of work. He’s been able to generate ground balls, but command lapses have led to traffic on the bases and some short outings. Buehler uses his cut fastball and curveball about half the time but has mixed in as many as seven different pitches this season. That variety adds some unpredictability but also points to a pitcher still searching for a consistent feel. 

Colorado’s ultra-aggressive offense will be tested against a pitcher who has struggled early — can they show a bit more patience and take advantage of mistakes? 

Now for the details… 

First Pitch: 7:40pm MDT 

TV: Rockies.tv 

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

SBN Site:Gaslamp Ball

Lineups: 

Friday night vs. the Friars pic.twitter.com/MYsYfNBUem

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 10, 2026

Nuestra alineación. pic.twitter.com/8YtZzG2XJr

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 10, 2026

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The Dodgers, more than any other team in the big leagues, are well-equipped for the kitchen sink of predictable and unpredictable problems that the baseball regular season will throw your way. That has to do with a level of organizational depth that only a team that couples the resources and savviness that the back-to-back reigning champs do is able to accomplish. While the focus will be on how that translates into their starting pitching usage, the importance of bullpen options for different moments of the regular season shall not be overlooked. With that in mind, we decided to ask Dodger fans, out of all the appealing options currently in the minors, who they are most excited to see getting that call-up when the inevitable transactions start to occur.

Kyle Hurt won it in a landslide.

A little over five years ago, the Dodgers made one of their better trades for the value it generated in an otherwise routine move. Alongside Alex Vesia, who is now a core piece of this bullpen, the Dodgers also acquired the then-youngster Hurt from the Miami Marlins for the services of Dylan Floro. Ever since then, Hurt has been moving through the system with more than his fair share of bumps and bruises—most notably having to undergo Tommy John surgery back in 2024—after he had shown some promise following a transition from a starting pitcher to a reliever.

Hurt only came back for a cameo in 2025, but was at the very least able to dip his feet in the pool once again, with a little under 10 solid innings for Oklahoma City. That being said, the source of excitement in order for him to win this poll in a landslide is how the right-hander looked in the spring. Hurt showed enticing stuff by earning 12 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings of work in spring training, at the very least placing his name in the back of many people’s minds as someone who might make an impact for the Dodgers in 2026.

The early results in OKC haven’t been as encouraging. While it’s too early to look at a great number of things, and the strikeouts are still there, the fact that Hurt has walked five hitters in 4 2/3 innings raises some questions about his command—particularly in contrast with what we saw in spring (two walks in 7 1/3 innings). With no transaction imminent, there is still some time for Hurt to right the ship and build on that trust he earned not so long ago.

Strictly from a narrative standpoint, if the Dodgers were to be able to turn Hurt into a productive reliever for them, it’d be particularly entertaining—a trade in 2021 that few people gave much thought to, still reaping benefits on multiple fronts. For the sake of context, while Vesia has become one of this team’s most important relievers, flourishing in the regular season and the playoffs, and Floro has moved around through four different organizations since that trade.

This post is sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook.

The St. Louis Cardinals will see several familiar faces when they take on the Boston Red Sox at Busch Stadium Friday night. According to MLB.com, Dustin May will get the start for St. Louis while Connelly Early takes the mound for Boston. The current schedule doesn’t show former Cardinal Sonny Gray starting against St. Louis this series, but expect to see Willson Contreras in the lineup for the Red Sox. Maybe hitting him with a pitch is a bad idea?

The White Sox added a signature Pope hat to their list of popular home giveaways this year. Initially launched as a limited-edition item available only to specialty theme night ticket purchasers on August 11 against the Reds at 6:40 p.m. CT, the viral sensation Pope hat created to honor Pope Leo XIV will now be given to all attending fans. 

Specialty night ticket purchasers will receive a separate, exclusive item in addition to the Pope hat.

Brooks Boyer, Chicago’s chief revenue and marketing officer, commented on the promotion’s popularity.

“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” Boyer says. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”

Like the slated giveaways, this Pope hat is guaranteed to draw fans in. Even if the product on the field doesn’t have a winning record, Sox fans know that the promotions are always a home run. Come for the giveaways, stay for the food (and maybe the team).

It’s early April but for tonight, we can say it’s Early-May 🥁 I know the pun is awful, but it kicks off the second of four consecutive series against Midwest based teams. Can the Sox find more momentum off of their first series victory against the Brewers or will the Redbirds emerge on top?

Also Masa taking the opportunity to go sightseeing gives me a good chuckle.

Masataka Yoshida is never beating the tourist allegations. pic.twitter.com/397JHDj06N

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 9, 2026

⚾️ First Pitch: 8:15pm ET — Busch Stadium, St Louis, MO

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI

Game 1 in St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/X2NZQpY401

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 10, 2026

City Connect Friday! pic.twitter.com/U6Y8E0k3Hn

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 10, 2026

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Hotlanta.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/TD32iMQ9Lf

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 10, 2026

Here’s the Braves lineup:

New threads 🧵#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/m0JGyya1i5

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 10, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

The Astros have been hit with yet another pitching injury. 

Houston starter Cristian Javier was placed on the injured list with a Grade 2 shoulder strain, the team announced Friday. 

He joins Astros ace Hunter Brown, who is also on the IL with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. 

Javier left the game before the start of the second inning after he felt something in his throwing shoulder. 

“I think it will be good results, hopefully,” Javier said through an interpreter after the game, per MLB.com. “I’m trusting in God that everything comes back fine and I can be able to make my next outing. … I did a couple strength tests [on the shoulder] and they came out pretty good.”

The team is now down two starters as they plan to go to a six-man rotation for a tough stretch on the schedule over the next couple of weeks. 

The two injuries come as the Astros are dealing with the loss of two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, who left Houston for a three-year, $115 million contract with the Tigers.

Javier was a key part of the Astros’ starting rotation in 2022-23, posting a 3.59 ERA over those two seasons. 

But arm issues became a problem in 2024. 

After just seven starts that season, Javier underwent Tommy John surgery and didn’t return until late last season. 

Upon his return, Javier posted a 4.62 ERA over eight outings. 

Javier has allowed 13 earned runs over just 9 ⅓ innings across three starts thus far this season.

The Astros have lost four games in a row and sit at 6-7 heading into Friday’s game against the Mariners.

If I’m the Royals, and even just two weeks into the season the WHITE SOX are tied with me in the standings, I’m much displeased. But thankfully, despite some significant time logged in Kansas City, I am not the Royals.

Given that our readers just voted the offense to be most likely improved in 2026, take a look at the garbage that Will Venable is rolling out in the second of a four-game set in K.C.:

The good news? Davis Martin is on the hill, and so far this season that has meant some good, good stuff. The unofficially team/spirit captain has been a rock in the rotation in the early going, and with an lineup that comes into the game as exactly replacement level, 0.0 WAR, the righthander will need to be at the top of his game.

First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CT, available at the usual TV and radio spots.

Friday saw the return of two beloved Mets.

Jeff McNeil and Luis Severino returned to Citi Field for the first time since they departed Queens and were treated to tribute videos by the Mets ahead of the team's series opener against the Athletics.

Severino, of course, left after a great 2024 campaign, his only one with the Mets, before signing a lucrative deal with the Athletics that offseason. 

The right-hander pitched to an 11-7 record and a 3.91 ERA while making 30 starts for the first time since the 2018 season. He was also solid in the postseason that year, throwing 16.2 innings and going 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA across three starts. 

Welcome back to Citi Field, Sevy! pic.twitter.com/236jJMxxLO

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 10, 2026

For McNeil, it's a little different.

While Severino impacted the Mets for one season, McNeil was in Flushing for eight and experienced plenty of highs and lows. He made two All-Star teams with the Mets, was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, and was the batting champion in 2022 after batting .326. While his offensive production fluctuated over the years, his versatility on defense was invaluable to New York.

Across his eight seasons with the Mets, he slashed .284/.351/.428 with an OPS of .779 to go along with 80 home runs and 367 RBI. 

"I played hard, I played with passion every single day," McNeil told SNY's Steve Gelbs before Friday's game. "I'm a fiery guy, but you know I cared. I wanted to win, I wanted to do well. I think the fans knew that. I just wanted to be known as a player who played the game the right way, gave it his all, and enjoyed being in the Mets organization."

McNeil was traded to the Athletics this offseason for RHP Yordan Rodriguez in what was an organizational re-tool that saw Pete Alonso leave to Baltimore in free agency and Brandon Nimmo traded to the Rangers.

Welcome back to Citi Field, Jeff McNeil! 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/Rhj6jupsPi

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 10, 2026