Konnor Griffin entered the 2026 season with one of the most anticipated pending debuts in Major League Baseball.
And on Friday, the young Pirate did not disappoint.
The highly touted prospect, who will be 19 for another three weeks, ripped an RBI double in his first MLB at-bat as part of a 5-4 win over the Orioles, elevating the Pirates’ record to 4-3.
“It was awesome,” Griffin said, per MLB.com. “Getting a win, as well, was the cherry on top. That was hands down one of the best days of my life.”
He became the first teenage position player in the majors since Juan Soto did so with the Nationals in 2018.
Pittsburgh Pirates 19-year-old Konnor Griffin hit an RBI double in his Major League Baseball debut. The Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4. Getty Images
The RBI double was part of what became a game-deciding four-run second inning.
Griffin, who was drafted in the first round at No. 9 overall in 2024, finished the day with 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate while hitting seventh in the order.
“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” manager Don Kelly told reporters after the win. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”
Konnor Griffin (6) points to his family while being interviewed after the game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 03, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Griffin slashed an incredible .438/.571/.625 line in just five games this season with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Additionally, across 122 games last year in the minors, Griffin hit .333, blasting 21 home runs with 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases.
As a result of his production, he was later honored with Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Griffin had originally committed to baseball powerhouse LSU, but ended up forgoing a career in the SEC to head straight to the pro ranks.
Griffin also earned a signing bonus of $6.53 million upon joining the Pirates organization following the 2024 Draft. He’s in the midst of finalizing a reported $140 million extension.
The Los Angeles Angels have used that name since 2016, but California state legislation could result in that changing.
California Assembly member Avelino Valencia has brought the legislation forward, asking to revert the name of the MLB franchise to the Anaheim Angels as a requirement of any sale or new lease of the stadium property, according to the LA Times.
The bill is named the “Home Run for Anaheim Act.”
Anaheim was dropped from the name after the team was previously called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2005 to 2015. The team was previously known as the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004, including during its championship season in 2002.
Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken has reportedly asked the city attorney to also explore the possibility that the MLB franchise may have violated its current lease by dropping the name from legal documents.
The team's current stadium lease extends through 2032, according to Sports Business Journal. The Angels have the option to consider extending the lease through 2038.
Arte Moreno bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company for $183.5 million in 2003. Moreno considered selling the team in 2022 but decided the team was no longer for sale after having a change of heart in January 2023.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 03: Starting pitcher Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs of the home opener at Progressive Field on April 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well. What a game. Cantillo was nearly perfect this afternnon, going 5 1/3 innings of “1-run” ball. He notched 6 strikeouts, walking only 2. I put 1-run ball in quotations because, if you watched the game, that run being earned is nonsense. For those who might not have watched, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a lazy fly just past the infield to which Jose, Arias, and Kwan all converged. Arias called off Jose and Kwan, and then proceeded to let the ball drop. PCA got to second on that error-that-somehow-wasn’t-an-error. The Cubs brought PCA home right after. Cantillo wasn’t in the zone much today, but got the Cubs to chase quite a bit. He did a fantastic job of limiting hard contact, only surrendering 1 batted ball over 100 mph. That ball, for reference, was a groundball that escaped up the middle of the infield.
A few innings after the Cubs scored, the Guardians put guys on second and third with DeLauter coming up to bat. Counsell had brought in submarine lefty Hoby Milner to face the top of the Guardians’ order, and DeLauter did this against him:
The kid just won’t stop hitting. Arias, shown in this video, did in fact get thrown out at the plate… somehow. From a different angle, it looked like he got a pretty bad jump. Despite there being two outs, he got a bad jump. Speaking of jumps, Connor Brogdon pitched the 7th. Facing Matt Shaw, he surrendered a ball that was smoked to right-center, and Daniel Scheneemann was able to reel it in with this unbelievable play.
DeLauter went 3-4 in his regular season debut in Cleveland, notching 2 singles and a 2-run homer. For those keeping count, he’s slashing .346/.370/.923 through 27 plate appearances, good for a 271 wRC+. He’s up to 5 HRs and 8 RBI.
Flying somewhat under the radar was what is, somehow, an almost routine thing for Jose Ramirez. After the homer, he softly served a liner into center. What made that a signature Jose play was him somehow turning that into a double. Not many people turn 73 mph line drives up the middle into doubles.
And not to let CTC figurehead Quincy Wheeler’s favorite reliever go unnoticed… Matt Festa pitched today! He came on for Cantillo with runners on, and got back-to-back pop-ups to end the 6th.
Armstrong pitched a clean 8th, and Cade shut the door in the 9th. Cade was much better today. He was able to throw his splitter more consistently for strikes, which had been a problem for him so far this year. Hopefully, that’s a good sign.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Tyler Mahle #54 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the New York Yankees in the second inning at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue their four-game series against the New York Mets tonight at Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who finished the 2025 season with a 2.18 ERA, 3.37 FIP, with 66 strikeouts to 29 walks in 86.2 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Giants’ 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday, in which he allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk in four innings.
He’ll be facing off against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean, who finished the 2025 season with a 2.06 ERA, 2.97 FIP, with 57 strikeouts to 16 walks in 48 innings pitched. His first start this season was in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, in which he allowed two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners plays shortstop during a 7-2 Seattle Mariners win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 26, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
J.P. Crawford is back in the lineup Friday as the Mariners begin their first road trip of the season.
Crawford was activated from the injured list Thursday. He makes his 2026 debut in what very well may be his last season with the Mariners.
Bryan Woo is on the mound and will look to build off a solid six inning, nine strikeout performance last week against the Guardians.
The Mariners send their lefty lineup to face Reid Detmers, who Jake Mailhot covered in our series preview.
Lineups
Game Info
First pitch: 6:38 PM PDT TV: Mariners TV and MLB Network (for those out of market). For how to watch, Kate’s got the details. Radio: 710 KIRO
In the top of the ninth inning, Miami’s Xavier Edwards smoked a hard liner at 96.4 mph to left off lefty reliever Ryan Yarbrough, sending Bellinger back toward the warning track.
Bellinger leapt off the edge of the outfield grass, knocking the ball down but could not snag it.
However, as he came back down to earth, Bellinger blindly swiped at the ball with his gloved hand and came up with it for the out.
Bellinger lifted up both of his hands as he rested against the outfield wall, with adoring fans in the Yankee Stadium bleachers cheering him on.
New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) catches a fly ball by Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards (9) during the ninth inning of a home-opener baseball game, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. AP
He admitted after the game that he got a bit “lucky” with the snag.
“I feel like I had a good bead on it the whole way,” he told reporters after the victory. “I think it caught off my wrist. I really don’t know. I’m just glad I came down with it.”
Fans celebrate New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) after catching a fly ball by Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards (9) during the ninth inning of a home-opener baseball game, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. AP
Bellinger has been known for his defensive prowess during his career, winning a Gold Glove with the Dodgers during the 2019 season. During his first season in pinstripes, Bellinger recorded seven outs above average to rank in the 93rd percentile in the category, according to Baseball Savant.
The outfielder went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double, walk and run scored.
The Greenville Drive fought back late in their season opener before ultimately falling in extras to the Greensboro Grasshoppers, 9-5 in 11 innings on Thursday.
The Drive had been shut out through eight innings before Freili Encarnacion delivered a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game 3-3. It was an oppo blast, and Freili was deservedly fired up.
FREILI ENCARNACION TIES IT WITH A THREE-RUN HOME RUN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH pic.twitter.com/0EZfwylj2H
Each team scored in the tenth, with Greenville tying the game once again due to a balk, before the Grasshoppers opened things up with five runs in the eleventh.
Spring training helium lefty Juan Valera got the start and struck out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Reliever Joey Gartrell relieved Valera, pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings. The loss went to Jay Allmer, who allowed four runs (two earned) in the tenth and eleventh innings. Third baseman Jack Winnay had the lone multi-hit effort for the Drive.
Kyson Witherspoon will make his debut tonight at 6:45 ET, toeing the rubber for the Drive.
Minor league franchises are meant to have outrageous, multisyllabic, and often fictitious nicknames. The Salem Red Sox did not qualify. The RidgeYaks sound badass. And they won in their first game of the rebrand.
Dylan Brown was the Red Sox’ eighth-round pick in 2025 out of Old Dominion, and in his first minor league start, he threw a beauty. Brown struck out six in five shutout innings, allowing only two baserunners. He threw a tidy 52 pitches, which got him through five to qualify for the Win.
On the offensive side for the RidgeYaks, Skylar King had two doubles, which knocked in a total of three runs on the day. Starlyn Nunez and D’Angelo Ortiz each had two hits, with Nunez stealing a base and Ortiz stealing two.
On Friday at 6:35 ET, Madinson Frias will make his first outing of the season.
Worcester Red Sox at St. Paul Saints (ppd.)
Thursday’s game in St. Paul was rained out. The teams will try again tonight at 7:37 ET with Worcester’s starter TBD.
The Portland Sea Dogs will kick things off this evening at 6:35 ET as Blake Wehunt takes the hill.
Apr 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor (12) warms up before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – 1B
Mark Vientos – DH
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – RF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Nolan McLean – RHP
Giants lineup
Willy Adames – SS
Rafael Devers – DH
Luis Arráez – 2B
Matt Chapman – 3B
Jung Hoo Lee – RF
Heliot Ramos – LF
Harrison Bader – CF
Patrick Bailey – C
Casey Schmitt – 1B
Tyler Mahle – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 10:15pm EDT TV: WPIX Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
he Houston Astros (5-2) travel to the Athletics (1-5) tonight In Sacrament0 in the first game of a three game series.
Astros game three starterRHP Cristian Javier will make his second start of the season for the Astros, this time opposite LHP Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics.
Friday’S TILT: The Astros and Athletics will play the first game of their three-game series tonight as Houston goes for their sixth straight win.
ON THE HUNT: RHP Cristian Javier is making his second start of the season after getting knocked around in 4.2 innings in game three. He carries am 11.57 ERA with one strikeout and four walks.
Javier came back in August of last season following Tommy John surgery. He finished 2-4 on the season with a 4.62 ERA in 37.0 innings. He added 34 strikeouts and 15 walks in those innings.
ASTROS VS. Springs: The Astros are squaring off against Springs for the fifth time in his young career. He is 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA and ten strikeouts against the Astros. Springs comes in with a 0-0 record and 3.38 ERA after his first start.
RIVALRY VS. THE ATHLETICS: The Astros and Athletics have squared off 182 times in their history. They have a 101-81 against the Athletics in their lifetime. However, the Athletics were 8-5 against the Astros in the 2025 season.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed IF Isaac Paredes on the Bereavement Leave…to take his place on the active roster, Houston has recalled IF Shay Whitcomb.
Jorge Polanco is not in the Mets' lineup on Friday as he misses his second of the team's last four games with what the team is calling Achilles tendinitis.
It's a condition that Polanco has dealt with since the second game of the regular season. The Mets have tried to accommodate Polanco by having him start as the DH to get him off his feet, and it seemed to be working, but playing in Thursday's loss set the veteran infielder back.
"Better today, but after the game last night, he was sore," manager Carlos Mendoza said before Friday's game. "That’s why we decided to give him the first half of the game off. And see how he was going to feel this morning. Luckily, in a better place."
With the up-and-down nature of how Polanco has been feeling, Mendoza was asked if he's concerned, and the Mets skipper downplayed it a bit.
"I’m not going to say concerned, it’s a day-to-day [situation]," he said. "He’s got days where he feels it more. For the past couple of days, he was in a pretty good place until last night. We’ll have to continue to monitor it. He’s getting a lot of treatment. Trainers are working really hard with it. As of right now, it’s day-to-day type deal, and we’ll go from there.
"He’s going to have some good days and out of nowhere, he’s going to start feeling it. And that’s what happened last night."
With Polanco DHing, Mark Vientos and Jared Young have started at first base. But with Polanco out of the lineup altogether, that's allowed Brett Baty to man first base with Vientos starting at DH for the second game of the team's four-game set in San Francisco.
So far this season, Polanco is 4-for-23 across six games.
Carlos Mendoza says that Jorge Polanco is feeling "better today" as he deals with Achilles tendonitis pic.twitter.com/d2ZP6YhmZH
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 30: A general view of the exterior of Chase field is seen prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, March 30, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
BRAVES
DIAMONDBACKS
Ronald Acuna – RF
Ketel Marte – 2B
Drake Baldwin – DH
Corbin Carroll – RF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Matt Olson – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Austin Riley – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Eli White – LF
Alek Thomas – CF
Mauricio Dubon – SS
James McCann – C
Michael Harris – CF
Carlos Santana – 1B
Jonah Heim – C
Tim Tawa – LF
Grant Holmes – RHP
E. Rodriguez – LHP
And, no – I will not be including James McCann’s interesting appearance on the mound yesterday, in the chart above. Over the Statcast era, there have been a total of 19 pitches thrown by Diamondbacks which came in at a velocity below forty miles per hour. Fourteen of them were thrown by McCann last night: the others belonged to Josh Rojas (2), Jose Herrera (2) and Tucker Barnhart (1). McCann bottomed out at just 35.8 mph, the slowest pitch recorded in Arizona franchise history. Mind you, that was still lickety-split compared to the 33.6 mph lollipop delivered by Dylan Moore of the Phillies to CJ Abrams on Monday. The all-time low? 21.7 mph by… Garrett Crochet? Of course, there’s a caveat…
After that unfortunate pounding, it’ll be interesting to see how the D-backs bounce back, especially given the equally unfortunate loss of Jordan Lawlar. Just after he had hit his first home-run as well, and had got his numbers for the season up to 6-for-18 with a .956 OPS. Small sample size, but there’s no arguing that Lawlar looked an awful lot better this year than he had previously. Despite a gaffe last night, his performance in the outfield had generally been solid, especially considering the near-total lack of professional experience Jordan had at the position. Hope he heals quickly and fully, and returns to take up where he left off.
Tonight, we’ll get to see if Eduardo Rodriguez’s first start was a genuine turn for the better, or if it needs to filed in the “one swallow doesn’t make a summer” category. It wasn’t the deepest of outings, going only five innings. He wasn’t particularly inefficient, using 79 pitches to get to that point. I think it was more a case of it being so early in the season. I’d imagine the training wheels are off tonight, with regard to pitch count, and we could probably do with a quality start from E-Rod, give the bullpen a bit of a breather.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 02: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammate Austin Riley #27 after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field on April 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves have started the season with three straight series-opening wins after last night’s 17-2 thumping of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now they go for their first three-game winning streak of the season in Game 2 of the four-game series Friday night in Phoenix. Atlanta will give the ball to Grant Holmes as he looks to bounce back from a loss in his first start of the season Sunday vs. Kansas City.
The second straight late-night start is set for a 9:45 p.m. EST first pitch and will be broadcast on Apple TV.
Stay locked in here as Atlanta looks to move into sole possession of first place in the NL East (entirely too early to be worried about this but after last year’s start, it should be acknowledged) and watch for our West Coast correspondent Scott Coleman’s recap late tonight.
By the time the Yankees finished blasting the Miami Marlins 8-2 in their home opener Friday afternoon, two things felt true about the group many accused of running things back at the expense of pushing them forward.
First, the 2026 Yankees are good enough to win the World Series. Second, it is way too soon to say so.
Because even if their season falls apart for one reason or another, few teams can win the way the Yankees did Friday -- let alone the way they have been winning all week, against strong opponents and struggling ones alike.
Consider this: On Friday, sophomore righty Will Warren forced his Yankees to suffer through the worst start they’ve endured all season. The torture included all of two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings that required just 77 pitches. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Their starters’ ERA bloated to an unwieldy 0.92 in seven games – four earned runs, 41 strikeouts.
“They’re just dictating the at-bat, I feel like. They’re getting ahead. They’re working all their pitches on the corners,” Yankee captain Aaron Judge said. “Those guys, if you get in good counts against hitters, it’s a tough at-bat. So them getting ahead 0-1, 0-2, just putting the pressure on guys at-bat after at-bat, it’s tough for an offense to kind of get rolling when that happens.”
According to researcher Sarah Langs, only two teams have allowed as few runs (eight) in the first seven games of their season as these Yankees: The 2002 San Francisco Giants and the 1993 Atlanta Braves. One of those teams played in the World Series. And the other was building what would become one of the best starting rotations of the modern era.
But while the sample might be small, the relevant context is immense: The rotation making that history does not include its most proven ace, Gerrit Cole, or his fellow top-of-the-rotation anchor Carlos Rodon, both of whom are working their way back from injuries. When they do, Warren -- the man who started more games as a rookie in 2025 than any Yankee pitcher had in decades – will slide into the fifth spot in their rotation.
Now, of course, no pitcher looks the same after a major injury, at least not at first. And Warren or fellow youngster Cam Schlittler could regress – their track records aren’t long enough to call either of them sure things.
Still, the thing that makes the Yankees hopeful that running things back will actually push them deeper into October is the potential for the opposite effect: With expanded pitch arsenals and jumps in velocity, respectively, both Schlittler and Warren look capable of taking steps forward in 2026.
The same could be true for first baseman Ben Rice – though again, no decisions should be made after one productive season and one solid opening week.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during the first inning of the home opener baseball game between the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY, Friday, April 3, 2026. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rice, who struck out in his first three at-bats Friday, was so flustered by the experience that he homered in the seventh before doubling in the eighth. He is hitting .409 with a 1.364 OPS.
“I think Benny can really hit,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Rice could be one of the best hitters in baseball this year. “I think he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter. I think he will be for a long time.”
If Rice can duplicate or improve on the 26 homers he hit last season, the Yankees will once again be the kind of power-heavy lineup it has been for several years. But between homers from Rice and Judge on Friday, they displayed another weapon they have not always had in that time: Team speed and aggressive baserunning.
Almost every Yankee who had a chance to run did so Friday, but the speedsters in the back half of the lineup never stopped. Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, stole second, then stole third before scoring in the second inning. Jose Cabellero stole second both times he reached first. After Chisholm Jr. doubled and tagged on a routine fly ball to right field in the third inning, Caballero tried to squeeze him home with a two-out bunt. Cabellero and Chisholm Jr. combined to steal 80 bases in 2025. They have seven between them in seven games this year.
But even Yankees less known for speed pushed the limits against a Marlins battery not known for controlling the running game. Judge stole a base. Austin Wells (successful) and Trent Grisham (unsuccessful, but only because his momentum carried him off third base) attempted to tag on balls hit in front of them. Yankees runners were in motion, and they scored an extra run or two because of it.
“I think we became that in the second half of last season, where night in and night out we were rolling a good amount of speed and some athletes out there to where that slowly became a little more of our identity,” Boone said. “Obviously, having a lot of the same group now, we have a handful of guys who can really push it in the run game.”
Now, of course, in small samples like this one, winning can camouflage mediocrity. A very similar Yankees bunch was not exactly a baserunning model in 2025 (According to Baseball Savant, only two teams generated fewer runs by taking the extra base than the Yankees did in 2025, though they did create more runs via stolen base than all but four.)
“Guys laying down bunts, guys moving runners over, guys taking the extra base when they can,” Judge said. “It’s just little things like that that if we do that over 162 and into the postseason, good things are going to happen.”
Maybe this is just one of those halcyon weeks when everything is going right. Then again, few teams have the talent to make things go this right, across three cities, in less-than-ideal weather conditions, with two of their best starting pitchers injured and…
Nevermind. Best to be reasonable. It is, after all, way too soon to tell.
Apr 3, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A general view of the field during a power outage prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
Byron Buxton had to leave the game in the seventh inning when he was hit by a pitch and suffered an right arm contusion. X-rays were negative, but obviously we’ll know more later tonight or over the weekend.
In the game itself, Bailey Ober didn’t take well to the cold, but the bullpen (!) held in there until the Twins were able to get past Rays flamethrower Joe Boyle. And a guy YOU DID NOT EXPECT provided the big hit for the home team.
Pregame: This is just absolutely perfect:
At about 2:00, Target Field lost power (as did much of downtown Minneapolis). Since that meant the wi-fi was down, the little hand-held ticket scanners that Target Field employees use to “ping” people into the ballpark weren’t working. So fans had to wait for a bit. Eventually the team just decided to let people in who showed a ticket, and not to worry about the scanners.
Since that will affect the reported attendance a bit (maybe)? and teams have to share a certain proportion of the gate with the visiting team (I think?), I expect the Pohlads cut the power off on purpose.
Either that or Hans Gruber is making off with millions of bearer bonds right now.
(Tom Pohlad on the radio, being asked about if he’s ready for a bunch of Pohlad jokes: “I’ve got a thick skin. Bring it on.” OK.)
1: Bailey Ober, inspired by the 20 walks Saints pitchers gave up on Tuesday, decides to walk leadoff Yandy Díaz and then changes his mind, instead grooving a nice high hittable one to Junior Caminero. Double. Ober hangs a one-out slider that Jake Fraley pops up, then returns to groovin’ against Nick Fortes. The Rays score two and that means this game is likely over unless the Twins put more than the expected amount of effort into it.
After a leadoff walk to our own Kody Kat Klemens, Byron Buxton decides to take Strike 3 right down the middle, so yep, the expected amount of effort. Nobody else cares, either, soDevil Rays 2-0
2: Well, Bailey can handle the bottom of the Rays’ lineup alright. Unfortunately so far Joe Boyle can handle the entirety of the Twins’. He is not related to Danny Boyle, the British film director who made 28 Days Later, but these Twins bats are definitely zombified right now.
3: Tristan Gray, from Missouri City, TX, gets a one-out walk. He’s playing short today because Brooks Lee is “under the weather.” Back in the day “under the weather” in the NBA meant “Jordan and Barkley were at the casino until 6 AM” but I doubt that’s the case for Lee. A wild pitch advances Gray to second. Kody Klobberin’ Klemens has a check-swing foul tip into the glove for strike three, which is about as disappointing a way to strike out as I can think of. Buxton pops one up and this team is NOT an offensive powerhouse, methinks.
4: Instead of leaving a slider up to Fraley this time, Ober politely puts it right in the middle and Fraley doubles to right. Ober gets the next two guys, since if the Rays score any more runs the Twins are doomed, but sure enough here comes a 89-MPH fastball right in the happy place and Ben Williamson cranks another Tampa double. Pitch #78 walks Chandler Simpson (Maggie’s firstborn). Ober Ks the next guy, but nobody’s real excited about watching five innings of the Twins’ bullpen in sub-40° weather, are they?
Luke Keaschall decides to swing out of his shoes at three straight inside pitches and, amazingly, this works; he gets the skinny part of the bat on a slider and pokes it through the infield at 70.5 MPH. That’s good enough to score on a 69.2 MPH double by ex-Pirate Josh Bell. Then Jeffers 70 MPH bloops one into short right. Talk about small ball! Bell advances to third on the Jeffers duck fart. Trevor Larnach walks. Bases loaded, one out.
Royce Lewis hits what SHOULD be a double play, but SS Carson Williams utterly boots it and nobody’s out (it’s the Rays’ MLB-leading 10th error of the year; Bell scores.
Missouri City’s finest, Mr. Gray, sac flies Jeffers in. Wow, the Twins have made offense! Kooky Kody Klemens Ks to end the inning, but this baby has been securely tied 3-3
5: 28-year-old Eric Orze (pronounced “orr-zee”), who we got from the Rays for something called a Jacob Kisting, makes his home debut with a walk, followed by a flyout, popup, groundout. 25 pitches, though, so Shelton’ll have do dig deeper into his Magical Arm Barn, which does not inspire confidence.
Boyle gets the Twins easily. He’s not related to American actor Peter Boyle, but aside from all those 70-MPH bloopers last inning, he’s definitely kept the Twins from puttin’ on the hitz.
6: My bad! Orze is still in here. That reminds me of MLB’s stupidest new rule; how pitchers who start any inning have to pitch to at least three batters. The third one here gets on base, but Orze retires the fourth. It’s still a stupid rule.
Less stupid but still not one of my favorite rules; the ban of the shift. On a routine Jeffers groundout, the Twins say that Rays 2B Ben Williamson was too far to his right when the pitch was thrown. After like a hundred hours of looking at the video, the umps decide, yep, Williamson was in the wrong spot. So Jeffers is now ruled safe. Trevor Larnach then bounces one off the limstone in right (the Twins’ first well-hit ball of the day), and that puts guys at 2nd and 3rd with one out. In comes reliever Hunter Bigge. Royce Lewis walks.
And then, Tristan Gray and Kinky Kody Klemens both K, and that’s a little annoying. It’d be a lot annoying if I thought the Twins would win more than 75 games this year, but I don’t, so it’s only mini-annoying.
7: Justin “On” Topa in to pitch. Díaz gets another of those “little part of bat” hits with one out (it’s going around today). Topa gets the next guy, but on a Junior Caminero groundout, the umps rule that 1B Clemens took his foot off the bag and bobbled the ball. He did take his foot off; he didn’t bobble. Once again, MLB takes forever on a review play and STILL gets it fuggin’ wrong anyways; Caminero is ruled safe. Then Kody Funderburk comes in and gets the next guy anyways. I think the umps just want the fans to sit in the cold longer in revenge for all the critiquing of umps we’ve done over the years. Well, they’re big meanies and they deserve it.
CRAP.
Rays reliever Kevin Kelly hits Buxton on the right arm, it sounds bad, and Buxton leaves the game. It wasn’t at all intentional, the pitch just moved oddly.
Sigh. James Outman takes the base for him and steals second. Keaschall reaches when Caminero boots a backhand (his sixth error and the Rays’ twelfth!). Matt Wallner strikes out (for the fourth time!), but Josh Bell has the Twins’ second decently-hit ball of the night and knocks Keaschall in.
Then Jeffers reaches on ANOTHER Caminero error (which I didn’t think was an error), and Kelly walks Larnach to send home Keaschall. And Kelly walks Royce Lewis!
So of course Tristan Gray, who struck out with two guys in scoring position and one out last inning, says “I’m so sorry TwinkieTown! Let me do better!” OK. Grand slam? We forgive you!
Well, call me a genius for predicting all of this; the Twins would score a lot and their bullpen would be better than the other team’s. That’s why I’m known as Nostrajamus. Twins 10-3
8: Anthony “Panda” Banda, a former Ray, decides to come in, plunk Nick Fortes, WP Fortes to second, and give up the RBI to Cedric Mullins. Then WP Mullins to 2nd. Good grief man. He does manage to avoid anything worse, though. Cold state 10-4
9: ANOTHER Cody, Cody Lawyerson, nicely ends the game in the cold rain for us so that the nice people can go home, and even the mean ones too. TWIMS WIM! (Yes, around here we spell it wrong on purpose. No, I don’t know why.
Studs of the game: Bell & Larnach’s soild hits when nobody else was getting more than duck farts, Keaschall’s hustle… and DEFINITELY 30-year-old backup infielder Tristan Gray for going 1-for-5 with 5 RBI. Why not, man?
NO DUDS, TWINS WIN!
COTG goto norff for “the LOOGY lives on in spirit,” Kirilofffan19 for “I don’t think anyone here ever doubted the capabilities of Josh Bell or Trevor Larnach!” and TawnyFroggy for a g’day in Australia. We miss you Froggy, be well!
Tomorrow’s game is scheduled for 6:10 (weather permitting), and features the Twins’ Mick “Is He Very?” Abel against the Rays’ Steven Matz. Catch ya next time!
DENVER, CO - APRIL 3: Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen #24 of the Colorado Rockies manages the baseball after giving up a single in the second inning of the Rockies home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on April 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today was not the party the Rockies or their fans were hoping for.
For a moment, it felt like it might be possible. A perfect afternoon, a packed house, and Hunter Goodman receiving his Silver Slugger before first-pitch set an optimistic tone.
Michael Lorenzen never settled in. Trea Turner led off with a double, walks piled up, and Bryce Harper made it hurt with a two-run single. Bryson Stott followed with a double, and Brandon Marsh — Charlie Blackmon-esque beard and all — turned on an 0-2 fastball and launched it into the right field seats.
Seven runs crossed before the inning finally ended, aided by a ball lost in the sun in right that only made things feel sloppier.
#Rockies 7 runs allowed in 1st inning are their most ever in a home opener.
Lorenzen’s final line told the story: three innings, 12 hits, nine runs — all earned — with two walks and two home runs allowed. He takes the loss and falls to 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA through two starts. The first inning was the clear nightmare, a rude introduction to the home crowd in his first start at Coors Field as a Rockie.
It didn’t get better. Harper added a homer in the second, and Kyle Schwarber later crushed one into the second deck — a 460-foot blast, the longest in the majors so far this season.
The damage was spread throughout the lineup. Turner (3-for-4) set the tone, Schwarber supplied the power, Harper reached three times, and Alec Bohm and Stott kept innings moving. It was complete, relentless offense.
Lorenzen looked stiff, out of rhythm, and unable to command his fastball. It was a rough, disappointing start—but not the whole story.
Meanwhile, Nola looked like vintage Nola.
Aaron Nola improves to 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA through two starts, going 6.1 innings and allowing one earned run on five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts. He now has 16 strikeouts on the season. Nola worked ahead, changed speeds, and kept Rockies hitters defensive all afternoon. With a lead, he never had to do more than control the game —and he did that with ease. Still, the Rockies had chances.
In the second, Willi Castro ripped a 104.2 mph double down the line, TJ Rumfield battled his way on, and Jake McCarthy drove one to the track — but it died in center.
In the fourth, Mickey Moniak and Ezequiel Tovar singled, Rumfield hustled out an infield hit, and a run finally scored on a Castro grounder. Not pretty, but something.
Too often, though, it wasn’t enough.
Brenton Doyle struck out looking twice in big spots. The strikeouts piled up. Runners were left on. Momentum never stuck.
Through the game, the line told the story: 15 strikeouts against just one walk, no hitter with more than one hit. That’s now 32 strikeouts over the last two games — eye-watering stuff. Add it up, and your head starts to spin.
If there was a bright spot, it was Valente Bellozo.
Recently added to the roster, he didn’t look the part of a prototypical power arm — but he pitched like one. Efficient, composed, and exactly what the Rockies needed.
Six innings. One hit. One run. One walk. Seven strikeouts.
The only blemish: the Schwarber homer — yes, that one — the 460-foot missile into the second deck, still the longest in the majors this season. (Schwarber is ridiculous. He would look pretty good in purple, not going to lie…)
Bellozo stabilized the game, saved the bullpen, and was easily the Rockies’ MVP of the afternoon.
Behind him, Kyle Karros looked like a big leaguer in the field. Clean plays, steady presence — nothing flashy, just reliable defense.
There’s also a broader way to look at this one.
Take away the disastrous first inning, and it’s a 3-1 game. The Rockies still likely come up short, but it’s at least competitive. And that’s what lingers more than anything — this wasn’t just about Lorenzen having a rough day.
It was about the offense.
Right now, it doesn’t look like a lineup. It looks disconnected. The at-bats feel isolated, the approach inconsistent, and there’s no sense of momentum building from one hitter to the next. Too many strikeouts. Too many empty stretches.
At times, it feels like a collection of 7, 8, and 9-hole hitters trying to get through the order.
It’s one game — but it felt like one we’ve seen before.
And yet… this is part of it.
There was always going to be adversity with this team. New faces, new ideas, a new direction. Days like this were going to happen.
You just hoped it wouldn’t show up like this.
Not on today. Not when the party was just getting started.
Up Next
The Rockies return to Coors tomorrow at 6:10 p.m., with Jesús Luzardo set to go for the Phillies. Colorado’s starter? Still TBD.
And that’s part of the story.
Is it a bullpen game? Is it time for Chase Dollander? However it shakes out, today’s outing from Bellozo looms larger — six innings that may end up giving the Rockies just enough flexibility to get through tomorrow.
