Matt Chapman

theScore's MLB editors Josh Goldberg, Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, Tom Ruminski, Ben Wrixon, and Brandon Wile answer some of the biggest questions a month into the 2024 season.Who has offered the most impressive individual performance so far?Ronel Blanco: Blanco has been one of the Astros' few bright spots during their underwhelming start to the season. The right-hander earned a rotation spot thanks to a strong spring and injuries to a handful of key pitchers. Blanco responded with a no-hitter in his first start and tacked on five no-hit innings in his next outing. The 30-year-old looks like a mainstay in the rotation and a much-needed win for a Houston farm system that's lacked success stories of late. - Goldberg NO-HITTER!!!Ronel Blanco throws a no-hitter in his eighth career start! pic.twitter.com/6Yj8yufOps FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 2, 2024 Mookie Betts: As it turns out, the best right fielder in baseball is also one of the best middle infielders. For all of the press Shohei Ohtani has received after joining the Dodgers, Betts remains the team's heartbeat and might already be authoring his best year ever. The 31-year-old leads the majors in runs (24), OBP (.458), and fWAR (1.9), tops the NL in walks (20), and sits top-five in virtually every other offensive category. Oh, and his three defensive runs saved are tied for the NL lead at shortstop. Keep in mind that Betts didn't even take over as the Dodgers' everyday shortstop until mid-March. This is the very definition of greatness. - Sharkey-GotliebMason Miller: The most electric pitcher in the majors resides in ... Oakland? The 25-year-old flamethrower's been one of the best early-season stories. The Athletics converted him from a starter to a reliever to protect him from injury, and the early returns have been beyond impressive; 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 20 strikeouts over 10 innings. Miller's four-seam fastball has the highest average speed (100.7 mph) of any pitch in the majors this campaign. His most impressive performance of the year came Monday in the Bronx when he struck out Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge in the ninth inning for the save. - Wile Mason Miller's Dominance At Yankee Stadium 14 Pitches In 14 Seconds pic.twitter.com/q6rVkxKHCZ Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 23, 2024 Which team do you think is overachieving? Cleveland Guardians: If, before the season, you asked 100 people which team would start 17-6, would anyone have picked the Guardians? Even with Josh Naylor making the leap to superstardom and Steven Kwan returning to form with a 150 OPS+, the legitimacy of Cleveland's lineup is still very much in question. Beating up on the pitching of the Athletics and White Sox a combined 10 times doesn't exactly inspire confidence, nor does losing ace Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery. The Guardians have a plethora of young arms capable of picking up the slack, but the team will likely come crashing down when the run-scoring inconsistencies that have plagued them in recent years resurface - especially in a surprisingly competitive AL Central. - WrixonBoston Red Sox: No team's dealt with as many crucial injuries as the Red Sox, but they've still managed a 13-11 record. Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, Triston Casas, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, and Vaughn Grissom are all on the IL, while Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill also missed time. Boston somehow swept a series in Pittsburgh over the weekend with Pablo Reyes (.424 OPS), Enmanuel Valdez (.467), Ceddanne Rafaela (.469), and Bobby Dalbec (.177) in its infield. The team's success largely comes from its pitching - its starters own the lowest ERA (1.80) in the majors. The Red Sox offense has been middle of the pack, ranking 14th in runs and 15th in OPS. However, the club capitalizes when it counts, recording the second-most homers in the majors. Combining their increasingly difficult schedule with their struggles at home (3-7) will make this success difficult to sustain if injuries continue to pile up. - WileMilwaukee Brewers: Many expected the Brewers to fade in 2024 after trading ace Corbin Burnes. However, through the first few weeks of the season, Milwaukee's been one of baseball's most pleasant surprises. The offense looks deep and imposing, tying a franchise record by scoring seven or more runs in six consecutive games for the third time in franchise history. The NL Central is far from a gauntlet, meaning Milwaukee could be relevant all season. The team's rotation is its biggest area of concern. Beyond Freddy Peralta, it's hard to see any of its other starting pitchers grading out at league average. Without improvements in that area, the lineup will shoulder even more pressure to carry the load going forward. - GoldbergWhich struggling team are you most worried about?Houston Astros: Everything's been going wrong for the Astros, who are now 10 games under .500 for the first time since 2016. Not coincidentally, 2016 was the last year the Astros - who've made seven straight ALCS appearances - missed the playoffs. Houston's supposedly vaunted bullpen duo of Ryan Pressly and offseason addition Josh Hader has allowed a combined 17 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings, while starters Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez are hurt. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez are still doing their thing, but they can't mask Alex Bregman's slow start (.555 OPS, no home runs) or Jos Abreu (.065/.132/.081) becoming unplayable. Yes, it's still "early" in the year, but it's gotten very late for the Astros very quickly. They have the talent to turn this around, but it has to start right now to keep the franchise's golden era going. No pressure. - Sharkey-GotliebSt. Louis Cardinals: St. Louis massively disappointed in 2023, stumbling to the NL Central basement with a 71-91 record. While few expected them to win 100 games in 2024, most expected the offense to be better than its been. Paul Goldschmidt's especially struggled, posting a .542 OPS for a team that's scored the second-fewest runs in the NL. Offseason pitching additions Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn have kept the team afloat, but outside of those two, the rest of the rotation's really struggled. - WrixonMinnesota Twins: The Twins followed an AL Central-winning season and their first playoff series victory since 2002 with an underwhelming offseason. Injuries to Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa in the first two (shaky) weeks of the campaign have only added to the level of concern. With the Royals, Guardians, and Tigers all off to strong starts, the Twins have to find a way to get things going so they aren't too far back in the standings when Lewis and Correa eventually return to the lineup. - GoldbergSan Francisco Giants: The club overhauled its roster in free agency, spending a combined $315 million to bring in Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks, and Jung Hoo Lee. San Francisco also traded for injured left-hander Robbie Ray. But the infusion of expensive talent has yet to translate to success on the field: The Giants sit just one game under .500 and only two games back of the Dodgers, but have a mediocre offense that's hit just five home runs at Oracle Park in 12 games. It's a small sample size, but San Francisco's bold offseason might be in vain: The team could finish as low as fourth simply because the NL West is so deep. - RuminskiWhat's one thing that's bothered you?Pitching injuries: Great pitching - specifically, starting pitching - has always been vital to success in baseball. That's why it's so sad to see its current state. Unfortunately, we're now watching hurlers with the assumption that their elbows are nothing but ticking time bombs. This is a serious problem for the sport, and the pitch clock can't be blamed. It's a trend that trickles down to the grassroots level, as young pitchers try to light every radar gun on fire now that we're obsessed with velocity. MLB can - and should - lead the way to fix this line of thinking at every level of the sport, for the good of baseball's future. - Sharkey-GotliebBad umpiring: Sorry, traditionalists, but robot umpires can't get here soon enough. The ump show has been in full force in the early days of the 2024 season, with umpires around the league making headlines for all the wrong reasons. From embarrassing strike-three calls to ejecting Yankees manager Aaron Boone for a fan's heckling, the men known as 'blue' have baseball fans feeling green with disgust. Calling balls and strikes is a challenging and thankless job, but automated assistance could make it easier. That said, certain umpires routinely making themselves the game's biggest story is the real problem that needs to be addressed. - Wrixon Aaron Boone listened to the umpire and was ejected anyway. You can hear the entire interaction here pic.twitter.com/12RTZvdwDl Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 22, 2024 Aaron Judge getting booed: I get it. Fans are free to express themselves when their favorite team is struggling. Judge said he had no issue with the boos and would do the same thing if he was watching his performance. He's the consummate professional and deserves to be the captain of one of the marquee franchises in all of professional sports. However, Judge should get the benefit of the doubt, especially considering it's April. He's a season removed from setting the AL single-season home run record and was excellent in 2023. If he's hitting under the Mendoza line in June, we can talk about letting him hear it. - GoldbergCopyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

theScore's MLB editors Josh Goldberg, Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, Tom Ruminski, Ben Wrixon, and Brandon Wile answer some of the biggest questions a month into the 2024 season.Who has offered the most impressive individual performance so far?Ronel Blanco: Blanco has been one of the Astros' few bright spots during their underwhelming start to the season. The right-hander earned a rotation spot thanks to a strong spring and injuries to a handful of key pitchers. Blanco responded with a no-hitter in his first start and tacked on five no-hit innings in his next outing. The 30-year-old looks like a mainstay in the rotation and a much-needed win for a Houston farm system that's lacked success stories of late. - Goldberg NO-HITTER!!!Ronel Blanco throws a no-hitter in his eighth career start! pic.twitter.com/6Yj8yufOps FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 2, 2024 Mookie Betts: As it turns out, the best right fielder in baseball is also one of the best middle infielders. For all of the press Shohei Ohtani has received after joining the Dodgers, Betts remains the team's heartbeat and might already be authoring his best year ever. The 31-year-old leads the majors in runs (24), OBP (.458), and fWAR (1.9), tops the NL in walks (20), and sits top-five in virtually every other offensive category. Oh, and his three defensive runs saved are tied for the NL lead at shortstop. Keep in mind that Betts didn't even take over as the Dodgers' everyday shortstop until mid-March. This is the very definition of greatness. - Sharkey-GotliebMason Miller: The most electric pitcher in the majors resides in ... Oakland? The 25-year-old flamethrower's been one of the best early-season stories. The Athletics converted him from a starter to a reliever to protect him from injury, and the early returns have been beyond impressive; 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 20 strikeouts over 10 innings. Miller's four-seam fastball has the highest average speed (100.7 mph) of any pitch in the majors this campaign. His most impressive performance of the year came Monday in the Bronx when he struck out Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge in the ninth inning for the save. - Wile Mason Miller's Dominance At Yankee Stadium 14 Pitches In 14 Seconds pic.twitter.com/q6rVkxKHCZ Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 23, 2024 Which team do you think is overachieving? Cleveland Guardians: If, before the season, you asked 100 people which team would start 17-6, would anyone have picked the Guardians? Even with Josh Naylor making the leap to superstardom and Steven Kwan returning to form with a 150 OPS+, the legitimacy of Cleveland's lineup is still very much in question. Beating up on the pitching of the Athletics and White Sox a combined 10 times doesn't exactly inspire confidence, nor does losing ace Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery. The Guardians have a plethora of young arms capable of picking up the slack, but the team will likely come crashing down when the run-scoring inconsistencies that have plagued them in recent years resurface - especially in a surprisingly competitive AL Central. - WrixonBoston Red Sox: No team's dealt with as many crucial injuries as the Red Sox, but they've still managed a 13-11 record. Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, Triston Casas, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, and Vaughn Grissom are all on the IL, while Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill also missed time. Boston somehow swept a series in Pittsburgh over the weekend with Pablo Reyes (.424 OPS), Enmanuel Valdez (.467), Ceddanne Rafaela (.469), and Bobby Dalbec (.177) in its infield. The team's success largely comes from its pitching - its starters own the lowest ERA (1.80) in the majors. The Red Sox offense has been middle of the pack, ranking 14th in runs and 15th in OPS. However, the club capitalizes when it counts, recording the second-most homers in the majors. Combining their increasingly difficult schedule with their struggles at home (3-7) will make this success difficult to sustain if injuries continue to pile up. - WileMilwaukee Brewers: Many expected the Brewers to fade in 2024 after trading ace Corbin Burnes. However, through the first few weeks of the season, Milwaukee's been one of baseball's most pleasant surprises. The offense looks deep and imposing, tying a franchise record by scoring seven or more runs in six consecutive games for the third time in franchise history. The NL Central is far from a gauntlet, meaning Milwaukee could be relevant all season. The team's rotation is its biggest area of concern. Beyond Freddy Peralta, it's hard to see any of its other starting pitchers grading out at league average. Without improvements in that area, the lineup will shoulder even more pressure to carry the load going forward. - GoldbergWhich struggling team are you most worried about?Houston Astros: Everything's been going wrong for the Astros, who are now 10 games under .500 for the first time since 2016. Not coincidentally, 2016 was the last year the Astros - who've made seven straight ALCS appearances - missed the playoffs. Houston's supposedly vaunted bullpen duo of Ryan Pressly and offseason addition Josh Hader has allowed a combined 17 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings, while starters Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez are hurt. Jose Abreu and Yordan Alvarez are still doing their thing, but they can't mask Alex Bregman's slow start (.555 OPS, no home runs) or Jos Abreu (.065/.132/.081) becoming unplayable. Yes, it's still "early" in the year, but it's gotten very late for the Astros very quickly. They have the talent to turn this around, but it has to start right now to keep the franchise's golden era going. No pressure. - Sharkey-GotliebSt. Louis Cardinals: St. Louis massively disappointed in 2023, stumbling to the NL Central basement with a 71-91 record. While few expected them to win 100 games in 2024, most expected the offense to be better than its been. Paul Goldschmidt's especially struggled, posting a .542 OPS for a team that's scored the second-fewest runs in the NL. Offseason pitching additions Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn have kept the team afloat, but outside of those two, the rest of the rotation's really struggled. - WrixonMinnesota Twins: The Twins followed an AL Central-winning season and their first playoff series victory since 2002 with an underwhelming offseason. Injuries to Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa in the first two (shaky) weeks of the campaign have only added to the level of concern. With the Royals, Guardians, and Tigers all off to strong starts, the Twins have to find a way to get things going so they aren't too far back in the standings when Lewis and Correa eventually return to the lineup. - GoldbergSan Francisco Giants: The club overhauled its roster in free agency, spending a combined $315 million to bring in Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks, and Jung Hoo Lee. San Francisco also traded for injured left-hander Robbie Ray. But the infusion of expensive talent has yet to translate to success on the field: The Giants sit just one game under .500 and only two games back of the Dodgers, but have a mediocre offense that's hit just five home runs at Oracle Park in 12 games. It's a small sample size, but San Francisco's bold offseason might be in vain: The team could finish as low as fourth simply because the NL West is so deep. - RuminskiWhat's one thing that's bothered you?Pitching injuries: Great pitching - specifically, starting pitching - has always been vital to success in baseball. That's why it's so sad to see its current state. Unfortunately, we're now watching hurlers with the assumption that their elbows are nothing but ticking time bombs. This is a serious problem for the sport, and the pitch clock can't be blamed. It's a trend that trickles down to the grassroots level, as young pitchers try to light every radar gun on fire now that we're obsessed with velocity. MLB can - and should - lead the way to fix this line of thinking at every level of the sport, for the good of baseball's future. - Sharkey-GotliebBad umpiring: Sorry, traditionalists, but robot umpires can't get here soon enough. The ump show has been in full force in the early days of the 2024 season, with umpires around the league making headlines for all the wrong reasons. From embarrassing strike-three calls to ejecting Yankees manager Aaron Boone for a fan's heckling, the men known as 'blue' have baseball fans feeling green with disgust. Calling balls and strikes is a challenging and thankless job, but automated assistance could make it easier. That said, certain umpires routinely making themselves the game's biggest story is the real problem that needs to be addressed. - Wrixon Aaron Boone listened to the umpire and was ejected anyway. You can hear the entire interaction here pic.twitter.com/12RTZvdwDl Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 22, 2024 Aaron Judge getting booed: I get it. Fans are free to express themselves when their favorite team is struggling. Judge said he had no issue with the boos and would do the same thing if he was watching his performance. He's the consummate professional and deserves to be the captain of one of the marquee franchises in all of professional sports. However, Judge should get the benefit of the doubt, especially considering it's April. He's a season removed from setting the AL single-season home run record and was excellent in 2023. If he's hitting under the Mendoza line in June, we can talk about letting him hear it. - GoldbergCopyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to the second edition of our MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 regular season. There's been a lot of movement since the first edition was published Opening Day. 1. Los Angeles Dodgers Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 11-7 5-5 +12 1 (-) Shohei Ohtani's handled himself well despite off-field distractions involving his former interpreter. The Japanese star owns a 1.048 OPS, has eight multi-hit games, and ranks first in MLB in total bases. Pair his early work with impressive starts from Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hern ndez and it's clear why the Dodgers remain No. 1.2. Atlanta Braves Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-5 6-4 +19 2 (-) Atlanta survived some early adversity to sit atop the NL East, and it's all thanks to the bats. Despite Ronald Acu a Jr.'s slow start and Sean Murphy hitting the IL, six qualified Braves hitters own an OPS above .800, and their 130 wRC+ is tops in MLB. Of greater concern is pitching: Max Fried's early struggles loom even larger now that Spencer Strider's season is over.3. New York Yankees Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 12-4 7-3 +21 8 (+5) The Yankees relied on Aaron Judge to carry the offense heavily in recent years, so their racking up wins despite his slow start is encouraging. Anthony Volpe looks excellent, hitting .382/.477/.564 through 15 games, while Oswaldo Cabrera owns three homers and an .880 OPS in 12 games after posting a .574 OPS across 115 games last year.4. Milwaukee Brewers Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 10-4 6-4 +31 19 (+15) The Brewers are off to an excellent start thanks to a fun offense. Milwaukee sits second in the majors with an .838 OPS, trailing only Atlanta. The team's been at its best in the clutch, hitting .362/.413/.589 with RISP. Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, and William Contreras have already combined for 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.5. Baltimore Orioles Daniel Shirey / Major League Baseball / Getty Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-6 6-4 +14 5 (-) Camden Yards is going to need more cowbell. With all the attention on Jackson Holliday's arrival, it's been fellow rookie Colton Cowser who's stolen the show. The 24-year-old has a team-leading three home runs, six doubles and a 1.445 OPS through 14 games. Cowser terrorized the Red Sox at Fenway Park, driving in 10 runs in three games.6. Texas Rangers Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 8-8 4-6 +14 6 (-) Adolis Garc a's picked up where he left off last October. The 2023 ALCS MVP has powered a Rangers offense missing Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe, helping secure multiple wins over rival Houston and an early lead in the AL West. Texas is the only AL West club with a positive run differential, owing mostly to Garc a, their only qualified player with a .900-plus OPS and more than two home runs.7. Kansas City Royals Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 10-6 8-2 +37 26 (+19) The Royals are the surprising owners of MLB's best run differential after being outscored by 183 last year. Bobby Witt Jr. already has four home runs, six doubles, and three stolen bases in 16 games, while Brady Singer (0.98 ERA), Seth Lugo (1.45), and Cole Ragans (1.93) have been incredible through 10 starts.8. Pittsburgh Pirates Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 11-5 6-4 +24 24 (+16) The Pirates started 5-0 for the first time in 41 years. Mart n P rez has been great, allowing only four earned runs with one homer over 19 innings, while rookie Jared Jones looks like he'll be a rotation mainstay after recording 25 strikeouts over his first three starts. It's only a matter of time before top prospect Paul Skenes arrives in the majors, as he's posted an absurd 18.3 K/9 without allowing a run at Triple-A this season.9. Philadelphia Phillies Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 8-8 6-4 -13 4 (-5) The Phillies have been led by some unlikely players: Brandon Marsh owns a club-leading four homers with a .958 OPS, while Spencer Turnbull, who threw a no-hitter with the Tigers in 2021 before struggling after Tommy John surgery, has a 1.80 ERA with 15 strikeouts over his first three starts.10. Cleveland Guardians Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 10-5 7-3 +29 22 (+12) Shane Bieber's dominant start to his season was stopped cold by a torn UCL, and a thinned-out Guardians rotation has been ineffective at filling the void. Triston McKenzie's struggles are particularly concerning for a team that relies heavily on its starters. Luckily, Cleveland's bullpen owns the majors' second-lowest ERA (1.88).11. Chicago Cubs Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-6 6-4 +13 14 (+3) The Cubs may have found something in Michael Busch, acquired in an offseason trade with the Dodgers. Busch leads Chicago in slugging percentage (.694) and OPS (1.087) and homered in his fourth consecutive game Sunday (adding to his team lead in that category, too). He's one round-tripper away from tying the club record for homers in consecutive games.12. Cincinnati Reds Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-6 6-4 +22 17 (+5) The Elly De La Cruz show has been a roller coaster through the Reds' first 16 games, but the shortstop remains an entertaining watch. Three of his four homers have exceeded 110 mph off his bat, with his other round-tripper an inside-the-park job. He ranks second on the team in OPS (.962) and is tied for fourth in the league in steals (six).13. Arizona Diamondbacks Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 8-8 4-6 +21 7 (-6) The reigning NL champs are off to a mediocre start after early meetings with the Yankees and Braves. They've still played .500 ball with Corbin Carroll struggling (.233 AVG, .650 OPS), Eduardo Rodriguez injured, and Jordan Montgomery yet to make a start. E-Rod's rehab was recently paused due to a setback, but Montgomery's expected to make his debut April 19.14. San Diego Padres Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-9 6-4 +6 15 (+1) Early returns on Dylan Cease are great, and the Padres need the help with Joe Musgrove struggling (6.87 ERA, 1.75 WHIP). Cease struck out six or more in each of his three starts while allowing two earned runs or fewer. His 2.16 ERA and 0.84 WHIP are tops among Padres starters.15. Boston Red Sox John McCoy / Getty Images Sport / Getty Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-7 5-5 +12 16 (+1) Boston's excellent 7-3 road start was quickly forgotten once it got home. The Red Sox are 2-4 at Fenway Park and a brutal 5-17 at home dating back to last September. Boston looks extremely vulnerable defensively following Trevor Story's injury, ranking last in the majors with 16 errors. Still, the club's starters own the lowest ERA (2.05) in MLB.16. Tampa Bay Rays Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-7 6-4 -14 12 (-4) The Rays haven't taken advantage of a fairly light opening schedule. Splitting a four-game set in Colorado - with one loss coming on a walk-off grand slam following closer Pete Fairbanks' meltdown - isn't something you expect from a team with contention hopes. Fairbanks' early struggles, and starter Zach Eflin's, could be huge causes for concern.17. New York Mets Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 7-8 7-3 +1 18 (+1) Pete Alonso's displaying his prodigious power early in his walk year, sitting second in MLB with six homers in 15 games. The only problem: Five of those blasts came with no one one. Edwin D az is three-for-three in save opportunities in his return, striking out nine in six innings.18. Toronto Blue Jays Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 8-8 5-5 -18 10 (-8) Toronto came into the season banking on internal improvement from a number of players, but it hasn't happened so far. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.677 OPS), George Springer (.668), Daulton Varsho (.608), and Alejandro Kirk (.429) are struggling early. Luckily, the team signed ageless Justin Turner, and the 39-year-old's hitting .386/.481/.614 with a team-leading seven doubles and eight RBIs.19. Houston Astros Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 6-11 4-6 -13 3 (-16) It's shocking to see how poorly Houston's pitching. The team ranks 28th in WHIP (1.52) and 29th in ERA (5.32), though injuries are at least partially to blame. Josh Hader and Ryan Pressly have already allowed 10 runs in 13 innings, and Ronel Blanco - who only made the club because of injury issues - has started in half the team's wins (while also throwing the season's first no-hitter).20. Detroit Tigers Megan Briggs / Getty Images Sport / Getty Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 9-6 4-6 -2 21 (+1) Tarik Skubal's one of the few bright spots on a Tigers team with a solid record despite numerous mediocre early performances. The left-hander owns a 2.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in three starts. Spencer Torkelson's yet to homer in 63 at-bats, while it may be time to talk about Javier B ez's future. The shortstop's hitting .140/.152/.209 with 14 strikeouts and one extra-base hit in 13 games, and is still owed close to $100 million.21. San Francisco Giants Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 6-10 4-6 -12 9 (-12) Signing Jordan Hicks as a starter has been an early success. The right-hander owns a 1.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, with hitters batting only .194 against him through 18 innings. However, some of the team's other high-profile offseason signings are off to much chillier starts: Matt Chapman's hitting .200/.257/.369 across 16 games, while Jung Hoo Lee has three extra-base hits in 62 at-bats.22. St. Louis Cardinals Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 7-9 4-6 -9 20 (-2) The Cardinals spent much of the offseason addressing pitching, but their offense is letting them down so far. St. Louis ranks 21st in runs, 24th in OBP, and 25th in homers. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado combined for two homers and 29 strikeouts through 16 games.23. Seattle Mariners Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 6-10 3-7 -23 11 (-12) The Mariners' priority over the winter was remaking their offense, but a lot of the same problems remain. Seattle's struck out 167 times in 16 games, the third-worst mark in baseball. Making things worse: The team's .590 OPS ranks 28th - only the Marlins and White Sox are worse. Julio Rodr guez is off to a painfully slow start, hitting .186/.238/.203 with one extra-base hit and 21 strikeouts.24. Minnesota Twins Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 6-8 4-6 -7 13 (-11) Injuries and an anemic offense have killed the Twins early. Minnesota ranks 27th in runs, slugging, and OPS, and 30th in average, as Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, and Max Kepler all are on the IL. Byron Buxton - actually healthy to start the season! - is hitting .196/.240/.261 with no home runs or stolen bases and 18 strikeouts in 14 games.25. Los Angeles Angels Megan Briggs / Getty Images Sport / Getty Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 7-8 4-6 -9 23 (-2) Mike Trout's received some help from his supporting cast early this season, but it doesn't seem like it'll be enough to make the Angels contenders. The three-time MVP already has six home runs, but five came with no one on base. Anthony Rendon has no homers and one RBI in 13 games.26. Oakland Athletics Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 7-9 6-4 -22 29 (+3) Paul Blackburn is healthy again and off to an incredible start: the 2022 All-Star's thrown 19 1/3 scoreless innings. It's the longest scoreless streak to open a season for the franchise since it moved to Oakland in 1968.27. Washington Nationals Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 6-9 4-6 -14 27 (-) CJ Abrams appears to have taken another step forward: the 23-year-old's gone deep three times with nine RBIs and a .944 OPS. On the pitching side, left-hander MacKenzie Gore looks sharp, with a 2.81 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 16 innings.28. Colorado Rockies Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 4-12 3-7 -34 30 (+2) The Rockies are yet to win a series despite several hitters' hot starts. Ryan McMahon is slashing .373/.457/.559 with two homers and a team-leading 11 RBIs, while Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and Charlie Blackmon have an .800 OPS or better. The pitching's been dreadful: Colorado has an MLB-worst 6.29 ERA.29. Miami Marlins Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 3-13 3-7 -35 25 (-4) The Marlins narrowly avoided becoming the seventh team in MLB history to open a season with 10 straight losses, and that's about the only positive to come out of Miami so far. While rookie starter Max Meyer's looked good, he's received little help from the majors' worst offense, which continues to lack any power.30. Chicago White Sox Record Last 10 RD Previous Rank 2-13 1-9 -51 28 (-2) Eloy Jim nez, Luis Robert Jr., and Yoan Moncada are all on the IL, which is partly why the White Sox have scored the majors' fewest runs. At least Garrett Crochet's move to the rotation has been a success. The right-hander owns a 3.57 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery fired agent Scott Boras and replaced him with Wasserman's Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock, sources told ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.Montgomery settled for a one-year, $25-million contract in late March despite many expecting him to land a lucrative long-term deal after helping the Texas Rangers win the 2023 World Series.Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Cody Bellinger, three of Boras' other marquee clients, also signed for less than many anticipated this offseason.Montgomery will likely look to test free agency again next offseason if he has a strong performance for the Diamondbacks.The 31-year-old has been targeting April 19 to make his debut for Arizona. He made his first start at Triple-A on Sunday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thairo Estrada smoked a double and Matt Chapman raced home from first to give the Giants a 3-2 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres on Friday at Oracle Park.