ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves is introduced before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ahead of Game 2 of the Braves-Guardians series Saturday, manager Walt Weiss provided a few injury updates about the roster.
In the good news column, Weiss shared that Spencer Strider is set to begin his rehab assignment from the oblique strain which sidelined him to begin the season on Thursday after throwing a live batting-practice session Saturday. He’s going to start at 40-45 pitches and isn’t expected to be back on the major league roster this month, Weiss added.
Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Strider touched 95 three times during the second inning of his three-inning bullpen. His final fastball was clocked at 94.6. That’s notably lower than the 97 mph or higher he averaged in each of his first four seasons, but given his injury history, it’s fair to wonder if that velocity will be a part of his arsenal going forward.
The less good news is that Weiss said that outfielder Eli White, who would have been in the lineup Saturday with Michael Harris II on the paternity list, is day-to-day as he deals with plantar fasciitis in his foot.
Because of that, the Braves are forced to start Mauricio Dubon in center with Mike Yastrzemski in left for Saturday’s game against Cleveland.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning at Petco Park on April 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One walk-off was something. Two consecutive walk-off moonshots is something else entirely.
Gavin Sheets was the hero of last night’s game after belting a three-run dinger about as deep as the Friar Faithful have seen a ball go in Petco Park. The crazy part: it wasn’t even his first homer of the game.
Luis Campusano provided another solo shot to give the San Diego Padres a two-run lead. That lead was preserved by a sterling outing from starter Walker Buehler until Adrian Morejon gave up two runs to the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning, setting the stage for the dramatic finale.
The Friars are now on their second three-game win streak of the season, and will push for four tonight (as well as the series win over Colorado).
Taking the mound
Ryan Feltner (COL) v. Germán Márquez (SD)
The Rockies No. 5 starter has been off to a semi-decent start, with a 4.32 ERA across 8 1/3 innings. He’s spent his entire career in Colorado, never finishing with an ERA under 4.00.
Feltner is working back from an injury-plagued 2025, having only pitched in six games last year. After a solid, albeit short, first start to the year, he gave up four runs against the Houston Astros on Monday.
The Padres who have batted against him have raked, with a combined .348/.423/.391 slash line. If Feltner can’t fix that now, San Diego will crush him.
Márquez will face his longtime former club for the first time since signing with the Friars this offseason. He had a rough debut with San Diego that now feels like a blip after he pitched five shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
If Márquez can follow that up against the Rox, it’ll go a long way to soothing rotation worries in San Diego.
Batter up!
The San Diego offense continues to be all-around spectacular, with contributions from Campusano and Sheets leading the way last night. Facing the right-hander Feltner will likely see the Friars use a similar lineup to yesterday, with some minor tweaks:
Ramón Laureano, LF
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Gavin Sheets, DH
Nick Castellanos, 1B
Freddy Fermin, C
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Even with Campusano’s great offensive production lately, Fermin has been the primary starter and they’ve mostly swapped back and forth in the backstop role.
Castellanos was benched yesterday in favor of the hot-hitting Miguel Andujar but will likely give Sheets a rest in the cold corner. That being said, Sheets’ bat is far too good to stay out of the lineup so he’ll probably get a DH day.
San Diego’s production at the plate has been wonderful lately. If they can keep that rolling against the Rockies’ No. 5 man tonight, they’ll cruise to a series victory.
Relief corps
Buehler had a fantastic outing, and boy did he need it. With his job on the line after allowing more runs (7) than he innings pitched (6 2/3), he needed a vintage outing. He delivered with a scoreless six innings, limiting Rockies batters to three hits.
That kept a (relatively) depleted bullpen mostly fresh, with manager Craig Stammen opting to use Kyle Hart in the seventh inning. Morejon came out for the eighth and blew the lead, giving up two runs on four hits.
That’s largely been the story for Morejon for the beginning of this year, with him struggling to a 10.80 ERA, giving up nine runs (eight earned) in only 6 2/3 innings. He’s yet to prove himself to be the dominant reliever he was from 2024-25 (2.42 ERA, 137.1 IP).
With Morejon unable to get out of the inning, Stammen turned to Jason Adam as the right-hander made his 2026 debut. He was easily able to get the out and stop the bleeding. The stranger thing was him not returning to the mound for the ninth.
Instead Stammen went to closer Mason Miller, who’s now pitched three games straight. It was odd given that it was not a save situation, and Adam had only thrown five pitches. Whatever the case, it ended up working out for San Diego, but Miller will likely be unavailable for tonight’s game.
In his stead the Friars will have Ron Marinaccio, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez. The quartet will hope for a clean outing from Márquez, but all four are capable of covering more than one inning if necessary.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 10: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts with Matt Olson #28 after hitting a solo homer to lead off the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park on April 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Firstly, congratulations are in order for Michael Harris II and his wife, Esther. ICYMI, Michael was placed on the paternity list earlier today and we hope to hear happy news about baby boy Harris soon. MHIII? We shall see! More on the corresponding roster moves here, including a return for Luke Williams.
As a result, Mauricio Dubón will patrol center field and Jorge Mateo gets the start at short and will bat ninth.
The rest of the lineup looks a lot like the last time the Braves faced a lefty, including Mike Yastrzemski in the seven hole, Drake Baldwin DH’ing, and Jonah Heim at catcher.
Braves menace Steven Kwan continues to lead off for the Guardians, but the one to watch here will be José Ramírez. Recently making headlines for setting the club record for most games played (1,620!), Ramírez has the most ABs versus Martín Pérez and has a .263 average and .754 OPS against him. Not only that, MLB’s game preview and Elias note that if he homers, he will be the first Cleveland player with home runs versus all other 29 MLB teams. The drama of trying to deny one of baseball’s stars an additional accolade… here’s hoping the Braves pitching staff will be up to the task today and tomorrow.
Buzzy rookie Chase DeLauter drops from second to fifth and will take a break from playing right field to DH. New faces David Fry and Austin Hedges will bat cleanup and eighth, respectively.
Max Schuemann is the answer to a baseball trivia question: “Who fielded the last out for the Athletics in their final game at the Oakland Coliseum?”
It was September 26, 2024 and the batter was Travis Jankowski of the Texas Rangers.
“I was playing third base, kind of shifted over playing short,” Schuemann said. “The way that at-bat was going, Mason Miller was throwing and there was a lefty at the plate who was kind of slapping it and fouling off a bunch of pitches. I was like, ‘This ball is 1,000-percent coming to me. I need to be ready.’
“Sure enough, he did and I felt like you could hear a pin drop in that stadium, even though the seats were all full. Once I fielded it and as I was going to throw it, it got so quiet. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can not screw this up.’ But I threw a strike over there and hit [first baseman Tyler Soderstrom] in the chest and we won the game.”
After spending the past two years with the Athletics, Schuemann is in the Yankees organization this year with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was designated for assignment by the Athletics on February 6th. Three days later, the Yankees acquired him in a trade for Rookie ball pitcher Luis Burgos.
Schuemann couldn’t be happier.
“I can’t ask for a better situation to come into,” he said. “The coaching staff at big-league camp and then here have been amazing to me and really helpful. I feel like I’ve learned a ton in the small stint that I’ve been here.”
The 28-year-old hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan — the same hometown as Derek Jeter. Schuemann unsurprisingly idolized the Yankees’ Hall of Fame shortstop.
Schuemann was selected by the Athletics out of Eastern Michigan University in the 20th round of the 2018 MLB Draft (593rd overall). Over the next five years, Schuemann worked his way through various stops in the A’s system — Vermont, Beloit, Lansing, Midland, and Las Vegas — before making his MLB debut on April 12, 2024 against the Washington Nationals. He entered the game in the bottom of the 10th inning as the automatic runner and scored the winning run on a single by Lawrence Butler.
In his sixth MLB game at Cleveland’s Progressive Field on April 20, 2024, Schuemann got his first hit off Logan Allen and first stolen base.
“I had my family on the edge of their seats,” Schuemann said. “I thought I absolutely crushed a ball (in my first at-bat) to left field. It was a colder day, maybe the wind was blowing in from left, which was kind of weird for that ballpark; I feel like it’s pretty hitter-friendly. I thought I got it, but I was running hard out of the box because that’s just the player I am. My family all went nuts, they thought I got it, too. Steven Kwan made a leaping catch at the big wall in left to rob me of my first hit.
“My second at-bat, I came up, first-pitch swinging, I hit a ball pretty well to right field. Again, running hard out of the box, I hit it well and it snuck over the fence. So my first career hit was a homer and they (my family) went nuts. I wouldn’t trade that moment for the world. It was pretty cool, teasing my family like that. You can’t draw that up.”
Max Schuemann's first big league hit is a game-tying homer and his family is loving it! 🥹 pic.twitter.com/r8XS8Uae6i
That season, Schuemann appeared in 133 games and batted .220 (87-for-396) with seven home runs, 34 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.
“I was very happy being part of the last team in Oakland,” Schuemann said. “It was such an amazing year for me, especially that last series. The fans really showed out.”
Last season, the Athletics began playing in a minor-league stadium in West Sacramento while a new stadium in Las Vegas is being built. Not only did the team have to adjust to a new city, but Schuemann transitioned into a bench role. He played in 101 games and batted .197 (36 for 183) with two home runs, 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
“Making that adjustment was definitely a learning experience,” Schuemann said. “But I feel like I did OK and I learned from it. Sacramento, we made it what it was. I’m not with those guys anymore, but I’m rooting for those guys. They were my teammates and I came up with a lot of them through the minor leagues. Some longtime friends over there for sure.”
With the RailRiders, Schuemann is part of an infield that includes Oswaldo Cabrera, Paul DeJong, Jonathan Ornelas, and Braden Shewmake. All have MLB experience and all can play second base, shortstop, and third base. Schuemann has a leg up on at least DeJong and Ornelas, as he currently holds a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, so if the situation arises where the Yankees need an infielder, it seems likely that either he or Cabrera would get the call.
That versatility is a strength and gives manager Shelley Duncan plenty of options.
“That was a key part of how I got to the big leagues in the first place, bouncing around everywhere and playing multiple positions,” Schuemann said. “If you go around our infield, I feel like we have guys who do that same thing. It’s pretty special to have an athletic team like we have. I feel like it helps hold everyone accountable. Everybody’s bouncing around, it’s not set in stone. It helps us hold each other accountable to stay on top of our craft.”
Through 10 games with the RailRiders, Schuemann is batting .235 (8-for-34) with two doubles, five RBIs, and two stolen bases. He also has drawn nine walks.
“I had a good spring, so I’m trying to carry that over,” Schuemann said. “Everything I’ve learned in camp has been going pretty well overall. I’ve had a lot of quality at-bats, just waiting for the results to come. It’s a long season, so I feel like they will.
“I’ve been very happy with how it (the trade) turned out. I don’t think I could ask to have come into a better situation. Just to evolve as a player, I feel it’s really going to be good for my career.”
Apr 11, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) scores a home run during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
After a tight tilt on Friday night that broke a losing streak, the Tigers looked to carry that momentum into a Saturday afternoon contest against the Marlins. Excellent work from both pitchers and a timely tater gave the Tigers a 6-1 victory and secured a series win, as well as AJ Hinch’s 400th victory as Tigers’ manager.
Casey Mize made his third start of the year for the Tigers; his first, against the Diamondbacks, was very good (even though the Tigers eventually lost that game). His second, against the Twins? Not so much… but the less said about that series in Minnesota, the better. He’s striking guys out, though, which is a good sign.
Facing Mize and the Tigers today was Janson Junk; I gotta think that name’s Dutch. After bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors for four years, and with three teams, he finally found a home in the Marlins’ rotation last year. He doesn’t strike out everybody, but his walk and home run rates are exceptionally low, so he generally keeps his team in the game.
The Tigers jumped on Junk in the first: Kevin McGonigle led off with a double to right, and a Wenceel Pérez groundout pushed him up to third. Colt Keith then doubled to left to put the Tigers up 1-0, and after Dillon Dingler grounded out, Riley Greene singled to right to plate Keith for a 2-0 lead.
In the second, Mize gave up a leadoff double to Otto Lopez, who advanced to third on a groundout. But Mize buckled down and got a strikeout and a foulout to Keith at third, and Lopez was stranded ninety feet (27.43 m) from home. The Marlins repeated themselves in the third, sort-of: leadoff single, stolen base, groundout got a runner to third with two outs. Mize then struck out Agustín Ramírez to end the inning, stranding another runner 90 feet (5.45 rods) from home.
In the bottom of the third McGonigle drew a leadoff walk and Dingler reached on catcher’s interference with two out; they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with Greene at the plate. Greene battled and fouled-off pitch after pitch, and on the tenth pitch of the at-bat he crushed a waist-high fastball for a long home run to right-centre for a 5-0 lead; it was Greene’s first home run of the year.
The Marlins got on the board in the fourth: Liam Hicks singled, Lopez doubled again, and a sacrifice fly scored Hicks for a 5-1 score. But with two outs and Lopez on third, Pauley fouled-out again, stranding Lopez 90 feet (136 links) from home.
In the top of the sixth Lopez reached on an error by McGonigle, and with two outs Connor Norby hit a ground-rule double to right that bounced into the stands, pushing Lopez to third. That was the end of Mize’s day, and Drew Anderson was brought in. Could the Tigers again strand Lopez 90 feet (15 fathoms) from home?
They could, and they did: a groundout to second base and Lopez was indeed left 288 Big Macs from home.
Anderson carried on into the seventh and sprinkled a walk in between three groundouts. But, before I forget, here’s Mize’s final line: 5 2/3 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts. I will take that every lovin’ day of the week.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth Greene drew a walk, stole second base, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a soft fly ball to centre by Spencer Torkelson for a 6-1 score. Something something small-ball something something.
Anderson was doing well, and he’s been a starter for years, so it was decided that he’d just carry on into the ninth. He walked Pauley with one out, but he struck out Heriberto Hernández on a high heater, and after an epic battle with CMU product Jakob Marsee that lasted fourteen pitches, Marsee hit a grounder to first to finally end the game and earn Anderson a 3 1/3-inning save. You gotta tip your cap to Marsee on that one, though.
Riley Greene, who received his 2025 Silver Slugger award today, has reached base safely in all 15 games so far this season. It's the longest streak by a Tiger since Brandon Inge put up a 24-game streak to begin 2009. https://t.co/34mkglU27P
I know the Tigers lineup can be frustrating at times. But, for perspective: the average OPS in the American League coming into today’s action was .675, and the Tigers were .673. And it’s frustrating when people strike out, but the league average at this point was 123 whiffs, and the Tigers had 128. So, they’re pretty much the definition of average… which isn’t what we were hoping for, but so far, it’s what we’ve got.
Pehaps a key idea is the age of Tigers hitters: they’re the third-youngest in the American League, with an average batting age of 27.0 years. (League average is 28.2 years.) Will a little seasoning help them out? Time will tell.
The Marlins had two players in their starting lineup (Otto Lopez and Owen Caissie) that played for Team Canada in the WBC.
The BYB folks are tired of me talking about this, but if you haven’t seen this band out of Quebec called Angine de Poitrine… hold onto something stable very tightly and click Play. I hate most new music, but this is so bonkers, even if you don’t like it, you’ve gotta respect it. (FYI: I don’t hate this. I like it. Very much.)
On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 was launched, and I’m just going to assume that it all went really well for the whole mission. How about that Artemis II, though? Wow! Perfect re-entry, textbook splashdown, all four astronauts are doing great. That’s what ya like to see.
Congratulations to A.J. Hinch on his 400th career win as Tigers manager.
He is the eighth manager in franchise history to reach 400 wins and joins Cincinnati's Terry Francona (Boston and Cleveland) as the only two active skippers with 400 wins with more than one team. pic.twitter.com/xSxvbL8hrW
Pi is seven hundredths higher than the White Sox season runs per game. | (Photo by Paul Almasy/BIPs/Getty Images)
Having traded 2-0 victories (or losses, if you prefer), two of the worst offensive teams in the majors — White Sox 29th in runs per game, Royals 27th — take another stab at trying to figure out where a ball was pitched this afternoon in the third of a four-game series in Kansas City.
The Royals will start four batters hitting .200 or worse. Not to be outdone, the Sox will start six, with the only average better than .242 being Dustin Harris’ .333 — which we would be more impressive if he had more than six at-bats.
Trying to keep Kansas City in the offensive doldrums will be Erick Fedde, who has had a respectable beginning to the season (4.09 ERA and 3.42 FIP over 11 innings in two starts). His mound opponent, Michael Wacha, has been not just respectable but downright amazing, giving up just one run in 13 innings.
Wacha will face a Sox lineup that has the heart of the order, batters two through five, all with averages that begin with a one. To make it more of a challenge for the offense one of the two Sox to have a hit yesterday, Derek Hill, isn’t starting.
Fedde will face a Royals lineup that so far this season consists of Maikel García and Bobby Witt Jr. at the top, Kyle Isbel at the bottom, and a bunch of guys who are struggling in between (well, OK, except for Carter Jensen, who had a homer yesterday).
First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central, with a very un-Kansas City-like 74°, a chance of a shower or thunderstorm, and wind blowing out toward left. Usual broadcast suspects.
May 18, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Grant Holman (67) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
We’ll always have those 10 days when Grant Holman was in the Dodgers organization. The well-travelled right-hander was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles by the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, ending Holman’s 10-day stay.
The Dodgers claimed Holman off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 1, and optioned him to the minors. He was technically on the Arizona Complex League Dodgers roster, though there are no games on that level yet, so it’s basically another way of saying he was getting work in at Camelback Ranch. Holman did not pitch in the minors in his week and a half in the organization.
Holman, who turns 26 in May, pitched in 40 games for the Athletics in 2024-25, but is now on his third team since getting designated for assignment by the A’s in February. Arizona claimed the right-hander on February 15, then designated him for assignment 10 days later, before the Dodgers claimed him on April 1. Now, he’s with the Tigers, more specifically their Florida Coast League team in Lakeland.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 5: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after hitting an rbi triple during the third inning of a game against the San Diego Padres on April 5, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
We’re very early in the 2026 MLB season, but there’s still been enough action to shock and surprise us. This week, we asked Yankees fans about which American League rival had gotten off to the most surprising start, with the options consisting of a number of clubs off to the disappointing starts: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Mariners.
The results are in, and it’s our rivals in Boston that have surprised us the most thus far:
The Red Sox garnered as many votes as the other three choices combined, and with good reason. At the time of the poll, the Red Sox were a dreadful 2-8, and they needed to win the last two games of their series with Milwaukee this week just to get to 4-9 and four games back of the Yankees for first in the AL East with the Junior Circuit’s worst record. Boston’s lineup has cobbled together a shoddy .646 OPS, while their pitching staff has yielded the seventh-highest wOBA in the league. There’s plenty of time for Boston to stabilize, but their start has been poor enough to cause some high-profile fans to start panicking.
All that said, there’s reason for concern elsewhere as well, particularly in Toronto and Seattle. The Blue Jays’ 6-7 is far from disastrous, but their injury bill is; Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber are all on the IL at the moment, putting Toronto in a tough spot as they’ll now need to hope that their depth players can keep them from falling in a hole. The Mariners benefit from playing in a weaker division, but at 5-9 they’ve really scuffled out of the gate.
Now, onto our MLB-wide fan polls, which simply asked which team would win each division:
In related news, with Toronto, Baltimore, and Boston all off to iffy starts, the Yankees are the overwhelming choice by MLB fans to take the AL East. We’ve seen this movie before, with the Yankees consistently getting out to early division leads in recent seasons, but not consistently finishing the year in first in the East. Their stellar pitching so far has them looking like the favorites in perhaps the toughest division in baseball, but there’s still a very long way to go.
Here are the results for the other five divisions:
AL Central: Tigers (55%; runner-up: Guardians, 28%)
AL West: Mariners (69%; runner-up: Astros, 18%)
NL East: Phillies (40%; runner-up: Braves, 29%)
NL Central: Brewers (56%; runner-up: Cubs, 24%)
NL West: Dodgers (88%; runner-up: Padres, 5%)
There are a few interesting nuggets here. Despite rough starts from the Mariners and Tigers, MLB fans still tab those squads to secure the AL West and AL Central, respectively. Interestingly, the Phillies, despite an offseason that left their fans wanting and a third-place spot in the standings currently, rate as the top choice in the NL East, with the Mets not to be found in the top two.
The Brewers remain the top dog in the NL Central, off to a fine start but with teams like the Reds and Pirates also playing decently out of the gate. That said, the Cubs still come in second in the polls, and are likely still the team that should give Milwaukee their stiffest challenge. Out west, well, there’s little surprise to be found, as the expectation remains that the Dodgers will run away with the division.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 19: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after making a catch for the winning and final out during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park on August 19, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL East leading Atlanta Braves have announced some joyous news before Saturday night’s home game versus the Cleveland Guardians.
The #Braves today selected INF Luke Williams to the major league roster and placed OF Michael Harris II on the paternity list. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred LHP Danny Young to the 60-day injured list. The club today also reinstated RHP Daysbel Hernández…
I didn’t know Michael was anticipating, which makes me even more excited. Michael Harris will go on the paternity list. Infielder slash part time outfielder slash emergency late inning reliever Luke Williams will join the active roster. Luke has slashed .212/.270/.280 over 349 lifetime plate appearances. He is out of option years, which means when Harris returns Williams will be in no man’s land. He will likely be booted from the 40-man roster. This could conceivably place Luke in an organization with some available playing time. With a 2025 wRC+ of zero though, I’m not so sure.
In other news, Daysbel Hernandez has been reinstated and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Daysbel didn’t throw a pitch in Spring Training as he has worked his way back from a right shoulder sebaceous cyst. Danny Young is recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he was moved to the 60-day IL to make room.
Apparently Michael Harris will be celebrating more that his home run last night. Congratulations, Mike, and enjoy the little one!
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Jacob Lopez #57 of the Athletics pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ready to extend this win streak to four games? The A’s are suiting up and getting ready for the second game of their weekend series against the Mets, looking to take the win and reach the .500 mark.
On the mound today will be Jacob Lopez. The left-hander hasn’t gone long in either of his two first outings of the year so the club will surely be hoping for some more length from the lefty this afternoon.
He’ll be opposed by Mets righty Kodai Senga this afternoon. The Japanese righty is off to a quick start so far this season after a lost year in 2025. He’s had some good success against the A’s in his career so the team will be hoping to change things around on that front.
Jun 10, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; A partial annular eclipse of the sun rises over the skyline of Toronto. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY NETWORK
First Pitch: 2:07 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Not only did the Twins blow a 4-0 lead last night in what looked like a morale-boosting, streak-extending win against a top-tier opponent, but they also officially lost two players, as Royce Lewis and Cody Laweryson hit the IL.
It’s the kind of 12-hour implosion all too familiar to the Twins, which is part of the reason that having Joe Ryan on the bump today could serve as a nice stabilizer before the series gets away from Minnesota.
In a season that requires him to step up to the level of a true ace, Ryan has had a pair of nice starts (@BAL and vs. DET), as well as a four-inning clunker against the Kansas City Royals. Perhaps the most encouraging stat is his having avoided the long ball in 14 innings so far this season, even as his H/9 and BB/9 rise above their usual averages. Ryan is 2-1 against the Jays in his career, with a 4.70 ERA in four total starts.
Random sidebar. Did you know that Joe Ryan has never intentionally walked a hitter? This sent me on a dive, whereupon I learned that actually, Mick Abel is the only member of the starting rotation to have intentionally walked a hitter in his career. Upon reflection, I suppose the proper conditions usually leading to an intentional walk are rarely present early enough in a game for a starter to be the one tasked with issuing the free pass. But I wouldn’t have guessed that the full rotation had one career IBB between them, and that it belonged to the second-youngest guy on the club.
Anyway. The Blue Jays will be tossing Eric Lauer, who boasts a career 8.80 ERA against the Twins. This is Lauer’s second season in Toronto, having pitched for the Padres and Brewers for six years before exclusively pitching in the KBO and the minor leagues in 2024. He returned to the Jays after they selected Lauer’s minor-league contract last year, and ultimately threw 4.2 innings in the marathon World Series Game 3 last October.
Lauer’s another lefty. Who would have guessed, with the way things have matched up for the Twins so far in 2026? He features a four-seam well below league-average lefty velocity, and a change/cutter/slider mix bolstered by a very occassional curveball.
The Twins will try to even the series this afternoon and give them a chance for a road victory against the Blue Jays. GO TWINS GO!
Apr 8, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, we asked you to grade the Rockies’ rotation through one start on the road and one start at home apiece (more or less). So far, fans have been impressed.
98% of responders believe the Rockies’ rotation is passing the test with a C or above.
Only 2% of folks believe the rotation is underperforming, but nobody believes they failed their initial go-around.
After seeing more starts this week, do you agree with the results? Do you still agree with your initial grade? Let us know in the comments!
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 05: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sunday, April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Gardner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Happy City Connect Saturday to all who celebrate. Which, to be clear, should be everyone.
Last night’s Dale Murphy-honoring offensive outburst propelled the Braves to a Game 1 win, teeing up the chance for a series win in Game 2 tonight.
In case you were wondering, the Braves’ records in the previous City Connect uniforms were:
6-8 in 2025
7-6 in 2024
9-6 in 2023
The Braves are hoping to make it 2-0 in the new powder blues.
In the third turn through the rotation, Weiss and company will be sticking with Martín Pérez to toe the rubber for the Braves tonight. After a stellar long relief outing versus the Athletics on March 31, his first official start in Arizona was not as crisp. He allowed five hits, four earned runs, and one walk in his five innings of work. He wasn’t on the hook for that extra-innings loss (that dubious honor would go to Joel Payamps and his singular pitch in the tenth), but he’ll be looking to bounce back. After last night’s bungled mop-up job, José Suarez isn’t quite breathing down his neck for the spot, but Didier Fuentes might be.
As much as this is an early April game, Cleveland will be fighting to not lose their first series this year. They’ll send 25-year old lefty Parker Messick (1-0, 0.87 ERA) to face the Braves in his tenth big league start. Messick earned the fifth starter job out of camp and posted strong outings against the Dodgers and Cubs. He held the former to four hits in six efficient innings, only needing 71 pitches to earn his first win and hand LA their first loss of the season. Chicago tagged him for two hits, three walks, and one earned run.
Messick can throw the kitchen sink. He relies most heavily on the four-seamer (32.9%), followed by the changeup (22.2%). There’s been a slight uptick in sinker usage so far, but he’s unafraid to mix in the slider, curveball, and cutter.
80’s Night was a deeply overstimulating blast at the ballpark. I can do without the neon, vaporwave graphics, and Back to the Future homages, but I am hoping Game 2 brings us more Braves bombs. If you’re at the block party before tonight’s game, don’t miss Demetrius and your chance to win a Battery Power koozie!
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 10: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros reacts after being pulled during the first 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 latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:
Tatsuya Imai is having trouble adapting to life in MLB at a time his team really needs him to be the star he’s shown he can be in Japan:
Tatsuya Imai said the mound at T-Mobile Park “was really hard” and he had trouble adjusting. The weather he pitched in Friday is “not usual in Japan,” he said, and his mechanics are out of whack when runners reach base – https://t.co/snNPEUDhij
In the meantime, Christian Vazquez will remain Imai’s personal catcher:
Joe Espada plans to keep Christian Vázquez paired with Tatsuya Imai for the foreseeable future because "right now, I feel like it's important for the transition of Imai to the major leagues and just to build some stability in our rotation and take us deep into games."
Could Cody Bolton be getting tabbed to start Sunday for the Astros?
Cody Bolton is dressed to throw a bullpen session right now at T-Mobile Park. Starters customarily throw a bullpen two days before their start. The Astros are TBA for Sunday.
Whatever the Astros decide to do with who they add to the starting rotation (Arrighetti is a lock, Bolton appears to be getting another turn) can’t really be worse than what they have done so far:
Astros pitchers have a 6.32 ERA
Starters: 5.55 in 60 innings Relievers: 7.08 in 61 innings
San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller strikes out the side again. He has faced 24 batters this year and has struck out 19 of them. The last reliever to win the Cy Young award was Eric Gagne in 2003.
Kenley Jansen is not tied for 3rd all time in saves.
Congratulations to Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen, who saves his 478th game to tie Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third place on the all-time saves list.
Did Jo Adell have the greatest single defensive performance ever?
This @jaysonst Stark column trying to suss out if Jo Addell’s 3 HR robbery game was the single greatest defensive game in baseball history is delightful. I won’t spoil an incredible “anecdote,” but I’m thrilled to share it with a free-to-all gift link: https://t.co/UI8q3xsQAd
Why has the Mariners offense struggled so much (at least when the Astros aren’t walking them all game)?
Seattle's biggest stars have struggled at the plate with the team off to rough start this season. How real are the concerns? Let's find out.https://t.co/cOG8pAbE25
In 8 years in Flushing, Jeff McNeil was a 2x All Star, a Silver Slugger, and a batting champ. Fans remembered in his first at-bat in Citi Field as a visiting player.
Jeff McNeil receives a warm ovation in his first at-bat back in Queens.
The Mets moved Bo Bichette down from the two-hole to the cleanup spot for Saturday’s start against A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez. And, with Jorge Polanco back in at the three spot, they moved Luis Robert Jr. up to bat behind leadoff man FranciscoLindor.
“Just wanted to shake some things up here,” Mendoza said about the lineup change.
“We’ve still got pretty good hitters at the top, but just kinda wanted to give him a different look here,” he continued. “Putting Luis in the two hole, getting Polanco back in the lineup, helps with some of the righty-lefty, then you can get creative. Just wanted to give it a different look today.”
Bichette has started to swing a better bat after a rough start to the year. After going 2-for-22 in the first five games of the year, he is 12-for-39 (.308) with two doubles and three RBI over his last nine games. (Bichette is 2-for-7, both doubles, with 2 RBI in his career against Lopez.)
The move hopefully won't cool off Robert, who is 14-for-43 (.326) to start the season with two home runs and seven RBI, good for a .928 OPS. He also has 11 walks through 13 games, after only drawing 40 walks in 110 games in 2025.
Clay Holmes stays in line
More good news on the Holmes front after the starter exited Friday’s game at the top of the sixth inning with left hamstring tightness.
“Feeling better,” Mendoza said of the right-hander. “Normal soreness after an outing. Went through a series of tests, strength-wise, in the training room and checked all of the boxes.
“So, as of right now, I think the next step is making sure he throws his bullpen couple days from now before we make the final call. But, as of right now, he’s in line to make the next start.”
Mendoza said the Mets haven’t had any discussions on possibly pushing Holmes’ next start back a few days, “But, if we feel like we gotta go there, then I’m pretty sure we will have that conversation.”
"Feel like I’ll be able to make my next start," Holmes said. "But until I wake up tomorrow, we don’t really know. Can’t rule anything out, but feel pretty good about it right now. I can still keep throwing. I didn’t feel it tighten up on a throw….I think we’ll be good, but we’ll have to see."
Holmes was off to a second consecutive solid outing before leaving with the injury, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Through three starts, he has a 1.50 ERA and 1.111 WHIP over 18 innings.
