Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers are off to a hot start, as they lead the division at 5-1 heading into their first road trip of the season. They’ll visit the Royals this weekend before taking on Caleb Durbin and the Red Sox in Boston to open next week.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
Free of charge for the discerning reader.Happy birthday, Bobby Hill! And other stories.
Today in baseball history:
1901 – Connie Mack accuses Christy Mathewson of reneging on a Philadelphia Athletics contract signed in January. Mathewson had accepted advance money from Mack, but jumped back to the New York Giants in March. Mack considers going to court, but eventually accepts the loss of the young pitcher.
1919 – One of the most bizarre off-the-field incidents in history takes place in Jacksonville, Florida. New York Yankees outfielder Ping Bodie competes against an ostrich named “Percy” in a spaghetti-eating contest! Bodie wins the competition when Percy passes out after its 11th plate of pasta.
1985 – MLB Players’ Association agrees to expand the League Championship Series from five to seven games.
1987 – The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.
1043 – Edward the Confessor crowned King of England.
1367 – An alliance of King Peter of Castile, Edward the Black Prince and John of Gaunt of England, Aquitaine, Majorca and Navarra defeats Count Henry of Castile in the Battle of Navarrete, fought near Nájera in La Rioja, Castile.
1860 – Start of the Pony Express, delivers mail by horse and rider relay teams between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.
1882 – American outlaw Jesse James is shot in the back of the head and killed by Robert Ford at home in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Two series are in the books, and now it’s time for the Phillies to test themselves on the road. A three game set in Denver’s high elevation is lined up for this weekend. But first, links.
May 20, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detailed view of Baltimore Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini (16) wearing Maryland state flag socks prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-Imagn Images
Hello, friends.
The Orioles will be back at it today after having the day off yesterday. Don’t forget that this is the home opener game for Pittsburgh, which means the very atypical Friday game time of 4:12pm Eastern time. If you show up at 6:30 or 7 wondering when the game is going to start, you may be very confused and potentially disappointed depending on what you missed before that.
One thing I’ll be looking for today is an update on whatever was found or not found on Zach Eflin’s elbow MRI. I have a feeling they knew yesterday and are just waiting until the next formal availability for manager Craig Albernaz before today’s game in order to deliver the bad news to local media. I could be wrong – as anybody who reads this site for a while knows, it happens all the time.
In the short term, nothing changes regardless of when the news is delivered on Eflin. The Orioles will have to be without him for a while and that will take some juggling by Monday or Tuesday. I’m just as curious what the plan is there. We can all assume that it’s going to be Dean Kremer as much as we want to, but until they announce something, we can’t be sure. Kremer can’t be called up before April 9 unless there’s an injury, so I’d say we can’t rule out the possibility of an Albert Suárez spot start on either Monday or Tuesday.
Pittsburgh brings a 3-3 record into this series, same as the Orioles. They’re also bringing some hype, as it looks like they’ll be calling up the #1 prospect in the game, Konnor Griffin, to join the team and make his debut tonight. Griffin does not even turn 20 years old until later this month. The rumor mill suggests he’s got a handshake agreement to sign a nine-year, $140 million contract extension as soon as he plays one game. It’s going to be interesting to see over time which side got the better out of that deal.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Orioles hope improved rotation depth can make up for Eflin’s loss (Baltimore Baseball) There’s no question that having Dean Kremer as the #6 guy entering the season is way better than where things were last year. It’s not great that they’re going to have to move everybody below him up the line by one before we reach a double digit day in April.
40% of Marylanders identify as Orioles fans, UMBC poll shows (The Baltimore Sun) A solid percentage, if you ask me, although I’m sure that the business operations of the Orioles would like it if it was higher. Not that they’re doing much to try to change that.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
The most recent Orioles victory on this day came two years ago. The team walked off the Royals thanks to James McCann’s two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning. Earlier in the game, Corbin Burnes pitched reasonably well. Just five players who appeared for the team that day are on the active roster right now.
One lone former Oriole has a birthday today. Happy 51st to Koji Uehara, who finished with a 3.03 ERA in 98 games across three seasons with the team. Uehara was a fun guy in his own right on a couple of bad Orioles teams but is also memorable for being the guy traded for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter in 2011.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: author Washington Irving (1783), actress Doris Day (1922), Apollo 1 astronaut Gus Grissom (1926), anthropologist Jane Goodall (1934), and Iron Chef Cat Cora (1967).
On this day in history…
In 1888, the first of the 11 never-solved murders attributed to Jack the Ripper took place in London.
In 1922, Joseph Stalin was named as the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
In 1948, President Truman signed legislation authorizing the Marshall Plan, which at the time provided $5 billion in aid to help rebuild 16 countries after World War II.
In 1996, the Unabomber was captured at his cabin in Montana.
A random Orioles trivia question
I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ve been asking a question in this space each time it’s been my turn this year. I skipped ones that were stupid or repetitive because I’m pretty sure this book was put together by some kind of AI generation with no real human oversight, so this is the final question for this feature for now:
Who was the first Oriole to win the AL MVP award?Bonus if you know what year.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 3. Have a safe Friday. Go O’s!
Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; General view of the right field upper deck in Yankee Stadium before game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Yankees are taking the field in Yankee Stadium for the first time this year today, and they’ll do so with a strong 5-1 record to their name after excelling on their opening road trip. The Miami Marlins are the first team they’ll welcome to the Bronx, and while their record is an identical 5-1, it’s safe to say that most people aren’t rating them in the same tier as New York.
Today on the site, Nick leads off with a series preview for our pitching matchups in this Marlins series. After that, Sam has the Rivalry Roundup featuring a Royals/Twins ringer appearance with most of the typical rivals off on Thursday. Jonathan wishes a happy birthday to one of the cogs in the late 50s championship contenders in Art Ditmar, Andrés gives us five takeaways from the Yankees’ dominant road trip, and later in the day I’ll be back to answer your latest questions in the mailbag.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins
Time: 1:35 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Marlins.tv, CBS Miami
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. Which Yankee is going over the short porch first?
2. Which team has the most surprising record thus far?
Rob Friedman believes Nolan McLean is one of the most talented young pitchers in baseball. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP
In a 1940 publicity stunt, the Cleveland Indians’ flamethrowing pitcher, Bob Feller, tested which was faster: One of his own blazing deliveries, or a motorcycle. Feller’s pitching won, hands down. But today, Feller’s once-remarkable speed has become commonplace, even bettered, as major leaguers routinely pass triple figures on the radar gun. The secret to this arms race? The advances in pitching analytics,often authored by people without any previous baseball pedigree.
That’s part of the narrative of Unhittable, a new book by one such individual – Rob Friedman, more commonly known to his online followers as PitchingNinja. The book’s subtitle says it all: How Technology, Mavericks and Innovators Engineered Baseball’s New Era of Pitching Dominance.
This brave new world is tracked through methods such as heat maps, slow-motion cameras and AI. Those who chart this landscape use previously unheard-of terminology – among other things, readers will acquaint themselves with a precedent-defying phenomenon called Seam-Shifted Wake. All the while, stats gurus seek to quantify not just velocity but accuracy in how pitchers deliver the ball to the plate.
“It’s really changed through the years,” Friedman says. “[Baseball] used to be more focused on guys who were farm-strong but never lifted weights … [on the idea] you could not teach people how to throw hard, you were either born with it or could not do it.” Today, he says, “Technology brings out the best in everybody.”
Pitchers taking advantage of the wealth of analytics include last year’s National League Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Friedman is similarly upbeat about another young star, Nolan McLean of the New York Mets.
“My favorite guy to watch is … lesser-known,” Friedman says of McLean. “His stuff is absolutely nasty. I was happy that in the World Baseball Classic, the world got to see the movement of his stuff. He’s extraordinary, off-the-charts.
“Obviously, Paul Skenes I follow, I like, I root for him. Tarik [Skubal of the Detroit Tigers] is another guy. But Nolan McLean is not on the radar, even by some in New York.”
To quote Yogi Berra, is the rise in pitching talent deja vu all over again? Namely, are we seeing a return to 1968, when Denny McLain went 31-4 for the world champion Detroit Tigers, and Carl Yastrzemski led the American League with a .301 batting average? Friedman has thoughts on whether the cards are once again stacked against hitters.
“I’ve never said [the game is] too pitcher-friendly,” Friedman says. “My name is PitchingNinja. I love nasty pitching.” He calls baseball “the only sport in which the guy with the ball is technically on defense. The pitcher really is on offense. Guys will be reacting to what the pitchers do.”
In the modern game, Friedman says, “I do think pitchers have a big advantage. The question is, do fans want it the way it is?”
McLain’s opponent in the 1968 World Series, the St Louis Cardinals, featured the fearsome Bob Gibson, who was known for throwing triple-digit speeds. The book quotes Gibson about the toll that throwing 100 mph takes on a pitcher’s body: “Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, ‘Holy shit,’ but that’s the strain you feel when you throw.’”
Injuries to pitchers are on the rise. Does Friedman think that’s down to pitchers trying to throw as hard as possible these days? While he says there is “no agreement on why injuries happen,” he adds, “It’s just like a race car. You drive fast enough, you lose control. At some point, things break … Even Paul Skenes has backed off some,” lowering his velocity from 102 mph to 99 mph, “enough to get hitters out.”
Instead of just focusing on velocity, Friedman says, pitchers can also “focus on adding more pitches,” including through the practice of tunneling – developing multiple pitches that begin similarly before breaking in varying directions.
Before becoming PitchingNinja, Friedman was a lawyer. The nickname arose as a social media account; Friedman used it to share pitching-related videos and lessons. Interest surged to the point where he had to interrupt dinner with his wife to respond to a DM from five-time All-Star Yu Darvish. Another analytics expert who made it big, Daren Willman, first began sharing pitching information while he worked in software at a district attorney’s office in Harris County, Texas. The creator of the Baseball Savant website, Willman parlayed his passion into a full-time job with MLB, then into a similar role with the Texas Rangers, including during their World Series championship season; he’s now back at MLB.
“You don’t have to formally be in baseball or be a great baseball player to have an impact on the sport,” Friedman notes.
Speaking of outside-the-box thinking, that was the secret behind Nolan Ryan’s legendary speed, according to the book. It was the Hall of Fame fireballer who bucked longstanding baseball tradition to train with weights. The Ryan Express retired from a decades-long career with the all-time major-league strikeout mark.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit,” Friedman says, adding that in Ryan’s day, pitchers “did not weightlift, they thought weightlifting was a bad idea. He was one of the first to take to it, lifting throughout the season, which was maybe unique.”
Taking a macro approach, Friedman adds that Ryan’s career coincided with the “very cusp of when we started understanding more about technology – the computer revolution. We were able to digitize everything. In the 1990s, more of this came about, digging into data on what made pitchers more effective.
“Slow-motion cameras from Edgertronic showed thousands of frames per second of how balls left your hand. Everybody could have a radar gun … they were not ridiculously expensive, it was technology almost anybody could use.”
Friedman credits a more recent pitcher – Trevor Bauer – with a surge in interest in the analytics-minded approach to pitching. (Friedman writes that Bauer has had his share of controversy off the field, including a 194-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. The book notes that Bauer was not criminally charged by authorities, and his treatment in the book focuses on his pitching.) Friedman writes that Bauer embraced analytics and explored training methods that were unpopular in baseball at the time: Long toss and weighted balls.
“He was not naturally talented,” Friedman says. “He was the poster child for that time period. He engineered himself into being a baseball player using available technology. I think he’s a good case study, a bridge to what we see today.”
Reflecting on the continuing debate between analytics and tradition, Friedman says, “Players with no formal engineering [background], who always played and were good, might ask, ‘Why are these weenies who can’t even pitch trying to tell me how to pitch, play, coach?’
“It goes both ways. Sometimes really smart people criticize players for not being open-minded. I don’t know if either side’s right. There needs to be a bridge to talk to everyone. All analytics are is more information.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 01: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates his solo home run during the ninth inning against the Seattle Marinersat T-Mobile Park on April 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees created several questions with their offseason strategy to run it back with largely the same roster as last year, and their dominant first week of games has begun the process of moving the conversation away from those concerns. There were questions over how Ben Rice would hold up on both sides of the ball now that he is the full-time first baseman, and he has risen to the task on both fronts. Many wanted a more marquee upgrade to the starting rotation than Ryan Weathers with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt missing the start of the year to injury, but the Yankees rotation has only gone and made history by allowing just two runs in the first six games. The bullpen has had some up and down moments but largely has followed the rotation’s lead. The left side of the infield remains a question with Ryan McMahon’s limp bat and José Caballero’s throwing miscues.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: David Bednar has been a stabilizing force in the closer role since being brought over last trade deadline. He secured three saves on the road trip and in general inspires a ton of confidence when he enters in the ninth — unlike several pitchers the Yankees have allowed to close games in recent years. He is loving his time in New York on a contending team — the one area that still requires the biggest adjustment, however, is navigating city traffic during his commute to the ballpark.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: The Yankees return home from their six-game road trip to host the Marlins in their Friday home opener. Martinez came up with five storylines for the upcoming series, starting with whether Aaron Judge will truly ignite his season after striking out at an elevated clip to open the year. How will Will Warren and Ryan Weathers do in their second starts — Weathers facing the team that dealt him to the Yankees. The Yankees shouldn’t take these Marlins upstarts too lightly, the offense scoring nine-plus in three straight games and pitchers allowing more than three runs just once this year.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Yankee Stadium is offering a new slate of concessions and Kirschner provides his comprehensive review of the new dishes. Atop the list is an optical illusion dessert that looks like the famed chicken tender bucket but in reality is a cornflake-coated, drumstick-shaped ice cream. At the bottom of the list is a pinto bean empanada that is “an affront to empanadas.”
ESPN: ESPN released their first in-season power rankings and the Yankees sit in second behind the Dodgers. The pitching has been the driving force in the Yankees’ hot start, the team allowing a combined six runs across the first six games. The Dodgers’ superior offensive performances give them the slight edge, though the Yankees hold the upper hand in the standings and on the mound.
Rangers have had 19 different goalscorers (excluding own goals) in the Scottish Premiership this season; since their promotion in 2016, only in 2023-24 (20) have they had more in a single campaign.
Rangers are unbeaten in 12 league meetings with Dundee United (W8 D4) since a 1-0 defeat in August 2021.
Dundee United have only won one of their past 22 league visits to Rangers (D4 L17), a 3-2 victory in April 2011 under Peter Houston.
Dundee United have won two of their last three league games (D1), as many as their previous 11 beforehand (W2 D4 L5).
Rangers have won 10 of their 12 home league games under Danny Rohl (D2), more than any other Scottish Premiership side since his first such match in charge in October.
SAN FRANCISCO — Devin Williams has kept drama to a minimum to begin his Mets career, but he knows there is room for improvement.
The Mets closer began Thursday without allowing an earned run — and yielding only one hit — over three innings in his first three appearances, striking out four and walking two.
“I’m getting good results, at least,” said Williams who did not pitch in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Giants. “I have some room for improvement with my command and my changeup and with my fastball, so I think just getting reps is going to help that.”
“Just wanted to give him an extra day [at DH],” Mendoza said. “He continues to feel better and progress. I might need that DH spot in the upcoming days for some other guys and that is why we’re taking advantage of the extra day here for him to DH.”
Mark Vientos started Thursday at first base for a second straight game.
The Mets began the day with 55 runners left on base, tied for the most with the Astros.
As a team, the Mets were 11-for-68 (.162) with runners in scoring position, ranking 29th in MLB.
The Reds were the only team worse in such situations.
This marks just the second time in franchise history the Mets played extra innings in three of their first six games. It last occurred in 1991.
Mendoza noted the strain it has placed on the bullpen, which needed to record 15 extra outs in the first week.
Daniel Susac (6) started his first big league game as the San Francisco Giants played the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Daniel Susac had to wait four seasons to get to the majors, then another six games just to make his big league debut. All that patience paid off on Thursday night.
The former Arizona Wildcats catcher went 3 for 3 with a walk in his first career start, helping his hometown San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 7-2. He became the first Giants player to reach base four times in his first start since 2006.
In his first @MLB start, Daniel Susac came to the plate four times and reached base all four times 👏 pic.twitter.com/1WFo2sRCyE
The 24-year-old Susac, who made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement on Wednesday, wasted no time in his first plate appearance, sending a first-pitch curve ball into right-center field for a single. He singled through the left side of the infield on the next pitch he saw, then drew a 4-pitch walk in his third at-bat and singled up the middle to end the evening.
Per OPTA Stats, Susac is the first catcher with three hits and a walk in his first MLB start since Mike Piazza in 1992.
Susac, who played for Arizona in 2021-22, was a 1st round pick of the Oakland (now Sacramento) Athletics in the 2022 MLB Draft. Blocked at the big league level by other prospects, Susac helped Las Vegas reach the Triple-A championship game last season and then was not added to the Athletics’ 40-man roster in the offseason.
That made him available for the Rule 5 Draft, which allows teams to pick up players from others’ farm systems who aren’t on the 40-man. Those drafted must remain on the MLB roster all season or be offered back to their original team.
Susac was selected by the Minnesota Twins, who then traded him to the Giants. A Northern California native, Susac’s older brother AndrewSusac made his MLB debut with San Francisco in 2014.
At the UA, Susac was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021 when he helped the Wildcats reach the College World Series, and as a sophomore was an All-American and Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. In 125 career games he hit .351 with 24 home runs and 126 RBI.
The Mets offense, as a whole, is struggling, but Bo Bichette is starting to look more like himself, and Thursday proved that.
Bichette's box score shows he went 1-for-4, but he could have easily had three hits and driven in a lot more runs. It started in the first, when he lined a double to left field to score the game's first run. He then took Robbie Ray very deep in the third inning. Bichette launched an 86 mph slider to straightaway center. The ball exited the bat at 104 mph and went 390 feet. Unfortunately for Bichette and the Mets, it needed to go 391 feet as Harrison Bader leapt and caught it at the top of the wall.
"I don't know, I thought I hit it OK," Bichette said after the game of the near-homerun. "I mean, if I thought I got it, I would've came out of the box a little different."
After a strikeout in the fifth, Bichette's night ended similarly to the robbed home run. He hit a liner that first baseman Casey Schmitt jumped and snagged on a line, before stepping on first base to complete the double play that ended the eighth.
"Bo had some really good at-bats today," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "That first inning, that double. The one he drove to centerfield. I thought the at-bats from him today looked like Bo Bichette."
Bo Bichette's first extra base hit as a Met is a double to drive in Juan Soto for the game's first run! pic.twitter.com/O17d90QVoI
The high-profile free agent signing hasn't lived up to his billing in the early going. Entering Thursday's game, Bichette was just 3-for-27 with no extra-base hits. Bichette even admitted that he didn't feel like himself in the first series against the Pirates, but it seems the infielder has found his stroke, especially over the last couple of games.
Although the hits haven't been there, the at-bats look better. He struck out eight times in the first three games, he's struck out just once since and that includes Thursday.
"Other than the first three games at home, he’s settling in nicely," Mendoza said. "Not trying to do too much. When he does that, he’s a pretty good player."
But Bichette's re-emergence has not translated to much offense for the team overall. After going 0-for-11 with RISP in Wednesday's series finale against the Cardinals, they were 0-for-3 on Thursday.
"I mean, we've faced some pretty good pitchers recently. Or pitchers that have pitched well, that's part of it," Bichette said of the team's struggles. "I think for the most part, guys are having good at-bats. Maybe the contact is just not where we need it... This is baseball, so things go up and down, not that you're OK with it. You need to figure out a way to be better, but this is baseball. We'll show up tomorrow and do it again."
Bichette was asked about his two hard outs -- the near-homerun and the linedrive double play had xBAs of .680 and .520, respectively -- and whether the team is just a bit unlucky to start the season.
"Maybe, but that's not something to fall on. Should always be looking to do better, be better," Bichette said. "So that's what we'll do. Good thing about baseball, we get to do it tomorrow.
"I think people are looking at everything, every day throughout the whole season. Some years you get off to good starts, some years you don't. Just part of it."
Whether Sean Manaea returns to the Mets rotation is yet to be seen, but the left-hander's performance in Thursday's loss to the Giants was a good sign for the club.
In relief of David Peterson, who allowed six runs over 4.1 innings, Manaea gave the team and their bullpen some much-needed rest by finishing the game.
Manaea wasn't perfect; he allowed a run on four hits and two walks in his 3.2 innings against his former team, but what he showed on the mound was enough for manager Carlos Mendoza to be impressed.
"It was a positive step there. He was aggressive, fastball had life. Got some swings and misses and for him to finish that game and save the bullpen, it's huge," Mendoza said after the game. "Talking about Manaea, personally, can build on this one. There were a lot of good signs out of this one today."
"Felt really, really good," Manaea said of his outing. "Was kinda grindy there in the seventh. Lost a little, but locked it in, and the eighth inning felt really, really good."
That seventh is where Manaea pitched into trouble. After getting the first two outs, the Giants hit back-to-back singles and Manaea walked the bases loaded. He got out of it by getting Rafael Devers -- who homered off of him in the sixth -- to ground out to end the threat. With the Mets playing their sixth straight game, with the next day off not arriving until Monday, it was important for Manaea to give the team length, and he did.
"Meant everything [to get out of the seventh]. Where the game was at, there was no reason to use anyone else," Manaea said. "I was going to be down regardless; might as well use me for the rest of the game....This is a family, this is a team. Everyone has work to do. I was happy I was able to help out the boys today."
Manaea said he felt "free and easy" throwing his pitches on Thursday, and with confidence. He boasted about getting to throw some left-on-left changeups and his sinker was working well for him.
But the velocity continues to be a topic for Manaea. It's well-documented that the velocity dipped from last season, and while it was a tick up on Thursday, his fastball is still averaging in the high 80s. Manaea said that the small tick in velocity is a result of changes that he's made since spring.
"Just working on some things. It’s small incremental changes," Manaea explained. "Today was the first day that felt synced up and connected. Felt great."
Before the game, Mendoza said that if Manaea were to get into a game, he'd want his southpaw to throw 50-60 pitches to keep stretching him out. On Thursday, Manaea tossed 74 and he'll be down for a few days.
The Mets skipper was asked about the possibility of Manaea returning to the rotation soon, but Mendoza maintains that the situation remains fluid.
"The fact there’s a lot of positive from his outing today is good for us," Mendoza said. "
It was important for him to throw that many pitches, continue to have him stretch out in case we make the decision when we have to. There was a lot of positive from him today. Not only from a workload standpoint, but from the way he threw the ball."
Manaea was asked his thoughts on the rotation situation and whether it's his desire to be a starter again. The veteran, who has been a starter and a reliever in different parts of his career, gave a selfless response.
"All I’m worried about is pitching and helping out this team. Whether I’m in the starting rotation or not, that’s all that I care about," he answered. "
We’ve got five extremely talented starters and my role right now is to help this team in the capacity that I’m doing, and I’m very excited to do that."
Apr 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith (8) celebrates a home run during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
In what quickly became the most lopsided game of the season, the Braves struck early and often against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Thursday night en route to a 17-2 win.
The Braves are now 5-2 on the young season, It took until game 17 last year to win five games.
Matt Olson and Dom Smith both launched solo homers in the first and third innings, respectively, to make it 2-0 early. Both baseballs traveled 430 feet in cavernous Chase Field. Smith continues to really hit the ball after being thrown into the DH role midway through the spring, while Olson continued to damage baseballs in Phoenix, where his career OPS is above 1.100.
The real magic transpired in the fifth inning, when Atlanta sent TWELVE batters to the plate and scored eight runs.
Ronald Acuña Jr. walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. In what ended up being perhaps the play of the game, Drake Baldwin grounded a ball to Nolan Arenado that appeared to be an inning-ending double play. Baldwin flew down the first base line and somehow beat the throw by a step — overturned on instant replay review — to keep the inning alive. Matt Olson then doubled down the right field line, Birthday Boy Austin Riley drove in two more runs with a double of his own, Ozzie Albies doinked one to the outfield, and Michael Harris capped it off with a line drive off the left field wall to make it 10-2 in the blink of an eye.
Reynaldo Lopez was effective over five innings, needing 79 pitches to get through Arizona’s lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and a walk, striking out three. His velocity was solid again with his fastball hovering in the mid-90s, although he only recorded six whiffs.
Tyler Kinley and Osvaldo Bido closed things out as the Braves continued to tack on runs against Arizona’s lifeless bullpen.
The series continues on Apple TV on Friday night with Grant Holmes set to face Eduardo Rodriguez. First pitch is set for 9:45 p.m. ET.
Apr 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar (10) runs into the wall during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks fell victim to an early-season clunker in the series opener, thanks to an explosive eight-run fifth inning from the visiting Atlanta Braves. Getting bitten by the big inning is quickly becoming an unwelcome narrative for this young Arizona club.
In a game that offered few positives, one standout moment provided a bright spot. In the bottom of the third inning, Jordan Lawlar launched his first career MLB home run—a no-doubter that traveled 424 feet into the left-field bleachers. It was another encouraging sign for the 23-year-old, who has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season, batting .333 with a .956 OPS while adapting to a new position in the outfield. His early offensive surge appears tied to improved plate discipline: Lawlar is laying off right-handed spin out of the zone far more effectively, with his chase rate way down. That adjustment is allowing him to see better pitches and drive them with authority.
Adding to the feel-good factor, Lawlar’s first career homer was actually predicted on the pregame show by Mark Grace—a fun, uncanny moment that’s hard not to smile about.
Sadly, even the good news came with a caveat. Lawlar was hit on the wrist by a sinker in the seventh inning and had to exit in the top of the eighth. According to manager Torey Lovullo, X-rays on the wrist were negative, but Lawlar will undergo a CT scan tomorrow for extra caution. Here’s hoping the young outfielder gets a clean bill of health.
On the mound, Ryne Nelson lasted just 4⅔ innings, surrendering seven runs (only two earned, thanks to an error by Nolan Arenado). Nelson looked fairly efficient early on, but he suddenly lost his command in the fifth, and the wheels came off quickly. He walked three Braves in the inning while recording just two outs—including a bases-loaded walk—and the Atlanta hitters seemed to be sitting on his fastball, jumping on it early and squaring it up. Nelson’s slider remained a solid weapon (0-5 with three strikeouts), though that may have been partly because the Braves were geared up for fastballs.
The bullpen fared no better. 2023 postseason hero Kevin Ginkel relieved Nelson in the fourth but struggled with location as well. Despite his velocity sitting back up in the 95-96 mph range, he was hit hard and allowed three runs while recording only one out—not the kind of encouraging sign fans wanted to see from a former high-leverage arm.
Joe Ross also continued to have trouble throwing strikes, walking three batters in his two innings of work. That ineffectiveness prevented him from filling the long-man role he was kept on the roster to handle. With the game well out of hand, Lovullo was forced to burn an inning from Andrew Hoffmann in a mop-up situation he’d rather have avoided.
At this point in the season, the best approach is simple: flush this one and move on. If Nelson had made a couple of key pitches in the fifth and Arenado had converted a play he’s made countless times before, the outcome could have looked very different. Instead, the Braves racked up 17 runs on 16 hits. Time to regroup and come back swinging for the rest of the series.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 09, 2026: Robert Calaz #97 of the Colorado Rockies fields a fly ball during the eighth inning of a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on March 09, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Two days ago, we asked you which minor league affiliate you were most eager to follow since the big league club is rebuilding. Therefore, most of the exciting future Rockies are in the farm system. The majority of you are excited to watch the High-A Spokane Indians:
However, many of you are also very intrigued to see the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (I know I am).
