Category: Baseball

One of the running storylines through spring training was that J.T. Realmuto was going to be good at challenges with the ABS system coming into place for the 2026 MLB season. Saturday, he was two for two in the final frames.

Yesterday’s game wasn’t the only one that made some news with the ABS system. The Reds and Red Sox had the pleasure of having their game umpired by the enigmatic CB Bucknor, who made his presence felt. Thankfully, the eye in the sky had other ideas with Bucknor’s strike zone.

There haven’t been many examples like this so far in the young season, but based on this and others during spring training, what are your impressions of the ABS system? I’m still an old school-ish fan that kind of wishes we had the human element of the umpires behind the plate, but where it is at now, with teams limited on the number of challenges they can have, it feels like the best kind of balance that the game can have.

Let’s just agree that Bucknor should not be a playoff umpire at all.

Rangers 5, Phillies 4

• I would have preferred that the Rangers first win of the season be a little less exciting.
• The pitching was a plus.
• Jacob Latz was tapped to make the start on a cold and blustery day due to Jacob deGrom’s neck stiffness sidelining him. An ominous beginning to the day.
• Latz exceeded all expectations with his performance in the spot start, allowing only one baserunner through the first four innings, when Adolis Garcia reached on an E3 due to Jake Burger dropping a wind-blown infield pop fly. He started the fifth against lefty Bryson Scott, who worked a walk, and then was replaced by Cole Winn.
• Winn retired the first two batters he faced before a J.T. Realmuto infield single gave the Phillies their first hit of the game. A 3-2 walk to Justin Crawford loaded the bases, but Winn struck out Trea Turner on three pitches to end the inning.
• That fifth inning was the closest thing to a rally the Phillies were able to generate until the ninth, as Jalen Beeks retired all three batters he faced and Jakob Junis all six batters he faced. Texas took a one hitter into the ninth, and I was wanting the official scorer to change Realmuto’s infield single to an E4.
• Robert Garcia came in in the ninth to finish things out, and after fanning Kyle Schwarber and getting Bryce Harper on a weak grounder, a weakly hit bloop into center by Alec Bohm kept Philly alive. An eight pitch battle against pinch hitter Edmundo Sosa resulted in a walk, and Skip Schumaker brought in Chris Martin to get the final out.
• Martin got Adolis to pop up behind first base, and it looked like the game was over. For the second time in the game, however, Burger was flummoxed by the wind. He couldn’t make the catch and picked up his second E3 of the game.
• Adolis then got sawed off by Martin, but managed to loft a softly hit fly down the left field line that fell in for a double, making it 3-1. Brandon Marsh then followed with the only hard hit ball of the inning, a two run single, to tie the game. Martin got Realmuto on a 3 pitch K after that, but the damage had been done, and extra innings ensued.
• Texas had taken the three run lead early on, with Corey Seager homering in the first inning and Jake Burger hitting a two run shot in the third. That third inning also featured a tremendous blast to center by Wyatt Langford that looked like a sure homer — however, the wind knocked it down, and Justin Crawford made a tremendous leaping catch to rob Langford of extra bases.
• Texas got baserunners here and there after that, but didn’t make serious noise again until the tenth. Langford fought off a difficult Jhoan Duran pitch for an opposite field single, sending Zombie Runner Brandon Nimmo to third, and then Nimmo scored and Langford went to second on a wild pitch. After Seager and Burger fanned, Andrew McCutchen’s line drive single made it a two run game.
• It turned out the Rangers needed that insurance run, as Tyler Alexander allowed a two out single to Harper, scoring the Zombie Runner and sending Otto Kemp, who had reached on an HBP, to third. An Alex Bohm pop fly — which was caught — ended the game, and we could all be happy.
• There was some discussion about the Rangers doing nothing against Cristopher Sanchez on Thursday, and to what extent that was an indication of the offense repeating its haplessness do, last year. The Phillies got shut down through eight innings by Jacob Latz and a collection of middling relievers, would have been shut out if Burger hadn’t botched the ninth inning pop up, and only had one hard hit ball in the final two innings when they finally scored some runs.
• It’s a reminder that good teams get shut down sometimes.
• Jacob Latz topped out at 95.1 mph with his fastball, averaging 92.4 mph. Cole Winn’s fastball hit 95.1 mph. Jalen Beeks reached 92.7 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s fastball reached 92.6 mph. Robert Garcia topped out at 95.5 mph with his fastball. Chris Martin’s fastball touched 95.0 mph. Tyler Alexander maxed out at 90.3 mph.
• Joc Pederson had a 109.7 mph ground out. Wyatt Langford’s blast to the wall was 107.0 mph. Evan Carter had a 106.0 mph single. Jake Burger had a 104.1 mph home run. Corey Seager’s home run was 103.2 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 103.0 mph single and a 101.1 mph single. Andrew McCutchen’s single was 101.7 mph.
• The Rangers won’t be swept, which is good. Sunday afternoon they try to take the series.

A crucial first step has been made for our 2026 San Francisco Giants. After barely even being able to stand up in the box over the first two games of the season, suddenly the offensive started to find their legs. They looked steady against right-hander Will Warren in the 1st. Back-to-back hits from Luis Arraez and Rafael Devers got them making consecutive strides out of the box, around the bases. Arraez actually reached the distant region of third base, a world a 2026 Giant had only dared venture to twice before. Home plate, that mythic El Dorado, was real, it was there, in their sights, tantalizingly close — but alas, the journey came up short again. While Heliot Ramos forced 10 pitches out of Warren, he ultimately went down swinging to end the inning with the runners stranded. 

San Francisco’s historic run of scoreless frames would swell to 20 frames before a run was scored. Jung Hoo Lee, batting lead-off instead of Arraez, led off the 3rd with a double. Two pitches later, Matt Chapman rolled a fastball through the middle plating Lee. A straightforward combination of balls-in-play to produce a run. The Giants were on the board. Had it always been that simple? A somewhat sarcastic roar rose from the fans as Jung Hoo Lee bowed his head slightly as his foot touched the plate. Joe Davis, from the Fox broadcast booth: “Boy it’s time for a Gatorade bath, huh?” And as annoying as that is to hear coming from a Dodgers play-by-play announcer, he was absolutely right. That took way too long.  

The irony was that while that first run scored, it still had the Giants coming up short. Down two thanks to a 2-out, double by Ben Rice off starter Tyler Mahle in the top of the frame meant San Francisco’s offensive “renaissance” was far from enough. 

That point became painfully obvious as the inning and game progressed. The Giants had planted their first stride but that didn’t mean they could walk. One step forward was met by two steps back. When spirits were high after Chapman’s RBI, singles-whiz Arraez, with an opportunity to help build a rally, fanned on three pitches. Devers went down after four.

The Giants line-up actually out-hit the Yankees 9 to 7. A positive development considering they managed a historically skint four hits over the previous two games. But on Saturday, we saw better plate approaches, better at-bats. Forward progress was made, but its momentum couldn’t sustain itself over two or three batters before it all came crashing down. 

Harrison Bader’s first hit as a Giant in the 4th was promptly erased by Patrick Bailey grounding into a double play to end the inning. In the 5th, down 3-1 now after Aaron Judge launched a solo homer off reliever Ryan Borucki, Jung Hoo Lee worked a one-out walk, followed promptly by Chapman being called out on strikes. 

In the 6th, Devers led off the frame with a double. Against tough-right hander Jake Bird, Heliot Ramos fought off an inside fastball and rolled it through the 5.5 hole to set up runners at the corners with no outs. Two solid steps…then they started to toddle. They hesitated. They looked down, realized how far off the ground they were, and freaked out. With an opportunity to cut the lead in half with a fly out, even a double play ball, Adames threw his bat at a 1-2 sweeper half-a-foot off the plate. Two pitches later, Harrison Bader rolled into an inning-ending, rally-killing, vibe-strangling, double-play. The Giants had face-planted. 

They’d do it again in the bottom of the 9th.

Six bullpen arms, orchestrated by Tony Vitello, held the powerful Yankee line-up in check. Their lead held at just two runs. Leading off the 9th against David Bednar, Heliot Ramos worked a 7-pitch walk, with a dramatic strike-3 call overturned that turned the plate-appearance in his favor.

Comebacks were in the air. The early spring mood, dramatic. Across the league, five games would eventually be decided in extra-innings on Saturday night, and four ended in walk-offs (including a grand slam for #forevergiant Dom Smith in Atlanta). After Ramos revived his at-bat and turned into a walk, the Giants had the tying run at the plate with nobody out. Out of nowhere, Adames straightened up and singled. Now the winning run was in the box. Two men on, nobody out. A ball in play most likely scored a run. The energy in the stadium ratcheted up…then Bader chased two ridiculously high fastballs to put him an 0-2 hole. There it was: the hesitation, the nerves, the “try-hard.” The legs started to shake. The knees doubted. That familiar wobble. Three pitches later, Bader was on his butt in the box, unable to put an elevated splitter in play. Two pitches after that, game over. Another double-play ball off the bat of Bailey sealed it: swept at home.

The run was nice. It’s an essential step, yes — just, you know, a little behind schedule coming three games into the season and clearly not enough to make up much ground. Come Monday in San Diego, leaps and bounds would be greatly appreciated.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

It’s the rubber match of a three-game set between the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.

A pair of lefties make their 2026 debut for the win, as Philadelphia’s Jesus Luzardo is looking to pick up where he left off from his best season as a pro, while MacKenzie Gore will try to bounce back from his worst season in the bigs.

My Rangers vs Phillies predictions and MLB picks have Luzardo and the top of Philadelphia’s order leading the Phillies to a series win.

Rangers vs Phillies predictions

Rangers vs Phillies best bet: Phillies moneyline (-148)

Jesus Luzardo went 4-1 with a 5.11 ERA against the American League last season. He pitched against the Texas Rangers and threw six strong, giving up seven hits, one earned run, and striking out four in a 3-2 win.

Luzardo should be supported by Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, who combined to go 0-for-10 in Saturday’s 5-4 loss. Turner is hitting a wicked .440 against Mackenzie Gore, with three doubles, a couple of walks, and two runs driven in.

Meanwhile, Schwarber has five hits and eight walks in 21 at-bats vs Gore.

COVERS INTEL:Mackenzie Gore made three starts against the Phillies last season, giving up 10 hits and five earned runs across 18 innings. All three games ended in losses.

Rangers vs Phillies same-game parlay (SGP)

Gore finished inside the Top 25 in strikeouts last season, but his 6.5-strikeout line might be just slightly off, as he threw 7+ strikeouts in just three of 17 starts to end 2025.

Brandon Nimmo is hitting .300 vs. Luzardo in 20 career at-bats, with four RBI, the most of any Ranger against Luzardo. 

Rangers vs Phillies SGP

• Phillies moneyline
• Mackenzie Gore Under 6.5 strikeouts
• Brandon Nimmo Over 0.5 RBI

Rangers vs Phillies home run pick: Kyle Schwarber (+240)

Kyle Schwarber has gone deep in each of his last four games against the Rangers, and he already has a home run against Gore in his career.

Rangers vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Texas +125 | Philadelphia -150
• Run line: Texas +1.5 (-165) | Philadelphia -1.5 (+140)
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Rangers vs Phillies trend

The Phillies have won 55 of their last 83 home games for +12.35 units and a 9% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Phillies.

How to watch Rangers vs Phillies and game info

Rangers vs Phillies latest injuries

Rangers vs Phillies weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has had a great start to his 2026 campaign, and I expect him to continue to be productive this afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays try to sweep the Athletics.

Find out why in my Blue Jays vs. Athletics predictions and MLB picks below.

A’s vs Blue Jays predictions

A’s vs Blue Jays best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 walks (+110)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ranked in the 89th percentile in walk rate last season among all qualified hitters in baseball. 

He’s picked up right where he left off last season with walks in back-to-back games to start the season, totaling three in those two games.

I’m backing him to earn another free pass to first base this afternoon to go Over his 0.5 walks total, especially with A’s starter Luis Morales on the mound. 

He struggled with command all spring long, walking 14 batters in his final five preseason appearances.

COVERS INTEL: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has recorded a walk in seven straight games dating back to Game 2 of the World Series.

A’s vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll continue to back Guerrero Jr.'s eye at the plate today by taking him to record a hit. He's riding a 14-game hitting streak and hopes to make it 15 in a row today. 

For my second leg, I'll take George Springer to record an RBI. He’s a great fastball hitter, and Morales throws heat on more than 50% of his pitches. With the way the bottom of the lineup is hitting, it’s putting Springer in good RBI positions. 

The Jays are also 7-3 in their last 10 games against the A’s. Given how much success they’ve had offensively in this series, and the erratic nature of Morales, I’m backing the Jays to pick up the win and complete the series sweep today. 

A’s vs Blue Jays home run pick: George Springer (+305)

Morales is a fastball pitcher who was hit hard last season and throughout spring. He allowed eight homers in 10 appearances last season, and gave up three homers in his final three starts of spring. 

Springer handles a fastball extremely well, sporting a 1.076 OPS against the pitch last season with a team-high 14 home runs. He hit them hard, too, with a .746 xSLG and a hard-hit rate of 55%. 

A’s vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: A's +135 | Blue Jays -160
• Run line: A's +1.5 (-150) | Blue Jays -1.5 (+125)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

A’s vs Blue Jays trend

The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these clubs. Find more MLB betting trends for A’s vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch A’s vs Blue Jays and game info

A’s vs Blue Jays latest injuries

A’s vs Blue Jays weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

I think we can officially call Chase DeLauter a phenom at this point.

Be sure to read Zach’s recap of last night’s exciting win. Seattle is a very good team. To secure a split and have a shot at winning a series in their home ballpark is pretty impressive.

Also, impressive, of course, is Chase DeLauter having a horrible game and still managing to get to 97 mph up and away for a home run. It’s remarkable how much an actual hitter being in the 2-hole changes this team.

I do hope last night was enough incentive for Vogt to tell batters to only challenge calls when given a signal to do so from the dugout. And to make sure that signal is only given on 2-2 or 3-2 counts. It’s just not worth it, otherwise. Batters are too emotional as are pitchers. Catchers are the only ones to be given carte de blanche to challenge as they see fit.

Tanner Bibee threw a bullpen yesterday and said he felt great. As long as he feels good today, it may be possible that first game exit was just a scare and he can make his next start. Let’s hope so.

Hunter Gaddis’s velo was down a bit, but he had a scoreless inning for Columbus yesterday in rehab.

AROUNDMLB:

The Twins won, but the Tigers, Royals and White Sox all lost.

Saturday was quite an unforgettable birthday for Will Smith.

Not only did his two daughters throw out the first pitch and not only was Saturday Smith’s bobblehead commemorating his go-ahead home run from Game 7 last year, but he also drilled a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to mark three consecutive come-from-behind victories and seal a series sweep for the Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. That might not have happened at all, as Dave Roberts noted during his post-game media presser that he initially had Smith out of the starting lineup.

“Actually I didn’t have him in there tonight, and he really wanted to be in there tonight on his bobblehead night. He said he felt good, and so that proved to be the right decision.”

Smith spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following the ending of Saturday’s contest, noting how this Dodgers team never truly feels out of the game even when down in late innings, and there is always someone in the lineup to hand the baton to when needing a clutch moment.

“There’s nothing better than playing in front of our home fans here at Dodger Stadium. Late in innings, we never feel like we’re out of the game. It always feels like someone is going to come up with a big hit. We keep applying pressure. Mookie got on right before me, and tonight it was me that got the big hit.”

Links

Entering Saturday, Freddie Freeman was the only starter over the first two games of the season who had not yet recorded a hit. That all changed on Saturday as Freeman connected for three hits, including an opposite field RBI double to put the Dodgers on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Freeman’s lack of contribution over the first two games was a result of pure happenstance— including three deep fly ball outs on Friday— rather than a regression in his game, as he noted to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following Saturday’s game he’s been swinging well at the plate since spring training.

“I had been feeling good all spring training and even the last couple of games, even though I had nothing to show for it. Definitely nice to get it off the barrel in the first [at-bat] and hit a flare up the middle. Obviously, once you get one, you can just kinda rest easy… There’s a lot of things that happened for me tonight that was very positive.”

Tyler Glasnow followed up Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan with six strikeouts in his first outing of the year on Saturday, tossing a quality start over six full innings but ultimately having his performance result in a no-decision.

Glasnow spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about getting back into a nice rhythm on the mound after getting scored on early, a running theme that persisted in the opening series for Dodgers starting pitchers.

Good morning, baseball fans!

Now that we’re getting back into the swing of the regular season, it’s time to find out what everyone’s favorite highlights of the week were!

I am, once again, at a distinct disadvantage because as of the time this is being written there has only been one game played this week, in which they lost 7-0 so the pickings are slim. And I already picked Aaron Judge’s golden sombrero for yesterday’s BP.

So I’m going to have to let you all do the heavy lifting this week. What were your favorite highlights of the week this week? Or if things have not improved since Wednesday’s loss, feel free to share the low-lights too!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants are off today. I know, it’s weird.

I admit that I have my PCA jersey on. We had Chicago dogs for lunch and I have one Old Style left from a trip to Rocco’s a bit ago. Much more noise has been made about his deal than Nico Hoerner’s, as Pete has been anointed the new ‘face’. I suspect PCA is equal to the task. He seems to welcome the challenge and I look forward to when the young faces take over. George Gervin is right but the example of White Castle comes to mind.

Popular culture has claimed that name, as the boys from Wichita didn’t. Caleb Williams would have to go some to match Gervin’s accomplishments but the matter is for trademark attorneys to work out now. I would think some kind of settlement could be reached. Because Luther Burden III was also right.

Williams and PCA will not be denied. /narrative

Anyway, Pete had a good game, going 2 for 3, with 2 stolen bases, a walk, and a little glovework. Nico did well, as well, going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, an RBI double, and a stolen base. Miguel Amaya clobbered a solo homer and an RBI single. Ian Happ unloaded for three. The Cubs had seven two-out RBI.

Cade Horton was Cade Horton. He threw strike after strike, with ground balls aplenty. Caleb Thielbar was just fine. Cubs win, 10-2. Rubber game today. Shota Imanaga and James Irvin on the hill.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Horton picks up right where he left off, dominates in ’26 debut. “On Saturday afternoon, Horton got his sophomore campaign rolling with a strong performance…”
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball*): Nico Hoerner’s contract extension checks another important box for Cubs, even if apprehension exists. “Hoerner was set to be a free agent following the 2026 season.
• Kyle Williams (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Matt Shaw won’t have long runway in right field. “Before the game, I said this is not the ideal day to make your debut in right field with how the weather was today, but [Shaw] did a nice job,” manager Craig Counsell said.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): How Pete Crow-Armstrong’s personal history sealed his extension with the Cubs. “This city means everything to me,” Crow-Armstrong said. MLB.com* has more.

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

The Rockies played their last two spring training games and their first two regular season games this week. So far in the regular season, they’re 0-2 but there have been some moments of brightness. TJ Rumfield made his MLB debut, knocked his first MLB hit and launched his first MLB home run in his first two games. Ezequiel Tovar hit his first home run in 2025, and there were some excellent defensive plays made throughout the games. The baserunning game, though, still needs some work.

Additionally, on the farm, Charlie Condon hit two home runs (likely revenge homers for starting the year in Triple-A). Maybe we’ll see him sooner than we thought…

That all said, here’s what our staff had to write about during this busy week!

To Read (Rockpiles)

• Monday: The 2026 Colorado Rockies: A SWOT analysis | Renee Dechert
• Tuesday: Warren Schaeffer reflects on his first spring training as the Rockies manager | Sam Bradfield
• Wednesday: Predicting Rockies superlatives in 2026 | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday: How to measure success for the 2026 Rockies? | Cory Cohen
• Friday: Young Rockies reflect on making their 1st Opening Day rosters | Joelle Milholm
• Saturday: The 2026 Rockies and chasing history | James Riggenbach

To Read (Other)

• Roster News: Rockies RHP RJ Petit has Tommy John surgery | Sam Bradfield
• Roster News: Rockies set position players and starting rotation | Sam Bradfield
• Staff Feature: Ezequiel Tovar led a successful Rockies delegation in the World Baseball Classic | Evan Lang
• Roster News: Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen to start the season in Triple-A | Renee Dechert
• MLB Opening Day 2026: The Purple Row staff offers their season predictions | Sam Bradfield
• Roster News: Rockies announce 2026 Opening Day Roster | Evan Lang
• MLB Opening Day 2026:The Purple Row community offers their season predictions | Sam Bradfield

Weekend Discussion Topics

Which player(s) are you most excited/intrigued about so far? Which player(s) are you concerned about so far? Let us know in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (1-1)

WORCESTER 5, SYRACUSE 3 (BOX)

For the second time in as many days, Syracuse scored three runs, but this time, they surrendered five and suffered their first loss of the 2026 campaign. Joander Suarez gave up the first couple of those runs in his first start of the year, and Jonathan Pintaro and Alex Carrillo—both of whom made appearances for the big league Mets last year—gave up two runs and one run, respectively, to swing the game in Worcester’s favor.

• RF MJ Melendez: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB
• LF Ryan Clifford: 1-4, R, 2 K
• 3B Ronny Mauricio: 1-4, RBI, K, SB
• 1B Jose Rojas: 1-4, R
• DH Christian Arroyo: 2-4, RBI
• CF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-4
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, K
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 0-3, K
• C Onix Vega: 0-3
• P Joander Suarez: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Dan Hammer: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Jonathan Pintaro: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Joey Gerber: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Alex Carrillo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (0-0)

NO GAME (SEASON BEGINS APRIL 3)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (0-0)

NO GAME (SEASON BEGINS APRIL 3)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SEASON BEGINS APRIL 3)

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SEASON BEGINS MAY 2)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Christian Arroyo

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

The Syracuse bullpen

Hello, friends.

The Orioles just can’t let us feel good about them for long, huh? The vibes were great yesterday afternoon around the Shane Baz contract extension, with excitement for the near future of the team from the front office and from a good number of the players. If only they could have sustained those good vibes through even one more game after that. Instead, the Orioles turned in a stinker of a 4-1 loss to the Twins to fall to 1-1 on the year. Check out my recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.

Anybody who is my age or younger has been prepared for this kind of thing by a lifetime of being Orioles fans. Nothing good lasts for long and plenty of times things have come along within 24 hours to squash fun vibes. This is only the latest example. Baz has the opportunity to bring the good vibes back here this afternoon, if he can turn in a good outing in his first game in an Orioles uniform.

It’s still kind of wild for me to think about, but Baz got that contract extension before ever throwing a pitch for the team. Mike Elias really likes this guy. This is not a guarantee of success. Sometimes Elias likes guys based on thinking they’ll be better than they have been and it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes he likes guys based on thinking they’ll be about what they have been in the past and that doesn’t work out either. The guy has a solid track record overall, but there are glaring gaps and one of those is building a quality starting rotation.

Getting Baz locked up could be the first sign of starting to bring some stability into that group. Getting way ahead of ourselves, just based on who has major league experience and will still be available to the Orioles next year, they’ve got Kyle Bradish, Baz, and Dean Kremer. That’s potentially not a bad 60% of a rotation. If one of the team’s pitching prospects can fill a spot better than the previous wave’s guys like Cade Povich and Brandon Young did, then there’s only one hole to fill. That’s a whole lot better than having to sign two guys and trade for a third guy every winter.

Of course, two games into this 2026 season, there hasn’t been too much cause for worrying about the rotation yet. It’s an offense that’s not looking like much has changed from the last season and a half worth of Orioles baseball that feels like a problem. You can make excuses for this if you want, particularly yesterday when it was the 10th-coldest game start temperature in Oriole Park at Camden Yards history. Warmer weather is coming as soon as today, so this excuse pretty much expired already. Until they do enough to change the story, it’s the same story.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

You know who wants to talk some about the Shane Baz press conference? Everybody whose job it is to cover the Orioles on a regular basis.

More extensions coming? Rubenstein says O’s are ‘open for business’ (Orioles.com)
Orioles celebrate Shane Baz extension (School of Roch)
Baz says Orioles extension was ‘no-brainer’ (Baltimore Baseball)
After Baz, Basallo, who could be next? (The Baltimore Sun)
Different days in Birdland: Baz extension followed Basallo, Alonso contracts (Steve on Baseball)
By doubling down on Shane Baz, the Orioles can turn their rotation into a long-term strength (The Baltimore Banner)

There really is a lot to digest about it. Yes, it’s a further sign that something different is happening now than we got accustomed to with contracts before Rubenstein took over. It shows that the Orioles might actually invest in their rotation. There is hope for extensions for any non-Boras client who the O’s deem worth it. It seems like there is excitement both in the Orioles clubhouse and front office for these things happening. That’s all cool. It would just be a lot more cool if they built on these good feelings with how they played on the field yesterday.

Joseph Dzierwa headlines the Orioles next wave of pitching prospects (Baseball America)
Subscription required for this one. The pitcher had a phenomenal appearance in the Spring Breakout game and if he carries that forward into the minor league season, that’s going to get mighty interesting in a hurry.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

The Orioles last won a game on this day just last year, when they beat the Blue Jays, 9-5, to improve to 2-1 for the season. Just four of the seventeen players who appeared for the Orioles that day are on the 26-man roster right now. Jordan Westburg had four hits, including a pair of homers.

One lone former Oriole was born on this day: 1989-91 infielder Juan Bell. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 48.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: 10th president John Tyler (1790), baseball Hall of Famer Cy Young (1867), actress Amy Sedaris (1961), model Elle Macpherson (1964), and actress Lucy Lawless (1968).

On this day in history…

In 1461, the two sides of England’s Wars of the Roses fought the Battle of Towton. The York contingent, led by Edward, defeated the Lancastrian force of Queen Margaret, leading to Edward being crowned as Edward IV and the wars being interrupted for nine years.

In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, American military forces captured the city of Veracruz following a siege.

In 1961, upon ratification by the state of Ohio, the Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution, which grants electoral votes to the District of Columbia, took effect. Maryland was seventh to ratify, about two months earlier.

In 1971, Lt. William Calley was convicted of 22 counts of premeditated murder for his role in the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam three years earlier. He served three days in prison before being released to house arrest under order of President Nixon, and ultimately served three years of house arrest for these murders.

In 1984, the Mayflower vans pulled out from the Baltimore Colts facility, marking the end of the Baltimore Colts and the beginning of the Indianapolis team that bears the same name.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question each time it’s my turn in this space until I run out of questions or forget. It’s probably going to be run out of questions. Since I’m skipping stupid questions, repeat questions, and questions about the St. Louis Browns (it’s not a good book of trivia), we’re already up to 77, which is this:

Who had the lowest earned run average on the 1970 Orioles staff?

I will add the hint that this is inclusive of relievers.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 29. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!

Somewhere, at some point, Bob Uecker would have been proud of that game yesterday.

Except for that whole getting a second hit thing in the ninth inning. Thanks, Alec, for ruining my joke for today. And, you know, the rest of the team for making it a ballgame.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Harry Kalas’ widow is very upset about the name change on the team’s old restaurant. She wants some money for it, too ($).
• I know you’re all very worried about it, but Garrett Stubbs is choosing to stay in Lehigh Valley. He’ll report this weekend.
• The team needed some infield depth in the minor leagues, so they signed Sergio Alcantara to help out.

MLB news:

• Nico Hoerner’s new contract extension has some details now, his deal calling for $141 million over those six new years.
• The Curtis Mead transaction train continues rolling. Now, he’s been traded to the Nationals in a small deal.
• The Dodgers’ owner Mark Walters made some comments about “parity” in MLB. With a lockout possible, those comments matter.
• Jackson Chourio had to hit the injured list with a fractured hand.

Three games, three wins! It’s hard to do much better than that, the Yankees starting off their season with a sweep for the second year in a row. The shape of the sweep was much different this time around though, as this season’s Yankees have used phenomenal pitching to quell the Giants, while the 2025 squad absolutely pummeled the Brewers into submission. The team is in a groove, but the thing about the early season is that it can take a moment for the schedule to get rolling; the Yankees have their second off-day of the year today, and they’ll have three breathers interspersed through the first six days of the season. So rest up, before we head to Seattle for a few late nights with the Mariners.

On the site today, Peter has you handled for the Rivalry Roundup, and he also has the next entry in our Yankees Birthday series, profiling pitcher Herb McQuaid. Also, in the afternoon John spins around opening week on Yankees social media.

Today’s Matchup

Off-day.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will Ryan Weathers keep up this Yankees pitching excellence tomorrow in Seattle?

2. Anyone have their Final Four still intact in their bracket?

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: The streak came to an end after the Giants scored in the third inning on Saturday, but the Yankees opened the season with 20 consecutive scoreless innings, including two shutouts in the first two games. Even missing some of the most important pieces through injury, Yankees’ pitching — from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler to the bullpen — made a historic start to the 2026 season.

Newsday | Erik Boland: Camilo Doval was one of a couple relievers acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline in 2025, as they tried to remake a struggling bullpen. He was a bit of a disappointment on that front last year, but so far this year, he’s looked the pitcher the Yankees were looking to acquire.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees’ opening series of the season against the Giants brought a reunion with the team’s former center fielder Harrison Bader. Despite a solid playoff run in 2022, Bader’s stint in the Bronx did not go as he or the team wanted, leading to them eventually waiving him in 2023. However, Bader still carries with him lessons he learned in the Bronx, specifically from captain Aaron Judge.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: Heading into the 2026 season — barring horrible injuries or unforeseen sudden dropoffs — Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt seem like the only future Hall of Fame locks on the 2026 Yankees. However, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole are knocking on the door too, and then could improve their cases with good seasons and a ring in 2026.