Category: Sports News

The Mets brought in Jorge Polanco to play first base -- which he had not done before this season -- and to be a DH option for manager Carlos Mendoza.

After inserting Polanco as the DH in the last two games, as the veteran infielder deals with a sore Achilles, Polanco was not in Tuesday's lineup against the Cardinals. It's the first game Polanco has missed in the early going, but the Mets skipper signified that this was a planned off day for Polanco. 

"Just an off day. Middle of a nine-game stretch, here," Mendoza said ahead of Tuesday's game. "He was going to get a day here. I thought today, with a lefty pitching tomorrow, it was either going to be today or tomorrow, and decided to do it today. Woke up today and he’s in a good spot."

When asked whether Polanco will continue to be the Mets' DH when he returns to the lineup tomorrow or play first, Mendoza said that he wasn't sure but wanted to get through Tuesday's game first. He did say he "wouldn't be surprised" if he penciled Polanco's name at first base tomorrow, however. 

Through four games, Polanco is 3-for-15 with a double and one RBI as a Met. 

Mendoza was asked about potentially sitting other veterans like Marcus Semien. The manager gave some insight into his thought process and boiled it down to open communication between coach and player.

"They all want to play 162, but we have to be mindful of a lot of these guys," he said. "I’ll continue to talk to him, I’ll continue to visit with him after every game. If it doesn’t happen in this stretch of nine,  it’s going to happen. The player will need a day or two. They want to play, they take pride in posting and being available. That’s part of getting to know each other here. And we’ll go from here."

Francisco Lindor, who underwent offseason surgery for a hamate bone, has yet to miss a game or time playing shortstop. Mendoza said that the same philosophy goes for Lindor, but, knowing how Lindor is, he'll have to work on him to give him a breather in the early going. 

"It’ll be fluid, but we’ll have to be smart," Mendoza said.

Devin Williams' 'elite' stuff

Williams' second appearance with the Mets came in a save situation on Monday night, and the All-Star reliever showed why the team acquired him this offseason.

It took Williams just 12 pitches (10 strikes) to get a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the team's third win of the season. 

"He looked pretty nasty. If you look at the metrics, it was pretty good," Mendoza said of Williams and his changeup. "He’s elite. And when he’s on his game and at his best, he’s pretty tough. It was just good to see him out there, getting the first one out of the way, and we have to keep him there."

Across his two appearances, Williams has been near-perfect. He's allowed one baserunner (a walk) in 2.0 innings pitched while striking out three batters.

The Athletics continue their interleague series with the Atlanta Braves today.  The 3-1 Braves will take on the 0-4 A’s at Truist Park in Atlanta. Making his first official start of the season for the A’s is Aaron Civale.  The 30-year-old righty was 4-9 with a 4.85 ERA last season with three different teams: the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs. He signed with the A’s as a free agent in February.  Civale will go up against 28-year-old lefty José Suarez for the Braves. Suarez just pitched in 19 innings for the Braves last season, going 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

Suarez will go up against this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s A’s today who will see Jacob Wilson leading off for the first time in 2026:

Civale will face off against this lineup for the homestanding Braves:

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

After a comprehensive 13-2 beatdown of the Phillies last night, the Nats are looking for more in game two of the series. The Nats are red hot and the Phillies are looking to find a foothold in this new season, so this should be a fun matchup. We will also see a couple new Phillies.

Against a right handed starter, the Nats are going with a lefty heavy lineup. The first five hitters are all left handed and Joey Wiemer is the only true right hander in the lineup tonight. Brady House will get his first off day of the season, with Jobit Vivas filling in at third. Keibert Ruiz and Nasim Nunez also return to the fold after days off yesterday. The Nats will actually use PJ Poulin as an opener to deal with the lefties at the top of the Phillies lineup. Zack Littell is likely to follow him and make his Nats debut.

There is a good bit of rookie talent in this Phillies lineup, which we are not used to seeing from this veteran laden group. Justin Crawford will be in the lineup tonight and will patrol center field. He is the son of Carl Crawford and one of the team’s top prospects. Andrew Painter is another top prospect for the Phillies, and he will be making his MLB debut tonight.

Game Info:

Stadium: Citizens Bank Park

Time: 6:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and MLB Network (out of market)

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats have had such a positive start to the season and the beat down they delivered to the Phillies was so satisfying. Hopefully that can continue tonight, with the Nats hot bats facing a rookie pitcher. This opener strategy will also be something fun to monitor. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Probable pitchers: RHP Zach Eflin (6-5, 5.93 ERA, 71.1 IP, 50 Ks in 2025) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom

Four games into the Orioles season and we’ve already gotten a solid glimpse at the volatile nature of this O’s team. We’ve seen a great outing from Trevor Rogers and several middling outings from the rest of the rotation. We’ve seen one offensive outburst in the series finale against the Twins and three other games where the offense left something to be desired. Baltimore has been competitive in every game they’ve played, and yet the 2-2 record also feels a bit generous. 

Through these first four contests, the O’s have been a bizarro version of the team most expect them to be. The pitching has largely been good, with the staff ranking Top 10 in FIP and K/9 while also being above average in ERA, BAA and opponent OPS. 

The offense, which most projected to be among the best in baseball, has been a disappointment so far. Baltimore is currently in the Bottom 10 in runs/game, slugging percentage and strikeout rate, while also being below average in batting average, on-base percentage and hard hit rate. Marquis free agent signing Pete Alonso is yet to register an extra-base hit as an Oriole, while Gunnar Henderson is 3-for-16 to start the season. 

The Baltimore bats will be tasked with the tough ask of breaking out of their mini-slump against two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. The longtime Met is coming off his first healthy season with the Rangers, posting a 2.97 ERA and 185 K in 30 starts last season. That output was good enough for a Top 10 Cy Young finish as the 37-year-old earned his fifth career All-Star selection. 

The Orioles will hopefully fare better against deGrom this season than in their encounter with him last year. The O’s faced off against the veteran right-hander last June in Camden Yards, with the Rangers starter tossing seven shutout innings while only allowing one hit and punching out seven. DeGrom’s 1.34 career ERA against the Orioles is his third-best against any single opponent, and he’s never lost to the O’s in five starts. 

Zach Eflin will also return to the Camden Yards mound for the first time since late last July, as he returns from back surgery. Eflin last faced the Rangers in April 2024 when he was still a member of the Rays, pitching 6.1 innings while allowing one run and striking out five in a 5-2 win. The Orioles will need that type of outing from Eflin if they want to take down deGrom and even the series.

Orioles Lineup

1. Taylor Ward (R) LF
2. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
3. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
4. Adley Rutschman (S) C
5. Samuel Basallo (L) DH
6. Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
7. Colton Cowser (L) CF
8. Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
9. Blaze Alexander (R) 3B

Rangers Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo (L) RF
2. Wyatt Langford (R) LF
3. Corey Seager (L) SS
4. Jake Burger (R) 1B
5. Joc Pederson (L) LF
6. Josh Smith (L) 2B
7. Danny Janssen (R) C
8. Evan Carter (L) CF
9. Ezequiel Durán (R) 3B

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Another quality pitching matchup awaits us in the second of a three-game set between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners.

We like one of the most improved arms in baseball last season to carve up a swing-heavy Yankees lineup.

My Yankees vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks break down why we like the plus money over price on Logan Gilbert's strikeouts for Tuesday, March 31.

First pitch is set for 9:40 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Park in Seattle, with the game airing on TBS.

Yankees vs Mariners predictions

Yankees vs Mariners best bet: Logan Gilbert Over 7.5 strikeouts (+110)

It’s fair to ask if Luis Castillo can mow down the New York Yankees with seven strikeouts rather comfortably than why would a better pitcher be any different a day later?

Logan Gilbert's 32% strikeout rate ranked in the 94th percentile last season, and his 33% whiff rate sat 93rd. Those are not empty numbers. 

He posted an 11.9 K/9 last year across 131 innings, and the Yankees are the right matchup to push him over this number.

If Gilbert records 18 outs, his strikeout total projects to just over 8. I’ll take that at this price point.

COVERS INTEL: Logan Gilbert's 7+ foot extension is the longest in baseball. That release point makes his fastball arrive on hitters roughly a foot closer to the plate than the average pitcher.

Yankees vs Mariners same-game parlay (SGP)

I’m pairing a scoreless first frame with my best bet.

I like the angle of backing Gilbert early against a swing happy lineup after a rough season opening stat.

On the other side, I trust the strong peripherals that heavily tilt towards Max Fried against the 1 through 4 hitters in the Seattle Mariners lineup. 

Yankees vs Mariners SGP

• Logan Gilbert Over 7.5 strikeouts
• No run in first

Yankees vs Mariners home run pick: Giancarlo Stanton (+260)

Giancarlo Stanton’s raw power makes him attractive here. Over four games, he’s posted one of the highest chase contact numbers of his career.

The sample is hardly meaningful but if it can continue for another night, it will give him a boost in this matchup as Gilbert is a chase reliant pitcher.

Stanton gets to one and it’s likely going to be hit quite hard.

Yankees vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: New York -110 | Seattle -110 
• Run line: New York +1.5 (-225) | Seattle -1.5 (+195)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-110) | Under 7.5 (-102)

Yankees vs Mariners trend

The New York Yankees have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline in 42 of their last 70 games (+16.15 Units / 14% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Mariners.

How to watch Yankees vs Mariners and game info

Yankees vs Mariners latest injuries

Yankees vs Mariners weather

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.

In Game 1, the Colorado Rockies (1-3) managed to absolutely bludgeon the American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays (3-1) in a 14-5 win that saw them facing a position player pitching before the evening had ended.

Tonight, they will look to take the series from the Blue Jays.

Something to watch: Colorado has not had a starter throw at least five innings this season, the only team in 2026 that has failed to do so.

Starting for the Rockies is RHP Ryan Feltner in his first start for the Rockies in the 2026 MLB season. Through parts of five seasons with the Rockies (2021-25), he has gone 9-26 with a 5.19 ERA (339.2 IP, 196 ER) through 68 games (67 starts).

His 2025 season was limited due to injuries. Feltner posted a 4.75 ERA (30.1 IP, 16 ER) with 12 walks and 25 strikeouts in six starts.

Taking the mound for the Blue Jays will be Mad Max himself, RHP Max Scherzer who returns for his second season with the team. In 2025, he started in 17 games and finished the season with a 5.19 ERA. He signed late and did not report to spring training until March 2.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 5:07 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SBN Site: Bluebird Banter

Lineups:

For the visiting Rockies:

And the home Blue Jays:

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

The Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, announced its preliminary roster to start the 2026 season on Tuesday, two days before the Drillers play their first game on the Texas League schedule.

Top prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope headline the roster, with those two likely flanking 100-steal man Kendall George in the all-21-year-old outfield. All three were non-roster invitees this spring and saw considerable playing time in camp, with Hope playing in 22 games, De Paula 15, and George 13.

De Paula and Hope were promoted to Tulsa for the final week of the 2025 regular season, and also played in the Drillers’ playoff series. Both were named to top-100 prospect lists entering this season by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, ESPN, FanGraphs, and The Athletic, with an average ranking across those six outlets of 18.5 for De Paula and 37.5 for Hope.

Left-hander Adam Serwinowski, acquired by the Dodgers from the Reds as part of the three-team Hunter Feduccia-Ben Rortvedt trade last July, also got a small taste of Double-A in the final week of last season, allowing five runs (three earned) in three innings in a start last September. Serwinowski across High-A had a 3.89 ERA with 136 strikeouts and 53 walks in 108 2/3 innings between Dayton and Great Lakes, with a 28.7-percent strikeout rate. He turns 22 in June.

2026 Tulsa Drillers roster

• Possible rotation (6): Patrick Copen, Adam Serwinwoski, Payton Martin, Luke Fox, Wyatt Crowell, Maddux Bruns
• Right-handed pitchers (7): Cam Day, Roque Gutierrez, Joel Ibarra, Nick Nastrini, Kelvin Ramirez, Nick Robertson, Lucas Wepf
• Left-handed relievers (2): Evan Shaw, Christian Suarez
• Catchers (4): Yeiner Fernandez, Griffin Lockwood-Powell, Frank Rodriguez, Nelson Quiroz
• Infielders (4): Jake Gelof, Elijah Hainline, Sean McLain, Joe Vetrano
• Outfielders (6): Josue De Paula, Kendall George, Zyhir Hope, Kole Myers, Kyle Nevin, Chris Newell

Tulsa opens its season on Thursday night hosting the San Antonio Missions, a Padres affiliate.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds, March 31, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, SportsNet Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Cincinnati Reds looking to grab a win at Great American Ball Park.

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles

Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 5:35 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / RSN, Victory+)

Camden Yards

RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Zach Eflin

Go Rangers!

There’s a pretty good chance of rain this evening in Chicago (weather forecast link below). Here’s the local radar to keep handy.

Tuesday notes…

• TWO-OUT RUNS: The Cubs scored five of their seven runs last night with two outs, raising their season total to 14 such runs, which is 56 percent of all 25 runs they have tallied. Last season, they scored 36 percent with two down, 286 of 793. Those 286 were an average of 1.77 per game. So far this year, they are averaging 3.50. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THAT OTHER LEAGUE: A win tonight will be the Cubs’ 300th against American League teams since interleague play began in 1997. They have lost 277, for a winning percentage of .519. Only the Dodgers have fared better in interleague play among National League teams, at .548 (326-269). The Braves (311-292) and Brewers (288-270) are tied for third, at .516. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• CALLING ALL ANGELS: The Cubs are 17-10 all-time (since 2004) vs. the Angels, including 9-5 at Wrigley Field. They swept the Angels in Anaheim last season and took two of three games from them at Wrigley Field in July 2024.
• EARLY STATS: The Cubs are third in MLB with six steals so far in 2026. No Cub has been caught stealing yet. They rank tied for sixth in runs with 24 (three teams with 24 or more have played one more game than the Cubs have). And, they rank fifth in walks with 21 (three of the four teams ahead of them have played one more game than the Cubs have).

Cubs lineup:

Angels lineup:

Jameson Taillon, RHP vs. José Soriano, RHP

Jameson Taillon had a horrid spring: 17.55 ERA, 10 (!) home runs allowed in 13.1 innings, also nine walks. Awful.

He also had one very good outing for Canada in the WBC during that time. So, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In any case, I don’t expect those spring results to carry over. His last start against the Angels was Aug. 24, 2025 in Anaheim — five innings, three hits, one run (a solo homer by Taylor Ward, who isn’t on the Angels anymore), no walks.

I’m expecting something more like that.

José Soriano was the Angels Opening Day starter. I daresay he wouldn’t have had that role for most other teams. He’s good, no question, but that good?

Soriano did throw six shutout innings vs. the Astros on Opening Day, so there’s that.

His last start against the Cubs was July 7, 2024 at Wrigley Field. He allowed three runs in five innings. No current Cub has more than three at-bats against him.

Soriano’s pitch selection chart below is from his one start this year. Taillon’s is from 2025.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit the Angels site Crashing The Pearly Gates. If you do go there to interact with Angels fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Yesterday the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, announced their 2026 roster, highlighted by the inclusion of the Mariners’ two top pitching prospects, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan. That unfortunately doesn’t leave a lot of frontline starter talent for High-A Everett, but the AquaSox will still boast five of Seattle’s Pipeline Top 30 prospects, and three of the top ten.

OF Jonny Farmelo (#6) returns to Everett after battling an ACL tear in 2024 and a related stress reaction in his ribs in 2025, both of which curtailed his plate appearances in his first two professional seasons. Farmelo got a long look with the big-league club this spring, making up for some of those lost plate appearances, and showcased his top-of-the-scale speed at times, motoring around the bases and showing why he has the nickname “Jonny Ferrari.” Farmelo has a solid sense of the zone, running double-digit walk rates anywhere he’s played, and immense raw power, but needs to work on his bat to ball skills.

Another Mariners prospect who has dealt with health issues in his young career is SS Felnin Celesten (#7), who also returns to Everett. Like Farmelo, his primary goal will be staying on the field consistently, and to continue refining his approach in the box: the switch-hitter’s strikeout rate spiked to over a third in his brief time at Everett last year, and the raw power he flashed at times in the California League got swallowed up in the heavy upper-Northwest air. Celesten has made improvements in his fielding and now looks like someone who could stick at short full-time; he’s not immune to making a blunder at the six, but this spring he was reliably making the routine plays and black diamond-level ones.

MLB Pipeline’s #8 prospect for the Mariners will also join Everett, this one a newcomer in catcher Luke Stevenson. Stevenson is young for a college player, just 21, but has experience commanding a staff and could be a quick mover, especially if the team wants to reunite him with Anderson and Sloan in Double-A. The problem is there are still lingering questions over what kind of player Stevenson will be, as the soft-spoken, painfully earnest catcher is weirdly a divisive prospect among scouts. Some scouts see a whiff-prone average defensive catcher who sells out for power, and others see a potential power/defense threat at a premium position reminiscent of a young Cal Raleigh (it’s me I’m others). Similar to Raleigh, Stevenson tore up the Cal League, although at a lower level now; this year he’ll have a chance to try to match Raleigh’s otherworldly numbers at High-A, and shift the national conversation around his prospect potential, much like Cal did in 2019.

Other Pipeline Top-30 prospects at Everett include OF Carlos Jimenez (#21) and RHP Lucas Kelly (#29). Jimenez makes his High-A debut after being with Modesto the past two years. Kelly, a sidearm reliever drafted in 2025, is well-known to AquaSox fans, punching out a hitter for the final out of Everett’s championship-winning Game 4 against the Eugene Emeralds. The ASU product only pitched in a half-dozen games in Everett, so he returns to the AquaSox, but could be a quick mover so long as he keeps pounding the zone.

Here’s the complete roster:

Post-hype prospect to watch: RHP Walter Ford

It sucks to put one of the Mariners’ own post-hype prospects here rather than a reclamation project from another org, but sadly, Ford’s career hasn’t taken off yet after he was drafted with some fanfare in the competitive balance rounds in 2022. The stuff just hasn’t really taken off, and while he commands the zone well, the upside is starting to look much lower than it did. But hey, maybe now that he’s the only prospect in the system named Ford he’ll get some Highlander, there-can-be-only-one power back.

Will be ranked on the Top 30 before the end of the year: Christian Little

He didn’t have very long at Everett last season, but we at the site are buyers of the former pre-draft hype prospect. Little has the pedigree, the size, and the stuff, and this year will be huge for his development. Read John’s prospect writeup on him and get yourself out to Everett to see him and judge for yourself.

Sleeper prospect: RHP Casey Hintz

This is cheating because Hintz has been talked up by everyone from Justin Toole to Justin Hollander this spring, but witness him anyway: the former Arizona sidearmer is exactly the kind of prospect who moves quickly through this system. If he’s throwing strikes, expect to see him in Arkansas soon.

The Phillies lost their third straight game on Monday night, and each loss has seemed to get progressively uglier. They’ll try to turn that around on Tuesday behind rookie starter Andrew Painter making his major league debut.

The Nationals will counter with a young pitcher of their own in second year lefty P.J. Poulin.

Game time is 6:40 PM and will be televised locally on NBCSP+.