The New York Yankees (8-7) start a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels (8-8) at Yankee Stadium. New York has lost five in a row, including a three-game sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays. Will Warren is scheduled to start for the Yankees against the Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi.
How to watch Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees
Let's open up the mailbag to discuss some of the Mets' top prospects...
Does the organization have any concerns regarding A.J. Ewing’s arm strength in center field and could second base be a better fit? -- Mets Ledger
In talking to multiple people in player development about Ewing over the past couple of months, I have not gotten any indications that they believe arm strength will limit his ability to end up in center field long term.
He may not have the arm talent of a Carson Benge, but Ewing’s arm grades out average to a tick above. The Mets firmly believe he has the tools to become elite defensively at center field and it should be expected he spends a vast majority of his time this year in center.
Him playing some second base early is about maintaining versatility. It doesn’t hurt that second base is a natural position for him. It would not shock me if as the year wore on, you saw the second base reps dissipate.
Even if Ewing’s arm strength isn’t a plus, it is not considered to be a deterrent to his future in center field.
What is the outlook for Nate Lavender this season? Can he make the MLB club? -- Dan B
Lavender was returned to the Mets from the Rays this past November, after Tampa Bay selected him in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft. He missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery and had a cleanup procedure in August.
Given that cleanup, the Mets took it slow with Lavender this spring. Despite being a non-roster invite to big league camp, he did not get into game action. Instead, he worked in the backfields on building back up.
He has made two rehab outings so far with Low-A St. Lucie, with two scoreless innings, striking out three batters and walking none. His velocity is back to pre-Tommy John form, averaging 93 mph and touching 95 mph. He’s also throwing a low-to-mid 80s slider.
Lavender should be moving his rehab up before long, and if he performs once he reaches Triple-A, a big league debut could be in the cards. It ultimately does take a number of relievers to get through the marathon of 162 games.
The question is whether there will be a situation where there is a need for a third or even fourth left-hander in the bullpen.
While the Mets are hopeful that their main left-handers (A.J. Minter once he’s back and Brooks Raley) provide stability, Minter has a history of injury that has to be taken into account. There is also the uncertainty in what the long-term role this season will be for Sean Manaea. If Minter and Raley can remain healthy, it’s hard to envision Lavender playing a significant role in 2026.
The organization’s plan is for Lavender to be bullpen depth in Triple-A, but as we have seen year over year, especially in the bullpen, that depth often finds its way to being needed.
With Eli Serrano's move out of Brooklyn .. think we see emergence as a top prospect in the system? -- Dave Schoenfeld
Serrano stands out as a player who was affected by the environment of Brooklyn, which is known as the toughest park for left-handed hitters in minor league baseball. In 2025 in Brooklyn he hit .189 with a .635 OPS, while hitting .255 with a .743 OPS on the road.
Ranking 17th in my preseason top 30 list, Serrano does stand out as someone who could take a step forward, even at a higher level of competition. Through seven games with Double-A Binghamton to start 2026, he is hitting .320 with a .979 OPS and four extra-base hits (two doubles and two triples).
Serrano is a long-levered, 6-foot-5 outfielder who is up 20 pounds since being drafted in 2024. It is a power over hit profile, with above average raw power. He has worked with hitting coordinator Daniel Nicolaisen to refine his swing mechanics, and even dating back to spring training, Serrano has been impacting the baseball more.
Serrano is one to follow, and with a strong season along with some graduations expected to happen this year, he could make a jump towards the top 10 of the system.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - MAY 17: Tegan Kuhns #21 of the Tennessee Volunteers pitches during game three of the series against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field on May 17, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 8-4. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The group over at Overslot Baseball has come out with an interesting and fun new tool ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft, giving us a mock draft simulator to play with, just like there is for the NFL and NBA drafts. I would recommend giving it a try for yourself if you have a few minutes.
This will be the first official mock draft of the season, and there will be more in the series as Overslot tweaks their draft board, with one final one to come just ahead of the actual draft.
The mock draft lasts 10 rounds, and the bonuses listed are their best estimates at what bonuses could look like for some of these prospects. While not perfect, they are mostly pretty reasonable. I will note ahead of time that the player database is not quite the full list of players you will find eligible for the actual draft, and there is no current ability for senior signs. For my senior signs, I will just take placeholders and subtract the amount they sign for and project that money to be used to sign overslot guys in rounds 11-20.
You can see below the screenshot of the mock draft, and get more reasoning on why each player was picked, along with who else was considered for each pick. For the top pick, I am noting who was already taken ahead of the Braves pick. Note that the placeholders are the final two picks, Derrick Mitchell and Ty Horn.
Pick 1.9 – Jacob Lombard, SS, Florida HS
The first eight picks ended up being Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Vahn Lackey, Justin Lebron, Chris Hacopian, Eric Booth Jr., AJ Gracia, and Liam Peterson. That left me to choose from Jacob Lombard (significantly overslot), Jackson Flora (slightly overslot), and my current favorite Sawyer Strosnider (underslot). I went with Lombard, who cost $1.6M overslot at $8.3M, with $6.7M being the slot value. It was a tough choice between three very talented players, but Lombard may have the highest upside of anyone in this class if he hits, and the reports on him this spring have been quite positive following a slightly disappointing summer.
Lombard is a player capable of being the face of a franchise if he hits enough. The son of George Lombard and brother of George Jr.has plus power, double plus speed, and will stick at shortstop. The hit tool has rebounded since the summer, but should be an average tool for him with continued work. He is immediately the Braves best prospect if he was drafted.
Pick 1.26 – Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
Slot here is $3.6M and the Lombard pick makes it tough to consider the two best players on the board, prep lefty Gio Rojas (significantly overslot), and a second prep shortstop Tyler Spangler (slightly over). I started to look at some of the other options on the board, and it was filled with Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell, Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins and a grouping of college pitchers led by Mason Edwards, Cole Carlon, Tegan Kuhns, and Joey Volchko among others. I’ve liked Kuhns a for a bit, and his deep pitch mix and upside definitely feel like a Braves pick, plus it doesn’t hurt that he’s on the cheaper side of that group at $3.1M – saving $500k on slot.
Kuhns has the plus fastball and curve and the rest of his five-pitch arsenal could all be average to slightly below. Command is probably going to be below average, but that shouldn’t hold him up too much with his arsenal, assuming he can get it to a 45-grade. He is a guy with legitimate middle of the rotation upside, and a fall back of a late inning reliever.
Pick 2.48 – Jake Brown, OF, LSU
Slot is $2.1M here and I want to save a little bit more money since I am still $1.1M overslot. That removes Canadian lefty Sean Duncan and prep right-handers Cooper Sides and Jensen Hirschkorn from the mix despite being the best players available. Texas catcher Carson Tinney, LSU outfielder Jake Brown, Notre Dame righty Jack Radel, and Liberty righty Ben Blair are the best of the college options, while on the prep side shortstops Aiden Ruiz and Rocco Maniscalco, and outfielders Noah Wilson and local Martin Shelar are among the best options in the price range. Another local option is Blessed Trinity right-hander Joseph Contreras, though his price is listed at $2.2M. If I hadn’t grabbed Lombard with the top pick, Ruiz would be the pick here – but doubling up on shortstops this early after last year’s draft doesn’t feel realistic. It comes down to Brown and Wilson, with Brown being $200k cheaper. Brown is the pick here as the Braves can both use outfielders and bats who are closer to the big leagues, plus he saves $300k on his slot – bringing us to halfway through the overage on Lombard.
Brown has been productive in the past, but has taken a step forward this spring. He projects to be above-average with four of his tools, with average to slightly above power being the one thing that isn’t. He will have a chance to play center in the pros, but would be a good defender in right that should move through the minors fairly quickly. In a different draft, he would probably not be available with this pick.
Pick 3.84 – Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
Slot is $974k here and there are several interesting options on the board. UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino, Kansas State breakout shortstop Dee Kennedy, and Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson are the best of the bats. North Carolina’s Jason DeCaro is the top righty with East Carolina’s Ethan Norby being the best lefty. I decided to take the toolsy Jackson here over DeCaro with the Braves interest in drafting catchers, especially after not grabbing one last year. Jackson costs $730k, saving $244k and putting us $556k over.
Jackson has been a huge breakout star this year for the Bulldogs. He has gone from a three true outcomes hitter to among the national leaders in homers due to the strides he has made with his plate discipline. That isn’t the only reason he is being drafted here, as he is an excellent athlete who could develop into a solid defensive catcher – with a fallback option of an outfield spot as well.
Pick 4.112 – Gavin Grahovac, 3B, Texas A&M
Slot is $698k and there are three names that are really sticking out. Texas A&M slugger Gavin Grahovac, NC State lefty Ryan Marohn, and Miami slugger Daniel Cuvet. I decided on Grahovac at $516k, saving $182k and reducing the deficit to $374k.
Grahovac has big power, but swing and miss and will always be a below average hitter. Still he’s easily got plus power and is a good athlete. There are some defensive questions, but with average speed and a big arm he could make a quality corner outfielder. The hope here is that you can continue to progress with the hit tool, as he has cut his 2024 strikeout rate down from 34.3% to 16.3% (he missed all but six games last year due to injury). This is probably the latest he would be available, as his power has started to show up recently after a slow start to the season in that department.
Pick 5.144 – Tommy LaPour, RHP, TCU
Slot is $511k and one name sticks out, TCU’s Tommy LaPour. The right hander would have been projected to go much higher, but an early season injury has prevented him from pitching. Getting him for $359k here is a steal, saving $152k and dropping that total to $222k over.
LaPour came into the year as a potential late first rounder, but hasn’t pitched since Opening Day. He’s a big, physical college right-hander with a fastball that has touched 101 MPH, an inconsistent slider that at its best is a second plus pitch, and a solid change. His command also projects to be an average tool. The makings are there for this former two-sport star to continue developing as a pro, which is something the Braves would love to work with.
Pick 6.173 – Lorenzo Carrier, OF, Pitt
Slot is $390k and I decided to get under budget by taking a senior, though he will not be a traditional senior sign ($5-50k). A breakout this year by Pitt’s Lorenzo Carrier is enough to get him $150k, a savings of $240k – putting us $18k in the green. It is important to remember Carrier could have had top three round money out of high school, but turned it down to head to Miami. The power and speed have always been there, but he seems to have unlocked the hit tool that had held him back for his entire college career. Despite the breakout and tools, this is a fifth year senior who presently has a half year of production on this level, so he isn’t going to cost slot.
While Carrier is picked as a money saver, the plus power and speed are for real. His strides with his hit tool have him currently hitting .396/.563/.871 with 13 homers and more walks (36) than strikeouts (32). It’s not just about the stats either, as his analytical data is pointing to real growth too. His speed and arm should also allow him to be an asset in right.
Pick 7.202 – Matt Scott, RHP, Georgia
Slot is $307k and once again I focused on one name. Georgia’s Matt Scott is a big, talented pitcher who has never quite performed to his tools yet in his college career. He has been better at UGA than he was at Stanford, but this is a bet on the Braves player development to maximize his stuff and improve his command. He will cost $207k, a savings of $100k.
Scott’s breakout this year with his command has coincided with him being mostly used as a reliever, as six of his eight appearances are out of the pen – though he has the arm to work multi-innings. His strikeout rate is a career high 13.9 – more than two above his previous high. Command will probably never he his strength, which will likely keep him in the pen, but he has a chance to be a very useful power arm out of the bullpen, and in the seventh round without a ton of money left in the bonus pool, that would be a win.
Pick 8.232 – Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Kentucky
Slot is $245k and I wanted to grab another arm. Kentucky’s Jelkin is one of the better arms available to close out the picks based on pure talent in the first half of the draft. He will cost me $150k, a savings of $95k.
Jelkin is in the middle of his best season, and the well traveled 23-year-old, is one of those guys with both stuff and pitchability. He’s up to 96 MPH, has a four pitch mix, and gets excellent movement on his pitches. Like Scott, the traits are there and for not much money, this is worth a flier.
Pick 9.262 – Gable Mitchell, INF, Iowa
Slot is $212k. The Derrick Mitchell name in the picture is a place holder for Iowa senior sign infielder Gable Miller. Derrick Mitchell is listed at $150k, but I’m giving Gable $10k here, a savings of $202k, and a savings of $140k from the picture.
Mitchell is the kind of player the Braves like – a kid with a high-end ability to make contact who doesn’t strike out often. He doesn’t quite impact the ball hard often enough to go earlier, but this is the type you keep sending out there to prove himself until he can’t. He is hitting .385/.483/.582 with 18 walks to only five strikeouts in 149 plate appearances. Mitchell’s limited power and not impressive exit velocity numbers probably give him a ceiling of a utility guy, but the Braves do like adding players in this mold here.
Pick 10.292 – Darin Horn, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Slot is $198k. The Ty Horn name above is also a place holder for Coastal Carolina senior sign right-hander Darin Horn. Ty is listed as $150k, but I’m giving Darrin $10k here, a savings of $188k, and a savings of $140k from the picture.
Horn is a multi-inning reliever for a strong Coastal program who has been very productive for the last two seasons. He has seen his command improve this year, cutting his walk per nine rate from 6.5 last year to a career high 3.0 this year. Also important to note is the fact his sinker has a 47% whiff rate (min 100 pitches), which completely dominates the category, as the guy in second is only at 30.8%.
Rounds 11-20 budget:
Rounds 11-20 show as having $263k remaining to spend, but with the Mitchell and Horn place holders, there is an additional $280k available. That means there is an extra $543k to spend overslot in the second half of the draft. With the first $150k in those rounds not counting towards the bonus pool, that means the Braves would be able to go up to $693k to sign a player.
Overall thoughts:
I want to say that I never intended for this draft to avoid prep players minus one, but due to the way the budget worked that wasn’t really a possibility. This is a strong draft, though the flexibility was removed at the start by taking Lombard with the first pick. If I had gone Strosnider followed by Spangler instead, I would have had a little extra money to work with – but Lombard is the type of player you don’t want to watch become a superstar in some other team’s uniform. Brown, Jackson, and Grahovac help infuse more talent into the hitting side of the system, and Brown and Grahovac especially could move quicker. Getting a talented arm like Kuhns, plus LaPour means I added to the pitching in the system as well. Then a pair of toolsy lottery tickets in Carrier and Scott could further add to the talent in the system. The final three picks in Jelkin, Mitchell, and Horn are longer shots, but each of them has something to work with. Finally with this draft the Braves could spent nearly $700k on a prep in the 11th round, or spread that money around to give out four bonuses of around $300k for the final 10 selections.
Apr 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a solo homerun during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The New York Mets (7-9) travel to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Dodgers (11-4) in a three-game series in Chavez Ravine. While there is never a good time to face the best team on the planet two years running, coming off of a sweep by the lowly Athletics, the Mets could really have used an easier draw.
Where do we start?
With the exception of a failed comeback on Saturday afternoon, the Mets’ bats have been taking a spring siesta for the better part of a week. During their current five-game losing streak, the Mets have scored nine runs, but six of those came in Saturday’s attempted comeback. They’ve been shut out twice, scored one run once, and scored two runs once in the other four games in that period.
It is easy to blame some of this offensive drought on Juan Soto’s stint on the injured list, but that is far too easy of a scapegoat. The entire team isn’t hitting with any consistency, including players who we all know are too good for this to be a long term issue, such as Bo Bichette and the notoriously slow-starting Francisco Lindor.
But for a team that lost a playoff spot by one game last season, that is cold comfort at best. And while there are some solutions that may be temporary balms (hello Thomas James Pham!), there was a narrative in the offseason that once Eric Chavez and his “hammer the ball into the ground as hard as you can as often as you can” philosophy was jettisoned, things would improve.
And they will. We know this. But for the short term, watching Marcus Semien take an even further dive into offensive irrelevance, Jorge Polanco unable to do much of anything, and Carson Benge look consistently overmatched at the plate, it is hard to feel good about the players that required an optimistic lens in the first place. Benge will adjust, Polanco will heal, Semien will…I don’t know, man. But right now, none of them are helping the team with their bats.
The good news, if there is any, is that the pitching staff hasn’t been as dreadful as the stat line looks. Luke Weaver has eaten shit twice in the last week and he’s more or less responsible for two of those losses. That’s not great, but I would rather one reliever be struggling than an entire bullpen of ineptitude. The Mets moved on from both Richard Lovelady and Luis García over the weekend, and while we shouldn’t be printing up Joey Gerber or Craig Kimbrel shirseys just yet, at least the Mets aren’t resting on their broken down laurels and are trying something new.
As for the starting pitching, it continues to be a mixed bag. Nolan McLean has been as advertised and Freddy Peralta is doing lots of Freddy Peralta stuff. Kodai Senga had two fantastic starts and then a terrible one, and David Peterson did the same in reverse. Clay Holmes left Friday’s game with hamstring tightness, but apparently is on track to start on Thursday, despite his spot still being listed as TBD.
Look, it’s early in the season, and we all know how this goes. But this offseason was a tough sell for a few reasons, but some of the major talking points included run prevention, versatility, a deeper lineup, and an improved relief corps. The versatility has been more or less accurate, but everything else has been flat-out wrong. If the Mets turn things around and waltz into a playoff spot, we will all laugh about our April panic, but that doesn’t make being in the middle of the panic any less frustrating.
Again, if they were traveling (without an off day to the opposite side of the country) to play almost any other team, things would feel better. But the Dodgers are the owners of the best record in baseball, the best player of the 21st century, and more money than some mid-sized nations. They snatched up the Mets’ All-Star closer, they outbid the Mets for their outfield target, and generally are the best run franchise in baseball.
While they lost to old friends Jacob deGrom on Sunday and Tyler Rogers on Wednesday, the team looks strong, even with Kyle Tucker hitting below league average thus far. Andy Pages isn’t going to have a 1.181 OPS the entire season, but there is enough thump in the Los Angeles lineup that they don’t need him to. This is what a deep lineup actually looks like.
Monday, April 13: David Peterson vs. Justin Wrobleski, 10:10 PM EDT on SNY
After a good first start, Peterson has been downright awful in his next two appearances. Ten earned runs over nine and two-third innings is never pretty, but if FIP is to be believed, Peterson isn’t having as bad of an April as his ERA would have us believe. Until the Mets’ bats heat up, the club could really use Peterson’s FIP instead of his ERA.
In his first start against the Guardians, Wrobleski gave up three runs in four innings. It wasn’t exactly a terrible start, but it is one that he would build on when he faced the Blue Jays in a rout a week later. While he’sbeen fine thus far, he’s not necessarily a pitcher of the caliber of the next two starters in this series. The Mets need to win this game in order to have any real shot at taking the series, if there’s any hope of that at all.
Tuesday, April 14: Nolan McLean vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10:10 PM EDT on SNY
The Mets have a wonderful history of producing top-level starting pitching over their history, and McLean appears to be the latest in that line. Over his first 11 MLB starts, McLean has exactly one (1) start of more than three earned runs. He’s been the recipient of some lackluster offense behind him, and while that doesn’t appear to be changing too much against the Dodgers and one of the best pitchers in baseball, the long term outlook for McLean looks very, very bright.
In what still feels like a ‘the one who got away’ situation, Yamamoto spurned the Mets in favor of the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. Since then, he had a good ‘24 and a great ‘25, and 2026 is looking to be more of the same. In his last start against the Blue Jays, Yamamoto struck out six, walked one, and allowed just one run. This pitching matchup looks to be one of the best of the early season.
Wednesday, April 13: TBD vs. Shohei Ohtani, 10:10 PM EDT on ESPN
I must admit, I don’t keep as informed about other teams’ individual performance as I probably should. And so while it was somewhat of a shock to see Ohtani’s 0.00 ERA, it’s not really surprising. Just when we start to get used to who Ohtani is as an absolute once in a generation superstar, he does something else seemingly unbelievable. And so while this sparkling ERA won’t last, don’t be surprised if Ohtani continues to make the best baseball players on the planet look like little leaguers.
Apr 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (23) taps his helmet to initiate an ABS challenge during the ninth inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images
This season couldn’t have started much better for the Braves, at least to date. They are the only team that hasn’t yet lost a series (they did split one, though), they have baseball’s second-best record (behind the Dodgers, tied with the Padres), they’re top ten in both position player and pitching fWAR, and they’re top five in a bunch of other things like batting inputs and defensive value. Even though it’s early and a small sample could be responsible for pretty much anything, the only guy they’ll ultimately rely on that are struggling are Mike Yastrzemski. It’s baseball, and things can change on a dime at any time. But, right now, anyway, the Braves look pretty good. This recent series with the Guardians reminded me a lot of 2022-2023: broadly and wildly successful, but on the basis of smashing the ball rather than any kind of holistic, fundamental baseball excellence. In other words, booting balls and getting thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double doesn’t matter if you’re pummeling the opposing team at the plate.
I’ll be quick, but essentially, a few things jump out at me:
Yes, the Braves have been really bad so far.
However, the Braves have not been really bad at actually swinging strikeouts or walks as a result of challenges.
On top of that, where leverage is meaningful, the Braves are okay if not actually good at challenges, at least on a rate basis. They just don’t get these opportunities a lot… because they waste their challenges early on, where it doesn’t matter.
So, I’m not going to write out a long heuristic here (that’s your job), but I do think that whatever heuristic they implement, should they choose to do so, it should definitely include:
A) Only challenges that are relevant to a walk or strikeout, not other stuff futzing with the count; and
B) Only challenges in some semblance of leverage, i.e., tying or go-ahead run at the plate or on deck, and if a low-scoring game early, then not at all until the fourth inning or whatever.
There are of course more complicated and probably better heuristics, but these are also things the players need to remember in real-time. I’d love to say, “Only challenge in the first three innings if you’re 90 percent confident you’ll win” but the players are probably 90 percent confident every time they challenge, so that’s not helpful to anyone.
Apr 11, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) reacts after allowing a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The team has seen Taijuan Walker struggle in first innings this season and is trying to find a solution to the issue. It could be simulating that first inning in the bullpen, it could be having him throw longer bullpens to begin the day. One solution seems to be the best one if they are indeed going to be trying something different.
Should the Phillies consider using an opener for Walker’s starts so long as he’s in the rotation? We know that the return of Zack Wheeler feels imminent, meaning Walker’s time in the rotation is probably short as it is. However, injuries happen and the team will want to keep him close by in case they need someone to jump into a rotation spot quickly. But they cannot continue to just let those starts get away so early, relying on an offense that thus far has been inconsistent at best. Maybe this more modern approach to beginning games is something the team should be considering.
Columbus Clippers Travis Bazzana (12) throws the ball to first base during home opener at Huntington Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It was a rough game for Akron both offensively and with pitching.
Alfonso Rosario was a bright spot, going 2-for-3 with a home run. Joe Lampe had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base and Ralphy Velazquez reached base safely twice, going 1-for=3 with a walk, something Jose Devers also did.
Starting pitcher Dylan DeLucia again had a horrific outing, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeouts without getting out of the first inning.
Zane Morehouse was the only pitcher who didn’t give up a run or allow an inherited runner to score.
Top Guardians 2025 MLB Draft Pick Jace LaViolette finally had his first big moment as a pro, blasting off for a three-run home run in the first inning, the first of hopefully many in his young career.
LaViolette still is a work in progress, as the bomb was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 with a walk and two more strikeouts. He’s batting .160 to begin his pro career with a grotesque 53.6% strikeout rate. He is going to have to get that under control before he makes any other progress.
Eight different Lake County players had hits in this game. Bennett Thompson also homered and walked as his extremely strong start to the 2026 season continues. Jaison Chourio went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
Starting pitcher Franklin Gomez had another strong outing, allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings while striking out four and walking one. Michael Kennedy followed with 4.0 innings of piggyback relief, allowing three runs on three hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Two of his three hits allowed were home runs.
Izaak Martinez finished off the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.
The story of this game was the tremendous bounceback performance from Chase Mobley. After failing to get more than one out in his 2026 debut, he pitched 2.1 scoreless, hitless innings, striking out three and walking three on 49 pitches. Hopefully this is a sign of brighter things to come from him.
Miguel Flores followed with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief and Luke Fernandez closed out the win with 2.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts to earn the save.
Offensively, Anthony Martinez hit his first home run of the season, going 1-for-3 with a walk. Luis De La Cruz stayed hot, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases while Dauri Fernandez singled and walked, although he got caught stealing twice. Yelferth Castillo also went 2-for-3 with a walk.
Juneiker Caceres and Robert Arias both reached base twice with a pair of walks apiece.
Apr 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter (32) makes a catch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Good morning.
Shawn McFarland writes that Skip Schumaker was satisfied to see the Texas Rangers reach base early and often in their win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Jacob Gurvis writes that Jacob deGrom continued his career-long mastery of the Dodgers while earning his first win of the season in Sunday’s finale.
McFarland writes that in a tussle between living legends, Shohei Ohtani won a battle with a leadoff home run but deGrom won the war with a superlative outing in the victory.
Gurvis notes that deGrom and the rest of the Texas arms got an assist from catcher Danny Jansen with four successful ABS challenges in five challenges overall on Sunday.
McFarland writes that the struggles for reliever Chris Martin has thrown a wrench into the bullpen plans during the season’s first few weeks.
Mar 30, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Rico Garcia (50) celebrates during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The Orioles entered the year with plenty of public pessimism around their bullpen. Their newly-signed closer was coming off of the worst stretch in his career, they were already dealing with injuries to key members of the group, and much of the unit was unproven at the major league level. While the 2026 season is only two weeks old, and questions remain, there is also a lot to like about the relief corps that Mike Elias has assembled.
Across the board, the O’s bullpen ranks in the top half of the league in most statistics. They are 11th in fWAR (0.5), 11th in ERA (3.45), seventh in xERA (3.55), sixth in K/9 (10.05), and 14th in BB/9 (4.08). These aren’t elite numbers, but they represent perfectly fine performance. That wasn’t a guarantee given the construction of the unit.
Ryan Helsley has done well in the closer’s role, though there is room for improvement. He is 4-for-4 on save opportunities and has an ERA of 3.38. That famous fastball of his has looked good, averaging 98.5 mph, while the splitter he was working on throughout the spring hasn’t shown up too much yet. He does need to cut down on walks (6.75 BB/9), and his hard-hit rate is real bad (68.8%), but he has managed to survive those numbers so far. We should expect them to normalize at some point. He (hopefully) won’t have a .438 BABIP all season.
If the O’s do need to take the pressure off of Helsley at any point, it seems like they have three or four alternative ninth-inning candidates ready to go.
Rico Garcia snagged his first major league save during the White Sox series last week. The diminutive righty is yet to allow an earned run across 6.2 innings while striking out 10.80 per nine. His numbers aren’t fluky either. Take a gander at his Baseball Savant page. He is getting a ridiculous number of whiffs while also avoiding hard contact at an elite rate. At this moment, you could make an argument that he is the best reliever on the team.
Someone else in that conversation is Grant Wolfram. The lefty leads the bullpen in fWAR (0.3), K/9 (15.00), BB/9 (0.00), and FIP (0.81). All of this while having a bit of bad luck on balls in play (.462 BABIP). You can more easily poke holes in Wolfram’s performance. He isn’t getting as much weak contact or inducing whiffs as often as Garcia, but it has still been quite impressive.
Yennier Cano seems to be back at his all-star level from a couple of seasons ago. His slider has been largely sidelined in favor of a split-finger fastball, particularly against left-handed hitters, and it is working. He is yet to issue a walk and is striking out 10.38 per nine. Opposing hitters are almost exclusively pounding the ball into the ground against Cano. His 72.7% ground ball rate is among the league leaders early on. That is a recipe for success for the 32-year-old.
And let us not forget about Anthony Nunez. It looks like the Orioles have struck gold here, folks. The 24-year-old may have been the 26th man on the roster coming into Opening Day, only making the team due to a late spring injury to Keegan Akin. Well, he’s not going anywhere for a while. He is in the top 10 percent (or better) of pitchers in xERA (1.23), xBA (.137), average exit velocity (80.1 mph), and whiff rate (37.3%). His four-pitch mix is a real weapon out of the Orioles bullpen this year, but he feels like a rotation candidate at some point in his career.
Now, bullpens are volatile. These immaculate ERAs will not remain. Tough stretches are going to come. Each of these guys will have ups and downs throughout the season. But if they can get through the trials and tribulations, that would mean the Orioles have five stellar relievers that they can count on in close games. Not many teams can say that, and it would bode well for the team’s postseason ambitions.
This is before we even consider the sort of improvement that could come from other parts of the bullpen.
The Orioles IL is full of relievers. Akin, Andrew Kittredge, Dietrich Enns, and Yaramil Hiraldo will all be healthy again at some point. The expected impact of each varies, but they are all at least big league quality. Kittredge, in particular, is someone the team will be excited to get back. He has nearly a decade of experience, including a solid 31-game stint with the O’s a year ago and three trips to the postseason. That sort of guidance could be a crucial for this group.
On top of that, the club clearly believes in Tyler Wells’ ability to be a high-leverage reliever. They entered the year with him in a set-up role, but after giving up three runs across his first 2.1 innings of work, they backed off. More recently, manager Craig Albernaz has turned to him as a multi-inning option in the middle frames. So far, so good. Wells has given up just one run over his last seven innings. That has lowered his season ERA from 10.13 at the end of March to just 3.72 now.
Between Wells and Albert Suárez, the Orioles are also in the enviable position of having multiple pitchers in their bullpen that can reliably go beyond one inning of work. Both of them have starter backgrounds and were stretched out as such during the spring. That potentially allows them to step in as spot starters on occasion, or simply absorb innings if one of the normal starters has a shorter outing. Those sorts of efforts help to keep a bullpen fresh throughout a 162-game season.
There are nits to pick with the Orioles bullpen. And they are an area of team that will likely get an upgrade if the team is in the postseason conversation come July. But through two weeks, they are exceeding expectations and have the potential to be an unforeseen weapon for this squad.
It would be difficult to assert that any road trip has gone worse for the Astros. It started with taking one of six games from two of the worst teams in baseball. It ended with a four game set against the division rival Mariners. It is not officially over even as you are reading this, but the damage has been done. The team has stumbled down the standings, three players have moved to the injured list, and one more was sent to Houston for tests on his arm and shoulder.
Three of those four injuries were pitching injuries. In that universe, the study belong takes on an entirely new context. All that being said, Joe Espada took on a ton of criticism last season with his willingness to send his relievers out there for multiple innings. In particular, some wondered if pitching Josh Hader in multiple innings multiple times played a direct impact in ending his season early. It may have been no coincidence that his very last outing was a two inning relief appearance.
If we were giving this a proper study then we would want to study all 30 teams or at least American League teams to determine how often this is happening. That kind of study might come later if this trend continues, but we are comparing the 2025 Astros with the 2026 Astros. In particular, we are looking at the number of multiple inning relief appearances and the numbers of those outings that wound up being scoreless outings. In other words, was it an effective strategy for Espada last season and has it been an effective strategy this season? For our purposes, we are looking at the top seven pitchers in games pitched from last season.
2025 Bullpen Usage
Games
Multiple
PCT
Scoreless
PCT
Josh Hader
48
7
14.6
3
42.9
Bryan Abreu
70
10
14.3
9
90.0
Bryan King
68
11
16.2
10
90.9
Steven Okert
68
18
26.5
16
88.9
Bennett Sousa
44
15
34.1
13
86.7
Kaleb Ort
49
6
12.2
4
66.7
Enyel de los Santos
65
15
23.1
12
80.0
Total
412
82
19.9
67
81.7
Obviously, any strategy has to be evaluated on two prongs. How effective is the strategy and does the strategy have any long-term lingering negative effects? The first question is an easier question to answer. If a team made it through more than 80 percent of their relief appearances (overall) with a no runs given up then that bullpen has probably done fairly well. People often have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the bullpen. If a pitcher pitches three games in a week and surrenders a run once then he has a 3.00 ERA if all of those are one inning outings. I think most people would take that from all of their relief pitchers and walk away happy.
So, if we are looking at relief pitching in that prism, then we would say that two out of every three outings should be a scoreless outing. That is in effect the break even point. So, as a team they were breaking even more than that on multiple inning outings. Of course, that can be defined as little as 1.1 innings pitched all the way through three or four innings.
This is why many Espada critics focus in on his handling of Hader. Beyond any physical problem, it wasn’t an effective strategy. For someone that was one of the most effective relievers through his injury, he was decidedly ineffective when asked to take the ball for a second inning. When we look at bullpen performance again (when we have more outings to level things out) we will primarily look at the number of scoreless outings a reliever has in comparison to the number out outings. Now, let’s take a look at the 2026 numbers.
2026 Bullpen Usage
Games
Multiple
PCT
Scoreless
PCT
Bryan Abreu
5
0
0.0
0
—-
Steven Okert
6
2
33.3
2
100.0
Bryan King
5
1
20.0
1
100.0
Kai-Wei Teng
5
3
60.0
3
100.0
A.J. Blubaugh
5
3
60.0
1
33.3
Ryan Weiss
5
4
80.0
2
50.0
Cody Bolton
1
1
100.0
0
0.0
Christian Roa
5
1
20.0
0
0.0
Enyel de los Santos
3
1
33.3
0
0.0
Roddery Munoz
3
2
66.7
0
0.0
J.P. France
1
1
100.0
0
0.0
Total
44
19
43.2
9
47.3
I know what everyone is going to say. “But the lack of good starting pitching has put the Astros in a position to use more multiple inning relievers.” There is no denying that. In back to back games the starters made it through one inning and then one third of an inning. That is brutal and both of those pitchers might have come away with lengthy injuries. There is very little getting around that. The Astros may have the fewest quality starts in the league at this point of the season.
Still, the lab has always been a place where we can take our feelings and throw them into an empirical test. It feels like Espada frequently tries to get one more inning than he should from his relief pitchers. We’ve seen multiple outings where a reliever throws a clean inning or two clean innings, but that next inning is where things go awry. Of course, feelings don’t cash checks around these parts.
What does cash those checks are the actual numbers. Those multiple inning relief outings have been far less successful than they were last season. That is also probably because there have been too many of them and they are going on too long. Some of that can be helped and some of it can’t be. In our commentary on Friday, we talked about the staff stabilizing itself. Simply being able to go out there and throw five or six innings in a start would go a long way to do that.
General managers are made based on what percentage of their decisions that turn out favorably, Managers are made based on how they handle their pitching staff. Yes, decisions of who to sit and when are important. Yet, it is when to pitch certain guys and how long to pitch them that make most of the difference from day to day. The early going has been rough for both guys as both see their contracts run out. The season is long. Hope springs eternal. Throw in your euphemism here. As always, this will be something we track again as the season goes on.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Will Warren #29 of the New York Yankees pitches in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
All is not well in Yankee-land. After taking their first three series on the strength of a stifling rotation, they’ve scuttled, dropping two of three to the Athletics before getting swept by the Rays. They’ll get the chance to rebound this week against an Angels squad that finished worst in the AL West last year but has gotten off to a respectable 8-8 start. Let’s take a look at the likely pitching matchups for this mid-week set in the Bronx.
Monday: Will Warren vs. Yusei Kikuchi(7:05 pm ET)
After an encouraging rookie season last year, Will Warren has gotten off to a strong start. He’s yet to allow more than two runs through three outings, doing a better job of limiting free passes and hard contact. The right-hander has not surpassed 85 pitches in any of his starts, though, limiting him to more of a “five-and-dive” role than a workhorse. Last season, Warren posted a 3.31 ERA outside of his four worst starts, meaning it will be key to see if he’s able to sustain his early success over a longer sample size.
He’s lined up to face Yusei Kikuchi. The veteran was an All-Star in his first season with LA last year, making 33 starts while performing slightly above league-average. He’s gotten off to a rough start this year, allowing 11 runs through 14.2 innings. The southpaw’s metrics suggest he’s been unlucky, though, with an expected ERA of 3.77 which would be an improvement over last year. That’s because he’s inducing weaker contact while issuing fewer walks, a time-honored formula for success. Kikuchi threw 97 pitches his last time out, so expect him to shoulder a full starter’s workload as long as he’s effective.
Tuesday: Ryan Weathers vs. Reid Detmers(7:05 pm ET)
After two brief and uneven outings to begin his Yankees career, Ryan Weathers made a statement his last time out. Against a potent Athletics lineup, the former Marlin allowed just one run in eight innings, pitching around seven hits in a performance that showed the potential the Yankees saw when they acquired him this offseason. The biggest tweak the team made to Weathers’ profile was transforming his sinker, which he threw just 20 times last year, into his top secondary pitch. The results have not followed, as opponents have hit .421 against the pitch.
Weathers will oppose Reid Detmers. A former top prospect, Detmers struggled as a starter before finding success last year as a reliever. In a controversial move, the Angels transitioned him back to the rotation this season and the results have been mixed. A 6.2-inning scoreless outing against the Mariners was followed by a six-run drubbing at the hand of the A’s in which he only got one out in the fifth. Detmers has largely been a two-pitch pitcher so far this year, featuring a four-seamer which has gotten torched and a slider which has held opponents to a .167 batting average.
Wednesday: Luis Gil vs. Jack Kochanowicz(7:05 pm ET)
Luis Gil is the elephant in the Yankees’ room. After he took home Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, the team looked to have a rotation mainstay for years to come. But, after missing most of last year to injury, he wasn’t the same pitcher upon his return, with a fastball down more than a tick leading to plummeting strikeout and whiff rates. After failing to show enough to overtake Warren or Weathers in the spring, he was optioned to Triple-A out of camp, with the plan to utilize a four-man rotation until a fifth starter was needed. That need arose last Friday, and Gil did little to change the narrative around his decline, allowing three runs, three hits, and three walks in four innings while taking the loss against Tampa Bay.
While LA is yet to announce their starter for Wednesday, Jack Kochanowicz would be up next in their rotation. After serving as a black hole in the Angels’ rotation last year, posting a 6.81 ERA, he’s been much improved through three starts this season. The right-hander allowed a single run in 12.2 innings over his last two starts against the Mariners and Reds, both playoff teams from last year. Still, his 5.96 expected ERA indicates this may be a blip, as the 25-year-old is still allowing far more walks and recording far fewer punchouts than league average.
Thursday: Max Fried vs. TBD (1:35 pm ET)
After finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting last year, Max Fried has been every bit as dominant through his first four starts in 2026. He allowed three runs his last time out against Tampa Bay but went eight innings while throwing just 94 pitches. The sinkerballer is yet to allow a home run and, as the only healthy one out of the team’s three aces, has been an anchor in the Yankees’ rotation once again.
After sending down George Klassen, the team’s number-four prospect who allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings through his first two MLB starts, it’s unclear who the Angels will send to the bump for Thursday’s series closer. Sam Aldegheri has big-league experience and is already on the 40-man, but his 10.80 ERA through three starts at Triple-A does not inspire confidence. LA may end up going with an opener approach this time through as they consider their long-term options.
Apr 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) beats New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos (27) to the bag in the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
This place is a message… and part of a system of messages… pay attention to it! Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture. This place is not a place of honor… no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here… nothing valued is here. What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger. Mets lost to the A’s, 1-0.
Jose Alvarado gave up a pair of runs to the Diamondbacks in the eighth inning and took the short side of the decision in the Phillies 4-3 loss to Arizona.
Major League Baseball Monday has 10 games on tap, and plenty of options to set your betting card.
That includes Ronald Acuna Jr., who is heating up after a slow start to the year, and that should continue as the Atlanta Braves host the Miami Marlins.
Read below for my favorite MLB player props for Monday, April 13.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Ronald Acuna Jr.
2+ total bases
+100
Shea Langeliers
2+ total bases
+100
Kyle Schwarber
1+ home runs
+210
Ronald Acuna Jr. 2+ total bases (+100)
Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has picked up hits in four straight games, and he’s showing serious pop.
Acuna has gone 6-for-18 (.333) in the last four, picking up his first homer of the season, along with a pair of doubles and a triple.
He’ll be facing Miami Marlins righty Eury Perez, who has an inflated 5.06 ERA out of the gate. Acuna has only faced him three times, but he’s gotten his money’s worth, reaching base all three times, with a home run, a double, and two runs batted in.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marlins.TV, BravesVsn
Shea Langeliers 2+ total bases (+100)
Shea Langeliers is swinging a hot bat for the Athletics, with hits in four of his last five games, including three multi-hit games.
He hasn’t homered in seven games, but he’s hitting the ball well (sitting in the Top 20% in expected slugging, average exit velocity, and barrel rate), with a couple of doubles during this hot stretch.
Langeliers will step in against Nahan Eovaldi, who has struggled to start the year for the Texas Rangers, sporting a robust 7.98 ERA. He’s allowed a long ball in each of his three starts.
It’s a nice matchup for him on Monday when the Chicago Cubs come to town. Chicago right-hander Javier Assad has faced Schwarber five times and has yet to retire him, surrendering two hits and three walks.
Against righties, Schwarber is tied for seventh in the majors with a .688 slugging percentage and sixth with a 1.130 OPS, and he leads the majors in barrel rate while ranking among the elite in nearly every batted-ball metric. It’s a good spot for him to launch off Assad for the first time in his career.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FS1
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Jonathan India (6) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Kolby Allard (49) during the eighth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images
The Guardians dropped their first series of 2026 in impressive fashion, losing by 12 runs.
I guess we will see if Tanner Bibee can figure things out. All the regression his metrics pointed to this season hit last night. I also wonder if Kolby Allard will be replaced by Hunter Gaddis today. Not ideal to be on Sunday Night Baseball and fall flat, but today is another day as the Guardians head to St. Louis.
AROUND MLB:
The Twins and Tigers won, and the White Sox beat the Royals
Autographed portrait of Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1930), American country bluesman, singer and guitarist. The dedication treads 'Cordially yours, Blind Lemon Jefferson'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jesus Lafalaise started for Frisco, throwing four shutout innings, walking three and striking out three.
Marcos Torres was 3 for 5 with a pair of triples and a homer. Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. Dewar Torres was 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base. Daniel Flames was 2 for 4 with a double.
Hub City starter D.J. McCarty walked three and struck out two while allowing two runs in 3.1 IP. Joey Danielson struck out one in a scoreless inning.
Paxton Kling was 1 for 3 with a double and two walks. Yeison Morrobel was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Rafe Perich was 2 for 4 with a triple. Gleider Figuereo had a hit.
David Davalillo started for Frisco and went five innings, striking out seven, giving up a homer, and allowing three runs. Bryan Magdaleno walked one in 1.1 scoreless innings.
Austin Gomber allowed eight runs and recorded four outs in his start for Round Rock. Pat Murphy struck out two and walked one in 2.2 IP, allowing one run. Emiliano Teodo walked one, struck out one and allowed a run in two innings. Marc Church went 1.2 IP, striking out two and allowing a pair of homers.
Justin Foscue was 2 for 5 with a walk. Michael Helman was 2 for 3 with two walks, a double and a homer. Aaron Zavala had a pair of hits.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Shea Langeliers
Kyle Schwarber
