Category: MLB

The Houston Astros (10-18) will try to salvage a victory in the finale this three-game series opposite the rival New York Yankees (18-9) today at Daikin Park.

RHP Spencer Arrighetti, who’s 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his two starts this season, will put his perfect record up against RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.11 ERA) and the Yankees.

SPENCER’S GIFTS: RHP Spencer Arrighetti has impressed in his two Major League starts, striking out 13 in 11.0 innings, while posting a .195 opponent average.

This continues his run of success, as he opened his year at Triple A Sugar Land where he had three strong starts, posting a 1.26 ERA (2ER/14.1IP) with 20 strikeouts, a 0.77 WHIP and a .111 opponent average.

Arrighetti has spent the majority of the last two years in Houston, making 38 apps. (36 starts) for the Astros, posting a 4.56 ERA (97ER/191.1IP) with 215 strikeouts in 191.1 innings.

RIVALRY RENEWED: The Astros went 3-3 against the Yankees in 2025, but have had their struggles vs. the Yankees since the start of the 2023 season, going 6-16 in their regular season games.

In the postseason, the Astros and Yankees have played 18 games against each other since 2015, the most playoff games between any two teams in that span, with the Astros going 13-5 in those games with wins in all four postseason series (2015 WC; 2017 ALCS; 2019 ALCS; 2022 ALCS).

GUN ‘EM DOWN:C Christian Vázquez threw out SS José Caballero attempting to steal third base in the 3rd and 7th innings last night.

Vázquez has thrown out seven baserunners attempting to steal (in 14 attempts), ranking tied for second in the AL.

THE ORDER: The Astros have used 28 different batting orders in their 28 games so far this season.

Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).

ON THE LEADERBOARD: Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid start to this season, currently leading the Majors in total bases (77), OBP (.464), and OPS (1.219), ranking tied for first in hits (36), extra-base hits (19), batting average (.353) and in homers (11), and second in RBI (26) and SLG (.755).

STALKING THE PUMA: LF Yordan Alvarez has matched the Astros franchise record with 11 home runs in the club’s first 28 games of a season, a feat he also accomplished in the 2022 season.

The only other Astro with 11 homers with the club’s first 28 games was OF Lance Berkman, who did so in both 2002 and 2006.

Should Alvarez homer today, he would be the first player in franchise history to hit 12 homers within the club’s first 29 games.

WE’RE GOING STREAKING!: LF Yordan Alvarez is on an active 11-game hitting streak in which he’s hit .391 (18×46) with four doubles, five homers, 12 RBI and a 1.233 OPS.

The streak is the second-longest of his career, trailing only a 13-game streak, which was posted from May 2-16, 2023. Lastly, Alvarez’s streak is the longest active streak in the AL and the longest by an Astro this season.

OUT ON REHAB: LF Zach Dezenzo played in his third rehab game for Triple A Sugar Land last night, going 1×2 with a double and two walks. Dezenzo has been sidelined this entire season while recovering from a right elbow sprain.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT: RHP Brandon McPherson, an undrafted free agent signing last season, tossed 4.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a start for Double A Corpus Christi last night, lowering his season ERA to 3.24 through four starts.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1998 – The Astros shellac the Expos 15-0 in what ties as the largest margin of victory in a shutout game in franchise history.

Two Astros have four-hit games in 3B Sean Berry and CF Richard Hidalgo, who both go 4×5. LF Moises Alou drives in five. RHP Sean Bergman (6IP) picks up the win, while LHP Trever Miller earns a 3.0-inning save.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 126, 1:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM & 99.1 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Detroit Tigers (14-14) vs. Cincinnati Reds (18-9)

Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Great American Ball Park
SB Nation Site: Red Reporter
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (1-2, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Rhett Lowder (3-1, 3.10 ERA)

Go Rays!

Rhett Lowder’s best outing of the 2026 season came back on April 4th against the Texas Rangers. The Cincinnati Reds righty fired 6.0 IP of scoreless, 3 hit ball that day, and he did so pitching to catcher Jose Trevino for the first (and, so far, only) time this year.

That’s largely because Trevino hit the shelf immediately after that game with pain in his back. But after three weeks on the shelf, Trevino is back with the Reds and immediately in action today in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.

And, he’ll have Lowder chucking baseballs his way as the Reds starter for the day.

Cincinnati goes for the series sweep over the Tigers on Sunday in Great American Ball Park, with Lowder hurling the first pitch of the day at 1:40 PM ET.

Here’s how both teams will line up as the Reds look to tie a bow on an already electric Hall of Fame induction weekend:

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers, April 26, 2026, 2:10 p.m. ET

Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Carmen Mlodzinski (1-1, 3.28 ERA) vs. Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.06 ERA)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Milwaukee Brewers looking to grab a win.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Here’s the Blue Jays lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

It’s been a weird weekend at Camden Yards. Neither of the games have been close, and the Red Sox have fired half of their coaching staff. Saying it that plainly would make you think the Orioles have outclassed the Red Sox all series. But that wouldn’t be true.

Sure, the O’s looked amazing in the opener, but they really stunk up the place in the sequel. And yet, the Red Sox front office chose to do the firing of World Series-winning manager Alex Cora and many of his underlings right after their team won a game by 16 runs. The optics of that are odd, though the team’s 10-17 record overall gives it more logic.

Chad Tracy will step into Cora’s shoes. He was an MLB player for parts of ten seasons, most of those spent with the Diamondbacks. More recently, the 45-year-old has been a coach in the Red Sox system. Up until Saturday he was manager of their Triple-A squad, the Worcester Red Sox.

For the Orioles, it’s business as usual. Saturday’s game was so terrible that they may as well flush it and move on. They have a series to win, against a division opponent no less. With a day off coming on Monday everyone should be available to get the W. That includes closer Ryan Helsley, who was activated from the bereavement list earlier today. Albert Suarez was DFA’d to make room. You have to imagine the O’s hope they can get Suarez back to Triple-A Norfolk, but he may have opportunities elsewhere.

Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Gunnar Henderson, SS
3. Adley Rutschman, DH
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Tyler O’Neill, RF
6. Samuel Basallo, C
7. Jeremiah Jackson, 2B
8. Dylan Beavers, CF
9. Blaze Alexander, 3B

RHP Kyle Bradish (1-2, 3.96 ERA)

Red Sox lineup

1. Jarren Duran, LF
2. Willson Contreras, 1B
3. Roman Anthony, DH
4. Wilyer Abreu, RF
5. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
6. Marcelo Mayer, 2B
7. Caleb Durbin, 3B
8. Connor Wong, C
9. Andruw Monasterio, SS

LHP Connelly Early (1-1, 2.88 ERA)

After a full day of rain in New York City on Saturday, the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets will pick things up where they left off, with a Sunday doubleheader to make up for the postponed game.

The Rockies won a close one on Friday night in the city that never sleeps, withstanding some late pressure to take down the Mets 4-3.

The win felt like a huge relief in a number of ways. For one, it was a nice way to bounce back after dropping a tight, series-deciding game in San Diego on Thursday. The Rocks have kept things competitive fairly often this season, but have wound up on the wrong side of close results. Holding on for a win the day after a blown save feels like a nice spark.

It also put a halt to the momentum New York was trying to build. Entering this series with Colorado, the Mets had just won two straight against the Minnesota Twins after making headlines for a 12-game losing streak. The pressure is now back on.

The win also marked just the fourth road win for the Rockies this year. Signs point to it being a pivotal one.

In promising news (knock on wood), the Rockies only series wins this season — against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road and the Houston Astros at home — came after they took the series opener. Friday’s victory puts them in position to win another.

Two teams looking for wins will try to do so with two pitchers each looking to bounce back from rough outings in their latest starts.

After some rotation shuffling as a result of the rainout, the Rockies are sticking with Jose Quintana (0-2 in three starts, 6.23 ERA) who was projected to start on Saturday, while the Mets are opting to go with Nolan McLean (1-1 in five starts, 2.67 ERA). Quintana was initially set to faceoff against Kodai Senga, who will instead pitch in the second game of the afternoon.

Quintana’s starts have been shaky to say the least. He’s been vulnerable to early runs and currently has more than double the number of walks (nine) as he does strikeouts (four). In his last game, the 12-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Quintana gave up six runs on eight hits including two home runs, before he was yanked after five innings. Before that, he only made it 3.2 innings in a 3-1 loss against the Houston Astros, giving up all three of those runs on three hits and four walks.

Conversely, McLean has been reliable for deep outings this season, averaging just over 6.0 IP in his five starts. While he hasn’t posted a win since his April 3rd outing against the San Francisco Giants, he has escaped his starts without enduring much damage.

McLean has given up only three hits a game on average, with only nine earned runs surrendered across those five starts. He’s been good for a ‘K’ as well, striking out eight or more batters in four of his starts. McLean’s last outing was his worst of the season, giving up five hits, three runs, and one homer in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins earlier in the week.

The Rockies offense will likely have to withstand a long day from McLean to garner some much-needed run support for Quintana, who will look to clean things up against a Mets offense that has had its own struggles. While not quite the high-ERA slugfest that Quintana vs. Senga was projected to be, the game one Quintana vs. McLean matchup is an embodiment of two teams trying to find their rhythm.

First Pitch: 11:40 a.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Mets SB Nation Site:Amazin’ Avenue

Lineups:

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Mets lineup

1. Bo Bichette – SS
2. Juan Soto – DH
3. Luis Robert – CF
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Marcus Semien – 2B
6. Brett Baty – 3B
7. Tyrone Taylor – RF
8. Tommy Pham – LF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Nolan McLean – RHP

Rockies lineup

1. Edouard Julien – 2B
2. Mickey Moniak – RF
3. TJ Rumfield – DH
4. Troy Johnston – 1B
5. Kyle Karros – 3B
6. Brett Sullivan – C
7. Ezequiel Tovar – SS
8. Jake McCarthy – CF
9. Jordan Beck – LF

Jose Quintana – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:40pm EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

One day after being run-ruled, a stud freshman just beginning to stretch out his arm and some bullpen guys shut out the dominant Tejas Long Fed-offense. It was a beautiful thing.

Today, we get a chance to take a really tough series.

On the Mound

Sunday @ 12:00pm on ESPN2

Vanderbilt #88 Fr. RHP Wyatt “Ice Town” Nadeau (1-2; 5.40 ERA; 11.97 K/9)

vs. Tejas #53 Grad. LHP Luke “Lefty-canoe” Harrison (4-2; 4.09 ERA; 9.59 K/9)

The Lineup

See you in the comments.

Last week was a sweep for the Braves, today could lead to another series win… if the Phillies don’t carry over from yesterday and find a way to break their streak.

The Braves will have to get runs on the board as early as possible, while the Phillies will have to endure in the latter half of the matchup, as the Braves are known to score leads in later innings to secure their wins.

First pitch is set for 1:35.

Preview

Lineups

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The Chicago Cubs will look to start a new winning streak as they wrap up their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon.

Chicago had previously won 10 straight before Saturday’s loss, and my Cubs vs. Dodgers predictions like them to take the rubber match at Dodger Stadium. 

Find out more in my free MLB picks for Sunday, April 26.

Who will win Cubs vs Dodgers today: Cubs moneyline (+110)

The Chicago Cubs may have lost on Saturday, but that does little to change how impressive they’ve been over the past two weeks.

Chicago outscored its opponents 72-31 over its latest 10-game winning streak, and the red-hot Shota Imanaga is set to take the mound on Sunday. The Japanese southpaw boasts a 1.13 ERA and a 0.542 WHIP over his last four starts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t at full strength right now, with Max Muncy sitting today, along with injuries to Mookie Betts and Edwin Diaz. That’s enough for me to give the Cubs the edge, and I’m taking them to win outright.

COVERS INTEL: The Cubs are hitting .321 with a .934 OPS over their last 11 games, which includes smashing 21 homers in that span.

Cubs vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 9 (-110)

These are two of the best offenses in the majors, and it has shown over the past two seasons, as they’ve combined to hit the Over in five of their last six head-to-head meetings. 

The Dodgers currently rank second in the majors with 5.67 runs per game this year, with the Cubs right behind them at 5.52.

Any concerns about Los Angeles’ minor offensive slump should have been put to rest after its 12-run outburst yesterday, and Chicago has simply been on fire lately.

Even with a solid pitching matchup, there’s too much firepower to keep the total from reaching double digits.

Cubs vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Cubs +110 | Dodgers -130
• Run line: Cubs +1.5 (-190) | Dodgers -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (-110) | Under 9 (-110)

Cubs vs Dodgers trend

The Cubs are 10-1 straight up in their last 11 games overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Cubs vs Dodgers and game info

Cubs vs Dodgers latest injuries

Cubs vs Dodgers weather

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

It’s a new era of Red Sox baseball with Chad Tracy at the helm for his first game. While we won’t know for sure what will look different with Tracy in charge, here are a few quick takeaways from the lineup.

• Roman Anthony is back in the lineup and not leading off for the first time this season. He’s hitting out of the three spot, which is really stupid if you ask me, but what do I know.
• Connor Wong is catching for the second day in a row. It’s worth noting that Tracy has managed Wong previously and has not managed Carlos Narvaez outside of Spring Training. Narvaez also was benched earlier this season for presumably disciplinary issues. That’s a playing time battle to monitor going forward.
• Trevor Story is on the bench in favor of Andruw Monasterio. Story has been vocally upset about the firings. Marcelo Mayer remains at second base…for now.

1:35 pm first pitch on NESN+ (because of the Bruins) and WEEI.

Lineups

The Mets and Rockies play a doubleheader at Citi Field on Sunday, but before the games began, manager Carlos Mendoza provided a few updates...

Brett Baty being aggressive

While Baty had been mired in an early-season slump, the young infielder/outfielder has been showing signs of turning things around. Over his last seven games, Baty is slashing .375/.474/.625 with a home run, 5 RBI, highlighted by a three-run monster home run against the Twins on Thursday.

"I think he’s being aggressive with pitches in the strike zone and not missing them," Mendoza said. "Using the whole field, pull side, going the other way. And then the chase I think has gotten better too because he’s not missing those pitches early in the count."

Baty is playing third base in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, with Bo Bichette moving to shortstop. 

Jorge Polanco update

Mendoza was asked once again about the status of Jorge Polanco, who is on the IL with a sore wrist but was also dealing with soreness in his Achilles. 

The manager said that the veteran is still dealing with "a little bit of both," noting the wrist is still an issue when Polanco swings from the left side. However, Polanco is continuing to progress with baseball activities. 

"He’s outside doing some running, so he started doing that outside today," Mendoza said. "Hitting off the tee, flips, so continuing to progress with baseball opportunities."

Polanco was placed on the IL on April 18.

Happy Sunday. I thought I was over the jet lag, when I slept great on Friday night, then last night I couldn’t sleep at all.

Anyway, today we have our first look at Yohendrick Pinango. I remember, back in my school days, the teach would have to say Yohendrick Pi, so that the 12 other Yohendricks didn’t think he was talking to them.

The other interesting thing about this lineup is that Ernie Clement is leading off. I think having a guy who swings at everything leading off is pretty strange. I like him batting with someone on base better. I also think that he’d be a good choice if you wanted to hit and run. But 1/6th of the way through the season, Clement has 1 walk.

On the other hand, I don’t know who I’d put in the lead off spot. I’m all for trying Vlad there, but I’m pretty sure the club will never do that.

Yesterday’s Umpire Scorecard. Quinn Wolcott wasn’t terrible.

Today in Jays History, seven years ago, Vladimir Guerrero made his MLB debut.

Now he is 1001 games into his career. He has a .289/.367/.494, with 185 home runs (and 28 steals). Not a bad start at all.

And the Red Sox fired their manager, Alex Cora (and pretty much their whole coaching start). I’m not a Red Sox fan and I’m no more of a fan of Cora but I rarely take joy in someone losing a job.

It does make me wonder what the plan is for their game today. I suggest picking six guys out of the crowd and randomly aside them a role, Manage, Bench Coach, Pitching Coach, First and Third Base Coaches. Might as well have fun with it.

And I missed this yesterday:

One of my favourite plays ever (in an April game).