Crumpet and Lobo love walks. Unfortunately, so do opposing batters and my dogs only wish they could get walked at the rate A’s pitchers are offering. It’s been an issue all season and not only does it continue to be a major barrier to success, it is a widespread phenomenon across all types and levels of pitchers.
Last night the A’s issued 8 more free passes, 5 from starter JT Ginn in just 4.1 IP. Today’s starting pitcher, Jacob Lopez, is trying to bring down a walk rate that started at over a batter an inning and currently sits at 21 BB in 24.1 IP. “Ace” Luis Severino has put together two excellent starts in a row, but has still walked 23 in his 38.1 IP for the season.
Team wide, strangely the A’s have issued the 3rd most walks in all of MLB yet also only the 3rd most walks in the division. More generous than A’s pitchers are only those who toil for the Angels and Astros. But for contrast, the A’s have now walked 147 batters in 32 games (4.6 per game) while despite playing one more game the Mariners staff has walked only 82 (2.48 per game).
What is typical this season, with the ABS challenge system shrinking the strike zone a bit as umpires can’t “Verlander” the opposing hitters? 3.5 BB/game is the median, meaning the A’s staff is a whopping 31.4% above the league average so far in 2026.
Here’s the ominous part. The issue is far from limited to the big league club. Currently the A’s have an organizational problem with throwing enough strikes, including their very best pitching prospects.
Gage Jump? Scouts continue to be excited about his potential and his ceiling and cite him as not being far from ready to pitch in the big leagues. Yet one stat stands out as still needing work and attention: so far this season at AAA, Jump has thrown 18.1 IP and walked 10.
Luis Morales was envisioned to be a breakout candidate pitching his way to the front of the A’s big league rotation but he has been wild at 3 levels in the span of a month. In spring training Morales threw 19 sad innings in which he walked 14 and was tagged for 16 ER. Then he lasted only 7.1 IP in the big leagues as he walked 8 and was soon shipped back to AAA for more seasoning. At AAA he has completed just 12.1 IP in 3 starts, walking 9. So that’s, in aggregate, 38.2 IP, 31 BB.
Mason Barnett continues to struggle greatly to throw enough strikes, with an MLB mark of 13 BB in 24.1 IP. At AAA he has not made strides, with 12 BB in 19.2 IP.
Even Kade Morris, a “pitch to contact” sinker baller with low K rates but strong “pitchability,” has walked 16 in his 31.1 IP.
Dipping down to AA, Jamie Arnold is, like Jump, viewed as a “fast mover” with upside and in fairness to Arnold starting his pro career at AA is an aggressive assignment. Arnold came with some concerns around his control and so far, indeed control has been his main vice. In 21.1 IP he has walked 10.
Perhaps most puzzling is Wei-En Lin who, at 19 years old last season, established himself as a strike throwing machine. Lin issued only 22 free passes in 87 IP as a teenager (while striking out 117), walking just 2.28/9 IP at AA. But Lin walked 4 batters in his 3.1 IP in spring training and hasn’t been nearly as efficient at Midland so far this season with 9 BB in 21 IP (3.86/9 IP). It’s as if everyone in the A’s system has caught the walkies bug.
To what can we attribute what is becoming a serious issue impeding the A’s quest for success on the mound? There are myriad potential explanations, most of which are probably entirely inaccurate. They include:
1. Lack of talent. If the group of MLB pitchers and top MiLB prospects just doesn’t measure up to the industry norm then you’re going to see it reflected in performance. Certainly pre-season projections did not favor the big league staff as a whole, but few organizations would not want to have Jump, Morales, Arnold, and Lin among their top pitching prospects.
2. Mechanical issues not solved. Control problems often arise when a pitcher loses that “repeatability” or something gets off with their mechanics, they can’t get right in real time and coaches are unable to help them right the ship.
3. Approach not geared to limit walks. If pitchers are nibbling, throwing breaking pitches in fastball counts, trying to miss bats with chase pitches instead of challenging, etc., the cost is going to be higher walk totals along the way.
4. Drafting/Acquiring philosophy. Certainly, from Joe Boyle to Elvis Alvarado to Braden Nett to the selection of Arnold, the A’s have not shied away recently from pitchers with plus stuff whose biggest red flag on the mound is their control. Perhaps the organization is paying the price of a “be careful what you wish for” approach.
5. Home field disadvantage. Both in Sacramento and Las Vegas/PCL, A’s pitchers face a hostile pitching environment that discourages being aggressive in the strike zone and tempts hurlers to be extra careful. This could inflate walk totals as well as embedding bad habits even when in the comfort of a “pitcher’s park”.
What do you think is at the root of the A’s system wide breakdown in throwing enough strikes in 2026? It’s having a significant impact on the big league team’s success and on the development of the A’s top prospects, so it would be prudent for the A’s to identify and solve the issue. Walks are great for doggies and terrible for ERAs.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 26: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gestures during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the season’s final month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
Out in the West, it already looks like a two-horse race will pull many lengths ahead of the rest of the pack. The Dodgers got off to a scorching start and have never relinquished their grasp on the NL West lead. However, a recent slip up and consistent strong play from the Padres have the Friars breathing down the necks of their division rivals.
First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (20-11)
Top Position Player: Max Muncy (1.4 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani (1.3 fWAR)
Shohei Ohtani looks like he’s on a mission to secure one of the few pieces of hardware that has eluded him thus far in his career. He has four MVPs and a pair of rings, next up on the mantel might be the NL Cy Young. He leads all NL pitchers with a 1.97 FIP and 1.3 fWAR, his 0.60 ERA in five starts the second-lowest of any starts after the Angels’ José Soriano and has yet to give up a home run in 30 innings. His hitting has suffered a touch as he sacrificed some DH days to focus on pitching, but even then he still has six home runs and a 143 wRC+. He leads a team that boasts the best offense by wRC+ (123) and second-best pitching staff by ERA (3.19) in baseball.
Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are once again experiencing slow starts to their campaigns, both right around league-average at the plate and not much more valuable than replacement level. Kyle Tucker has also had a slow start to his Dodgers career with a 100 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR. Fortunately for LA, Max Muncy as well as a pair of their youngsters have been carrying the weight at the dish, Andy Pages looking like a legitimate perennial All-Star caliber center fielder while rookie catcher Dalton Rushing has been worth a win while trying his hardest to be the league’s biggest villain.
Ohtani is joined by three other excellent starters in the rotation, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Wrobleski all sporting sub-3.00 ERAs. The bullpen will be without big money closer Edwin Díaz until at least the All-Star break after he underwent elbow surgery, but a resurgent Tanner Scott has helped ease that blow. Top to bottom the Dodgers once again look like a deep, scary team, which underlines why they are still the overwhelming favorites to make it a three-peat.
Second Place: San Diego Padres (19-11)
Top Position Player: Luis Campusano (0.9 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (0.9 fWAR)
The Padres have had to play their best baseball to keep pace with the Dodgers, but a recent 5-7 stretch by LA has the Dads within a half-game. It’s not often that you see a relief pitcher being a team’s most valuable pitcher, but Mason Miller is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible from a pitcher. He recently had his scoreless streak ended, but a -0.06 FIP from striking out over half the batters he has faced is the stuff of video games. His efforts have gone a long way toward carrying an offense and pitching staff that has been middle of the pack in terms of wRC+ (97) and ERA (4.23).
Their offense lacks any standout performers. Case in point: the usually light hitting Luis Campusano leads the way with 0.9 fWAR, propped up a lot by his defense behind the plate and an unsustainably high .400 BABIP. Fernando Tatis Jr. has been one of the unluckiest hitters so far and still has yet to hit his first home run of the year while Jackson Merrill has been a serious disappointment — neither has a wRC+ above Tatis’ 76. Xander Bogaerts is riding a hot start while Manny Machado has been league average so far.
Two of the pitchers from the Juan Soto trade to the Yankees lead the way in the rotation, both Michael King and Randy Vásquez sporting sub-3.00 ERAs. However, there is a chance they could lose Nick Pivetta for the season after an MRI revealed a forearm flexor strain — often a harbinger of Tommy John surgery. Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito could be close to reinforcing the rotation once they return from injury.
Third Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (16-15)
Top Position Player: Ildemaro Vargas (1.5 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Michael Soroka (0.6 fWAR)
Last year, the Diamondbacks mounted a late surge led by a three-headed monster of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo. Carroll is the only one to have picked up where he led off with a 165 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR. Perdomo is at a 107 wRC+ while Marte is at 89 after both were at or above 138 in 2025. Instead, it’s the most improbable candidate leading the way, 34-year-old journeyman first baseman Ildemaro Vargas posting MLB’s fourth highest wRC+ at 199 (which is almost certain to normalize given his 3.2-percent walk rate and almost 100 point gap between wOBA and xwOBA).
It’s quite remarkable that they are above .500 considering they are one of only three teams with a staff ERA north of 5.00. Four of their six starters in Eduardo Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Merrill Kelly have been replacement level or worse. The bullpen has been a smidge better, led by Juan Morillo and his 1.84 ERA.
Fourth Place: Colorado Rockies (14-18)
Top Position Player: Mickey Moniak (0.9 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Antonio Senzatela (0.7 fWAR)
I’m not sure anyone would have believed that the team that lost 119 games in 2025 would not be in last place at the end of April. Mickey Moniak might finally be fulfilling the pedigree of being the first overall pick in 2016, leading the way with his 162 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR along with eight home runs. He’s joined by fellow slugger Hunter Goodman and his nine home runs, 129 wRC+, and 0.8 fWAR. Otherwise, their offense is a bottom-five unit in the game.
Instead, it’s Colorado’s completely remade pitching department that leads the way. After finishing dead last in ERA and FIP in each of the last three seasons, they modernized their analytics department, leading to a pitching staff that is middle of the pack now in those aforementioned stats. They brought in starters Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Jose Quintana to bring some experience to the room, but it’s actually the bullpen that has shown up. Led by converted starter Antonio Senzatela and his 0.46 ERA, the Rockies are just not surrendering leads with the same ferocity with which we are accustomed.
Last Place: San Francisco Giants (13-19)
Top Position Player: Luis Arraez (0.9 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Landen Roupp (0.9 fWAR)
The Giants are adrift in the wilderness, led by a college manager with zero MLB experience in Tony Vitello who could find his seat growing quite hot given the way heads are rolling early this year. Despite investing over a half-billion dollars into Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman, San Francisco are rolling out a bottom-three offense by wRC+ (84) and fWAR (0.8).
Devers is the second-worst qualified hitter in baseball with a 48 wRC+ and -0.8 fWAR as his ability to hit the fastball has seemingly disappeared. Adames isn’t much better at a 64 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR, that pair two of the ten worst hitters in the sport. As a team, they’ve hit an MLB-worst 19 home runs, so it is fitting that their top position player is noted singles hitter Luis Arraez at a 97 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR.
Their pitching staff is in the top-third of the league in ERA (3.96), but there is only so much you can do to make up for an absent offense. Landen Roupp has displaced a surprisingly underperforming Logan Webb from the top spot among their pitchers — the third-year righty sports a 2.55 ERA and has yet to give up a barrel in 84 batted ball events. Robbie Ray is having another nice start to the campaign, but winter signings Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser have been worse than replacement level. Their bullpen is the lone bright spot, second in the majors at a 3.19 ERA led by Erik Miller (3.18 ERA, 1.72 FIP, and Keaton Winn (2.84 ERA, 2.26 FIP).
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: VJ Edgecombe #77, Tyrese Maxey #0 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers look on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
When your head and your heart often conflict on the outcome of a game involving one of your teams, your head is usually more realistic or pessimistic while your heart is the more optimistic part of your body. For most Sixers fans, it’s the opposite entering Saturday night’s Game 7 in Boston in a first-round series that has gone on much longer than anyone would have expected.
Philadelphia sports teams have lost seven consecutive Game 7s. That streak is eight if you include the winner-take-all Game 5 that the Phillies lost in the 2011 NLDS. That’s right, a Philadelphia sports team has not won a Game 7 since the Flyers eliminated the Sabres in the spring of 2011. The Sixers are responsible for four of the seven Game 7 losses in a streak that has spanned 15 years for the city.
Two of the four recent losses for the Sixers in Game 7s came at the same building they’re about to play another one in. What’s even more symbolic is the timing of those two losses to the Celtics in Game 7s on the road. The first one came in 2012. Philly was a pesky eight seed that was giving a veteran Celtics group all they could handle in the second round. The Celtics won a low-scoring 85-75 game and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. It felt like the absolute apex of what those Sixers teams could achieve. Philly capitalized on Derrick Rose’s injury in the first round to eliminate the Bulls and then scratched and clawed for as long as it could against Boston but simply wasn’t talented enough to beat a Celtics team that had won the East in 2008 and 2010. Heck, even if the Sixers had pulled it out in Boston, they would have been an even bigger underdog against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Heat went on to win the NBA Championship in 2012.
That game was the final one Andre Iguodala played as a Sixer. Iggy was a part of the package in the four-team trade with the Sixers, Lakers, Magic and Nuggets that sent Andrew Bynum across the country from LA to Philly while Iguodala landed in Denver. After Bynum never played a game in Philadelphia, Sam Hinkie came in to blow things up and start The Process.
Fast forward 11 years to Mother’s Day 2023 and Philly is back in a Game 7 against the Celtics. But, this time the circumstances are much different. For one, Doc Rivers is coaching the Sixers this time instead of the Celtics. Secondly, the Sixers were much more the Celtics’ equal and had just blown out the Celtics in Boston in a Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. Ironically enough, Miami was again waiting for the winner in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this wasn’t the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh Heat.
But after this loss in 2023, one simply could not use the same “they fought hard,” narrative to cope the way you could have in 2012. It was one of the more embarrassing moments for Joel Embiid, the crown jewel of Hinkie’s rebuilding plan that started in the spring of 2013. Embiid shot just 5-for-18 from the field, was a -28 and the Sixers got blown out, losing by a final score of 112-88. Boston would go on to lose to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the conference finals and it was yet another blown opportunity for the Embiid-led Sixers to make a deep playoff run.
Surely you don’t need a refresher on some of the other playoff disappointments that have happened for the Sixers in between 2012 and 2023. Although, we should point out that included in those playoff exits were two more eliminations at the hands of the Celtics in 2018 and 2020. The 2020 loss in the first-round in the COVID bubble was the final season for Brett Brown as Sixers’ head coach. The aforementioned 2023 loss to the Celtics was the end of Doc Rivers’ tenure on the sideline in Philadelphia.
The playoff eliminations for the Sixers in the last 25 years have all happened in either the first or second rounds and one of two narratives has followed each one. It was either “tough break, at least they went down swinging,” if they lost competitively or simply appeared to be outmatched but gave good effort or one of utter embarrassment that resulted in the Sixers being the butt of many jokes amongst national talking heads and other fanbases.
The point is, we’ve seen just about everything when it comes to ways the Sixers can disappoint us in the spring. We all know they have plenty of embarrassments in playoffs. If they didn’t have some of the hard-fought playoff exits, most recently in 2024 against New York, a close loss in Game 7 might be a little easier to stomach considering no one expected them to get here. But we’ve done that before too.
So, all of this is why your heart tells you they won’t win Game 7. They never do. Until you see them dig deep and find a way to pull through in the face of adversity, the only emotion you know if you’re a Sixers fan is pain. But if you remove the historical emotions and simply analyze the last two weeks of this series against Boston, your head will tell you Philadelphia can absolutely win on Saturday night.
All three of the Sixers’ wins in this series have come by double digits. Two of them have been in Beantown. Jayson Tatum seems likely to play in Game 7 for Boston, but will probably be less than 100% after leaving Game 6 with a calf injury. The Sixers aren’t as reliant on Embiid as they once were. Paul George has suddenly come alive. Tyrese Maxey’s level has risen. When VJ Edgecombe plays with the right amount of confidence, he’s not exactly a rookie. Role players like Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre and Andre Drummond have all had their moments in this series. But Embiid has still been very productive having produced a 33-point masterpiece in Game 5 and finishing just shy of a triple-double in Game 6.
A win on Saturday night would be so emotionally refreshing for this Sixers fanbase. After about a decade of playoff disappointment with Embiid leading the way, no one really went into this season with hopes of a deep playoff run. Frankly, even when things were looking good at various points in the regular season, a lot of fans probably figured, “Well, what’s the point of even getting excited? They’re just going to let me down again in the playoffs if I do enjoy this.” Then, when it was the Celtics yet again as the first-round opponent, many fans probably just felt you could simulate the series and it wasn’t even worth watching as the result would surely be Boston in 4 or 5.
While a win on Saturday doesn’t guarantee Philly gets to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001, there’s certainly a path towards a deep playoff run in an East that would open up significantly without Boston. It’s understandable to think about what might be next if the Sixers can beat the Celtics one more time on Saturday night, but Sixers fans should enjoy this moment.
You’re actually going to be nervous for a game in this series instead of just watching and waiting for the blowout loss to commence. For as frustrating as the recent playoff exits have been for the franchise, by now I think most fans know that you have to go all the way back to 1982 to find the last time Philadelphia eliminated Boston in the playoffs. Since then, it’s been a total of seven playoff series that the Sixers have lost to the Celtics.
When you consider the franchise’s history with these big games, how a win would change Embiid’s legacy and the collective shot-in-the-arm that the fanbase would get from winning one of these games, it’s impossible to undervalue what Saturday night means for the franchise. This is a lot more than just a first-round playoff series. If the Sixers were to go on to make a deep playoff run, there’s a good chance coming back from 3-1 down against the Celtics would still be the highlight of the 2026 postseason for the franchise.
So, buckle up, Sixers fans. The fact you’re even in a car that’s requiring you to buckle up again is a surprise in and of itself. These rides haven’t always been fun, but sooner or later, one of them will be. Here’s to hoping tonight’s ride is just that.
Toronto Maple Leafs star Matthew Knies was in the building Friday night for one of the wildest finishes Scotiabank Arena has seen in years, and he had every reason to lose his mind along with everyone else.
Knies attended the Toronto Raptors’ Game 6 first-round playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, joining a sellout crowd desperate for a reason to believe. Heading in down 3-2 in the series, the Raptors’ season was hanging by a thread, and the night was shaping up to be a grim farewell to Toronto’s basketball season. With the Raptors trailing by a couple of points in the final minute of overtime, the atmosphere had turned funereal.
Then came the sequence that will be remembered for a while. After Raptors point guard Jamal Shead missed one of two free throws, the Raptors managed to pull within one point with 10.9 seconds remaining. That set the stage for RJ Barrett, who fielded the ball and heaved a desperation three-pointer from well beyond the arc. The shot looked like a prayer that wasn’t going to be answered. The ball caromed off the back of the rim, rocketed straight up into the air, and then dropped back down through the net, giving the Raptors a stunning one-point lead with just 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
Knies, there with a group of friends, was one of many who absolutely erupted when the ball fell through. Video circulating on social media showed the 23-year-old forward celebrating with the kind of unbridled joy that only a miraculous buzzer-beater can produce. You can take the guy out of the playoffs, the Leafs missed the postseason this spring, but you can’t take the competitor out of him.
Knies isn’t the only Leaf to have made an appearance at the Raptors’ playoff run this spring. William Nylander was spotted courtside during Game 4 of the series, the Swedish winger taking in the action from prime real estate near the floor. It speaks to the genuine crossover appeal these athletes have within Toronto’s broader sports community and perhaps to the fact that, with their own playoff run cut short, the Leafs have had some free time on their hands.
Matthew Knies and his buddies went nuts after RJ Barrett scored the game-winning bucket in Game 6
That last part stings a little. The Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade this season, bringing an abrupt and painful end to a year that carried genuine Stanley Cup aspirations before injuries and inconsistency derailed the campaign. For Knies in particular, the early offseason has been a period of reflection following a breakout 2023-24 in which he established himself as one of the most important young power forwards in the Eastern Conference. Watching another Toronto team battle for its playoff life was surely a mix of inspiration and reminder of what the Leafs will need to summon come next October.
As for the Raptors, they completed the comeback to win 112-110, forcing a deciding Game 7 on Sunday in Cleveland. Whether they can pull off the ultimate upset on the road remains to be seen, but Friday night they gave this city exactly the kind of moment it needed, and Matthew Knies was right there for all of it.
The New York Yankees took care of business on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, and showed no signs of slowing down.
With the Orioles sending a vulnerable pitcher to the mound, my Orioles vs. Yankees predictions expect today to be a repeat of yesterday as the Yankees win in a high-scoring affair.
Read all about it in my MLB picks for Saturday, May 2.
Who will win Orioles vs Yankees today: Yankees moneyline (-163)
Kyle Bradish's arsenal is a problem against this New York Yankees lineup.
His fastball, breaking ball, and overall pitching run value all grade in the Bottom 15th percentile, and his walk rate sits in the 24th percentile, meaning he is going to put runners on base. That's a problem against such a potent offense.
New York’s league-leading barrel rate is a prevailing story in this matchup. Bradish is a true groundball pitcher, and that should help him in some aspects of this matchup, particularly against the bottom of the lineup. But he’s not elite enough in that category.
His 50% groundball rate is in the 80th percentile of baseball, and that’s likely due for some regression given his historical numbers.
I simply don’t think that’s good enough to overcome a Yankees team that is rolling like they are for the moment, especially when you have a Bottom 30th percentile hard-hit rate and barrel rate. I’d play this to -170.
COVERS INTEL: This matchup features two teams ranking in the Top 3 of baseball in hard-hit rate against two pitchers with hard-hit rates in the Bottom 30% of the sport.
Orioles vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-115)
Rinse and repeat from yesterday, with a lot of the same reasons. Both pitchers have real vulnerabilities, and the Yankees should score a good amount of runs, meaning the Baltimore Orioles won’t have to do much.
Moving on from Bradish, it’s past time for Ryan Weathers to come down to earth. His xERA of 4.63 is nearly a full run and a half over his actual.
What’s pushing that expected number the most is a poor hard-hit rate and barrel rate that both rank in the Bottom 25 percentile of the sport. This Orioles lineup isn’t overwhelming with power, but the likes of Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman should still be enough to punish here.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 12-9, +2.62 units
Over/Under bets: 13-9, +3.72 units
Orioles vs Yankees odds
Moneyline: Orioles +149 | Yankees -162
Run line: Orioles +1.5 | Yankees -1.5
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Orioles vs Yankees trend
The Yankees have hit the F5 Moneyline in 17 of their last 25 games at home (+7.20 Units / 14% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Yankees.
How to watch Orioles vs Yankees and game info
Location
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Date
Saturday, May 2, 2026
First pitch
1:35 p.m. ET
TV
MASN, YES
Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish (1-3, 4.20 ERA)
Yankees starting pitcher
Ryan Weathers (1-2, 3.21 ERA)
Orioles vs Yankees latest injuries
Orioles vs Yankees 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.
Dylan Cease has been electric this season for the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s compiled a 2.87 ERA while striking out 49 in 31.1 innings of work. In fact, the right-hander is second in the American League in Ks.
Cease has cashed the Over in strikeouts in two of his last four outings, and in his last start on the road, the veteran had 12 punchouts against the Los Angeles Angels. He’ll face the Minnesota Twins tonight, and Cease has 27 Ks in 63 at-bats against their lineup. Minny is also 20th in team strikeouts.
Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Twins.TV, SN1
Ozzie Albies to record a run (-135)
Ozzie Albies is having a wonderful season so far. He’s hitting .320, and he’s come across the plate 24 times. Albies has cashed the Over in runs in four straight contests, and during that span, the infielder has five runs. He’s a spark plug in this Atlanta Braves lineup.
It also helps that everyone around him is producing. The Braves are one of the best ball clubs around with RISP, hitting .271. Albies also has a .369 OBP, and he’s also in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak. He’ll stay hot, and come across the dish again versus the lowly Colorado Rockies.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Rockies.TV
Chris Sale Over 7.5 strikeouts (+108)
Chris Sale has always had strikeout stuff, and 2026 has been no different. He’s punched out 38 hitters in 35 innings of work. The southpaw has only cashed the Over in Ks once this season, but it was in his last outing, sitting down nine Philadelphia Phillies via the strikeout.
Tonight’s matchup heavily plays in his favor, though. The Rockies are one of the worst teams in the Majors as usual, and Sale has 15 Ks in 35 at-bats against their lineup. Colorado is also 28th in the bigs in team strikeouts with 9.36 per contest. Sale should breeze through them, and miss his fair share of bats along the way.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Rockies.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 9-19, -2.54 units
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.
SAINT PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 29: Sweden forward Viggo Bjorck (21) scores a goal during a IIHF World Junior Championship game between Germany and Sweden on December 29, 2025, at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Happy draft season, Devils fans and fans of fellow non-playoff teams. Today, we are kicking off our annual NHL Draft prospect profiles. Kicking off this year is a Swedish right-handed center, Viggo Björck.
Viggo Björck turned 18 years old on March 12, and he is currently listed at 5’10” and 172 pounds. Under contract with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League through the 2026-27 season, Björck is unlikely to make a direct jump to the NHL, but he is projected to go somewhere in the mid-to-late lottery selections this year. Below, you can see his production history on his Elite Prospects page.
With Djurgårdens this season, Björck had six goals and nine assists in 42 games. That might seem like nothing special, but it is more than above average production for a 17-year old playing his first professional season. In 2024-25, Björck had 27 goals and 47 assists for Djurgårdens’s U20 juniors team. Draft eligible players who have seasons like Björck’s last one in juniors still end up pretty good prospects if they do that in their draft year (let alone their D-1), and he added a good professional season on top of it.
This was an important season for Djurgårdens. After being promoted from the HockeyAllsvenskan league, they needed to stay above relegation territory. But aside from Björck, Djurgårdens had a good boost in the form of Jacob Josefson, who returned to the team after a four-years absence from hockey to help the team he once captained after leaving the NHL. With other NHL prospects in Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund, Djurgardens had a good mix of young talent and older veterans for their decent finish at ninth in the league table.
Rankings
Björck has been most recently ranked as follows, per his Elite Prospects page:
4th by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
6th by TSN (Button)
6th by The Hockey News (Ferrari)
6th by Sportsnet (Bukala)
7th by Smaht Scouting
8th by TSN (Peters)
8th by McKeen’s Hockey
8th by Sportsnet (Cosentino)
9th by Dobber Prospects
12th by The Hockey News (Kennedy)
What I See in the Tape
I am skipping the “what others say about Björck” section today because I have found that a lot of evaluations of him available online are from preliminary rankings, and I do not enjoy using too-dated information. As we get closer to draft season, I am sure we will start seeing more full-on draft profiles on guys like him.
Usually, when we do these prospect profiles, I go looking for some shift-by-shift videos. I was able to get one for Bjorck, but this one was a little different than usual. This was a playoff game! From just a couple weeks ago, here is Viggo playing in Djugarden’s playoff series against the Malmo Redhawks. For a teenager just five days off his 18th birthday, playing in a tough league like the SHL, I was mainly looking for how he handled himself. You might expect the tempo and physicality to be different on that big sheet of ice, but there is still quite a lot of energy at hand.
Suffice to say, Viggo Björck surprised me. I might have expected a skilled teenaged center to be a little more peripheral on the European ice, but he is very engaged. In just the first five minutes here, he is winning board battles, finishing checks, and holding his own in collisions. He draws a penalty at 3:13 (on a play that I think would not have led to a stoppage in the NHL), but still seems to get the better of the collision. I know these were his playoffs, but if he were to bring this type of energy right to the National Hockey League, fans of any team would quickly love him.
After a great defensive shift with the team down one towards the end of the second period, Björck started his third period by winning another board battle against two opponents to send the puck below the net. After Björck went to the net, Anton Frondell held the puck by the boards, just by the hash marks of the faceoff circle. With two teammates in Björck and Eklund by the net, Frondell feeds a perfect centering play to Björck, who scored his team’s second game-tying goal of the night on the redirection!
This is important to note: he is 5’10” and under 180 pounds. He’s not filled out yet. But I still see someone who is strong on the boards. Björck might keep his head down a bit too much at times, but he keeps his weight low and seems to come away with the puck a little quicker than his opponents. Defensively, one of the weaknesses I felt was apparent in his game here is actually something that might be easier for him on the smaller ice surface in North America. Björck tries to be mindful of the passing lanes, but he often seems a little off when trying to intercept passes. Engaging physically and playing right up to the opponent seems more Björck’s style.
On the power play nine minutes into the video, Björck has a couple entries broken up. On the third, he uses his wheels a little more to gain the zone cleanly, passing back to Eklund at the point on the backhand. This leads to a power play goal, with Björck picking up a secondary assist. Here, Björck seems to learn that going slow into the zone is not working, and he needs to beat the defenders the old fashioned way.
Towards the end of the third period, Björck drew a tripping penalty, giving his team a man advantage going into overtime. They did not convert there, but Björck was on the ice for another delayed penalty seven minutes into overtime. With the extra attacker, Björck went to the front of the net and looked for redirections and deflections, but a couple of chances were turned aside before the puck was touched up. On the power play, Björck set up from the left faceoff circle and worked the puck low to Victor Eklund. Eklund whipped it up to Anton Frondell, who hit the one-timer for a game-winning goal! Viggo Björck put up three points in his very first SHL playoff game in a 3-2 overtime victory.
For a full highlight video, see below:
My Thoughts
This will be Sunny Mehta’s first draft with the New Jersey Devils, and it will be interesting to see what kind of players fall to him (or don’t). As it is, I think Viggo Björck should be selected before the Devils virtually (boo) go to the podium. But if Mehta has his eye on Björck, he has a few things going for him. For starters, Björck is small and European. In last year’s NHL Draft, we saw General Managers around the league prioritize the size of players over their production potential. Since a different team will win the Stanley Cup this year, the copycat fad of the month may be a little different, but we will see when we get there.
But last season, the first player who was drafted at Viggo Björck’s height or shorter was Cullen Potter (5’10” and 172 pounds) at 32nd overall by the Calgary Flames. Only two players under 6’0″ were drafted in the lottery: James Hagens (5’11” and 186 pounds) and Benjamin Kindel (5’11” and 180 pounds). So, despite his obvious skill and potential, Björck will have to convince GMs that he is worth passing a high-ceiling 6’4″ center over, and they have been particularly unwilling to do that over the last couple of years.
Like I mentioned earlier, public draft models may have liked Bjork more this season had he stayed in juniors and dominated lesser competition. However, this is a good time to inject some personal logic into the evaluation. Below is a comparison from Byron Bader’s Hockey Prospecting of Viggo Björck with the Devils’ own Cody Glass. If you do not know, Hockey Prospecting uses an NHLe system to predict how many expected equivalent NHL points a season in a different league is worth. The SHL has one of the highest NHLe ratings in the world, and may be on par with the KHL above the AHL.
An NHLe north of 30 in the player’s draft year tends to lead to pretty high “star probabilities,” which means a forward who produces over 57.5 points per 82 games throughout his career. Since Cody Glass tore up the WHL in his draft year, it didn’t matter he was a little weaker the year prior. Add on the fact that he is pretty big, and that made him a lottery pick in his draft. For Björck, though, had he just tacked on a few points to his 74 points in 42 games in the 2024-25 season in the J20 Nationell, he would have had a profile equivalent to Glass or better. I put a decent amount of stock into these sorts of broad evaluations, but we have to keep competition in mind. Björck had a good season in a tough league. Often, players who do well in juniors and get promoted to a league like the SHL at his age are happy to chip in just a couple points over long stretches in fourth line minutes.
That aside, how would he fit with the Devils? Well, I think. We have talked and talked about how the Devils desperately need more center depth, and Björck was often used in a center role for Djurgårdens this season despite his age. How he plays that role is even more important. From the shift tape I watched in his first playoff game, it seems like Björck is smart about not leaving the middle of the ice too often, which will be even more important in North America. He won his board battles more often than not, often beating two opponents for the puck. He is difficult to knock around in those areas because of his low center of gravity. Currently, the Devils’ only great board worker is Nico Hischier. I think Björck might be able to achieve a similar level (even if not quite as good) of proficiency at winning the puck in the NHL. From Lassi Alanen’s European tracking project, see how well-rounded his game is. At just 18 years old, he is one of the most well-rounded centers at five-on-five in the SHL.
He is also very efficient in his movement. I did not notice him drifting away from the play, and he had to be pretty patient at times on defense because of how wide their ice surface is. He might actually be more difficult to play against in the NHL when he can keep smaller gaps to puck carriers from the middle of the ice with the time it takes him to close the gap being much shorter. Offensively, he is able to perform some solid puck movement and seems smart about avoiding dangerous plays. Djurgårdens did not have success on the rush in this particular game, but he knows how to turn the jets up a bit when entering the zone. If a North American coach gets a handle on that, he could become a dangerous forechecker with his apparent skill on the boards and his strong balance. Someone who is already trying to make a living around the net at his age should be destined to do great things in the NHL.
The big question is how much his size dings him among league GMs. In my opinion, Viggo Björck is someone to mark early for the New Jersey Devils. He does not need a lot of seasoning, and could probably even be in the NHL in 2026-27 in a third-line role or in the AHL in a first-line role (under the exception rules) if he were not already under SHL contract. I will circle back on him in about a month when we have more profiles up, but there is a very good chance that he ends up being one of the best lottery bets after the top five.
If he falls to the Devils, there are so many reasons to select him. He seems like a great fit for the game that Jack Hughes wants to play, as Björck would give him outstanding forechecking along with an ability to establish position by the net and redirect pucks past the goaltender. Or, he can play third-line center and give the Devils a legitimate threat of a line behind Hischier and Hughes, especially if Cody Glass either moves up the lineup at wing or if his contract extension proves too expensive. Björck might not end up a true top-line center, but he has the foundation to get there. A little more selfishness on offense might be necessary. But if you are looking for a player to complement the game that Hischier and Hughes are trying to play on this team, Viggo Björck might be your guy.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Viggo Björck? Do you think he will buck the multi-year trend of players under 5’11” not being drafted in the first round? Do you think he will fall to the Devils? What do you think of his game in comparison to his stature? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
Last year, the Montreal Canadiens only survived five games in the playoffs, and it’s fair to say that they were dominated and bullied by the Washington Capitals. The young Habs looked shellshocked and surprised by the intensity of the playoffs. They could only muster a single win against a team that didn’t last long in the second round.
This season, they had to take on what is a much more formidable foe. A team that has been dominant for years and has one of the best, if not the best, coaches in the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning have won two Stanley Cups since 2020 and boast a wealth of experience. After seeing the Florida Panthers win the last two Cups with bullying tactics, the Bolts tried to take a page out of their book this year and submit the Canadiens to the same treatment. It didn’t work; Martin St-Louis’ team was ready this year, and his men pushed back.
The Habs and Bolts duel is turning out to be a classic series, the only one to go the distance to seven games. After six confrontations, both teams have won three games and scored 14 goals. They couldn’t be more evenly matched. Tampa Bay has gotten a lot of production from their top guns; Brandan Hagel, Jake Guentzel, and Nikita Kucherov have combined for 22 points. Meanwhile, Montreal’s top guns have only produced 12 points, but all but two Canadiens have gotten on the scoresheet.
Only Jayden Struble and Oliver Kapanen remain pointless for the Habs. For the Bolts, 10 players remain pointless. Granted, some of them only played a couple of games, but four of their regulars haven’t contributed offensively: Corey Perry, Zemgus Girgensons, Nick Paul and Emil Lilleberg. Braydon Point, who had 50 points in the regular season, only has one assist.
In net, Jakub Dobes has a 2.19 goals-against average while Andrei Vasilevskiy’s stands at 2.20. The rookie netminder has a .916 save percentage, while the battle-tested veteran has a .905. So far, the youngster has had the upper hand and has been incredibly valuable to his team.
Both teams average 2.33 goals for per game and 2.33 goals against per game. They both have a 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio of 1.00. The Canadiens have a 20.8% success rate on the power play, while the Lightning only strikes 15.4% of the time. The Habs have a 84.6% success rate on the penalty kill, while their success rate in the regular season only stood at 78.2 %. The Bolts' PK succeeds 79.2% of the time. In the regular season, it ranked third in the league at 82.6%. Montreal won 56 % of the faceoffs taken in the series, leaving the Bolts with a 44% success rate.
Whatever happens on Sunday night, win or lose, the Canadiens’ organization can be proud of what the players and the coach have accomplished in both the regular season and the playoffs. The future looks bright in Montreal, especially since the Habs still have some exciting prospects in the pipeline. Game 7 is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Sunday night, and it promises to be a must-watch for all hockey fans, not just those who support the two teams.
Peoria, AZ - February 19: Griffin Canning #17 of the San Diego Padres throws a bullpen session during a spring training practice on February 19, 2026 in Peoria, AZ. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres starting rotation will receive a boost to start next week when right-handed starter Griffin Canning will make his long-awaited Padres debut.
With his rehab window coming to a close on Sunday, Canning will most likely make his last start with El Paso on that date and then join the team Monday. After pitching Sunday, his first start would not come before Friday.
Up until this weekend, Canning has been on a six-day schedule with the Chihuahuas. When he makes his start on Sunday it will be his first time starting on four days rest.
Adjusting the rotation
The Padres will also have a log jam with their pitching staff when Canning joins the team. None of the current starters can be sent to the minor leagues and it is unlikely the team wants to risk trying to sneak any of them through waivers.
On first look it would seem that Matt Waldron would be the odd man, but the organization has invested a lot of time and work into developing Waldron into an effective starter. He has shown improvement with each of his starts this season. Letting a pitcher who can get through five innings with three or fewer runs walk away is unwise for any team. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla has shown a lot of faith in what Waldron can eventually become, it is unlikely that will change.
Is a six-man rotation possible?
Can the bullpen be reconfigured to allow an opener/long man other than Ron Marinaccio or Kyle Hart?
The possibilities could include sending a bullpen arm to the minors and keeping six starters, allowing for a six-man rotation in the short-term and an opener or piggy-back situation for a few weeks. These problems usually work themselves out in baseball. The solution should be interesting to follow.
Difficult stretch ahead
The Padres have a 10 games in 10 days stretch starting Friday through Sunday, May 10. They also have 19 games in 20 days over the next three weeks. A six-man rotation would not be out of the question for that marathon.
Canning coming off best season
Canning has not pitched in MLB since he ruptured his Achilles tendon on June 26, 2025, while pitching for the New York Mets. Before his injury he was having the best season of his career.
The 29-year-old had a 7-3 record and a 3.77 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched before the injury. The Mission Viejo native signed a free agent contract with the Mets after playing the first years of his career with the Angels.
Drafted in 2017, the Angels brought him up in 2019 and he pitched five seasons with the team. He missed 2022 with a back injury.
After signing with the Mets, Canning showed his most ground-ball heavy season yet. Always having a tendency to keep the ball on the ground, Canning had a 51.6% ground ball rate that ranked in the 87th percentile among all pitchers. Up until 2025, he had a 36.1% to 42.4% rate through his previous seasons.
Canning features six pitches in his mix with a fastball that he threw 35% of the time in 2025 and has an average velocity of 94 mph. He threw his slider 31% of the time and it averages 87.7 mph. He also mixes in a changeup, knuckle curve, cutter and sweeper.
The pitch mix used while with El Paso will be different than what he will likely employ in less dry conditions. The Pacific Coast League is a notorious hitters’ league and few pitchers do really well there.
Before the injury, Canning also pitched to a 21% K-rate, a 25.5% whiff rate and a 45.7% hard-hit rate in 2025. Those were all better than the MLB average.
Build up complete
In his fifth start with El Paso on Tuesday, Canning threw five innings with four strikeouts and one earned run allowed. He was removed from his previous start in the second inning after a 35-pitch effort and 46 pitches overall. With this start he had 68 pitches through those five innings. The goal is likely to get his pitch count up a bit more before he joins the Friars.
Over those five starts, Canning has 15 innings pitched and a 3.60 ERA with two homers allowed 12 walks and 18 strikeouts.
1970's: Pitcher Wayne Twitchell #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies poses for a circa 1970's action portrait. Twitchell played for the Phillies from 1971-77. (Photo by Louis Requena/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
In honor of the Philadelphia Phillies playing host to the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, we here at The Good Phight are launching a yearlong series that focuses on the history of the Phillies and the All-Star Game.Check back regularly for posts about the Phillies participation (or lack thereof) in the Midsummer Classic over its history.
It’s that time again. That’s right, it’s time to look back at two obscure Phillies all-stars from yesteryear, this time from the groovy decade of the seventies. If you missed the rest of our series on one and done all-stars, you can catch up with the 1960s, the 1950s, the 1940s part 1 + part 2, and the 1930s.
Joe Hoerner, 1970
The story of Joe Hoerner is one of heart, both literally and figuratively. The son of an Iowan farmer-turned-deputy sheriff, Hoerner grew up in a family full of athletes. Both brothers flirted with a baseball career, with the older Bob playing in the Cubs organization and the younger Jim (who was Joe’s catcher in high school) declining to pursue a career in the White Sox organization. Two of his cousins were football stars, Dick Hoerner being an All-Pro running back for the Los Angeles Rams and Mike Reilly being a linebacker that played in Super Bowl IV against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Joe Hoerner originally played outfield for his high school team, but his coach soon began to slowly have him pitch more. His team won a state championship in 1954 where he earned the win out of the bullpen in the quarterfinal and pitched a one-hitter in the semifinal. This was all after he was nearly killed in a car accident where Hoerner fell asleep at the wheel and smashed into a tree, suffering a separated shoulder and broken ribs.
Hoerner elected to forgo college and play semi-professional baseball while working at a Sears Roebuck. The White Sox offered Hoerner a contract after watching him play against one of their minor league affiliates, he accepted, and he was assigned to Duluth-Superior in the Northern League. Hoerner, despite being just 20 in his first professional season, dazzled with a 16-5 record and a 2.58 ERA in 28 games including 23 starts, throwing a no-hitter on May 12th for good measure.
1958 started off pretty well for Hoerner, as he was assigned to big league camp with the White Sox as a non-roster player just a week after marrying his longtime girlfriend, Darlene. Hoerner was assigned to Class-B Davenport, allowing him to go home to Iowa to see his new wife. One night with his wife watching, Hoerner felt his heart racing after delivering a pitch and soon collapsed on the field. He was taken to a hospital where he remained unconscious for the next two to three hours, even receiving the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. Hoerner eventually woke up and his symptoms disappeared. The local newspaper called the event a “minor heart attack”, but Hoerner was back on the field a few days later.
Unfortunately, Hoerner continued to be plagued by what he described as “blackout spells”, but only while he was on the mound and pitching. Multiple tests found nothing, and Hoerner spent his 1959 split between Class-A Charlston and local medical centers, pitching only 32 total innings on the year. Finally, doctors concluded that the muscles around Hoerner’s heart were weak, possibly as a previously undetected effect from his car accident. Some medical professionals tried to talk him into retirement, but Hoerner refused. Instead, he altered his delivery from an overhand motion to one that was more sidearm on the advice that his previous motion may have been putting stress on an artery.
Hoerner remained in the White Sox farm system through 1961 but never appeared in the majors, thus exposing him to the minor league draft where he was selected by the Houston Colt .45s. He made his MLB debut on September 27th, 1963, against the New York Mets in a game where Houston deliberately fielded an all-rookie lineup, including a 17-year-old starting pitcher. Hoerner entered in the top of the fourth with the score 8-0 New York and threw three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and collecting two strikeouts.
The 27-year-old Hoerner started 1964 with Houston but was demoted after just seven appearances. He would then bounce around the minor leagues for the next two years. By his wife’s count, the Hoerners and their young family had 35 residences, and their daughter attended 11 schools before Joe became a regular in the majors. Hoerner contemplated retirement but was talked out of it by his older brother.
His luck began to change when playing winter ball in Puerto Rico in late 1965. That’s when a scout from the St. Louis Cardinals was puzzled why Hoerner wasn’t in the majors and was able to convince the team to select him in the Rule 5 Draft. Hoerner made the team in 1966 despite manager Red Schoendienst’s reservations and impressed, as he finished the season with a 1.57 ERA across 57 appearances and 76 innings, all in relief. He would remain with St. Louis through 1969, winning a World Series in 1967 and accumulating a 2.10 ERA across a total of 244.1 IP.
In November of 1969, Hoerner was included in a massive seven player trade with the Phillies that included Dick Allen heading to the Cardinals. Hoerner along with Tim McCarver, Byron Browne, and Curt Flood went to Philadelphia while Allen, Cookie Rojas, and Jerry Johnson went to St. Louis. Flood never played for the Phillies though, as he refused to report to the Phillies and instead sued for free agency, ultimately losing his legal battle and retiring but setting the standard for the players and their union to fight for and win free agency.
Hoerner meanwhile did embark on his new career with the Phillies, but an old problem surfaced once again on June 28th, 1970. Hoerner was in the midst of an appearance against his old team in St. Louis when he once again felt a sharp pain in his chest. After picking up a strikeout of Carl Taylor and walking Dick Allen, Hoerner was removed from the game by Phillies manager Frank Lucchesi. He was then examined by the Cardinals team physician with whom he was familiar and diagnosed with a minor heart spasm. Hoerner was then carted off and sent to the hospital. But once again just like his first episode in 1958, all tests at the hospital were negative and he returned to the team a day later.
It didn’t seem to stop Hoerner’s momentum though, as he went on to pitch to a 2.86 ERA through 34.2 innings by the time Mets manager Gil Hodges selected Hoerner for the 1970 NL All-Star team for the game to be held in Cincinnati. However, despite the game being a 12-inning thriller that ended with Pete Rose barreling over Ray Fosse to score the winning run, Hoerner did not appear in the game. His brother claimed though that Hoerner was warming in the bullpen to pitch the 13th inning were it not for Rose’s infamous play that ended the game. In any case, Hoerner would go on to finish 1970 with a 2.65 ERA across 57.2 IP.
The 34-year-old Hoerner improved in 1971, ending his year with a 1.97 ERA in 73 innings, but his efforts were wasted on a 95-loss Phillies team. He continued to pitch well in 1972, but the Phillies were on their way to another losing season. That’s why the Phillies traded Hoerner to the Braves in June of 1972. Hoerner himself had even recommended them doing so, telling the Inquirer “If they don’t trade me, they’re crazy. My value isn’t going to get any higher.” In return, the Phillies got what Bill Conlin of the Inquirer called “two of the most expendable members of a staff that can’t get anybody out” in Jim Nash and Gary Neibauer who were in their final and penultimate year in the majors, respectively.
Hoerner then spent the rest of his career bouncing around the majors, including landing back in Philadelphia for 1975. His career ended in 1977 where, despite being 40 years old, the Reds called him up to the big-league club as they were desperate for any pitching. Hoerner faced the Phillies in his first MLB appearance of the year on June 22nd, and he promptly allowed a grand slam to Larry Bowa. His final game of his career came on August 5th, where he entered in mop up duty in a blowout and punched Pirates shortstop Frank Tavares in the face after the latter rushed the mound following a hit by pitch. Both were ejected from the game, but Hoerner would never again appear in a major league game.
Wayne Twitchell, 1973
The one thing that may be more interesting than just looking back at history is looking back and thinking what could have been. That’s even more true with baseball, and it’s very true in the case of Wayne Twitchell. Twitchell excelled in sports at his local high school in Portland, Oregon, being an All-State winner for baseball and football. The tall lanky Twitchell preferred playing football, where he played quarterback, over baseball. But his father Ralph, a former running back for Oregon State, tried to steer Wayne away from the gridiron where he suffered a career-ending knee injury by warning his son that such injuries ran in the family.
The Houston Astros stepped in to make the choice easier when they selected Twitchell with the third overall pick in the 1966 amateur draft, one selection after Reggie Jackson. Labeled a “pitching phenom” by the Houston Post, Twitchell stood a staggering 6’6 and weighed in at 220 pounds despite being only 18 years old at the time he was drafted. Twitchell impressed enough in his first season in A-ball that he was promoted all the way to Triple-A for three (unsuccessful) starts.
But by 1969, Twitchell was still in the minor leagues, and the Astros were growing impatient. He finished 1969 with a 4.76 ERA across 68 innings and 13 starts in Triple-A, which wasn’t deemed good enough for the Astros. Houston sold Twitchell’s contract to the Seattle Pilots, giving him dreams of pitching close to home, but the Pilots franchise was moved to Milwaukee a few months later after being purchased by a group headed by Bud Selig.
Luckily for Twitchell, he was still able to go back home as the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate was coincidentally in Portland. He made 26 starts there in 1970 before earning a call to the majors on September 7th. The 22-year-old Twitchell entered in the fifth inning against the Twins and struck out the side, including reigning MVP Harmon Killebrew, to work around an error and a walk. Unfortunately, his effort went to waste as the Brewers ultimately lost 7-6. Twitchell made another appearance three days later but didn’t have nearly the same amount of success, as he lasted only two-thirds of an inning and allowed two runs on three hits.
Despite the promise Twitchell showed, the Brewers decided to trade him to the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Pat Skrable prior to 1971. Twitchell later remarked that the reasoning behind the trade was that he didn’t “fit in” with the Brewers and that their ideas for his pitching style differed from his own, saying “I was a fastball pitcher and they were trying to make me into a spot pitcher.” The Phillies sent him to their Triple-A affiliate in Eugene, Oregon, once again close to his hometown of Portland. Twitchell credited Eugene manager Andy Seminick for allowing him to be himself and inadvertently convincing him not to retire in doing so.
Twitchell made his Phillies debut not long after in 1971. Despite being used almost exclusively as a reliever in Eugene, Twitchell made his first MLB start against the Mets on September 4th at Veterans Stadium. He lasted four innings and surrendered three unearned runs on five hits including a home run while walking two and striking out one in a 6-5 Phillies loss. However, he made five more appearances in relief and did not allow an earned run while racking up 14 strikeouts in 12 innings with just three hits. Twitchell earned his first big league win on September 23rd after throwing 2.1 hitless innings against the Montreal Expos in a 6-4 Phillies win.
The retirement of Jim Bunning allowed Twitchell to keep his spot on the Phillies for 1972. That was the year in which the Phillies won only 59 games, but Steve Carlton won 27 of them. Twitchell meanwhile had a good showing in his first full season as a major leaguer. The 24-year-old Twitchell posted a respectable 4.09 ERA in 139.2 innings with 112 strikeouts to just 56 walks across 49 games and 15 starts. His best start came against his old team the Astros on August 19th when Twitchell pitched a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts to no walks and only five hits.
After the 1972 season, Twitchell sought out Bunning for advice on developing a slider at the behest of pitching coach Ray Ripplemeyer. The new pitch proved to be a boon for Twitchell, as he started 1973 in the bullpen but earned a spot in the rotation by May 7th. Twitchell excelled in both roles, with a 2.29 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 137.2 innings pitched by the All-Star break. That first start on May 7th against the Reds where Twitchell went 7.1 IP and allowed 2 runs stuck in the mind of Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson, who just so happened to be managing the NL All-Star team and put Twitchell on the team over Steve Carlton who was presumed by some to be in line to be the Phillies lone representative.
Anderson was impressed enough to actually use Twitchell in the game too, albeit the big right hander entered in the sixth inning of what was a 7-1 NL lead. Twitchell allowed a double to John Mayberry before striking out the man taken one pick before him in the draft in Reggie Jackson, getting Dave May to pop out, and Bobby Mercer to groundout to end the inning. The score would remain the same as the NL bested the AL, with Bobby Bonds taking home MVP honors with two hits including a two-run homer off of the Angels’ Bill Singer.
As for Twitchell, he returned to the Phillies and continued to look like he was finally realizing his phenom potential at age 25. But that all changed on September 18th at Wrigley Field. Twitchell was working in the sixth inning of a 2-0 game when Billy Williams hit a ball on the ground in the infield. Twitchell ran over to cover first base, but Willams attempted to slide headfirst into the base, and he connected with Twitchell’s right knee. Twitchell immediately left the game with what was first called a strain to his MCL. The saddest irony of the whole event was that it was totally unnecessary, as the ball Williams hit had been ruled foul.
Twitchell underwent four hours of surgery to repair damage to his ligaments, cartilage, and capsule in his right knee. He was ruled out for the rest of the 1973 season. His doctor told Twitchell that if he followed orders, he would be able to pitch again. But the doctor also warned Twitchell that if he didn’t listen, he wouldn’t be able to walk normally again. The Phillies even sent their team trainer to Portland to help Twitchell in his recovery.
Despite the injury, Phillies general manager Paul Owens claimed he turned down numerous trade offers for Twitchell before 1974, as Owens and the Phillies believed he was on the verge of becoming a star. But Twitchell was extremely ineffective when he finally returned to action in May, finishing the 1974 season with a 5.21 ERA in 112.1 innings. He then lost his spot in the rotation in August of 1975 and by 1976 was pitching almost entirely out of the bullpen. Twitchell started 1977 with a 4.53 ERA in 45.2 IP before being traded to the Expos along with catcher Tim Blackwell in exchange for Barry Foote and Dan Warthen. Twitchell made 22 starts with the Expos after the trade, posting a 4.21 ERA in 139 innings. At the same time the Phillies were shipping out Twitchell, they unsuccessfully tried to trade for Tom Seaver, with the Mets preferring the Reds offer instead of the package of Larry Christenson, Jerry Martin, Jay Johnstone, and two minor leaguers presented by Owens.
Twitchell meanwhile would go on to play two more years in the majors. He was released by the Expos following the 1978 season and signed on with the Mets for 1979, but he was later sold to the Mariners who ultimately released him after the season. Despite playing six more seasons after his devastating knee injury, he never again reached the potential he seemed to be realizing, making his father’s premonition from when Twitchell was a teenager come true.
Mar 2, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Mickey Gasper (30) singles during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
This WooSox team found themselves in a quick hole after Isaac Coffey gave up a home run and the Red Wings (Nationals AAA) pulled out to a 5-2 lead, but that’s not to say the WooSox were just laying down without a fight. Mickey Gasper started off what would become a four-hit night with a solo shot in the first, and Vinny Capra kept the team to within striking distance with a home run of his own. Combined, Iggy Suarez’s first three slots (Nick Sogard, Capra and Gasper) in the lineup went 8-for-15 with 6 RBI’s.
The game swung in Worcester’s favor with three solid innings from Eduardo Rivera, who the Red Sox saw in their bullpen early in the season and who’s been great in Triple-A since. Rivera allowed one hit on five strikeouts and no walks. This allowed the WooSox to climb back into the game with those aforementioned three hitters and a Braiden Ward triple that would later score. Ward flies around the basepaths; the outfielder already has nine swiped bases on the season. All told, the Woo Sox had thirteen hits on the way to a win.
It’s curious to see some MLB veterans in Gasper, Sogard (veteran is doing some heavy lifting here for these two, but still) and Capra seeing the ball well at the Triple-A level amidst some infielders, well, not doing that. (Also worth noting that Sogard played in right field Friday night but is certainly capable in the infield.) With recent production, it’s entirely possible we see a transaction or two later in the month… but it’s also notable that none of these guys have reached any real success at the plate in their prior experience, so maybe it’s more likely the organization opts to get some of these younger talents like Mikey Romero up in a year like this.
Joe Holobetz got fried in his three and two thirds innings in Somerset (Yankees AA), where he registered his only truly bad start of the season thus far. He allowed two home runs and the latter prevented him from finishing the fourth. The Sea Dogs were down 10-0 at one point and pitching issued ten walks on the night which didn’t make it easy, but Portland did gather some offense with some garbage time home runs from some struggling bats in Will Turner and Johanfran Garcia.
Greenville’s starter, Anthony Eyannson, also couldn’t make it out of the fourth but utlimately it was his pitch count and trouble finding the strike zone more than his ability to create outs, throwing 37 strikes in 67 pitches. He had four strikeouts but walked three Spartanburg (Astros High-A) batters. Brandon Neely had his welcome to High-A moment as he got taken for a ride in his two innings, getting tagged for six runs on eight hits and taking this game squarely out of Greenville’s hands. The Drive didn’t exactly do the pitching staff many favors, though, as they went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.
Another brutal loss by some uninspired middle relief by the only remaining piece of the Rafael Devers trade, Jose Bello, who, despite striking five out, fell victim to allowing runs reached by errors to score. The RidgeYaks, though, were never going to win when they had as many of those errors committed (3) as hits. Skylar King provided some spark with his fourth home run of the season, but that was about it.
I am admittedly stealing the idea for this article from Jeremy Reisman over on the Detroit Lions’ site. They do a great job over there with their Lions coverage, and imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
On Friday night, the Detroit Pistons made history. Facing elimination in Game 6 of the opening round of the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs, the Pistons found themselves down 24 points in the second half. But then their defense locked in, Cade Cunningham took over, and the Pistons came all the way back to force a Game 7 at home in Detroit. Their 24-point comeback set the franchise record for the biggest comeback in the postseason, and it was the largest comeback from a road team facing elimination since the 1996-97 NBA season.
What about our MSU Spartans? Over the years, our teams have been on both sides of epic end-of-game situations, both mounting unthinkable comebacks and also snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I have my #1 memory from this category, and it’s one that still is the record holder in college football. I remember watching this at home and the comeback just had this feeling of inevitability to it to the point that I was able to enjoy it fully without any amount of stress.
I imagine your answers will be exclusively from football and men’s basketball, but if you have something from another sport, feel free to share it. Let’s see what TOC Nation comes up with.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 01: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park on May 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It has been a tale of two seasons for the Nationals already this season. When the Nats are on the road, they are a fun, exciting force that can beat anybody, holding a 12-7 road record. However, it has been a different story when the Nats are playing in front of their home fans. They have a dismal 3-11 record at Nationals Park after last night’s loss.
For last night’s game in particular, it is tough to blame them too much. I do not think any lineup was going to do any damage against the version of Jacob Misiorowski we saw. The Miz was sitting at 101 MPH with mid to upper 90’s sliders and a curveball that was up to 90 MPH. He was also locating at a high level. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.
However, this was a continuation of the Nats home woes. For his part, Blake Butera attributed the issues to bad luck rather than any differences in preparation. He said if he did notice anything different in how they prepared, he would talk to the team about it. However, he has not seen anything like that so far.
It is worth noting that the Nats have had a pretty tough home slate. They have faced the Dodgers, Braves and now Brewers at home. However, they have dropped some more winnable series against teams like the Cardinals and Giants at Nationals Park as well. The home record should level off some once they stop facing elite teams at Nats Park as often.
You still get the sense that they just don’t have the same juice at home. The pitching has really struggled at home this season. They have allowed 101 runs at home to just 90 on the road. The fact they have played five more road games than home games makes that even more alarming.
It is also just frustrating for the fans. We have seen momentum from nice road trips just disappear when the boys head home. There are fans wondering if the Nats should just play all of their games on the road, and I cannot blame them.
Washington Nationals should just play on the road. Don’t bother playing at home because they can’t buy a win. Pathetic
Outside of yesterday against Misiorowski, the offense has not really been a problem at home. They are still averaging over 5 runs per game at Nationals Park. James Wood has actually been a much better hitter at home. 8 of his 10 homers have been at Nats Park and he has a 1.183 OPS at home. Bats like Wood and Daylen Lile have been thrilling the home fans, but it has not been enough.
You cannot win a whole lot of games when you are allowing over 7 runs a game, like the Nats are at home. I would imagine that those numbers will just naturally come down, but it is worrying. It is worth noting that Nationals Park becomes more hitter friendly in the summer as the heat and humidity come in.
I will be watching to see how the staff performs at home in particular. While they have faced a lot of good lineups at Nationals Park, it is still an ominous sign to see them allow this many home runs during a time of the year where the park plays bigger.
Foster Griffin will be on the mound for the Nats today, and he has been something of a stopper for this team. So far this season, the crafty lefty has been the Nats ace, and someone we can rely on. I am curious to see how he fares against a team seeing him for the second time though.
Hopefully that is not too big of an issue for Griffin. The Nats need to win this game, especially with Zack Littell on the mound tomorrow. For every game the Nats lose at home, there are going to be more and more questions. Blake Butera can talk about bad luck, but that explanation is not going to hold up forever.
The Nats have been a fun and exciting team, but most of that excitement has not taken place in front of their home fans. That is a shame because this Nats team really is a joy to watch when they are on the road. If they played like they have on the road at Nationals Park, it would really galvanize this fanbase and get butts in seats.
They have not done that so far, and it has everyone searching for answers. There is definitely some randomness and a tough schedule that can explain some of this, but the Nats simply need to play better in front of their home fans. We know what this team is capable of, they just have not shown it at Nationals Park.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 01: Corbin Carroll #7 of the Arizona Diamondbacks swings and misses during the ninth inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 01, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks News
Ildemaro Extends Streak, Gallen Implodes in Cubs Narrow Win Ildemaro entered May in emphatic fashion, going 4-for-4 to raise his league leading batting average to .404. On the other side of things, Zac Gallen didn’t make it out of the third inning, allowing six earned runs. The bullpen slammed the door shut and the offense tried to salvage the game, but was unable to push a runner across with Vargas, Carroll, and Marte coming up in the ninth.
The Concerning Trend Impossible to Ignore The Arizona Diamondbacks went from being second in the league in2025 for average length of a starting pitcher’s outing to below league average this year, a mark that got even worse after yesterday’s abysmal outing by Zac Gallen.
Durante un juego de la NPB (Japón), entre Yakult y Yokohama, el umpire Takuto Kawakami fue impactado por un swing del venezolano José Osuna, ya que el bate se le salió de las manos.
The Anaheim Ducks are through to the second round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs for the first time since 2017. They defeated the mighty Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the perennial cup-contending Edmonton Oilers in six games.
They are one of the NHL’s final eight teams standing, and their next opponent will be the Vegas Golden Knights. The first two teams the Ducks will face after missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons are the two that represented the Western Conference in the previous three Stanley Cup Finals (Vegas in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024 and 2025).
Though they are the newer franchise by 24 years, Vegas has only missed the playoffs once in their nine-year existence, while the Ducks have only made the playoffs once during those nine years (2017-18).
As was the case in the last round and will be the case for every playoff series, storylines are plentiful heading in. Let’s get into some from Anaheim’s perspective:
Another Big Dog
“We had a big dog,” Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal said following their Round 1, Game 6 victory over the Oilers on Thursday. “We had a really, really good team against us.”
Every playoff opponent that a team faces during the course of a particular run is a good hockey team. They’re one of the final 16 left standing after the first 82 games of a regular season. Though all teams have the same goal heading into the playoffs, sometimes a team’s first-round opponent is one of the few true Stanley Cup contenders. The Ducks, whether by luck or their own doing, faced one to open the playoffs and will face another one in the second round.
The task only grows increasingly more difficult from here on out, as details are amplified, momentum plays a greater role, and hunger to win becomes more profound. Do the Ducks have what it takes to knock out another Goliath?
The Ghosts of Prospects Past
Ancient history now, but two members of the current Vegas Golden Knights roster, two players who currently have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup as part of their 2023 Championship team, are Anaheim Ducks draft picks William Karlsson (53rd overall in 2011) and Shea Theodore (26th in ’13).
In the height of their previous cup-contending window, the Ducks traded the 22-year-old Karlsson, along with a second-round pick and Rene Bourque, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman James Wisniewski on an expiring contract and a third-round pick.
Wisniewski played 13 games for the Ducks down the stretch of the 2014-15 season, sustained an injury, and wasn’t able to suit up for a playoff game during that year’s run to the Western Conference Final. He retired shortly after.
Karlsson had difficulty carving out meaningful offensive minutes in two seasons with Columbus, was selected by Vegas during their 2017 expansion draft, and has become one of the most reliable middle-six centers in the NHL for the better part of a decade.
Karlsson has made the Ducks pay ever since he was traded, scoring 29 points (16-13=29) in 39 career games vs Anaheim and, as mentioned, now has a Stanley Cup ring.
The Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft took place in June of 2017, just one month after the Ducks were eliminated in the 2017 Western Conference Final. In an attempt to keep their core together for another run or two at a cup, the Ducks traded the then 22-year-old Theodore to the Knights with the agreement that they would select defenseman Clayton Stoner in the expansion draft, allowing the Ducks to keep defensemen Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson, who were exposed.
Theodore has gone on to become one of the NHL’s best bona fide top-pair defensemen in the NHL, a key contributor to a Stanley Cup-winning team, and has scored 384 points in 581 games for Vegas, including 25 points (8-17=25) in 33 career games against the Ducks.
Players and organizations have since moved on, but the sting of losing such talent at young ages could rear its ugly head once again as the Knights and Ducks are set to face off in the playoffs for the first time in history.
War of Attrition
The Ducks advanced through the first round of the playoffs relatively unscathed in the injury department. Troy Terry has been playing through a nagging injury for the better part of the latter half of the season, but played every game in the opening round despite not being on the ice for any practices or morning skates.
The Ducks did lose their captain, Radko Gudas, with roughly ten minutes remaining in Game 1 against the Oilers due to a lower-body injury. Drew Helleson filled in amicably for Gudas in Games 2-6, playing reliable hockey on the third pair, averaging just 8:33 TOI/G.
Every player will echo the notion that “everybody’s playing through something at this time of year,” but if the Ducks have any hopes of success in their upcoming round, those somethings that everyone has hopefully aren’t enough to force anyone out of the lineup.
Terry has appeared limited in flashes, but has found a way to remain impactful and productive, as he’s tied for second on the Ducks in scoring with eight points (3-5=8) through six games, including three points (1-2=3) in Thursday’s series clincher.
Season Sweep is Meaningless
For the first time in history, the 2025-26 Ducks swept their season series with the Golden Knights, winning all three games and accumulating six points in the standings. Before this season, the all-time numbers have been dominated by Vegas, as they still hold a whopping 27-8-3 record against the Ducks.
Two of the Ducks’ three victories this regular season against Vegas came in overtime and in unconvincing fashion. In those three games, at 5v5, despite outscoring Vegas 8-6, the Ducks lost the shots on goal battle 84-66, the shot attempts battle 158-155, and the expected goals battle 7.09-6.54.
Famously, playoff overtimes are continuously 5v5, so the Ducks won’t be able to rely on their excellent 3v3 or shootout prowess in this series. Can they find other ways to defeat Vegas four times in seven games?
Seeds of a New Rivalry
As mentioned, the Ducks and Knights have never faced each other in the playoffs, and aside from Vegas’ first year in existence, the two clubs have never been even good at the same time. Until now.
As divisional opponents, the Knights and Ducks play each other three or four times every season. The Knights have dominated those occasions, but playing each other in the playoffs up to seven consecutive times has the tendency to spark rivalries, as was the goal of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman with the institution of the current playoff format.
Anahiem’s core pieces are early in their careers. Mason McTavish is in year one of his six-year contract, Lukas Dostal is in year one of his five-year contract, and Jackson LaCombe’s eight-year extension begins at the start of next season. Young stars Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Beckett Sennecke are all on their entry-level deals, but are projected to be in Anaheim’s extremely long-term plans.
Vegas’ core, though significantly older, is locked up for the foreseeable future as well. Theodore is in the first year of a seven-year contract, Mitch Marner is in the first year of an eight-year deal, Jack Eichel’s eight-year extension begins next season, and Tomas Hertl has four years remaining on his contract.
Neither team projects to exit the playoff picture anytime soon, meaning this next series could bleed into future regular season matchups and potentially future playoff matchups, continuously fueling that passion and animosity that renders an endlessly entertaining product.
Dates and times for this series have yet to be announced, but the series will begin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, likely on Monday or Tuesday.
COVERS INTEL: This matchup features two teams ranking in the Top 3 of baseball in hard-hit rate against two pitchers with hard-hit rates in the Bottom 30% of the sport.
Dylan Cease
Ozzie Albies
