Category: Baseball

With another difficult loss for the San Diego Padres, the Friars are in last place in the National League West with a 2-5 record.

While the offense has been troubling, the real story of the day (and the last week) has been skipper Craig Stammen’s managing of the relief group.

His decision of who to keep out and who to pull have affected games drastically, actually losing three games for San Diego.

Yesterday was — unfortunately — no different.

Michael King pitched five great innings of two-run ball before coming back out in the sixth. He gave up a home run to Willson Contreras before settling in to get two outs.

After that, with a runner on first, Stammen pulled King in favor of the lefty-on-lefty matchup of Wandy Peralta and Marcelo Mayer.

It backfired immediately.

Mayer took the first pitch deep for a two-run home run to make the Boston Red Sox’s lead 5-2. They wouldn’t surrender the lead after that.

It was a shock to see Stammen pull King. Even the Padres’ broadcasters noted that King himself looked surprised he wouldn’t finish the inning.

Stammen’s the first to admit that he’s learning on the job. While that candor is appreciated, that learning needs to translate to wins soon or the voices calling for the Friars’ manager’s firing will only get louder.

Taking the mound

Connelly Early (BOS) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)

In spite of Boston losing Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, Early dazzled with five-and-a-third innings of one-run ball.

The top prospect for the Sox struck out six but struggled to limit baserunners, allowing five hits and two walks to the Reds.

The Padres struggled to score with RISP last season but have shown potential recently. Hopefully, they’ll be able to solve Early after struggling a bit against Sonny Gray yesterday.

It’s impossible to understate just how good Vásquez’s first outing of 2026 was.

In six innings against the Detroit Tigers, he allowed only two hits and three walks, striking out eight batters along the way. His performance went a long way in assuaging the Friars’ depth concerns in their starting rotation.

If Vásquez can continue to do that against Boston this afternoon, all San Diego will need to do is put some runs up as insurance.

Batter up!

Early is the first lefty the Padres will be facing since Framber Valdez in their series against the Detroit Tigers.

With that in mind, the lineup will likely shift back to what it looked like on Opening Day (with a few tweaks):

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Xander Bogaerts, SS
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Jackson Merrill, CF
5. Ramón Laureano, LF
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Nick Castellanos, DH
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Freddy Fermin, C

Stammen’s lineup construction typically favors career matchups against the starting pitcher. But with the rookie Early on the mound for Boston, he’ll be unable to do so.

This offense showed promise on Wednesday with a seven-run romp against the San Francisco Giants.

In particular, Gavin Sheets’ bat has been hot. Since his first hit of 2026 late Tuesday night, Sheets is 4-for-6 with a walk and two RBI.

Relief corps

With King’s solid 5 2/3 innings, San Diego only had to use two relievers (the aforementioned Peralta and Ron Marinaccio).

That leaves Jeremiah Estrada, Kyle Hart, Adrian Morejon, David Morgan, and Bradgley Rodriguez ahead of closer Mason Miller.

Starter Randy Vásquez had a longer leash than normal in his first start of 2026. That being said, if he falters early the bullpen has plenty of options to pitch in relief.

As you know, Cubs right-hander Cade Horton left Friday’s game in the second inning with what was termed “right forearm discomfort.”

Per this article in the Tribune, Horton and manager Craig Counsell are hopeful this is not a big deal:

Horton will return to Chicago for imaging and to be examined, likely undergoing evaluation Monday.

“I’m pretty hopeful,” Horton said. “I’m erring on the cautious side so I feel like I made the right move, even though it sucks doing that and putting the bullpen and everybody else in that situation.”

“You take a pitcher out of the game in the second inning, you’re concerned,” Counsell said. “We’re going to likely make a roster move here, and we’ll see where that takes us as we get to when Cade’s start would come up next.

“There’s reason to be optimistic this is something minor.”

So there’s that, at least. Here are further postgame comments from Counsell [VIDEO].

And here’s what Horton had to say after the game [VIDEO].

Obviously this isn’t good, but as you can hear in the video clips, both Counsell and Horton are optimistic. Let’s hope they are correct.

In the meantime, as Counsell noted, the team will likely make a roster move later today. That’s probably going to be adding a reliever, as two of the choices to replace Horton in the rotation are already on the team — Ben Brown and Colin Rea.

Relievers at Triple-A Iowa who have options include Gavin Hollowell, Luke Little, Riley Martin and Ethan Roberts. (Porter Hodge and Jordan Wicks also are on the 40-man roster and have options, but both are currently on the injured list.)

Hollowell had a good spring. Personally, I’d pick him.

Horton’s next turn in the rotation will come up Wednesday in Tampa. Rea, who threw 53 pitches Friday, could take that turn. Brown last pitched Tuesday, so he could also take that turn next week, though then he wouldn’t be able to be used in relief.

Another possible choice to take Horton’s next turn would be Javier Assad, who started for Triple-A Iowa and threw 75 pitches on Thursday. Assad has made two starts for Iowa. The first was pretty good, the second, not so much. So the team could leave Rea and Brown where they are, bring up Hollowell (or another reliever) for a few days, then replace that reliever with Assad.

What do I think they will do? Call up a reliever and give the rotation start to Rea. Rea did very well last year in a similar role when Justin Steele went down with an injury, oddly enough, almost exactly a year ago (after he threw seven shutout innings against the Rangers April 7, 2025). Counsell trusts Rea, who also pitched for him in Milwaukee.

So I’m going to pose both questions to you. First, what roster move will the Cubs make today to replace Horton? And second, who will take Horton’s turn in the rotation?

Have at it.

Worcester: Cancelled (Rain)

Bob Osgood ended up with upwards of ten double headers that were the result of rain outs of games I was supposed to write about in 2025. When Thursday’s game was met with a storm in St. Paul, the uno reverse card was in play, but I hit Dan Secatore with the “draw four” with the field being unplayable in Minnesota. Yesterday’s game was not to be played, and Thursday’s game will start at 3:05 PM. So, focus on Friday night’s Sea Dogs season opener in Somerset, New Jersey. With Franklin Arias and Miguel Bleis working their way up prospect ratings, the Sea Dogs would surely keep an opening game close against the Yankees’ AA squad. Right?

Portland: L, 2-18 (BOX SCORE)

Okay, so, to be fair, the Sea Dogs’ pitching staff didn’t exactly keep this a close game from the jump. Blake Wehunt actually allowed more home runs than outs recorded and was pulled with an injury following walking the fourth batter. Cooper Adams didn’t fare much better, nor did Patrick Halligan, and suddenly the score was 8-0 at the bottom of the 2nd, which turned into 12-1 after the third.

It wasn’t all bad, although a vast majority was. Arias, the leadoff batter for Portland to start the season, had two of the team’s three hits, and dropped the deficit from 8 to 7. Max Ferguson, in the DH slot for the night, had the club’s first home run of the season. That was the closest the team came to anything positive on Friday; the Patriots kept pouring it on the Sea Dogs, as no pitcher emerged unscathed, though Michael Sansone pitched three innings of one-run baseball in an extremely low-leverage situation.

Greenville: L, 7-11 (BOX SCORE)

Kyson Witherspoon has emerged in Greenville. We will certainly hear about last year’s 15th overall pick and the former Oklahoma Sooner, SOONER rather than later. His first outing of 2026 went about as well as that pun. He charged through the first smoothly through the ground ball, inducing two including a double play. He was aided through Justin Gonzales leading off with a home run. The second ended with Witherspoon allowing one run to the Grasshoppers (Pirates High-A), and the Drive didn’t respond with any baserunners. Witherspoon couldn’t make it through the fourth; his line left a lot to be desired and he struck out just two. Joe Vogatsky provided some stability following Ben Hansen’s pitching meltdown.

Again, the top of the lineup, including Gonzalez’s home run, helped the team quite a bit, with Yoeilin Cespedes, also chipping in three hits. Two of the other three hits on the night were home runs from Nazzan Zanetello and Mason White. The team also drew seven walks. All told, the game had 80 batters in total, but the game wasn’t even really close at any point; before Greenville’s most productive inning, the score was 10-4, and it didn’t cross into save territory.

Salem, L, 10-11 (BOX SCORE)

Day two of the RidgeYaks era started off abysmally. Like all other starting pitchers on Friday, Madinson Frias allowed several runs to cross and Salem found itself in a very early deficit against Delmarva (Orioles A). They answered right back, though, and faced just a 6-4 contest at the end of that inning thanks to a three-run shot by Stanley Tucker. Still, the RidgeYak’s WPE was just 29.9%.

In the fifth, the tables turned tremendously and the lead changed hands. The WPE was up to 87.5% by the time Anderson Fermin smacked another home run, and Salem held a 9-6 lead. But, with one out in the top of the ninth, Wulliam Rodriguez let two straight two-run plays go, and Salem found themselves trailing. And so it went. The Shorebirds and RidgeYaks get going at 6:35 tonight.

Have a great Saturday!

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The Atlanta Braves go for another series win to start the season when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

Atlanta’s 17-run outburst Thursday was followed by a late 2-0 victory on Friday night.

My Braves vs. Diamondbacks predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, April 4, explain why we’ll see another win for the visitors. 

Who will win Braves vs Diamondbacks today: Braves (+104)

Mike Soroka’s opening start looks great at face value: 5 IP, 10 Ks, and only four hits and a walk surrendered without allowing a run.

Look deeper, and you see a lot of red flags. The Tigers had a 33% barrel rate with an xwOBA of .354 and an xSLG of .534 in those five innings.

The Atlanta Braves have the second-best barrel rate in MLB at 11.6%, and their .x357 xwOBA sits only behind the Dodgers this season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks xwOBAcon is the third-lowest in the majors, and Bryce Elder’s sinker/slider combo should induce plenty of ground-ball outs.

COVERS INTEL:The Diamondbacks rank sixth in balls put into play this season, but their .235 BABIP is the worst in baseball.

Braves vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-104)

Jordan Lawler’s broken wrist robs Arizona of one of the few hitters actually producing in 2026. The Diamondbacks failed to score Friday night, managing only two hits and leaving them with three runs in three games.

The Braves have scored 43 runs, but 17 of those came on Thursday night. They rank in the bottom half so far in exit velo and hard-hit rate.

Ronald Acuna Jr’s .223 wOBAcon and .216 xBA are limiting Atlanta’s opportunities to score runs, and the Braves needed a pair of ninth-inning solo blasts to win last night.

This total feels just a bit too high.

Braves vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Atlanta +104 | Arizona -108
• Run line: Atlanta -1.5 (+163) | Arizona +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-100) | Under 9.5 (-104)

Braves vs Diamondbacks trend

The Atlanta Braves have hit the Moneyline in 18 of their last 26 away games (+12.90 Units / 44% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Braves vs Diamondbacks and game info

Braves vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

Braves vs Diamondbacks weather

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The 2019 Yankees were a very odd team. They had a number of players come somewhat out of nowhere to put up solid seasons, and often in response to another member of the team going down with an injury. Cameron Maybin was one of those who stepped up.

Having been a cash considerations pickup early in the season, Maybin was mainly only acquired to fill in for injuries. However, he started playing well enough that the Yankees felt the need to keep him around. Other than a small sample size run early in his career, the 127 OPS+ he put up in 2019 was by far the best of his career.

Even if it was just one season, he was a lot of fun to watch.

Cameron Keith Maybin
Born: April 4, 1987 (Asheville, NC)
Yankees Tenure: 2019

Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Maybin starred at the city’s T.C. Roberson High School. Legend had it that during his high school career, he hit a 490-foot home run. In his senior year of high school in 2005, he was considered one of the top prospects available in that year’s MLB Draft, as he was viewed as a genuine five tool talent. Despite being even higher ranked by several draftniks, he fell to the Detroit Tigers at the 10th overall pick, as there were some concerns about his signability. Maybin was committed to play at Southern University, but he still ended up agreeing to terms with the Tigers.

After signing with Detroit, Maybin shot up the various prospect rankings and also shot right through the minor leagues. He debuted in pro ball in 2006, and by the next August he was already getting called up to Detroit at just 20-years-old. In his second career game, he homered off Roger Clemens and the Yankees. Clemens then hit him with a pitch next time up, because Roger Clemens.

However, Maybin wasn’t destined to stick around Detroit for long. The following offseason, he was one of the centerpieces of one of the biggest trades of the era. He, fellow future Yankee Andrew Miller, and others were sent to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

Despite his talent and prospect reputation, Maybin never quite made it in Florida, especially considering what Cabrera went on to do in Detroit. Over three seasons there, he posted an 88 OPS+, and was eventually traded to the Padres.

Over the next several years, Maybin became a perfectly fine MLB player, especially on defense, just never a truly spectacular player who could stick around somewhere for long. He became a bit of a journeyman, having stints in San Diego, Atlanta, back in Detroit, Anaheim, Houston, back in Miami, and Seattle.

To start 2019, Maybin signed a minor league deal with the Giants as a non-roster invite for spring training. He didn’t end up sticking there and was eventually released, before signing a minor league deal with Cleveland. They assigned him to Triple-A, and he was OPS’ing just .663 when the Yankees came calling.

In early April 2019, Clint Frazier went down with an injury. At that point, all of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and, yes, Jacoby Ellsbury were on the IL as well, and the depth was running thin. That led to the Yankees acquiring Maybin from Cleveland for cash considerations.

Maybin’s first game as a Yankee came on April 26th, where he recorded a hit, which he proceeded to do in all of his first seven games with the team. While his acquisition may have initially just been a short-term play for depth, eventually Maybin just kept hitting to the point where the Yankees had to keep him around. From June 15-18, he homered in four consecutive games and had an OPS of .892 in over 100 plate appearances. Beyond him playing well, Maybin’s affable personality also endeared himself to fans and teammates.

Shortly after that, Maybin himself was forced to the IL with a calf strain, which kept him out a little over a month. Even as he and other Yankees’ outfielders started to recover and return, the team simply had to keep Maybin around, as he was playing too well. He just kept on hitting right through the end of the season, posting a .858 OPS.

Maybin didn’t get a ton of playing time in the postseason, but he hit decently there too, going 2-for-6 with a home run and two stolen bases.

Following that season, Maybin returned to Detroit for a third stint in 2020. He was traded part way through the COVID-shortened season to the Cubs. He then played a handful of games for the Mets in 2021 before retiring from playing. After playing, he’s spent some time in various broadcast booths as an analyst, including a year with the YES Network.

In total, Maybin’s tenure with the Yankees totals just 82 games. However, his tenure was way more fun than you might expect from that short a stint.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series he

Hey hey, its our first day of having four Texas Rangers minor league games!

Hickory starter Jesus Lafalaise went four shutout innings, striking out two. Aneudis Mejia allowed four runs, including two home runs, while returning just one batter.

Deward Tovar had a hit.

Hickory box score

Dalton Pence started for Hub City, allowing two runs in 4.2 IP, walking one and striking out seven. J’Briell Easley allowed two runs in an inning walking one and striking out one.

Maxton Martin had the lone hit for Hub City, and also stole a base.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter Dylan MacLean struck out six and walked two in five innings, allowing one run. Bryan Magdaleno and Josh Trentadue each struck out a hitter apiece in their respective scoreless innings of work.

Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 4 with a homer. Ian Moller had a hit. Keith Jones II had a hit.

Frisco box score

For Round Rock, Josh Stephan started, allowing a pair of homers, including one to Rowdy Tellez (who had two bombs in the game), and four runs in four innings, striking out three and walking one. Patrick Murphy allowed a solo homer and struck out one in 1.1 IP. Gavin Collyer struck out two in 1.1 innings. Alex Diaz struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning, throwing 10 strikes and 9 balls.

Cam Cauley doubled. Justin Foscue and Aaron Zavala each had a hit.

Round Rock box score

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The New York Mets face the San Francisco Giants in Oracle Park tonight at 9:05 p.m. ET for the third of a four-game series. 

New York broke out of a three-game losing skid with a resounding 10-3 victory yesterday, and my Mets vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, April 4, see the visitor as the victor once again.

Who will win Mets vs Giants today: Mets (-118)

This line is giving the benefit of the doubt to the San Francisco Giants because Landen Roupp had a phenomenal season debut, and they’re playing at home. 

The New York Mets are simply the better team — sitting Top 15 in both runs scored and allowed — while San Francisco is 1-4 at home. I’m buying the reduced price on the visitor. 

Roupp struggles with command, walking 4.03 batters per nine innings. Mets starter Clay Holmes has his flaws, but the Giants' league-worst wOBA (.241) against RHP leaves them ill-poised to capitalize. 

COVERS INTEL: Holmes altered his pitch mix in his first start, ditching his poor slider (.374 xwOBA) and adding a curveball. All of his offerings, other than his sinker, graded out at 100 or above in Stuff+ in his debut.

Mets vs Giants Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-106)

San Francisco has been the worst team in the league against RHP (55 wRC+). Holmes transitioned to the rotation in 2025 and made 31 starts, posting a solid 3.53 ERA thanks to a 75th-percentile barrel rate and 94th percentile ground-ball rate. 

As for the Mets, star slugger Juan Soto departed Friday’s contest in the first inning with a right calf injury. It’d be surprising if he suits up Saturday, likely leaving them without their best hitter in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park.

New York has cashed the Under in five of its last seven games; here’s predicting another.

Mets vs Giants odds

• Moneyline: New York -106 | San Francisco -114
• Run line: New York -1.5 (+155) | San Francisco +1.5 (-180)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-114) | Under 7.5 (-106)

Mets vs Giants trend

San Francisco is 1-4 with a -14 run differential at home. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Giants.

How to watch Mets vs Giants and game info

Mets vs Giants latest injuries

Mets vs Giants weather

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

Seven games into the 2026 season, the Orioles sit below .500 at 3-4. It is not what anyone in Birdland was hoping to see. The O’s needed to blast out of the gate to chase away any lingering worries about the things that plagued the team last year, and instead they’ve managed to start up the season feeling like they’ve picked up a lot of last year’s baggage and carried it into this year with them.

In our survey this week, I polled Orioles fans asking what is the biggest concern area with the team right now out of the following areas: Starting pitching, relief pitching, bullpen, and defense. Here’s how the results came back:

I have to say that I’m surprised that defense is down at the bottom, tied for last with starting pitching at 13%. I’m as confident as I can be about anything with the Orioles that the group of hitters who are here are going to be able to figure it out and at least be decent. The defense, on the other hand, is already trending in a bad direction and there’s no sign of improvement on the horizon as long as the personnel remain largely the same.

Those worried about the offense certainly got some validation with Friday’s loss to the Pirates, what with the Orioles going 1-9 with runners in scoring position. That’s one that feels like it’s carrying over from last year. If I started the survey now, maybe more people would be worried about the starting pitching. This survey was posted before Zach Eflin’s injury and before Kyle Bradish turned in a clunker. There’s a lot more chaos potential for the pitching with Eflin’s likely season-ending injury and with Bradish’s performance more of a question.

If you’re feeling like the actual answer is, “Everything,” I get it. The only reason I didn’t list that as an answer is that I knew it would be a runaway winner.

This week’s survey is sponsored by FanDuel.

The unit of the universe is the atom. The unit of a baseball game, however, is the moment. A season is comprised of series, which are comprised of games, which are comprised of innings, which are comprised of plate appearances, which are comprised of pitches and the subsequent swing decisions, and all that results. You’ve heard the relevant sayings about forests and trees. Nearly every moment of a season will be subsumed by the greater sweeps of a full campaign; even the most meaningful moments, upon which entire narratives may swing, only exist because of the gradual piling-up of moments prior. Still, by looking at particular moments in a season, we can find some interesting stories.

By Win Probability Added, the most significant moment of the series against the Nationals was Edmundo Sosa’s ninth inning, 2-RBI, game-tying single. Just after the previous at-bat (Alec Bohm working a free pass to put runners on second and third with two away), the Philadelphia win probability was 18%. After Sosa’s scoring slash, it was 63.4%, a difference of 45.4%.

Any starting point for this story would be somewhat arbitrary (unless we start with the first inning, but that’s a bit of a broader scope than we need). For our purposes, though, we’ll start with the bottom of the seventh, before Sosa was a factor at all. With two away, and a lead that had shrunk to three thanks to a J.T. Realmuto solo shot, the Nationals had Kyle Schwarber to deal with. He represented neither the winning nor the tying run, and the visitors were only one out away from ending the inning. Still, the Washingtons were not keen on surrendering more of their momentum to another homer. Andre Granillo, a righty, was on the mound. Cionel Pérez, a lefty, was called in to provide the platoon advantage against Schwarber. He kept the ball low in the zone against Schwarber, and induced a flyout on a curveball to end the inning.

With two of the three batters due up next for the home team being of the left-handed sort, the Nationals kept Pérez in. But the platoon advantage didn’t stop Bryce Harper from homering to narrow the lead to two. The Nationals kept Pérez in, and he quickly accrued a baserunner, in the form of Alec Bohm, through his shortstop’s fielding error. That would bring Bryson Stott to the plate. The move for Rob Thomson was obvious: get the platoon advantage by subbing in Sosa for Stott.

It didn’t pay off, at the time. Sosa grounded out.

But in the next inning, Sosa came to the plate again. The Nationals had LHP PJ Poulin on the mound, and so they made an obvious choice of their own in bringing in righty Cole Henry to thwart the very platoon advantage that had put Sosa in the game in the first place.

Henry has a four seamer, a sweeper, a sinker, a cutter, and a changeup. The changeup was always a sparingly seen offering from him, and he seems to be making the cutter sparse as well, given that it hasn’t shown up at all through 44 pitches this season. That left him with a trio of offerings with which to attack Sosa.

He started with a pair of fastballs high, getting strikes on both (via foul and whiff, in that order). In full command of the situation with an 0-2 count, Henry moved to finish off Sosa with a same-handed sweeper. Textbook stuff, but there’s a reason why it’s textbook.

The problem was that he left it too high, and put it squarely where Sosa could do damage. You know the rest.

It was all as simple as a badly placed pitch. But that badly placed pitch was built on a series of other decisions, some good, some bad, some neither until Sosa’s swing issued the final verdict.

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (6-1) won 5-0 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead scoring 3 runs on a Biggio 2 run HR and Biggers RBI single. In the 5th, Biggio added another run on an RBI single. Arrighetti got the start and went 4.1 hitless innings while striking out 9. The bullpen was great as they kept the Jumbo Shrimp hitless through 8 innings. In the top of the 9th, Sugar Land picked up a run in the 9th on a Winkler RBI single. Leach allowed one hit in the 9th but tossed a scoreless frame to close it as Sugar Land won 5-0.

Note: Arrighetti has 13 K in 8.1 innings in Triple-A this season.

• Jack Winkler, 3B: 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 1B: 2-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Carlos Perez, DH: 1-for-3, BB
• Jax Biggers, 2B: 1-for-4, RBI
• Kellen Strahm, RF: 1-for-3, R, BB

• Spencer Arrighetti, RHP: 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K (WIN)
• Jose Fleury, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Anthony Maldonado, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (0-2) lost 10-2 (BOX SCORE)

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

• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, SB
• James Nelson, LF: 2-for-4
• Pascanel Ferreras, 2B: 2-for-4, R, SB

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Enyel De Los Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Wilmy Sanchez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (1-1) lost 8-5 (BOX SCORE) 

Asheville got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Cruz solo HR. Smith started for the Tourists but struggled a bit as he allowed 7 runs, 4 earned, over 4 innings of work. Asheville got 2 runs back in the 5th on a Hernandez RBI double and a run scoring on a wild pitch. They scored another run in the 6th on a wild pitch. Pena pitched in relief allowing 1 run over 3 innings. The Asheville offense got one run back in the 8th on a Batista RBI double but that was it as they fell 8-5.

• Max Holy, SS: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SB
• Jason Schiavone, 1B: 1-for-3, R, BB, SB
• Freuddy Batista, C: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
• Narbe Cruz, DH: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Kyle Walker, 2B: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI

• Parker Smith, RHP: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alain Pena, RHP: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (0-1) lost 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Pentecost made his professional debut and pitched well striking out 7 over 4 innings. He was relieved by Perez who was equally as dominant striking out 8 over 4 scoreless innings. Rosario pitched the 9th but struggled as he walked 3 and allowed 2 runs. The Woodpeckers offense was quiet though collecting just 3 hits, including one by Neyens, as they were shutout in the 2-0 loss.

• Xavier Neyens, SS: 1-for-4
• Juan Sierra, DH: 1-for-4
• Nick Monistere, 2B: 0-for-1, 3 BB, 2 SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-3, BB, SB

• Gabel Pentecost, RHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Javier Perez, RHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Peter Lambert – 5:35 CT

CC: Brett Gillis – 7:05 CT

AV: Dylan Howard – 5:45 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was removed from the first inning of Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants after experiencing calf tightness, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday.

"There's obviously concern. Every time you send a player for an MRI and those areas, the calf area, could be tricky," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We just got to wait, but obviously concerned."

Soto appeared to grimace as he was running from first to third and Mendoza said Soto's calf continued to get tight when he was standing on third base. New York's coaching staff noticed something was off when Soto attempted to run home on a ground ball to the pitcher.

Soto was replaced by Tyrone Taylor in left field.

Juan Soto left the game after running the bases in the first inning pic.twitter.com/R2JJ3uE7Lh

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 4, 2026

Soto, in his second season with the Mets after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract – the largest in pro sports history – played in 160 games in 2025. He finished third in NL MVP voting, hitting a career-high 43 home runs with 105 RBIs and an NL-best 38 stolen bases, but the Mets failed to reach the playoffs.

Soto played right field last season but shifted to left for 2026 with top prospect Carson Benge stepping into an everyday role in right to start the campaign. If Soto were to miss time, the Mets would likely lean on Taylor heavily in a corner outfield spot, perhaps utilizing Brett Baty in the outfield as well, despite his inexperience.

"You never want to lose a guy like that. I don't know how bad it is yet, but I know he works extremely hard and is going to get himself back as soon as possible," second baseman Marcus Semien said.

"The good thing is we have a deep group. The guys on the bench should be starting on this team and somebody else to going to get a chance. We just try and hold it down while he's out."

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers lost their home opener to the Reds, 5-3.

Evan Grant writes that the Rangers were once again done in by their fatal flaw.

Jeff Wilson says it was a loss that felt awfully familiar.

Kennedi Landry writes about the silver lining that was MacKenzie Gore.

Shawn McFarland also touched on Gore and the buzz created by his first two starts.

Kevin Sherrington says while it ended with a loss the game highlighted this new era of Rangers baseball we’ve entered.

Elsewhere, Kumar Rocker makes his season debut today.

Jeff Wilson plays a game of Rangers Believe it or Not.

And Michael Young discusses the Rangers new season on the latest episode of Evan Grant’s podcast.

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers take another crack at the Reds today at 6:05 with Kumar Rocker on the mound for Texas.

Have a good weekend!

Minor League Baseball is officially in full swing as Columbus and Augusta opened their seasons on Friday and the starting pitching for Atlanta’s farm affiliates absolutely dominated across the board.

(4-3) Gwinnett Stripers 8, (1-6) Round Rock Express 1

• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 2-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 3-5, RBI, 2 R
• Chadwick Tromp, DH: 1-3, HR, BB
• Didier Fuentes, SP: 3.2 IP, H, BB, 7 K

Box Score

Simply put, Didier Fuentes look electric in his first start of the season for Gwinnett as he stretches back out to fill a much-needed rotation spot in Atlanta down the road.

Across 3.2 innings of work, the 20-year-old struck out seven batters while surrendering just one hit and one walk. 

Fuentes’ velocity was top tier, as his fastball — which he threw 40 times — topped out at 99.5 miles per hour on the night while averaging a gaudy 97.3 miles per hour. The biggest thing in Fuentes’ performance, however, is the fact only two of his 72 pitches were hit “hard” into fair territory, according to Baseball Savant.

Across less than four innings of work, Fuentes managed to get a remarkable 12 swings and misses.

Offensively, things went swimmingly for the Stripers as Rowdt Tellez homered not once, but twice on the night including a 104.2 MPH, three-run shot in the top of the ninth. 

Jim Jarvis continues to rake at the plate as he went 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Gwinnett’s win.

Batting a cool .393 with an OPS of 1.036, Jarvis has gotten off to the hottest start among Atlanta’s positional prospects. What could be the biggest difference Jarvis — albeit the fact it’s still extremely early in the season — is that he is striking out at a much lower clip of 17% this year compared to seasons past. 

Sure, it’s only a handful of games to start the year, but it’s an encouraging sign for a franchise in desperate need of solid positional prospects in the upper minors.

(0-1) Columbus Clingstones 6, (1-0) Chattanooga Lookouts 8

• David McCabe, 1B: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• Tristin English, RF: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
• Owen Murphy, SP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Box Score

Columbus, like Rome and Augusta, kicked off their season on Friday and while the final score may not have been where they had preferred, there were several individual performances to write home about.

Above all else is Owen Murphy who, despite giving up a two-run homer in the first inning, put up solid numbers in his first start. 

Across 5.2 innings, Murphy settled down after that first inning snafu and bounced back to strike out 10 batters on the night while holding Chattanooga to just three hits and two runs.

Of his 85 pitches, 58 were for strikes and got 15 swings and misses on the night as well, which led all double-A pitchers on Friday. 

At the plate, David McCabe — who returns to Columbus to start the year after a brief stint with Gwinnett to end 2025 — homered while newcomer Tristin English also knocked one over the fence as well. 

(1-1) Rome Emperors 8, (1-1) Asheville Tourists 6 

• Isaiah Drake, RF: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI
• Eric Hartman, CF: 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI
• Cam Caminiti, SP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Box Score

Keeping with a trend on Friday, Cam Caminiti got the start on the mound for Rome and put up decent numbers as well. 

Across 4.2 innings of work, the lefty gave up three runs, but also struck out six batters during the process as well — including a beautifully placed back foot breaking ball for his first strikeout of the night and a dot of a changeup in the fourth inning to get an Asheville batter looking.

While Caminiti dealt, his offense wasted no time in providing run support. 

Isaiah Drake and Eric Hartman shouldered most of the load for Rome, as Drake launched a three-run homer after turning on an inside breaking ball and pulling it over the right field wall to extend the Emperors’ lead to 7-1 in the fourth inning. Drake also tallied a stolen base on the night, bringing his early season total to three swipes in two games.

Drake also made an impressive leaping catch in the top of the sixth to take away what would have likely been extra bases as well.

As for Hartman, it’s safe to say he put one of his best tools — his speed — to excellent use on Friday as he managed to rip an RBI-triple into the right field corner and tallied a double to the same spot.

(0-1) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (1-0) Fredericksburg Nationals 5

• Nick Montgomery, C: 1-2, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• Luis Guanipa, RF: 2-4, 2 2B, R
• Conor Essenburg, CF: 1-4, RBI, BB
• Ethan Bagwell, SP: 6 IP, BB, 6 K

Box Score

Among the more under-the-radar performances on Friday was Ethan Bagwell who got the start in Augusta’s season opener against Fredericksburg.

Going up against names like Fuentes, Murphy and Caminiti means you probably won’t get top billing in any prospect reports on most nights — to no fault of his own, as Bagwell was simply dominant in his own right.

Not only did Bagwell toss six scoreless innings for the GreenJackets, he also held the Nationals hitless through those six innings of work before giving way to the bullpen. The only blemish on his record for the night was that he issued one walk.

Bagwell last season pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 59.1 innings of work as it was really the first time we got an extended look at the young righty. What he ended up showing us is a high-octane fastball that he’s able to throw and make it look effortless in the process, while also possessing solid command as well.

Again, he may not get the spotlight like other pitching prospects in Atlanta’s system, but that will almost certainly change by the end of this season for Bagwell who has as high a ceiling as any prospect.

While Bagwell was absolutely dominating, the GreenJackets got some encouraging performances at the dish as well, including from catcher Nick Montgomery who homered while also drawing two walks in the process. For a guy who struggled mightily at the plate a year ago, that’s hopefully a sign of better things to come for him.

Luis Guanipa got the start in right field while 2025 draftee Conor Essenburg made his professional debut in center field — which was a bit shocking as he profiles more as a corner outfielder. Nevertheless, Guanipa laced two doubles and scored a run on the night, while Essenburg went 1-4 with an RBI and a walk to his credit in his first game.

Translation: Very bad, Trevor Mahle. Not good. Real dice-y right from the jump. First inning — uh oh.  

Mahle has two cards tucked up his sleeve — a split-finger and four-seam fastball — and in his second start as a Giant, he couldn’t figure out a way to effectively sneak them out of his hand. His go-to splitter didn’t coax the chase he wanted from New York bats early on which led to a prolonged first frame.

Francisco Lindor set the tone with a 6-pitch AB that produced a single. Juan Soto followed with a mirror-image plate appearance, working the count full as Mahle attacked low-and-away until a splitter stayed elevated just enough for Soto to yank another single. Already gassed, desperate for some footing, Mahle floated a lazy, first-pitch split over the middle-of-the-plate, and Bo Bichette punched it right back up the middle for the Mets first run of the game. 

Missed locations. All types of contact. The inning would continue kind-a like that. The game would continue kind-a like that too.

What was perhaps most frustrating is that despite the early pressure heaped-on by the Mets offense, off-ramps and exits offered opportunity to follow a different path. An alternate timeline presented itslef. A could’ve beenthat almost was in which Mahle closed out at-bats and avoided that laborious, tone-setting first.

Lindor and Soto both had 2-strikes on them, and Mahle played the cards he wanted to — but neither offering had the edge required to put ‘em away. Another full-count to Luis Robert Jr. and a four-seam fastball missed the bottom of the zone by a seam, costing San Francisco an early ABS challenge while loading the bases. And just when the inning was going belly-up, there was another life-line. A choice splitter from Mahle got a lunge-y swing out of Brett Baty, a come-backer that earned an A-B-C, 1-2-3 double play without sacrificing another run.

A glimmer of light — there was a way out of this bleakness…

And then things went dark again. Mahle reverted to pitch like he was trying to pin the tail on the donkey: eyes closed and arms stretched out in front of him, trying to survive on feel when clearly, there was no feel. Mark Vientos walked on four pitches, and another splitter ended up in the outfield to give the Mets a second run in the frame. 

Two runs were scraps after New York had set the table for a feast, but it was enough. An early lead has proven intimidating to this toddling Giants offense, and 33 1st-inning pitches from Mahle was the initial quake whose after-shocks would be felt late on.  Marcus Semien took on the center field wall in the 4th to double New York’s lead. Two batters later catcher Francisco Alvarez launched his first of two homers on a dead fish splitter flopped out over the plate.

Meanwhile, New York starter Nolan McClean (who started the WBC final for the USA) retired the first 15 Giants hitters he faced. A human saw mill — like he was frisbeeing circular saws from the mound, the type of movement he produced was that shocking. Though right-handed, his low-arm slot and cross body delivery makes him come off as southpaw. And the difference in induced break he gets from the arm-side run on his sinker compared to the glove-side sweeper feels comparable to the wingspan of a California condor. 

While that’s an exaggeration — you know, for effect (a condor’s wings, tip to tip averages around 9 feet) — the point is that the Giants hitters had no idea what was about to come at them and where it was going to go. This showed. McLean cruised through 5 perfect frames, and when he dug himself into 3-ball counts, he climbed himself out of it just as easily, because no matter the supposed count leverage. 3-1 fastball down the middle — Jung Hoo Lee was cast under a spell, perplexed and beholden to the right-and-left turns McLean’s pitches made on their way to the plate.

The only one that could break the spell was McLean himself. He seemed to lose his bearings in the 6th. Harrison Bader and Patrick Bailey figured the best policy was just to stand back, watch, and hope for the best. Their walks gave San Francisco their first base-runners of the day, their first runner in scoring position, and set-up their first run, punched in by a lovely, opposite-field gapper by Willy Adames that skipped over the wall for a ground rule double. First hit knocked McLean from the game, and they’d plate one more on a passed ball by Alvarez. Two runs that at the time felt like massive leaps. Just three runs down, the Giants were back in it…

Until they weren’t. Alvarez made amends for his error for a lead-off homer in the 7th off JT Brubaker. Later, Luis Robert Jr. then singled Bo Bichette home after his double to immediately get back the pair of forfeited runs. 

Final: 10 – 3. On to the next one.

After a low-scoring first game in High-A, the other three Dodgers affiliates all engaged in high-scoring affairs on the first day of all four affiliates playing in 2026.

Players of the day

For a second straight night, a Dodgers affiliate got a strong opening day start from a player drafted on the third day in 2023. One day after 17th-rounder Luke Fox shined for Double-A Tulsa, 18th-rounder Sterling Patick struck out seven in five scoreless frames for High-A Great Lakes.

Patick allowed lone singles in the first and fourth innings and walked nobody. Fort Wayne did not put a runner in scoring position off the left-hander until a two-out double in the fifth inning, but Patick got out of his only real jam with a lineout to right field to end his night. He turns 21 in June.

Jesus Tillero didn’t start, but he struck out eight in five scoreless innings, allowing only two singles in Class-A Ontario’s blowout win. An international signing out of Venezuela in 2023, the right-hander did well in his first taste of Class-A last year, posting a 3.09 ERA with Rancho Cucamonga, but with a 12.9-percent walk rate. On Friday night he walked nobody and retired 15 of his 17 batters faced. Tillero doesn’t turn 20 until May.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets scored seven runs in the first two innings, and it held up to beat the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics).

Zach Ehrhard had a two-run triple. Ryan Ward had a two-run single in a three-RBI night, and scored two runs. Hyeseong Kim and Ryan Fitzgerald batted first and second, and each one reached base twice and scored two runs.

Ryder was the first of the Ryan brothers to start for the Comets this weekend, and struck out five in his five innings, allowing one run in the first inning and nothing else.

Double-A Tulsa

Drillers pitchers walked a whopping 15 batters and fell behind early in a loss to the San Antonio Missions (Padres).

Adam Serwinowski was wild in his season debut with six walks, including two of them to open the second inning before a double and home run. In all, the left-hander allowed five runs in his 3 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts.

Maddux Bruns made the first relief appearance of his professional career. The Dodgers’ first-round pick from 2021 started his first 77 minor league games before Friday, when he struck out four in his first two innings scoreless but, keeping with the theme of the night for Drillers pitchers, also walked three, then allowed three hits and three runs in his third inning of work, recording just one out.

Nick Nastrini reached the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 2024 but it’s in question whether he ever makes it back. The 26-year-old right-hander followed Bruns in the seventh inning on Friday and walked all three batters he faced, throwing just one strike. The former fourth-round pick of the Dodgers in 2021 who was sent to Chicago in the Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly trade in 2023, Nastrini last season in Triple-A walked more than he struck out, including 18 walks and 10 strikeouts in his final nine innings in Charlotte and then Jacksonville before re-joining the Dodgers last July on waivers. Nastrini last year with Oklahoma City walked seven of his 10 batters faced and threw three wild pitches.

Kendall George had three infield singles and stole second base after all three hits. Josue De Paula walked three times, singled home a run, and for the second straight night stole a base. Zyhir Hope doubled.

First baseman Joe Vetrano had two hits for Tulsa, including the Drillers’ first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth inning. Once trailing 11-2, Tulsa scored three runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth, and had the tying runs on base in the ninth to make the final score closer.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons exchanged runs with the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, with Great Lakes riding the odd innings to a 2-1 victory.

First baseman Cameron Decker hit a solo home run for the Loons’ first run of the season.

Third baseman Logan Wagner led off the seventh with a double, then after an infield single and hit by pitch, catcher Victor Rodrigues walked for the game-winning RBI.

Jacob Frost had a wild ride in his professional debut, with the 2025 10th-round draft pick walking three and allowing a run in his two innings, with his two strikeouts. By the timing of the runs scored, Frost earned the win. Logan Tabeling retired six of his seven batters faced with two strikeouts, closing out the game with a two-inning save.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers put up crooked numbers in five different innings in a rout of the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).

Shortstop Emil Morales had four singles, with three runs scored and three RBI, and also stole a base. Leadoff man Jaron Elkins walked twice, singled, stole two bases, and scored four runs. Joendry Vargas was the designated hitter on Friday and hit an RBI double to go with two walks.

Ontario batters provided a lesson in patience early in facing Kruz Schoolcraft, the San Diego Padres’ first-round draft pick last year making his professional debut. The left-hander retired only three of his 11 batters faced, and was pulled after walking three batters and allowing a single to open the second inning. In all, four Tower Buzzers walked against Schoolcraft and plated six runs against him.

Cam Leiter, drafted by the Dodgers in the second round last year out of Florida State, had a strong professional debut by retiring nine of 10 batters faced with three strikeouts in three scoreless innings. It was the first game for Leiter in two years and a week, as shoulder surgery wiped out his 2025 season.

Matt Lanzendorfer, a 15th-round draft pick last year out of Virginia, retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to close out the win in his professional debut.

Transactions

Triple-A: Jake Eder, acquired from the Washington Nationals by trade on Wednesday, was activated by the Comets on Thursday.

High-A: On Thursday, Great Lakes placed shortstop Jordan Thompson on the 7-day injured list.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Las Vegas 3
• San Antonio 11, Tulsa 9
• Great Lakes 2, Fort Wayne 1
• Ontario 16, Lake Elsinore 0

Saturday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Zach Root) vs. Fort Wayne (Kleiber Olmedo)
• 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) vs. San Antonio (Ian Koenig)
• 6:35 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Lake Elsinore (TBA)
• 7:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (River Ryan) at Las Vegas (Mason Barnett)