On base every game and a 0.00 ERA? Only Ohtani

Plus: A 3-time MVP has a new trick

Wednesday, April 15 View Online Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today's edition is brought to you by David Adler.   Did you know Shohei Ohtani has never faced the Mets?    At least, half of Ohtani has never faced the Mets. The pitcher half. (The hitter half of him has faced the Mets plenty of times.) But that all changes tonight.    We get the full two-way Ohtani show in the Dodgers' series finale against the Mets at Dodger Stadium -- which will also be the grand finale of Jackie Robinson Day (10:10 p.m. ET on ESPN).    It's going to be a marquee matchup. Will the Mets be able to snap their seven-game losing streak against the reigning MVP -- who's trying to lead the MLB-best Dodgers to a sweep of New York?    Here's what to keep an eye on during Shohei's showdown with the Mets:   1) Will he keep his on-base streak at the plate?    Ohtani has reached base in 48 consecutive games as a hitter -- by far the longest active streak in the Majors, and the third-longest in Dodgers franchise history. Next up for Ohtani on that front is Hall of Famer Wee Willie Keeler, who had a 50-game on-base streak when the Dodgers were still the Brooklyn Superbas at the turn of the 20th century.   Shohei has crushed the Mets as a hitter. He has a .282 career batting average with five home runs, 13 RBIs and a .987 OPS in 19 regular-season games against New York. And then there was the 2024 National League Championship Series, when Ohtani batted .364 with a pair of homers and a 1.185 OPS as the Dodgers eliminated the Mets.   2) Will he keep his 0.00 ERA on the mound?    Ohtani doesn't just have the longest active on-base streak in the Majors. He also has the longest streak of innings pitched without allowing an earned run among all MLB starting pitchers: 28 2/3 innings going back to last season.    Ohtani has a perfect 0.00 ERA through his first two pitching starts of 2026, having allowed just a single unearned run in 12 innings, with eight strikeouts. All seven pitches in his arsenal should be on display against the Mets, but pay extra attention to his sweeper, which he's been featuring heavily against right-handed hitters, and his curveball-splitter 1-2 punch against lefties.     3) How will the Ohtani-Bichette rematch play out?    The must-watch individual matchup of this game will be Ohtani on the mound vs. Bo Bichette at the plate. It's a rematch of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, when Bichette -- then with the Blue Jays -- crushed a huge three-run homer off Ohtani, who was starting for the Dodgers.     Bichette's now with the Mets, where he's starting to bounce back after a slow start, and he'll get another shot at Ohtani tonight. BASEBALL CELEBRATES JACKIE ROBINSON DAY Today is Jackie Robinson Day, marking the 79th anniversary of Robinson's debut with the Dodgers that broke baseball's color barrier. The whole baseball world is honoring the legacy of No. 42. Here's how MLB teams all around the league are celebrating Jackie Robinson Day 2026. CC Sabathia explains how, on this annual day of celebration, "We Are Jackie." All MLB players wear No. 42 today, but before Robinson's number was retired by MLB, these players wore it every day. Robinson inspired so many people -- and a few words from him were life-changing for one former MLB slugger. Angels players Jo Adell and Brent Suter just toured the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York, where they're facing the Yankees this week. Jackie Robinson Day has produced a ton of great moments over the years. Here are 10 of the most memorable. Last but not least, let's look back on some of the most significant moments of Jackie's incredible life. A NEW TRICK FOR A 3-TIME MVP Even a hitter like Mike Trout can try something new after all these years. And Trout's newest swing change is powering the three-time MVP's home run surge this week.    Trout has hit three home runs in the first two games of the Angels' series against the Yankees in New York. And he's crushed those home runs with a new movement in his swing.    Trout has started taking a step back with his back foot right at the start of his swing. He wasn't doing it at the start of the 2026 season, and it's a pretty unusual quirk in general for a Major League hitter.   Call it the Nolan Arenado. The famously twitchy eight-time All-Star third baseman has the same signature step-back in his swing.   Now, it's not entirely new for Trout -- the Angels superstar briefly experimented with the same thing last September, when he closed the season with five home runs in his last seven games. And it's a technique he's actually used in batting practice for a long time. Just not in games. Rhett Bollinger digs into what Trout is doing, and why he's doing it. AROUND THE LEAGUE Here are some of the big things happening in baseball right now.    • Another top prospect extension   Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle just joined the wave of top prospects signing long-term contracts, agreeing to an eight-year, $150 million extension today. He's already the fourth one in 2026 to ink an early-career megadeal.   • Kenley enters the top 3    Speaking of the Tigers, closer Kenley Jansen recorded the 479th save of his career yesterday to pass Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third place on the all-time list. The only two closers left ahead of him are MLB's two giants: Mariano Rivera (652 saves) and Trevor Hoffman (601 saves).   • Lindor heating up    Francisco Lindor hasn't been at his best yet, but he hit his first home run of the season yesterday, and it was encouraging: a 111.3 mph leadoff shot off Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. That was Lindor's hardest-hit ball of the year by nearly five full mph, and he reached an elite bat speed of 80.1 mph -- his fastest swing on a home run since late 2024. That's a good sign … Mets owner Steve Cohen even said so himself.      • Wheeler's almost ready    Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is getting close to making his 2026 debut after a nine-strikeout rehab outing at Double-A yesterday, in which he touched 95 mph and struck out rehabbing Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe twice. It'll be a welcome return for the Phils alongside Cristopher Sánchez at the top of the rotation.   • Miller's just unhittable  Padres closer Mason Miller is now up to 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and he's eyeing the Padres' franchise record. Not only has Miller not allowed a run this season, he's also struck out 20 of the 27 batters he's faced, which is just silly. THIS DUEL LIVED UP TO THE BILLING The pitchers' duel between rising star Nolan McLean and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto was even better than advertised.   McLean was nasty for the Mets, throwing pitches like these that were making Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman glitch:  But Yamamoto was just as good for the Dodgers, especially his signature curveball and splitter: Watch all the McLean highlights here, and the Yamamoto highlights here. © 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. 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