SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: A detailed view of the cap and Rawling baseball glove belonging to Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants sitting in the dugout in the bottom of the second inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 05, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants return to Oracle Park today to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season.
I can’t lie, I’m kind of dreading this series. The wins over the weekend were great, and exactly what the team needed to build some momentum. Unfortunately, I’m concerned that said momentum is going to lead them straight into a brick wall when the Dodgers come to town. But I can maintain cautious optimism.
That’s the nice thing about rivalries, they can bring out the best in the players and cause unlikely things to happen. Like the Giants not getting swept. That would be wonderful. And I’m going to hope for it.
How are you all feeling about the Giants and Dodgers series this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants and Dodgers play game one of this three-game series tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: Brandon Young #63 of the Baltimore Orioles looks to delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a Grapefruit League spring training game at LECOM Park on February 27, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The early weeks of the 2026 Orioles season are giving off vibes that maybe it is going to turn into an anxious look down to the farm for better times for the team in the future. Hopefully those vibes go away. Until they do, every prospect development story feels essential. It’s important even if things get better for the team. They’re going to need guys they can trade to supplement the MLB roster with players who are actually capable of coming here and performing well for the duration of the remaining time before they hit free agency.
These weekly updates focus on the team’s top prospects, particularly those on Camden Chat’s composite top 20 Orioles prospect list from before the season. They also include other guys who interest us who might develop into prospects over time. I do not tend to spend much time on non-prospect journeymen, though one never knows who might turn into the next Jeremiah Jackson.
Here’s how things went this week:
Triple-A Norfolk Tides
Last week: 3-3 at Durham (Rays)
Coming week: vs. Memphis (Cardinals)
Season record: 8-13, t-last place (6.0 GB) in International League East
The Tides are home to this week’s International League Pitcher of the Week. The winner of that honor is a guy I had pretty much given up on going into this season, Brandon Young. He was on fire this past week, though, throwing 5.2 hitless innings where he struck out ten batters. Counting his MLB start, Young has given up just two earned runs across 21.2 innings. I don’t know if it means anything in the long run, but it’s interesting.
Young was not the only Norfolk starter to have a good week. His fellow erstwhile Oriole, Cade Povich, also struck out ten men, with one run allowed over five innings. Pitching prospect Nestor Germanalso struck out ten men, though in his case it was over 4.1 innings with one run surrendered. Trey Gibson didn’t manage to strike out ten guys, but two runs allowed in five innings isn’t bad.
Levi Wells could not complete the party, allowing nine runs in four innings. Rehabbing major leaguer Andrew Kittredge also had a tough one, like seven earned runs in 1.2 innings over two outings. Keegan Akin is also rehabbing here. He did better, allowing a run over 2.1 innings. Dietrich Enns was also part of the rehab squad, pitching one scoreless inning.
For Norfolk batters, the standout for the week was a guy who’s making an early bid to be this year’s version of Jeremiah Jackson. That’s shortstop José Barrero, who smashed three homers over these games to raise his early season OPS to .982. Jud Fabian hit two homers, drew four walks, and struck out eight times. Whatever that guy is, he continues to be very that. Enrique Bradfield Jr. also had a nice week at the plate, with five hits in four games, and two stolen bases in the field.
Others of interest
C/1B Creed Willems – Was not part of the hitting party this week, going just 3-18. He did draw five walks though, so good for him.
Season record: 7-7, fourth place (5.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
Since I’m doing the update this week, you will have to first endure an update on my prospect crush, Aron Estrada. Not much to say about him this week, though, as he batted 4-16 with one double. At 21, he remains young for this level, but it’d be more exciting if he was OPSing above .629.
Chesapeake’s top hitter over these games was Brandon Butterworth, one of the players from the big Padres trade last year. He had seven hits, including a homer, and stole a pair of bases over five games played. I dig that.
It was the pitching staff that sent the Baysox to a poor record over these games. They gave up at least six runs in all five games that were played and allowed 10+ in three games. Among the guys who absorbed bad numbers were lefty Luis De León, who allowed four runs over four innings in his lone start, and reliever Tyson Neighbors, another guy from the Padres trade, who surrendered six earned runs in a three-inning outing.
Others of interest
C/1B Ethan Anderson – Hitless in 12 at-bats across three games
IF Griff O’Ferrall – One hit in 12 at-bats. If you want to feel better, he walked five times
OF Thomas Sosa – The power-hitting outfielder was 4-22 at the plate; three of the four hits were doubles
Season record: 6-8, fifth place (4.5 GB) in South Atlantic League North
The tradition last season was to begin Aberdeen’s updates by asking, how many times did Vance Honeycutt strike out this week? It continues with Frederick, and this week’s answer is 11 times in 20 at-bats. It’s a lot of strikeouts. However, Honeycutt did also get five hits, including two dingers, and he stole three bases, so that’s not nothing.
Your favorite recent Orioles first round pick and mine, Ike Irish, had five hits, including a homer, and also stole three bases. Irish outpaced Honeycutt in OBP by walking four times. Two guys managed to top both of these OPS numbers: Victor Figueroa (yet another player from that Padres trade) and Braylin Tavera. Figueroa now has a 1.157 OPS through ten games.
Joseph Dzierwa proved to be human over these games, giving up three runs while walking four batters over five innings. Okay, so he’s not just going to pitch shutouts with double digit strikeouts all the way up to MLB. His teammate JT Quinn, another early round pitcher from last year, continued to rock, tossing five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Others of interest
2B Jackson Holliday – Played two games of a new rehab assignment, notching two hits in eight at-bats
SS Wehiwa Aloy – 3-19 at the plate over this week, with nine strikeouts
OF Nate George – 5-22 over five games, including a double, and he stole three bases, but with no walks that’s still a rough OBP for the week
RHP Juaron Watts-Brown – Rehabbing at this level after starting on the IL with a shoulder injury, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over five innings
LHP Boston Bateman – Piggybacked a relief outing, three scoreless innings with two hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out five guys
Season record: 4-11, fifth place (6.0 GB) in Carolina League North
DJ Layton, I see you. After spending last year with the Florida Complex League squad, the 2024 sixth round pick is making his full-season affiliate debut this year. It’s off to an excellent start, which the shortstop added to over the last week by going 6-18 with a double and a homer, plus five walks, plus two stolen bases. (He was caught twice, too. Not the ideal percentage.) The 19-year-old Layton is still a young guy for this level. He’s OPSing 1.062 through his first 14 games. Love to see some more of that.
The pitcher most worth following on this roster, at least going into the season, is Esteban Mejia. I do not have good news to share about him this week. He failed to complete the third inning in his one start, walking a whopping eight guys. No, I’m not kidding. Eight walks! This time last year, the similarly-command-challenged Keeler Morfe got some attention. Hopefully Mejia does not follow down the same road. Three starts in, the results aren’t encouraging.
Others of interest
OF Jordan Sanchez – One of my hoped-for sleeper picks for the system this season. 3-21 batting and a .445 OPS overall so far isn’t an early winner on that pick.
RHP Kiefer Lord – Barely pitched since being drafted by the team in 2023, which is why he’s 23 and still in Low-A. Eight strikeouts in five innings this week, with only one run allowed.
This is the only week all season where all four of these affiliates are at home. The Orioles will also be at home for the coming weekend. You have the opportunity to watch a lot of O’s-connected baseball in the mid-Atlantic from now through Sunday.
Past seasons have allowed us to present a poll where readers are able to choose their minor league player of the week. Unfortunately, technical changes outside of our control no longer allow us to embed polls the way we could before and we cannot track winners as the season goes along.
Rather than a poll, the comments are up for discussion. Who were the standout efforts for you over this past week? Whose early minor league performance has you concerned? Who are you excited to follow as the season goes along? Let us know in the comments below.
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Michael Brauner (Chicago Cubs on SI): Cubs Flashy Young Prospect is Biggest Trade Deadline Candidate to be Moved. “Beyond just the difficult path to playing time, Jefferson Rojas is thought highly enough of in prospect circles that he could be the centerpiece of a big-time deal to bring another ace to Chicago. Slashing .294/.351/.618 over 10 Double-A games at the age of just 20 this season, his status could continue to climb.”
Field Level Media (Deadspin): On 5-game win streak, Cubs aim to add to Phillies’ woes. “Both teams continued going in opposite directions while completing a home series Sunday. The Cubs closed out a three-game sweep of the New York Mets with a 2-1, 10-inning win, while the Phillies suffered their fifth consecutive loss as the Atlanta Braves finished a three-game sweep with a 4-2 victory.”
Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Alex Bregman knows what he wants his swing to look like, but he’s not there yet. “A lot of what Bregman is currently doing at the plate normally leads to success. He’s not chasing or swinging and missing, both at an elite rate. He’s squaring the ball up frequently, and his hard-hit rate is the highest it’s ever been. Still, the results just aren’t coming. It’s not hard to find the culprit. Bregman’s groundball rate of 47.8 percent is nearly a dozen points higher than his career average.”
Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Jordan Wicks returns to the mound and could be a critical piece of the Cubs’ puzzle, “Wicks spent the offseason tweaking some things and the hope is he can pitch meaningful innings for the Cubs this year. On Saturday, he took the first step toward achieving that goal, making his first start of the year. Wicks fired three scoreless frames for the Iowa Cubs, filling up the strike zone before calling it a day. It was a strong first step back after working his way back from nerve irritation that delayed his start to the season. Given the injuries that have ravaged the pitching staff, this team isn’t in a position to be overly picky.”
Jared Wyllys (Allchgo.com): Craig Counsell juggling hitter development with winning. “In moments like the sixth inning of Saturday’s game, Counsell’s focus is on getting runs on the board and winning a ballgame. That is going to mean pinch-hitting for guys like Ballesteros later in games. A part of a team’s long-term success comes from every guy understanding his role and being willing to put the group above the self.”
Joey Mistretta (ClutchPoints.com): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s favorite MLB player is his Cubs teammate. “”We got the best bat to ball guy in baseball and my favorite player in baseball as our leadoff hitter,” Crow-Armstrong said of Nico Hoerner. “So getting on third base with one out and having Nico up, you’re pretty confident that you’re gonna find home plate somehow.”“
Billy Heyen (Sporting News): Mark McGwire’s son is climbing the ladder toward the Chicago Cubs.“Mason McGwire made his first start of the 2026 season on Sunday, and he threw two perfect innings before allowing a double and a hit batter in the third. A double play allowed him to escape there, and he went 1-2-3 in the fourth. He had five strikeouts in the outing, as well.”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Hey, a Cubs Pitching Prospect Won Weekly Honors for All of Minor League Baseball! “The system is heavier on the positional side right now in any case, and Jaxon Wiggins has been hurt (sigh), but we’re still hoping there will be some big pitching breakouts over the course of the season. The system really, really needs it. That’s why, even if only for one appearance, it was very good to see Mason McGwire nab a lot of positive attention today”
Mike Sullivan (Sporting News): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s offense is a concerning problem for Cubs. “The struggles from mid-July on in 2025 have returned in 2026. His offense has become a major issue for the Cubs and is something to be worried about this season. If it weren’t for his stellar defense in the outfield, the $115 million outfielder would be someone the team would have a lot greater concerns over. Crow-Armstrong is hitting .222 this season with just one homer and a .585 OPS. Last season, he had a .768 OPS and 119 OPS+. He’s down to a 72 OPS+ this year. Another concerning part of his game that hopefully will get better is his base-stealing ability. He’s stolen four bases this year, but he’s been caught three times, the most in MLB so far.”
Brian Sandalow (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Injuries to Cubs’ bullpen forcing manager Craig Counsell to be flexible. ‘‘When the names are changing quickly, then your plans are a little more flexible and they’re going to change a little quicker,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We’ve got enough new bodies down there that, day-to-day, roles can change a little bit.’’
Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors): Cubs Re-Sign Dylan Carlson To Minor League Deal. “Back with the Cubs now, Carlson will provide some depth in the upper minors. Chicago’s roster has been decimated by injury, but nearly all of the health problems for the Cubs have been on the pitching side of things.”
Daryl Van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Jameson Taillon doesn’t discount struggling Mets, then holds them to one run in six innings. “It would have been easy to think silly thoughts and let the Mets’ losing streak get into his head. But Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon wouldn’t allow it on his drive Saturday to Wrigley Field. ‘‘I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of thinking this was a bad team or a struggling team,’’ Taillon said. ‘‘You look at the names up and down the lineup, I came in here not wanting to be the reason they got hot. I had that conversation with myself.’’”
Jared Bloom (Sporting News): Strong pitching and high-scoring offense have the Cubs surging despite injuries. “Pitching was especially big for the club over the weekend. Jameson Taillon went six strong innings on Saturday, while Javier Assad went 5.2 innings, giving up just one run on three hits in the 2-1 extra-inning win on Sunday. On top of solid pitching, the Cubs have gotten good offensive production last week. Nico Hoerner has really stepped up lately, hitting two home runs and having 11 runs batted in over the last five games.”
A highly accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter with a strong musical point of view grounded in the very best blues traditions. Combine those talents with original blues-based material and you begin to understand Daniel Castro’s strengths as an artist. After cutting his teeth in South Central L.A. blues clubs with “Mighty Mouth” Delmar Evans, who worked with the Johnny Otis Show, Castro backed other great artists from Otis’ band, including Pee Wee Crayton and Little Ester Phillips. He also recorded and toured with many other artists including legendary Small Faces singer-bassist Ronnie Lane. A Daniel Castro Band performance is soulful, polished, and intense as the group shifts from one scintillating groove to the next. Daniel covers lead vocals and rhythm and lead guitar with amazing dexterity. Musical chemistry is obvious from the first note the band plays and it never lets up.
A group of students from a Kansas high school rode to prom in style when they were able to enlist the services of an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
“People take limos,” student Cooper Lietz said. “This is basically just a big hot dog limo.”
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Munetaka Murakami sends another one into orbit. | (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Last week, the White Sox were 2-5. Over this past seven-day stretch, they were 2-5. Sounds like an emerging pattern.
The week opened with incredibly positive energy as the club called up Noah Schultz on Tuesday, and, after a miscommunication, brought up Sam Antonacci on Wednesday. Promoting the organization’s No. 2 and No. 9 prospects is a big deal. So is getting swept at home — and not in a good way.
Debuts
Things got underway with a three-game set at Rate Field against the Tampa Bay Rays. Somehow, the teams played the entire series without delay, even amid one of the area’s rainiest Aprils on record. Schultz, a Chicagoland native, made it 4 1/3 innings in his first outing, allowing four runs (three earned), walking four, and punching out four. Was it the debut he had hoped for? Probably not. However, when the offense can only get within one, and the bullpen gives up four more after your exit, it is easier to sleep knowing that you were not the sole contributor to the loss.
The Southpaw made his second start of his young career on Sunday and had quite the bounce back. Five innings of one-run ball, with one walk, six strikeouts, and some run support, is enough to earn the first win of your career.
On Wednesday, it was Antonacci’s turn to rally the South Side around him and earn a win for his debut. Instead, the pitching gave up eight earned runs, four apiece by Sean Burke and Tyler Gilbert. The offense spent the entire game trying to score but was unable to do so until the bottom of the ninth inning. The Springfield native got his first hit in the bottom of the second with a blooper to right field. Hawk Harrelson would’ve called it a “Kansas City special” if he were still on the air. In the same inning, the second baseman also recorded his first caught stealing. Despite the loss, Antonacci went 1-for-3 on the night with a walk and a run scored, so it is doubtful he will ever forget Tax Day 2026.
Davis Martin is making a name for himself this season with just four starts under his belt. The righthander opened the series with the Athletics out in Sacramento with seven strong innings. His ERA is now down to 2.16 after giving up just one run, walking two, and striking out four. Martin leads the team with three quality starts. If you were wondering who else on the team has a quality start to their name, the answer is no one.
On the opposite side of positive pitching performances is Seranthony Domínguez. There wasn’t much that went right for the “closer” this week. In three appearances, the struggling righty gave up three runs, hit two batters, walked four, and earned a loss. Domínguez is the star child of an overall struggling bullpen. If there are silver linings here, he did earn a save in Sunday’s win. It was not without drama as two men reached base to bring the tying run to the plate before he shut it down.
Hitting
In the last edition of this recap, much time was spent discussing how the offense was struggling and the severe lack of home runs. This week, round-trippers were abundant. Leading the charge is Japanese phenom Munetaka Murakami. The lefty doubled his home run total during the week by hitting a whopping four long balls. One of them came at home in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss against the Rays.
Munetaka hit the other three at the highly touted Sutter Health Park against the (just) Athletics. The highlight reel dinger came on Friday night in the form of a grand slam; he smashed it 431 feet over the batter’s eye. If 114.1 mph off the bat wasn’t impressive enough, he hit another home run with the same velocity, 425 feet to right field, in Sunday’s finale.
Mune now finds himself as the first Japanese-born player to hit eight home runs in his first 22 games. Even though he is still striking out at a high rate (33.3%), he is also drawing a considerable number of walks (21.5%). In the six games he played last week, Murakami recorded seven free passes.
The rest of the offense also had itself quite a week. As a team, the South Siders hit 14 home runs. That is an average of two four-baggers per game! The increase in long balls boosted the team’s batting average as well. There are only five batters left on the team that are batting below .200. One of those batters is Antonacci, and it’s a small sample size with only five at-bats under his belt. There is significant room for improvement, but over the last seven days, the White Sox ranked 12th in strikeouts and third in walks drawn. Looking for the light in the dark.
The key to success for this team is for the pitching to click at the same time as the hitting. When these things stay in sync for more than three days, this team can put together a winning streak. In lighter news, this is the first time the Chicago White Sox have reached eight wins before May 1 since 2021. That’s either comforting or mildly embarrassing, depending on your perspective. Either way, this is our baseball team.
SURPRISE, AZ - FEBRUARY 24: Asa Lacy #33 of the Kansas City Royals poses during Photo Day on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Lacy, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, came to the Kansas City organization as a highly touted left-handed pitcher from Texas A&M who, on stuff alone, showed the potential of a frontline starter. The Royals gave him a $6.67 million signing bonus, a franchise record for a drafted pitcher. He was ranked as high as No. 30 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list in 2021, his first full season in professional baseball.
But Lacy never found the command to allow him to take a step forward in his early seasons, and then injuries took over, including a lat/shoulder injury in 2021, a back injury in ‘22 and ‘23 and two Tommy John surgeries — one in the offseason after the ‘23 season and one in ‘25. He’s still rehabbing from the second one.
Jaylon Thompson writes about Jonathan India hitting the Injured List.
The Royals are hopeful India isn’t sidelined long-term. For now, he will meet with team doctors to determine the severity of the injury. “It’s a chronic shoulder issue that he’s had,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, it just wasn’t getting better this year. He aggravated it a few times on dives. And it’s loose. It’s something he’s gonna have to get checked out and see if we can help him get through it.”
The 1914 World Series champion sat 14 games under .500 in early July. The Braves — and this is so long ago that they played their home games in Boston — were baseball’s laughingstock, 11 straight losing seasons and barreling toward another before they suddenly and stunningly won 68 of their final 87 games to earn a spot in the World Series.
Caleb Moody at Kings of Kauffman writes about Nick Loftin’s role as he was called up to take India’s spot.
As someone who can play all around the infield and the corner outfield, there’s no shortage of places Loftin could make his mark in this lineup. In fact, as it stands right now, there’s plenty of places he can occupy that the Royals don’t fair well in in comparison to the rest of the league.
We’ve established that Loftin could make a difference at second base, but he could make his mark in the outfield, with Caglianone, Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas and Starling Marte all performing under par.
The Blue Jays had to take a bus from Phoenix to SoCal after mechanical issues with their plane prevented air travel.
MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 09: Josh Adamczewski #14 of the Milwaukee Brewers takes batting practice prior to the 2025 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game between the American League Fall Stars and the National League Fall Stars at Sloan Park on November 9, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Logan Henderson (No. 7): 3 IP, 2 H 1 ER, 3 BBs, 4 Ks
Tate Kuehner: 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hs, 1 BB, 5 Ks
Luis Lara has continued to produce for the Sounds, hitting .318 with an .832 OPS over 22 at-bats this week. The Brewers’ top outfield prospect (aside from Jett Williams) is now slashing .352/.446/.507 in his first 71 at-bats with Nashville. Injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued Milwaukee’s outfield early in the season — if Lara keeps this up for even a couple more weeks, he might see himself in a Brewers uniform this summer.
Another player that probably won’t spend the whole season in Triple-A is Williams, who had three extra base hits while walking almost exactly as much as he struck out. Williams is still only hitting .219 (.653 OPS), but this week’s performance served as a reminder why he’s considered one of the best prospects in the organization. Jeferson Quero didn’t hit for a high average this week, but came through in the clutch with more RBIs (6) than hits (4).
Brock Wilken has had a rough start to the season (7-for-60 with 24 K). Wilken hit 18 home runs in 79 games last year, but only has one through 19 games in 2026. Still, four of those seven hits came this week, which — along with his nine walks — is a sign that he’s figuring things out at the plate.
Shane Drohan served as the staff’s workhorse, giving up more than a hit per inning but limiting Worcester to 3 earned runs over 10 1/3 innings. Logan Henderson and Tate Kuehner also put together solid outings this week.
Jesús Made (No. 1): 7-for-24, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBIs, 5 BB, 2 K
Eduardo Garcia: 7-for-25, 2B, HR
Jaron DeBerry: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 18): 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
One of Biloxi’s standout players early in the season has been shortstop Dylan O’Rae, the Brewers’ 2022 third-round pick. He raked at the lower levels of the minors before being promoted to Double-A midway through the 2024 season, where he struggled. O’Rae ended up missing the entire 2025 season to a wrist injury, but he’s back and has been seeing the ball well — hitting over .300 in back-to-back weeks. He’s worth keeping an eye on as he gets his feet under him.
Jesús Made continues to do Jesús Made things, drawing Jose Ramirez comparisons with a monster week that included five extra base hits. He now has a 1.019 OPS, making him a candidate for a Triple-A call-up — although that probably wouldn’t happen until Jett Williams debuts with the Brewers.
DeBerry and Hardin were the only Biloxi pitchers to go more than three innings and record an ERA of 3 or under. Blake Burke (4-for-24, HR) and Mike Boeve (5-for-20, 10 K) both had down weeks.
Jesús Made went 3-for-5 with a walk. His three hits included the double below. Through 15 games Made has a 1.019 OPS.
His two strike approach has been particularly impressive and he’s struck out just twice in his last 35 plate appearances.#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/Y8X8a56ZQr
Bryce Meccage (No. 21): 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Pretty much every highly-ranked position player prospect on the Timber Rattlers has showed up to start the season. Josh Adamczewski (1.302), Luis Peña (1.059), and Braylon Payne (1.011) all have OPSes over 1.000 through the first thirteen games of the season. Marco Dinges (.955) isn’t far off of Peña and Payne.
Andrew Fischer is slashing .256/.375/.419 with 11 RBI, tied with Adamczewski for the team lead. The 20 strikeouts in 43 at-bats stand out, but there’s little reason for concern at this stage.
For one, Fischer was able to significantly reduce his strikeout rate during his final college season, showing an ability to adjust his approach while maintaining success at the plate. This is also his first full year in pro ball, so some week-to-week volatility is expected as he gets used to higher-level pitching. The strikeouts are worth monitoring, but the overall profile remains encouraging — especially if his K rate begins to stabilize over the next few weeks. Even while striking out so often, he’s still producing an OPS near .800.
Luis Peña needed some time to adjust to High-A last season, but whatever he did this offseason is already paying off. Peña is now slashing .400/.488/.571 with just six strikeouts on the year. He’s totaled three extra-base hits so far, but he’s only 19 — the power should show up in games sooner rather than later. Hard to nitpick a teenager who’s hitting .400 while making this much contact.
It’s been a tougher introduction to High-A for Eric Bitonti (No. 25), who has struck out in 18 of his first 37 at-bats (48.6%). The raw power is still very real — arguably among the best in the system — but it hasn’t translated yet, with just one home run to this point.
— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) April 18, 2026
Next week’s opponent: @ Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres)
Single-A Wilson Warbirds (6-9)
Record this week: 3-3
Standout performances:
José Anderson: 5-for-20, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1 BB, 12 K
Luiyin Alastre: 5-for-19, 2 2B, 1 BB, 6 K
Juan Ortuno: 5-for-19, 3 BB, 6 K
Tyler Renz: 2 GS, 9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 7 K
The Warbirds’ offense struggled again this week, as no player with 10 or more at-bats hit above .263. Jose Anderson, who now leads Wilson with three home runs on the season, put together another solid week despite striking out 12 times in 20 at-bats. Brady Ebel went 3-for-19, although he walked more than he struck out. Jadyn Fielder went 1-for-8 with a double, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Tyler Renz started two games for Wilson and pitched well in both, ending the week with a 2.00 ERA. Renz, a 2024 18th round pick, is still just 19 years old and had a 3.19 ERA last year between rookie ball and High-A. His ERA is down to 1.93 through 14 innings this season despite walking twice as many batters per nine innings (6.43) as he did last year (3.04)
Next week’s opponent: @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles)
Player of the Week
As always, there were a few strong candidates, but Josh Adamczewski clearly separated himself this week.
Adamczewski slashed .375/.524/1.125 with four home runs over the past seven days alone. He wasn’t ranked among the MLB Pipeline top-30 Brewers prospects entering last season, but with the graduation of Brandon Sproat he’s now inside the top 10. If you throw out the seven at-bats he logged in 2023, he’s posted an OPS of .900 or better in every season since joining the organization.
Adamczewski’s overall line this season borders on absurd: .310/.474/.828 (yes, that’s his slugging percentage, not his OPS) with five home runs in just 29 at-bats.
As of now, he’s still listed as an infielder, but he’s not a standout defender there — especially compared to players like Cooper Pratt, Made, and Peña. The Brewers are clearly prioritizing finding ways to get Adamczewski’s bat in the lineup, so they’ve been giving him most of his reps in the outfield dating back to the Arizona Fall League. That’s carried over into the regular season. Adamczewski has started every game this year in left field, with just one appearance at second base (coming as a late-game defensive substitution).
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 19: Cleveland Guardians second baseman Juan Brito (34) leaves the field following the third inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians on April 19, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With eleven games under rookie Juan Brito’s major league belt, he is entering a stretch where it will be important for him to prove he can make some needed adjustments to continue top-side with Cleveland.
For Brito’s first 24 plate appearances, things could not have gone much better for the young hitter. He had a 102 wRC+ with a 20.8/8.3 K/BB%. He saw 21% four-seamers, 16% cutters, 10% sinkers, 24% sliders, 22% changeups, and 6% curveballs. In the following 21 plate appearances, Brito has put up a -20 wRC+ with a 42.9/4.8 K/BB%. From promise to disappointment… such is the life of many a baseball player. But, will Brito return to the promise we saw at first?
Well, have opposing pitchers begun attacking him differently? Nothing stands out when we look at pitch mix… Brito has seen a 10% increase in four-seamers (the decline coming from fewer changeups) in the past 21 plate appearances. Have pitchers begun going to different plans in locating those pitches? Aha… yes. During the first half of his 45 major league plate appearances, Brito saw 23.6% of the pitches thrown his way land outside the strike zone. During the second half, that number has increased to 31%. So far in the bigs, Brito has chased 38% of the time (36% in that first 24 PA’s and 39% in the following 21 PA’s), and only made contact outside of the zone 53% of the time. In looking at his chase rates, this doesn’t seem to be a pitch-specific issue; he’s chasing both fastballs and offspeed and breaking pitches outside the zone.
This is the big issue for Brito at the plate. If he is chasing pitches at anything near the rate he is right now, he will not be able to take his walks (obviously) and he will not consistently get pitches he can pull in the air. Brito does not have elite raw power to compensate for any of those losses in value by doing maximum damage on the few pitches he does see in the zone. He is not fast (34% sprint speed), so he will not be stealing bases when he does take a walk. He has to learn to chase less often, take his walks, and force pitchers to bring the ball into the zone where his 86% zone-contact can allow him to pull the ball in the air and be a dangerous offensive presence.
He can’t do what he did tonight as I was writing this article, for example. This is Brito against a fastball outside, a cutter in the zone, and three changeups to end the at-bat out of the zone from Astros’ pitcher Spencer Arrighetti:
Plaster this all over your locker, Juan. Opposing pitchers are going to do this to you until you force them to bring the ball into the zone.
Most folks reading this article are more concerned with Brito’s defense, I suspect. He has -2 Defensive Runs Saved so far and 0 Outs Above Average. It’s hard to tell much from small sample sizes of fielding stats, of course, but he also has looked in over his head at several points, and cost the Guardians a game in Atlanta by muffing a 91 mph grounder hit right at him. Brito can’t be making a notable error every week and costing the team games. There is no surer way to find himself hopping a bus back to the state’s capital.
It’s a critical time for Brito to begin to adjust back, because the team has two options to play second base who are performing quite well. In the majors, Daniel Schneemann has a 153 wRC+ with a 27.6/8.3 K/BB%. and he’s also been an average-good fielder all over the field, including 3 DRS and 5 OAA at second base for his career. In the minors… you guessed it… in 168 plate appearances at Triple-A, Travis Bazzana has a 134 wRC+ and a 22.6/19.3 K/BB% there. Getting Bazzana up soon and getting his feet wet to let him work through the usual struggles he has experience at each new level he reaches could be extremely helpful for a potential playoff run later in the year. Finally, Gabriel Arias is beginning baseball activities, and, while I suspect Rocchio has Wally Pipped his partner at short, I do think the team would promote Arias and demote Brito, rather than risk losing Arias’s glove in a DFA (I leave no comment on whether this is risk worth respecting).
I have been saying for a while that I think Brito’s best position is in the corner outfield. I still believe that’s the case, but, it will rely on him being able to get to his plate discipline and pull-air power on a somewhat consistent basis. I suspect that is what we will see him get the chance to do over the next 2-4 weeks… at which point, we will probably see either Arias OR Bazzana. Meanwhile, I would continue to give Schneemann 2-3 starts a week vs. RHP, at least until he shows signs of cooling off (as Angel Martinez has done).
I have long been a believer in Brito’s plate discipline and pull-fly ball ability. It certainly won’t be the worst or the last time I am wrong if he can’t quite reach his potential in the major leagues, but it would definitely be a tough pill to swallow for a young guy finally reaching his lifelong dream of being a big leaguer, and on a good team. We will keep rooting for you, Juan, even if the arrival of Bazzana is what’s going to drive media attention when it happens.
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks by a 4-3 final score in Game 1 of the first round on Monday. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson played a significant role in the Oilers' win, as he had a big game for the Pacific Division club.
Dickinson made a serious impact offensively for the Oilers in this one, as he scored two goals. His first goal was at the 17:21 mark of the first period, which gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead. However, his second goal was the more significant one, as it tied the game up at 3-3 at the 11:30 mark of the third period. From there, Kasperi Kapanen would score the game-winner for the Oilers at the 18:06 mark of the third.
With a multi-goal performance like this, it is clear that Dickinson came up clutch for the Oilers in Game 1. It was a great way for the former Blackhawks forward to kick off his postseason this year, and he will now be looking to stay hot for Edmonton from here.
The Blackhawks traded Dickinson and forward Colton Dach to the Oilers ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 first-round pick. In 266 games over four seasons with the Blackhawks, Dickinson had 44 goals, 50 assists, 94 points, and 408 hits. This included him setting career-highs with 22 goals and 35 points in 82 games during the 2023-24 season with Chicago.
Fort Myers, FL - February 21: Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle warms up before the game. The Red Sox played the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium on February 21, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Sonny Gray exited Monday’s game early with a hamstring injury. While the injury isn’t believed to be serious, Gray is spending at least 15 days on the injured list to recover. The Red Sox play 14 games over the next 15 games, so they’ll need someone to fill in. Gray’s turn in the rotation won’t come back around until Friday, and Tyler Samaniego will replace him for now, but they could turn to a traditional starter when the time comes. So, who should replace him?
Payton Tolle has a 3.00 ERA in three minor league starts. Tyler Uberstine is also on the 40-man roster and can provide bulk innings; he’ll come off the IL in three days. Jake Bennett has been impressive in his short stint in the organization as well. My vote would be for Tolle, but any of the three have a solid case. Lucas Giolito is a free agent as well — that could be fun, but it’s unlikely. Is there someone I’m forgetting? Let me know in the comments.
NEW YORK — So, who’s to blame for the fourth-quarter collapse of New York Knicks?
The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 12-point deficit to start the period and stunned New York, 107-106, evening the first-round playoff series at one game apiece Monday, April 20. It tied for the worst blown fourth-quarter lead in Knicks playoff history. The other game was the infamous Reggie Miller "choke" game in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
Is it OG Anunoby, who, with a chance at the line to take a one-point lead with 1:54 to play, missed both free throws?
Is it Karl-Anthony Towns, who didn’t record a single point, rebound, assist, steal or block in nearly eight fourth-quarter minutes?
Is it Jalen Brunson, who got cooked on defense down the stretch (twice) by CJ McCollum and whose shot selection in the fourth felt forced, if not potentially self-serving?
Or is it coach Mike Brown, who oversaw it all?
The reality, frankly, is that it’s some combination of all of the above. Losses like these are rarely the fault of a single person, but of an overall breakdown that’s gradual, at first, before it becomes sudden.
"In that fourth quarter, too, you could tell that they were playing with a level of desperation," Brown told reporters after the game. "There were four 50-50 balls, and they got three of the four. We always use that stat to gauge the level of aggression. And in the fourth quarter, their aggression stepped up."
But – fairly or unfairly – the blame for losses like this almost always fall on the head coach. In this case, there’s plenty to back it up.
The Knicks were outscored 28-15 in the fourth, at one point allowing an 11-0 run that finally ended with 1:21 left in the game. New York shot just 22.7% in the period and converted just five field goals, compared with Atlanta’s figures in the period: 72.2% and 13, respectively.
The curious thing about the fourth was that Brown seemingly didn’t reward Towns for a big third quarter.
In the third, Towns dropped 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and was active on the offensive glass, getting easier second-chance points. He relied on his range to hit two massive trail 3s. Yet, in the fourth, Towns was not a principal part of New York’s offensive sets or actions, and he recorded just two shot attempts.
The offense, instead, ran through Brunson, which, on one hand, makes sense. Brunson is the team’s best offensive player and elite closer. But the Hawks threw double-teams and traps at Brunson in the quarter, making his touches and shots far more contested.
New York could’ve adjusted to use Brunson almost as a decoy in pick-and-rolls, creating open space and looks for other players, especially Towns.
Granted, Towns also could’ve remained active on the glass to earn some of those offensive touches, but it’s difficult for a player to assert himself when he’s not a key piece in an action.
Another curious thing was that Brown, at one stretch (from 1:50 left in the third, through 7:56 left in the fourth) had both Brunson and Towns getting breathers on the bench. Teams often stagger their rotations so at least one of their primary scorers is on the floor at all times.
In that span, the Knicks lead went from 12 to nine, but it signaled a change in the game for Atlanta, which built momentum from that point.
"I don’t think (the game got away)," Brown said. "We’ve played that lineup quite a bit since the end of the season, and that lineup has been pretty good. We weren’t good tonight, and we turned the ball over a few too many times during that period.
"But we had opportunities where our starters were in and we were up eight to 10, and Atlanta closed it. So I wouldn’t say that specific lineup caused it."
He’s not wrong, but it’s the job of the coach to understand that a team’s drive or focus or determination has been compromised, especially late in games. It’s also the coach’s job to motivate and guide his team to correct that.
The Knicks became far too passive. They didn’t match Atlanta’s pace and intention, and Brown’s tactics seemingly never addressed that.
So, now, the Knicks may have just given a young team a ton of confidence.
"This is a game we should’ve won," forward Josh Hart told reporters after the game, "and in the playoffs you can’t give away games."
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 20: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday, April 20, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The past two weeks have been adventurous for the Yankees since their 8-2 start to the season. A lengthy losing skid obliterated their fledgling division lead, then a perplexing four-game set with the Angels showed their greatest strengths and greatest flaws in equal measure. Consequently, it was a relief to watch the Bombers dispose of the Royals in convincing fashion over the weekend to complete the homestand. That gives them a good dose of momentum ahead of the first Rivalry Series of 2026.
The Red Sox are, to the pity of nobody on this pages, struggling. They sit tied for last place in the AL East with an 9-13 record, unable to rely on either a slumping lineup or a scuffling pitching staff. They game saw their ace Garrett Crochet get hammered around for the second consecutive outing over the weekend, and hitters they’re relying on to have big seasons have not answered the call. Roman Anthony is off to a slow start. Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin have been frightful. Marcelo Mayer still hasn’t found his footing in the majors.
How-evah, as John Sterling would say, the Red Sox are still a very talented team the Yankees cannot afford to take lightly. The struggling Crochet will not appear in the series, but three strong starters—including one who always seems to elevate his game against New York—will take the home hill at Fenway Park.
Tuesday: Luis Gil vs. Connelly Early (6:45 pm ET)
This is a bit of a rough draw for the opener. Luis Gil has not looked great through his first two starts—he at least made it through five innings last time, but has allowed seven runs across nine frames. Gil has issued five walks and surrendered four homers, including three against the Angels in an eventual come-from-behind win. It remains to be seen if Gil can reattain his Rookie of the Year vintage, but if he can handle a sleepy Red Sox offense, maybe that can spark a turnaround.
Connelly Early opposed Cam Schlittler in his unforgettable Wild Card Game 3 performance, and was matching Schlittler’s dominance until losing his footing in the fourth inning. And hey, it’s still early, but the 24-year old lefty is looking good. Through four starts he has a 2.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts counterbalancing 10 walks. For what it’s worth, the Yankees feasted on Royals southpaws over the weekend, dispatching both Noah Cameron and Cole Ragans with ease. Will Early be another victim of a suddenly hot New York lineup?
Wednesday: Max Fried vs. Ranger Suárez (6:45 pm ET)
Speaking of left-handed pitching, we have a doozy in the middle game (airing on Prime Video) between two very good lefty starters. Max Fried had a substandard performance against the Angels last time, with Oswald Peraza of all people beating him twice. But he still has a 2.97 ERA through his first five starts and has been particularly strong on the road. Fried pitched great against Boston last year, including a strong Wild Card performance and six scoreless innings in a game at the Stadium in which he had an interesting encounter with a squirrel.
Ranger Suárez was the Red Sox’ big signing to make up for Alex Bregman’s departure to the Cubs. His first four turns through the rotation have been the definition of a mixed bag—two clunkers against Houston and San Diego followed by a pair of scoreless outings against the Cardinals and Tigers. That last game was an eight-inning two-hit masterpiece—Boston ultimately won that game 1-0 in 10 innings. Suárez is at his best when he keeps opposing lineups on the ground; he grabbed 10 of them in that start.
Thursday: Cam Schlittler vs. Brayan Bello (6:10 pm ET)
Schlittler is due to receive a positively venomous reception from the Boston crowd thanks to that aforementioned utter domination of the Sox to eliminate them in the Wild Card Series. It’s hard to believe the Walpole native will be pitching at Fenway Park for the first time—Schlittler’s meteoric rise has come that quickly. He and fellow Massachusetts native Ben Rice are quickly turning New England against them, and that suits Schlittler just fine.
Brayan Bello, of course, is a Yankee-killer. He’s never really been an exceptional starting pitcher, but he routinely elevates his game against the Bombers. Given his 6.75 ERA through four starts, he’s certainly hoping that trendline can continue. Bello threw over 30 pitches in a rocky first inning and exited after four innings with four runs allowed—so the key to the Yankees will be to get after him early.
Apr 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cameron Foster (65) celebrates with catcher Samuel Basallo (29) after the win over the Kansas City Royals in the twelfth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
You know, over the course of a six-month season, you’ll see every kind of baseball game. Sometimes you’ll see a heavyweight clash between two tenacious clubs, battling with every fiber of their being as they put on a clinic of intense, well-played baseball.
And then other times you’ll see what can only be described as a frenetic slap fight between two mediocre opponents, each apparently trying to give the game away but neither one willing to take it.
You can probably guess which of these descriptions applies to last night’s ridiculous Orioles vs. Royals contest. Somehow, some way, the O’s ended up with a 7-5, 12-inning win in a game that they trailed 1-0 with two outs in the ninth. For 8.2 innings, it was shaping up to be one of the Birds’ most embarrassing losses, one in which they managed a single hit — from the second batter of the game, no less — before the O’s offense vanished for eight innings. Gunnar Henderson got picked off twice. Kyle Bradish allowed 13 baserunners in 5.1 innings to a terrible Royals offense and somehow only one run, owing to the aforementioned terrible Royals offense.
In the end, Samuel Basallo saved the day with the game-tying, two-out, two-strike hit in the ninth and the go-ahead RBI single in the 12th, and Leody Taveras added the cherry on top with his first career grand slam. And still the Orioles almost blew a five-run lead in the bottom of the 12th. That was the game in a nutshell. An O’s victory both thrilling and maddening, equal parts exciting and exasperating. Against any other team it probably wouldn’t have been a win, but the Orioles took full advantage of the worst team in the AL. Mark Brown recapped all the ridiculous action.
I’m not going to go so far as to say that this is a win that will give the Orioles some momentum, because all of their season-long warts were on full display for most of it. Their problems aren’t exactly fixed. Still, it was nice to see Basallo’s bat start to come around and unexpected 2026 stalwarts like Taveras, Rico Garcia, and Anthony Nunez continue to contribute. The O’s need their star players to return to form, but in the meantime they’ve had lesser-known players keeping them afloat so far.
What the Orioles did last night sure wasn’t the way you’d script it, and it’s not a sustainable way to win. But let’s take the victories now and sort the rest out later.
A bunch of injured Orioles appear close to returning, but we probably won’t see Yaramil Hiraldo again this season. My apologies to all the Yaramil Hiraldo stans out there.
What he said. Jeremiah has been a great story for a 2026 Orioles team sorely lacking in them.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy birthday to an Orioles Hall of Famer and the 1973 AL Rookie of the Year, Al Bumbry. “The Bee” spent 13 of his 14 MLB seasons in Baltimore, racking up 252 stolen bases, third-most in O’s history. Enjoy your day, Al! Other former Orioles born on April 21 include lefty Cionel Pérez (30), infielder Ryan Adams (39), catcher Ronny Paulino (45), and MLB’s all-time leader in games pitched, Jesse Orosco (69), who made 336 of his 1,252 career appearances as an Oriole.
On this day in 1996, Brady Anderson set an MLB record by hitting a leadoff homer for the fourth consecutive game. He accomplished the feat in all three games of a series against the Rangers and a game in Boston before that. The kicker? The Orioles lost all four games.
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 21, 2005, the Orioles suffered a 1-0 shutout loss to the Red Sox at Camden Yards. The game’s only run came in the second inning on a Ramón Vázquez RBI groundout that plated future Oriole Kevin Millar. Birds starter Rodrigo López pitched brilliantly, going eight innings while allowing only that one (unearned) run, but the O’s offense had no answer for Red Sox righty Matt Clement, who worked eight scoreless of his own before Keith Foulke nailed down the save in the ninth. The O’s had eight hits in the game, including three by Melvin Mora, but couldn’t get any when it mattered.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 20: Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers protects the net against Anthony Mantha #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 20, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Penguins are in trouble.
They’re heading to Philadelphia this week down two games in their first-round series and, barring some immediate changes, could be staring down a 3-0 hole by Wednesday night.
Dan Muse and the Penguins have a few changes available to them before Wednesday, including some potential personnel changes. Here’s some possibilities:
1.Shake up the power play units.
The Penguins got five power play opportunities on Monday night. On those five tries they recorded a total of two shots and allowed a shorthanded goal.
“There were just a few adjustments,” coach Rick Tocchet said about his team’s penalty kill after the game (h/t OnPattison.com’s Anthony SanFilippo). “We’re a little more aggressive. A little more pressure.”
That pressure showed. The Penguins couldn’t connect on passes, keep the puck in at the blue line or prevent breakaways. Shuffling personnel, maybe including bumping someone like Anthony Mantha up to the first unit, could help the Pens find a more shot-happy combination.
2. Swap the Chinakhov and Rakelllines.
The Penguins went into both of these first two games of the series with Egor Chinakhov on Sidney Crosby’s line, while Rickard Rakell centered Evgeni Malkin.
They haven’t had a lot of success at even strength with that top six, and Muse ended up swapping Chinakhov and Rakell back to Malkin and Crosby’s lines, respectively, during Monday’s second period.
Muse declined to make any conclusions about that mid-game swap after the loss, saying the Penguins didn’t get enough sustained looks at even strength for him to make an evaluation.
“I’m not in a position right now to really make any decisions in terms of lineup for next game,” Muse said after the loss. “That’s something— we’ll look at film, we’ll speak as a staff. We’ll make those decisions later.”
The Chinakhov-Malkin and Rakell-Crosby combos worked well down the stretch of the regular season. Given how much the Penguins have struggled to put together any offense through two playoff games, those combos could be worth trying again.
3. Dress Justin Brazeau.
Few of the forwards have been standouts through two games. The Penguins could try scratching a bottom-six forward and shuffling Brazeau into the lineup to see if he is able to find any more success.
4. Dress Jack St. Ivany.
The Ryan Shea-Connor Clifton pairing was on the ice for nine Penguins shot attempts and 10 shot attempts against on Monday night, by far the worst ratio among the defense pairings, per MoneyPuck. St. Ivany has experience skating alongside Shea from earlier this season and could be an option if the Penguins decide to swap out Clifton.
5. Figure out zone entries.
The Flyers have the Penguins’ number in terms of how Muse’s team usually likes to bring the puck into the zone. Even on the power play the Penguins regularly relied on wrapping the puck along the boards on Monday night, often at the cost of an immediate Flyers clear.
The Pens will need to figure out how to make their usual controlled breakouts work against Tocchet’s aggressive defensive system in order to get some more offensive momentum in Game 3.
Penguins went HEAVY on dump-and-chase at 5-on-5 in the first period, per my tracking:
The Penguins aren’t practicing tomorrow. Maybe they’ll have the opportunity to watch some tape, and hopefully make some adjustments, before Wednesday’s 7 p.m. ET puck drop.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - APRIL 19: David Pastrnak #88 talks with Jonathan Aspirot #45 of the Boston Bruins before a faceoff during the second period in Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on April 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joe Hrycych/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tage Thompson: 2G-1A-3PTS; Alex Tuch: 1G-1A-2PTS; Mattias Samuelsson: 1G-0A-1PT
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 1-0-0, 3.01 GAA, .850 save percentage
Game notes
After a calamitous five-minute stretch saw them lose control of Game 1, the Bruins will be looking to bounce back with a more solid all-around effort in Game 2. 60 minutes of good play instead of 52, or something like that.
Marco Sturm has called on his group to regroup and recharge after Game 1, saying that his team is ready for a long series. He also got philosophical, according to NHL.com, saying “yesterday was yesterday, today is today. It’s actually sunny here in Buffalo.” Valid points, Marco.
Performance at the face-off dot was supposed to be a strength for the Bruins in this series: they had the fourth-best team winning percentage in the league during the regular season, while Buffalo was the worst face-off team in the NHL. In Game 1, however, the teams were just about even: the Bruins won 32 face-offs, while the Sabres won 31.
Sturm didn’t mention any lineup changes in his media availability on Monday, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have any up his sleeve. It seems a little early to be bringing in a new body on defense or up front, but he may have to consider some line-juggling if the second line struggles again tonight.
The Bruins can make things significantly easier on themselves if they take care of the puck better, particularly below their own goal line. While Buffalo certainly deserves credit for seizing their opportunities (and forcing those turnovers), the Bruins’ own carelessness with the puck led directly to Buffalo’s three non-empty-net goals in Game 1.
The B’s will also need to adjust to Buffalo’s tenacious forecheck, which seemed to wear the Bruins defensemen down as the game progressed. After dealing with it for 60 minutes, the Bruins will need to be better equipped to handle the pressure or this will be a short series.
While shots on net aren’t everything, it’s worth pointing out that the Bruins failed to land double-digit shots on net in any period on Sunday: they went 9-4-7 across the three periods, with that second period particularly woeful.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Victor Wembanyama #1 of Team World smiles during the NBA All Star Media Day as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Monday evening, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year was announced, the first of many NBA honors beiong revealed this week. Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is the first unanimous recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is also the youngest.
This is his third NBA season and his third season to be the blocks leader.
Wemby was sitting with his mother as well as members of the Spurs coaching staff when Maria Taylor, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony of Peacock notifies the Spurs superstar of his first major career award.
Wembanyama continue to show poise and grace as he expressed how the award reaches beyond one man.
At each point in his career, Wemby has been thoughtful in his answers and careful to share credit with those that are involved with his day to day training and health.
His gratitude was so moving that Carmelo commented how his upbringing has taught him well, crediting his parents, and specifically his dad, for how well Victor handles himself with the media.
The Peacock team was in San Antonio for a nationally televised San Antonio game and had an opportunity to meet Wemby’s parents.
The announcement for Clutch Player of the Year is next, followed by Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday. The Sixth Man involves another member of the Spurs, Keldon Johnson.
Thursday reveals the NBA Sportsman Award, for which Harrison Barnes is a finalist.
Closing out the week on Friday is the NBA Most Improved Player.
Three Spurs could soon be hoisting individual honors.
Go Spurs Go!
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