Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The Phillies have gauged Gage’s progress, and they have found much to be impressed with. The young hurler, less than a year removed from his selection in the first round of the draft, has been sent straight from Low-A Clearwater to Double A Reading. That’s a ringing endorsement from the organization. He had been talked about as a potential fast-mover when he was drafted, and the promotion seems to bear that out. He’s two promotions away from joining the Show, and those promotions could come fast.

Today’s question is: WillGage Wood play for the Phillies this season?

Cheering for a lousy baseball team can be a real drag. As the season progresses, the margin for error shrinks. Outcomes become more crucial as the trade deadline creeps into the picture. It’s an unpleasant scenario where wins provide relief instead of joy. Each defeat hurts more and more as the season evolves into death by 1,000 cuts.

Is that a little dramatic? Maybe. But that’s how it felt last season when the Orioles fired Brandon Hyde after a 15-28 start. The team sunk its season by the end of May, and fans were left with a long wait for another chance to compete in 2026.

The Orioles have yet to completely squander another season, but things don’t look great. The heightened frustration comes with a panic that the winning window could be closing before Baltimore achieves any success in the postseason. The Rays and Yankees appear destined for a competitive division race, and the Blue Jays—not the Orioles—feel like the struggling team that could eventually make a run.

It’s times like these when searching for the positives feels like grasping at straws. The Orioles need some real changes if they’re going to recover from a disappointing start. What exactly could those changes be?

Jackson Holliday made his first start of the season last night. Camden Chat’s John Beers asked yesterday if Jackson Holliday can make this team better. While Holliday probably won’t make a drastic immediate impact, he represents the sole infield reinforcement with Jordan Westburg officially out for the season.

Holliday is a former number one overall draft choice with plenty of untapped potential. The 22-year-old will likely need to shake off a little rust, and the hamate procedure could rob the young infielder of his power for an extended period. Still, Holliday could breakout as a talented table setter if he manages to find the outfield grass more than Jeremiah Jackson and Blaze Alexander.

Any significant change in fortune would require significant improvement from the starting rotation. Trevor Rogers has been getting absolutely shelled to the point that many are wondering if he’s tipping his pitches. Rogers inability to put away hitters, especially after his level of dominance last season, doesn’t compute.

Rogers will be a free agent at the end of the season. Last year, he looked like a player that the Orioles could not afford to let walk. He’s been a below replacement level player in 2026.

Speaking of replacements, the rotation has needed a few. Injuries to Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Cade Povich have already carved out a spot for Brandon Young. Young and Povich were the guys penciled in as pitching depth this season. Povich recently received a cortisone injection, and the Orioles have yet to provide a timetable for a return. The lack of additional depth has shifted more youngsters into the picture.

Trey Gibson already made his major league debut. Gibson, Baltimore’s second best pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline, already has two short big league stints under his belt. The 24-year-old is not currently on the 26-man roster, but he’ll be back at some point with a chance to make an impact. Unfortunately, even replacement-level pitching from Gibson or another Norfolk starter would represent an improvement of Rogers or Chris Bassitt.

There are other Norfolk starters by the way. Nestor German and Levi Wells both rank in the team’s Top 15 prospects. German and Wells look slightly less polished than Gibson, but the trio represent the latest wave of starting pitching hope with guys like Luis De León, Joseph Dzierwa, and Juaron Watts Brown still another click away.

I always find myself looking to these pitching groups when searching for optimism. Dreaming on pitching prospects is a right of passage for struggling teams. It’s more difficult when the team does not prioritize pitching in the draft, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Prospects like Gibson, German and Wells could make a positive impact at some point, but they can’t save the Orioles season. Vintage Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander aren’t walking through that door either. If this team wants to win, the guys already here need to play better. Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso have to perform like stars. Rogers and Shane Baz need to pitch to their “Cy Young potential.” Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser have to find a way to hit above the Mendoza line. It really seems to be that simple.

The Orioles are 21-28 with a -57 run differential. I refuse to completely throw in the towel before Memorial Day for the second consecutive year, but the search for optimism continues to be a struggle.

I’ve created a bit of a dilemma for myself. (Not Jonah Heim related.)

I’m at least reasonably committed to doing the Big Board… but all the questions that I’ve come up with, and that people submitted responses and confidence ratings to, are all scored at the end of the year — except the Braves’ manager one, which is the only one to assign points so far. I’ve wanted to do in-season questions that are resolved and scored sooner, but the 2026 Braves season, as great as it has been, hasn’t lent itself to that for whatever reason. With the Braves dominating, there just hasn’t been much worthwhile, meaty debate on stuff that should or could happen. (I also have a separate dilemma about the best way to score certain things, but… that will be its own series of posts as we get closer to the end of the season and the need for scoring things.)

With that said, I do think Drake Baldwin’s injury and the Braves’ current catching situation lends itself to an in-season question… but, unfortunately, it’s another one that can really only be resolved at the end of the year. Anyway, here goes…

As the Braves waited for Sean Murphy to recover from hip surgery, they signed Jonah Heim to a low-cost ($1.25 million) MLB deal. Heim was an elite defensive catcher from 2021-2023, and the Rangers’ title run coincided with him starting to hit a bit, too, garnering a 4 fWAR season in the process. However, his career fell apart afterwards. Maybe it was the wrist injury he suffered in 2023. Maybe it was something else less overt. But, he went back to not hitting, and more damningly, he went from a cream-of-the-crop defensive catcher to a below-average one. Despite playing for 400+ PAs in both 2024 and 2025, he clocked in below replacement, tallying a combined -0.6 fWAR in the process. His time with the Braves before he was traded was similar despite the small sample of 45 PAs: a .275ish xwOBA, and well below average defensive play. The only reason Heim ended up at +0.1 fWAR in that sample was because he massively outhit his xwOBA in those 45 PAs.

So, that’s Jonah Heim. But, with both Murphy and Baldwin down, the Braves’ other options are… also bad.

Sandy Leon is a 37-year-old veteran of 14 major league seasons who is about as replacement-level as they come. He has a .250ish career xwOBA, and was consistently below replacement from 2019-2025 because he simply can’t hit enough despite the decent defense he sometimes provides. He has a career 0.3 fWAR in 1,752 PAs. He also hasn’t actually provided useful defensive value since 2019, either. It’s not clear why the Braves really wanted Leon rather than some other option, enough to fish him out of the Mexican League when Murphy got hurt again, but here we are.

Chadwick Tromp is 31 years old and is largely a Quad-A catcher. His career xwOBA is even worse than Leon’s (in the .230s). He’s generally gotten positive defensive marks when he’s played enough to accrue them, but he only has 179 career PAs at the big league level. His 0.4 fWAR in that span kinda suggests that he might actually be a serviceable MLB backup catcher, but the problem is that he has a .264 wOBA / .234 xwOBA over those 179 PAs, and if he had a .234 wOBA instead, that positive value probably evaporates. Tromp hasn’t even hit in the minors since 2024. The upside is unclear, if it exists.

The Braves could go outside the organization for temporary help. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be a lot of options. Guys like Austin Wynns have been on the waiver wire recently, but they’re basically Leon-esque, no hit, some field, veteran options. Heim hasn’t been good in a while but was at least useful once; many of these waiver wire options have rarely gotten MLB exposure and haven’t done much when they have, even if they’ve been around the game for a decade or more.

So, here’s my question to you:

There are two “buckets” of production, for which we’ll use fWAR.

Bucket One is Jonah Heim, since the Braves traded him. (Irrespective of whether he goes anywhere else.) Right now, he has -0.2 fWAR in 20 PAs, which is a bizarrely hilarious -6 fWAR/600 PAs. This bucket consists of that -0.2, plus whatever else Heim does for the rest of the season.

Bucket Two is every non-Baldwin, non-Murphy player the Braves use at catcher this year. This includes Leon, Tromp, and anyone else they use as a stopgap. Leon is currently at -0.1 fWAR (-5.5 fWAR/600, in all of 11 PAs). Tromp had a single in his only PA yesterday, so he’s at 0.1 fWAR in 1 PA. (I’m not pro-rating that, el-oh-el.) This bucket consists of everything Leon, Tromp, and any other guys the Braves acquire to catch do for the team over the course of the season.

Your choices are as follows:

In the below, production means “taking Heim’s rate basis production and applying it over the set of PAs accrued by non-Baldwin, non-Murphy Braves catchers for the rest of the year.” Yes, this is subject to insane variation depending on how much Heim plays. But, there isn’t a better way to do this, I don’t think, because with Heim barely playing for the Athletics, while the Braves are forced to use multiple catchers due to injury, doing a straight-up fWAR basis wouldn’t work.

A: Bucket One (Heim) outproduces Bucket Two (Leon, Tromp, anyone else) by at least 1.0 fWAR. In other words, this is a meaningful difference.

B: Bucket One outproduces Bucket Two, but only by 0.5 to 0.9 fWAR. In other words, yeah, better production, but not really enough to swing anything.

C: Bucket One outproduces Bucket Two by less than 0.5 fWAR, which includes Bucket Two producing more than Bucket One.

Note that due to the quality of player we’re talking about here, “outproduce” can definitely mean less negative.

As usual with these, please assign a confidence score, where 5 is “I am absolutely certain this will occur” and 1 is “I have no idea but feel like participating in this anyway.” So, an answer would be something like A1 (you think it’d be funny if Heim was more productive but you aren’t staking much on it) or C5 (you are certain that the Braves won’t regret shipping Heim off). I kind of imagine that based on the types of people that have participated in these Big Board-soliciting questions, this will be heavily C3 through C5 rather than any As or Bs, but if you truly believe in Heim, here’s your chance to get some Big Board points and gloat later.

Just remember this old adage when thinking about the Cubs’ 5-2 loss to the Brewers and the current four-game losing streak: No team is as bad as it looks when on a losing streak. (Conversely, no team is as good as it looks when on a winning streak, and that includes this year’s Cubs.)

So exactly what sort of team is this Cubs team? A team that needs better starting pitching, for one. A team that needs a couple of key hitters to start hitting like they’re capable of. And a team that needs shutdown relief.

All of those things were in evidence Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field.

Everyone knew this was not going to be an easy game with Jacob Misiorowski throwing for Milwaukee. His numbers coming in were ridiculous: Of 202 batters faced before Tuesday, he’d struck out 80 of them — a 39.6 percent strikeout rate. And the Cubs couldn’t do anything with him for the first five innings, even while the first two Cubs hitters of the game reached base. Nico Hoerner walked and Michael Busch reached on an error. All that led to was an 0-for-3 with RISP — just for that inning alone. But the Cubs did make Misiorowski throw 26 pitches in the first inning, and that’s not a bad game plan against the Brewers fireballer — see if you can run up his pitch count and get him out of the game early.

It didn’t work, because over the next four innings, Misiorowski dispatched the Cubs on just 40 total pitches. They managed a single by Seiya Suzuki in the fourth and another single by Dansby Swanson in the fifth. Swanson was erased on a double play.

Meanwhile, Ben Brown didn’t have a terrible start. It wasn’t quite as good as his first two. He allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings, striking out six. The key to both the innings in which the Brewers scored, the first and third, were walks. A one-out walk in the first turned into a manufactured run for Milwaukee. A two-out walk in the third led to another such run, and the other run off Brown was on a wild pitch.

Basically, Brown had to be as good as Misiorowski to give the Cubs a chance, and he wasn’t. That’s not a knock on Brown, who looked decent enough. It’s just that the Cubs couldn’t do anything against Misiorowski. Hoerner, in the first inning, was the only Cubs runner past first base through six.

Here are Brown’s six strikeouts [VIDEO].

Jacob Webb threw a scoreless sixth and Caleb Thielbar, just returned from an IL stint, threw a scoreless seventh. So that’s good; perhaps the pen is stabilizing a bit.

Or, maybe it was before Trent Thornton threw the eighth. He allowed a one-out walk and after recording the second out, served up a home-run ball to Brice Turang.

At 5-0 entering the bottom of the eighth, this one appeared hopeless, but the Cubs did put together a rally. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single and took third when Miguel Amaya doubled into the ivy in left-center.

Nico’s single made it 5-1 [VIDEO].

Busch and Alex Bregman then struck out. After that, Ian Happ walked to load the bases. A single by Suzuki made it 5-2 [VIDEO].

So the bases are still loaded and the tying run is on base. Moisés Ballesteros, back in the lineup at DH, is the scheduled hitter against lefty Aaron Ashby. Craig Counsell sent Matt Shaw up to bat for Ballesteros, knowing that Pat Murphy would counter with a right-hander, which he did, calling Chad Patrick into the game.

Michael Conforto was sent up to bat for Shaw, which is obviously the matchup Counsell wanted. And Conforto, as you know, has had a flair for the dramatic lately.

Not this time, unfortunately. Conforto hit into a force play to end the inning.

Phil Maton entered the game to throw the ninth and that created visions of this 5-2 game becoming a 7-2 game or worse, given Maton’s recent failures. But Maton retired the Brewers 1-2-3. That provides at least a bit of hope that Maton can become a useful part of the Cubs bullpen.

The Cubs went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to end it. Swanson thought he had led off with a walk, but Brewers catcher William Contreras challenged the pitch and it wound up strike three [VIDEO].

Close, but definitely a strike.

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

With the loss and the Cardinals defeating the Pirates, the Cubs drop to third in the NL Central, virtually tied with St. Louis but a few percentage points behind. Both teams are half a game behind the Brewers.

So again… no team is as bad as it looks when on a losing streak. They just ran into a really good pitcher in this one (Bluesky link):

The Cubs are better than this, and they will win again. Many times. Hopefully, starting tonight at Wrigley Field when they attempt to avoid a sweep. Edward Cabrera will start for the Cubs and Kyle Harrison goes for the Brewers. Game time is again 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

On a long enough timeline the survival rate drops to zero. Water finds its level. Everything regresses to the mean. Insert your euphemism here. One of the things we notice with numbers is that over time they usually approach what we would have expected. Unfortunately for the Astros catchers, they are left with Christian Vazquez getting regular starts with Yainer Diaz out.

On Monday, we looked at the league average BPO and discovered that is currently sits at .663. Please feel free to go back and read that piece for a primer on bases per out. What we did there is look at the league average BPO, so that we can calculate and BPO+. Since we are introducing a new stat, I will also include OPS+ just to compare the two.

Obviously, that includes a ballpark adjustment for the three catchers as well. The Astros wound up with a 101 overall park factor so far on the season, so we multiply each player’s BPO by .995 (since half of their games are on the road) to get their BPO+. Obviously, some positions will naturally have more production than others. Let’s get this thing started.

Catcher BPO

One of the things we do to measure the efficacy of numbers is to compare them with other numbers we know have value. Yainer Diaz has a 69 OPS+, Vazquez has a 98 OPS+, and Salazar has a -5 OPS+. It is important to note how OPS and BPO are different. OPS is a nice, quick reference for offensive production (it explains approximately 90 percent of the variance in run production), but it has some significant holes.

The primary hole is a math problem that is difficult to get around. A player like Ty Cobb will have a .360 batting average. That means he will have at least a .360 OBP and a slugging percentage of at least .360. That’s a .720 OPS before we have even accounted for anything outside of batting average. Granted, there are no Ty Cobb’s running around, but there is Luis Arreaz of the Giants.

He has a 132 OPS+ due in large part to a .328 average through May 17th. His .807 OPS is not that impressive when you consider that .656 of it is tied up in batting average. His BPO+ is actually 113. I would still rather have him on my team than not, but one is reminiscent of an all-star and the other is reminiscent of a solid regular. That is because one counts batting average twice and the other does it once.

Vazquez’s numbers in April were unsustainable. Every predictive stat told us that. Part of that is that the power numbers just didn’t match the quality of the contact. The other part is that he is a 35 year old catcher that is suddenly playing five games a week. Even those of us that were souring on Diaz ideally wanted a work share between them.

Critics would correctly point out that you can’t have an all-star at every position and these numbers do not account for the defensive contributions of the player. This is where I would point to another feature I write over Battle Red Blog called “The Value of Things.” The concept is the same as the lab. Every player has an appropriate value and when players get their appropriate value then teams are usually able to afford more reinforcements.

Thankfully, Dana Brown did not extend Yainer Diaz like we would have liked to have seen him do after 2023 and 2024. I’d imagine that he will not end up at a 69 BPO+ when the season ends. His OPS+ last season was a 93 and that seems like a reasonable target for him. His OPS+ has dropped every year from 2023 on and it might very well drop to 85 or 90 this season.

From 1980 to 1988, the Astros kept throwing Alan Ashby out as their primary catcher. Each year they kept telling themselves he would only be the guy until they found someone better. In ten seasons (counting 1979) as the primary catcher, Ashby sported a 101 OPS. Diaz will end up being very similar and when you consider the defensive issues, the Astros will continue on with Diaz much the same way they continued on with Ashby all of those years.

Diaz will only be the guy as long as he is affordable and there is no one else better. Once one of those two things ceases to be the case, he will no longer be the regular catcher. With Walker Janek getting off to a rough start in Corpus Christi, there might not be any reinforcements any time soon. Vazquez and Salazar are here as long as they are cheap. That leaves the expansive world outside of Houston to shop for an improvement.

The last consideration will be the collective bargaining agreement. There will almost certainly be changes to the service time issue and that could also come with changes to arbitration and free agency. Diaz currently makes 4.5 million in arbitration. No one gets a pay cut in arbitration. So, Diaz could end up being a non-tender candidate if things don’t improve drastically. Otherwise you are looking at likely six or seven million for a below average catcher. Based on what you see, what are your recommendations?

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The Arizona Diamondbacks look to complete the sweep this afternoon against the San Francisco Giants, with first pitch scheduled for 3:40 p.m. ET at Chase Field. 

My Giants vs. Diamondbacks predictions are targeting Arizona to get the job done in the series finale, with the improving Merrill Kelly taking the hill. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, May 20. 

Who will win Giants vs Diamondbacks today: Diamondbacks moneyline (-127)

The Arizona Diamondbacks have looked solid in this series, winning the opener 12-2 before a 5-3 victory on Tuesday evening. The D-Backs own a 14-9 record at home, and they've gone 5-1 across the last six meetings with the San Francisco Giants. 

Merrill Kelly takes the mound for the hosts, and while his 5.91 ERA is concerning, he's been better lately. The right-hander has only allowed two earned runs across his previous two starts, and Kelly even threw a complete-game shutout last week against the Colorado Rockies. 

On the other side, Tyler Mahle owns a 1-5 record and 5.59 ERA, and he's given up nine earned runs across his last two outings. Also, Mahle has an alarming 8.38 ERA on the road. 

COVERS INTEL: Mahle isn't fooling anyone, with chase and whiff rates that rank in the 25th and 26th percentiles, respectively. 

Giants vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+105)

I don't expect either starter to be completely lights out, but I also don't see the rubber match being high-scoring. Five of their last seven meetings have cashed the Under, and we saw only eight runs scored on Tuesday. 

Mahle is prone to giving up runs, and the D-Backs offense is rolling, ranking ninth in runs scored. Kelly is starting to find his best after a shaky start to the campaign, and the Giants are 30th in runs scored and 27th in both wRC+ and home runs. 

You'll see another Arizona-heavy offensive performance here, similar to the rest of this series. Both bullpens, which have pitched well lately, will hold it down after the starters exit. 

Giants vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Giants +113 | Diamondbacks -136
• Run line: Giants +1.5 (-186) | Diamondbacks -1.5 (+153)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (+100) | Under 9 (-120)

Giants vs Diamondbacks trend

The Arizona Diamondbacks have hit the Moneyline in 31 of their last 50 games at home (+10.50 Units / 17% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Giants vs Diamondbacks and game info

Giants vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

Giants vs Diamondbacks weather

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Rangers 10, Rockies 0

• The Rangers, they are on a run-scoring bonanza.
• They Rangers have now scored at least 6 runs in their last three games, and in 5 of their last 7 games.
• However, the offense has to wait, because the story of the game has to be Kumar Rocker, right?
• Coming into this game, Rocker had allowed 18 runs on the season. 10 of those scored in the first inning. The Rangers decided, well, what if we don’t use Kumar Rocker in the first inning?
• So the Opener, which was in vogue in the late-teens, but whose use seems to have waned around MLB of late, got dusted off by Skip Schumaker and put on display Tuesday evening.
• Tyler Alexander was the official starter and faced four batters in a scoreless first, setting up Kumar Rocker to come into the game in the second inning and face the #5 batters in the Rockies’ lineup.
• Rocker did not get off to the greatest of starts in the second. Ezequiel Tovar smoked a line drive that was tracked down in deep left center, and then Troy Johnston and Tyler (Brother of Cody) Freeman each singled. Second inning Rocker looked a lot like first inning Rocker.
• Rocker then struck out Jake McCarthy swinging and Edouard Julien on a 4-3 ground out to end the inning, and end the best scoring chance the Rockies had all game. Colorado didn’t get another batter past first base.
• Rocker faced 28 batters in the game. Of the final 25 batters, he gave up a hit to one of them, walked three, and retired the other 21.
• It was, without question, the best outing of Rocker’s career, and an outing that reminded us why we were so hyped about Kumar Rocker heading into the 2025 season.
• Out of 103 pitches, Rocker threw his slider 44 times, generating 21 swings and 12 whiffs. Rocker had 19 swings and misses overall, easily the most he’s had in a game this season.
• The theory behind using an opener is that most starting pitchers are going to end up going through a lineup roughly two-and-a-half times. Using a starter in a traditional role, the top of the lineup — the opponent’s best hitters — will be the ones that a starter will have to face three times. With an opener, your starter gets the third time through the order penalty against the weaker hitters in the lineup, rather than the top of the lineup.
• In Rocker’s case, the third time through the order penalty wasn’t an issue — he faced 28 batters in the game. But coming into the game in the second inning, he was able to work out whatever kinks he was dealing with against the bottom of the order, rather than the top of the order.
• For the season, Rocker has an 11.25 ERA in the first inning, and a 1.95 ERA from the second inning on.
• I am willing to bet the Rangers go with an opener the next time Rocker is scheduled to pitch.
• The Rockies also went with an opener, but it didn’t go so well for them. When Sammy Peralta, who started for Colorado, left the game, the bases were loaded with two outs in the first and a pair of runs in.
• Things didn’t go a whole lot better for Tanner Gordon, who was the pseudo-starter/bulk guy for the Rockies. He got a groundout to get out of the first and leave the bases loaded — and there was grumbling about the Rangers getting only two runs in, and how this would cost them later in the game, especially with Rocker pitching — but he ultimately gave up 7 runs in 6.1 innings of work.
• Weird thing — in those 6.1 innings, Gordon faced 31 batters, but he only used 81 pitches. The Rangers weren’t up there working the count and wearing him down. Gordon was throwing strikes — he walked just one of those 31 batters — and the Rangers were hammering them.
• Texas had 16 hits in all, plus 6 walks and a hit batter, so maybe they should have scored more than 10 runs. They were 8 for 17 with runners in scoring position, though, so can’t complain there.
• Brandon Nimmo, who has been slumping lately, had a big game, going 3 for 4 with his first home run since April 17, earning a much deserved inning-plus off, with Sam Haggerty taking his place in the field in the eighth.
• In the 25 games since that home run in April, Nimmo had been slashing .219/.296/.281. Tuesday’s game raised his season OPS by 36 points, to 775 on the year.
• Ezequiel Duran had three more hits, including a pair of doubles. He’s now slashing .298/.358/.476 in one of the more (pleasantly) surprising developments of 2026.
• In fact, every starter got a hit in the game, except Alejandro Osuna, who was 0 for 4 with did draw a walk, and Andrew McCutchen, who led off the game with a walk and was pinch hit for in the second.
• Joc Pederson, who hit for McCutchen, had four hits, which, per the broadcast, was the most hits in a game in Rangers history for a player who did not start the game.
• Speaking of which…it ended up not mattering, due to it being a blowout. However, Skip Schumaker having McCutchen lead off, and then hitting for him with one out in the second, seems questionable to me.
• You knew that the Rockies were going to start the game with Peralta, a lefty, as the opener, and then go with the righthanded Tanner Gordon as the bulk guy. That’s why Alejandro Osuna and Evan Carter started, but were batting seventh and ninth, respectively.
• So why not start Pederson and hit him towards the bottom of the order as well? Why are you burning one of your four bench guys — and your top righthanded bench bat — for one plate appearance at the beginning of the game, setting yourself to Pederson potentially having to face a lefty in a key situation late in the game?
• The counter-argument is that the first batter of any inning is the most important batter of the inning, that you want to get to Peralta and get an early lead for Alexander and Rocker, and so having McCutchen’s one at bat being him leading off the first inning is no different than using a good reliever as an opener. And it worked, as McCutchen drew a walk to start the game and ended up scoring on Duran’s bases loaded double.
• But its a decision that I found curious.
• Texas remains a game behind the A’s in the West, due to their winning on Tuesday.
• However, Texas is now a game up on Seattle, who lost to the ChiSox 2-1 due to allowing a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. That’s gotta sting.
• Tyler Alexander hit 92.0 mph with his fastball. Kumar Rocker’s sinker topped out at 94.7 mph, averaging 93.4 mph. Jalen Beeks’ fastball reached 91.8 mph.
• Jake Burger had a 109.4 mph ground out. Alejandro Osuna had a 107.7 mph ground out. Brandon Nimmo had a 107.7 mph single and a 104.6 mph home run. Justin Foscue had a 106.9 mph double. Ezequiel Duran had a 106.4 mph single, a 105.4 mph fly out, and a 104.3 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 105.5 mph single and a 100.5 mph ground out. Josh Jung had a 105.4 mph fly out and a 103.0 mph fly out. Danny Jansen had a 101.5 mph double and a 101.2 mph line out.
• Now for another win on Wednesday to take the series and head into the off day on a (Rocky Mountain) high note.

Last month, I was given the opportunity to introduce a new series that I have been super excited to explore alongside all of you. It regards a trend we had noticed developing in the Yankees pitching room toward the end of the 2024 season. At that point, the league was still very much in the midst of the four-seamer craze that arose to counter the launch angle revolution. However, something was brewing inside the Yankees pitching lab, and bit by bit we started to see the return of a pitch many thought was made obsolete by this new era of steep swings and high spin — the sinker.

Now, I am thrilled to introduce the first installment in this series about the Yankees’ role in the return of the sinker, and who better to kick things off than perhaps the best pitcher in baseball right now, Cam Schlittler. In analyzing the underpinnings of Schlittler’s meteoric rise, a lot of the focus this season centers on a conversation he had with Gerrit Cole about how to get the most out of his cutter — namely to throw it at max effort. As much as I certainly agree that Schlittler’s newly elite cutter is the principal driver of his success, I also feel that not enough attention gets paid to the adjustments Matt Blake and the rest of the pitching coaches have helped him make on the sinker.

First, let’s start with the physical characteristics of the pitch. In his debut season of 2025, Schlittler’s sinker averaged 97.6 mph, 16.8 inches of vertical drop, and 12.5 inches of arm-side run. This year, it is averaging 97.3 mph, 18.2 inches of vertical drop, and 14.2 inches of arm-side run. There is no appreciable difference in spin rate, spin axis, or active spin from one year to the next, so this extra movement is likely down to a subtle shift in seam orientation at release, taking advantage of seam-shifted wake — turbulence in the laminar air flow across a baseball as it travels through the air caused by a seam’s position independent of the axis of spin — to create more sink and more lateral movement toward the right-handed hitter’s batter’s box.

Next, let’s look at the changes to the pitch’s usage. Schlittler threw the sinker just 6.1-percent of the time in 2025 — that’s up to a 19.1-percent usage rate through ten starts, Schlittler more than tripling the frequency with which he uses the pitch. In 2025, he threw the pitch almost exclusively to righties, only eight of the 76 he threw coming against lefties. The pitch doesn’t have anywhere near as pronounced of a platoon split, Schlittler throwing exactly one-third of his 171 sinkers to lefties. Last season he pretty much only targeted the arm-side edge of the zone with the sinker, burying it in on the hands of right-handed batters. He still tries to jam righties inside with the pitch, but he has also learned to throw it to the glove-side edge of the plate looking to steal a back-door called strike against righties or a front-door called strike against lefties. In this manner, he is able to induce chases and whiffs against sinkers in off the plate against righties and also earn the punch out looking when he starts the sinker in the left-handed batter’s box and allows the arm-side run to carry it into the zone.

Schlittler’s sinker got hit pretty hard in 2025 which perhaps explains his reluctance to use it. Batters were hitting .357 with a 15 degree average launch angle leading to more line drives and fly balls than you would expect against a sinker. This year, they are batting .185 with a zero degree average launch angle, taking the pitch from a 36.4-percent ground ball rate in 2025 to a 67.5-percent ground ball rate in 2026. This is likely down to a combination of factors including Schlittler’s improved command of the pitch, the greater variety of situations and locations he’s willing to throw it, and the improved movement on the pitch.

The most important development with Schlittler’s sinker is the way that it interacts with the other two fastballs in his arsenal, the four-seamer and cutter. A central topic in current pitching research is the importance for pitchers, especially starters, to throw multiple types of fastballs. Schlittler is perhaps the most extreme example of this paradigm, throwing his four-seamer, cutter, and sinker a combined 90.9-percent of the time. It is much harder for the hitter to distinguish one fastball from another than it is to distinguish a fastball from a slider or curveball, meaning that three different pitches that look exactly the same out of the pitcher’s hand can land in very different locations once they get to home plate.

I’ve found that Schlittler has become quite adept at tunneling his sinker with his four-seamer. Check out this example below, a two-pitch sequence against Pete Alonso in the beginning of May:

Schlitter throws a four-seamer pretty much down the middle, the velocity taking it right by Alonso. He then aims a sinker at the exact same starting point, yet the pitch ends up almost a foot inside off the plate, leading to a very awkward check-swing strike from Alonso. It’s no wonder Schlittler throws so many fastballs when he can make the hitter look silly like this throwing just gas.

We all know about the massive jump in velocity that earned Schlittler his call-up in 2025. We also have learned about how instrumental Cole’s advice was in turning Schlittler’s cutter into an almost untouchable pitch. But I truly feel that Schlittler’s gains with the sinker are just as important in transforming him into an ace who looks like he can take the league by storm for years to come.

Meet the Mets

The Mets blew an early five run lead in Washington, losing the game 9-6 to the Nationals. All nine runs were given up by Nolan McLean during his 5.2 innings, though only six were earned.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic

The Mets continued their youth movement by calling up outfield prospect Nick Morabito.

Morabito will add to the speed and athleticism that’s at the core of their influx of young prospects.

Morabito wore the number 8, which has not been given to any player since 2001, frozen to honor Gary Carter.

The number won’t last long, however, as he’ll switch to the number 55, a number he chose for himself.

And despite all the hoopla over the use of Gary Carter’s number, Carter himself might not have cared as much.

The Mets’ youth movement was aided in part by the departures of both Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.

The Mets added left-handed pitcher Anderson Severino to the 40-man roster, transferred Clay Holmes to the 60-day injured list, and designated Austin Slater for assignment.

Zach Thornton will start tonight’s game against the Nationals without an opener.

Around the National League East

The Marlins know they need to fix their historically hapless franchise, and they’re willing to go to extremes to do so.

The Braves selected Chadwick Tromp to the roster to replace Drake Baldwin, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain.

The Nationals recalling Dylan Crews to the majors isn’t just shuffling deck chairs, as he’s made significant changes and improvements during his time in Triple-A.

The Braves came from behind to beat the Marlins 8-4. Matt Olson was in the center of the action as usual, collecting two hits and two walks while driving in three of Atlanta’s eight runs.

The Phillies had no answer for the Reds, losing 4-1. Jesus Luzardo gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, struck out five, walked two, and got the loss.

Around Major League Baseball

Almost two months into the season, there have been some lessons to take away from the newly-implemented ABS challenge system.

The Twins optioned former first overall pick Royce Lewis today and selected the contract of Orlando Arcia.

Jacob Misiorowski may be the hardest throwing starting pitcher of all time.

Michael Conforto is having a good season, albeit in a limited role, but he also had some help this past week from a faulty ABS challenge.

Gerrit Cole will be making his return from Tommy John surgery on Friday against the Rays.

Following the verbal altercation between Pete Crow-Armstrong and a fan, Crow-Armstrong has been fined an undisclosed amount of money.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

A Pod of Their Own released a new episode.

Steve Sypa returned with this season’s eighth edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

Sypa also helped us become familiar with the newly called-up outfielder Nick Morabito.

This Date in Mets History

Robin Ventura became the first player in major league history to hit a grand slam in both games of a double header in 1999.

The Detroit Tigers lost another close game on Tuesday night, succumbing to the Cleveland Guardians, 4-3, in a matchup that saw the good guys go 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 runners on base. And thus the futility continues…

It looks like AJ Hinch is planning for a bullpen day on Wednesday evening, as no starting pitcher has been announced on MLB Probable Pitchers as of the time of publication, but we do know that right-hander Tanner Bibee will be taking the mound for the visitors.

Bibee’s numbers this season have been suppressed by a couple of outlier outings in what has been mostly a solid campaign so far, despite his ugly record. Four of his 10 starts have been of the quality variety, including his last two, which have seen him put up a 2.84 ERA and 3.59 FIP over 12 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits (one home run) and four walks while striking out 11 and hitting a batter.

Last couple of times the 27-year-old faced the Tigers were in his final two outings of the 2025 campaign — a pair of six-inning, one-run efforts for his 11th and 12th wins of the season.

Detroit Tigers (20-29) vs. Cleveland Guardians (28-22)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 50: TBA vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (0-6, 4.15 ERA)

BIBEE

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The Philadelphia Phillies seek a seventh straight series win when they play the rubber match of their three-game set with the visiting Cincinnati Reds this afternoon.

Cincinnati, however, has been mighty comfortable as an underdog in this head-to-head, which is why my Reds vs Phillies predictions and free MLB picks are siding with the road team on Wednesday, May 20.

Who will win Reds vs Phillies today: Reds moneyline (+127)

In his most recent outing, Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the Pirates, surrendering six runs on six hits, including two homers. It was the third time in five starts he’s allowed at least five earned.

His stuff simply isn't playing anymore, and his barrel and hard-hit rates rank in the 31st and 37th percentiles, respectively.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati Reds starter Andrew Abbott has allowed one earned run in his last three starts, rocking a microscopic 0.54 ERA in May.

Coupled with the Reds’ offense in the last two weeks (Top 8 in runs, average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS) and a 3-1 record against the Phillies as an underdog in the last four, it's their series to take, and I'll take this plus-money pricetag against a scuffling Nola any chance I get.

COVERS INTEL:Nathaniel Lowe sat out Tuesday's win, but the DH will surely be in the lineup against Nola, whom he’s owned in a small sample, going 4-for-7 with a home run.

Reds vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+104)

The last seven meetings between the Reds and Phillies have produced an Under record of 6-0-1, with only one matchup touching a combined nine runs.

The Phillies have been an Under machine, going 8-1-0 in their last nine overall. They rank just 20th in scoring, and neither team has lit the world on fire, boasting identical below-averagewRC+ ratings of 93 (tied for 21st in MLB).

With Abbott in a groove and Nola struggling, it’s shaping up for the Reds to carry this to victory, but falling Under the 8.5-run line.

Reds vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Reds +127 | Phillies -133
• Run line: Reds +1.5 (-156) | Phillies -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-108)

Reds vs Phillies trend

Cincinnati has held Philadelphia to one run or less in three of the last four matchups. Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Phillies.

How to watch Reds vs Phillies and game info

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At the beginning of the season, Dodgers fans were prepared for Miguel Rojas’s swan song as a big league player. That was the case until he stated that he would have one more go-around if the Dodgers won a third consecutive championship.

There is still much to be discussed between Rojas and his family, as the infielder spoke with David Vassegh of AM 570 ahead of Tuesday’s win over the San Diego Padres about the certainty— or, lack thereof— of his decision to announce his retirement after this year.

“This is my last year— that is something that I said last year,” Rojas told Vassegh. “There’s one possibility, and it’s winning another championship. I’m going to have to sit down with my wife and see what is out there for me, especially with this organization, because I would not want to play for any other team that is not the Dodgers at this point of my life and my career.”

Mookie Betts had Angels outfielder Jo Adell as the most recent guest on the On Base with Mookie Betts podcast, where the two of them discussed how both their teams have or had managed Shohei Ohtani, with both downplaying why Ohtani might be struggling on either side just because he is simply that talented.

Per Betts: “If he doesn’t get a hit or he has a couple bad games, it’s like, ‘What’s wrong with Shohei?’ I mean he did just go seven inning, two hits, he does have a 0.7 ERA. You forget all the other ways he really affects the game.”

Per Adell: “His tenacity and focus when it comes to getting it done, he’s just a force.”

Newly acquired Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer was activated on Tuesday and is slated to make his Dodger debut in the starting rotation next week. Along with joining the team that beat his Blue Jays in the World Series last year, Lauer will be reuniting with pitching coach Mark Prior. Their previous relationship within the Padres’ farm system has Lauer hopeful that they both can get the left-hander back to form, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“He was pretty spot-on as far as what I was thinking, what I was feeling and what I’m looking to do. What I think can get me back to where I was and just being the best version of myself,” Lauer said. “He’s very open to what I think, too, and that’s the nice thing. It’s conversation. It’s not just, ‘Hey, do this.’ It’s not a drill sergeant or anything. It’s very based on how I feel and what I want and what I think.”

Happy Wednesday, everyone, and we hope this week is treating you well. If it’s not, well, at least it’s halfway done, now. In today’s news round-up, we’ll look at the latest victim of loose bodies in the elbow, and why Tarik Skubal’s speedy recovery timeline might make him feel a little better. We also look at one Blue Jays player who needs to start playing October baseball in May, while one player who hasn’t appeared at all this season is ready to help his team get to October.

We’ve got all sorts of good tidbits for you today, so grab your coffee and let’s jump right in.

• Jay Jaffe reports that Blake Snell is the most recent pitcher who will miss time due to loose bodies in the elbow.
• On that topic, Tigers’ Ace Tarik Skubal is already throwing bullpen sessions after his loose bodies procedure was completed. Story by Cody Stavenhagen. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Perla Paredes looks at the trick play that actually worked for the Braves.
• Some much-too-early predictions as to who could appear in the All-Star Game. (MLB)
• Stephanie Apstein explains why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. excels in October, but the Blue Jays need him right now.
• Jorge Castillo reports that Gerrit Cole will finally make his season debut with the Yankees this week.
• If I had to see this, you had to see this. (Here’s a direct link to the Bluesky post if you’re reading on Apple News)

• Jay Jaffe explains how the Padres managed to find themselves atop the NL West.
• Ryan Blake looks at the debut of Mariners’ rookie Colt Emerson amidst the team’s recent slump.
• Mike Petriello wonders if the Brewers have the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball.
• Tom Verducci explains why Konnor Griffin is the most precocious millionaire in baseball.
• Salvador Perez pushed umpire Laz Diaz to the brink after multiple ABS challenges. Story by Kyle Koster.
• Jim Bowden looks at every team’s outlook and where they’ll likely be at the trade deadline. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• The Field of Dreams has landed a very big donation to help the completion of a new stadium for MLB exhibition games as well as a new Northwoods League team. Story by Kevin Reichard.
• Two Japanese greats from two generations.

• Tyler Samaniego had a near-perfect start to his season, but he’s not perfect anymore. Story by David Laurila.
• Speaking of Boston pitching… Brayan Bello has lost velo and hitters have a read on his fastballs. That spells trouble. Story by Michael Baumann.
• Could Jackson Holliday be changing positions with the Orioles? Story by Brian Murphy.
• Kyle Koster explains why the Nationals are such a weird team.
• Why the Tigers have become one of the worst teams in baseball. Story by Kyle Koster.
• Ken Rosenthal shares Bo Bichette’s feelings about his rough season start. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This feels like one of those brain teaser games.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

For the last seven years, Colorado Rockies baseball has been many things, but “boring” rarely made the list.

Instead, we were treated to a chaotic roller coaster. They didn’t just lose games: They lost them in spectacular, historic fashion. They had public front-office feuds, bullpen implosions that defied the laws of physics, and forced us all to hear way too much about teams like the 1895 Louisville Colonels, which featured players named Tug Welch and Ducky Holmes. Every week brought new, creative ways to raise your blood pressure.

It was stressful. It was exhausting. It was a 162-game existential crisis wrapped in a baseball uniform.

On the other, hand the 2026 Rockies are, for lack of better words, kind of boring.

But before you mistake that for a complaint, let me clarify: Being boring is the best thing to happen to this team in years.

The comforts of being boring

The first month of the season for the new-look Rockies was fairly exciting. After losing 119 games in 2025, the Rockies came out playing a much-improved brand of baseball with a new lineup and pitching staff. They reached milestones in the win column that hadn’t been reached until the mid-June last season. The pitching was better, the offense was kind of shaky, but overall it was more interesting.

However, things have predictably regressed in May. The Rockies have lost quite a few games as pitching has struggled, and the offense has tried to fight off slumps. Still, things are nowhere near as bad as they were in 2025 and the team has , generally, played competitive ball.

The defense is making the routine plays. The pitching staff is eating innings without setting the world on fire. The offense isn’t exploding for 15 runs, but they aren’t getting shut out by a guy making his MLB debut, either.

There is also very little roster turnover. Fans are always quick to pull the rip cord on a struggling player, but a difference this season is that the team is not being reactive. Moves are being based on need rather than desperation. A significant indication of this fact is that the team has utilized just two rookies this season.

Boring means stability.

A toxic, high-drama losing environment is a terrible place to develop young talent. When a franchise is a walking dumpster fire, every mistake a rookie makes gets magnified under a microscope of organizational panic. Young players press, they try to do too much, and their development stalls out under the weight of a broken culture.

But in a boring environment? A young player can strike out with runners on, go back to the dugout, look at the tablet, and figure it out without feeling like they just ruined the season. The pressure is lowered because the baseline is stable. Both young and experienced players are allowed to make their routine adjustments quietly, tucked away in the middle of a functional lineup, rather than being asked to be savior-of-the-franchise figures.

It’s understandable to want winning baseball — that’s what we all want — but 2026 is all about the climb.

The Rockies have barely started up the trail, and there is growth happening. The big-league team is learning how to compete and win at the big-league level. The organization is figuring out how to win from top to bottom and implement systems that will reap benefits. There is comfort knowing there is a plan behind the rebuild, and boring baseball that isn’t historic for all the wrong reasons is a major step forward.

The Minor League excitement

If you are longing for excitement from Rockies baseball, the farm system may have what you’re looking for.

The Albuquerque Isotopes have played much better baseball this season. There is a healthy blend of external players that were brought for leadership and depth purposes and top prospects that are finding their footing. The Isotopes are putting patience at the plate into practice, which is what the organization is hoping to instill across the system. The Rockies are letting prospects get sufficient time to be ready to face big-league pitching.

There is also excitement to be found in the lower levels with teams like the Fresno Grizzlies. Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) and Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) are bringing plenty of flair to the offense, and there are plenty of quality pitching performances. Fresno is playing some of the best ball in the system, and it’s a testament to the changes bubbling under the surface for Colorado.

The minors represents baseball in its purest form, and it’s exciting because you get to watch growth in real time and development for the future of the big-league club.

Lowering the bar to raise the floor

Look, I’m not trying to convince you that this is a secret powerhouse hiding in plain sight. The National League West is still a buzzsaw, and nobody is printing playoff tickets in Denver just yet.

But there is a distinct beauty in a team that stops beating itself.

For years, watching the Rockies felt like watching someone try to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions while the house was on fire. Right now, it feels like they’ve finally found the Allen wrench. They are executing the boring plays, minimizing the catastrophic mistakes, and staying competitive.

In the grand scheme of a long season, boring means stability. It means we can watch a game on any given night and actually enjoy the baseball, rather than treating it like a psychological endurance test. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

The Rockies don’t have to be great right now. They just have to be enjoyable or, at the very least, serviceable.

Before you can become good, you first have to stop being a disaster. You have to raise the floor.

By becoming boring, the Rockies have finally stopped beating themselves. They have replaced the chaotic, unpredictable lurches from crisis to crisis with something resembling a standard Major League baseball operation.

It just feels like baseball. And after everything this fanbase has been through over the last few years, I will take a boring weeknight win, or even a boring loss, every single time.

On the farm

Triple-A:Las Vegas Aviators 16, Albuquerque Isotopes 8

A disastrous seventh inning that saw Las Vegas score eight runs ended up playing the difference in the Isotopes 16-8 loss. Sean Sullivan started on the mound and struggled through his 4.2 innings of work, allowing seven runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts. The seventh inning fell apart for Victor Juarez, but only three runs were earned as the Isotopes committed five total errors on the night. Offensively, Chad Stevens led the way with two hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Charlie Condon also had a much-needed multi-hit game, while Andrew Knizner also had two hits and drove in three runs.

Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4, Hartford Yard Goats 3 F/10

The Yard Goats held on to a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Fisher Cats managed to tie things up and eventually put up a two-spot in the bottom of the 10th for a walk-off victory. Ryan Feltner made the rehab start on the mound for Hartford and delivered 3.2 innings of work, allowing just three hits while striking out four. Offensively, the team had eight hits, with Braylen Wimmer knocking a pair of doubles.

High-A:Spokane Indians 9, Vancouver Canadians 2

Spokane rode a six-run bottom of the seventh inning, aided by a two-run eighth, to victory as they tallied 10 hits against Vancouver. Eight players had at least one hit for the Indians, seven of whom were starters in the game. Alan Espinal and Robert Calaz each had two hits while Jacob Humphrey led the way with three RBI. Surprisingly, Spokane had just two extra-base hits. Both were doubles from Humphrey and Tommy Hopfe. Jackson Cox started on the mound, allowing two runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

Low-A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11, Fresno Grizzlies 8

Despite out-hitting Rancho Cucamonga 13-11, the Fresno Grizzlies’ pitching struggled with run prevention in the 11-8 loss. Every batter had at least one hit for Fresno, with four notching two hits, and Roldy Brito led the way with three RBI. The team had more walks than strikeouts, but the rally fell short in the latter innings. Marcos Herrera made the start and recorded just two outs in the first inning, giving up four runs on four hits, including three home runs. Manuel Olivares followed in relief and completed three innings, but also gave up four runs on four hits with four walks. Yanzel Correra then tossed 2.1 perfect innings with four punch outs before giving way to Jhon Medina who then allowed three runs in two innings of work.

Ethan Holliday, the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect, is swinging a hot bat for Single-A Fresno ($)| Denver Post

Patrick Saunders checks in on Holliday and how things are going down in Fresno.

Gold Glove Infielder Ezequiel Tovar Finding Rhythm for Rockies | Colorado Rockies on SI

Ezequiel Tovar’s struggles have been quite evident thus far but he has been getting better. At-bats are improved and he’s starting to make more solid contact.

Affected by Altitude Episode 211: May Doldrums | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the boredom of May and the struggles of Michael Lorenzen.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Kansas City Royals’ plan for playing slugger Jac Caglianone has been a point of frustration for Royals fans. The Kansas City Star provided insights into the team’s methodology.

But Quatraro and general manager J.J. Picollo see his playing time as part of a broader and more intricate matrix. And you can’t say their thinking isn’t reasonable and measured — even if you’d rather they not douse the buzz that way.

Partly, it’s about their view of Caglianone as a work in progress. Partly it’s about Quatraro’s desire to keep the bench sharp when called upon. And, most of all, it’s about what they believe creates the best chance to win on any given day. Trying to usher along Caglianone and simultaneously seeking to seize the day don’t have to be mutually exclusive, of course — a topic in itself for another time.

But it’s also true that the Royals haven’t exactly muzzled Caglianone, who on Monday at Kauffman Stadium started for the 37th time in 48 games this season, and whom Quatraro noted is on pace for 500-plus plate appearances.

When I put that point to Picollo, he said “Actually, I’ll correct you: He’s on pace for a little bit more than that.”

Royals second baseman Michael Massey talks about a close play at the plate against the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

“That was a tough one,” Massey acknowledged. “I actually just went and looked at the play with Duper (replay coordinator Bill Duplissea), and I was running and I had the lane toward the catcher, which is where I was going to go, and then the throw — he did a good job as a catcher, he followed the rule and he gave me the lane — the throw led him in there, so he was allowed to kind of cover the plate to go get the ball. “But it was last second, so he kind of covered the lane I was going for, and then I either had two options. Either I truck him or dodge to the left and try to score, and in that split second. I just tried to make a juke move, and get my hand in there. But yeah, you know, so it was a legal play by him and just a tough break.”

Don’t worry, the Royals know they have issues in the middle of the lineup. Now, only if they would do something about it.

But the biggest talking point surrounding the Royals this season is the lack of production from the middle of the order. Vinnie Pasquantino has a .198/.279/.331 slash line this year, while Salvador Perez has a .201/.244/.346 line. No one in the American League has more plate appearances (54) with runners in scoring position than Pasquantino; his .434 OPS in those situations are fourth-worst in the AL among qualified players.

“Let’s face it: We’ve got our No. 3 and 4 hitters that are struggling right now,” general manager J.J. Picollo said pregame Monday. “They know how valuable they are to the team. What we have to keep reminding them is how important to the team [they are]. Just because you’ve had a tough start doesn’t mean that’s how you’re going to finish.

“… We have a lot of history to lean on with those two. We know that they’re run producers. And they will be run producers. It’s just a matter of when, and that’s why we need to keep running them out there, because they’ve done it before at this level.”

Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and home plate umpire Laz Diaz had some fun on Monday after Perez successfully challenged two of Diaz’s calls.

pic.twitter.com/pn1RwpreXa

— Foul Territory (@bsbls885) May 19, 2026

ConnectKC26, the bus system in Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is coming to Kauffman Stadium.

What can the Royals do about their road woes, according to Royals Keep?

So where do the Royals go from here? There are a few options that the Royals could go with. The first, and the one that seems the most likely, is to keep things where they are and just trust that the players you have now will improve over the course of the season. This plan has a better chance of not working than working, but the roster is what it is, and the fans will have to put up with it for the foreseeable future.

Another option is to make some moves at the deadline. JJ Piccolo can use some of the pitching depth he has at his disposal and trade it for a reliable bat who excels in driving in runs or more bullpen arms. The third, and most drastic option, is to blow it all up and trade players who could give you the most value (Wacha, Ragans, Witt, Kyle Isbel, etc.) This option would make more sense if the woes for the Royals were to continue, but we’re still in May, so the chances of this happening are slim to none. However, there is a lot of value you could get by making big trades like this. Hopefully, the Royals won’t get to that point and that this team will improve as the season goes on, but only time will tell.

Also, they look at whether Royals outfielder Starling Marte deserves more plate appearances and how he could cut into Issac Collins’ playing time.

I’m not saying Marte should completely replace Collins. However, once a week seems sufficient, especially since Collins can be very hot and cold at times at the plate. He is hitting .130 with a .174 slugging percentage in his last 24 at-bats. The former Brewers outfielder could use a day off, with Marte taking his place in the lineup and in left field.

It’s not a major change, which is what the Royals need, especially with Vinnie and Salvy not looking dramatically better at the plate lately. Kansas City needs an impact hitter, and that likely will have to come through the trade market.

That said, the Royals need all the positive production they can get on their active roster, especially since it’s too early to make a trade.

Quatraro might as well roll the dice and see what else Marte has left in the tank, especially against right-handed starting pitchers.

The Royals check in at 24th in Jim Bowden’s performance ranking, including looking at where the team stands on the trade market.

The Royals have also disappointed this season. They are in the bottom third of the league in team ERA and runs scored. Led by Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha, the rotation has been mostly solid, but Cole Ragans has battled injuries and hasn’t gotten back to that 2024 version of himself and Noah Cameron has really struggled. Though Lucas Erceg and Daniel Lynch have been effective in the back-half of the Royals’ bullpen, they’ve been without closer Carlos Estévez for most of the year, which has thinned their depth.

Offensively, they’re led by the best shortstop in the game in Bobby Witt Jr. but the rest of their core — Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone — have all under-achieved.

Trade deadline position: Wait and see. Like the Tigers, I think the Royals will get back in the race for the AL Central, so there’s no need to panic early with this team. If things go south, they could dangle both Lugo and Wacha at the deadline. If they buy, help at second base, the outfield and bullpen are the three biggest needs.

Kansas City drops to 26th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings.

Wish you were here: World Baseball Classic Vinnie Pasquantino

A lot can happen in 70 days. Back then, Pasquantino was crushing espresso shots and leading Team Italy on a Cinderella run through this year’s World Baseball Classic. His three homers in one game were a WBC first, and he finished with a .970 OPS and more walks (7) than strikeouts (5), giving Royals fans outsized hope that he could carry that production into the season. So much for that. Pasquantino has a 74 wRC+ on the year, with just five homers in 45 games. His batted-ball data is worse than 2025, so he’s not entirely unlucky. Perhaps the Royals should pry back the espresso machine from the winning bidder. — Flores

The Washington Post is asking the same question every Royals fan is, and the organization fails to answer.

The Miami Marlins’ unusual processes are starting to show undeniable results.

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle takes a temperature check of the ABS system through the early part of 2026.

The Minnesota Twins demoted Royce Lewis, a former top overall pick, to the minors.

The Athletic has some scouting reports on newly promoted players or prospects to keep tabs on.

Hear from the teenage umpire in this viral baseball video.

The early season results are not going well for Boston Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.

The New York Knicks’ playoff run is valuable to the fanbase, but even more so to Madison Square Garden.

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is heading to jail for violating his probation.

Super Bowl LXIV, the 2030 iteration, is heading to Nashville.

Lance Brozdowski takes a look at pitchers around the league, including San Francisco Giants’ Robbi Ray hitting the dreaded wall.

Nate Silver reflects on ABC’s scrubbing and total loss of FiveThirtyEight.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Monarchs for winning their home opener! If you are looking for more baseball to watch for free, you can watch their games and the whole league’s here.

Texas Roadhouse is about to get even pricier.

The graduation rate in Kansas City Public Schools is on the rise.

Today’s song of the day is Nothing What It Seems by Tyler Nance and Jackson Dean.