Category: Baseball

Last night was blah. We haven’t seen a “total failure of run prevention” from this team yet, but that’s what it was nearly was last night: two homers, some poor defensive positioning that helped lead to a .452 Marlins BABIP, counterbalanced “only” by a 9/3 K/BB ratio where the strikeouts were mostly accrued when the game was getting progressively out of reach. The Braves’ wOBA-against was .425, their highest mark of the season so far, and the only time it’s gotten above .345. The xwOBA-against was .343 (third-highest of the season). Basically, the Braves have both pitched well this season and been fortunate to not have teams unload a massive wOBA-xwOBA gap on them, but the .081 gap for the Marlins last night was the biggest in a game against the Braves this season, more than double the prior high to date of .034. The Marlins came into this game with the league’s biggest positive wOBA-xwOBA gap, and it only got (notably) larger after last night.

While the Braves haven’t had to lean on their “main” relievers very much — Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias haven’t pitched in about a week — their backend is direly in need of reshuffle due to usage, once again. Dylan Dodd threw three innings in lieu of Martin Perez’ roster spot, but was promptly shuffled back down. Rolddy Munoz was a sacrificial lamb-ish guy last night, and Jose Suarez also pitched. My question is twofold: whether the Braves make another shuffle ahead of tonight’s game, and if so, whether it’s just Munoz, or perhaps whether Suarez goes too.

In many ways, the main goal of the Orioles’ 2026 season was not to repeat the 2025 season. Through the first 16 games of the season, the O’s have certainly been more competitive than they were to begin last season. However, one unfortunate aspect of 2025 that has followed the Orioles into 2026 is the mountain of injuries.

The Orioles currently have a major-league-leading 13 players on the IL. After a weekend that saw Adley Rutschman land on the 10-day IL with an ankle injury and Ryan Mountcastle head to the 60-day IL with a broken foot, the offense is now especially reeling.

With the injuries piled on top of the early-season struggles of Pete Alonso and Samuel Basallo, the offense has been in desperate need of unexpected heroes. That’s where Taylor Ward and Leody Taveras come in.

The fact that Ward is a big-time contributor is not exactly a surprise. Behind Alonso, Ward was seen as the second biggest offseason addition for the Orioles’ offense. However, when the O’s acquired the 32-year-old outfielder from the Angels, he was expected to be a power-first bat in the mold of Alonso. Instead, he’s turned into an on-base machine who’s wearing out the power alleys.

After last night’s matchup with the Diamondbacks, Ward is 11th in MLB with a .339 average, tied for 7th with 21 total hits and leads MLB with 10 doubles. After hitting a career-high 32 home runs last year, he’s yet to launch his first homer in black and orange. However, he’s more than made up for his lack of over the fence with a more disciplined approach at the plate and a willingness to spray the ball to all fields.

Unlike Alonso, Basallo and Gunnar Henderson, Ward is not blessed with elite bat speed and the ability to consistently generate high exit velocity. Even in hitting 32 long balls last year, his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate were right around league average, while his bat speed only ranked in the 15th percentile. What’s been elite throughout 2025 and 2026 is Ward’s ability to square up pitches and his unwillingness to chase pitches outside of the zone.

What’s helped transform Ward into a different offensive force is a focus on swinging for line drives instead of deep fly balls. The outfielder’s career line-drive percentage is around 26%; this year, that number has jumped up to 39.1%, the 5th-best mark in all of baseball. We’ve also seen his opposite-field hit percentage jump from 27.1% last year to a career-best 32.6% so far this year. Ward’s willingness to hit the ball to where he’s being pitched has led to a 47.8% Launch-Angle Sweet Spot rate, putting him in the 96th percentile this season.

Ward’s early-season breakout is reminiscent of the hot start we saw from former Oriole Ryan O’Hearn to begin last year. Through 16 games, Ward is currently slashing .333/.427/.492. Through 16 games last year, Turn and Burn was .296/.377/.519—which turned into a first-half OPS of .834 and an All-Star berth.

Coming into last season, most would’ve ranked O’Hearn behind the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg in terms of expected offensive impact. Similarly, Ward was probably seen as the fourth most important Baltimore bat heading into this season, behind Henderson, Alonso and a healthy Rutschman. Instead, the newly acquired outfielder has catapulted himself to the top of the pecking order as the O’s most productive hitter so far.

However, the mountain of injuries has meant that Baltimore once again needed someone previously seen as a depth piece to rise to the occasion. Last year, that came in the form of Ramón Laureano; this year, we’re seeing that same level of contribution from Leody Taveras.

Taveras came to the Orioles this past offseason out of necessity. With Colton Cowser set to be the Opening Day CF, and no other natural CF on the roster, the front office brought in Taveras to provide a defensive insurance policy in the outfield. However, Cowser’s continued struggles against off-speed pitches and the recent injury to Tyler O’Neill have thrust the 27-year-old Dominican into more of an everyday role.

To say the former Texas Ranger has taken that opportunity and run with it would be an understatement. In 12 games this season, Taveras is 9-for-25 with three doubles, four runs scored and five walks. If he had enough at-bats to qualify, his .467 OBP would lead the Orioles and place fourth in all of baseball. In the last three games, we’ve seen manager Craig Albernaz stick Taveras in the sixth spot in the order, allowing him to serve as a secondary table setter for the bottom of the lineup.

Should Taveras continue to hit well, the uncertain nature of the Orioles outfield means he’ll have plenty of opportunities to lock down the CF role. Cowser’s inability to hit changeups may ultimately force him down the pecking order as the season goes on, and players get healthy (he was hitting .167 on off-speed pitches with a 46.4% whiff rate heading into Monday).

If Cowser can’t iron out the holes in his game (or if O’Neill continues to struggle to stay healthy), it would allow Taveras to make a Laureano-like jump from fourth outfielder to invaluable starter. And while Taveras and Laureano do not offer the same offensive profiles—with the former a switch-hitting line-drive machine and the latter a right-hander power bat—they both provide(d) a similar ability to outshine expectations and strengthen a shaky Orioles outfield.

Even with the injuries and slow starts, there’s still plenty of hope that this collection of Baltimore bats can produce an upper-echelon offense. And while Gunnar has been awesome so far, and the Polar Bear is getting back to his normal ways, the plus contributions from Ward and Taveras are a big part of why the O’s sit atop the AL East after the first 10% of the season.

For the most part, the Phillies bullpen has been a strength so far this season. There’s been some bad luck involved, but overall, the unit looks strong. One major exception however is José Alvarado. 

Following Sunday’s ineffective performance, Alvarado has now allowed 8 runs, 7 earned, in 5 innings pitched on 9 hits with 7 strikeouts to 3 walks. He too has run into some bad luck, as he’s sporting a whopping .563 BABIP, an impressive level of early batted ball misfortune. But, that doesn’t entirely erase the fact that Alvarado just hasn’t looked good so far. 

Alvarado’s velocity has been good, clocking in right around his career average at an average of 98 MPH. But he’s struggled to throw strikes, as only 40% of his pitches have been inside the zone. That is a far drop off from his abbreviated 2025 (50.3%) or even his 2024 (47.6%). In fact, that 40% zone rate is well below Alvarado’s already low 47.5% rate for his career. Of course, he’s only made eight appearances on the young 2026 season, but it is something to monitor. 

Curiously, despite the lack of pitches in the zone, Alvarado is actually getting a healthy dose of swings and misses. His 30.2% whiff rate is in line with his career average of 31.3% and is way up from 2025 where his swing and miss rate was a career low 24.3%. 

It is only eight appearances, so the book is far from written on Alvarado’s 2026, but the poor performance is a trend that dates back to his return from suspension last season. In 16 total appearances since being reinstated on August 19th, Alvarado has a 9.82 ERA in 11 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts to 6 walks. Opponents are hitting .340 with a .968 OPS against him over that span. The numbers are even worse in the eight appearances after Alvarado returned from the injured list on September 29th, with a 12.60 ERA and an opposing hitters batting line of .391/.481/.391

It’s still early in 2026, so there’s plenty of time for Alvarado to turn it around. But this is a trend of subpar performance that dates back to last season. The Phillies have two other effective lefties in the bullpen with Tanner Banks and the surprising Tim Mayza, but neither of them posses the raw stuff and strikeout ability that Alvarado has. The team needs him to be able to be an effective setup man and to be the top lefty reliever behind righties Jhoan Duran and Brad Keller. So, do the Phillies have a José Alvarado problem? 

What more can be said about a game where your starting pitcher has the worst start of his career and the bullpen made things worse?

The reasonable answer to that question is, “Not much,” but you come here for a game recap and so, you will get one for the Cubs’ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 13-7 loss to the Phillies Monday night in Philadelphia.

You kind of knew things weren’t going the Cubs’ way when Kyle Schwarber homered in the first inning. Another Phillies run crossed the plate in the second, and then Schwarber homered again in the third, this time with Trea Turner on base.

The Cubs actually made the game sort of close in the fourth. Carson Kelly led off with a single and Dansby Swanson followed that with a home run [VIDEO].

That was Swanson’s second homer in as many days and it does appear he’s coming out of his season-starting slump. Now it’s 4-2 and, well, teams have come back from two-run deficits in the fourth inning.

Not this time. The Phillies scored five times in the fifth off Assad, this time without a home run involved, before Craig Counsell had mercy and replaced him with Jacob Webb. Webb actually got out of the fifth with no further runs scoring.

Just in case you didn’t have enough bad news about Assad, here’s more from BCB’s JohnW53:

Javier Assad is the first Cubs pitcher to allow at least nine runs in a game since reliever Ryan Pressly’s nine-run, no-out meltdown at home against the Giants on May 6 of last year. The previous starter who did that was Hayden Wesneski, who gave up 11 runs in 4.0 innings at St. Louis on July 13, 2024. Shōta Imanaga had given up 10 in 3.0 at home against the Mets on June 21, 2024. Those were the only three before Monday’s game since June 3, 2022, when Marcus Stroman gave up 10 in 4.0 at home against the Cardinals.

Just-recalled Charlie Barnes entered the game in the sixth. I’ll spare you the details of the carnage, but when the inning was over the Phillies had three more runs and a 12-2 lead, and they plated another one off Barnes in the seventh.

The game was entering “position player pitcher” territory at that point, but the Cubs decided to get the bats out in the eighth. Ian Happ led off with a double and scored on this single by Moisés Ballesteros [VIDEO].

Swanson then walked and Miguel Amaya was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with nobody out. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, with two runs scoring, one on an error [VIDEO].

Matt Shaw then reached on an error, with Amaya scoring [VIDEO].

Two outs later, Seiya Suzuki singled in PCA [VIDEO].

Well. Now it’s 13-7 and that forced the Phillies to call on one of their leverage relievers, Orion Kerkering. Ian Happ was the next batter. If, somehow, Happ could have gone deep, the game would actually have become close but… Happ looked at three pitches from Kerkering and struck out.

And that was basically it. Besides the pitching issues in this game, the Cubs once again had tons of baserunners who were stranded. They left 10 runners on base and went 4-for-16 with RISP. Not that this excuses the pitching, but now the Cubs have gone 7-for-51 (.137) with RISP over their last four games and left 47 runners on base, an average of 12 LOB per game. And that includes Kelly’s game-winning single on Sunday. Yikes.

So there are multiple issues that need to be addressed, and soon. Barnes wound up throwing the final three innings, so all the Cubs’ leverage relievers got the night off (save Webb, who threw only eight pitches). That’s about the only positive I can take out of this one.

The Cubs will look to even up the series Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. The original schedule had Colin Rea listed as Tuesday’s starter, but after Monday’s game the Cubs announced that Riley Martin would start, presumably as an opener, with Rea following. Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies. Game time is again 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

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The St. Louis Cardinals look to even their series when they host the Cleveland Guardians tonight at Busch Stadium.

Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo has command issues, and my Guardians vs. Cardinals predictions expect St. Louis to come out on top. 

Read on for my MLB picks for Tuesday, April 14. 

Who will win Guardians vs Cardinals today: Cardinals moneyline (+105)

Michael McGreevy's underlying metrics aren't pretty, but he doesn't need to be dominant tonight. 

He just needs to survive long enough for the St. Louis Cardinals to make Cleveland Guardians starter Joey Cantillo pay.

Cantillo walks over four batters per nine with a 45% fly ball rate, and that’s a dangerous combination for a lefty on a warm night with gusty winds blowing out to left. 

Cleveland's bullpen is surrendering 1.61 home runs per nine, and while their bats boomed last night, the Guardians average a shade under four runs per night.

Back the home dog tonight. 

COVERS INTEL:Joey Cantillo is surrendering a .361 slugging percentage and .342 wOBA against right-handed hitters this season. 

Guardians vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+100)

Neither bullpen can consistently get anyone out, and that's a problem against two lineups that rank seventh and eighth in expected offensive production despite sitting outside the Top 15 in actual results.

McGreevy's underlying metrics suggest Cleveland will score, while Cantillo's command issues against a right-handed heavy Cardinals lineup and gusty winds blowing out mean a few free passes could turn into a run explosion in a hurry.

Cleveland's bullpen is surrendering 1.61 home runs per nine. The Cardinals' pen can't miss bats. Play the Over. 

Guardians vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Guardians -104 | Cardinals -104
• Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+133) | Cardinals +1.5 (-186)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-117) | Under 8.5 (-117)

Guardians vs Cardinals trend

The Over is 4-1 in Cleveland’s previous five games. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Cardinals.

How to watch Guardians vs Cardinals and game info

Guardians vs Cardinals latest injuries

Guardians vs Cardinals weather

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.

Rangers 8, A’s 1

• That was a good ‘un.
• Shades of 2023, in fact. Nathan Eovaldi doing work, the bats battering, the late innings being low stress because the Rangers’ lead is so large.
• After the first two games of the season, where Eovaldi failed to go five innings in either game and allowed 11 runs, rumblings began as to whether Eovaldi still had it, if age was catching up with the 36 year old. The five run outing in the season opener was an instance where he pitched better than the line score reflected, but his second outing was inherently unpleasant.
• Last time out, Eovaldi picked up a win and a Quality Start with a six inning, two run outing, quieting the criticism a bit.
• And then in this game, in a hitter friendly minor league park, against an OaklandSacramentoLas Vegas A’s team that has a number of potent bats, Eovaldi cruised. He didn’t allow a base runner until Max Muncy (that funky Muncy) singled to lead off the third, then promptly generated a GIDP to erase him. The A’s put runners on first and second in both the fifth and sixth, with a single and a reversed on replay HBP in the former and a pair of walks in the latter, but Eovaldi kept them off the board.
• Eovaldi looked early on like he might be in line for a complete game, given how efficient he was — he needed just 29 pitches through three — and probably could have gone back out for the eighth had the Rangers not put a bunch of runs on the board in the top of the inning and made it a blowout.
• 13 swings and misses generated by Eovaldi, seven of them on the splitter, which he, as per usual, leaned on heavily, throwing it 32 times.
• Luis Curvelo came into the game for the eighth did his job, which was to throw strikes, move things along, and keep things from getting interesting. Curvelo needed just 19 pitches to get through eight batters over two innings. Lawrence Butler homered off of him, spoiling the shutout, so we could get made about that if we were feeling churlish.
• Which we are not.
• Offensively, Jake Burger put the Rangers up four batters into the game, clubbing a three run homer off of Luis Severino after Severino had issued one out walks to Corey Seager and Evan Carter. It looked like the Rangers might be able to chase Severino early when Joc Pederson and Kyle Higashioka each singled after the Burger homer, but a Josh Smith backwards K and a Josh Jung 5-3 put those hopes on ice.
• Severino ended up going six and allowed just one more run, on another home run from Burger, who does not seem to have a lot in common with Jason Botts.
• Texas put up a four spot in the eighth to blow it open, all of the runs coming off of A’s reliever Jack Perkins, who sounds like the hero in a series of 1930s stories about a high schooler who excels in every sport and takes his girlfriend Mary Jane to the malt shop after his heroics are over. Josh Smith, trying to shake out of a season-opening slump, singled in a pair of runs, and Josh Jung, who is shaking off a season-opening slump, doubled in the other two.
• Ironically, Brandon Nimmo, who has been the Rangers’ best hitter so far in the young season, was the only Ranger not to get on base. Evan Carter was the only other Ranger who came to the plate not to get a hit, though he drew a walk.
• While the top three guys have been fueling the Rangers’ offense most of the season, it was the middle part of the lineup — which too often has been a soft underbelly of the lineup — that was especially productive. Aside from Burger’s two homer-one walk game, Joc Pederson had three hits — his first three hit game as a Ranger — and Kyle Higashioka, in the sixth spot, picked up a pair of singles and a walk.
• It was a very fine performance, one that makes staying up late on a week night well worth it.
• Nathan Eovaldi’s fastball maxed out at 96.1 mph, averaging 94.1 mph. Luis Curvelo topped out at 95.4 mph with his fastball.
• Jake Burger’s home runs were 113.6 mph and 104.2 mph. Joc Pederson had a 105.9 mph single and a 101.2 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 105.3 mph single. Kyle Higashioka hit into a GIDP that was 103.4 mph. Josh Jung and Corey Seager each had a 100.5 mph double.
• Texas is now .500 on the road trip, with six games to go.

Well, considering the extent of Parker Meadows injuries after his collision with Riley Greene last week, this isn’t surprising. The Tigers on Monday moved the center fielder to the 60-day injured list with a fractured left arm as well as a concussion. The initial impact looked like Meadows, trying to veer away from Greene, who was camped under a Josh Bell fly ball, collided jaw to the back of Greene’s head. Meadows was clearly rocked immediately and couldn’t protect himself going to the ground where he fell on the left arm, fracturing the radius bone, and also hit his head hard against the turf. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery, but for now he’s out until mid-June. Even when he does return, he’s going to need some rehab work in Toledo before returning to the Tigers.

The move opened up a 40-man roster spot, and the Tigers used that to claim 23-year-old right-hander Yoniel Curet, who was designated for assignment by the Phillies last week. It wasn’t long ago that Curet was a pretty well regarded pitching prospect for the Rays with a huge sinker and good breaking stuff. They finally DFA’d him in December and the Phillies traded for him, but they needed a spot to add outfield depth, and the Tigers took advantage.

The appeal here is good stuff in a pitcher with an option remaining. The Tigers have some interesting arms in the upper minors, but most of them are either veteran relievers with solid stuff who have failed to find enough command, or pitchers on the injured list. Meanwhile, two of their best arms, RHP Jackson Jobe and RHP Troy Melton are still on the shelf as Jobe rehabs from Tommy John surgery with a late summer timetable, and Melton is slowly building up after elbow inflammation back in spring camp. Really only RHP Ricky Vanasco has been really impressive in the early going for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.

Curet has a big sinker that at his best has topped out at 97-98 mph. However, he’s battled shoulder injuries each of the past two seasons and was more 95-96 mph in spring camp. He has a good cutter and at times has flashed a plus changeup as well. He’s piled up the strikeouts in the minor leagues, but has never gotten his control in order for very long. He’s a project arm for the Tigers, but one young enough and with the option remaining, to give them some time to work with him.

Curet was assigned to Lakeland, and as he has pitched since a few appearances in spring camp but not since the minor league season started, we’ll assume he’s still dealing with a minor injury. When and if the Tigers can get him right, he should be in Toledo with the Mud Hens.

Meet the Mets

Dodgers’ starter Justin Wrobleski set down the first 13 Mets hitters and faced the minimum through seven, as New York lost their sixth straight by a 4-0 score to the Dodgers. Wrobleski ended up hurling eight shutout frames. The Mets managed just three hits as their scoreless streak extended to 20 innings, with the team continuing to struggle to score runs without their best bat in the lineup. David Peterson allowed four runs over five innings of work in the loss.

Choose Your Recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, NY Post, Newsday, ESPN

The Mets called up Tommy Pham and optioned Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A.

Laura Albanese believes Tommy Pham’s fire can help the team against the Dodgers, though it did not help them much last night.

Chelsea Janes explained why the Mets must prove that this slow start is just an aberration, even if much of the roster is different from the one that collapsed last season.

This series between the Mets and Dodgers is a showcase of big money in MLB as the teams with the two largest payrolls in the sport collide.

Katie Woo and Will Sammon examined how the Dodgers swooped in and stole Edwin Díaz from the Mets.

Los Angeles seems to be concerned about their closer’s velocity, and Díaz may not pitch against his old club this series.

Between Díaz this week and Jeff McNeil last weekend, GM David Stearns has been getting visits from the ghosts of Mets past, writes David Lennon.

Scouts seem to believe Bo Bichette is not fully healthy and believe it’s related to the PCL sprain in his left knee that he suffered last September.

On the Juan Soto injury front, the team is still saying he will return in the 2-3 week timeframe, but he has not yet begun a running program. He will undergo an MRI if things don’t advance.

Clay Holmes, meanwhile, is good to go for his Wednesday start after throwing a bullpen with no issues.

The Mets say a turnaround is coming, but Anthony DiComo wondered if they can make it happen.

Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are bullpen buddies, explains Laura Albanese.

Mike Vaccaro wrote about how Darryl Strawberry helped save Lenny Dykstra from a drug-fueled rock bottom.

Around the National League East

Alec Bohm has fired Scott Boras and is seeking money from his parents in the amount of over $500K amid a legal battle.

Behind a pair of Kyle Schwarber home runs, the Phillies beat up the Cubs 13-7.

The Marlins toppled the Braves 10-4.

The Nationals were embarrassed 16-5 by the the Pirates.

Around Major League Baseball

There’s a surprise newcomer in the Top 5 of the MLB Power Rankings.

Will Leitch looked at some of the players who are most likely to win their first MVP award this year.

AJ Cassavell explained why Fernando Tatis Jr. at second base makes sense.

The Blue Jays acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the White Sox.

On Paul Skenes day, the Pirates put up a 10-run inning to give their ace some run support against Washington.

The slumping Astros have placed Jeremy Peña and Tatsuya Imai on the injured list and optioned Jayden Murray to Triple-A. J.P. France, Colton Gordon and Shay Whitcomb were recalled to take their place on the roster.

The Mariners handed the Astros their eighth straight loss with a 6-2 win. In the victory, Josh Naylor ended his home run draught as he hit dingers in back-to-back at-bats.

Despite Jordan Walker hitting his major league-leading eighth home run, the Cardinals fell 9-3 to the Guardians.

The Orioles rallied from down six to upend the Diamondbacks 9-7. Pete Alonso belted the go-ahead home run, his second as a member of the O’s. Baltimore’s skipper Craig Albernaz was hit in the head by a foul ball during the game. In defeat, Marte and Rojas led the way for Arizona’s offense with two home runs apiece.

The Yankees walked off the Angels 11-10 in a bonkers game that saw Judge and Grisham combined for four home runs and eight runs batted in.

The Twins beat up the Red Sox 13-6.

The Rangers did what neither New York team could do over the last five days, beating the A’s 8-1.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the team’s series against the Dodgers.

Linus Lawrence provided a Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Jerry Koosman made his major league debut on this date in 1967, two days after Tom Seaver’s big league debut. One year later, Nolan Ryan picked up his first career win as a member of the Mets.

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night at 10:10 on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Nolan McLean has a 2.70 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 16.2 innings over three starts this season. He is allowing just 4.3 hits per nine 
• The Mets have scored nine runs during their six-game losing streak
• Francisco Lindor, who has 79 plate appearances this season, has yet to record an RBI
• Carson Benge has reached base safely in five of his last six games
• Due in part to the Mets' six-game losing streak, Devin Williams hasn't pitched since last Tuesday

Today's Lineups

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The way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package via MLB or Amazon. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone.

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB?

To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps:

• Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider.

• Link your provider credentials with a new or existing MLB.com account.

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• Select the SNY Mets game you wish to view from the Multimedia Center.

How can I watch the game on the MLB App?

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.

• Download the free MLB App.

• Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices.

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• To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available. 

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.

Aroldis Chapman has been nearly perfect over his Red Sox tenure. He’s converted 35 of 37 save opportunities, registering a 1.22 ERA in that span. But Father Time is undefeated, Chapman has been prone to meltdowns, and I’m generally distrustful, so I’m waiting for the wheels to fall off.

Last week, against the Brewers, Chapman threw the slowest fastball of his Red Sox career at 90.8 mph. Since 2010, he’s thrown over 10,000 fastballs, earning a reputation as the premier flamethrower in baseball. The pitch last week was so much slower than his average fastball that it might have even functioned as a changeup, inducing a game-ending double play.

Chapman has been in the league since 2010. There aren’t many players left who debuted in 2010. At 38 years old, it’s fair to see 90 mph and wonder if he’s over the hill. I did some digging, some Excel work, consulted an oracle, and asked a Magic 8-Ball to determine what to look for to predict Chapman’s decline.

Pitcher’s arms are like weapons. Google “Aroldis Chapman gun” to learn more. In all seriousness, Chapman saves his bullets. Part of being healthy and effective for so long is knowing when to push it and when to take your foot off the gas. To use another metaphor, look at Lionel Messi. He spends a large portion of games walking, conserving energy, and surveying the field. When he needs to, he gets up to full speed in an instant and makes everyone else look like they’re playing a different game. While a pitcher can’t entirely take pitches off, they can pull back a bit when needed, especially early in the count.

Dating back to 2024, we saw a jump of about two miles per hour with his fastball when he gets to two strikes. He’s much more likely to see a swing with two strikes, and brings out his best stuff in those counts. That’s been the case throughout his career, but the magnitude of the effect has increased with age. Similarly, we can see his relative effort change with the score as well.

The effect here isn’t as significant, but it does exist. In a one-run game, Chapman throws his fastballs significantly harder than in a three-run game or when trailing. There isn’t much of a difference between tie games and two-run games, but if the winning or tying run is at least in the on-deck circle, Chapman brings it.

There’s more to it than just effort, as well. At least, it appears that way.

It typically takes Chapman about four pitches before he appears to be warm. When he throws a fastball for his first or second pitch of the outing, it averages about 97 mph. By the time he gets to his seventh pitch, the average velocity is up to 99 mph. As someone who owns a bachelor’s degree that includes a minor in applied math and statistics, I’ll admit this isn’t a 100% sound way to draw conclusions, but the correlation is there.

One potential issue is that the first and second pitches of an outing can never be a two-strike count, and we already saw that he turns it up with two strikes. By the time we’re five or so pitches into an at-bat, though, it could be virtually any count, given that the average plate appearance lasts about four pitches.

Regardless of how Chapman conserves his bullets, the velocity is going to fall off. Nobody can throw 100 mph forever. In actuality, if he does fall off a cliff, he’ll be very hurt. If his performance falls off a cliff, it’s likely due to his control.

There’s a pretty clear correlation here. When Chapman walks guys, things get ugly. When he’s in the zone, as he was last season when he posted a career low walk rate, he’s nearly unhittable.

Last season, he was in the zone about 54% of the time, his highest rate since 2016. In a small sample this season, he’s at a 52% zone rate. He allegedly got under control by learning to aim, which is such a hilarious revelation for a pitcher who’s been in the majors for 15 years that I have a hard time believing it. No matter what the reason for his improved control, a year and then some consistently is enough for me to believe it’s here to stay.

As I said, Father Time is undefeated, and nobody can throw 100 mph forever. Still, when looking at Chapman, pay more attention to the high-leverage, two-strike pitches to see if the top-end velocity is still there. If he needs an out and he’s only throwing 95 mph, it might be cause for concern. As for the 90 mph fastball, he said he was having trouble because of the cold. You probably already knew that, so if you’re still here, I appreciate you. Unless there’s an injury at play, and there doesn’t appear to be, the dip in velocity was likely just a blip. If you start to get worried about Chapman this season, make sure to give him a few pitches to warm up, and pay close attention to his control before you deem the sky falling.

The Ontario Tower Buzzers have their first-ever award winner, as Dodgers minor league right-hander Marlon Nieves was named California League pitcher of the week for the week of April 6-12.

Nieves last Tuesday struck out six in six scoreless innings in a road win over the Inland Empire 66ers in San Bernardino, the longest outing of his professional career.

Nieves last Tuesday against Inland Empire retired his first six batters faced, then allowed a walk in the third inning that was erased by a double play. He allowed a leadoff double in the fourth inning, but retired the next three batters and his final nine batters faced to complete his gem.

The 20-year-old right-hander faced only one batter over the minimum in the victory.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in May 2023, Nieves made his Class-A debut last season with Rancho Cucamonga, putting up a 2.21 ERA in eight starts, with 37 strikeouts and 19 walks in 36 2/3 innings, with only one home run allowed.

Heading into this season, Nieves was ranked the Dodgers’ 12th-best prospect by FanGraphs, and was No. 24 in the system at Baseball America.

“Pitching is risky and there’s work to do ahead, both in terms of Nieves’ physical development and in the consistency of his execution. But there’s a pretty high ceiling here,” wrote Eric Longenhagen, Brendan Gawlowski, and James Fegan at FanGraphs. “Nieves has the physical traits and pitch shape characteristics to justify a mid-rotation future grade.”

Said Baseball America: “He has the upside of a rotation piece but will need to up his command and control in a big way to reach that ceiling.”

Nieves is the second award-winning Dodgers minor leaguer this season, after Triple-A Oklahoma City first baseman/outfielder James Tibbs III winning Pacific Coast League player of the week for March 30-April 5.

Seems like a slow news day.

Vahe Gregorian writes about the Royals start to the season.

The Royals’ starting rotation entered the game with a 2.56 ERA — second in MLB only to the Yankees (2.50). Meanwhile, its offense with 54 runs through Sunday is tied for second-worst in baseball. So there is many a mixed message with not a lot of statistically significant data — at least in terms of sample size. You could just as easily say the Royals have frittered away a good deal of that great starting pitching as that they’ve been fortunate to cobble together three wins with three or fewer runs. Most of all, the point here is that absolutely nothing defining has happened yet. This season still is too much in the embryonic phase to draw any conclusions despite an uninspiring start.

Anne Rogers takes stock of where the Royals are after the series against the White Sox.

Rotation still in good shape
Royals starters entered Sunday having recorded 15 consecutive scoreless innings over the last two games, but Noah Cameron had more difficulty, allowing five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two two-out, two-run home runs and issued the walk that would eventually come around to score the tying run in the sixth inning.

But all in all, the Royals’ rotation is still in good shape. Through 16 games, starters have allowed zero earned runs in five starts, one run or fewer in 10 starts and two or fewer in 11 starts. Starting pitching wins games, and the Royals feel like their rotation is going to keep them in games no matter what.

Pete Grathoff opines about the parking situation related to the potential Washington Square downtown ballpark site.

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep writes about Isaac Collins’ start to the season.

We already have a trade. The Blue Jays have acquired Lenyn Sosa from the White Sox.

The DBacks are moving Brandon Pfaadt to the bullpen.

ESPN has ABS rankings. The Royals as a team are doing well.

Azzi Fudd was selected first overall in the WNBA draft last night.

Dick Vitale announced he has been diagnosed with cancer for a fifth time.

Australian sprinter Gout Gout broke Usain Bolt’s 200m teenager world record.

NASA says Artemis III mission planning is underway.

Arrowhead Pride editor John Dixon recently passed away.

Former Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor signed with the Falcons.

Your song of the day is bringing back something Max put here a couple years ago. It’s Wolfmother with Joker and the Thief.

In which an old fart breaks like the wind.

Yes, it’s true — I am locking up the imaginary office. Ocular issues, mostly.

Thanks again for the reads.

Phillies 13, Cubs 7.

Javier Assad took the ball to Citizens Bank Park and attempted to throw it past the Phillies. Cristopher Sánchez tried to continue his skein of really good pitching. Both teams stood at 7-8 at the outset, the onset, the preface as it were.

The Phillies look like they are holding a Jayson Werth lookalike contest.

Javier Assad has an ERA now. Kyle Schwarber did what he does, his fifth and sixth, driving in three runs. Cubs should have kept that guy. But you know that.

Dansby Swanson touched Sanchez up for a two-run dinger.

But the Phillies continued to pull away. The Cubs did hold a late rally, so there’s something silver in the cloud for today.

Every page these days has some form of advertising. {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Ex-Cub Kyle Hendricks in no rush to figure out what comes after baseball, says, ‘Not knowing, it’s awesome’. “Your whole life being baseball, it’s always just go, go, go,” he told the Sun-Times. “I feel so lucky, all the experiences I had.”
• Thomas Harrigan (MLB.com): Scuffling Phillies turn to ace Sánchez in series opener vs. Cubs. “With Zack Wheeler on the mend, there’s no question Cristopher Sánchez is the guy in the Phillies’ rotation.“
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Cubs’ lineup woes are the result of navigating the perils of a “sequential” offense. “There’s good process in place, and there will (eventually) be good results. But in stretches like this, the Cubs’ lack of an offensive driver begins to show itself.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Dansby Swanson’s heads-up baserunning keys Cubs comeback. ‘If you need the base coaches to tell you what to do, you stink at baserunning.’ Jordan Bastian has more.
• Boardroom: Is Pete Crow-Armstrong Chicago’s best athlete? [VIDEO]
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register {$}): Kevin Alcantara out to show the Cubs won the Anthony Rizzo trade. “I need to show it’s a good trade.”
• Steve Millar (Chicago Tribune {$}): Aidan Schopper, a big Chicago Cubs fan, leads Oak Lawn past Reavis at Wrigley Field. ‘Something I dreamed of.’ “I can’t even put it into words. It was probably one of the best days of my life.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. Thanks for reading. À bientôt. Good luck, Jeff!

Welcome to the second installment of Camden Chat’s minor league weekly recap. All four of the Orioles’ full-season affiliates are up and running with their usual six-game weeks, and there have been quite a few early standout performances. Let’s jump right into it.

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week: 2-4 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
• Coming week: at Durham Bulls (Rays)
• Season record: 5-10, tied for last place (6.0 GB) in International League East

Tides hitters struggled to get, you know…hits. They had only 25 hits in 179 at-bats in this series, a wretched .140 batting average that was worst in the International League by far. They slugged just .218, also a distant last place in the IL this week. No Tides hitter had more than three hits the entire week. In Creed Willems’ case, at least, two of those were dingers, and he now has a .918 OPS in 12 games this year. Willems didn’t quite make the cut for Camden Chat’s composite top 20 prospect rankings, but he was an honorable mention. At 22 years old and in his first experience at Triple-A, Willems probably isn’t a candidate for a big-league call-up immediately, but he’ll put himself on the radar if he keeps hitting like this.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. (#7 prospect) returned from a six-day absence after he ran into a wall on April 2. He was hitless in two of his three starts this week but was great in the other, hitting a homer and driving in all four Tides runs in a comeback win on Friday.

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but a rehabbing Jackson Holliday, after going 2-for-19 this week, is hitting .167 with a .453 OPS in 11 games. At what point does, “Ah, he’s just rusty,” turn into, “Wait, something is really wrong here”? Holliday’s maximum 20-day rehab stint is almost over, and you have to wonder if the O’s will consider just optioning him to the minors once he comes off the IL. He hasn’t shown he’s ready to hit Triple-A pitching, let alone big league pitching. Hamate injuries are complicated.

The starting rotation is where this Norfolk club is really intriguing, and the Big Three — prospects Trey Gibson (#5), Nestor German (#11), and Levi Wells (#16) — each pitched well this week. They combined for a 1.20 ERA, allowing only two earned runs in 15 innings. Wells was the most impressive of the bunch, racking up six strikeouts in 5.1 innings, and the two runs he gave up were both unearned. But the best starting performance for Norfolk came from Brandon Young, who followed up his five shutout innings with the Orioles last week by throwing six shutout, one-hit innings for the Tides on Sunday. I have a feeling he’ll be back in Baltimore sometime soon.

Norfolk season stats

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week: 5-1 vs. Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)
• Coming week: at New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
• Season record: 6-3, third place (2.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest

The first full week of Chesapeake’s season was a resounding success, as the club was a win shy of a six-game sweep. The Baysox have been led by their pitching staff, which has a lot of guys who strike out a lot of dudes. The 112 Ks by Chesapeake pitchers this season are tops in the Eastern League. This week, left-hander Sebastian Gongora, an 11th-round pick in 2024, had 13 of them — and no walks — in his two starts, giving up only two runs in 9.1 innings. Gongora, who last year struggled to a 5.53 ERA for two affiliates, is starting things off on a better note in 2026.

The most notable pitcher on this roster is lefty prospect Luis De León (#9). His second start of the year was a workmanlike five-inning, three-run performance. Lefty Micah Ashman and righty Tyson Neighbors, two relievers acquired at last year’s trade deadline who are dark-horse O’s bullpen candidates later this year, combined for six innings, no earned runs, and 12 strikeouts this week.

At the plate, 2024 second-round pick Ethan Anderson was the star this week with nine hits, four more than any of his teammates. Seven games into the season, Anderson is slashing .429/.600/.571 with more walks (eight) than strikeouts (five). He’s aiming to put a disappointing 2025 season behind him. Anderson was one of six Baysox batters to homer this week, along with infielder Aron Estrada (#13), among others. Shortstop Griff O’Ferrall homered but was otherwise 0-for-17 in the series.

Chesapeake season stats

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week: 2-4 at Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox)
• Coming week: vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees)
• Season record: 4-4, fourth place (2.5 GB) in South Atlantic League North

The Keys’ lineup is loaded with top prospects — Nate George (#3), Ike Irish (#4), and Wehiwa Aloy (#6) — but the hitter who stole the show this week was first baseman Victor Figueroa, acquired in last year’s six-player trade package for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano. The 22-year-old bashed his second and third home runs of the season. Figueroa is probably not a real prospect, but dingers are dingers.

As for those big-name guys, Irish fared the best this week with a 5-for-16 showing, including a homer. Aloy was 5-for-21 with a roundtripper of his own, while George posted a 4-for-17 week. Irish, last year’s first round pick, has a .988 OPS through his first five games at the High-A level. The O’s drafted him as a catcher but he has yet to play behind the plate this season. He’s made three starts at first base and two in right field.

It’s not just hitters who are opening eyes at Frederick. The Keys’ staff is led by a dynamic 1-2 punch of Joseph Dzierwa (#14) and JT Quinn (#19). Dzierwa, a lefty with pinpoint control, has been garnering attention since his Spring Breakout performance and continues to shove for the Keys. He threw seven innings of two-run ball this week, following six shutout frames in his pro debut the previous week. The Orioles normally limit the innings of their prospects early in the season, but Dzierwa has been so efficient with his pitches — 80 or fewer each time — that they haven’t needed to cut him short.

Meanwhile, the righty Quinn — selected 11 picks after Dzierwa in last year’s draft, at #69 — blew away the Dash with 10 strikeouts in 4.2 scoreless frames this week. He too is off to a sensational start to his pro career, with a 1.00 ERA and 16 Ks in his first nine innings. Another pitching prospect, Juaron Watts-Brown (#15) is also at this level and made his season debut with 3.2 scoreless, hitless innings. That trio has upstaged the 6-foot-8 Boston Bateman (#10), the prize of the Padres trade last summer. Bateman bombed this week, coughing up seven runs in 5.2 innings over two outings.

After playing their first eight games of the season on the road, the Keys have their home opener tonight. It’s their first time playing in Frederick as an O’s affiliate since 2019. Shake those keys!

Frederick season stats

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week: 2-4 vs. Augusta GreenJackets (Braves)
• Coming week: at Fredericksburg Nationals
• Season record: 3-6, tied for fourth place (4.0 GB) in Carolina League North

We’ll move from the Orioles’ most interesting affiliate, the Keys, to their least interesting one (sorry, Shorebirds). There’s just not a lot of big-name O’s prospect talent at the Low-A level. Only two players from the Camden Chat top 20 are currently with Delmarva, led by right-hander Esteban Mejia (#8). He suffered a terrible start this week, giving up three runs and four hits without getting out of the first inning.

If we’re looking for standout pitching performances, could I interest you in Braeden Sloan? The lefty reliever, a 17th-round pick last year, retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced, striking out eight of them. Low-A veteran Kiefer Lord also was K-happy this week, notching 10 of his 11 outs on strikeouts.

The lone ranked hitting prospect on this team is outfielder Jordan Sanchez (#17), who homered this week. This week’s best hitter was infielder Joshua Liranzo, who homered, drove in five, and drew a team-leading seven walks. Liranzo, a Dominican native, was part of the Orioles’ 2023 international signing class.

Delmarva season stats

**

As Mark noted last week, changes to the SBNation publishing platform have left us unable to post polls, so we’ll no longer get to vote on a minor league player of the week. But you can always leave a comment below and tell us who your pick would be. Does Ethan Anderson’s nine-hit week or Creed Willems’ two dingers stand out to you? Do you prefer Joseph Dzierwa’s latest quality start? Or someone else entirely? Let us know.

Back on November 5, 2025, when the Colorado Rockies claimed INF/OF Troy Johnston off waivers, the move seemed fairly insignificant.

At the time, the Rockies rebuild was in its early stages with key front office positions remaining unfilled, so their thinking on claiming Johnston was unclear.

In spring training, however, Johnston’s potential became clear:

• He’s a lefty batter in a lineup dominated by righties
• He plays both first base and the outfield
• He had a good showing early on that got him one of the last open spots on the Rockies roster as they left Scottsdale

It’s too early to have much meaningful data on the 2026 season, but Johnston’s initial numbers are promising. In 50 plate appearances, he’s slashed .283/.327/.478 with a 114 wRC+. His time between first and the outfield has been roughly equal.

And he’s shown himself ready to make a big play.

For Johnston, it’s all in a day’s work. In a recent interview, he discussed joining the Rockies and adjusting to elevation, playing multiple positions, and that walk-up song everyone’s talking about.

Making adjustments

A native of Washington State, Johnston knows his way around the West Coast, but it’s been a minute given that the Marlins drafted him in 2019. Still, Johnston is finding his way around the Mountain West.

“Getting used to the weather, getting used to the travel, getting used to playing teams that I’ve never played before is all very new to me,” Johnston said.

But he’s not worried.

“It’s still baseball. You’ve still got to hit the ball, still got to have a good approach, still got to be athletic, still got to scout and do all this kind of stuff,” he said. “Every day is not the same. You have to prepare differently. You have to train differently for whatever you’re trying to accomplish that day. But I’m trying to adjust and have fun and be the best teammate that I can.”

Wherever he’s playing, Johnston has learned to relax.

“I’ve been playing baseball professionally a long time. I know it hasn’t been in the big leagues, but when you try to put the ball in play, and you just try to make things happen and don’t press too much, sometimes good things happen.”

Then there’s the matter of elevation, which Johnston said he first noticed in his sleep habits.

“I feel like I have not been sleeping very well,” he said, “because I’ve been up in Washington [where] I’m at sea level. I’m up in Seattle and over in Florida, you’re at sea level. I’ve got the humidity, all that kind of stuff. Here, the air is very thin, and it’s very cold, and so that’s very different than what I’m used to. So I’ve been trying to find different techniques, different things that can kind of cope with that.”

Then again, there may be more than elevation at work.

“But I also do have an 11-month-old who’s teething,” Johnston added with a smile. “So as much as I am trying to do my best, she’s also keeping me awake a bit. But we love her, and we’ll keep her around.”

He’s aware, too, of the on-field effects of playing at 5280, something he first noticed at the end of last season when the Marlins visited Coors Field. Although Johnston noted the change in pitch movement, he was especially struck by how the ball flew, setting up a situation that requires vigilance on the part of defenders.

“I do understand in the outfield, the ball will travel and it’ll kind of carry on you. As long as you’re thinking about that while you’re tracking the baseball, things happen a little bit better,” he said. “But if you’re not prepared for it, that’s where it’ll sneak up on you.”

Johnston added, “I feel like the pop-ups in the infield are fairly normal, but I think those, those deep, mid-level drives out to the outfield in the gaps down the lines, those are where you see the big difference.”

Being versatile

The Rockies’ new front office has emphasized the need for versatility. It’s another part of Johnston’s game that requires his attention, most notably in terms of preparation.

“A lot of it is just mental preparedness and making sure I get my reps, preparing for what I need to do that day, whether it’s playing in the infield, playing in the outfield,” Johnston said. “I feel like I’m comfortable at any position.”

He recognizes, though, that versatility is a key part of his game.

“That was the big thing of why the Rockies claimed me off waivers from Miami was that I can play multiple positions.”

Since he was drafted as an outfielder, first base has been a position added to his toolkit, but he doesn’t have a positional preference.

“There’s no actual theory behind this,” he said, “but for me, being an outfielder is just a glorified DH. That’s all it is. You’re just out there. You’re hanging out, kicking grass, doing whatever.”

But that changes in an instant.

“When the ball does come to you in the outfield, there’s a really, really high pressure. You need to catch the ball. You need to get it into the right guy,” Johnston said, adding, “When we’re in the infield, you’re locked in pretty much all nine innings. Maybe in the outfield, you can get away with taking one pitch off.”

He’s just ready to do what’s asked of him.

“I’ve told [manager Warren Schaeffer] this a lot. I will do anything he needs me to do. If he asked me to play shortstop in the ninth, if he asked me to play third base and bat first, it does not matter. I will do anything, whatever they need.”

Selecting a walk-up song

Among all the Rockies 2026 walk-up songs, Johnston’s decision to go with Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” tends to get fans’ attention.

Who made this decision? His wife, Haleigh.

“She picked it,” Johnston explained, “and she thought it was so funny.”

Here’s how it happened.

“We were going up in January,” he said, ‘and I was like, ‘You know, I need a walk up song. Spring training is coming around. I need something. What do you think?’ And she goes, ‘“Mambo No. 5.’ And I go, ‘That’s the worst walk-up song I’ve ever heard my entire life.’ And she goes, ‘I promise you: It’ll bring its good vibes. The fans will like it. They’ll get interactive.’ And she did this whole little dance routine with it. And I thought it was so funny. I didn’t really have a lot of other options in my mind. So I was like, ‘You know, I’ll try it, and see what works.’

As it turns out, it did.

“But it was funny,” he said, smiling. “There was somebody that tweeted something out and said, ‘Troy Johnston’s walk up song is just so fitting for him,’ and I hated it so much, because, of course, my wife is usually right.”

Appreciating what the Rockies are building

Johnston also draws contrasts between his current situation and where he was in Miami.

“A lot of people are talking about the Rockies and how things have been in the past, but this is a new team,” Johnston said.

“We’re hungry. We want to win. It’s kind of our motto.”

Plus, there’s a Rockies fandom eager for winning.

“Coming from the Miami Marlins, when I walked around Miami, I never saw a Miami Marlins jersey. I never saw a Marlins hat. I saw nothing,” Johnston said.

“When I’m walking around downtown Denver, they’re really excited about the Rockies. They want the Rockies to be good. This is a sports town. We are trying to put a good product on the field. Paul [DePodesta] has done a great job of that. I’ve never seen so many supporters of one team that I’ve actually been a part of and that I’ve been on. So this city and this team wants to win, we’re going to try to put the best product every night and do our best to win.”

This week on the internet

ICYMI:

The weight of the bricks: Troy Johnston and the quiet battle behind the big league smile | Blake Street Banter

Continuing our look at Troy Johnston on is Tuesday is Eli Whitney over at Blake Street Banter. Here he provides another perspective on the utility player.

Rockies’ new direction, energy has DePodesta excited | MLB.com

Thomas Harding spoke with Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta during the team’s series with the Padres.

2026 MLB Mock Draft 2.0: Updated First-Round Picks For Every Team | Baseball America ($)

Carlos Collazo has the Rockies selecting AJ Gracia, an outfielder from the University of Virginia. As Collazo writes, “How the Rockies and their new front office draft this year will be one of the most interesting storylines to watch. It sounds like they’ve spent a lot of time on college players this spring and, at least for some teams, Gracia is closer to Strosnider in the college outfield pecking order than the others. He has a patient and selective approach that leads to lots of walks. His career walk rate is right around 18-19%, and he has the bat-to-ball skills that limit his strikeouts.”

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