Worldwide Sports News

Detroit Tigers (12-10) vs. Boston Red Sox (8-13)

Time/Place: 11:10 a.m., Fenway Park
SB Nation Site: Over the Monster
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (2-1, 4.43 ERA)

The Nationals were aggressive with their assignment of Devin Fitz-Gerald this season, sending the 20-year-old infielder straight to High A Wilmington after just 10 games at Low A in 2025 with the Rangers. So far through 13 games, the youngster from the MacKenzie Gore trade has been even better than advertised, hitting .333 with a .982 OPS and 2 home runs, even swiping 10 bags in the process. The switch-hitting youngster hasn’t looked overmatched at all and is actually reaching even higher highs than he achieved in 2025.

The numbers Fitz-Gerald is putting up at High A for his age aren’t unprecedented, but they are rare. Only 2 other 20-year-olds also currently have at least a 180 wRC+, those being Caleb Bonemor of the White Sox and Wyatt Sanford of the Pirates, and Fitz-Gerald has the cleanest batted ball profile of the three. In 2025, only 3 20-year-olds with at least 60 plate appearances had a 180 wRC+ or higher at High A; George Lombard Jr., a Yankees shortstop prospect and a consensus top 50 prospect; Josue Briceno, a Tigers catching prospect and top 50 prospect; and Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers’ major league shortstop and a consensus top 2 prospect in baseball.

The prospect I want to compare Fitz-Gerald to for now is McGongile, who fast-tracked his way through the minor leagues last season and cracked the Tigers’ big league roster in 2026, where he is raking to the tune of a .892 OPS. McGonigle wasn’t just the best 20-year-old at High A in 2025; he was the best hitter period, with his 215 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances leading all High A hitters. His swing decisions were elite, with a 95th percentile whiff rate, 98th-percentile strikeout rate, and 74th-percentile walk rate, and the result was a 100th-percentile wOBA of .469.

In regard to Fitz-Gerald, while he isn’t quite at McGonigle level as of now, he isn’t far off either. His swing decisions have also been great, with an 85th-percentile whiff rate, 95th-percentile strikeout rate, and 65th-percentile walk rate, resulting in an 88th-percentile wOBA of .425. Both Fitz-Gerald and McGonigle have patient plate approaches, with Fitz-Gerald swinging 42% of the time at High A and McGonigle 46%, and the result is both taking their fair share of walks and doing damage when they get their pitches.

The area Fitz-Gerald lags behind McGonigle is in the power department, where his .185 ISO is a sizable ways away from McGonigle’s .276 ISO at High A. While we won’t get a look at the full sample of exit velocities for Fitz-Gerald until he hits a level where it is provided publicly, the issue could also stem from him not pulling enough of his fly balls quite yet, as his 7.5 pulled flyball% is in the 17th-percentile of High A hitters. Thankfully, this is a coachable issue, and once he starts tapping into his pullside power, he is going to be an even more dangerous hitter than he is right now.

While it would be unfair to place Kevin McGonigle’s level of expectations on Devin Fitz-Gerald at the moment, it is fair to say he should start getting some of the same love as guys like McGonigle, Lombard, and Briceno soon on prospect publications, as he is making a joke out of High A pitching at the moment.

While the MacKenzie Gore deal was criticised at the time for netting the Nationals 0 top 100 prospects, it now appears likely two prospects from that deal, Gavin Fien and Devin Fitz-Gerald, will be on top 100 lists, with outfielder Yeremy Cabrera making a case to appear on it as well.

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (12-8) won 7-4 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead getting a Perez RBI single in the first and Price solo HR in the 2nd inning. Bielak got the start and allowed 1 run over 2.1 innings. The offense added on with an Alexander RBI double in the 5th and Price RBI single in the 7th. In the 8th, the Bees tied the game at 4 forcing extra innings. In the 10th, the offense picked up 3 runs and Munoz threw a scoreless inning as Sugar Land won 7-4.

Note: Santa has a 1.13 ERA this season.

• CJ Alexander, RF: 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Carlos Perez, DH: 1-for-5, RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Collin Price, C: 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Daniel Johnson, CF: 1-for-5, R, RBI
• Riley Unroe, SS: 1-for-4, 2B, BB
• Jax Biggers, 2B: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI

• Brandon Bielak, RHP: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Amos Willingham, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (9-6) won 7-3 (BOX SCORE)

Dombroski started for the Hooks but struggled allowing 3 runs over 2.2 innings. The offense got on the board in the second inning on a Baez sac fly. In the 6th, they had a huge inning scoring 6 runs on a Baez sac fly, Bush RBI single, Ferreras walk, Guillemette walk, Encarnacion RBI single and a run scoring on an error. The pen was great closing out the 7-3 win.

Note: Bush is hitting .324 this season.

• Will Bush, DH: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 0-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Garret Guillemette, C: 0-for-4, RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, CF: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, SB
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 1-for-1, R, 3 BB
• Luis Baez, LF: 0-for-3, 2 RBI

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (4-11) lost 8-5 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville jumped out to an early lead scoring 3 runs in the first inning on a Schiavone RBI double, Hernandez RBI single and Walker RBI single. DeVos got the start and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. The offense picked up another run in the 6th on a Hernandez RBI single. Ogando struggled out of the pen allowing 5 runs as the Dash took the lead. The offense got one in the 9th but it wasn’t enough as Asheville fell 8-5.

Note: C. Hernandez is hitting .452 this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Cesar Hernandez, DH: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
• Kyle Walker, 2B: 2-for-4, SB
• Narbe Cruz, SS: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-3, R, BB
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Eurys Martich, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (3-12) lost 12-5 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on a Huezo RBI double. Aguilar got the start but struggled allowing 4 runs over 3 innings. The pen continued to struggled with Smith and Wells allowing another 8 runs. The offense got a few back with a run on a wild pitch in the 5th and a Forrester RBI single in the 6th. In the 7th, Huezo added a 2 run home run but it wasn’t enough as Fayetteville fell 12-5.

Note: Huezo has a .866 OPS this season.

• Anthony Huezo, RF: 2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, R
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 2-for-2, R, BB
• Brandon Forrester, 2B: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, SB

• Luis Aguilar, RHP: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

Tension, injuries, and tough results — the Royals are dealing with more than just what’s happening on the field.

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, hosts Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down a challenging stretch for the Kansas City Royals, highlighted by clubhouse questions following Salvador Perez’s social media activity and what it may signal about team dynamics. The discussion explores leadership, communication, and how off-field narratives can impact performance during a difficult start to the season.

On the field, the hosts analyze the Royals’ 7–14 start, digging into roster changes, injury setbacks to key contributors like James McArthur and Bailey Falter, and the continued search for consistency. Despite the struggles, there are bright spots, including encouraging offensive progress from rookies Carter Jensen and Jack Caglianone, along with deeper dives into player metrics like exit velocity and overall development trends.

Looking ahead, Jacob and Jeremy evaluate the team’s season outlook, potential trade scenarios, and what a path forward could realistically look like for Kansas City. The episode also touches on MLB streaming frustrations, highlighting how fan experience is being impacted off the field, and includes a thoughtful discussion on mental health and leadership in professional sports.

Blending honest analysis, context, and perspective, this episode gives Royals fans a clear-eyed view of where the team stands — and what comes next.

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

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

Twitter / X
– Podcast: @RoyalRundownPod

There’s no sugarcoating it: the Yankees’ bullpen has looked real shaky to start the year. As a collective unit, their 4.22 ERA ranks 17th in MLB through Saturday’s action, and only four teams have blown more saves than their five. Exacerbating the issue is that their two late-inning options—David Bednar and Camilo Doval—have been only so reliable, with Doval in particular sporting an unsightly 7.56 ERA.

Granted, the bullpen wasn’t exactly considered a strength coming into the year, but there were reasons for optimism; full seasons from Bednar and Doval, along with the departures of the scuffling Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, were supposed to stabilize the bullpen. The Yankees’ front office talked a big game about the 2025 Trade Deadline haul standing in for their offseason and an explanation for why they made no additions beyond the already-dismissed (and unused) Cade Winquest. However, things have not played out how they projected, and the flakiness of the relief corps was recently on full display against the Rays and Angels.

Despite this, all hope is not lost. While the surface results are discouraging, a look under the hood reveals that the bullpen isn’t pitching all that badly. Doval and Jake Bird may be running ERAs over 7.00 just now, but they’ve also been running into some bad fortune. The same can be said of Bednar, whose peripherals are actually indicative of an elite reliever in his prime. And on the bright side, the other relief options, including Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, and Fernando Cruz, are performing well. All in all, there’s enough talent here to keep the Yankees’ bullpen from becoming a weakness.

First, let’s take a closer look at Doval. The first thing that jumps out when looking at his stat line is that his ERA is nearly three full runs higher than his FIP in 8.1 innings of work. That would be cause for hope in itself, except that his FIP of 4.68 is still pretty bad. The main culprit so far has been giving up too many dingers, as Doval’s 2.2 HR/9 is by far the worst mark of his career; he was at a 0.6 HR/9 across 259.2 innings from 2022 through 2025. The dingers might have more to do with luck than any change in talent level, as his HR/FB% is an unsustainably high 22.2 percent, more than double his career mark. If we assume that Doval hasn’t suddenly become homer-prone, we can expect his ERA going forward to look more like his xFIP of 3.05.

Doval’s pitch data confirms that, ability wise, he’s the same pitcher he was in 2025. His pitch mix—a cutter and a sinker, both in the high 90s, along with a wicked high-80s slider—has remained the same, and he’s generating basically the same movement on all of them. He hasn’t been making tons of mistake pitches, either; his Meatball percentage is actually the lowest mark of his career. It’s just that, for whatever reason, opposing batters have punished his mistakes harder than ever. Will this trend continue? I don’t know, but Doval’s track record suggests that if he’s doing what he always does, the on-field results are going to trend upwards. I’d say it’s too early to be that worried about his performance.

With Bird, on the other hand, I understand the apprehension — and so, it seems, do the Yankees, given his recent demotion. Bird lacks Doval’s track record, and his recent results have been especially bad; the less said about his disastrous, brief run with the 2025 Yankees, the better. However, everything about Bird’s 2026 stat line suggests that he’s been more unlucky rather than outright bad. He has a 28.1-percent strikeout rate against a 3.1-percent walk rate, and he’s given up only one home run so far, good enough for a sterling 3.27 FIP. The reason why his ERA is a full four runs higher than that? A .400 BABIP and a 52.1-percent LOB rate, both aberrant and likely to normalize going forward.

Now, I’m not advocating for Aaron Boone to give Bird just as long a leash as Doval. There’s a reason why the Yankees deemed him to be the most expendable in the bullpen when they needed a fresh arm, sending him down on April 14th. But it would be a mistake to cut him outright. There’s something within Bird’s profile that’s compelling, and the Yankees wouldn’t have dealt for him last year if that wasn’t the case. Bird has the upside to be a dependable middle-inning option, and it’s worth finding out if he could actually become one; his peripheral numbers so far definitely suggest that he can.

Compared to Bird and Doval, Bednar is a much easier sell. While his ERA sits at a mediocre 4.15, basically everything else on his FanGraphs page is pristine. His K-rate sits at a healthy 28.6 percent, and he has yet to allow a single homer. Those two factors have allowed Bednar to post a spectacular 2.08 FIP despite a career-high BB rate (11.9%). The cause of his middling ERA is obvious: a .440 BABIP allowed, which is impossibly high for even the most hapless relievers. And no, Bednar isn’t getting hit hard; his hard contact rate is just 16 percent, less than half of the MLB average, and he hasn’t given up a single Barrel. Mark my words: El Oso will be just fine.

Perhaps the most encouraging feature of this year’s bullpen is that the other contributors have done quite well so far. Brent Headrick is pitching like an elite relief option, and Tim Hill continues to be ruthlessly efficient and always dependable. Fernando Cruz is walking too many guys, but he’s missing enough bats to not get burned, and even Paul Blackburn has been quietly solid in handling low-leverage work. Sure, Ryan Yarborough, Yerry De los Santos, and Angel Chivilli all project to be somewhere between bad and terrible, but no team can boast an entire bullpen’s worth of lockdown relievers. (Just ask the 2025 Dodgers.)

The Yankees have enough good stuff going on here to have an above average relief corps. They may never be as intimidating as the bullpens of those mid-to-late 2010s Yankees squads of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, but by and large, they’ll probably be good enough to get the job done.

There are some weeks where finding the three players that played well is rather difficult. With the Phillies, this is one of those weeks. Nothing went right, but on we shall march.

Three up

Cristopher Sanchez – Man, when your defense lets you down, it can make a good week look a whole lot worse. The Saturday matchup of Sanchez and Chris Sale looked really good on paper and on the mound, but the runs given up by Sanchez were because of errors and bleeders. He was excellent, but the Phillies still lost since they also can’t score runs right now. Needless to say, Sanchez is still an Ace.

Bryce Harper – When Harper is in the middle of one of his hot streaks, the team should be winning games. We’ve seen how cold he gets and how the team responds, so the fact that they are losing while he’s hitting the ball is an issue.

Kyle Schwarber – Three home runs in a week is a good week! It’s just too bad that he is striking out so, so much that it’s becoming somewhat alarming. I saw somewhere that someone complained of the strikeouts and how the Phillies probably have buyer’s remorse because of it, to which I say “Poppycock!” Imagine how this offense might look if they didn’t have his power.

Three down

Jesus Luzardo – Luzardo has been pretty awful this season, something that is noticeable once you consider he signed a big money extension prior to the season. You still give him that contract ten times out of ten, knowing he’ll probably right the ship soon enough, but he’s been way too hittable with his stuff so far. There’s a lot of red on his Savant page right now, so alarm bells should be quieted a bit, but this was a bad start for him this week.

Bryson Stott – Alec Bohm has been the target of the fanbase’s ire this year, rightfully so, but Stott has been rough lately. His week this week was mostly “eh”, but his season is lacking. There is little on base ability and almost to no power coming from his offensive production. I’ve been on the “extend Bryson Stott” train for a while, but that looks like it might be losing some steam.

Alec Bohm – What else is there to say? He’s bad. The legal issues he is in right now with his parents has to be having some kind of impact on his ability to prepare to play baseball, and that is something that would lead anyone to be in a bad headspace, but the production has to be pick up lest the team make a more significant change that just “giving him a breather”.

Morning A’s fans!

We had a bit of a rough weekend as the Athletics dropped two of three to the Chicago White Sox. That’s a bit embarressing considering their poor roster but it’s a good remind that anything can happen in baseball. All the A’s can do now is turn the page and look ahead and prepare for tonight’s contest.

They’re back on the road for another series in a different city. This time they’re headed to Seattle to take on the division-rival Mariners for three games. Seattle is off to a slow start so far this year with just a 10-13 record so far that places them fourth in the division. The M’s were a favorite pick for lots of baseball people to win the division for the second straight season but they’re not going to be handed the division. They came into this year with a target on their backs.

Tonight’s series kicks off with a matchup between J.T. Ginn and Emerson Hancock. Both young right-handed pitchers, Ginn is coming off a pair of quality starts since joining the rotation and he’d like to keep that roll going. Hancock meanwhile is off to a great start for the Mariners as he’s sporting a 2.28 ERA through his first four outings. Not an easy matchup for the A’s offense but it won’t be getting much easier during the rest of the series.

Tuesday will see Jacob Lopez get the ball for his fifth start. The left-hander has struggled so far this season especially with his control. The rest of the starting rotation is mostly pulling their weight and one has to wonder how long the team will keep trotting Lopez out there if these control problems persist. A big start here would go a long way towards assuaging any concerns the coaching staff may be developing for their lefty. Meanwhile Seattle will send Luis Castillo to the mound for his fifth start as well. The veteran right-hander got knocked around hard a couple outings back that has skewed his ERA but he’s generally performed the way he usually does so far. The A’s have seen plenty of Castillo over the years.

And wrapping the series up on Wednesday afternoon will be a matchup between right-hander Aaron Civale and Logan Gilbert. Civale, signed to a one-year deal to help stabilize the backend of the rotation, has done that and then some so far in his first season with the A’s, pitching to a 3.54 ERA through four starts. He got knocked around last time out though, allowing 11 hits to the White Sox in an eventual loss, so he’ll be looking to get back on track with a strong outing on Wednesday. Gilbert meanwhile is off to a so-so start to his season with a 4.03 ERA so far, but he’s done well in limiting walks with just five free passes in five starts. The A’s will need to take advantage of those when they draw them.

Could be a tough series, but the A’s need a bounce back after this weekend. Other than that, game is at 6:40 tonight. Have a great week everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• Do-Overs For (Almost) Everyone In The AL West
• A’s drop series to White Sox
• Bullpen and Wind Sink A’s Shot at Series Win
• A’s out-hit Rangers in 6-5 victory
• Today Is A Day Of Special Meaning — For More Than One Reason
• Denzel and Co. add to highlight reel as A’s defense turns away Rangers
• A’s top prospect Leo De Vries pops his first two homers of the season at Double-A
• Armchair 101: The Challenge Of Judging Decisions In Real Time
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Observes The Wild Denzelope In Its Natural Habitat
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Toes The Rubber With Pitching Coach Scott Emerson
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Catches Up With Starting Pitcher Jacob Lopez

MLB News and Interest:

• Ohtani’s on-base streak reaches 51 straight games
• ‘Gonna get loud’: Mets head home as skid hits 11
• Zack Wheeler On Track For Late April Return
• Aaron Boone: Cole needs more rehab outings
• Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier Projected To Return In 5-7 Weeks
• Guardians’ Austin Hedges gets engaged on field following game
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Thoughts?

Another top prospect to consider:

The Milwaukee Brewers are headed back to the Midwest, as they’ll take on the Tigers in Detroit for three games beginning Tuesday evening. The Crew, fresh off a four-game win streak that was snapped Sunday in Miami, will look to get back to their winning ways. They sit at 12-9 on the season but tied at the bottom of a deep NL Central, with all five teams separated by just 1.5 games.

The Tigers, at 12-10 entering Monday’s series finale against the Red Sox, started off ice cold but have bounced back nicely the last week-plus, rattling off six straight wins against the Marlins and Royals before starting the Boston series with a loss but winning on both Saturday and Sunday.

Milwaukee’s injured list features some prominent players, including outfielders Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich, as well as first baseman Andrew Vaughn. Chourio and Vaughn are both expected to return in May, with Yelich likely out until later in the month. Starter Quinn Priester and relievers Jared Koenig, Rob Zastryzny, and Craig Yoho are also shelved. Priester is looking to return in May as he’s likely to ramp up on a rehab assignment this week, while Yoho and Zastryzny could be back soon. Koenig’s injury is likely the biggest concern, as he is dealing with a UCL sprain that, even if it does heal without surgery, will keep him out until mid-May at the earliest.

The Tigers also find themselves without several well-known names. Right-hander Reese Olson is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in February, and Jackson Jobe is out until midseason after getting Tommy John surgery last summer. Veteran righty Justin Verlander is out until late April with hip inflammation, and relievers Troy Melton, Bailey Horn, and Beau Brieske are also out. Utility infielder Zach McKinstry just went on the injured list over the weekend, outfielder Parker Meadows is out until at least midseason after an outfield collision that resulted in a concussion, five stitches, and an arm fracture, and shortstop Trey Sweeney is out indefinitely with a shoulder strain.

The Brewer offense is led by Brice Turang and William Contreras, both of whom are hitting .300 early in the season. Turang has four homers, five doubles, 14 RBIs, 19 runs, and six steals, while Contreras adds two homers, six doubles, 11 RBIs, and 10 runs. Garrett Mitchell, Jake Bauers, Brandon Lockridge, and Gary Sánchez have also gotten out to solid starts, but that’s about it for Milwaukee’s offense; Sal Frelick, Luis Rengifo, David Hamilton, Luis Matos, Joey Ortiz, and Blake Perkins have all struggled in the early going. Greg Jones is the last piece of the puzzle, but with recent news of Tyler Black being activated from the IL at Triple-A Nashville, I would expect he won’t be in a Brewer uniform much longer. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .232/.339/.366 (.705 OPS ranks 14th), with 19 homers, 106 runs, and 33 steals.

Dillon Dingler leads the Tiger offense with five homers this season, as he’s hitting .302/.380/.603 with 18 RBIs and 10 runs over 19 games. Rookie Kevin McGonigle leads the team with 24 hits, as he’s slashing .312/.411/.481 through 21 games. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez, Colt Keith, and Gleyber Torres round out the regulars. Depth pieces for Detroit include Jake Rogers, Hao-Yu Lee, Jahmai Jones, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Pérez. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .243/.324/.380 (.704 OPS ranks 15th), with 17 homers, 94 runs, and seven steals.

Milwaukee’s bullpen is anchored by Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Angel Zerpa, and Trevor Megill. All but Megill have at least 10 appearances this season, with Ashby and Anderson leading the way with 11 appearances each. Ashby also has a team-best five wins, with 22 strikeouts over 14 innings and a 3.21 ERA. Anderson’s 3.18 ERA and Hall’s 2.79 ERA lead the bullpen, while Uribe, Zerpa, and Megill have all had their share of slip-ups thus far. Jake Woodford and Carlos Rodriguez round out the Brewer bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.85 team ERA (11th), including a 3.67 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.07 bullpen ERA (16th). They’ve struck out 189 batters (15th) over 187 innings.

Kyle Finnegan leads the Detroit bullpen with 10 appearances this season, as he’s allowed no runs and struck out four over 10 innings. Will Vest also has 10 appearances, though he’s struggled to a 5.00 ERA (six runs allowed, five earned) over nine innings, striking out 11. Tyler Holton has given up just one run in 9 1/3 innings, and Kenley Jansen remains one of the better closers in the league, with one run allowed and five saves in six opportunities across 5 2/3 innings. Connor Seabold and Brant Hurter have also been solid in limited appearances, with Enmanuel De Jesus and Drew Anderson rounding things out. As a staff, the Tigers have a 3.27 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.29 starter ERA (seventh) and a 3.24 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 176 batters (22nd) over 189 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday, April 21 @ 5:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.07 ERA, 4.08 FIP) vs. RHP Keider Montero (1-1, 3.31 ERA, 1.66 FIP)

Harrison, who skipped his last start due to a lingering issue from a fall he took in his last outing, last appeared on Saturday, April 11 against the Nationals. He went 4 1/3 innings in that one, allowing two runs and striking out one as he took the loss for the first time this season. He’ll look to bounce back against Detroit. His only appearance against the Tigers came last September while with the Red Sox, when he went just three innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out six in a game Boston ultimately came back to win.

Montero, 25, is in his third MLB season, all with the Tigers. Through three starts, he’s put up the best numbers of his career, with a 3.31 ERA and 1.66 FIP over 16 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 15 and allowed seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits and two walks, notably allowing no homers (which means he’s due — he allowed 1.6 HR/9 over his first two seasons). Montero’s last start was his worst on the young season, as he allowed four runs and struck out five over six innings against the Royals. He made a start against Milwaukee last season, taking the loss as he went five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk but striking out eight.

Wednesday, April 22 @ 5:40 p.m.: RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA, 3.97 FIP) vs. RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA, 3.13 FIP)

Patrick, who continues to work his magic as his ERA outpaces his FIP by more than three runs, has had a great start to the year. Through 19 innings over four appearances, he’s allowed just two earned runs, striking out nine as he’s managed to scatter 15 hits and seven walks. His last appearance came on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, when he went a season-high 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a pair of walks, striking out two. This marks his first career appearance against Detroit.

Mize, the No. 1 overall pick back in 2018, struggled to begin his career but turned in his best season yet last year, with a 3.87 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 139 strikeouts over 149 innings as he earned his first All-Star selection. Through four starts this season, he has a 2.78 ERA, 3.13 FIP, and 25 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. His last appearance came Friday against the Red Sox, when he went 6 2/3 scoreless with seven strikeouts. Mize’s only appearance against Milwaukee came in June 2024, when he took the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a pair of walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out just one batter in that one.

Thursday, April 23 @ 12:10 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (0-1, 6.88 ERA, 6.25 FIP) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.08 ERA, 2.07 FIP)

Sproat, who got out to a dismal start as his ERA sat at 14.85 through two appearances, has bounced back nicely in his last two outings. He first went 3 2/3 innings in relief against the Nationals (in that same game started by Harrison), allowing one run on four hits and three walks, striking out three. He then turned his best appearance as a Brewer thus far, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, striking out six against the Blue Jays on Thursday. Still looking for his first career win, he’ll look to do so against the Tigers in his first career appearance against them this week.

Skubal, 29, has rapidly become one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last couple of seasons. The two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner has made five starts this season, with a 2.08 ERA, 2.07 FIP, and 33 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings. He’s won each of his last two starts against the Marlins and Red Sox, combining for 12 2/3 innings with two runs allowed and 17 strikeouts. Skubal has made two starts against Milwaukee, one in each of his Cy Young seasons. He’s picked up the wins both times, combining to go 13 2/3 innings with just one run allowed on nine hits and two walks, striking out 19.

How to Watch & Listen

Tuesday, April 21: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, April 22: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, April 23: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This is a tough matchup, as the Tigers are hot and they have the advantage in just about every facet. I’ll take Detroit to send Milwaukee home with a 2-1 series loss.