By the time the Yankees finished blasting the Miami Marlins 8-2 in their home opener Friday afternoon, two things felt true about the group many accused of running things back at the expense of pushing them forward.

First, the 2026 Yankees are good enough to win the World Series. Second, it is way too soon to say so.

Because even if their season falls apart for one reason or another, few teams can win the way the Yankees did Friday -- let alone the way they have been winning all week, against strong opponents and struggling ones alike.

Consider this: On Friday, sophomore righty Will Warren forced his Yankees to suffer through the worst start they’ve endured all season. The torture included all of two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings that required just 77 pitches. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Their starters’ ERA bloated to an unwieldy 0.92 in seven games – four earned runs, 41 strikeouts.

“They’re just dictating the at-bat, I feel like. They’re getting ahead. They’re working all their pitches on the corners,” Yankee captain Aaron Judge said. “Those guys, if you get in good counts against hitters, it’s a tough at-bat. So them getting ahead 0-1, 0-2, just putting the pressure on guys at-bat after at-bat, it’s tough for an offense to kind of get rolling when that happens.”

According to researcher Sarah Langs, only two teams have allowed as few runs (eight) in the first seven games of their season as these Yankees: The 2002 San Francisco Giants and the 1993 Atlanta Braves. One of those teams played in the World Series. And the other was building what would become one of the best starting rotations of the modern era.

But while the sample might be small, the relevant context is immense: The rotation making that history does not include its most proven ace, Gerrit Cole, or his fellow top-of-the-rotation anchor Carlos Rodon, both of whom are working their way back from injuries. When they do, Warren -- the man who started more games as a rookie in 2025 than any Yankee pitcher had in decades – will slide into the fifth spot in their rotation.

Now, of course, no pitcher looks the same after a major injury, at least not at first. And Warren or fellow youngster Cam Schlittler could regress – their track records aren’t long enough to call either of them sure things.

Still, the thing that makes the Yankees hopeful that running things back will actually push them deeper into October is the potential for the opposite effect: With expanded pitch arsenals and jumps in velocity, respectively, both Schlittler and Warren look capable of taking steps forward in 2026.

The same could be true for first baseman Ben Rice – though again, no decisions should be made after one productive season and one solid opening week.

Rice, who struck out in his first three at-bats Friday, was so flustered by the experience that he homered in the seventh before doubling in the eighth. He is hitting .409 with a 1.364 OPS.

“I think Benny can really hit,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked if Rice could be one of the best hitters in baseball this year. “I think he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter. I think he will be for a long time.”

If Rice can duplicate or improve on the 26 homers he hit last season, the Yankees will once again be the kind of power-heavy lineup it has been for several years. But between homers from Rice and Judge on Friday, they displayed another weapon they have not always had in that time: Team speed and aggressive baserunning.

Almost every Yankee who had a chance to run did so Friday, but the speedsters in the back half of the lineup never stopped. Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, stole second, then stole third before scoring in the second inning. Jose Cabellero stole second both times he reached first. After Chisholm Jr. doubled and tagged on a routine fly ball to right field in the third inning, Caballero tried to squeeze him home with a two-out bunt. Cabellero and Chisholm Jr. combined to steal 80 bases in 2025. They have seven between them in seven games this year.

But even Yankees less known for speed pushed the limits against a Marlins battery not known for controlling the running game. Judge stole a base. Austin Wells (successful) and Trent Grisham (unsuccessful, but only because his momentum carried him off third base) attempted to tag on balls hit in front of them. Yankees runners were in motion, and they scored an extra run or two because of it.

“I think we became that in the second half of last season, where night in and night out we were rolling a good amount of speed and some athletes out there to where that slowly became a little more of our identity,” Boone said. “Obviously, having a lot of the same group now, we have a handful of guys who can really push it in the run game.”

Now, of course, in small samples like this one, winning can camouflage mediocrity. A very similar Yankees bunch was not exactly a baserunning model in 2025 (According to Baseball Savant, only two teams generated fewer runs by taking the extra base than the Yankees did in 2025, though they did create more runs via stolen base than all but four.)

“Guys laying down bunts, guys moving runners over, guys taking the extra base when they can,” Judge said. “It’s just little things like that that if we do that over 162 and into the postseason, good things are going to happen.”

Maybe this is just one of those halcyon weeks when everything is going right. Then again, few teams have the talent to make things go this right, across three cities, in less-than-ideal weather conditions, with two of their best starting pitchers injured and…

Nevermind. Best to be reasonable. It is, after all, way too soon to tell.

Byron Buxton had to leave the game in the seventh inning when he was hit by a pitch and suffered an right arm contusion. X-rays were negative, but obviously we’ll know more later tonight or over the weekend.

In the game itself, Bailey Ober didn’t take well to the cold, but the bullpen (!) held in there until the Twins were able to get past Rays flamethrower Joe Boyle. And a guy YOU DID NOT EXPECT provided the big hit for the home team.

Pregame: This is just absolutely perfect:

At about 2:00, Target Field lost power (as did much of downtown Minneapolis). Since that meant the wi-fi was down, the little hand-held ticket scanners that Target Field employees use to “ping” people into the ballpark weren’t working. So fans had to wait for a bit. Eventually the team just decided to let people in who showed a ticket, and not to worry about the scanners.

Since that will affect the reported attendance a bit (maybe)? and teams have to share a certain proportion of the gate with the visiting team (I think?), I expect the Pohlads cut the power off on purpose.

Either that or Hans Gruber is making off with millions of bearer bonds right now.

(Tom Pohlad on the radio, being asked about if he’s ready for a bunch of Pohlad jokes: “I’ve got a thick skin. Bring it on.” OK.)

1: Bailey Ober, inspired by the 20 walks Saints pitchers gave up on Tuesday, decides to walk leadoff Yandy Díaz and then changes his mind, instead grooving a nice high hittable one to Junior Caminero. Double. Ober hangs a one-out slider that Jake Fraley pops up, then returns to groovin’ against Nick Fortes. The Rays score two and that means this game is likely over unless the Twins put more than the expected amount of effort into it.

After a leadoff walk to our own Kody Kat Klemens, Byron Buxton decides to take Strike 3 right down the middle, so yep, the expected amount of effort. Nobody else cares, either, soDevil Rays 2-0

2: Well, Bailey can handle the bottom of the Rays’ lineup alright. Unfortunately so far Joe Boyle can handle the entirety of the Twins’. He is not related to Danny Boyle, the British film director who made 28 Days Later, but these Twins bats are definitely zombified right now.

3: Tristan Gray, from Missouri City, TX, gets a one-out walk. He’s playing short today because Brooks Lee is “under the weather.” Back in the day “under the weather” in the NBA meant “Jordan and Barkley were at the casino until 6 AM” but I doubt that’s the case for Lee. A wild pitch advances Gray to second. Kody Klobberin’ Klemens has a check-swing foul tip into the glove for strike three, which is about as disappointing a way to strike out as I can think of. Buxton pops one up and this team is NOT an offensive powerhouse, methinks.

4: Instead of leaving a slider up to Fraley this time, Ober politely puts it right in the middle and Fraley doubles to right. Ober gets the next two guys, since if the Rays score any more runs the Twins are doomed, but sure enough here comes a 89-MPH fastball right in the happy place and Ben Williamson cranks another Tampa double. Pitch #78 walks Chandler Simpson (Maggie’s firstborn). Ober Ks the next guy, but nobody’s real excited about watching five innings of the Twins’ bullpen in sub-40° weather, are they?

Luke Keaschall decides to swing out of his shoes at three straight inside pitches and, amazingly, this works; he gets the skinny part of the bat on a slider and pokes it through the infield at 70.5 MPH. That’s good enough to score on a 69.2 MPH double by ex-Pirate Josh Bell. Then Jeffers 70 MPH bloops one into short right. Talk about small ball! Bell advances to third on the Jeffers duck fart. Trevor Larnach walks. Bases loaded, one out.

Royce Lewis hits what SHOULD be a double play, but SS Carson Williams utterly boots it and nobody’s out (it’s the Rays’ MLB-leading 10th error of the year; Bell scores.

Missouri City’s finest, Mr. Gray, sac flies Jeffers in. Wow, the Twins have made offense! Kooky Kody Klemens Ks to end the inning, but this baby has been securely tied 3-3

5: 28-year-old Eric Orze (pronounced “orr-zee”), who we got from the Rays for something called a Jacob Kisting, makes his home debut with a walk, followed by a flyout, popup, groundout. 25 pitches, though, so Shelton’ll have do dig deeper into his Magical Arm Barn, which does not inspire confidence.

Boyle gets the Twins easily. He’s not related to American actor Peter Boyle, but aside from all those 70-MPH bloopers last inning, he’s definitely kept the Twins from puttin’ on the hitz.

6: My bad! Orze is still in here. That reminds me of MLB’s stupidest new rule; how pitchers who start any inning have to pitch to at least three batters. The third one here gets on base, but Orze retires the fourth. It’s still a stupid rule.

Less stupid but still not one of my favorite rules; the ban of the shift. On a routine Jeffers groundout, the Twins say that Rays 2B Ben Williamson was too far to his right when the pitch was thrown. After like a hundred hours of looking at the video, the umps decide, yep, Williamson was in the wrong spot. So Jeffers is now ruled safe. Trevor Larnach then bounces one off the limstone in right (the Twins’ first well-hit ball of the day), and that puts guys at 2nd and 3rd with one out. In comes reliever Hunter Bigge. Royce Lewis walks.

And then, Tristan Gray and Kinky Kody Klemens both K, and that’s a little annoying. It’d be a lot annoying if I thought the Twins would win more than 75 games this year, but I don’t, so it’s only mini-annoying.

7: Justin “On” Topa in to pitch. Díaz gets another of those “little part of bat” hits with one out (it’s going around today). Topa gets the next guy, but on a Junior Caminero groundout, the umps rule that 1B Clemens took his foot off the bag and bobbled the ball. He did take his foot off; he didn’t bobble. Once again, MLB takes forever on a review play and STILL gets it fuggin’ wrong anyways; Caminero is ruled safe. Then Kody Funderburk comes in and gets the next guy anyways. I think the umps just want the fans to sit in the cold longer in revenge for all the critiquing of umps we’ve done over the years. Well, they’re big meanies and they deserve it.

CRAP.

Rays reliever Kevin Kelly hits Buxton on the right arm, it sounds bad, and Buxton leaves the game. It wasn’t at all intentional, the pitch just moved oddly.

CRAP.

Sigh. James Outman takes the base for him and steals second. Keaschall reaches when Caminero boots a backhand (his sixth error and the Rays’ twelfth!). Matt Wallner strikes out (for the fourth time!), but Josh Bell has the Twins’ second decently-hit ball of the night and knocks Keaschall in.

Then Jeffers reaches on ANOTHER Caminero error (which I didn’t think was an error), and Kelly walks Larnach to send home Keaschall. And Kelly walks Royce Lewis!

So of course Tristan Gray, who struck out with two guys in scoring position and one out last inning, says “I’m so sorry TwinkieTown! Let me do better!” OK. Grand slam? We forgive you!

Well, call me a genius for predicting all of this; the Twins would score a lot and their bullpen would be better than the other team’s. That’s why I’m known as Nostrajamus. Twins 10-3

8: Anthony “Panda” Banda, a former Ray, decides to come in, plunk Nick Fortes, WP Fortes to second, and give up the RBI to Cedric Mullins. Then WP Mullins to 2nd. Good grief man. He does manage to avoid anything worse, though. Cold state 10-4

9: ANOTHER Cody, Cody Lawyerson, nicely ends the game in the cold rain for us so that the nice people can go home, and even the mean ones too. TWIMS WIM! (Yes, around here we spell it wrong on purpose. No, I don’t know why.

Studs of the game: Bell & Larnach’s soild hits when nobody else was getting more than duck farts, Keaschall’s hustle… and DEFINITELY 30-year-old backup infielder Tristan Gray for going 1-for-5 with 5 RBI. Why not, man?

NO DUDS, TWINS WIN!

COTG goto norff for “the LOOGY lives on in spirit,” Kirilofffan19 for “I don’t think anyone here ever doubted the capabilities of Josh Bell or Trevor Larnach!” and TawnyFroggy for a g’day in Australia. We miss you Froggy, be well!

Tomorrow’s game is scheduled for 6:10 (weather permitting), and features the Twins’ Mick “Is He Very?” Abel against the Rays’ Steven Matz. Catch ya next time!

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).