Worldwide Sports News

The Houston Astros (8-14) look to salvage the finale of this three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (12-8) at Daikin Park.

Astros starter RHP Mike Burrows (1-3, 6.55 ERA), who pitched in the NL Central for the Pirates last season, will surprisingly make his first career appearance against the Cardinals today opposite LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 4.29 ERA).

TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP Mike Burrows, who’s making his fifth start of the season, was acquired from the Pirates this offseason as part of a three-team, six-player trade in which the Astros sent OF Jacob Melton and minor leaguer RHP Anderson Brito to the Rays, while the Rays sent IF Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to the Pirates.

Burrows impressed this Spring, making five starts and posting a 1.50 ERA (3ER/18IP) while allowing a .200 opponent batting average with 17 strikeouts.

VS. THE CARDS: This series is a matchup of former division rivals, who spent 19 seasons together in the NL Central from 1994-2012…overall, the two teams have played each other 724 times, with the Astros going 336-386…these teams also have postseason history, with the Astros going 7-6 vs. the Cards in the playoffs.

The two clubs faced off in back-to-back NLCS in 2004-05 with St. Louis taking the ‘04 NLCS in seven games and Houston winning the ‘05 NLCS in six games.

BLISTERED!: Last night, LF Yordan Alvarez hit a 3rd inning double with a 117.8 MPH exit velocity, marking the Astros hardest-hit ball of the season and the second hardest hit in the Majors so far in 2026 (Oneil Cruz, 119.0 MPH double, April 16 vs. WSH).

Alvarez’s ball was also the second hardest-hit ball of his career (117.9 MPH groundout on Sept. 6, 2019 vs. SEA).

DOWN IN CORPUS: The Astros had a pair of rehabbing players working down at Double A on Friday night.

OF Zach Dezenzo (right elbow sprain) went 0x1 with a HBP in a start at DH, while LHP Bennett Sousa (left oblique strain) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings on Friday night, striking out five.

HARRIS REPORTS: OF Dustin Harris (#37), who was acquired off waivers from Chicago (AL) yesterday, has joined the Major League club today.

Harris has appeared in six Major League games for the White Sox this season, hitting .250 (3×12) with a .438 OBP.

MORE ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have recalled RHP Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land and have placed OF Joey Loperfido on the 10-day IL with a right quad strain (retro to April 18).

Additionally the Astros have acquired IF Braden Shewmake from the New York Yankees in exchange for minor leaguer RHP Wilmy Sanchez. Shewmake has played his entire 2026 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees minor league system.

THE ORDER: The Astros have used 22 different batting orders in their 22 games so far this season. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).

MVP CALIBER: LF Yordan Alvarez ranks first in the AL in extra-base hits (16), total bases (60), RBI (20), OPS (1.274), SLG (.789) and OBP (.485), ranks second in batting average (.342), tied for second in doubles (7), tied for third in runs scored (18), and fourth in walks (19).

AGENT SMITH: According to Baseball Savant, RF Cam Smith has played like one of the best all-around Major League players in 2026, ranking in the 100th percentile in fielding range (OAA), 98th percentile in bat speed, 97th percentile in sprint speed and 92nd percentile in barrel percentage.

On the season, Smith is hitting .257 (19×74) with three homers, 10 RBI and an .802 OPS in 22 games.

BEHIND THE DISH:C Christian Vázquez is hitting .375 (12×32) with a .444 OBP, four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in 10 games.

He’s made just eight start at catcher, yet already has thrown out four baserunners attempting to steal.

HARD TO HIT: RHP Kai-Wei Teng, just the second Taiwanese-born player to appear with the Astros in their history, has held opponents to 6×41 on the season for a .146 opponent average.

Overall, Teng has gone 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA (3ER/11.2IP), a 0.86 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 11.2 innings in relief.

KID TAKEOVER: Kids will take over Daikin Park today with a Future Astros parade happening pregame, which will be shortly followed by Kreinhop Elementary performing the National Anthem.

Kids Run the Bases, presented by Olshan Foundation Solutions will take place following the game for kids in attendance ages 5-12.

THE ROAD AHEAD: The Astros are concluding a six-game homestand today in which they hosted the Rockies (2-1) and Cardinals (0-2).

They’ll hit the road again after today’s contest for a quick three-game road trip to Cleveland beginning tomorrow.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1964 – RHP Bob Bruce throws the first immaculate inning in club history in the 8th inning of a 6-1 loss to the Cardinals. Bruce is the first of nine pitchers in club history to accomplish the feat.

He’s since been joined by LHP Pete Harnisch (1991), LHP Mike Magnante (1997), LHP Randy Johnson (1998), RHP Shane Reynolds (1999), RHP Brandon Backe (2004), RHP Will Harris (2019), RHP Luis Garcia (2022) and RHP Phil Maton (2022).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 19, 1:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Here’s the Orioles lineup:

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

After losing six straight games, the Milwaukee Brewers have rebounded quite nicely, ripping off four consecutive wins, back-to-back series wins, and are searching for their first sweep since the opening series of the season.

The Brewers have gotten great results out of their starting rotation through this winning streak and will have their Opening Day starter on the bump to try to extend it.

It’ll be a battle of the incredibly tall, young flamethrowing phenoms on the mound today. The 6’7” 24 year old Jacob Misiorowski is starting for the Crew while the Marlins have 6’8” 23 year old Eury Perez on the bump.

Misiorowski has a 3.32 ERA through his first four starts of the season with 33 strikeouts in 21.2 IP. Last time out, he allowed two runs in 5.1 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays. Perez has a 5.40 ERA through his four starts this year and last time out he allowed three earned runs in 4 IP against the Braves.

It’s a very Sunday afternoon lineup for Pat Murphy today. There’s no William Contreras and no Sal Frelick in the order. Garrett Mitchell will lead off and DH today. That means the outfield consists of Greg Jones, Brandon Lockridge, and Luis Matos. Gary Sanchez is behind the dish. David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo make up the left side of the infield.

Can the Brewers make it five wins in a row? Perez has struggled a bit this year, but with two phenoms on the mound, it’s sure to be a fun game to watch.

Go Rays!

The New York Yankees are eyeing a series sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon, and first pitch of the expected matchup between southpaws Ryan Weathers and Cole Ragans was supposed to be 1:35pm ET. Unfortunately, the weather isn’t cooperating.

Even before the Yankees revealed their starting lineup for Sunday, they posted at 10:25am ET that they didn’t expect the game to start on time due to the inclement weather forecast. Indeed, that has come to pass, as at 12:58pm ET, they said that the game would begin in a rain delay.

We’ll wait this out with anyone watching—or even in the stands on your phones—and let you know when any updates get reported! The Yankees have an interesting lineup today with the scorching-hot Ben Rice leading off at DH despite the same-handed lefty Ragans on the bump. Manager Aaron Boone has said that he’s confident in Rice against any kind of pitcher, which he’s probably earned at this point. Giancarlo Stanton’s 1-for-22 slump encouraged him to start both Rice and lefty-masher Paul Goldschmidt, who will man first. Also, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is getting a day off amid his awful start to 2026, with Ryan McMahon returning to the lineup at third after a couple days off and the surging Amed Rosario in Jazz’s spot at second.

Mets lineup

Carson Benge – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Luis Robert – CF
MJ Melendez – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
Brett Baty – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Luis Torrens – C

David Peterson – LHP

Cubs lineup

Nico Hoerner – 2B
Michael Busch – 1B
Alex Bregman – 3B
Ian Happ – LF
Seiya Suzuki – RF
Moises Ballesteros – DH
Carson Kelly – C
Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
Dansby Swanson – SS

Javier Assad – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 2:20 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Orioles’ first four-game series of the season has not quite gone according to plan. An impressive eighth-inning comeback on Friday aside, the Birds’ bats have mostly been missing in action during their trip to Cleveland.

The O’s have had no answer for Guardians starting pitchers. Rookie Parker Messick carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning in the opener, the previously struggling Tanner Bibee had no problem shutting down the Orioles in Game 2, and Gavin Williams pumped strikeout after strikeout in his dominant outing last night. That trio combined for a 1.29 ERA in this series. I assume the Orioles do actually game-plan for opposing starters, but you’d never know it based on their performance so far. The offense has seemed woefully unprepared.

Will they have any more luck against Cleveland’s final starter in this series, lefty Joey Cantillo? The 26-year-old Hawaiian is having a nice year so far, with a 2.61 ERA in four starts, and the last time he faced the Orioles, he pitched five solid innings against them last July. I’m not particularly optimistic, especially considering the lineup the Orioles are using this afternoon.

If you thought the days of the O’s using bizarre platoon lineups against southpaws would go out the door with the arrival of Craig Albernaz, you were…mistaken. The Orioles once again have Johnathan Rodríguez in the cleanup spot and right field, and Blaze Alexander playing center. Weston Wilson, who had a big two-run double in Friday’s comeback, gets his first start at third base. But Coby Mayo is still in the lineup anyway as the DH. Sam Huff spells Samuel Basallo behind the plate. It’s an abnormal lineup, for sure, but it’s not as if the normal lineup has been doing anything great. I don’t love that outfield defense, though, and I would’ve liked to see Leody Taveras get the start.

At least the Orioles have Trevor Rogers going for them. The O’s ace suffered his ugliest outing of the season last time out against Arizona, but in general, the Orioles have the pitching advantage every time Rogers is on the hill. The last time he faced Cleveland was in his Orioles debut back on Aug. 1, 2024, when the Guardians torched him for five runs in 4.1 innings. This is, of course, a very different version of Rogers.

Still, no matter how well Trevor pitches, it won’t matter if the Orioles don’t start hitting. Now’s as good a time as any, guys.

Orioles lineup:

LF Taylor Ward
SS Gunnar Henderson
1B Pete Alonso
RF Johnathan Rodríguez
2B Jeremiah Jackson
3B Weston Wilson
DH Coby Mayo
C Sam Huff
CF Blaze Alexander

LHP Trevor Rogers

Guardians lineup:

CF Steven Kwan
LF Angel Martínez
3B José Ramírez
1B Rhys Hoskins
RF David Fry
3B Daniel Schneemann
2B Juan Brito
C Austin Hedges
SS Brayan Rocchio

LHP Joey Cantillo

Pitcher Osvaldo Bido has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. The Atlanta Braves had designated him for assignment on April 16, 2026.

Bido, who pitched last season with the West Sacramento Athletics, has surfed across the waiver wire six times since the end of the 2025 season – including two stints with the Braves. He’s gone from the A’s to the Braves to Tampa Bay Rays to the Miami Marlins to the Los Angeles Angels to the New York Yankees then back to the Braves and now to the White Sox.

The Braves designed Bido for assignment when they brought reliever Ian Hamilton to the big league roster. Bido had pitched in six games for Atlanta, picking up a win and a save cross 10 innings. He allowed seven earned runs but had a respectful 1.20 WHIP.

Bido has started 28 of the 64 career games he’s appeared in since debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023.

The Yankees have managed to right the ship a little bit this weekend, taking the first two games of this series versus the Royals. After a bit of a rocky week or so, the way to really get back on track isn’t just to win a series, but to sweep it, and ahead of a road trip that would be exactly the kind of momentum the team could really use. On a more personal level, a nice easy blowout win like yesterday would be welcome for hard-luck starter Ryan Weathers, who hasn’t seen a single run in support in his first four starts as a Yankee.

Weathers has been … interesting to watch in those four starts. In his worst outing, earlier this week against the Angels, he had a 5:1 K:BB ratio that if replicated over a full season would almost guarantee a unanimous Cy Young season. He also gave up five runs in five innings, including back-to-back-to-back homers. Every start made by the triumvirate of Weathers, Will Warren, and Luis Gil seems like a mini-audition to stay in the rotation when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return from injury, and if that happened today I’m not sure Weathers wins that contest for the final spot (even if Gil is left out as well, as he was at the start of 2026). Then again, if Weathers replicates that eight-inning, one-run showing against the Athletics two weeks ago, he’ll be back on the inside track, run support or no.

Cole Ragans, meanwhile, has been a pitcher I’ve enjoyed watching for a while, even during his injury-hampered 2025. In some ways he’s a classic crafty lefty, not having a dominant or overwhelming pitch but controlling contact quality and taking advantage of a strong Royals defense. His walk rate has been quite high to start the year, which is one avenue the Yankees could use to gameplan against him.

Ben Rice is your leadoff hitter today, taking over the DH spot while Giancarlo Stanton gets a day off amid a 1-for-22 skid (also allowing one of those back-to-back days off situations since New York doesn’t play tomorrow). Facing a lefty, Paul Goldschmidt will be at first. As Aaron Boone previously hinted, Ryan McMahon is back in the lineup today due in part to Ragans’ reverse splits, but Amed Rosario will start anyway — this time at second as Jazz Chisholm Jr. gets a day to clear his head. His 49 wRC+ ranks fifth-worst among all American League players with at least 80 PA on the young season. Fortunately for the Yankees I suppose, two of those four worse than Jazz are in today’s Royals lineup, Sal Perez (36) and Vinnie Pasquantino (46).

Please be advised the team does not expect to start the game on time.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 1:35 pm ET TBD

TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | Royals.TV (KC)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 96.5 The Fan, Royals Radio Network (KC)

Streaming: MLB.tv, Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Yesterday’s loss was a real bummer, but the boys have to go again and try to salvage the series this afternoon. The combination of poor pitching, mental mistakes and a lack of situational hitting cost them. Hopefully the boys can be more buttoned up after meeting with Blake Butera about their mistakes. 

One player who made a lot of mistakes yesterday was Daylen Lile, who will not be in the lineup today. Instead, James Wood will shift to left and Joey Wiemer will play right field. Curtis Mead will try to redeem himself at first base today. Keibert Ruiz will be behind the plate. The Nats will be creative with their pitching plan. PJ Poulin will be the opener, while Miles Mikolas and the recently called up Andrew Alvarez are also likely to be involved.

The Giants are not making many changes to their lineup. Rafael Devers will DH, while Casey Schmitt will play first base. Other than that, it is mostly the same faces. Luis Arraez has been really impressive this series, as has Heliot Ramos. Robby Ray was actually a Nats draft pick, but never played for the team. Many years later, he will get the ball against the franchise that drafted him.

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 1:35 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats have been two different teams on the road and at home. They are 1-7 at home now, and need to get going. This team has shown life, but it has mostly been when the home fans are not watching. Hopefully that can change today. Follow along down below, and let’s go Nats!

It’s series finale time! The San Francisco Giants are wrapping up a nine-game road trip today, and attempting to end it on a high note.

Left-hander Robbie Ray will try to lead them to a happy cross-country flight. Ray makes his fifth start of the season, and is 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA, a 4.69 FIP, and 24 strikeouts against 10 walks in 22.1 innings. In his last start, Ray gave up two runs in five innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

On the other side is veteran righty Miles Mikolas, who makes his fifth appearance of the year, and his fourth start. It’s been a rough year for the 37-year old, as he’s 0-3 with an 11.49 ERA, an 8.47 FIP, and 11 strikeouts against nine walks in 15.2 innings. He’s also allowed six home runs, so there’s an opportunity for the Giants there. In his last game, Mikolas allowed three runs in 3.1 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants!

Game #22

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals

Where: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

When: 10:35 a.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

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

Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox

Time/Place: 1:35 p.m., Fenway Park
SB Nation Site: Over the Monster
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (1-1, 3.75 ERA) vs. LHP Garrett Crochet (2-2, 7.58 ERA)