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

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke prior to Saturday's meeting with the Cubs...

Benge leading off

With the Mets’ offense shorthanded and struggling, Mendoza decided to shake things up in the lineup for Friday’s series opener in Chicago. 

Part of that shakeup included Carson Benge jumping up to the leadoff spot. 

Benge enjoyed a strong day in his first career start in that spot, lacing a 105 mph lineout to open the game, then picking up a single up the middle a few innings later. 

This continues a good stretch for the young outfielder, who is riding a three-game hitting streak and has reached safely in six of his last seven games. 

While some of the decisions have to do with the Mets' options at the moment, the skipper liked what he saw from Benge in his first chance in that spot. 

“He continues to have good at-bats,” Mendoza said. “Yesterday he hit the ball hard, had that single, but I think it just comes down to personnel, we have to get some guys back in the lineup, then you start making those decisions -- but in the meantime, I feel like leaving him there makes the most sense.”

Melendez bringing a spark

MJ Melendez had gotten off to a bit of a slow start this year in Syracuse, but that certainly hasn’t shown following the slugger's call-up to the Mets this week. 

Melendez went 2-for-4 with two well-struck doubles against Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday. 

Thrown back into the lineup on Friday, the outfielder put together another strong showing, reaching three times with a walk and a pair of hard-hit singles. 

He’s now been on base five times over his first eight plate appearances. 

“Really good at-bats,” Mendoza said. “We saw it from the first game against Ohtani, hitting the ball hard, using the whole field, controlling the zone -- he’s been really good for us offensively and he’s going to continue to get opportunities.”

Melendez is back in the lineup, hitting fifth as the DH on Saturday, but it’s possible he sees time at first in the near future with Jorge Polanco landing on the IL without a timeline for return.

Mets lineup

1. Carson Benge – LF
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. Luis Robert – CF
5. MJ Melendez – DH
6. Francisco Alvarez – C
7. Mark Vientos – 1B
8. Brett Baty – RF
9. Marcus Semien – 2B

Freddy Peralta – RHP

Cubs lineup

1. Nico Hoerner – 2B
2. Michael Busch – 1B
3. Alex Bregman – 3B
4. Ian Happ – LF
5. Seiya Suzuki – RF
6. Moises Ballesteros – DH
7. Miguel Amaya – C
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
9. Dansby Swanson – SS

Jameson Taillon – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 2:20pm EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

In case you missed it, the San Francisco Giants won their 8th baseball game of the 2026 season last night and scored 10 runs in the process just to make us all feel even better about it. It was their 20th game of the season, though, so there’s the whole matter of their 8-12 record. Heading into the game, their 7-12 standing generated this comment from writer Wendy Thurm:

This is why there’s gnashing of teeth. The Giants have declared they are a “postseason or bust” team at all times, even when they hire a rookie manager who doesn’t know a lick about spit and needs months — maybe even a full season — to get accustomed to managing a major league team. The team demands we pay attention to the results, and right now, the team is underperforming to an extent that they’re running into a the weight of MLB history when it comes to teams that have a bad start.

Now, the three Wild Card setup has certainly changed the math on playoff odds for teams with this sort of start and I would expect to see this list rise in the coming years, but let’s keep with the historical theme and expand the look at the Giants franchise that I did after their 3-7 start. In that post, I looked at three teams in the Oracle Park era that were able to turn things around. No, I won’t be looking at the current team’s standings and comparing to history every 10 games, but given their early struggles, it seems worth putting them in context for one of the winningest franchises in professional sports.

The Giants franchise has started a season 8-12 seventeen times and had just five winning seasons afterwards.

Two things stand out with this list:

1. The 100-loss 1985 team is not on it, which means the 2026 Giants might be winning their way out of that comparison finally — though, check back next week to see if they’re 10-15 or 11-16.
2. Only twice in the Oracle Park era has the team overcome this start to have a winning record. I looked at the 2015 in some detail with the previous post about their 3-7 start, concluding:

If the 2026 Giants got to 84-78, they’d be in a great position for a Wild Card spot. All they need is a couple of MVP-type performances and a couple of All-Star caliber performances from the lineup, absent stellar pitching.

But what can I say about the 2004 team (which started 5-5)? Well, the only thing I firmly remember about that season is reading in the newspaper (people under 50 don’t look up what that is) that the Giants had acquired Wayne Franklin near the end of Spring Training. And then I remember sitting along the first base line at Dodger Stadium on the penultimate game of the season and watching in the 9th inning defensive replacement Cody Ransom commit a critical error after Dustin Hermanson got squeezed, the Giants blow a 3-0 lead and Wayne Franklin surrender a walk-off grand slam to Steve Finley to knock the Giants out of the playoff race.

So, personally, I hate the 2004 season and think any team that compares to it is haunted. But also…

That team had Barry Bonds on it.

Therefore, you can’t really make a comparison or say something like, “See, the Giants have been in this situation before and it has worked out just fine. Tony Vitello is going to figure out how to manage and the team is going to iron out all its mental lapses and the bullpen will be solid” just because the 2004 team started 8-12 and wound up 91-71, more than enough to clinch a Wild Card in this era of baseball. You can’t say that! It wouldn’t make sense!

That 2004 team scored 850 runs! The 2021 squad didn’t even score that many (804). They played stellar defense (+28.4 Defensive Runs Above Average, per FanGraphs). Their pitching was in the bottom third by fWAR (+12.7 — 21st) and 16th in ERA (4.34). The idea that the 2026 Giants will overcome mediocre pitching with top-5 hitting is a tough one to assert, just given the start. But even if people hit to their career averages, the front office’s plan was the opposite: middling offensive boosted by stellar pitching. At the end of the day, of course, if the Giants got to 91 wins somehow, we’d all be thrilled, and rightfully so, even if it meant a crushing loss to end the run.

By the way, the last three games of the 2026 season are at Oracle Park against the Dodgers.

The other Oracle Park era teams don’t offer a lot of hope. 2008 was Tim Lincecum’s first year, the first year without Barry Bonds, and with the team still trying to solidify its pitching and defense identity. 2018 was Bobby Evans’ attempt to build a quasi-contender while dancing under the luxury tax line, so, the team added Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria and wound up having the worst month in franchise history. With Bobby Evans back in the fold, don’t be surprised if he’s back to finish the job (advise in such a way that every month is the worst). 2019 saw Farhan Zaidi try to shake loose the championship era while also putting a somewhat entertaining team on the field. All that really happened was that Kevin Pillar revitalized his career. 2020 was ended by Trent Grisham hitting a walk-off grand slam for the Padres in Oracle Park.

Basically, the Giants will have to overcome the historical significance of the bad 8-12 start in a way that defies their present look. It’s a long season, of course, and it helps that the farm system might actually be able to supplement the major league roster with some legitimate league average help. That’s certainly a different situation than the one other teams on this list found themselves in when they started poorly and maybe Bryce Eldridge, Carson Seymour, and, like Gregory Santos will be key contributors this season to actually elevate the team’s performance. That’s hope worth holding onto, even if history only offers anxiety.

After an overall annoying series against the Angels, last night’s game was trending towards being annoying too, with the Yankees tied with the Royals in the eighth inning. Enter Ryan McMahon of all people. The embattled third baseball hit his first home run of the season at the best possible time, as his late two-run shot gave the Yankees the cushion they needed to win. Now, the Yankees can sew up a series win if they can beat Kansas City again this afternoon.

To try and get that win, the Yankees will give the ball to Will Warren. For the season, Warren’s numbers are pretty good, although he has had some frustrating moments. We’ll see if he can get past those this afternoon against a struggling KC offense.

Despite his big homer, McMahon is not in the lineup today, as Amed Rosario will get the start against a lefty. Randal Grichuk is also in the lineup in left, with Cody Bellinger playing center in place of Trent Grisham.

Said lefty for the Royals will be Noah Cameron. Last year, Cameron finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and has been a very good pitcher in his young MLB career.

Here’s all the information you need to know to catch today’s game, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread!

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 1:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | Royals.TV (KCR)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 96.5 The Fan, Royals Radio Network (KCR)

Streaming: MLB.tv, Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

The Royals have lost five in a row, including every game on this road trip. But today is a new day. And today could be the start of a long winning streak! It could happen! Manager Matt Quatraro seems to be feeling the pressure to shake his team out of their funk, if the lineup changes are any indication. But we’ll talk more about those at the end, as we usually do.

Noah Cameron takes the bump for KC today. In a lot of ways, he’s looked extremely similar to last season when he finished the year with a 2.99 ERA and came in fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting. He hasn’t gotten as many groundballs or stranded as many runners, so his ERA is a full run higher through his first three starts, but he can work on improving that today against a lefty-heavy Yankees roster. Of course, his worst career start was last year against these same Yankees, so, ya know, it won’t be easy. But it could happen!

Will Warren will go for the Yankees. He throws five pitches, and four of them are graded out very highly. He throws a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a sweeper, a changeup, and a curveball, with the last pitch the only one that doesn’t break stuff-ranking charts. Yet, for all that, he doesn’t throw strikes at a particularly high rate and gets less chase and fewer whiffs than average. Hopefully, he won’t be able to dazzle the Royals too much. He’s made one start against the Royals, last June. He pitched 5.2 shutout innings while striking out 4, walking 1, and allowing 4 hits. If you’re searching for ill omens, Lucas Erceg allowed the only run in that contest in the eighth inning as the Yankees won it 1-0.

Lineups

Salvy gets his first full day off since August 18 and 19 last year, when he was dealing with an illness. Hopefully, he’s not sick today and is just getting some much-deserved rest. In the interim, the lineup gets a pretty massive shakeup. Jac Caglianone vaults up to the cleanup spot, and rookie Carter Jensen hits behind him in the five-spot. Isaac Collins is back in the lineup for the first time since Tuesday, but he’s going to just be the DH. Lane Thomas will bat eighth, playing left field. The much-maligned outfielder has slashed .333/.429/.333/.762 this week. It’s not a stunning line, but it absolutely represents getting on base, which is what he was brought to KC to do.

For those of you who hate alternating lefties and righties in your lineup, the Royals have four lefties in the middle of their order. That would seem vulnerable to the Yankees’ bullpen, but maybe they can score some runs so that the bullpen doesn’t factor in? And, honestly, it’s not like putting righties in between Cags and Carter has exactly stopped teams from sending out their left-handed relievers anyway. So maybe Q just realized it wasn’t helping as much as he’d hoped with the team built the way it is.

The A’s made a small roster move on Saturday morning, bringing up right-hander Mason Barnett from Triple-A while sending Elvis Alvarado down to make room:

Barnett has been in the starting rotation down in Las Vegas to start the season, making three starts and posting a solid 3.07 ERA in that time. He’s done well so far but walks have remained an issue for him as he’s issued eight free passes compared to just 10 strikeouts so far. He’s been pitching deep-ish into games too, going 5 1/3, 4, and 5 innings pitched, getting up to the low 80’s.

What his role will be with the club isn’t clear quite yet. The starting rotation seems fairly locked in at this point outside of Jacob Lopez, but if the team were planning on replacing him in the rotation with Barnett they would have done this move later when the timing lined up. Fellow right-hander Jack Perkins is considered the long man in the bullpen but Barnett would be another one of those for Mark Kotsay. Most teams don’t usually have two of those types of arms in their bullpen. Keep an eye out for updates regarding their plans with Barnett. How would you use him?

Meanwhile Alvarado will head to the minors to try to get himself back on track in a less stressful environment. The right-hander entered the year as one of the top options for late-game work but has seen some major struggles in the early going. Even before last night’s 4-run appearance Alvarado’s ERA was 5.87 and he began to see less high-leverage spots. It’s not sitting at an unsightly 8.38 through the first three weeks. We’ll surely be seeing the 27-year-old righty back with the club soon but for now he’ll head to Triple-A to try to find himself, and hopefully when he returns he can be the arm that the A’s hoped he would be for them this season.

Who is he and where did he come from?

He’s Jack Anderson. The Red Sox have had to go to the 40-man roster earlier in the season than they would have liked, to the tune of bringing four guys up from Worcester so far, three of whom have made their Major League debut (four total if you count Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson.) Anderson, a 26-year old Florida State Seminole, is the latest addition. He was drafted by the Tigers in 2021, and was acquired by the Red Sox in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft two years ago, arriving in Double-A Portland. He made his Major League debut to stop the bleeding after a shaky Sonny Grey start and looked damn good doing so for most of it. He struck out the side in his first inning of work, got one more strikeout for a total of four, and only suffered a hit given up by a home run, finishing out 3 innings solidly.

Is he any good?

The same answer I’ve given on every debut this season: he could be. At 6’3”, 197, Anderson doesn’t quite fit the archetype of huge lefty with velocity that Craig Breslow clamors over, and that’s okay. His fastball, albeit slow, topping out at 93 miles per hour, has 19 inches of vertical break, which means Andrew Bailey is no doubt drooling over it. Also interesting is that Anderson came up through the minors as a multi-inning reliever; out of 149 minor league appearances, he started just ten, and even all of those within the last 12 months.

I think it’s fitting for Anderson to be in that multi-inning, low-leverage relief role, as that’s what he was a majority of the time in Portland last year, his best season as a pro, where he logged 75 innings at the Double-A level, striking 90 out and walking 18. Upon his callup to Triple-A, he showed the same command of the strike zone but did get hit around a little more, but it seemed to vastly improve to start 2026. Knock on wood; he hasn’t hit a batter since 2024, when he was down in Double-A. In general, he tends to not give up many walks, period.

Tl;dr, just give me the stats.

In 2025, his first as a member of Boston’s organization, Anderson pitched 86 2/3 innings across 26 games in Portland and Worcester, striking 101 batters out while walking 22 for an ERA of 3.72 and a similar FIP of 3.80.

Show me a cool highlight.

It’s cheating, sure, but I call it recency bias. Him striking the side out with his family in attendance is pretty cool. It’s even cooler when you consider that this is the same lineup our ace and a guy with 12 years of MLB service time had a lot of trouble with.

What’s he doing in his picture up there?

Putting that pitch movement to work with a cool looking delivery.

What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?

You won’t see him in the rotation, nor will you see him on the Major League roster much… but he seems pretty entrenched in this relief role as long as Johan Oviedo is on the Injured List. I’ve been burned once this year with the team unceremoniously sending Tyler Uberstine back down within 24 hours of my last Meet The New Guy article, though, so I want to tread water carefully here.

There is also something to be said for keeping a few different guys that are already on an option year anyway refreshed, so it’s also totally possible Uberstine, Samaniego, Anderson and a few others split the same role in a way that splits that diplomatic difference between uhhh enhancing MLB service time and not getting in trouble with promotions rules. Still, Anderson may get pretty acquainted with the Mass Pike. But if any performance he puts in this weekend is as good as his last, he may stick around a little.

Today’s roster move: Here

Saturday notes…

• DOUBLE DIGIT NOTES, PART 1: After scoring 10 and 11 runs in their final two games at Philadelphia, the Cubs scored 12 yesterday against the Mets. They had scored 10 and 11 in back-to-back games nine previous times since 1901. Remarkably, they had once scored 12 in their next game. They did it Sept. 1-2, 1929, when they beat the visiting Cardinals on Sunday, 10-3, then swept a Labor Day doubleheader against them on Monday, 11-7 and 12-0. On Tuesday, the Cubs lost, 14-8. Following the eight other 10-11 pairs, the Cubs scored from one to six runs. They won three games and lost five. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DOUBLE DIGIT NOTES, PART 2: The current streak is the Cubs’ eighth of at least three consecutive double-digit runs since 1901. The previous one was Sept. 13-15, 2019, when they crushed the Pirates at home, 17-8, 14-1 and 16-6, setting a franchise record for total runs in a three-game series. They had one four-game streak. in 2018 (11-5 at Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers, then 10-6, 14-9 and 11-10 at home vs. the Twins). Their record is five games, June 1-6, 1930 (16-4 at home vs. the Pirates; 15-2, 18-10 and 10-7 at Boston; and 13-0 at Brooklyn). That streak ended in a 12-9 loss to the Dodgers. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• NICO STAYS HOT: Nico Hoerner, last 11 games since the second game of the doubleheader April 5: .380/.426/.620 (19-for-50) with three doubles, three home runs, eight runs scored and 17 RBI.
• MOISÉS JOINS THE FUN: Moisés Ballesteros, last eight games since April 7: .600/.591/1.100 (12-for-20) with a double, three home runs, six runs scored and eight RBI.

Cubs lineup:

Mets lineup:

Jameson Taillon, RHP vs. Freddy Peralta, RHP

Jameson Taillon’s three starts this year can be described as: Mediocre, decent and not so much. Even so, after allowing three home runs to the Pirates last Sunday, he stayed in the game, ate up some innings and struck out 10.

He made one start vs. the Mets last year, May 9 at Citi Field. You do not want to look at that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Current Mets are batting .293 (41-for-140) against Jamo with seven home runs. Marcus Semien has homered twice off him.

Hey there, old NL Central friend Freddy Peralta!

Peralta has made 22 career appearances (17 starts) against the Cubs, so you are likely quite familiar with him from his time with the Brewers. Last year he made three starts during the regular season against the Cubs and allowed eight runs and three home runs in 21 innings (3.43 ERA) with 10 walks and 22 strikeouts. The Cubs hit him pretty well (five runs and three home runs in 9.2 innings) in last October’s Division Series.

Current Cubs are batting .171 (35-for-205) against Peralta with 10 home runs. Michael Busch has homered three times off Peralta, perhaps that can get Busch going. Ian Happ has also gone deep three times vs. Peralta.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Mets market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin’ Avenue. If you do go there to interact with Mets fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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The Atlanta Braves hope to grab another series victory when they take on the rival Philadelphia Phillies tonight.

Cristopher Sanchez and Chris Sale are set to square off in a rare lefty-lefty matchup, and my Braves vs. Phillies predictions and MLB picks are siding with the Atlanta veteran on Saturday, April 18.

Who will win Braves vs Phillies tonight: Braves moneyline (+112)

Cristopher Sanchez has posted some impressive numbers to start 2026. However, the Philadelphia Phillies southpaw ranks in the 21st percentile or worse in average exit velo, barrel rate, and hard hit rate.

This Atlanta Braves team could get to him. They currently sit third in xBA while scoring 38 runs in their last five games.

Chris Sale hasn’t allowed more than one run in three of four starts. He’s taking on a Phillies lineup that’s scored just six runs in its last three contests and sits 21st in wRC+.

The Phillies are also dead last in defensive runs saved, which will cost them another game late.

COVERS INTEL: The Phillies have posted a -19 mark in defensive runs saved, which is six runs worse than any other team in the MLB.

Braves vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-138)

Sanchez is dominating batters, as he sits sixth in the majors with a 12.49 K/9, and his 2.12 xFIP ranks third.

While I expect the Braves to get to him a few times, I don't see Atlanta posting a big number. On the flip side, the Phillies will see their two most reliable hitters neutralized by Sale.

Both offenses also rank in the Top 5 in chase rate at the plate, which should elevate strikeout numbers.

Braves vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Braves +112 | Phillies -117
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-194) | Phillies -1.5 (+186)
• Over/Under: Over 7.45 (+127) | Under 7.5 (-138)

Braves vs Phillies trend

Atlanta has cashed the moneyline in 23 of its last 35 road games (+13.00 Units / 32% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Phillies.

How to watch Braves vs Phillies and game info

Braves vs Phillies latest injuries

Braves vs Phillies weather

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

Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided some encouraging updates prior to Saturday's game against the Royals…

Gerrit Cole’s rehab outing

The Yankees’ ace was finally back on the mound in game action Friday, tossing 4.1 innings in Double-A. 

Cole expectedly showed some rust, but he allowed just three runs on as many hits while striking out three and walking one.

He stretched out to 44 pitches, 36 of which were strikes. 

Boone didn’t get to sit down and watch every pitch of Cole’s outing yet, but from what he heard, things went well.

“I’ve seen some of it, and I think it was good,” he said. “Velo sounds like it was 95-96, I think the fastball was mostly how he wanted, wanting to just get in the heart of the plate early and then just try to move it around a little bit.

“He was facing a fair amount of lefties and was able to mix in the changeup, which I know he wanted to do, and it was pretty good. I think the curveball was a good pitch for him, too, so all in all, I think another good step for him.”

Boone expects Cole will need to make several more starts before coming back. 

“We’ll probably want him to get up to a certain amount and probably repeat that even once he gets up there, so nothing is imminent here -- we’ll make sure we’re disciplined and take the right amount of time," the skipper said.

“Coming off a year where not only he’s rehabbing and coming back from a major surgery, but that means no innings, so we want to put him in a position where he's not only ready to go at the start, but he’s able to carry that throughout.”

Carlos Rodón next?

The big left-hander could indeed be joining Cole in the near future. 

Rodón is scheduled to throw around 55-60 pitches in a live bullpen session on Saturday afternoon, and if all goes well, the next step could be beginning a rehab assignment. 

While he’s expected to be back with the Yanks before Cole, Boone did note that he is still likely at least a few weeks away. 

Rodón will require around three minor league outings. 

The southpaw, of course, was closing in on a rehab assignment on the road back from elbow surgery before a hamstring issue threw a little wrench in the plans. 

New York continues to monitor the hammy, but he’s been making good progress.  

Getting Rodon, and eventually Cole, back alongside surging youngster Cam Schlittler and ace lefty Max Fried should make the Yanks' rotation a scary unit. 

Long-time MLB outfielder Garret Anderson passed away earlier this week after suffering a heart attack. He was 53.

Anderson played 17 seasons in the big leagues, spending 15 seasons becoming a franchise icon for the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels before ended his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his penultimate campaign, he was a member of the 2009 Atlanta Braves.

Anderson was a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and won a World Series championship with the 2002 Angels. He was also runner-up in the 1995 American League Rookie of the Year award and earned votes for the American League Most Valuable Player three times – including a career best fourth-place finish in 2002 when he paced the A.L. with 56 doubles, the first of two seasons he led the league in that category,

For his career, Anderson compiled 2,529 hits, 287 home runs, 522 doubles and drove in 1,365 runs. He retired after the 2010 season with 23.9 fWAR and a 100 wRC+.

While Anderson, who debuted in 1994, wasn’t a Hall of Fame player, he was a solid big leaguer for more than a decade with several seasons of high-level offensive output. In five consecutive seasons from 1999 through 2004, he connected on 20-or-more home runs with no less than 80 RBI – including four seasons with more than 116.

He wasn’t the star of those Angels teams that also included Jim Edmunds, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad, but he was a floor-raising professional who lengthened the team’s line-up while playing in 150-or-more games from 1996 through 2003 and exceeding 141 games played in nine-out-of-10 seasons from 1996 through 2006.

The left-handed hitter is still the Angels all-time leader in games played, hits, doubles, extra-base hits, and RBI, among other statistics. He was also selected the Angels’ team MVP four times.

His lone season in Atlanta was a later-career pit-stop, playing in 135 games – 124 of which came in left field as part of a loose platoon with Matt Diaz. He hit 13 home runs and 27 doubles for the Braves that season while slashing .268/.303/.401 good for only a 83 wRC+ in his first season playing outside of the Angels organization.

It wasn’t the year that many hoped Anderson would have provided Atlanta when the Braves signed him after the organization’s failed courtship of free agent outfielder and future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. – a deal that multiple baseball writers across the country had said was happening – only for Atlanta to be spurned by Griffey, Jr. when he opted to return to the Seattle Mariners – his original franchise – for the final two seasons of his playing career.

The highlight of Anderson’s time with the Braves came on October 1, 2009 when a seeing-eye single made its way through the infield for his 2,500 career hit in Atlanta against the Washington Nationals.

Anderson, who was also the MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game and 2003 Home Run Derby winner, would go on to broadcast Angels game after his playing career concluded.

He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2016.

The Dodgers payroll will likely set another MLB record this year, as they started on opening day with a payroll for competitive balance tax purposes just shy of $411 million. What they are actually paying this year is a bit different.

I’ve been tracking Dodgers payroll since 2010, and as I wrote during the offseason the purpose of this exercise has changed. It used to be a functional accounting for how much money the team might have to spend, but the current iteration of the franchise is stretching those limits, such that this becomes more of an accounting exercise than anything meaningful.

To that end, I’ve noted in these opening day payroll looks what salary and bonuses were paid in that actual year, in addition to the value for competitive balance tax purposes. There’s a wide chasm in the Dodgers’ 2026 payroll here of $261.7 million paid out this year and their $410.8 million CBT number. Shohei Ohtani is the largest reason, but he’s not alone, as 10 current playershave parts of their salaries deferred.

The actual payroll numbers here do not account for the Dodgers funding of future deferrals, though that is a very real cost. Per the collective bargaining agreement:

Deferred compensation obligations incurred in a Contract executed on or after September 30, 2002 must be fully funded by the Club, in an amount equal to the present value of the total deferred compensation obligation, on or before the second July 1 following the championship season in which the deferred compensation is earned. For purposes of this Article XVI, full funding of the present value of deferred compensation obligations shall mean that the Club must have funded, for the duration of and without interruption in each year, the current present value of the then outstanding deferred payments, discounted by 5% annually.

In other words, the Dodgers by this July 1 have to set aside funds to cover his $68 million deferred payment from 2024. If they set aside nothing until July 1, they’d have to pony up about $50.7 million this year to fund that payment scheduled for 2034. In reality, the Dodgers likely already set aside money for this.

“It’s just how you account for it. You have to fund a lot of it right now, and having that money go to work for you,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in December 2024. “A lot of our ownership group are from financial background, and can have that money going to work right now, and not something that sneaks up on us. We’re not going to wake up in 2035 and say, ‘Oh my God, that’s right. There’s this money due.’ We’ll plan for it along the way.”

But to keep this an apples-to-apples comparison to each of the previous 17 years, I’m not including any of the money set aside for deferred payments. The purposes of that accounting is fairly well captured by the competitive balance tax calculations anyway, and gives a picture of the expected punitive costs coming at the end of the year as well.

I did separate the opening day payroll into three categories — active roster, injured list, and other. Since this was about opening day three weeks ago, only10 Dodgers were on the injured list then and two have since been added. Other is a catch-all, usually for dead money, paying players no longer around. Justin Turner counts here, as he got the final $2 million of his $8 million signing bonus on January 15, from his contract signed in 2021. Also in “other” here are Hyeseong Kim and Jack Suwinski, both of whom signed guaranteed contracts but each began the season in the minors.

The $37.25 million the Dodgers had on the injured list to open the season is their highest since starting 2019 with $51.7 million on the sideline.

As for the details of this year’s payroll, let’s look at the individual contracts. I’ve tracked all these contracts as they happen, and you can see many intricate details in our Dodgers payroll section on the site. For this year’s opening day payroll, some of the salaries of the players with between zero and three years of service time are courtesy of the Associated Press.

Some of the biggest differences between actual and competitive balance tax payroll have to do with the timing of signing bonus payments and deferred salaries.

Blake Snell, for instance, defers just over half ($13.2 million) of his salary ($26 million) each year, but also received all $52 million of his signing bonus in 2025. So this year he receives only $12.8 million while his CBT payroll number is about $31.357 million. Same for Teoscar Hernández, who got his $23 million signing bonus in 2025 and this year is deferring $8 million of his $12 million salary. So his actual payroll number here is $4 million, compared to about $19.96 million for CBT purposes.

Also included in competitive balance tax payrolls are minor league salaries for players on the 40-man roster, which are estimated here to be about $2.5 million (aside from Kim); each team’s share of funding the $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool; and a summary of player benefits played by the team. Last year’s number here was $18,206,789, so we’ll assume $19 million here.

That puts the Dodgers’ payroll for competitive balance tax purposes at roughly $410.8 million to open the season, which is to be expected after signing Kyle Tuckerand Edwin Díaz to record-setting contracts during the offseason.

Last year the Dodgers shattered MLB records with a $417.3 million payroll for CBT purposes and an actual competitive balance tax paid of $169.4 million. This year, the Dodgers were nearly at that number on opening day.

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Toronto Blue Jays infielder Andres Gimenez has been a consistent hitter this season and has a good chance to keep his hitting streak alive tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Read on to see why in my Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks predictions and free MLB picks for Saturday, April 18. 

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks predictions

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks best bet: Andres  Gimenez Over 0.5 singles (-125)

Andres Gimenez has been one of the few bright spots for the Toronto Blue Jays to begin the season. 

He’s batting .290 and has recorded at least one hit in five straight games and in eight of his last nine outings. 

Gimenez has 11 total hits in that stretch, with seven of them being singles. That’s the market I see the best value in for him tonight, paying -125 for a single specifically compared to his -240 price to go Over 0.5 hits. 

Additionally, Gimenez is 5-for-7 with four singles against Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen throughout his career. 

COVERS INTEL:Zac Gallen has a 6.19 xERA while ranking in the 6th percentile in xBA this season. 

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks same-game parlay (SGP)

I’m betting on very few strikeouts for Toronto tonight with Gallen on the mound. His total is set at 4.5 K’s, and he’s gone Under this number in three of his four starts, averaging just 2.75 strikeouts a game. 

Meanwhile, the Jays have struck out fewer times than any other team in baseball.

Lastly, I’ll take Nolan Arenado to go Over 0.5 strikeouts tonight. He’s eclipsed this total in seven of his last 10 games this season, and has a career .167 average against Max Scherzer with five K’s in 18 at-bats. 

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks SGP

• Andres Gimenez Over 0.5 singles
• Zac Gallen Under 4.5 K’s
• Nolan Arenado Over 0.5 strikeouts

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+510)

I’ll make this a half-unit wager.

Gallen has only given up two home runs this season, but both have been to right-handed batters.  I’ll bet on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to break out of his slump tonight and tag Gallen for a homer. 

Gallen throws a heavy dose of the slider to right-handed hitters. Vladdy has shown some power against that pitch this season, with a .625 slug-rate against the pitch. Additionally, he’s 2-for-4 with a 1.350 OPS against Gallen throughout his career.

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Toronto +109 | Arizona -120
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-195) | Arizona -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+105) | Under 9.5 (-125)

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Under in 17 of their last 23 games (+10.15 Units / 35% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks and game info

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks weather

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The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:

What is wrong with Bryan Abreu?

Loperfido to be evaluated after coming out of last night’s game with “right quad tightness”:

Isaac Paredes also left last night’s game. Paredes is coming back from a very significant hamstring injury last season.

Peter Lambert generated a lot of swings and misses in his first start as an Astro last night:

What’s up with Yainer Diaz’ slow start at the plate?

The Astros moved CL Josh Hader to the 60-day IL:

Old friend Brandon Bielak is back in the Astros’ organization:

The early leader in the clubhouse for AL Cy Young pitches for the Los Angeles Angels:

The Umps Care auction is a way fans can get some unique memorabilia:

Former Los Angeles Angels star and member of the Angels Hall of Fame Garrett Anderson suddenly passed away yesterday:

Padres’ superstar Manny Machado is excited about sale of team:

Mike Trout doesn’t want to be traded.

Munetaka Murakami continues to rake for the White Sox on a contract that looks more of a steal by the day:

This will be used by any team’s fan base when their pitcher gets thrown out for allegedly having something on their hand:

They played a game in Denver at 35 degrees. Before they could play, they had to get the field ready because of SNOW:

Hickory starter Evan Siary allowed five runs, including two homers, in four innings of work, striking out three and walking three. Kamdyn Perry made his 2026 debut with three shutout innings, striking out two.

Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. Marcos Torres had a double and a walk. Paulino Santana had a hit, two walks and two stolen bases. Marcos Torres had a homer, a walk and a stolen base. Daniel Flames had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Dalton Pence struck out four in 5.1 IP, walking one and allowing two runs. Bubba Hoopii-Tuionetoa struck out one and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings.

Yeison Morrobel was 2 for 3 with a walk and a homer. Malcolm Moore was 1 for 3 with a walk. Gleider Figuereo was 2 for 3 with a walk and a double. Paxton Kling had a hit and a walk. Maxton Martin had a triple.

Hub City box score

Leandro Lopez started for Frisco and allowed four runs in six innings, striking out five and walking three. Eric Loomis walked two and struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings.

Keith Jones II went 2 for 3 with a homer and a walk.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Pat Murphy allowed one run in 2.1 IP, walking three and striking out two. Peyton Gray threw three shutout innings, striking out three.

Justin Foscue drew a pair of walks. Cam Cauley had a hit, three walks and a stolen base. Michael Helman had a hit.

Round Rock box score