Category: Sports News

Detroit Tigers (12-10) vs. Boston Red Sox (8-13)

Time/Place: 11:10 a.m., Fenway Park
SB Nation Site: Over the Monster
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (2-1, 4.43 ERA)

There are some weeks where finding the three players that played well is rather difficult. With the Phillies, this is one of those weeks. Nothing went right, but on we shall march.

Three up

Cristopher Sanchez – Man, when your defense lets you down, it can make a good week look a whole lot worse. The Saturday matchup of Sanchez and Chris Sale looked really good on paper and on the mound, but the runs given up by Sanchez were because of errors and bleeders. He was excellent, but the Phillies still lost since they also can’t score runs right now. Needless to say, Sanchez is still an Ace.

Bryce Harper – When Harper is in the middle of one of his hot streaks, the team should be winning games. We’ve seen how cold he gets and how the team responds, so the fact that they are losing while he’s hitting the ball is an issue.

Kyle Schwarber – Three home runs in a week is a good week! It’s just too bad that he is striking out so, so much that it’s becoming somewhat alarming. I saw somewhere that someone complained of the strikeouts and how the Phillies probably have buyer’s remorse because of it, to which I say “Poppycock!” Imagine how this offense might look if they didn’t have his power.

Three down

Jesus Luzardo – Luzardo has been pretty awful this season, something that is noticeable once you consider he signed a big money extension prior to the season. You still give him that contract ten times out of ten, knowing he’ll probably right the ship soon enough, but he’s been way too hittable with his stuff so far. There’s a lot of red on his Savant page right now, so alarm bells should be quieted a bit, but this was a bad start for him this week.

Bryson Stott – Alec Bohm has been the target of the fanbase’s ire this year, rightfully so, but Stott has been rough lately. His week this week was mostly “eh”, but his season is lacking. There is little on base ability and almost to no power coming from his offensive production. I’ve been on the “extend Bryson Stott” train for a while, but that looks like it might be losing some steam.

Alec Bohm – What else is there to say? He’s bad. The legal issues he is in right now with his parents has to be having some kind of impact on his ability to prepare to play baseball, and that is something that would lead anyone to be in a bad headspace, but the production has to be pick up lest the team make a more significant change that just “giving him a breather”.

There’s no sugarcoating it: the Yankees’ bullpen has looked real shaky to start the year. As a collective unit, their 4.22 ERA ranks 17th in MLB through Saturday’s action, and only four teams have blown more saves than their five. Exacerbating the issue is that their two late-inning options—David Bednar and Camilo Doval—have been only so reliable, with Doval in particular sporting an unsightly 7.56 ERA.

Granted, the bullpen wasn’t exactly considered a strength coming into the year, but there were reasons for optimism; full seasons from Bednar and Doval, along with the departures of the scuffling Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, were supposed to stabilize the bullpen. The Yankees’ front office talked a big game about the 2025 Trade Deadline haul standing in for their offseason and an explanation for why they made no additions beyond the already-dismissed (and unused) Cade Winquest. However, things have not played out how they projected, and the flakiness of the relief corps was recently on full display against the Rays and Angels.

Despite this, all hope is not lost. While the surface results are discouraging, a look under the hood reveals that the bullpen isn’t pitching all that badly. Doval and Jake Bird may be running ERAs over 7.00 just now, but they’ve also been running into some bad fortune. The same can be said of Bednar, whose peripherals are actually indicative of an elite reliever in his prime. And on the bright side, the other relief options, including Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, and Fernando Cruz, are performing well. All in all, there’s enough talent here to keep the Yankees’ bullpen from becoming a weakness.

First, let’s take a closer look at Doval. The first thing that jumps out when looking at his stat line is that his ERA is nearly three full runs higher than his FIP in 8.1 innings of work. That would be cause for hope in itself, except that his FIP of 4.68 is still pretty bad. The main culprit so far has been giving up too many dingers, as Doval’s 2.2 HR/9 is by far the worst mark of his career; he was at a 0.6 HR/9 across 259.2 innings from 2022 through 2025. The dingers might have more to do with luck than any change in talent level, as his HR/FB% is an unsustainably high 22.2 percent, more than double his career mark. If we assume that Doval hasn’t suddenly become homer-prone, we can expect his ERA going forward to look more like his xFIP of 3.05.

Doval’s pitch data confirms that, ability wise, he’s the same pitcher he was in 2025. His pitch mix—a cutter and a sinker, both in the high 90s, along with a wicked high-80s slider—has remained the same, and he’s generating basically the same movement on all of them. He hasn’t been making tons of mistake pitches, either; his Meatball percentage is actually the lowest mark of his career. It’s just that, for whatever reason, opposing batters have punished his mistakes harder than ever. Will this trend continue? I don’t know, but Doval’s track record suggests that if he’s doing what he always does, the on-field results are going to trend upwards. I’d say it’s too early to be that worried about his performance.

With Bird, on the other hand, I understand the apprehension — and so, it seems, do the Yankees, given his recent demotion. Bird lacks Doval’s track record, and his recent results have been especially bad; the less said about his disastrous, brief run with the 2025 Yankees, the better. However, everything about Bird’s 2026 stat line suggests that he’s been more unlucky rather than outright bad. He has a 28.1-percent strikeout rate against a 3.1-percent walk rate, and he’s given up only one home run so far, good enough for a sterling 3.27 FIP. The reason why his ERA is a full four runs higher than that? A .400 BABIP and a 52.1-percent LOB rate, both aberrant and likely to normalize going forward.

Now, I’m not advocating for Aaron Boone to give Bird just as long a leash as Doval. There’s a reason why the Yankees deemed him to be the most expendable in the bullpen when they needed a fresh arm, sending him down on April 14th. But it would be a mistake to cut him outright. There’s something within Bird’s profile that’s compelling, and the Yankees wouldn’t have dealt for him last year if that wasn’t the case. Bird has the upside to be a dependable middle-inning option, and it’s worth finding out if he could actually become one; his peripheral numbers so far definitely suggest that he can.

Compared to Bird and Doval, Bednar is a much easier sell. While his ERA sits at a mediocre 4.15, basically everything else on his FanGraphs page is pristine. His K-rate sits at a healthy 28.6 percent, and he has yet to allow a single homer. Those two factors have allowed Bednar to post a spectacular 2.08 FIP despite a career-high BB rate (11.9%). The cause of his middling ERA is obvious: a .440 BABIP allowed, which is impossibly high for even the most hapless relievers. And no, Bednar isn’t getting hit hard; his hard contact rate is just 16 percent, less than half of the MLB average, and he hasn’t given up a single Barrel. Mark my words: El Oso will be just fine.

Perhaps the most encouraging feature of this year’s bullpen is that the other contributors have done quite well so far. Brent Headrick is pitching like an elite relief option, and Tim Hill continues to be ruthlessly efficient and always dependable. Fernando Cruz is walking too many guys, but he’s missing enough bats to not get burned, and even Paul Blackburn has been quietly solid in handling low-leverage work. Sure, Ryan Yarborough, Yerry De los Santos, and Angel Chivilli all project to be somewhere between bad and terrible, but no team can boast an entire bullpen’s worth of lockdown relievers. (Just ask the 2025 Dodgers.)

The Yankees have enough good stuff going on here to have an above average relief corps. They may never be as intimidating as the bullpens of those mid-to-late 2010s Yankees squads of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, but by and large, they’ll probably be good enough to get the job done.

Tension, injuries, and tough results — the Royals are dealing with more than just what’s happening on the field.

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, hosts Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down a challenging stretch for the Kansas City Royals, highlighted by clubhouse questions following Salvador Perez’s social media activity and what it may signal about team dynamics. The discussion explores leadership, communication, and how off-field narratives can impact performance during a difficult start to the season.

On the field, the hosts analyze the Royals’ 7–14 start, digging into roster changes, injury setbacks to key contributors like James McArthur and Bailey Falter, and the continued search for consistency. Despite the struggles, there are bright spots, including encouraging offensive progress from rookies Carter Jensen and Jack Caglianone, along with deeper dives into player metrics like exit velocity and overall development trends.

Looking ahead, Jacob and Jeremy evaluate the team’s season outlook, potential trade scenarios, and what a path forward could realistically look like for Kansas City. The episode also touches on MLB streaming frustrations, highlighting how fan experience is being impacted off the field, and includes a thoughtful discussion on mental health and leadership in professional sports.

Blending honest analysis, context, and perspective, this episode gives Royals fans a clear-eyed view of where the team stands — and what comes next.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
– Jacob Milham: @jacobmilhkc.bsky.social

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– Podcast: @RoyalRundownPod

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (12-8) won 7-4 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead getting a Perez RBI single in the first and Price solo HR in the 2nd inning. Bielak got the start and allowed 1 run over 2.1 innings. The offense added on with an Alexander RBI double in the 5th and Price RBI single in the 7th. In the 8th, the Bees tied the game at 4 forcing extra innings. In the 10th, the offense picked up 3 runs and Munoz threw a scoreless inning as Sugar Land won 7-4.

Note: Santa has a 1.13 ERA this season.

• CJ Alexander, RF: 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Carlos Perez, DH: 1-for-5, RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Collin Price, C: 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Daniel Johnson, CF: 1-for-5, R, RBI
• Riley Unroe, SS: 1-for-4, 2B, BB
• Jax Biggers, 2B: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI

• Brandon Bielak, RHP: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Amos Willingham, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (9-6) won 7-3 (BOX SCORE)

Dombroski started for the Hooks but struggled allowing 3 runs over 2.2 innings. The offense got on the board in the second inning on a Baez sac fly. In the 6th, they had a huge inning scoring 6 runs on a Baez sac fly, Bush RBI single, Ferreras walk, Guillemette walk, Encarnacion RBI single and a run scoring on an error. The pen was great closing out the 7-3 win.

Note: Bush is hitting .324 this season.

• Will Bush, DH: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 0-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Garret Guillemette, C: 0-for-4, RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, CF: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, SB
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 1-for-1, R, 3 BB
• Luis Baez, LF: 0-for-3, 2 RBI

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (4-11) lost 8-5 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville jumped out to an early lead scoring 3 runs in the first inning on a Schiavone RBI double, Hernandez RBI single and Walker RBI single. DeVos got the start and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. The offense picked up another run in the 6th on a Hernandez RBI single. Ogando struggled out of the pen allowing 5 runs as the Dash took the lead. The offense got one in the 9th but it wasn’t enough as Asheville fell 8-5.

Note: C. Hernandez is hitting .452 this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Cesar Hernandez, DH: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
• Kyle Walker, 2B: 2-for-4, SB
• Narbe Cruz, SS: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-3, R, BB
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Eurys Martich, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (3-12) lost 12-5 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on a Huezo RBI double. Aguilar got the start but struggled allowing 4 runs over 3 innings. The pen continued to struggled with Smith and Wells allowing another 8 runs. The offense got a few back with a run on a wild pitch in the 5th and a Forrester RBI single in the 6th. In the 7th, Huezo added a 2 run home run but it wasn’t enough as Fayetteville fell 12-5.

Note: Huezo has a .866 OPS this season.

• Anthony Huezo, RF: 2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, R
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 2-for-2, R, BB
• Brandon Forrester, 2B: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, SB

• Luis Aguilar, RHP: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

The Nationals were aggressive with their assignment of Devin Fitz-Gerald this season, sending the 20-year-old infielder straight to High A Wilmington after just 10 games at Low A in 2025 with the Rangers. So far through 13 games, the youngster from the MacKenzie Gore trade has been even better than advertised, hitting .333 with a .982 OPS and 2 home runs, even swiping 10 bags in the process. The switch-hitting youngster hasn’t looked overmatched at all and is actually reaching even higher highs than he achieved in 2025.

The numbers Fitz-Gerald is putting up at High A for his age aren’t unprecedented, but they are rare. Only 2 other 20-year-olds also currently have at least a 180 wRC+, those being Caleb Bonemor of the White Sox and Wyatt Sanford of the Pirates, and Fitz-Gerald has the cleanest batted ball profile of the three. In 2025, only 3 20-year-olds with at least 60 plate appearances had a 180 wRC+ or higher at High A; George Lombard Jr., a Yankees shortstop prospect and a consensus top 50 prospect; Josue Briceno, a Tigers catching prospect and top 50 prospect; and Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers’ major league shortstop and a consensus top 2 prospect in baseball.

The prospect I want to compare Fitz-Gerald to for now is McGongile, who fast-tracked his way through the minor leagues last season and cracked the Tigers’ big league roster in 2026, where he is raking to the tune of a .892 OPS. McGonigle wasn’t just the best 20-year-old at High A in 2025; he was the best hitter period, with his 215 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances leading all High A hitters. His swing decisions were elite, with a 95th percentile whiff rate, 98th-percentile strikeout rate, and 74th-percentile walk rate, and the result was a 100th-percentile wOBA of .469.

In regard to Fitz-Gerald, while he isn’t quite at McGonigle level as of now, he isn’t far off either. His swing decisions have also been great, with an 85th-percentile whiff rate, 95th-percentile strikeout rate, and 65th-percentile walk rate, resulting in an 88th-percentile wOBA of .425. Both Fitz-Gerald and McGonigle have patient plate approaches, with Fitz-Gerald swinging 42% of the time at High A and McGonigle 46%, and the result is both taking their fair share of walks and doing damage when they get their pitches.

The area Fitz-Gerald lags behind McGonigle is in the power department, where his .185 ISO is a sizable ways away from McGonigle’s .276 ISO at High A. While we won’t get a look at the full sample of exit velocities for Fitz-Gerald until he hits a level where it is provided publicly, the issue could also stem from him not pulling enough of his fly balls quite yet, as his 7.5 pulled flyball% is in the 17th-percentile of High A hitters. Thankfully, this is a coachable issue, and once he starts tapping into his pullside power, he is going to be an even more dangerous hitter than he is right now.

While it would be unfair to place Kevin McGonigle’s level of expectations on Devin Fitz-Gerald at the moment, it is fair to say he should start getting some of the same love as guys like McGonigle, Lombard, and Briceno soon on prospect publications, as he is making a joke out of High A pitching at the moment.

While the MacKenzie Gore deal was criticised at the time for netting the Nationals 0 top 100 prospects, it now appears likely two prospects from that deal, Gavin Fien and Devin Fitz-Gerald, will be on top 100 lists, with outfielder Yeremy Cabrera making a case to appear on it as well.