Category: Baseball

Go Rays!

Former Atlanta Braves starter pitcher Martín Pérez has cleared waivers after the team designated him for assignment on April 12, 2026. The team optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, but the veteran lefty elected free agency.

Pérez, who made two starts and three appearances with Atlanta after his contract was selected in the first week of the regular season, was signed as a minor league free agent this past off-season. The 35-year-old has pitched in 328 games – including 281 starts – since debuting with the Texas Rangers in 2012.

Atlanta is currently working with a four-man rotation but will not need a fifth starter until April 21. Should Pérez opt to return to the organization, it is possible he could be in-line to make a start the next time the Braves need a fifth starter. Injured starting pitcher Spencer Strider is on a rehab assignment and likely won’t be ready within the next week.

Pérez tossed 14.1 innings for Atlanta, striking out six with a 0.910 WHIP and 3.14 ERA and 3.86 xERA. His xFIP of 4.51 in 2026 is an almost exact match with his career 4.52 xFIP.

Texas Rangers lineup for April 14, 2026 against the A’s: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Jeffrey Springs for the A’s.

MacKenzie Gore looks to continue his early success against the A’s this evening. With former Ranger great Jeffrey Springs, a southpaw, on the mound, we have an odd looking lineup, though one that does feature Wyatt Langford, who is back in the lineup after missing the past three games with a quad issue. Langford is at DH, though, and looking at the outfield, I hope Gore generates a lot of ground balls.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Langford — DH

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

Haggerty — CF

Jung — 3B

McCutchen — LF

Jansen — C

Duran — 2B

8:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -135 favorites.

6pm CT on ESPN+.

Just got home from work… let me put this up now and then edit, so you have something to comment on.

On the Mound (I’m guessing…)

Tuesday @ 6:00pm ESPN+

Vanderbilt #45 Fr. RHP Connor “The Canadian” Hamilton (1-0; 4.07 ERA)

vs. Improperly Pluralized Bisons ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Lineup

Tuesday Baseball 🔜 pic.twitter.com/WHDhhm60BI

— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) April 14, 2026

See you in the comments.

Finally making the long-awaited jump to the major leagues, left-handed pitching prospect Noah Schultz got the call up on Saturday after an excellent start to his season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.

Debut day for Noah Schultz 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eG5BN55Fkt

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 14, 2026

In three games this season (two starts), Schultz has allowed just two earned runs on four hits in his 14 innings, surrendering one home run and two walks while striking out a whopping 19 batters. He’s got three wins, and his 0.429 WHIP is exceptional, especially coming off a rough stint in Charlotte at the end of last season.

Schultz has a solid arsenal with his fastball, changeup, and slider, and his fastball typically sits in the mid-90s range while topping out around 99 mph. While his changeup is sound, his real weapon is a wicked slider that sits in the mid-80s and eats up batters left and right, with many comparing him to Randy Johnson.

Schultz will go up against a Tampa Bay team that is comprised mostly of right-handed hitters, and while he has been consistent against both this season, Schultz posted a 2.03 WHIP against righties in 43 1/3 innings in 2025. The Rays hold the fifth-best team batting average (.260) in baesball, though they rank in the bottom five thus far in isolated power, and 10th in BABIP (.304). One factor of the Tampa offense that Schultz might have to work through is that the Rays don’t strike out very much. They hold the second-lowest strikeout rate at 18.5%, with 108 strikeouts as a team; by comparison, the White Sox offense holds the highest K% (27.9%) with 160 (fifth-highest).

Leading off for the Rays is Yandy Díaz, who will be the designated hitter for the Rays. Díaz holds the 11th-best OPS (1.025) in 58 at-bats this season with 14 RBIs, though Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero are power bats who could definitely put some pressure on Schultz and the defense. Left fielder Chandler Simpson is also one to watch, as he hardly strikes out (5.1% K%), ranks in the Top 10 in on-base percentage, and has 99-grade speed that allows him to be a menace on the base paths.

On the bump for the Rays is lefthander Shane McClanahan, making his third start of the season. McClanahan has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years: Out for the 2024 season to have Tommy John surgery, and again in 2025 for a nerve-related issue in his throwing arm. In a small sample size, McClanahan has bounced back well so far, and has allowed two earned runs in both of his starts this season, striking out nine and walking seven in his 8 2/3 innings so far in 2026.

While the White Sox pitching has been (surprisingly) great over the last couple of weeks, the offense has taken over command of the struggle bus. Year-to-date, the South Siders rank last in baseball in pretty much every team hitting category: OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs, and hits. And if you boil it down to just the last seven days … they still rank in the bottom three in all of those categories — I think you get the point.

Switching it up a bit tonight for the South Siders, Miguel Vargas will lead off, followed by Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami, and Everson Pereira taking over in the cleanup spot as he returns to the lineup after a couple weeks on the IL.

First pitch will take place at 6:40 p.m. CT on the South Side, and you can tune into the live broadcast at CHSN, or listen in at ESPN Chicago AM 1000.

Congratulations to Noah and best of luck in his first big league start. Let’s hope the weather holds up — Go White Sox!

That four-game sweep in San Diego last week?

Whatever.

It was a lifetime ago.

It’s a new day and a new series, this time with the Houston Astros, a team the Colorado Rockies swept last week that has now lost eight in a row. To be fair, the Astros have be devastated by injuries.

Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Michael Lorenzen.

Currently, he has an ERA of 8.36 in 14.0 IP. He’s struck out 10 while giving up 4 walks and 3 home runs with a 2.14 WHIP.

Starting for the Astros is Colton Gordon, who was recalled from the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys on Monday. He has started three MiLB games and has a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 IP.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 6:10 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site:The Crawfish Boxes

Lineups:

For the visiting Rockies:

And the home Astros:

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First Pitch: 6:40 PM CST

TV: Twins.TV

Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App, LosTwins.com

Know thine enemy:Over The Monster

Mick Abel, who tossed six scoreless innings his last time out, will face off against old friend Sonny Gray.

After allowing a season-high 10 runs in yesterday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves are looking to approach tonight with a redemption and a momentum boost to push them into the finale tomorrow.

Both pitchers are making their first start; a few of the Braves are familiar with Marlins’ Max Meyer’s game, but the same can’t be said for the Marlins’ offense against Reynaldo López.

It’s going to take a force to be reckoned with to get ahead early and produce what wasn’t displayed last night. We’ll let by-gones be by-gones and start afresh. A new mindset and approach with similar lineups for game two…this isn’t just a new game, it’s a continuation.

Tune in at 7:15 p.m., and we’ll discuss the outcome.

Game Notes

Preview

Lineups

Last night was one of the more entertaining baseball games you’ll ever see, but I’d just as soon take a clean little 5-1 win in game two of this four-game set with the Angels. While the Yankees are looking to continue the momentum from yesterday, Ryan Weathers is looking to continue a little personal momentum, coming off a strong eight-inning, one-run start last week.

After two middling starts to open his season, Weathers dominated the Athletics on Thursday, showing the potential the Yankees saw in trading with the Marlins to get him this winter. The fastball is real but the major thing that pops when you watch Weathers is his breaking pitches, and you may see him start to pitch “backwards” with the focus on his slider and curve tonight. Weathers has struggled with injury and inconsistency — he’s made all his starts so far this year, so the key is going to be following up one good start with another.

Reid Detmers will go for the Angels, himself having a solid year once you look past the ERA. A 3.38 FIP through his first three starts will play in any rotation, and while his strikeouts have dipped from his three-year baseline, so has his walk rate. It may not last — his flyball rate is up to 50 percent and his HR/FB rate is a paltry 4.5 percent — but for April the ball’s stayed in the yard. Based on what we saw from the Yankees last night though, that may not be the case in start number four.

Facing Detmers means Paul Goldschmidt leads us off, with Amed Rosario and his .999 OPS batting third and giving Jazz Chisholm Jr. a break, taking over second base. Randal Grichuk is also in left field spelling Cody Bellinger.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — New York, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, FanDuel Sports Network West

Radio broadcast: KLAA 830 (LAA), WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY)

Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only), Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Tuesday at The Stadium 🏟️ #RepBXpic.twitter.com/gmNqrk84VG

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 14, 2026

Back in The Bronx 🏙️

📺: FanDuel Sports Network West
📻: @AngelsRadioKLAA#RepTheHalo x @FBMSupplypic.twitter.com/QPIDMd0p6o

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 14, 2026

Detroit Tigers (7-9) vs. Kansas City Royals (7-9)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Royals Review
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (1-1, 4.76 ERA) vs. LHP Cole Ragans (0-3, 5.91 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	3	17.0	15.4	6.4	53.3	2.79	0.5
Ragans	3	10.2	32.6	13.0	32.0	5.67	-0.1

After last night’s abysmal start from Garrett Crochet in which he only went 1.2 innings, the Red Sox middle relief is taxed. As a result, they had to make the following roster move today, which lands Jack Anderson in a big league uniform for the first time:

The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/DLBX63pB8b

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 14, 2026

Ideally, Boston won’t need the middle relief tonight and Sonny Gray will just continue the success of his last two outings. Given the importance of the Crochet & Gray part of the rotation, this is a pretty big start for April 14th.

What’s also a pretty big start for April 14th is Roman Anthony retuning to left field as it’s just the third time he’s started a game out there this month. Given his recent struggles and inconsistent throws, there’s a good chance he’ll get a shot at an assist tonight as teams will be running on him until he gets over whatever’s going on there.

The other lineup note is that Ceddanne Rafaela is the odd man out tonight in the “five guys need to fit into four spots between DH and the outfield” puzzle Craig Breslow gave Alex Cora.

⚾️ First Pitch: 7:40 pm – Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota

📺 TV: NESN+

📻 Radio: WEEI

The Cincinnati Reds are back in action in Great American Ball Park on Tuesday evening after Monday’s much needed day off.

They’ll send righty Brady Singer to the mound to start this one, the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, meanwhile, will send former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, and the lefty’s out to a pretty stellar start to his 2026 campaign after a solid season in 2025.

Because of that, the Reds have stacked their starting lineup with right-handed hitters, including the recently recalled Rece Hinds – he’ll start in RF tonight. Dane Myers is in CF for TJ Friedl, and yes, Ke’Bryan Hayes is at 3B looking to improve upon his league-worst -37 wRC+.

Negative thirty-seven.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below.

Go Reds! They are George Foster’s favorite team!

The San Francisco Giants head to Ohio today to begin a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters today’s game with a 2.08 ERA, 3.65 FIP, with 18 strikeouts to six walks in 17.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last Tuesday, in which he allowed just three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Reds right-hander Brady Singer, who enters today’s game with a 7.71 ERA, 4.22 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to three walks in 11.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins last Wednesday, in which he allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts in two and two thirds innings.

Game #17

Who: San Francisco Giants (6-10) vs. Cincinnati Reds (9-7)

Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

When: 3:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

For those of you who have been clamoring to see Patrick Wisdom, rejoice. Mariners GM Justin Hollander today announced that Rob Refsnyder is headed to the paternity list for the birth of his third child. With the lineup desperately lacking righty hitting, the Mariners are bypassing recently-extended top prospect Colt Emerson for now and instead selecting righty-hitting Patrick Wisdom from Tacoma.

Wisdom, 34, has been off to a hot start to the season, currently leading all of MiLB with nine home runs. A true three true outcome player, Wisdom won’t help the Mariners solve their strikeout issues, but he’s been thumping the ball with regularity in Tacoma and will provide a solid counterpoint to the Luke Raley/Dominic Canzone parts of the lineup. Wisdom’s defensive home is a little more of a challenge, as he’s limited to first base, currently occupied by Josh Naylor, and with outfielder and fellow righty Victor Robles still on the shelf with no timetable for a return, that does make things somewhat dicey defensively.

Meanwhile, Refsnyder will get a mental break after a rough start to his season. The 35-year-old has only gotten in to eight games so far this season, but is still looking for his first hit after being brought in this off-season to balance a lefty-heavy lineup.

Wisdom is not in the lineup tonight as the team faces righty Michael King to open the three-game set with San Diego.

To make room for Wisdom on the 40-man roster, the Mariners DFA’d RHP Blas Castaño. A contact manager more than a strikeout pitcher who stands a generously listed five-foot-ten, Castaño has been with the Mariners since 2024. He’s likely return to Tacoma on waivers unless another team is tempted by his shiny ERA of 1.42.

The Nationals crashed and burned in the first game of their four game set with the Pirates. However, the great thing about four game series is it allows you to have a clunker. The Nats will look to bounce back tonight. To do so, they will roll with an unusual pitching strategy.

The Nats lineup only has a couple small changes. Brady House is back in the lineup, but he is DH’ing tonight. That means Jorbit Vivas will remain at third. CJ Abrams is moving down from the 3 spot to the 5 hole. Abrams in that 5 spot just gives the lineup so much length. Drew Millas will be behind the plate. The Nats are going to use a few pitchers to try and get through the first six or seven innings. PJ Poulin will open and then a Miles Mikolas and Mitchell Parker tag team will follow him.

tuesday night ball ⚾️

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/Q9wv9bpkah

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 14, 2026

For a team that put up 16 runs last night, the Pirates are making quite a few changes. Struggling DH Marcell Ozuna will be back in the lineup. Nick Gonzales will also be in the lineup at the third base spot. Joey Bart will be behind the plate instead of Henry Davis. Mitch Keller is an ultra-reliable righty who is off to a good start this year, and he will get the ball in this one.

17/162.

📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFanpic.twitter.com/yoEDERvXcd

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 14, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: PNC Park

Time: 6:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Last night was one of those games you just have to flush away. Blowouts happen in baseball, especially when you do not have a great pitching staff. Now it is time to lock back in and even this series. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.