Category: Baseball

For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants only had three Minor League Baseball games, as AA Richmond had their contest against Altoona rained out. Those teams will play a doubleheader on Friday.

Let’s jump into the games that did happen!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

AAA Sacramento had a little shifting of inventory. On Wednesday, the Giants purchased the contract of RHP Gregory Santos, who presumably had a May 1 opt out. In exchange, RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL) was optioned back to Sacramento after his successful stint in the Majors. And on Thursday, the Giants brought up RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) as the allotted 27th player for their doubleheader. The Giants can keep McDonald on the roster past Thursday and option/release someone else, but I’d assume that he’ll be headed back to Sacramento.

AAA Sacramento (16-11)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) 17-7
Box score

It’s not exactly news to anyone, but first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) is one of the top prospects in the sport. But hey … just because it’s not news, doesn’t mean we don’t like to be reminded about it, right?

And remind us he did.

The tall lefty had an eye-popping showing on Wednesday — the type of game that will have KNBR callers losing their minds if the Giants offense doesn’t do much during today’s doubleheader.

In his 1st plate appearance of the day, he worked a walk.

In his 2nd plate appearance of the day, he worked the count full and then, against a left-handed pitcher, blasted an absolutely sensational 2-run home run that measured out at 434 feet, and left the bat at 110.1 mph.

In his 3rd plate appearance of the day, he ripped a 103.6-mph single, again off of a lefty.

In his 4th plate appearance of the day, he hit yet another single off of a left-hander.

In his 5th plate appearance of the day, he was finally retired, but on a hard-hit ground out.

And in his 6th plate appearance of the day, he capped his superstar showing with a 3-run home run, hit 103 mph and 401 feet. Not only that, but it came in an 0-2 count and, you guessed it, against a lefty.

Yes, it was a 4-5 day with 2 dingers and a walk, and all 4 of his hits coming off of same-handed pitching. Even when you account for the Salt Lake environment — the Bees play in a park that is basically the Great American Ballpark of the Coors Field League — it was a mesmerizing showing, and one that raised his OPS all the way up to .955 and his wRC+ to 155.

That’s about as good of a day as you can have, and about as encouraging of a day as you can have, though fans clamoring for his call-up will probably be disappointed. There are still things to work on — mainly making contact, as his in-zone contact rate remains in the 32nd percentile, while his whiff rate is in the 18th percentile — but yeesh. Sometimes a player reminds you of what they’re capable of, and when that player is the best power prospect the Giants have had in many decades, it’s pretty exciting!

Eldridge didn’t have the only good day in the batter’s box, as you could probably surmise by the 17 runs, which came via 15 hits, 10 walks, 3 hit batters, and 2 Salt Lake errors. Center fielder Grant McCray had a fantastic game and would have been the headliner had Eldridge not stolen the show.

McCray had a brutal start to the year but has been turning things around lately, and Wednesday was his best game yet, as he hit 2-5 with a grand slam, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout.

The grand slam was beautiful, but it’s the stolen base that the Giants are probably happiest to see. If McCray wants to get back to the Majors soon, it will likely be in a Jared Oliva-esque role, and we saw during the spring the difference in how those two attack the bases, despite having similar speed. McCray had 52 thefts in 2023, but swiped just 14 bags in the Minors in 2024, and 5 more in the Majors. He bounced back a little with 27 stolen bases last year (but none in 22 Major League games). So far this year, he has 3, but has been caught stealing twice.

As for the bat, though, it’s thankfully coming around, as he’s up to a .718 OPS and a 101 wRC+. McCray started the season with a great game, hitting 3-3 with a walk, but then hit a huge slump: over the next 15 games, he hit just 5-46 with 0 home runs, 2 doubles, 12 walks, and 17 strikeouts. But since then, he’s hit 10-32 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts. A big step in the right direction.

The other nice hitting days belonged to right fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) and third baseman Buddy Kennedy. Bericoto hit 2-5 with a walk, and smashed a 2-run home run.

The 24-year old is holding his own in his 1st real look at AAA (he had a brief stint there last year), as he has a .803 OPS and a 113 wRC+. The big power in his right-handed bat hasn’t been too on display — this was his 1st home run since April 8, and just his 2nd extra-base hit in that time — but the 18.3% strikeout rate is extremely encouraging. Bericoto has some really nice exit velocities (he’s 83rd percentile in 90th percentile EV), so if he can keep limiting strikeouts, that will be a very good thing.

As for Kennedy, he kept his excellent season going by hitting 3-4 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch, which raised his OPS to .933 and his wRC+ to 154. He’s done absolutely everything that the Giants have asked of him when they signed him to a Minor League contract to be AAA depth.

On the pitching front, it was a pretty nice start for RHP Carson Seymour, who you have to imagine the organization was considering calling up for Thursday’s MLB doubleheader before landing on RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL). Seymour went 5 strong innings, most notably not issuing any walks while striking out 5 batters. He gave up 6 hits (honestly not bad given the environment) and 2 runs, which came on a 2-run home run by former Giant Donovan Walton. AAA baseball, baby!

Mostly it was just nice seeing Seymour strike some batters out, as that has been mysteriously absent from his game this season. The 27-year old, who made his MLB debut last year, has struck out just 7.7 batters per 9 innings, though he’s only walked 2.0 (he also has a very high 58.5% groundball rate at the moment). The overall package has been so-so, as he has a 4.03 ERA and a 4.76 FIP on the season. But games like this, especially against a Salt Lake roster with so many former Major Leaguers on it, certainly help him state his case.

A pair of Sacramento’s more high-profile relief prospects really struggled, as LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL) gave up 2 hits (including a home run), 2 walks, and 3 earned runs while recording just 2 outs, and RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) allowed 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs while also recording just 2 outs. Sánchez has a 4.76 ERA and an 8.36 FIP through 5.2 innings, while Harris has a 9.45 ERA and a 7.52 FIP in 6.2 innings.

RHP Marques Johnson had a great game though, retiring all 5 batters he faced and striking out 2 of them. The 2022 11th-round pick, who came to the Giants in the Mauricio Llovera trade, has a 4.50 ERA and a 5.37 FIP in his debut AAA season.

High-A Eugene (17-5)

Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 3-1
Box score

The Emeralds continued their great season, and they did so with a stellar pitching performance. A quartet of arms took the mound for Eugene, and all 4 pitched very well … but none better than the starter, LHP Charlie McDaniel. The 24-year old southpaw isn’t the most heralded pitcher in the system, as he was an undrafted free agent who is in his 2nd season. But there aren’t many pitchers in the organization who have been better to start the year.

Wednesday was McDaniel’s 4th start of the season, and he went 5.1 strong, strong innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 run. Most impressive, though, was his strike-throwing ability: McDaniel threw a gorgeous 53 of 70 pitches for strikes, didn’t walk a single hitter, and struck out 8 batters on the day. Glorious!

McDaniel’s numbers are nothing short of excellent this year, as he has a 1.10 ERA and a 2.38 FIP. The really nice thing has been the control, though, as McDaniel has 18 strikeouts to just 3 walks in 16.1 innings. Control has always been McDaniel’s strength, though he’s taken it up a notch this year by improving both his walk and strikeout rates … and he’s also upped his ground ball rate from 42.2% last year to 54.3% this season. While McDaniel doesn’t have overpowering stuff, he certainly fits into the Giants big bucket of funky and intriguing bulk inning southpaws.

But McDaniel wasn’t the only undrafted pitcher to shine in this game, as RHP Ben Peterson earned the save with 2 no-hit innings, walking 1 and striking out 1. Like McDaniel, Peterson — who has a 1.80 ERA and a 3.15 FIP — has been tremendous with his control so far this year, with 13 strikeouts against just 2 walks in 10 innings. A fantastic start to his 2nd season for the 24-year old North Carolina alum.

It was a mild day on offense, but there were a pair of stars: first baseman Zander Darby and left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL). Darby continued his awesome season, hitting 1-3 with a beautiful home run and a strikeout.

A 23-year old taken in the 12th round of the 2024 draft, Darby really struggled when he got to Eugene late last year, posting just a .489 OPS and a 45 wRC+ in 21 games … which came after a delightful .862 OPS and 136 wRC+ with Low-A San Jose. But he’s made the adjustments this year, and looks much more like the hitter who earned the promotion than the one who struggled with it. Through 19 games this year, Darby has a .892 OPS and a 147 wRC+. He’s still striking out too much … his rate is 29.9% this year, after 42.0% in Eugene last year, which followed a very good 18.4% rate in San Jose.

Darby’s a little bit of a fill-in-wherever option for the Ems, as he’s started at least 5 games at first, second, and third base this year. He’s not the highest-regarded prospect, but if he keeps hitting he’ll keep playing!

As for Gutierrez, he went 2-3 with a walk and a stolen base. That’s more like the Gutierrez we’ve grown accustomed to! The 21-year old lefty broke out last year with a high-contact approach — he had a .351 average and just a 13.7% strikeout rate, but with limited power with San Jose — but this year has flipped the script a little bit. He’s had more power than we’re used to, but with a lower batting average and higher strikeout rate. So this performance was nice to see, as it was a return to the norm!

Gutierrez is still settling into the level, as he has just a .215 average … but thanks to that increase in power and a 10.8% walk rate, he’s still hitting right at league average, with a .711 OPS and a 102 wRC+. He’s also up to 5 stolen bases on the year, without yet being caught.

Not very good days for the other high profile hitters in Eugene: center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) went 0-4 and struck out twice, lowering his OPS to .897 and his wRC+ to 147; shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) hit 0-2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, and a strikeout, and now has a .756 OPS and a 109 wRC+; designated hitter Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 1-4 with a double, but struck out 3 times and saw his OPS move to .683 and his wRC+ to 105; and third baseman Walker Martin went 0-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts, lowering his OPS to .780 and his wRC+ to 122.

Low-A San Jose (15-8)

San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) 9-8
Box score

A rough loss for the Baby Giants, who took an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning, only to get walked off later that inning. Ouch!

The struggles began with RHP Cooper McGrath. Last year’s 18th-round pick cruised through the 8th inning, but couldn’t find the strike zone in the 9th, issuing a 4-pitch walk, a 5-pitch walk, and a hit batter (in a 3-ball count) to load the bases without an out.

He then gave way to RHP Alix Hernandez, who preceded to hit a batter, bringing in a run. After recording a strikeout, Hernandez allowed a run-scoring single, and then a sacrifice fly, before ceding a walk-off 3-run home run.

That’s a painful way to go out, and it raised McGrath’s ERA to 14.14 and his FIP to 11.29, and Hernandez’s to 5.06 and 4.99, respectively. After giving up no earned runs in his 1st 5 games of the year, Hernandez has allowed 3 runs in each of his past 2 games.

The bullpen collapse came after a decent start by RHP Jordan Gottesman. The team’s reigning 6th-round selection threw 50 of 73 pitches for strikes while giving up 5 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 2 earned runs in 4.2 innings, while striking out 4.

That’s not a great outing, but it’s a solid enough one, and it moved his ERA to 3.60, though his FIP sits at just 6.46. The long ball has been dooming the Northeastern product in his debut season, as he’s limited hitters to just 16 hits in 20 innings … but 4 of them have cleared the fence.

San Jose had a funny day on offense, netting 8 runs without recording an extra-base hit. You don’t see that very often … in fact, I looked it up out of curiosity, and the last time the Major League team did that was 1979!

A trio of hitters had really nice games though: right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL), catcher Junior Barajas, and left fielder Damian Bravo.

Maldonado hit 2-4 with a sacrifice fly and a stolen base, moving his OPS to 1.107 and his wRC+ to 166, with 9 stolen bases in 11 attempts. Last year’s 7th-round pick has come back to earth following his other-worldly week of baseball destruction, but is still having one of the best seasons on the farm this year. Barajas hit 3-5, which raised last year’s 11th-round pick’s OPS to .940 and his wRC+ to 134. And Bravo, a 15th-round pick a year ago, went 1-3 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a strikeout, boosting his OPS to .867 and his wRC+ to 112, with 2 stolen bases in as many attempts.

Home run tracker

5 — Bryce Eldridge x2 — [AAA]
4 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
3 — Victor Bericoto — [AAA]
2 — Grant McCray — [AAA]

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at Salt Lake (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 8:05 a.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Joe Whitman)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Tyler Switalski)
San Jose: 6:35 p.m. PT at Visalia (SP: TBD)

As a result of last night’s rainout, the Houston Astros (11-20) and Baltimore Orioles (15-15) will play a traditional doubleheader today at Camden Yards.

Game Two:RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-2, 6.75 ERA) will make his 6th start of the season of the season as he takes on Orioles RHP Brandon Young (2-0, 2.53 ERA).

TODAY’S GM 2 STARTER: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. will make his 7th career start and 9th overall app. vs. BAL in Game 2. He is 3-0 in his career vs. the O’s with a 3.34 ERA (13ER/35IP) and 41 strikeouts.

Déjà Vu: McCullers pitched in relief in Game 2 of the last doubleheader between HOU and BAL, which was on Sept. 29, 2018 at Camden Yards (0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 SO).

Last Start: Prior to today, McCullers last start was on Friday vs. NYY (5 IP, 5 ER).

Innings Milestone: McCullers needs just 0.2 IP to reach 800.0 for his career.

Fun Fact: He and his father, Lance McCullers Sr., were both the 41st overall pick in their respective MLB Drafts (1982 and 2012). Lance Sr. pitched 7 seasons in the Major Leagues

DOUBLEHEADER INFO: Today will be the first doubleheader for the Astros since July 21, 2022 at home vs. NYY, which resulted in an Astros sweep of the Bronx Bombers. That DH was scheduled as a result of the delay to the start of the 2022 season due to the work stoppage.

Doubleheaders are a rarity at Daikin Park since the Astros have a roof.

The Astros last doubleheader played vs. BAL was Sept. 29, 2018 at Camden Yards, which also resulted in an Astros sweep. In Game 2 of that DH, today’s Game 2 starter, RHP Lance McCullers Jr., hurled 0.2 scoreless in relief, earning a hold in the Astros 5-2 win.

VS. THE O’S: Today’s doubleheader will wrap up this 3-game series vs. the Orioles.

The Astros were 4-3 vs. BAL in 2025 with a 3-1 mark here at Camden Yards, Aug. 21-24. The two clubs will next meet for a 3-game set at Daikin Park, July 17-19.

HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY: To Phil Garner, who would have turned 77 years old today.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1982 – At Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburth, Phil Garner hits a 3-run HR on his 33rd birthday to help defeat the Pirates, 4-3. Garner, who was voted into the Astros Hall of Fame earlier this month, had played for the Pirates (1977-81) prior to being traded to HOU on Aug. 31, 1981.

1979 – At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Terry Puhl’s 2-run HR in the top of the 9th lifted the Astros to a 6-5, comeback win over the Cardinals. The Astros had entered the 9th, trailing, 4-2. Puhl’s HR capped a dramatic, 4-run 9th-inning rally.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, April 30, 30 minutes after completion of Game 1

Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Just a short intro today, given it’s an early game on somewhere toward the East coast, at least. Which means I have to get all this written up, not just before going to work, but before I have breakfast and coffee. My terseness is therefore understandable. It’s the final game of April, and the win yesterday guaranteed Arizona a winning record for the month. Could be as high at 17-13 if they win. Considering the typical sentiment staring into the schedule was, “If the Dbacks can get through this close to .500, there is hope for the season,” or things like, “Surviving brutal early 2026 schedule is key to Diamondbacks’ season”, have to think: mission accomplished.

Of course, there were opponents who turned out not to be as tough as expected. Six games against the free-spending Mets and Phillies, both projected to make the playoffs, turned out to be a cakewalk – those two sides are a combined 20-39 right now. Now we can look back at the schedule, the D-backs only rank tenth by the strength of opponents actually faced. However, it is still the toughest in the division. What is a bit concerning is how Arizona are 16-13 despite being outscored, a result of those blowout losses. They have lost five games by six runs or more: they have just one victory (7-1 over the Mets) by the same margin. The Rockies have a better run differential: indeed, only three NL teams are below our -12.

The Yankees will end the first month of the season with a modest 1.5-game lead on the American League’s best record. Both the Yanks and the Rays—who are right behind them—are off today, so New York already knows that May will begin with them in front by a game and a half in both the AL East and the Junior Circuit in general. The Rays themselves are three games clear of anyone else, so it’s nearly five for the Yanks.

This success is due in large part to their league-best team ERA, FIP, and fWAR as a pitching staff. Of course, with good pitching comes good defense doing some of the dirty work — something Yankee pitchers enjoyed plenty of during the month of April. So, why not take a look back at the finest leather flashes in the month of showers as we barrel ahead toward the “flowers” part of the year?

Also, they won’t all be profiled here, but give an Honorable Mention to the Yankees’ starting rotation, which executed pickoffs in four consecutive games from April 24-27, with Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and MLB active career pickoffs leader Max Fried doing the honors.

April 3: Bellinger bobbles, hangs on

On a play that maybe looks only mildly impressive to the naked eye, the wonder in this play must be seen in slow motion. After retreating to make a leaping grab, the ball actually kicked off the heel of his glove, destined for the ground, only for Bellinger to make a no look stab at the ball below his hips. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, the ball found the leather, and Bellinger had recorded a circus-style first out in the ninth inning.

April 8: Jazz goes full extension

There are few plays as satisfying as an infielder going parallel to the ground beneath them to snare a liner. In a 2-2 ballgame against a fairly potent A’s lineup, Jazz Chisholm Jr. did just that. Nick Kurtz golfed a line drive just short of 100 mph toward the hole on the right side, with the go ahead run on first base, only for Chisholm to go full extension and put a wrap on the A’s half of the sixth, keeping the game tied. Depending on how the ball rolled, there’s a chance his acrobatic play saved a run.

April 11: Something about Cody Bellinger and walls

Although not quite as unique as his first entry in this list, Bellinger made more than one terrific play on the warning track during the month of April. With no outs and a runner on base in a 1-1 game against the Rays, Fried served up a towering fly ball to Yandy Díaz, nearly sending it into the seats. After likely flirting with the upper apparatus of the rebuilt Tropicana Field, the ball found a jumping Bellinger, who secured the ball near the top of the wall in left field, once again helping Fried, and keeping this game tied up.

April 22: RyMac makes a leap in Fenway

In an apt follow-up to Jazz’s diving play to the glove side, his fellow infielder matched him with a similar play to the other side. With the Yanks leading a game in the eighth inning against the Red Sox, old friend Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined a ball down the third base line, well on its way to the corner of the Monster, before the ever-slick Ryan McMahon dove barely above the ground, fully extended, to make the back-handed play. Not only did it help protect New York’s 4-0 lead, but it also preserved Fried’s shutout to that point. Although McMahon struggled to get his bat going across the season’s first month, he remained a humanhighlightreel at the hot corner.

April 28: Fernando Cruz from his back

In yet another tight ballgame, defense once again came through to keep things at bay for the Yankees — on more than one occasion. This time around, with the Rangers threatening with a pair of runners on, Joc Pederson laid down a fairly decent bunt trying to get them into scoring position with less than two outs. Intent on keeping the lead, Fernando Cruz charged, slid to back hand the ball, and in one fluid motion, threw to third base for the force out from the seat of his pants. Beyond the incredible play from Cruz, getting the out also required McMahon to secure a handcuffing one-hopper. It was an all-around terrific play, and helped the Yankees maintain their narrow lead in Texas.

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Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball this season, and I expect that trend to continue tonight at Target Field with Bailey Ober on the mound for the Minnesota Twins. 
 
Read on to see why with my Blue Jays vs. Twins predictions and MLB Picks on Thursday, April 30.

Blue Jays vs Twins predictions

Blue Jays vs Twins best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (+115)

With the way Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is swinging the bat, anytime he’s plus money to grab 2+ bases, it’s good value. 

The Toronto Blue Jays slugger leads the majors in hits and batting average this season and has three multi-hit performances over his last four games, while averaging 2.5 bases per game in that stretch. 

Two pitches that Guerrero has handled well this season are the four-seam fastball and the changeup. His average is well above .500 on both of those pitches, which are the two most frequently deployed pitches of Minnesota Twins starter Bailey Ober. 

Ober is a contact pitcher who doesn’t generate a whole lot of whiff, ranking in the 57th percentile in xBA and the 55th percentile in xBA.

This is all music to Vladdy’s ears, as he typically finds grass when he makes contact, ranking in the 99th percentile in xBA.

COVERS INTEL: Guerrero owns a .403 batting average and a 1.027 OPS against the Twins’ current pitching staff.

Blue Jays vs Twins same-game parlay (SGP)

I'll continue to pound Guerrero props and take him to cross the plate at least once.  The lineup is finally starting to hit behind him, and he has 11 runs scored over his last 10. 

The Twins own a .143 batting average with a 36.6% strikeout rate against the splitter. Add Under 2.5 earned runs for ace Kevin Gausman, who has an electric split and has been 5-1 to the Under on this prop in 2026.

Blue Jays vs Twins SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 runs
• Kevin Gausman Under 2.5 earned runs

Blue Jays vs Twins home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+510)

I’m betting a half unit on today’s home run pick with Ober on the mound.

He has kept the ball in the yard this season, allowing just three home runs in six starts. However, he was one of the worst in baseball at suppressing homers in 2025, allowing 30 long balls in 146 1/3 innings. Only three pitchers who threw at least 140 innings had a higher HR/9 than him last season.

Guerrero has been a great fastball and changeup hitter this season, boasting 70% hard-hit rate against the change, which is Ober's most used pitch against righties.

Blue Jays vs Twins odds

• Moneyline: Blue Jays -135 | Twins +115
• Run line: Blue Jays -1.5 (+130) | Twins +1.5 (-150)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)

Blue Jays vs Twins trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have covered the Run Line in 7 of their last 10 games (+5.25 Units / 43% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Twins.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Twins and game info

Blue Jays vs Twins latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Twins weather

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The Mets and Nats traded blowout wins in the first two games of the series. That sets the stage for a rubber match on the last day of April. The Nats will look to win another road series, while the Mets will look to avoid another embarrassing home series loss.

Blake Butera usually likes to spread out righties and lefties, but not today. He has six straight lefties to start his lineup, and then two switch hitters after that. Jacob Young is the only true righty in the lineup, and he is in the 9 spot. Jose Tena, Luis Garcia Jr., Jorbit Vivas and Drew Millas will be in there after not playing yesterday. Brady House is out despite his grand slam. Miles Mikolas will be getting the start today. He does not have an opener ahead of him in this one.

The Mets have made a couple alterations. Mark Vientos is at first base, which pushed Brett Baty to right field and Carson Benge to center. Luis Torrens will be doing the catching in this one instead of Francisco Alvarez. Freddy Peralta was a big offseason addition for the Mets, and he will look to propel his new team to a series win.

Game Info:

Stadium: Citi Field

Time: 1:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This is a big rubber match for both teams, particularly the Mets, whose season is already teetering. The Nats will look to deliver another big blow to Carlos Mendoza’s group after a 14-2 win yesterday. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

The Dodgers are done with (March and) April, and have allowed the fewest runs in MLB at 3.26 per game. The rotation leads the majors with 5.85 innings per start on average with a sparkling 2.83 ERA.

Superlatives are plentiful among the Dodgers pitchers so far this season:

Tyler Glasnow led the staff in innings (38 2/3) and strikeouts (47), to go with his 2.56 ERA and 2.16 xERA and a rotation-best 32.6-percent strikeout rate. He has an eight inning start and a seven-inning start.

Shohei Ohtani has led the National League in ERA after each one of his five starts, and the only reason his 0.60 doesn’t pace the league at the moment is because his 30 innings are just shy of the Dodgers’ 31 games played.

Justin Wrobleski has a stingy 1.50 ERA (and 3.71 xERA) of his own and like Glasnow has starts of eight and seven innings.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a pair of seven-inning starts and has been steady as usual, with his 2.87 ERA (though 4.01 xERA) in his six starts. He’s second on the staff in innings (37 2/3) and third in strikeouts (32).

Among the relievers, Alex Vesia has a 1.69 ERA and 2.74 xERA and 34-percent strikeout rate in his 13 games and 10 2/3 innings. Tanner Scott leads the team with 15 appearances to date, with a 2.03 ERA and 3.99 xERA, with 13 strikeouts and only two walks in 13 1/3 innings. Jack Dreyer (3.46 ERA, 2.90 xERA) and Will Klein (2.77 ERA, 2.20 xERA) have each pitched 13 innings, with a 21.6-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate for Dreyer and 20 percent for Klein.

Today’s question is who is your Dodgers pitcher of the month for March/April?

Former Rutgers baseball player Brian Fitzpatrick was called up from Triple-A Nashville to the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers last night, pitching 1.1 innings in the team’s April 29th game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first time that a former Scarlet Knight appeared in an MLB game since both Brian O’Grady and Patrick Kivlehan played for the Padres in 2021. This is also the first Rutgers call-up to the MLB since O’Grady did it in 2019.

A 10th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Brewers, Fitzpatrick has appeared in 81 games across all levels of the Brewers farm system, posting a 3.49 ERA in 172.2 innings. 

In his first game for the Brewers, he pitched for 1.1 innings, surrendering 2 hits and 1 walk with zero strikeouts over that time. Arizona would end up winning the game 6-2, tallying four runs in the fourth inning alone.

Fitzpatrick started the 2026 season strong for Nashville, posting a 0.00 ERA in 10.1 innings with 11 strikeouts to just two walks, earning him the call-up to the major leagues.

During his senior season for Rutgers in 2022, he posted a 3-1 record with a 3.91 ERA, 28 strikeouts, and 9 walks in 23 innings. The last game of his collegiate career was a win over Indiana in the Big Ten tournament, where he posted four shutout innings and six strikeouts en route to the Knights’ victory.

Detroit Tigers (15-16) vs. Atlanta Braves (22-9)

Time/Place: 12:15 p.m., Truist Park
SB Nation Site: Battery Power
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.41 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (3-1, 1.93 ERA)

Things just keep getting worse for the New York Mets.

After finally snapping their longest losing streak in decades, getting swept at home by the Colorado Rockies and then getting pounded by the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, New York added another starter to the injured list. 

The Mets announced Thursday morning that Luis Robert Jr. is heading to the 10-day injured list with a lumbar disc herniation. He joins a growing list of Mets on the IL that includes Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Kodai Senga. 

Robert, 28, has been battling back discomfort for several days and underwent an MRI on Wednesday. He last appeared in a game on April 26. So the Mets will be able to backdate the IL to April 27.

NIGHTENGALE: Fired already? MLB's best managers know 'unfairness comes with the job'

The Brewers came out hot in last night’s game but were unable to hold on for the series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Today’s rubber match pits veteran starter Brandon Woodruff against right-hander Michael Soroka.

Woodruff, the longest-tenured member of the Brewers’ starting rotation, has been a steady presence through five starts. He carries a 3.77 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP into today’s game. Woodruff took the loss in his last outing, allowing five hits and three earned runs through five innings against the Pirates.

Soroka, who the Diamondbacks signed to a one-year, $7.5 million dollar contract in the offseason, has been worth every cent thus far. Arizona has won four of his five starts this season, with Soroka picking up the win in all four. He currently sports a 2.60 ERA and has already accumulated 0.8 bWAR on the season.

Brice Turang is hitting second again, so that opens up the leadoff spot for Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell had a hot start to the season, but he’s struggled with pitches in the top third of the zone and opposing pitchers have adjusted accordingly. Mitchell’s batting average is now down to .230, with just two hits over his last seven games (19 at-bats).

William Contreras and Jake Bauers will hit third and fourth, respectively. Tyler Black, who had a three-hit day in the series opener, will DH and hit fifth. He’s followed by Luis Rengifo and Sal Frelick, who has two hits and three runs scored so far this series. Rounding out the bottom of the lineup are Greg Jones (-0.6 bWAR in 17 at-bats) and David Hamilton, playing shortstop today.

As usual, you can catch today’s game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m.

The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon in Great American Ball Park in the series finale, a rubber match that will determine who claims the series victory. In it will feature former Red Michael Lorenzen on the bump for the Rockies, a mound he’ll share to start with lefty Andrew Abbott.

Abbott has struggled mightily on the back of his All-Star performance in 2025, and this would be an excellent spot to get back on the good foot.

First pitch is set for 12:40 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below.

Go Reds!

The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their PNC Park party week on Thursday as Hunter Dobbins will get his first start for St. Louis this season and he will be up against a guy you may have heard of named Paul Skenes who gets the start for Pittsburgh. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35am central time.