Kevin Durant is out with a left ankle sprain on Friday night, missing a must-win Game 3 for the Houston Rockets.
This is a massive setback for a team that has struggled to generate offense through the first two games against the Lakers. Durant suffered the sprain during Game 2. Durant's status for Game 3 was moved to "questionable" on Thursday, but the widespread expectation was that he would play. Before the game, Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Durant was a game-time decision based on how his pregame workout went, but according to reporters in the building, Durant never went out for warmups.
Durant missed the first game of this first-round series with a knee contusion, and the Rockets scored only 98 points in that game. KD played in the second game, but the Lakers doubled him nearly every time he touched the ball, and while he still scored 23 points, he also had nine turnovers and had to pass out of the double a lot, and his teammates were not stepping up.
With Durant out, and looking to shake things up, Udoka said he would move Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason into the starting lineup.
The Rockets have a 106.1 offensive rating through two games in this series, 12.5 points per 100 possessions worse than their regular-season number. The Rockets need to find a way to generate offense on their home court Friday night, or they could find themselves in a 0-3 hole, something no NBA team has ever climbed out of.
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - APRIL 22, 2026: Joey Wiemer #21 of the Washington Nationals hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on April 22, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. The Braves beat the Nationals, 8-6. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Nationals are hitting the road, where they have been a much better team this season. They will face a White Sox team that is pretty similar to themselves. Both are rebuilding teams that do not have great records but have shown flashes of a bright future. This should be a fun little series.
The White Sox are using a lefty opener, so the Nats have made some lineup tweaks to account for that. Luis Garcia Jr. will be in the 8 hole so he can avoid the lefty. Daylen Lile will be in the 2 spot, which is the highest he has hit this season. Brady House will be the DH and hit third. That means the hot hitting Jorbit Vivas will be at third base. Drew Millas will be behind the plate. PJ Poulin will be the opener, while Miles Mikolas and Riley Cornelio will follow him.
wonder if NL home run leader james wood took his new bonsai tree to chicago
This White Sox lineup is led by new addition Munetaka Murakami. The Japanese slugger is a true three outcome hitter. He is hitting third. Colson Montgomery is another exciting young power bat for the southsiders. This White Sox lineup has some big time power, but they do not hit for a ton of average. Lefty Bryan Hudson will open for the White Sox and he will be followed by former Nat Erick Fedde, who has had a lot of success against his old club.
It is not the sexiest matchup, but I am excited to watch these two rebuilding teams. Hopefully Murakami does not feast against this homer prone pitching staff. If the Nats can keep him and Montgomery in check, I like their chances. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
And, the most recent case in 2014 involved the Los Angeles Kings looking lifeless in their first three games in the opening round against the San Jose Sharks, only to storm back, win the series, and go on to win the Stanley Cup.
Coming back from down 3-0 to win a series in the NHL is extremely rare air, as the 209 other teams in NHL history that have gone down 3-0 went on to lose their respective series. But, even if it's near-impossible, it's not, in fact, impossible, and it has happened. Special teams make history for a reason.
And, this year, there are three different opportunities in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs for history to repeat itself. The Ottawa Senators trail the Carolina Hurricanes by a 3-0 series deficit, as do the Kings against the mighty Colorado Avalanche.
Then, there are the Penguins, who are on the brink of getting swept by their cross-state rival Flyers.
These teams have both been players in this situation before: The Penguins were on the wrong end of it in 1975, while the Flyers did the improbable in 2010. It is the Penguins who are faced with the improbable this time around, and - to be quite frank - they have looked much like the Kings did in 2014 prior to their out-of-the-blue comeback against the Sharks. And they look just like most of those 209 other teams that couldn't pull off historical feats.
In Games 1 and 2 in 2014, the Kings lost 6-3 and 7-2, respectively. They did take home a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 3, which - oftentimes - is the nail in the coffin for teams in that situation. But they somehow flipped a switch, and they found a way to dominate the remaining four games. They won by sequential scores of 6-3, 3-0, 4-1, and 5-1, and - again - went on to defeat the New York Rangers in five games during the Stanley Cup Final.
There was belief, just like there is with a lot of teams in this situation. And that belief is still alive and well in the Penguins' locker room, despite the daunting task that lies ahead of them.
And one Penguins' player has some experience in this arena, as his former team came pretty close to accomplishing the feat.
"You win one game, and a lot of things can happen, a lot of things can change," said goaltender Stuart Skinner, whose Edmonton Oilers recovered from a 3-0 deficit against the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final only to lose in Game 7. "As a team that's up 3-0, and you lose that first game... it's a tight second game, and you end up losing that second game... I mean, it's a series. Momentum shifts, and that can change a lot of things. One win can do a lot."
During media availability following Friday's practice, Skinner recalled that series, talking about how - one by one - plays built up throughout Game 4 that snowballed and allowed Edmonton to find their game again, forcing Florida to back into a bit of a corner. They took it one play at a time, one game at a time.
And that will be the Penguins' focus heading into Game 4 on Saturday in Philadelphia: win one game. It can be a bit hard to get into that headspace, especially knowing that four consecutive wins are necessary to stay alive.
But Skinner dove into the mental side of things as well, and he is confident in his own ability to do that.
"I've done a lot of that work in, just, my career in general, because it's the same thing in a season, too," Skinner said. "You can be having a couple tough bad games or, just, results aren't going your way, and you've got to find out how to switch that up in your mind.
"To be honest, I've been in so many situations that this feels - I don't want to say, 'normal,' because we're down 3-0, but - just normal in the sense of mentally juggling. I feel like I know how to do that."
It helps, too, that the Penguins have a nice collection of veterans in the room who know what it takes to win. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sam Girard all have Stanley Cup wins on their resumes, and the adversity of the playoffs is something they've all experienced to the very end, when they - ultimately - had the chance to hoist Lord Stanley in celebration on the ice.
"It's pretty clear. I think, being in this position, you can't look too far ahead, you've just got to look at what's in front of you, and that's tomorrow and making sure that we put our best game on the ice," Crosby said. "I don't feel like we feel like we've done that for a complete game yet. Maybe different parts of games, but that first period's more of how we want to play. We just weren't able to sustain it. So, if we can put some periods together like that, then we can give ourselves a chance."
He added: "Ultimately, as a player, this is the best time of year, and it's not an ideal situation. But, at the same time, we would have took this last year. So, I think it's a matter of having the right approach, enjoying it, and just making sure we focus on what's in front of us here."
But, even though winning means everything to every player in that locker room, for guys like Skinner and Erik Karlsson - veterans who have "been there, done that" but never got to the finish line - defining moments like this mean even more.
"We believe in ourselves, and I believe in my team."
The last time Karlsson skated in the playoffs prior to this season was in 2019 with the Sharks. The closest he came to the Stanley Cup Final was in 2017, when the Penguins beat the Senators in dramatic fashion during a memorable Game 7 double-overtime - and when Karlsson was the best player on the ice for either team in that series.
Karlsson and the team know what's at stake. But, at the end of the day, he's also aware that it's important to embrace the feeling of playing in the hardest postseason in sports, having fun with it, and understanding the opportunity that lies in front of them.
“We're going to have to embrace and understand that being in this situation, even though we're down 3-0, is still a lot of fun, and we would have paid a lot of money to stand here today back in October and say this is where we were going to be,” Karlsson said after Game 3. “We've just got to realize that and understand that we're a good hockey team here. We've got a great opportunity."
And, as who understands what it takes to come back in an a near-impossible situation, Skinner believes this group of Penguins has what it takes to seize that opportunity and do something very few others in NHL history have managed to accomplish.
“You know it's possible,” Skinner said. “Statistics are fun to look at. But, it doesn't mean they're always right. What really helped me in my experience was it, kind of, just frees you up. You don't really have anything to lose.
“We've got the bodies in here. We've got a resilient group. I can say that over and over and over again, but we've proven it. We've shown it. This is the group that can definitely come back from this deficit. I certainly believe that.”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: Ryan Vilade #26 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during batting practice prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday, April 10, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary Holt/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Apr 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A detailed view of shoes worn by Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) as he jumps over the third base line on his way to the mound to pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
There were some bits of Jays news while I was out:
The Jays traded ‘cash considerations’ to the Rangers for catcher Willie MacIver, who they optioned to Buffalo. Tyler Fitzgerald was DFAed to make room. And, judging by his picture, he has enough hair for the whole team to share.
They also announced that Jeff Hoffman wouldn’t be closer anymore, that they would go closer by committee for the next while.
The team is deciding if Trey Yesavage will make his next start in the majors or the minors
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 18: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the second inning during a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27 ERA) vs. Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Milwaukee Brewers looking to grab a win.
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With the recent commitments of Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam to Michigan, Charleston center Chol Machot to Georgetown, Arizona State's Massamba Diop to Gonzaga, Georgetown's Julius Halaifonua to Oklahoma State and Florida Atlantic's Josiah Parker to Georgetown we saw a good portion of our previous top 10 best available players get snatched up.
Latest intel: Duke, Kentucky, Florida and Kansas reportedly in the mix; declared for NBA draft but could return to college
G Juke Harris, Wake Forest
Latest intel: Michigan, Tennessee and North Carolina fighting it out, with On3 casting a prediction for the Vols.
F Allen Graves, Santa Clara
Latest intel: Duke and LSU among those in the mix; declared for NBA Draft but leaving door open to college return. He was invited to the Scouting Combine.
G Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
Latest intel: Another going through draft process; heavy Kentucky interest.
G Paul McNeil, NC State
Latest intel: Another with Kentucky interest, North Carolina and Michigan reportedly involved, but a return to NC State not being ruled out. His former coach at NC State, Will Wade, is now at LSU, which could be another suitor.
F Jordan Burks, UCF
Latest intel: A late addition to the portal, Burks had previous stops at Kentucky and Georgetown. He averaged a career-best 13.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg for the Knights this past season. A 6-9 forward who is a 37% shooter from deep should be a hot commodity.
G Hamad Mousa, Cal Poly
Latest intel: The 6-8 Qatari guard began his career at Dayton before transferring to Cal Poly prior to last season. There he averaged 20.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg and shot 37.2% from behind the arc.
G Tijan Saine Jr., Weber State
Latest intel: Per ESPN, Saine is hearing from Washington, Missouri, NC State, Mississippi State, LSU and Texas State.
G Vyctorius Miller, Oklahoma State
Latest intel: He recently finished a visit to Kansas.
G Abdi Bashir Jr., Kansas State
Latest intel: Has Zoom calls set up with Kansas and NC State and has already visited St. John's.
Five more to keep an eye on: Christian Harmon (Arkansas State), Akai Fleming (Georgia Tech), Cayden Charles (St. Bonaventure), Mihailo Petrovic (Illinois), Dennis Parker (Radford)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 10: Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a two-run home run in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 10, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Brandon Young (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 K) vs. RHP Brayan Bello (1-2, 6.75 ERA, 13 K)
The Orioles return to Camden Yards Friday night after a road trip that had more reasons for concern than celebration. Across seven games in Cleveland and Kansas City, the O’s went 3-4, while continuing to show the inconsistent offense and starting pitching that’s plagued them throughout their 12-13 start.
Getting off to strong starts in games has been the Orioles’ biggest problem in 2026, as they often find themselves playing from behind and in need of last-ditch comeback attempts. In the first three innings of games, MLB as a whole is hitting .237 while scoring 1.46 runs/game across innings 1-3. The Orioles, conversely, are hitting .184 in the first three innings of games, while putting up 0.88 runs/game in the first three frames. Combine those early inning offensive struggles with a starting rotation sporting a 4.37 ERA (21st in baseball) and get a consistent game script that never leads to comfortable victories.
The few positives coming from the Orioles’ road trip are the steady resurgence of Pete Alonso’s bat and the continuation of Ledoy Taveras’ hot start. After shuffling through the first six series of the season with an average under .200, Alonso hit .250 on the road trip with a .751 OPS and his third Orioles homer. Taveras slashed .273/.360/.545 across the two road series, and broke up a no-hitter in Cleveland, collected a game-winning, extra-inning grand slam in Kansas City and swatted a game-tying single in the Royals series finale.
The only team in the AL East that’s been more disappointing than the Orioles this year is tonight’s opponent, the Red Sox. Boston comes into tonight’s contest with the Major’s 26th-ranked offense to go along with a middle-of-the-pack rotation. Right-hander Brayan Bello has struggled to begin the season, failing to make it through 5 innings in three of his four starts, while struggling with walks and home runs. Bello does have a 3.13 ERA and .181 BAA in four career starts at Camden Yards, but the O’s will hope they can pile on his early-season struggles.
Opposing Bello is Baltimore’s recently recalled right-hander, Brandon Young. The 27-year-old Texan was sharp in his only previous start this season, tossing five scoreless innings while only allowing two hits against the White Sox. It will be Young’s first career start vs. Boston, with the righty holding a 8.72 career ERA in seven starts at Camden Yards. Also returning to the Orioles’ active roster tonight is former Red Sox Tyler O’Neill and set-up man Andrew Kittredge.
Sep 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A general view of the stadium before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
I’m already exhausted with this team. Can we survive this night?
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:05pm ET —Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates the win after the baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a big night for the Braves partnerships team tonight… Apple TV has the broadcast, and Star Wars Night at the ballpark. I wish I could muster even a little bit of a reference for you, dear readers of Battery Power, but this is one of my cultural blind spots. And at this point, I’m committed to never remedying that.
Here’s what they’re giving away. I can only assume the Star Wars licensing rep asked “do you have anyone who is Pedro Pascal-adjacent and/or hot?” and the answer was… Matt Olson.
This isn’t a unique promo item, though. The Yankees are giving away the exact same thing, except it’s Max Fried under the removable helmet.
Grant Holmes kicks off the homestand for the Braves as they face off against the Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 pm ET and will be on Apple TV.
Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) celebrates a walk-off home run against Milwaukee Brewers during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 23, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (14-12) vs. Cincinnati Reds (16-9)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Great American Ball Park SB Nation Site: Red Reporter Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.30 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Abbott (0-2, 5.84 ERA)
Virat Kohli punished Gujarat Titans for dropping him on nought with a blistering half-century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru breezed to a five-wicket victory in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
In the first two games against the Cavaliers, it was evident how much the Toronto Raptors missed Immanuel Quickley (it didn't matter as much in the third game when Toronto couldn't miss a shot down the stretch). The good news was that Quickley was ramping up to return from a right hamstring injury.
Which makes Friday's news that Quickley is out for the remainder of Toronto's first-round series against Cleveland such a gut punch. From the Raptors official release:
As Quickley was going through the rehabilitation process for a return to the court, he reinjured his right hamstring.
Quickley averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists a game this season.
Toronto has struggled to generate consistent offense against Cleveland in this series, and Quickley would have been an immense help. Without him, the Raptors are going to need more games from Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett like they had in Game 3, when they each scored 33 points. If Jamison Battle wants to have another 4-of-4 from deep in the fourth quarter game again, that would help too. Also, expect to see more of rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who scored 22 points and, more importantly, played great defense along with Barnes to give the Raptors a chance in Game 3.
Wherever it comes from, Toronto is going to have to generate more offense with the guys they have because Quickley is not walking through that door.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 12: Parks Harber #89 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the Spring Training game against the Chicago White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thursday was another busy day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. And before long, it will get busier, as we’re not all that far away from the start of the ACL and DSL seasons. Until then, it’s just A-ball, but there’s plenty of action, so let’s dive into it all.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Some fantastic news over on the East Coast: AA Richmond has activated third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) off the Injured List! Harber injured his hamstring during a nice Spring Training showing, and has been rehabbing in extended, but is ready to go. Rather than having him do some rehab assignments in A-ball, the Giants are throwing him straight into the AA fire. He’ll make his AA debut today, as he’s in the Squirrels’ lineup.
To make space on the roster for Harber, LHP Dylan Carmouche was placed on the Development List.
The Giants also announced an international signing, 19-year old RHP Frank Quiroz out of the Dominican Republic.
AAA Sacramento (12-9)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies) 12-10 Box score
After getting shut out the day before, the River Cats emphatically did not get shut out on Thursday. That said, if prospects are your thing — and presumably they are if you willingly clicked on this article and signed up for a few thousand words about Giants prospects — then it was a pretty bad game. The pitching was awful and the offense, while successful, was propped up almost entirely by the players on the roster that are more accurately described as emergency depth than exciting prospects. We love when those players have good days, to be clear … we just also like it when the hot prospects do, too.
But Thursday was about the depth, and the biggest piece of that was second baseman Osleivis Basabe, who had himself a day. The 25-year old righty and cousin of Luis Matos is known for his glove, not his bat, but you wouldn’t know it based on this game, as he hit 2-4 with a grand slam and a double, while knocking in 6 of the team’s 12 runs, and also striking out twice.
This was Basabe’s 1st game of the year at a position other than shortstop, though he split time fairly evenly between second, third, and short a year ago. With Tyler Fitzgerald out of the organization (unfortunate update on Fitz, for his fans: he’s hitting 3-20 with 14 strikeouts for Toronto’s AAA affiliate), the Giants have no infielders on the 40-man roster that aren’t also on the active roster. Basabe is a strong defensively across the infield, though, so the Giants would surely be comfortable calling on him to fill the Christian Koss role should injuries ever mandate it. And while he does a good job limiting strikeouts, and will pop for a game like Thursday’s every once in a while, his value does come from his glove: he has just a .640 OPS and 69 wRC+ on the season.
Third baseman Buddy Kennedy doesn’t have as good — or as versatile — of a glove as Basabe, but he does have a better bat, and he also showed it off on Thursday, hitting 3-4 with a triple and a walk. The 27-year old Minor League free agent, who has played in 67 MLB games over 4 seasons, has been spectacular in Sacramento this year, with a .904 OPS and a 146 wRC+, while striking out just 17.1% of the time. It’s hard to envision how Kennedy could get on the Major League roster — it might require an injury to Matt Chapman or Luis Arráez, with Casey Schmitt filling in for them — but he’s another player who, should injuries and emergencies mandate it, the Giants would be quite comfortable temporarily plugging a leak on the roster.
Shortstop Thomas Gavello, Sacramento’s do-everything utility prospect, hit 2-3 with a double and a walk, while center fielder Turner Hill, playing in his 4th game since getting called up to fill the outfield hole left by the promotions of Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan, went 3-4 with a stolen base. Neither player is a capital P Prospect, but they both do a lot of good things, are beloved by their coaches and teammates for a reason, and could get cups of coffee some day. Great players to have on any Minor League roster.
So those are the less heralded names in the lineup. The more heralded ones did far less interesting things: first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) hit 1-5 with a strikeout hat trick, lowering his OPS to .835 and his wRC+ to 126; catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) had a 1-5 as well (though without the strikeouts), which dropped his OPS to .845 and his wRC+ to 125; left fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) hit 1-4 with a hit by pitch, but did knock in 3 runs, and now has a .773 OPS and a 106 wRC+; designated hitter Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) went 1-4 with a strikeout, dropping his OPS to a still-great .921 and his wRC+ to 157; and right fielder Grant McCray hit 1-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and an error, moving his OPS to .620 and his wRC+ to 86.
Eldridge in particularly is mired in a bit of a slump at the moment: while he’s having some loud outs, in his last 4 games the lefty has hit just 1-17 with 0 walks and 8 strikeouts.
On the mound, RHP Carson Seymour was unable to run with an opportunity. LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) had another tough game on Wednesday, and has really kept the door open for Seymour to become the top depth option should San Francisco need a 6th starter at some point (and they will). But, while Seymour has had a solid season this year, his Thursday was a disaster.
He couldn’t find the strike zone, as he threw just 29 of 54 pitches for strikes, and also couldn’t find the third inning, as he was knocked out of the game after just 1.2 frames. Seymour issued 2 walks and a hit batter during that time, while allowing 4 hits — including a home run to former Major Leaguer Adael Amador. In all, he had 6 earned runs placed on his ledger, and all of them came while he was on the mound rather than the bullpen allowing inherited runners to score.
After 3 straight scoreless outings to open the year, Seymour has really regressed in his last 2 games, and it’s brought his ERA all the way up to 4.15, with a 4.95 FIP. He’s done some good things this year, but the lack of strikeouts is highly concerning: he has just 14 through 17.1 innings.
The bullpen wasn’t all that much better. RHP Spencer Bivens gave up 3 hits, including a home run and a double in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout and 3 earned runs. He has a 4.38 ERA and a 6.78 FIP and, unfortunately, has not been able to make the Giants regret leaving him off the Opening Day roster. RHP Gregory Santos gave up 2 hits and a run in 2 innings, while striking out 2, but still has just a 1.74 ERA, but a 3.76 FIP. He’s only walked 3 batters in 10.1 innings this year but, despite throwing triple-digit heat, only has 5 strikeouts.
RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) pitched for the 1st time in over a week, and while he didn’t allow any runs, he gave up a hit and 3 walks in just 1.1 innings, with 2 strikeouts. RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) retired the only batter he faced as he continues his rehab. RHP Wilkin Ramos tossed 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 strikeout, lowering his ERA to 2.77 but with a 4.63 FIP.
The magical season continues for the Flying Squirrels, and the magical season continues for center fielder Jonah Cox. With Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) sidelined for a few games, Cox is getting to remind us all of his center field chops, and while his great defense in the middle of the grass isn’t surprising, what he’s doing in the batter’s box is.
Cox had yet another brilliant day with the bat, hitting 2-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base. A 6th-round pick in 2023 whom the Giants grabbed from the A’s in the Ross Stripling trade (thanks, Oakramentegas), Cox has all the makings of someone who could fill the Jared Oliva role in the Majors one day. The 24-year old plays really strong defense at all 3 outfield spots, and he’s probably the best non-Oliva basestealer in the organization (though both Trevor Cohen and Josuar González would like to state their case before that award is doled out).
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 23, 2026
But what happens when a back-of-the-bench, speed-and-defense prospect turns into a good hitter? Hopefully Cox helps us find out, because he is off to an absolute tear to start the season, hitting .420/.508/.640 for an 1.148 OPS and a 201 wRC+. It’s still early in the season but … 15 games isn’t as small of a sample size as he had earlier in the season, to state the obvious!
Those numbers are, frankly, a little shocking for someone who posted a .738 OPS and a 103 wRC+ at a lower level last year, and is making his AA debut this season. It seems that Cox has improved his approach this year, as he’s bettered both his walk and strikeout rates by about 6 percentage points, which is a very significant number. And of course, he’s up to his usual tricks on the bases, as he now has 11 thefts in 13 attempts.
Keep it up, Jonah. The sky’s the limit if you hit like this!
Left fielder Scott Bandura is also trying to keep hitting like this, because he is on a serious roll. The lefty had another brilliant day, hitting 2-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base. It was the 4th consecutive multi-hit game for Bandura, and the 2023 7th-round selection has been on a tear ever since a cold start to open the year. Since April 9, the 24-year old — who was born 2 days before Cox and taken 1 round after him — has hit 21-48 with 10 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts, bringing him up to a .983 OPS and a 155 wRC+. In what has really been a theme for the farm this year, Bandura has done a fantastic job cutting back on strikeouts: he had a 24.1% rate in High-A a year ago, and a 30.6% rate during his AA stint to end the year; this year it’s an ultra-tidy 14.5% mark.
A little bit of an all-or-nothing day for designated hitter Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) who hit 2-4, smacked a double, and stole a base, but also struck out twice and was caught stealing once. Ahuna, who also knocked in 3 runs, has an .820 OPS and a 112 wRC+, but a 32.4% strikeout rate as he seeks to figure out AA after just 11 games in High-A.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 23, 2026
On the mound, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) had probably the best start of his season. Whitman hasn’t been living in the zone enough this year, and that was again the case in this game, as he only threw 43 of 74 pitches for strikes, while walking 3 batters in 5.1 innings. But he also only gave up 3 hits (2 singles and a double), while striking out 6 batters.
Earned runs have a way of impacting our perception of a pitching performance, of course. Whitman held the Patriots scoreless, with just 4 baserunners allowed, for 5 innings, but walked a pair of batters in the 6th. He departed and was replaced by LHP Dylan Carmouche, who allowed both inherited runners to score, tattooing a pair of earned runs on Whitman’s line, and moving his ERA to 5.68 (though his FIP is a much-nicer 3.62, but that seems to be a trend with him). Not that Carmouche is to blame for letting inherited runners score, but it’s certainly a reminder of why ERA can be a tricky number. With all else in the stat line being equal, people would look at a 5.1-inning, 0-run start much differently than a 5.1-inning, 2-run start, even though what Whitman did was the same regardless.
Either way, it was an encouraging start for Whitman, whose ERA and FIP are nearly identical to his 1st pass through the level last year, but his strikeouts and walks have greatly improved (the former moving from 9.5 per 9 to 11.8, and the latter dropping from 3.6 per 9 to 2.8).
We haven’t mentioned RHP Shade Rademacher much this year, but he had a really nice game, with 2 scoreless frames in which he allowed just 1 hit and 0 walks, while striking out 2. The 25-year old UDFA is doing the exact same thing that he did last year during his strong season with High-A, before struggling after a late-season promotion: he’s not striking anyone out (5.8 per 9), he’s not getting ground balls (19.4% rate), and his FIP is awful (5.17) and yet …. somehow he keeps runs from scoring (2.89 ERA). Go figure.
High-A Eugene (14-4)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks) 3-1 Box score
Thursday was all about being effectively wild for the Emeralds. They held the Hops to just 1 run, despite walking 7 batters and hitting 2 more. That’s what happens when you strike out 12, only allow 5 hits, and don’t give up any extra-base knocks.
RHP Niko Mazza had his best start of the season, as the 2024 8th-round pick took down 5 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit and striking out 6 batters. What a performance! Mazza did walk a trio of hitters, and he threw just 42 of his 74 pitches for strikes, but still. That’s a really nice game.
In his debut season last year, Mazza had a really nice ERA (2.22) but a rough FIP (4.36), the result of not having many strikeouts (8.7 per 9) and walking a lot of hitters (5.0 per 9). This year he’s turned up the strikeouts to 13.2 per 9 (awesome!) while also turning up the walks to 7.5 per 9 (terrifying!). But, once again, he’s proving incredibly difficult for Minor League batters to hit. Last year, Mazza ceded just 68 hits in 93.1 innings, and this year, the Southern Mississippi product has allowed only 9 hits in 14.1 innings. He’s also adjusting to the level quickly: in his 1st 2 starts, Mazza gave up 7 hits, 7 walks, and 7 runs in 5.1 innings; in 2 starts since, he’s allowed just 2 hits, 5 walks, and 0 runs in 9 innings.
RHP Austin Strickland was also effectively wild, with 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 hit batters, and 3 strikeouts in 2 shutout innings. RHP Ryan Vanderhei was a touch more traditional, throwing 8 of 13 pitches for strikes in a scoreless inning, though he walked 1 and had a pair of strikeouts. It’s been a nice season for the 2023 10th-round pick, who is walking too many batters but otherwise pitching very well.
There were no standout days on offense, but the trio of highest-profile hitters in Eugene’s lineup all had nice days while sitting at the top of the lineup: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) and shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) both hit 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout, while center fielder Dakota Jordan went 2-4 with a double, but struck out twice. Cohen (.719 OPS, 109 wRC+) has had an up-and-down season; Kilen (.755 OPS, 105 wRC+) started as the hottest player in the system but has been slumping for a while; and Jordan (.948 OPS, 155 wRC+) is putting up gaudy numbers, but still swinging and missing about twice as much as the Giants would like.
Low-A San Jose (14-4)
San Jose Giants beat the Ontario Tower Buzzers (Dodgers) 9-6 Box score
It’s now a 4-game winning streak for the Baby Giants, who broke a tie with a 3-run 8th inning.
As for where those 3 runs in the 8th inning came from? Well, the world belongs to center fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) and we just live in it. Yes, Maldonado did it again, blasting a 3-run bomb in the 8th inning to lift San Jose to victory. That alone makes for a great day, but it was far from all he did, as he reached base 4 times, hitting 2-3 with 2 walks, while also stealing his 8th base of the season (which is 3rd in the organization, and more than all of the San Francisco players combined this year).
CAM MALDONADO IS UNBELIEVABLE. His seventh homerun in his last seven games is a go-ahead, 8th inning moonshot. pic.twitter.com/LrR9MKqZpj
Maldonado, a righty-swinging 22-year old taken in the 7th round last year, is on the tear of all tears. He spent his post-draft time and the start of this year adjusting to life in Low-A, and has now taken flight. Just look at these numbers:
My goodness! What is going on?! Whatever it is, please don’t let it stop, because this is a delight.
Catcher Junior Barajas had yet another stellar game, hitting 2-2 with a double and drawing 3 walks. The 21-year old lefty, takin in the 11th round in July, has been an on-base machine, hitting .302 with an 11.3% walk rate (and just a 17.7% strikeout rate!). Thanks to a bunch of extra-base hits, the JUCO product has a 1.064 OPS and a 157 wRC+, despite a very modest .316 BABIP.
A few weeks into the debut season at Low-A is far too early to take any victory laps, but so far the Giants later rounds in the 2025 draft sure are looking nice.
We haven’t talked about third baseman Dario Reynoso much this year, but so far he’s been doing what he did last year: hitting well enough to excite you, but striking out enough to scare you. Thursday was another case of that, as he hit 2-3 with a double and 2 walks, while also striking out. The recently-turned 21-year old righty has an .827 OPS and a 131 wRC+ on the year, but is striking out 35.7% of the time … that’s right in line with last year, when he had a .999 OPS and a 158 wRC+ in the ACL, but a 31.7% strikeout rate.
Usually when that happens, it’s because someone is swinging for the fences, but Reynoso is the rare player who has both a batting average and a strikeout rate that begin with a “3.” You don’t see that every day! But while the average (and walk rate, which was 17.6% last year and 19.6% this year) are great, Reynoso’s lack of power is a red flag when combined with his strikeouts. You can have one or the other, but not both. He’s not the biggest guy, and that’s showed in Low-A: after having 10 home runs and 12 doubles in 227 plate appearances in the Complex League last year, Reynoso has 0 home runs and 6 doubles in 113 Low-A plate appearances between the end of last year and the start of this one.
Nice games for second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), designated hitter Jeremiah Jenkins, and left fielder Damian Bravo. Meola, a 2025 4th-round pick, hit 2-4 with a walk and 2 stolen bases, while striking out twice and committing an error, boosting his OPS to .634 and his wRC+ to 67; Jenkins, a 14th-round pick in 2024, hit 3-5 with 2 strikeouts, and now has a 1.098 OPS and a 174 wRC+; and Bravo, last year’s 15th-round selection, went 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a sacrifice fly, putting his OPS at .821 and his wRC+ at 96.
In very exciting news, RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) put together another awesome start. While the Giants top hitting prospects are off to strong starts to the year, things have been a little bit slower on the pitching front. LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL), RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL), and LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) have had wobbly starts to the year, while LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) has yet to make his season debut.
But Cayama is flowing, and on Thursday handled the Tower Buzzers with ease, needing just 72 pitches to cruise through 5 innings. Cayama did give up 6 hits, which included a solo home run (the only run he allowed), but only walked 1 batter and he struck out 6. The 19-year old from Venezuela looks significantly more physically developed this year than last, and that’s probably a large part of why he’s pitching well in the Cal League after getting rocked there in a few outings after the 2025 ACL season ended.
Cayama got knocked around in his 1st outing of the year, but since then? He’s made 3 starts, pitched 14 innings, and allowed just 12 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, while striking out 18 batters. That’s the guy we were all so excited to see!!
Things quickly went off the rails, though, as RHP Fernando Vasquez took the mound for the 6th and had one of the more bizarre outings you’ll see. The 24-year old faced 7 batters and none of them put the ball in play, as he struck out 2 and walked 5. RHP Garrett Langrell, a 16th-round pick in July, had a great game, giving up just 1 baserunner in 2.1 innings, with 4 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the baserunner he allowed was a bases-loaded double after inheriting Vasquez’s mess, so Vasquez was tagged with 5 earned runs on the day. Langrell, on the other hand, is down to a 2.08 ERA and a 3.09 FIP on the season, and has a delightful 12 strikeouts against just 1 walk in 8.2 innings.
Patrick Forbes #31 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Introduction
Over the last few weeks, we’ve gone over the D-Backs top prospects, focusing exclusively on the hitters in the farm system. This week we turn our focus to the pitchers in the Arizona farm system, beginning with a few honorable mentions that didn’t make it into the top 15 for whatever reason.
Pitching Development Isn’t an Organizational Strength
The D-backs have had a decent amount of success as far as developing position players goes, but when it comes to developing starting pitching, they have had very few successes in the team’s 30 years. If you’re excluding pitchers who didn’t begin their professional career, or those that broke out only after being traded away, there are even fewer. As much as it pains me to say, the D-Backs are one of the worst teams at developing pitching, and there really aren’t many pitchers in the system that look elite starting pitchers, at least as far as I can tell.
Ranking the Diamondbacks pitching prospects feels like a futile endeavor that borders on masochism, especially since there’s essentially no consensus in ranking. In addition to looking at the rankings of various publications, I reached out to some of my fellow SnakePit writers and alumni who know prospects, and there were very few rankings in common, though there are definitely some pitchers more highly regarded than others. As far as my process for rankings goes, if I am presented with two players that are similar in terms of tools and stuff, I’m going to favor the player who is actually having success over the player who only has the potential for success. Starting pitchers will always be ranked more favorably than relief pitchers, especially single inning relief pitchers. The level of confidence in a prospect’s ability to stick as a starting pitcher is one major source of the discrepancy between rankings, so if you’re wondering why I might favor a pitcher more than someone else does, that’s probably why.
The Players Who Could Have Made The Cut
You’ll find Patrick Forbes on nearly every major publication’s top prospect list for the Diamondbacks, but you won’t find him with a ranking on mine. I have a hard time ranking a pitcher who has yet to make his professional debut nine months after being drafted and signed. Forbes is pretty consistently ranked near the top of the D-backs pitching prospects and there are some solid reasons for doing so. He was a high draft pick, the Dbacks selecting Forbes with the 29th overall pick, receoved as compensation for losing Christian Walker to free agent. If you’re taken that high in the draft, you’ve already shown the potential for success as professional. Forbes definitely had that potential at the University of Louisville, where he touched 100mph with his fastball while utilizing a funky 3/4 deliver. He only started pitching in college, so a slower than usual development timeline is probably to be expected. Forbes’s pro debut has been delayed even further thanks to a flexor injury in early April, which will likely keep him out of games until late May at the earliest.
Dean Livingston, who was taken with the 123rd overall pick of the 2025 draft, is another pitcher who’s a ranked prospect, yet hasn’t made his pro debut yet. Unlike Forbes, he isn’t a college pitcher, instead a high schooler who didn’t crack his team’s starting rotation until his senior year. Putting Livingston in the top ten of the D-backs pitching prospects isn’t that crazy, considering he’s a 6’4 projectable RHP with quick, intriguing arm action, who hit 97.5 MPH at the 2025 draft combine. In terms of pitch selection, Livingston has an already above average two-seam and four seam fastball, along with a low 80s slider that is coming along, and a high 70s curve that needs work. The potential is there, and I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him rocket up the prospects rankings.
Yilber Diaz is a player you’ll find on a lot of top prospect lists as well, but he’s left off of my list for a few reasons. Yes, his triple digit velocity and overall stuff is very impressive, giving him some of the highest ceilings of any pitcher in the system, but the inability to consistently command his pitches and lack of control has kept from having success in MLB. This is a player who made his pro debut two seasons ago, yet still has his rookie status intact. Currently assigned to Reno, he’s off to a fantastic start in his first 11 ⅔ innings pitched in 2026; Just one earned run allowed on four hits, four walks, and a hit by pitch, with eighteen strikeouts. His 0.77 ERA isn’t too far off from his 2.04 FIP and 2.62 xFIP, though that is a super small sample size and things can change very quickly once the weather warms up in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League.
Christian Mena made his Major League debut in 2024 for approximately one start before being waylaid with a right forearm strain for the rest of the season. Last year, Mena was again affected by an injury, this time a right shoulder strain that limited him to just nine starts in Triple-A (44 2/3 innings) and three relief appearances in the bigs. He didn’t pitch in a game after June 6. over the offseason, fellow Snakepit author Makakilo did an excellent writeup on Mena’s 2025 season that I’d recommend reading. Mena is still very young, just 23, younger than some of the pitchers who I will rank. If he was healthy currently, I’d consider ranking him near the top of the pitching prospects in the system, however, Mena hasn’t appeared in a game at all in 2026 and there’s no word of when he’ll begin his season.
Brian Curley is another from the 2025 draft that I refuse to put in my rankings yet, but unlike the aforementioned Forbes and Livingston, he has actually made his pro debut and pitched this season. A third round pick out of the University of Georgia, Curley began his season as the closer but was the Bulldog’s staff ace by the end of his season. Fellow SnakePit author Preston Salisbury has Curley as his number one pitcher in the system, when I had forgotten about him completely since the draft.
Next week we’ll look at our traditional fringey dark horse honorable mentions and begin ranking the rest of their pitching prospects.
