| Time | Away | Home | Tmp | Rain | Wind | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:35 AM | Washington NationalsFoster Griffin (2-0, 1.76)◆◆◆◆◆ | Pittsburgh PiratesBraxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.12)◆◆◆◆◆ | ☁️ | 78° | 0% | 13 |
| 10:40 AM | San Francisco GiantsLanden Roupp (2-1, 3.24)◆◆◆◆◆ | Cincinnati RedsChase Burns (1-1, 3.31)◆◆◆◆◆ | ☀️ | 75° | 2% | 13 |
| 11:10 AM | Kansas City RoyalsKris Bubic (2-1, 2.50)◆◆◆◆◆ | Detroit TigersKeider Montero (1-1, 1.74)◆◆◆◆◆ | ☁️ | 65° | 44% | 9 |
| 11:35 AM | Los Angeles AngelsBrent Suter (0-1, 2.08)◆◆◆◆◆ | New York YankeesMax Fried (2-0, 1.93)◆◆◆◆◆ | ☁️ | 88° | 0% | 10 |
| 11:40 AM | Toronto Blue JaysPatrick Corbin (0-0, 9.00)◆◆◆◆◆ | Milwaukee BrewersBrandon Sproat (0-1, 10.45)◆◆◆◆◆ | 🏟️ | 61° | — | — |
| 12:10 PM | Tampa Bay RaysSteven Matz (3-0, 3.94)◆◆◆◆◆ | Chicago White SoxJordan Leasure (1-0, 4.00)◆◆◆◆◆ | 🌦️ | 67° | 17% | 14 |
| 1:05 PM | Texas RangersJack Leiter (1-1, 4.91)◆◆◆◆◆ | AthleticsJacob Lopez (1-1, 7.43)◆◆◆◆◆ | ☀️ | 67° | 0% | 14 |
| 4:10 PM | Baltimore OriolesShane Baz (0-1, 4.50)◆◆◆◆◆ | Cleveland GuardiansParker Messick (2-0, 0.51)◆◆◆◆◆ | 🌦️ | 62° | 57% | 8 |
| 6:10 PM | Colorado RockiesJuan Mejia (0-2, 5.40)◆◆◆◆◆ | Houston AstrosRyan Weiss (0-2, 7.36)◆◆◆◆◆ | 🏟️ | 70° | — | — |
| 6:40 PM | Seattle MarinersLuis Castillo (0-0, 6.92)◆◆◆◆◆ | San Diego PadresWalker Buehler (0-1, 4.97)◆◆◆◆◆ | ⛅ | 59° | 0% | 4 |
Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 over six dominant innings in the Dodgers' 8-2 sweep-clinching win over the Mets — his first pitcher-only appearance since May 2021 after lingering soreness from a hit-by-pitch kept him out of the lineup. He generated 22 swinging strikes (a Dodgers career high) and topped out at 100.4 mph on his fastball in the fifth.
Padres manager Craig Stammen confirmed Wednesday that Nick Pivetta's MRI revealed a flexor strain, with the timeline measured in "weeks and maybe months" — though the team is hopeful surgery isn't required. Matt Waldron will be activated from the IL to take Pivetta's rotation spot, and the Padres are leaning on Randy Vásquez, Walker Buehler, and Germán Márquez internally rather than trading.
Reds rookie Sal Stewart hit two three-run homers in the first two innings against the Giants, finishing 2-for-4 with 6 RBI in an 8-3 win. The 22-year-old broke Johnny Bench's franchise record as the youngest Red to reach 6 RBI in a game (by 102 days), and now has 12 home runs in 36 career games — second only to Aristides Aquino in Reds history through 36 games.
Gerrit Cole will start his MLB rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday, April 17 — over a year after the March 2025 Tommy John surgery. He's built up to three innings in sim games and gets cleared for live minor-league action now. Boone said Cole is "probably still a month-plus away from big league readiness"; mid-May is the optimistic case, June more likely.
Who's Hot This Week
The 23-year-old lefty earned his Opening Day rotation spot with a dominant Grapefruit League and just delivered 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 K against the Twins on Tuesday — his second straight quality start. Early has a four-pitch mix with a fading changeup that's already getting whiffs at an above-average rate. Boston's rotation depth is thin, so the leash is long. In 12+ team leagues, this is a priority stash before the next 8-K start makes him everyone's #1 add.
Worth Reading
Zack Gelof (0% Yahoo) and Casey Schmitt (6%) lead the deep-league digs, with Joey Cantillo and Jeffrey Springs on the Yahoo Most Added list. The pitch-mix breakdowns on Cantillo's changeup are particularly sharp.
Andy Behrens makes the case that Abel's stuff is real and the Twins' need for stability buys him a longer leash. If you're hesitant on the small sample, this is the most measured take you'll find.
Scott White's roundup ties together the wave of SP injuries (Pivetta, Cole, Curvelo, Bradford) with the upside arms hitting waivers right now. Useful framing for prioritizing FAAB this week.
| # | Player | Pos | PA | 14d Ago | Now | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin WellsNew York Yankees | C | 57 | 0.077 | .333 | +0.256 |
| 2 | Jeff McNeilAthletics | 2B | 60 | 0.143 | .350 | +0.207 |
| 3 | Josh JungTexas Rangers | 3B | 57 | 0.095 | .298 | +0.203 |
| 4 | Ryan McMahonNew York Yankees | 3B | 50 | 0.077 | .260 | +0.183 |
| 5 | James WoodWashington Nationals | RF | 87 | 0.200 | .379 | +0.179 |
| 6 | Will SmithLos Angeles Dodgers | C | 64 | 0.200 | .375 | +0.175 |
| 7 | Caleb DurbinBoston Red Sox | 3B | 62 | 0.053 | .226 | +0.173 |
| 8 | Tyler StephensonCincinnati Reds | C | 48 | 0.143 | .313 | +0.170 |
| 9 | Bryce HarperPhiladelphia Phillies | 1B | 76 | 0.185 | .355 | +0.170 |
| 10 | Spencer HorwitzPittsburgh Pirates | 1B | 55 | 0.188 | .345 | +0.157 |
Right elbow flexor strain confirmed by MRI. Stammen's timeline: "weeks and maybe months," with both Pivetta and the team hoping to avoid surgery. Same diagnosis cost him a month with Boston in 2024 — this one looks more serious. Matt Waldron activated to fill the rotation spot.
Left hamstring strain, retroactive to April 12. The Statcast buy-low profile (xwOBA gap of -.107) was already painting a comeback story before the injury. Hamstring strains in older players linger — expect 3-4 weeks even on the optimistic side.
Per Rotowire, Hader is "approximately one month out" from returning — he'll begin facing hitters next week per manager Joe Espada. The biceps tendinitis from spring has slowed his ramp. Bryan Abreu remains the in-house option but has been disastrous.
Left shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 13. Freeland was already a marginal fantasy asset in Coors — shoulder issues for a 32-year-old finesse lefty are bad news. Jose Quintana activated as the replacement.
Ryan Blake makes the case that Randy Vásquez's transformation is real — and the timing matters more than ever with Nick Pivetta now sidelined for weeks-to-months. The Padres right-hander is sitting 94.8 mph on his four-seamer (up roughly two ticks from 2025), with a 30.4% whiff rate on the pitch and four-seam usage jumped from 21% to 33.5%.
The cutter has also reshaped — added vertical and horizontal break that now functions like a slider. Blake notes Vásquez's command grade has been upgraded from 47 to 60 on the 20-80 scale. He's generated whiffs on 23 of 79 pitches in the chase zone, ranking eighth in baseball for chase-zone swings.
Sustainability is the one caveat: Vásquez's small frame and violent delivery historically projected him as a multi-inning reliever rather than a rotation stalwart. But he showed flashes of this profile last September (3.09 FIP, 21.7% K%), and his work with Yu Darvish on recovery and sequencing has reportedly stuck. Three starts is small, but the underlying changes are not.
Today's Leverage Ledger: Trevor Megill (MIL) blew his first save of the season vs. Toronto — three hits, three ER, one walk in 20 pitches with only one whiff. That's seven ER across his last two outings. Plus full bullpen usage notes across all 30 teams.
Shota Imanaga ties his career high with 11 strikeouts in six innings as the Cubs blitz the Phillies 11-2. Imanaga settled in after surrendering Turner's leadoff homer and dominated the rest of the way. Nico Hoerner drove in a career-high 5 runs.
Padres' Nick Pivetta facing extended absence with flexor strain — "weeks and maybe months" per manager Craig Stammen. Matt Waldron will replace him in the rotation. Padres relying on internal options (Vásquez, Buehler, Márquez) rather than seeking external help.
| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Sewald | ARI | 🟢 Locked | Elite WHIP, perfect conversion. Set and forget. |
| Jakob Junis | TEX | 🟢 Locked | Sub-1.00 WHIP, no threats. Texas wins keep coming. |
| Jeffrey Springs | OAK | 🟢 Locked | 1.47 ERA, 0.76 WHIP. Closing while making spot starts. Elite multi-cat asset. |
| Trevor Megill | MIL | 🟡 Watch | First blown save Tuesday — 3 ER on 3 hits, 1 BB, only 1 whiff in 20 pitches. 7 ER over last 2 outings. Abner Uribe getting saves now. |
| Bryan Abreu | HOU | 🔴 Committee | Hader still ~one month out. Abreu un-rosterable. Bryan King is the speculative add until Hader returns late April. |
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