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Malachi Moreno skips NBA Combine scrimmages; reportedly has strong chance of being first-round pick

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - JANUARY 10: Malachi Moreno #24 of the Kentucky Wildcats looks up during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rupp Arena on January 10, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s looking more and more like Kentucky Basketball freshman Malachi Moreno could remain in the 2026 NBA Draft.

On Monday, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that Moreno will not take part in this week’s NBA Combine 5-on-5 scrimmages. That’s usually a sign that a player likes where his NBA stock is and doesn’t want to risk damaging it in scrimmages.

In addition, O’Connor now says there’s a “pretty strong chance” Moreno would be drafted in the first round this year.

Between this development and the surprise addition of Washington center Franck Kepnang, it’s safe to think there’s now a very real chance Moreno is staying in the draft, which would be a brutal development for Mark Pope and his rebuilt roster, which was banking heavily on the Great Crossing product manning the 5 spot.

While Kepnang is a suitable big man when healthy, he’s missed far too many games in his college career to count on him staying healthy for the duration of next season.

In other words, if Moreno stays in the draft, then Kentucky will be in desperate need of another big man, and there aren’t exactly many good options available at this point.

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Monday Bantering: Lauer, Barger

Apr 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Eric Lauer (56) pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Yariel Rodriguez will be with the team for tonight’s game. The team had an open spot on the 40-man roster, but there is no word on how they will free up a spot on the active roster. Rodriguez has thrown 13.2 innings, with 9 walks, 25 strikeouts and 7 hits, with a 2.63 ERA.

I’m guessing that Eric Lauer will either go on the IL (he is throwing a couple of miles per hour lower than last year, the excuse might be to find out if there is a physical reason for that) or they DFA him and put him on waivers. If a team picked him up, they would owe him about $3.1 million, which isn’t all that much for a guy who had a 3.18 ERA last year. Or other teams could wait to see if he elects free agency after the waiver period.

Batters are hitting .264/.335/.542 against him. He’s handed out 16 walks in 36.1 innings, when he had just 26 in 104.2 innings last year. And he leads baseball with 11 home runs allowed.

Of course I’m guessing at stuff. Giving up on a guy, who was very good last year, on just 36 innings is not a great way to do business. But Lauer has had an up and down career. The unfortunate thing for Lauer is that last year he was throwing just hard enough to keep batters honest. When you lose a little from ‘just hard enough’, bad things happened. We saw that a few years ago with Marco Estrada. He never threw upper 90s but when he went from lower 90s to upper 80s, he wasn’t quite the same guy.

But without Lauer, they’d need someone in five days.

Spencer Miles could be used in that spot. He three innings yesterday and likely could go a bit more next time out. And Yariel Rodriguez can do more than one inning, he’s done two or more a couple of times in Buffalo.

Of course it is possible it isn’t Lauer who’s coming off the roster.

I totally reject the idea that Lauer’s problems are because of them bouncing him back and forth between bulk man and starter. He’s not throwing softer because he’s changing roles (or if he is, it is a lousy way of showing he should be a full time starter).

And I’m not buying the ‘he’s sulking because of the opener thing’. He was asked if he likes the opener thing, and he answered honestly. I bet if you asked every starting pitcher in the league….well…..most of them wouldn’t actually answer, because if you answer people will twist it. Fans complain about players give stock answers to questions, but when someone gives a real answer they read more into it than just an answer to a question. No starting pitcher wants to go to the bulk man role. But then, if they want out of that role, PITCH BETTER.

I also dislike reading body language. Players can’t win that game. If a player smiles and is happy, while struggling, we complain (Jerry Howarth ran Jose Reyes for being his usual happy self, even though he wasn’t playing well). If they look serious, they are sulking. The players can’t win.

Addison Barger is off to get an MRI on his right elbow. To me, it is very likely a direct line from this (one amazing throw):

There is this:

Now I don’t know if any of that is true. I don’t know how Addison felt right after the throw. I don’t know if there was immediate pain or anything. I do know that someone twittered that Addison grimaced in the dugout when he was high-fiving after the throw. I don’t know that he had another throw in from right that game.

Hopefully it is just soreness. I think we’ve all thrown a ball a little too hard and then had pain after. But Barger likely knows the difference between a little soreness and something that needs an MRI. They say he woke up with ‘limited range of motion’ in the arm. That doesn’t sound good.

I don’t want him to be out another month.

It would be nice if there was something fun to write about.

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New mock drafts out

NAGASAKI, JAPAN - APRIL 22: A freshly poured pint of Guinness stout settles on the drip tray of a draught tap at the Irish Pub Nagasaki in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, on April 22, 2026. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images

2026 MLB Draft: Baseball America has released their latest mock draft — V.3.0 if you’re keeping track at home — and they have the Texas Rangers, at #16, selecting righthanded pitcher Cameron Flukey out of Coastal Carolina.

Flukey is not someone who, coming into the season, would generally have been seen up to this point as being available when the Rangers pick. BA currently has him at #7 on their draft board, while MLB Pipeline slots him at #13. However, Flukey was sidelined earlier this year with a rib issue (BA says rib strain, MLB Pipeline says rib stress fracture), and has struggled in the few outings he has had since his return.

Interestingly, Keith Law has the Rangers taking University of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron in his latest mock draft, which came out last week, but also mentions Flukey as a possibility for Texas at #16, ultimately mocking Flukey to the Astros at #17 (and marveling that Flukey might drop that far).

Jim Callis, in his mock draft that dropped on Friday, also has the Rangers taking Lebron at #16. Lebron profiles as a toolsy, true shortstop with four potential plus tools, and is currently #5 on the MLB Pipeline board. However, there are real questions about Lebron’s hit tool, and he’s slashing just .266/.386/.516 this seasonl albeit with an impressive 36 stolen bases in 37 attempts.

The Rangers have gotten away from the tool sheds with questionable hit tools in recent years, so Lebron would be a bit of a surprise. College pitchers with injury issues, though, have been the Rangers’ jam of late. Flukey is a guy with a four pitch mix and a quality fastball that he throws for strikes, and could move quickly. If he drops because of the rib injury, he would seem to be a fit with the Rangers at #16.

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On This Day: Jets Advance To Western Conference Final For First Time In Franchise History

Seven years ago today, the Winnipeg Jets did something no version of the franchise had ever done, they punched their ticket to the Western Conference Final, and they did it the hard way.

During the 2017-18 season, the Jets finished with 114 points, the second-best record in the NHL and the best-ever finish for any Winnipeg-based NHL team up until their recent President's trophy win. Led by head coach Paul Maurice, that Jets team was widely regarded as one of the most complete in franchise history. 

They had standout players at every position like a balanced attack with captain Blake Wheeler, star center Mark Scheifele, and electrifying winger Patrik Laine, with veteran leadership from Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little, and a rock solid blue line anchored by Jacob Trouba and emerging young talent Josh Morrissey. 

It was the breakout season for Connor Hellebuyck, who quickly established himself as not only a true number-one goaltender but one of the very best in league history. 

Earlier in the playoff run, the Jets won their first playoff game in franchise history, defeating the Minnesota Wild 3-2 to end an eight-game playoff losing streak. They never looked back as they would go on to claim the series, defeating the Wild in five games, with Hellebuyck closing the series out in dominant fashion with back-to-back shutouts to finish off the Wild.

Eliminated: Moose Fall in Grand Rapids as Postseason Comes to an EndEliminated: Moose Fall in Grand Rapids as Postseason Comes to an EndA hard-fought postseason run stalled in Michigan as the Griffins’ lethal power play overwhelmed Manitoba, ending the club's deepest playoff quest since 2018 in a decisive Game 4.

What came next was one of the most compelling second-round matchups in recent memory as they went against the President's trophy winning Nashville Predators with the two teams combining for 231 points in the regular season. It was one of the highest-combined-point series ever played before a conference final. 

The Jets won Game 1 handily, with Scheifele scoring a goal and Hellebuyck making 47 saves in a 4-1 victory. Nashville answered back, but the series truly turned in Game 3. The Jets roared back from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat the Predators 7-4, with Blake Wheeler scoring the go-ahead goal on the power play late in the game to grab a 2-1 series lead. Kyle Connor scored twice and Wheeler provided three assists in a 6-2 Game 5 victory before Nashville forced a Game 7 with a 4-0 shutout in Game 6.

Game 7 in Nashville belonged entirely to the Jets with Paul Stastny scoring a pair goals along with an assist with Scheifele also scoring twice, and Hellebuyck making 36 saves in a 5-1 road win. Pekka Rinne, Nashville's Vezina finalist, was chased from the net for the third time in the series, lasting just 10 minutes and seven seconds, the quickest exit by a starting goalie in a Game 7. 

Scheifele's performance across the seven games was historic with seven road goals in the series, the most in a single series in NHL history, surpassing a record he had shared with Sidney Crosby, Bill Barber, and Gilbert Perreault.

Waiting in the Western Conference Final was a Vegas Golden Knights team in the middle of one of the most remarkable expansion seasons the NHL had ever seen. Vegas had gone 8-2 in the playoffs entering the series, the best record through the first ten postseason games in NHL history. Both teams were making their first-ever trip to the Western Conference Final. The Golden Knights would go on to win the series in five games, becoming the first expansion team to reach the Final since the St. Louis Blues in 1968.

The Jets' run ended in the Western Conference Final but was the deepest playoff run for a Winnipeg-based team since the original Jets reached the second round in 1985 and 1987.

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Sabres On Verge Of Total Playoff Embarrassment In Montreal

The Buffalo Sabres are no longer merely trailing in this series — they are teetering on the edge of a humiliation spiral against a Montreal Canadiens team that suddenly looks faster, sharper, and psychologically overwhelming.

Buffalo entered Game 3 insisting there was no reason for apprehension after Friday’s setback, pointing to their resilience against the Boston Bruins and their strong road performances throughout the postseason. By the final horn Sunday night at the Bell Centre, however, that confidence had been thoroughly destabilized. Montreal dismantled the Sabres in virtually every consequential phase of the game, erupting for six unanswered goals after Tage Thompson opened the scoring less than a minute into the contest.

What initially appeared to be an ideal response from Buffalo rapidly devolved into another sobering demonstration of Montreal’s growing command over the series. Thompson’s early goal briefly injected life into the Sabres, but the Canadiens dictated the rhythm almost immediately afterward, forcing Buffalo into a reactive posture for much of the evening.

Alex Newhook equalized in the opening period before the Canadiens detonated offensively in the second, scoring three consecutive goals to seize complete territorial and emotional control. Buffalo attempted to manufacture momentum entering the third period after narrowing the deficit to 4-2, yet the comeback never genuinely materialized. Instead, Montreal suffocated every push, while Jakub Dobes remained composed amid late pressure before the Canadiens buried two additional goals to emphatically close the door.

Thompson Responds After Mounting Criticism

No player carried more scrutiny into Game 3 than Tage Thompson.

After a disastrous Game 2 performance riddled with turnovers, stalled possessions, and offensive invisibility, Thompson’s seven-game playoff scoring drought had become one of the defining narratives surrounding Buffalo’s unraveling offense. He answered immediately Sunday night.

Just seconds into the game, Thompson capitalized on an extraordinarily fortunate bounce after Rasmus Dahlin intentionally fired the puck wide. The rebound ricocheted violently off the end boards and landed directly on Thompson’s stick beside an unguarded net.

It was not an artistic goal, nor an especially difficult one, but it represented something Buffalo desperately required: urgency from its most dangerous scorer.

The larger issue, however, remains unresolved. Thompson’s goal ultimately functioned more as a fleeting interruption than a transformational moment. If the Sabres intend to salvage this series, they will require sustained offensive dominance from him rather than isolated flashes of redemption.

Special Teams And Faceoffs Are Quietly Destroying Buffalo

While Buffalo’s power play deserved criticism after its catastrophic 0-for-5 performance in Game 2, the penalty kill became the far more damaging liability Sunday night.

To Lindy Ruff’s credit, the Sabres adjusted their power-play structure effectively. Buffalo looked significantly more organized offensively, generating cleaner entries and superior puck movement, eventually converting on one of four opportunities when Dahlin buried a second-period power-play goal.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, nearly every other special-teams sequence tilted decisively toward Montreal.

The Canadiens converted twice on six power-play opportunities, and while some of the damage stemmed from unfortunate circumstances, the cumulative effect was devastating. On Montreal’s first power-play goal, Jordan Greenway lost his stick early in the sequence, leaving him functionally incapacitated defensively as rookie phenom Lane Hutson exploited the mismatch before setting up Cole Caufield for his first goal of the series.

The second goal exposed Buffalo’s depleted penalty-kill structure even further. With Greenway and Beck Malenstyn both serving penalties simultaneously, Montreal attacked an undermanned unit lacking its two most dependable defensive forwards. Juraj Slafkovsky redirected a shot past Alex Lyon almost immediately, further tilting the game beyond recovery.

Compounding Buffalo’s structural problems was another lopsided showing in the faceoff circle. Even with the return of Sam Carrick from injury, the Canadiens dominated possession off draws, winning more than 60 percent of faceoffs.

Carrick, acquired specifically to stabilize Buffalo’s lower lines and improve situational puck possession, won only two of his five draws. Whether attributable to rust or lingering discomfort after his lengthy absence, Buffalo’s inability to establish possession consistently off stoppages has become an increasingly corrosive issue throughout the series.

Meanwhile, Lyon deserves considerably more sympathy than the final stat line will suggest. Although he surrendered five goals on 36 shots, the veteran netminder produced a series of high-end saves early in the game that prevented Montreal from completely detonating the contest in the opening period. Nick Suzuki and Caufield repeatedly generated dangerous opportunities off the rush, only for Lyon to temporarily preserve Buffalo’s fragile lead.

Still, hockey’s postseason ecosystem is notoriously unforgiving. Lyon may not deserve primary blame for either loss, but playoff series often demand emotional recalibration more than objective fairness. Given the momentum swing occurring in Montreal’s favor, Ruff may soon have to consider whether a goaltending change could provide the psychological jolt Buffalo now appears desperate to find.

The Sabres will regroup Monday before facing what increasingly resembles a season-defining Game 4 on Tuesday night in Montreal.

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Perspective on tanking and the drop to 9th in the draft order

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 10: The Dallas Mavericks receive the ninth pick during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on May 10, 2026 at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Dallas Mavericks entered Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery with the primary objective of moving up in the draft order for the second straight year. Their secondary objective was to at least not fall in the order. Neither objective was accomplished, as Dallas slid one spot and will be picking 9th in the Draft this June.

Throughout the season, there were instances that frustrated fans who were fully on board with the effort to tank for a better draft pick. Late in the season, aside from Cooper Flagg’s Rookie of the Year campaign, the best thing the Mavs could play for was a better draft pick.

Two primary reasons are cited for hurting the Mavs most. While accurate, there is an alternative perspective on both grievances being filed, and we’ll take a look at them here.

Specific unnecessary wins doomed the odds

A select few games continue to come up in the public lexicon as those which particularly hurt the Mavs’ chances at a better outcome in the Draft Lottery. April 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers, March 12 against the Memphis Grizzlies (more on them below) and game 82 against the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers game came at a time the Mavericks were playing out the season and the Lakers were playing to keep hold of a top seed. Dallas took the victory in a game where both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sat out. Less than a month prior, Khris Middleton went out of his mind scoring 35 points on 8-for-10 three-point shooting in a win over the Grizzlies, with whom the Mavs were neck-and-neck with through the final stretch of the season. The Bulls game was the object lesson of who wanted to tank more. A Bulls loss would prevent them from tying the Milwaukee Bucks, while a Mavs loss would prevent them from tying the New Orleans Pelicans. Dallas ended up tied, then lost a coin flip with the Pelicans. The Bulls jumped to #4 in the Draft Lottery.

These were three (admittedly glaring) games across 26 total wins. They didn’t count more than any other win, yet we are more annoyed by them than we are about two wins against the Denver Nuggets in December, an overtime win against the 60-win Detroit Pistons, and a late-season win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. Recency bias at its finest. That doesn’t mean early-season wins didn’t equally hurt the Mavs’ draft standing. We also often fail to think of the favorable losses (if there really is such a thing). For example, Dallas lost to the Pelicans in three of their four matchups, yet still tied them when all was said and done.

In reality, these worst-offending games are no worse than any other. They just happen to be recent or ironic enough (Middleton going All-NBA for a night?) to anger us more.

The Mavs could have moved up to #3 instead of Memphis had they ended the season tied

The Mavericks ended the season with a 26-56 record. The Grizzlies ended at 25-57. Memphis subsequently moved from their slot at #6, all the way up to #3. The #6 slot was very attainable for Dallas had they lost even a single game more, frustrating fans who feel Dallas could easily be sitting with the #3 pick next month had they simply been in the spot Memphis held coming into Sunday’s Lottery. I would contend that is not exactly the case.

Had Dallas lost one more game, they would have been in a tie with Memphis. This would have required a coin flip for the #6 slot, which they may or may not have won. Even assuming they had won, that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be them sitting at #3 right now. In other words, it wasn’t necessarily the #6 slot that moved up, but rather, it was the Grizzlies that moved up.

In the Draft Lottery, each team is designated a certain number of four-number combinations. If one of those four-number combinations is pulled, it’s that team’s lucky day. One of Memphis’ four-number combinations was pulled third, and that was that. Had Dallas been slotted in the #6 spot, it still would have been Memphis’ four-number combination that was pulled. There remains an argument that had Memphis been slotted lower than Dallas, they would have had fewer combinations and one of those combinations they didn’t have could have been the one that pulled them up to #3. Still, had they not had that magic combination, it doesn’t mean that Dallas would have had it – it could have been any other team as well.  

Closing arguments

To be clear, I’m not intending to tell anyone how to think. This is as much an exercise in catharsis for me as it is (hopefully) a perspective-helper for anyone reading. I was massively disappointed to see the Mavericks name called early. It was like a game of Russian Roulette on each envelope.

Candidly, I feel like somehow Middleton should have sat a few more minutes on that turn-back-the-clock night. Maybe a couple of our better players happen to sit out the Laker game for load management. Ultimately, we can probably say something similar about any given night.

As it stands, the Mavericks still have a very good pick. On top of that, we have absolutely no idea what will transpire before the Draft, or on Draft night. Dallas could package #9, #30 and a player(s) to move up (or back). For now, we’ll just have to trust the new regime to steer things the right way.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks

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The Royals reportedly had interest in these players last offseason. How have they fared?

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 10: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves walks to first base after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, May 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

When the Kansas City Royals hit the 2025/2026 offseason, they had a few items on their wish list. Generally, they were looking to shore up their outfield, which was a significant weakness for them. Specifically, they were on the hunt for three things: a right-handed bat to play against lefties, a starting left fielder, and a middle-of-the-order type bat to lengthen the lineup.

To fill the right-handed platoon bat, the Royals signed Lane Thomas on a one-year, $5 million deal. Kansas City traded for Isaac Collins to fill the left field spot. And the middle-of-the-order bat never materialized, as the Royals didn’t find a player in free agency or a trading partner that they were comfortable with.

Should the Royals have done more? That was one of the questions us Royals Review staff discussed in the very first roundtable of the year. Fortunately, though, we can take a look at what some of the players with whom the Royals were linked in the offseason and see what they have been up to. And the results are…mostly underwhelming.

This list of players includes a variety of free agents in the Royals’ price range as well as the players the Royals were rumored to be targeting in a trade:

NameTeamAcquiredPAwRC+WAR
Taylor WardBALTraded for Grayson Rodriguez1791380.9
Brendan DonovanSEATraded for Tai Peete, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Ben Williamson, 68th pick in 2026 draft761650.6
Adolis GarcíaPHI1-year, $10 million contract159960.5
Adam FrazierLAA1-year, $1.75 million contract701040.2
Jarren DuranBOSN/A (was trade target)145580.1
Jorge PolancoNYM2-year, $40 million contract6153-0.3
Mike YastrzemskiATL2-year, $23 million contract12445-0.3
Cedric MullinsTBR1-year, $7 million contract12418-0.8
Harrison BaderSFG2-year, $20.5 million contract55-10-0.6
Austin HaysCWS1-year, $6 million contract4450-0.4
Ha-Seong KimATL1-year, $20 million000

There is one clear winner in this list: Ward, who has been both very good and healthy for the Baltimore Orioles. Two more players are also clear success stories: Garcia, who has been perfectly serviceable on his one-year deal, and Frazier, who is darn near playing at the league minimum but hitting well and generally doing his thing.

Outside those three players, though, there’s a lot to cringe at. Donovan has been good when healthy, but he’s already missed three weeks with an injury this year. Kim hasn’t played at all yet after a freak injury in Korea. Bader and Hays have also been hurt, and they’ve been bad when they’ve played. Yastrzemski and Mullins have simply been bad.

The year isn’t yet done, and it’s only May. There’s plenty of time for this group of players to succeed. Still, you acquire free agents or make trades to impact your club quickly—if teams didn’t need that, they could simply wait until the trade deadline. And the group of players in the Royals’ price range have been largely disappointing.

Kansas City’s offseason wasn’t perfect. Giving $8 million to Jonathan India was eyebrow-raising at the time, and his season-ending shoulder injury makes that more frustrating. And was Lane Thomas worth $5 million? He hasn’t been as bad as many others who got more years and dollars, so that’s a win at least.

But the Royals don’t do their offseason in a vacuum; they have to acquire real players with real money or talent, and have to do so with what’s available. And for the second consecutive offseason, it looks like Kansas City’s reluctance to make splurge on a big free agent or trade acquisition has been smart.

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Nats prospect Devin Fitz-Gerald making MacKenzie Gore an afterthought

Former Nationals southpaw Mackenzie Gore certainly hasn’t gotten off to the greatest start in Texas. The 27-year-old who was long considered the future of the Washington rotation was dealt to the Rangers during the 2026 offseason, and the next step that so many analysts and fans believed he could take simply hasn’t come. He has a 5.18 ERA through 40.0 innings, with a concerningly high walk rate and consistent struggles effectively working deeper into games.

Infielder Gavin Fien, the Rangers 1st-round selection in the 2025 draft, was seen as the central piece in the return for Gore, and he remains firmly in the organization’s Top-5 prospect rankings. However, he might not be the prospect that could yield the greatest results.

20-year-old shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald, a main part, but not the headliner in the deal, has been a man on a mission through the first part of the 2026 season. Starting the year with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, he’s been an absolute nightmare for pitchers to face.

The counting numbers fly off the page, with a slash line of .310/.439/.593 through 113 at-bats, including a 15-for-42 stretch with 4 HR and 10 XBH in the last 14 days. What’s even more impressive is how he’s doing it. A shoulder injury prematurely ended his 2025 campaign with the Single-A Hickory Crawdads, and there were legitimate concerns about how his power tool would rebound moving forward. With almost a 30-game sample size under his belt so far in his return to action, those questions have been silenced.

Looking at Fitz-Gerald’s profile, it’s difficult to find even the smallest weakness in his 2026 performance to this point. He’s hitting the ball hard, he’s beginning to elevate with intent, and boasts equally impressive walk and strikeout rates, both sitting at 15.7%. Everything about his start screams sustainability, and his bat-to-ball skills have looked as good as any prospect in the minors.

Fellow shortstop Ronny Cruz’s exponential rise into MLB Pipeline’s Top-100, preceded by a promotion to Wilmington just a few short weeks ago, has infused an impressive amount of talent into Washington’s lower MiLB levels. With 6 prospects now on the list, and no signs of the switch-hitting Fitz-Gerald slowing down any time soon, his insertion onto the national rankings and a swift advancement to Double-A could be on the horizon.

Gore’s slow start and lack of immediate developmental strides have certainly made the trade easier to swallow for Nats fans, albeit Washington’s own pitching woes have made usable arms even more of a commodity than when he was still in the organization.

With that being said, the Nationals have made it abundantly clear that their eyes are pointed to the future. As they continue their focus on finding projectable assets who can evolve into MLB players capable of fueling an eventual playoff push, the high-flying Fitz-Gerald looks like a major win for the new front office’s talent evaluation and player development programs.

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The Week Ahead for Atlanta: Another showdown looms large for the Braves

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 07: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs high fives Dansby Swanson #7 after scoring a run against the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field on May 07, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for the Atlanta Braves. Despite today being an off-day, they’ll have little time to come down from their big statement series-win in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. They’ll be coming home to welcome in the high-flying Cubs who have also gotten off to a very hot start, themselves.

Following their second high-caliber showdown in as many series, the Braves will enter into a stretch where it’s possible that they won’t be facing a team that’s over .500 until the weekend after Memorial Day. The Braves could have a direct say in that since they’ll be facing the Red Sox twice during that span — the first series of which will be taking place this weekend as the Braves end their brief six-game homestand against Boston. It’ll be a test nonetheless, as the Braves will be looking to keep on rolling with Memorial Day getting closer and closer.

Now it’s time to take a look at what lies ahead for Atlanta as far as the action this week is concerned.

May 12-14: Chicago Cubs

Current Record: 27-14 Projected Record(via FanGraphs): 90-72

Thank goodness for today being an off day, since that means that Chris Sale will be able to pitch in the series finale against the Cubs on regular rest. That’ll be huge for the Braves considering that Grant Holmes, JR Ritchie and the rest of Atlanta’s pitching staff is going to have a serious test on their hands with this Cubs lineup. The good news is that we now know that they can indeed be stopped, as Chicago will be entering this game having dropped a series on the road against the Rangers where they got shut out twice in the final two games.

That only came after the Cubs rattled off their second 10-game winning streak of the season so far. It could just be that the Cubs are monsters at Wrigley Field while being somewhat normal away from home but up until their power outage in Arlington, the Cubs did have one of the best team wRC+ marks on the road. Obviously, we’re all hoping that the Braves can keep the Cubs mired in this current mini-slump that they’re on but it’ll still be a very tough task for this lineup to keep guys like Nico Hoener, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong and old friend Dansby Swanson quiet over the course of this series. Hopefully these guys continue to slumber through their visit to Cobb County.

Meanwhile, Chicago’s pitching staff has done enough to make sure that whatever the offense does doesn’t go up in smoke on any given night. While they’re only just outside of the top 10 of all teams in ERA- and actually pretty low down baseball’s order in terms of FIP-, the Cubs are going to be sending some tough customers to the mound to start for them during this series. Shota Imanaga has mostly been very tough to deal with so far this season and his last outing in particular was a very impressive one where he went six innings with just one run allowed with 10 strikeouts. That was after he pitched seven innings of shutout ball against the Diamondbacks.

With that being said, he has had his occasional blow-ups. The Dodgers got him for five runs (four earned) over 5.1 innings on April 26 and then the Nationals tagged him for four runs over five innings all the way back on March 29. If the Braves can get to Imanaga then maybe that’ll be a good sign for them — even if Ben Brown could be frustratingly effective for the Cubs and Colin Rea could also deliver a solid performance of his own as well.

The Braves are going to have a lot on their plate to pull off another series win but at least this time, they’ll be playing in front of their home fans (though there will surely be plenty of folks clad in Cubbie Blue, like usual) in their own ballpark and maybe that’ll be enough to give the Braves the edge in what’ll surely be a hard-fought series.

Tuesday, May 12 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, TBS (out-of-market only))
Wednesday, May 13 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Thursday, May 14 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

May 15-17: Boston Red Sox

Current Record: 17-23 Projected Record: 79-83

Speaking of plenty of folks being clad in the other team’s colors, we’ll probably see that as well once the Red Sox come to town. They won’t be cheering for a team with a winning record once they do arrive, as Boston is currently stuck at the bottom of the AL East and looking to find some sort of way to get things going in the right direction. The good news for Boston is that they are very close to Toronto and Baltimore in the standings, so they could very well be in third place by the time they make it to Atlanta. The bad news for them is that they’re already way behind both the Yankees and the Rays who are currently duking it out at the top of the AL East, so they’ve got a long road to go before they become relevant in the division again this season.

Pitching-wise, the Red Sox have actually been performing at around the same level as the Cubs have — at least according to ERA- and FIP-. Ranger Suarez has been very solid for them so far and they’ve also gotten encouraging results from Payton Tolle and Connelly Early to start the season so far. Arodlis Chapman has once again continued to defy Father Time with his production out of the ‘pen as well, so the Braves will be doing well to make sure that they don’t have to see him too much during this series. This is a perfectly fine pitching staff that’ll be coming to town this weekend and while the Braves may be avoiding Suarez, whoever Boston puts out there won’t be a pushover.

The main problem for Boston has been their hitting (or lack therof). Heading into this week, the Red Sox have a grand total of four (4) regular contributors who have a wRC+ over 100 — Wilyer Abreu (133), Willson Contreras (134), Cedanne Rafaela (104) and Masataka Yoshida (109). That’s it. For comparison’s sake, the Braves have eight regulars with a wRC+ over 100 and if you count Jonah Heim and his 12 games of work while he was with the Braves, it’s nine. If this series turns into a situation where it comes down who can get the most consistent plate production then this should be a series that goes well for the Braves. If it comes down to pitching then things could be much tougher for Atlanta during this series. We’ll see what happens!

Friday, May 15 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Saturday, May 16 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Sunday, May 17 at 1:35 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)

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Badgers star drafted in latest post-lottery mock draft

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) drives to the basket abasing High Point Panthers forward Terry Anderson (5) during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Draft lottery concluded on Sunday afternoon, and it included a couple of big nuggets, with several teams moving up and down the board, which also involved the Indiana Pacers ceding the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the draft order now set, mock drafts are flowing as players continue to decide whether to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft or return to college for another season. One of those decisions is former Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell, who committed to the Duke Blue Devils earlier this offseason, but was among the invites to the NBA Draft Combine.

Blackwell is expected to return to Duke for his senior season, but another Badgers star, guard Nick Boyd, is also competing at the Combine and is hoping to hear his name called in the draft next month.

Well, in The Athletic’s post-lottery mock draft, Boyd was taken as the No. 60 overall pick by the Washington Wizards, making him the oldest player taken in the mock draft.

On big boards, Boyd has typically been seen as a late second-round or undrafted player. He was undrafted on ESPN’s post-lottery mock draft and is considered the No. 93 player in the class by them.

Boyd will have his chance to improve his stock by performing well at the Combine, especially in shooting and defensive drills, and will hope to hear his name called after John Tonje was a second-round pick for the Boston Celtics last year.

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‘Ownership has not made final decisions’ on Morey, Nurse, per report, and other Sixers thoughts

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Nick Nurse, Elton Brand, and Daryl Morey of the Philadelphia 76ers look on during 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on May 12, 2025 in at Chicago, Illinois at McCormick Convention Center. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Generally, when a season ends in a sweep, there are going to be questions about the futures of the front office and coaching staff.

After the Sixers were crushed by the New York Knicks in Game 4 Sunday, the focus shifts to the culpability of Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse for the team’s quick exit in the second round.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, neither is guaranteed back next season — at least as of now:

“The jobs of Morey and head coach Nick Nurse are expected to be evaluated entering the offseason, multiple league sources told The Athletic. As of Sunday’s elimination, team sources said ownership has not made final decisions on either and is likely to take a few days to assess before making any major calls.“

It would be a reasonable decision if Josh Harris and company decide to move on from Morey and Nurse.

As Jones notes in the article, the actions (and inactions) at the trade deadline did not sit well with Joel Embiid and others in the locker room. The trade of second-year guard Jared McCain wasn’t viewed positively, especially considering Morey and the front office chose not to make any corresponding moves to improve the team now.

While nobody was expecting the Sixers to mortgage their future by trading for a mid-season upgrade, moves were made by other teams around the league to improve. The Sixers have a bounty of second-round picks, something several teams used to add depth at the deadline — including the Knicks, who acquired guard Jose Alvarado for a pair of seconds. Surely Morey could’ve spared a couple second-round picks to help the team now while holding on to its premium assets (the future LA Clippers’ first-round pick and pick swap, for example) for the future.

Even with maneuvering below the luxury tax, something this franchise has regularly achieved, there were ways to improve the roster. The organization will push back on their emphasis for dipping below the tax and point to successful teams doing the same. It’s true, several teams did dip below the tax at the deadline, but several also at least attempted to add and make their rosters better.

On top of that, it’s difficult to watch players like Isaiah Joe, Paul Reed, Justin Champagnie and McCain thrive in the postseason, while a player like Quentin Grimes, who was the only bench player firmly in Nurse’s rotation, struggled mightily. The inability to fortify the backup center position, knowing Embiid’s shaky health, is also glaring. Andre Drummond gave the Sixers all he could. Adem Bona showed flashes, but also exhibited his rawness as a second-year big. Johni Broome, a high second-round pick in 2025, never appeared to be a legitimate option.

The lack of bench options does make Nurse’s evaluation trickier.

Nurse essentially played 6.5 players during the postseason — and he didn’t have much of a choice. Maybe he could’ve used Justin Edwards or Dominick Barlow more, but it’s hard to see how either guy would’ve made an immense impact in either series. The roster was flawed. Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker were solid regular-season contributors at times, but it’s hard to see how either could’ve had success against the Celtics or Knicks.

At the same time, Nurse was far from perfect. As Jones points out, Nurse does coach his teams hard. That type of coaching can grate on players over time. He also ran Maxey and Edgecombe into the ground during the regular season, something Nurse was known for with his best players while coaching the Toronto Raptors. Aside from his lingering pinky issue, Maxey simply looked exhausted in the Knicks series.

There were also weird lapses during the season, including the playoffs, where the team looked ill-prepared and unfocused during games. The multiple blowouts in the Boston series were jarring. The effort in the Knicks series you can chalk up more to fatigue and New York simply being the better team.

Lastly, there’s Embiid, whose future is very likely to be in Philadelphia. His three-year max extension begins in 2026-27 and it’s hard to imagine a trade scenario that makes sense. The Sixers are unlikely to get positive value given Embiid’s injury history and contract, but the former MVP is also too good to give away (or even possibly attach assets to).

Embiid is obviously far from blameless when it comes to the current state of the Sixers. The incident that occurred on April 1 — when Embiid missed shootaround in D.C and posted his displeasure on being ruled out that night on social media — was a cause of consternation, per Jones.

“On April 1, the same day as Embiid’s social media post, a handful of players met with members of Philadelphia’s coaching staff before shootaround in Washington to express concern over certain players’ participation in team activities and frustration over the direction of the 76ers’ season, multiple league sources told The Athletic. Among other things, the players expressed they felt there wasn’t enough control of the locker room, according to those sources. The meeting was tense enough to briefly imperil the team’s shootaround; however, the conversation resolved enough that the activity was able to proceed as planned, those sources said.”

Jones does not explicitly say the players who raised concerns were talking directly about Embiid, but it’s not a difficult conclusion to draw. You’ll recall last season, there was a point where Maxey even called out Embiid for chronic latenesses during a heated team meeting in Miami.

When talking to the media yesterday, Embiid did make a comment about his situation, taking blame for frequent absences and how that affected the team. He believes with the health of his knee in a good place, he should be more available in general.

“That’s where I put it on me,” he said, “where I felt like I wasn’t around for much of the season, for a lot of things, and moving forward, understanding what it takes when it comes to my body, and what we have to do as a group to make sure that I get to play every game. I feel like we found that solution, so it’ll be better next year.”

It’s also worth noting that Embiid’s teammates did all seem to truly rally around their embattled star after his emergency appendectomy.

All of this adds up to another messy offseason in Philadelphia.

Should Morey be allowed to oversee the draft, an area where his front office has done its best work? Is Nurse’s voice still the right one for this group? How do you handle roster building around a supremely talented but undependable Embiid? How do you fix the glaring depth issues while paying three max contracts and essentially operating on two timelines?

There hasn’t been a dull moment during the Joel Embiid era. This summer should be anything but boring.

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Pistons vs Cavaliers Props & NBA Playoffs Game 4 Best Bets

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The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers are ready to rock and roll in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal set tonight.

With Cleveland countering last time out, the Cavs are once again home chalk on Monday. I pass on the point spread and turn my attention to the individual efforts with my Pistons vs. Cavaliers props.

For more NBA picks, check out our full Pistons vs. Cavaliers predictions for May 11.

Best Pistons vs Cavaliers props for Game 4

PlayerPickbet365
Cavaliers Donovan MitchellOver 4.5 rebounds+110
Pistons Cade CunninghamOver 9.5 assists+105
Pistons Duncan RobinsonOver 2.5 threes-160

Game 4 Prop #1: Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 rebounds

+110 at bet365

Donovan Mitchell hauled down 10 rebounds in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win in Game 3 — tying his second-biggest day on the boards all season.

Those rebounds weren’t all because Mitchell was feeling extra froggy on the glass, but rather a byproduct of the Cavs putting extra emphasis on boxing out the Detroit Pistons forwards. 

“Their bigs are elite, elite at offensive rebounding,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson told the media. “A lot of times, our bigs are wrestling with their bigs. That’s why Donovan having 10 rebounds was huge last night.

With Jarett Allen and Evan Mobley throwing themselves in the way (and snatching only 12 collective rebounds Saturday), Mitchell found himself in position for 17 rebounding chances in Game 3. That’s more than the 16 combined in the first two games, which led to outputs of four and six boards.

His Game 4 projections all sit north of the 4.5 O/U, with a ceiling of 5.7 rebounds. He’s brought down five or more boards in seven of his 10 postseason outings and has topped this bar in 10 of his past 13 games overall.

Game 4 Prop #2: Cade Cunningham Over 9.5 assists

+105 at bet365

Game 3 was a rough one for Cade Cunningham. The Pistons' point guard failed to energize the offense — shooting 10-for-27 — and barfed up eight turnovers in the loss. 

Despite that mess, he still topped his assist total. Yet there was a lot of meat still left on the bone when it came to Cunningham’s playmaking. 

Part of the problem was Cleveland couldn’t miss on offense, shooting a sizzling 58% from the field. That forced a Detroit attack to start its possessions off the inbounds, rather than having its defense fuel the offense in transition and from turnovers.

He was clocked for 16 potential assists in Game 3, trickling down to 10 actual dimes (62.5% conversion rate). The Pistons fired at only 45% from the field, being forced to play more half-court schemes, and wasted those setups. 

In the prior two games combined, Cunningham dished out 17 helpers on 23 potential assists (74% conversions).

The Cavs’ shooting comes back to earth in Game 4, and Cunningham will find himself in his usual spot behind the wheel, pushing pace and creating for teammates on the open floor. 

His models for Game 4 are divided, ranging from 8.2 to 10.3 assists. Given the unique circumstances on Saturday, I’m leaning toward the high side of Cunningham’s playmaking vs. a Cleveland defense that’s 25th in opponent assist rate (64.9%).

Game 4 Prop #3: Duncan Robinson Over 2.5 threes

-160 at bet365

Duncan Robinson’s 3-point prop isn’t coming cheap in Game 4, nor should it. 

The Pistons’ sharpshooter is clicking at 58% from distance in the series, 43% for the playoffs, and has knocked down at least three triples in eight of his 10 postseason outing. 

That includes totals of five, five, and four long-range makes in the opening three games of this series. It’s not just Robinson’s success that should sell you on his 3-point prop, however. 

It’s the volume of attempts from beyond the arc and the amount of space the Cavaliers are giving him. Fourteen of his 24 total 3-point shots have come with no defender within at least four feet of Robinson (making nine of those “open” to “wide open” looks). 

It also helps that Robinson is 6-foot-7 and facing smaller defenders in Mitchell (6-foot-2), James Harden (6-foot-5), and Max Strus (6-foot-5), who struggle to get a hand up on closeouts.

His Game 4 forecasts call for at least three makes from downtown with a ceiling of 3.6 treys. His defensive shortcomings make me a little nervous in terms of minutes, but with Detroit an underdog on the road, game script says it trails and needs Duncan to take and make triples in order to close that gap.

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Daily MLB Expert Picks: Baseball Predictions for May 11

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We're going East-to-West with our MLB picks tonight, finding value in a pair of moneylines (plus a total bet) based on prices available at Polymarket.

Read on to see why our MLB experts like a pair of AL West teams to win, while an AL East clash should produce plenty of runs. 

MLB expert picks for today

PickOdds
Josh Inglis Josh Inglis: TB/TOR o7.5+102
Jon Metler Jon Metler: SEA ML-133
Neil Parker Neil Parker: TEX ML-117

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Josh Inglis' expert pick: Rays/Blue Jays Over 7.5

Price: 49¢ (+102) at Polymarket

Let’s put the familiarity angle to the test today. Both starters faced these same lineups in their previous outings, with Drew Rasmussen allowing seven hits and three runs, while Kevin Gausman gave up two runs. Now, we get a controlled environment (inside the dome at the Rogers Centre), the Toronto Blue Jays lineup is getting healthier, and the Tampa Bay Rays can put up runs. Per THE BAT, the fair price on this over is closer to -115.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Mariners moneyline

Price: 57¢ (-133) at Polymarket

George Kirby has been surgical this season, allowing just 2.08 BB/9, which is not a good matchup for the Houston Astros lineup. Kirby isn’t going to hand out free passes and then leave pitches over the heart of the plate for aggressive, mistake-hitting batters like Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker to launch into the seats. Instead, Kirby is going to force Houston to string together multiple hits: A challenge for an Astros offense that lacks depth and has struggled to consistently turn the lineup over. The Seattle Mariners are trading around 57-cent favorites, but I think they should be closer to 62 cents (-163).

Neil Parker's expert pick: Rangers moneyline

Price: 54¢ (-117) at Polymarket

The Diamondbacks have hit the skids at the dish, with a 28th-ranked xwOBA across their past 12 games, while the Texas Rangers check in sixth. Additionally, Texas ranks 11th in wOBA against righties for the year, while Arizona sits 27th — that's a monstrous gap that isn’t priced into these odds enough... and I also give Texas a pitching edge. Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi has outpitched his surface numbers for the year, with his 3.29 xFIP well below his 4.15 ERA, and Diamondbacks starter Mike Soroka has been beat around (to the tune of a .472 wOBA and 1.082 OPS) in his two road starts.

More MLB best bets for today

PickOdds
Guardians -1.5+130
Read analysis in our Angels vs. Guardians predictions

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This week in baseball: Almost everywhere you look in the AL, there’s mediocrity to be found

Brice Turang’s homer in the ninth inning gave Milwaukee a three-game sweep of the New Yankees and was the latest example of an early-season trend.

The American League has been taking it on the chin.

By the end of the night Sunday, only three AL teams had a winning record, and one of them was the Athletics, who were only two games above .500. The Rays (26-13) and Yankees (26-15) are the only junior circuit teams that have been really impressive, and the latter ran into quite a roadblock against the NL Central’s Brewers.

If the season ended now, the last two AL wild cards would be the White Sox and Rangers, who are both 19-21.

Eleven AL teams are under .500. That’s the most through May 10 of any league in the divisional play era, according to Sportradar. The 2019 AL and the 2012 and 2010 NL each had nine teams under .500 at this point in the year.

Part of what makes this scenario possible is the proliferation of interleague play. The NL is 107-82 against the AL this season for a .566 winning percentage. The best interleague season was when the AL had a .611 winning percentage against the NL in 2006. But there were only 252 interleague games that whole year. There have already been 189 this season.

The more interleague games, the further one league can move ahead of the other. And even at the top of the AL East, the Rays are 8-10 against the NL and 18-3 against the AL.

Crucial stretch

Despite the soft AL playoff race, Orioles fans have become increasingly ornery as their team sputters at the start of a second straight season. Baltimore is 18-23, just 1 1/2 games out of a postseason spot, but May has already included a four-game sweep in the Bronx in which the Orioles were outscored 39-10.

Now the Yankees come to Baltimore for a three-game set, and the Orioles host the Rays in a series that starts Memorial Day. The big question in Baltimore is whether the Orioles can simply stay afloat for the rest of the month and avoid digging too big a hole.

Motown mess

It was a rough week for the starting rotation that was supposed to be such a strength in Detroit. Tarik Skubal was scratched from his start Monday and could be out a while because of loose bodies in his elbow. Then Framber Valdez was shelled by Boston on Tuesday and hit Trevor Story with a pitch, drawing a five-game suspension.

Jack Flaherty hasn’t been good either and Justin Verlander has made only one start.

The Tigers are 19-22, although that means they’re only a half-game out of a wild card and 1 1/2 out of first place in the AL Central.

Trivia time

Milwaukee’s Aaron Ashby is already 7-0 in relief this season. Pittsburgh’s Roy Face holds the modern single-season record for relief wins with 18 in 1959. But who has the career mark?

Performance of the week

Andy Pages had three homers and six RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 12-2 win over Houston on Wednesday. It’s been Pages — not Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Kyle Tucker — making an outsized offensive contribution early this season for the two-time defending champs. Pages is hitting .333 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs.

Comeback of the week

Down to their last out Sunday, the San Diego Padres tied the game against St. Louis on Nick Castellanos’ two-run homer. Then they won 3-2 in 10 innings on Manny Machado’s walk-off sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals had a win probability of 95.4% in the bottom of the ninth, according to Baseball Savant.

San Diego already has four walk-off victories this season, second to the Chicago Cubs’ six. Neither has a walk-off defeat.

Trivia answer

Hall of Fame knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm earned 124 of his 143 wins in relief.

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Fantasy baseball streaming starting pitchers and arsenal changes for Robby Snelling, Christian Scott, more

Welcome to your fantasy baseball starting pitcher happy place. This is a new column for me this year that will combine a few things I've done in the past. In this article, every Monday, you'll not only get a list of my favorite streaming starting pitchers for the whole week, but underneath that, you'll get a breakdown of a few pitchers who are making interesting changes to their pitch mix. Today I covered Robby Snelling, Griffin Jax, Griffin Canning, and Christian Scott.

It's a little bit of rankings and a little bit of analysis, and hopefully a lot of help for your teams.

As far as which pitchers on this list you'll want to stream, your decisions will change based on your league type and settings. Since I'm listing starters for all week, I'm not going to be able to give a detailed analysis for each one; I'll just highlight the matchup and some quick thoughts. As is usual with my articles, a streaming starter pitcher is rostered in less than 40% of Yahoo formats, so just keep that in mind as we’re going through because I won't be mentioning pitchers who are rostered in more leagues than that, and I also won't be mentioning pitchers who I would not start in any format.

Check out this week’s MLB Power Rankings!

Starting Pitcher Streamers of the Week

Monday

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Joey Cantillo38%vs LAA12s and deeper

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Peter Lambert27%vs SEA12s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Alek Manoah1%at CLE15s and deeper

There are not a lot of games on Monday, so not a ton of streaming choices. I like this matchup for Joey Cantillo. As we've discussed a bunch of times, if his changeup is located well, he's going to pitch well against any team. This is a bit of a stiffer test for Peter Lambert, but he has been good for Houston, and it'll just be nice to see what Alek Manoah can do in bulk relief innings. I'm not starting him anywhere.

Tuesday

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Walbert Urena4%at CLE15s and deeper
Michael Lorenzen1%at PIT15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Brady Singer16%vs WAS15s and deeper
Brandon Sproat5%vs SD15s and deeper
Patrick Corbin4%vs TB15s and deeper
Erick Fedde3%vs KC15s and deeper
Stephen Kolek2%at CWS15s and deeper
Andre Pallante6%at ATH15s and deeper

None of the options today really stand out as being elite. Walbert Urena has shown flashes but is tough to trust, and Cleveland is going to throw all lefties at him. Andre Pallante is in a terrible ballpark, Brady Singer and Brandon Sproat have not been pitching well enough to inspire confidence, and the rest of the guys are all matchup plays.

Wednesday

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Reid Detmers38%at CLE12s and deeper

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Noah Schultz34%vs KC12s and deeper
Griffin Jax24%at TOR12s and deeper
Christian Scott10%vs DET12s and deeper
Jose Quintana2%at PIT15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
J.T. Ginn9%vs STL15s and deeper
JR Ritchie17%vs CHC15s and deeper
Bryce Miller32%at HOU15s and deeper

Reid Detmers is going to need his changeup in this one, and the Guardians offense is pretty good against lefties, so I'm a little worried, but I'm going to perhaps foolishly trust Detmers here. The Tigers' offense is also far better against righties, which gives me mild pause with Christian Scott, but I do like him as a pitcher. I also don't know what we're getting out of Griffin Jax, who is being stretched out as a starter, and Noah Schultz, who is just inconsistent. I know J.T. Ginn also had a tremendous last game, but using him in Sacramento is incredibly risky.

Thursday

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Connor Prielipp11%vs MIAAll league types
Chase Dollander40%at PITAll league types
Robby Snelling27%at MIN12s and deeper
Camen Mlodzinski11%vs COL12s and deeper

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Mike Burrows17%vs SEA12s and deeper
Sean Burke28%vs KC15s and deeper
Keider Montero5%at NYM15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Ben Brown9%at ATL15s and deeper
Griffin Canning11%at MIL15s and deeper

This is the best day for streaming this week. I know Connor Prielipp hasn't thrown more than five innings yet, but he's gone over 90 pitches in back-to-back games, and his defense really let him down in the last outing. We also always start Chase Dollander on the road, but Carmen Mlodzinski gets to face the Rockies outside of Coors, which we love. I also think prospects tend to perform much better after the nerves of their MLB debut are over, so Robby Snelling is a decent bet here. Mike Burrows is also starting to turn things around a bit, and the underlying metrics are good. I know Ben Brown has been good in a multi-inning relief role this year, but he still hasn't added anything to his pitch mix, and that was always the problem when he had to pitch deeper into games.

Friday

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Janson Junk25%at TB12s and deeper
Logan Henderson35%at MIN12s and deeper

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Shane Baz40%vs WAS12s and deeper
Jesse Scholtens2%vs MIA12s and deeper
Jack Leiter31%at HOU12s and deeper
Dustin May16%vs KC15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Ty Madden3%vs TOR15s and deeper
Zack Littell3%vs BAL15s and deeper
Tyler Mahle14%at ATH15s and deeper

I know there's word about Brandon Woodruff working his way back, but he also had fluid drained from a cyst in his shoulder, so I don't think Logan Henderson has to worry about his spot in the rotation right now. Janson Junk is also pitching well enough to be trusted in any sort of decent matchup.

Saturday

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Kendry Rojas0%vs MIL15s and deeper
Cade Cavalli19%vs BAL15s and deeper
Jameson Taillon32%at CWS15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Noah Cameron22%at STL15s and deeper
Luis Severino29%vs SF15s and deeper

This is another rough day for streaming with a lot of aces going. Kendry Rojas is intriguing, but his command is all over the place, so I can't recommend him higher than this, and Cade Cavalli is simply too inconsistent as really a one-pitch pitcher with a bunch of average other offerings.

Sunday

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Joey Cantillo38%vs CIN12s and deeper

Fairly Confident

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Stephen Kolek2%at STL15s and deeper
Peter Lambert27%vs TEX15s and deeper
Colin Rea21%at CWS15s and deeper
Andre Pallante6%vs KC15s and deeper

Some Hesitation

PitcherRoster%OpponentLeague Type
Brandon Young4%at WAS15s and deeper
Brady Singer16%at CLE15s and deeper
Lucas Giolito5%at SEA15s and deeper

The Reds on the road are usually a good matchup, so that works for Joey Cantillo this week. We also get better second starts for Peter Lambert, Andre Pallante, and Stephen Kolek. We also should get Lucas Giolito's debut here, but I find it hard to start him since it's his first start of the season, and he hasn't looked great in the minors.

Starting Pitcher Pitch Mix Changes

Griffin Jax - Tampa Bay Rays (Sweeper Usage, Cutter Usage, New Curve)

Jax is moving to the rotation, so there will obviously be some pitch mix changes. However, there has also been some overall growth to his pitches coming over to Tampa Bay, especially with his four-seam fastball. We expected a velocity dip moving from the bullpen, but overall, his fastball is down one mph, and he has added 1.2 inches of vertical movement to increase his height-adjusted vertical approach angle to be even steeper. He's also using that four-seamer up in the zone more often, which is the right idea, but that has also led to him missing up in the zone more often, so that's something he'll need to keep addressing.

This season, he also added a curveball, which he’s throwing primarily to left-handed hitters at 11% overall, and at 61% to lefties in two-strike counts. It has a tremendous 36.4% PutAway Rate, so even though the usage isn't high, it's clearly doing its job after getting ahead with the four-seamer and/or changeup. He's also changed how he's attacking lefties with his cutter, throwing it up in the zone 36% more often, but not being so focused on jamming it in on their hands. The pitch isn't missing tons of bats, but it is getting a lot of weak contact. Considering he's using it 77% of the time early in counts to lefties, it's just a solid get-ahead or get an early ground-out pitch.

Another change we've seen, primarily as he has moved to starting, has been a reduction in his sweeper usage. Last year, he used his sweeper 44% of the time, but this year, it's down to 26%. A big component of that is that he's now seeing more lefties. In his first 11 appearances out of the bullpen, he used the sweeper 34% of the time overall and even 26% of the time to lefties. In fact, his pitch mix to lefties as a reliever was 31% changeups, 26% sweepers, 22.5% four-seamers, and 16% curveballs. In his three starts, he's now 42% four-seamer, 25% chanegup, 19% cutter, 7.5% sweeper, and 3% curveball. I think the curveball count is so low because he's only thrown 67 pitches to lefties as a starter, and we know his curve is reserved for two-strike situations.

Yet, we can clearly see some change in his approach after just three starts. I think he has a deep enough pitch mix to attack both lefties and righties and offerings to miss bats to both. It may take a little while for him to fully click as a starter, but I can certainly see this working.

Griffin Canning - San Diego Padres (New Fastball Shape, Changeup Usage, New Sweeper)

Griffin Canning has made two starts with the Padres, and even though the last one was a real disappointment, we can still look at the changes he's made. For starters, after being primarily a four-seam and slider pitcher with the Mets, the Padres have him throwing almost 40% changeups, and his slider usage has decreased from 31% to 18%. I'm not fully sure I understand that since his slider has always been his best pitch, and it was good to both righties and lefties last year when it posted a 20.7% swinging strike rate (SwStr%) and 34% Ideal Contact Rate (ICR) to lefties alone. This season, the Padres have him throwing it more as an early-count pitch, even though it continues to have lots of success in two-strike counts. This one I don't get.

The increased changeup usage itself is fine. It's been a pretty good pitch for him. This year, it has over three inches more horizontal movement and almost three inches more drop. The zone rate on it has fallen from 50% to 35% as the Padres try to use it as more of a swing-and-miss pitch. It does have a really impressive 22.4% SwStr% to lefties and has been successful in limited usage as a two-strike pitch. However, it has just a 10% SwStr% to righties at 24% usage, and I think he'd be better off using his slider more to righties and dialing back the changeup as more of a weak contact pitch early in the counts.

Canning has also added over one inch of vertical movement to his fastball, but has also added horizontal movement as well. It's technically a flatter fastball, and he's using it up in the zone 17% more often, which has led to far more swinging strikes and far fewer called strikes. It's also still getting hit pretty hard, with a 50% ICR allowed. It is succeeding as a two-strike pitch, so maybe he should be more focused and changeups early to lefties and sinkers early for righties, and use the four-seam for swinging strikes

Lastly, Canning has seemingly turned his cutter into a sweeper. The pitch is now 86 mph with 11 inches of horizontal movement and 1.6 inches of drop. He's used it just three times to righties and has yet to throw a single one in the zone, so this is clearly still a work in progress.

Christian Scott - New York Mets (New Cutter, New Sinker)

I like a lot of what I've seen with Christian Scott this year. Scott has elite extension at 7.0 feet, and not a lot of vertical movement on his four-seam fastball, but he has a low-release height, which still gives him a pretty flat fastball attack angle. The Mets are getting that pitch up in the zone almost 20% more often this year than they did in 2024, which has led to a boost in swinging strike rate, but as is the case with many pitchers adjust to ABS and a new approach, far fewer pitches in the strike zone. However, because of the involvement of the cutter and sinker, he can use his four-seamer more often in two-strike counts, which will work.

The sinker is a little-used pitch, but he does throw it 7% of the time to righties and primarily early in the count. The four-seam is his primary pitch to righties, but he also throws his sweeper nearly 25% of the time and 55% of the time in two-strike counts. Scott's sweeper is unique because it has five inches of vertical break, which is more "rise" than a lot of sweepers due to his lower arm angle. Overall, the pitch has a 25% SwStr% to righties, but he has struggled to find the zone with it right now, and it has a below-average strike rate.

After not throwing a slider and not a cutter in 2024, he is now using a cutter 33.6% of the time to lefties. He uses it primarily early in counts, and it doesn't miss many bats, but he is getting it in the zone often. However, even though he has a .111 batting average against it, it's also given up a 50% ICR, which is well below average. The good news for him is that hitters are struggling to elevate it, so he's not getting tons of damage on it right now. That makes me question the success against lefties a little bit, but I think the sinker-four-seam-sweeper combination will play against righties, so that's half the battle.

Robby Snelling - Miami Marlins (MLB Debut)

I know the stats weren't there for Snelling, but they usually aren't in an MLB debut. What we saw was pretty impressive. He went four-seam, curve, changeup, slider to righties and curve, sinker, four-seam to lefties with some changeups mixed in. His four-seam fastball is about 95 mph with plenty of vertical movement and should do far better than a 7% SwStr% going forward. His command of it was a bit all over the place in this one, which is to be expected in an MLB debut, but he did a better job of elevating it against righties. The sinker is a fine pitch, but its main job is to keep lefties from leaning out over the plate against the curveball.

That curve will be his bread and butter, and it looked like a great pitch. It's 83 mph with almost 11 inches of horizontal movement and over seven inches of drop. He will throw it for strikes and also bury it under the zone for whiffs. He had a 17% SwStr% and 30% CSW in the debut, and I think it's going to be a weapon for both righties and lefties. The changeup is going to mainly be a focus for right-handed hitters, but we love a good changeup to righties from a lefty. It's a harder changeup at 90 mph, and the Marlins are kind of famous for these sinker/changeup types. He does a really good job keeping it low in the zone against righties, and it didn't give up any contact at all in the debut.

The slider also graded out well from a movement standpoint, and is more of a mix-in pitch against righties, but not a bad fourth weapon to have. At the end of the day, there will be volatility, as there is with any rookie, but Snelling has lots of swing-and-miss upside and the pitch mix to handle both righties and lefties. It will just be about command, sequencing, and his mentality on the mound. All things that can take a while to develop at the MLB level.