ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 26: Manager Oliver Marmol #37 of the St. Louis Cardinals chats with St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on March 26, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox doubled their win total in 2026 by taking two-out-of-three against the Milwaukee Brewers and, realistically, came within a play or two Monday night from sweeping one of the best teams in the National League. They split the first homestand of the year 3-3 and head off to the midwest for a six-game road trip against the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins.
Connelly Early won a rotation spot out of Spring Training and has shown no indication that the Red Sox were asking too much for a young pitcher who has six major league starts to his name. He’s lasted 5.1 and 4. 0 innings which hasn’t been the greatest for the bullpen so far, but is mostly what you’d expect from him at this point. He has 10 strikeouts against 4 walks, 8 hits, and 3 runs in his 9.1 innings this season. His cup of coffee in 2025 certainly helped prepare Early to make the rotation this season. And the pitcher he’s facing is a big part of that. Yes, Dustin May, the reinforcement who wasn’t, is a Cardinal. In his two starts May has given up 6 runs in 4.0 innings and 7 runs in 3.1. He’s struck out 7, walked 3, and given up a whopping 17 hits.
Saturday is a national Game of the Week on FOX and features Ranger Suárez making his third start for Boston. The first two have been mostly forgettable. At 4.1 and 4.0 innings and 4 runs allowed in each, he hasn’t shown the talent he did in Philadelphia. Granted the WBC altered his spring and seems to have slowed down his progress so hopefully things will start clicking into place. Kyle Leahy pitched mostly out of the ‘pen before this season with 62 appearances in 2025 and just a single start. In two starts this year he’s totaled 10.0 innings, 6 runs allowed, 5 Ks and 5 BBs. Like May, he’s right-handed, which for the lefty-heavy Sox is always nice to see. Let those bats heat up!
Sunday afternoon the Red Sox send the frustrating Brayan Bello to the mound. Bello needed to pitch more than 3.1 innings in his last appearance. He never quite got into any type of groove and forced Alex Cora to run out a sub-optimal bullpen. Combined with a shaky defense and Boston has lost both of his starts. There were more strikeouts, 5, than you’d expect from Bello but also 4 walks. In, again, just 3.1 innings. Not even a quality start, but simply 5 innings, hopefully no more 2 runs. He figured it out last year in June, maybe he can get into gear a little earlier. Andre Pallante made 31 starts last season but prior to that split his time with the bullpen, peaking at 62 relief appearances back in 2023. In 2025 he posted a 5.31 ERA/4.68 FIP. This season he’s off to a 1.80 ERA but 4.29 FIP start. His two starts this year have gone OK at 5.0 innings apiece with 0 and 2 runs. However, a 5:7 K:BB ratio is something the Sox can exploit with patience. Even Rafaela took a walk last week. Starting, relieving, Pallante has never posted a K:BB greater than 1.96. And in his career he has allowed over a hit per inning.
Despite being in a rebuild – and also the season being so young – the Cardinals have had one of the most successful offenses in 2026. Their 59 runs scored ties them with the Miami Marlins for 6th in the majors. The Red Sox have scored just 44, 7th from the bottom. That’s largely small sample size – the Reds are last in MLB with 38 runs scored and have an 8-5 record. Jordan Walker has 5 home runs on the year with a big start to his age-24 season but that’s their big offensive star so far. Alec Burelson has 10 walks, Ivan Gerrera 12. JJ Wetherholt has 3 stolen bases.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, April 10: Connelly Early (2.89 ERA / 2.97 FIP) vs. Dustin May (15.95 ERA / 6.46 FIP)
Saturday, April 11: Ranger Suárez (8.64 ERA / 6.19 FIP) vs. Kyle Leahy (3.27 ERA / 2.73 FIP)
Sunday, April 12: Brayan Bello (9.00 ERA / 5.69 FIP) vs. Andre Pallante (1.80 ERA / 4.29 FIP)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 30: Spencer Arrighetti #41 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park on August 30, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:
Spencer Arrighetti was dealing in what should be his last start for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys before joining the Houston Astros:
Spencer Arrighetti, new father of twins, went 6 innings of 2 run ball for the Space Cowboys tonight.
6 IP 4 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K
He won’t be pitching in the Mariners series obviously. He could be lined up for Colorado in Houston though. pic.twitter.com/jjJOSJHz9A
Has ABS finally made the strike zone fair for Jose Altuve?
for his entire career, Jose Altuve has had to fight off an unfairly high strike zone. Until the ABS zone redefinition, that is. On the smallest hitter in the majors suddenly finding himself in a fair fight up in the zone @baseballprohttps://t.co/KdzqaJsjRN
Flashback April 10, 1947. Jackie Robinson is officially a Brooklyn Dodger.
Today In 1947: Branch Rickey issues a historic press release: "The Brooklyn Dodgers today purchased the contract of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson from the Montreal Royals. He will report immediately." #MLB#Baseball#Historypic.twitter.com/in209fKq5k
Fun fact about Dodgers Stadium the day it opened from Vin Scully:
Today In 1962: The Los Angeles #Dodgers hosted their first Opening Day at Dodger Stadium! The great Vin Scully talks about how the team had to use vegetable dye to make the grass look green! #MLB#Baseball#Historypic.twitter.com/j1TVMb2gtw
Tigers finally retired Josh Bell, but Riley Greene and Parker Meadows had a nasty collision running down his fly ball. Cart is on the field for Meadows along with medical personnel. pic.twitter.com/pUBcWw9w5A
"There's a lot of concern for him. When we got out to him, it looked like he bit his lip or the inside of his mouth. There was a lot of blood and he was pretty out of it. We are going to get him checked out for everything. But this one worries me." pic.twitter.com/i2cMCpqwAS
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 4: Carmen Mlodzinski #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field looking to grab a win.
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Apr 7, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits an rbi single during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Seattle Mariners didn’t need a copy of Cal Raleigh’s MVP-caliber 2025 to repeat as AL West champions this year. What they *will* need is not to repeat his frigid first foray in the big leagues back in 2021. Hard as it may be to remember (or, all too easy after the first two weeks of this season), Raleigh hit a brick wall in his first big league taste. He went .180/.223/.309 in his first 148 plate appearances across 47 games, a grisly 46 wRC+ with an unseemly 35.1% strikeout rate while walking just seven times in the bigs that year. It wasn’t until his 2022 return that Raleigh solidified himself as a star, in Seattle and then across the sport. Now, those expectations loom even larger, with the Big Dumper mucked up and mired in a .143/.236/.245 over his first 55 PAs this year, a 51 wRC+, and a funny-but-not-ha-ha-funny bad 38.2% punchout rate. He’s hit just one round-tripper, for goodness sake.
So what’s eating the Big Dumper?
Home Run Derby hangover delayed by two-thirds a year? Randy Arozarena’s secret hexes? Insufficient gumption?
All good answers, but color me skeptical. Two weeks offers less data than necessary for many statistical stabilizations. But something we can see and quantify is Raleigh’s literal process at the plate – his swing. With advancements in data tracking and cameras, MLB and Baseball Savant can track and publicize the bat tracking data for each pitch and swing. What I’ve seen this spring has gone from troublesome to troubleshooting, and I believe in the near future to be trouble-shedding.
In eliminating culprits, there seems not to be something physically awry for Raleigh. His average bat speed is in keeping with a season ago, give or take a half tick at 74.7 mph. That’s a strong score, on the higher end of the league as befits Raleigh’s strength and emphasis on elevating pitches with damaging intent. So far as we can measure, Raleigh hasn’t massively altered his mechanics or setup pre-pitch, leaving us scrapping for answers. The best indication I’ve found, beyond the sheer variability of an inch different in contact, stems from an overly uppercut swing, an issue so fundamental to his craft that he began addressing it in the time it took me to put together this article.
Statcast measures swings in a few ways. There’s the vertical angle at which the hitter is impacting the ball at contact (e.g. uppercut to flat or even downswing) which Savant calls “Attack Angle.” Correspondingly, there’s the horizontal angle, which determines the direction into the field the ball is hit (e.g. a bloop single against a yanked laser double) which is “Attack Direction.” Combining those and the speed of the swing allows us to measure the angle of the bat’s path relative to the ground, which Savant judges in the final 40 milliseconds before contact/crossing the path of the pitch to determine “Swing Path Tilt.” Their explainer, data, and visuals are quite good in my estimation, for instance allowing Ryan to recently write on bat speed as it relates to variable temperature for FanGraphs.
What I’m going to focus on is Swing Path Tilt, or just “tilt,” as it combines our pertinent measures here. Raleigh has a steeper-than-average tilt to his swing, with around a 33-35 degree tilt over the past two years between his lefty and righty swings. It’s slowly gotten steeper since 2023, when he was around a 31 degree angle. MLB average is 32 degrees, with the lowest end of the spectrum – a.k.a. the flattest swing – being a trio of Rays: C Nick Fortes (19°), 3B/SS Junior Caminero (23°), and Yandy Díaz (24°). On the high end are OF Riley Greene of the Tigers (43°) and Dodgers regulars 1B Freddie Freeman (42°) and OF Andy Pages (41°), noted upper-cutters. Intuitively, these are some good hitters and some middling ones – there’s not one “perfect” swing path for everyone, and these numbers are impacted by the physical traits of each hitter, the location of the pitch, and enough other factors to make this hard to gauge.
At this season’s outset, Cal was employing a steeper, more uppercut swing than ever before. It’s not clear that this was intentional, and we’re talking about a few dozen swings, but through the first week of the season Raleigh was around a 38°-40° tilt. That looks like this:
Here we can observe the obvious: pitch location has a huge role on all these factors. A key component of Cal’s MVP-caliber season in 2025 was his knack for scooping pitches at the bottom of the zone or below with his steep uppercut and elevating them into the outfield grass or bleachers. So teams adjusted. He’s gotten a steady diet of elevated fastballs and cutters+sweepers in on his hands since late last year, putting the ball where an uppercut either means a swing-and-a-miss or a sawed-off handle. The Guardians and Yankees did this quite effectively, and Raleigh’s initial use of a steeper uppercut ran into issues galore.
Here’s an example of Raleigh a year ago, on a near-identical pitch to that Tanner Bibee offering from the first image and link:
This isn’t everything, but it is Raleigh at his most locked in. June of last year, Cal ran a 191 wRC+ and 1.088 OPS, striking out just 18.6% of the time and following his torrid May with more meteoric play. If I could, I would tie a bow here and say that this is the issue. The Big Dumper needs to dip and rip just a skosh less and boom: problem solved. In fact, over the past several games, this is what he’s doing, with Cal already flattening his swing incrementally by Attack Angle and Swing Path Tilt back towards his norms from a year ago. I do think this is the right move, as such a steep uppercut on elevated offerings especially is a recipe for hard times.
But baseball players aren’t just protractors. Raleigh has struggled because he’s been doing several things poorly. He’s chased pitches more than he did a year ago through this tiny, two week sample. On pitches in the zone, he’s whiffed WAY more. He’s made just 67.1% in-zone contact, down from 81.2% last year – and 69.0% vs. 84.9% on pitches over the heart of the plate. It’s not that Raleigh needs to just make more contact of any sort (and there are players for whom that’s a good goal). He needs better contact, better timing, and better pitch selection. Piece of cake, right?
I suspect the shift to recalibrate his swing path back towards where it was in 2025 is part of that wise correction, but this is the difficulty of drawing conclusions and prescribing adjustments off of 13 games. The clip above (from the game on April 7) isn’t Raleigh looking fully Cal-ibrated, but it looks back in the ballpark of the player Seattle expects to be the heartbeat of their offense. To get back to hitting it out of the ballpark, starting in the ballpark is where he’ll need to be.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 08: Taylor Ward #3 and Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after defeating the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on April 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Only a few days ago, the Orioles were limping into a cold road series against the White Sox, looking like they were going to be weighed down by problems they could not solve early in the season the same as last year. What if their woes had continued against the White Sox? What then? With those concerns in mind, in this week’s survey, I asked O’s fans to think about whether the team would be able to get back to .500 this month, something they never did in April 2025 or beyond.
The question was decisively answered before I could even share the results with you since the Orioles went ahead and swept the White Sox in the three-game set played Monday through Wednesday. O’s fans may not have expected it to happen already, but an overwhelming majority expected the team to at least get back to .500 by the end of this month:
Between the time I sent off this question to the survey guy and when I shared it with you, the Orioles had already gotten one of the three needed wins. They picked up the other two on the way to the road sweep.
It must be said that the Orioles did not look particularly good in any of those games and were probably fortunate to get a three-game sweep. There are problems to be solved. At least for now, if they can minimize the damage while they are trying to solve those problems, that should help the team avoid the problem they had last year of falling into an early hole from which there was no chance to recover.
Everybody in the AL East is dealing with problems early on, even the Yankees. Just avoid falling too far behind to catch up. Hopefully the Orioles can continue in the right direction in this weekend’s series against the Giants, who are also scuffling early on.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 04: Starter Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Chase Field on April 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 2-1. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The two teams in MLB that are yet to lose a series will face off in Atlanta this weekend, as the Braves host the Guardians.
Bryce Elder will take the mound in game 1 and the Braves hope he can keep up his hot start to the season. He has been getting the job done to the tune of a 98th percentile pitching run value (in a miniscule sample) with a combination of walk avoidance, ground balls, inducing barrels, and quality strikeout numbers, due in no small part to his elite chase%. He has added a cutter and added substantial depth to his slider, which add some plausible durability to his improved performance, even as it is unlikely that he is suddenly a true talent Cy Young candidate. The Braves will hope he can look like one against this Guardians lineup and contribute to a win in game 1.
On the other side, the Braves’ bats will have to contend with the 33rd pick in the 2020 draft, righty Slade Cecconi. In some ways, Cecconi is similar to Elder, in that he has been sitting in the low-90s with his fastball this season (a tick and a half down from last year) and added a cutter this season. Cecconi has utilized his new cutter much more than Elder though, as it has been his second pitch this season, throwing it 26% of the time. He uses a very slow curve as his breaking ball of choice, but has also swapped his slider for a sweeper this year, which he uses to keep hitters off-balance. Cecconi is not especially good, but gets the job done well enough when he keeps walks down. He doesn’t really miss bats or induce chases though, and he was in the 1st percentile in hard-hit%, 2nd percentile in avg exit velo and 3rd percentile in barrel% in 2025, all with a roughly league average ground ball rate, so to say he can be hit hard would be an understatement. I’ll be looking for the Braves to hammer Cecconi and I’m gonna be bold(ish) and predict that Ronald Acuna finally hits his first homer of the season off of Cecconi.
SURPRISE, AZ- Feb 17: Photo from a Kansas City Royals City Connect Uniform set launch shoot at the team’s Surprise Stadium Complex on Tuesday February 17, 2026, in Surprise, AZ (Photo by Jason Hanna/Kansas City Royals)
The Royals unveiled new City Connect jerseys this week, with mixed reactions from fans. The uniforms, which will be worn Friday evening, include a Royals “R” in a font similar to that used in the city flag with gradient colors celebrates the City of Fountains logo adopted by Kansas City in 1991.
They are one of eight new City Connect jerseys around baseball unveiled this year. The jerseys are an outlet for added creativity, but let’s face it, it’s also a way to move more merch. Here’s a look at some of the other designs.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves have had a number of different jerseys over the years, but they went with a classic baby blue jersey with the 70s era “Atlanta” script across the front.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles went with “BMORE” across the chest, with a 1890s Baltimore Baseball Club “B” logo on the cap.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds really leaned into their name – the jerseys are very, very red. The sleeve graphic features the Tyler Davidson Fountain, a notable landmark in Cincinnati.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew Crew design features “Wisco” across the chest and “Forward,” Wisconsin’s state motto, sewn into the collar, and a Barrelman sleeve patch and a wheat/barley braid.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pirates uniforms include a 1997-era Pirate wearing an eyepatch with a red bandana on the left sleeve, along with 1887 split in half by “PGH” in the same font as the front.
San Diego Padres
Padres uniforms are “bone, obsidian, marigold, aqua, fireberry, and Padres gold” with a sleeve patch honoring Dia de los Muertos.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers spell out “Tejas”, a word rooted in the Caddo language, which has historically been spoken by Native American groups across Texas and Oklahoma, and is “Texas” in Spanish.
Of the new City Connect jerseys, which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Which of the past City Connect jerseys is tops in your book?
Apr 9, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) walks to the dugout before the game against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
After a couple of so-so starts to open his New York Yankees’ career, left-hander Ryan Weathers had his best outing of the young season on Thursday against the Athletics. He completed eight innings, surrendering a single run on seven hits and punching out seven. He didn’t walk anyone, which is particularly encouraging since he entered the game having given away five bases on balls in eight frames.
Now, Weathers’ season ERA stands at a strong 2.81 in 16 innings of work, with five walks and 18 strikeouts. That’ll do.
The Yankees’ offense is not at its finest, but the starting pitching sure is amazing. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Weathers have been excellent on the whole, and we haven’t even seen Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt yet, not to mention top prospects Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange, who continue to develop on the farm.
Back to Weathers: we saw him dominate on Thursday despite diminished velocity, at least compared to his previous two games and what he showed in the spring. His four-seamer averaged 95.1 mph, down from 96.6 mph on the season to this point, and touched 97.4 mph. The pitch has flirted with the triple digits at various points this year. Is the decrease something to worry about?
Well, judging by the results and the lack of any post-game comments about his health or any potential issues, it appears to be the pitcher dialing back in an effort to throw more strikes (it also sure was chilly at the stadium on Thursday). And it worked! He peppered the zone with 73 strikes out of his 101 pitches.
According to what he said after the game, Weathers was more relaxed on the mound, and it clearly had a positive effect on the outcome: “Now I know what that feeling is of just being calm on the mound – hopefully I can keep throwing strikes.”
If that was the key, keep the strikes coming! Weathers’ stuff is good enough to trust it to play in the zone. On Thursday, it definitely did, against an Athletics lineup with a number of formidable bats. Weathers earned 12 whiffs, four each with the four-seamer and sweeper, three with the changeup, and one with the sinker. He did allow some hard contact, but never seemed to be overly fazed by the occasion, except for the Max Muncy triple and the subsequent RBI single by Tyler Soderstrom in the seventh.
If we are being fair, that triple he gave up wasn’t a bad pitch location-wise, so credit goes to the batter:
The whiffs were nice to see, but that wasn’t all: Weathers got a healthy amount of called strikes, especially with his sinker (10) and sweeper (eight). He had 19 in total. Additionally, he had first-pitch strikes against 20 of the 30 batters he faced for a solid 67 percent.
Weathers experienced diminished velocity during his outing, toward the late innings. It was likely due to fatigue, as after touching 96.4 mph in the second frame and 97.4 mph in the fourth, he was down to 93.3 mph in the sixth and 93.8 mph in the seventh. By the eighth, he stopped throwing the pitch altogether, dealing with that frame with sweepers and changeups.
After throwing his four-seamer 42.4 percent of the time leading up to Thursday’s start, more than any other offering, Weathers prioritized his sinker (30 percent), sweeper (27 percent), and changeup (25 percent) against the Athletics, with the heater a distant fourth at 18 percent. He earned a lot of strikes with the mix, but it remains to be seen if it will be a permanent shift away from the four-seamer or if it was matchup-based. He even moved away from the fastball as the outing went on, using it 35 percent of the time the first time through the lineup, 16 percent the second time, and eight percent the third time, with the number dropping to zero the fourth time through.
Despite the loss, Weathers did everything in his power to give his team a W. It didn’t happen because the offense didn’t show up to the ballpark, but he pitched a very solid game. He said it himself: throwing strikes appears to be the most important thing for him, and when he trusts his stuff, he will most likely succeed even if he is not hitting 99 mph on the radar gun.
Coaches: Will Bolt (7th season, 196-133-1) & Mark Wasikowski (7th season, 317-197)
TV/Stream: All games on B1G+
Radio: All Nebraska games on Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App
After a tough first 3 weeks of a non-conference schedule, Nebraska has rolled through the easier part of its schedule. Prior to the mid-week game against an impressive Kansas team, only a single game against a hot veteran pitcher stopping them from winning 22 in a row. In baseball, it doesn’t matter what level you are playing, that streak is still impressive (just ask the Back to Back Big Ten Champion teams that struggled in the midweek against South Dakota State and Omaha). Now the team gets to find out if the momentum will carry them against the two best teams remaining on its weekend schedule and secure a top 4 seed AND potentially a home regional.
Oregon rolled through the early part of its schedule, with only a slip up against an average UC Irvine team, and a loss in the baseball version of the Civil War to Oregon State. Since a trip to UC Santa Barbara, the offense which had been mashing the ball (it still leads the Big Ten in home runs and total bases) has stalled a bit. They’ve averaged just 3 runs per game in their last 8 games, which included two mid week losses to Portland sandwiched around the team’s first weekend series loss at Michigan.
It’s hard to imagine a whole team has gone cold for an extended period of time. Then again, Nebraska fans only have to look to last season (sorry for the PTSD) to see how a good offensive team can just go ice cold for a couple stretches. Is the past couple weeks just a blip for the Ducks and they just need some home cooking to regain their power? Or can Nebraska’s strong pitching staff capitalize on their recent woes?
Game 1: RHP Ty Horn (1-1, 4.70 ERA) vs. RHP Will Sanford (4-1, 2.54 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Carson Jasa (6-1, 3.64 ERA) vs. RHP Collin Clarke (5-2, 2.72 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Cooper Katskee (5-0, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Cal Scolari (4-0, 2.81 ERA)
For the first time really all season, Ty Horn struggled mightily, and to the point he couldn’t get an out in the 4th inning. His pitches, which have lived at the bottom of the strike zone, just didn’t seem to have a lot of downward bite to them against a substandard Penn State offense. 3 doubles and 2 home runs took advantage of the elevated Horn pitches. Horn always seems to dig deep and be at his best against top competition, and bounces back big time the week after a rough start.
The Carson Jasa experience continues for the Huskers. He set a career high with 11 strikeouts against Penn State. Other than the disasterous Auburn start, he’s struck out at least 8 batters in each start. He is up to 66 strikeouts in 42 innings over his 8 starts. Joba Chamberlain and Shane Komine are the only Husker pitchers with more than 65 strikeouts over their first 8 starts in a season.
As is his custom, Cooper Katskee gave up 2 runs early, then cruised through a season best 7 innings. Michael Anderson got 2 home runs off of him, but really nothing else of consequence came from the Nittany Lions offense against the senior. It was a real luxury to have him go so deep to help make up for the short outing by Horn. The staff has a good balance of different types of starting pitchers that can all potentially get deep into games. It’s been a while since a Husker team could say that.
After a freshman season in which he started and you saw glimpses of greatness, Will Sanford has taken the Friday night baton and run with it. He’s pitched almost the exact same innings (39) as last season, and has dropped his walks from 39 to 23 and increased his strikeouts from 42 to 51. Like Ty Horn, he is coming off his worst start of the season, giving up 6 runs in 2.2 innings at Michigan. He hasn’t really struggled like that at all this year. How will he bounce back?
When Saturday starter Collin Clarke is on, he really has a ton of movement on each one of his pitches. Really looks like Koty Frank (shoutout Frank Koty!) when he was stalking the mound for the Huskers. He eats up innings, having gone 6 innings in all but 2 starts so far, and doesn’t waste pitches. He will be in the zone on nearly every throw. He can get in hitters heads to, he is very demonstrative on the mound. If you can watch the video on the tweet below, he has something to say after nearly every strike thrown.
Collin Clarke (rhp, @OregonBaseball). Very impressive; pitched with an edge. Ended 4-of-6 innings with a punchout. Missed bats with whole arsenal.
The highest ceiling may be Sunday starter Cal Scolari. As a redshirt freshman at San Diego last season (Man, I hate those guys!) he was the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year. He has 46 strikeouts in just 32 innings. He and Katskee are both undefeated on the year. The series may come down to who gets their first blemish on the year.
Scouting Report
On offense, the Ducks looked to a pair of All-Conference juniors to help replace all the production lost off of last year’s team that belted a conference leading 115 home runs. The two middle infielders who had big time seasons a year ago, have gone in different directions in 2026.
Second baseman and leadoff man Ryan Clooney is taking his game to another level, he is batting .359 and already has as many extra base hits as he did all of 2025. He has 33 runs scored and has 28 RBIs, which is outstanding for a leadoff batter. Cooney is also he biggest threat the Ducks have on the base paths, stealing 11 out 13 bases on the year. His partner, short stop Maddox Moloney is going through his worst season in Eugene. His batting average is down almost 80 points from a season ago to just .235. After hitting 8 doubles and 15 home runs last year, he is at 6 and 5 respectively this season. As D1Baseball’s Burke Granger shows, he has lost the ability to hit the off-speed pitch, batting .225 lower on sliders than last year and .144 lower on change-ups.
Maddox Molony (SS, @OregonBaseball). Struggling after OPSing .969 w/ 15 HR in '25. Disparity vs off-speed year-over-year.
One Duck that has been good his whole career, but really exploded this season is third baseman Drew Smith. He really worked on his swing in the offseason and it seems his batting average speed has really taken off. He is leading the team in batting at .386, home runs, with 10, and RBIs, at 38. His OPS is third in the conference behind Penn State’s Michael Anderson (Sorry for bringing him up again.) and UCLA’s Will Gasparino (Who you will find near the top of nearly every offensive category.). Oh, and by the way he is probably the best defensive third baseman in the Big Ten.
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) April 3, 2026
One player who has been slumping recently but is capable of changing the outcome of a series with the power in his bat is Dominic Hellman. Listed at 6’6” and 281 lbs, the senior hit 13 home runs in his first healthy season last year, and despite his recent lack of success still has 7 doubles and 8 home runs on the season, including hitting 4 home runs in an earlier series against Northwestern.
One freshman to keep track of, that may be the next great Oregon player is right fielder Angel Laya. Their top recruit is batting .296, but is second on the team in home runs with 9. He also has 25 runs scored and 28 RBIs.
Oregon has the best bullpen Nebraska has seen in a while. The staff as a whole is 2nd in the nation in WHIP at 1.13. Closer Devin Bell transferred in from D-II Western Oregon. He was the closer there as a freshman and sophomore, before becoming an All-American starter as a junior. He has 7 saves this season, an ERA of 4.26, 11 strikeouts and 5 walks in 12.2 innings.
The guy the Ducks go get to get them out of a jam is sophomore Tanner Bradley. After not seeing the field much as a freshman, with only 4 appearances, he is leading the team with 15 this year. And it’s not hard to see why. In his 25.1 innings, he has struck out 41 batters and walked 8. His 1.42 ERA leads the regular on the team as well.
The other regular out of the pen is former top ranked pitcher out of the state of Nebraska Michael Meckna. The Elkhorn South grad is second on the team with 14 appearances, and has struck out 18 in 17.1 innings.
The Ducks are an elite defensive team, fielding at 98.1% on the season, good enough for 4th in the Big Ten currently, behind Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota.
Series History
This is the first regular season matchup between the Huskers and Ducks. You may remember their only previous meeting, a 7-3 Nebraska win over the top seeded Oregon team in that horrible pool play structure.
On Deck
This is the Huskers’ first weekend series where both teams are ranked since 2015. When #17 Maryland swept #18 Nebraska in College Park, MD.
Former Oregon Duck Mac Moyer is leading the Big Ten in both batting average (.406) and hits (52). He is 3rd in on base % (.500) behind Iowa’s Miles Risley, and former Husker and current Purdue Boilermaker Aaron Manias.
The NU pitching staff is holding opponents to a .215 batting average against, currently besting the previous low this century of .227 in 2005.
New uniforms, new roster moves — but are the Royals finding answers on the field?
In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, hosts Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down the latest developments surrounding the Kansas City Royals, from recent roster transactions to ongoing performance concerns. The discussion covers the return of Eli Morgan, bullpen adjustments, and what recent moves signal about the team’s strategy as the season unfolds.
A key focus is the Royals’ continued struggles with runners in scoring position, diving into whether the issue is mechanical, mental, or simply variance —and what it means for the team’s offensive ceiling moving forward. The duo also evaluates bullpen reliability and identifies potential bright spots emerging from recent performances.
Off the field, the conversation shifts to the highly anticipated Royals City Connect uniforms, with a detailed breakdown of the design, symbolism, and fan reception. Jacob and Jeremy also draft their favorite City Connect uniforms from this year’s release, comparing Kansas City’s look to standout designs from teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves.
To wrap things up, the episode previews the upcoming Royals vs. White Sox series, highlighting key matchups, pitching outlooks, and what Kansas City needs to do to gain momentum. Blending analysis, culture, and fan-focused discussion, this episode keeps Royals fans informed and engaged as the season progresses.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) pitches in the fourth inning during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A few days ago, I was looking up Jesús Luzardo on Baseball Savant, as one does. Due to a typo, though, I accidentally searched for “Jesús Lizardo”. I expected to be redirected to Luzardo’s page. Instead, though, I was brought to a page on the very real Jesus Lizardo, a catcher who was in the Pirates organization last year. After I got over my crushing disappointment that Lizardo isn’t a version of Luzardo from an alternate universe in which everyone is a reptile (Crocodile Sánchez and Aaron Anole-a round out the Reptillian Phillie rotation), I got to thinking: does every Phillie have a similar-name Doppelgänger out there? And so, I now present to you, the Phillies All-Doppelgänger team. They mostly didn’t play the right positions, and they may not have had star careers (or even major-league careers at all), but they sort of sound like our Phillies.
Pitcher: Jesus Lizardo
Lizardo played with Pittsburgh’s Dominican Summer League squads in 2024 and 2025. Given that he slashed a career .331/.244/.575, it seems unlikely that we will ever see the dream of a Luzardo/Lizardo battery in the bigs. Oh well.
Catcher: JT Riddle
Our BCIB is the only player in major league history with the name Realmuto. The only player to ever reach the bigs with a vaguely similar surname is Richard Realf, a pitcher who played for one season with Cleveland in 1901 (and who went by the name Dick Braggins, which you could do in 1901 without drawing laughs). Instead, we’ll go with Realmuto’s initial-buddy JT Riddle (no periods after the J and T, unlike Realmuto). Riddle played in parts of six seasons with Miami, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Cincinnati. He didn’t pose much of a riddle for opposing pitchers, posting a career OPS of .616.
First Base: Bryan Harper
In 2011, the Washington Nationals drafted B. Harper, who played at Las Vegas High School, then the College of Southern Nevada. “But wait!”, you’re saying. “Bryce was drafted in 2010!”. Yes, he was. 2008’s B. Harper was Bryan, Bryce’s brother. A southpaw reliever, Bryan played in the Nationals organization from 2011 to 2019. He also has the distinction of being drafted by the same club twice, having been a Washington pick in 2008, too. That being the case, and being the older brother, he came first— Bryce is actually his doppelgänger.
Second Base: Bob Stotts
“Stott the presses,”, the assembled Stotts cried in 2022, “one of our own has made the show!” A number of Stotts had played pro baseball, starting with John Stott in 1892, but none had made it to the bigs until Bryson. The closest name match among them was Bob Stotts, who had a single pro season with the Dodgers organization, playing for the Sooner State League’s Seminole Ironmen, and the Southwest International League’s marvelously named Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings.
Shortstop: Trey Turner
In 2017, the Washington Nationals decided one Trea Turner wasn’t enough. See, they already had Trea Turner at shortstop. But the 10th round of the 2017 draft offered them the opportunity to draft another one. Sure, he wasn’t quite the same— he was a pitcher, for one thing, and for another, he spelled his name with a y. Between the Trea/ys Turner and the Harper brothers, the 2010s Nationals seemed to be going for some sort of strategy involving confusing the other team as to who they were actually facing. Abbott and Costello would’ve been proud.
Third Base: Alec Byrd
Only one Bohm has ever made the bigs. But there have been a quartet of other Alec Bs in pro baseball. The closest name match among them is Alec Byrd, a reliever who came out of Florida State and played three seasons with the Rockies and Reds organizations.
Left Field: Brandon Moss
And, at long last, we actually have a doppelgänger at the right position. And the right team, too! Brandon Moss played over a decade in the bigs, starting with the BoSox, but eventually making his way to the Phillies for the 2011 season (though he appeared in only five games). His best year came in Oakland, where he was named to the 2014 AL All-Star team.
Center Field: Jim Crawford
A lefty pitcher, Jim Crawford played two seasons with Houston and three with Detroit from 1973-1978. He went by the nickname of Catfish. Crawfish seems like it would’ve been the more appropriate ichthyology-based nickname, plus he wouldn’t have had to share it with the more famous Hunter.
Right Field: Adonis García
Only one player in professional baseball history has had the name Adolis, and he’s a Phillie. But Adonis García, who played parts of three seasons with Atlanta from 2015-2017, is just one letter away.
Closer: Jhonny Duran
He was indeed a pitcher, and his name sounds an awful lot like our flamethrowing Durantula. But Jhonny didn’t have quite the same stuff as Jhoan, and made it only as far as the Rangers’ Dominican Summer League team.
April 3, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The bat and helmet of Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp (27) on the grass during the spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
For the second game in a row, the Tulsa Drillers got to double digits in runs scored, this time needing every bit of it to take the 12-9 win over the Springfield Cardinals with some late game drama—one of three wins on Thursday from the Dodgers’ top four minor league teams.
Player of the day
As one would imagine with the amount of runs they’ve been scoring as of late, the Tulsa Drillers are getting outstanding production from their best players, and that starts with Kendall George at the top of the batting order. Getting the day off from the field, George was the DH and managed to reach base safely in four out of six plate appearances, responsible for a quarter of the runs that the Drillers scored.
Getting good pitches to hit, considering most pitchers didn’t want to have to deal with Josue De Paula behind him, George went 3 for 5 with a double and also walked once—the highlight of his performance was a go-ahead single in the ninth, then giving the Drillers a 10-9 lead.
A massive threat on the basepaths, George would also steal a base in that 10th inning, his fifth one this season, in which he has yet to be caught.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
River Ryan did his best to keep the Express off the scoreboard in a game in which he clearly didn’t have it, allowing eight hitters to reach safely in 4.1 innings of work with just two earned runs. However, the Comets ultimately fell on the losing end of a tightly contested affair, dropping it 6-5.
Both teams finished the game with the same 13 hits, but while walks weren’t that much of a problem for Ryan, every reliever who came out of the Comets’ bullpen suffered with them—the Comets’ relievers combined to put eight men on, while the opposing team only allowed three free passes.
One of the stars of these first few games of the minor league season, James Tibbs III struggled heavily, going 0 for 4 with a Golden Sombrero—one of the responsible parties for the Comets going 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position and not capitalizing on a four-hit game from leadoff bat Ryan Fitzgerald.
Double-A Tulsa
Ten walks and five stolen bases allowed, it wasn’t a favorable performance for Tulsa pitching, with starter Adam Serwinowski failing to complete two full innings. Still, in the end, their star hitters were too much for the Springfield Cardinals to handle, outhitting the opposition 15 to 7.
Interestingly, the bulk of that damage came on singles, 12 of the Drillers’ 15 hits to be exact—the exceptions being a couple of doubles from George and De Paula, and a two-run bomb from center fielder Harry Newell in the third inning.
One important note about this game is that, evidently, facing the switch-pitching effects of Jurrangelo Cijntje didn’t really affect the Drillers, with 11 men reaching in the three innings of work from the Cardinals’ starting pitcher.
High-A Great Lakes
Southpaw Sterling Patrick was one out short of earning the win, but that shouldn’t minimize a solid performance, allowing all of one hit in 4.2 innings of work against the Whitecaps with seven strikeouts. Unfortunately for Patrick, the walks proved to be a bit of an issue, allowing four of them, thus preventing a longer outing as the Loons won the game 5-2.
The big hit of the game for the Great Lakes came right in the first inning when Logan Wagner hit a two-run bomb. In fact, the Loons really didn’t need much offense after the opening frame, one in which they secured three of their total five hits in the game.
Class-A Ontario
Relentless attack with at least one run scored in each of the first five innings. That’s how the Tower Buzzers secured an 8-3 victory away from home. Luis Carias’ work out of the bullpen was also very important, covering 3.2 innings, as starter Brady Smith once again delivered a short start, a regular occurrence since he joined the Dodger organization last season.
Offensively, designated hitter Jaron Elkins was the standout performer, securing a four-hit game with three runs batted in, including a solo shot, one of three from the Tower Buzzers in the game—joined by Landyn Vidourek and Anson Aroz.
MINNEAPOLIS — Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was sent to a hospital for overnight observation after he collided head-to-head with teammate Riley Greene as they converged for a fly ball.
Greene made the catch, and Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face. After a few minutes, Meadows was able to sit up. Medical personnel slowly helped him stand and move toward a cart that was waiting to take him away.
“It’s a terrible feeling. I still feel terrible,” Greene said after the game against Minnesota at Target Field. “He hit my head. I don’t know where I hit him, to be honest, but I just really hope he’s OK.”
Meadows had a concussion, manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers lost 3-1 to the Twins and were swept in the four-game series. The collision caused Meadows to bite the inside of his mouth, which led to the bleeding.
“We’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me,” Hinch said.
Josh Bell led off the eighth inning for Minnesota with a shallow fly to left-center that Greene appeared to be calling for as he and Meadows ran toward the ball. Meadows tried slowing up and backing off at the last second. But his face appeared to slam against Greene’s head, sending both players tumbling to the grass.
“It’s a perfect tweener, and you have two guys who like to go and get it,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “It’s a scary thing.”
Meadows has started 11 of 13 games in center field for the Tigers this season. Matt Vierling made the other two starts. Meadows went 0 for 3 and is batting .250 with two extra-base hits.
The 26-year-old Meadows, who was a second-round draft pick by the Tigers in 2018, made his major league debut in 2023. He missed the first two months of last season with a nerve problem in his upper right arm. Then he missed more than a month with a shoulder injury and finished with a .215 average and a .621 OPS.
Tonight in Tampa, the Yankees (8-4) and Rays (5-7) open a three-game series. It’s an early-season AL East clash, with the Yankees seeking to extend their lead in the division while the Rays look to improve their standing. Luis Gil makes his first start of the season as he takes the mound for New York against veteran Steven Matz who is off to a solid start in 2026. New York is looking to find its offense after being held to just two runs over their last two games in consecutive losses to the Athletics. The Rays offense sputtered as well scoring just two runs per game the last two games against the Cubs earlier this week.
The Yankees are looking to get their offense back on track after being stymied the last two games against the Athletics. New York were shutout yesterday after scoring just twice in Wendesday’s 3-2 loss. The A’s dealt the Yankees their first series loss of the season. Aaron Judge was the poster child for their struggles at the plate. The MVP went 1-9 without an extra base hit against Tampa Bay. The Rays’ pitching was suspect against the Cubs surrendering 19 runs over the three-game series.
Last season, these teams played their games in Florida at Steinbrenner Stadium. Tropicana Field has been repaired and is once again home to the Rays this season.
Lets dive into tonight’s 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 and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Rays
Date: Friday, April 10, 2026
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Tropicana Field
City: Tampa, FL
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, YES, Rays.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.
The Latest Odds: Yankees vs. Rays
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Yankees (-143), Rays (+119)
Spread: Yankees -1.5 (+119) / Rays +1.5 (-143)
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers: Yankees vs. Rays
Pitching matchup for April 10:
Yankees: Luis Gil Season Totals: First Start of the Season
Rays: Steven Matz Season Totals: 11.0 IP, 2-0, 4.09 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 10K, 3 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. Rays
Aaron Judge has not homered in the last 5 games
Giancarlo Stanton hit .500 in March but is hitting just .174 in April
Ben Rice is 7-23 in April with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs
Chandler Simpson has hit safely in 5 straight (8-22) and 11 of 12 games this season (18-46)
Cedric Mullins is 1-11 over his last three games
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: Yankees vs. Rays
The Yankees are 8-4 on the Run Line this season
The Rays are 5-7 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 9 times in the Rays’ 12 games this season (8-2-2)
The OVER has cashed 4 times in New York’s 12 games (4-6-2)
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: Yankees vs. Rays
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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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 Friday’s game between the Yankees and the Rays:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 8.0.
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This week on Sunday Night Baseball, the Cleveland Guardians head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Live coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock. See below for additional information on how to live stream the Guardians vs Braves game.
On April 12, 1966, the Braves played their very first game in Atlanta. Sunday's game marks the 60th anniversary of that day. Before moving to Atlanta, the team spent 13 seasons in Milwaukee.
Hall of Famers Andruw Jones, CC Sabathia, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber join NBC Sports’ announce team. Jason Benetti will provideplay-by-play in the booth with Kluber and Andruw Jones. Bob Costas will host the pregame show alongside Sabathia, who will also provide “Inside the Pitch” commentary during the game.
Sunday Night Baseball will make its debut March 29 with the Guardians vs. Mariners. The 18-game MLB Sunday Leadoff schedule will begin May 3, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays visiting the Twins in Minnesota. On Sunday, July 5, all 15 MLB games will be presented nationally across Peacock and NBC as part of a special all-day “Star-Spangled Sunday” showcase.
NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.
How to sign up for Peacock:
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Why are some MLB games unavailable to stream on Peacock?
Due to territorial blackout restrictions, select regular season, special event, and Postseason games may be unavailable on Peacock. Television territory blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether a game is televised in that Club's home television territory. For more information visit, Peacock’s Help Center.
Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year.
