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Welcome back to baseball that matters! It truly is the first day of spring when you can toss the red exhibition jerseys aside and play baseball for real. It’s Garrett Crochet ready to knit it up on the mound against an old friend in Tito and the Reds. Let’s play ball!

⚾️ First Pitch: 4:10pm ET — Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI

Earlier today, new manager Walt Weiss spoke with the media ahead of his debut as manager of the Atlanta Braves. We’ll have more to talk about later as far as quotes from him (and Chris Sale and Matt Olson as well) but for now, the biggest news of that presser is that we got a bit of an idea of what the lineup is going to look like tomorrow.

Weiss told the media that Drake Baldwin will be in the lineup as the DH for Opening Day against the Royals. Jonah Heim will be the starting catcher for Opening Day as well. This’ll be Heim’s first Opening Day start since 2024 when he was with the Texas Rangers and although he’s clearly being utilized in a bit of a depth situation while Sean Murphy continues to be on the mend, Heim should still be pretty excited about being the backstop for Opening Day.

This also means that Walt Weiss is going to try to get Baldwin’s bat in there as much as he possibly can as evidenced by the Designated Hitter appearance. This also means that he’s sticking to his guns when it comes to keeping Mike Yastrzemski from starting against lefties, as he would’ve been a prime candidate for the DH role heading into this season.

Walt Weiss also mentioned that Ronald Acuña Jr. would be batting leadoff and indicated that that’ll probably be where he stays. “First thing I said to him [in an office meeting] was ‘Do you want to hit first, second, or third?” So based on the fact that it now seems all-but-confirmed that Acuña will be leading off thanks to Weiss’s comments following that little question, it sure seems like Acuña will be at the top of the order as well and starting in right field.

So with just over 24 hours between now and the first game of the regular season, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what Walt Weiss’ first official lineup card as manager of the Braves will look like. We know Acuña will be leading off and batting first, we know Drake Baldwin will be DH’ing and we know that Jonah Heim will be catching. What do you think the rest of the lineup will look like?

The Dodgers second title defense begins in earnest tonight.

From the Grand Tour of 2025, which spanned three countries, two continents, and took every last day of the season — and then some — to this new campaign, with a traditional length Spring Training. What a luxury. The Dodgers had the best record in the Cactus League, which seems off because they did not have 28 ties, but whatever, I hope someone gave them a little cactus for the memes.

After seeing friends and acquaintances gripe about how much they spent on Opening Day tickets, I thought I would take a look. After seeing Loge tickets for over $500 directly from the team, I thought I would check the secondary market, starting with TickPick. I am not sponsored by them; I just abhor paying garbage fees if I can help it.

What I found did not surprise me in the least: one could look at a seat-map range for tonight’s game and be forgiven for thinking the postseason had already started. I have seen ticket prices ranging from $200 to $800 and more, depending on location.

For Opening Night, the Dodger tax is in full effect, with everyone paying like a road fan on Thursday. I have seen the groans and complaints as knowledge of prices has become more widespread. I had the following benign reaction to the news:

In my travels, I have long grown accustomed to paying out the nose for Dodgers tickets. With mild reductions to both the floor and ceiling of prices, I could swap tonight’s prices for games in San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York (both Queens and the Bronx), Seattle, West Sacramento, etc.

That assertion aside, I have full sympathy for anyone experiencing sticker shock. It stinks.

Granted, these prices are absolutely adorable compared to Game 1 of the 2025 season, but at least I had the good fortune to be in Tokyo when I plunked down the price of two used cars for my tickets to Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2025 campaign.

One consolation for the financial pain was that the games were an actual showcase international event that somehow spawned a mediocre documentary that one can literally start streaming on CNN’s streaming platform today. The Tokyo Series mattered, unlike the abomination that played out in San Francisco last night. The logic of “Netflix paid us money” is likely the only justification for starting the 2026 campaign with two literal also-rans.

Incidentally, the ticket for 2025’s Game 1 cost more than the ticket for 2025’s Game 179, albeit not by much. The sticker price for both tickets was comparable; it was just that capitalism (and the corresponding demand) exploded as planned.

Regardless, I understand the argument that the Dodgers have succeeded so much that they are now on the cusp or have started negatively affecting those who would just like to enjoy the ride: the casual fan.

The rush hour train is crowded

As someone who does not go to Los Angeles regularly, I do not find the influx of bandwagon and casual fans a big deal. Success breeds a party everyone wants to attend until they are priced out. No one wants to pay a premium price for games that do not, hence the modest attendance for the Freeway Series’ finale on March 24.

We do not have to rely on anecdotal evidence for this claim either. Michael Duarte of the California Post reported on March 19 about the booming prices of baseball tickets in 2026, focusing in part on how the Dodgers are leading the way:

Baseball is booming and so are the ticket prices. In 2026, ticket prices depend on where you sit and which team you’re watching.

Here in California, the divide isn’t subtle. It’s as large as the Grand Canyon.

The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t just lead Major League Baseball in ticket prices this year, they honestly belong in another economic category altogether.

The average minimum ticket price at Dodger Stadium sits at $76.57, nearly double the MLB average of $34.82…

…On average across the league, when the Dodgers come to town, the cheapest ticket in the ballpark jumps to $62.51. The only other team in that stratosphere is the rival Yankees.

Mr. Duarte is not exactly reporting breaking news here, especially as to the road front. Factor in the average ticket price, the $45 parking fee (unless you booked ahead of time, saving $5), the prices for food and drink (heaven forbid, alcohol), and one is looking at a several-hundred-dollar expenditure for a family of four or more to see the Dodgers in person.

It is widely believed that the Dodgers pulled in over $1 billion in revenue last year, topping the four-million mark in attendance for the first time in franchise history. Note that I did not say “profit,” but given the team’s perception problem, the distinction will likely be lost on most. I have harped on this point before: does the team need to extract every nickel and dime it can out of its fanbase?

Would a five-dollar hot dog, a refillable soda, and capping the prices of certain tickets really break the franchise and critically slow the Dodgers’ financial juggernaut?

Echoes of a bygone age

I remember when I was so broke that I could only cobble together the funds to go to a single game at Dodger Stadium a year. If you came back to tell me in 2012, after seeing Chris Capuano “pitch”, that 14 years later I would be working for a site I was then intermittently reading and going to 17 Dodgers games in seven cities, words fail me as to how badly I would handle that hypothetical social interaction.

I would probably see it as a unique form of bullying; that’s how broke I was during those days.

In baseball’s golden age, seating was seen as a great democratic (small d) equalizer, as you would have members of different social and economic classes jumbled together to watch baseball. That horse is so far gone from the figurative barn that it has died from old age from running free.

There is no going back; if you want a better view, you have to pay for it. Baseball teams have been catering to the 1% of earners, its whales, for a long time now.

A modest proposal

If I could change one thing about the operation of the Dodgers (I can’t) or if the Dodgers were interested in the public relations boon that would arise from following my advice (they are not and they will not), I would implement the following changes on ticket prices for the regular season going forward:

• No bleacher seat should cost more than $25 out the door.
• No upper deck seat should cost more than $40 out the door.

I am being entirely arbitrary, operating purely on the vibes, as the children say. I simply asked myself what 2012-me would have considered fair. If the Dodgers’ economic engine is wholly dedicated to running on the backs of those sitting in the literal cheap seats, so be it. But without looking into the team’s financial books, I suspect that all the corporate and sponsorship money, along with the media deal, are largely keeping the proverbial ship afloat.

Plus, imagine the public-relations bonanza if the team announced such a move; it would flummox the naysayers with a single announcement. Two additional steps would be needed to thwart scalpers and others who would seek to ruin a good thing. Oddly enough, one step comes from what I have seen other franchises do, and the other step comes from the Savannah Bananas, of all people.

This year, when obtaining my Phillies tickets directly from the team, they were initially geolocked to residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. I do not live in Pennsylvania, and I was prompted to call the ticket office. I did, and ten minutes later, after declaring that I was not a scalper and that I was only after one ticket for one game, the transaction was completed with nary a feather ruffled.

Generally, a setup like the one described above thwarts, or at least slows, the automated computer bot that can react faster than a human. The only way to ensure these tickets would not fall into the hands of mass sellers who would then feel free to raise the price as much as they want, to take a page from the Savannah Bananas, who were inspired by how music acts combat scalpers: by cutting out the middleman and becoming the only outlet to sell tickets.

Such measures would mean more work and less profit for the Dodgers, which is likely a non-starter. The situation seems likely to hit a breaking point with people’s finances, especially in a rapidly spiraling economy. Where that breaking point actually is is anyone’s guess.

Feedback on Dodger Stadium Express

For those going to games at Dodger Stadium in the next week or two, I would greatly appreciate feedback (posted in the comments of this essay or on BlueSky) on the wait times to get to and leave Dodger Stadium after games. There were changes implemented in the final third of the 2025 season, and I am working on a follow-up analysis essay for which I need to crowdsource anecdotal data, as I am physically unable to collect it myself.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

The beginning of the MLB season is always a time of hope. Other than a couple select teams (RIP Rockies, White Sox, et al) there is at least a chance they’ll make the playoffs, and that gives us all something in common. Sure, there are some teams far more likely, others nearly guaranteed, but we all have that hope.

Admittedly, that hope is hard to find at the beginning of this season if your a Diamondbacks fan. You’re looking at a team that failed by every objective measure in 2024, then did next to nothing to get better in the offseason. When your two biggest acquisitions are washed corner infielders and two pitchers that were on your team last season, it’s just not particularly inspiring. In fact, you could be forgiven if you think we actually got worse. Geno+ for Arenado isn’t exactly a trade most of us would make, if it were actually a trade. That’s before we get to the injuries that have already piled up.

Even beyond that, there are bigger picture reasons for a lack of hope. There is a distinct possibility, bordering on certainty, that this will be the end of MLB’s streak of no games lost to labor strife. So many factors are playing into it, including some that the Diamondbacks know well as members of the NL West. The environment the game occurs in has changed, but the game itself has largely stayed the same. That’s going to come to an end, and in a brutal, protracted way. That hurts the hope.

All that to say to feel less, or even no hope, at the start of this season is understandable. I’m the eternal optimist, so I still think we have a chance, but even for myself and my 92 win prediction… I get it. But let me take this time to remind us all that there is still a chance. Still a chance for this season, still a chance that MLB comes out stronger and healthier on the other side of the impending work stoppage, and maybe, just maybe, the Diamondbacks will find themselves on a more even footing with the multi-billion dollar investment groups that own other teams.

But now, the conjecture, the speculation ends. Baseball isn’t played on paper. It’s played on grass and turf and dirt. It’s time for baseball.

All stats from 2025. Game 2 and 3 Dodger starters are unconfirmed and projected by ESPN.

Game 1 – 3/26, 5:30 PM: Zac Gallen (13-15, 4.83 ERA/89 ERA+, 1.26 WHIP, 1.1 bWAR) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA/167 ERA+, 0.99 WHIP, 4.9 bWAR)

Zac Gallen has a lot to prove this season. He was untradeable at the deadline, unsignable in the offseason, and for good reason. He had an all time bad season. It was his worst personally, he was 45 worst by ERA in the entire league. He technically took less than the original qualifying offer to come back to the Diamondbacks on a one year deal. There is a lot on the line for him to show that he can reach the Cy Young finalist heights that he’s reached before, and much of the hope the Diamondbacks have is riding on him putting it all out there to get that contract he thinks he deserves. As far as that goes… well Merrill Kelly is already throwing bullpens, so we have a backup plan.

Yamamoto put together a stellar 2025 and more than earned his third place finish in the Cy Young voting. In another world, one where Paul Skenes doesn’t exist, he stood a decent chance at winning. His spring training has been much of the same, with an ERA just a tick higher than his last season. We all know that spring stats mean next to nothing, but personally I feel like if its just a continuation of what he did last season, it’s at least a decent sign. Going to be tough with him at the top of the Dodgers rotation again.

Game 2 – 3/27, 7:10 PM: Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.39 ERA/127 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP, 3.4 bWAR) vs. Emmet Sheehan (6-3 2.82 ERA/147 ERA+, 0.96 WHIP, 1.1 WAR)

It’s not a hard argument to make that Ryne Nelson has been the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks since about the trade deadline of the 2024 season, and finally that is being rewarded with being added to the opening day starting rotation. It’s been a long time coming, and many people said it should have been taken a step further with an Opening Day start, but at least it’s finally happened. Now it’s up to him to make it worth it. If he continues to pitch at the 3.16 ERA he had as a starter last year, he stands a good chance of again being the best pitcher on the team.

Emmet Sheehan missed the later part of the 2023 season, the entirety of the 2024 season, and just shy of the first half of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, like so many Dodgers players do. When he came back, he pitched very well for the Dodgers, again like so many players do, but struggled in the postseason as a reliever. Obviously it did not matter much, however. Thanks at least in part to Blake Snell starting the season on the IL, Sheehan will once again be starting for the Dodgers and will look to continue what he had going during the 2025 regular season.

Game 3 – 3/28, 6:10 PM: Eduardo Rodriguez (9-9, 5.02 ERA/86 ERA+, 1.54 WHIP, 0.4 bWAR) vs. Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.19 ERA/130 ERA+, 1.09 WHIP, 1.9 bWAR)

Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off a great World Baseball Classic, and I for one hope that experiencing winning baseball that he was a large part of will jump start the bounce back season we’ve been hoping for from him since, well, he joined the Diamondbacks. It’s been a rough road for him, and at no point has he lived up to the pretty hefty contract he was given by Hazen and the Diamondbacks. If, somehow, he were able to put it together and pitch even to an average result, it would go a long way to the Diamondbacks being Wild Card contenders this season. As a side note, I do find it interesting that the team did actually have a winning record in his starts in 2025. Just speaks volumes about how good the offense really was.

Glasnow is another oft injured Dodger pitcher, though that started long before his tenure in Los Angels. Last season he only pitched 90 innings for them, after suffering a shoulder injury in late April that took a while to come back from, and in 2024 it was an elbow sprain. When he actually takes the field, however, he is a good pitcher, having not had an ERA+ lower than 114 in his last five seasons. The only question for him is his health.

Conclusion

The scheduling gods are wasting no time in seeing what the Diamondbacks are made of. If their players and the team as a whole are going to have a bounce back season, it will have to start from the very first pitch. All roads to the playoffs have to go through the Dodgers, might as well get it started sooner rather than later.

Am I confident in this series? Not particularly, but hopefully they can prove me and the many other doubters wrong. I say they go 1-2, however. Go Dbacks!

The beginning of the MLB season is always a time of hope. Other than a couple select teams (RIP Rockies, White Sox, et al) there is at least a chance they’ll make the playoffs, and that gives us all something in common. Sure, there are some teams far more likely, others nearly guaranteed, but we all have that hope.

Admittedly, that hope is hard to find at the beginning of this season if your a Diamondbacks fan. You’re looking at a team that failed by every objective measure in 2024, then did next to nothing to get better in the offseason. When your two biggest acquisitions are washed corner infielders and two pitchers that were on your team last season, it’s just not particularly inspiring. In fact, you could be forgiven if you think we actually got worse. Geno+ for Arenado isn’t exactly a trade most of us would make, if it were actually a trade. That’s before we get to the injuries that have already piled up.

Even beyond that, there are bigger picture reasons for a lack of hope. There is a distinct possibility, bordering on certainty, that this will be the end of MLB’s streak of no games lost to labor strife. So many factors are playing into it, including some that the Diamondbacks know well as members of the NL West. The environment the game occurs in has changed, but the game itself has largely stayed the same. That’s going to come to an end, and in a brutal, protracted way. That hurts the hope.

All that to say to feel less, or even no hope, at the start of this season is understandable. I’m the eternal optimist, so I still think we have a chance, but even for myself and my 92 win prediction… I get it. But let me take this time to remind us all that there is still a chance. Still a chance for this season, still a chance that MLB comes out stronger and healthier on the other side of the impending work stoppage, and maybe, just maybe, the Diamondbacks will find themselves on a more even footing with the multi-billion dollar investment groups that own other teams.

But now, the conjecture, the speculation ends. Baseball isn’t played on paper. It’s played on grass and turf and dirt. It’s time for baseball.

All stats from 2025. Game 2 and 3 Dodger starters are unconfirmed and projected by ESPN.

Game 1 – 3/26, 5:30 PM: Zac Gallen (13-15, 4.83 ERA/89 ERA+, 1.26 WHIP, 1.1 bWAR) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA/167 ERA+, 0.99 WHIP, 4.9 bWAR)

Zac Gallen has a lot to prove this season. He was untradeable at the deadline, unsignable in the offseason, and for good reason. He had an all time bad season. It was his worst personally, he was 45 worst by ERA in the entire league. He technically took less than the original qualifying offer to come back to the Diamondbacks on a one year deal. There is a lot on the line for him to show that he can reach the Cy Young finalist heights that he’s reached before, and much of the hope the Diamondbacks have is riding on him putting it all out there to get that contract he thinks he deserves. As far as that goes… well Merrill Kelly is already throwing bullpens, so we have a backup plan.

Yamamoto put together a stellar 2025 and more than earned his third place finish in the Cy Young voting. In another world, one where Paul Skenes doesn’t exist, he stood a decent chance at winning. His spring training has been much of the same, with an ERA just a tick higher than his last season. We all know that spring stats mean next to nothing, but personally I feel like if its just a continuation of what he did last season, it’s at least a decent sign. Going to be tough with him at the top of the Dodgers rotation again.

Game 2 – 3/27, 7:10 PM: Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.39 ERA/127 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP, 3.4 bWAR) vs. Emmet Sheehan (6-3 2.82 ERA/147 ERA+, 0.96 WHIP, 1.1 WAR)

It’s not a hard argument to make that Ryne Nelson has been the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks since about the trade deadline of the 2024 season, and finally that is being rewarded with being added to the opening day starting rotation. It’s been a long time coming, and many people said it should have been taken a step further with an Opening Day start, but at least it’s finally happened. Now it’s up to him to make it worth it. If he continues to pitch at the 3.16 ERA he had as a starter last year, he stands a good chance of again being the best pitcher on the team.

Emmet Sheehan missed the later part of the 2023 season, the entirety of the 2024 season, and just shy of the first half of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, like so many Dodgers players do. When he came back, he pitched very well for the Dodgers, again like so many players do, but struggled in the postseason as a reliever. Obviously it did not matter much, however. Thanks at least in part to Blake Snell starting the season on the IL, Sheehan will once again be starting for the Dodgers and will look to continue what he had going during the 2025 regular season.

Game 3 – 3/28, 6:10 PM: Eduardo Rodriguez (9-9, 5.02 ERA/86 ERA+, 1.54 WHIP, 0.4 bWAR) vs. Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.19 ERA/130 ERA+, 1.09 WHIP, 1.9 bWAR)

Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off a great World Baseball Classic, and I for one hope that experiencing winning baseball that he was a large part of will jump start the bounce back season we’ve been hoping for from him since, well, he joined the Diamondbacks. It’s been a rough road for him, and at no point has he lived up to the pretty hefty contract he was given by Hazen and the Diamondbacks. If, somehow, he were able to put it together and pitch even to an average result, it would go a long way to the Diamondbacks being Wild Card contenders this season. As a side note, I do find it interesting that the team did actually have a winning record in his starts in 2025. Just speaks volumes about how good the offense really was.

Glasnow is another oft injured Dodger pitcher, though that started long before his tenure in Los Angels. Last season he only pitched 90 innings for them, after suffering a shoulder injury in late April that took a while to come back from, and in 2024 it was an elbow sprain. When he actually takes the field, however, he is a good pitcher, having not had an ERA+ lower than 114 in his last five seasons. The only question for him is his health.

Conclusion

The scheduling gods are wasting no time in seeing what the Diamondbacks are made of. If their players and the team as a whole are going to have a bounce back season, it will have to start from the very first pitch. All roads to the playoffs have to go through the Dodgers, might as well get it started sooner rather than later.

Am I confident in this series? Not particularly, but hopefully they can prove me and the many other doubters wrong. I say they go 1-2, however. Go Dbacks!

The Los Angeles Dodgers open the 2026 MLB season as reigning back-to-back champions. According to their new Opening Day video, narrated by a famous fan, they also open as this season's definitive 'bad guy' to kick off the proceedings.

While hope is high across MLB, the boos will be at the ready for any opposing fan base for the boys in blue. The Dodgers, along with the rest of the league, released hype videos to excite their respective fan bases. For LA, the goal was to also fan the flames of vitriol.

"What's wrong with being the bad guy," actor and longtime Dodgers fan Jason Bateman wonders. "If being the best makes you bad, then so be it."

The Dodgers won their Secon d World Series in a row after besting the Toronto Blue Jays in an unforgettable Fall Classic.

LA has not only won the World Series in three of the last six seasons but has also been to the playoffs in 13 consecutive years. Predicted to take the NL West again, that streak is expected to continue with roster additions like Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz.

How to watch Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks

• When: Thursday, March 26, 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT)
• Where: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Peacock, Fubo

Dodgers projected starting lineup

P: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

C: Will Smith

1B: Freddie Freeman

2B: Miguel Rojas

3B:  Max Muncy

SS: Mookie Betts

LF: Teoscar Hernandez

CF: Andy Pages

RF: Kyle Tucker

DH: Shohei Ohtani

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA Dodgers embrace MLB villain narrative with Opening Day hype video

With reigning NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes on the mound and a host of offseason hitting acquisitions bolstering the lineup, preseason optimism was high in Pittsburgh.

It took less than one inning for that bubble to burst on Opening Day in Queens.

The Pirates, with Skenes staked to a 2-0 lead on newcomer Brandon Lowe's first-inning homer, imploded in the bottom of the inning as the New York Mets scored five runs and knocked Skenes out of the game after he threw 37 pitches and recorded only two outs.

It was the shortest outing of Skenes' professional career.

To be fair, Skenes' struggles weren't entirely his fault.

Brett Baty CLEARS THE BASES 😤

The @Mets are making some noise on #OpeningDay 💪 pic.twitter.com/Jwusemrx9E

— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2026

After issuing a leadoff walk to Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and a softly hit single to center by Juan Soto, he gave up a routine fly ball that plated a run.

First Chuck: 2:05 PM CDT (click here each week for a new anthem!)

The Tube: Twins.TV

The Dial: Treasure Island Baseball Network

Spies ‘R Us: Camden Chat

If you weren’t around this past offseason—and no judgement here—you missed our community Back to The Future discussion. When it comes to the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles clashing before May flowers spring from April showers, Old Biff sums things up nicely…

Since the year 2000, the Twins & Orioles have clashed 9 times (’00, ‘07, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘16, ‘18, ‘19, & ‘24) at either locale before the very merry month of May. I’m not sure if that is statistically significant, but it certainly seems like it is! Overall, our crew is 13-15 in these early-season Orange Bird contests.

A couple of the highlights…

• ’07: Behind some Justin Morneau HRs, Joe Mauer 2Bs, and wins from Johan Santana, Pat Neshek, & Ramon Ortiz, the Twins swept the O’s at the Dome to open the season.

• ’19: The Bomba Squad was born in a late-April Camden Yards clash, with the Twins blasting 11 bombas in a three-game sweep.

Of course, sometimes it hasn’t gone so well when the other guys are in Oriole Orange…

• ’12: MN opened the season in BAL and clocked just five runs in three games—an Oriole sweep.

• ’16: As you’ve already seen, the Total System Failure (TM) campaign kicked off with three debilitating losses on the banks of the Patapsco River.
• ’24: In their defense of the ‘23 AL Central title, the Twins were tripped up in Baltimore with a close loss, a blowout loss, and a walk-off loss.

Here we are again with another Twins/Orioles early season collision. Let’s see if our visiting boys of summer can start the 2026 campaign off on the right foot by clipping the wings of these Icterus Galbula!

Lineups

(I’m often out walking or busy right up ‘til first pitch and last-minute lineup inputs stress me out—so, a clickety-click above will give you the pecking orders provided to the robotscyborgs Men in Blue)

Spring training is over, the bunting at Camden Yards has been hung, and a new season of Orioles baseball is just about to start. No matter the quality of the team on the field, or the outcome of the game, Opening Day in Baltimore is a special. The 2026 iteration is shaping up to be particularly lovely.

You couldn’t ask for better weather for the occasion. Temperatures are expected to sit in the mid-70s for the duration of the game, and any winds in the area should be mild. If you are fortunate enough to be at the Yard, you are in for a treat.

Craig Albernaz’s first lineup as Orioles manager is about what you would have expected. Taylor Ward is your lead off hitter, as was teased throughout the spring. Both Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are in the lineup. Mr. Opening Day, Tyler O’Neill, begins the day in right field, where he looks to extend his home run streak on the first day of the season to seven years in a row. Blaze Alexander starts at second baseman.

That gives us a bench of Dylan Beavers, Jeremiah Jackson, Ryan Mountcastle, and Leody Taveras. That’s decent versatility to shore up a potential win later on.

We know Trevor Rogers will start the day on the bump, and if the Orioles have a lead late we can expect Ryan Helsley in the ninth. The bridge between the two, however, is a complete mystery at this moment. My best guess would be some combination of Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, and Tyler Wells, but that is based on nothing but vibes. Hopefully Albernaz has a more analytic-based plan in place.

Alright, enough talk! The road to the playoffs starts today. Let’s get it going with a win!

Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Gunnar Henderson, SS
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Adley Rutschman, C
5. Samuel Basallo, DH
6. Tyler O’Neill, RF
7. Colton Cowser, CF
8. Coby Mayo, 3B
9. Blaze Alexander, 2B

LHP Trevor Rogers (9-3, 1.81 ERA in 2025)

Yankees lineup

1. Austin Martin, LF
2. Byron Buxton, CF
3. Luke Keaschall, 2B
4. Ryan Jeffers, C
5. Matt Wallner, RF
6. Josh Bell, DH
7. Victor Caratini, 1B
8. Royce Lewis, 3B
9. Brooks Lee, SS

RHP Joe Ryan (13-10, 3.42 ERA in 2025)

Opening Day in Cincinnati has finally arrived!

After a long winter where we were left to ponder whether the Cincinnati Reds, who actually snuck into the playoffs for a minute in 2025, were going to take a giant leap forward in 2026 as their roster entered a fourth full year together post-rebuild. Today, we get the first glimpse of how this club has been constructed, as Andrew Abbott toes the rubber for his first Opening Day start with the mighty Boston Red Sox in town.

Boston, it should be noted, is pretty loaded this year. FanGraphs projects them to win 86 games in 2026, and only five clubs are projected to win more. Much of that optimism stems from their deep starting rotation, one that’s fronted by 2025 American League Cy Young Award runner-up Garrett Crochet, who will start on Thursday in Great American Ball Park against the Reds.

Today’s game will be viewable via Reds.TV, as the Reds are no longer in partnership with the shambles that was FanDuel Sports Ohio (previously Bally Sports Ohio). If you don’t have that, though, there’s a chance your cable provider or DirecTV may have them – hat tip to Redleg Nation for doing a deep dive on this over the last 24 hours. If you are out of market, you should be able to watch this one through MLB.tv.

First pitch is slated for 4:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up on the day:

Welcome to 2026, folks. Go Reds!

The success of the 2026 San Diego Padres may hinge on the contributions from players beyond those on the Opening Day roster. Injuries to a team’s starting lineup are tough hurdles to clear in a given season.

Bowen was the Spring Training breakout star

One player who has an inside track for an in-season minor league call-up is Spring Training phenom Jase Bowen. His signing was not a blockbuster move; it may not even register on your smartphone’s breaking news alerts. Bowen came to Peoria as a non-roster invitee competing for the fourth outfielder position. 

No question, he outplayed Bryce Johnson by hitting .296 with four home runs and 11 RBI, which led all Padres this spring. Unclear where the power surge came from, it may have been temporary. Bowen has only 73 home runs in his seven-year minor league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Adding some pop to his approach at the plate is highly unlikely. He has only 188 career extra-base hits to his name. 

Despite all the positives, it was not enough to earn a roster spot. Instead, Bowen will begin his 2026 season with the Friars’ Triple-A affiliate, El Paso Chihuahuas.

Padres found a versatile bench player

Bowen is very versatile, as he can play all three outfield positions, as well as first and second base. Talent evaluators believe center field is his best position because they grade him as an above-average defender. The type of versatility he offers will help to give Padres first-year manager Craig Stammen some lineup flexibility. 

Selected by the Pirates in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Bowen was viewed as a promising prospect. Scouts deemed him to be very athletic, as the former Michigan State commit brought a football mentality to the diamond.

For Bowen, it is all about getting on base, as he posted a .733 OPS in his minor league career. Speed could be his greatest value at the big league level. 

Bowen has 114 stolen bases in 586 minor league games. The Friars could use an exceptional pinch-runner, especially late in close, one-run games. His aggressive running style puts him in scoring position without the need for a sacrifice.

Preller unearths minor league gems

The recent trades of Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller have forced him to upgrade the minor league system quietly. The organization expects to compete for a postseason berth, and having major league-ready talent in Triple-A will improve their chances.

Give credit to Preller’s staff for scouting other teams and identifying those prospects who might make a difference in San Diego if they were to become available. Some additions address positional needs, while others capitalize on acquiring talent surpluses elsewhere. It allows the Friars to stockpile players that could be used as trade bait at the deadline.

There are plenty of doubts about whether Bowen’s skills will translate at the major league level. But at 25, he is young enough to become baseball’s next late bloomer.