HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 02: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 02, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Outside that pair of series against the Athletics and Rays, this Yankees team has been pretty adept at quickly brushing off losses. That’s something they’ll look to do in the backend of this road trip after missing out on a sweep opportunity against the Houston Astros. After Luis Gil’s increasingly disappointing efforts on Sunday—ultimately leading to his demotion—the Yankees will start the series against the Rangers with the best they have to offer on the mound in a three-game set of high-profile pitching matchups.
Monday: Max Fried vs. Jack Leiter(8:05 pm ET)
Already making his fifth start on the road in 2026, Max Fried has been superb early on, but if there is one element to his game that’s lacked a bit, it is in the strikeout department—not that this is ever the primary aspect of his game. The Rangers’ offense presents quite the opportunity for Fried and other left-handers on the Yankees pitching staff—Texas has struggled the most against southpaws in the big leagues, only one of 30 clubs with a strikeout rate of at least 30 percent against them, and also boasts a pitiful 67 wRC+. Further damaging the Rangers’ prospects against left-handers is the absence of Wyatt Langford, their premier right-handed hitter and one of the more exciting young players in the American League, currently on the IL.
One of the few pleasant pieces of news for the Rangers last season was that Jack Leiter established himself as a solid starter. However, in the middle of a campaign that placed him seventh on the Rookie of the Year voting roll call, Leiter had his shortest outing against the Yankees. The young right-hander struggled with the free passes—conceding four of them—and not even finishing four innings. Yankee hitters will once again look to work deep counts against Leiter. It’s a bumpy start to 2026 for the former Vanderbilt standout, as he hasn’t finished the sixth since March and has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits and 9 walks across his last trio of outings (14.1 innings) against the Dodgers, A’s, and Pirates.
Tuesday: Cam Schlittler vs. Jacob deGrom(8:05 pm ET)
For the first time since he squared off against George Kirby in his second start of the season, Cam Schlittler will not be the center of attention of a pitching matchup, as he and the Yankees face one of the more dominant starters of this century of baseball. There is not a whiff of hyperbole in that statement when you assess what deGrom has done—the two-time near-unanimous Cy Young Award winner’s level of dominance in a post-prime period with the Rangers only enhances his legend, still just about as good as it gets out there. He has a 2.13 ERA and a 1.066 WHIP in his five starts for 2026, fanning 35 — including 10 Bucs his last time out.
It remains to be seen how Giancarlo Stanton will recover in the following days, having been out of the lineup on Sunday. Jasson Domínguez’s reported promotion seems to indicate that an IL stint is a lock (and Domínguez will be ready to face the Rangers’ righties from his superior side). If the Yankees’ designated hitter is indeed unable to suit up on Tuesday, it’ll be a particularly impactful hit; Stanton has potent numbers he has shown against deGrom over the years, hitting four home runs in 27 at-bats against him, doing so with a .333 batting average. Other than Stanton, the Yankee hitter who has faced deGrom the most is Cody Bellinger, also featuring quality numbers against the Rangers ace with a pair of bombs in 19 at-bats.
Wednesday: Will Warren vs. Nathan Eovaldi (2:35 pm ET)
On one side, an undefeated pitcher, who has been quietly solid early on in 2026 (only 11 qualified pitchers have topped Warren’s 0.9 fWAR in 31.1 innings); on the other, a starter that, as of Sunday, April 26th, is tied for the league lead in losses with four. As a former Yankee, it’s weird to think that Nathan Eovaldi has faced them more than any other club in his career as a big leaguer. Eovaldi was so magnificent last year that with this disappointing beginning to his 2026 campaign, the veteran is only four earned runs away from matching his total the previous season (25), achieved in exactly 130 innings of work.
While the results for Eovaldi have been vastly underwhelming, nothing under the hood corroborates the potential expectation of a rapid decline, so the Yankees should expect the usual customer who has a 3.22 ERA in 24 career appearances against them. While Stanton’s numbers against deGrom stand out more and the impact of his potential absence might be especially hurtful, his career stats against Eovaldi are also impressive. The currently sidelined Yankees DH has four bombs in 38 at-bats against Eovaldi, facing him one more time than Judge, who has gone deep twice with a .324 average facing him.
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; A fan sits alone in the sixth inning of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets lost twice to the Rockes in the span of six hours. Do you really want to hear any more?
Chris Sale passed Chuck Finley on the strikeouts leaderboard and recorded the 150th win of his career in the Braves’ 6-2 win over the Phillies.
In a 10-inning contest, Dicky Lovelady enjoyed the greener pastures of Washington got his first victory in a Nationals uniform in a 2-1 contest against the White Sox.
Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) embraces guard Stephon Castle (5) after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Talk about a tale of two halves! I’ll be honest, as halftime approached, I was comforting myself with the argument that this game represented an unfortunate but understandable stumble for a young, inexperienced team that was still coming off a critical Game 3 win without its superstar. It certainly wasn’t an ideal scenario, but I kept telling myself that this would be another one of those playoff scars that ultimately leads to winning.
Fortunately, my insincere, grasping rationalizations quickly gave way to delight, as the Spurs narrowed a 15-point deficit to just four via a 2-and-a-half minute burst early in the third. To their credit, Portland did not immediately crumble after this onslaught, as the remainder of the quarter was a back-and-forth affair that ended with the score knotted up at 74. The Blazers continued to keep things close for several minutes in the fourth; however, by the middle of the quarter San Antonio had a double-digit lead that continued to grow as the game drew to a close.
In pulling off this comeback, the Spurs became the only team in NBA playoff history to win a game by 15+ after being down by 15+ at half. As you might imagine, a performance like this produces some wild stats, as we will discuss below:
Note: Now that we’ve moved into the postseason, the reference period used for grading changes from the set of regular season games since 2012-2013 to the set of postseason games since 2012-2013. Unless otherwise noted below, this set DOES include play-in games. As of the end of April 26, 2026, this group include 1,151 games.
Factors that decided the game
This is one of those games in which the overall box score obscures wild variation in play for both teams over the course of the game. Of course, the factors discussed here are still completely valid, but it is important to note that essentially all of the Spurs’ key advantages were built in the second half.
San Antonio invested heavily in stocks (steals + blocks) in this game, logging 22 as a team to Portland’s 11. That Blazers total is unspectacular but perfectly respectable; unfortunately for them, Wemby matched it by himself.
The Spurs’ stifling defense produced a turnover margin of -5, which helped them build a FGA edge of +7. However, another reason that San Antonio attempted more field goals is that they fouled more often and at worse times, giving Portland a +6 advantage in FTA.
The Blazers’ notable edge at the free throw line (+5 FTM) was completely swamped by the Spurs’ massive advantage from the field, which was partly driver by volume but mostly the result of big margins in FG% (+9.43 percentage points) and 3P% (+10.17 percentage points). As a result, San Antonio made 11 more shots, four more threes, and outscored Portland by 26 from the field.
Rare Box Score Stats
I mentioned above that Victor had 11 stocks in this game (seven blocks and four steals). Only seven other players have met of surpassed this total in a true playoff game (i.e., no play-in contests) since the start of the 1996-1997 postseason.
The Spurs’ team total of 22 stocks is not nearly as rare a feat, but still far from common. In the 1,151 postseason games since 2012-2013, a stock total of 22+ has happened 30 times, including 22 times for winners and eight times for losers. That’s about once in every 39 contests, or a bit more than twice per postseason.
This was just the 19th postseason contest since 2012-2013 in which a winning team had an assist margin of +12 or more while having no more than 26 assists.
In the 2,380 true playoff games played since the start of the 1996-1997 postseason, this game marked just the 29th time that any team (winner or loser) recorded 10+ blocks as a team while no more than three members of that team had a block. Furthermore, it is was just the 21st time in the same period that 9+ players on one team had at least one steal.
What are Team Graded Box Scores?
Very briefly, these box scores grade winner-loser differentials for basic box score statistics, with the grade being based on the winning team’s differential relative to other NBA winners during a defined reference period. Think of it like a report card for understanding how a given winner performed relative to other winners. The reference period used runs from the start of the 2012-2013 season to the latest date of play, including only games in the same season category (i.e., regular season and playoff games are not compared to each other).
Data Source: The underlying data used to create these box scores was collected from Basketball Reference. In all cases, the data are collected the morning after the game is played. Although rare, postgame statistical revisions after data collection do occur and may affect the results after the fact.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 17: Catcher Bo Naylor #23 of the Cleveland Guardians watches the scoreboard during the top of the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good feeling’s gone.
The Guardians have now lost two straight series to the injury-depleted Astros and injury-depleted Blue Jays. Not great, Bob.
Nicole has the recap of a feckless performance by the hitters against Patrick Corbin. I had forgotten that Corbin inexplicably owns Jose Ramirez. Meanwhile, Steven Kwan has a 73 wRC+, Kyle Manzardo has a 58 wRC+, George Valera has a 55 wRC+, Juan Brito has a 44 wRC+ and Bo Naylor has a 9 wRC+. Those numbers have to change, one way or another. Also, I don’t know that they can continue to play Fry in right field or Brito at second base, defensively.
Aside from that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Guardians Weekly featured Gavin Williams and Peyton Pallette, and a focus on the Hill City Howlers.
AROUND MLB:
The Tigers beat the Reds, the Royals beat the Angels, and the Twins and White Sox lost.
It is no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers' decision to trade for Trevor Zegras was a fantastic one. The 25-year-old forward had a strong first regular season with the Flyers in 2025-26, setting new career highs with 26 goals and 67 points in 81 games. He has also made a big impact for the Flyers so far this postseason, recording one goal and four points in four games.
While the Flyers have benefited by bringing in Zegras, the Anaheim Ducks have also gotten good value from Ryan Poehling from the trade. In 75 regular-season games during his first season with the Ducks, he scored 11 goals and set new career highs with 25 assists and 36 points. With numbers like these, he has been a solid part of the Ducks' forward group since being traded by the Flyers.
However, Poehling has been notably stepping up his game for the Ducks during the playoffs so far.
In four playoff games this spring for the Ducks, Poehling has three goals and a plus-2 rating. This included him putting together a two-goal game against the Edmonton Oilers on April 22. He also scored the Ducks' overtime winner against Edmonton in Game 4, giving Anaheim a 3-1 series lead.
With this, it is clear that Poehling is having a very good start to the playoffs for the Ducks. It will be interesting to see if the former Flyers forward can continue to be a difference-maker for Anaheim from here.
In 145 games over two seasons with the Flyers, Poehling had 23 goals, 36 assists, and 59 points.
The Braves once again took care of business on Sunday, beating the Phillies and winning yet another series as their great start to the season rolls along. The amount of positive data points from the past few weeks is highly encouraging to see, including the Braves going 10-3 against NL East opponents over the past two weeks. Plus, the Braves now have the best record in baseball, a needed start as they enter May and a tougher stretch of the schedule.
Braves News
The Braves also made some notable changes to their pitching setup for the week ahead. JR Ritchie will get a second start against the Tigers. Meanwhile, Reynaldo Lopez will, at least for the near future, work out of the bullpen as he continues to lock in his mechanics.
Another significant development on Sunday was a second solid start from Spencer Strider in Gwinnett, which is his third rehab start overall. While nothing is yet official, Strider’s return to the rotation could happen as early as this week.
Mets' Joe Torre slides under Dodger catcher Ellie Rodriguez as he scores on a single by Jerry Grote. Umpire Andy Olson makes the all as the Mets take an eight inning 4-1 lead. The Dodgers came back in the ninth inning to score four runs and beat the Mets 6-5. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Ellie Rodríguez, the Puerto Rican catcher who played nine major league seasons died on Thursday at age 79.
Rodríguez only played the one season for the Dodgers, but he held a notable place in local baseball lore. The Dodgers acquired Rodríguez at the end of spring training in 1976 from the Angels for backup outfielder Orlando Álvarez. That was the only trade involving multiple major league players between the Dodgers and Angels from 1976 for nearly four decades, a streak that was only snapped at the 2014 winter meetings when intermittent Dodger Andrew Heaney was sent to Anaheim for Howie Kendrick.
In his one season for the Dodgers, Rodríguez played 33 games behind the plate, with 21 starts, batted a total of 90 times and had no extra-base hits. But he walked 19 times and was hit by three pitches, giving him the wonderful .212/.400/.212 batting line. The .400 on-base percentage was rare among Dodgers catchers in franchise history.
Dodgers catchers with a .400+ OBP in 90+ PA
Babe Phelps (1935) .408
Babe Phelps (1936) .421
Ellie Rodríguez (1976) .400
Mike Scioscia (1985) .407
Mike Piazza (.400) 1995
Mike Piazza (.422) 1996
Mike Piazza (.431) 1997
Chad Kreuter (.416) 2000
Austin Barnes (.408) 2017
Will Smith (.401) 2020
Will Smith (.404) 2025
Rodríguez played nine years in the majors, and hit .245/.356/.308 with 76 doubles and 16 home runs in 775 games with the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Angels, and Dodgers. He was the first All-Star in Royals history, in 1969, and also was an All-Star with the Brewers in 1972. Rodríguez caught Nolan Ryan’s fourth no-hitter with the Angels in 1975.
For 15 years (1998-2012), Rodríguez was the Latin American coordinator and player development consultant for the Atlantic League and also managed in the league.
“Ellie was an integral part of the foundation and growth of the Atlantic League with his ties to baseball throughout the world,” Atlantic League president Rick White said in a statement. “He was a dear friend who helped create many opportunities for players throughout Latin America, both in the Atlantic League and in Major League baseball. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his outstanding work in helping the league grow both in the U.S. and internationally.”
The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have assigned defenseman David Reinbacher to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Reinbacher had been with the NHL club but did not make an appearance during their ongoing first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He did play in his first two NHL regular-season games to round off the campaign, though, where he had one assist.
Down in the AHL this regular season, Reinbacher had five goals, 19 assists, 24 points, 56 penalty minutes, and a plus-18 rating. It was the most amount of games Reinbacher has played since starting his AHL career in 2023-24, which was certainly good to see.
Reinbacher will now be looking to make a big impact for the Laval Rocket during their playoff run. The 2023 fifth-overall pick is a huge part of the Canadiens' prospect pool, and he should get more chances at the NHL level next season with the Habs.
SARASOTA, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Bullpen catcher Silas Ardoin #77 of the Baltimore Orioles poses for a photo during the Baltimore Orioles photo day at Ed Smith Stadium on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
A rough way to close out the series at Harbor Park. The story of the afternoon was a scary moment in the third inning when starter Trey Gibson took a comebacker off his left leg and had to exit the game. He’d allowed five runs (four unearned) on three hits over his 2.2 innings before leaving. Gibson had been the Tides’ most reliable starter this season, so any injury concern around him is worth watching closely.
So many unearned runs—nine of Memphis’s 14 runs—speaks to lots of errors. There were four, in fact: one apiece by Willy Vasquez, José Barrero, Bryan Ramos and Jud Fabian. It was the kind of day where the final score doesn’t reflect the full picture, but that picture still wasn’t pretty. A rehabbing Dietrich Enns also allowed a home run.
The runs were too few and came too late to matter, but the bright spot on offense was catcher Silas Ardoin, who homered and drove in three runs. Willy Vasquez, Jhonkensy Noel, Bryan Ramos and Fernando Peguero each had a hit from the bottom of the lineup.
More rough pitching, but it wasn’t starter Trace Bright’s fault. The righty threw four one-run innings and struck out eight. But he ran into trouble in the fifth and the bullpen couldn’t stem the tide. Carlos Tavera allowed two runs, Tyson Neighbors four, and Daniel Lloyd three more.
The Baysox had been up 4-0 before that. They scored one quick run on a Brandon Butterworth homer in the first. In the third, Anderson De Los Santos hit a bases-clearing double to put Chesapeake up 4-0. They’d get one back on an eighth-inning sac fly by Tavian Josenberger.
High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 5, Frederick Keys 2
The Keys dropped the finale of this series against Wilmington, all with one bad inning. Starter Carson Dorsey, a seventh-rounder in 2024, had thrown three scoreless but he allowed the first three hitters to reach in the fourth, then got pulled for Ryan Cabarcas. It didn’t go any better for Cabarcas, who allowed the score to balloon to 5-0.
The Keys got two back, one on a sac fly that scored Nate George, the other on an RBI groundout—Nate George scored again here, too. The O’s high-ranking prospect reached base three times on Sunday, in fact. Wehiwa Aloy and Victor Figueroa each had a hit, but that was it as the Keys only racked up three base knocks on the day.
Unfortunately, one major story from this game was Vance Honeycutt, who was removed during the game with left thumb discomfort. Honeycutt is the organization’s top 2024 draft pick and has been a key piece of the Frederick lineup. No diagnosis has been reported yet, but it’s the kind of thing that will be worth monitoring closely over the next few days.
Low-A: Wilson Warbirds (MIL) 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 3
The Warbirds built a 5-1 lead with four runs on four hits off starter Kiefer Lord, a third-rounder in 2023. The loss put Lord at 0-3 for a 3.98 ERA on the season thus far. After him, Kenny Leiner, Keegan Gillies, Riley Cooper and Brandon Downer combined for 4.2 two-run innings.
First baseman Jordan Sanchez had four hits, including a homer and a double, in what was ultimately a losing cause for the Shorebirds. Sanchez’s huge individual performance gave him half of his team’s total hits. Luis Almeyda, Braylon Whitaker, and Johnny Tincher accounted for the others, Whitaker’s a double.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: A detailed view of the cap and Rawling baseball glove belonging to Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants sitting in the dugout in the bottom of the second inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 05, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
It’s a new week of San Francisco Giants baseball, so let’s see what’s on deck.
The Giants continue their recent trend of having a day off today, before they hit the road again and head for the East Coast. First up will be a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, before they head to Florida for a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
I’m going to go ahead and pick the Phillies series as the one I’m most interested in this weekend. Nothing against the Rays, they’re actually the more competitive team at the moment (at second place in the AL East, compared to the last-place Phillies). I just have more interest in National League teams, I guess.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
Apr 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) reacts after pitching six scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: Brewers 12, Tigers 4
Wednesday: Tigers 5, Brewers 2
Thursday: Tigers 5, Brewers 4
Friday: Pirates 6, Brewers 0
Saturday: Pirates 6, Brewers 3
Sunday: Brewers 5, Pirates 0
Division Standings
Reds: 18-10
Cubs: 17-11
Pirates: 16-12
Brewers: 14-13
Cardinals: 14-13
Last Week
Reds: 4-2
Cubs: 5-2
Pirates: 3-3
Brewers: 2-4
Cardinals: 1-5
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
This is an easy one. Harrison’s start on Sunday versus the Pirates was probably the Brewers’ best of the season. In Sunday’s win, which busted a four-game losing streak, Harrison went six shutout innings, allowed only one hit and one walk, and struck out 12. On top of that, Harrison was the starter in Milwaukee’s only other win this week, on Tuesday versus the Tigers. He wasn’t nearly as sharp in that game and needed 72 pitches to record just nine outs, but he only allowed one run and thus went nine innings with a 1.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts this week.
Shoutout to two bullpen arms, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill, who went a combined seven appearances without allowing a run this week.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great week for the Brewer bats, but somebody needs to be the batter of the week, and that person is going to be Jake Bauers. Bauers played five games this week and went 8-for-21 (.381) with a trio of doubles (two of which came in Sunday’s win) and a couple of RBIs.
Jake Bauers' double leads to an RBI from Gary Sánchez
The only real viable alternative here is David Hamilton, who was 7-for-19 (.368), knocked in a couple runs, had four hits in Tuesday’s win, and who had his first extra-base hit of the season on Sunday, leaving Joey Ortiz as the only player in the league with at least 45 plate appearances and no extra-base hits.
Injury Notes & Roster Moves
Thankfully, it was a quiet week on the injury front and the news there was mostly good. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn are both getting closer to returns, with Chourio seemingly in line to get some game action pretty soon. Quinn Priester also started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville and pitched twice this week.
On the minor league front, Craig Yoho was activated from the IL and could be an option at some point for the beleaguered Brewer bullpen.
Tyler Black, who came off the minor league IL last week, played just three games with Nashville before being brought up to the big-league club for his first MLB action of the season. He started on Friday and Saturday and picked up a couple of hits in the latter game. To make room on the active roster for Black, Luis Matos was designated for assignment.
Shane Drohan was also summoned back to the big leagues in place of Carlos Rodriguez, who was optioned back to Nashville. Drohan pitched four innings in relief in Milwaukee’s loss on Friday.
Down in the minors, there was a scary situation with Milwaukee’s No. 2 prospect Luis Peña on Wednesday. Thankfully, Peña seems to be okay based on what we’ve been told, but he hasn’t gotten back into game action yet and it’s not clear when he will.
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Happy Monday, everyone. The big news from over this weekend, of course, was the firing of Red Sox manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox are among the teams that have been struggling to start the season, but they are the first to take such drastic action. Alongside Cora, the team fired five additional coaches in a sweeping attempt to course-correct that many critics think is the wrong decision. But it’s more than just critics who are speaking out against the team; it’s the club’s own players. And nowhere to be found in all the fray is Red Sox owner John Henry, making many suggest it might be time for Henry to sell the club.
We’ve got lots more on the Cora firing below, as well as more little tidbits from around baseball.
The Orioles actually ran out of home run fireworks, they hit so many…
The Orioles hit so many home runs off the Red Sox tonight that they ran out of fireworks in Baltimore. This is a real tweet. pic.twitter.com/InqKWcZtZv
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Chris Roycroft #58 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during a spring training game against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 22, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s been a strategy in baseball of cycling through bullpen arms to get maximum freshness from your fringier relievers. The Cardinals utilized this to some extent last year, but they’ve mostly abandoned it this year. I’ve seen some complaints about it. We are in late April and there’s really only one instance of using a bullpen shuttle to get a fresh arm and I don’t even really think it applies.
They’ve made minimal bullpen moves in general. Matt Pushard required an IL trip a week into the season, and Gordon Graceffo took his place. About a week after that, the highly ineffective Chris Roycroft was sent down and Jared Shuster took his place. Shuster didn’t pitch for another six days, so I don’t think this counts. After he pitched back-to-back days, they called up Ryan Fernandez. Really the only instance of them cycling through bullpen arms.
When I posited this question to Tom Ackerman on the podcast, one of his explanations for why this might be the case was essentially there’s nothing to cycle through. Which is mostly true. The only reliever on the 40 man right now is Roycroft, and I don’t think people are clamoring for him to come back. But I kind of wanted to see for myself. What are the options? Do they really have nobody they could call up? So, let’s look at the options: the candidates who could be mixed in at times when the bullpen needs some fresh innings. And then we can decide for ourselves whether or not one or more of these pitchers could be incorporated into more of a bullpen shuttle throughout the season.
Pushard will be back… and judging by how his rehab appearances are going, he’ll use all 30 days of his rehab. He’s only been down for 12 days so far. He has slowly improved. He got his first strikeout on April 21st, his third rehab appearance, and yesterday he threw a perfect inning with a strikeout. But due to the nature of this season and frankly, the lack of bullpen depth in general, he’ll be back. (His FIP and xFIP are not updated for last night, so both will improve)
Whenever they do call him up, the three pitchers with options are Gordon Graceffo, Matt Svanson, and Ryan Fernandez. Given the pecking order, the assumption is Fernandez goes down certainly, but he’s barely used and if you really want to use a bullpen shuttle as intended, you send down someone who has pitched a bunch recently. Both Svanson and Graceffo are used all the time, so odds are good one of them will have pitched 3 of the last 4 days or something when they are cool with Pushard coming up. Unless Oli trusts Fernandez a whole lot more in the next 20 days or circumstances dictate heavy Fernandez usage in a short span.
I’m not falling for this again. The term Quad A player typically refers to hitters who can dominate in AAA but then can’t make contact at the MLB level. You don’t see this as much with pitchers. Well, Roycroft is my new go-to example of a AAAA pitcher. Granted, he is pitching quite a bit better in AAA than he did last year, so there is that. And just by the nature of this season, he should get another crack at it. But yeah, he has reached “do not trust his AAA stats” for me.
I’ll be honest. I had kind of taken it for granted that Gastelum would be good in AAA. He hasn’t been good at all. Yes, I know his ERA is good. For literally the first time in his pro career, he’s getting batted ball luck, which is something I guess. He’d been running .340 or greater BABIPs up to this point, so in that light, I suppose it makes sense he’d eventually get lucky. But yeah he pitched yesterday too and walked a guy and didn’t strike anybody out, so his advanced stats will get even worse.
He’s not particularly close to getting promoted in my opinion, especially because he’s more of a long-term play.
Woof. Okay. I think I would probably have to argue with a few people that Gastelum isn’t actually pitching well because of his good ERA. No issues on this one. This is awful. He’s getting groundballs, so there’s one positive. He’s pretty far away from getting the call-up.
Blewett has relatively strong K/BB numbers, but allowing a ton of homers and a high BABIP isn’t exactly the kind of thing you want to see from a guy with unimpressive MLB stats for his career. He doesn’t have options, so he would not be a very good shuttle guy anyway. And though he has 5 years of team control, he’s not really a future guy either. He’s more Jared Shuster than someone to help keep the bullpen fresh.
Going to need to recalibrate here, because I am extremely thrown off by the seemingly not great xFIP despite not walking anybody and having a semi-respectable K rate. Due to a .407 BABIP and bad sequencing, he has a bad ERA, but I am surprised the advanced stats aren’t better. And it’s because he’s actually hit two guys. Okay, that makes more sense. That’s basically a walk. A 5.1 BB/HBP% is still good, but with an average K rate and not many groundballs in a hitter friendly league, the xFIP certainly makes more sense. He’s still “this is an emergency and we need 3 innings in a blowout” which again due to the no options, not ideal for a bullpen shuttle.
I have good news, sort of. Hence struck out two batters yesterday with no walks. He also allowed a run. This is good news, because I imagine his FIP and xFIP will see a nice boost, though they will still not be good at all. He’s going through something right now. I imagine they were hoping Hence could be a part of the bullpen shuttle, but that has not worked out even slightly so far. I really hope Hence can get some MLB innings in before the year is over.
I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing with Rincon to be honest, a guy I thought was a starting pitching prospect. And to be fair, he is pitching more than a relief prospect. Those are okay numbers. Certainly make me think he can be a bullpen threat at some point, if not right now. I kind of wonder if they’re waiting for a spot to open up in the rotation because he’s a lower priority starting pitching prospect. And since Dobbins will be getting the call-up, there is a spot opening up. I can see why they wouldn’t want to add him to the 40 yet. Those 13 innings are his only AAA innings.
Another uncertain role guy, but in Rajcic’s case, I kind of understand if they’ve given up on him as a starter already. I’d say this is a pretty promising start to the season. I can see why they might want more of a sample, because he was really quite bad in his 11 starts last year at AAA. And if you make his K% a little worse and his BB% a little worse, which usually happens when you get promoted to the big leagues, that’s definitely a bad reliever. So I’m not sure his stats are good enough yet either.
My official pitch to have Zimmermann replace Justin Bruhl begins here. I don’t know how much more of a sample of games we need from Bruhl, but he’s been about as bad as possible. Not really sure that experiment is worth continuing. Zimmerman, in the rotation in AAA, has struck out a third of batters. He’s left-handed by the way, if you’ve never heard of this guy.
He did pitch in relief in 7 games in 2023, and he struck out 23% of batters and didn’t walk a batter in 13.1 IP. His ERA was 4.73, but his xFIP was 3.39, his xERA was 3.71, and his SIERA was 2.99. That was his only experience as a reliever, he’s otherwise been a starter at the MLB level. He has a career 5.2 BB% as a starting pitcher in the majors. Even though he was bad, like bare minimum this guy probably isn’t walking guys. Unless there’s some potential in Bruhl that I’m not seeing, can you just give me a lefty that won’t walk guys instead?
Yes, I know he’s currently starting in Memphis and I’m pretty sure he’s this year’s version of Curtis Taylor, but surely Zimmerman will not get called up ahead of Quinn Mathews if another starter is needed? I’d much rather Rincon start than Zimmermann and I’d much rather Zimmermann be in St. Louis than Bruhl at this point. If for some reason, we need Zimmermann to start, we’ll just have a couple awkward games of getting him up to speed.
Winquest has actually hit 3 batters somehow in his 3 innings pitched, which is why his stats are so bad. Yeah apparently, I need to check the HBP stat when looking at pitchers more often, because this is the second pitcher whose K/BB ratio makes them look better than they’ve actually pitched. Reminder that Winquest started 8 games in AA last year, and that’s literally his only experience at AA or above, so he might not be ready for a minute. Just because the Yankees selected him in the Rule 5 did not make him MLB ready.
I’m just going to beat this drum again. Why is he not in Memphis???
Not an option because they are starting
Quinn Mathews
Pete Hansen
Brycen Mautz
Starting pitching prospects are not automatically disqualified from being considered bullpen help, but I think these three qualify. For Mautz and Hansen, it’s simply too early. They literally just got to Memphis. Certainly getting innings in the bullpen at the MLB level can be the next step for a prospect even if you intend for them to start, but I don’t think you do that for pitchers who are a month into AAA.
Not an option because they’re injured
Cooper Hjerpe
Tekoah Roby
Ixan Henderson
Sem Robberse
Zack Thompson
Packy Naughton
Victor Santos
Richard Fitts
Believe it or not Victor Santos was one of the players in the Tyler O’Neill trade. He’s basically been injured since. Packy unfortunately probably had a season-ending injury. Roby is probably hurt for the year. If healthy, Robberse almost certainly would integrate into the bullpen like Graceffo has, with maybe a hope for the rotation in the future. We know Fitts is done for the year, it seems like Henderson might be too, though there’s been no word. In any case, Henderson fits into the too early group, having not yet pitched at Memphis.
We’re probably going to see Hjerpe in relief whenever he comes back. He had Tommy John surgery early last season, so it seems like he should be able to return at some point this year. If he picks up where he left off, it certainly seems like he could get MLB hitters out in relief immediately. Obviously, he’ll need all 30 days of rehab first. I don’t know what happened to Zack Thompson.
Not an option because they pitched poorly
Gerson Moreno
Ian Bedell
Covering my bases since I did actually share quite a few players who have bad stats, but those players had what we call expectations and I don’t think Moreno or Bedell really have that. Bedell has a 10.80 ERA with just about as bad of advanced stats, so as much as I’m rooting for the Mizzou grad, I kind of don’t think he’ll be here in a month.
Apr 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Kansas City Royals outfielder Isaac Collins knows when he is going well. There is usually a glaring sign.
“Just my swing decisions,” he said. “You know, if I’m taking those balls on the edge and executing pitches over the plate, that’s when I’m at my best.”
“I think it just kind of speaks for the team as a whole,” Caglianone said. “Doesn’t matter the situation, I think we are just going to be fighting for each other.”
It was clear early that Ragans was working with good stuff when he struck out the side in the top of the first. All three came on fastballs 98-plus mph, including the 99.2 mph heater Jo Adell swung through to end the frame. That was Ragans’ hardest pitch of the night, but he averaged 96.5 with his fastball, 2.3 mph above what his season average had been so far.
Ragans filled up the zone with a 71% strike percentage and recorded whiffs (47%) and chase (40%). The Angels could not keep up with his fastball, and he was fearless with it, throwing it 51% of the time. Ten of his 11 strikeouts came on the pitch.
“Mechanics have a lot to do with the heater,” Ragans said. “If my mechanics are in line, it’s probably going to be good. Everything else feeds off it. It’s just about commanding the fastball, getting ahead and letting everything else play.”
He did a similar pregame routine Sunday with throwing, which is the main aspect that is affected. Garcia has been available off the bench for pinch-hit opportunities and was again Sunday.
“We’re just being cautious,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s too valuable for us to have something happen. We have [Nick] Loftin at third, we feel good about that, but with the day off tomorrow, just wanted to be cautious.
Among the issues with the five-acre site were the minimal flexibility to develop around it, negotiations with the railroad to build over the existing tracks and even how the stadium itself would fit.
“You said, ‘It won’t be symmetrical,’” Hall reminded Sherman.
Sensing Sherman was struggling with those options, Hall suddenly was moved to broach something he said he hadn’t thought about much before that moment. He’d had no previous notion of moving Hallmark headquarters, he said, and certainly had never seen it as a potential site for baseball. It wasn’t really a consideration, he added, “until I said it out loud.”
Thinking out loud, really, with someone he could trust to kick around such ideas.
“‘What if we thought about this differently?’” Hall recalled saying to Sherman.
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 19, 2022: Carlos Estevez #54 and Elehuris Montero #44 of the Colorado Rockies following the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on August 19, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.(Photo by Harrison Barden/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week, I gave you some background on the Rockies’ Cultural Education & Development Program. This week, I’m going to follow up by providing some insight into the curriculum. Specifically, I will detail the program in the Dominican Academy and the Dominican Summer League since those are the most intensive programs.
The focus is on helping players from Latin America gain skills that will allow them to be successful in the US on and off the field.
Basic Structure
Classes run for 20 weeks, which is a little longer than a traditional high school or college semester (those are 15-16 weeks). It is broken down into six different units that are taught by Angel Amparo, Julio Medina, or a combination of the two:
Weeks 3 & 4: Introduction to Computers, Dawere Accelerated High School Program & Classroom Assignments
Weeks 5-9: English 101, Intermediate & Advanced ESL
Weeks 10-14: Cultural Development 101
Weeks 15-17: Critical Thinking 101
Weeks 18-20: Math 101 & Off-Season Planning
“We have classes Monday through Friday from 4-7,” Angel Ampardo explained. “We do smaller groups, no more than 15 players, just to have better control. And we have office hours so they can come and see us for one-on-one attention.
“(The syllabus) shows you what we’re going to do, what’s required, a brief description of what we do and the goals and just the basic English structure,” he continued. “But then here, you see things like learning leadership, planning self-discipline skills and some of the resources and websites that we use. We have a classroom and a computer lab area, too. We also grade them.”
Players are graded on the following:
Journals (10%)
Completion and Effective Demonstration of Personal Improvement Plan (45%)
Based on Rockies Evaluation Matrix
Quizzes, Tests and Projects (30%)
Homework (10%)
Punctual Attendance (5%)
In addition to formal classroom lessons, the players also participate in other educational opportunities.
“I throw in professional development workshops,” Amparo said. “(Last) week, we had a workshop about interview processes and how to handle the press. That (was) on Monday, and the following Wednesday, we have a financial planning workshop. I throw in a lot of personal workshops. I have facilitators that I’ve worked with for years that are good at what they do that I get in contact with and have them come in to do specialized workshops and trainings with the players. We also have several community outreach programs and projects that we do throughout the season.”
And at the end of the season, the Rockies conduct exit interviews with the players.
“We tell them what their offseason plan is and what we want them to work on during the offseason,” Amparo said. “We get their feedback, too. We do anonymous surveys. What did you like about this season? What classes were good? What didn’t you like? What do you want to add? Because we want this to be interactive.
“We want to add stuff that they like,” he continued, “hence why chess came into it, then a video game tournament came into it and a domino tournament. So we get their feedback, and then we review it during the offseason, and then we modify the syllabus based on what we think would benefit them.”
No Offseason
During the offseason, the Rockies also keep tabs on the players.
“In the offseason, players are home, so if I’m not in Arizona or Denver, we do home visits as well for the players,” Amparo said. “We visit them, we talk to their parents and loved ones, just to let them know how they’re progressing. It helps them put a face to a name to tell them what our role is and just to let parents know that there’s a more personal connection.”
Amparo stressed that this comes from the Rockies’ emphasis on getting to know the players as individuals.
“I’ll never forget what I was told by my boss during my interview. He was like, ‘Look, focus on creating genuine and authentic relationships with the players. If you put the players’ needs first, always, you’ll do a good job. I guarantee it,’” he said. “He said it’s a lot of work – ‘I’m not going to lie to you, you’ve got to dive in head first. But it’ll be the most rewarding work that you’ll do.’ And I’ve never forgotten that interview. So I like the fact that players can come to me with their personal problems or something like that. I enjoy that role, if I can provide some sort of guidance or direction.”
A Work in Progress
This program has been in place for 14 years, and has evolved with changing needs.
“I remember my first day of work,” Amparo said. “I went with a suit and tie with a briefcase, and I had this plan of what I wanted to do because I’ve taught before at a university level and in high schools. But when I got there on my first day, I was like ‘Oh no, this is not going to work.’
“So I did a lot of observing in that first season at all levels,” he continued. “And after all of the observing and the feedback that I received, I said ‘Okay, let’s build a syllabus, a curriculum and lessons based on these pillars here that we feel are important.’ And it’s been going like that for years.”
Every year, the Rockies modify their lessons based on feedback from players as to what was most beneficial to them as well as adjusting the projects and activities to accommodate the world landscape.
“It’s changed so much now,” Amparo said.
“I was told ‘You probably won’t see the fruits of your success for about six or seven years.’ And since I’ve been here so long, I find players who have made it – who signed with us and couldn’t speak a lick of English – who are now playing at the major-league level. But even the ones who didn’t make the majors, but had this good work ethic and are now working as international crosscheckers or hitting coordinators or scouts or pitching coordinators… Those are success stories to me because these are all the kids who came through our program here. They played baseball for a few years and didn’t make it to the majors, but they’re still involved with the sport that they love.
“And those are the ones I can use with new players,” he continued. “I can show you [Ezequiel] Tovar’s first interview with us here in the DSL and look where he is now. He’s been in the league for eight years now, and now I can show tangible proof that this works if you put in the effort. Obviously, I don’t want to discourage them and say, ‘Even if you don’t make it to the majors…’ I never say that to them, but they know if they don’t make it to the majors, they can still have a career and a life in baseball. So this is tangible proof that I can show them.”
Amparo also likes to call players back who have graduated from the program to talk to the players currently in the program. He’s brought back Tovar, Carlos Estévez, and others to be interviewed and share their stories about how they signed and their career trajectories. He likes to implement tangible interactions to motivate the students, and that’s the biggest way that things have evolved and continue to evolve.
Coming Up Next
Next week, I will share the stories of some players who spent time in the program in various stages. Stay tuned!
In a back-and-forth affair, the Isotopes ended up topping the River Cats 8-6. The Topes jumped out to an early 4-0 lead on a homer by Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) in the second, followed by a double from Nic Kent, single from Drew Avans and sac fly from Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) in the third. However, they then gave up three runs in the third and fourth. They gave up another in the sixth on a ground-rule double to tie the game. In the ninth, though, they scored four more runs to put themselves up 8-4. They bent to give up two more runs in the bottom on a two-run shot by Bryce Eldridge, but still came out victorious. Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) ended up getting the win, as he pitched two scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
The Isotopes return home to face the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) next.
While the Yard Goats scored two runs, they did not record a single hit against the Red Sox Double-A team. Both runs were scored in the third inning, where Jose Torres led off with a walk. Zach Kokoska and GJ Hill popped and lined out, and then Torres stole second. Dyan Jorge walked, and Torres stole third. Then, Andy Perez reached on a fielding error to score both Torres and Jorge, but Braylen Wimmer struck out on a foul tip to end the inning. In total, the Yard Goats ended up walking five times and striking out 12.
On the pitching side, it was Cade Denton who blew the save by giving up a two-run homer to Nate Baez in the the sixth to tie the game. The third run was scored in the eighth, though, after Carlos Torres recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Max Ferguson and Nate Baez to lead the inning off. But then Brooks Bannon walked and stole second, but then Ronald Rosario singled to score Bannon before Nelly Taylor struck out looking to end the inning.
The Yard Goats return home to play the Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies) again. They went 2-4 in their last series in Reading three weeks ago.
The Indians got the scoring going early and never looked back. Tevin Tucker led off the ballgame with a double and then stole third base, which allowed him to score on a wild pitch. Jocob Hinderleider struck out swinging, but then back-to-back baserunners set up Kelvin Hidalgo for a three-run homer to put the Indians up 4-0 in the first inning.
In the fourth, Roynier Hernandez hit his own solo shot to put them up 5-0. The AquaSox finally struck back in the bottom of the inning, as Luis Suisbel and Axel Sanchez led off with back-to-back hits off Yujanyer Herrera. Anthony Donofrio singled to score Suisbel and make the score 5-1. The AquaSox scored two more runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh to make it a one-run game. But the Indians gave themselves some insurance with a Robert Calaz triple to score Kelvin Hidalgo, who reahced on a fielding error right before him.
The AquaSox scored another run in the eighth and tied it in the ninth on a lead-off Brandon Eike homer, but Tommy Hopfe doubled in the tenth to snatch the victory for the Indians. In total, the Indians walked four times and struck out nine; the AquaSox walked 11 times and struck out 15.
The Indians have two off days, and will head to Eugene to play the Emeralds (Giants) starting on Wednesday. To fit in a full six-game series, they are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
Like their major league brethren, the Fresno Grizzlies played a doubleheader today. Unfortunately, they were on the losing end of a sweep.
Their first game was a make-up of a suspended game from Saturday, where they ultimately lost 7-2. They got the scoring going early when Cameron Nelson led off with a solo home run. But the Quakes singled, reached on an error and walked to set up a two-RBI single by Marlon Quintero in the second. Two batters later, Hayden Alvarez singled to score two more Quakes and three batters after that, Lucas Ramirez singled to score two more and drive up the score 6-1. That’s when things were suspended on Saturday night. When the game resumed, it was a pretty uneventful game. In the bottom of the fourth, Derek Bernard homered to tack on another Grizzlies’ run. The final run was scored in eighth, when Anyelo Marquez hit a homer of his own.
In the second game, Rancho Cucamongs kicked things off in the first. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, and tacked on three more in the seventh. They completely blanked the Grizzlies, who were held to just three hits — a Clayton Gray double in the first, a Luis Mendez single in the fifth, and an Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) triple in the sixth.
They will head back on the road to face the Stockton Ports (Athletics) next.
Patrick Saunders wrote a wonderful profile on Mickey Moniak and his grandfather, Bill, who was coached by Ted Williams during his minor league days. Mickey, Bill and Matt (dad) all share stories of how their mutual love of baseball has connected them throughout the years, and how Mickey leaned on them during his early career struggles with the Phillies before having breakout years with the Rockies.
The All-Star Game isn’t for another 2.5 months, but folks are already starting to make way-too-early cases for players. In this case, SI makes the potential cases for eight players who might be deserving after the Rockies have only had one representative in each Midsummer Classic since 2021. How many players will the Rockies send to Philadelphia this year?
