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It's a getaway day in the MLB schedule, with plenty of early-afternoon games and the latest first pitch just 7:40 p.m. ET.

We've got MLB best bets for today spanning the entire slate, with the best prices available at Polymarket — a prediction market that allows users from coast-to-coast to join in on the baseball action.

Read on to see what our expert's MLB picks are today, along with more best bets from the Covers staff.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: LAD/TOR u7.5	+108
Jon Metler: TEX ML	+117
Joe Osborne: NYY -1.5	+100
Neil Parker: PHI ML	-127

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Dodgers/Blue Jays Under 7.5

Price: 48¢ (+108) at Polymarket

Back to the Under in this Dodgers vs. Blue Jays matchup on getaway Wednesday afternoon. It’s a strong pitching duel between Shohei Ohtani and Dylan Cease, which is baked into the number... but there are additional factors supporting the Under: Toronto is off tomorrow and can lean on its top bullpen arms, plus its offense is in the worst of slumps — while LA could rest key bats with travel ahead of a Friday series. This sets up as a quick-paced game with limited run production.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Rangers moneyline

Price: 46¢ (+117) at Polymarket

The Rangers are listed as 46% underdogs against Bryan Woo and the Seattle Mariners, and I’m definitely hitting that number — I believe the Rangers should be closer to 53% favorites in this spot. MacKenzie Gore has adjusted his release point since joining Texas, making it even more difficult for left-handed hitters to square him up. With Brendan Donovan setting the table at the top of the lineup and Josh Naylor hitting in the middle — both left-handed bats — it’s fair to question how Seattle will generate offense, especially with Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez struggling at the plate as their primary right-handed threats. On the other side, Corey Seager and Jake Burger both profile well against Woo’s high-velocity, high-spin four-seam fastball.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Yankees -1.5

Price: 50¢ (+100) at Polymarket

The Yankees have won eight games this season, covering the run line in every one of them, and that trend should continue tonight given the clear pitching edge here. Their lineup has dominated Luis Severino, posting a .963 OPS across 65 at-bats, and he was obliterated for 13 earned runs with 19 baserunners allowed in two starts against them last season. Will Warren was far more effective at home last year, while New York’s bullpen ranks first in FIP. Meanwhile, the A’s bullpen owns an 8.06 ERA over the past week — including four runs allowed to New York yesterday — and the Yankees have scored 5+ runs in six straight games.

Neil Parker's expert pick: Phillies ML

Price: 56¢ (-127) at Polymarket

Phillies veteran Aaron Nola is throwing it back, parlaying two solid showings in the World Baseball Classic into a respectable start to the 2026 season (3.18 ERA and 2.42 xFIP). He's facing a San Francisco lineup that is averaging just 3.0 runs per game, while ranking last in wOBA against righties, plus Giants starter Tyler Mahle has allowed a 17.9 barrel percentage and 42.9% hard-hit rate through two starts. With the Philadelphia lineup checking in sixth in wOBA against right-handed arms, I’m expecting the Phillies to break out at the dish after being blanked Tuesday.

More MLB best bets for today

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Admittedly, there is nothing more challenging than doing analysis on the fly. All numbers that appear in the lab during the regular season are a snapshot in time. In April, the impacts of one or two games can have quite an effect on the overall numbers. However, we are trying to look at things holistically and when that happens the numbers have a little more value.

Coming into play the Rockies, the Astros had the number one offense in MLB. They were number one in almost every category. The most telling category is walks. It seems foolish to say, but nothing gets more giddy and excited than walks. It is the single most underappreciated stat in baseball. Certainly, the season is only two weeks old, but the change has been noticeable.

Before I dive into the numbers I should make a few admissions. First, my username for SBNation is “VBallretired”. I took that name because I am a retired volleyball coach. Admittedly, my career as a coach was short. I quit coaching when my daughter was very young because I wanted to see her grow up. I’ll never regret that decision. I say all that to say that I know how difficult coaching is. I also know that what happens on the field or court is not always a reflection of the message you are giving to the players.

Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker were the guys for the last several years (since 2018 for Cintron). I am not in the clubhouse. I am not an insider. I don’t know the message that was being communicated. I can only see the results. The results were pretty clear. The Astros were less selective overall, more aggressive early in counts, and not particularly effective in situational hitting situations with men on base. Those are the facts. Whether they were coached to do those things or not is unknown.

As a former coach, I can attest to the fact that some teams take to your core message and resemble the kind of team you envision. Some teams don’t. I definitely get it. So, I will not completely crap on Cintron and Snitker except to say that the team was not effective offensively and it was time for a new voice (or voices). Sometimes people’s voices get drowned out for whatever reason. However, the numbers below are a testament to the idea that coaches can have an effect. A number of fans and analysts didn’t think it mattered. Players are who they are. That is certainly true to a certain extent, but it is not universally true.

We are looking at three process numbers do demonstrate what has been happening in the early going. The first number is chase rate. As a reminder, 30 percent tends to be around the league average. We are comparing each player’s 2025 rate with the 2026 rate. So, league norms are not necessarily relevant. The second number is swing percentage. it is followed by zone percentage which is the percentage of pitches that actually wind up in the zone. 50 percent tends to be average on both counts. Again, we are more interested in 2025 versus 2026. Numbers are accurate through the end of the Athletics series.

I should start with the usual caveats and disclaimers. I use the word aggregate because it is the numerical average of all of the numbers. It doesn’t represent differences in who actually gets the plate appearances. It also doesn’t represent the actual roster employed last season. In particular, Nick Allen is much more patient than Mauricio Dubon, so we included Allen because coaches have to be graded based on what they do with what they have and not based on what they have.

Dans Brown’s job is to give Joe Espada the very best roster he can. Espada’s job is to employ that roster to maximum effect. From there, the hitting and pitching coaches are charged with getting as many of their charges to hit or pitch their very best. Given all of those caveats we can begin to digest these numbers to figure out what they might mean long-term.

We will start on the right hand side of the ledger. The zone percentage represents the percentage of pitches that hitters see in the zone. Clearly, teams are not challenging Astros hitters very much. Of course, there are multiple reasons for that. On the one hand, it could be a bigger trend based on past performance. If I were coaching against the Astros, I would probably tell me pitchers to test the Astros hitters and their strike zone judgment. In particular, Diaz, Altuve, and Pena have been free swingers. Why give them a lot to hit?

On the other hand, they have gone up against three teams so far. Even if we include the Rockies, we would see four teams expected to be near the bottom of the standings. The Red Sox might be the notable exception to that rule, but no one has high hopes for the Athletics, Angels, or Rockies pitchers. So, maybe they are just incapable of getting it in the zone consistently.

Either way, the Astros have responded by swinging less often and chasing less often. I’m certain that the actual 2025 numbers would be worse than what we see above. So, the difference is that much more stark. It clearly reflects the messaging going to hitters. Of course, only those inside the clubhouse would know whether the message has changed considerably. Often the key to good coaching is not the message itself, but in how it is communicated. Clearly, the message is the right one and so far it is being communicated in a way most of the hitters can digest. From here, Joe Espada will need to manipulate the lineups to take fuller advantage of those performing and Brown will need to shape the roster by possibly moving some of these guys not performing. That is the way this whole thing works. Of course, the rubber will meet the road when the Astros finally see a good pitching staff in Seattle.

1963
On this date, one of the biggest “what if’s” in franchise history took place.

As per the rules at the time, the White Sox had to choose between two pitchers signed to “bonus baby” contracts, as only one player signed to a deal for more than a certain amount of money could remain in the organization; the other would have to be waived.

With that in mind, rookies Bruce Howard and Denny McLain square off in an intrasquad game to see who would be released and who got promoted to Double-A Lynchburg. Howard won, 2-1. McLain got his walking papers and was claimed by Detroit the following week. He’d go on to win 131 big league games, including 31 in 1968.  

Howard won 26 in his career, and never could find consistent success. He was traded to the Orioles in November 1967. 

1984
After 559 starts in the National League, Tom Seaver made his American League debut in a 7-3 mauling by the Tigers at Comiskey Park. The loss came a day after the South Siders were no-hit by a Detroit team that got out the gate hot and didn’t stop until they won the 1984 World Series. Seaver lasted just 4 1⁄3 innings, surrendering five earned runs, including a solo homer to Kirk Gibson.

After his debut loss, Seaver was defeated again, and took a 7.71 ERA into his third start. The future Hall-of-Famer corrected himself on the season, however, ending up with a 15-11 record and 3.95 ERA/105 ERA+/4.1 WAR. At age 39, he led the White Sox pitchers in wins and was second in WAR.

1991
It was always a “House of Horrors” for the White Sox, but on this day they got the last laugh.

The Sox spoiled the last Orioles home opener in Memorial Stadium by ripping Baltimore, 9-1. Sammy Sosa clubbed homers in the second and eighth innings to lead the rout, driving in five runs on the afternoon. Jack McDowell went the distance for the win, striking out 10.

1995
With teams ramping up quickly to fill out rosters as the labor impasse that cancelled the 1994 World Series ended, the White Sox signed free agent outfielder Mike Devereaux and southpaw starter Jim Abbott for the season.

Devereaux was signed for $1,350,000 and served as the team’s primary right fielder (1.8 WAR, .306/.352/.465, 115 OPS+) before being dealt to contending Atlanta for minor league center fielder Andre King on August 25.

Abbott, famously a star hurler with just one hand, signed for $2 million and had a renaissance season, going 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA and 2.6 WAR in just 17 starts. He was dealt back to his original club, the California Angels, on July 27. Abbott also would mount a comeback with the White Sox in 1998, after sitting out 1997.

2014
The White Sox hit six home runs, including the first two of José Abreu’s career, in a 15-3 rout of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Avisaíl García adds two homers, with Tyler Flowers and Alexei Ramírez getting one apiece. The White Sox scored 11 times in the final three frames, turning a 4-3 squeaker into a 15-3 romp. Jim Margalus covered the rout for South Side Sox.

2021
The Legend of Yermín Mercedes grew, as he clubbed the third-longest home run ever at new Sox Park. Coming against Brad Keller of the Royals, the 485-foot clout was hit in the rain, and in Yermín’s very first 2021 at-bat in front of his home fans.

2025
In just his second career start, Shane Smith threw a no hitter for 5 ⅔ innings, becoming the first MLB pitcher with a least 11 ⅔ innings pitched in his first two starts to allow no more than four total bases. The last pitcher to accomplish this stingy feat was also a South Side hurler: Shovel Hodge, in 1920.

The losing continues for the Detroit Tigers, who dropped their third straight on Tuesday night to the Minnesota Twins, 4-2. To make matters worse, it was the second-straight Tarik Skubal start wasted in defeat.

The ace southpaw struggled in his third game of the 2026 campaign, lasting just 4 1/3 innings while giving up four earned runs on eight hits — plus he issued his first two walks of the season. It doesn’t help that Detroit’s offense has been as robust as a wet noodle, and so now Minnesota is up two games to none in this week’s four-game series.

The Tigers can still force a split, but they need to get things going on Wednesday night behind their high-priced lefty, Framber Valdez. The free agent acquisition has paid off so far, and hopefully, his success continues into his third start.

Opposite him is right-hander Baily Ober, who is no stranger to the Motor City Kitties. Detroit won both games against him last year, tallying 10 earned runs on 14 hits (five home runs) but just one walk with nine strikeouts in 11 innings over those two matchups.

Can the Tigers heat up and snap schneid? Tune in on Wednesday night to find out.

Detroit Tigers (4-7) vs. Minnesota Twins (5-6)

Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. ET
Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 12: LHP Framber Valdez (1-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

VALDEZ

OBER

After the fisticuffs between Reynaldo Lopez and Jorge Soler, Walt Weiss had a bit of a problem. He had to get 4 1/3 from his bullpen, but ideally, while preserving a small lead. If the game were a blowout already, it would be easy to sacrifice Jose Suarez and move on from there, but that wasn’t a good tactical option in a close game.

When I saw Tyler Kinley coming in, I started to do some math in my head — between Kinley and three “good relievers,” you could straightforwardly get either 3 1/3 or maybe more, depending on whether Kinley came back out after ending the fifth. You’d need Kinley for a full frame to get to 4 1/3. So, I started to think along the lines of, “Okay, fine, these guys are gonna have to pitch more than an inning, and that’s how we solve this problem.”

But that’s not what happened either. Kinley got two outs, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth. Dylan Lee finished the sixth. Robert Suarez was thrown in to face the scary part of this lineup in the seventh, but he was only asked to go an inning. Then we got an “Aaron Bummer in not-meaningless leverage” sighting, but a hit-by-pitch and a “oh rats we used all our ABS challenges already” sequence led to the tying run coming to the plate, so Walt Weiss, Jeremy Hefner and company went with Raisel Iglesias for the remainder of the game. Iglesias even stayed in as the Braves tacked on multiple runs in the top of the ninth.

While we’ve seen a lot of these things before (Iglesias for more than an inning, pitchers for less than an inning for handedness reasons, Aaron Bummer in non-awful leverage, a better reliever pitching earlier to face off against tougher batters), we generally haven’t seen them combined in this fashion. While the starting pitching decisions still trend towards the lackadaisical, we can at least say that Walt Weiss and company are being a lot more aggressive with their bullpen and bench decisions than we’ve seen in the past from this team.

If you were watching last night (which I know is a tough sell given the time for many of you), did the bullpen management surprise you as it happened?

Good morning, Phillies fans. You can be forgiven for being a bit bleary-eyed this morning, given that yesterday was another 9:45 eastern start. Fortunately, today’s game is a reprieve in the form of a 3:45 start. But there will be more late nights this season; a road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles in late May will require some coffee.

Or not. Perhaps energy drinks are your beverage of choice for those late baseball nights. Or perhaps you don’t stay up at all. If you’re among those who prioritize health over baseball (I’m not), do you watch a replay of the game the next morning? If so, do you avoid spoilers? Or is a recap your option of choice? We offer those, you know.

Today’s question is: what do you do for the late night games?

I traded my Easter ham for a hot dog last weekend to watch the Orioles take on the Pirates at PNC Park. On paper, it felt like dealing Erik Bedard for Adam Jones and a quartet of pitchers. It’s not like I was skipping Thanksgiving dinner, and it’s always a thrill to catch a game or three at the second most beautiful park in baseball.

There was a legitimate buzz in Pittsburgh leading up to the team’s home opener. A traditionally pessimistic fan base garnered some optimism with the signings of Ryan O’Hearn, Brandow Lowe, and Marcell Ozuna, but the city caught fire when the organization announced they were promoting top prospect Konnor Griffin before the first home game of the season.

The top prospect in baseball? That’s nice. Call me when you go back-to-back-to-back. Baltimore’s lineup should have featured Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday, but the youngest reamined on the IL recovering from a broken hamate bone. Still, I couldn’t help but smile when the sold out crowd rose to its feet to greet the future of its franchise. Pirates fans are aching for the type of feeling Baltimore enjoyed during a 101-win season in 2023, and Orioles fans are looking to rediscover the magic.

Griffin delivered a big hit, and the Orioles failed to recover from a four-run deficit. Baltimore went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and Gregory Soto danced around a solo homer for his first save of the season. Fans talked some smack in a jovial manner as I left the park. “We’ll get you tomorrow,” I said with a grin, and the fans conceded like it was already a foregone conclusion.

That’s not what happened though. Baltimore let a two-run lead slip away with the type of defense that we all feared would rear its ugly head at some point. Coby Mayo failed to turn a double play. Anthony Nunez couldn’t corral a weak grounder, and the Pirates walked it off for their second one-run win in as many days.

I won’t waste much time on the finale. Chris Bassitt looked old and cold with temperatures in the low 50s. Craig Albernaz yelled at home plate umpire James Jean like a manager watching his team get hopelessly swept, and Jean barked back like a guy unhappy to be working on a holiday. I left the park like a guy who went to three games and all he got was a lousy opening series pin.

I was ready to air grievances like some odd combination of Easter and Festivus, but I don’t post on Monday mornings. Since then, the Orioles traveled to Chicago and clinched a series victory with a pair of close wins. They enter today with a chance of a series sweep and a return to .500. So where does that leave us?

Nothing is coming easy for this team right now. Baltimore finished 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position yesterday with 14 men left on base. The team could have coasted to a comfortable victory but instead needed its closer for a second straight day in April.

Baltimore’s early struggles are manifesting in strange ways. The team desperately needed a hit with runners in scoring position and less than two outs yesterday. Albernaz sent Ryan Mountcastle up to pinch hit in the fifth inning because he couldn’t trust Colton Cowser to put the ball in play right now. Mountcastle drove in a run with an RBI-groundout, but the move said more about Cowser’s inability to handle offspeed pitches than anything else.

Samuel Basallo can hit the ball HARD, but the Orioles still have a rookie batting .167 in the cleanup spot. A team that spent $155 million on Pete Alonso should be able to let guys like Basallo and Beavers cut their teeth a little lower in the order.

Trevor Rogers has looked the part through his first three starts, but the second head of Baltimore’s two headed monster failed to complete five innings in either of his first two outings. The Orioles could use a strong start from Kyle Bradish today with closer Ryan Helsley likely unavailable.

Cade Povich and Brandon Young have already turned in better appearances than free agent signing Chris Bassitt. The 37-year-0ld is 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA on the season. The Birds will need more out of Bassitt with Zach Eflin already on the 60-day injured list.

Henderson, Rutschman, and Taylor Ward look capable of carrying the offense until Alonso heats up, but the bottom half remains a question mark without Holliday and Jordan Westburg. Mayo has yet to offset the defense at third base, and Jeremiah Jackson looks to be the easy option once Holliday returns.

After 11 games, the optics match reality. The Orioles are playing like a team fighting to play .500 baseball. That’s not a disaster, but it’s not enough either. These two close wins in Chicago stopped the sky from falling, but Baltimore could really use a comfortable win to catch its breath. There’s an opportunity to get that win today with Bradish on the mound against University of Maryland product Sean Burke.

Columbus Clippers 14, Worcester Red Sox 10

Clippers improve to 7-3

Between 16 hits, 12 walks and two hit by pitches, Columbus scored a whopping 14 runs with 30 baserunners on Tuesday — and somehow they still needed a late rally to pull out the victory.

George Valera led the way, going 4-for-5 with two sacrifice flies and six runs batted in. (He’s ready folks).

Stuart Fairchild went 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and a hit by pitch. Cooper Ingle reached base all six times, going 1-for-1 with four walks, a hit by pitch and three runs scored. Kody Huff reached base five times, going 2-for-3 with a triple, three walks and four runs scored.

Other standouts included Dayan Frias, who went 1-for-4 with two walks and a stolen base, Travis Bazzana who went 2-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base Petey Halpin, who went 2-for-7 with a double. Milan Tolentino had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-6.

Starting pitcher Trenton Denholm pitched reasonably well, allowing four runs (two earned) on nine hits in 5.0 innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk anyone.

Andrew Walters made his first rehab appearance of the season, allowing two runs on one walk and one hit in an inning. Colin Holderman was tattooed for four runs on three hits and a walk in his lone inning of work.

Also rehabbing was Hunter Gaddis, who pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Franco Aleman closed out the victory with a scoreless ninth inning.

Akron RubberDucks 12, Harrisburg Senators 13 (F/10)

RubberDucks fall to 3-1

Scoring 12 runs wasn’t enough for the Akron offense on Tuesday. Angel Genao led the way, smacking his second home run of the season, going 2-for-4 with two walks.

Also homering were Jacob Cozart, who went 2-for-5 and Alex Mooney, who went 1-for-5 with a grand slam.

Ralphy Velazquez and Alfonsin Rosario both went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored. Wuilfredo Antunez went 1-for-3 with two walks while Nick Mitchell went 2-for-5.

Starting pitcher Dylan DeLucia had an atrocious outing, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in just 3.0 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Jay Driver chipped in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief while Zane Morehouse and Reid Johnston both gave up one run.

Alaska Abney pitched a scoreless inning and Jack Jasiak allowed the ghost runner to score with two outs in the bottom of the 10th to take the tough-luck loss.

Lake County Captains 6, Dayton Dragons 2

Captains improve to 2-2

Lake County didn’t get a ton of offense, but it was timely. Ryan Cesarini led the way, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base to lead the way offensively.

Bennett Thompson also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Jaison Chourio walked twice and stole a base while Nolan Schubart walked twice and had a sacrifice fly and Anthony Silva went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk and Aaron Walton went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Top draft pick Jace LaViolette’s early season struggled continued, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout, although he reached base for the first time of his career with a walk.

Starting pitcher Franklin Gomez looked sensational in his Guardians system debut. He pitched 4.0 shutout innings of four-hit ball, striking out seven and walking just two.

Michael Kennedy added solid long relief with 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up two hits with three strikeouts, although he walked four.

Logan McGuire was touched up for two runs in 1.2 innings and Sean Matson picked up a one-out save

Hill City Howlers 4, Fredericksburg Nationals 9

Howlers fall to 2-2

Hill City players got on base, but no one had a particularly great game Tuesday. Dauri Fernandez, Robert Arias and Anthony Martinez all went 1-for-3 with a walk, with Arias also stealing a base.

Yelferth Castillo had the biggest hit of the game, a home run while Yaikel Mijares walked twice and stole a base.

Starting pitcher Aiden Major made his organizational debut, allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 2.2 innings.

Will McCausland also gave up two runs, but impressively struck out eight batters in 3.2 frames of long relief.

The big blow came from reliever Zane Petty, who was tagged for five runs in his lone inning of work, preventing any thoughts of a comeback.

Coming into Tuesday night’s game, the Cubs were third in all of MLB in hard-hit rate, trailing only the Dodgers and Rangers. Here’s what it looked like before the game:

You knew that eventually some of those hard hit balls would start falling in for hits, and that’s what happened Tuesday in Tropicana Field. The Cubs bats kept hitting baseballs hard, and many of them did drop in, leading to a 9-2 win over the Rays. The Cubs had 16 hits in the game, a season high.

The first inning went scoreless, then Dansby Swanson smacked a double to left, hard it. Check out the exit velocity:

Michael Conforto followed with this RBI single [VIDEO].

Matt Shaw scored Conforto with this double [VIDEO].

The Cubs put two more on the board in the third. Alex Bregman led off with a double and went to third on a sharp single to right by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

PCA took off for second. He was safe, and a throwing error allowed Bregman to score [VIDEO].

PCA took third on the error and scored on a sac fly by Moisés Ballesteros [VIDEO].

That was all off Rays reliever Mason Englert, who I thought was going to be used as an opener in this one — but the Rays left him in through two out in the fourth inning and 65 pitches, a career high for the right-hander. The Cubs took advantage and hit him hard. The last batter he faced, Nico Hoerner, smacked a laser of a line drive to left for a single, their seventh hit of the game in less than four innings.

A note on those back-to-back two-run innings from BCB’s JohnW53:

Going into tonight, the Cubs had scored multiple runs in just two of their last 41 innings. Then they did it twice in three innings, back-to-back.

Javier Assad breezed through the early going in this game, retiring the first 12 Rays on just 46 pitches, really efficient work. It was his usual game when he’s on, not throwing real hard, just keeping Rays hitters off balance and pounding the strike zone. Keep up this great work!

PCA was thrown out trying to steal in the fifth. That was the Cubs’ first CS of 2026 after 11 successful steal attempts this year.

Junior Caminero walked to lead off the fifth, the Rays’ first baserunner. An infield hit by Chandler Simpson broke up any thought of a no-hit bid. Assad eventually got out of the inning with a double-play ball.

In the sixth, Ballesteros led off with a single and one out later, advanced to second on a wild pitch. A walk drawn by Conforto and single by Shaw loaded the bases. Nico Hoerner then dribbled a ball up the middle that the Rays defense turned into an out with some fancy flips, but Ballesteros scored to make it 5-0 [VIDEO].

Assad was lifted with two out in the sixth and 80 pitches, having allowed one hit and two walks, with three strikeouts. He was just outstanding. Here’s more on Assad’s outing [VIDEO].

Hoby Milner relieved Assad and allowed a hit, then finished off the inning with a fly to center. More on Assad’s outing from John:

This was the 11th of Javier Assad’s 55 career starts in which he did not allow a run. The longest was 8.0 innings at Cincinnati on Sept. 2, 2023. The Cubs lost, 2-1. He pitched six innings three times, on April 2, May 5 and May 15 of 2024; 5.1 twice, in 2022 and last year; and 5.0 twice, both in 2022. The two other starts were only 4.0 and 3.1. The fewest hits in any of the previous shutout starts of at least 5.0 was four, five times. The most recent was May 15, 2024, vs. the Rockies.

PCA’s bat seemed to come alive in this game. In the seventh, he smashed his first home run of the year [VIDEO].

That was another ball hit really hard by a Cub [VIDEO].

The Cubs added another run in the eighth. Swanson led off with a single and stole second. Conforto walked, and one out later Nico singled in Dansby [VIDEO].

The Rays got on the board in the eighth with a couple of runs off Phil Maton, who has been… not good so far in a Cubs uniform. This is something that’s going to have to improve. Craig Counsell doesn’t have much of a Circle of Trust in this year’s Cubs bullpen so far. One of the runs scored literally off Maton when Ryan Vilade’s line drive hit him in the back [VIDEO].

Maton had to be relieved by Caleb Thielbar with two out and his season ERA at 13.50. That’s gotta improve.

The Cubs added two more in the ninth. PCA singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ballesteros followed with his first home run of 2026 [VIDEO].

This is the sort of offense this team is capable of. Let’s hope it shows up more often in upcoming games.

Jacob Webb, who had also struggled in his first few appearances this year, entered to throw the ninth. He walked the first hitter he faced on four pitches, then retired three in a row to end things. Here’s the final out [VIDEO].

That’s the only complaint department item for this one, still a bit shaky among the middle relievers.

Once again in this game, Ballesteros showed how good he is at ABS challenges. Here, he gets a strike three call overturned [VIDEO].

As JD says on the clip, that’s a dangerous time to use a challenge — top of the second inning. But Ballesteros was correct. Ultimately he flied to left, but that made Englert throw three extra pitches. Every little bit counts. One day, Ballesteros is going to do this and it will come through for him with a key hit.

The Cubs will go for the series win Wednesday evening in St. Petersburg. Colin Rea will make his first 2026 start for the Cubs, and Joe Boyle goes for the Rays. Game time is again 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.