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In 2026, I am determined to pay more attention. The White Sox are a team full of exciting young guys who should be coming into their own. A club that signed a noteworthy slugger from Japan in the offseason. A team where Will Venable finally has the coaching staff he wants. By all means, this should be a year of improvement and more wins.

Which is why when the season began in Milwaukee, instead of being excited after three games, there was a collective sigh and feeling of, “here we go again.” This is where I remind myself and everyone reading this that there are indeed 162 games, and September is far away. Thankfully, the home opener was also a reminder of this.

You don’t have time to watch every game, nor do you want to remember every one. However, you want to be able to carry on a friendly conversation and sound like you know what you’re talking about. This is something I can provide to you with a simple recap of the week.

We are officially nine games into the season. The White Sox have to rank somewhere between one and 30 in hitting and pitching stats. I can promise you, they are not last for all of them.

HITTING

Home Runs
As my dad used to say growing up, I will give you three guesses and the first two don’t count. If you said the Los Angeles Dodgers had the most homers so far this season, you would be correct. They lead baseball with a whopping 16 long balls. The White Sox have a respectable 10, and are tied with four other teams for eighth. If you are a fan of math, this is an average of 1.11 round-trippers per game. This puts the South Siders on pace for 180 dingers this season. When you consider the New York Yankees hit 274 in 2025, this seems like chump change. However, that is 15 more than the White Sox hit last year. Improvement already! 

Strikeouts
The philosophy is very simple: Hits are good, strikeouts are bad. You know this, and the White Sox know this, yet they have already racked up 97 strikeouts in 292 at-bats, nearly 11 per game. That’s probably a category you don’t want to be at the top of, but one where the Pale Hose find themselves ranked fifth.

These stats are a double-edged sword because, often, where there are home runs, there are also quite a few Ks. No one knows this better than the South Side’s newest power hitter, Munetaka Murakami, leading both categories for the team with four home runs and 13 strikeouts. As if knowing eyes would be on him for the high number of strikeouts, he is attempting to balance this with walks, in which he also leads the team with six. Fun fact: This is roughly 20% of the entire team’s drawn walks (30) so far. 

PITCHING

ERA
I will preface this by saying that when the White Sox finished up in Miami on Wednesday, their team ERA was over 8.00. Turning around and winning three games in a row will help, but not enough. The pitching staff has posted a 6.19 ERA in nine contests and has firmly settled the team at 29th in baseball. This squad still has plenty of work to do there, to say the least.

All-Star representative last year Shane Smith definitely has some tweaks to make after just two starts. The Opening Day starter has served up 10 runs over 4 2/3 innings pitched. While skewed, his ERA sits at 19.50, ranking last on the team. 

On the opposite end of things, Grant Taylor and Davis Martin are looking good thus far. Taylor, who played the opener role on both Friday and Saturday in what is appearing to be a recurring role, has done exactly what was asked of him. He allowed just one run, striking out six, and walking two in his first four innings, setting his ERA at 2.25. Should he remain getting this job done, this leading stat will look great in mid-June. Martin is just behind Taylor in this category with an ERA of 2.45. This is even more impressive, given he has pitched 11 innings to Taylor’s four. Sunday’s start was the longest start for a South Sider this season, with six shutout innings against the Blue Jays.

Strikeouts and Walks
There is no good way to put this after you read the above stat. Our lovely team also ranks in the bottom third of strikeouts and issued walks. 

The Houston Astros have already punched out 109 batters. The White Sox have struck out just 69. That puts the White Sox 24th in baseball. Over in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves have issued 21 walks over 89 innings pitched. I did some math, so you didn’t have to: That is .24 walks per inning. White Sox pitchers have issued 42 walks in 77 innings. The walks per inning for them is .55. There is a big gap between first on the list and 26th.

There is a bright side to this, so please hang with me for just a moment. Starting pitching is something the White Sox have struggled with for the last few years (probably more, but who’s counting). That said, Martin and Sean Burke have each set down 12 batters over their two starts. Seeing as they have only tossed 11 and 10 innings, averaging just above one strikeout per inning would be a good trend to keep going. To Burke’s credit, he has also only surrendered one walk in two games. I again declare improvement!

While the overview of stats is all good and fun. What happened in the games this week?

• Milwaukee: 0-3
  • The Good: Three home runs in three games for Mune.
  • The Bad: Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 batters in five innings on Opening Day. This was a new franchise record, as were the 20 total strikeouts for the White Sox, a franchise record for a nine-inning game.
  • The Ugly: A 14-2 Opening Day loss, a blown lead in the eighth inning of the series finale, 29 total runs given up. 
• Miami: 1-2
  • The Good: The first win (9-4) of the season! Miguel Vargas and Austin Hays’ home runs. 
  • The Bad: A staggering 23 runs given up in the three-game set.
  • The Ugly: Sandy Alcantara threw a 93-pitch complete game shutout in Wednesday’s loss.
• Toronto: 3-0
  • The Good: A sweep of the reigning AL East Champions. The first shutout win of the season. A mere seven runs allowed over three games. Martin threw the first quality start of the season. Heads-up baserunning by Luisangel Acuña in Saturday’s game to ensure a second run crossed home in the eighth inning.
  • The Bad: An Andrés Giménez two-run homer in Friday’s home opener after leading for seven innings. 
  • The Ugly: The Blue Jays earn this one after the White Sox walked off Toronto in the home opener. Derek Hill tied the game with a two-out bunt, which led to him scoring on a single by Tristan Peters to win the game in the 10th.

In 2026, I am determined to pay more attention. The White Sox are a team full of exciting young guys who should be coming into their own. A club that signed a noteworthy slugger from Japan in the offseason. A team where Will Venable finally has the coaching staff he wants. By all means, this should be a year of improvement and more wins.

Which is why when the season began in Milwaukee, instead of being excited after three games, there was a collective sigh and feeling of, “here we go again.” This is where I remind myself and everyone reading this that there are indeed 162 games, and September is far away. Thankfully, the home opener was also a reminder of this.

You don’t have time to watch every game, nor do you want to remember every one. However, you want to be able to carry on a friendly conversation and sound like you know what you’re talking about. This is something I can provide to you with a simple recap of the week.

We are officially nine games into the season. The White Sox have to rank somewhere between one and 30 in hitting and pitching stats. I can promise you, they are not last for all of them.

HITTING

Home Runs
As my dad used to say growing up, I will give you three guesses and the first two don’t count. If you said the Los Angeles Dodgers had the most homers so far this season, you would be correct. They lead baseball with a whopping 16 long balls. The White Sox have a respectable 10, and are tied with four other teams for eighth. If you are a fan of math, this is an average of 1.11 round-trippers per game. This puts the South Siders on pace for 180 dingers this season. When you consider the New York Yankees hit 274 in 2025, this seems like chump change. However, that is 15 more than the White Sox hit last year. Improvement already! 

Strikeouts
The philosophy is very simple: Hits are good, strikeouts are bad. You know this, and the White Sox know this, yet they have already racked up 97 strikeouts in 292 at-bats, nearly 11 per game. That’s probably a category you don’t want to be at the top of, but one where the Pale Hose find themselves ranked fifth.

These stats are a double-edged sword because, often, where there are home runs, there are also quite a few Ks. No one knows this better than the South Side’s newest power hitter, Munetaka Murakami, leading both categories for the team with four home runs and 13 strikeouts. As if knowing eyes would be on him for the high number of strikeouts, he is attempting to balance this with walks, in which he also leads the team with six. Fun fact: This is roughly 20% of the entire team’s drawn walks (30) so far. 

PITCHING

ERA
I will preface this by saying that when the White Sox finished up in Miami on Wednesday, their team ERA was over 8.00. Turning around and winning three games in a row will help, but not enough. The pitching staff has posted a 6.19 ERA in nine contests and has firmly settled the team at 29th in baseball. This squad still has plenty of work to do there, to say the least.

All-Star representative last year Shane Smith definitely has some tweaks to make after just two starts. The Opening Day starter has served up 10 runs over 4 2/3 innings pitched. While skewed, his ERA sits at 19.50, ranking last on the team. 

On the opposite end of things, Grant Taylor and Davis Martin are looking good thus far. Taylor, who played the opener role on both Friday and Saturday in what is appearing to be a recurring role, has done exactly what was asked of him. He allowed just one run, striking out six, and walking two in his first four innings, setting his ERA at 2.25. Should he remain getting this job done, this leading stat will look great in mid-June. Martin is just behind Taylor in this category with an ERA of 2.45. This is even more impressive, given he has pitched 11 innings to Taylor’s four. Sunday’s start was the longest start for a South Sider this season, with six shutout innings against the Blue Jays.

Strikeouts and Walks
There is no good way to put this after you read the above stat. Our lovely team also ranks in the bottom third of strikeouts and issued walks. 

The Houston Astros have already punched out 109 batters. The White Sox have struck out just 69. That puts the White Sox 24th in baseball. Over in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves have issued 21 walks over 89 innings pitched. I did some math, so you didn’t have to: That is .24 walks per inning. White Sox pitchers have issued 42 walks in 77 innings. The walks per inning for them is .55. There is a big gap between first on the list and 26th.

There is a bright side to this, so please hang with me for just a moment. Starting pitching is something the White Sox have struggled with for the last few years (probably more, but who’s counting). That said, Martin and Sean Burke have each set down 12 batters over their two starts. Seeing as they have only tossed 11 and 10 innings, averaging just above one strikeout per inning would be a good trend to keep going. To Burke’s credit, he has also only surrendered one walk in two games. I again declare improvement!

While the overview of stats is all good and fun. What happened in the games this week?

• Milwaukee: 0-3
  • The Good: Three home runs in three games for Mune.
  • The Bad: Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 batters in five innings on Opening Day. This was a new franchise record, as were the 20 total strikeouts for the White Sox, a franchise record for a nine-inning game.
  • The Ugly: A 14-2 Opening Day loss, a blown lead in the eighth inning of the series finale, 29 total runs given up. 
• Miami: 1-2
  • The Good: The first win (9-4) of the season! Miguel Vargas and Austin Hays’ home runs. 
  • The Bad: A staggering 23 runs given up in the three-game set.
  • The Ugly: Sandy Alcantara threw a 93-pitch complete game shutout in Wednesday’s loss.
• Toronto: 3-0
  • The Good: A sweep of the reigning AL East Champions. The first shutout win of the season. A mere seven runs allowed over three games. Martin threw the first quality start of the season. Heads-up baserunning by Luisangel Acuña in Saturday’s game to ensure a second run crossed home in the eighth inning.
  • The Bad: An Andrés Giménez two-run homer in Friday’s home opener after leading for seven innings. 
  • The Ugly: The Blue Jays earn this one after the White Sox walked off Toronto in the home opener. Derek Hill tied the game with a two-out bunt, which led to him scoring on a single by Tristan Peters to win the game in the 10th.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and their fifth straight win. The team is looking complete and firing on all cylinders, but it’s the starting rotation that has shown a different kind of dominance to start the season.

While it was well known that the Pirates’ group of starting pitchers was going to be elite, very few could’ve predicted that they’d get off to such a hot start. Outside of the season opener against the New York Mets, this group has been hard to rattle. Pittsburgh is the only starting rotation in baseball that has not allowed a home run. As a franchise, the longest such streak was when the 1943 Pirates starters went 17 games without giving up a homer. The current nine game streak that the 2026 club is on is the longest to start a season since the 2018 San Francisco Giants went 10 straight games.

The incredible part is that from top to bottom this group has not shown much weakness. Paul Skenes is clearly the ace of this rotation and is coming off a 2025 Cy Young campaign where he proved he was the best pitcher in the National League. The opener against New York was ugly, but Skenes’ second start against the Cincinnati Reds was a nice rebound contest in which he had five strikeouts. There has been a very apparent hangover period for some of the players that participated in the World Baseball Classic, and Skenes may be a victim, but he is certainly trending in the right direction as one of the most feared pitchers in baseball.

Mitch Keller in recent history has been talked about more as a trade piece than as an ace, but the numbers don’t lie when it comes to how he’s started 2026. Considered an afterthought by many in Pittsburgh, Keller has arguably pitched the best to this point for the Pirates. Against the Mets he didn’t give up any earned runs and only allowed three hits, and then against Baltimore even when he ran into some trouble he still struck out four batters and earned his first win of the season. Although he’s no longer the future of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, Keller is cemented as a crafty veteran who still has some tread on the tires.

While Carmen Mlodzinski is far from a polished starting pitcher he too is giving opposing batters plenty of issues. From the day Mlodzinski set foot in Pittsburgh it’s been a constant back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. He’s got great stuff, but at times is susceptible to giving up bunches of runs. So far he has a 4.15 ERA, but he also has 13 strikeouts. Mlodzinski will likely be relegated to the bullpen if and when Jared Jones returns, but he is off to the best start of his career and is continuing to impress.

The rollercoaster that has been the career of Braxton Ashcraft has been as shaky as the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, but when things are going smooth, it can be very exciting. Injuries have plagued Ashcraft since being drafted in 2018, but now that he’s finally at the major league level he’s showing why he was so highly touted eight years ago. It would take him seven years to make his debut, but it was well worth the wait. Through two starts in 2026 Ashcraft has a 2.25 ERA with a 1-1 record. He set a career high for strikeouts with eight in his win against Baltimore and has really blossomed into one of the most dangerous pitchers in Pittsburgh. Ashcraft has also shown to be a capable bullpen pitcher and has a rare athletic versatility from the mound.

Bubba Chandler has only had one start so far this season but is set to make his second against the San Diego Padres in his first home start of the year. Chandler was another Pirates’ pitcher that saw significant playing time in the minor leagues before finally making his MLB debut towards the end of the 2025 season. In his lone start to this point Chandler only pitched 4.1 innings, but he exited the contest with zero earned runs, zero hits allowed and eight strikeouts. The trio of Skenes, Ashcraft and now Chandler is straight power from the mound with each player specializing in high velocity pitches. With more time in the majors Chandler will continue to refine his approach and work on his control, but at just 23-years-old he is a very capable starter.

This Pittsburgh team is looking to go on a postseason run in 2026 as they finally have the offense to compliment their strong pitching staff. Make no mistake though, strong pitching is what wins championships in baseball and this core of Pirates’ starters is going to be what elevates this team to the next level.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and their fifth straight win. The team is looking complete and firing on all cylinders, but it’s the starting rotation that has shown a different kind of dominance to start the season.

While it was well known that the Pirates’ group of starting pitchers was going to be elite, very few could’ve predicted that they’d get off to such a hot start. Outside of the season opener against the New York Mets, this group has been hard to rattle. Pittsburgh is the only starting rotation in baseball that has not allowed a home run. As a franchise, the longest such streak was when the 1943 Pirates starters went 17 games without giving up a homer. The current nine game streak that the 2026 club is on is the longest to start a season since the 2018 San Francisco Giants went 10 straight games.

The incredible part is that from top to bottom this group has not shown much weakness. Paul Skenes is clearly the ace of this rotation and is coming off a 2025 Cy Young campaign where he proved he was the best pitcher in the National League. The opener against New York was ugly, but Skenes’ second start against the Cincinnati Reds was a nice rebound contest in which he had five strikeouts. There has been a very apparent hangover period for some of the players that participated in the World Baseball Classic, and Skenes may be a victim, but he is certainly trending in the right direction as one of the most feared pitchers in baseball.

Mitch Keller in recent history has been talked about more as a trade piece than as an ace, but the numbers don’t lie when it comes to how he’s started 2026. Considered an afterthought by many in Pittsburgh, Keller has arguably pitched the best to this point for the Pirates. Against the Mets he didn’t give up any earned runs and only allowed three hits, and then against Baltimore even when he ran into some trouble he still struck out four batters and earned his first win of the season. Although he’s no longer the future of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, Keller is cemented as a crafty veteran who still has some tread on the tires.

While Carmen Mlodzinski is far from a polished starting pitcher he too is giving opposing batters plenty of issues. From the day Mlodzinski set foot in Pittsburgh it’s been a constant back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. He’s got great stuff, but at times is susceptible to giving up bunches of runs. So far he has a 4.15 ERA, but he also has 13 strikeouts. Mlodzinski will likely be relegated to the bullpen if and when Jared Jones returns, but he is off to the best start of his career and is continuing to impress.

The rollercoaster that has been the career of Braxton Ashcraft has been as shaky as the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, but when things are going smooth, it can be very exciting. Injuries have plagued Ashcraft since being drafted in 2018, but now that he’s finally at the major league level he’s showing why he was so highly touted eight years ago. It would take him seven years to make his debut, but it was well worth the wait. Through two starts in 2026 Ashcraft has a 2.25 ERA with a 1-1 record. He set a career high for strikeouts with eight in his win against Baltimore and has really blossomed into one of the most dangerous pitchers in Pittsburgh. Ashcraft has also shown to be a capable bullpen pitcher and has a rare athletic versatility from the mound.

Bubba Chandler has only had one start so far this season but is set to make his second against the San Diego Padres in his first home start of the year. Chandler was another Pirates’ pitcher that saw significant playing time in the minor leagues before finally making his MLB debut towards the end of the 2025 season. In his lone start to this point Chandler only pitched 4.1 innings, but he exited the contest with zero earned runs, zero hits allowed and eight strikeouts. The trio of Skenes, Ashcraft and now Chandler is straight power from the mound with each player specializing in high velocity pitches. With more time in the majors Chandler will continue to refine his approach and work on his control, but at just 23-years-old he is a very capable starter.

This Pittsburgh team is looking to go on a postseason run in 2026 as they finally have the offense to compliment their strong pitching staff. Make no mistake though, strong pitching is what wins championships in baseball and this core of Pirates’ starters is going to be what elevates this team to the next level.

Baseball is such a peculiar sport. The Chicago White Sox just swept the Toronto Blue Jays, and that’s indicative of exactly diddly squat about those two teams. What we know for a fact is that no matter the campaign the Blue Jays will have had at the end of the year, it’ll be possible to look back at this one series and see the dent it caused. Across short samples (specific series), a lot of wild stuff can happen, and over a period shorter than two full weeks, there are still major discrepancies about players’ productions and their expectations.

The Yankees will host the Athletics for a three-game set this week, a team that has won three of its first nine games, but that record doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this conversation. We’re focused on the individual production, or lack thereof — at least prior to Sunday’s games — of Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz, two outstanding hitters who are supposed to anchor this lineup. Said anchoring has been left primarily to Shea Langelieres, one of the better-hitting catchers in the game, but not expected to be the star of the show for this team. The production of Rooker and Kurtz has been so poor that even with Rooker’s massive two-homer game that included a walk-off shot on Sunday, the A’s DH still has an OPS of .609.

As a fan, it’s a question each of us must ask ourselves: how do we feel when coming up against undeniably great players in the middle of a rut or a slow start or whatever else you want to call it? Sure, Nick Kurtz has some questions to answer about how much of that phenomenal rookie campaign he is set to match long-term — even for the skeptical side of the room regarding his skill set, a .120 average is a bit much. On the flip side, Brent Rooker may not be as spectacular as Kurtz was at his best, but his quality has been well-established over the past few seasons — and he happens to be the only other A’s regular to be matching Kurtz’s struggles at the plate.

In many respects, without diving too deep into the reasons why these players are struggling, if there are any — usually there aren’t — the question being asked here is, are you an inherently positive person, or do you find yourself more often than not landing on the negative side of things? For me, personally, the latter is more often true, and thus it can be an extra concern, the fear that those guys will burst through.

It’s possible to talk yourself into both sides of the argument. On one hand, the Yankees’ staff is as well-equipped as any to take advantage of these early scuffles and hold down Rooker and Kurtz for a bit longer. On the other hand, isn’t that initial burst more and more inevitable the longer it is put off? Rooker already stuck his head out above water on Sunday — is that a sign of things to come in the near future?

This being a two-way street, A’s fans are probably pondering similar questions regarding a player like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has yet to provide any offensive juice this season. These are mainly theoretical questions without a right or wrong answer. The more tangible impact of these points and what evidently separates these two teams is that, through the struggles of Kurtz and Rooker — even with ungodly numbers from Langeliers — the A’s offense cannot flourish, hence their poor record. Yes, the A’s had a couple of big games against the Astros, but as a whole, their offense has underwhelmed more often than not in these first few games. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been on a roll, even with one of their key hitters yet to do anything.

Whatever Kurtz and Rooker end up doing or not doing, the Yankees have a reasonable path towards keeping that offense from exploding, particularly facing it outside of their home park, a hitter’s paradise.

Baseball is such a peculiar sport. The Chicago White Sox just swept the Toronto Blue Jays, and that’s indicative of exactly diddly squat about those two teams. What we know for a fact is that no matter the campaign the Blue Jays will have had at the end of the year, it’ll be possible to look back at this one series and see the dent it caused. Across short samples (specific series), a lot of wild stuff can happen, and over a period shorter than two full weeks, there are still major discrepancies about players’ productions and their expectations.

The Yankees will host the Athletics for a three-game set this week, a team that has won three of its first nine games, but that record doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this conversation. We’re focused on the individual production, or lack thereof — at least prior to Sunday’s games — of Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz, two outstanding hitters who are supposed to anchor this lineup. Said anchoring has been left primarily to Shea Langelieres, one of the better-hitting catchers in the game, but not expected to be the star of the show for this team. The production of Rooker and Kurtz has been so poor that even with Rooker’s massive two-homer game that included a walk-off shot on Sunday, the A’s DH still has an OPS of .609.

As a fan, it’s a question each of us must ask ourselves: how do we feel when coming up against undeniably great players in the middle of a rut or a slow start or whatever else you want to call it? Sure, Nick Kurtz has some questions to answer about how much of that phenomenal rookie campaign he is set to match long-term — even for the skeptical side of the room regarding his skill set, a .120 average is a bit much. On the flip side, Brent Rooker may not be as spectacular as Kurtz was at his best, but his quality has been well-established over the past few seasons — and he happens to be the only other A’s regular to be matching Kurtz’s struggles at the plate.

In many respects, without diving too deep into the reasons why these players are struggling, if there are any — usually there aren’t — the question being asked here is, are you an inherently positive person, or do you find yourself more often than not landing on the negative side of things? For me, personally, the latter is more often true, and thus it can be an extra concern, the fear that those guys will burst through.

It’s possible to talk yourself into both sides of the argument. On one hand, the Yankees’ staff is as well-equipped as any to take advantage of these early scuffles and hold down Rooker and Kurtz for a bit longer. On the other hand, isn’t that initial burst more and more inevitable the longer it is put off? Rooker already stuck his head out above water on Sunday — is that a sign of things to come in the near future?

This being a two-way street, A’s fans are probably pondering similar questions regarding a player like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has yet to provide any offensive juice this season. These are mainly theoretical questions without a right or wrong answer. The more tangible impact of these points and what evidently separates these two teams is that, through the struggles of Kurtz and Rooker — even with ungodly numbers from Langeliers — the A’s offense cannot flourish, hence their poor record. Yes, the A’s had a couple of big games against the Astros, but as a whole, their offense has underwhelmed more often than not in these first few games. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been on a roll, even with one of their key hitters yet to do anything.

Whatever Kurtz and Rooker end up doing or not doing, the Yankees have a reasonable path towards keeping that offense from exploding, particularly facing it outside of their home park, a hitter’s paradise.

Everything was going the Nationals’ way for most of yesterday’s game, as they had a 6-1 lead entering the 6th inning thanks to a 2-run Luis Garcia Jr. home run, a Keibert Ruiz single which ricocheted off the first base bag, allowing CJ Abrams to score, and a 3-run laser home run off the bat of James Wood.

The lead tightened after a 2-run homer by Dalton Rushing in the 6th inning off PJ Poulin, but the game came completely unraveled after Cionel Perez let the first 5 hitters in the 8th inning reach base, bringing in one run before he was pulled for Clayton Beeter, who got a force out, sacrifice fly, and strikeout to end the inning, but not without 2 more runs scoring to make it 7-6 Dodgers. They would tack on some insurance in the 9th inning with a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot, but it wouldn’t matter, as the Dodgers won 8-6 to secure the series sweep in DC.

The Nats have now lost 5 straight games, despite the offense scoring at least 5 runs in the last 4 games. Nats’ starters rank last in ERA at 6.69, and the bullpen ranks 26th at 5.85, resulting in the overall pitching unit ranking as the worst in baseball with a 6.27 ERA and -1.1 fWAR. Outside of a strong start for Foster Griffin in his return to MLB action and Cade Cavalli keeping 2 strong lineups at bay, there have been very few positives on the pitching side for the Nats.

The Nats will look to get back on course now during a 3-game homestand with the 5-4 St. Louis Cardinals, who are coming off their first series loss of the year to the Detroit Tigers. The record looks solid for the Cardinals, but the numbers suggest their success may not last, as they currently rank 24th in team OPS and 26th in team ERA. The offense is currently led by 23-year-old Jordan Walker, a once top prospect who may finally be realizing his true potential in year four. Matthew Liberatore is their ace on the mound, and the Nats will get a look at him during game two of the series.

Monday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: RHP Andre Pallante (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Pallante was sharp in his first start of 2026, working 5 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Mets, although he did walk 3 hitters and struck out just 3. Walks and the home run ball plagued Pallante in 2025, meaning patience will be key for Nats hitters tonight so they can get ahead in hitter counts.

Littell was just about as advertised in his 5 innings of work following an opener against the Phillies, giving up 3 runs and working his way out of trouble numerous times. He’ll now make his home debut against a struggling Cardinals lineup, where hopefully he can cut down on the hard contact he was giving up in Philly.

Tuesday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.64 ERA)

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.79 ERA)

Liberatore has done everything he can to earn that first win of the year in his first two starts of 2026, giving up one run in 5 innings against the Rays on Opening Day and one run in 6 innings against the Mets, getting the no-decision both times. He’ll now have to face a Nats lineup that ranks top 5 in team OPS currently, and has had success against left-handed pitching to begin the year.

Like Liberatore, Cavalli has looked sharp in his first two starts of the year, but still doesn’t have a win to show for it, as he earned a no-decision after going 6 innings and allowing 1 run against the Phillies. He’s kept strong lineups in the Cubs and Phillies at bay, and now gets a weaker Cardinals lineup in his first home start of the year.

Wednesday – 4:05 PM EST

STL: RHP Michael McGreevy (0-1, 2.53 ERA)

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 14.46 ERA)

McGreevy was great in his first start of 2026, going 6 scoreless against the Rays, before getting roughed up a bit by the Tigers, giving up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, earning him the loss. The righty has struggled with left-handed hitters in the past, and he’ll face a Nats lineup packed with impressive left-handed hitters on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite how much it looks like a typo, Mikolas does, in fact, have a 14.46 ERA through his first 2 Nats starts, averaging a run and then some allowed per inning. Granted, he’s faced 2 very good lineups in the Cubs and Dodgers, but so has the rest of the rotation, and their ERA’s don’t have 2 numbers before the decimal. He’ll look to get back on track against a struggling Cardinals lineup, but if they also get to him early, it may already be time to swap him to the long relief role.

Unlucky scheduling, or a more serious issue?

3-6 is not the place the Nats wanted to be after a strong 3-1 start to the year, but they’ve also had to face a gauntlet of playoff-level teams to begin the season. For me, the real test of what to expect from these Nats going forward begins tonight, against a more middle to lower end of the pack NL team in the Cardinals. Can they show they belong and take the series to get back on track, or will they roll over and make matters worse?

Everything was going the Nationals’ way for most of yesterday’s game, as they had a 6-1 lead entering the 6th inning thanks to a 2-run Luis Garcia Jr. home run, a Keibert Ruiz single which ricocheted off the first base bag, allowing CJ Abrams to score, and a 3-run laser home run off the bat of James Wood.

The lead tightened after a 2-run homer by Dalton Rushing in the 6th inning off PJ Poulin, but the game came completely unraveled after Cionel Perez let the first 5 hitters in the 8th inning reach base, bringing in one run before he was pulled for Clayton Beeter, who got a force out, sacrifice fly, and strikeout to end the inning, but not without 2 more runs scoring to make it 7-6 Dodgers. They would tack on some insurance in the 9th inning with a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot, but it wouldn’t matter, as the Dodgers won 8-6 to secure the series sweep in DC.

The Nats have now lost 5 straight games, despite the offense scoring at least 5 runs in the last 4 games. Nats’ starters rank last in ERA at 6.69, and the bullpen ranks 26th at 5.85, resulting in the overall pitching unit ranking as the worst in baseball with a 6.27 ERA and -1.1 fWAR. Outside of a strong start for Foster Griffin in his return to MLB action and Cade Cavalli keeping 2 strong lineups at bay, there have been very few positives on the pitching side for the Nats.

The Nats will look to get back on course now during a 3-game homestand with the 5-4 St. Louis Cardinals, who are coming off their first series loss of the year to the Detroit Tigers. The record looks solid for the Cardinals, but the numbers suggest their success may not last, as they currently rank 24th in team OPS and 26th in team ERA. The offense is currently led by 23-year-old Jordan Walker, a once top prospect who may finally be realizing his true potential in year four. Matthew Liberatore is their ace on the mound, and the Nats will get a look at him during game two of the series.

Monday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: RHP Andre Pallante (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Pallante was sharp in his first start of 2026, working 5 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Mets, although he did walk 3 hitters and struck out just 3. Walks and the home run ball plagued Pallante in 2025, meaning patience will be key for Nats hitters tonight so they can get ahead in hitter counts.

Littell was just about as advertised in his 5 innings of work following an opener against the Phillies, giving up 3 runs and working his way out of trouble numerous times. He’ll now make his home debut against a struggling Cardinals lineup, where hopefully he can cut down on the hard contact he was giving up in Philly.

Tuesday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.64 ERA)

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.79 ERA)

Liberatore has done everything he can to earn that first win of the year in his first two starts of 2026, giving up one run in 5 innings against the Rays on Opening Day and one run in 6 innings against the Mets, getting the no-decision both times. He’ll now have to face a Nats lineup that ranks top 5 in team OPS currently, and has had success against left-handed pitching to begin the year.

Like Liberatore, Cavalli has looked sharp in his first two starts of the year, but still doesn’t have a win to show for it, as he earned a no-decision after going 6 innings and allowing 1 run against the Phillies. He’s kept strong lineups in the Cubs and Phillies at bay, and now gets a weaker Cardinals lineup in his first home start of the year.

Wednesday – 4:05 PM EST

STL: RHP Michael McGreevy (0-1, 2.53 ERA)

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 14.46 ERA)

McGreevy was great in his first start of 2026, going 6 scoreless against the Rays, before getting roughed up a bit by the Tigers, giving up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, earning him the loss. The righty has struggled with left-handed hitters in the past, and he’ll face a Nats lineup packed with impressive left-handed hitters on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite how much it looks like a typo, Mikolas does, in fact, have a 14.46 ERA through his first 2 Nats starts, averaging a run and then some allowed per inning. Granted, he’s faced 2 very good lineups in the Cubs and Dodgers, but so has the rest of the rotation, and their ERA’s don’t have 2 numbers before the decimal. He’ll look to get back on track against a struggling Cardinals lineup, but if they also get to him early, it may already be time to swap him to the long relief role.

Unlucky scheduling, or a more serious issue?

3-6 is not the place the Nats wanted to be after a strong 3-1 start to the year, but they’ve also had to face a gauntlet of playoff-level teams to begin the season. For me, the real test of what to expect from these Nats going forward begins tonight, against a more middle to lower end of the pack NL team in the Cardinals. Can they show they belong and take the series to get back on track, or will they roll over and make matters worse?

The Phillies’ western swing started out well with the team scoring seven runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. Unfortunately, the offense largely dried up throughout the remainder of the series

The Phillies will try to get their bats going again when they travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The good news is that the Giants are off to a slow start to the 2026 season. The bad news is that no matter how good or bad the Giants are in a given season, the Phillies rarely win games in Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants

Record: 3-7, Fifth place in National League West (4.5 games back)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Oracle Park in July 2025, and as they usually do, they lost the series. However, they were able to win the finale by a score of 13-0, which feels like a special kind of triumph.

What’s the deal with the Giants?

After a mediocre 81-81 season that resulted in the firing of manager Bob Melvin, the Giants had a modest offseason, opting to stay away from the top of the market, and instead pursue second-level free agents like Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.

Under new manager Tony Vitello, not much seems to have improved, and the offense has been putrid. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball and have already been shut out three times. They haven’t hit for average, they haven’t walked much, and their four combined home runs rank last in the majors.

The pitching has been far more mediocre in the early going. The Phillies are scheduled to face three veteran starters in Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Robby Ray, so at least they won’t be surprised by anything they see. The Giants’ bullpen is largely unproven with players like Blade Tidwell and Ryan Walker in key roles.

Featured Giants player: Harrison Bader

After the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline in 2025, the Phillies’ outfield situation became much better. He played solid defense in centerfield and put up one of the best offensive stretches of his career.

There was a strong sentiment that the Phillies should bring him back, but ultimately, they went in another direction. I liked Bader and certainly wouldn’t have minded having him on the team, but the team also seemed determined to play rookie Justin Crawford in centerfield. Since much of Bader’s value comes from defense, it was questionable how wise it would be to sign him to play a corner outfield spot.

Early in the 2026 season, Bader hasn’t done much to make the Phillies regret their choice. While he’s still playing strong defense, he hasn’t hit well, putting up an OPS of just .396.

Remembering a guy who used to play for the Giants

Barry Zito was a star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000’s, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. After the 2006 season, the A’s allowed him to leave as a free agent, but he didn’t go far, signing with the Giants.

For whatever reason, crossing the Bay didn’t agree with Zito, and he was largely a bust. The two-time All-Star’s most notable achievement was leading the NL in losses in 2008, and his ERA during his seven years in San Francisco was over a run higher than it had been in Oakland.

It should be noted that the Giants won two titles while Zito was there, although he didn’t even pitch in the 2010 playoffs. There’s been some debate about Zito’s worth among Giants fans. Because while he was not good overall, he did pitch well in the 2012 postseason, and flags fly forever.

What about the Phillies?

Oracle Park has not been kind to the Phillies in recent years. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013 (though they did split a four-game set in 2017). Really, the park was never all that friendly to the Phillies as they’re 25-58 since it opened in 2000.

Andrew Painter will get the first crack at reversing that luck as he will make his second career start in the season opener on Monday. Maybe the rookie can succeed where so many veterans have failed.

Normally, I’d say the Phillies were catching the struggling Giants at the right time, but it seems more likely that the Giants aren’t actually as bad on offense as they’ve looked, and they’re due to regress the heck out of the Phillies the next few days.

Pennant year song battle

Everybody Wants You defeated My Sister to become the first song to successfully defend the title.

The next contender comes from the year 2009 and describes what Oracle Park has done to the Phillies over the years. It’s Gives You Hell by All-American Rejects:

Vote for the winner now:

Closing thought

A good rule of thumb for the Phillies is that they are never as bad as they look when they play at either Oracle Park or Citi Field. And if the Phillies should happen to do the impossible and actually win this series, then maybe that’s a sign that this is their year!

The Phillies’ western swing started out well with the team scoring seven runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. Unfortunately, the offense largely dried up throughout the remainder of the series

The Phillies will try to get their bats going again when they travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The good news is that the Giants are off to a slow start to the 2026 season. The bad news is that no matter how good or bad the Giants are in a given season, the Phillies rarely win games in Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants

Record: 3-7, Fifth place in National League West (4.5 games back)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Oracle Park in July 2025, and as they usually do, they lost the series. However, they were able to win the finale by a score of 13-0, which feels like a special kind of triumph.

What’s the deal with the Giants?

After a mediocre 81-81 season that resulted in the firing of manager Bob Melvin, the Giants had a modest offseason, opting to stay away from the top of the market, and instead pursue second-level free agents like Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.

Under new manager Tony Vitello, not much seems to have improved, and the offense has been putrid. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball and have already been shut out three times. They haven’t hit for average, they haven’t walked much, and their four combined home runs rank last in the majors.

The pitching has been far more mediocre in the early going. The Phillies are scheduled to face three veteran starters in Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Robby Ray, so at least they won’t be surprised by anything they see. The Giants’ bullpen is largely unproven with players like Blade Tidwell and Ryan Walker in key roles.

Featured Giants player: Harrison Bader

After the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline in 2025, the Phillies’ outfield situation became much better. He played solid defense in centerfield and put up one of the best offensive stretches of his career.

There was a strong sentiment that the Phillies should bring him back, but ultimately, they went in another direction. I liked Bader and certainly wouldn’t have minded having him on the team, but the team also seemed determined to play rookie Justin Crawford in centerfield. Since much of Bader’s value comes from defense, it was questionable how wise it would be to sign him to play a corner outfield spot.

Early in the 2026 season, Bader hasn’t done much to make the Phillies regret their choice. While he’s still playing strong defense, he hasn’t hit well, putting up an OPS of just .396.

Remembering a guy who used to play for the Giants

Barry Zito was a star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000’s, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. After the 2006 season, the A’s allowed him to leave as a free agent, but he didn’t go far, signing with the Giants.

For whatever reason, crossing the Bay didn’t agree with Zito, and he was largely a bust. The two-time All-Star’s most notable achievement was leading the NL in losses in 2008, and his ERA during his seven years in San Francisco was over a run higher than it had been in Oakland.

It should be noted that the Giants won two titles while Zito was there, although he didn’t even pitch in the 2010 playoffs. There’s been some debate about Zito’s worth among Giants fans. Because while he was not good overall, he did pitch well in the 2012 postseason, and flags fly forever.

What about the Phillies?

Oracle Park has not been kind to the Phillies in recent years. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013 (though they did split a four-game set in 2017). Really, the park was never all that friendly to the Phillies as they’re 25-58 since it opened in 2000.

Andrew Painter will get the first crack at reversing that luck as he will make his second career start in the season opener on Monday. Maybe the rookie can succeed where so many veterans have failed.

Normally, I’d say the Phillies were catching the struggling Giants at the right time, but it seems more likely that the Giants aren’t actually as bad on offense as they’ve looked, and they’re due to regress the heck out of the Phillies the next few days.

Pennant year song battle

Everybody Wants You defeated My Sister to become the first song to successfully defend the title.

The next contender comes from the year 2009 and describes what Oracle Park has done to the Phillies over the years. It’s Gives You Hell by All-American Rejects:

Vote for the winner now:

Closing thought

A good rule of thumb for the Phillies is that they are never as bad as they look when they play at either Oracle Park or Citi Field. And if the Phillies should happen to do the impossible and actually win this series, then maybe that’s a sign that this is their year!