Columbus Clippers Travis Bazzana (12) throws the ball to first base during home opener at Huntington Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ingle now has a ridiculous 1.403 OPS to begin the season. It’s one of the hottest start of any prospect in all of minor league baseball.
Crazy as it sounds, Ingle was just one of three different Clippers who had three hits. Nolan Jones went 3-for-4 with a walk while Milan Tolentino went 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple.
Kahlil Waton also impressed, going 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, a stolen base and three runs scored while Kody Huff went 2-for-4 with a home run and a hit by pitch. Stuart Fairchild also went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
With that kind of offense, Columbus didn’t need much pitching to win … and they didn’t get much pitching. Starting pitcher Pedro Avila allowed five runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings. Koby Allard allowed another three runs in his lone inning of work.
The big standout was Daniel Espino, who again tossed a scoreless inning to close out the win while striking out two. He’s getting closer folks.
What an impressive turn from the Akron pitching staff, led by none other than Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson. Wilkinson was flat out sensational in this game, throwing 5.0 perfect innings with six strikeouts. He was pulled after throwing 70 pitches.
While the bullpen wasn’t able to keep the perfect game going, it did preserve the no-hitter. Matt Jachech pitched a scoreless frame with one walk. Magnus Ellerts walked two and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Jay Driver walked one in his scoreless frame and then Carey closed out the combined no-hitter after walking a pair of batters.
RUBBERDUCKS NO-HITTER 🚨
Matt Wilkinson, Matt Jachec, Magnus Ellerts, Jay Driver, and Jack Carey combine to throw the club’s first 9-inning no-no since 2017 👀#Guardianspic.twitter.com/Qj96EKu9YX
Offensively, Alfonsin Rosario left the game after a first-inning RBI double. I hope he’s OK.
Wuilfredo Antunez homered, Jake Fox walked twice, Angel Genao doubled and Jose Devers went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Nick Mitchell also walked and was hit by a pitch.
Lake County spoiled another excellent start from Franklin Gomez. Gomez allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with five strikeouts and just one walk in 5.0 innings.
Unfortunately, piggy-back partner Michael Kennedy got blistered for six runs on six hits in his 2.0 innings of work to take the loss.
On offense, Jace LaViolette was given an opportunity to lead off and he responded by blasting his second home run of the season, also walking.
No one had a multi-hit game, but Aaron Walton impressively went 1-for-2 with two walks. Bennett Thompson and Anthony Silva also both reached base safely twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk apiece and Dean Curley doubled.
For his second straight start, Chase Mobley dominated opposing hitters, this time tossing 3.2 no-hit shutout innings with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Petty immediately followed by giving up three runs on six hits in his 3.0 innings of work. The game was still within reach until Keegan Zinn took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game tied 3-3 and quickly gave up a two-run walk-off home run.
Outfield prospect Robert Arias continued his scorching streak, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and a stolen base. Dauri Fernandez went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base and Anthony Martinez went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Apr 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (24) reacts after being removed from the game against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Phillies just suffered their worst homestand in quite a while. They didn’t hit well, they didn’t field well, they (honestly) didn’t pitch very well either. It’s not good baseball to watch, it’s not good baseball to analyze right now. Is there anything going right for the team at this moment?
Bryce Harper has been hot of late. That’s been cool.
Brad Keller has been better lately as well after his season got off to a rocky start.
Cristopher Sanchez is awesome again. There are some good things happening for the team; they’re just hidden under about ten feet of garbage.
The question for today is: of all the things that are going wrong for the Phillies at the moment, which is likeliest to turnaround quickly for them? Some of the hitters are hitting so badly at the moment, the laws of averages seem to be in their favor at some point that they’ll bounce back. The fielding can’t be this bad (can it?). At some point soon, there has to be positive regression with something…..but what?
The scientific method has been long established. Unfortunately, when it comes to human endeavors experiments are a bit messy. The first step in the scientific method is to actually observe what is going on. This is where things get a bit tricky. The human mind is a peculiar thing and that is particularly true when it comes to memory. We often remember what we want to remember and forget what we want to forget. Other factors color that memory and sometimes alter it. Criminal justice experts constantly tell us that eyewitness testimony is extremely unreliable.
This is why the lab exists in the first place. There is nothing more emotional than following your favorite sports team. Millions of people form their mood and rate their day based on what their favorite team does. In that universe it is easy to bypass facts and go with feelings. I may seem like a cold, unfeeling analyst but I am a fan too. I have emotional reactions to what I see. The numbers insulate me from that. That’s why the lab exists.
So, we get to the question of slow starts. Before we can analyze why we have slow starts we have to establish the fact that the slow starts have been patterns. If we go through the annals of this current run we can split the Astros dynastic period into two relatively equal parts. There are the A.J. Hinch Astros and the Dusty Baker/Joe Espada Astros. We eliminate 2020 because there was no April. So, we are splitting it to 2015 to 2019 and then 2021 to 2026. We will throw in March into April when it is applicable.
2015-2019
Wins
Losses
2015
15
7
2016
7
17
2017
16
9
2018
20
10
2019
18
12
Total
76
55
If we look at the winning percentage we see .580 winning percentage. That would be equivalent to a 94-68 record in a 162 game schedule. Obviously, 2016 is an outlier and it is the only season in that run where the team did not make the playoffs. In fact, it was the only season before 2025 where the Astros did not make the playoffs. If we remove that season then the winning percentage shoots up to .645. That would be equivalent to a 104-58 record. So, if it felt like those Astros teams got off to fast starts it is because they did.
2021-2026
Wuns
Losses
2021
14
12
2022
11
10
2023
15
13
2024
10
19
2025
16
14
2026
8
15
Total
74
88
Obviously, I don’t need to translate this to a 162 game record. Given that this team went to the playoffs in four of the five seasons and came within one game of the playoffs in the other one, these starts are pretty significant. So, the first step of the scientific method is complete. There is in fact a difference between these two eras. We now move onto the next step in the process. This is where we come up with a hypothesis we can test. Unfortunately for us this will be the last step in the process. I can think of two possibilities and I will leave the reading audience to determine which one they think is more plausible.
Hypothesis One: Finding the sweet spot
One of the things you will notice when looking at the records above is that they seem to get progressively worse as we get closer to the present. When the Baker era began, the entire dynasty was intact. With each passing year, one more brick was kicked out of the wall. First it was George Springer. Then it was Carlos Correa. We then moved on to Justin Verlander (a couple of times), and finally Framber Valdez.
Each manager has their own style. Joe McCarthy might have been the best manager in baseball history record wise (.627 with the Yankees). He plugged in the same lineup every day and sat in a rocking chair. That’s easy to do when you have Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Earle Combs, and Tony Lazzeri. Baker will be a Hall of Fame manager someday and his style was wholly different. Espada seems to have taken on that style in the interim, so it makes sense to lump them together.
The Astros have used a different lineup every game this season. It wasn’t quite that bad in seasons past, but the pattern is still there. Of course, necessity is the mother of invention. When you don’t have thoroughbreds you have to do some experimenting. So, both Baker and Espada spent the early months figuring out what players could do and when they could do them. That meant how to shape platoons, what the batting order should be, and which relievers we could trust.
One old baseball adage is that Memorial Day is the day when performance stops being a trend and become something resembling reality. Unfortunately, that means another month of flailing around. Some of that is due to the “back of the baseball card” mentality. Yet, some of that is genuine small sample size issues. This is particularly true when looking at relievers. Obviously, Espada in particular has come under fire for how he uses his relievers. Either way, by the end of May this team finds its level based on figuring out who they can trust that particular season.
Hypothesis Two: It’s a training issue
My podcast partner and I (“Born on the Bayou Sports”) raised this issue earlier this year. We were wondering why certain pitchers weren’t building up innings this spring. Suddenly, you have four starting pitchers on injured reserve. Luck? Possily. Coincidence? Maybe. However, when you add that to the total number of injuries the team has faced in recent seasons in the early going.
Obviously, the change in trainers this offseason put that in the spotlight. Last season, the Astros had the most injuries in baseball and they are currently in the lead in that department. Is it an aging roster? That could be one explanation. Maybe it is just bad luck. The team was extremely healthy in 2022 when they won the World Series. Some seasons just go that way. Yet, when you have two consecutive seasons of players going down at a record pace it is difficult to chalk that up to chance.
This leaves us with two possibilities (of which both can be true). Either there are still issues with the day to day treatment of aches and pains. There are still issues with how often those are happening, how often they keep players from playing, and possibly their return to play. The second possibility comes back to Spring Training itself. Are these players ramping up in the right way during Spring Training? Are they getting ready?
Putting it all together
Of course, both is a possibility. Neither is a possibility. We are not in a position to test these hypotheses yet. That will have to come later. It would involve breaking down how the other 29 teams do business and determining how the Astros are different if at all. My own hypothesis is that both are true in part. A fungible roster demands time to figure out exactly who can do what. There are also probably some things the team could do differently to remain more healthy and start faster out of Spring Training. What do you think?
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 19: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers looks on during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning.
Evan Grant writes that McKenzie Gore’s subpar road trip shows that he’s not yet at the level that the Texas Rangers hope that he can achieve.
Kennedi Landry writes that Gore allowed three home runs in a start for the first time since 2023 in the series finale loss to Seattle.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 19: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers celebrates his double during the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mariners 5, Rangers 2
The longest road trip of the Rangers’ 2026 season has come to an end.
The Rangers went 4-6 on the road trip.
Could have been better, could have been worse. 4-6 is about what I think one would expect, though.
A very “at Seattle” loss in this one. A feckless offense, not great outing from the starting pitcher. The type of thing it feels like has become routine when in playing in Seattle.
His last time out, MacKenzie Gore lost the strike zone, issuing six walks. This time, Gore was much better at throwing strikes — 61 of them, out of 90 pitches, with just one walk issued — but he was also way too hittable, giving up six barrels (per Statcast) and three home runs.
All three home runs off of Gore were hard hit. The third of them, Randy Arozarena’s fifth inning two run shot, is a home run only in T-Mobile Park, per Statcast, but it was 103.8 mph with a 27 degree launch angle, so it was really hard hit, not one of those wind-blown fly balls that reaches the seats.
In all, the Mariners had nine balls in play in excess of 100 mph off of Gore, who has shown both his immense ability and his maddening inconsistency so far in his Rangers career. You can see why the Rangers pursued him, why they prioritized him and see him as having top of the rotation potential. You can also see why he didn’t take an overwhelming package to acquire.
The rest of the bullpen was perfectly acceptable, Tyler Alexander and Jalen Beeks maintaining their sub-1 ERAs, Gavin Collyer still not allowing an earned run in the majors, Jakob Junis pulling a Mitch Williams imitation by loading the bases with a pair of walks and an HBP before getting out of it unscathed.
Bryan Woo bam-Woo-zled the Rangers bats for most of the game. Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a single, then didn’t allow another baserunner until Josh Smith singled with one out in the sixth.
Texas did finally manage to get to him in the seventh, when a Corey Seager walk, a Wyatt Langford single, and a Joc Pederson HBP loaded the bases. Josh Jung hit a fly ball the opposite way that for one brief second off the bat had you hoping, but it was caught right in front of the wall for a sac fly. Evan Carter then doubled home Langford for the final Ranger run of the game.
A Brandon Nimmo double in the eighth went for naught, and the only excitement in the ninth was Jake Burger getting to first base on a strikeout/wild pitch to lead off the inning. He was still standing there three batters later when Evan Carter grounded out for a game-ending 3U.
It had the energy of a Sunday day game in Seattle. It had the energy of the end of a ten game in ten day road trip.
The Rangers have played 16 games in 17 days, and after Monday’s off day they play nine in a row at home, meaning 25 games in 27 days. That’s a really hectic stretch of baseball.
So here’s the thing about Bryan Woo.
When I see his name in my head I go, “My name is Woo! How do you do! Now you’re gonna die!”
Is life easy for a pitcher named Woo? It appears to be when he’s facing the Rangers…
The thing that always bothered me about “A Boy Named Sue” was that you would think that the protagonist of the song would, at some point, just decide to go by a different name. If he’s going to “roam from town to town” to hide his shame, he could just say when he got to the new town that his name was “Frank or George or Bill or Tom, anything but Sue…”
Thinking about it, if the narrator hated the name “Sue” so much, you’d think that he’d have gone by something else. Even if he didn’t have the scratch or initiative to go to the courthouse and do a legal name change, there’s nothing that would keep him from just telling people he encountered that his name was something else. People do that all the time. It isn’t like last year’s second half platoon first baseman’s government name is “Rowdy,” after all.
So here’s the thing…I think that there’s something deeper going on here. The narrator, for whatever reason, didn’t want to go by a different name. Maybe it was a way for him to have an easy excuse for his own failures in life, something to blame it on. Maybe it was due to a streak of misanthropy — a desire to give people a reason to mock him, so he would be justified in hating them. Maybe it was a perverse sense of unconscious pride, the one thing that made him unique in a world full of anonymous, gray people that blurred one into the other.
He claims that he was going to kill his father until his father gave his explanation for naming him Sue, but I don’t buy that. He wasn’t ever going to kill the man that gave him the name that he claimed to despise but nonetheless embraced. He was going to go through the motions, act like this was some act of vengeance, but ultimately he wasn’t going to land the death blow. How could he, after all, kill the man who gave him the name he had built his entire identity around?
MacKenzie Gore’s fastball hit 96.6 mph, averaging 95.6 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball hit 92.2 mph. Jalen Beeks reached 95.2 mph with his fastball. Gavin Collyer’s sinker topped out at 96.8 mph. Jakob Junis reached 93.4 mph with his fastball.
Evan Carter had a 107.7 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 107.7 mph ground out. Brandon Nimmo had a 106.5 mph double, a 103.5 mph fly out, and a 101.8 mph single. Josh Smith had a 104.9 mph single.
And now an off day, a much needed day of rest, and then the Rangers are home for a stretch.
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) breaks his bat after popping up against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
You bolt awake in the mountains of Carthage. You are not watching the Mets. It is 217 BC. You are the general Hannibal, and you have changed your mind. The future cannot come to pass. Rome must burn.
6 Oct 1999: Head coach Larry Dierker #49 of the Houston Astros meets with his players on the mound during the National League Division Series game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves defeated the Astros 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport | Getty Images
Larry Dierker as a player and manager guided the Astros franchise to a combined 574 wins. His number 49 is rightfully retired, and he joins us as our Legends Series continues with our sixth entry.
Let’s start at the beginning. You struck out Willie Mays in your first ever start. Incredible. What do you most remember about that?
I was in Cocoa Florida, and I had been averaging almost two strike outs per inning because the general manager Paul Richards taught me how to throw a sinker and a slider which I didn’t know how to throw. If all you have is a fastball, you’re not going to last very long.
I was confident, but they didn’t exactly put me out there against an easy team, they had Harvey Kuenn, McCovey, Cepeda and of course, Willie. I had one strike in the count, and I threw him a change up, and he hit it about 450 feet, but it went 10-foot foul, and that was strike two. So, then I threw him a slider that started inside, and the ball broke over the inside corner. It’s now called a backdoor slider of course, and I kind of threw it by accident and it really worked.
It’s coming up on 50 years since you threw your no-hitter in July of 1976. Did you know you had it going that day?
I was at the end of my career. We were way out of the race. They had brought up a bunch of younger guys, so it was clear that the team was looking to rebuild.
On that day, I decided to just mix it up, and not try to impress anyone that I still knew how to throw. I was cruising along and then once it got into the 8th inning, I decided that I was just going to throw fast balls because we had a 6-0 lead in the dome, and I didn’t have to give in to anybody.
My fastball was awesome that day. In 1969, I had a possible no-hitter in Atlanta with two outs when Felix Millan got an infield hit. I wasn’t going to let that happen again, so I’m in the dome, there’s these fences to protect me, my ball had pop on it.
It was kind of like the game when Lance McCullers threw the Yankees 23 straight curve balls. I just kept throwing fastballs and they couldn’t hit them, and I had a no hitter.
I often wonder about what would’ve happened if you had gotten to the series and faced the Yankees in 1998. How good was that Astros team in 1998?
The Padres were a really good team. Give them credit. Kevin Brown outpitched Randy. Remember, Bob Gibson one year had an ERA of 1.12 and lost a game to me. If your team doesn’t score any runs, you can’t win.
I’m not sure if that was the best team that the Astros ever had in their history, but it was the best team I personally ever had as a manager. When we got Randy and he went 10-1 that summer, he was just overpowering, and the months of August and September were so exciting. I really thought we were going to the World Series.
Do you have any innings left in that arm of yours? The Astros staff has been compromised to say the least.
I think the problem with the Astros pitchers and pitchers all throughout baseball is not necessarily the pitchers themselves or the coaches, it’s the doctors.
If a guy has a little thing in his shoulder, they’ll poke around and find something. In my day, we put hot patches on it, took some painkillers, and went out there. All they could do back then was take X-rays and that only showed inflammation or tendons or anything else.
We couldn’t afford not to pitch because everyone mostly had one-year contracts and you were only paid the next season based upon what you did the season before. Guys didn’t want to miss a start.
You look at some of those guys in the Hall Of Fame who threw 4000 or 5000 innings, are you going to tell me that those guys didn’t have tweaks in their arms, that things didn’t hurt? I took so many cortisone shots, sometimes even from the opposing team doctors from the other club. I was always focused on the next start. That’s just the way it was back then.
It seems the secret to Sunday success for the Braves is to play Sunday Night Baseball. For the second straight week, the Braves were successful via the new version of Sunday Night Baseball on Peacock. They come from behind to beat the Phillies 4-2 and completed a splendid weekend sweep of their division rival. After dropping the first game of the week to the Marlins, the Braves have now won five straight games. They also continue to strengthen their lead in the NL East with a 5 game lead overall.
With another week of facing NL East opponents ahead, the Braves are playing of their best baseball in recent memory.
Braves News
The big off the field news of the Day for the Braves organization was Didier Fuentes being a late scratch for Gwinnett. Fortunately, it was not health related, as Mark Bowman of MLB.com speculates the Braves are keeping Fuentes fresh to be available if needed this week with the big league club.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz (3)sits in the dugout after blowing a save giving up three runs to the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Roki Sasaki struggled through another start on Sunday at Coors Field, allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings, and in his four starts has a 6.11 ERA and 15.9-percent walk rate in 17 2/3 innings. With River Ryan on the injured list in Triple-A, and Blake Snell not expected back until late May or so, there are no current alternatives for the Dodgers in the rotation, which means Sasaki’s learning curve will have to come in the majors for the time being.
“I’m trying to make adjustments all the time,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okudo. “In the long run, I have to do the things I need to work on.”
Edwin Díaz pitched Sunday for the first time in nine days, after being day-to-day with concerns about his velocity. Things did not go well against the Colorado Rockies, allowing three hits and a walk to his four batters faced, and three runs in the eighth inning of a game the Dodgers lost by three.
“Today was a tough evaluation. I mean, it really was,” Roberts said. “Because I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really. And so, I’ll have a conversation with him. I know our training staff, and pitching guys will, and make sure that there is nothing to it, because the radar gun has been consistent, and his velocity been consistent in that, and it wasn’t there today.
Jose Feliciano, co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital Group, during the Bloomberg Invest event in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The conference brings together the most influential voices across asset management, banking, private capital and wealth. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Bloomberg via Getty Images
The sale price shatters the previous record of $2.475 billion, which is what Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets in 2020. The timing of the sale expected to happen this year, before the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. The Padres selling for $3.9 billion is going to make it much harder for owners to posture about the health of the sport being imperiled.
“You see there’s owners that want to win and want to put a great product on the field because they’ve seen the benefits of it,” said Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who is also a member of the MLB Players Association’s executive subcommittee. “I think today is a perfect example of what the benefit is.”
Okay, one more note within the division, and it’s also Padres-related: Closer Mason Miller has yet to allow a run in his 11 1/3 innings this season, and has struck out an absurd 27 of his 38 batters faced (71.1 percent) this season. Sheesh.
Apr 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Starling Marte (0) reacts after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Right now, it seems Kansas City can’t get out of its own way. It’s playing out on the field and off it. Winning is going to relieve the tightened grip the Royals have on the bats they swing and the pitches they throw.
But they know they’ve got to execute.
“Everybody’s frustrated,” Quatraro said. “Nobody wants to have a start like this. But it is early, mid-April, and we play better baseball, that’s what’s in our control. If we’re able to do that, we’ll dig ourselves out. There’s way too much talent in there. There’s way too many high-character guys in there.”
“Little confused,” Perez said of Quatraro’s pregame comment. “It’s a little confused, you know, not the right communication. … I’m good. My family is good. Everybody is good. I got reached out by a lot of people yesterday after the game. They sent me what Q said. I don’t have any problem with Q. We talked today.
“I know people are surprised I didn’t play yesterday, but everybody has an off day in the big leagues. You know, it’s kind of hard to play 162 games, especially behind the home plate.”
Perez continued: “Everything is fine. He didn’t mean to say that. People understood that in the wrong way. That’s the easy way. Social media, you guys know how it is. It’s kind of crazy sometimes. He didn’t mean to say that I need a mental breather. He knows me, you guys know me. I like to be in the lineup every day. And I like to play and have fun.”
Defensively, the Royals contributed to the Yankees’ fifth-inning rally. Cody Bellinger hit a pop fly to shallow left field that fell between Maikel Garcia and Isaac Collins.
“It was very similar to yesterday,” Quatraro said. “Both called it. They both called it multiple times, and they both kind of scared each other off of it. And, you know, obviously, that’s not acceptable. We know we have to be better than that. And they know that as well. It’s something that we have to tighten up.”
“I actually wasn’t arguing,” Quatraro said. “I was just trying to get some clarification. We’ve been told that if the pitcher is on the rubber, he’s about to start. And then he goes to touch the PitchCom, it should be a balk because it’s essentially starting, stopping twice.”
Quatraro took issue with the non-balk call.
He initially thought Yankees starter Will Warren could’ve balked with Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia on second base.
Apr 19, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; The Milwaukee Brewers meet on the mound against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Welcome to week 4 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Cincinnati Reds (14-8); 5-1 this week; 25.8% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Reds had a great week against a couple of inferior opponents. They started things by taking two of three against the Giants at home before sweeping the Twins in Minnesota over the weekend.
Sal Stewart led the Reds offense with three homers this week, driving in a team-high eight runs. Eugenio Suárez led the squad with seven hits, including a homer and two doubles, driving in three and scoring four runs.
It wasn’t a crazy outstanding week on the pitching side, as no players finished with more than four strikeouts (though five did have four apiece). Chase Burns had the best start of the week, going six scoreless frames with no runs allowed on two hits and a walk, striking out four. Brandon Williamson allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts. The bullpen was solid as a group, allowing just four runs (one earned) across 20 1/3 innings.
Cincinnati continues the road trip in Tampa Bay to begin this week, as they’ll take on the Rays for three games. After an off day Thursday, they’ll host the Tigers at home over the weekend.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (13-8); 5-1 this week; 15.8% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals extended their losing streak to three on Monday with a loss to the Guardians, but they haven’t lost since, instead rattling off five straight wins over Cleveland and the Astros over the weekend.
Iván Herrera and JJ Wetherholt each slugged a pair of homers, and five others players added a homer each. Wetherholt had six hits this week, driving in six, scoring seven runs, and swiping a base. Alec Burleson led the offense with nine hits this week, including a homer and three doubles, while Jordan Walker added seven hits and Masyn Winn had eight hits in a great week overall offensively for the Redbirds.
Dustin May and Andre Pallante each picked up a win in their starts this week, as May went six innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and Pallante went five innings with one run allowed and five strikeouts. Riley O’Brien collected a pair of wins and a pair of saves in four outings this week, going four scoreless innings with a team-high six strikeouts.
The Cards now hed to Miami to face the Marlins for three games before an off day on Thursday. They then return home for a quick three-game homestand series against the Mariners.
3. Chicago Cubs (12-9); 5-1 this week; 56.9% chance to make postseason
The Cubs had a nearly identical week to the Cards, dropping Monday’s game against the Phillies before picking up five consecutive wins over Philadelphia and the lowly Mets this weekend, extending New York’s losing streak to 11 games.
Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Carson Kelly, and Dansby Swanson each slugged a pair of homers this week, with Hoerner leading the squad with nine hits. He also drove in 11 and swiped a pair of bases. Alex Bregman added seven hits — all singles — and Matt Shaw had five hits, four of which were doubles.
Shota Imanaga showed out in his start, picking up the win as he went six innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk, striking out a team-high 11 batters. Caleb Thielbar picked up a win and a save across three scoreless appearances, spanning 2 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. Jameson Taillon also tossed six innings of one-run ball, striking out four as he picked up the win. Corbin Martin, Riley Martin, Hoby Milner, and Ryan Rolison also had scoreless weeks for the ‘pen.
Chicago stays home as they’ll host the Phillies for four games, their second series against them in two weeks. They’ll then head west to face the Dodgers and Padres beginning this weekend.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (13-9); 4-3 this week; 59.1% chance to make postseason
The Pirates had a slightly down week after starting the month red-hot, as they alternated wins and losses over seven games against the Nationals (2-2) and Rays (2-1) this week.
Spencer Horwtiz, Brandon Lowe, and Marcell Ozuna each had a pair of homers for Pittsburgh this week, with Lowe also driving in a team-high nine runs, adding a pair of doubles and scoring five runs. Ozuna led the team with 10 hits in 26 at-bats (.385 batting average), while Oneil Cruz, Joey Bart, Ryan O’Hearn, and Nick Yorke added a homer each. Konnor Griffin also picked up eight hits, driving in four and swiping three bases.
Paul Skenes turned in a pair of strong starts, spanning 10 innings with one run allowed (a solo homer) and 11 strikeouts. Bubba Chandler picked up a win in his outing, going six innings with one run allowed and three strikeouts. Carmen Mlodzinski went six innings after the opener, allowing no runs and striking out five. Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Mason Montgomery, and Gregory Soto all had scoreless weeks as well.
The Pirates get the day off today, and they’ll then take a six-game road trip to visit the Rangers and Brewers this week.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (12-9); 4-2 this week; 43.6% chance to make postseason
In pretty much any other division, a 4-2 week and 12-9 overall record would get you at least a top-three, if not top-two spot in the division (and the power rankings). Unfortunately, the Brewers play in the NL Central, where all five teams had a winning week and have a winning record through nearly a month of play. Milwaukee bounced back after a six-game losing streak to win four in a row over the Blue Jays and Marlins before dropping Sunday’s series finale in Miami.
Milwaukee’s home run leaders, Jake Bauers, Gary Sánchez, and Brice Turang, each added a homer to their season totals this week. Turang led the offense, slashing .304/.429/.478 as he extended his on-base streak to 19 games to begin the season. William Contreras added a team-high eight hits, including a pair of doubles.
Jacob Misiorowski had a pair of solid outings but no wins to show for it, as he totaled 10 1/3 innings with five runs allowed (just three earned), striking out 14. Brandon Sproat had his best start as a Brewer, going 6 2/3 innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts, while Brandon Woodruff went seven frames with one run allowed and four strikeouts. Coleman Crow had a successful MLB debut, going 5 1/3 innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts, and Chad Patrick added a quality start with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball and a pair of strikeouts. Aaron Ashby added two more wins with two more scoreless appearances, striking out three over 1 1/3 innings, and Carlos Rodriguez tossed two scoreless innings to save the bullpen late on Sunday, striking out three.
The Brewers now head to Detroit, where they’ll enjoy a day off today before a three-game series starts Tuesday. The Crew then heads back home for a homestand that features the Pirates and D-backs.
Toledo and Louisville combined for just nine hits in the series finale, and each team had just 32 plate appearances. Low-offense days mean good things for the pitching staff, but the Mud Hens haven’t fared well in these low-scoring games this weekend. Toledo dropped the series 4-3 with a 2-1 loss.
Both of Louisville’s runs came in the first inning off Sawyer Gipson-Long. Noelvi Marte and JJ Bleday hit a double and a two-run home run with two outs, and that ended up deciding the game. Both guys are no longer considered prospects, and Marte was recently demoted to Triple-A after 10 games with the Cincinnati Reds. If someone on the Bats is going to beat you, it’s going to be these two.
The good news is that Gipson-Long was better after that. He retired seven of the next eight batters he faced and induced a double play after allowing two consecutive baserunners in the fourth. The off-speed stuff worked well with Gipson-Long working a 50% whiff rate or better on his slider and changeup. The fastball remains hittable as his velocity hasn’t returned to pre-Tommy John levels yet. He ended the day with six of Toledo’s 10 strikeouts.
Drew Sommers got the sixth and started the seventh, but he was pulled after walking the leadoff man. Cole Waites cleaned things up despite hitting a batter, and Burch Smith went 1-2-3 in the eighth. Overall, it was a good day for the staff, but that first frame proved costly with little to no offensive support.
The Mud Hens struggled to string anything together against Davis Daniel Gage Workman singled in the first, and Ben Malgeri singled in the third after Max Burt walked. Max Clark stranded both runners in the third with a pop-up to second base. Jace Jung singled in the fourth, and that was it for a few innings. Daniel settled in and retired the next seven batters he faced. He ended the day with eight strikeouts and just the one walk to Burt through seven frames.
Lyon Richardson went 1-2-3 for Louisville in the eighth, but Toledo had a chance in the ninth against Luis Mey. Malgeri led off with a single, and Clark moved him to third with a 105.8 exit velocity base hit.
Max Clark gets 96 and turns it around at 106 for a single. The Mud Hens bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/Qi2P5ubE0q
Erie’s suspended Saturday game first, which was left at a 1-1 tie in the top of the second. The SeaWolves added eight runs on as many hits on Sunday to beat Harrisburg, 9-5. (The Twitter admin might be a bit confused…)
Moises Rodriguez took over for Dariel Fregio, with two outs and two on, and struck out Cayden Wallace to keep Fregio’s line where he left it yesterday. Rodriguez returned for the third after a 1-2-3 frame for the offense and worked around a leadoff walk. So far, so good.
John Peck broke the tie in the third. He reached on a one-out double, stole third base and made his way home after an errant throw from Harrisburg’s catcher. Unfortunately, Colin Fields couldn’t hold that lead very long, as he gave up a three-run homer in the top of the fourth. Fields put himself in a jam with a one-out walk and hitting a batter before the big fly from Seaver King.
John Peck doubles off the left fielder’s glove and then steals 3rd and comes around to score when catcher Caleb Lomavita throws a knuckleball to 3rd. pic.twitter.com/p0zUfrzdiF
Fields didn’t make it out of the third, allowing another single and a two-out walk. Wandisson Charles had to clean things up for him.
The SeaWolves’ offense had Fields’ back, though. E.J. Exposito and Joe Campagna hit back-to-back doubles to make it a 4-3 game. Campagna scored on an Aaron Antonini groundout after advancing on a passed ball. Seth Stephenson tripled, and Peck homered to give Erie a two-run lead.
Both teams got on base in the fifth, but neither scored. Charles worked through the sixth inning for Erie, stranding a runner on third after allowing a double and balking. Peck scored again after singling, stealing, and a throwing error on a potential double-play ball. Justice Bigbie made it a four-run game with a sacrifice fly later in the sixth.
Yosber Sanchez struggled in the seventh, hitting the first batter he faced and walking the next. A single loaded up the bases, and Sanchez walked in a run before inducing a ground ball back to the mound and getting the first out at home on a force play. He struck out King before getting the hook, and Luke Taggart struck out Wallace to leave the bases loaded.
Taggart got the seven-out save, working around a leadoff error in the eighth. Peck added another run in the eighth with his second homer and fourth hit of the day. What a day for the former seventh-round pick after a bit of a sluggish start to the season.
John Peck launches his second home run of the day. A monster blast onto the arena in left field. What a huge day for Peck: 4/5, 2HR, 2B, 4R, 3RBI, 2SB pic.twitter.com/UQt6znpKt5
Erie outhit Harrisburg, 5-2, over seven innings in the second half of the doubleheader, but the Senators scored the lone run of the game to take the win and the series 4-2.
The SeaWolves stranded all 10 baserunners in this one. Their best chance to score came in the third with Justice Bigbie up and the bases loaded, but he flied out to center. Bigbie had two hits in this game. He just couldn’t get it done when the team needed it most. Brett Callahan also left the bags full in the fourth after a pair of walks and a single from Peyton Graham. All five of Erie’s hits were singles. Brett Callahan and Peck’s base hits came in the third.
Sean Hunley took the loss as the starter. He went just two innings, but Harrisburg got to him in the second. Hunley walked the leadoff man and moved him to second on a wild pitch. A groundout and a fielder’s choice brought the run in. He loaded up the bases with another walk and a hit batter, but got out of the inning before any more damage was done.
Harrisburg only had one more baserunner for the rest of the day. Eric Silva was excellent in relief, allowing one hit over four innings. He only struck out a pair, but outs are outs. Tanner Kohlhepp went 1-2-3 in the seventh, but Erie didn’t have any offense over the final two frames.
Bigbie: 2-3
Silva: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: Erie is in Binghamton next week, starting Tuesday at 6:07 p.m. ET.
West Michigan Whitecaps 12, Lansing Lugnuts 4 (box)
West Michigan extended its win streak to seven games with a dominant 12-4 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts on Sunday.
The Whitecaps had eight hits and 11 walks in the series finale. Cristian Santana had the biggest hit of the day, with a grand slam in the second to open the scoring.
Cristian Santana absolutely destroys this ball for a grand slam to dead center. @jgoldstrass has it at 427 feet. The Whitecaps lead 4-0 in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/5Q5FLuAyf5
Lansing answered in the third with a pair of runs off Gabriel Reyes, but those came on the only two hits he gave up all day. Reyes had some command issues with four walks, so he left in the fourth with two outs.
West Michigan put up a three-spot in the fifth, scoring all of those runs on an Andrew Sojka home run. Sojka led the team with three hits on the day.
Andrew Sojka smokes a 3-run homer to right and the Whitecaps take a 7-2 lead. It’s his 2nd home run of the series, and West Michigan is creeping closer to a 6-0 series sweep. pic.twitter.com/uvwCOEC1ic
Juan Hernandez scored and Samuel Gil scored in the seventh. Gil reached on a double, but both came across the plate on walks. Lansing gave up five free passes in the inning, between two pitchers.
Inohan Paniagua was good for 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Reyes. He struck out three and didn’t give up a walk or hit — Paniagua did hit a batter, though. Carlos Lequerica took over in the seventh. Lansing got to him for two runs on four hits and a walk, most of which came in the eighth.
The Lugnuts had three straight hits off him before recording an out in the eighth, but Lequerica had plenty of cushion to work with. He still walked in a run, which isn’t great.
Nolan McCarthy and Hunter Dobbins both doubled in insurance runs in the ninth for good measure. Weins closed things out in the bottom of the ninth.
Make it a 12-4 Whitecaps lead after Hunter Dobbins smashes a 2-run double off the wall in left center. pic.twitter.com/WJoDoPg5aH
West Michigan is cruising right now, but Lansing’s pitching staff didn’t help itself out in any way.
Santana: 2-4, HR (2), 5 RBI, BB
Sojka: 3-4, HR (2), 3 R, 3 RBI, BB
Paniagua (W, 1-0): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps are at home next week against Lake County, starting Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 0 (box)
Lakeland put up a goose egg against Fort Myers, dropping the series finale to end things in a 3-3 tie on the week.
Alistair Tanner took the loss, giving up three runs over two innings. He had a nice debut a few weeks ago, but things haven’t been great for him since. Tanner balked in a run in the first, and three walks and a two-out base hit led to two more in the second.
Jatnk Diaz was mostly fine in relief for three innings, but a leadoff error from Jack Goodman at shortstop led to an unearned run crossing in the third.
The Flying Tigers didn’t record a base hit until the fifth, when Beau Anekeney led off with a single. The next three batters struck out, and then Ankeney struck out in the sixth with the bases loaded. Carson Rucker and Zach MacDonald had leadoff singles in the seventh and ninth, respectively, but that’s pretty much all the offense did on Sunday.
Jan Carabello pitched the sixth and seventh for Lakeland. He gave up a run on two hits and two walks in the sixth before working around a one-out walk in the seventh. Andrew Pogue worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth.
This was a pretty boring game aside from a few defensive gems. Thayron Liranzo only had two at-bats, being replaced midway through the game for a pinch runner.
Liranzo: 0-1, BB, K
Diaz: 3.0 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Coming Up Next: Lakeland is at home against Tampa next week, starting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET
Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18, left) and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) celebrate their 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants after Walker doubled to left, scoring Winn and teammate St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Garrett Hampson (not shown) in the bottom of the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
I think it is fair to say that the Cardinals have been a surprise. Certainly to everybody else, but even among more optimistic Cardinals fans, I think their start has been unexpected. Now, it is baseball. Bad teams can have good 20-game stretches and the Cardinals do have a -8 run differential. On the surface, if you had told me the Cardinals would be 13-8 with a -8 run differential, I don’t think it would be THAT surprising.
What is perhaps more surprising is that it looks a little more real than one might assume. Sure, the Cardinals aren’t going to go 100-62 (what 13-8 is on pace for), and I question the sustainability of them playing this well of course. But I genuinely think they look like kind of a good team, with the exception of the bullpen. The bullpen is why the run differential is negative.
They are lucky to be 13-8, because they keep winning the close games, but they’re also close games because the bullpen keeps making them close games. From a long-term standpoint, this is best case scenario. When the Cardinals are officially in “We’re trying to win” territory, there’s a good chance none of the members of this bullpen will be here. That’s the nature of bullpens.
Basically, regardless of how this season ends up turning out, it has stopped feeling like a rebuild for me. Unlike the bullpen, the vast majority of their current lineup will still be here when the Cardinals are trying to win officially. You’re not supposed to have that part figured out already.
“It doesn’t really feel like a rebuild,” Masyn Winn said. “Obviously we got rid of some of our big names, but I mean we still have a good young core of guys. Those are guys we can build around. I’m hoping I can be here long enough to see the benefits of this transition. There’s four or five guys that could come out and just have a crazy year. They do that, other guys do what they’re supposed to do, and we’re right there. It’s not like we were 20 games under .500 last year, we were close.”
And this is something Chaim Bloom has been very clear about in interviews. They’re not writing this year off. Things could happen to speed this up. They simply are putting the long-term first, second, and third. Which means we won’t see bullpen help except internally.
“There is on some level even understanding – and I’ve tried to be very clear about this – that we are not prioritizing short term success over what needs to happen in long-term,” Bloom said. “Even with that, my mindset is such that you’re never going to stop trying to win and there is some way by which you will always assess where you are by the standings.”
Having a young team and no expectations can be a huge benefit. There’s probably no egos, they understand the Cardinals will give them a legit shot, and they’re all fighting for their career.
“There are a lot of young guys who are hungry trying to make a name for themselves but also to bring a bunch of winning games back to St. Louis, like that’s what we’re trying to do,” JJ Wetherholt said. “You can feel that as a young guy.”
It’s also helpful that everyone in the starting lineup is between 23 and 27 years old. In the starting rotation, everyone is between 25 and 28.
“I think everyone being the same age is honestly helpful,” Thomas Saggese said. “We’re all in similar stages of our lives and we have a similar goal. That’s what’s going to bring us together and propel us to being successful, just having that chemistry. I think it might be easier to build that chemistry.”
It’s the kind of youth that makes 27-year-old Alec Burleson the equivalent of the grizzled veteran on the team, even though he’s only had two full seasons under his belt. But he was given a similar chance to what a good number of young guys will get, so they will probably listen.
“I’m still trying to make adjustments in this league, so any of my experience that I can give to these guys and kind of show them the way or make their adjustment a little easier and seamless, that’s what I want to do,” Burleson said.
The Cardinals have some sort of given themselves a scrappy underdog status, and it’s not totally undeserved. But they were not expecting to blow teams away.
“We’re not going to be the long ball team,” Winn said. “We all know that. We’re going to go out there and be scrappy. I’m actually excited.”
They’re actually tied for 8th in homers, so I’m guessing they’ve hit more homers so far than Winn expected. Although I’m also sure he expected to have a homer by now too I would assume. But the players had some expectation of winning, certainly competing in most games and not being an easy win for anyone.
“If there’s a standard set early and we can all abide by it – it’s not like rules or anything – there’s a certain way Cardinals play baseball and if we can all do it, it’ll work itself out,” Burleson said. “I think that’s the way you kind of get these guys together. You set a standard and you all kind of buy into it.”
You can tell communication in the organization is better, because Burleson says something like this before Bloom says this.
“Most players, especially young players, come into this hoping to establish themselves and hoping to be a part of something for a long time,” Bloom said. “I think it’s healthy, especially in an organization like this, when people are really looking at ‘what is that standard I’m expected to meet?’ in order to be a part of this.”
That can’t possibly be a coincidence. The message is getting passed down. You lay down what you think a player can do, you give them the tools and importantly the space to be able to do it, stick to the process, and things should work in your favor. And in keeping with that theme, the process on a broader scale dictates to stick to the plan. Okay the season is going better than expected – so far – but it’s not time to change the plans.
As weird as it sounds, there’s a bigger goal than doing well this particular season. Yes, it’s going to fun if this season does go well, but winning as many games as possible this year is not actually the goal.
“With respect to that bigger goal, regardless of the standings, regardless of what the win total, you want to see that core continue to take shape, continue to progress,” Bloom said. “I would like to be able to look up at the end of the 2026 season and feel like that picture of what that group looks like and what it will continue to look like, whether that’s stuff that happens here at the major league, stuff that happens throughout the system, even stuff behind the curtain in the organization that’s going to be necessary for us to succeed over time and make really good acquisitions and really smart baseball decisions over time that is further ahead than where it was.”
The best part about the Cardinals being 13-8 is not that they’re 13-8. But that so far, the core does appear to be taking shape. Jordan Walker has catapulted himself into the core. Ivan Herrera somehow has disappointed with a .378 OBP, but his expected stats are waay better. Alec Burleson has more walks than strikeouts, which I would never think possible in a 95-game sample. After yesterday’s game, Masyn Winn is completely back with a 98 wRC+ and a lower BABIP.
Sure, the rest of the outfield not named Walker could be going better, and sure Nolan Gorman has been a mixed bag. Only Gorman really has the potential to be core though among this group and I’m not convinced he’s a part of the future plans even if he does bounce back. But things seem to be moving in the right direction.
“Honestly, I think the fans should be pretty excited,” Winn said. “It might take a year, might take two, might be this year, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
And that’s what this year is about. Moving in the right direction. Identifying the future and then most likely shed the pieces that aren’t a part of that future for prospects, in other words, you’re trading for the future.
The buzz is there. Just in my personal life, the attitude among the fanbase has certainly shifted. I don’t think the vibes have been this good since the 2022 season. The record very obviously helps. But they were 33-25 at one point last year. It was nothing like this. So far, it hasn’t translated to attendance, although there hasn’t been a drop.
“If we’re doing our job and we’re doing it well, I think fans are going to show up,” Winn said.
Former Angels great Garret Anderson passed away on Friday at age 53. Anderson holds several career records for the Angels and was a three-time All-Star. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, former teammates and the Angels organization.
Brittany Ghiroli gets reaction to the record sale from around MLB, (The Athletic sub. req.) including how it is going to be tough for MLB owners to cry poverty in the upcoming collective bargaining talks after this sale price for a non-major market team.
One thing the Rockies are doing this year is “suggesting” pitches from the dugout. (The Athletic sub. req.) The Marlins are outright calling pitches from the dugout, but the Rockies are taking a softer stance to the same thing, saying that their pitchers and catchers are free to ignore the suggestions. But they say they mostly don’t.
Bryan Horowitz reports on the band Korn sending Miller a whole bunch of swag and inviting him to a concert after they found out that their song “Blind” was Miller’s walk-out music. Of course, the Padres picked the song for Miller since he was born after the song was popular, but he still appreciates it.
Casey Drottar reports that Taiwanese fans continue to support Guardians minor league outfielder Stuart Fairchild after he played for Chinese Taipei in the WBC. Fairchild has never been to Taiwan, but he hopes to go this upcoming offseason and he wants to take his mother, who left the island for America when she was 12 and hasn’t been back.
Only in @milb do you have someone in the front office with a perfect Mickey Mouse impression to announce our Mickey Mouse Night starting lineup 🐭 pic.twitter.com/iZAbqh22tB
