SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: A general view of the New York Yankees playing against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants welcome the Miami Marlins to town today for a three-game series. So let’s take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans attending the games this weekend.
First up, we’re calling CalBear to the front on this one because tonight is Cal Night. Fans with special event tickets will receive a roped hat with the Giants and Cal logo, as well as a Giants flag in the school’s colors that features the school’s iconic bear mascot.
Saturday is Brandon Belt Celebration Day! I feel like I’ve been waiting a year for this. The first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a Brandon Belt Aloha Shirt giveaway. There will also be a Junior Giants donation drive, where fans can receive a Brandon Belt captain hat pin for donations of $30 that will go towards gloves for the kids. Fans will want to be in their seats well before first pitch to enjoy the festivities for the Captain.
As with all Saturday home games this season, it will also be a Fiesta Gigantes game, with celebrations throughout the park.
Sunday will be Youth Baseball Day at the park. The first 11,000 fans age 14 and under will receive a pair of Youth Flip-Up Sunglasses as a giveaway! A perfect outing for the kids and their teammates.
If you’re headed to the park this weekend, have fun and make sure to share pictures down in the comments!
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants and Marlins play game one of the series tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.
KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 04: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals warms up in front of a KC logo before an MLB game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals on April 4, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Avila has been in Kansas City’s system for eight years, but it wasn’t until a velo breakout a couple of seasons back that he really popped onto the radar. He has a live arm and has sat 95-97 while touching 98 with both fastballs in starts this season. His high slot limits his ability to generate swing and miss, but hitters have to respect the velocity and the different ways he can make the ball move, which helps his secondaries play up. He has great raw feel for spin, and both his slider and curve flash plus, but he doesn’t always finish or execute them. At times he’s shown a decent changeup, but it has become increasingly peripheral and he only threw one in his first big league start.
With an off day, there was a pair of stories in The Star about the stadium news.
Sherman, in his remarks to the crowd, expressed a desire to break ground on the stadium project in 2027. But his comments — and a press release put out by the team — fell short of confirming the aggressive timeline emphasized by Lucas and other city officials. Lucas’ chief of staff confirmed to The Star on Thursday that Opening Day — or the spring of — 2030 was still the mayor’s target.
Sherman said Don Hall Jr., chairman of Hallmark’s board, floated Crown Center for the stadium “months ago” before “we spent a lot of time together thinking through it with architects and land planners thinking about conceptually what we could do here.”
As for passing along those talks, Sherman said Wednesday, “We told them we were coming to Crown Center a while ago.”
On the baseball side of things, Jaylon Thompson looks at the good, bad, and ugly from the first 25 games. It was heavy on the last two, which is to be expected for a last-place team at 8-17.
The ability to finish games is also a problem. A few times, the Royals have run themselves out of key spots on the basepaths. Guys have been picked off by opposing teams or failed to advance when taking the extra base.
Royals catcher Elias Diaz was thrown out at home plate against the New York Yankees as he attempted to score from first base. And Thomas was tagged out trying to reach third base against the Orioles.
The Royals worked on their baserunning in spring training. It was an emphasis after similar troubles haunted them last season. But it continues to be a concern in the biggest moments.
Pasquantino knows things are going well for him when he’s not striking out. That’s why his 21.1% strikeout rate this year is alarming, well above the 15.7% mark he posted last year. His walk rate is up to 10.1% after back-to-back years of 7.2%. He’s working to get back to the reputation he had as a Minor Leaguer, when he was known as a hitter with a keen understanding of the zone.
“I will tell you in November, I get a freaked out phone call from somebody that says, ‘Hey, the Royals, it’s a done deal, in Overland Park,’” Vasquez said. “I was like, ‘It can’t be, there’s no way. There are too many pieces already locked up to think that that can be a done deal.’ Plus, at the time, Leawood and Overland Park were not necessarily in love with having baseball at that location. That said, I said, ‘Alright, let me make a contact,’ and I contacted somebody in the organization, and I said, ‘Where are we? I mean, are we going to have an opportunity to talk about this?’ The response back to me was, ‘Let’s keep talking.’”
According to Father Leonard Gicheru, the founder of Hallmark JC Halls frequented Our Lady of Sorrows in downtown Kansas City. “What I’ve heard is that JC Halls…used to come here in this church for quiet moments in prayer,” Ghicheru said. “The crown being the centerpiece of our church somehow inspired him to think about the logo of his company.”
Ghicheru has been the priest at Our Lady of Sorrows for six years and said the Royals moving in their backyard is a full circle moment for the church and Hallmark.
In renderings by Populous, the stadium will be directly behind the church. But the church isn’t going anywhere. It will continue to stand at the corner of 26th and Gillham. Ghicheru said he’s confident this change will bring more people to the church.
With Sherman and the ownership group set on leaving The K for greener pastures, I do think this Crown Center solution is loaded with potential. It is much better than just the Washington Square Park site on its own. I’m also intrigued by this partnership between Hallmark and the Royals. This could solidify a corridor that runs down Main Street from the River Market area to the Plaza. Assuming the owners of the Plaza make good on their promises of improvements. It could be, pardon the pun, a crown jewel in the heart of the city.
Only the Braves and Rangers were farther away than the Royals. However, the Rangers and Braves had developments around their respective ballparks, unlike the Royals, whose ballpark is surrounded by industrial buildings and a highway.
If you were visiting from out of town and you wanted to go to a baseball game? You will need a car or be prepared to pay a sizeable amount for an Uber/Lyft, especially if you are staying in the downtown Kansas City area. It’s worth it for a one-time visit, but it definitely deters visitors without vehicles from going to multiple games in a series.
In its proposed location? Fans can get to the ballpark on the Streetcar, whether from the UMKC area or the River Market. Furthermore, fans can take the Amtrak from out of town to Union Station and go immediately to a baseball game. Not a lot of ballparks have that luxury.
Big thanks again to Connor for filling in last week! My home internet was down and I was working off of my phone – not ideal for making a Rumblings.
So, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Two weeks ago we did the CPBL preview. This week is the KBO. And next week is NPB.
It’s always a little intimidating writing about the KBO and NPB. For the CPBL, there aren’t a lot of English-speaking fans. The subreddit is mostly dead, Twitter only has a couple of fans, and I could completely make up things and odds are you wouldn’t know the difference. Heck, those few English-speaking fans could be making stuff up and I may be passing along the baseball equivalent of Bigfoot stories and no one would be the wiser. But the KBO and NPB have numerous fans here and abroad. And they all know way more about those respective leagues than I do. I calm my fears by reminding myself that no one reads these anyway.
International Players: Notable names include Yonny Chirinos, Chris Flexen, Drew VerHagen, Mitch White, Daz Cameron, Harold Castro, Matt Davidson, Austin Dean, Guillermo Heredia, Sam Hilliard, and Víctor Reyes. I’m not sure how many of those are actually “notable,” but those are the five-year (or more) MLB veterans in KBO. Matt Davidson had a couple of 20-homer seasons for the White Sox and always seemed to pummel the Royals. Just yesterday, Yasiel Puig, who was in the KBO last year, signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League. Also, there seems to be a disproportionate number of former Oakland Athletics, and I’m not sure what to make of that. Full list from MyKBOStats
Former Royals: While he never played for Kansas City, the aforementioned Harold Castro got over 400 ABs in Omaha last year and triple slashed .307/.354/.538 at age 31. There are a pair of former Royals relievers of recent vintage in the league. Matt Sauer is on the KT Wiz. He was a low-leverage arm from the early months of 2024 who was fine-ish in April until his FIP caught up to his ERA in May and was released. You might remember Anthony Veneziano. He was drafted by the Royals in 2019 and was perpetually on the lower end of prospect lists, working his way through the system. He never could get walks under control and only threw two games for the Royals in September of 2023. He’s on the SSG Landers.
Rooting Interest: Back when Max did the official RR guide for the KBO in 2020, the Hanwha Eagles best fit our rooting interest. Since 2008, the team had only made the playoffs once and they lost quickly. The franchise has existed for 40 years and has only won one Korea Series (1999). Since we’ve been rooting for them, they’ve finished 10th, 10th, 9th, and 8th. But last year, the pitching staff was lights out. Former Pittsburgh Pirate Cody Ponce won the league MVP, going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA. Former Royals farmhand Ryan Weiss went 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA. They led the Eagles to 2nd place and an automatic berth in the KBO equivalent of the LCS. There, they dispatched the Samsung Lions before losing to the LG Twins in the Korea Series. Ponce and Weiss are in the MLB this season, the former with the Blue Jays and the latter with the Astros. It feels like it’s back to business as usual with the Eagles. But last year was fun for their fans.
Last Season: I already spoiled the playoffs, mentioning that the Twins won the Korea Series, the Eagles finished second, and the Lions third. Iconic closer Seung-hwan Oh (nicknamed “Stone Buddha” and “Final Boss”) announced his retirement. He is the only KBO player to ever get above 300 saves, retiring with 427. And that’s even with playing 4 years in MLB and another 2 in NPB.
World Baseball Classic: South Korea was in Pool C along with Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and Czechia. They took care of business against Czechia in their opener. Next up was Japan and the game was tied 5-5 going into the 7th, but Japan pulled away for a win. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about Taiwan’s dramatic 5-4 extra-inning win against Korea. This meant that Korea’s final game against Australia would rely on tiebreakers to determine who advanced from the group. Normally, Hyun Min Ahn’s sacrifice fly in the 9th to make the game 7-2 wouldn’t have meant much. But that final run advanced Korea into the knockout stages and sent Australia home.
This marked South Korea’s first trip to the elimination round since the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Back then, they lost the finals in 10 innings to Japan. This year, they did not go as far. In the quarterfinals, they were run-ruled by the undefeated Dominican Republic team: 10-0 in 7 innings.
Random Nuggets:
We listed all the MLB players in KBO. To flip this around, only one Korean player started the season in MLB. Giants outfielder and Korea WBC captain Lee Jung-hoo. Two others started the season on the injured list: Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong and San Diego Padres infielder Song Sung-mun. Three others start in the minors: Kim Hye-seong (Dodgers), Go Woo-suk (Tigers), and Bae Ji-hwan (Mets)
One of the big stories this offseason was a gambling controversy… only it’s not what you think. “The league suspended Lotte Giants outfielder Kim Dong-hyeok for 50 games while handing down 30-game bans on three of his teammates, Go Seung-min, Kim Se-min and Na Seung-yeup.” Was it for throwing games or shaving points? Nope! It was for visiting a casino while they did Spring Training in Taiwan. Oops: “It is illegal for Korean nationals to gamble overseas, and the four players are currently under police investigation.”
We’re already a couple of weeks into the season now. Want a quick spoiler on how it’s going for our rooting interest? Headline: “Eagles achieve dubious KBO record for most combined walks, HBPs allowed in game”. In case you were curious, the record is now 18: 16 BB and 2 HBP. “With a sellout crowd of 17,000 on hand, the Eagles led 5-1 entering the top of the eighth inning, but the Lions rallied with five runs in the final two frames. They scored the tying run and the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth without the benefit of a hit.” Our team is back, baby!
USA - 2009: Anita Langemach color illustration of one-hundred-dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin wearing baseball cap and blowing whistle. (The Gazette (Colorado Springs)/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Though by no means a pleasant or enjoyable topic, an undercurrent of the 2026 MLB campaign will be the upcoming labor negotiations upon season’s-end—especially as they apply to economic affairs. As someone who has always been fascinated by baseball’s competitive balance, it is a subject I may return to a time or two this summer as the opportunity presents itself.
I recently saw this article from Sportico (decent chance you’ll hit a pay wall—but I somehow got one free crack at it) regarding their estimated MLB franchise values. Here are the (literal) bullet points:
All 30 MLB squads together are worth an estimated $95 billion. That’s an average of $3.17 billion—a 12% jump from the previous year (the largest upward mobility since Sportico started evals in 2001).
As one would expect, the New York Yankees ($9.4 billion) & the Los Angeles Dodgers ($9.05 billion) raked in the most cash-ola. On the other end of the spectrum: the Miami Marlins (a paltry $1.45 billion).
Clearly, no matter how poor owners cry, the best of them are Scrooge McDuck-ing into piles of loot while the worst of them are still sitting on a billion-dollar asset.
Key figure #1: The percentage difference between the top and bottom team 2026 evaluations is 146.54%.
This got me wondering how things have changed in this regard over time, so I picked a nice anniversary—25 years back—and found these 2001 franchise $$$ evals from Forbes:
Start spreadin’ the news—the Yanks were #1 at $635 million
The Montreal Expos brought up the rear at $92 million (though no gloating here—our Minnesota Twins were second-worst at $99 million)
Key figure #2: The percentage difference between the top and bottom team 2001 evaluations was 149.38%.
The take-home points from this Baseball Economics 101 lecture…
Major League Baseball clubs make money. Period. Full stop. If anyone says otherwise, they are either lying or incompetent as businesspeople.
Despite these franchises going up, up, and away in valuations, the difference between the Elon Musk-class (high end) franchise and your general, everyday billionaire-owned franchise (low end) remains about the same over the past 25 years.
Without a doubt, disparity has always hounded the national pastime. Population-density alone guarantees the big coastal cities fuller ballparks and more lucrative media deals. But MLB—unlike the salary-capped NFL—allows its owners to self-police their oligarchical, antitrust-exempted setup. Sadly, those police officers are more Barney Fife than Joe Friday.
Despite a lot of big checks being cashed on the back of baseball, the gap between the top and bottom earning clubs remains unchanged in a quarter-century.
Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) reacts after a basket against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Hawks pulled off a thrilling 109-108 victory to climb to a 2-1 record in this series against the New York Knicks.
After going up by as much as 18 points, the Hawks let their orange and blue rivals chip away slowly until they took a 3-point lead late. Frankly, the Hawks largely defended well down the stretch, but nothing could stop OG Anunoby from raining down a pair of miracle threes to raise everyone’s heart rates.
But then CJ McCollum’s and Onyeka Okongwu’s clutch heroics saved the day for the good guys.
Let’s mix things up and go player by player to grade them on their performances in Game 3.
Starters
CJ McCollum:
The professional bucket getter just kept plugging along, getting into his bag almost at will. He had the entire Knicks defense practically on a string all game long.
Even when he was defended well, he pulled rabbits out of his hat and displayed some incredible shot-making:
Towards the end of the second quarter, his gameplay devolved into an overreliance on isolation — a lot of dribbling for a not-so-good look at the ends of the shot clock. But sometimes you have to let an artist craft their art and not interfere.
He slowed down scoring-wise some in the second half — and he was often a target on the defensive end — so it wasn’t all good. But honestly, who cares when you have the onions to make a clutch pull up jumper to give the Hawks the lead. When duty calls, McCollum the veteran absolutely delivers:
“Quin drew up a winner for us,” McCollum remarked about the final basket. “Great pin [down from Kuminga]. Great [after timeout] guy. Great all-around coach. Executed just how we drew it up. Those are the things we work on in practice, after practice, post shootaround.”
“He can create his shot,” coach Snyder put succinctly. “And that’s unique thing. And he had the opportunity to do that tonight. And we had a ton of confidence in him to make those plays.”
Grade: A
Nickeil Alexander-Walker:
‘NAW’ still didn’t look comfortable out there just as has been the case all series. He lost his dribble against no pressure a couple of time and forced a few too many shots in traffic.
But he was still active on team defense as usual and nailed his defensive assignments when needed. Also, that man never takes a closeout off — even if it’s not his assignment.
In the second half, he hit two big transition threes to shake off the rust and remind everyone why he’s the single season franchise record-holder in made threes with 251 in regular season play.
On this third one, I have to credit the entire team for getting the ball inbounded after a Brunson make to not squander their 5-on-4 advantage. Alexander-Walker does the rest, draining his third transition triple of the period.
From there, he was fairly quiet, but his hustle and team defense still made an impact in helping the Hawks get this game over the finish line.
He’ll look to improve on his 14 points on 4-for-12 (33%) including an ugly 1-for-5 (20%) mark from two-point range on Saturday.
Grade: C-
Dyson Daniels:
Daniels pushed the ball in transition and found a couple of openings in the Knicks transition defense with his passing. He continued to make Jalen Brunson’s life tough on the other end and slowed down New York’s entire offensive pace with his elite ball pressure.
There were a few possessions he absolutely wrecked possessions with digs for steals or simply a monster block at the rim.
And he also proved why he’s maybe the best rebounding guard in the game with 13 rebounds tonight. Just Dyson Daniels things.
On the negative side of things, he did pass up a couple of wide-open layups and muff a couple of attempts through contact at the rim — as did Jalen Johnson who I’ll talk about next. Although in the third, he made up for those turndowns with a calm catch-and-shoot three after penetration and a kick from Johnson:
But, man, did he have some brutal turnovers (five in total) during the game. Multiple times, he tried to kick out some blind passes that went directly into Knicks’ hands. And he wasn’t able to punish the Knicks for putting Karl-Anthony Towns on him offensively.
So, for the second consecutive game, coach Snyder opted to have him on the bench in crunch time — minus the final defensive possession. You can’t argue with the results, however.
Ultimately, it wasn’t his best effort on Thursday night. But he still showed how indispensable he is in making Brunson’s life hell at times.
Grade: C+
Jalen Johnson:
The All-Star came out more aggressive than in either Games 1 or 2, and even though some of his shot selection was questionable, he still got to the line with regularity and put pressure on the Knicks defense.
This drive off a ‘twirl’ action with two pin downs was too easy once the Knicks inexplicably vacated the paint:
After a hot start, however, he couldn’t convert on some good looks from three and started to disengage a bit from the game. He had a tough time finishing through contact on drives in particular. And then there were some bad off ball lapses on defense.
But in the fourth quarter, the aggressiveness picked back up. On two consecutive possessions, he dropped off Josh Hart for a step back three:
And then he screened and rolled to draw a foul the next time down, splitting the two at the line.
But ultimately, he left a ton of points on the floor and at the free throw line. He finished 6-for-10 from the free throw line, including a couple of brutal misses on a trip to the line with a few minutes remaining. Johnson did respond with a couple of good takes in the closing two minutes when the game could have slipped away entirely — very encouraging after he showed clear signs of frustration on his face after some easy misses.
Down the home stretch of the game, the Hawks ran this action with Johnson bringing the ball up the floor with a stacked set waiting for him multiple times. Either Kuminga or Okongwu set an up screen while ‘NAW’ flared out the opposite way to open up the lane.
This play in particular was wild to see in real time, however. Johnson tried to yam it over ’KAT’, but the ball somehow slams off the bottom of the backboard right back to him for the easy lay-in to cut the lead to one point:
“It was good to see [Johnson] play through a lot and stay even keeled,” his head coach had to say about his mindset.
It was an up and down performance for Johnson, whose 24-point, 10-rebound, 8-assist night flatters him. But I’d have to say it was his best performance of the series — a performance closer to his typical regular season play.
And the Hawks needed every bit of that from him in Game 3.
Grade: B-
Onyeka Okongwu:
It was overall a fairly muted game from Okongwu. He played solid defense on Towns early and throughout the game, and he registered a monster help side block early in the first quarter.
But ‘KAT’ largely got the better of him on the glass in the first half. He also wasn’t used much in the halfcourt offense but used a ‘pick-2’ and a couple of deafening putback dunks to get himself on the board in the first half:
Ultimately, he was pretty quiet on a play-by-play basis (nine points and seven rebounds), but his team defense at the center position was pretty effective all throughout the night.
His biggest play, however, came on the final possession when he switched onto Jalen Brunson and slid his feet to push him to the baseline. As you saw, the Knicks never even got off a shot:
Vincent came in and immediately provided some great ball pressure on Brunson and Jose Alvarado.
On offense, he relocated for a big three after a flare cut across the top of the key in the first quarter. His ball handling under pressure remains underrated as well — with the Hawks bench needing his steadying presence against an aggressive Knicks perimeter defense.
His contributions are almost imperceptible, but he’s such a fundamentally sound defender on and off the ball and is willing to get off the ball to space the floor on offense that he fits in just about any with playmakers at the wing and forward spots.
All those little things added up to a team-high +12 on the night in under 14 minutes. You can’t ask for much more from a seasoned NBA role player.
Grade: B
Jonathan Kuminga:
I can’t knock a 4-for-4 shooting performance for 10 points in the first quarter, plus he contributed on the glass as usual. These early contributions helped the Hawks race out to a 33-21 advantage after one quarter.
Everything after that was a bit more mixed, however. He had some erratic shot selection choices — twice turning down open threes for tougher midrange attempts in the halfcourt — but he still had a couple of good leakouts for scores.
His energy and physicality these past two games are just something the Knicks haven’t been ready for, and that’s help boost a Hawks bench that needed the punch:
His defense was a less impactful than in the previous two games with him inexplicably trying to take charges in the lane on a handful of occasions. Still, with him playing small ball defense on Karl-Anthony Towns, he frustrated the Big Purr just enough by pushing him off his comfort spots. And that crossmatch allows the Hawks to play a small ball brand on the other end with all five guys spacing the floor.
Kuminga’s quickly fit into the Hawks’ team defense, and his impact hasn’t gone unnoticed in his short time here.
“I’m going to give my praise to Draymond [Green],” Kuminga responded about a Game 2 play instructing where Alexander-Walker should be on defense. “Growing up around him, watching him as much. I’ve seen him do that so many times. […] He’s one of the best at doing small things that won’t go on the [stat] sheet.”
Overall, it was a great performance off the bench for him with 21 huge points on 9-for-14 shooting. He has essentially become the team’s sixth man down the stretch of this season, with coach Snyder trusting him enough to close a tight playoff game over Dyson Daniels.
“Jonathan’s just been all-in,” coach Snyder had to say postgame. “Are you prepared to sacrifice what needs to be sacrifice on a given night in a playoff game? Whatever that looks like. Is it shots? Is it minutes? Is it rotations? He’s embraced that. Tonight he did some things that gave our team a lift. I think the biggest thing he’s done is he’s just defended.”
Needless to say, it’s remarkable that in his short time here he’s earned that level of trust from his coach.
Grade: A
Mouhamed Gueye:
Gueye had a tough time keeping Mitchell Robinson off the glass early on, but he repaid the favor with a catch-and-shoot triple and a late first quarter crosscourt pass for a Kuminga triple as well.
And then there was a minster putback dunk on the first possession of the second quarter — plus his usually disruptive switching defense stamped his name on the box score and the highlight reels alike. That’s how you feelin’, Mo?
Grade: A-
Corey Kispert:
He was just…there. Krispert Kispert got cooked by Jordan Clarkson once. He did have a nice outlet pass to Kuminga in the fourth quarter, however.
There’s a certain confidence that follows a 2-0 lead in the NBA playoffs. The air tightens. The margin for error disappears. And when LeBron James is the one holding that two-game lead, history is always on his side.
Over 23 seasons, across three different franchises and countless postseason runs, James has built a playoff series record that borders on untouchable. When LeBron’s team wins the first two games of a best-of-seven series, the result is literally automatic: 24-0. No exceptions. No series collapses. No Game 7 heartbreaks.
The Lakers’ LeBron James (right) is undefeated in the NBA playoffs after his team wins the first two games of a best-of-seven series. NBAE via Getty Images
Let’s adjust the lens and extend it further … anytime James has secured a two-game cushion in a series — whether that’s a 2-0 lead or stretching it to a 3-1 advantage — his team’s record is 32-0. Think about that for a second. The man responsible for coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals has never lost a 3-1 series lead himself. That’s not just dominance. That’s an absolute killer instinct.
Now that same script is unfolding again in real time with the Lakers holding a 2-0 first-round series lead over the Rockets. That lead is in spite of the fact that the Lakers have been stripped of their top two leading scorers: Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
“It means nothing,” James said, brushing off the weight of history after Game 2. “The series is not won until you win four. It’s the first to four. Our only mindset is Game 3.”
James has built a playoff series record that borders on untouchable. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Now you know why he’s never lost a series when up by two games. That mindset is the blueprint.
Because what separates James in these moments isn’t just his talent, it’s his temperament. That closeout mentality when grabbing a two-game lead isn’t a catchphrase. It’s a habit. Once he gets leverage over an opponent he doesn’t manage it. He tightens it. Possession by possession, game by game, until that opponent runs out of breath.
For context, James’ perfect record when taking a 2-0 lead is impressive, but it’s not too far off from the overall numbers.
Across NBA history, teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series go on to win 93.7% of the time. The record stands at 433-34. Narrow that to the first round alone and the percentage doesn’t budge. Still 93.7% at 192-13. The last team to climb out of an 0-2 hole in the first round of an NBA series was the Warriors in 2023. They were the reigning champions, and they stormed back to beat the Kings in seven games.
For LeBron and the Lakers, this 2-0 lead feels different. Entering the series, Houston was the heavy favorite. Even now, after two games in Los Angeles, the odds barely lean toward the Lakers. Hovering around -135 for the series. This LeBron-led team is not a juggernaut rolling downhill. They have to navigate a narrow path with limited margin for error.
James and the Lakers will try to close out the first-round series in Houston against the Rockets. AP
According to Opta Stats, over the course of NBA history, a team missing two players who each averaged over 20 points per game while making 100 or more 3s during the regular season have only won a playoff game twice. That was the Lakers in Games 1 and 2.
By securing those first games at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers have guaranteed at least a Game 6. That means the series will stretch to early May, giving Doncic and Reaves over four weeks of recovery time.
Not only do the Lakers have the numbers on their side, time is on their side as well.
“Our group is an incredibly resilient group,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Game 2. “That’s why we have the confidence and belief … to be on this stage against a great basketball team like Houston.”
Not only do the Lakers have the numbers on their side, time is on their side as well. Anadolu via Getty Images
Meanwhile, the cracks on the other side are widening.
Kevin Durant returned in Game 2 but looked out of rhythm, finishing with nine turnovers — more than his made field goals — and struggling to find balance against a swarming defense.
In the second half, he had more turnovers (5) than points (3). The Rockets, once defined by cohesion and defensive identity, have drifted to visible frustration, missed assignments and finger-pointing.
“I just gotta be more aggressive,” Durant said after the Game 2 loss. “There’s plenty of time.”
Time is exactly what history says he doesn’t have.
For the Lakers to continue LeBron’s perfect record, they’ll need to repeat the same formula. They’ll need their role players to continue to step up. In Game 1, that was Luke Kennard. In Game 2, it was Marcus Smart. James will continue to anchor everything. He’s got 47 points, 16 rebounds and 20 assists through the first two games.
At 41 years old, the question will always linger: How much does he have left? The postseason is way more demanding on the body. Look no further than James’ knee collision against the Timberwolves in Game 5 of last year’s playoffs. Durability is not guaranteed come playoff time.
But history suggests one thing is guaranteed.
When LeBron James takes a 2-0 lead, that series doesn’t extend, it ends.
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Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault’s pregame press conference before Game 2 of the First Round of the NBA playoffs was like every other press conference. Reporters asked questions, the PR staff was calling on people, and it came 90 minutes before tip-off. To the naked eye, it was no big deal, despite the fact that it was the playoffs; the layout looked no different than an important regular-season game.
But to me, it created one of the most symbolic moments of my early career.
As I looked to my left and my right, I realized something: I was by far the youngest person in the room. Being the youngest person in an NBA media room is not a foreign experience to me. In fact, in the 15+ NBA events I’ve covered since 2023, it’s been the case for most occasions, but covering the NBA Playoffs while still in school is objectively a different beast.
It’s one of the only times of the year opposing teams will make players available to the media outside of the locker room, and unlike in the regular season, where many beat writers don’t travel to cover their team’s road games, all of them are in attendance to do live shots and get exclusive interviews. You need to be trusted to be in the media scrum for a nationally televised broadcast with playoff implications. There is no textbook to understand how things work. You just need to know how things roll, or you’ll get lost or appear out of place—the last thing you want to be when you look and are a college student in a room full of seasoned professionals. If I’m a distraction in any measure, I’ll be asked to leave or get my credentials revoked. I need to fit in while being visibly different than everyone else.
From Suns PR accepting my credential request without me needing to fill out any forms, to that when I connected with new reporters, I could tell them we had mutuals, the night for me was completely built on the fact that just because I’m still in college, I can be trusted to be a professional, which has gotten me more opportunities. Something I’ve realized is that the more opportunities I take advantage of, the more that the next one comes—with more stakes.
One of the hardest parts about being young or having a small following (or both!) is getting people to trust you, understandably. It’s why I’m ecstatic when I get popular creators or broadcasters on my podcast, Holden Conversations, where I interview Gen Z on their media experiences. The opportunities for more popular guests are continuing to grow for me because of how I’ve handled myself, and people trust me with their network to have guests with even larger followings—this helps me stay level-headed and patient with more than just growing my podcast.
I’m graduating from Syracuse University in 15 days, and more and more of my friends are getting jobs, but I still don’t have one. Getting to experience covering the playoffs and why I was able to reminds me of all the progress I’ve made as a professional, as well as reminds me that finding my first job isn’t everything. There are experiences to be had no matter what point of my life I’m in, and I can’t let what my future may or may not hold take distract me from experiences like getting to cover the defending champs pursuit of repeating, experiencing a completely new city and getting to meet great writers, reporters and broadcasters like Tim MacMahon, Joel Lorenzi, Nick Gallo, Doris Burke, Jorge Sedano and Dave Pasch.
Covering the NBA Playoffs, being a paid, traveling journalist while still in school doesn’t make me feel like I “made it,” or that I’m better than my peers, but it reminds me of how far I’ve gotten since I started college and started intensely pursuing my career aspirations. If I’m tracking my dream of hosting my own version Hot One’s like a 48-minute basketball game, I’ve finished the first quarter strong with some new momentum as I head into a new quarter of the journey.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a very challenging spot, as they are down 3-0 in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers. If they hope to have any chance of reverse-sweeping the Flyers, they are going to need all of their top players to be on their A-game from here.
This includes Penguins forward Anthony Mantha, who has had a slow start to the playoffs. In three games so far this postseason, Mantha has zero points to go along with a minus-4 rating. With this, the 6-foot-5 winger has gone cold offensively, and the Penguins absolutely need him to regain his scoring touch from here.
When looking at how well Mantha played during the regular season, he certainly has the potential to heat back up for Pittsburgh. In 81 games this regular season, he set new career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points. With numbers like these, he was a notable reason behind the Penguins getting into the playoffs. Now, Pittsburgh needs him to snap his cold streak and regain his top form.
It will be interesting to see how Mantha performs for the Penguins in Game 4 from here.
The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing for a crucial first-round Game 3 in their NBA playoffs matchup against the Boston Celtics, but uncertainty looms over the availability of their star center, Joel Embiid.
Embiid has been upgraded to doubtful ahead of Friday’s pivotal Game 3 at home against the Celtics. The star center underwent an emergency appendectomy two weeks ago while in Houston, and he has not played since the procedure. His status remains uncertain, as the 76ers hope for his return to bolster their chances in this tightly contested series.
The Eastern Conference first-round matchup stands tied at 1-1. After suffering a lopsided 123-91 defeat in Game 1, the 76ers responded with a strong performance in Game 2, securing a convincing 111-97 victory to even the series.
The Philadelphia 76ers' star Joel Embiid is currently considered doubtful to play in the first-round playoff Game 3 against the Boston Celtics on Friday, April 24.
How to watch Game 3: Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics on Friday
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
Roman Anthony had the weight of the world thrown on his shoulders by the Red Sox and the front office’s failure to construct a contending lineup around him.
Last June’s trade of Rafael Devers and the subsequent free-agent departure of Alex Bregman left little to fear in Boston’s offense. Anthony did produce at a high level in 2025 before his September oblique injury. That doesn’t mean it’s smart to immediately force him into the role of the primary offensive weapon in his age-22 season.
Whether it’s pressure, the flow of the early weeks or just a plain slump, Boston’s young star simply hasn’t hit like one so far. His lone home run came in a pinch-hit at-bat in Houston, though the swing was impressive with an opposite-field blast against Astros closer Bryan Abreu.
Anthony holds just a .686 OPS through his first 22 games. He also missed the final two games of the series loss to the New York Yankees with a back issue. Not great news given his injury last fall.
His struggles are among the many reasons for gutted belief in the team after a 9-16 start.
Want a little bit to believe in?
Anthony continues to show progress in the areas that built his offensive profile: he’s hitting the ball hard (89th percentile average exit velocity) and still takes his walks (91st percentile walk rate).
Not to mention that he already showed once in 2026 that he can get hot quickly. Former Red Sox infielder and Team USA hitting coach Sean Casey got an up-close view of that run during the World Baseball Classic in March.
“I like the way he works in the cages,” Casey told OverTheMonster.com in a recent interview. “I like how he was really driving the ball in the gaps in batting practice, really trying to work that left center gap. You can tell he was really working the middle of the field. So I just love the way he worked. I think sometimes it takes years to develop a really good routine. And I feel like he has a good routine. He has a good feel of what he’s trying to do and a good feel of what his strengths are.”
We’ve all seen Anthony unload on some pull-side blasts over the last year, from his Spring Breakout rocket to his 497-foot grand slam in Worcester and his Yankee Stadium second-deck shot in August. With that said, Casey sees Anthony’s ability to join elite left-handed hitters and find a new gear with pivots to the opposite field.
“Your best hitters, their approach is out over the plate,” Casey explained. “For Roman Anthony, I was waiting to see what he said, but I think the best hitters are trying to drive the ball to left center. He was saying center, left of center; which I liked. And he was like, ‘I try to stay in the middle of the field. That’s when I’m at my best.’ And I was like, ‘Man, that’s a great approach for anybody.’ But for a 21 year old kid and seeing how his approach was, I could understand why he’s such a great player.”
The conventional thinking for optimizing offense at Fenway Park is to load up on right-handed power. That’s valid and the Red Sox must build offenses around that trend for years and years to come. At the same time, the wall can kill slumps for the adaptable lefties who can embrace it.
“He’s gonna get hot. He’s gonna get hot and put up some damage numbers,” Casey said. “The thing about Roman, he’s got big-time power so he could put up five homers in a week and drive in a bunch of runs.”
Casey continued: “I think the biggest thing for him is really to use that Monster. He’s got a really good left center approach. I think the Monster can get you hot quickly. I saw Big Papi do it when I played with him in 2008. For years watching him, I always felt like when he got in trouble, he’s like, gotta get off that monster and everything would open up. I think Roman’s gonna learn that if he can really use the dimensions of Fenway to help him out. But the biggest thing is, he’s gonna get hot. I mean, that’s the bottom line.”
His abilities at the plate will spark great seasons. His humility and personality will make him a perennial All-Star and an impeccable teammate. Those qualities may be Casey’s greatest takeaways from his time with Anthony last month.
“That was probably one of my first impressions,” Casey recalled. “Like man, this guy feels like a veteran. It feels like a veteran the way he handles himself. But just such a great kid, man. Just a nice guy, hard worker. You know, one thing I loved about talking to him as the hitting coach was just asking him what his approach was and what he’s thinking in the box, what he’s thinking about in practice. What his work looks like. You know, he had some great answers about what he does and what he’s thinking and what he’s working on in the cages.”
Everybody knows the story of Anthony’s “rookie” responsibilities on Team USA of purchasing and lugging around the team’s massive speaker from workouts to bus rides and everywhere in between. Obviously vibes are different in WBC settings, rather than the exhausting grind of the season, but Casey watched this job bring Anthony into a core role in a star-studded clubhouse.
“These guys, these guys all have that swagger about them in a confident way, you know, not cocky, but a confident way,” Casey said. “There’s an air about him and something about Roman that he has.”
Alex Cora challenged Anthony when he left camp to soak up as much experience from as many teammates as possible, not just his friend and mentor in Bregman. Thus, the Red Sox outfielder quickly earned the respect of Aaron Judge, who will challenge him for years to come in the current state of baseball’s most historic rivalry, with a quick turnaround following a tiring travel day to Miami for knockout rounds in the WBC.
“The coaches go and we’re getting BP going,” Casey shared. “And I think Roman was in group two. And so he was behind the cage with me on the turtle and Judge says, ‘Hey, Roman. Good to see you’re on the other bus.’ And then, Roman says to Judge, ‘Hey, if there was a 7:30 (AM) bus, I would have been on it.’ And I was like, that’s awesome. You know, like you got these guys, the WBC is the best of the best, but you got Roman Anthony at 21.”
“They needed a rookie on the WBC team and he was kind of the guy and he really embraced it. It was kind of a fun thing and it endeared me to him more,” Casey added.
On the field, Anthony lived up to manager Mark DeRosa’s request to be ready to play every day. He joined Judge, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber as the only four USA players to play in all seven WBC games. Anthony hit .280 with a .920 OPS for the tournament and his clutch home run against the Dominican Republic helped vault the Americans back to a third-straight finals appearance.
“There were some pretty big environments there,” Casey said. “Felt like the moment wasn’t too big for him. You know, I felt like he believes in himself. He’s very confident. And, you know, I think that was one thing that really stuck out like, man, this guy’s not overwhelmed with anything. … When he came up with that big hit against the D-R, the big homer, you’re like, man, that’s huge right there. That place was basically an away game for us. I mean, so it was a pretty raucous environment, which is really cool.”
Anthony clearly made the strongest of impressions on the hitting coach, 12-year big-league veteran and MLB Network analyst. Casey kept Anthony in an elite class of young talent with names like Konnor Griffin and Bobby Witt Jr. with blindingly-bright futures as they rack up games under their belts.
That’s why it’s only a matter of time for Anthony’s resurgence if you ask “The Mayor.”
“You can’t teach experience,” Casey said. “I think for a guy like Roman Anthony, I don’t think the stage of Boston rattles him in the big leagues. I think it’s more about him getting settled in and getting hot pretty soon. Really feeling himself and then getting going.”
In Wednesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Quin Snyder’s Atlanta Hawks went up 2-1 on the New York Knicks with a 109-108 thriller. RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram helped the Toronto Raptors to a 126-104 blowout over Tyrese Proctor and the Cleveland Cavaliers. And finally, the Minnesota Timberwolves took out Tyus Jones and the Denver Nuggets, 113-96.
Jalen Johnson was very close to a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists vs. the Knicks as CJ McCollum put the game away with a dramatic fadeaway, with 12.5 seconds left on the clock.
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett had a great game against Cleveland, racking up 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brandon Ingram had 12 points and broke out of his recent shooting slump, hitting 5-9/1-2.
Tyrese Proctor had 2 points in 3 minutes.
Finally, Tyus Jones had 2 points in 4 minutes against the T-Wolves.
On Friday, we’ll get Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics against the Philadelphia 76ers. Luke Kennard will help lead JJ Redick’s Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Rockets. And in the nightcap, Mason Plumlee and the San Antonio Spurs take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
PHOENIX — The debates are raging on the Chicago airwaves:
Who will the Bears draft? Who should the Bulls hire? Will the Blackhawks ever win again? Are the Cubs are built for October?
Meanwhile, ever so quietly on the South Side of town, one of the best stories in all of baseball is materializing.
The name is Munetaka Murakami, and the Chicago White Sox slugger has burst onto the scene as one of the game’s premier home-run hitters in the infancy of the 2026 season.
Murakami has already hit 10 home runs – one shy of the MLB lead – and tied a White Sox franchise record by homering in five consecutive games. He also has the most homers by a Japanese-born player in the first 25 games of a career, 42 games earlier than four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in his 2018 rookie year.
If you care to dream, Murakami heads into the White Sox’s homestand beginning tonight at Rate Field against the Washington Nationals on pace to hit 65 homers with 123 RBIs and 136 walks this season.
“I’m really enjoying myself," Murakami told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m getting more comfortable every day. I’m getting used to the different rules and different playing styles in the major league. Everything has been great."
The White Sox, stunned themselves when Murakami fell into their laps this winter with a modest two-year, $34 million contract coming from Japan, couldn’t be more thrilled.
He has been everything the White Sox could have imagined, and much, much more. Everyone knew his power, breaking the single-season home-run record in Japan with 56 homers. You don’t win two MVPs without talent. But he’s making much more contact than talent evaluators predicted, hitting .253 with a .394 on-base percentage and .992 slugging percentage. He looks much better defensively at first base than the scouting reports indicated. He’s even got speed, beating out two infield singles this week on ground balls in Arizona.
And he has a whole lot of teams kicking themselves why they severely underestimated Murakami’s skills and didn’t make an offer.
You don’t think a team like, oh, say the New York Mets, could use him right about now?
“Obviously, there weren’t teams that raised their hands when I came over,’’ Murakami said, “but I’m really glad and happy that the White Sox picked me up. …. I love the team very much. All my teammates are very open to communication. They are really just good teammates overall. Staff, coaches, I love them very much."
The feeling, needless to say, is quite mutual.
“I'm running out of things to say," White Sox manager Will Venable said. “When he hits it, he hits it really hard. Even the singles he's hitting, he's hitting hard. And obviously the damage is incredible, too.
“It's impressive to watch."
Certainly, he has played a major factor in their surge. The White Sox have 32 homers this year, ranking third in the American League and sixth in MLB. A year ago, they were next-to-last, with only the Kansas City Royals hitting fewer.
“He’s a game-changer," White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “He’s impacted this whole lineup. I love hitting in front of him. I see more balls in the zone, and especially heaters.
“I just hope the wind starts changing in Chicago so you’ll see him hit more balls. I mean, he’s got unbelievable power."
Murakami hit 2,156 feet worth of homers in his five-game barrage, including a 451-foot blast Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He already has three homers that have traveled at least 113 mph off his bat, leading MLB.
Really, the person probably least impressed is Murakami himself. He expects this. And a whole lot more as the season progresses.
“My swing is pretty good overall,’’ Murakami says. “It’s still early in the season, so I still have to keep adjusting to the pitchers, but right now I’m swinging really well. If the stats do come up as all good, that will be wonderful."
The White Sox’s young players have been mesmerized by Murakami since his arrival. They marvel at his meticulous preparation. The way he takes batting practice. The way he grinds tape. There’s a genuine purpose to everything he does from the moment he enters the clubhouse.
“Just watching him go about his day-to-day business and the detail that he puts in and the amount of time he puts in," said White Sox catcher Kyle Teel says, “it’s just awesome to see. He’s very detail oriented. The details he puts in is just fantastic.
“So, when the game starts, the success doesn’t surprise me because he just works so hard. He competes the way way every single at-bat, no matter what the score of situation. He never gets down on himself. I just love that."
And, oh, yes, there’s that work ethic.
“When we’re on the road, it’s mostly the rehab guys that get on that early staff bus to get here early, and he’s on it," said Teel, recovering from a strained hamstring during the WBC. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t even know players were allowed to take the staff bus until I got hurt."
Said Benintendi: “He’s got a routine, and he sticks to it every day. We were joking already that he’s a lot more disciplined than a lot of us in here. He gets his work in, and he’s a process-oriented guy for sure."
The White Sox also are learning that despite the language barrier, the dude can be a comedian. He’ll crack jokes. He’ll go along with pranks. And he’ll even sing, picking up the tunes and learning the words from the “Party Apple Peel," an alternative rock cover band in Chicago.
The White Sox players still are laughing about the time he took the mic on the team bus and belted out a few tunes, much to their pleasure as part of his rookie initiation.
“He’s got a great sense of humor," White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “Actually, he’s hilarious. You pull back the layers after first meeting someone, and you find out he’s one the boys."
“Every day, you find out something new talking to him, but the biggest surprise is that sense of humor. I can’t wait until he starts picking up more English, then I think you’ll really see that personality come out."
Murakami has been a smash hit with the media, too. He’s available to talk virtually every day, and has spoken to reporters upon request after he has homered. It’s a little different on the South Side, with only a handful of Japanese reporters covering him on a daily basis, than ten times that number covering the Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani and company. But this small media gathering suits him just fine.
“I don’t really know what the Dodgers are like,’’ Murakami says, “but I like the media over here. I’m all good. It doesn’t really affect me at all or change who I am.’’
It also works out quite nicely that on the North Side of town the Cubs have Japanese stars Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga to provide plenty of tips for dining, shopping or just hanging out. And if he needs any hitting advice, hey, he’s got Ohtani’s digits on his cell phone too.
“A lot of different Japanese baseball players across the country have reached out and helped me," Murakami said. “They’ve all given me good advice."
Now, the scene is set for Murakami to perhaps even become the first White Sox player to win the American League home-run title in more than a half-century. The White Sox, even having sluggers like Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Ken Griffey Jr, Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn over the years, have not had a home-run champion since Hall of Famer Dick Allen hit 32 homers in 1974.
“I definitely think it’s becoming much-see TV," said White Sox analyst Steve Stone, the former Cy Young winner, “because even though we’re not winning the World Series this year, we are entertaining. I remember [former White Sox owner] Bill Veeck said to me, “If you’re playing on short money, always error on the side of offense, because offense is exciting.’’’
So, if Murakami keeps hitting homers, does he create enough of a frenzy to become a bigger gate attraction than a Pope Leo hat giveaway?
“There’s no doubt about it that fans will show up if that’s the case,’’ Stone said. “We’ll see what happens. I know fans love the long ball.
Three key contributors to the early success of the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At 14-10, few (if any) saw this kind of start to the 2026 season. Pre-season predictions were somewhat gloomy. Many people feared a near-100 loss season. Few had the temerity to stretch beyond a prediction of 81-81, although the boldest thought 85 wins within reach. Personally, I was thinking just under .500 (say, 78 +/-), with the roughest part being the first third or perhaps first half of the season.
But 14-10 to start? What is with that? Let’s look a little bit at who they played.
The Strength of Schedule
I am admittedly not a strength of schedule proponent when it comes to forecasting future outcomes. I rarely care if there is a seemingly tough stretch of games coming up. There is always a tough stretch coming up. To me, off-days, long travel, day games after night games, pitching match-ups, trends, and health matter more than the reputation of the upcoming opponent. But in the backcast, it can pay to look at who they played and the context around those games and series.
At time of publication (I’m writing this as the Cardinals close out the Marlins series), the Cardinals will have completed 8 series. Right now, they have won five of those series, with one sweep in the mix. If my math is working tonight, that means they have lost three series.
The series’ wins have come against Tampa Bay, New York, Washington, Cleveland and Houston. The series losses have come at the hands of Detroit, Boston and now Miami (sigh). What can we see about these opponents in the aggregate?
If I rank all MLB teams by Win PCT, I can see that the Cardinals have not played a team in the top 10, and only 2 teams in the top half.
How about the pitching they have faced? Houston, Washington and Tampa are in the bottom 20th percentile in Runs Allowed (RA). In other words, we caught them at a time when they have serious pitching woes. On the other hand, the series’ losses were to teams in the top half of RA.
But how about the offenses they faced? Interestingly, of the teams they faced, only the Mets and Red Sox are really having trouble scoring. Houston and Washington are top 4 in MLB in Runs Scored (RS). Everyone else is in the top half of MLB offensively, thus far. I suppose one could say the Cardinals pitching helped them get there…
How’d they do against the better (ie. > .500 teams)? Cleveland and Tampa are over .500 (the Cardinals won those series). They have not lost a series to an over .500 team. So, 4-2 against over .500 teams, 10-8 against the .500 and under teams.
The pitching
On the Cardinals side of run prevention, the Cardinals RA is not so hot either, meaning even in the series they have won, their pitching got beat around a bit (particularly the bullpen). The Cardinals are 26th in MLB in the Runs Allowed (RA) department. Just ahead of such luminaries as Houston, Washington, Chicago (White Sox) and … Philadelphia(??). I would have though Philly’s pitching would be top 3, alongside LA and Pittsburgh. That goes to show you what I know.
The relatively young Cardinal pitching staff portended some ups-and-downs but I think most expected better than 26th in MLB. Given the offensive strength of the opponents thus far, some improvement may organically occur as the Cardinals face more offensively challenged opponents.
The Offense
The Cardinals themselves are 11th in MLB is Runs Scored. Who featured the Cardinals would be top half in baseball in HRs? Way beyond pre-season expectations, what with what appeared to be an offense distinctively lacking in power. The difference? The entirety of the improvement rests on Jordan Walker’s broad shoulders. 8 HR is probably 7 HR more than people expected. 7 less HR would put the Cardinals in the bottom third of MLB, where they projected. Suffice to say, this offense looks decidedly different with Jordan Walker hitting for power.
The brightest spot in this early season is the change of narrative. Jordan Walker hitting for power was something many didn’t think possible before the start of the season. Now the question has evolved from “possible?” to “sustainable?”. We shall see.
Given the relative lack of pitching strength their opponents have displayed to-date, the Redbirds would seem likely to regress to the bottom half over time as they encounter teams with stronger pitching. Looking at the line-up coming out of Spring Training, this would not be a shock.
The Defense
One thing stands out that isn’t necessarily all that related to catching the opponent at the right or wrong time. Defense would seem to be somewhat immune to how the other team is doing. Houston’s pitching problems didn’t really affect how the Cardinals defense played. Looking at DEF, the Cardinals are 6th in MLB with 6.8 DEF. The top team? The Cubs.
From an opponent standpoint, Tampa, Detroit, Houston and Washington have played poorly defensively, all coming in well below 0 DEF. The other four Cardinal opponents are top half, positive DEF teams, so a pretty even distribution. If you subscribe to the theory that defense doesn’t slump, it appears the Cardinals have an edge in this arena that will carry forward in almost any series they play.
Schedule Peculiarities
The Cardinals are scheduled to play almost 1/3 of their games against NL Central opponents. They will already have played 1/6 of their season before they get their first look at an NL Central team (they go to Pittsburgh for a four game set next week). Stated another way, 40% of their remaining games come against NL Central opponents. How they stack up against those teams at the time they play them will certainly steer the direction of the season.
The NL Central Opponents
Pittsburgh, Chicago and Milwaukee are ahead of the Cardinals in Runs Scored. More worrisome is that while the Cardinals are 25th in MLB in Runs Allowed, every other NL Central team is top 10 in same category. That is a pretty good gap to make up. Of course, how that pitching plays out when they actually meet might not reflect how it has played out in the early part of the season.
Overall
So, the Cardinals have played most of their games against teams that are struggling in the early going, but they have held their own against teams playing well. Some of the poor performers were expected (no one expected Washington to be good), some are surprises (who expected complete collapses for the Mets and Astros?). Overall, I’d say the Cardinal’s early season “strength of schedule” how shown to be weaker than would have been expected. Cause or effect?
Probably the key variable that the early season provides few clues on is … how well do they Cardinals stack up against the other NL Central teams. Going in, each seemed like they’d be better than the Cardinals, but flawed enough that rays of hope pierced the fog of rebuilding. Suffice to say that the Cubs rate higher in each of hitting (RS), pitching (RA) and defense (DEF) than the Cardinals do, so they clearly have an edge. The others? It may be a bit of a dog pile.
An oddity
Last year, it seemed like the Cardinals were vulnerable to lefty pitchers, with the bulk of their productive line-up being LH hitters. From that line-up, they lost Donovan and Contreras. The effect? So far this year, against LHP, the Cardinals enjoy a 113 wRC+. Against RHP, they lag at 95 wRC+.
The Detroit Tigers continue the interleague portion of their early schedule this weekend with a trip to Ohio for a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds starting on Friday night.
The Motor City Kitties are coming off a series win over the Milwaukee Brewers at home. After getting spanked in the opener, 12-4, they bounced back to win the next two, 5-2 and 5-4, respectively.
The Reds enter the weekend with the third-best record in the majors, having taken two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays on the road before returning home. However, they left Florida on a losing note, dropping the finale on Wednesday, 6-1.
Getting the start for Detroit on Friday night is left-hander Framber Valdez, who has proven to be a solid addition to the rotation after his first five starts. Believe it or not, this will be the southpaw’s first appearance against Cincinnati in his eight-year MLB career.
Opposite him will be fellow lefty Andrew Abbott, a fourth-year hurler who finished eighth for the NL Cy Young Award last season. He, too, will be facing the Tigers for the first time ever.
Detroit Tigers (12-10) vs. Cincinnati Reds (16-9)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio SB Nation Site:Red Reporter Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 27: LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.30 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Abbott (0-2, 5.84 ERA)
Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer throws a first inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Even an off day didn’t give the Orioles a break from the relentless injury news. Dean Kremer is the latest injured Oriole, just two starts into his major league season, as the club placed him on the 15-day injured list yesterday with a right quad strain. The O’s called up Brandon Young from Triple-A Norfolk to take Kremer’s rotation spot.
It never seems to end. We’re less than a month into the season and the O’s now have 13 players on the injured list, including six on the 60-day IL. Other than Félix Bautista, all of these injuries have occurred since the start of spring training, robbing the Orioles of a slew of players they expected to be contributors this season. That kind of attrition is hard for any team to overcome. The O’s front office did a somewhat better job of building the Birds’ depth this offseason compared to last year, but they probably weren’t expecting it to be put to the test quite this early.
Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg have yet to play a major league game this year, and the latter might miss the whole season. Zach Eflin made a grand total of one appearance before his season ended. In some cases, the Orioles have shown remarkable resilience to overcome key absences. The bullpen in particular has outperformed expectations without late-inning relievers Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin (not to mention Bautista), thanks to lesser-known names like Rico Garcia, Anthony Nunez, and Grant Wolfram stepping up. Jeremiah Jackson has superbly replaced Holliday at second base, to the point that I’m not totally sure what the O’s are going to do with Holliday once he’s healthy.
Other injuries have led to some less-than-stellar replacements. Coby Mayo has gotten everyday duty at third base in Westburg’s absence and has been better than expected with the glove but miserable at the plate, his two long homers in Kansas City notwithstanding. And Ryan Mountcastle and Tyler O’Neill, while not pivotal members of the team, were at least expected to boost the Birds against left-handed pitching. With that duo out of commission, the O’s have cobbled together lineups against southpaws that include Johnathan Rodríguez and Blaze Alexander in the outfield, with dismal results. And now the Kremer injury, on the heels of Eflin’s surgery, has further stretched the Orioles’ pitching depth.
For now, it’ll be up to Young to try to prove himself as a capable replacement. He’ll take the mound tonight as the Orioles begin a six-game homestand against the Red Sox and Astros, two teams who were expected to contend but who currently sit in last place in their respective divisions. You love to see it. The O’s went 3-3 on their first homestand, then 3-3 on their first road trip, then 3-3 on their next homestand, then 3-4 on their next road trip. There’s simply no way to guess how many games they’ll win during this homestand.
Last year around this time I declared that Adley was so back, only for him to spend the rest of the season being injured and/or ineffective. But this time? Adley is so back.
File this under “Orioles Headlines I Never Expected to Read This Year.”
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 33rd birthday to former O’s ace John Means. The lefty hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 2024, when he underwent his his second Tommy John surgery, and likely won’t pitch this year after rupturing his Achilles this offseason, but he signed a two-year deal with his hometown Royals in hopes of returning in 2027. Good luck to Means in his recovery. The other ex-Oriole with an April 24 birthday is catcher Welington Castillo (39).
On this day in 1965, the O’s reunited with an original Oriole, acquiring veteran right-hander Don Larsen from Houston. Larsen had pitched for the inaugural 1954 Orioles, coming over with the franchise from St. Louis, but went 3-21 that season before joining the Yankees, where he eventually threw a perfect game in the World Series. Larsen’s second stint with the Birds in ’65 was as a reliever, where he had a 2.67 ERA in 27 games.
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 24, 1996, the Orioles beat the Royals in an 11-8 barnburner at Kauffman Stadium. The O’s pounded out 18 hits in the game, led by Cal Ripken’s 4-for-5 performance. Chris Hoiles bashed two home runs while Ripken, Brady Anderson, and Mike Devereaux each went yard as well. O’s starter Kent Mercker got the win despite giving up six runs in five innings, and closer Randy Myers stranded the bases loaded after a hairy ninth in which he walked three and gave up a hit. The win snapped the Orioles’ six-game losing streak.
Apr 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh (16) is greeted after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
One week ago, I opened up the links by noting that the results of the Braves series would have a major impact on the mood of the fanbase. The same can be said today. Let us hope that this series will turn out better than the last.
