The New York Yankees (4-1) look to keep rolling as they take on the Seattle Mariners (3-3). New York shut out Seattle 5-0 on Tuesday to even the series heading into the decisive third game. Cam Schlittler is scheduled to start for the Yankees against George Kirby. Both pitchers won their first start of the season.
How to watch New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners
It's a getaway Wednesday, and there are a pair of +EV home-run props at +500 or better that I already have in the account before noon. Can we get both players to hit dinger No. 1 this afternoon as we take advantage of the MLB player prop markets?
These are my favorite home run props for Wednesday, April 1.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Taylor Ward
+500
Alejandro Kirk
+540
Taylor Ward (+500)
Taylor Ward brings legit 36-homer power to the leadoff spot for the Baltimore Orioles, giving him a strong chance at five plate appearances this afternoon.
He faces Nathan Eovaldi, a familiar matchup with 20 career at-bats against him. Eovaldi allowed two home runs in his first start and projects to go Over his 2.5 earned runs prop, according to THE BAT, which makes Ward’s HR price around +425.
Ward hasn’t gone deep yet, but he’s coming off a four-hit game, carrying a 49% fly-ball rate, and gets ideal conditions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards with 80-degree weather and wind blowing out to center.
Time: 12:35 p.m. ET
Where to watch: MASN, Rangers Sports Network
Alejandro Kirk (+540)
Alejandro Kirk slots into the five-hole today and is priced at +520, the fourth-longest HR odds among Toronto Blue Jays starters — a strong buy point for the afternoon slate.
He gets a favorable matchup against Kyle Freeland, a soft-tossing lefty, along with a weak Colorado Rockies bullpen that Toronto has already seen for two straight games.
He might be struggling at the dish out of the gates, but he will have plenty of contact vs. Freeland, who does not miss bats. He'll also stay in the entire game and could see five plate appearances today if the Jays get hot.
I like him at this price and in this matchup better than Davis Schneider, Jesus Sanchez, and Kazuma Okamoto, who are all at least 120 points shorter than Thick Jesus.
Time: 1:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, Rockies.TV
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani got started on his bid to win a Cy Young Award — just about the only major prize to elude him — with six shutout innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first outing on the mound this season.
At the plate, the two-way superstar went 1 for 3 with two walks and a strikeout in a rainy 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
The Dodgers have been waiting to see a full-time, two-way version of Ohtani since he joined them on a 10-year, $700 million deal before the 2024 season. He didn’t pitch that year while recovering from a second major elbow surgery in September 2023 while with the Los Angeles Angels.
Last season, the team took a methodical approach to his return to the mound. Ohtani was 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings over 14 starts. His fastball averaged a career-high 98.4 mph.
“Last year, I felt good,” Ohtani said through a translator. “But this year I do feel a lot more loose and easy pitching overall. Looking back at today’s outing specifically, that wasn’t necessarily the case. So that’s something I want to work on. But compared to last season I felt more loose and easy.”
Ohtani was limited to two spring training starts for the Dodgers because he played — but didn’t pitch — for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts has noticed Ohtani is more critical of himself as a pitcher than a hitter.
“He’s never going to be satisfied,” Roberts said. “There’s always something that he can improve on or get better at and that’s what fuels him.”
Ohtani has thrown 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the regular season, dating to Aug. 27, 2025, against Cincinnati — the longest shutout streak of his career. He bettered his previous high of 21 2/3 innings set in June 2022 with the Angels.
“If he’s able to do it the whole year, that’s just a huge boost to our pitching staff,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “I expect nothing short of almost a Cy Young out of him.”
Almost?
“I think he’s got enough pressure already,” Muncy said, “but it doesn’t seem to faze him at all.”
The only hit Ohtani allowed was a two-out double by Rhys Hoskins in the fourth. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.
He was even successful on his first ABS challenge.
Ohtani retired his first seven batters before walking Gabriel Arias in the third. With two outs, he walked Steven Kwan to put runners on first and second. Ohtani had a 1-1 count on CJ Kayfus when he challenged a ball call. It was overturned, putting Ohtani ahead 1-2 in the count, and he got Kayfus on a swinging strike with his next pitch to end the third.
Heavy drizzle picked up over Ohtani’s last couple of innings. The grounds crew groomed the front slope of the mound, specifically his landing spot, after he issued his third walk with two outs in the sixth. He used a metal tool to dislodge dirt from the bottom of his spikes. Ohtani then retired Hoskins with one pitch to end the inning.
“He’s unflappable,” Roberts said.
Offensively, Ohtani has yet to break out in his first five games. The four-time MVP is batting .167 with no home runs and no RBIs. He had 55 homers in 2025.
He extended his on-base streak to 36 games, tying the longest of his career.
“I’ve been able to get on base and that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said. “But on pitches that I should be making impact I’m not quite able to do that to the extent that I should be able to. That’s the part that I’m not quite happy about.”
Observing Ohtani’s work habits on a daily basis has convinced Muncy that his first love is pitching.
“He’s really bought into everything with pitching — his mechanics, how to attack hitters. He just focuses on it so much. You can really, really tell he loves it,” Muncy said.
Roberts said Ohtani will get six days’ rest before his next start.
“I believe the team should be prioritizing Yoshinobu (Yamamoto), (Tyler) Glasnow and (Blake) Snell when he’s back,” Ohtani said. “So I think it’s easy to kind of fit me into that schedule whenever the team feels that’s a good thing. What’s most important is that we’re all healthy in October.”
HOUSTON — Plate umpire Mark Wegner acknowledged he lost track of the count during Cam Smith’s nine-pitch walk in the fifth inning of the Houston Astros’ 9-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
In fact, Smith should have been out on strikes after the third pitch.
Smith swung and missed at two cutters from Red Sox starter Brayan Bello to begin the plate appearance. After the second pitch, Joey Loperfido stole second base and Christian Walker scored on the play thanks to a throwing error by catcher Connor Wong. After about 40 seconds, Smith swung and missed at a sweeper.
That should have been strike three but Wegner, a crew chief working his 29th major league season, flashed 1-2 for the count. Six pitches later, Smith worked a walk.
“I just watched the video. I didn’t know what happened until I came in here and apparently, I somehow didn’t count the second swinging one because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually strike three,” Wegner told a pool reporter after the game. “Had anybody caught it, we can always go and call replay and check the count. I’ve never done that before. I’m not happy about it. Just made a mistake.”
Wegner said no one on the field raised an issue in the moment.
Bello said Wegner gave the count as 1-1 after his second pitch, and he didn’t question it at the time.
“I thought the first pitch was a strike and I thought that he swung at the second pitch,” Bello said in Spanish through a translator. “None of that took me out of my focus in that inning. I tried to get out of that inning, and it didn’t happen.”
Smith was the last batter Bello faced in his season debut. He allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.
The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros wrap up a three-game set at Daikin Park this afternoon.
Houston took the first two games by a combined score of 17-3, but my Red Sox vs. Astros predictions expect the visitors to win today.
Here are my best free MLB picks for this AL clash on April 1.
Who will win Red Sox vs Astros today: Red Sox (-141)
The Boston Red Sox are on a four-game skid, but their last victory came in their season opener with ace Garrett Crochet(2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP in 2025) on the mound. Last year's AL Cy Young runner-up threw six shutout innings in that game.
The Houston Astros respond with Mike Burrows, who surrendered nine hits and five runs in 5 2/3 frames last Friday. The righty had a 4.33 xERA in 19 starts last year while sitting in the 15th percentile in barrel rate.
The edge in starting pitchers alone is enough for me to back Boston today.
COVERS INTEL: The Red Sox are 15-2 in Garrett Crochet's last 17 starts.
Red Sox vs Astros Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+115)
While I expect Crochet to lead Boston to a win, he won't be quite as dominant as usual.
The Astros have a lineup stacked with righties and boast an incredible .945 OPS against southpaws like Crochet and closer Aroldis Chapman. Crochet has struggled against several Astros hitters, including Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena.
That said, Boston's lineup will be even more productive against Burrows. The Red Sox are batting just .163 over their last three games. However, they rank third in the majors in exit velocity and eighth in barrel rate, suggesting positive regression.
2026 Transparency record
ML/RL bets: 3-1, +1.56 units
Over/Under bets: 0-0
Red Sox vs Astros odds
Moneyline: Red Sox (-138) | Astros (+133)
Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (+133) | Astros +1.5 (-138)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+122) | Under 7.5 (-127)
Red Sox vs Astros trend
The Over has hit in four of Houston's six games. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Astros.
How to watch Red Sox vs Astros and game info
Location
Daikin Park, Houston, TX
Date
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
NESN, SCHN
Red Sox starting pitcher
Garrett Crochet (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Astros starting pitcher
Mike Burrows (0-1, 7.94 ERA)
Red Sox vs Astros latest injuries
Red Sox vs Astros weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
MILWAUKEE — Umpire C.B. Bucknor’s tough start to the season continues.
Bucknor was working as the first-base umpire for the Milwaukee Brewers’ 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays when he made a call that so obviously was incorrect from the replay that it had both managers smiling afterward.
Milwaukee was leading 4-2 in the sixth inning when Jake Bauers hit an infield single. Bauers initially was called out because Bucknor determined he hadn’t touched first base. The replay showed Bauers clearly touching the top of the bag, right across the middle.
After the replay overturned Bucknor’s call, Bauers went on to steal second and score on Brandon Lockridge’s double later in the inning.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Bauers, who passed up repeated opportunities to comment further on the missed call during his postgame interview with reporters. “I’m just thankful to get on base and thankful to come around and score.”
This call came after Bucknor had the poorest results among umpires in Major League Baseball’s new Automated Ball-Strike System. Six of eight challenges of his calls were successful during Cincinnati’s 6-5, 11-inning win over the Boston Red Sox.
All six overturned calls involved strikes being changed to balls. The two confirmed calls involved a ball and a strike.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy also brushed aside questions about the call during his postgame news conference.
“I’m not going to criticize that,” Murphy said.
Television cameras showed Murphy and Rays manager Kevin Cash smiling after the replay showed how apparent it was that Bauers had touched first base. Murphy was asked about those reactions.
“Kevin and I are friends,” Murphy said. “We hadn’t had a chance to talk to each other before the game, so we just smiled back at each other.”
Bauers was asked if he’s grateful that MLB has a replay system in place.
“Yeah, grateful for that,” he replied with a laugh.
San Diego, CA - March 30: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres taps his bat after striking out in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on March 30, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
For all the talk of Dombrowski running the team back, there are a few significant players and faces who made up the 2022-25 run, now gone. Ranger Suárez signed a five-year deal with Boston, Nick Castellanos is trying to prove himself in San Diego, and Matt Strahm returned to the city that started his career and is the Royals top left-handed option.
There are eight players from the Phillies 2025 roster who are in different big league uniforms to begin the 2026 season. This will be a running series to track how these players are doing and potentially more. Maybe Max Kepler inks a one-year deal at some point, or David Robertson gets enough money to put the cleats back on. Maybe there are callups later on.
Ranger Suárez’s Debut with Boston
Suárez inked a five-year, $140 million contract with Boston and made his first start of 2026 against the Houston Astros and their heavy right-handed lineup. The results weren’t great, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings of work with just three strikeouts and two homers allowed. They weren’t cheap homers either.
He struggled to get consistent swing and miss, which was part of why the Phillies essentially chose to pay Jesus Luzardo instead.
One interesting nugget from this start is how the Red Sox chose to deploy Suárez’s deep mix. His cutter usage spiked from 18% with the Phillies to 32% in his first Boston start. There were a few less changeups and curveballs and he didn’t throw a single sweeping slider. The slider part is almost certainly because Houston’s lineup featured eight right-handed hitters.
Lance McCullers went 7 innings with 9 strikeouts in 2026?
Padres and Giants highlighted 3 former Phillies
The Giants signed Harrison Bader to be their starting center fielder, shifting Jung Hoo Lee to right field after a disastrous defensive season in 2025. Bader showed off his strong glove that made him a beloved Phillie on Opening Night against the Yankees.
Bader has started a bit cold at the plate, going just 2 for 14 with five strikeouts over the first few games of the season. He did pick up a big homer against the Padres to help give Tony Vitello his first win as a big league manager.
You know who was pitching for the Padres last night? Walker Buehler only made two starts with the Phillies at the end of 2025 but was still memorable. He signed a minor league deal with San Diego after pitching well with the Phillies and made their starting rotation out of camp.
His first start as a Padre wasn’t great. He went just four innings on 72 pitches, allowed three runs with three strikeouts and two walks. He threw seven different pitches to try and keep the Giants lineup off balance but still struggled with hard contact.
The most notable former Phillie, and the entire reason this will be an ongoing series, is Nick Castellanos. His departure from Philadelphia was well documented and the Phillies related him when spring training started. Castellanos signed with the Padres soon after and has started two games as their designated hitter, and played two more off the bench.
In nine at bats, Castellanos has one hit, a bloop single against the Tigers, and three strikeouts. Padres manager Craig Stammen did not start Castellanos against either Tarik Skubal or Framber Valdez, two of the toughest left-handed pitchers in the American League.
Who knows how long of a leash Castellanos will have with the Padres.
Through two games, Strahm has not allowed a run in 1.2 innings with one strikeout. There are some concerning underlying numbers though. His four-seam fastball velocity has dropped from 92.3 mph to 90.2, which could lead to a lot more hard contact down the line.
Jordan Romano is now the Los Angeles Angels, picking up his first save on opening day against the Astros. Romano pitched the following day again in a four-run game and threw another scoreless frame. Romano is now throwing 94 mph with a slower slider. Maybe the Angels found something but maybe they’re the Angels.
Joe Ross made the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen and even pitched a scoreless inning to begin his 2026 season against none other than the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It would be great if the story ended there but sadly it doesn’t. He pitched for the snakes Monday night against the Tigers and allowed six earned runs on five hits and a walk. Through 1.2 innings of work, Ross has a 32.40 ERA. Small sample math is great!
Also, Michael Soroka went five shutout innings with ten strikeouts. Is he back?
His 2026 debut was just rough. Abel allowed eight hits and five earned runs in just 3.1 innings of work. He struck out four hitters but also walked four more. He needed 81 pitches to get through a little more than three innings of work. That’s just not great.
Notable Others
Here are some of the players from the 2025 Phillies that did not make a big league roster.
If your concern about the Cubs would be that the offense wouldn’t be potent enough in 2026, it’s a fine time to express some concern about where this season is headed. Though as you do so, note that while losing three of their first five games, they have managed to plate 24 runs or 4.8 per game. That number in and of itself would be pretty good one over 162 games. 777.6 runs scored is pretty good. Eight teams met or exceeded that number in 2025. Two of them played in the World Series, three of them played in their respective LCS. Seven of them reached the playoffs. Among those eight teams were last year’s Cubs.
All of that said, that 24 runs in five games didn’t see the Cubs face any of the significant number of elite pitchers they will face this year. The offense will have to get better or this team is going to falter even more significantly as the grind of the season sets in. But in being fair, the Cub offense forced José Soriano to throw something like 45 pitches the first time through the order. That was the first two innings of the game. On a night where the playing conditions were horrible, the Cub offense just couldn’t string positive outcomes together. Hat tip to the Angels pitching on that.
Soriano ultimately got through six scoreless and he did it on only 90 pitches. He’s unscored on through his first two starts of the season. Three more Angels pitches needed 46 more pitches to record nine outs. When you make pitchers work that hard, you usually eventually scratch out at least a run or two. But a couple of timely double plays helps the Angels keep the Cubs off of the scoreboard.
I talked after game 4 about four quadrants of results. In this instance, even without a quality start for Cub starter Jameson Taillon, I’m going to give Cubs pitching a thumb up for this game. Two runs over nine innings wins many more than not. The Cubs scored one or no runs 28 times last year. They lost only seven games last year when they allowed two runs or fewer. So that’s a quality team outing. So this was a good pitching/bad hitting game. And it is a loss. So far, the team has only been able to win good/good outings. Hopefully that will eventually change. Even more so, hopefully there continue to be a high percentage of good/good outings.
The teeter totter continues to run undaunted. Down, Up, Down, Up, Down. Let’s hope it bounces back again and the Cubs win their first day game after night game of the season and their first series of the season.
For now, let’s look for some positives.
Three Positives:
Ben Brown faced 12 batters and recorded 10 outs. He allowed a hit and a walk and struck out five. He and Colin Rea are doing a terrific job early absorbing outs and keeping everyone else fresh. The Cubs will head into the final with all of the leverage pitchers rested.
Hoby Milner has been devastating against lefties for most of his career. He came into a key situation in the fifth and bailed out Jameson Taillon with a key out.
Ian Happ continued his nice start to the season. He was the only Cub on base twice, drawing a pair of walks.
Game 5, March 31: Angels 2, Cubs 0 (2-3)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Billy Goat: Phil Maton (-.282). 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, K (L 0-1)
Goat: Matt Shaw (-.194). 0-3, DP
Kid: Alex Bregman (-.150). 0-4, DP
WPA Play of the Game: Logan O’Hoppe batted with two outs and runners on second and third, the game scoreless. He hit a hard grounder to third that Bregman couldn’t quite pick up. Two runs scored. (.254)
*Cubs Play of the Game: Maton faced Josh Lowe with runners on second and third and one out, the game scoreless. He coaxed a grounder to first and the runners were unable to advance as the second out was recorded. (.117)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 4 Player of the Game: Edward Cabrera received 218 of 224 votes.
Up Next: A quick turn around. Matthew Boyd (0-1, 14.73) looks to bounce back from his disappointing first start. He faces fellow lefty Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 4.15). Last time out Kikuchi allowed eight hits and a walk in just 4.1 innings.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Miguel Ullola #66 of the Houston Astros throws a bullpen session during spring training workouts at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 16, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (3-1) won 5-2 (BOX SCORE)
Sugar Land got the scoring started with Unroe connecting on an RBI double in the 4th inning. In the 5th, Alexander extended the lead with a 2 run HR. Ullola got the start and was great allowing 1 run on 1 hit while striking out 7 batters over 5.2 innings. The lone run came after he was pulled. The offense added some insurance in the 9th on solo homers from Price and Trammell. Maldonado, Leach and Murray tossed scoreless innings to close out the 5-2 win.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1985: Pitcher Phil Niekro #35 of the New York Yankees pitches during a Major League Baseball game circa 1985 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Niekro played for the Yankees from 1984-85. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For many players, making the Major Leagues is the top of the mountain, and generally the great accomplishment of a career. For someone of Phil Niekro’s status, that accomplishment was blown out of the water by sticking around for a quarter-century, winning 300 games, and making the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a long and incredibly impressive career, and the subject of today’s birthday series entry.
Known primarily as a knuckleballer, Niekro was able to stick around a long time, succeeding well into his 40s, and becoming easily the last player born in the 1930s to be pitching on a big league mound. On longevity alone, it was an impressive run, but he was a mighty fine pitcher for much of those 24 seasons as well.
Philip Henry Niekro Born: April 1, 1939 (Blaine, OH) Died: December 27, 2020 (Flowery Branch, GA) Yankees Tenure: 1984-85
Despite the historically lengthy career, Niekro was neither a high-profile prospect nor an early bloomer in the Braves organization. He missed the 1963 season due to military service, and didn’t make his big league debut until 1964, his age-25 season. His first three seasons with the Braves, from ‘64-’66, were largely forgettable, as he worked mostly as a reliever to the tune of a 3.54 ERA.
So, Niekro really didn’t begin to make his mark until the age of 28, but it would turn out to be a historic one. In the 1967 season for Atlanta, Niekro pitched in 46 games (20 starts), and managed a league-leading 1.87 ERA in over 200 innings of work. In shocking fashion, this kicked off a terrific 17-season run with the Braves for the crafty right-hander, and an even more impressive 20-year run in which Niekro pitched over 200 innings in all but one season.
During that stretch in Atlanta, Niekro posted five seasons with a sub-3 ERA, topped 20 wins twice, made four All-Star teams, racked up five Gold Gloves, and finished in the top three in Cy Young Award voting twice, finishing in the top six an additional three times. He was a simply as good and as dependable as they come for the Braves through the 1970s, posting an ERA above 4.00 just twice and pitching at least 207 innings every year in that decade.
Perhaps known best for his longevity thanks to the use of the knuckleball, Niekro did some of his finest work in his late 30s and early 40s. In a four-year stretch from 1977-80 (ages 38-41), Niekro led the league in bWAR twice, pitched over 330 (!) innings in every year but one (275 in the other), became one of the few pitchers in history to rack up 20 wins and 20 losses in the same season, and led the league in both starts and complete games for a stretch of three seasons. Not only was he shockingly durable, especially considering his age, but he was an excellent pitcher through it all.
Now into his mid-40s, despite still being a fine-enough starter, his time with the Braves was done after the 1983 season. In January of 1984, Niekro signed with the New York Yankees, with the club trying to get whatever they could out of the 45-year-old. What they got was likely far better than they could have expected.
The 1984 season, Niekro’s first in the Bronx, turned out to be the last great season in a storied career. He pitched in 32 games and over 215 innings, posted a 123 ERA+, and made his final All-Star game at the age of 45. In 1985, Niekro’s overall performance took a step back, though he still pitched well over 200 innings as a roughly average run-preventor.
He was not done with the accomplishments, though. On the last day of the season in 1985, Niekro tossed a complete-game shutout against the Blue Jays — amusingly eschewing his patented knuckler until the very end. It was the 300th win of his career, and also made him the oldest pitcher in Major League history to throw a shutout, a record that stood for 25 years.
Still not finished pitching in the big leagues, Niekro continued onward after being released by the Yankees before the ‘86 season kicked off. He signed with Cleveland and tacked on one more 30-plus-start, 200-inning campaign onto is textbook-sized resume at the age of 47. 1987, his age-48 season, would be his last in the Major Leagues. He split time between Cleveland, Toronto, and ultimately a brief reunion with the Braves to wrap things up in his 24th season.
Over his lengthy and impressive career, Phil Niekro racked up over 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, nearly 100 bWAR, and was not short on personal accolades, despite the lack of a World Series appearance. The right-handed knuckleballer was rewarded with election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, a deserved accolade for a historic career.
Pitchers of tremendous longevity, like Tommy John, Jamie Moyer, or Niekro, can often be overlooked as talented pitchers and seen just as innings-eaters. And although Niekro ate a lot of innings (his 5,404 the most of any pitcher in the live-ball era), he was a very good pitcher for much of that time, including seasons in his mid-to-late-40s.
It is a hell of a career to look back on, on what would be his 87th birthday.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 31: Zach Eflin #24 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Rangers, the Orioles did as they signaled last night and placed pitcher Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. The corresponding move is to select the contract of Albert Suárez from Triple-A Norfolk. Suárez was removed from the 40-man roster over the offseason and now is back less than a week into the season.
The Orioles 40-man roster was full before this move, so there needed to be a corresponding move there as well. The team transferred infielder Jordan Westburg to the 60-day injured list, which now guarantees that he will not return before the end of May. That’s a whole separate conversation, but I think that means the Orioles pretty much know Westburg will not play before this year. If the platelet-rich plasma injection had been working as they hoped, I think Westburg would have been back before that.
There is not an immediate diagnosis on Eflin’s injury. Last night, the team indicated that he would be getting an MRI. Those results could come later on. I don’t expect good news. The circumstance of a pitcher walking off the mound with a trainer without ever making warmup tosses and later reporting elbow discomfort usually only ends up one way.
This is likely not a signal that Suárez will replace Eflin in the rotation. The off day tomorrow means that the Orioles don’t need the fifth starter again until the 7th, which they can worry about on the 7th. In the meantime, Suárez provides some length in the bullpen after the starting rotation was largely not going deep into games its first time through the rotation. We observed in Tuesday’s game the downside of calling on Grant Wolfram or a Grant Wolfram-tier pitcher in the fifth inning.
Dean Kremer seems like the obvious candidate to fit into Eflin’s spot in the rotation, though until the team makes that announcement, they could always surprise us. There is a complicating factor that Kremer can only join the roster within the first two weeks of the season if he is called up to replace an injured player. The easiest way to do that would have been calling him up here, when there is an injured player.
That would have been the obvious thing to do, but then Mike Elias doesn’t have five games with an extra reliever. He could have chosen to do without that. He just was never going to. It’s not how he’s wired.
As far as making space for Kremer with an IL move in a few days, general managers always manage to find an injured guy when they really need one. Here on Camden Chat, the long-running inside joke for this is “stepped into a pothole,” referring to a time that Ubaldo Jiménez was placed on the IL at a convenient time with the explanation being that he rolled his ankle when he stepped out of his car in the player parking lot and into a pothole. You will never convince me that then-GM Dan Duquette did not personally operate the jackhammer that created that pothole.
Elias will find his pothole between now and April 7. I’ll predict Yaramil Hiraldo with shoulder inflammation. For now, Suárez is back. The 36-year-old was a fun surprise guy in 2024 and spent most of last season hurt. It would have been better if the 2026 Orioles didn’t need him on April 1, but here we are anyway. Hopefully he can do his part when asked to prevent specific games and this season generally from sliding off the rails early like last year’s Orioles team did.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 31: Shortstop Corey Seager #5 and shortstop Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrate an 8-5 victory against the Baltimore Orioles of the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for April 1, 2026 against the Baltimore Orioles: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and Trevor Rogers for the Baltimore Orioles.
The Rangers play an early game today, then head home for a luxurious day off at home on Thursday before starting a series at the Shed against Cincinnati on Friday. With a lefty going for the Orioles, Joc Pederson, Evan Carter and Josh Smith are all getting the day off.
The lineup:
Nimmo — DH
Langford — CF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
McCutchen — RF
Jansen — C
Jung — 3B
Duran — 2B
Haggerty — LF
11:35 a.m. Central start time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 31: Oneil Cruz #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a two RBI home run in the 9th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before Tuesday’s game, Oneil Cruz had been struggling early in the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cruz only had two hits and he had struck out eight times through four games. There were serious concerns about his performance at the plate and on defense, especially after a disastrous performance at center field on opening day.
However, that all changed when the Bucs faced off against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. Cruz had a career day as he finally found his power for the 2026 season.
Cruz hit a single in the second inning, which loaded the bases. Nick Yorke then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to start the scoring and give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, he smashed a 444ft solo shot off of Brandon Williams to give the Pirates a 6-1 lead. Then in the top of the ninth inning he swung at the first pitch he saw off of Pierce Johnson, and it went 403ft for a two run blast.
Cruz finished the day with 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and 2 HRs in Cincinnati. He has been struggling with strikeouts so far this season, as he struck out twice on Monday’s 2-0 loss to the Reds. Now he did strike out once on Tuesday, but it was nice to finally see his bat come to life.
His two homers were his first two of the season for him. There was a lot of hype around Cruz’s power to start the season especially after the performance he put up in the World Baseball Classic.
Fans in Pittsburgh hope that this is just the beginning for Cruz this season. Tuesday night’s game showed that when Cruz is playing well the Bucs can win games and hopefully this is the sign of the beginning of a good season for the lefty. The Pirates really need players like Cruz and Bryan Reynolds to hit well and when they do the offense can look really scary.
The Pirates beat the Reds 8-3 Tuesday night and have now improved to 2-3 on the season. They finish their three-game series with Cincinnati on Wednesday at 12:40pm, with Paul Skenes set to pitch.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As we reach the end of March, most college baseball teams have either hit the halfway point in their regular season schedule, or do so after the upcoming weekend. That means now is as good of a time as any to do a midseason stock report on the 2026 MLB Draft prospects. We did one after February, which could be found right here – but now with more data, and conference play kicking off, we have a better idea of where some of these guys might be at, and which of the breakouts may be for real. As a reminder the Atlanta Braves have picks No. 9 and No. 26 in the first round, along with No. 48 overall in the second round and No. 84 overall in the third round.
The focus here is guys who are in the Top 50-100 prospects in this draft, along with some names who have broken out this year to put themselves on the map for a potential Day 1 pick. Since the stats for all of these players are in their attached player cards, these write-ups will focus less on their stats and more on their stock and reasons why they are moving up or down at midseason.
Two names missing from the initial update, including one big name, are simply because Cameron Flukey and Tommy LaPour haven’t pitched at all since February – though Flukey is expected back in the near future and if he looks the same, could very much be a candidate for the Braves at #9. I have also removed Roch Cholowsky from the update, as there just isn’t any scenario where he would be available to the Braves this year, and I decided to leave this space for guys who could potentially be available for the Braves.
I also want to point out that these stat cards that I have generated have come from a new app focused on college baseball scores and stats, named Diamond: Baseball Stats. I would recommend the app to anyone with interest in college baseball or the draft.
Myles Bailey, 1B, Florida State – One of the top power bats in this year’s draft, Bailey is looking like he has taken the next step in his plate discipline this year as a sophomore eligible prospect with increased walks and decreased strikeouts – though the hit tool still needs further growth to reach his upside. Bailey likely isn’t a first rounder as a first base only bat with some hit tool questions, but he should go high with his elite power.
Brady Ballinger, 1B, Kansas – Ballinger bust out last year in his first year after coming from the JUCO ranks and was getting himself some later first round consideration due to some Nick Kurtz comps. Unfortunately he has never really gotten going yet this year, and took more than a month to hit his first homer of the season. Ballinger could possibly fall as far as the third round, but if he goes on a tear in the second half he could get himself back into first round conversation.
Eric Becker, SS, Virginia – Becker came in as a candidate for a Top 10 pick in this draft. Unfortunately his walks are down and his strikeouts are elevated. For a guy you are taking for his hit tool, you don’t really want to see a three strikeout to one walk ratio. That has Becker more in the late first to second round range at the moment.
Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky – Similar to Becker above, Bell came in as a potential Top 10 pick. He got hurt on Opening Day and has returned in the last couple of weeks, so we don’t exactly have a large sample size on Bell at this point. Right now he is trending as a guy who still has a chance to go Top 10, but may have been passed out by a couple of this year’s helium guys.
Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty – A new addition since the last stock report, Blair has pitched very well so far this year at the mid major level, taking things up another level from a quality 2025 season in his starting debut. His strikeout to walk ratio is an eye-popping 14.8:1. He could be a factor in the later part of the first round.
Caden Bogenpohl, OF, Missouri State – Bogenpohl is another mid major star, though he already came in rated pretty high. An increase to his walk rate has helped to solidify him as an early pick in July, even if his home run total is a little down this year.
Jake Brown, OF, LSU – Brown used a huge February to shoot up draft boards. He has slowed down a bit from his ridiculous February pace, but is still looking like a guy who will have a chance to go in the later portion of the first round.
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech – Burress came into the year as a candidate to go Top 5 overall. He has been having a good, though not elite season and some of the same questions about him have persisted – namely struggles against breaking balls. Burress is likely going to go Top 10-15, though he may not have the upside that some of the other candidates for the No. 9 pick have.
Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State – Carlon has emerged as the top college lefty in this year’s draft through the first half of the season, as he has been nasty all year while leading a surprise ASU team. That 14.4 K/9 is very much legit.
Derek Curiel, OF, LSU – Coming into the season Curiel was getting some Top 10 talk after a strong freshman debut last year. He hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations, and is now looking more like a late first round option because we are still waiting on his power to show up in games.
Daniel Cuvet, 3B, Miami – Cuvet is another slugger, though one with some real question marks. He has done a better job of limiting his strikeouts this year, but the future position questions around him still exist.
Jason DeCaro, RHP, North Carolina – DeCaro got off to a hot start to this year, but wasn’t quite as elite in March. At this point he is looking like more of a guy who should be picked sometime after No. 26, as the stuff isn’t on the level of some of the top tier of arms – though his three-year history of production in an ACC weekend role could be enough to entice a team early.
Jacob Dudan, RHP, NC State – Dudan has emerged this year after starting the year behind fellow 2026 prospect Ryan Marohn in the Wolfpack rotation. He has the swing and miss stuff to get himself drafted in the second round.
Mason Edwards, LHP, USC – One of this year’s biggest surprise teams is USC emerging as a Top 25 team. One of USC’s biggest surprise players has been Edwards emerging as a true ace on the college level. He is a guy the Braves would need to take at No. 26 to have a chance at, as he is chasing down Carlon for the top college lefty in this draft. The command is really the only thing keeping him from being even higher on the board.
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara – Flora has looked excellent this year and is firmly in the mix as high as No. 2, looking like the best pitcher in this draft – partly because Cam Flukey’s injury has kept him from competing for that spot. There is a strong possibility that he won’t even be around for the Braves to pick.
Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas – Gaeckle got off to a strong start to the year, but he hasn’t been as consistent in March. Gaeckle has elite stuff, but has never spent a full season in a starting role, so the question on if he could be starting to wear down has to be in the back of scout’s minds. Also his fastball has been a slight tick down from it’s peak, which might push him into the second round instead of being an option at No. 26.
Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA – Like Jake Brown above, a huge first month has shot Gasparino up the draft board. He has slowed down in March and still should go high this summer, but he is outside of the first round.
AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia – Gracia came in as a potential Top 10 pick and the Duke transfer has lived up to the hype. He’s a lefty with a pretty swing that should be able to hit for both average and power, which is a description that also fits Kyle Tucker well. Gracia may or may not be there when the Braves pick at No. 9, but if he is available he would be among the first names on the list for me to select.
Gavin Grahovac, 3B, Texas A&M – Last year was a lost year for Grahovac, as injury limited him to just six games. He came in as a potential first rounder and is having a good year at the plate, but his power just hasn’t showed up in games like it did back in 2024 – however it has started to come on a bit within the last week. He’s still a potential first rounder, as the power is definitely in there, but he is a bit hard for me to place right now.
Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M – Hacopian transferred in from Maryland and was seen as a potential Top 10 pick coming into the season. He has performed well, though there has been some missed time with injury as well. He is still a Top 10 candidate, but his medicals could end up being a factor.
Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia – Daniel Jackson was not high on my list coming into the year as a three true outcomes hitter. However he has made real strides to cut the strikeouts and been among the national leaders in homers all season. Add in high end athleticism behind the plate and some defensive versatility, and Jackson is on the rise right now. He could be in play as high as some point in the second round with his interesting skill set for a catcher, but his second half could continue to push him up the board.
Cam Johnson, LHP, Oklahoma – Johnson is another one of the pitchers who have really emerged this season. His numbers have been excellent as the Sooners ace, and he could earn himself a spot in the second round of the draft.
Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee – After coming into the season as a late first round candidate, Kuhns has done nothing to dissuade that opinion, as his numbers would look even better if not for a couple mistakes being punished. At this point there is even a chance he wouldn’t be available to the Braves at No. 26.
Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech – Lackey came into the year as a potential first rounder, an advanced defender at catcher with elite athleticism for the position and a bat with potential to continue developing. His bat has taken a real step forward to the point he is a legit Top 10 candidate and passed out his teammate Burress for me. In fact the bat and athleticism are so good, you have to wonder if a team considers moving him to the outfield to fast track him to the big leagues and help extend his career. He would be very high on my list for the Braves at No. 9 – that is if he is even available at that point.
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama – Yes, Lebron is considered a strong bet to go Top 3-4, but there is a world where he could slip just a little as guys like Flora, Strosnider, Lackey, and Gracia have earned Top 5 consideration. That is the only reason he is even included on this list, and it would be an absolute no brainer for the Braves to select him if he was available.
Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State – The next in a long line of aces for the Seminoles, Mendes has been one of the best pitchers in the country this season. Despite his elite results, his stuff isn’t quite first round caliber, and he is more likely to go in the second or third rounds.
Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina – While Norby has hardly been bad, it’s safe to say that he has been passed out by some of the helium lefties in the race for best college lefty that was him versus Carlon at the start of the season. He is probably more of a second round pick.
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida – Another season, and it’s been the same Peterson. He has Top 5 stuff, but the results have been inconsistent from start to start for him as his command has been up and down. He came in as the favorite to be the first college arm off the board, but has definitely been passed by Flora at this point.
Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame – Radel is the final helium arm to make this list, as he has taken a big step forward for the Irish this season. Radel’s numbers are just crazy, and the stuff is strong too. He could be pushing himself up into the first round conversation.
Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State – Reese came in likely to be picked somewhere between No. 10 and No. 15 before the season. However his big start to the season has his name now in the consideration for going somewhere in the Top 10, even if he has some questions about his future defensive home.
Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn – Another sophomore eligible bat, Rembert came in as a late first round candidate. It’s been a good season for him so far, though he hasn’t really seen his stock move either way with his own performance.
Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas – The replacement in the Texas lineup for Will Gasparino, who left for UCLA, Robbins has seen his power show up more often in games while still getting on base at a high clip after trading Seton Hall for the Horns.
Zion Rose, OF, Louisville – Rose got a late start to his season because of injury, and after starting out his season hot in March, he hasn’t played since March 20 until coming into a game late yesterday and not recording any stats. He came in a potential late-first round candidate and has been good when he has been on the field, but at the same time he also hasn’t been on the field much yet this spring.
Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M – Caden Sorrell came in a potential first round pick trying to bounce back from injury last year. So far the bat has looked great and he has put himself into Top 10 consideration, despite the swing and miss in his game.
Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU – Coming into the season Strosnider was seen as a first round pick after a freshman season that saw 10+ doubles, triples, homers, and steals. His bat has taken a leap forward to the point he could now be going as high as Top 5 overall as a potential true five tool prospect. Assuming my personal Top 3 of Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, and Justin Lebron are gone, I would take Strosnider over anyone else in this draft right now at No. 9.
Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss – Another one of the big helium pitchers, Townsend has really emerged this year to become a true first round candidate. He left his March 14 outing against Texas early with shoulder soreness and only returned on Sunday the 29th. That start wasn’t his best, as he was hit for three homers, but did also manage eight strikeouts in four innings of work. The fact he is a pitcher dealing with shoulder soreness is going to cause some pause until we see how his health and stuff look in the second half of the season, at least until teams get a chance to review his medicals ahead of the draft.
Joey Volchko, RHP, Georgia – The Stanford transfer has come to Athens and has seemed to make real strides in his development with a new coaching staff. Volchko has first round stuff, but until we see him make more SEC starts he might be hard to place. Right now his stock is very much dependent on whether teams can see his command continuing to improve or not.
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is toeing the rubber against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field today, and the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner will look to make it back-to-back wins to open the season.
My top Tigers vs. Diamondbacks predictions and MLB picks are calling for just that, with Arizona countering with veteran Zac Gallen this afternoon.
Who will win Tigers vs Diamondbacks today: Tigers -1.5 (48 cents)
With Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen’sERA and xFIP climbing in each of the past three seasons before allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks through four frames in his first 2026 start, I’m anticipating a long season ahead for the veteran righty.
It’s just the opposite for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, with the star southpaw ranking second among qualified starters in ERA and xFIP since the beginning of the 2024 campaign.
Additionally, the Arizona offense is off to a ho-hum start with a 23rd-ranked xwOBA.
COVERS INTEL: Arizona righty Zac Gallen surrendered the 10th-highest barrel percentage among qualified starters in 2025, and he allowed three through just four innings in his 2026 debut.
Tigers vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (58 cents)
I’m anticipating Skubal doing the heavy lifting to keep this total Under the number, as he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in 26 of 32 starts since the beginning of last year.
Additionally, even with Gallen in a clear decline, the Tigers enter with a 25th-ranked wOBA alongside a middling 15th-ranked xwOBA through five 2026 games.
2026 Transparency record
ML/RL bets: 1-0, +1.46 units
Over/Under bets: 0-1, -1.05 units
Tigers vs Diamondbacks odds
Moneyline: Detroit 61c | Arizona 40c
Run line: Detroit -1.5 (48c) | Arizona +1.5 (53c)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (45c) | Under 8.5 (61c)
Tigers vs Diamondbacks trend
The Tigers have cashed the Under in 28 of their last 43 road games for +10.15 units and a 20% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Diamondbacks.
How to watch Tigers vs Diamondbacks and game info
Location
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Date
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
First pitch
3:40 p.m. ET
TV
DSN, ARID
Tigers starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Zac Gallen (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
Tigers vs Diamondbacks latest injuries
Tigers vs Diamondbacks weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Taylor Ward
Alejandro Kirk
COVERS INTEL: The Red Sox are 15-2 in Garrett Crochet's last 17 starts.
