The Daily Briefing — Thursday, April 9, 2026
By Morgan Davis · Thu Apr 09 2026
Quick Hits Jonah Tong bounced back decisively at Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets' No. 2 prospect struck out seven over five one-hit innings against Buffalo, retiring the final thirteen batters he faced to give Syracuse a fighting chance. He gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. Tong imploded in his last start, surrendering seven runs in 1 2/3 innings against Toledo. The strikeout bounce-back suggests the bad outing was an outlier, not a trend. Syracuse lost both games of the doubleheader, but Tong's line was the one bright spot. Charlotte's Noah Schultz was electric against Memphis. The White Sox tall lefty recorded a season-high nine strikeouts over five innings as the Knights erupted for seven runs in the third inning to beat the Redbirds 7-3. This was the Knights' fourth win in their first five home games and improved them to 4-1 at Truist Field. Nick Porter looked genuinely impressive in his pro debut. The Fayetteville Woodpeckers' fifth-round pick took the mound against Charleston and allowed just two runs (both in the first inning on a Taitn Gray two-run homer) before settling down completely. He struck out four across three innings, retired seven straight at one point, issued no walks, and had 28 of 39 pitches for strikes. Fayetteville lost 6-5 despite a late four-run rally, but Porter's control and poise as a 21-year-old professional debut deserves the underline. He didn't melt under pressure. Bryce Eldridge continues Triple-A reps with Sacramento. The Giants' top prospect batted third for the River Cats against Las Vegas. he went 2-for-4 and drove in 2 runs with a first inning homer. Sacramento won 8-7. Eldridge is working his way back after a tough Spring that saw him strike out 19 times in 40 at-bats across 19 exhibition games before being optioned. He added 2 strike outs in the game and currently sports a 34% strike out rate. Chattanooga remained flawless. The Reds' Double-A affiliate improved to 5-0 on the season with a 4-2 win over Birmingham, limiting the Barons to just four hits and strong work from their pitching staff. On the Radar Austin Marozas deserves a closer look. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats reliever wasn't on anyone's prospect radar before Wednesday, but securing your first professional save in your minor league debut with five strikeouts is exactly the kind of low-key performance that separates prospects who have next-level upside from those who don't. Marozas came into a two-run game in the eighth inning with the Fish Cats already up 12-2 and got five strikeouts. Marozas is a 27 year old that has battled through injuries and independent ball, but execution under any circumstance counts. He didn't walk anybody. He didn't give up a hit. That's the baseline floor for any reliever trying to climb the ladder. If he can sustain that strike-throwing consistency, even in garbage time scenarios, the stuff might play at higher levels.