BOSTON, MA - APRIL 03: Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox takes the field during player introductions prior to the game between the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
A couple of weeks ago we didn’t even think he’d make the Opening Day Roster. Now we’re saying “thank god we’ve got Connelly Early going today.”
Behind Early, Alex Cora is rolling out the same starting nine batting the same order as yesterday. If ain’t broke, yadda, yadda.
In the other dugout, it’s a day-off for Jackson Merrill and, interestingly, for lefty-masher Nick Castellanos. Can the Sox take advantage?
Tonda Eckert’s impressive team went at Arsenal from the get-go and were rewarded with a place in the semi-finals
1 min: Saints are on the front foot immediately, Fellows romping into space down the right. He takes one touch too many, though, allowing Lewis-Skelly to put a stop to his gallop. An early statement of intent from the hosts.
Arsenal get the ball rolling. Plenty of noise, the St Mary’s faithful marching in.
The New York Mets (4-4) face the San Francisco Giants (3-5) in the third game of their series. Catcher Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs in the Mets’ 10-3 victory on Friday night. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Clay Holmes for the Mets and Landen Roupp for the Giants.
How to Watch New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)
Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar.25; day-to-day(
Notes
Buffalo would clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11 with a win tonight or a regulation loss by Detroit.
Buffalo could also clinch a playoff spot by earning a point in tonight’s game against Washington and a regulation loss by Ottawa against Minnesota or a Rangers win of any kind against Detroit.
The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 28 contests (20-5-3), including a league-best 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break.
Since Dec. 9, the Sabres rank first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also lead the league.
Buffalo has not lost consecutive games in regulation since the team fell in three straight from Dec. 3 at Philadelphia to Dec. 8 at Calgary.
Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 47 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span rank tied for third among all NHL skaters. Thompson has registered six points (2+4) in his last five games. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th
place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (32) and second in points (47) since Dec. 9. His 15 goals in that span rank tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Tonight’s game marks the 582nd of Dahlin’s career, tied with Jay McKee for the seventh-most by a defenseman in franchise history.
Peyton Krebs has posted a point in four consecutive games (2+2) and he would match the longest point streak of his career (five games; March 25 to April 1, 2025; 3+3) with a point tonight.
Jack Quinn has posted three points (1+2) in his last three games.
The New York Yankees, who have lost only one of their first seven games, face the Miami Marlins in the second game of their series. The Yankees are favored with a -200 moneyline and a -1.5 spread. Starting pitchers are Max Meyer for the Miami Marlins and Ryan Weathers for the New York Yankees.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 01: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks after the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on April 01, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last night, the New York Knicks eviscerated the Chicago Bulls from the opening tip, en route to the team’s third 40-point victory of the season. They entered as 14.5-point favorites against a Bulls team that, while tanking all the same as teams like Indiana, Utah, and Washington, were playing enough players that made you truly think, “Yeah, these guys are just bad.“
I savored that fourth quarter, watching the bench mob play out the string. As the final buzzer sounded, so did the calmness of regular-season basketball. That’ll be the last time the Knicks will square off against a hopelessly overmatched opponent for several months.
By the time the next game comes, whether it’s against the Nets or these Bulls or the Kings, this team could look totally different. They could be buzzing from the success of the team’s first championship in 53 years. They could be dismantled and reconfigured after a disappointing early exit. They could somehow look the same after a run ends just short of the ultimate prize.
By the time we see a game like this again, where everyone gets to eat, and the starters are laughing on the bench in the fourth, everything may change. There are a bunch of these games throughout an 82-game season, especially this year, where the Knicks have a staggering 17 20+ point victories (and nine 30+ point victories, a franchise record!), but they are uncommon come playoff time.
Could there be a blowout in either direction in the final week or in whatever playoff series the Knicks are in? Absolutely. In the last two years alone, those highly contentious series against the Pacers still delivered multiple staggering blowouts in both directions. Basketball’s a volatile sport, after all.
But from here on out, there are stakes to every single game the Knicks play. There are no gimme’s, there are no meaningless games. Even if the seeding is locked up and Game 82 does turn out to be mostly meaningless, you’ll still be playing a team fighting for seeding, even if the personal outcome doesn’t matter.
The bench mob has gotten much more run this year, and we salute their services. Ariel Hukporti, Tyler Kolek, Pačome Dadiet, Trey Jemison III, Kevin McCullar Jr., and probably Jeremy Sochan: We thank you for your services of competing hard in practice every day to get our guys ready and stepping up when you’ve been needed due to the day-to-day injuries of the main rotation. If someone goes down from here, some of you may be thrust into bigger roles (ahem, Delon Wright), but most likely, this is the end of the road for you guys, who play critically important roles to get through an 82-game season.
From here on out, it’s down to 11 guys. Foul trouble or injuries could dip into the deep reserves, but barring disaster, it’s these 11.
Jalen Brunson
Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart
OG Anunoby
Karl-Anthony Towns
Deuce McBride
Jose Alvarado
Landry Shamet
Jordan Clarkson
Mo Diawara
Mitchell Robinson
These 11 will get meaningful minutes at some point in the postseason, whether plentiful or situational. We don’t know who Mike Brown will use in his planned rotation, but we know that eight of these 11 are probably in it for sure. We’ll see games where he turns to Clarkson for spot scoring, Diawara for his length and versatility, and Alvarado when he needs ballhandling off the bench, but those will be on a game-by-game basis.
The team is healthy now. For the last four regular-season games and however long this playoff run is, these are the 11 that matter. These 11 will decide the Knicks’ fate, for this season and for the future of this core.
The next four games are all against teams that the Knicks could face in the postseason, and while we know from last April that the outcome means essentially nothing, they’re important when it comes to seeding. The Knicks enter the final week with a 1.5-game lead on the Cavaliers for fourth and sit 2.5 games behind the Celtics for second. With a head-to-head matchup remaining against their Atlantic Division foes, it’s not totally over yet, but the margin for error is nonexistent.
The head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cavaliers means it’d be pretty hard to fall to four, but a poor final week opens the door. Who the Knicks play will also be heavily influenced by their own actions, as they have a chance to knock the Hawks down a peg, push the Raptors deeper into the play-in, and limit the Hornets’ rise. A loss could also further embolden them ahead of a playoff series.
Every game from here on out is against a formidable opponent. There are no easy paths left.
Mar 9, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain starting pitcher Brendan Beck (19) delivers a pitch during the third inning against Brazil at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Raul Dominguez is back with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season.
He was on the RailRiders staff for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before being named manager of the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, in 2023. In three seasons, he compiled a 232-180 record and took the Patriots to the Eastern League playoffs all three seasons.
Now, he returns to the RailRiders to serve as defensive coach on manager Shelley Duncan’s staff.
“After spending three years in Somerset and now coming back here again in Triple-A with a new staff, a lot of guys I’m going to work with for the first time, I’m excited,” Dominguez said. “I feel as a coach, you learn every year from different managers and coaches.
“Last year in Somerset, I worked with those (players) a lot and now they’re here and I have a relationship with them. Having those guys again and knowing them a little bit and what they need to work on, I’m excited to be here with that group.”
Before coming back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Dominguez got to experience something special. He served as first-base coach for Panama at the World Baseball Classic. Playing in Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Panama went 1-3. It lost to Cuba, 3-1; Puerto Rico, 4-3; and Colombia, 4-3; and defeated Canada, 4-3.
“Those four games were so exciting, there was a lot of up and down emotion,” Dominguez said. “We only won one game, but we lost two games by one and one by two. It was so loud and exciting. I remember I didn’t feel any fatigue until after when I got back to Tampa. But during those four days, it was one of my best experiences in baseball, especially with that name on my chest — Panama. I thought it was going to be the same as the winter league or the Caribbean Series, but no. It was totally different. It was very competitive and very emotional. It was a really, really good experience for me.”
Brendan Beck echoed that sentiment. The right-hander, who is ranked No. 22 among Yankees prospects according to MLB Pipeline, pitched in the WBC for Great Britain — his mother is British. He got to be teammates with his older brother Tristan, who is in the San Francisco Giants organization.
On March 9, Beck started for Great Britain against Brazil and threw four scoreless and hitless innings with two walks and four strikeouts in an 8-1 win.
“It was awesome. It was super special. Definitely not something I dreamed of growing up, even knowing there was a Great Britain baseball team,” Beck said. “We figured it out and knew that opportunity was there. Just super-exciting leading up to the tournament and then putting the uniform on was really cool. Really the first time I got to represent my mom and her side of the family. My grandparents aren’t with us anymore, but they would have thought it was really cool just to see Great Britain on the baseball field. Getting to do it with my brother, having my whole family in Houston and friends come in was super special. Something I’ll definitely remember.”
Right-hander Harrison Cohen, the Yankees’ No. 28 prospect, was a member of Team Israel at the WBC. He appeared in one game and threw two scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts in a 6-2 victory over The Netherlands.
Yankees No. 27 ranked prospect RHP Harrison Cohen with a strong showing in his WBC Debut 👏
Elmer Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, pitched for Puerto Rico. The righty started against Cuba on March 9th and got the win, 4-1. He pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, three walks and three strikeouts.
Elmer Rodriguez recorded three Ks across three scoreless innings for Team Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Baseball’s No. 59 prospect allowed just one hit over 50 pitches.
Reliever Yerry De Los Santos was on the Dominican Republic’s Designated Pitcher Pool, which meant he could have been called up after the first round. However, he was not.
While the World Baseball Classic has its critics, Beck thinks the tournament is great for the game.
“It really shows how much of a global sport baseball is,” Beck said. “You think of Major League Baseball, you think of the Japanese League, obviously Mexico and Korea have big leagues as well. But seeing the fans we had with Great Britain supporting us back home and seeing teams like the Czech Republic, some of the small island teams, people know baseball. Baseball is a global language, a global sport.
“You saw how passionate the players were playing in it. Only one team every year can win the World Series, but you saw how important it was for guys playing a championship tournament in March. Guys were pushing themselves more than they ever really pushed themselves in March. I think that’s cool. Guys were playing for something more than themselves. Doing whatever it takes for their team, their country, their fans, I think is really cool.”
SAN ANTONIO, TX -MARCH 12: Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives against Christian Braun #0 of the Denver Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas #17 in the first half at Frost Bank Center on March 12, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.
The Spurs have only five games left in the regular season, and two of them are against the Denver Nuggets, today and on the final game of the season, which will likely be a rest day for both team’s stars. It’s also the final road game for the Silver and Black, as they finish up the season with a four game stand in the Frost Bank Arena. The Spurs’ chances for taking first place in the west depend on the Thunder losing at least two of their remaining five games, which seems unlikely after they took LeBron’s lunch money on Thursday, so the team will be concentrating on improving and working on their team play. That’s a project that’s going well, with the team easily dispatching the Clippers in their last game with Victor sitting out with ankle soreness, with overall team play and balanced scoring and smothering defense.
Victor Wembanyama is available today—he needs to play three of the final five games to be eligible for post-season awards and I expect him to make a huge impact today in his matchup with Nikola Jokic. Both Jokic and Wemby are in the running for MVP this year, but in my mind, Victor has the edge, because while both players are excellent on offense, Vic is the better defender, and he’ll make sure to demonstrate that in today’s contest. Stephon Castle must dominate Jamal Murray, and the Spurs will probably use a variety of defenders against Aaron Gordon. I’d like to see they try Carter Bryant on Gordon as a player who can match his athleticism, although he will likely have a rough time with his offensive craftiness. It would be a good learning experience for the Rookie. It could be a big game for De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, as the Spurs have more guard depth than the Nuggets and that will provide lots of opportunities for the Spurs backcourt. OK, GO SPURS GO!!!
Game Prediction:
Nikola Jokic will miss a defensive rotation because he got lost in watching Victor Wembanyama do amazing things. It happens to all of us.
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets April 4, 2026 | 2:00 PM CT Streaming: NBA League Pass TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest, Prime Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
Justin Verlander’s return to Detroit is only getting worse.
The three-time Cy Young winner was scratched from his second start with the team Sunday against the Cardinals and placed on the 15-day injured list with hip inflammation, the Tigers announced Saturday.
The 43-year-old was set to take the mound at Comerica Park as a Tiger for the first time since 2017.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander prepares to hand off the ball to manager A.J. Hinch during the fourth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. AP
Instead, righty Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start vs. St. Louis.
Verlander’s return was already off to a rocky start after allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in 3 ⅔ innings in his first outing in a 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on March 30.
The righty spent the first 14 years of his career with the Tigers, leading them to a 2006 World Series appearance and winning the Cy Young in 2012.
Verlander was traded to the Astros in 2017 and spent six-plus seasons in Houston with a 16-start cameo for the Mets in 2023, breaking things up before being traded back to the AL West team.
Justin Verlander took the loss in is first start. Getty Images
He won the 2017 and 2022 World Series with the Astros.
Verlander was coming off a solid 2025 with the Giants after a disastrous 2024.
He posted a 3.85 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 152 innings despite a 4-11 record.
The hope was he could re-find some magic for a Tigers team looking to make a World Series run with ace Tarik Skubal’s set to hit free agency after the season
All of that is on hold for now.
The Tigers are off to a slugging 3-4 start entering Saturday’s contest, getting swept in Arizona before beating St. Louis, 4-0, on Friday to end a four-game losing skid.
It will take more than a thumping FA Cup quarter-final victory over the worst team in League One to ignite Chelsea’s season as it enters the defining stretch. This was, at least, a step in the right direction. Or, perhaps, it was just good for the club to avoid any further chaos.
The occasion was framed by Liam Rosenior’s decision to ban his vice-captain, Enzo Fernández, for the game and Chelsea’s next one, which is here against Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday. The manager felt he had to act after Fernández’s none-too-subtle message to Real Madrid during the international break. Basically, he is bang up for joining them.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball as Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks defends in the second half at Barclays Center on April 03, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not long after the Brooklyn Nets lost once again Friday night, this time by 40 ignominious points to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks at Barclays, word arrived from the west coast that the Sacramento Kings had won their game with the New Orleans Pelicans in a tight one that came down to the final seconds!! Huzzah!!
It was big news in Brooklyn and here’s why from Tankathon…
The Nets who reportedly had set a goal of getting a top three pick — with a 52.1% chance at at top four pick and a 14.0% chance at the overall No. 1 — are close to achieving it. Although nothing is mathematically certain, for the Nets to drop into fourth and lesser odds would require them to win three of their last five and have both the Wizards and Pacers lose out. While the latter may be likely, it’s hard to imagine the Nets, winners of five games in the last two-plus months, will add another three to the win column before closing time, no matter the competition.
The focus on the top three was based on the assessment that the three top picks in the NBA Draft — Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybanta — were all “franchise changers,” the equivalent of having three Cooper Flaggs in one draft! That’s changed a bit with Peterson’s maturity being a question and other prospects like Caleb Wilson and Darius Acuff rising in draftnik analyses.
Getting the first overall pick will be tough with the Nets playing four games vs. three other tanking teams — the Wizards on Sunday, the Bucks two days later, Pacers next Thursday and a return trip to Milwaukee the next night — before finishing off with the Raptors on April 12. Still, Brooklyn has a shot. They are arguably the worst team in the NBA right now and have gotten worse of late.
There are other variables of course even if the Nets finish last in the standings. They’ll have to deal with a history that is not favorable. Playing the probabilities is one thing, good fortune with the aerodynamics of small plastic balls is quite another.
The last three teams to go into the lottery with the worst record in regular season and the best odds came out of it with the fifth pick. Indeed, there’s a 47.9% of that. Moreover, no team with the worst record has won the overall No. 1 since the NBA instituted its new draft rules in 2019. And the last two lotteries were won by the Mavericks and Hawks who had 1.8% chances at the top spot. Of course, falling a bit in a generational as well as deep draft is better than winning the overall No. 1 in a bad draft.
All that said, Brian Lewis argued before the Atlanta game, that the Nets are the neediest of the tanking legion and deserve some of that good fortune. But in that argument, he pointed to some troublesome facts.
[N]one of the 10 or so teams playing the percentages need a young star more than talent-starved Brooklyn, including the Pacers and Wizards, who they’re chasing.
They infamously haven’t produced a single homegrown All-Star since Brook Lopez in 2013, over a decade ago…
Between the beating the Nets just took from Charlotte and the matchups they still have looming, it just drives home that every single one of these tanking rivals has either veteran All-Stars or young franchise players, or both.
For all their future draft capital, right now Brooklyn has neither.
No Tyrese Haliburton or Ivica Zubac like Indiana. No Trae Young or Anthony Davis like Washington. No Donatas Sabonis or DeMar DeRozan like Sacramento. Etc. etc.
So, something else to think about as the last week of the season approaches and the lottery is now a little more than a month away. Also, things no doubt will change on Draft Night. As we’ve noted ad infinitum, Marks does his best work within 48 hours of the NBA Draft.
In the meantime, it’s Zanax and Zantac in equal portions as we watch the Nets and the scoreboard.
DETROIT — Justin Verlander’s long-awaited return to Comerica Park as a member of the Detroit Tigers was put on hold Saturday.
Verlander, the major league’s oldest active player at 43, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation. On Sunday night, Verlander was scheduled to make his first start in a Tigers uniform at Detroit’s home park since Aug. 20, 2017.
Verlander was dealt to Houston at the trade deadline that season. He re-signed with Detroit on a one-year, $13 million contract in February after spending last season with San Francisco.
Verlander made 380 starts for Detroit from 2005-17. In his first start this season, Verlander gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona on Monday and took the loss.
RHP Keider Montero was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start the finale of a three-game series against St. Louis.
Scott Wedgewood delivered one of his steadiest outings of the season Saturday night, turning aside all 18 shots he faced for his third shutout of the year — and the 11th of his career — as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 at American Airlines Center.
The win was powered by elite production up front. Nathan MacKinnon scored his 51st goal of the season, matching a career high, while Martin Nečas added another to provide all the offense Colorado would need. The night also carried milestone significance, with Brent Burns skating in his 1,000th consecutive NHL game — just the second player in league history to reach that mark — and Devon Toews recording the 300th point of his career.
With the victory, the Avalanche became the first team in the NHL to reach 50 wins, improving to 50–15–10 and continuing to build momentum as the postseason approaches. Additionally, of the four meetings between these teams this season, this was the first that did not end in a shootout.
First Period
As expected, both teams came out with pace, trading early odd-man rushes that were turned aside at both ends. Wedgewood and Casey DeSmith looked sharp from the outset, with DeSmith getting the nod as part of a planned rotation while Jake Oettinger was given the night off.
At the 10:17 mark, Jamie Benn was called for tripping Valeri Nichushkin along the boards, sending Colorado to its first power play of the afternoon. The Avs couldn’t capitalize, and moments after the penalty expired, Lian Bichsel leveled Nichushkin in the corner while battling for a loose puck — a clean, hard hit that drew no whistle.
Colorado came close to breaking through when Artturi Lehkonen crashed the crease and nearly buried a rebound off an initial shot from Brock Nelson, but the puck slid just wide. Dallas answered with a dangerous scramble of its own, forcing Wedgewood into a desperation stop in tight to keep things scoreless.
Second Period
Brett Kulak was sent off for tripping Colin Blackwell just 1:57 into the period, giving Dallas an early opportunity. As the penalty expired, tensions flared in front of the net after Mavrik Bourque took a few extra jabs at Wedgewood. Jack Drury immediately stepped in, and the situation escalated into a brief scrum. Both players were assessed roughing minors, keeping things even at five-on-five.
Third Period
The game remained tightly structured into the third, with neither side giving much away. Five minutes into the frame — and 45 into the night — the shot count sat at just 17–12 in favor of Colorado, reflecting a disciplined, defense-first battle. It had the feel of a chess match, where one mistake or one moment of skill would decide it.
At 6:12, Nelson was whistled for hooking Jason Robertson, who went down easily and drew the call. That didn’t sit well with Gabriel Landeskog, who made his frustration clear as the teams lined up for the ensuing power play.
Colorado killed it off, but not without a scare. Former Av Matt Duchene found space at the top of the crease and slipped a shot through Wedgewood, only for a hand pass to halt play before any damage was done.
The breakthrough finally came off a quick, instinctive play. Nečas drove into the middle of the ice, and Lehkonen tracked down a loose puck near the top of the left circle before sliding it to the doorstep, where Nečas tapped it home to make it 1-0.
Dallas pulled DeSmith with 2:41 remaining, pressing for the equalizer. During the frantic sequence that followed, Drury and Joel Kiviranta repeatedly threw themselves in front of shots, with one final deflection sailing into the netting to force a stoppage.
The Colorado Avalanche defeat the Dallas Stars 2-0.
MacKinnon gets his 51st.
Scott Wedgewood gets his career-high third shutout of the season, the 11th of his career, and his first against his former team.#goavsgo@thehockeynews#texashockey
Moments later, MacKinnon iced it, burying an empty-netter for his 51st of the season to tie his career high. That sealed a 2-0 win for Colorado, one that all but locks up the Central Division as the regular season winds down.
Next Game
It's a quick turnaround for the Avalanche (50-15-10). They fly back to Denver this evening to prepare to square off against Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues (32-31-12) tomorrow night at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 03: Raisel Iglesias #26 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a 2-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks Waste a Second E-Rod Gem Eduardo Rodriguez gave the Diamondbacks as good an opportunity to win on Friday as anyone could ask for, throwing seven scoreless innings. Unfortunately, Arizona’s offense was held even quieter.
Offense, Sewald Spoil E-Rod Gem Arizona did not even register their first hit until the sixth inning and never had a runner reach third base. On top of that, Paul Sewald was brought in to pitch the ninth inning, only to watch the first to batter each launch solo-shots to carry to the Braves to a shutout victory.
Arizona’s Outfield Options Growing Thin Once, not so long ago, considered an area of depth for the Diamondbacks, the organization is now perilously thin on reliable starting options for the outfield at the MLB level. The injury to Jordan Lawlar is going to test the mettle of the remaining players and may even create a need to reach down for one of the untested prospect bats, such as Kristian Robinson.
Spencer Giesting Suffers Oblique Injury Arizona’s left-handed pitching depth just took another significant hit. The Reno Aces’ Giesting has been placed on the 7-day IL but is expected to miss more than a month of time.
Yes, Pennants Can Be Lost in April The season is just a week old, but there are already sizable impacts in playoff probabilities around the league.
Brewers Finalize 8-year Extension with Top Prospect Cooper Pratt Cooper Pratt joins the ranks of top prospects getting early extensions. Pratt has now signed an 8-yr/$50.75MM extension that will keep him in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. Because Pratt signed the deal before making his debut, he will not be eligible to earn a PPI pick should he eventually win Rookie of the Year when he does finally debut. As Pratt has only made his AAA debut a few days ago, it could still be a while for the young shortstop.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 30: Starting pitcher Michael Soroka #34 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after pitching an immaculate fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers of the home opener at Chase Field on March 30, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is there a more beloved former Brave than Michael Soroka? (Maybe Freddie Freeman?) Perhaps because the phrase, “What could have been?” peals more sharply with regard to Soroka than anyone else, the fondness for the Canadian giraffe-necked right-hander from this corner, at least, is at its max. But, on Saturday night, the Braves will face off against our beloved in search of a fourth win in a row.
Soroka’s injury travails as a Brave after his 2019 4.0 fWAR campaign have been well-documented and are a bit too depressing to recap at this point, so we’ll focus on what happened afterwards. Sent to Chicago’s South Side in the Aaron Bummer deal after the 2023 season, Soroka was a blah swingman out there for a year, and then had a nice time as a starter for the Nationals in 2025 before a midseason trade sent him to Chicago’s North Side, where he barely pitched and didn’t distinguish himself. His contract with the Nats was for $9 million; this past offseason, he signed with the Diamondbacks for a lower, $7.5 million salary, made some starts in the World Baseball Classic, and made it to Opening Day as a member of Arizona’s beleaguered starting staff.
But, things went swimmingly for him in his first start of 2026: he absolutely dominated the Tigers for five innings, with an insane 10/1 K/BB ratio that included an immaculate inning in his final frame of work. He had a 5-0 lead before departing, and the Diamondbacks added even more in the bottom of the fifth. The only real blemish to that outing was that the Tigers made some hard contact off him when they weren’t striking out (three barrels, though only one went for a hit), but that doesn’t really portend anything for him considering the excellent K/BB ratio. Whatever happens while Soroka pitches against the Braves today, it’ll be bittersweet in one direction or another, but maybe it’ll be another game like last night, where the thunder in the Braves’ favor comes exclusively late.
On the Atlanta side of the pitching equation, Bryce Elder will look to keep the good times rolling. After last night’s shutout, the Braves’ pitching staff is in a funny place: they’re seventh in MLB in fWAR, second in ERA-, sixth in FIP-, and 13th in xFIP-. Whereas 2025 was an exercise in “if it can wrong, it will go wrong,” the Braves are putting on a dazzling run prevention display thanks to some elite defensive play (they’re third in MLB in defensive value coming into this game), and a favorable HR/FB for once (they have the fourth-lowest HR/FB against their pitchers). Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes have now made four collective starts with a sub-3.00 ERA (Lopez’ is under 2.00) and an xFIP around 5.00, so hooray for baseball god boons rather than banes at this point.
Speaking of weird starts, that descriptor probably applies to Bryce Elder’s first start of the season, albeit for a different reason than it could be used for Lopez or Holmes thus far. Elder was legitimately good against the Athletics — nothing we haven’t seen before, albeit inconsistently — with a 5/1 K/BB ratio in six shutout innings. The reason why it was weird was that all the stuff that Elder and the team provided messaging about in the offseason, about his work with a biomechanics expert and the like, well… that wasn’t really on display. Elder didn’t appear to be throwing harder nor did he let loose more often with an ehanced four-seamer. Rather, he showed up with a much drop-ier (droopier sounds sad) slider with some added horizontal verve, which was enough to stymie the green-and-gold bats. Whether he can do so again against the Diamondbacks, well, that’s always the question, innit?
This will be Soroka’s second outing against his former team. He had an okay four innings against them in May of last year, with Drake Baldwin hitting a game-tying two-run shot against him in the fourth before Soroka departed. Elder, meanwhile, has made two starts against the Diamondbacks in his career — one in 2023 and one in 2024 — and they were both really rough. The one in 2023 was his shortest start of the year and one of his worst (2 2/3 IP, charged seven runs and gave up a homer despite a 4/1 K/BB ratio), and the one in 2024 featured a 1/2 K/BB ratio in five innings with three runs charged. Both of those games got absolutely insane late, with the Diamondbacks winning 16-13 in 2023 and the Braves prevailing 5-4 in 2024.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 4, 7:15 p.m. EDT
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
TV: FOX
Streaming: MLB.tv, probably not blacked out on BravesVision/etc.
