J.A. Happ Not Great, But Picks Up Win

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ was looking for a longer start after only throwing 4 2/3 innings on Opening Day, and he achieved that against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday…barely. This time around, Happ pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out nine […]

Paul Blackburn Still Feeling Forearm Tightness

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (forearm) is still feeling tightness in his forearm. Manager Bob Melvin stated Blackburn isn't progressing as quickly as hoped, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Another MRI showed no structural issues. Blackburn was pulled in the third inning of a preseason game on March 21. This […]

Anthony DeSclafani Begins Throwing

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (oblique) began a throwing program at the team's Arizona spring training complex this week. DeSclafani opened the season on the 60-day disabled list after coming down with an oblique injury during the spring. DeSclafani dealt with a similar injury in 2016, one which caused him to miss two months of […]

Matt Duffy Drives In Run April 3

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Matt Duffy went hitless Tuesday versus the New York Yankees. However, he still managed to drive in the first Tampa Bay run of the game. In the third inning, he put the ball into play and reached on a throwing error that brought in the first Rays run. Even after […]

C.J. Cron Struggling To Open The Season

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman C.J. Cron is off to a slow start after the first five games of the season. He has gone 2-for-12 to start the season with six strikeouts. He finally scored his first run Tuesday against the Yankees in Tampa Bay's fifth game. He was benched for back-to-back games against consecutive […]

Denard Span Comes Through Off The Bench on April 3

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Denard Span came in off the bench to deliver a two-run double Tuesday versus the Yankees. The hit would tie the game at 4-4 and get starting pitcher Chris Archer off the hook for a decision. This was the first meaningful offensive contribution since Span's opening day game-winner. Span does come […]

Chris Archer Gains Second No-Decision To Start 2018

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer went five innings, allowing four runs Tuesday versus the New York Yankees. The big blow against him was a three-run home run in the third inning. He left trailing 4-1, but the Rays tied it in the next half inning to give him his second straight no-decision to […]

Shohei Ohtani Hits First MLB Home Run, Will DH Again On Wednesday

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in his first at-bat in front of the Anaheim home crowd on Tuesday off starter Josh Tomlin. The three-run shot was one of three hits Ohtani got in four at-bats. He also scored two runs. The outing came two days after getting his first […]

Clayton Kershaw Gives Up Two Home Runs In Loss

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw gave up two solo home runs to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, but otherwise pitched a fine game. He struck out six batters and walked only one, while giving up four hits on the night. Like his opening day start, Kershaw received no run support from the Dodgers hitters. The […]

Ryan Zimmerman Hits First Home Run Of 2018

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman got his first home run of the season on Tuesday against Braves starter Julio Teheran. Zimmerman went 2-for-5 on the day after going 1-for-12 to open the year. He was held out of Grapefruit action this spring to conserve his oft-injured body. That naturally messes with your timing, so […]

Bryce Harper Hits Fourth Home Run In Three Games

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper slugged another home run on Tuesday, this time against one of his favorite pitchers, starter Julio Teheran. He now has eight of them against Teheran, the most against any pitcher. It was the fourth home run in three games for Harper, who is slashing .400/.542/1.200 on the year with six […]

A.J. Cole Rocked In 2018 Debut

Washington Nationals starter A.J. Cole was bombarded by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. He gave up 10 earned runs on 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings. He also struck out four batters, but walked three. The only bright spot was the home run he hit in the second inning off starter Julio Teheran. Cole is […]

Parker Bridwell To Start Friday

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Parker Bridwell will take the mound in a start against the A's on Friday in the absence of Matt Shoemaker. Bridwell was an impressive 10-3 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, but he also had an underwhelming 5.4 K/9 in 20 starts (121 innings) and has little upside as […]

Chris Sale Leaves Game With Second No-Decision

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale went five innings, striking out six and allowing one earned run against the Marlins on Tuesday. This was supposed to be a very favorable matchup, but the Marlins fought him hard. He left with the game tied, resulting in his second start without a decision. In Sale's first start, […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Could See Big League Start As Soon As Sunday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) pitched six innings in a minor league game Tuesday and could be an option to rejoin the starting rotation and pitch Sunday against the Rays at home, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Manager Alex Cora said he and pitching coach Dana LeVangie will decide after assessing […]

Christian Yelich Continues Hot Start

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Yelich has been an absolute monster for the Brewers so far, as he currently rocks a .435 batting average and a 1.110 OPS in his first couple of games in […]

Jonathan Villar Improving As Season Progresses

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jonathan Villar went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. After hitting .182 in the series against the San Diego Padres, Villar is now hitting .375 in the two games against the Cardinals. This is hopefully an insight as to what's to come for Villar, as […]

Alex Cobb May Join Orioles After Minors Game on Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who is being stretched out in the minors, may join the club by April 9 if he does well on Wednesday. Given how badly some of the Baltimore starters have done recently, the team may want him to come with them as soon as possible. See how he does […]

Adam Jones Blasts Second Homer Of Season In Losing Effort

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones is off to a fairly decent start this 2018 season. He went deep for homer No. 2 - a two-run shot off Justin Verlander. It remains to be seen where he'll be, stat-wise, at the end of the season, but it'd be nice to see a 30-homer year from the […]

Chase Anderson Subpar Against Cardinals

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Chase Anderson went four innings and gave up eight hits, allowed four earned runs, gave up three home runs, earned five strikeouts and was rewarded with a no-decision in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Anderson started off the game by giving up two solo home runs to both […]

Ryan Braun Slugs Walk-Off Homer In Ninth

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. That's one way to break out of a hitting slump. Coming into this game, Braun was 1-for-12 with his only hit being a three-run home run against the Padres, and like his Padres home […]

Jonathan Schoop Goes Deep In Loss To Astros

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop hopefully can point to Tuesday's game as the one where he really started going. He went 3-for-5, hit a solo homer and scored three runs overall. It wasn't enough, though, as Baltimore fell 10-6. He's still batting .227, but it's still quite early in the season. Schoop will still […]

Ozhaino Albies Helps Propel Braves To Easy Win Over Nats

How do you know you're having a slow start to the season? Well, Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozhaino Albies went 3-for-5 on Tuesday and only saw his average go up to .200. Fortunately, he scored three runs and drove in one himself. It's still early and it's cold throughout much of the country. Chances are […]

Freddie Freeman Has Monster Night At Plate In Rout Over Nats

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman knows he's not going to get that many pitches to hit over the course of the season. That means he has to jump on whatever ones that are near the strike zone and he did that on Tuesday, clubbing a three-run homer and driving in another run to give […]

Ben Lively Has Encouraging Debut In Loss

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ben Lively finally had his season debut Tuesday at Citi Field after getting snowed out Monday. The 26-year-old, who won the fifth starting spot in the rotation, went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out five. Through the first five innings, he was […]

Julio Teheran Has Terrible Start But Gets Bailed Out By 'Pen

Normally, if Atlanta Braves starter Julio Teheran had gone 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on three homers, you'd pretty much think it was going to be a long day for the Braves. Nope. While Teheran was out of the game, the Atlanta Braves bats pretty much went to town on any pitcher […]

Giancarlo Stanton Strikes Out Five Times For First Time

The good will of his two home runs on opening day has apparently worn out for first-year New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, who played his first home game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, struck out five times, drawing boos after his final plate appearance. The 28-year-old had never struck out five times in […]

Didi Gregorius Enjoys Monster Home Opener

With the weather somewhat giving in, the New York Yankees played their home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The star of the afternoon was undoubtedly shortstop Didi Gregorius, who almost single-handedly carried the club to victory. The 28-year-old batted cleanup and picked up four hits in four plate appearances, […]

Jacoby Ellsbury Suffers Setback

The New York Yankees injury woes in the outfield were supposed to experience relief at some point soon, but those plans have been scrapped. Veteran outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who was scheduled to be a bench player for the club this season, was supposed to be returning soon from an oblique injury. On Tuesday, however, manager […]

Aaron Hicks Now Pain-Free

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks (intercostal), who has been on the disabled list since the day after opening day, is close to returning. The 28-year-old, who suffered a strain in his right intercostal muscle, is now free of any pain. On Tuesday, he was scheduled to hit off the tee and do some throwing, as […]