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I was in Cincinnati and Great American Ballpark. I have to say, regardless of the outcome, that I really liked it. Yes, it’s small. Not just the outfield dimensions, though. It’s cute, as the wife remarked. I feel that the rows are closer together in the lower bowl. I didn’t realize how pitched the right outfield seats and the left field upper deck were. The left field seats don’t quite bring you into the left fielder’s lap like the Crawford boxes in Houston do. But it draws you in closer. The entrance pulls you into queues separated by statues of Reds gone by. Built in 2003, it just missed the trend of opening up the seating so that you can see the action from the concourse. But overall, really nice.

The staff at the park were very friendly. No one questioned me as I entered the lower bowl. I’ve never had that experience in Atlanta. The ushers in the last three Braves ballparks made it a point to check your ticket and make sure everyone is seated exactly where they should be. The concessions that we visited were grab and go cafeteria style ones. Their postgame fireworks went for 20 plus minutes, and without a lot of fluff either. I don’t what they would do for the Fourth, maybe declare war on Kentucky?

So where do you rate Great American Ballpark? It’s not home, but I liked it. Are there away parks that you like more?

The months long wait is over. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 451-foot solo home run in the top of the fifth inning that gave the San Diego Padres a 3-1 lead over the Washington Nationals. Padres starter Michael King was cruising through the first six innings of the game, and it appeared the Friar Faithful were going to see their superstar end his homerless drought and their team get a second consecutive win. That changed when the Nationals scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and cruised to a 9-4 win at Nationals Park on Saturday.

The home run by Tatis followed solo home runs by Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado. Of course, all three home runs followed what proved to be the game-winning two-run home run by Jackson Merrill the night before. The Padres offense looked to be coming to life a bit with home runs from all four of their superstars, three of which have been mired in season long slumps.

King was performing like the ace he has shown himself to be. He allowed one run on a solo home run in bottom of the third inning and appeared to be in complete control. In the bottom of the seventh he allowed back-to-back singles before loading the bases with a walk. He then hit a batter and that made the score, 3-2. King was taken out of the game and was replaced by Bradgley Rodriguez who could not get out of the inning. before the Nationals had a 7-3 lead. It was a difficult inning to watch, even for San Diego manager Craig Stammen who was ejected arguing a force play at second base.

Machado hit an RBI-double in the top of the eighth inning to make the score, 7-4 but Wandy Peralta allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and the 9-4 deficit proved to be too much for the Padres to overcome. San Diego will have a chance to win the series against Washington today 10:35 a.m.

Padres News:

• Any time your team goes 3-6 on a homestand it’s going to be a long and difficult week. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball recaps the week that was and highlights some of the struggles that led the Padres to a losing week at Petco Park.

• Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster and for Padre John Kruk thinks Jackson Merrill will break out of his slump and be fine according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Baseball News:

• Chicago Cubs outfielder Pere Crow-Armstrong responded to chants of “overrated” by homering in Chicago’s 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

• The Los Angeles Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 14-3, but it was three pregame ejections that made the headlines.

• Ronald Acuna Jr. had a multi-homer day, and the Atlanta Braves got their 40th win of the season.

• Pete Alonso gets walk-off hit to lead Baltimore Orioles to comeback win.

• Munetaka Murakami has significant hamstring injury and will miss four to six weeks for Chicago White Sox.

• Bryan Woo pitches the Seattle Mariners past the Arizona Diamondbacks and extends their win streak to five games.

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The Chicago White Sox are favorites this afternoon as they look to complete their fourth series sweep on the season against the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit is labouring, with just two wins in its last 12, as they dwell in the AL Central basement. They’ve already been swept five times this season.

My Tigers vs White Sox predictions and MLB picks have this as Chicago’s sixth sweep, with their hot bats lighting up Detroit’s Keider Montero.

Who will win Tigers vs White Sox today: White Sox -1.5 (+166)

Keider Montero's four-game losing streak isn't a coincidence. He's failed to reach the sixth inning in three straight starts, and the underlying issue is a growing reliance on fastballs and sinkers after losing trust in his slider, which he's throwing just 16% of the time.

That has made him far more predictable, and hitters are responding with a 90.7 mph average exit velocity.

That's a bad recipe against a Chicago White Sox lineup that ranks sixth in slugging and has already piled up 19 hits and four homers in this series.

I expect Chicago's power edge to show again and would play the run line up to -2.5.

COVERS INTEL:The White Sox are fourth in the majors in home runs, and that’s due to a vast improvement in batted balls that are pulled in the air (19.2%). Pulled air balls are the most valuable type, and Chicago is currently eighth in the league in that category.

Tigers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-120)

The White Sox have cashed eight the Over eight times in their last 10 games, as their pitching staff has been bailed out by a good hitting lineup.

Sean Burke's last four starts have all ended in losses, and all four games produced at least eight total runs.

Detroit's offense hasn't been reliable, but the Tigers don't need to do all the heavy lifting, as its pitching staff has allowed 5+ runs in five of the last eight games, repeatedly forcing totals upward regardless of opponent.

I expect another game that threatens double-digit runs and would play the Over up to 9.5 runs.

Tigers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Tigers +117 | White Sox -122
• Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-178) | White Sox -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-113) | Under 7.5 (+108)

Tigers vs White Sox trend

Coming off a win, the White Sox have won nine straight day games against AL opponents. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Tigers vs White Sox and game info

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We all know this sort of talent is within Ben Brown and Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Saturday night in St. Louis, both of these players showed it off.

Brown threw seven outstanding innings, his longest outing of the year, and PCA went 4-for-5, including a memorable home run, as the Cubs evened up the series with a 6-1 win over the Cardinals.

Brown retired the first nine Cardinals he faced, three by strikeout, on only 27 pitches, really efficient work. But the Cubs couldn’t do anything with Kyle Leahy over those three innings.

It appeared the Cubs had a run in the second when Alex Bregman left the yard in the second. But the call of “home run” was reviewed and the ball was ruled foul [VIDEO].

In the third, the Cubs had two baserunners, one of them on PCA’s first hit, a single to center. They also had RISP in the fourth, loading the bases with two out, but Dansby Swanson struck out to end the inning.

The Cardinals got on the board against Brown in the fourth. JJ Wetherholt singled, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on a single by Alec Burleson.

The Cubs wasted no time tying the game up in the fifth. PCA’s second hit, a double, led off the inning. He took third on a ground out by Nico Hoerner and scored on this single by Michael Busch [VIDEO].

The Cubs took the lead in the sixth. With one out, Miguel Amaya reached on a throwing error, Swanson walked and PCA was hit by a pitch. That loaded the bases for Nico [VIDEO].

The Cubs led 2-1 and the bases remained loaded with one out. Busch’s sac fly made it 3-1 [VIDEO].

Brown continued his fine outing through seven innings. He allowed just the one run on three hits, all singles, walked one and struck out six. He threw 82 pitches. Here’s more on Brown’s evening [VIDEO].

You can see a much better pitch mix for Brown than in previous years. The addition of a sinker and changeup have made him the starting pitcher many hoped he could be. I suspect that when Edward Cabrera returns, Jordan Wicks goes back to Iowa — but when Matthew Boyd comes back, Brown will stay in the rotation and Colin Rea will return to long relief. Great work, Ben. More on Brown’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:

Brown is the third different Cubs starter this season to pitch at least 7.0 innings and give up three hits. Shota Imanaga did it on April 21 at home vs. the Phillies and Jameson Taillon did it on April 29 at San Diego.

Imanaga gave up one run, as Brown did. Taillon gave up three. Imanaga gave up a homer; Taillon, two; Brown, none. All three walked at least one. Brown and Taillon walked six; Imanaga, one.

The Cubs made it 4-1 on what I thought was a magical moment. You can’t hear it on the video clip I’m going to link to, but when PCA came to bat in the eighth, there were chants of “Overrated! Overrated!” from Cardinals fans.

PCA responded by absolutely demolishing this baseball [VIDEO].

Check out the exit velocity and distance on that one [VIDEO].

The look on PCA’s face is one of pure joy, something we haven’t seen much of from him recently. Here’s hoping his big day will result in a long hot streak for him.

Jacob Webb relieved Brown and threw a scoreless eighth, and then the Cubs extended their lead in the ninth. Ian Happ led off with a double, his second hit of the game. Seiya Suzuki reached on another Cardinals error, with Happ taking third. A ground out by Moisés Ballesteros moved Suzuki to second. Amaya reached on catcher’s interference — not a good defensive day for the Cardinals! — loading the bases.

A wild pitch scored Happ, making it 5-1 Cubs [VIDEO].

Swanson walked, re-loading the bases, and PCA’s fourth hit of the night, a single, scored Suzuki to make it 6-1 [VIDEO].

Daniel Palencia, who had been warming up for a potential save, threw the bottom of the ninth even though the game was no longer in that situation. That was okay, as Palencia had not thrown since last Tuesday and there’s an off day Monday. He allowed a leadoff single to Ivan Herrera, then got an out on a force play.

Burleson then singled and Herrera tried to take third. Suzuki said “Nope!” to that [VIDEO].

Great throw by Seiya and nice tag by Bregman, too.

The game ended, fittingly, on an outstanding catch by PCA [VIDEO].

Here are some postgame comments from PCA [VIDEO].

And more notes on this game from John:

The Cubs made 11 hits Friday night, then 12 more Saturday.

This is the first time they have produced double-digit hits in back-to-back games since April 23-24, 33 games ago, when they made 18 at home vs. the Phillies, then 11 at Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers in the last of their 10 straight wins. Those were the third and fourth in a row. They had had only four double-digit games since then until Friday.

This was their 19th game with at least 10 hits among all 59 played.
…..
This was Pete Crow-Armstrong’s fourth game with four hits, matching his career high.

He had four singles on Aug. 28, 2024, at Pittsburgh; three singles and a homer on May 16, 2025, at home vs. the White Sox; and two singles and two homers on July 4, 2025, at home vs. the Cardinals.

This is the sort of game I think PCA has in him every time he takes the field. This is the way he played during the first half of 2025. I’m hoping this game gets him back to that level.

As for Brown, I think he’s got this in him too, every time. His confidence level appears sky-high, he’s executing all his pitches well and as I mentioned earlier, the additional pitches are what gives him the repertoire to be a good starting pitcher in this league. If he can keep it up at this level, the Cubs have a real asset. In addition to everything else, Brown has allowed only one home run this year in 51.2 innings — and that was to the very first batter he faced this year on Opening Day. His homerless streak is the longest active streak in MLB. He doesn’t have enough innings yet to be a qualified starter, but if he did, his 1.92 ERA would rank third in the NL behind Cristopher Sánchez and Jacob Misiorowski, pretty good company. Great work, Ben.

The Cubs will go for the series win Sunday evening in St. Louis. Hopefully Jordan Wicks will throw better than he did in his first 2026 start last Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals, so it’s an all-lefty matchup. Game time is 6:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage is on NBC (full national broadcast, no blackouts). It’s the first appearance for the Cubs on NBC’s new Sunday night coverage, and announcers will be Jason Benetti, Jim Deshaies and Albert Pujols. The game will also be streamed on Peacock.

It’s been well documented already that the team does not have a large cadre of capable right handed hitting right now. Adolis Garcia is mired in the worst stretch by a Phillies outfielder it seems since 2001 Pat Burrell, J.T. Realmuto is truly starting to show his age and Alec Bohm continues digging himself out of his deep early season hole.

The biggest issue is that there isn’t much help coming from anywhere in the organization that would make a huge impact on the roster as it stands. Free agents are around the market of course, but they’re free agents for a reason right now. The only recourse would be to trade for someone, but it would be an overpay at this point in the season. So, do you see anything available to help with the right handed woes right now? Are they just kind of stuck with what they’ve got at the moment.

Over the past week, the St. Louis Cardinals have been a shell of the team we had seen for the first 50 games. After surpassing all expectations and changing fan tune from necessary rebuild to playoff hopefuls, the stretch of NL Central games has exploited some holes on the St. Louis roster. While we knew there were spots on the roster in need of an upgrade, the great start to the year may have unfairly put some players under the microscope when their performances may have been ignored if the team were 10 games under .500.

What this season has given us so far has been some clarity at certain positions. Possibly with different levels of certainty, we can say that the Cardinals have major league capable hitters at first base, second base, right field, and depending on the day, catcher. Alec Burleson has put together another consistently solid campaign while JJ Wetherholt has surged to the top of the NL Rookie of the Year favorites despite going through a mini slump or two. Coming into the year, most fans would be surprised to see right field be locked down by MVP candidate Jordan Walker who, with each passing day is making us believe what we are seeing is real. And then catcher. The commonly debated position without a clear answer should have at least one future long-time big leaguer somewhere in the organization.

The Cardinals have obvious needs but a not-so-obvious timeline

I keep saying it, but the point of the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals season was to get some answers at key positions. After a couple years of promising runway and opportunity, those missions never came to fruition and the Cardinals were stuck in neutral rather than choosing a direction. Now that Chaim Bloom is in charge, the direction has been agreed upon, but the team has shown that they may be better than we anticipated. Whenever we hear rebuild, we assume that means 100 losses, as many among Cardinal social media predicted, but the Yungry Redbirds missed that memo. As the series against the Cubs concludes today (apologies, writing this Friday since I will be at Blogger Day Saturday and traveling home all day Sunday), the Cardinals are still in the postseason picture but the overall goal remains to figure out needs for the future.

In order to see the true holes in the Cardinals roster, I set FanGraphs leaderboards to the 2024 season through the season to this point in order to determine how long each position has been performing below league average. I sorted through fWAR but also used wRC+ as my measures because I personally do not care how good you are at catching the ball if you cannot provide any use with the bat. Since 2024, the Cardinals have been 15th or worse in each measure at third base (15th in both), right field (15th wRC+, 18th fWAR), center field (30th wRC+, 29th fWAR), and left field (21st in both). On the mound, the starters are 24th in fWAR and 25th in xERA while the bullpen sits 12th and 19th, respectively.

I assume like you, I was surprised at the catching set up not being listed above, but digging further, the four-man split from the past two seasons has Ivan Herrera accumulating a 6.0 fWAR to Pedro Pages’ 2.8 number, with Herrera’s offense doing the heavy lifting for the position to sit in fifth and sixth place in wRC+ and fWAR. Based on the numbers, the Cardinals have five position groups in the bottom half of the league, but for now, I will take away right field because Jordan Walker’s previous two seasons tanked that ranking. This year, right field ranks top three in both measures so we will cross that off for today.

Moving to the hot corner, Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman have combined to be basically league-average third basemen. With Arenado out in the desert, count me as one of the excited fans who was going to see Gorman get a true daily role, despite having 1500 inconsistent plate appearances coming into the year. Of the guys on the roster, Gorman may have the most to lose this year and has yet to take full control of his opportunity. The signing of Ramon Urias provided some insurance, but his injury has kept Gorm in the lineup most everyday, be it at third or as the DH. On the positive side, the slugger’s defense has improved massively, but the bat has been pretty much what we have seen for the past few seasons. While he has trimmed the strikeouts, the power has been lost along with the new approach and I would personally rather see a 30% K-rate if that meant 30 or more homers. For now, he has an 83 wRC+ and is on pace for around 15 homers. As much as it pains me personally, this offseason could be the time to find a long-term replacement for Gorman.

They may not need to wait until the winter to make a small move, however, One of my personal favorites Blaze Jordan has been teeing off in the minors while playing a decent third base and could get a call later in the year to replace Urias. Jordan may not be the long-term solution at third, but his bat bounced back after last year’s trade to St. Louis and he could provide the spark in the bottom-third of the St. Louis lineup. Outside of Blaze, third base is thin in the organization unless they decide to try JJ Wetherholt there next year. I would be against that seeing he is performing like a Gold Glover or better at the keystone.

While I am fine with giving Gorman another 100 games to truly come to a conclusion, center field is where I am more than ready for a change. As I mentioned earlier, catching the ball is great but it is impossible to win a game 0-0. I apologize to Victor Scott II again as I believe I end up calling him out every week, but I am officially marking the offseason swing changes down as hearsay. While he has hit a “scalding” .214 in May to raise his average to .194, there has been little inspiring about his offense. Out of his 156 plate appearances (through May 28), 16 of them have ended in a bunt attempt. Two of them have gone for hits and NINE have gone for sacrifices. To no surprise, that number leads all of baseball and VSII has bunted as much as 20 teams have all year. Beyond the poor plate appearances, he has struggled stealing bases and his defense has been just fine.

We saw Nathan Church cut into the playing time after his stellar play, but his injury put an end to that setup and I was hoping that Scott would use this next week to swing as hard as he can every at-bat to try and win back the job. Shoulder injuries are tough and I am sure Church is itching to come back, but returning too quickly could do more damage than if he were to wait. He also has never been viewed as a long-term option in outfield outside of a bench guy, so even if he does supplant VSII for the season, it may not mean much for the future. So in a preview to next week’s article (assuming no crazy changes), I would like to see Joshua Baez patrolling center at the major league level in the second half of the season.

In left field, I am waiting to plug the hole for the time being because I do believe that Lars Nootbaar coming back will be a slight boost to the team. While Church, along with Bryan Torres, did some to increase the left field performance this year, the team still sits in the lower half of the league in terms of production. Noot coming back as a league-average or slightly better player could help extend this lineup, bump guys like Masyn Winn and Gorman down a notch in the order, and potentially spark the offense. I do not think Noot will be here beyond the offseason, assuming return to health, so Baez is also an option to fill in here full-time in 2027 if there is a season.

The outfield prospect pool is a little light in the upper minors as well, so with the question marks surrounding next year, I would wait to enhance that position group until the Trade Deadline or in the draft if the Cardinals shift their focus from pitching.

The way the Cardinals have performed this season is what makes these conversations a little different than most teams in the first year of a rebuild. Normally, most fans would tell ownership to stay the course, maybe promote a top prospect or two, and deal away anyone over the age of 27. However, with the Cardinals hanging around the postseason picture, staying the course could mean a completely different thing in St. Louis before the season ends.

What do you think the Cardinals should do with their position players? Is it Baez time or just let Nootbaar and VSII have the rest of the year? Do you believe they should target offense on the trade market and in the draft? Sound off!

Thanks as always!

Growing up outside Albany, New York, Danny Watson was a New York Yankees fan. He told the Albany Times-Union in an interview that his entire room ”was decked out in Yankee gear.”

So you can imagine what it was like when the Yankees fulfilled his childhood dream and selected him in the 15th round (453rd overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University.

“It definitely was a surreal moment I had with my family,” Watson said. “You work so hard and then following the Yankees my entire life. My family have always been Yankees fans. It was really cool to see my name up on the board. Definitely a surreal moment that I’ll cherish.”

Watson has many good memories of going to Yankees games with his family. His favorite players were Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and he] got the chance to meet Rivera in 2024 when he was invited to accompany the team on its two-game exhibition series in Mexico against the Diablos Rojos del México.

It is often said to never meet your heroes, you’ll only be disappointed. But Watson said that wasn’t the case. “Mariano Rivera was in the clubhouse, so I got to talk to him a little bit and then he was at the dinner the next night,” Watson said. “So it was really cool to spend some time talking with him. It definitely was an oh-my-gosh moment.”

Working his way through the Yankees system, Watson spent the past two seasons at Double-A Somerset. This season, he is with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and one step away from pitching in the major leagues for his favorite team as a child. In 16 games with the RailRiders, Watson is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. In his last six relief outings, he has given up just three unearned runs.

“I feel like it’s been pretty solid,” Watson said. “I feel like I’m throwing the ball well, throwing my pitches where I want to. My body’s feeling good, velo is trending up. So I feel like I’m in a really good spot to keep things rolling.”

Most of Watson’s appearances have been out of the bullpen. He did make one spot start May 3rd against the Buffalo Bisons. He also has one hold and recorded a save March 29th at Buffalo.

“They do a good job here of giving everybody all different kinds of roles,” Watson said. “One game you can be the closer, the next game you can be the long relief guy in the fourth, fifth inning. Our pitching coaches do a really good job of giving us the experience of every little bit of that we could experience in the big leagues. So if we do get that call to the big leagues, we’re better prepared. So we don’t have set roles, but I’m able to get experience doing a little bit of everything so I’m more diversified when I finally get the call up to the big leagues.”

Watson has a unique delivery. When he comes to the set position, he’s all crooked with his back facing the hitter. Also, he throws sidearm.  “There’s no other pitchers who throw like I do,” he said. “I feel like that helps with deception.”

July 2022 was when Watson dropped his arm slot. Then during spring training in 2023 he changed how he set up and started with his back to the hitter.

“In 2022, it was a hard adjustment. I would have liked to been able to adjust to it faster,” he said. “But I was able to work through it in the offseason. I feel like that’s why I had so much success in 2023 because I was finally able to put all the new stuff to work in the offseason and make it feel comfortable.”

At High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in 2023, Watson was a combined 7-1 with a 1.58 ERA, seven holds and five saves in 45 relief appearances. He struck out 82 in 62.2 innings. According to MiLB.com, he posted the best ERA among minor leaguers with at least 60 innings pitched and ranked third in opponents’ batting average (.138) and WHIP (0.88).

Toward the end of last season, Watson added a curveball to his arsenal. He continues to work on it and feels it has contributed to his success this season. He also focuses on his getting his fastball vertical break higher and throwing strikes.

“How I throw is completely unique so I can exploit that a little more with getting higher vert on the fastball,” Watson said. “It makes everything else look a little bit better.”

One of the strengths of this year’s RailRiders team is its bullpen. Watson said it has been fun to be part of the dynamic.

“Everybody’s throwing super well, so it only makes me better and pushes me to be better,” Watson said. “Everyone has good character, is a good teammate. It’s really cool to be around these guys. If I hit my pitch count and have a runner on, you trust that (next) guy fully to get out of that situation. It’s been a really cool experience to be a part of this group of guys and I’m super excited to see where it takes us all.”

If and when that call to the major leagues comes, Watson feels he is ready. He likes being in pressure situations and thinks he can thrive in that environment.

Being a Yankees fan growing up, he imagined what it would be like to one day pitch for them.

“It will be a really cool experience to be there, soak it all in,” Watson said. “But when the game starts and I’m on the mound, it will feel like the same game I’ve played for my entire life.”

More to come…

As the Dodgers wrap up their three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, they will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to try and salvage the series.

After scuffling over a four start stretch from April 21 through May 12 where he posted a 1-2 record with a 5.18 ERA, Yamamoto has returned back to his All-Star form over his last two starts, tossing seven innings and allowing runs against both the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. He is set to face a team that although has combined for six runs in the series, the Phillies have crushed three home runs.

The biggest challenge for Yamamoto, as noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, will be his ability to limit the long ball early in the game, especially as he faces the league leader in home runs in Kyle Schwarber.

Yamamoto has had two primary issues this year: the long ball and the first inning. He’s surrendered nine home runs — just five fewer than last year — and seven of the 22 earned runs he’s allowed have come in the opening frame… The Phillies should present a challenge from the get-go with leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, who leads the Majors with 22 home runs — and memorably took Yamamoto deep for a Statcast-projected 455-foot shot in the NLDS that was commemorated with a plaque.

Since being placed on the IL back on May 7, Tyler Glasnow has yet to progress in his recovery. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic tweeted that Glasnow is able to play catch, but has yet to “get over the hump” in increasing his throwing progression.

Although an ill-fated eighth inning robbed him of a third straight win, Roki Sasaki continued to show gradual improvements on the mound, as he allowed just three hits, one run and one walk while striking out seven across 5 1/3 innings against a dynamic Phillies offense. Sasaki even retired 13 hitters in a row on Saturday after allowing a second inning home run to Alec Bohm.

Sasaki spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following the Dodgers’ deflating 4-3 loss about the increasing diversity of his pitch arsenal, which has allowed him to find recent success after another disappointing start to the season.

“My usage really depends on different hitters, but overall it’s going pretty well and the usage is pretty good. My fastball was really good. The velocity was there and I was able to execute the catcher’s calls.”

The Washington Nationals planned to trade him.

They let everyone know he was available.

If someone was willing to meet their price, 25-year-old shortstop C.J. Abrams was all theirs.

No one made an offer compelling enough to entice Paul Toboni, Nationals president of baseball operations, to move him, but instead of Abrams pouting when he arrived to spring training, he actually felt invigorated.

The key was the communication between Toboni and Abrams. Toboni was up-front with Abrams, telling him that they set a high bar for rivals if they wanted him, but if anything ever got close, he promised to let him know. And if Abrams had any questions, or wanted to confirm or dispel rumors, please call.

“It meant a lot," Abrams told USA TODAY Sports. “I was able to ignore things out there because I was in communication with Paul."

MLB EXPANSION: One owner thinks more teams would be 'stupid'

Said Toboni: “That’s something I tried doing with [starter] MacKenzie Gore too, and going forward I will keep doing that. They deserve to be in the know. I’ve come to realize that in most cases it’s not the fear of being traded, but what mostly bothers players is being completely in the dark. I never met a player, or a coach, or a front office guy who was too transparent."

“I told both of them if there’s something out there that just isn’t true, I’ll let you know. And if you have any questions, and there is some truth, we’ll talk about it," Toboni said. "I told MacKenzie there’s a world where you’re traded, and a world you’re not. We think super highly of you, so they’d have to clear a really high bar. If a team surpassed it, we’ll consider it. If not, you’ll be here."

The Texas Rangers met it, sending five prospects for Gore just three weeks before spring training.

Abrams stayed put, and becomes the best trade Toboni never made in his first season with the Nationals.

Abrams is playing his way right onto the All-Star team. He leads all National League shortstops in virtually every offensive category, hitting .291 with a .392 on-base percentage, .544 slugging percentage, .936 OPS, with 12 homers and 47 RBIs.

“He was really good before," Toboni said, “but now he’s turned himself into an awesome, awesome player. He’s working his tail off."

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The Dodgers are a heavy favorite over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon, but it's deserved. 

Find out why my MLB picks for every moneyline on May 31 are topped by Los Angeles, and why the Nationals could pull off an upset earlier in the day.

MLB moneyline picks for May 31

Matchup	Pick
Blue Jays vs Orioles	-122
Twins vs Pirates	+133
Padres vs Nationals	+113
Red Sox vs Guardians	-104
Angels vs Rays	-170
Braves vs Reds	+122
Marlins vs Mets	+144
Tigers vs White Sox	-122
Brewers vs Astros	-163
Royals vs Rangers	-108
Giants vs Rockies	-110
Yankees vs A's	-133
Diamondbacks vs Mariners	-127
Phillies vs Dodgers	-194
Cubs vs Cardinals	+104

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for May 31

Blue Jays vs Orioles: Orioles (-122)

Orioles win probability: 55%

Kyle Bradish has quietly put together three quality starts in his last four appearances. He'll be backed by an Orioles lineup that's seventh in OPS since May 15. 

No matter who the Blue Jays turn to to start this game, they'll be in trouble in Camden Yards. I'll back Baltimore to -140.

Twins vs Pirates: Twins (+133)

Twins win probability: 43%

With Zebby Matthews (2.37 ERA) and Braxton Ashcraft (2.75 ERA) both pitching well, and both lineups in the bottom third in OPS over the last two weeks, this game could come down to which bullpen outshines the other. 

Minnesota's relief corps (3.08 ERA since May 15) gives the Twins the edge over Pittsburgh (4.26 ERA), so play Minny to +110.

Padres vs Nationals: Nationals (+113)

Nationals win probability: 47%

There's isn't much to like about Griffin Canning's form this year (7.54 ERA). Zack Littell counters, and his 2.19 ERA in May shines by comparison.

The Nats' bats are also doing much better over the last two weeks, ranking fourth while San Diego is 24th.

Playing Washington to +100.

Red Sox vs Guardians: Guardians (-104)

Guardians win probability: 51%

Tanner Bibee brings an ugly 0-7 record into this one, but the Guardians lineup hits lefties well (eighth in OPS), and the inconsistent Ranger Suarez comes to town today.

Cleveland's bullpen also holds the edge in xERA (eighth vs. 18th) over the last two weeks, so I'll back them to -120.

Angels vs Rays: Rays (-170)

Rays win probability: 63%

It's been a brutal month of May for Jack Kochanowicz (7.52 ERA), and the Angels bullpen has been a dumpster fire these last two weeks, ranking dead-last in xFIP.

Shane McClanahan owns a sparkling 1.33 ERA in May, and is backed by the Rays' 12th ranked bullpen by the same metric, so this is a tremendous mismatch. I'm willing to play this all the way to -210.

Braves vs Reds: Reds (+122)

Reds win probability: 45%

Spencer Strider has given up five home runs over his last two starts, and the Reds are fourth in longballs at home this year.

Nick Lodolo is fresh off his best start of the season (one ER over six innings vs. the Mets), so I'm buying low on him and Cincinnati. Take the Reds to +110.

Marlins vs Mets: Marlins (+144)

Marlins win probability: 41%

Both Janson Junk (7.00 ERA in May) and Nolan McLean (6.92 ERA) are in poor form, but the Marlins have the Mets beat in bullpen xFIP these last two weeks (sixth vs. 23rd), as well as OPS (11th vs. 22nd). 

Back the Fish to keep New York in the NL East cellar to +125.

Tigers vs White Sox: White Sox (-122)

White Sox win probability: 55%

Keider Montero has failed to go six frames in three straight, while Sean Burke has had three short outings in his last four overall. That will expose two bullpens in the bottom third in xFIP over the last two weeks to these lineups.

However, the Tigers can't hit water if they fell out of a boat right now, ranking dead-last in OPS since May 15. Even with Munetaka Murakami on the shelf, I'll back the South Siders to -140.

Brewers vs Astros: Brewers (-163)

Brewers win probability: 62%

I refuse to believe Tatsuya Imai has suddenly "figured it out" for the Astros after tossing six scoreless innings as part of a no-hitter last Tuesday. His ERA is still a sky-high 6.17.

He can't hang with Jacob Misiorowski (1.83 ERA), so back the Brewers to -200.

Royals vs Rangers: Rangers (-108)

Rangers win probability: 52%

I keep waiting for Michael Wacha's 2.69 ERA to float up and greet his 3.96 xERA. Maybe the Rangers' ninth-ranked bats by OPS - despite being no-hit last Tuesday - will help that happen?

I'm willing to find out at these odds, and will play this to -120.

Giants vs Rockies: Rockies (-110)

Rockies win probability: 52%

It's been a rough month of May for Robbie Ray (7.11 ERA). Tanner Gordon has shown flashes of promise this year, and this is a light-hitting Giants lineup.

I'll take a swing on the Rockies to -120.

Yankees vs A's: Yankees (-133)

Yankees win probability: 57%

Jacob Lopez is a southpaw taking on a Yankees team that's tops in the majors in OPS vs. lefties in 2026, and is pitching in one of baseball's most hitter-friendly parks. This could get ugly.

New York up to -160 is the play.

Diamondbacks vs Mariners: Mariners (-127)

Mariners win probability: 56%

Merrill Kelly's high ERA figures to come down as the season progresses after some early blow-ups, but his bullpen may let him down today, as this unit is 25th in xFIP since May 15.

Early returns on 2026 Bryce Miller are positive, so I'm a buyer on Seattle to -140.

Phillies vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-194)

Dodgers win probability: 66%

It's been a rough rookie season for Andrew Painter (5.40 ERA), and things won't get easier vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a Dodger lineup that's tops in the majors in OPS over the last two weeks.

The Dodgers are playable to -220.

Cubs vs Cardinals: Cardinals (+104)

Cardinals win probability: 49%

Matthew Liberatore's strikeouts are on the rise in May, with 19 over his last two games alone, and the Cubs have fanned left and right over last two weeks with the fourth-most Ks.

Jordan Wicks and his 5.71 ERA don't inspire much confidence. Back the Cardinals to -120.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Back in March, Jarren Duran was one of the best stories at the World Baseball Classic. Patrolling center field for Mexico (he represented them in 2023 too, though that one’s best forgotten, going 0-for-5 as a bench player), he was an absolute force. Four games, three home runs, five RBIs, two stolen bases. He hit .333 with a .412 OBP, and slugged 1.000. That’s a tournament OPS of 1.412.

He came back to Ft. Myers looking like a changed player. The spring numbers backed it up. The buzz was real. Everyone talked themselves into the idea that 2026 was going to be the year Jarren Duran not just arrived, but served as a baseball dominator.

Then the regular season started.

By the time we hit mid-May, Duran was hitting .162. His OPS had dipped below .500 at one point. The same guy who’d been launching balls over the wall for Mexico in March was rolling over breaking balls and getting punched out on fastballs he used to barrel up. His adjusted high leg kick was seemingly messing up the entire mechanical structure in his swing. The WBC hadn’t been a preview. It had been a very small sample of Duran at his ceiling, mistaken for his floor.

To be fair to everyone who bought in, the tournament version of Duran was real…at one point. Still, 15 at-bats against international rosters in early March, before pitchers are stretched out and before the humidity in Florida has had a chance to stiffen anyone up, doesn’t tell you that much about how a guy is going to hold up against five months of a major league rotation. The WBC is great baseball. It’s just not the same thing. And the gap between a 1.412 OPS in March and a .497 OPS in April isn’t actually that surprising if you step back and look at it honestly.

Over the final two weeks of May, Duran has finally started doing what the WBC version of him had been doing all March. On May 19th in Kansas City, he crushed a three-run homer in the ninth inning to put a bow on a 7-1 win—the Sox’s most convincing offensive performance in weeks. Two days later, he came back with a go-ahead, two-run shot in the seventh to complete a sweep. In between those two, he roped a 114.1 mph rocket to right-center field for his first triple of the season, a ball that left his bat looking like it was shot out of a cannon. Seven-for-nineteen over that five-game stretch. Three doubles. One triple. Two homers. Six RBIs.

Then the Twins came to Fenway and swept the Sox in three games. Duran went quiet—including a strikeout looking with the bases loaded to end a game on May 23rd. It didn’t hold.

He kept it going against Atlanta. A 106.9 mph leadoff shot off Spencer Strider on May 26th—412 feet, gone in every ballpark—was his 10th career leadoff homer, tying Jacoby Ellsbury for second-most in Red Sox history. Only Mookie Betts has hit more. The next night: four hits, another homer, an 8-0 Sox win.

His season line is still a project. Through 212 at-bats he’s hitting .217 with a .675 OPS. The ten stolen bases and nine home runs are real production, but anyone who watched him grind through April knows how much damage that stretch did to the overall numbers. One good week doesn’t rewrite the story. The WBC hangover was real and the early-season hole was deep.

But the direction is right. The contact has looked different lately. That 114.1 mph triple didn’t come from a broken swing. He dropped the leg kick for a toe-tap in late April but has seemingly brought it back. Whatever he’s been working on with the leg kick—whether it’s a timing mechanic or just a different method for comfort—it looks like it’s clicking.

Mike Carlucci wrote about Duran’s season by the numbers not even two weeks ago—he preceded this hot streak just enough to warrant revisiting it.

He was genuinely great at the WBC. Three home runs in four games against that competition isn’t nothing. But the reasonable expectation for 2026 was always something between that 1.412 OPS in March and whatever rock bottom looked like in April. He’s a dynamic, disruptive leadoff presence when he’s right. He’s a problem at the top of the order when he’s not. Right now, for the first time since he got back from Mexico, he’s starting to look like the right version of himself.

Duran didn’t blink through the worst of a months-long slump this season so far. The Angry Lizard is pounding on more infield clay once again.