Category: Baseball

It’s really hard to write a preview about the Miami Marlins after the San Francisco Giants took two out of three from the Dodgers. That series was the ultimate RETVRN to tradition in that the Giants overcame their longstanding Giantsness to actually dominate the Dodgers for 18 innings of the series. It’s a staggering embarrassment for the previously perfect if not impervious Dodgers, and it’s an early feather in the cap of Tony Vitello. But now he and these confident Giants now host the Marlins, and they have proven to be a thorn in the Giants’ side as long as they’ve existed.

The Giants haven’t won the season series since 2022, and last season, their three-game sweep in San Francisco prompted headlines on here like “Not good enough!” and “So many opportunities, so little made of them” and “Done in by friendly fire.” That series also saw the Marlins register 4 hit by pitches in the first two games of the series, prompting retaliation in the finale (Hayden Birdsong plunked Otto Lopez). Previously, there was the Marlins Death Fog, which I guess — given last year’s sheninghans — remains relevant here.

The Marlins built their modest 12-13 record atop a very soft schedule to open the season, hosting the Rockies and the White Sox (5-1). They’re just 2-7 on the road so far, too. But, they’ve got a middle of the pack lineup (102 wRC+) and middle of the pack pitching staff (+2.7 fWAR 3.59 xERA) on the season and only the lineup has really fell down over the last two weeks (96 wRC+).

In fact, their last two weeks is a good comparison point with the Giants, when most people would agree that the team has started playing better. The Marlins’ team batting average since April 9th is .253, 10th in MLB. Their team OBP has been .330 and they’re slugging .364. They have a 9.4 BB% and 21.5 K%. They’ve scored just 53 runs (24th in MLB). Meanwhile, the Giants have a superior team batting average (.254 — 9th in MLB) but among the dregs of the sport everywhere else: .287 OBP (28th, ahead of only the Phillies & Mets), .366 slugging (24th), 40 runs scored (29th, ahead of only the Mets). And their 4.1 BB% (30th) and 20.7 K% (20th) and .112 ISO (26th) show just how little they produce in a rate sense. Their .292 wOBA (28th) is a key factor in their 84 wRC+ (25th).

The Giants might be a better team on paper, but through the first month of the season, the Marlins have been better. Leading the way are three acquisitions over the past few years: shortstop Xavier Edwards was acquired by Marlins exec Peter Bendix after he left the Rays and is off to a great start (.869 OPS). Otto Lopez, whom the Giants discarded at the end of Spring Training 2024 and the Marlins then grabbed, has a 3:1 strikeouts to walk rate but an .877 OPS to start out (101 PA). And then there’s 2024 Rule 5 acquisition Liam Hicks, a left-handed designated hitter who had a sub-.700 OPS last season but is hitting .321/.368/.513 with 4 homers and 21 RBI to start this season (87 PA).

Their pitching staff remains a work in progress but with two anchors: former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who appears to be rounding back into form just in time for this year’s trade deadline (2.80 ERA plus a shutout under his belt already); but also, 23 year old Eury Perez who received some Rookie of the Year votes back in 2023 after striking out 108 in 91.1 IP.

Anyway, this figures to be a pesky series, but one the Giants should be competitive in, unless that Dodgers series was a complete mirage. The Giants have had the fifth-best team ERA over the past two weeks (3.48) and they’re playing a team that struggles on the road. The Marlins do have a raft of pesky players they can deploy to annoy us this series — Connor Norby, Esteury Ruiz, Owen Caissie, Kyle Stowers (more on him in a moment) — but so do the Giants — Christian Koss, Jerar Encarnacion, Drew Gilbert — so, hopefully, this doesn’t look like Miami’s last visit to Oracle Park.

And just to make sure we’re all a little tense or annoyed, the General Manager of the Marlins working under Peter Bendix is Gabe Kapler and the Marlins DFA’d Austin Slater before they left Miami for San Francisco.

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Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (11-14) vs. Miami Marlins (12-13)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Friday at 7:15pm PT, Saturday at 1:05pm PT, Sunday at 1:05pm PT
National broadcasts: None.

Projected starters
Friday: Sandy Alcantara (RHP 2-2, 3.06 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (RHP 0-2, 5.40 ERA)
Saturday: Eury Perez (RHP 2-1, 4.15 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (LHP 2-3, 2.86 ERA)
Sunday: Max Meyer (RHP 1-0, 3.96 ERA) vs. Landen Roupp (RHP 4-1, 2.28 ERA)

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Players to watch

Marlins

Kyle Stowers: He was the Marlins’ best hitter last season (25 HR, .912 OPS in 457 PA) but missed the start of this season due to a hamstring strain. He’s 3-for-10 since being activated off the IL, helping the Marlins win two out of the three games in which he’s played. The former Oriole was acquired by the Marlins along with Connor Norby at the 2024 deadline for LHP Trevor Rogers, who is now the apparent #1 starter of Baltimore’s staff. He’s got 2 career homers at Oracle Park in 6 games (23 PA) to go with a .316/.435/.737 line.

Pete Fairbanks: The Marlins didn’t trade him last year and then declined his option after the season which left people scratching their heads as to what was going on with a perfectly serviceable closer (75 saves across the three prior seasons). The obvious answer had to be a health issue. The Marlins signed him to a 1-year $13 million deal and, so far, they’ve been treated to a 7.27 ERA (7 ER in 8.2 IP). But! But… he’s recorded 5 saves in 6 tries, and has just one blown save (a 6-5 loss in Atlanta). His ERA is excused by a 2.34 FIP but also — and most importantly — 3 of the 7 earned runs he’s been charged with came as an opener against the Yankees back on April 5th. So, is he the lights out closer they’re paying for? That’s what Giants fans will find out soon enough.

Owen Caissie: In the offseason, the Cubs traded their #3 prospect at the end of 2025 (per MLB Pipeline) in order to get their hands on starter Edward Cabrera, who’d previously given the Giants some problems (3-0, 1.91 ERA!). He got into 12 games last year with Chicago and this year the Marlins slotted him in as their starting right fielder, and why not? He had a triumphant WBC for Team Canada (7/17 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB). But the results here in the 2026 regular season have been suboptimal: 2 homers, 14 RBI in 23 games (78 PA), sure, but 34 strikeouts to 3 walks. He’s also 5-for-his-last-37, too, with 1 walk and 21 strikeouts! It would be a real shame if this was the weekend he found his swing.

Giants

Rafael Devers: You know what? You don’t have to watch him. He’s been terrible. Unwatchable. Is he washed? Cooked? Finito? Maybe. It’s baseball, after all. Sometimes, players wake up one morning and they’re no longer able to play the game. Devers’ own brand of not being able to play the game is his ability to swing through pitches in the strike zone. On defense, he’s been physically able to stay around the bag but he’s hardly the sturdy defender needed there. In fairness, he’s 7-for-26 going back to the start of the Nats series (6 games), but a .269 average with just 2 extra base hits (doubles) and zero walks to go with 10 strikeouts is simply not the kind of production from Devers one might call “fine.” He’s slugging .320 on the season. He’s off to his worst start ever.

Erik Miller: Ryan Walker’s triumphant return of sorts to the closer role was certainly heartening to see, but in this series, Miami will be flashing some dangerous lefties and it’ll be up to the Giants’ most dangerous lefty to corral them.

Christian Koss: He last got into a game on April 12th. Play him or option him!

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Tony Vitello watch

The Marlins have flummoxed many a Giants manager before. Will Vitello be different?

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Prediction time

The Giants will win the series.

The AL Central Defending Champs vs. The AL Pennant Defending Champs. Here we go

The Guardians are 14-12, 18th in wRC+ at 98, 27th in baserunning runs above average at -2.4, 10th in Defense at -0.4, eighth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.45 (4.14 FIP), and 24th in bullpen ERA at 4.81 (3.22 FIP).

The Blue Jays are 10-14, 21st in wRC+ at 96, 28th in baserunning runs above average at -2.7, seventh in defense at 3.6, 17th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.12 (3.79 FIP), and 22nd in bullpen ERA at 4.87 (4.32 FIP).

Matchups:

Game One: Friday, 7:07 PM ET: Gavin Williams, RHP 2.12 ERA vs. Max Scherzer, RHP, 7.16 ERA

Game Two: Saturday, 3:07 PM ET: Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.20 ERA vs. Kevin Gausman, 2.54 ERA

Game Three: Sunday, 1:37 PM ET: Slade Cecconi, RHP 6.20 ERA vs. Dylan Cease, RHP 2.10 ERA

It’s the Kevin Gausman Can Kick Rocks Series, folks. After Gausman hit Jose intentionally in the arm/hand last July, Jose went through a three-week slump as he nursed his injury. Gausman must pay with a Guardians six-spot. So let it be written, so let it be done.

When the Washington Nationals picked up Ronny Cruz as part of the return in the Michael Soroka deal, he was seen as a high upside lottery ticket. You could see the upside, but he was very raw and put up middling numbers in rookie ball. However, that upside is being realized and Cruz has had a meteoric rise in the prospect world.

Fangraphs just released their updated Nationals prospect rankings. There were not that many changes with the exception of Ronny Cruz. They ranked Cruz as the Nats number four prospect, ahead of guys like Devin Fitz-Gerald, Gavin Fien and Travis Sykora. The site also noted that Cruz was moving into their top 100 prospect list with the update.

Ronny Cruz comes in as the Nats 4th ranked prospect in this new update. Said he will be in the top 100 in their next update https://t.co/kI4clbbX8P

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) April 24, 2026

That last part was what really stood out to me. Before the season Cruz was not on anyone’s radar as a potential top 100 prospect. Heck, in July he was only half of a package that landed the Cubs half a season of Michael Soroka. In just 17 games, everything has changed for Ronny Cruz.

Now you could make the case that Cruz is the Nats second best teenage infield prospect, only behind number one overall pick Eli Willits. I actually think that Cruz has a higher ceiling, though he is not as polished of a prospect. For a guy with a wiry frame, Cruz generates an insane amount of power due to his elite bat speed.

Cruz’s bat speed, raw power and twitchy athleticism have led to some lofty comparisons. Geoff Pontes of Baseball America said Cruz looks a lot like Fernando Tatis Jr. did at the same point in their development. Obviously Cruz has a long way to go to become that kind of player, but it shows you what kind of athlete he is and what sort of upside he has.

The Ronny Cruz trajectory reminds @GeoffPontesBA of the early days of Fernando Tatis Jr. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/RHYc5Zi7Tf

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 21, 2026

The fact Cruz was traded early in his career makes the Tatis comparison a bit ironic. Like Cruz, Tatis was traded by a Chicago team for a middling pitcher very early in his development. With Tatis, it was the White Sox who traded him. Hopefully Cruz can haunt the northsiders in the same sort of way.

You have to credit Mike DeBartolo for identifying Cruz and trading for him in his stint as interim GM. The work he did at the draft and the deadline has been aging very well so far. However, it seems like Cruz is his biggest win. Getting a future top 100 prospect for a rental Michael Soroka is brilliant work. He is still in the organization, so hopefully he can help Paul Toboni find more gems like this.

If you want an indication of how much Cruz’s stock has risen since the start of the season, you just have to look at the prospect rankings. Baseball America, the same outlet comparing Cruz to Fernando Tatis, ranked him as the number 26 prospect in the Nationals system. MLB Pipeline had him in a similar range, ranking him 25th. Pipeline had the other piece of the Soroka trade, Christian Franklin ahead of Cruz.

Once they update their lists, I would imagine Cruz will move into a similar range as the one Fangraphs has him in. On a Baseball America podcast, they indicated that Cruz would be in their top 5 once they update the rankings.

While Cruz’s ascent has been about as steep as Mt. Everest, you could see some of this coming if you read the tea leaves. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Cruz during Spring Training. Paul Toboni himself name dropped Cruz a couple times. He said that Cruz was the prospect that impressed him the most this spring during an interview with Grant Paulsen. 

My first real exposure to Cruz was when I went down to West Palm Beach for Spring Training. He actually appeared in one of the big league Spring Training games I went to and proceeded to hit a home run off of JP France, an Astros righty who has pitched in the big leagues.

ronny cruz (nats @MLBPipeline #25 prospect) sends a rocket to the berm 🚀 pic.twitter.com/TW54h5A9A5

— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) March 8, 2026

I also saw him get a couple hits on the back fields as well. After seeing how good his swing looked and the kind of power he could produce, I was impressed. I made a point of including him when discussing the Nats more famous teenage infield prospects like Eli Willits, Coy James, Luke Dickerson and Gavin Fien.

However, he is shattering even my most optimistic expectations this spring. He started the season like a house on fire for the Fred Nats. Cruz hit .333 with 3 homers and a crazy 15 steals in 14 games. He posted an OPS of 1.087 and often looked like the best player on the field for a stacked Fred Nats team.

Despite never playing above rookie ball before this season, Paul Toboni decided to promote Cruz to High-A Wilmington after those 14 games. That decision made me even higher on Cruz because it showed just how much faith the organization has in him. The fact he was promoted before guys like Luke Dickerson and Yeremy Cabrera is telling. Those other two guys were also performing well and had much more Low-A experience, but it was Cruz who got the promotion.

When he got to Wilmington, I figured Cruz would slow down a little bit. If you looked at his underlying data, he was chasing a bit more than you would like and his contact rates were not amazing as well. That, combined with Wilmington being a very pitcher friendly environment led me to believe Cruz would take a few lumps before eventually figuring things out.

It has only been three games, but so far Cruz has disproven my theory. He has homered twice in three games and has taken to the new level like a duck to water. Cruz is 5/14 with an OPS of 1.186 as a 19 year old in High-A. It is absolutely bonkers to see what this kid is doing.

stay hot 🔥

ronny cruz with a three-hit night, including his second homer in just three games in high-a! pic.twitter.com/7oVXIew0tr

— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) April 24, 2026

He has gone from a high upside flier to a top 100 prospect in the span of a few weeks. This guy has an incredible level of upside and ability. He has a natural feel for the barrel and does a great job hitting the ball at good angles. That allows him to tap into his impressive raw power. He is also a great athlete who could play all over the field if needed. 

This season he has split time between shortstop, third base and second base. He has spent the most time at third, but could feasibly play at any of those spots. Cruz has good hands and actions on the dirt. That only makes his overall profile even more tantalizing.

Cruz is the real deal and is the Nats breakout prospect of 2026 so far. His plate discipline and hit tool are still a bit raw, but not to the point where it is truly problematic. We have seen so much development in this player already that you can project future growth as well. 

I am curious to see what Cruz does as he sees better pitching. Will he eventually hit a wall as he sees better breaking balls or is this rocket ship only starting its ascent? Only time will tell, but Nationals fans have a new prospect to get excited about and his name is Ronny Cruz.

When I first started writing here about a decade ago, the biggest gripe we had with the institution that is MLB is how scared they were to make changes. Replay review had been instituted but in comparison to the other Big Four leagues, baseball seemed unwilling to challenge the century-old traditions that enveloped it, even to the point of self-harm. Fast forward to 2026 and the game looks very different, and in a good way.

We’re a couple years into the pitch clock era, and pulling up highlights from 2015 make me wonder why it took so long to implement that little change. Larger bases and the pickoff limit have helped incentivize a more athletic, dynamic style of play on the basepaths, one that the Yankees surprisingly finally started to take advantage of this season. The “Ohtani rule”, allowing Shohei to remain at DH even once he’s been taken out as a starting pitcher, helps keep the biggest start in the sport in the spotlight as long as possible — regardless of how you feel about the guy, MLB is truly marketing its marquee attractions, a complaint levied many times in my adult life against the league.

And of course we’re a month into the ABS era, and after the whirlwind of excitement that was the rule’s first week, we’ve settled into a nice rhythm with it. Fans aren’t waiting with quite the bated breath the way that Cincinnati crowd tormented CB Bucknor, and Ben Rice seems to have learned his lesson about challenging, but the ABS challenge itself has simply become another part of the game. Any addition to game time seems marginal — average gametimes so far this year have been two hours, 40 minutes, exactly in line with averages the last couple of seasons — and I haven’t felt any disruption to the “flow” of things, although others may differ.

In short, MLB has been getting it right with their rule changes post-COVID. They have identified areas where tweaks and fixes have been needed, experimented with the right solutions in the minors, and then allowed those solutions to graduate to the majors. That process itself deserves credit, as MLB teams are graduating prospects to the 26-man roster that have already experienced pitch clocks and challenge systems while in the developmental system, so they’re used to the changes before things start to really matter.

Each of these rule changes has also addressed an actual need, and that’s the cautionary tale going forward. You can get far too cute with rulebook tinkering — the way the NBA calls fouls jumps immediately to mind — and that does eventually degrade the product. Instead, MLB wanted to cut down overall game time, keep the most bankable name on the field as much as possible, introduce a faster alternative play style, and clean up the most egregious missed calls. Specific needs, targeted solutions.

Everything we write and talk about with respect to baseball in 2026 is overshadowed by coming labor troubles. Whether we lose games in 2027 or not, this winter is going to be ugly. MLB has had a load of successes come its way, from an emergent dynasty (and dynasties are always good for business) to the World Baseball Classic to the growing international spotlight shone on the game. The rule changes the league has implemented have contributed to that success, both in terms of a higher-quality game and positive coverage.

The game itself is healthy, thriving, and growing, which is not something we’ve been able to say at many points in my lifetime. Squabbling over what exact percentage of a few billion dollars — when the San Diego Padres are worth four billion on their own — will halt all that progress in its tracks. The most acute, appropriate rule changes on the planet cannot undo the harm of a lost season. MLB has made great strides to improve the state of baseball, and keeping that momentum going needs to be the focus, not a salary cap.

But enough about the Yankees series. Let’s move right on.

The Red Sox are headed to Baltimore to play the Orioles. Baltimore is 12-13 and Boston is 9-16 and on a three-game losing streak. Things haven’t gone great for the O’s while missing Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutchman, Tyler O’Neill, Ryan Mountcastle, Zach Eflin and playing sub-.500 baseball, but they’re still close to a coin flip away from the postseason.

Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt have been bad in the rotation. Sadly they won’t be facing the Sox. Who is?

Friday night the O’s start things off with Brandon Young. Young is a 27-year old righty who made 12 starts last season for Baltimore to the tune of a 6.75 ERA / 5.35 FIP. In one appearance this year he tossed five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out two. He’s a fastball/splitter/slider/sinker guy who tends to give up more ground balls than fly balls. Perfect for a team struggling for power. However, last year he allowed 12 homers in in 57.2 innings of work so, I don’t know, pencil in 1 home run. Let’s be optimistic.

Brayan Bello will oppose Young for the Red Sox. The arrival of Payton Tolle gave Alex Cora the chance to push him back a day. Bello has had good numbers against the Yankees but given his current funk who can argue with extra rest? In that 6.2 inning, 2-run outing against the Cardinals was back on 4/12 (coincidentally the last time Payton Tolle pitched before last night) he still looked like he was figuring some things out. Let’s hope he can channel that energy.

Trevor Rogers pitched like an ace last year in his short season. For 109.2 innings he posted an ERA of 1.81 (2.82 FIP) and won 9 games. Wins aren’t really meaningful this century because of baseball’s structural changes, but the O’s only won 75 games. In fact, the Orioles would win 13 of his 18 starts. He alone kept their season from becoming truly awful. For Boston, Garrett Crochet will be on the mound. What can you even say at this point? Just assume Tommy John and he’s back in 2028? Or is he really just a tweak away from being a Cy Young pitcher again? He certainly thinks this is a tweak situation and his start against Detroit looked good – still had 8 Ks, his season high – before the wheels fell off again. Bring back the War Pig!

The Sunday matinee features Kyle Bradish for the O’s. Through five starts he’s allowed two runs three times while allowing four and one, respectively, in the other outings. He’s been averaging about 5.0 innings per start. It would be nice to see the opposing starter leave the game early for a change. In 25 innings he’s allowed 31 hits plus 13 walks. The bases could be absolutely filled. Connelly Early will finish then series for the Red Sox. He was cruising through 5.0 innings against the Yankees before trouble hit. Can’t think of anyone the Sox have started you’d feel most certain about how he’ll do though. 90 pitches, 5 innings, probably 1 run. And he might do better!

Gunnar Henderson leads the O’s with 7 homers and as a team they’ve hit 26. He also leads the team with 36 strikeouts. And steals with 4. He’s pretty good.

Pete Alonso is hitting .213/.327/.372 with 3 homers and many years remaining.

Taylor Ward, acquired for frequent IL visitor Grayson Rodriguez has hit 13 doubles.

Roman Anthony should return to the lineup.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, April 24: Brayan Bello (6.75 ERA / 5.77 FIP) vs. Brandon Young (0.00 ERA / 3.54 FIP)

Saturday, April 25: Garrett Crochet (7.88 ERA / 4.98 FIP) vs. Trevor Rogers (4.08 ERA / 3.87 FIP)

Sunday, April 26: Connelly Early (2.88 ERA / 4.18 FIP) vs. Kyle Bradish (3.96 ERA / 3.50 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Friday, April 24: 7:05 PM on NESN

Saturday, April 25: 4:05PM ET on NESN

Sunday, April 26: 1:35 PM ET on NESN+

Braves and Phillies again. Grant Holmes vs. Andrew Painter again. Not on BravesVision again.

So here I am, reheating my own nachos. 

In the time we’ve been apart, the Braves took three out of four against the very pesky Nats to conclude a 6-1 road trip. The boys will return home to Cobb County with the best record in baseball (18-8).

The Phillies… were swept again. If you’re not a sicko who’s scoreboard watching in April like some of us, you’d be shocked to learn of their current streak of nine straight losses. (The Mets snapped their skid at 12, but lost Lindor to the IL in the process.) 

After losing three at Wrigley, I’m sure they’re thrilled to be in Atlanta for the weekend. Sunday’s short-lived starters will have a second chance on Star Wars Night at Truist Park.

After the starter switcheroo that brought us the callups of Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie, Grant Holmes will pitch on regular rest to open this three-game set. Only going 4.2 innings the last time out versus Philadelphia, he threw 81 pitches, gave up four hits, allowed two earned runs on a Schwarber homer, walked one, and struck out four. He allowed the home run in the first and locked it down until Walt Weiss came to pull him just shy of qualifying for a win. While encouraging, Holmes is fighting to stay in the rotation instead of being moved to the bullpen in a long relief role. His longest outing to date was 6.2 innings in Anaheim on April 8, where he threw 99 pitches. Spencer Strider looms, and JR Ritchie had a strong debut. The saxophones are getting louder.

Holmes did outlast Phillies starter Andrew Painter, who threw 84 pitches in 4 innings on Sunday. In the rookie’s first loss, he was charged with a Michael Harris homer and two runs inherited by Tim Mayza. He walked one and struck out four.  The only Braves to record a knock off him so far are Harris (twice), and Ronald Acuña Jr., Dom Smith, and Mike Yastrzemski all have one apiece. Ozzie Albies recorded a walk.

Same clubs seeing the same pitcher in less than a week. What could go wrong? 

If we’re going to feel this much déjà vu, we might as well lean all the way in – might be an unpopular opinion, but I wouldn’t mind another Atlanta series sweep. 

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, April 24, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: N/A

Streaming: Apple TV

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

The Tampa Bay Rays are acquring right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Ty Cummings.

Legumina, 28, was originally selected in the 8th round of the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Twins; Legumina was actually drafted twice prior to signing with the Twins (25th round in 2016 by Toronto & 35th round in 2018 by Cleveland). After quietly working his way up through Minnesota’s system, the Twins would trade Legumina to the Cincinnati Reds for Kyle Farmer in November, 2022. It was with Cincinnati that Legumina made his big league debut, appearing in 11 games during the 2023 season and compiling a 5.68 ERA | 6.73 FIP with a 18.0 K% & 14.8 BB% over 12.2 IP.

Legumina spent one more season with Cincinnati and then was claimed off of waivers by Seattle in February, 2025. Since joining the Mariners, Legumina compiled a 5.43 ERA | 4.15 FIP with a 23.5 K% & 10.3 BB% over 61.1 IP. The Mariners designated Legumina for assignment April 21st following a string of appearances in which he allowed six runs on 10 hits over 4.1 IP.

The cost to acquire Legumina was minor leaguer Ty Cummings, whom the Rays originally acquired from the Mariners as the Player to be Named Later in the Randy Arozarena trade. The 24-year old was originally a starting pitcher in the Rays system but they recently moved him to the bullpen. Prior to this trade, Cummings had made 3 appearances in Double-A, compiling a 1.69 ERA | 4.57 FIP over 5.1 IP.

Legumina is out of options, so the Rays will need to clear a spot on the active roster as well as on the 40-man roster. Marc Topkin is reporting that the move will be made official over the weeknd or on Monday.

In a move to bolster their bullpen, the Mets are calling up relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and optioning Christian Scott to Triple-A Syracuse, SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes confirmed.

Scott made his first start in the big leagues since 2024 on Thursday night, but struggled in a short outing. The 26-year-old walked the bases loaded in the first inning and then walked in a run. He didn't fair better in the second inning, walking the leadoff man and then plunking Byron Buxton.

Overall, Scott finished after 1.1 IP and allowed one run on no hits with five walks and a strikeout.

Edwards, 34, joined the organization in the offseason and has started four games for Syracuse this year in the minors. He's gone 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA and 1.247 WHIP over 17.0 IP.

The veteran hurler has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in the majors across 11 seasons with eight different teams. In 2025, Edwards owned a 4.50 ERA over 6.0 IP with the Angels and Rangers. His best seasons in the bigs came from 2016-2018 with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 2.60 ERA over 58 appearances in 2018. Overall, Edwards has a career 3.56 ERA and 334 strikeouts over 300 appearances in 286.0 IP.

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We’re nearly a month into the MLB season now, and I’m targeting some players whose starts have me expecting big things from them tonight.

I’m looking for Gavin Williams to continue striking out batters at a fast rate, and for Bo Bichette to build off his best game of the year.

Read on to see all my best MLB player props for Friday, April 24.

Best MLB player props today

Gavin Williams Over 5.5 strikeouts (+104)

Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams has struck out about a batter per inning throughout his career, but he’s never mowed down hitters like he’s doing in 2026. Not only is he holding batters to 3.9 hits per nine innings, but he’s also striking out 12.1 per nine, by far the highest rate of his career.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been the hardest team to strike out in the majors this year, but in modern baseball, that doesn’t make them immune to strikeouts. The Jays have struck out at least six times in nine of their last ten games. Williams has 7+ strikeouts in four of his first five starts this season, and should be able to hit this very reasonable total tonight.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock, SN1

Bo Bichette Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBIs (+125)

Bo Bichette had been slowly heating up after a terribly slow start, but New York Mets fans finally got the breakout game they were waiting for from their new addition on Thursday. Bichette went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs to help extend the Mets' winning streak to two.

Bichette will have a shot to stay hot tonight as he faces off against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, who has a 7.84 ERA and 2.226 WHIP as a starter this year. The entire Mets lineup should be able to build on last night’s outburst around him as well, which makes Bichette an excellent pick to get at least three combined hits, runs, and RBIs tonight.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rockies.TV, WPIX-11

Kyle Tucker Over 0.5 RBI (+170)

The vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers offense has gone cold over the last three days, scoring just four runs in a three-game series with the San Francisco Dodgers. But even that’s not enough to cool off their overall numbers: Los Angeles is averaging 5.48 runs per game, and leads the majors with an outstanding .828 OPS. 

Kyle Tucker sits in the middle of this lineup, and while he’s had a relatively slow start, he’s still been able to pick up 13 RBIs in his first 24 games. I see no reason to believe that Jameson Taillon (1-1, 3.97 ERA) will shut down the Dodgers tonight, and if the top of the lineup gets on base, Tucker will be in a great position to drive in at least one run.

• Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Apple TV

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1901
It wasn’t planned this way, but three games in other cities were postponed by rain, putting the White Sox in position to host the first major league game in American League history. Some 9,000 fans at South Side Park — or maybe it was 14,000, reports conflict — saw the home club beat the Cleveland Blues, 8-2. The White Sox scored five times in the first inning, and ran the score to 7-0 in the first two frames. Still, the win took just an hour-and-a-half to complete.

Roy Patterson started, and got the complete-game win. Outfielder Billy Hoy took the first White Sox at-bat. Fred Hartman’s single scored the first two runs in (MLB) American League history.

Hoy was deaf and mute, and referred to himself by his nickname, Dummy — correcting people who called him William. In order for Hoy to understand what the umpires were calling, the arbitrators came up with a series of hand signals indicating safe/out and ball/strike. 

The ceremonial first ball, by the way, was supposed to be thrown out by Robert Burke, special counsel to the mayor of Chicago. Burke declined, however, stating that he was afraid the ball might get hit back to him. (True story!)

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1932
The White Sox traded infielder Bill Cissell and righty reliever Jim Moore to Cleveland for utilityman Johnny Hodapp and outfielder Bob Seeds. For a four-player deal it was a nothingburger of a trade, but the White Sox probably got the short end of the stick: Moore reported to the minors and never played another MLB game but Cissell was great for the remainder of the season (2.4 WAR, .320/.354/.440), while Seeds slashed .290/.342/.372 for 0.8 WAR in full-time play and Hodapp was terrible (-0.6 WAR despite being just two years removed from leading the AL in hits and doubles.

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1946
Ed Walsh, the second-best pitcher by WAR in White Sox history and author of a six-year run in the majors more dominant than anyone, ever, was elected to the Hall of Fame.

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1955
In a game at Kansas City just one day after the White Sox set a major league record with 29 runs, White Sox starter Dick Donovan was hit early and often by the Athletics. When manager Marty Marion came out to take the ball from him, Donovan — making his starting debut with the White Sox and showing his competitive spirit by being concerned about a possible return trip to the minors — refused to give it up! 

Marion had to reassure Dick that he’d remain in the rotation before Donovanwould turn the ball over and leave the field. That season, he’d win 13 of 17 decisions before an emergency appendectomy felled him in late July.

That injury may have cost the White Sox the pennant, as Donovan wasn’t the same after the surgery and the Sox finished in third place, five games behind the Yankees at 91-63-1.

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1994
Still mired in a somewhat slow start for a defending division champion, the White Sox lost to Detroit, 7-6. Chicago blew two leads, and then lost the game itself after rallying to tie in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Why is this loss notable? White Sox No. 4 and 5 hitters, Julio Franco and Robin Ventura, hit back-to-back homers — twice, and in consecutive plate appearances in the game.

In the top of the sixth, tied 3-3, Franco led off with a homer to deep right field, and Ventura repeated the act. In the eighth, down 6-4, Franco again led off with a solo shot, and Ventura tied the game with a homer.

The loss (on a Cecil Fielder single in the ninth) dropped the White Sox to 11-7, tied for first in the AL Central.

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2010
With a 7-11 record, it was still far from a magical season. But the White Sox accomplished something that had never happened before in their history: walk-off home runs on back-to-back days. In this game, Alex Ríos clocked a two-out walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners and David Aardsma, 5-4. The Seattle reliever completely melted down in the ninth, entering up 4-2 and giving up a one-out home run to Paul Konerko to move the White Sox closer. An A.J. Pierzynski fly out and Carlos Quentin walk later, the stage was set for Ríos’ record-setter.

On April 23, it was Andruw Jones who achieved the feat, clocking a full-count, two-out pitch out for a 7-6 White Sox win in front of 24,653 happy fans.

Now, this was NOT the first time the White Sox had won consecutive games on walk-off homers, but the previous time, the wins came on the same day. J.C. Martin and Ken Berry upended Cleveland with game-ending homers on July 25, 1967.

The Nationals looked to even the series with the Braves yesterday afternoon at Nationals Park, and were in position to possibly steal the win going into the 7th inning tied 2-2. Unfortunately, the bullpen let them down once again, as Cionel Perez was tagged for 3 runs after getting just one out, bringing his ERA on the season to 8.25.

The Braves brought 2 more across, one against Gus Varland and one against Julian Fernandez, but they wouldn’t need them, as the bats were silent outside of solo shots from James Wood and CJ Abrams, as the Nats lost 7-2 and dropped 3 out of 4 in the series against the first-place Braves.

For the first time practically all season, the Nationals will now get to face a subpar roster playing subpar baseball in the Chicago White Sox. While they certainly aren’t a disgrace of a club by any means, and have actually won 5 of their last 10 games, the White Sox are probably the first team the Nationals have played who have limited expectations in 2026, and mostly aren’t surpassing them so far on the year. This is an opportunity for the Nats to finally let their muscles flex a little and come away with two or three wins, which will inch them back closer to .500.

The White Sox bats are led by the scorching hot rookie from Japan, Munetaka Murakami, who has homered in his past 5 games and has an impressive 170 wRC+ on the season. They’ve also received strong starts from their other young bats, as the 24-year-old Colson Montgomery has a 135 wRC+ and the 26-year-old Miguel Vargas has a 116 wRC+. Similar to the Nats, the bottom of their lineup isn’t anything to be afraid of, but the heart of their order has some thump to it for a club without many expectations of winning this season.

The White Sox pitching staff hasn’t been great in 2026, with a club ERA just under 5, but they do have some bright spots, such as their 24-year-old closer Grant Taylor with a 1.15 FIP, or their 22-year-old top prospect left-hander Noah Schultz, who has looked sharp in his first 2 big league starts, and the Nats will get a chance against this weekend.

Game One – 7:40 PM EST

WSH: LHP PJ Poulin (2-0, 4.97 ERA)

CHW: LHP Bryan Hudson (0-0, 1.69 ERA)

In a rare occurrence, we have a double-opener to begin the series tonight in Chicago, as PJ Poulin will start the game for the Nats before handing off the bulk work to Miles Mikolas, and Bryan Hudson will start for the White Sox before former National Erick Fedde is expected to take it from there.

Game Two – 4:10 PM EST

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (1-3, 6.00 ERA)

CHW: LHP Noah Schultz (1-1, 3.86 ERA)

Irvin’s last start was an improvement over his previous ones, as although he gave up 3 runs over 5 innings of work, he didn’t allow a single free pass, as compared to the 8 combined walks he had issued in his last 2 starts. Schultz looked impressive in his 2nd career start last time out vs the Athletics, striking out 6 and giving up just 1 run across 5 innings of work.

Game Three – Sunday 2:10 PM EST

WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (3-0, 3.38 ERA)

CHW: RHP Sean Burke (1-2, 4.10 ERA)

Griffin further solidified his case as the most effective arm in the Nationals’ rotation last time out, going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs against the Braves, a quality start. Burke also looked sharp in his last outing, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs against the Diamondbacks.

Can Nats Arms Neutralize Hot White Sox Bats?

The top of the White Sox order has been doing damage recently, and now they get to face one of the weaker pitching staffs in baseball in the Nats. Can Blake Butera get creative in his deployment of the bullpen, which now includes new callup Riley Cornelio, to work around his weak starters this weekend, or will the Sox bats feast once more?

The Chicago Cubs (16-9) begin their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (17-8) in a meeting of divisional leaders. The Dodgers are favored with a -160 moneyline compared to the Cubs' +135. Starting pitchers are Jameson Taillon for the Cubs, with a 3.97 ERA, and Emmet Sheehan for the Dodgers, with a 5.85 ERA.

How to watch Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Date: Friday, April 24

• Time: 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT

• Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

• TV Channels: Apple TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Chicago Cubs: 16-9 (No. 1 in NL Central)

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 17-8 (No. 1 in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -160 (59.1%) / Chicago Cubs +135 (40.9%)

• Over/Under: 9.0

Starting pitchers

Chicago Cubs: Jameson Taillon (1-1, ERA: 3.97, K: 21, WHIP: 1.28)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Emmet Sheehan (2-0, ERA: 5.85, K: 18, WHIP: 1.40)

Weather: 68°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 56,000 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

Almost everyone wants to forget the weirdness of the 2020 MLB season. The Dodgers winning a piece of metal after a 60-game season that saw divisions reworked and paper cutouts as fans in the stands was a real clincher to the strange year. Taxi squads and constant COVID tests were the norm, and the St. Louis Cardinals missing a dozen players at a time due to an outbreak is something that only 2020 could provide.

One player who took advantage of what we would now deem a “small sample size” was lefty utility man, Brad Miller. Signed just before the world shut down in 2020, Miller arrived as a bench option and left as a cult hero. From his “old school” refusal to wear batting gloves to his historic 7-RBI night in Cincinnati, we’re breaking down the 48 games where “Miller Time” took over Busch Stadium (even if no one was there to see it).

Brad Miller did not need batting gloves to help lead the Cardinals’ offense in 2020

In this episode, we discuss:

The 2020 Time Capsule: Navigating the strangest season in MLB history—from the 60-game sprint to the arrival of the Universal DH.

Bare-Handed Blast: Why Miller’s no-batting-gloves style resonated with the St. Louis faithful. September 1st, 2020: A deep dive into Miller’s career-high 7-RBI masterclass against the Reds.

The Impact of the DH: How a last-minute rule change turned a $2M utility signing into the team’s co-leader in home runs.

Life After St. Louis: Tracking Brad’s journey to 100 career homers and his recent transition to the broadcast booth.

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Thanks for tuning in and share your memories of the 2020 season!