Category: MLB

The Atlanta Braves faced the Washington Nationals this evening in hopes of winning their MLB leading sixth straight win behind their new and improved ERA leader, Bryce Elder. The Nationals came into the game scoring the third most runs per game in all of MLB thus far this season, but also have an ERA north of six.

The first inning did not start out great for Atlanta. The Braves were facing Jake Irving and his subpar 6.16 ERA. The Braves were sat down in order without a baserunner. Bryce Elder then had one of his worst innings this season in the bottom half of the inning. He was able to sit down the first two hitters with a groundout and pop up, but then it went south fast. He gave up a single to House and then walked Abrams and Lile to load the bases. Young then singled to score two runs to make the score 0-2. Finally Elder was able to end the inning with a strikeout.

It was more of the same for the Braves offensively in the second. Riley, Albies, and Harris all got out with balls in play. The good news is that all three of them smoked the ball. The slowest batted ball in the inning was 99.4 MPH. Elder looked like he maintained composure in the second. He did not surrender a baserunner and picked up two strikeouts to include rising star James Wood.

It was starting to feel like a déjà vu in the third for the Braves. They yet again did not produce a single baserunner and it was starting to look like the red hot Braves offense was starting to lose the magic they have had, especially considering the starter they were facing. Fortunately, Elder kept them in the game. He was able to retire the side without a baserunner again. It has been impressive to see Elder shake off bad starts to games and get back into it unshaken.

The fourth inning we finally saw the first baserunner for the Braves, but it was not in a fashion that we would hope for. Ronald Acuña was hit by a pitch. To make matters worse, he was once again picked off. He is clearly struggling this season making base running adjustments. Baldwin was able to get the momentum started though with a single and then Matt Olson continued to rake with a game tying two-run HR to dead center.

The Braves could not keep the runs coming in the fourth, but damage was done and they were one step closer to breaking into the Nationals’ bullpen that currently has an ERA of 5.37 which is good for twenty-fifth in MLB. Bryce Elder slipped up and allowed a HR to Lile to put the Braves behind one run in the bottom of the fourth, but he was able to shake it off and retire the next three hitters.

It looked like the Braves may keep it going in the fifth when Dominic Smith yet again reached base in a game. He singled with one out, but then Mateo hit into. double play. Elder stayed in for the fifth inning and and sat down all three hitters.

The sixth inning was a scary one. Yastrzemki reached on an error and then Acuña was hit again. He stayed in the game, but then was removed.

The glass half full is that this started a rally for the Braves. Irvin was removed and the Braves took full advantage. Baldwin continued to rake and brought in two runs via a double to give the Braves a one run lead. Matt Olson then moved Baldwin to third via a fly ball and then Austin Riley walked. Albies then hit a bloop single to bring in another run after another pitching change that brought in Brad Lord.

Michael Harris then got in on the fun and had an RBI single of his own to give the Braves a three run lead followed by Dominic Smith bringing in a run on a groundout to make the score 7-3. Mateo and Yastrzemski were retired, but the sixth was a huge inning.

In the sixth Eli White replaced Acuña. Elder was showing signs of slowing down, but still got the job done for the most part. He got House to line out, but then pegged Abrams in the hip. Was it on purpose? Perhaps we will never know. Abrams did not waste time to steal second base. Lile popped up to shortstop, but then Riley overthrew Matt Olson on a Young grounder and Abrams was able to score. Fortunately, Elder was able to force a pop up to end the inning.

The Braves’ offense was finally cooled off in the seventh when the top three hitters were sat down in order. Bryce Elder surprisingly was left in the game in the seventh. It was likely due to it being the bottom of the order. The gamble paid off when he was able to strike out Millas and force a line out. Bummer then replaced Elder to finish out the seventh by inducing a ground ball to Wood. Elder ended his night with three earned runs, three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. It was a solid start for him, even if his ERA doubled on the season. In all seriousness, his ERA is still only 1.50.

The Braves decided to chill out in the eighth, just like they did in the seventh. Riley, Albies, and Harris were all sat down in order. Tyler Kinley, who is having an elite season so far, replaced Bummer to pitch in the bottom of the eighth. As expected, he dominated. He induced a groundout and then struck out two more hitters. He now has nine strikeouts in 10.0 innings and lowered his ERA to 0.90.

In the ninth Smith was retired but then Mateo walked and Yastrzemski finally joined the hit parade with a single to put runners on the corners. We then saw something that we rarely see in pro baseball. Eli White laid down a bunt with a runner on third and was able to score the run and reach safely at first just missing the glove of irst baseman Luis García to give the Braves a four run lead. You have to see it to believe it.

Baldwin then reached base yet again. This time he reached via a walk and it loaded the bases. Matt Olson then had a sacrifice fly to score the runner from third to make the score 9-4. Austin Riley continued his rough night with a strikeout, but the Braves were already in a commanding lead.

Joel Payamps came in to pitch with a big cushion this time around. He showed tonight why there was faith put in him to hold a roster spot. He induced two routine flies to CF, and a strikeout on four pitches.

The Braves won tonight in a deciding fashion by winning by more runs than the opposing team scored, which is saying something considering the Nats have scored the third most runs per game in MLB this season.

The main storylines tonight were that Elder showed that he can maintain composure while facing some adversity, the bats are still very much alive, and Acuña. got hit by a pitch twice and was removed from the game. We did get some good news though. X-rays were negative.

The Braves will take on the Nationals again tomorrow where Reynaldo López will take the mound against Foster Griffin. Both pitchers have solid ERAs with López having a 2.18 and Griffin having a 3.05. Both have pitched 20.2 innings this year.

The first of three games at Angel Stadium. I figured it would be Angels Stadium.

I was there a number of years ago and really enjoyed the park (which means we must have won). One of the games we sat in an area where they had waiters to bring us food and drink so we didn’t have to get up at all. I think I only got popcorn and a beer but not much more (if I remember right).

And late night games you could see the fireworks from Disneyland, which was fun.

I’m not a fan of American beers, though I’m sure they have some good craft beers. At Angel Stadium, I didn’t know any of the beers, and asked what I should get, she said ‘this one is popular’. So I got it, it is the only time in my lift that I’ve poured out a beer. It was undrinkable.

Go Jays Go.

The less said about this one, the better. Astros 9, Guardians 2.

We appear to have a Slade Cecconi problem. After tonight he has a 6.20 ERA. But, not to fret… it’s only a 5.97 FIP. I attempted a hot take of saying that Cecconi would be the rotation’s second-best pitcher when I thought he was probably their fourth-best. It turns out that saying he would be fourth-best should have been my hot take. His velocity was back tonight, but the pitch mix seemed suspect with way too many four-seamers early in counts.

Slade has to find a way to get some whiffs and avoid more barrels or he’ll be ticketed to the pen as soon as Will Dion, Matt Wilkinson or Khal Stephen show they are ready. Does it help that I think Slade would probably be very good for one inning at a time out of the pen? No? Well… I tried.

Which is more than I can say for most of the Guardians tonight. Jose Ramirez had a walk and a double, but also an error and a called K where he looked unnaturally confused. Hoskins had two hits, a walk and an RBI and George Valera had an RBI hit, also. DeLauter continues to slump, with two pop-ups and a walk. Kwan’s OPS is .580 and should be replaced as leadoff hitter by .847 OPS-Rocchio who had three hits and a walk. Juan Brito made a nice basket catch but continues to chase and (weakly) hit too many bad pitches.

Matt Festa, Tim Herrin and Connor Brogdon pitched tonight, but not particularly well. Isaac Parades and Christian Walker seemed determine to show the Guardians that they should have traded for one of them when the Astros were trying to give Walker away. But, joke’s on you guys! We kept Kyle “I Have No Idea Why I Am Striking Out Almost Forty Percent of the Time” Manzardo. (Just kidding, Kyle! I love you. Just please, please, WAKE UP!)

Good news is that the Tigers lost and we get to see the Guardians play another game tomorrow. Parker Messick is on his hill and all’s right with the world.

Hate losing to the Asfros, though. Bleah. Get well soon, Ben Lively

Michael McGreevy did not have his best stuff Monday night and the Miami Marlins took advantage of his mistakes beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3, but Jordan Walker did extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

Monday night’s game began as a pitcher’s duel. The Cardinals missed a golden opportunity to score in the top of the 1st inning after JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera were both hit by pitches, but Alec Burleson grounded out, Jordan Walker struck out and Nolan Gorman grounded out stranding both of them. There was no score until the top of the 4th inning when Jordan Walker hit a sharp single up the middle, stole second base then advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Max Meyer. Walker scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Masyn Winn making it 1-0 Cardinals.

A walk by Michael McGreevy in the bottom of the 4th inning came back to haunt him. He walked Kyle Stowers with one out. Stowers advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and then scored on a ground rule double by Xavier Edwards tying the game 1-1. The Marlins would take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning when Agustin Ramirez crushed a home run to deep left center.

The Cardinals tied the game in the top of the 6th inning when Jordan Walker walked. After Nolan Gorman flied out, Walker advanced to third base when Masyn Winn singled. He scored on a wild pitch by Calvin Faucher who had just entered the game in relief of Meyer. Meyer had 8 strikeouts over his 5 1/3 innings with 2 walks and 2 earned runs.

The Marlins would regain the lead in the bottom of the 6th inning when Stowers singled and scored after Lopez doubled. McGreevy would give up a walk to Edwards. Hicks then singled which scored Lopez, but Edwards was thrown out at home by an excellent cutoff throw by Masyn Winn giving the Marlins a 4-2 lead. Matt Svanson got the last out of the bottom of the 6th inning. Michael McGreevy completed 5 2/3 innings allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts and 4 earned runs.

Miami would add an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th when Lopez and Edwards were walked by relief pitcher Ryan Fernandez. Liam Hicks then singled which scored Lopez making it 5-2 Marlins, but Jordan Walker fired a cannon to third base to nail Edwards.

The Cardinals tried to mount another 9th inning comeback as Masyn Winn hit the first triple of the season for St. Louis and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramón Urías making it 5-3 Marlins, but that was all they could muster after Saggese and Fermin struck out.

The Cardinals will send Dustin May to the mound for the 2nd game against Miami Tuesday night as Chris Paddack will start the game for the Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time Tuesday.

The Mariners will look to make it three in a row as they begin a new series with A’s on Monday.

Emerson Hancock takes the mound for the Mariners. He has a 2.75 FIP and 24.7% K-BB over his first four starts. It’s one of the most remarkable turn arounds in the early going across the majors. If you’re interested in learning more about how Hancock has gone from, frankly, unwatchable to one of the 20 best starters in the majors (small samples be danged), I highly recommend this post from Michael Rosen at FanGraphs. Hancock appears to be a rare example of a pitcher who fundamentally changed the way they throw, and its worked

The big news in Mariners-land Monday is less happy: Brendan Donovan will spend at least 10 days on the injured list with a groin strain. Donovan has been dealing with the injury off and on since the earliest days of the season, and he left Friday’s game midway after aggravating the injury.

Minor league journeyman Will Wilson was called up in his place but is not in the lineup tonight. Leo Rivas will continue to hold down third place for the Mariners in the near term.

The Mariners will face sinker-slider-groundballer J.T. Ginn. For more on Ginn and the A’s, Jake Mailhot has you covered in our series preview.

Lineups

Game Info

First pitch: 6:40 PDT
TV: Mariners.TV
Radio: Old Reliable

Road trip! The A’s have departed Sacramento to head north to Seattle, getting ready to take on the division-rival Mariners for a mid-week three-game set. The A’s at 11-11 are tied for the AL West lead so a win tonight would be huge since Texas is off today. A win this evening and the Athletics will be back in sole possession of the division. Early but exciting!

On the mound for the Green & Gold tonight will be J.T. Ginn. The right-hander is on a bit of a roll coming into tonight, putting together two quality starts since taking the rotation spot of Luis Morales. The 26-year-old is taking advantage of this opportunity and he’ll be aiming to keep it up tonight against the M’s, who entering tonight are in fourth place in the AL West at 10-13. Seattle’s offense hasn’t quite found their groove yet as they have the 24th-ranked OPS by team in the league. A lot of that is due to the struggles of catcher Cal Raleigh but there are still solid hitters in that lineup that Ginn will need to be careful with. This’ll be his first appearance against these guys so he’s got that advantage going for him as well.

Here’s how the lineup behind Ginn will look:

The first lineup of the series will see the typical 1-2 atop the lineup with Nick Kurtz leading off followed by Shea Bangeliers. Interestingly Mark Kotsay is putting backup outfielder in the DH spot and hitting third tonight. The DH’ing, that makes sense. But that high in the lineup? Interesting move, though he does have a .372 OBP. Behind him batting cleanup will be Tyler Soderstrom.

The middle of the lineup provides a bit more of a typical top-of-the-order with Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil hitting back-to-back. That could provide a bit of a leadoff-esque spark halfway through the batting order. Max Muncy and Lawrence Butler follow, but then we got a surprise at the bottom. Zack Gelof will get the start in center field today as Kotsay wants more offense in there against a tough starter. This’ll be his second game at the position after he handled an inning there in a blowout last week. If he can provide a decent glove up the middle that would be huge for both him and the team, considering Denzel Clarke’s struggles with the bat so far.

That starting nine will be going up against Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock. Once one of the top prospects in the sport, Emerson is living up to that hype early this season. After struggling in the first couple years of his big league career he’s off to a hot start here in 2026, posting a 2.28 ERA over his first four starts. He’s been especially stringy with the free passes issuing only four so far. If the A’s can work some walks against him they’ll need to take advantage of those opportunities.

And here’s Seattle’s lineup for the first game at T-Mobile Park this series:

The A’s are getting a bit lucky tonight as the Mariners placed third baseman Brendan Donovan on the IL prior to tonight’s game. Donovan, one of their bigger additions this past offseason, was out to a strong start for his new team. HIs absence will deprive them of one of their better hitters, which bodes well for the Athletics this series. Hey, we’re missing Rooker too after all.

The rest of the Seattle lineup is full of regulars. Catcher Cal Raleigh is off to a horribly slow start this year but you can’t count on that lasting all year. Julio Rodriguez is another batter that’s off to a slow start. But Seattle has gotten big contributions from Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley so the A’s pitchers have to be a little extra careful with them.

Time to get back in the win column and start a new winning streak. Let’s go A’s!

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuńa, Jr. was removed from tonight’s game prior to the bottom of the sixth inning after being hit by a pitch on the left wrist by Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin. It was the second time in the game Irvin hit Acuńa, Jr.

Acuńa, Jr., who was replaced in right field by Eli White, came in to score on a Drake Baldwin double but was stranded in the on-deck circle after the team batted around in the top of the sixth.

Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder hit Nationals’ shortstop C.J. Abrams in the bottom of the inning, leading both teams to receive a warning.

The pitch that hit Acuńa, Jr. the second time appeared to catch part of a protected guard, but he was shown pointing where the pitch hit him on the wrist after reaching first base.

More details of his status will hopefully be available after the game.

Update: The Atlanta Braves announced that X-rays were negative, thankfully, but he is considered day-to-day.

With Alex Call batting second, the Dodgers face José Quintana in Coors Field.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Rockies
• Ballpark: Coors Field, Denver
• Start time: 5:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Which team is projected as better? On 20 April, FanGraphs projected the Diamondbacks to win more games (82 vs 68).  Only the Rockies were projected to win less games than the White Sox. 

The Diamondbacks are better in four top-level comparisons.

• Offense.  This season through 17 April, the Diamondbacks averaged one more run scored per game (4.45 vs 3.45).
• Defense.  The Diamondbacks are better by a wide margin (Outs above average, OAA +2 vs negative 5, Defensive Runs Saved, DRS +14 vs negative 7).
• Bullpen.  This season through 19 April, shutdown performances by the Diamondbacks bullpen were more than double the White Sox bullpen (33 vs 16).
• Starting Pitcher Matchups.  The Diamondbacks have an overall edge:  first game is clear advantage D-backs (Kelly vs Burke), second game is slight edge D-backs (Rodriguez vs Kay), and third game is equal (Soroka vs Martin).

White Sox Player to Watch.

Munetaka Murakami is a player worth watching.

Power Batter. He hit 7 home runs in his first 21 MLB games, which was 2 more than Ohtani hit in his first 21 MLB games as a batter. In the most recent six games through 18 April, Murakami hit 1.325 OPS with 7 RBIs.

First Baseman. He played 8 seasons in Japan before this season. He is a rookie in MLB. In Japan, he started his career primarily at first base until 2021 when he became primarily a third baseman. This season, in spring training and the regular season he played at first base.

White Sox. He was asked why the White Sox. Per his translator, this is what he said:

“I feel there are a lot of exciting young players here. Just as I played when my career panned out in Japan, I went to a team that was very young and we got to the promised land of winning a championship there. And I kind of feel something similar here. And I feel like I’m destined to be here.” — Munetaka Murakami, January 2026

The batting lineup of the White Sox has 6 of 9 players 25.0 years old or younger. Munetaka is 26.2 years old.

Pitching Matchups.

Tuesday,6:40 PM MST.

Merrill Kelly.  This will be his second start of the season.  That appearance was a confidence builder that his injury is behind him.  This game, he will likely pitch even better!

Sean Burke.  Burke is arguably an average pitcher (ERA+ of 99).  On the other hand, ignoring his latest start (4 earned run in 5.1 innings), this season his strikeouts outnumber walks (15 vs 3), and he allowed zero homers. So, it’s possible that he may challenge Diamondbacks batters. They are up to the challenge.

This matchup of starting pitchers is clear advantage Diamondbacks.

Wednesday, 6:40 PM MST.

Eduardo Rodriguez.  In his first four games, his 1.96 ERA is comparable to June of 2025, when his ERA was 1.98. This season his ERA+ of 211 is a career best.

Anthony Kay.  In 2024 and 2025, he pitched in Japan. This season his ERA+ of 169 is a career best.

This matchup of starting pitchers is slight edge Diamondbacks.

Thursday, 6:40 PM MST.

Michael Soroka. His last start was a quality start (2 earned runs in 7 innings). This season, he started 4 games, and was credited with 4 wins.  Unexpectedly, he emerged as a solid part of the rotation.  

“I think I’m better than I’ve ever been.  I mean, everybody goes through some sort of injuries at some point in their career, or struggles with performance. And I think for myself, it has always been there. I’ve always been able to kind of show that ability and give teams a reason to believe in me, and I’m very thankful that I’m with an organization that does as much as anybody. So, it’s easy to go out there and want to prove them right.” —  Michael Soroka, April 2026

Davis Martin.  This season, 3 of his 4 starts were quality starts. He is the ace of the White Sox rotation.

This matchup of starting pitchers is equal.

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz will undergo surgery on Wednesday, April 22 to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, the team announced April 20. Díaz was officially placed on the 15-day injured list, but the Dodgers said they expect their star reliever to be out until the second half of the season.

The move comes after Díaz gave up three earned runs on three hits without recording an out in the ninth inning of LA's 9-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 19. Díaz started the season strong with four saves and just one run allowed in his first five outings, but has given up six earned runs while retiring just three batters in his last two outings, which were separated by nine days after manager Dave Roberts showed concern about Díaz's fastball velocity.

Díaz has previously mentioned that his velo has been down early every year since tearing his ACL in 2023, but he's historically averaged 97.2 to 99.1 mph over the last four seasons. That number's down to 95.7 mph so far this season and dipped as low as 92.8 on April 19.

Riding a two-game winning streak, the Rockies (9-13) will take on the Dodgers (15-6) today to see if they can win their third series of the season. 

After falling 7-1 to L.A. on Friday, the Rockies have won the last two showdowns 4-3 and 9-6.

LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63 ERA) will be on the mound for Colorado, hoping to rebound from his last start. Quintana has struggled in his two starts this season. In his first outing vs. Miami, he gave up two runs on four hits with four walks in 4.1 innings in a no-decision in a 4-3 loss. Following that start, Quintana spent time on the 15-day IL with a strained hamstring. When he returned on April 15, his command issues remained as he walked the first three batters he faced and gave up two runs in the first inning. He only lasted 3.2 innings, giving up three runs (one homer) on three runs with four walks and one strikeout in Houston’s 3-1 victory.

Quintana last faced the Dodgers on Oct. 17, 2025 as a Milwaukee Brewer in the fourth game of the National League Championship Series when he gave up three runs in two innings, including a first-inning homer to Shohei Ohtani, in a 5-1 loss that sent L.A. to the World Series.

The Rockies will face lefty Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12 ERA). Wrobleski is in his third MLB season and off to a hot start in 2026. The 25-year-old mostly worked out of the bullpen last season with 22 of his 24 appearances coming in relief. 

Wrobleski pitched in relief in his first appearance this year, but was moved to the rotation due to injuries to starters like Blake Snell and Gavin Stone. Wrobleski earned his first win when he held Toronto to one run on two hits with four walks and two strikeouts in five innings before putting up eight scoreless innings with two hits, two strikeouts and no walks on April 13 vs. the Mets.

The Rockies are 6-3 at Coors Field on the season heading into the series finale with the Dodgers and in the middle of a seven-game homestand that includes hosting the Padres starting Tuesday. 

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

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

SBN Site:True Blue LA

Lineups:

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A long career — he is in his 13th season and on his seventh team — has allowed Randal Grichuk perspective about the capriciousness of hitting. Sometimes smashed pitches find gloves. Bleeders become infield singles. It happens.

He tries to chase the process — a disciplined approach and the hard contact that tells him his swing is in a good spot — rather than the results. He jokes with hitting coaches that he would rather go 0-for-4 with four demolished outs than 4-for-4 with four bloop singles.

But the time for taking heart in conducting quality at-bats is over. With Anthony Volpe on his way back and one Yankee thus on the way out, Grichuk understands he needs to perform, and the traditional stats, as well as the advanced batted-ball data, need to reflect that he is performing.

“That’s the frustrating part of being in the situation I am,” Grichuk said Sunday.

The situation: Grichuk was signed late in camp as a righty hitter capable of crushing lefties, but the Yankees seldom saw a starting left-hander in the early going, just San Francisco’s Robbie Ray in the first 11 games. So he barely played for a few weeks and now has begun getting some run, during which his expected numbers are better than his actual numbers.

Volpe, who played last week with Double-A Somerset and will play this week with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, could be ready by this weekend, creating a roster dilemma.

Would the Yankees option J.C. Escarra, who has not hit well? Not unless they feel comfortable enough with Ben Rice at backup catcher, and Rice has not caught an inning this season, though he has remained active in bullpen sessions and live batting practices.

Would the Yankees option José Caballero? Probably not, as Caballero is a solid backup option at shortstop and a real threat as a late-game pinch runner.

Would the Yankees cut bait with Paul Goldschmidt, given his shrunken role as Rice begins to see more time at first base against lefties? This early at least, highly doubtful.

That leaves Grichuk, who acknowledged the reality.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“With Volpe coming back — it’s something you think about,” he said before the Yankees swept the Royals. “You’re not not thinking about it. You just got to hope that, if it doesn’t all work out here — and hopefully it does — somebody else is interested due to the fact that they see the underlying stuff, not the baseball-card numbers.”

The baseball-card numbers paint the picture of a hitter who has begun terribly. In limited playing time, Grichuk has gone 2-for-20 with a pair of doubles, one walk and eight strikeouts. A hitter signed to hit lefties was not in the lineup Sunday against Kansas City’s Cole Ragans.

But within that teensy sample size is some reason to believe there is more in Grichuk’s bat. Among 406 hitters who entered Monday with at least 10 plate appearances, his 61.5 percent hard-hit rate ranked 12th. His 30.8 percent barrel rate ranked third, just ahead of fourth-place Aaron Judge (27.5). When Grichuk has made contact, he has pounded baseballs that have become outs.

He needs to make more contact — his 36.4 percent strikeout rate in the early going is unflattering — and probably needs to have a big week against the likes of Boston southpaws Connelly Early and Ranger Suarez to give himself a chance.

“I feel like I’m swinging it well — could be swinging it better,” Grichuk said. “I felt like there’s been some at-bats that could have been rewarded but haven’t been. So it’s frustrating, but it’s definitely been one of those things that at the end of the day, no one cares. You need to produce.

“Go into it with some confidence knowing that I’ve found some barrels and haven’t found some holes and know that that’s all I can control. Just got to keep going.”

Grichuk does not want to leave and praised virtually everything and everyone around the Yankees. He cited a coaching staff he appreciates and that lets players prepare as they believe is best; an analytics staff that has “everything you could ever think of at your disposal”; a clubhouse he loves led by a leader he loves in Aaron Judge.

“Honestly, everything has been amazing,” he said. “Besides the traffic, everything’s great.”

The Orioles kick off a three-game series against a Royals team that brings the AL’s worst record into the series. An early test for the O’s as they try to avoid last year’s fate is whether they can rally when facing a scuffling squad while dealing with their own problems. They were able to do this just a couple of weeks ago when they played well against the White Sox and Giants in succession. The same opportunity arrives this week with the Royals followed by the Red Sox.

For more on this series, check out Paul Folkemer’s preview on Camden Chat from earlier today. There’s a lot going on with Kansas City. They’ve got some recent public drama between their manager and longtime stalwart Salvador Perez, who is putting up “young Orioles hitter” kinds of numbers at the plate early this season. They moved their fences in this season to try to spark some offense and, as of the last time I looked, had gotten exactly one extra home run from the new dimensions. A lot of their relievers have been bad, as have two of their starters; unfortunately for the Orioles, the bad starters aren’t lined up for this set.

Over at our sister site Royals Review, they’re calling this a must-win series, and no wonder. Kansas City is already 7-15. If they lose at least two games here to the Orioles, they’re 8-17 at best. We know from the 2025 Orioles example that it’s tough to come back from that even if you start playing better. The toughest thing is that, if you’re bad enough to start 8-17, you’re probably bad enough to just keep on being bad. We are well aware of the Orioles challenges. Perhaps this is a classic “stoppable force vs. movable object” situation.

Orioles lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson – SS
2. Taylor Ward – LF
3. Dylan Beavers – DH
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Samuel Basallo – C
6. Jeremiah Jackson – 2B
7. Colton Cowser – RF
8. Leody Taveras – CF
9. Blaze Alexander – 3B

Kyle Bradish is on the mound for the Orioles. He will have three real outfielders in the outfield for this game, which is not something he had in his last start. Maybe that means it will go better for him. If you take away the egregiously-scored triple that should have been an error in that last game, his ERA drops to 4.58. That’s still not great but we’d feel better about it than something 5+.

It’s not a very good-looking Orioles lineup, but then, it won’t be for as long as so many of its parts are struggling. I feel the temptation to want Jackson and Taveras higher up in the order as long as they’re hitting and other guys aren’t. It probably doesn’t matter all that much. Wherever they are, more players need to hit.

Royals lineup

1. Maikol Garcia – 3B
2. Bobby Witt Jr. – SS
3. Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B
4. Salvador Perez – DH
5. Carter Jensen – C
6. Michael Massey – 2B
7. Jac Caglianone – RF
8. Isaac Collins – LF
9. Kyle Isbel – CF

It’s not going to be an easy one for the Orioles batters tonight, as they’re going up against Seth Lugo. The Royals righty is bringing a 1.48 ERA into the game. I am expecting more of the continuing misery from the Guardians series, when the O’s were also facing tough pitcher after tough pitcher.

Well, uh, woof. After spending the weekend getting blasted by the Yankees and some minor-sounding infighting, the Royals ended a disastrous six-game road trip on a real heater, losers of seven in a row. The vibes are not good as the Royals are tied with the Mets for the worst record in baseball at 7-15.

There’s a lot of season left, and the Royals will need to get this bad taste out of their mouths. Like, now. Immediately. Get a TON of Listerine and swish it around for two minutes. Spit it out. Repeat maybe two or three more times.

Today they return to Kauffman Stadium for a series against the Baltimore Orioles, who enter the series with a 10-12 record. Seth Lugo is the first swish of mouthwash as he gets the start. Lugo was last seen carving the Detroit Tigers into mincemeat, allowing only one run over 6 and 2/3 innings with 7 strikeouts. He has a 1.48 ERA on the season. They will need every bit of Lugo’s best to help end this stink.

The Orioles counter with Kyle Bradish, who I just learned is still under 30 years old. Feels like he’s been around forever, despite not actually pitching that much over the past two seasons. He has four starts of slightly-below-average performance in 2026. He’ll get some Ks but will also give up a walk or three. He’s been bitten by some bad luck – high BABIP, low strand rate – so hopefully the Royals will get some of that luck today.

Salvador Perez gets another day off catching today. He starts at DH, with Carter Jensen at catcher. Jonathan India was placed on the 10-day IL with left shoulder subluxation. Michael Massey starts at second base.

The game starts at 6:40pm US Central at Kauffman Stadium. It’s Grateful Dead night. You can watch locally on Royals.TV, and nationally on FS1. You can listen on 96.5 The Fan or the Royals Radio Network.

Lineups: