Category: Baseball

There has been plenty of discussion surrounding Kevin Cash’s lineup decisions. Cash addressed those concerns recently, noting that the team expects to experiment with different lineups throughout the season. Much of the focus has centered on Chandler Simpson’s place in the order and Junior Caminero’s lack of traditional lineup protection.

It’s not a matter of these decisions being “right” or “wrong,” but there’s a clear pattern and underlying rationale behind them.

Leading-off

One of the main criticisms of the Rays lineups has been Simpson’s spot in the order. Some want to see him leveraging his speed at the top of the lineup. That would mean bumping Yandy Diaz down to 2nd or 3rd in the lineup. He’s the best on-base hitter on the roster, so they could potentially be leaving runs off the board by replacing him with Simpson. However, Simpson is off to a hot start and is reaching base over 43% of the time. Unfortunately for him, Yandy is getting on base nearly 49% of the time. Yandy also has a more established track record of getting on base at a high clip (.373 career OBP vs .334 for Simpson so far in the majors). I think Simpson will have some opportunities at some point this season to hit leadoff, but the best version of the Rays lineup right now has Yandy leading off. The case against Simpson leading off isn’t just about OBP – it’s about optimizing both his strengths and the hitters around him.

There’s also the question of how much is Simpson’s position near the bottom of the order helping his production. There’s typically less pressure to produce when you’re near the bottom of the lineup. Simpson has batted 8th three times already this season, and his average spot in the lineup is 6.3. It’s also fair to wonder how his current role is supporting his production. Hitters lower in the lineup often operate with less pressure and clearer situational expectations. While that’s difficult to quantify, it’s at least possible that Simpson’s current usage is helping him settle in at the major league level. Simpson is already making worse swing decisions that last season, so I’m not sure the added pressure of the leadoff position would benefit his production.

There’s also evidence that having an aggressive base stealer on first doesn’t necessarily help the hitter. In some cases, it can do the opposite; hitters may alter their approach to accommodate the steal attempt rather than focusing on their own at-bat. In this case, it might be better to have someone less central than the Yandy-Aranda-Caminero group hitting behind Simpson so the Rays best hitters can focus on being their best. Simpson batting 8th like he has most of the season might be the most effective way to get him in scoring position with the top of the lineup coming around; he would have an opportunity to steal a base with the number 9 hitter at the plate or potentially advance a base with a productive out from that hitter.

Cleaning-up

So far, Caminero has primarily been batting 4th in the lineup with mainly Cedric Mullins (x4), Jake Fraley (x2), or Ben Williamson (x2) hitting immediately after him. Some fans might want Caminero higher in the lineup so he can get more plate appearances. This does make sense as he would statistically have more PAs over a full season hitting 3rd rather than 4th, but there are a few reasons to bat him 4th and it doesn’t really matter who is “protecting” him in the lineup.

First, separating Díaz and Caminero (while still keeping both near the top) creates matchup pressure later in games. An opposing team could bring in a tough RHP to face Yandy, but would likely have to let them face Aranda plus another LHB like Fraley or Mullins. This forces an opposing manager between having to neutralize Yandy/Caminero or the LHB between them – but not both.

Another reason to hit Caminero 4th is because he’ll see more PAs with runners on base than if he was batting 3rd. Batting Caminero fourth may cost him some total plate appearances over a full season, but it increases the likelihood that those plate appearances come with runners on base — and for a hitter with his power profile, that’s often the more valuable trade-off.

Lastly, the idea of lineup protection is more mental than scientific.

There isn’t any research that supports the idea that protection is something that should be prioritized when building a lineup. The effects of having a good hitter protecting the batter in front of him are likely marginal at best, and Caminero can hit just about anything out if he squares it up, so he’s not really someone who needs to see more pitches in the zone to be productive. The main thing for him will be to continue to improve his swing decisions as his zone-minus-out-of-zone swing rate is the same as last season despite him chasing less. Having someone like Aranda hitting behind Caminero won’t help him be more productive, but swinging more at pitches down the middle will. Caminero swung at pitches in the heart of the plate just over 75% of the time in 2025, but that number is down under 64% this season. He has done well to limit his chasing so far, but swinging at pitches he can do damage on will help raise his game even more.

Lineup construction isn’t just about putting the “best hitters” at the top; it’s about sequencing skills, managing matchups, and creating the most difficult set of decisions for the opposing staff. Early on, the Rays appear to be prioritizing exactly that.

This isn’t a cop-out blog. I truly feel this way.

I could sit here and give you fancy-dancy analysis, couldn’t I? I have done that before and I will do so again. I don’t think a 2-7 Red Sox start calls for that type of article, though.

I’ve also done this crashout before. Dan Secatore, my fearless leader, has OK’d this before. I feel like I can only pull this move out every few years. Maybe to the uninitiated this type of prose is seen as juvenile, but I feel like I might be speaking for the masses here.

The only other time I’ve done so: August 2023. Not a good year for the Red Sox, perhaps, but I dunno what 2023 me was complaining about. Seems like we were on a relatively good run after the All-Star break up until one bad week. I can’t say for sure what made me snap on that day.

Maybe I was stressed leading up to my wedding day? That’s the only thing I can imagine, in hindsight, that was hindering my judgement.

Well, as a firmly married man right now, my mind is clear. I can feel comfortable with playing this card. I don’t get the chance to play it often—and the fact that I’m playing it in early April is awful for all of us—but it feels right to do so.

I’m playing the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA card.

It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaa.

CAN OUR NINE FIGURE PITCHER GET THROUGH FIVE INNINGS IN AN OK STATE? IS THAT ASKING TOO MUCH????? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABASEBAALLFUCKINGSUCKSAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOD FUCKING DAMNIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFUCKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

I EVEN TRIED GETTING MY DOG TO TYPE ON THE KEYBOARD JUST NOW BUT HE WONT EVEN GIVE THIS TEAM THE TIME OF DAY. HE IS RIGHT TO DO SO. FUCK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa.

IF A DOG DOESN’T EVEN WANNA AIR HIS FRUSTRATIONS THEN IS THIS TEAM EVEN WORTH THE TIME OF DAY JESUS CHRIST.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

REALLY ANNOYING FUCKING TEAM. FUCK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAasdf(my beloved wife stole some blanket from me, so that typo stays in, anyways) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

STUPID MISTAKES ON THE DIAMOND. HOW MANY OF THEM DO WE HAVE TO SIT THROUGH. AT WHAT POINT DO WE START ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO IS DRIVING THE SHIP. WE ARE CONSISTENTLY BRAIN DEAD WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDAMENTALS COMING OUT OF SPRING TRAINING. FUCK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I AM NOT ONE TO CALL EVERYTHING A WRAP IN EARLY APRIL BUT JESUS CHRIST THIS TEAM IS GIVING ME ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOTHING TO MAKE ME THINK OTHER WISE. THE STARTING PITCHING ISN’T STEPPING UP. THE BULLPEN IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THE OFFENSE LOOKS, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, AIMLESS.

THE SEASON STARTED ALREADY, GUYS. I CAN TRY TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUR OFFENSIVE OUTPUT (I still think we can get on base a lot) AND OUR PITCHING (please just don’t hang as many cookies with two strikes!!!! I feel like half of the damage this season has come with two strikes!!!!) AND YOU WILL BE OK. GROW THE FUCK UP, THOUGH!!!!! GROW UP!!!!!! DON’T LEAVE ALL OF YOUR SCORING TO ONE FUCKING INNING. JESUS!!!!!!!!!!! GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! BE BASEBALL PLAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SEASON STARTED!!!!!! YOU ARE A TEAM A LOT OF PEOPLE PUT STOCK IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Song of the Week: “Somebody Kill Me Please” by Adam Sandler

The Cure is great, in his defense.

One more for the road, because I might as well: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Talk to you next week. Go Sox.

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Rays 3, Brewers 2
• Tuesday: Brewers 6, Rays 2
• Wednesday: Brewers 8, Rays 2
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: Postponed (Rescheduled to Saturday doubleheader)
• Saturday, Game 1: Brewers 5, Royals 2
• Saturday, Game 2: Royals 8, Brewers 2
• Sunday: Brewers 8, Royals 5

Division Standings

• Brewers: 7-2
• Pirates: 6-3
• Reds: 6-3
• Cardinals: 5-4
• Cubs: 4-5

Last Week

• Brewers: 4-2
• Pirates: 5-1
• Reds: 4-2
• Cardinals: 3-3
• Cubs: 3-3

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Kyle Harrison got off to a great start in a Brewer uniform. Over two starts against the Rays and Royals, Harrison spanned 10 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and striking out a team-high 14 batters.

Kyle Harrison was filthy in his Brewers debut ❕ pic.twitter.com/5Cm1MyKr95

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 31, 2026

Kyle Harrison keeps up his strong start as a Brewer

5.1 IP
2 ER
6 K pic.twitter.com/trOiC54Sza

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 5, 2026

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

There was no clear hitting performance this week, as seven different players had four-plus hits this week, but none had more than six. Even so, Garrett Mitchell had a huge day on Saturday across Milwaukee’s doubleheader, but specifically in game one. In the 5-2 victory, Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, and all five RBIs, a career-high for him. He added another RBI in the night game for a three-hit, six-RBI day in total. He finished the week with five hits, including four extra-base hits, driving in eight.

Garrett Mitchell is sooooooooo back

→ https://t.co/eycfmE2vgmhttps://t.co/UpYlMa8XLZpic.twitter.com/816yVyYpwI

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 4, 2026

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• The busy news day of the week came on Monday. First, the Brewers acquired outfielder Luis Matos from the Giants, sending cash considerations the other way after he was designated for assignment. To make space on the 40-man roster, left-hander Sammy Peralta was designated for assignment by Milwaukee, while Jeferson Quero, who made his MLB debut on Sunday, was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to make space on the active roster. Peralta was claimed by the Rockies on Saturday.
• Later in the afternoon, Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect, shortstop Cooper Pratt, reportedly agreed to an eight-year, $50.75 million extension with a pair of options that could keep him in the organization through 2035. After the extension was officially announced on Friday, Pratt was added to the 40-man roster. Outfielder Steward Berroa was designated for assignment as the corresponding move, while Pratt will remain in Triple-A Nashville for the time being.
• Lastly, RHP Logan Henderson was recalled as the team’s 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader, making the start (2 IP, 2 ER, 3 K) before being sent back to Nashville after the game.

On Deck

• Monday: @ Red Sox (5:45 p.m.)
• Tuesday: @ Red Sox (5:45 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Red Sox (12:35 p.m.)
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: vs. Nationals (6:40 p.m.) — Wisconsin First Friday
• Saturday: vs. Nationals (6:10 p.m.) — Miz Trading Card Bobblehead Giveaway
• Sunday: vs. Nationals (1:10 p.m.) — Wiffle Ball Set Giveaway (Kids)

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (5-4)

SYRACUSE 5, TOLEDO 4 (BOX)

As I was sitting down to start typing this report up yesterday afternoon, I took a quick look at Gameday and saw that the score was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Barely a minute later, when I opened MS Word to start writing this, I looked over at my phone and the score was 4-3. Jackson Cluff walk-off! Carl Edwards Jr. didn’t pitch too bad in his five innings of work, but the Syracuse offense wasn’t able to crack Toledo starter Carlos Pena and they found themselves down all afternoon. Jonathan Pintaro allowed two more in the top of the sixth, and the way the offense was playing, it very well could’ve been a 3-0 final. Showing a little intestinal fortitude, Syracuse strung together a bunch of hits and plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and then in the bottom of the ninth, Ji Hwan Bae doubled and Cluff drove him in with his second homer of the season and his second in as many days.

• DH MJ Melendez: 0-4, 3 K
• 2B Ronny Mauricio: 1-4, R, K, SB (3)
• RF Ryan Clifford: 0-4, 2 K
• 1B Jose Rojas: 2-4, R
• 3B Vidal Bruján: 1-4
• LF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-4, R, 2B, K
• CF Cristian Pache: 2-4, 2 RBI
• C Ben Rortvedt: 0-4, K
• SS Jackson Cluff: 3-4, R, 2B, HR (2), 2 RBI, K
• RHP Carl Edwards Jr.: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, E (1)
• RHP Nick Burdi: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Ryan Lambert: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Alex Carrillo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (1-1)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (0-2)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (2-1)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Jackson Cluff

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jonathan Pintaro

You had to think that a weekend in Colorado would help the offense a bit. Then they went and scored three runs in two games. I can’t figure this offense out just yet.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Brandon Marsh has been very good since roughly May of last year thanks to the “Kyle Schwarber approach” ($).
• Gage Wood had a great season debut for Clearwater over the weekend. A lot of Phillies minor league pitchers had a great start to their season.

MLB news:

• One of the coming fights in the MLB labor dispute will be in media rights and their income. That makes initial numbers not so great news.
• The Astros got some not too great news yesterday when Hunter Brown had to get placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain.
• Meanwhile, the Yankees will get a boost to their rotation when Luis Gil gets set to return this coming week.

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! It was not a happy weekend for the Orioles, who limped out of Pittsburgh after being swept. That was after losing two out of three to the Rangers, making them losers of five of their last six. It’s not really how any of us imagined the season starting.

Yesterday’s game was particularly painful. Chris Bassitt pitched his second clunker in as many tries and exited after six runs allowed in just two innings. He may have stayed in longer if he hadn’t been hit in the leg by a 112 mph line drive, certainly. The offense had eight hits, but just two runs. Poor Samuel Basallo struck out four times. You can get all of the grisly details in Paul Folkemer’s game recap.

Last night, I was reading the comments in the game recap and in the game thread, and it got me thinking about letting a sports team make you totally miserable. Because if you read the comments, it seems that people are miserable and very angry. I get it. I have watched more bad baseball in my life than I have good, and I have been a very invested and very online fan for most of it. It’s so easy to let what happens out there affect your mood.

No doubt many of you remember the 2010 season. Nobody expected the Orioles to be good that year, but also nobody expected them to start the year 2-16. Back in those olden days I was running Camden Chat before the current site manager, Mark, took over. He’s much better at it than I ever was, by the way. Sometimes my game recaps wouldn’t go up until like midnight because I got busy watching reruns of The Golden Girls or something.

I was so deep into the Orioles in 2010 that the 2-16 stretch of baseball made me entirely miserable. I turned on the game every night. I watched Ty Wigginton and César Izturis and Corey Patterson stink up the basepaths. I watched Kevin Millwood give up a billion runs and Jake Arrieta underperform. I was deep into it. I could tell you everything about those teams. And I hated it. I hated the Orioles. And they weren’t even supposed to be good!

Not long after that 2-16 stretch (maybe around 7-18 or so), I realized I needed to stop being so miserable about the Orioles. Why was I letting myself get angry? What was the point? There had to be something redeeming about being a fan of a bad baseball team. Otherwise, why do it?

I think the answer to what is redeeming is different for everyone. For me, there is community in baseball fandom. Does it suck to watch the Orioles lose and struggle? Of course it does. But we’re all doing it together. Just like we’re all doing it together when the Orioles play well and hit a bunch of dingers and have a lot of fun. Camden Chat has always been a place where the community matters and where people get together during a game to be happy or mad or whatever the situation calls for.

Also, for me, I find some meaning in the players themselves. A lot of internet commenters are quick to call players “garbage” or ascribe some motivations (or lack thereof) to players, and it makes me uncomfortable. Those people will say they are just being fans, and I guess that is true. But how can you really be a fan of a team if you hate all the players? If you think they are all lazy or arrogant or stupid? When your first instinct is to trash them?

I’m not saying I don’t have a lot of emotions about the Orioles. I have never been so high as I was after game two of the 2014 ALDS. I’m dying to feel that again. And I felt incredibly sad about leaving Camden Yards after the 2024 Wild Card series. But I don’t think you get to either of those places by spending six months being aggressive and angry. It’s deeper than that.

I just wrote a lot of words that don’t have much to do with the team the Orioles are fielding right now, so thanks for indulging me. But it does have to do with the nature of being an Orioles fan, and if they truly prompt you to be angry and mean, maybe that’s something to examine. Or if you only want to shout into the void when things are going poorly but don’t want to celebrate when they’re not, why is that?

Anyway. The Orioles start a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox tonight at Guaranteed Rate Field. The starting pitcher is TBD but it’s expected to be a bullpen game kicked off by Albert Suárez. Not exactly what we hoped for in game 10 of the season, but here we are.

Links

O’s turn focus to fundamentals & execution amid tough start to ’26 – MLB.com
Quick question: why weren’t they already focusing on that?

Bassitt exits early, Albernaz ejected, Orioles swept in Pittsburgh with 8-2 loss – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko has the story rundown along with quotes from players and Craig Albernaz.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is ejected for first time in career – The Baltimore Banner
Home plate umpire James Jean refused to grant multiple Orioles hitters a timeout when requested against a very quick-working Braxton Ashcroft. Albernaz spoke up, and Jean was quick with the hook.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have just one Orioles birthday buddy. Danny Clyburn was born on this day in 1974. Clyburn was an outfielder who appeared in two games with the Orioles in 1997 and 11 games in 1998. His only other MLB experience came with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999. Clyburn was tragically shot and killed in an argument with a neighbor in 2012.

On this day in 1973, the Orioles defeated the Brewers on Opening Day by a score of 10-0. Brooks Robinson hit two home runs. Don Baylor had a home run and three doubles. And Dave McNally allowed just three hits.

In 1992, the Orioles played their first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and defeated Cleveland, 2-0. Rick Sutcliffe pitched a complete game, five-hitter. Chris Hoiles and Billy Ripken had RBIs for the Orioles.

In 1997, the Orioles lost their first game of the season after starting 4-0. Mike Mussina allowed seven runs in just four innings, his worst start of the year.

In 2009, the Orioles celebrated Opening Day with a 10-5 victory over the Yankees. Jeremy Guthrie earned the win with the classic QS (6 IP, 3 ER). Brian Roberts and Adam Jones each had three hits as the 1-2 batters in the lineup. Roberts hit the first of his 56 doubles of the season and Jones hit the first of 19 home runs.

And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Royals, 4-1. Cade Povich allowed all four runs, but just one was earned thanks to an error by centerfielder Jorge Mateo. The Orioles scored their only run when Ryan Mountcastle reached on an E9 and came in to score on a passed ball.

Free of charge for the discerning reader. This one has a work stoppage,and other stories.Kerry Wood and his coach The Vulture, a birthday boy.

Today in baseball history:

• 1891 – The International League changes its name to the Eastern Association because it no longer has any Canadian clubs.
• 1932 – The Albuquerque Dons (Class D Arizona-Texas League) open the season with a 43 – 15 win over the El Paso Texans.
• 1961 – Vedie Himsl is designated as head coach of the Cubs for the first two weeks of the season.
• 1971 – Before 41‚121 at Chicago‚ Billy Williams clubs a 10th-inning homer off Bob Gibson to give the Cubs a 2-1 win over the Cards. Joe Torre’s homer‚ off Fergie Jenkins‚ is the only Cardinal score. Here’s the article Al wrote about this game on its 50th anniversary.

• 1972 – For the first time in history, the major league season fails to open due to a general player strike. The strike, announced April 1, will erase 86 games from the major league schedule.
• 1973 – The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Roberto Clemente’s uniform number 21 in a moving pre-game ceremony before 51,695 fans at Three Rivers Stadium. The 38-year-old Clemente died in a plane crash the previous New Year’s Eve, attempting to bring relief aid to earthquake-stricken Managua, Nicaragua. The Pirates then beat St. Louis‚ 7-5‚ with a 9th-inning rally.
• 1973 – Yankee Ron Blomberg, facing Boston’s Luis Tiant, becomes the first official designated hitter in the major leagues. Blomberg walks with the bases loaded his first time up and winds up 1-for-3 in a 15-5 loss to the Red Sox.
• 1993 – In his National League debut‚ Cubs P Jose Guzman takes a perfect game into the eighth inning against Atlanta‚ finally settling for a one-hit‚ 1-0 victory. Otis Nixon’s single with two out in the ninth is the Braves’ only hit. 
• 2013 – The Upton brothers, playing together for the Braves, stun the Cubs. With Atlanta trailing 5 – 4, B.J. Upton leads off the bottom of the ninth with a homer off Carlos Marmol, and two batters later, Justin Upton hits a walk-off blast to give the Braves a 6-5 win, his second long ball of the game. They are the first pair of brothers to homer in the same inning since Billy and Cal Ripken did so for Baltimore in 1996. 
• 2014 – Texas P Yu Darvish becomes the fastest starting pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts when he fans David DeJesus and Wil Myers in the first inning of a 1-0 win against the Rays in his first start of the season. It took Yu only 401.2 innings to reach the total, beating Kerry Wood, who had needed 404.2 innings. 
• 2017 – Cardinals C Yadier Molina loses a ball when it bounces in the dirt and then gets stuck to his chest protector, allowing Cubs PH Matt Szczur to reach base on a dropped third strike in the seventh inning while Molina is frantically looking around to find the disappeared spheroid. The bizarre play turns out to be instrumental, as Brett Cecil walks the next batter, Jon Jay, and Kyle Schwarber follows with a three-run homer and Chicago wins, 6-4.
• 2020 – Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who was signed by the Detroit Tigers out of high school, went straight to the majors, and collected 3000 hits during his lifelong association with the team, passes away at age 85. His death will start an unprecedented parade of passings by members of the Hall of the Fame over the rest of the year.

Cubs birthdays: Rudy Schwenck, Don Elston, Phil Regan*, Thomas Diamond. Also notable: Mickey Cochrane HOF, Ernie Lombardi HOF, Bert Blyleven HOF.

Today in History:

• 774 – Charles the Great (Charlemagne) confirmed the gift to the Pope of the territories belonging to Ravenna made by his father Pepin the Short at Quiercy-sur-Loire in 753.
• 1652 – Cape Colony, the 1st European settlement in South Africa, established by Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeeck.
• 1772 – Catherine the Great Empress of Russia, ends tax on men with beards, enacted by Tsar Peter the Great in 1698. (There is probably no truth to the rumor that this was then handed down to the New York Yankees.)
• 1889 – George Eastman begins selling his Kodak flexible rolled film for the first time.
• 1896 – First modern Summer Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece; American athlete James Connolly becomes first modern Olympic champion when he wins triple jump (then two hops and a jump); later third in long jump, second in high jump.
• 1909 – North Pole reached by Americans Robert Peary & Matthew Henson.
• 1930 – Hostess Twinkies invented by bakery executive James Dewar.
• 1938 – Teflon invented by Roy J. Plunkett.
• 1974 – 200,000 attend rock concert “California Jam” at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California; line-up includes Earth, Wind & Fire; Black Sabbath; Deep Purple; and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (this was simulcast on WDAI 94.7 FM. I know because I was listening and watching.)
• 1987 – Los Angeles Dodgers GM Al Campanis appears on TV program ABC News: Nightline saying Blacks may not be equipped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy.

Thanks for reading. À bientôt.

* pictured

While the Dodgers have won seven of their first nine games to sit atop the National League West, the rest of the division is off to a tough start to 2026, with none of the other four teams having a winning record.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in second place after the first three series of the year at a break-even 5-5, which is more impressive considering they’ve won five out of seven since getting swept by the Dodgers in the opening weekend at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles has outscored its opponents by 20 runs through nine games this season, while every other team in the division has a negative run differential. The San Francisco Giants have the worst run differential in the majors, having been outscored by 25 runs through 10 games and scoring a league-worst 2.6 runs per contest. Arizona, even at .500, has been outscored by 17 runs, third-worst differential in MLB thus far.

The lack of success by the rest of the west has been bad largely due to bad offense, with teams ranked 24th, 25th, 27th, and 30th in the majors in runs scored per game through Sunday.

Division news & notes

• D-backs outfielder Jordan Lawlar was hit by a pitch on Thursday that broke his right wrist, landing him on the injured list.
• The Giants were swept by the Mets, including a particular odious 9-0 defeat on Saturday.
• The San Diego Padres are averaging just 3.56 runs per game, including scoring three or fewer runs in seven of their first eight games. But it could have been worse for the Friars, who won their final two games in Boston over the weekend to salvage the week.
• The Colorado Rockies scored 14 runs in a rout of the Toronto Blue Jays last Monday, but have plated just 16 total runs in their other eight games combined. But it could be worse for the 3-6 Rockies — they started 2-7 last year en route to 119 losses.

NL West standings

Dodgers 7-2, – –
D-backs 5-5, 2.5 GB
Padres 4-5, 3 GB
Rockies 3-6, 4 GB
Giants 3-7, 4.5 GB

The week ahead

• Dodgers: at Blue Jays, vs. Rangers
• D-backs: at Mets, at Phillies
• Padres: at Pirates, vs. Rockies (4 games)
• Rockies: vs. Astros, at Padres (4 games)
• Giants: vs. Phillies, at Orioles

The loudest roar of the weekend probably came when Konnor Griffin cracked an RBI double in his first major league at-bat. Yet for the Pittsburgh Pirates, silence has been golden.

Arguably the game's most downtrodden franchise the past three decades, the Pirates have roared from the gates in 2026, winning six of their first nine games and soaring 12 spots in USA TODAY Sports' MLB power rankings.

And in sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in their home-opening series, the Pirates got deftly-pitched games from Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft, 4 ⅓ scoreless relief innings in a 10-inning walk-off and a three-run homer from free agent slugger Ryan O'Hearn, his third of the year.

Imagine that: A sweep of a good team, and Paul Skenes had nothing to do with it.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Mookie Betts' oblique strain means lots of run for Miguel Rojas on his farewell tour.

2. New York Yankees (+3)

• This guy is trouble: Cam Schlittler hasn't allowed a run in his first 11 ⅔ innings.

3. Milwaukee Brewers (+7)

• Third team's the charm? Kyle Harrison with 14 punchouts in his first two starts.

4. New York Mets (+3)

• Lindor's not hitting, Soto's ailing, Bichette's adjusting - and they're 6-4.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (-3)

• As Zack Wheeler builds up in the minor leagues, Taijuan Walker's giving up rockets in games that count.

6. Houston Astros (+6)

• A great start spurred by red-hot Yordan Alvarez, but ace Hunter Brown's shoulder ailment very concerning.

7. Seattle Mariners (-4)

• Cal Raleigh is 5-for-38 with a 52.6% strikeout rate.

8. Toronto Blue Jays (-4)

• Just a bummer that Cody Ponce's return from Korea derailed by ACL tear after seven outs

9. Chicago Cubs (-3)

• OK so maybe Milwaukee will be a problem again.

10. Detroit Tigers (-2)

• Justin Verlander battling a bum hip and the age (43) on his driver's license.

11. Cincinnati Reds (+5)

• Chase Burns: One earned run in 12 innings pitched.

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (+12)

• The starting rotation has yet to give up a home run.

13. Cleveland Guardians (+6)

• Sure, Chase DeLauter is nice but of course the pitching (3.48 ERA, fourth in AL) has been absurd.

14. Atlanta Braves (+7)

• Drake Baldwin tied for NL lead with four home runs.

15. Miami Marlins (+7)

• Get used to these fellows as they won't be going away soon.

16. Boston Red Sox (-7)

• 2-7 and Roman Anthony's defense wedges him at DH. Not a great start.

17. San Diego Padres (-6)

• Jackson Merrill looking more like his rookie self.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• Zac Gallen outdueled Tarik Skubal and that's probably a good sign for the rest of the year.

19. Kansas City Royals (-2)

• "I'm going to set a million alarms to make sure I'm up," says rookie Carter Jensen after oversleeping leads to benching.

20. Texas Rangers (-6)

• Jake Burger hopes seeing red leads to better results.

21. Baltimore Orioles (-6)

• Chris Bassitt rocked for 10 earned runs in first two starts.

22. Tampa Bay Rays (-2)

• The Trop is open for business once again.

23. Los Angeles Angels (+3)

• They're up three spots this week - one for every one of Jo Adell's home run robberies.

24. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)

• Other than Dustin May's struggles, a fine start so far.

25. San Francisco Giants (-12)

• First ejection? Tony Vitello got that out of the way.

26. Athletics (-1)

• Nick Kurtz (4-for-27, no homers) not quite picking up where he left off in Yolo County.

27. Minnesota Twins (-)

• Byron Buxton hits 10 years of major league service.

28. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Just swept the Blue Jays! Convincing? Not quite.

29. Colorado Rockies (+1)

• Mickey Moniak lights up the Phillies for two home runs.

30. Washington Nationals (-1)

• Hard to do: Miles Mikolas gives up Nationals-record 11 earned runs in one start.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Pirates sweep top prospect Konnor Griffin's debut

What do you remember most about the epic, riveting, thrill-a-minute Game 7?

The home run? Which one?

That crazy play at the plate? The rubber-armed starter-turned-closer? The last out?

So many moments, so many stories that will be told and retold among this generation of Dodgers fans and passed down to the next.

Read more:Dodgers put Mookie Betts on IL, call up Hyeseong Kim before sweeping Nationals

As the Dodgers return to Toronto on Monday, for the first time since conquering the Blue Jays to capture the World Series championship, I wanted to look back with a peek at the official World Series documentary.

Not so fast. Major League Baseball did commission a documentary, as it always does, but the film was not ready for release by the time spring training started. The series was so dramatic that the league is looking into options for a high-profile rollout, probably around midseason.

The Dodgers did their part, with a creative bobblehead series of Game 7 moments: Max Muncy’s home run in the eighth inning, Miguel Rojas’ tying home run in the ninth inning, Will Smith’s game-winning home run in the 11th inning, Mookie Betts turning the game-ending double play, and a Yoshinobu Yamamoto “last out” image.

Collect all five, though, and you still don’t get the behind-the-scenes access that a documentary does. So why not ask the Dodgers themselves to take you behind the scenes in those wild hours between their departure from Rogers Centre as champions and their arrival in Los Angeles the following day?

Actually, by the time the Dodgers left the stadium, it was already the following day. Game 7 did not end until 17 minutes past midnight. The Dodgers gathered on the field to collect their championship trophy, retreated to the clubhouse to douse themselves in champagne and beer, returned to the field to share the moment with their families, then went back inside to shower and dress.

“By the time you get done celebrating, there is nowhere that is still open,” Muncy said. “So we had a little spot downstairs at the hotel. We had a little party down there.”

It was past 2 a.m. by the time most of the players and their families joined the party in a hotel ballroom to share food, drink, and joy.

“It was really cool to embrace all the families, see all the excitement,” Rojas said.

“It was unbelievable that you got to bring the trophy back to the hotel. That’s what I remember: taking those moments and enjoying them with the people that I really care about.”

Freddie Freeman said he was one of the first to leave the party. He and his family stayed about an hour and a half, and by then his kids were so tired that it was time for bed.

Rojas said he hung out at the party until around 5 a.m. He did not sleep that night.

Was there any sleep to be had for Muncy that night?

“At some point, there was,” he said. “I don’t remember it.”

The Dodgers pushed back their flights to noon, manager Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers travel in two groups: one for families, coaches, and team staffers; the other for the players.

“I don’t know what they were doing,” Roberts said. “I was sleeping.”

They were singing.

“My favorite part was the bus ride going to the plane,” Freeman said. “Music blaring. Everyone is singing on the bus.

“Miguel is on the mic. Every song he played, he seemed to know the words, or he made up words.”

For Rojas to get up and sing on the team bus, well, nothing new there. What was new that morning was one song in his repertoire.

“There’s this song they were playing at the stadium in the seventh inning — I think it goes, ‘Oh yay, Blue Jays,’ something like that,” Rojas said. (It’s called “OK, Blue Jays.”)

“And I was just singing the song and getting the guys going. I didn’t plan it. I was just happy and letting myself go, as I always do on the mic. And the guys enjoy it. I do my part on the bus every time, and it’s like a performance. Every time I go up there, I feel like I’m Kevin Hart.”

And then …

“At some point, we were on a plane,” Muncy said. “I don’t remember the timing of any of that. I just know that it was all a lot of fun. Traveling isn’t always something that is fun, but in that scenario, it was something that everyone really enjoyed.

Read more:Dodgers offense stays hot as Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker balance lineup with big hits

“You’re passing the trophy around. You’re getting pictures taken. You’re playing ‘We Are the Champions’ on repeat for hours, not getting tired of it at all. It’s a really good time.”

The planes landed. The players reunited with their families. It was time to go home.

But reflection on those few hours of celebration — that wild scramble to enjoy the moment, yet hurry to get everyone ready to go home — left the Dodgers envisioning one of the few things this contemporary dynasty has yet to accomplish.

“I would love to win at home,” Muncy said. “We haven’t done that yet. It would be ideal to do that.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees have gotten off to a 7-2 start, the best in the American League, and there’s obviously a lot going well to support that strong record. However, a perfect team the Yankees have not been, and the flaws have been notable especially in their two losses: the bottom of their lineup hasn’t given them much of anything, and the bullpen is a bit suspect. These were the main concerns about the team all throughout the offseason, so having them be front-and-center out of the gate as well is a bit frustrating, but it’s also hard to complain too hard when at the end of the day the team is off to the start they’re on these first two weeks.

Putting aside the lineup for now, I’d like to talk a little bit about the bullpen today. The team didn’t get an ideal start from Max Fried on Sunday, to be sure, but they also got a blowup from Jake Bird in the eighth to let the game get away from them. Similarly, in Saturday’s win the comeback was nearly squandered by Camilo Doval giving up twice as many runs as he recorded outs, and it’s not his only poor outing to start the year. Outside of closer David Bednar and Fernando Cruz, the Yankees don’t have a lot of trust to place in their relief corps. Paul Blackburn has been utilized sparingly when the team has already burnt their main arms earlier in the game or if they’re unavailable, and Cade Winquest hasn’t been able to find his way into a game even with the blowouts that the team has accumulated.

Is there a way to shake the bullpen up outside of waiting for the starting rotation to get healthy and push people down into the ‘pen? Should the team tap into their minor league depth to see if they can amplify the ‘pen? Should they stay the course and see if their current arms can adapt in time for when the team inevitably needs to rely on them for a stretch? All of these are valid questions, but they’re not ones that we can easily answer. What we can tackle, is whether this current bullpen as constructed feels like enough to back the rest of the team up. They’ve passed the test thus far, but the confidence isn’t high should the starting pitching not deliver a stellar outing like they were the first couple of times through. I’d say that while I think the bullpen is currently a weak point, it’s not the most concerning part of the team; that honor would go to what’s been happening in the back half of the lineup. But perhaps you think differently, and want to sound the alarm on this relief corps before more games start getting blown — give us your thoughts down in the comments.

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Today on the site, Andrew starts us off with a deep dive into what happened around the league in the Rivalry Roundup (spoilers: the Yankees didn’t lose much ground despite the loss). Then, Matt gives some somber birthday well wishes to the recently-deceased Ken Clay, and Estevão ponders the situation of running into slumping stars early on and what to expect against them. Finally, I’ll be back later in the afternoon to open up the mailbag for another round of questions.

Today’s Matchup

Off-day

MLB | Bryan Hoch: Who said Giancarlo Stanton was just a stationary slugger? In Saturday’s 9-7 comeback win against the Marlins, Stanton showed that he has more tools in his bag besides clobbering homers. After drawing a leadoff walk in the seventh inning, Stanton took advantage of the Marlins’ lax defense and stole his first base since 2024, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch. Stanton made his mark again in the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded, coming up with a two-run single that proved to be the decisive blow. Maybe a 40-steal season isn’t in the cards for Stanton, but just the fact that he’s willing to take a base if the other team gives it to him is a good sign for his health. Keep showing off those wheels, G; just don’t go too crazy.

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: Not every game is a must-win, but they do all count, even in April. Our very own Josh highlighted the importance of building a comfortable cushion in the early goings to soften the blow of any potential swoons down the road. Szymborski’s piece is written from a more general view, as he notes that the results from the first week have already had a sizeable impact on each team’s playoff odds. Yankees fans rejoice: the Bombers’ 5-1 start against the Giants and the Mariners have added a whopping 8.1 points to their playoff odds. I recommend reading the full article for a quick view on how the Yankees’ divisional rivals have fared.

ESPN: Finally, a quick update on the new ABS system. ESPN is compiling an ABS tracker which records the results of each player and team’s ABS challenges. A few Yankees appear on the individual leaderboards: through yesterday’s action, Trent Grisham is 2-for-2 in batter challenges, Max Fried is 1-for-1 in pitcher challenges, and Austin Wells is 5-for-6 in catcher challenges. As a team, the Yankees have a successful challenge rate of 66.7 percent, good for fourth in MLB. Let’s see if they can keep up this impressive performance in the coming months.

It was an eventful long weekend for Jays news. The big one was that Alejandro Kirk fractured and dislocated his thumb on an Austin Hays foul tip late in Friday’s game. His actual prognosis won’t be known until he meets with specialists on Monday. In the best case scenario, though, it’ll be several weeks before we see him again. That’s a major blow to a team already dealing with a spate of rotation injuries. Brandon Valenzuela got the call up from Buffalo, and it sounds like he and Tyler Heineman will effectively be co-starters for the next few weeks based on John Schneider’s comments. Valenzuela came over from San Diego in exchange for Will Wagner. He’s not much of an offensive threat, although he can take a walk and has more than zero power. Defence is his calling card, as he projects as a solidly above average receiver with a good arm. He won’t replicate Kirk’s bat, but he might be able to do a passable impression of his game calling and framing.

They also made a couple of acquisitions. First, they signed Patrick Corbin to a one year, $1m deal with up to $1m in incentives. Corbin has been a free agent all spring, but has apparently been stretching out and was able to go 74 pitches with A Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, striking out nine over five one run innings. The 36 year old lefty made two All Star teams in the 2010s with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but struggled after signing a big free agent contract with the Washington Nationals and was the worst regular starter in the league from 2021 through 2024, posting a 5.71 ERA across 679 innings. He regained his footing last year after a move to the Texas Rangers, posting a 4.40 ERA over 155 innings with his best strikeout rate in years. There’s a reason he was unsigned in April, but if he can give them anything close to what he did in Texas for a few weeks he could be a badly needed rotation stopgap and his length on Saturday suggests he’s close to MLB ready.

Second, they acquired infielder Tyler Fitzgerald from the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations and optioned him to Buffalo. Fitzgerald had a good major league season in 2024, hitting .280/.334/.497. The underlying stat suggested that was way over his head, though, and he hasn’t produced like that before or since. He projects as more of a low .600s OPS guy. He played mostly shortstop in San Francisco, grading out below average there, but he’s also a solid second baseman and centre fielder, and has some time in third and left. He’ll slot into the depth utility infielder role until recently occupied by Leo Jimenez.

Last, they finally decided to send Brendon Little down after a brutal start to the season. His meltdown on Saturday raised his ERA to 24.55 on the season, and it hasn’t looked like anything at all is working for him. I don’t want to give up on him, it’s nasty stuff and he was excellent in the first half last season, but a reset is sorely needed. Lazaro Estrada also went back down. He came up for Cody Ponce and gave the Jays four desperately needed shutout innings, but they need a fresh arm and so he heads back to Buffalo. Such is live on the 40-man options shuttle. Lefty specialist Joe Mantiply and journeyman swing man Austin Voth come up in their place. Mantiply has been an effective lefty specialist for a long time with the Arizona Diamondbacks but declining velocity and poor MLB results got him sent down and then released last season before the Jays picked him up. Voth spent all of last season starting effectively for the NBP’s Chiba Lotte Marines after a decent 2024 spent as a conventional reliever in the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen. Both appeared in yesterday’s game. Voth went 2.2 innings, allowing one earned run (plus allowing an inherited runner to score) on three hits and a walk with one strikeout. Mantiply relieved him and worked one and a third, with a trio of strikeouts.

In the final three games against the San Francisco Giants, the Mets allowed five total runs en route to three wins to culminate a 4-3 road trip. Even in their losses, New York allowed three runs or fewer in two of them and for the most part has gotten superior starting pitching two times through the rotation.

On Sunday, it was Kodai Senga's turn to deliver a quality outing and the right-hander handed in five scoreless innings before getting tagged for two runs in the sixth where only one ball was hit particularly hard.

Senga finished his outing by going 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits, two walks and striking out seven on 88 pitches (55 strikes). Early on, he even struck out five in a row and looked great for a second straight start, this one on four days rest.

"It wasn’t perfect today, but good enough to make the game winnable," Senga said after the game through an interpreter.

It's the same kind of mentality that Senga used to have with himself when he was going good, often being hyper critical of things that he could improve on and fix for the next one.

Still, manager Carlos Mendoza was much more effusive of the right-hander's performance, saying "he pretty much dominated that lineup… Overall I think he was outstanding."

Senga is the latest of Mets starters to pitch well, following Clay Holmes' seven scoreless innings on Saturday and Nolan McLean's five hitless innings on Friday. As a unit, New York's starting rotation has a 3.13 ERA, eighth in MLB and third in the NL.

What's also encouraging? The Mets rank third in total innings pitched by their starters at 54.2 -- a year after their staff was routinely unable to go deep into games. As the season progresses and the temperature gets warmer and pitchers become more stretched out, hopefully that number continues to go up as well.

"I think it’s a really strong group," Senga said of the starting rotation. "As long as we stay healthy, stay out on the mound, we can be a stabilizing force for the team. That goes for everybody and myself. I don’t want to be the one lagging behind, I want to be up there with them."

Of course, after his incredible first half last season, Senga returned from a hamstring injury and had a dreadful end to the year. It became such a problem that New York sent him down to the minors to try and restore his stuff and his confidence. 

The team even entertained trading the 33-year-old during the offseason but decided to keep the right-hander who then rewarded the Mets with a strong showing in spring training that has continued into the regular season.

It's obviously still very early into the season, but the signs are good for Senga and if he's able to keep it up he can certainly be a part of a Mets staff that has all the makings of a top rotation in baseball and be that stabilizing force that he was talking about.