Cubs Could Tweak Lineup With Poor Offensive Start

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross mentioned that his team could experiment with lineup changes with the team hitting a poor .124 over the first six games of the season. Ross spoke about the Cubs always looking to put the best lineup on the field. Ross benched leadoff hitter Ian Happ on Thursday and promoted catcher […]

Rockies 'Optimistic' That Chris Owings (hamstring) Will Avoid IL

Colorado Rockies outfielder Chris Owings, who exited Wednesday's game vs. Arizona early due to right hamstring tightness did not start on Thursday but is available to play, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Manager Bud Black told reporters he's "optimistic" that Owings can avoid a stint on the injured list. Owings has been white-hot at the […]

Leury Garcia Dealing With Leg Tightness

Chicago White Sox utility man Leury Garcia is dealing with leg tightness, but could be available off the bench on Thursday versus the Kansas City Royals. It comes at a bad time as Garcia was filling in for Tim Anderson (hamstring) at shortstop. The good news is that it doesn't seem too serious. Garcia may […]

Andrew Vaughn Won't Get Regular Playing Time

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa addressed the media on Thursday and said that first baseman/outfielder Andrew Vaughn is not part of the "core" of everyday players. La Russa also said that he has noticed the rookie pressing and wants to give him a break. It's a bit confusing that the White Sox would […]

Evan White Gets Thursday Off

Seattle Mariners first baseman Evan White (hamstring) is not in Thursday's lineup against the Minnesota Twins after being forced out of Wednesday night's game. White tweaked his hamstring beating out a run-scoring fielder's choice, and was replaced by Jose Marmolejos. White received an MRI Thursday morning, and the results were positive: it seems he will […]

White Sox Place Billy Hamilton On Injured List

Chicago White Sox outfielder Billy Hamilton (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a strained left hamstring. In a corresponding move, the team purchased the contract of outfielder Nick Williams. A leg injury for a player that is mostly relevant because of his speed is never a good thing, but hopefully […]

Jorge Alfaro Dealing With A Tight Hamstring

Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro (hamstring) is out of the lineup for a second day in a row on Thursday. While Wednesday seemed like a standard off day for Alfaro, manager Don Mattingly kept backup Chad Wallach in the lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Mets. Mattingly told reporters that Alfaro is dealing with tightness […]

Dellin Betances Heads To Injured List Thursday

New York Mets right-handed reliever Dellin Betances was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a right shoulder impingement. Betances made his 2021 debut on Wednesday against the Phillies and allowed one earned run and walk in one inning pitched. The oft-injured Betances has shown a decline in velocity over the past two […]

NBA Betting Picks and Analysis for Thursday, April 8th

Hello, RotoBallers, and welcome back to Thunder Dan's NBA best bets! I have been trying to squeeze in some betting content between my daily coverage of NBA and MLB DFS and admittedly, it hasn't been that easy. I hit a low point on Monday, going 0-4 for the first time this season and missing my […]

Xander Bogaerts Out Of The Lineup Thursday

After playing six straight days, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts will get the day off Thursday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles. The scheduled off day makes sense, as the Red Sox are about to play 16 games in 16 days, but it comes at an unfortunate time for the red-hot Bogaerts, who has eight […]

Blake Snell Fans Eight In Five Innings

San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell completed five innings in a no-decision Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, allowing two earned runs while striking out eight. Snell was often jammed in the outing, yielding two hits and four walks, but managed to work out of trouble. His key mistake was a second-inning two-run homer by […]

Wil Myers Stays Hot At The Dish

San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers finished 1-for-4 with a solo homer Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. Myers took Giants reliever Tyler Rogers deep in the eighth inning to knot the score at 2-2 before the Friars eventually faltered in extra innings. The 30-year-old is slashing .318/.464/.682 with two homers, a steal and 10 […]

Richard Sherman Expects To Sign After Draft

Free-agent cornerback Richard Sherman said on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast that he expects to sign with a team after the NFL draft later this month. "You turn 33, and then it's like, 'We'll wait until we get a young pup; and if we can't get a young pup, we'll take an old fool.' So that's […]

Jake Diekman Fans Two In Win Versus Dodgers

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jake Diekman allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning against the Dodgers on Wednesday. It was a nice bounce-back effort from Diekman who allowed three runs - two earned - in his first outing of 2021. The 34-year-old lefty is one of the top options for saves […]

Dolphins Expect Improvement From Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins star cornerback Byron Jones said that the team expects a big leap from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in his sophomore season after he disappointed in his rookie year in 2020. "His contributions to the team have been great so far, but we're looking for even something better this year. It's exciting. I can't wait […]

Brett Gardner Picks Up Two Hits On Wednesday

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a run scored against the Orioles on Wednesday. Gardner came into the season as the team's fourth outfielder, but he's already collected three starts this season and found his way into five games as the Yankees are exercising caution with their […]

Demarcus Robinson Eyeing 1,000-Yard Season

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson expects to have a more prominent role this year now that Sammy Watkins is no longer around. "I just think it picks up a little bit more right now. I'm looking for the opportunity -- not for them to give me the opportunity -- but go in there […]

Anibal Sanchez To Throw For Teams Saturday

Free-agent veteran starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez will throw a bullpen for select teams in Miami on Saturday. Sanchez threw for scouts in the offseason, but it never amounted to a deal with a club. The 37-year-old right-hander became a free agent when the Washington Nationals declined his $12 million option for the 2021 season. He'll […]

Liam Eichenberg Tests Positive For COVID-19

Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg, one of this year's top offensive lineman eligible for the draft, will not be in Indianapolis for medical evaluations this weekend after testing positive for COVID-19 after his Pro Day, according to sources. Defensive end Ade Ogundeji and offensive lineman Aaron Banks also tested positive for COVID-19 and are […]

Ramon Laureano Running Wild To Start The Season

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano stole two bases in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers to bring his steal total up to four in the early going. In the A's first win of 2021, Laureano was the spark the offense needed, stealing second and third base before scoring on a wild pitch to help force the […]

Gleyber Torres Continues Slow Start To 2021

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout on Wednesday, bringing his OPS down to .625 for the season and extending his streak of games with at least one strikeout to six. Torres also made a costly throwing error for the Yankees, calling into question (again) his long-term positional […]

Trevor Lawrence Turning The Corner Health-Wise

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (shoulder), who had shoulder surgery to fix a torn labrum in his non-throwing arm on Feb. 16, has been throwing over the course of the last two weeks. He is not 100 percent healthy, but his workouts are starting to look and feel normal and he's turned the corner health-wise. Lawrence […]

Brian Hoyer To Visit With Jets

Former New England Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer is scheduled to visit with the New York Jets on Thursday, according to a source. The long-time New England backup could become a mentor to the new rookie quarterback that the Jets will likely select with the No. 2 overall pick in this month's draft. The 35-year-old […]

Gio Urshela Picks Up Two Hits On Wednesday

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela picked up a pair of hits, including his first extra-base hit of the season, against the Orioles on Wednesday. Although Urshela's arm strength is reportedly down this season -- something that remains worth keeping an eye on after he underwent offseason surgery to remove a bone chip from […]

Jameson Taillon Pitches Well In Yankees Debut

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon looked good in his first start of the season on Wednesday, striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Notably, Taillon ditched his sinker (19.8% usage rate in 2019) entirely on Wednesday, an adjustment that should help him maintain an elevated strikeout rate. Additionally, although Taillon's […]

Jakob Chychrun Achieves Rare Feat Wednesday Night

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun became only the third blue-liner in franchise history to register three consecutive multi-point outings when he had two assists in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Los Angeles. Keith Yandle was the last one to do it in 2013-14. Chychrun started the streak with his first career hat trick in Sunday's 3-2 […]

Drew Doughty Has Two Assists In Impressive Comeback

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty delivered two assists in Wednesday's impressive comeback victory versus Arizona when the Kings pulled off a 4-3 win despite heading into the third period in a 3-1 deficit. Los Angeles erased a multi-goal deficit in the third period to win for the first time this season. Doughty had his […]

Nathan MacKinnon Scores In Fourth Consecutive Game

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon took his goal streak to four games during a multi-point outing in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to Minnesota. He picked up a power-play goal and had an assist on a Mikko Rantanen marker with the man advantage. The Finnish winger also finished with two points. MacKinnon has been on fire at […]

Kevin Fiala Scores First Career Hat Trick During Four-Point Night

Minnesota Wild winger Kevin Fiala scored his first career hat trick and had a career-high four points as the team ended Colorado's point streak at 15 games with an 8-3 victory on Wednesday. Fiala's linemate Victor Rask had himself a three-point night with three helpers. The Swiss winger has meshed very well with Rask, and […]