Austin Meadows Homers In Opening Day Win

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows hit his first home run of the season, as he finished 1-for-4 at the plate in a 1-0 Opening Day victory over the Marlins. Meadows had some struggles during Spring Training, but still managed to club four homers in 17 games while slashing .195/.298/.512. After a down year in […]

Yimi Garcia Gives Up The Only Run Of Thursday's Game

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Yimi Garcia allowed the only run in a 1-0 Opening Day loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Garcia came in to pitch the eighth inning and allowed a solo home run to Austin Meadows after getting two outs on long fly balls. Pretty much everyone watching the game saw the Meadows […]

Richard Rodriguez Earns Save Against Cubs

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez allowed just one walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save of the year in a 5-3 Opening Day win. The Pirates have had quite a few good relief performances this spring, but despite a few rough outings, Rodriguez has kept the closer […]

Kevin Lankinen Tries To Beat Carolina Again

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen will go for a second consecutive win against Carolina on Thursday. He stopped 31 shots and beat the Hurricanes 2-1 on Tuesday to improve to 13-8-4 for the season. The rookie from Finland has posted a 2.65 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage with two shutouts. He had a […]

Max Domi Moves Back To Center For Thursday's Matchup

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Max Domi will be back in the center position for Thursday's road game at Tampa. He'll be skating on the second line between Patrik Laine and Eric Robinson. Kevin Stenlund, who has been centering the first line lately, will miss the contest and Jack Roslovic moves up to the top line. […]

Sam Howard Strikes Out Side, Earns Win Against Cubs

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Sam Howard struck out the side in a perfect inning of relief on Thursday, earning the win in a 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Cubs. This is Howard's second season with Pittsburgh, having posted a 3.86 ERA and 30 percent strikeout rate in 22 appearances in 2020. In SV/HLD leagues, […]

Mike Tauchman Steals Two Bases On Opening Day

New York Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman stole a pair of bases as a pinch-runner on Thursday against the Blue Jays. Although it would be nice for Tauchman's fantasy value if Thursday was an indication of the team's usage plans for him, Thursday was an extreme situation. The Yankees used their entire four-man bench in Thursday's […]

Anthony Duclair Won't Feature On Thursday

Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair (upper body) has been ruled out for at least seven days and won't play on Thursday against Detroit. He got hurt in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Red Wings and is set for another spell on the sidelines after already missing seven games earlier in the campaign. The 25-year-old has […]

Adam Frazier Reaches Base Four Times On Opening Day

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier reached base safely four times on Opening Day, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in the win over the Cubs. Frazier managed to do a little bit of everything at the plate, as he continued to build off his […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Homers In Opening Day Win

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman hit his first home run of the season on Thursday afternoon, as he finished 1-for-5 with two RBI and a walk in the 5-3 Opening Day win against the Cubs. Hayes crushed a two-run homer to left field in his first plate appearance of the day to give Pittsburgh an early […]

Jake Allen Gets Start On Thursday

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen is making his 12th start of the season on Thursday against Ottawa. He's looking to stop a six-game skid, which has dropped his record to 4-3-4. Allen owns a 2.34 goals-against average ahead of the contest with a .920 save percentage. The Senators, who start Filip Gustavsson, have played much […]

Chris Driedger Will Guard Panthers Cage On Thursday

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger will be between the pipes for Thursday's meeting with Detroit. The 26-year-old has been one of the best backups in the league this season with a 9-4-2 record, a 2.19 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout. It's a superb matchup for racking up another win, as Florida […]

Roberto Perez Homers On Opening Day

Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and two walks in the Tribe's 3-2 Opening Day loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was a solid day for Perez as he managed to draw two of Matthew Boyd's four total walks in addition to the home run. While Perez is not […]

Kyle Hendricks Struggles To Throw Strikes In 2021 Debut

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks struggled with his command in his first start of the season versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hendricks went 41 starts without walking two batters in a game, but that streak was broken when he allowed three Thursday afternoon. Hendricks also allowed four hits, three runs and struck out four in […]

Ryan McDonagh Has Chance To Return On Thursday

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (lower body) came through Wednesday's practice and seems ready to return to action in Thursday's clash with Columbus. The veteran blueliner, who has 10 points for the season, has missed four games. He seems to have been a huge miss, with the Bolts heading into Thursday's encounter on a […]

Elvis Merzlikins Looks For Another Win Over Tampa

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will try and make it back-to-back wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. He beat the Stanley Cup champs 3-1 on Tuesday with a very good 37-save effort. With the result, Merzlikins took his record for the season to 6-5-2. He boasts a 2.72 goals-against average with a […]

Taylor Trammell Will Bat Fifth

Seattle Mariners outfielder Taylor Trammell will make his major league debut on Thursday, batting fifth and playing center field. Trammell has been one of the breakout stars of spring training, slashing .311/.392/.644 with three home runs and two steals. As long as Kyle Lewis is out, and perhaps longer, Trammell will have quite a bit […]

Sandy Alcantara Shows Ace Stuff On Opening Day

Miami Marlins Opening Day starter Sandy Alcantara was excellent on Friday. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Alcantara got into a little trouble in the first inning, but the Rays left the bases loaded and Sandy never struggled again from there. He left with the […]

Ilya Samsonov Looks To Continue Rolling Versus Islanders

Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is the team's starter for Thursday's road outing against the New York Islanders. The 24-year-old Russian has done great so far with an 8-1-1 record, a 2.39 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout. He beat the Isles at home a couple of weeks ago 3-1 with a […]

Igor Shesterkin In Must-Win Spot Thursday Night

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin will take on the lowly Sabres on Thursday, trying to improve an 8-8-1 record. The Russian netminder had a rocky ride earlier in the season, but he won four of his five appearances in March with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. He's allowing 2.32 goals […]

Dustin Tokarski In Sabres Goal On Thursday

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski will make his fourth appearance of the season in Thursday's home outing against the Rangers. The 31-year-old is winless so far with a 4.11 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. The Sabres finally won a game on Wednesday to stop an 18-game skid, which should give them some confidence, […]

Kyle Seager Will Bat Third On Opening Day

Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager will bat third on opening day. The elder Seager has a strong track record against San Francisco Giants starter Kevin Gausman, batting .333 with two home runs and four RBI in nine at-bats. After a solid spring, Seager will look to get off to a strong follow-up campaign to […]

Brandon Tanev Ready To Rejoin Lineup

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Brandon Tanev (upper body) has been activated from Injured Reserve, and he's is set to make his first appearance since Mar. 18 in Thursday's road game against Boston. He will join Zach Aston-Reese and Frederick Gaudreau on the third line. Tanev is a hit machine who's having a career year offensively with […]

Marco Gonzales Set To Start Against Giants

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales is making his third consecutive opening day start Thursday, and he'll be facing the San Francisco Giants. It is expected that the Giants will run out a heavily right-handed lineup Thursday. In 2020, the Giants posted an .838 OPS against lefty starters. Despite this, the Giants are a good […]

Casey DeSmith Starts For Penguins On Thursday

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith will make his 12th start of the season on Thursday versus Boston, looking to improve an 8-3-0 record. Maxime Lagace will back him up after Tristan Jarry (upper body) got hurt in Monday's 2-1 win over the Islanders. DeSmith has been a very reliable No. 2 with a 1.91 goals-against […]

Daniel Vladar Makes Third Career Start On Thursday

Boston Bruins goaltender Daniel Vladar will record his third career start in Thursday's matchup against Pittsburgh. He made his NHL debut last month and has won both outings so far with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage. Boston was forced to switch to Vladar as Jaroslav Halak's backup with Tuukka Rask (upper […]

Chandler Stephenson Gets Suspended For Three Games

Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson was suspended for three games on Thursday for elbowing Tobias Bjornfot in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Los Angeles. The 26-year-old will start his suspension with Thursday's home game against Minnesota, and he will be available again next Wednesday against St. Louis. Stephenson has been centering the team's first line […]

Teoscar Hernandez Has Three Hits In Opening Day Win

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez led the way on offense on Opening Day, going 3-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored in a 3-2 extra-innings victory over the Yankees. Hernandez launched a one-out, game-tying home run in the sixth inning off of Gerrit Cole, who was removed one batter later. […]

Gary Sanchez Homers On Opening Day

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in a 3-2 Opening Day loss to the Blue Jays. After a dismal 2020 campaign that saw him post career-worsts across the board including average (.147), and slugging percentage (.365), it's good to see this kind of performance from […]

Kenta Maeda Strikes Out Five Against Brewers

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda struck out five batters in 4 1/3 innings of work on Opening Day against the Brewers, exiting with a 3-2 lead. Maeda reached a high pitch count early on, as he tossed 88 pitches against Milwaukee, but 57 of them went for strikes. He allowed two runs — one […]