PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 07: Former Pirates pitcher AJ Burnett throws the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday, April 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Batman will be back in the building at PNC Park and where he belongs.
A fan favorite despite only playing three years in Pittsburgh, no one captivated the fan base quite like this former All-Star pitcher.
A.J. Burnett will throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Friday night before the Pirates host the Tampa Bay Rays for the first of a three-game series.
Burnett voiced the Pirates new City Connect debut video and donned the Pirates new alternate.
The Pirates will debut their City Connect jerseys during Friday’s game at PNC Park and wear them throughout the season on Friday home games.
“Batman” signed with the Pirates prior to the 2012 season and won 16 games his first year. He was a member of the 2013 Pirates club that won 94 games and clinched a playoff bid for the first time since 1992.
Burnett finished 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA over 39 starts and struck out 209 batters in 191 innings.
He left Pittsburgh and pitched in Philadelphia during the 2014 season before returning home for 2015.
The Pirates finished 98-64 as Burnett totaled a 3.18 ERA over 26 starts, the lowest in his entire 17-year MLB career with five different clubs.
Burnett earned his only All-Star appearance as a 38-year-old crafty right hander that owned a 122 ERA+ and 143 strikeouts in 164 innings of work.
Burnett tweeted his own hype video with the caption, “See Yinz this weekend,” to fire up the fan base.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 14: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single in the third inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, first these two teams took forever to get the lineups posted, and then I got snowed under by work, so now, I get to dump the Statcast graphic here for both lineups. Yay.
The “big” change for the Braves is flip-flopping Mauricio Dubon and Michael Harris II. This is the first time that’s happened this season against a right-hander, as to this point, all lineups against righties had Harris hitting either immediately ahead of Dubon, or a few spots up. Doing this creates more alternation in handedness, though the flip side is that Mike Yastrzemski has dropped behind Ozzie Albies as well, so this move largely just breaks up a chain of three straight lefties. Fun times.
The Marlins have put in a bit of a different lineup compared to their earlier efforts, with Deyvison De Los Santos starting at first and Heriberto Hernandez starting in left field. As a result, Otto Lopez moves up to third in Agustin Ramirez’ absence.
The batter-versus-pitcher stuff here is kinda fun, if ultimately meaningless. Every single guys in the Braves’ lineup has faced Chris Paddack, though only Yastrzemski and Smith have faced him enough to amass double-digit PAs. Yastrzemski has crushed him (.550 wOBA, .468 xwOBA); the combined line for this lineup is a .325 wOBA and .370 xwOBA in 76 PAs.
Elder has faced the Marlins a lot, but their cast of characters rotates a fair bit, so we’ve only got six of the nine guys in their lineup with direct major league experience against Elder — and no one has more than eight PAs. Collectively, it’s a .459 wOBA and .321 xwOBA in 26 PAs, with Hernandez and Xavier Edwards the two good xwOBAs among the six.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 18: Luke Williams #37 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Monday, August 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cole Carter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The NL East leading Atlanta Braves sent Luke Williams to Gwinnett today. Luke said no dice.
The Braves outrighted Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett, and he elected free agency
Luke Williams elected free agency today. He was brought up on April 11th when Michael Harris II welcomed Michael the third into the world. This move exposed Luke’s tenuous grasp on a Atlanta Braves 40-man roster spot. When this was lost, Luke decided to check his options with other teams.
Williams is a handy guy to have around as a last guy on the bench type. Luke has never played catcher but has played every other position on the diamond including pitcher. He’s listed as a shortstop, but has played more games in the outfield (mostly left field) and third base than shortstop. But right now the Braves are using every spot on the roster to make up for the losses of Sean Murphy and Ha-seong Kim. Maybe he can find another organization, or could be reabsorbed onto the Braves’ minor league system. Williams was designated for assignment on September 5, 2025 and did accept the demotion. He rolled off the roster and the end of last season, but found himself back on the Spring Training roster. Stay tuned to see if our favorite utility/relief pitcher finds his way back to Atlanta.
In which the Red Sox make an ass of the Twins. | David Berding / Getty Images
They blew our doors off ‘Cause sometimes it’s pain; It’s always crazy like that. As we watched from our couches, We had hope in the upside; It may continue. We saw as Woods Richardson threw; Strong start, a Martin jack, But it crashed amid a muddled third, And we hit the sack. First Luke erred, then Story hit one over the wall While Early made our bats unravel.
Well, the offense wasn’t scoring While Boston racked up hits. This was a game many find boring, Muted and out of our wits.
These losing games are sore just past a streak; But wins will return as soon as this week, We won’t wait a week.
Another zillion every inning, Scoreboard keeps going up And lighting much to often. Sim and Banda both got rocked, While the lineup couldn’t pop off; Kreidler homered, but win? No, And we clumsily walk to the car.
‘Cause they’re losing, Guess I should name a Comment of the Game: Let’s go with Joel’sbeg for recs,* Let’s go with passing him blame.**
These losing games are very sore, they’re very sore, They’re scarily very sore. But wins will return; we’ll pick up some more And once again score.
They blew our doors off ‘Cause sometimes it’s pain; It’s always crazy like that.
*honorable mention to Uncle Lincoln and this understanding of execution methods **alternately, blame me for misspelling Ryan Kreidler’s name in the lineup graphic
MILESTONE INCOMING: A win tonight will be the Cubs’ 1,250th vs. the Phillies. The game will be the 2,401st in the rivalry, which began in 1883. The Cubs have won more games against three teams: the Pirates (1,287), Cardinals (1,281) and Braves (1,256). They have played 223 more games vs. the Pirates, 125 more vs. the Cardinals and 62 fewer vs. the Braves. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TIME TO BREAK THIS STREAK: The Cubs have not won a series at Philadelphia since they swept three games July 22-24, 2022. In each of the past three years, they went 1-2. In the last two, they lost, won and lost. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
YOU GO, CARSON: Carson Kelly, last nine games since April 3: .414/.528/.621 (12-for-29) with three doubles, a home run, seven walks and five runs scored.
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Sammy Sosa’s three-run homer in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie and the Cubs went on to defeat the Pirates 5-1. It happened 25 years ago today, Sunday, April 15, 2001.
Shōta Imanaga was just magnificent in his last start, last Friday against the Pirates — six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts.
His only career start vs. the Phillies happened July 3, 2024 at Wrigley Field. He allowed three runs in six innings, striking out eight. That might work tonight (but don’t give up two home runs, as he did that day at Wrigley, to Rafael Marchán and Alec Bohm).
Jesús Luzardo has made three starts this year and been hit hard in two of them, by the Rangers and Diamondbacks. He did have a good outing vs. the Rockies, with 11 strikeouts.
I’d like to think the Cubs offense is on par with the Rangers and D-backs. But we will see.
Luzardo was tough against the Cubs last year, throwing 12 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with 15 strikeouts.
For whatever it’s worth, Luzardo’s good outing this year came on the road and he was hit hard twice at CBP.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 15: Blaze Alexander #23 and Johnathan Rodríguez #62 of the Baltimore Orioles collide as they make an out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 15, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You do not have to be a savvy baseball mind to look at a major league outfield consisting of Weston Wilson, Blaze Alexander, and Johnathan Rodríguez and wonder if there has been some mistake. The Orioles didn’t actually seriously think that was going to work out well when Wednesday’s starting lineup was submitted, did they? A series of defensive botch jobs cost the Orioles early, stamping out what might have otherwise been a fun game as the offense was the first group this year to get to Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez.
Eventually, things went to extra innings and Tyler Wells imploded thoroughly, sending the Orioles to an 8-5 loss to the Diamondbacks to close out this homestand. So much for the good vibes from Monday’s big comeback win.
The ingredients were there for things to go better for the Orioles today. Kyle Bradish came out of the gate amped up, pumping 97 and 98 while striking out two of the game’s first three batters. If only he could have struck out everyone, because pretty much every time the ball was hit to the outfield, something weird and bad happened.
The warning signs were also there in that very first inning. Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll batted with one out and hit a fly ball that hung up for a long time, heading towards right field. Any outfielder with modest speed gets there easily. Unfortunately, the Orioles right fielder today was Rodríguez, a big guy whose foot speed is lumbering at best. Statcast gave this ball a .060 expected batting average. It was a double. On this occasion, the O’s were not harmed.
Bradish’s bottom of the lineup gave him a small early lead. Two-out doubles in the second, one by Coby Mayo and one by Sam Huff – a third catcher called up just to start today’s game – put the Orioles ahead. Mayo’s double came after a weird scene where the home plate umpire, John Tumpane, quickly assessed Mayo as challenging a pitch when he never touched his helmet. One of the O’s ABS challenges was burned up just like that.
Arizona struck back with two outs in the top of the third. Their rally started with Carroll drawing a walk, the only one that Bradish issued on the day. A single gave the D-backs runners on the corners. Cleanup hitter Adrian Del Castillo rocked a fly ball to left field that kept carrying about as far into the left field/bullpen corner as it can go. Left fielder Weston Wilson gave chase despite getting a bad break on the ball and ran far enough to get his glove on the ball.
Wilson bricked the catch. Adding to the bleak comedy of the play, Wilson then bumped into the wall behind him and had an almost cartoon-like slow slide to the ground. Alexander had to race over from center field to back up the play. Initially, this was scored as an error on Wilson, a perspective that seemed obvious on the live play. The scorer soon reversed themselves and turned this into a two-run triple.
That’s a joke. I don’t mean a joke in the sense of “I’m telling a joke by saying something that didn’t really happen.” No. It really happened. I mean that the decision is a joke. Perhaps not as bad of a joke as this outfield defense.
This is not to say that all of Bradish’s problems can be blamed on his outfield defense. Arizona got to him fairly and clearly when a couple of bottom-of-the-lineup guys did their own back-to-back doubles to put the Diamondbacks back on top in the fourth inning.
It could have been fun in spite of all of this. The Orioles retook the lead in the fifth inning. Wilson partially atoned for his earlier miscue by hitting a single. This left him on base when early-season star Jeremiah Jackson homered into the vicinity of the Bird Bath in left-center field. Jackson drove in three runs in the game and now has a .949 OPS for the season. He’s continued to be a pleasant surprise since his debut last August.
The lead, alas, did not last for long. Bradish gave the run back in the top of the sixth. Bradish would have had two earned runs in six innings were it not for the scorer’s reversal. Instead, four earned runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings leaves him with an elevated 5.49 ERA. The Orioles will need better to go somewhere good this year.
The teams traded runs in the seventh. Ketel Marte dropped a smooth bunt to lead off the inning with a base hit. The next batter was Carroll, who hit a fly ball with a lot of hang time that fell in front of Alexander in center field. I will say a real center fielder should have caught it, with the observation that the expected average on this ball was .250.
Reliever Grant Wolfram got one grounder into the drawn-in infield, preventing the run from coming home. The next guy, Del Castillo, hit a chopper that deflected off the glove of a leaping Wolfram. By the time Gunnar Henderson fielded the ball behind Wolfram, there was no chance to throw the runner out at home.
Henderson figured prominently as the Orioles tied the game once again. He led off with a single, stole second base, then scored on a little squibber hit by pinch-hitter Leody Taveras. One might wonder why Taveras wasn’t in the starting lineup for defense alone, without even getting into his hitting well early on this year. He delivered the game-tying hit, setting the 5-5 score that eventually went into extra innings. The Orioles went three-up, three-down in the eighth and ninth. There was no real walkoff potential.
That brings us around to Wells. He was, in essence, the only choice for the tenth inning. The Orioles had used four relievers before him. The excellent-so-far Rico Garcia had pitched the two previous days and was probably unavailable. Albert Suárez was the only other guy out there.
This was our first 2026 Orioles experience with the zombie runner, the Manfred Man, or however you like to refer to the guy who starts on second base in extra frames. Arizona had a fast guy lined up in the form of Carroll. They even spotted Wells an out. They made the tactically-questionable choice to have their #3 hitter bunt Carroll to third base on the road, when the Orioles would still have the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the inning.
Wells didn’t make them pay. What he did do was give up a home run to Del Castillo, the catcher’s first of the season, giving him five RBI in the game. He gave up two more hits and the Diamondbacks had an 8-5 lead at the end of it. No Orioles batter reached base in the bottom of the tenth and the frustrating game finally ended.
Would it have gone so much better if Tyler O’Neill was not on the injured list and if Taylor Ward was not used as the designated hitter? I am not so sure that it would have. The Orioles did not construct this roster with corner outfield defense as a priority. This is not the first game where we’ve seen the effects of that. It’s just the most egregious because the second wave of guys, playing out of position, might be even worse than the first wave.
After getting us to feel good about them on Monday, the Orioles are back down to .500 at 9-9. They now head to Cleveland, where they’ll start a four-game series with the Guardians on Thursday evening. Cleveland is 10-9 so far this season. Shane Baz and Parker Messick are the scheduled starting pitchers for the 6:10 game.
Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. has been spectacular to start the Double-A season, and on Tuesday night he continued that success against one of baseball's best.
Lombard enjoyed himself a 2-for-4 showing in Somerset’s win over Reading, with one of those knocks being a well-struck RBI double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler, of course, was making his fourth rehab appearance with the Fightin Phils as he continues recovering from surgeries for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome.
He got the best of Lombard in his first two at-bats, though, striking him out and getting him to fly out to center before giving up the first-pitch double in the sixth.
Afterwards, the three-time All-Star spoke highly of the young sluggers potential.
“I thought he was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters. “You can tell he’s a good, strong kid and he has a good bat path -- he’s going to be a good player, so I hope I don’t have to face him too much.”
Lombard's glove has been his calling card to this point, but so far this season his offense has followed suit.
The 21-year-old is now hitting .429 with a stellar 1.372 OPS though eight games.
He’s racked up four multi-hit showings, six extra base-hits, and has stuck out just five times over that span.
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who was with Somerset to kick off his rehab assignment, also had nothing but good things to say about the organization's top young talent.
“I thought he looked great out there,” Volpe said. “He made great plays in the field, put together good at-bats, smoked the ball to right -- he’s a really hard worker and a really good kid, so it’s going to be exciting.”
With Volpe in the lineup, Lombard got his first start of the season at third base, giving the Yankees a glimpse of their potential left-side of the infield down the line.
And the youngster was sure to put on a show defensively as well, taking care of all of his opportunities, including a pair of slick plays to rob the Fightin Phils of hits.
If Lombard can keep this up, perhaps he'll receive the call to Triple-A before long.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 5: Josh Hader #71 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch in the ninth inning during a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 5, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, the Houston Astros released updates on many of the 13 players they have on the Injured List:
• RHP Cody Bolton (right mid-back inflammation) was placed on the IL today and is currently not throwing.
• RHP Hunter Brown (right shoulder sprain), RHP Tatsuya Imai (right arm fatigue) and RHP Cristian Javier (right shoulder strain) are rehabbing in Houston, but currently not throwing.
• LHP Josh Hader (left biceps tendinitis) tossed a 19-pitch live BP yesterday in Houston.
• RHP Nate Pearson (right elbow surgery) threw 2.0 innings in an extended Spring Training game on Saturday (April 11).
• LHP Bennett Sousa (left oblique strain) is out on a minor league rehab assignment now. He pitched last night for Double A Corpus Christi, working 1.0 scoreless inning on eight pitches (seven strikes).
• OF Zach Dezenzo (right elbow sprain) is rehabbing in Florida. He has progressed to a position specific throwing program while continuing normal hitting.
• OF Jake Meyers (right oblique strain) and SS Jeremy Peña (right hamstring strain) are rehabbing in Houston, focusing on rehabilitation exercises.
Sam Antonacci mashed for all of 2025 and into spring 2026, and is now rewarded with a trip to The Show. | (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The South Side isn’t messing around with its prospects.
If last year was a youth wave, this year promises to bring a youth tsunami. On Wednesday, Springfield native Sam Antonacci was the third prospect of the 2026 season to be called up from Triple-A, immediately following the long-awaited arrival of Noah Schultz.
Antonacci’s breakout in the minors last year had everyone at SSS hoping and waiting for him to debut for the White Sox, and his time is now. After a brilliant cup of coffee at Low-A Kannapolis after the draft, Antonacci crushed it in his first and only full season of affiliate ball, in 2025. His .291/.433/.409 slash line and 48 stolen bases across Rookie, High-A and Double-A ball won him MiLB’s Southern League Player of the Week in June, a Southern Atlantic League All-Star nod in September and the very coveted SSS’s Minor League Player of the Week in July.
If not for a fella named Caleb Bonemer, Antonacci very like would have been our SSS Player of the Year in the minors.
Still, last year’s stats pale in comparison to his strong Triple-A start in 2026. After impressing in Spring Training and getting some international notice as a member of Italy’s surprising WBC squad, Antonacci reported to Triple-A and mashed: .313 with a towering .500 OBP and 15 walks, and a .341 BABIP — beware, pitchers! The patient Swiss Army knife of a player is also diversifying his glove work from the infield to now leaning heavily in left field, with 11 of his 14 games played coming there. The writing is clearly on the wall for Andrew Benintendi, but Will Venable will have his chance to play musical chairs with the lineup.
To make room for Antonacci, the White Sox designated outfielder Dustin Harris for assignment.
Between Antonacci’s composure at the plate and track record for being one of the most reliable hitters in the minor league system, he should be just the spark plug needed to keep this offense out of long, dry spells.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 14: Emilio Pagán #15 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on April 14, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán picked up his 5th save of the 2026 season on Tuesday night, coaxing a deep fly-out off the bat of San Francisco Giants pinch hitter Daniel Susac to help wrap up a closely fought 2-1 victory.
That was obviously the good news. The bad news – or potentially bad news, at least – was that he clearly seemed to grimace while delivering the pitch. Since it coincided with the end of the game, coverage of said grimace was a bit scant, and we were instead left waiting to find out just exactly what happened.
Was it a knee? Was it something innocuous?
According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, it’s a hamstring issue for Pagán, one that comes with a bit of optimism about the recovery time needed.
Sheldon later clarified that it’s his left hamstring, not right.
The Reds have already announced a starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Giants, and they’ve made no roster moves in concurrence with said lineup. So, it’s safe to say that Pagán isn’t going to need a trip to the IL to get this right – at least, not yet.
My best guess is that they’ll slow-play this and hope it improves significantly with a day or two of rest, and that he’ll be unavailable to pitch while that’s going on. That would open up potential save opportunities elsewhere in the bullpen, something both Connor Phillips and Brock Burke have taken advantage of already in the early portions of this season.
If things don’t improve quickly, though, we could see a backdated move to the IL for Pagán. The problem there, though, is that there isn’t a clear replacement for his services in AAA. Zach Maxwell has a save and is on the roster, but he’s struggled mightily in his first 7 games of the year. Both Tejay Antone and Lyon Richardson have ample experience and are pitching well, but neither currently holds a spot on the 40-man roster. Luis Mey would probably end up getting the call, as he’s allowed just 2 ER in 6.0 IP with an 8/2 K/BB, though he has also yielded 3 unearned runs to date.
For now, we’ll hedge that Pagán truly did ‘dodge a bullet’ and that this will be a non-story in short order. Of course, it would be nice if the Reds offense would actually score enough runs to make ‘needing a closer in 1-run games every single day’ less of an importance for a change, too.
So far this homestand, the Los Angeles Dodgers have quietly handled the New York Mets, with the pitching staff allowing only one run in 18 innings. The run was a leadoff shot from Francisco Lindor off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Tuesday’s game, and otherwise no Met has crossed the plate in L.A.
Wednesday the Dodgers look to finish the sweep by sending Shohei Ohtani to the mound. Ohtani still is in possession of both longest active on-base streak at 48 games, and longest active streak of consecutive innings pitched without an earned run, at 28 2/3. The on-base streak almost ended Tuesday night, but the Mets decided to intentionally walk him in the eighth inning, even though he was 0-3 for the evening.
In each of his last two outings, Ohtani has gone exactly 6.0 innings, allowing a total of five hits and issuing four walks. There was an unearned run in the outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, dropping his longest active pitching streak from scoreless to unearned runs.
This will mark the first time that Ohtani will face the Mets as a pitcher, leaving the Chicago Cubs as the only team he will not have yet faced. As a hitter, his lifetime slash line against them is .294/.417/.603 with five homers and 13 RBI.
The Mets will send right-hander Clay Holmes to the mound, who is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA. In his last outing, Holmes left the mound in the sixth inning with the team trainer. He was dealing with left hamstring tightness but is still slated to make the start Wednesday evening.
On the offense side, the Mets have only scored 10 runs in their last five games, with the bulk of those coming in a loss to the Athletics in which they scored six runs. They were shutout in three of those games. Tuesday night marked the seventh loss in a row.
Bo Bichette in particular will be looking to continue to assert some dominance over Ohtani. His last plate appearance against Ohtani came in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series produced a three-run homer, which most of Toronto thought would be the death nell for the Dodgers.
As always, both teams will wear number 42 on their uniforms, in honor of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947.
Wednesday night’s game will be available exclusively on ESPN, the first one of the season for ESPN. Orel Hershiser will join Ron Darling as the respective teams’ color analysts, with Joe Buck the play-by-play guy.
LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball will honor Jackie Robinson when every player, coach and umpire will wear his No. 42 to mark the 79th anniversary of the infielder breaking the sport’s color barrier.
Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He went on to win Rookie of the Year honors, become a six-time All-Star and the 1949 National League MVP. He played in six World Series, and won his only championship in 1955 with the Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets will hold a joint reflection ceremony at the centerfield statue of Robinson at Dodger Stadium.
“A special day, especially for me as a Latino. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t because of him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Talk about dealing with pressure at this level, imagine what he dealt with back in the day.”
Two of Robinson’s granddaughters will join the teams at Dodger Stadium, not far from Robinson’s adopted hometown of Pasadena. He was a four-sport star at Pasadena Junior College before going on to UCLA, where the Georgia native was better known for football than baseball.
Also on hand in Los Angeles will be recipients of scholarships from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
For the first time in at least two decades, the percentage of Black players on opening day rosters increased this season. Major League Baseball says 6.8% of players on opening day rosters, injured lists and the restricted list were Black, up from 6.2% at the start of the 2025 season and 6.0% at the start of 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 8: Jared Oliva #56, Harrison Bader #9 and Jung Hoo Lee #51 of the San Francisco Giants walk off the field after the inning during a game between Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on April 8, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants have had the worst outfield in the Major Leagues this year, and now it’s getting a shakeup. However, it’s not the performance that is causing that shakeup, but rather injuries.
On Wednesday, ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants announced that starting center fielder Harrison Bader and fourth outfielder Jared Oliva had both been placed on the 10-Day IL. Bader, whose IL stint is retroactive to April 12, has a left hamstring strain, which appears to be a lingering issue from a Spring Training injury. Oliva is headed to the IL with a left wrist hamate fracture, though it’s unclear when that injury was sustained (he did have what appeared to be a very minor collision with the wall in yesterday’s loss).
Taking their places on the roster are outfielders Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan, who have been recalled from AAA Sacramento.
It could be a blessing in disguise for the Giants. Their outfield has been miserable, but it seemed unlikely that they would bench Bader, Jung Hoo Lee, or Heliot Ramos anytime soon. You don’t ever wish for an injury, but it does open the door for some new players to get some playing time, and potentially run with it. Both Brennan and Gilbert have been playing well — not great, but well — in Sacramento this year. Brennan is hitting .392/.389/.549 with one home run and a 149 wRC+, while Gilbert is slashing .289/.389/.400, with one home run and a 122 wRC+. Both players have regularly been playing all three outfield spots in AAA.
As for the injured players, Bader’s first year with the Giants has been a disaster thus far, as he’s hit just .115/.145/.192 with one home run, a -7 wRC+, and a team-worst -0.6 fWAR. Oliva has hit 1-7 while playing almost exclusively as a pinch-runner prior to filling in for Bader. It’s a tough break for Oliva, who beat the odds to make the Opening Day roster, and will now likely be shelved for quite a while.
It will be interesting to see how Tony Vitello and the front office allocate playing time for the new outfield arrangement, especially since Gilbert and Brennan are both left-handed hitters replacing right-handed hitters (on a team woefully lacking in lefties). Gilbert is an exciting prospect who is wholly unproven at the MLB level, while Brennan is a known entity but has been a comfortably below-average hitter in 866 career plate appearances in the pros. We also don’t know how the Giants view the center field defensive situation with Bader sidelined: Gilbert has looked good there in limited action, Brennan has been serviceable with a fair amount of experience there, and Lee spent all of last year as the center fielder, and slid over to fill in for Bader on Sunday.
These are the first transactions that the Giants have made on the hitting front this year, despite being at or near the bottom in virtually every offensive category. That’s been doubly true for the team’s outfielders who, as a unit, rank 29th in batting average (.189), 30th in on-base percentage (.221), 29th in slugging percentage (.264), 30th in walk rate (4.2%), 30th in wRC+ (36), and 30th in fWAR (-1.6).
The New York Mets try to snap a seven-game skid as they face the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight.
L.A. will have two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound, and my Mets vs. Dodgers predictions are betting on him to shut down New York's ice-cold offense.
Here are my best free MLB picks for this NL clash on Wednesday, April 15.
Who will win Mets vs Dodgers today: Los Angeles RL -1.5 (+105)
Shohei Ohtani has allowed just five hits and one run (none earned) through 12 innings this year.
Ohtani also anchors a Los Angeles Dodgers offense that leads the majors in OPS (.838), with that surging to .912 over the last week. They'll get to New York Mets righty Clay Holmes, who has a 4.08 FIP in 34 starts since last year.
The Mets are 28th in the majors in OPS (.625), with that dropping to .473 over the last seven days, as Juan Soto remains sidelined. They simply don't have the bats to keep up with the Dodgers' firepower.
COVERS INTEL: Since the start of 2025, opponents have slugged just .240 against Shohei Ohtani's four-seamer, while the Mets are slugging .342 against four-seam fastballs this year.
Mets vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-115)
I'm expecting regression for Holmes against L.A.'s elite offense. However, he's still been solid since making the move to the rotation and has a 3.59 xERA this year.
Both teams also have strong bullpens. Mets relievers rank sixth in ERA (2.94) and eighth in WHIP (1.20), while Dodgers relievers are ninth in ERA (3.25) and sixth in WHIP (1.19).
The main reason to bet the Under is how bad New York's offense has been without Soto. The offseason departure of Pete Alonso was a huge blow, and Francisco Lindor (.194 BA) and Marcus Semien (.243 OBP) have been awful.
Rohit Ponnaiya's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 4-5, -1.68 units
Over/Under bets: 5-1, +3.75 units
Mets vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Mets +165 | Dodgers -200
Run line: Mets +1.5 (-125) | Dodgers -1.5 (+105)
Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)
Mets vs Dodgers trend
The Mets are 0-7 in their previous seven games, while the Dodgers are 9-2 in their last 11. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Mets vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN
Mets starting pitcher
Clay Holmes (2-1, 1.50 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Mets vs Dodgers latest injuries
Mets vs Dodgers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Mar 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Angel Chivilli (57) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Yankees’ bullpen started the year on fire, protecting leads left and right and enjoying a few breakout performances from unexpected pitchers — or at least that’s what it looked like. Now, a few weeks into the season, the unit has looked leaky and inconsistent in recent games.
This has caused the Yanks to make some roster decisions after returning Cade Winquest to the St. Louis Cardinals to make room for Luis Gil in the rotation last week. One such move came after Monday’s rollercoaster win, when they demoted Jake Bird. Then, in search of another fresh arm after Tuesday’s 7-1 loss, they optioned Bird’s replacement, Yerry De los Santos, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres after pitching two innings.
To replace De los Santos on the active roster, New York has decided to bring up Angel Chivilli, whom they acquired in a late-January trade with the Colorado Rockies, sending T.J. Rumfield in return.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees recalled RHP Angel Chivilli (#57) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Chivilli, a Brian Cashman project not dissimilar from Bird, posted a 7.06 ERA in 58.2 innings last year in Colorado, with a 6.03 FIP and a much more decent 4.86 xFIP. He surrendered 1.9 home runs per nine.
The stuff is what intrigues New York more than the numbers. The 23-year-old has a fastball that averaged 97.1 mph last year, good enough to rank in the 88th percentile. It doesn’t have an impressive movement profile, though. Chivilli’s two breaking balls—a slider and a changeup—are far more promising and actually yielded excellent results last year, with a 45.4 percent and a 42.6 percent whiff rate, respectively.
The Yankees had high hopes for Chivilli, but a 12.38 ERA in spring training cost him a spot on the Opening Day roster. Instead, the organization sent him to Triple-A, where he has thrived with 8.1 dominant innings of a perfect 0.00 ERA, two walks, and nine punchouts.
Chivilli will get his first true chance in prinstripes, hoping to become a trusted reliever in a bullpen that needs sure things.
COVERS INTEL: Since the start of 2025, opponents have slugged just .240 against Shohei Ohtani's four-seamer, while the Mets are slugging .342 against four-seam fastballs this year.