ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 29: Didier Fuentes #72 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, that didn’t take long — after Didier Fuentes saved the bullpen with his efforts in a loss to the Royals, he’s going down for a fresh arm in Martin Perez:
The #Braves today selected LHP Martín Pérez to the major league roster after optioning RHP Didier Fuentes to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game.
Fuentes looked quite good against the Royals, striking out four and walking one in four frames of lower-leverage work. The Braves may have him work his way back into the Gwinnett rotation for purposes of being a starter sooner rather than later this season — or maybe his fate is to be an effective but yo-yoed arm as the pitching staff falls into place (or further falls apart).
Perez did not make the Opening Day roster, but will be around to either take Tuesday’s start against the Athletics, or serve in a similar “save the bullpen, Josh Tomlin memorial role” as Fuentes managed on Sunday afternoon. Perez has a career 100/103/107 line over 1,600-plus career innings and has served as a generic fifth starter for the last three years.
The San Diego Padres, ranked second in the NL West, will host the San Francisco Giants, ranked fifth in their division, on Monday. The Padres have a 1-2 record this season and are favored with a moneyline of -115. Walker Buehler will start for San Diego, facing San Francisco's Landen Roupp.
How to Watch San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres
The Los Angeles Dodgers, currently ranked first in the NL West with a 3-0 record, host the Cleveland Guardians, who are 2-2 and ranked second in the AL Central. The Dodgers are favored with a -200 moneyline and a -1.5 spread. Starting pitchers are Cleveland's Parker Messick and Los Angeles' Roki Sasaki.
How to Watch Cleveland Guardians vs Los Angeles Dodgers
NC State has found its replacement for Will Wade. The Wolfpack are hiring former NC State guard Justin Gainey as their new basketball head coach, three people with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday, March 29 and Monday, March 30.
Gainey, who just wrapped his fifth season on Rick Barnes' Tennessee staff Sunday when the Vols lost to No. 1 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight, interviewed in person with NC State officials Saturday in Chicago, sources confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The news was first reported by On3's Mike Wilson.
The sources spoke on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Boo Corrigan, NC State's athletics director, has spearheaded the search to find Wade's replacement since Wade left in the days after the Wolfpack's NCAA Tournament First Four loss to Texas.
The NC State contingent met Saturday with Gainey in Chicago, where Tennessee was between games in the Midwest Region.
A Greensboro, N.C., native, Gainey starred for the Wolfpack from 1996-2000, being named a team captain as a senior and then spent his first four seasons as a collegiate staff at his alma mater from 2006-09.
A candidate at NC State during the last search that resulted in the hiring of Wade, Gainey also has served as the associate head coach at Marquette (2020-21) and for the past four of his five years at Tennessee.
He is considered a particularly strong developer of guards and is credited with helping eight players become NBA draft picks during his past six seasons as a collegiate assistant.
Gainey's previous coaching stops also include Elon, Appalachian State, Arizona and Santa Clara.
"We thought we had someone that came in last year to lead our men's basketball program," said Coorigan, who a year ago fired Kevin Keatts after his eight seasons at the helm included a 2024 Final Four appearance. "Over the course of the last year, we developed a relationship that I believe was based on trust and accountability.
"There were a number of different conversations that had occurred over the past year involving our program, the landscape, and everything else — including Tuesday evening (March 24) for two hours to talk about the entire program, scheduling, the players, the staff, and everything that goes into that."
We kick off the first full week of MLB action with all 30 teams in action today, and prediction markets like Kalshi allow baseball bettors in every state (excluding Nevada) a chance to lock in their favorite MLB best bets.
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Josh Inglis' expert pick: Yankees moneyline
Price: 51¢ (-104) at Kalshi
The New York Yankees come in well-rested after a sweep of the Giants, allowing just one total run in that series. They stay on the West Coast to face the Seattle Mariners, and there won’t be many spots this season where they’re priced this cheaply. THE BAT projects a fair price closer to -120, creating value at the current number. New York also holds edges offensively and in the later innings, with a bullpen that has thrown 11 scoreless innings and enters fully rested.
Jon Metler's expert pick: Red Sox moneyline
Price: 53¢ (-113) at Kalshi
Kalshi has the Red Sox priced at 53%, but I make them closer to a 56% favorite, so there’s value on this number. The matchup sets up well for Boston: Lance McCullers Jr. is on the mound for the Astros, and command has always been an issue for him. Against a lineup with Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran at the top — both capable of working deep counts and drawing walks — that lack of control could quickly turn into traffic on the bases. There’s some natural concern with Daikin Park’s short porch in left field, especially with a left-handed pitcher facing a righty-heavy Astros lineup, but Ranger Suárez profiles well here as a ground-ball pitcher, which helps neutralize that ballpark factor and limit the damage.
Joe Osborne's expert pick: Rays/Brewers Over 7.5
Price: 54¢ (-117) at Kalshi
Both offenses have come out flying to start the season, combining to score 52 runs while ranking first and fourth in wRC+. That has resulted in a combined 5-1 record to the Over, and I like the high-scoring pattern to continue with an unimpressive starting pitching matchup highlighted by Nick Martinez, who got destroyed in three appearances vs. the Brewers last season. Throw in a Rays bullpen that's been obliterated so far, and we've got a great recipe for a high-scoring game.
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[SI] What D-backs Brutal Dodger Stadium Sweep Told Us — And What it Didn’t – Surprisingly enough, the D-backs’ bullpen has not been as poor as one might think. Outside of the blowup inning by Taylor Clarke in game one, the D-backs relief corps gave up three runs in 10 innings — certainly not a terrible result against an All-Star-filled lineup. But they also coughed up leads in back-to-back games. The overall output may not have been as bad as it could have, but the timing was as bad as possible. The question will be how this under-constructed unit can perform against less-proficient offenses.
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks 1st home series features 2-time defending Cy Young star – The Diamondbacks are 24-22 all-time against the Detroit Tigers, a team they have faced more than most others in the American League. For several years in the early years of interleague play, the Tigers were the Diamondbacks’ “natural rival” in the AL. Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, is expected to pitch the series finale on Wednesday, April 1. In his one career outing against the Diamondbacks, Skubal fired six innings of one-hit, shutout ball in a start in 2024. Skubal was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks but did not sign.
[Arizona Sports] How often have the Diamondbacks started a season 0-3? – “I just feel like we have a really good battle. We end up losing all three games, but I feel like the last two games, we have a really good battle and that’s something we’ve got to take. Sometimes you’ve got to take the good and the bad, and we lost two games when we had a chance to win it,” pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez said. “I did not think we would be coming home 0-3, but we are,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ve got to understand why it happened, accept why it happened, get better and get ready for a very spirited Monday, Opening Day.”
And, elsewhere…
[MLB] Well, it’s almost April, so time for our annual overreactions – “Two days ago, we were very excited about ABS. And today, we’re not too happy with it.” – Alex Cora, after his team ran out of challenges in a loss to the Reds. You had to figure we’d see an early situation in which a team uses up its challenges prematurely and pays for it. That’s precisely what happened when the Red Sox lost to the Reds on an 11th-inning walk-off single Saturday. Though the Sox got a challenge for each inning of extras, they ran out of their regulation challenges in the third inning. It hurt them in such a close game, as there were multiple situations in which a challenge would have been beneficial.
[CBS Sports] Why Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s ‘parity’ comments matter with potential MLB lockout looming – “Here’s what the problem is: Money helps us win. We can’t win all the time. We’ve got to have some parity. So we’ve got to come up with something that will give us some parity.” The sport has countless examples of teams that spend and don’t wind up hoisting the trophy. Accuracy, though, isn’t the point. The point is that Walter has plainly communicated that the Dodgers are on board with whatever changes come out of the wash. Presumably, the “something” to which Walter refers is a salary cap on team payrolls.
Twins manager Derek Shelton was LIVID as he argued that Ryan Helsley didn't challenge this call fast enough pic.twitter.com/NnsgUb3iap
[Yahoo] Twins manager Derek Shelton ejected after arguing ABS challenge during loss to Orioles in MLB first – Twins POS Josh Bell initially drew a walk, which would have made him the game-tying run with just one out in the ninth inning of the contest. But Orioles closer Ryan Helsley called for the challenge, which quickly determined that his last pitch was in fact a strike, though just barely. So just like that, as it was already a full count, Bell was instead called out. But Shelton erupted after the challenge was allowed to go through, and he came out screaming at the umpires. That led to a pretty quick ejection.
Pretty Lethal
Rating: C+ Dir: Vicky Jewson Star: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Uma Thurman, Tamás Szabó Sipos
This is all adequately entertaining nonsense. Disbelief obviously needs to be suspended as you watch 90-pound girls beat up men twice their size. At least there is some effort put in to making them, in the main, use their agility and flexibility, rather brute force. There’s some cool stuff with razor blades, embedded into ballet slippers or taped to fingertips, which works well. Though the sequence I enjoyed most was the one where they went full corps de ballet on Pasha’s men. It’s impossible to take seriously, yet is done with so much inventive energy I was left with a big, goofy grin on my face. Shame there wasn’t more. It’s certainly lighter in tone – and likely more entertaining – than director Jewson’s previous GWG entry, Close, with Noomi Rapace.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 20: Francisco Lindor #12 and Kodai Senga #34 of the New York Mets talk during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming off a series victory in their opening weekend in front of the Flushing Faithful, the Mets (2-1) look to keep bring that same energy on the road as they face the Cardinals (2-1). New York took four of six from St. Louis in 2025, including a sweep at Citi Field in April. They won their first game at Busch Stadium in May, but they were swept in a doubleheader two days later.
The Mets started the year by taking two out of three against the Pirates. Opening Day saw the introduction of a lot of new faces, and they all contributed in some capacity in an 11-7 victory over Pittsburgh. The Mets got hits from everyone except Bo Bichette, who did drive in the first run in the season on a sac fly. Everyone drove in a run except Francisco Lindor, who scored three runs. Carson Benge, after two at-bats in which he struck out and looked overmatched, homered for his first major league hit and RBI, and stole a base later in the game for good measure. Freddy Peralta got a win in his first start as a Met despite not looking as sharp as we’re accustomed to. For good measure, the Mets scored five runs in the first and chased Paul Skenes from the game after 2/3 of an inning, a first in the career of the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, as he was showered with jeers and waves while walking off the mound. All that made for a festive and happy Opening Day at Citi Field.
The other two games were a little more uneven, as the Mets won 4-2 on Saturday in walk-off fashion but fell 4-3 on Sunday in extra innings. The offense, which went 11-for-34 (.324) on Thursday and went 5-f0r-15 with RISP, was much less impressive in these two games, albeit it facing much colder temperatures. The lineup, which looked different each of the three games, went 6-for-35 on Saturday and 9-for-37 on Sunday. They also went 3-for-14 while leaving nine on base in Saturday’s win and followed that up with a 2-for-10 performance with eight left on base in Sunday’s defeat. Saturday’s game remained scoreless into the ninth, and after the teams traded runs in the tenth, the Pirates jumped ahead in the tenth before a dramatic, three-run walk-off home run off the bat of Luis Robert Jr. Sunday’s game went into extras tied at two, but the Pirates scored two runs. Juan Soto, who drove in a run earlier in the game, hit a gapper that scored the extra runner, but Lindor, who walked in the inning, was thrown out at home. Win some, lose some.
It was a mixed bag for the newbies on opening weekend. Robert was the clear standout, with highlights including his ten-pitch at-bat against Skenes, his aforementioned walk-off, and his two hits on Sunday. He looked to have the star power to handle the New York spotlight. Bichette, meanwhile, recorded just one hit and the sac fly while striking out eight times in 14 official at-bats, which is not we’re used to seeing from Bichette. The defense was also a mixed bag, as both Bichette and Jorge Polanco, manning new positions, made some nice plays and also messed up some seemingly routine plays. These are the growing pains fans can expect to endure over a 162-game season with a relatively new roster and players undergoing both a chance of scenery in terms of city and the position they play on the field.
Speaking of growing pains, the Cardinals are a very different team from the one fans have come to expect. The team has unloaded a lot of veterans that have become staples of their roster, including Nolan Arenado (traded to the Diamondbacks), Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras (both traded to the Red Sox), and Brendan Donovan (traded to the Mariners). The club was mainly quiet on impact moves, signing Dustin May, Ramón Urías, and old friend Ryne Stanek on one-year contracts.
As a result, St. Louis enters this the 2026 season with a relatively young team. In fact, every member of their starting eight is under 30 years old, something that has not happened in St. Louis since the 1944 season. The early results were mostly positive, as they took two out of three against the Rays at home to kick off 2026—like the Mets, they won the first two before dropping the series finale. St. Louis, who finished last season 79-83 and have missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons, will look to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1958-1959 (a stat that is almost impossible to believe if Gary Cohen had not referenced it on Sunday’s broadcast).
Mets fans will get their first professional look at JJ Wetherholt, whom St. Louis drafted seventh overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Wetherholt, who was ranked No. 5 by MLB Pipeline heading into the season, made the team out of spring training and homered in his second career at-bat, a third inning solo shot off Drew Rasmussen. The 23-year-old recorded four hits, four runs batted in, and two runs scored in his first three games big league games.
Monday, March 30: Clay Holmes vs. Kyle Leahy, 7:45 PM EDT on SNY
Holmes’ 2025 season was an experiment that worked out as well as can be expected for both parties. The right-hander, who enjoyed elite seasons as a late-inning high-leverage reliever (and closer), signed a three-year deal to transition to starting pitching, and rewarded his organization with 165 2/3 innings and a team-leading 12 wins. He slowed down a bit in the later stages of the year as his workload increased well beyond his career norms, but the gamble paid off well.
The 28-year-old right-hander set career highs in innings and appearances (62) for St. Louis last year and has been selected to the Opening Day roster for the second consecutive season. Last year, he was mostly utilized as a reliever and set a career-best with a 1.6 bWAR. He did make one start last year, in his final appearance of the year on September 28. In that outing against the Cubs, he hurled three shutout frames while holding Chicago to one hit.
Tuesday, March 31: Kodai Senga vs. Andre Pallante, 7:45 PM EDT on SNY
You could make a serious case for Senga being the most important player on the Mets this year. When he’s at his best, he brings ace-like talent with one of the sickest pitches in the league. The key for the right-hander is remaining healthy, something he alluded to early on in spring training. He looked like a Cy Young candidate early in the 2025 season, but following an injury in his June 12 outing, he missed time and could not recapture that dominance, so his final stats on the season don’t quite tell the full story. He looked terrific this spring, posting a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings across his three Grapefruit League appearances. He posted a 0.72 WHIP and limited opponents to a .176 batting average.
Pallante endured the worst season of his four-year career, posting a -1.1 bWAR in 31 starts for St. Louis last year after finishing with a positive bWAR in each of his first three seasons. Along with the unsightly 5.31 ERA, he led the league with 12 wild pitches and posted a 1.45 WHIP. He’s also not somebody who will strike out a lot of batters while issuing a lot of free passes—his 15.5% K% was the worst among the 50 starting pitchers in the NL with at least 160 innings pitched, while his 8.9% BB% is 13th from the bottom among starters with the same number of innings. That’s not a good combination and will lead to those subpar results.
Wednesday, April 1: Freddy Peralta vs. Matthew Liberatore, 1:15 PM EDT on SNY
Peralta earned a win in his Mets debut despite allowing four earned runs in five innings. His numbers are worse than his actual performance, as the two home runs he allowed (both to Brandon Lowe), were wind-aided, specifically the one he gave up in the first inning. The biggest positive is Peralta striking out seven while not issuing a walk. Peralta is no stranger to St. Louis, having faced them 20 times in his career, including 16 starts. He owns a 4.67 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings against them.
Liberatore earned the win on Opening Day for the Cardinals as they took on the Rays. He went five innings and allowed one earned run on seven hits while striking out two and walking two. He reached 78 pitches in the outing and threw 49 of them for strikes. Liberatore set career-bests for the Cardinals in 2025, making 29 starts and hurling 151 2/3 innings and striking out 122 while setting a career-high with eight wins to go along with a 1.0 bWAR.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: Carlos Estevez #53 of the Kansas City Royals pitches in the ninth inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the most consistent storylines in the Kansas City Royals world this spring was about their closer, Carlos Estévez. Looking out of sorts for the duration of Spring Training, Estévez threw an uneven five innings where he walked more batters than he struck out and gave up three home runs and four runs overall. Most notably, Estévez’s fastball velocity was way down; whereas he averaged about 96 MPH on his heater last year, he was struggling to hit 90 prior in Spring Training and during the World Baseball Classic.
But the Royals were not worried. General manager JJ Picollo told the Kansas City Star that they knew that Estévez ramped up slowly in the spring and that they had confidence he would be ready when the season began.
“It’s hard not to notice it but we also had the experience of last year, and we went through the same thing,” Picollo said Thursday in a phone interview. “And I think last year we were a little bit more nervous about it, because we hadn’t been with him before.
“But not only did he tell us that this is how he always starts in spring training, but the other clubs he had been with, our coaches called their coaches and asked, ‘Is this normal?’ And they confirmed it for us.
“So while you would like to see him more in the 91-92 range right now, this is exactly where he was last year.”
Last year, the Royals brought in Estévez in a free agent deal to shore up the bullpen, and Estévez ended up leading the entire league with 42 saves. So with confidence in his ability to get his control and velocity back, the Royals gave Estévez the first save opportunity of the year on Saturday.
It did not go well.
From the jump, Estévez looked bad. He struggled mightily to find the zone, throwing pitches that were way outside or straight down the middle; he tossed 27 pitches, and only 12 were strikes. Estévez walked a pair, struck out no one, and gave up four hits.
And his fastball velocity? Or, well, his velocity in general? Way, way down, with a fastball 4.7 MPH slower than last year and a changeup 5.6 MPH slower than last year.
“I trust and believe in him 100%,” catcher Salvador Perez said. “It’s just a bad one. I think he is going to figure out what’s going on, and it’s going to be better for us. He did it last year.”
A drop in spring velocity wasn’t new for Estévez, and all spring he maintained he felt good, confident the velocity would return with adrenaline. The Royals echoed that statement and put their faith in Estévez’s veteran track record…
…“We talked about it a lot – we hope the velocity comes,” Quatraro said. “That’s a big difference from throwing 91 to 97-98 like he does. You can have a lot more margin for error that way. But we’re not going to run from him.”
Now, the Royals wouldn’t and shouldn’t throw Estévez under the bus here publicly, especially after only one outing (awful as it may be). And you could argue that it’s just the early part of the season and that there’s still time for everything to work out.
That could still be true! But what makes this frustrating is that, like, come on, the Royals should have known better.
Kansas City clearly knows about Estévez’s low velocity at the beginning of the year. They are aware that he starts slowly and have firsthand knowledge of this. Last year, Estévez blew two saves and walked nine batters—18.4% of total batters faced—in his first 10 games and 11 innings worth of work. Furthermore, they knew that his velocity dip this year was worse than it was last year.
And after all of this, the Royals chose Estévez to single-handedly take on the heart of the Braves order in his first outing of the year. Quatraro did not have anybody warming up in the pen at any point. The team did not use the line drive comebacker to his leg as an opportunity to yank him out of there when it was clear he didn’t have the juice. They just left him in to wear it, and wear it he did.
The other factor here is Estévez’s baseline performance from last year. Last year, his velocity had fallen nearly a full MPH from 2024, and he also posted the lowest strikeout rate of his career. His batting average on balls in play was an extraordinarily low .234, and he allowed the fewest home run rate of his entire career. All of this meant that his xFIP—a stat that tells how many runs per nine innings he should have given up based on expected walks, strikeouts, and home runs allowed—was a whopping 4.95, compared to his ERA of 2.45. In other words, even if Estévez maintained his 2025 velocity and control, he would have almost certainly seen worst results.
This is not to say that Estévez couldn’t positively contribute to the 2026 Kansas City bullpen. He can. But the Royals should have known better than to automatically trust Estévez with high leverage innings out of the gate. Saturday’s result was imminently predictable, which means it was also avoidable. Sure enough, the Royals are already pumping the brakes on Estévez being in high-leverage scenarios:
Quatraro continued, on whether he would turn to Estévez in the ninth: “I'm not going to say he wouldn't do it, but I also think would be probably smarter for us to try to build him a little bit in lower leverage first.” #Royals
Maybe there is some stuff going on behind closed doors that we don’t know about. There always is to some degree. But this was a decision that could and should have been arrived at before the Royals unnecessarily lost a game they should have won, and at the beginning of the year, whoopsies like this are magnified.
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 11: Chris Bassitt (40) of the Baltimore Orioles delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 11, 2026 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After taking the series against Minnesota, the Orioles will continue their opening homestand with three games against the Rangers. Texas will enter the series after a rollercoaster start to the 2026 season. Star pitcher Jacob deGrom was set to start the second game of the season before being scratched due to neck soreness. The Rangers called on spot starter Jacob Latz and won an extra-inning thriller on the bat of veteran hitter Andrew McCutchen.
The Rangers had yet to place deGrom on the injured list as of Sunday afternoon. Latz had been the odd man out of a rotation that features deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. The Rangers offense is led by start shortstop Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, Brandon Nimmo, Jake Burger and Joc Pederson.
Baltimore will enter the series looking to build momentum at the dish. The Orioles struggled to solve Minnesota starters Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley before breaking out with eight runs on Sunday. The offense features plenty of power with new acquisitions Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward joining Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo.
Dylan Beavers made a somewhat surprising start in center field yesterday and lost a ball in the sun. The Orioles rolled out their first version of a “Sunday lineup” with Ryan Mountcastle playing first, Alonso at DH, Tyler O’Neill in right field and Colton Cowser on the bench. Players like Cowser, Mountcastle, Beavers, and O’Neill would all benefit from early offense to help secure future playing time. The same can be said for Jeremiah Jackson and Blaze Alexander.
Game 1: Monday, March 30, 6:35, MASN
RHP Chris Bassitt vs. RHP Jack Leiter
Chris Bassitt will make his Orioles debut as the starter on Monday. Baltimore signed Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5 million deal over the offseason. Bassitt pitched to an 11-9 record and 3.96 ERA for the Blue Jays last season. Baseball Reference projects Bassitt to go 10-10 with a 4.06 ERA over 162 innings this year.
The Rangers will send out former Vanderbilt star Jack Leiter. The former first-round pick went 10-10 with a 3.86 ERA last season. Baseball Reference projects a bit of a regression with an 8-9 record and a 4.34 ERA over 137 innings this year.
Game 2: Tuesday, March 31, 6:35, MASN
RHP Zach Eflin vs. TBD
The Rangers’ rotation quickly found its way into a period of uncertainty when deGrom went down. If healthy, Texas could turn to the former Cy Young winner as early as Tuesday. At 37 years old, deGrom still has the stuff to make hitters uneasy. He pitched to a 12-8 record with a sub-three (2.97) ERA last season. Gore is out after making his season debut on Sunday. Rocker should be available to start Game 2 or Game 3 depending how things shake out.
Eflin “beat out” Dean Kremer for the final spot in the rotation, but it really wasn’t a battle. Kremer had a minor league option available, and the Orioles wisely added starting pitching depth after a difficult 2025 season. The Orioles brought back Eflin on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. Eflin surprised some by making the Opening Day roster after undergoing a lumbar microdiscectomy last August. Eflin made a real impact for the Orioles in 2024, and last year’s Opening Day starter could prove extremely valuable from the back of the rotation this year.
Game 3: Wednesday, April 1, 12:35. MASN
LHP Trevor Rogers (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBD
Is Trevor Rogers really about to carry his dominant stats into 2026? The lefty wasn’t perfect on Opening Day, but he earned the win with seven scoreless innings. Rogers got the nod as the Opening Day starter over teammate Kyle Bradish. The Orioles expect big things from a healthy Bradish, but nobody in baseball could supplant Rogers if he pitches like he did last season.
Rogers went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA over 109.2 innings last year. An early injury prevented Rogers from contending for any major awards, but the lefty emerged as the best story from a lost season. The Orioles made headlines by inking Shane Baz to a five-year extension. Orioles owner David Rubenstein recently said the organization is “open for business” when it comes to extensions, and the Birds would be wise to keep Rogers in Baltimore beyond 2026.
How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series? Let us know in the comments below!
Mar 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Mikey Romero (72) slides into second base on a double past New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero (72) in the seventh inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
It’s a long season, and it would appear from the very small sample size of games (three!) that Chad Tracy and Dan DeLucia are making a concerted effort to limit the workload of the starters — at least with respect to this opening series with the Syracuse Mets.
In the season opener, Jake Bennett threw fewer than 60 pitches. So, too, did Tyler Uberstine on Saturday afternoon. Payton Tolle was somewhat efficient with his four innings given how disastrous they were, but he was still able to finish the fourth with 71 pitches. This has implications to how fresh they’ll be to join a Red Sox Major League club that has to ration their multi-inning relief options in the early going. Ryan Watson just debuted and threw over two innings and Johan Oviedo will only go every few days — the Red Sox will need guys without the early wear and tear on their treads. How did the leading candidates fare? Let’s get into it and find out.
Behind the efficient arm of Tyler Uberstine, who allowed two hits in his four innings while walking one and struking out three, the Red Sox jumped out to an early lead in the fourth thanks to the club’s first home run of the season, a solo shot by Mikey Romero. Romero, a former first-round pick, is primed to be an intriguing prospect to watch this season.
Mickey Gasper would score Nick Sogard and make it 3-1 in the fifth. Syracuse would threaten in the sixth thanks to something that will make Kristian Campbell truthers feel real great, a fielding error directly before a throwing error by Vinny Capra (yes, that’s two blunders in the same play, getting runners in scoring position) on a Christian Arroyo batted ball, no less. That made the score 4-3, though the game would stay in the WooSox control, as a return piece for the Password trade, Tyler Samaniego, went seven commanding outs and Tayron Guerrero slammed the door.
The pitching staff may have only struck ou seven Mets and the WooSox offense may have gone 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine, but those key hits by the heart of their lineup served them well on Saturday evening.
Payton Tolle will be good enough to be on a Major League roster by mid-spring. I’d argue he’s already good enough, though perhaps in a bullpen role. It’s also extremely easy to root for him as a person. This did not mean he had a good showing in his first Triple-A action of the season. Tolle ran into a lot of problems in his fourth and final inning but was able to finish it, though not before giving up six runs in total, four earned, and battling around two more unearned runs to go with the four errors committed by the team on Sunday. That’s eight errors on the season, if you’re keeping track.
The game was decided by a late home run by former Pirate Ji Hwan Bae off of former organization-mate Kyle Keller. Worcester did not muster any balls over the Polar Park wall, but they did draw ten walks and gather five hits with runners in scoring position, so they at least kept it close, even with Tolle’s middling start. This was thanks in part to the top of their lineup; Braiden Ward and Mickey Gasper combined to go 5-for-9 in the one and two slots, and Mikey Romero had three RBIs on the day to drive them each in (It’s not all roses for Romero, though; he did have half of the team’s errors on the day). Still, the home run surrendered with 1 out in the ninth had a .354 WPA and even with Matt Lloyd singling to lead the inning off, Kristian Campbell grounding into a double play all but sealed it in a close one.
A few times each year, a series happens and I wonder why I do all of this. On some level, I mean recapping these games. But on other levels, it is even just being a fan. Baseball lends itself to so many disappointments. In 42 years of watching this team, I’ve followed so many stupid 6-3 losses and two out of three series to teams that the Cubs probably should have won at least two of three from. I can’t even imagine how many of these a similarly situated Braves or Yankees or Dodgers fan has experienced. At least in a good number of years, the Cubs were bad enough that there weren’t so many individual games or series that just got away from them.
I have a general philosophy of preferring to play more of the good teams on the schedule early. The Cubs had a frontloaded schedule in 2025 that most of us feared they would struggle with. They didn’t. Even most of those good teams work out some kinks in the first quarter or so of the season. Even when you think your roster is set, there is still enough ebb and flow from season to season that the vast majority of teams will look very different in June than they do today. Those differences aren’t often in the core of the team. But usually your rotation will shuffle. Almost always your bullpen and bench will shuffle. One or two regulars will usually emerge. You might catch a team well and steal a win or two early in the year that you might not later in the year.
The difference between even the best and worst teams isn’t so wide that the percentages become irrelevant. If a major league team played a minor league team, they probably wouldn’t have to sweat all of the percentages. Particularly over a longer series, your talent would just carry through. But as the caliber of teams increase, being able to squeeze a percent or two here or there can be the difference between a win or a loss.
Additionally, the vast majority of teams show up at the start of the year thinking that if they catch a few breaks and keep guys healthy, that they can knock on the door to the playoffs. Stay in contention long enough and you might realistically believe that your front office will add some players and maybe you find yourself in the postseason. There’s extra money to be made. Extra exposure to be gained. The fun of celebrating a big win or clinching something.
It takes a while for a team to realize that the music has stopped and there aren’t enough chairs that are reachable in short order. At the end of the day, I imagine the Nationals are who we all thought they are. But today isn’t that day. They’ve got a young group running the team. Why not them? Surely, the Braves or the Mets or the Phillies or some other team will obliterate them in a series here in the near future and maybe they start licking their wounds. But the Cubs weren’t up to the task of dulling their early season sparkle this weekend.
A lost opportunity. There will surely be a handful of those before things are all said and done. But there will also probably be some larceny where the Cubs overcome a better team or a rough matchup. There will be games won because of fortunate bounces or a call that could go either way. It’s all part of the journey.
If you’ve followed me a long time, you’ve heard me say a couple of things. The road to the top isn’t a straight line upwards. There are no guarantees. This Cubs team is likely to emerge as one of the elite teams in the league. They didn’t do so this weekend. They’re going to have to do better. That’s going to include pitching better and hitting better. I believe they are up to the task in both regards. Let’s recap this and then turn the page.
Three Stars:
Alex Bregman: 2-4, 2 HR
Ian Happ: 1-3, BB, HR
Nico Hoerner: 1-4
Game 3, March 29: Nationals 6, Cubs 3 (1-2)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Ian Happ (.138). 1-3, BB, HR, RBI, R
Hero: Alex Bregman (.113). 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Sidekick: Hunter Harvey (.033). IP, 4 BF, H
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Shōta Imanaga (-.143). 5 IP, 22 BF, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 ER, 7 K, WP (L 0-1)
Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.112). 0-4
Kid: Moisés Ballesteros (-.101). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: It was a scoreless game with two outs and two on in the first inning. Joey Wiemer slugged a three-run homer. (.254)
*Cubs Play of the Game: It was 3-1 Nationals when Ian Happ led off the fourth against Jake Irvin. He homered and cut the deficit to one. (.120)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Up Next: The Angels (2-2) lost a 9-7 game on Sunday in Houston, then headed for Chicago. The Cubs will host the Angels for their first night game of the season on Monday. They’ll send Edward Cabrera to the mound. He was 8-7 with a 3.53 last year for the Marlins before being traded to the Cubs. He’ll make his season debut. The Cubs will face Ryan Johnson who was 1-1 with a 7.36 in 14 appearances and 14.2 innings last year in his rookie season. This will be his first major league start. The 23-year-old was a compensatory second round choice of the Angels in 2024 (74th overall).
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 29: Joey Wiemer #21 of the Washington Nationals runs towards third base for a triple in the fourth inning of a game between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on March 29, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Nationals have a new superstar, and his name is Joey Wiemer. Okay, that might be a bit much, but the outfielder has made quite the first impression for Nats fans. In his 8 plate appearances this season, Joey Wiemer has not gotten out. He is a different kind of locked in right now, and we love to see it.
Joey Wiemer has 8 plate appearances with the @Nationals.
This hot start made me want to learn more about Wiemer. I want to know about where he came from and how he got to the Nats. For the basics, Joey Wiemer is from a small town in Ohio called Sylvania that shares a border with Michigan. The Ohio kid went to the University of Cincinnati, where he obviously starred on the baseball team.
The Brewers took him in the 4th round of the 2020 draft, and he actually became a pretty big deal. By the time Wiemer debuted in 2023, he was a top 100 prospect and considered one of the toolsiest players in the minors. Wiemer had light tower power, elite speed for a 6’4 225 pounder, good fielding ability and an absolute cannon for an arm. The only question was his ability to hit.
That one question mark is why Wiemer has been a part of six organizations since 2024. Heading into this season, Wiemer was a .205 career hitter in almost 500 MLB at bats. You can have all the tools in the world, but it does not matter if you cannot hit. That looked like it would be Joey Wiemer’s destiny.
However, something curious has happened, and the signs of it began last season in the Marlins organization. With the Royals AAA team, Wiemer was awful, hitting .182 in 253 at bats. When he went to the Marlins something seemed to click though. In 33 AAA at bats for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Wiemer hit .364 with a 1.185 OPS. He also only struck out 8 times and had 7 walks.
That led to a big league call up, where Wiemer had some success. He hit .236 with a .715 OPS. This does not sound great, but with Wiemer’s speed and defense, those numbers are solid. However, he struck out 37% of the time and only walked 3% of his AB’s. That led to the Marlins letting him go.
He got DFA’d this offseason, where he got picked up by the Giants. Before ever playing a game for them, he was DFA’d again and landed in DC. At the time of the claim, this move did not make a ton of sense. The Nats already had a ton of outfielders who could fill that 4th outfield spot. What use did they have for Wiemer? If only we knew what we knew now.
Wiemer actually really struggled to begin the spring, but picked things up towards the end of Grapefruit League play. He actually hit a walk-off homer in the Nats last game in Florida.
Wiemer made the team, and his role was to play against left handed pitching. Even though he has not had a ton of overall offensive success in the MLB, Wiemer was always able to hit lefties. In 2023, he had an .815 OPS against southpaws and last year, he posted a .794 OPS against lefties.
That is why Wiemer found himself hitting fifth on Opening Day, despite barely making the roster. To say he is making the most of his opportunity would be a gross understatement. He is sprinting with it like Usain Bolt in 2008. In Wiemer’s first at bat, he went down to get a Matthew Boyd changeup and powered it through a heavy Chicago wind to get the Nats on the board.
Wiemer had two more hits and a walk on Opening Day. He powered the Nats to a 10-4 Opening Day win and put the fanbase on notice. Wiemer locked himself into a lineup spot every time a lefty was on the mound.
With the right handed Cade Horton pitching in game two of the season, Wiemermania was put on hold, but only temporarily. Shota Imanaga was on the mound yesterday, which meant Wiemer was back. He greeted Shota in the same way he welcomed Boyd, digging out an offspeed pitch and depositing it in the left field bleachers.
DFA’d twice this offseason, Joey Wiemer is determined to stick around with this opportunity at the big league level
However, the big blonde outfielder was far from done. He was willing and eager to make history. In his next at bat, Wiemer led off the third inning with a triple. While the Nats were unable to score him, he did his job.
This run by Wiemer is not just running into balls though. He had a great at bat in the sixth where he worked a walk. Plate discipline has not been part of Wiemer’s game in his career, but right now, he is so locked in that he is seeing everything so well.
The Nats new star had one more at bat where he absolutely ripped a single into left. That meant he was now 6/6 with two walks to start the season. Getting on base 8 times in a row is some crazy stuff, but Joey Wiemer is crazy hot right now. We were so close to seeing Wiemer get a shot to hit a double for the cycle, but Luis Garcia Jr. got thrown out to end the top of the ninth.
He did not get his cycle, but Wiemer is a special kind of locked in right now. Will this last, absolutely not, but Wiemer has given the Nats a spark. The plan has been to play Wiemer against lefties, but I think you have to ride the hot hand right now. He is too hot to keep out of the lineup.
While he will obviously cool off, I hope Wiemer sustains enough of this to be a real piece for the Nats. He has all the physical gifts, but has not been able to hit enough to stick around in one spot. This hot start will give him some runway and hopefully the 27 year old can take it.
With his tools, Wiemer can be at least a lefty mashing 4th outfielder. You never know though, maybe something has clicked for the big slugger. His swing has always been long and a bit crazy. There is a chance he finally found something that works for him.
Regardless, this is an incredible story and it is why Paul Toboni is making all these bets on the waiver wire. Most will not work out, but we may have struck gold with Joey Wiemer. At the very least, Wiemer has provided the Nats with a spark and his start to the season will be something fans talk about for a long time.
The San Francisco Giants head to Petco Park for a three-game series with their NL West counterpart, the San Diego Padres.
Both squads could use a victory in Monday’s opener after the Yankees swept San Francisco and San Diego dropped two of three to the Tigers.
My Giants vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks on Monday, March 30, fancy outfieder Jung Hoo Lee’s chances of crossing the plate.
Giants vs Padres predictions
Giants vs Padres best bet: Jung Hoo Lee Over 0.5 runs (+105)
After failing to score a run in either of the first two games of the season, the San Francisco Giants made a change at the top of the order by installing Jung Hoo Lee as the leadoff man on Saturday.
He responded by scoring the team’s only run of the season, so it’s likely he stays atop the order. That’s a premium spot against Walker Buehler (5.39 xERA, 5.66 FIP), who struggled mightily against lefties (.300 BA, 1.79 WHIP).
Lee stands a good chance of getting on base, and the heart of the order behind him has two left-handed bats (Luis Arraez, Rafael Devers) poised to knock Buehler around and drive Lee home.
COVERS INTEL: Jung Hoo Lee was much better against righties (118 wRC+) than lefties (77). He seldom struck out (9.1%) against the latter, walking nearly as many times (40) as he struck out (41).
Giants vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)
It’s a good spot for both lineups to break out of mini-slumps from the opening series. Both lineups were better than league average against RHP a year ago and face beatable starting pitchers on Monday.
Devers demolished right-handed pitching (151 wRC+) a year ago and has the advantage over Buehler, who is trying to reinvent himself as a junkball pitcher and lost 2 mph from his fastball in spring.
Landen Roupp gets the nod for San Francisco. While his 3.80 ERA was encouraging, it’s not sustainable given his poor 1.45 WHIP. He walked 4.9 batters per nine innings in spring, so it’s still an issue.
Giants vs Padres SGP
Jung Hoo Lee Over 0.5 runs
Rafael Devers Over 0.5 RBI
First five innings Over 4.5
Giants vs Padres home run pick: Willy Adames (+422)
Willy Adames has reached 30+ home runs in each of the last two seasons. In his age-30 season with a revamped batting stance, Adames can be projected to continue hitting for power and posting an ISO around .200.
A year ago, he had reverse splits with a 112 wRC+ and 20 HRs against righties and a 95 wRC+ and 10 HRs against lefties.
Buehler struggles to keep left-handed hitters off base, but right-handed hitters dole out the damage, tagging him for an absurd 2.10 HR/9.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 2-0, +2.57 units
SGPs: 1-1, +2.26 units
HR picks: 0-2, -2.0 units
Giants vs Padres odds
Moneyline: San Francisco +100 | San Diego -120
Run line: San Francisco -1.5 (+150) | San Diego +1.5 (-200)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Giants vs Padres trend
The Giants have gone Over the first-five total in 23 of their last 35 games dating back to last season. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Padres.
How to watch Giants vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Monday, March 30, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
FS1
Giants starting pitcher
Landen Roupp (2025: 7-7, 3.80 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Walker Buehler (2025: 10-7, 4.93 ERA)
Giants vs Padres latest injuries
Giants vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Dominican baseball star Wander Franco gestures while leaving court in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on June 26, 2025. Franco was given a two-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage girl. (Photo by Luis Tavarez / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TAVAREZ/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Wander Franco’s re-trial in the Dominican Republic for his role in a relationship with an underage girl has been delayed to an unknown date.
The new trial was scheduled to begin today, but with Franco and the girl’s mother being tried simultaneously, the courts have been delayed, according to Luis Tomas Rae Barett, due to a significant health issue for the mother.
In June 2025, Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse and sentenced to a suspended prison sentence and probation. Both the prosecution and the defense requested a re-trial.
The Rays had previously signed Franco to an 11-year, $182 million contract extension, but due to the ongoing legal proceedings Franco is now on MLB’s restricted list and is not required to be paid. Even if exonerated, however, Franco’s ability to return to baseball will be contingent on him receiving a visa to work in the US.
This trial does not include various gun charges Franco faces since returning to the DR.
Just when the Minnesota Timberwolves should be tuning up for a postseason run, injuries have ripped through their backcourt, and it’s going to take a “next man up” mentality as they host the Dallas Mavericks.
Anthony Edwards has missed six straight, and he’s joined on the injury report by Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu, so my Timberwolves vs. Mavericks predictions pivot to a Minnesota sharpshooter who’s had an even brighter green light during this short-handed stretch.
Timberwolves vs Mavericks best bet: Donte DiVincenzo Over 13.5 points (-110)
Donte DiVincenzo rarely has to be asked twice when it comes to launching 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have needed his volume shooting more than ever over the past few weeks. DiVincenzo has responded with 39 points across his last two outings, while making 10 of his 26 attempts from beyond the arc.
Though Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu could return tonight to beef up Chris Finch’s backcourt, that shouldn’t drastically alter the script for DiVincenzo, and I’m counting on the recent extra reps translating to another Over on his points prop.
DiVincenzo is attempting almost eight 3-pointers a game this season, but don’t be surprised if he ends up with double-digit shots from downtown for the fourth time in his past five contests.
Most of all, Minnesota is desperate for spacing, and that makes DiVincenzo a lock for steady minutes. With Edwards sidelined, the visitors have been held below 105 points in three of their last four games, but the Dallas Mavericks’ defense could be the perfect medicine to get the T-Wolves firing again.
Dallas has given up 135+ points in four of its past five matchups en route to the draft lottery, and the Nuggets shot 56% from the field against Cooper Flagg & Co. last Wednesday. With the Mavs going through the motions, sign me up for a splashy effort from DiVincenzo tonight.
Timberwolves vs Mavericks same-game parlay
If DiVincenzo gives the offense a jolt, Rudy Gobert can carry Minnesota on the other end of the floor. The Frenchman has cashed this Over in three of his last four games to keep the Wolves’ defense afloat, and he’s got a natural assignment around the rim against Daniel Gafford.
Minnesota has won five in a row against Dallas, so I’m riding with the visitors, who should come out with urgency after being blown out at home over the weekend. The prospect of Ant getting back on the court is enticing, but the Wolves have enough talent to grind out a win regardless.
Timberwolves vs Mavericks SGP
Donte DiVincenzo Over 13.5 points
Rudy Gobert Over 12.5 rebounds
Timberwolves moneyline
Our "from downtown" SGP: Championship Remix
I’m reuniting championship teammates in this SGP, with two sweet-shooting former Bucks.
DiVincenzo is poised for another high-volume night, while Khris Middleton has knocked down 1+ 3-pointers in four of his last five, as well as dishing eight assists across his last two games. The Wolves have covered the spread in three of their past four trips to Dallas and will do so again.
The Timberwolves are 16-7 SU this season as road favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Timberwolves vs. Mavericks.
How to watch Timberwolves vs Mavericks
Location
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Date
Monday, March 30, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN North, KFAA
Timberwolves vs Mavericks latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
COVERS INTEL: Jung Hoo Lee was much better against righties (118 wRC+) than lefties (77). He seldom struck out (9.1%) against the latter, walking nearly as many times (40) as he struck out (41).