With their team up 4-0 and seemingly on the cusp of the Stanley Cup Final, Carolina Hurricanes fans took a playful shot at the struggling visitors.
Fans at Raleigh's Lenovo Center broke out into a boisterous "Olé" chant during the second period — the same chant that is frequently heard during Montreal Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.
Carolina fans have plenty to celebrate. Up 3-1 in the series, the Hurricanes appear poised to book their first Stanley Cup Final ticket since they won it all in 2006.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is seen during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yuichi Masuda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Phillies are back at it on Saturday, with Roki Sasaki on the mound for the home team, for his final start of May. In his first four start of the month, the right-hander has a 3.52 ERA and 3.94 xERA with 21 strikeouts against five walks in 23 innings.
Left-hander Jesús Luzardo starts for the Phillies, so expect to see starts for Santiago Espinal — now back — at third base and Miguel Rojas at second base in the middle game of the series.
Playing in just his second rehab game with Double-A Binghamton, Jorge Polanco made his presence felt on Friday night.
The Mets veteran was in as the DH and had walked in his first two at-bats before coming up with in the fifth inning with runners on first and second base.
Polanco made the most of the scoring opportunity, blasting a three-run home run over the right field wall against Portland Sea Dogs RHP Cade Feeney, giving the Rumble Ponies a 3-0 lead.
It's Polanco's first HR and second hit during his rehab assignment, having gone 1-for-2 with a single on Wednesday. He was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the seventh inning by TT Bowens, finishing the day 1-for-1 with three RBI and two walks.
The DH/1B will play again with Binghamton on Saturday and then get an off day on Sunday as nears a return to the majors, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said earlier Friday. The team will then take it day-by-day and he could be back for the next road trip, mostly playing DH.
Polanco has been out with Achilles bursitis and a wrist issue since April 14 and is hitting just .179 with one home run and two RBI through 14 games.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 26: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees celebrates his home run with Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 26, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After an up-and-down homestand, the Yankees opened this week with a quite successful series in Kansas City against the Royals. Now, it’s time for them to go even further west as they take on the Athletics in West Sacramento.
The A’s come into this series just half a game back in the AL West standings, although with a 27-29 record, that says more about the division than anything. Even so, they did take two of three over the Yankees back in the Bronx in April. They have an interesting offense, as while they’re about league-average, they do have the third-most hits in the Junior Circuit. Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, and the surprising Carlos Cortes are their best hitters thus far, all with an OPS+ over 145. Brent Rooker has disappointed so far, but he can’t be overlooked thanks to his 106 homers and two All-Star appearances since the start of 2023.
As the Yankees look to get the weekend off to a good start, Carlos Rodón will take the mound. While his time since coming back from the injured list has been iffy, Rodón is coming off his best appearance so far. The lefty went five innings with three hits, three walks, and one run allowed, striking out a third of the batters he faced (seven in total). His main issue has been walks; if he can get that under control he’d be set. Elsewhere in the lineup, there are no major surprises.
On the mound for the A’s will be our old friend Luis Severino. Sevy’s numbers on the whole this year are a bit above average, but it should be noted that his splits in road games are much better than at home, where he sports a 5.55 ERA. The man has made his distaste for this facility well-known.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch the action, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread!
How to watch:
Location: Sutter Health Park — West Sacramento, CA
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 13: Santiago Espinal #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a home run during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a left hamstring strain, which he suffered during Wednesday night’s win over the Colorado Rockies. Ryan Ward got called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to help fill in in left field with Hernández out. That was the expected move, but it wasn’t all.
Santiago Espinal also re-signed with the Dodgers, after getting designated for assignment on Monday and cleared waivers on Wednesday. Hyeseong Kim was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, giving Alex Freeland more of a runway at second base, especially against right-handed pitchers.
Hernández suffered the injury in the third inning on Wednesday running out a groundout, and expressed frustration in the dugout before finally retreating to the clubhouse. There’s never a good time for an injury, but the timing was especially rough for Hernández, who found his hitting stroke of late after a three-week stretch with no extra-base hits. Hernández in his last 16 games hit .364/.419/.600, with three home runs, four doubles, and a 186 wRC+.
It’s a Grade 1 hamstring injury for Hernández, manager Dave Roberts said, the mildest severity, though there is not yet a timetable for his return.
With Hernández out, left field will likely be split between Alex Call, a right-handed hitter, and the lefty-batting Ward. After playing two games for the Dodgers in April while Freddie Freeman was on paternity leave, Ward in Triple-A struggled, hitting .211/.346/.312 with an 80 wRC+ and only six extra-base hits in his last 29 games. While Ward has played more first base this season in Oklahoma City — 27 starts, compared to nine in left field — he’s played plenty of corner outfield in Triple-A with 122 starts in left field and 92 starts in right field since the start of 2023.
Call this season has started 11 games in a fill-in capacity all over the outfield — six starts in left, four in right, and once in center field — hitting .294/.413/.373 with four doubles and a 132 wRC+ in 63 plate appearances.
“It’s not a complete platoon,” Roberts said. “I see Ryan Ward taking some at-bats versus right, I see Alex Call taking some at-bats versus left. But today, where Wheeler is just a really good pitcher, I want Alex to be in there, and feel that Alex can manage him and take some good at-bats.”
Ward will likely start on Sunday against right-hander Andrew Painter, Roberts said.
When Espinal was jettisoned on Monday, he left a Dodgers roster that had both Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández. But within three days they lost both players, depleting the right-handed depth. The other right-handed option already on the 40-man roster is Tyler Fitzgerald, who has played third base, shortstop, second base, left field, and right field in Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers opted instead for the familiarity of Espinal, who played sparingly in his previous stint on the roster, with only 44 plate appearances in his 53 games active, and had just four hits in 26 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, against whom he has a career 104 wRC+.
“With a star-studded team, you also have to have guys that know their roles. Espy is a guy that is good on the team, understands his value, is ready when called upon, and I trust him defensively,” Roberts said. “I like him versus left-handed pitching. I think having him back is pretty seamless too, because we only lost him for a few days.”
Look for Espinal to start on Saturday against left-hander Jesús Luzardo, likely at third base as the Dodgers ease Max Muncy back in after getting hit by a pitch on his wrist.
Kim was the odd man out, after just eight hits in 46 at-bats (.174/.250/.174) with 17 strikeouts over the last three weeks.
“I think his swing has changed, I think he’s losing his legs a little bit, and he’s coming around the ball a little. There’s a lot more swing and miss than there was early. I think he is just playing a little bit more tentative, to my eyes, and not as free and easy as he was in some parts of last year and early on,” Roberts said. “Getting him back to playing everyday [in Triple-A] in a little bit less of a hotbox, he’ll perform back to where he can and will. That’s kind of what we were hoping for.”
To make room on the 40-man roster for Espinal, Blake Snell was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Snell, who had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow on May 19, isn’t eligible to return until July 11 — just two days before the All-Star break — at the earliest.
Jett Buck does it in the field and at the plate today | Nebraska Athletics
They showed up! Nebraska fans turned out in mass to cheer on their Cornhusker baseball team on a day that flipped back and forth from light rain to beautiful sunshine. Hosting a regional for the first time in 18 years, the seats were full in the stadium with an announced sell out and the berms were full. Along the rails around the field people were standing three-deep trying to get a glimpse of the action on the field.
Nebraska’s top starter Carson Jasa took the mound for Nebraska against the familiar opponent from north of the border. Jasa brought a 9-2 record to his matchup against SDSU starter Sam Schlecht (4-4). Both of them are tall right handers, but their collection of pitches could not be any different with Jasa the flamethrower and Schlecht being the master of the change up and off-speed stuff.
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 29, 2026
Nebraska threatened early but could not muster a run, leaving two runners on base in each of the first two innings, and another one in the third. They struggled with Schlecht’s change-up and were not able to put the barrel of the bat on the ball.
The Jacks put runners on the corners in the top of the third thanks to a walk and a hit, but a very slick double-play turned by Dylan Carey and Rhett Stokes bailed Jasa out of the inning with no damage done.
Jett Buck led off the bottom of the fourth ripping a liner off the glove of third baseman Nolan Grawe and ended up on second base as well as sparking the Cornhusker crowd. Joshua Overbeek followed with a single to left, putting runners on the corners. Up came Trey Fikes who hit a line-drive that tipped off the glove of a leaping second baseman Matthew Werk. Buck scored for the first run of the game.
The Big Red added one more off reliever Ty Madison as Stokes bunted the baserunners up 90-feet bringing up the top of the order. Mac Moyer put the ball in play on the right side allowing Overbeek to come home with the Cornhusker’s second run. After four innings, Nebraska was up 2-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, Jasa plunked lead-off man Carter Taylor in the ribs and Dayton Franke followed with a single down the rightfield line to move him to third. Wanting to take advantage of some momentum, the Jacks called on Keagan Jirschele to lay down a bunt to squeeze home a run. Maybe a good idea, but poor execution as he sent the ball right back to Jasa, who flipped it to Worthley for the easy tag at the plate. Run averted.
The Jackrabbits weren’t done trying to get that first run on the board. Werk laced a single to leftfield with runners on first and second. Franke was sent home and Jett Buck came up throwing. He threw a laser home to Fikes, who did a brilliant job grabbing the ball and putting the tag on the runner before he reached the plate. Second run averted.
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 29, 2026
SDSU would finally get a run in the inning when reliever J’Shawn Unger gave up his second single of the inning to Owen Siegert, who drove in Jirschele to make it 2-1 Nebraska. Unger walked the next batter to load the bases, raising the tension in the ballpark, but then gave the red-clad masses a chance to release it as he struck out Nate Wachter swinging.
Dylan Carey gave the crowd what they were waiting for in the bottom of the eighth. He blasted a towering home run on a 2-2 pitch from Madison that brought the crowd to their feet once again. It looked like Nebraska may be able to blow this one open as Madison walked Sanderson and Drew Grego came to the plate. However, Grego’s bunt attempt flew into the glove of Grawe at third, who then fired across the diamond to double-off Sanderson.
All was not lost on the inning though as Jett Buck showed that opposite field power we saw earlier in the season as he homered to the party porch in right-centerfield. Going to the ninth, Nebraska extended their lead to 4-2.
With Ty Horn tossing lightly in the bullpen, Unger came back out for his third inning of work and faced the bottom of the Jackrabbit order. Franke grounded out to Overbeek and then Unger stepped up to win it in style by striking Jirschele and Werk. Ball game! Nebraska 4, South Dakota State 1.
Carson Jasa sat down at least three of his strikeouts looking at a sneaky off-speed pitch on the inside black. Of his eight strikeouts, six were called third strikes. He went 6.1 innings, giving up five hits, walking two and hitting one with 92 pitches for the win. J’Shawn Unger got his 13th save recording four strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
The ballpark was full so it is a little surprise that official attendance was 7828. It appeared there would be more than that.
With rain in the forecast most of the day Saturday, it could be a mystery what time Nebraska will play. They are scheduled for a 7:06 first pitch.
Notes:
Jett Buck’s throw-out at the plate brought the loudest roar in the stadium for quite some time. Plus, you rarely get to see that play in a game.
As always, there are a few upsets in the first round of the regional tournament. One that matters to Nebraska is Milwaukee’s 13-7 win over 4th seeded Auburn. This took place in the regional that Nebraska’s is paired with. Yes, there is a lot of baseball to play! We can’t ignore St. Mary’s 3-2 win over top-seeded UCLA. That one has stolen the headlines.
While the Nebraska – South Dakota State matchup was not a really attractive one, it is interesting that it was relegated to streaming rather than carried on one of the many ESPN networks when they assigned their top college baseball broadcast team to the regional. Karl Ravitch and Kyle Peterson are in the house for the weekend. The Mothership apparently wanted to save some travel expenses as Peterson could just drive down from Elkhorn.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 15: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners looks on against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on May 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Justin Hollander met with the media prior to the Mariners’ series opener with the Diamondbacks to provide updates on some key injured Mariners. Unfortunately, there’s no set timetable for return for either Cal Raleigh (oblique) or Brendan Donovan (groin), even though both are making steady progress in their recoveries.
Donovan remains in Arizona, but has not yet progressed to baseball activities. The team’s chief concern for Donovan is his ability to run, given the nature of his lower body injury. Currently he’s running on an anti-gravity treadmill, with the hopes that he can transition to a baseball running progression on a field next week when the team heads out on the road, provided he clears the next couple of days without the pain returning. For the baseball running progression, he’ll start by running in straight lines before moving to more intense game-type movement: lateral cuts, starts and stops, etc. Hollander says it’s a deliberately slow build to try to ensure Donovan’s injury won’t be re-aggravated during normal baseball activities.
“These are the type of injuries that you want to be really deliberate with to makes ure we don’t have any kind of setback like we did last time.”
Cal Raleigh will make a visit to the team tomorrow from where he’s been rehabbing in Arizona tomorrow and get a check-in with the medical staff in Seattle while also being able to connect with his teammates. “I think he misses us,” said Hollander. In addition to catching and playing long toss, Raleigh swung off a tee today – 15 swings per side – at moderate (80%) intensity. The goal is next time for him to ramp up the intensity rather than increase the number of reps. Similar to Donovan, the team is managing Raleigh’s ramp-up very carefully, and there’s no official timetable for his return.
“We want to build responsibly and make sure that when he cuts it loose at 100%, that he feels 100%”, said Hollander.
While it can be frustrating for fans – and for the players themselves – to not have a definitive timeline for their return, Hollander was careful to highlight why the organization is being especially careful with these two players, known for their gritty play style and high pain tolerance levels, in particular.
“You want to treat the patient, not just treat the diagnosis,” said Hollander. “And I think the reason we’re being extra-cautious with these guys [Donovan and Raleigh] is I think if we put a date on the calendar and say they’re going to go on a rehab assignment on this day, they will go on the rehab assignment on that day, whether they’re actually feeling good enough to do it or not.”
“I don’t want to say we’re ignoring what they’re saying, but we’re taking what they’re saying in the context of who they are and making sure that when they’re ready to go out, they’re actually ready to go out and not playing to the day on the calendar that they set up for them weeks in advance.”
Other injury updates:
Carlos Vargas is having a repeat MRI today as a final checkpoint before he returns to the ramp-up program he was shut down from a month ago after experiencing aggravation. He’ll have a more defined return to play program once the results from the scans are back.
Miles Mastrobuoni (L, R calf) is currently on a rehab assignment with the Rainiers.
Will Wilson (thumb) should be able to begin a rehab assignment in the next week or so.
On the minor-league sign, Brock Rodden has a minor hamstring strain and will be down for the next one to two weeks. Same for Michael Arroyo, who has had a couple issues with his right hamstring this year but is, in Hollander’s words, a “quick healer.”
May 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
After a sweep of the San Diego Padres, the Phillies will return to the place where their 2025 season ended as they begin a three-game series against the defending champion Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Zack Wheeler gets the start for the Phillies. Wheeler has been fantastic since his return from the Injured List, and has given up just one total run in 20.1 innings over his last three starts.
The Dodgers will go with lefthander Justin Wrobleski. Considering the Phillies’ struggles against lefty pitching this season, runs may be at a premium on Friday night.
Game time is 10:15 PM and will be televised exclusively on Apple TV.
Lemieux won his first Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986, scoring 10 goals, including four game-winners, as a rookie. He had taken part in the Canadiens' torch-bearing ceremony before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Lemieux would go on to win three other Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils (twice) and Colorado Avalanche. He was playoff MVP in 1995 with the Devils.
Lemieux's son, Brendan, had played for the Hurricanes. Lemieux was also the agent for Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen.
The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 with a victory in Game 5. The Vegas Golden Knights, who won the Western Conference finals, await the winner.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 5: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park on May 5, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants head to Coors Field tonight to begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.06 ERA, 3.52 FIP, with 42 strikeouts to 15 walks in 48 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 10-5 loss to the San Diego Padres on May 5th, in which he allowed six runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in four innings.
He’ll be facing off against Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who enters tonight’s game with a 7.21 ERA, 5.13 FIP, with 41 strikeouts to 18 walks in 53.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Rockies’ 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, in which he allowed five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk in five innings.
NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez is expected to miss about two months with a bizarre leg injury sustained while he was stretching in the dugout.
The right-hander exited Wednesday’s start in Toronto after throwing four shutout innings because his right hamstring spasmed while he was doing lateral lunges on the bench to limber up for the fifth. He was in such pain he needed assistance from a teammate to descend the steps into the clubhouse.
Pérez had imaging Thursday that revealed a high-grade strain of his right gracilis, a long, thin muscle on the inside of the thigh.
The 23-year-old Pérez is 3-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 12 starts, but his last two outings were excellent. He struck out a season-high nine against the Blue Jays before getting hurt, giving him 14 strikeouts without a walk while allowing just one run and five hits over his last 10 1/3 innings. He has 72 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings this year.
“Unfortunate, with his last couple starts how well he was throwing the ball. We’ll just have to pick up and keep going,” manager Clayton McCullough said Friday before the Marlins opened a three-game series against the New York Mets. “It’s a team thing, so guys just have to step up and that’s all you can do.”
McCullough said there’s no plan in place yet for how Miami will fill Pérez’s rotation spot beginning next week.
Pérez was put on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, and the club recalled right-hander Josh Ekness from Triple-A Jacksonville. In another move, Leo Jiménez was reinstated from the seven-day concussion injured list and fellow infielder Graham Pauley was optioned to Jacksonville.
Jiménez got hurt when he took a knee to the head from Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. while he was sliding into third base on May 19.
Armed with a 98-99 mph fastball, the 6-foot-8 Pérez was rated one of baseball’s top prospects before making his major league debut at age 20 in May 2023.
He sat out the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and returned to Miami’s rotation in June 2025. He is 15-18 with a 3.93 ERA in 51 career starts.
“We know it’s a young pitcher that still had a lot of experiences to gain from just getting the chance to take the ball at the major league level every fifth or sixth day,” McCullough said.
“So, that’s kind of the most frustrating part is, you sense a little bit that maybe this was a player that was starting to get on a little bit of a roll, put some things together, and now he’s obviously going to have to miss a significant amount of time.”
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 21: Luis Severino #40 of the Athletics pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 21, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics had a much-needed day off yesterday to reset and, hopefully, figure out how to play better at home. The team opened its latest homestand by being swept in three games by the Seattle Mariners, who knocked the A’s out of first place in the American League West for the first time in several weeks.
Now 10-15 at Sutter Health Park, things will not get any easier for the A’s. Tonight, the team begins a three-game weekend series against the New York Yankees, who own one of the best records in baseball. The “Bronx Bombers” enter on a four-game winning streak after sweeping the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City. Led by Aaron Judge and Ben Rice, the Yankees will look to bounce back after the Athletics took two of three from them in the Bronx earlier this season.
For the A’s, however, it is imperative that they bounce back and take this series to avoid dropping both series this week. Veteran right-hander Luis Severino will take the mound in today’s series-opener. Severino was originally supposed to start Tuesday. The A’s moved his next start back a few days, adjusting the rotation to allow the team top pitching prospect, left-hander Gage Jump, to make his first MLB start that day. Jump wound up allowing four runs on nine hits in five innings.
Facing his former team on seven days’ rest, Severino will likely pitch with extra motivation tonight. The 32-year-old enters his 12th start of the season with a 2–5 record, a 4.23 ERA, and 64 strikeouts over 61.2 innings pitched. He is coming off one of his best starts of the season, allowing two runs over seven innings against the Los Angeles Angels while recording a season-high 10 strikeouts. The Yankees’ offense is much more potent than the Angels and this game will be at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, a place where Severino and the entire A’s pitching staff has struggled to replicate their success on the road.
If the A’s want to snap their losing streak, they will need a strong performance from Severino and the bullpen to limit the Yankees’ opportunities and keep runs off the board. The Athletics’ offense must also improve after scoring just four runs in their previous three games.
Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks for the series opener:
A’s manager Mark Kotsay is rolling out a lineup that looks very similar to the ones used over the past few games. Designated hitter Brent Rooker is back in the lineup and hoping to snap out of his slow start to the season.
The biggest change comes at the top of the order. Right-handed hitter Colby Thomas gets the start in right field and will bat leadoff in place of the usual starter, left-handed hitter Carlos Cortes. Additionally, Henry Bolte draws another start over fellow outfielder Lawrence Butler, whose playing time has diminished significantly amid his season-long offensive struggles.
Butler and Cortes are on the bench because left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodón will start for the Yankees. The 33-year-old veteran missed the first month of the season while completing his rehabilitation from offseason elbow surgery. Rodón enters his fourth start of 2026 with an 0-2 record, 4.15 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 13 innings pitched. He seems to be rounding into form, limiting the Toronto Blue Jays to one run over five innings in his most recent outing.
The southpaw aims to win his first game of the year against an A’s lineup that has been scuffling lately. For the A’s offense to succeed, they will need to be patient at the plate, work counts, and capitalize on any mistake pitches over the heart of the zone.
The Yankees, led by their dynamic trio of Judge, Rice and Cody Bellinger, have hit the most home runs in MLB and rank fourth in runs scored. Last year, A’s owner John Fisher said he was looking forward to watching Judge hit home runs at Sutter Health Park, and that possibility looms again this evening.
The matchup between Luis Severino’s power arsenal and the Yankees’ slugging lineup will likely hinge on traffic ahead of the heart of the order. If Severino wants his third win, he’ll need to consistently retire the bottom of the Yankees lineup and avoid letting Judge and Rice come to the plate with runners in scoring position in a park that punishes mistakes.
With a win tonight and a Mariners loss, the Athletics can jump right back into first place. More importantly, they need this victory to close the week strong and secure their first win of the homestand. Let’s go A’s!
Gansey had spent the past season as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager.
He joined Cleveland’s front office in 2011-12 before rising through the ranks. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2017, serving under Koby Altman. He was then promoted to general manager in 2022, still under Altman.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished this season with a 52-30 overall record and were fourth in the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks swept the Cavs in the conference finals.
The Knicks also swept the 76ers in the conference semifinals. Philadelphia, which had a 45-37 overall record, fired Daryl Morey after the season.
Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager, led the search for the 76ers as the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. Myers recently participated in the UCLA football coaching search, which led to the hiring of Bob Chesney.
Who is Mike Gansey?
Gansey finished second to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" in 2001.
Gansey played college basketball at St. Bonaventure (2001-03) and West Virginia (2003-06) before going undrafted in 2006.
After a short professional playing career, which included stints in the NBA's D-League and overseas, he began his executive career. Gansey served as the Canton Charge's general manager and was named the NBA Development League's executive of the year for the 2016-17 season.
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
After a much-needed day off yesterday, the Colorado Rockies return home tonight to open their final series of May against the San Francisco Giants.
Colorado enters at 20-37, last in the NL West, after going 1-6 through Arizona and Los Angeles. The Rockies won just one of four against the Arizona Diamondbacks, then were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers by scores of 5-3, 15-6, and 4-1. They have lost five straight and are now 6-19 in May as they head back to Coors Field.
Bad road trip. Miserable month.
And yet, somehow, there is still a small opportunity sitting in front of them. The Giants arrive at 22-34, fourth in the division and only 2.5 games ahead of Colorado.
That means the Rockies could finish May not in last place.
It is not a lofty goal, and the fact that it is even on the table probably says as much about the Giants as it does about the Rockies — San Francisco is just 9-16 this month, and has lost three straight — but after the way May has gone, Colorado will take any step forward it can get.
To start moving in that direction, the Rockies will need a better showing from Michael Lorenzen. The veteran righty enters at 2-7 with a 7.21 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings.
Hitters are squaring Lorenzen up too often, and he has not generated enough swing-and-miss to survive the hard contact. His 47.2% hard-hit rate is in the 10th percentile, while his 15.7% strikeout rate and 20.3% whiff rate underline the problem.
The Coors Field numbers are even more unsightly. At home this season, Lorenzen owns a 10.03 ERA and 2.44 WHIP across five starts.
For the Rockies, a useful start from Lorenzen does not have to look dominant. It just has to look stable: avoid the early crooked inning, keep the ball in the park, and get the game into the middle innings without putting too much stress on the bullpen.
The Giants counter with 29-year-old right-hander Logan Webb, who is expected to return from the injured list after missing time with right knee bursitis. Webb has not pitched in the majors since May 5, though he did make a rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento, throwing 62 pitches over 3 1/3 innings, before completing a bullpen session earlier this week.
That makes his workload worth watching. Webb enters at 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.40 WHIP through eight starts, but the profile is not as simple as the surface numbers. He is still getting hitters to chase, with a 34.9% chase rate in the 88th percentile, and he is still keeping the ball on the ground, with a 58.5% ground-ball rate in the 96th percentile.
The concern is what happens when hitters do square him up. His average exit velocity allowed is in the 13th percentile, and his hard-hit rate is in the 6th percentile, so there has been more damage on contact than usual. That gives the Rockies a pretty clear assignment: avoid quick outs against the sinker, stretch the at-bats, and see how much leash the Giants are willing to give him in his first start back.
The Rockies need a complete team game tonight. Lorenzen has to limit the traffic and damage enough to set-up the bullpen. The offense needs to make Webb work in his return. The defense needs to be clean behind all of it.
Do all of that, and the Rockies might be on their way to starting June somewhere other than last place.
KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 25: Jac Caglianone #14 of the Kansas City Royals takes batting practice prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, May 25, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Sydney Schneider/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Royals did not follow through after that Mariners series to do anything to the Yankees except scare them enough in that series opener to annoy the Yankees into grinding them into the dirt for two straight nights. The Royals don’t have a lot to play for in terms of wins and losses, but if they want to be a good team next year, they’d do well to look for some diamonds in the rough with the rest of their season. That’s going to start with figuring out if Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone can learn to hit lefties. Unfortunately, the Royals don’t seem to have figured that out, and one of them is sitting against lefty Mackenzie Gore.
The Rangers made one of the bigger trades this past offseason when they traded for the former Nationals ace. Unfortunately for them, he’s struggled since donning the Rangers colors. In particular, the effectiveness of his slider has diminished quite a bit despite a slight arm-angle change giving him more depth and movement on the pitch even without a change in its spin rate. Laying off of that pitch, as the rest of the league has done, is probably going to be a key for the Royals tonight.
Gore did have one of the best starts of his season last time out against the Angels. In that game he struck out 7, walked 1, and allowed only a single run in 6 innings. He hasn’t faced KC in the regular season in almost exactly 3 years, May 28, 2023. In that game he pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball and struck out 11. It remains one of the best starts of his career. He did face KC twice this spring training. In the first game, he allowed 7 runs in 1.2 innings. In the last, an exhibition matchup in Globe Life Field, he tossed 4 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts.
Stephen Kolek will take the mound again tonight for KC. His last time out all he did was pitch a complete-game no-hitter. The first for the Royals since 2020. I wouldn’t expect him to manage the same thing tonight, but 6-7 scoreless innings would not be amiss considering how the Royals’ offense has performed on the road this year.
Lineups
As you can see, Carter Jensen is getting the day off. It took until now, but Matt Quatraro is finally trying one of the lineup configurations that seemingly half of Royals Kingdom has been begging for for weeks; Lane Thomas will lead off, and Maikel Garcia will bat third in an attempt to juice the middle of the order. Vinnie Pasquantino is moved down to sixth in the order. Jac Caglianone hit his first two major league home runs in this park, off of two different Rangers lefties, both of whom are still with Texas.
Yes, that is old friend Nicky Lopez batting a gentleman’s .000 in 11 at-bats at the nine slot for the Rangers. Still, they don’t seem to miss Marcus Semien with Nimmo providing good offense in their outfield and Semien completing his fall off of a cliff that he started last year.
A couple of injury updates for you, that I picked up from MLB.com. Matt Strahm seems primed to return to the bullpen by the end of this series when he is first eligible. Kris Bubic is still dealing with arm fatigue and has not resumed throwing off the mound, yet. He’s still expected to return sometime in June.
