SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Pitcher Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout during the game against the New York Mets at Oracle Park on April 04, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants may be off to a bit of a rocky start this season. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t silver linings in progress.
One of those would be starting pitcher Landen Roupp. Broadcaster Mike Krukow made an appearance on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show earlier this week and he sang the praises of the young right-hander.
Krukow highlights the development and growth that Roupp has shown in terms of his pitches and his drive to be on par with his rotation mate, Logan Webb. He goes on to add that he fully believes Roupp has what it takes to be an All-Star, noting that he’s been a fan of Roupp since he first saw him pitch.
I have to say that I have felt the same way about Roupp since his first season with the team, back in 2024, when he was primarily pitching in relief. In his three seasons at the professional level, he’s averaged a 3.68 ERA, 3.58 FIP and grown into a rotation staple for the organization.
Aside from a rough outing against the New York Mets earlier this month, both of Roupp’s other appearances so far this season have been quality starts and I look forward to seeing how his career progresses from here. I don’t know if he’ll be an All-Star this year, but I can absolutely see that in his future at some point.
What do you think?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue their road series against the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at 3:40 p.m. PT.
(Original Caption) Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers slides home safely on his steal in the eighth inning of this series opener at Yankee Stadium. This was the play that touched off a heated hassle when Yankee catcher Yogi Berra put the tag on Robinson, before the latter's play to the plate. Umpire Ron Summers, who called the play, said his decision prevailed. The Yanks nevertheless won with 6-5.
The number 42 is prominently displayed in every stadium across MLB. On this date 29 years ago, acting commissioner Bud Selig casually informed some 57,000 fans at the old Shea Stadium that Jackie’s iconic number would be retired throughout baseball.
For many (me included) this proclamation carried more significance than playoff expansion, the advent of interleague play or construction of new ballparks. I asked a trio of diamond legends what Jackie Robinson meant to them on his special day.
Dave Stewart. 3x World Series Champion. World Series MVP. A.L. Wins Leaders in 1987.
“When I came into professional baseball in 1975, drafted by the Dodgers, I knew a little about Jackie Robinson before I arrived but then learned a lot about him from Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella.
Those guys opened my eyes to what he meant to us not only as a baseball player, but as a human being. Jackie set an example for them, and they set those examples unto me and guys like Dusty Baker, Reggie Smith, Davey Lopes, and Al Downing.
He was about strength, humility, and consistency. He set the standard for how I wanted to be, first as a human being, then as a baseball player. That in a nutshell is what Jackie meant to me.”
Steve Garvey. 10x All-Star. Former MVP. 1981 World Series Champion.
“In the spring of 1956, I’m growing up in Tampa Florida. My dad was a greyhound bus driver and had a chance to drive the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Tampa airport to St. Petersburg for an exhibition game against the Yankees.
My Dad was a Dodgers fan, and my mom was a Yankees fan. I had the opportunity to be bat boy that day. In the middle of the game, all of a sudden, I’m sitting next to Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese. Then, all of a sudden, Jackie Robinson goes and literally sits on my lap. I told that story at school the next day but no one believed me!
I’ve always thought that the two most iconic men in the 20th century that affected baseball were Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth was the essence of power and Jackie, of course, broke the color barrier with grit and style.
He fought every moment not only for the game, but for his race. I think when we look back at the history of America, Jackie Robinson will always be the upper echelon of people who affected our history. It was an honor to be a bat boy for him and the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a wonderful man who truly set an example for all of us.”
Andre Dawson. Hall Of Famer. Played 21 seasons. 8x All Star. ROY. MVP.
“Jackie Robinson paved the way for generations of ballplayers to have hope and a vision to pursue a dream.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Kyle Karros #12 of the Colorado Rockies bats during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 12, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s easy to panic early in the regular season.
As the sample size of plate appearances continues to grow and success isn’t consistent, the temptation to pull the rip cord on certain young players grows ever more tempting. However, there is a difference between a player floundering and a player who just isn’t catching the breaks of success. A few weeks into the season, I find myself placing Kyle Karros in the latter category and asking this question: When can he break out?
Karros’ quick rise through the Colorado Rockies system since being drafted in the fifth round out of UCLA in 2023 has been remarkable. Quickly displaying his elite glove talent in the field from the get-go, Karros snagged MVP honors in the Northwest League in his first full season in 2024 with his bat for the High-A Spokane Indians. Despite some injuries, he found success in Double-A the following year, leading to an explosive stint in Triple-A for a few weeks before settling in as the Rockies’ primary third baseman to close out the 2025 season.
There was a question whether the son of former Dodger great Eric Karros would prove capable of handling the hot corner regularly in 2026 and produce at the plate as his father did. The Rockies hedged their bets by bringing in the versatile Willi Castro as well as picking up Edouard Julien at second base. Youngster Ryan Ritter is also capable of playing third, so there were plenty of options heading into spring training.
Luckily for the Rockies, Karros had a strong spring training at the plate while continuing his elite work in the field, winning the job on Opening Day and at least showing the signs that he could handle the rigors of everyday work in the big leagues.
Which brings us to this point in time.
A quick look at his slash line, and it’s easy to scoff at Karros’ production. Entering the Houston series on Tuesday, he has batted .182/.294/.205 in 51 plate appearances over 16 games. He is 8-for-44 with just one extra-base hit and one RBI to his name.
Looking at those numbers, it’s reasonable to jump to the conclusion that he “isn’t ready,” but a deeper look into his performance warrants some grace and inspires some optimism that he can figure things out.
Karros has always been a player with solid plate awareness, particularly in the walk department. In his 43-game stint last season, he drew 15 walks (9.6% walk rate), which happened to be the 10th-most by a Rockies hitter last season. This season, he appears right on track to be able to replicate something along those lines as he leads the team with seven walks (13.7% walk rate). What helps is that he has seen the second-most pitches per plate appearance on the team at 4.07 P/PA.
On the flip side, he has generally struck out around 20% in the minors while averaging a 26.1% strikeout rate in the big leagues. Obviously, that is higher than league average and will hopefully improve with more time and experience, but it is tempered by his ability to draw walks. His 13 strikeouts rank fifth on the team, just ahead of T.J. Rumfield (12), but a 2:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio isn’t too shabby all things considered. He is a player who doesn’t typically chase out of the zone (16%) and generally is good at making contact on pitches inside the strike zone. Also, of his 13 strikeouts, six have come from swinging, while seven have been caught looking.
Karros’ main struggles have come against the breaking ball, where he’s slashing .111/.215/.167 with a 51.5% whiff rate. He’s also continuing to pound the ball into the dirt with a 45.5% ground ball rate and has managed just a 9.7% fly ball rate. Which means, he is smoking plenty of line drives at a 35.5% clip with a 38% hard-hit rate, but it’s just not doing anything to find the holes or do damage.
So what is to be done, and can he break out?
A look at his chart on Baseball Savant indicates the areas where Karros can work to improve.
His expected stats show he should have more success than he is getting, but for the most part, he is plateauing around being a league-average hitter at the moment in most categories.
The number that stands out the most is the bat speed.
As we’ve discussed in the past about bat tracking, a slower bat speed, combined with a shorter swing, generally lends itself to being a high-average contact hitter (see: Luis Arráez). On the other side of the spectrum, a fast bat with a long swing generally lends itself to a high slugging power hitter (see: Giancarlo Stanton).
When you get some sort of amalgamation of a slower bat speed with a longer swing, like Karros, you get a player who doesn’t necessarily excel in either area at the big-league level. They can become split between two different types of players as they struggle to find a footing. We can see Karros is elite at finding the launch angle sweet-spot on the bat, but the lack of oomph behind it due to bat speed is what is turning his batted balls into quick line drive outs.
He certainly isn’t floundering at the plate, but finding an edge in one direction or the other could go a long way for him.
At 23 years old, Karros is the youngest player on the Rockies, just behind Chase Dollander and Ezequiel Tovar. His massive frame and physical potential point to a player who should be capable of doing damage at the plate and be good for 15-20 home runs over time. He is still maturing and growing as a player, and he has the mental aptitude and physical tools to be an elite player at the plate.
So, when it comes to Kyle Karros, patience must be exhibited because he may just be a few adjustments and multi-hit games away from finding his footing and becoming the player that the Rockies hope he can be in 2026.
A late-game surge wasn’t enough to overcome rough early pitching for the Isotopes in their loss in the series opener. Luis Peralta served as the “opener” for Albuquerque and was tagged for five runs on just one hit in 1.2 innings as he walked four batters and gave up a grand slam. Ryan Miller and Carson Skipper filled up the next few innings, combining to give up four runs in the next four innings. Luckily, the pen managed to keep things scoreless after that to give the offense a chance to respond finally. After managing just two runs through six, the Topes busted out a four-run seventh inning to close the gap. Cole Carrigg led the offense with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Adael Amador drove in a pair as part of his two-hit night. Unfortunately, the Isotopes went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and had just two extra-base hits, both of them doubles. They did draw nine walks against seven strikeouts, though.
It was a rough night for Hartford’s pitching as every arm allowed at least one run in the loss. Connor Staine started the game and allowed five runs over three innings, while the four other relievers combined for six runs. The offense was rather lifeless through most of the game, scoring just two runs through the first eight innings. They then put up five in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Dyan Jorge went 2-for-5, as did Bryant Betancourt, who delivered a three-run homer in the ninth. Aidan Longwell also drove in a pair as part of a two-hit night. Jorge and Longwell both had a double while Benny Montgomery delivered a triple in the game.
Quality pitching and a couple of big flies helped propel the Indians to victory. Brody Brecht started on the bump for Spokane and was dominant with six strikeouts against one walk and allowed just one run on three hits, but he worked just three innings. Of the 57 pitches he threw, 37 were for strikes. He gave way to Stu Flesland III, who worked four solid innings, allowing just two runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Offensively, the Indians got home runs from Kelvin Hidalgo and Alan Espinal, both of whom produced most of the hits. Hidalgo went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Espinal went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Tanner Thach had a game to remember as he drove in about 10% of the Fresno Grizzlies’ runs in their victory over Ontario. Thach had four hits in the game, including a double and two home runs, a grand slam in the second and a two-run homer in the seventh, to drive in seven RBI on the night. The offense as a whole had 11 hits, with Derek Bernard producing three and Clayton Gray contributing two hits and two RBI. On the mound, Izeah Muniz allowed four runs, one earned, in 3.2 innings with six strikeouts. Brady Parker followed with 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Yanzel Correra closed the game out with two scoreless innings.
This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the Penner Sports Group buying a 40% stake in the Rockies before talking about the previous week’s games and players we’ve been impressed by thus far, and those we are a little worried about.
Andrew Dill joins the calls of people clamoring for Charlie Condon to get the call from Albuquerque after the struggles of the Rockies’ offense and his own hot start in Triple-A.
Apr 14, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Starling Marte (0) hits a single in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Royals have scored two or fewer runs in six of their last seven games, but managed a pair of wins when starters Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha blanked the White Sox on Friday and Saturday, with seven and eight scoreless innings, respectively.
Kansas City pitchers have almost no margin for error right now.
Ragans was asked about the frustrations he and the other starters could be feeling, but dismissed that, saying, “Ahh, yeah, I mean, we know what we’ve been doing well, and what we haven’t. We’ve been through stretches like this before, and tomorrow’s a new day. That’s the beauty of baseball.”
The question is both if and when the team will come out of it. I think we saw last year that they likely will come out of it. But the problem last season came that they dug themselves such a hole in the first three months that even being one of the 10 best offenses in baseball for the last three didn’t even get them to average. So they need to figure this out sooner than later because later likely means another season like last year. Nobody will complain about another winning season, but the goals are much loftier this year than that. But, maybe against better judgment, I think they’ll be okay.
The biggest reason why I think that is the easiest one to understand. There isn’t a lot of science or stats to back this one up, but the Royals simply currently aren’t getting anything out of Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, their three and four hitters. Sometimes people say things like that and it’s hyperbolic, but the Royals are actually getting essentially nothing.
The underlying proposal would allow City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a deal of up to $600 million for a $1.9 billion stadium project at Washington Square Park near Crown Center and Union Station. “We look very much forward to the continued process,” Sherman told reporters. “We’ll continue our work with Mario and his staff toward an agreement, as was put forth in the ordinance today.” He added that “this stuff isn’t easy,” an apparent reference to the team’s years-long search for a new stadium that has frustrated and exhausted political leaders and fans alike.
While the City Council is likely to approve the proposal on Thursday, that vote would not officially solidify the team’s move near downtown. The funding deal itself would have to go back before the council at a future date once the proposal is fleshed out, city staff told council members on Tuesday. Tuesday’s finance committee meeting offered members of the public their first chance to weigh in on the stadium proposal. One by one, opponents and supporters stepped up to a microphone to address the deal in front of council members. Local business advocates and organized labor groups touted the potential stadium as a major boost to the city’s downtown landscape and construction jobs. Meanwhile, members of some progressive groups framed the proposal as corporate welfare for rich team owners. More than one speaker referenced economic studies that have shown stadiums are not major engines for economic development.
Through the Royals’ first 16 games, Witt has 16 hits and 10 walks for an on-base percentage of .371. Additionally, he has stolen a league-leading eight bases, so while he’s not hitting for much power yet (only 3 XBH’s, all doubles), he’s still getting into scoring position.
And yet, he has scored precisely one run, back on March 29 against Atlanta.
Witt scored 99 of the Royals’ 651 runs last year. That’s 15.2 percent, a pace only exceeded by five other players: Shohei Ohtani (17.7, Dodgers), Aaron Judge (16.1, Yankees), José Ramírez (16.0, Guardians), Fernando Tatis Jr. (15.8, Padres) and Juan Soto (15.7, Mets).
The 651 runs ranked 26th out of 30 teams last year. This year, they’re tied for 26th. So it’s not like there’s been a drastic change in runs scored. It’s just not Witt scoring them, for some inexplicable reason.
Roccaforte has some solid upside, possessing a rare blend of speed and power, and has plus CF potential. His big gain this season has been in lifting the ball: he’s (probably unsustainably) reduced his GB% to 17.4%, which aligns well with his plus power. Because of his age/level combo (he just turned 24 and is in Double-A), our model has him as unlikely to make an impact in the show, especially with below-average strikeout and contact rates. The tools are intriguing, though, and his good glove gives him a floor that is higher than most older prospects.
What should have been Sawyer Gipson-Long’s first full start after returning from the injured list turned into an absolute beatdown as Louisville mauled the Hens’ starter and then just going through the bullpen like there was no tomorrow.
Gipson-Long’s velocity is still down in the 92 mph range, but it was his control that really betrayed him. The Bats scored one in the first, and then started the bottom of the second by getting a pair of absolute cookies to JJ Bleday and Michael Toglia, who launched them into the seats. Things did not improve in the third and fourth innings, and it was 8-1 by the time Gipson-Long was done for the night.
The Hens got on the board in the fourth when Eduardo Valencia drew a leadoff walk, and Jace Jung doubled him to third. Trei Cruz lifted a sacrifice fly to get the run home.
Brenan Hanifee came on to get the last out of the fourth, and in the fifth he was hit even harder than Gipson-Long, giving up five runs capped by a three-run shot from Michael Chavis.
Valencia singled and eventually scored on a Cruz single in the sixth. Valencia and Corey Julks would hit solo home runs late in the game, but they were pretty meaningless by that point. Outfielder Cal Stevenson took over in the eighth to wrap this up after Cole Waites was also knocked around. Konnor Pilkington was the only pitcher to throw a scoreless inning.
Max Clark just continued to rake with two more hits, while Valencia is really heating up after a slow start.
Eduardo Valencia with his second hit of the night, a solo home run, an absolute bomb, 435 feet pic.twitter.com/U51c0RSuxS
Pitching spoiled a good night for the offense as the Senators pounded the SeaWolves on Tuesday.
Eric Silva got the start. He leaked a run in the top of the first, but the SeaWolves came back to take the lead in the bottom half.
Seth Stephenson got them started with a leadoff double, and then a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed him to score. 1-1 game. Peyton Graham walked and stole second, and after Brett Callahan flew out, John Peck drew a walk and he and Graham pulled off a double steal. A throwing error on Harrisburg’s catcher scored Graham, and Izaac Pacheco doubled in Peck before the inning ended. 3-1 Erie.
That was the high water mark as Silva couldn’t record an out in the second inning, and the Senators dropped six runs on the SeaWolves. Colin Fields came on to clean up the mess, but then he allowed a pair of runs in the third. At that point it was already 9-1 Senators.
Fields handled the fourth without issue, and Woo-Suk Go spun two excellent frames with four strikeouts.
Finally in the seventh, the SeaWolves got it going at the plate. Justice Bigbie and E.J. Exposito singled to start the bottom half, and Bennett Lee walked to load the bases. Stephenson got hit by a pitch to force in one run, and Graham continued to hit the ball hard early on this year, drilling a two-run single back through the box to make it a 9-4 game. Callahan hammered a drive to center field for a double that scored Stephenson and Graham, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Still it was 9-8 game, and a glorious comeback was now in sight.
Brett Callahan smokes a 2-run double to center, but he gets cut down trying to get to 3rd. Erie is back within one run. pic.twitter.com/DXYrjPEH2H
That vision didn’t last long. Tanner Kohlhepp threw a good seventh inning, but a walk and three doubles allowed in the eighth pushed four runs across. Moises Rodriguez walked one and struck out one in the top of the ninth, but there was no comeback in the offing.
Graham: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K, 3 SB
Pacheco: 2-4, RBI, 2B
Callahan: 1-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
Stephenson: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B
Silva (L, 0-1): 7 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday at UPMC Park as the SeaWolves try to start reversing a 2-8 start.
West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Lansing Lugnuts 6 (box)
The pitching staff didn’t have a great night, but big games from catcher Ricardo Hurtado and first baseman Garrett Pennington, among others, did enough to pitch them up as the Whitecaps moved to 5-5 on the year.
The Whitecaps jumped on to an early lead as Woody Hadeen beat out an infield single to start the game. Unfortunately, Hadeen was injured on the play and Junior Tilien took over as a pinch runner. Jackson Strong struck out, but Roberto Campos hammered a triple to center, and Pennington doubled in Campos for a 2-0 lead. They got one more when Hurtado doubled in Pennington.
Right-hander Carlos Marcano gave up a two-run shot in the bottom half to make it a 3-2 game, but he locked it down to blank the Lugnuts the rest of the way through the fourth inning.
Hurtado mashed his first home of the season to leadoff the top of the fourth. Doubles from Tilien and then Jackson Strong scored another in the sixth. Donye Evans had leaked a run in the fifth, so it was 6-3 ’Caps at that point through six innings.
Ricardo Hurtado is having a good night. Drove in a run earlier with a double, now hits a HR to left. 4-2 Whitecaps pic.twitter.com/ge7h5AABi7
In the seventh, Campos led off with a single, and Pennington doubled. However, Campos was cut down at the plate trying to score on a passed ball. Samuel Gil came throught with a two-out RBI single to make it 7-3, and after Lansing went back to their pen, Patrick Lee greeted new pitcher Tucker Novotny by punishing an RBI double off the wall in center to make it 8-3.
Luke Stofel and Ethan Sloan weren’t very good in relief, allowing three runs combined, but the ‘Caps hung on to win.
Hurtado: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K
Campos: 2-4, R, RBI, 3B, K
Pennington: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, K
Strong: 2-5, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Marcano: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start in Lansing on Wednesday.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 3, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 0 (box)
After finally losing two games, the Flying Tigers bounced back on the road, taking the first of six in Fort Myers.
The Tigers sixth rounder last summer, lefty Grayson Grinsell, was even more impressive in his second outing. He moved down the Mussels in no-hit fashion for four innings, striking out six to just one walk. His low wattage fourseamer sat at 20 inches of induced vertical break, and even at 90 mph that’s pretty effective. Grinsell’s changeup looked really good, and he collected 11 swings and misses in this one.
The Flying Tigers struggled with RHP Reed Moring as well. Jude Warwick opened the game with a single and Bryce Rainer torched a fastball at 114.3 mph off the bat to center field for a double. However, it was hit so hard that Warwick held at third, and Moring got out of the jam. He and Grinsell pretty well dominated from then on, though the Flying Tigers did manage several hits while the Mussels did nothing at the plate all game long against Tigers’ pitching.
Finally, Moring departed in the top of the sixth, giving way to Kolten Smith and the Flying Tigers jumped all over him. Beau Ankeney led off with a sharp single and took second and third on a wild pitch and a balk. Jesus Pinto dropped a single into left field to drive in the game’s first run. Smith left the game with an injury, and with two outs, Sergio Tapia singled to right and a throwing error by the right fielder allowed Pinto to score, making it 2-0.
In the seventh, Warwick led off with a walk and scored on a two-out Ankeney pop-up turned double by some shoddy defense to make it 3-0.
Eliseo Mota was perfect for two innings with three punchouts to earn his first save of the year.
Ankeney: 2-5, R, RBI, 2B, K
Warwick: 3-4, R, BB, K, SB
Rainer: 2-5, 2B, 2 K
Grinsell: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.
Free of charge for the discerning reader.Happy birthday toKing Cole and a mighty host of others, plus more baseball stories, like the Babe turning into THE Babe, Jackie Robinson debut, Hank’s first hit, and California baseball.
Today in baseball history:
1911 – At the age of 24, Grover Cleveland Alexander makes his major league debut, losing a 5-4 decision to the Rustlers on an unearned run in the tenth inning at Boston’s South End Grounds.
2009 – Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers goes 6 for 6 and hits for the cycle in a 19 – 6 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It had been 119 years since Farmer Weaver had been the last big leaguer to go 6 for 6 and hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game.
1493 –Christopher Columbus is received by the Spanish monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinand II in Barcelona upon his return from the New World. Columbus presents kidnapped Taínos indigenous people, plants and items collected from the Caribbean.
1862 – American poet Emily Dickinson first corresponds with author and future literary mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a relationship that lasts the rest of her life.
1877 – World’s first home telephone is installed in Somerville, Massachusetts at the house of Charles Williams Jr.
1892 – General Electric Company formed by merger of Thomas Edison‘s General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston Electric Company, arranged by J. P. Morgan and incorporated in NY.
1948 – F. H. Thornton observes a flash of light in crater Plato on the Moon.
1955 – Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald’s Inc. fast food restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
2010 -Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.
Apr 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryson Stott (5) turns a double play against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Interesting decision last night by the official scorer when he assigned an error to Bryson Stott instead of Tim Mayza in the sixth inning. A low throw by Mayza was probably supposed to be caught by Stott, which is likely why they charged it to Stott in the first place, but that felt a little tough. I’d bet we see that changed in the coming days.
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 26: Jeremiah Jackson #82 and Jackson Holliday #7 of the Baltimore Orioles talk before the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
For a while anyway, last night’s game felt like one the Orioles were destined to win. Vibes were off the charts. Their manager, Craig Albernaz, was sitting in the dugout despite breaking a whole bunch of bones in his face the previous night. Staff ace, Trevor Rogers, was on the mound and sporting a ridiculous home record since the start of 2025. And the entire fan base was still beaming after the team’s ridiculous come back win on Monday.
And the game even got off to a good start! Samuel Basallo homered in the second inning. A bases loaded walk for Leody Taveras in the third inning doubled the advantage. And Jeremiah Jackson led off the fourth inning with a two-bagger, setting the stage for another insurance run.
Things went off the rails shortly thereafter.
Jackson moved to third on a sac bunt, and was then inexplicably picked off by old friend James McCann. What was he doing!? He had simply ventured too far down the third base line, and McCann nabbed him. Even worse, the lineup had just turned over. Gunnar Henderson was at the plate. Putting yourself at any sort of risk of being picked off at third base in that scenario is inexcusable.
Then Rogers struggled in the top of the fifth, coughing up a four spot, including a three-run homer. Albernaz would have to yank him before the inning was out.
Fortunately, the bullpen was great again. Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, and Nick Raquet (with some defensive help from Colton Cowser) combined for 4.1 scoreless innings and gave the lineup a chance to claw back.
But it wasn’t to be. They did score once more in the eighth inning, and even loaded the bases for Jackson. But he was unable to duplicate his grand performance from the night prior. Instead, he grounded out, and the Orioles fell to 9-8 on the season.
Elsewhere in the AL East:
The Yankees lost 7-1 to the Angels.
The Red Sox lost 6-0 to the Twins.
The Rays beat the White Sox 8-5.
The Blue Jays beat the Brewers 9-7
It’s a quick turnaround today. First pitch for the rubber match is set for 12:35 from Camden Yards.
Links
With 7 cheek fractures and broken jaw, O’s manager Albernaz back at work | Orioles.com I’m glad Albernaz, for the most part, is OK. He told reporters that he does not need surgery, and that he did not suffer a concussion. His diet is going to be a bummer for a while. Apparently all he gets is soft food and smoothies for the next six weeks. It could be worse! Now, please, Craig, let’s stand behind that big net in front of the dugout next time.
Hard to predict what’s happening with Orioles again in 2026 | Roch Kubatko The number of injuries early in the season has, to me, transformed what success looks like for the Orioles at the moment. The overall goal for the season hasn’t changed. They still need to make the playoffs and win some games once in. But for now, they simply need to survive and keep their head above water. Get guys like Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, and Tyler O’Neill healthy. Reestablish some depth in the lineup. If that means going .500 for a bit, that feels OK.
Holliday sidelined from rehab assignment due to sore wrist | MLB.com Speaking of Holliday, he isn’t ready just yet. This isn’t necessarily a surprise. The guy didn’t get a spring training, and he is recovering from an injury. His rehab assignment was always going to be a bit longer than typical. Getting him back in the lineup by early May feels like the goal at this point.
Chris Tillman turns 38 today. The righty came to Baltimore in the Adam Jones/Erik Bedard trade ahead of the 2008 season, and would become a crucial member of the 2010s teams that returned the organization to relevance. Tillman debuted in 2009 as a 21-year-old, and then spent a decade with the Orioles. Eventually, he would rise to be the staff ace, make three Opening Day starts, and earn an all-star nod in 2013.
Michael Aubrey is 44. He played in 31 games for the 2009 Orioles, mostly as a first baseman.
This day in O’s history
1954 – For the first time since 1902, a big league team returns to Baltimore. The Orioles, recently arrived from St. Louis as the Browns, beat the White Sox 3-1 in their debut game at Memorial Stadium.
1987 – The Orioles get no-hit by Milwaukee Brewers hurler Juan Nieves, the first no-no in Brewers history.
2000 – Cal Ripken Jr. records the 3,000 hit of his career, ripping a single off of Twins pitcher Hector Carrasco. Ripken is the 24th major leaguer to reach the milestone, and is only the seventh player to pair that achievement with 400 career home runs,.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Mitch Voit #55 of the New York Mets bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Clover Park on March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The good? Jonah Tong struck out 10 batters. The bad? He allowed six runs over 4.2 innings, scattering five hits, walking 3, and allowing 2 home runs. Normally, your starter allowing six runs would put you behind the 8-ball, but not these Syracuse Mets. Despite Tong not having his best, Syracuse did not actually trail at any point in this one, with the 5 spot that the RailRiders put up in the fifth merely tying the game, as the offense already hammered starter Brendan Beck for six runs. The tie did not last long, as Jose Rojas hit a two-run homer to give Syracuse a two-run edge, which they would maintain for the remainder of the contest. Speaking of homers, Hayden Senger launched two more, tying his career high (5) set in 2021 and matched in 2022/2023/2025. If these trends continue, he is still on pace to challenge Joe Bauman’s minor league single-season record of 72 homers, so let’s hope these trends continue!
Binghamton was competitive early on, but a four-run sixth and one more in the seventh doomed them. The team rallied late, plating three runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth, and putting the tying run on base in the ninth, but they couldn’t get it done. AJ Ewing logged three more hits, including another double, and Chris Suero walked three times, but none of the other prospects on the team, hitting or pitching, had particularly noteworthy days.
Brooklyn started the year off on the schneid, but with more games like this, maybe they’ll get into an early season groove. Of the eight games that the Cyclones have played prior to this contest, they scored one or fewer runs in five of them. While it isn’t great that their pitching allowed 8 runs in this one, it is nice to see the team pound out 9 runs on 11 hits and 7 walks. Mitch Voit logged a multi-hit effort, launching his first homer of the season, while Yohairo Cuevas and Daiverson Gutierrez both reached base four times, the former with a triple and three walks and the latter filling up the box score with two singles, a double, and a homer- Daiverson’s first of the year as well. Up by a run, Brett Banks allowed three runs in the top of the eighth, and things were looking grim, but Voit’s three-run homer made the difference and put the Cyclones back in the driver’s seat for the bottom of the inning, which Garrett Stratton threw without issue.
Jose Chirinos, Christian Rodriguez, and Ryan Dollar combined to shutout the Tortugas, starting out this road trip on the right foot. Chirinos did most of the work, tossing five scoreless innings, but Rodriguez threw a decent amount himself, pitching three scoreless, and then Dollar locked it down in the ninth. St. Lucie’s first run came in the second on a AJ Salgado homer, and their second run came in seventh on an Elian Pena RBI single.
Maryland baseball entered the bottom of the eighth inning of its midweek bout against Towson down by one run.
That was when junior Brayden Martin notched his second RBI of the game, bringing in the tying run. Just two pitches later, sophomore Paul Jones II launched a two-run RBI double that came off the bat at 108 mph to extend Maryland’s lead.
After another batter was walked, Towson put in its second pitcher of the inning with the bases loaded and one out. Left-handed pitcher Ben Nugent proceeded to walk five Terps in a row — each brought in a run.
It was a late demolition for the Terps as they strolled to a 15-7 victory over Towson Tuesday at the Bob.
Right-handed pitcher Nic Morlang started the game for the Terps and recorded three total strikeouts. However, he allowed three hits, allowing the Tigers to take an early 2-0 lead. Morlang closed out the first inning by striking out Towson’s best hitter, Brian Heckelman.
Martin got on base and stole second in the bottom of the first, but he was ultimately stranded after freshman Ty Kaunas popped out to third and Jones II grounded out to second.
After Maryland’s defense recorded its 33rd double play of the season in the top of the second inning, the Terps got an RBI from Aden Hill to halve the deficit, but two runners were left on base.
Towson extended its lead in the third inning after following up a single with three consecutive doubles, bringing in three more runs. Right-handed pitcher Andrew Koshy stepped up to the mound for Morlang with one on and no outs.
A throwing error by second baseman David Mendez brought in another run for the Tigers before the inning ended after a strikeout and two pop-ups.
Mendez quickly redeemed himself, though, launching a breaking ball on the 2-1 count over the left center wall. His sixth home run of the season brought in three runs for Maryland, making the score 6-4 Towson.
“It was really helpful for me being able to pick up my guys,” Mendez said. “We knew we weren’t out of the game, so I knew that big swing was what we needed in that moment to take over the game.”
Maryland’s bullpen was able to hold the Tigers until the eighth inning, recording six more strikeouts and not walking a single batter.
In the bottom of the fourth, Martin’s sacrifice fly brought in another run for the Terps. Kaunas brought in the tying run with a solo home run shortly after.
Just one run was scored between the fifth and seventh innings — a sacrifice fly by Jones II in the bottom of the sixth gave Maryland a one-run lead.
In the top of the eighth, Towson’s catcher Coy Allman reached first on a throwing error by right-handed pitcher Jake Yeager, who had relieved Koshy two innings previously. The error allowed a run to score, tying the game once again. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Bailey entered the game and kept the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
“We’re really going through it injury wise,” head coach Matt Swope said. “It was really good for those guys to try and stabilize that after not the best start.”
Maryland didn’t allow the tie to last for long, exploding for seven runs.
Towson went through three pitchers throughout the bottom of the eighth inning — Nugent was relieved by the Tigers’ third pitcher of the inning, who allowed a Martin sacrifice fly that brought in the Terps’ eighth run of the inning before recording the last out.
The Tigers only recorded one strikeout while throwing 58 pitches and walking eight Terps — five while bases were loaded — to give Maryland an eight-run lead.
“If you’re disciplined at the plate and you don’t swing at balls, you will be in college baseball games,” Swope said. “It’s my number one thing we’ve been good with all year.”
Bailey recorded one strikeout in the top of the ninth, while Martin and center fielder Nate Hawton-Henley claimed the remaining two to take the 15-7 victory.
Three things to know
1. Easy bases. Maryland recorded 15 RBIs on Tuesday — its third most this season and most since March 31 against Richmond. The Tigers out-hit the Terps 11-8, but it wasn’t enough, as two of Maryland’s hits were home runs and the remaining six brought in a run. Tuesday also marked the most walks the Terps have been dealt (12) since the Richmond contest, which also ended with 12 walks.
2. Base robber. Martin stole two bases Tuesday, bringing him to a season total of 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts — the most in the Big Ten. The junior also ranks first on the team and the Big Ten with the most walks (36), while Maryland ranks first in the Big Ten with 233 walks.
3. Support in the stands. The Bob was packed Tuesday, with the football, softball, field hockey, gymnastic, cheer, and women’s soccer teams coming out to show support. There were over 1300 fans in attendance for the midweek match.
“I love it. This is a lifestyle for me, it’s not a job,” Swope said. “I appreciate those guys coming out.”
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - MARCH 20, 2026: Seth Hernandez #25 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Detroit Tigers at LECOM Park on March 20, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ top pitching prospect, Seth Hernandez, is looking strong in his first season of professional baseball with the Bradenton Marauders
Hernandez was drafted sixth overall by the Pirates in 2025 as the top high school pitching prospect in the class. He was named the California Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, The Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and the Enterprise Varsity Player of the Year. He decided to forgo his commitment to Vanderbilt and signed with the Pirates for $7.25 million.
2025 only saw Hernandez get time with the Florida Coast League Pirates, so this is his first year of pitching in the minor leagues. With Low-A Bradenton the 19-year-old righty has made two starts so far this season, with both being very impressive. In his first career start against the Dunedin Blue Jays Hernandez largely dominated the opposing hitters. In just three innings pitched he accumulated eight strikeouts. He would give up one earned run and allow three hits, but for his first professional start, it doesn’t get much better.
Pirates 2025 first-round pick Seth Hernandez looks UNHITTABLE right now 😳
Against the Palm Beach Cardinals on April 10, Hernandez was once again dictating the pace from the mound. In four innings Hernandez struck out seven batters, while not allowing any hits or earned runs while he was pitching. Bradenton would go on to lose the contest and the series to Palm Beach, but it certainly wasn’t because of Hernandez.
Hernandez was given a prospect rating of 55 overall, with a 70 graded fastball and a 60 graded curveball. At 6’4” he has an athletic build which will bode well for a power pitcher, but he also has incredible body control to repeat his delivery on the mound consistently. He has a lot of potential given his physical skills and the fact that he has great stuff, working with a solid four pitch mix. Hernandez is in line to be another great velocity focused starter in the Pirates rotation.
Seth Hernandez is ranked as the Pirates’ second overall prospect and is ranked 24th in the top 100.
April 15 is celebrated across Major League Baseball as a commemoration of the day that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. And for the Los Angeles Dodgers — the team that Robinson debuted went onto play his entire 10-year career with — that day always carries a little more weight.
Every year on Jackie Robinson Day, a hold a pregame moment of reflection is held with both the Dodgers and the visiting team (in this year's case, the New York Mets) gathering at the eponymous player's statue in the centerfield plaza at Dodger Stadium.
"This is not a one-day situation," Roberts said at last year's ceremony. "It's Jackie Robinson's day for breaking the color barrier, but this is like an everyday sort of mindset, appreciation."
Members of the Robinson family and other invited guests usually attend as well; NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke at the gathering in 2025. This year's scheduled guests include Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars and Robinson's granddaughters, Sonya Pankey and Ayo Robinson, along with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick.
In addition to wearing Robinson's iconic No. 42 like all 29 other clubs, the Dodgers take it a step further by swapping out their interlocking LA for the Brooklyn B on their hats.
Even the Dodgers' opponent on Wednesday, the Mets, holds significance as they were created to fill a void left after two former New York teams — Dodgers and Giants — relocated to the West Coast in the 1950s.
How to watch the Dodgers vs. Mets on Jackie Robinson Day
The finale of the Dodgers' homestand vs. Mets will be televised nationally on ESPN on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:10 p.m. PT. In another cool wrinkle for Jackie Robinson Day, the game will be called by Joe Buck, who left FOX Sports to helm the "Monday Night Football" booth at ESPN in March 2022.
Here's how to watch the Dodgers play the Mets on Jackie Robinson Day:
Mark Walter and his ownership group bought the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. Not long after, he called Rachel Robinson, widow of Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson, said Della Britton, president and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
“Literally Mark supported us from day one when he bought the Dodgers,’’ Britton told USA TODAY Sports. "One of the first meetings he had, he called Rachel and Rachel and I went out to Los Angeles (from New York) and he said, ‘I want you to know this is part of your legacy and I very much feel the importance of this legacy to the team's history. We're partners...''
Jackie Robinson Day (Wednesday, April 15) will help spotlight the partnership between the Dodgers' current ownership group and Robinson's legacy.
In December, Walter and Thomas Tull, director of the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson, announced a $20 million to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which along with the Jackie Robinson Museum is in New York.
“I remember Mark calling me,’’ Britton said, “and saying, 'Della, what do you need? You’ve worked so hard on this museum. We're so proud. Can we be helpful?'"
The Jackie Robinson Museum opened in 2022. When Walter learned a bridge loan on the museum project needed to be paid off, he came through, according to Britton. She also said Walter believes in a key part of Jackie Robinson’s story – the power of sports.
“It's an amazing equalizer, but it can also be an amazing force for change, for good,’’ Britton said. “And that's another thing that Mark Walter talks about, how he realizes how important sports is to bringing people together and for implementing the whole notion of egalitarianism.’’
'A bigger celebration'
On Wednesday, Rachel Robinson plans to be at the Jackie Robinson Museum, where she celebrated Jackie Robinson Day last year, too.
Britton planned to be at Dodger Stadium for the league-wide commemoration Major League Baseball started in 2004.
Jackie Robinson died in 1972. But Rachel Robinson has been around for all of the league-wide Jackie Robinson Day tributes held in honor of her late husband and Rachel Robinson's work, too.
She is 103 and lives in New York, home of the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Jackie Robinson Museum. Of the foundation, Britton said, "We're a 53-year-old college scholarship program that Rachel started the year after Jackie died.’’
The Dodgers Foundation has supported dozens of Jackie Robinson scholars, according to Britton, who also said Walter hired some “very smart Jackie Robinson scholars.’’
Major League Baseball also supports the scholarship program, and preparation for Jackie Robinson Day has been underway, according to Britton.
“So it would start with the 30 teams,’’ she said, noting that Major League Baseball also has donated “generously’’ to the museum. “Each team, thanks to Major League Baseball by the way, supports a Jackie Robinson scholar..."
Several teams will honor scholars at the ballpark on Wednesday. Then there are the Dodgers.
“First of all, they embrace the fact that they support 10 Jackie Robinson scholars and they invite them all to the game and they put them on the field at the beginning,’’ Britton said. “So they have a big celebration. But then throughout the game, the Jumbotron gives stats and figures about not just Jackie Robinson, but also the foundation, his living legacy, if you will. So it's a bigger celebration. … It's wonderful.’’
(Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, the name of Thomas Tull was misspelled.)
Jackie Robinson made history when he took the field at Ebbets Field in his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
His is a legacy that continues in perpetuity, 79 years later, as MLB commemorates the anniversary of the day Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.
The tradition itself, in an official sense, is more recent than you might think; Jackie Robinson Day was first celebrated on April 15, 2004 and the practice of all on-field personnel — every player, manager, umpire and bat and ball boy — wearing Robinson's No. 42 didn't become firmly established for another five years after that.
But according to the Jackie Robinson Museum website, it was tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson who inaugurated it almost 80 years ago.
At the end of Robinson's rookie season, on Sept. 23, 1947, Bojangles led an on-field ceremony at Ebbets Field as a way for New York's Black communities to show their appreciation for Robinson and support for desegregation in the big leagues. Robinson was gifted a new car, TV set, gold watch and a fur coat for his wife, Rachel, through donations solicited by the New York Amsterdam News, a local Black newspaper.
Fifty years later, MLB rang in the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut by unilaterally retiring No. 42 across the league. Ken Griffey Jr. temporarily switched his number from 24 to 42 on that day to honor Robinson and a decade later, he asked Rachel Robinson and then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig if they could temporarily unretire the number so he could wear it once again in tribute to Jackie Robinson.
The idea took off around the majors and on April 15, 2007, over 100 players — including four entire teams — took the field with No. 42 on their backs.
Did you know it was Ken Griffey Jr.’s idea to have every player wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day? pic.twitter.com/VOkfGqYtKU
That number tripled for 2008, according to the Jackie Robinson Museum, and by 2009, every player, manager and umpire wore the number.
"To have everybody do it, I didn't think it was going to go that far," Griffey said in an interview with MLB Network's Harold Reynolds. "I wasn't thinking that big, but it's been an unbelievable thing since day one."
In 2022, the tradition took another step when MLB decided to have 42 on every jersey in a block Dodger blue font, with blue socks, regardless of the team's colors or number style.
Dodgers fans celebrate during the fifth inning of Game 1 of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers are too good, and too rich. If the owners of other major league teams ultimately deem that combination so objectionable that they shut down the sport this winter because of it, they will risk a rupture in one of the greatest fan bases in American sports history.
The four million tickets the Dodgers sold last season tells one part of the story. Here is an arguably better one: For decades, the Dodgers and Lakers have dominated Los Angeles sports and left every other team far behind in popularity.
For now, after back-to-back World Series championships, the Dodgers have left even the Lakers far behind in popularity, and every other team in town even further behind.
In a Loyola Marymount survey asking Los Angeles County residents to identify their favorite among the 12 pro sports teams within the local media market, nearly half picked the Dodgers.
The Dodgers’ lead over the Lakers — 43% to 28% — represented the largest gap between the teams in the nine editions of the survey, first conducted in 2014 by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles.
The Rams ranked third, at 7%, followed by the Kings at 5% and the Angels at 4%.
The two women’s teams — Angel City FC and the Sparks — tied for last, each with less than 1% of the vote. Even when the study separated votes by gender, the two women’s teams each got less than 1% of the vote from women.
As recently as 2018, five teams beyond the Dodgers and Lakers — the Angels, Clippers, Galaxy, Kings and Rams — attracted at least 4% of the vote. In this year’s survey, only the Rams did.
“I’m a big Rams fan,” said Fernando Guerra, the center’s director, “and I still put the Dodgers first.
“I love all these teams. But, when you have to choose one, it’s the Dodgers.”
Dodgers president Stan Kasten pointed to the popularity and excellence of the players, the cherished ballpark and the generational fan support as factors contributing to the top ranking.
“If you have a lot of good elements but you don’t win, you’re not going to be as high,” Kasten said. “And, if you win but you don’t have the other elements, you’re not going to be as high.
“I think, right now, we’re as close as you can be to clicking on all cylinders.”
In 2018, Ohtani’s debut season with the Angels, 8% of fans that identified themselves as Asian picked the Angels as their favorite team and 34% picked the Dodgers — a terrific showing for the Angels, since the study polls residents in L.A. County, not Orange County.
That demographic this year: 4% picked the Angels, 47% picked the Dodgers.
In their 10 years since returning to Los Angeles, the Rams have made seven playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances, winning one. All that, and a half-century in their previous run in L.A., and their membership in the most popular sports league in America, and the best they could do was 7%.
“It’s just tough to break the Lakers’ and Dodgers’ hold,” Guerra said. “It’s not like we don’t love the Rams or the others. It’s just not your top priority.”
The Lakers and Dodgers have combined to win 20 championships in Los Angeles. The other 10 teams that call this market home have combined to win 16.
In the 13 seasons since Mark Walter and Co. bought the Dodgers, the team has won 12 division titles, made five World Series appearances, and won three championships. In the same time, the Lakers have won three division titles, advanced past the first round of the playoffs twice, and won one championship.
Walter bought a controlling interest in the Lakers last year. He has installed Lon Rosen, formerly the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer, as the Lakers’ president of business operations.
“When the Lakers are winning a lot of championships, they’re No. 1,” Rosen said. “When the Dodgers are, they’re No. 1.
“It’s a good position to be in, since we control both teams, and both teams are highly successful.”
In this moment, the Dodgers are highly successful.
“The Lakers and Dodgers are going to be neck and neck very soon,” Rosen said. “The Lakers will 100% be champions again soon.”
The Dodgers do not concede the days of neck and neck will return. Kasten, remember, said the Dodgers were as close as they could be to clicking on all cylinders.
“We don’t take that for granted,” he said. “We know we can do even better.”
