Sean Burke has a history of success working as a bulk reliever. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
While yesterday’s extra-inning loss was certainly disappointing, it left little doubt in my mind that this is indeed a different Sox team than the moribund group we’ve become accustomed to over the last few years. Noah Schultz dominated, and while the power surges of Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami have slowed down a bit, other mid-level hitters like Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidroth were there to pick up the slack. The White Sox now have hitters that as a fan you actually want at the plate in a big situation. Despite an early deficit, they mounted a comeback and fought until the end. Not super-used to that one!
Call it “Ricky’s Boys Don’t Quit: Will’s Version,” and they still have a chance to make it three series wins in a row if they can pull out this rubber match against Washington. Sean Burke will go to the mound as the Sox primary pitcher today, with Bryan Hudson — who has been an excellent and unheralded addition to a bullpen that’s been starved for good lefty options — serving as the opener against Washington’s lefty-heavy lineup, which looks like this today:
Righthander Foster Griffin has made a strong return Stateside after a three-year hiatus in Japan, where he ran a 2.57 ERA over three seasons in the dead-ball NPB. He’s won three of his first five starts with Washington without taking a loss, working to a 3.38 ERA over 26 2/3 innings. Here’s the lineup that Will Venable counters with:
Even by the standards of the post-2021 White Sox, that’s a getaway day lineup if I’ve ever seen one. Perhaps they spent too much time out on the town with C.J. Abrams last night. Either way, first pitch is scheduled for at 1:15 p.m. CT, live from Rate Field in Armour Square. If you want to join us, broadcasts are available on CHSN (TV) and WMVP AM 1000 (radio) like always!
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 14: Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Cleveland Guardians at Busch Stadium on April 14, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage a game in the short homestand series versus the Mariners on Sunday as Michael McGreevy gets the start for St. Louis while Emerson Hancock will pitch for Seattle. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday at Busch Stadium.
Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images
Milwaukee has now dropped four straight after last night’s extra-inning loss. The Crew will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates in this afternoon’s series finale.
Kyle Harrison is on the mound for the Brewers. Acquired from Boston in February, the left-hander has been a steady presence early on. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his four starts and brings a 3.05 ERA into today’s matchup.
Pitching for the Pirates is righty Carmen Mlodzinski, who owns a 3.28 ERA through five appearances. Mlodzinski has completed five innings just twice this season, which could put added strain on a Pittsburgh bullpen that covered five innings yesterday. If Milwaukee can get to him early, there’s an opportunity to do some damage.
No major surprises in today’s lineup. The top of the order — Brice Turang, William Contreras, and Jake Bauers — remains unchanged from last night’s contest. Gary Sánchez, tied with Bauers for the team lead in home runs (with five) hits cleanup.
Garrett Mitchell is in center field and batting fifth. He’s followed by Sal Frelick, who recorded a pair of sacrifice flies last night. Rounding out the bottom of the order are Luis Rengifo, David Hamilton (at shortstop today), and Brandon Lockridge.
As usual, you can catch the game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.
It’s been a good week. The Yankees swept Boston and likely played a non-insignificant role in that org’s excising the majority of its MLB coaching staff (including skipper Alex Cora), and then New York came down to Houston and have taken the first two games against their hated Astros. Last night’s win was driven by the club’s patience, as Houston hurlers allowed ten walks in nine innings, spotting the Yankees a ton of traffic. The Yanks have won eight games in a row and seek their first nine-game winning streak since 2022.
This may be a key to the game today, as Astros’ starter Spencer Arrighetti has had walk problems in his first two MLB seasons, and has walked 15 percent (!) of the batters he’s faced across his first two starts. He’s benefitted from some sequencing and some luck, as he hasn’t allowed a home run in 11 innings, and just three runs overall. However, he’s faced Cleveland and Colorado, not exactly offenses known for hitting the ball out of the park. Nobody in baseball walks more than the Yankees do, and only the Dodgers have hit more home runs. Arrighetti might just look like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs today.
Meanwhile, the Yankees send Luis Gil to the bump, his fourth start in 2026 and he hasn’t exactly impressed with his results. He’s issuing virtually a walk for every strikeout, and has just a .143 BABIP against so far this year. He increasingly looks like a player that shouldn’t be in an MLB rotation, and we could see some very real fireworks today with these two pitchers squaring off — then again, just saying that makes a 2-1 nailbiter all the more likely.
On the offensive side, it’s another day without the recovering Giancarlo Stanton. Ben Rice will get half a day off as he slides into the DH role and Paul Goldschmidt takes over the cold corner and bats sixth. J.C. Escarra spells Austin Wells after a night game and will be your catcher.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 25: Manager Blake Butera (10) of the Washington Nationals talks with his players during an MLB game against the Chicago White Sox on April 25, 2026 at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Nats showed grit and clutch hitting in their extra inning win yesterday. That evened up the series and set up a rubber match this afternoon. This is a series both teams are going to really want to grab, so this will be a hotly contested game.
For the second time this series, the White Sox have a lefty opener, which made Blake Butera alter his lineup. Curtis Mead will be in the 2 spot at first base, while Luis Garcia Jr. is lower in the order, in the 7 spot. CJ Abrams will be back in the lineup after a day off yesterday. Drew Millas will be back behind the dish. He will be catching Foster Griffin, who has had a very good start to his Nats career.
With a lefty on the mound, we will see some new faces for the White Sox. Tanner Murray, Derek Hill and Drew Romo will make their first starts of the series. Luisangel Acuna will also be back in the lineup. Chase Meidroth will be all the way up in the leadoff spot. For the second time in this series, lefty Bryan Hudson will be the opener. Righty Sean Burke will follow him.
This has been a very evenly matched series, with the Sox taking game one by a single run and the Nats winning game two in extra innings. That should set up for a fun series finale. Follow along down below and let’s go Nats.
Apr 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an rbi single during the third inning against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday.
Imai, who has been on the injured list due to right arm fatigue since April 12, threw a bullpen at Daikin Park Sunday morning before the Astros series finale against the New York Yankees. Manager Joe Espada said Imai will start against the Frisco Roughriders if he comes out of that bullpen feeling good.
“He could go four innings, five innings, just depending how efficient he is,” Espada said. “He’s fully stretched out.”
Espada didn’t say how many rehab starts Imai would need being reinstated from the IL.
Imai signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Astros from the NPB’s Seibu Lions, that included opt outs after the first two seasons. He posted a 7.27 ERA in his first three Major League starts and was unable to finish the first inning in his last start on April 10 against the Seattle Mariners.
After he was placed on the IL, Imai revealed that the transition to the United States had been tougher than he expected, but Espada said Sunday he believes things are getting better for the 27-year old.
“We continue to talk with him and encourage him to be open with us,” Espada said. “I know he’s got his strength coach finally here. He feels like he’s more complete when it comes to his progression and his process that he has leading into his next start, into his bullpen, so he’s in a much better place mentally.”
The Los Angeles Kings are down 3-0 to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs and will look to avoid a sweep and extend the series to Game 5.
Los Angeles has been in this series for the most part in all three games; the game has been decided by one possession. With the first two games being played in Denver, the Kings lost by just one goal, and Game 3 at LA was a one-goal game until the Avs scored an empty-net goal to seal the deal.
Other than that, the opportunities have been there for the silver and black, but they just haven't been able to capitalize on offense, despite playing great defense led by goaltender Anton Forsberg.
Not only will a win Sunday afternoon extend LA's season, but it will also help extend Anze Kopitar's career, who will likely play his final game if the Avs bring in the brooms.
Start Time and TV Schedule
Who: Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche
When: 1:30 p.m. PT
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: TNT, FanDuel Sports Network West
Kings Projected Lines
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Alex Turcotte - Scott Laughton - Jared Wright
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Darcy Kuemper
Avalanche Projected Lines
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Ross Colton- Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Gabriel Landeskog - Nazem Kadri - Nicolas Roy
Parker Kelly - Jack Drury - Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski
Nick Blankenburg - Brent Burns
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Key Factors
For LA to win this game and force another game in Denver, they need to come out aggressively, as they did in Game 3 at home, and put pressure on the Avs' defense. The Kings have done a good job defending Colorado's power play, holding them to 0-for-9 in all three games of this series, but LA, meanwhile, is 2-for-12, barely capitalizing on its stops.
Everything has come so tough for the Kings, especially scoring against Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who has been a monster under the crease for Colorado with a .923 SV%, saving nearly every shot that Los Angeles throws at him.
Will Anton Forsberg stay hot? The Swedish goaltender had a solid Game 3, but took a bit of a drop off compared to the first two games at Denver, and still made several key saves.
And what kind of changes will we see from the top line for Los Angeles? The top line of Kopitar, Artemi Panarin, and Adrian Kempe takes most of the blame, as they were pretty much nonexistent offensively in Game 3. Panarin does have two goals and two points through three games, but Kempe, who ended the season on a hot streak, hasn't lived up to expectations
With Kopitar likely playing his last NHL game on Sunday afternoon, the motivation should be there for the veteran and the rest of the team to try to extend their season.
Notes and Updates
For the Kings injury report Kevin Fiala (fractured leg) remains out and for the Avs Josh Manson (upper-body) is unlikely to play.
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Marcus Smart has played tremendously well for the Los Angeles Lakers since returning from a nine-game absence. He logged 18 minutes off the bench in his return, and he’s started four straight games dating back to the season finale.
Through the first three games of the series, Smart has averaged 28.6 points + assists while logging 36 minutes per game. His usage has increased from 15.1 in the regular season to 23.5 in the postseason.
He finished with 23 points + assists in Game 1 and followed it up with 32 and 31 in Games 2 and 3, respectively.
The Houston Rockets are in total disarray after squandering a late lead in Friday’s Game 3. The Lakers could take their foot off the gas and wrap up the series at home in Game 5, but getting James some rest would be ideal.
I expect the Lakers to put the final nail in the coffin of a highly dysfunctional Rockets season.
The Under has hit in four of six head-to-head matchups between these two teams, but I fully expect the Lakers to take care of business in this one and put up more than enough points to push this one to the Over.
After Friday’s 220-point total, the number has moved up just two points to 207.5, making it a value selection.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Apr 24, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (31) breaks his bat on a hit in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (14-14) vs. Cincinnati Reds (18-9)
Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Great American Ball Park SB Nation Site: Red Reporter Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (1-2, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Rhett Lowder (3-1, 3.10 ERA)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 20: Spencer Arrighetti #41 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 20, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (10-18) will try to salvage a victory in the finale this three-game series opposite the rival New York Yankees (18-9) today at Daikin Park.
RHP Spencer Arrighetti, who’s 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his two starts this season, will put his perfect record up against RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.11 ERA) and the Yankees.
SPENCER’S GIFTS: RHP Spencer Arrighetti has impressed in his two Major League starts, striking out 13 in 11.0 innings, while posting a .195 opponent average.
This continues his run of success, as he opened his year at Triple A Sugar Land where he had three strong starts, posting a 1.26 ERA (2ER/14.1IP) with 20 strikeouts, a 0.77 WHIP and a .111 opponent average.
Arrighetti has spent the majority of the last two years in Houston, making 38 apps. (36 starts) for the Astros, posting a 4.56 ERA (97ER/191.1IP) with 215 strikeouts in 191.1 innings.
RIVALRY RENEWED: The Astros went 3-3 against the Yankees in 2025, but have had their struggles vs. the Yankees since the start of the 2023 season, going 6-16 in their regular season games.
In the postseason, the Astros and Yankees have played 18 games against each other since 2015, the most playoff games between any two teams in that span, with the Astros going 13-5 in those games with wins in all four postseason series (2015 WC; 2017 ALCS; 2019 ALCS; 2022 ALCS).
GUN ‘EM DOWN:C Christian Vázquez threw out SS José Caballero attempting to steal third base in the 3rd and 7th innings last night.
Vázquez has thrown out seven baserunners attempting to steal (in 14 attempts), ranking tied for second in the AL.
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 28 different batting orders in their 28 games so far this season.
Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).
ON THE LEADERBOARD: Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid start to this season, currently leading the Majors in total bases (77), OBP (.464), and OPS (1.219), ranking tied for first in hits (36), extra-base hits (19), batting average (.353) and in homers (11), and second in RBI (26) and SLG (.755).
STALKING THE PUMA: LF Yordan Alvarez has matched the Astros franchise record with 11 home runs in the club’s first 28 games of a season, a feat he also accomplished in the 2022 season.
The only other Astro with 11 homers with the club’s first 28 games was OF Lance Berkman, who did so in both 2002 and 2006.
Should Alvarez homer today, he would be the first player in franchise history to hit 12 homers within the club’s first 29 games.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING!: LF Yordan Alvarez is on an active 11-game hitting streak in which he’s hit .391 (18×46) with four doubles, five homers, 12 RBI and a 1.233 OPS.
The streak is the second-longest of his career, trailing only a 13-game streak, which was posted from May 2-16, 2023. Lastly, Alvarez’s streak is the longest active streak in the AL and the longest by an Astro this season.
OUT ON REHAB: LF Zach Dezenzo played in his third rehab game for Triple A Sugar Land last night, going 1×2 with a double and two walks. Dezenzo has been sidelined this entire season while recovering from a right elbow sprain.
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT: RHP Brandon McPherson, an undrafted free agent signing last season, tossed 4.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a start for Double A Corpus Christi last night, lowering his season ERA to 3.24 through four starts.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1998 – The Astros shellac the Expos 15-0 in what ties as the largest margin of victory in a shutout game in franchise history.
Two Astros have four-hit games in 3B Sean Berry and CF Richard Hidalgo, who both go 4×5. LF Moises Alou drives in five. RHP Sean Bergman (6IP) picks up the win, while LHP Trever Miller earns a 3.0-inning save.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 126, 1:10 p.m. CST
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KTRH 740 AM & 99.1 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
It certainly wasn't perfect for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 on Saturday as they faced a first-round sweep against the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.
But it was enough to keep them alive.
In a hard-earned effort, the Penguins beat the Flyers, 4-2, to avoid elimination and force a Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Monday. Goaltender Arturs Silovs - starting in place of Stuart Skinner, who got the nod for the first three games of the series - was brilliant, stopping 28 of 30 Flyers' shots on goal and coming up with some huge saves in key moments of the game.
The Penguins still gave up a bit more than they would have liked to, and their power play is still somewhat dysfunctional. They looked much more like the Penguins' team that clinched a playoff spot in the regular season, though, and they live to fight another day on Monday in Game 5.
"I think that looked more like our game," said Sidney Crosby, who registered a goal and an assist. "It's probably taken us three games to look like ourselves a bit. So, I think that's something we can definitely build on."
Despite getting outshot by a small margin, the Penguins generally carried the play in the first period, and they had an opportunity on the power play with under six to go after a Denver Barkey high-stick on Sam Girard. Crosby won the first faceoff back to Erik Karlsson, who recognized an opportunity and slipped a soft-serve dish back to Crosby from behind. With the puck sliding toward the net, Crosby timed it perfectly on a one-timer and snuck it past Dan Vladar to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead five seconds into the power play opportunity.
Then, early in the second period, Vladar went to play a puck behind the net, and he hesitated to make a decision. Meanwhile, Penguins' forward Rickard Rakell closed in on him, forcing the puck away as it squirted out above the goal line. Rakell dove to curl his stick and guide the puck into the net before the Flyers' defense could close in, and it was 2-0 in favor of Pittsburgh.
Late in the second, the Flyers did begin to push a little bit and get back to their game. They were rewarded when Barkey redirected a Trevor Zegras shot-pass behind Silovs to make it a one-goal game.
The third period began with a grind, as both teams jockeyed for the upper hand. About four minutes in, Erik Karlsson and Garnet Hathaway were tangled up in a board battle, and Hathaway took the opportunity to elbow Karlsson in the face, which he took exception to. Both went to the box, and the teams played four-on-four.
And that's when Kris Letang - having himself a pretty good night already with a few key defensive plays earlier in the game - took a soccer-style feed from Crosby into the slot, where he wound up for a one-time blast and restored the Penguins' two-goal lead.
Less than three minutes later, Travis Konecny was lost in coverage and left all alone in the right circle, finding the back of the net and bringing the Flyers back to within one. But, after that, the Penguins shut things down, not giving Philadelphia much with the extra attacker.
Eventually, Blake Lizotte made a nice play to break the puck out of the zone and give the puck just the right amount of English to allow Connor Dewar's speed to catch up to it and put it in the empty net, securing the 4-2 win for the Penguins.
And, with that, the Penguins have taken the first step in getting themselves back in this series.
"Obviously, going home, it doesn't get any easier," Crosby said. "With every game in the series, it's more difficult. But, we've got some life, and we've got to take advantage of the opportunity of going back home now."
Game 5 between the Penguins and Flyers will be at 7:00 p.m. ET at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
- Even though the Penguins won this game, there are a ton of things they still have to clean up. The Flyers' second goal was a direct result of a defensive breakdown, and the Penguins, at times, still had issues containing the Flyers' active defensemen throughout the game.
But the biggest issue is still the power play.
Yes, Crosby scored a power play goal, but it was five seconds in and right off the faceoff, which didn't require the Penguins to set up and generate the goal. Other than that, on Pittsburgh's two other opportunities, it was a mess.
The Flyers - once again - had several odd-man breaks, all of which Silovs, like Skinner earlier in the series, was able to stop. This included a breakaway opportunity in the second period by Christian Dvorak, even if he was pressured on the backcheck by Kris Letang and forced to make a quick move.
The Penguins aren't even trying to get pucks to the net on the man advantage. They aren't moving their feet enough. They aren't throwing the Flyers' pedestrian penalty kill unit out-of-structure. They need to shoot the puck, and they need more traffic in front.
At this point, swap out Evgeni Malkin for Egor Chinakhov up high, and swap out Bryan Rust for someone like Elmer Soderblom or, even, Ben Kindel, down low. Soderblom has good hands and can create havoc at the net-front with his size, Kindel is a good distributor and isn't afraid to get in around the net-front, and Chinakhov is a shoot-first player with a dangerous shot.
- Speaking of Chinakhov, this guy has got to start hitting the net.
Contrary to some other talking heads, I don't think Chinakhov has been "invisible" in this series. He's actually had several opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net, and he's generated some of them himself. He just can't - for the life of him - hit the target.
In fact, he's had 27 shot attempts in four games - the second-highest mark on the team to Karlsson - and he's had six shots hit the net, 10 shots blocked, and 11 unblocked shots just miss the net altogether. And some of these are golden looks from the slot that he would have buried during the regular season.
I think he's just gripping the stick a bit too tight and showing some nerves right now. But, once one goes in, the floodgates will open.
As for players who have been a bit invisible? The Penguins need much, much more from their third line, especially. Kindel played a much better game on Saturday and is, by far, the best player on his line. Soderblom has had his moments. But Mantha has not been doing much of anything to help generate opportunities, and he's spent a whole lot of time in the box during this series, too.
Pittsburgh needs far more from its middle six in general, but the third line really needs to step up if the Penguins are to stay in this series.
- It's worth mentioning again how brilliant Silovs was in this game.
When it was announced that he would start over Skinner in Game 4, many folks were left scratching their heads. Skinner had not been the problem at all in the first three games, and Silovs struggled after the Olympic break during the regular season. In a must-win elimination game, it was definitely a bold choice by head coach Dan Muse.
But the thing to remember about Silovs is that he has a track record of playing his best hockey when the stakes are the absolute highest. He tended goal for the Vancouver Canucks against the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 playoffs after some injury misfortune, and - against an Oilers' team as dangerous as they were and one that made the Cup Final that season - he gave his team a chance to win. And he had a 28-save shutout in the clinching game against the Preds in round one.
Yep. And don't forget that he was also phenomenal in Abbotsford's Calder Cup run last season.
Sure, it's the AHL. But he went 16-7 with a .931 SV% and won tournament MVP. Also a good international resume.
His track record suggests he shows up when the stage is the biggest. https://t.co/3eQwHYly8E
Then, he led the Abbotsford Canucks to the 2025 Calder Cup Championship with a 16-7 record and a .931 save percentage, earning playoff MVP honors. He also has an impressive international resume, with his 2023 and 2024 World Championship save percentages for Team Latvia - who faced off against elite competition - standing out at .952 and .921, respectively.
He came up big when it mattered in this one, just as he usually does. I mentioned the breakaway save earlier, but he had another big one on a two-on-one near the end of the second after the Penguins took a too many men penalty (which was Ilya Solovyov's - playing in his first game this series - only real mistake on the night). And, right now, that move by Muse to go with Silovs - probably, one to light a fire under his team - is looking like a pretty good one.
I don't think there's any question that he's the starter for Game 5. I think the leash should be short for either guy, but the fact of the matter is that the Penguins have been getting more than competent goaltending in this series.
If their offense can finally find that next gear it had in the regular season again, they might just have a chance to pull off something pretty special.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 16: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays talks with media after the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kyle Sheridan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - APRIL 20: Rhett Lowder #25 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on April 20, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rhett Lowder’s best outing of the 2026 season came back on April 4th against the Texas Rangers. The Cincinnati Reds righty fired 6.0 IP of scoreless, 3 hit ball that day, and he did so pitching to catcher Jose Trevino for the first (and, so far, only) time this year.
That’s largely because Trevino hit the shelf immediately after that game with pain in his back. But after three weeks on the shelf, Trevino is back with the Reds and immediately in action today in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
And, he’ll have Lowder chucking baseballs his way as the Reds starter for the day.
Cincinnati goes for the series sweep over the Tigers on Sunday in Great American Ball Park, with Lowder hurling the first pitch of the day at 1:40 PM ET.
Here’s how both teams will line up as the Reds look to tie a bow on an already electric Hall of Fame induction weekend:
