Today was not the party the Rockies or their fans were hoping for. 

For a moment, it felt like it might be possible. A perfect afternoon, a packed house, and Hunter Goodman receiving his Silver Slugger before first-pitch set an optimistic tone. 

Then the first inning happened. 

Michael Lorenzen never settled in. Trea Turner led off with a double, walks piled up, and Bryce Harper made it hurt with a two-run single. Bryson Stott followed with a double, and Brandon Marsh — Charlie Blackmon-esque beard and all — turned on an 0-2 fastball and launched it into the right field seats. 

Seven runs crossed before the inning finally ended, aided by a ball lost in the sun in right that only made things feel sloppier. 

The boos came early. 

Lorenzen’s final line told the story: three innings, 12 hits, nine runs — all earned — with two walks and two home runs allowed. He takes the loss and falls to 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA through two starts. The first inning was the clear nightmare, a rude introduction to the home crowd in his first start at Coors Field as a Rockie. 

It didn’t get better. Harper added a homer in the second, and Kyle Schwarber later crushed one into the second deck — a 460-foot blast, the longest in the majors so far this season. 

The damage was spread throughout the lineup. Turner (3-for-4) set the tone, Schwarber supplied the power, Harper reached three times, and Alec Bohm and Stott kept innings moving. It was complete, relentless offense. 

Lorenzen looked stiff, out of rhythm, and unable to command his fastball. It was a rough, disappointing start—but not the whole story. 

Meanwhile, Nola looked like vintage Nola. 

Aaron Nola improves to 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA through two starts, going 6.1 innings and allowing one earned run on five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts. He now has 16 strikeouts on the season. Nola worked ahead, changed speeds, and kept Rockies hitters defensive all afternoon. With a lead, he never had to do more than control the game —and he did that with ease. Still, the Rockies had chances.

In the second, Willi Castro ripped a 104.2 mph double down the line, TJ Rumfield battled his way on, and Jake McCarthy drove one to the track — but it died in center. 

In the fourth, Mickey Moniak and Ezequiel Tovar singled, Rumfield hustled out an infield hit, and a run finally scored on a Castro grounder. Not pretty, but something. 

Too often, though, it wasn’t enough. 

Brenton Doyle struck out looking twice in big spots. The strikeouts piled up. Runners were left on. Momentum never stuck. 

Through the game, the line told the story: 15 strikeouts against just one walk, no hitter with more than one hit. That’s now 32 strikeouts over the last two games — eye-watering stuff. Add it up, and your head starts to spin. 

Doyle and Goodman each struck out three times. 

Even late, nothing came easy. Kyle Backhus, a funky Phillies lefty, kept hitters uncomfortable.

Even a brief spark — a Doyle single in the seventh — went nowhere. Strikeout. Lazy fly. Inning over. 

And that was the story the rest of the way, with Zach Pop striking out Doyle to end it in the ninth.

If there was a bright spot, it was Valente Bellozo. 

Recently added to the roster, he didn’t look the part of a prototypical power arm — but he pitched like one. Efficient, composed, and exactly what the Rockies needed. 

Six innings. One hit. One run. One walk. Seven strikeouts. 

The only blemish: the Schwarber homer — yes, that one — the 460-foot missile into the second deck, still the longest in the majors this season. (Schwarber is ridiculous. He would look pretty good in purple, not going to lie…) 

Bellozo stabilized the game, saved the bullpen, and was easily the Rockies’ MVP of the afternoon. 

Behind him, Kyle Karros looked like a big leaguer in the field. Clean plays, steady presence — nothing flashy, just reliable defense. 

There’s also a broader way to look at this one. 

Take away the disastrous first inning, and it’s a 3-1 game. The Rockies still likely come up short, but it’s at least competitive. And that’s what lingers more than anything — this wasn’t just about Lorenzen having a rough day. 

It was about the offense. 

Right now, it doesn’t look like a lineup. It looks disconnected. The at-bats feel isolated, the approach inconsistent, and there’s no sense of momentum building from one hitter to the next. Too many strikeouts. Too many empty stretches. 

At times, it feels like a collection of 7, 8, and 9-hole hitters trying to get through the order. 

It’s one game — but it felt like one we’ve seen before. 

And yet… this is part of it. 

There was always going to be adversity with this team. New faces, new ideas, a new direction. Days like this were going to happen. 

You just hoped it wouldn’t show up like this. 

Not on today. Not when the party was just getting started. 

Up Next 

The Rockies return to Coors tomorrow at 6:10 p.m., with Jesús Luzardo set to go for the Phillies. Colorado’s starter? Still TBD. 

And that’s part of the story. 

Is it a bullpen game? Is it time for Chase Dollander? However it shakes out, today’s outing from Bellozo looms larger — six innings that may end up giving the Rockies just enough flexibility to get through tomorrow. 

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Home game! First of the year everyone. The A’s are back in West Sacramento for their first series of the year in front of the home crowd.

The starting pitcher for the home team is going to be Jeffrey Springs. Set to make his second start of the season he’ll be looking for more of the same from his last time out when he pitched into the sixth inning and allowed only a pair of runs. Against the Astros he’s got a good track record so we’ll be hoping for a good performance from the veteran lefty tonight to start the series on a good note.

Here’s how the Athletics line up for their first home game of the year:

We got the regular lineup this evening with first baseman Nick Kurtz back atop the batting order leading off. We all remember his performance against these guys last year so hopefully meeting these guys again will wake up his bat.

We’ll also get to see offseason acquisition Jeff McNeil back in there lining up at second base for his fourth start of the year. A couple Athletics have gotten off to slow starts this year including McNeil. The squad needs some production from the second base spot.

That lineup will be up against Houston right-hander Cristian Javier. Javier didn’t look quite right in his first start of the year last week so the A’s need to take advantage of a pitcher still finding himself after years of injuries.

And the Astros’ lineup:

Are we ready for the second win of the year? Let’s do this! Let’s go A’s!

Asking concrete questions during the first full week of the 162-game slate is always a bit perilous. For instance, had I asked you before Friday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers whether or not Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson should be losing playing time due to their struggles, my best guess is that many of you would’ve responded with a resounding yes.

Those two just combined to go 4 for 8 with 3 runs scored, 4 ribbies, and a pair of 2-run homers to lead the Reds past Texas in impressive fashion in the team’s first road game of the season. If I asked whether the two of them deserved to lose playing time right now, you’d tell me I was ridiculous.

Such is the case, potentially, with the closer’s role for the Cincinnati Reds. After taking the job and running with it last year, Emilio Pagán was brought back in free agency to take the 9th inning role once again, but his first week of the 2026 season was rather brutal.

Pagán was hammered for a pair of homers and 5 ER in 3.1 IP across his first 3 appearances of the season. He blew a save in his first chance of the year against the Boston Red Sox (in a game the Reds ultimately won), and he later watched as Connor Phillips – who’s much younger with a much more electric arm – get a save when he was unavailable for the day after having thrown so many pitches earlier in the week.

It just so happens that I asked you whether Pagán, or someone else, would lead the Reds in saves in 2026 right after he was slugged around for a homer and 4 ER in an IP against Pittsburgh in a game the Reds lost 8-3. Even though that came in a non-save situation, it was a pretty rough time for an evaluation of his job title to come down, but that’s just how the timing of the situation went.

(I’d actually sent in the question for a graphic to be made a day earlier, but the baseball gods chose to make the timing more dramatic for when I could relay it in a post.)

So, it’s somewhat unsurprising that 79% of you thought, at that moment, that someone other than Pagán would end up leading the Reds in saves in 2026.

As the baseball gods would have it, these results are getting posted shortly after Pagán posted a 1-2-3 inning for the save against Texas in the Reds series opening 5-3 victory, his second save of the season. That gives him the team lead once again, and it’s clear that manager Terry Francona is willing to give him a long leash in the role given his 30+ save season a year ago and long track record as a high-leverage reliever.

This is a situation that should have some intrigue down the road, though. Pagán is no spring chicken as he nears his 35th birthday, and he’s already spoken glowingly of the arm talent of Phillips (and several other relievers the Reds have coming around). If he doesn’t find a way to keep the good vibes going, we very may well see a changing of the guard in the closer’s role down the road.

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Athletics baseball is back in California this weekend for their home-opener series against an an AL West division rival. The Athletics face Houston Astros for a three-game set, beginning Friday, April 3 at 6:40 p.m. PT (9:40 p.m. ET).

After a rough start on the road, where the A's went 1-5 combined against the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves, the A's are looking to string along some wins in front of their temporary home crowd at Sutter Health Park, a minor league ballpark that seats 14,000 in West Sacramento, California.

It's one of the rare times that fans can watch the team in person in Yolo County in the early part of the season as their series against Houston is the team's only three home games over their first 15 games.

The A's are currently tied with the Red Sox and White Sox for the lowest winning percentage in the majors, marking the second time in the last three years the A's have started the season 1-5. The last time they started 1-5 was the 2024 season, when they finished with a 69-93 record.

However, the A's have had good fortune against Houston. They went 8-5 against the Astros in 2025, winning the season series for the first time since 2020. The A's went 4-3 in West Sacramento and 4-2 in Houston against the Astros last year.

Here's what to look out for in their home-series against the Astros as the A's look to get things on track.

The Blue Jays are bringing in some much-needed pitching depth. 

Toronto signed veteran Patrick Corbin to a $1 million deal, according to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon.

Corbin, 36, posted a 4.40 ERA across 31 appearances (30 starts) for the Rangers in 2025. 

He will report to the Blue Jays’ Single-A affiliate, although it appears he could be on the big league roster soon. 

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that Corbin has been “working out extensively” and is already tossing 80 pitches during bullpen sessions. 

“Possible he needs just a couple minor-league starts,” he wrote. 

The Corbin addition comes as Toronto deals with a handful of injuries to its starting rotation during the early going of the 2026 season. 

Earlier this week, starter Cody Ponce went down with an ACL injury, which is expected to sideline him for a significant amount of time. 

The team had already been dealing with injured list stints for Shane Bieber, José Berríos and Trey Yesavage.

The Blue Jays will hope they can get something closer to the Corbin of old. 

After making two All-Star teams and receiving Cy Young votes in two different times through the first seven seasons, Corbin’s big league career took a turn for the worse. 

Since 2020, Corbin has a 5.41 ERA, which is the highest among pitchers with at least 600 innings on the mound over that stretch.

He’s remained a workhorse, though, tossing at least 150 innings in each of the past five seasons. 

Despite the injuries, the Blue Jays are 4-3 through the first week of the season.

MLB's top prospect, Konnor Griffin, made his professional debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-4 win against the Baltimore Orioles on April 3.

The 19-year-old shortstop was extremely solid in first outing in the big leagues. He was the ninth overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, selected by the Pirates.

Griffin got the call up to the majors for "baseball reasons" and because he's the Pirates' "best option," according to baseball insider Jason Mackey.

In his first at-bat, which came in the second inning of the game, Griffin hit an RBI double into the pocket of center field as Ryan O'Hearn scored to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

Griffin told reporters before the game that he felt ready for the moment.

"It's been unbelievable. You know, the drive from Columbus to here, just two hours of just kind of reflecting on the whole journey so far. I was sitting here about a year and a half ago, two years after I got drafted, and was talking about how cool it would be to play on this field and how now I get to do it, so I'm super excited," Griffin said. "(Triple-A coach) Eric Patterson, he called me to his hotel room about 8:30 in the morning and said, 'hey, we're gonna send you out to Pittsburgh go, kill it. I know you're ready. Just go. Keep being you.' So it was a special moment."

His hit was the momentum swing the Pirates were looking for as they ran off three more runs to extend the lead to 4-0 in the second inning. Jared Triolo singled to right, allowing Griffin to make it home for his first run.

The Pirates stacked the bases and got more runs. Henry Davis hit a double that went out to left field, giving Triolo the chance to score. Up next, Oneil Cruz. He singled to left and Davis scored.

As for the rest of the rookie's game, Griffin's next at-bat didn't come until the fourth inning; he walked.

Griffin finished the game batting 1-for-3 with a run and RBI. He struck out swinging in the fifth inning and ground out in the eighth inning.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Konnor Griffin stats from MLB debut, highlights

Through seven games, the Yankees lead the American League with 11 steals and only trail the Brewers (15) in the big leagues. 

Yes, the Yankees are running it back.

But the team they are running back — the post-trade-deadline version — is one that clearly can run. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked in the second inning and quickly stole second and third, and José Caballero then stole second base behind him, both coming around to score and setting an aggressive tone in what became an 8-2, home-opening victory over the Marlins on Friday. 

“We’re a really athletic team,” said Cody Bellinger, who was brought back in part because of his athleticism, which he demonstrated again with a remarkable catch in the ninth inning. “We believe that we’re one of the best teams out there … and we want to be showcasing that.” 

Against Miami catcher Liam Hicks, who has a poor defensive reputation, the Yankees took advantage and went 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts, two apiece from Chisholm and Caballero, while Aaron Judge swiped second in the eighth inning. 

But the Yankees’ aggressiveness and desire to force the Marlins’ defense to make plays — some of which worked, some of which did not — shined through in other ways, too. 

With two outs and a runner on third in the third inning, Caballero pushed a bunt down the first-base line, an attempt at a hit that backfired. 

With two on base in the sixth inning, Ryan McMahon lofted a fly out to left on which Austin Wells, in a big surprise, tagged up from second base. The throw from Griffin Conine beat Wells, but the catcher proved nimble with a slide that avoided the tag. Wells then scored on a wild pitch. 

In the eighth inning, Trent Grisham attempted to go from first to third on a Judge single to left and was thrown out because he lost contact with the base. 

It is early, but these Yankees do not look like a team that simply waits for a home run. 

“We have a handful of guys that can really push it in the running game,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So far, I think the guys are doing a good job of taking extra bases, too. 

“I thought Grish going there, and he beats the throw — he just came off [the base] obviously on the slide — but really good job by them today of being smartly aggressive.” 

Anthony Volpe (left shoulder surgery recovery), who began facing live pitching Wednesday, is set to head north “in the middle of the month,” Boone said, to begin a rehab assignment. 

That could position the shortstop for a season debut in late April or early May. 

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Team USA hockey heroes Jack Hughes and Aerin Frankel threw out the ceremonial first pitches, after which “U-S-A” chants rang out from the crowd.

WASHINGTON D.C. –– There was neither relief nor elation as Kyle Tucker recounted his first home run as a Dodger on Friday.

Instead, just a self-depracating quip from the team’s understated new slugger.

“It was nice,” he said. “First actual ball I’ve hit in the air well.”

The question now: Whether it will kick-start his 2026 season?

While just about every superstar in the Dodgers’ loaded lineup struggled during last week’s lackluster season-opening homestand, Tucker’s Dodgers debut had gotten off to a particularly slow start.

In his first six games, he was just 4-for-23 with two RBIs and one extra-base hit.

His nine strikeouts in that span were also uncharacteristic, running counter to his reputation as an on-base machine.

Things changed on Friday, when Tucker went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and his first long ball of the year. And though he wasn’t the only one who suddenly found his swing in a 13-6 rout of the Washington Nationals, his resurgence might have been the day’s biggest development.

The Dodgers, after all, aren’t just making a financial gamble in Tucker, whom they wooed with a blockbuster $240 million contract this winter.

They are also betting on him in one of the most important spots of their lineup: Batting second as the primary line of protection for superstar leadoff man Shohei Ohtani.

Already, Ohtani has been seeing few hittable pitches this season. If Tucker doesn’t hit, the easier it will be for teams to keep pitching around him.

“He likes to hit, and doesn’t like to walk,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who has drawn seven walks to this point but has also looked “anxious” to do more damage.

“(Tucker) getting on base and being a threat,” Roberts added, “changes how a team is going to approach Shohei.”

Tucker hadn’t been much of a threat before Friday. During the season’s opening week, he felt he was missing too many mistakes in the zone.

“I’ve been kind of fouling off pitches over the plate more than I normally do and striking out more than I normally do,” he said. “Probably because I fouled off some pitches and got into worse counts, (it went) just downhill from there.”

Thus, the four-time All-Star focused Friday on “trying to swing myself out of it,” getting more aggressive early in counts hoping that something would click.

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In the third inning, it led to a pivotal first-pitch single –– sandwiched between Ohtani’s game-tying three-run homer the at-bat prior, and Mookie Betts’ go-ahead two-run blast the next.

In the fifth, Tucker singled again after swinging at all three pitches he saw in the strike zone, fouling off the first two before smoking a grounder through the infield to drive in a run.

Tucker’s best swing came in the seventh, when he ambushed another first-pitch breaking ball from left-handed reliever Ken Waldichuk and hammered the center-cut mistake 404 feet to right.

The blast was superfluous insurance at that point. But the fact it came off a lefty was important for a different reason: Both Ohtani and Tucker hit from the left side of the plate, meaning they’ll see plenty of southpaws when teams begin matching up out of the bullpen.

“I have a good idea that he does OK versus a left-hander,” Roberts said of Tucker, who has more neutral career splits than even Ohtani but was hitless in left-on-left matchups previously this year. “Hasn’t looked great early. But I think more for him, that he can get some hits and still hit a homer, that was still good.”

Tucker refuted any notion he was pressing in his first week as a Dodger, or that the Ohtani dynamic has added any extra pressure at the plate.

In his matter-of-fact way, he said he is simply “trying to feel comfortable in the box and trying to put a swing on good pitches.”

On Friday, it resulted in his first signature performance with his new team.

The Dodgers are hoping that, moving forward, they will see plenty more like it.

The Orioles’ first road game of the year looked a lot like the six games they played at home to begin the season. Their starter scuffled on the mound, particularly in one inning, and their lineup failed to make the most of their opportunities. On Friday evening in Pittsburgh, that added up to a 5-4 loss for the Orioles.

Kyle Bradish’s second outing of the year was an up-and-down affair. He threw just 81 pitches over four innings. In those innings he gave up four runs on six hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. All four of those runs came in during a nightmarish second inning.

That second inning began with a walk to old friend Ryan O’Hearn. A double to debutant Konner Griffin gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead with one out. Jared Triolo followed with a single to score Griffin and make it 2-0. Henry Davis then doubled in Triolo, and Oneil Cruz wrapped up the onslaught with a base hit to score Davis.

Bradish escaped the jam with some help from Cruz, who was thrown out trying to steal second base. That felt like a poor decision given the way in which Bradish was getting lit up, and since he’s not a pitcher known for allowing steals. After a walk to Brandon Lowe, Bradish got Bryan Reynolds to fly out, and was finally out of the inning.

Outside of that inning, Bradish gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out five over the other three frames. His fastball and sinker velocity was back at 93.5 mph, right where it sat in his first start of the year. That does represent a slight dip from his average at the tail end of 2025, but it could just be early-season rust. The bigger concern is Bradish’s control. He issued three walks and was often catching far too much of the strike zone. The Pirates made him pay for it.

The Orioles offense took a while to get things going. Pirates starter Mitch Keller held them scoreless through the first frames, though they did have traffic on the bases. A pair of double plays in those early innings extinguished potential rallies before they even got going.

In the fifth inning, the Orioles got on the board with a pair of runs. Blaze Alexander led off with a single. He would be doubled home by Gunnar Henderson. Later, a two-bagger for Adley Rutschman scored Henderson to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Bradish was lifted in favor of Dietrich Enns to begin the fifth inning. The lefty was wild and failed to put together a lockdown inning. He walked two of the first three hitters that he faced, and then uncorked a wild pitch. That allowed O’Hearn to drive in the Pirates’ fifth run of the day with a sac fly to center field.

From there, the Orioles bullpen was very good. Tyler Wells tossed two shutout innings, an important step for him following an uneven opening week. Then Rico Garcia was called on for the eighth. He induced a trio of groundouts to maintain his pristine ERA.

The Orioles had a real chance to come back all the way in the seventh inning. Alexander opened the inning with a single, and then scooted all the way from fist base to score on a Taylor Ward double in the left-center gap. Pete Alonso worked a one-out walk to put two runners on for the middle of the lineup. But neither Rutschman nor Samuel Basallo could cash in, both being retired to end the threat.

Henderson did bring the Orioles within one run in the bottom of the ninth, homering off of old friend Gregory Soto with two outs. But he was the only one that had success as the three other hitters in the inning, including Alonso to end the game, went down on strikes.

The Orioles did not make the most of their chances. They worked five walks and collected nine hits. That should have been enough to score more than four runs, but instead they went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. Alonso, in particular, had a tough day, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Henderson was the standout, collecting seven total bases and driving in two runs. Ward reached base three times (double, two walks). Alexander and Dylan Beavers had two hits apiece.

Alexander also made the highlight reel with an impressive diving stop in the sixth inning. Playing third base, he snagged a hard-hit grounder from Henry Davis, stood up and fired over to Alonso at first. The call on the field was “safe,” but it was overturned after an Orioles challenge. His versatile glove and current .800 OPS are two things that Craig Albernaz needs in his lineup everyday for the time being, whether it be at second or third base.

Bradish needs to get himself right. Nothing feels easy for him at the moment, which is a new phenomenon for the former Cy Young contender. We are so used to seeing him go out and dominate each start. But right now he has to battle and fight for outs. There is plenty of time for that, and the Orioles will give him all the time he needs to figure it out. But he is part of a rotation that, as a whole, has disappointed in in their first week.

These two teams are back at it again on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh. First pitch is set for 4:05 in a battle between Shane Baz (0-0, 6.75 ERA), a former Pirates prospect, and righty Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0,4.15 ERA).

Colorado Rockies fans assuredly did not have high expectations for the 2026 season. The team lost 119 games in 2025, and they didn’t seem to significantly upgrade the roster in the offseason. So, when the fans sat down to watch their home opener against the Phillies on Friday afternoon, it’s not like most of them had dreams of watching a pennant winner.

But they probably hoped for a little more than this. By the time they got situated in their seats, the Phillies had already jumped out to a 7-0 lead. In what may serve as a harbinger of things to come at Coors Field this season, the visiting team cruised to a 10-1 victory.

Quite a few Phillies batters were off to slow starts to the season, but there was nothing slow about their start on Friday. Facing former teammate Michael Lorenzen, Trea Turner led off the game with a double, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper followed with walks, and Alec Bohm got two of those runners home with a single.

A Bryson Stott double scored another run before Brandon Marsh buried a ball deep into the stands to make it 6-0.

The Phillies still weren’t done. J.T Realmuto hit a double, although it was really a pop up that former Phillie Mickey Moniak lost in the sun. When reading up on the Rockies, I saw someone describe Moniak as the worst defensive outfielder in the game. (Nick Castellanos, hold my beer!) Moniak had a .824 OPS in 2025, but was still worth negative wins above replacement, which is really tough to do. (At least some team wasn’t dumb enough to choose him with the top overall pick in the draft, right?)

Turner’s second hit of the inning drove home Realmuto to make it 7-0.

In the second inning, Harper put another ball into the seats, marking his second straight game with a home run, and quieting some of the worry about his slow start to the season.

They tacked on another run in the third when an Alec Bohm infield single (those are words you don’t see very often) allowed Turner to come home after his third hit of the game.

The Phillies concluded their scoring in the fifth when Schwarber managed to outdo Marsh by hitting a ball 460 feet.

Friday also served as a “get right” game for Aaron Nola. Nola and Lorenzen were teammates on the Italian team in the World Baseball Classic, and unlike Lorenzen, Nola had a terrific outing. His curveball looked sharp, and he kept the ball in the yard. He allowed one run in 6.1 innings to go along with nine strikeouts.

On the other hand, Lorenzen was the one to make history.

The Phillies now find themselves on a three-game winning streak, and most of their players should be feeling much better about themselves. They’ll be back in action on Saturday afternoon with Taijuan Walker on the mound. Like Nola, Walker is hoping for a rebound after a poor season debut. While it would be great if that happens, it would also be great if the Phillies could have their bats stay hot.

Major League Baseball’s opening night coverage has been the subject of polarizing opinions.

And this is something Netflix is no stranger to.

Netflix had major streaming issues during its airing of boxing in late 2024, during Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson, which also featured Amanda Serrano’s bout with Katie Taylor, showing a consistent lag. This even led Netflix to be the target of a $50 million lawsuit over the quality of the streaming.

The company is not quite in the same position now following their airing of Yankees-Giants as part of MLB Opening Day, but the online chirping is loud, which Elle Duncan — who joined Netflix as a host following a lengthy tenure on ESPN — responded to on a recent episode of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” this week.

Critics have pointed to non-baseball personalities being used and a new-look scorebug as some of the primary issues.

“Whenever there’s criticism that I saw like, ‘It was just so Netflix. It was not for baseball purists,” Duncan acknowledged, adding, “This was not for baseball purists. You’ll watch it anywhere. This was for the baseball-curious.”

Duncan noted that the broadcast is intended for a broader audience beyond traditional baseball fans.

“A lot of what Netflix is doing in the sports world is, yes, for the people that are always going to watch those sports, but also the people that maybe tuned into to watch “Love is Blind,” saw the button for ‘Opening Day on Netflix,’ and thought, ‘All right, I’ll check it out,’” Duncan said.

Duncan disagrees with the criticisms — which include missing the first-ever Automatic Ball Strike challenge due to a mid-inning dugout interview — and mentioned that baseball fans ultimately expected something they weren’t going to fully get.

“This is like going to a Mexican restaurant and bitching that they don’t have barbecue,” said Duncan. “They advertise as a Mexican restaurant. It’s your fault that you somehow thought they were somehow gonna serve barbecue.”

She later added: “Netflix has made no qualms about who they are. We’re going to eventicize these things, we’re gonna pull people from the Netflix universe. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Netflix will broadcast the Home Run Derby on July 13 and the “Field of Dreams” game between the Phillies and Twins one month later.