Category: Sports News

Toledo Mud Hens 1, St. Paul Saints 0 (box)

The Mud Hens welcomed back their home crowd with a well pitched game and just enough offense to everyone home quickly and out of the cold with a victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start and the lefty set down the Saints in order in the first with help from Max Clark on a sinking drive that he had to go to the ground to snare as it fell in front of him.

The Hens quickly got to work in the bottom half. Wenceel Pérez lined out to center, but Clark kept his on-base streak intact with a sharp single to right field. He then stole second base. Trei Cruz struck out, but Eduardo Valencia walked to keep the inning alive, and Hao-Yu Lee, in his first game back with the Hens after a Lakeland rehab assignment, lined a single to left to make it 1-0 Hens.

Clark hasn’t really scorched many balls so far, but he has hit a pair over 110 mph, his hardest hit on record, and his at-bats have uniformly been great. When we start seeing hard contact to the pull side, Clark will be within striking distance of his first major league cup of coffee. It’s early, but he definitely looks like he’ll be forcing the issue by June at this rate.

That was all they’d need. Lockhart only struck out one, but he managed to retire the first 14 hitters he faced in order. The Hens’ defense was sharp, while the Saints batted ball luck was tough. With two outs in the fifth, Lockhart walked old friend Ryan Kreidler for the Saints first baserunner. He was quickly erased by a ground out, and the Saints wouldn’t have many more. Lockhart spun five innings of no-hit ball with just a walk and a strikeout allowed. As you’d imagine, the pace of play was brisk.

Of course the Hens offense wasn’t doing much either. Corey Julks doubled in the fourth but was stranded. Clark beat out an infield single in the fifth with two outs, but that went nowhere either.

Burch Smith tossed a perfect sixth with two strikeouts. Konnor Pilkington took over, and the lefty walked a pair but collected four more outs without a hit allowed.

In the bottom of the seventh, Ben Malgeri tripled to right field with one out after a lengthy battle and a failed dive by the Saints right fielder. He tried to score on a Pérez groundout, but was cut down at the plate. Clark flew out to end the inning.

Pilkington got the first out of the eighth, but then issued his two walks, and right-hander Ricky Vanasco took over. Vanasco and Smith have been the best of the Hens relief corps early on, and he cleaned up the mess, whiffing Alex Jackson and Aaron Sabato both on power curveballs to escape the jam.

Vanasco allowed a walk and a single in the top of the ninth. The first hit of the game for St. Paul was a blooper into shallow right field. Second baseman Gage Workman made a great effort to get out there but couldn’t make the basket catch. Two outs from a combined no-hitter. Vanasco scorned the Saints meager success, and punched out his fourth and fifth hitters on the outing to decisvely earn his first save on the year. The Saints managed just one hit, although the Hens had just six of their own.

Clark: 2-4, R, BB

Valencia: 0-1, 3 BB

Lee: 1-3, RBI, K

Lockhart: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, K

Vanasco (S, 1): 1.2 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start at Fifth Third on Wednesday.

Chesapeake BaySox 4, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box)

Mistakes plagued the SeaWolves in an otherwise tight game on Tuesday as they dropped the first of their six-game road series against the BaySox.

It was a bullpen day for Erie, and Tanner Kohlhepp and John Stankiewicz got them through four innings without issue. They wasted an opportunity when Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch to start a game, and he went on to steal second and third while his teammates popped up or struck out.

John Peck finally got things going with a one-out double in the fourth. An Andrew Jenkins single made it a 1-0 game.

Yosber Sanchez took over in the fifth. He issued a leadoff walk and then an Andrew Jenkins throwing error on a grounder made it first and second no outs. Another walk from Sanchez loaded the bases, and an RBI single and then a wild pitch followed before he got out of the inning with the BaySox up 2-1.

Stephenson led off the sixth with a walk, and Brett Callahan singled, but Peck, Izaac Pacheco, and Jenkins all struck out against tough lefty Micah Ashman, who you’ll recall was traded for Charlie Morton last summer.

Sanchez walked the first batter he faced in the sixth and gave way to right-hander Moises Rodriguez, who walked his first batter. The hard throwing sinkerballer avoided the big hit, but a pair of deep sacrifice flies made it a 4-1 game.

Chris Meyers led off the seventh with a double, but again they went in order from there.

Wandisson Charles pitched the eighth, giving up a walk but otherwise having no trouble.

In the top of the ninth, Pacheco led off with a single, and Meyers walked with one out. Justice Bigbie struck out, and a sharp single to left from Peyton Graham didn’t allow Pacheco to score. Bennett Lee struck out to end it.

Peck: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K

Jenkins: 1-4, RBI, 3K

Kohlhepp: 2.0 IP, 0 R, BB, K

Sanchez (L, 0-1, BS): 1.0 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, H, 3 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

Great Lakes Loons 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)

Lefty Gabriel Reyes made his High-A debut and was quite wild, walking five hitters in just 2 2/3 innings. Those walks and some sloppy play put the Whitecaps in a hole early and then never fought back.

Reyes walked Mike Sirota to open the game. Sirota stole second and scored on a Charles Davalan single for a quick 1-0 lead. Reyes issued another walk in the inning but got out of further trouble. The Whitecaps loaded the bases with one out as a result of three straight walks, but Ricardo Hurtado grounded into a double play to waste the opportunity.

Reyes just could not get it together. He walked two more in the second and escaped, then walked the leadoff hitter in the third, and did not escape. A Cristian Santana error at second allowed the next hitter to reach, and then Reyes plunked Nico Perez. A sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Perez stole second and Hurtado threw it away as the runner on third scored. Perez showed Hurtado zero respect, stealing third as well, but it was unnecessary as Victor Rodrigues mashed a two-run shot for a 5-0 lead. Duque Hebbert took over and cleaned up the mess.

Meanwhile, the Whitecaps bats were stone cold. Logan Berrier relieved Hebbert in the fifth and promptly surrendered a run on a Rodrigues RBI single. 6-0. Loons.

In the bottom half, Stephen Hrustich led off with a walk. With one out, Samuel Gil singled Hrustich to third, and he scored on a wild pitch to get the Whitecaps on the board. 6-1.

Berrier was fine in the sixth, and in the seventh, Carlos Lequerica took over and punched out the side. However, in the eighth, a leadoff double and a pair of ground outs made it a 7-1 game, and that was about all there was.

Inohan Paniagua made his Whitecaps debut in the top of the ninth, striking out two. Roberto Campos singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Garrett Pennington walked. The Loons went back to their pen and a Hurtado ground out advanced the baserunners. A wild pitch from Joseilyn Gonzalez scored Campos. A Samuel Gil single made it 7-3, but Santana flew out to end it.

Gil: 2-4, RBI, K

Campos: 1-3, R, BB

Reyes (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 12:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday at LMCU Park.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Daytona Tortugas 5 (box)

The Flying Tigers built a lead, lost it, got ahead again, and then just held off the Tortugas to maintain a perfect 4-0 record in their home 2026 debut.

LHP Bailey Horn made a short rehab outing to start this one off. He got the first two outs before giving up a single. Pedro Garcia took over and started with a balk and a wide pitch before a grounder tied up Carson Rucker and scored the run. Garcia shut things down from there but it was 1-0 Daytona.

The Flying Tigers struck out in order against Sheng-En Lin in the first, while Tyler Owens came on for a rehab inning in the second, which he handled without much issue.

In the bottom of the second, Lin walked four hitters, handing the Flying Tigers a 2-1 lead.

At that point, LHP Grayson Grinsell, the Tigers’ 2025 sixth rounder out of Oregon, entered the game to make his debut. He spun a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Jack Goodman stayed hot for Lakeland with a ground rule double down the right field line, but that went nowhere.

Grinsell dug a little hole to open the fourth, but Mason Neville lined into a double play and Grinsell whiffed Drew Davies to escape unscathed.

Zach MacDonald has been a minor revelation early on for the Flygers, and he opened the fourth with a double to right. Sergio Tapia moved him to third with a groundout, and a wild pitch from the Tortugas’ Dominic Scheffler Nolan McCarthy brought the run in while walked Nolan McCarthy. 3-1 Lakeland.

Grinsell struck out the side in the fifth, showing off good sliders and changeups to go with a solid 92 mph fourseamer. However, he got into trouble in the sixth, giving up up two runs as Grinsell and Tapia struggled to control the Tortugas running game. The score was knotted 3-3, but the Flying Tigers came right back.

Beau Ankeney led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. MacDonald struck out and Tapia grounded out, but McCarthy singled and Jose Pinto walked to load the bases with two outs. Bryce Rainer popped up to the shortstop Rafhimil Torres, but he lost the towering ball and dropped it as all three runners scored for a 6-3 lead. Rainer stole second and then third, but Rucker struck out to end the inning.

Eliseo Mota then conspired to return the favor with a mess of an inning that saw the Tortugas score two until Jorger Petri took over to clean things up. 6-5 Lakeland. Petri was nails, and collected the next six outs with just a walk in the ninth allowed to collect the save.

Goodman: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K

MacDonald: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K

McCarthy, 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB

Grinsell (W, 1-0): 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET start in Lakeland on Wednesday.

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George Springer has a good track record in the batter's box against Shohei Ohtani. I’m expecting the Toronto Blue Jays’ lead-off hitter to continue that trend and help generate offense against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Find out why with my Blue Jays vs Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks for Wednesday, April 8.

Dodgers vs Blue Jays predictions

Dodgers vs Blue Jays best bet: George Springer Over 1.5 total bases (+130)

The Toronto Blue Jays batter with the most success against Shohei Ohtani on the rubber is George Springer, who is 9-for-17 with a career 1.438 OPS in six meetings against the Los Angeles Dodgers starter.

He also has two home runs against Ohtani in that stretch, averaging 2.16 total bases per game.

This shouldn’t come as a major surprise considering Springer's success against the four-seamer, Ohtani’s most-utilized pitch, where he had a .746. xSLG rate last season, with 37 of his XBH coming off the fastball.

COVERS INTEL: Springer has registered 2+ total bases in 7 of 14 games against the Dodgers, with a .954 OPS when facing off with this pitching staff.

Dodgers vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

Ernie Clement is riding a three-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one hit in eight of the 10 games he’s played. I expect that trend to continue tonight against Ohtani, against whom he's gone 2-for-4. 

Teoscar Hernandez has struck out in eight straight outings and struggles mightily against the slider, with a 43% whiff rate and a 35% strikeout rate in 2025. The former Blue Jays slugger has a lowly .200 batting average with nine K’s in just 21 at-bats against Dylan Cease through his career.  

Dodgers vs Blue Jays SGP

• George Springer Over 1.5 total bases
• Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits
• Teoscar Hernandez Over 1.5 batter strikeouts

Dodgers vs Blue Jays home run pick: George Springer (+350)

This is a half-unit bet. 

We’ve seen Springer have his way with Ohtani in the past, sporting a .506 career average with an OPS north of 1.400 with two homers and an .882 slug rate. 

Additionally, the pitching matchup favors Springer, who crushes four-seamers, which is Ohtani’s most-used pitch. 

So, assuming the Dodgers star will zip in a bunch of fastballs to Springer, he can get a hold of one and take it deep over the wall. Springer was also an elite barrel rate hitter in 2025, ranking in the 94th percentile, and enhancing his ability to tap into his home run power.

Dodgers vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -170 | Blue Jays +145
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-105) | Blue Jays +1.5 (-115)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)

Dodgers vs Blue Jays trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have covered the 1st Five Innings (F5) Run Line in 14 of their last 21 games at home (+6.00 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Dodgers vs Blue Jays and game info

Dodgers vs Blue Jays latest injuries

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Here's what happened in Mets Land on Tuesday, in case you missed it...

• Ronny Mauricio lifted his first career walk-off to give the Mets their fourth consecutive win
• Carlos Mendoza said postgame that it was good to see Mauricio deliver in his first opportunity back in the majors
• New York's comeback spirit continues to be fueled by pinch-hitting heroics and a lockdown bullpen
• The bullpen did have one hiccup, though, as Huascar Brazoban was hurt by an ABS challenge for the first time
• Pregame, Mendoza discussed Mauricio's role and how the team is playing is safe with Juan Soto
• MLB Insider Chelsea Janes broke down how the Mets will piece things together with Soto on the IL
• Carlos Beltran says he's grateful to head into the Mets Hall of Fame and have his No. 15 retired
• Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo break down this week in New York baseball on the latest episode of The Mets Pod

The reigning World Series MVP took the mound in Toronto on Tuesday for the first time since that fateful Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounced back after being dealt a loss in his start against the Cleveland Guardians by tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out six against the Blue Jays, giving Jays fans flashbacks of Yamamoto’s brilliance in last year’s Fall Classic. Yamamoto now joins Shohei Ohtani as the only two Dodgers this season to have tossed at least six innings with no more than one run allowed in a start this season, with the former now having tossed three quality starts to open the season.

Although the Blue Jays began to tee off Yamamoto after the fifth inning, he was able to pitch into the seventh inning with his pitch count just shy of century mark, and Dave Roberts credited Yamamoto with the ability to do whatever it takes to win ballgames, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“This guy’s a winner, and he’s shown that he’ll do whatever it takes to win,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. “That’s part of his DNA.”

Links

Will Smith may have his starting catcher job in jeopardy, as Dalton Rushing has been on a tear at the plate over his last two games. Rushing has now reached base safely over his last six plate appearances, and he has crushed three home runs— including his first multi-home run game— since Sunday’s win over the Nationals.

Of course, as long as Will Smith is still a Dodger and playing like an All-Star, then he will continue to be the team’s go-to guy behind the plate despite Rushing’s recent success, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“I plan on playing him this year. I plan on giving Will (Smith) ample rest,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But make no mistake who our starting catcher is.”

After a slow start on this road trip and after being the only starter on Monday without a hit against Toronto, Alex Freeland had an impressive game on Tuesday by going 3-3 with a double, a sacrifice bunt, an RBI and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Freeland spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA post-game about his first career three hit game.

“It felt amazing. I’m just trying to be consistent and just keep putting together good at-bats, and hopefully they fell. They fell tonight and it feels good.”

Good morning, baseball fans!

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants announced that they would be working with ElevenLabs, an AI research and product company, in an upcoming multi-year partnership at Oracle Park.

ElevenLabs will become the presenting sponsor of Oracle Park’s Championship Suite. They will also “deploy AI voice and audio technology throughout the ballpark to elevate the fan experience.”

Thanks, I hate it.

I’m sure there are good or even neutral uses for AI technology, such as accessibility in the form of translation services and audio dubbing, as the announcement mentions in further detail.

But in my experience on an everyday use basis, AI features tend to be forced on the public, filled with data-mining functions to steal as much user information as possible, and lack the ability to turn them off. Meanwhile, those features tend to primarily slow down programs (often ones that users have already paid for) and make it take ten times longer to do the things they were already doing with those programs before. But that’s just my opinion.

Anyway, the announcement goes on to read like a word-soup scramble of corporate buzzwords:

“Through this integration, the organization will elevate fan engagement and optimize operations across several key areas, including real-time, AI-powered fan support for ticketing, merchandise, food ordering, and ballpark FAQs, as well as in-game activations featuring live dubbing and multilingual audio at Oracle Park.”

Sounds to me like a lot of people at Oracle Park are going to lose their jobs whenever this actually goes into effect. But yay optimized operations I guess. Because that’s what the world needs more of right now.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants wrap up this series against the Philadelphia Phillies today at 12:45 p.m. PT.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Braves fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The 2026 season has started out much better than 2025 for the Atlanta Braves. While the season is less than 10 percent complete, one of the best stories of the first couple of weeks of the season has been the overall success of the team’s starting rotation.

Coming into Spring Training, the Braves seemed to be in a solid-enough position with their starting pitching depth and opted not to add a free agent starting pitcher on an MLB deal (Martin Perez was added, but on an MLB contract). Things changed rapidly when Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were placed on the IL and got even more dire when fringe starter Joey Wentz was lost for the season and an oblique strain caused expected number two starter Spencer Strider to hit the IL prior to Opening Day.

Bryce Elder, who was out of options and seemed to be on the cusp of holding on to a big league job in Atlanta coming into Spring Training, found himself starting the season as the team’s fourth starter.

Elder, who was an All-Star in 2023 after a fantastic first half of the season, has been among the worst starting pitchers in the sport since the last-half of 2023. In 2025, he led the Braves in starts and innings pitched, but his overall numbers were subpar, thanks in part to seven starts in which he allowed five earned runs or more, including three starts with eight or more earned runs.

On a positive note, he did end the season by allowing three earned runs or less in six of his final seven starts, offering a glimmer of hope for future success.

Elder spent time with Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux this off-season, gaining tutelage from one of the game’s all-time greats. Elder added a cutter and has worked to hone his control.

In his first two starts in 2026, he pitched 13 innings, struck out 13, and allowed zero earned runs while walking only two batters. It is the ultimate small sample size alert, but his success has stood out.

Are you buying this version of Bryce Elder as a legitimate mid-rotation starting pitcher? Or will it take another 10 starts for you to buy in on him solidifying his role on the Braves’ starting pitching staff?

Old habits die hard.

A major issue for the Colorado Rockies during their seven-season losing streak has been the offense. In particular, especially over the last three seasons, poor plate discipline has hindered the team that has been largely defined by an overabundance of strikeouts. In 2025, the team ranked second in baseball with 1,531 strikeouts, with the highest swing rate and the lowest contact rate among several other unfortunate categories.

While a primary point of focus was rightfully placed on the pitching side of things for the club, new hitting coach Brett Pill has a lot of work cut out for him in helping improve one of the league’s worst offenses. It will take some time before he can get a cohesive hitting philosophy permeating the roster, but the early trends of 2026 certainly make things more difficult.

Entering Tuesday, the Rockies lead all of Major League Baseball in swing rate at 52%. This shouldn’t be surprising since the Rockies feature a roster of aggressive hitters. There is nothing inherently wrong with being aggressive at the plate, but there is a difference between that and being undisciplined with the bat.

Alongside that swing rate comes one of the lowest contact rates in baseball. Boasting the third-lowest rate in baseball at 69.9%, the Rockies are in the odd company of swinging more than anyone else, but still having little to nothing to show for it.

Why is that?

A quick look at the average number of pitches per plate appearance shows that the Rockies’ offense is seeing the fewest pitches of any team. Averaging 3.65 P/PA, the Rockies rank just below the Tampa Bay Rays at 3.75 P/PA, a team that is around league average in swing rate (45.1%) while sporting the highest contact rate (80.4%). The lack of pitches seen makes the Rockies’ National League-worst strikeout rate of 29.5% and baseball-worst 6.0% walk rate a lot clearer.

The aggressiveness of the Rockies’ offense is a result of how opposing pitchers are taking advantage. Colorado is 45.3% of pitches within the strike zone. It’s not too distant from the leaders of the league at 48.9%, but that 4% difference has become more damning considering the Rockies have an 82.6% contact rate, one of the lowest in baseball, compared to their league-high 68.8% swing rate in the zone.

Swinging so often and coming up empty has inspired pitchers to continue inching out of the zone to cause the Rockies to chase. Their 40.1% swing rate at pitches considered to be in the “chase zone” leads all of baseball, while their contact on such pitches (38.1%) ranks 27th. A 37% overall chase rate is the highest mark in baseball this early into the season.

The Rockies are seeing a higher percentage of strikes than any other team at 66.8%. Their 24.4% swinging strike rate is the highest in the NL and third-highest in MLB. The uber-aggressiveness and whiffs by this team are what have stifled the offense through their first couple of series.

There is some evidence of method to the madness, despite the lack of overall success. The Rockies are hunting the first pitch in an at-bat. The team has swung at the first pitch 39.5% of the time, just behind the Athletics (40.9%). They also rank second, just behind the A’s, with a .412/.423/.725 slashline. The first pitch is typically the best one to try and hit, and the Rockies are finding success when they do make contact on the first one, showing that aggressiveness can be effective.

However, that’s where the lack of plate discipline comes into play. Should they fail to make contact, the Rockies get themselves into trouble due to an NL-high 39% first pitch strike rate. They drop down to a .250 AVG in 0-1 counts, and a .148 AVG in two strike counts. They have drawn just eight walks with two strikes, the lowest in baseball.

There is still plenty of season to be played, and it’ll be worthwhile to look back on these types of things come May, as Pill and Jordan Pacheco have had time to implement more things with the hitters. The hope is that the new philosophy and coaching, along with some of the new players on the team, can foster an environment that encourages good contact and attacking pitchers. We’ve already seen the offensive outbursts that can happen when the team is patient, making good contact, and taking good swings in the zone, and it’s something that can thrive both at home and away.

It’s certainly worrisome at the moment, but the Rockies could have the chance to learn how to make aggressiveness an advantage and not a folly in 2026.

On the Farm

Triple-A:Albuquerque Isotopes 8, El Paso Chihuahuas 4

The Albuquerque offense did its damage through the first four innings, scoring all eight of its runs and ending up with 13 hits on the night. Blaine Crim and Ryan Ritter each hit home runs, with the latter contributing three hits in the game. Sterlin Thompson had a triple while Nicky Lopez and Zac Veen each had a double. Veen also ended up with two hits. Sean Sullivan started the hill and made it through four innings, giving up just one run on one hit while striking out three. He battled his command, however, issuing four walks. The bullpen combined to allow just three runs, two of which came against Welinton Herrera, and notched five strikeouts.

Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 3, Reading Fightin’ Phils 1

Eiberson Castellano continued a string of good pitching for the Yard Goats as he allowed just one run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings of work. The lone run he surrendered came on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The bullpen then allowed just two hits over the final three innings, with Alberto Pacheco going two innings and Victor Juarez nailing down his second save of the year. They got all the offense they would need with two runs in the third inning. Braylen Wimmer had a two-hit night with an RBI, which came in the third. Bryant Betancourt also had a solo home run in the top of the ninth for an insurance run.

High-A: Spokane Indians 7, Hillsboro Hops 3

Everett Catlet cruised through five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts, en route to taking the victory for the Indians. Fisher Jameson followed with three shutout innings before Tyler Hampu closed out the game, although he gave up a run. Offensively, Robert Calaz went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Tevin Tucker also drove in a pair of runs. The offense had eight hits and drew seven walks against seven strikeouts.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 8, Stockton Ports 5

The Grizzlies got a good start from their pitcher in their home opener. Angel Jimenez went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. The bullpen struggled with command but managed to secure the victory despite a little bit of trouble for Derrick Smith in the ninth. The offense kicked off with a five-run bottom of the second, and later a three-run seventh inning. Ethan Holliday ended up with two hits while Derek Bernard drove in a pair as part of his two-hit night and Zach Rogaki also had three RBI.

From Bootleggers to a ‘downtown divorce party’ — 9 great upcoming Minor League promos | MLB.com

The beauty of the minors is that promotionals can deviate from the norms of big league ball quite a bit. The Yard Goats are getting in on the action with a “downtown Hartford divorce party” meant to involve a mixer for single people to look for a connection.

Chase Dollander credits early maturation as Rockies reliever to ‘conviction’ with pitches | The Gazette ($)

Chase Dollander has looked solid out of the Rockies’ bullpen to start the season, and part of that is having more confidence and purpose behind his pitches. Kevin Henry caught up with Dollander to talk about his growth thus far.

Affected by Altitude Episode 205: Locked On and the Offense is Gone? (feat. Paul Holden)| Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I are joined by Paul Holden of the Locked On Rockies podcast to chat about the early struggles of the offense, the quality pitching, and some minor leaguers to keep an eye on.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! While things have gotten off to a bit of a rough start for the Cubs this season, they aren’t the only club suffering from early season injuries and disappointing numbers. Below, we take a look at some clubs who are being forced to re-assess their plans to get back on track.

Plus, people are still reacting to Jo Adell’s wild weekend, and also looking at how it impacted the pitcher on the mound at the time—Chris Sale. We also take a look at some wild ballpark food, as teams get more and more inventive to try going viral online and getting attention from fans.

Let’s just get right into it!

• Dan Szymborski looks at how three different contending teams are having to pivot now that they’re facing serious player injuries.
• Ben Clemens looks at some small adjustments that could make big changes for teams down the line.
• The Jays continue to have a bumpy start to the season as Max Scherzer exits a game early. Story by Keegan Matheson.
• Karl Rasmussen reports that Willson Contreras’s beef with the Brewers got worse after a hit by pitch.
• Alden Gonzalez looks at the mounting scandals coming from internation development, and wonders if an international draft is the answer.
• The Athletic staff look at the players making the biggest difference to team Power Rankings in the first weeks. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Maury Brown assesses the early MLB TV rankings a few short weeks into the 2026 season.
• Now that’s one way to make a comeback.

• Padres’ broadcaster Mark Grant takes a personal career quiz. Story by David Laurila.
• Kennedi Landry shares that the Rangers are waiting on an MRI for Jacob deGrom’s knee.
• Jason Mackey reports that the Pirates are hopeful about working out an extension deal with Konnor Griffin.
• Chris Sale, ever a chill guy, smashed himself in the head with a baseball during a terrible outing. Story by Stephen Douglas.
• Tom Verducci spotlights the youth movement currently taking over baseball.
• Which teams are the most fun to watch in MLB right now? Story by David Schoenfield.
• How a die-hard Angels fan managed to capture Jo Adell’s magic moment. Story by Tyler Kepner. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Sign me up for that Lobstah Poutine.

• Getting into the food details, the Yankees’ ice cream chicken has turned into a viral sensation. Story by Chris Kirschner. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Michael Soroka is getting a lot of attention from opposing batters. Story by Michael Baumann.
• Sam Dykstra figures out the most prospect-packed rosters in the minor leagues.
• Karl Rasmussen looks at three free agent pitchers who could still help struggling teams.
• The A’s have sent Luis Morales to the minors to help work on his control issues. (AP)
• The Rays are finally back at Tropicana Field, and looking ahead to their new forever home. Story by Chad Jennings. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Johnny Flores Jr. takes a look at how the ABS is faring three weeks into the season. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Wait, are the Rockies good now?

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.