Author: rincon

The 2026 MLB season officially opened just over two weeks ago with Opening Day on March 26, and baseball fans have already been treated to some incredible early-season action on and off the field.

That said, FOX Sports baseball analyst Dontrelle Willis recently revealed who his top five teams are right now, which includes two American League teams and three from the National League.

Here’s who made the cut.

5. Cleveland Guardians

The AL Central-leading Guardians (8-6) check in at No. 5 on Willis’ list. They’ve only won three of their past six games, but Willis is convinced that there’s no cause for concern, as they’re riding the Chase DeLauter wave.

“They’re still able to win ballgames even though José Ramírez has not checked in,” Willis added. “You know, it starts and ends on the mound for me. Mr. [Gavin] Williams, he’s gonna continue to have a monster year.”

Last week, Cleveland rattled off back-to-back wins against Kansas City. On Wednesday, Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez went 4-for-5, including hitting a four-bagger to clear the bases with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the eighth. It was a huge early divisional win in an AL Central race that is likely going to be tight this year.

4. Atlanta Braves

The Braves (9-5) began the year without an off day through their first 13 games and a rotation missing Spencer Strider (oblique strain), Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow surgery), Hurston Waldrep (elbow surgery) and Joey Wentz (torn ACL). That said, they’ve emerged from this starting stretch in first place in the NL East, with the lowest ERA in MLB (2.03) and tied for the best run differential in MLB (+34). What’s more, they’ve managed to do this all without relying entirely on the arm of Chris Sale. Atlanta is in the midst of a three-game win streak, defeating its opponents by an average of five-plus runs over that span. That’s more than enough to land them at No. 4 on Willis’ list.

“They are finally healthy, as far as the core group of the guys that play every day [goes],” Willis said. “[Second baseman] Ozzie [Albies] is finally healthy. [Catcher] Drake Baldwin is a monster. His bat-to-ball skills and his game calling and throwing behind the plate [skills are] one of the best in all of baseball.”

3. Milwaukee Brewers

Even without Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee is 8-5 and sits atop the NL Central. Despite the Brewers dropping their past three games, Willis isn’t ready to push the panic button. Instead, they land at No. 3 on his list.

“[Coach] Pat Murphy has these guys at the top of the [NL] Central playing his style of baseball,” Willis said. “[Left fielder] Christian Yelich looks like MVP Yelich. He looks — finally — healthy. [Center fielder Garrett] Mitchell in that lineup [is] providing some pop.”

Earlier this month, Milwaukee finalized an eight-year contract with prospect Cooper Pratt, adding the prized 21-year-old shortstop prospect to the 40-man roster and optioning him to Triple-A Nashville. The deal with Pratt includes club options that could keep him with the Brewers through the 2035 season. Pratt is among the top prospects in a Brewers farm system that ranks among the best in MLB. He was rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 60 overall prospect.

2. New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt started the season on the injured list, but it doesn’t seem to be a huge factor. Boosted by 25-year-old Cam Schlittler — who has 22 strikeouts, no walks and a 1.62 ERA through three starts — a Yankees’ rotation that has looked like the best in baseball in the early going. What’s more, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is ready to join when they need a fifth starter. Still, the AL East-leading Yankees (8-5) have dropped three in a row and are aiming to get back on track this weekend.

“My New York Yankees, who I’ve been backing for the last couple [of] weeks, have been struggling at the plate,” Willis said. “I know it, but Aaron Judge is starting to heat up.”

[MLB 2026: Dontrelle Willis Assesses Yankees Rotation Dominance]

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

“The world champions,” Willis said when asked which team is his clear-cut No. 1. “The rich get richer!”

At the end of last season, the Dodgers became the first back-to-back World Series champs since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. In addition, it was the Dodgers’ third championship in the past six years.

The NL West-leading Dodgers (10-3) currently have the best odds to win the 2026 World Series at +230, followed by the Yankees (+1000).

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the third inning and Bryce Harper went deep two pitches later, boosting the Philadelphia Phillies over the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Saturday to stop a three-game losing streak.

Arizona, which had won three straight, did not use catcher Gabriel Moreno, who left Friday’s game because of left lower back tightness and was sent for an MRI.

Ketel Marte hit his 14th career leadoff home run and Adrian Del Castillo had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Taijuan Walker (1-2). Batters are 10 for 19 (.526) in the first inning with nine runs off Walker in three starts.

Schwarber homered off a changeup from Brandon Pfaadt (0-1), his fourth home run this season, and Harper followed with a 419-foot drive on a fastball for his third homer.

Walker allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. Brad Keller gave up a two-out RBI single to Jose Fernandez in the eighth, then struck out Nolan Arenado to strand a runner on third.

Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. The Phillies’ bullpen has allowed two earned runs in its last 26 1/3 innings.

Rookie Justin Crawford had two hits for the Phillies and is batting .350.

Pfaadt had pink shoelaces on his cleats as a gender reveal for the baby that his brother, Brett, and his wife, Hannah, are expecting. Brett and Brandon were teammates at Bellarmine University in 2020, with Brandon drafted in the fifth round by Arizona that year.

Arizona catcher Adrian Del Castillo had three hits.

Up next

Phillies RHP Andrew Painter (1-0) and Arizona RHP Zac Gallen (1-1) start Sunday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Gavin Sheets‘ second homer of the game was a three-run, game-ending shot in the ninth inning, as the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Friday night.

Colorado’s Juan Mejia (0-2) came on in the ninth inning and gave up a leadoff single to Jackson Merrill and walked Manny Machado. After Xander Bogaerts flied out, Sheets hit a 99.6 mph four-seam fastball 434 feet over the wall in right-center field.

San Diego starter Walker Buehler struck out four and allowed three hits in six scoreless innings. The 31-year-old right-hander, who spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed a minor-league contract with San Diego in February. Mason Miller (1-0) struck out the side in the ninth.

Luis Campusano also homered and doubled for the Padres.

Colorado pinch hitter Hunter Goodman hit a two-out RBI single, moved to second when Tyler Freeman singled and scored on a hit by Jordan Beck to make it 2-all in the eighth inning.

Sheets hit a leadoff homer off Rockies’ starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the fifth inning and, after Miguel Andujar flied out, Campusano added a solo shot to make it 2-0.

Sugano gave up two runs and four hits in six innings.

Up next

Colorado’s Ryan Feltner (1-0, 4.32 ERA) is scheduled to face German Marquez (1-1, 4.50) in the second of a three-game set on Saturday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Max Muncy hit three homers, including a game-winning, two-out solo shot in the ninth inning after Edwin Diaz blew his first save, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied past the Texas Rangers 8-7 Friday night in the opener of a series between the last three World Series champions.

Diaz (1-0) blew his first save in six appearances with a three-run ninth that tied the game, 7-7. He gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson before Evan Carter hammered a first-pitch fastball to right field. After two outs, Josh Jung singled. Pinch-runner Sam Haggerty stole second and Brandon Nimmo was intentionally walked. Ezequiel Duran followed with a tying single to left.

After Will Smith and Freddie Freeman struck out, Muncy hit a 401-foot shot to right off Jakob Latz (0-1).

The Dodgers first rallied in the sixth on Andy Pages‘ go-ahead, two-run double.

The NL West-leading Dodgers trailed by two runs before ending the AL West-leading Rangers’ three-game winning streak. Texas won the World Series in 2023, and the Dodgers followed with back-to-back titles in 2024 and ’25.

Muncy hit solo shots in the second and fourth innings off Rangers’ starter Kumar Rocker. Muncy had his second career three-homer game and moved into sole possession of sixth all-time with 212 career homers for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers rapped out 15 hits, with Muncy reaching base four times. In the eighth, the ball went off the glove of first baseman Jake Burger in foul territory, triggering a foot race to the bag. Muncy collided with reliever Luis Curvelo, who went down. Curvelo tossed a couple warmup pitches and remained in the game.

Shohei Ohtani singled in the fifth, extending his on-base streak to 44 games and surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the longest such streak by a Japanese-born player. It was Ohtani’s only hit on his first bobblehead night of the season.

Pages also reached base four times with four RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle. He singled in the second, walked in the fifth, doubled in the sixth and hit a two-run blast off Curvelo in the eighth, making it 7-4.

The Rangers led 3-1 on Corey Seager‘s three-run homer with two outs off Dodgers’ starter Tyler Glasnow.

Wyatt Langford extended the Rangers’ lead to 4-2 with a two-out solo homer — his first of the season — in the fifth. He was replaced in the sixth because of right quad tightness.

Up next

Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-0, 2.45 ERA) starts Saturday against RHP Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 8.00).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Chicago White Sox are expanding their tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime fan of the baseball team.

The White Sox announced on Friday that they will hand out pope-themed hats to all fans who attend their Aug. 11 game against Cincinnati. The promotional item was originally limited to fans who had purchased specialty theme night tickets.

“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” Brooks Boyer, the chief revenue and marketing officer for the team, said in a release. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”

The hats are shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle. The White Sox said fans who had already purchased the specialty tickets would receive the hat and an additional item.

The pope, the former Robert Prevost, attended Chicago’s 2005 World Series opener against Houston and watched as his beloved team beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and its first title since 1917.

In May, the White Sox unveiled a graphic installation near the seat paying tribute to Pope Leo and that moment. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie.

In June, Rate Field hosted an event honoring his election as the first American pope. A month later, at a pregame ceremony honoring the 2005 team, White Sox great Paul Konerko was presented a jersey signed by the pope, a gift from one No. 14 to another.

Pope Leo broke Vatican protocol by donning a White Sox cap last year. In October, he shouted “they lost” to someone who screamed “go Cubs.” And a few weeks ago, he gave a thumbs up to someone who yelled “God bless the White Sox!”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Oh, snap.

As the Seattle Mariners unveiled their third statue in franchise history outside T-Mobile Park, one of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, there was a blip.

A bronze statue that depicted Suzuki in his famed batting stance appeared to be defective when it was displayed Friday morning. Suzuki’s bat snapped near the handle, and the barrel veered off to the right-hand side.

After the ceremony, Suzuki joked that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera got the best of him.

“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki said with a smile, “and break the bat.”

It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue; Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle. Suzuki, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, became only the third Mariners player to have his number retired by the franchise last year as well, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11).

Griffey and Martinez joined Suzuki outside T-Mobile Park on Friday, and all three pulled a tarp off the statue together. Suzuki made history last summer as the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, earning a near-unanimous 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The way a jovial Suzuki saw it, his statue having an imperfection was only fitting.

“In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote,” Suzuki said. “Today, the bat was broke. It kind of lets me know that I’m still not there, that I still need to keep going. So, this is a good example of that.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Colorado Rockies are bringing in Denver Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Walton Penner through a minority investment from the Penner Sports Group.

Rockies chairman & CEO Dick Monfort and owner/general partner Charlie Monfort announced the deal Friday. It’s been approved by Major League Baseball,

The Penner group is purchasing approximately a 40% share of the Rockies, a person with knowledge of the situation said. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the figure hasn’t been released. The group becomes the largest minority partner for the Rockies, a team Forbes has valued at $1.68 billion.

Dick and Charlie Monfort will continue their roles, with Walker Monfort serving as the team’s president. The organization said the investment allows the club to “retire all outstanding debt” in addition to providing an enhanced experience at Coors Field.

“Greg and Carrie have proven that they share the same passion for our region and a strong commitment to compete at the highest level,” Dick Monfort said in a statement. “We are thrilled to add them to the Colorado Rockies’ ownership group as we best position this franchise for long-term sustained success.”

The Rockies are off to a 6-7 start this season. They made big changes in the offseason after a third straight year with 100 or more losses. The front office is now led by Paul DePodesta, the president of baseball operations, and general manager Josh Byrnes.

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group bought the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust in August 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion. Walmart heir Rob Walton also is an owner, while Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, Mellody Hobson and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice serve as limited partners.

Denver made it to the AFC championship game last season before losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots.

“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball,” the Penners said in a joint statement. “We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports