Worldwide Sports News

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Detroit Tigers will try to make it two in a row as Framber Valdez takes the mound for them against the San Diego Padres tonight.

Detroit looks to have a major pitching advantage in this one, which is why I’m taking it to win outright in my Tigers vs. Padres predictions.

Keep reading for my full MLB picks for Friday, March 27.

Tigers vs Padres predictions

Tigers vs Padres best bet: Tigers moneyline (+110)

Framber Valdez will make his Detroit Tigers debut tonight, and Detroit is expecting him to deliver the same performances he put together in Houston for the past few years.

Valdez has been one of the game’s best ground-ball pitchers, getting batters to hit it on the ground 61.5% of the time in his career.

The San Diego Padres will counter with Michael King, and should be concerned with his recent struggles. King threw to a 10.19 ERA and 1.868 WHIP this spring.

Unless he turns things around instantly, the Tigers should jump on King and win tonight.

COVERS INTEL: The Padres struggled against left-handed pitching in 2025, hitting just .244 with a .690 OPS against southpaws for the season.

Tigers vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)

I’m backing the Tigers to win, and I’m pairing that with a couple player props to form a same-game parlay for tonight.

First, let’s take Valdez to hit the Over on his strikeout total. Valdez is averaging 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and hit the 5+ strikeout mark in 20 of his 31 starts last year.

I’ll also take Riley Greene to pick up his first hit of the year after taking an 0-for-4 in the season opener. Greene was one of Detroit's most important hitters in 2025, producing 36 homers and 111 RBI. 

Tigers vs Padres SGP

• Tigers moneyline
• Framber Valdez Over 4.5 strikeouts
• Riley Greene to record a hit

Tigers vs Padres home run pick: Spencer Torkelson (+450)

These are generous odds on Spencer Torkelson to get off the mark with his first home run on Friday.

The Tigers 1B matched his career-high with 31 homers in 2025, and all signs are that his power was still there in spring training. 

The longball played a big part in King’s struggles in the preseason, where he allowed nine homers in 17 2/3 innings of work. If that’s not entirely worked out as we move into the first weeks of the season, it makes King a great target for HR props.

Tigers vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Detroit +110 | San Diego -130
• Run line: Detroit +1.5 | San Diego -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Tigers vs Padres trend

The Padres were 4-7 straight up in King’s last 11 starts of the 2025 season. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Padres.

How to watch Tigers vs Padres and game info

Tigers vs Padres latest injuries

Tigers vs Padres weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter shined in his regular-season debut in Cleveland’s 6-4 win over the Mariners in Thursday’s Opening Day matchup at T-Mobile Park.

His family and his girlfriend, Isabella Fitzwater, couldn’t contain their excitement when DeLauter hit his first career home run in the top of the first inning to give Cleveland an early 1-0 lead.

But before they could celebrate, they had to make sure the hit was legit.

Chase DeLauter's family wanted to be sure it was a homer before they started celebrating https://t.co/XBf71RV4u9pic.twitter.com/QpyEJdjPxf

— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2026

The broadcast focused on DeLauter’s family standing and waiting for the umpire to signal his finger in the air and circle it — and when he did, they began cheering, as seen in an X video by MLB.

The 24-year-old DeLauter went 3-for-5 with two home runs to become the first player in Cleveland franchise history to hit multiple home runs in his regular-season debut.

The broadcast showed his family again cheering during his second homer to right field at the top of the ninth inning, which gave the Guardians a 6-4 lead over Seattle.

DeLauter became the seventh player in MLB history to hit two homers in his first regular-season game, and the first since Trevor Story in 2016, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

A 2-HR game for Chase DeLauter!

His first two homers in the Majors pic.twitter.com/Cgx9ETs5jL

— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2026

His girlfriend praised him in an Instagram Story post.

“AN OPENING DAY HOMERUN!!!!!” Fitzwater wrote, including a few teary-eyed emojis and a photo of him blasted on the scoreboard. “@chasedelauter you never fail to amaze me.”

View this post on Instagram

After his second homer, she wrote, “ARE WE SERIOUS @chasedelauter the most deserving I love you.”

DeLauter’s dad, his stepdad, mom, brother, best friend and his best friend’s mom were all in attendance, according to MLB.com.

He shared that his dad flew to Seattle from back home in West Virginia and had not flown in a while.

“It’s unbelievable,” his dad, Jason, said. “I know the debut in the playoffs, he was super excited about that. We were blindsided by it, to be able to get called up like that. He’s just worked. He’s continued to work. None of this was guaranteed.”

The Guardians and Mariners face off again Friday night at T-Mobile Park.

Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves is finally here and they will actually be playing a home game. The last time they had a home game to open the season was back in 2022 against the Cincinnati Reds where Max Fried gave up five earned runs, resulting in a loss.

Today they will be taking on the Kansas City Royals and their ace Cole Ragans. Ragans had a hard year last season with a groin injury and a rotator cuff injury which shortened his season to only thirteen starts. In 61.2 innings he struggled to a 4.67 ERA, but had a solid WHIP of 1.18.

Ragans is good example where a small sample size hurt his ERA. According to Statcast he had an expected ERA (xERA) of 2.67, which would be in the best 4.0 of MLB. He also struck out 38.1 percent of the hitters he faced, which is good for top 3.0 percent of all qualified pitchers. Hitters only had an expected batting average of .187. Needless to say, he showed many signs of his ERA dropping over time, even in an injury riddled season. The Braves may have their hands full trying to squeak out runs today, which is why it is odd that as of right now Jonah Heim is slotted to start.

Kyle Farmer is second on the ream with eleven at-bats against Ragans and has struggled to an OPS of .606, albeit with a .273 average. This may be why Heim is in the lineup and Farmer is not.  Mauricio Dubón leads the team with twelve at-bats and has been successful against Ragans with a .333 average and .916 OPS. He could be the key to winning this game.

Of all the other players that will start, no one has more than two at-bats. Austin Riley hit a two-run HR in his only at-bat against Ragans and Michael Harris had a double in one of his two at-bats. Everyone one else is hitless. Ragans’ lone appearance against the Braves was in 2023 as a member of the Rangers where he came in as a long reliever to pitch 3.0 innings and surrendered four ER.

Chris Sale will be getting the ball as the Opening Day starter for the Braves yet again this season. This is seventh time in his career to get that honor.  Three with the White Sox, two with the Red Sox, and two with the Braves.

Of the players that Sale will likely face today, no one comes close to the number of at-bats that Salvador Perez has against him. Perez has faced him an astonishing sixty-eight times. No one else on the Royals has faced him more than seven. In those sixty-eight at-bats Perez has one HR with a .265 average and .628 OPS. Lane Thomas and Starling Marte have each faced Sale seven times and have an OPS of .679 and .572 respectively.

With the Braves’ rotation being as depleted as it is, every Chris Sale start will have even more importance. Today is only the first game of many this season, but it would be encouraging to get a Chris Sale dominated start and prevent on the first day this season what happened last season when the Braves got swept to start the season.

The first pitch is at 7:15 EDT at Truist Park.

Game Notes

Time: Friday, March 27 at 7:15 p.m. EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Ga

TV: BravesVission, Gray TV

Streaming: MLB.TV audio

Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

ReadingYankee asks:I can’t possibly be expected to keep so many streaming services for the sake of watching a handful of baseball games in a season. Will all of this streaming of baseball games have a point where it stops expanding? Or, perhaps a better question is will we ever go back to a one-stop service where an out-of-market family can watch ALL the games in a season?

Everyone is looking ahead to the 2027 season and the labor dispute that’s sure to boil over into a lockout, and with good reason, but the media rights landscape that MLB is navigating may just be the second-biggest issue facing the sport right now. The league is pushing streaming heavily these past couple of years, securing deals with Apple, Amazon Prime, and now Netflix among the biggest names to get a foothold on covering regular season games. They’re hardly the only league to be doing so, but MLB faces the dual issue of being a more regional broadcast sport compared to the others in the North American big four, and those regional networks are struggling right now. Turnover from bankruptcy has seen the likes of Bally Sports and the FanDuel Network already come and go in a lot of places, leaving many franchises in a bit of a bind with their day-to-day broadcasts.

The Yankees haven’t felt this side of the issue as much, thanks to the success of the YES Network freeing them up to be one of the few flagship stations that’s thriving. However, that success then gets cut into by the league forcing a foothold for streaming, because any media rights deal is going to demand to see a premier franchise like the Yankees on their site. This leads to a massive headache for the fans, and at the same time isn’t even pulling many new eyes towards the league — but it is bringing in a wave of revenue. I don’t know how they can remedy these issues, but one thing is for sure: the league isn’t slowing down on this front anytime soon, unfortunately.

Russo Radio asks: Why are we holding onto Blackburn as a sure ‘pen member? What am I missing? It looks to me like he gave up basically five runs a game for years and still does the same now!

The simple answer is that bullpen depth is bullpen depth, and the team sees enough in Paul Blackburn to give him some room to throw in the bottom of the ‘pen — at least to start the year out. He’s only been with the team since the back-half of last year, but his numbers largely showed improvement since coming over from the Mets: his strikeout rate spiked from 16.4 percent to 24.6 percent, his walk rate dipped a bit to 6.2 percent, and while his ERA remained high at an unsightly 5.28 his FIP was a much more manageable 4.39, while his expected rates were significantly lower than that mark at 2.92 and 3.54 respectively. That’s enough to showcase room for tinkering with Matt Blake and company, so while the early reserves of the pitching staff are being used to support the starting rotation with three regular members still out, Blackburn can stick around and work with the mop up role. There’s the potential that he earns his way into some middle leverage, but at worst-case the Yankees move on once pitchers start to return and push the fringe starters back into the bullpen.

treatycity asks:This applies to Winquest. Drafted as Rule 5 player the Yanks must keep him on their MLB roster the entire season, so he’s on their 40-man. Let’s just say that he stays on their 40-man the entire season, would he have three options available starting next season, if they need/want to use them?

To clarify, it’s not enough for Cade Winquest to sit on the 40-man roster all year — he has to stay on the active 26-man roster, barring IL stints, all season in order for the Rule 5 restrictions to be lifted. Should he accomplish that, and log more than 90 days on the active roster in the case of a long-term IL trip, then he’ll be freed up to the larger 40-man roster and regain the options in his rookie contract starting next year.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Reigning division champs collide again at T-Mobile Park as the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners lock horns — and it’ll take some special hitting to top last night’s home run blitz.

These teams combined for six dingers in yesterday’s season opener, with Cleveland picking up a 6-4 win, and my Guardians vs. Mariners predictions expect Jose Ramirez to lead the charge for the visitors in this rematch.

Get the lowdown on this clash with my free MLB picks for Friday, March 27.

Guardians vs Mariners predictions

Guardians vs Mariners best bet: Jose Ramirez Over 1.5 total bases (+140)

If you’re in the market for consistent production, look no further than Jose Ramirez. His hit totals for the past four seasons read: 168, 172, 173, 168 – and there’s no sign of decline for the wily veteran.

Ramirez thumped a two-RBI double last night to turn the contest in the Cleveland Guardians favor, and he’s had success against Seattle Mariners starter George Kirby to the tune of a 6-for-12 record, with three doubles and a homer.

When the Mariners go to the bullpen, it’s worth noting that Ramirez also has a pair of hits against key relievers Gabe Speier and Andres Muñoz.

COVERS INTEL: George Kirby allowed a .264 average to left-handers last season, and that lines up nicely for the switch-hitting Ramirez and the other lefties in the Guardians lineup

Guardians vs Mariners same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll take the run line with a pesky Cleveland offense that’s packed with lefties, while trusting that Gavin Williams – coming off a 3.06 ERA last year – can match Kirby.

The visitors, and they’ve got a real lead-off weapon in rookie Chase DeLauter, who marked his first regular season outing with two solo dingers last night.

Then it’s all about the elite hitting on show. Ramirez has already opened his RBI account for 2026, and Julio Rodriguez can point to three career hits against Williams. J-Rod went 0-for-4 yesterday, but he finished with 174 hits and 95 RBIs in 2025.

Guardians vs Mariners SGP

• Guardians +1.5
• Jose Ramirez Over 0.5 hits
• Julio Rodriguez Over 0.5 hits

Guardians vs Mariners home run pick: Cal Raleigh (+290)

After a magical run last year, Cal Raleigh didn’t do himself any favors during the WBC, but look for his bat to do the talking tonight. Another regular season with 60 homers might be a stretch, but I’m wagering on The Big Dumper to mash his first long ball of the year here.

Guardians vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Cleveland +143 | Seattle -158
• Run line: Cleveland +1.5 (-150) | Seattle -1.5 (+130)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-105) | Under 7 (-115)

Guardians vs Mariners trend

The Over is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings between these teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Mariners.

How to watch Guardians vs Mariners and game info

Guardians vs Mariners latest injuries

Guardians vs Mariners weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

First Half Record: 31-44 (7/10, International League East Division)

Second Half Record: 46-29 (2/10, International League East Division)

When the 2025 season began, the Syracuse Mets had an assortment of the Mets’ top prospects and an additional nineteen players with major league experience. Syracuse had ended the second half of the 2024 season as one of the worst in the International League, but with so much talent on board, expectations were that the team would turn things around.

All in all, the team got off to a sluggish start and struggled to really build momentum, with the promotion-and-demotion of players augmenting the Mets’ lineup really having an effect on the team. They ended the first half with a 31-44 record, 7th in the International League East Division, 16.0 games behind the first place Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and were one of the bottom teams in all of Triple-A baseball. In the second half, Syracuse benefited from promotions from Double-A Binghamton, with top prospects such as Carson Benge, Jett Williams, Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, and Ryan Clifford all suiting up for Syracuse. Additionally, a handful of players who had otherwise struggled in the first half righted the ship to some degree. The team went 46-29 in the second half, their magic number running out in the last week of the season.

Dick Scott will be returning as team skipper, his fourth year as manager. Joining him will be John Nogowski, who will be serving as bench coach, A.J. Sager, who will be serving as pitching coach, and Nate Irving, who will be serving as hitting coach. Nogowski will be replacing 2025 bench coach J.P. Arencibia, while Sager will be reprising his 2025 role and Irving will be replacing 2025 hitting coach Rick Guarno.

The 2026 season will be Dick Scott’s thirteenth year in the New York Mets organization. Besides coaching Syracuse for the last four, he also served as Coordinator of Coaching Development and Instruction in 2021-2022, New York Mets bench coach in 2016-2017, Director of Player Development in 2012-2015, and was a Minor League Field Coordinator in 2011-2012.

The 2026 season will be John Nogowski’s first season not just with the Mets, but as a coach. The infielder attended Florida State University and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 34th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, the 1,032nd player selected overall. He was released in 2017, signed a contract with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association a few months later, and then was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals a few weeks later. He remained in their organization for the next few years, making his MLB debut in 2020, and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations in July 2021, getting released by them at the end of the season.

A.J. Sager will be returning to the role that he held last season for Syracuse and will be returning to the Mets for his sixth season. Prior to serving as pitching coach for the Syracuse Mets, he was the pitching coach for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2022-2023 and was pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2021. Before he was a coach in the Mets organization, he was a coach for twenty years with the Detroit Tigers.

The 2026 season will be Nate Irving’s first season as Syracuse hitting coach and will be his second season with the Mets. In 2025, he served as Binghamton Rumble Ponies hitting coach. Prior to joining the organization, he coached in the Cincinatti Reds system, serving as hitting coach for the Single-A Daytona Tortugas in 2024, the ACL Reds in 2023, and as bench coach for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in 2022. Additionally, he served as a hitting coach for the Bravos de Margarita of the Venezuelan League during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons.

The Syracuse Mets will be opening the 2026 season against the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park this afternoon at 4:05 PM EDT. And here’s their full Opening Day roster.

Pitchers

• Nick Burdi
• Alex Carrillo
• Bryce Conley
• Daniel Duarte
• Carl Edwards
• Joey Gerber
• Ofreidy Gomez
• Dan Hammer
• Joe Jacques
• Ryan Lambert
• Jonathan Pintaro
• Anderson Severino
• Joander Suarez
• Jonah Tong
• Austin Warren
• Jack Wenninger

Catchers

• Hayden Senger
• Onix Vega

Infielders

• Christian Arroyo
• Ryan Clifford
• Jackson Cluff
• Yonny Hernández
• Ronny Mauricio
• José Rojas

Outfielders

• JiHwan Bae
• MJ Melendez
• Nick Morabito
• Cristian Pache

There’s another television vendor that will be carrying BravesVision. An actual cable-like streamer, FuboTV, is part of the BravesVision family.

FuboTV and Braves has agreed a multiyear partnership to carry BravesVision, the Braves’ owned and operated network. BravesVision will be available for the customers in Atlanta’s television footprint, which contains Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and western North Carolina.

FuboTV has undergone a multitude of changes in the last decade. They attempted to carry all sports channels from Fox, Disney, NBC, and Paramount. They were blocked via their cable partners from doing so. Then they sued when Fox, Disney, and Paramount attempted to build Venu, which was to combine all their sports offerings. Now Disney owns 70 percent of the streamer. The BravesVision addition may be a swipe at fellow cableish streamer YouTube, who hasn’t carried the Braves for about a half decade.

So this might be good news for those wishing to watch the Braves on YouTube TV. But for now, BravesVision is on FuboTV. The recent BravesVision announcements haven’t stated which tier or what the price point will be. But like Spectrum and Xfinity customers, you have your option.