Category: MLB

Fun fact: Originally, baseball games did not have a set length. The early Knickerbockers matches were “first-to-21,” like pickup basketball. The decision to switch to a set length was made at the 1857 national base ball (two words) convention. The convention initially decided on seven innings, but thanks to the efforts of Gothams/Knickerbockers slugger and convention delegate Lew Wadsworth, seven innings were rejected in favor of nine.

Before this season, I had assumed every Major League Baseball team knew how many innings were in a standard baseball game. However, it’s become clear to me that the White Sox think baseball games are only three innings, and the entire organization is operating under this falsehood. To the best of my knowledge, the standard length for baseball games has never been three innings.

Tuesday’s 9-2 loss to the Marlins proved my point. The Sox went up, 2-0, in the top of the third, thanks to a string of hits from Edgar Quero through Munetaka Murakami. The Marlins were held scoreless in the bottom half of the frame. That’s when the confusion appeared to set in.

Somebody must have informed the White Sox that there were six more innings to play. Despite this clearly being a regular occurrence, CHSN has never aired this as it happens. I can only guess who it always falls on to relay this information. Is it the umpiring crew? A bat boy? Maybe Murakami has already had to bring it up this year, sheepishly, as his new teammates grab their bats and gloves and turn to walk toward the showers (my research has shown that Japanese baseball is also nine innings.)

Our poor White Sox, for whatever reason, are always taken aback by this. Maybe it’s coaching; as best I can tell, Will Venable has not confirmed on the record that he knows a baseball game lasts nine innings. Or perhaps everybody on the Sox has that “Momento” disease.

No matter the cause, the effects are obvious: The news of a fourth inning clearly disoriented both Luisangel Acuña and Tristian Peters, as they collectively forgot how to call for a fly ball. Erick Fedde, having just learned minutes earlier that he did not throw a complete game, was unable to get back into a competitive mindset. White Sox strikers were held hitless for the last six innings while being outscored, 9-0. 

This has been a consistent problem already in 2026. Here are their hitting splits so far:

Innings 1-3: .302/.371/.571
Innings 4-6: .173/.267/.327
Innings 7-9: .125/.208/.208

… and their pitching splits:

Innings 1-3: 4.80 ERA
Innings 4-6: 9.00 ERA
Innings 7-9: 12.27 ERA

It’s the bullpen that confuses me the most. Before the fourth inning, why do relievers think they’re there? Do they ever ask one another why the team needs 13 arms when the team is liable to play, at most, 21 innings per week? It must be terrifying to warm up for an innings you previously didn’t know existed, by a bullpen coach who is just as surprised and frightened.

Worse yet, this is an issue that dates back at least a year. Conventional wisdom holds that the more often you see a pitcher, the better you’ll perform. Here is the league average last season for each time a starting pitcher goes through the batting order:

First time: .241/.307/.400
Second time: .249/.311/.416
Third time: .258/.324/.432

And here are the ’25 White Sox:

First time: .246/.305/.419
Second time: .231/.299/.371
Third time: .238/.295/.369

The evidence is clear: The White Sox offense only prepares for one at-bat per game. So, if you or someone you know could please relay the standard length of a baseball game to the White Sox clubhouse before their next game, things just might turn around yet! 

Entering the 2026 season, the Dodgers offense on paper consisted of an overwhelming juggernaut of former (and current) MVPs and All Stars, announcing themselves as one of the best lineups in baseball. Six games into the regular season, it has been anything but that.

The Dodgers were nearly shut out twice at home against the Cleveland Guardians after sweeping Arizona to begin the year. They are tied for 20th among all teams in runs scored and at 14th in team OPS. The treacherous trio at the top of the lineup all have batting averages under .200, which features the reigning two-time NL MVP, the Dodgers brand new $60 million right fielder and a four-time World Series champion.

While the focus has been on the struggling offense as a whole, Andy Pages, on the other hand, is having quite a remarkable start to the year. He currently leads the Dodgers in batting average at .429 and leads the team in OPS among all players with at least 10 plate appearances. Although the Dodgers slumped against Cleveland, Pages had multi-hit games in all three contests, including a 3-3 performance in Wednesday’s loss.

Freddie Freeman, though not as drastically as the top three hitters has mired in an early slump, noted that Pages has been hitting well since the beginning of spring training and that the rest of the offense will look forward to picking up the pace during the team’s first road trip, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.

“Andy’s been great since spring training,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. “He’s one of the ones that carried it from spring training into the season. Andy looks good, both sides of the ball. Really happy for him. So hopefully the rest of us can join him on Friday.”

Links

Jim Callis of MLB.com writes about which Dodgers prospects to focus on throughout the 2026 season. Callis named outfielder James Tibbs III as a can’t miss prospect that has the potential to crack the big league roster later in the year.

Tibbs in his first sample size of Triple-A ball has been a force at the plate, as he’s currently tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in batting average while slashing .500/.552/1.192 with four home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored over his first six games.

In half of the Dodgers’ first six games, fans have had the privilege of one of the most electric entrances for any pitcher in the game. Flashing strobe lights emerge, the blaring of trumpets engulf the crowd, and new star closer Edwin Díaz becomes the center of attention towards the end of the game.

Both Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández gave their input on Díaz’s signature entrance, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Per Hernández: “Everybody was waiting for that moment,” Hernández said. “I wanted to watch everything: Him coming out of the bullpen and getting all the way to the mound. I’m happy that he’s here now.”

Per Freeman: “When Edwin comes in the game, that means something good’s happening for the Dodgers,” Freddie Freeman said. “So I’m a fan.”

The Guardians had a day off and will open Progressive Field for 2026 against the Cubs at 4:10PM ET today.

You can read about today’s festivities here. Hockey Gold Medalist Milano Cortina will throw out the first pitch.

Brian Hemminger recapped the minor league slate from yesterday which saw all four full-season affiliates play for the first time this season.

Zack Meisel has a great piece out today on Kyle Manzardo’s mom. Justin Lada of Next Year in Cleveland and Locked on Guardians has a great one on his own late dad’s relationship with him and the game. Terry Pluto had a great article sharing fan memories of Opening Day.

Deborah (Nicole) and Quincy did a Disgusting Baseball podcast featuring some hot take predictions for the upcoming season.

Toledo Mud Hens 17, Syracuse Mets 7 (box)

The Mud Hens crushed the 46th ranked prospect in the game, right-hander Jonah Tong, with a furious barrage on Thursday that knocked Tong out of the game in the second inning. They poured it on against the Mets bullpen, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Max Clark got the party started as his hot start at the Triple-A level continues. Clark dumped a ball into shallow left field that left fielder Ryan Clifford couldn’t corral, and burned it around to second base with a speed double. Tong walked Trei Cruz and Jace Jung, and after Eduardo Valencia struck out, Corey Julks doubled in all three runners for a quick 3-0 lead.

In the top of the second, Max Burt reached on an error with one out. Wenceel Pérez launched a towering two-run shot to right field at 111.6 mph off the bat. That’s his second of the season. 5-0 Hens. Clark kept things going by reaching on an error. Cruz grounded out to first, but Jace Jung walked and Valencia stepped up after a rough stretch to start the year and lined a two-run double to center field. 7-0 Hens.

That was it for Tong. Dan Hammer, and there couldn’t be many better pitcher names than Dan Hammer, took over and cleaned up the inning. Sadly, Hammer does not appear to throw a curveball. Gage Workman doubled in the third but was stranded. Meanwhile, Bryan Sammons leaked a run on a Ronny Mauricio double in the third, but smothered any further rallying.

RHP Ryan Lambert took over from Hammer in the fourth. He gave up a Valencia triple and a Workman RBI double to make it 8-1.

The Mets got to Sammons for two runs in the fourth. Christian Arroyo led off with a single, and Vidal Brujan doubled Arroyo to third, where he scored on a wild pitch. Brujan scored from third on a Cristian Pache ground out. Sammons punched out Jackson Cluff and then gave way to right-hander Tanner Rainey who finished out the inning.

The Mets turned to Alex Carrillo in the fifth, and having seen him already in the series, the Hens were ready. Burt led off with a single and stole second. Pérez walked, and Clark ripped a hot ground ball to right for an RBI double. Cruz flew out, but Jung followed with a double to center, scoring Pérez and Clark. Valencia and Julks walked to load the bases, with Ofreidy Gomez taking over from Carillo. It didn’t help, as Workman singled in Jung, but Valencia was thrown out at home. 12-3 Hens. That didn’t stop the Hens, as Ben Malgeri and Burt singled in runs, and a wild pitch scored Malgeri. When Pérez struck out to end the inning and the smoke cleared, it was 15-3 Hens.

After a long rest in the Hens’ dugout, Tanner Rainey took the mound again and promptly gave up a single to Nick Morabito and then walked MJ Melendez. Mauricio lifted a sinking drive into the left center field gap, but Max Clark made his second diving catch of the season, and then fired into Cruz at third. Cruz gunned it to second and doubled off Melendez, while Morabito scored to make it 15-4.

The Hens finally cooled in the top of the sixth, although Max Clark continued to show up his upgraded batspeed as he torched a 111.3 mph groundout to second. That’s his second ball already over 110 mph. Pretty impressive stuff from Clark all around so far. Jack Little took over in relief and allowed a two-run shot to Jackson Cluff that made it 15-6. Woo-Suk Go got into a little trouble in the seventh, but Pache flew out to end the inning.

The Mets turned to a position player pitching as Jose Rojas took over for the Mets in the eighth. Pérez greeted him with a double, and after Clark flew out, Cruz singled in Pérez. Another Jung double got Cruz to third, where he scored on a Valencia ground out. 17-6 Hens.

Cole Waites allowed a solo shot to Hayden Senger in the bottom of the eighth to make it 17-7, and that’s where it finally ended.

Workman: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB

Perez: 2-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, 2 BB, K

Valencia: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, K

Jung: 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 2 BB, K

Sammons: 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K

Rainey (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 4:05 p.m. ET start time on Friday.

West Michigan Whitecaps 1, Lake County Captains 0 (box)

Whitecaps’ pitching was really sharp in this one, while the offense pounded out eight hits and drew five walks, but could only push across one run in their season opener.

Shortstop Woody Hadeen opened the game with a single, and then stole second and took third on a throwing error. Jackson Strong, Roberto Campos, demoted down from Erie to start this season, and Garrett Pennington all struck out to strand Hadeen at third.

Right-hander Hayden Minton, our 33rd ranked prospect, was very good on Opening Day. He spun four no-hit innings with just a walk allowed against five strikeouts. He needed just 51 pitches, pumping 31 strikes and racking up nine whiffs.

The Whitecaps got a single from Stephen Hrustich in the second, and another single for Hadeen along with a walk to Strong in the third, but those baserunners went nowhere.

Hadeen continued his four-hit game with a leadoff single in the fifth, and this time the ‘Caps pushed across a run. Strong walked, and while Campos hit into a double play, Hadeen reached third and scored on a Pennington single. That made it 1-0, and that’s where this one would eventually end.

Luke Stofel threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in relief of Minton. Carlos Lequerica threw two scoreless without a hit, though he walked three and struck out five. Logan Berrier collected the first save of the season, issuing a walk in the ninth but striking out three.

Hadeen: 4-5, R, SB

Pennington: 1-4, RBI, 2 K

Santana: 1-3, BB

Minton: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday night.

Here is the Whitecaps roster to start the season. There seem to be a few last minute additions not announced here. The SeaWolves and Flying Tigers rosters are below.

Some notable young faces in Lakeland include RHP Malachi Witherspoon, last year’s second rounder, #3 overall prospect SS Bryce Rainer, returning from his shoulder injury, 2025 3rd rounder LHP Ben Jacobs, 2025 4th round pick LHP Caleb Leys, RHP Cale Wetwiska, and RHP Jatnk Diaz.

Today is the day: Baseball is back in Denver.

Despite losing 119 games last season, when the Home Opener comes to the Mile High City, hope springs eternal.

After starting the season on a six-game road trip in Miami and Toronto, the Rockies (2-4) are hosting the Philadelphia Phillies (3-3) today at 2:10 p.m.

As always, LoDo will be hopping with a baseball buzz. Whether you’re going or will be watching on a screen, here’s all you need to know about the Hope Opener.

Pregame Schedule

The festivities begin in earnest over five hours before the Rockies take the field against the Phillies. Here’s a glimpse of the official schedule:

7 a.m. — Gates open at McGregor Square

9 a.m. — Coors Field parking lots open; Opening Day games and activities for all ages begin at McGregor Square, including restaurants and bars opening

10:30 a.m. — Live DJ duo begins at McGregor Square

11:15 a.m. — Rockies batting practice

12 p.m. — Coors Field gates open.

12:20 p.m. — Phillies batting practice

1:15 p.m. — Pregame ceremonies begin, including three different ceremonial first pitches, team introductions, the presentation of the flag and the national anthem, flyover by F-16 Fighting Falcons and a presentation of Hunter Goodman’s 2025 Silver Slugger Award

2:08 p.m. — Rockies take the field, accompanied by fireworks

Getting to the Game

With traffic and a sold-out crowd expected, the Rockies recommend fans arrive at Coors Field at least one hour early and plan to be in their seats by 1:15 p.m. in order to take in all of the pregame ceremonies. There will be a heavy demand for parking downtown, whether it’s in Rockies lots or around LoDo. Be sure to plan and arrive early if you plan to watch from a seat at Coors Field or a bar stool. One perk of going early is that there are $3 beer specials on the Rooftop all the way up to first pitch.

In anticipation of high demand, RTD is increasing capacity to its D, E and W light rail lines through the weekend to support the Coors Field crowds, along with other events downtown (the Nuggets play at 1 p.m. on Saturday and the Avalanche play at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday).

All fans will receive a Rockies 2026 magnet upon entry. As a reminder, only single-pocket, medical and diaper bags that are no larger than 16”x16”x8” can be brought into the ballpark. For more on the policies, check out the Rockies website.

Going Downtown

Various Opening Day celebrations are on tap around downtown. There is an Opening Day Block Party at Union Station with games, stilt walkers, face painting, live music and more from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Larimer Square will be hosting its own Opening Day celebration with DJ sets, street art and family-friendly fun from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Dairy Block is offering Game Day on the Block festivities that include music, Rockies-themed food, including speciality cocktails and purple croissants, and even live music after the game. The Maven will be hosting Ember and Stitch, where fans can brand purple bandanas and baseball gloves. For more events, check out the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Sunny Weather

Earlier this week, the forecasts included the possibility of snow — just like the Rockies had on the Home Opener last year — but chances of moisture have since evaporated. It could still be chilly, especially with the big wind gusts, but the sun should be shining.

Last Year and All-Time

In the home opener last year, the Rockies lost a heartbreaker, falling 6-3 to the Athletics in 11 innings. Despite snow, a temperature of 37 degrees at first pitch and a 13-mph wind coming in from right field, 48,015 were on hand for the 3-hour, 21-minute game. Trailing 3-2 after seven innings, the Rockies evened it up when Jordan Beck hit an RBI single to send the game to extra innings. Seth Halvorsen threw a scoreless 10th before the A’s took advantage of a leadoff walk from Angel Chivilli when Jacob Wilson singled and Gio Urshela followed with a two-out double in a three-run frame.

All-time, the Rockies are 17-16 during their Home Openers. Colorado had won two Home Openers in a row and three out of their last four before falling to the A’s in 2025.

What’s New at Coors Field?

Always an exciting unveiling, the Rockies will have new menu items around Coors Field, including the Glizzilla, Birdcall, a pizza donut, the award-winning Key Lime Pie in the Sky beer at the Sandlot Brewery, and more. For all the details, check out Purple Row’s rundown from Renee Dechert.

This weekend, the field will look pretty slick with artistic lawnmowing feats on display.

Closing Thoughts

The Rockies made massive changes to the front office, coaching staff and roster this offseason. The 2026 climb at altitude starts today and comes on the heels of the Rockies winning a series 2-1 over the defending American League Champion Blue Jays on the road. While the turnaround might be slow and have its share of ups and downs, considering it took the Rockies over two months to win a series in 2025, the Rockies are making progress.

Are you going to the Home Opener? What’s your favorite part of this annual celebration? Any predictions for the game? Let us know in the comments.

On the Farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 3, Reno Aces 1

Vimael Machín hit a two-run double in the eighth inning to help the Isotopes win their second game of the season. Zac Veen also added an RBI double for Albuquerque (2-4). Tanner Gordon put up a very impressive start, holding the Aces to one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks in six innings. Luis Peralta, Collin Baumgartner and Seth Halvorsen each contributed a scoreless inning in the victory.

Double-A:Chesapeake Baysox 7, Hartford Yard Goats 4

The Baysox scored four runs in the top of the eighth to break up a 3-3 tie and spoil Hartford’s opening day on Thursday night. The Yard Goats struck first when Benny Montgomery hit an RBI single in the fourth. Jake Brooks gave Hartford a fighting chance by throwing five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to start the game. After Chesapeake went up 3-1, Zach Kokoska hit a two-run homer to tie it up in the seventh. Braylen Wimmer hit a sac fly in the ninth, but Hartford’s last-ditch comeback fell short.

Rockies place José Quintana on IL, make other roster moves | Purple Row

The Rockies made some changes leading up to today’s game, including a shift to the starting rotation and an opening for when Mickey Moniak comes off the IL today.

Rockies’ top 10 home openers: From Kyle Freeland’s gems to Dante Bichette’s walk-off | Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders highlights the great annual vibes of the Home Opener, along with his top moments on the field. The list is a great trip down memory lane, and it’s especially fun to remember the good pitching performances.

Renck: Rockies’ Larry Walker, past greats, optimistic changes will bring fresh start. ‘There is always hope’ | The Denver Post ($)

Troy Renck talked with Rockies greats Larry Walker, Aaron Cook and Jason Jennings about the pain of watching the Rockies struggles and the excitement of the new vibe of 2026.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Triple-A: Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) 6, Norfolk Tides 2  

Trey Gibson was not particularly sharp over four innings last night. Gibson allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits, including a home run, a walk and three strikeouts. Baltimore’s second ranked pitching prospect (MLB Pipeline) allowed a leadoff homer in the second before relinquishing two more on a walk, a pair of singles and a double. José Barrero allowed a base runner to reach on a throwing error in the fourth inning, and the runner eventually came into score on a sacrifice fly.

Chayce McDermott put together 1.2 scoreless innings but did issue a pair of walks. Alex Pham ran into some trouble in the seventh when Jordan—the Cardinals’ 26th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline—ripped his second homer of the evening.

Creed Willems drove in Norfolk’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Jhonkensy Noel delivered an RBI double later in the frame.

The game was delayed for rain in the bottom of the seventh inning. Neither team scored when play resumed.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 7, Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies) 4

Chesapeake took control of this one with a pair of crooked numbers. The Baysox trailed 1-0 after five innings before a three-run sixth. Ethan Anderson and Griff O’Ferrall both took one-out walks before Thomas Sosa slapped a go-ahead triple to left field. Carter Young followed with a run-scoring single that provided Chesapeake a two-run lead.

Hartford battled back to even the score at three, but the Baysox exploded for four runs in the eighth. O’Ferrall worked another walk before Sosa launched his first home run of the season. Young managed another base hit and came around to score when Aron Estrada walked with the bases loaded. Douglas Hodo III scored the team’s seventh run on a wild pitch.

Trace Bright looked the part of an Opening Day starter with 5.1 innings of one-run ball. Bright limited Hartford to one run on three hits. He did walk four batters, but he struck out nine during an impressive performance. Yaqui Rivera allowed the Yard Goats to tie things up on a two-run homer by Zach Kokoska.

Tyson Neighbors made things more interesting than it needed to be with three walks and one earned run in the ninth inning.

Anderson De Los Santos exited after being hit by a pitch. Young came off the bench for a 2-for-3 day.

Low-A: Salem RidgeYaks (Red Sox) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4

Delmarva battled back after falling behind by five, but the rally came up just short. Maikol Hernández trimmed the deficit to one with a two-out single in the ninth, but Félix Amparo lined out to end the game. Hernández finished 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

Cobb Hightower delivered a pair of RBI-singles during a 3-for-4 night. Hightower and Amparo combined for five of Delmarva’s eight hits. Right fielder Junior Aybar delivered Delmarva’s only extra-base hit with a double in the ninth.

Shorebirds starter Kiefer Lord allowed four runs over 4.1 frames. Salem jumped ahead early with a run in the first, but the majority of the damage came during a three-run third. Kailen Hamson allowed an unearned run in the fifth that ultimately proved to be the difference.

Friday’s Scheduled Games

Norfolk: at Memphis, 2:05 p.m. Starter: Dean Kremer (season debut)

Chesapeake: at Hartford (Rockies), 7:10 p.m. Starter: Christian Herberholz (season debut)

Frederick: at Hub City (Rangers), 7:05 p.m. Starter: Joseph Dzierwa (season debut)

Delmarva: at Salem (Red Sox), 6:35 p.m. Starter: Denton Biller (season debut)

Meet the Mets

The Mets have now lost three in a row, as David Peterson simply didn’t have it in the team’s series opener in San Francisco last night. The Mets’ lineup continued to disappoint, too, in what wound up being a 7-2 loss.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Newsday, New York Post

The new guys have been the most disappointing part of the Mets, writes David Lennon.

If you’re looking for a silver lining from the Mets’ loss last night, Sean Manaea was mostly effective in a long relief outing despite his velocity still being very low.

Former Mets prospect Blade Tidwell, who was part of the package the Mets sent to the Giants for Tyler Rogers at the deadline last year, was called up for the game and earned a save as he threw three scoreless innings to finish it.

The Mets’ lineup is struggling. Tim Britton took a look at what’s wrong with it.

If you’re hoping to see the Mets get more active in working out contract extensions with players in the organization, don’t hold your breath.

Laura Albanese writes that run prevention is great, but the Mets will need to score some runs to succeed.

Marcus Semien isn’t hitting the panic button over his terrible start at the plate.

Sam Dykstra provided notes on a bunch of Mets prospects as minor league seasons begin.

Around the National League East

The Braves were the only other National League East team in action yesterday, and they scored a walloping 17 runs in a win over the Diamondbacks.

Around Major League Baseball

Royals catcher Carter Jensen overslept, arrived late, and found himself scratched in a game that he was supposed to catch. The Royals lost that game to the Twins by a 5-1 score.

The White Sox and Blue Jays were postponed in what would have been Chicago’s home opener.

The Pirates are calling up top prospect Konnor Griffin ahead of their home opener today, and the team and player are close to finalizing a long-term extension that would guarantee him $140 million.

Here are some of the best stats from the first week of baseball this year, and here are some first-week takeaways.

And here’s a quick primer from MLB.com on the minor league seasons getting underway.

Here’s a look back at some of the most highly-anticipated debuts in MLB history.

Randy Johnson’s fastball bird strike took place 25 years ago.

Former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth’s daughter is attempting to secure control of her parents’ trust amidst their cognitive decline.

The Long Island Ducks have signed Trevor Bauer.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa previewed the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and Single-A St. Lucie Mets ahead of their minor league seasons getting underway.

We previewed the Mets’ four-game series in San Francisco.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets’ 2006 season got off to a good start on this date.

With the season in its infancy and without enough data to grapple with yet, I’m going to look forward for a bit.  Forward to the end of 2026.  I’m not a good predictor, so I won’t go there, but I have formulated an outline of what I think success might be for the 2026 Cardinal edition.  What might success look like?  I mean, baseball is about hope, right?

By now, I’m sure you have read the various prognostications about how the Cardinals will fare in 2026.  At the low-end, some folks see team with 90 or more losses.  The high side, led by Dr. Howl, seems to be around 85 wins.  That is some range.

But who really knows?  I can imagine this season being a tale of two (or even three) different seasons and how they add up to a final win-loss tally is anyone’s guess. My interest is … within that wide range, what constitutes success?

Key questions

What does it have to look like for this team to finish at the higher end of the projections?

1. Could we see Dustin May pitching like a dominant TOR pitcher?
2. Will we see a full season from Mathew Liberatore more like the first-half of 2025
3. Could a full season of Michael McGreevy be worth double what last year’s half-season churned out?
4. Could Masyn Winn prove that last year’s defensive gem of a season was not a high side outlier, and maybe add a tick to his offensive output and cross 4 fWAR? 
5. Will Alec Burleson continue his steady offensive climb and perhaps find a stable defensive platform now that he is playing one position?
6. Could JJ Wetherholt effectively replace Donovan’s 2.9 WAR at second?
7. Can Ivan Herrera be healthy and extend his .837 OPS hitting?
8. Can the rest of the rotation provide reliable quality day-in and day-out?
9. Can the bullpen lock down the leads that are present?
10. Will any of Scott II, Gorman, or Walker establish themselves as a line-up presence?
11. Will Nootbaar come back hale and hearty?  An OBP machine with a bit of pop?
12. Is there enough depth at AAA to fill the inevitable holes created by injury and non-performance? 

I think one could look individually at each of the questions and think that a YES answer to any one of them is entirely possible.  Not guaranteed, maybe not even most likely, but within a reasonable range where YES wouldn’t be a huge surprise.  All of them becoming YES is a bit of a stretch, though. 

Timing is everything

The definition of the season could well come down to how many of these answers become YES, and how soon.  The how soon part could help begin to define several distinct sections of the season.

1. Might we see a hale and healthy Nootbaar in late April/early May, or will it drag on until the ASB?  
2. Could it take several different iterations of the rotation to find the right combination of starters?  How long will it take to swap out a struggling starter?
3. How long will it take for Wetherholt to adjust to the league, and them to him?
4. How long might it take to find the right bullpen combinations and roles?
5. Will the AAA depth be ready to ascend when needs arise?
6. What happens at the trade deadline with Noot, Romero, May and perhaps one or two others?
7. How long will Gorman or Walker get runway if they continue to struggle?

A tale of two (or even three) seasons

April-May … A lot of teams take the approach of coming out of Spring TrBaining with their roster and giving it until Flag Day to assess what they have and adjust.  I could see a lot of mixing and matching line-ups, movement of pitchers up and down to Memphis and such during this early phase.  Not sure they will wait til Flag Day, either.  

June-July … Here is where I’d anticipate an influx of prospects to fill holes.  Baez, Mathews, Dobbins, Fitts, Crooks.  The past few years, this is where things have fallen apart, as the injury toll has exposed a lack of depth.  Is this year different in that way? 

August-September … I can imagine this part of the season being defined by what happens at the trade deadline.  If the club moves Nootbaar, Romero, May and others, the last two months will become a tryout for the second tier depth, particularly the many pitchers behind Dobbins and Fitts.

The pathway via Starz

It seems to me like success will come (or not) based on how effective the rotation is day-in, day-out.  There is enough talent there where I could see a more stable output than we’ve seen in years.  I don’t know enough to project any individual’s success or failure, but it is easy to see that there are alternatives available if someone gets hurt or struggles (Fitts, Dobbins and Mathews being the first wave).  In that sense, the manager won’t have to stick with a seriously struggling starter as long as in years past.  Depth matters.  In the end, if I apply the Starz model published late last year, success will be if they find 4 pitchers who can reliably project to > 1.8 fWAR in the rotation and two of those who can reliable project to more than 2.5 fWAR, and still retain some depth.  Can you see this possibility by 2026 season’s end? 

Perhaps an under-stated element will be how stable the defense becomes.  Given that the offense is unlikely to be a juggernaut, defense seems to be a key for leveraging the pitching.  Can a guy like Church provide enough offense to allow frequent deployment in the outfield?  Can Wetherholt lock down second base defensively, giving the Cardinals the proverbial “strong up the middle” backbone?  Can Saggese become a plus defender somewhere?

A third part could be the baserunning.  Can Church and Scott II get on base enough to utilize their speed effectively?  Can guys like Church, Saggese, Wetherholt infuse enough speed and athleticism to materially improve the team BsR and allow for the manufacture of more runs?  I will miss Arenado and Contreras, but let’s face it, they weren’t great baserunners.  Along with Pages and Burleson, there was a tendency for the bases to get clogged and a power deficient team became station-to-station, which is not a great combination. There is opportunity here with the new people.    

It is difficult to look at this offense and imagine it being part of the pathway to success.  Herrera, Wetherholt, Winn, Burleson are likely to be solid, but things fall off after that and four hitters is not enough.  Nootbaar coming back strong would add a positive element.   Baez and Crooks may get shots at adding offensive punch before the season gets too far along.  If it works out, they could have seven guys that would feature 95 wRC+ or better in the line-up.  That is an average line-up.  With good pitching and good defense, that might be enough. Using the Starz model again, success would be finding five position players who can reliably project to top 2.7 fWAR, with 2 or 3 of them up and over 3.8 fWAR.  Same question, can you see this potential by end of 2026?

A step forward from Scott II, Walker and/or Gorman would add needed depth to the line-up, also.  After years of struggles, this is hard to count on.    Maybe be mid-season the Cardinals end up with a cromulent offensive outfield of Baez, Church and Nootbaar.  The final piece of the Starz model is … Zero, absolutely zero, below replacement level outcomes.  Here is the support for that rule of thumb.  Will this be the year that under-performing players are moved out? 

A fallback

If 4 pitchers > 1.8 fWAR and five players > 2.7 fWAR seems like a bridge too far for this organization in 2026, perhaps a slightly lower bar of success could be … if they fall one or two players short of this target, knowing where they fall short (and not having too many holes) might propel them to begin acquiring MLB talent via trade or Free Agency next off-season to fill that last gap or two and be able to have a roster built to win 90 games.

Discuss.

Whoopsie! Ballplayers are just like the rest of us. Anne Rogers wrote about Carter Jensen’s scratch before yesterday’s game:

“Carter had an oversight,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Overslept. Wasn’t here on time, and we made the decision to scratch him from the lineup. … He’s a stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid. He feels terrible. He’s accountable to it. It’s not something that has been a pattern or any of that kind of stuff. Nobody feels worse than he does, and I think he’ll admit to that. And we’ll move on…”

“No running from it,” Jensen said. “Just didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it. Don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. Happens. I felt like I let my teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”

Slightly awkward after he was profiled by Jaylon Thompson in The Star yesterday:

“It’s just like the eagerness to learn,” reliever John Schreiber said. “You know, it’s awesome for him to have Salvy as a mentor (to) teach him the way, how to go about it up here. (Especially), when it comes to recovery, training, preparation and all that kind of stuff.

“So it’s been awesome seeing the work he’s put in. You know, studying everybody here from the pitching staff and seeing what works with them individually. Just getting to know the new guys and all that good stuff. He’s been on the right path, and it’s pretty cool to see him thrive at such a young age.”

There were some notes going back to Wednesday’s game.

Pete Grathoff had this stat:

OptaStats shared this nugget: “The Royals are the only MLB team in the modern era to have their bullpen allow 8+ walks and 8+ runs in 4.0 innings or less and yet still win the game.”

At the Athletic ($), Dan Hayes noted this:

During an ugly, rainy 13-9 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, the Twins, Major League Baseball’s most aggressive Automated Ball-Strike challenge system team, set season highs for challenges requested (nine), overturned calls (eight) and combined challenges in a game (11).

There was a Sonic Slam.

And there was this nice story:

If you have a subscription to Kansas City Business Journal ($), Thomas Friestad gives an update on where things are with the stadium.

Blogs!

David Lesky ($) wrote about Wednesday’s game:

Okay, now the pitching. Noah Cameron was good. There were some concerns after a rough spring and the fact that he absolutely outperformed his peripherals last year. They’re all valid concerns. But he came out and looked a lot like he did in 2025. He was in the zone a good amount, got a little chase, but not much and got just enough swings and misses. Now, he did get hit a bit hard in his last inning of work, but overall, you’re not going to complain one bit about five innings of one run ball from your number five starter.

The four-seamer is still going to be an issue for me with Cameron if he can’t get whiffs on it. He threw 37 of them, which may have been impacted by the weather. He landed eight for called strikes and got swings on 18 others. The problem is that the Twins only came up empty on two of those 18 swings. And it was hit pretty hard with an average exit velocity of 96.8 MPH. But, again, it’s tough to evaluate because the weather was weird. His spin was way down. He averaged 2,288 rpms on it last year, and it was just 1,915 last night. That’s the weather. He was also having trouble spinning his curve and slider with those rpms down 216 and 877, respectively. So I think it’s fair to assume he didn’t feel great with the conditions. It’s just very difficult to evaluate this one.

As did Craig Brown:

Let’s focus on the fun parts first. The offense! Coming into Wednesday’s tilt against the Minnesota Twins, the Royals had scored a grand total of nine runs over their first four games. They more that doubled their output on the young season in a soggy, soupy night at The K where everyone got in on the action, highlighted by the collective production from the outfield. Forget about the much-maligned trio from 2025. It’s a new year, baby.

Jac Caglianone, Isaac Collins and Kyle Isbel, hitting seven, eight and nine in the order, combined to go 8-11, reaching base 11 times. They scored eight of the Royals 13 runs on the night. That’s some top-shelf production. Caglianone, in particular, seemed locked in to the extreme. Each one of his base knocks leaving the bat north of 100 mph.

At Royals Keep, Kevin O’Brien previews Columbia:

The pitching staff may be the strength of this Fireflies team, especially the rotation. Three of our Top-20 prospects will be featured in the Fireflies rotation, including Kendry Chourio (No. 4), Blake Wolters (No. 17), and Michael Lombardi (No. 18). 

Chourio is the most high-profile of this bunch, as he struck out 63 batters in 51.1 IP across the DSL, Complex, and Carolina Leagues. He faced more challenges in Columbia, posting a 5.16 ERA and 3.66 FIP with the Fireflies in 22.2 IP. That said, he didn’t have issues striking batters out, as evidenced by his 25% K% in Low-A. He also limited free runners on the basepaths, as demonstrated by his 20.8% K-BB%. 

The 18-year-old righty also impressed in the Spring Breakout, impressing scouts with a fastball that touched 98 MPH. He still has to work on his pitch location and shape a bit, which explains why he is starting in Low-A. He could make a move to High-A by midseason if he fixes those issues.

He also previewed Quad Cities.

I have a trio of older stories (from the last week or so) that I don’t think were linked to. These were from blogs that post on a bit of an irregular schedule, but I want to give them a nod:

• Patrick Glancy at Powder Blue Nostalgia: 2026 MLB Predictions
• Hunter Samuels at Swinging Bunts: Let’s Predict Royals Baseball
• Jeff Wayman from The Diamond Chronicles: Royals GBU – The good, bad, and ugly from the first series of 2026

Blog Roundup:

• Darin Watson at U.L.’s Toothpick: This Date In Royals History–1976 Edition: April 2 – The Royals beat the White Sox in spring training, and a blockbuster trade shakes up the AL West
• Caleb Moody at KOK: Latest Royals call-up’s quest to repeat surprise success already off to great start
• Also, Caleb Moody at KOK: Royals fans already clamoring for team to put an end to failed bullpen experiment

I was going to start my Asia Baseball Previews this week.

But, I think we’re going to do something a little different this week. I’ve been having fun reading about the Artemis II mission.

We have a lot of things that divide us as humans and as Americans. Heck, there are even bits of this mission that are divisive. But this is also something that can give us a common purpose. As was stated by one of the astronauts last night: “Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of”.

It’s staggering to think that human beings are back on their way towards the moon. We haven’t left Earth orbit in more than 50 years, basically two generations. One of my favorite tourist things I have done while living here is to go to Johnson Space Center during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 back in 1969. They had Mission Control set up to look just as it did during that historic moment.

I think today is a good time for one of those resource link dumps.

Want to know where the Integrity capsule is now? The easiest way is: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis. It redirects to this site, which shows us where the spaceship is right now. I was writing this part up about 7pm last night, just after the TLI (trans-lunar injection) burn. It went from a few hundred miles above Earth down to about 150 miles and then back out towards the moon. Within a half hour, they were a couple thousand miles away with a couple hundred thousand to go, racing at nearly 20K MPH. By 9pm, they had dropped below 10K MPH and were more than 20K miles away. By the time you’re reading this in the morning, it will probably be over 50K miles down and less than 200K to go.

I’m enjoying the NASA feed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NASA. After the TLI last night, they had a press conference with a couple of dozen questions. I saw Eric Berger, the former Houston Chronicle science editor, best weather blogger in the region, and current ars technica writer. The questions were varied and included things like how the systems were performing, details about the day six eclipse, the toilet malfunction, including jokes about “number one” and “number two”. After that was done, the feed returned to the view from Integrity with radio chatter from CAPCOM. Later on in the evening, there was an interview with the astronauts (it’s interesting to think about the delay during the questions): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myscgUlbua4

The best place to to start is NASA’s front page: https://www.nasa.gov/. It has all sorts of links like “Meet the Astronauts” and news feed: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-news-and-updates/. They also have multimedia resources (i.e. image galleries): https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/. I like this Mission Agenda – it’s a concise list of what’s going to happen each day of the missions: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/nasas-artemis-ii-moon-mission-daily-agenda/. They also have links to social medial like Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASAArtemis/ and Twitter: https://x.com/nasa.

If you feel NASA updates too infrequently, I’ve started also following Space.com’s news feed about Artemis II: https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-launch-updates-april-2-2026

Naturally, Artemis II has its own wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II. I had to go back and correct some of what I typed earlier. For instance, I figured out that “Orion” was the type of capsule, whereas “Integrity” was the specific one being used for Artemis II. Of course, there are other wiki links to the entire Artemis program: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Artemis_missions

Here’s some other random links:

• This NASA link shows which antenna arrays are communicating with the crew at any given time: https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/dsn-now/dsn.html
• If the NASA Daily Agenda is too long, Forbes has a nice little timeline with “8 key moments”: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2026/04/02/nasas-artemis-2-timeline-8-key-moments-to-watch-live/
• Time Magazine has a nice little primer on the mission: https://time.com/article/2026/04/01/artemis-ii-moon-launch-what-to-know/
• Not familiar with ISSINFO.net, but they have a nice tracker map, too, that feels cleaner than NASA’s: https://issinfo.net/artemis.html
• I believe this is fan-made, but it’s a cool timeline tracker for the mission: https://www.sunnywingsvirtual.com/artemis2/
• Finally, some space toilet humor from Defector’s Barry Petchesky: https://defector.com/artemis-boldly-goes-where-no-toilet-has-gone-before

I couldn’t decide which Artemis II launch video to pick, so I went with NASA’s brief one that allows for you to scroll around it and look at it in 3D.

Happy Friday, everyone. We’re getting ever closer to the Cubs’ home opener, which is looking like it might be a typically chilly affair. In the meantime, things are heating up in Pittsburgh, and not just because of the popularity of The Pitt. The Pirates are calling up one of the hottest prospects in baseball, Konnor Griffin, perhaps after seeing how well Kevin McGonigle was doing with the Tigers. It’ll be exciting to see more young talent coming to the MLB stage.

We also saw a pretty scary injury with umpire CB Bucknor, and some crazy plays all around baseball in the first week of play. We’ve got plenty of little news bites to ease you into the weekend so let’s not waste time and get right to it.

• Emma Baccellieri sings the praises to the newly restored Tropicana Field.
• The Mariners managed a rare feat, not hitting a single single in their first two games. Ryan Blake takes a look.
• A truly wild way for the ABS to end a game. Story by Jake Rill.
• Brent Maguire looks at 12 pitchers who dazzled in their 2026 debuts.
• Nick Selbe wraps up the best and worst ABS challenges of the first week of the season.
• Stephanie Apstein looks at three up-and-coming stars who could be next for massive contract extensions.
• Jeff Passan shares that the Pirates have called up top prospect Konnor Griffin.
• First grand slam of the season!

• Ben Clemens takes a very early look at the new ABS challenge system.
• Rookie Colt Emerson and the Mariners have agreed to a $95 million contract extension. Story by Dan Szymborski.
• Christina De Nicola shared how the Marlins got a unique look at the Artemis rocket launch.
• Kyle Koster doesn’t think it’s too early for the Red Sox to start panicking.
• Kyle Koster looks at a problem only Shohei Ohtani could have during a start.
• Anthony Gharib shares some of the top new ballpark food of 2026.
• Sam Blum shares how former umpires are empathizing with the current crew over the new ABS challenges. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Baseball is the best.

• Michael Rosen looks at what hitters see, and when they actually see it.
• A takeaway for every team after the first week of play. (MLB)
• Paul Skenes had a terrible game for his first outing of the season, but he was determined to prove it was a fluke in his most recent start. Story by Mike Petraglia.
• Where are teams stacking up in the Power Rankings with one will of play into the year? (ESPN)
• Ryan Phillips looks deeper into what happened in the clip below with CB Bucknor.
• Ken Rosenthal digs into why some teams seem so willing to throw money at unproven rookie talent. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Rough day for CB Bucknor.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

In 2015, the Minnesota Twins re-invigorated the fanbase with a season of contention right down to the wire. In fact, the organization was so enamored by the breakouts of Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton & Miguel Sano that aside from taking a gamble on KBO slugger Byung Ho Park, they didn’t do much in the way of roster-improvements for 2016. Expectations and excitement were at newfound levels for a new era of Twins baseball.

Within a week and a half, it had all imploded in inexplicable fashion. This is an oral history of the 0-9 start…

0-1: 3-2 L @ BAL

• Keyed by Opening Day excitement and RBI from two Eds (Escobar & Rosario), Game 1 produced a taut 2-2 thriller at Camden Yards. But with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Twins reliever Kevin Jepsen went BB-1B-1B and saw Matt Wieters knock in Chris Davis for the Orioles winner.

0-2: 4-2 L @ BAL

• Chris Davis & Trevor Plouffe traded home runs but Yovani Gallardo (5 IP, 1 ER) was better than Kyle Gibson (5 IP, 4 ER).

0-3: 4-2 L @ BAL

• Despite jumping out to a 2-0 first inning lead thanks to a Joe Mauer homer, Phil Hughes & Trevor May coughed up four unanswered runs.

0-4: 4-3 L @ KCR

• After a strong Ervin Santana (6 IP, 2 ER) start, the first Park-bang of the season, and a big Kurt Suzuki effort (2B & 3B), the Twins again handed Jepsen a 3-2 lead heading into B8. An Alex Gordon single, Salvador Perez triple, & Omar Infante sac fly erased it all and KC reliever Wade Davis locked down the save.

0-5: 7-0 L @ KCR

• Two errors from Escobar at SS plus rough mound outings from Mommy Tilone Tommy Milone (4.2 IP, 4 R) and Casey Fien (1 IP, 3 ER) doomed attempt #5 at putting a 2016 win on the board.

0-6: 4-3 L @ KCR

• Everything seemed to be lining up for victory on this day: 3 H from Mauer, HR from Dozier, 4 H from Eduardo Nunez. A rare gem from SP Ricky Nolasco (7 IP, 1 ER) and even a Jepsen HLD set up Glen Perkins with a 3-2 lead in B9. A quick single, triple, & sac fly and the Kauffman fountains flowed into extras. In B10, May had Terrance Gore (RIP) picked off—until a Park error at 1B allowed the speedster to scamper to 3B with zero outs. May recorded the next two outs keeping Gore stationed at the third sack—before promptly wild-pitching him home with the winning KC run.

0-7: 4-1 L vs CWS

• The excitement of a Home Opener in front of 40,638 Twins faithful produced…6 H off Sox SP Jose Quintana and another lackluster loss.

0-8: 3-0 L vs CWS

• The mound brigade of Hughes, Fernando Abad, Alex Pressly, & Michael Tonkin 1.0 (3 ER) kept this contest competitive. Just four hits (one for extra bases—a Mauer double) off Carlos Rodon & Co. kept it a loss.

0-9: 3-1 L vs CWS

• Again, moundsmen Santana, Abad, May, & Taylor Rogers 1.0 (3 ER) gave the home squad a chance. Again, the offense sputtered: just 4 H off Mat Latos and the ChiSox bullpen.

It almost defied reality: three series into the 2016 season and the Twins had yet to make a mark in the left-hand column. The absolute personification of the “you can’t win a pennant in April—but you can lose one” maxim. Our boys of late-spring would post a victory in Game 10 of the campaign, but the tone of ‘16 had been irrevocably set.

Good morning, baseball fans!

San Francisco Giants baseball is back in the bay this weekend, so it’s time to take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans!

Friday

Friday night will be a special event night for San Jose State University! As always, special events require special event tickets, which fans can purchase here. Special event ticket holders will receive a San Jose State University themed Giants hat and can partake in pre-game festivities.

Saturday

Saturday night will be another Fiesta Gigantes event at Oracle Park, as all Saturday home games will be this season. It will also be Youth Baseball Day at the park, where the first 8,000 fans under the age of 14 will receive a reversible sleeve giveaway.

Sunday

Sunday afternoon will be Golden State Valkyries Day at Oracle Park, where the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Giants jersey in the colors of the Valkyries, the Bay Area’s WNBA team! If you’re heading to that game, I’m extremely jealous because those jerseys look really cool!

If you’re heading out to the park this weekend, have fun! And make sure to share pictures in the comments!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants continue their series against the Mets tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.

Columbus Clippers 9, Indianapolis Indians 8

Clippers improve to 5-1

This game was a back and forth battle, featuring several clutch moments for Guardians prospects and some established veterans.

Nolan Jones had one of the biggest hits of the day, a clutch two-run home run in the sixth inning to put the Clippers on the board. Jones finished 1-for-2 with the home run, two walks and a hit by pitch. The home run was his third of the young season and he’s off to a hot start with a 1.318 OPS through six games.

Milan Tolentino also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk. Petey Halpin didn’t exactly have a great day, but his one contribution was a major one, blasting a three-run home run in the eighth inning to tie the game 8-8.

This set the stage for Travis Bazzana. After Kody Huff walked and Cooper Ingle singled, Bazzana stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and he came through by smacking a ball off the base of the wall to score Huff. Bazzana finished 2-for-6 with the walk-off RBI.

Huff had a great game as well, going 1-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored while Juan Brito walked twice.

It wasn’t a great day for Clippers pitching. Pedro Avila got the start and allowed three runs in 3.0 innings. Will Dion had a good outing with a pair of scoreless innings. Jake Miller was tattooed for four runs in just 1.1 innings and Jack Leftwich gave up a run in 1.2 innings.

Cody Heuer earned the win with a scoreless top of the ninth inning.

Akron RubberDucks 3, Reading Fightin Phils 1

RubberDucks improve to 1-0

Akron got all the offense it needed for the game in the third inning as top hitting prospect Ralphy Velazquez blasted a ball over the batters eye in dead center field for a two-run bomb.

Velazquez finished the day 1-for-3 with the home run and a walk. The only other players to reach base safely twice for Akron were Jacob Cozart, who went 2-for-4 with a double, and Angel Genao, who went 1-for-3 with a single.

Akron’s pitching was stellar, led by top pitching prospect Khal Stephen, who tossed 4.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts, four walks and two hits allowed.

He was followed by two scoreless frames from Matt Jachec, a scoreless inning from Alaska Abney and Hunter Stanley earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning. Only Jack Jasiak allowed a run in the game in his lone inning of work.

Lake County Captains 0, West Michigan Whitecaps 1

Captains fall to 0-1

As great as all the other Guardians affiliates looked in nearly every aspect on Thursday, Lake County’s offense — which featured a significant amount of top position player draft picks from last year — was the opposite.

The much anticipated debut of 2025 first round pick Jace LaViolette was a complete thud. He had a golden sombrero, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. The Captains struck out an immense 16 times. Second round competitive balance pick Aaron Walton went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Third round pick Nolan Schubart had the lone extra base hit, going 1-for-4 with a double and a pair of strikeouts. Fourth round pick Luke Hill went 0-for-3 with a walk. Second round pick Dean Curley was the lone Captain to reach base twice, going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks.

Jaison Chourio went 0-for-3 with a walk and Ryan Cesarini had the team’s other lone hit, going 1-for-4.

The putrid offense ruined what had been a sensational pitching day for Lake County.

In his pro debut, Justin Campbell was flat out incredible, striking out four batters in 2.0 scoreless innings while allowing a pair of hits. He struck out all three batters he faced in his first career inning, which was a great sign.

Melkis Hernandez took the tough-luck loss, allowing one run on four hits in 4.0 innings, striking out two and walking four.

Sean Matson added a scoreless frame of relief and Logan McGuire had 2.0 scoreless innings to close out the game.

Hill City Howlers 4, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3

Howlers improve to 1-0

Several teenage prospects made their full-season debuts, with the rebranded Howlers having five different players pick up multi-hit games. Robert Arias went 2-for-5, Anthony Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double, Gabriel Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, Luis De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base and Yaikel Mijares went 2-for-4.

Starting pitcher Joey Oakie was good, not great. He allowed one run on two hits in 3.0 innings with four strikeouts and three walks.

Zane Petty added a scoreless inning and the real workhorse of the game was Jervis Alfaro, who allowed two runs on five hits in 4.2 innings, but impressive struck out nine batters and walked one.

Alfaro ran out of steam just in time for the final batter of the game, who was retired by Angel Perez, who earned a one-pitch save.

The Atlanta Braves opened their West Coast road trip with a bang after Thursday night’s 17-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Atlanta lineup racked up 16 hits, and for the first time since 2001, every member of the starting lineup recorded an RBI. 

It was a successful night for the pitchers, too, who allowed a combined six hits. Reynaldo López got the start, lasted five innings, and required two relievers to finish the game.

The series continues with another late night matchup Friday at 9:45 ET behind Grant Holmes.

More Braves News:

Utilityman Brett Wisely recently cleared waivers and is headed to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Columbus Clingstones, Augusta GreenJackets, and Rome Emperors each announced their Opening Day rosters.

JR Ritchie bounced back with five scoreless innings in his second start this season. More in the minor league recap. 

Right-hander Didier Fuentes appeared on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list. 

With the draft just a few months away, it was announced that the Braves will receive nearly $16M in pool money.

MLB News:

The Colorado Rockies have placed starter Jose Quintana on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to March 30.