Category: MLB

The San Francisco Giants are trying to get rolling early in the Tony Vitello era, having won three of their last four games after a 0-3 start to the season.

Vitello has shown excitement, passion and a willingness to share the ins and outs during his first year as a MLB manager, but some want him to tone it down.

Sports personality Chris Rose compared the Giants' skipper to Team USA manager Mark DeRosa in how open he was with the media during a radio appearance on The Morning Roast with Joe Spadoni and Joe Shasky on 95.7 The Game, the Bay Area's sports station.

"I think he's got a little bit of Mark DeRosa syndrome," Rose said on the radio show. "What I mean by that is D-Ro, who's a buddy of mine, I worked with him for a decade at Major League Baseball Network. To me, his biggest issue with Team USA was that he kind of let us in a little too much."

He added: "I know that's fun for us as people who are consuming and talking about content, but like, when D-Ro goes, 'yeah, the players, they invited all the coaches in to have a beer, and then the next day, some guys were hurting a little bit.' Like, that's okay to do, it's okay for the coaches to have a beer with their players and tell stories, and it's okay for players to be hurting a little bit the next day. Don't let everybody know."

Everything’s been coming up Yankees for the first week or so of the 2026 season. After a 5-1 West Coast trip to open the season that went about as good as anyone could’ve asked for, the Bronx Bombers came home to face an equally hot Miami Marlins team that was feeling good about themselves after a 5-1 start of their own, all at home.

Although the Marlins struck first off Will Warren early, the 26-year-old settled in and delivered a solid outing that would be more than enough for the Yankees. Aaron Judge set the tone with an early home run and had his first multi-hit game of the season, while Ben Rice shook off three strikeouts to start the game by adding much-appreciated insurance late to continue his blisteringly hot start, as the Yankees took the series opener on Friday afternoon, 8-2.

The very start of the game didn’t go so hot for the Yankees, as the first roll call of the season was rudely interrupted by an Xavier Edwards solo home run to right field to give Miami a near-immedaite 1-0 lead. It was remarkably the first dinger allowed all year by the Yankees’ pitching staff through seven games. Warren, unfazed by the quick deficit he faced, rebounded to get the next two hitters.

Of course, that lead didn’t last too long. Trent Grisham worked a leadoff walk off 22-year-old fireballer Eury Pérez, and just three pitches later, the captain rang in 2026 at Yankee Stadium with a monstrous two-run shot to left to flip the scoreboard and make it 2-1 Yankees. Statcast says it only went 378 feet, but it sure didn’t look like it.

Warren settled in and pitched a clean second with a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom half, the Yankees struck for another two runs without recording a hit. Jazz Chisholm Jr., José Caballero, Ryan McMahon, and Grisham all worked walks, with Chisholm and Caballero contributing to Pérez’s meltdown by stealing three bases between them.

Already allowing one run to score, Pérez plunked Judge on the first pitch to make it 4-1. With the bases juiced and only one out, the young righty finally found his composure and retired the next two to get out of trouble.

Miami went down in order in both the third and fourth innings against Warren, who looked composed on the mound even when Liam Hicks almost took his head off with a hard liner that ended in a 6-3 groundout. Chisholm doubled in the third and got to third on a long fly out from Austin Wells, but was stranded when a push bunt by Caballero was snuffed out by the Marlins’ defense.

The Fish were finally able to take a chunk off of Warren in the fifth, as Owen Caissie, the centerpiece of the Edward Cabrera trade, smashed his second home run of the season to right-center to cut it to 4-2. While Warren sat down the last two hitters to get through the fifth, it marked the first time that a Yankees starter had allowed multiple runs in a game. As a reminder, this is the seventh game of the year.

The Yankees weren’t very good at ABS today, as Cody Bellinger’s narrow miss in the fifth had the team out of challenges for the first time all year. He made up for it with a double off new Marlins’ pitcher Tyler Phillips, but he was stranded.

Warren got the first two outs of the sixth before a pair of ground ball singles ended his day, with the finishing blow being a swinging bunt by former Yankees prospect Agustin Ramírez. It was a solid day for Warren, who was a split-second from a quality start but went 5.2 good innings without walking a batter. Tim Hill came on to face the lefty and did Tim Hill things, quickly inducing an inning-ending groundout.

A very similar rally to the one in the second started in the sixth. Wells walked, Caballero reached on an E5, and some good baserunning set the team up with second and third with one out and the top of the order up. Of course, they didn’t get a hit, but they got a run. After Judge walked, Phillips spiked a pitch in the dirt for a run-scoring wild pitch to make it 5-2.

Jake Bird got the seventh for the Yankees and continued an impressive start to the season with a powerful 1-2-3 inning.

The Marlins went to Michael Petersen after our first “God Bless America” of the season and were rudely greeted by Rice, who bounced back after striking out in his first three at-bats by thumping a hard liner into the short porch for his second homer of the season. 110.9 mph and 353 feet later, it was 6-2, Yanks.

Brent Headrick and his curious reverse splits pitched the eighth and tore through 8-9-1 in the Marlins order with a pair of strikeouts. We then got a pretty awkward bottom of the eighth, where Grisham walked, and Judge singled him to third, but a bizarre collision led to Grisham’s foot briefly coming off the bag and allowed Leo Jiménez to tag him in the ankle, ruling him out.

There was no need to worry though, as Bellinger walked and Rice finally got the Yankees’ first hit with runners in scoring position by drilling a two-run double off the right-field wall to make it 8-2. They finished the day 1-for-13 in such situations, despite scoring eight runs.

Unfortunately for Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest, we still didn’t get to see his MLB debut, so it was Ryan Yarbrough who made his season debut in the ninth. Edwards made a bid for his second extra-base-hit of the day to start the inning, only to be robbed by an acrobatic catch from Bellinger that even shocked him.

After plunking Ramírez, Yarbrough made up for it by picking him off second base to get the second out, before inducing a game-ending flyout to lock down the win.

The Yankees will look for their fourth consecutive win and another series victory in the middle game against the Marlins tomorrow. Southpaw Ryan Weathers faces off against his former teammate in Miami, righty Max Meyer, tomorrow at 7:05pm ET on YES.

Box Score

We have a trade to talk about, folks — it’s not a big one but it’s a trade, nonetheless! In fact, the Braves have gone back to one of their most frequent trade partners (or at least it feels that way, as ComeBackTedTurner mentioned in the linked Feed post) for another deal: The Los Angeles Angels. The Braves have picked up another pitcher from the Angels, as they have acquired Victor Mederos in exchange for international bonus pool considerations.

Mederos is heading to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he’ll likely serve as roster depth in case the current big league pitching gets exhausted to the point where they need to dip into those particular reserves. Mederos pitched 17 big league innings last season and recorded a 7.41 ERA (179 ERA-) and a 7.19 FIP (171 FIP-). He has a career 8.53 ERA (206 ERA-) and a 6.95 FIP (166 FIP-), so it’s safe to say that the Braves aren’t exactly getting an ace here. Again, if he shows up in the bigs this season then the Braves will have to be suffering an injury crisis similar to what happened last season. I know things have gotten bad already in terms of missing starters but for now, it’s still not nearly as bad as how it was last season, so there’s that.

Speaking of the injury situation, AJ Smith-Shawver is now on the 60-Day IL in order to make room for Mederos on the 40-man roster. As a reminder, AJSS underwent Tommy John surgery back in back in June 2025 so he’s still a few months away from even considering a serious comeback since that’s a 12-month turnaround to begin with. The Braves weren’t getting Smith-Shawver back any time soon so this just confirms the situation while making room for some more depth to take his place.

Will Warren was terrific, continuing a team-wide run of sharp starting pitching, and Aaron Judge and Ben Rice both homered as the Yankees beat the Miami Marlins, 8-2, on Friday afternoon in The Bronx. 

The sellout crowd of 48,788 on hand for the club’s 124th home opener also enjoyed a dose of Yankee speed as the Bronx Bombers used their legs to create offense, too. 

Here are the takeaways...

- The Yankees came into the game on an impressive streak – they were the only team in baseball to have not allowed a home run this season. It was their longest streak since 1944 – a span of 83 years. It did not last long into Friday’s game, however. The second batter of the game, Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards, smacked the first pitch from Warren over the right-field fence for a 1-0 Miami lead. In the fifth inning, Owen Caissie also homered off Warren. 

Warren is just the latest starter to thrive for the Yankees this season. Their rotation entered the game with a 0.53 ERA – the lowest over the first six games of a season since ERA was made an official stat in 1913. Following Warren’s outing, the starter ERA was 0.91. Max Fried and Cam Schlittler have been spotless. Warren allowed one run in his first start and so did Ryan Weathers. Friday, Warren got multiple early swings-and-misses and totaled seven overall in the game, per Baseball Savant. He came out of the game with two out and two on in the sixth inning, following a groundball single through the infield and an infield hit in front of the mound. Lefty Tim Hill came out of the bullpen to face the Marlins’ cleanup hitter, Liam Hicks, who entered the game with 12 RBI, the most in the majors. Hill got Hicks to top a ground ball in front of the mound for an easy third out, protecting what was then a 4-2 lead.  

Overall, Yankee pitchers have allowed just eight runs in the club’s first seven games. No wonder they are 6-1. 

- Judge, who came into the game batting a mere .125 and had been 0-for-4 in each of his previous two games, perhaps quelled some of the hand-wringing over his start by cranking a first-inning home run. His two-run shot, his third homer of the season, came after a leadoff walk by Trent Grisham and put the Yankees up, 2-1. Judge’s home run was clocked at 101.2 mph off the bat and traveled an estimated 387 feet. Judge later added another RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second.

- The Yankee offense got some help from Marlins starter Eury Pérez, who struggled with command. Pérez walked six batters in just four innings of work and his wildness was primarily responsible for the Yanks’ two-run second inning. Speed helped, too – Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked leading off and stole second and third and, one out later, JoséCaballero walked and stole second. Pérez walked Ryan McMahon on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases and then did the same with Grisham up, forcing in a run. Then he plunked Judge with a 99 mph fastball to plate another one, giving the Yanks a 4-1 lead. They scored two runs in the inning without getting a single hit. Overall, Pérez allowed two hits and four runs in four innings of work, adding four strikeouts. He threw 84 pitches, but only 45 strikes. 

- The Yanks added a run in the sixth, helped by their legs again. Austin Wells, who led off with a walk, scored from third on a wild pitch. He helped create the opportunity by tagging up from second to get to third on a fly to left. Caballero had another stolen base in the same frame as the Yankees kept exerting basepath stress on the Marlins. In the eighth, Judge stole a base, too, the Yanks’ fifth of the day. Stealth Bombers?

- Rice, off to a hot start, hit his second home run of the year leading off the seventh, pushing the Yanks’ advantage to 6-2. The next inning, Rice smacked a double off the top of the right-field wall to drive in two more runs. Rice has eight RBI so far this season, tops on the Yanks, and has reached base safely in 13-of-26 plate appearances while batting .409 with a 1.364 OPS.

- In the ninth, Cody Bellinger made a catch you’ll doubtless see in repeated highlights, ranging back in left field to snag a drive by Edwards. The ball initially struck the heel of Bellinger’s glove and plummeted toward the ground, but he reached down to snag it. Bellinger, delighted and amazed, thrust his hands into the air in celebration.

Game MVP: Will Warren

Warren may have given up the most runs in a single outing of any Yankee starter so far this season, but that says more about how good the team’s rotation has been than it does about Warren’s outing. He gave up two runs and four hits in 5.2 innings, striking out six and walking none. Warren has allowed three earned runs and nine hits in 10 innings over two starts, a 2.70 ERA. 

Highlights

Aaron Judge goes deep in his first Yankee Stadium at-bat of 2026! pic.twitter.com/3rexsBWGvV

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

Jazz Chisholm Jr. steals second and third base in the 2nd inning! pic.twitter.com/3gyCrTzdNY

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

Aaron Judge gets hit with the bases loaded and it’s 4-1 Yankees pic.twitter.com/bKYDINX37L

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

Ben Rice drills a solo shot! pic.twitter.com/KcF020jHRF

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

Ben Rice drives in two more! pic.twitter.com/O39Qq0C84P

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

Cody Bellinger HOW?! pic.twitter.com/W7GXc80f5t

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 3, 2026

What's next

The two teams are back in action on Saturday night. 

Left-hander Ryan Weathers (2.08 ERA) gets the ball against his former club with righty Max Meyer (5.40 ERA) going for the visitors for the 7:05 p.m. start in the Bronx.

Shohei Ohtani has officially been welcomed to the new MLB year after hitting his first home run of the 2026 season.

Ohtani looks like he's back in form following a three-run home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Washington Nationals, 13-6, on April 3 in Washington D.C.

There's nothing sweeter than seeing baseball fly out the park and Ohtani and the Dodgers made that happen not once, not twice, but five times in the nation's capital.

The first came in the third inning with the Dodgers down 3-0. Ohtani hit a three-run bomb that went 401 feet between right and center field, as Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages scored to tie the game.

Ohtani finished 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs – also his first of the season – and is batting .217 now. He is 1-0 on the mound with 6 strikeouts in as many innings pitched.

The Dodgers added two more scores in the inning as Mookie Betts followed with a two-run, 380-foot home run that brought home Kyle Tucker. Los Angeles got out of the inning with a 5-3 lead but continued to pour it on throughout the ball game.

Pages got in on the action, hitting the longest homerun of the game. His went 412 feet to left field as he and Hernandez ran across home plate to pad the Dodgers' lead to 7-4 in the fourth inning.

Freddie Freeman smacked one 391 feet in the following inning, scoring Betts. Dodgers dominance carried on. They led 9-4 in the fifth but weren't done.

Tucker added to an 11-4 lead with a solo home run on a 404-foot shot in the top of the seventh. It was also his first home run of the 2026 season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani hits 3-run home run in Dodgers vs Nationals

After several days of anticipation, the Milwaukee Brewers have made official the news that many fans have been waiting for: shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt has signed a long-term contract extension.

Reports surfaced on Monday that the Brewers and Pratt had come to terms on a deal, with Pratt himself confirming the news on his Instagram. Eight years with $50.75 million guaranteed and a pair of club options is the reported contract.

The deal begins this year and runs through the 2033 season. The club options are for 2034 and 2035. Because he’s signed the deal, the Brewers have added Pratt to the 40-man roster. To clear space, the Brewers designated outfielder Steward Berroa for assignment.

“We are very excited to make this long-term commitment to Cooper,” said Arnold. “He is a player we feel will be an instrumental part of our future success in Milwaukee. Cooper has all the tools to be a special player, and we are thrilled that he will be in a Brewers uniform for years to come. This commitment continues to show our organization’s passion, led by ownership, to consistently produce a winning team season after season.” 

The Brewers did not release the financial details and breakdown for how the money will be paid out to Pratt over the years, though it can be assumed that the deal will be backloaded.

Pratt had just three games of Triple-A experience at the time of his deal, which is the fewest of any player at that level to sign an MLB extension. He’s been held out of the Nashville Sounds lineup all week while the deal was getting finalized. Now that it’s official, we can expect to see Pratt return to the lineup for Nashville.

Pratt is regarded as the best defender in the Brewers’ farm system. It’s that defensive prowess at a premium position that helped convince the Brewers he was worth extending. There is a strong belief in his offensive development despite non-overwhelming numbers in Double-A last season. There should be more power to come, and the Brewers are making a big bet on his bat. If he’s able to be even a decent hitter at the MLB level, he’ll be well worth his contract.

It’s unclear just when the Brewers will promote Pratt to the big leagues. We know that it won’t be immediately, but it still could be soon. With the contract now finished, as soon as the Brewers feel he is ready for the majors, there will be nothing to stand in the way of his promotion.

WASHINGTON –– And, breathe.

The Dodgers’ offense isn’t broken. Its superstar hitters aren’t imploding. And the concerns over their opening-week slump, it turned out, might have indeed been prematurely overblown.

For one day, at least, the team finally looked as advertised in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals.

All it took was 16 hits and five home runs to quiet the recently mounting questions.

“Rome isn’t burning,” manager Dave Roberts quipped.

“Nobody in here is panicking,” added shortstop Mookie Betts.

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t frustration with how the offense had started the season. Entering Friday, the Dodgers ranked 22nd in scoring, were hitting just .237 as a team and were coming off a lackluster series loss back home to the Cleveland Guardians.

On what was Opening Day at Nationals Park, however, a three-inning onslaught changed all that.

It started with Shohei Ohtani, who erased an early deficit with his first home run of the year, sarcastically looking to the heavens after a 401-foot drive to right field. 

Betts then put the team in front with a two-run homer two batters later.

From there, the Dodgers (5-2) kept on mashing veteran Washington starter Miles Mikolas.

Andy Pages hit a two-run blast in the fourth, continuing his blistering start to the season with a three-hit day. Freddie Freeman ignited a four-run rally in the fifth with a two-run shot of his own. Teoscar Hernández chipped in with three hits, including an RBI double.

And, in a late-game highlight, Kyle Tucker added some late insurance with his first Dodgers home run in the seventh, punctuating his breakout three-hit day.

“Everyone clicking today was kind of nice,” Tucker said. “Hopefully this is just the start of a really good offensive year for us.”

The outburst made Emmet Sheehan’s choppy 5 ⅔-inning, four-run start largely irrelevant.

It also showed, for really the first time this season, how dangerous the Dodgers can be when the top of their lineup is all doing damage.

“There was a lot of hoopla going on in that first homestand,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this will spur something else.”

What it means

Depends if the Dodgers can keep this going.

Beating up on Mikolas, after all, is no special accomplishment. The former two-time All-Star has a 5.00 ERA over the last four seasons. He’s also been especially bad against the Dodgers in his career with a 7.80 ERA –– ironic, since he has been one of the few MLB players to publicly criticize their recent spending.

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Still, games like Friday are more what the Dodgers envisioned when putting together this year’s record-breaking $415-million payroll. Their Nos. 1-4 hitters alone, who had a combined .161 average entering play, they went 8-for-21 as a group with 10 RBIs.

As Freeman presciently noted earlier this week: “I think our offense is inevitable.”

Who’s hot

Outside of Pages, who is now batting a team-best .480, how about the leadoff duo of Ohtani and Tucker –– who not only hit their first home runs in Friday’s victory, but also recorded their first multi-hit games of the season, Ohtani going 2-for-5 with four RBIs and Tucker 3-for-6 with two RBIs.

Entering Friday, the pair had seven total hits (and only one for extra bases) against 14 combined strikeouts. Even after just six games, Roberts was asked Friday morning if he had considered splitting them up at the top of the order.

The manager hadn’t, of course, noting it was far too early for such drastic changes. 

However, he did emphasize the importance of Tucker’s No. 2 spot in the lineup directly behind Ohtani.

“Him getting on base and being a threat,” Roberts said, “changes how a team is going to approach Shohei.”

Who’s not

Sheehan did well to limit damage after an early three-run home run by CJ Abrams. But two starts into the campaign, the fourth-year starter still doesn’t look right.

For a second-straight game, his fastball velocity was noticeably down, averaging just 93.8 mph (even with a late uptick at the end) compared to 95.6 mph a season ago. Both Abrams’ homer and James Wood’s leadoff double earlier in the first inning came against heaters that failed to break 95.

Roberts was expecting Sheehan’s velocity to be improved before the game, saying the team’s pitching coaches had identified a flaw in his mechanics.

“I think a lot of what he’s done lately is spin out (of his delivery) more than is typical,” Roberts said. “So getting the direction better, we feel it should increase velocity … and his pitch mix should be better.”

Instead, the search remains ongoing for the right-hander, who now has an 8.00 ERA and an 8-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first two outings.

Up next

The Dodgers continue their weekend series at Nationals Park with a 1:05 p.m. start Saturday. Tyler Glasnow will take the bump, coming off his six-inning, two-run season debut last week. Jake Irvin will start for Washington. The right-hander has a career 4.92 ERA, but gave up just two runs in five innings to the Chicago Cubs in his first outing this year.

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All 30 teams are in action on Saturday, April 4, and I'm poring over the odds to make moneyline predictions for all 15 games.

My MLB picks are especially bullish on the Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners.

MLB moneyline picks for April 4

Matchup	Pick
Cardinals vs Tigers	+133
Blue Jays vs White Sox	-156
Dodgers vs Nationals	-270
Astros vs A's	-104
Orioles vs Pirates	+104
Padres vs Red Sox	-133
Brewers vs Royals	+100
Reds vs Rangers	+138
Marlins vs Yankees	+138
Rays vs Twins	+100
Cubs vs Guardians	+113
Braves vs Diamondbacks	-104
Phillies vs Rockies	+186
Mets vs Giants	+113
Mariners vs Angels	-150

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 4-3.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for April 4

Cardinals vs Tigers: Cardinals (+133)

Cardinals win probability: 43%

Let's open with a slight upset, as the St. Louis Cardinals can make life miserable for former Redbird Jack Flaherty. The Detroit Tigers right-hander has been extremely uneven over his career, including last season, when he posted a 4.64 ERA over 31 starts. He also issued four walks in just over four innings in his first start, and I like the young St. Louis lineup to step up on the road.

Blue Jays vs Team: Blue Jays (-156)

Blue Jays win probability: 61%

Even though the Toronto Blue Jays haven't announced their starter as of this writing, I'm taking the visitors because of how the lineup rakes against left-handed pitchers like Chicago White Sox starter Anthony Kay. Toronto boasted the third-highest wRC+ against southpaws in 2025, highlighted by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ernie Clement, and George Springer, all of whom recorded an OPS north of .800 in these matchups.

Dodgers vs Nationals: Dodgers (-270)

Dodgers win probability: 73%

Washington Nationals starter Jake Irvin had the highest ERA (5.70) among all qualified starters in 2025. The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't quite turned on the offensive jets this season, but this isn't an advisable position to back the underdog.

Astros vs A's: A's (-104)

A's win probability: 51%

This is mostly a fade of Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who looked very shaky in his MLB debut and now has to contend with the poor pitching conditions at Sutter Health Park against an A's team that has dangerous power up and down the lineup.

Orioles vs Pirates: Pirates (+104)

Pirates win probability: 49%

While no one would expect Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski to maintain a 40% strikeout rate, he looked exceptional in his season debut against the Yankees. But his success shouldn't be a surprise. He has a career 3.27 ERA over 190 innings split between the bullpen and rotation, and I like him to keep the Baltimore Orioles guessing.

Padres vs Red Sox: Red Sox (-133)

Red Sox win probability: 57%

This is a combination of preferring starter Connelly Early to Randy Vasquez and how the Boston Red Sox lineup ultimately matches up against the right-hander. Vasquez racked up the strikeouts in his season debut, but that's not his bread and butter, as he fanned just 13.7% of batters last season.

Brewers vs Royals: Brewers (+100)

Brewers win probability: 50%

Expect a better performance from Milwaukee Brewers rookie Brandon Sproat than what we saw in his first start. He issued four walks in three innings, and while he never had pinpoint command in the minors, this was far worse than anything he was accustomed to. 

Reds vs Rangers: Reds (+138)

Reds win probability: 42%

The Texas Rangers haven't announced a starter, and the Cincinnati Reds lineup is an exciting one from top to bottom. More importantly, we're getting an extremely good price here, especially if Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suarez, and Elly De La Cruz get the bats going early.

Marlins vs Yankees: Marlins (+163)

Marlins win probability: 38%

Like with the Reds, I'm taking the Miami Marlins as significant road underdogs largely due to the value at +163. The Marlins have hit lefties like New York Yankees SP Ryan Weathers well in the early going, and this isn't the same perennial loser Miami team as we've grown accustomed to. 

Rays vs Twins: Rays (+100)

Rays win probability: 50%

The Minnesota Twins are a disaster in 2026, and while the Tampa Bay Rays may not be much better, I'll fade Mick Abel, who has often struggled with command throughout his career in the majors and minors.

Cubs vs Guardians: Cubs (-113)

Cubs win probability: 53%

Of all of the Cleveland Guardians starting pitchers, Slade Cecconi is the least impressive/daunting. He doesn't overpower anyone, rarely misses bats, and surrenders a ton of hard contact. He lives in the zone, and the Chicago Cubs will make mincemeat of his offerings, giving Shota Imanaga enough of a cushion in case he doesn't have his best stuff.

Braves vs Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks (-104)

Diamondbacks win probability: 51%

Even after a sharp first outing of the season, I don't trust Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, especially against an Arizona Diamondbacks lineup featuring Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo.

Phillies vs Rockies: Rockies (+186)

Rockies win probability: 35%

This is my biggest underdog pick of the day. Philadelphia Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo was snakebitten by the long ball in his season debut, and while I don't expect that to become a new norm for him, a game at Coors Field doesn't bode well. 

Mets vs Giants: Giants (+113)

Giants win probability: 47%

The New York Mets haven't looked quite right at the plate so far, and I don't expect that to immediately change against San Francisco Giants starter Landen Roupp at Oracle Park.

Mariners vs Angels: Mariners (-150)

Mariners win probability: 60%

I'm not on board the Emerson Hancock train after one start, but I still expect the Seattle Mariners to knock Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz around enough for the right-hander to secure a win for the visitors.

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.

Happy Opening Day, Detroit! Today’s home opener marked the warmest Opening Day ever at Comerica Park (70 degrees Farenheit at game-time), and the warmest Tigers Opening Day in general since 1991. The Tigers lineup also warmed up following Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Diamondbacks, and new Tigers ace Framber Valdez came through with six shutout innings in his Tigers home debut. Tigers win, 4-0, and win their third straight home opener.

Through the first three innings, Tigers hitters produced some impressive swings, but no runs. Kevin McGonigle, in his first-ever game at Comerica Park and his first-ever game hitting leadoff for the Tigers, lead off today’s game by knocking a ball 403 feet into center field!… and into Victor Scott II’s glove for an out. Then, two hitters later, Kerry Carpenter lasered a ball to right field, 110.3 MPH off his bat!… his hardest ball hit in two years!…and off the right field wall for a long single. As a reminder, Colt Keith practically did the same thing on Wednesday, hitting the ball off the top of Chase Field’s right field wall; that ball staying in the park was the difference in Wednesday’s game.

In the third inning, Javier Báez singled and stole second, setting up a potential RBI for Gleyber Torres. Torres singled, but right fielder Jordan Walker gunned him out on the plate with a 100.6 MPH throw.

Tough luck for Detroit’s bats to start the day. Framber Valdez had their back, however, and opened today’s game by retiring the first eight batters he faced en route to six shutout innings. But although he only allowed five total hits and walks today, Valdez found himself managing traffic before the Tigers gave him a lead. The first potential Cardinals rally came with two outs in the third inning, as Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn notched back-to-back hits before an Iván Herrera groundout ended the threat.

The Cardinals fourth inning rally was more dramatic, and Detroit’s play in the face of adversity allowed them to settle into a comfortable win once the threat was put away. The inning got off to a typical start; Valdez allowed a leadoff single, secured two outs, then produced a ground ball to Spencer Torkelson off the bat of Yahel Pozo. But Torkelson struggled to field the ball, and once he finally got ahold of it and tossed it over to Valdez covering at first, Valdez not only failed to catch the ball, but took it off his throwing hand. Detroit had to check on their newly-signed star to see whether he could continue, and once they elected to keep him in the game, Valdez walked Thomas Saggese to load the bases. With the bases loaded and Tigers hitters in a 18-inning scoring drought, Valdez stayed down in the zone with his sinker and back-to-back curveballs to produce a weak José Fermín fly ball to end the threat. Isn’t it nice to have two aces?

After Valdez worked his way out of that fourth-inning jam, today’s Opening Day festivities truly began. First, after working a full count, Riley Greene sizzled a double to the gap in right-center field, 111 MPH off the bat. From there, rising star Dillon Dingler brought him home.

2-0, Detroit, and home run #2 for Dillon Dingler — and the Tigers period — this season.

Next, in the bottom of the fifth, Kevin McGonigle knocked a one-out double to left field, but was thrown out at third after Gleyber Torres hits into a fielder’s choice. With two outs, the Tigers rebuilt the rally, as Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene knocked back-to-back singles off lefty Justin Bruihl to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Carpenter’s unlikely lefty-on-lefty hit was a welcome sight after a miserable road trip that saw him go just 2-22 with 12 strikeouts. Greene’s hit, meanwhile, was his 500th hit!

Fun fact: the Tigers have two of baseball’s three top hitters through age-25 of all time: Ty Cobb tops that leaderboard with a staggering 1,433 hits through age-25, and Al Kaline had 1,200 hits through age-25 himself.

The last noteworthy bit of action from today came in the sixth inning, when Parker Meadows was hit by a pitch with two outs. Meadows stole second — his second stolen base of the year — to set up a Javier Báez single that gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead. From there, Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan, and Tyler Holton finished out the day; they redeemed Detroit’s Tuesday bullpen collapse with three combined shutout innings, allowing three total baserunners and striking out four. Holton was only out there for a couple of minutes, as he threw just seven pitches in the non-save situation to close this one out.

Thanks for the lack of stress, boys.

Final: Detroit 4, St. Louis 0

After struggling mightily on offense in their last series and really in the last four-plus games of the homestand, the Dodgers were understandably confident that their star-studded lineup would get things going. Facing Miles Mikolas helped, as the Dodgers torched the right-hander for four home runs in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday afternoon in Washington D.C.

During the homestand, the Dodgers only scored nine total runs in the first five innings during the six games. They put an 11-spot in 4 1/3 innings against Mikolas on Friday, thanks to the long ball.

Shohei Ohtani’s first extra-base hit of the season was a three-run shot in the third inning. Then Mookie Betts followed with a two-run homer in the same inning, and Andy Pages continued his scorching start with a two-run shot in the fourth.

Freddie Freeman added a two-run shot in the fifth inning, which Mikolas did not complete.

Mikolas is the first pitcher to allow 11 runs in a game to the Dodgers since Alec Bettinger of the Milwaukee Brewers did so on May 2, 2021. In his career, Mikolas has a 7.80 ERA in 45 innings against the Dodgers, fueling a 1-6 record.

During spring training in 2024, Mikolas, then with the St. Louis Cardinals, said, “We’re not exactly a low payroll team, but you got the Dodgers playing checkbook baseball. We’re going to be the hardest working group of Midwestern farmers we can be.”

In four starts against Los Angeles since those words, the Dodgers have cashed in off the veteran right-hander, scoring 25 runs in 17 1/3 innings, with 11 home runs off him.

“We had an inkling they were ready to erupt, and we also had an inkling with Mikolas on the mound,” Orel Hershiser said of the Dodgers offense during the SportsNet LA telecast.

Getting some length

The Dodgers gave Emmet Sheehan a lot of run support, but he was working out of a hole for a bit as his team didn’t score until the third inning.

Sheehan had a rough opening frame. He gave up rockets to James Wood and CJ Abrams, the former on the first pitch of the game just off the edge of Andy Pages’ glove in center, and the latter a home run to right field. It was a three-run shot because, in between, Sheehan issued a five-pitch walk to Brady House, who walked once every 34 plate appearances as a rookie last season.

Of concern for Sheehan in his first start was a lack of command, as he needed 83 pitches to get 10 outs. He rebounded Friday after that first inning to pitch into the sixth, getting 17 outs on 98 pitches, and allowed only one more run, though with more walks (three) than strikeouts (two).

Sheehan, who averaged 95.6 mph on his four-seam fastball hasn’t yet hit that in either of his starts, averaging 94 mph last Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and 93.8 mph against Washington. He also saw his velocity drop as the game progressed in his first start. The drop wasn’t as stark on Friday, with his sixth-inning average the same as the first, but that pitch is lacking the juice it had in 2025.

“We’re still digging into that,” manager Dave Roberts said last Friday after Sheehan’s first start of the season. “Our staff has talked to Emmet, and he says he feels good and feels strong. He works as hard as everybody. It’s probably something mechanical, but physical, the player’s got to let us know a little bit, too, and we haven’t heard anything about that part.”

Notes

• Thirteen runs in nine innings on Friday for the Dodgers were two more than they scored in the final 40 innings of the homestand.
• Kyle Tucker’s first home run of the season, off left-hander Ken Waldichuk in the seventh inning, gave the Dodgers a season-high five home runs. That matches the 2025 season high as well, done twice (May 15 vs. Athletics and May 31 vs. New York Yankees).
• Alex Call got into his first game of 2026, playing the final four innings in left field, giving Teoscar Hernández a breather after a three-hit day. Call walked and scored in his only plate appearance. Roberts told reporters in Washington earlier Friday that Call would start Sunday, when the Nationals will start left-hander Foster Griffin on the mound.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Shohei Ohtani (1), Mookie Betts (2), Andy Pages (2), Freddie Freeman (2), Kyle Tucker (1); CJ Abrams (2)

WP — Emmet Sheehan (1-0): 5 2/3 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts

LP — Miles Mikolas (0-2): 4 1/3 IP, 11 hits, 11 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Up next

The two teams are back at it again with a slightly later start time on Saturday (4:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow makes his second start, with right-hander Jake Irvin pitching for the Nationals.

It was the home opener at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers and they made the most of it with Framber Valdez keeping the Cardinals bats quiet as the Tigers defeated St. Louis 4-0.

Framber Valdez only allowed 3 Cardinals hits through 6 innings and the Detroit Tigers bullpen kept St. Louis off the scoreboard, too. The Friday afternoon Comerica Park home opener wasn’t without St. Louis Cardinals highlights, though, as Jordan Walker fired a missile from right field in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Victor Scott II also made a great play in the bottom of the first and JJ Wetherholt made a diving grab in the bottom of the 8th after he entered the game as a DH later in the game. Michael McGreevy wasn’t nearly as sharp as he was in his first start of the year as he allowed 7 hits and 3 runs through 4 2/3 innings.

All of the offense came in the middle innings as the Detroit Tigers got on the board in the 4th inning when Dillon Dingler hit a 433 foot two run homer to left center.

Riley Greene singled in another run in the 5th inning to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Javy Baez added another RBI single in the bottom of the 6th inning to close out the scoring. The only St. Louis Cardinals hits came from Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, Thomas Saggese and Victor Scott II.

Friday’s loss to Detroit gives St. Louis a 4-3 record for the still very early season. The Cardinals will try again on Saturday, April 4, 2026 when Dustin May gets the start for St. Louis and former Cardinal Jack Flaherty will take the mound for the Tigers in a 12:15pm scheduled start.

The Royals had previously announced Luinder Avila would get the start for tonight’s game, but now we know the corresponding move. Bailey Falter has been added to the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation retroactive to his last appearance in the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s win.

Bailey Falter has made six appearances for KC since being acquired for reliever Evan Sisk and infielder Callan Moss at the 2025 trade deadline, two starts and four relief appearances. He was a disaster last summer after the trade and looked pretty bad in Spring Training. However, he looked pretty good in his final spring performance and first relief appearance of the 2026 regular season. Unfortunately, when he attempted to finish off a rain-soaked blowout on Wednesday night, he struggled to throw competitive pitches. He got one out but walked two and gave up three hits, including a home run, leading to three runs and creating a save situation that Lucas Erceg had to finish off.

Falter becomes the second Royals reliever to go on the IL in the season’s first week after a non-competitive ninth inning performance, after Carlos Estévez was added with a left foot contusion on Wednesday. The Royals weren’t relying on Falter the same way they were Estévez, but that leaves them with only Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch IV as left-handers in the bullpen, with no one who appears remotely ready to step into such a role in the minors. Hopefully, Lynch and Strahm will remain healthy. The Diamondbacks have attempted to navigate the beginning of their season without a left-handed reliever, resulting in an 8.39 ERA from their bullpen, fourth-worst in baseball.

Of course, the Royals currently sit at 9.00 thanks in large part to the efforts of Estévez and Falter. Hopefully, things will improve from here.

Go Rays!

Happy Home Opener!

Here’s the Cubs lineup:

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

The Royals announced they have officially called up Luinder Avila to start tonight’s game against the Brewers, and have placed left-hander Bailey Falter on the 15-day Injured List with left elbow inflammation retroactive to yesterday. Falter faced six hitters on Wednesday night against the Twins and gave up three hits and two walks. Michael Wacha was scheduled to make the start Friday night, but was scratched due to illness, requiring Avila to be called up.

Falter has given up five runs and eight hits in 3.1 innings in his two games so far. The Royals acquired him last July and he has given up 20 runs in 15.1 innings since his trade from the Pirates. The Royals could have non-tendered him last winter, but chose to pay him $3.6 million to provide starting pitching depth. Falter is out of options, so he can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. He was fairly effective in 2024 with the Pirates when he had a 4.43 ERA in 28 starts, although with a low strikout rate.

Luinder Avila appeared in 13 games with the Royals last year, giving up just two runs with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings for an ERA of 1.29. He started the first game for Omaha, and he gave up two runs in three innings with three strikeouts.

Avila is ranked as the #9 prospect in the Royals’ farm system by MLB Pipeline. He throws from a high angle, and tends to induce a lot of groundballs. His curveball had a 48 percent whiff rate in limited big league action. He was also impressive in the World Baseball Classic, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run for Team Venezuela.