Category: Baseball

As the Pittsburgh Pirates get into the swing of the MLB season, fans can catch all of Paul Skenes' strikeouts, Ryan O'Hearn's home runs and the double plays without ever leaving the couch.

With two games already out of the way this week and four ahead, there are several ways to tune in to Pittsburgh's Major League Baseball games from afar. Whether you're a diehard fan or a casual viewer, here are all your options for catching a Pirates game this week.

Where can I watch Pittsburgh Pirates games?

There are several ways to catch the upcoming Pittsburgh Pirates games this week.

• TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
• Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
• Radio: 93.7 The Fan

When are Pittsburgh Pirates games this week?

The Pirates will have an evening game at home on Tuesday, April 7, then games in the afternoon for the rest of the week.

• Tuesday, April 7, 6:40 p.m. ET vs. San Diego Padres
• Wednesday, April 8, 12:35 p.m. ET vs. San Diego Padres
• Friday, April 10, 2:20 p.m. ET at Chicago Cubs
• Saturday, April 11, 2:20 p.m. ET at Chicago Cubs
• Sunday, April 12, 2:20 p.m. ET at Chicago Cubs

What teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates playing?

The Pirates have two more home games this week and an off day before three away games over the weekend.

After finishing a series against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, April 5, they welcomed the San Diego Padres on Monday, April 6. Pittsburgh has an off day before a three-game series in Chicago against the Cubs starting on Friday, April 10.

Where can I find Pittsburgh Pirates scores?

Scores and gameday updates can be found on USA TODAY's website.

Where can I buy Pirates tickets?

Tickets for Pirates games can be purchased on MLB's website. Discounts are available for groups and events like Education Days, and the team has several Pup Nights during the season where dogs are welcome to the games.

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where to watch this week's Pittsburgh Pirates games live, streaming

It was an inning Joe Espada, Ryan Weiss, and (most surprisingly) Jeremy Pena would like to forget.

All things considered, things were going about as well as could possibly be hoped for the Houston Astros through the first four innings of Monday’s game.

They built a 3-0 lead through the first four innings thanks to back to back doubles by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, and then an RBI single by Christian Walker to account for a pair of first inning runs.

CC1 comes through!#ChaseTheFightpic.twitter.com/eruuJm7y9q

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 7, 2026

Walker delivers!#ChaseTheFightpic.twitter.com/H1V56vLdnB

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 7, 2026

Cam Smith hit an absolute moonshot for a solo HR in the fourth, measuring a whopping 462 feet. It was the 9th longest home run in Astros history.

WATCH IT FLY!#ChaseTheFightpic.twitter.com/m3njz2Iss6

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 7, 2026

Spot starter Cody Bolton had put up four straight zeros in an emergency fill-in role, taking the place of the injured Hunter Brown.

Unfortunately, there was a fifth inning. It was one that the Astros would like to forget, especially the manager, the shortstop, and the pitcher who came on in relief who wants to start.

Bolton, who had allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk through 4 innings while striking out 5, had given the Astros more than they could have expected. Joe Espada chose to roll the dice and send him back out for the 5th instead of going to Ryan Weiss for a clean start of an inning. It would be a mistake.

A tiring Bolton surrendered a leadoff single, and then a questionable walk (the first pitch was a strike but called a ball by home plate umpire Nestor Ceja. The Astros did not challenge.) After a sacrifice bunt moved runners to 2nd and 3rd, Espada then summoned Weiss to come into a situation he isn’t used to – men on base mid-inning.

Weiss has primarily worked a s a starter, and as a reliever come in to clean innings. This was Espada’s second miscalculation of the inning. It would only get worse from here.

Weiss would walk Kyle Karros to load the bases. A 2-run single by Edouard Julien would draw the Rockies with a run at 3-2.

Weiss would then seem to settle in, getting Mickey Moniak to pop up with Correa making a terrific catch against the netting for out number two. He would then get Hunter Goodman to ground to short for what should have been the third out.

Should have been.

Unfortunately for Weiss and the Astros, Pena seemed to misread the ball off the bat. His initial step was the wrong direction. What should have been a routine ground out became an RBI single and now the game was tied. The Rockies still has runners on the corners with 2 out.

The next batter was Troy Johnston. Weiss induced a soft grounder up the middle that Pena waited for behind the bag instead of charging. The ball hit the second base bag and caromed over Pena’s head. It would wind up scored a double and an RBI, and the Rockies would take a 4-3 lead.

T.J Rumfield would clear the bases with a 2-run triple to left center field that Jake Meyers (who was shaded to right center) couldn’t run down, and then over ran the ball. Joey Loperfido, backing up the play from left, had to field the ball and throw it in. It was now 6-3 Rockies.

Willi Castro would follow with an RBI single and the nightmare inning continued, it was now 7-3 Colorado.

Brenton Doyle would then ground to short to seemingly end the inning, but Pena dropped the ball for an error, and everyone was safe.

It was the third time Weiss should have been out of the inning.

This inning should've ended five batters ago. Ryan Weiss has gotten three inning-ending ground balls.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 7, 2026

Jake McCarthy would walk to load the bases before a single by Karros would drive in the Rockies 8th run of the inning. Julien would fly to left to finally end the nightmare, but not before the Rockies turned a 3-0 deficit into an 8-3 lead.

Here’s all the ugliness in one video.

AN 8 RUN INNING‼️ pic.twitter.com/R6KVgBNUkd

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 7, 2026

The Astros would try to claw their way back into the game. In the top of the 6th, they had bases loaded and only one out. A sacrifice fly by Loperfido would make it an 8-4 game, but that’s all the Astros would get.

In the bottom of the inning, Johnston would take an inside sweeper off the plate from Weiss 407 feet to right for a solo homer, and a 9-4 Colorado lead.

In the top of the 7th, a one-out double by Pena and a two-out single by Altuve would generate a run, making it a 9-5 game.

In the 8th, Walker would lead off with a base hit, and Smith would follow with a double, giving the Astros two runners in scoring position with no out. An RBI groundout by Loperfido would make the score 9-6 and push Smith to 3rd. Yainer Diaz would follow with a single to drive in Cam to make it 9-7.

Chippin' away! pic.twitter.com/DyPwiOo8hs

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 7, 2026

A Meyers double would give the Astros 2 runners in scoring position again, this time with one out, but they would fail to cash in. Pena would fly out to right. Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked, and then Altuve would ground out to end the inning.

Juan Mejia would get the Astros 1-2-3 in the 9th to earn his first Save of the season and second save of his career.

Houston fell to 6-5 with the loss.

The Astros look to get back in the win column Tuesday with Mike Burrows on the mound, opposed by the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland.

You know the story of the 2025 Cincinnati Reds. They found a way to keep their record just above the .500 mark, slipped into the playoffs as the final Wild Card in the National League, and were promptly bounced in two games by the future World Series champs.

They got their on the backs of their pitching – namely, their starting rotation, which was stellar all year long. Their offense, though, was simply lackluster at best. A guy who played on a bum thigh and slugged .373 with 4 homers over his final 83 games (360 PA) still managed to lead the team in homers.

Looking back at the statcast data for that club, you’ll find that the numbers backed up what we all watched. It never looked like the Reds hit the ball hard, and they certainly didn’t hit the ball over the fence much. Per statcast, only two teams hit the ball softer in terms of average exit velocity, the Reds mark of 88.6 mph worsted only by Cleveland and Houston. Their 99.2 EV50 was also second to last, their number of balls hit over 95 mph third worst.

We all hoped 2026 would be different. Cincinnati, too, certainly hoped so, and went out and added Eugenio Suarez to help bring some much needed thump. They also knew Elly De La Cruz would have a more healthy thigh to begin this year, while the likes of Tyler Stephenson and Matt McLain would be further removed from debilitating oblique problems. Plus, there’d be Sal Stewart in the lineup from the get-go, and we all know Sal smokes the ball as often as anyone.

So far, the evolution of Cincinnati’s offense into a more powerful one looks to be working.

In the extremely small sample size that is the season’s first 10 games, the Reds rank 4th in average exit velocity so far at 90.7 mph. That’s a jump of over 2 mph off last year’s dismal mark, and their 100.2 mph EV50 ranks 5th in the game. Individually, each of Stephenson (95.2 mph avg, 10th overall), De La Cruz (95.0 mph, 12th), and Stewart (93.8 mph, 28th) rank in the Top 30 in the game, and only the Kansas City Royals can make a claim of having three of their hitters all ranked that high.

The runs have yet to come, but the process seems to be impactful already.

The Cincinnati Reds are once again hitting the crud out of the ball.

This will be your weekly look at the hottest prospects in the system, highlighting the top performers at the plate and on the mound. Here’s the first hotlist.

Who’s Hot At The Plate?

Kevin Alvarez – While it’s only been two games for one of the Astros top prospects, Alvarez has looked the part. He went 4-for-9 with a double, 2 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases. Great start for him.

Alejandro Nunez – Nunez is starting off the year back in Asheville after a solid 2025, and he’s off to a nice start this year. In two games, he is 3-for-8 with a double, home runs and 5 runs batted in.

Max Holy – Holy doesn’t provide a ton of power, but he gets on bases and steals bases, and he’s done that so far this year. In just two games, the 23-year-old has five walks and three stolen bases.

Shay Whitcomb – All Whitcomb does is hit in the minors, and this year is no different. He’s played in six Triple-A games and is hitting .308 with a doubles, 2 home runs, 7 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases.

Who’s Hot On The Mound?

Spencer Arrighetti – Arrighetti has made two starts for Sugar Land and to this point he hasn’t gone deep, but he’s been dominant. He’s tossed 8.1 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit while striking out 13.

Miguel Ullola – Ullola has also made two starts and been dominant so far. He’s totaled 9.2 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 15 batters. A good start for him.

Cole Hertzler – Hertzler has battled injuries in his pro career but now he’s healthy and performing well. In his one start this week, Hertzler struck out 5 over 4.2 scoreless innings for Asheville.

Gabel Pentecost – Pentecost, a 6th round pick from last year, made his pro debut this week. The right-hander struck out 7 batters over 4 scoreless innings while allowing just 2 hits.

Javier Perez – Perez was a choice of mine to breakout and he performed well in week one. In his first outing, the right-hander went 4 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit while striking out 8.

Brett Gillis – Gillis has also battled some injuries but appears to be healthy now and had a nice Double-A debut. The right-hander struck out 5 over 4 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits in his outing for the Hooks.

Jesus Carrera – Carrera has one thing the rest don’t have to this point, a no-hit streak. In his one outing this week, the 21-year-old tossed 4 no-hit innings while racking up 4 strikeouts.

Hayden Senger

Week: 5 G, 17 AB, .412/.474/1.000, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB, .500 BABIP (Triple-A)

Season: 5 G, 17 AB, .412/.474/1.000, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB, .500 BABIP (Triple-A)

If these trends continue, Hayden Senger is on his way to being the greatest hitting catcher of all time. Odds are, these trends are not going to continue, but that sure would be fun, wouldn’t it? Hayden Senger isn’t exactly a guy who is known for his bat; in 46 games in Syracuse last season, he hit .218/.268/.339 with 5 home runs and in 2024, he hit .252/.323/.401 in 46 games with 3 home runs. At this rate, if Senger plays 46 games this year, he is on pace for roughly 27 long balls, and if he plays an entire season, he is on pace for roughly 84.

The 29-year-old was drafted back in 2018 out of Miami University of Ohio and in the first few years of his professional tenure with the Mets, was getting roughly a full-time catcher’s load, averaging 85 games in 2019, 2022, and 2023 and playing 61 in the COVID-delayed 2021 season. When he made it to the upper levels of the minor league ladder, it became apparent that his bat was a bit too anemic for the levels and he lost out on a lot of playing time, primarily relegated to back-up catching duties. Last season, he got a quick cup-of-coffee when Francisco Alvarez began the season hurt, but Luis Torrens eventually emerged as the better of the pair due to his better bat.

Barring the unlikely chance that Senger is a .412/.474/1.000 hitter from now until September, it is likely that the backstop will remain in the role that he’s settled into over the last few years. Better performance in Syracuse may buy him some more playing time, and depending on how well he does, could even theoretically get him some Major League playing time if certain factors line up, but we know who the “minor league veteran” is at this point, and his strength lies in his defense, ability to handle a pitching staff, and his baseball intangibles, not his bat. A random outlier season is obviously possible, but odds are, Senger will regress to the type of organizational guy you want in your system for everything else he brings to the table except his bat.

Cam Tilly

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (Single-A)

2025 Season: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 1 BB, 6 K, .000 BABIP (Double-A)

Not bad for your first professional game. Toeing the rubber for the St. Lucie Mets against the Palm Beach Cardinals in his first ever start as a member of the New York Mets organization, the 22-year-old right-hander threw five no-hit innings, walking one and striking out six. Tilly was drafted last season out of Auburn, where he threw two uninspiring seasons primarily in relief. The Mets selected him in the seventh round and he signed for $397,500, roughly $150,000 over the MLB-assigned slot value of $254,000 for the 223rd overall pick.

Based on reports and evaluations at the time, the 6’2”, 205-pound right-hander possessed a four-pitch repertoire featuring a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, and splitter. His fastball sat in the mid-90s fastball, topping out at 97 MPH, and featured high spin rates and above-average vertical induced break. His slider sat in the low-80s and featured spin rates in excess of 3,000 RPM, giving it late gyroscopic slice. His curveball sat in the upper-70s and also featured high spin rates, but lacked the bite that his slider possesses. His splitter sat in the low-to-mid-80s and featured late tumble. In a vacuum, all of his pitches looked good, but the right-hander had trouble commanding them, partially due to the break on them and partially because of the crossfire in his three-quarter delivery.

Looking at statcast data from his start for better clarity about Tilly as a pitcher, he utilized a four-seam fastball (19 pitches, 39%), changeup (10 pitches, 20%), cutter (8 pitches, 16%), slider (7 pitches, 14%), and curveball (5 pitches, 10%). His fastball was thrown for a 78% Strike Rate, his changeup was thrown for a 70% Strike Rate, his cutter was thrown for a 63% Strike Rate, his slider was thrown for a 57% Strike Rate and his curveball was thrown for a 20% Strike Rate. His fastball drew the most swings and misses, with a 60% Whiff Rate, while his curveball did not cause any swings and misses.

His fastball averaged 92.2 MPH, sitting between 89.9 MPH and 93.7 MPH. It averaged 2,420 RPM, ranging between 2,300 RPM and 2,540 RPM, giving the pitch an elite 19 inches of induced vertical break and 10 inches of horizontal movement. His cutter averaged 85.6 MPH, sitting between 84.5 MPH and 86.3 MPH. It averaged 2,520 RPM, ranging between 2,450 RPM and 2,600 RPM, giving the pitch 4 inches of horizontal jerk.

His changeup averaged 84.8 MPH, sitting between 83.3 MPH and 86.1 MPH. It averaged 910 RPM, ranging between 750 RPM and 1,090 RPM, giving the pitch 34 inches of vertical drop and 12 inches of horizontal hop.

His slider averaged 82.7 MPH, sitting between 80.8 MPH and 85 MPH. It averaged 2,710 RPM, ranging between 2,540 RPM and 2,880 RPM, giving the pitch 36 inches of vertical drop and 10 inches of horizontal slice. His curveball averaged 80.4 MPH, sitting between 79.8 MPH and 80.9 MPH. It averaged 2,810 RPM, ranging between 2,740 RPM and 2,895 RPM, giving the pitch 43 inches of vertical drop and 14 inches of horizontal break.

As is the case with any pitcher, these numbers and trends may change throughout the year, as Tilly is still not only a developing player, but it is literally the beginning of his baseball journey.

Players of the Week 2025

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly

This, clearly, is not good news about Cubs right-hander Cade Horton:

**Breaking News** Per @JesseRogersESPN on Kap and JHood on @Espn1000 Cubs star Cade Horton will visit Dr. Keith Meister in Texas today after his MRI was not clean and not good. Trending down a bad path.

— David Kaplan (@thekapman) April 7, 2026

While we don’t hav any definitive information yet, a “not clean and not good” MRI is certainly not positive news. We’ll just have to wait until we get more news after Horton visits Dr. Meister.

Horton has already had one Tommy John surgery. Having a second one isn’t great, but pitchers can and do recover from those and are still productive. If it happens, it would mean Horton would miss the rest of 2026.

Justin Steele went down the same road. He’d had a previous TJS, had another one last year and will be returning soon. The Cubs were able to win 92 games without Steele. Losing Horton would be a big blow, but the Cubs do have some starting pitcher depth. That depth is about to be tested.

Let’s hope for good news instead of bad. As always, we await developments.

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be credentialed for the Nats series against the Dodgers. That gave me a level of access I have not had before. Being in the press box, down on the field for batting practice and in the locker room gives me a new perspective to share with Nats fans.

It was a very cool experience, and was a dream come true. However, I was there to do a job. When you get there, the first real activity is to go into the locker room. Honestly, you spend a lot of the 50 minutes you get just lingering and observing. 

I chatted with some players there, which was awesome. When I went up to talk to Gus Varland, he was almost amused, asking how much he had to pay me for an interview. The conversation I had with him made up the meat of the story we put up a couple days ago. 

After that, there is a pre-game press conference with Blake Butera. One of the questions I asked him during those was why he wanted James Wood in the leadoff spot. Butera responded to that by saying, “James is one of the best hitters on our team and one of the best hitters in the league. When you talk about your best hitters, over the course of the season, you want to get them up to bat as much as possible”. Over the past couple games, Butera’s faith in Wood at the top of the lineup has been rewarded.

I enjoy Butera press conferences. He gives thoughtful answers and really tries to answer the questions. After that loss in the home opener, Butera was clearly pretty disappointed. The first thing he did was thank the fans and almost apologize to them as well. That was in the press conference after the game.

One of the coolest parts of the day is going down on the field for batting practice. You are right there and can even sit in the dugout. Being in the dugout was a bit of a pinch me moment. On the first day, Paul Toboni was available for questions. He held court for a bit over 15 minutes, and answered a variety of questions. There is even a photo from that scrum where you can see me.

Paul Toboni before his 1st Opening Day on the job at #Nationals Park pic.twitter.com/5mvT7ZIBXJ

— Nats Chat Podcast (@Nats_Chat) April 3, 2026

I asked Toboni a couple questions. The first one was about Joey Wiemer, and how he would characterize him as a player and person. Toboni called Wiemer a “high energy guy” and a “great teammate”.  

The other question I asked was about Harry Ford. Despite the Nats having a need behind the plate, Ford, who the Nats traded for this offseason, did not do enough to win a job out of camp. Toboni gave an honest answer, which I appreciated.

He stressed that Ford needed to work on his defense. The Nats new President of Baseball Operations said he wanted Ford to show he can be an average or above average receiver over a decent sample of games. Defense was a question mark for Ford in Seattle, and clearly the Nats new regime still has some questions about it as well.

Toboni also emphasized Ford’s youth as a factor in the decision. Despite the fact he has been on top 100 lists for years at this point, Ford is still just 23 years old. I got the sense that Toboni believes in Ford, but did not quite think he was there yet.

Another exciting thing about this experience is you get to see some of the tools the Nats are using. Before one of the games, the Nats had a pitching machine out at shortstop and it was feeding balls on a hop to the first baseman. It was enlightening to see them actually putting the work in.

The Nats have a machine set up at shortstop that delivers throws on a hop to Nationals first baseman so they can work on their scoops pic.twitter.com/bEouGeIOhS

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) April 4, 2026

This season, I will be going to a good chunk of the home games to cover them. I feel like it is important to have this access to help give you guys the best information I can. Seeing what happens on the inside will help me give you guys a better idea of what is going on.

It is also a lot of fun to be in there and experience what it is like to be inside a locker room. However, as I mentioned, I am there to do a job. This will give me new information and perspective, but I will not allow myself to be soft either. Getting this intel is all about giving you guys a better idea about what is going on with the Washington Nationals.

What’s particularly frustrating about the Red Sox horrific start is that you can’t just point to one aspect of the game that the team is struggling with and hope for some positive regression in the near future. The sad fact of the matter is that the Red Sox are finding all sorts of different ways to lose baseball games. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Last night, those different ways included a Manny Ramirez-esque defensive play by Roman Anthony out in left field. Anthony’s arm isn’t injured, but clearly something isn’t right. Alex Cora says the issue is mechanics, while Anthony says “It’s just a mix of everything. But at the end of the day, it’s a simple play. It’s got to be at least competitive. And it wasn’t, again. So it’s terrible.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

At least the offense has woken up a little bit lately. Caleb Durbin had his best day at the plate as a Red Soxer last night (that’s right, I’m going with Red Soxer), notching two hits and scoring his first run with Boston. And his old manager in the opposite dugout hasn’t given up on him: “You can get down on him if you want.The fans can boo him. You can do whatever you want to do. But Caleb Durbin is a winner in every sense of the word.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

I thought we left those empty “winning ballplayer” platitudes behind back when David Eckstein retired. I guess I was wrong about that, but whether or not you want to insist that Caleb Durbin has some innately magical winning qualities, you can’t deny that he he hasn’t been helping the Red Sox win in 2026. And while we all know how April baseball works, it’s getting harder and harder to say “it’s early” given the historical record: “ [T]he Red Sox are the 187th team to lose at least eight of their first 10 games [since 1903]. Of the first 186, just 12 (6.5 percent) reached the postseason.” (Alex Speier Boston Globe)

With the playoffs threatening to slip out of sight before we even reach Patriots Day, it’s no wonder that the vibes inside the ballpark are ugly. Alex Cora, though, takes no issue with the boos that have rained down on his team this season: “Right now, we deserve whatever they’re thinking. We’re not playing good baseball, and we know it.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

And it’s not just boos that are ringing around Fenway. The last two losses have featured audible chants of “sell the team.” And regardless of what you think about that stance, you have to admit that this is hilarious:

tell me the captions changing "sell the team" to "hello team" isn't the funniest thing in the world pic.twitter.com/k99kzQ2RCo

— Dan Secatore (@DanSecatore) April 7, 2026

Maybe a good old fashioned baseball brawl will wake them up? Willson Contreras certainly seems ready for one: “It’s not just the hit by pitch. That’s the 24th time they’ve hit me in my career — 24th. That’s the sixth time [Woodruff] has hit me. And they always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you.’ That gets old. So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s a message.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

The Detroit Tigers opened up their four-game road series at the Minnesota Twins on Monday night with a 7-3 loss. Casey Mize struggled in the frigid temperatures, while the bats also went cold.

Tuesday night offers an opportunity to knot things up with the Twinkies behind the best left-handed pitcher in the world, Tarik Skubal. So far, the southpaw has been nearly lights out, but unfortunately, that has not prevented him from being saddled with a loss already.

Hopefully, the offense can come alive behind the two-time consecutive Cy Young Award winner. But this is expected to be another cold one, with the high today reaching only 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Twinkies will be sending right-hander Taj Bradley, who has looked just as good as Skubes statistically so far in an extremely limited sample size. Here is how those two match up on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers (4-6) vs. Minnesota Twins (4-6)

Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. ET
Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 11: LHP Tarik Skubal (1-1, 0.69 ERA) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (1-0, 0.87 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Skubal	2	13.0	19.1	0.0	47.4	2.80	0.3
Bradley	2	10.1	27.9	9.3	37.0	2.03	0.4

SKUBAL

BRADLEY

Dodgers minor league outfielder James Tibbs III ran roughshod over the Pacific Coast League in his first nine games in Triple-A, and on Monday was named Pacific Coast League player of the week.

In six games against Las Vegas, Tibbs had 10 hits in 25 at-bats with five home runs, a double, four walks, nine runs scored, and five runs bated in (yes, all five home runs were solo shots), hitting .400/.483/1.040.

The highlight for Tibbs came Saturday night, when he hit three home runs, just the 14th such game for Oklahoma City in its current Bricktown Era, dating back to 1998.

JAMES TIBBS III GOES YARD FOR THE THIRD, YES THIRD TIME TONIGHT‼️

We’re not sure what he ate this morning but we're going to make sure he does it again tomorrow 😅 pic.twitter.com/zSvnkOvWoH

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 5, 2026

Adding in the opening weekend for Oklahoma City, Tibbs has been on fire for nine games now, hitting .474/.535/1.184 with a 336 wRC+, seven home runs, four doubles, a triple, five walks, 13 runs batted in, and 15 runs scored for the Oklahoma City Comets.

Tibbs so far this season already has three games with three extra-base hits, and another game with two extra-base hits. If you took away all of Tibbs’ singles, his extra-base hits alone (12 in all) would rank seventh in the minors in hits.

His seven home runs in nine games match his total in 36 games with Double-A Tulsa last season after the Dodgers acquired Tibbs and outfielder Zach Ehrhard from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline for pitcher Dustin May.

The 23-year-old Tibbs tops the entire minor leagues in runs scored (15), hits (18), extra-base hits (12), total bases (45), and is tied with veteran Patrick Wisdom — now with the Mariners in Triple-A Tacoma — with those seven home runs.

Tibbs on Monday topped Baseball America’s list of hottest prospects to start the season, with Geoff Pontes adding, “Tibbs has been revitalized with the Dodgers and is now on the cusp of the majors. How long can he keep up this burner?”

Tuesday schedule

• 3:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes at West Michigan (Tigers)
• 4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City vs. Round Rock (Rangers)
• 4:35 p.m.: Tulsa at Springfield (Cardinals)
• 6:35 p.m.: Ontario at Inland Empire (Mariners)

After balancing a three-game losing streak with a three-game winning streak during their seven-game road trip, the Mets (6-4) return home to face the Diamondbacks (5-5). New York and Arizona split the six games they played in 2025, with the road team taking two out of three in each series.

The Mets visited the Bay Area and escaped with a series win against the Giants, as they dropped the opener but bounced back with three consecutive wins before their flight home. The series opener was not pretty, as David Peterson was roughed up in a 7-2 loss. The offense was listless for a third straight game, going 5-for-30 on the evening while going hitless in three at-bats with RISP. Sean Manaea was able to spare the bullpen, piggy backing off Peterson 4 1/3 innings with 3 2/3 innings of his own. His velocity remained down, but he only allowed one run.

The offense finally showed up and propelled New York to three straight victories, 10-3 on Friday, 9-0 on Saturday, and 5-2 on Sunday. The biggest negative from the weekend was the team losing Juan Soto to a calf strain, which landed him on the injured list—he is expected to miss two to three weeks. His teammates picked up the slack in his absence, as the lineup had 10+ hits in all three games. As a whole, the team went 40-for-117 (.342) while going 17-f0r-40 (.425) with RISP. The highlights from the weekend include Francisco Alvarez’s multi-homer game and Marcus Semien’s first home run as a Met (both on Friday), Tyrone Taylor’s three-run shot on Saturday, and the team’s four-run eighth inning on Sunday to storm back for the victory.

A lot of the team’s success this year will depend on the development of the youngsters, and the Mets got split results on that front during the road trip. First, the good: the Mets saw the return of 2024 Mark Vientos, which is a really welcome development . Entering this season off a rough spring and a tenuous grasp on a roster spot, he has looked terrific at the plate and has even played an acceptable first base. During the team’s road trip, he slashed .450/.500/.700 with one homer, five runs, four runs batted in, and a team-leading 243 wRC+ and 0.4 fWAR. Francisco Alvarez also had a solid road trip, hitting two homers and slashing .278/.316/.667 with a 176 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR.

Now the bad: Brett Baty, after a strong opening weekend, posted a 41 wRC+ while hitting .200/.200/.300 in 20 plate appearances. His versatility has still proven to be a huge boost for the team, especially with Soto out of the lineup, but the team will need more production from him going forward to fill the void. Then there’s Carson Benge, who finished the trip with a -8 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR as he hit .100/.182/.100 during the road trip. He has really struggled. He had just two hits in his 20 at-bats and really looked overmatched at the plate, and has for much of his time in the majors. With Soto out, however, it’s unlikely that he goes anywhere.

The Diamondbacks have had a weird season so far. They were swept by the Dodgers, turned around and swept the Tigers, then lost their first two to the Braves before winning the next two, making them the quintessential .500 team. Even funnier yet, they were outscored 19-2 in the first two games but then prevailed in two one-run affairs to secure the split.

The Diamondbacks are paced by Corbin Carroll, who has gotten off to a torrid start in 2026. The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .313/.410/.656 on the young season, with two homers, nine runs batted in, and seven runs scored. The two-time All-Star also leads Arizona with a 190 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR. Ildemaro Vargas, in his third stint with Arizona, has gotten off to a red hot start, hitting .545/.583/1.091 with a 360 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR in his four games.

Tuesday, April 7: Freddy Peralta vs. Zac Gallen, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY

Peralta (2026): 10.1 IP, 14 K, 2 BB, 2 HR, 4.35 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 116 ERA-

Peralta fared better in his second Mets’ start than he did in his first one. On the road against the Cardinals, the right-hander limited St. Louis to one earned run over 5 1/3 innings as he settled for a no decision—he left with a lead, but Huascar Brazobán coughed it up by allowing an inherited runner to score. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out seven while throwing 92 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.

Gallen (2026): 10.0 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 3.60 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 92 ERA-

Gallen followed up a subpar first outing of 2026 (four innings, four earned runs, five hits against the Dodgers) with a tremendous second start (six shutout innings, four hits against the Tigers. He did not walk a batter, but he only struck out two batters, the same number he punched out in his first start as well. Gallen will look to build upon that start against the Mets, a team against which he’s posted a 3.07 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 44 innings against nine career starts.

Wednesday, April 8: David Peterson vs. TBD, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY

Peterson (2026): 9.2 IP, 8 K, 4 BB, 0 HR, 4.66 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 124 ERA-

After 5 1/3 shutout innings in his season debut, Peterson took a huge step back in his second outing against the Giants. He served up six runs (five earned) on nine hits while lasting just 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five, walked three, and put the team behind early by allowing three in the first innings. Peterson is still an enigma after faltering in the second half of last season following an All-Star first half, and with free agency approaching at year’s end, he’ll need more starts like his debut to show his value both to the Mets and teams around the league.

TBD

The Diamondbacks have not announced a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game.

Thursday, April 9: Nolan McLean vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY

McLean (2026): 10.1 IP, 12 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 2.61 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 70 ERA-

McLean was terrific in his last outing, storming out of the gate with five perfect innings before tiring out in the sixth and getting chased from the game. He allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned). After striking out eight in his debut, he only recorded four strikeouts in this one, and he walked two, matching his number from his first outing of the year.

Rodriguez (2026): 12.0 IP, 8 K, 3 BB, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 0 ERA-

Rodriguez has stormed out of the gate this year, not allowing an earned run in either one of his outings. In his debut against the Dodgers, he held L.A. to one unearned run on four hits over five innings. He followed that up with a tremendous effort, shutting out the Braves over seven innings of four-hit ball, though his offense did him no favors as they failed to score a run. He has struggled against the Mets in his career, pitching to a 6.21 ERA in 21 2/3 innings against New York.

Diamondbacks News

First, a PSA that the start times for tonight’s and Wednesday’s games have been moved up to 1pm Arizona time due to expected cold weather.

10 Diamondbacks takeaways from the opening 10 games of the season by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

“Going 5-2 with an offense that’s kind of struggling a little bit. … We got pitching heavy in those wins and that carried us. So, we handed off to one another. When it starts to fire on all cylinders, that’s when we’re gonna really take off,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

Ten games in, and the Diamondbacks are in second place in the National League West with a tough road trip ahead at the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. Here are 10 early takeaways from 10 games played.

Diamondbacks Veteran Pitcher Elects Free Agency by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

Former Arizona Diamondbacks right-hand reliever Joe Ross has elected free agency, according to the transaction logs on his MLB player page. 

Ross had previously been designated for assignment, but he ultimately cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Reno. He will now test his market.

Taking stock of the D-backs through 10 games by Jesse Borek [DBacks.com]

That was some first week and a half of D-backs baseball, wasn’t it? Manager Torey Lovullo’s club has played five one-run games already, tied for the most in the Majors. Arizona also has had a pair of games decided by two runs, giving its 5-5 record a mixed bag type of feel.

D-backs fans are keenly aware of how imperative every game on the schedule can be when it comes to the chance to participate in October, and that it often takes players beyond the current 26-man group. As the team flies East to embark on a nine-game road trip in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore that opens Tuesday, it’s time to take stock of where things stand after five wins and five losses.

Opposing Hitters Are Watching Michael Soroka, And So Can You! by Michael Baumann [FanGraphs] {Ed. Note: Great article on Soroka worth reading the whole thing, but I want to provide the conclusion of the article here as it provides what may be a factor in the race for the final rotation slot. When looking at batted ball metrics, Soroka has been VERY lucky and Pfaadt has been equally unlucky. Do you think this will impact the race for fifth starter spot?}

Of the 24 batted balls Soroka has allowed through two starts, 11 have come off the bat at 95 mph or higher, and 12 (mostly, but not entirely the same ones) have had an xBA of .400 or higher. But Soroka is either scattering those dangerous batted balls, or his extremely fast outfield is turning them into outs. He has allowed six batted balls with a four-digit xSLG; three of those landed in the glove of either Alek Thomas or Corbin Carroll. There is no substitute for an army of little fast guys.

So we arrive at the disappointing, and yet highly predictable, conclusion to any analysis of a surprising pitcher two starts into the season: We’ll see. Soroka has looked good (and, more rarely and importantly, healthy) so far this year, though the quality of contact allowed and continued lack of swing-and-miss stuff mean we’re probably in for a regression. It’s April; what else did you expect?

Around the League

Hit 24 times by Brewers pitches, Willson Contreras is fed up by Adam McCalvy [MLB]

“We’ve been through this – it’s, what, nine years for me? – it seems like every year,” said Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff. “He’s trying to play a game and he’s trying to get his side fired up. Once I knew what was going on, I wasn’t going to let it affect me on the mound. I knew I had a job to do.”

If the Brewers weren’t backing down, neither was Contreras.

He’s tired of getting buzzed by Brewers pitchers.

“They always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you.’ That gets old,” Contreras said. “So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s the message.”

MLB 2026 watchability index: Ranking most fun teams to watch by David Schoenfield [ESPN]

16. Arizona Diamondbacks (21.5 points)

Star power: 10 | Young talent: 2 | Baseball stuff: 7

Bonus (2.5): +1 for Geraldo Perdomo supplanting Ketel Marte as the most underrated player in baseball, +1 for Corbin Carroll legging out a triple, +0.5 for the “Serpientes” City Connect jerseys

The big three of Carroll, Marte and Perdomo make the Diamondbacks an entertaining watch. They should be a better defensive team this year with Nolan Arenado and Carlos Santana, but the two vets have struggled mightily out of the gate at the plate (one extra-base hit and one RBI through the first 10 games), and that’s not so fun. Zac Gallen has always been one of my favorite pitchers to watch, but his best days might be behind him, as well. Jordan Lawlar is Arizona’s one key young player, but he just fractured his right wrist.

Small Improvements With Big Playoff Implications by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]. {Ed. Note: Spoiler alert -Diamondbacks stand to add the second-most to their playoff odds in the entire leagueby upgrading their weakest position (1B, of course) to league average.}

Last week, Dan Szymborski looked at how much a team’s fortunes can change in the first month of the season. That old truism – you can’t win the World Series in April, but you can lose it – turns out to, in fact, be true. Dan’s research found that even teams we think are good – those projected to win 90 or more games – had meaningfully worse results after a bad April, even if their actual talent remained the same. 

In other words, those early losses really do count. But I like to look at things from a glass-half-full perspective, so my takeaway was that there’s still plenty of time to fix a bad start, because it’s still early in the season. But how to fix it? That’s a trickier question. Luckily, “that’s a tricky question” is just FanGraphs for “that’s a fun thing to write an article about,” so I’ve got answers for you.

Mets Place Juan Soto on Injured List by Darragh McDonald [MLB Trade Rumors]

The Mets announced that outfielder Juan Soto has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. The move is retroactive to April 4th but the club also announced the typical return timeline as two to three weeks. Infielder Ronny Mauricio has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding move.

The Margins That Win Or Lose Baseball Games by Michael McDermott [Mike’s Hardball Blueprint]

In my very short time covering the Arizona Diamondbacks as credentialed media, manager Torey Lovullo constantly talked about winning the margins in games. Obviously, when you think of margin, a one-run game will be the first thing that comes to mind since runs are the deciding margins for who wins and loses. 

But that’s not what Lovullo has ever implied when saying as such. It’s less about the score and finding a way to execute in big situations. A common term he uses is “push moments,” situations that will decide the flow of the game.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Is it dramatic to suggest that last night’s Orioles game against the White Sox was a must-win? Probably. But if the O’s had followed up an ugly sweep in Pittsburgh by losing to the two-time reigning worst team in the American League, even the most level-headed fans among us might have thrown their TVs out the window.

Fortunately, it didn’t happen. The O’s escaped the opener in the Windy City with a 2-1 victory to snap their three-game losing streak. Their record is now 4-6, which isn’t good but somehow ties them for third place in the AL East. Brandon Young, fresh up from the minors for his season debut, played the hero with five shutout innings of work, immediately making him the second-best starter on the Orioles. Gunnar Henderson hit a massive dinger. Ryan Helsley overcame control problems in the ninth to strand the tying and winning runs on base. Check out Stacey’s recap for the full breakdown of the action.

Was it the kind of game that will make anyone feel better about the Orioles? No, not really. The O’s offense again was utterly inept aside from the Henderson homer. Their only other run scored on a routine fly ball that fell in for a single when Austin Hays strained his hamstring on the play. The O’s went hitless with runners in scoring position, grounded into two double plays, and struck out seven times (three by Henderson) with just one walk. Tyler O’Neill failed to hustle on the Hays play, settling in at first base when he should have easily been on second. There was plenty of the typical O’s sloppiness, and you get the feeling that the Birds wouldn’t have been so fortunate to win if they’d been playing against a better team.

Still, a win is a win, and the Orioles will gladly take one however they can get it. They’ve got two more games to try to keep taking advantage of the White Sox. A reminder that today’s game has been moved up to a 3:10 ET start time rather than 7:40 in hopes of avoiding the bitter cold that’s sweeping through Chicago. Trevor Rogers will start for the Orioles against 2025 All-Star Shane Smith.

The O’s have yet to win two games in a row this season. Maybe today is the day that changes.

Links

Young’s solid start just what O’s need with rotation in flux – MLB.com

Kudos again to Young, who delivered in the clutch when many Orioles fans (OK, myself included) were expecting nothing.

Singley on Rutschman: “I think he’s getting to show a little bit of who he truly is” – School of Roch

Based on last night’s game alone, I don’t know who Adley is. He went 0-for-3 and committed a throwing error, but also hustled into a run and threw out two base stealers. The guy is all over the place.

Orioles reliever Dietrich Enns lands on injured list after hospital trip for foot infection – The Baltimore Banner

Craig Albernaz described Enns’ foot as “pretty gnarly.” I believe that’s a medical term.

Would a .500 record on May 1st be a bad sign for the Orioles? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

A bad sign? At this point I’d kill for it.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two former Orioles: right-hander Ricky Bones (57) and the late Baltimore-born righty Tom Phoebus (b. 1942, d. 2019), who threw a no-hitter for his hometown team in 1968. I’ll also give an honorable mention to fellow Maryland native Josh Hader (32), who isn’t technically a former Oriole but started his pro career in the O’s system before being traded as a prospect for Bud Norris.

On this date in 1977, a 20-year-old designated hitter named Eddie Murray made his major league debut for the Orioles, going 1-for-4. His first career hit was a seventh-inning single off the Rangers’ Bert Blyleven. Murray went on to win AL Rookie of the Year that season on his way to an incredible 21-year MLB career that led him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (where he was later joined by Blyleven). The Orioles’ starting pitcher in Murray’s debut was another Hall of Famer, Jim Palmer. Quite the star-studded affair.

Random Orioles game of the day

Despite popular demand, it’s the return of the Random Orioles Game of the Day feature. I’ll use a random number generator to pick a season from Orioles history and check out how they fared on this date. Today’s random year is: 2023. Ooh, that was a good year.

On April 7, 2023, the Orioles beat the Yankees in a 7-6 barnburner in their home opener at Camden Yards. In front of a sellout crowd of 45,017, the O’s took a 4-0 lead, then fell behind 5-4, then tied the game on an Adley Rutschman RBI single in the sixth and took the lead on a Ramón Urías double in the seventh. Félix Bautista allowed the potential tying run to get to third base in the ninth before nailing down the final out. It was a great start for an Orioles team that ultimately was 17 games above .500 at home that year.