WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 03: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during batting practice prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Roki Sasaki makes his second start of the week, looking to build off his season opener when the Dodgers finish off their weekend series against the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 03: Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox takes the field during player introductions prior to the game between the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
A couple of weeks ago we didn’t even think he’d make the Opening Day Roster. Now we’re saying “thank god we’ve got Connelly Early going today.”
Behind Early, Alex Cora is rolling out the same starting nine batting the same order as yesterday. If ain’t broke, yadda, yadda.
In the other dugout, it’s a day-off for Jackson Merrill and, interestingly, for lefty-masher Nick Castellanos. Can the Sox take advantage?
The New York Mets (4-4) face the San Francisco Giants (3-5) in the third game of their series. Catcher Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs in the Mets’ 10-3 victory on Friday night. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Clay Holmes for the Mets and Landen Roupp for the Giants.
How to Watch New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants
The New York Yankees, who have lost only one of their first seven games, face the Miami Marlins in the second game of their series. The Yankees are favored with a -200 moneyline and a -1.5 spread. Starting pitchers are Max Meyer for the Miami Marlins and Ryan Weathers for the New York Yankees.
Mar 9, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain starting pitcher Brendan Beck (19) delivers a pitch during the third inning against Brazil at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Raul Dominguez is back with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season.
He was on the RailRiders staff for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before being named manager of the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, in 2023. In three seasons, he compiled a 232-180 record and took the Patriots to the Eastern League playoffs all three seasons.
Now, he returns to the RailRiders to serve as defensive coach on manager Shelley Duncan’s staff.
“After spending three years in Somerset and now coming back here again in Triple-A with a new staff, a lot of guys I’m going to work with for the first time, I’m excited,” Dominguez said. “I feel as a coach, you learn every year from different managers and coaches.
“Last year in Somerset, I worked with those (players) a lot and now they’re here and I have a relationship with them. Having those guys again and knowing them a little bit and what they need to work on, I’m excited to be here with that group.”
Before coming back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Dominguez got to experience something special. He served as first-base coach for Panama at the World Baseball Classic. Playing in Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Panama went 1-3. It lost to Cuba, 3-1; Puerto Rico, 4-3; and Colombia, 4-3; and defeated Canada, 4-3.
“Those four games were so exciting, there was a lot of up and down emotion,” Dominguez said. “We only won one game, but we lost two games by one and one by two. It was so loud and exciting. I remember I didn’t feel any fatigue until after when I got back to Tampa. But during those four days, it was one of my best experiences in baseball, especially with that name on my chest — Panama. I thought it was going to be the same as the winter league or the Caribbean Series, but no. It was totally different. It was very competitive and very emotional. It was a really, really good experience for me.”
Brendan Beck echoed that sentiment. The right-hander, who is ranked No. 22 among Yankees prospects according to MLB Pipeline, pitched in the WBC for Great Britain — his mother is British. He got to be teammates with his older brother Tristan, who is in the San Francisco Giants organization.
On March 9, Beck started for Great Britain against Brazil and threw four scoreless and hitless innings with two walks and four strikeouts in an 8-1 win.
“It was awesome. It was super special. Definitely not something I dreamed of growing up, even knowing there was a Great Britain baseball team,” Beck said. “We figured it out and knew that opportunity was there. Just super-exciting leading up to the tournament and then putting the uniform on was really cool. Really the first time I got to represent my mom and her side of the family. My grandparents aren’t with us anymore, but they would have thought it was really cool just to see Great Britain on the baseball field. Getting to do it with my brother, having my whole family in Houston and friends come in was super special. Something I’ll definitely remember.”
Right-hander Harrison Cohen, the Yankees’ No. 28 prospect, was a member of Team Israel at the WBC. He appeared in one game and threw two scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts in a 6-2 victory over The Netherlands.
Yankees No. 27 ranked prospect RHP Harrison Cohen with a strong showing in his WBC Debut 👏
Elmer Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, pitched for Puerto Rico. The righty started against Cuba on March 9th and got the win, 4-1. He pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, three walks and three strikeouts.
Elmer Rodriguez recorded three Ks across three scoreless innings for Team Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Baseball’s No. 59 prospect allowed just one hit over 50 pitches.
Reliever Yerry De Los Santos was on the Dominican Republic’s Designated Pitcher Pool, which meant he could have been called up after the first round. However, he was not.
While the World Baseball Classic has its critics, Beck thinks the tournament is great for the game.
“It really shows how much of a global sport baseball is,” Beck said. “You think of Major League Baseball, you think of the Japanese League, obviously Mexico and Korea have big leagues as well. But seeing the fans we had with Great Britain supporting us back home and seeing teams like the Czech Republic, some of the small island teams, people know baseball. Baseball is a global language, a global sport.
“You saw how passionate the players were playing in it. Only one team every year can win the World Series, but you saw how important it was for guys playing a championship tournament in March. Guys were pushing themselves more than they ever really pushed themselves in March. I think that’s cool. Guys were playing for something more than themselves. Doing whatever it takes for their team, their country, their fans, I think is really cool.”
Justin Verlander’s return to Detroit is only getting worse.
The three-time Cy Young winner was scratched from his second start with the team Sunday against the Cardinals and placed on the 15-day injured list with hip inflammation, the Tigers announced Saturday.
The 43-year-old was set to take the mound at Comerica Park as a Tiger for the first time since 2017.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander prepares to hand off the ball to manager A.J. Hinch during the fourth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. AP
Instead, righty Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start vs. St. Louis.
Verlander’s return was already off to a rocky start after allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in 3 ⅔ innings in his first outing in a 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on March 30.
The righty spent the first 14 years of his career with the Tigers, leading them to a 2006 World Series appearance and winning the Cy Young in 2012.
Verlander was traded to the Astros in 2017 and spent six-plus seasons in Houston with a 16-start cameo for the Mets in 2023, breaking things up before being traded back to the AL West team.
Justin Verlander took the loss in is first start. Getty Images
He won the 2017 and 2022 World Series with the Astros.
Verlander was coming off a solid 2025 with the Giants after a disastrous 2024.
He posted a 3.85 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 152 innings despite a 4-11 record.
The hope was he could re-find some magic for a Tigers team looking to make a World Series run with ace Tarik Skubal’s set to hit free agency after the season
All of that is on hold for now.
The Tigers are off to a slugging 3-4 start entering Saturday’s contest, getting swept in Arizona before beating St. Louis, 4-0, on Friday to end a four-game losing skid.
DETROIT — Justin Verlander’s long-awaited return to Comerica Park as a member of the Detroit Tigers was put on hold Saturday.
Verlander, the major league’s oldest active player at 43, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation. On Sunday night, Verlander was scheduled to make his first start in a Tigers uniform at Detroit’s home park since Aug. 20, 2017.
Verlander was dealt to Houston at the trade deadline that season. He re-signed with Detroit on a one-year, $13 million contract in February after spending last season with San Francisco.
Verlander made 380 starts for Detroit from 2005-17. In his first start this season, Verlander gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Monday and took the loss.
RHP Keider Montero was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start the finale of a three-game series against St. Louis.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 03: Raisel Iglesias #26 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a 2-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks Waste a Second E-Rod Gem Eduardo Rodriguez gave the Diamondbacks as good an opportunity to win on Friday as anyone could ask for, throwing seven scoreless innings. Unfortunately, Arizona’s offense was held even quieter.
Offense, Sewald Spoil E-Rod Gem Arizona did not even register their first hit until the sixth inning and never had a runner reach third base. On top of that, Paul Sewald was brought in to pitch the ninth inning, only to watch the first to batter each launch solo-shots to carry to the Braves to a shutout victory.
Arizona’s Outfield Options Growing Thin Once, not so long ago, considered an area of depth for the Diamondbacks, the organization is now perilously thin on reliable starting options for the outfield at the MLB level. The injury to Jordan Lawlar is going to test the mettle of the remaining players and may even create a need to reach down for one of the untested prospect bats, such as Kristian Robinson.
Spencer Giesting Suffers Oblique Injury Arizona’s left-handed pitching depth just took another significant hit. The Reno Aces’ Giesting has been placed on the 7-day IL but is expected to miss more than a month of time.
Yes, Pennants Can Be Lost in April The season is just a week old, but there are already sizable impacts in playoff probabilities around the league.
Brewers Finalize 8-year Extension with Top Prospect Cooper Pratt Cooper Pratt joins the ranks of top prospects getting early extensions. Pratt has now signed an 8-yr/$50.75MM extension that will keep him in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. Because Pratt signed the deal before making his debut, he will not be eligible to earn a PPI pick should he eventually win Rookie of the Year when he does finally debut. As Pratt has only made his AAA debut a few days ago, it could still be a while for the young shortstop.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 30: Starting pitcher Michael Soroka #34 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after pitching an immaculate fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers of the home opener at Chase Field on March 30, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is there a more beloved former Brave than Michael Soroka? (Maybe Freddie Freeman?) Perhaps because the phrase, “What could have been?” peals more sharply with regard to Soroka than anyone else, the fondness for the Canadian giraffe-necked right-hander from this corner, at least, is at its max. But, on Saturday night, the Braves will face off against our beloved in search of a fourth win in a row.
Soroka’s injury travails as a Brave after his 2019 4.0 fWAR campaign have been well-documented and are a bit too depressing to recap at this point, so we’ll focus on what happened afterwards. Sent to Chicago’s South Side in the Aaron Bummer deal after the 2023 season, Soroka was a blah swingman out there for a year, and then had a nice time as a starter for the Nationals in 2025 before a midseason trade sent him to Chicago’s North Side, where he barely pitched and didn’t distinguish himself. His contract with the Nats was for $9 million; this past offseason, he signed with the Diamondbacks for a lower, $7.5 million salary, made some starts in the World Baseball Classic, and made it to Opening Day as a member of Arizona’s beleaguered starting staff.
But, things went swimmingly for him in his first start of 2026: he absolutely dominated the Tigers for five innings, with an insane 10/1 K/BB ratio that included an immaculate inning in his final frame of work. He had a 5-0 lead before departing, and the Diamondbacks added even more in the bottom of the fifth. The only real blemish to that outing was that the Tigers made some hard contact off him when they weren’t striking out (three barrels, though only one went for a hit), but that doesn’t really portend anything for him considering the excellent K/BB ratio. Whatever happens while Soroka pitches against the Braves today, it’ll be bittersweet in one direction or another, but maybe it’ll be another game like last night, where the thunder in the Braves’ favor comes exclusively late.
On the Atlanta side of the pitching equation, Bryce Elder will look to keep the good times rolling. After last night’s shutout, the Braves’ pitching staff is in a funny place: they’re seventh in MLB in fWAR, second in ERA-, sixth in FIP-, and 13th in xFIP-. Whereas 2025 was an exercise in “if it can wrong, it will go wrong,” the Braves are putting on a dazzling run prevention display thanks to some elite defensive play (they’re third in MLB in defensive value coming into this game), and a favorable HR/FB for once (they have the fourth-lowest HR/FB against their pitchers). Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes have now made four collective starts with a sub-3.00 ERA (Lopez’ is under 2.00) and an xFIP around 5.00, so hooray for baseball god boons rather than banes at this point.
Speaking of weird starts, that descriptor probably applies to Bryce Elder’s first start of the season, albeit for a different reason than it could be used for Lopez or Holmes thus far. Elder was legitimately good against the Athletics — nothing we haven’t seen before, albeit inconsistently — with a 5/1 K/BB ratio in six shutout innings. The reason why it was weird was that all the stuff that Elder and the team provided messaging about in the offseason, about his work with a biomechanics expert and the like, well… that wasn’t really on display. Elder didn’t appear to be throwing harder nor did he let loose more often with an ehanced four-seamer. Rather, he showed up with a much drop-ier (droopier sounds sad) slider with some added horizontal verve, which was enough to stymie the green-and-gold bats. Whether he can do so again against the Diamondbacks, well, that’s always the question, innit?
This will be Soroka’s second outing against his former team. He had an okay four innings against them in May of last year, with Drake Baldwin hitting a game-tying two-run shot against him in the fourth before Soroka departed. Elder, meanwhile, has made two starts against the Diamondbacks in his career — one in 2023 and one in 2024 — and they were both really rough. The one in 2023 was his shortest start of the year and one of his worst (2 2/3 IP, charged seven runs and gave up a homer despite a 4/1 K/BB ratio), and the one in 2024 featured a 1/2 K/BB ratio in five innings with three runs charged. Both of those games got absolutely insane late, with the Diamondbacks winning 16-13 in 2023 and the Braves prevailing 5-4 in 2024.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 4, 7:15 p.m. EDT
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
TV: FOX
Streaming: MLB.tv, probably not blacked out on BravesVision/etc.
CHICAGO — The Toronto Blue Jays placed two-time All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a dislocated and fractured left thumb and recalled catcher Brandon Valenzuela from Triple-A Buffalo.
Kirk was injured in the 10th inning of a 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday when Austin Hays fouled a pitch off Kirk’s glove. He left the game immediately and went for X-rays.
The Blue Jays also assigned 36-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin to Single-A Dunedin on Saturday, a day after signing him to a one-year contract.
Manager John Schneider didn’t have a timeline for Kirk’s return but said before Saturday’s game in Chicago that the 27-year-old would see Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday to determine the next steps.
“(The thumb) was dislocated,” Schneider said. “They put it back in last night, as well as a fracture. So tough news for us and I think for Kirky for sure.
“They’re going to see if they need to do any kind of surgical intervention or pin or something like that. We’ll know that on Monday, and then kind of determine the timeline after that.”
As an All-Star in 2025, Kirk batted .282 with 15 homers and 76 RBIs in 130 games for AL champion Toronto. He played in all 18 of the Blue Jays’ postseason games and hit .308 with two homers and six RBIs in seven World Series games against the Dodgers.
Kirk was batting .150 with one homer and two RBIs in five games this season.
The 25-year-old Valenzuela has yet to play in the majors, but he arrived in Chicago on Saturday and is expected to split time behind the plate with Tyler Heineman while Kirk is out.
In four games with Buffalo this season, he was batting .200 with one homer and four RBIs.
Corbin, a two-time All-Star in 13 major league seasons, was 7-11 with a 4.40 ERA for Texas last season. For his career, Corbin is 110-142 with a 4.51 ERA over 373 games including 354 starts.
Three Blue Jays starters — Shane Bieber, José Bérrios and Trey Yesavage — are currently on the injured list.
Schneider wasn’t sure how long it would take Corbin to ramp up and return to the majors.
“I think definitely we view him as a starter or definite length option,” Schneider said. “I think until the dominoes kind of start to fall back into place with Trey and Josey and Biebs ... you look for length and how we can use it.”
CHICAGO - APRIL 2: A general view of U.S. Cellular Field during the National Anthem before the Chicago White Sox take on the Cleveland Indians for the opening day game on April 2, 2007 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Indians defeated the White Sox 12-5. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After an rare Friday off-day, their first of the season, the Jays play game the second of a three game series with the White Sox.
And today, I’m actually not in Japan. If everything goes as planned we are in Busan, South Korea today. I often buy soccer jerseys when I’m traveling. I have many of them now and I use them when I play tennis or squash. Yesterday (yesterday from when I’m typing this), I wore a Newcastle United jersey. A fellow stopped me, telling my that Newcastle was his team (and, he didn’t have to tell me, he had a northerner accent).
I wore one last week from the Casablanca, Morocco club and another fellow stopped me, saying he was from Morocco. I told him how much we enjoyed our time there (until Covid became a thing and we had to find a way out of the country).
We've got a full slate of games today — which means a full slate of MLB player props to choose from — but I'm looking at some strikeout markets that are way too low, and an elite slugger continuing to produce.
Find out why Jesus Luzardo and Randy Vasquez should be getting a little more respect... and why we need to jump on Yordan Alvarez's RBI prop while it's still at plus money.
Here are my favorite MLB picks for Saturday, April 4.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Randy Vasquez
o3.5 strikeouts
-130
Yordan Alvarez
o0.5 RBI
+105
Jesus Luzardo
o6.5 strikeouts
-102
Randy Vasquez Over 3.5 strikeouts (-130)
Randy Vasquez has never been a high-volume strikeout candidate, but this is a low floor, and today’s conditions are conducive to him going deeper into the game.
The wind in Boston will be blowing in from RF between 18 and 36 mph for much of the game. That’s especially helpful for a pitcher sporting a career 0.72 groundout-to-airout ratio.
Vasquez looked good in his season debut, allowing just two hits and striking out eight Tigers in six innings, showing a noticeable uptick in his fastball, sinker, and slider velocity over last season — in addition to adding a good amount of spin to his cutter.
The San Diego Padres righty doesn’t need to recreate his first start either; he just needs four Ks vs. a Red Sox lineup striking out in 29.3% of plate appearances so far in 2026.
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, SDPA
Yordan Alvarez Over 0.5 RBI (+105)
Yordan Alvarez has had an incredibly hot start to 2026, hitting .400 with an MLB-leading .596 xwOBA, and driving in a run in five of his last seven games.
Alvarez is simply crushing the ball right now, sitting third in the bigs with an adjusted exit velo of 99.5, plus he’s cut down on his whiff rate against fastballs and breaking balls from last season.
He's in a hitter’s park today, with excellent weather conditions, against a pitcher in Luis Morales who gave up five runs in his opening start vs. Toronto, failing to finish five frames.
Yordan also has an ISO of .480, as he's launched three dingers so far as well, and considering Morales allowed a 10.9% barrel rate and had a 4.54 xFIP last year, he’s likely to get a few pitches he can hit hard — and sitting in the middle of the Houston order, there should be some traffic on or him to cash in.
I'd also sprinkle on his home run prop at +255 as well: Morales allowed 1.48 HR/9IP last year, including three bombs vs. the Jays.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCSCA, SCHN
Jesus Luzardo Over 6.5 strikeouts (-102)
It wasn’t the ideal season debut for Jesus Luzardo: He was shelled for six runs on six hits vs. Texas, including two balls that left the yard, yet he still struck out seven hitters.
The lefty boasts a pitch arsenal that ranked him in the 86th percentile in K rate and 87th percentile in whiff rate in 2025, so I was shocked to see this strikeout total against Colorado.
I fully expected this to be at 7.5 with some juice on the Over, especially given the Rockies have struck out 32 times over the last two games.
Luzardo will be at a platoon disadvantage today, but the Rockies have also whiffed in 12 of their 25 ABs vs. LHP this season. I’m jumping on this and laddering Luzardo up to 10 Ks as well.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: COLR, NBCSP+
Jason Ence's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 1-2, -1.02 units
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.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 28: Chad Patrick #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers is taken out of game in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field on March 28, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thankfully, the weather in Kansas City today is cold, windy, yet — unlike last night — sunny. With last night’s series opener postponed due to inclement weather, today’s game was moved up to 1:10 p.m. to accommodate a doubleheader, with the makeup game now set for 6:10 p.m.
Chad Patrick, originally scheduled to start last night’s game, will be on the mound today. Patrick went 4.1 innings against the White Sox in his first start of the season, allowing a single earned run and five hits while striking out four. Starting for the Royals is Luinder Avila, Kansas City’s No. 9 prospect, who will be making his first career start. Avila made his major league debut last year, putting up a 1.29 ERA out of the bullpen over thirteen appearances.
Also of note: both teams are allowed to bring up a 27th player for today’s doubleheader, but the Brewers elected not to add anyone to their roster for Game 1. Tonight would be Brandon Sproat’s spot in the rotation, but Logan Henderson was reportedly seen in the Brewers’ clubhouse this morning. He pitched three innings on March 31st with Triple-A Nashville, which means he wouldn’t be working with a full five days of rest. Even so, it’s possible we could see him on the mound — maybe in relief — at some point during the nightcap.
Today’s lineup happens to be the exact same as the lineup that was released for last night’s game. As Paul mentioned, the Brewers are going lefty-heavy against the right-handed Avila. Brice Turang, one of the hottest hitters in baseball so far this season, leads off again tonight. Luis Rengifo is hitting second and playing third base, with catcher William Contreras and designated hitter Christian Yelich behind him.
Hitting fifth is center fielder Garrett Mitchell, who had a two-run double in the series finale against the Rays. Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge — getting the start over switch-hitter Blake Perkins — and David Hamilton round out tonight’s lineup. You’ll notice Joey Ortiz isn’t in the lineup tonight, with the left-handed hitting Hamilton replacing him at shortstop.
Today’s game will be broadcast on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. As mentioned above, first pitch is slated for 1:10 p.m.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the fourth inning of a Spring Training game against the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s try this again, shall we?
First, here’s what I wrote last night about the expected starters for that game who will both still pitch in today’s first match:
In the series opener, the Royals are going to be relying on a rookie making his first MLB start, but not his first MLB appearance. Michael Wacha is having his start pushed back while dealing with an illness, so Luinder Avila will get the call. Avila made a few appearances out of the bullpen last September and impressed many while he was at it, pitching to a 1.49 ERA in 13 relief appearances. During Spring Training, manager Matt Quatraro indicated that he saw Avila as having front-line starter potential, but most outsiders agreed that if Avila was going to contribute this year, it was going to be out of the bullpen. Craig Brown over at Into the Fountains, though, told me he thought that Avila would be the first starter up. So kudos to him for getting that right. Bailey Falter was added to the IL in a corresponding move after a near-disastrous ninth-inning appearance on Wednesday.
Chad Patrick will get the ball for the Brewers, making his second start of the season. His first start saw him go only 4.1 innings against the White Sox, striking out 4, walking 1, and giving up a run in a no-decision that would become a Brewers win. Patrick is a 27-year-old sophomore who pitched to a 3.53 ERA in his rookie campaign last year. He faced the Royals in his second big league appearance and first start, pitching 4.2 scoreless innings in a game the Brewers won 5-0.
Last year, Patrick threw six pitches, but three are variations of fastballs – a four-seamer, a cutter, and a sinker – which he combined to throw 86.5% of the time. He also mixes in a slider, a slurve, and a changeup, but every kind of fastball gets thrown more than those three pitches combined. In his first start this year, he threw 74 pitches. Six were slurves, two were changeups, and he didn’t throw a single slider. His cutter is a very good pitch, though, getting lots of chases and whiffs despite the lack of variety and the fact that it’s kind of slow for a cutter. Patrick can struggle with the strike zone at times, so the new, (hopefully) patient Royals might have an advantage over him that the free-swingers of last year didn’t.
Now, let’s talk a little about the pitching matchup for game two:
Seth Lugo gets the ball in the nightcap for KC. He was the Cy Young runner-up in 2024 and looked completely cooked following the All-Star Break in 2025. One of the biggest questions about the rotation coming into 2026 was how Lugo would look. And the answer, at least through one start, is: a lot closer to the 2024 guy, which is very good news for the Royals.
The Brewers can unleash a lot of lefties on him, as we’ll see in the first game lineups posted below, so it could be a struggle for him, but if he pitches like he did Sunday in Atlanta, it’s not going to matter that much. He didn’t get a lot of swing and miss but he induced a ton of chases and soft contact. There was also some loud contact, but all of it was to centerfield, which will play in the current Kauffman dimensions.
Brandon Sproat will take the mound for the Brew Crew. Sproat was acquired during the offseason, along with top prospect Jett Williams, when the Brewers decided to maximize the value of last year’s ace, Freddy Peralta. Sproat is a top pitching prospect even after debuting for a few games for the Mets last season and looking fine. However, FanGraphs notes that his changeup delivery changed in 2025 and ruined the pitch. In his first start of the season things went pretty poorly in the Brewers’ sole loss to start the year. He allowed 7 runs in 3 innings on 4 walks, 6 hits, and 3 strikeouts.
Checking in on Sproat’s outing via TJStats shows that all of his pitches were rated highly stuff-wise, but he still couldn’t get any chase or any whiffs. Hopefully the Royals will be able to similarly pick on him, tonight.
Lineups
The Royals are using the same lineup they had originally planned for last night to start off, so here’s what I wrote about it then:
Carter Jensen continues to ride the pine after oversleeping yesterday. Starling Marte gets his first game action in exactly one week since his last, on Opening Day. Without Carter in the lineup, Jac Caglianone remains bumped up to the fifth spot in the lineup; hopefully, he’ll get some more hits there tonight than he did yesterday afternoon. Nick Loftin gets the start over Jonathan India. Despite Wednesday’s grand slam, India is having a poor start to the season, including popping up fully one-third of the balls he’s put in play. I know it worked against Royce Lewis in the rain, but that’s no way to get a hit.
The Brewers are using six lefties and a switch-hitter in their first lineup. As I noted above, I expect something similar in the evening contest. The Royals have indicated they’ll announce their 27th man between games. Per documents provided to the press, in 22 previous doubleheaders vs. the Brewers, the Royals have swept 11, split 9, and been swept only twice. Promising history, indeed.
Grant Taylor was so devastatingly good as on opener on Friday, he takes the ball again today to open for Anthony Kay. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Fresh off a dramatic 10-inning victory largely thanks to an emergency Blue Jays catching situation after Alejandro Kirk injured his thumb, the White Sox take on a Toronto team with an emergency pitching situation that’s the result of originally-scheduled starter Eric Lauer recovering from a bout of flu (as apparently is the case for much of the team).
That sets up a game with not one, but two dueling openers. Well, OK, it’s a full bullpen game for the Jays, but on the White Sox side, Grant Taylor had such an easy inning opening yesterday — just nine pitches, all strikes — that Will Venable is going to give him an encore.
This time Taylor will be opening for lefty Anthony Kay, who had a respectable start against the Brewers his first time out (4 1/3 innings, two earned runs, but with four walks), only to have the bullpen collapse. Kay has standard platoon splits and won’t face as many left-handed hitters with Toronto — but also won’t have to deal with Kirk at the plate.
First in the train of relievers throwing for the Jays will be lefty Mason Fluharty, who has never started an MLB game. He had a rough first outing to the regular season, but has had three very short successful appearances since. Fluharty et al. will face a White Sox lineup that includes Lenyn Sosa at DH and Reese McGuire catching:
The Blue Jays lineup is built for Kay, not Taylor, with six righties and one switch-hitter. Catcher Tyler Heineman, who had no chance to throw before the game resumed yesterday and proceeded to pick up a bunt and fling the ball into right field, will presumably be more settled today and has a strong career record against would-be thieves, throwing out 30.1%.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Central, with rain expected to end by noon, temps in the low 50s, and 18 mph wind toward left. Usual broadcast suspects.
Randy Vasquez
Yordan Alvarez
Jesus Luzardo
