After going 5-1 on their first road trip of the season, the Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine for a six-game homestand. First up, the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers are currently in first place in the AL West, sitting at 7-5. In fact, they are the only team in that division with a winning record. They were swept by the Cincinnati Reds, and then swept the Seattle Mariners before heading to L.A.
Texas will send Kumar Rocker to the mound for his second ever Major League start. In his debut last Saturday against the Reds, Rocker allowed two runs in the first inning, due in part to sloppy defensive plays. He then settled in and went four scoreless innings more, stranding a runner at third with no outs in his final inning.
The Rangers offense hasn’t scored more than three runs in any of their last seven games. The team of course employs Old Friends Corey Seager and Joc Pederson and were joined this season by Andrew McCutcheon. Not an ex-Dodger, but probably everyone’s friend.
Interestingly, so far this season the Rangers have the fewest challenges to the new ABS system with 12 – nine by batters, and only three by their catchers. The Dodgers have had 22 total, with six coming from the batter and 16 from the catcher.
For their part, the Dodgers will send Tyler Glasnow to the mound. Glasnow has looked good so far this season, giving up four hits, two earned runs, and going six full innings in each of his first two games.
The Dodgers will look to reignite their offense that was so hot to begin their road trip, scoring 45 runs in four games. Friday night’s game will also be the first of the two Shohei Ohtani “greatest game” bobbleheads, highlighting his three home runs in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Most of the time, a new season means a new beginning.
It is infrequent that iterations of a roster are repeated year after year. When things don’t go right, it is common for significant changes to be made. As all of you reading this know, the Phillies have sought to buck that trend in recent seasons.
Through 12 games, the Phils are 6-6. The starting pitching has been decent, if not great. The bullpen has largely been very good. The offense, however, has been abysmal.
Let’s get all the ugly stats out of the way. Entering Friday’s three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park…
The bats have not scored a run in 20 consecutive innings.
In the final two games against San Francisco, they went 8-for-62 and slashed .129/.239/.145 with a .384 OPS.
Outside of the 10 runs they scored against the Rockies last Friday, they’re averaging 2.9 runs in their other 11 games.
They scored 7 runs in the first inning against Colorado Friday and have scored 12 runs since then.
They have a .658 OPS through 12 games this year, their lowest over the first 12 games of a season since 2016.
They are hitting .200 with a .637 OPS with runners in scoring position. That is the 2nd-worst batting average in MLB.
It’s ugly. When a lineup is struggling like this, it’s easy to say the team looks despondent and/or uninspired. Of course, these same Phillies have authored three stirring late-game comebacks in the first 12 games, winning two of them with late rallies. Those are not the actions of a group that is going through the motions, but these same players, on this same offense, managed just one extra base hit in their final two games in San Francisco. They struggled in Colorado, too. One good game does not lead into the next.
To be clear, no one should be surprised by any of this. No one should have been fooled into thinking the 2026 offense was going to be any different than the ‘25 or ‘24 or ‘23 group. The struggles of 2026 are not unique to this season. Unlike most teams, the Philadelphia Phillies have been, for better or worse, largely the same exact team on offense over the last four years.
For the anti-“run-it-back” crew, that’s obviously a major problem, and they’re not wrong. The inconsistency and streakiness of this group is maddening and, like clockwork, it usually submarines their shot at a World Series title every October.
However, it’s fair to note that these same Phillies experience struggles like this every season, and usually finish with an offense that is in the top-10 of most major offensive categories. As I have written previously in this space, a majority of outside observers would characterize this group as being pretty darn good on the whole, and the numbers would back it up.
One of the major storylines last April and May was the team’s inability to slug. Remember that? The Phillies were getting on base a bunch, but flailing with runners in scoring position, especially with power. While the Phillies’ .721 OPS was 11th through the first month of the season last year, their .385 slugging percentage was 17th.
They were 13th in runs scored, tied for 19th in homers. This year, they are 19th in runs scored, tied for 9th in homers, 15th in OPS and 14th in slugging. Again, none of these numbers are good, but by the end of the 2025 season, the Phillies had the 4th-highest OPS in Major League Baseball. Their .797 OPS after the All-Star Game was 2nd-highest, behind only the Yankees’ .799. They slugged .471, which was the best mark in MLB in the second half. Their 110 homers were 2nd-most, their 340 runs scored were tied for 4th and they were tied for 3rd in wRC+.
I don’t say this to try and convince you that this team is going to win the World Series in 2026, nor that you shouldn’t be frustrated or expect more from this team. I say it to remind you of a simple truth.
There is nothing new under the sun with the Philadelphia Phillies.
And here’s the thing. Changing the lineup around isn’t going to do much. Is Rob Thomson right to move Adolis Garcia up to the No. 4 spot in place of Alec Bohm? Absolutely. Is it a good thing the struggling Bryson Stott be removed from the No. 5 spot and replace by the much-better Brandon Marsh? You bet. But the Phillies are still missing one big, middle-of-the-order bat. That was true before the season began, and it remains true now. It will likely remain true as they enter the postseason as well.
One change they could make is to shake up the coaching staff and relieve hitting coach Kevin Long of his duties. Given the nature of the players, it’s doubtful much would change if the front office makes that move. I wouldn’t begrudge the Phillies from doing so if they wanted to shake things up, but our expectations in that eventuality should be managed.
As I also wrote about recently, the Phils aren’t the only team struggling offensively in the first few weeks of the season. It’s pretty ugly out there, folks. The problem we have in Philadelphia is that these aren’t new problems. This offense is four years old. We know what it can do and what it can’t.
So you can overreact to the sheer ugliness of what the bats are doing right now. It’s brutal to watch. But they will get hot. They will break out. I can say this with extreme confidence because they do this every single year. We get all worked up about the broken bats, and then, once the weather gets warmer, they start putting runs on the board.
It’s all meaningless. This team is going to make it to October, have no fear about that. Whether it’s as a wild card or a division winner, the Phillies have the talent to get back to the tournament. It’s all about what they do then, and with the same roster feeling the same pressure year after year, it’s difficult to believe things will be different.
So, yes, it’s understandable to be annoyed, despondent, disgusted and frustrated at the lack of offense and the quality of at-bats this group of veteran stars is having. But if you’re hitting the panic button right now or surprised at what you’re seeing play out, you shouldn’t be.
The Phillies will hit in the regular season. They really will. It might be unpleasant to watch until they do, but it will happen.
Andrew Painter In his Majors debut. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Which team is projected as better? On 9 April, FanGraphs projected the Phillies to win more games (89 vs 81). Nevertheless, both teams have significant odds of reaching the playoffs (68% and 35%). And either team could win this series.
Why cheer for the Diamondbacks? The Diamondbacks values include don’t cheat by taking performance enhancing substances.
“…Rojas became the eighth Phillie to be suspended for PED use since 2009. He’s the ninth, if you include Max Kepler, who is a free agent but played with the Phillies last season and was suspended for 80 games in January after he tested positive for a PED.” — Marcus Hayes, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2026
My view is the Phillies will not make improvements until they stop making excuses.
How good is the Diamondbacks offense? At Chase, against the Tigers, the Diamondbacks batters were better than last season (5.67 vs 5.07 runs per game). That is meaningful because the Tigers pitching staff was ranked fifth best in the Majors. Can the Diamondbacks batters do just as well against a pitching staff ranked better than the Tigers (third best vs fifth best)? Adding to the difficulty is that this series is an away series.
Phillies Pitcher to Watch.
Andrew Painter. As the Phillies number 2 prospect, this season he made his debut in the Majors. Let’s look at his abbreviated story.
After Tommy John Surgery in July of 2023, he missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In 2025, he pitched in AAA.
“Last season [2025], Painter’s arm angle dropped slightly. He addressed the issue in the offseason and has continued to do so in camp. The team’s pitching coaches believe a return to his former (higher) arm angle will bring back his control and command.” — Jim Salisbury, Match 2026
In spring training, one indication of improved control and command was his 8 strikeouts with only 2 walks. Another indication was his .209 OBP and .293 SLG. Data from Baseball Savant.
“I felt pretty comfortable out there. Right when I toed the rubber, I felt in control of the game. It didn’t speed up on me. That’s the big thing, just take deep breaths and not allow the game to speed up on you.” — Andrew Painter, March 2026
In his debut, he pitched 5.1 innings with 1 earned run. His 8 strikeouts exceeded his 1 walk. Two positives were his 8.3 hard-hit percentage and his 0.57 expected ERA. Data from Baseball Savant.
Pitching Matchups.
Friday, 3:40 PM MST.
Michael Soroka. In his first two starts of the season he allowed a total of 1 earned run in 10 innings.
Last season, opponents did not score any runs in his last 6.2 innings pitched. In his first two starts of the season, he extended that streak to 13.1 innings before a earned run was scored.
There is much to admire about Michael Soroka’s consistency.
Jesus Luzardo. His first two starts of the season were at two extremes: First he allowed 6 earned runs in 6 innings against the Rangers; Then he allowed 1 earned run in 6.2 innings at Coors. What will happen in this start?
This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Diamondbacks.
Saturday, 10:05 AM MST.
Brandon Pfaadt. In his first game of the season, the positive was that five of his six innings he held the Tigers to three batters. The negative was the inning when the Tigers scored 5 earned runs. In his second game, he allowed 3 earned runs.
In the Snakepit article, one of my wagers was that Pfaadt will total more than 10 wins this season. Will this be his first win? I’m feeling somewhat confident.
Taijuan Walker. In 2017-2018, he started 31 games for the Diamondbacks. His ERA+ was excellent (ranged from 124 to 135).
After that, he pitched for four teams, the latest is the Phillies. His performance seemed to bounce between average seasons and excellent seasons.
In his first game of the season, the Nationals scored 4 earned runs against him in the first inning. In his second game, the Rockies scored 3 earned runs against him in the first inning. Perhaps this season will be an average season for him.
This matchup of starting pitchers is slight advantage Diamondbacks.
Sunday, 10:35 AM MST.
Zac Gallen. In the season opener, he held the Dodgers scoreless for four innings. That’s big. (although the Dodgers scored in the fifth inning – very few elite pitchers can keep the Dodgers scoreless for long). Then he pitched six scoreless innings against the Tigers. Then he allowed 1 earned run in 5 innings against the Mets. My expectation is that Zac Gallen will pitch at least 4 scoreless innings. After that, he may give up a run or two.
Andrew Painter. As a Diamondbacks fan, I hope the Diamondbacks batters find ways to prevent Andrew Painter from repeating his amazing performance in his debut in the Majors.
In his second game, in the third inning the Giants got 4 hits (3 earned runs) showing that Painter is human.
In any case, remember to look for fans dressed in white coveralls! “A few fans in right field dressed in white coveralls and called themselves ‘Painter’s Painters’.” — Matt Gelb
This matchup of starting pitchers is even, perhaps with a very slight edge Diamondbacks.
Apr 3, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) greets shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) crossing home plate on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Baltimore Orioles have been run by one of the Moneyball 2.0 acolytes since the Giants hired Farhan Zaidi in November 2018. Mike Elias was part of the Astros’ front office, and their innovation on the Billy Beane way of running a baseball team* was not only to cheat, but to infuse data and “inefficiencies” into literally every area of the baseball operation. Elias’s twist was to tank the Orioles for a few years to improve the prospect stock and then let those cheap young superstars carry the team into and through a contention window.
It hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
However, the Orioles’ new owner has finally infused the organization with enough cash flow and approvals to compel them to boost their roster through other means besides their front office’s cleverness. The Orioles finally signed a top 50 free agent after over a decade of not having done so, and it’s a good one! Pete Alonso is a Giants Killer. He has 13 home runs in 39 career games to go with a triple slash of .257/.326/.546.
They reinforced their rotation with the additions of Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt and signed Ryan Helsley and his 100 mph fastball to close. They’ve also hired former Giants bullpen coach Craig Albernaz as their new manager.
This is probably an expectations thing, though. The Giants are still trying to recapture a time that has come and gone while the Orioles are simply trying to stay relevant. The Orioles have some pressure to succeed while they still have this particular group of hitters, which includes Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg; but also, a second line of young hitters like Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, and Coby Mayo.
They’re off to a 6-6 start with just a 1 series win: a 3-game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago. The Giants are coming off a 3-4 homestand that ended on a high note. This series is the start of a 9-game road trip and it’s one I believe is well timed. Those back to back shutouts of the Phillies heading into a long trip is an ideal set of circumstances for a “new” team to bond. Spring Training and home games allows players and coaches alike to simply “go home” after the game. On the road has a level of being stuck together, and that’s where relationships can be forged. Sure, a lot of the Giants are quite familiar with one another — maybe too familiar in some cases! — but road trips are a great bonding experience. On an interpersonal level, this is a big moment in the early days of Tony Vitello’s major league career.
But lots of winning would be great, too.
Series overview
Who: San Francisco Giants (5-8) at Baltimore Orioles (6-6) Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, Maryland When: Friday & Saturday at 4:15pm PT, Sunday at 10:35am PT National broadcasts: Friday (Apple TV), Saturday (FOX Network)
Projected starters Friday: Landen Roupp (RHP 1-1, 4.22 ERA) vs. Shane Baz (RHP 0-0, 4.09 ERA) Saturday: Landen Webb (RHP 1-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (RHP 0-2, 14.21 ERA) Sunday: Adrian Houser (RHP 0-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. Cade Povich (LHP 0-0, 3.18 ERA)
Players to watch (besides Pete Alonso)
Orioles
Gunnar Henderson: He’s got 4 home runs and an .890 OPS overall to start the season. The 24-year old is positioned as the face of the franchise, but now he’s got lineup protection in the form of Pete Alonso…
Taylor Ward: But also Taylor Ward! The Orioles acquired him in the offseason from Zack Minasian’s brother Perry with the Angels, and all Ward has done is slugged .574 in his first 12 games (56 PA) to slash .383/.464/.574. He has hit ZERO home runs. He does have a sport-leading 18 hits, though, 9 of which have been doubles. The 32-year old has already recorded two 4-hit games for Baltimore. In his 8 seasons with the Angels, he had ZERO 4-hit games.
Grant Wolfram: A 6’7” lefty with 9 strikeouts and ZERO walks in 5 innings? What’s going on here in this small sample? Well, it turns out he’s in the Matt Gage zone in terms of stuff — at least from my eye test. His fastball is in the 95 mph range, but his slider is sub-2,500 rpm. He doesn’t get much chase and hitters are able to make good contact when they do. Of his 9 strikeouts, 3 came against White Sox hitters and another was of Joc Pederson. So, just want to see if this is a candidate for “a guy the Giants get to at an important spot in a game” during this series.
Giants
Logan Webb: Usually, I put the Giants’ ace in the (besides) portion of the Players to watch header mainly because I don’t see a reason to spotlight him when everybody knows he’s The Perfect Giant and you should watch him whenever there’s an opportunity. In this case, though, I want to make sure we’re all watching Webb in this start because this has been a shaky start and how he performs will determine how far the Giants will go this season. His sole appearance in Camden Yards was back in 2024 when he struck out 8 in 5 innings in his penultimate start of the season (the Giants lost 5-3). Webb has been good enough in interleague play (3.75 ERA in 275.2 IP), but not so much against the AL East. Look at this breakdown:
Yankees: 1-3, 6.65 ERA in 4 GS (23 IP)
Red Sox: 0-2, 5.63 ERA in 3 GS (16 IP)
Blue Jays: 0-3, 9.00 ERA in 3 GS (16 IP)
Orioles: 0-1, 4.50 ERA in 2 GS (12 IP)
Rays: 2-0, 0.64 ERA in 2 GS (14 IP)
Rafael Devers: We can think about how Pete Alonso has gotten the best of the Giants all we want, but that matchup pales by comparison to how Devers has tormented the O’s. In 124 career games (543 PA), he’s slashed .292/.352/.493 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI with 45 walks and 109 strikeouts. His 32 career doubles against them is his most against a single opponent. He also has 2 triples. A big chunk of that damage has come at Camden Yards, where he’s a career .290/.354/.511 with 13 home runs and 11 doubles (22 BB, 58 K). His 3-run bomb in Wednesday’s finale against the Phillies made him the hero then. Was it the start of a hot streak?
Jung Hoo Lee: I wonder if getting away from the fan section at Oracle Park might help Jung Hoo Lee clear his head enough to get his bat going. He was just 2-for-21 on the homestand with a pair of walks and 5 strikeouts. If his slump continues through this road trip, it’s not going to be seen simply as a bad start.
Tony Vitello watch
Craig Albernaz perhaps has the home field advantage, but it will be interesting to see which of the rookie managers looks more rookie-like. Vitello certainly won the matchup with rookie Craig Stammen, but Albernaz has a bit more of an MLB coaching background than either. Both managers have been ejected already this season. Will the twitchy Missourian prove superior to Albernaz’s mouthy Masshole persona?
Prediction time
At the end of the day, these are two orange and black teams trying to forge a path to contention in the best way they know how. The Orioles are sticking with a culture that has so far produced some interesting prospects and a 101-win season, but has slowly devolved into frustration. The Giants rebuilt themselves into a 107-win team and have slowly devolved into frustration.
I know I was greedy in the Yankees series pulling for 1 win and Giants fans have subsequently been spoiled by the team winning two series, so, I’m just going to say that I think the Giants will win a game in this series.
Remember when a stadium giveaway meant walking away with a scratchy, oversized baseball cap that had a local bank’s logo slapped on the side? Yeah, those days are dead. Today, MLB teams are turning their promotional schedules into full-blown culture drops.
Case in point: The Chicago White Sox are doing a “Pope Hat” night. On August 11, the Sox are handing out mitre-shaped Pope hats to the entire stadium to honor Chicago native Pope Leo XIV. It is wonderfully absurd, instantly viral, and an absolute masterclass in marketing.
But is it the greatest stadium giveaway hat of all time? It has some incredibly weird competition.
From anime crossovers to fast-food condiments to literal fake hair, here are some of the most legendary, bizarre, and expensive promo hats in MLB history.
The “Tee Time” Special: St. Louis Cardinals Golf Hat
Timing is everything. Knowing that half their fanbase is glued to the Masters in early April, the Cardinals dropped a crisp, golf-inspired rope hat as a stadium giveaway today, April 10, 2026. It’s the perfect crossover piece for fans who want to kick off spring in style and rep the birds while teeing off. It’s not incredibly weird, but it is incredibly clean.
The Kawaii Cheat Code: Hello Kitty Hats
Hello Kitty Nights have been taking over MLB parks for a few years now, and the demand is so ferocious that the teams now do multiple of these events every single season. Fans will literally line up hours before the gates open just to secure these drops, here are three of my favorites.
Fast Food Fashion: Texas Rangers Whataburger Condiment Caps
We all know Texans treat Whataburger like a religion. The Rangers tapped into that beautifully back in 2019, teaming up with the burger chain to hand out highly specific condiment hats for fans who snagged special Theme Night tickets. First up was the “Fancy Ketchup” trucker hat, followed later by a “Spicy Ketchup” lid. It’s hyper-regional pandering at its absolute finest.
Farm-to-Diamond: Jason LaRue x John Deere Cap
Before high-end fashion crossovers were cool, the Cincinnati Reds gave us the ultimate farm-meets-baseball hype drop. Handed out as an adjustable stadium giveaway cap, it featured rugged catcher Jason LaRue’s #23 right alongside the iconic green-and-yellow John Deere tractor logo.
The Anime Grail: Dodgers “One Piece” Straw Hat
Take one of the most rabid fanbases in baseball, mash it up with the most popular anime on the planet, and you’ve got viral hit. On July 3, 2025, the Dodgers threw a “One Piece Night” and handed out replica straw hats to the first 40,000 ticketed fans. Modeled after Monkey D. Luffy’s signature headwear, clean versions of this hat are insanely sought-after by both anime geeks and Dodger diehards to this day. It sells consistently for nearly $150 on eBay.
The Cursed Jacob deGrom Hair Hat
On September 17, 2016, the New York Mets honored their ace’s flowing brunette locks by handing out a “Jacob deGrom Hair Hat” with actual fake hair sewn into the back. It was a great idea, that ultimately turned sour. The team had to announce they were shutting deGrom down for the rest of the season with an elbow injury just hours before the gates opened for his own promo night.
Bronson Arroyo Hair Hat
Long before deGrom, the 2007 Cincinnati Reds answered a question absolutely no one asked: How can I replicate the flowing blonde locks of our starting pitcher/acoustic guitarist? The answer was an official team cap with fake blonde hair glued to the back. It’s widely considered one of the most bizarre promos of all time.
Nothing will ever beat this. Back on June 18, 2013, the Angels leaned fully into their superstar’s aquatic namesake and gave fans a literal Mike Trout “Fish Hat.” No subtle logos. No stitched numbers. Just a massive, 3D stuffed trout erupting out of the top of your head. It was outrageous, it was hilarious, and it remains the undisputed gold standard for wonderfully weird stadium giveaways.
Do you have a favorite MLB promo item? Let us know on Mantel.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 06: Zack Littell #18 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After starting the season 3-1 with inspiring victories against the Cubs and Phillies, good news has been hard to come by for Nationals fans.
The Nats’ following 8 results have been about as bad as it gets, going on a 5-game losing streak, briefly interrupted by a 9-6 win in the series opener against the Cardinals, and then dropping the last 2 games in the 3-game set. The offense has had its moments, but has struggled to overcome the frequent blown leads by the Washington bullpen.
Decent starts in Game 1 and 2 by Zack Littell and Cade Cavalli were promptly wasted, with the bullpen laboring for 9.1 innings and 9 runs across the two contests. Getting length out of the rotation has been a losing battle for manager Blake Butera, and clawing their way to high-scoring wins is unfortunately not a sustainable strategy.
Going into their next series, the Nationals are at a true “get right” point, but their opponent is far from an easy matchup. The Brewers, returning home after a series loss against the Red Sox, are still sitting pretty with an 8-4 record in early April. A combination of consistent production from their lineup and a handful of stable arms at their disposal, both in the rotation and bullpen, has them looking like the team that won 97 games in 2025.
Friday – 7:40 PM EST
MIL: RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.96 ERA)
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 8.00 ERA)
The 27-year-old Patrick’s early returns have been fantastic for the Brew Crew. He tossed 5 scoreless frames against the Royals in his season debut, and held the White Sox to just 1 run in his following outing. His 5-pitch mix has kept batters off balance but has allowed some hard contact, and should be an interesting test for Nats hitters to jump on his mistakes.
Irvin began his season on a high note against the Cubs, but was roughed up for 6 runs in just 4 innings against the Dodgers in his second start. The veteran righty will be tasked with opening the series for the Nats against one of the strongest offenses in MLB thus far, with the Brewers in the Top 10 for batting average, runs scored, hits, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
Saturday – 7:10 PM EST
MIL: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-0, 2.61 ERA)
WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
An offseason reclamation project by the Milwaukee front office, Harrison, a once-famed pitching prospect for the Giants, has looked as good as he ever has through 2 starts in 2026. He’s peppering the zone with an impressive fastball and timing his slurve well to generate plenty of whiffs. However, like Patrick, when he does allow contact, it’s barreled at a high rate. If Washington can avoid piling up strikeouts, they can create favorable opportunities against the breakout lefty.
Speaking of breakout lefties, Griffin has been a welcome addition to the Nats’ rotation so far. With 7 total offerings, hitters have struggled to figure him out, allowing just 3 runs in his first 10 MLB innings since 2022. He may be pushed a bit deeper into this start than his 2 previous outings because of the bullpen’s concerning start, giving the veteran a chance to continue to prove himself.
Sunday – 2:10 PM EST
MIL: RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 5.91 ERA)
WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
It’s been a far-from-ideal start for Woodruff, although a controversial scoring change from his last appearance did raise his ERA by almost 2 full points. His command hasn’t faltered, but he’s had a difficult go of it when trying to miss bats. The Nats need to attack his fastball early and limit the effectiveness of his arsenal, something the Red Sox found to be quite successful when they tacked 5 runs onto his line on April 6.
Littell has already proven to be an analytical outlier, a common pattern throughout his career. Every advanced metric despises him, but he continues to go out there and give teams solid start after solid start. He shut down the Cardinals’ lineup after a decent game against Philadelphia, but will have to hone in his command versus a savvy Brewers offense after already giving up 5 free passes.
A chance to take advantage
Milwaukee jumped out to an 8-4 start to begin their 2026 campaign, with most of their wins coming in offensive explosions. When they aren’t able to put up at least 5 runs, though, they have yet to record a victory. If the Nationals’ starters can hold it down long enough for the offense to take advantage, Washington fans could have lots to celebrate this weekend.
At the splashdown site of NASA's Apollo 13 Command Module (CM), command module pilot Jack Swigert (1931 - 1982) (top) is lifted in a cargo net (to an off-camera helicopter) while an unidentified US Navy underwater demolition team swimmer (in black) waits with mission commander Jim Lovell (1928 - 2025) in a life raft, April 17, 1970. Other Navy swimmers, assisting with the recovery operation, as visible in the water. The splash down, approximately four miles from the recovery ship, the USS Iwo Jima, occurred at 12:07:44 pm CST. (Photo by NASA via CNP/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Later today, the Artemis II crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the end of the first manned mission to the Moon in more than half a century. The baseball world has changed so much between then and now, from the introduction of the designated hitter in the American League in 1973 to the introduction of six franchises in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. To celebrate today’s accomplishment, I decided to hop into the New York Times archives and see what was happening in the baseball world on December 27, 1968, and April 17, 1970 — the days that Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon, and Apollo 13, whose use of a free return trajectory served as the model for Artemis II’s mission, splashed down. Unfortunately, we have nothing quite as famous or as interesting as Gaylord Perry’s famous home run minutes after Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, but it’s still an interesting insight into a long gone era.
December 27, 1968
The holiday season has been, historically, a slow time in the baseball world, and as it turns out, 1968 was no exception. In fact, only one small article in the New York Times had anything to do with baseball — a report from Kansas City that Owen Friend, had been hired by the Royals to serve as a scout in the Midwest and as an infield coach during during spring training. This news was so small that the ProQuest Historical Newspapers archive did not list it independently, but rather attached it to the paper’s “Table for High Tide for Waters Adjacent to New York,” which listed the morning and evening high tides, sunrise and sunset, and moonrise and moonset times.
Rather amusingly, there was one other time in the paper that day in which the word “baseball” appeared: the article reporting the astronauts’ health after splash down, which stated that they wore caps “similar to baseball caps” while on the USS Yorktown.
April 17, 1970
Unsurprisingly, the Times had quite a bit more baseball news when Apollo 13 splashed down. The paper posted recaps of four games. In the paper’s dive into college ball, Columbia University’s 6-3 victory over Providence took center stage, with Fred Armenti’s eight inning, 10-strikeout performance the story of the afternoon. Right underneath that article was a brief account of Navy’s 8-3 shellacking of Army to maintain their perfect season, in which Tom Galloway and Denny Losh were the players of the game. Turning to Major League Baseball, Tom Seaver’s complete game shutout and Bud Harrelson’s first career home run that landed over the fence — the 150-pound shortstop had an inside-the-park homer three years prior — powered the Mets past the Phillies by the score of 6-0. Last, and certainly not least, the Yankees downed the Orioles by the score of 4-1 in 11 innings, ending a three-game losing streak and seeing their early-season record improve to 3-6.
The Yankees’ victory was rather unusual, aided by a strange error in the top of the 11th. With runners on first and second and two out, Pete Ward hit a groundball right at Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger, who turned and threw the ball to second baseman Davey Johnson. Inexplicably, however, Johnson did not cover the bag, and was tagged with an E4 because, as George Vecsey wrote, “being on the base is a rather vital part of a force play.” Danny Cater — who according to the reporter had been dealing with a run of bad luck, having cut his hand on a broken bat, was struck in the ankle by an errant throw, and had barely avoided getting hit in the face during batting practice — followed that up with a triple that cleared the bases and gave the Bombers a 4-1 lead.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 26: Matt McLain #9 and TJ Friedl #29 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate after scoring runs in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Great American Ball Park on July 26, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The offense of the Cincinnati Reds has been simply abysmal so far in 2026, ranking dead last in both runs and wRC+ through the season’s first 13 games.
Of particular concern, though, is just how poor the output has been from the leadoff position. So far this year, Reds leadoff hitters have collectively put together just a 46 wRC+, a mark that’s been worsted by only the Miami Marlins (34) and San Diego Padres (17). Reds leadoff men sport an impossible .000 ISO (last, obviously) and .189 slugging percentage (2nd worst), their only saving grace being a .295 OBP that ranks 23rd.
Reds fans know good and well that it’s been TJ Friedl doing most of the lifting at leadoff this year, as he’s been in that spot for the Reds for several seasons now. And, in many of those years, he’s been quite competent at the job – including the 2025 season where he posted a stellar .364 OBP and plenty good enough 102 OPS+. The problem, though, is that Friedl looks like a shell of himself at the moment, and there’s only so much time you can give him to work it out while still manning one of the most important spots in the lineup every day.
Thing is, the other guy who’s gotten some time at leadoff is the guy who normally hits 2nd all year, and that’s Matt McLain. And in this case, simply sliding him up and bumping TJ to somewhere else in the order wouldn’t appear to solve the world’s problems. Cincinnati’s #2 spot hitters have posted just a .582 OPS so far this season (23rd overall), .260 slugging percentage (25th overall), and .060 ISO (28th overall) – numbers that are nearly as poor as what they’ve received from the leadoff spot.
I posed the question to you all earlier in the week about what the Reds should do at the leadoff position. With this context, I probably should not have been surprised that you pretty clearly favor anyone other than Friedl or McLain for the job.
How that would all shake out is a bit of a tangled mess, however.
Elly De La Cruz has all the tools in the world to be a potentially elite leadoff man even though he’s entrenched as part of the heart of the order under Terry Francona. Free him up from driving in runs and he just might steal every base himself – Ronald Acuña, for instance, hits leadoff for Atlanta with much the same goal.
Will Benson, when in the lineup, could be a guy who’d do OK there. When at his best he sees a ton of pitches and can take a walk, though like most of the rest of the lineup right now he’s struggled out of the gate. That’s kind of the rub here, though, as he, Noelvi Marte, Friedl, McLain, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Spencer Steer are all guys who have some of the skills needed to hit atop the order yet haven’t put them on display at all at the plate so far in 2026.
What is clear, though, is that something is going to have to change with this lineup at some point soon, whether it’s a complete revival of the parties involved or a major shakeup to get it going.
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball said Friday the percentage of Black players on opening day rosters increased in consecutive years for the first time in at least two decades.
MLB said that 6.8% of players on opening day rosters, injured lists and the restricted list were Black, up from 6.2% at the start of the 2025 season and 6.0% at the beginning of 2024.
This year’s 0.6% increase was the most in a season since a 0.7% rise from 2017 to 2018.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida issued annual studies that showed the percentage was 18% when its reports started in 1991.
Twenty of the 64 Black players had been in programs such as the MLB Youth Academy, Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series, Nike RBI and the Hank Aaron Invitational.
MLB said the total includes 22 players 25 or younger and eight older than 32. The average age of Black players was 27.8 and the overall average 29.25.
In addition, 17 Black players assigned to the minor leagues were on opening day 40-man rosters, including seven from MLB development programs. That group included Milwaukee outfielder Blake Perkins, who was brought up to the Brewers on March 26.
CHICAGO — Seiya Suzuki has rejoined the Chicago Cubs after missing the start of the season with a sprained right knee.
Suzuki was activated from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s game against Pittsburgh. The slugger was in the starting lineup in right field and batting fifth for the opener of the weekend series at Wrigley Field.
Outfielder Dylan Carlson was designated for assignment to make room for Suzuki on the roster. The Cubs also placed reliever Phil Maton on the 15-day IL and recalled right-hander Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa.
Suzuki was one of Chicago’s most productive hitters last year, helping the Cubs reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He hit .245 with a career-high 32 homers and 103 RBIs in 151 games.
The Cubs began the day with a 6-6 record after splitting a six-game road trip to Cleveland and Tampa Bay. They managed a total of 11 runs over the first four games before outscoring the Rays 15-4 in a pair of wins.
Suzuki, who is in the final season of an $85 million, five-year contract, got hurt while playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee on a steal attempt on March 14.
The 31-year-old Suzuki hit .429 (6 for 14) with two doubles in five games in a rehab stint with Double-A Knoxville. He is a .269 hitter with 87 homers and 296 RBIs in 532 career major league games — all with the Cubs.
Maton is dealing with some right knee tendinitis. He is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in five appearances after signing a $14.5 million, two-year contract with the Cubs in free agency.
With his team’s run-scoring drought sitting at 20 innings, Phillies manager Rob Thomson tweaked the middle of his lineup for Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.
Thomson kept the top three spots in the order – Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper — the same as they had been in the first 12 games of the season, but moved Brandon Marsh up to the cleanup spot while dropping Alec Bohm, who had batted cleanup in the first 12 games, to seventh.
Using Marsh in the cleanup spot behind Schwarber and Harper and ahead of No. 5 hitter Bryson Stott gave the Phillies four left-handed bats in a row, a rare construction that Thomson was willing to deploy because the Diamondbacks do not have a left-hander in their bullpen and were starting a right-hander, Michael Soroka.
The Diamondbacks project to start three right-handers in the series, so Thomson could stick with the lefty-heavy middle of the order through the weekend.
“They don’t have a lefty in their ‘pen so we just stacked our lefties all together at the top,” Thomson said.
Marsh had 54 previous plate appearances and a .901 OPS in the four-hole in his career. He has been one of the Phillies’ most consistent hitters for almost a year. He entered Friday night’s game hitting .300 with an .825 OPS in 127 games since May 1. In 12 games this season, he was hitting .275 with a .727 OPS. He had three doubles, a homer and six RBIs.
Bohm belted a three-run home run on opening day but has otherwise struggled in the young season. He entered Friday night hitting .186 (8 for 43) with just two extra-base hits.
Without big power, Bohm is more suited to hit around sixth or seventh in a lineup. Preferring to use Schwarber and Harper near the top of the lineup leaves Thomson without a traditional cleanup option. Bohm often gets the call because of his ability to make contact. Thomson hopes the lineup move will get Bohm untracked.
“I just want him to be himself and use the whole field,” Thomson said.
That goes for the whole team.
“Guys are trying to do too much, swinging early in the count,” Thomson said. “We want them to work counts, work over pitches, chew up pitches, use the whole field, just keep moving the line.”
WHEELER’S TIMETABLE
Zack Wheeler will make his fourth minor-league rehab start Tuesday night for Double A Reading at Somerset.
He could make a fifth rehab start on Sunday April 19, if need be.
“He doesn’t have to have (the fifth start),” Thomson said. “But he’ll have time on the clock so we might take advantage of it if we can.”
Thomson added, “We’ll look at his stuff, his velocity, see how he feels. We’ll look at the command, all that stuff,” in determining if Wheeler will make one or two more minor-league starts.
Either way, the right-hander is nearing his return to the big-league rotation. Sometime during the Phils’ trip to Chicago and Atlanta (April 20-26) seems likely, unless Sunday April 19 comes into play at home.
Wheeler pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night. He scattered three hits, walked one and struck out six.
“He touched 94 (mph) a few times, which is good,” Thomson said. “I think that’s pretty much normal for him this time of spring training. I’m not really concerned about (the velocity). I think it’s still going to go up. Adrenaline will kick in when he gets here and that will help. He’s still building some arm strength.”
Dallas, Florida and Tampa Bay: Three Rangers' road stops ahead and then the misery will be over.
And the re-something will begin.
So far "Retool" has had a few hundred different meanings but what it comes down to is this: The ability of Chris Drury to make a major deal – or even a minor one – is slimmer than Brennan Othmann – remember him?
But as it takes two to tango it takes one GM – initials C.D. – to make it work and when all's said and done, he has maybe one iffy-quality player to offer to the crowd.
His face-saving backup plan is to toss all the young'ins into the 2026-27 lineup and hope for the best.
But, as superscout Jess Rubenstein wisely notes, nobody but Gabe Perreault has shown to be capable of a first line role.
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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