Worldwide Sports News

I’m still looking at 31-27 with some level of disbelief. I have typically been on the sunnier side than many of colleagues in prognosticating the future of the White Sox. It took until August 2024 for me to think that they really, truly had a chance at reaching 121 in the loss column. In 2025, I remained confident that they would keep it together enough to be an ordinarily bad 100-loss team, rather than maintaining the 2024-esque pace they played with for the first two months of that season. This year, I predicted they’d reach the 70-win mark for the first time in four seasons. Maybe they could make a second-half push for .500 ball if the midseason call-ups were just as effective as last season.

This, though? Even for my eternally hopeful brain, the idea that they would be better than .500 with a hold on a Wild Card slot as late as June felt ludicrous.

Perhaps the most surprising part is that while a LOT of important things have gone more right than I ever imagined — Murakami setting records, Colson Montgomery maintaining his 2025 pace, Miguel Vargas adding 3 mpg of bat speed and turning into a bona fide middle-of-the-order hitter, Randal Grichuk finding the fountain of youth, Davis Martin finally fulfilling my long-held fantasy of competing for a spot on an All-Star roster — there have still been plenty of duds that they’ve nonetheless overcome. The Opening Day starter was back in Triple-A after three games. The primary trade return for Luis Robert Jr. isn’t a major league-caliber player. Injuries have led to far more plate appearances from Jarred Kelenic, Derek Hill and Tristan Peters than anyone would have thought ideal. Erick Fedde remains completely washed, Noah Schultz struggled in his first action with the big club. Kyle Teel has yet to play and Edgar Quero has spent much of the last month seemingly on the verge of being demoted. Seranthony Domínguez has avoided many meltdowns but has already lost a secure grip on the closer job despite being signed for that exact purpose.

Yet here we are. The last time the Sox reached five games above the break-even mark was September 2022. Here’s the getaway day lineup we’re getting as they try to set themselves up to reach their highest water mark since the halcyon days of 2020-21. I can only presume that you, like me, are quite invested in Jacob Gonzalez’s first look on the South Side, given the absurd 19 homers he’s already cranked in Triple-A. If he can keep up anything close to like that, it’ll certainly go down as one of the more remarkable bust-to-boom prospect stories in recent memory.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have treaded the opposite path and undergone an utter shitshow of a season in which they were division favorites and World Series contenders, and are instead racing towards a very early draft pick in 2027. At the moment, they are the worst team in the American League and tied with the Rockies for worst in all of baseball.

The Sox last swept the Tigers in 2023, which is not what I expected to find. That series was also in late May, and after winning the second game in walk-off fashion, they secured the sweep with a Jake Burger grand slam to end it. It may have legitimately been the high point of the 2023 season.

Here’s the lineup that the moribund Tigers will trot out today, in hopes of salvaging some pride:

First pitch at Rate Field is at 1:10 p.m. CT. If you want to join us, broadcasts are available on CHSN (TV) and WMVP AM 1000 (radio), like always!

Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers

Sunday, May 31, 2026, 1:35 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

RHP Michael Wacha vs. RHP Jack Leiter

Go Rangers!

Mets lineup

Carson Benge – RF
Bo Bichette – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Jared Young – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Brett Baty – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Luis Torrens – C

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Marlins lineup

Xavier Edwards – 2B
Liam Hicks – C
Otto Lopez – SS
Kyle Stowers – DH
Jakob Marsee – CF
Connor Norby – 1B
Owen Caissie – RF
Esteury Ruiz – LF
Javier Sanoja – 3B

SP: John King – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:40 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

1914
Joe “The Butcher Boy” Benz, (so named because he worked as a butcher in the offseason) fired a no-hitter, beating Cleveland 6-1 at Comiskey Park. The lone Naps run, scored in the fourth inning, came out of three consecutive White Sox errors. Benz walked two and struck out three on the day.

It was the second time in 17 days a White Sox pitcher had thrown nine no-hit innings. On May 14, Jim Scott went nine frames without a hit, then lost his no-hitter (and the game, 1-0) on two hits in the 10th at Washington.

---

1923
After a stirring reclamation of his MLB career two seasons earlier, Ernie Johnson’s poor play at shortstop saw him waived by the White Sox. Johnson had signed with Chicago in 1921 after two years out of the majors, playing for the Double-A Salt Lake City Bees. He played well enough on the South Side (1.8 WAR and extremely good defense) in 1921, but saw his value winnow to glove-only in the two subsequent seasons.

The Yankees, dominating the American League at 29-10, claimed Johnson on waivers and employed him as a bench player for the rest of the season. Thus while Johnson’s career was on the wane, he did earn himself a World Series ring as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner that October.

---

1950
White Sox GM Frank Lane made a six-player deal with the Senators that included former All- Star second baseman Cass Michaels (real name Casimir Kwietniewski). The move was important, because it cleared the way for a youngster named Nellie Fox to take over full-time at the position; that year, Fox would play in 130 games and register 497 at-bats.

---

1970
The torpid White Sox, on their way to the worst single season in franchise history, annihilated the Red Sox in Boston, 22-13. The South Siders banged out 24 hits, with Luis Aparicio and Walt Williams collecting five apiece. Williams scored five times, and Bill Melton knocked in four runs. Chicago had innings where they scored seven, six, four and three runs.

The victim that afternoon? None other than former White Sox star pitcher Gary Peters, who was knocked out of the box in the first inning. It was the second-most runs ever scored in a single game by the White Sox.

---

1971
In the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Orioles at Comiskey Park, former White Sox infielder Don Buford charged pitcher Bart Johnson with his bat after Johnson drilled him with a pitch that hit him in his behind in the eighth inning. When Buford went out to left field in the last of the eighth inning, Sox fans pelted him with garbage and vocally let him know what they thought of his actions.

Cooler heads prevailed, but in the ninth inning while standing in the on-deck circle lecturing a fan, Buford was attacked from behind by a second fan, who escaped … onto the field! Buford was alerted by White Sox players yelling from the field, because they could see what was unfolding. Buford knocked the fan out with one punch, then his Oriole teammates charged out of the dugout and did a bloody number on the trespasser before security could lead him away.

Buford was ejected from the game by umpire Nestor Chylak for going to the screen to warn fan in the first place, antagonizing the situation.

The teams split the doubleheader that afternoon.

---

1973
It was an inauspicious debut for a player who’d make himself into a fine big-league hitter. In a game at Chicago that the Sox won, 10-2, Brian Downing entered the game in the seventh inning to make his big-league debut at third base.

On his first play in the big leagues, in fact on the first pitch, Downing caught a foul pop off the bat of Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe, diving to make the catch. On the play, though, Downing ripped up his knee and was placed on the injured list.

Downing would collect his first big league hit in August, an inside-the-park home run off of Mickey Lolich in Detroit.

---

1978
The White Sox trounced California, 17-2, with a 22-hit attack.

The game turned into a rout in the fifth inning, when the Sox turned a 1-1 game on its head and exploded for 11 runs. Fifteen White Sox came to the plate, with Greg Pryor singling and doubling, Jorge Orta singling twice — and Lamar Johnson making two of the inning’s outs. Three Angels pitchers were victimized by the ex-Hit Men, none worse than recent White Sox hurler Ken Brett, who relieved in the frame but was knocked out of the box having retired just one Chicagoan. The hurlers were done no favors by two errors in the inning.

On the White Sox side, Steve Stone somehow weathered that endless fifth to complete the game and improve to 4-3 on the year.

That run output ties for 38th-most ever by the White Sox, and the 22 hits rank tied for 24th.

The rout zeroed out a 5-2 homestand and marked a fifth straight win. The South Siders would win two more on the road, stretching the win streak to seven, before losing again. However, the White Sox were floundering, stuck in sixth place even after the win streak and improving to just 17-28 with this romp.

---

2000
The White Sox swapped relief pitcher Tanyon Sturtze to Tampa Bay for infielder Tony Graffanino, in the very first trade Chicago ever made with the Rays. Graffanino was excellent in 2000 and over the next three seasons, increasing his WAR each year and serving as a superb utilityman covering shortstop, second base and third. Sturtze was having a horrific (-0.8 WAR) season in Chicago but recovered for a 1.6 WAR and 2.56 ERA as a swingman in Florida; in the next season (2001), Sturtze was outstanding, garnering 3.3 WAR primarily as a starter, pitching almost 200 innings to a 4.42 ERA.

Graffanino even gave the White Sox assist later in his career, committing a key error for the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS in Chicago.

---

2007
Mark Buehrle lost to Toronto, 2-0, giving up solo home runs to Aaron Hill and Frank Thomas. That’s it: No other hits, walks, or Sox errors in the game. Thus the Blue Jays became the first team ever to win a game without a single baserunner.

The White Sox only twice even had runners reach third base, with one, Rob Mackowiak, thrown out at home.

Despite the loss, Buehrle also became the first White Sox pitcher since Joe Horlen in 1967 to throw a no-hitter and a complete game of only two hits or less in the same season.

---

TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (27-33), who are 8-3 in their last 11 games, will play the rubber game of their three-game series today opposite the NL Central division leading Milwaukee Brewers (34-21).

RHP Tatsuya Imai (2-2, 6.17 ERA), who started the Astros combined no-hitter on Monday at TEX, will start for the Astros today opposite the Brewers and hard-throwing RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5-2, 1.83 ERA).

ABOUT IMAI: RHP Tatsuya Imai is set to make his seventh career Major League start today and his fourth since returning from the IL after a bout with right arm fatigue.

He’s performed better since his return, particularly in his last two starts in which he’s gone 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA (3ER/10.2IP) and a 0.84 WHIP.

In January, the Astros signed Imai to a three-year deal.

In 2025, he was an All-Star for the Seibu Lions in the NPB in Japan, where he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA (35ER/163.2IP) in 24 games.

ABOUT THE NO-NO: In the last start by RHP Tatsuya Imai, the Astros got back in the record books on Monday at TEX, tossing their 17th regular season no-hitter and their 18th no-hitter overall in club history.

A few notes on the no-no:

• Imai (6IP), LHP Steven Okert (1IP) and RHP Alimber Santa (2IP) produced the fifth combined no-hitter in club history and the first since Nov. 2, 2022 at PHI (World Series, Game 4).

• Per Elias, RHP Alimber Santa became the first pitcher since 1900 to pitch in a no-hitter in his ML debut. According to their records, it happened one other time, which was on Oct. 15, 1892, when RHP Bumpus Jones of Cincinnati hurled a 9.0-inning, complete game no-hitter in his Major League debut.

• The no-hitter was the Astros seventh since 2019, which is the most in the Majors in that span. Additionally, the Astros 18 no-hitters overall are the most in the Majors since the franchise was born in 1962.

CONGRATS JOE!: Manager Joe Espada is one of several individuals being inducted into the Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in Puerto Rico today. This Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, and sports figures who have made profound contributions to local and international athletics. Roberto Clemente, who was born in Carolina, was their first inductee.

FOR STARTERS: Astros starters have a combined ERA of 3.35 (32ER/86IP) over the last 15 games (since May 15) with a 1.07 WHIP. In that span, they have allowed just 52 hits in 86.0 innings for a Major League-best .174 opponent average, while also ranking third in the AL in WHIP and fourth in ERA. Additionally, Astros starters have allowed one or fewer runs seven times in the last 15 games.

MAKING THE PLAYS: The Astros have committed just 21 errors on the season, the fewest in the AL and the third-fewest in the Majors. They also lead the AL in fielding percentage (.990).

MAY-KING HIS CASE:RHP Spencer Arrighetti has made a strong case for the AL Pitcher of the Month award for May, going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) and a .165 opponent average (16×97) in five starts in the month. In May, he has the lowest ERA and opponent average among AL starters, while ranking tied for first in wins.

HOMER HAPPY: The Astros have slugged 19 homers in their last nine games. Houston now ranks tied for second in the AL in homers with 79, trailing only the Yankees (86) in that category.

ON THE LEADER BOARD:DH Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in OPS (1.062) and total bases (137). In the AL, he ranks first in extra-base hits (32), tied for first in HR (20), second in SLG (.643), second in OBP (.419), second in hits (65), fifth in batting avg. (.305), sixth in RBI (39), tied for sixth in walks (39), and tied for eighth in runs (39).

HISTORIC HOMERS: DH Yordan Alvarez is off to one of the most prolific starts in franchise history. His 20 homers through the club’s first 60 games of the season match the franchise record, also reached by 1B Jeff Bagwell in the 1999 season.

YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has blasted 190 career regular season home runs, which ranks seventh in Astros history. He’s now one home run shy of matching 3B Alex Bregman for sixth all-time.

WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker has five HR and 12 RBI in his last seven games.

For the season, he leads the AL in RBI (43) and ranks tied for fifth in XBH (26), tied for fifth in total bases (113), sixth in HR (16), and eighth in SLG (.521). Walker also has not committed an error in 59 games.

HIT PAREDES: 3B Isaac Paredes has 499 career hits and is looking to become just the 10th Mexican-born player in MLB history to reach 500 career hits. Two of those nine ahead of him played portions of their careers with the Astros in 3B Vinny Castilla (1,884 hits) and C Alex Treviño (604 hits).

HEATING UP: RF Cam Smith has a hit in nine of his last 10 games, batting .324 (12×37) with seven runs scored, two doubles, two homers, four RBI and three walks in that span.

OF Taylor Trammell is riding a career-high, nine-game hitting streak, batting .387 (12×31) with two doubles, one triple, three RBI and a .940 OPS within the streak.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1975 – The Astros set a club record with a 12-run inning, doing so in the 8th frame in a 15-3 win over the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. PH Cliff Johnson has a double, homer and three RBI in that 8th inning. Enos Cabell (HR, 3 RBI) and Milt May (3×5, 2 RBI) had big days offensively.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 31, 1:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Sunday Starters.

⚾️: 1:10pm
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/rxCBG55t02

— Houston Astros (@astros) May 31, 2026

Miz for the rubber match

📺: https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻: WTMJ#ThisIsMyCrew x @NicoletLawpic.twitter.com/peOXhCYarL

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 31, 2026

Please win one for Bibee.

Here’s the Red Sox lineup:

UPDATED 5/31 at CLE:
Duran CF
Gasper 1B
Abreu RF
Yoshida LF
Kiner-Falefa 2B
Durbin 3B
Mayer SS
Wong DH
Narváez C
Suarez P

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 31, 2026

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Fryday Sunday.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/xSZwTiE2kJ

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 31, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

Happy Sunday, Red Sox Nation! We’ve got another series finale on deck today after splitting the first two games against the Cleveland Guardians. Willson Contreras gets a maintenance day, and Ceddanne Rafaela was scratched, so we’ve got an interesting lineup. All three catchers are in there, somehow. I flew a little too close to the sun last night at a wedding, and should probably also be scratched, but we’re powering through. Congrats to the Andersons.

1:40 PM first pitch on NESN and WEEI

Lineups

Last one in Cleveland! pic.twitter.com/VFVMOYARLl

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 31, 2026

Fryday Sunday.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/xSZwTiE2kJ

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 31, 2026

First Chuck: 12:35 PM (new anthem each week!)

The Tube: Twins.TV

The Dial: Treasure Island Baseball Network

Spies ‘R Us: Bucs Dugout

When I was gallivanting around Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, I saw that Ted Turner & Bobby Cox had passed away. I wanted to comment on that, as those two fellows had a surprising impact on my “baseball upbringing”, if you will.

Let’s start with Ted Turner. Perhaps best known for starting CNN (a 24/7 news channel? No one will ever get into that), Turner also created the TBS (Turner Broadcasting System) cable TV channel, which was included in cable packages across the nation. Why was this important to baseball fans? Well, alongside James Bond movie marathons & WCW professional wrestling, TBS became the broadcast home of the Atlanta Braves (which Turner also owned). As far as I know, this was the first time an MLB team could be routinely followed out-of-market by a mass audience.

(Side note: Billionaire Ted also established TCM—Turner Classic Movies—and bought out old studio back catalogs simply to fill air time. Without that endeavor, a film like It’s A Wonderful Life would never have been re-discovered and now-revered).

How did this have an impact on me living in northwest Minnesota? You have to remember that I started following MLB—in 1996—when the Minnesota Twins were the joke of the league. In a sense, it is truly amazing I stuck with it at all. But I fell hard for baseball and the Braves were the class of the league in the late-1990s. Granted, I was usually rooting against them and for the underdog (what a world!) New York Mets of Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, & Benny Agbayani vintage. Either way, it allowed me to watch highly-competitive baseball from time to time as opposed to the Twins slogging through their doldrum late-90s.

The manager of those ATL squads? Why, Bobby Cox of course! Excluding the never-concluded 1994 campaign, Cox presided over a mind-boggling run of 14 consecutive division titles for the Braves (1991-1993, 1995-2005). Over 29 skipper seasons with Atlanta & the Toronto Blue Jays, Cox compiled a 2504-2001 record (.556 WP), one World Series title (though not two), four other NL pennants, and a plaque in Cooperstown.

I don’t care how much he leaned on his “Big Three” SP of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, & John Smoltz—a track record like the one he put together speaks for itself. He was also a Gardenhire-esque source of entertainment in that he set the all-time MLB record for manager ejections—even surpassing the notoriously wicked John McGraw in terms of getting the ‘ol heave-ho from the Men in Blue!

A final thought to mull over here as the Twins are set to clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon: in the span of the 1991 to the present—not all that long in the grand scheme of things—cable TV went from nascent curiosity to in 90% of TV-watching homes to the most hated enterprise in business to almost obsolete (we are currently here) to being pined for in an uber-fragmented TV landscape (we are also here). Remarkable—Ted Turner and his irascible-but-brilliant manager were right in the middle of all of it.

Click here for Lineups!

After yesterday’s comeback win, the Nats have a chance to win yet another series this afternoon. With a win today, they will end May with a record above .500. That would be a huge accomplishment for a group that did not come into the season with high expectations at all.

Initially, Dylan Crews was in this lineup, but he was a late scratch. I would assume that has something to do with the hit by pitch that caught him in the hand yesterday. That means the outfield will be Daylen Lile in left, Jacob Young in center and James Wood in right. Curtis Mead will be back at third base and Jorbit Vivas will slide to second. Keibert Ruiz will do the catching for this game. Zack Littell looks to put a bow on what has been a very strong May for him.

this is a lineup graphic post

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/4H48j8Bskt

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 31, 2026

The Padres have made several changes to their lineup. Fernando Tatis Jr. will move to right field after playing second base the first two games. Rookie Sung-Mun Song will play second base today. Gavin Sheets will move to DH and veteran Nick Castellanos will be in left field. Freddy Fermin is back behind the plate for the series finale. Griffin Canning has struggled this season, but he posted a quality start last time out and will look to build off of that today.

Buenos días. pic.twitter.com/ryJfz8L1LU

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 31, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 1:35 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Getting a series win would be a great way to close out a successful month of May. The crowds have been outstanding this weekend, and the team is on a roll. Yesterday was an amazing win, and hopefully they can build on that. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

The Atlanta Braves can conclude their second consecutive 19-win month if they close out May with a win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Follow along here as the Braves look to complete a 5-1 road trip in the Queen City at 1:40 p.m. EDT on BravesVision.

Game Info

Preview

Lineups

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals play the rubber game of their three-game weekend series on Sunday Night Baseball.

Despite earning a split in the first two games, the series has been rough on the Cardinals’ bullpen, and they need a big night from starter Matthew Liberatore. For the Cubs, PCA and Michael Busch will look to continue their hot streaks.

Check out my full Cubs vs. Cardinals predictions and MLB picks below.

Cubs vs Cardinals props for May 31

Cubs vs Cardinals player prop picks

Matthew Liberatore Over 15.5 outs (-110)

This is less an endorsement of Matthew Liberatore and more an indication of the rough state of this St. Louis Cardinals bullpen. The last two starters have lasted a total of 7 1/3 innings, leaving eight St. Louis relievers to pitch 10 2/3 innings, throwing 164 pitches and giving up six runs.

Even if Liberatore is struggling, he’ll probably have to wear it and pitch into the sixth just to give the pen a rest. He’s done it twice this month and four times this season, and Liberatore is coming off a 101-pitch effort where he struck out a career-high 10. He’s ready for the workhorse role.

Michael Busch Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI (+210)

Michael Busch has been the best-hitting first baseman in MLB for May and will add to his totals on the month’s final day. He’s hitting 73% better than the league average for the month and has a .955 OPS.

He has six runs, nine hits, and eight RBI over the last week, and he has four hits and four RBI in the first two games of the series. Busch homered and had a two-hit game in his only previous time facing Liberatore.

Pete Crow-Armstrong to hit a home run (+700)

Pete Crow-Armstrong had a big game on Saturday, going 4-for-5, homering, and keeping up a running taunting dialogue with the St. Louis fans. Once he’s fired up, he generally stays that way. Of his 48 career home runs, 12 have come within a day of a previous blast.

PCA has a five-game hitting streak and is hitting .364 with a .917 OPS over that stretch. His seven homers against the Cardinals are the most against any team, and his three homers at Busch match his highest in any visiting park.

How to watch Cubs vs Cardinals and game info

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.

After a productive six-game homestand, the Dodgers hit the road for a single series, playing the Arizona Diamondbacks for four games at Chase Field in Phoenix in the second meeting of the year between these two National League West rivals.

The Dodgers swept their opening series of the season from March 26-28 at Dodger Stadium. Arizona has been playing much better of late, winning 10 of 11 games before a hiccup this weekend in Seattle, putting themselves squarely in wild card contention.

Emmet Sheehan starts on Monday for the Dodgers, making his first career start at Chase Field. Left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez on the mound for the home team.

The Diamondbacks are 18-10 at home, and have won eight of their last nine games in Phoeni. The Dodgers have won their last four road series.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at D-backs
• Ballpark: Chase Field, Phoenix
• Time: 6:40 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 31, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Zebby Matthews (1-2, 2.37 ERA) vs. Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.75 ERA)

---

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Minnesota Twins looking to grab a win.

---

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
• The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.

BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

San Diego Padres (32-25) at Washington Nationals (30-29), May 31, 2026, 10:35 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Nationals Park – Washington, DC

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

---

Buenos días. pic.twitter.com/ryJfz8L1LU

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 31, 2026

this is a lineup graphic post

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/4H48j8Bskt

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 31, 2026

---

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads

This site’s manager is Brady Klopfer who also does all the minor league reporting, and upon seeing the news posted by Susan Slusser that the San Francisco Giants would be calling up outfielder Jonah Cox, he posted in our work chat: “I’m sorry WHAT,” which suggests to me that we should all treat this news with a lot of surprise.

The 24-year old is hitting .400/.453/.644 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, and 6 home runs for Double-A Richmond this season. He also sports a very interesting 2:1 strikeouts to walk ratio (31:16), which is well within the zone of where minor leaguers start projecting as serviceable major leaguers. But it’s that .400 batting average that will make him famous in the organization, we know that in our bones. The batting average fetishization is strong and .400 is .400. But he’s also quite fast and a proficient base stealer, a skill set the Giants have been sorely missing (they have just 14 stolen bases on the season). If you’re interested in hearing Cox speak, former site contributor Roger Munter interviewed him a few weeks ago for his There R Giants podcast — check it out!

Prior to the season, the McCovey Chronicles community did not include him in the community’s prospect rankings list. As Brady wrote, Cox “was unable to take notable strides on offense,” hitting just .257/.333/.398 in 597 PA last season at Eugene. Slusser had a follow-up post saying that she didn’t think Cox would be in the lineup today, but would be around and available for this finale at Coors Field. Brady’s writeup a couple of days ago explains why he was the next minor leaguer to get the call to the big leagues:

Yet another strong game for right fielder Jonah Cox, who has officially graduated from “hot start” to “leveled up.” It’s been nearly 50 games and 200 plate appearances for the new-look Cox, whose swing has undergone changes that have resulted in dramatic improvements in both the stat sheet and the underlying metrics.

He was back to his old tricks on Thursday, though, as he hit 3-5 with a pair of infield singles and a stolen base, while also knocking a double.

Cox has, stunningly, hit safely in 40 out of 43 games this season, which includes 16 multi-hit games. A year after posting a .731 OPS, a 103 wRC+, a 22.4% strikeout rate, and a 12.0% swinging strike rate in High-A, he has a 1.130 OPS, a 196 wRC+, a 16.9% strikeout rate, and a 10.3% swinging strike rate in AA. He’s even stealing more bases, with 27 in 43 games, after an organization-leading 58 in 126 games a year ago (easier to steal bases when you’re getting on base seemingly every at-bat!).

Just a phenomenal year, and the A’s 2023 6th-rounder is quickly becoming one of the top prospects in the system.

Here’s hoping some of this hot streak carries over to the majors. Whew. What a great pickup for Ross Stripling. Will the move work out? Who’s to say. As the estimable Baseball Jeff reminds us,

---

Meanwhile, the Giants designated Ryan Borucki for assignment.

Now, before you go and say, “Good riddance!” just know that in addition to being really terrible (4.94 ERA / 4.93 xFIP, -0.2 fWAR in 23.2 IP), he was actually quite good as a LOOGY, holding lefties to a line of .195/.306/.244 (.550 OPS). The problem is, the modern game has phased out the LOOGY because of the three batter rule but also — and more importantly — because of the way lineups are constructed and substituted now. Borucki would’ve been a great guy to have during Buster Posey’s playing days.

10:20am edit: Tristan Beck has also been recalled to take Borucki’s spot on the active roster while Beck will be replacing Will Brennan who has been optioned back to Triple-A.