Baseball Connection Baseball Connection

As the season's first full month nears completion, we take a peek at the standings for the first time. The Houston Astros find themselves at the bottom of the AL West. It's not time to panic yet. Tarik Skubal has been baseball's best pitcher since last September. The Tigers lefty tossed another gem and has fully earned "ace" status. The Guardians and Braves met over the weekend in a battle of baseball's top two teams. The Twins have won seven straight. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Elly De La Cruz has an elite blend of power and speed. Things get exciting when he puts them all together like he did on Monday night. De La Cruz hit a 450-foot blast off the batter's eye in center field, then followed it up with an inside-the-park home run. The Padres were down 0-8 until they charged back in the late innings. Fernando Tatis Jr's 2-run homer was the decisive blow. Shohei Ohtani has been on a tear in the last 5 games and Mike Trout's power stroke is locked in. Trout is tied for the MLB lead with 5 HRs. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Eury Perez & Shane Bieber are slated to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Both pitchers were facing a year full of promise, which all goes out the window. Spencer Strider exited his Friday start after showing decreased velocity and mentioning elbow pain. Are pitcher injuries up this year? Does the pitch clock have anything to do with it? Giants starter Jordan Hicks has made a smooth transition from the bullpen this year. Ryan McMahon blasted a walk-off grand slam. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Ronel Blanco is the author of this season's first no-hitter. The Astros' fifth starter looked like an ace on Monday night against the Blue Jays. Blanco has been a reliever for most of his career, but he's certainly earned his keep in the starting rotation for now. Mike Trout is hitting moonshots in Miami. Shota Imanaga was sharp in his MLB debut, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. The Pirates have won 5 straight games. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The season's first weekend is in the books. Juan Soto is still a menace at the plate. Soto's go-ahead single in the ninth against Astros closer Josh Hader helped book the Yankees' 4-game sweep in Houston. Will Benson and Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit back-to-back homers to win it for Cincinnati. The Pirates are 4-0 to start the year. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Corbin Burnes showed everyone why the Orioles cashed in their chips to trade for him. Burnes retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced on Opening Day, including 11 strikeouts. Juan Soto flashed both offense and defense by reaching base 3 times and throwing out the potential game-tying run at home plate. Tyler O'Neill homered for the 5th consecutive Opening Day - a feat no known player has done before. All this (and more) on today's episode.