Worldwide Sports News

The Maven wants you to know that a lof of smart people in the National Hockey League believe that your Rangers stink.

And I'm not talking about Islanders fans nor anyone else who has a vested interested in the Blueshirts' good and welfare. Here's a simple explanation:

I just finished reading Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons who wrote;

"More than one (NHL) agent told me that the Rangers are the worst-run team in the NHL."

This from the most veteran and best sports writer on the continent. Look around the NHL and see who succeeds and fails.

Hottest, fastest young teams in the playoffs are the Canadiens and Ducks. Each team is sprinkled with former Rangers.

Not that long ago, Habs boss (Director of Hockey Ops) Jeff Gorton was turning the Rangers into a contender, along with arguably the most popular off-ice Blueshirt – John Davidson.

One day some MSG genius got Rangers' owner Jim Dolan's ear, fed him some apple sauce and Slim Jim fired Gorton-Davidson, leaving the Faithful with "the worst-run team in the NHL."

We'll find out next season whether it's "the worst-run team in history!"

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You can always count on New York to serve up baseball headlines, and this year is no different.

The New York Mets are off to a disastrous start, but starter Nolan McLean deserves our attention. So too does Landen Roupp, who has been doing his best to keep San Francisco afloat.

My favorite MLB player props for April 26 wrap up with Ernie Clement, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Mr. Reliable.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Ernie Clement	Over 1.5 total bases	+105
Nolan McLean	Over 7.5 strikeouts	-106
Landen Roupp	Over 5.5 strikeouts	+116

Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases [+105]

The Blue Jays have been rocked by key injuries during the first month of the season, and that’s made Ernie Clement’s consistency at the plate even more valuable — which is why he made my MLB picks card.

With his .324 batting average and ability to make contact, he’s earned a spot up the order — and he’ll get pitches to hit as long as he’s slotted ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Clement brings a nine-game hit streak into today’s clash with the Cleveland Guardians, and he’s clubbed seven doubles in that span.

I like his chances of doing damage today against Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi, who gave up seven runs on 10 hits in his last outing.

• Time: 1:37 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SN, CLEG

Nolan McLean Over 7.5 strikeouts [-106]

Nolan McLean has wasted no time confirming his impressive 2025 cameo was no fluke.

As New York tries to climb out of its 9-17 hole, McLean is a good choice to lead the charge. He’s gone past this O/U number in four of his five starts this year, and he racked up 10 Ks in Tuesday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins.

McLean enters with a 2.67 ERA and 0.76 WHIP, and he’ll pose major problems here for a Rockies lineup that struck out 15 times against New York on Friday.

• Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNY, COLR

Landen Roupp Over 5.5 strikeouts [+116]

The San Francisco Giants are off to a wobbly 12-15 start, but Landen Roupp has taken the ball in four of those wins, and this prop feels like good value at plus odds today against the Miami Marlins.

Roupp has finished with six or more Ks in four of his five outings this season, and he outpitched Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier this week while holding the stacked L.A. Dodgers lineup to just one hit through five innings of work.

Leaning on his sinker and curveball, especially against righties, Roupp looks poised to be one of 2026’s breakout arms, and that spells trouble for the Marlins here.

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-Bay Area, MIAM

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The Atlanta Braves are looking to extend their successful series record, but for the Philadelphia Phillies, after last week’s embarrassing sweep against them on their home turf, they’re looking to repay the favor and snap that extension.

Let’s look at these rosters.

The lineup for the Braves looks pretty identical to yesterday’s with a familiar face returning. Michael Harris II will be set to DH with an official spot back on the lineup. It’s safe to say that his presence is much appreciated and anticipated after his late scratch earlier in the series. Especially when you look at his past stats against Phillies Pitcher Aaron Nola, with 27 total at-bats against the righty, he averages a .943 OPS with three homers and seven total hits.

Jorge Mateo will also be rejoining the squad as shortstop, looking to get his first start against Nola and hopefully continuing his successful stint with the team.

Chris Sale is set to take the mound, making this his ninth start against the team and has allowed no more than a single run to the Phillies in each of his last three starts against them.

As for their opponent, the Phillies are also keeping their lineup pretty similar to yesterday’s, with an addition of Felix Reyes on left field and Dylan Moore in center.

Don’t let Nola’s 5.06 ERA fool you, he’s no stranger to the Braves’ offense, and with his advanced arsenal, he’s ready to make a statement.

After finally gaining a long-awaited success yesterday, they’re hoping to extend it and put a stop to the Bravos’ MLB-leading streak.

Tune in to watch the finale at 1:35, and come back to us after to discuss the results.

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Some of the best sluggers in the majors hit the diamond today during a full MLB slate.

My MLB player props will look for Aaron Judge, Matt Olson, and Munetaka Murakami to go long today. 

Read the full analysis in my MLB picks below for Sunday, April 26.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Aaron Judge	+240
Matt Olson	+300
Munetaka Murakami	+290
💲Today's HR parlay	+5204

Aaron Judge (+240)

Aaron Judge is not making quite as much contact as he’d like, batting just .229 so far this season, but the power is there as always. The New York Yankees superstar has nine home runs and is just two back of the league lead.

Judge will reach double digits in the home run column this afternoon against a Houston Astros pitching staff that can’t keep the ball in the park.

The Astros have allowed 42 dingers already — the second most in the majors — while their bullpen has given up an MLB-worst 25 home runs and holds a collective 6.19 ERA.

Time: 2:10 p.m. ET

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, SCHN

Matt Olson (+300)

The Atlanta Braves are off to a hot start, thanks in large part to Matt Olson. Atlanta ranks third in MLB with 38 home runs, and seven have come off Olson’s bat.

All seven of Olson’s dingers have come in his last 22 games as he’s batting .304 with a ridiculous 1.034 OPS in April.

Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola holds a 5.06 ERA and has allowed four home runs over five starts, including one in two of his last three games.

The left-batting Olson has hit five of his seven home runs vs. right-handed pitching and is hitting .319 with the platoon advantage this season.

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-Philadelphia, BravesVision

Munetaka Murakami (+290)

Munetaka Murakami has had a dream start to his MLB career, with his 11 home runs tied for the lead among all batters.

The Chicago White Sox first baseman has been on fire with six home runs over his last eight contests, and I like his chances to go long again vs. a brutal Washington Nationals pitching staff.

Nats starter Foster Griffin has already given up five homers in five games, including two against the Braves last time out. Washington has allowed 48 home runs — more than any other team — with 24 of those given up by the bullpen.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Chicago Sports Network, Nationals.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Aaron Judge	Bet Now +5204
Matt Olsoin
Munetaka Murakami

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.

A.J. Russell started for Hickory, striking out three and walking two in two innings while allowing two runs. Moises Morales struck out six in five shutout innings.

Paulino Santana had a hit. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a stolen base. Hector Osorio had a hit. Josh Spring had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City was rained out.

Frisco’s game was called after five innings due to weather. Frisco starter Dylan MacLean went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs, striking out six and walking two while allowing a home run.

Dylan Dreiling had a hit. Keith Jones II had a hit.

Frisco box score

Round Rock played two.

In the first game, Ryan Brasier struck out three and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Cam Cauley was 3 for 4 with a double. Aaron Zavala had a double.

In the second game, Thomas Ireland struck out four and walked one in 2.1 scoreless inning. Josh Sborz allowed a two run homer in an inning of work, walking one and striking out two. Robbie Ahlstrom struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings. Michel Otanez allowed a run in 1.2 IP, walking four and striking out three.

Justin Foscue had a double and a walk. Michael Helman had a hit.

Round Rock Game One box score

Round Rock Game Two box score

The Mariners drew more fans in April than they have in 20-plus years.

T-Mobile Park has hosted 539,263 fans so far in 2026. That’s the second most in March and April in the history of the park, only bested by 619,771 fans in April 2002. The average attendance over 17 games (31,721 fans) is sixth most, behind all the years 2000-2004.

That said, not that many fans showed up to Opening Day. Well, it was essentially a sell out at 44,938 fans. But that’s actually the fourth fewest in the history of Opening Day at T-Mobile Park (though still a skosh higher than 42,871 on Opening Day last year).

Why? Probably because first pitch was at 7:10 p.m. on a Thursday against the Guardians with the temperature in the 40s.

The best attendance so far actually came on Saturday, April 18, with 45,552 tickets sold. About 10,000 of those fans went home with a Cal Raleigh 70s Night jersey. The others were treated to 70-degree weather while they watched the Mariners snap a four-game losing streak against the Rangers.

I wrote at length about the Mariners attendance at the end of last season. I did some loose math in search of what determines attendance, and found to no surprise that fans mostly like winners. Teams that win see more fans throughout the season, and teams that make the playoffs often get a big boost the following year. I figured there’s a reasonable shot for the Mariners to draw three million fans this year. Attendance is up in April for a reason.

In that post, I pointed out that the April schedule looked like a tough draw. For instance, I thought the Guardians weren’t ideal out the gate in the frigid days of March. That ended up being wrong. Yes, Opening Day attendance was (relatively) low, as stated above, but game two was the fourth highest attended game two in the history of the park. Game three was the second best game three. More than 156,000 fans poured into the stadium on Opening Weekend. Fans were excited to see their new banner.

I also pointed out the timing of the Yankees series was not ideal. This ended up being correct. It was the second series of the season in March on a Monday to Wednesday for the only home series against the Yankees of the year. Fans care very much about who the Mariners play when deciding whether to show up, and the Yankees tend to be one of the five biggest draws in Seattle each year. This year, only an average of 27,832 fans showed up, making it the third lowest attendance for a series against the Yankees in the history of the park.

Still, fans showed up big time for the series against the Rangers and Astros. If attendance were to hold at the level from April, the Mariners would expect to draw 2,569,401 fans in 2026, or just a smidge more fans than 2025. If the team wins, however, attendance should trend up as the weather gets warm. This isn’t a bad start toward three million.

After the road trip, the Mariners will face the Royals for Randy Johnson Number Retirement Weekend. Fans will get a jersey on Friday, they’ll get to see the Big Unit himself on Saturday, and they’ll get a Kingdome pin on Sunday. Then they’ll face the Braves — another potentially big draw — on that pesky Monday through Wednesday slate. Perhaps warmer weather will compel larger turn out. Later in the month is the Vedder Cup, followed by a weekday series with the White Sox. How will the Mariners coax fans to the ballpark to see the South Siders? A well-timed Josh Naylor bobblehead, of course.

As the summer progresses, there will be jersey days and collegiate nights and value games and fireworks and bobbles and Funkos and Blue Jays. The Mariners will also celebrate their 50th season on August 8 against the Rays — the same team and dates of last year’s spectacular Ichiro weekend.

The Mariners finish the year with a six-game homestand — two against the Astros and four against the Angels. Again, if they’re relevant, people will show up for a chance to see the Mariners clinch their first ever back-to-back AL West title.

Brad Lidge is an archaeologist in real life. The following, however, does not take place in real life. It takes place in the year 3026, when the Phillies, and the sport they played, have been forgotten by all. All that is, except for the archaeologists who study the distant, dusty past. Among them is a scholar by the name of Brad Lidge the 35th, who is only now beginning to discover the grand drama of which his ancestor was a part. It is an imaginary story… aren’t they all?

Scene: A conference room at the annual meeting of the Worldwide Society of Archaeologists. The year, 3026. BRAD LIDGE THE 35TH, a young, talented scholar, bright-eyed, eager, is on stage, presenting his research.

LIDGE:

…, the Phillies were thought by our field to be a myth, characters in tales told by the ancient Philadelphians to teach their children valuable lessons in how to persevere through failure. That is, of course, until the discovery of the Complaint Tablet to WIP-Nāsir, which conclusively proved their existence as actual historical figures. Though we know little of the game they played, we are aware that it was called “baseball”, that it took place in various public forums, and that it involved a village elder dressing up as a mysterious creature known as the Phanatic, whose rhythmic dances were possibly part of a Philadelphian fertility ritual.

We also know that the Phillies apparently never won. Our colleagues have identified hundreds of fragments of parchment, uncovered from various sites around the Philadelphia region, each of which reads something like “Braves triumph over Phillies” or “Phillies fall to Cubs”. Like the even-more ancient gladiators of ancient Rome, these Phillies appeared to be tasked with battling both humans and animals. Unlike their Roman counterparts, the Phillies did not appear to taste the glory of victory on any occasion. None of the extant fragments, dating all the way back to April 14, 2026, detail a Phillies win. The standard view, as you all know, is that the Phillies did not really play baseball, but instead took part in a highly choreographed ritual in which they always played the part of the losing team, likely as part of diplomatic tributes to rival societies in Atlanta and New York. That interpretation can explain all of the known evidence.

But it can’t explain this.

Lidge presses a button on his computer, and a photo fills the screen behind him. It depicts a battered parchment, torn in places, reading …“edelphia Inqui… PHI…IES DEF..T MARL..NS…”

A gasp goes through the room.

LIDGE:

This fragmentary parchment was found lining an ancient storage vessel in the Philadelphian settlement once known as Fishtown. Though the text is partially lost, it clearly states that the Phillies won a baseball game over a team most likely known as the Marlins. Perhaps the settlement took its name in celebration of this victory over their aquatic foes—

PROFESSOR METZ, a bitter, sarcastic archaeologist, snorts and removes his glasses in a condescending fashion.

METZ:

Doctor Lidge, you cannot expect us to believe this. We have documentation of ten consecutive losses for the Phillies. It is simply not plausible that a team could lose to that extent if they were actually taking part in genuine competition.

LIDGE:

Then how do you explain this fragment?

METZ:

Perhaps it is like the Sumerian bar joke: we have the words, but not the context to understand them. It had meaning, once, but the meaning is lost to us.

LIDGE:

The meaning is clear. The Phillies did once win a game. Perhaps even more than once—

METZ:

Sure, sure! What’s next— you’ve uncovered a potsherd with proof that the Phillies roster carried a proper cleanup hitter?

The room erupts into laughter. LIDGE, humiliated, walks off stage, muttering to himself.

LIDGE:

Let them laugh— I’ll prove it to them!

SCENE: Days later, LIDGE, a torch in one hand, slumps against a wall in the dark, dusty ruins of what was once Citizens Bank Park. Though he began his expedition with enthusiasm, regret has begun to set in. Sweat pools on his brow. Fatigue fills his very being.

LIDGE:

Cubs 10, Phillies 4. Braves 9, Phillies 0. Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 3. Days and days spent here, and all I’ve found is records of Phillies losses. Maybe they’re right. Maybe the Phillies never did win a game.

LIDGE leans back against the wall in despair. Suddenly, a single green feather floats down, landing on his face. He picks it up, lifts it, holds it to the light, awestruck.

LIDGE:

My god. This is the genuine article, not part of a costume…The Phanatic was real. What if… what if all of it was real? Not myth, not performance… Could Bedlam at the Bank have been an actual historical event? Could the Ovation of Turner have really happened? Could the god of merriment known only as “Kruk” have been a real man?

A bright light fills the room. LIDGE shields his eyes. When he dares to look, before him stands the ghostly figure of THE PHANATIC.

LIDGE:

It is said in the ancient texts that you appear to Philadelphians true of spirit in their time of greatest need, and also in the seventh inning. I beg you, Phanatic: show me the way.

THE PHANATIC points towards a loose brick in the wall behind LIDGE. LIDGE reaches for the brick, presses it. A rumbling, a cloud of dust. A secret passage opens in the wall opposite. THE PHANATIC nods, then vanishes.LIDGE walks through the passage, finding himself in a room packed with newspapers, pennants, bobbleheads, memorabilia of all kinds.

LIDGE:

This… this can’t be. This says… Phillies National League East Champions, 2025… Phillies National League Champions 2022…

He sees a bobblehead on a pillar at the center of the room. He picks it up. It depicts the Phanatic waving a pennant that reads…

LIDGE:

“Phillies World Champions 2008”! The Phillies won! They won more than a game! They were champions. They were champions!

Suddenly, a rumbling, bigger than before, sets everything in the room shaking. A massive boulder, painted with red lines and stitches, bursts through the wall, crushing everything in its path. LIDGE runs for his life, clinging to the bobblehead. As he sprints, he comes to a chasm. Certain death on one side, safety on the other. With no choice but to dare, he leaps, barely catching the ledge. The boulder drops into the depths below. But the danger is not over. As LIDGE struggles to hoist himself up, he realizes that he cannot do so with one hand. He will have to drop the bobblehead, or die.

LIDGE:

No. No! But there’s no other way…

LIDGE, sorrow filling his features, drops the bobblehead. It falls into the darkness, lost forever. He pulls himself up, catches his breath.

LIDGE:

I was so close. So close!

LIDGE drops to his knees and raises his fists to the heavens. But in a despairing sort of way, not a “just got the last out of the World Series” sort of way.

LIDGE:

I know, Phillies. I know that you won games. But how can I ever prove it?

A scrap of paper drops from above, fluttering gently into his hands, as if directed by an external force. Lidge holds it up, reads the text by the light filtering through a crack in the ceiling.

LIDGE:

“April 25th, 2026: Phillies 8, Braves 5”!

LIDGE pumps his fist triumphantly. The Indiana Jones theme plays, which is fine, because this is 3026 and the copyright has expired. He strides forward, out of the ruins, back into the world of the living, as the sun filters into the ancient ballpark, filling the home of Rollins, Utley, Howard, and yes, Brad Lidge, with daylight…

THE END

It’s a given year, and a given baseball season, and so the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen is a problem. Despite a nice run of 3-1-1 in their last five series, things still feel too precarious for any comfort. The club has the 19th best ERA and the 23rd best FIP out of their relief corps currently. For a team with ambitions, that isn’t going to get it done. This early in the season, those numbers can change quickly, and a bullpen is a season-long process rather than a set thing, but you only need watch the Tigers to know they need a solution or two to get sorted.

Most obviously the guys who are here to handle the late innings need to do a better job and AJ Hinch needs to revert back to more of a matchup strategy than setting roles. That just isn’t possible when the rest of the bullpen isn’t doing its job either. But with Connor Seabold leaving the game with a possible ankle injury in Saturday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds, they may also have an open spot available. Seabold did walk off the field indicating that whatever happened, it’s probably minor, so perhaps he’ll avoid the injured list. Either way, in the short term at least, they don’t have any obvious great answers.

Hard-throwing right-hander Troy Melton, who impressed last summer and in the postseason as a rookie, is reportedly throwing bullpens and not far from a rehab assignment, but he may still be two weeks or more from a return. His loss this spring was a blow, and Melton is their best hope to add a dominant relief arm in May. Likewise, Justin Verlander doesn’t seem likely to return until at least mid-May. Even if he begins a rehab assignment soon he’ll need more than one start to stretch back out. So they can’t move Keider Montero to the pen until the veteran is really 100 percent good to go, and early on Montero has been pretty good in the rotation anyway. It’s baseball of course, so that may look different by the time that decision comes around. Jackson Jobe may become an option out of the pen once he returns from Tommy John surgery, but the best case scenario for him is to really be up and running by August.

If Seabold hits the injury list, the Tigers do have some decent options at the Triple-A level, but no one who is necessarily going to do more than eat innings in long relief or pitch when they’re well behind in a game. Until Melton returns, someone in the upper levels of the farm system breaks out, or Jackson Jobe comes back from TJ, there just isn’t an extra hard-throwing, potentially high leverage type of relief option available.

RHP Brenan Hanifee

Hanifee should be familiar as he threw 60 innings for the Tigers last year with a 3.00 ERA/3.25 FIP combination. His sinker keeps the ball in the park, and his strikeout to walk ratios are good, but he really doesn’t whiff many guys and tends to just pound the zone with 95 mph sinkers, refusing to issue walks and getting tons of ground balls. That’s not exactly what the Tigers need right now, but he has a lot more major league experience than Vanasco, and at very least keeps the ball in the park. He’s already on the 40-man as well.

It’s easy to be skeptical of relievers that don’t strike many hitters out, but Hanifee has been quite effective for two straight years. He’s at his best when he’s 96-97 mph with the sinker, and his velocity is down two ticks this spring, but that may just be the April weather conditions talking. For now he appears to be option number one and joined the club’s taxi squad on Sunday as Seabold is evaluated.

RHP Ricky Vanasco

I keep bringing up the 27-year-old Vanasco because he’s been outstanding for the Triple-A Mud Hens this year. The former Dodgers relief prospect was picked up in 2024, but while he’s always struck out a lot of hitters, his control issues kept him from breaking through to the major leagues. In eight appearances and 12 innings total this spring, Vanasco has punched out 44.7 percent of hitters faced and kept the walks under control.

Beyond control though, his big issue has always been a mediocre fastball shape. He’s averaging 95.1 mph with plus extension to the plate, which helps, and has learned to throw a pretty even mix of fourseamers and sinkers to help avoid barrels, but it’s still a pretty hittable fastball. His moneymaker is a plus power curveball at 83-84 mph that has always missed a ton of bats and is drawing whiffs at a 40 percent rate this year. He has a solid changeup as well and isn’t afraid to throw it. In the majors, Vanasco will need to lean heavily on the curve and changeup, and a month isn’t quite enough to suggest that he’s banished his control issues permanently. He’ll also need a 40-man roster spot, though there are certainly options they could DFA to open a spot.

LHP Enmanuel de Jesus

De Jesus looked pretty great all through spring camp, and pitched really well against tough competition in the World Baseball Classic. His stuff is plenty good enough to be a depth starter in the majors, but only when his command is on point. That command has faltered early on in the regular season, and his meltdown, complete with two mental mistakes fielding his position, against the Brewers last Sunday got him demoted to Triple-A Toledo. De Jesus has generally had good control in his career, so it’s unlikely to remain a problem. Still, he can’t be recalled yet and the Tigers are going to want to see him get sorted out and pitching well before he gets another opportunity.

LHP Drew Sommers

The 25-year-old Sommers made a brief MLB debut last summer. He’s punching out plenty of hitters in Toledo, but his command is still a work in progress. He’s certainly young enough to figure that out, but until he really gets on a consistent run and is commanding his sinker-slider combination, he isn’t an option. Sommers is still a bit of a prospect and has a 40-man roster spot now, but just isn’t ready for prime time.

RHP Grant Holman

Finally we have Grant Holman, who is on the 40-man roster already as well. The Tigers claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers back on April 11, and picking up guys from the Dodgers is generally a sound move as they’re consistently one of the few teams with enough relief depth in the minors to actually have to release someone with real potential. The 25-year-old right-hander has a pretty average mid-90’s fourseam fastball, but his splitter is a good one. He pitched in the major leagues for the Athletics in 2024 and 2025, but only for parts of those seasons as his command still isn’t reliable enough. Standard for non-major league relievers, but like Sommers, he’s young enough that it’s worth giving him time to develop. He debuted with the Mud Hens on Saturday after some rehab work the previous two weeks in Lakeland. He might become an option but he needs to pitch a bit and settle in before the Tigers give him a look, presumably.

Help us Troy Melton

Of all the pitchers mentioned, the Tigers obvious best hope for a good high leverage reliever comes from Melton getting back on the field. His loss this spring was a real blow to the bullpen, and there’s still the possibility that Melton could take over a starting role in the future if his splitter command takes another step. Thankfully, he avoided a major injury this spring when elbow inflammation flared up early in camp. The Tigers shut him down and took their time with him to ensure there would be no recurring trouble. If he comes through this alright the pen will be in a lot better shape overall.

The other options in Toledo not yet mentioned are converting a starter, either Sawyer Gipson-Long or Ty Madden, to a long relief role. Neither is going to dominate, but as starting pitchers both have enough control to translate to the pen. They just don’t have the fastball quality to dominate. Instead both would have to lean into their secondary pitches a lot and spot them to be more than depth in the pen. Of the two, Madden’s slider-cutter combination is the more attractive of the two at the moment. He just hasn’t been able to recapture the 95-96 mph gas he had as a prospect since his shoulder issues last spring.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (14-12)

Game One – lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Alexander got the start for Sugar Land but struggled allowing 5 runs over 5 innings of work. The offense got on the board in the 3rd on a Dezenzo RBI double. They got 2 more in the 4th on a Salazar 2 run home run. Unfortunately that was it from the offense as Sugar Land fell 5-3.

Note: Maldonado has a 2.31 ERA this season.

• CJ Alexander, 3B: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Zach Dezenzo, DH: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
• Cesar Salazar, C: 2-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
• Anthony Maldonado, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Game Two – lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Hendrickson started for Sugar Land in game two and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs. In the bottom of the 6th, Sugar Land tied it up on a Price 2 run home run. The squads exchanged runs in the 8th with Price tying it on a sac fly. In the 9th, the Express got two runs to take the lead and the offense went down quietly as they dropped game two 5-3.

Note: Santa has a 1.64 ERA this season.

• James Nelson, 3B: 2-for-5, 2B
• Carlos Perez, C: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Collin Price, 1B: 2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Riley Unroe, SS: 2-for-3, 2B, BB

• Josh Hendrickson, LHP: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• J.P. France, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (10-10) lost 5-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the 3rd inning thanks to a Garcia 2 run home run. Gillis got the start and was pitching well but ran into trouble in the 4th inning allowing 5 runs. The offense was quiet the rest of the way as the Hooks fell 5-2.

Note: Encarnacion is hitting .286 this season.

• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-3
• Luis Baez, LF: 1-for-3
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 1-for-3, R
• John Garcia, 1B: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI

• Brett Gillis, RHP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (5-15) lost 11-5 (BOX SCORE)

Howard got the start for Asheville and allowed 3 runs over 5.2 innings. The offense got on the board in the 5th inning on a Walker RBI single and Schiavone walk. They got 3 more runs in the 7th inning on an error, a Frey sac fly and a run on a wild pitch. The pen struggled though allowing 8 runs as Asheville fell 11-5.

Note: Schiavone has a .956 OPS this season.

• Justin Thomas, RF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 0-for-2, R, RBI, 3 BB, SB
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-4, RBI
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 1-for-4, BB
• Max Holy, 2B: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Narbe Cruz, SS: 1-for-5, 2B
• Kyle Walker, 3B: 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, 2 SB

• Dylan Howard, RHP: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (7-12) SUSPENDED

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Brandon Bielak – 2:05 CT

CC: Trey Dombroski – 1:35 CT

AV: TBD – 12:05 CT

FV: TBD – 4:05 CT

I find it appropriate to start out by hat tipping the Dodgers offense. They curb stomped Colin Rea and Javier Assad in this one. A further hat tip to four Dodger relievers who combined to allow just two hits and a walk over the final four innings of the game. The Dodgers offense and bullpen were just too much for the Cubs on this night. To say anything else would be revisionist history.

Everything below that first paragraph may be described as coping, I guess. If you’d have asked me about how the Cubs would do with a 13-game stretch, with one day off, It started in Philly, had the lone off day, then went home for seven with the Mets and Phillies, then immediately went west for three with the Dodgers. 13 games, 14 days against three teams who I thought would be playoff teams this year, I’d have said eight wins would be decent, nine good and 10 knocking it out of the park. They have the 10 wins already and still have one more game in hand with a chance for 11.

If you’ve read me before, you’ve probably read me saying “Get greedy.” When you’ve got eight, get nine. After nine, get 10. After 10, get 11. Just because things fall your way and you catch two potentially good teams when they are anything but, you kick them when you are down and then you go try to get more. I’m absolutely disappointed they didn’t get another one. This was a pretty good matchup as things are ever going to go against the Dodgers. As crazy as it is given relative contract as a barometer, Colin Rea is a more accomplished MLB pitcher than Roki Sasaki. If the Cubs were going to win one, I thought this one was their best shot.

I was out, but had the first six innings of the game on (again). I didn’t look, but I had the captioning on for the national broadcast. I didn’t check if there was a second option. Regardless, I sometimes like to hear what the national broadcast has to say. I’m usually the last to call out the national broadcast. I’m sure that’s why I’m less bothered by Boog than many of you are. And yes, I get it about the inane side conversations at weird times. But anyway, my favorite exchange on the national broadcast came in the sixth inning. That was when they decided to suggest that this was the best Sasaki has looked. Granted, he’d shown some swing-and-miss stuff. And if they’d said, there were some positives here for a guy who’s struggled, I think that’s perfect. They were gushing about what a good start it was. Raise your hand if you ever think your pitcher did a good job when he’s allowed four runs, three on homers in the first five innings of a game. The Dodgers offense through five innings? Relentless and overpowering. Sasaki? Fortunate that he didn’t give away a game when the offense was so exceptional.

I realize national broadcasts want to have their guys to shill their stuff. It would be so much better if they just pulled one guy from each team and let them work together on the call. At least then we’d have announcers familiar with the players and their relative performances and perspective for their accomplishments. I know some of the national crews are really good. But in baseball, I find that more the exception than the rule. Different than the NFL, each MLB team does have a dedicated team that calls very nearly every game. It doesn’t have to be this way. And you might get some fun interaction with my team/your team stuff. In a lot of cases, I don’t think it could be worse.

Just my two cents.

Three Positives:

• Seiya Suzuki had three hits, one a homer.
• Moisés Ballesteros had a homer and a walk. The walk came against a lefty. I saw them say he saw something like 24 pitches in his first three plate appearances. Plays this game like a guy who’s been around for years.
• Vince Velasquez threw in really low leverage. But, he faced eight batters and recorded seven outs. The Cubs will have most of their bullpen available to chase another win in this series.

Game 27, April 25: Dodgers 12, Cubs 4 (17-10)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero:  Moisés Ballesteros (.200). 1-3, HR, BB, RBI, R
• Hero: Seiya Suzuki (.140). 3-4, HR, RBI, R
• Sidekick: Michael Busch (.041). 1-5, RBI

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Colin Rea (-.371). 3.1 IP, 20 BF, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 ER, 4 K (L 3-1)
• Goat: Javier Assad (-.245). 2.1 IP, 16 BF, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 ER, 2 K
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.097). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: With the Dodgers trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Max Muncy hit a one-out, two-run homer to tie the game. (.186)

*Cubs Play of the Game: With the game tied in the fourth inning, Moisés Ballesteros hit a solo homer. (.133)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 26 Winner: Dansby Swanson received 248 of 302 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Nico Hoerner +7.5
• Michael Conforto/Shōta Imanaga +7
• Matt Shaw -7
• Jacob Webb -9
• Pete Crow-Armstrong -13

Current Win Pace: 102

Up Next: With all due respect to Meat Loaf, two out of three here would be terrific. The third and final game of the series at the very reasonable hour of 3:10 central. The Cubs will send Shōta Imanaga (2-1, 2.17, 29 IP) to the mound. He’s been nothing shy of terrific for the Cubs so far this year. He’s allowed two runs on six hits and three walks over his last three starts (19 IP).

Hoffman Estates, IL native (though he attended high school in Georgia) Justin Wrobleski (3-0, 1.88, 24 IP) has arguably been even better for the Dodgers. The 11th-round pick of the Dodgers in 2021 out of Oklahoma State is a rarity in modern baseball. He doesn’t really strike out a ton of hitters (just nine so far). He’s won each of his last three starts, allowing two runs on 12 hits and four walks (20 IP). In the process he won in both Colorado and Toronto, two very different challenges.

This is another tough one. But the Cubs have won some tough matchups lately. Let’s do it again.