Category: Sports News

BALTIMORE — With a big bruise on the right side of his face and several fractures, Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was back at the ballpark a day after being hit by a foul ball in the dugout.

“I can’t blow my nose for six weeks, because one of the fractures is kind of like where my orbital bone is,” he said before a 4-3 loss to Arizona. “If I blow my nose, it’s going to go up into my eye.”

Albernaz said he has more than a half-dozen fractures in his cheek area and a broken jaw, but he was relieved to avoid surgery and said he doesn’t need his jaw wired. Albernaz joked that he might grab a Ravens helmet from his desk to wear in the dugout.

Albernaz, in his first season as Baltimore’s manager, was in the part of the dugout closest to the on-deck circle when Jeremiah Jackson’s foul ball struck him in the fifth inning Monday night. He returned to the dugout an inning later when Jackson hit a grand slam, but he ultimately ended up listening to the game on the radio en route to a hospital, where he says he remained until about midnight.

“I was trying to get back out there after my concussion protocol was fine, but they wanted me to get a CT scan,” Albernaz said. “I was trying to get it after the game, but obviously the medical team has better judgment than I do.”

He was back in the dugout Tuesday, but the healing process could take time.

“Six weeks of soft foods,” Albernaz said. “Can’t do anything strenuous.”

Including argue with umpires?

“Medically speaking, yeah I probably shouldn’t,” he said. “I think everything gets thrown out the window when that first pitch happens.”

The Orioles also announced that infielder Jackson Holliday was recalled from his rehab assignment because of mild right wrist soreness. The team said that’s not uncommon following hamate surgery. He will be shut down for a few days.

Albernaz has been loath to give timelines on players returning from injury so as not to create added pressure.

“I said I don’t believe in timelines, and this is a perfect example of that. It all depends on the player,” he said. “It’s great to see Jackson being communicative and open at every turn.”

LOS ANGELES — The New York Mets’ bats have all but gone silent during a seven-game losing streak. With their best hitter Juan Soto sidelined, the rest of the lineup is pressing to generate offense.

The latest setback was a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve been outscored 36-10 during their skid and are mired in the NL East cellar at 7-11.

Soto is nursing a calf injury and isn’t expected back for another two to three weeks.

Francisco Lindor raised his batting average 18 points to .194 with a leadoff home run — his first RBI of the season — against World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It snapped the team’s streak of 20 scoreless innings and helped the Mets avoid three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1992.

But Yamamoto promptly set down the next 20 batters in a row.

New York’s only other hits were a double by Bo Bichette in the seventh and singles by Carson Benge and Lindor in the eighth.

Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Mets got overly aggressive at the plate and Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia struck out the side to end the game.

“We chase and it’s hard to score in situations like that,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You really have to force those guys to come in the strike zone and right now we’re not doing that, especially at the end of the game.”

The Mets are hitting .178 during the skid, including .083 with runners in scoring position (2 for 24). They are averaging 1.43 runs per game with just eight extra-base hits.

“You’re down one run and you’re basically trying to hit one out of the ballpark and that’s when the chase comes,” Mendoza said. “If you continue to swing at pitches out of the strike zone, they’re going to continue to do that, so we have to make adjustments.”

The Mets struck out 11 times, their fourth straight game with double-digit strikeouts. Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos had two strikeouts each.

“It’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself,” Mendoza said. “You got to go back to your fundamentals, you got to go back to what got you to this level, understanding that you are a great hitter.”

If not, he said, the offensive struggles can spiral.

“I know it’s tough right now, but the last thing you could do is just panic and try to do too much,” Mendoza said.

The lone bright spot for the Mets was rookie Nolan McLean. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up one run and two hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

“He pretty much dominated one of the best lineups,” Mendoza said. “It sucks losing when you get that type of outing.”

McLean has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his first 12 major league games.

“It was fun to watch McLean pitch,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Man, he’s special.”

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is leaving open the possibility he could at least temporarily consider other closing options due to Trevor Megill’s early-season struggles.

Megill, an All-Star last season, was booed by the American Family Field crowd while allowing three runs in the ninth inning of a 9-7, 10-innng loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The outing left Megill with a 14.40 earned run average.

“I’m definitely way better than that,” Megill said. “Pitches can be a lot better. Pitch execution can be a lot better. A lot of things can be better.”

Murphy said afterward he may consider using someone else in the ninth inning, but noted that he didn’t want to decide that issue immediately after such an emotional loss.

He also emphasized Megill shouldn’t be getting booed, particularly after the way the veteran right-hander performed last year. Megill came back from a late-season arm injury and earned the save in Milwaukee’s Game 5 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series.

“These aren’t machines out there,” Murphy said. “These are people. I thought that was in poor taste, but I’ve done things in poor taste, too.”

Megill has given up eight earned runs through five innings this season. Last year, he didn’t allow his eighth earned run until mid-June.

“Is he throwing the ball well? No,” Murphy said. “Is he giving up hard contact? Yes. Do they swing at it like they know it’s coming? Yes. But did the guy save 30 games for us last year. I think he did. My heart goes out to him right now. It bleeds for him. He’s feeling it.”

Megill entered the game with a 4-3 lead, but he opened the ninth by walking Eloy Jiménez and allowing a ground-rule double to Davis Schneider. Both runners eventually scored. Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement had RBI singles off Megill.

The bullpen’s inability to protect a lead caused Milwaukee to lose its sixth straight, which represents its longest skid since 2023. The Brewers wasted a gutsy performance from Jacob Misiorowski, who overcame an illness to work 5 1/3 innings while allowing two runs.

One reason Murphy could stick with Megill in the closer’s role is because the right-hander had handled that assignment so effectively before this year. Megill had a combined 51 saves from 2024-25. He posted a 2.49 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 47 innings last year.

The Brewers also don’t have many great alternatives.

Abner Uribe was one of the game’s top setup men last season, but he also is off to a slow start. He has allowed three runs over his last two outings and has a 5.68 ERA after finishing last season at 1.67.

Jared Koenig, who had 27 holds and a 2.86 ERA last season, is on the injured list with an elbow issue.

Murphy takes issue with the notation that the early-season struggles of these relievers is due to their heavy workload last year as the Brewers advanced to the NL Championship Series. Murphy noted that Megill, for instance, is throwing at a similar velocity as he did at this point last year.

Now, Murphy faces a hard decision as he decides whether to keep using Megill in that ninth-inning role.

“The way he’s throwing the ball now, he doesn’t deserve it,” Murphy said, “but he can earn it back.”

The Washington Nationals (8-9) take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-7) for the third of a four-game series. Pittsburgh won Monday's matchup, 16-5, but Washington took Tuesday's, 5-4 in a thriller.

Since the Pirates' five-game winning streak, the Buccos have gone 4-4 over the next eight games. Pittsburgh has gone 5-3 at home so far and the offense has been cooking at PNC Park. The Pirates have the second-best batting average at home (.278) and are tied 11th for the most RBI (44).

Washington is 4-1 over the last five games for its best five-game stretch of the season so far. The Nationals have outscored its opponents 34-30 in that span with the Pirates scoring 16 in one game. Washington is 7-4 on the road this season despite the pitching staff having a 5.06 ERA (25th) and the offense boasting the second-highest batting average (.283).

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Nationals at Pirates

• Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
• Time: 6:40 PM EST
• Site: PNC Park 
• City: Pittsburgh, PA
• Network/Streaming: MLB TV

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Nationals at the Pirates

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Moneyline: Washington Nationals (+149), Pittsburgh Pirates (-181)
• Spread: Nationals +1.5 (-136), Pirates -1.5 (+113)
• Total: 9.5

Probable starting pitchers for Nationals at Pirates

• Wednesday's pitching matchup (April 15): Jake Irvin vs. Mason Montgomery
  
• Nationals: Jake Irvin  

2026 stats: 14.0 IP, 1-1, 7.07 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 16 Ks, 8 BB

• Pirates: Mason Montgomery 

2026 Stats: 7.1 IP, 1-0, 6.14 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 16 Ks, 5 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not!

• The Nationals’ CJ Abrams is hitting .356 with 21 hits, 41 total bases, and six home runs over 59 at-bats
• The Nationals’ Nasim Nunez is hitting .192 with 10 hits and 12 strikeouts over 52 at-bats
• The Pirates’ Oneil Cruz is hitting .328 with 22 hits, 40 total bases, and seven stolen bases over 67 at-bats
• The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .106 with five hits, 12 strikeouts, and five walks over 47 at-bats

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Nationals at Pirates

• The Nationals 11-6 ATS this season
• The Pirates are 11-6 ATS this season
• The Nationals are 12-5 to the Over this season
• The Pirates are 10-7 to the Over this season

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Pirates

Rotoworld Bet Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Nationals and the Pirates.

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at -1.5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 9.5

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