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Aaron Judge vs. Mike Trout turns into starry slugfest of 3-time MVPs as Yankees edge Angels 11-10

NEW YORK — Mike Trout and Aaron Judge turned their baseball game into a heavyweight slugfest.

Trout’s second home run of the game bounced off the back wall behind the Angels bullpen in left-center, giving Los Angeles a two-run lead in the eighth inning on a night when Judge already had homered twice to put the New York Yankees ahead.

And there was more drama to come — after two three-time MVPs both homered twice in the same game for the first time in 70 years.

Trent Grisham hit his second homer of the evening (and season) to tie the score in the ninth. Moments later, José Caballero trotted home on Jordan Romano’s game-ending wild pitch to give the Yankees a pulsating 11-10 win that stopped a five-game losing streak.

“It was great. That’s baseball for you,” Trout marveled. “It’s what fans want, and to be able to see something like that, pretty cool.”

Only once before had a pair of players already three-time MVPs each homered twice in the same game, according to STATS Perform.

After Stan Musial had gone deep twice, Roy Campanella hit a tying, three-run drive in the ninth for his second of the game and Don Zimmer followed with a walk-off single to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 9-8 at Ebbets Field on June 21, 1956.

Trout nearly hit a third. He flied out to Cody Bellinger in front of the center-field wall, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth after the Angels tied the score 4-all with four unearned runs following Caballero’s error on Trout’s leadoff grounder to shortstop.

Judge had looked forward to crossing paths with Trout in a Yankee Stadium weight room.

“I was going to talk some smack to him after the one he hit all the way to the warning track,” Judge said, “but I didn’t get a chance to and then he answers right back with two big homers for him. You put that guy in a clutch situation, a big moment and he’s going to show up every single time, so it’s fun going back and forth with a guy like that, especially in New York and the Bronx.”

New York had lost five straight after an 8-2 start and had been 0-6 in one-run games.

There were seven home runs that traveled a total of 2,846 feet — more than half a mile — with the Yankees hitting five. Judge’s first went 456 feet deep into the left-field bleachers and left the bat at 116.2 mph, the hardest-hit home run of the season.

Grisham and Trout each had five RBIs, and Judge had three.

Baseball’s top four active home run leaders were all in the game. Judge, with 374, moved one ahead of teammate Paul Goldschmidt. New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads active players with 454, missed by about a foot with a double off the center-field wall in the fifth. Trout has 408 homers.

Trout, 34, won AL MVPs in 2014, ’16 and ’19 but has struggled with injuries for much of the past five seasons.

“He’s the greatest of all time. It’s been fun to watch his whole career, coming up at such a young age and instantly just putting yourself at the top of the list. It’s special,” Judge said.

Judge, who turns 34 on April 26, won AL MVPs in 2022, ‘24 and ’25.

“Those are two of the greats, so it’s really fun to watch,” Yankees starter Will Warren said.

Judge and Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night. After Caballero’s error led to the unearned runs off Warren, Grisham pinch hit in the fifth and connected for a three-run drive against Shaun Anderson for a 7-4 lead.

Trout countered with a three-run homer in the sixth against Jake Bird, who was demoted to Triple-A after the game.

Judge’s homer off Anderson leading off the bottom half gave him 47 multi-homer games, one more than Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth’s 68 among Yankees.

“To be surrounded by some greats like that, it’s special,” Judge said.

Josh Lowe knotted the score at 8 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, and Trout’s two-run drive in the eighth off Camilo Doval put the Angels ahead 10-8 with his 31st multi-homer game. Judge, watching from right field, shook his head.

“Every time he comes to the Bronx, man, he puts on a show,” Judge said. “I hate to see it, but it’s fun competing against a guy like that.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled to start the ninth against Romano, and Grisham reached down and pulled a slider into the right-field seats as the closer put both hands on his head.

Caballero doubled and stole third without a throw. And after Austin Wells walked, Caballero scored when Romano bounced a full-count slider to Ryan McMahon to the backstop on the ninth pitch of the plate appearance.

New York had not won a game while allowing double-digit runs since beating Minnesota 14-12 on July 23, 2019.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone described his own feelings as “tough ... for the belly.”

Then he switched his thoughts to his players.

“You get a lead, then you get another lead, and then it’s gone,” he said. “For the guys, maybe it was good to have a game like that where it was a little messy.”

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Should Red Sox be worried by ace Garrett Crochet's worst start ever?

Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet had the worst game of his career on Monday night, getting lit up for 11 runs (10 earned) while recording just five outs in his team's 13-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Last year's AL Cy Young runner-up, the 27-year-old's velocity and spin rate were down in the start, according to MassLive, but Crochet told reporters "I don’t think that’s anything to fret over."

An All-Star each of the past two seasons, the left-hander acknowledged that he hasn't been at his best in the opening weeks of the season.

"Command as a whole has been spotty. Gotten away with it a little this early in the year," Crochet told reporters, "but tonight they made me pay. It was weak contact, hard contact, walks, hit by pitch, a little bit of everything.”

The Twins scored four runs in the first inning against Crochet but blew it open in the second, plating seven runs – including home runs by Victor Caratini and Ryan Kreidler before the left-hander was yanked before making it through the second inning.

Garrett Crochet gave up 10 earned runs in 1.2 innings on Monday against the Twins.

Is Garrett Crochet hurt?

Crochet told reporters he's fine physically and manager Alex Cora said that his ace is "healthy, so that's the most important thing."

Crochet pitched a career-high 205 ⅓ innings in 2025, up from 146 in 2024, his final year with the Chicago White Sox. He had his workload limited with the White Sox after Tommy John surgery and the team transitioning him to a starting role.

“It’s a little eye-opening, obviously,” Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey said. “I think there’s a little frustration and curiosity, but like for me, there’s a couple balls on the line, jam shot to the left, a couple walks mixed there and then obviously they were able to step on some pitches in zone and hit him out of the yard. And it happened really quickly. So just got to move past it.”

Garrett Crochet stats 2026

  • Four starts, 19 innings pitched
  • 7.58 ERA – 16 earned runs
  • 22 strikeouts, seven walks

Garrett Crochet college

The White Sox selected Crochet with the 11th overall pick out of Tennessee in the 2020 draft. He made his big-league debut just a few months later in the COVID-shortened season, pitching five regular-season games before also participating in the postseason.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox Garrett Crochet lit up vs. Twins. Should Boston be worried?

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Paul Skenes had to be almost perfect last year for the Pirates to have a chance. Times have changed

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes spent last season pitching on a razor’s edge, aware that one mistake could tilt the balance of a game, no matter how masterful the Pittsburgh Pirates ace might be.

Not anymore.

The offense that struggled to score whenever Skenes took the hill in 2025 — the main reason he had a 10-10 record alongside the 1.97 ERA that won him the National League Cy Young Award — has been transformed, both in personnel and in production, in 2026.

It reached the point during a 16-5 victory over Washington that Skenes was sort of hoping the Pirates would stop hitting during a 10-run sixth, if only so he could get back to work.

No such luck. By the time the inning was over, 14 batters had come to the plate, the Nationals had switched pitchers twice, and the clock for Skenes (3-1) to return to the mound had run out after six innings of brilliance.

“It just took forever, which is what you want,” Skenes said. “I feel like that inning everybody (was) just pulling the rope and passing it off to the next guy. It was cool to watch.”

A year ago, the worst offense in the majors produced three runs or fewer 18 times in Skenes’ 32 starts. The 23-year-old challenged the organization to get serious about winning in 2026, and the normally stingy Pirates made a series of aggressive moves intended to upgrade their lineup and help arguably the best young pitching staff in the majors.

The early returns are promising.

Pittsburgh, which was last in runs, home runs and RBIs in 2025, is in the top 10 in all three categories. Second baseman Brandon Lowe — acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in December — became the first player in franchise history to have back-to-back five-RBI games when he hit a two-run single in the second and added a three-run homer to cap off Pittsburgh’s first 10-run inning at PNC Park in nearly 17 years.

Lowe, a two-time All-Star with the Rays, has six home runs. First baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, signed to a two-year deal in free agency, has 13 RBIs. Outfielder/designated hitter Bryan Reynolds, surrounded by the deepest lineup of his seven-year tenure in Pittsburgh, is thriving.

Perhaps the biggest sign of hope is the performance of Oneil Cruz, the Pirates’ talented but inconsistent center fielder. The 6-foot-7 Cruz extended his hitting streak to 12 games by going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, one of them coming on a 114 mph rope off the fence in right field.

“It’s pretty fun to hit after a guy hits a ball (that hard),” Lowe said. “Gets the crowd a little loud. To watch his at-bats, to see the maturity that he has with the power and everything else he has going for him, he’s going to be a lot of fun to hit behind this year.”

And the Pirates could be dangerous for the first time in a long time. Skenes already is seeing the difference. Pittsburgh has scored 38 runs across his first four starts in 2026 after needing 11 starts to hit that total in 2025.

“I told the guys after the game it makes it easy to pitch,” Skenes said.

It also lets him take chances and evolve. He became the fifth-fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 400 strikeouts when he fanned Luis Garcia Jr. just two batters into his 59th start.

Save for a 100 mph heater that Washington’s CJ Abrams sent into the seats over the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right in the first, Skenes was nearly perfect as he mixed his fastball with reliable offspeed stuff.

“I mean we might go out next outing and only throw changeups,” Skenes said, joking he might throw “100 in a row” when he makes his next start against the Rays.

Probably not. But having another pitch he can trust is hardly a bad thing. Neither is the freedom that comes with knowing he doesn’t have to be flawless for the Pirates to have a shot.

The victory over the Nationals came just over 24 hours after Pittsburgh allowed the host Chicago Cubs to rally and avoid a sweep. The Pirates responded with their best offensive performance of the season and offered a glimpse of the resilience it will take if they want to get to where they want to go.

“I’ve seen it now for a couple years with the Brewers, the Cubs, the Reds last year made the playoffs,” Skenes said. “That’s what NL Central teams do really well, and so now we’re doing that. It’s really fun to watch.”

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Where to watch Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Tuesday, April 14

The Philadelphia Phillies (8-8) face the Chicago Cubs (7-9) in the second game of their three-game series. Kyle Schwarber hit two homers as the Phillies beat the Cubs 13-7 in the series’ opener. The scheduled starting pitchers are Aaron Nola for the Phillies and Riley Martin for the Cubs.

  • Date: Tuesday, April 14

  • Time: 6:40 p.m. ET / 3:40 p.m. PT

  • Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

  • TV Channels: TBS, NBCSP+, Marquee Sports Network

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • Chicago Cubs: 7-9 (No. 5 in NL Central)

  • Philadelphia Phillies: 8-8 (No. 3 in NL East)

  • Spread: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5

  • Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies -145 (56.6%) / Chicago Cubs +120 (43.4%)

  • Over/Under: 9.5

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Where to watch Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Tuesday, April 14

The New York Yankees (9-7) face the Los Angeles Angels (8-9) in the second game of their four-game series. The Yankees won a wild 11-10 game in Monday’s opener with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning. Aaron Judge and Mike Trout each hit two home runs in the game. The Yankees' Ryan Weber (0-1, 2.81 ERA) is scheduled to face the Angels' Reid Detmers (0-1, 4.60 ERA).

  • Date: Tuesday, April 14

  • Time: 7:05 p.m. ET / 4:05 p.m. PT

  • Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

  • TV Channels: YES, FanDuel Sports Network West

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • Los Angeles Angels: 8-9 (No. 3 in AL West)

  • New York Yankees: 9-7 (No. 2 in AL East)

  • Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

  • Moneyline: New York Yankees -185 (61.9%) / Los Angeles Angels +150 (38.1%)

  • Over/Under: 8.5

Los Angeles Angels: Reid Detmers (0-1, ERA: 4.60, K: 17, WHIP: 1.28)
New York Yankees: Ryan Weathers (0-1, ERA: 2.81, K: 18, WHIP: 1.38)

Weather: 76°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,309 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

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Dynasty Baseball Stock Watch: Franklin Arias, Joseph Dzierwa, Theo Gillen rising quickly

It’s still extremely early, and the sample sizes we’re analyzing and dissecting in the lower minors barely qualify as meaningful. However, that doesn’t mean everything should be dismissed as noise. A handful of early-season performances have stood out, not just for the on-field results, but for the broader developmental changes they may be signaling.

This week’s Rotoworld Dynasty Stock Watch examines 12 prospects on the rise with varying trajectories and timelines to the big leagues that fantasy managers should be prioritizing in trade discussions and on waiver wires.

⚾ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.

RELATED: Check out this week’s MLB Power Rankings!

Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox

There are hot starts, then there's the heater Arias is on as the fourth-youngest position player at the Double-A level this season behind only Jesús Made, Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas. The 20-year-old shortstop has been a known commodity in dynasty formats for a couple of years, but he’s opened the 2026 campaign as arguably the hottest hitters in the entire minors, batting .588 (10-for-17) with two doubles, two walks and just two strikeouts through six games for Double-A Portland.

He boasts some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the minors, evidenced by a minuscule 10.1 percent strikeout rate across 110 games over three levels last year, which was the fifth-lowest mark among all minor leaguers with at least 500 plate appearances. There’s still some physical projection remaining, as Arias figures to add strength as he matures, making it easy to envision a leap into the upper echelon of fantasy prospects given his already elite contact ability. It’s possible this is merely the starting point, with Arias positioning himself to be one of the top prospects in the entire fantasy landscape by the end of the year.

Joseph Dzierwa, SP, Orioles

Dzierwa recorded nine strikeouts over six shutout innings with an eye-popping 17 swinging strikes in his professional debut earlier this month, which he followed up by allowing two runs over seven innings last week. The early returns include a sparkling 1.38 ERA and a 12/1 K/BB ratio across 13 innings for High-A Frederick. The towering six-foot-eight left-hander was Baltimore’s second-round selection in last year’s MLB Draft and appears to be on a trajectory towards becoming one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape.

The 21-year-old has continued to add fastball velocity, touching 96.2 mph on his sinker during last month’s Spring Breakout game. He pairs it with an above-average changeup and a developing slider that remains a work in progress. The sinker/changeup combination alone gives him a chance to succeed at the highest level, provided he can throw strikes consistently. His dynasty stock should continue to rise as he racks up strikeouts in the lower minors, making this an ideal window to acquire Dzierwa before he potentially becomes untouchable as one of the game’s top pitching prospects.

Theo Gillen, OF, Rays

It’s hard to find a more intriguing early-season dynasty storyline than Gillen’s unexpected power surge. The 20-year-old former first-round pick from the 2024 MLB Draft recorded consecutive two-homer games over the weekend and is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with four homers and three steals in eight games for High-A Bowling Green. It’s important to not overreact to extremely small sample sizes, but Gillen is clearly making much more consistent hard contact this season after managing just five round-trippers in 324 plate appearances at Low-A Charleston last year when he missed time with calf and finger injuries.

What’s even more impressive is that Bowling Green grades out as one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in the entire Midwest League, according to Baseball America’s park factors. Gillen’s early-season metamorphosis from more of a hit tool and speed profile to more of a well-rounded offensive threat is a development worth monitoring in the coming weeks because it would make him an upper-echelon dynasty prospect in short order.

Luis Peña, 2B/SS, Brewers

Peña blossomed into an upper-echelon prospect from a fantasy standpoint last year when he batted .270/.335/.422 with nine homers and 44 steals between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin at just 18 years old during a highly impressive stateside debut. He’ll continue to understandably be overshadowed by Jesús Made, who looks like a future franchise cornerstone hitting .359 (14-for-39) as the youngest everyday player in Double-A this season, but he possesses a plethora of fantasy-relevant skills including an above-average hit tool and massive stolen base upside.

He’s off to a fast start back at High-A Wisconsin, hitting .500 (10-for-20) with a pair of extra-base hits and five steals through six games. There’s a chance he becomes an elite fantasy contributor down the road if he continues to fill out physically and grows into some additional over-the-fence pop.

Gage Wood, SP, Phillies

The biggest question facing Wood coming out of last year’s MLB Draft, when he was selected 26th overall following a standout collegiate career at Arkansas that included the third no-hitter in College World Series history, was whether he would ultimately stick as a starter.

The 22-year-old right-hander is beginning to answer those concerns, posting a 1.23 ERA with a 15/2 K/BB ratio across 7 1/3 innings in his professional debut at Low-A Clearwater. While it’s not uncommon for polished collegiate arms to dominate at the lower levels, Wood appears on track to reach the upper minors quickly thanks to an upper-90s fastball and a strong curveball. He carries more risk than some of his lower-minors pitching peers, but the strikeout potential is undeniable, and the fantasy upside is significant if he can put everything together and stay healthy long-term.

Jhonny Level, SS, Giants

Level has gotten off to a sizzling-hot start with multiple hits in five of six games and is batting an astronomical .519 (14-for-27) with two homers and three steals at Low-A San Jose this season. The 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop was one of last year's biggest risers as he rocketed through a couple levels in San Francisco's system to finish at Low-A. He manages to hit for a ton of power considering his smaller frame and his hit tool is one of the strongest of any teenage prospect in the minors. He’s hit wherever the Giants have sent him over the last three seasons and his fantasy stock will reach stratospheric levels if he’s producing in the upper minors by the end of the year.

Anthony Eyanson, SP, Red Sox

Eyanson paired with Mariners top pitching prospect Kade Anderson to form a one-two punch for eventual national champion LSU last spring and has looked like a potential breakout arm through his first two starts at High-A Greenville in his professional debut, compiling a microscopic 1.23 ERA, 0.41 WHIP and 13/0 K/BB ratio across 7 1/3 innings. Those early performances are enough to put him firmly on dynasty radars, but the buzz began earlier this spring when he flashed increased velocity on the backfields.

The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier wrote for Baseball America earlier this month that Eyanson, a third-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, touched triple digits for the first time in his career during Boston’s spring breakout game against the Orioles and is now routinely sitting in the upper-90s with his fastball. He fits the mold of a fast-moving pitching prospect and should be rostered in all dynasty formats.

Caleb Bonemer, SS, White Sox

Bonemer drew rave reviews during his professional debut last year when he hit .281/.400/.458 with 10 homers and 27 steals for Low-A Kannapolis before going deep twice in 11 games at High-A Winston-Salem to close out the year. The 20-year-old shortstop, who was Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has picked up right where he left off in the low minors, slashing .303/.385/.667 with two homers and seven RBI through nine contests at High-A this season. It’s early, but with all of the graduations at the top of dynasty prospect lists, Bonemer has a chance to be near the top when the dust settles in a couple weeks.

Kayson Cunningham, SS, Diamondbacks

Cunningham was widely regarded as the top pure hitter in last year’s MLB Draft when he was gobbled up by Arizona with the 18th overall selection, and he’s done nothing to dispel that notion, hitting .385 (10-for-26) with more walks (nine) than strikeouts (four) through eight games at Low-A Visalia this season. The 19-year-old’s advanced hit tool should make him an on-base machine and enable him to move quickly through the hitter-friendly environments in the Diamondbacks’ system.

He’s basically a complete zero in the power department at this early stage of his development, but it’s easy to forecast some growth there as he matures physically. He projects as a high-floor contact-oriented prospect with the upside to develop into a complete five-category fantasy contributor if he reaches his ceiling. His dynasty stock is going to skyrocket over the next few months if he keeps tearing the cover off the ball and reaches High-A by midseason.

Cam Caminiti, SP, Braves

Caminiti has been somewhat overlooked with Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie making noise on the doorstep of the majors, but he has a chance to emerge as the most impactful arm in Atlanta’s system over the long term. The 19-year-old left-hander was selected 24th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft as one of the top prep arms in his class and has already shown an ability to consistently miss bats in the lower minors.

He’s still a long way from the big leagues, but his dynasty stock could soar over the next few months if he continues to deliver strong performances and reaches Double-A Mississippi before his 20th birthday in early August.

Marek Houston, SS, Twins

Houston, the 16th-overall selection in last year's MLB Draft, has gotten off to a nice start in the lower minors after a 15-homer effort during his final collegiate season at Wake Forrest. The fact that he’s adding some additional pop isn’t a surprise given his six-foot-three frame, but two homers in eight games is a noticeable uptick considering the Midwest League isn’t exactly a hitter’s paradise.

The 21-year-old is a phenomenal defensive shortstop, so any additional gains in the power department without sacrificing his athleticism will make him extremely interesting from a fantasy standpoint over the next few years. He's a name to watch in all dynasty formats.

Santiago Suarez, SP, Rays

Suarez has been a known quantity for dynasty managers in recent years, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for three months last season and likely pushed him off some radar screens. The 21-year-old right-hander has looked sharp through a pair of early-season starts at Double-A Montgomery, compiling a pristine 15/2 K/BB ratio across 11 innings.

The strong performances are even more notable considering he’s the fourth-youngest player in the entire Southern League this season. While he may not project as a prototypical front-of-the-rotation arm, Suarez features a deep arsenal built around a mid-90s fastball and solid secondary offerings. Perhaps most importantly, he’s shown the ability to command his entire repertoire and consistently fill the strike zone, which tends to be a key ingredient for sustained success at the highest level.

Bonus: Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers

Rainer has been ice-cold, hitting .120 (3-for-25) through seven games this season at Low-A Lakeland, but he connected for a gargantuan 477-foot home run last Friday, showcasing the type of elite raw power that made him one of the fastest-rising prospects in the dynasty landscape before undergoing shoulder surgery last July. It’s going to take the 20-year-old power-hitting shortstop some time to knock off the rust, which is why this is the perfect time to target him in dynasty leagues. He could join Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark as core building blocks for Detroit at some point in the next few years.

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Where to watch New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Tuesday, April 14

The New York Mets (7-10) will try to stop a six-game losing streak when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-4) on Tuesday. The Dodgers shut out the Mets 4-0 in the series’ opener on Monday. The Dodgers are scheduled to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto (ERA: 2.50) against the Mets’ Nolan McLean (ERA: 2.70).

  • Date: Tuesday, April 14

  • Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

  • Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

  • TV Channels: SportsNet LA, SNY

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • New York Mets: 7-10 (No. 5 in NL East)

  • Los Angeles Dodgers: 12-4 (No. 1 in NL West)

  • Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

  • Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -190 (62.6%) / New York Mets +155 (37.4%)

  • Over/Under: 7.5

New York Mets: Nolan McLean (1-1, ERA: 2.70, K: 20, WHIP: 0.84)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, ERA: 2.50, K: 14, WHIP: 0.89)

Weather: 65°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 56,000 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

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Yankees Birthday of the Day: David Justice

4 Jul 2000: David Justice #28 of the New York Yankees swings at the pitch during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Yankees Stadium in New York. The Orioles defeated the Yankees 7-6.Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport | Getty Images

The 2000 New York Yankees were not a team of destiny like in 1998, or the well-oiled machine that dropped but a single playoff game en route to a title in 1999. They were a squad that needed help. Jockeying for position with the Red Sox and Blue Jays in a crowded AL East, the Bombers sat only three games above .500 on June 28th when they executed a trade which would prove to be among the most impactful midseason deals in team history.

David Justice arrived in the Bronx and immediately became one of their most fearsome bats. After the Yankees limped into the playoffs, the man who had been a postseason hero for the Atlanta Braves added to his sparkling playoff resumé by leading the way against the Mariners in the ALCS. The Yankees took down the crosstown rival Mets in the World Series to win their third consecutive title, and Justice earned his second championship ring.

David Christopher Justice
Born: April 14, 1966 (Cincinnati, OH)
Yankees Tenure: 2000-01

Justice did not come up through the ranks in a traditional baseball powerhouse. His high school, while proficient in athletics, lacked a baseball team—and as such he had to catch on through the travel circuit. Justice attended Thomas More College in Kentucky on a basketball scholarship, but became to this day the only attendee of the school to be selected by an MLB team when the Braves took him in the fourth round of the 1985 draft. He made his MLB debut for Atlanta four seasons later.

It wouldn’t take long for the lefty slugger to hit his stride. Justice’s brief 1989 cup of coffee was followed by a breakout campaign in 1990 in which he slugged 28 home runs and posted a .908 OPS (143 OPS+) en route to the National League Rookie of the Year award, albeit for a last-place club. The next season though, the Braves would find themselves in the Fall Classic. Atlanta fell to the Minnesota Twins in the seven-game World Series, a memorable matchup of worst-to-first teams widely considered to be among the greatest ever played. They returned in 1992, but lost again to Dave Winfield and the Toronto Blue Jays.

One of the dynastic baseball forces of the 1990s finally broke through in the strike-shortened 1995 season. Justice, who had made headlines for a marriage to Halle Berry and most recently criticizing Braves fans during their playoff run, etched himself into history with a home run in Game 6 of the World Series against Cleveland. Thanks to a masterclass of pitching from Tom Glavine, that solo shot proved to be the only run in a championship-clinching victory for the Braves, bringing the city of Atlanta their first MLB title.

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Justice’s final year with the Braves was marred by a shoulder injury in May that ended his season early, meaning that he missed the World Series loss to the Yankees that October.

A trade just ahead of the 1997 campaign sent Justice to Cleveland, the team he had defeated with that homer. He returned to the World Series that year (helping dispatch the ’97 Yanks along the way in the ALDS), but the Florida Marlins took them down in another legendary seven-game Fall Classic. Cleveland lost to the Yankees and Red Sox the next two years before the 2000 season at last brought him to the Bronx.

Now in his age-34 season, Justice was still producing at the dish, with 21 home runs at the time of the trade on June 28th. The Yankees dangled a pair of young pitchers in Jake Westbrook and Zach Day, as well as the inimitable Ricky Ledée—and with that, the Bombers had a new weapon in their arsenal. Justice hit his first Yankee home run on July 6 in a 13-9 win over the Orioles. After stumbling to a 10-15 record in June, the Yankees caught fire with Justice in the mix, winning 18 of 26 in July.

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The Yankees eked out another AL East title despite their pitching taking a nosedive in the final weeks of the year. Justice finished out the campaign with a .305/.391/.584 slashline in pinstripes, launching 20 more homes—including a walk-off shot against Oakland on August 8th—to give him a career-best 41 on the year. The Bombers went on to battle the A’s in a tightly-contested five-game ALDS. Justice had a rather quiet series, but did homer in Game 5 as the Yanks advanced to take on the Mariners.

Justice was mostly held in check for the first two games of the ALCS, but contributed a pair of run-scoring hits in a 8-2 Game 3 victory at Safeco Field. The following night New York took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the M’s with a 5-0 shutout victory in which Justice clubbed a two-run homer in the eighth inning to put the contest to bed. Seattle took Game 5 to force the series back to the Bronx, where Justice provided the coup de grace in Game 6. With the Yankees trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Justice belted an Arthur Rhodes fastball off the face of the upper deck to bestow New York a lead they would not relinquish. Justice was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees prepared to host the Mets in the World Series.

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Justice’s hot hitting did not continue into the Fall Classic—he went just 3-for-19 with no homers and three RBI—but by that point, the Yankees’ playoff steamroller was fully operational. Every game of the tilt was decided by two runs or fewer, but the Bombers held off their crosstown rivals to complete the three-peat and raise championship banner number 26.

After winning his second title in his fifth World Series, Justice regressed with the Yankees in 2001 and a series of groin injuries limited him to just 49 games from July onward. There were occasional highlights, like a walk-off homer against the Red Sox in April and a crowning blow in Game 5 of the ALDS comeback against the A’s. But for the most part, it seemed like the end was getting closer for the veteran as he fell to a .712 OPS that postseason, which featured a heartbreaking loss to the Diamondbacks.

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Justice was dealt to the Mets at season’s end for Robin Ventura, marking the second time a champion had traded Justice to a team he had defeated in a World Series. However, Justice’s Met tenure lasted one week in December, as they then flipped him to Oakland where he finished his career as a veteran presence for the Moneyball A’s. (Justice was played by Stephen Bishop in the eventual 2011 movie.) He retired at the end of the season after Oakland bowed out to the Twins, who fell to the Angels in the next round.

Without Justice’s arrival in New York, it’s hard to imagine the Bombers would have returned to the postseason, let alone three-peated as world champions. His stupendous half-season is a reminder that the baseball calendar is long. Nothing is set in stone, and narratives can change quickly. Maybe the Yankees have a David Justice-style reinforcement coming in 2026—maybe they don’t. But even the possibility is part of what makes baseball so exciting.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here

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Mets Minor League Players of the Week: Week Three

A.J. Ewing

Week: 5 G, 17 AB, .353/.522/.529, 6 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 BB, 4 K, 2/3 SB (Double-A)

2026 Season: 7 G, 26 AB, .385/.529/.538, 10 H, 4 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 8 BB, 5 K, 4/5 SB, .476 BABIP (Double-A)

A.J. Ewing has picked up right where he left off last season, adding six more hits to his season ledger, three of which were doubles. Combine that with Binghamton’s first season of the year, where Ewing appeared in two games and logged 4 hits- one double- and he is currently hitting .385/.529/.538 on the young season. He currently has a seven-game hitting streak going, getting on base at least twice in six of those seven games thanks to either multiple hits or a combination of hits and walks.

Ewing has arguably been the Mets’ highest-rising hitting prospect over the past calendar year; whereas Carson Benge has been just as good, if not better, he came with a bit more draft pedigree than Ewing and more was expected of him. Ewing was not exactly a nobody coming into the 2025 season- Lukas had him ranked 30 on his portion of the Amazin’ Avenue 2024 Mets Top 25 Prospect List, and on the Amazin’ Avenue 2025 Mets Top 25 Prospect List, I had him ranked 23 on my portion of the, Ken had him ranked 27, and Thomas had him ranked 29- but only the truly prescient could have seen him developing into one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

As Carson Benge’s performance so far this season, and Jonah Tong’s last year, highlights, the major leagues are a very different beast from the minors, and truly only the best of the best can hang. As such, I think it is important that we pump the breaks on Ewing a little bit; it’s not that I don’t think he will eventually crack a major league roster, whether it be with the Mets or elsewhere, but there is still some work to be done and he is just 21-years-old. Hopefully Ewing is allowed to maturate and develop at his own pace and get his time in the sun when he is ready, not because the team needs a Hail Mary to stem the bleeding of a floundering team or want to potentially cash in on organizational bonuses from letting the kids play.

Christian Scott

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (Triple-A)

2026 Season: 2 G (2 GS), 8.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER (6.48 ERA), 1 BB, 12 K, .429 BABIP (Double-A)

After missing all of 2025 due to undergo a combined Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure, Christian Scott finally returned to the mound (albeit in Toledo, while pitching for Syracuse) on April 3rd and proceeded to put up a stinker, arguably the worst game he ever pitched since turning pro after being drafted out of the University of Florida back in 2021. Obviously, there were plenty of extenuating circumstances to not really be bummed out about his performance, from his lengthy absence to the weather, but the right-hander recovered nicely this past week, blanking the Buffalo Bison for five innings, scattering a pair of hits, walking one, and striking out seven.

Prior to his surgery, Scott relied on a four-pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, a change-up-like splitter, slider, and sweeper. He used his fastball a little over 50% of the time, gyro slider and sweeping slider at roughly 20% apiece, and his splitter about 10%. In his two starts in 2026 so far, he has recorded almost identical ratios, throwing his four-seam fastball a bit over 50%, his two sliders at roughly 20%, and his splitter a bit over 10%.

Scott’s fastball has averaged 95.3 MPH so far this season, in line with the 94.2 MPH it averaged in his 47.1 MLB innings in 2024. It has shown a similar amount of movement, and still thrown from the slingy, deceptive low-three-quarters arm slot that Scott throws from, giving it a flat vertical approach angle.

His splitter is still sitting in the mid-80s and still has miniscule rotation, averaging 1,130 RPM so far this season. The pitch still has the sudden vertical drop and armside run that made it so effective in 2024.

His gyro slider is still sitting in the upper-80s and still has minimal spin for a slider, averaging 2,370 RPM so far this year, roughly the same as the 2,390 RPM it averaged in 2024. The 30 inches of vertical drop and 3 inches of horizontal movement are virtually identical to the 32 inches of vertical drop and 3 inches of horizontal movement is featured in 2024.

His sweeping slider is still sitting in the low-80s, averaging roughly 2,500 RPM. The pitch has featured a bit more vertical drop than it did in 2024, 36 inches to 33, and just as much sweep, with 12 inches of horizontal movement as compared to 13.

Tying his arsenal together, as it did back in 2024, Scott so far has showed excellent command of all of his pitches and pinpoint control of the strike zone, walking just one batter in 8.1 innings to 12 strikeouts.

It’s not often that I’m looking at the pitch metrics of players who have returned from injury, but I’m struck by just how similar most if all of them are given Scott’s layover in 2025 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The sample size here is extremely small to be sure, and there is still risk for regression and/or exposure, as Scott had all of 47.1 major league innings under his belt, but it is extremely encouraging given that the right-hander was emerging as a more-than-solid option in 2024.

Players of the Week 2025

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly
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2026 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 16

Reminder: I’m on vacation all this week and will be a little briefer than usual this week. Thanks for your patience.

At least once in every season, a baseball fan’s faith will be tested. Losing nine of 16 games is not particularly a sky-is-falling stretch. The easiest example that hits close to home is the 2016 Cubs losing 15 of 20 in one stretch. That isn’t to say that an early season stretch like this can’t be damaging. It certainly can be.

Losing Cade Horton for the season is a trajectory-altering occurrence. The seasons of Jameson Taillon, Shōta Imanaga, Javier Assad, Colin Rea, Justin Steele and Ben Brown now have all taken on added significance. Imanaga and Rea look to be on the right track. Will they stay there? How many of the others will get on track? That group has to somehow patch together enough innings to pair with a very good Cubs defense to get them on track as a team. This organization should have the financial and prospect capital to grab an impact player or two this summer. But, the guys in the clubhouse have to position them into the race if that’s going to happen.

Monday night, Javier Assad was just not the pitcher we saw in his season debut a week ago. This looked more like the numbers he put up in two starts for Iowa. Frustratingly, had the Cubs cut bait on him earlier, maybe the game wasn’t out of reach. If the game had sequenced differently, no doubt Philadelphia would have approached their side of the equation differently. But, this one got a heck of a lot closer at the end.

It isn’t often that you lose by six and can say also that the game wasn’t as close as the final score.

Three Positives:

  • Dansby Swanson had a homer, drew a walk, scored twice and drove in two.
  • Moises Ballesteros had two hits in two at bats, one a double. He scored one and drove one in.
  • Miguel Amaya had a pair of hits. He was also hit by pitch and had one run scored.

Game 16, April 13: Phillies 13, Cubs 7 (7-9)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

  • Superhero: Carson Kelly (.087). 1-2, BB, R
  • Hero: Alex Bregman (.079). 1-4, BB
  • Sidekick: Dansby Swanson (.057). 1-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R

THREE GOATS:

  • Billy Goat: Javier Assad (-.362). 4.1 IP , 26 BF, 11 H, 2 BB, 9 ER, 3 K (L 1-1)
  • Goat: Ian Happ (-.103). 2-5, 2B, R, DP
  • Kid: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.097). 1-5, RBI, R

WPA Play of the Game: Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer in the fourth cut it to 4-2. (.117)

*Phillies Play of the Game: In the top of the fifth, Ian Happ batted with runners on first and second and one out, the Cubs down two. He grounded into an inning ending double play. (.113)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Up Next: Game two of the series Tuesday night. Colin Rea (1-0, 3.18, 11.1 IP) should get the bulk of the innings, following Riley Martin (0-0, 0.00, 3.1 IP) as an opener. Aaron Nola (1-1, 3.63, 17.1 IP) gets the start for the Phillies.

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MLB Home Run Predictions Today: Best HR Prop Bets, Picks, Parlay & Odds for Tuesday, April 14

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The dingers were finally flying yesterday, and I hit a monster +1040 homer to help my crawl out of the early-season basement.

The weather is turning, and the balls are flying. It's time to hit the MLB player props and back the bats on Dinger Tuesday.

I'm leaning on some familiar names today, but at prices I like in these settings and matchups.

Very few people are hitting the ball on the screws with a harder swing than Oneil Cruz, Pete Alonso has found his power and is the bat to back in Baltimore today, and Hunter Goodman and the Rockies could be trotting around the bags tonight vs. Houston's lousy pitching.

These are my favorite home run props for Tuesday, April 14.

  • UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HROdds
Pirates Oneil Cruz +330
Orioles Pete Alonso+390
Rockies Hunter Goodman+410
💲Today's HR parlay+10395

Oneil Cruz (+330)

When I go square, I want all the checkmarks, and I’m getting them in this Pittsburgh Pirates spot.

Oneil Cruz is a Top-5 hitter in baseball in swing speed and leads all batters in Blast Contact%, a stat that combines fast swings with barrels. Swing hard and square it up — simple.

Cruz gets a heavenly matchup vs. Miles Mikolas, who might be looking for a new job soon. Mikolas has been getting lit up, allowing 19 runs in just over 12 innings with five home runs surrendered.

He’s unlikely to go deep, and Pittsburgh should also get cracks at a taxed Nationals bullpen after hanging 16 runs on them last night. There might be four arms unavailable today from that Washington pen.

Elite form, double-digit winds blowing out, a great matchup, and a depleted bullpen all point to upside. I’m willing to go a bit shorter here at +330 and would still play it down to +300.

  • Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Nationals.TV

Pete Alonso (+390)

There were seven homers hit at Camden Yards yesterday, with one coming off the bat of Pete Alonso, who is +EV for a dinger today at +390 with a fair price around +340, per THE BAT.

It’s another great setting with double-digit winds blowing out and Merrill Kelly making his first start of the season before handing it over to a bullpen that got tagged for seven runs over just nine outs yesterday.

Alonso is the bat to target in this lineup, boasting the best Blast Contact% numbers in the clubhouse — roughly double that of Gunnar Henderson.

The final piece is familiarity. Alonso has seen Kelly 19 times, which leans in the hitter’s favor, and the Polar Bear has gone deep three times in those matchups.

  • Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: MASN, Dbacks.TV

Hunter Goodman (+410)

The Colorado Rockies are checking some home run boxes in tonight’s matchup with the Houston Astros. Houston is dealing with injuries to its rotation, which brings in Triple-A lefty Colton Gordon.

That also opens the door to a vulnerable bullpen, as the Astros are one of just two teams with a HR/9 north of 2.00.

Hunter Goodman is the target in this solid indoor matchup. He’s one of the few hitters with familiarity against Gordon and has already taken him deep in just two plate appearances. He also hits lefties much better.

Goodman brings legit power metrics, with one of the fastest swings in baseball at 79 mph, ranking 19th this season. The fair price sits in the +340 to +350 range, giving this +410 number clear value.

  • Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Rockies.TV, SCHN
Jinglis' 2026 Transparency Record
  • HR picks: 3-24, -1.1 units

Today’s HR parlay

Pirates Oneil CruzBet Now
+10395
Orioles Pete Alonso
Rockies Hunter Goodman

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

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.

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Elephant Rumblings: Time To Start A New Winning Streak

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 08: Max Muncy #3 of the Athletics gets set against the New York Yankees during the game at Yankee Stadium on April 08, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Welcome to Tuesday everyone!

Yesterday saw the Athletics’ five-game winning streak come to an end in their first game back home in a week. They didn’t look all that ready for the Texas Rangers last night as Luis Severino’s home struggles continued again. Last night’s game was his first start back in Sacramento since last year, when he pitched to a 6.01 ERA in front of the home crowd across 16 starts. The hope was that last year was a severe anomaly but it seems that Sevy genuinely does not like pitching in a minor league ballpark. Everyone’s on the same playing field but the veteran right-hander is going from pitching in New York, with two brand-new stadiums, to a Triple-A field. That would make any of us frustrated and it seems like that trend might continue in 2026.

What should the A’s do? Do they really have any other options other than to continue trotting him out there and hoping for the best? The team can’t seriously consider skipping home starts for the expensive right-hander, but that is starting to feel like the only option at this point. Obviously can’t hide him from Sutter Health Park all season long but it doesn’t feel out of the question to maybe skip a couple of his home starts. For reference he was fantastic on the road last season with a 3.02 ERA in 14 starts last year. That’s the pitcher the A’s were hoping they were getting when they shelled out that record-breaking contract.

Anyway, it’s now it’s time for the guys to brush themselves off and get back in the win column tonight. The team is still within striking distance of first place, just one game behind the Rangers. If the team can pull out the W this evening that would put us back into a tie for first place in the AL West, something the team hasn’t been able to claim this late in a season in a long, long time. The Rangers currently sit atop the standings so it’s a perfect opportunity to knock our rivals down, retake a tie for the division lead, and start a brand new winning streak. It’ll be left-hander Jeffrey Springs on the bump for the home team tonight while the Rangers will counter with their own lefty in MacKenzie Gore.

It makes sense that the A’s were a bit tired. The MLB schedule makers didn’t do the A’s any favors in the early going, giving us 12 road games out of 15 to start the season. The A’s will like those extra home games they’ll have saved up later in the season but these early couple of weeks couldn’t have been much fun for the guys, who have to live out of suitcases when heading to other cities. And the teams they have been visiting aren’t slouches. They’ve done well to stay above water during these early couple weeks of the long season.

The loss that snapped our winning streak wasn’t the only bad news that came out of yesterday’s contest. Third baseman Max Muncy was hit on his hand by a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning, and soon after departed:

That immediately put A’s fans on edge since the A’s don’t have much depth at the hot corner behind the 23-year-old. The former 1st-round pick is quietly off to a fine start this season, slashing .317/.349/.533 with two home runs and five RBI’s. That’s been a major boost for the offense in these early games, though he is sporting a concerning 22/2 K/BB ratio that leads cause for concern of a drop off down the line.

It seems that the club dodged a bullet however as Muncy’s injury is only being called a hand contusion. He’s likely going to be out of the lineup tonight in favor of Darell Hernaiz, but the hope is that Muncy only misses a game or two. The club should be thankful that Muncy is only dealing with a contusion and not a full-on fracture. It’s been fun getting to watch Muncy finding success in the early going but they’ll have to hit the pause button until they’re sure he’s healthy and ready to go.

That’s all we got this morning guys. Have a good one A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

MLB News and Interest:

Best of X:

Jesus:

Can Gelof be a legitimate option up the middle on the grass?

Every man knows the pain. Owch:

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Cubs at Phillies Prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for April 14

The Chicago Cubs (7-9) travel to Citizens Bank Park to take on the Philadelphia Phillies (8-8) in the second matchup of a three-game series. The Phillies won yesterday, 13-7.

In yesterday's win, the Phillies offense was cooking led by Kyle Schwarber's two home runs and three RBI. The 13 runs scored was the most by Philadelphia this season and more than they scored combined over the past five games.

Chicago is now 1-3 over the last four games and surrendered 13 runs in the past two outings. The Cubs are now 3-4 on the road this season and own a 4.73 ERA as a team (21st), while the offense has a .226 batting average (17th) away from Wrigley Field.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Cubs at Phillies

  • Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
  • Time: 6:40 PM EST
  • Site: Citizens Bank Park 
  • City: Philadelphia, PA
  • Network/Streaming: MLB TV / TBS

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Cubs at the Phillies

The latest odds as of Tuesday:

  • Moneyline: Chicago Cubs (+119), Philadelphia Phillies (-143)
  • Spread: Cubs +1.5 (-168), Phillies -1.5 (+139)
  • Total: 9.5

Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Phillies

  • Monday’s pitching matchup (April 13): Riley Martin vs. Aaron Nola
  • Cubs: Riley Martin  

2026 stats: 3.1 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 3 Ks, 0 BB

  • Phillies: Aaron Nola 

2026 Stats: 17.1 IP, 1-1, 3.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 19 Ks, 4 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not!

  • The Phillies’ Bryce Harper is hitting .276 with 16 hits and 30 total bases over 58 at-bats
  • The Phillies’ Alec Bohm is hitting .155 with nine hits and 11 strikeouts over 58 at-bats
  • The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner is hitting .300 with 18 hits and 28 total bases over 60 at-bats
  • The Cubs’ Michael Busch is hitting .135 with seven hits, 12 strikeouts, and seven walks over 52 at-bats

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Phillies

  • The Cubs are 5-11 ATS this season
  • The Phillies are an MLB-worst 4-12 ATS this season
  • The Cubs are 9-6-1 to the Over this season
  • The Phillies are 8-7-1 to the Over this season

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Phillies

Rotoworld Bet Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

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 Tuesday's game between the Cubs and the Phillies.

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Cubs on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cubs at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 9.5

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The Washington Nationals need Cade Cavalli to step up

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals is relieved after giving up four runs on three hits in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This was supposed to be the year for Cade Cavalli, but so far things are off to a rocky start. After a dominant Spring Training, Cavalli was rewarded with an Opening Day start. However, things have not gone according to plan since then, with strike-throwing becoming a serious issue for the 27 year old.

The situation reached a boiling point last night, when Cavalli was unable to get out of the second inning against the Pirates. He looked sharp in the first, but he totally lost the zone in the second. Cavalli was all over the place, walking three batters in the inning, including walking in a run. There were too many uncompetitive misses, which you can see by looking at his pitch chart.

This is a problem for the Nats because Cavalli is the one guy in the rotation with premium stuff. As a starting pitcher though, you have to locate even if you do have a nasty arsenal. Right now, Cavalli is walking 6.89 batters per 9 innings, which is just untenable.  

Last season, Cavalli’s command within the strike zone left something to be desired, but his pure control was solid. He only walked 6.8% of batters, which is part of what made me bullish entering the season. It seemed like that control was heading in the right direction, and with further refinement, he had the ceiling of a number two starter.

My optimism only grew during Spring Training as well. Cavalli’s command and stuff looked sharper than ever. He only walked two batters in 14 spring innings. Cavalli was also deepening his pitch mix by adding a sweeper and was getting rave reviews from his coaches. It really seemed like we had a breakout candidate on our hands and that Cavalli would soften the blow of the MacKenzie Gore trade.

So far, that has not happened, which is a bit worrisome. At 27 years old, Cavalli needed this to be the year where he broke out. He was finally healthy for a full offseason and we know what his stuff looks like at his best. Last season was supposed to be the sneak peak, while this year was the true coming out party.

The Nationals were clearly relying on Cavalli to do this as well. There is a reason he got the Opening Day nod and had been pumped up publicly. This starting rotation was a question mark entering the season, but Cavalli was meant to be the guy to answer a lot of those questions.

With a mid to upper 90’s heater, a wipeout curveball, a new sweeper, and an underrated changeup, Cavalli has all the weaponry. However, he has been less than the sum of his parts so far in his career. He still does not really know how to sequence his pitches or get his way out of jams. That is part of the process of growing up as a pitcher, and Cavalli needs to grow up quickly.

His stuff will give him plenty of chances, but at a certain point, you have to wonder about Cavalli’s future as a starting pitcher. To be a starter in the big leagues, you need polish and command. Cavalli has not shown those attributes in his career so far. A move to the bullpen should not be on the table this season, but if these struggles continue, it should be a topic to consider in the future.

Cavalli has the stuff, but he does not have the feel. Last night, he just was not throwing strikes, but even when he is in the zone things can be problematic. His lack of precision is a big reason why Cavalli gets way fewer strikeouts than he should with his stuff. Even last year, he only struck out 18.3% of hitters. Maybe the best path for him long term is to just let his fastball and curve rip in the bullpen where command does not matter as much.

I really hope it does not come to that though, and I still think he has a chance to turn it around. His stuff is just too good to quit. However, at a certain point, the results need to come for the right hander. 

Even last night, he will tease you with what he can be. In that first inning, I thought his stuff was the sharpest it has been all season. His fastball consistently touched 98 MPH and his curveball had crazy bite. That sinker he struck out Nick Yorke with was just such a ridiculous pitch, and why he is so tantalizing. If only he could put his fastball in that spot on a consistent basis.

Then you see the second inning, and you begin to wonder about this guy. He walked the speedy Konnor Griffin on four pitches, and then clearly got in his own head. Cavalli became more focused on Griffin than the batter at the plate. Once he fell behind hitters, he either served up something down the middle that they handled, or he just walked them.

Seeing a pitcher of Cavalli’s talent level just drowning out there was frustrating to watch. The Nats are relying on Cavalli to be good. If he is not good, this staff is in real trouble. Foster Griffin and Zack Littell can be dependable arms, but they do not have the stuff to be high end starters. They can be solid, but you want your best pitchers to be better than solid.

However, we are at the point where being a league average arm makes you one of the Nats better pitchers. Spring Training truly seems to be a mirage that was driven by the pitcher friendly environment in West Palm Beach. Both the Nats and Astros, who they share a stadium with,  pitched well, but struggled with the bats this spring. Once the season started, the opposite has been the case for both teams.

We are really seeing how far away this Nats pitching staff is from being competent. They just lack the talent to be successful. Things get even worse when a talented arm like Cavalli is struggling to figure it out. The Nats need Cavalli to figure it out, or their pitching staff will be even worse than the awful unit they put out last season.

Cade Cavalli has the stuff, but we can’t wait forever to see if that light will turn on. He turns 28 later this year, so he can’t be a developmental player much longer. We need to see the development take place, and we need to see it soon.

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Dodgers notes: Kyle Tucker, Roki Sasaki, Ontario prospects

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker (23) and New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) look on during the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 13, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Kyle Tucker is off to a slow start in his first season with the Dodgers, hitting just .237/.352/.305 in the early going after walking twice in four plate appearances on Monday.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic earlier Monday talked to Tucker and hitting coach Aaron Bates about the outfielder’s early struggles:

“I think he’s probably trying a little bit hard,” hitting coach Aaron Bates told The Athletic. “He’s just getting settled in a little bit. Everyone’s always trying hard, so I don’t want to say it that way, but it’s more so (that he’s) trying to force it, maybe force hits.”

Roki Sasaki hasn’t been effective in his three starts so far this season, including Sunday’s loss, but the Dodgers plan to keep starting him in the major league rotation for the time being.

Dylan Hernández at the California Post surmised that Sasaki’s leash might only extend until Blake Snell can return from the injured list, which is expected at some point in late May.

Maddie Lee at the Los Angeles Times wrote about Sunday’s start, with Sasaki still trying to find a way to pitch deeper into games.

With the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers debut coming Wednesday, Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com wrote about Robinson’s activism.

Shortstop Emil Morales, who was named to several top-100 prospect lists before the season, is hitting .367/.444/.500 in the early going for Class-A Ontario, which earned high praise at Baseball Prospectus.

He’s starting the year back in California, likely to spare him the brutal Michigan spring, but Morales will soon be making his debut at Great Lakes, and I look forward to seeing him compete against the advanced pitching that the Midwest League will offer,“ Nathan Graham wrote of the 19-year-old. ”The Dodgers are loaded with high-upside positional prospects, but with Morales a potential power-hitting shortstop, he might have the highest ceiling of them all.

Brendan Tunink is hitting .257/.406/.786 with three home runs and three doubles in seven games for Ontario, which landed the 20-year-old outfielder on MLB Pipeline’s prospect team of the week.