The Pittsburgh Pirates and rookie infielder Konnor Griffin agreed to a nine-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday, April 8.
The extension ties the 19-year-old to the team through the 2034 season. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, but it is reported to be worth $140 million, according to The Athletic and ESPN.
After being baseball's top-rated prospect, Griffin, a Jackson, Mississippi native, was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on April 3, and in 17 at-bats this season, he is hitting .176 with three RBIs."Signing Konnor is a meaningful commitment to this team, this city and our fans. It reflects our belief inKonnor, in this season’s club and in the future of our organization," said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting in a statement.
"Konnor represents everything we value in a player – exceptional talent, strong character, a team-firstmentality and a maturity that stood out to all of us from the beginning. He is the right person, from the rightfamily. This is another important step in the work we have been doing to build a winning team, for this yearand going forward."
Griffin, who got married in January, was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
Last season, in 122 games between Low-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro, and Double-A Altoona, Griffin was spectacular, hitting .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, and scoring 117 runs.
OFFICIAL: We have signed INF Konnor Griffin to a nine-year contract extension that runs through the 2034 season. pic.twitter.com/eipHszMm6s
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammates Kyle Higashioka #11 and Ezequiel Duran #20 following the team's win against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 3, Mariners 2
A big win for your First Place Texas Rangers.
Yes, that’s right…with the Astros and Angels losing, the Rangers are currently alone in first place in the A.L. West, a half game above Houston and Anaheim.
Also, weirdly, they have the third best record in the American League right now. The only other A.L. teams above .500 are the 8-2 Yankees and the 7-5 Guardians.
The Rangers, having run through a bunch of relievers the day before, needed innings from Nathan Eovaldi. And Nathan Eovaldi gave the Rangers innings.
Six of them, to be precise. Six rather good innings.
The first pitch of the game didn’t go well, I must admit. Brendan Donovan took the first pitch out of the park.
That said, he didn’t exactly crush the ball. With a 94 mph exit velocity and a 34 degree launch angle, its a ball that Statcast says turns into an out 95% of the time.
Unfortunately, Eovaldi experienced the 5%, and the Rangers were immediately in a 1-0 hole.
Eovaldi ended up allowing a pair of runs, the second coming on a single-wild pitch-walk-single sequence. Cal Raleigh’s RBI single came on an 0-2 pitch that he flared into center field. Raleigh didn’t hit it well, but he was able to muscle it into that no man’s land in the outfield where weakly hit flares fall for hits.
Eovaldi had his stuff going on, though. Seven strikeouts in the game, and a whopping 22 swings and misses generated on 93 pitches. He relied heavily on his splitter and his cutter, using them almost a third of the time, and generated 8 whiffs apiece off of those two pitches.
The Donovan homer was off his fastball, and maybe not surprisingly, Eovaldi threw that pitch just nine more times after that.
Jacob and Jakob finished things off, with Latz providing two shutout innings and Junis allowing two baserunners to start the ninth, scaring everyone, before finishing things off and getting the save.
The offense wasn’t good, generating just six hits and no walks, with two GIDPs to boot. George Kirby had the Rangers’ number once again.
But they strung hits together when they needed to, all at the start of the fifth inning.
Joc Pederson started things off with an infield single, advancing to second on a bad throw to first, and scored on Evan Carter’s single.
Then Kyle Higashioka, who led off the third with a blast down the left field line that looked like it would be a homer, but which drifted maybe a foot foul, crushed a Kirby pitch into the left field seats for a home run. And just like that, it was a 3-2 Rangers lead.
Kirby retired the next 12 Rangers hitters in order, but it ultimately didn’t matter, as the three runs the Rangers put up ended up being enough.
Nathan Eovaldi topped out at 95.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.4 mph. Jacob Latz’s fastball maxed out at 94.4 mph. Jakob Junis hit 93.8 mph with his fastball.
Kyle Higashioka’s homer was 107.1 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 104.4 mph ground out. Wyatt Langford had a 102.6 mph ground out. Ezequiel Duran had a 102.2 mph ground out. Jake Burger had a 101.2 mph ground out. Evan Carter had a 100.5 mph single.
Now to finish off a sweep on a Wednesday afternoon and head into the off day with us all being happy.
This past Saturday, Giancarlo Stanton stole the show not for his stupendous power but for his baserunning. The slugger whose speed can charitably be described as “plodding” nonetheless swiped second base in the seventh inning when the Marlins neglected to hold him on first. His first steal since the 2024 ALDS and just his second overall since 2020 was followed by a brisk jog to third on an out, then one last race to the plate on a wild pitch, giving the Yankees a big insurance run.
An inning later, Stanton provided the go-ahead two-run single in a 9-7 win.
This isn’t an isolated incident with Stanton. Evidently, he’s feeling great—the series against the Mariners saw him run all over the place, with rather mixed results. Still, there’s plenty of reason to feel giddy about Stanton’s improved running. For one, it’s a sign he’s healthy enough to take off the limiters and try to make an impact beyond the pop in his bat. For another, if the player who has the most incentive of anybody in the dugout to take it easy and not run too hard is running hard anyway, it’ll have a positive downstream effect on the rest of the team.
In the arduous grind of an MLB season, example is the best form of leadership. Mantras and motivational speeches can ring hollow if they don’t lead to results, particularly over 162 games. The Yankees under Aaron Boone don’t depend on the rah-rah kind of leadership beyond the occasional bombastic ejection. Similarly, team captain Aaron Judge and his deputy, Stanton, are not going to be caught on camera yelling at their teammates to motivate them. They do it by, as ballplayers say, “going about their business.”
Teammates are effusive of Stanton’s willingness to be a resource on hitting, but until last week I’m not sure anyone would have expected him to show his leadership on the basepaths. The Marlins certainly didn’t, giving him an easy opportunity to steal second base and help bring in a big insurance run. Opposing clubhouses will certainly be paying more attention to Stanton now, but so will his own clubhouse. It’s a lot harder to justify not giving your all on a baserunning play if Big G’s busting his hump on the paths.
This is part and parcel of a broader evolution the Yankees have attempted over the past few seasons. The prevailing criticism of the team in recent years has been that they’re not maneuverable enough, so to speak—that they’re so reliant on the home run ball that they lose their potency if the ball isn’t leaving the yard. I find that criticism a touch disingenuous, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with making your team more athletic and better positioned to take advantage of opponents’ mistakes. And at the very least, the Yanks needed to make fewer mental errors of their own—particularly on the bases and in the field.
It’s early yet, but the numbers back up a more aggressive approach working for the Yankees. Last season, they were tied with the Mariners for the lowest rate of extra bases taken in the league at 37 percent. So far this year, they’ve take the extra base more than anybody else, at 59 percent.
To be clear, this isn’t really a sustainable figure—the Tigers’ led the league in XBT% each of the last two seasons, managing a 53 percent last season after doing so 49 percent of the time last year. But if the Yankees can approach the latter figure and sit in the top ten leaguewide while mitigating outs on the bases, that’s a massive improvement from their station-to-station incarnations in previous campaigns. It should appreciably improve their ability to bring home runners when the ball isn’t carrying. And as a team that always works oodles of walks, they should have plenty of baserunners to bring home.
Last year, the Yankees made waves with their torpedo bats. Fans and media alike wondered if the Yankees had cracked some kind of offensive code. In reality, the team was just off to a hot start—it remains to be seen whether the shape of their bats had any real impact on that. But if the Yankees’ newfound ability to consistently take the extra base sticks, that would be no mirage. It would be another sign that the Bronx Bombers are becoming an even tougher puzzle for opposing teams to solve.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Ronny Mauricio #0 of the New York Mets celebrates his tenth inning pinch hit game winning single against the Arizona Diamondbacks with his teammates at Citi Field on April 07, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets beat the Diamondbacks 4-3 in a ten-inning, back-and-forth game. The Mets went up by two runs early by way of a Brett Baty sacrifice fly in the first inning and a Francisco Lindor RBI double in the second. The Diamondbacks came back in the fifth, as Huascar Brazobán allowed all three of the runners he inherited from Freddy Peralta to score. But the Mets came back to tie it in the eighth after Jared Young hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, and they won when Ronny Mauricio hit an RBI single in the tenth inning, his first at-bat since returning to the major leagues.
Ronny Mauricio likely won’t see significant time with his time on the major league roster, with his appearances probably coming as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement.
Juan Soto won’t be doing baseball activities until his calf soreness subsides.
Tom Nieto, a member of the Mets’ coaching staff from 2005 to 2008, passed away.
MLB ranked the top 10 talent-packed minor league rosters, and the Rumble Ponies made the cut.
Around the National League East
The Nationals lost a ten-inning contest against the Cardinals 7-6, in spite of a solid 4.2 inning start from Cade Cavalli in which he gave up just one earned run (though he walked four batters).
It was a big day for extra inning games in the National League East, as the Marlins lost a ten-inning game 6-3 to the Reds, wasting a fantastic 8.1 innings from Sandy Alcantara, who gave up just two runs while striking out six.
The Phillies needed just the regular nine innings to lose to the Giants 6-0, with Cristopher Sánchez giving up four runs on eleven hits in five innings.
The Braves were the only other team in the division to secure a win, beating the Angels 7-2 thanks to a wide spread of offensive contributions, with Eli White leading the team with two RBI.
Around Major League Baseball
Young Cubs star starter Cade Horton needs season-ending surgery on his throwing elbow.
After a young Dominican aspiring baseball player died from too many performance-enhancing drugs, there are renewed interest in an international draft to replace the current international free agency signings.
Mike Petriello is here to ease worries about two stats this early on—as well as substantiating worries in another.
The Orioles traded prospect Brayden Smith to the Cardinals in exchange for lefty reliever Nick Raquet.
Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce needs ACL surgery, likely ending his 2026 season before it ever really started.
Astros ace Hunter Brown has a grade 2 shoulder strain, and won’t be throwing for a few weeks at least.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Steve Sypa delivered this season’s first Mets Minor Leaguers of the week.
This Date in Mets History
On Opening Day in 1969, the Mets inaugurated the Montreal Expos franchise—and gave them their first win in the process.
The Mud Hens welcomed back their home crowd with a well pitched game and just enough offense to everyone home quickly and out of the cold with a victory on Tuesday afternoon.
Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start and the lefty set down the Saints in order in the first with help from Max Clark on a sinking drive that he had to go to the ground to snare as it fell in front of him.
The Hens quickly got to work in the bottom half. Wenceel Pérez lined out to center, but Clark kept his on-base streak intact with a sharp single to right field. He then stole second base. Trei Cruz struck out, but Eduardo Valencia walked to keep the inning alive, and Hao-Yu Lee, in his first game back with the Hens after a Lakeland rehab assignment, lined a single to left to make it 1-0 Hens.
Clark hasn’t really scorched many balls so far, but he has hit a pair over 110 mph, his hardest hit on record, and his at-bats have uniformly been great. When we start seeing hard contact to the pull side, Clark will be within striking distance of his first major league cup of coffee. It’s early, but he definitely looks like he’ll be forcing the issue by June at this rate.
Max Clark extends his on-base streak to 9 games and has hit safely in 7 straight games on a nice swing to right. pic.twitter.com/9m0rmOaiu6
That was all they’d need. Lockhart only struck out one, but he managed to retire the first 14 hitters he faced in order. The Hens’ defense was sharp, while the Saints batted ball luck was tough. With two outs in the fifth, Lockhart walked old friend Ryan Kreidler for the Saints first baserunner. He was quickly erased by a ground out, and the Saints wouldn’t have many more. Lockhart spun five innings of no-hit ball with just a walk and a strikeout allowed. As you’d imagine, the pace of play was brisk.
Of course the Hens offense wasn’t doing much either. Corey Julks doubled in the fourth but was stranded. Clark beat out an infield single in the fifth with two outs, but that went nowhere either.
Burch Smith tossed a perfect sixth with two strikeouts. Konnor Pilkington took over, and the lefty walked a pair but collected four more outs without a hit allowed.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ben Malgeri tripled to right field with one out after a lengthy battle and a failed dive by the Saints right fielder. He tried to score on a Pérez groundout, but was cut down at the plate. Clark flew out to end the inning.
Pilkington got the first out of the eighth, but then issued his two walks, and right-hander Ricky Vanasco took over. Vanasco and Smith have been the best of the Hens relief corps early on, and he cleaned up the mess, whiffing Alex Jackson and Aaron Sabato both on power curveballs to escape the jam.
Vanasco allowed a walk and a single in the top of the ninth. The first hit of the game for St. Paul was a blooper into shallow right field. Second baseman Gage Workman made a great effort to get out there but couldn’t make the basket catch. Two outs from a combined no-hitter. Vanasco scorned the Saints meager success, and punched out his fourth and fifth hitters on the outing to decisvely earn his first save on the year. The Saints managed just one hit, although the Hens had just six of their own.
The @MudHens were just 2 outs away from their first no-hitter in a decade …
Mistakes plagued the SeaWolves in an otherwise tight game on Tuesday as they dropped the first of their six-game road series against the BaySox.
It was a bullpen day for Erie, and Tanner Kohlhepp and John Stankiewicz got them through four innings without issue. They wasted an opportunity when Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch to start a game, and he went on to steal second and third while his teammates popped up or struck out.
John Peck finally got things going with a one-out double in the fourth. An Andrew Jenkins single made it a 1-0 game.
Yosber Sanchez took over in the fifth. He issued a leadoff walk and then an Andrew Jenkins throwing error on a grounder made it first and second no outs. Another walk from Sanchez loaded the bases, and an RBI single and then a wild pitch followed before he got out of the inning with the BaySox up 2-1.
Stephenson led off the sixth with a walk, and Brett Callahan singled, but Peck, Izaac Pacheco, and Jenkins all struck out against tough lefty Micah Ashman, who you’ll recall was traded for Charlie Morton last summer.
Sanchez walked the first batter he faced in the sixth and gave way to right-hander Moises Rodriguez, who walked his first batter. The hard throwing sinkerballer avoided the big hit, but a pair of deep sacrifice flies made it a 4-1 game.
Chris Meyers led off the seventh with a double, but again they went in order from there.
Wandisson Charles pitched the eighth, giving up a walk but otherwise having no trouble.
In the top of the ninth, Pacheco led off with a single, and Meyers walked with one out. Justice Bigbie struck out, and a sharp single to left from Peyton Graham didn’t allow Pacheco to score. Bennett Lee struck out to end it.
Peck: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K
Jenkins: 1-4, RBI, 3K
Kohlhepp: 2.0 IP, 0 R, BB, K
Sanchez (L, 0-1, BS): 1.0 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, H, 3 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.
Great Lakes Loons 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)
Lefty Gabriel Reyes made his High-A debut and was quite wild, walking five hitters in just 2 2/3 innings. Those walks and some sloppy play put the Whitecaps in a hole early and then never fought back.
Reyes walked Mike Sirota to open the game. Sirota stole second and scored on a Charles Davalan single for a quick 1-0 lead. Reyes issued another walk in the inning but got out of further trouble. The Whitecaps loaded the bases with one out as a result of three straight walks, but Ricardo Hurtado grounded into a double play to waste the opportunity.
Reyes just could not get it together. He walked two more in the second and escaped, then walked the leadoff hitter in the third, and did not escape. A Cristian Santana error at second allowed the next hitter to reach, and then Reyes plunked Nico Perez. A sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Perez stole second and Hurtado threw it away as the runner on third scored. Perez showed Hurtado zero respect, stealing third as well, but it was unnecessary as Victor Rodrigues mashed a two-run shot for a 5-0 lead. Duque Hebbert took over and cleaned up the mess.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps bats were stone cold. Logan Berrier relieved Hebbert in the fifth and promptly surrendered a run on a Rodrigues RBI single. 6-0. Loons.
In the bottom half, Stephen Hrustich led off with a walk. With one out, Samuel Gil singled Hrustich to third, and he scored on a wild pitch to get the Whitecaps on the board. 6-1.
Berrier was fine in the sixth, and in the seventh, Carlos Lequerica took over and punched out the side. However, in the eighth, a leadoff double and a pair of ground outs made it a 7-1 game, and that was about all there was.
Inohan Paniagua made his Whitecaps debut in the top of the ninth, striking out two. Roberto Campos singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Garrett Pennington walked. The Loons went back to their pen and a Hurtado ground out advanced the baserunners. A wild pitch from Joseilyn Gonzalez scored Campos. A Samuel Gil single made it 7-3, but Santana flew out to end it.
Gil: 2-4, RBI, K
Campos: 1-3, R, BB
Reyes (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 12:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday at LMCU Park.
The Flying Tigers built a lead, lost it, got ahead again, and then just held off the Tortugas to maintain a perfect 4-0 record in their home 2026 debut.
LHP Bailey Horn made a short rehab outing to start this one off. He got the first two outs before giving up a single. Pedro Garcia took over and started with a balk and a wide pitch before a grounder tied up Carson Rucker and scored the run. Garcia shut things down from there but it was 1-0 Daytona.
The Flying Tigers struck out in order against Sheng-En Lin in the first, while Tyler Owens came on for a rehab inning in the second, which he handled without much issue.
In the bottom of the second, Lin walked four hitters, handing the Flying Tigers a 2-1 lead.
At that point, LHP Grayson Grinsell, the Tigers’ 2025 sixth rounder out of Oregon, entered the game to make his debut. He spun a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Jack Goodman stayed hot for Lakeland with a ground rule double down the right field line, but that went nowhere.
Grinsell dug a little hole to open the fourth, but Mason Neville lined into a double play and Grinsell whiffed Drew Davies to escape unscathed.
Zach MacDonald has been a minor revelation early on for the Flygers, and he opened the fourth with a double to right. Sergio Tapia moved him to third with a groundout, and a wild pitch from the Tortugas’ Dominic Scheffler Nolan McCarthy brought the run in while walked Nolan McCarthy. 3-1 Lakeland.
Grinsell struck out the side in the fifth, showing off good sliders and changeups to go with a solid 92 mph fourseamer. However, he got into trouble in the sixth, giving up up two runs as Grinsell and Tapia struggled to control the Tortugas running game. The score was knotted 3-3, but the Flying Tigers came right back.
Beau Ankeney led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. MacDonald struck out and Tapia grounded out, but McCarthy singled and Jose Pinto walked to load the bases with two outs. Bryce Rainer popped up to the shortstop Rafhimil Torres, but he lost the towering ball and dropped it as all three runners scored for a 6-3 lead. Rainer stole second and then third, but Rucker struck out to end the inning.
The wind has been a factor in Lakeland tonight. This pop up by Bryce Rainer barely out of the infield caused three runs pic.twitter.com/Lh68ByQF3Q
Eliseo Mota then conspired to return the favor with a mess of an inning that saw the Tortugas score two until Jorger Petri took over to clean things up. 6-5 Lakeland. Petri was nails, and collected the next six outs with just a walk in the ninth allowed to collect the save.
Goodman: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K
MacDonald: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K
McCarthy, 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB
Grinsell (W, 1-0): 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Wednesday.
George Springer has a good track record in the batter's box against Shohei Ohtani. I’m expecting the Toronto Blue Jays’ lead-off hitter to continue that trend and help generate offense against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Find out why with my Blue Jays vs Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks for Wednesday, April 8.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays predictions
Dodgers vs Blue Jays best bet: George Springer Over 1.5 total bases (+130)
He also has two home runs against Ohtani in that stretch, averaging 2.16 total bases per game.
This shouldn’t come as a major surprise considering Springer's success against the four-seamer, Ohtani’s most-utilized pitch, where he had a .746. xSLG rate last season, with 37 of his XBH coming off the fastball.
COVERS INTEL: Springer has registered 2+ total bases in 7 of 14 games against the Dodgers, with a .954 OPS when facing off with this pitching staff.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)
Ernie Clement is riding a three-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one hit in eight of the 10 games he’s played. I expect that trend to continue tonight against Ohtani, against whom he's gone 2-for-4.
Teoscar Hernandez has struck out in eight straight outings and struggles mightily against the slider, with a 43% whiff rate and a 35% strikeout rate in 2025. The former Blue Jays slugger has a lowly .200 batting average with nine K’s in just 21 at-bats against Dylan Cease through his career.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays SGP
George Springer Over 1.5 total bases
Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits
Teoscar Hernandez Over 1.5 batter strikeouts
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Dodgers vs Blue Jays home run pick: George Springer (+350)
This is a half-unit bet.
We’ve seen Springer have his way with Ohtani in the past, sporting a .506 career average with an OPS north of 1.400 with two homers and an .882 slug rate.
Additionally, the pitching matchup favors Springer, who crushes four-seamers, which is Ohtani’s most-used pitch.
So, assuming the Dodgers star will zip in a bunch of fastballs to Springer, he can get a hold of one and take it deep over the wall. Springer was also an elite barrel rate hitter in 2025, ranking in the 94th percentile, and enhancing his ability to tap into his home run power.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 2-8, -3.65 units
SGPs: 1-9, -5.5 units
HR picks: 2-8, -0.8 units
Dodgers vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: Dodgers -170 | Blue Jays +145
Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-105) | Blue Jays +1.5 (-115)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)
Dodgers vs Blue Jays trend
The Toronto Blue Jays have covered the 1st Five Innings (F5) Run Line in 14 of their last 21 games at home (+6.00 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch Dodgers vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
First pitch
3:07 p.m. ET
TV
SportsNet LA, Sportsnet
Dodgers starting pitcher
Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Dylan Cease (0-0, 2.79 ERA)
Dodgers vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Dodgers vs Blue Jays 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.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 7: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning of their MLB against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 7, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The reigning World Series MVP took the mound in Toronto on Tuesday for the first time since that fateful Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounced back after being dealt a loss in his start against the Cleveland Guardians by tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out six against the Blue Jays, giving Jays fans flashbacks of Yamamoto’s brilliance in last year’s Fall Classic. Yamamoto now joins Shohei Ohtani as the only two Dodgers this season to have tossed at least six innings with no more than one run allowed in a start this season, with the former now having tossed three quality starts to open the season.
Although the Blue Jays began to tee off Yamamoto after the fifth inning, he was able to pitch into the seventh inning with his pitch count just shy of century mark, and Dave Roberts credited Yamamoto with the ability to do whatever it takes to win ballgames, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“This guy’s a winner, and he’s shown that he’ll do whatever it takes to win,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. “That’s part of his DNA.”
Links
Will Smith may have his starting catcher job in jeopardy, as Dalton Rushing has been on a tear at the plate over his last two games. Rushing has now reached base safely over his last six plate appearances, and he has crushed three home runs— including his first multi-home run game— since Sunday’s win over the Nationals.
Of course, as long as Will Smith is still a Dodger and playing like an All-Star, then he will continue to be the team’s go-to guy behind the plate despite Rushing’s recent success, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I plan on playing him this year. I plan on giving Will (Smith) ample rest,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But make no mistake who our starting catcher is.”
After a slow start on this road trip and after being the only starter on Monday without a hit against Toronto, Alex Freeland had an impressive game on Tuesday by going 3-3 with a double, a sacrifice bunt, an RBI and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Freeland spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA post-game about his first career three hit game.
“It felt amazing. I’m just trying to be consistent and just keep putting together good at-bats, and hopefully they fell. They fell tonight and it feels good.”
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 04: Starter Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Chase Field on April 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 2-1. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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The 2026 season has started out much better than 2025 for the Atlanta Braves. While the season is less than 10 percent complete, one of the best stories of the first couple of weeks of the season has been the overall success of the team’s starting rotation.
Coming into Spring Training, the Braves seemed to be in a solid-enough position with their starting pitching depth and opted not to add a free agent starting pitcher on an MLB deal (Martin Perez was added, but on an MLB contract). Things changed rapidly when Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were placed on the IL and got even more dire when fringe starter Joey Wentz was lost for the season and an oblique strain caused expected number two starter Spencer Strider to hit the IL prior to Opening Day.
Bryce Elder, who was out of options and seemed to be on the cusp of holding on to a big league job in Atlanta coming into Spring Training, found himself starting the season as the team’s fourth starter.
Elder, who was an All-Star in 2023 after a fantastic first half of the season, has been among the worst starting pitchers in the sport since the last-half of 2023. In 2025, he led the Braves in starts and innings pitched, but his overall numbers were subpar, thanks in part to seven starts in which he allowed five earned runs or more, including three starts with eight or more earned runs.
On a positive note, he did end the season by allowing three earned runs or less in six of his final seven starts, offering a glimmer of hope for future success.
Elder spent time with Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux this off-season, gaining tutelage from one of the game’s all-time greats. Elder added a cutter and has worked to hone his control.
In his first two starts in 2026, he pitched 13 innings, struck out 13, and allowed zero earned runs while walking only two batters. It is the ultimate small sample size alert, but his success has stood out.
Are you buying this version of Bryce Elder as a legitimate mid-rotation starting pitcher? Or will it take another 10 starts for you to buy in on him solidifying his role on the Braves’ starting pitching staff?
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 31: TJ Rumfield #7 of the Colorado Rockies swings against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on March 31, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Old habits die hard.
A major issue for the Colorado Rockies during their seven-season losing streak has been the offense. In particular, especially over the last three seasons, poor plate discipline has hindered the team that has been largely defined by an overabundance of strikeouts. In 2025, the team ranked second in baseball with 1,531 strikeouts, with the highest swing rate and the lowest contact rate among several other unfortunate categories.
While a primary point of focus was rightfully placed on the pitching side of things for the club, new hitting coach Brett Pill has a lot of work cut out for him in helping improve one of the league’s worst offenses. It will take some time before he can get a cohesive hitting philosophy permeating the roster, but the early trends of 2026 certainly make things more difficult.
Entering Tuesday, the Rockies lead all of Major League Baseball in swing rate at 52%. This shouldn’t be surprising since the Rockies feature a roster of aggressive hitters. There is nothing inherently wrong with being aggressive at the plate, but there is a difference between that and being undisciplined with the bat.
Alongside that swing rate comes one of the lowest contact rates in baseball. Boasting the third-lowest rate in baseball at 69.9%, the Rockies are in the odd company of swinging more than anyone else, but still having little to nothing to show for it.
Why is that?
A quick look at the average number of pitches per plate appearance shows that the Rockies’ offense is seeing the fewest pitches of any team. Averaging 3.65 P/PA, the Rockies rank just below the Tampa Bay Rays at 3.75 P/PA, a team that is around league average in swing rate (45.1%) while sporting the highest contact rate (80.4%). The lack of pitches seen makes the Rockies’ National League-worst strikeout rate of 29.5% and baseball-worst 6.0% walk rate a lot clearer.
The aggressiveness of the Rockies’ offense is a result of how opposing pitchers are taking advantage. Colorado is 45.3% of pitches within the strike zone. It’s not too distant from the leaders of the league at 48.9%, but that 4% difference has become more damning considering the Rockies have an 82.6% contact rate, one of the lowest in baseball, compared to their league-high 68.8% swing rate in the zone.
Swinging so often and coming up empty has inspired pitchers to continue inching out of the zone to cause the Rockies to chase. Their 40.1% swing rate at pitches considered to be in the “chase zone” leads all of baseball, while their contact on such pitches (38.1%) ranks 27th. A 37% overall chase rate is the highest mark in baseball this early into the season.
The Rockies are seeing a higher percentage of strikes than any other team at 66.8%. Their 24.4% swinging strike rate is the highest in the NL and third-highest in MLB. The uber-aggressiveness and whiffs by this team are what have stifled the offense through their first couple of series.
There is some evidence of method to the madness, despite the lack of overall success. The Rockies are hunting the first pitch in an at-bat. The team has swung at the first pitch 39.5% of the time, just behind the Athletics (40.9%). They also rank second, just behind the A’s, with a .412/.423/.725 slashline. The first pitch is typically the best one to try and hit, and the Rockies are finding success when they do make contact on the first one, showing that aggressiveness can be effective.
However, that’s where the lack of plate discipline comes into play. Should they fail to make contact, the Rockies get themselves into trouble due to an NL-high 39% first pitch strike rate. They drop down to a .250 AVG in 0-1 counts, and a .148 AVG in two strike counts. They have drawn just eight walks with two strikes, the lowest in baseball.
There is still plenty of season to be played, and it’ll be worthwhile to look back on these types of things come May, as Pill and Jordan Pacheco have had time to implement more things with the hitters. The hope is that the new philosophy and coaching, along with some of the new players on the team, can foster an environment that encourages good contact and attacking pitchers. We’ve already seen the offensive outbursts that can happen when the team is patient, making good contact, and taking good swings in the zone, and it’s something that can thrive both at home and away.
It’s certainly worrisome at the moment, but the Rockies could have the chance to learn how to make aggressiveness an advantage and not a folly in 2026.
The Albuquerque offense did its damage through the first four innings, scoring all eight of its runs and ending up with 13 hits on the night. Blaine Crim and Ryan Ritter each hit home runs, with the latter contributing three hits in the game. Sterlin Thompson had a triple while Nicky Lopez and Zac Veen each had a double. Veen also ended up with two hits. Sean Sullivan started the hill and made it through four innings, giving up just one run on one hit while striking out three. He battled his command, however, issuing four walks. The bullpen combined to allow just three runs, two of which came against Welinton Herrera, and notched five strikeouts.
Eiberson Castellano continued a string of good pitching for the Yard Goats as he allowed just one run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings of work. The lone run he surrendered came on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The bullpen then allowed just two hits over the final three innings, with Alberto Pacheco going two innings and Victor Juarez nailing down his second save of the year. They got all the offense they would need with two runs in the third inning. Braylen Wimmer had a two-hit night with an RBI, which came in the third. Bryant Betancourt also had a solo home run in the top of the ninth for an insurance run.
Everett Catlet cruised through five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts, en route to taking the victory for the Indians. Fisher Jameson followed with three shutout innings before Tyler Hampu closed out the game, although he gave up a run. Offensively, Robert Calaz went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Tevin Tucker also drove in a pair of runs. The offense had eight hits and drew seven walks against seven strikeouts.
The Grizzlies got a good start from their pitcher in their home opener. Angel Jimenez went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. The bullpen struggled with command but managed to secure the victory despite a little bit of trouble for Derrick Smith in the ninth. The offense kicked off with a five-run bottom of the second, and later a three-run seventh inning. Ethan Holliday ended up with two hits while Derek Bernard drove in a pair as part of his two-hit night and Zach Rogaki also had three RBI.
The beauty of the minors is that promotionals can deviate from the norms of big league ball quite a bit. The Yard Goats are getting in on the action with a “downtown Hartford divorce party” meant to involve a mixer for single people to look for a connection.
Chase Dollander has looked solid out of the Rockies’ bullpen to start the season, and part of that is having more confidence and purpose behind his pitches. Kevin Henry caught up with Dollander to talk about his growth thus far.
This week, Evan Lang and I are joined by Paul Holden of the Locked On Rockies podcast to chat about the early struggles of the offense, the quality pitching, and some minor leaguers to keep an eye on.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! While things have gotten off to a bit of a rough start for the Cubs this season, they aren’t the only club suffering from early season injuries and disappointing numbers. Below, we take a look at some clubs who are being forced to re-assess their plans to get back on track.
Plus, people are still reacting to Jo Adell’s wild weekend, and also looking at how it impacted the pitcher on the mound at the time—Chris Sale. We also take a look at some wild ballpark food, as teams get more and more inventive to try going viral online and getting attention from fans.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: A view of the stadium and a view of Kayakers arriving in McCovey Cove on Netflix branded kayaks are seen during the MLB Opening Night Game: Yankees vs. Giants, at Momo's on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Netflix) | Getty Images for Netflix
Good morning, baseball fans!
Earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants announced that they would be working with ElevenLabs, an AI research and product company, in an upcoming multi-year partnership at Oracle Park.
ElevenLabs will become the presenting sponsor of Oracle Park’s Championship Suite. They will also “deploy AI voice and audio technology throughout the ballpark to elevate the fan experience.”
Thanks, I hate it.
I’m sure there are good or even neutral uses for AI technology, such as accessibility in the form of translation services and audio dubbing, as the announcement mentions in further detail.
But in my experience on an everyday use basis, AI features tend to be forced on the public, filled with data-mining functions to steal as much user information as possible, and lack the ability to turn them off. Meanwhile, those features tend to primarily slow down programs (often ones that users have already paid for) and make it take ten times longer to do the things they were already doing with those programs before. But that’s just my opinion.
Anyway, the announcement goes on to read like a word-soup scramble of corporate buzzwords:
“Through this integration, the organization will elevate fan engagement and optimize operations across several key areas, including real-time, AI-powered fan support for ticketing, merchandise, food ordering, and ballpark FAQs, as well as in-game activations featuring live dubbing and multilingual audio at Oracle Park.”
Sounds to me like a lot of people at Oracle Park are going to lose their jobs whenever this actually goes into effect. But yay optimized operations I guess. Because that’s what the world needs more of right now.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants wrap up this series against the Philadelphia Phillies today at 12:45 p.m. PT.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Oracle Park on April 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, the San Francisco Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4, and I crafted an entire maybe-I’m-thinking-about-this-too-much narrative to go with it. In my recap, I mentioned the sloppiness and (in)attention to detail that has plagued the Giants through this cold, hard, long two-week season, and how they appeared to rid themselves of it on Monday, only to have it boomerang back and smack them in the face.
On Tuesday, the Giants beat the Phillies 6-0. This time there would be no boomerang. There would be no fakeout. There would be no false hope and ensuing punishment for emptying your retirement savings to throw money at the salesman selling the false hope at your doorstep.
There were mistakes, however. We’ll cover those. And then we’ll circle back to them at the end of this article, for the grand aha! moment. Not unlike a boomerang. Just not a rude boomerang that sends you to bed miserable and leads your therapist to ask you why you let a group of adults who have never met you dictate your mood for nearly seven months of the year.
It was an ominous beginning, as one of those aforementioned mistakes arrived early, like the monster in the opening credits of a horror film that then disappears, and you’re not sure whether it’s going to come back as a key part of the plot, or if it was just a silly little juke. Robbie Ray got Trea Turner to ground out on the second pitch of the game, before ceding a first-pitch single to Kyle Schwarber. It then took Ray all of one pitch against two-time MVP — and one of Monday’s heroes — Bryce Harper to get the lefty slugger to chop a tailor made double play ball to second base.
Ray had taken the opening part of Philly’s lineup — a trio of hitters with a combined 14 All-Star appearances, currently on contracts that will pay them a combined $780 million — and retired them on all of four pitches.
Or so you thought at the crack of the bat. Unfortunately, even with plenty of time to make a good throw and a fine feed from Luis Arráez, Willy Adames missed first base badly, allowing Harper to reach on a fielder’s choice.
It had the potential to be a painful mistake, robbing Ray of not just a quick inning, but possibly a scoreless one, given that lefty masher Adolis García was stepping to the plate.
But Ray struck him out. Sure, it meant throwing an extra six pitches, but so what. He picked his teammate up.
In the bottom half of the inning, Adames’ picked himself up. Facing a star pitcher in Christopher Sánchez, Adames immediately made the fans at Oracle Park forget about his gaffe with a deep drive to right field that crashed off the bricks.
According to Statcast, it was a home run in 17 parks. At Oracle, it was just a feel-good double.
Matt Chapman followed by turning an 0-2 sinker inside-out for an opposite-field single, and third base coach Hector Borg wisely put on the stop sign for Adames at third.
It was a smart move. García, the right fielder, has a NASA-inspired rocket ship in his throwing arm, there were no outs, and the best contact hitter in baseball, Arráez, was about to step to the plate.
You can score in any manner of ways in baseball, and on this particular occasion, Arráez opted for a 56.7-mph grounder that bounced two feet in front of the plate, ultimately resulting in his own out, but also a run scored.
But this game was the very essence of a devil on one shoulder, angel on the other affair. There were multiple instances where the baseballing seemed to repeat itself, only to offer an opportunity to choose a different, more dangerous path.
And so it was that Adames led off in the third inning, too, and once again hit a double. And so it was that Chapman once again followed up with a single, which once again was hit to right field. And Borg was once again faced with the reality that García has a cannon, there were no outs, and the best contact hitter on the planet was about to step into the box.
Sometimes you do things just to feel something, and so Borg, perhaps unwilling to go to bed tonight without knowing what would have happened had he sent Adames to challenge García, gave him the wave around.
Perhaps it would have been the right call had Heliot Ramos, who hit 0-4 with three strikeouts, been up next. But no: it was contact maven Arráez, who never got the chance for the RBI, because García threw out Adames at home.
Borg chose the angel in the first inning and the devil in the third, and the Giants had made another mistake.
Another such situation occurred, though it was less an angel on one shoulder, and more a second devil that offered a free pass before getting back to his devilish ways.
In the second inning, with one out and a runner on base, Daniel Susac bopped a single, bringing up Jared Oliva for his first plate appearance of the year. He chopped a grounder to the left side, where Edmundo Sosa fielded it and kicked off an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth inning, Susac led off with a single, making him a perfect 5-5 (with a walk!) in his young MLB career (he would be retired for the first time in his next at-bat). Oliva again came up to bat, and again chopped an easy double play ball to the left side of the infield.
This time it went to Turner, who looked up to check on the runners, and consequently forgot to catch the ball. He would make no throw, and neither runner would be out. But, as if to atone for the fact that he had failed to hit the double play he was supposed to, Oliva was then promptly back-picked at first base.
In all, it was a rough first start of the year for Oliva, whose night ended when he awkwardly went to the batter’s box for a third plate appearance without realizing that he was being pinch-hit for.
But that seemingly-costly mistake (the out at first, not the pinch-hitting blunder, which presumably was the fault of someone in the dugout) did not haunt the Giants, as they unveiled something we haven’t seen much of this year: two-out magic. After Adames popped out for the second out of the inning, Chapman (who is heating up in a big way) blasted his third hit of the day, a 111.7-mph double to score Susac.
Arráez, eager to have so many opportunities with runners in scoring position, showed off his two-strike prowess with a 1-2 single into center, scoring Chapman. Suddenly the Giants led 3-0.
They weren’t done. Perhaps the most important bit of turning a mistake into a positive came an inning later, when Rafael Devers led off with a single. That brought up Casey Schmitt, who returned to the lineup as the DH after a few days out with an injury.
Sánchez had gotten the best of Schmitt to that point. He struck him out in the second, and then struck him out on three pitches in the fourth. He had so much ownage on Schmitt to that point, that Schmitt started off the at-bat by attempting a bunt. A bunt! In this economy!
He did not succeed, and soon he was down in the count 1-2, with no choice but to swing. And swing he did, lifting a ball deep into triple’s alley, though it hopped over the fence, costing him a third bag and an RBI. Instead, that work would fall to Jung Hoo Lee, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter and easily brought the run home with a sacrifice fly.
All of this, however, was made possible by Ray, who thoroughly outclassed the Phillies. Ray didn’t always make it easy for himself, but he did always escape. Following that one-out single to set the table for Harper, Ray gave up a leadoff double to Sosa to open up the second. He followed that up with a leadoff walk to Harper in the fourth.
But he got out of those situations each time. And while he wasn’t exactly operating with peak efficiency, he was getting the job done as well as anyone.
Despite a rising pinch count, Ray was permitted to take his shutout all the way to the seventh inning, which was very understandable given the way the bullpen has behaved lately. It was there where, for the first and last time, Ray got himself into a pickle he couldn’t quite remove himself from.
It started, once again, with a leadoff runner reaching base, this time a Sosa walk. He recovered to get the next two outs, before losing a long battle to Dylan Moore, and issuing the second walk of the inning.
With that, Ray had not only started to show some wavering command, but had reached 109 pitches, and his night came to an end.
Which brings us back to Monday. During that game, Tony Vitello let Adrian Houser start the seventh, before pulling him with two runners on, and bringing in Ryan Borucki, who let both inherited runners score to bloat Houser’s ERA.
On Tuesday, and admittedly with two more outs, Vitello turned to his don’t-call-him-a-closer-just-call-him-when-you-need-him reliever, Ryan Walker, who inherited the two-on, two-out situation.
Walker, as he does, scared the [MadLibs: noun] out of you, turning an 0-2 count into a 3-2 count, while throwing a wild pitch that advanced the runners. But finally he got Crawford to ground out, ending the biggest threat of the night, and preserving the 4-0 lead.
That put a cap on a stellar Ray line: 6.2 innings, three hits, three walks, seven strikeouts, and no runs. When a team is struggling, they need a veteran with star potential to take over a game sometimes, and make life easier for everyone else.
From there, it was all about having a little fun, giving you another little scare, and scoring a few extra runs, just for the hell of it. Walker stayed in to pitch the eighth and, despite having a few issues locating the strike zone, and giving up a leadoff infield single to Turner and a one-out walk to Harper, got out of the inning unscathed.
The offense, meanwhile, tacked on some insurance with a delightful eighth inning rally, which began when Ramos reached base on a leadoff error (which probably should have been an infield hit), and continued when Schmitt drew a one-out walk.
And then, with two outs, came the big hit: Susac, the feel-good story of the year, tripled down the first-base line, scoring both runners, and securing his second three-hit game in as many Major League starts. He now has twice as many three-hit games in the Majors as his brother, and somewhere the A’s are wondering what in the world they’ve done.
Which brings us back to the moral of the story: teams make mistakes. All teams make mistakes. All teams make mistakes in all their games. For most of this season, the Giants have not had the talent or ability to overcome their own mistakes, so it has felt like those mistakes are out to get them. But then games like this happen, and you get to the end and barely remember Adames’ errant throw, or Oliva’s baserunning blunder, or Borg’s decision, or Ray’s leadoff hitters. Because when you play well, the mistakes are just speed bumps, instead of boulders dropped on your car like a freaky Mario Kart level.
The Giants worked around them. They should do that more often. I hear it’s what the good teams do, not that I’d know anything about that.
Apr 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) walks off the mound after being removed from the game during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The struggle against left-handed starters continued for the Philadelphia Phillies (6-5) as they dropped the middle game of their series against the San Francisco Giants (4-8) on Tuesday night by a score of 6-0.
Christopher Sanchez had a rough night, allowing 11 of the Giants’ 12 hits, the second highest total against him in his career. A rough night for the Phillies’ ace is still a decent night for some, as only two of the four runs credited to him during his 5.0+ IP were earned due to several miscues by his backing group.
Giants’ lefty starter, Robbie Ray, dominated all night, scattering six baserunners on three hits and three walks across 109 pitches with seven punch outs.
Ultimately, the additional damage inflicted by the poor defense didn’t matter as the Phillies’ offense offered little resistance to Ray and the rest of the Giants’ staff. With a left-hander on the mound, Alec Bohm out of the lineup nursing a sore groin, and JT Realmuto leaving the game after the first inning following a foul ball ricocheting off his right foot, the lineup featured the whole bench in Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp, Dylan Moore and Rafael Marchan.
Sanchez’s only clean inning came in a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, but he allowed multiple runners to reach base in each of the four others. He didn’t have his usual putaway stuff as eight of his eleven hits allowed came in two-strike counts.
The defensive gaffes were punctuated by a fielding error by Trea Turner, a throwing error by Marchan and a weak throw-in by Justin Crawford that allowed Wilson Ramos to tag-up from first and take second on a fly ball to center. But there was also the around the horn double play started by Sosa to relieve the jam in the second inning, a dart throw by Adolis Garcia to cut down Adames at home plate in the third, and a pick off throw behind the runner at first by Marchan in the fifth.
The Giants opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI ground out by Luis Arraez that scored Willy Adames who led off with a double.
They would tack on two more in the fifth after a leadoff single by Daniel Susac, an RBI double by Chapman and an RBI single by Arraez.
Sanchez gave way to Zach Pop in the sixth after surrendering a single to Rafael Devers and a ground rule double to Casey Schmitt with no outs. Pop allowed one runner to score on a sacrifice fly by Jung Hoo Lee but kept his own line clean, as did Tanner Banks in the seventh.
Orion Kerkering made his 2026 debut and likely saw ghosts as his first hitter faced, Ramos, knocked a dying dribbler in between Kerkering and Marchan that, after an instant’s hesitation by both battery members, was fielded by Marchan and errantly thrown to first for an error. That error may have been a mercy in disguise for Kerkering who conceded a walk to Schmitt and a triple by Susac that piled on two more runs for the Giants, neither counting against his ERA.
The offense was 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Their lone extra-base hit was a double by Sosa in the second inning and a runner didn’t reach second base again until Sosa and then Moore walked in the seventh.
Bryce Harper worked two walks and reached on a single. Turner and Kyle Schwarber each had one of the team’s four hits.
It’ll be Aaron Nola versus Tyler Mahle in the series decider tomorrow afternoon.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Manager Craig Stammen #14 of the San Diego Padres looks on before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Craig Stammen was a reliever for the San Diego Padres long before he was their manager. By all accounts he was a beloved teammate who could relate to anyone on the roster no matter their age, background or nationality. He was the perfect teammate. Perhaps this is the reason it was so surprising that Stammen, who was assisting the Padres front office with managerial interviews before general manager A.J. Preller asked him to consider interviewing for the position, landed the job. Stammen went from being a teammate to the man in charge.
Padres fans were right to wonder if Stammen could assume the leadership role and get the most out of players he played with like Manny Machado and Joe Musgrove. That question has yet to be answered on the field with just 11 games played this season, but it is a storyline that will no doubt be watched and documented as the season progresses.
What we have seen so far under Stammen is the San Diego offense continues to struggle with run production and at times, the defense has been spotty. Of course, at this point in the season there is nothing to say that what we have seen from the Padres under Stammen is what they will be going forward, but like anyone in a new position, there are multiple areas where fans can and should expect improvement as the first-year manager settles into the new reality of being the one making decisions in the dugout rather than running in from the bullpen.
San Diego has played three series under Stammen and will complete the fourth against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at 9:35 a.m. PST. The Padres dropped the first two series at home winning one game in each before taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox on the road. The series in Pittsburgh is tied 1-1 and San Diego has Michael King on the mound in the rubber match.
For this week’s Padres Reacts Survey Gaslamp Ball asks you to grade Stammen’s performance to this point in the season. There is a lot of time between now and 162, but everyone has an opinion on how things are going, so here is your chance to tell us yours. Results will be posted later in the week.
COVERS INTEL: Springer has registered 2+ total bases in 7 of 14 games against the Dodgers, with a .954 OPS when facing off with this pitching staff.
