Chase Meidroth leads off again tonight, hoping to get on base and cross home plate a few times. | (Getty Images)
The White Sox will get a first look at division rival, the Royals, and at a (hopefully) good time. Kansas City just dropped two of three against the Guardians, losing 10-2 yesterday.
Chicago made several moves ahead of this series. Two pitchers, Duncan Davitt and Brandon Eisert, have been recalled. The team also added Chris Murphy to the 15-day injured list with left elbow impingement syndrome.
After celebrating his first major league strikeout and introducing his entire family and pregnant wife (who missed work for Wednesday’s loss), Tyler Schweitzer was sent back down to Charlotte.
Anthony Kay is on the mound tonight for the visitors. Kay’s starts haven’t been awful, but they also haven’t been great. He maintains an ERA of 4.00, with five strikeouts, four earned runs, and six walks over nine innings. Chase Meidroth, who has been an on-base machine lately, remains at the top of the lineup.
Seth Lugo will start for the Royals. Lugo has one win under his belt so far, with 10 strikeouts over 11 innings. The lineup stays consistent, with plenty of big hitters ready to go.
You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CT.
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 08: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves looks on in the fifth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
How are we all faring on this first off day? Bored yet?
Jorge Polanco | (Photo: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images)
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reports that Jorge Polanco is getting the night off in the team’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, as the 32-year-old’s Achilles didn’t feel great after he played yesterday.
Billed as the Mets’ new first baseman when the team signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract in December, Polanco played the first two game of the season at the position before his Achilles issue arose. Since then, he’s served exclusively as a designated hitter, and he’s appeared in ten of the Mets’ twelve games thus far.
In 45 plate appearances, Polanco has hit .200/.289/.275 with no home runs and a 70 wRC+. Mendoza mentioned that the Mets might have to put him on the injured list at some point, but clearly the organization hasn’t made that decision quite yet.
For now, Francisco Alvarez will serve as the Mets’ DH in the series finale, while Luis Torrens gets the start at catcher. And Mark Vientos, who has gotten off to a stellar start at the plate this year, gets the start at first base for the fifth-straight game and the seventh time in the team’s past eight games.
Two Tigers outfielders were involved in a scary head-to-head collision Thursday, leaving one bloodied before he was carted off Minnesota’s Target Field.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 1-1 game, Twins slugger Josh Bell lifted a fly ball to left-center field as Riley Greene and Parker Meadows both chased down the potential out.
Meadows could not stop his momentum running from center field toward Greene — who made the catch — and collided with the Tigers’ All-Star.
Greene briefly fell to one knee, but Meadows collapsed to the grass on his back and stayed on the ground for several minutes as Greene and the medical staff, including athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks, checked on him.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows is helped off the field after a collision with left fielder Riley Greene during the eighth inning of baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, April 9, 2026.
AP
A streak of blood could be seen down Meadows’ left cheek.
Meadows, 26, remained on his back for several minutes before he sat up and was assisted into a golf cart, appearing dazed after the collision.
Meadows had gone 0-for-3 in three plate appearances before the injury.
A streak of blood could be seen down Meadows’ left cheek after the head-to-head collision. Getty Images
Parker Meadows is carted off the field after a nasty collision in the outfield with Riley Greene pic.twitter.com/5DCBp95WK9
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Meadows would remain at a Minneapolis hospital overnight and revealed that he bit his lip during the collision, per MLB.com.
“Obviously we’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me,” Hinch said.
Veteran Javier Báez moved from shortstop to center field in the wake of Meadows’ injury, while prized rookie Kevin McGonigle entered the game at shortstop.
Later in the eighth inning, Twins shortstop Brooks Lee delivered a go-ahead two-run single as the Twins defeated the Tigers 3-1.
Sep 23, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
For every move there is a corresponding one, and for the first time in this 2026 season, the Yankees will have to mess around with their 26-man roster, completing a move that had been on the cards ever since the start of the season. Luis Gil will join the starting rotation, marking the end of the four-man rotation. The presence of multiple off-days and the lack of a particularly encouraging spring training from Gil led the Yankees to this decision that paid off about as well as it could have, with the pitching staff as a whole starting the year in outstanding form.
To add Gil, the Yankees will need a corresponding move, removing one of their bullpen arms, raising the question of who that reliever will be. Although the answer seems pretty obvious in Cade Winquest to the point that it’d be surprising if he wasn’t the odd man out, that selection in and of itself opens up the door for an interesting conversation — how the Yankees have utilized their first Rule 5 pick in over a decade.
After eleven games, Winquest is the only Yankee pitcher on the active roster not to have appeared in a game yet, hence the high likelihood that he’ll return to his former team. However, the lack of appearances from Winquest is a byproduct of two things, neither of which has a lot to do with him necessarily: number one, the outstanding work by the starting rotation that often limits the number of innings the bullpen is asked to cover; and number two, the production from the relievers themselves. In order for Winquest to move up the leverage ladder, opening the year on the low end of the totem pole, someone must come down, and the candidates were few and far between.
From the outside looking in, perhaps one of the easiest candidates to create an opening, Brent Headrick, who came into this season looking to prove that the success he had in a short sample in 2025 was sustainable, has been outstanding, yet to allow a run in seven appearances, the most in baseball. The worst-performing reliever early on is Camilo Doval, who’ll earn a lot more rope as he tries to settle in, coming into this season slated to be one of the primary setup men behind Bednar. Fernando Cruz is a strikeout machine, Tim Hill is your lefty specialist, and both Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn are able to provide a bit more length as needed. Jake Bird’s numbers might not look great, but they’re all a product of one terrible outing against the Marlins; he’s otherwise been excellent.
As much as the argument might be that the Yankees could’ve made better use of this final roster spot over Winquest, there haven’t been many opportunities in which this team has missed an extra reliever. For all we know, the Yankees may still like Winquest enough after getting him in the building, but there haven’t been that many opportunities to get him in there — perhaps even in certain emergency scenarios. He’ll be on the chopping block out of necessity, but the decision to take a shot on him wasn’t a costly one and had its merits.
The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas got a head start on all the other San Diego Padres minor league affiliates, playing their first game the day after the parent club. The Double-A San Antonio Missions, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm didn’t get started until either April 2 or 3.
On April 2, San Antonio and Lake Elsinore kicked off their seasons with Fort Wayne joining on April 3. The Missions roster features top prospects catcher Ethan Salas, pitchers Miguel Mendez, Luis Gutierrez, Victor Lizarraga and Jagger Haynes as well as first baseman Romeo Sanabria who distinguished himself during the spring.
Lake Elsinore features many of the 2025 draft class, including top pick LHP Kruz Schoolcraft and two catchers, Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna. Shortstop Jorge Quintana, outfielder Kale Fountain and outfielder Ryan Wideman are other top prospects playing with the Storm.
Fort Wayne will feature LHP Kash Mayfield atop their rotation after his debut season last year with the Storm. Both pitchers Kannon Kemp and Jaxon Dalena will be with the TinCaps but start the year in Arizona, dealing with injury issues. RHP Clark Candiotti, formerly a starter last year with the Storm, has been put in the bullpen to start this season. Catcher Lamar King Jr. will catch as well as play first and DH. Physical standout Alex McCoy will man the outfield with Kavares Tears and Kasen Wells.
El Paso Chihuahuas
The Chihuahuas went 2-2 over their first four games and played six games total versus the Tacoma Rainiers from March 31 thru April 5 with a rainout that was made up as a doubleheader. They moved on to the Albuquerque Isotopes on April 7. Through the week they went 3-4 and played host to multiple Padres players on rehab assignments. Matt Waldron, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Griffin Canning and Sung-Mun Song are all working with the Chihuahuas for their rehabs.
Waldron turned in the best pitching performance as a starter, throwing seven innings over two starts with five hits and no runs allowed. He has no walks with nine strikeouts. Reliever Ethan Routzahn has a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 innings pitched for El Paso.
Outfielder Samad Taylor leads the team with a .333 batting average and has a .843 OPS. Outfielder Jase Bowen is slugging .722 with three homers and seven RBI and a 1.020 OPS.
San Antonio Missions
The Missions started their season versus the Tulsa Drillers for three games, losing two of three. RHP Victor Lizarrage started the first game with Miguel Mendez and Ian Koeing following. Mendez allowed three hits and a run over 3.2 innings
The Missions started a series versus the Corpus Christi Hooks with LHP Luis Gutierrez throwing four innings with two hits and a run getting five strikeouts in a loss. LHP Jagger Haynes only lasted 1.2 innings with three earned runs in a loss in the second game.
Closer Michael Flynn has pitched 1.2 innings over two games without allowing a hit.
Infielder Carson Tucker was signed by the Padres in the offseason after leaving the Cleveland Guardians system. A former first-round pick, the 24-year-old was released due to a significant injury history. He and infielder Luis Verdugo are leading the Missions with batting averages over .400 and an .OPS of 1.200 and 1.323 respectively.
Fort Wayne TinCaps
The TinCaps started their season against the Great Lakes Loons, going 1-2 for the three games. They were rained out on Saturday and played a doubleheader on Sunday. They are 1-4 overall.
LHP Kash Mayfield heads the rotation and pitched in the season opener for three innings with no runs allowed and 4 strikeouts. RHP Isaiah Lowe piggybacked with Mayfield and allowed one run in 3 innings of work. RHP Andrew Parra also only allowed a hit and a run in 4 innings in the first game of the doubleheader.
The next series against the Lansing Lugnuts began with a 4 inning performance from Maikel Miralles with one hit and 9 strikeouts in another loss. Reliever Braian Salazar has appeared in three games with one run allowed.
Catcher Carlos Rodriguez is hitting .364 with a .871 OPS. Outfielder Alex McCoy leads the team with two doubles and two RBI in a struggling early season offense.
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Storm started their season against the new team in the division, the Ontario Tower Buzzers. They won the first game with a good outing by Bryan Balzar over four innings and one run allowed with seven strikeouts. They lost the next two games with lefty Schoolcraft only lasting 1 inning in the second game and allowing four hits and six runs in 51 pitches with four walks. The Storm is 2-3 overall in the young season.
RHP Winyer Chourio started the series opener against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes with four innings and three hits with one run and six strikeouts. They won their second game against the Quakes with a bullpen game.
Jose Verdugo, 18, is making his US debut after playing last season in the DSL. He is hitting .385 with a .928 OPS. Catcher Ty Harvey leads the team with two doubles and four RBI.
The Padres minor league system saw three players retire before the start of the season. Pitchers Jared Kollar, Riley Pint and Carter Loewen all announced that they were leaving baseball.
Padres pitchers Humberto Cruz, rehabbing from ACL surgery, and Emmanuel Pinales have both been removed from all rosters due to legal issues involving them.
Alex Verdugo, the former major leaguer and minor league signee who began spring camp playing with the affiliate teams, has been placed in extended spring/Arizona Complex League for further work but could be in El Paso by mid-to-late April.
Catcher Blake Hunt, outfielder Tirso Ornelas and infielder Will Wagner all started the season on the IL.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 23: J.P. France #68 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 23, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros fans, at this point in the season, it doesn’t matter if you’re a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of fan, I’m here to tell you there is no need to panic.
Just like after the first series of the season, when I said it was far too soon to get worked up over a rough start, the message remains the same now. Take a breath. It’s early, and everything is still in front of this team. Unlike a lot of teams in MLB, you have replacements waiting in the wings to fill-in where necessary.
Let’s start with some context. The Astros are currently on the road, playing in Colorado, where the altitude is always a factor. That alone can skew performances, especially for a pitching staff that is still trying to find its footing. Then you go to the Athletics series, where the team is playing in a Triple-A ballpark, a place where the Astros have traditionally struggled, against an A’s offense that tends to perform better at home.
Despite all of that, the offense, aside from the last two games, has been outstanding. In fact, it’s been one of the best in the American League. That’s not something to overlook. You have a big picture example of the depth that I will be focusing on in this article, with what the infield has been able to overcome. Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa have been able to miss games and the runs and hits keep on coming. Christian Walker has been a huge bright spot and the best should still be yet to come.
When you check the standings, the bigger picture becomes even clearer. The Astros are only a game and a half behind the Texas Rangers entering play Thursday, and the Mariners, Angels and Athletics right now are all bunched up with the Astros. In other words, there’s no ground lost that can’t easily be made up no matter how bad it has looked lately.
Pitching Concerns Are Real, But Manageable
If there is a legitimate concern, it’s the pitching staff.
Bryan Abreu has struggled while trying to fill in for Josh Hader. The starting rotation, overall, has been mediocre at best.
But here’s the good news: help is on the way, and unlike many teams, there are options.
The Astros are approaching a stretch where they’ve already indicated a desire to move to a six-man rotation. That opens the door for several arms to step in and make an impact. With Cristian Javier now dealing with a shoulder issue and headed to the injured list, the opportunity becomes even more real for others.
No, this rotation may not currently feature the same level of established aces as last season with Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez leading the way, but it does have depth. And depth matters over the course of a long season.
Options, Options, Options
The Astros have several viable candidates ready to contribute.
J.P. France has already been called up and is expected to start during the Seattle series. Beyond him, you’ve got arms like Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, and Spencer Arrighetti, who is scheduled to take the mound Thursday night, all waiting for their chance.
Don’t forget about Miguel Ullola, who impressed in spring training and showed promise last season. He’s another name that could factor in as the season progresses.
This is the time for opportunity. With multiple starters currently sidelined, the Astros need to identify who can step up and replicate the kind of contributions they got a year ago from players like Brandon Walter and Alexander.
Reinforcements Are Coming
It’s also important to remember that no matter what happens now, it won’t affect the future. Pitchers like Ronel Blanco, Walter, and Hayden Wesneski are currently on the injured list recovering from major injuries, but down the road they will add even more depth to the Starting Pitching in the Houston system.
That kind of depth puts the Astros in a far better position than many other teams around Major League Baseball.
And if you’re still looking externally, there are options there too. A veteran like Lucas Giolito remains available on the open market and could be a potential addition if the team decides to explore outside help.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, this rotation may not look exactly like the one you expected coming into the season, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be effective.
There are plenty of capable arms, plenty of opportunities, and plenty of time.
So before you hit the panic button, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The Astros are still in a good position, with everything they want to accomplish still right in front of them.
One day late in spring training, when many Yankees and the cameras that follow them were in Lakeland for a game against the Tigers, Ryan McMahon took batting practice off a machine at Steinbrenner Field.
Almost no one was around that day, not with roster decisions being finalized and half the team on the road. But it was clear to anyone who was there that he was working on something, looking back at coaches between swings, watching the flight of each ball closely, shaking his head after mishits.
As he swung, Aaron Judge ambled out of the dugout and leaned against the back of the cage, eyes locked on McMahon. He stayed there for the next 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes popping out to start his now-iconic swing, using it to demonstrate the way he keeps his weight on his back leg and how his hands go from ready and waiting to heading toward the ball with no added motion. When McMahon hit the ball, Judge watched until it landed. Between swings, he offered encouragement.
“I’m telling you, man,” Judge said after McMahon sent a line drive to right center, as if urging McMahon to see new possibilities. “You have great power to all fields.”
McMahon, 31, has demonstrated consistent 20-home run power during his 10-year major league career. But he has never exactly been known for his hitting. What Judge seemed to be suggesting, and what Yankees coaches, tweaking things, seemed to be hoping, is that it was not too late to make improvements.
Early this season, he has struggled to provide even his usual levels of production. He, like many of his teammates, went hitless in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics. That leaves him 2 for his first 29 at-bats this year — and one of those hits was a seeing-eye single on Opening Day.
The veteran’s first few weeks have been so frustrating offensively that his manager came to his public defense Thursday, insisting to reporters that McMahon is “a good major league hitter” – something managers do not often have to say when all is well.
“It’s 10 games. He’s scuffling right now, but the reality is, he’s been on base four times, too, with walks and hits and big at-bats,” Boone said Wednesday. “We want him to improve even who he’s been, obviously, in his career. And he’s off to a slow start right now, but a number of guys are.”
Though McMahon has been somewhat vague, those improvements Boone referenced largely center on McMahon changing the way he positions his body as part of an effort to be more on time. That is what McMahon was trying to feel that day in spring training, and when asked about it weeks after the fact, McMahon needed no reminding.
“I know exactly what you’re talking about. It was right near the end of spring training, right?” McMahon said. “That day, I had been struggling. Still am a little bit, but I’ll grind through it…”
That day, McMahon recalled, he was “grinding” through cage work while Judge was waiting for his turn. At one point, Judge walked over and looked at the iPad recording McMahon’s swings. He listened to what he and the coaches were talking about. Then he pulled McMahon aside and said, “I’ve got an idea for you.”
“He started talking, told me what he thought. So I said, ‘I’m going to go out and hit this machine until I can feel it,’” McMahon said. “He completely stops his routine. Comes outside to watch me. Pauses everything he’s doing that day. Watches every swing I take. Helped me out big time.”
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a two run home run during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
McMahon estimated Judge added an extra hour to his work that day – an otherwise quiet one that veteran hitters not in the lineup treasured for its brevity after weeks of spring training drudgery. And when presented with the idea that Judge, a massive righty with an unorthodox swing, might not be the most relatable instructor for a slight lefty with a more traditional one, McMahon interrupted.
“Yeah, but he understands. He understands how things can apply to other people,” he said. “The way he does it, what works for him is being extreme. Where I think he understands with other guys, it might not be extreme, but he can still talk the swing. They’re still mechanics that he knows and is trying to execute.”
As for those mechanics, McMahon has largely been vague about exactly what he is working on during his early-season struggles. But he said most of his work during that last week of spring training and the first days of the regular season centered on timing.
“Just trying to be able to swing as soon as that guy releases the baseball. And that’s like, a pretty well-known, obvious thing to do. But it’s hard,” McMahon said. “Being in a better spot, being close to that launch spot – where you launch your swing from. Making sure you can feel that and swing as soon as you need to.”
McMahon is not a member of the Yankees because of his bat. As long as he climbs out of his slump and into regular production levels, he will be fulfilling his duties to them. But they and their captain seem to believe he can do more offensively than he has in the past.
The start of McMahon's season has been frustrating. But for now, with an 8-4 record and other sluggers to carry them, they can afford to see if he can prove them right.
The Blue Jays’ series with the Dodgers this week brought back nightmarish memories from the 2025 World Series.
In Wednesday’s game between the two teams, when Shohei Ohtani started on the mound and batted in the Dodgers’ lineup, Toronto outfielder George Springer spoke with the umpires about limiting the time Ohtani had between innings.
The gripe was the second time the Blue Jays have brought the issue up, the first coming in last season’s World Series.
Shohei Ohtani has pitched 12 innings across two starts this year for the Dodgers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
During the Fall Classic — where Los Angeles outlasted Toronto in seven games for its second straight title — Blue Jays manager John Schneider complained about it as well.
That came to a head in the first inning of Game 7, when Ohtani had yet to throw a warmup pitch when the television broadcast returned from commercial. A three-minute delay ensued, and similar pauses occurred in the next two innings.
Schneider was later seen tapping his watch as a reminder to crew chief Mark Wegner to remember the time.
Fast forward to this year’s series, and the Blue Jays clearly haven’t forgotten about October.
Ohtani is a special case, though. Most starting pitchers don’t need to worry about taking their gear off after running the bases or an at-bat. Ohtani, the sport’s two-way phenom, obviously does.
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer told the umpires to watch out for Shohei Ohtani’s warmup time earlier this week. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Per MLB’s rules, umpires can give pitchers more time to warm up if there are “special circumstances.”
Pitchers are typically given two minutes to get ready after the conclusion of the previous half inning. In addition, Ohtani’s hitting capabilities helps him exploit another rule stated on the league’s website: “If the pitcher is on base, on deck or at-bat when the (previous) inning ends, the timer begins when the pitcher leaves the dugout for the mound.”
Funnily enough, Toronto ended up winning Wednesday’s game 4-3, despite losing the first two games. The Blue Jays were decimated 14-2 in Game 1. In Game 2, Schneider was tossed for arguing a balk call on starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, leading to a second defeat.
Through 12 games, Toronto is 5-7, tied for third in the American League East. It’ll need to start by forgetting its past ills to return to the Fall Classic again.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 09: Brooks Lee #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates as he runs to first base after hitting a two-run single in the eighth inning during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Thursday, April 9, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
They say baseball is a marathon and no team has embodied that more in the first two weeks of the 2026 season than your Minnesota Twins. After a rough start, an April winning streak once again has the Twins right back in the mix for the third season in a row, sweeping the division-favorite Detroit Tigers and moving over .500 for the first time.
Starting pitcher Mick Abel was dancing through raindrops all afternoon. He ended up not allowing a run, but the Tigers were able to get the first two batters on base in each of the first two innings and had at least one batter in scoring position in five of the six innings Abel was on the mound. But you have to give him credit for battling through to keep the Tigers scoreless and deliver one of his best starts on a career-high 102 pitches. On a day where the bullpen was close to spent, Abel battled through and gave the Twins just enough length to squeak out a victory.
The Twins had plenty of base runners as well, despite just one run through the first seven innings. They took great at bats, hit balls hard that unluckily found gloves, were patient at the plate, and looked like a professional, complete lineup for the first time all season. Minnesota had at least one baserunner in every inning except the fifth, with the lone run coming on a Josh Bell moonshot to continue his hot start. 1-0 Twins.
After his three-hit afternoon, Bell is slashing .325/.440/.650 for a 1.090 and 173 wRC+. Will he keep it up for the entire season? Almost definitely not, but someone needed to step up while Buxton and Keaschall are finding their swings.
New Twin and someone you DEFINITELY knew about before this game Garrett Acton came in to pitch the 7th and hit Detroit’s no. 9 batter Jake Rogers and allowed a single to Colt Keith to put runners on the corners with one out. Gleyber Torres followed with a sac fly to knot the game at one apiece. Things could have spiraled from there, but a nifty catch in the left field corner by James Outman got the Twins out of the inning. Acton, thankfully, had a clean 8th, where the Twins were able to deliver the finishing blow in the bottom half of the inning.
With one out in the inning, Matt Wallner battled back from being down 1-2 to earn a walk, followed immediately by a Victor Caratini single to put two on for the bottom third of the lineup. Kody Clemens pulled a reverse Wally and went from up 3-0 to striking out, leaving things to Royce Lewis. After a brief mid-AB injury scare, Royce beat out an infield single and loaded the bases for Brooks Lee, who came in as a defensive sub after some pinch hitting switcharoos. Inarguably their worst hitter in the young season, Lee came up HUGE and delivered a single hit just hard enough to sneak past the glove of Detroit second baseman Zach McKinstry. That was all Garrett Acton and Eric Orze needed. 3-1 Twins win.
Before I wrap up my recap with a usual pithy comment of some sort, I want to give Royce Lewis his flowers. The overall numbers still aren’t looking great, but he is taking very good at bats, getting good hacks, and hitting the ball very hard even if it’s leading to outs. The season is incredibly young with the sample size incredibly small, but his 92.5 MPH average exit velocity is in the top 15% of the league. He’s DRASTICALLY reduced his chase rate and is top 15 in walk rate. That’s exactly how you make up your other physical tools taking a step back from his younger years. Plus, sprinting to to beat out an infield single immediately after tweaking your knee is something everyone in that locker room is going to love.
STUDS
Josh Bell: 3-4, 1 HR
Brooks: 1-1, 2 game winning RBIs
Pitching B Squad (Abel, Acton, Orze): 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Royce Lewis: see soliloquy above
DUDS
NO DUDS, TWWWWINS WWWWIN
We’ll see you all in virtual Toronto tomorrow night!
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 6: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch in the fourth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on April 6, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
The division rivals played 13 times last season. Chicago won 10. The Cubs outscored the Pirates 54-26 and hit .256 against Pittsburgh’s pitching.
Chicago smacked an impressive 16 home runs, compared to the Pirates’ five, and earned a .740 OPS. The Pirates batted .182 as a team with a .523 OPS.
In all its charm, Wrigley Field has been a house of horrors for the Pirates in recent years.
The Pirates (7-5) look to set a new precedent in 2026, beginning a three-game series at Wrigley on Friday.
In his first full season as manager, Don Kelly has watched a dreadful offense come to life through the first 12 games.
After hitting a league-worst 117 home runs, the Pirates have already smashed 12, tied for 8th in baseball, and at one point held the National League lead.
A big reason why is offseason additions Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have both hit three apiece.
The offense ranks tied for 9th in hits per game (8.3), 9th in average (.247), 6th in on-base (.338), 8th in slugging (.383), and 7th in OPS (.721). The Bucs consistently ranked in the bottom third, if not last, in every category last year.
One early carryover is strong starting pitching. Pittsburgh owns the 6th best starters ERA at 2.87, third in the NL behind the Cubs (2.72) and Atlanta Braves (2.79).
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller pitched in the Padres series at PNC Park, meaning the club will be without their top two arms against a vaunted Cubs (6-6) lineup.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball on Friday, opposite Shota Imanaga, who has dominated the Pirates for what feels like more than a decade (despite it only being three years).
Mlodzinski has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts, but hasn’t been able to pitch out of the fifth inning. The third time through the order is where Mlodzinski, primarily a reliever in his career, has struggled to get through innings.
Saturday plates Braxton Ashcraft against Edward Cabrera, who hasn’t allowed a run in 11.2 innings for Chicago since being traded from the Marlins.
Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s surprise starter after an impressive rookie year. Ashcraft earned a 2.71 ERA over 69.2 innings spanning 26 appearances, eight starts.
He has pitched six frames in each of his first two outings and allowed two runs or fewer both times.
All three games have solid pitching probables, but Sunday’s might be the most fascinating.
Former Pirate Jameson Taillon takes the ball against Bubba Chandler. The No. 11 overall prospect and second-highest ranked pitcher at the start of the season, Chandler touches 101 MPH with his fastball.
The problem is, you don’t always know where it’s going. Chandler’s control remains a main concern, walking 10 batters in 8.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit over 4.1 innings in his season debut at Cincinnati, but walked six and struck out six.
Chandler walked four against the Padres on Monday and allowed five hits and three runs.
Chandler has elite stuff, but has work to do to become a consistent pitcher that the rotation can depend on.
Chicago was the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, providing three important games in April for who may take the grand prize in late September.
If the Pirates are going to begin to prove that their start and chances to compete in the Central aren’t a fluke, it begins on the road against a very good team.
All three games of the series will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern, 1:20 p.m. Central.
The Mets have been very cautious with Polanco since the recent flare-up of his Achilles tendinitis, using him mainly as a designated hitter, but the possibility that the 32-year-old still lands on the injured list remains... possible.
"It is a possibility that we get to a point that we need to give him a break," Mendoza said about the IL. "It's fluid. We'll see what we got."
Asked if the injury was something they are going to have to deal with indefinitely, Mendoza said, "It's hard to tell."
"There's days when he comes in, and he feels really good, and he goes out there and do a little bit of defensive work," the manager said. "And then there's days where he feels it more.
"We're watching it closely here. And see what happens."
The switch-hitting Polanco is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and is being considered day-to-day, Mendoza said, adding that he was feeling it. He had served as the DH in the first two games of the series – going 2-for-8 – and had started the last four games for the Mets.
Soto hit on Wednesday in the cages at Citi Field and played catch, Mendoza said, adding that he is doing “better” after landing on the IL earlier this week with a calf strain.
“But, again, not gonna be running,” the skipper did caution. “But the fact that he’s hitting in the cages and playing catch, just trying to keep him with baseball activities."
Mendoza said he didn't yet have an idea of when Soto might start moving his legs around.
"I know they're doing a lot inside with treatment and in the weight room, a lot of exercises there," he said. "As far as the running goes, we still gotta wait.
"But he's good when he's taking swings, when he's playing catch."
Mendoza said Lindor’s slow start to the season – 7-for-47 with three extra-base hits, zero RBI, and a 77 wRC+ – is not related to lingering effects of hand surgery during spring training and not something the manager is too concerned about.
“The injury had nothing to do here, he’s fine,” Mendoza said, adding that Lindor is typically a slow starter to the season and pointed to last year being the only one in his career in which he had a good month of April.
But on the encouraging side, the manager said he’s seen a lot of bad luck for Lindor.
“Honestly, there’s been a lot of balls that he’s hit hard that just right at people,” he said. “He’s an aggressive hitter, he’s gonna go out there and he’s gonna swing. He’ll get out of it, he’ll be fine.”
Myers entered the season as a bullpen arm for the Mets, a reliever who had experience as a starter and somebody they wanted to stretch out for longer outings.
But in his three outings since his 39-pitch, 3.0-inning appearance on Opening Day, he hasn't gone more than 30 pitches and two innings and is getting more high-leverage opportunities.
Mendoza said they are comfortable with him throwing up to 45 pitches and in some smaller windows, too.
“He’s built up for that,” the manager said. “If we need to use him for one inning, high-leverage, we will.”
Mendoza added that having him stretched out further is “not something as of right now that we’re looking at, ‘oh, when we use him we gotta get him all of his pitches.”
The Yankees dropped Thursday afternoon’s rubber match against the Athletics by a score of 1-0, with a Ben Rice seventh-inning single as their only hit of the afternoon.
Despite losing two of three to the A’s, the Yankees are still off to a strong start at 8-4, but their offense has disappeared at times, which could be a concerning trend. Thursday’s loss marked the fifth time this season that the Yankees have scored three runs or fewer.
Manager Aaron Boone said after the game that while there have been other times when the Yankees have had opportunities but couldn’t cash in, Thursday’s loss was a case where A’s starter Jeffrey Springs was simply at the top of his game, allowing one hit over his 7.0 masterful innings.
“Look, we got shut down today,” Boone said. “The previous games where we’re struggling scoring, I feel like we’re getting the traffic and we’re having quality at-bats. Today was a day where we got beat. We just didn’t generate much, we didn’t hit a lot of balls on the screws at all, and didn’t create much traffic.
"We’ll get this thing going. We’ve got a few guys, obviously, struggling to get on track a little bit. Hopefully we’ll get things going down inside [in Tampa].”
Springs, who doesn’t feature overpowering velocity, kept the Yankees guessing with his fastball-changeup mix, while also working in a sweeper and slider. He struck out six and walked two, lowering his season ERA to 1.47.
“Stayed very unpredictable, I thought, with both, did a good job of really mixing, but really commanded the four-seam in and out and then sets up his changeup really well, obviously gave us some problems,” said Boone.
“I feel like he was just keeping everybody a little off-balanced,” said Rice, who broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single in the seventh. “It looked like guys were just a little bit late, a little bit under on the fastball, a little early on the offspeeds. His changeup was working well, so just tough to get a good piece of it.”
Up next, the Yankees head to Tampa for a three-game series with the Rays, starting on Friday night, where they’ll look to get the bats going.
As a team, the Yankees have had just two hits since the first inning of Wednesday's 3-2 loss.
“Of course, the results haven’t been there for us the last couple of games, but I think we’ll be alright,” Rice said, “and I think the quality of at-bat is still there, so just gotta keep rolling.”
San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Location, Location, Location.
Location remains the golden rule of real estate, directly driving a property’s market value.
The same holds for major league pitchers who master their location effectively by controlling the game’s tempo. It forces opposing hitters into uncomfortable at-bats at the plate.
San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon was outstanding in his first appearance of the 2026 season. He pitched two shutout innings, as he threw 23 total pitches with 14 for strikes. The left-hander is the high-leverage arm that bridges he gap before Mason Miller comes in to close out games.
Since then, Morejon has given up seven runs on nine hits in three innings pitched. Three poor outings should not define a pitcher’s season. But his 10.80 ERA does offer early concerns in the second full week of the 2026 season.
The struggles are unexplainable, but the numbers do not lie.
Command issues have plagued Morejon
It’s very hard to imagine Morejon struggling in games because his velocity is up near 98 MPH this season. Command issues have limited his effectiveness on the mound. If he cannot locate the fastball, then his secondary pitches lose their edge against batters. It has been easy for hitters to put the barrel of their bat on the ball and drive the pitch for extra bases.
His trouble is trying to strike out every batter instead of using the defense behind him to record outs. Morejon has a career 47% ground ball rate; he may need to narrow his approach to generate weak contact.
No question, Morejon is a quality setup reliever with a swing-and-miss repertoire, but his location has been horrible over his last three outings. Often, the pitch count balloons, and the appearance quickly unravels. Damage is done by opposing hitters because the pitches have caught too much of the plate.
If Friars pitching coach Ruben Niebla can get Morejon to trust his pitches, the results will improve. He has too much talent to falter all season.
The Padres are 6-6, but the starting rotation is a work in progress. To win games, the bullpen must be productive and absorb poor starts from the rotation.
