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After two straight perfect days, the San Francisco Giants finally saw one of their Minor League Baseball affiliates lose on Thursday….and then another one, too. But it was still a very nice day on the farm. So let’s talk about it.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

AAA Sacramento (8-4)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 9-0
Box score

Winning is not the most important thing in the Minor Leagues, but it sure doesn’t hurt to stack up some Ws. And that’s doubly true in AAA, where you want to see the players you’re likely to rely on during the year outclassing their competition. So it’s gotta put a smile on the face of many in the organization that the River Cats are off to such a hot start, and have now won 5 straight games.

Despite the shutout — a very impressive thing in the Pacific Coast League — it wasn’t a very notable starting pitching performance. LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) took the bump, and had the same issue he’s been having for a while: an inability to fool hitters in the zone, which leads to pitching them overly carefully, which leads to missing the zone entirely.

Whisenhunt threw 3 innings and struck out 4 (good) while allowing no runs (great), but he gave up 4 hits (not good) and walked 4 (quite bad). He needed 87 pitches to get through those 3+ innings (he started the 4th, but got no outs), and his ERA could have been a lot uglier, as he left the mound with 2 on and 0 out. That’s been the season for Whisenhunt, who has a tidy 3.86 ERA through 3 starts, and a delightful 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings …. but with 9 walks.

In encouraging news, while Whisenhunt’s velocity has not maintained the highs he showed early in Spring Training, it is still notably improved over last year. In 2025 his 4-seam fastball had an average velocity of 92.3 mph, while this year it’s 94.0. Hopefully that can hold — or grow — throughout the year.

While Whisenhunt was so-so at best, the bullpen was nearly perfect. RHP Braxton Roxby had the unenviable task of taking over the mess that Whiz created in the 4th, and immediately worked a double play. Roxby would hit a batter, but otherwise wouldn’t allow a baserunner in 2 innings, with a strikeout. Roxby earned a promotion to AAA at midseason last year, and it didn’t go well. His start to the season didn’t go well either, for that matter. So nice to see him have such a strong game.

The same can be said of funky LHP Nick Zwack, who needed 15 pitches for a scoreless 7th inning, with a walk and a strikeout. A 27-year old taken in the 17th-round of the 2021 draft by the Mets, Zwack — who lost all of 2024 to injury — had given up 10 earned runs in 3.1 innings coming into this game. So a good game was a great sight.

But the best relief appearances came from a pair of arms on the 40-man roster: RHP Joel Peguero made his 2nd rehab appearance and pitched a perfect frame with a strikeout, while RHP Dylan Smith made his 2nd appearance since being traded to the Giants, and struck out 1 batter while perfectly handling the 8th and 9th innings.

While the bullpen was majestic, the 2 biggest stars in this game were in the batter’s box, with a pair of hitters who we all expect to see in San Francisco before terribly long. Catcher Jesús Rodríguez had the biggest day, as he hit a blistering 4-5 with a home run and a double, as he continues his absolute tear. Rodríguez, who has overcome a slow start to post a .941 OPS and a 153 wRC+, has an 8-game hitting streak, and over his last 4 games is 10-18 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, and 2 walks.

Have I mentioned that he’s still a few weeks away from turning 24? Or that he plays catcher and second base, and can hold his own at every position other than center field and shortstop? Yeah, I think he’s gonna wear a Giants jersey plenty of times this year.

That’s not a very hot take, but it’s an extremely not-hot take to say that about first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL), who factors into the team’s plans in a big way this year. And Thursday was a reminder as to why, as the tall lefty hit 3-4 with a double and a walk, raising his OPS to .933 and his wRC+ to 164.

While the hits were awesome, the lack of strikeouts is arguably the best thing that Eldridge did on Thursday, as his 31.0% K rate is fairly concerning. But it sure is great seeing his hard hits returning: his double was 109.4 mph, and one of his singles left the bat at 102.2.

Right fielder Will Brennan had an awesome day, as he hit 4-5 and knocked 2 runs in, raising his OPS to .889 and his wRC+ to 136. He’s certainly someone the Giants will be comfortable using if they have a hole on the roster that needs filling.

And shortstop Thomas Gavello, who has had to play out of position quite a bit given Osleivis Basabe’s injury and Tyler Fitzgerald’s departure, only hit 1-4 with a strikeout, but smashed his 2nd home run of the year.

Gavello, who is the perfect type of gritty utility player to have in AAA, has just a .614 OPS and a 42 wRC+, despite having a share of the team lead in home runs.

AA Richmond (5-1)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 3-2
Box score

Not to be outdone by their big brothers on the opposite coast, the Flying Squirrels also ran their winning streak to 5 games. And they did it in mildly dramatic fashion, with a 2-run comeback rally in the 8th inning, thanks to a bases-loaded single by first baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL), who hit 1-4 with a strikeout.

A very nice pitching performance for Richmond, with began with a 2nd nice start for LHP Greg Farone. A 7th-round pick out of Alabama in 2024, Farone is fronting a fairly uninspiring Richmond rotation despite mediocre results in High-A Eugene last year.

So far he looks right at home. Farone wasn’t quite as dynamic as on Opening Day, when he struck out 8 batters in 4.2 innings, but he was damn good. He tossed 4.1 frames, gave up just 3 hits (all singles) and 2 walks, struck out 5, and allowed just 1 run.

The strikeout stuff is definitely worth keeping an eye on for Farone, who turns 24 next month. He got a lot of Ks in the 1st half of last year, with 13 strikeouts per 9 innings with Low-A San Jose. But that number dropped to just 7.9 following his midseason promotion. Last year was his debut season, so the hope is always that he simply faded as he wore down following a big workload (he pitched 105.2 innings); but the fear, of course, is that his stuff just doesn’t play at higher levels.

We need a larger sample before making any grand proclamations, but so far in the Eastern League he has 13 strikeouts in 9 innings, and that’s fantastic.

Following Farone was a great story: RHP Mitch White. No, White is not the same Mitch White as previously played in the Giants system … this Mitch White is a 26-year old who was signed over the winter out of indy league ball, and is playing affiliated baseball for the 1st time in his life. I love those stories, and the Giants have a fair amount of them (including his Richmond teammate on the other side of the ball, Dayson Croes).

White made his pro debut in the season opener, and this was his 3rd game. It was also his best, as he threw 2.2 innings with 3 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run allowed, while striking out 4. Hopefully that’s the start of him finding his rhythm, and showing what he’s capable of in AA.

Rounding out the strong pitching day was RHP Cameron Pferrer, who was dynamic, pitching 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Pferrer, a 27-year old who was an undrafted free agent in 2024, has yet to allow a hit through a pair of appearances this year.

The hitting was more mild-mannered, with no huge games. Right fielder Turner Hill had the best game, hitting 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. It’s been a great start to the year for Hill, who turned 27 a few days ago. The 2023 undrafted free agent isn’t known for his bat, but he’s up to an .870 OPS and a 123 wRC+ on the year. Hill has a profile very similar to Jared Oliva: strong defense across the outfield, some burners for the basepaths, and just enough hitting to survive. And speaking of those types of players, center fielder Jonah Cox stole his 6th base of the year in as many games. Gotta love that!

High-A Eugene (5-1)

Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 14-5
Box score

Well, they can’t all be winners. While Sacramento and Richmond were achieving 5-game winning streaks, Eugene saw theirs come to an end. It was bound to happen eventually … it never seemed likely that they’d go undefeated this year, after all.

The star — if losses are allowed to have stars (I think so, especially in the Minors) — was someone who has spent the entirety of his brief Minor League career making the Giants look very smart: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL).

San Francisco drafted Cohen in the 3rd round in July, and it raised a few eyebrows because he wasn’t on many people’s radars. Most notably, despite being picked 85th overall, he wasn’t on the top 500 draft prospect lists at Baseball America or Fangraphs.

But listening to people who specialized in Cohen’s region (he played collegiately at Rutgers), it became clear that he was being overlooked, and fairly dramatically. His post-draft performance at Low-A San Jose supported that, as he posted an .840 OPS and a 139 wRC+ in 28 games, with just an 11.5% strikeout rate.

San Francisco rewarded him with an opening assignment in High-A, and after a slow start, he’s starting to turn things on in a big way. Thursday was one of his best days as a pro, as he hit 3-5 with all 3 of his hits being doubles. The 22-year old lefty also drew a walk, though he had a strikeout and an error as well.

With that, Cohen is up to a .767 OPS and a 110 wRC+, while still sporting a remarkably low strikeout rate of just 13.3% (he also has 4 stolen bases). I don’t think anyone can question that draft pick anymore!

A nice day for first baseman Robert Hipwell, who was in dire need of one. Hipwell hit 2-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, which came after starting the season 0-10 with 6 strikeouts.

Strikeouts are the big thing for the left-handed Hipwell to work on. After a glimpse of Low-A in 2024 following his 6th-round draft selection, the recently-turned 23-year old spent all of 2025 at that level, where he had nice numbers (.824 OPS, 125 wRC+), but struck out a ton (31.2%). That will be the biggest thing to watch in High-A, as he’ll need to cut back on the Ks in order to advance to the upper Minors.

Also a good day for second baseman Zane Zielinski, who hit 2-4 with a double and a hit by pitch. The 2024 9th-round pick is repeating the level after skipping Low-A and spending his entire debut season with Eugene. His numbers weren’t great (hence the repeat), but he’s been hot to start this year.

The pitching was an absolute mess. It started at the top, as RHP Niko Mazza got rocked for the 2nd straight game, ceding 4 hits and 4 walks in just 3 innings, which tagged him for 3 runs (he did have 5 strikeouts, though). Mazza, an 8th-round pick in 2024, really just could not find the strike zone, as he threw just 31 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Mazza’s debut season in Low-A last year was a success, as he had a 2.22 ERA in 21 starts. But there were some worrying signs, as he had just a 4.36 FIP, thanks in large part to walking 5 batters per 9 innings. So far this year that has remained an issue, as he has 7 walks in just 5.1 innings (and also 7 hits and 7 earned runs).

Unfortunately, the pitcher who followed him was even worse, as RHP Cole Hillier gave up 3 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter in just 1.1 innings, while allowing 3 runs.

But unfortunately, neither Mazza nor Hillier could compete with the disaster that took place on the mound for RHP Liam Simon. Here’s how his game went:

Single
Walk
Hit batter
Walk
Double
Single
Fielder’s choice with his own error

In all, Simon recorded no outs, and had 5 earned runs tagged to his name. Unfortunately the issues that plagued him in his return from injury a year ago — an inability to find the strike zone — are still there for the 2022 5th-round pick. After walking 38 batters in 26.2 innings in High-A a year ago, the 25-year old has issued 5 walks in just 1 inning in 2026.

If you like pain, I’ll keep going. Simon was replaced by RHP Austin Strickland, who gave up more baserunners (5) than outs recorded (4). In all, Strickland hit a better, walked 3, and ceded a double, while getting hit with 3 earned runs. Ouch.

But hey, it’s not all bad! RHP Ryan Vanderhei gave up just 1 hit in 1.2 scoreless innings, with 4 strikeouts! A great game for the 2023 10th-rounder, who has 7 strikeouts (and no walks!) in just 3.2 shutout frames this year.

Low-A San Jose (4-2)

San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide (D-Backs) 9-7
Box score

If you had any question as to whether shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) was going to slow down, I have a very happy answer for you: no. No he is not going to, it seems.

Thursday was yet another dynamic game for Level, who seems intent on transcending from breakout prospect into star. It was just another day at the office for Level against Visalia, as he hit 2-4 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Over the last 4 games, Level is hitting an unthinkable 11-19 with 7 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. Yes, I think a 1.493 OPS and a 258 wRC+ will play, personally. And yes, I think he should keep hitting like that. That would be a very nice thing.

One other note on Level: while there is a question as to whether he’ll be able to stay at shortstop or move to second base down the road, he’s getting all the reps in San Jose, while the defensively-excellent Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) is mostly playing second base. Level split time in the middle infield last year during his short stint of being teammates with Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL), but has not played second base this year (though he has 1 start at designated hitter, at which point Meola did get to slide over to short).

First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins had a fantastic day, hitting 2-5 and smashing his 1st home run of the year, while also striking out. A 22-year old lefty taken in the 14th round of the 2024 draft, Jenkins has only played 3 times this season, but has made the most of his opportunities, hitting 5-12 with 2 extra-base hits and 2 walks. That’s a nice sight, after he struggled with the level last year.

Mostly a bad pitching day. LHP Jordan Gottesman made the 2nd start of his young career, and there was a lot to like even though it didn’t go particularly well. The 2025 6th-round pick out of Northeastern did a great job staying in the strike zone, with 46 of his 68 pitches going for strikes, and 6 strikeouts with 0 walks in 3.2 innings. But he did hit a batter and give up 3 hits, which included a home run, and that resulted in a 3-run outing. It hasn’t been a superstar showing in his 1st week as a pro, but it’s been very, very solid.

RHP Alix Hernandez had a phenomenal game, pitching 2 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts. A 21-year old from Venezuela, Hernandez has some truly nasty stuff (for his career he has 164 strikeouts in 118.1 innings), but was limited to just 14.1 Complex League innings last year. Walks have really been the only thing that have plagued him in his career, and so far, so good: he hasn’t issued any in 3 innings of work this season.

Home run tracker

2 — Jesús Rodríguez — [AAA]
2 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
1 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A]

Friday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Las Vegas (SP: Carson Seymour)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Altoona (SP: Joe Whitman)
Eugene: 1:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Hunter Dryden)
San Jose: 7:00 p.m. PT vs. Visalia (SP: Argenis Cayama)

With a slight turnaround from the debacle of a season start the White Sox went through — namely, sweeping the defending AL champs — it seemed like the right time to spin things a bit more positively. So the question this week prodded you to pick an aspect of White Sox baseball that has most improved in 2026.

By almost two-thirds, you chose the bats:

It’s early, and a lot depends on whether you ignore the improvement on offense in the second half (roughly, post-Colson Montgomery arrival). Undoubtedly this is a better team on offense than the start of 2025; better than the end of last year? We’ll see.

Still, it’s hard to image what to choose otherwise, with the rotation, bullpen and defense all sketchy.

The national questions this week involved picking the winners of each division. Let’s just roll them all out at once:

The Mariners being the biggest runaway in the American League, more so than the Tigers, is interesting. Still, those two popular favorites, along with the Red Sox, are all struggling early.

You can tell this survey was taken after Opening Day, because suddenly everyone is all up in the Brewers’ bandwagon.

Did you miss out on this round of questions? No worry, sign up here to participate in our weekly emailed surveys, and have your White Sox voice be heard!

This week’s Reacts is brought to you by FanDuel.

After going 5-1 on their first road trip of the season, the Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine for a six-game homestand. First up, the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers are currently in first place in the AL West, sitting at 7-5. In fact, they are the only team in that division with a winning record. They were swept by the Cincinnati Reds, and then swept the Seattle Mariners before heading to L.A.

Texas will send Kumar Rocker to the mound for his second ever Major League start. In his debut last Saturday against the Reds, Rocker allowed two runs in the first inning, due in part to sloppy defensive plays. He then settled in and went four scoreless innings more, stranding a runner at third with no outs in his final inning.

The Rangers offense hasn’t scored more than three runs in any of their last seven games. The team of course employs Old Friends Corey Seager and Joc Pederson and were joined this season by Andrew McCutcheon. Not an ex-Dodger, but probably everyone’s friend.

Interestingly, so far this season the Rangers have the fewest challenges to the new ABS system with 12 – nine by batters, and only three by their catchers. The Dodgers have had 22 total, with six coming from the batter and 16 from the catcher.

For their part, the Dodgers will send Tyler Glasnow to the mound. Glasnow has looked good so far this season, giving up four hits, two earned runs, and going six full innings in each of his first two games.

The Dodgers will look to reignite their offense that was so hot to begin their road trip, scoring 45 runs in four games. Friday night’s game will also be the first of the two Shohei Ohtani “greatest game” bobbleheads, highlighting his three home runs in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rangers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Which team is projected as better?  On 9 April, FanGraphs projected the Phillies to win more games (89 vs 81).  Nevertheless, both teams have significant odds of reaching the playoffs (68% and 35%).  And either team could win this series.

Why cheer for the Diamondbacks?  The Diamondbacks values include don’t cheat by taking performance enhancing substances.

“…Rojas became the eighth Phillie to be suspended for PED use since 2009. He’s the ninth, if you include Max Kepler, who is a free agent but played with the Phillies last season and was suspended for 80 games in January after he tested positive for a PED.” — Marcus Hayes, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2026

The recent three players (per Wikipedia):

• Jose Alvarado, May 2025, Exogenous Testosterone
• Max Kepler, January 2026, Epitrenbolone
• Johan Rojas, March 2026, Boldenone

“They are three totally different situations. So no, I do not think it’s an issue.” — Rob Thomson, Phillies Manager

My view is the Phillies will not make improvements until they stop making excuses.

How good is the Diamondbacks offense? At Chase, against the Tigers, the Diamondbacks batters were better than last season (5.67 vs 5.07 runs per game).   That is meaningful because the Tigers pitching staff was ranked fifth best in the Majors.  Can the Diamondbacks batters do just as well against a pitching staff ranked better than the Tigers (third best vs fifth best)?  Adding to the difficulty is that this series is an away series.

Phillies Pitcher to Watch. 

Andrew Painter.  As the Phillies number 2 prospect, this season he made his debut in the Majors. Let’s look at his abbreviated story.

After Tommy John Surgery in July of 2023, he missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons.  In 2025, he pitched in AAA.

“Last season [2025], Painter’s arm angle dropped slightly. He addressed the issue in the offseason and has continued to do so in camp. The team’s pitching coaches believe a return to his former (higher) arm angle will bring back his control and command.” —  Jim Salisbury, Match 2026

In spring training, one indication of improved control and command was his 8 strikeouts with only 2 walks.  Another indication was his .209 OBP and .293 SLG. Data from Baseball Savant.

“I felt pretty comfortable out there.  Right when I toed the rubber, I felt in control of the game. It didn’t speed up on me. That’s the big thing, just take deep breaths and not allow the game to speed up on you.”  — Andrew Painter, March 2026

In his debut, he pitched 5.1 innings with 1 earned run.  His 8 strikeouts exceeded his 1 walk.  Two positives were his 8.3 hard-hit percentage and his 0.57 expected ERA. Data from Baseball Savant.

Pitching Matchups.

Friday, 3:40 PM MST.

Michael Soroka. In his first two starts of the season he allowed a total of 1 earned run in 10 innings.

Last season, opponents did not score any runs in his last 6.2 innings pitched. In his first two starts of the season, he extended that streak to 13.1 innings before a earned run was scored.

There is much to admire about Michael Soroka’s consistency.

Jesus Luzardo. His first two starts of the season were at two extremes: First he allowed 6 earned runs in 6 innings against the Rangers; Then he allowed 1 earned run in 6.2 innings at Coors. What will happen in this start?

This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Diamondbacks.

Saturday, 10:05 AM MST.

Brandon Pfaadt.  In his first game of the season, the positive was that five of his six innings he held the Tigers to three batters.  The negative was the inning when the Tigers scored 5 earned runs.  In his second game, he allowed 3 earned runs.

In the Snakepit article, one of my wagers was that Pfaadt will total more than 10 wins this season. Will this be his first win? I’m feeling somewhat confident.

Taijuan Walker.  In 2017-2018, he started 31 games for the Diamondbacks.  His ERA+ was excellent (ranged from 124 to 135).

After that, he pitched for four teams, the latest is the Phillies.  His performance seemed to bounce between average seasons and excellent seasons.

In his first game of the season, the Nationals scored 4 earned runs against him in the first inning.   In his second game, the Rockies scored 3 earned runs against him in the first inning. Perhaps this season will be an average season for him.

This matchup of starting pitchers is slight advantage Diamondbacks.

Sunday, 10:35 AM MST.

Zac Gallen. In the season opener, he held the Dodgers scoreless for four innings. That’s big. (although the Dodgers scored in the fifth inning – very few elite pitchers can keep the Dodgers scoreless for long).  Then he pitched six scoreless innings against the Tigers.  Then he allowed 1 earned run in 5 innings against the Mets. My expectation is that Zac Gallen will pitch at least 4 scoreless innings.  After that, he may give up a run or two.

Andrew Painter.  As a Diamondbacks fan, I hope the Diamondbacks batters find ways to prevent Andrew Painter from repeating his amazing performance in his debut in the Majors. 

In his second game, in the third inning the Giants got 4 hits (3 earned runs) showing that Painter is human.

In any case, remember to look for fans dressed in white coveralls!    “A few fans in right field dressed in white coveralls and called themselves ‘Painter’s Painters’.” — Matt Gelb

This matchup of starting pitchers is even, perhaps with a very slight edge Diamondbacks.

Most of the time, a new season means a new beginning.

It is infrequent that iterations of a roster are repeated year after year. When things don’t go right, it is common for significant changes to be made. As all of you reading this know, the Phillies have sought to buck that trend in recent seasons.

Through 12 games, the Phils are 6-6. The starting pitching has been decent, if not great. The bullpen has largely been very good. The offense, however, has been abysmal.

Let’s get all the ugly stats out of the way. Entering Friday’s three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park…

• The bats have not scored a run in 20 consecutive innings.
• In the final two games against San Francisco, they went 8-for-62 and slashed .129/.239/.145 with a .384 OPS.
• Outside of the 10 runs they scored against the Rockies last Friday, they’re averaging 2.9 runs in their other 11 games.
• They scored 7 runs in the first inning against Colorado Friday and have scored 12 runs since then.
• They have a .658 OPS through 12 games this year, their lowest over the first 12 games of a season since 2016.
• They are hitting .200 with a .637 OPS with runners in scoring position. That is the 2nd-worst batting average in MLB.

It’s ugly. When a lineup is struggling like this, it’s easy to say the team looks despondent and/or uninspired. Of course, these same Phillies have authored three stirring late-game comebacks in the first 12 games, winning two of them with late rallies. Those are not the actions of a group that is going through the motions, but these same players, on this same offense, managed just one extra base hit in their final two games in San Francisco. They struggled in Colorado, too. One good game does not lead into the next.

To be clear, no one should be surprised by any of this. No one should have been fooled into thinking the 2026 offense was going to be any different than the ‘25 or ‘24 or ‘23 group. The struggles of 2026 are not unique to this season. Unlike most teams, the Philadelphia Phillies have been, for better or worse, largely the same exact team on offense over the last four years.

For the anti-“run-it-back” crew, that’s obviously a major problem, and they’re not wrong. The inconsistency and streakiness of this group is maddening and, like clockwork, it usually submarines their shot at a World Series title every October.

However, it’s fair to note that these same Phillies experience struggles like this every season, and usually finish with an offense that is in the top-10 of most major offensive categories. As I have written previously in this space, a majority of outside observers would characterize this group as being pretty darn good on the whole, and the numbers would back it up.

One of the major storylines last April and May was the team’s inability to slug. Remember that? The Phillies were getting on base a bunch, but flailing with runners in scoring position, especially with power. While the Phillies’ .721 OPS was 11th through the first month of the season last year, their .385 slugging percentage was 17th.

They were 13th in runs scored, tied for 19th in homers. This year, they are 19th in runs scored, tied for 9th in homers, 15th in OPS and 14th in slugging. Again, none of these numbers are good, but by the end of the 2025 season, the Phillies had the 4th-highest OPS in Major League Baseball. Their .797 OPS after the All-Star Game was 2nd-highest, behind only the Yankees’ .799. They slugged .471, which was the best mark in MLB in the second half. Their 110 homers were 2nd-most, their 340 runs scored were tied for 4th and they were tied for 3rd in wRC+.

I don’t say this to try and convince you that this team is going to win the World Series in 2026, nor that you shouldn’t be frustrated or expect more from this team. I say it to remind you of a simple truth.

There is nothing new under the sun with the Philadelphia Phillies.

And here’s the thing. Changing the lineup around isn’t going to do much. Is Rob Thomson right to move Adolis Garcia up to the No. 4 spot in place of Alec Bohm? Absolutely. Is it a good thing the struggling Bryson Stott be removed from the No. 5 spot and replace by the much-better Brandon Marsh? You bet. But the Phillies are still missing one big, middle-of-the-order bat. That was true before the season began, and it remains true now. It will likely remain true as they enter the postseason as well.

One change they could make is to shake up the coaching staff and relieve hitting coach Kevin Long of his duties. Given the nature of the players, it’s doubtful much would change if the front office makes that move. I wouldn’t begrudge the Phillies from doing so if they wanted to shake things up, but our expectations in that eventuality should be managed.

As I also wrote about recently, the Phils aren’t the only team struggling offensively in the first few weeks of the season. It’s pretty ugly out there, folks. The problem we have in Philadelphia is that these aren’t new problems. This offense is four years old. We know what it can do and what it can’t.

So you can overreact to the sheer ugliness of what the bats are doing right now. It’s brutal to watch. But they will get hot. They will break out. I can say this with extreme confidence because they do this every single year. We get all worked up about the broken bats, and then, once the weather gets warmer, they start putting runs on the board.

It’s all meaningless. This team is going to make it to October, have no fear about that. Whether it’s as a wild card or a division winner, the Phillies have the talent to get back to the tournament. It’s all about what they do then, and with the same roster feeling the same pressure year after year, it’s difficult to believe things will be different.

So, yes, it’s understandable to be annoyed, despondent, disgusted and frustrated at the lack of offense and the quality of at-bats this group of veteran stars is having. But if you’re hitting the panic button right now or surprised at what you’re seeing play out, you shouldn’t be.

The Phillies will hit in the regular season. They really will. It might be unpleasant to watch until they do, but it will happen.

The Baltimore Orioles have been run by one of the Moneyball 2.0 acolytes since the Giants hired Farhan Zaidi in November 2018. Mike Elias was part of the Astros’ front office, and their innovation on the Billy Beane way of running a baseball team* was not only to cheat, but to infuse data and “inefficiencies” into literally every area of the baseball operation. Elias’s twist was to tank the Orioles for a few years to improve the prospect stock and then let those cheap young superstars carry the team into and through a contention window.

It hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

However, the Orioles’ new owner has finally infused the organization with enough cash flow and approvals to compel them to boost their roster through other means besides their front office’s cleverness. The Orioles finally signed a top 50 free agent after over a decade of not having done so, and it’s a good one! Pete Alonso is a Giants Killer. He has 13 home runs in 39 career games to go with a triple slash of .257/.326/.546.

They reinforced their rotation with the additions of Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt and signed Ryan Helsley and his 100 mph fastball to close. They’ve also hired former Giants bullpen coach Craig Albernaz as their new manager.

The 43-year old has an almost farcical Massachusetts accent, but he means business when he talks about how his team can improve. There hasn’t been a Defector article written about his vibes — not yet, anyway — but he’s already made public comments about the culture of the organization, specifically with regards to how defense hasn’t been valued. Even in what has been, essentially, a “peak” into the full season, his team-focused public comments stand out when compared to what Tony Vitello’s up to.

This is probably an expectations thing, though. The Giants are still trying to recapture a time that has come and gone while the Orioles are simply trying to stay relevant. The Orioles have some pressure to succeed while they still have this particular group of hitters, which includes Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg; but also, a second line of young hitters like Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, and Coby Mayo.

They’re off to a 6-6 start with just a 1 series win: a 3-game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago. The Giants are coming off a 3-4 homestand that ended on a high note. This series is the start of a 9-game road trip and it’s one I believe is well timed. Those back to back shutouts of the Phillies heading into a long trip is an ideal set of circumstances for a “new” team to bond. Spring Training and home games allows players and coaches alike to simply “go home” after the game. On the road has a level of being stuck together, and that’s where relationships can be forged. Sure, a lot of the Giants are quite familiar with one another — maybe too familiar in some cases! — but road trips are a great bonding experience. On an interpersonal level, this is a big moment in the early days of Tony Vitello’s major league career.

But lots of winning would be great, too.

Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (5-8) at Baltimore Orioles (6-6)
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, Maryland
When: Friday & Saturday at 4:15pm PT, Sunday at 10:35am PT
National broadcasts: Friday (Apple TV), Saturday (FOX Network)

Projected starters
Friday: Landen Roupp (RHP 1-1, 4.22 ERA) vs. Shane Baz (RHP 0-0, 4.09 ERA)
Saturday: Landen Webb (RHP 1-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (RHP 0-2, 14.21 ERA)
Sunday: Adrian Houser (RHP 0-1, 3.97 ERA) vs. Cade Povich (LHP 0-0, 3.18 ERA)

Players to watch (besides Pete Alonso)

Orioles

Gunnar Henderson: He’s got 4 home runs and an .890 OPS overall to start the season. The 24-year old is positioned as the face of the franchise, but now he’s got lineup protection in the form of Pete Alonso…

Taylor Ward: But also Taylor Ward! The Orioles acquired him in the offseason from Zack Minasian’s brother Perry with the Angels, and all Ward has done is slugged .574 in his first 12 games (56 PA) to slash .383/.464/.574. He has hit ZERO home runs. He does have a sport-leading 18 hits, though, 9 of which have been doubles. The 32-year old has already recorded two 4-hit games for Baltimore. In his 8 seasons with the Angels, he had ZERO 4-hit games.

Grant Wolfram: A 6’7” lefty with 9 strikeouts and ZERO walks in 5 innings? What’s going on here in this small sample? Well, it turns out he’s in the Matt Gage zone in terms of stuff — at least from my eye test. His fastball is in the 95 mph range, but his slider is sub-2,500 rpm. He doesn’t get much chase and hitters are able to make good contact when they do. Of his 9 strikeouts, 3 came against White Sox hitters and another was of Joc Pederson. So, just want to see if this is a candidate for “a guy the Giants get to at an important spot in a game” during this series.

Giants

Logan Webb: Usually, I put the Giants’ ace in the (besides) portion of the Players to watch header mainly because I don’t see a reason to spotlight him when everybody knows he’s The Perfect Giant and you should watch him whenever there’s an opportunity. In this case, though, I want to make sure we’re all watching Webb in this start because this has been a shaky start and how he performs will determine how far the Giants will go this season. His sole appearance in Camden Yards was back in 2024 when he struck out 8 in 5 innings in his penultimate start of the season (the Giants lost 5-3). Webb has been good enough in interleague play (3.75 ERA in 275.2 IP), but not so much against the AL East. Look at this breakdown:

• Yankees: 1-3, 6.65 ERA in 4 GS (23 IP)
• Red Sox: 0-2, 5.63 ERA in 3 GS (16 IP)
• Blue Jays: 0-3, 9.00 ERA in 3 GS (16 IP)
• Orioles: 0-1, 4.50 ERA in 2 GS (12 IP)
• Rays: 2-0, 0.64 ERA in 2 GS (14 IP)

Rafael Devers: We can think about how Pete Alonso has gotten the best of the Giants all we want, but that matchup pales by comparison to how Devers has tormented the O’s. In 124 career games (543 PA), he’s slashed .292/.352/.493 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI with 45 walks and 109 strikeouts. His 32 career doubles against them is his most against a single opponent. He also has 2 triples. A big chunk of that damage has come at Camden Yards, where he’s a career .290/.354/.511 with 13 home runs and 11 doubles (22 BB, 58 K). His 3-run bomb in Wednesday’s finale against the Phillies made him the hero then. Was it the start of a hot streak?

Jung Hoo Lee: I wonder if getting away from the fan section at Oracle Park might help Jung Hoo Lee clear his head enough to get his bat going. He was just 2-for-21 on the homestand with a pair of walks and 5 strikeouts. If his slump continues through this road trip, it’s not going to be seen simply as a bad start.

Tony Vitello watch

Craig Albernaz perhaps has the home field advantage, but it will be interesting to see which of the rookie managers looks more rookie-like. Vitello certainly won the matchup with rookie Craig Stammen, but Albernaz has a bit more of an MLB coaching background than either. Both managers have been ejected already this season. Will the twitchy Missourian prove superior to Albernaz’s mouthy Masshole persona?

Prediction time

At the end of the day, these are two orange and black teams trying to forge a path to contention in the best way they know how. The Orioles are sticking with a culture that has so far produced some interesting prospects and a 101-win season, but has slowly devolved into frustration. The Giants rebuilt themselves into a 107-win team and have slowly devolved into frustration.

I know I was greedy in the Yankees series pulling for 1 win and Giants fans have subsequently been spoiled by the team winning two series, so, I’m just going to say that I think the Giants will win a game in this series.

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Later today, the Artemis II crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the end of the first manned mission to the Moon in more than half a century. The baseball world has changed so much between then and now, from the introduction of the designated hitter in the American League in 1973 to the introduction of six franchises in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. To celebrate today’s accomplishment, I decided to hop into the New York Times archives and see what was happening in the baseball world on December 27, 1968, and April 17, 1970 — the days that Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon, and Apollo 13, whose use of a free return trajectory served as the model for Artemis II’s mission, splashed down. Unfortunately, we have nothing quite as famous or as interesting as Gaylord Perry’s famous home run minutes after Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, but it’s still an interesting insight into a long gone era.

December 27, 1968

The holiday season has been, historically, a slow time in the baseball world, and as it turns out, 1968 was no exception. In fact, only one small article in the New York Times had anything to do with baseball — a report from Kansas City that Owen Friend, had been hired by the Royals to serve as a scout in the Midwest and as an infield coach during during spring training. This news was so small that the ProQuest Historical Newspapers archive did not list it independently, but rather attached it to the paper’s “Table for High Tide for Waters Adjacent to New York,” which listed the morning and evening high tides, sunrise and sunset, and moonrise and moonset times.

Rather amusingly, there was one other time in the paper that day in which the word “baseball” appeared: the article reporting the astronauts’ health after splash down, which stated that they wore caps “similar to baseball caps” while on the USS Yorktown.

April 17, 1970

Unsurprisingly, the Times had quite a bit more baseball news when Apollo 13 splashed down. The paper posted recaps of four games. In the paper’s dive into college ball, Columbia University’s 6-3 victory over Providence took center stage, with Fred Armenti’s eight inning, 10-strikeout performance the story of the afternoon. Right underneath that article was a brief account of Navy’s 8-3 shellacking of Army to maintain their perfect season, in which Tom Galloway and Denny Losh were the players of the game. Turning to Major League Baseball, Tom Seaver’s complete game shutout and Bud Harrelson’s first career home run that landed over the fence — the 150-pound shortstop had an inside-the-park homer three years prior — powered the Mets past the Phillies by the score of 6-0. Last, and certainly not least, the Yankees downed the Orioles by the score of 4-1 in 11 innings, ending a three-game losing streak and seeing their early-season record improve to 3-6.

The Yankees’ victory was rather unusual, aided by a strange error in the top of the 11th. With runners on first and second and two out, Pete Ward hit a groundball right at Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger, who turned and threw the ball to second baseman Davey Johnson. Inexplicably, however, Johnson did not cover the bag, and was tagged with an E4 because, as George Vecsey wrote, “being on the base is a rather vital part of a force play.” Danny Cater — who according to the reporter had been dealing with a run of bad luck, having cut his hand on a broken bat, was struck in the ankle by an errant throw, and had barely avoided getting hit in the face during batting practice — followed that up with a triple that cleared the bases and gave the Bombers a 4-1 lead.

After starting the season 3-1 with inspiring victories against the Cubs and Phillies, good news has been hard to come by for Nationals fans.

The Nats’ following 8 results have been about as bad as it gets, going on a 5-game losing streak, briefly interrupted by a 9-6 win in the series opener against the Cardinals, and then dropping the last 2 games in the 3-game set. The offense has had its moments, but has struggled to overcome the frequent blown leads by the Washington bullpen.

Decent starts in Game 1 and 2 by Zack Littell and Cade Cavalli were promptly wasted, with the bullpen laboring for 9.1 innings and 9 runs across the two contests. Getting length out of the rotation has been a losing battle for manager Blake Butera, and clawing their way to high-scoring wins is unfortunately not a sustainable strategy.

Going into their next series, the Nationals are at a true “get right” point, but their opponent is far from an easy matchup. The Brewers, returning home after a series loss against the Red Sox, are still sitting pretty with an 8-4 record in early April. A combination of consistent production from their lineup and a handful of stable arms at their disposal, both in the rotation and bullpen, has them looking like the team that won 97 games in 2025.

Friday – 7:40 PM EST

MIL: RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.96 ERA)

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 8.00 ERA)

The 27-year-old Patrick’s early returns have been fantastic for the Brew Crew. He tossed 5 scoreless frames against the Royals in his season debut, and held the White Sox to just 1 run in his following outing. His 5-pitch mix has kept batters off balance but has allowed some hard contact, and should be an interesting test for Nats hitters to jump on his mistakes.

Irvin began his season on a high note against the Cubs, but was roughed up for 6 runs in just 4 innings against the Dodgers in his second start. The veteran righty will be tasked with opening the series for the Nats against one of the strongest offenses in MLB thus far, with the Brewers in the Top 10 for batting average, runs scored, hits, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Saturday – 7:10 PM EST

MIL: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-0, 2.61 ERA)

WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

An offseason reclamation project by the Milwaukee front office, Harrison, a once-famed pitching prospect for the Giants, has looked as good as he ever has through 2 starts in 2026. He’s peppering the zone with an impressive fastball and timing his slurve well to generate plenty of whiffs. However, like Patrick, when he does allow contact, it’s barreled at a high rate. If Washington can avoid piling up strikeouts, they can create favorable opportunities against the breakout lefty.

Speaking of breakout lefties, Griffin has been a welcome addition to the Nats’ rotation so far. With 7 total offerings, hitters have struggled to figure him out, allowing just 3 runs in his first 10 MLB innings since 2022. He may be pushed a bit deeper into this start than his 2 previous outings because of the bullpen’s concerning start, giving the veteran a chance to continue to prove himself.

Sunday – 2:10 PM EST

MIL: RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 5.91 ERA)

WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 3.60 ERA)

It’s been a far-from-ideal start for Woodruff, although a controversial scoring change from his last appearance did raise his ERA by almost 2 full points. His command hasn’t faltered, but he’s had a difficult go of it when trying to miss bats. The Nats need to attack his fastball early and limit the effectiveness of his arsenal, something the Red Sox found to be quite successful when they tacked 5 runs onto his line on April 6.

Littell has already proven to be an analytical outlier, a common pattern throughout his career. Every advanced metric despises him, but he continues to go out there and give teams solid start after solid start. He shut down the Cardinals’ lineup after a decent game against Philadelphia, but will have to hone in his command versus a savvy Brewers offense after already giving up 5 free passes.

A chance to take advantage

Milwaukee jumped out to an 8-4 start to begin their 2026 campaign, with most of their wins coming in offensive explosions. When they aren’t able to put up at least 5 runs, though, they have yet to record a victory. If the Nationals’ starters can hold it down long enough for the offense to take advantage, Washington fans could have lots to celebrate this weekend.