Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland Guardians look to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat when they host Nick Martinez and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of their three-game series.
Bibee has been dealing, and my Rays vs. Guardians predictions expect Cleveland to even the series.
Who will win Rays vs Guardians today: Guardians (-130)
Tanner Bibee has allowed just two earned runs over his last 12 innings and is pitching his way back into form.
The Cleveland Guardians bullpen ranks 16th in baseball with a 3.88 xERA, giving them a more reliable bridge in the back end.
Tampa Bay Rays starter Nick Martinez is dealing, but he carries a 4.67 xERA with a 10th percentile whiff rate, meaning his strong ERA is living on borrowed time.
Neither pen is an absolute, but Cleveland's is clearly the lesser evil. Back the Guardians to bounce back at home.
COVERS INTEL:Martinez boasts a 2.10 ERA, but his 4.65 xERA and 4.47 xFIP suggest his stats are a mirage.
Rays vs Guardians Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+102)
We should see some offense tonight at Progressive Field.
Bibee has surrendered five home runs in 30 innings this season, and Tampa's contact-heavy lineup strikes out the least of any team in baseball, meaning balls will be in play all night.
Martinez has a 17.5% whiff rate and a 4.67 xERA, suggesting runs are coming his way, too.
Tampa's bullpen also cannot be trusted, as it ranks 28th in baseball with a 5.44 xERA.
Phil Naessens' 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 4-7, -2.20 units
Over/Under bets: 5-5, -0.16 units
Rays vs Guardians odds
Moneyline: Rays +122 | Guardians -127
Run line: Rays +1.5 (-170) | Guardians -1.5 (+163)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-100) | Under 7.5 (-104)
Rays vs Guardians trend
Cleveland has beaten Tampa Bay in seven of their previous 10 meetings. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Guardians.
How to watch Rays vs Guardians and game info
Location
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Date
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
First pitch
6:10 p.m. ET
TV
Rays.TV, CleGuardians.TV
Rays starting pitcher
Nick Martinez (1-1, 2.10 ERA)
Guardians starting pitcher
Tanner Bibee (0-3, 4.45 ERA)
Rays vs Guardians latest injuries
Rays vs Guardians weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
WICHITA, KS - JULY 05: Patrick Copen #41 of the Tulsa Drillers pitching during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Wichita Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park on Saturday, July 5, 2025 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Lexi Ashcraft/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
A Dodgers minor leaguer has won a weekly award in each of the first four weeks of the 2026 season. The latest honoree is Double-A Tulsa pitcher Patrick Copen, who on Monday captured Texas League pitcher of the week honors for the week of April 20-26.
It was the third scoreless outing in four starts this season from Copen, who made 17 starts for Tulsa last season before starting this year repeating Double-A. He led all Dodgers minor leaguers in 2025 with 152 strikeouts, and this year he leads as well with 31 strikeouts in the early going.
Copen on the season has a 1.23 ERA in his four starts, with 31 strikeouts and 12 walks in his 22 innings. His strikeout rate is up (35.6 percent, after 23.1 percent for the Drillers in 2025) and his walk rate is down (from 16 percent to 13.8 percent).
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 25: Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics plays defense at shortstop during the game between the Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Courtney Kramer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Morning A’s fans.
Yesterday’s off day allowed the Athletics to travel back home to Sacramento and prepare for their next series, a three-game matchup against the Kansas City Royals. This’ll be the first time these two teams face each other this year. Kansas City is off to a slow start at just 11-17 so far in the early going. That puts them last in the AL Central, even behind the Chicago White Sox. Not a great place to be if you’re KC, though they didn’t exactly enter this season as obvious Wild Card contenders, never mind the division.
While the Royals have announced their starters schedule for the series, the A’s have yet to make any official assignments for their starting pitchers for this series. That said, we can expect to see some combination of Luis Severino, Aaron Civale, and Jacob Lopez in this series. Severino is coming off a quality start last time out when he stiffled the Texas Rangers’ offense for six+ innings of work, allowing just one run his last time out. That’s more of the production that the team was hoping for from their veteran starter. If the team doesn’t alter their rotation order, Sevy would line up to get the ball in the series finale.
We know that Civale won’t be getting bumped from the rotation anytime soon thanks to his quality start to his season, but as for Lopez he might not have quite as long a leash. The left-hander is coming off a solid start where he pitched into the sixth inning in Texas but he’s still got an ERA close to 6. With other options waiting in the wings in Triple-A Lopez needs to string together a few quality starts if he wants to resolidify his place in the rotation. He currently lines up to get the ball this evening to kick off the series, but the fact that the team hasn’t announced its scheduled starters for this series could be a sign that the coaching staff is considering making a change in the backend of the rotation. We’ll see who gets the ball this evening. Whoever gets the call will be going up against KC lefty Kris Bubic.
First pitch is at 6:40 this evening. Have a great Tuesday, guys.
Find out what @Athletics special assistant Grady Fuson has to say about promising young #Athletics prospects like Leo De Vries, Henry Bolte, Gage Jump, Jamie Arnold, Luis Morales, Mason Barnett & more – only on A’s Cast @athleticscast24…https://t.co/6jYa1HBkkj
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 28, 2026
A couple less-than-stellar health updates on a pair of pitching prospects:
RHP Braden Nett looked dominant in his first appearance for AAA Vegas on Saturday after returning from a shoulder injury, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings with 5 Ks. But he may have possibly re-aggravated his injury. He's currently being examined, so let's hope for the best.
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 27, 2026
RHP Henry Baez is currently still rehabbing from a shoulder injury at the A's complex in AZ with no set timetable for a return to action. Meanwhile, LHP Will Johnston is set to begin a throwing program in AZ after dealing with a back injury.
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 27, 2026
A’S RECENT MOVES: SS Ali Camarillo to LAN 3B Jared Sprague-Lott/OF Gavin Turley/RHP Blake Hammond/RHP Jackson Holmes to STK OF Carlos Pacheco/RHP Josiah Romeo/RHP Roberto Urdaneta/RHP Wilfred Alvarado to ACL A’s DH Brent Rooker off IL, IF Andy Ibanez DFA’dhttps://t.co/joKXkyUAPy
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 28, 2026
In June of 1858, Abraham Lincoln warned us that “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Fast forward eight score and seven and a half years later, and he might as well have been talking about the 2026 Boston Red Sox. Given the backdrop, it’s all too fitting that the conflict and internal turmoil within the organization came to a head in abrupt and decisive fashion in the middle of a Border State on Saturday night.
Make no mistake, this was a complete and total purge of Alex Cora and his lead henchmen by Craig Breslow and whoever he has in his corner. But perhaps just as importantly, it’s the quickest conclusion possible to a conflict that threatened to corrode and destroy the 2026 Red Sox season from within.
I’m not here to tell you Alex Cora is the reason behind the team’s 9-17 start, just as Craig Breslow alone is not the reason for the team’s 9-17 start. To me, the No. 1 reason the Red Sox started 9-17 is because Alex Cora and Craig Breslow were constantly at odds with each other — Obsessed with their own personal Game of Thrones that was only going to end when one got the other fired.
As long as this relentless bickering over how the organization was run, who had say over what, and who had sway with the players persisted, the results were going to be subpar. Want to get a group of guys to perform as less than the sum of their parts? Have everybody row in different directions and see what happens.
This is why I’m happy Cora is gone. I didn’t necessarily need it to be him, but I needed it to be one of the two because nothing was getting resolved here until the divorce papers were signed.
Want another clue as to how bad the rift was between Cora and Breslow? This purge happened in April! These two were so incapable of coexisting successfully that Breslow literally took the first opportunity he had to deliver a knockout punch to not just Cora, but all the people closest to him. A total power play to seize the crown!
This is also a good time to stop and say that while Chaim Bloom and Craig Breslow may look, sound, and feel the same at first glance, they’ve proven to be very different people when it comes to this aspect of the game. Craig Breslow revealed over the weekend he’s a stone cold killer when you engage him in backroom chicanery. He learned from the role Alex Cora played in running Bloom out of town and made damn sure he wasn’t next in line. (Although I’ve got news for him: He probably is going to be next in line if he doesn’t pull this plane out of its nosedive fast.)
This also makes me wonder: Is this part of the reason nobody wanted Craig Breslow’s current job? Back in the fall of 2023, when the team had to go through nearly a dozen candidates before settling on Breslow, did people walk out because they didn’t want to engage in this type of behavior to survive? Cora made no secret about eventually wanting to work his way into the front office, and I’d have to imagine that seemed like an enormous threat to anybody who got close to that seat. Perhaps they accidentally set up an interview process destined to find the only person willing to go to the same lengths as Cora when it comes to grabbing power within the organization.
I mean, the optics here are wild. You’ve got one guy making Machiavellian moves to protect himself after creating a talented but flawed roster where the pieces don’t fit together, and another guy posting this on Twitter after being shown the door:
And can I just say, this is one of my least favorite things Alex Cora has ever posted. Happy? Sir, YOU LOST! You were in last place, you were part of a crew that ran the ship around, and you got taken out by the guy we all know you eventually wanted to replace. Nobody who is that happy is sending out “Reply All” emails at 4:00am.
Regardless of how it happened, Craig Breslow now sits atop the mountain. It’s his team, his roster, and his philosophy running the show. I don’t know if it’s the right philosophy (and there’s certainly plenty of reasons to believe it’s not), but I do know it had no chance of working when it was part of a list of competing agendas. At least now, his vision will sink or swim on its own.
And for his sake, it better swim, because Breslow’s made a ton of enemies on his trip to the top and they’re just waiting to get their pound of flesh. The only way to keep them quiet and quell the hit pieces and consequences that are guaranteed to surface soon is to stack so many wins on top of this crime scene, it becomes unrecognizable.
Ultimately, the funniest possible outcome for the Red Sox over the next couple of weeks is for the team to rip off something like a 12-2 stretch on the field while the front office and Alex Cora’s people just unload hit pieces against each other in the media. Now that would be quintessential Red Sox baseball!
Apr 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) hits against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Vargas, 34, made the most of his five games started last week for the D-backs, going 8-for-22 (.364) with a double, a triple, four home runs, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored, tripling his homer output for the season. A 10-year big league vet who has never posted a full-season WAR above 1.5, Vargas currently leads the NL with a .367 batting average, .722 slugging percentage and 1.104 OPS and has hit safely in each of the 20 games he’s played this season.
This was also the first Player of the Week honors for Vargas, and the first for Arizona since Eugenio Suárez won for the fourth time in ’25 on July 21.
“Sitting where we stood at the very beginning of the season, what the schedule was going to look like, where we were on the injured list, ending up here at 13-10, 23 games in, I’ll take,” general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke last week. “Not excited about some of the parts of what’s going on, but I think these guys have grinded pretty hard and played really well in large pockets.”
“We’re deep, and we got guys coming back,” Soroka said on Thursday. “So it’s an exciting team to be a part of, and it’s easy to rally around guys like Vargas and (Geraldo) Perdomo who keep the life going around here. It’s been a good atmosphere.”
Because for the first three frames of Saturday’s game, Gallen’s stuff looked sharp, his command was dialed in, and he was generating whiffs on both his knuckle-curve and slider despite the lofty 7,300-plus foot elevation of Mexico City.
If Gallen was beginning to generate some forward momentum, a stint on the IL or a skipped rotation turn might have derailed it. That may still be the case, depending on if his shoulder nags him in the coming days.
But for now, it looks like a somewhat safe bet that Gallen won’t miss much time, if any. That, of course, could still change.
Chad Patrick was traded by the D-backs to the Athletics for Jace Peterson at the 2023 trade deadline. Last year he posted a 3.53 ERA in 120 innings for the Brewers, who acquired him in November of 2023. This year he has a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings, lowering his career ERA to 3.34 in 143 innings.
Twice the Brewers have used Patrick as the bulk pitcher behind an opener, and it’s possible they may do so again for this game. The official starter has not been named as of this writing.
Get ready, Cleveland. The Travis Bazzana era is about to get underway.
The Guardians are calling up Bazzana (their No. 1 prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline) from Triple-A Columbus, a club source told MLB.com on Monday night. The 23-year-old second baseman and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft could make his big league debut as early as Tuesday vs. the Rays at Progressive Field.
This has been a memorable year already for Bazzana, who was a non-roster invitee in big league camp this spring for the first time while also representing his home country of Australia in the World Baseball Classic. Though he was ultimately assigned to Columbus near the end of camp, he made a strong impression with both his performance and work ethic.
Veteran shortstop Trevor Story called Breslow’s explanation of Cora’s firing when Breslow met with the team Sunday morning not “satisfactory.” Reliever Garrett Whitlock noted that Breslow didn’t give players the chance to ask questions during that meeting.
The Houston Astros have a knack for disappointing Aprils. Despite usually being projected as the favorite or second favorite in the AL West every year for the last decade, the last time the Astros didn’t have a losing record at some point in the second half of April was 2019. But year after year, they’ve tended to get a powerful second wind. Excluding 2020, for obvious reasons, they haven’t finished with fewer than 87 wins in a season since 2016; overall, Houston has the second-most wins in baseball since the start of the 2017 season. During those previous mediocre starts, the projections have stood by the Astros. This time… not so much.
To see the last time the Astros started this dreadfully, you don’t have to go back very far. In 2024, they hit their nadir after 26 games, at 7-19. I wrote then, as I do now, about the hole they were digging for themselves. Though it was still an uphill battle to come back in the AL West — they in fact did, handily — the projections never turned sour. ZiPS projected the Astros to win 88 games going into that season, and despite their 7-16 record at the time I wrote that article, the computer still thought they’d continue to win games at the previously predicted rate.
ZiPS does not have the same optimism that it had in 2024.
Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander fired seven scoreless innings to earn a win against the Mets on Sunday. The outing lowered his April ERA to a pristine 1.29. He’s piled up 34 strikeouts over 28 innings this month. Sunday’s outing was the first traditional start of the season for Dollander. He’d pitched exclusively out of the bullpen to begin the year, typically as a bulk reliever following an opener.
Dollander’s win over the Mets came at Citi Field. It was his fifth appearance on the road this season, compared to just two games at Coors Field. The young righty has been able to tame the hitter-friendly venue so far. Dollander allowed a run over 4 1/3 innings at home against the Phillies in his second outing of the season. He limited the Padres to a run across six innings early last week, piling up nine strikeouts. Colorado scored one run total in Dollander’s two home games, saddling him with the loss both times.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Tate Southisene #19 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the third inning of a Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
With about a month of the season now elapsed we’ve had a solid chance to get our first looks at prospects throughout the Atlanta Braves system. Many players have stood out so far, especially on the offensive end with the Braves recent focus on hitting talent, and the performances of some players have caught national attentions in recent weeks. MLB Pipeline just released their Prospect Team of the Week for the week of April 21st through 26th, and three Braves feature on the list. 2025 First Round pick Tate Southisene is the biggest name of the bunch, though the performance of Eric Hartman in Greensboro and Rolddy Munoz’s resurgent season in Gwinnett’s bullpen also carry strong storylines.
A trio of Braves, MLB's No. 26 overall prospect and a player making his second straight appearance on this squad headline the Team of the Week.
As the primary leadoff man and second baseman for the Augusta GreenJackets, Tate Southisene has been every bit as good as his draft status would make Braves fans hope. Southisene had a bit of a shaky first week where he struggled with his timing a bit, but over the past two and a half series has had as many walks as strikeouts to go along with an impressive .314 isolated power. Last week in Columbia was the peak of the powers so far. Southisene hit safely in all six games to extend his hitting streak to eight, and was bringing the thump as well with two home runs and two doubles. His eye at the plate continued to be a major asset as he also drew eight walks while striking out only six times, and in total Southisene had a 1.267 OPS. Much was made of the complexity of Southisene’s load up and swing prior to the draft, but the Braves have put in immediate work to quiet his motion down. He is still going through an adjustment period but is taking to these big changes remarkably, and the arrow is up for him so far this year.
While Southisene has been the name to watch in the system, it’s been Eric Hartman who has provided the largest impact so far. He started out the week with a three home run game in the opener in Greensboro, and he didn’t slow down at all throughout the series. He finished with five total home runs to bring his season total to a South Atlantic League-leading eight, and he is also leading the lead in isolated power while being top five in hits, OPS, and wRC+. If there has been any knock on Hartman so far it has been his swing and miss numbers and approach at the plate, but he had a good week at the plate in that regard as well. His absurd 1.702 OPS last week led the system, and his strength at the plate has already been enough to bump his projection up a bit.
The final prospect of the week nod went to Rolddy Munoz, who has yet to allow a run this season for the Stripers. He had two dominant relief appearances last week, retiring all six of the batters he faced with four strikeouts. Munoz has not made a significant change to arsenal this season, but he is throwing first pitch strikes a bit more often and it has allowed him to work more effectively with his slider. He has a cut a chunk out of his walk rate (though his low in-zone rate hints as some regression there) and is utilizing his slider more often than he did last season.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 26: Cody Bellinger #35 celebrates with Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on April 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maria Lysaker/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week, Andrew put out a post on our feed asking for your hot takes, and you all delivered. With the Yankees rolling and on their way to another competitive season, there’s plenty of things to get ambitious about, so let’s see what’s got you all fired up after a month or so of play.
We’re starting off bold here, Hector.
A 105-win season would easily top the output of any recent Yankees team, with only the 2019 team’s 103-win total coming close. There’s also been a dearth of 100+ win teams overall recently, with no one reaching the mark in the last two years. This year’s team is off to a solid start, tied for the second-most amount of wins in the league and clicking without two of their top pitchers as you noted, but maintaining that pace is a taller task than meeting it for a moment. This is a solid hot take.
Now we’re getting into it. Aaron Judge has just turned 34, to be fair — an age that most would agree is where an athlete exits or starts to exit their prime — but he’s coming off of two consecutive MVP campaigns and not shown any signs of slowing down thus far this season. Yes, the batting average isn’t where it was last season when Judge was spraying hard-hit balls and finding the outfield grass with regularity while winning his first batting crown, but he’s getting his walks and driving the ball at the same elite level that he’s been playing at since 2022.
Realistically, the at-least-soft decline it has to come at some point, and the Yankees have more than recouped enough value already out of the contract they inked Judge to in 2023 to justify whatever depreciation in his game comes in those later years. But will it start now, in 2026? I don’t think we’re there yet, but it’s certainly a hot take to claim that we are.
Ben Rice is putting himself in the national spotlight, isn’t he? The first baseman has been the Robin to Judge’s Batman in the lineup, crushing his 10th home run on Monday to move himself into a tie with James Wood for the third-most homers in the league. Only Munetaka Murakami (who’s been a hell of a steal for the White Sox thus far), Yordan Alvarez, and Judge have slugged more out of the park, and only Alvarez has a higher OPS than Rice with a narrow lead (1.220 for Alvarez vs. 1.191 for Rice). Offense on a level like that has been the best way to get into MVP discussions of late, and Rice has become a much-more competent fielder than he was last year so he’s no slouch on that end either — he just likely won’t get much credit for it unless he starts siphoning some games behind the plate as well. Regardless, he’s in good standing to make this a reality.
This is a two-parter though, so let’s talk about Cam Schlittler a little bit shall we? Entering play on Tuesday Schlittler currently leads MLB with 1.7 fWAR, putting him marginally ahead of his own teammate in Max Fried (1.5) and the likes of reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and burgeoning Angels ace José Soriano (1.4 each). Soriano has pitched to an absurd 0.24 ERA in six starts, and if he pitches even close to that mark the rest of the way he’d surely draw the eyes of most voters, but Schlittler has actually has a case for surpassing him in the long run: he’s walking just 1.01 batters per nine innings to Soriano’s 3.11, his FIP is a magnificent 1.53 while Soriano runs a (still elite but not as good) 2.23 FIP, and Soriano’s stranding an entirely-unsustainable 100 percent of his baserunners. There’s still plenty of other candidates that’ll be in the field, but Schlittler stands a very good chance of establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the game and perhaps winning the hardware in the end.
So, we’ve got two takes that on their own sound pretty believable, with the Rice one seeming more likely thanks to the parameters having him finish in the top three as opposed to outright winning. Combined, however? It’s certainly bold to claim that both of the Yankees’ emerging stars will become supernovas in the same season. I don’t think anyone around here would mind if it turned out to be the case.
Now we’re getting crazy; this is what we’re here for. Ryan McMahon has gotten out of his own way on the field, separating his struggles at the plate from his ability to be a Gold Glove caliber defender and providing what the Yankees needed at the hot corner. In the process, finding himself out there might have cleared his head enough to start seeing the ball better at the plate as well, as he’s posted a respectable .757 OPS over his last 15 games.
Is that going to spiral all the way into him heating up enough to make the All-Star Game, let alone start it? Highly unlikely, but in the event that it does happen I’ll be going to you for some lotto numbers.
From your lips to God’s ears my friend. It’s been a rough couple of years trying to enjoy baseball in the Bronx during the summer, with June and July being a near-guaranteed cliff for the team to jump off of only to pick themselves back up during the dog days and avoid an actual collapse. Surprisingly, the 2022 Yankees managed to avoid a June-specific falloff, which is kind of funny because they’re the team that I associate with the trend becoming established: they actually had their best month of the year with a 22-6 record then! (The Cristian Javier-led combined Astros no-hitter notwithstanding.)
Of course, that 2022 squad did do its best to fall out of the division lead later on, and the months of July and August were indeed awful for the Bombers. But it’s funny to look back on the rest of Aaron Boone’s tenure and how the team has performed in the middle of the season with him heading the ship.
They started out pretty well all things considered, with Boone’s inaugural season in 2018 being fairly consistent the entire way through and the 2019 team also thriving in that time span. The 2021 team had the first true June swoon, and the last three rosters have all endured it as well, with the 2023 team maintaining the excuse of not having Judge around to buoy the lineup after that fateful encounter with the Dodger Stadium wall. Four out of five seasons suffering from this symptom, with the lone outlier experiencing it just a little later, is a tough track record to beat, but it sure is a hot take to claim they’ll manage just that. Hopefully this is no joke.
Considering only seven out of the 19 members of our own staff here made this pick, I’ll go out on a limb and say this is a scorcher of a take! The 17-year title drought has plenty of people pessimistic about the team’s chances to go all the way, but in all seriousness the team is built to compete and has the pieces for a deep run, should they survive the marathon that is an MLB season in good standing. The pitching staff is deeper than they’ve ever had in this era, and perhaps one of the deepest in franchise history, but the bullpen is an obvious flaw that could be their Achilles heel.
Luckily, that’s the easiest part of a roster to retool within a season, and they have internal candidates down in the minors should they want to go that route too. There’s only going to be so many more shots the Yankees can take at winning a title with Judge and Gerrit Cole fronting the championship push before they have to pay the real price of those lofty contracts, but if they can go all the way this year it’ll all be worth it.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros speaks to Willy Vasquez #83 of the Baltimore Orioles after hitting a double during the third inning of a spring training game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 10, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a third series in a row, the Orioles come up against a team that is currently in last place in its division. This is a surprising statement to make for this next opponent, the Astros, who have consistently been pretty good over the last decade. It is early to give up on them and say the season is a failure, same as it’s early to say the same about the O’s. I’m sure that the Astros would rather be a lot better than 11-17 so far this season.
The problem for Houston so far is its pitching. They are 30th of 30 teams in ERA, bringing a 5.97 team ERA to this series. Yikes. They are 29th in rotation ERA and 30th in bullpen ERA. Two of their active starting pitchers and three of their active relievers have ERAs over 6. Two of their starters, including offseason addition Tatsuya Imai, are on the injured list right now. Neither aspect is working out so far. The Orioles, if you’re wondering, are 18th, with a 4.36 ERA, and the bullpen in particular looks a lot better once you exclude some one-or-two-game-disasters from the mix.
Things are going better for the Astros offense, at least so far. Yordan Alvarez has been going bonkers up to this point in the season, with 11 homers and a 1.220 OPS in 29 games. Former Oriole Christian Walker is having a resurgence after struggling in his first year in Houston; he brings a .946 OPS with seven homers into this series. Imagine having a first baseman with seven homers already this season! Longtime Astros Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are not at their career peaks, but still doing well.
As we know from the series the Orioles just finished, playing a last place team doesn’t mean anything. The Orioles have their own share of problems to overcome and when they do not do that, they lose a game or a series. It would be nice to see them put it together here because tougher times are coming after this. Following their games against the Astros, 12 of their next 16 games will have them facing current division leaders. That could get ugly!
Game 1: Tuesday, 6:35
HOU starter: Kai-Wei Teng – 2.16 ERA, 0.900 WHIP, 4.63 FIP in 16.2 innings
BAL starter: Shane Baz – 5.08 ERA, 1.553 WHIP, 3.69 FIP in 28.1 innings
Teng has yet to start a game this season and his high pitch count is 39. It does not look like an opener gambit, but rather one of desperation for lack of other options available. If Teng can give them 60 pitches, they’ll probably be happy with that. He’s not left-handed, nor are any of the Astros starters who are pitching in this series. The 27-year-old from Taiwan was traded from San Francisco over to Houston this offseason. The results have been there out of the bullpen so far. I’m curious to see how that translates multiple times through the order.
Baz needs to have a great start as an Oriole. His best so far is one run allowed over 5.2 innings, a game which the Orioles still managed to use. The other four have not been good. This is more for the sake of the 2026 Orioles season than it is about winning the trade/extension, although obviously it would be nice for the O’s if those things happen as well. We have just not yet seen things out of him to validate Mike Elias’s belief in Baz. The O’s could probably help Baz by putting a better defensive alignment behind him – that .360 BABIP luck is just crazy bad.
Game 2: Wednesday, 6:35
HOU starter: Peter Lambert – 3.27 ERA, 1.273 WHIP, 1.85 FIP in 11 innings
BAL starter: Chris Bassitt – 6.75 ERA, 2.063 WHIP, 6.27 FIP in 21.1 innings
Lambert, 29, is a player I have never thought about in my life before sitting down to write this series preview. He was drafted by the Rockies and pitched part of four seasons with them through 2024. He spent last year in Japan and returned to the US this year. Astros injuries have pressed him into service – he’s started two games and they’ve gone well for him so far. If you are wired like me, your first reaction to finding out the Orioles are going to face a relatively anonymous starting pitcher is to think it will go badly for them. Take heart: It doesn’t always go as bad as you remember. Or take despair: Sometimes it does go badly.
You might also despair because Bassitt is on the mound. He also needs to have a great start as an Oriole! His bad starts have been worse than Baz’s bad starts, by far; Bassitt only compares favorably if you’re comparing him against Charlie Morton last year. It is the case that Bassitt is like four runs better in ERA than Morton was before he got bounced from the rotation. Still, Bassitt is not pitching well enough to help the Orioles have a good chance to win games he starts. The only Bassitt win this year saw him allow five runs in 5.1 innings and he was lucky to be bailed out by the offense.
Back in spring training, we were getting stories about how Bassitt was motivated since he came so close to winning the World Series last year. The extra motivation isn’t solving whatever else is going on here. Maybe some day the Orioles will get a veteran clubhouse presence who is both a good teammate and a good player.
Game 3: Thursday, 12:05
HOU starter: Lance McCullers Jr. – 6.75 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 5.06 FIP in 25.1 innings
BAL starter: Brandon Young – 2.53 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, 3.88 FIP in 10.2 innings
We are far removed from McCullers having been a good MLB pitcher. He last started more than 20 games in 2021, missed 2023 and 2024 entirely due to injury issues, and was terrible in 16 games last year. Unfortunately for Houston, he’s picking up where he left off from last year, with all kinds of problems plaguing his game. As you and I both know, this is no guarantee that Orioles hitters will capitalize on this struggling pitcher. It would sure be nice to see them hit several home runs against a guy who’s already been homer-prone this year.
Young made two starts against the Astros during his rookie season a year ago, experiencing the highest of highs and some pretty low lows as well. The first game, he took a perfect through to two outs in the eighth inning, ultimately pitching eight shutout innings on the road in Houston. Six days later, back home in Baltimore, the Astros blasted him for seven runs in a 5.1 inning outing.
I had no interest in seeing Young start MLB games this season; he’s surprised me so far. It’s unlikely he will continue in the mid-2s for ERA but even if he floats up with an ERA closer to that 3.88 FIP, that is potential “save the season” stuff. You know, if enough else goes right with the Orioles for the performance of their #5 starter to make much of a difference.
**
Returning to the thought from before the matchups, a lot of Yankees games are looming after this series. It’s probably going to be tough for fans to believe that the Orioles can play well against the Yankees if they struggle against another last-place team. Houston is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a patchwork pitching staff. The Orioles offense needs to make something happen here, especially since they aren’t facing any lefty starters.
How do you think this series is going to go? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Making declarations about a baseball team before the calendar turns to May is a fool’s errand, but here we are. The Mets have been so bad to begin the 2026 season that it really does feel like their season has gone down the tubes. On top of the fact that they’re 9-19 and tied with the Phillies for the worst record in baseball, they’re playing without Francisco Lindor—their most versatile and arguably best overall player—for the foreseeable future.
Even if Lindor hadn’t suffered a calf injury last week, there would be major concerns about this version of the Mets mimicking their 2024 counterparts in turning things around after a very ugly start to the season. At the time that the team fell to 24-35 in early June, there were at least some signs of life sprinkled throughout the lineup. Six players were hitting above league average by wRC+ up to that point: Mark Vientos (174 wRC+), J.D. Martinez (132 wRC+), Pete Alonso (119 wRC+), Brandon Nimmo (111 wRC+), DJ Stewart (108 wRC+), and Starling Marte (104 wRC+).
As for Lindor, he had experienced a typical slow start at the plate, but his 95 wRC+ combined with his defense at shortstop and his baserunning had him worth 1.4 fWAR on the morning of June 3, 2024. That led the team at the time.
Beginning with their win on June 3, the Mets turned into one of the best teams in baseball, and Lindor was the best player on the team by a wide margin. Over the course of 426 plate appearances, he hit an incredible .303/.376/.566 with 24 home runs and stole 21 bases, giving him 33 home runs and 29 stolen bases in total at the end of the regular season. He earned 6.2 fWAR over that stretch, too, which accounted for the vast majority if his season total of 7.7. And the last of his regular season home runs was the most important, as it gave the Mets the win they needed to clinch a playoff spot on the final day of the season.
Lindor didn’t complete the Mets’ magical comeback alone, of course. As had been the case even during their miserable skid early in that season, he was joined by plenty of above-league-average hitters for those final few months of the season: Jose Iglesias (137 wRC+), Mark Vientos (126 wRC+), Pete Alonso (123 wRC+), Jeff McNeil (113 wRC+), Tyrone Taylor (113 wRC+), Brandon Nimmo (107 wRC+), Francisco Alvarez (104 wRC+), and Starling Marte (103 wRC+). Even Luisangel Acuña, who made just 40 plate appearances, put up a 166 wRC+ as he joined the team in September, while Ben Gamel had a 108 wRC+ in 30 plate appearances.
And the lesser hitters on the team during the comeback stretch weren’t terrible, as J.D. Martinez (98 wRC+), Jesse Winker (97 wRC+), and Luis Torrens (90 wRC+) weren’t that far below league average. Harrison Bader (78 wRC+) and DJ Stewart (51 wRC+) were the only hitters who got significant playing time while really struggling at the plate.
That brings us back to this 2026 team. It would be tough to see this lineup, which has been the worst in baseball so far this year, turning things around even if Lindor were fully healthy and playing to his career norms. Juan Soto has unsurprisingly been the Mets’ best hitter this year with his .304/.418/.413 line and 141 wRC+, but the only other hitter who’s made at least 40 plate appearances and been better than league average is Francisco Alvarez (117 wRC+). Lindor, somewhat fittingly for this piece, had a 94 wRC+ when he hit the injured list, and he had really started to heat up at the plate in the games leading up to the calf injury.
To salvage this season, the Mets would need Soto to have an otherworldly stretch from now through the end of September. He’s sitting on 0.3 fWAR at the moment and probably needs to play at an 8.3 fWAR pace like he did in 2024 with the Yankees—at least while Lindor is sidelined—to get this Mets team back into a spot where playoff contention feels like a real possibility.
And even if Soto does that and Lindor’s return to major league action comes sooner than expected, the two of them simply can’t do it alone. They’d need other players on base to drive in or to get hits behind them to drive them in. It’s certainly possible—maybe even quite likely—that most of those players will improve the rest of the way. It would be hard not to. Luis Robert Jr. (94 wRC+) has cooled off after a hot start at the plate, and the rest of the Mets’ hitters have only been worse. Mark Vientos (80 wRC+), Tyrone Taylor (69 wRC+), Marcus Semien (65 wRC+), Bo Bichette (62 wRC+), Brett Baty (60 wRC+), the injured Jorge Polanco (53 wRC+), and Carson Benge (52 wRC+) are going to have to figure it out. And it’s very hard to buy that MJ Melendez (145 wRC+) is for real in his first 24 plate appearances as a Met when he has a .500 BABIP and a 45.8 percent strikeout rate.
Again, this mess looks insurmountable even in a scenario where the Mets’ entire roster is healthy. But without Francisco Lindor? It’s just so much worse.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 26: Jose A. Ferrer #45 of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium on April 26, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Tuesday! A rough outing from starter Luis Castillo led to seven earned runs and an eventual 4-11 loss to the Minnesota Twins yesterday. Cal Raleigh’s seventh home run and RHP Alex Hoppe’s MLB debut were the lone bright spots in the otherwise difficult game. Logan Gilbert takes the mound tomorrow against Twins ace Joe Ryan at 4:40 PM.
Through the first few weeks of the professional baseball season in 2026, a headline for the Nationals has been the talent in the farm system blossoming, as many of their top prospects, and a few surprise names, have been raking to begin the year. Chief among that group is shortstop Ronny Cruz, who made the jump to High A Wilmington last week and has continued to go scorched earth, with a 185 wRC+ and 6 home runs in 92 plate appearances between Low A and High A.
It hasn’t just been a couple of names in the Nationals’ farm system making noise; there has been a jump in performance from more bats than ever. Entering today, 22 Nats minor league hitters have a wRC+ of 100 or higher, meaning they are hitting league average or better for their level of the minor leagues. That number is third in all of baseball currently, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers with 24 and the San Francisco Giants with 28.
The Nationals have 22 minor league hitters with a wRC+ of 100 or higher, behind only the Dodgers (24) and Giants (28). By the years: 2025: 11 2024: 9 2023: 12 After years of talent but lack of production from the Nats farm, it finally has both. pic.twitter.com/pCtkC2W5tM
To put into context just how impressive a stat this is, let’s take a look at this statistic throughout the years for the Nats. In 2025, the Nats had 11 minor league hitters with a wRC+ of 100 or higher, and only 4 were above 120, a far cry from the 16 Nats with a 120+ wRC+ in 2026.
In 2024, only 9 Nats had a wRC+ over 100, and again, only 4 of them were above 120. 2023 was the same story as well, with 12 Nats above 100 and 4 above 120. Before analytics truly took over the game of baseball, the Nats would have 20+ hitters with league-average or higher wRC+ in the minor leagues, and it appears that under Paul Toboni and his staff, they have finally gotten back to that level.
The uptick in offensive performance for Nats minor league hitters has been in all aspects, as not only are walks up across the board thanks to improved approaches being instilled in hitters, but power numbers have shot up as well. Just take a look at the drastic change from years past to now in the Nats system in the chart below.
Nationals Minor League Hitters With A BB/K Ratio Over 0.50 And ISO Over .150
2026: 13
2025: 2 (0 above Complex League)
2024: 2 (0 above Dominican Summer League)
2023: 1 (Daylen Lile)
So to summarize, after back-to-back seasons with 0 players meeting the 0.50 BB/K ratio and .150 ISO benchmark, the Nats currently have a whopping 13 minor league hitters who are surpassing that number in 2026, and some quite easily, such as Seaver King, who has a 0.80 BB/K ratio and .264 ISO. I expected the new coaching staff to help make improvements to hitters’ approaches at the minor league levels, but it was a process that I expected to make multiple seasons, not one that we would see the fruits of the labor so quickly.
The one Nats minor league affiliate still struggling with their approach is the Rochester Red Wings, as the Nats Triple-A ballclub currently has 7 hitters with BB/K ratios under 0.50, and none who meet the BB/K ratio and ISO criteria listed above. Part of the reason for this is that Triple A has pitchers with both better stuff and command than the lower levels, but I also believe the hitters being older and more set in their ways than the new youngsters on the Nats farm plays a role as well.
It is easier to shape and mold the plate approach of a fresh-faced 19-year-old hitter than a 25-year-old hitter who worked his way through the minors with a different approach. With enough time and reps, hopefully the Nationals coaching staff can break through and help some players at the Triple-A level find increased success.
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 20: Kansas City Royals pitcher Drew Beam (48) watches from the dugout before the start of the game against the Texas Rangers during a Spring Breakout game on March 20, 2026, at Surprise Stadium at Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”
Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (12-14, 5.5 games back)
It was a rough week for the Storm Chasers; they lost 5 of their 6 games against the Toledo Mud Hens. After winning the first game of the series, 10-5, they lost the next five contests.
Kameron Misner had another powerful week, going 3-for-19 at the plate, with two more homers. John Rave also blasted two more homers. Drew Waters had the best week at the plate, going 7-for-22 with a homer and a pair of doubles.
On the hill, Bailey Falter threw 4.1 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, while striking out 6 batters. Stephen Kolek made another rehab start, he went 3.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, walking 2 and striking out 4. Eric Cerantola threw another scoreless inning and a third, while Steven Cruz also threw 2 scoreless innings.
Omaha returns home for a series against the Louisville Bats, the series runs from Tuesday to Sunday.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (10-11, 4 games back)
The Naturals split a six game series against the Wichita Wind Surge. Every game was tightly contested, including a Sunday doubleheader to wrap up the series.
Jorge Alfaro was 4-for-11 at the plate, with a homer and a double. Carson Roccaforte was 5-for-22 with a double and a homer. Brett Squires was for-8-24 with 5 doubles, a homer and 7 runs batted in. The Naturals hit a pair of walk offs as well; Daniel Vazquez hit a walk-off two run single in the 10th inning to win a game 13-12. Rudy Martin Jr. hit a walk off homer in game one of the Sunday doubleheader.
On the hill, Henry Williams made two starts, totaling in 10 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 run allowed, walking 5 and striking out 8. Drew Beam had his best AA start of his career, going 4.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 run, walking 1 and striking out 6. Frank Mozzicato struggled badly in his one start, going just 1.2 innings, giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. Dennis Colleran, who had some Spring Training hype surrounding him and his high velocity continued his season long struggle, giving up 5 runs in a third of an inning over two appearances.
— Northwest Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) April 26, 2026
The Naturals remain at home for a series against the Springfield Cardinals, the series runs from Tuesday to Sunday.
Quad Cities River Bandits (10-8 2.5 games back)
The Quad Cities River Bandits took four of six in their series against the Lansing Lugnuts. At the plate, Blake Mitchell was 2-12 at the plate with a homer. Ramon Ramirez was 5-24 with a homer, two doubles and seven runs batted in. Austin Charles was 9-for-25 with three doubles, and five runs batted in. Derlin Figueroa was 4-for-18 with a double.
On the hill, David Shields went 5 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 run, walking 3 and striking out 6 in his one start of the week. Hunter Alberini threw 2.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out three. Emmanuel Reyes threw 4 innings of one hit ball in his start, he did walk four but also struck out three. Reyes is a 21-year-old out of the Dominican Republic.
— Quad Cities River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) April 23, 2026
The River Bandits are on the road to take on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this week; the series runs Tuesday through Sunday. The River Bandits lost of four of six to the Timber Rattlers when they played earlier this season.
Columbia Fireflies (11-10, 4 games back)
The Fireflies split their six-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets. Jordan Woods, who’s been really good so far on the bump, threw 5 innings of 4 hit ball, allowing 2 runs (1 earned), striking out 4. Woods season ERA now sits at 0.69. Blake Wolters threw 5 innings of 2 run ball, striking out 5 in his start. Wolters season ERA now sits at 1.59. Kendry Chourio didn’t make an appearance this week.
At the plate, Hyungchan Um, a catcher, was 2-for-14 at the plate, with a homer. Um is trying to become the first Royals player from South Korea, and the first Korean born catcher in MLB history. Um just turned 22 last week. Josh Hammond went 6-for-18 with a double, homer and three runs batted in. Sean Gamble on the other hand continues to struggle, he went just 3-for-20.
The Fireflies travel to Myrtle Beach, to take on the Pelicans. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday. The Fireflies took four of six from the Pelicans earlier this season.
We’ve got a full slate across the big leagues today with some primo matchups.
My MLB player props analysis will include Tyler Mahle, Willson Contreras, and Andy Pages.
Read more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, April 28.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Tyler Mahle
Over 4.5 Ks
-120
Willson Contreras
Over 0.5 runs
-110
Andy Pages
Over 0.5 runs
+110
Tyler Mahle Over 4.5 strikeouts (-120)
Tyler Mahle isn’t known as a huge strikeout pitcher, but he’s missing some bats lately.
The right-hander has cashed the Over in Ks three straight starts, and in four of his five outings this season. Last time out, he threw a gem, tossing seven scoreless against the Dodgers while striking out five.
Mahle has 26 Ks in 25 2/3 innings of work in 2026, and he’ll face the struggling Philadelphia Phillies tonight. Across 68 at-bats against them, Mahle has 20 Ks, and they’re hitting just .235.
The Phils also just struck out 12 times in their finale against the Braves on Sunday.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCSBA, NBCSP
Willson Contreras Over 0.5 runs (-110)
Willson Contreras has been key in the Red Sox winning three games in a row since the firing of Alex Cora. He’s recorded at least one run in three straight contests, coming across the plate five times during that span.
Contreras was 1-for-4 with a pair of runs in a victory over the Blue Jays on Monday. What’s important is that his teammates are producing below him in the lineup, and Contreras is consistently getting on base right now.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, SN1
Andy Pages Over 0.5 runs (+110)
Andy Pages has been a breakout star so far for the Dodgers. He’s batting .327 with five home runs, 25 RBI, and 16 runs.
Pages has come across the plate in three consecutive games, and he has three hits during that span. The Dodgers are hitting .277 with RISP, and Pages also has a .374 OBP.
The Cuban has 13 of his runs against right-hander pitchers, and Janson Junk takes the hill this evening for the Marlins. He’s also allowed seven earned across his last three starts.
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marlins.TV, SNLA
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 7-13, -1.19 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) grabs a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Madison Square Garden in Game Five of their first-round playoff series, tied 2–2. The winner takes command, while the loser will return to Atlanta pondering an elimination game.
Need it be said? The Knicks are the better team. They have led for 92% of the series, not counting their stumbling in Game Three. And even in that troubled tilt, they still rallied to take a lead in the final minute and lose by a single point. If not for two one-point losses, the series would have been yesterday’s news by now.
The book on Atlanta says they play fast, distribute the ball well, generate a lot of turnovers, and make a healthy percentage of three-pointers. Our heroes handled Atlanta easily in Game Four by disrupting their perimeter shooting, limiting it to 24% (10-of-41), while making 45% of their own longballs. The Knicks kept their giveaways to 15 while forcing 19, plus outrebounded (43-38) and out-dimed (23-20 assists). Big surprise, New York had their greatest success yet when they incorporated Karl-Anthony Towns most completely. The big fella chewed up the paint, made the most of his physical advantage over Atlanta’s diminished frontcourt, and finished with a 20-10-10 triple-double (a postseason first for him). More of that, please, Coach Brown.
The longer the series goes on, the more Atlanta’s deficiencies are exposed.
CJ McCollum has averaged 24.5 points in the series while shooting 51% from the field and 33% from deep. He also has made 58% of his free throws (and we give Mitch a hard time about it? This guy’s a guard). The 34-year-old vet is a fine player and delivered some great highlights in the series. His talent is insufficient to carry his team to the promised land—and the league knows it. Remember, he was traded to the Washington Wizards (yes, throwing some shade here) last off-season.
Meanwhile, “Mr. Triple-Double” (13 this season) Jalen Johnson has averaged 19.5 points, seven boards, and 4.8 dimes this series while shooting 29% from deep. He’s totaled a -34 plus-minus. New York’s wings, especially Josh Hart and OG Anunoby, have done an excellent job guarding him. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has averaged 13.8 points across the four games, making just 18 of his 52 field goal attempts.
Atlanta’s 6’10” center Onyeka Okongwu has averaged 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds through the series, totaling a -27 plus-minus. Off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga has averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and almost 29 minutes. Continuing a narrative of inconsistency, the former Warrior helped his squad in Games Two and Three, but fizzled in One and Four. When he’s focused and playing well, he can be impactful. You just never know which version you’ll get. Can you imagine what it must have been like to have both this guy and Jordan Poole on the same team? Yikes.
There’s a fair amount of hand-wringing going on about Jalen Brunson’s performance in the series. To a degree, it’s warranted. Captain Clutch has markedly looked less clutch at times against the handsy Hawks defense. Nonetheless, he’s averaged 25.5 points and 5.3 assists in the four contests and has had a positive plus-minus in each game. He’s shooting 39% from deep this postseason, which is actually two ticks higher than his season average. So, maybe a little slack is warranted? Whattayasay?
And I’d be remiss not to highlight Anunoby, averaging 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals this postseason. He’s been a cold-blooded beast against the Birds. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges—who’s deserved much of the ire he’s received for a poor series (7.3 points, 1.5 assists)—might have turned a corner in Game Four with better shooting and more focus in his 32 minutes. We hope he’s on the upswing. New York will need solid contributions from all its starters to make it to the Finals.
But first, they have to get past the Hawks. ESPN gives the Knicks a 73% win probability tonight. That tracks. Prediction: New York enjoys a bellyful of home cooking, slaps the Peaches silly in Game Five, and wins by eight.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (2-2) vs Atlanta Hawks (2-2) Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Time: 8:00 PM ET Place: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NY TV: Peacock / NBC Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have a great season in terms of their record, but they did have the opportunity to see a lot of young forwards take big steps. Whether it was developing as offensive players or guys who emphasize their defensive play first, they saw mixed results across the board.
There was one veteran forward who put up an exceptional amount of goals, while another continued his reign as one of the league’s best depth forwards. The rest mostly struggled at times.
Every player gets a grade for how their season went, but they are graded on how they played against the expectations that are placed on them.
Connor Bedard: A
Connor Bedard dealt with a handful of injuries and minor inconsistencies throughout the season, especially in the second half, but it was a truly great individual year for him overall. Bedard had his first 30-goal, point-per-game season. He was also a noticeably speedier and more engaged defensive player, which helped his overall game. After two up-and-down seasons to begin his career, year three proved that he is becoming a legitimate NHL superstar.
Tyler Bertuzzi: A
Tyler Bertuzzi led the Chicago Blackhawks with 32 goals in 2025-26. He scored on the power play, at even strength, and was a physical presence who was hard to play against on every shift. Is Bertuzzi going to keep pumping out 30-goal seasons? Maybe not, but he is good for an honest effort every single night, which is great for a leader on a young team. Bertuzzi took on an “A” after the trade deadline, and he lived up to it. No matter what line he’s on, and he showed plenty of versatility, he makes it better.
Frank Nazar: B
Frank Nazar dealt with some inconsistent play offensively in the middle of the season, but he is a solid player who enhances the overall team speed. Nazar is one of those “all situation” players, as he plays a well-rounded game at even strength, makes plays on the power play, and kills penalties. In 2025-26, Nazar set career highs in goals (15), assists (26), and points (41). The former 13th overall pick is waiting for his big breakout, but the signs of stardom are there.
Ilya Mikheyev: A
Ilya Mikheyev is good for 15-20 goals a season, and that comes with almost zero power-play time. He is also one of the best penalty killers in the NHL, along with being an exceptional defensive forward. Mikheyev wasn’t traded at the deadline, despite being a pending unrestricted free agent, so there will be an emphasis on getting him signed before July 1st; they will be in danger of losing him for nothing. A veteran like him is great for a depth role on a young team for the next couple of years, as he was in 2025-26.
Teuvo Teravainen: D
Teuvo Teravainen was cold in the second half of the season. By the end of the year, he was playing a fair amount of minutes on the fourth line, which doesn’t necessarily fit a skilled player like him. In 2026-27, if he stays in Chicago, the Blackhawks will need more contributions from Teuvo.
Andre Burakovsky: D
Andre Burakovsky would get an A-grade for his first half and an F-grade for his second half. His final grade is a D as a result. The bad outweighed the good in the end, which is why it’s not a C-grade. Burakovsky only had a handful of points once the colander flipped to 2026, despite playing most games on the top line with Connor Bedard. Jeff Blashill was loyal to a fault until the final few weeks of the season, when he finally started to demote Burakovsky. In addition to a lack of offense, he turned the puck over with tremendous frequency. He is exceptional at gaining the offensive zone, but he often takes that skill and ruins it by giving the puck away to the opposition. Overall, it was a year to forget.
Ryan Donato: B
Ryan Donato’s goal total was cut in half this season from a year prior, but his ice time (and role on the team) decreased as well. Donato still scored 15, but he is more of a depth piece that’s used as a middle-six forward more than a top-six guy now. He still gets a B-grade for being a player who accepts and executes any role he is given well without complaining.
Ryan Greene: B
Ryan Greene was expected to need some time in the AHL to begin the year, but he earned an NHL job at training camp and never gave it back. He managed to have a double-digit goal total while being a “third guy” on a good line. He also showed he can play center and wing, which makes him valuable to the coaching staff. When he was at BU, he did all of the little things the right way, which is why he was the captain, and those intangibles have helped him in the NHL as well.
Oliver Moore: B
Oliver Moore had his season cut short with a few weeks remaining, but he was a solid player when he did play. He is an incredibly fast player, and he uses that ability to his advantage in all three zones. His offensive ceiling remains to be seen, but he has already proved to be a useful middle-six forward at a bare minimum.
Nick Lardis: A
No matter where Nick Lardis goes, he fills the net. Whether it's the OHL, AHL, or NHL, he finds a way to score an impressive total for that league. He had 10 goals in 41 NHL games this year, which is a 20-goal pace over a full season. For being a half-season rookie who was taken in the third round, that’s a great number. He will only become more prolific from here.
Jason Dickinson: C
Jason Dickinson was a 20-goal scorer when he played on Chicago’s top line during the dog days of the rebuild. Since then, he was thrust into a more defensive role, and he thrived. Injuries and inconsistencies kept him at a C-grade this year, but he was given a great opportunity when he was traded to Edmonton. Behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, he is a great third-line center.
Nick Foligno: C
Nick Foligno was a great captain to take on that role after the legendary Jonathan Toews. With that said, on the ice, he is better suited for a team chasing the Stanley Cup at this stage of the game. The Blackhawks traded him to the Minnesota Wild on deadline day so he could play with his brother, Marcus, and finally attempt to win it all.
Colton Dach: D
Colton Dach was traded to the Edmonton Oilers ahead of the trade deadline. In 53 games with Chicago, he had three goals and six assists for 9 points. With other young players on the way, his future with the team looked bleaker and bleaker, but now he has an opportunity with a veteran team like the Oilers.
Anton Frondell: A
Since becoming the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Anton Frondell has been incredible. He won a World Juniors gold medal with Sweden in January, was one of the best rookies in SHL history, and eventually entered the NHL as a Blackhawk. In his 12 games with Chicago, Frondell had three goals, six assists, and nine points, all while being a reliable player away from the puck. It won’t be long before he’s a high-end two-way player in the best league in the world.
Landon Slaggert: D
When Landon Slaggert showed up to training camp, he probably expected to play more than 53 games, but some of his young peers have passed him up on the depth chart. He only scored three goals and four assists for seven points in those 53 games, but he does bring value to the group because of his overall toughness.
Lukas Reichel: F
Lukas Reichel came into the season with a chance to finally stay in the NHL. Instead, he was traded away because the Blackhawks felt that they needed to let him move on. It just didn’t work out for the former first-round pick in Chicago.
Sam Lafferty: D
Sam Lafferty was unable to stick in the lineup with consistency, but he never complained about his role. He even played defense for one game and embraced the opportunity. The guys in the room loved Lafferty, too, so this wasn’t a totally failed season for him.
Andrew Mangiapane: C
Andrew Mangiapane was traded to the Blackhawks as a throw-in so the Edmonton Oilers could clear some cap space. In the few games he did play with the Blackhawks, he brought a physical presence to his line while having a couple of scoring chances. He isn’t a big-time goal scorer anymore, but he’s a solid bottom-six forward.
Sacha Boisvert: C
Sacha Boisvert didn’t play every game once he signed his entry-level deal, as the team wanted him to watch from up top a handful of times. In the games he did play, he had a couple of noticeable moments, including his first goal, some playmaking, and his first NHL fight. Boisvert has a baseline now that will allow him to compete for a job once training camp rolls around.
Dominic Toninato: C
Dominic Toninato only played in 8 games with the NHL club, but he was a solid veteran in the AHL for most of the year. He gets a C-grade for his willingness to do whatever was asked of him, regardless of what team he was on.
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COVERS INTEL:Martinez boasts a 2.10 ERA, but his 4.65 xERA and 4.47 xFIP suggest his stats are a mirage. 
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