With an MLB logo emblazoned on his collar, Cameron Young sits at the top the Masters leaderboard on Sunday. But that’s not the only cross-sport connection between golf and baseball on this beautiful American afternoon. At Wrigley Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast kicked off their coverage of Sunday’s Pirates-Cubs game with a pitch-perfect tribute to golf’s most iconic event. Watch it and weep tears of joy.
“It’s a tradition unlike any other,” Pirates play-by-play announcer Greg Brown croons as the camera pans across a patch of budding flowers. “Welcome the final found at the Wrigely.”
The SportsNet Pittsburgh crew even went as far as to create a mock Masters leaderboard highlighting the Pirates early-season lead at the top of the NL Central. It’s A+ stuff from stem to stern, and one of the few non-Paul-Skenes-related reasons to watch Pirates baseball over the last several seasons. That’s saying a lot, so join us as we tip our “ EGG SALAD” cap to the geniuses who brought this little taste of Augusta National to Wrigleyville on Masters Sunday.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 11: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts in the dugout against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers will look to get their second sweep at home as they wrap things up against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. Roki Sasaki makes his third start of the season against Jacob deGrom.
Both Alex Call and Dalton Rushing start Sunday, while Andy Pages gets bumped up to third in the lineup.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 11: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting a walk off single during the ninth inning to beat the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners have a chance for their first series victory tonight.
I was going to say “sweep” but then I remembered the Mariners and Astros actually wrap up this four-game set tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. Still, this would be as good a time as any to take their first series of 2026.
They have the right personnel to do so. Logan Gilbert is on the mound, looking to build off a solid outing in Texas earlier in the week where he went six innings with five strikeouts and no walks. It was a good sign for Gilbert, who’s shown elite stuff for well over a year now but has often struggled with efficiency, unable to make it through six innings.
Brendan Donovan is back in the lineup. Donovan has been out the last few days with an illness, but he was feeling well enough to draw a crucial walk in the ninth inning last night, keeping the ball rolling just long enough for J.P. Crawford to end the game. Speaking of which, Donovan slots right back into the leadoff spot, after Crawford took over Batter 1 duties in his absence. Rather than hitting ninth, however, Crawford is hitting seventh.
The rest of the Mariners’ lineup is as expected. They will face former Mariners’ reliever Cody Bolton, who has a 3.39 FIP in two appearances this year — one as a starter, the other as a reliever. The Mariners have Astros’ pitchers on the ropes, working into the depths of their bullpen in the first two games of the series with 17 walks and 16 hits. The Astros have hung in there with 25 hits and eight walks of their own. But if the Mariners can get to the Astros bullpen early, they may be forced to punt.
Lineups
Game Info
First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. PDT TV: Mariners TV Radio: Old Reliable
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 07: Atlanta Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubon (14) reacts to striking out during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels on April 7, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With Michael Harris Jr. on the paternity list and Eli White day-to-day with plantar fasciitis, Mauricio Dubon will make his second straight start in center field for Sunday night’s finale of the Braves-Guardians series in Atlanta.
Dubon will hit eighth in the lineup followed by Jorge Mateo, who will make his second straight start at shortstop. Mike Yastrzemski is also back in the lineup, hitting fifth against a righty starter following Ronald Acuña Jr, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Austin Riley in the top four spots.
This will be Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee’s second career start against the Braves. He tossed seven shutout, no-hit innings, striking out nine and walking none but not factoring into the decision of Cleveland’s 4-2 11-inning victory in Atlanta on April 27, 2024.
The only Braves hitters who have faced Bibee more than three times are newcomers Jonah Heim (0-for-9 but not in the lineup after he caught Saturday’s game) and Dubon (0-for-4). The current Atlanta roster is a combined 1-for-29 (.034) against Bibee. Ozzie Albies has the only hit, a double.
Cleveland is giving starting center fielder Steven Kwan the night off even though he has had success against Braves starter Chris Sale in a small sample size (2-for-6 with a homer and a double).
Kyle Manzardo is back in Sunday’s lineup, DHing and hitting sixth, after he hit his first homer of the season Friday and did not play in Saturday’s game.
Sale, whose career began with seven seasons in thee AL Central with the Chicago White Sox, has faced the Guardians 33 times (22 starts), third-most of any major league team. He has a 7-8 record and 4.44 ERA against Cleveland, his worst ERA against any team he has faced more than five times.
Current members of the Guardians’ roster, though, don’t have a ton of experience against Sale. Of the team’s 52 at-bats against Sale, longtime Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez has 30 of them with eight hits (.267), one double, one RBI and more walks (four) than strikeouts (three).
Kwan has the only homer by a current Cleveland player off Sale. Overall, the Guardians’ roster is 13-for-52 (.250) with two RBIs, 11 strikeouts and four walks against the Atlanta ace.
Baseball lifer Phil Garner, who won a World Series as a player with the Pirates and took the Astros to a World Series as a manager, died Saturday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was 76.
“Phil Garner passed away peacefully last night, April 11, surrounded by family and love after a two-plus-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” his family said in a statement. “Phil never lost his signature spark of life, he was so well known for, or his love for baseball, which was with him until the end. Special thanks to the Houston Medical Center, MD Anderson, Baylor St. Lukes and all the Doctors and Nurses for their excellent care and support.”
Phil Garner waves to the crowd during a ceremony honoring the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series Championship before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Getty Images
Garner played from the Majors from 1973-88, spending notable stints with the Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros, most notably.
Garner, who starred with the Pirates from 1977-81, won a World Series with the team in 1979.
Two of his three All-Star appearances also came while representing the Pirates in 1980 and ’81, respectively.
His first All-Star appearance came in 1976, his last with the A’s.
Garner was also a longtime MLB manager after his playing career.
Former Astro Phil Garner throws out the ceremonial first pitch for game one of the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on October 13, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Getty Images
Garner led the dugout of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992-99, the Detroit Tigers from 2000-02, and the Houston Astros from 2004-07.
“He was competitive. He was honest. He told you the truth. He made you accountable — all the great things that leaders do,” said Jeff Bagwell, who played for Garner while with the Astros. “I think Gar just did a tremendous job of that. You could see how much he cared about his players, cared about winning and our organization. It was just a pleasure to play for him and be his friend.”
As a manager, Garner’s best work came with the Astros, whom he led to a World Series appearance in 2005, losing to the Chicago White Sox led by Ozzie Guillen.
Phil Garner of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses before an MLB game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Garner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977-81. Getty Images
He retired with a 277-252 record as a manager, with a 13-13 display in the playoffs.
As a player, he put up a career .260 average with 1,594 hits, 299 doubles, 225 stolen bases, 109 homeruns and 738 RBIs.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 10: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros at bat during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 10, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (6-9) look to stop a 6-game slide as they play their 3rd of 4 games in Seattle against the Mariners (6-9) at T-Mobile Park.
RHP Cody Bolton (0-0, 3.68 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros opposite RHP Logan Gilbert (0-2, 5.40 ERA) and the Mariners.
ABOUT BOLTON: RHP Cody Bolton will make his second career start today against the Mariners.
In his first career start on Tuesday, April 6 at COL, he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
AGAINST THE MARINERS: The Astros and Mariners face each other today for the third of 13 scheduled matchups in 2026.
The Astros went 5-8 against the Mariners in 2025, including 2-4 record at T-Mobile Park.
Houston owns a 132-99 all-time regular season record against Seattle.
The Mariners will travel to Daikin Park for the first of two road trips to Houston from May 11-14 for a four-game series.
PEÑA INJURY: Astros SS Jeremy Peña left last night’s game due to right knee posterior tightness. He will get further evaluation today.
ULLOLA INJURY: RHP Miguel Ullola left last night’s game for Triple A Sugar Land due to a left ankle sprain.
ON THE MEND: LHP Bennett Sousa (left oblique strain) began a rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land last night…in his outing, he walked one and struck out two in one scoreless inning.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Astros number two overall prospect IF Xavier Neyens went 2×4 with a solo home run, walk and a stolen base. It marked his first career home run as a professional.
AIRCRAFT CARRIER: RF Cam Smith went 4×5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored last night at SEA. It marked his second career four-hit game, also June 17, 2025 at ATH.
TOMORROW’S PITCHER: RHP Mike Burrows will draw the start in tomorrow’s series finale vs Seattle.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2019 – The Astros outslug the Mariners in Seattle by a score of 10-6.
Houston smacks three home runs, including grand slams from 2B Jose Altuve (2×5) and 3B Yuli Gurriel (3×5). It marks just the third time in club history for the Astros to hit two grand slams in the same game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 12, 3:10 p.m. CST
Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz (3)sits in the dugout after blowing a save giving up three runs to the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — With a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Saturday night, the Dodgers opted not to use closer Edwin Díaz, whom they signed to a record-setting contract in December. His velocity is down, but Díaz says he’s not hurt, and the Dodgers say they don’t think it’s a mechanical issue. Díaz may or may not be available on Sunday.
“Just talking to the pitching guys, looking at the velocity and some of the things he’s dealt with in the past, it’s a day-to-day thing,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “I’m going to see how he feels in catch play and talk to the trainers and pitching guys, see where we go and make a decision from there.
“I’m confident right now, because everything I hear is he feels fine. For me, you hear it, you want to completely trust it, but you’re also looking at the [radar] gun and making sure. We’re treading lightly, and giving him the benefit of the doubt, and still watching.”
On Saturday night, manager Roberts said Díaz was unavailable due to the previous night’s workload, which completely tracks with the team’s bullpen deployment in the first three weeks of the season. Thus far, there have been only eight instances of a pitcher throwing on back-to-back days, including Díaz on March 27-28. Only one of those outings on no days rest came the day after throwing more than 17 pitches — Edgardo Henríquez threw 25 pitches on April 3 in Washington D.C., then was used the next day in a very low-leverage situation, up by six runs to get the final three outs in the ninth inning.
Ten times this season a Dodgers reliever has thrown at least 20 pitches in an outing. Other than the Henriquez outing, all those pitchers have been given at least one day off before pitching next, and in most cases got two or more days off.
During that outing on Friday, Díaz averaged 95.5 mph on his nine four-seam fastballs, and on the season he’s averaged 95.8 mph. He’s averaged at least 97 mph on that pitch in every other season of his career, including 97.2 mph in 2025.
Starting slow has been the norm recently for Díaz, for whom April has seen his lowest velocity of the season dating back to 2022. He did not pitch at all in 2023 after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his knee.
Year
April
Season
2022
98.1 mph
99.1 mph
2024
96.9 mph
97.5 mph
2025
96.3 mph
97.2 mph
Díaz has pitched only six games, and struck out 10 of his 29 batters faced while allowing four runs in six innings. But his current 95.8 mph would be the lowest velocity month of his career.
“We’re still trying to dig in a little bit,” Roberts said, calling the 2-mph drop from Díaz’s usual average “significant.”
“A couple days ago there were a lot of throws in there, too. Like we’ve done many times is to play the long view with our guys,” Roberts added. “We’re still going to do what’s best for him and the organization. This is a day-to-day thing, it really is. It’s not an IL thing we’re talking about, it’s more day-to-day.”
San Diego, California - April 11: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres attempts to tag out Edouard Julien #6 of the Colorado Rockies at second base during the first inning at Petco Park on Saturday, April 11, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Colorado Rockies (6-9) at San Diego Padres (9-6), April 12, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
While it’s disappointing to once again be facing a sweep at the end of a series, one must remember the Colorado Rockies are who we thought they were. They are a team at the ground floor of a rebuild and by their own admission are “here for the climb.”
By that metric, the Rockies have one major takeaway from the series so far: They’re keeping the San Diego Padres on their toes. Through the first three games, they have kept things close and competitive. The Padres had to walk-off the Rockies in the first two games, and the Rockies had the tying run at the plate last night in the top of the ninth inning.
This is not a post-season team. This is a team where progress is all that matters.
That being said, it sure would be nice to avoid getting swept out of San Diego to end this series. The man leading the Rockies into battle for that cause will be left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland.
Freeland—despite a truncated spring training—is off to a strong start. Over his first three starts of the season he has a 2.30 ERA over 15.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and four walks. His last time out against the Houston Astros he pitched a 6.1 inning Quality Start, giving up just one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out five batters.
On the bump for the Swingin’ Friars is right-handed veteran Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has his strikeout stuff working well to start the season with a 13.8 K/9 through 13 innings. However, he’s also had opposing batters get to him. Over his first three starts he has an ERA of 5.54 on 12 hits and six walks, but he’s also yet to allow a home run.
Historically Pivetta hasn’t had the best of luck against the Rockies. He holds a 9.64 career ERA against the boys in Purple over eight appearances—seven of which were starts—with seven home runs allowed over 32.2 innings of work. This season Pivetta is working primarily with four pitches: a four-seam fastball averaging 94.1 MPH, a curveball, a sweeper, and a cutter. He can also throw a sinker and slider if needed.
Apr 6, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) comes off the field after he pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Mets designated Luis Garcia for assignment on Sunday.
One part of the Mets’ bullpen makeover is already gone, with Luis García designated for assignment prior to Sunday’s series-finale against the A’s.
After the 39-year-old right-hander was forced into Saturday’s loss, in part because of Luke Weaver’s ineffectiveness, Carlos Mendoza said the bullpen needed to be replenished for Sunday’s game at Citi Field.
So the Mets opted to recall right-hander Joey Gerber from Triple-A Syracuse and are set to lose García, who was signed to a one-year, $1.75 million deal in January.
The Mets designated Luis Garcia for assignment on Sunday. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We needed an arm, especially with the way we used the bullpen the past couple of nights,’’ Mendoza said. “We feel like we needed some protection there in case something bad happens again.”
Of the decision to DFA Garcia , Mendoza said it was “not an easy one. Luis had to pitch [Saturday] on a day we were staying away from him. [Weaver] got in trouble and we needed a fresh arm here.”
Gerber last played in the majors with the Rays last year, making two appearances, while spending most of the season with Triple-A Durham.
His contract was purchased by the Mets in November and he struggled in four outings in the minors this season.
PITTSBURGH, PA - CIRCA 1977: Phil Garner #3 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during an Major League Baseball game circa 1977 at Three River Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Garner played for the Pirates from 1977-81. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Phil Garner, longtime major league infielder and longtime major league manager, has passed away, it was announced. He was 76.
Garner originally came up with the Oakland A’s, and in 1975 and 1976 solidified what had been an unsettled situation at second base for the A’s, including getting an All Star nod in 1976. During spring training, 1977, Garner was dealt, along with Chris Batton and Tommy Helms, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Tony Armas (the Elder), Doug Bair, Rick Langford, Mitchell Page, Doc Medich and Dave Giusti.
Garner had a four-plus year run as a key part of the Pirates’ infield, highlighted by his slashing .472/.537/.722 in 10 playoff games in 1979 as the We Are Family Pirates won the World Series.
Garner was dealt at the end of August, 1981, to the Houston Astros for prospect Johnny Ray, with the Pirates giving up their second baseman of the present for their second baseman of the future. Garner played with the Astros until the 1987 trade deadline, when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His final season came in 1988 with the San Francisco Giants.
For his career, Garner put up a 29.7 bWAR in 1860 games over 16 seasons, with a .260/.323/.389 slash line an 99 OPS+. He is 68th all time in career bWAR for second basemen.
Garner was named the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers following the 1991 season. He spent seven-plus years as the Brewers’ manager, being let go during the 1999 season with the team sporting a 52-60 record. Garner was hired by the Detroit Tigers in the 1999-2000 offseason — Rangers fans may recall that that was the offseason when Texas traded Juan Gonzalez to the Tigers. The Tigers were not successful during Garner’s time there, however, and he lasted two seasons and six games, being fired in 2002 after the team got off to a 0-6 start.
Garner’s final stop was with the Houston Astros. When the Astros fired Jimy Williams at the 2004 All Star Break, with the club at 44-44, Garner was brought in to take over. The Astros went 48-26 the rest of the way, then beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the NLCS.
Garner led the Astros to the World Series the following year, beating the Braves again in the NLDS and exacting their revenge against the Cardinals in the NLCS. In the World Series, however, the Chicago White Sox proved to be too much, with the ChiSox sweeping the Astros.
The Astros missed the playoffs in 2006, finishing 82-80, and in 2007, with a much different roster than the ones that had had so much success in 2004 and 2005, Garner was fired mid-season when the team’s record was 58-73.
Garner ended his career having managed 2040 games, with a career 985-1054-1 record.
BALTIMORE — Zach Eflin is looking forward to 2027, less than a week after having Tommy John surgery on his 32nd birthday.
He left his March 31 season debut after striking out seven and allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings against Texas. He had elbow reconstruction surgery Wednesday.
“I’m in a lot better spot than I was a week, a week and a half ago,” Eflin said Sunday. “I knew something happened on the field. Really felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I was going through so much this offseason to come back on time and I honestly never felt better in my career before.”
Eflin was 6-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts while making three trips to the injured list last season. Back trouble ended his season after a July 28 start.
Baltimore re-signed Eflin to a $10 million, one-year deal in December that includes a $25 million mutual option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout.
Baltimore hoped the 11-year veteran would be a steady rotation presence, and his 7 1/3 scoreless innings in two spring training starts offered promise.
“I had felt amazing for three games, and there in the fourth inning it took one pitch,” Eflin said. “It was an up-and-away heater or cutter and it just felt like a hamstring cramp in my elbow. Literally out of nowhere. I’d never felt anything in elbow before.”
Eflin, 68-67 with a 4.28 ERA in 201 big league appearances with Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Baltimore, hopes to spend as much time as possible around the Orioles this summer as he works to recover and make it back to the majors next year.
“I think that’s why I got it done so early,” Eflin said. “I want to be back as quickly as possible. I’ve been through too much in my life to let this affect me and let this be the thing that brings me down. I’m going to absolutely crush rehab and be back better than ever.”
Also Sunday, the Orioles placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the seven-day concussion injured list retroactive to Thursday and recalled outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez from Triple-A Norfolk. O’Neill is hitting .241 with a homer and four RBIs in 10 games a year after injuries limited him to 54 games in his first season with Baltimore.
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays put designated hitter George Springer on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of a fractured left big toe and selected Eloy Jiménez from Triple-A Buffalo.
Springer fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning of Saturday’s 7-4 loss to Minnesota. He finished the at-bat, but was replaced by Myles Straw in the sixth.
Springer went 0 for 1 with a walk and scored a run Saturday. He’s batting .185 with two homers and six RBIs in 14 games.
Springer was a big part of Toronto’s run to the 2025 World Series, hitting .309 with 32 homers and 89 RBIs in the regular season. He also hit the decisive homer in Game 7 of the ALCS against Seattle.
The MVP of the 2017 World Series with Houston, Springer is in the final season of a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays.
A Silver Slugger with the White Sox in 2020, Jiménez joined the Blue Jays organization on a minor league contract last August but has yet to play for Toronto. An outfielder and first baseman, he hit .257 with one homer and five RBIs in 11 games at Buffalo this season.
Apr 1, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) in the dugout after being pulled from the game during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The first two games the Yankees played at Tropicana Field since the park’s reopening have proceeded quite…troppily, if you will. New York’s anemic offense was at least able to find a pair of go-ahead hits from José Caballero in yesterday’s 10-inning defeat, though the bullpen wasted little time coughing up the meager advantage to the Rays both times. Altogether, these games have lacked any sort of satisfying narrative flow—if you cynically expected the Yankees to trip over their own feet you were generally proven right within a couple of plate appearances.
So, with their lead over the AL East whittled down to just one game, Cam Schlittler and the Bombers will attempt to salvage the final game of this weekend set in St. Petersburg and snap a four-game skid which has halted the good vibes of their 8-2 start. Schlittler will get his first taste of action in this ersatz stadium. We’ll see how he does!
Cam’s lengthy scoreless streak was finally snapped by the Athletics in his last go-round when they tagged him for three runs in the third inning of a five-inning start. The tall righty collected himself after that point, and Amed Rosario’s heroics would deliver them the win. The Yankees haven’t won since then. Grabbing the initiative early hasn’t seemed to do the trick; they started with a lead in three of these four straight defeats. It’ll be up to Schlittler to keep down a typically pesky Rays offense and give New York some runway to finally get their bats clicking on full cylinders.
Of course, Schlittler’s opponent is yet another pitcher who has enjoyed great success against men in pinstripes. Drew Rasmussen, who was reinstated from the family medical emergency list today, has a 1.19 ERA across seven appearances (six of them starts). He’s picked up 44 strikeouts over 37.2 innings, with a mere five total runs allowed across those games. As if the Yanks didn’t have their hands full enough already! The silver lining is that the 30-year-old right-hander doesn’t tend to pitch very deep into games. He was five-and-dive in his first two starts, allowing one run to a pair of NL Central teams in St. Louis and Milwaukee.
Seeking a spark, the Yankees have shuffled their lineup around a bit. There are six lefties in today—though Rasmussen is as platoon-neutral as it gets. Ben Rice has moved up to the second spot in the order ahead of Aaron Judge, who will DH. Randal Grichuk, who is still hunting his first Yankee hit, will fill in at right field. Ryan McMahon gets another start at the hot corner and J.C. Escarra will catch the day game after a night game.
