May 18, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Grant Holman (67) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
We’ll always have those 10 days when Grant Holman was in the Dodgers organization. The well-travelled right-hander was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles by the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, ending Holman’s 10-day stay.
The Dodgers claimed Holman off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 1, and optioned him to the minors. He was technically on the Arizona Complex League Dodgers roster, though there are no games on that level yet, so it’s basically another way of saying he was getting work in at Camelback Ranch. Holman did not pitch in the minors in his week and a half in the organization.
Holman, who turns 26 in May, pitched in 40 games for the Athletics in 2024-25, but is now on his third team since getting designated for assignment by the A’s in February. Arizona claimed the right-hander on February 15, then designated him for assignment 10 days later, before the Dodgers claimed him on April 1. Now, he’s with the Tigers, more specifically their Florida Coast League team in Lakeland.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 5: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an rbi triple during the third inning of a game against the San Diego Padres on April 5, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
We’re very early in the 2026 MLB season, but there’s still been enough action to shock and surprise us. This week, we asked Yankees fans about which American League rival had gotten off to the most surprising start, with the options consisting of a number of clubs off to the disappointing starts: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Mariners.
The results are in, and it’s our rivals in Boston that have surprised us the most thus far:
The Red Sox garnered as many votes as the other three choices combined, and with good reason. At the time of the poll, the Red Sox were a dreadful 2-8, and they needed to win the last two games of their series with Milwaukee this week just to get to 4-9 and four games back of the Yankees for first in the AL East with the Junior Circuit’s worst record. Boston’s lineup has cobbled together a shoddy .646 OPS, while their pitching staff has yielded the seventh-highest wOBA in the league. There’s plenty of time for Boston to stabilize, but their start has been poor enough to cause some high-profile fans to start panicking.
All that said, there’s reason for concern elsewhere as well, particularly in Toronto and Seattle. The Blue Jays’ 6-7 is far from disastrous, but their injury bill is; Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber are all on the IL at the moment, putting Toronto in a tough spot as they’ll now need to hope that their depth players can keep them from falling in a hole. The Mariners benefit from playing in a weaker division, but at 5-9 they’ve really scuffled out of the gate.
Now, onto our MLB-wide fan polls, which simply asked which team would win each division:
In related news, with Toronto, Baltimore, and Boston all off to iffy starts, the Yankees are the overwhelming choice by MLB fans to take the AL East. We’ve seen this movie before, with the Yankees consistently getting out to early division leads in recent seasons, but not consistently finishing the year in first in the East. Their stellar pitching so far has them looking like the favorites in perhaps the toughest division in baseball, but there’s still a very long way to go.
Here are the results for the other five divisions:
AL Central: Tigers (55%; runner-up: Guardians, 28%)
AL West: Mariners (69%; runner-up: Astros, 18%)
NL East: Phillies (40%; runner-up: Braves, 29%)
NL Central: Brewers (56%; runner-up: Cubs, 24%)
NL West: Dodgers (88%; runner-up: Padres, 5%)
There are a few interesting nuggets here. Despite rough starts from the Mariners and Tigers, MLB fans still tab those squads to secure the AL West and AL Central, respectively. Interestingly, the Phillies, despite an offseason that left their fans wanting and a third-place spot in the standings currently, rate as the top choice in the NL East, with the Mets not to be found in the top two.
The Brewers remain the top dog in the NL Central, off to a fine start but with teams like the Reds and Pirates also playing decently out of the gate. That said, the Cubs still come in second in the polls, and are likely still the team that should give Milwaukee their stiffest challenge. Out west, well, there’s little surprise to be found, as the expectation remains that the Dodgers will run away with the division.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 19: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after making a catch for the winning and final out during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park on August 19, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL East leading Atlanta Braves have announced some joyous news before Saturday night’s home game versus the Cleveland Guardians.
The #Braves today selected INF Luke Williams to the major league roster and placed OF Michael Harris II on the paternity list. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred LHP Danny Young to the 60-day injured list. The club today also reinstated RHP Daysbel Hernández…
I didn’t know Michael was anticipating, which makes me even more excited. Michael Harris will go on the paternity list. Infielder slash part time outfielder slash emergency late inning reliever Luke Williams will join the active roster. Luke has slashed .212/.270/.280 over 349 lifetime plate appearances. He is out of option years, which means when Harris returns Williams will be in no man’s land. He will likely be booted from the 40-man roster. This could conceivably place Luke in an organization with some available playing time. With a 2025 wRC+ of zero though, I’m not so sure.
In other news, Daysbel Hernandez has been reinstated and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Daysbel didn’t throw a pitch in Spring Training as he has worked his way back from a right shoulder sebaceous cyst. Danny Young is recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he was moved to the 60-day IL to make room.
Apparently Michael Harris will be celebrating more that his home run last night. Congratulations, Mike, and enjoy the little one!
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Jacob Lopez #57 of the Athletics pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ready to extend this win streak to four games? The A’s are suiting up and getting ready for the second game of their weekend series against the Mets, looking to take the win and reach the .500 mark.
On the mound today will be Jacob Lopez. The left-hander hasn’t gone long in either of his two first outings of the year so the club will surely be hoping for some more length from the lefty this afternoon.
He’ll be opposed by Mets righty Kodai Senga this afternoon. The Japanese righty is off to a quick start so far this season after a lost year in 2025. He’s had some good success against the A’s in his career so the team will be hoping to change things around on that front.
Jun 10, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; A partial annular eclipse of the sun rises over the skyline of Toronto. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY NETWORK
First Pitch: 2:07 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Not only did the Twins blow a 4-0 lead last night in what looked like a morale-boosting, streak-extending win against a top-tier opponent, but they also officially lost two players, as Royce Lewis and Cody Laweryson hit the IL.
It’s the kind of 12-hour implosion all too familiar to the Twins, which is part of the reason that having Joe Ryan on the bump today could serve as a nice stabilizer before the series gets away from Minnesota.
In a season that requires him to step up to the level of a true ace, Ryan has had a pair of nice starts (@BAL and vs. DET), as well as a four-inning clunker against the Kansas City Royals. Perhaps the most encouraging stat is his having avoided the long ball in 14 innings so far this season, even as his H/9 and BB/9 rise above their usual averages. Ryan is 2-1 against the Jays in his career, with a 4.70 ERA in four total starts.
Random sidebar. Did you know that Joe Ryan has never intentionally walked a hitter? This sent me on a dive, whereupon I learned that actually, Mick Abel is the only member of the starting rotation to have intentionally walked a hitter in his career. Upon reflection, I suppose the proper conditions usually leading to an intentional walk are rarely present early enough in a game for a starter to be the one tasked with issuing the free pass. But I wouldn’t have guessed that the full rotation had one career IBB between them, and that it belonged to the second-youngest guy on the club.
Anyway. The Blue Jays will be tossing Eric Lauer, who boasts a career 8.80 ERA against the Twins. This is Lauer’s second season in Toronto, having pitched for the Padres and Brewers for six years before exclusively pitching in the KBO and the minor leagues in 2024. He returned to the Jays after they selected Lauer’s minor-league contract last year, and ultimately threw 4.2 innings in the marathon World Series Game 3 last October.
Lauer’s another lefty. Who would have guessed, with the way things have matched up for the Twins so far in 2026? He features a four-seam well below league-average lefty velocity, and a change/cutter/slider mix bolstered by a very occassional curveball.
The Twins will try to even the series this afternoon and give them a chance for a road victory against the Blue Jays. GO TWINS GO!
Apr 8, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, we asked you to grade the Rockies’ rotation through one start on the road and one start at home apiece (more or less). So far, fans have been impressed.
98% of responders believe the Rockies’ rotation is passing the test with a C or above.
Only 2% of folks believe the rotation is underperforming, but nobody believes they failed their initial go-around.
After seeing more starts this week, do you agree with the results? Do you still agree with your initial grade? Let us know in the comments!
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 05: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sunday, April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Gardner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Happy City Connect Saturday to all who celebrate. Which, to be clear, should be everyone.
Last night’s Dale Murphy-honoring offensive outburst propelled the Braves to a Game 1 win, teeing up the chance for a series win in Game 2 tonight.
In case you were wondering, the Braves’ records in the previous City Connect uniforms were:
6-8 in 2025
7-6 in 2024
9-6 in 2023
The Braves are hoping to make it 2-0 in the new powder blues.
In the third turn through the rotation, Weiss and company will be sticking with Martín Pérez to toe the rubber for the Braves tonight. After a stellar long relief outing versus the Athletics on March 31, his first official start in Arizona was not as crisp. He allowed five hits, four earned runs, and one walk in his five innings of work. He wasn’t on the hook for that extra-innings loss (that dubious honor would go to Joel Payamps and his singular pitch in the tenth), but he’ll be looking to bounce back. After last night’s bungled mop-up job, José Suarez isn’t quite breathing down his neck for the spot, but Didier Fuentes might be.
As much as this is an early April game, Cleveland will be fighting to not lose their first series this year. They’ll send 25-year old lefty Parker Messick (1-0, 0.87 ERA) to face the Braves in his tenth big league start. Messick earned the fifth starter job out of camp and posted strong outings against the Dodgers and Cubs. He held the former to four hits in six efficient innings, only needing 71 pitches to earn his first win and hand LA their first loss of the season. Chicago tagged him for two hits, three walks, and one earned run.
Messick can throw the kitchen sink. He relies most heavily on the four-seamer (32.9%), followed by the changeup (22.2%). There’s been a slight uptick in sinker usage so far, but he’s unafraid to mix in the slider, curveball, and cutter.
80’s Night was a deeply overstimulating blast at the ballpark. I can do without the neon, vaporwave graphics, and Back to the Future homages, but I am hoping Game 2 brings us more Braves bombs. If you’re at the block party before tonight’s game, don’t miss Demetrius and your chance to win a Battery Power koozie!
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 10: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros reacts after being pulled during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 10, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:
Tatsuya Imai is having trouble adapting to life in MLB at a time his team really needs him to be the star he’s shown he can be in Japan:
Tatsuya Imai said the mound at T-Mobile Park “was really hard” and he had trouble adjusting. The weather he pitched in Friday is “not usual in Japan,” he said, and his mechanics are out of whack when runners reach base – https://t.co/snNPEUDhij
In the meantime, Christian Vazquez will remain Imai’s personal catcher:
Joe Espada plans to keep Christian Vázquez paired with Tatsuya Imai for the foreseeable future because "right now, I feel like it's important for the transition of Imai to the major leagues and just to build some stability in our rotation and take us deep into games."
Could Cody Bolton be getting tabbed to start Sunday for the Astros?
Cody Bolton is dressed to throw a bullpen session right now at T-Mobile Park. Starters customarily throw a bullpen two days before their start. The Astros are TBA for Sunday.
Whatever the Astros decide to do with who they add to the starting rotation (Arrighetti is a lock, Bolton appears to be getting another turn) can’t really be worse than what they have done so far:
Astros pitchers have a 6.32 ERA
Starters: 5.55 in 60 innings Relievers: 7.08 in 61 innings
San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller strikes out the side again. He has faced 24 batters this year and has struck out 19 of them. The last reliever to win the Cy Young award was Eric Gagne in 2003.
Kenley Jansen is not tied for 3rd all time in saves.
Congratulations to Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen, who saves his 478th game to tie Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third place on the all-time saves list.
Did Jo Adell have the greatest single defensive performance ever?
This @jaysonst Stark column trying to suss out if Jo Addell’s 3 HR robbery game was the single greatest defensive game in baseball history is delightful. I won’t spoil an incredible “anecdote,” but I’m thrilled to share it with a free-to-all gift link: https://t.co/UI8q3xsQAd
Why has the Mariners offense struggled so much (at least when the Astros aren’t walking them all game)?
Seattle's biggest stars have struggled at the plate with the team off to rough start this season. How real are the concerns? Let's find out.https://t.co/cOG8pAbE25
In 8 years in Flushing, Jeff McNeil was a 2x All Star, a Silver Slugger, and a batting champ. Fans remembered in his first at-bat in Citi Field as a visiting player.
Jeff McNeil receives a warm ovation in his first at-bat back in Queens.
The Mets moved Bo Bichette down from the two-hole to the cleanup spot for Saturday’s start against A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez. And, with Jorge Polanco back in at the three spot, they moved Luis Robert Jr. up to bat behind leadoff man FranciscoLindor.
“Just wanted to shake some things up here,” Mendoza said about the lineup change.
“We’ve still got pretty good hitters at the top, but just kinda wanted to give him a different look here,” he continued. “Putting Luis in the two hole, getting Polanco back in the lineup, helps with some of the righty-lefty, then you can get creative. Just wanted to give it a different look today.”
Bichette has started to swing a better bat after a rough start to the year. After going 2-for-22 in the first five games of the year, he is 12-for-39 (.308) with two doubles and three RBI over his last nine games. (Bichette is 2-for-7, both doubles, with 2 RBI in his career against Lopez.)
The move hopefully won't cool off Robert, who is 14-for-43 (.326) to start the season with two home runs and seven RBI, good for a .928 OPS. He also has 11 walks through 13 games, after only drawing 40 walks in 110 games in 2025.
Clay Holmes stays in line
More good news on the Holmes front after the starter exited Friday’s game at the top of the sixth inning with left hamstring tightness.
“Feeling better,” Mendoza said of the right-hander. “Normal soreness after an outing. Went through a series of tests, strength-wise, in the training room and checked all of the boxes.
“So, as of right now, I think the next step is making sure he throws his bullpen couple days from now before we make the final call. But, as of right now, he’s in line to make the next start.”
Mendoza said the Mets haven’t had any discussions on possibly pushing Holmes’ next start back a few days, “But, if we feel like we gotta go there, then I’m pretty sure we will have that conversation.”
"Feel like I’ll be able to make my next start," Holmes said. "But until I wake up tomorrow, we don’t really know. Can’t rule anything out, but feel pretty good about it right now. I can still keep throwing. I didn’t feel it tighten up on a throw….I think we’ll be good, but we’ll have to see."
Holmes was off to a second consecutive solid outing before leaving with the injury, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Through three starts, he has a 1.50 ERA and 1.111 WHIP over 18 innings.
Former San Diego Padres Luis Arraez (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Baseball’s best pure hitter no longer calls San Diego home. Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez joined the San Francisco Giants on a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason. He wanted to return to being an everyday second baseman.
The San Diego Padres hoped for a reunion, but could not guarantee playing time at second. Arraez left the organization for a better opportunity, but that is life in baseball’s transient lifestyle.
Now, the Padres are trying to find new ways to score runs with a revamped top of the batting order. So far, they have managed to stay afloat despite their struggles to score runs at Petco Park.
The home schedule at Petco Park has been challenging
The home schedule has been a challenge for the Friars. They opened the 2026 campaign against the talented Detroit Tigers starting rotation, followed by a series with the San Francisco Giants. For their effort, the Padres averaged 2.4 runs per game on their first homestand.
This weekend, the Friars get a brief respite against the inexperienced Colorado Rockies before facing the American League West-contending Seattle Mariners. It is hard to kickstart your offense against such quality pitching.
Offense found its groove on the road
After a disappointing opening home stand, the Padres’ offense showed some life on their last road trip. The lineup averaged close to five runs per game away from Petco Park.
The move of Ramon Laureano to the leadoff spot has allowed the remainder of the order to wear down opposing pitching staffs with a quick strike power-hitting approach. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Gavin Sheets, Nick Castellanos and Jake Cronenworth would never be considered an easy out. All are ready to pounce on a mistake.
It can be exhausting for a starting pitcher who has to navigate a hot lineup multiple times in a start. The goal is to force them to overthink on the mound. It is hard to be perfect with every pitch thrown. The Friars must continue to take advantage of bad pitches.
The loss of Arraez has not limited the Padres’ offense at the start of the season. Instead, the lineup is feeding off one another, as every hitter is doing their part to extend innings and score runs.
The Friar Faithful’s optimism is running high, especially after back-to-back walkoff wins. The recent outburst has demonstrated that the lineup can lift the team out of a less-than-ideal pitching matchup.
The production can only get better in the coming months.
Richard Lovelady | (Photo: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
You’ve read this on this site before: The Mets have designated left-handed relief pitcher Richard Lovelady for assignment. This time, he’s being replaced by veteran right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel.
The Mets first acquired Lovelady in June last year, and they’ve now designated him for assignment five times in less than a year. Despite having DFA’d him three times during the 2025 season, the Mets signed Lovelady to a major league deal in late October. And they DFA’d him again in January to clear a 40-man roster spot when they acquired infielder Vidal Bruján.
When you look at all of that, you can’t help but feel for the player, even if there’s a sense of relief that the Mets might be moving on. Lovelady was booed at Citi Field in the Mets’ first season of the series during an extra-inning loss to the Pirates, but those boos were likely intended as much for the Mets’ front office and manager putting him in that spot as they were for the performance of Lovelady himself.
In 7.1 innings with the Mets since Opening Day this year, Lovelady has a 3.68 ERA and a 4.92 FIP. In 10.0 innings with the Mets last year, he had a 6.30 ERA and a 6.74 FIP.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 5: Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field looking to grab a win.
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Apr 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) throws a pitch during the first inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
The suddenly slumping New York Yankees lost again on Friday night at Tropicana Field. The offense continues to come up short, and they just can’t buy a hit. We’re putting the bats to the side for a moment though to discuss Luis Gil and his first start of the season at the MLB level after struggling on Sunday in Triple-A. Skipped in his first time around because the Yankees only needed four starters through the first couple weeks, Gil’s in an important season, as the luster really faded from him last year after an AL Rookie of the Year win in 2024.
It’s safe to say things could have gone better on Friday. Four rocky innings of work and 88 pitches were the final tally, and to be completely honest, this was—for large stretches of his outing—2025 Gil all over again, struggling to throw strikes and to consistently generate swings and misses.
Gil allowed three runs on three hits and three walks in the four frames, striking out two. He also threw a wild pitch and hit a batter in the disappointing outing.
After struggling with velocity for much of the spring, Gil averaged 95.1 mph on his four-seamer on Friday against the Rays, down from the 95.3 mph of 2025 and a more impactful 96.6 the year before. This pitch was his bread and butter in 2024, when he won Rookie of the Year, but it just earned one swing-and-miss on 13 swings for a meager eight-percent whiff rate. For reference, the fastball earned an 18.8-percent whiff rate in 2025 and a 28.5-percent whiff rate in 2024.
For the night, Gil got just five empty swings: three on his slider, which he struggled to fully command, one on his changeup, and one on his four-seamer.
Gil threw 38 balls and 50 strikes on the night, but he was all over the place with all his pitches:
Gil opened the game trying to establish the four-seamer and complementing it mainly with sliders. He got two quick outs in the first inning before running into trouble, walking Jonathan Aranda and hanging this slider to Yandy Díaz, who gladly deposited it in the right field stands for a game-tying two-run dinger:
What looked like a quick and painless opening frame for Gil turned into a 32-pitch inning that set the tone for the rest of his outing and immediately capped his upside to go relatively deep into the game.
The second time through the lineup, Gil started to introduce more sinkers and changeups. The former actually helped him get five called strikes and led to a 57.9-mph average exit velocity in three batted-ball events, with just one of them going for a hit. One could argue that, with better command, the pitch could potentially be useful. It doesn’t look like a huge difference-making offering, though.
It’s hard to envision a successful Gil without better control, command, and velocity. Take away those three things, and his ceiling is severely capped.
It’s also important for him to maintain his velo deep into his outings. The pitch averaged 95.8 mph in the opening frame, and then slipped to 94.4 mph in the second, 93.8 mph in the third, and 94.4 mph again in the fourth. His sinker did average 96.6 mph in the third, though, but Gil just won’t be successful if he’s sitting in the 93-94 mph range.
Gil did make a nice defensive play on a squeeze play attempt by the Rays in the fourth, preventing another run from scoring. So at least his glove helped him out a little bit.
It’s still early. Heck, it’s Gil’s first start of the season. We are willing to grant him a pass, as we shouldn’t be judging a pitcher using just one outing. However, one thing needs to be said: given that this more of the same frustrating Gil, he will need to pick it up soon if he doesn’t want to be at serious risk of losing his rotation spot whenever Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón return. Unlike in the ALDS, he is fully behind Will Warren on the depth chart.
Apr 10, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) stands on third base in then first inning against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (5-9) vs. Miami Marlins (8-6)
Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica Park Opponent Site: Fish On First Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Casey Mize (0-1, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Janson Junk (0-1, 3.09 ERA)
We have a full slate of 15 MLB games to choose from today, which offers up lots of options when it comes to prop betting from the matinee matchups to the late-night finishes on the West Coast.
Keep reading to see my best MLB player props for Saturday, April 11, highlighted by a plus-money Jackson Merrill play.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Kodai Senga
Over 6.5 Ks
-108
Trent Grisham
1+ runs
-120
Jackson Merrill
1+ RBI
+125
Kodai Senga Over 6.5 strikeouts (-108)
Kodai Senga has looked sharp in his return to the New York Mets' rotation after a 2025 marred by injuries.
He's recorded 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings over his first two starts, good for a rate of 12.3 per nine. That’s above his career mark of 10.2 per nine, and more like what Mets fans have expected after his outstanding rookie campaign in 2023.
The Athletics have been one of the more strikeout-heavy offenses in baseball early this season, racking up 133 Ks in their first 13 games. Senga should get plenty of swings and misses against this lineup, and that makes his strikeouts Over a great play.
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCSCA, SNY
Trent Grisham 1+ runs (-120)
While Trent Grisham has been struggling in some ways in the early going – his .158 batting average looks ugly on the Jumbotron – he’s been excelling at his most important job, which is getting on base at the top of the New York Yankees lineup.
Grisham has a .347 OBP and has scored seven times in 13 games to start the season.
Journeyman Nick Martinez has given the Tampa Bay Rays some good innings to start the year, but I don’t have confidence in the 35-year-old to keep up this start.
The Yankees have underperformed offensively, but those struggles have mostly come against southpaws, while they have a .720 OPS against righties. I like Grisham to get on base and the rest of the New York lineup to bring him home tonight.
Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, Rays.TV
Jackson Merrill 1+ RBI (+125)
Jackson Merrill hasn’t gotten himself into a groove yet this season, but his numbers still benefit from hitting behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and in front of Manny Machado. Merrill has seven RBIs in his first 14 games despite hitting .189 in that span.
Merrill has been historically strong against right-handed pitching, putting up an .855 OPS against righties in his career. Colorado Rockies starter Ryan Feltner isn’t an imposing matchup in that regard either, with only 38 2/3 innings at the MLB level in the last two years and a 5.17 career ERA.
Facing Feltner could get the San Diego Padres lineup going, and with Merrill in the middle of it all, I like him to pick up an RBI tonight.
Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Rockies.TV, Padres.TV
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Kodai Senga
Trent Grisham
Jackson Merrill