BALTIMORE — With a big bruise on the right side of his face and several fractures, Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was back at the ballpark a day after being hit by a foul ball in the dugout.
“I can’t blow my nose for six weeks, because one of the fractures is kind of like where my orbital bone is,” he said before a 4-3 loss to Arizona. “If I blow my nose, it’s going to go up into my eye.”
Albernaz said he has more than a half-dozen fractures in his cheek area and a broken jaw, but he was relieved to avoid surgery and said he doesn’t need his jaw wired. Albernaz joked that he might grab a Ravens helmet from his desk to wear in the dugout.
Albernaz, in his first season as Baltimore’s manager, was in the part of the dugout closest to the on-deck circle when Jeremiah Jackson’s foul ball struck him in the fifth inning Monday night. He returned to the dugout an inning later when Jackson hit a grand slam, but he ultimately ended up listening to the game on the radio en route to a hospital, where he says he remained until about midnight.
“I was trying to get back out there after my concussion protocol was fine, but they wanted me to get a CT scan,” Albernaz said. “I was trying to get it after the game, but obviously the medical team has better judgment than I do.”
He was back in the dugout Tuesday, but the healing process could take time.
“Six weeks of soft foods,” Albernaz said. “Can’t do anything strenuous.”
Including argue with umpires?
“Medically speaking, yeah I probably shouldn’t,” he said. “I think everything gets thrown out the window when that first pitch happens.”
The Orioles also announced that infielder Jackson Holliday was recalled from his rehab assignment because of mild right wrist soreness. The team said that’s not uncommon following hamate surgery. He will be shut down for a few days.
Albernaz has been loath to give timelines on players returning from injury so as not to create added pressure.
“I said I don’t believe in timelines, and this is a perfect example of that. It all depends on the player,” he said. “It’s great to see Jackson being communicative and open at every turn.”
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 12: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting his first major league home run in the 5th inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park on April 12, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Marlins 8-2. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers announced on Wednesday that infielder Kevin McGonigle has agreed to a long-term deal set to run from 2027-2034. The deal guarantees the rookie phenon $150 million over that eight-year term, with escalators that could make the total worth $160 million. The 21-year-old will be a Tiger until he’s 30 years old under this contract.
One of the tricky parts of working out an extension was the fact that the Tigers are very close to the luxury tax threshold, which comes will a host of penalties that would affect their draft standing in 2027. The McGonigle extension is timed to avoid this, starting in 2027 and covering his last five years of team control, as well as what would have been his first three years of free agency.
McGonigle will make $1 million in 2027, $7 million in 2028, $16 million in 2029, $21 million in 2030, $22 million in 2031, and then $23 million per year from 2032-2034. The deal also includes a $14 million signing bonus, and $5 million in bonus money if McGonigle is traded to another club over the course of the contract. The escalators on the deal could add another $10 million total spread out over the final three years of the deal.
Kevin McGonigle was selected by the Tigers with the 37th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He played his high school ball for Monsignor Bonnor HS in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. His rapid rise in the farm system made him the consensus second ranked prospect nationally entering the season to the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin. However, his base $150 million deal exceeds Griffin’s $140 million contract extension, making it the biggest contract ever given out to a player still under prospect status.
Across 17 major league games in his rookie season, McGonigle is slashing .311/.417/.492 with one home run, six doubles, a triple, and one stolen base. He has struck out just 11.1 percent of the time, and has walked in 15.3 percent of his plate appearances. He currently ranks 23rd best in the major leagues with a 162 wRC+ mark.
This is great news for the Detroit Tigers and the fanbase.
Homegrown and here to stay ✍️
We have agreed to terms with Kevin McGonigle on an eight-year contract extension covering the 2027-2034 seasons! pic.twitter.com/YoVwwEGQ4a
LOS ANGELES — The New York Mets’ bats have all but gone silent during a seven-game losing streak. With their best hitter Juan Soto sidelined, the rest of the lineup is pressing to generate offense.
The latest setback was a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve been outscored 36-10 during their skid and are mired in the NL East cellar at 7-11.
Soto is nursing a calf injury and isn’t expected back for another two to three weeks.
Francisco Lindor raised his batting average 18 points to .194 with a leadoff home run — his first RBI of the season — against World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It snapped the team’s streak of 20 scoreless innings and helped the Mets avoid three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1992.
But Yamamoto promptly set down the next 20 batters in a row.
New York’s only other hits were a double by Bo Bichette in the seventh and singles by Carson Benge and Lindor in the eighth.
Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Mets got overly aggressive at the plate and Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia struck out the side to end the game.
“We chase and it’s hard to score in situations like that,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You really have to force those guys to come in the strike zone and right now we’re not doing that, especially at the end of the game.”
The Mets are hitting .178 during the skid, including .083 with runners in scoring position (2 for 24). They are averaging 1.43 runs per game with just eight extra-base hits.
“You’re down one run and you’re basically trying to hit one out of the ballpark and that’s when the chase comes,” Mendoza said. “If you continue to swing at pitches out of the strike zone, they’re going to continue to do that, so we have to make adjustments.”
The Mets struck out 11 times, their fourth straight game with double-digit strikeouts. Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos had two strikeouts each.
“It’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself,” Mendoza said. “You got to go back to your fundamentals, you got to go back to what got you to this level, understanding that you are a great hitter.”
If not, he said, the offensive struggles can spiral.
“I know it’s tough right now, but the last thing you could do is just panic and try to do too much,” Mendoza said.
The lone bright spot for the Mets was rookie Nolan McLean. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up one run and two hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.
“He pretty much dominated one of the best lineups,” Mendoza said. “It sucks losing when you get that type of outing.”
McLean has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his first 12 major league games.
“It was fun to watch McLean pitch,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Man, he’s special.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees celebrates his fifth inning pinch hit three run home run against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Monday night’s game against the Angels had a chance to be the most demoralizing loss of the Yankees’ season, even amid a five-game losing streak that included getting one-hit by the A’s and a 17-inning stretch where they failed to score. The offense had rightly come under fire for failing to uphold their end of the bargain as more than half the lineup languished below the Mendoza Line. You can therefore imagine the anxiety produced by the bats finally coming alive in the series opener against the Angels, only for the pitching staff to squander three separate leads.
It was admittedly difficult to muster even a mote of optimism after Mike Trout hit the second of his lead-altering home runs, leaving the Yankees in a two-run deficit heading into the ninth — Aaron Judge and his pair of home runs not due to bat again barring a lengthy rally. However, Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off with a single against closer Jordan Romano to offer the slightest glimmer of hope, bringing Trent Grisham to the plate as the possible tying run, the struggling center fielder having already impacted the game with a pinch-hit, three-run blast in the fifth.
Romano has been a two-pitch pitcher for the last four years, throwing the four-seamer and slider in roughly equal proportions, and he starts this AB with the heater.
The pitch is over the plate, but sails a bit on Romano to land above the strike zone. Centrally-located, elevated four-seamers are tough pitches to lay off for the hitter because of how well you see the ball out of the hand, but Grisham doesn’t even flinch as he watches it into the catcher’s glove for ball one.
Romano sticks with the fastball given that the previous pitch didn’t miss by all that much.
This one’s also decently close to the zone, about knee-high but a half a foot off the plate away. Once again, there’s not even a twitch out of Grisham as he takes it for ball two. It’s pretty clear between his previous two AB’s and these first two pitches that Grisham is seeing the ball well.
After watching Grisham spit on the last two fastballs, Romano tries to steal a strike with the backdoor slider to get back into the count.
He misses his spot, but it’s still a decent pitch, landing just an inch or two below the zone for a ball. It’s actually a hell of a take by Grisham, the pitch in the zone right up until the last five feet before home plate when it’s downward break tilts it below the bottom edge of the zone. Somehow, Grisham is still able to identify this as a ball almost immediately out of Romano’s hand, despite how long it looked like a strike.
Behind in the count 3-0, Romano has to throw a heater down the pipe to avoid putting the tying run on base with no outs.
Pretty straightforward here: no reason to give the green light and risk a double play ball — Grisham is taking all the way knowing he still has the count leverage fully in his favor if it gets to 3-1.
Interestingly, Romano doesn’t give in with the count 3-1 and throw another heater in the zone. He tries to throw a chase slider below the zone hoping for a whiff or, better yet, for Grisham to roll over a weak grounder.
Instead, he leaves this breaking ball right in a lefty’s wheelhouse down and in, and Grisham does not miss. It’s awesome to see his mechanics and approach in this situation. He gets his front foot down early in case it’s a heater. However, he holds that front hip square and keeps his weight back, allowing him to be right on time to the off-speed while still maintaining a solid base to drive it with power. This tells me that Grisham is almost sitting on a mistake slider in the zone in this situation, which demonstrates excellent knowledge of his opponent. He barrels the ball to right for his second home run and fifth RBI of the night to truly ignite the game-winning rally.
Speaking to the media prior to the start of this series, Judge called out the offense as a whole for pressing and trying to play hero. He implored his teammates to simplify their approaches — hunt a pitch in a particular zone and pass the baton to the next hitter if that pitch does not come. Grisham’s approach in this AB exemplified his captain’s commands. Knowing Romano’s propensity to be wild both in and out of the zone, it looks to me that Grisham is waiting for Romano to make a mistake with the slider in the zone. He disregards all the other pitches that don’t match the criteria of what he is hunting before ambushing the slider that he knows he can do damage on, and boy did he come up clutch after starting the game on the bench. His home run leveled the scores at ten apiece, setting up José Caballero’s double, steal of third, and scamper home on a walk-off wild pitch by Romano in this early contender for game of the year.
Grisham was such an important piece for the Yankees last season, his revamped approach underlining the front office’s decision to bring him back on the qualifying offer. He’s still the same remade ballplayer in 2026, placing in the 94th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, chase rate, walk rate, and squared-up rate. The results obviously weren’t there the first two weeks of the season, but the process remained sound and had to bear fruit eventually. This performance is hopefully just the shot in the arm needed to restore confidence and kickstart what I feel can be just as productive a season as 2025.
The Chicago Cubs (8-9) and Philadelphia Phillies (8-9) meet in the decisive third game of their series. The teams split their first two games. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Shota Imanaga for the Cubs and Jesús Luzardo for the Phillies.
How to Watch Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is leaving open the possibility he could at least temporarily consider other closing options due to Trevor Megill’s early-season struggles.
Megill, an All-Star last season, was booed by the American Family Field crowd while allowing three runs in the ninth inning of a 9-7, 10-innng loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The outing left Megill with a 14.40 earned run average.
“I’m definitely way better than that,” Megill said. “Pitches can be a lot better. Pitch execution can be a lot better. A lot of things can be better.”
Murphy said afterward he may consider using someone else in the ninth inning, but noted that he didn’t want to decide that issue immediately after such an emotional loss.
He also emphasized Megill shouldn’t be getting booed, particularly after the way the veteran right-hander performed last year. Megill came back from a late-season arm injury and earned the save in Milwaukee’s Game 5 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series.
“These aren’t machines out there,” Murphy said. “These are people. I thought that was in poor taste, but I’ve done things in poor taste, too.”
Megill has given up eight earned runs through five innings this season. Last year, he didn’t allow his eighth earned run until mid-June.
“Is he throwing the ball well? No,” Murphy said. “Is he giving up hard contact? Yes. Do they swing at it like they know it’s coming? Yes. But did the guy save 30 games for us last year. I think he did. My heart goes out to him right now. It bleeds for him. He’s feeling it.”
Megill entered the game with a 4-3 lead, but he opened the ninth by walking Eloy Jiménez and allowing a ground-rule double to Davis Schneider. Both runners eventually scored. Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement had RBI singles off Megill.
The bullpen’s inability to protect a lead caused Milwaukee to lose its sixth straight, which represents its longest skid since 2023. The Brewers wasted a gutsy performance from Jacob Misiorowski, who overcame an illness to work 5 1/3 innings while allowing two runs.
One reason Murphy could stick with Megill in the closer’s role is because the right-hander had handled that assignment so effectively before this year. Megill had a combined 51 saves from 2024-25. He posted a 2.49 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 47 innings last year.
The Brewers also don’t have many great alternatives.
Abner Uribe was one of the game’s top setup men last season, but he also is off to a slow start. He has allowed three runs over his last two outings and has a 5.68 ERA after finishing last season at 1.67.
Jared Koenig, who had 27 holds and a 2.86 ERA last season, is on the injured list with an elbow issue.
Murphy takes issue with the notation that the early-season struggles of these relievers is due to their heavy workload last year as the Brewers advanced to the NL Championship Series. Murphy noted that Megill, for instance, is throwing at a similar velocity as he did at this point last year.
Now, Murphy faces a hard decision as he decides whether to keep using Megill in that ninth-inning role.
“The way he’s throwing the ball now, he doesn’t deserve it,” Murphy said, “but he can earn it back.”
The Washington Nationals (8-9) take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-7) for the third of a four-game series. Pittsburgh won Monday's matchup, 16-5, but Washington took Tuesday's, 5-4 in a thriller.
Since the Pirates' five-game winning streak, the Buccos have gone 4-4 over the next eight games. Pittsburgh has gone 5-3 at home so far and the offense has been cooking at PNC Park. The Pirates have the second-best batting average at home (.278) and are tied 11th for the most RBI (44).
Washington is 4-1 over the last five games for its best five-game stretch of the season so far. The Nationals have outscored its opponents 34-30 in that span with the Pirates scoring 16 in one game. Washington is 7-4 on the road this season despite the pitching staff having a 5.06 ERA (25th) and the offense boasting the second-highest batting average (.283).
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Nationals at Pirates
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time: 6:40 PM EST
Site: PNC Park
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Nationals at the Pirates
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Washington Nationals (+149), Pittsburgh Pirates (-181)
The Nationals’ CJ Abrams is hitting .356 with 21 hits, 41 total bases, and six home runs over 59 at-bats
The Nationals’ Nasim Nunez is hitting .192 with 10 hits and 12 strikeouts over 52 at-bats
The Pirates’ Oneil Cruz is hitting .328 with 22 hits, 40 total bases, and seven stolen bases over 67 at-bats
The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .106 with five hits, 12 strikeouts, and five walks over 47 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Nationals at Pirates
The Nationals 11-6 ATS this season
The Pirates are 11-6 ATS this season
The Nationals are 12-5 to the Over this season
The Pirates are 10-7 to the Over this season
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Pirates
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Nationals and the Pirates.
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 9.5
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BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 14: Merrill Kelly #29 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 14, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks News
Merrill Kelly Makes Season Debut Merrill Kelly brought the team a vintage Kelly performance when he took the mound to make his 2026 debut against the Orioles in Baltimore.
Bullpen Holds Off Orioles, Giving Kelly Win in Season Debut After blowing a 7-1 lead the previous night, it was understandable that there was some tension when the Diamondbacks needed to protect a two-run lead for 11 outs, the same number of outs as they needed on that dreadful night.
Kelly’s Return Pushes Pfaadt to Bullpen A flurry of moves was made yesterday to accommodate the return of Merrill Kelly. Perhaps the biggest was hte moving of Brandon Pfaadt to the bullpen.
Moreno to IL Gabriel Moreno has been placed on the IL as part of five moves made by the Diamondbacks. Aramis Garcia has been called up to take Moreno’s place for now. Pavin Smith was moved to the 60-day. Merrill Kelly was activated and Taylor Rashi was optioned to AAA-Reno.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to Start Rehab Assignment Gurriel suffered a torn ACL on 1 September of last season. The rehab assignment now puts a ticking clock on Moreno’s return to the 26-man roster.
Blaze Alexander Discusses Facing Former Club The utility man speaks about facing some of his old comrades as the Diamondbacks try to take down his new club, the Baltimore Orioles.
Craig Albernaz has Fractured Face A scary incident occurred on Monday night when a foul ball was rocketed into the Orioles bullpen and struck manager Craig Albernaz in the face. Albernaz returned to duty Tuesday night, despite numerous cheek fractures and a broken jaw. He’s currently unable to blow his nose for six weeks but looks to be able to avoid surgery.
Other Baseball News
Top-100 Prospects Making Promotion Noise The fact that only three names are listed here gives some idea of just how slow some players can get started when it is still chilly out.
What Players Think About ABS Now that we have a few weeks of ABS in the bigs, players have been asked to weigh in on what they think.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 21: Starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval #43 of the Los Angeles Angels shakes his hand and grimaces in pain after an injury on his throwing arm following a walk to Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the this inning at Dodger Stadium on June 21, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“Struggling” out of the gate seems relative now with consecutive poor performances by Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, but Patrick Sandoval doesn’t quite seem ready to rejoin the Major League roster in a few weeks (due to being a pitcher, he gets a month of rehab time.) He struck out just one through two innings, allowing five runs, and taking 59 pitches to do so with just 30 falling in for strikes. For the second consecutive start, he just generally looked like he couldn’t find the strike zone. Tyler Uberstine, usually a beacon of good stuff, even got knocked around by this Nashville (Brewers AAA) club, even though the staff did keep it in the park.
Offensively, you don’t stand much of a chance when the pitching walks eleven batters, or when the defense commits three errors, but the offensive support wasn’t awesome, either. Catcher Jason Delay hit an early home run, but it was downhill from there, as the WooSox left nine stranded.
Franklin Arias, who’s been hitting to the tune of a .500+ batting average on the young season, hasn’t really showcased his power tool yet. That changed on Tuesday night in Altoona (Pirates AA) as he hit his first home run of the season. The team didn’t particularly look great offensively outside of that home run, though Nate Biaz got himself a couple knocks. But Isaac Coffey, Cooper Adams, Cade Feeney and Patrick Halligan kept it a winnable game despite with thirteen strikeouts and only two runs allowed.
Shea Sprague had a blip, as he allowed two Hot Rod (Rays High-A) home runs in five innings. It’s honestly funny how serviceable the page the 2024 13th round draft pick has been for Greenville so far this April: his ERA is exactly 4. On Tuesday, he gave up four hits and a walk in five innings (for a WHIP of 1) struck five out, but did have those balls leave the park. But, the truth is, Sprague could have been a lot worse… or he could have been a lot better… but it wouldn’t have mattered HOW good he was, because Greenville could not hit the Bowling Green pitching, settling for just one baserunner all night, when Yophery Rodriguez, a return from the Quinn Preiser trade now residing at the bottom of the lineup (he hit first or second for most of the season in 2025), broke up the perfect game with a double in the bottom of the sixth.
If the offense was distributed better across the whole farm, we’d be having a different discussion. This seems obvious at its core, but this game looked close on the surface, but Salem pitching got taken for a ride a little bit, namely Adam Bates closing out the fifth for Leighton Finley and not having a particular awesome sixth. Skylar King hit his second home run in less than a week, but although his bat looks dependable, his key moments are in losing efforts. Where have I heard that before…
The Chicago Cubs (8-9) take on the Philadelphia Phillies (8-9) in the final matchup of a three-game series. The Cubs won yesterday, 10-4 after the Phillies won the opening game, 13-7.
Chicago evened up the series with a 10-4 win yesterday in a series that has featured 34 total runs! The Cubs are now 4-4 on the road this season and scored 43 total runs (10th-most) with the seventh-best batting average (.247). Chicago is back at home versus the Mets this weekend with three day games on tap.
Philadelphia is now 2-2 in the last four games and 2-5 in the last seven games. The Phillies are 5-6 at home and own and the third-worst ERA (5.25) and allow the third-highest opponent batting average (.274). Offensively, the Phillies are tied for the third-most home runs hit at home (14), but are 18th in batting average (.241). Philadelphia hosts Atlanta this weekend for a three-game set before going to Chicago to face the Cubs again.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Cubs at Phillies
Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 6:40 PM EST
Site: Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: ESPN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Cubs at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Chicago Cubs (+119), Philadelphia Phillies (-143)
Spread: Cubs +1.5 (-175), Phillies -1.5 (+144)
Total: 8.5
Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Phillies
Wednesday's pitching matchup (April 15): Jesus Luzardo vs. Shota Imanaga
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper is hitting .258 with 16 hits and 30 total bases over 62 at-bats
The Phillies’ Alec Bohm is hitting .153 with nine hits and 12 strikeouts over 59 at-bats
The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner is hitting .303 with 20 hits and 30 total bases over 66 at-bats
The Cubs’ Michael Busch is hitting .161 with nine hits, 13 strikeouts, and nine walks over 56 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Phillies
The Cubs are 6-11 ATS this season
The Phillies are an MLB-worst 4-13 ATS this season
The Cubs are 10-6-1 to the Over this season
The Phillies are 9-7-1 to the Over this season
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Phillies
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Cubs and the Phillies.
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cubs at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.5
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Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to be on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they attempt to sweep a three-game series from the New York Mets. The Dogers won Tuesday’s game 2-1, handing the Mets their seventh straight loss. Clay Holmes is scheduled to start for the Mets.
How to Watch New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Texas reliever Luis Curvelo appeared to injure his throwing arm while delivering a wild pitch in the seventh inning of a game against the Athletics.
Curvelo’s pitch to right-handed batter Jacob Wilson sailed well left of the left-handed batter’s box and to the backstop.
As the 25-year-old, Venezuelan righty released the ball, he skipped off the mound in apparent pain, pulled his left hand immediately out of his glove and waved at the dugout in an apparent signal for a trainer while letting his glove drop to the ground.
Curvelo did not throw another pitch and was replaced by Tyler Alexander.
The Rangers did not immediately provide an injury update.
When a trainer arrived at the mound, Curvelo briefly touched his upper right arm with his left hand before walking to the dugout with a pained expression on his face.
Curvelo, who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on April 5, faced only Wilson while appearing in his fourth game this season.
In his previous three appearances for the Rangers this season, Curvelo had allowed six hits and three earned runs in five innings while also striking out three batters.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Joseph Sullivan #19 of the Houston Astros bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (10-6) lost 8-3 (BOX SCORE)
Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Biggio bases loaded walk. Mancini started for Sugar Land but struggled with command as he walked four and allowed three runs over 2.1 innings, despite not allowing a hit. In the 3rd inning, Alexander connected on a 2 run home run. The bullpen allowed 5 runs with the Bees extending their lead and the offense was unable to come back as they fell 8-3.
Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (5-5) won 8-4 (BOX SCORE)
Nezuh started for the Hooks but struggled a bit allowing 2 runs over 2.2 innings. the offense got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 4 runs on an Encarnacion RBI single, Sullivan RBI single and Janek 2 run single. They got another in the 5th on a Janek RBI double. In the 8th, the offense got 3 more on an Austin 2 run home run and Sullivan RBI triple. The pen was solid allowing 2 runs over 6.1 innings as they closed out the 8-4 win.
Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Bennett Sousa, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Wilmy Sanchez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
A+: Asheville Tourists (3-7) lost 16-6 (BOX SCORE)
Rodriguez started for Asheville but struggled allowing 6 runs over 2.1 innings. He was relieved by Cruz who allowed 5 runs over 1.2 innings. The Asheville offense got on the board in 4th inning scoring 4 runs on Brutcher and Holy RBI singles and a Rosario 2 run HR. They got another in the 5th on another Brutcher RBI single and then one more in the 6th on a Schiavone bases loaded walk. The pen allowed another 5 runs and the offense was unable to complete the comeback as they fell 16-6.
Eurys Martich, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (2-8) lost 4-2 (BOX SCORE)
Beck got the start but struggled out of the gate allowing 4 runs over 3 innings of work. The Woodpeckers got a run in the 4th on a Monistere solo HR. Verdugo was solid in relief tossing 4 scoreless innings. In the 9th, Sierra connected on a solo HR but that was it from the offense as the Woodpeckers fell 4-2.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 12: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a two run home run during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 12, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We spend all season covering the Phillies, their strengths, weaknesses, and storylines that will make up their season.
What isn’t always discussed is how other teams are doing, especially the teams around them, that can dictate how their season could play out.
The general theory for this series is that if you want to cover the 2026 Phillies properly, you have to cover what is around them as well.
The National League East is in a weird and fun state. The Braves are betting that 2025 was a fluke, the Nationals have begun a full-scale rebuild, the Marlins surprised people last year and might be ahead of schedule, and the New York Mets had as crazy an off-season as anyone can remember.
Atlanta Braves are full of surprises
The Braves are looking to prove their disastrous 2025 season was because of injuries and bad luck, not anything to worry about long-term. They carry themselves like a World Series contender but haven’t won the division the or a single playoff game in the last two seasons.
The off-season Spring training injuries also seemed like a death sentence for them. Ha-Seong Kim broke a finger tendon ice skating, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep needed elbow surgery, Joey Wentz tore his ACL, and Spencer Strider strained his oblique. This is on top of Sean Murphy and Joe Jiménez missing the beginning of 2026 because of injuries from last season.
So if you mention all of that, then add on that the first 17 games have seen Ronald Acuña Jr. looking mostly mediocre and Austin Riley ice cold, it would make for an ugly start to the Braves season right?
Not so fast, they’re 10-7 with one of the best offenses in baseball, ranking third in wRC+, second in batting average, and second in slugging. The starting pitching has been ok outside of Bryce Elder, but the offense has slugged their way to first place early on.
Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin are leading the way as expected but they’ve gotten several role players to play key roles early on. Dominic Smith, someone who wasn’t supposed to make the team until Jurickson Profar got suspended, is hitting .353 with a 1.025 OPS.
Mauricio Dubon, acquired from the Houston Astros for Nick Allen, is hitting .339 with a .923 OPS. Jorge Mateo has generated offense when he’s gotten chances off the bench and so has Kyle Farmer.
So, as some of the stars have struggled, Acuña with a 104 OPS+ and Riley at 72, they’ve seen almost every other role player carry the weight.
While this is not going to last for them over 162 games, Dubon and Smith aren’t going to win batting titles or MVP trophies, there are still reasons to believe they can maintain the hot start at the plate.
While the results haven’t been there for Michael Harris II, there is a good process going on. It’s a small sample size but his barrel rate has increased by 7.2% and he is hitting the ball a lot harder. He was considered the Braves big lineup X-factor coming into the season and there are good signs for a rebound 2026.
The pitching staff is a different question mark. The leverage arms in Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez have looked good but the starting pitching staff looks depleted because of the injuries. Adding Strider back should help but Bryce Elder probably won’t hold up a 1.03 ERA the entire year.
The Marlins can hit?
Going into the season, it seemed like the Marlins profiled as a pesky offense at best with a strong pitching staff. However, baseball can get weird.
Jakob Marsee hasn’t broken out yet like Marlins fans have hoped for but there have been others. Owen Caissie looks like a strong get from the Cubs early on with a .822 OPS, Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards have looked great up the middle, and Connor Norby is off to a hot start.
The pitching staff has been weird. Sandy Alcantara looks like a front-line starter again with more than a full year removed from elbow surgery but the rest hasn’t been great. Eury Pérez is walking too many hitters, Janson Junk and Max Meyer have looked fine in the middle of their rotation and Chris Paddack is bad.
The bullpen has been weird, too. Pete Fairbanks and Anthony Bender haven’t looked great as leverage guys but John King has looked great in five scoreless innings. Again, it’s still mid-April.
Given some of the unsustainable nature of their offensive results and how the pitching staff has looked, it might look more like a fun early season story than something bigger.
Nationals Rebuild
Griff McGarry did not make the Nationals but Joey Wiemer did and he’s hitting .364 with a 1.068 OPS. Their pitching staff is a mess but James Wood looks like a star.
As the season goes on, it will be more important for the Nationals to figure out who can be flipped to help the future or who can be building blocks for the next run.
CJ Abrams looks more like a piece that gets moved at the deadline. He’s only 25 but has already spent over three seasons in the big leagues. If he can sort of keep up his 191 OPS+ start, he could look like a nice player on a better team.
It’s early and I think the Mets are going to be good… however…
Francisco Lindor needed hamate surgery and has a .541 OPS to begin the year. Bo Bichette is playing a new position and it’s probably part of why he has a .569 OPS. Polanco has been battling an Achilles injury and can only DH. He’s at a .571 OPS. Juan Soto is hurt.
The Mets offense is going through it right now. Carson Benge cannot hit velocity now, Brett Baty is cold, Marcus Semien is cold.
Here is a better way to phrase it, if you’re not Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr, you’re either hurt or not hitting.
The pitching side hasn’t been amazing either in their 7-10 start. Freddy Peralta has given up some homers, David Peterson has looked bad, and Kodai Senga had a disaster start against the Cardinals. Luke Weaver has looked bad out of the bullpen and they called up Craig Kimbrel a few days ago. It’s not looking great.
This could be the low point of the Mets season. If it came in mid-June after a good two months, is anyone seriously talking about it? Who knows.
However, they play the Dodgers two more times and then the Cubs for three games. This start could get a bit uglier if things don’t pick up.
Given some of the stakes for them after missing the playoffs last season and having a demanding owner, they might want things to get better sooner rather than later.
Reminder: I’m on vacation all this week and will be a little briefer than usual this week. Thanks for your patience.
The Cubs can’t quite get momentum going. But they are also staying away from a prolonged skid. They’re treading water in the early going while they try to get as much of the team pointed in the right direction as possible. It’s pretty unheard of for any team to get everyone producing in any sustained way across the whole roster. You just try to keep enough guys grooved in to continually win six or seven out of 10 games. The Cubs haven’t had a stretch like that yet. I’d be stunned though if they don’t get onto that kind of run.
Right at the very second I’m typing this, more than half the league is within two games one side or the other of .500. Only eight are three or more games away from .500. Half of those eight reside in the NL West where there are two teams off to very good starts, including the two-time defending champions who own the best record in the league. The West also contains two teams off to terrible starts.
Things are so bizarre right now that the Astros entered play Tuesday with the most runs scored but occupying last place in the AL West. One of the biggest problems of April baseball is that the bad teams often don’t just accept at face value that they are locked in to being bad. Most of the teams think if they catch a few breaks, that they have a chance to hang in the race. These teams will sort themselves out. But it’s going to take some time.
Increasingly, I think the early goal is to just not play yourself out of the race. The Cubs are a whopping two games out of first place behind the Reds and Pirates. If you believe that is in any way insurmountable, you are kidding yourself. This hasn’t been a glamorous start, but the Cubs could potentially take control of the division with one good stretch of baseball.
The Cubs have scored 42 runs over their last seven games. If we drop the top and bottom scores from that data set, it’s 32 runs over five games. The offense is warming up. I’m sure that has nothing at all to do with Alex Bregman starting to find some gaps with what has been pretty consistent solid contact this year. Unsurprisingly, I think this team can still be elite. Their going to need to sort out and probably add some pitching both internally and externally. But this team has pretty consistently been able to do that in season, so I’m optimistic.
Three Positives:
Alex Bregman, three hits and three runs driven in.
Michael Busch, two hits and two walks. Need that bat to get going.
Nico Hoerner, two hits and three runs driven in. He’s been the most used leadoff hitter and also leads the team in RBI.
Honorable mentions to so many guys, but hat tip to Colin Rea for a “quality start.” He was the bulk guy and allowed three runs over six innings.
Game 17, April 14: Cubs 10, Phillies 4 (8-9)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Alex Bregman (.210). 3-5, 3 RBI
Hero: Nico Hoerner (.157). 2-6, 3 RBI
Sidekick: Dansby Swanson (.118). 0-3, 2 BB, 2 R
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.180). 1-5, R
Goat: Jacob Webb (-.049). 0.1 IP, 3 BF, 2 H, 0 BB, ER, 0 K
WPA Play of the Game: Edmundo Sosa’s three-run homer with two outs in the second for the first three runs of the game. (.238)
*Cubs Play of the Game: Nico Hoerner’s two-run single with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth gave the Cubs a two run lead. (.191)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 16 Winner: Dansby Swanson received 74 of 104 votes.
Up Next: The Cubs close out the series in Philly before getting an off day. Shōta Imanaga (0-1, 2.81, 16 IP) starts for the Cubs. Jesús Luzardo (1-2, 6.23, 17.1 IP) starts for the Phillies. The Cubs have fared worse against lefty starters the last year plus. But Luzardo has already had starts where he’s allowed five and six runs in the early going. The one good start (1 ER) was at Colorado. The two bad ones were in Philly.
