CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — You think the Charlotte Hornets were starving for a home postseason game?
It’s been a decade since the Hornets hosted a postseason game, and the team is doing what it can to celebrate the accomplishments of Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball and generate excitement among its fan base.
Prior to Tuesday night's play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat, the Hornets placed a black “Protect the Hive" T-shirt on each of the 19,444 seats in Spectrum Center.
“I expect it to be lit,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of the atmosphere.
The Hornets need to beat the Heat and then defeat the loser of the Wednesday night’s Orlando-Philadelphia game to qualify for its first playoff series in 10 years and snap the longest drought in the league.
"My wife was actually able to go to the (Carolina) Panthers’ playoff game and I remember her calling me ... and she’s like, ‘This is insane! People are going crazy! This town is ready for a winning team, playoff atmosphere!'" Lee said of the Panthers' first playoff home game in January after seven seasons of missing the playoffs. "So that was exciting to hear. And so I expect a very similar environment here.”
The Heat-Hornets game is a sellout.
“We have an exciting, young team that has earned this moment and brings an energy that’s fun to watch and easy to rally behind,” Hornets president of business operations Shelly Cayette-Weston said. “Protect the Hive represents the connection between our team and our fans at the highest level.”
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 3: Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If there’s one thing all NBA fans love more than tanking, it has to be numbers and math, right?
A few years ago, our old pal Kevin Durant rhetorically (and rather vulgarly) questioned if anyone wants to “look at graphs” while having a conversation about hoops. It’s since become something of a rallying cry for the Ball Don’t Stop’s of the world, those who aren’t just standing pat along the fan dividing line, but pushing against the against the tide of the analytics-minded voices in basketball.
Indeed, part of the game has gotten lost in the pool of digits we’ve collectively paddled our way across. While Durant’s mid-range remains pure in the big 2026, the back-to-the-basket game seemed to fade away with Al Jefferson and the Gasol brothers. We live in a world where the great Kevin Garnett’s highlight reel almost feels unsettling to watch with every catch from behind the arc, singular step in, and then high-arching jumper he takes.
That said, teams are undoubtedly the performing better because of it. Offensive records are continually broken year after year by players, teams and the league at large. It’s cliché to say, “the game has changed,” but there’s no arguing against that notion.
Now, I’d never call myself a “numbers” guy. I majored in writing and never got farther than Precalc in high school. Take a wild guess at what I struggled with growing up and eventually began to utterly detest by adulthood. That’s right, numbers and math.
However, I do believe those who don’t get on the analytics train will be left behind. And in that, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of a telling stat, and would argue everyone else should to.
So, with us now at the conclusion of Brooklyn’s 2025-26 campaign, I found three stats that exemplify its season. All of them are rather rudimentary, but might’ve gotten swept under the rug amid all the roster turnover and phantom injuries.
Spoiler alert: none of them are particularly positive. However, when you’re serving up a 60-loss dish, that’s just what the recipe calls for. Let’s dive in. The dessert will hopefully come later in the summer.
The Rookies got Their Shots Up
From day one, or even day negative one and beyond, this season was all about the rookies for the Brooklyn Nets. That feeling was so abundant that Jordi Fernández even felt the need to remind the media on more than one occasion that the rookies aren’t the only ones on the team.
Nevertheless, Brooklyn’s shot diet this year did more to endorse the former sentiment. This season, the Nets led the league in total rookie field goal attempts with 2,231. Sure, Brooklyn drafted five rooks last June, the most ever by an NBA team, then added three more. The next closest team was the New Orleans Pelicans, who had three in their rotation as well in Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and Micah Peavy.
Still, New Orleans trailed the Nets by a whopping 171 shots. The Nets also led in triples taken by rookies by over one hundred. And, speaking of that shot…
They had a misplaced Confidence in the Three
Brooklyn finished this season with the worst offense in the league, averaging the fewest points per game and lowest field goal percentage. That’s not a shocking metric to hear if you watched the team at any point this year. The Nets often posted scoring totals that looked like they were ripped off the box score from a 90s game, frequently struggling to crack triple digits.
But while Brooklyn’s shot diet was rather modern, averaging the 11th most triples taken per game in the league, it didn’t do them any good.
If you live and die by the three, the Nets sure as hell died by it, historically. This year, they averaged 38.4 triples per game, but made them at just a 34% clip. That ranks as the third worst percentage on that many attempts or more in NBA history. Only the Washington Wizards, who shot 33.5% on 39.1 attempts per game last year, the Houston Rockets, who shot 33.9% on 40.6 attempts per game in 2020-21, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who shot 33.6% on 39.7 attempts per game in 2019-20 insisted on launching more threes … despite having so little success to show for it.
I’m not prepared to argue the Nets would have had any more luck had they pressured the rim or ventured into the midrange more frequently. However, there’s no debating the notion that their investment in the deep ball was a poor one.
One of the worst clutch teams in recent memory
Any successful tank involves fumbling a few games at the goal line. Whether by design or not, this past year, nobody did that better than Brooklyn. In the clutch, which the NBA defines as a game within five points and with five or fewer minutes to play, Brooklyn had a .235 win percentage in this woeful season. That ranks worst in the league.
It was also the third worst posted by any NBA team in the past decade. The Detroit Pistons had a .229 wining percentage in clutch games during the 2023-24 season and a .219 one in 2020-21. The Philadelphia 76ers, being the tanking GOATs that they are, also had a ludicrous .143 clutch winning percentage in 2015-16. Not really surprising when, as Sean Marks mentioned in his YES Network interview, Brooklyn’s roster was the youngest not just this season, but in the last 20 as well.
If this is it for Nic Claxton and the Nets, and if somehow Brooklyn’s somehow able secure a top three pick this summer, fans should applaud Nic Claxton for his efforts in this regard. Clax was a team-worst -64 in 66 clutch minutes this year, with nearly 20 points separating him from the next closest guy.
Woe is us? No question and any deep dive would tell you the eye test was the least of it.
The All-Big West Conference honorable mention selection out of UC-San Diego and, most notably this month, NCAA transfer portal entrant had lost track of days, let alone the “hundreds” of phone calls and texts from potential basketball suitors.
On Tuesday, Mayes made official the next step in his blossoming college basketball career — and spoke about the choice exclusively to USA TODAY Sports.
The 6-5, 200-pound rising sophomore guard has signed with Eric Olen’s New Mexico program. Olen guided the Lobos to 26 wins and an NIT semifinals appearance in his debut, 2025-26 season at the helm.
“It felt like absolutely forever. If you asked me how long ago, I would tell you two months ago not officially one week in the portal,” Mayes, the Tritons’ No. 2 scorer at 11.1 points per game, told USA TODAY Sports after he ended a recruitment that also included Baylor, Notre Dame and Syracuse among top contenders. “I tried not to let myself get too stressful with it. My agent (NBA certified agent KJ Smith of Range Sports) told me once you do enter, you’re going to get hundreds of texts and calls.
“I wasn’t thinking about the portal; I was trying to help us win the Big West (tournament). But there were too many opportunities that we heard about and knew from trusted sources that were real. My dream has always been to play the highest level of college basketball and get to the highest level of college basketball. I told coach Olen (Monday afternoon), and I slept great last night.”
The son of former Notre Dame All-America wideout and Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champion Derrick Mayes, grandson of Naismith Hall of Famer and former ABA star Roger Brown, Hudson Mayes started 12 of San Diego’s final 13 games, scored in double figures in the season’s last 10 games and helped the Tritons close with eight wins in their final 11 games.
Multiple Power conference programs “offered significant money” and “multiple six figures.” Olen’s New Mexico program offered an immediate chance to compete for a starting role — and the familiarity of having already been recruited by Olen and multiple members of the Lobos staff from their previous time at San Diego.
“Coming into the portal, I obviously had pretty much every Power Five Conference and every other conference trying to get me to commit there,” Mayes said. “They were throwing me different offers. I kept money out of my decision and made a basketball decision.
“We were prepared for that, for the money, but we knew this was going to be a decision that we would have to make based on relationships and what’s best basketball-wise and what’s the best path.”
Olen doubled down on the Lobos program's ability to stand toe-to-toe with the sport's more renowned program.
"New Mexico’s rich with tradition and we want to continue that here and that just starts with building really good basketball teams," Olen told USA TODAY Sports Tuesday afternoon by phone. "It’s a great place to play college basketball, up there with the best home environments anywhere in the country and we believe in what this place can be.
"We think New Mexico basketball is a national brand, we want to be relevant on that stage and Hudson helps us do that."
With three years’ eligibility remaining, Mayes hasn’t given his New Mexico decision a moment of doubt — even as teams pressed for a final opportunity to woo the versatile combo guard who led San Diego with 5.7 rebounds per game.
“I turned down several offers from teams, at-large (NCAA) tournament teams that I kind of just decided to go with my gut,” Mayes said. “I believe next year New Mexico can be an NCAA Tournament team.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 9: Mick Abel #20 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers on April 9, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 6:40 PM CST
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App, LosTwins.com
After missing 27 consecutive games with a knee injury before returning earlier this month, Steph Curry will look to drag the Warriors to more postseason success.
The Warriors secured the No. 10 seed in the NBA play-in tournament and will be taking on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. While Curry is back in the lineup, coach Steve Kerr confirmed that the sharpshooter, along with big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, will be on a minutes restriction of sorts.
He elaborated on the topic during a Tuesday appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.”
“I think that’s just a figure of speech of ‘Minutes Restriction,’ it’s not like hey we want to limit this person to a certain number of minutes,” Kerr explained. “It’s literally that the person cannot play that many minutes. This is all about health, and so you have to be mindful of health as you play these games. You have to be mindful of how many minutes can a guy play and be expected to be effective. So that’s really what we’re facing.”
"It's not about how badly we want to win, it's just how many minutes guys can literally play and stay effective."
– Steve Kerr explains why Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford will be on minutes limits tomorrow night vs. the Clippers (via @WillardAndDibs). pic.twitter.com/O0XQJQBnLA
When asked if limiting these players was due to them not being in good enough shape to play more minutes or for further risk of injury, Kerr revealed it was actually both.
“Both, those things go hand in hand,” Kerr said. “I would say if we had another couple of weeks of Steph recovering from his absence, he’d be able to play more minutes. This is just the reality of where he is, where Al is, Kristaps…”
If Golden State wins, they will take on the Phoenix Suns for the No. 8 seed on Friday.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 13: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves fields a fly ball in the first inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After allowing a season-high 10 runs in yesterday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves are looking to approach tonight with a redemption and a momentum boost to push them into the finale tomorrow.
Both pitchers are making their first start; a few of the Braves are familiar with Marlins’ Max Meyer’s game, but the same can’t be said for the Marlins’ offense against Reynaldo López.
It’s going to take a force to be reckoned with to get ahead early and produce what wasn’t displayed last night. We’ll let by-gones be by-gones and start afresh. A new mindset and approach with similar lineups for game two…this isn’t just a new game, it’s a continuation.
Tune in at 7:15 p.m., and we’ll discuss the outcome.
Apr 9, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
Last night was one of the more entertaining baseball games you’ll ever see, but I’d just as soon take a clean little 5-1 win in game two of this four-game set with the Angels. While the Yankees are looking to continue the momentum from yesterday, Ryan Weathers is looking to continue a little personal momentum, coming off a strong eight-inning, one-run start last week.
After two middling starts to open his season, Weathers dominated the Athletics on Thursday, showing the potential the Yankees saw in trading with the Marlins to get him this winter. The fastball is real but the major thing that pops when you watch Weathers is his breaking pitches, and you may see him start to pitch “backwards” with the focus on his slider and curve tonight. Weathers has struggled with injury and inconsistency — he’s made all his starts so far this year, so the key is going to be following up one good start with another.
Reid Detmers will go for the Angels, himself having a solid year once you look past the ERA. A 3.38 FIP through his first three starts will play in any rotation, and while his strikeouts have dipped from his three-year baseline, so has his walk rate. It may not last — his flyball rate is up to 50 percent and his HR/FB rate is a paltry 4.5 percent — but for April the ball’s stayed in the yard. Based on what we saw from the Yankees last night though, that may not be the case in start number four.
Facing Detmers means Paul Goldschmidt leads us off, with Amed Rosario and his .999 OPS batting third and giving Jazz Chisholm Jr. a break, taking over second base. Randal Grichuk is also in left field spelling Cody Bellinger.
Apr 11, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the third inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (7-9) vs. Kansas City Royals (7-9)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site: Royals Review Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (1-1, 4.76 ERA) vs. LHP Cole Ragans (0-3, 5.91 ERA)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 28: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox runs back to the dugout out between innings during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 28, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After last night’s abysmal start from Garrett Crochet in which he only went 1.2 innings, the Red Sox middle relief is taxed. As a result, they had to make the following roster move today, which lands Jack Anderson in a big league uniform for the first time:
Ideally, Boston won’t need the middle relief tonight and Sonny Gray will just continue the success of his last two outings. Given the importance of the Crochet & Gray part of the rotation, this is a pretty big start for April 14th.
What’s also a pretty big start for April 14th is Roman Anthony retuning to left field as it’s just the third time he’s started a game out there this month. Given his recent struggles and inconsistent throws, there’s a good chance he’ll get a shot at an assist tonight as teams will be running on him until he gets over whatever’s going on there.
The other lineup note is that Ceddanne Rafaela is the odd man out tonight in the “five guys need to fit into four spots between DH and the outfield” puzzle Craig Breslow gave Alex Cora.
Today’s Lineups
RED SOX
TWINS
Roman Anthony – LF
Byron Buxton – CF
Caleb Durbin – 3B
Trevor Larnach – LF
Masataka Yoshida – DH
Luke Keaschall – 2B
Willson Contreras – 1B
Josh Bell – DH
Wilyer Abreu – RF
Matt Wallner – RF
Trevor Story – SS
Victor Caratini – C
Jarren Duran – CF
Kody Clemens – 1B
Carlos Narvaez – C
Brooks Lee – SS
Isiah Kiner-Falefa – 2B
Tristan Gray – 3B
Sonny Gray – RHP
Mick Abel – RHP
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:40 pm – Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota
One week ago, defenseman Jake Livanavage was suiting up for the University of North Dakota at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas.
And now, he will be suiting up to take NHL ice for the very first time.
On Tuesday, Livanavage will make his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the final game of their regular season. Pittsburgh will take on the St. Louis Blues, which will be the team's last opponent before facing the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound left blueliner may not be eligible for the postseason - he was a UFA who signed after the trade deadline and was not on the Penguins' reserve list - but he put together a nice enough season at North Dakota for the Penguins to outbid some other suitors for his services. He registered five goals and 25 points in 39 games to go along with a plus-15, and his mobility and offensive instincts are hallmarks of his game.
When you are cutting the Jake Livanavage tape and you come across a sequence so good you have to stop and tweet it pic.twitter.com/KrTrDwRB03
But, all that aside, Livanavage grew up a Penguins' fan, so debuting with the team he rooted for as a kid is a full-circle, dream come true.
"Being part of this organization is a dream come true and something that I'll never take for granted," Livanavage told Penguins' reporters after Tuesday's morning skate. "So, it's been awesome so far."
And he looks forward to getting that first NHL game under his belt, even if it will be his only game this season.
"I'm sure they'll be nerves and a lot of emotions going on," Livanavage said. "But just trying to enjoy it and be a part of this group for tonight and try and help the team win."
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 08: Rece Hinds #77 of the Cincinnati Reds walks off the field after warming up before his MLB Debut game against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 08, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds are back in action in Great American Ball Park on Tuesday evening after Monday’s much needed day off.
They’ll send righty Brady Singer to the mound to start this one, the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, meanwhile, will send former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, and the lefty’s out to a pretty stellar start to his 2026 campaign after a solid season in 2025.
Because of that, the Reds have stacked their starting lineup with right-handed hitters, including the recently recalled Rece Hinds – he’ll start in RF tonight. Dane Myers is in CF for TJ Friedl, and yes, Ke’Bryan Hayes is at 3B looking to improve upon his league-worst -37 wRC+.
Negative thirty-seven.
First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park on April 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants head to Ohio today to begin a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters today’s game with a 2.08 ERA, 3.65 FIP, with 18 strikeouts to six walks in 17.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last Tuesday, in which he allowed just three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Reds right-hander Brady Singer, who enters today’s game with a 7.71 ERA, 4.22 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to three walks in 11.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins last Wednesday, in which he allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts in two and two thirds innings.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 13: Rob Refsnyder #30 of the Seattle Mariners warms up before a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Peoria Stadium on March 13, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
For those of you who have been clamoring to see Patrick Wisdom, rejoice. Mariners GM Justin Hollander today announced that Rob Refsnyder is headed to the paternity list for the birth of his third child. With the lineup desperately lacking righty hitting, the Mariners are bypassing recently-extended top prospect Colt Emerson for now and instead selecting righty-hitting Patrick Wisdom from Tacoma.
Wisdom, 34, has been off to a hot start to the season, currently leading all of MiLB with nine home runs. A true three true outcome player, Wisdom won’t help the Mariners solve their strikeout issues, but he’s been thumping the ball with regularity in Tacoma and will provide a solid counterpoint to the Luke Raley/Dominic Canzone parts of the lineup. Wisdom’s defensive home is a little more of a challenge, as he’s limited to first base, currently occupied by Josh Naylor, and with outfielder and fellow righty Victor Robles still on the shelf with no timetable for a return, that does make things somewhat dicey defensively.
Meanwhile, Refsnyder will get a mental break after a rough start to his season. The 35-year-old has only gotten in to eight games so far this season, but is still looking for his first hit after being brought in this off-season to balance a lefty-heavy lineup.
Wisdom is not in the lineup tonight as the team faces righty Michael King to open the three-game set with San Diego.
To make room for Wisdom on the 40-man roster, the Mariners DFA’d RHP Blas Castaño. A contact manager more than a strikeout pitcher who stands a generously listed five-foot-ten, Castaño has been with the Mariners since 2024. He’s likely return to Tacoma on waivers unless another team is tempted by his shiny ERA of 1.42.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with third base coach Victor Estevez #7 after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Monday, April 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Christopher Denver/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Nationals crashed and burned in the first game of their four game set with the Pirates. However, the great thing about four game series is it allows you to have a clunker. The Nats will look to bounce back tonight. To do so, they will roll with an unusual pitching strategy.
The Nats lineup only has a couple small changes. Brady House is back in the lineup, but he is DH’ing tonight. That means Jorbit Vivas will remain at third. CJ Abrams is moving down from the 3 spot to the 5 hole. Abrams in that 5 spot just gives the lineup so much length. Drew Millas will be behind the plate. The Nats are going to use a few pitchers to try and get through the first six or seven innings. PJ Poulin will open and then a Miles Mikolas and Mitchell Parker tag team will follow him.
For a team that put up 16 runs last night, the Pirates are making quite a few changes. Struggling DH Marcell Ozuna will be back in the lineup. Nick Gonzales will also be in the lineup at the third base spot. Joey Bart will be behind the plate instead of Henry Davis. Mitch Keller is an ultra-reliable righty who is off to a good start this year, and he will get the ball in this one.
Last night was one of those games you just have to flush away. Blowouts happen in baseball, especially when you do not have a great pitching staff. Now it is time to lock back in and even this series. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 05: Starling Marte #0 of the Kansas City Royals bats during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Kauffman Stadium on April 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Imagine being the Detroit Tigers: you went out and loaded up on a $200 million payroll. You’re paying five players—Jack Flaherty, Framber Valdez, Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Tarik Skubal—$20 million or more. You expect to win the division, or at least grab a playoff spot. And here we are on April 14 and you’re 7-9, with a slim one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for last place in the division.
Now, look, going 7-9 in a 16-game stretch is a thing good teams do all the time. It happens in a 162-game season. But starting 7-9 is not fun, as Kansas City Royals fans know, as the Royals are also 7-9, and in largely the same boat as the Tigers sans a $200 million payroll.
Series like these are as important as they come in April. The Royals have a chance to further sink a key divisional rival into a deeper hole. On the other hand, a poor showing would simultaneously lift the Tigers’ record and spirits while further diminishing the Royals’ spots in the standings.
Is Spencer Torkelson going to get anything more than a one-year contract after he becomes a free agent? He had a breakout 2025 but he has, thus far, regressed to his career trajectory, which is basically just “league average.” Of course, the Royals would welcome “league average” out of their first baseman, so who am I to complain here. Starting for the Tigers is Framber Valdez, a good lefty, leading to a weird lineup Royals lineup.
Royals 4/14 lineup
That’s right folks, Lane Thomas is hitting third! Salvador Perez is hitting cleanup, still, but that bumps Vinnie Pasquantino to sixth. Also making an appearance is Starling Marte, who is still on the team.
