The Daily Briefing — Thursday, April 16
By Morgan Davis · Thu Apr 16 2026
Stewart Leads Rookie Class With Two Homer Day Sal Stewart continued his torrid rookie run by absolutely dismantling the Giants on Wednesday night, launching two three-run home runs to drive in a career-high six runs and power the Reds to an 8-3 victory at Great American Ball Park. The 22-year-old Cincinnati first baseman struck quickly, crushing his first three-run shot in the opening inning off former Red Tyler Mahle on a 2-2 fastball, then added his second three-run blast in the second inning after Mahle had walked both Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz . This was Stewart's first career multi-homer game, and it marked the eighth time in 18 games that the young slugger has gone deep; he now sits tied for second in the National League with seven home runs on the season and ranks second in slugging percentage at .726 with a .323 batting average. What makes Stewart's performance even more remarkable is the consistency of his opposite-field approach. All three of his long balls in the past two nights and six of his seven overall this season have been hit to the right-center field area by the right-handed cleanup hitter. Reds manager Terry Francona emphasized after the game that this gap-to-gap mentality is the foundation of Stewart's current success. Through 36 career games, Stewart has 12 home runs, which ranks second in Reds history during that span behind only Aristides Aquino , who hit 15 in his first 36 games from 2018-19. His six RBIs on Wednesday tied the second-most ever by a Reds rookie since the record-keeping began in 1958, trailing only Robin Jennings 's seven RBIs set on August 31, 2001. Quick Hits Spencer Arrighetti made an emphatic first impression after being called up to the Houston Astros, striking out 10 batters in six innings of one-run ball to lift the Astros past the Colorado Rockies 3-1 at Daikin Park. The right-hander threw 100 pitches, second-most by an Astros starter this season, and generated 20 whiffs on 44 total swings with a devastating curveball that produced 16 of those whiffs alone. That 16-whiff curveball total represents the most in Major League Baseball since Framber Valdez recorded 17 on July 28 of last year. Arrighetti had begun the season in Triple-A after not making the club out of spring training, and this dominant outing signals he could stabilize a rotation hit hard by injuries. Connelly Early demonstrated why the Boston Red Sox view him as their number three prospect by delivering his best start of the season in a 9-5 Red Sox victory over the Minnesota Twins. The 24-year-old left-hander pitched six full innings for the first time in his career, allowing just one earned run on two hits while walking two and striking out five. Early's efficient 85-pitch outing lowered his ERA to 2.29 and was instrumental in helping Boston salvage the series finale after dropping the first two games by a combined score of 19-6. Early is Boston's only starter this season to have allowed two or fewer runs in all four of his starts, showing a poise and effectiveness well beyond his years of professional experience. Wenceel Pérez provided perhaps the most dramatic moment of the evening when his first hit of the 2026 season sailed into the right-field bleachers for a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers to their fifth consecutive victory with a 2-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals. Pérez had been summoned to replace injured Parker Meadows after making adjustments at Triple-A Toledo, and after going 0 for 10 to start his recall, he delivered when it mattered most off Royals reliever Eli Morgan . Manager A.J. Hinch had made the tactical decision to have the switch-hitter available as a pinch-hitter option, and Pérez's unexpected contribution exemplifies how the Tigers have built their recent winning streak through precise matchup baseball and players staying ready for their moment. Pittsburgh shut out Washington 2-0. Carmen Mlodzinski delivered a career-high six innings on just two hits and sits with a sparkling 1.77 ERA after 20 innings. Mason Montgomery started as the opener. Jackson Merrill authored one of the most memorable nights of San Diego's seven-game winning streak by robbing Julio Rodríguez of a home run with an acrobatic leap in the third inning, then capping a stunning five-run ninth-inning rally with a walk-off two-run double to secure a 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. The Padres became the first team since June 14, 2019 to rally from a four-run deficit in the ninth inning to win without extra innings. Merrill went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and three RBIs, and his defensive heroics proved just as valuable as his offensive contribution in what manager Craig Stammen called the play of the game. Nico Hoerner drove in a career-high five runs as the Chicago Cubs dominated the Philadelphia Phillies 11-2 on the road to take the rubber match of their three-game series. The 26-year-old second baseman went 3 for 5 with a two-run home run in the fifth inning after an RBI single in the third, and his two-run single in the sixth put the game completely out of reach. Hoerner now leads the Cubs with 18 RBIs on the season and continues to be among the team's most productive offensive players regardless of batting order position. Stat of the Day Shota Imanaga struck out 11 batters in six innings for the Cubs against Philadelphia, tying his career high in strikeouts while allowing just three hits and one earned run. The 31-year-old left-hander's performance was much needed for the last place Cubs. He has the kind of stuff to makes him a front-of-the-rotation arm but hasn't found consistency from start to start so far in his career. Imanaga now sits at 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA after a rocky start to the season. On the Radar Jac Caglianone quietly put together one of his better nights of the season for the Kansas City Royals, going 3 for 3 against the Detroit Tigers and raising his batting average from .229 to .275 in the process. The young outfielder also added a triple earlier in the game and finished with a team-leading two hits in a losing effort. This represents Caglianone's second three-hit game of the season, and the trajectory matters more than the single game. He's shown more selectivity this year, swinging at 42% of pitches as compared to his 51% rate last year. His chase rate is als down and he appears to be finding his stroke after a slow start at the plate.