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The Detroit Tigers have struggled this week on the road against the Minnesota Twins, losing three in a row and four straight overall after an 8-6 defeat on Wednesday night.

Jack Flaherty takes the mound looking to end the pain while Mick Abel toes the rubber for the home team. Here is how they match up.

Detroit Tigers (4-8) vs. Minnesota Twins (6-6)

Time (ET): 1:40 p.m. ET
Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 13: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 7.56 ERA) vs. RHP Mick Abel (0-2, 11.05 ERA)

FLAHERTY

ABEL

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The New York Yankees are off to a hot start, and their series decider against the Oakland A’s headlines a light Thursday slate.

Across town, the New York Mets are also in action, and my MLB player props target both of those contests, as well as a wager on Seth Lugo to pepper the strike zone.

Check out my Top 3 MLB prop picks for Thursday, April 9.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Brent Rooker	2+ hits, runs, and RBI	+105
Bo Bichette	Over 1.5 total bases	+110
Seth Lugo	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+105

Brent Rooker 2+ hits + runs + RBI

Brent Rooker was one of the A’s heroes yesterday with a game-winning sac fly RBI in the top of the ninth, and I’m banking on him to make a splash again today.

The A's offense has been wildly erratic, but Rooker’s 2025 numbers suggest he can get to New York Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. 

Rooker had a .293 batting average against lefties last year, to go with a .885 OPS, and he blasted a home run off Weathers in a 2024 matchup during the pitcher’s time with the Marlins. 

Plus, the A’s DH has had some huge moments lately, most notably hitting two homers against the Astros on Sunday, including a three-run walk-off.

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBC Sports California, YES

Bo Bichette Over 1.5 total bases

Things are looking up for Bo Bichette after a tough, strikeout-filled opening week that brought boos from New York Mets fans, and this is nice value for another busy day on the basepaths.

He’s posted a solid .286 batting average so far in April, and he’s coming off a pair of singles in yesterday’s 7-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bichette is still searching for his first home run of the year, but he’s swinging the bat confidently, and I like the matchup today against Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez.

While Rodriguez has been terrific in his first two starts of 2026, Bo is 5-for-13 against the D-Backs lefty, including two homers and a double. I expect him to deliver good at-bats again here for a New York offense that’s still without Juan Soto.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ARID, SNY

Seth Lugo Over 4.5 strikeouts

After some bumps in the road last year, Seth Lugo is trying to rediscover his stellar 2024 form, which included a 3.00 ERA and 181 strikeouts.

The early signs are promising. The veteran racked up seven strikeouts in five innings of work against the Brewers over the weekend, and he also hit this Over in his final three starts last season.

Look for the righty to settle in today against an underwhelming Chicago White Sox lineup. Andrew Benintendi and Reese McGuire are the only White Sox batters with a career hit against Lugo, and Chicago is tied for the fourth-fewest runs per game this year (3.42).

I see Lugo cashing this Over, even if he doesn’t pitch past the sixth inning.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN App, ROYL

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Last season, overwhelmed by the pandemonium both on the field and in the world at large, I took a yearlong break from baseball. The scores were pinned to my home screen, but not a single full game was broadcast in my home. For the first time since 2003, I was tuned out. I got so much accomplished with my extra time, and was riding that dopamine dragon, fueled by my toiler to-do lists and my Capricorn moon (Aquarius sun, Leo rising, for those who know).

My dad and I joked about being bandwagon fans when we landed on the conclusion of taking a break, but qualifying anyone else’s fandom is peak cringe, and gatekeeping isn’t for me. Join the club, or don’t, it’s not my business. Still, it felt wrong to miss games, like I was abandoning a part of myself, my history and my city. I wouldn’t have been able to forsake the White Sox without my dad doing the same at the same time, and he also didn’t see a single game in its entirety.

It stressed us out.

Although I kept tabs on the White Sox and their offseason moves, I still felt an acute sense of dread when considering recommitting to my fandom. I used to love and defend this team, but I no longer could fall upon the sword, especially with the specter of Mike Clevinger casting a foul shadow over the organization. Watching games became an albatross, and obligation to something that fucking sucks is a death knell for creative energy. 

Sometimes, a trial separation can grant you the perspective that you otherwise wouldn’t gain while still embroiled in the madness. 

For the first time, I dove headfirst into the NFL. Before the baseball break, the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills were my teams, and I scheduled my days around their games. Without baseball, I needed more. I plugged the MLB-sized cavity with the gauze of NFL Sunday Ticket, watching every single game and every team. Bears in the living room, Bills in the den, and the rest of the simulcast games in the bedroom. Ten thousand steps a day, every Sunday, was accomplished just in the space of my home, walking between games. Unlike baseball, which tends to make a loner out of fans, every Sunday was an event: early morning gym with friends, come back to my place to make food, watch every single football game, and talk shit together. 

Is baseball boring? I asked myself. I watched every White Sox game for decades, whether writing about it or not, but game coverage was becoming unsustainable when covering a team I fundamentally took issue with.

Not to mention, almost none of my friends are baseball fans, except for one who used to work for the Cubs, still adores them, and throws me piteous glances when quietly answering someone about her team with an air of Pollyanaism. I deserve it.

Although I finally fell head over heels in love with the NFL, football doesn’t last forever. The baseball itch returned. No, no more White Sox. Not yet.

How about basketball? Take a look at my March Madness bracket points. I am an embarrassment to the world of sports, and about 30 people were making fun of how poorly I did in a group chat I wasn’t even a part of. I deserved it.

Options exhausted, and itching for baseball, I studied to get my boating license and completed the course. That’s Captain Di to you, matey.

(I don’t own a boat, by the way.)

Determined, I found a new sport: marble racing. You can watch sentient marbles racing on Youtube with an announcer calling play-by-play, teams with rivalries, and once, there was even a streaker marble stopped by security. I called my friends over and forced them to watch it with me. I finally won. Go Hazers!

Who was I fooling? Opening Day loomed. My fingers itched. My mind returned again and again, haunted by the ghost of the White Sox.

I needed to come home.

Back in 2024, I wrote an article about a sentient campfire milkshake, who was granted the gift of foresight after being struck by lightning during a rain delay, and who was interviewed by me after I snuck into the White Sox locker room. True story. It wasn’t the first, and far from the last time I expressed my interest in any and either of the Ishbia brothers taking ownership of the White Sox. 

So, as soon as I got the news about Justin Ishbia, I knew I’d be dropping by this season at least a few times, even if the ownership transfer date is coinciding with the total collapse of the global climate and I’ll probably be a charred skeleton by the time it finally happens. I won’t bore readers with the career minutiae of why I’ll be here less than I was, but please know that I’ve missed everyone on the staff, who work tirelessly to make South Side Sox a place you can come to commiserate with fellow fans, and share your misery and joy without being subjected to censorship.

Oops, almost forgot. Happy Thursday, White Sox fans. I’m back.

The world has changed in my time away. AI has taken way too high of a priority in peoples’ lives. With the complacency paradox, the brain rot, and its overall impact on the environment it is no longer an amusing novelty. So it’s banned for me, even for things like crude images. It’s good old-fashioned Photoshop from here on out.

For all the changes, some things are evergreen. John Schriffen still makes my eye twitch. I had come into this season with a resolution to give him a break, but then, the other night, I heard, “Tanner Murray in his big league bay-bue!” 

Since then, I’ve heard four other gaffes. Hey, quick question, how does one go about stopping an eye from twitching?

We’ve got a new roster, and inexplicably, Andrew Benintendi is still here, and is scoring. Good ol’ tomato boy. Just being himself. Sitting there. Yep.

Davis Martin had already won my heart, so seeing him more often has given my faith a shot in the arm, especially with his impressive start this season. It’s easy for some to be on camera, but it’s challenging for trained athletes, whose attentions are forced to be myopic, and who usually aren’t media-trained until after retirement. Martin’s charisma sparkles during interviews (please don’t be problematic, please don’t be problematic, please don’t be…). That level of grounding and focus can make a difference in day-to-day performances, and man, I hope it does. I may be huffing the copium, but you are as well. That’s why we’re all here.

I’ve had an eye on Shane Smith, our Rule 5 diamond in the rough, and despite his violent fluctuations from hot to not, I doubt he’ll end up pulling an Esteban Loaiza. Yesterday, Smith was sent back to Charlotte after just three starts that were on par with what we’ve had to deal with as current-era White Sox fans, but he’s dedicated to improving, and his attitude is optimistic. Plus, he reads actual books. Hey, watch out for that bar on the floor, by the way. 

I can’t help but root for the underdog. My March Madness bracket is proof that sometimes we believe with our hearts and not our minds. There’s only one bigger underdog than the White Sox, but moves are being made. The tide is turning. Dark shadowfiend domestic abusers have been removed from the roster. Jerry Reinsdorf is running out of children’ s souls to prolong his life with, and the transfer is set in stone.

Kyle Teel will heal. Chase Meidroth may look at the pitcher like he’s trying to see what’s hidden in the Magic Eye poster, but he can play. Munetaka Murakami is a potential superstar enjoying a powerful start to his major league career, and he’ll adjust challenging high velocity pitches. Miguel Vargas is underrated as hell, and this season, he’ll prove it to everyone. The team is young. Anything can happen.

The gears are moving. The machine is being oiled. Like the reigning American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays enduring a series sweep against the reigning second-worst team in Major League Baseball, maybe the other teams won’t see the White Sox coming.

Introduction

Last week we went over the bottom half of the Dbacks top hitting prospects, this week we look at the top five.

5) Demetrio Crisantes

Fangraphs|Baseball-Reference| MLB Pipeline

A native Arizonan from the borderown of Nogales, Demetrio Crisantes was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 7th round of the 2022 draft with the 198th overall pick. Crisantes has done nothing but absolutely rake at every level. In 29 games in his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League, Crisantes hit .347/.417/.465 with a 126 wRC+. He’d return to the ACL for another 29 games to begin his 2023 season and hit an even more robust .355/.431/.521 with a 141 wRC+. He made significant progress with his underlying statistics, raising his BB% by 2.2% and lowering his strikeout rate by 3%. He also was much better on the basepaths, getting caught stealing once as opposed to twice the previous season, on top of upping his stolen base total from two to ten. The biggest driver in his increase to his slugging percentage was the four extra triples he hit compared to the previous season, as his other extra base totals remained the same. That earned him a promotion to the A ball level Visalia Rawhide, where he put up even more robust stats. In 63 games he’d hit 333/.429/.478 with a 146 wRC+. Although his strikeout percentage ticked up slightly by a half a percentage, he increased his BB% by an additional percent. In addition he doubled his HR rate, hitting three times as many as he had combined in the Complex League. Crisantes would earn another promotion to the A+ Level Hillsboro Hops, where he would hit 252/.358/.415 with a 111 wRC+ in 34 games. Unfortunately, Crisantes had a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder, which prematurely ended his season in May. Crisantes has been assigned to the AA level Amarillo Sod Poodles, but is currently on the 7 day injured list. Once he is activated, the plan is for him to be the everyday second baseman.

Crisantes just might be one of the best pure hitters in the Dbacks Farm system, with great contact ability, plate discipline, on top of also having intriguing power and speed. The real issue is the injuries and that he appears to be somewhat injury prone so far in his professional career. Some scouts are skeptical that he’ll be able to keep up with the better fastball he’ll face as he climbs through the farm system, but I personally don’t have any reason to believe that is the case.

On the defensive side of things, Crisantes is a capable, above-average fielder who has the chops to stick at second base. If his bat further develops, he might be just be a good enough hitter to provide above average production from some of the more offensively minded position further down the defensive spectrum.

4) Tommy Troy 2B/OF

Fangraphs|Baseball-Reference| MLB Pipeline

Tommy Troy was drafted 12th overall in the 2023 draft out of Stanford University. Originally a shortstop, Troy has been moved to second base, where he looks like an above average fielder. In his debut season in 2023, Troy was assigned to the Arizona Complex League for four games before he was reassigned to the A+ Level Hillsboro Hops for 23 games to finish out the year. In the 27 games between the two levels, Troy hit .271/374/.469 with a 126 wRC+. A solid debut, which unfortunately didnt carry over into his 2024 season, though that was more likely a result of playing through an injury. In 65 games with the Hops, Troy hit .227/319/ .347 with a below average 91 wRC+, while also spending part of the season on the IL. He’d have much better results in his seven game rehab stint in the ACL, where he would hit .318/.308/.545, which only amounts to a 95 wRC+. 2025 would go much better for Tommy Troy. He’d get assigned to the AA level Amarillo Sod Poodles and hit .286/.382/.461 with a 121 wRC+ in 87 games. The Dbacks would promote him to the AAA Reno Aces, where he hit .295/.381/.429 with a 98 wRC+ in the 38 games he played.

Tommy Troy was assigned to AAA to start the 2026 season, where’s he gotten off to a hot start in his first week but cooled down in his second week to a triple slash line of .326/.388/.372 with a 97 wRC+

3) Jansel Luis SS/2B

Fangraphs|Baseball-Reference| MLB Pipeline

Much like Cristofer Torin, Jansel Luis signed as an international amateur free agent in January of 2022, while catching my eye with his spectacular debut as a teenage prospect in the Dominican Summer League. In 47 games split between the two DSL teams, .345/.399/.414 with a 123 wRC. That would be good enough to earn a promotion to the Compex League for the 2023 season. He’d appear in 25 games, hitting 297/.381/.495 with a 117 wRC+, which earnes him a another promotion, this time to the A ball level Visalia Rawhide He’d appear 36 games for the Rawhide and hit .257/.310/.417 which amounts to just a 96 wRC+ due to the offense boosting enviroment of the Cal league. bat In a combined 62 games, Luis would hit .269/.335/.441 with a 102 wRC+. (That includes one game with the other ACL Dbacks team, going 0-3 at the plate) While that doesn’t seem particularly impressive, it’s worth pointing out that he was just 18 years old in a league with his peers having an average age of 19.5 years old ( the ACL), and even younger than his peers in the Cal League who averaged 22.5 years old. Luis would return to Visalia to repeat the A ball level for 2024, where He’d spend the entire season. In the 109 games Luis played for the Rawhide in 2024, he hit .265/.337/.414 with a 102 wRC+. He nearly hit the impressive mark of double digits of each type of extra base hit: 29 doubles, 10 triples, seven homeruns, in addition to swiping 20 stolen bases (but was caught stealing 10 times). 2025 would see Jansel Luis promoted to the A+ Level Hillsboro Hops, where he’d appear in 102 games and hit. .304/.342/.422 with a 106 wRC+. He actually hit so well in the four games he played in the Complex League that it brings his offensive line up to .311/.347/.435 with a 110 wRC+, which is somewhat impressive.

Luis has been assigned to the Dbacks AA level MILB affiliate, the Amarillo Sod Poodles. They just started their season on April 3rd, so they’ve only played five games as of this article’s publication. He’s currently got a 54 wRC+ and is only 4 for 18 in his first 23 plate appearances.

2) Slade Caldwell

Fangraphs|Baseball-Reference| MLB Pipeline

Slade Caldwell might be almost as divisive as Cristofer Torin. Caldwell has been ranked as high as the #2 Dbacks prospect, or conversely ranked as low as #21. Caldwell fits the mold of the undersized outfielder a la Corbin Carroll and Jorge Barrosa that the Hazen FO has favored over nearly the last decade.

Caldwell blew past A ball level Visalia in his first full season, hitting .294/.460/.454 with a 161 wRC+ in 48 games. He’d hit the metaphorical wall after being promoted to A+ Level Hillsboro, hitting .238/.370/.311 with a 97 wRC+ in his 66 games in the Northwest League.

As I expected, Caldwell started his 2026 season back in A+ Hillsboro. He’ll need to put up above average numbers to earn a promotion to AA level Amarillo, but he’s already off to a good start with a 122 wRC+ in his first four games going 4 for 15 with a double, though he’s struck out eight times and has been caught at stealing in his lone stolen base attempt.

1) Ryan Waldschmidt – OF

Fangraphs|Baseball-Reference | MLB Pipeline

It should come as no surprise that Ryan Waldschmidt is the Arizona Diamondbacks top prospect, considering he is both the team’s top prospect according to literally every publication, and a consensus top 50 prospect overall as well. Drafted with the Diamondback’s first pick in the 2005 draft, 31st overall, Waldschmidt raked at every level of the minors in his professional debut. In 14 games in A ball level, Waldschmidt hit .273/.485/.318 which works out to a 143 wRC+ or 43% better than average. In his 68 games at A+ Level, he hit .268/.415/.447, which works out to a 141 wRC+, or 41% better than average. Finally, in 66 games for the AA level Amarillo Sod Poodles, he hit .309/.423/.498 with a 143 wRC+. Waldschmidt begins his 2026 playing for the AAA level Reno Aces. In his first 11 games, he’s hitting .238/.396/.381 and a 106 wRC+. Breaking that stat line down, he’s got 10 hits in 42 at bats, with four doubles, a triple, and 10 walks. The walks are doing the heavy lifting for his offensive stats, with Waldschmidt currently running a BB% 2.8% higher than last season. On the downside, he’s got 16 strikeouts which has pushed his SO% up from 17.6% to 30.2%, while he’s been caught stealing once in his two attempts.

Unlike the short king outfielders that team has favored under GM Mike Hazen like the aforementioned Slade Caldwell as well players currently on the roster like Corbin Carroll, Waldschmidt is 6’0 tall, with the kind of build you’re used to seeing in an MLB caliber outfielder. While he doesn’t have any standout, plus-plus tool, Waldschmidt has above average tools in every facet of his game. I wouldn’t go so far as to call his defensive tools below average, but I would say that Waldschmidt’s fielding and throwing arm strength are the weakest aspects of his game. That’s really only in comparison to his other tools, as they both grade out to a 45+ on the 80 grade scouting scale at worst.

Next week: We look at the hitters I forgot, and start looking at the pitchers in the Dbacks Farm system.

The San Diego Padres had a happy flight home from their first road trip of the season after an 8-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. That win capped a six-game road trip through Boston and Pittsburgh that saw the Padres take two games from the Red Sox and two games from the Pirates. The 4-2 road trip means San Diego will return to Petco Park to host the Colorado Rockies with a .500 record at 6-6 on the season.

The Padres did not look good at home to start the year losing both series and finishing the homestand with a record of 2-4. San Diego has four games against Colorado starting today and the Rockies could be just the opponent for the Padres to get right at home. If they can win the series, San Diego would at least finish with a .500 home record, and a sweep of Colorado would go above that.

The Padres will try to get the series started on the right foot with Randy Vasquez taking the mound. The pitcher opposing him has not been announced at the time of this writing, but if Vasquez continues his stellar start to the season, the other pitcher will not matter. San Diego hosts Colorado today at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Michael King turned in a quality start against the Pirates and helped the Padres win the final game of the series with six innings pitched. He left the game with San Diego up 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, after Nich Castellanos hit a two-run double and Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run home run in the top of the inning. King was replaced by Kyle Hart after allowing a leadoff single and a double to the first two batters of the seventh. Hart allowed a sharp line drive to left field to pinch hitter Konnor Griffin, which was caught on a difficult play by Ramon Laureano making it a sacrifice fly, which allowed one of the inherited runners to score. Hart then allowed an RBI-single and the other inherited runner scored to cut the Padres lead to 4-2. Hart issued a walk before getting the final two outs of the inning, one of which was on another diving play in left by Laureano off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn. San Diego tacked on four more runs in the top of the ninth inning to cruise to an 8-2 win.

• Mason Miller made his first professional appearance at PNC Park in Pittsburgh when he entered yesterday’s game in the bottom of the ninth inning. He recorded back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning before a ground out ended the game and his 11 consecutive strikeout streak.

• Padres manager Craig Stammen stayed true to his word that Manny Machado would get more time off this season than in years past. The San Diego third baseman was out of the lineup Wednesday on his first gameday off of the season.

• Jason Adam is close to making his return to the Padres bullpen, but the organization would like to see him pitch one more time at the minor league level and see how he recovers before he is added back to the roster according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

• Jase Bowen continues his torrid start to the season at the Triple-A level hitting another home run. Teammate Samad Taylor, who had a solid spring, also connected on a home run for the El Paso Chihuahuas.

• Dennis Lin of The Athletic released his second installment of Padres mailbag questions and covered various topics including Fernando Tatis Jr., the catching position and the offensive struggles for the Padres.

• Former Padres first base coach Davey Lopes died at the age of 80.

Baseball News:

• Jordan Walker hit his fourth home run in five games and helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals, 6-1.

• Rob Refsnyder robbed a home run in Arlington, Texas and received a hat tip from his teammate Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo. The Texas Rangers won the game, however, and completed a sweep of the Mariners for the first time since 2023.

• Boston Red Sox reliever Tyler Samaniego drove 44 miles to make his major league debut at Fenway Park and recorded three strikeouts in an inning of work.

• Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels slugger Jorge Soler were both suspended seven games for their roles in the fight between the two teams on Tuesday. Soler appealed the suspension and hit another home run off Braves pitching.

• Konnor Griffin and the Pirates agreed to a nine-year extension, keeping the 19-year-old in Pittsburgh through 2034.

• The 2026 season came to an end for Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin after one start. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery which will keep him out for the remainder of the year.

• Michael Lorenzen helped the Colorado Rockies sweep the Houston Astros for the first time since 2012 after he allowed just one run en route to a 9-1 win.

It was far from Brady Singer’s finest evening on Wednesday in Miami. The veteran righty was smashed for 10 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) in just 2.2 IP, his own arm contributing a pair of errors that further dented his cause on the night. The end result was a 7-4 loss for the Cincinnati Reds to the Marlins, and that now leaves the club searching for the series victory on Thursday.

The honors of steering that ship will fall to Rhett Lowder, who’ll get the starting nod in the series finale of this four-game set with the opportunity to give the Reds yet another series victory to begin the 2026 season. Cincinnati’s rookie righty was simply brilliant in his most recent outing, firing 6.0 IP of scoreless, 3-hit ball against the Texas Rangers back on April 4th while leaning on his patented repertoire of hitting spots and mixing breaking balls to keep his opponents off-tilt.

Ke’Bryan Hayes is on the bench to begin this one, as Eugenio Suarez gets the start at 3B. Nate Lowe is in the lineup at DH with RHP Max Meyer on the bump for the fish, though Dane Myers will get a rare start against the RHP as TJ Friedl slides over to LF (and Spencer Steer starts in RF over Will Benson).

First pitch in the series finale is set for 12:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up:

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Wednesday, in case you missed it...

• David Petersonput the Mets in an early 5-0 hole in an eventual 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks at Citi Field
• There is no rotation shakeup coming despite Peterson's early struggles
• A surgeon explains: How might Juan Soto's calf injury impact him upon his return, and what's the reinjury risk?
• The Mets are not going to a six-man rotation in the near future
• Sean Manaeasaved the bullpen in relief of Peterson
• Jonah Tong had a bounce back start for Triple-A Syracuse, retiring the final 13 batters he faced
• J.D. Martinezthinks this year's Mets are "more talented than the 2024 team by far"
• Jeff McNeilis expecting an emotional return this weekend when the A's visit Citi Field

Aidan “Leeroy” Deakins started for Hickory, throwing four shutout innings, walking one and striking out five.

The Crawdads had just two hits on the day — a double by Paulino Santana and a single by Luis Marquez. Also, a person named Daniel Flames made his full season debut as the Crawdads DH. I don’t know anything about him, but I am rooting for him because I want the Rangers to have a player named “Flames” on their roster.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Enrique Segura went three shutout, no hit innings, striking out three and walking one. Brock Porter allowed a run on one hit, two walks and a HBP in 2.2 IP, striking out four. Thomas Ireland struck out four in 2.1 IP. Joey Danielson struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Gleider Figuereo hit his first homer of the year. Malcolm Moore doubled. Paxton Kling had a walk and a stolen base. Maxton Martin had a hit and a stolen base.

Hub City box score

Bryan Magdaleno walked one and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings for Frisco.

Dylan Dreiling was 3 for 4 with a walk.

Frisco box score

For Round Rock, Robbie Ahlstrom struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Michel Otanez struck out three and walked one in 1.1 IP. Josh Sborz threw a shutout inning, striking out one and walking one. Ryan Brasier allowed a run in an inning of work.

Alejandro Osuna had a pair of hits. Justin Foscue had a walk and a stolen base. Cam Cauley had a pair of hits, a walk and a stolen base.

Round Rock box score

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The Detroit Tigers look to avoid a series sweep when they face the Minnesota Twins in AL Central Division action at Target Field.

Minnesota starter Mick Abel has struggled, and my Tigers vs. Twins predictions expect Detroit to avoid the broom today.  

Read on for my MLB picks for Thursday, April 8.

Who will win Tigers vs Twins today: Tigers (-130)

Two shaky starters on the mound, but Jack Flaherty's xFIP sits at 6.64 against Mick Abel's 6.75, and on a chilly April afternoon, that tiny edge could be the difference. 

Abel is in historically rough shape with a robust hard-contact rate in the 83rd percentile plus an 11.05 ERA, and this Detroit Tigers lineup boasts enough Statcast pop to exploit him early. 

Once both starters exit, the Minnesota Twins bullpen is walking hitters at a nearly 15% rate. Detroit's relief corps is meaningfully better across every underlying metric. Trust Flaherty and the Tigers' bullpen edge.

COVERS INTEL: The Tigers' bullpen boasts a 77.6% LOB rate, the ninth-best in MLB. The Twins have stranded only 70.3%.

Tigers vs Twins Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+108)

Neither starter figures to pitch deep or stymie anyone, meaning two shaky bullpens should see heavy action, and the Twins' relief corps boasts a 26th-best 4.92 xFIP across 41.1 frames.

Detroit ranks 12th in wRC+ at 104 with the seventh-most Barrels per plate appearance, while Minnesota averages nearly 4.5 runs per game.

This matchup has gone Over in six of the last 10 head-to-heads. Detroit's lineup has genuine pop, and Minnesota has averaged more than six runs per game in its last three home bouts against these Tigers.

Tigers vs Twins odds

• Moneyline: Tigers -122 | Twins +117
• Run line: Tigers -1.5 (+127) | Twins +1.5 (-133)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+108) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Tigers vs Twins trend

The Over is 6-3-1 in their last 10 meetings. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Twins.

How to watch Tigers vs Twins and game info

Tigers vs Twins latest injuries

Tigers vs Twins weather

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