Mariners 5, White Sox 4
Enjoying a baseball game with your family: Jhonny Pereda, +0.24 WPA
A drunk 20-something whipping you in the back of his head with a sweaty shirt: Josh Naylor, -0.15 WPA
Game thread comment of the day:
24-27: Chart
‘Hurt’ England great takes aim at key Aussie appointment, ‘very lucky’ Baz
Former England fast bowler Darren Gough believes England coach Brendon McCullum was “very lucky” to remain in post after England’s Ashes flop as he expressed his “hurt” at being overlooked for the role of national selector.
Rangers 5, Rockies 4: Texas holds ’em
The weather changed throughout Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field, and the game kept moving with it.
One day after being shut out in a 10-0 loss to the Texas Rangers, the Colorado Rockies gave themselves a chance to take the series. They grabbed an early lead, lost it when Texas went back-to-back in the fourth, then fought back with pressure, patience, and timely contact to carry a one-run lead into the ninth.
But when Texas played its late hand, Colorado could not match it and lost the third game, 5-4.
Homers hurt Freeland before traffic ends his day
Kyle Freeland is still searching for consistency since returning from the IL, and Wednesday brought more of the same: traffic on the bases and hard contact in key spots.
He handled it early.
Freeland worked a clean first inning and faced the minimum through two after Josh Jung’s leadoff single in the second was erased by a Kyle Karros-to-Edouard Julien-to-TJ Rumfield double play. In the third, he gave up a two-out double to Sam Haggerty and walked Andrew McCutchen, but got Justin Foscue looking to keep the Rangers off the board.
The fourth inning brought the damage.
After Jung singled with one out, Ezequiel Duran jumped a knuckle curve and sent it 373 feet at 106.2 mph for a two-run homer. One batter later, Jake Burger crushed a changeup 409 feet at 108.4 mph to give Texas back-to-back home runs and a 3-1 lead.
Freeland came back out for the fifth and got the first two outs, but he could not finish the inning. Foscue singled, Brandon Nimmo followed with a hard-hit single, and Freeland walked Jung to load the bases. His afternoon was done.
Jaden Hill entered and got Duran to ground out, stranding all three inherited runners.
Freeland finished with three runs allowed on seven hits over 4.2 innings. He walked two, struck out four, and threw 89 pitches, 56 for strikes.
Rockies make Leiter work
The Rockies did not match Texas’ power, but they did enough against Jack Leiter.
Leiter had velocity, with his four-seam fastball averaging 95.4 mph, but Colorado made him work in the fourth and fifth innings. The Rockies put the ball in play, forced traffic, and took advantage when his command slipped.
The key at-bat came in the fourth.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Karros was called out on strikes. He challenged the pitch, the call was overturned, and the Rockies had a bases-loaded walk instead of an inning-ending strikeout. That made it 3-2.
Colorado took the lead in the fifth. Jake McCarthy tripled to center, Tyler Freeman singled him home, and Troy Johnston added a two-out RBI single to put the Rockies ahead.
The Rockies did not homer against Leiter, but they found runs through McCarthy’s speed, Karros’ plate discipline, Freeman’s contact, and Johnston’s two-out hit. Leiter finished with four runs allowed on seven hits over five innings. He walked two, struck out five, and threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes.
Bullpen holds until the ninth
After stranding the bases loaded in the fifth, Hill stayed in for the sixth and worked around a two-out single to post another zero. He finished with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with no walks, and was helped by a nice play from Rumfield, one of several solid defensive plays by the Rockies on the day.
Antonio Senzatela followed with two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. He allowed two hits, struck out one, and lowered his season ERA to 1.19 while getting the Rockies to the ninth with a 4-3 lead.
Then Texas went all in . . . .
Brennan Bernardino got the first out in the ninth, but Joc Pederson reached on catcher interference, Justin Foscue singled, and Alejandro Osuna loaded the bases with an infield single. Juan Mejia entered, but a passed ball tied the game before Jung singled through the left side to put Texas ahead.
Bernardino was charged with two runs, one earned, over one-third of an inning. Mejia kept the deficit at one by striking out Duran and getting Burger to hit a hard grounder to Willi Castro at second.
Can’t ante up
With the rain coming down in the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies had a chance to answer but went in order. Karros flew out, Braxton Fulford struck out as a pinch-hitter, and McCarthy grounded out to end a 5-4 loss after Colorado had led entering the ninth.
The loss dropped the Rockies to 19-31, while Texas improved to 24-25. Colorado gave itself a real chance to win, but folded in the ninth and let the game slip away.
Up Next
The Rockies head to Phoenix to open a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday at Chase Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. MDT.
Colorado has not announced a starter. Arizona is scheduled to start left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who enters at 4-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 39 strikeouts.
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Yankees, Blue Jays in rain delay on Wednesday night
A scintillating starting pitching matchup is on tap in the Bronx tonight, as young phenoms Cam Schlittler and Trey Yesavage are supposed to go toe-to-toe. Both right-handers broke out late in 2025, with Schlittler earning a rotation spot down the stretch for the Yankees and then dominating the Red Sox in his playoff debut to help New York punch its ticket to an ALDS matchup against Toronto … who had their own sensation in Yesavage. Despite just three regular-season starts to his name, the 22-year-old no-hit the Yankees over 5.1 innings in Game 2 to help the Blue Jays establish a 2-0 series lead that proved to be insurmountable. It was the beginning of a magical postseason for Yesavage and the Jays, who fell two outs shy of a World Series title.
Needless to say, there was a lot of hype for this Wednesday rumble at Yankee Stadium, as they had not previously squared off against each other. The Yankees have scrapped out the first two contests of this four-game set against a Jays team they struggled against last year, and they were hoping to nail down the series win tonight behind Schlittler, who has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball early on in 2026. Yesavage began the year on the IL with a right shoulder impingement, but he’s posted a 1.40 ERA through four starts since returning.
Alas, an ugly weather forecast is forcing us to wait. At 6:17pm ET, the Yankees announced that they do not expect to begin the game on time. There’s a severe thunderstorm watch in the Bronx, and we could be waiting awhile for baseball — if indeed we get it at all. Because Schlittler and Yesavage are so important to their teams, neither club wants to risk having a game begin, only to quickly enter a rain delay that might render each arm unable to return. So we’re getting it early and seeing what happens.
AccuWeather indicates that the storms should begin to subside sometime after 9pm ET. Hang in there and we’ll see if we get baseball tonight!
Game #49: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, May 20, 2026, 7:45 p.m. ET
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet-PIT
Pitching Matchup: Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3, 4.40 ERA) vs. Michael McGreevy (3-2, 2.10 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals looking to grab a win.
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Game #49 GameThread: Jays @ Yankees
We talked about today’s new already, so all I have to say is please win.
They are already saying the game will be delayed.
Today’s lineup:
Go Jays Go
Royals vs Red Sox game 50 thread
Stop me if you have heard this one before. The Royals are going into the game tonight looking to avoid getting swept. For the third series in a row, Kansas City is just hoping to salvage one win going into the third game. They cannot fix all of their problems in one game on a Wednesday night, but it would be nice to see them get one from a Boston team that has mostly struggled their way through 2026 as well.
The Royals will send Michael Wacha to the mound to try and get the job done. The 4-2 record and 2.83 ERA are easily the best of any Royals starter so far this season. With all of the pitching injuries that the team has sustained, they need him to have continued success.
Unfortunately, Kansas City is facing yet another left handed starter tonight in Connelly Early. He is a 24 year old rookie with a solid ERA, but peripheral statistics that say he is more a back-end starter. Over his minor league career and last season’s cup of coffee, he routinely had very high strike out rates that have not shown up in early 2026 and are making him more pedestrian. Let’s hope that continues tonight.
The solution to the lineup issues is evidently to give Vinnie Pasquantino a day off and move Salvador Perez up to the three hole? Elias Diaz will be behind the dish with Perez at first.
GAME THREAD: Guardians at Tigers, game 51 of 162
Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Here’s the Tigers lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
Game Thread #47: Milwaukee Brewers (28-18) @ Chicago Cubs (29-20)
The Brewers moved back into first place in the National League Central yesterday when they defeated the Cubs, and they also clinched a series victory in the first set between the two teams this season. Tonight, they aim for a sweep with Kyle Harrison on the mound.
Harrison continued his excellent first season with the Brewers last Thursday when he went five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks against the Padres in a game that Milwaukee ultimately won 7-1. The only nit to pick in that start was Harrison’s efficiency, as he needed 99 pitches to complete those five innings; he’ll look to improve on that tonight, given that Milwaukee used their entire A bullpen on Tuesday. They’ve got a day off tomorrow, though, so bullpen usage may not be particularly restricted. On the season, Harrison is 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 2.88 FIP, and he’s striking out over 11 batters per nine innings.
The Cubs will counter with right-hander Edward Cabrera, who they traded top prospect Owen Caissie for in the offseason. Cabrera’s results have been a little mixed this season; he’s done a decent job of keeping his walks at a sustainable level (3.2 per nine, slightly worse than last year but significantly better than his career rate), but he isn’t striking out as many (7.9 per nine, which would be a career low by far). Cabrera’s ERA of 4.06 is slightly worse than league average, but it still outpaces his 4.51 FIP by quite a bit. After back-to-back scoreless starts in his first two appearances of the year, Cabrera hasn’t allowed fewer than three runs in any of his seven starts since (though he’s given up more than three runs only once). Historically, Cabrera has been pretty good against Milwaukee, though: 19 2/3 innings against the Brewers when he was a Marlin, Cabrera had a 2.29 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
One quick roster note before we get to lineups: Peter Strzelecki, who was called up for one day before being designated for assignment, cleared waivers, but elected free agency rather than accept an assignment to Triple-A Nashville.
Milwaukee uses another unique lineup tonight (their 47th in 47 games). This one features David Hamilton at third base, Joey Ortiz in at shortstop against the right-hander, and an outfield of Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick. Andrew Vaughn once again starts on the bench, with Christian Yelich as the designated hitter and Jake Bauers in left field.
First pitch at Wrigley Field is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
LeBron James likes post about possible Cavaliers reunion
The Cleveland Cavaliers are not even 24 hours removed from their gut-punch of a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, and there is already offseason talk. Once again, it involves LeBron James.
Sometimes, James is cryptic in his moves and thoughts. Other times, he just likes a post about a potential return to play next season in Cleveland. That is not so cryptic.
Sure enough, James “liked” an Instagram reel that featured in bold letters “Come Home” with a still of him banging his chest in the black Cavs uniforms they wore during his 2017-2018 season. The rest of the reel was about his most recent game in Cleveland.
The rumors of James returning to Cleveland have gathered steam seemingly for years, gaining more traction after the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic as the ultimate baton hand-off from one superstar to another. With the Lakers’ prioritization of equipping Doncic, not James, with players that fit his style of play, the rumblings of his unhappiness grew. This, coupled with the Cavs’ hole at small forward and dire need for LeBron’s mental toughness in playoff situations, just adds fuel to the fire.
Do the Cavs blow a 22-point lead with James on the roster, getting in people’s faces and commandeering his head coach’s decision-making ability? It is hard to say for sure, but it would have certainly been helpful to have one of the game’s smartest ever to calm the nerves and stop the bleeding.
ESPN’s Shams Charania adds that James is expected to play another season, with the Lakers “probably” being his preference. However, this liked post from James may hint otherwise.
LeBron will be a free agent this summer.
GameThread: Tigers vs. Guardians, 6:40 p.m.
Detroit Tigers (20-29) vs. Cleveland Guardians (28-22)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: TBA vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (0-6, 4.15 ERA)
| Player | G | IP | K% | BB% | GB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bibee | 10 | 52.0 | 21.2 | 9.0 | 40.5 | 4.27 | 0.7 |
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Washington Nationals vs New York Mets Game Thread
After an emotional win last night, the Nats evened the series with the Mets and got within a game of .500 again. Now, the Nationals can get back to .500 with a win. The best offense in baseball will be facing a kid making his big league debut. Hopefully they can give him a rude awakening.
With a lefty on the mound, Blake Butera will be making some changes to the lineup. Curtis Mead will be in the 2 hole and play third base. Andres Chaparro will make his first start since being recalled, playing first base. Dylan Crews will shift to right field with Jacob Young making his return to the lineup. Keibert Ruiz will be behind the plate in this one. Zack Littell will get the ball after having a nice start against the O’s.
The Mets are also making a few changes. Juan Soto will be playing the field, getting the start in left. A.J. Ewing will be back in the lineup, playing center field. MJ Melendez will start at DH and Hayden Senger will do the catching. Zach Thornton will make his MLB debut tonight. The lefty is a command artist.
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Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 6:45 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Last night was one of the most fun games of the season. Now they will have a chance to follow that up with another good performance. This team is never out of a game with this offense and they will have a chance to face a rookie making his debut tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
24-25 – Rangers shine late to leave gloomy Colorado with series win
The Texas Rangers scored five runs but the Colorado Rockies scored four runs.
In a very the-Rangers-are-quite-strange kind of way, the club almost lost a second consecutive series to a league-worst team despite outscoring them. The Rangers have outscored their opponents 30-17 on their current road trip, but were a couple of outs away from a second consecutive series loss, this time to the now 19-31 Rockies.
After outscoring the Astros nine runs to six, the Rangers outscored Colorado 21-11 in this series only to trail 4-3 into the ninth in the day’s rubber match. Without the ninth inning rally, Texas would have been staring at a most depressing result in the chilly spring drizzle in the Rocky Mountains. Thankfully, the sun is now shining as the Rangers scored two in the ninth to grab the series.
For a while there was worry as the Rangers fell back on old habits with Jack Leiter allowing a two-out RBI single in the first inning after an easy 1-2-3 top of the frame from the Texas bats. Nevertheless, another early deficit was put behind them when the Rangers had a spurt of scoring in the top of the fourth with Ezequiel Duran and Jake Burger hit back-to-back home runs.
Duran’s dong was of the two-run variety and Burger’s gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead with Leiter seemingly settling in. But Leiter’s stuff seemed down even as he got through the next few innings unscathed after the first. In the bottom of the fourth, his command abandoned him completely and he walked in a run. An inning later, he allowed both the tying and go-ahead runs to score.
So, bottom of the fifth and the Rockies take a one-run lead. But it’s the Rockies, and it’s Coors Field. Surely it’s not over right there, right? Well, it sure seemed like it was until in the ninth the Rangers loaded the bases, scored the tying run on a swinging strike passed ball, and then took the lead on a Josh Jung RBI single against a drawn-in infield.
Jacob Latz pitched his second scoreless inning in the bottom ninth for the save and the Rangers are now back to within a game of .500.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung played the hero with the go-ahead RBI in the top of the ninth while also going 3-for-4 overall on the day.
Up Next: The Rangers have the day off tomorrow before starting a series against the Anaheim Angels for the final leg of this current road trip beginning on Friday night in Orange County.
Topps capitalizes on Victor Wembanyama mania with game-used ball and net cards
Wemby-mania is here!
And Topps is capitalizing on it.
The trading card company announced on Wednesday, May 20 that it got possession of a game-used ball from Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Yes, the double-overtime matchup where Victor Wembanyama recorded a historic 41 points, 24 rebounds and 3 blocks as the San Antonio Spurs beat the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Topps will feature a portion of the ball in trading cards of the Spurs center and his teammate, guard Dylan Harper, with a printed autograph. Harper, who is a rookie, also had a standout night with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals. At 20 years old, he became the youngest player to notch a prestigious 4x5 game in the NBA playoffs.
The special edition cards will be released randomly to customers who purchase the Topps Now cards commemorating each player's landmark performance. The collectible items are on sale now at the Topps website through Thursday, May 21 at 7 p.m. ET and for $11.99.
And that's not all! The day before, Topps said that it had acquired one of the nets from the heart-pounding matchup and it will be used in a one-of-one Wembanyama card, with the French star's autograph. Similar to the cards with the rock, the net autographed card will be given to a random customer acquiring the Defensive Player of the Year's Topps Now card.
The hype around Wembanyama is so high right now even Wendy's was considering changing its name and menu to honor the Spurs star.
Topps also made headlines earlier this month when FIFA switched its longtime collectibles partnership with Panini to join the Fanatics-owned brand.
Game 2 of the Western Conference finals tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Topps releases special edition Victor Wembanyama ball and net cards
Mariners’ J.P. Crawford open to moving to third base
J.P. Crawford was a late scratch before Wednesday’s series finale against the White Sox, as the triceps issue stemming from a hit by pitch in the last series with the Padres continues to bother him. Pregame he was seen pointing out the sore area to Cole Young, playfully poking the young second baseman in the same spot, before settling in to take his daily defensive drills with Perry Hill.
It’s the kind of leadership and attention to young players Crawford has demonstrated during his entire tenure as a Mariner, something that will intensify when Crawford is able to return to play – although not, perhaps, where Mariners fans are used to seeing him. While going through those drills, Crawford walked to third base instead of his usual position at short.
Per Mariners GM Justin Hollander, Crawford’s agent reached out to him about the possibility of playing third base, saying he wanted to do whatever was necessary to help the team win. Crawford reportedly approached Dan Wilson directly with the same proposition.
Whether you rely on the eye test or on defensive stats, it’s been a struggle for Crawford at shortstop this year. With a Fielding Run Value of -5, Crawford ranks in the bottom five of all defenders in MLB; his Defensive Runs Saved mark of -7 is also bottom-five in the bigs. If you’ve just been relying on the eye test, you’ve seen the throws that have gone off-target at first, most cleaned up by Josh Naylor – not anything that would show up in defensive stats, but uncomfortable nonetheless. Crawford missed time this spring with a lingering shoulder issue, which might be impacting his accuracy. There have been times this season where Crawford’s body language has shown visible disappointment or frustration after making an off-target throw or mishandling a ball. Crawford’s defense has attracted enough negative attention that it’s even been the focus of various segments on the local talk radio stations; it’s fair to call it a noticeable issue.
But it’s not so simple as just pulling Crawford off the position that’s been his for as long as he’s been a Mariner. He’s the Mariners leader in games played at shortstop, surpassing Alex Rodriguez last season, and a future Mariners Hall of Famer. He’s the longest-tenured Mariner, the one they call “Captain,” the steady hand that’s overseen the transition of this team from rebuild to an ALCS appearance.
Now, it seems Crawford is prepared to enter a new phase of his Mariners tenure. If he does take over at third, it will be an echo of the start of his career, when Philadelphia tried to convert him from a primary shortstop to a hybrid shortstop-third baseman. Crawford struggled defensively in Philly, and later said that coming to Seattle to work with Perry Hill “saved his career.” Now, if Crawford transitions to third base, it will be his decision.
If he does take up the mantle at the hot corner, Crawford’s career as a Mariner will likely end mirroring the player who mentored him during his time, one of the best third baseman in Mariners history, Kyle Seager. It’s especially fitting because as Seager poured so much into Crawford as a young player, so does Crawford pay it forward with his young infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson.
“J.P. is a selfless player,” said Dan Wilson. “He’ll go wherever anybody needs him to go.”