Category: Baseball

WASHINGTON –– And, breathe.

The Dodgers’ offense isn’t broken. Its superstar hitters aren’t imploding. And the concerns over their opening-week slump, it turned out, might have indeed been prematurely overblown.

For one day, at least, the team finally looked as advertised in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals.

All it took was 16 hits and five home runs to quiet the recently mounting questions.

“Rome isn’t burning,” manager Dave Roberts quipped.

“Nobody in here is panicking,” added shortstop Mookie Betts.

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t frustration with how the offense had started the season. Entering Friday, the Dodgers ranked 22nd in scoring, were hitting just .237 as a team and were coming off a lackluster series loss back home to the Cleveland Guardians.

On what was Opening Day at Nationals Park, however, a three-inning onslaught changed all that.

It started with Shohei Ohtani, who erased an early deficit with his first home run of the year, sarcastically looking to the heavens after a 401-foot drive to right field. 

Betts then put the team in front with a two-run homer two batters later.

From there, the Dodgers (5-2) kept on mashing veteran Washington starter Miles Mikolas.

Andy Pages hit a two-run blast in the fourth, continuing his blistering start to the season with a three-hit day. Freddie Freeman ignited a four-run rally in the fifth with a two-run shot of his own. Teoscar Hernández chipped in with three hits, including an RBI double.

And, in a late-game highlight, Kyle Tucker added some late insurance with his first Dodgers home run in the seventh, punctuating his breakout three-hit day.

“Everyone clicking today was kind of nice,” Tucker said. “Hopefully this is just the start of a really good offensive year for us.”

The outburst made Emmet Sheehan’s choppy 5 ⅔-inning, four-run start largely irrelevant.

It also showed, for really the first time this season, how dangerous the Dodgers can be when the top of their lineup is all doing damage.

“There was a lot of hoopla going on in that first homestand,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this will spur something else.”

What it means

Depends if the Dodgers can keep this going.

Beating up on Mikolas, after all, is no special accomplishment. The former two-time All-Star has a 5.00 ERA over the last four seasons. He’s also been especially bad against the Dodgers in his career with a 7.80 ERA –– ironic, since he has been one of the few MLB players to publicly criticize their recent spending.

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Still, games like Friday are more what the Dodgers envisioned when putting together this year’s record-breaking $415-million payroll. Their Nos. 1-4 hitters alone, who had a combined .161 average entering play, they went 8-for-21 as a group with 10 RBIs.

As Freeman presciently noted earlier this week: “I think our offense is inevitable.”

Who’s hot

Outside of Pages, who is now batting a team-best .480, how about the leadoff duo of Ohtani and Tucker –– who not only hit their first home runs in Friday’s victory, but also recorded their first multi-hit games of the season, Ohtani going 2-for-5 with four RBIs and Tucker 3-for-6 with two RBIs.

Entering Friday, the pair had seven total hits (and only one for extra bases) against 14 combined strikeouts. Even after just six games, Roberts was asked Friday morning if he had considered splitting them up at the top of the order.

The manager hadn’t, of course, noting it was far too early for such drastic changes. 

However, he did emphasize the importance of Tucker’s No. 2 spot in the lineup directly behind Ohtani.

“Him getting on base and being a threat,” Roberts said, “changes how a team is going to approach Shohei.”

Who’s not

Sheehan did well to limit damage after an early three-run home run by CJ Abrams. But two starts into the campaign, the fourth-year starter still doesn’t look right.

For a second-straight game, his fastball velocity was noticeably down, averaging just 93.8 mph (even with a late uptick at the end) compared to 95.6 mph a season ago. Both Abrams’ homer and James Wood’s leadoff double earlier in the first inning came against heaters that failed to break 95.

Roberts was expecting Sheehan’s velocity to be improved before the game, saying the team’s pitching coaches had identified a flaw in his mechanics.

“I think a lot of what he’s done lately is spin out (of his delivery) more than is typical,” Roberts said. “So getting the direction better, we feel it should increase velocity … and his pitch mix should be better.”

Instead, the search remains ongoing for the right-hander, who now has an 8.00 ERA and an 8-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first two outings.

Up next

The Dodgers continue their weekend series at Nationals Park with a 1:05 p.m. start Saturday. Tyler Glasnow will take the bump, coming off his six-inning, two-run season debut last week. Jake Irvin will start for Washington. The right-hander has a career 4.92 ERA, but gave up just two runs in five innings to the Chicago Cubs in his first outing this year.

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All 30 teams are in action on Saturday, April 4, and I'm poring over the odds to make moneyline predictions for all 15 games.

My MLB picks are especially bullish on the Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners.

MLB moneyline picks for April 4

Matchup	Pick
Cardinals vs Tigers	+133
Blue Jays vs White Sox	-156
Dodgers vs Nationals	-270
Astros vs A's	-104
Orioles vs Pirates	+104
Padres vs Red Sox	-133
Brewers vs Royals	+100
Reds vs Rangers	+138
Marlins vs Yankees	+138
Rays vs Twins	+100
Cubs vs Guardians	+113
Braves vs Diamondbacks	-104
Phillies vs Rockies	+186
Mets vs Giants	+113
Mariners vs Angels	-150

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 4-3.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for April 4

Cardinals vs Tigers: Cardinals (+133)

Cardinals win probability: 43%

Let's open with a slight upset, as the St. Louis Cardinals can make life miserable for former Redbird Jack Flaherty. The Detroit Tigers right-hander has been extremely uneven over his career, including last season, when he posted a 4.64 ERA over 31 starts. He also issued four walks in just over four innings in his first start, and I like the young St. Louis lineup to step up on the road.

Blue Jays vs Team: Blue Jays (-156)

Blue Jays win probability: 61%

Even though the Toronto Blue Jays haven't announced their starter as of this writing, I'm taking the visitors because of how the lineup rakes against left-handed pitchers like Chicago White Sox starter Anthony Kay. Toronto boasted the third-highest wRC+ against southpaws in 2025, highlighted by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ernie Clement, and George Springer, all of whom recorded an OPS north of .800 in these matchups.

Dodgers vs Nationals: Dodgers (-270)

Dodgers win probability: 73%

Washington Nationals starter Jake Irvin had the highest ERA (5.70) among all qualified starters in 2025. The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't quite turned on the offensive jets this season, but this isn't an advisable position to back the underdog.

Astros vs A's: A's (-104)

A's win probability: 51%

This is mostly a fade of Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who looked very shaky in his MLB debut and now has to contend with the poor pitching conditions at Sutter Health Park against an A's team that has dangerous power up and down the lineup.

Orioles vs Pirates: Pirates (+104)

Pirates win probability: 49%

While no one would expect Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski to maintain a 40% strikeout rate, he looked exceptional in his season debut against the Yankees. But his success shouldn't be a surprise. He has a career 3.27 ERA over 190 innings split between the bullpen and rotation, and I like him to keep the Baltimore Orioles guessing.

Padres vs Red Sox: Red Sox (-133)

Red Sox win probability: 57%

This is a combination of preferring starter Connelly Early to Randy Vasquez and how the Boston Red Sox lineup ultimately matches up against the right-hander. Vasquez racked up the strikeouts in his season debut, but that's not his bread and butter, as he fanned just 13.7% of batters last season.

Brewers vs Royals: Brewers (+100)

Brewers win probability: 50%

Expect a better performance from Milwaukee Brewers rookie Brandon Sproat than what we saw in his first start. He issued four walks in three innings, and while he never had pinpoint command in the minors, this was far worse than anything he was accustomed to. 

Reds vs Rangers: Reds (+138)

Reds win probability: 42%

The Texas Rangers haven't announced a starter, and the Cincinnati Reds lineup is an exciting one from top to bottom. More importantly, we're getting an extremely good price here, especially if Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suarez, and Elly De La Cruz get the bats going early.

Marlins vs Yankees: Marlins (+163)

Marlins win probability: 38%

Like with the Reds, I'm taking the Miami Marlins as significant road underdogs largely due to the value at +163. The Marlins have hit lefties like New York Yankees SP Ryan Weathers well in the early going, and this isn't the same perennial loser Miami team as we've grown accustomed to. 

Rays vs Twins: Rays (+100)

Rays win probability: 50%

The Minnesota Twins are a disaster in 2026, and while the Tampa Bay Rays may not be much better, I'll fade Mick Abel, who has often struggled with command throughout his career in the majors and minors.

Cubs vs Guardians: Cubs (-113)

Cubs win probability: 53%

Of all of the Cleveland Guardians starting pitchers, Slade Cecconi is the least impressive/daunting. He doesn't overpower anyone, rarely misses bats, and surrenders a ton of hard contact. He lives in the zone, and the Chicago Cubs will make mincemeat of his offerings, giving Shota Imanaga enough of a cushion in case he doesn't have his best stuff.

Braves vs Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks (-104)

Diamondbacks win probability: 51%

Even after a sharp first outing of the season, I don't trust Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, especially against an Arizona Diamondbacks lineup featuring Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo.

Phillies vs Rockies: Rockies (+186)

Rockies win probability: 35%

This is my biggest underdog pick of the day. Philadelphia Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo was snakebitten by the long ball in his season debut, and while I don't expect that to become a new norm for him, a game at Coors Field doesn't bode well. 

Mets vs Giants: Giants (+113)

Giants win probability: 47%

The New York Mets haven't looked quite right at the plate so far, and I don't expect that to immediately change against San Francisco Giants starter Landen Roupp at Oracle Park.

Mariners vs Angels: Mariners (-150)

Mariners win probability: 60%

I'm not on board the Emerson Hancock train after one start, but I still expect the Seattle Mariners to knock Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz around enough for the right-hander to secure a win for the visitors.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Happy Opening Day, Detroit! Today’s home opener marked the warmest Opening Day ever at Comerica Park (70 degrees Farenheit at game-time), and the warmest Tigers Opening Day in general since 1991. The Tigers lineup also warmed up following Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Diamondbacks, and new Tigers ace Framber Valdez came through with six shutout innings in his Tigers home debut. Tigers win, 4-0, and win their third straight home opener.

Through the first three innings, Tigers hitters produced some impressive swings, but no runs. Kevin McGonigle, in his first-ever game at Comerica Park and his first-ever game hitting leadoff for the Tigers, lead off today’s game by knocking a ball 403 feet into center field!… and into Victor Scott II’s glove for an out. Then, two hitters later, Kerry Carpenter lasered a ball to right field, 110.3 MPH off his bat!… his hardest ball hit in two years!…and off the right field wall for a long single. As a reminder, Colt Keith practically did the same thing on Wednesday, hitting the ball off the top of Chase Field’s right field wall; that ball staying in the park was the difference in Wednesday’s game.

In the third inning, Javier Báez singled and stole second, setting up a potential RBI for Gleyber Torres. Torres singled, but right fielder Jordan Walker gunned him out on the plate with a 100.6 MPH throw.

Tough luck for Detroit’s bats to start the day. Framber Valdez had their back, however, and opened today’s game by retiring the first eight batters he faced en route to six shutout innings. But although he only allowed five total hits and walks today, Valdez found himself managing traffic before the Tigers gave him a lead. The first potential Cardinals rally came with two outs in the third inning, as Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn notched back-to-back hits before an Iván Herrera groundout ended the threat.

The Cardinals fourth inning rally was more dramatic, and Detroit’s play in the face of adversity allowed them to settle into a comfortable win once the threat was put away. The inning got off to a typical start; Valdez allowed a leadoff single, secured two outs, then produced a ground ball to Spencer Torkelson off the bat of Yahel Pozo. But Torkelson struggled to field the ball, and once he finally got ahold of it and tossed it over to Valdez covering at first, Valdez not only failed to catch the ball, but took it off his throwing hand. Detroit had to check on their newly-signed star to see whether he could continue, and once they elected to keep him in the game, Valdez walked Thomas Saggese to load the bases. With the bases loaded and Tigers hitters in a 18-inning scoring drought, Valdez stayed down in the zone with his sinker and back-to-back curveballs to produce a weak José Fermín fly ball to end the threat. Isn’t it nice to have two aces?

After Valdez worked his way out of that fourth-inning jam, today’s Opening Day festivities truly began. First, after working a full count, Riley Greene sizzled a double to the gap in right-center field, 111 MPH off the bat. From there, rising star Dillon Dingler brought him home.

2-0, Detroit, and home run #2 for Dillon Dingler — and the Tigers period — this season.

Next, in the bottom of the fifth, Kevin McGonigle knocked a one-out double to left field, but was thrown out at third after Gleyber Torres hits into a fielder’s choice. With two outs, the Tigers rebuilt the rally, as Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene knocked back-to-back singles off lefty Justin Bruihl to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Carpenter’s unlikely lefty-on-lefty hit was a welcome sight after a miserable road trip that saw him go just 2-22 with 12 strikeouts. Greene’s hit, meanwhile, was his 500th hit!

Fun fact: the Tigers have two of baseball’s three top hitters through age-25 of all time: Ty Cobb tops that leaderboard with a staggering 1,433 hits through age-25, and Al Kaline had 1,200 hits through age-25 himself.

The last noteworthy bit of action from today came in the sixth inning, when Parker Meadows was hit by a pitch with two outs. Meadows stole second — his second stolen base of the year — to set up a Javier Báez single that gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead. From there, Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan, and Tyler Holton finished out the day; they redeemed Detroit’s Tuesday bullpen collapse with three combined shutout innings, allowing three total baserunners and striking out four. Holton was only out there for a couple of minutes, as he threw just seven pitches in the non-save situation to close this one out.

Thanks for the lack of stress, boys.

Final: Detroit 4, St. Louis 0

After struggling mightily on offense in their last series and really in the last four-plus games of the homestand, the Dodgers were understandably confident that their star-studded lineup would get things going. Facing Miles Mikolas helped, as the Dodgers torched the right-hander for four home runs in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday afternoon in Washington D.C.

During the homestand, the Dodgers only scored nine total runs in the first five innings during the six games. They put an 11-spot in 4 1/3 innings against Mikolas on Friday, thanks to the long ball.

Shohei Ohtani’s first extra-base hit of the season was a three-run shot in the third inning. Then Mookie Betts followed with a two-run homer in the same inning, and Andy Pages continued his scorching start with a two-run shot in the fourth.

Freddie Freeman added a two-run shot in the fifth inning, which Mikolas did not complete.

Mikolas is the first pitcher to allow 11 runs in a game to the Dodgers since Alec Bettinger of the Milwaukee Brewers did so on May 2, 2021. In his career, Mikolas has a 7.80 ERA in 45 innings against the Dodgers, fueling a 1-6 record.

During spring training in 2024, Mikolas, then with the St. Louis Cardinals, said, “We’re not exactly a low payroll team, but you got the Dodgers playing checkbook baseball. We’re going to be the hardest working group of Midwestern farmers we can be.”

In four starts against Los Angeles since those words, the Dodgers have cashed in off the veteran right-hander, scoring 25 runs in 17 1/3 innings, with 11 home runs off him.

“We had an inkling they were ready to erupt, and we also had an inkling with Mikolas on the mound,” Orel Hershiser said of the Dodgers offense during the SportsNet LA telecast.

Getting some length

The Dodgers gave Emmet Sheehan a lot of run support, but he was working out of a hole for a bit as his team didn’t score until the third inning.

Sheehan had a rough opening frame. He gave up rockets to James Wood and CJ Abrams, the former on the first pitch of the game just off the edge of Andy Pages’ glove in center, and the latter a home run to right field. It was a three-run shot because, in between, Sheehan issued a five-pitch walk to Brady House, who walked once every 34 plate appearances as a rookie last season.

Of concern for Sheehan in his first start was a lack of command, as he needed 83 pitches to get 10 outs. He rebounded Friday after that first inning to pitch into the sixth, getting 17 outs on 98 pitches, and allowed only one more run, though with more walks (three) than strikeouts (two).

Sheehan, who averaged 95.6 mph on his four-seam fastball hasn’t yet hit that in either of his starts, averaging 94 mph last Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and 93.8 mph against Washington. He also saw his velocity drop as the game progressed in his first start. The drop wasn’t as stark on Friday, with his sixth-inning average the same as the first, but that pitch is lacking the juice it had in 2025.

“We’re still digging into that,” manager Dave Roberts said last Friday after Sheehan’s first start of the season. “Our staff has talked to Emmet, and he says he feels good and feels strong. He works as hard as everybody. It’s probably something mechanical, but physical, the player’s got to let us know a little bit, too, and we haven’t heard anything about that part.”

Notes

• Thirteen runs in nine innings on Friday for the Dodgers were two more than they scored in the final 40 innings of the homestand.
• Kyle Tucker’s first home run of the season, off left-hander Ken Waldichuk in the seventh inning, gave the Dodgers a season-high five home runs. That matches the 2025 season high as well, done twice (May 15 vs. Athletics and May 31 vs. New York Yankees).
• Alex Call got into his first game of 2026, playing the final four innings in left field, giving Teoscar Hernández a breather after a three-hit day. Call walked and scored in his only plate appearance. Roberts told reporters in Washington earlier Friday that Call would start Sunday, when the Nationals will start left-hander Foster Griffin on the mound.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Shohei Ohtani (1), Mookie Betts (2), Andy Pages (2), Freddie Freeman (2), Kyle Tucker (1); CJ Abrams (2)

WP — Emmet Sheehan (1-0): 5 2/3 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts

LP — Miles Mikolas (0-2): 4 1/3 IP, 11 hits, 11 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Up next

The two teams are back at it again with a slightly later start time on Saturday (4:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow makes his second start, with right-hander Jake Irvin pitching for the Nationals.

It was the home opener at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers and they made the most of it with Framber Valdez keeping the Cardinals bats quiet as the Tigers defeated St. Louis 4-0.

Framber Valdez only allowed 3 Cardinals hits through 6 innings and the Detroit Tigers bullpen kept St. Louis off the scoreboard, too. The Friday afternoon Comerica Park home opener wasn’t without St. Louis Cardinals highlights, though, as Jordan Walker fired a missile from right field in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Victor Scott II also made a great play in the bottom of the first and JJ Wetherholt made a diving grab in the bottom of the 8th after he entered the game as a DH later in the game. Michael McGreevy wasn’t nearly as sharp as he was in his first start of the year as he allowed 7 hits and 3 runs through 4 2/3 innings.

All of the offense came in the middle innings as the Detroit Tigers got on the board in the 4th inning when Dillon Dingler hit a 433 foot two run homer to left center.

Riley Greene singled in another run in the 5th inning to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Javy Baez added another RBI single in the bottom of the 6th inning to close out the scoring. The only St. Louis Cardinals hits came from Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, Thomas Saggese and Victor Scott II.

Friday’s loss to Detroit gives St. Louis a 4-3 record for the still very early season. The Cardinals will try again on Saturday, April 4, 2026 when Dustin May gets the start for St. Louis and former Cardinal Jack Flaherty will take the mound for the Tigers in a 12:15pm scheduled start.

The Royals had previously announced Luinder Avila would get the start for tonight’s game, but now we know the corresponding move. Bailey Falter has been added to the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation retroactive to his last appearance in the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s win.

Bailey Falter has made six appearances for KC since being acquired for reliever Evan Sisk and infielder Callan Moss at the 2025 trade deadline, two starts and four relief appearances. He was a disaster last summer after the trade and looked pretty bad in Spring Training. However, he looked pretty good in his final spring performance and first relief appearance of the 2026 regular season. Unfortunately, when he attempted to finish off a rain-soaked blowout on Wednesday night, he struggled to throw competitive pitches. He got one out but walked two and gave up three hits, including a home run, leading to three runs and creating a save situation that Lucas Erceg had to finish off.

Falter becomes the second Royals reliever to go on the IL in the season’s first week after a non-competitive ninth inning performance, after Carlos Estévez was added with a left foot contusion on Wednesday. The Royals weren’t relying on Falter the same way they were Estévez, but that leaves them with only Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch IV as left-handers in the bullpen, with no one who appears remotely ready to step into such a role in the minors. Hopefully, Lynch and Strahm will remain healthy. The Diamondbacks have attempted to navigate the beginning of their season without a left-handed reliever, resulting in an 8.39 ERA from their bullpen, fourth-worst in baseball.

Of course, the Royals currently sit at 9.00 thanks in large part to the efforts of Estévez and Falter. Hopefully, things will improve from here.

Go Rays!

Happy Home Opener!

Here’s the Cubs lineup:

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

The Royals announced they have officially called up Luinder Avila to start tonight’s game against the Brewers, and have placed left-hander Bailey Falter on the 15-day Injured List with left elbow inflammation retroactive to yesterday. Falter faced six hitters on Wednesday night against the Twins and gave up three hits and two walks. Michael Wacha was scheduled to make the start Friday night, but was scratched due to illness, requiring Avila to be called up.

Falter has given up five runs and eight hits in 3.1 innings in his two games so far. The Royals acquired him last July and he has given up 20 runs in 15.1 innings since his trade from the Pirates. The Royals could have non-tendered him last winter, but chose to pay him $3.6 million to provide starting pitching depth. Falter is out of options, so he can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. He was fairly effective in 2024 with the Pirates when he had a 4.43 ERA in 28 starts, although with a low strikout rate.

Luinder Avila appeared in 13 games with the Royals last year, giving up just two runs with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings for an ERA of 1.29. He started the first game for Omaha, and he gave up two runs in three innings with three strikeouts.

Avila is ranked as the #9 prospect in the Royals’ farm system by MLB Pipeline. He throws from a high angle, and tends to induce a lot of groundballs. His curveball had a 48 percent whiff rate in limited big league action. He was also impressive in the World Baseball Classic, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run for Team Venezuela.

For the first time in 2026, the Orioles head out on the road, but they don’t have to go too far. They will begin the six-game trip with a weekend in Pittsburgh.

Thankfully, we won’t be seeing Paul Skenes since he just started on Wednesday. However, we will get the privilege of watching Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in all of baseball according to some outlets, make his major league debut. It seems the Pirates sent him down at the end of the spring just so they could save him for the home opener. They might even sign him to an extension before long.

And let’s not forget about old friend Ryan O’Hearn. The O’s dealt him to the Padres at last year’s deadline, and then he inked a two-year deal with the Pirates in January. So far it looks like a good bit of business. He owns a .421/.522/.737 slash line through five games, and has already gone deep twice.

Kyle Bradish is on the bump for the Birds. His first start of the year was OK. He threw 83 pitches over 4.2 innings, struggling with his control quite a bit. His fastball velocity also seemed to be down. The sinker was averaging 93.5 mph against the Twins. He’s usually closer to 95 (94.7 mph in 2025). Hopefully that is just some early-season rust.

If you need more info, our very own John Beers wrote up a more in-depth preview of the series earlier today.

Let’s go get that W!

Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Gunnar Henderson, SS
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Adley Rutschman, C
5. Samuel Basallo, DH
6. Dylan Beavers, RF
7. Jeremiah Jackson, 2B
8. Colton Cowser, CF
9. Blaze Alexander, 3B

RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 4 K)

Pirates lineup

1. Oneil Cruz, CF
2. Brandon Lowe, 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds, LF
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Ryan O’Hearn, RF
6. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
7. Konnor Griffin, SS
8. Jared Triolo, 3B
9. Henry Davis, C

RHP Mitch Keller (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 3 K)

During the third inning of the home opener, the broadcast made the odd move to cut to the pregame/postgame crew instead of commercial. Scott Podsednik was on hand to make a mystery announcement: The White Sox are retiring Ozzie Guillén’s No. 13.

Ozzie, sitting right next to Podsednik on the broadcast, interrupted Scott’s reading to joke about getting “another bobblehead” began tearing up before Scott even finished reading the release. Guillén’s wife, Ibis, was just off-camera and able to celebrate with Ozzie.

Guillén’s made a few short reaction statements, indicating that he always dreamed of the honor (“this is the biggest news I ever had in baseball”), and was thrilled that now, his grandchildren would be able to come to the ballpark and see what he meant to the White Sox.

Ozzie also made a quick pivot to White Sox history, noting through tears that he would be listed right between his hero, Venezuelan shortstop and White Sox legend Luis Aparicio (No. 11) and his favorite player to manage and unofficial captain under him, Paul Konerko (N0. 14).

Later, in the sixth inning talking in the broadcast booth, Ozzie mentioned that he never cries over baseball, but he was so surprised, he couldn’t help it: “I was embarrassed.”

As for the key to his enduring popularity with the fan base, Ozzie flashed his typical, self-deprecating humor: “I played my heart out — I didn’t play good, but the fans, they knew me … I had three phases of my career, as a great shortstop, the best manager in the game, and the crazy guy on TV. The fans know I will be fair with them and treat them with respect.

“The fans here are special. I took it personally, [Luis Robert Jr.’s] comments about there being no fans in the park. You should feel guilty, they weren’t there because you were playing! The fans have been very special, from the first day of my career to my last day here.”

On August 8, the White Sox host the Guardians for a Saturday night, 6:10 p.m. start.

And prepare for an emotional weekend, as Ozzie noted that he “could die happy on August 9 now.”

Just in case… here’s the Cleveland-area weather radar. There’s a chance of storms there late this afternoon.

Friday notes…

• A TWO-FER: The Cubs allowed exactly two runs in each of their last three games, all at home against the Angels. Since 1901, they have had 49 two-run streaks that reached three games, but only one that continued through a fourth game. From Aug. 23-26, 2006, the Cubs lost at home to the Phillies, 2-1; beat them, 11-2; then lost at St. Louis, 2-0 and 2-1, the final game on a ninth-inning, two-out walk-off single. The Cubs had a pair of two-run streaks of three games in 2022, winning two of three in both, and two more such streaks in 2023, going 3-0 in both. The 2022 streaks ended in a win by 4-3 and a loss by 8-5; the 2023 streaks, in a win by 10-1 and a loss by 10-1. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• STEALING BAGS: The Cubs are tied for third in MLB with seven steals. No Cub has been thrown out stealing yet this year.
• WALKING THE WALK: The Cubs rank tied for fifth (with the Braves) in MLB with 30 walks. Two of the teams ahead of them (Astros, Angels) have played one more game than the Cubs.
• THE NICO FILES: Nico Hoerner enters Friday’s action leading the NL with four doubles (tied with Brice Turang and Matt Olson) and leading MLB with four steals.

Cubs lineup:

Guardians lineup:

Cade Horton, RHP vs. Joey Cantillo, LHP

Cade Horton picked up where he left off in 2025 with his first 2026 start, a solid outing against the Nationals last Saturday.

Last year against the Guardians, July 3, 2025 at Wrigley Field, Horton threw seven shutout innings, allowing five singles with five strikeouts.

Another one just like that, please.

Joey Cantillo was Horton’s opponent in that game last year. He didn’t give the Cubs any runs, but was lifted after 3.1 innings and 68 pitches. That game was Cantillo’s first MLB start.

In his first start this year, last Saturday at Seattle, he allowed two runs in 3.2 innings, throwing 91 pitches. He walked three. Perhaps the Cubs can be patient like that and get him out of the game early.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

The Brewers play in the smallest metropolitan market in baseball, and yet have developed a sustainable model of success that is the envy of other teams. They have reached the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, and haven’t had a losing season since 2016.

This year, the Brewers are off to a great start, having outscored opponents 45-17 to begin the year, by far the best run differential in baseball. But one of those series was beating up on the White Sox, and they won their series against the Rays by scoring six runs in the bottom of the eighth in the rubber match.

Milwaukee Brewers (5-1) vs. Kansas City Royals (3-3) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Brewers: 7.50 runs scored/game (1st in MLB), 2.83 runs allowed/game (3rd)

Royals: 3.83 runs scored/game (20th), 4.67 runs allowed/game (24th)

Christian Yelich is a career .274/.400/.597 hitter with six home runs in 18 games against the Royals. Brice Turang, who was Bobby Witt Jr.’s teammate on Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, is hitting .409 with four doubles in six games to start the year. Catcher Gary Sánchez is 4-for-8 with two home runs this season. Jake Bauers made just 17 plate appearances against lefties last year. Garrett Mitchell missed most of last year with an oblique strain and shoulder injury after a promising rookies season in 2024, when he hit .255/.342/.469 in 69 games.

Sal Frelick had a 13.5 percent strikeout rate last year, 15th-lowest among qualified hitters. Joey Ortiz had the third-worst wRC+ last year among qualified hitters, but was +13 in Outs Above Average at shortstop. The Brewers are without star outfielder Jackson Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn both out with hand injuries.

*-All numbers from 2025

The Brewers have long been known as a pitching factory, and had the second-best ERA in baseball last year at 3.59. Chad Patrick bounced around before the Brewers acquired him in 2023, and he proved to be a versatile starter for them, earning some Rookie of the Year votes last year. He gave up just a solo home run as the only run in 4.1 innings of work in his season debut against the White Sox. He relies heavily on a cutter and sinker, yet had a high flyball rate last year of 44 percent.

Brandon Sproat was a top 100 prospect in the Mets organization before he was traded to the Brewers in the Freddy Peralta deal. He was teammates with Jac Caglianone at Florida for a year, before becoming a second-round pick. He had a 4.24 ERA in 26 games in Triple-A last year, and throws a hard sinker at 96 mph, along with a cutter, sweeper, curve, and change up.

Kyle Harrison was a former top 100 prospect with the Giants, and was traded to the Red Sox last summer in the Rafael Devers trade before the Brewers acquired him this offseason. A southpaw, Harrison has struggled to retire lefties in his career – they’re batting .269/.333/.473 against him. He gave up just one run – a solo home run – in five innings of work in his season debut, with eight strikeouts.

Michael Wacha was scratched from Friday’s start due to illness and Luinder Avila will be called up to make his first MLB start. Avila made 13 relief appearances with the Royals late last year and is the #9 ranked prospect in the farm system by MLB Pipeline. The game Friday night will air exclusively on Apple TV as part of their Friday Night Baseball package.

*-All numbers from 2025

*-All numbers from 2025

Trevor Megill had a career-high 30 saves in just 50 games last year, the 19th 30-save season in Brewers history. Abner Uribe’s 98.8 mph fastball is one of the fastest in baseball. Aaron Ashby had a 62.5 percent groundball rate last year, fourth-highest in baseball. Right behind him was Angel Zerpa, who the Brewers acquired from the Royals last winter in a trade for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears.

The Brewers got off to an awful start last year – they were pounded by the Yankees – then they went out and won 97 games and reached the National League Championship Series. They are a well-coached, well-prepared team that gets every ounce of talent from their roster. The Royals will have to scratch out runs when they can, as this should be a low-scoring series from two teams that can develop pitching.