BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 31: Taylor Ward #3 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In 2025, the Orioles were supposed to be contenders to make a run at the AL East and deep into the postseason. Instead, they finished 75-87, in last place, with ineffectiveness a big problem on offense. Baltimore’s hitters batted a collective .235 (tied for 24th in MLB) and posted a .699 OPS (21st). Injuries shredded the pitching staff, but the position players were mostly healthy and still couldn’t hit. The organization knew it had a problem.
So the Orioles did some rebuilding on the offensive side. First-year manager Craig Albernaz brought in an entirely new coaching staff on the hitting side: Dustin Lind as hitting coach, Brady North as assistant hitting coach, and Donnie Ecker in the bench coach role. On the position player side, the team’s biggest move was signing Pete Alonso, the longtime Mets slugger who piled up 264 home runs in Queens and cashed in on a five-year, $155 million deal, to anchor the middle of the order. Dylan Beavers emerged as regular lineup options, and veterans Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward joined to provide steady bats on the corners.
On paper, the offense looked rejuvenated. But of course, following a busy offseason, the million-dollar question is: can they actually hit?
After the first week of the 2026 season, the answer is complicated—although this is at least better than bad.
On the downside, this team is slow. Baltimore is near the bottom of the league in stolen bases, and third to last in foot speed by Statcast measures. This is a little surprising considering the outfield got faster, and Blaze Alexander is, according to Statcast, true to his name.
They’re also sitting in the bottom ten in home runs, with just five through their opening games compared to the Los Angeles Angels’ league-leading ten. For a lineup built around adding a slugger and improving the overall quality of at-bats, the early power numbers are conspicuous, though it’s too soon for any real inferences. Moreover, the Orioles are hitting copious doubles (they’re seventh in in two-baggers). That hints at a team making contact and driving the ball into the gaps, even if they haven’t found the elevation yet to turn those into home runs.
Otherwise, the contact looks pretty good. The team batting average sits at .255 (ninth in the league), their on-base percentage is .332 (seventh), and they’ve scored 26 runs (thirteenth). These are not catastrophic numbers; they suggest, instead, a lineup with potential that hasn’t quite unlocked it yet.
As for the individual performances, the early standouts are Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, and Pete Alonso. Ward is batting .333 through the opening stretch, offering the consistent contact the club is looking for from the outfield corners. Beavers is hitting .286 with a homer, three RBI, and three runs scored. His three-hit game in Baltimore’s 8-3 win over the Rangers, capped by a solo shot in the sixth inning, was a showy and exciting showing by the rookie.
The player drawing the most scrutiny, Alonso himself, is also looking good in an early-season sample, even if he’s not slugging homers in bunches. He’s already reaching base with abandon, hitting .304 with seven hits and three walks in 23 ABs. Blaze Alexander and Adley Rutschman are also starting the year off hot, too.
On the cold side of things, Gunnar Henderson, despite an early homer, is 4-for-28, but the foot speed and athleticism are still on display. Coby Mayo, despite a hot spring, is 2-for-20. Tyler O’Neill isn’t rushing out of the gate, either.
This is just illustrative, and not meant to be predictive of anything. This season, the Orioles have the pieces. The new coaches have a philosophy. The new faces are hitting. The early returns are, well, early, but they suggest a lineup that’s more than capable of making noise—even if they’re not mashing taters just not over the fence yet. We’ll have to give them time.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 02: Starter Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Chase Field on April 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Braves defeated the Diamondbacks 17-2. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It probably goes without saying that our collective enjoyment of the Braves would be higher the last few seasons if we didn’t have so many “the [player name] saga,” but, unfortunately, we do. The Reynaldo Lopez saga is definitely a saga, at that, and it’s one that’s had a number of developments lately, what with the low velocity in his final Spring Training start, the amusing-but-wait-you-were-serious? mechanics messaging afterwards, and then the regained velocity once the regular season started.
But, his two starts themselves have been… part of the Reynaldo Lopez saga, basically. The results have been good in that the team has won both starts, but:
First start: 41/141/140 (ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-); 4.49 xERA
Second start: 49/137/127, xERA TBD
Remember, when Lopez was great in 2024, he had a 48/74/85 line: legitimately good but with a hilarious gap between his ERA and everything else. It also wasn’t a contact management thing, and his xERA was actually much higher in 2024 than his FIP and xFIP. There’s a discussion to be had about how the way in which Lopez pitches means he can actually outperform his FIP and xFIP and I guess his xERA too, but even if he can, it’s not gonna be to the tune of “awful, unplayable FIP and xFIP but teeny-tiny ERA.”
His command has been a mess, with his fastball generally having a preferred location (armside and up) but missing often enough all the way across the plate without maintaining its verticality that it almost looks like it’s deliberate (but I’m not sure I’d go there yet). The slider has good shape but is currently landing such that batters could just lay off of it and walk, though that hasn’t happened yet.
But, you could argue, I guess, that this is all an artifact of batters swinging early in the count and making ineffectual contact, often in the air. That’s one way to get a high xFIP with low runs charged to your tally, though it doesn’t tend to work for the long haul.
Anyway, I’ll stop babbling. What do you think of Lopez now, compared to before the season began?
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 30: Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with CJ Abrams #5 after the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on March 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 13-2. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats are going to be tested right out of the gates in their home opening series. There is no bigger challenge than facing the back to back World Series champions. That is what the Nats will do when they square off with the Dodgers. Here are three things I will be watching.
Can the Nats Continue Their Surprising Success Against the Dodgers?
The Nats and Dodgers have been on two different ends of the MLB food chain. While the Dodgers have been the kings of baseball, the Nats have been stuck near the basement of the National League. However, the Nats have had a surprising amount of success against the Dodgers lately, especially at home.
The Nats have won their home series against the Dodgers in each of the last two seasons.It is a weird phenomenon, but the Nats have tended to give the Dodgers a tough time. I have a feeling the mighty Dodgers may have a tough time getting up for an April matchup across the country against a bad team. They know they can coast through the regular season.
Regardless of why it is, the Nats have given the Dodgers a tough time. Last season, James Wood had a huge series against them. He hit a few towering home runs on cold April nights. Seeing the big man get going would be huge for the Nats.
"This kid is going to be a star in the Big Leagues."
MLB Now talks about James Wood following an impressive home run against the Dodgers last night. pic.twitter.com/PTOXoiY7Fa
Wood has continued his struggles from the second half of last season. The strikeouts are still out of control and his swing just does not look totally right at the moment. However, we know what he is capable of, and this would be quite the time for him to snap out of his slump.
Will Joey Wiemer Keep The Good Times Rolling?
Joey Wiemer has been the story of the first week of the Nats season. The waiver claim came out of the gates like a house on fire. He got on base in each of his first 10 plate appearances. Now he is “only” hitting .588 with a .682 on base percentage. Wiemer has been a joy to watch, not only at the plate, but also in the field and on the bases.
It would be really cool if he could stay hot in front of the home crowd. Wiemer has been DFA’d three times in the last year, but now he seems to have found a home. Eventually, he is likely to cool off and settle in as a lefty killing 4th outfielder. However, the Nats are going to ride the hot hand as long as they can.
Joey Wiemer has been DFA'd three times in the past year and has come out scorching hot to start the season, going 10-for-17 with 2 HR and a 1.741 OPS!@jonmorosi | @Nationalspic.twitter.com/J5L445SeEg
Wiemer is only 27 and was a former top 100 prospect. So, there is a chance that something just clicked for him and he can be a late bloomer. That is pretty unlikely, but it is why Paul Toboni has been taking a lot of shots on waiver claims like Wiemer.
Can The Starting Pitching Hold Up?
One big worry I have for this series against the Dodgers is the Nats starting pitching. On paper, the matchup is not great for the Nats. They have Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin and Foster Griffin lined up. Against a ferocious lineup like the Dodgers, that could be trouble.
WSH – LAD probables for the home opener
Miles Mikolas (R) vs. Emmet Sheehan (R) Jake Irvin (R) vs. Tyler Glasnow (R) Foster Griffin (L) vs. Roki Sasaki (R)
However, Irvin and Griffin looked solid in their first starts of the season. Irvin was particularly impressive, showing much improved stuff. He is still a guy who posted an ERA that was well over five last year.
Mikolas will be taking the ball today, and he looked really shaky in his first start. Granted, his defense did not do him any favors, but Mikolas is not a guy who misses many bats. The Nats defense will have to be on their toes today, and Mikolas will have to avoid mistakes to keep the ball in the yard.
Luckily for the Nats, they are avoiding Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. They are also missing Blake Snell, who is out with injury. However, the Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches, so they will still be facing good arms. Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki are all very talented.
I am interested to see what Sasaki looks like in particular. He has not had the easiest transition since coming over from Japan. However, he still has amazing stuff when he is on. Seeing him matchup with Foster Griffin will be cool. That could have been a matchup NPB fans saw a couple years ago.
Overall, the Nats have a tall task this weekend. However, they have not backed down from the Dodgers in the past. Over the first week, they also showed they can go toe to toe with some of the NL’s best. They competed with the Phillies and Cubs, so why can’t this group take a series from the mighty Dodgers.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 13: Major League Baseball Robert D. Manfred announces Michael Oliveto as the thirty-fourth overall pick by the Detroit Tigers during the 2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Coca-Cola Roxy on Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After three pretty successful drafts, the Detroit Tigers enter the 2026 edition of the amateur draft picking way down the board for the second straight year. It’s too early to go crazy over their last three first round picks, but so far Bryce Rainer, Jordan Yost, and Michael Oliveto look like one heck of a good group. That’s especially true considering that they’ve held the 11th and 24th overall picks the past two years rather than picking near the top of the draft. Oliveto was 34th overall last year as the Tigers used their biannual competitive balance round A selection on the sweet swinging catcher from Long Island.
On the other hand, the heavy emphasis on overslot bonuses to prep pitchers has not gone well at all. Rapidly the Tigers farm system has found itself in the unfamiliar position of being stacked with position player talent, while the upper minors lack any high end pitching prospects. Most of the prep pitchers they’ve taken are still 20 years old or younger, and they certainly have talent, so things could turn drastically in the Tigers favor over the next few years on the pitching side. Still, part of the reason more conservative teams favor college pitching is because the heavily injury prone young pitchers tend to be winnowed out in college ball. We’ll have to wait and see if the high risk, high upside strategy ultimately pays off or not. What has paid off is the emphasis on taking athletic, up the middle position players with demonstrated plate discipine and contact ability, out of the prep ranks. No doub that will continue to be the foundation to their draft strategy with their top picks.
On Wednesday, MLB release the 2026 amateur draft bonus pools. The Pirates will lead the way with $19,130,700 to spend, picking fifth overall. The Chicago White Sox hold the first overall pick and the third biggest bonus pool at $17,592,100.
The top ten picks, with slot values for each pick, are listed below.
The Detroit Tigers will pick 22nd overall, two slots higher than last year. However, this year their competitive balance pick will come in the B round following the normal second round of the draft. They’ll also be working with a bonus pool of just $9,165,100. Last year they had $10,990,800 to work with, mainly as a result of the higher CB round selection.
The slot values for the Tigers first three picks are as follows.
22. $4,082,700
61. $1,523,600
69. $1,254,200
In theory, the Tigers could burn all but $2,304,600 on those first three picks, leaving them with little enough to spread around on prep pitchers the way they have the past three drafts. That’s obviously not how they’ve done business to date, but this is going to be their toughest draft to date. Perhaps this is the year they actually do take a college player with their first pick on an underslot deal in order to be better able to spread money around to multiple prep players they like later on. Mixing in their usual selection of a few college pitchers and cheap, athletic speed players with some contact ability from smaller schools on minimum bonuses would allow them to round things out. John Peck, their 2023 seventh rounder, signed for $222,500, $72,500 over the minimum, as a fairly light hitting college shortstop out of Pepperdine, but has buit himself up to at least average pop to go along with good defensive ability, to cite a prime example of this type of pick.
We’ll get into the latest mock drafts from Baseball America, FanGraphs, and MLB Pipeline in the weeks ahead as the college season turns toward their own stretch drive in late April and the beginning of May.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 02: Second baseman Kody Clemens #2 of the Minnesota Twins is congratulated by first baseman Josh Bell #56 after a home run during the 9th inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 02, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thursdays can obviously be light days on the major league schedule, but this one was a particularly short slate. As far as relevance to the Yankees goes, the Blue Jays were set to take on the White Sox in Chicago’s home opener, but it was pushed back due to inclement weather. So, American League action was limited to just one contest, an AL Central battle between the Twins and Royals. Kansas City is a formidable contender in the Junior Circuit, so why not give them the ol’ Rivalry Roundup treatment?
Action resumes on Friday with the Jays and Sox, Boston heads to San Diego, the Tigers match up with the Cardinals, and the Mariners and Astros both face off against other AL West squads.
Minnesota Twins 5 (2-4), Kansas City Royals 1 (3-3)
Good pitching and timely home runs. It may come as a shock, but they lead to wins on the baseball field. While the Twins have had a rough start and are poised for a disappointing 2026 campaign, they put those two together quite well on Thursday in Kansas City.
Taj Bradley was on the bump for the Twins, making his second start of the year, and it was his second straight good one. While the line was a little funky in his first start (4.1 IP, 1 ER, 9 K against Baltimore), he was effective, and he put together a real good one on Thursday. Completing six innings of shutout ball, the right-hander kept the baserunners limited while striking out three, maintaining what was a narrow 1-0 lead for the Twins. All said, Bradley has begun the ‘26 season on the right foot.
Minnesota gained that lead early on, in what can be called non-conventional fashion. With Kody Clemens on second base, Royals catcher Salvador Perez made an errant pickoff that sailed into center field, which allowed the Tigers first baseman to trot home to open scoring.
From the other dugout, Cole Ragans was just as good as Bradley on the mound. The always-fun-to-watch lefty allowed only the unearned run across his six innings of work, striking out eight Twins along the way. Baserunners were limited too, as he gave up just four hits and a walk, though the Twins clearly did what they could with them.
With the score remaining 1-0 for much of this one, both lineups mustered something up in the eighth inning. Both the Twins and the Royals managed sacrifice flies in the innings, coming off the bats of Byron Buxton and Vinnie Pasquantino. Minnesota headed into their half of the ninth looking for some insurance.
They would receive just what the doctor ordered, in a rather explosive fashion. Matt Wallner started the fun with a slicing line drive solo homer over the recently shortened wall in left-center, his second on the season. Two batters later, Clemens played a little copycat with a opposite field homer into the Twins bullpen in left. If the now 4-1 lead wasn’t enough, Josh Bell got in on the action two pitches later, when he turned on a ball and sent it scorching into the opposite ‘pen in right field. Three solo shots certainly counts as a viable insurance plan, and the Twins coasted on that to victory.
Four Minnesota relievers allowed just the one run in the final three innings of this one, with veteran Justin Topa closing things down on the non-save situation. Despite the tough start, it was a good win for the Twins as the Royals’ loss puts them back to .500 at 3-3.
The Mets were aggressive with their placement of Elian Peña this season, elevating him to Low-A to begin the year.
Peña enjoyed a strong spring after his stellar debut in the Dominican Summer League, and now he’s one of the youngest players at his new level at just 18.
That proved to be no problem on Thursday, as he started the season on a high note.
The young slugger was thrown right into the fire, batting leadoff for St. Lucie on Opening Day, and he made the most of the opportunity by reaching base three different times.
Peña showed off his patience, leading off the game with a four-pitch walk.
He lined out to left in his second at-bat but was able to do some damage his next time up, lacing a double that short hopped the wall in right for his first hit of the season.
The young slugger then ended his night with a single in the top of the ninth, giving him two hits and a walk in St. Lucie’s 6-3 season-opening loss.
The Mets certainly hope this is a sign of things to come from Peña this season.
As SNY’s Joe DeMayo pointed out in his recent mailbag, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him on top 100 prospects lists and competing for the system’s top spot by the end of the season.
Peña, the No. 7 prospect on DeMayo's Top 30, had 24 XBH's and a .949 OPS in 55 DSL games last season.
Elian Peña’s first hit of the season for Low-A St. Lucie is a double that short hopped the wall in right pic.twitter.com/Tg4lCgPL6Y
The 7 Metre yacht 'Ithnan' (K2) sailing with spinnaker, 1912. The 7 Metre class was used as an Olympic Class during the 1908 and 1920 Olympics. About 200 boats were built. Artist Kirk & Sons of Cowes. (Photo by Kirk and Sons of Cowes/Heritage Images/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hickory and Frisco had their first games on Thursday. Hub City kicks off Friday.
Evan Siary, the Rangers’ 8th round pick last year out of Mississippi State, got the start for Hickory, striking out 8 and walking no one in four innings, allowing one run.
Paulino Santana doubled, walked and stole a base. Yolfran Castillo had a single and a double. Marcos Torres had a hit and a walk. Josh Springer had a pair of hits.
Frisco starter Leandro Lopez struck out six and walked four in 4.2 shutout innings. Ryan Lobus threw two shutout innings, striking out two and walking one. Wilian Bormie struck out one in a shutout inning.
Dylan Dreiling had a hit and a walk. Keith Jones II had a pair of hits.
Cody Bradford made his return to the mound for Round Rock. In two innings he threw 27 pitches, 17 for strikes, didn’t strike out or walk anyone, and allowed three hits, including two solo homers. He averaged 90.0 mph on his fastball, topping out at 91.5 mph, which is right about where his velocity was in 2024.
Luis Curvelo allowed two runs in an inning, walking one and striking out one. Josh Sborz struck out one in a scoreless inning. Ryan Brasier struck out two in a scoreless inning.
Cam Cauley homered and drew a pair of walks. Alejandro Osuna homered. Justin Foscue had a hit and a walk.
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 12: Team Announcer Ken Korach of the Oakland Athletics during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at McAfee Coliseum on April 12, 2005 in Oakland, California. The Blue Jays defeated the A's 5-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris /MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tonight marks the first of thirteen contests this season with the division rival A’s. Ken Korach, who’s a staple in the A’s booth serving as lead announcer since 2006, joins The Crawfish Boxes for an in-depth series preview:
Q: What’s the ceiling for Nick Kurtz? How dominant can he be?
A: I think his ceiling is as high as it could be. There are several reasons.
His 36 home runs came in 117 games and his first was in his 17th game. So even if he doesn’t keep up that pace, at least 40 this year seems likely. Now, if you look at the numbers, his walk rate increased significantly after his 4-homer game. He’s going to get that kind of treatment, but there is plenty of protection in the lineup. This is as deep a lineup as the A’s have had since their post-season days.
A couple of other things. Often young power hitters get jumpy with their stride and swing and become too pull conscious. Half of his homers last year were to left center and left. He has a very mature approach.
Even though the ballpark in Sacramento is certainly a hitter’s park, his numbers—barrel rate, exit velocity, bat speed—were elite. He can hit anywhere. And, he’s a hitter, not just a power hitter.
Q: Give our readers an idea, who are the leaders in the clubhouse for the A’s and how and what can we expect this weekend with attendance and overall fan support in the stands?
A; Brent Rooker is the unquestioned leader in the clubhouse. He has a backstory that enables him to relate to everyone. Yes, he’s a two-time all-star who’s hit 99 homers in 3 years with the A’s, but after being a high draft choice, he drifted through 3 organizations before joining the A’s and started to wonder if he’d ever make it. He’s a student of the game and not afraid to speak up.
Regarding fan support, that’s not an easy question to answer since the situation is unique. Leaving Oakland, now entering the 2nd of 3 years in Sacramento, and much of the focus is on Vegas in 2028. I think momentum is building in Vegas, especially with the announcements of two more contract extensions (Wilson and Soderstrom) in the off-season, and the stadium being on schedule. They are starting the process of selling tickets and the response has been good.
They drew about 9,500 per game in Sacramento last season. I thought the attendance was fine. There are around 10,500 permanent seats in the ballpark and another 2,000-2,500 on the lawn areas beyond the outfield fence. It’s a minor league ballpark. That’s the reality for two more years.
Q: From the outside looking in, it feels like the pitching has lots of talent and arms that are in between AAA and the Majors. Perkins & Morales come to mind. What can you tell us about them and maybe some other young players?
A: Yes, Perkins and Morales. Morales has opened the season in the rotation. He had a really nice couple of months last year. Perkins will be in the PCL. He’s probably going to be either a starting or bullpen option this year. He did both in the spring.
A couple of guys to keep an eye on: Gage Jump and Kade Morris. Wouldn’t surprise me if both were with the A’s this year. Morris might be considered more of a sleeper, but he’s gaining a lot of traction in the organization. Has the ceiling to be a legitimate MLB starter. Everybody knows Jump from his time at LSU, His velocity has increased and he has a chance to make an impact this year.
Q: Finally, thoughts on facing the Astros this weekend?
A: I think the Astros will probably be better this year. The A’s certainly know them well. Look at the end of last season’s schedule as an indication that the A’s think they can go toe-to-toe with them. The A’s swept 4 games in Houston in July and took 2 out of 3 in late September in Sac. One thing to keep an eye on. The schedule is challenging to say the least. We started in Toronto, went to Atlanta and after these three games with the Astros, we then turn back around and go to New York for the Yankees and Mets. Crazy. 12 of 15 on the road to start the season in the east, and all 15 contests against contenders.
First, Munetaka Murakami had to educate the White Sox on the value of bidets. Now, he has to remind them that games last nine innings. | (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Fun fact: Originally, baseball games did not have a set length. The early Knickerbockers matches were “first-to-21,” like pickup basketball. The decision to switch to a set length was made at the 1857 national base ball (two words) convention. The convention initially decided on seven innings, but thanks to the efforts of Gothams/Knickerbockers slugger and convention delegate Lew Wadsworth, seven innings were rejected in favor of nine.
Before this season, I had assumed every Major League Baseball team knew how many innings were in a standard baseball game. However, it’s become clear to me that the White Sox think baseball games are only three innings, and the entire organization is operating under this falsehood. To the best of my knowledge, the standard length for baseball games has never been three innings.
Tuesday’s 9-2 loss to the Marlins proved my point. The Sox went up, 2-0, in the top of the third, thanks to a string of hits from Edgar Quero through Munetaka Murakami. The Marlins were held scoreless in the bottom half of the frame. That’s when the confusion appeared to set in.
Somebody must have informed the White Sox that there were six more innings to play. Despite this clearly being a regular occurrence, CHSN has never aired this as it happens. I can only guess who it always falls on to relay this information. Is it the umpiring crew? A bat boy? Maybe Murakami has already had to bring it up this year, sheepishly, as his new teammates grab their bats and gloves and turn to walk toward the showers (my research has shown that Japanese baseball is also nine innings.)
Our poor White Sox, for whatever reason, are always taken aback by this. Maybe it’s coaching; as best I can tell, Will Venable has not confirmed on the record that he knows a baseball game lasts nine innings. Or perhaps everybody on the Sox has that “Momento” disease.
No matter the cause, the effects are obvious: The news of a fourth inning clearly disoriented both Luisangel Acuña and Tristian Peters, as they collectively forgot how to call for a fly ball. Erick Fedde, having just learned minutes earlier that he did not throw a complete game, was unable to get back into a competitive mindset. White Sox strikers were held hitless for the last six innings while being outscored, 9-0.
This has been a consistent problem already in 2026. Here are their hitting splits so far:
Innings 1-3: 4.80 ERA Innings 4-6: 9.00 ERA Innings 7-9: 12.27 ERA
It’s the bullpen that confuses me the most. Before the fourth inning, why do relievers think they’re there? Do they ever ask one another why the team needs 13 arms when the team is liable to play, at most, 21 innings per week? It must be terrifying to warm up for an innings you previously didn’t know existed, by a bullpen coach who is just as surprised and frightened.
Worse yet, this is an issue that dates back at least a year. Conventional wisdom holds that the more often you see a pitcher, the better you’ll perform. Here is the league average last season for each time a starting pitcher goes through the batting order:
First time: .241/.307/.400 Second time: .249/.311/.416 Third time: .258/.324/.432
And here are the ’25 White Sox:
First time: .246/.305/.419 Second time: .231/.299/.371 Third time: .238/.295/.369
The evidence is clear: The White Sox offense only prepares for one at-bat per game. So, if you or someone you know could please relay the standard length of a baseball game to the White Sox clubhouse before their next game, things just might turn around yet!
The Yankees (5-1) take the field for their home opener today against the surprising Miami Marlins (5-1). Will Warren takes the mound for New York. Eury Perez gets the nod for Miami.
The Yankees opened the season with historically dominant pitching shutting out the Giants in their first two games. In total, they allowed only 3 earned runs in their first 5 games, tying the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals for the fewest in MLB history since 1900. All this without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon who remain sidelined with injuries.
While pitching has been the key to New York’s early season success, the bats have been the difference-makers for the Marlins. Miami boasts a +15-run differential. Their lineup has scored nine or more runs in three consecutive games.
Lets dive into this afternoon’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Marlins
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Time: 1:35PM EST
Site: Yankee Stadium
City: New York, NY
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, WFOR-TV CBS4, YES
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Giancarlo Stanton has 2 hits in each of the 5 games he has played this season
Cody Bellinger is 6-21 (.286) this season
Liam Hicks has 3 HRs and 12 RBIs in 5 games this season
Owen Caissie is 7-20 (.350) with 8 RBIs
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The Yankees are 5-1 on the Run Line this season
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The OVER has cashed 1 time in the Yankees first 6 games (1-4-1)
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Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Yankees and the Marlins:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.5.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits for a pitch in the seventh inning during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/IOS/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering the 2026 season, the Dodgers offense on paper consisted of an overwhelming juggernaut of former (and current) MVPs and All Stars, announcing themselves as one of the best lineups in baseball. Six games into the regular season, it has been anything but that.
The Dodgers were nearly shut out twice at home against the Cleveland Guardians after sweeping Arizona to begin the year. They are tied for 20th among all teams in runs scored and at 14th in team OPS. The treacherous trio at the top of the lineup all have batting averages under .200, which features the reigning two-time NL MVP, the Dodgers brand new $60 million right fielder and a four-time World Series champion.
While the focus has been on the struggling offense as a whole, Andy Pages, on the other hand, is having quite a remarkable start to the year. He currently leads the Dodgers in batting average at .429 and leads the team in OPS among all players with at least 10 plate appearances. Although the Dodgers slumped against Cleveland, Pages had multi-hit games in all three contests, including a 3-3 performance in Wednesday’s loss.
Freddie Freeman, though not as drastically as the top three hitters has mired in an early slump, noted that Pages has been hitting well since the beginning of spring training and that the rest of the offense will look forward to picking up the pace during the team’s first road trip, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.
“Andy’s been great since spring training,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. “He’s one of the ones that carried it from spring training into the season. Andy looks good, both sides of the ball. Really happy for him. So hopefully the rest of us can join him on Friday.”
Links
Jim Callis of MLB.com writes about which Dodgers prospects to focus on throughout the 2026 season. Callis named outfielder James Tibbs III as a can’t miss prospect that has the potential to crack the big league roster later in the year.
Tibbs in his first sample size of Triple-A ball has been a force at the plate, as he’s currently tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in batting average while slashing .500/.552/1.192 with four home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored over his first six games.
In half of the Dodgers’ first six games, fans have had the privilege of one of the most electric entrances for any pitcher in the game. Flashing strobe lights emerge, the blaring of trumpets engulf the crowd, and new star closer Edwin Díaz becomes the center of attention towards the end of the game.
Both Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández gave their input on Díaz’s signature entrance, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Per Hernández: “Everybody was waiting for that moment,” Hernández said. “I wanted to watch everything: Him coming out of the bullpen and getting all the way to the mound. I’m happy that he’s here now.”
Per Freeman: “When Edwin comes in the game, that means something good’s happening for the Dodgers,” Freddie Freeman said. “So I’m a fan.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts with Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians after hitting a home run during the tenth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians had a day off and will open Progressive Field for 2026 against the Cubs at 4:10PM ET today.
You can read about today’s festivities here. Hockey Gold Medalist Milano Cortina will throw out the first pitch.
Brian Hemminger recapped the minor league slate from yesterday which saw all four full-season affiliates play for the first time this season.
Zack Meisel has a great piece out today on Kyle Manzardo’s mom. Justin Lada of Next Year in Cleveland and Locked on Guardians has a great one on his own late dad’s relationship with him and the game. Terry Pluto had a great article sharing fan memories of Opening Day.
Deborah (Nicole) and Quincy did a Disgusting Baseball podcast featuring some hot take predictions for the upcoming season.
Marcus Semien | (Photo: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)
Meet the Mets
The Mets have now lost three in a row, as David Peterson simply didn’t have it in the team’s series opener in San Francisco last night. The Mets’ lineup continued to disappoint, too, in what wound up being a 7-2 loss.
Former Mets prospect Blade Tidwell, who was part of the package the Mets sent to the Giants for Tyler Rogers at the deadline last year, was called up for the game and earned a save as he threw three scoreless innings to finish it.
The Braves were the only other National League East team in action yesterday, and they scored a walloping 17 runs in a win over the Diamondbacks.
Around Major League Baseball
Royals catcher Carter Jensen overslept, arrived late, and found himself scratched in a game that he was supposed to catch. The Royals lost that game to the Twins by a 5-1 score.
The White Sox and Blue Jays were postponed in what would have been Chicago’s home opener.
With the season in its infancy and without enough data to grapple with yet, I’m going to look forward for a bit. Forward to the end of 2026. I’m not a good predictor, so I won’t go there, but I have formulated an outline of what I think success might be for the 2026 Cardinal edition. What might success look like? I mean, baseball is about hope, right?
By now, I’m sure you have read the various prognostications about how the Cardinals will fare in 2026. At the low-end, some folks see team with 90 or more losses. The high side, led by Dr. Howl, seems to be around 85 wins. That is some range.
But who really knows? I can imagine this season being a tale of two (or even three) different seasons and how they add up to a final win-loss tally is anyone’s guess. My interest is … within that wide range, what constitutes success?
Key questions
What does it have to look like for this team to finish at the higher end of the projections?
Could we see Dustin May pitching like a dominant TOR pitcher?
Will we see a full season from Mathew Liberatore more like the first-half of 2025
Could a full season of Michael McGreevy be worth double what last year’s half-season churned out?
Could Masyn Winn prove that last year’s defensive gem of a season was not a high side outlier, and maybe add a tick to his offensive output and cross 4 fWAR?
Will Alec Burleson continue his steady offensive climb and perhaps find a stable defensive platform now that he is playing one position?
Could JJ Wetherholt effectively replace Donovan’s 2.9 WAR at second?
Can Ivan Herrera be healthy and extend his .837 OPS hitting?
Can the rest of the rotation provide reliable quality day-in and day-out?
Can the bullpen lock down the leads that are present?
Will any of Scott II, Gorman, or Walker establish themselves as a line-up presence?
Will Nootbaar come back hale and hearty? An OBP machine with a bit of pop?
Is there enough depth at AAA to fill the inevitable holes created by injury and non-performance?
I think one could look individually at each of the questions and think that a YES answer to any one of them is entirely possible. Not guaranteed, maybe not even most likely, but within a reasonable range where YES wouldn’t be a huge surprise. All of them becoming YES is a bit of a stretch, though.
Timing is everything
The definition of the season could well come down to how many of these answers become YES, and how soon. The how soon part could help begin to define several distinct sections of the season.
Might we see a hale and healthy Nootbaar in late April/early May, or will it drag on until the ASB?
Could it take several different iterations of the rotation to find the right combination of starters? How long will it take to swap out a struggling starter?
How long will it take for Wetherholt to adjust to the league, and them to him?
How long might it take to find the right bullpen combinations and roles?
Will the AAA depth be ready to ascend when needs arise?
What happens at the trade deadline with Noot, Romero, May and perhaps one or two others?
How long will Gorman or Walker get runway if they continue to struggle?
A tale of two (or even three) seasons
April-May … A lot of teams take the approach of coming out of Spring TrBaining with their roster and giving it until Flag Day to assess what they have and adjust. I could see a lot of mixing and matching line-ups, movement of pitchers up and down to Memphis and such during this early phase. Not sure they will wait til Flag Day, either.
June-July … Here is where I’d anticipate an influx of prospects to fill holes. Baez, Mathews, Dobbins, Fitts, Crooks. The past few years, this is where things have fallen apart, as the injury toll has exposed a lack of depth. Is this year different in that way?
August-September … I can imagine this part of the season being defined by what happens at the trade deadline. If the club moves Nootbaar, Romero, May and others, the last two months will become a tryout for the second tier depth, particularly the many pitchers behind Dobbins and Fitts.
The pathway via Starz
It seems to me like success will come (or not) based on how effective the rotation is day-in, day-out. There is enough talent there where I could see a more stable output than we’ve seen in years. I don’t know enough to project any individual’s success or failure, but it is easy to see that there are alternatives available if someone gets hurt or struggles (Fitts, Dobbins and Mathews being the first wave). In that sense, the manager won’t have to stick with a seriously struggling starter as long as in years past. Depth matters. In the end, if I apply the Starz model published late last year, success will be if they find 4 pitchers who can reliably project to > 1.8 fWAR in the rotation and two of those who can reliable project to more than 2.5 fWAR, and still retain some depth. Can you see this possibility by 2026 season’s end?
Perhaps an under-stated element will be how stable the defense becomes. Given that the offense is unlikely to be a juggernaut, defense seems to be a key for leveraging the pitching. Can a guy like Church provide enough offense to allow frequent deployment in the outfield? Can Wetherholt lock down second base defensively, giving the Cardinals the proverbial “strong up the middle” backbone? Can Saggese become a plus defender somewhere?
A third part could be the baserunning. Can Church and Scott II get on base enough to utilize their speed effectively? Can guys like Church, Saggese, Wetherholt infuse enough speed and athleticism to materially improve the team BsR and allow for the manufacture of more runs? I will miss Arenado and Contreras, but let’s face it, they weren’t great baserunners. Along with Pages and Burleson, there was a tendency for the bases to get clogged and a power deficient team became station-to-station, which is not a great combination. There is opportunity here with the new people.
It is difficult to look at this offense and imagine it being part of the pathway to success. Herrera, Wetherholt, Winn, Burleson are likely to be solid, but things fall off after that and four hitters is not enough. Nootbaar coming back strong would add a positive element. Baez and Crooks may get shots at adding offensive punch before the season gets too far along. If it works out, they could have seven guys that would feature 95 wRC+ or better in the line-up. That is an average line-up. With good pitching and good defense, that might be enough. Using the Starz model again, success would be finding five position players who can reliably project to top 2.7 fWAR, with 2 or 3 of them up and over 3.8 fWAR. Same question, can you see this potential by end of 2026?
A step forward from Scott II, Walker and/or Gorman would add needed depth to the line-up, also. After years of struggles, this is hard to count on. Maybe be mid-season the Cardinals end up with a cromulent offensive outfield of Baez, Church and Nootbaar. The final piece of the Starz model is … Zero, absolutely zero, below replacement level outcomes. Here is the support for that rule of thumb. Will this be the year that under-performing players are moved out?
A fallback
If 4 pitchers > 1.8 fWAR and five players > 2.7 fWAR seems like a bridge too far for this organization in 2026, perhaps a slightly lower bar of success could be … if they fall one or two players short of this target, knowing where they fall short (and not having too many holes) might propel them to begin acquiring MLB talent via trade or Free Agency next off-season to fill that last gap or two and be able to have a roster built to win 90 games.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 18: Carter Jensen #22 of the Kansas City Royals stands on deck during a Spring Training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whoopsie! Ballplayers are just like the rest of us. Anne Rogers wrote about Carter Jensen’s scratch before yesterday’s game:
“Carter had an oversight,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Overslept. Wasn’t here on time, and we made the decision to scratch him from the lineup. … He’s a stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid. He feels terrible. He’s accountable to it. It’s not something that has been a pattern or any of that kind of stuff. Nobody feels worse than he does, and I think he’ll admit to that. And we’ll move on…”
“No running from it,” Jensen said. “Just didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it. Don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. Happens. I felt like I let my teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”
Slightly awkward after he was profiled by Jaylon Thompson in The Star yesterday:
“It’s just like the eagerness to learn,” reliever John Schreiber said. “You know, it’s awesome for him to have Salvy as a mentor (to) teach him the way, how to go about it up here. (Especially), when it comes to recovery, training, preparation and all that kind of stuff.
“So it’s been awesome seeing the work he’s put in. You know, studying everybody here from the pitching staff and seeing what works with them individually. Just getting to know the new guys and all that good stuff. He’s been on the right path, and it’s pretty cool to see him thrive at such a young age.”
There were some notes going back to Wednesday’s game.
OptaStats shared this nugget: “The Royals are the only MLB team in the modern era to have their bullpen allow 8+ walks and 8+ runs in 4.0 innings or less and yet still win the game.”
During an ugly, rainy 13-9 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, the Twins, Major League Baseball’s most aggressive Automated Ball-Strike challenge system team, set season highs for challenges requested (nine), overturned calls (eight) and combined challenges in a game (11).
He said last night Jac Caglianone asked one of the grounds crew members how many were on the crew (~20). This morning, Cags brought in three-dozen donuts + coffee for them as a thank you for their hard work.
Okay, now the pitching. Noah Cameron was good. There were some concerns after a rough spring and the fact that he absolutely outperformed his peripherals last year. They’re all valid concerns. But he came out and looked a lot like he did in 2025. He was in the zone a good amount, got a little chase, but not much and got just enough swings and misses. Now, he did get hit a bit hard in his last inning of work, but overall, you’re not going to complain one bit about five innings of one run ball from your number five starter.
The four-seamer is still going to be an issue for me with Cameron if he can’t get whiffs on it. He threw 37 of them, which may have been impacted by the weather. He landed eight for called strikes and got swings on 18 others. The problem is that the Twins only came up empty on two of those 18 swings. And it was hit pretty hard with an average exit velocity of 96.8 MPH. But, again, it’s tough to evaluate because the weather was weird. His spin was way down. He averaged 2,288 rpms on it last year, and it was just 1,915 last night. That’s the weather. He was also having trouble spinning his curve and slider with those rpms down 216 and 877, respectively. So I think it’s fair to assume he didn’t feel great with the conditions. It’s just very difficult to evaluate this one.
Let’s focus on the fun parts first. The offense! Coming into Wednesday’s tilt against the Minnesota Twins, the Royals had scored a grand total of nine runs over their first four games. They more that doubled their output on the young season in a soggy, soupy night at The K where everyone got in on the action, highlighted by the collective production from the outfield. Forget about the much-maligned trio from 2025. It’s a new year, baby.
Jac Caglianone, Isaac Collins and Kyle Isbel, hitting seven, eight and nine in the order, combined to go 8-11, reaching base 11 times. They scored eight of the Royals 13 runs on the night. That’s some top-shelf production. Caglianone, in particular, seemed locked in to the extreme. Each one of his base knocks leaving the bat north of 100 mph.
The pitching staff may be the strength of this Fireflies team, especially the rotation. Three of our Top-20 prospects will be featured in the Fireflies rotation, including Kendry Chourio (No. 4), Blake Wolters (No. 17), and Michael Lombardi (No. 18).
Chourio is the most high-profile of this bunch, as he struck out 63 batters in 51.1 IP across the DSL, Complex, and Carolina Leagues. He faced more challenges in Columbia, posting a 5.16 ERA and 3.66 FIP with the Fireflies in 22.2 IP. That said, he didn’t have issues striking batters out, as evidenced by his 25% K% in Low-A. He also limited free runners on the basepaths, as demonstrated by his 20.8% K-BB%.
The 18-year-old righty also impressed in the Spring Breakout, impressing scouts with a fastball that touched 98 MPH. He still has to work on his pitch location and shape a bit, which explains why he is starting in Low-A. He could make a move to High-A by midseason if he fixes those issues.
I have a trio of older stories (from the last week or so) that I don’t think were linked to. These were from blogs that post on a bit of an irregular schedule, but I want to give them a nod:
I was going to start my Asia Baseball Previews this week.
But, I think we’re going to do something a little different this week. I’ve been having fun reading about the Artemis II mission.
We have a lot of things that divide us as humans and as Americans. Heck, there are even bits of this mission that are divisive. But this is also something that can give us a common purpose. As was stated by one of the astronauts last night: “Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of”.
It’s staggering to think that human beings are back on their way towards the moon. We haven’t left Earth orbit in more than 50 years, basically two generations. One of my favorite tourist things I have done while living here is to go to Johnson Space Center during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 back in 1969. They had Mission Control set up to look just as it did during that historic moment.
I think today is a good time for one of those resource link dumps.
Want to know where the Integrity capsule is now? The easiest way is: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis. It redirects to this site, which shows us where the spaceship is right now. I was writing this part up about 7pm last night, just after the TLI (trans-lunar injection) burn. It went from a few hundred miles above Earth down to about 150 miles and then back out towards the moon. Within a half hour, they were a couple thousand miles away with a couple hundred thousand to go, racing at nearly 20K MPH. By 9pm, they had dropped below 10K MPH and were more than 20K miles away. By the time you’re reading this in the morning, it will probably be over 50K miles down and less than 200K to go.
I’m enjoying the NASA feed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NASA. After the TLI last night, they had a press conference with a couple of dozen questions. I saw Eric Berger, the former Houston Chronicle science editor, best weather blogger in the region, and current ars technica writer. The questions were varied and included things like how the systems were performing, details about the day six eclipse, the toilet malfunction, including jokes about “number one” and “number two”. After that was done, the feed returned to the view from Integrity with radio chatter from CAPCOM. Later on in the evening, there was an interview with the astronauts (it’s interesting to think about the delay during the questions): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myscgUlbua4
Naturally, Artemis II has its own wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II. I had to go back and correct some of what I typed earlier. For instance, I figured out that “Orion” was the type of capsule, whereas “Integrity” was the specific one being used for Artemis II. Of course, there are other wiki links to the entire Artemis program: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Artemis_missions
