Worldwide Sports News

Detroit Tigers (15-16) vs. Atlanta Braves (22-9)

Time/Place: 12:15 p.m., Truist Park
SB Nation Site: Battery Power
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.41 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (3-1, 1.93 ERA)

Things just keep getting worse for the New York Mets.

After finally snapping their longest losing streak in decades, getting swept at home by the Colorado Rockies and then getting pounded by the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, New York added another starter to the injured list. 

The Mets announced Thursday morning that Luis Robert Jr. is heading to the 10-day injured list with a lumbar disc herniation. He joins a growing list of Mets on the IL that includes Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Kodai Senga. 

Robert, 28, has been battling back discomfort for several days and underwent an MRI on Wednesday. He last appeared in a game on April 26. So the Mets will be able to backdate the IL to April 27.

NIGHTENGALE: Fired already? MLB's best managers know 'unfairness comes with the job'

The Brewers came out hot in last night’s game but were unable to hold on for the series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Today’s rubber match pits veteran starter Brandon Woodruff against right-hander Michael Soroka.

Woodruff, the longest-tenured member of the Brewers’ starting rotation, has been a steady presence through five starts. He carries a 3.77 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP into today’s game. Woodruff took the loss in his last outing, allowing five hits and three earned runs through five innings against the Pirates.

Soroka, who the Diamondbacks signed to a one-year, $7.5 million dollar contract in the offseason, has been worth every cent thus far. Arizona has won four of his five starts this season, with Soroka picking up the win in all four. He currently sports a 2.60 ERA and has already accumulated 0.8 bWAR on the season.

Brice Turang is hitting second again, so that opens up the leadoff spot for Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell had a hot start to the season, but he’s struggled with pitches in the top third of the zone and opposing pitchers have adjusted accordingly. Mitchell’s batting average is now down to .230, with just two hits over his last seven games (19 at-bats).

William Contreras and Jake Bauers will hit third and fourth, respectively. Tyler Black, who had a three-hit day in the series opener, will DH and hit fifth. He’s followed by Luis Rengifo and Sal Frelick, who has two hits and three runs scored so far this series. Rounding out the bottom of the lineup are Greg Jones (-0.6 bWAR in 17 at-bats) and David Hamilton, playing shortstop today.

As usual, you can catch today’s game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m.

The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their PNC Park party week on Thursday as Hunter Dobbins will get his first start for St. Louis this season and he will be up against a guy you may have heard of named Paul Skenes who gets the start for Pittsburgh. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35am central time.

The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon in Great American Ball Park in the series finale, a rubber match that will determine who claims the series victory. In it will feature former Red Michael Lorenzen on the bump for the Rockies, a mound he’ll share to start with lefty Andrew Abbott.

Abbott has struggled mightily on the back of his All-Star performance in 2025, and this would be an excellent spot to get back on the good foot.

First pitch is set for 12:40 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below.

Go Reds!

Mets lineup

Bo Bichette – 3B
Juan Soto – DH
MJ Melendez – LF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Brett Baty – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – CF
Luis Torrens – C
Ronny Mauricio – SS

SP: Freddy Peralta (RHP)

Nationals lineup

James Wood – RF
Luis Garcia – 1B
Daylen Lile – LF
CJ Abrams – SS
Jose Tena – DH
Jorbit Vivas – 3B
Nasim Nunez – 2B
Drew Millas – C
Jacob Young – CF

SP: Miles Mikolas (RHP)

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Are you ready for 6+ hours of Orioles/Astros action? Well, too bad. You’re getting it anyway.

Last night’s rainout has set up the Orioles’ first doubleheader of the season. They’ll play their regularly scheduled 12:35 game followed by the makeup game about half an hour after the first one finishes.

Last season the Orioles played five doubleheaders, getting progressively better at them as the year went on. The O’s were swept in the first two, split the next one, and did the sweeping in the last two. The only time the O’s and Astros have ever played each other in a doubleheader was on Sept. 29, 2018, when Houston won both games.

The scheduled starting pitchers from Wednesday’s rainout, righties Chris Bassitt and Peter Lambert, will both take the hill in the first game this afternoon. Lambert, a former Colorado Rockies washout, is back in the U.S. after pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2025. He’s filling in for a more high-profile Japanese import, Tatsuya Imai, who landed on Houston’s injured list after three ineffective starts and reportedly has had trouble adjusting to MLB and American culture. As someone who wanted the Orioles to sign Imai, I’ll admit he probably wouldn’t have improved the Orioles’ fortunes up to this point in 2026.

Opposing Lambert is Bassitt, who finally picked up his first Orioles win in his most recent start, but it certainly wasn’t a good one. He gave up five runs in 5.1 innings in Kansas City and was fortunate that the O’s scored eight runs to support him. Bassitt has a 6.75 ERA in five starts as an Oriole and is now facing a quality offense in the Astros. Yordan Alvarez in particular has crushed Bassitt with five career home runs in just 26 PAs. Chris, please don’t pitch to Alvarez. Game 2 of the doubleheader will feature the Orioles’ Brandon Young against Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr.

Game 1 lineups

ASTROS

SS Carlos Correa
LF Yordan Alvarez
3B Isaac Paredes
1B Christian Walker
2B Jose Altuve
DH Yainer Diaz
CF Brice Matthews
LF Dustin Harris
C Christian Vázquez

RHP Peter Lambert

ORIOLES

DH Gunnar Henderson
LF Taylor Ward
C Adley Rutschman
1B Pete Alonso
RF Dylan Beavers
2B Jeremiah Jackson
CF Colton Cowser
3B Coby Mayo
SS Blaze Alexander

RHP Chris Bassitt

On this episode of The Dodgers Post, Jack Harris and Dylan Hernández break down the Dodgers’ surprising series loss to the Marlins, and the recent struggles from their star-studded offense.

They discuss the slow starts the team’s top hitters have gotten off to, and whether it’s cause for concern despite the club’s strong offensive numbers overall through the opening month of the year.

Then, they break down the team’s performance in April, and pick their player, pitcher, disappointment and interaction of the month.

Finally, they review their latest predictions (not good!) and make more calls for the team’s upcoming trip to St. Louis and Houston.

All that and more, on this week’s latest episode.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

It’s the first doubleheader of the season! After Wednesday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather, the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies will play twice today. It’s a split doubleheader, with the first game starting at 9:35 a.m. PT, and the second scheduled for 2:35 p.m. PT. So you get a two-game gamethread!

Starting the first game for the Giants is their ace, Logan Webb. The 29-year old right-hander is still trying to get his season going through six starts, and is 2-3 with a 4.86 ERA, a 3.31 FIP, and 32 strikeouts against 13 walks in 37 innings. He gave up three earned runs in seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers his last time out.

As for the Phillies, they’re also sending a 29-year old All-Star to the mound in the form of left-hander Christopher Sánchez. In six starts this year, Sánchez is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA, a 2.61 FIP, and 43 strikeouts against 10 walks in 33.2 innings. He got rocked in his last start, giving up six runs in 5.1 innings against the Chicago Cubs.

Things are less clear for the second half of the doubleheader. The Giants have not announced a starter for that game, as they’re mulling their choices between starting Adrian Houser and opting for a bullpen game. Since they don’t have an off-day until next Thursday, they’ll need to go to a bullpen game at some point in the coming days; it’s just a matter of when they want to do it.

The Phillies, however, have named their Game 2 starter: right-hander Andrew Painter. The 23-year old has made four starts, and five total appearances this year, and is 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA, a 3.33 FIP, and 21 strikeouts to six walks in 24 innings. He gave up five runs in 5.2 innings against the Atlanta Braves in his last game.

Per the doubleheader rules, both teams are allowed to add a 27th player to the roster for the day. Both teams have called on a right-handed pitcher from their AAA squad: Trevor McDonald for the Giants, and Nolan Hoffman for the Phillies.

Enjoy the games, everyone! Go Giants!

Game #30 & #31

Who: San Francisco Giants (13-16) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (10-19)

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When: 9:35 a.m. PT and 2:35 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: MLB Network (Game 2 only)

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Here are the lineups for game 1 of today’s double header against San Francisco. Let’s discuss.

For the Phillies:

For the Giants:

Lucas Erceg has been…something less than good so far this year.

When the Royals traded for him in 2024, he immediately became the team’s best reliever and locked down the closer role. More than that, though, he seemed like a shutdown reliever in the vein of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland. It’s almost impossible to have three relievers of that quality at the same time – the Dodgers tried and ended up with bupkis last year – but a team with playoff aspirations probably should have at least one of them*, and Erceg figured to be the Royals’ answer to that need after his terrific debut.

*Though, again, look at the Dodgers. Sometimes, you can get by with a really good starting pitcher who is willing to do crazy things.

Unfortunately, since the end of 2024, Erceg has simply not been the guy the Royals hoped for. In a lot of ways, he appears similar, and he still had a 2.64 ERA last year. But this year, through the season’s first month, he’s wielding a 4.38 ERA and, even more concerning, he has a 5.36 SIERA, suggesting that he may actually have been lucky to pitch even that well. So what the heck is going on?

There are two primary theories I considered: either he’s tipping pitches, or he’s throwing too many non-competitive pitches. Now, normally, the first place you should go to research a pitcher is TJStats.ca. It’s a fantastic website with gobs of data that takes what’s present on Baseball Savant and expands on it, but also makes it easier to comprehend. If you’re willing and able to pony up for a subscription, you can get even deeper analysis. Fortunately for you all, I’ve traded in some of my Pop-Tarts, and so I can offer you this comparison image of Lucas Erceg in 2026 and 2024.

Now, if you just go to the bottom row of the pitch tables, he doesn’t seem all that different. He’s throwing nearly as many strikes as before, and the xwOBACon (a stat that estimates how much damage should have been done based on contact quality) is pretty similar to 2024. But the chases and whiffs are WAY down. That would seem to be a point in favor of pitch tipping. But hold on a second… let’s look at things pitch by pitch. He’s actually throwing far more strikes with his sinker and changeup than before, but missing with his four-seamer and slider at truly awful rates for those pitch types. The problem is especially bad with his slider.

So I decided to do an extra deep dive in the slider. I went on Baseball Savant, and I watched literally every slider he’s thrown this year, and I came to an incontrovertible conclusion. The problem isn’t that he’s tipping pitches, and it’s not even that he’s not throwing his slider in the zone often enough. It’s that too few of his sliders ever even look like strikes.

Location, location, location

There’s a concept in pitching where you can describe the movement of a pitch by whether it starts as a strike or ball and ends as a strike or ball. So, if a pitch appears to be a strike upon release and ends up outside of the strike zone, that would be called a strike-ball pitch. Vice versa is ball-strike. And in the same vein, you can describe a pitch as a strike-strike or a ball-ball. This description format shows its weaknesses for some kinds of pitches, of course:

That pitch is technically a ball-ball. But it would be better described as a ball-strike-ball. It starts off outside, passes through the area that would be the strike zone if the strike zone were a cylinder, and then ends up low. For the purposes of today’s discussion, I classified such pitches as strike-ball pitches because I was primarily concerned with whether the batter had any reason to consider swinging. If you’re curious, he only had one other ball-strike-ball pitch.

Far too many of Lucas Erceg’s sliders are ball-ball pitches. He has thrown a total of 65 sliders so far this year, and 49 of them have ended up outside the zone. Now, sure, he should probably throw a few more in the zone. But by far the biggest problem is that, of the 49 sliders that have ended up outside the zone, 25 of them look a lot like this:

This has led to only one swing and one check swing on those pitches. Which makes sense. A slider succeeds based on its ability to convince a batter that it’s a fastball before diving off course. But those 25 pitches start off outside the strike zone, so batters don’t even really need to consider whether they might be fastballs or sliders. And the one swing he got was Gunnar Henderson on a pitch that looked like it was headed back toward the zone*:

*One thing I discovered during this process is that Erceg has two different slider actions. You’ll note that this one is breaking back armside, sometimes referred to as a wrong-way slider or a goofy slider. That’s why, if you refer back to Erceg’s comparison tables, it looks like his slider doesn’t break horizontally, it averages out to near nothing because some of them break glove-side and some break arm-side. This is neat and weird, but it has always been true of Erceg, so it isn’t the cause of his current troubles.

On the other hand, of the 24 sliders Erceg has thrown strike-ball, he’s gotten swings on 12 of them, along with 3 check swings. Of those swings, only two have been put in play, and three have been fouled off. So if you could reduce his sliders to just the ones he’s thrown strike-ball, he has a 50% chase rate and a 58.3% whiff rate. Those are staggeringly good numbers. He doesn’t need to throw more sliders in the zone to succeed; just more sliders that look like they might be strikes.

It turns out there’s nothing wrong with his slider’s deception, just his accuracy. Now, unfortunately, I can’t tell you why he’s throwing so many non-competitive sliders. It could be a mechanical issue, but if it were, I’d expect to see them consistently missing in the same way; instead, some of them end up spiked while others end up looking like something Ricky Vaughn would throw.

It could be that he’s afraid of hanging them in the zone, so he’s making sure to miss out of the zone if he misses at all. But, as you can tell from the graph earlier, he really doesn’t seem to need to worry about batters making contact. A. 158 xwOBACon is fantastic. Overall, his average exit velocity against is 88.8 MPH with an average launch angle of 8 degrees. In other words, the most likely batted ball you’d expect is a routine groundout. He’s only given up 10 hits in 12.1 innings, it’s the 10 walks in the same span that have often doomed him.

He’s only given up two hits on sliders this year, weirdly, both against Milwaukee on April 5. Meaning he hasn’t given up a hit on a slider outside that game. The first was a center-cut slider that resulted in a 94-MPH line drive off the bat of Jake Bauers with an XBA of .510 that Bauers turned into a hustle double. Basically, he threw the worst slider he could, the batter put a really good swing on it, and he still probably should only have given up a single, if that. The second was his other ball-strike-ball slider; Brandon Lockridge managed to bloop it into center and scored an RBI single on a ball with an XBA of only .350. A coin flip and a 1-in-3 chance are the best anyone’s been able to get off of Erceg’s slider when he lets them make contact with it.

The fix is simple, though if it were easy, I imagine he’d have done it by now. Lucas Erceg just needs to get his sliders aimed at the strike zone. If he could do that more often, he might immediately return to being the Lights Out Lucas we remember from 2024.

Here’s hoping he can figure it out soon.