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The vibes were good after the Brewers steamrolled to a 14-2 victory on Opening Day on Thursday, but these first 48 hours of their season have not been without challenges. After Jackson Chourio was unexpectedly placed on the injured list before the game on Thursday, the same has happened to Andrew Vaughn today. News broke this morning that top catching prospect Jeferson Quero was being called up to the big-league team, and after a couple hours of uncertainty about who he was replacing, it was revealed that Vaughn broke a hamate bone in his hand during Thursday’s season opener. He’ll have surgery on the hand and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

The choice of Quero is, on the surface, a little strange, but what it looks like is that Gary Sánchez will replace Vaughn as the right-handed side of Milwaukee’s first-base platoon. In those instances, Quero will either operate as William Contreras’s backup, or all three catchers could get into the lineup, presumably with Sánchez at first, Contreras as the DH, and Quero behind the plate. There’ve been questions about Quero’s readiness for prime time as his recovery from his early-2024 shoulder injury hasn’t gone exactly to plan, but it will be interesting, if nothing else, to get a look at him at the highest level. Whenever Quero first gets into a game (maybe against the lefty tomorrow?), it’ll be his major league debut, which is exciting for a guy who is still considered by many as a top 100 prospect. (It will not, however, be a family affair if Quero debuts today or tomorrow: there is no relation between Jeferson and White Sox catcher Edgar Quero.)

In any case, the Brewer offense, which walked 10 times, hit two homers, and put up 14 runs on Thursday, will try to keep it rolling even with the loss of two prominent hitters. Today, the lineup will look almost like it did on Thursday, but with Bauers at first base in place of Vaughn and Brandon Lockridge, who pinch-ran for Vaughn on Thursday, in left field. Bauers slides up in the order too, to fourth, while Lockridge will bat ninth. Otherwise, the starters are the same as they were in the opener: Joey Ortiz at shortstop, David Hamilton at third base, Sal Frelick in right field, Garrett Mitchell in center, and Christian Yelich as the designated hitter. Luis Rengifo will need to wait another day to get his first Brewers start.

On the mound for Milwaukee is one of last season’s breakout stars, Chad Patrick. Patrick had an effective stint in the rotation perhaps earlier than most expected as the Brewers dealt with depth issues amongst their starting group, but he performed well and had himself in the Rookie of the Year discussion for a while; after his 14th start on June 6, Patrick had a 2.84 ERA. But a slight loss of momentum over the next month and, more critically, the improving health of the Brewers’ staff, left Patrick as the odd man out and he returned to Triple-A Nashville in early July. But he was back with the Brewers by the end of August, and played an important role down the stretch and especially in the postseason, where he allowed just two runs while striking out 11 in nine relief innings. He’ll get a chance to prove himself as a big part of this rotation’s future this season, and he’ll be looking to get off to a good start after he allowed 16 runs in 12 1/3 innings this spring. (Spring stats don’t really matter, but I’m sure it’d still feel good to have a nice outing today.)

Starting for the White Sox will be the righty Sean Burke. After 19 effective innings in a brief 2024 debut, Burke made 28 appearances (22 starts) in 2025 and worked to a near-league-average 4.22 ERA in 134 1/3 innings. But he allowed a lot of baserunners: Burke walked 4.2 batters per nine innings and had a 1.444 WHIP, so his 4.92 FIP was quite a bit uglier than his 4.22 ERA. Burke sits 94-95 with his fastball and also features a curveball and slider, and will occasionally work in a changeup.

There are a few shuffles in Chicago’s lineup compared to Thursday: Austin Hays and Miguel Vargas move to the bench, while Lenyn Sosa will be in from the start at DH and Tristan Peters in center, with Luisangel Acuña moving from CF to SS, Colson Montgomery from SS to 3B, and Andrew Benintendi from DH to LF. Reese McGuire, who caught for the Brewers this spring, will also be in the lineup as the catcher.

First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. See it on Brewers TV (online or through your cable provider), and hear it on the Brewers Radio Network.

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Sunday offers us a 12-game MLB slate that is filled with pitchers struggling with command.

Below, we break down the top moneyline MLB picks for Sunday, March 29.

MLB moneyline picks for March 29

Matchup	Pick
Royals vs Braves	-154
Twins vs Orioles	-167
Rangers vs Phillies	-175
Athletics vs Blue Jays	-192
Red Sox vs Reds	-142
Rockies vs Marlins	-227
Pirates vs Mets	-200
Angels vs Astros	+152
White Sox vs Brewers	-175
Rays vs Cardinals	-105
Nationals vs Cubs	-240
Guardians vs Mariners	+128

Lines courtesy of Kalshi as of 3-29.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for March 29

Royals vs Braves:  Braves (-154)

Grant Holmes has a big arm, and Atlanta has big bats.

Seth Lugo didn’t look that great this spring, and he will have his hands full against a Braves lineup that scored six runs on opening day. 

Twins vs Orioles:  Orioles (-167)

Shane Baz is coming off a career-best season, while Minnesota starter Bailey Ober hopes to bounce back from his worst. 

Ober got lit up this spring, so I’ll side with Baz and Baltimore. 

Rangers vs Phillies:  Phillies (-175)

Jesus Luzardo is the better arm here, and Philadelphia should force Mackenzie Gore to work.

Gore had difficulties getting outs this spring, and he’s hard to trust against this Phillies lineup. 

Athletics vs Blue Jays:  Blue Jays (-192)

Eric Lauer is coming off the best season of his seven-year career.

A's righty Luis Morales got clobbered this spring, which could spell trouble on the road against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and this Blue Jays offense.

Red Sox vs Reds:  Red Sox (-142)

Connolly Early has a live arm but struggled this spring, while Rhett Lowder missed a full season and was also hit hard during ST.

We’ll likely see the bullpens early, and Boston has the better one. 

Rockies vs Marlins:  Marlins (-227)

The Rockies are coming off the worst record in baseball.

Miami's young-gun Max Meyer looked good this spring, and Miami has the better arms for this one. 

Pirates vs Mets:  Mets (-200)

Nolan McLean was a revelation in 2025 and carried that momentum into a strong spring.

Carmen Mlodzinski has command issues and will be in trouble against Juan Soto and a Mets lineup that scored 11 runs on Opening Day.

Angels vs Astros:  Angels (+152)

Tatsuya Imai makes his much-anticipated MLB debut, but the Angels have come out of the gate swinging. J

Jack Kochanowicz has command issues, but Houston's offense and the rookie pitcher are too difficult to trust.

White Sox vs Brewers:  Brewers (-217)

The Chicago White Sox’s pitchers allowed 14 runs on Opening Day.

Lefty Anthony Kay has been plagued by command issues that persisted this spring and now faces a Brewers lineup that should give Brandon Sproat enough run support to win comfortably.

Rays vs Cardinals:   Cardinals (-105)

Steven Matz faces his former team and boasts excellent command, but he’s 33-32 in career road games.

Dustin May has electric stuff, and the hot Cardinals’ bats should provide him with all the run support he needs.

Nationals vs Cubs:  Cubs (-240)

Jake Irvin is coming off a solid spring, but his long ball issues on a breezy day make him a must fade for me.

Shota Imanaga has a strong track record against the Nationals, and I’ll back him along with the Cubs’ bats against Irvin.

Guardians vs Mariners:  Guardians (+128)

Slade Cecconi is coming off a strong spring.

Although Cecconi faces a tough task against this Seattle lineup, he should get enough run support, as Emerson Hancock struggles with command and has a career 1.5 home runs allowed per nine innings.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

‘It's a nightmare': Top prospect sizes up Zack Wheeler in rehab opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The question is no longer if or when. It’s how.

How effective will Zack Wheeler be when he returns from thoracic outlet syndrome?

If Saturday against the Toledo Mud Hens was any indication …

So far, so good.

Wheeler began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and the 35-year-old ace turned in an as-advertised, three-inning, 38-pitch outing at Coca Cola Park.

The weather was far from ideal for any pitcher — especially one who hadn’t thrown in competitive action in 225 days — but the most important part was clear, Wheeler walked off healthy and felt strong afterward.

“Obviously, it felt good,” Wheeler said. “At the end of the day, I wanted to focus on coming out healthy. That’s really all that mattered to me.”

Wheeler threw 38 pitches, 26 for strikes, with six swinging strikes. He worked through a full mix, but the cold clearly impacted the feel of the ball — and, by extension, the velocity. His fastball sat around 92 mph and topped out at 94.3.

That line looks like a rehab start. From the box, it didn’t.

Tigers outfielder Max Clark — MLB’s No. 10 prospect — faced Wheeler twice and got a quick reminder of why Wheeler’s at-bats don’t feel normal when he’s right.

“He’s a big extension guy and he’s got a low release, so the heater plays up,” Clark, who went 0-for-1 against Wheeler, said. “And then the sweeper’s a moneymaker. He made me look like a fool on a couple of them early. … He’s obviously one of the best in the game, so he can do a little bit of everything, and they’re all pretty elite.”

Even with Wheeler still building, Clark’s read was simple: the baseline is already tough.

“He was 93, up to 94 today,” Clark said. “And I can’t imagine what he’s like when he’s 96 to 98. … It’s a nightmare.”

Another factor on Saturday: Wheeler said he’s still down about 10 pounds, something he’s trying to build back up as he ramps.

It’s also important to remember Wheeler is still on schedule for this type of procedure. Venous/vascular thoracic outlet decompression has produced better return-to-play outcomes than neurogenic or arterial cases, which tend to be harder to come back from.

There are success stories on the vascular side. Phillies offseason acquisition Brad Keller has been through it. So have Mike Foltynewicz, Alex Cobb and Wheeler’s former teammate Dillon Gee.

On the other end, Wheeler has seen tougher outcomes up close, too. Another former teammate, Matt Harvey, was never the same after a neurogenic procedure. And thoracic outlet issues ended longtime Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter’s career.

Wheeler has moved quickly through the early checkpoints, but understanding the different lanes of TOS is why there’s reason for optimism.

“I’m a realistic guy, so there are going to be ups and downs,” Wheeler said. “Everything’s not always going to be perfect. You kind of just have to take them as they come and just keep working.”

One part of the rehab that has hung over him is pitching out of the stretch.

In bullpens in Clearwater, Wheeler didn’t always look like himself with his command, and velocity has been a major focus, especially when he was simulating runners on base.

Saturday, he felt progress.

“A couple of guys told me I was a little bit higher out of the stretch, which was good because I’ve felt terrible [out of the stretch] so far throughout this process,” Wheeler said. “We made a little adjustment and today felt a lot better.”

The adjustment was something he found with pitching coach Caleb Cotham. Wheeler described it like a reminder — small, but meaningful.

“It was just something small, like my front foot,” Wheeler said. “Sometimes it’s just the small stuff you need to nail down as you build up.”

As for what felt best, Wheeler pointed to the splitter.

“The splitter, I was really happy with that today,” he said. “It was working really well.”

KERKERING DISPLAYS NEW WEAPON

Working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered in Spring Training, Orion Kerkering continues to build — and continues to experiment.

Kerkering featured his new splitter twice in a 1-2-3 inning, 10-pitch outing for Lehigh Valley. He looked sharp and, like Wheeler, healthy. It’s a pitch he’s trying to gain feel for in every sense.

“I think the last two weeks have probably been the best I’ve felt with it, the most comfortable with it,” Kerkering said.

Kerkering’s view is that the pitch is necessary — especially for lefties — and it can pair naturally off his sinker.

“Playing off the sinker in, sinker away, then split down off of it,” Kerkering said. “I think it’s going to play really well … against both lefties and righties.”

Kerkering also said the downtime has helped him take a step back and reassess how his full mix can play together. He’s leaned heavily on his sweeper — last season, he threw it 48 percent of the time, third-highest in MLB among pitchers with at least 50 innings.

That usage helped him limit hard contact when paired with his sinker and four-seamer. Kerkering ranked in the 98th percentile in hard-hit rate last season.

For now, the rehab focus is workload. The stuff is there. The question is how quickly he can check the reliever boxes.

“As relievers, you never know when you’re going to throw — back-to-backs, three appearances out of four games,” Kerkering said.

Without Kerkering, the Phillies’ bullpen lacks right-handed depth behind setup man Brad Keller and closer Jhoan Duran. Zach Pop and Jonathan Bowlan are among the arms trying to carve out roles in that mix.

Both Kerkering and Wheeler are still in the early stages, but the direction is clear. When they’re back at Citizens Bank Park, the ovations will be there — for different reasons, but both well-deserved.

After a great Opening Day win for the Nationals, they got a reality check with a rough 10-2 defeat this afternoon. It was a sloppy defensive performance where the Nats struggled with the sun and wind. The worst of it came in the Cubs four run second inning. However, there were still a couple encouraging things, which we will break down.

Let’s start with the biggest positive of the afternoon, which was James Wood. The Nats big slugger struggled heavily this spring and went 0/5 with 4 strikeouts on Opening Day. However, he smashed a home run this afternoon and after a strikeout to lead off the game, his at bats looked better. 

Wood put the ball in play in three of his four at bats, which is a great sign. His homer was also a classic James Wood oppo-bomb. It was a low line drive that just kept carrying due to how much thunder Wood has in his bat. We know what James Wood can do when he is right, it is all about getting the big man locked in.

A singular home run is not enough to erase the concerns, but it is a step in the right direction. The quality of his at bats today were also positive. He needs to keep stacking those good at bats and get back to peppering the ball to the opposite field. Wood has all the talent in the world, but he seemed to have lost his swing. Hopefully today is the first step towards re-capturing that magic.

The other positive came at the end of the game when Nasim Nunez made one of the craziest plays you will ever see. He made a diving play and did a full roll before firing an absolute dart that got to Luis Garcia Jr’s glove on the fly. Nunez is an absolute wizard at shortstop and he plays with such joy as well. He also had an RBI base hit today.

However, this was a rough day for the Nats overall. For most of the game, they looked very sloppy both on the mound and in the field. The Cubs second inning rally came almost exclusively from walks and poor defense by the Nats. 

Miles Mikolas pitched a bit better than his line would suggest, but he was still shaky. His two walks in the second inning started the Cubs big rally. The veteran also allowed a home run to Miguel Amaya, which really put the game away. He did give the Nats five innings and mostly kept the ball off the barrel.

He was let down by some comical defense. The worst of it came in the aforementioned second inning where the Nats just could not seem to catch a pop up. Mikolas executed against Miguel Amaya and Michael Busch, but his defense let him down. The Amaya pop-up was a tough play for Luis Garcia Jr, but one he could have made. If James Wood weren’t playing way off the line, he could have had a chance, but that stuff can happen.

However, the next play is something you cannot see. The Nats looked like the bad news bears trying to catch a Michael Busch pop up. Nasim Nunez and Daylen Lile did not communicate, which led to the two of them running into each other. Neither caught the ball and disaster ensued. That routine pop up would have ended the inning as well.

The Nats are likely to be a bad defensive team, but I really hope they can clean this stuff up as the year goes on. Nunez should have let the outfielder Lile get that ball. While Nunez is an amazing defender, there are times where he can try and do too much. If the Nats want to be respectable, they cannot play that kind of defense.

Another thing they cannot do is give out free passes like candy. The Nats walked six today, and the Cubs took advantage of that. Ken Waldichuk even walked in a run. The bullpen was pretty rough today, but it was the B bullpen out there for the most part. Cole Henry was the only real high leverage arm we saw today, and he looked good.

This will not be the last time the Nats have an ugly defeat like this. However, they are going to have to learn from this. They need to play cleaner defense and play smarter. One thing I noticed was that Drew Millas was not aggressive enough on challenges. There was a borderline pitch in a 3-2 count to Pete Crow-Armstrong that was not challenged. Even if it is close, it is worth challenging to try and keep PCA off the bases.

Hopefully the Nats can learn from this and bounce back tomorrow. Each team has had a big win in this series and now they will have a rubber match. Jake Irvin will look to give the Nats their first series win of the year tomorrow afternoon. It was just not meant to be this afternoon.

Michael McGreevy’s first start of the 2026 season was nearly a historic one as he threw 6 innings of no-hit ball, but the St. Louis Cardinals had to rely on extra inning heroics by JJ Wetherholt to eventually beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5.

Michael McGreevy was dealing as he shut down Tampa Bay not allowing a runner for the first 3 innings. The Rays didn’t reach base until Ramón Urías was unable to handle an infield dribbler that was ruled an error. McGreevy was helped by solid defense behind him as Ivan Herrera made a great play on a pop-out behind home plate in the top of the 4th inning. In the 6th inning, JJ Wetherholt made a leaping grab on a liner over 2nd to keep the no-hit bid intact. Michael McGreevy was taken out of the game after 6 full innings leaving with 96 pitches.

The St. Louis offense got off to a fast start playing small ball in the top of the 1st inning when JJ Wetherholt reached on an infield single, stole 2nd, was moved to 3rd on a flyball to right by Ivan Herrera and then scored on a single by Alec Burleson. Alec then stole 2nd and then scored on a single by Nolan Gorman.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen looked like it would do its job with Riley O’Brien allowing the first hit in the top of the 7th, but then getting Mullins to ground into a double play. JoJo Romero covered the 8th inning getting an assist by Victor Scott II who made a nice diving catch in center.

St. Louis added to the lead in the bottom of the 8th when Jordan Walker walked and VSII reached on a bunt single. Both runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch, but JJ Wetherholt was unable to advance them when he broke his bat and popped out to short. Ivan Herrera picked him up when he cracked a double to deep right center scoring Jordan Walker. Victor Scott II scored on a sac fly by Alec Burleson to make it 4-0 Cardinals.

Trouble arrived in the 9th inning when Matt Svanson came in to close out the game. He gave up a broken bat single to start the inning, but got Fraley to pop out. Caminero walked, but Cedric Mullins popped out to third. Simpson reached on an infield hit as JJ Wetherholt tried to get him by flipping the ball to Burleson directly out of his glove (unsuccessfully) which allowed the Rays their first run of the game. Ryne Stanek was brought in to get the final out, but gave up a single allowing the Rays to get within a run at 4-3. Stanek gave up a single to Fortes which brought in the tying run. Stanek managed to get a ground ball out to stop the Rays rally leaving the game tied 4-4.

After the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th, Stanek remained in the game for the 10th when he promptly gave up a single to give the Rays a 5-4 lead. He was helped by a strike-them-out, throw-them-out double play in the top of the 10th to hold Tampa Bay to just a one run lead.

Nathan Church was the automatic runner in the top of the 10th. Tampa Bays relief pitcher Jax walked Jordan Walker. Victor Scott II successfully laid down a bunt to move both runners over and then JJ Wetherholt walked off the game with a single to right field scoring both Church and Walker.

Saturday’s win helps the St. Louis Cardinals maintain their perfect 2-0 start to the 2026 season. Dustin May is scheduled to start for the Cardinals on Sunday as St. Louis will try to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The 2026 season has not started well for the San Diego Padres, with back-to-back losses to the Detroit Tigers, they currently sit at 0-2 on the year. The offense has not been outstanding, scoring just two runs in each game and pitchers have been allowing walks at a concerning rate at this point in the season. Of course, this is the current reality.  

Before a regular season pitch had been thrown, Gaslamp Ball asked respondents to make their pick for where they thought the Padres would finish the season in the win column. There were multiple choices to allow a broader range of possibilities and while each option received consideration one option stood above the rest. However, there are some in that group who might want to change their selection after the first two games.

The Padres will need to correct the issues that have kept them out of the win column through the first two games if any of the options from this week’s Padres Reacts Survey are to come to fruition. Let’s just hope the majority of Padres fans were right in their predictions because that is what will be needed if San Diego is going to return to the playoffs in 2026.

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