The Tiger Beat: Reese Olson is back on track

A dynamite start should give him the confidence boost he needs.

Happy Thursday, friends. The Tigers might be off today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still baseball stories to dive into. We look at what Reese Olson’s stellar start on Wednesday means for both him and the team.

Plus, gender reveals in baseball: so hot right now. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ new City Connects have leaked and they’re actually kind of fun. And a regional broadcasting snafu overcharged Orioles fans by… a lot.

Let’s jump right into it.

Detroit Tigers News:

• These Tigers starters are hot.

• Reese Olson got plenty of attention for his impeccable start during Wednesday’s game, which even his Padres’ opponents had to respect. Manny Machado summed it up well when he said , “That guy was dealing today.”

And Olson himself would be one of the first to admit his season didn’t start so hot, when he said, “My first few outings hadn’t been great, hadn’t been too efficient. It’s what we’ve been working on these past few weeks, trying to get back on track.” Looks to me like he’s back on track indeed.

If you missed his outing yesterday, here’s an overview:

AL Central News:

• In-game gender reveals are having their moment this season, and this time it was the Guardians’ turn as Steven Kwan helped do a reveal for teammate David Fry.
• How a new pitch mix is helping Gavin Williams find his confidence.
• Royals beat reporter Anne Rogers had quite the compelling AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit.

MLB News:

• Okay, these are kind of cool.

• One Phillies prospect was hit by a pitch four times in one game.
• Edwin Diaz has suggested that his legs have changed length…
• Blake Snell has had a setback in his return to the mound.
• If you think MLB TV is expensive, then imagine being the regional broadcast channel who charged fans $9000 to watch games.
• Why the Padres are advocating for more safely measures at first base . ($)