Maybe if Q hadn’t been shaking hands before the game, the Royals would have played better. | Getty Images
The bad news? The Royals had a really rough game at the plate and on the mound. The good news? There are 161 more of these, and the Royals will look better in most of them.
Cole Ragans led the way to the Royals’ third straight Opening Day loss with him on the mound. He ended up giving up four runs on six hits in four innings. He walked four and gave up three home runs; he did strike out five. Walks continue to be an issue for him in starts where they show up, not just adding baserunners but really skyrocketing the pitch count. There was a scare in the first inning where Ragans came down on his lead foot weird. His command seemed to suffer after that, but he had only faced two hitters before that, so it might have been a pure coincidence.
Bailey Falter came on in relief and pitched three innings, the first two looked pretty good but he definitely seemed to wear down in the third inning. Ultimately, he gave up two runs in three innings with four strikeouts and no walks. It does seem like he might have something to build on there. Alex Lange got the eighth and pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. So the bullpen is showing some promise to get things started.
Chris Sale really struggled with his command in the early going, but managed to get things under control without giving up any runs, thanks in part to some excellent defensive plays behind him. Their bullpen sent two to the mound, giving up no runs. The Royals managed only five hits and three walks all night. The top of the order did their jobs with Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Lane Thomas each reaching twice. Salvador Perez contributed a single from the four hole as well. But the bottom five reached only once, a Jonathan India walk.
The offense will need to be better, but Chris Sale is a tough matchup for anyone. They’ll face righties for each of the next two games, so hopefully they’ll be able to put out the stronger iteration of their lineup and get some work done. It’s far too early to panic.
Tomorrow’s matchup will feature Michael Wacha (10-13, 3.86 ERA last year) facing off against Reynaldo López (0-0, 5.40 ERA in one start last year – he was injured for most of it.) It will be a nationally televised game on FOX, so if you’re a cord-cutter, you will already require a second service to watch the game. Hopefully, the Royals put up a slightly better showing. It starts at the same time as tonight’s game, 6:15 Royals time.
Mar 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) stands on the field during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
18 zeros. 18 goose eggs. 18 uh-ohs. 18 black holes. 18 innings of big ol’ nothin’s from the San Francisco Giants offense.
Two days removed from being carved up by New York starter Max Fried (with an off-day in-between to recoup), the Giants hitters got right back in the saddle, and promptly tumbled off the other side against young right-hander, Cam Schlittler, in an eventual 3-nil loss.
It’s not an ideal start…but it could be a symbolic one, because what if I told you that a similar offensive cold snap started the 2002 season? Because what if I told you a similar stumble led to one of the most successful seasons in club history? And what if I told you all of that is a lie? Because of course it is. The Barry Bond-Jeff Kent Giants scored a bajillion runs in the first 18 innings and never lost a game all season.
These 18 offensive donuts — that’s called history folks. The first time the New York Yankees have ever thrown back-to-back shutouts to start a season. The first time the New York/San Francisco Giants have ever been shutout in back-to-back games to start a season.
Add Heliot Ramos’s 2nd inning double — the only knock of the day — to the tally, and we’re still on our left hand. San Francisco’s four hits in these two losses are actually the fewest hit total to start a season in the team’s 144 year history. According to Duane Kuiper on the postgame wrap, that low mark actually tied the 1909 Chicago White Sox’s for fewest in all of Major League history.
But it’s not like the Giants bats have tripped over their own shoelaces while taking a walk in the park. They’ve had their hands full with these Yankee starters. Fried fried their bats on Wednesday. And Schlittler…well, you can figure out the descriptive name-pun for yourself.
The 25 year old’s understated and quiet wind-up belies the loud and volatile pitches he unleashes. Schlittler almost looks shy as he starts his delivery. Any movement pre-leg kick is hard to discern. To start, he closes his shoulders off to the plate with the slightest reset of his front foot. He peers down at his shoes, taps his toe on the ground as if to reassure himself it’s there before the knee hoists up and ffoooooommmmpppp… 99 MPH four-seamer, or sinker, or 95 MPH cutter.
Everything out of Schlittler’s hand is hard, and based on aggressive early swings from Giants bats, hard to lay off. The three variations on heat produced a cruel mix of beguiling movements that avoided barrels like the plague. The confrontations were one-sided and quick. He fanned 8 over 5.1 innings pitched, and I don’t think he broke a sweat doing it, needing just 68 pitches to bag 16 outs before being yanked by Yankee skipper Aaron Boone. But the New York relief was no relief for the Giants offense. Just the same ol’ same ol’ with a stand-out performance from old bud Camilo Doval, who looked as sharp as he ever had in the orange-and-black. He worked quick, established his pitches sinker early, kept his slider tight, and attacked the zone to bag three punch-outs in a 1-2-3 8th.
One could make a decent argument that the only good thing about the game was the weather, but I don’t think that’s completely fair to Robbie Ray. Though hung with the loss, the veteran lefty ultimately held a potent offense to just two runs, and the only slight against him was leaking a tired four-seamer out over the plate to the best hitter of the decade.
Back-to-back golden sombreros just wasn’t an option for Aaron Judge, and in a friendly count late in an outing against a pitcher he’s already taken deep three times before, he got a pitch to demolish, and Judge dropped the gavel.
Other than that offering, Ray has got to be pleased with the way he kicked off his season. The slider he tweaked this spring fetched 8 whiffs on 19 swings (42%) including three of his four strikeouts. And what felt nearly as certain as a Judge bomb was a Ray base-on-balls — but the walk never came (though maybe he should’ve given in to Judge in the 6th). Ray stayed aggressive to the plate and did a solid job keeping the count in his favor. He threw 13 first-pitch strikes, and was 10/14 when starting off an at-bat with his fastball. The lefty didn’t fall into a 1-0 count until the seventh batter he faced — which is a minor miracle and major victory for Ray, who spends the majority of the season battling himself through tough counts and stressful frames brought on by his high walk rate.
Tony Vitello got his steps in today, making three mid-inning changes, giving us a glimpse of how aggressive he’s going to be with the bullpen. The swaps worked for the most part, though things certainly got dice-y at times. Jose Buttó promptly gave up a monster solo shot to Giancarlo Stanton in the 6th. Erik Miller replaced a runner on from Buttó in the 7th and induced three consecutive ground-outs. Ryan Borucki inherited a one-out, first-and-third situation from Ryan Walker and made it immediately worse by walking Ryan McMahon on four pitches to load bases, before getting out of trouble by coaxing two ground balls from Yankee hitters.
All in all, it’s nothing. 18 innings. Two games. What’s tough is it’s the first two games. Fans have had a long winter of no baseball, and now we have two days of a different kind of no baseball that has somehow already wrung our souls out like a towel. We know, from an intellectual standpoint, that this line-up is better than the at-bats we’ve witnessed so far in 2026 — we just haven’t seen it yet. We have nothing tangible to grasp and hold tight to. There’s no proof, only mutterings and faint memories that Rafael Devers can, in fact, drive a fastball pumped over the middle of the plate. Little comfort in that hearsay when all we have to go on are the hellacious hacks and fierce uppercuts that have come up empty so far.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 06, 2026: Gavin Williams #32 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Goodyear Ballpark on March 06, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Guardians have released their lineup for tonight:
Reid was hit with a technical foul and ejected with 4:13 left in overtime. He had not been charged with a prior technical, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection.
Crew chief Scott Foster told the pool reporter after the game that Reid was ejected for making “a statement that questioned the integrity of the crew.”
For a pitcher with just 15 career starts under his belt, Cam Schlittler has looked every bit of a veteran on the mound for the Yankees.
It started last season when he made his debut in July, continued throughout the regular season and culminated in the postseason, where he had a start against the Boston Red Sox in which he went eight scoreless innings in a win-or-go-home game with 12 strikeouts.
Schlittler was similarly dominant on Friday against the San Francisco Giants despite being on a pitch count. The right-hander struck out eight through 5.1 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit in a rather dominant performance.
In fact, over his first 15 career regular season starts, Schlittler has shut out his opponent four times and that’s not including his epic playoff start against the Red Sox last year.
Suffice to say, Schlittler has impressed manager Aaron Boone, who was asked after the game about what was so good from the youngster on Friday.
“Everything,” the skipper said. “The power – eight strikeouts there, but being real pitch efficient too. Only going 70 [pitches] with him today, so to get into the sixth inning really set us up really nice and then the pen was outstanding.”
In two games to begin the 2026 season, New York has yet to allow a run and has limited the Giants to just four hits and four walks.
First, it was Max Fried and Co. on Opening Day and then it was Schlittler. Will Warren hopes to keep things going on Saturday.
“It felt good,” Schlittler said. “Just being able to work the four-seam, the two-seam, the cutter and kind of incorporating the curveball towards the end there. Throwing a lot of strikes, limiting the walks is very important.”
Throwing strikes kept the 25-year-old in the game long enough to get the win despite his short leash that stemmed from a strained oblique during spring training that set him back some.
While he wished he could have gone further in the game with how things were going, he understands the process that he needs to take.
“Nothing I can do about it, it’s out of my control,” he said. “… Keep building from this week to next week and then hopefully get up to 90 pitches in a couple starts.”
With the Yankees going with a four-man rotation to start the year, Schlittler’s next start figures to be on Wednesday, April 1, against the Seattle Mariners.
Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) on the court in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Per his Instagram account, UNC forward Caleb Wilson has declared for the NBA Draft. His announcement arrives just less than a week after former head coach Hubert Davis was relieved of his duties.
Wilson had one of the most incredible individual seasons that we’v seen in a long time at UNC. He finished his season averaging 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. At one point during the season he lead the team in all major categories, but then he injured his left hand in the game against Miami. There was hope that he would be able to return before the season was over, but while practicing for the Duke game he broke his thumb in his right hand during a non-contact drill. That injury ended his freshman season, and it effectively ended his Carolina career.
Despite missing a decent amount of time, Wilson as named first-team All-ACC, second-team All-American, and was selected for the ACC All-Rookie team. His incredible season guaranteed that his jersey will be hung in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.
There was some hope that Caleb Wilson would return for a sophomore season, but it was never a likely outcome. Wilson is a projected top-five NBA Draft pick, and while NIL has made sure college players are making good money, it is still nothing compared to a top-five rookie contract — if he is picked fifth overall, he can still around $9 million his first two seasons. His NIL valuation during his freshman season was reportedly $1.9 million per On3.com.
Wilson is bound to be a really good player in the NBA. His skill set is something that many NBA GMs are looking for, and he’s drawn a lot of comparison to Kevin Garnett. He certainly has enough talent to be in the league for a long time, and he may even have enough talent to become a NBA All-Star if he lands in the right system. That’s a tough ask considering the teams that are at the top of the NBA Draft boards right now, but perhaps he will get a fortunate break and not land with a team like the Sacramento Kings. Is it messy to say that? Maybe. Is it a fair statement? NBA fans would almost certainly tell you yes.
We wish Caleb Wilson the best of luck at the next level. Thank you for giving your all to the program, and I will be rooting for you loud and proud wherever you land.
Manager Tony Vitello rolled out the same group after San Francisco was blanked in its season opener Wednesday, but after mustering just one hit off Cam Schlittler in a 3-0 loss to the Yankees on Friday, the rookie manager said he plans to shake things up.
“Wednesday’s lineup didn’t have much to show, but we met on it and left it as is,” Vitello said. “There’s a good chance there will be some variance tomorrow based off the numbers and a new pitcher on the mound.”
The Giants’ Willy Adames reacts after fouling a ball during the fourth inning against the Yankees IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In two games against Max Fried, Schlittler and the Yankees’ bullpen, the Giants have produced zero runs, four hits, four walks and 19 strikeouts. It’s the first time in the franchise’s 143-year history that it has been blanked in back-to-back games to begin a season.
Surely, they’ll have more luck against Saturday’s starter, Will Warren, regardless of the batting order. Even a sample as minuscule as 59 at-bats (and the accompanying .068 batting average) is bound for some regression to the mean.
“It’s kind of all about sample size. Over and over, we’ve talked about being in this for the long haul,” Vitello said. “I think that’s where our guys’ mindset is. But there’s also a pressing need in there for some feel-good and also to want to perform for the fans.”
Still, it’s far from the output expected after San Francisco added Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader to a lineup that already included Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers.
Chapman accounted for both of the Giants’ walks in Friday’s loss, while a softly hit double down the right field line from Heliot Ramos amounted to their only extra-base hit in two games.
Adames struck out three times Friday and is hitless in seven at-bats. Devers also earned a hat trick in their latest loss and is 1 for 8. Bader and Arraez have combined to reach base twice in 14 total trips to the plate.
Adames watched a close strike three that scraped the inside corner after Chapman reached on a walk to begin the seventh, trailing 3-0. Rather than use either of the two ABS challenges the Giants had, he walked back to the dugout visibly upset.
“I think that’s one where if he was disappointed in himself, that’s fine,” Vitello said. “If it was frustration out of [the called strike], that was an opportunity where it could’ve been used.”
Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee takes a big cut against the Yankees on Friday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Giants have yet to challenge a pitch on offense, despite watching the Yankees do so twice, including an overturned call a few pitches before Aaron Judge deposited a two-run homer halfway up the left field bleachers that broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.
“I definitely wouldn’t doubt our guys’ efforts, but if you’re trying too hard and things start to move fast on you, maybe you’re a little bit hesitant and you’re not wanting to be the one who makes a mistake,” Vitello said. “I think they’ll settle in and find a little bit more of a comfort zone, but if you analyze the last two days, there were more opportunities to [challenge] than we utilized.”
Effort and emotion were two themes Vitello continued to touch on after the game as he attempted to find answers for the Giants’ woeful start to his tenure in the dugout.
“The results, or the numbers, look like there’s not a lot of try-hard,” Vitello said. “But kind of the old baseball adage, there’s probably too much. Maybe that extends to that conversation prior to the season. Or maybe it just stems from all the Opening Day fanfare.”
Robbie Ray, who limited the Yankees to three runners over 5 ⅓ innings besides Judge’s home run and the double from Paul Goldschmidt that preceded it, dismissed that idea.
“We’re all major-league players,” he said. “I think we can handle the ups and downs.”
All the same, Ramos shrugged off the idea of switching up the batting order.
“We’ve just got to get on base,” Ramos said. “We’ve got to execute. … It’s just two games to start the season. We’ve just got to get going.”
Consider it the first true test for the first-year manager, given Vitello at least deployed his bullpen as well as he can while playing from behind. A solo shot from Giancarlo Stanton off Jose Butto amounted to the only run the Giants’ relievers have allowed in 7 ⅔ innings.
The bullpen was considered a question mark. The reinvigorated lineup was supposed to be a strength. That hasn’t been the case, at least through a two-game sample.
“I’d kind of put it on me a little bit,” Vitello said. “Get all fire and brimstone a few days ago. I think some good words were shared. But I also think as of right now, it’s a little emotional in there.”
Mar 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Will Vest (19) celebrates after defeating the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers vs. San Diego Padres
Time/Place: 9:40 p.m., Petco Park SB Nation Site: Gaslamp Ball Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Michael King (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections
Following the Yankees' 3-0 win over the Giants on Friday afternoon, manager Aaron Boone and the players spoke about a number of topics, including Camilo Doval's dominant start to the 2026 season.
Camilo Doval dominating to start season
Doval was one of GM Brian Cashman's big acquisitions at last year's trade deadline. He, along with David Bednar, were supposed to shore up the Yankees bullpen for a deep playoff run. Doval, however, struggled in the final months of the 2025 season as a Yankee. Now, a whole offseason with the Yankees behind him, Doval has come out to start the season dominating batters.
After pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the opener, Doval struck out the side on Friday afternoon.
"Dominant," Boone said of Doval's outing. "The sinker from the side, looked like a split and I thought really good pace and tempo to him filling up the strike zone. That was a dominant 1-2-3 inning of what he can be and what he looks like when he’s rolling. Really excited for that performance, now back-to-back strong outings for him."
After coming over from San Francisco at the deadline, Doval pitched to a 4.82 ERA in 22 appearances in pinstripes. After Friday's win, Doval was asked about how he feels with the team this season.
"It’s like joining a new family. You start adapting to get a good rhythm of how things work out here," Doval said via the team interpreter. "That’s really it. Feeling more comfortable, trying to do my job, really. Focus on the work and it’s going well."
"That’s what he’s capable of," Boone said. "He’s built in really tough on a righty, but he’s capable of getting lefties, too. The sinker was great today, but also landed a couple of sliders in there, cutter in the zone, kinda overmatched them. That’s what he’s capable of when he’s right."
The Yankees hope they are getting the Doval from 2023, when he made his lone All-Star Game as a member of the Giants. That season, he pitched to a 2.93 ERA and picked up a career high 39 saves.
"We always talk about 2023 and that’s a goal of ours. To be a version of myself from 2023 or better," Doval said. "The mindset is simple. Do your job, put in the work and try to improve as much as you can."
Giancarlo Stanton dialed in
Almost quietly, Stanton is having a good first two games of the season. He picked up two hits in the opener and added another two knocks in Friday's win. One of those hits was a homer that put the Yankees up 3-0. He also narrowly missed another.
It's just a continuation of a pretty good spring for the slugger. In 11 spring games, Stanton smashed four homers and hit .286.
"Really good ABs. He’s disciplined, develops his plan and goes up there and is executing really well," Boone said of Stanton. "First at-bat where he strikes out, you think, 'yeah he’s got the right plan, the right thought.' Then he hit a pretty good ball to right and then got a wrinkle in the zone that he stuck. Yeah, he’s in a really good place."
One moment flipped the game on its head, which happened via the new ABS challenge system.
With the score tied 0-0 in the sixth inning and Aaron Judge at the plate, Robbie Ray threw a 1-0 slider that looked to be low. It was called a strike by the home plate umpire, as many of those calls have been to Judge in the past.
However, the Yankee Captain tapped his helmet to challenge the call, the first time he's done it in a real game. Judge's knowledge of the zone was correct, which changed the count from 1-1 to a favorable 2-0. And although Ray fought back to work the count full, Judge would launch an inside fastball over the left field wall to give the Yankees a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"I thought it was borderline," Boone said of the pitch Judge challenged. "I knew it was going to probably be close. Obviously, it turned into a real leverage-heavy at-bat for him and he hit a moonshot."
Judge called the process "weird" but said he'll get used to the ABS system, but felt that with Paul Goldschmidt on second, he wanted to make sure he had a better chance to drive him in.
"I’m a hitter, I gotta focus on hitting," Judge said of the challenge. "I’m not going to sit here and challenge every single one that I think is close. But it was a big spot that I think I had a chance to flip the count. I still gotta do my job as a hitter. It takes one pitch. Gotta get one pitch, put a good swing on it and good things can happen."
After going hitless with four strikeouts in the opener, that challenge helped Judge get the pitch he needed to get his first hit and homer of the season. The reigning AL MVP is now 1-for-9 with six strikeouts to start the season.
TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 14: Cole Wilcox #43 of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 14, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners made their first in-season roster move today, placing RHP Carlos Vargas on the 15-day IL with a lat strain and recalling RHP Cole Wilcox from Tacoma.
In December 2020, the Padres acquired Blake Snell from the Rays in a high-profile trade that sent highly-ranked prospect Luis Patiño, catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt, and 2020 third-rounder righty Cole Wilcox to the Rays in exchange for Snell. The Mariners are now halfway to acquiring all of the players from that trade in some form (Hunt spent time with the organization in 2024 and 2025), acquiring Wilcox—who was the last remaining member of that trade in Tampa Bay’s organization—from the Rays this off-season for cash. For Wilcox, who never threw a professional pitch for San Diego, Tampa Bay was the only organization he’d ever known.
“I’d been with the Rays for so long that it kind of felt like home,” he said this spring. “But I’m always open to a change of scenery…It’s always intimidating, going to a new spot, but there’s a lot of good people here, very friendly, very welcoming. So that made the transition super easy.”
In coming to Seattle, Wilcox had the advantage of meeting a friendly face from day one: fellow pitcher Emerson Hancock, who was Wilcox’s teammate at the University of Georgia, twin 6’5” hurlers who anchored the Bulldogs’ rotation; Wilcox a year behind Hancock, the #2 to Hancock’s #1.
While both Wilcox and Hancock grew up in Georgia, they’re from opposite ends of the state: Hancock’s hometown of Cairo (pronounced “Karo,” like the syrup) is at the very southern edge of Georgia, flat terrain located 45 minutes from Tallahassee. Wilcox grew up in Ringgold, a small town in northeast Georgia nestled in the Appalachians about 20 minutes from Chattanooga (best known to me as where Dolly Parton married Carl Dean in 1966). You can hear the difference in geography in their two accents: Wilcox has the Appalachian accent, twangy with extra y’s and r’s; Hancock’s is a softer drawl.
“I’m from the mountains, he’s a farm boy,” quipped Wilcox, with the good-natured teasing of two people who have known each other for a long time.
Another thing that’s made the transition easier for Wilcox is that the Mariners run their operations very similar to the Rays. Wilcox said the Mariners haven’t asked him to do anything differently, pitching-wise, despite the common perception that the Mariners “overhaul” pitchers when they acquire them.
“It’s the same thing with the Rays,” he said. “Everybody’s like, oh, there’s a ‘magic formula’ or something. But really they just encourage you to compete, which is nice. It makes it simple, and the more you can simplify the game of baseball, just let talent take over and the work take over, it’s a lot easier to play well.”
One of the adjustments Wilcox has had to make is in transitioning to a reliever role, something he started with the Rays, who were hoping to see the stuff tick up after his recovery from TJ surgery in 2021-2022. It was a challenging recovery for Wilcox, whose calling card as a prospect had always been elite velocity.
“I threw pretty hard in college, but ever since the injury, getting that velocity back has been kind of tough. So last year was the first year it kind of came back.”
In the bullpen, the stuff did tick up – maybe more than Wilcox expected.
“I was kind of just like, pedal to the metal, let’s go, let’s do everything,“ he said. “Sometimes it got a little erratic on me…So making that transition, I think it was just getting a feel for that type of intensity. Trying to keep that same intensity, but dialed in, that was the goal this off-season.”
“I just think I was sat on that horse faster than I’m used to, so this off-season, it was good to know my role going into it, knowing what I wanted to do and have something to work towards.”
Even seated firmly on the horse labeled “reliever”, there’s still work to be accomplished on the command front. Wilcox started off the spring strong, but his command slipped a little later in the spring, especially in a game where he was asked to go multiple innings. Like a wild horse, Wilcox’s stuff is difficult to pin down, but majestic in full flight. He has two fastballs, both which come in at an easy 97: a heavy sinker he can use for weak contact and a fastball he’ll try to elevate for whiffs. He pairs that with two hard sliders, a traditional slider and a sweeper.
But rather than focus on refining the pitches individually, Wilcox is focused on big-picture goals, the same things we hear from any member of the Mariners pitching staff: controlling the controllables, getting ahead, getting to two strikes, and putting hitters away. There’s a time and a place for things like changing pitch grips or making mechanical adjustments, Wilcox says, but it’s important not to get lost in those and potentially lose sight of the mission when standing on the mound.
“The simplest cues are the ones that are going to translate the most. You don’t want to make it more complex than it is.”
Wilcox has already had a complex journey to the big leagues – starting with the cancellation of his college season in 2020, a truncated draft year, a trade, a major injury, and a role shift, all before he’s thrown more than one (1) professional inning. Thankfully, he has someone by his side who understands a complex big-league journey in Emerson Hancock, who went through the same early-career challenges of the COVID year, his own injury, and a similar transition to the bullpen. Hancock may have only been a year ahead of Wilcox at Georgia, but his admiration for his fellow pitcher is obvious.
“I know Emerson really well,” Wilcox said. “Since college, he hasn’t changed at all. Super hard worker, super good person, super good leader…for a lot of places around the league, he’s in the rotation, and he just happens to be probably in the best rotation in baseball. But he’s never, ever complained through the whole process. He’s always positive, never negative about anything he’s gone through, any adjustments that he’s made. [At Georgia] we called him The Mayor. He’s a guy you’re just drawn to, with his positive energy.”
Wilcox is once again one of Hancock’s constituents, the two sharing a big-league bullpen now rather than a collegiate dugout. Hopefully he’ll stick around long enough to earn a nickname of his own – maybe the Marshal to Hancock’s mayor, given his affinity for horse metaphors.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 26: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers greets teammates during player introductions prior to the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers look to make it a 2-0 start to the 2026 season as they host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The Dodgers will be presented with their 2025 World Series rings prior to first pitch (6:20 p.m. PT).
Emmet Sheehan makes his first start of the season against right-hander Ryne Nelson.
Alex Freeland makes his season debut, batting ninth and starting at second base.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 27: Clayton Kershaw is seen on the field prior to the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw is now retired after 18 seasons pitching for the Dodgers, but 2026 thus far has felt a little like the others. He was part of the NBC pregame show on opening day Thursday, and offered insights during the game broadcast while sitting next to the third base dugout.
“I don’t feel like retirement has really, really started yet,” Kershaw said Friday at Dodger Stadium. “Now that the season started, and I’m going to go home, next week will probably feel like a normal retirement week.”
“I think I’ll be involved somehow. I think I’ll be involved, probably not physically here in LA, but I’m sure I’ll watch games,” Kershaw said on Friday. “I still want to be a part of the Dodgers. So if I can help in some small piece, I will.”
After throwing during spring to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, Kershaw did not pitch while active for Team USA. Now, he’s focused on his post-playing days.
“There’s a freedom to retirement. If you don’t want to workout, you don’t have to. If you’re back hurts, it doesn’t matter. If you’re arm hurts, it doesn’t matter,” Kershaw said. “You get to see a lot more stuff, and be around for everything. There’s a lot of great parts. It doesn’t take away from how special this game is, but there’s a lot really awesome about being home and being done.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: A general view of UNIQLO signage before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks during Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
DODGERS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Shohei Ohtani – DH
Corbin Carroll – RF
Kyle Tucker – RF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Mookie Betts – SS
Gabriel Moreno – C
Freddie Freeman – 1B
Pavin Smith – DH
Will Smith – C
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Max Muncy – 3B
Carlos Santana – 1B
Teoscar Hernandez – LF
Alek Thomas – CF
Andy Pages – CF
Jordan Lawlar – LF
Alex Freeland – 2B
Ryne Nelson – RHP
Emmet Sheehan – RHP
I guess we can’t call it Dodger Stadium any more, since the team has sold the naming rights. It is now officially known as Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. What is a Uniqlo anyway? I’m glad you asked. It’s a Japanese clothing designer and retailer, and they just paid more than $125 million for the five-year deal. Just another way in which the rich get richer. That’s almost twice as much as the D-backs got for their naming rights, to what was then Bank One, and became Chase Field after the takeover. Oh, yeah: and that $66 million was for a thirty-year period. On a per-year basis, it’s less than one-tenth of the Dodgers’ income. Basically, their rights pay for Freddie Freeman. Ours pay for Pavin Smith. And speaking of whom…
Pavin Smith and his left elbow are being evaluated now – would not be surprised if he ends up on the IL
If that happens, it’ll be interesting to see how the team replaces him. There is only one available position player on the 40-man roster. Jose Fernandez, and it is perhaps of note that he is not in the starting line-up for the Reno Aces this evening. He performed very well in spring training, but there are a few possible issues. He’s right-handed, unlike lefty Smith. Fernandez has almost no professional experience at first (less than 140 innings). And he hasn’t played above Double-A. If he’s going to be purely used as a DH, then that would mitigate the issue. But it again illustrates the difference between us and LA. Their DH tonight? The guy who is on a $700 million contract.
However, there was also this:
Torey Lovullo says Pavin Smith, who was scratched yesterday with an elbow issue, could play tonight depending on how his early batting practice goes. Smith is not in initial lineup, but that could change.
And it appears that must have gone well, because the D-backs subsequently changed their line-up. It was otherwise going to be identical to last night, bar the starting pitcher obviously. But you know Torey wasn’t going to start running out the same batting order two games in the row. 🙂 So Smith is in, replacing Tim Tawa at DH.
Tonight, we see Ryne Nelson, the player who was the SnakePit’s overwhelming choice for Opening Day starter. After last night, and Zac Gallen’s underwhelming fifth inning, we can perhaps be forgiven for saying, “See? Told you so.” Though more circumspect readers will probably want to wait until after tonight. Not that it makes much difference who is #1 and #2. They both would end up facing the Dodgers. Though Nelson has an excellent record (small sample size) in Dodg… er, I mean Uniqlo Field. He has allowed just two runs over fifteen innings of work. Might need to be on that level of form if Arizona is to prevail tonight, going by last night’s offensive showing. But hey, at least we have scored, eh, San Francisco?
No. 6 seed Notre Dame beat second-seeded Vanderbilt on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, to open the regional rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament. That ended the 14-year-old's run as the last perfect bracket after the opening weekend of the men's and women's tournaments from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests.
Schellhammer previously told The Associated Press it was “100% luck” and that he didn't know anything about basketball despite that perfect start through 48 games. His mother, Amy, called it “absolutely hilarious” and said her son had been getting more excited about watching the games because of the perfect start.
He has Texas winning the title in his bracket.
Mike Benzie, the senior director of content for NCAA Digital, said there were about 36 million men’s entries and 5.2 million on the women’s side.
SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 26: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres hits a RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Detroit Tigers (1-0) at San Diego Padres (0-1), March 27, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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