Category: MLB

The Dodgers on Sunday placed Mookie Betts on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, one day after the shortstop exited Saturday’s game after the top of the first inning.

Betts walked and scored on a double by Freddie Freeman in the top of the opening frame on Saturday against the Washington Nationals. Betts did not take the field in the bottom of the first inning, replaced at shortstop by Miguel Rojas.

At the time, the injury was announced as lower right back pain. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Washington D.C. Saturday that Betts would likely be sidelined for at least a few days, with MRI results pending.

It’s the first roster move involving the active roster since the opening day roster was set on March 25. Betts is the 11th Dodgers player on the injured list.

Hyeseong Kim, who did not play for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Las Vegas, was recalled to replace Betts on the roster.

Kim in six games for the Comets had nine hits, including a double, in 26 at-bats, with four walks, a hit by pitch, and seven strikeouts (a 21.9-percent strikeout rate, down from 25.1 percent in Triple-A last season), hitting .346/.438/.385 with 11 runs scored.

Kim on March 28 against the Albuquerque Isotopes had five hits, setting a new professional high in the United States since signing with the Dodgers in January 2025.

With left-hander Foster Griffin starting for the Nationals on Sunday, Miguel Rojas starts at shortstop with switch-hitter Alex Freeland at second base, and Santiago Espinal starts at third base in place of Max Muncy. Roberts on Sunday said Kim and Rojas will share time at shortstop with Betts out, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

1974
The White Sox opened the season at home under freezing conditions versus the Angels and Nolan Ryan. Wilbur Wood started, which caused broadcaster Harry Caray to comment that the game was “The tortoise against the hare.” This time the hare won, as Ryan and the Angels got an easy 8-2 victory. 

The game did have its moments, however. The streaking craze had hit college campuses and, on this day, a few young ladies in the upper deck decided to partially streak while a young man jumped the outfield fence and ran naked through left field before being hoisted back into the stands by his friends. White Sox manager Chuck Tanner had one of the best lines anywhere when asked what he thought about the outfield streaker: “I wasn’t impressed by him.” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink … say no more!) 

1975
Hoping for a bounce-back season from him, the White Sox inked free agent first baseman Deron Johnson. Hopes of improved play did not materialize, however, as Johnson slashed just .232/.292/.378 over 148 games of -0.6 WAR, clubbing 18 homers but striking 117 times (seventh-most in the AL).

The White Sox traded him to Boston in September, where he caught fire and went 6-of-10 with a homer to end the season; however, Johnson was released by the Red Sox on June 4 of the next season, ending his career.

1977
A few hours before the team was to head north to open the season, owner Bill Veeck traded shortstop Bucky Dent to the Yankees. Salary was the reasoning behind it, and Veeck’s comment (“I’d trade Dent even-up for any other starting shortstop in the American League”) didn’t help matters. 

In return, the White Sox got outfielder Oscar Gamble, pitcher Bob Polinsky, minor league pitcher LaMarr Hoyt and $200,000. Gamble would be a big part of the 1977 hitting orgy, belting 31 home runs (a White Sox record for lefthanders), while Hoyt would take the 1983 Cy Young Award as a 24-game winner. 

1983
A miserable season start continued for the White Sox, and their second loss of the season was a bit of a bloodbath. The game itself was no blowout, Texas knocked off the visitors, 4-1. But rookie Scott Fletcher made two errors, one on a grounder and another on a throw to first, to contribute to the loss. Worse, closer Jim Kern, who was coming off of a 1.8 WAR season, blew his elbow out on the fourth batter he faced in this, his 1983 debut.

Off the field, Jimmy Piersall was fired from Sportsvision TV by Sox ownership, via telegram, for personal and “vitriolic” attacks against the team — namely manager Tony La Russa.

1995
Three days after the end of the labor impasse that saw the 1994 World Series cancelled, the White Sox snapped up veteran outfielder Dave Martinez. Thanks to a very modest, $650,000 deal (almost a 50% cut from his 1994 salary with San Francisco), Martinez turned out to be one of the best value signings in White Sox history. He logged a 2.2 WAR in just 118 games with the club, then re-upped for two years and produced 7.9 WAR over 1996-97.

Those latter two campaigns were far better than anything that the 16-year veteran produced before, or would generate in the future.

On a trivial note, Martinez’s closest player comp over his career (95.5% similarity) was White Sox broadcaster Jimmy Piersall, who had a memorable April 5 of his own, to appear in a future edition.

2004
New manager Ozzie Guillén figured he had his debut game all wrapped up, as the White Sox took a 7-3 lead into the ninth inning at Kansas City. Twenty minutes later, the Royals had scored six runs to take the game, 9-7. The amazing rally set the modern record for the most runs scored in the ninth inning to win a game on Opening Day. Damaso Marte faced three batters, gave up three hits (two of them home runs) and allowed five runs to score in getting the loss. 

Ozzie became the first Venezuelan manager in baseball history in the loss.

2010
It was Opening Day and for Mark Buehrle, it was his eighth Opening Day start, setting a franchise record. 

Buehrle was brilliant in the 6-0 win over Cleveland, but what everyone was talking about after the game was the play he made on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Lou Marson in the fifth inning. Both ESPN and the MLB Network called it the play of the year. 

Marson’s shot ricocheted off of Buehrle’s leg and was hit so hard it headed towards foul ground on the first-base side of the field. Buehrle sprinted off the mound, fielded the ball with his glove and flipped it between his legs to Paul Konerko, who made a barehanded catch to nip Marson by a step. It was simply an incredible play.

Also on that day …

President Barack Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day at Nationals Park, marking the 100th anniversary of the first presidential first pitch, made by William Howard Taft on April 14, 1910. White Sox diehard Obama wore a Nats jacket for warmth, but donned his familiar White Sox cap for the pitch.

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Round 2 of Sunday Night Baseball is a good one when the St Louis Cardinals match up with the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers will aim for a sweep and have a good opportunity to do it with a converted reliever still finding his footing as a starter on the mound for the Cardinals. 

My Cardinals vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks break down the matchup and why we’re backing the Tigers on Sunday, April 5. 

Who will win Cardinals vs Tigers today: Tigers (-132)

This game presents a nice conundrum. While I’m slightly less bullish on the Detroit Tigers than the market and believe in the St. Louis Cardinals, I also hate this matchup for converted reliever Kyle Leahey.

Ultimately, I sided with the Tigers, seeing about eight cents of value. 

Transitioning to Leahey's strengths, he wants to be a dominant groundball pitcher. He posted a Top 40 percentile groundball rate last season and showed some signs of improvement, even in an awful debut against the Mets.

However, this Tigers lineup excels at avoiding ground balls, with the lowest groundball rate in the sport last season and among the league leaders in line drives.

COVERS INTEL:Keider Montero's Bottom 2% breaking ball run value (-12) was the worst among Detroit's starting pitchers last season.

Cardinals vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+105)

I have more conviction here, aided by a brisk wind that will blow out to left field. Neither of these pitchers will miss many bats. Leahey’s is mostly by design, and Montero just doesn’t have much swing-and-miss stuff. 

The former’s whiff rate sat at the Bottom 11 percent of baseball last season, with some troubling metrics surrounding that.

His 4.67 xERA and .260 xBA tell you the ball is in play constantly, and this Cardinals offense has shown some signs of improvement compared to last season, as they’ll arrive at this game rating fifth in the majors in solid contact rate.

Solid contact may be all it takes for them to push this Over with the wind and the Tigers pushing runs across themselves. 

Cardinals vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: St. Louis +115 | Detroit -135
• Run line: St. Louis +1.5 (-180) | Detroit -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Cardinals vs Tigers trend

The Tigers have cashed the first five team total Over in 38 of their last 60 home games for +15.85 units and a 23% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Tigers.

How to watch Cardinals vs Tigers and game info

Cardinals vs Tigers latest injuries

Cardinals vs Tigers weather

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A mere 156 days after hoisting a championship trophy on the field at Rogers Centre, the Dodgers will be back in Toronto on Monday to battle the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series.

Justin Wrobleski, who got four outs in relief in Game 7 and during the World Series pitched five scoreless innings, starts for the Dodgers on Monday. Max Scherzer takes the ball for Toronto.

The series opener, in addition to being televised locally by SportsNet LA, will also be on FS1 in a non-exclusive broadcast that won’t be blacked out in the home markets.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Blue Jays
• Ballpark: Rogers Centre, Toronto
• Time: 4:07 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA, FS1
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Texas Rangers have placed righthanded pitcher Carter Baumler on the injured list with a right intercostal strain, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled righthanded pitcher Luis Curvelo.

Baumler, a Rule 5 pick from the Baltimore Orioles, seemed destined to have an injured list trip at some point this season, both because he has a history of being injured and because he’s a Rule 5 selection, and Rule 5 guys are going to be more likely to be placed on the injured list due to minor ailments since they can’t be sent down to the minors, and thus the i.l. move is the only way to get the player off the active roster without risking losing the player. Baumler has made four appearances this season, and had his first 1-2-3 inning yesterday against Cincinnati.

Curvelo was one of the last cuts in spring training. He threw 19 innings over 17 appearances in 2025 for the Rangers, putting up a 5.68 ERA, striking out 20 and walking 10. In three games so far this year for Round Rock, he has thrown three innings, allowed two runs, struck out three and walked two.

Curvelo gives the Rangers what one would assume would be a more reliable righthanded late inning arm than Baumler, as the team sorts through its reliever options and tries to figure out roles.

The Dodgers have their first rain delay of the season, with the start of their series finale against the Washington Nationals delayed by rain at Nationals Park in Washington D.C.

The originally planned start time for Sunday was 1:35 p.m. ET, with rain expected to last well into the 2 p.m. hour locally. The game was scheduled to start at roughly 3:45 p.m. ET, or 12:45 p.m. PT, and ended up getting underway one minute earlier, putting the total delay at two hours, nine minutes.

Up next for the Dodgers after Sunday’s game in Washington D.C. is a trip north across the border to Canada to face the Toronto Blue Jays in a World Series rematch beginning Monday at Rogers Centre.

Last season, six Dodgers games were delayed by rain, but none were postponed. Their last weather postponement came in 2023.

Texas Rangers lineup for April 5, 2026 against the Cincinnati Reds: starting pitchers are Jack Leiter for the Rangers and Chase Burns for the Reds.

Texas will try to avoid being swept against Cincinnati today as they finish out their first home series of 2026. Josh Jung gets a day off.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Langford — LF

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

Pederson — DH

Carter — CF

Higashioka — C

Smith — 2B

Duran — 3B

1:35 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -125 favorites.

The Nats pitching staff has been up and down to start the season, with more downs lately. However, one guy who has been impressing me lately is Gus Varland. He is not a well known name, and he has bounced around, but I have liked what I have seen from the 29 year old. I had the chance to chat with him a bit earlier today.

He is clearly a sharp and introspective guy. One thing he talked about was his search to find confidence. After a couple rough outings in Spring Training, he said he talked to the Nats pitching coaches about the mental side of his game. He wanted to solve the “age old question of how you get confidence”.

For him, there are two ways to get confidence, either through results or through a strong mentality. Varland wanted to gain a more confident mentality. I loved how he described his new approach. He said, “If I am going to pitch today in the big leagues, am I going to be scared or am I going to be confident. I am choosing to be confident no matter what happens”. 

This is something that applies to life as well as sports. Varland’s winding path has given him plenty of reasons to be scared or discouraged, but right now, he is choosing to be confident. 

With his stuff, there is reason to be confident as well. Varland has a dynamic fastball/slider mix. The heater has a ton of life at the top of the zone and the slider looks like the fastball until it drops off the table. So far, Varland has been executing those pitches at a high level as well.

Varland was one of a few guys who the Nats have picked up off of waivers. The waivers process is unique, and players can be unaware of their fate for many days. Varland said he was in limbo for five days this time, before landing with the Nats. It was not the first time Varland has been in DFA limbo, but it still must be a very odd experience.

Back in 2024, Varland actually spent some time with the Dodgers, before getting DFA’d and going to the White Sox. That means he knows some of the players, and was Shohei Ohtani’s teammate at one point. Varland has gotten the better of Ohtani so far this series, striking him out twice. He called that experience, “the best because he is the best. The fact I can get him out gives me even more confidence”.

Ohtani and Varland actually have a history beyond just being teammates. When his mother was courageously battling cancer, Ohtani actually made a donation and covered a large part of the medical expenses. Varland’s mom is now cancer free! 

While that was obviously an awesome story, Varland is now carving his own path in DC. If he keeps pitching like he has so far this season, he will be in high leverage spots before too long. The one thing Varland thinks he needs to do to get there is improve his execution.

Execution is something Varland touched on a couple times, and it is something that is important for him. He will mix in a changeup on rare occasions, but Varland is basically a two pitch pitcher. That makes command very important. Hitters know what is coming, but if Varland is commanding it well, hitters will still struggle.

After talking to him, Varland is a guy I will definitely be rooting for. He missed almost all of last season, and he told me that he has had four different surgeries in his career. However, despite all the adversity he has faced on and off the field, Gus Varland is confident and ready to prove himself with the Washington Nationals.

The Rangers turned back the clock to accommodate Daylight Saving Time. What they also wanted to do was turn back the CALENDAR!

"'All of a sudden, they're skating like a playoff team," says The Old Scout. "It's too bad they didn't play this way when it counted."

True enough but the 4-1 win over the playoff-seeking Red Wings yesterday at The Garden  delivered playoff hope – in the future.

"If Gabe Perreault can play next season like he did against Detroit," adds The Old Scout, "he'll automatically become the cornerstone of the offense. Ditto for some of the other kids."

Adam Sýkora and Jaroslav Chmelař could easily be Rangers next season but it was Perreault's hat trick that had the matinee crowd thinking that GM Chris Drury's no-fooling around "Retool" is for real.

Four Reasons Why You Should Buy A Ticket To The Rangers' Final GamesThe revived – well, sort of – Detroit Red Wings are at The Garden today which means that tomorrow night (Washington) and Wednesday (Buffalo) are IT for the home season. Here are four reasons why you should be there.

Truth is Reality starts in October but – for tonight we'll see how Gabe and his chums fare against Alex Ovechkin who very likely will be making his last appearance before the Manhattan crowd.

If so, it's high time we salute one of the most exceptional players in the history of the game: YAY! OVIE.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week’s question asked you about Oneil Cruz, who’s poor performance in the field has stuck out like a sore thumb. He has had a good start at thr plate, currently hitting .290 with 3 home runs for the 5-3 Buccs. But the 27-year-old is getting to the point in his career when it’s less about pontential and more — he is what he is at this point. So we asked our readers if it was time to move on from Cruz. Here is what you said:

So there you have it. A full two-thirds of Pirates fans voted that it’s time to move on. I thought it would be a little lower than that but understand the frustration with the highly talented but also highly mercurial Cruz.

As usual, don’t forget to drop by FanDuel’s MLB page. You can bet on all kinds of player props as well as the Bucs winning the Worlds Series (+5000) and also for them just making the MLB Playoffs (+164).

We’ll be back soon with more Reacts!

The Cincinnati Reds powered their way to victory on Friday in the series opener against the Texas Rangers, with 2-run blasts by Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson fueling the 5-3 victory. On Saturday, it was starting pitcher Rhett Lowder’s excellence paired with some timely bucket brigade of singles that led to Cincinnati’s 2-0 win.

On Sunday, it will be Chase Burns with the chance to put his stamp on the first road series of the season for the Reds as they look to sweep aside the Rangers and move three games over the .500 mark. Burns was his electric self again in his first start of the season, fanning 7 in 5.0 IP while allowing nary a run and a lone hit in a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, showing zero ill-effects from his bullpen role down the stretch in 2025 and his somewhat odd ‘de-load’ late in spring camp.

Standing in Cincinnati’s way will be another former #2 overall pick in Texas Rangers starter Jack Leiter. Leiter, whose path to big league success hasn’t been quite as rocket-like as Burns, settled in as a solid mid-rotation contributor for the 2025 Rangers, but the stuff has always been there for him to lead a rotation. Still just 25 years old (for a few more days), he looked the part of an ace in his first start of the season, and the Reds will have their work cut out for them today against the righty.

It’s something of an interesting matchup today given yesterday’s between Rhett Lowder and Kumar Rocker. Lowder and Burns, of course, were both aces that came out of Wake Forest’s elite pitching development program, while both Rocker and Leiter came out of a Vanderbilt system that current Reds pitching coordinator Derek Johnson set in motion himself. All four are former Top 10 overall picks, too, showing just how much elite arm talent has been on display in this series so far.

First pitch for Sunday’s matinee is set for 2:35 PM ET, as the Reds will head to Miami next to continue their first road trip of the 2026 season.

For whatever reason, Nate Lowe is back on the bench and Ke’Bryan Hayes is starting at 3B again. Here’s how the Reds will line up for this one:

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is showing signs of life with the bat, and I think he breaks through this afternoon in a plus-pitching matchup.

Find out why in my Blue Jays vs. White Sox predictions and MLB picks below. 

Blue Jays vs White Sox predictions

Blue Jays vs White Sox best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (+120)

Davis Martin was hit hard in his first outing, allowing three extra-base hits, culminating in a .937 opponent OPS, while ranking in the second percentile in hard-hit rate.

Enter Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Toronto Blue Jays slugger hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league. He ranked in the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate last season and is starting to show that same level of pop in his bat. 

Guerrero finally hit his first home run of the season yesterday, and nearly had another with a long moon shot that was caught at the wall.

This tells me that he’s starting to see and hit the ball better, and I’ll bank on that bat continuing its breakout today with Martin on the mound. 

COVERS INTEL: Davis Martin was hit hard in his first outing of the season, giving up a homer and two doubles, while ranking in the third percentile in average-exit velocity to go along with a .530 xSLG rate. 

Blue Jays vs White Sox same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll continue the trend of betting on Vladdy breaking out offensively and take him to go Over 0.5 RBI this afternoon. 

Davis Martin had a 5.11 xERA last season and a 7.27 xERA in his last outing. Thus, the base paths could be busy tonight, and if Vladdy gets his hits with men on base, he’s in the right spot in the lineup to cash in a run or two. 

For the final leg, I’ll take Eric Lauer to go Over his strikeout total. He had nine Ks in his first outing, and Chicago ranks 29th in Ks this season, already having struck out 18 times through the first two games of the series. 

Blue Jays vs White Sox SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 RBI
• Eric Lauer Over 4.5 strikeouts

Blue Jays vs White Sox home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+400)

I’ll continue to back Vladdy and take him as my home run pick for tonight. Homers come in bunches for Guerrero Jr., and with the first one out of the way, he could erupt anytime now. 

Additionally, the matchup favors Vladdy, who has terrific bat-to-ball skills, squaring the ball up, and hitting it with authority. This combination is dangerous for a pitcher like Martin, who gets hit hard and often. 

Blue Jays vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Toronto -165 | Chicago +140
• Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+100) | Chicago +1.5 (-120)
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Blue Jays vs White Sox trend

The Blue Jays have covered the first-five run line in 16 of their last 21 games for +11.05 units and a 46% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. White Sox.

How to watch Blue Jays vs White Sox and game info

Blue Jays vs White Sox latest injuries

Blue Jays vs White Sox weather

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Today’s roster moves: Here

I had not remembered a traditional, non-split doubleheader on the road for the Cubs in recent years. The last such doubleheader at Wrigley Field was Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006 vs. the Diamondbacks.

So, naturally, I asked BCB’s JohnW53 if he knew. Of course he did! Here’s the answer.

The Cubs have played 15 doubleheaders on the road since the one at home vs. the Diamondbacks.

Fourteen of those were day/night split doubleheaders.

The exception was on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2019, at Washington, when they played a twi-night, single-admission doubleheader. The first game started at 5:15 and ended at 8:00. Then there was an hour before the second game because the Nationals were honoring Ryan Zimmerman. The second game ran 3:15 and did not end until 12:15 a.m.

The Cubs lost both games, 10-3 and 6-5. Then the Sunday game was rained out, forcing the Cubs to return for an afternoon game the following Thursday. Anthony Rizzo flew to the game in uniform, in protest. The Cubs won that game, 4-3, but Pedro Strop was injured trying to beat out an infield grounder and was lost for the season. 

Here’s how our various threads are going to work for posts on both games this afternoon. There will be the “Live!” thread as usual, five minutes before the first pitch of Game 1. I will post a recap as soon as possible after Game 1, then another “Live!” thread will follow five minutes before Game 2. A recap of Game 2 will post in the early evening, after that one’s complete.

Get ready for six (or so) hours of Cubs baseball this afternoon!

Sunday doubleheader notes…

• THE SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER: The Cubs have played 52 doubleheaders — 31 at home and 21 on the road — since they last played a single-admission doubleheader on a Sunday: April 28, 2002, when they lost at home to the Dodgers, 5-4 and 4-1. The breakdown of those 52 by day and site: Monday: 4 (3 home/1 road). Tuesday 14 (10/4). Wednesday: 9 (6/3). Thursday: 3 (1/2). Friday: 6 (2/4). Saturday: 16 (9/7). The Cubs played a day/night doubleheader at home against the Cardinals on Sunday, July 12, 2009, in which they won, 7-3, then lost, 4-2. They have played 38 doubleheaders on other days of the week since then, 24 at home and 14 on the road. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DOUBLEHEADER DOINGS: Over the last five seasons, the Cubs have played 13 doubleheaders, as follows… 2021: four (swept one, split one, were swept twice). All the games in the 2021 doubleheaders were scheduled as seven-inning games. One of those (a win in Game 2, May 4 vs. the Dodgers) went nine innings, as it was tied after seven. 2022: six (split two, were swept four times). 2023: none. 2024: two (split one, were swept once). 2025: one (swept the Brewers!).
• THEY’D NEVER DO THIS NOW: In a four-day stretch in 1967, the Cubs played four doubleheaders. Then the next year they played four doubleheaders in an eight-day span. Randy Hundley started and caught every inning of seven of the eight 1967 games and played the last three innings of the other one, and in 1968 started and caught every inning of seven of the eight games. No wonder his knees gave out.
• OR THIS, EITHER: The most doubleheaders the Cubs ever played in a season was 39, in 1944. The last time they played 30 doubleheaders in a season was 1957. They last played at least 20 in 1967 (21) and last played at least 10 in 1979 (11). (Thanks to John for the last two of those.) This article by Chris Jaffe on doubleheaders in the 20th Century is from 2010, but still contains some fascinating doubleheader history.

Cubs lineup for Game 1:

Guardians lineup for Game 1:

Edward Cabrera, RHP vs. Slade Cecconi, RHP

Edward Cabrera was the originally scheduled starter for Sunday’s single game. Instead, he’ll throw the first game of the doubleheader today.

Cabrera was nails in his first 2026 start last Monday against the Angels, allowing just one hit and one walk, striking out five.

Last year while with the Marlins he made one start vs. the Guardians, Aug. 14 in Cleveland, and got hit pretty hard — seven hits, five runs in 5.1 innings. Let’s hope this one goes better.

Slade Cecconi was supposed to start the Saturday game that was rained out. Instead, he’ll go in the first game of the doubleheader this afternoon.

Cecconi got torched by the Mariners in his first 2026 start last Sunday in Seattle — 4.1 innings, six runs allowed. He threw 93 pitches and, as noted, did not finish the fifth inning.

He has never faced the Cubs. Only two Cubs — Alex Bregman (0-for-4) and Michael Conforto (0-for-3) have ever faced him.

Here are the pitchers scheduled to start Game 2 of this doubleheader.

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Parker Messick, LHP

Shōta Imanaga’s first 2026 start wasn’t terrible… but it wasn’t all that good, either. He allowed one home run, unfortunately that came with two men on base. Hopefully he can keep the ball in the ballpark this evening. He did strike out seven Nationals in that first outing.

His outing last year against the Guardians, July 2, 2025 at Wrigley Field, was a similar game to his first start this year, except with more home runs (three solo homers). So, again, keeping the ball in the yard would be the key to his success, I’d think.

You’ll note in the graphic below that he averaged 92.1 miles per hour on his fastball in his first start this year. That’s up significantly from last year’s 90.8 miles per hour. If he can maintain that, this should be a good year for Shōta.

Parker Messick was the Guardians’ second-round pick out of Florida State in 2022. He made his MLB debut last year with seven pretty good starts, and threw six shutout innings against the Dodgers last Monday in Los Angeles, so that’s also pretty good.

He’s obviously never faced the Cubs. He did face Alex Bregman last year; Bregman went 1-for-3 (a double).

Also, “Parker Messick” sounds like a comic-book superhero’s alter ego name.

Here is the weather forecast for the Cleveland area.

Today’s games are both on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday for Game 1

MLB.com Gameday for Game 2

Baseball-reference.com game preview for Game 1

Baseball-reference.com game preview for Game 2

Please visit our SB Nation Guardians site Covering The Corner. If you do go there to interact with Guardians fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note. See the top of this post for some posting differences from those below for this doubleheader day.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (6-2) lost 4-1 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead on a lead-off home run from Trammell. Lambert started for Sugar Land and was solid allowing 1 run over 5 innings. Knorr allowed 3 runs as the Jumbo Shrimp took the lead. The Sugar Land offense was quiet the rest of the way as they fell 4-1.

Note: France has a 0.00 ERA over 5.1 innings this season.

• Taylor Trammell, CF: 1-for-2, R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• Kellen Strahm, RF: 1-for-3, BB

• Peter Lambert, RHP: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• J.P. France, LHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Amos Willingham, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (0-3) lost 1-0 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board first getting a run on a Sullivan RBI single in the 3rd. McPherson got the start and was pitching well but allowed 3 runs in the 5th before being pulled. He was relieved by David who really struggled allowing 6 runs while retiring just two batters. The offense got one run back in the 6th scoring on an error. The rest of the pen was solid with scoreless outings but the offense struggled as the Hooks fell 10-2.

Note: Bush is hitting .500 this season.

• Lucas Spence, DH: 1-for-4
• Will Bush, C: 3-for-3, BB

• Brett Gillis, RHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (1-2) lost 3-2 (BOX SCORE) 

Howard got the start for Asheville and went 3 innings allowing 2 runs. The offense got on the board in the 3rd inning with Nunez connecting on a 2 run HR. The bullpen was solid with Guedez and Ogando tossing scoreless innings. DeVos went 3 innings in relief allowing 1 run but the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Asheville fell 3-2.

Note: Nunez is hitting .375 this season.

• Caden Powell, CF: 1-for-4, R
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 2-for-4

• Dylan Howard, RHP: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (1-1) won 6-5 (BOX SCORE)

Pecko made a rehab start for the Woodpeckers and looked good striking out 4 over 2 scoreless innings. The offense got on the board scoring a run in the 4th on an error and getting another run in the 5th on a Monistere RBI single. Carrera relieved Pecko and pitched well tossing 4 no-hit innings with 4 strikeouts. Wilson took the lead scoring 3 runs off Weber but in the bottom of the 7th, Neyens connected on a 2 run double to take the lead. After Wilson tied it again in the 8th, another big time prospect came through with Alvarez connecting on a 2 run double to go up 6-4. Wells allowed a run in the 9th but held on as the Woodpeckers won 6-5.

Note: Carrera has 33 K in 26 innings in Single-A.

• Kevin Alvarez, RF: 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 SB
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Nick Monistere, 2B: 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB
• Anthony Huezo, LF: 1-for-4, BB, SB
• Arturo Flores, C: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Kenni Gomez, DH: 3-for-4, R, SB
• Hector Salas, SS: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB

• Ethan Pecko, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Jesus Carrera, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Charlie Weber, RHP: 0.2, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Miguel Ullola – 1:05 CT

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: TBD – 4:05 CT