This week on Sunday Night Baseball, the Cleveland Guardians head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Live coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock. See below for additional information on how to live stream the Guardians vs Braves game.
On April 12, 1966, the Braves played their very first game in Atlanta. Sunday's game marks the 60th anniversary of that day. Before moving to Atlanta, the team spent 13 seasons in Milwaukee.
Hall of Famers Andruw Jones, CC Sabathia, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber join NBC Sports’ announce team. Jason Benetti will provideplay-by-play in the booth with Kluber and Andruw Jones. Bob Costas will host the pregame show alongside Sabathia, who will also provide “Inside the Pitch” commentary during the game.
Sunday Night Baseball will make its debut March 29 with the Guardians vs. Mariners. The 18-game MLB Sunday Leadoff schedule will begin May 3, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays visiting the Twins in Minnesota. On Sunday, July 5, all 15 MLB games will be presented nationally across Peacock and NBC as part of a special all-day “Star-Spangled Sunday” showcase.
NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.
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Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year.
The Texas Rangers head to Dodger Stadium to face the Los Angeles Dodgers and strikeout artist Tyler Glasnow on Friday night.
My top Rangers vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks are calling for Glasnow to cruise through the Texas lineup in winning fashion in the April 10 nightcap.
Who will win Rangers vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -1.5 (-107)
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow has been dealing to start the year with a tidy 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 2.44 xFIP while holding opposing hitters to a miniscule 27.6% hard-hit rate.
The Dodgers are also second in both wOBA and ISO against righties, so I expect them to do damage against Texas Rangers starter Kumar Rocker given his 9.29 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 5.01 xFIP on the highway since the beginning of 2025.
Opposing hitters have teed off to the tune of a .451 wOBA against Rocker, too.
COVERS INTEL: Glasnow's 30.9 K% since 2024 is the fourth-highest mark among pitchers with at least 200 IP.
Rangers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 9 (-105)
I fully expect Glasnow to hold the Rangers in check, and while the Dodgers are positioned to put runs on the board, I’m not anticipating them sending this game Over the number on their own.
Texas ranks 22nd in OBP against right-handed pitchers and have only scored 3.7 runs per game. Additionally, the Rangers have hit the Under in five straight.
Finally, these are two solid bullpens, with Texas sporting the second-lowest ERA, and Los Angeles checking in 11th.
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 3-4, -0.99 units
Over/Under bets: 1-2, -1.2 units
Rangers vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Rangers +200 | Dodgers -245
Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-105) | Dodgers 11.5 (-115)
Over/Under: Over 9 (-110) | Under 9 (-110)
Rangers vs Dodgers trend
The Dodgers have covered the run line in 29 of their last 50 games (+10.75 Units / 18% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Rangers vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Friday, April 10, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
CW33, SportsNet LA
Rangers starting pitcher
Kumar Rocker (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
Rangers vs Dodgers latest injuries
Rangers vs Dodgers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Moreover, Woods Richardson has a career ERA of 11.35 against Toronto.
COVERS INTEL: Despite a 2.31 ERA through his first two starts, Wood Richardson's xERA is 3.99, and he ranks in the 37th percentile in xBA.
Twins vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)
I’ll continue to fade Woods Richardson in this matchup by taking the Over on his earned runs. He’s allowed five runs in each game against the Jays in his career, giving up five homers and a 1.240 OPS in two outings.
George Springer is starting to turn things around as well with hits and an RBI in back-to-back games. If the Jays pounce on SWR again tonight, he should be in position to drive in another run for a third straight game.
Twins vs Blue Jays SGP
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
Simeon Woods Richardson Over 2.5 earned runs
George Springer 1+ RBI
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Get the best Jays ML odds at BET99 — every game.
Twins vs Blue Jays home run pick: George Springer (+245)
This is a half unit bet.
Davis Schneider isn’t on the board quite yet, but if he gets a last-minute start tonight, I’d bet on him to take SWR deep. He’s 4-for-5 with three home runs against the Twins starter.
The other Jays hitter I like to go deep tonight would be Springer, who showed signs of a turnaround the other night.
His ability to hit the fastball, paired with the 50% usage on that pitch for SWR, should give Springer an edge to take it deep over the wall.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 3-8, -2.35 units
SGPs: 1-10, -6.50 units
HR picks: 2-9, -0.30 units
Twins vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: Twins +118 | Blue Jays -138
Run line: Twins +1.5 | Blue Jays -1.5
Over/Under: Over 9 | Under 9
Twins vs Blue Jays trend
The Blue Jays have covered the F5 run line in 15 of their last 22 games at home (+7.00 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Twins vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch Twins vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Friday, April 10, 2026
First pitch
7:07 p.m. ET
TV
MNNT, Sportsnet
Twins starting pitcher
Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1, 2.31 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Patrick Corbin (2025: 7-11, 4.40 ERA)
Twins vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Twins vs Blue Jays weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Let's kick off the weekend with some winners from our MLB best bets!
Our baseball experts have given their favorite MLB picks for today based on prices from Polymarket, which allows MLB fans across the country to get in on the baseball action.
Our favorite plays for today go back to a profitable Under well, back a roster with a favorable pitching matchup, and start early with a pick for the 2:20 p.m. ET game.
Sign up now using our exclusive Polymarket promo code 'COVERS' (on your mobile app only) and get a $20 trading bonus after you deposit $20 to trade on any other event contracts — including MLB expert picks!
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Josh Inglis' expert pick: White Sox/Royals Under 8.5
Price: 55¢ (-122) at Polymarket
Let's keep riding these Kansas City Royals Unders. They've moved to 9-4 to the Under and have scored just three runs over their last three games — all without facing top-end pitching. This sets up similarly to yesterday’s 2-0 game, with another comparable starting pitching matchup on tap against the White Sox. Conditions also lean Under, with temperatures still below 60 degrees and winds now blowing in at 10 mph (after blowing out at 20 mph last night). This number looks a bit inflated, and it should close closer to a flat 8.
Jon Metler's expert pick: Red Sox moneyline
Price: 58¢ (-138) at Polymarket
The Red Sox are trading at 58% on Polymarket, and that’s a price worth attacking — I make them closer to a 66% favorite today against the St. Louis Cardinals. Dustin May relies heavily on his power sinker, but when it doesn’t have its usual bite — especially against left-handed hitters — it tends to run into their barrels. Early in the season, that sinker hasn’t shown much movement, which is reflected in the numbers: lefties are batting .500 with a 1.542 OPS against him... and that’s where this matchup becomes a real concern: The Red Sox lineup is built to exploit it, with left-handed bats like Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu stacked at the top of the order.
Neil Parker's expert pick: Cubs moneyline
Price: 58¢ (-138) at Polymarket
The Chicago Cubs will receive a boost with Seiya Suzuki making his season debut this afternoon, and the Cubbies have also been on the unlucky side to start the year. They rank second in hard-hit rate and sixth in barrel percentage, so positive regression to a 25th-ranked BABIP is coming — and Pirates righty Carmen Mlodzinski is the perfect get-right candidate, surrendering a 68% hard-hit rate through two starts, with three of his five offerings having negative pitch values.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
San Diego, CA - April 9: New San Diego Padres City Connect themed apparel is displayed at Petco Park on April 9, 2026 in San Diego, CA.(Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
For six-plus innings Thursday night, Nolan McLean dazzled at Citi Field. He allowed just a pair of hits and his stuff was especially filthy, as Arizona hitters were largely overmatched.
But lefty Eduardo Rodríguez was nearly as good for the Diamondbacks, and when McLean faltered in the seventh inning, Luke Weaver came in and got knocked around, as the Mets lost their second straight, 7-1.
The D-backs, missing Corbin Carroll from their starting lineup due to a minor hip issue, struggled to come away with enough base traffic to cause problems for Mets starter Nolan McLean. With a rested New York bullpen, the path to victory looked bleak.
The D-backs had no answers for Mets starter Nolan McLean at that point in the ballgame. Corbin Carroll was out with a tight left hip flexor, which is not expected to be serious, and Gabriel Moreno was on the bench after catching the previous two games, leaving the lineup shorthanded.
But then, Geraldo Perdomo led off the seventh inning with a walk, and Jose Fernandez flared a one-out single to center.
Again, there hasn’t been another player like Ohtani in baseball and it’s going to be very hard for Major League Baseball to find someone else who can do what he can. But fans around the league should start learning about another two-way prospect: Austin Smith of the Toronto Blue Jays.
During Wednesday’s series finale, the Blue Jays again raised the issue of Shohei Ohtani’s warm-up time between innings when he’s getting ready to pitch. Ohtani ended the top of the first inning on second base, then returned to the dugout to ready himself to throw. He got to the mound with less than one minute remaining on the two-minute between-innings clock and was granted additional time for his eight warm-up pitches.
George Springer, Toronto’s leadoff hitter, checked with home plate umpire Dan Bellino about the two-minute timer. The Blue Jays raised the same issue during the World Series last year, specifically during Ohtani’s Game 7 start.
[Ed. Note] This is just such a dumb argument to me. As the article notes, they’re just playing by the same rule that has always been on the books regarding a pitcher getting extra time after running the bases. It just only applies to Ohtani now since there is the universal DH.
And what are they trying to accomplish with this? None of the other 28 teams have brought this issue up. Do the Blue Jays think that they are the sole defenders of the sanctity of the pitch clock? Honestly, it just comes across as being sore losers after the World Series. Not a good look, imo.
A new MLB season means a new batch of City Connect uniforms, and the league opted to unveil all eight in a coordinated rollout on Thursday.
Each City Connect is meant to be distinct from its team’s regular uniforms while incorporating various elements from its setting. There are some true highlights out there — and also some of the ugliest uniforms you’ll see on a professional baseball player.
The 2026 group of eight uniforms has a variety along those lines. Here’s how we ranked them:
[Ed. Note] I like the Pirates one, but most importantly, Rest In Hell to the horrible sherbet Padres uniforms
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: J.T. Ginn #35 of the Athletics #35 reacts after a catch made by Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics (not pictured) against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning A’s fans and welcome to another Friday!
The club has wrapped up the first New York series this week with a series win over the Yankees. The last couple of games were especially close but they managed to pull through and get their record to 5-7. Now they depart from the Bronx to head to Queens to take on the Mets for three games this weekend.
We have a new member of the rotation making his first start of the year for the club tonight. Right-hander JT Ginn will be called upon for the first start by someone other than someone in the Opening Day rotation, taking the place of Luis Morales, who was optioned to Triple-A earlier this week. As a fun little tidbit, Ginn will be pitching against the team that drafted him (the A’s acquired Ginn in exchange for Chris Bassitt way back in 2022), so he might have some extra motivation in him tonight. The 7-5 Mets await the Athletics for some weekend baseball.
Ginn began the year among the starting candidates for the Opening Day rotation, though he was never a favorite for a spot in the starting five to begin the season. The 26-year-old righty would have needed to seriously impress the coaching staff if he was going to leapfrog Morales or Jacob Lopez or otherwise hope for an injury. The club gave him a serious opportunity this spring with four starts (6 total appearances) but he struggled mightily, giving up 17 earned runs in just 15 innings of work. That made it obvious that he would not be among the starting five and the expectation at the time was that after a tough camp he’d be the odd-man out and head to Triple-A to start the year.
We had a surprise for the Opening Day roster however as Ginn made the cut over Jack Perkins, who went down to Las Vegas instead. It was a long man role but Ginn still was in Toronto to open the year against the Blue Jays. As the team’s designated long reliever to start the year Ginn has only made three appearances. His first one went fantastic as he pitched nearly four full innings in relief of Morales, who had a short start against the Jays. His most recent two outings have not been as smooth, allowing two runs in each appearance. The right-hander seems stretched out enough to handle the first few frames and that’s likely the plan tonight. If he can make it through the Mets’ batting order one time without getting hit around then the A’s would gladly take that.
The A’s have made a roster move to bolster their staff for tonight’s series opener when they recalled Perkins from Las Vegas. It looks like he’ll be piggybacking after Ginn as the two of them will form a 1-2 punch against the Mets tonight. Perkins was in the same boat as Ginn this spring: theoretically a candidate to break camp with the club in the rotation, but realistically on the outside looking in. Since being in Triple-A he’s actually only made three appearances in relief. He’s been so-so, with one blowup appearance, a quality outing, and then another decent performance last time out when he only allowed a solo home run. What can we expect from the righty in his first big league game of the year?
The rest of the series lines up to be Jacob Lopez versus Kodai Senga on Saturday morning, and Aaron Civale gets the ball for the finale against Freddy Peralta. Thanks to the A’s winning the series against the Yankees they have a chance to finish the road trip with better than .500 record. That’d require a sweep but the A’s are starting to play some good baseball. And with the Mariners faltering hard in the early going the A’s can put some distance between themselves and last place in the AL West.
The Mets are doing solidly enough in the early going as well but they’ll be down their best player in Juan Soto during this upcoming series. The A’s are catching them at the right time in that regard, but the A’s may be down one of their big boppers themselves after Brent Rooker exited yesterday’s finale early. No word yet on the severity of it but his consecutive games played streak is now in jeopardy of being broken. Fingers crossed our DH can make it into the lineup tomorrow, or at the very least be available off the bench.
Perhaps we’ll soon be getting a Gelof sighting? He’s been demolishing the ball in Triple-A:
Zack Gelof has been placed on the Las Vegas taxi squad, which is what happened with Jack Perkins just before he was called up. So there's a good chance we'll be seeing Zack Gelof in NYC this weekend. He's been slashing .366/.519/.732 through 11 games at Vegas this season.
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 10, 2026
A quick look back at Springs’ dominance yesterday:
6.1 innings of no-hit baseball in hostile territory for Jeffery Springs today
The lefty dominated with a heavier than usual dose of SL and CH. Today’s mix helped generate a 35% Whiff%, 9% higher then his 2025 average
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 01: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners fields the ball against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park on April 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone and happy Friday!
The Mariners kick off the first of 13 games in a row today with a four-game homestand against the rival Astros. With several Mariners struggling through the first two weeks, this will serve as an opportunity to bounce back. Which player are you picking to right the ship during this stretch? I’m going with Josh Naylor.
In Mariners news…
Angela Lim at The Seattle Times outlined what you should eat at T-Mobile Park this year.
Jim Bowden argued that even when Bryce Miller comes back from injury, the Mariners should not consider trading a starting pitcher.
Brendan Donovan has been hot with the bat to start the season, but he’s still getting used to his new defensive home at third base. Shannon Drayer has the story.
Are you familiar with the secret door at T-Mobile Park that provides Gonzo cocktails? Zach Geballe shared the details of this new delight.
Old friend Jorge Polanco is off to a slow start to the season with the Mets, and is now dealing with an Achilles issue that has kept him out of the lineup for a few days.
Hey, look! The Cubs don’t have to face Paul Skenes in this series — and he’s made more career starts against the Cubs than any other team, seven of his total of 58. Skenes, incidentally, currently has the highest ERA of any Pirates starter. Don’t expect that to be the case much longer, though.
Austin Bechtold is a writer at our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. Here’s what he has to say about them.
Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
The division rivals played 13 times last season. Chicago won 10. The Cubs outscored the Pirates 54-26 and hit .256 against Pittsburgh’s pitching.
Chicago smacked an impressive 16 home runs, compared to the Pirates’ five, and earned a .740 OPS. The Pirates batted .182 as a team with a .523 OPS.
In all its charm, Wrigley Field has been a house of horrors for the Pirates in recent years.
The Pirates (7-5) look to set a new precedent in 2026, beginning this three-game series at Wrigley on Friday.
In his first full season as manager, Don Kelly has watched a dreadful offense come to life through the first 12 games.
After hitting a league-worst 117 home runs, the Pirates have already smashed 12, tied for eighth in MLB, and at one point held the National League lead.
A big reason why is offseason additions Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have hit three apiece.
The offense ranks tied for 9th in hits per game (8.3), 9th in average (.247), 6th in on-base (.338), 8th in slugging (.383), and 7th in OPS (.721). The Bucs consistently ranked in the bottom third, if not last, in every category last year.
One early carryover is strong starting pitching. Pittsburgh owns the 6th best starters ERA at 2.87, third in the NL behind the Cubs (2.72) and Atlanta Braves (2.79).
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller pitched in the Padres series at PNC Park, meaning the club will be without their top two arms against a vaunted Cubs (6-6) lineup.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball on Friday, opposite Shota Imanaga, who has dominated the Pirates for what feels like more than a decade (despite it only being three years).
Mlodzinski has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts, but hasn’t been able to pitch out of the fifth inning. The third time through the order is where Mlodzinski, primarily a reliever in his career, has struggled to get through innings.
Saturday plates Braxton Ashcraft against Edward Cabrera, who hasn’t allowed a run in 11.2 innings for Chicago since being traded from the Marlins.
Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s surprise starter after an impressive rookie year. Ashcraft earned a 2.71 ERA over 69.2 innings spanning 26 appearances, eight starts.
He has pitched six frames in each of his first two outings and allowed two runs or fewer both times.
All three games have solid pitching probables, but Sunday’s might be the most fascinating.
Former Pirate Jameson Taillon takes the ball against Bubba Chandler. The No. 11 overall prospect and second-highest ranked pitcher at the start of the season, Chandler touches 101 MPH with his fastball.
The problem is, you don’t always know where it’s going. Chandler’s control remains a main concern, as he has walked 10 batters in 8.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit over 4.1 innings in his season debut at Cincinnati, but walked six and struck out six.
Chandler walked four against the Padres on Monday and allowed five hits and three runs. He has elite stuff, but has work to do to become a consistent pitcher that the rotation can depend on.
Chicago was the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, providing three important games in April for who might take the grand prize in late September.
If the Pirates are going to begin to prove that their start and chances to compete in the Central aren’t a fluke, it begins on the road against a very good team.
Fun facts
The Cubs have played 2,621 previous games against the Pirates, their most against any opponent. They have played 2,525 vs. the Cardinals and 2,429 vs. the Reds.
Their 1,286 wins and 1,317 losses both are the most vs. an opponent. Their 605 losses at home are their most and their 690 wins at home are their third most, behind 715 vs. the Cardinals and 700 vs. the Reds.
Since 2015, the Cubs have won the season series against the Pirates every year while going 113-68-1 overall and 57-31 at Wrigley Field. They were 10-3 last year, including 5-2 at home.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Curtis Mead #45 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park on April 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Not much was made of the March 28 trade between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago White Sox, when the Nats sent minor league catcher Boston Smith for first baseman Curtis Mead, who was designated for assignment three days earlier.
A 25-year-old now on his fourth franchise, he had posted just a .231 batting average, .304 on-base percentage, and .632 OPS with 6 home runs and 34 runs batted in across 460 MLB at-bats. He secured a spot on the major league roster after the conclusion of the team’s first series and has absolutely run with every opportunity he’s been given.
The season is still in its earliest stages, but of all the issues plaguing the Nationals in their early 4-8 skid to open the season, Mead has certainly not been one of them. Mead was a former top 50 prospect in the sport, so this is a player with pedigree. He was known as a pure hitter in the minors, but so far that has not translated in big leagues. However, there is a chance, even if it is slim, that he has unlocked something in DC.
He’s seen 17 total plate appearances in 6 games since being activated, and has come out to a flaming hot start. After going hitless in his first 2 games against the Philadelphia Phillies, the first team he saw time in the minor leagues with, he’s recorded a hit in 5 of his last 11 at-bats. Of those hits, 2 have been doubles and 1 was a home run, tacking on 3 RBIs, a stolen base, and 3 walks en route to a .333/.412/667 slash line on the season so far.
Obviously, it’s unreasonable to make any definitive statements on a player just a handful of games under their belt. It’s far from a rare occurrence to see players come out swinging and quickly taper off, but the rise in advanced stats has made it far easier to predict what’s real and what’s a facade.
It’s an extremely small sample…but with everything that Taboni has cooked so far…I think we’re on 👀 watch.
Crazier things have happened than a post hype breakout with an analytically savvy team… pic.twitter.com/QxEFt2c7dy
— ProspectVibeCheck (@PrspctVibeCheck) April 9, 2026
Baseball Savant is by far the most popular database for under-the-hood metrics, and taking one look at Mead’s full profile shows some extremely favorable signs. Every single one of his listed offensive statistics grades out at an above-average percentile, albeit he hasn’t yet recorded enough batted ball data to qualify for a full breakdown. What is available, however, should spark plenty of hope among the Nats fanbase.
Throwing out a few numbers, he’s posted an expected batting average (xBA) of .321, an average exit velocity of 94.2 MPH, and is squaring up the ball at a borderline elite level, all while rarely whiffing at anything.
For the record, while these numbers can lead to a comfortable regression to the mean, they definitely aren’t an end-all be-all. Even so, it would be unwise to chalk up his electric Nationals introduction to just fluky April baseball. Mead has flat-out been a fantastic baseball player to begin his Washington tenure, and if he can continue to post at the plate, President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni might have his first big analytical win since joining the organization.
Apr 8, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers (16) looks on after hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | Justine Willard-Imagn Images
It’ll be a black and orange fest at Camden Yards this weekend as the San Francisco Giants roll into town for an interleague matchup. The two similarly colored teams from opposite coasts and opposite leagues are infrequent opponents. The Orioles have faced the Giants just 27 times in their history, going 14-13. This is the Giants’ first visit to Camden Yards since 2024, when the Orioles averted a sweep on Anthony Santander’s walkoff homer in the series finale. The Giants also took two out of three from the O’s in San Francisco last year.
One familiar name in the Giants lineup is Rafael Devers, a longtime division rival of the Orioles during his Boston days. San Francisco took on the disgruntled Devers and his $300+ million salary from the Red Sox in a shocking trade last June, and since then his bat hasn’t resembled his Beantown best. Devers is hitting just .220/.278/.360 with two homers in 13 games this year. The O’s, who also have a high-priced first baseman who is currently hitting well below his career numbers, can commiserate.
Otherwise, though, the Giants’ infield has been carrying the team offensively, with veterans Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and three-time batting title winner Luis Arraez all hitting well so far. The outfield, on the other hand, has been a huge problem. Corner guys Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos each have an OPS+ of 29, which is horrid, but not as horrid as Harrison Bader’s 2. Yes, that’s an OPS+ of two. The veteran center fielder, signed as a free agent, is batting .114/.149/.205 with five hits in 47 PAs.
Overall, the Giants’ team OPS of .618 is tied for the third-worst in the majors. They’ve hit only five homers all season, last in MLB. They didn’t score their first run of the season until their third game, and didn’t score their second until Game 4. This is a struggling lineup that Orioles pitchers really need to exploit.
San Francisco’s pitching staff hasn’t been much better. Their longtime ace and Jesse Plemons lookalike Logan Webb has a 5.00 ERA through three starts, though most of that damage was done on Opening Night when he gave up seven runs to the Yankees. The rest of the rotation has been decidedly mediocre aside from Robbie Ray, who has a 2.08 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP in three starts. The O’s, fortunately, will miss him in this series.
The Giants, like the Orioles, have a rookie manager, but San Francisco’s was a much more unconventional pick. The Giants hired Tony Vitello, previously the head coach at the University of Tennessee, who became the first manager in MLB history hired directly from the college ranks. The early returns on Vitello haven’t been great, and fans are already mad at him for airing the team’s dirty laundry, among other things.
Roupp (pronounced ROOP, not ROWP) is a third-year righty with excellent taste in birthdays who moved to the Giants’ rotation full time last season. He’s a league average-ish pitcher who gets by on his quality offspeed pitches — a curveball and changeup — rather than his underwhelming fastball. At least there aren’t any Orioles hitters who struggle to hit breaking balls, right? …Right?
The last time Baz walked off the mound on April 4, his ERA was 3.27. Now it’s 80 points higher, thanks to a scoring change from his start in Pittsburgh that changed an error to a hit (and an unearned run to an earned run). Still, his Pirates outing was a nice bounceback from his rough O’s debut a week earlier. This will be Baz’s first career outing against the Giants, one of six MLB teams he’s never faced. But he has faced Devers, and has been dominant against him, holding him hitless in eight at-bats.
There is no local broadcast of this game. It will stream exclusively on Apple TV+.
Game 2: Saturday, 7:15 PM, FOX
RHP Logan Webb (1-1, 5.00) vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (0-2, 14.21)
Woof. On paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the series. As mentioned, Webb got lit up by the Yankees in MLB’s season-opening game, but he’s been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in baseball for the past six years, earning Cy Young votes every season from 2022-25. He’s a true workhorse in a day and age when such things are rare; Webb has thrown at least 204 innings in each of the past three seasons. He’ll generally allow his share of hits but they rarely turn into sustained rallies, because he doesn’t walk many batters (career 2.1 BB/9) and rarely allows home runs (0.6 HR/9). The two Orioles who have faced him the most, Pete Alonso and Tyler O’Neill, are a combined 5-for-30, so this might not be the day for the Polar Bear to break out of his deep freeze.
Meanwhile, Bassitt’s introduction to Baltimore has gone as badly as possible. In two starts, he’s been bombed for 10 runs, 12 hits, and six walks — plus three HBPs — in just 6.1 innings. It’s the full Charlie Morton experience. Unless the 37-year-old Bassitt has just hit the wall, he’s not supposed to be this bad (the Orioles hope). If he aims to bounce back against the Giants, he’ll need to be very careful with Devers, who has owned him with a 10-for-20, three-homer performance in his career. On the other hand, Bassitt has been brilliant against Adames (0-for-11, five strikeouts).
Game 3: Sunday, 1:35 PM, 1:35 PM, MASN
RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 3.97) vs. LHP Cade Povich (0-0, 3.18)
Show of hands, who picked Game 15 of the season as the first time we’d see a Cade Povich start this season? With all due respect to Cade, I was hoping that number would be in the triple digits. Or not at all. But with Zach Eflin having Tommy John surgery and Dean Kremer still stuck in the minors, the O’s are once again giving a shot to Povich, whose first 36 major league starts resulted in a 5.20 ERA and all too many abbreviated outings. I’m not expecting much from Cade, though he did have a workmanlike performance in long relief against the Pirates last week.
The Giants counter with the journeyman Houser, playing for his fifth team in the last four years. He was drafted by Mike Elias during his Astros days, a second-round pick in 2011, before being traded as a minor leaguer to the Brewers in 2015. After seven years in Milwaukee he bounced around to the Mets, White Sox, and Rays before landing with the Giants this offseason. The 33-year-old has faced the Orioles just twice in his career, including once with the White Sox last season, when he allowed nine baserunners in 6.1 innings but still managed a quality start. If the Orioles’ bats are going to heat up, this is the kind of pitcher to do it against.
How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series? Let us know in the comments below.
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 03: Jeff McNeil #22 of the Athletics watches the fireworks show with his family after the game between the Houston Astros and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a less-than-encouraging series to start the homestand, the Mets (7-6) will try to conclude on a higher note as they welcome the Oakland Sacramento Athletics (5-7) to Citi Field. The two teams squared off in California last April, with New York besting the A’s in two out of the three games.
The weather was cold, and the Mets’ bats were colder in a series loss to the Diamondbacks in which they won the first game 4-3 in walk-off fashion but fell 7-2 on Wednesday and 7-1 on Thursday. Tuesday’s win saw the Mets jump out 2-0 by the second inning before their bats disappeared until the eighth. Arizona put up a three-spot—aided by an ABS challenge overturn that directly led to the three runs—in the fifth, but the Mets scratched out a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to knot up the game. That set the stage for Ronny Mauricio to play hero, as Juan Soto’s roster replacement lined a single in the tenth in his first at-bat of the year to give New York the win.
The good vibes were shortlived, as the team appeared lifeless in their loss on Wednesday afternoon—like on Tuesday, this game was moved up to 4:10pm to deal with cold conditions, in front of a sparse and bundled-up crowd at Citi Field. David Peterson allowed five runs through the first two frames, and New York really could not recover. Sean Manaea was mostly solid in relief, but gave up two runs on a ball that Luis Robert Jr. dropped in the ninth. Nolan McLean took the mound on Thursday and was dominant, allowing just one hit through five and pitching into the seventh. However, with a 1-0 lead and two runners on, he was removed in favor of Luke Weaver, who had his first rough outing as a Met as he blew the lead and allowed four runs—two charged to McLean, and two charged to his ledger. Luis García allowed three in the eighth to put the game well out of New York’s reach.
The returns so far in Soto’s absence has been mixed. After an offensive outburst in the 2 8/9 games he missed in San Francisco, the Mets’ lineup looked listless. Some of it could likely be attributed to cold conditions and a lack of enthusiasm from the crowd, but it’s also hard to deny that the lineup generally looks a lot emptier without Soto’s bat in the lineup. With guys like Francisco Lindor continuing to struggle, and Jorge Polanco missing some time due to his achilles, it’s putting a lot of pressure on newcomers like Robert and Bo Bichette to pick up the slack, and an added burden on youngers like Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Francisco Alvarez to become impact bats in the lineup.
The A’s are coming off a series win in the Bronx, as they took two out of three from the Yankees. This follows a series in which they took two of three at home from the Astros. They did so in vastly different ways: They used offense to topple Houston, winning by scores of 11-4 and 12-0 (while losing the middle game 12-0), while their pitching excelled at Yankee Stadium, with 3-2 and 1-0 wins after losing the first game 5-3. The former should be no surprise, given how offense-friendly their temporary home ballpark has proven to be.
Shea Langaliers has gotten off to a torrid start this season for the A’s, slashing .289/.333/.644 with a 182 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR in 48 plate appearances. Among qualified American League bats, he’s 11th in wRC+ and tied for 15th in fWAR. Meanwhile, his five home runs are tied for the league lead, while his .978 OPS is 11th in the league, just ahead of teammate Max Muncy. Speaking of Muncy, he has a 161 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR in the same number of plate appearances, with two home runs and a team-leading 11 runs scored. Checking in on old friend Jeff McNeil, he has a 92 WRC+ and 0.1 fWAR in 35 plate appearances so far in his new home, and has a .258/.343/.290 slash line so far.
Friday, April 10: Clay Holmes vs. J.T. Ginn, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX
Holmes hurled seven shutout frames in his last outing as he earned his second win in as many starts this season. He was efficient with his pitches, throwing 90 across the seven frames, with 61 of them (68%) going for strikes. He issued two walks and struck our four, and he limited San Francisco to just three hits in the win. Holmes continues to excel as a starter, and he’s once again been one of the anchors to the team’s rotation early on in the season.
Ahead of the 2022 MLB season, J.T. Ginn was ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect on Amazin’ Avenue’s prospect rankings. Then the Mets traded him during that spring training in a package for Chris Bassitt, and Ginn has been in the Athletics’ system ever since, breaking through with the team in 2024. He spent much of the last two seasons oscillating between reliever and starter but he’s made all three of his appearances as a reliever this year before his spot start on Friday. He did make his first start of 2025 against the Mets as well and earned the victory (the second of his career), as he hurled 5 1/3 inning of one-run ball with six strikeouts and two walks.
Saturday, April 11: Kodai Senga vs. Jacob Lopez, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Senga returning to form has been one of the highlights of the early season, and a much welcome sight for a team that was debating trading the right-hander over the offseason. The right-hander threw five shutout innings his last start and was prime to finish up six shutout frames before running out of gas during his last two batters. He finished up with 5 2/3 pitches, allowing two earned runs on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. It’s still early, but signs have been very positive, dating back to spring, that Senga is back to his old self, and if he can stay healthy, he should continue to find success the way he’s been throwing.
Lopez is coming off the best year of his young career, finishing with a career-best 1.1 bWAR and finishing 2025 with a 4.08 ERA in 21 games (17 starts). However, he’s gotten off to a rough start this year, and it’s easy to point to the main culprit. Lopez has walked six batters against just six strikeouts in his two outings. In fact, in his first start, he walked five without striking out a batter, and then followed up that up with five more walks. Across the two starts, he’s thrown just 53% of his pitches (97 out of 183) for strikes. He will need to improve his control if he wants to get his season back on track.
Sunday, April 12: Freddy Peralta vs. Aaron Civale, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY
Peralta’s final line his last time out wasn’t as bad as it looked (4 2/3, three earned runs, three hits, three walks, five strikeouts) as he pitched four scoreless frames before tiring out in the fifth and failing to record the third and final out of the fifth. His ledger may have remained clean—he exited having allowed no earned runs with two outs in the frame—but a successful ABS challenge overturned an inning-ending strikeout and immediately led to the three runs scoring. Peralta also was less than efficient, needing 101 pitches to get through the outing and struggling with a high pitch count and deep counts from the first inning, which did not help his cause.
Civale has gone five innings in each of his two outings so far and has had mostly strong results. His first time out, he earned the win against the Braves, allowing two earned runs on four hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. He followed that up by allowing one earned run on two hits in a no decision against the Yankees. However, in that start, he walked four which was less than ideal, though he did also strike out three batters.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 07: Riley Greene #31 of the Detroit Tigers reacts to striking out against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Target Field on April 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 4-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a quiet day around baseball and particularly in the Yankees’ dugout, the Bombers getting one-hit to lose the rubber match against the Athletics, 1-0, with hardly a whimper of protest. There were only five other games around the league on this sleepy Thursday, and only one we’ll cover today for Rivalry Roundup, the Twins completing a four-game sweep of the Tigers to relegate the clawless cats to last place in the AL Central in the very early going.
Minnesota Twins (7-6) 3, Detroit Tigers (4-9) 1
This game featured two of the most profligate starting pitchers through the first two weeks, Twins starter Mick Abel entering the contest with an 11.05 ERA while Tigers starter Jack Flaherty wasn’t much better at a 7.56 ERA. Abel was the headliner in the deal that netted the Phillies closer Jhoan Duran at the last trade deadline while Flaherty declined his offseason opt-out to remain with the Tigers for a $20 million salary in 2026. Both pitchers came into this game having walked as many as they struck out, neither reaching the five inning mark in any of their appearances.
Both rebounded from such disappointing opens to their seasons to make this an actual pitchers’ duel. Flaherty went 5.2 innings, allowing a run on five hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts. However, it was Abel who came out on top with his six scoreless innings, the Twins righty allowing four hits and walking three while also tallying a half-dozen strikeouts. Abel doubled Flaherty’s whiff total — 14 to seven — his 95 mph four-seamer overpowering the Tigers lineup to achieve a 40-percent whiff rate.
In truth, this was far from an exhibition in timely hitting by either team, the Tigers going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight while the Twins were only slightly better — 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and nine men stranded. Detroit made Abel work early but with nothing to show for it. Colt Keith led off the first with a walk followed by a Gleyber Torres single to put a pair on with no outs. The second followed an identical trajectory, Zach McKinstry drawing a leadoff walk followed by a Javier Báez single. However, Abel struck out a pair both times before getting the inning-ending batted ball out. He also erased one-out doubles by Riley Greene in the third and Báez in the fourth.
Minnesota struck first in the fourth, Josh Bell blasting a booming leadoff home run to continue a hot start to the season for the DH — now with three home runs, ten RBIs, and a 204 wRC+ in his first 13 games.
After that, it was the Twins’ turn to be inefficient with runners on. Bell and Matt Wallner smacked one-out singles in the sixth while they put a further pair on in the seventh on an Austin Martin single and Byron Buxton walk, only to strand all four runners. That gave the Tigers the opportunity to tie the game in the seventh, Jake Rogers reaching on a HBP and advancing to third on a one-out single from Keith before jogging home on a Torres sac fly.
There was a really scary moment in the eighth, Bell hitting a leadoff liner to left-center that resulted in a collision between Greene and Parker Meadows. Meadows remained down on the field for several minutes, and though he was able to stand up with some assistance, the center fielder had to be carted off, the severity of the injury as yet unknown.
As it happens, those events signaled the beginning of the Twins’ game winning rally. The next batter Wallner drew a walk and advanced to second on a Victor Caratini single. Reliever Will Vest struck out Kody Clemens to draw within an out of escaping the jam, but Royce Lewis kept the rally alive with a two-out single to load the bases. With the righty Vest on the mound, Derek Shelton chose to pinch-hit the switch-hitting Brooks Lee for Martin, and boy did it pay off. Lee fought back from 0-2 down to eventually force a full count, and on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, he pulled a center-cut fastball through the right side and under the diving attempt by McKinstry to plate Wallner and Caratini as the winning runs.
After winning their first two games of the season, the Tigers have now lost nine of eleven to fall to last place in the division. Meanwhile, with the win the Twins creep over .500 for the first time since last June and find themselves second behind the Guardians.
COLUMBUS, GA - MARCH 31: David McCabe #24 of the Columbus Clingstones poses for a photo during the Columbus Clingstones photo day at Synovus Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 in Columbus, Georgia. (Photo by Kaylinn Gilstrap/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The affiliates left much to be desired on Thursday evening, but the one man who kept his great season rolling was David McCabe. McCabe has homered in half of Columbus’s games so far, and his performance led to the only win in the system. In Augusta Luis Arestigueta made his season debut and looked sharp, striking out six batters over three innings.
Carlos Carrasco, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2.40 ERA
Hayden Harris, RP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 6.23 ERA
It was a drag on the offensive end for the Gwinnett Stripers, who struggled to get anything going throughout this game save for a single big swing from Jim Jarvis. While the Sounds were applying steady pressure throughout the game the Stripers had no real signs of life with two outs in the fifth inning, when Sandy Leon poked a bloop hit the other way for just his second hit this season. On the very next pitch Brewer Hicklen hit a sharp liner back up the middle and into center field, and for the first time in the game Gwinnett was threatening a bit with two runners on and the top of the order up to bat. With the game sitting on a one run margin Jarvis had a chance to make a huge impact on this game, and the Sounds were giving him a diet of sliders on the inning half of the plate. When the count ran to 2-2 Jarvis got a slider that stayed in the top of the zone and he turned on it, hooking it fair down the right field line and into the visitor bullpen for a three-run home run. Aaron Shunk got Gwinnett right back rolling with their fourth straight hit, but the fun ended on a Rowdy Tellez strikeout and the Sounds clawed those runs back in the late innings. In the sixth the Stripers had a huge chance to score after a Ben Gamel leadoff walk that was followed by a double from Jose Azocar, but the left fielder cut the ball off before it could reach the wall and held Gamel at third base. The next two Stripers struck out with runners in scoring position, and Leon ended the inning with an infield pop up, spoiling what would be by far the biggest chance for Gwinnett in the later half of the game. Hicklen’s single to lead off the next inning was the final hit they would get in the game, and even he didn’t last on the basepaths when a laser from Schunk went straight at the third baseman with Hicklen running, turning into an inning-ending double play.
While the offense was in the pits Carlos Carrasco kept Gwinnett around in this game with a strong outing that saw him cover five innings of one-run ball. His early inning work was a bit shaky with the first two batters netting singles and former Striper Eddys Leonard tagging him for a second inning home run, but he found a rhythm quickly and begin retiring the order with ease. Carrasco allowed only one hit over the final three innings, and after that swing from Jarvis he was in line for a win. Unfortunately that lead would quickly dwindle and flip, as Anthony Molina had an outing that was marked by a huge defensive mistake. Though Molina was shaky and gave up a lot of contact, in the sixth inning he had the Sounds down to the final out with two runners on and none in, and he forced a soft roller over to the left side. Luke Williams made the pick and tossed to first, but put it in the dirt and the ball got past Tellez allowing two runners to score and tie the game. Molina came in for another inning and once again Eddys Leonard made his presence felt, hitting his second home run of the game to give the Sounds the lead and in the end the game. The only pitcher to slow him down was Hayden Harris, who appeared in the ninth inning just to face Leonard. A caught stealing accounted for the second out while Harris was on the mound, and Harris needed just four fastballs to retire Leonard on swings.
Owen Murphy, SP: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 5.40 ERA
Jhancarlos Lara, RP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 6.75 ERA
The Clingstones had some issues making contact in this game, recording 13 strikeouts and only six hits, but the Biscuits issued free pass after free pass to the top of the lineup and eventually they would take advantage of the wildness of the Montgomery staff. First, they walked the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning, only for a strikeout and a double play to eliminate a huge threat. Montgomery took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, and after three innings held fast to a 3-0 advantage. The second time through the order David McCabe made an impact with the lumber, crushing a monster home run to center field to put the Clingstones on the board. Jordan Groshans made it back-to-back home runs to pull Columbus within a run, but the fireworks faded and Columbus went back to struggling in key moments with runners on. In the top of the eighth inning they had another good chance with the top of the order up to bat, and once again the Biscuits issued three consecutive walks to load the bases. With the tying run on second base Drew Compton hit a dangerous grounder over to the right side of the infield, but the second baseman bobbled the ball a bit after tagging out Jordan Groshans, and that delay ensured that Compton had plenty of time to get to first and prevent the double play. Adam Zebrowski tied the game up with a base hit, a feat matched by Ambioris Tavarez who landed an inside-out liner just inside the right field line to give Columbus their first lead of the day. A wild pitch scored one more and Ethan Workinger fit a chopper perfectly between second base and short, extending the inning to a five run outburst and giving Columbus a comfortable lead.
Owen Murphy really struggled in this game as he could not find his command at all and Montgomery took advantage quickly. Murphy walked four batters and hit another, and never really seemed to settle in with the command of any of his pitches. In the third inning he allowed that hit batter and three walks in a span of just five batters, and after a base hit forced in the third run allowed Murphy was yanked from the game for Samuel Strickland. This was a highly out of character outing for Murphy, whose last remotely similar game as a professional came on July 20, 2023 when he walked four and struck out four over three innings. It’s just the third time he’s walked more hitters than he has struck out as a professional. After a shaky opener last week Jhancarlos Lara got back in the saddle with a good performance, limiting the action to just one walk and no hits over 1 2/3 innings and earning the win. The same cannot be said of Elison Joseph, who managed to not allow any runs despite walking four of the nine batters he faced. Joseph had a terrific outing last week and gave some hope he may turn things around after a disappointing regression last season, but this is more of the old ways we saw last season where he really seems to have no idea where the ball is going.
Swing and Misses
Jhancarlos Lara – 4
Samuel Strickland – 4
(3-3) Rome Emperors 5, (4-2) Bowling Green Hot Rods 10
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 6.35 ERA
It’s been a rough start to the season for Cedric De Grandpre and his command, as both outings have featured him struggling to find the strike zone. His first outing features enough control to work around his bad moments and keep a good final line, but in this one it was all over the place and he ran out of leash quickly. The first inning was solid enough despite a walk, but it all fell apart after a leadoff home run in the second inning. De Grandpre allowed three hits and two walks before being pulled, and if it wasn’t for a failed double steal attempt it could have been an even uglier line. Colin Burgess recording two caught stealing in the inning really kept the game reasonable for the time being, but that didn’t last. Jacob Shafer let up three more runs in the next inning, and just a third of the way through the game was already out of hand. After Shafer gave up two more runs in the fourth inning it was a beat down, and all of Rome’s runs came with the game well in hand.
The Rome lineup had all sorts of trouble with Bowling Green starter Jacob Kisting, who struck out the side in the first inning. It took four innings before a bloop single from Colby Jones had the Emperors in the hit column, but all the while Bowling Green was scoring the Emperors had no real answer. Logan Braunschweig finally got some good lumber on the ball and led off in the fifth inning with a single, and despite no more hits in the inning he was able to advance and score to get Rome off of the goose egg before Kisting left the game. Immediately the Emperors had more success against the mop up guys for Bowling Green, with Eric Hartman drawing a walk and scoring a run on a Mason Guerra double. Still the top of the order didn’t really have much say (especially with Gil and Owen Carey both sitting this one out), but that would change in the seventh inning. Isaiah Drake floated a single into center field to put runners on the corner, bringing up Cody Miller who has really struggled in the few games he’s played this year. He had a great swing in this at bat, though, hitting a deep fly ball to left field that fell for a corner and brought in Miller’s first RBI of the season. Isaiah Drake has struggled a bit with an elevated strikeout rate in the small sample so far this season, and there is a level of expectation that will happen as he tries to tap into his power more often, but it doesn’t seem to be a matter of any swing deficiencies causing it. His timing is fine and he’s making solid contact when he does get to the ball, so with a bigger sample size he should start to see his strikeout rate trickle back down to the impressive numbers we saw last season. He has, at least in this sample, been a lot more patient than he was in his 32 games in High-A last season. He got far too aggressive last season on borderline pitches and his walk rate plummeted after being promoted, but in his leadoff role this season he is showing a good eye and attacking the pitches he wants to hit more often, another good sign for him in the few times we’ve gotten to see him.
Swing and Misses
Cedric De Grandpre – 7
Jacob Kroeger – 6
Isaac Gallegos – 5
(2-4) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (2-4) Delmarva Shorebirds 7
Landon Biedelschies, SP: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 15.00 ERA
Luis Arestigueta, RP: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2.25 ERA
If you were hoping for a happy ending to a pretty lackluster day on the farm it’s not going to come in Augusta, as the GreenJackets had their worst collective offensive performance of the young season. Five hits to 15 strikeouts is never the ratio you want to see, and even some of the game’s bright spots came with their caveats. Tate Southisene drew two walks, but also struck out in his first two at bats both on pitches out of the strike zone. Southisene has been a bit off at the plate so far this season, with a handful of ugly at bats and a lot of swing-and-miss with an approach that’s bordered on too patient early in counts. Now, it could be the Braves trying to get him to see pitches, a teaching style that has become more common to the Braves in recent years, but it’s the contact that’s been the most unfortunate. So far it’s been mostly soft ground balls from Southisene and it’s clear the approach on what pitches he can drive needs a bit of work. Luis Guanipa had a couple of hits, one a hard hit line drive up the middle, but it’s been more of the same for him early this season. While he has the bat speed and barrel presence to make contact at a high rate he just swings at way too much and his swing mechanics aren’t consistent enough for him to drive the ball. The lack of walks is getting scarier and scarier and his swing decisions need to take a massive leap to get him to a point he can compete at the High-A level and make that jump.
Thursday featured two good Landon Beidelschies innings and one very sad one. Beidelschies was leaning heavily on his slider this outing, and while he mostly kept it in the zone and low in the early innings as he kept pounding them in there they started to get higher and more on his arm side. His release point deteriorated the deeper he went into the game. and the Shorebirds were all over anything he left in the strike zone. They racked up six straight hits in the third inning and scored five runs before Beidelschies was finally able to pick off a runner and get a strikeout to escape the nightmare. The most promising performance for either side of the ball came by Luis Arestigueta, who was terrific in his relief appearance finishing this game. Arestigueta commanded his fastball and slider well, and with the quality of those pitches he can always have some success if he stays around the zone. He slider had a sharp bite off the plate and he showed a more vertical fastball, one he was able to put at the top of the zone and get hitters to swing under. He hit a bit of a wall in the third inning and issued a walk, hit a batter, then walked another, but he settled back down with a strikeout and retired the final three guys in the inning. After a disappointing 2025 season this is a huge start to the year for Arestigueta, who has a great base with his slider and projectability. He didn’t utilize the changeup in this offering and that’s still a distant third pitch for him, but the main goal for him will be to stay in the rotation and get more than 42 innings this season.
Tonight in Seattle the Astros (6-7) and Mariners (4-9) meet. This is only slightly overstating it: Houston can’t pitch and Seattle can’t hit. Who blinks?
The favorites in the American League West before the season started, these teams are struggling. Houston has given up 35 runs in their last four games. Seattle scored a total of three runs in their three-game series against the Rangers earlier this week and have scored more than three runs in a game once in their last eleven games. Neither team is too far behind first place Texas, but there has to be an underlying sense of urgency brewing in each clubhouse as they prepare for this weekend series.
The pitching matchup features Houston right-hander Tatsuya Imai against Seattle’s red-hot Emerson Hancock. Hancock has been dominant to open the season, allowing just one earned run across nearly 13 innings for a sparkling 0.71 ERA. How he fares against the top of the Houston lineup will dictate the outcome of this game. Imai, meanwhile, showed marked improvement in his second start in North America after struggling with his command in his first start of the season. In Seattle he faces a team that strikes out an average of once per inning and has scored a total of 40 runs in 13 games. Only Cincinnati (39) has scored fewer runs in all of baseball. Its not surprising the Game Total is set at just 7.5 runs.
Last season, Seattle went 4-2 at home against Houston and took eight of thirteen against the Astros.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Astros vs. Mariners
Date: Friday, April 10, 2026
Time: 9:40PM EST
Site: T-Mobile Park
City: Seattle, WA
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Mariners.TV, SCHN
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The Latest Odds: Astros vs. Mariners
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
Christian Walker has hit safely in 5 straight (9-23) and 10 of his last 11 games (16-44)
Yordan Alvarez is 1-11 over his last three games
Cam Smith is hitting .320 in the month of April
Cal Raleigh is 4-28 (.143) in April
Julio Rodriguez is 1-10 over his last 3 games and is hitting just .143 for the season
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Astros vs. Mariners
The Astros are 4-9 on the Run Line this season
The Mariners are 6-7 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 9 times in the Astros’ 13 games this season (9-4)
The OVER has cashed 5 times in Seattle’s 13 games (5-8)
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Expert picks & predictions: Astros vs. Mariners
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s game between the Astros and the Mariners:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on Seattle on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total UNDER 7.5.
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Wyndham Clark’s birdie putt at 6 looks good. A straight roll. But it drifts a little to the right just before reaching the cup, enough to kink out. That really did look like it was going in. So he remains at -3 for both his round and the Tournament overall. He’s no longer the only player out there in red for his round today: Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November Masters of 2020, birdies 7 and 8 to move into credit today – he’s +3 overall – while the old trooper Freddie Couples birdies 2 to get back to +5. Such a shame about that hideous run at 15, 16 and 17 yesterday - quadruple bogey, double bogey, double bogey – but you can forgive a 66-year-old for running out of gas under the heat of the late-afternoon sun.
The Par 3 Contest winner Aaron Rai starts his second round calmly and confidently. Tea Olive found in regulation, and a long birdie putt that shaves the hole. He remains at -1 after yesterday’s 71, a round that promised more after going out in 33. Meanwhile Wyndham Clark’s run of consecutive birdies comes to an end at 5. Just a par, though he’s now landed his tee shot at 6 into the heart of the green, using the slope to bring his ball towards the flag tucked away front left. He’ll have a good look at birdie from 18 feet, a putt not exactly flat and straight, but as flat and straight as they come around here.
COVERS INTEL: Glasnow's 30.9 K% since 2024 is the fourth-highest mark among pitchers with at least 200 IP.
