Category: MLB

If you’ve ever been to a game at Coors Field and wondered what that’s song, say, Willi Castro is walking up to, and the clip is too short to Shazam, Reader, I am here to answer your questions.

Below are (most of) the 2026 music selections of the Colorado Rockies.

Zach Agnos — Jacob Banks’ “Chainsmoking” (from the beginning)

Jordan Beck — A$AP Rocky’s “Everyday” (:16-:32)

Willi Castro— Crazy DesignRD’s “Porón Pompón” (:04)

Chase Dollander — Kai Uriah’s “Bound 2 Be” (from the beginning)

Brenton Doyle — Bad Wolves’ “Zombie Bad Wolves” (1:03)

Tyler Freeman — Cody Johnson’s “Dear Rodeo” (:52)

Hunter Goodman — Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t” (0:59)

Jimmy Herget — BigXThaPlug’s “Back on my BS” (from the beginning)

Jaden Hill — YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Bruce Wayne” (Best Clean Version from YouTube) (1:02)

Troy Johnston — Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” (0:03)

Edouard Julien — GIMS and Le Mano 1.9’s “Parisienne” (0:30)

Kyle Karros — Toro & Moi’s “The Difference Flume” (0:36)

Michael Lorenzen — KB’s “10k” (from the beginning)

Jake McCarthy — Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” (6:40)

Juan Mejia — Juan Luis Guerra’s “Soldado” (from the beginning)

Mickey Moniak — Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” (from the beginning)

José Quintana — La Moral’s “Criss 7 Ronny, lil Silvo” (from the beginning)

T.J. Rumfield — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark” (0:41)

Tomoyuki Sugano — HUNTR/X’s “Golden” (0:55)

Brett Sullivan — Big X Tha Plug’s “Holy Ground” (0:26)

Ezequiel Tovar — Rawayana’s “Inglés en Miami” (0:37)

Victor Vodnik — 2Pac’s “Ambitionz AZ A Riddah” (from the beginning)

We’ll try to keep this list updated throughout the season.

Let us know your favorites (or musical suggestions!) in the comments.

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What's really behind Phillies' recent offensive drought originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The four-run seventh inning of Monday’s game at Oracle Park feels like forever ago.

That’s because the Phillies have not scored a run since then — 20 consecutive scoreless innings without one.

“Has it been that long?” Bryce Harper asked reporters after yet another shutout loss in San Francisco, sounding genuinely thrown by the number.

When the Phillies embarked on this West Coast trip after last Thursday’s electrifying comeback win, capped by Justin Crawford’s walk-off hit against the Nationals, it felt like the offense had some life again.

When they got to Colorado, they wasted no time carrying that momentum with them. They hung a statement seven-run first inning on the Rockies. Eleven batters came to the plate. They saw 44 pitches. It was an offensive clinic.

And yet, from that point on, the lineup has looked like a different group.

The Phillies did win the series in Colorado, but after that first inning, they scored only six runs over the final 26 innings against one of baseball’s weakest pitching staffs. Then they went farther west and into San Francisco, where they fell behind 4-0 through four innings in the opener before clawing all the way back behind six unanswered runs.

That game, more than anything, now looks like the exception.

Since that first inning in Denver, the Phillies have scored just 12 runs in 53 innings. That is the fewest in baseball over that span. They are batting .199 with a .574 OPS in the stretch, the third-lowest OPS in the sport.

So where is the real problem?

Recently, it has not been the top of the order.

That group was the main topic through the first six games of the season, all played at home. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper finished that first week slashing .164/.256/.315, a .571 OPS.

Over the last six games on the road, that same trio has slashed .302/.436/.508, a .944 OPS.

That is a massive swing, and it’s key, because the easiest storyline early on was that the stars at the top had not started hitting. Right now, that is not where the offense is breaking down. And it is hard to pin it on the bottom, either.

The Phillies have gotten quality at-bats from the last two spots in the order, mostly J.T. Realmuto and Crawford. Those lineup spots have combined for the second-highest on-base percentage in baseball at .362, trailing only the Dodgers.

That leaves the middle. More specifically, it leaves the fourth through seventh spots.

On the season, those spots are slashing .199/.256/.306, almost identical to what the offense has looked like during this recent dry spell. And when you split it apart further, the picture gets clearer.

Adolis García, who has spent time in that section of the lineup, has not been the issue. Neither has Brandon Marsh. García owns a .738 OPS. Marsh is at .727. Both have looked like contributors.

The bigger issue has been Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, who have primarily occupied the cleanup and fifth spots. Bohm is hitting .186 with a .550 OPS. Stott is hitting .167 with a .405 OPS, the fourth-lowest mark among qualified National League hitters.

That is where the offense has bogged down. Oddly enough, though, there is a caveat.

One issue that has been there since day one is the Phillies’ inability to hit with runners in scoring position. The club is batting .200 in those spots, second-worst in the league.

But the team’s two best hitters in those situations so far, even in a small sample, are Bohm and Stott.

Bohm is hitting .333 with runners in scoring position. Stott is at .250.

So the criticism of that four-five pocket is fair, but it is not as simple as saying those two have been the reason the Phillies have not scored. In the spots that matter most, they have actually been among the better producers.

The issue is that the lineup has not clicked in order. Too often, when one section has gotten going, another has stalled. That is why Rob Thomson’s postgame comments Wednesday were worth paying attention to. He did not sound like someone ready to overreact. But he also did not sound like someone ruling out a tweak.

When asked if he might shake up the lineup after the off day, he said, “Yeah, a little bit. I might.”

That is important because the likely changes are not hard to see.

García can move into the cleanup spot. Marsh, against right-handed pitching, can slide into the fifth spot. Bohm and Stott can each move down a couple of slots.

And if García and Marsh keep getting on, that could put Bohm and Stott in the exact situations where they have actually had success so far — with traffic on the bases and less pressure to be the engines of the offense.

A major topic all offseason was how to give Harper more right-handed protection in the middle of the order. Dave Dombrowski’s answer was García on a one-year prove-it deal worth $10 million.

Thomson, though, has long preferred a contact-oriented run producer like Bohm in the four-hole. That is understandable. It is also why this part of the season is magnified. It is where roles start to sort themselves out.

García’s biggest problem over the last two seasons has not been bat speed or power. It has been patience and pitch selection. His average chase rate over that stretch was 34.7 percent. His swing rate sat at 52.1 percent. His in-zone contact rate was 78.5 percent.

This year, in a smaller sample, the changes are real. He is chasing at just a 29.8 percent clip, swinging 48.2 percent of the time and making contact on in-zone pitches at an 87.5 percent rate. Those improvements mirror the progress he made in spring training, when he walked eight times and struck out only five.

If García can maintain that, and if Marsh continues doing what he has always done against right-handers, the middle of the order could start to look a lot more functional.

But that is the point. “Could.”

The Phillies are 6-6. They are playing .500 baseball. They are only 1.5 games out of first in the NL East. This is not a crisis piece. It should not be one. They’re just 12 games in.

Harper, looking at the bigger picture, put it plainly after Wednesday’s shutout loss in San Francisco.

“We have to be that team,” he said. “Because if we’re not, then we’re not going to be where we want to be at the end.”

That is probably the right way to read this. And a slump like this did happen last year.

The last time the Phillies were shut out for more than 20 straight innings was last June, when they went 26 innings without scoring against the Mets and Astros. Their next game, they scored 13 runs in Atlanta.

The Phillies and Thomson could certainly use one of those nights when they get back to home and face the Diamondbacks on Friday night. And if the skipper does make a tweak, it will not be because the lineup is broken.

It will be because right now, it just is not clicking in the right order.

Welcome to The California Post’s weekly Dodgers main recap, where baseball writers Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris review the week that was –– publishing every Thursday.

TORONTO –– What became a controversial subplot in Game 7 of the World Series last fall has reemerged as a recurring storyline in this season’s early weeks.

For virtually every other pitcher in Major League Baseball, the rules about warming up for an inning are simple: A two-minute timer begins with the conclusion of the previous half-inning. If they’re not ready to face the leadoff batter by then, they risk incurring an automatic ball via pitch-clock violation.

For Shohei Ohtani, however, there is one loophole only he can really exploit.

As stated on the league’s website: “If the pitcher is on base, on deck or at-bat when the (previous) inning ends, the timer begins when the pitcher leaves the dugout for the mound.”

That modification, of course, wasn’t created explicitly for the Dodgers’ two-way star. In rare situations, a handful of pitchers still get at-bats each season.

Still, given there’s only one pitcher who hits full time in the majors anymore, it might as well be called the Ohtani Caveat.

“If you’re on the other side, you’re trying to rush him as much as possible and treat him like any other pitcher,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But the truth is, he’s different.”

Thus, don’t expect his routine to change soon.

Just like in Game 7 last year –– when he took his sweet time getting to the mound between innings, frustrating Blue Jays players and coaches wondering why he was granted so much leeway –– Ohtani has capitalized upon the carve-out during his first two pitching starts this season.

If he was at-bat, on base or on deck the previous half-inning, the clock has automatically been reset to two minutes once he reemerges from the dugout. Even if it takes most of the original two minutes for him to get out there.

On both occasions, the dynamic did not seem to go unnoticed by Dodgers opponents. Last week, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt came out to talk to an umpire the first time the clock was reset for Ohtani. On Wednesday, in Ohtani’s return to Rogers Centre to face the Blue Jays, it was veteran slugger George Springer who seemed to check with the crew about Ohtani’s added warm-up time.

Some drama between the #BlueJays and #Dodgers.

George Springer approached HP umpire Dan Bellino to inquire about the amount of warmup time for Shohei Ohtani.

Dave Roberts was visibly annoyed in the dugout.

(: @sportsnet) #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/HwghO9tdnQ

— Daniele Franceschi (@Daniele_Media) April 8, 2026

When asked about it postgame, Roberts said he could “understand their gripe.” However, he countered by referencing Ohtani’s unique two-way job title, arguing that “there’s got to be some grace, which I think the umpires are giving him.”

How much it really helps Ohtani is another question altogether. On the one hand, he’s only really getting an extra minute or two per start (time that is mostly spent in the dugout changing out of his batting gear anyway). On the other, any extra breather might make a difference for the 31-year-old right-hander, who said Wednesday he was battling some fatigue at the end of a long road trip.

Either way, MLB’s rules are clear –– which means the Dodgers won’t apologize even if it’s disproportionately helping their four-time MVP.

As Roberts said, Ohtani is different, right down to the way in which the rulebook applies to him.

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Christian Scott's second start of the year for Triple-A Syracuse went a lot better than his first.

The Mets right-hander, who is continuing to stretch out innings-wise after being out since September of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, fired five scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out seven.

Scott's four-seam fastball, which he relied on heavily, topped out at 97.2 mph. He also threw plenty of sweepers while mixing in his cutter and split-change.

Four of Scott's strikeouts came when he got batters to chase his sweeper, while one came looking on a slider. The other two came swinging on four-seamers. 

There wasn't much hard contact against Scott, who threw 76 pitches (52 strikes).

The 26-year-old impressed during spring training, when he had his first game action since 2024.

Along with Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger, Scott is a vital part of the Mets' starting pitching depth, and should impact the major league club at some point this season.

If the Mets have a need and Scott is performing well, it's possible he will be the first pitcher called upon. 

Tong has only made five career starts at Triple-A and is working to refine his secondary pitches, while Wenninger has yet to make his big league debut (and is not on the 40-man roster). 

The Mets, who are not planning to go to a six-man rotation any time soon, are using a five-man rotation that consists of Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga.

After tossing 5.1 shutout innings in his first start of the season, Peterson has struggled, allowing 11 runs (six earned) on 15 hits over his last two starts spanning 9.1 innings.

Manager Carlos Mendoza addressed Peterson's difficulties after Wednesday's game, saying the club was not considering a change in the rotation.

Peterson, who has been jumped by hitters early in counts a lot in his last two outings, believes part of his issue has been pitch sequencing.

Right-hander Christian Scott was excellent in his second start for Triple-A Syracuse

5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K. He threw 76 pitches (52 strikes) and generated 14 swing & misses

His fastball touched 97.2 mph and he also threw his sweeper, gyro slider and split-change pic.twitter.com/zI3ZECAhML

— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) April 9, 2026

Now that the minor league season is in full swing, I wanted to do an update on how players are doing at each level. The Nats system is deeper than it has been in a long time, so there is quite a bit to get to. So far, the Nats affiliates have been doing a lot of winning, with every team above .500. With that being said, let’s dive into some performances.

Low-A Standouts:

I am going to start at the lower levels and work my way up, so the Fredericksburg Nationals are the first team I will talk about. The Fred Nats are absolutely loaded with talent. Baseball America listed them as the 7th most talented team in the entire minor leagues. That means there are a lot of notable names to cover.

On a team with players such as first overall pick Eli Willits, MacKenzie Gore trade headliner Gavin Fien and others, Ronny Cruz has been the best hitter so far. Cruz came to the Nats in the Michael Soroka trade, and has been generating buzz all spring. He showed big time flashes on the back fields, and even hit a home run in big league Spring Training.

It looks like his impressive spring is translating to real games. Cruz has a 1.098 OPS so far, and all five of his hits have gone for extra bases. Two of those have been home runs. There was one game where the youngster was a single shy of the cycle. 

One thing I learned on my trip to spring taining? The Nats front office is pumped about Ronny Cruz.

He's 19. Was acquired in the Soroka deal from the Cubs. He's got 2 HR in 4 games at Single-A so far. Tonight: 3 XBH's and a single shy of a cycle.

Keep an eye on him. pic.twitter.com/oyfpg4B4VC

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 8, 2026

Cruz was seen as a raw prospect, but it looks like he has taken a major step in his development. Last season, he was decent in rookie ball, but now he is excelling in Low-A. Cruz had a winding journey that saw him go from the Dominican Republic to the US after an IFA deal fell through. Then, in his senior year of high school, he dealt with a knee injury. He was behind the 8 ball in terms of development, but now he has caught up.

The tools have never been in doubt with Cruz, but now he looks more polished. Despite a skinny frame, he has impressive power due to his raw bat speed. He is also a quality defender in the infield. Naturally, he is a shortstop, but has played second and third base with Eli Willits manning shortstop.

Speaking of Willits, he has not had the loudest start, only hitting .200 with a .604 OPS. However, I am confident the hits will fall. He only has four strikeouts and almost has as many walks, with three. It is only a matter of time before he heats up.

A couple other notable performers are pitchers Miguel Sime Jr. and Landon Harmon. Both made their pro debuts recently. Neither went very deep in the game, but both showed their excellent stuff. Sime was particularly impressive with 6 strikeouts in 2.1 innings to just one walk. 

High-A Standouts:

The next level we will visit is High-A. Right now, the Wilmington Blue Rocks are 3-1 and have looked good so far. They are not as stacked as the Fred Nats, but they have plenty of intriguing names we will discuss.

The first guy I want to talk about is Angel Feliz. Sending Feliz to High-A was an aggressive assignment that was likely caused by how many young infield prospects the Nats have. Feliz only played 31 games in Low-A, where he did not light it up. However, the Nats were bullish on his glove and wanted him to play shortstop at High-A.

So far, he has been surprisingly solid with the bat, despite being one of the youngest players in High-A. He has done a really good job controlling the zone, with 7 walks and just 2 strikeouts so far. Feliz is batting just .250, but his ability to get on base is why he has an .859 OPS. He also has a triple, which is his only extra base hit so far this season.

Angel Feliz with an RBI-triple in the 🔟th! pic.twitter.com/jl1jfY8Up5

— Wilmington Blue Rocks (@WilmBlueRocks) April 8, 2026

Taking your walks seems to be a theme in Wilmington so far. The two other top prospects at the level, Ethan Petry and Devin Fitz-Gerald are also walking a lot, with five each. Learning to take those walks will be helpful in these guys’ development. Eventually, they will get pitches to hit and we know these players have hitting chops.

Wilmington’s top pitching prospect is Yoel Tejada, who had an up and down first start. He struck out 7 in 4.1 innings, but he did allow three runs. Tejada is a massive 6’8 pitcher who has interesting upside. However, he is still quite raw.

Double-A Standouts:

From a record standpoint, the Harrisburg Senators are absolutely killing it. They are 5-0, and winning the game they are playing while I am writing this. Their offense has been explosive, and they have also had some fun pitching performances.

Right now, Sam Petersen is carrying the Senators offense. When Petersen is healthy, he absolutely rakes. It has been no different this season. Right now, he is hitting .364 with an OPS over 1.000. He may have been picked in the 8th round, but Petersen is the real deal.

Sam Petersen matches a career-best driving in four runs in a Senators victory.

The 2025 Scorpion cranked a three-run homer in the second inning for Harrisburg then clubbed an RBI double in the third. The homer was his first at the AA level, Petersen also drew a walk in Tuesday’s… pic.twitter.com/67fbPF6nqL

— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) April 8, 2026

MLB Pipeline has him as the 22nd ranked prospect in the system, which just feels too low. Petersen has a .937 OPS in his minor league career. Those numbers are just undeniable. The Nats have a lot of outfield prospects in the upper levels, but Petersen is the next man up and could force his way to the big leagues before too long.

However, Petersen is not the only hitter performing down there. After a rough start to his pro career, Seaver King has been heading in the right direction since the Arizona Fall League. His approach is much improved, and he is showing why the Nats took him in the top 10.

Right now, King has a .908 OPS on the season. He already has 8 walks, which is a great sign for a player who has faced concerns about chasing too much. We know King has the raw athleticism, he just needed to perform. With his athleticism and versatility, he could be in the big leagues by the end of the season.

On the mound, the Senators have a couple intriguing prospects worth following. While he is not in the Nats top 30 for MLB Pipeline, Davian Garcia is a name with a lot of helium. Baseball America listed him as a guy with breakout potential due to his uptick in velocity and improving command. In his first start, Garcia threw 4.2 innings of one run ball with five strikeouts and two walks.

Another high octane arm in AA is Eriq Swan. The Nats got him as part of the Alex Call return. Swan has control issues, but he has elite arm talent. He can touch triple digits and has a wipeout slider to go with it. In his first start of the season, he threw 4 no hit innings with two walks. This is likely a reliever profile, but if he looks how he did last night, he could be fast tracked.

Triple-A Standouts:

The Rochester Red Wings are such a fascinating team. They have prospects like Harry Ford, Abimelec Ortiz and others, but some of the most interesting guys are players with big league experience. The biggest name in that group is Dylan Crews.

The former second overall pick was sent down after a brutal spring. The idea was to have Crews rebuild his swing and confidence at a lower level. So far, the results have been solid, if not mind blowing. Crews is hitting .278 with an .830 OPS. One thing I do like is that he is walking at a 17% clip. The whiffs have been high, but after his spring, that is not a giant surprise. 

Crews hit a mammoth pull side homer the other day, which has gotten him going. In the last week or so, Crews has really heated up. If he can push that OPS close to .900, I think he will force Paul Toboni’s hand and get a call up before too long.

Dylan Crews, while still struggling with swing and miss in AAA, hasn’t lost his power

This ball was TOASTED pic.twitter.com/YB161sdAG8

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) April 4, 2026

However, Crews is far from the only intriguing bat in Rochester. One player who has not done as well is Harry Ford, who the Nats acquired in an offseason trade. As usual, Ford is taking his walks, but the quality of contact has not been great so far. However, he had a slower April last year before hitting over .400 in May, so it is not time to panic at all.

One player I want to see in the big leagues soon is Abimelec Ortiz. He had a chance to win a job out of camp, but struggled this spring. However, he has had a great start in AAA. He has an .849 OPS and has more walks than strikeouts. I think he would plug in nicely to that DH spot against righties, a role currently held by Jose Tena.

On the pitching side of things, Andrew Alvarez and Riley Cornelio have been the standouts. Cornelio is the one who really catches my eye though. His stuff has been ticking up, and he is getting more whiffs than ever. The fastball has been particularly sharp so far, comfortably sitting in the mid-90’s.

I think the Nationals have something in Triple-A RHP prospect Riley Cornelio.

He's 25, went to TCU, posted a 3.28 ERA as the pitcher of the year in the Nats system last year.

Here are K's from his start yesterday via a (1) 95 MPH FB and an (2) 87 MPH slider. pic.twitter.com/USGTWfBg2D

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 2, 2026

Cornelio is 25 and on the 40 man roster, so I would not be opposed to giving him a shot in the rotation or the bullpen. The bullpen desperately needs help and I think Cornelio could be nasty in short bursts sitting 96-97 MPH. He will certainly get a big league look at some point, but it should happen sooner rather than later.

While there has not been much winning at the big league level, it is a different story in the minors. All of the teams are above .500, and I actually think that is a good sign for the overall health of the organization. Last year, the Nats minor league teams were not very good across the board. This year, that looks to be changing. Paul Toboni is taking a ground up approach to his project. Eventually, he hopes that minor league success will make its way to the big leagues.

Shohei Ohtani is back to being a full-time two-way player again, which adds another layer of complexity in managing his unique workload.

Ohtani pitched six innings in Wednesday’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing only an unearned run. He was hitless in three at-bats at the plate, with a walk. That double duty is directly followed by the Dodgers’ scheduled off day Thursday, before starting a homestand on Friday.

“How you balance the workload, the focus on the pitching, to then still really lock in on those four or five at-bats, it’s not easy. Obviously, no one else is doing it,” manager Dave Roberts said last week during the opening homestand. “He definitely has a handle on it, I think as much as anyone can.”

Last year the Dodgers were deliberate in easing Ohtani back into pitching, a year and a half removed from his second Tommy John surgery. His two-way status affords the Dodgers an advantage currently unavailable to other teams — he doesn’t count against the limit of 13 pitchers on the active roster, so using a six-man rotation doesn’t deplete the bullpen; and when he pitches, he is allowed to remain in games as the designated hitter as long as he starts the game at both positions.

The Dodgers last year were fine with Ohtani pitching only one or two innings per start for the first few times out, because any amount he pitched were like free money, reducing the workload for the rest of the staff. But they also started him back on the mound in such a limited capacity because the alternative of building up in simulated rehab games proved to be too large of a burden on his time.

“We got to the point where it feels like we should take that next step, and almost finish the rehab at the major league level, because of the taxing nature of what he was doing,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last June. “So much of it the getting hot, throwing a live (batting practice) at 1:30, two o’clock, cooling down, then coming back and getting ready to lead off a game. I can’t even imagine how taxing that is.”

Another taxing stretch for Ohtani comes when pitching at home. When he bats leadoff, he has to pitch the top of the first inning, then go directly to the on-deck circle to prepare for his at-bat to begin the bottom of the frame.

“I do think that first at-bat is a tough one, especially when you’re at home. When you go from the mound to the on-deck circle to the batter’s box, I’m not saying it’s a throwaway, but it’s hard. It’s a quick transition,” Roberts said. “But then to figure out, how do you restructure the lineup for that one particular day, to appease that one at-bat, that’s a bigger question.”

Ohtani batted first in his March 31st start against at home, and grounded out to third base. He’s batted first 10 times in the bottom of the first inning directly after pitching the top of the frame, and has three hits, including two home runs, with two strikeouts. Roberts indicated during the homestand that it would take some time before considering moving Ohtani down in the lineup for games he pitches at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m more of a slow mover,” Roberts said. “So I would probably wait a little bit.”

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Ohtani was fully stretched out by last September, and is stretched out now to start 2026. That means his workload could look more like his final three years with the Angels (2021-23), when he averaged 25 starts and 142 2/3 innings while also averaging 635 plate appearances per year.

Through Wednesday, Ohtani has batted 58 times and faced 47 batters while pitching, his 105 total plate appearances 19 more than Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, with the next-highest total. Ohtani’s most PA in a month last season was 193, batting 121 times and facing 72 batters while pitching last August.

In his rookie season, the Angels were conservative with Ohtani, who would not hit on the day he pitched, the day before, nor on the day after. He did not pitch in 2019 after his first Tommy John surgery and pitched only twice in 2021. In his first three seasons in Anaheim, Ohtani never batted the day he pitched (the two-way rule which allowed him to both pitch and be DH in the same game wasn’t implemented until 2022), and he only batted the day after he pitched once, in 2021, and was hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.

Situation	PA	HR	BB	K	BA/OBP/SLG
Ohtani pitching	367	19	15.3%	24.5%	.277/.390/.542
Ohtani day after pitching	285	24	10.2%	29.5%	.257/.337/.589

Ohtani with the Dodgers has just four hits in 36 at-bats on the days after he pitched, but overall in his career his numbers in those situations have been pretty good, though with more strikeouts and fewer walks. The Dodgers are more concerned with managing his overall fatigue, and having fewer games batting the day after the heavy load of pitching, the better.

The schedule doesn’t always work out that cleanly for Ohtani to pitch the day before an off day, but it did this week, and likely will next week as well, with the Dodgers hosting the Texas Rangers and New York Mets at home before another off day next Thursday, April 16.

“If it’s feasible, we will certainly take that into consideration,” Roberts said. “I think you’ve seen that we’ve done that in the past.”

Last year, Ohtani made 14 regular season pitching starts plus four more during the postseason. Excluding the last of those starts — Game 7 of the World Series — Ohtani pitched before a Dodgers off day eight times in 18 start. One of which was by his own doing by eliminating the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series with arguably the greatest individual performance in baseball history, hitting three home runs to go with 10 strikeouts in six scoreless innings on the mound.

Directly after the All-Star break last year, the Dodgers had six Thursdays off in a seven-week span, right around the time Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell returned, giving the team a fully-operational six-man rotation. Ohtani pitched five Wednesday’s in a row, four of which came with a built-in off day the following day. He also sat in a day game on Thursday, August 21 against the Colorado Rockies, his only true day off of last season while the division was still up for grabs.

After the Dodgers homestand, they play 32 games in a 34-day stretch, making it tougher to do any sort of maneuvering to pitch Ohtani directly before an off day. How they find ways to get him rest as he carries this dual workload will be one of the stories of the season. But it basically comes down to continually checking in with Ohtani to see how he’s holding up.

“When you’re pitching, the focus is pitching, then trying to layer in the importance of hitting. The day after, that’s case by case, start by start. Home, road, travel, there’s a lot of different variables,” Roberts said. “For me, it’s more just having a conversation and seeing how he feels, because he’s very in tune with his body.”

The Guardians have managed an 8-5 record through their first 13 games, despite a strong slate of opponents. What is real and what is not as we look at this team’s performance so far?

Brayan Rocchio – 112 wRC+, .355 xwOBA, 8.7/13 K/BB%

Verdict – Real: Perhaps the most exciting Guardians’ player to follow so far this season has been Rocchio who has a very reasonable wRC+ about 10% above average and expected numbers that look even better. I’d expect Rocchio’s strikeout rate to probably double and bring his xwOBA back down more in line with his actual output, as his low BABIP of .219 averages out. He’s at 0 DRS and 0 OAA so far, but he looks like a good defender at short which should get him closer to his 2024 numbers of 11 DRS and 5 OAA if the team continues to start him there. A 115 wRC+ with 5 OAA would be a 4-5 win player. WOW.

Austin Hedges – 175 wRC+, .411 xwOBA, 20/0 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real: I do not expect Hedges to run a .500 BABIP this season, nor do I expect him to manage a wRC+ approximately 4 times what he has been as a hitter for a while. HOWEVER, he will end up taking some walks and his quality of contact has dramatically improved. I think an 80 wRC+ is actually on the table. Is it likely? No, it’s probably more of a 60-70 wRC+ when it’s all said and done, but Hedges as an 80 wRC+ would be an insanely valuable player given his continued defensive excellence.

Chase DeLauter – 185 wRC+, .393 xwOBA, 22/8.9 K/BB%

Verdict – Real(ish): I don’t think DeLauter is a 185 wRC+ player, but I do think there is potential for 150 wRC+ here. DeLauter will have to adjust to teams trying to get him to chase and relentlessly attacking him with high heat. But, I do think he will fall back on a strong plate discipline ethic and increase his walk rate while losing some slugging. This is a very exciting hitter and he has only a .231 BABIP right now.

Angel Martinex – 168 wRC+, .319 xwOBA, 17.1/8.6 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real(BUT!): I do not think Angel is going to be a 168 wRC+, but I do think he has potential to outperform his .319 xwOBA which would put him closer to a 120 wRC+, which is insane to think about. The key for Angel is maintaining a lower strikeout rate and a walk-rate of 9-10%, as well as his current 33% pulled fly-ball rate. Additionally, he needs to tighten up his outfield defense. If that’s the case, given his increasing confidence against right-handed pitchers, you could see him as the team’s primary starting left-fielder. Angel will likely need to trim his 34% chase rate slightly because his .364 BABIP will not last when he begins making more weak contact on bad pitches. Pitchers will begin simply throwing him balls to see if he is patient enough to take his walks. That will determine if Angel becomes something more than an early season mirage. I wouldn’t bet against him, myself.

Rhys Hoskins – 151 wRC+, .262 xwOBA, 36.4/18.2 K/BB%

Verdict – Real(ish): Hoskins has not been hitting the ball hard that often, but he has shown tremendous plate discipline and timely contact. I’d expect him to get closer to his xwOBA of 2025 given what we have seen, which was .314. Given his refusal to chase (15%) and his being surrounded by hitters like Jose and DeLauter, I think he has potential to be a 120 wRC+, with a 130-140 wRC+ on the table against LHP.

Juan Brito – 270 wRC+, .544 xwOBA, 12.5/0 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real(BUT!): Surprisingly, while I am a Brito-truther, I do not expect him to win AL MVP. The most exciting part of his debut is that he has had no walks yet and he is very capable of taking walks. He looks like a player who will see a lot of pitches, make consistent contact and pull fly balls. The question for him will be if he can avoid untimely errors at second base, because he will make mistakes there. It’s early but he definitely looks like a player who can manage a 120 wRC+, which might give Travis Bazzana some needed leash to try to figure himself out at Columbus.

Jose Ramirez – 62 wRC+, .338 xwOBA, 12.7/10 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real: Jose will be Jose, folks. His xwOBA is what it’s been for the past two years. He’s been pressing a bit and gotten robbed a few times (by defenders and umpires). Relax, he’ll be Jose.

Kyle Manzardo – 6 wRC+ .315 xwOBA, 34/9.8 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real(BUT!): Manzardo has been widely publicized as the most unlucky hitter in baseball so far. True. However, he is swinging and missing way too much and chasing at a career-high rate (32%). He needs to take a cue from his teammates who have been very disciplined as a whole group or the team is going to be looking longingly at Ralphy Velazquez by July with Manzardo hanging around league average as a hitter.

David Fry – 101 wRC+, .280 xwOBA, 35.3/17.3 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real: Folks, I don’t know if I believe in David Fry. His current value is reliant on his ability to continue to walk at a healthy rate, and I think pitchers are going to be daring him not to chase more and more. I think he might be a 90 wRC+ hitter overall, and 110 wRC+ vs. LHP. His spot on the roster won’t be secure if Hedges can somehow sustain competency at the plate, or if the team refuses to play him as a catcher (as they have so far).

Bo Naylor – 23 wRC+, .303 xwOBA, 24.2/12.1 K/BB%

Verdict – Not Real(BUT!): Bo will eventually be something more like his xwOBA… but that’s still a slightly below league average hitter. Bo isn’t going anywhere for 2026, but if Cooper Ingle continues to advance as a defender, I’d expect Ingle to be on the team in September with a chance to show himself as a contender for starting catcher in 2027 and putting Bo on the trade block. Bo needs to find a way to get to his power and continue to take walks, and I think he will, but there are some reasons to doubt.

C.J. Kayfus – 92 wRC+, .305 xwOBA, 32/8 K/BB%

Verdict – Real: Kayfus looks like a slightly below average hitter. I think he’s probably roughly 100 wRC+, which will make him an easy replacement when George Valera is ready. Hope he surprises me and proves me wrong.

What do you think? Whom do you believe in? Whom do you doubt? Let us know in the comments below

The White Sox seemed to bottom out in their rebuild in 2024 when they lost 121 games. They improved by 19 wins last year, and actually added some high-priced free agents this winter like closer Seranthony Dominguez and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. But it has been a tough slog for them already this year, with sweeps at the hands of the Brewers, and earlier this week, the Orioles. They’ve lost five of six on the road and have been outscored 52-21.

Chicago White Sox (4-8) vs. Kansas City Royals (5-7) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

White Sox: 3.42 runs scored/game (26th in MLB), 5.83 runs allowed/game (28th)

Royals: 3.75 runs scored/game (21st), 4.75 runs allowed/game (21st)

White Sox hitters have the third highest-strikeout rate in baseball, and the third-lowest batting average. Murakami became the first Japanese player to hit four home runs in his first eight games, but he is just 1-for-11 in his last eight games. Andrew Benintendi was 10-for-29 (.345) against his old Royals club last year. Colson Montgomery tied for the most home runs (21) by any shortstop in baseball last year from July 1 until the end of the season. Catcher Edgar Quero is hitting just .1478/.233/.148 to start the year, while the other top catching prospect, Kyle Teel, is out with injury.

Miguel Vargas hits much better on the road in his career with a line of .224/.307/.414. In addition to Teel, the White Sox are without Austin Slater and Brooks Baldwin, who are out with injury.

*-All numbers from 2025+indicates numbers in Japan

The White Sox signed Anthony Kay after he led the NPB in Japan in groundball rate last year. Kay was a journeyman before going to Asia, pitching in parts of five seasons with the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Mets. He walked four hitters in 4.2 innings in his first start, but allowed just two runs. In his second outing, he was the “bulk reliever”, giving up two runs in 4.1 innings with two walks and no strikeouts.

Davis Martin won each of his first two starts with six strikeouts in each outing, and no runs allowed in his last game against the Blue Jays. He has a 2.67 ERA in five career starts against the Royals. He has a deep arsenal that includes a four-seamer, change, cutter, sinker, curve, and slider, that helped him put up a 45.9 percent ground ball rate last year.

Erick Fedde returns to the White Sox after pitching for three teams last year. He gave up just two runs in six innings in a loss to the Orioles his last time out. Vinnie Pasquantino is 3-for-7 (.429) with a home run in their career matchups. Lefties hit .310/.395/.527 against him last year.

Jonathan Cannon seems likely to get the call up to start the Sunday game after Opening Day starter Shane Smith was demoted. Cannon has a 5.09 ERA in 228 MLB innings over the past two seasons and gave up eight runs in 8.2 innings in Triple-A this year. The White Sox could also go with Duncan Davitt, who has yet to make his MLB debut, or go with a bullpen game.

*-All numbers from 2025+ indicates numbers in Japan

The White Sox overhauled their bullpen, but aside from Dominguez, much of the bullpen are castoffs from other organizations. So far, White Sox relievers have a 5.71 ERA, sixth-worst in baseball (but better than the Royals at 6.40!) Dominguez has converted one of his two save opportunities, but hasn’t pitched since last Saturday. Grant Taylor had the second-largest gap by any reliever with 30+ innings between ERA and FIP last year, and had the 12th-highest strikeout rate. He has been used as an opener to start games three times this year. Lefty Chris Murphy has given up seven runs in six innings and opponents are hitting .333/.438/.556 against him.

*-All numbers from 2025

I wrote last month the White Sox may be friskier than last season, but this is still far from a quality Major League roster. The pitching staff has a lot of holes, with unproven talent and veterans way past their prime. Royals bats have been quiet so far, but higher temps at home (with a chance of wet weather) and a White Sox pitching staff should be just what they need to wake up.

A year ago, I wrote:

It is Thursday afternoon, the season is a week old, and the Texas Rangers are off.

So I decided to offer up a trivia question.

Once again, it is a Thursday afternoon and the Rangers are off. This time, though, the season is two weeks old, not one.

Still, seems like a good time to offer up a trivia question.

Once again, a couple of rules…

1 — Put a spoiler over your answer in the comments.

2 — Don’t go digging around on baseball sites to try to discover the answer. This is a trivia question, not a scavenger hunt.

Here is an alphabetical list of professional baseball players:

Eddie Bressoud

Eli Grba

Ruppert Jones

Roger Nelson

David Nied

Troy Saunders

These players all have something in common, and this is a complete list of every professional baseball player who has this commonality (so, for example, the answer can’t be “Players who have never been in my kitchen,” because Tris Speaker and Logan Forsythe and Roger Moret, among others, also haven’t been in your kitchen).

Can you guess what this is a complete list of?

One of their missing pieces to their roster, the Phillies saw Zack Wheeler make his third rehab start with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Wednesday evening. The results were better this time around, if that’s something that you’re looking at closely.

Vintage Zack Wheeler tonight🤩 #ironpigs#phillies#baseball#zackwheelerpic.twitter.com/jxXnLBp21m

— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) April 8, 2026

The real thing to watch with Wheeler is how the stuff is coming out post surgery and the results there were a little more encouraging.

Zack Wheeler made another rehab start in AAA today, firing off 61 pitches with 6 K over 4.1 IP

Wheeler is making his way back from venous thoracic outlet syndrome that has kept him out since last August. The pitch count is encouraging, but the velocity is understandably down pic.twitter.com/FBohbdthBP

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 9, 2026

Postgame, Wheeler talked about still feeling a “little bit off” a bit with everything that is going on in the process, which is understandable.

Asked Zack Wheeler how close he feels to rejoining the staff:

“I’m still a little bit off, that’s why you take these starts so can tinker here and there but not too much … there’s nothing more I can do but get those reps in.” #Philliespic.twitter.com/kocNRMoUzr

— Cory Nidoh (@Cory_Nidoh) April 9, 2026

As much as we want Wheeler to come back looking like the Zack Wheeler we know and love this season, those expectations need to be throttled back. It’s probably to expect that the days of his hitting in the upper tier of 90’s with his velocity won’t happen this season, living in the range of 93-95 with his fastball. That’s certainly doable for him considering how good a command he has of everything else in his arsenal, so the next question comes back when to expect him.

We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, he’s healthy and making regular starts where he’s showing effectiveness. That’s awesome.

The Milwaukee Brewers return home this weekend, as they’ll take on the Washington Nationals for three games beginning Friday evening. After unveiling their new City Connect uniforms on Thursday, the Crew will wear the jerseys in all three games of this series.

The Brewers are coming off a 3-3 road trip that included a series win over the Royals before a series loss to the Red Sox. They sit at 8-4, tied atop the NL Central with the Reds, though Cincinnati is actively playing against the Marlins in Miami as of this writing. On the other side, the Nationals are at the bottom of the NL East at 4-8. After getting off to a 3-1 start, including a series win over the Cubs, Washington has lost seven of their last eight, including series losses to the Phillies, Dodgers, and Cardinals.

The Brewers are still without a few key players, as Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio are both out for a few weeks with hand injuries. On the pitching front, Jared Koenig (May), Quinn Priester (May), Rob Zastryzny (late April or early May), and Craig Yoho (mid-April) are also on the IL. The latest injury is Brice Turang, who sat out the last two games in Boston with left ankle tendinitis. He isn’t expected to need an IL stint, meaning he should be back on the field for this series.

Washington’s injured list is exclusively pitchers, including Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Trevor Williams, Jarlin Susana, and Travis Sykora. All five of those injuries are in the “severe” category, with the first three on the 60-day IL and the last two still in the minors as two of the Nats’ top four prospects. All of them with the exception of Sykora are expected to return to play at some point in 2026 (Sykora is out for the season, with a 2027 return).

The Brewers’ offense went stagnant without Turang in the final two games in Boston, but they’re still one of the better offensive teams in baseball overall. Turang, Christian Yelich, and Garrett Mitchell have led the team thus far. Turang is hitting .270/.413/.514 with a homer, four doubles, a triple, seven RBIs, 10 runs scored, and four steals; Yelich is hitting .372/.413/.535 with a homer, two doubles, a triple, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored, and three steals; and Mitchell is hitting .310/.429/.517 with a homer, three doubles, 13 RBIs, four runs scored, and three steals. William Contreras, Jake Bauers, Gary Sánchez, Luis Rengifo, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, Brandon Lockridge, and Joey Ortiz round out the other regulars, with Blake Perkins and Luis Matos generally coming off the bench. As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .253/.356/.395 (.751 OPS ranks fourth), with 10 homers (tied for 18th), 70 runs scored (fourth), and 23 steals (first).

Despite their rough start to the season, the Nationals’ offense is not the issue. CJ Abrams and James Wood sit atop the team’s homer leaderboard with four each, with Abrams adding four steals. Former Brewer Joey Wiemer got off to a red-hot start but has cooled off quite a bit — even so, he’s hitting .440/.533/.760 with a pair of homers through eight games played. Brady House, Luis García, Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, Drew Millas, Nasim Nuñez, and Jorbit Vivas round out the regulars, with Keibert Ruiz, Curtis Mead, and José Tena serving as depth. As a team, Washington is hitting .266/.339/.431 (.770 OPS ranks third), with 16 homers (tied for third), 71 runs scored (third), and 14 steals (tied for third).

The Brewer bullpen is led in appearances (seven) by Grant Anderson and Aaron Ashby. Anderson has allowed two runs and struck out eight across eight frames, while Ashby has allowed three runs and struck out 14 over 9 2/3 innings. DL Hall hasn’t allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings of work, striking out 10. Trevor Megill is 3-for-3 in save opportunities, while Ángel Zerpa has allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, picking up his first career save against the Red Sox on Monday. Abner Uribe is still one of the best relievers in the league, and Jake Woodford rounds out the bullpen, with one more addition expected on Friday to replace Koenig. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.77 team ERA (13th), including a 4.80 starter ERA (25th) and a 2.66 reliever ERA (sixth). They’ve struck out 124 batters (tied for fourth) over 105 innings.

Just about nobody in Washington’s bullpen has gotten off to a good start — the only player of the eight currently on the roster with an ERA under 3.00 is Paxton Schultz, who’s made just one appearance spanning one scoreless frame. The team is just 1-for-5 in save opportunities, with Clayton Beeter claiming that one save (he has a 3.18 ERA with two runs allowed over 5 2/3 innings). Cole Henry has an 0-2 record, with five runs allowed (three earned) over seven innings, while PJ Poulin (5.40 ERA), Cionel Pérez (13.50 ERA), Brad Lord (4.35 ERA), former Brewer Gus Varland (6.75 ERA), and Ken Waldichuk (7.04 ERA) have all struggled. As a staff, the Nationals have a 6.06 team ERA (30th), including a 5.75 starter ERA (30th) and a 6.34 reliever ERA (27th). They’ve struck out 92 batters (tied for 24th) over 107 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, April 10 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.96 ERA, 4.33 FIP) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 8.00 ERA, 4.60 FIP)

Patrick was originally slated to start for the third time this season on Wednesday in Boston, but thanks to the doubleheader on Saturday, his turn through the rotation was pushed back to this weekend against the Nationals. While he’s allowed quite a bit of traffic through two starts, he’s done a good job keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Through 9 1/3 innings, he’s allowed just one run on nine hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. This will mark his first career start against Washington.

Irvin, 29, is in his fourth MLB season, all with the Nationals. He hasn’t had much success to this point, with a 4.99 ERA and a 5.07 FIP over nearly 500 career innings. In two starts this season, he’s had varied results. He started the year with five innings of two-run ball against the Cubs, picking up the win as he allowed three hits and a walk while striking out seven. In his last start against the Dodgers, he struggled across four innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Irvin has made six career starts against Milwaukee, with an 0-5 record, a 6.59 ERA, and 22 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings. That includes a pair of starts last season, when he went 0-2 and allowed eight runs (five earned) over nine innings with seven strikeouts.

Saturday, April 11 @ 6:10 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (0-1, 14.85 ERA, 12.00 FIP) vs. LHP Foster Griffin (1-0, 2.70 ERA, 4.75 FIP)

Sproat has not gotten off to a great start with the Brewers. Through two appearances (one start) spanning 6 2/3 innings against the White Sox and Royals, he’s allowed 11 earned runs on 10 hits — including four homers — and seven walks, striking out seven. This actually marks his second time pitching against Washington, as he made his third career start against them while with the Mets last season. He went four innings in that outing, allowing four runs on four hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts in a no-decision.

Griffin, 30, is a former first-round pick who spent parts of two seasons with the Royals and Blue Jays back in 2020 and 2022, spanning eight innings in which he allowed nine runs (eight earned) and struck out five. He spent the last three seasons in Japan, where he made 54 appearances spanning 315 2/3 innings with a 2.57 ERA and 318 strikeouts. In two starts (against the Phillies and Dodgers) this season, he’s totaled 10 innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 11. This marks his first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Sunday, April 12 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-0, 2.61 ERA, 4.12 FIP) vs. RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.85 FIP)

Kyle Harrison has had a successful start to his Milwaukee tenure, with a 2.61 ERA across 10 1/3 innings in starts against the Rays and Royals. He’s struck out 14 in those outings, as he’s successfully deployed a new kick-change. Harrison has made three previous starts against the Nationals, all while with the Giants. In those outings, he has an 0-1 record with a 4.30 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings.

Littell, 30, is in his ninth MLB season and now with his sixth team. He spent 2025 between the Rays and Reds, with a 3.81 ERA, 4.88 FIP, and 130 strikeouts across 186 2/3 innings. He’s made two appearances (one start) against the Phillies and Cardinals this season, spanning 10 frames with four earned runs on 10 hits and five walks, striking out seven. A familiar opponent for Milwaukee, Littell has made 12 appearances (three starts) against the Crew, with an 0-1 record, 1.75 ERA, and 18 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings. He made three starts against the Brewers last season (two with the Reds, one with the Rays), allowing four runs and striking out 11 over 16 2/3 innings.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, April 10: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, April 11: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, April 12: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers seem to have the advantage in just about every facet in this series, including the fact that the Nationals are ice-cold right now. I’ll take Milwaukee to pick up the sweep.

Detroit Tigers (4-8) vs. Minnesota Twins (6-6)

Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Target Field
SB Nation Site: Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 7.56 ERA) vs. RHP Mick Abel (0-2, 11.05 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Flaherty	2	8.1	18.6	18.6	34.8	5.23	0.0
Abel	2	7.1	16.7	16.7	20.0	4.96	0.0

The apparel company with the big swoosh logo has deemed that it’s time for a number of MLB teams to change up their City Connect jerseys so they can sell people a new round of jerseys. The Orioles are in this year’s wave for updated uniforms, so the black ones with the boring block lettering are out and a new set of jerseys are in. The new jerseys will debut tomorrow night. No one will have to wait too long to see them in action.

The team released some promo photos of players in the new uniforms to go along with this rollout. Here are the jerseys on some players:

For me, these are a substantial improvement over the previous City Connect jerseys. That’s not to say that I think they are good, or that I would ever wear them. They are not, and I would not. I am confused by the people who spend their money on these jerseys. You’ll only get this jersey on my body if I’m in a coma or dead. If you put this on my corpse, my spirit will haunt you to the fullest extent it is able.

As you may have guessed from my opening paragraph of this article, I take a cynical view of the whole City Connect endeavor. This whole thing is there to rope people in with feeling like they are getting something limited edition and special. Now that the pattern is established that the jerseys change every few years, the thought will be that you’d better get it before it’s gone. Buy, buy, buy. This is never far from your sports fandom, people wanting to make money off of it. I feel it is uncommonly out in the open with the City Connects.

The most interesting jerseys since the start of this whole project have been the ones that were different and unafraid of being bad. You may remember those yellow and blue Red Sox ones that are meant to evoke Boston Marathon race numbers. Terrible jerseys. They are, at least, distinct from the usual Red Sox fare and that makes them interesting. A small handful of designs have ended up being truly cool and interesting, such as the original Nationals design that had the cherry blossoms. There was more personality in those jerseys than that franchise has ever had in the entirety of its existence.

The previous Orioles ones were primarily black when the team already had a primarily black weekend home game jersey top. That’s boring. The little splashes of color on the edges of the jerseys just weren’t enough to change that. It was a complete waste of an opportunity. I blame John Angelos even if it was probably someone else’s fault.

Now, you’ve got these new ones. They’re terrible, just in a more interesting way. From a distance, they look like minor league gimmick jerseys, not all that far removed from SpongeBob SquarePants jersey night. Up close, there are some cool details. The orange trim on the sleeves is patterned in a way that evokes the brick of the B&O Warehouse. That’s good. The sleeve that isn’t being taken up by the investment company sponsorship has one of the Eutaw Street home run plaques on it. Instantly iconic.

The white with mostly green and then a little bit of orange is a distinct color pattern compared to the existing array of Orioles jerseys. That’s a plus. They should just wear the jerseys they already have. But if they must exist, then at least they might as well exist while being something like this. I would go so far as to say this is one of the better ones that was unveiled today:

These new jerseys are coming tomorrow night. I hope that the Orioles win the game so I don’t have to spend multiple years again hearing about how the jerseys are cursed.

Right before Wednesday’s series finale between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels, I got a chance to chat with former Braves reliever and current BravesVision TV analyst Peter Moylan. Moylan was gracious enough to share some of his time with us and so I got the chance to ask him some questions about the past and also about the future of the sport as well.

As Braves fans, we’re all familiar with the Australian hurler who became a bit of a cult legend no matter where he went. He’s been all over the place as well, as he even had a stint in the Czech Republic. There aren’t too many people who can say that they’ve played baseball in MLB, Australia and Czechia so when you get a chance to chat with someone who has, you absolutely have to take it.

Here’s our interview with Peter Moylan and I hope y’all enjoy it!

---

_{This interview has been edited for clarity when needed}

Demetrius Bell: So, about [Tuesday] night! You were a teammate of [Jorge] Soler’s and you played under Walt Weiss when he was a coach here. What were your thoughts on the fight?

Peter Moylan: I don’t know what ticked Jorge off — obviously there’s a little bit of history there with Reynaldo. I think [the pitch] might’ve been a little too close for comfort for him and I think something sparked when there was a little break. Everybody was caught off guard and honestly, I’ve never seen Jorge look like that! He’s such a mild-mannered guy so something obviously ticked him off. But Walt was able to defuse the situation! They were not pushing and shoving, they were throwing haymakers! I think Walt’s thought process was ‘I just want to get Soler on the ground and hopefully everything can calm down after that.’ It kind of did but it was mad crazy!

DB: Yeah, it was absolutely crazy. It was also a good thing that there was somebody with Taekwondo knowledge in there to deal with the situation.

PM: Let me tell you something: No one’s going to mess with Walt. Everybody knows that Walt spends as much time as anybody in the weight room and he’s not just doing band work. He’s throwing some serious weight around and he definitely knows how to take someone down as we saw.

Come put on the pads, Skip pic.twitter.com/A2XtqeWiaj

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 8, 2026

DB: Yeah, that was an absolutely crazy incident. But now that we can get to the actual questions for this interview: How does your preparation go for every game? What’s the process like for you when it comes to getting information ready to share out to the fans?

PM: I like to get to the studio or the field about three hours before the game. I’ll check the lineups if we have those. Then I’ll just run through a checklist: I’ll check out the starting pitchers, I’ll check out the opposing lineups, who’s hot, who’s not, potential base stealers, any little features that we want to work on. Anybody who’s been hot for us, we usually do some sort of story on. Recently it’s been Drake Baldwin and Mauricio Dubón for most of this year. It all depends on what’s happened in the couple of days before and where we’re at in the series.

For instance, this [the series finale vs. the Angels] is the last game of the series. We want to win this one today obviously to come home with a positive road trip and then they have the first day off of the year following that. So this is a big game today.

DB: Moving on, so you have experience as a coach in Australia. Has that changed your perspective on the game as both an analyst and a former player?

PM: Let me tell you: As a manager, the game speeds up on you so fast. You’re just worried about so many different things — the pitching changes, moving the infield, placing the outfield, do you put a bunt down, are you going to hit-and-run in a certain situation, do you pinch-hit for a guy? There’s just so much information getting fed to you so quickly. In close games and tight games, that’s where it gets really interest. I’ve got a whole different level of respect for managers and coaches in general, for sure.

DB: Right? I remember seeing of yours from the past where you said that you felt more nervous as a coach than you did as a player.

PM: Well, it’s because you can’t control anything. You just hope you’ve done enough to get these guys prepared so that when they get in a situation where they have to either perform or not that they can perform. Your hands are tied at that point once the game starts — you’re just sitting back and hoping that you can do what you taught them.

DB: Right, it’s a very different situation. Even though you have control of the tactics, it’s still different from being actually on the field to actually do it.

PM: I can have the perfect ‘pen night lined up but if one guy comes in and he doesn’t have his best stuff that day and he struggles then all your plans are gone and you’re going to have to try to figure it out after that.

DB: So, from your experience in Australia to playing in places like the Czech Republic, how did that time in the Czech Republic influence your thoughts on baseball? Have you carried anything with you from that experience?

PM: It’s interesting because growing up in Australia, baseball is not the number one sport. Obviously our facilities have never been the greatest. So when I went to the Czech Republic, it was very similar to what [I had when] I grew up playing so it was very comfortable for me. To go over there and experience that level of the sport like I did when I was growing up, I think the Czech Republic and a lot of European nations are really putting a lot of effort into improving their baseball teams and they’re very passionate about it.

Much like our Australian Baseball League, a lot of the guys that are on those teams [in the Czech Republic] have regular jobs. They’ll have a 9-to-5 and they’ll show up to training a couple of times a week. They played more games on the weekend and train a couple of times a week, so they’re really into it over there. It was just such an amazing experience.

I’d never been to Europe before! I’d pitch on a Friday night and then I’d travel Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday somewhere around Europe and then I’d come back and pitch again on the next Friday night and try to get a win for the guys. It was just incredible.

DB: Did you play with any of the players who were on the Czech team during this most recent World Baseball Classic?

PM: Oh yeah, definitely. The team I actually went and played for had about eight or nine representatives for the Czech National Team. The reason why I was over there was because one of my really good buddies from home is the pitching coach for the National Team and he was the pitching coach for the [club] team that I went and pitched for as well. So the connection was there and it was a really fun time.

DB: In terms of your experience in playing across all types of countries and continents, you’re really a unicorn in the baseball world, so that’s a really interesting thing to take with you.

PM: It’s a great game. It’s a great game at any level. The passion you see at those kind of local levels is just incredible to watch.

DB: Going back to yourself, if you could go back in time and commentate on yourself as a pitcher, what would the present-day version of you think about the pitcher version of you?

PM: I think I would’ve liked myself! That sounds funny to say that but I honestly think I would’ve enjoyed breaking down my appearances for sure. The Ryan Zimmerman home run that I gave up, I would’ve absolutely ripped myself for that! I think there’s been a few outings where I’ve had a bit of success where I would’ve loved to have broken it down. I would’ve said that I was a nice piece to a bullpen. Obviously often injured but when healthy, I was pretty good at my job.

DB: When it comes to your approach as a pitcher back then, do you feel like it would work in today’s game or would you have to adjust to what’s going on today?

PM: That’s a great question. I think, sure; I faced a lot of right-handed hitters and my strength was to face right-handers since we didn’t have the three-batter minimum when I was playing. We didn’t have the technology that they have available now but if we did, I would have probably added a couple of more pitches if I was playing today. I would’ve liked to have had something that cut and maybe something that stayed true to the top of the zone so I could work all four quadrants. I mainly worked down in the zone for most of my career.

I think if I was pitching now, I would learn how to elevate and I’d learn something else to get left-handed hitters off of my stuff. I think I would’ve adapted to it but it certainly would’ve been a lot different. I had a lot of one-pitch outings, a lot of one-out outings so you just don’t see them anymore unless it’s ending the inning.

DB: Like you mentioned with the three-batter rule, you’ve got to be out there for a little bit longer now.

PM: I called myself the original right-handed specialist, because there weren’t a lot of us! [Laughs]

DB: So again, coming from Australia, you probably didn’t see baseball a ton of TV. If you did, though, who was your inspiration as a broadcaster?

PM: When it comes to broadcasting, Vin Scully – you really can’t go past him. But, we did used to get some [coverage] on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). They’d show us highlights of the World Series and I remember the VHS tapes that they used to send out of every single World Series. I would get ahold of those anytime that I could going back to the ‘89, ‘90 [World Series], right the way through the ‘90s with all of the Braves success. I would still try to keep up with it even from over there.

I remember specifically when [Mark] McGwire and [Sammy] Sosa were chasing down the home run record and that was everywhere. That even got to us in Australia. I went online once and bought one of the newspaper clippings from the St. Louis newspaper when McGwire finally broke that record. We were far enough away from it but because I was so interested in the game as it was, I tried to get my claws on it over here [in Australia] as well.

DB: That had to have been a pretty big task since there’s a pretty loaded sports environment out there in Australia with footy, rugby, etc.

PM: Big time. That’s why we don’t get the best athletes trying to play baseball in Australia because they’ve all had to funnel down from Australian Rules football, rugby, cricket, tennis, basketball and soccer. It’s a sporting capital where I grew up and everybody loves their sports.

DB: Going back to your current career, what made you realize that commentary was a viable path for you as a post-playing career option?

PM: When they called me once I announced my retirement and said ‘Hey, do you want to give television a go?’ I didn’t see myself doing this and I didn’t plan to do this right after I left. But when I got that call, I thought to myself ‘I’m going to have to do something and this is worth a try.’

I was totally uncomfortable the first couple of times doing it, obviously as most people would be. But as I got into the groove, I really enjoyed still being able to be around the guys and breaking down the game and honestly watching it evolve. It’s just evolved so much over the last few years with all of the rule changes that have been introduced and all of the different technologies that guys have now. I still really love the game! I love the game at its purest form but I also really appreciate the improvements that have been made to it.

DB: When it comes to the rule changes, which ones do you like the most so far?

PM: Obviously, the three-batter minimum would’ve affected my career the most out of all of them. I love the pitch clock and I especially love the [ABS] system now. I think being able to challenge balls and strikes has added a whole new element to the game. There’s still a level of frustration because we’re not getting 100 percent of the calls right but I think the fact that they have the ability to challenge in big situations and you have to figure out when you want to do that and when you want to risk it [adds a lot to the game].

We saw a game earlier where the Braves lost all of their challenges within four outs of the game. That was obviously huge [that they ended up] winning that game but that could come back to bite them. I think it’s a whole new element. I think every rule change that has been introduced, I was a little skeptical to start off with but since they’ve been implemented, I really enjoy them.

DB: It’s very interesting to talk about the strategy when it comes to challenging. Do you feel like you’d follow in Chris Sale’s footsteps to where you’ll let the catcher do all the work when it comes to challenging or would you get involved?

PM: I think I would want to challenge most of the pitches that I thought were close, so I would be on the Chris Sale program probably implemented by my coaches and managers where they say ‘Peter, you’re an emotional man. Let’s go ahead and hold the challenges to the catchers.’ If I was a batter, I’d probably have a little more confidence but as a pitcher, I’d feel like everything I’d throw is a strike.

DB: Yeah, that sounds about right for a pitcher! [Both laugh] So, winding down, what’s the most exciting or favorite event that you’ve gotten to call or work during your time as an analyst?

PM: Well, we got to cover the World Series. That was so out of the blue. We all know how the Braves were going that season. They were just trying to scrape into the playoffs in 2021. They ended up going on a run after the All-Star break and after the Trade Deadline that was just incredible. Just to be a part of that, you could just sense the energy change as the guys started to play better, as they started to look like they were going to make the playoffs. I guess the lack of expectations for them to do any damage in the playoffs just let them hide under the cover of night and run through the playoffs like they did.

The Battery at the time and the energy of Atlanta was just incredible. I just know that everybody involved here wants to get back to that.

DB: Jumping off of that, I don’t want to put you on the spot here since you’ve played in many spots but which one would you consider to be your favorite ballpark that you’ve played in or just visited?

PM: I got lucky enough to pitch in Truist Park after they built it. It’s a great stadium. The facilities are still just incredible. However, I like the old stadiums. I love Wrigley Field, I love Fenway Park. When it comes to success, I also enjoyed pitching in Miami. I had a lot of success down there even if the [old] stadium wasn’t the best. I can tell you where I didn’t like pitching and that’s Philly.

DB: Sounds about right [laughs]. So yeah, that’s about it. Can you tell everybody where they can find you and how they can get set up to watch the Braves on TV?

PM: Of course. You can sign up at Braves.TV. We’re obviously new with BravesVision. We are learning at the big league level but we are all excited to bring the product to as many faces as we can. I know it’s been a struggle for people to find Braves games in the past. I think we’ve done a really good job to partner up with a lot of the major cable companies and a lot of the smaller ones as well.

More eyes are on it and that’s been the goal from the start of this — to get as many eyes on Braves baseball and the Braves product as you can. We’re going to try to bring you an entertaining product and as the season goes on, I’m sure the team on the field and off the field is going to be just as good.

DB: Alright, thank you so much for your time!

PM: Of course, mate!

The Yankees haven’t had many losses on the young season, but you could argue that Wednesday’s was the most frustrating so far. After starting the game with a couple hits and a couple runs in the first innings, they proceeded to not do much for the rest of the game. That allowed the Athletics to come back and eventually take the lead for good.

Thanks to that, the Yankees will now have to win Thursday’s matinee to avoid their first series loss of the season.

For this afternoon’s finale, the Yankees will send Ryan Weathers to the hill. While his regular season debut when well enough, Weathers struggled in his last time out, looking more like the pitcher we saw struggle in spring training. We’ll see if he can right the ship today.

With a lefty on the mound, the Yankees are giving starts not only at Amed Rosario but to Randal Grichuk, who has received just two at-bats thus far. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham are the ones getting days off, with the lineup fairly normal besides that. It is worth noting that Ben Rice is starting against a lefty, affirming the Yankees’ commitment to him as very much the primary first baseman, with only occasional looks from Paul Goldschmidt behind him.

Said lefty for the A’s is Jeffrey Springs. The Yankees have seen Springs a decent amount over the years, back in his days with the Red Sox and Rays, and he has a career 2.03 ERA against the Bombers. He mostly stymied the Blue Jays’ and Astros’ lineups during his first two times out in 2026 and had a 105 ERA+ in 171 innings last year, so he could be a challenge.

We hope that you’ll come join us in the game thread for this afternoon’s action!

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — New York, NY

First pitch: 1:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES Network (NYY) | NBCSCA (ATH)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast (ATH)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Wrapping up the homestand 🔥#RepBXpic.twitter.com/vz8Dogsv5w

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 9, 2026

Baseball for breakfast 🥞 pic.twitter.com/rzGAPLcpL3

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 9, 2026