The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros finish off a four-game AL West series at Daikin Park on Thursday, May 14, and my top Mariners vs. Astros predictions and MLB picks expect Houston to eke out a win this afternoon in the series finale.
Who will win Mariners vs Astros today: Astros moneyline (+117)
The rubber has hit the road for Seattle Mariners righty Luis Castillo, and his annual statistical decline has hit rock bottom through eight 2026 starts. His average fastball velocity has dropped each of the past four seasons while his xFIP has also climbed in sync to his current, career-high 4.34 mark.
This isn’t a layup matchup against the Houston Astros for Seattle, either.
Houston is third in wOBA against right-handed pitchers, and Astros starter Mike Burrows has found a groove across his past three starts with a 2.50 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a 30.6% hard-hit rate.
COVERS INTEL: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo has surrendered an alarming 58.3% hard-hit rate across his past three starts.
Mariners vs Astros Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-125)
While the sum of Castillo’s statistical parts isn’t pretty, there have been a few signs, with the righty allowing three earned runs or fewer in four of his eight starts. Additionally, his highlighted xFIP is well below his 6.57 ERA, and there is screaming statistical correction coming to his unsustainable .364 BABIP and 59.0% strand rate.
Add the potential for both teams to rest regulars in this afternoon series finale, and I’m anticipating both starters to put enough zeros on the scoreboard to keep this total Under the number Thursday.
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 20-11, +10.05 units
Over/Under bets: 12-6, +5.37 units
Mariners vs Astros odds
Moneyline: Seattle -125 | Houston +105
Run line: Seattle -1.5 (+130) | Houston +1.5 (-150)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+105) | Under 9.5 (-125)
Mariners vs Astros trend
The Seattle Mariners have hit the Under in 14 of their last 22 away games (+6.50 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Mariners vs. Astros.
How to watch Mariners vs Astros and game info
Location
Daikin Park, Houston, TX
Date
Thursday, May 14, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
Mariners.TV, SCHN
Mariners starting pitcher
Luis Castillo (0-4, 6.57 ERA)
Astros starting pitcher
Mike Burrows (2-4, 5.04 ERA)
Mariners vs Astros latest injuries
Mariners vs Astros weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Hearing over spying allegations on or before Tuesday
Fans warned before booking travel and accommodation
The English Football League has indicated that Southampton could be kicked out of the playoffs and that the date of the Championship playoff final may be delayed if the club are found guilty of breaching regulations.
Southampton have been charged by the EFL for allegedly spying on Middlesbrough’s training within 72 hours of their first-leg meeting and for not acting “with the utmost good faith”.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Max Holy #99 of the Houston Astros bats during the sixth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (19-22) lost 6-1 (BOX SCORE)
Ullola started for Sugar Land but lasted just 3 innings allowing 3 runs, which all scored in the first inning. The offense got on the board in the 6th on a Nelson RBI groundout. The pen allowed another 3 runs and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Sugar Land fell 6-1.
Miguel Ullola, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Joey Mancini, RHP: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (16-19) won 7-6 (BOX SCORE)
Mayer got the start but struggled allowing 3 runs over 1.2 innings. The Hooks got on the board in the 4th inning on an Austin 2 run double. They picked up another in the 5th on a Holy RBI single. The Sod Poodles extended their lead with 2 in the 7th but the Hooks got one back on a Bush RBI single. The Hooks entered the 9th inning down 6-4 but rallied. They scored a run on a Bush RBI single and then tied it with a Spence bases loaded walk. With two outs and the bases loaded, Encarnacion drew a walk to bring in the winning run as the Hooks won 7-6.
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
A+: Asheville Tourists (8-27) lost 6-4 (BOX SCORE)
Asheville got on the board in the first on a Frey sac fly. Santos started for Asheville and was solid allowing 3 runs over 5.2 innings. He was relieved by Pena who allowed another 3 runs as Asheville found themselves down 6-1. They rallied in the 9th scoring a run on an error, a run on a wild pitch and a run on a Nunez groundout but that was it as Asheville fell 6-4.
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (14-21) won 5-1 (BOX SCORE)
Potter started for the Woodpeckers and was solid allowing 1 run over 4 innings of work. The offense broke open the game in the 4th inning scoring 4 runs on a Sierra 2 run home run, a run on an error and a run on a wild pitch. They picked up another run in the 6th inning on a Salas RBI single. Oakes relieved Potter and was great losing 5 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts as he closed out the 5-1 win.
After matching their season-high 10-game winning streak, the team has now followed with a season-high four game losing streak. Spoiler alert, the last (full) season where the Cubs didn’t have a losing streak longer than four games was back in 2003. I didn’t take pen to paper (or make a spreadsheet), but the Cliff’s Notes are this. In the seasons where the Cubs are at least decent, the longest losing streak tends to check in right around five. When the Cubs are bad, that losing streak tends to be several games longer. As I’m pretty confident this is a good Cub team, I’d feel comfortable betting that the Cubs win at least one of their next two games. This is the hard-hitting analysis you come here for. Right?
Here’s the thing, if you were making Bingo cards, not just for the Cubs, but any MLB team, one of the spaces would be “whole team slumps for multiple games simultaneously.” This is the least fun period of time for any team. “Bullpen blows multiple games consecutively” is at least fun for a bit. Save for some pitching highlights, these four games have been brutal. The whole offense has completely vanished. This stretch has really tanked the Cubs season numbers. I mean, they’ve fallen from first place in the whole league in on-base percentage to second. Their on-base plus slugging still sits in the top five. That is to say that even with this painful stretch built into the recipe, they are still an elite offensive team.
This is definitely unfortunate. It’s doubly unfortunate when Shōta Imanaga is as excellent as he was Wednesday night. You really hate for that start to go to waste. You hope, at least, that maybe a well-rested bullpen lets you go after Thursday’s game a little more aggressively and it helps you snap this skid against a terrific Braves team.
My son asked me several times this year, largely in jest, if I ever got tired of writing about win after win. I will say this. I never actually heard any of the sports talk or print media people actually say that they preferred a little losing from time to time. I think some of that is overblown. Sure, sometimes, amidst a skid, certain storylines become available that might generate a little extra attention. I suspect most of them really hope for their local team to make a deep run every year and that maybe they’ll get to go to some big games and cover them. For me? I’ll take a win every single day and I’ll find something to talk about. I promise. So any time they want to get a long winning streak going, I’m here for it. I’d certainly like to write about one championship team before I’m done doing this.
Three Positives:
Shōta Imanaga pitched into the eighth inning, throwing less than 100 pitches. He allowed five hits, no walks and just two runs. Pitching for this team, that’s almost always going to be enough.
Alex Bregman had two of the four Cub hits.
Ian Happ drew a pair of walks. It’s not flashy, but he’s tied for seventh in walks among all MLB hitters.
Game 43, May 13: Braves 4, Cubs 1 (27-16)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Billy Goat: Phil Maton (-.295). IP, 5 BF, 3 H, 2 R, K
Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.185). 0-4
Kid: Moisés Ballesteros (-.115). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Mike Yastrzemski batted with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth inning, the game tied. He doubled and a run scored, though the Cubs did throw the other runner out trying to score. (.189)
Cubs Play of the Game: Nico Hoerner batted with runners on first and second and one out in the fifth. He singled and the Cubs tied the game. (.134)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 42 Winner: Alex Bregman received 89 out of 107 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch/Shōta Imanaga +13
Michael Conforto +12
Dansby Swanson -8
Matt Shaw -9
Seiya Suzuki -17
Current Win Pace: 101.72 wins
Up Next: The third and final game of this series Thursday night. I’ll start by booing the Braves for scheduling a night game for the Cubs on travel day. They are at least travelling back to Chicago to play the White Sox on Friday night on the south side. Still, it’s always nice to be able to play and get out of town early.
Ben Brown (1-1, 1.82, 29.2 IP) makes his second start of the season (25th career) after a very successful stint as a multi-inning reliever for the team. Last time out, he surprised me by going one more inning than I thought possible for him on three days rest. He threw four no-hit and scoreless innings against the Rangers in the last game won by the Cubs. With the off day Monday, he has a full five days of rest between starts. He threw 46 pitches last Friday, a number he’d topped twice out of the pen coming out of spring training. I’d think you’d probably let him try to get up around 60 in this one. As noted in the open, the Cubs have a pretty rested pen heading into this one and can deploy it aggressively to chase a win here.
37-year-old Chris Sale (6-2, 2.20, 49 IP) makes his ninth start of the season. Those are some old school numbers. A decision in every appearance and more than six innings per start. Age doesn’t appear to be slowing down the former 13th overall pick by the White Sox in 2010. He was a tough luck loser in his last start, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks in seven innings in Los Angeles against the Dodgers last Friday. In less than a week, this will be the second opposing starter who will be one day printed on Hall of Fame ballots and have at least some discussion. Simply put, this doesn’t get any easier.
Find a way to sneak out of Atlanta with one and stop the skid.
Arkansas Razorbacks' Hunter Dietz (32) pitches as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. on Friday, April 3, 2026. Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Auburn Tigers 3-2. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
If you blinked, you may have missed it.
That was the time flying by, quicker than any of us realized. We’re halfway through May, which means that All-Star weekend is coming up in two months. And now, thanks to MLB thinking that their presentation needs to rival that of the NFL and/or the NBA, that means the MLB first year player draft is coming up soon as well. We’ve documented how much we don’t care for the league making this into some kind of event that it really is not, but hey, why not?
With the quickly approaching MLB draft coming up, that means people are starting to think about which amateur players will go where. This may be the last year the draft looks like this with the impending labor dispute threatening to upend everything we know about the sport, so while it’s still something we’re used to, let’s take a look at what those who are a lot smarter on this topic than I am are saying about who the Phillies might be selecting.
Remember: the Phillies have fallen 10 spots in this year’s draft thanks to being over the largest luxury tax so many years in a row.
Double-dipping in the Arkansas cheese dip, the Phillies go back and grab an exciting southpaw in Hunter Dietz. He’s been in the race for the top southpaw in this class for a while now, and while the track record isn’t as lengthy as his peers, the angle he creates allows his breaking pitches to be absolutely devastating. The fastball has reached into the upper-90s, too.
An athletic 6-foot-1 left-hander, Mendes will use a robust five-pitch mix to keep hitters guessing. While his fastball sits around 92 mph and tops out at 96, it does feature some life upstairs with some angle to his glove side. His 80-mph changeup is his best secondary, a plus cambio he sells well with arm speed, the kind of offspeed offering that seems to pause in mid-air with late arm side depth to it. His low-80s slider can show some good short glove side tilt and he can back foot it to right-handed hitters and he’s added a new, harder cutter, with better shape and control of it as the season has gone on. He’ll use his upper-70s curve to steal a strike early in counts.
Like basically all of the pitchers mentioned in this mock outside of Flora, Dietz has a chance to go as high as the early teens depending on how he pitches down the stretch. He’s currently leading the SEC with 108 strikeouts and owns a 3.22 ERA over 13 starts and 72.2 innings—far and away a career high—with a 35.4% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate.
There will be many more mock drafts put up for us to discuss, so check back often as we update the mock draft round ups.
We're starting nice and early with our MLB picks for today, double-dipping in a 12:30 p.m. ET matchup at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
Read on to see why our baseball experts are on the side and the total for Rockies/Pirates — and why we're also backing the Red Sox tonight in a battle of star southpaws.
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Josh Inglis' expert pick: Rockies/Pirates Over 7.5
Price: 53¢ (-113) at Polymarket
I’m hitting the early game and getting back on the Over with 14-mph winds blowing out to center field at PNC Park. Last night turned into a 14-run game — and Hunter Goodman wasn’t even in the starting lineup. Both bullpens have been more than generous over the last two weeks, ranking among the bottom four teams in ERA. Mason Montgomery gets the ball as Pittsburgh’s opener, and then it’ll be time for the Colorado Rockies to take swings at Carmen Mlodzinski, who has allowed 17 runs over his last 19+ innings. I like the Rockies, but I like runs more.
Jon Metler's expert pick: Rockies moneyline
Price: 39¢ (+156) at Polymarket
There won’t be many chances this season to back Chase Dollander in a true pitcher-friendly environment, considering he calls Coors Field home, but this is one of those spots — and it’s hard not to like the setup for him at PNC Park. Dollander has looked every bit the part of a frontline starter this season, featuring a 99-mph fastball paired with elite, high-spin secondary pitches. Those breaking balls and off-speed offerings should play even better away from altitude, with the conditions at PNC Park likely giving them sharper movement and more bite. The matchup also lines up well against Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz; a power right-hander with a high-carry four-seam fastball is exactly the type of pitcher that can give Cruz trouble because of his long swing path. If Dollander can neutralize Cruz at the top of the lineup, the Pittsburgh offense becomes far less intimidating. Given the combination of the park upgrade, Dollander’s stuff, and the matchup dynamics, I think the Rockies should be trading closer to 45-cent underdogs in this spot.
Joe Osborne's expert pick: Red Sox moneyline
Price: 49¢ (+104) at Polymarket
The Boston Red Sox haven’t had many bright spots this season, but they’ve been excellent against left-handed pitching, ranking fourth in OPS versus southpaws over the last month. That sets up well against Jesus Luzardo, who has regressed badly this season and already owns four starts with five or more earned runs allowed. Meanwhile, Ranger Suarez will face his former team after allowing zero earned runs in four of his last five outings. The Philadelphia Phillies also rank dead last in road OPS, while Boston’s bullpen leads MLB in ERA over the last two weeks.
Neil Parker's expert pick: Mariners/Astros Under 9.5
Price: 54¢ (-117) at Polymarket
Houston Astros starter Mike Burrows has found a groove across his past three starts with a 2.50 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a 30.6% hard-hit rate, and Seattle Mariners righty Luis Castillo has an unsustainably bad .364 BABIP and 59% strand rate. Add the potential for both teams to rest regulars in this afternoon series finale, and I’m anticipating both starters to put enough zeros on the scoreboard to keep this total Under the number.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
July 14, 2009; St. Louis, MO, USA; American League pitcher Roy Halladay (32) of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch during the first inning of the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Today would have been Roy Halladay’s 49th birthday.
Depending on who you ask, Roy Halladay is either the best or second-best Blue Jays starter of all time, but there’s no question that he and Dave Stieb top the list in franchise history. Stieb was the best AL pitcher of the 1980s, while Halladay dominated the AL in the 2000s. Doc ranks second in franchise wins with 148 (Stieb had 175), second in BWAR at 48.5 (Stieb 57.2), and third in starts at 287 (behind Stieb’s 408 and Jim Clancy’s 345).
Halladay won two Cy Young Awards (one as a Jay, one as a Phillie) and finished in the top five in voting five other times. He was also selected for eight All-Star teams. Doc was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise average Blue Jays squad during most of his tenure. I always looked forward to his starts. Beyond his immense talent, he was a fierce competitor. On days he pitched, he was completely locked in—teammates and especially the press knew not to disturb him as he focused on the task at hand.
Halladay’s passing remains one of the saddest moments for me as a fan.
Pat Borders turns 63 today. Borders was never a star player or a great hitter, but he did have one above-average season as a Jay. In 1990, he posted a 120 OPS+, hit .286 with 15 home runs, and had an on-base percentage above .300 (.319) for the only time in his Blue Jays career. His career offensive win percentage with the Jays was .458. He had decent power, though his lack of plate discipline held him back. Still, he was a tough catcher and an excellent handler of pitchers, with a decent arm, though never quite Gold Glove caliber.
Borders played 747 games for the Jays, ranking second among catchers behind Ernie Whitt. He went on to play for eight other MLB teams and was still playing professional baseball at age 42. Kirk is at 569.
Borders was the World Series MVP in 1992, and every Jays fan owes him a beer or two for that feat alone. I thought he e could have pursued a career as a coach or manager after his 17-year major league stint, and he did spend some time managing in the Phillies system. Now, he coaches at the university level.
Pat always struck me as the kind of guy you’d want to share a drink with—just a genuinely good person and a hard worker.
I also want to mention Dennis Martinez, who turns 72 today. Though he never played for the Jays during his 23-year career, he spent eight years as an Expo. Martinez racked up 245 wins, but the highlight for me will always be his perfect game against the Dodgers in 1991. Dave Van Horne’s call—“El Presidente, El Perfecto”—remains iconic. Martinez overcame alcoholism to become one of the era’s best pitchers.
It’s a shame he dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot after just one year.
Also, having birthdays:
Hosken Powell would have turned 71 today, but sadly, he passed away last June.
Powell played six seasons in MLB—four with the Twins and his last two with the Jays.
He played for the Jays in 1982 and 1983. In 1982, he performed respectably, batting .275/.304/.389 over 112 games. The following year didn’t go as well—he hit just .169/.213/.205 in 40 games before being released on July 10th. Over his career, Powell hit .259/.314/.349 with 17 home runs and 17 triples in 594 games, adding 43 steals while mainly playing right field. As a left-handed hitter, his splits were remarkably similar: a .649 OPS against lefties and .665 against righties. I don’t recall much about him except enjoying his Strat-O-Matic Baseball card.
Mark Dalesandro turns 58 today. He served as a backup catcher for the Jays in parts of 1998 and 1999, appearing in 48 games and hitting .266/.276/.383 with two home runs. He also played a few games for the Angels and made a single appearance for the White Sox.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 13: Danny Jansen #9 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammates following a run scoring single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field on May 13, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
Adam and I were at the game last night, though Adam left in the sixth and missed the theatrics. That was something.
Chris Martin made a rehab appearance for Round Rock on Tuesday and batters teed off on his splitter. Martin doesn’t know if it’s a mechanical issue or execution and described the sudden demise of his most effective pitch “a real head scratcher.”
Nathan Eovaldi threw a bullpen session yesterday and thinks he will be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday, though Skip Schumaker is not yet ready to write that in stone.
Last night’s walkoff featured some unlikely heroes in Jake Butger and Danny Jansen.
Jansen would say he’s not an unlikely hero at all, as he reminded his teammates that last night was his fifth career walkoff hit.
The New York Mets will look to complete a home sweep as they take on the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field on Thursday afternoon.
Nolan McLean takes the mound for New York, and my Tigers vs. Mets predictions believe he'll help the Mets dominate Detroit.
Keep reading to see my full analysis and free MLB picks for May 14.
Who will win Tigers vs Mets today: Mets moneyline (-160)
Nolan McLean has been one of the few bright spots for the New York Mets this year, and if anything, his results haven’t quite lived up to his performance.
McLean is averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings, has a WHIP of 0.904, and has an xERA of 2.34, putting him in the 94th percentile of eligible pitchers.
The Mets have been able to shut down the Detroit Tigers so far in this series, allowing just two runs in each of the first two games.
McLean is a step up in competition from what the Tigers have faced so far in this series, and I see the 24-year-old leading the Mets to victory this afternoon.
COVERS INTEL: The Tigers are pulling only 10.5% of sinkers they put in the air off of right-handed pitchers, a pitch McLean throws 36% of the time.
Tigers vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-115)
McLean hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game so far this season. Of his eight starts so far this season, only one has resulted in a total of more than eight runs.
That’s on brand for New York, which has hit the Under in eight of its last 10 overall.
Neither team is likely to string together long innings today, making the Under a strong play.
Ed Scimia's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 8-13, -5.62 units
Over/Under bets: 7-12, -5.53 units
Tigers vs Mets odds
Moneyline: Tigers +140 | Mets -160
Run line: Tigers +1.5 | Mets -1.5
Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5
Tigers vs Mets trend
The Mets are 5-1 straight up in their last six games against the Tigers. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Mets.
How to watch Tigers vs Mets and game info
Location
Citi Field, Queens, NY
Date
Thursday, May 14, 2026
First pitch
1:10 p.m. ET
TV
DSN, SNY
Tigers starting pitcher
Keider Montero (2-2, 3.18 ERA)
Mets starting pitcher
Nolan McLean (1-2, 2.78 ERA)
Tigers vs Mets latest injuries
Tigers vs Mets weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MAY 09: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Great American Ball Park on May 09, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well then.
The Cincinnati Reds have fumbled the first two games of this series away, the Washington Nationals being perfectly positioned to recover them. So, once again, the Reds will turn to young Chase Burns needing him to perform a miracle just to rescue them from worst-case scenario.
After Wednesday’s blown 5-run lead and debacle down the stretch, the Reds now sit just a lone game over the .500 mark at 22-21, so you know what a loss today would mean – especially given the kind of start to their season that had the walls shaking.
Lefty Foster Griffin – who has been quite good so far this season – takes the mound, and the Reds will have to adapt their new lineup accordingly. To date, Cincinnati’s offense boasts just an 84 wRC+ against southpaws so far this year, a mark that’s just 23rd overall in the sport. That includes a woeful .196 average that’s the worst in the sport.
First pitch is set for 12:40 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:
Kiké Hernández, left, is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list on May 24. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
All Kiké Hernández knew about Albuquerque — the home of the Triple-A Isotopes — was the city’s elevation. But the city knew him.
For years, the city’s baseball fans grew up watching the Dukes, the former longtime Dodgers affiliate. So when Hernández arrived with the Oklahoma City Comets to continue his rehab assignment on Tuesday, the opposing fans greeted him with a thunderous ovation.
The Dodgers' recovering utilityman struggled to encapsulate his feelings about the reception.
“A little bit shocked. Slightly embarrassed, but good,” he told reporters, including Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal, before the Comets' 8-2 loss on Wednesday.
The fans’ positivity offset the emotionally tough road back from left elbow surgery to fix a tear in Hernández's tendon. Before this year, the utilityman, who agreed to a one-year, $4.5-million deal with the Dodgers in February, never missed spring training or opening day in his career.
Hernández, who is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list May 24, is 2 for 15 with a double in five games with the Comets.
“I knew it was going to be a long rehab," he said. "And even though I'm ahead of schedule, it still feels like it's forever."
The 34-year-old now finds himself at a crossroads. Although he remains locked onto each pitch he can possibly watch from the Dodgers, he also wants to mentor the players in Oklahoma City.
The paternal instinct comes naturally for Hernández, who has taken the time off to enjoy his wife and his two children, including his son who was born in February.
“We're not just baseball players,” he said. “So being able to help my wife out, and spend time with the baby and with my daughter, it's been huge, and that's kept my mind busy."
At the end of the day, though, Hernández wants to be healthy, preferably in Los Angeles.
With the Dodgers last season, he hit .203, with 10 homers across 92 games — though the team values him more for what he can do in the postseason. His career numbers in the playoffs include a .272 batting average with a .486 slugging percentage and an .826 on-base plus slugging percentage.
“I just want to feel good,” he said. “Last year was miserable, you know? Not only performance wise, but I was just in a lot of pain every time I took the field. So I'm just happy that I'm pain free right now.”
Chris Sale has always been a strikeout machine, and 2026 is no different.
The hard-throwing left-hander has racked up 56 Ks in 49 innings this season, and he's cashed the Over in punchouts in four straight starts. Last time out, he carved up the Dodgers, striking out seven across seven innings of work.
Sale will face the Chicago Cubs tonight, and while they're around the middle of the pack in team strikeouts, the Cubbies have fanned 10 times per game across their last three.
Sale also has 19 punchouts in 40 lifetime at-bats against this lineup.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marquee Sports Network, BravesVision
Trevor Story Over 0.5 runs (+140)
Trevor Story isn't having the best campaign for the Boston Red Sox, hitting just .211. However, he's been helping his team score runs lately.
Overall, Story has come across the plate 16 times in '26, and he's cashed the Over in runs in three of his last five games. On Wednesday, Story finished 2-for-3 with a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies with one run scored.
Jesus Luzardo takes the hill for the Phils tonight, and Story is 3-for-7 lifetime against the struggling lefty, who owns a 5.77 ERA.
Story is riding a three-game hitting streak, and he's served as a key piece in their offense lately. After swinging it well on Thursday, he'll keep it rolling and put himself in a position to come across home plate again.
Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Kyle Schwarber Over 0.5 runs (+110)
We'll stick with the same game here, but shift to the Phillies.
Kyle Schwarber is absolutely destroying baseballs lately. He's hitting .333 over the last seven days with a mind-boggling six home runs during that span, and six runs scored.
Schwarber has hit the Over in runs in six of his last seven contests.
Schwarber is 0-for-5 lifetime against former teammate Ranger Suarez, but his confidence is at a sky-high level right now, and he's getting on base a lot, reaching four times in his last two appearances.
Although Schwarber didn't score a run on Thursday, he still had a pair of walks.
Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 27-47, +5.48 units
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ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 15: A Rawlings baseball glove belonging to Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Enrique Hernandez #8 sits on the infield grass prior to the MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on September 15, 2024 at TRUIST Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Two outstanding starts and two blowups. There was no middle ground for starters in the Dodgers minor league system, with only the Loons earning a win.
Player of the day
Sometimes your best isn’t enough, and that was the case for Isaac Ayon, who could only cover five scoreless innings in the matchup between the Tower Buzzers and Giants. As impressive as keeping the Giants off the board was, the manner in which Ayon accomplished that stood out even more, earning two-thirds of his outs via strikeout.
— Ontario Tower Buzzers (@towerbuzzers) May 14, 2026
Ayon now has 35 strikeouts in 27.1 innings with a terrific 1.02 WHIP. The 10 strikeouts and only one hit allowed both represented his best marks on the season.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
As much as a couple of errors didn’t help, Cole Irvin’s six-run blowup in the second inning of an eventual 8-2 loss goes beyond that. It could’ve been even worse for Irvin, but reliever Carlos Duran managed back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to keep the damage there.
Recently sent down to make room for the return of Mookie Betts, Alex Freeland combined with Kiké Hernández to go 0 for 7 as the only extra-base hit by a Comets player came from eighth-hole hitter Zach Ehrhard. The center fielder left the yard with a solo shot in the fifth. James Tibbs III wasn’t in the lineup for this one.
It wasn’t a good day for starting pitchers in the upper levels of the Dodgers minor league systems, as Patrick Copen also fell victim to a blowup inning, with the Cardinals beating them 9-5. Considering just how vulnerable he looked, allowing eight hits and five walks, Copen might’ve even gotten away with one, conceding just six earned runs across 4.1 innings.
Despite the damage the pitching staff allowed, the Comets had an opportunity to make this a game, particularly given their success on the basepaths, successful on all four of their steal attempts—the issue was a terrible 3 for 18 with runners in scoring position. Eljah Hainline reached a team-high three times safely and stole two bases.
High-A Great Lakes
A lousy first inning defensively from the Whitecaps allowed the Loons to score two of their runs on a wild pitch and a throwing error to take an early 3-0 lead. That would be it for the Loons until the ninth inning, when, with a tied game, catcher Jesus Gallz walked things off with an RBI single.
The reliever who coughed up the lead in the eighth, Davis Chastain, had his first blown save of the season, but since he finished that and the following inning, he was also the winning pitcher. Chastain now moves to a 4-0 record on the year, largely helped by starter Sterling Patrick, who was superb with six scoreless frames.
Class-A Ontario
Ayon deserved better than the zero he received from his offense, and quite literally, anything else would’ve been enough to at the very least stave off defeat, as the Tower Buzzers were beaten 1-0 by the Giants. Ontario’s starter needed just 76 pitches to earn those 10 strikeouts and deliver his best performance of the season.
Struggling offensively, the Giants manufactured a run against reliever Jholbran Herder in the sixth. Andy Polanco reached safely and stole back-to-back bases to later score on a simple groundout. Weirdly, a team with no doubles and no home runs, the Tower Buzzers managed three triples and stranded them all. It’s not every day you see something like that.
Transactions
The Great Lakes Loons activated catcher Gio Cueto from the injured list.
Wednesday’s scores
Albuquerque 8, Oklahoma City 2
Tulsa 5, Springfield 9
Great Lakes 4, West Michigan 3
Ontario 0, San Jose 1
Thursday’s schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) at Albuquerque (TBD)
3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Zach Root) vs. West Michigan (Lucas Elissalt)
5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Wyatt Crowell) vs. Springfield (TBD)
6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (Brady Smith) vs. San Jose (TBD)
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 11, 2026
It’s the final weekend of the regular season, so time to think about the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers are currently residing 2nd in the standings behind 26-1 UCLA who is locked into the top spot. With USC and Oregon being in 3rd and 4th and playing each other, it would be nearly impossible for Nebraska to fall out of the 4 teams that make the 2nd half of the tournament. But there is still something to play for, as the top 2 seeds will play teams that come out of the losers bracket and with that, those team will have played an extra game, and used more pitchers.
In case you were wondering, Purdue sits tied for 4th with Oregon and one game behind 3rd place USC. If Oregon wins 2 of 3 against USC this weekend, and Purdue beats Iowa 2 to 1, there would be a 3 way ties for 3rd, with Oregon owning both tiebreakers, and USC owning the tiebreaker against Purdue. A Purdue sweep of Iowa could potentially vault them into the 3rd spot. And being the final week of the season, chaos due to the tarp is always in play. #NeverForget
Minnesota on the other hand is battling to not get left out of the 12 team tournament. They are currently in a 4 way tie for 10th place in the Big Ten, with Rutgers, Washington, and Michigan State. Odds are that one of those 4 teams will join Penn State, Maryland, Indiana, and Northwestern watching at home. (Boy, who had those first three missing Omaha at the beginning of the season??) Also, Wisconsin is still too scared and un-American to field a team.
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 13, 2026
Game 1: RHP Carson Jasa (9-2, 3.31 ERA) vs. RHP Isaac Morton (4-2, 3.43 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Ty Horn (2-2, 3.97 ERA) vs. RHP Marcus Kruzan (4-3, 3.24 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Gavin Blachowicz (4-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Cole Selvig (5-4, 5.40 ERA)
FINALLY, Carson Jasa is your reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. He has locked down the Nebraska Friday night starting slot that has been a glaring issue for a majority of the season. Jasa was dominant in Nebraska’s run rule victory, striking out 9 Hawkeyes in 7 shutout innings. He only allowed 2 hits, both singles, and 2 walks to a team that was leading the conference in batting average coming into the series.
Ty Horn had a very solid return to the starting rotation. He put in a quality start, allowing 2 earned runs over 6 innings, an striking out 6. As has been the case most of the season on his starts, the bullpen gave up the lead and despite the team getting a win, he did not qualify for one. That being said, his fastball looked a lot more alive and he was much better at hitting the bottom of the zone and piling up strikes, despite a notoriously challenging umpire.
For only the second time all season, Gavin Blachowicz has given up multiple earned runs in back to back outings. He didn’t quite have the location of his pitches on point in the Iowa series finale, and with the series already locked up, Nebraska wanted to get some innings in for some pitchers they hadn’t seen in a while too. Blachowicz seems to turn it up a notch on the road since conference play started, so look for a rebound this weekend.
After spending the first two seasons at Texas A&M and doing very well in limited innings, Isaac Morton returned to his home state to pitch for the Gophers. He’s pitched at different slots on the weekend, but has done well enough to be moved up to the top spot. Morton is tied for the team lead with 56 batters struck out in 57.2 innings, but also leads the team with 24 walks. He doesn’t go super deep into games for a Friday guy, having pitched under 85 pitches for the last 7 outings.
Saturday starter Marcus Kruzan is a transfer from St Thomas who has started most of the season. He has struck out 49 batters in 50 innings. He is another guy that generally goes only 3-5 innings and gets out before things go haywire. Former Friday starter Cole Selvig is pitching the Saturday game this week. He has also stuck out 56 batters and has pitched a team leading 63.1 innings. The Wisconsin native was a Texas Longhorn his freshman year before he returned to the north. He’s given up at least 3 runs in 6 of his last 8 outings, the only exceptions being the bottom feeding Northwestern and Penn State teams, hence the slight demotion.
Scouting Report
Minnesota has an aggressive offense. They have a couple assistants in charge of hitting that Husker fans should be familiar with. Connor Gandossy was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for Creighton for 7 seasons, and Sean Moore was the hitting coach at Iowa for 2024, and a volunteer assistant for Iowa in 2017-18, the Jake Adams era.
Minnesota leads the conference in steals with 102 on the year, next most being 89 by Iowa. They also have guys with a lot of power. Three gophers have over 10 home runsCatcher Weber Neels is the leader of the team. He has 196 career games and 182 career starts under his belt, so he’s seen everything. He’s batting a career and team best .337. He has 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. Add 23 walks and 16 hit-by-pitches, and he is on the basepaths a lot.
— Big Ten on D1Baseball (@B1G_D1Baseball) May 6, 2026
Another bug power bat is center fielder Easton Richter. After starting his career at Saint Louis, he really discovered his power in Minnesota. He had 12 home runs last year and has 14 this season, to go along with 16 doubles, 32 extra base hits in all. Add his 18 steals and he can be a real nightmare for opposing pitchers. Right fielder Charlie Sutherland is the other power bat, batting .322 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs.
The Gophers have a good bullpen, and aren’t afraid to use them relatively early in games. Joe Sperry is the guy who will come in to put out the fires. He leads the team in appearances with 22, and leads the pen with both innings pitched and strikeouts with 41.2 and 49 respectively. He has a 2.81 ERA ion the year, best of the regulars.
.Grad transfer senior Brandon Jaenke is filling the closer role for the Gophers. He leads the team with 4 saves on the season. He has a 3.08 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work. Another late inning guy that will for sure take the mound is sophomore Adam Urban. He might have the best stuff on the team. He has thrown 28.2 innings in 19 appearances on the year. He has a 3.77 ERA and 40 strikeouts. While having that high of strikeout number, he has a .248 batting average against. So he has a tendency to lose his stuff over the middl of the plate.
Congrats to Brandon Jaenke on being named to the NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year Watchlist!
Minnesota has an elite defense, right behind Iowa and Nebraska for 3rd in the Big Ten with a 98.2% fielding percentage.
Series History
Nebraska leads the all time series 41-34-1 over Minnesota. Nebraska took the series in Lincoln last season. Minnesota won in 10 innings on Friday night on Husker closer Luke Broderick. But Nebraska came back and won in game 2 thanks to a big performance, including a walk off single from Robby Bolin, before running away with game 3.
On Deck
Carson Jasa is 4 strikeouts from tying Phil Harrison for the 10th most in a season in program history with 98. He is 7 behind Brett Sears for 9th.
Dylan Carey is 3 hits from tying Scott Schreiber for 5th in Husker history, and 5 hits from reaching Darin Erstad in 4th.
Jett Buck has 7 sacrifice flys on the season, which puts him tied for the 6th best season in program history. One more and he will be tied for 2nd.
Last weekends 22,815 fans in attendance for a series were most in the Big Ten era for Nebraska, and third most in a conference series all time at Haymarket Park.
You know you can’t get enough of watching Iowa lose, so enjoy the cinematic recap!
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Eric Hartman #64 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the second inning of a Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The breakout man of the 2026 season had another outstanding day for Rome, providing more with his glove this time than his bat. His early double did contribute an RBI for the Emperors, but it was him soaring to rob a three-run home run that ultimately led to the Emperors prevailing in a close matchup. Elsewhere Alex Lodise had a home run while Derek Vartanian continues to impress in his professional debut.
Victor Mederos, SP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2.53 ERA
Daysbel Hernandez, RP: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.72 ERA
It wasn’t a particularly good day for the Gwinnett Stripers, though a few flashes of good things came their way in an underwhelming loss. Victor Mederos pitched relatively well for the first time through the Durham order, but the second trip around combined with a dip in his velocity in late innings led to a poor ending. Running Mederos out for the fifth inning led to him getting hit extremely hard with two home runs, four three total runs, and three 100+ mph batted balls getting recorded against him. He was shuffled out of the game and the bullpen continued to struggle with four runs allowed over the next 2 1/3 innings, a deficit that would ultimately sink the Stripers in the game. For Daysbel Hernandez his inning of work was a nice milestone for his season as he averaged his highest fastball velocity in any outing of 2026 and pitched his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. Since a rough start to the season with diminished velocity he has turned back into more a semblance of his old self with one run allowed and nine strikeouts over his past 6 2/3 innings, though his velocity is still a tick down from where it’s been the past two seasons.
Offense was hard to come by for the Stripers in this game, as with no extra base hits and an 0-10 team performance with runners in scoring position it was no surprise that they struggled to score any runs. The two biggest contributions came from the two you would most want to hear good news from as both Nacho Alvarez and Jim Jarvis had solid performances. Alvarez’s two hits were both hard contact off of fastballs that he shot the other way, and Alvarez has thus far looked significantly more comfortable at the plate in May. He hasn’t been able to feed off of the two home runs he hit earlier in the month with no extra base hits since then, but his .395 OBP is more in line with what we’ve become used to seeing out of him and he’s hitting the ball hard more often. Jarvis also had a couple of hits and three total batted balls over 100 mph, though two of those contributed to his outs in the game. Jarvis smoked his hardest batted ball of the day in the third inning but sprayed it right at the first baseman for a lineout, and in the ninth inning sent a fly ball out to the wall in dead center field but just came up short of clearing the yard.
Patrick Clohisy, RF: 1-3, 3B, 2 BB, .231/.300/.374
Jordan Groshans, 3B: 4-4, 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI, .237/.302/.517
Jack Dashwood, SP: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 8.84 ERA
Luis Vargas, RP: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 4.57 ERA
Jordan Groshans had a monster day at the plate, his four hits and five RBIs leading the offensive charge in a high-powered win over the Smokies. Groshans got off to a hot start with a double in the first inning that one-hopped the center field wall, capping off a three-run inning for Columbus that gave them their first lead of the game. While Knoxville did answer with a couple of runs to tie the game up, the Clingstones kept coming and were fortunate to have three triples in this game. One of those came from Drew Compton in the fourth inning after a deep fly ball to right center field took a wild hop off of the tiptop of the wall and skittered away from both defenders. Compton would then score on a sacrifice fly and Groshans padded the lead the next inning to ensure the Clingstones would never trail again. This time Groshans got every bit of the ball and crushed a two run home run into the bullpen, ballooning the lead from one to three in the blink of an eye and giving Columbus all of the runs they would need to withstand the Knoxville offensive push. Groshans capped his day off with a bases-loaded, check swing single that scored two runs, a funky way to end Groshans’s best day as a Clingstone. More on those triples, Lizandro Espinoza kept up his hot hitting in the first inning of this game and got Columbus on the board first. He laces a liner into the left field gap, and an ill-advised dive allowed the ball to roll to the fence and bring home Patrick Clohisy while also letting Espinoza motor in to third easily. Six of Espinoza’s eleven hits this month have gone for extra bases, and he is currently in the midst of an eight game on base streak.
Starting pitching was a struggle in this one for Columbus thanks to another poor start from Jack Dashwood, who has had a hard time of it over his past four appearances. In these four games he has allowed 14 earned runs while only covering 10 1/3 innings, and he was only able to give the Clingstones three innings this game. After his departure Samuel Strickland had some success, but got ran out for a third inning and allowed two runs to shrink a comfortable Columbus lead to just one run. With the tying run on second and two outs in the sixth inning Columbus turned to Luis Vargas, and that decision was one that was critical in lifting the team to a win. Vargas quickly got out of the sixth inning and then pitched two dominate innings on his own, striking out four batters and not allowing a single ball to leave the infield. This was a great bounceback for Vargas after his worst outing of the year, and though his command has been spotty his stuff looks sharp and he has allowed a contact rate of just 66.5% this season.
Colin Daniel, SP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 5.34 ERA
The Rome Emperors went off in the first inning for four runs, and that was enough to seal the victory even with the offense in cruise control for the final seven innings. Who else but Eric Hartman got the game off to a quick start by hooking a liner into right field for an RBI double to score Isaiah Drake, and with two outs the runs started to pile up quickly. A Will Verdung double made it 3-0 in favor of Rome, and after chasing the starter from the game the Emperors got another on an RBI single from Mac Guscette. The bottom of the order did a great job of getting on base for the remainder of the game, but a combination of the top three not having their best day, lack of extra base hits, and unfortunate sequences led to the Emperors getting no more runs. Between Verdung, Keshawn Ogans, Guscette, and Jake Steels the bottom four produced six hits and three walk, but no extra base hits after the first inning and only one other runner even getting to third base. The Emperors were clearly the better team this game, but it would come down to a test of whether the Rome pitching staff could shut down Brooklyn for the rest of the game.
That last part isn’t exactly the toughest thing in the world to do. Brooklyn has the lowest team OPS in the South Atlantic League and no hitters in the lineup above an .800 OPS, so Colin Daniel and friends had their easiest matchup of the season facing them. Daniel has had a few games where his command has gotten inconsistent this season and that’s where trouble has arose for him, and today was a case where walks and poor location were something of a problem for him. His struggles were at their worst in the third inning when he allowed two walks, two hard hit singles, and a couple of runs, but Eric Hartman showed up with the glove and saved Daniel from disaster. Leadoff man Mitch Voit smoked a ball to left field with two runners on, and as the ball carried towards the wall Hartman chased it in a dead sprint. Hartman timed his jump and leaped at the wall and made a spectacular robbery, preserving the lead with the best defensive play of the prospect season thus far. Voit would bite Daniel with a tape measure shot two innings later, but this time with no runners on base Rome retained the lead by a single run. Daniel would likely have faced more trouble in this game if he wasn’t missing bats like crazy, racking up 10 strikeouts and 20 swing and misses, both season highs. The bullpen kept the energy high and retired every batter they faced, striking out six of those to close out the win.
Swing and Misses
Colin Daniel – 20
Riley Frey – 6
Isaac Gallegos – 3
(19-16) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (16-17) Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1
Derek Vartanian, SP: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 3.66 ERA
Carter Lovasz, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1.02 ERA
You can always count on Augusta to give you something to get excited over. The trio once again all had hits and made an impact in a winning effort, and this time Alex Lodise is the one who stepped up with the biggest play of the game. Lodise hit an opposite field home run late in this game for his second hit of the evening, and there have been some good aspects to this mostly disappointing month of May. His strikeouts are still hovering in concerning territory, though his contact rates thus far give some indication he may improve by simple regression. His contact rate is still below the league average which is a major red flag for a major D1 player at Single-A, but his strikeout rate is hovering at about 4 percentage points higher than should be expected. The biggest recent switch is his power as he has three home runs in his past six games. Lodise’s power numbers are by far the best part of his profile thus far, and he is hitting the ball hard enough to deserve the performance he has put up. He has a .163 ISO despite not having a non-HR extra base hit since April 22nd, and with a few more doubles mixed in his should see his numbers tick up a bit more even from here. After spending basically the entire Augusta recap yesterday ranting over Tate Southisene he responded with a poor game especially by his recent standards, striking out a couple of times and only getting in the hit column on an infield tapper in the ninth inning. He was also caught stealing and had an error in the field to round out what was unfortunately a tough day for him. To round out the recap of the group Luis Guanipa had a decent day at the plate with a line drive single in the first inning and a sharp line out in the second inning. Outside of the three strikeout performance last night Guanipa has just looked so consistently comfortable and explosive at the plate over the past couple of weeks, and his contact rate is quickly catching up to the norms of past seasons.
Derek Vartanian is steadily putting up impressive outings down in A ball, and though this wasn’t his best outing in regards to his command he was still able to hold the game together and put out one run over 5 2/3 innings. He had times where he struggled in this one to dial it in and keep his secondary pitches down in the strike zone, but he has shown consistently that his splitter is a pitch that hitters at this level aren’t equipped to handle. The pitch carries about a 15 mph gap to his fastball (arguably too much for higher level hitters) and he has made lefties at this level look foolish. Left handed hitters have no home runs, a strikeout rate of 32%, and an OPS of .599 against Vartanian and it comes down to his ability to get whiffs on that splitter. His fastball is good enough when his command is on, but the real question moving forward is how he and the Braves choose to develop his slider. Right now it’s a hard, short pitch that doesn’t have quite enough power or movement to get a ton of whiffs, and while that’s sufficient against A-ball competition he’ll really need a more effective breaking ball to crack into real prospect conversations. He’s had struggles against right handed batters and has had to rely on a fringe fastball to get outs against them. Still this is a guy who, despite being 22 and in Single-A, does not have a ton of high-level experience with only 43 innings between Campbell and Augusta after transferring from two years at the JuCo level. He’s going to need a bit of refinement and development but has loads of talent for a guy the Braves were able to land as an undrafted free agent. He has been in control of basically every start he has made so far and is scratching at getting some top 30 consideration.
COVERS INTEL: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo has surrendered an alarming 58.3% hard-hit rate across his past three starts.
Chris Sale
Trevor Story
Kyle Schwarber
