Schenn, acquired at the trade deadline, scored the tying goal in the second period after U.S. Olympic gold medal-winner Matthew Tkachuk put Florida up 2-0 through 14 minutes. Fourth-liner Marc Gatcomb started the comeback and later assisted on Casey Cizikas’ goal that made it 5-2.
Schaefer with a pair of assists matched Stefan Persson from 1977-78 at 56 points. His next goal will tie Schaefer with Brian Leetch for the most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
Ilya Sorokin allowed only the two goals from Tkachuk and stopped the other 17 shots he faced. Swedes Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders, who have won two in a row since losing three of their previous four.
BENGALURU, India (AP) — Star batter Virat Kohli hit 69 not out off 38 balls, including five sixes and five fours, as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the Indian Premier League season-opener on Saturday.
Devdutt Padikkal smashed a 26-ball 61, with four sixes and seven fours, as Bengaluru raced to 203-4 in 15.4 overs with 26 deliveries to spare.
Earlier, New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy picked up 3-22 in four overs on his IPL debut as Hyderabad finished with 201-9 in 20 overs. Stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan hit 80 off 38 balls, including five sixes, with Aniket Verma adding an 18-ball 43.
Chasing a par score at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru lost Phil Salt cheaply – out caught for eight.
But impact substitute Padikkal lived up to his role as he raced to 50 off 21 balls. He put on 101 runs off 45 deliveries with Kohli as Bengaluru set a hectic pace in its chase – 76-1 in powerplay and 100 off just 8.1 overs.
Padikkal was caught in the 9th over, but skipper Rajat Patidar didn’t let the momentum slip. He smashed 31 off 12 balls and put on 53 off 22 with Kohli for the third wicket.
Sunrisers’ impact player David Payne struck twice in the 13th over – Patidar and Jitesh Sharma (0) were caught off consecutive deliveries.
But Kohli paced the chase well and Bengaluru was never in serious trouble.
Kohli brought up his 64th IPL half-century off 33 balls to the delight of a packed home ground and then raced to the finish, hitting 18 off Harshal Patel’s four deliveries in the 16th over.
Tim David hit 16 not out off 10 balls, sharing a 40-run unbeaten stand with Kohli off 19 balls.
Hyderabad struggles
Put into bat, Hyderabad’s top order struggled against Duffy’s disciplined bowling. Big hitting openers Abhishek Sharma (7) and Travis Head (11) fell cheaply, while Nitish Reddy was out caught for 1.
Hyderabad was 29-3 in 4.2 overs, when Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen came to the rescue with 97 off 53 for the fourth wicket.
Kishan continued his T20 World Cup form to rescue his side, hitting five sixes and eight fours in his 27-ball 50.
Klaasen made 31 off 22, and looked good for more. He was adjudged caught at midwicket off Romario Shepherd. Phil Salt’s catch was reviewed by the third umpire and Klaasen was not pleased with the decision.
Salt pulled another one-handed stunner at the deep point fence – already a contender for catch of the season – as he dived to the right to dismiss Kishan in the 16th over.
With Hyderabad running out of batting, Aniket Verma (43) smacked four sixes and three fours in 18 balls to take his side past the 200 mark.
But it never looked enough against a raging Bengaluru batting side.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 25: The sneakers worn by Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Boston Celtics on March 25, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Dylan Garand may be auditioning to be the New York Rangers’ backup goaltender for the 2026-27 season.
With Jonathan Quick banged up with an upper-body injury, the Rangers called up Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League last week.
Despite previously being called up on a couple of occasions, Garand hadn’t played in an NHL game.
With the Rangers well out of the playoff picture, the team was more inclined to give Garand a look, and he has run with his opportunity.
In two games, Garand has posted a 1.44 goals against average and a .954 save percentage, while earning his first NHL win on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“I thought he looked really solid in there, and that's the second game in a row I felt that way so,” Mike Sullivan said of Garand. “It's two really good starts for him and I'm happy for him because I know how hard he's worked to get to this point. It's great for our team, it's great for our organization... The feeling I've gotten behind the bench in the two starts that he's had is that he's completely in control and he has good composure in there.”
Going into next season, it’s unclear if Jonathan Quick will retire, and even if he does return to play another year at 40 years old going on 41 years old, it remains to be seen if the Rangers are open to re-signing the pending unrestricted free agent.
Quick is having what many deem to be a down year, recording a 5-16-2 record, 3.18 goals against average, and .889 save percentage. Through the 13-game stretch Igor Shesterkin missed due to a lower-body injury from January to February, Quick, who took over the starting role, held a 1-8 record and .853 save percentage.
Given some of Quick’s struggles this season and his durability concerns at his age, it is not far-fetched to assume that Garand could take over the backup role under Igor Shesterkin moving into the future.
“I’m not really thinking about that too much,” Garand said. “I’m just trying to live in the present moment, and any opportunity I get try to go in there and give the guys a chance to win and do my job. I’m having a lot of fun right now.”
Mike Sullivan confirmed on Saturday that Quick still isn’t cleared to return to game action, but even when he is, the Rangers don’t appear to be in a rush to send Garand back down to the AHL.
Has the 23-year-old goaltender earned more NHL starts to close out the 2025-26 campaign?
“That would probably be a fair statement just based on his performance to this point,” Sullivan emphasized. “As this moves forward, when eventually we get a healthy Quickie back, I think [Chris Drury] and I will sit and probably have a conversation around it.”
It would be wise for Sullivan and the Rangers to keep Garand around for the remainder of the season to see what they have in the young goalie.
The best way to analyze if Garand is capable of taking over the backup role is to throw him into more NHL games, and with the Rangers already eliminated from playoff contention, there’s no reason not to allow Garand to showcase his skills at this level.
“We’ve put him in two games so far. I will sit and talk with Dru (Drury) about a game plan moving forward,” Sullivan said. “Right now, we've got two healthy goalies that we're going to utilize, Dylan's part of it.
“I think he’s played extremely well in the two games that he’s played, which is real encouraging from our standpoint. He's a good young goalie. As far as what happens moving forward, I think that's going to evolve in time, and we'll talk through that as we go.”
The Florida Panthers kicked off a quick weekend back-to-back with a matchup against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon.
Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead but were overwhelmed by a motivated Islanders squad still fighting for a playoff spot, losing 5-2 at UBS Arena.
In what has seemed like a regular occurrence lately, Matthew Tkachuk was sprung on another breakaway, this one coming during the first half of the first period.
A Seth Jones clearing attempt after the Islanders were trying to set up shop in Florida’s zone found Tkachuk all alone in the neutral zone.
Tkachuk made a great move to his backhand before sending the puck over Ilya Sorokin’s glove and into the top of the net, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 8:06 mark.
He wasn’t done there.
About six minutes later, Tkachuk drove with the puck through New York’s zone and toward Sorokin.
Just as he passed the top of the crease, Tkachuk put his stick between his legs and somehow shot the puck past Sorokin to give Florida a 2-0 lead.
The Islanders picked up their first goal of the game about five minutes into the second period when a shot by Marc Gatcomb deflected off the blade of Donovan Sebrango and past a frozen Daniil Tarasov.
New York then tied the game with just under eight minutes left in the middle frame when Brayden Schenn was sprung on a breakaway from the blue line in, beating Tarasov glove side to knot the score at two.
Just about three minutes after that, an Islanders power play goal by Simon Holmstrom give the home team their first lead of the afternoon. His long point shot found its way past a screened Tarasov with 5:08 remaining in the period.
They weren’t done there.
Moments after Mackie Samoskevich was stopped on a breakaway by Sorokin, Emil Heineman one-timed a nice pass by Anders Lee past Tarasov, doubling the Islanders’ lead with exactly three minutes on the clock.
Less than a minute later, Casey Cizikas found a loose puck in the Panthers crease after a Tarasov glove save and popped it over the sprawling goaltender, and just like that It was 5-2 Islanders.
The two teams meandered through a scoreless third period that saw Florida pull Tarasov with over five minutes to go and hit a couple goal posts while trying to shrink their deficit.
Photo caption: Mar 28, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) during the second period at UBS Arena. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Coach Dan Muse says both players are “day to day” with injuries and will sit out Saturday's game against Dallas.
Crosby sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of a 4-3 shootout victory in Ottawa on Thursday. The 38-year-old Crosby missed about a month recently after suffering a lower-body injury while playing for Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Malkin will miss a third straight contest while dealing with an upper-body injury that came to light following a loss to Carolina on March 22.
Pittsburgh entered Saturday in second place in the Metropolitan Division standings with a narrow one-point lead over both Columbus and the New York Islanders with 10 games remaining.
The injuries come during a very busy stretch for the Penguins, who play at the Islanders on Monday, then host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Pittsburgh is trying to return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 09: Jaren Jackson Jr. #20 of the Utah Jazz reacts against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center on February 09, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Tomas Diniz Santos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a close one in this latest Utah Jazz Reacts survey results. The Utah Jazz are going to be very good next year, and I was curious who Jazz fans think will be the most important player. These results don’t include the potential results of the upcoming NBA lottery and draft, and that may change thinking come May, but they do involve the five core players of the Jazz right now: Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler. Here’s what Jazz fans said:
By one percentage point, Lauri Markkanen takes the lead as the most important Jazz player going into next season. Probably not surprising, as he’s the most well-known Jazz player. We’ll see how important Markkanen is next season as the Jazz play for wins and a chance at a championship. If Markkanen is your most important player, does that make for a championship team? We’ll find out.
Feb 19, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher David Peterson (23) poses for a photo during media day at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS Juan Soto – LF Bo Bichette – 3B Jorge Polanco – 1B Luis Robert – CF Brett Baty – DH Marcus Semien – 2B Carson Benge – RF Francisco Alvarez – C
David Peterson – LHP
Pirates lineup
Jared Triolo – SS Ryan O’Hearn – 1B Bryan Reynolds – LF Marcell Ozuna – DH Nick Gonzales – 3B Brandon Lowe – 2B Nick Yorke – RF Joey Bart – C Jake Mangum – CF
Mitch Keller – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 4:10 EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 28: Michael Lorenzen #24 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday, February 28, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Zach Gardner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a disappointing 2-1 loss on Opening Day, the Colorado Rockies will look to even the series against the Miami Marlins. However, one bright note was first baseman TJ Rumfield. Rumfield made his MLB Debut last night, and is the only member of the Opening Day roster with true rookie status. He also became the 10th Rockie to make their MLB debut on Opening Day and the fifth to start the game — the last to do so was shortstop Trevor Story in 2016. Rumfield also hit a broken-bat single in the ninth inning, becoming the 60th Rockie to record a hit in the first MLB game (last: Kyle Karros on Aug. 8, 2025).
Michael Lorenzen will make his Rockies debut after joining the team on a one-year, $8 million contract in the offseason. The right-hander boasted about his desire to join the Rockies and work towards solving the problem of pitching at altitude. Spring training saw Lorenzen make four starts where he went 0-1 with a 10.97 ERA. However, he also pitched for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Most notably, Lorenzen had a stellar outing against Team USA in the last game of Pool Play where the Italians won 8-6 after going up early but allowing the US to claw its way back. Lorenzen has faced the Marlins 17 times (six starts) and owns a 4-2 record with a 2.33 ERA. In loanDepot Park, he is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA.
Lorenzen will face Marlins’ right-hander Eury Pérez. Pérez was signed by the Marlins out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 and made his MLB debut in 2023. However, he missed all of 2024 due to elbow inflammation that eventually led to Tommy John surgery. He returned in June 2025 and ended up pitching 20 games for the Fish, going 7-6 with a 4.25 ERA over 95.1 innings. Pérez has faced the Rockies twice in his young career, both times at Coors Field, going 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA.
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 27: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles 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 Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the New York Mets at Citi Field looking to grab a win and raise the Jolly Roger.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers aim for a season-opening three-game sweep of their NL West counterpart, the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the series finale on Saturday night.
Eduardo Rodriguez is slated to start for the visitors, and my Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks foresee him doing his part in avoiding the sweep on Saturday, March 28.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers predictions
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers best bet: Eduardo Rodriguez Over 3.5 strikeouts (+124)
The veteran southpaw isn’t known for his punchout prowess, but he’s had strikeout success against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Across a sample size of 131 at-bats vs. L.A.’s projected hitters, he’s racked up a respectable 26% K-rate.
Rodriguez tossed 4+ strikeouts in 20 of his 29 starts last year, and was in fine form during the World Baseball Classic, throwing four scoreless against Team USA. Expect a successful start to the season for him.
COVERS INTEL: Arizona didn’t get much length from either Zac Gallen or Ryne Nelson, so Rodriguez may have a slightly longer leash than normal.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers same-game parlay (SGP)
How about a pitcher’s delight?
Tyler Glasnow may be primed for a career year — if he can finally stay healthy — and looked dominant in his last outing, striking out 11 Angels in an exhibition start.
The towering righty has maintained a K rate above 29% each of the last eight seasons and gets a favorable matchup against an Arizona lineup that has failed to launch, posting a 77 wRC+ and 29.4% K rate in games one and two.
L.A. has its best bullpen in years, which will lead to more low-scoring games in 2026 now that it provides an adequate pairing with the strong rotation.
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers SGP
Eduardo Rodriguez Over 3.5 strikeouts
Tyler Glasnow Over 6.5 strikeouts
Dodgers moneyline
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers home run pick: Teoscar Hernandez (+400)
Teoscar Hernandez has been quiet to start the year. That could change in game three, given that he’s had success against Rodriguez in the past, batting 10-for-26 with three home runs and a 1.293 OPS.
The outfielder is posting strong underlying numbers early (.348 xBA and a 74th percentile bat speed). He’s mashed lefties in his career (136 wRC+), which will play against Rodriguez, who surrendered 1.57 HR/9 to right-handed bats in 2025.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 1-0, +1.45 units
SGPs: 1-0, +3.26 units
HR picks: 0-1, -1 units
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Arizona +200 | Los Angeles -240
Run line: Arizona +1.5 | Los Angeles -1.5
Over/Under: Over 9 | Under 9
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers trend
Eduardo Rodriguez has gone Over 3.5 strikeouts in 23 of his last 33 outings. Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Diamondbacks vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Saturday, March 28, 2026
First pitch
9:10 p.m. ET
TV
Dbacks TV, SportsNet LA
Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Eduardo Rodriguez (2025: 9-9, 5.02 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Tyler Glasnow (2025: 4-3, 3.19 ERA)
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers latest injuries
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 26: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the national anthem on Opening Day between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park on March 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers @ Philadelphia Phillies
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 3:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / RSN, Victory+)
A lot has changed since 1996 – summer matches, bigger crowds, more foreign players, a salary cap, skin-tight jerseys and female referees – but some things always stay the same
The first season of Super League kicked off on 29 March 1996, when 17,873 people watched Paris Saint-Germain beat Sheffield Eagles 30–24 at Stade Charléty. The opening fixture might sound outlandish 30 years later, but the first season of the competition set the tone for the next decade.
St Helens ended Wigan’s run of seven successive titles and Bradford showed what was to come by finishing third. The three clubs would dominate the opening era of the new competition before Leeds finally fulfilled their potential. Leeds RLFC (rhinos were still something you only saw at the zoo) finished 10th in the inaugural season, winning just six of their 22 games. Hull KR were scrambling off the canvas, romping to the third-tier title, while Hull FC finished third in the second tier behind Salford and Keighley.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres fans had the wool pulled over their eyes last night by the Detroit Tigers as the Friars lost their thin 2-1 lead late into the night.
The Friar Faithful believed they were close to the first win of the season and tasted victory before an eighth-inning Tigers rally snatched it away.
Michael King looked vintage, pitching five scoreless innings of one-hit ball (in large part to Jackson Merrill’s miraculous home run robbery).
Beyond that, the Padres got to Detroit starter Framber Valdez just enough to give a cushion typically good enough for the bullpen to keep. But Jeremiah Estrada’s eighth-inning meltdown forfeited San Diego’s chances.
Today, the Padres hope to hold off the Tigers from sweeping them this Opening Week. The Friars need to get their first win out of the way. Until they do, it’ll be hard to feel good about any minor success the club has without the wins to back it up.
Taking the mound
Jack Flaherty (DET) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
With Flaherty hoping to rebound from a rough 2025 before he goes into free agency at the end of this year, the onus will be on him against Vásquez.
After having a career-year in ‘25, Vásquez is looking to build on his resumé for San Diego. He will get a chance to do that today after having a rough outing the last time he faced Detroit (six runs over two-plus innings).
San Diego got a fantastic start from King yesterday but somehow managed to lose the game late. The Padres won’t need an incredible start from Vásquez given the Friars’ previous success against Flaherty.
Batter up!
With the Padres’ first game against a right-handed pitcher, the starters will look more like last year’s.
The lineup will likely look similar to yesterday’s, with only a few minor tweaks:
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Ramón Laureano, LF
Nick Castellanos, DH
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Freddy Fermin, C
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Even though Tatis has been the leadoff hitter for the first two games, it’s possible manager Craig Stammen returns to his lineup from earlier this spring, with Bogaerts in the leadoff spot and Tatis batting cleanup. Though that’s unlikely to be the case against right-handed pitchers even though Bogaerts has been wrecking Tigers pitching thus far.
The assumption would be that Castellanos will be benched in favor of ‘25 breakout Gavin Sheets. But Castellanos owns a career .375 batting average and a 1.069 OPS against Flaherty (16 at-bats) so he’ll likely slide to DH over Miguel Andujar, with Sheets starting at the cold corner.
Relief corps
With Adrian Morejon going two full innings yesterday, it’s safe to say he’s out for tonight’s finale against the Tigers. Estrada is in a similar position after blowing the game wide open for Detroit with back-to-back-to-back walks to load the bases.
David Morgan has pitched two innings in as many games, so he’ll probably be kept in the bullpen. Alongside him is Wandy Peralta who has gone one and a third in the same time frame.
With that in mind, Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, and Bradgley Rodriguez are all available to pitch. Closer Mason Miller has yet to be used after the Padres have failed to attain a lead in the ninth. Hopefully tonight will mark his 2026 debut in San Diego.
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 26: Tyler O'Neill #9 of the Baltimore Orioles bobbles a fly ball in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 3:05 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV / FS1 Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Each of the last few seasons, that pesky day off right after the season opener has felt particularly sting-worthy. In 2023 and 2025, it delayed Minnesota’s early-season chances to prove that the bad breaks of last season were a thing of the past — that this iteration of the Twins was ready to get back on the horse, and that a late-season collapse did not define the fresh new version of the team. In 2024, it put a temporary pause on the momentum of 2023, and left room for another day of morbid speculation as to what effect “right-sizing” was going to have on the season ahead.
But in 2026, an early day off feels less like a tease and more like a delay of the inevitable. In their opening salvo, the Twins stamped all the squares on their 2026 bingo card: a great start from Joe Ryan, a loss credited to leaky relief and bad defense, an outright failure to hit with runners in scoring position, and a run-scoring opportunity created single-handedly by Byron Buxton, maybe the only good player in the lineup. It was a loss so emblematic of the gloomy forecast, Dan Hayes’ recap was mostly about how Joe Ryan is probably going to be gone soon.
Now that we’ve had about 48 hours to feel sorry for the state of things, it’s time to get back to the grind. After all, as predictable as the Opening Day loss felt, there’s 161 games left this season, and a whole weekend worth of series left for Minnesota to try and win. In their attempt to do so, they’ll send out this year’s #2 starter, Mr. Taj Bradley.
Along with Abel, the 25-year-old Bradley is one of two key cogs in the starting rotation delivered by last season’s trade deadline from beyond the grave. Shipped by the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Griffin Jax, straight-up, Bradley got six games under his belt as a Twin in 2025, walking a few too many hitters and giving up a few too many runs (6.61 ERA in 31.1 IP, with six homers allowed.)
Armed with a couple different fastball looks, a splitter/curve mix, and an occasional sinker, Bradley is hoping to live up to his stock as a fifth-round draft pick after putting up two and a half relatively uninspiring seasons in Florida. With the exception of a 2024 in which he managed a 97 ERA+ and a career-low 3.1 BB/9, Bradley’s other big-league stints have been marked by ballooning earned run averages and dwindling ERA+ marks. (Some even say that those go hand-in-hand.)
What Bradley has going for him is his age, a change of scenery, and a former top-50 prospect ranking. There has always been potential with Bradley, and there may yet be a well to be tapped, but any player within the Rays organization who fails to see their potential extracted — and particularly a pitcher — there remains cause for concern that another team can do the same. The counterargument would be that the Twins did just that with Joe Ryan, another Tampa Bay prospect, although the optics of trading a minor-league Ryan for Nelson Cruz are admittedly shinier when compared to the optics of TB’s front office giving up on Bradley after over 350 big-league innings.
Both Bradley and Abel, who we’ll see again next week, will presumably get long leashes throughout a major figure-it-out year for the entire roster. If both can perform, the perception of the team is somewhat transformed. If either struggle, it may take us back to the Chris Archer/Dylan Bundy days of rotational depth.
COVERS INTEL: Arizona didn’t get much length from either Zac Gallen or Ryne Nelson, so Rodriguez may have a slightly longer leash than normal.
