On The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo break down this week in New York baseball, including the injury to Juan Soto and the offensive outburst from Bo Bichette and Mark Vientos.
The guys then take a look at the bullpen's success so far and put a spotlight on Clay Holmes' start to the season before going Down on the Farm to determine if it is too early to talk about Elian Peña.
Later, Connor and Joe update their scoreboard predictions and open the Mailbag to answer questions about Carson Benge and Nate Lavender.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 05: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks smiles on the court during warm ups before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on April 05, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It had to feel like it was all slipping away. Cooper Flagg missed games with a foot injury, and while he was sidelined, his former Duke roommate was busy doing the one thing more impactful than posting impressive stat lines — Kon Knueppel was reshaping the narrative. More games played, cleaner shooting metrics, a winning context in Charlotte. On the surface, the case was building. The straw poll of NBA media members had Knueppel firmly in the lead.
Then Flagg dropped 51 on a Friday and 45 on a Sunday, and the conversation was over.
Jason Timpf breaks down exactly why Flagg should be — and now almost certainly will be — the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. The analytical case is airtight: of Flagg’s 96 points across those two games, 52 came directly out of pick-and-roll creation or isolation. Knueppel is at his best as a chaos agent alongside LaMelo Ball — and Timpf’s numbers make that dependency impossible to ignore. In the 2,172 possessions Knueppel has played without LaMelo on the floor, Charlotte posts a zero net rating and scores 112.8 points per 100. Flagg is the offensive engine, on the third-worst spot-up efficiency team in the league, drawing the best defender every single night. These are not comparable situations.
Commissioner Dynamo made me laugh, more than once. Worth your time.
Which brings us to the Rorschach test hiding inside Flagg’s season stats. Look at his October numbers — 13.4 points per game on 41% shooting, including a 2-point disaster against Oklahoma City. Jason Kidd, operating in a context where Anthony Davis was still on the roster and Kyrie Irving’s return felt possible, ran an experiment: Flagg at point guard. If you are a Kidd supporter, that experiment unlocked something in Flagg — accelerated his development, expanded his creation toolkit, made him the player currently dismantling NBA defenses in April. If you are not a Kidd supporter, those early games represent ROY votes that now risk favoring the Hornet sharpshooter. Kidd himself has suggested the experiment was formative. It is, conveniently, impossible to disprove.
What we can say with certainty is this: however those first weeks shaped him, what’s on the other end of it is a 19-year-old who just dropped 51 and 45 in back-to-back games while the basketball internet scrambles to keep up. The Mavericks have a future because of Flagg, potentially a bright one. At the very least, his incredible season beckons the scariest thought experiment this side of “what if Harrison was still in control?” and that is…where would the Mavs be without getting so lottery lucky?
Following the announcement that Main Street Sports Group LLC would cease operation, which owns the FanDuel Sports Network, the Nashville Predators have announced a new broadcast partner for the 2026-27 season.
The Predators have signed a multi-year broadcast deal with Scripps Sports to broadcast games free, over-the-air to viewers in the Middle Tennessee region. This includes preseason, regular season and first-round playoff games.
Scripps also owns WTVF NewsChannel 5, but plans to broadcast Predators games on its second station, WNPX or The Spot – Nashville 28.
We’ve partnered with @ScrippsSports to become the TV and streaming home of #Preds hockey, beginning next season.
Fans across our broadcast region will be able to watch games for free on a new local station, “The Spot – Nashville 28.”
Alongside local access, games will also be available via the team’s soon-to-be-released live-streaming app and the Tablo over-the-air DVR and streaming platform.
The new broadcast deal also includes "a direct-to-consumer experience where fans can livestream games throughout the local broadcast territory."
“Scripps Sports could not be more pleased to become the broadcast partner for the Nashville Predators. Nashville is a hockey town, and this partnership makes Predators games available to the widest possible local audience,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports, in a press release.
“The combination of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that all Preds fans can follow the action wherever they choose to watch, on whatever device they choose.”
The Predators are the fifth NHL franchise to partner with Scripps Sports, joining the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth.
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) — The United States Hockey League on Tuesday unveiled a standard player development agreement that introduces benefits, including support for travel and secondary education and reimbursements for training and career-ending injuries.
The agreement enhances academic support, strength and performance resources, host family housing, mental wellness services and coaching already in place, and the U.S.-based Tier I junior league says it ensures players receive consistent development across all 16 teams.
“The standard player development agreement reinforces that structure by creating clarity and consistency for players and families while supporting the environment that continues to produce more NCAA Division I players and NHL draft selections than any single league in the world," USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan said. "This is about strengthening a pathway that already works.”
The USHL has partnerships with USA Hockey and the NHL. It says the agreement reaffirms the league's longstanding player-first approach to help athletes pursue participating in Division I college hockey and beyond.
That approach requires a 2-1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends. U.S. Olympic gold medal-winners Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor and Jeremy Swayman are among the USHL products who reached the NHL.
Boston, MA - April 6: Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony fields the ball in the eighth inning. The Red Sox played the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Among all the disasters baked into the Red Sox’ cake of calamity that’s defined the early part of this season, there’s one reoccurring theme that has me shook. Granted, this level of concern should probably be reserved for things like the “give a damn about baseball” vs. “give a damn about what the private equity folks have to say” balance that runs from the top down in this organization. Or perhaps it should targeted towards the struggles of the starting rotation, which is supposed to be the strength of the team. Or maybe even the constant low IQ baseball plays we see from a seemingly new character on a daily basis.
But you know what horrifying development just won’t leave my mind after these first ten games? Roman Anthony’s anemic arm. Everything about this situation feels disquieting, and the somber reality is it has the potential to cut deep into both the present and future of the Red Sox if the issue isn’t fixable.
Simply put, Roman Anthony is the embodiment of where the Red Sox are going as a franchise. Fans already adore him, ownership hitched their wagon to the tantalizing upside and gave him an eight year extension, and he’s rapidly becoming a household name on a national level. Just last night, the Sox were giving out Roman Anthony bobbleheads, and they were gone almost two hours before first pitch.
The Red Sox game starts at 6:45PM and they ran out of Roman Anthony bobbleheads at 5PM.
So given who he is and what he already means to this organization, we need to take a closer look at what’s going on with Roman Anthony’s arm. To keep it bearable (because this is hard stuff to watch), we’ll look at one throw from each of the first four series of the year, starting with this one against the Reds when Cincinnati walked off game 2 of the season:
On one hand, this was a horrible throw. But at the same time, it didn’t raise any alarm bells. It would have taken an absolute cannon to get the speedy TJ Freidl, and Anthony probably had to rush it given the do-or-die nature of the situation. It was one bad throw in one bad game that wasn’t going to define the player or the season. Move on, right?
So this throw wasn’t nearly as bad as the weak, wobbly worm ball from the weekend, but something about it really bothered me. In the context of the game, it represented a missed opportunity to throw a guy out at the plate, and given the fact the Red Sox were on their way to losing their fourth straight, they really could have used a highlight reel play from their young superstar to change momentum. It would have been yet another version of “Wow! Roman Anthony saved Boston’s bacon again. This guy’s awesome!”
But in the grand scheme of things, it’s more than that. This throw still wasn’t even close, and it got me thinking “Roman Anthony just made two of the worst throws I’ve ever seen him make in the last four games. Something’s wrong here.” So since it’s Freak-Out season, I went to the most rationale place on Earth to share my thoughts: Twitter!
Roman Anthony's arm was way, way better last year compared to what we've seen on these first few plays of 2026. None of the possible reasons for this are good.
At first I thought the reason might be an injury. I spent A LOT of time watching Roman Anthony’s journey through the minors, and I can’t ever remember him making a pair of such poor defensive plays so close together. He never struck me as a gold glover, but he was always more than adequate regardless of where you put him in the outfield. Good Ol reliable Roman!
Hell, even now he has a +8 career Defensive Runs Saved number in just 58 big league games in the outfield. That’s great stuff!
Knowing that, something is clearly wrong here. And the Red Sox took notice, too, because in each of the next four games, Anthony didn’t start in the outfield. In the series finale against the Astros, he started the day on the bench, and despite a pinch hit homer in the late innings, he never took the field. Then against the Padres, he started all three days at DH, which is extremely noteworthy because, since being called up last June, this is the first time the Sox had ever done that with Anthony. In fact, they only even started him at DH in back to back games twice last season.
But of course, starting at DH doesn’t mean finishing at DH, and Anthony ended up in left field for one crucial frame during ninth inning after Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Jarren Duran in the 8th. Right away, the baseball gods found his arm and inflicted more punishment:
If Anthony’s arm issues are a mental and mechanical thing, this could not have gone any worse! The Sox tried to work him out of the role for a few days to steady the ship behind the scenes, and instead he gets shuffled right back into the deck for one critical inning and immediately gets a throwing error attached to his name. Yikes!
To take this one step further, it doesn’t appear to be an injury thing. As Red Sox Stats pointed out on Monday, Anthony’s strongest throw of the season is right up there with Wilyer Abreu’s.
2026 max throw speed from the outfielders
91 mph – Wilyer Abreu 91 mph – Roman Anthony 87 mph – Ceddanne Rafaela 83 mph – Masataka Yoshida 81 mph – Jarren Duran
Instead, this appears to be a bug that’s crawled right inside Anthony’s head, and now, he can’t shake it. Even worse, other teams have noticed and are picking on him like a wounded animal, ready to drown the distressed star his own nightmare. All of this culminated in last night’s game against the Brewers when Anthony unleashed whatever this hideous thing was during a tied game in the eighth inning:
This is what a complete meltdown looks like. Anthony started fielding this ball when the runner was three steps from third, and the Brewers said we don’t think you can make that throw with whatever it is you’ve got going on right now — and boy were they right! This challenge rattled Roman Anthony to his core in a way I just can’t remember him ever getting rattled since he put on a Red Sox uniform. He just completely locked up and couldn’t make a remotely competitive thrown. His footwork fell apart, his body was pointed the wrong direction, and I’m sure his head was filled with demons.
If you’re able to take your eyes off the wayward ball on that reply in the second shot above, you can vaguely see Anthony put his hand in front of his mouth as the ball heads to the backstop as if to say “Huh? I can’t believe I just did that.”
So now the question is where do we go from here, and unfortunately, there’s no easy answers. If it’s the yips, and that’s clearly what this looks like given the wide variety of velocity on all of his throws, we just have to hope Roman can fight through it and beat this thing. If he can’t, it severely damages what he can become as a player, instantly sabotaging the above average jumps he gets and routes he takes on fly balls. You go from Anthony’s ceiling being an above average outfield defender as a top notch bat to a really, really good DH, and I don’t even want to think about all the ramifications that could have right now.
In fact, I’m still just trying to digest how sad he looked in the dugout after the game last night:
But man, sometimes these gremlins get guys. Remember how Jon Lester completely lost the ability to throw accurately to first base despite displaying pinpoint control when firing the ball 60 feet, six inches? He was at least able to battle through that by getting enough guys out at the plate, but for an outfielder, there’s really no way to deal with this thing besides facing it head on and beating it.
Worse yet, it’s something that’s incredibly difficult to prepare for. You can’t build up a routine leading into a high pressure moment like you would for a plate appearance when you’re 0-20 or something. You just need to be ready to fix it all of the time despite potentially going days without getting a chance to show off how you worked on the skill. When the monster is mental, it’s not easy!
And if this thing does get our golden boy, I’m going to be furious at this organization, even though there’s no way to definitely prove how the yips start. The Red Sox have anointed Roman Anthony the savior and put everything on him! They put him at the top of the lineup, they locked him up long-term on a team friendly deal, they gave him no real right handed protection to bat behind him, they’ve marketed him as “The guy!” and they just keep stacking more and more stuff on his plate like he’s this universal get out of jail free card for the way they’ve behaved as a franchise for the last handful of years.
So I can’t help but wonder, what if these throws are how all of the pressure is manifesting itself? What if Roman Anthony in working his tail off to balance his role as leadoff hitter at the plate and new leader in the clubhouse as a 21-year-old managed to hold it all together for that, but then cracked in this manner because they want him to be Mr. Everything? Could this just be the ridiculous load they’ve put on him finally being too much to bear?
Ideally, this Roman will find a way to fight off the soul sucking barbarian coming for his defensive career. He’ll even learn from the experience — like he does everything else, come back stronger, and put it so far in the past we’ll just laugh when we look back in the future. But at this point, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t concerned. The Red Sox need Roman Anthony to be the best version of himself, and for the first time, there’s a legitimate and obvious obstacle in his way he’s struggling to negotiate.
So how concerned should we be about Roman Anthony’s throws? I honestly don’t know, and that’s kind of the scariest thing of all.
JERSEY CITY, NJ - MARCH 30: The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on March 30, 2026, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Luis Robert – CF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Brett Baty – RF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Mark Vientos – 1B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Alek Thomas – CF
Carson Benge – LF
Jorge Barrosa – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
Zac Gallen – RHP
Freddy Peralta – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Selected from Triple-A Reno: INF Luken Baker (No. 21)
Placed on 10-day injured list: INF Carlos Santana (strained right adductor; retro to April 6)
Transferred to the 60-day injured list: INF/OF Jordan Lawlar (fractured right wrist)
As expected, Santana goes onto the IL, with Lawlar going to the 60-day IL due to his broken wrist. That now gives Arizona seven players on that. Baker was signed as a minor-league free-agent in January. He was originally a Cardinals draft pick, and appeared 73 times for them over the past three seasons. Baker was picked off waivers by the Dodgers in August, but didn’t play in Los Angeles and was released in November. With Tyler Locklear, Pavin Smith and Santana now all on the injured list, Baker gets his chance. He hasn’t impressed in the bigs to date, with a line of .206/.317/.338 for a .655 OPS (83 OPS+). The right-handed hitter turned 29 last month. Needs must.
According to the weather forecast, the temperature at first pitch this afternoon in New York is going to be 48F, although it will feel like 40F. Quite glad for the team that they moved this one up, because at 7 pm, the “feels like” temperature would be a disturbing 30F – and you can take a few degrees off that over the course of the evening. Definitely a shock to the system to fly from Phoenix, where the high on Sunday was a balmy 96F. I hope none of the Diamondbacks shatter when they get off the plane. Maybe they’ll end up setting fire to the dugout at Citi Field to keep warm.
Caleb Durbin (3B Red Sox): Rostered in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues
Durbin was a surprising trade target for the Red Sox after they failed to re-sign Alex Bregman and struck out on acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Astros. Coming off a surprisingly successful rookie season in Milwaukee, he figured to be a keeper for the thrifty Brewers. Probably the fact that they made him available in the first place should have been a red flag. Just two weeks in, getting Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton for him already looks like a bit of a heist.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Admittedly, this isn’t reading as much of a recommendation so far. But while Durbin’s future as a major league regular should be in some doubt, the Red Sox are going to give him an extended opportunity here. Durbin’s big issue this year is that he’s been hitting too many grounders, something that hasn’t been a problem previously. Once he solves that, he and the Green Monster should become fast friends. Durbin can’t hit 400-foot flies with any regularity, but 340-360 foot shots to left should be pretty common. He was in the 68th percentile in pulled fly ball rate last year, and as rarely as he strikes out, getting back to that make for a bunch of doubles.
The Red Sox offense has been dreadful so far, but this still projects to be an above average group. While Durbin was dropped from sixth to seventh in the lineup on Monday, he might just wind up batting second once he heats up some; the Red Sox need a right-handed hitter there and he's certainly better suited than Trevor Story for the spot. He’ll have a decent enough average in the end and probably swipe 15-20 bases. He’s not someone who should be sitting on the waiver wire in standard leagues.
Garrett Mitchell (OF Brewers): Rostered in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues
The strikeout-prone Mitchell remains a flawed player, and it sounds like he might have been sent down this spring if it had been manager Pat Murphy’s choice (though he might have gotten his spot back anyway with Jackson Chourio hurt).
Pat Murphy with an honest take on Garrett Mitchell: "I was the first one to believe that Garrett wasn't ready. He had really poor results in spring training, but the front office was really adamant that this guy can be our best player and in a lot of ways I was skeptical."
Since the season started, however, Mitchell has been a beast, hitting .333 with a homer and three steals in nine games. He’s currently tied for first in the majors with 13 RBI. Mitchell has struck out 41 percent of the time, but eight of his 15 balls in play have been hard hit, with six of those topping 106 mph off the bat.
In the long run, Mitchell is going to strike out too often to hit for quality average. However, the power is certainly legit, as is his basestealing ability. He’s struggled mightily to stay healthy since first arriving in Milwaukee in 2022, but he has a career 116 OPS+ and is 26-for-32 stealing bases in 150 games. Even though he’ll probably need to be dropped at some point, there’s no way he should be unrostered in 85 percent of leagues right now. Pick him up and enjoy it while it lasts.
Caleb Kilian (RP Giants): Rostered in one percent of Yahoo leagues
Very little was made of Kilian returning to the Giants organization in December, 4 ½ years after he and Alexander Canario were traded to the Cubs for Kris Bryant in a deadline deal. Kilian was a fine rotation prospect at the time, but he never mastered Triple-A and then missed much of the last two seasons before showing some ability in a stint in the Iowa down the stretch. He was averaging 96 mph with his fastball then, up about one mph from his peak as a starter and 2.5 mph from his couple of appearances with the Cubs in 2024. When he arrived this spring, he was up to 97.5 mph, and he’s maintained that velocity in throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season.
With his fastball working so well, Kilian’s cutter has at least temporarily vanished from his arsenal. It was his most used pitch this year, and he was still throwing it regularly this spring. However, he’s taken to featuring his curve as his No. 2 pitch, and it’s easy to see why.
Kilian is probably a big injury risk, given his recent shoulder problems and the velocity spike. He also hasn’t actually pitched with a lead yet in his five appearances, though he got into his biggest situation yet in Monday’s loss and fared well. Still, he has the best stuff in a lousy Giants bullpen. Manager Tony Vitello has already showed he’s not married to Ryan Walker in the closer’s role, and that’s probably for the best, especially with Walker’s velocity down one mph from last year; he’s thus far gotten one whiff on 30 swings. If Kilian doesn't have to be snatched up in mixed leagues just yet, he’s well worth keeping an eye on. If he gets a chance and turns in a couple of scoreless eighth innings and Walker remains shaky, he might quickly become the man for the Giants.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- The White Sox didn't call up prospect Sam Antonacci to replace the injured Austin Hays on Tuesday, but maybe they would have had Hays waited another couple of weeks to strain his hammy. Antonacci is still learning left field after playing exclusively in the infield prior to this year, but he's opened up 9-for-26 with two homers and a 3/8 K/BB in seven games for Triple-A Charlotte. He's also 4-for-4 stealing bases after going 48-for-58 last year. The power probably isn't going to be there in the majors, but if he gets a chance to start regularly for the White Sox, he might steal enough bases to be pretty useful.
- Off to the hotter start in Triple-A, Juan Brito (.314/.405/.457) got the nod over Travis Bazzana (.212/.316/.394) to serve as Gabriel Arias's replacement in Cleveland. Neither are options at shortstop while Arias is out, so that wasn't a factor. With Bazzana locked in at second base for Columbus, Brito had started six games at third and two at first to begin the year. Brito, a switch-hitter, looked like he might be the Guardians' long-term second baseman before Bazzana was drafted first overall two years ago. He's an iffier prospect now after missing most of last year, but his great approach helps make up for his lack of power potential. He's probably not going to be much of a factor in fantasy leagues this time around.
It is a little early to be looking at underlying data for positives to take away but after the way these 1o games have gone I needed to look for my own sanity and figured I would put the positives out into the world to hopefully will the Jays bats into scoring some runs.
Below I have listed the first four Blue Jays hitters in this series looking at underlying data for positives, I will be looking at Blue Jays hitters in order of plate appearances from the most to the fewest.
some were a lot easier to find a positive for than others…..
George Springer 150/261/325 – 72 WRC+
Not a good sign that by starting with the leader in PAs also lead to one of the harder bats to find much positive underlying data, due to Springer’s age my immediate concern was bat speed as last season’s major bounce back also came along with a fairly large jump in bat speed increasing from an average of 71.9 during the 2024 season to 73.7 during the 2025 season.
The good news is Springer is still showing the improved bat speed averaging 73.4 so far this season but his main issue has been in squaring up the ball when he hits it ending up with far too many lazy flyballs and infield pop ups. Generally this could be good news for Springer as batted ball spray angles is an extremely noisy stat over a small sample so it is very possible even likely that this will improve and with him still showing the higher bat speed from last season once he gets his spray angle more in line the positive offensive numbers should follow.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 265/419/353 – 126 WRC+
I had already mentioned this in a comment yesterday but Guerrero has already looked to come out of his early season singles fest over the past few games in fact since April 1st he is tied for 2nd in MLB with 4 barrels and out of players with at least 20 PAs over that time he is 4th in Barrel%.
Unfortunately for Guerrero and the Jays he does not have a lot to show for it yet, this season the league as a whole is hitting 648/639/2,131 on balls in play classified as a Barrel.
Guerrero however is hitting 200/200/800 on his 5 barrels with a BABIP of 000, Guerrero’s only Barrel this season that didn’t find a glove was his HR against the White Sox.
With Guerrero barreling the ball a lot more often over the next week he is likely very close to an extended stretch where those balls fall in or land on the other side of the fence.
Kazuma Okamoto 263/349/421 -125 WRC+
Okamoto is 10 games into his MLB career so on the surface a 125 WRC+ is a pretty nice start!
Unfortunately it has come with an unsustainably high K rate of 41.9%….
Okamoto does deserve some time to get acclimated to MLB and the MLB ball as the pitchers in MLB are much stronger than average compared to the NPB and the baseball has some differences which affects the movement on pitches.
The good news is while is whiff rate is elevated based on his history I would expect this to come down as he gets more comfortable against MLB pitching and he could also cut down on the Ks by being more aggressive on in zone pitches.
Over in Japan it was probably much easier to get away with a low in zone swing rate because the pitchers there didn’t have the pitches to put Okamoto away but in MLB where the pitchers have better stuff he will likely need to adjust his approach a bit to be more aggressive on in zone pitches.
Currently Okamoto has a Called Strike% of 23.1% which last season would have ranked 143rd of 145 qualified batters, Okamoto’s contact quality in his brief MLB career has been well above average to elite so I believe once he gets the approach locked in and more experience he should be more than fine as an MLB hitter.
Ernie Clement 293/293/366 – 88 WRC+
Clement has actually been pretty close to what I would expect from him, he has been swinging often and putting the ball in play a ton without doing much damage which comes with major fluctuations in outcomes depending on his BABIP.
The good news is he has already hit a ball harder than any ball he did last season and his hard hit% is 4.8% higher than it has ever been in his career, if he keeps swinging it and making contact like he always has and can keep up the slightly higher hard hit rate he should be right back around the mid to high 90s for his WRC+ sooner than later.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 1: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 1, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – LF
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Diamondbacks lineup
Ketel Marte – 2B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Gabriel Moreno – C
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Alek Thomas – CF
Jorge Barrosa – LF
SP: Zac Gallen – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 4:10 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Harry Kane’s goal gave Bayern the advantage despite a ferocious late rally from Real in a thrilling first leg
At the end of tonight’s game, a Real Madrid fan will charge onto the pitch, chin Harry Kane and flatten the referee Michael Oliver.
No, of course they won’t. But that is essentially what happened at the end of the first ever meeting between Real and Bayern. The footage is kinda bonkers: watch for the affronted gentleman who sprints into view from behind the goal.
Sep 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) walks to the pitcher's mound during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dodgers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
We are almost two weeks into the Dodgers season, and to date the Dodgers have used eight relievers regularly. This does not include Justin Wrobleski’s lone four-inning relief appearance before he joined the six-man rotation, nor does it count position player Miguel Rojas pitching the final inning of Monday’s blowout win in Toronto.
Things have been mostly stable thus far in the bullpen. But, if you were to make a change in the bullpen, which reliever would you like to see come to Los Angeles from Oklahoma City?
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 6: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres hits an RBI double in the fourth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 6, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The last few days have made it feel good to be a San Diego Padres fan again.
The Friar Faithful have been rewarded after a floundering first week with a three-game win streak. After winning their first series of the year against the Boston Red Sox, they won their first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-0.
And although the offense has been producing much more consistently, by far, the greatest part of yesterday’s game was starter Germán Márquez pitching five shutout innings against a Pittsburgh lineup that has been hot.
After a difficult debut at Petco Park last week, Márquez gave the Friars exactly what they needed: some breathing room for the bullpen.
With Walker Buehler only going 2 2/3 innings in Sunday’s game, the relievers were leaned on heavily. There was a worry going into yesterday’s game that Márquez wouldn’t last long enough to give the relievers adequate rest.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and San Diego was able to ride the pitching staff’s shutout to a Padres’ victory.
Taking the mound
Paul Skenes (PIT) v. Nick Pivetta (SD)
Skenes had a rough go of it on Opening Day, surrendering five runs in only 2/3 innings pitched. In large part, that was due to Oneil Cruz’s terrible defense in center field. It was no surprise when he bounced back with five innings of one-run ball against the Cincinnati Reds in his last start.
San Diego will have a tough time solving him, especially since they’ve yet to face him since his 2024 debut.
He’s one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, but the Padres have had success against right-handers so they could get to him just enough to get into the ‘pen.
Pivetta had a similar start to the year with a difficult Opening Day followed by a bounceback start.
In his last start against the San Francisco Giants, he pitched five innings with eight strikeouts, only allowing one hit.
If he can stymie this Pirates lineup the same way Márquez did last night, the Padres won’t need to do too much against Skenes.
Batter up!
With Bubba Chandler being a remarkably similar pitcher to Skenes (they even look somewhat like each other), a similar lineup as yesterday’s will probably remain the game plan:
Ramón Laureano, LF
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Nick Castellanos, DH
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Luis Campusano, C
It’s possible Miguel Andujar gets the tab at DH over Castellanos. But Castellanos went 2-for-4 with an RBI last night. Maybe this time manager Craig Stammen finally keeps the hot bats in the lineup.
Campusano will likely get the start, as him and Freddy Fermin seem to be mostly swapping back and forth in the backstop role.
San Diego has had more success against right-handers, so there’s hope they produce against Skenes today. If they do, it would go a long way to continuing to calm the worries about this offense from the beginning of the season.
Relief corps
With Márquez covering five scoreless innings yesterday, the Padres only needed to turn to two pitchers (Ron Marinaccio and David Morgan), neither of whom were used in Sunday’s 8-6 win over Boston.
Because of that, the bullpen will be well-rested for the pitcher’s duel between Skenes and Pivetta today. Should Pivetta stumble, the Padres will have plenty of high-leverage options to turn to.
Of those choices, the one who has struggled the most as of late is Wandy Peralta. Called upon to get one out in Friday’s loss, he failed to do so and gave up two runs (one earned). It was a lead that Boston wouldn’t relinquish. In Sunday’s win Peralta allowed the Sox to bring the tying run home before the Friars made up for it with one run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings.
If the Padres manage to produce against Skenes, and have a lead in the ninth, Mason Miller will come in to close. He would have yesterday if not for having pitched the last two games in Boston. With a five-run lead, San Diego made the choice to give him rest.
Behind those two remains Kyle Hart (though he pitched 2 1/3 innings on Sunday), Jeremiah Estrada, Bradgley Rodriguez and Adrian Morejon. Some combination of those four will likely be utilized against Pittsburgh today.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 02: Starter Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Chase Field on April 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A three-game losing streak to carry isn’t the momentum the Atlanta Braves were hoping for as they continue their West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Angels. Let’s hope today marks the turnaround point.
Reynaldo López is coming into this series with a 1.64 ERA and a 5.04 xFIP score. Only starting in two games since his return so far, he’s been displaying solid performances, allowing only one run in both of his past outings with three total strikeouts and less than five hits.
With the way the Angels performed yesterday, he’s going to need to focus on command as much as he can to start the momentum with pitch one to hold down the defense.
His go-to pitch this season has been his four-seamer, which has been clocked at an average of 94.1 mph. The slider, curveball and changeup have also been noted as reliable, but what it will all come down to is execution. And if the offense can follow suit, then we might have a ballgame worth staying up for.
On the opposing side, Yusei Kikuchi is taking the mound for the Angels. His ERA capped at 6.52 across his two-game starts is a drastic drop from how he ended his 2025 season (3.99 ERA). In his five-pitch arsenal, he splits his usage between the four-seamer, slider, and changeup, which seemingly finds no problem with landing in the zone…yet also is predictable on the batter’s side.
This game will determine the winner of this three-game series before the Braves head back home to take on Cleveland, but this matchup means more than just clinching a series win…they need to break this losing streak and get some runs on the board, without relying on Drake Baldwin to carry them.
Maybe yesterday was the wake-up call they needed to get back in the game and leave on a good note. Of course, before we get to that point, today’s game outcome must be determined.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Seth Curry #31 of the Golden State Warriors look on against the Houston Rockets in the second quarter at Chase Center on April 05, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bucks have “come to terms with the inevitability” of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade coming this offseason, according to ESPN.
Ever since the Golden State Warriors signed Stephen Curry’s younger brother, Seth Curry, on Dec. 1, many awaited the moment the two would finally share the floor as NBA teammates. Just as it seemed within reach, injuries to both delayed that opportunity for most of the season.
However, that changed Sunday night.
After missing 27 games, Steph Curry returned to the lineup, finally giving the brothers their long-awaited opportunity to take the floor together. At the 6:19 mark of the second quarter, the two stood side by side in the same backcourt, delivering a special moment for one of the NBA’s most iconic basketball families.
Steph & Seth share the court 🥹
For the first time in their careers, Stephen Curry and Seth Curry are sharing the floor as teammates in the same regular season game! pic.twitter.com/VtNRumsEPe
The Curry brothers shared the floor for just one minute before Seth was subbed out, but it was enough to make the moment real. Between them, they combined for 35 points off the bench, knocking down six three-pointers on 13 attempts. Steph led the way with 29 points in just 26 minutes, while Seth added six points in 13 minutes of action.
After years of competing against each other on separate teams, the opportunity to finally play as teammates became a reality — something both described as a “dream come true” for their family.
"Oh man. That was special. We've both had a very difficult year… I was joking calling us the rehab brothers."
Steph Curry got emotional when asked about playing with his brother Seth for the first time in the NBA 💛🥲
And while their time on the floor together was brief this time around, there should be more opportunities with four games remaining in the regular season. For the Warriors, it was a bright spot during a challenging stretch. For the Currys, it meant something more — a moment years in the making, and one they won’t forget.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, April 7th:
They’re most happy that their mother Sonya was able to be there, fully in her element.
“To have that moment coming out of a timeout talking about our matchups, I was having flashbacks to Charlotte Christian High School my senior year, his sophomore year,” Steph said. “That was the last time in an actual game, even though he was on our training camp roster in 2013, but that was the last time we actually played a game together. My mom was in the stands, she probably didn’t have any more memory on her phone with all the pictures and videos.”
“Rich and I discussed it a couple months ago briefly,” Draymond said. “We haven’t talked much about it because we don’t deal with those things until the offseason. But I think in an ideal world, and again, this is me talking without me talking to my representation so Rich will probably kill me. But in an ideal world, I think the best path would be to decline and extend. If I had it my way, that would be the best path forward.”
If it happens, that would be one important piece of the puzzle plopped into place for Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy, added to trying to get Kristaps Porzingis signed, possibly also at a medium salary for a few years, and several other important items.
The Bucks will be open to trade talks regarding Antetokounmpo, and the highest levels of the organization have come to terms with the inevitability of a likely deal coming to fruition this offseason, sources told ESPN.
“This is as toxic of a team situation as any in the league,” one source close to the team said. “They waited until the very end on Giannis, and now everyone knows.”
Since hiring Karnisovas to head basketball operations in 2020, the Bulls went 224-254, made one playoff appearance, and are now missing the postseason for the fourth straight season. Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf decided Monday to make a change to the team’s… https://t.co/sedLR42nIN
What can we conclude? Referees don’t respect Steph Curry, but they respect the sanctity of “three in the key” even less. This author will consider the Warriors a true 37-win team going forward.
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
The Carolina Hurricanes were announced as one of the two teams that will be going abroad next season for the NHL Global Series in Helsinki, Finland.
While it was certainly an exciting announcement for Canes fans, especially international ones, you can count Hurricanes alternate captain Sebastian Aho as one of those most excited about the news.
The Finnish centerman has played the last 10 seasons in the NHL, and while he goes back home every offseason, he hasn't played in an actual game back in Finland since 2016.
Now though, he'll have the chance to once again play in front of a crowd of Finns.
"Obviously it's gonna be somewhat weird because not every person is either a Kraken or Canes fan, right?," Aho said. "They're watching good hockey and hopefully rooting for the Finns. But I'm sure it will be a good atmosphere."
Aho said that he and his wife have been taking time on some of the off days since returning from the Olympics to go through all the potential people they'll be wanting to invite for the games.
"There's a lot," Aho said. "Been trying to figure out how many tickets and all that I'm gonna get for the game, so we've been asking the close friends and family if they're available for those dates and most of them will be coming, which is awesome. There's a lot of important people who will see me play who have not necessarily always been able to come here at all. It's awesome. It's probably gonna be a little expensive, but we'll see what we'll be able to work out."
It isn't everyday that you get an opportunity like this, so I'm sure Aho won't be too worried about losing out on a game check or two.
The Hurricanes star said he was actually informed about the event right before the Olympic break by team general manager Eric Tulsky.
"Eric came to the locker room and broke the news for me and within the next five minutes, every guy in the locker room knew pretty much," Aho said. "We kept it pretty tight though. They told us not to spoil it yet, but it was very exciting."
Aho did however discuss the upcoming event with some of his fellow Finnish Olympians, most notably Seattle Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko, who will be facing off against Aho and the Hurricanes in Finland.
The Canes alternate captain said that Kakko joked with him that he was "gonna make reservations at every single restaurant that weekend," so that the Hurricanes wouldn't have anywhere to go.
"We'll have to be quick to get some reservations at the best spots there because I'm sure they want to do the fun stuff too," Aho said. "But I'm sure I'll be able to find something good for the boys."
Aho didn't want to get into what he's planning for the team, saying that he doesn't want to "spoil too much," but he did say that there will for sure be a sauna experience as well as a bit of salmon soup and reindeer.
"I'm sure the boys will enjoy it," Aho said. "Those are probably the things that are a must, but there's plenty of good restaurants in the city and also overall just hanging out as a group. I think it's a great way to bond. Obviously it's a different, long road trip, but hopefully we're gonna have a good time."
Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour made the trip with the Hurricanes over 15 years prior, back then as the director of player development, and it's that sort of team bonding that he remembers so well.
"We went over there how many years ago now, I mean it's been a while, but it's a great memory and that's what it is. An opportunity to make memories" Brind'Amour said. "Obviously the games are going to be important, but there's a bigger takeaway too: Going somewhere where you wouldn't normally go and all that stuff. That's the exciting part."
Funny enough, that game 15 years ago was also one of Sebastian Aho's first tastes of the NHL, as the then 13-year-old was actually in attendance to see the Hurricanes take on the Minnesota Wild.
Those game featured a few big name Finns such as Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen, Mikko Koivu, Niklas Baskstrom and Antti Miettinen. Oh and future teammate Brent Burns as well.
"Back then, I had no clue I was gonna play in the NHL or for the Canes, so it's a pretty funny coincidence there," Aho said. "I enjoyed the game. Thought it was cool, something definitely unique. 15-20 years ago, I wasn't paying that much attention to the NHL then. But from there, with all the technology and everything, they started having prime time games, easy access with YouTube and all that, so it was kind of easier to follow the NHL from that point. It was cool. A big show obviously when the NHL comes to Finland. I enjoyed it and hopefully I'll have a good time as a player too."
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