SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Luis Severino #40 of the Athletics pitches against the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Park on April 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, last night was rough. But it’s a new day! The A’s get a chance to get back in the win column this afternoon in the middle game of their weekend series hosting the Chicago White Sox. Gotta win today if we want a chance to get the series win this weekend.
Getting the ball today for his fourth start of the year will be Luis Severino. The veteran right-hander has been up and down so far this year. Overall he has a 5.59 ERA through 19 1/3 innings worked and is coming off a tough start last time out. Back at home he got tagged for four runs against the Texas Rangers, continuing a trend of Severino having major troubles at home. Well, he has another home start this afternoon against the White Sox, who just put up a crooked number last night. Things aren’t boding well for Severino in that regard but the veteran can begin righting the ship with a big outing for his team this afternoon.
The A’s lineup for this beautiful day in sunny Sacramento:
Mostly the same lineup as last night, save for a couple tweaks. Shea Langeliers remains in the #2 hole but will not be behind the dish this afternoon. Instead it’ll be Austin Wynns catching Severino this afternoon. Soderstrom returns to left field after DH’ing last night, Lawrence Butler slides over to center field, and Carlos Cortes takes right this afternoon, meaning Denzel Clarke will be on the bench to begin today’s game. He went 1-for-3 last night, but also had two strikeouts. Is an option to Las Vegas in the cards if this continues?
That lineup will be facing Chicago righty Erick Fedde. The veteran right-hander signed a modest one-year deal with the White Sox to be a stabilizing force for them in a young rotation, and the early returns have been positive for them. The 33-year-old has made three appearances (two starts and a “bulk” outing) and has a solid 3.38 ERA through his first 16 innings in a White Sox uniform. Shockingly, in his nine-year MLB career Fedde has only once ever pitched against the Athletics, getting roughed up for six runs in 2 2/3 innings way back in 2022 when he was still a member of the Washington Nationals. Ready for Round 2, Fedde?
The Chicago starting nine for this afternoon looks like this:
And mostly the same lineup for Chicago as well, with a tweak here and there. Why would they mess with a good thing? They just scored nine runs last night. It’d be foolish to mess with a good thing.
But we got this, right A’s fans? We have fallen to third place in the division but a win today (and some help from Seattle and San Diego) and we’re right back at the top of the division. Time to get back in the win column. Let’s go A’s!
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 10: Konnor Griffin #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Pittsburgh Pirates looking to grab a win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Apr 17, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) hits a three RBI home run during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Many things have not felt quite right for the Atlanta Braves over the past two years. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the club since its 104-win season of 2023.
Perhaps no single player personifies those struggles more than third baseman Austin Riley.
A two-time All-Star and key member of Atlanta’s World Series championship team, Riley established himself as one of the best third basemen in Major League Baseball by averaging 36 homers and 99 RBIs to go along with a .286/.354/.525 slash line and 5.4 fWAR per season from 2021-2023.
As a result, Riley was rewarded with the largest contract in franchise history in 2023, a 10-year, $212 million extension that runs through 2032. That deal carried with it expectations he has yet to fulfill, due in no small part to events out of his control.
Riley was dealt season-ending injuries each of the past two seasons – a broken right hand in 2024 and a sports hernia in 2025 – both robbing him of at least 50 games and leaving Riley with final numbers that were a far cry from his established norms.
The drop in production and lost time propelled a motivated Riley into this past winter looking to regain the form that made him one of the cornerstones of the franchise. In order to do that, Riley needed to solve the swing issues that plagued him throughout 2025 in particular.
“The offseason was more about just getting back to what I know I’m capable of doing,” Riley said. “The offseason before, I was in a cast for 14 weeks and didn’t really get to start hitting until January. This offseason was like a normal offseason.”
Injuries were a large part of the story, but the past two years were not without moments and stretches where Riley looked and played like the better version of himself. Producing those results consistently was the prevailing issue.
Through his first 54 games of 2024, Riley slashed just .220/.288/.330 with three homers and 20 RBIs. This was easily Riley’s worst extended slump since the final 50 games of his 2019 rookie season, when he hit just .170 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 169 plate appearances.
Over his final 57 games of 2024, Riley seemed like a completely different hitter. He produced in a .292/.354/.588 slash with 16 home runs, 16 doubles and 36 RBIs before his season was cut short after being hit in the right hand by a pitch on August 18.
Riley’s 2025 was a somewhat baffling year both statistically and physically. His final numbers lined up with the previous year, but his walk rate dropped to its lowest level since his rookie season while his strikeout rate spiked to its highest rate since 2019 as well.
Throughout the course of last season, Riley dealt with a nagging lower abdominal issue which eventually required surgery to correct. When he was on the field, he lamented not being able to adequately adjust his swing path. He described the main problem as being “too steep” through the zone, an issue which negatively affected the quality of his contact and sapped his power numbers.
One thing that has not slipped at any point is Riley’s bat speed.
Since the start of 2023 – when MLB began tracking it – Riley owns the 15th highest average bat speed in all of baseball at 75.7 mph. That trails only teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. (76.7 mph) for the fastest on the club and underscores that Riley’s ability to create hard contact remains intact despite injuries and a drop in production.
Elite bat speed is just one of many factors that comprise a good swing, however.
With plenty of data points to analyze, Riley got to work with Braves hitting coach Tim Hyers over the winter. Among the things Riley wanted to address were issues with his stride that could help him be on time at the point of contact and consistently drive the ball to all fields again.
“I actually started hitting a little bit earlier than normal, right around November, and working on a few things with my lower half that are able to put me in a spot to give myself more room for error and just be in the zone earlier and longer,” Riley said of his winter work. “The offseason went well, working with Tim (Hyers). It led into spring, where I felt really good.”
Riley’s spring training numbers were strong. He batted .357 with five home runs and 13 RBIs while posting a .451 on-base percentage and slugging .786 in 17 games. Unfortunately, those results did not carry over into the regular season. Riley was homerless and hitting just .212 with a .564 OPS through 18 games.
After that slow start, Riley clubbed his first home run of the year and added a double during Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Miami Marlins. He followed up with a two-homer game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday as Atlanta claimed a 9-0 victory.
Those results were due not only to the lower-half adjustments Riley was striving to make over the winter but also owe to honing his approach over the first couple of weeks this season.
“I feel like I am in a better spot when I land (my front foot) to be able to pull the trigger,” Riley said. “Early on, I think I was over-aggressive, then tried to tone it down a little bit. I got soggy with the front side and was trying to find that happy medium.”
Those adjustments can take time to follow a hitter into the game itself. While the work behind the scenes can be focused and methodical in that controlled environment, the paradigm shifts when facing the arsenal of major league pitchers who paid to get hitters out.
Having done so before, Riley understood the degree of difficulty and dedication required to complete the process of incorporating changes at the plate at this level.
“It’s tough because a lot of the stuff I’m working on is stride length and where I’m at (in my swing) when I land (my front foot),” Riley said. “You get in the game with 40,000 fans, adrenaline is rushing, and you’re trying to just slow the game down.”
While his first home run of the season was what many if not most took away from Wednesday’s game, Riley was more enthused about the double to right center field which caromed high off the bricks at Truist Park. That outcome is an indicator that his swing is where it needs to be.
“Staying on the pitch,” Riley said of what felt best about the double. “The last year or year and a half, the way the swing path has been, I was pulling a lot more balls. Obviously, when I’m at my best, I’m driving to the big part of the field. Being able to stay on a slider and hit it with some authority was nice.”
Riley was clearly well aware of where he was hitting the ball a year ago, when his pull percentage on fly balls jumped to a career-high 24.2 percent. Back in 2023 – his most recent 30-homer campaign – Riley was pulling the ball in the air just 16.6 percent of the time versus 23.2 percent to center and 19.2 percent to right field.
Through his first 84 plate appearances this season, Riley’s pull percentage on flyballs is a career-low 13.8 percent, compared to 20.7 percent straight away and 27.6 percent the opposite way.
As Riley rightly pointed out, when he feels his best, driving the ball to center and right field consistently is often the result. His teammates agree with that assessment.
“I’ve watched it since I first got called up and when he’s driving balls to right center, look out,” Braves pitcher Bryce Elder said.
Braves manager Walt Weiss has been on the Atlanta coaching staff for the entirety of Riley’s eight-year career. He’s seen his third baseman navigate the ups and downs of establishing himself as an everyday major leaguer as well as deal with the injury challenges of the past two years.
Weiss is not only encouraged by the recent results but also noted that Riley’s swing is suddenly right where it needs to be, when it needs to be – a dangerous combination.
“Riley’s coming around,” Weiss said. “Austin looks on time to me. The other night, he hit an upper-90s fastball and hooked it into the corner for a double. That’s a really good sign and it just means that he’s more on time. He’s not late. When you’re late, you’ve got to rush and make bad decisions. He just looks more on time to me.”
For his part, Riley has no shortage of motivation to turn this recent success into the type of consistency that he’s been searching for since the start of the 2024 season.
“All the preparation, being hurt the past couple of years, the work I did this offseason, the good spring, you just want to hit the ground running,” Riley said. “Obviously, I hadn’t, but (this is) good momentum to build on.”
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hall of fame Ozzie Smith (middle) talks with infielders Masyn Winn (0) and JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
It’s no secret that Masyn Winn is an elite defender. The Gold Glove trophy on his mantle is proof, but how much offense does he need to produce to become a part of the St. Louis Cardinals core? You need look no further than Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith as he and Masyn share a similar trajectory and challenge.
Masyn Winn’s first full season in the majors in 2024 was an impressive one offensively as he had 15 home runs and a respectable .267 batting average with 57 RBI’s. He regressed in 2025 with 9 home runs, 51 RBI’s and a .253 average. The fall back was attributed to a nagging knee injury which he had arthroscopic surgery on during the offseason. For the first 19 games of the 2026 season, Masyn only has 10 hits in 53 at-bats with a .189 average. Yes, the 2026 sample size is still very small, but it doesn’t take a math genius to understand that Winn is trending the wrong way offensively.
If you look at St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith’s career, you will see a similar first few seasons. His rookie season with the San Diego Padres had a respectable offensive line of 152 hits and a batting average of .258 in 1978. In the 3 seasons that followed, Ozzie’s production dipped to batting averages of .211, .230 and .222. His trajectory took an immediate jump in 1982 when Smith was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. Why? Answer – Whitey Herzog’s approach to small ball. Herzog felt that Ozzie Smith was trying to do too much. Whitey knew that Ozzie would never be a power threat so he made a wager with him for the 1982 season. Herzog would pay Smith $1 for every ground ball he hit. Smith had to pay Herzog $1 for every fly ball he hit. Ozzie’s average in 1982 jumped up to .248. By 1985, Ozzie Smith’s average was .276 followed by .280 in 1986 and .303 in 1987.
Does this mean that Masyn Winn should take Whitey Herzog’s approach of adjusting his swing for more ground balls? Absolutely not. In 1982, Busch Stadium was artificial turf and Whitey was able to create a speed offense that took advantage of that surface. In my opinion, the life lesson is that Masyn Winn may be trying to do too much. Friday night’s game against the Houston Astros was a great example of how Masyn could contribute more offensively adding to his already stellar defensive value. With the bases loaded, he was able to guide a seeing eye single through the left side of the infield giving the Cardinals 2 very valuable runs. Baseball Reference shows that Masyn’s pull rate is up significantly in 2026 compared to his previous 2 seasons. I have to wonder what his results would be if he would start utilizing a line drive approach to all fields.
It’s difficult to compare Ozzie Smith and Masyn Winn’s eras since they’re so different, but I believe the principle of not trying to do too much with your abilities is universal. Now that his knee is healthy, I’d love to see Masyn Winn’s offensive production rise to a level where he can be a solid part of the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. Whitey Herzog used to say that Ozzie Smith’s defense took away 2 hits per game from the opposition which made him more valuable than most hitters. I would not say anyone has the defensive capabilities of Ozzie Smith, but Masyn Winn is already a Gold Glove defender. He doesn’t need much more offense to establish himself as a part of the team’s core moving forward. All he needs to realize is that he doesn’t need to do too much with the bat.
Mar 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
It hasn’t exactly been pretty, but after losing six in a row, the Brewers are on a three-game win streak, which they’ll look to extend this afternoon in Miami.
Milwaukee almost gave away last night’s game after they led almost the whole way, but managed to pick up a win in extra innings. In the second game of this three-game set with the Marlins, we will see a marquee matchup of two pitchers who are still somewhat in the recovery phase from long injury layoffs: Brandon Woodruff takes the hill for Milwaukee, while Sandy Alcantara will pitch for the Fish.
Woodruff last pitched on Sunday versus the Washington Nationals, and pitched quite well. In six innings (for which he needed only 70 pitches), Woodruff allowed just three hits, two walks (one of which was intentional), and two runs, one of which was unearned. He left with a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen couldn’t hold it and the Brewers lost that game 8-6. Regardless of the team’s result, it was a nice bounce back for Woodruff, who struggled in his previous outing in Boston. In three starts this year, Woodruff has a 4.32 ERA and 4.29 FIP, and he has typically kept his walks low (just three unintentional walks in 16 2/3 innings). He is striking out about one batter per inning.
Alcantara, who missed the entire 2024 season after Tommy John surgery, is finally starting to look like the pitcher who won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award. Always a workhorse, Alcantara made 31 starts in 2025 but he struggled to be effective and had an ERA of 5.36 in almost 175 innings. Some of that was attributable to bad luck and/or defense (his FIP was better, at 4.28), but either way, the Alcantara we saw in 2025 was a far cry from the Alcantara of 2022 (though not that much different, in many ways, than the Alcantara of 2023). He is still only 30, so the fact that he’s performing quite well thus far in 2026 shouldn’t be a shock: in four starts, Alcantara leads the league with 30.1 innings pitched and owns a 2.67 ERA and 3.68 FIP.
Like Woodruff, Alcantara has traditionally kept his walks low, and he’s doing that better this season than in any other season of his career (just 1.8 per nine innings). But Alcantara’s strikeouts are also down to just 6.5 per nine innings; he has never been a big strikeout pitcher, but that’s still down significantly from his peak seasons. Of course, the lack of strikeouts serve to help Alcantara’s efficiency, contributing to the fact that he’s pitched over 170 innings in each of his last five full seasons. Efficiency and his traditional workhorse attitude make it not all that surprising that Alcantara owns the only shutout in baseball this year, which he did on April 1st against the White Sox—on just 93 pitches.
Milwaukee also made a move today, though maybe not the expected one. After his excellent performance in yesterday’s game, Coleman Crow was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville, as Milwaukee needs another bullpen arm. That bullpen arm wasn’t Robert Gasser, though, as many expected after he did not make a scheduled appearance for the Sounds last night. Instead, Carlos Rodriguez has been recalled. Rodriguez, who is still only 24, has appeared in seven games over the past two seasons and has a career ERA of 6.95 in 22 innings. In 10 1/3 innings for Nashville this season, Rodriguez has allowed 10 earned runs. Not what you want! This move makes some sense if the Brewers want to keep Gasser (and Logan Henderson) on regular starter rest, but especially when Jake Woodford can’t get into a game, I’d have preferred someone who might actually be given the opportunity to help in a close game.
The Brewers return almost the same lineup this afternoon as they used last night, except with Brandon Lockridge in place of Greg Jones and Joey Ortiz in place of David Hamilton. I’m looking forward to getting some injured players back.
It’s a matinee Saturday game today, with first pitch coming at 3:10 p.m. Catch the game on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Apr 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) reacts before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The last time the Dodgers lost to a National League team was 192 days ago. That was Game 3 of the Division Series, a 3-2 game entering the eighth that turned into a blowout with Clayton Kershaw wearing it during a second inning of work when Tanner Scott wasn’t available.
After that came a thrilling 11-inning NLDS clincher, followed by a stunning sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, and now the Dodgers are 10-0 against NL teams to open the 2026 season (plus 5-4 against American League opponents).
Ten straight wins against National League teams ties the Dodgers’ best streak ever to start a season. Brooklyn in 1955 started the season 10-0 (and 22-2) en route to their first World Series championship, and the 1940 team was right behind them at 9-0 to open the year.
Counting last year’s postseason, the Dodgers have won 15 games in a row against NL teams. Their longest overall winning streak in franchise history is 15 games, by Brooklyn from August 25 to September 6, 1924. So the Dodgers on Saturday have a chance to have their longest-ever win streak against National League teams.
At 15-4 overall, the Dodgers are tied with the Brooklyn 1940 team for their third-best start to a season in franchise history, behind only the 1955 team and the 1977 pennant winners in Los Angeles, who started 17-3.
Against NL teams, the Dodgers have scored 68 runs and allowed only 29. There have been three one-run victories (March 27-28 vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday against the Mets), plus three wins by six runs, and one each by seven, five, four, and two.
This current road trip includes three more games in Denver against the Colorado Rockies, then over to San Francisco to face the Giants. After an early slate of interleague games, the Dodgers don’t play another American League team until May 4. Which means plenty of chances to keep racking up wins against the National League.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves looks on from the dugout on the day that MLB is honoring Jackie Robinson Day prior to the MLB game between the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves on April 15, 2026 at TRUIST Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Well the Braves were able to absolutely cruise to a game 1 victory in Philly behind Martin Perez and Jose Suarez, who combined for 9.0 shutout innings. The offense broke out for 9 runs and Austin Riley hit 2 homers, a very promising sign.
Beating up on Taijuan Walker is one thing, but we will have a very different level of pitching matchup today, as two of the most effective pitchers of the last few seasons will face off. This battle of lefty aces perhaps favors Atlanta from a platoon split perspective, as Atlanta has hit the ball pretty well off lefties, while Philadelphia has been absolutely brutal at the plate facing southpaws. While there is certainly some small sample size theatre involved in these stats, Chris Sale isn’t an easy pitcher to hit from either side of the plate, so any platoon advantage he may see, particularly against Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber can only help. Austin Riley seems to be finding himself at the plate, which is huge for this Braves team in general, but especially in adding a bigtime right-handed bat for a team with a ton of left-handed hitters.
Cristopher Sanchez will be taking the ball for Philly and he is a formidable matchup. Sanchez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the beginning of 2024. Sanchez boasted an xFIP of 3.19 over 181.2 innings in 2024 and 2.77 over 202.0 innings in a monster 2025. He has had a strong record of avoiding walks in his career, but dramatically improved his strikeout rate from below average to above average last year and has carried that into this young season. He pitches primarily with a sinker and changeup, with his slider in distant third in terms of usage. Sanchez has solid mid-90s velocity on his sinker, but has elite extension from the left side that makes it that much harder for hitters to pick up his pitches. All of his pitches lean towards the arm-side, as compared to average movement for the pitch types. His slider is very vertical, but his changeup and sinker have exceptional arm-side run and drop. This pitch-mix produces an elite ground ball rate, so getting the ball in the air against Sanchez may be a challenge for Braves hitters. The Braves could really use some production from Acuna, Riley, and Albies from the right side of the plate to plate some runs against Sanchez.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 18, 7:15 p.m. EDT
Location: Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, PA
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.
Apr 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Carson Benge – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Luis Robert – CF
MJ Melendez – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C
Mark Vientos – 1B
Brett Baty – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Freddy Peralta – RHP
Cubs lineup
Nico Hoerner – 2B
Michael Busch – 1B
Alex Bregman – 3B
Ian Happ – LF
Seiya Suzuki – RF
Moises Ballesteros – DH
Miguel Amaya – C
Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
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
LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 2: Steve Finley #12 of the Los Angeles Dodgers drops his bat after hitting a ninth inning walk off grand slam home run against the San Francisco Giants on October 2, 2004 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers came from behind to win 7-3 and win the National League West. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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:
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.
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)
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 5: Noah Cameron #65 of the Kansas City Royals delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning during game one of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium on June 5, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Mason Barnett #63 of the Athletics pitches in the top of the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park on September 26, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 14: Jack Anderson #77 of the Boston Red Sox pitches to the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning of a game at Target Field on April 14, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
