Category: Sports News

There will be a few baseball obituaries about Davey Lopes written in the coming days, most of them better written than this. Going over the full career of Lopes as it pertains to his playing days would require me talking about his days with the Dodgers, days in which he was part of a hated rivalry between them and the Phillies. Perhaps his most infamous moment as a member of the Dodgers playing against the Phillies came on a play in the 1977 playoffs, where he was incorrectly called safe on a bang-bang play in the ninth inning of Game 3 of that NLCS.

He was out, but the decision to not bring in a substitute for Greg Luzinski was arguably as critical, but I digress.

Lopes’ real impact with the Phillies came during his coaching career with the team from 2007-2010, where he transformed that team into a terror on the bases. It’s one of the parts of the game that isn’t as noticeable with its impact on the field compared to hitting, pitching or fielding, but it can still be something that takes good team into a different territory. It’s what happened with the Phillies during that time period and Lopes was the conductor.

Being a good coach means you make players better. A lot of times, that might show up on the field right before our eyes. If a hitter that was struggling turns his game around under the tutelage of a new voice, the hitting coach gets the credit. We’ve seen what happens when a pitching coach has his finger on the pulse of a staff when it comes to Caleb Cotham as he has become one of the better pitching coaches in the game. Heck, even Bobby Dickerson has somehow made Alec Bohm into something resembling an average fielder.

It’s those other guys, the infield coaches, outfield coaches, guys like Dickerson, that improvement sometimes isn’t truly seen on pages of data. When it comes to Lopes, his impact on the team’s running game was undeniable. During his tenure with the team, the Phillies were the best baserunning team in baseball. It showed up in the traditional stats like stolen bases, where Lopes’ expertise in analyzing the opposing pitchers made them the most efficient team around (84% success rate). It also showed up in the other things that make baserunners good. Fangraphs tracks different advanced baserunning stats with their publicly available information. The Phillies of 2007-2010 were the best in several of these categories, including wSB (stolen bases and caught stealing runs above average – 43.8), speed score (5.3) and baserunning runs (77.5).

It’s no coincidence that in the years after Lopes left, the team fell to the middle of the pack. His being let go had an impact on the team. Of course, the team during this time had several baserunners that excelled at the skill in Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth to name a few. Sometimes, it helps having better clay to mold from, but almost to a man, Lopes was given a lot of credit for helping them improve in an underrated facet of the game.

The Phillies of that time period gave the city its first extended taste of championship baseball in nearly 30 years. It culminated in a world championship in 2008 that saw all parts come together in a glorious run. Lopes was an important part of that team.

Rest in peace, Davey.

(7-4) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (5-5) Nashville Sounds 0

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3, RBI, R, BB
• Deshawn Kiersey Jr., LF: 1-2, 3B, RBI, R, BB
• Victor Mederos, RP: 2 IP, 3 K
• Didier Fuentes, SP: 6 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 8 K

Box Score

Gwinnett rode an excellent start from Didier Fuentes to a shutout victory on Wednesday, as the Stripers moved to 7-4 on the young season.

In six innings of work, Fuentes scattered just two hits while striking out eight in the process. The only blemish for the young righty, is that he issued four walks during the process.

Regardless, Fuentes’ stuff was still incredible despite the shaky command. His fastball topped out at 99.8 MPH on the night while averaging 96.9 MPH. As for his breaking stuff, Fuentes’ only threw two changeups on the night while relying heavily on his sweeper, which was somewhat inconsistent, especially on the inner third of the plate for RHH.

Overall, Fuentes was as solid as ever, getting a team-high 13 swings and misses during the process on the night as well, while only five of his 86 pitches were hit “hard” into fair territory, per Baseball Savant.

At the plate, it was sort of an “all-hands-on-deck approach for Gwinnett, as Jim Jarvis went 1-3 with an RBI, while DeShawn Kiersey Jr. laced an RBI-triple in the process as well.

On another note, relatively new farmhand Victor Mederos was spectacular in his organization debut.

Across two innings pitched, Mederos dominated as he struck out three in those two frames. What was more impressive is his two-seam fastball averaged 96 MPH with more than 16’ of horizontal break and 7’ of vertical break. In addition to his fastball, Mederos threw a cutter and slider, both of which he used 19% of the time in his outing.

If he can keep up numbers like that from out of the pen, the Braves may have another interesting bullpen piece to add to the big league roster eventually.

(1-4) Columbus Clingstones 7, (3-1) Montgomery Biscuits 2

• Lizandro Espinoza, CF: 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Ambioris Tavarez, 2B: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
• Herick Hernandez, SP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Box Score

Keeping with what has been a trend for Atlanta’s minor league affiliates so far this season, pitching was the key to the game for Columbus as they picked up their first win of the year on Wednesday.

Herick Hernandez got the start and struck out seven across 4.2 innings of work while getting 14 swings and misses — good for fourth-best in all of double-A on Wednesday. While he did scatter three hits and issue three walks, the lefty limited the damage and managed to keep Montgomery off the scoreboard while he was on the mound.

The star of the show at the plate was Lizandro Espinoza, as the 23-year-old utility player went 2-4 with a homer and a double to go along with a pair of RBI, a pair of runs scored and a walk in the process.

Ambioris Tavarez finally notched his first homer of the season, as he took a 2-1 fastball on the inner third of the plate and pulled it over the left field wall for a two-run homer. The shot registered at 104 MPH off the bat, which is a good sign for Tavarez who has struggled mightily at the plate over the course of his pro career.

With Wednesday’s performance, Tavarez has seen his OPS jump to 1.025 across eight games, which is admittedly a small sample size, but it’s encouraging for the 22-year-0ld nonetheless.

(3-2) Rome Emperors 5, (3-2) Bowling Green Hot Rods 6

• Eric Hartman, DH: 2-4, HR,2B, RBI, R
• Owen Carey, LF: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
• Jeremy Reyes, SP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Box Score

As the only minor league affiliate to come up short in terms of a win on Wednesday, Rome still had several individual performances to stand out.

Starter Jeremey Reyes didn’t have his best stuff on Wednesday, but still showed flashes of his above-average stuff. In 5.2 innings of work, Reyes was tagged for four runs on three hits while striking out five. The largest detriment to his performance were walks, as he issued three of them.

While it may not have been the outcome he wanted, his fastball did touch 98 MPH and his breaking stuff looked sharp at times as well.

Getting the start at DH, Eric Hartman put the barrel on the ball tremendously last night. Hartman laced a 101 MPH double off the bat in the second inning and also crushed a 103 MPH solo homer in the top of the first — not to mention hitting it off a LHP — to get the scoring started for Rome on the night.

Owen Carey was excellent as well, as he went 2-4 with an RBI and a rocket of a double that checked in at 104 MPH and just narrowly missed leaving the yard in the third frame.

(2-3) Augusta GreenJackets 11, (1-4) Delmarva Shorebirds 1

• Tate Southisene, 2B: 2-6, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
• Caden Merritt, RF: 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB
• Derek Vartanian, SP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K

Box Score

The GreenJackets absolutely dominated Delmarva, winning by a final of 11-1.

Augusta got standout performances from both the usual and unusual suspects in the process, as Tate Southisene launched his first career homer — a 431 blast that registered at 108 MPH off the bate — while driving in three runs and scoring two in the process to lead the charge.

As for the unusual suspects, Caden Merritt was excellent on Wednesday night, as he went 2-3 with a double and three RBI as well. Through 16 at-bats, the undrafted free agent out of Gainesville, Virginia is batting .313 with an OPS of .825 to start the season.

Starter Derek Vartanian was solid in his first career minor league start as the Campbell University product has dealt with a plethora of injuries over the course of his career.

In 4.2 innings of work, Vartanian gave up six hits, but limited the damage to just one earned run while striking out a whopping seven batters in the process.

Hopefully the 22-year-old righty can stay healthy to give the Braves a longer look, because the talent and stuff is absolutely there.

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The Colorado Rockies head to Petco Park for a four-game series with the San Diego Padres, with Game 1 taking place tonight.

These two teams are deadlocked at 6-6 in the NL West standings after Colorado’s surprising four-game winning streak.

See why the underdogs may not cool off so quickly in my Rockies vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, April 9.

Who will win Rockies vs Padres today: Rockies moneyline (+170)

Randy Vasquez was all the rage in spring training and in his first start due to his increased velocity. 

Turns out, that was illusory, as Vasquez was back down to his 2025 level (93.6 mph) during his April 4 start. His 5.37 xERA and 4.6% K-BB% with that velocity a year ago hardly indicate future success.

Colorado Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander is up a tick to 98.8 mph, has a solid 102 Pitching+, and will throw in tandem with an effective bullpen (2.74 SIERA).

The San Diego Padres have a lowly 85 wRC+ against RHP, so there’s cause for concern both at the dish and on the mound.

COVERS INTEL: Vasquez was one of the most fortunate hurlers in 2025 as his xERA and xFIP (5.51) both undersold his 3.84 ERA. The increased velocity from his first start is gone, as is the cold and windy weather from his second.

Rockies vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-109)

Neither lineup has performed well enough to have confidence in an offense-oriented game. Colorado checks in with a 94 wRC+ while San Diego is even worse at 81.

The Padres have one of the most talented bullpens in the league, whereas the Rockies have been one of the most effective. 

Colorado has been an Under bettor’s dream this season, cashing tickets in nine of their 12 contests. 

Dollander has an effective 3.86 ERA on the road, holding batters to a .208 AVG, and his increased stuff to start the year should pay dividends against a down lineup.

Rockies vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Rockies +164 | Padres -196
• Run line: Rockies +1.5 (-134) | Padres -1.5 (+112)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Rockies vs Padres trend

The Rockies have hit the Under in 14 of their last 20 away games. Find more MLB betting trends for Rockies vs. Padres.

How to watch Rockies vs Padres and game info

Rockies vs Padres latest injuries

Rockies vs Padres weather

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There's a small board to choose from for our MLB pickstoday, but our baseball experts have still found some value to get action on.

Our baseball experts are double-dipping on today's White Sox/Royals matchup, as well as banking on the Mets to bounce back, for their favorite plays today at Polymarket — which allows MLB fans all across the country to join in on the action.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: CWS/KC u9.5	-108
Jon Metler: KC ML	-170
Joe Osborne: NYM ML	-156

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: White Sox/Royals Under 9.5

Price: 52¢ (-108) at Polymarket

This is a big number for a Kansas City Royals squad that has been one of the best Under teams in the league at 4-8 O/U. The offense is coming off a three-game set in Cleveland, where it managed just seven runs and cashed the Under in each game. They're also sending Seth Lugo, who has allowed just three total runs through two starts, to the mound today against the White Sox. The wind is blowing out, which is inflating this total, but it feels like an overreaction given that both teams have recently been lined closer to 7.5.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Royals moneyline

Price: 63¢ (-170) at Polymarket

The Royals are trading as a 63% favorite, and this price still isn’t short enough — I make them closer to a 69% favorite in this matchup against Chicago. Seth Lugo features a deep arsenal, mixing seven different pitches, with his curveball serving as his primary weapon. That variety of off-speed pitches should create significant problems for a young White Sox lineup, which is anchored by Munetaka Murakami, who thrives when he can hunt fastballs... but that’s not what he’ll be seeing from Lugo today. If Murakami isn’t able to provide power in the middle of the order, the White Sox offense looks much less threatening.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Mets ML

Price: 61¢ (-156) at Polymarket

Eduardo Rodriguez comes back down to earth tonight with the cooler temperatures in New York. He has a horrible track record at Citi Field, where he was rocked for eight earned runs in an April start last season, while also getting smacked for five earned runs there in a 2024 start. Meanwhile, Nolan McLean has looked sharp early, and Arizona’s offense ranks a brutal 27th in OPS vs righties. Add in a major bullpen edge (with the Mets third in ERA and the Diamondbacks 26th), and this sets up for a bounce-back win for New York.

More MLB best bets for today

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

NEW YORK — Early on in his career with the Houston Astros, J.D. Martinez was trying to find his way.

He was a 20th round pick out of Division II Nova Southeastern — less than an hour north of his native Miami. In his first three seasons with the Astros, he was back and forth between the minor leagues and far from the polished hitter he would become later in his career.

As he looked to become a better player, Martinez sought out help in the Astros clubhouse. In his own words, the veterans "weren't very nice."

"I remember seeing that and asking questions, and them kind of never answering, and them kind of blowing me off and just making my life a nightmare," Martinez said. "I remember saying, ‘If God ever blesses me where I'm in that position, I'm never going to treat a young guy like that, and I'll always answer any questions and help them out any which way,’ because I remember how helpless that feeling was and going through that whole process."

After a standout 14-year career, Martinez, who was a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and 2018 World Series champion, will be able to provide the mentorship that he felt he had been lacking early in his career as a special assistant to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.

What will J.D. Martinez's role with the Mets look like?

Martinez said his goal in his new role since playing his last major league game with the Mets in 2024 is to be a resource for the major league team. He feels like he has an experience that can relate with much of the roster, from being a top prospect, to being cut, to rising to one of the best hitters in the game, working through struggles and ultimately retiring.

"Just my knowledge with that and just helping any way I can, anything I see, whether it's in the offense, whether it's the strategy, whether it's mentorship, I'm just here to help out any way I can," Martinez said.

The Mets now have a Hall of Famer in Carlos Beltran and decorated hitter in Martinez as sounding boards for the players.

The addition of Martinez as a designated hitter right before the 2024 seasons served as one of the Mets' pivotal moves in the campaign. While he batted a modest .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs, 69 RBI and 46 runs, the veteran had a commanding presence as a leader inside the clubhouse.

"It brings back memories to 2024 when he was a huge part for us and the impact, not only on the field but off the field, his knowledge," Carlos Mendoza said of having Martinez back. "Right away yesterday, having those interactions with him and watching him in the cages with the boys, behind the cage in batting practice, it's just the presence to it, not only with J.D. but having Carlos around too.

"Those are great baseball minds, not only in the hitting department but just baseball in general."

Along with the addition of Jose Iglesias, the Mets made a massive turnaround, clawing from 11 games under .500 to clinching a playoff spot on the final day of the season. That run helped endear Martinez to the Mets organization.

"I like what they're doing here. I like the team they built here," Martinez said. "I had a great experience here with the front office, with ownership, with the clubhouse, everything. It was just a really fun place to come. So I said, ‘You know what? Why not? Let's do it.’"

On coming out of retirement

Martinez said he finally put the bat down last spring after trying to prepare to land another spot with a major league team. He left his batting gloves and a bat at a facility after working out at a facility in Miami and never went back.

The Miami native finished his career with a career .863 OPS, including 331 home runs, 1,071 RBI, 897 runs and a bWAR of 30.8.

He used last summer to clear his mind after more than three decades playing baseball year-round. Martinez's Instagram showcases a summer filled with deep-sea fishing and professional pickleball.

But on Monday and Tuesday, it was back on the diamond at Citi Field. He expects to be in steady communication with this year's team with anything they need while coming to New York monthly for a homestand to be around the players.

And maybe he can have his fingerprints on another deep postseason run, albeit in a new, unfamiliar role.

"Obviously, at the beginning of the year, they weren't really scoring, they're starting to score a little bit more now," Martinez said. "Adding Freddy (Peralta) too is huge and the pitching staff, they've added, they're a threat. It's a really good baseball team."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: JD Martinez a mentor in NY Mets role to David Stearns

Team News

Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks’ offense break out to even series with Metshttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/ryne-nelson-beats-mets/3617249/

Third time’s the charm! Nelson overpowers Mets after pair of rocky outings

Nelson’s fastball velocity was right around his season average (96.5 mph) early in the game, but as the sun went down and the wind picked up, it went down a tick. That didn’t seem to keep Nelson from being effective as he gave up just two hits through the first five innings. Of his 86 pitches, 65 were four-seam fastballs and he threw 14 sliders. “Cold day like today, it can be kind of tough to feel the spin [for breaking pitches],” Nelson said. “But that just allows me to use the fastball more, which I want to do anyway and jump ahead of guys, pound the zone with it.”

https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/ryne-nelson-bounces-back-in-solid-outing-vs-mets

Corbin Carroll’s Huge Day Sparks D-backs to Victory over Metshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-game-day/corbin-carroll-huge-day-sparks-d-backs-victory-mets

D-backs Corbin Carroll Stands Alone in This Impressive MLB Record

That 500th contest closed the door on a chapter of Carroll’s career — one in which he sat alone atop an MLB leaderboard. Per the D-backs.TV broadcast, Carroll is the only player in MLB history to record 120 stolen bases, 80 home runs and 40 triples through his first 500 games.

https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/d-backs-corbin-carroll-stands-alone-impressive-mlb-record

E-Rod, McLean set for Classic rematch — with no title on the line this time https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/eduardo-rodriguez-nolan-mclean-world-baseball-classic-final-rematch-d-backs-mets

Diamondbacks Bring Back Controversial Veteran Reliever

“It’s one of those unfortunate parts of baseball where you start to… get behind with some pitching and you need arms. And you know, sometimes you have option-able players, sometimes you don’t. And Joe wasn’t, unfortunately was not throwing the ball that well,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said after the team initially designated the right-hander for assignment.
https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/diamondbacks-sign-controversial-veteran-reliever-ross

Other Baseball

Davey Lopes Passes Away
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/davey-lopes-passes-away.html

Dodgers great Davey Lopes, four-time All-Star, dies at 80https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48431732/dodgers-great-davey-lopes-four-all-star-dies-80

Jorge Soler, Reynaldo López Given Multi-Game Suspensions
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/jorge-soler-reynaldo-lopez-given-seven-game-suspensions.html

Pirates announce 9-year deal with star prospect Konnor Griffin days after his MLB debuthttps://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/breaking-news/article/pirates-announce-9-year-deal-with-star-prospect-konnor-griffin-days-after-his-mlb-debut-144632043.html

Jorge Soler suspended 7 games, Reynaldo López settles for 5 games after throwing punches in Braves-Angels brawl

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/jorge-soler-suspended-7-games-reynaldo-lopez-settles-for-5-games-after-throwing-punches-in-braves-angels-brawl-035340195.html

Study: MLB average salary hits record $5.34M, led by Mets https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48437380/study-mlb-average-salary-hits-record-534m-led-mets

Ohtani ties Ichiro for longest on-base streak by Japanese-born player
https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-start-vs-blue-jays

Baby kangaroo steals hearts instead of bases at Rangers’ High-A affiliate gamehttps://www.mlb.com/news/baby-kangaroo-attends-rangers-high-a-affiliate-game?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-9

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/April_9

Honey never spoils.

Here’s one of our sweetest did you know facts about food. When honey is heated and strained and sealed properly, it will not be able to absorb moisture and therefore will stay as it is forever. The oldest jar of honey ever found is stated to be over 5500 years old today. 

The Northwest Territories in Canada once wanted to rename itself.

One of the most amazing facts about this is that it was considered due to the recent separation from Nunavut in 1999. One of the names that were highly considered during the meeting was ‘bob’.

The Earth used to be purple.

Green is seen as a symbol of life, but scientists claim that the earliest life on Earth might have been purple. Currently, chlorophyll molecules create the greenish hue of organisms. However, scientists theorize that ancient microbes may have used a different molecule to harness sun rays, giving organisms a violet hue instead.

MINNEAPOLIS – It's early, but the Detroit Tigers are playing losing baseball.

The Tigers have a 4-7 record for fourth place in the American League Central through 11 games, but more notably, they've lost seven of their past nine games. Among the 30 MLB teams, the offense ranks 12th, the rotation ranks 16th and the bullpen ranks 14th.

There are 151 games remaining in the 2026 season.

"Team-wise, you're always pushing to play winning baseball," manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday, April 8, before the third of four games in the series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. "Right now, we haven't done that. We're trying to find ways to get back to our brand of baseball that produces those wins without overreacting."

Before Wednesday's game, Hinch revealed what the Tigers have been working on with all of their players early in the season – which extends throughout the entire 162-game schedule.

For position players, it's refusing to chase bad pitches and hitting the ball hard. For pitchers, it's throwing first-pitch strikes and getting into leverage with two strikes.

The Chicago White Sox are honoring Pope Leo XIV, one of their most famous fans, by giving out pope-themed hats to some in attendance for their home game against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 11.

According to the team, only a limited number of black and green hats, featuring the team's sock logo in the middle and shaped like a Pope's miter, will be given away.

There are caveats to receiving the hat: only fans seated in certain sections known as "pews" can receive one, and tickets must be purchased directly from the team.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, is a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan, even attending Game 1 of the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. The White Sox swept the Astros, winning the title for the first time since 1917.