Anthony Kay will look to lower his ERA against the Angels tonight. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The White Sox will get their first look at the Angels this evening in an evenly matched series. Unfortunately, the game will be delayed by rain and additional storms coming through the area.
But before the game gets rolling, some news — both good and bad.
The good news: Sean Burke joined James Baldwin on July 14, 1996 at Kansas City (76 pitches over eight innings) and Mélido Pérez on June 1, 1990 vs. Minnesota (76 over 7 2/3) as the only White Sox pitchers since 1990 to throw 7 1/3-plus innings pitched on 76 pitches or fewer. Congrats to Burke on the great accomplishment during Sunday’s game!
And now for the bad: Tanner Murray suffered a fracture in his shoulder, requiring surgery. His recovery is set at four to six months, so there is a good chance the rookie is out for the season.
With one man down, the White Sox were able to reinstate Austin Hays, who suffered a right hamstring strain on April 6. He’ll set tonight, given his rehab assignment at Triple-A lasted all of two games.
Anthony Kay (1-1, 5.57 ERA) is on the mound tonight. Unlike much of the starting staff, Kay has struggled in recent starts.
Jack Kochanowicz will be on the mound for the visiting team. Kochanowicz is 2-0 with an ERA of 3.1o, so the chilly White Sox offense could be in trouble.
First pitch was scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT, now delayed by rain. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.
Apr 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter (22) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 25: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 and Myles Straw #3 soak Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays during his post-game interview after an MLB game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre on April 25, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We get the Red Sox, with their new manager, for however long he lasts, for the next three games.
And, we’ve had the post on Max Scherzer, we won’t have him to kick around (more like other teams won’t have him to kick around) for at least the next 15 days. I wonder if he’d be willing to try the long reliever role? Likely, not. I’ll admit I’m using him for that in OOTP Baseball, and he’s been fine in the role. Course, in the game, Kevin Gausman was hurt, in his first start, and is out for the season.
I have to post the rules again, but let me say you are not allowed to insult people here. If you are the smartest in the room, show, not tell.
Apr 22, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Connor Prielipp (61) pitches against the New York Mets during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
First Pitch (CT):6:40 PM TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: Lookout Landing
After the latest bout of losing, it appears I need to adjust my previews back to “look at the bright side” mode. So, after losing 5 straight and 9 of their last 10, let’s pull a few positives.
Brooks Lee: Since infamously hitting himself in the face on a botched bunt (please watch it if you haven’t), the Twins’ shortstop is hitting .277/.338/.538 with 5 HR, 13 RBI, and a 140 wRC+ in 71 plate appearances. The defense has been poor and his pitch-level metrics say he’s been much worse (.227 xBA, .363 xSLG, hard hit rate lower than 2025, somehow) but this is probably the longest, successful stretch Lee has had at the plate in the Majors. Let’s appreciate it for now.
Connor Prielipp: His workload will still be limited for now, but you saw exactly why he’s the Twins’ top pitching prospect in his debut. Six strikeouts, a ton of swings and misses, and a slider that can make the best hitters look lost. Prielipp may have already jumped SWR in the rotation heirarchy, but we’ll cross that bridge when Mick Abel returns.
Austin Martin: You don’t need any fancy advanced stats to know he’s been arguably the Twins’ best hitter in the young season. Getting on base in 50% of your PAs will do that. But perhaps even more important, the early defensive metrics like his work so far, ranking above average in every system in all three of left field, right field, and center. Martin has reverse splits in the minors for his career, and combined with his new defensive strength, he should probably be in the lineup every day right now. With Wallner, Keaschall, Lewis, and Clemens all seriously struggling, it’s only a matter of time.
Now back to the game at hand. Prielipp is back on the mound in start two of his young career. He’ll face MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh and perennial All-Star Julio Rodriguez who are both struggling, but have found their footing a bit over the past week. The good news for Prielipp is outside of those two and postseason hero Randy Arozarena, the rest of the lineup is extremely poor with numbers rivaling the Minnesota’s own offensive incompetence.
For the the Twins, they’ll be facing veteran Luis Castillo who is probably past his prime at this point. Shelty is running out the usual lineup, with newly crowned Brooks Lee filling into the two hole amid Keaschall’s continued struggles. Unfortunately, my personal nemesis Kody Clemens (who has about 6 good weeks of baseball in his entire MLB career) continues to get starts at 1B. He’s a bad defender, hasn’t hit a lick, and doesn’t run the bases well. I know Josh Bell is a poor defender in his own right, but at least then you can get Martin or Caratini’s bats in the lineup.
Or start getting Martin reps at first at this point. Less Kody Clemens = better Minnesota Twins.
What’s cool is this picture isn’t even from today, it’s from last June, when the Mariners were also rained out in Minnesota. Get a roof, jerks! | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
The Seattle Mariners are fresh off what is both their first road series win and their first three-game series sweep of the season and headed to Minnesota to face a Twins team that is rebuilding after being sold for parts at last year’s trade deadline, which should be a harbinger of momentum finally shifting in Seattle’s favor. Unfortunately, the weather in Minnesota, as it always does, Sucks Out Loud, and tonight’s series opener will likely start in a delay if not get canceled entirely.
UPDATE, 4:30 PT: The warmup notification hit my phone screen so it looks like this one is starting on time. Head on over to the game thread and let’s all agree this almost-rain-delay never happened.
However, things do seem to be on the upswing. Both Brad Adam and Daniel Kramer report the Mariners have at least come out on the field to do pregame activities as the rain has stopped.
Still a tarp but now activity! Rain has stopped for now. No word on the game yet. pic.twitter.com/dAkELJTTqS
If tonight’s game is postponed, the Mariners will likely play a doubleheader tomorrow, followed by the regularly-scheduled day game for Wednesday before Thursday’s off day. The forecast in Minnesota says the rain should pass through tonight, but I trust the accuracy of a Midwest weather report about as much as I trust the proportions of my grandmother’s bourbon balls recipe (ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup each nuts and chopped fruit, and “Bourbon, as much as you like”).
This is the second time in a row the Mariners have had to contend with Minnesota’s weather and Target Field’s lack of a roof; perhaps you remember the four and a half hour rain delay in the series finale last June that resulted in the Mariners getting walloped 10-1. The Mariners were lousy on the road in the rain last season, going 1-6 in games delayed by rain. I had the not-at-all pleasure of recapping the Little League Classic game and thus getting to excise some childhood trauma, literature edition (Mrs. Ward was wrong for assigning Asimov to third graders and I stand behind that). I also got this un-fun one in Baltimore, and apparently rain delays make me think about my childhood. Probably standard for a Seattle kid. But the one that mad me the maddest was probably the mid-game interruption at Yankee Stadium that threw Logan Gilbert off his game. Ryan had that one, which might explain his posts on Bluesky today.
This post – which will serve as an off-day open thread if tonight’s game is canceled – will be updated as we know more about tonight’s game, and Ryan, we assume, will keep Posting Through It.
TORONTO — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer was put on the 15-day injured list by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday because of right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
A 41-year-old right-hander, Scherzer is 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA in five starts.
Toronto made the IL move retroactive to Saturday and recalled right-hander Chase Lee from Triple-A Buffalo.
Scherzer, who started Game 7 of last year’s World Series, remained with the Blue Jays by agreeing to a $3 million, one-year contract that allows him to earn $10 million in performance bonuses for innings starting with 65.
He allowed seven runs and six hits, including three home runs, in 2 1/3 innings during an 8-6 loss to Cleveland on Friday. It was the third time this season Scherzer failed to complete three innings.
He left an April 6 start against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of forearm pain, then allowed eight runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings in an April 12 defeat to Minnesota.
An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts and 85 innings for the Blue Jays last season. He made three starts in the postseason, beating Seattle 8-2 in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series and making two starts in the World Series against the Dodgers.
Scherzer won titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. He ranks 11th on the strikeouts list with 3,499, 10 behind Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 21: Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot park on April 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Tomas Diniz Santos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin one of their toughest stretches of the young season as they kick off a 4-game series in Pittsburgh Monday night. Dustin May (3-2 with a 5.84 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cardinals. Mason Montgomery will make the start for the Pirates. First pitch scheduled for 5:40pm St. Louis time Monday.
The Cubs welcomed back a member of their Opening Day bullpen before Monday night’s game in San Diego when they activated right-hander reliever Phil Maton from the 15-day injured list.
Maton had been placed on the IL April 10 (retroactive to April 8) with right knee tendinitis. He had posted a 13.50 ERA (six earned runs in four innings) before the IL stint. He threw one scoreless inning in a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa last Friday.
Maton had been signed to a $6 million deal this past offseason with an $8.5 million team option or $3 million buyout for 2027. His last three relief seasons had been very good, with a combined 3.15 ERA in 202 relief appearances covering 191.1 innings, with 215 strikeouts and only 16 home runs allowed. Hopefully Maton can get back to that level of performance; the Cubs surely need it.
Charlie Barnes, who was recalled Sunday along with Yacksel Rios, was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. Barnes threw three innings for the Cubs May 13 in Philadelphia, allowing four runs (three earned), the last game the Cubs lost before the 10-game winning streak.
But the Cubs still need more relief help. And so this seems a good place for me to ask you this: Jordan Romano, who had been very good from 2021-23 with 95 saves for the Blue Jays, has been pretty bad the last three seasons for the Jays, Phillies and Angels. This year Romano had a 10.13 ERA and 2.125 WHIP in 11 games (eight innings) for the Angels, who designated him for assignment Sunday.
Once Romano clears waivers, assuming he opts for free agency, worth a flyer? The Cubs can use just about any live arm they can find. Let us know what you think in the comments.
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 24: Daniel Schneemann #10 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Apr 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Hey look, Roman Anthony’s back! That’s nice. The Sox are in Canada for the first time this year to take on the Blue Jays tonight at 7 p.m. Here’s who’s playin’ behind Ranger Suarez:
As for the World Series American League Champions, Dylan Cease leads the Blue Jays on what I understand to be Ernie Clement jersey night (not a joke):
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 26: Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Cam Sanders (64) during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 26, 2026, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pirates added pitching depth over the weekend to help their bullpen during an extended stretch without an off day.
Pittsburgh recalled right-handed reliever Cam Sanders during the Milwaukee series and remains with the Pirates for the first of four against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Braxton Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list as a corresponding move. Ben Cherington said the expectation is that Ashcraft will return to the Pirates during the Cardinals series.
Ashcraft is in line to start on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Sanders joins the team for the second time this season, looking for a longer stay than before.
He pitched two innings on Sunday in a 5-0 loss to the Brewers. Sanders didn’t allow a run on one hit, one walk, and struck out one hitter.
Sanders’ previous outing on April 18 was a struggle. He failed to record three outs and allowed four runs on three hits and a walk against Tampa Bay. Both outs were strikeouts, but promoted Sanders to be sent back down the next day.
The Pirates play their seventh of a 13-game stretch without an off day, concluding on Sunday hosting the Reds.
The team will have the first three Mondays of May off.
The 16-12 Pirates face an important early-season stretch against the Cardinals and Reds in a jam-packed NL Central as all five teams are over .500.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARCH 19: Yunior Marte #41 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s another Monday off day for the San Francisco Giants, and another mega recap of a busy weekend for the Minor League Baseball affiliates. Let’s jump into the action for the four teams that are in-season.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The Giants ended an experiment, by releasing High-A Eugene catcher Diego Cartaya. Cartaya had once been one of the best prospects in all of baseball while with the Dodgers, but fell on very hard times. The Giants signed him to a Minor League deal late last year and had him start this season in High-A, hoping to fix the hole in his swing that had developed in the upper Minors. That sadly didn’t happen, as he hit just 3-28 with 23 strikeouts this year.
Taking his place behind the dish for Eugene is Luke Shliger, who was activated off the 7-Day IL. Most excitingly, Eugene also activated LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) off the IL.
Some prospects also took home some hardware, as Eugene RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) and Low-A San Jose RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) were named the Pitchers of the Week in the Northwest League and Cal League, respectively. Way to go!
AAA Sacramento (14-11)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-3 [box score] Saturday Game 1: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-3 (7 innings) [box score] Saturday Game 2: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 9-2 (7 innings) [box score] Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-6 [box score]
It feels like Sacramento has really settled into being a standard AAA team, which is to say everyone is playing well enough to feel like quality insurance options should the team need them, but nobody is really making a name for themself as a player to watch as they push for a roster spot.
First baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) is, of course, always a player to watch, and he salvaged a good-not-great showing with his final plate appearance of the 4-game weekend, when he bopped a 2-run home run in the 9th inning on Sunday.
Bryce Eldridge smashes his third home run of the year for the Triple-A @RiverCats 🚀
For the weekend, Eldridge hit 5-13 with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts, which raised his OPS to .874 and his wRC+ to 136. Crucially, he entered the off day and the next series with some much-needed momentum, as all his hits came in the final 2 games … after being held hitless on Friday and Saturday’s opener, Eldridge was mired in a 6-game slump where he’d hit just 1-21 … so seeing him go 5-9 to end the weekend was a very welcome sight. As was having just 2 strikeouts in 16 plate appearances over the weekend, which lowered his K rate to 29.5%. Getting closer to moving out of red flag territory on that front.
The other hitter in Sacramento who isn’t far from getting the call to the bigs is catcher/left fielder Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL), and he had another fine weekend, hitting 5-11 with a double, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, 2 strikeouts, and an error. Rodríguez is up to an .878 OPS and a 136 wRC+, but it’s the way that he’s doing it that surely is exciting the Giants. While he hasn’t been displaying a lot of power (he has 2 homers and 6 total extra-base hits in 93 plate appearances), he’s simply been the contact maven that he was advertised as, posting a .346 batting average and a 9.7% strikeout rate, numbers that rank 6th and 5th, respectively, out of 81 qualified hitters in the Pacific Coast League.
How to find time for Rodríguez in the Majors is certainly a puzzle. If Daniel Susac’s injury lingers, the Giants could have Rodríguez replace Eric Haase, but he won’t be usurping Susac anytime soon. The Giants have been playing him at both second base and left field lately, but Luis Arráez is doing exactly what San Francisco has asked, while Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee have been two of the team’s hottest hitters lately (behind only Casey Schmitt, who is blocking both Rodríguez and Eldridge’s opportunity at DH). So it will probably take an injury for Rodríguez, who turned 24 on Thursday, to make his debut.
Injuries are definitely what it will take for center fielder/right fielder Grant McCray to get back to the Majors anytime soon, as he was already passed over in favor of Jared Oliva on the Opening Day roster, and then Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan when the team had injuries. His season has been quite a struggle, but he did make some noise on Friday when he smashed his 1st home run of the season.
Over the course of the weekend, the lefty hit 2-10 with 4 strikeouts and committed an error. It’s really been a dismal season at the plate for the 2019 3rd-rounder, who has a .636 OPS and an 84 wRC+. But even those numbers make things look rosier than they are, as his success has largely been propped up by an absurd 19.6% walk rate. Simply put, McCray isn’t doing any damage when swinging, Friday’s big fly notwithstanding … of the PCL’s 81 qualified hitters, McCray’s .194 batting average is 75th, while his .083 isolated slugging is 67th. He has cut back on the strikeouts, though, lowering his rate from 27.1% last year to 23.9% this year, and crucially dropping his swinging strike rate from 14.0% to 9.1%. It seems he’s being a bit too passive at the plate.
Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) also went deep, as part of a weekend where he hit 4-16 with a solo blast, a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, a strikeout, and an error.
Furman’s debut pass through AAA has been a smashing success, as he has a .905 OPS and a 150 wRC+, with just a 12.8% strikeout rate. Given his relative inexperience (he has just 44 games at AA and AAA combined) and the fact that he’s not on the 40-man roster, Furman is likely a bit behind Rodríguez should the Giants need a second baseman, but it wouldn’t be tremendously surprising if he’s given a chance to win the job next year, as Arráez is only on a 1-year deal.
Third baseman Buddy Kennedy and shortstop/third baseman/left fielder Thomas Gavello also went deep. Kennedy hit 2-10 with a 3-run blast, a double, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts, moving his OPS to .907 and his wRC+ to 144; Gavello went 1-10 with a solo bomb, a walk, and 4 strikeouts, and now has a .620 OPS and a 54 wRC+.
On the pitching front, Friday saw a much-needed excellent start from RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL), who had his best outing in a very long time. The versatile righty was dynamic through 5 shutout innings, offering up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks, while striking out 3 batters and living off of soft contact. It wasn’t the best strike-throwing display for McDonald, who threw 70 pitches with 43 strikes, but he kept hitters off balance all day.
McDonald had a brilliant start to Spring Training and looked close to locking down an Opening Day roster spot before completely falling apart. His last few outings of the Cactus League were disasters, and he opened the AAA season with 4 consecutive rough outings. Hopefully his 5th is the start of the course correcting, because neither RHP Carson Seymour nor LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) has stamped their name on the 6th starter role. Let’s see if McDonald, who now has a 5.40 ERA and a 5.61 FIP on the year, can start to make a run for it.
Saturday’s pair of starters were not nearly as good as McDonald, but they managed to be nearly as effective. LHP Seth Lonsway took the mound for the opener and struggled with command, walking 4 batters in 5 innings and hitting another, while throwing 42 of 76 pitches for strikes. But Lonsway only allowed 3 hits and just 1 run, while striking out 3. The 27-year old 6th-round pick from the 2021 draft has 4.50 ERA and a 5.87 FIP on the year … he’s only allowed 16 hits in 16 innings, which is impressive in the PCL, but he also only has 5 strikeouts.
In Game 2 it was fellow funky LHP John Michael Bertrand, who had a very funny line. Bertrand went 6 innings and gave up 9 hits, but all 9 of those hits were singles. He also walked 2 batters, yet the only run he allowed was unearned, due to a Rodríguez error. Not every day you give up 11 baserunners and 0 earned runs! Bertrand, who struck out 5, has a 4.57 ERA and a 6.35 FIP on the season. Both he and Lonsway are being used as starters in Sacramento, but it feels likely that if they make the Majors it will be as multi-inning relievers.
Not a very good weekend for the relievers on the 40-man roster. LHP Sam Hentges and RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) continued their rehab assignments, with mixed results. Hentges gave up 2 earned runs while recording just 2 outs on Friday, but bounced back with a 6-pitch perfect inning on Sunday. Peguero gave up just 1 baserunner in his lone inning of work, but that baserunner was a solo home run.
RHP Spencer Bivens had another tough outing, giving up 3 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) in an inning of work, with a strikeout, raising his ERA to 5.40 and his FIP to 6.36. RHP Tristan Beck allowed 3 hits, 1 walk, 4 runs, and 2 earned runs in just 1.1 innings, with 1 strikeout, and now has a 3.48 ERA and a 3.03 FIP. RHP Dylan Smith struck out 2 batters with 1 walk in a scoreless inning on Friday, but ceded 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs in 1.1 innings on Sunday, with 1 strikeout, raising his ERA to 3.24 and his FIP to 3.81.
The non-rostered depth options weren’t great, either, as neither RHP Gregory Santos nor LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL) were at their sharpest. RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) however, was, as he retired all 5 batters he faced, with 3 strikeouts.
Richmond’s magical season just keeps on going. The Squirrels ran their winning streak to 4 games, and pushed their record to 17-3, and they did it with their usual theatrics: twice they entered the 9th inning with fewer runs than their opponent, only to successfully mount a comeback.
Friday’s walk-off was particularly heroic, as the Squirrels were down to their final strike, and still trailing, and didn’t even have the tying run on base. But third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), playing in his 1st game of the season after returning from a hamstring injury, and 0-4 with 3 strikeouts on the day, kept the game alive with a double on a 2-2 pitch.
Parks Harber has his first Douple-A hit in the ninth and represents the tying run 👀 pic.twitter.com/vA87Dg7PAW
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 25, 2026
Richmond then pinch-hit with catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL), who fell behind in the count 0-2, then fouled off a pitch, then blasted a 2-run home run to end the game. What excitement!
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 25, 2026
Cavanaugh didn’t play on Saturday, but followed up the heroics on Sunday by hitting 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base as his magnificent season continues, following his 2025 breakout. Cavanaugh isn’t playing full time, as he’s splitting catching duties with Adrián Sugastey, but in 53 plate appearances is posting a blistering 1.137 OPS with a 196 wRC+. Perhaps most impressively, after posting a 27.4% strikeout rate across all 4 A-ball affiliates last year, Cavanaugh has dropped that number to 19.7% this season.
As for Harber, he wasn’t done with the theatrics, as he played the hero in Sunday’s walk-off, when he singled home the winning run in the 10th inning.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 26, 2026
Harber’s numbers weren’t great over the weekend, as he hit 5-14 with 7 strikeouts, but that’s to be expected from someone making both his season and AA and season debut, against pitchers who are fully up to speed. It’s just great seeing him back on the field and making an impact.
Also playing a heroic role was shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 23 CPL), who was responsible for sending Sunday’s game to extra innings. Richmond trailed by a run in the 9th inning, with 2 outs and the bases empty. But Ahuna rapped a double, stole 3rd, and scored on a wild pitch, sending the game to the 10th where Harber would walk it off. Ahuna hit 3-8 with a double, 2 stolen bases, and 1 strikeout over the weekend, and now has an .826 OPS and a 116 wRC+ in his debut AA season. There’s still a ton of swing and miss in his game (30.3% K rate, 18.1% swinging strike rate), but it’s been a very successful season for him.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 26, 2026
Speaking of successful seasons, Richmond’s corner outfielders, Jonah Cox and Scott Bandura, continued their excellent seasons. Cox hit 4-10 with a home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts, which saw his OPS climb to 1.167 and his wRC+ to 205, to make no mention of the organization-leading 12 stolen bases in just 18 games. It’s been a stunning start to the year for the A’s 6th-round pick in 2023, after he was decidedly average offensively in High-A a year ago. The numbers will surely regress, but still … we’re seeing a lot of encouraging signs with the bat for someone whose calling cards are his glove and his cleats.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 26, 2026
As for Bandura, he went just 1-9 with 5 strikeouts on the weekend, but smashed a 2-run home run, drew 5 walks, and stole a base. He now has a .971 OPS and a 152 wRC+ on the season and, after posting a 30.6% strikeout rate during his 45-game stint with Richmond last year, is all the way down to 17.5% this season, despite the weekend swing-throughs. We’re seeing some really big improvements in contact on the farm.
THE RAIN CAME SO SCOTT BANDURA BROUGHT THE THUNDER ⛈️
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 25, 2026
Bandura and Cox have starred this year, but get a little overlooked by the star prospect they flank, center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). Davidson returned to the lineup after missing a few games with a forearm issue, but he really struggled, hitting just 1-8 with a sacrifice fly and 5 strikeouts. Between the injury and parental leave, Davidson hasn’t been able to really get into a rhythm yet this year, and has just a .688 OPS and a 69 wRC+.
There were a pair of dynamic pitching performances from under-the-radar prospects. On Saturday it was RHP Darien Smith, who started the game and tossed 6 brilliant innings, allowing just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run on a solo home run. Smith, who needed just 72 pitches to get through his 6 innings (though just 45 of them were strikes), also struck out 5 Somerset hitters.
The 26-year old undrafted free agent, who is in his 2nd season, has made 4 starts this year and has allowed 0 or 1 run in each of them, and has just a 1.35 ERA and a 3.86 FIP. He doesn’t have the most dynamic stuff — he averaged 8.7 strikeouts per 9 innings between Low-A and High-A last year, and is at 8.6 this season — but he simply doesn’t allow many batters to reach base. In 20 innings this year, Smith has ceded just 10 hits and issued 5 walks.
But the biggest pitching performance came from Sunday’s piggybacking starter, LHP Cesar Perdomo. The 24-year old took over to start the 5th inning, and pitched all the way through the 10th. He gave up just 1 hit (a single) in his 6 innings, while walking 2 and striking out 4. Most importantly, Perdomo didn’t allow any runs to cross the plate … not even the Manfred Man in extra innings. Perdomo has been excellent in 3 of his 4 outings this year, resulting in a 2.16 ERA and a 3.53 FIP … numbers that are better than his High-A stats were last year. Like Smith, Perdomo doesn’t strike out a lot of batters (he has just 8.1 Ks per 9 innings this season), but he just doesn’t allow a lot of damage. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he finds his way to AAA late in the season.
High-A Eugene (16-5)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 9-4 [box score] Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 5-2 [box score] Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 3-1 [box score]
Just as the big news in Richmond was the return of Parks Harber, the big news in Eugene was the return of LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Bresnahan, who was the 4th pitcher listed on our community prospect list, but is the top pitcher on a lot of national Giants prospect lists, started the season in extended spring training due to a minor injury. But on Sunday he made his season debut, and his High-A debut.
It wasn’t great from a statistical standpoint, but it certainly wasn’t awful, either. The soon-to-turn 21-year old, who was taken in the 13th round in 2023 by the Guardians and traded to the Giants in the Alex Cobb deal, went 3.2 innings in his season debut, and gave up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks, but got tagged for 2 runs. Not surprisingly given the rust, he struggled with the strike zone, throwing just 32 of 56 pitches for strikes.
But it was a very encouraging outing for the reigning Cal League Pitcher of the Year, who struck out 4 batters. Bresnahan retired the 1st 10 batters that he faced, before allowing all of his baserunners in a 4th inning that he wouldn’t make it out of (he also left with just 1 run in, but the bases loaded and 2 outs, before RHP Ryan Vanderhei hit a batter to let a run score).
All things considered, a very nice start to the year for Bresnahan, and it will be fun watching him settle into this level.
Speaking of settling in, LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) is still searching for a way to do exactly that. He had a nearly identical outing to Bresnahan on Saturday, at least on paper: 3.2 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts, with 47 of 78 pitches for strikes. Just like Bresnahan, De La Torre was on fire to open up the game, cruising through 3 scoreless innings and retiring the 1st 8 batters that he faced. Trouble struck in the 4th, though, when he issued both of his walks and then a 2-run double, which ended his night. Still, a big step in the right direction for LDLT, who has just a 7.50 ERA and a 5.86 FIP this young season.
RHP Hunter Dryden had his worst outing of the year on Friday, though it was still solid (and similar to Bresnahan and De La Torre’s): 4.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts. Dryden entered the year having allowed just 1 run in 3 starts, so this was definitely not a good game when judged against the high bar he set, but the 2024 17th-round pick has a delightful 1.88 ERA on the year (though just a 4.27 FIP). Dryden is walking a ton of batters, but hitters are generally useless against him when they do swing: in 14.1 innings this year, the soon-to-turn 24-year old has struck out 18, while allowing just 5 hits.
Eugene only played 3 games this weekend, but they used 4 starters, as RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) was the piggybacking starter on Saturday. And he shined the brightest of the 4, tossing 5 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks, and striking out 6 batters. Marte threw 41 of 65 pitches for strikes as he mowed down the Hops batters, and lowered his ERA to 1.89 and his FIP to 3.41. The strikeout and walk numbers aren’t gaudy — 17 and 8, respectively, in 19 innings — but, like Dryden, he’s just not allowing any damage when people swing (he’s given up just 8 hits and 0 home runs).
On offense, the biggest day belonged to left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), who hit 2-5 with a pair of home runs on Friday, knocking in 3 runs. What a gorgeous swing he has.
The fireworks were scheduled for after the game, but Lisbel Diaz brought them early. 2 HR in 3 innings will play any day#RootedHerepic.twitter.com/d8kQhvNBxC
Diaz — who sat on Saturday, and went 1-4 with a strikeout and a caught stealing on Sunday — isn’t having a great year, as he has just a .675 OPS and a 77 wRC+, and is still in search of his 1st walk. But there are some nice signs, certainly: despite not being the biggest player, and just being 20, he’s shown off some good power this year, with a .236 isolated slugging rate that ranks 6th out of 57 Northwest League hitters (minimum: 50 plate appearances). He’s also struck out just 10.0% of the time this year, a fabulous mark even for a player who has always limited strikeouts. If he can get his batting average up — it’s just .218 — he could end up having a nice year.
Center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) also went deep (breaking a tie in the 9th inning!) for the Emeralds during a so-so weekend in which he hit 2-10 with a solo blast, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, an outfield assist, and a caught stealing. The 2024 4th-round pick has been Eugene’s best performer this year, as he has a .940 OPS and a 158 wRC+, but the 30.0% strikeout rate and 16.1% swinging strike rate paint a picture of a power hitter who still has a lot to work on.
Speaking of players with a lot to work on, it was a tough weekend for third baseman Walker Martin, who hit just 2-12 with 6 strikeouts, while committing 3 errors. The team’s 2nd-round pick in 2023 has shown a power improvement this year, and has a .794 OPS and a 125 wRC+, but his 28.6% strikeout rate and 9 errors in 16 games is fairly concerning.
Shout out to catcher/first baseman Ty Hanchey who had a nice end to the series, hitting 3-11 with a home run, a double, and 3 strikeouts, raising his OPS to .784 and wRC+ to 112. Hanchey is a little bit more organizational depth than prospect — he’s a 26-year old UDFA in his 4th pro season (though he missed all of last year due to injury) — but catchers always have a chance to prove themselves, and Hanchey should get a little more run now with Diego Cartaya released.
No-no no mo’!
7.1 hitless innings just weren’t enough to keep the Ems down. Ty Hanchey hits a no-doubt HR in the 8th to tie this game up at 2#RootedHerepic.twitter.com/rDopsyobNm
Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 7-3 [box score] Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 7-4 [box score] Sunday: San Jose Giants lost to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 18-9 [box score]
It’s been a great season for the Baby Giants, but it certainly wasn’t a great weekend, as they lost all 3 games. Their starters got absolutely rocked, and the offense was more mediocre than great, and was held without a single home run.
Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) has cooled down following his utterly absurd start to the season, but he’s still hitting quite well, and the weekend was an example of his no-longer-Barry-Bonds-but-still-damn-good current state. The just-turned 19-year old switch hitter went 5-12 over the weekend with a triple, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, 3 strikeouts, and 2 caught stealings. It’s now a 1.066 OPS and a 163 wRC+ for Level, who has probably been the MVP of the farm system so far this season, and certainly looks like he’ll have vacated his post in San Jose by the time Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and/or Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) are ready to inherit it.
First baseman Hayden Jatczak also continued his obliteration of the Cal League, with a pair of games that were excellent in very different ways. After sitting on Friday, Jatczak had 5 plate appearances on Saturday … and 0 official at bats, as he drew 4 walks and hit a sacrifice fly. He followed that up by emphatically putting the ball in play on Sunday, hitting 3-5 with a double and a strikeout. Jatczak has a 1.013 OPS and a 163 wRC+ in this, his debut season, with an elite walk rate (23.6%) and a very good strikeout rate (18.0%). I’m curious how long he’ll stay in San Jose, and when the Giants will start trying to see what is a more appropriate level for the 24-year old UDFA.
Isaiah Barkett showed off a little bit of everything over the weekend, starting with his defensive versatility: he played Friday at second base, Saturday in right field, and Sunday at third. He hit 3-9 over the trio of games with 2 doubles, 3 walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a strikeout. Last year’s 10th-round pick is quietly having an awesome debut season, as the 22-year old righty is sporting a .999 OPS and a 157 wRC+, with a brilliant 11.1% strikeout rate.
The pitching was mostly bad, as evidenced by the 32 runs that San Jose allowed in 3 games. But there were a few standout performances nonetheless. The biggest such day belonged to RHP Ubert Mejias, who had a sensational showing on Saturday. Mejias entered with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd base in the 2nd inning, and proceeded to retire 14 consecutive batters. 14! That streak finally ended when he gave up a solo home run, before getting 2 more outs and calling it a day.
In all, it was 5.1 brilliant innings for Mejias, with that home run being the only baserunner he allowed, all while striking out 9 hitters. Talk about dominant! Home runs have been the only issue for the 25-year old Cuban this year … in 15.1 innings across 5 outings, he’s struck out 19 batters, while giving up just 9 hits and 4 walks. But 3 of the 9 hits he’s allowed have cleared the fence, which has resulted in a 2.93 ERA and a 5.81 FIP. This is Mejias’ 3rd pass through San Jose — he was in the rotation in 2024, before switching to long relief a year ago — so it’s probably a make-or-break season for him.
RHP Mauricio Estrella had a nice game on Friday, allowing just a single in 3 shutout innings, while striking out 3. The just-turned 22-year old is also at the level for the 3rd time, though he pitched there very sparingly in 2024 and 2025, amassing just 26.1 total innings. He’s been awesome so far this year, with a 2.45 ERA, a 2.04 FIP, and, most impressively, 15 strikeouts and 0 walks in 11 innings. What a beautiful thing!
Friday and Sunday’s starters — RHPs Braydon Risley and Cody Delvecchio, respectively — had so-so outings but showed off their strikeout stuff. Risley, July’s 19th-round pick, struck out 7 batters in 4 innings, while giving up 3 hits (including 2 doubles), 1 walk, and 1 hit batter, with 2 earned runs. The just-turned 21-year old community college draftee has a 3.38 ERA and a 4.84 FIP through 4 games, with a delightful 20 strikeouts against 4 walks in 13.1 innings. Delvecchio, a 12th-round pick a year ago, K’d 6 batters in just 3.1 innings, but also allowed 6 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. The UCLA product’s numbers are similar to Risley’s: a 3.60 ERA, a 4.96 FIP, and 19 strikeouts against 4 walks in 15 innings.
But pour one out for the ERAs of RHP Melvin Pineda (5 baserunners and 4 earned runs in 0.2 innings on Friday; 7 baserunners and 7 earned runs in 1 inning on Sunday, raising his ERA to 15.12), LHP Ricardo Estrada (7 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, raising his ERA to 11.70), RHP Alix Hernandez (6 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, though his ERA is a still-delightful 2.70), RHP Jose T. Perez (6 baserunners and 5 earned runs in 1 inning, raising his ERA to 10.80), and RHP Fernando Vasquez (7 baserunners and 3 earned runs in 1.2 innings, raising his ERA to 11.74). Here’s to bounce-back games for all of them!
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 15: Mason Montgomery #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 15, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pitching Matchup: Dustin May (3-2, 5.84 ERA) vs. Mason Montgomery (1-0, 3.97 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at beautiful PNC Park.
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ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 25: Jorge Mateo #2, Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 and Martín Perez #33 of the Atlanta Braves look at a tablet during a pitching change in the eighth inning during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 25, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good evening, folks! There’s no game tonight as the Braves are getting a rare off day in the middle of a homestand. There’s still some stuff to talk about and this is your chance to chat about anything you want (that makes sense for a baseball blog site, haha).
What I’m watching tonight
Game of the night for me is Angels at White Sox and it’s solely because of Munetaka Murakami. I’ve been a fan of his since his time with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of NPB and it’s been a joy to see him make a splash in the big leagues with Chicago. Hopefully it’ll continue!
Let’s remember some guys
Brandon Gaudin mentioned this during Brian Snitker’s Hall of Fame ceremony and the Braves shared the stat out today. It’s absolutely mind-boggling but it also makes sense considering how long Snit has been with the franchise.
In honor of Brian Snitker’s longevity, I invite y’all to join me in Remembering Some Guys in the comments section. I’ll start: Willie Harris.
The Mets are adding to the depth in the organization, claiming infielder Eric Wagaman off waivers from the Twins.
Wagaman has been optioned to Triple-A.
The 28-year-old was shipped off to Minnesota this offseason in a deal with the Marlins, but he was sent to the minors after failing to make the team out of camp.
His struggles continued to begin the year, hitting just .159 with six RBI over 18 Triple-A games, and he ended up being DFA’d to clear a roster spot late last week.
Wagaman did enjoy some success in his lone consistent big-league opportunity, putting together 40 XBH’s in 140 games with Miami two years ago.
He’s also a career .267 hitter with a .731 OPS against left-handed pitching.
The majority of his experience is at first, but he’s also spent some time in the outfield.
If Wagaman can find his groove down with Syracuse, perhaps he’ll work his way into the Mets' first base mix.
Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have struggled while taking over the bulk of the playing time with Jorge Polanco on the IL.
