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The season is underway — and the Royals are already giving fans plenty to talk about.

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco break down the Kansas City Royals’ season-opening series against the Atlanta Braves, including a detailed look at the series finale win and what it reveals about the team’s early trajectory. From lineup performance to pitching execution, the hosts provide a comprehensive analysis of how the Royals stack up coming out of their first test of the season.

A major focus is the bullpen, where emerging roles, injury updates — including Carlos Estevez’s status — and potential closer options take center stage. The discussion also examines how participation in the World Baseball Classic may have impacted player readiness, conditioning, and early-season performance.

Beyond the field, Jacob and Jeremy explore some of MLB’s newest innovations, including the ABS challenge system, its early effectiveness, and how it could reshape game strategy. They also dive into evolving broadcast technology, from wire cams to drone footage, and evaluate how these changes are enhancing — or complicating — the viewing experience for fans.

The episode wraps with insights into young contributors like Carter Jensen and Isaac Collins, updates on positional battles and roster depth, and a preview of the Royals’ upcoming matchup against the Twins. With a blend of analysis, perspective, and personality, this episode offers Royals fans a clear-eyed look at where the team stands after Opening Weekend.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
– Jacob Milham: @jacobmilhkc.bsky.social

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– Podcast: @RoyalRundownPod

Walking away with two wins in four games against that very pesky and tough Guardians ballclub was a decent way to start the season. Even though the results didn’t exactly line up with their performance, there were a bunch of encouraging things we saw from the Mariners during Opening Weekend. The bottom of the lineup really came through with some clutch hitting and getting a healthy Luke Raley back is looking like it’s going to be a huge difference maker for the middle of the order. The pitching should be just fine, even if the bullpen — and its management — looked a little shaky. With the first series in the books, the Mariners host the Yankees for an early season clash with an AL heavyweight.

Game	Time	Yankees Starter	Mariners Starter	Yankees Win%	Mariners Win%
Game 1	Monday, March 30 | 6:40 pm	LHP Ryan Weathers	RHP Luis Castillo	46.3%	53.7%
Game 2	Tuesday, March 31 | 6:40 pm	LHP Max Fried	RHP Logan Gilbert	47.5%	52.5%
Game 3	Wednesday, April 1 | 1:10 pm	RHP Cam Schlittler	RHP George Kirby	44.1%	55.9%

Overview	Yankees	Mariners	Edge
Batting (wRC+)	119 (1st in AL)	113 (2nd in AL)	Yankees
Fielding (FRV)	8 (7th)	-30 (12th)	Yankees
Starting Pitching (FIP-)	92 (3rd)	100 (7th)	Yankees
Bullpen (FIP-)	97 (9th)	97 (10th)	Yankees

The Yankees won 94 games last year but wound up tied with the Blue Jays atop the AL East standings and wound up entering the playoffs as the first Wild Card team. They were eventually bounced out of the postseason by Toronto in the ALDS — a disappointing end to what should have been another deep playoff run. It was looking like there would be a ton of turnover on New York’s roster as the offseason began, but Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt all re-signed with the team pretty quickly. Devin Williams was the only significant player who didn’t return and Ryan Weathers is the one significant name that joined the roster from outside the organization. Running it back with essentially the same roster that won 94 games two years in a row and had a World Series appearance two years ago isn’t the worst idea in baseball, but it isn’t particularly inspired either. We know this team is good because they were good last year and they should be just as good this year too.

Player	Position	Bats	PA	K%	BB%	ISO	wRC+
Trent Grisham	CF	L	581	23.6%	14.1%	0.229	129
Aaron Judge	RF	R	679	23.6%	18.3%	0.357	204
Cody Bellinger	LF	L	656	13.7%	8.7%	0.207	125
Ben Rice	1B	L	530	18.9%	9.4%	0.244	133
Giancarlo Stanton	DH	R	281	34.2%	10.3%	0.321	158
Jazz Chisholm Jr.	2B	L	531	27.9%	10.9%	0.238	126
José Caballero	SS	R	370	26.5%	12.7%	0.111	97
Ryan McMahon	3B	L	586	32.3%	11.9%	0.167	86
Austin Wells	C	L	448	26.3%	6.7%	0.217	94

Whether you agree with the MVP voters or not, it’s undeniable that Aaron Judge had one of the best offensive seasons in the last half century last year. Of course, his seasons in 2024 and 2022 were better which makes his 2025 season somewhat of a step back. He “only” produced a 204 wRC+ with “just” 53 home runs. There’s plenty of talent up and down the Yankees’ lineup, but Judge is absolutely the linchpin that makes the whole engine run. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are fantastic sidekicks to Judge’s super hero; both of them have thrived since joining New York after some ups and downs to both their careers. The Yankees were also fortunate to enjoy breakout seasons from Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. The latter had shown flashes of talent in the past but transformed his approach at the plate to maximize his contact quality and blasted 34 home runs last year. For his part, Rice outperformed a pretty mediocre prospect pedigree by changing his batting stance, allowing him to see the ball out of the pitcher’s hand a little better — the results speak for themselves. I’d be remiss not to mention former-Mariner José Caballero, currently the starting shortstop while Anthony Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery. Cabby was absolutely fantastic for the Yankees after they acquired him at the trade deadline and he should play a very valuable utility role on this roster as soon as Volpe returns.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Ryan Weathers	38.1	22.3%	7.2%	15.6%	43.5%	3.99	4.60
Luis Castillo	180.2	21.7%	6.2%	10.5%	41.3%	3.54	3.88

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	45.3%	45.2%	96.9	100	84	118	0.335
Sinker	2.3%	6.3%	95.0
Changeup	32.0%	18.3%	87.3	104	131	55	0.287
Slider	3.9%	2.4%	89.8
Sweeper	16.5%	27.8%	83.8	115	118	71	0.256

The new man in the starting rotation, Ryan Weathers is a product of the Marlins pitching development pipeline. He’s struggled with a bunch of different injuries over the last few years but none of them have required surgery. His raw stuff leveled up during spring training last year, adding a tick of velocity to his entire repertoire and adding a ton of movement to his changeup and sweeper. We didn’t get to see that revamped arsenal in action for very long before a lat strain derailed his season. His raw stuff was even more impressive this spring; his fastball was regularly touching 99 mph, which would make him one of the hardest throwing left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. His two secondary pitches are fantastic at generating whiffs and he’s confident enough with his changeup to use it against both righties and lefties. There’s a lot of unfulfilled promise with Weathers — he’s yet to prove that he can stay healthy and that all this raw stuff can produce outs regularly — but he’ll get an opportunity to prove it all with the Yankees this year.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Max Fried	195.1	23.6%	6.4%	8.7%	52.4%	2.86	3.07
Logan Gilbert	131	32.3%	5.8%	14.8%	38.9%	3.44	3.35

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	13.0%	9.5%	95.9	107	111	99	0.268
Sinker	11.9%	38.5%	94.0	115	179	115	0.283
Cutter	32.5%	14.7%	93.6	103	81	114	0.322
Changeup	13.8%	0.4%	85.2	104	93	133	0.267
Curveball	18.4%	13.1%	75.2	113	132	89	0.237
Slider	9.0%	21.0%	81.5	113	110	84	0.305
Sweeper	1.4%	2.8%	85.5

After signing a massive eight-year free agent deal with the Yankees in December 2024, he posted one of the best seasons of his career in New York. His velocity was up two ticks and he rejiggered his pitch mix to emphasize his cutter against right-handed batters. With two fantastic breaking balls, a solid changeup, and three different fastball looks, he’s got a weapon for any situation. If he needs a swing and miss, he’ll turn to one of the best curveballs in baseball. If he needs a groundball out, he’ll go to his sinker or changeup. That deep repertoire paired with excellent command makes him one of the toughest pitchers to face in the AL.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Cam Schlittler	73	27.6%	10.2%	11.6%	36.4%	2.96	3.74
George Kirby	126	26.1%	5.5%	12.8%	44.1%	4.21	3.37

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	49.9%	60.1%	98.0	103	127	94	0.313
Sinker	13.2%	1.1%	97.6	94
Cutter	23.0%	17.4%	92.0	120	118	50	0.294
Curveball	6.2%	20.9%	83.3	106	69	96	0.282
Slider	2.1%	0.5%	90.0
Sweeper	5.6%	0.0%	87.9

Cam Schlittler burst onto the scene last July with a hard fastball and a nasty cutter. He made a statement in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card series against Boston, firing eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in a winner-take-all game. That performance was the culmination of a breakout season for Schlittler. He had started the year in Double-A but wasn’t seen as one of the Yankees’ top prospects. His velocity climbed to start the year and it just continued to improve as he worked his way up to the big leagues. He added three (!) ticks to his cutter this spring and started throwing his sinker a little more often. Those three fastball looks make it nearly impossible for batters to sit on his high velocity and his hard curveball plays well off all three of those pitches. That breaking ball is essentially his lone secondary pitch, but his stuff is so overpowering, he doesn’t really need much else.

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The Big Picture:

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Rangers	2-1	0.667	—	+4	L-W-W
Mariners	2-2	0.500	0.5	+9	L-W-L-W
Angels	2-2	0.500	0.5	+3	W-W-L-L
Astros	2-2	0.500	0.5	-3	L-L-W-W
Athletics	0-3	0.000	2.0	-5	L-L-L

The Angels and Astros split a four-game series last weekend with both teams looking particularly shaky. The Rangers started off the season with a series win in Philadelphia while the Athletics struck out 50 times in three games (setting a major league record) as they were swept by the Blue Jays. The Rangers, Angels, and Athletics all continue their season opening road trips this week with stops in Baltimore, the north side of Chicago, and Atlanta, respectively. The Astros stay at home and host the Red Sox.

The Mets' offense struggled on Sunday against the Pirates, striking out 16 times as they lost, 4-3, in 10 innings.

Despite the offensive futility, New York was still in a position to win when the 10th inning started. But two things helped swing the game to Pittsburgh.

One was Richard Lovelady faltering after being called on to pitch the top of the 10th.

The other was a highly questionable send home by new third base coach Tim Leiper in the bottom of the 10th.

After the game, Carlos Mendoza and the players weighed in...

Why Richard Lovelady pitched the 10th

After Nolan McLean pitched the first five innings, Huascar Brazoban went 1.2 innings, Sean Manaea went an inning and a third, and Luke Weaver pitched the ninth inning.

When Weaver trotted out for the ninth instead of Devin Williams, it seemed likely that Williams was not going to be used under any circumstances -- something Mendoza confirmed in his postgame news conference.

Also unavailable was Brooks Raley.

Both Williams and Raley pitched on Saturday, with Williams throwing 19 pitches and Raley tossing 11. While Brazoban (four pitches on Saturday), Weaver (16 pitches on Saturday), and Lovelady (21 pitches on Saturday) were all utilized on Sunday in back-to-back situations, Mendoza said both Williams and Raley were unavailable. 

"They were down today," Mendoza noted, adding that he didn't want to use Williams after he warmed up on Thursday (but didn't enter) and pitched on Saturday.

Mets react to questionable send

With the Mets trailing, 4-2, and runners on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the 10th, Juan Soto smacked a double to left-center that bounced off the wall.

Running from second base, Francisco Alvarez scored easily.

Running from first base, Francisco Lindor was waved home by Leiper and nailed at the plate by a good margin.

The send was a head-scratcher.

With no one out and their 3-4-5 hitters coming up, the Mets would've had three chances to win the game with a hit (with the added benefit of a drawn-in infield) had Lindor been held. At the very least, they would've had two chances to tie the game with a sacrifice fly.

Instead, Lindor was thrown out, leaving Soto on second base as the potential tying run with one out. And the Mets were unable to get him in.

After the game, Mendoza and Lindor said they were fine with the call, with Lindor explaining that he expected to score.

Meanwhile, Mendoza said Leiper's decision fit New York's overall plan to be aggressive against Pittsburgh's defense.

"Coming into this series, this is a team that we targeted we are going to be aggressive," Mendoza explained. "And they executed. You gotta give them credit. ... Especially with having Lindor -- and he had a hell of a jump off the bat. As soon as the ball was put in play by Soto, he took off. I was the whole time saying 'stay in the ballpark, stay in the ballpark.' I didn't want that ball to bounce [over the wall]. And I thought he was gonna score. And you got to give them credit, because they executed pretty good cuts and relays there."

Astros fans, consider this your reminder to take a deep breath, step back, and relax. Opening Day and Opening Weekend in Major League Baseball have a way of magnifying everything. Every win feels monumental and every loss feels catastrophic. The reality is far less dramatic in the grand scheme of things.

The pomp and circumstance surrounding the start of a new season tends to distort perspective. Emotions run high, expectations are sky-high, and reactions often swing wildly based on just a couple of games. What gets lost in all of it is the simple truth: teams are fresh out of spring training. Pitchers are still building rhythm. Hitters are still finding timing. Fielders are still settling into form.

If this same series against the Angels had taken place in mid-June, the reaction would be entirely different. There would be frustration, sure, maybe even some concern, but not the widespread panic that seems to grip everyone during opening weekend. That’s the difference a calendar can make.

This Astros team is too talented to play consistently at the level they showed in the first two games. Over the course of a 162-game season, things have a way of evening out. That’s not just optimism, it’s baseball reality.

Saturday night provided the perfect example. A 6–0 deficit quickly turned into an 11–5 lead, likely after many fans had already turned off their TVs and written the game off as a loss. That single game serves as a microcosm of how quickly fortunes can change and how quickly reactions can look premature.

History backs this up. In years past, the Astros have been swept by some of the worst teams in baseball. At the time, it felt alarming. In the big picture, it proved meaningless. The team still found its footing, still played to expectations, and still reached its goals.

Think back just a couple of seasons ago when the Astros dug themselves into what many called an insurmountable hole. The noise was loud, the anxiety was real, but the outcome? They climbed out of it, regained their form, and kept pushing forward until they were exactly where they needed to be.

That’s why now isn’t the time for overreaction, it’s the time for perspective.

Keep a watchful eye, absolutely. Monitor progress. Evaluate trends. But save the bigger judgments for meaningful checkpoints like the quarter mark of the season or the halfway point. That’s when patterns start to solidify and when real assessments can be made.

There’s still plenty of time for growth. Plenty of time for adjustments. And plenty of opportunities for personnel moves that can strengthen the roster.

Looking ahead, the Red Sox series may appear daunting on paper, especially with pitching matchups that seem to favor the opponent. But baseball isn’t played on paper. Just as easily as the Astros stumbled out of the gate, they can flip the script and rise to the occasion. Winning a series that looks stacked against them wouldn’t be surprising, it would be baseball.

So yes, you can be concerned about how they’ve started. That’s fair. But don’t lose sight of what matters most.

Because as the old saying goes, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.

And in baseball, it’s not about how you start. It’s about how you finish.

The Detroit Tigers won their first series of the season against the San Diego Padres and now move on to the next leg of the 2026 campaign-opening road trip at the Arizona Diamondbacks this week, starting on Monday night.

So far, in an obviously limited sample size, AJ Hinch’s team is in the lower half of the MLB offensive standings, ranking 23rd in batting average (.202), 16th in on-base percentage (.319), 29th in slugging (.263) and 23rd in OPS (.582).

On the flip side, the Motor City Kitties are among the best when it comes to pitching, ranking second in ERA (1.38), eighth in WHIP (1.12) and ninth in batting average against (.204). The team’s performance on the mound is not too surprising, given that it was clearly a strength coming in.

The fourth man in the rotation this year for the Tigers is none other than future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who takes the mound on Monday wearing the Olde English D for the first time since 2017. Opposite him is Michael Soroka, who left the Chicago Cubs for the desert as a free agent this past offseason.

Here is a look at how they match up in Game 1 of the series.

Detroit Tigers (2-1) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (0-3)

Time (ET): 10:10 p.m. ET
Place: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
SB Nation Site:AZ Snake Pit
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 4: RHP Justin Verlander (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Soroka (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	ERA	FIP	fWAR
Verlander	26	140.0	19.7%	7.6%	4.49	4.53	1.5
Soroka	52	101.0	23.5%	8.7%	4.03	4.04	0.7

VERLANDER

SOROKA

The New York Mets (2-1), tied for second in the NL East, face the St. Louis Cardinals (2-1), also tied for second in the NL Central. The Mets are favored with a moneyline of -155, giving them a 57.8% implied win probability. Clay Holmes starts for the Mets, while Kyle Leahy takes the mound for the Cardinals.

How to Watch New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals

• Date: Monday, March 30

• Time: 7:45 PM ET / 4:45 PM PT

• Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

• TV Channel: SNY, Cardinals.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team Records

• New York Mets: 2-1 (#3 in NL East)

• St. Louis Cardinals: 2-1 (#3 in NL Central)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5

• Moneyline: St. Louis Cardinals +125 / New York Mets -155

• Over/Under: 9.0

Starting Pitchers

• New York Mets: Clay Holmes (2025 stats: 12-8, ERA: 3.53, K: 129, WHIP: 1.30, BB: 66)

• St. Louis Cardinals: Kyle Leahy (2025 stats: 4-2, ERA: 3.07, K: 80, WHIP: 1.23, BB: 28)

Weather: 83°F at first pitch

The New York Yankees, ranked first in the AL East with a 3-0 record, visit the Seattle Mariners, who are 2-2 and ranked fourth in the AL West. Seattle is favored with a moneyline of -115, while the Yankees are at -105. The starting pitchers are Ryan Weathers for the Yankees and Luis Castillo for the Mariners.

How to Watch New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners

• Date: Monday, March 30

• Time: 9:40 PM ET / 6:40 PM PT

• Where: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA

• TV Channel: YES Network, Mariners.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team Records

• New York Yankees: 3-0 (#1 in AL East)

• Seattle Mariners: 2-2 (#4 in AL West)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: Seattle Mariners -115.0 / New York Yankees -105

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting Pitchers

• New York Yankees: Ryan Weathers (2025 stats: 2-2, ERA: 3.99, K: 37, WHIP: 1.28, BB: 12)

• Seattle Mariners: Luis Castillo (2025 stats: 11-8, ERA: 3.54, K: 162, WHIP: 1.18, BB: 46)

Weather: 50°F at first pitch

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (2-1) won 8-1 (BOX SCORE)

Arrighetti made his first start of the season and pitched well tossing 4 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts, allowing just 1 hit. The offense got going in the first inning scoring a run on an Alexander bases loaded walk and a Winkler 3 run double. In the 2nd inning, the offense scored 3 more runs on RBI doubles from Whitcomb and Perez and a Winkler RBI single. In the 7th, Perez added another run on a solo HR. De Los Santos made another rehab appearance and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings.

Note: Cole left the game after being hit by a pitch on the right foot.

• Taylor Trammell, RF: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB
• Shay Whitcomb, 3B: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI
• Zach Cole, CF: 0-for-1, R, BB
• Carlos Perez, LF: 0-for-3, R, RBI, BB
• CJ Alexander, 1B: 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
• Jack Winkler, SS: 2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
• Jax Biggers, 2B: 1-for-4, 2B

• Spencer Arrighetti, RHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Enyel De Los Santos, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (WIN)
• Peter Lambert, RHP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

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AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (—) 

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A+: Asheville Tourists (—) 

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A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (—) 

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Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OPENING DAY APRIL 2

AV: OPENING DAY APRIL 2

FV: OPENING DAY APRIL 3