MESA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 10: Jaxon Wiggins #70 of the Chicago Cubs participates in Spring Training workouts at Sloan Park on February 10, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meanwhile, the I-Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when right fielder Justin Dean doubled to lead off the inning and then second baseman James Triantos beat out an infield single to score Dean with two outs.
The I-Cubs made it 4-0 in the bottom of the second with this three-run blast from third baseman Pedro Ramirez.
But then the I-Cubs bats went silent. Gavin Hollowell threw two great innings of relief, allowing no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out three. But Tyler Santana was called upon to pitch the eighth and ninth innings. He allowed one inherited run and one more of his own to score in the eighth and then allowed a solo home run to lead off the ninth and a three-run home run to Nolan Jones that gave Columbus the lead for good.
The final line on Santana was five runs on three hits and four walks over two innings. He struck out two.
Iowa did bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs in the ninth, but DH Jonathon Long hit the first pitch to the shortstop for an easy fielder’s choice that ended the game.
Pedro Ramirez was 1 for 2 with the home run and two walks. He also stole a base.
BJ Murray Jr. was 1 for 4 with the home run.
Justin Dean went 1 for 3 with the double and two walks.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Julio RodrĂguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting a single to score Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners to tie the game during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Having had a while to process last night’s 6-5 loss against the Guardians, I have determined that as far as losses go, I’m pretty okay with this one. Yes, there were incredibly frustrating things: the bullpen coughing up a key run after some questionable decisions, the utter lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, the double-digit strikeouts. But there were enough positives to take away to leave me about as encouraged as one can be about a loss.
One: Bryan Woo looked unhittable for five innings
Woo’s postgame interview was agonizing as he shouldered the blame for the loss after giving up [checks notes] two runs over six innings. Yes, the command faltered in the sixth, but Woo’s performance up to that point was dominant. The Guardians came in with a plan to be aggressive against him and Woo pounded the zone anyway, forcing the Guardians into quick, weak-contact outs. He also racked up nine strikeouts, 15 whiffs, and hit a career milestone of four hundred strikeouts en route to re-establishing himself as the ace of the rotation.
Two: Randy keeps getting on base
Randy Arozarena’s ice-cold challenge in the second inning that resulted in a walk was one of my favorite moments from yesterday’s game. Randy will get his hacks in, make no mistake about it, but he is running an extremely hilarious (to me) 7.7% strikeout rate vs. a 31% BB rate over these first three games.
Three: Cole Wilcox makes a strong Mariners debut
Wilcox, who’s up in place of the injured Carlos Vargas, showed why he was a spring training standout with an efficient 1-2-3 inning. The issue for Wilcox is throwing strikes, and he did that last night against the bottom of the Guardians’ order, including a fairly devastating three-pitch sequence to CJ Kayfus that ended with Kayfus chasing after 96 on the top rail. You can read more about Wilcox here.
Four: Cole Young continues to be on time for the fastball
Young didn’t have a great day at the plate but he came up huge in the ninth, shooting a 97.5 mph fastball oppo down the left-field line for a leadoff double and eventually scoring the tying run. Young continues to handily beat his preseason projections into the ground and while pitches will eventually stop throwing him fastballs on the plate, Young also did a good job in this at-bat of laying off a couple of tough splitters.
Five: Julioooooooooo
This was the feel-good moment of the night for me. It’s been a scuffle for Julio over these first three games but this game-tying single where he just used his strength to muscle the ball into right-center was cathartic. It’s encouraging to see Julio not getting too big with his swing and doing what the moment calls for, tying it up and passing the baton.
“What we saw from Julio throughout the spring was using the whole field, and that was a perfect example there,” said Dan Wilson. “Not trying to do too much, especially with two strikes, just trying to get something in play there, and he did get a pitch he could handle and found a hole over there on the right side and gave us the tie at the time. Outstanding at-bat for him.”
Six: That Chase DeLauter homer was an anomaly
96.6 up and away? On a cold March night in Seattle? xBA of .490, 99 mph off the bat and 365 feet? Home run at 20 of 30 parks? Get all the way out of here.
Seven: Healthy Luke Raley is a menace to opposing teams
[Crocodile Dundee voice] That’s not a home run, that’s a home run. Raley had one home run over 400 feet last year after hitting 11 in 2024, including a career-long 459-footer, and 12 in 2023 with Tampa Bay. He’s already notched one such blast three games into the 2026 season with this 411-footer, scorched off the bat at 108.9 mph.
Maybe the most encouraging thing from last night’s loss: the comeback the team mounted in the last few innings, even if it fell short. Cole Young said that J.P. Crawford took him aside between innings to encourage him and help coach him up with a scouting report on the pitcher, right before his leadoff double. Young also said Josh Naylor was feeding positive energy to the dugout, telling everyone the Mariners were going to come back and win that game. It didn’t happen last night, but the pieces are in place.
“That’s what this team does,” said Wilson. “We have seen that time and time again, and to feel that energy in here, to feel that fight in here again, that’s a really good sign as we get started.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 29: Owen Caissie #17 of the Miami Marlins gets a gatorade bath after hitting a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on March 29, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies were unable to avoid the sweep in their Opening Weekend series against the Miami Marlins. The Fish walked off the Rockies on a two-run home run, cementing an 0-3 record to kick off the 2026 campaign with three straight one-run losses.
Unable to capitalize
The Rockies struck first, when Jordan Beck hit a bases-loaded and bases-clearing double in the first inning to put the Rockies up by three.
Those would be the only runs the Rockies would score for the rest of the game. Striking out a whopping 11 times—with four hitters being punched out at least twice — the Rockies finished the series with 30 total strikeouts.
The Rockies had multiple opportunities to score more runs throughout the game. They drew two walks and had six hits in total. In the top of the seventh, the Rockies had both Jake McCarthy and Kyle Karros on base with no outs, only to come up empty. They then went down in order with two strikeouts in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Overall, the Rockies were just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
One mistake from the bullpen is the Rockies’ undoing
With a runner on and one out in the fifth inning, Quintana gave way to Jimmy Herget for his second appearance of the young season. “The Human Glitch” quickly dialed up back-to-back strikeouts on eight pitches to end the inning.
Following Herget, starter-turned-long reliever Antonio Senzatela took the mound for his first appearance of the year. Senzatela was incredibly sharp during his first two innings. He set down all six batters in order with three strikeouts. His fastball was clocking near 99 MPH and his pitches were showing good shape and movement compared to previous seasons. Senzatela recorded the first two outs in the eighth inning but did allow a walk and a single before being pulled for Victor Vodnik.
Vodnik—looking for the four-out save—was charged with hitting the first batter he saw even though the ball hit the knob of the bat and not the batter himself. He quickly struck out the next hitter on three well-placed pitches, including a 94.4 MPH changeup and a 99.7 MPH four-seam fastball.
In the bottom of the ninth inning Vodnik gave up a ground ball single to Xavier Edwards only for Liam Hicks to line into an unassisted double play via the glove of Rockies first baseman Troy Johnston. With two outs, the save—and the Rockies’ first win of the season—was in sight. However, Vodnik gave up a double to Javier Sonoja and then left a changeup hanging middle-middle to Owen Cassie, who sent the ball over the outfield wall for a walk-off home run.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies will continue their season opening road trip tomorrow evening with a trip to visit the defending American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays. Right-handed veteran Tomoyuki Sugano will make his season debut for Colorado while the right-handed Cody Ponce will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays. First pitch is at 5:07 PM MDT.
The Mets fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates by a final score of 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways...
-- With the game still tied in the ninth, Luke Weaver worked around a pair of walks to keep things knotted at 2-2. After the Mets couldn't score in the bottom half, Richard Lovelady came on for the 10th, and Ryan O'Hearn greeted him with an RBI single to score the free runner. Lovelady, pitching on back-to-back days, allowed another RBI hit to Henry Davis, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, after a Lindor walk, Juan Soto crushed a double to left-center, and while free-runner Francisco Alvarez scored easily, Francisco Lindor was out by quite a bit at the plate for the first out of the inning, following a questionable send from third base coach Tim Leiper. Later, with two outs and a runner on third, Jorge Polanco hit one to the wall in right, but it was just off the end of the bat enough to be caught for the final out of the game.
-- It was clear from the jump that Nolan McLean had a hard time getting comfortable on the mound. After walking the first two hitters of the afternoon, McLean allowed an RBI single toO'Hearn, and then gave up a solo shot to Brandon Lowe (his third homer of the series) in the top of the third inning, the first homer he's ever allowed to a left-handed hitter in the big leagues.
McLean settled in during the middle innings, striking out four combined hitters in the fourth and fifth frames, and his afternoon ended there. McLean went 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and a walk. He threw 84 pitches, 52 of which were strikes.
-- Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski had the Mets baffled early. The young right-hander struck out the side in both the first and third innings, fanning Lindor, Soto, and Bo Bichette two times each. That being said, the middle and bottom parts of the order were able to push a run across in the second, as Luis Robert Jr. singled and came around to score on a Marcus Semien sac fly. Mlodzinski set a new career-high with seven strikeouts through just three innings.
--But the top of the order came through the third time through the order, as Lindor tripled in the fifth (his first since the 2024 season), followed by a Soto RBI single, which tied the game at 2-2 and chased Mlodzinski from the game after 4.1 innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, striking out a career-high eight while walking none.
-- Sean Manaea made his season debut out of the bullpen, coming into the game with two outs and nobody on in a 2-2 game in the top of the seventh. With a fastball around 88-90 MPH, Manaea allowed an Oneil Cruz single and committed an error on a pickoff attempt to allow Cruz to get into scoring position, but got out of the inning with a grounder to second. He pitched into the eighth, when he allowed a pair of two-out walks, but he again got out of the jam.
--It was another big day at the plate for Robert and Baty, with both recording a pair of hits. Meanwhile, Bichette and Soto each struck out three times, but Soto did also drive in a pair of runs.
Game MVP
O'Hearn, who had three hits and a pair of RBI on the afternoon.
Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
It’s not even March, but today’s game is an example of why I couldn’t fully buy in on this Red Sox roster. Starting pitching is great, but when the offense can’t support it, you’re always in danger of one swing changing the game. Connelly Early pitched well, although it wasn’t a dominant performance, but his offense only gave him two runs of support. A single and a walk later, and the go-ahead run was at the plate for Cincinnati. Greg Weissert left a pitch over the plate, and the Reds had a lead in the sixth inning.
The Red Sox threatened in the eighth inning, but Jarren Duran was picked off to give away an out. Andruw Monasterio doubled in the ninth inning, but Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story couldn’t get him home. Timely hitting comes and goes throughout a 162-game season, but it’s fair to wonder if the offense isn’t good enough after a slow start. For the record, I think they’ll be better, but hitting with runners in scoring position has been a problem to this (incredibly early) point.
Back to Early. 5.1 innings of one-run baseball is great. At the same time, he wasn’t as sharp as he was at the end of last season. His four-seam fastball caught a lot of the strike zone and generated just two whiffs on 37 pitches. He did a good job of jumping ahead of hitters, but had a hard time putting them away. Reds hitters fouled off nine two-strike pitches, forcing Early to work hard for outs. His curveball, in particular, was fouled off several times and didn’t return a swing and miss. It’s a good start to build off of for Early, but better two-strike execution and fastball command will help him get deeper into games.
The Reds held on to win the game and the series by a run and a game. We’ll travel to Houston for a three-game set with the Astros on Monday.
Three Studs
Wilyer Abreu (3-4, HR, 2B)
Abreu continues to swing a hot bat. He went yard again in the fourth inning after fouling off nine pitches. He also doubled to the opposite field off a lefty later in the game, and singled to continue a rally in the eighth inning. He’s seeing the ball really well right now.
Jovani Moran (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 ER)
Moran handled the seventh and eighth innings, keeping the deficit at one. His command wasn’t sharp, but his fastball shape is going to miss bats, and the changeup has always been a good pitch for him. Nice start to the season for the lefty.
Connor Wong (2-3, 2B)
How about Connor Wong? He singled early in the game, and then stuck his bat out at a ball off the plate that somehow flew to the warning track for a double. It’s nice to see him get a couple of early hits and start his numbers off without being anchored by a frigid streak. Decent day for Wong.
Three Duds
Greg Weissert (0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 ER)
Weissert came in in relief of Connelly Early with a runner on and one out. He walked Sal Stewart on five pitches, and then got ahead of Eugenio Suarez 0-2. He tried to elevate a four-seam to punch Suarez out, but channeled his inner Italian, throwing a meatball directly in the turbo zone. Suarez hit the ball almost to Italy to put the Reds in front in the sixth inning.
Side note: I saw a lot of “what was Weissert thinking?” in response to him throwing that pitch. I’m sure he was thinking, “I’m going to throw this above the zone”, not “I’m going to throw this in the perfect spot for him to hit it 500 feet.”
Jarren Duran(0-2, 2 BB)
Tony Santillan pitched on Saturday and walked two of the five hitters he faced. He walked Jarren Duran, and then went down 3-0 to Willson Contreras. Given those two facts, you absolutely cannot be picked off of first base representing the tying run in the eighth inning. Credit to Santillan, it was a good move, but Duran can’t let it happen.
Caleb Durbin (0-4, 2 K)
Durbin is now 0-12 with three strikeouts to begin the season. He was acquired in part because he doesn’t strike out frequently, but struck out in a huge spot late in Sunday’s game. Let’s hope he picks it up offensively soon.
Mar 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after striking out against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Baseball seems to have the longest offseason around. If you have a team that you follow that isn’t in the playoffs (or gets bounced from the playoffs quickly), it feels like forever until Opening Day. That wait brings hope, promise and hype that this will be the season a championship parade is the endgame. Opening Day brings pomp and circumstance, games are finally played and….
…you get this performance from the Phillies.
Outside of a masterful six innings by Cristopher Sanchez, the Phillies looked rather lackluster against the Rangers. Sure, their comeback Saturday in the ninth inning was somewhat memorable, but what the offensive decided to do (better yet, not do) left a sour taste in the mouths of many.
Sunday’s game got out of hand rather quickly. The game was scoreless to begin, Jesus Luzardo on the mound for the Phillies, Mackenzie Gore opposing him for the Rangers. Both traded scoreless innings to start, but in the third, Texas got going. A one out single by Sam Haggerty was brought around on a home run by Brandon Nimmo to give the Rangers the lead.
They got three more in the fourth when Corey Seager and Jake Burger, who reached on walk and a single respectively, scored thanks to a missile from Andrew McCutchen.
CUTCH!
Andrew McCutchen sends a frozen rope into the seats for his first home run of the season đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/UpMFfvFIuM
They would add another run in the top of the sixth on a Kyle Higashioka RBI single. So as the Rangers are scoring runs and then adding more to that total, the Phillies staggered to and back from the plate like an 11U baseball team. Their approaches were bad, their swings were worse and that meant they were no-hit again through multiple opening innings. They got on the board when in the bottom of the sixth, they loaded the bases thanks to an excuse me single by Justin Crawford, a walk to Trea Turner and a broken bat single by Kyle Schwarber, all with no outs.
Bryce Harper then looked feeble once again, striking out to get the first out. Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch to get a run, then another followed on an sacrifice fly by Adolis Garcia. Bryson Stott pinch hit next, only to ground out, but at least there was a pulse.
Enter Zach Pop. Walk, double, hit by pitch and one run was given back. Another sacrifice fly given up two batters later made the sure that the runs the Phillies got were neutralized quickly.
In the eighth, Stott got an RBI single to make the score 8-3, but that was about it.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 29, 2026
There was much consternation about the team running it back, even though there are a lot of new faces. Part of that consternation was the team not fixing the issues that got them bounced from the last two playoff appearances, where the offense simply didn’t show up when it mattered. These two games this weekend did not help quiet those voices.
Even if it is just three games (and friends, they will ultimately be fine), this was not the performance one was hoping after weeks of missing baseball.
CINCINNATI, OH - MARCH 26: Johnny Bench talks with Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Cincinnati Reds prior to the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeffrey Dean/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It had been a bit of a slow start to the season for Eugenio Suárez entering play on Sunday. It’s hard to fault him for it, of course, as he’d been away on the roller coaster that was Team Venezuela’s victory in the World Baseball Classic and had far from the typical spring training warm-up.
He also was returning to the Cincinnati Reds after four seasons elsewhere, and surely was putting some added pressure on himself to perform for a base of fans that adored him so. Spotlighting it was that the players who have been hitting ahead of him in the lineup – namely Sal Stewart and Matt McLain – have been so impossible to retire that each and every time Geno stepped to the plate it seemed as if there were multiple runners in scoring position.
Suárez put in a more vintage showing on Sunday in Great American Ball Park, however. With the Reds trailing the Boston Red Sox 2-0 in the Bottom of the 6th and a pair of runners on, Geno absolutely obliterated a ball into the second deck in LF for a 3-run homer, a 431 foot blast that flipped the scoreboard completely.
Thanks to Rhett Lowder holding Boston to just a pair of runs in an otherwise rock soild start and the bullpen holding firm over the final four frames, that swing was all the offense the Reds would need on the day in a 3-2 victory that earned them a series victory in their first of the year.
Geno, of course, takes home Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game honors for the day, the first time I’ve been able to dote the award on him in some five years.
Hat tips are in order for Sal Stewart, too, who was on base another four times in a masterful outing that’s becoming the norm for the rookie. He doubled, singled, walked twice, and even tagged up on a deep fly ball to CF off the bat by Geno that was nearly another homer.
The vibes on this team right now – they are quite good.
Other Notes
Suarez did his damage on the day while also getting the start at 3B, as Ke’Bryan Hayes (who later came on to pinch run and play defense) got a break. I do often wonder how a guy who is so accustomed to playing defense in games every day adjusts to life as a DH, and it’ll be interesting to track how different Geno performs offensively on the days when he’s getting run at the other aspect of the game vs. on the days when he’s stuck twiddling his thumbs in the dugout for an hour at a time.
Spencer Steer got his first hit of the season. Hooray, Spence!
TJ Friedl played LF as Dane Myers got the start in CF, and he looked just fine over there. That’s certainly a rock solid defensive alignment when put together that way.
Elly De La Cruz will never not look weird to me hitting right-handed, which he did all four times he came to the plate today. He struck out in three of those appearances.
The Reds will rest up this evening and tomorrow will begin a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who dropped their first two games of the season (and are in extra-innings against the New York Mets at the time of writing this). Chase Burns will get his first start of the season opposite Bucs starter Braxton Ashcraft, with first pitch slated for 6:40 PM ET. That game will be on FS1, for those parties interested in watching it that way, and also via MLB.tv.
The Winnipeg Jets are making the most of their road trip to the Windy City, blending business with a bit of baseball ahead of their Tuesday night matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Several members of the Jets roster took in Sunday’s MLB game at Chicago Cubs versus the Washington Nationals, enjoying a relaxed afternoon before turning their focus back to hockey. The highlight of the day came before the first pitch, when Blackhawks legend and current Jets center Jonathan Toews was invited to the mound.
Toews, who spent the majority of his storied NHL career in Chicago, received a warm ovation from the crowd as he delivered the ceremonial first pitch to Cubs shortstop Scott Kingery. The moment served as a fitting homecoming of sorts for the 37-year-old veteran, whose legacy with the Blackhawks still resonates strongly with fans in the city.
Joining Toews in attendance were several of his Jets teammates, including Haydn Fleury, Vladislav Namestnikov, Kyle Connor, Connor Hellebuyck, Adam Lowry, Dylan DeMelo, Josh Morrissey, Gustav Nyquist, Colin Miller and Nino Niederreiter, among others.
The outing provided a chance for the team to unwind and build camaraderie during a crucial stretch of the season. Winnipeg enters Tuesday’s contest riding a strong run of form, with three wins in their last four games.
As the playoff race tightens, the Jets find themselves just three points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card spot. With momentum on their side and spirits lifted from a fun day at the ballpark, Winnipeg will look to carry that energy onto the ice against Chicago as they continue their push toward the postseason.
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Mar 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Andrew McCutchen (4) steps on home plate after hitting a three run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored eight runs while the Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs.
The two most notable offseason acquisitions for the Rangers this winter were Brandon Nimmo when he was acquired from the New York Mets for Marcus Semien back in November, and MacKenzie Gore when the Rangers unloaded the farm on the Washington Nationals for the lefty back in late January.
The Rangers had a third move up their sleeves that made headlines earlier this month when they brought in former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen to fight for a platoon DH job with spring training already fully underway. McCutchen won the job and now the trio of new blood have combined to lead the Rangers to a win today to claim the first series of the season from Philadelphia.
Gore was as advertised as a guy who can strike out hitters with the best of ’em but one prone to walks and innings that can sometimes get away from him. Luckily for Gore, by the time he had a trouble inning in the bottom of the sixth, the Rangers were already up 5-0 and he was nearing the end of his day anyway.
Before that, Gore tossed five scoreless innings and looked the part of a pitcher with limitless potential. Overall, the lefty went 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Assisting Gore to a win in his first start with Texas was Nimmo, who smacked a third inning two-run shot off of Philly’s Jesus Luzardo in a lefty-on-lefty matchup for his first dong of the year. That gave the Rangers an early lead that they would add to when McCutchen followed suit with a three-run shot — also his first of the year — an inning later on a wall-scraper that just stayed fair.
Though the Phillies would eventually get a couple of runs in the sixth to end Gore’s day, Texas tamped down any hopes of a comeback rally and then padded their lead with a run of their own in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the end, despite the disappointment on Opening Day, the Rangers went to Philadelphia and came away with a series victory to begin the year against one of the NL’s favorites. Thanks to the new guys on Sunday, the Rangers were winners.
Player of the Game: McCutchen continues to look like a shrewd mid-spring signing as he made a big impact in both wins to claim the series. Today, McCutchen had two extra base hits, drove in three, and scored two runs while his three-run home run proved to be the big “ok, the Rangers are going to win this one” hit of the afternoon.
Up Next: The early east coast road trip continues for the Rangers with a series against the Orioles beginning tomorrow. RHP Jack Leiter is scheduled to make his season debut for Texas in the opener opposite RHP Chris Bassitt for Baltimore.
The Monday evening first pitch from Oriole Park at Camden Yards is scheduled for 5:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 14, 2025: Carter Jensen #22 of the Kansas City Royals bats during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 14, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The game started like the first two for the Royals, scoreless innings. However, a leadoff walk in the third to Jac Caglianone started the scoring. Nick Loftin would hit into a double play, but the Royals would successfully overturn the out call at first base. So, they still had a runner on first with one out. Kyle Isbel would strike out, but an infield single from Maikel Garcia and an RBI single from Bobby Witt Jr. put the Royals up 1-0. It was the Royals first hit with a runner in scoring position this season, after being 0-10 in the first two contests.
In the top of the fourth, Carter Jensen would hit his first home run of the season, a 371-foot shot into the right field seats. Jensen has had a good approach the first two games, and it was nice to see him get rewarded, putting his team up 2-0.
Nick Loftin would lead off the fifth inning with a double down the left field line, he would score on a two out single from Vinnie Pasquantino, and for the third straight inning, the Royals had scored a run.
The three runs were more than the Royals had scored in the first two games combined and was more than enough for Seth Lugo, who was in 2024 form today. Just a masterful first appearance on the season for Lugo. 6.1 innings, five hits, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts. It was the second straight quality start for the Royals. A good sign early that they haven’t had to rely on the bullpen too much.
Matt Strahm would replace Lugo in the bottom of the seventh, with one out and a runner on second and would retire the two Braves he faced. Strahm has looked really good in his back-to-back appearances to start the season.
A leadoff walk in the top of the 8th to Witt Jr., and a single from Vinnie put the Royals on the corners with nobody out. After Perez struck out, Jensen would hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Royals up 4-0.
John Schreiber would make his 2026 debut in the bottom of the 8th. After retiring his first two batters, he would surrender a solo shot to right field to Drake Baldwin on a full count pitch. But would quickly bounce back by striking out Matt Olson looking.
After the Carlos Estevez meltdown last night, velocity concerns and the X-rays he got on his ankle after taking a comebacker last night. Lucas Erceg got the first crack at recording the save.
It was quick and dominant for “Lights Out” Lucas, as he struck out Austin Riley, and induced a game ended double play ball from Ozzie Albies after a nice swing single from Mike Yastrzemski. A 4-1 win for the boys in blue.
The Royals avoided being swept and got their first win on the season. They are 1-2 heading into their home opener tomorrow afternoon against the Minnesota Twins. They will also be home for the Milwaukee Brewers next weekend, to conclude the six-game homestand. First pitch tomorrow is set for 3:10 p.m. CT and can be watched on Royals.TV or KCTV5/KSMO.
Mar 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Connor Seabold (43) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
All throughout spring training, a tough question in Detroit Tigers camp was who would take the last spot in their bullpen. Their seven best relief options were pretty obvious, other than the question of whether Keider Montero would stay stretched out to start or not, but no one stepped to take the last right-handed spot in the pen. Beau Brieske got hurt, Brenan Hanifee wasn’t sharp, and the hoard of minor league signings and post-prospect farm hands never made a move to seize the role. Enter right-hander Connor Seabold.
The 30-year-old reliever was in camp on a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays this spring, and there were some interesting developments in his stuff. When the Blue Jays planned to send him to Triple-A to begin the season, Seabold utilized his opt-out clause and signed a major league deal with the Tigers instead.
It was certainly fair to wonder what the Tigers were doing here. Seabold was drafted by the Phillies out of Cal State Fullerton in the third round of the 2017 draft. A starter originally, Seabold never made it to the show in Philadelphia and was instead dealt to Boston as part of the Nick Pivetta trade. He debuted in 2021 with the Red Sox, and was basically a replacement level reliever through parts of four major league seasons, bouncing to the Rockies, Rays, and Braves in those years until signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays during the offseason.
The past few years, Seabold has worked with a fourseam fastball, slider, and circle changeup. None of these pitches has been above average, and Seabold’s command wasn’t sharp enough to make it work. Instead, he’s run mediocre strikeout and walk rates, giving up way too many home runs.
The change he worked on over the offseason and in spring camp was to get his arm slot higher, looking to produce more vertical break on the fourseamer. That worked out, but he’s also throwing harder so far this year. After averaging 92.6 mph on the fourseam fastball from 2023-2025, he’s averaged 94.5 mph this spring. At the same time, he’s getting an average of 17.2 inches of induced vertical break, whereas from 2023-2025, he averaged just 13.2 inches. Now, 17.2 inches is still fairly average, but an extra four inches is a lot. Trust me, I’m telling you four inches is way more than you think.
The other effect of the higher arm slot, is that he’s also getting another four inches of depth on his 83-84 mph slider. It remains to be seen whether that will produce a signficant bump in whiffs at the major league level, but it obviously helps. In isolation, meaning with no other changes to the movement profile, more depth is always better. So far this year, with spring training and his outing on Saturday all included, the whiff rate on the slider is a monstrous 61.5 percent. His whiff rate from 2023-2025 in the majors was just 26.3 percent.
The whiff rate on Seabold’s fourseamer so far this year, with spring camp included, is 29.4 percent. Over the previous three seasons, that whiff rate was just 19.9 percent. So, these are small samples, and in spring action to boot, but his whiff rates are showing some very good signs all around.
Seabold also has the circle changeup, and the effect of the added velocity has extended to the changeup as well, and he’s throwing that 3 mph faster than he used to as well. That stands to reason, but what’s good to see is that he’s throwing it harder, but still has 11 mph separation between the fourseamer and his changeup. That differential is still good, but at higher velocities, which is always a plus.
These are all modest changes for Seabold this spring, but the improvements go all the way through his whole repertoire of pitches. He already has a little deception in his short, quick arm stroke, and now he’s hiding the ball better behind his head with the higher slot, giving him some invisiball vibes, where hitters pick it up late out of his hand.
It’s way too early to suggest that Seabold is now going to function as a solid, setup level reliever. He may not even work out as the mop-up guy in the pen. However, these are all tangible, positive developments that are still pretty recently implemented. There’s at least a chance that as he gets more and more comfortable with the new arm slot and sees success, that he can air it out a little more and pitch with a minor margin for error that he’s never had before.
Right now, the Tigers options for relief help aren’t that great, and that’s the other point illustrating why the Tigers picked up Seabold. They have Enmanuel de Jesus, Drew Anderson, and Brant Hurter in the pen, giving them three guys with deep pitch mixes and proven command who can provide good depth to the rotation. Keider Montero is also a helpful depth piece and might do better as a pure reliever in time if the Tigers go that route. Could say the same for former starting prospects like Ty Madden, and when healthy, Sawyer Gipson-Long. But right now, depth in terms of pure relieveris is pretty thinned out by injury and the fact that guys like Tyler Mattison and Dylan Smith haven’t been able to break through and command their stuff consistently.
Scott Harris told reporters on Sunday that Troy Melton is on track to return before Jackson Jobe, and that they’re hopeful they’ll have Jobe back in August. The Tigers also have some young prospects at the Double-A level like Moises Rodriguez and Marco Jimenez who could break out, as well as an older, talented former prospect in Tanner Kohlhepp who has good stuff but hasn’t been able to stay healthy and refine his command. There are others in the same boat. So the Tigers have some hope for help before Brieske, or Melton, or Jobe, is ready to contribute again, but they really need a solid presence in the 8th spot in the pen for the near future.
Post VANDERBILT Baseball and/or SEC Baseball questions in the comments here.
Earlier in the week, we received the news that our already beleaguered pitching staff would not have Austin Nye this season (and potentially next, depending on how he rehabs from what we can only assume to be Tommy John surgery). Coming off a brutal losing sweep in Clangaville, you would be forgiven for not exactly looking forward to our HATED RIVALS coming into town.
Then… whatever the hell those three games were happened. We’re being told it was baseball.
Friday: an extra inning 3-2 victory fueled by 7 and 1/3 IP of one run, 9 K ball by Connor “The Spice” Fennel” and a 10th inning walk-off single by Johnstone the Elder.
Saturday: Saturday damn near never ended. After 400 hours of college baseball, the Diamond Dores finally had them loaded after The Rooster and PH Max Jensen worked one out walks, then pulled off a double steal, and The Chuggers wisely walked the “so hot right now” Ryker Waite.
It all came down to 3rd catcher Mack “The Mack Daddy” Whitcomb, who, though a transfer from TN Tech, proved himself to be all Diamond Dore by executing a perfect suicide Vanderbunt to put this game out of its misery. Bottom of the 16th inning bunt-off 6-5 victory. Jebus.
That settles it. I’ve determined that even without the type of pitching staff we’re accustomed to, I’m going to have fun this season. Opening up the mail bag right now.
Here are the rules of the mail bag:
This is a BASEBALL mailbag, so limit your questions to Vanderbilt baseball, SEC baseball, college baseball, or Vanderbilt baseball alums in the pros like Tony Kemp.
Post your questions here in the comments and I’ll answer them in a post later this week.
I will collate the best of said emails/questions in the comments, and cull ones that deal with the same topic (so we don’t have to repeat ourselves multiple times weekly).
All Anchor of Gold community guidelines apply to the questions. Our basic rule is “don’t be the worst.” Chuggers fans violate this like it’s their birth right.
Mike Papi, Luke Smith, and Ton “The Calf” Vitello are human garbage.
TORONTO, ON- MARCH 29 - left fielder Jesús Sánchez #12 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a two run homer in the third inning as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Athletics at Rogers Centre in Toronto. March 29, 2026. Steve Russell/Toronto Star (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The first two games of the season were a ton of fun, but it’s nice to keep the drama a little lower sometimes. Everyobody looked pretty good today, from Eric Lauer and the bullpen holding the A’s to two runs on five hits against 15 strikeouts, to the power bats showing up to the tune of three home runs. A season opening sweep is, by definition, the best start you can have.
Eric Lauer came out of the blocks looking like he wasn’t going to let Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease outshine him just because they throw 8mph harder. He struck out the side in the first, picked up another in the second, another in the third, and one more to lead off the fourth before a Nick Kurtz walk gave the A’s their first baserunner. His seventh closed out the inning without the A’s scoring. Sacramento got some back in the fifth, as Jacob Wilson lead off with a line drive double and (not that) Max Muncy went yard the other way, cutting Toronto’s lead to 4-2. It was a brief blip, though, and he got two more Ks and a pop out to end the inning there. Lauer returned to start the sixth, getting a fly out and counceding a ground ball single up the middle. At 87 pitches, John Schneider decided to call his afternoon there, pulling him in favour of Braydon Fisher. Ultimately, Lauer only managed 9 Ks, while giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings pitched. I guess that’s why he’s only a swingman. Fisher picked up a strikeout of his own and got a ground out to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the offence rolled from the jump. George Springer his his 64th career game opening home run, pulling him within 9 of Rickey Henderson for the all time lead. They went quietly in the second, but jumped back on Luis Morales in the third. Tyler Heineman lined a single with one out, and Jesus Sanchez followed with a 417ft bomb to centre field that made it 3-0. Kazuma Okamoto added one of his own in the fourth to increase the margin to four.
After Oakland closed the gap in the top of the fifth, they turned to small ball to manufacture one more run in the home half. Heineman and Sanchez walked, prompting Mark Kostay to call for J.T. Ginn to take over. Ginn’s first batter, Vladimir Guerrero jr., hit a hard ground ball single. His second, Addison Barger, worked a walk that forced Heineman home and made it 5-2. Okamoto grounded into a double play that prevented a big inning.
Ginn handled the Jays quitely in the bottom of the sixth. Fisher returned for the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning while picking up his second strikeout. Ginn did it again in the eighth, retiring the jays in order. The top of the eighth fell to Tommy Nance. He got the first two A’s, but then gave up a single to Shea Langeliers and John Schneider decided to call for Mason Fluharty to face the lefty Kurtz. Fluharty had declared himself able to go after leaving the game yesterday when he took back to back come-backers to the knee. He apparently has a pretty gnarly bruise on the inside of his knee but no more serious damage, and he looked just fine freezing the Colonel on 93 on the top outside corner to end the inning.
Ginn stayed in for the bottom of the eighth and continued to look sharp, again facing the minimum and picking up two more strikeouts. That set up Jeff Hoffman for the three run save opportunity. Jacob Wilson managed a ground ball single, that was it.
Jays of the Day: Sanchez (0.18) is the only hitter who qualifies for either award. Lauer (0.11) and Fisher (0.10) make it on the pitching side.
Less so: Nobody!
That’s it for the A’s in Toronto this year. Tomorrow night we move on to the Colorado Rockies. Tomoyuki Sugano will represent the visitors, while Cody Ponce makes his official North American return for the Jays. First pitch goes at 7:07pm ET.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 27: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! At long last, the regular season has begun, and so far, it has gotten off to a fantastic start, with the Yankees securing their first two wins of the season without allowing a run to cross the plate. But we’re not here to talk about the performance on the diamond, we’re here to talk about their performance on social media — which has also gotten off to a fun start. And so, without further ado, let’s get started!
The Annual Hype Video
As always, on the night before Opening Day, the New York Yankees posted a regular season hype video. This year’s theme was focused on NYC being the concrete jungle, but that’s not where the story was. As with most videos, this video included one shot of a Yankees pitcher absolutely buckling the knees of an opposing pitcher — and perhaps unsurprisingly, the video selected was Max Fried striking out Juan Soto last season. The Mets outfielder made a comment on the post, started a brigade of Mets fans commenting — not the first time since October that Soto has commented on something Yankees-related, generated headlines, and then deleted it.
And in this case, it’s a shame that this became the headline, because that’s a well-edited hype video, and an even better pitch by Fried.
Generating much less drama was this Sinatra-themed video and the YES Network’s hype video, although I must point out how fun it is that Dellin Betances has now started commenting on everything the network posts that is Yankee-related.
The big story of the week, was Opening Day. Yankees players, coaches, broadcasters, and alumni got in on the excitement, starting with Suzyn Waldman posting about everyone packing their bags to head westward from Tampa.
After showing off their drip (or is it fit? I don’t know, the lingo is always changing these days), everyone began posting photos celebrating the season’s kickoff.
As we know, the game was unfortunately on Netflix, which meant, of course, shenanigans. Among these, though, we had Giants backup quarterback Jameis Winston do his signature “eating the W” with Yankees ace Max Fried, who earned the W on Opening Day with 6.1 shutout innings.
Netflix wasn’t the only one to have some fun, though. Making fun of some Internet jokes about Austin Wells playing for the Dominican Republic during the World Baseball Classic, the Yankees’ social media team posted this meme. And apparently, they got it wrong; the expression is supposed to be “Gloria a Dios, Gloria morisoñando.”
Following the win, Dellin Betances, Josh Hart (who, as you may recall, is related to Elston Howard), and others took to their social media accounts to celebrate the W.
So when I was a kid, I took piano lessons. I don’t really remember them all too well, although I still theoretically remember how to play, sort of. But my (admittedly not great) music background isn’t the point here. You see, one of those songs we had to learn at like eight years old was titled The French Fry Bandit. I don’t think that’s an actual song — my quick Google search is that it’s an exercise designed to teach things like rhythm and tempo, but again, not the point — but it came to mind this week when I saw Trent Grisham having some postgame fries as part of Netflix’s coverage of Opening Day.
I get it, Grisham. The Griffin family, we love our fries too. But maybe leave some for the guy whose name is literally Fried?
The Game Belt
This season, the New York Knicks have awarded a Defensive Player of the Game after every win (the comeback win over a depleted Warriors team the sole exception), taking a photo after the game with the DPOG dressed in Timberlands and a vest, like a NYC construction worker. Likely inspired by the popularity of these posts, the Yankees social media team has begun to post the recipient of each win’s Game Belt.
Cam Schlittler took the baseball world by storm with a dominant performance over the Red Sox in last year’s Wild Card Game 3, then with an equally dominant performance over Red Sox fans on Twitter. He has continued his strong trash talking on Twitter with the new year.
Speaking of Sims, he also posted some pics from the Yankees’ day off on Thursday, as he took the opportunity to tour the great city of San Francisco.
Congratulations to former Yankees pitcher Luis Severino, who reached ten years of service time this season and, in doing so, is now a fully vested member of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association. While not a big deal to outsiders, this is a massive milestone among players, and it’s always nice to see it commemorated.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 27: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves reacts as he rounds second base after hitting a solo homer against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning of the home opener at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, if you were hoping for a similar result as last night’s game, where the Atlanta Braves would rally late in the ninth to get ahead, today wasn’t that day.
The Kansas City Royals have avoided getting swept by the Braves, winning their first game of the year to cap off Opening Week with a score of 4-1.
The Royals first scored three straight runs in three straight innings and first appeared on the board in the third after a run from Nick Loftin after a RBI single from Bobby Witt Jr., Loftin would go on to score another run in the top of the fifth after a homer from Carter Jensen in the fourth.
As for the Braves’ offense, they couldn’t get a runner in scoring position until the bottom of the fifth inning first time braves runner was in scoring position was when Ozzie Albies singled on a line drive to center field and made it to third base due to an RBI single from Dominic Smith. This wouldn’t result in any progress, though, as Jorge Mateo would ground out to end the inning. Mike Yastrzemski would be the next player to reach second base with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh.
It was in the bottom of the eighth where the Braves would see some run-action with a solo-shot from Drake Baldwin that would put the Braves on the Board (4-1) with his second homer of the season.
