Atlanta Braves News: Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski Go Deep, NL East Week Ahead, More

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 17: Matt Olson #28 reacts with Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves following the 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

For the sixth straight Sunday, the Braves were victorious. And even more enjoyable was the Braves got the job done early in the 8-1 win over the Red Sox. Atlanta just continues to roll along, as they are now 14-1-1 in individual series so far this season.

Another good developlment is the production of Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley, who both went deep on Sunday. With both Michael Harris and Ozzie Albies running into regression in May, Riley and Yaztrzemski coming alive has allowed the offense to do enough to continue its winnings ways.

Braves News

The Braves signed southpaw Austin Gomber to a minor league contract.

The Braves probables for the upcoming series versus the Marlins was released on Sunday. Another big week ahead for the Braves with four versus the Marlins and three versus the Nationals.

MLB News

The NL East as a whole has been better over the past few weeks, with each team .500 or better in over their last 10 games. That includes the Phillies, who are now over .500 with their win on Sunday.

Jose Altuve was placed on the IL with an oblique strain.

The Mariners are promoting prospect Colt Emerson as Brendan Donovan heads to the IL.

Jayson Stark had a lot of fun information on the Braves in one of his latest pieces.

Colt Emerson Slams Into Earth’s Exosphere, Padres Slam Mariners 8-3

SEATTLE, WA - MAY 17: Colt Emerson #4 of the Settle Mariners throws to first base during his MLB Debut during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Rod Mar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The term “meteoric rise” is a bit of a misnomer, though most people already know that. Meteors fall (And yet if you point this out, you are a pedant? The world is cruel to those brave enough to obsess over wording tell the truth). However, it is quite the fitting turn of phrase for baseball, prospects in particular. 

There’s a lot of similarities between the job of scouting and identifying baseball talent and astronomers responsible for solar system object identification. Both disciplines ask the observer to work with an incredibly limited set of data points. Scouts watch children who are sometimes as young as 13 or 14 years old and based on how well they play against other kids in their general area, their physical development, their attitude, and how their coaches talk about them, they decide if this actual child might have potential to pursue a major league path in the future. 

Astronomers take tiny little pinpricks of light, and from a series of still images of these pricks of light, calculate if or how much they’ve moved, and therefore, what kind of object it is, how large is it, what is it composed of, and, crucially for the meteorite/asteroid detection game, mapping the orbit of these objects to see if they are on a course to impact Earth and therefore, does it require advance action to be taken to prevent the loss of human lives. 

In both cases, the answer for the vast majority of children and two-pixel lights is: No! But in some very rare cases, the answer is: Maybe! And at that point, the real digging-in commences. Is this kid playing against other talented kids, or just raking in his podunk local travel circuit? Is this asteroid going to get yoinked by another planet’s gravity well before it reaches us? Does the kid have more growth yet in him, or is that celestial body actually just a camera artifact?

And while these jobs are very much trying to read the future based on extremely imperfect information, they both are high-stakes, though on different scales. MLB teams will use this scouting information to pour vast amounts of resources into particular players. Avoiding an extinction-level event is also important.

Sometimes, though, it’s an easy Maybe. Colt Emerson has been one of the easier Maybe’s in recent history for the Mariners. Yet in a sense, Colt Emerson’s meteoric “rise” has just begun. He’s finally made it to the hard part. He’s successfully traversed the frictionless smooth of outer space/high school ball/the minor leagues, and now he begins the relentlessly, violently frictional approach into Earth’s atmosphere, just now transcending from meteoroid to become meteor, hoping to survive the approach and become meteorite. 

In fact, his rise from meteoroid to meteor was so fast that he didn’t have anyone for him there at the game – he only found out about two-and-a-half hours before game time that he had to drive up to Seattle, now, for the Major League Baseball game that he would be playing in.

His family and girlfriend will be flying in for the rest of the homestand, but today was just him, 25 teammates and about 45,000 of his new biggest fans. 

“I wanted to soak it all in as much as possible, that this is just the first of many days. Coming into the clubhouse, the guys were great to me, this is a really special group here, and I’m just happy to be a part of it,” Emerson said.

His first bit of friction was a subtly tricky pop-up in the top of the second inning. Running over his right shoulder into a spot where there could be competition for the play and there is definitely communication required, while running from the sun into the shade? Tough play for a shortstop playing third base. He took it as cool as you like.  

At this point in the game, the score was 1-0. 

Emerson’s next bit of friction was two at-bats against a very on Lucas Giolito. Emerson said he normally prides himself on keeping his cool and his heart rate down, but the first time around, in the bottom of the third, he was eager, unable to check his swing at the first pitch he saw, a fastball at the letters. 

“When I came in, I thought that was the fastest 90 mph fastball I’ve ever seen,” Emerson said.

Giolito threw another heater that Emerson swung at like he wanted to send it into the mesosphere. Finding himself down 0-2, Emerson then showed the plate discipline that got him this far, and worked the count even before making some solid contact right to Ramon Laureano in right field. 

Emerson said that the nerves he felt surprised him, but his first at-bat helped him stabilize. 

“I thought I was gonna go out there and maybe not even be able to swing a bat, but once I got that first fly ball out of the way, I was like, ‘Okay. This is just baseball. There’s an extra deck.’”

Giolito, like that one friend not letting go of a bit that’s outlived its humor (i’m friend), threw high fastballs to Emerson for the rest of the night, including three straight out of the zone to start his second at-bat. Colt, like a mutual friend with no grace for your first friend, spit on all of them before also ignoring a perfectly-placed changeup for ball 4, his first time getting on base in his young career. 

At this point in the game, the score was 7-0.

His walk was a bit of a premonition, as Giolito seemed to lose the handle there in the sixth. Emerson moved to second base on another well-worked walk courtesy of Leo Rivas, and then to third when Giolito walked Julio. 

Giolito, walking the bases loaded with no outs, would face some consequences for his actions. Colt Emerson concluded his first circumnavigation of the infield when Matsui walked Naylor, scoring his first career run. A couple of sacrifice flies and a Cole Young strikeout later, the Mariners had their most productive inning yet, without getting a single hit. 

At this point in the game, the score was 7-3. 

Emerson had his third at-bat in the bottom of the eighth, putting a great, compact swing on a golfy, down and in fastball. It also was, unfortunately, almost straight at Laureano, but he showed excellent bat speed on the swing, hitting 75.4 mph. 

In the top of the seventh inning, Emerson almost had his first defensive gem, but the throw was just a hair off and Naylor had to bail off the bag to make the catch. 

The game ended 8-3. 

***

If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to read one of my favorite Lookout Landing pieces yet, Lou Fish-Sadin’s “We Love a Debut,” I highly recommend it. It captures one of my favorite things about baseball, which is how encapsulatory it is. I don’t know if it’s the sheer volume of games, the relaxed pace that gives so much room for special moments to breathe or some mystical other thing, but baseball has a way of reflecting life’s most frustrating, rewarding, gut-wrenching, joyful experiences. It’s that joie de vivre and ennui that is hard to find anywhere else. Lou’s piece captures that specific magic of baseball and that feeling of simple goodness that baseball is capable of. 

Debuts are one of those moments, where you get to share and be a part of the incalculable joy of another human being achieving their life’s worth. Whether it’s a 25-year-old org guy who would only ever see 5 at-bats, or a young prodigy screaming his way into the gravity well of T-Mobile Park, these are moments to be cherished. 

“I know I talked about trying not to let the emotions get to me, but [when my family gets here], that’s going to be an emotional one. I can’t say enough nice things about my parents, the amount they sacrificed. My parents would split up – my brother played travel ball and I played travel ball, so my mom would go with my brother to Indiana, and my dad would drive me down eight hours to Georgia, like that was a normal thing. Without that, I’m not here,” Emerson said after the game. 

“It was surreal. You dream about stuff like that. You dream about telling your parents that you made it to the big leagues and it finally came. I’ll be remembering this forever.”

Anthony Volpe nearly plays Subway Series hero with Yankees future in flux: ‘That’s the guy we know’

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hitting a 2-run RBI single.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) 2-run RBI single during the sixth inning when the New York Mets played the New York Yankees Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Citi...

By the end of Sunday, the Yankees turned a potential feel-good game for Anthony Volpe into a brutal loss.

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But they need Volpe’s big day to matter more in the long run than the 7-6 walk-off loss to the Mets at Citi Field.

In his fourth game of the season, after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and then losing his starting shortstop job to José Caballero, Volpe went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and two walks.

It looked like he was going to be the hero after his two-run single in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie, but the bullpen surrendered leads of 5-1 and 6-3 to overshadow any positives.

“Incredible: That’s the guy we know,” Aaron Judge said. “That’s why he’s been our shortstop for the last couple seasons, is when we need him in a big spot, he comes up big for us. Made some good plays, had some big swings for us, took his walks when he needed to in some tough situations. He keeps getting more at-bats, more at-bats — he’s coming off a big shoulder surgery, so the first couple games are going to be a little tough.

Anthony Volpe connects on a single during the Yankees’ May 17 loss. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

“But I was definitely encouraged by what I saw today.”

Volpe, who collided with Max Schuemann as both tried to make a play on Carson Benge’s walk-off chopper over the mound in the bottom of the 10th, reached base in nine of his 13 plate appearances in the Subway Series, going 2-for-6 with seven walks — one of which came with the bases loaded Sunday to drive in another run in the seventh inning.

“I’m just trying to stay within myself, stay within my approach and put good swings on good pitches,” Volpe said. “Obviously, it fluctuates, but I just want to stay locked into that. Every day, that’s what I can control.”

Volpe cannot control that Caballero expects to miss only the minimum 10 days on the injured list with a fracture in his right middle finger — he is eligible to return Friday — and that manager Aaron Boone has already said he expects Caballero will get his starting job back when he returns.

But the 25-year-old Volpe at least has the opportunity to give the Yankees something to think about if he can show enough on both sides of the ball while Caballero is out.

Volpe’s first hit of the season came on a 104.5 mph double to the gap off Freddy Peralta in the second inning before he struck out in his second at-bat.

He delivered a two-run single off lefty Sean Manaea with the bases loaded in the sixth to put the Yankees ahead 3-1.

After walking in a run in the seventh, Volpe drew another 3-2 walk against Devin Williams in the top of the 10th, only for Austin Wells to follow by grounding into an inning-ending double play.

“Just trying to do my job and contribute in any way I can,” Volpe said. “I got some good pitches to hit and put some good swings on them.”

Purple Row After Dark: Who would make the 2026 Rockies more fun to watch?

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 11: Manager Bud Black of the Colorado Rockies locker at Coors Field on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images

The 2026 Rockies appear poised to win more games than they did the past couple seasons, but realistically, they are only fighting to avoid 100 losses. That’s improvement, but the season is clearly a transitional one attempting to set the stage for a more exciting future.

Given that, let’s imagine a world where we could magically have any player don a Rockies uniform for the rest of the season.

If you could add any one player to the 2026 Rockies roster, with the sole purpose of making them more fun to watch despite knowing that they aren’t playoff bound, who would it be?

Some rules for this:

  • This player could not be kept beyond this season. They’d be returned to their actual team next year.
  • The Rockies couldn’t trade this player in order to try and get long-term value from them.
  • This should be an active player. No picking Babe Ruth just to see if he could adjust to 100+ mph velocity.

With all that being said, who would you most enjoy seeing in a Rockies uniform the rest of the season?

Is it an MVP candidate able to make more games close and tense? Maybe you have a sentimental favorite that you’d just like to see in the purple pinstripes again? Perhaps you are just curious about what effect playing home games at Coors would have on someone in particular?

Whatever your pick or reasoning, share it in the comments!


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Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki produces career outing vs Angels

Roki Sasaki has begun to turn things around at the right time for the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation.

Sasaki was credited with the win after the Dodgers’ 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday after producing a career-high eight strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one earned run in seven innings pitched.

The Japanese pitcher's success comes at a good time for L.A.'s pitching staff. The Dodgers will be without Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, who were both placed on the injury list earlier this month.

“(Sasaki) had command of the fastball, command of the split, forkball and mixed in the slider when needed,” Dave Roberts told reporters after the game.

Sakaki deferred some of the credit for his dominant outing to catcher Dalton Rushing.

“I think Rushing did a great job calling a game with the pitch selection,” Sasaki said to reporters through a translator.

Entering the weekend, Sakaki had a 5.88 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 33.2 innings pitched in his first seven starts of the season.

The right-hander came into his own and played a key role for the Dodgers during the 2025 postseason after spending some time in the bullpen last season.

Watch Roki Sasaki throw eight strikeouts vs. Angels

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki produces career outing vs. Angels

To make Subway Series win matter, Mets must hang in through injuries, rotation uncertainty

For a few hours between late Friday night and Saturday afternoon, the pulse of the New York Mets’ 2026 season was faint.

Their best starter, Clay Holmes, was suddenly joining a variety of other key teammates on a growing injured list. Their crosstown rivals, having the exact opposite season to the Mets in every way, looked indisputably superior. Their manager, normally chipper, admitted that after taking jab after jab after jab this spring, his team was finally staggering backward from the blows.

Then came Saturday’s win, which included a gritty showing from the lineup and a gutsy showing from the bullpen. Then came Sunday’s stunner, which featured the Mets’ first ninth-inning comeback since Jose Iglesias wore their jersey. Sometimes wins like those change everything for teams sputtering early in the season. Sometimes, they don’t.

If the Mets are to make this one count, they will have to do exactly what they did this weekend: Make the best of what they have and hang in there.

For example: As they fly to Dulles Airport Sunday night, the Mets’ pitching staff remains in relative disarray. The team has not yet announced a rotation replacement for Holmes, who would normally have pitched Wednesday against the Nationals.

One would-be candidate, red-hot 24-year-old Jack Wenninger, threw 60 pitches for Triple-A Syracuse Sunday, which would almost certainly rule him out for Wednesday. Jonah Tong recorded just five outs in his most recent start.

The likeliest fill-in might be lefty Zach Thornton, a former fifth-round pick who owns a 3.16 ERA  in 37 innings this season and owns a 2.25 ERA in two starts since being promoted to Triple-A. Thornton, 24, also pitched Friday, meaning he is perfectly lined up with Holmes’s turn.

In the meantime, the Mets still face a decision about Sean Manaea, who struggled early in his four innings of relief against the New York Yankees Sunday, but settled in enough that Carlos Mendoza said later he was encouraged by the way Manaea was able to get soft contact from the Yankees lineup in his last two innings.

As a former starter relegated to occasional mop-up duty, Manaea also represents an obvious choice to replace Holmes for purely logistical reasons. But the 57 pitches he threw today likely rule out a Wednesday start – though perhaps not a Wednesday opening.

Thus far, the Mets have avoided any firmer decision on Manaea, who has $43 million remaining on his contract but has struggled enough that Mendoza has had to work around him in the bullpen at times – a concession they have hardly been able to afford amid their early season struggles.

That he settled in and kept the Mets close through four innings Sunday preserved every reliever but Devin Williams, meaning they do not necessarily need to find a fresh arm by the time they play the Nationals Monday. Still, if the bullpen finds itself needing reinforcements before Manaea can safely pitch again, the Mets could find themselves choosing between keeping him on the roster and giving themselves enough arms at a time when they cannot afford to give away any late leads.

Getting him right – and the fact that Manaea’s sinker sat around 92 miles per hour is promising – would increase the Mets’ chances of revival. But the Mets do not have time to waste.

As a result, they seem to be showing increased urgency with first baseman Jorge Polanco, who has been out since mid-April with Achilles bursitis. Last week, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said the team was waiting for Polanco to be asymptomatic before ramping him up for everyday duty. But in the days since, Polanco has hit during batting practice more than once, done defensive work, and gone through agility drills.

Mendoza said Sunday that Polanco will travel with the team to Washington this week so he can continue baseball activities and suggested for the first time that Polanco will either have to play through some discomfort or concede a long injured list stint.

“It’s getting to a point where, he’s gonna feel it, right? But just keeping it to a point where like, I can tolerate this,” Mendoza said. “Because if not, he’s going to be shut down for long period of time. So I think we just continue to go through baseball activities, continue to push it running-wise, and see how he reacts to that.”

Polanco would add depth to the Mets lineup – though in his absence, the Mets have had no choice but to allow for the emergence of A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge. Similarly, they will have to rely on Christian Scott to evolve into a reliable MLB starter and David Peterson to reestablish himself as one. Peterson expressed frustration with the Mets’ continued reliance on an opener before he pitches, but the results are indisputable: In 20 innings of bulk relief this year, his ERA is 2.25. In 23 1/3 innings as a starter, it is 8.10.

So the Mets must keep using an opener and crossing their fingers and doing whatever it takes to put whoever they have in the best position to succeed. They will have to make up ground with a tattered lineup while they wait for injuries to heal and sew them back together. Sunday, they proved it is possible. Monday, they must do it again.

Yankees’ recent woes captured in one ‘no-man’s land’ collision as road trip ends with Subway Series disaster

New York Yankees players Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann walking off the field after a loss.
Anthony Volpe and Ma

In one agonizing play to end Sunday’s crushing finale against the Mets, the Yankees offered a snapshot to encapsulate a brutal road trip.

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With runners on the corners and one out in a tie game, Tim Hill on the mound and the Yankees using a five-man infield, Carson Benge hit a chopper over the mound between Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann.

The two collided, both going for the ball, costing them any chance of throwing out the runner at home as the Mets walked off with a 7-6 win at Citi Field.

It is impossible to know whether Schuemann or Volpe would have gotten the runner at the plate had either of them fielded it cleanly and without obstacles, but they never got to find out, ending a 2-7 trip against the Brewers, Orioles and Mets.

Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann are pictured after the Yankees’ May 17 loss to the Mets. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post

“Maybe, but we’re both just treating it do or die,” Volpe said. “That was the game.”

“I was just going to be aggressive. We have to be quick,” Schuemann said. “Tough play at the plate either way. I talked to Volpe about it, it’s just one of those things that we’re both going to be aggressive to that baseball no matter what. We both want to make a play.”

“It’s in no-man’s-land,” said manager Aaron Boone, who did not think the Yankees would have gotten Marcus Semien out at home even if the chopper had been fielded cleanly.

The Yankees had won nine of 12 series this season and tied in another before this road trip, when they dropped three straight series.

Four of their seven losses came by one run, giving them 10 on the season.

And two of those included walk-offs in games where David Bednar gave up a first-pitch home run on a curveball — last Sunday in Milwaukee, when Brice Turang walked him off, and this Sunday when Tyrone Taylor crushed a game-tying three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth when the Yankees were one out away from the win.

Now they finally return home for four games against the Blue Jays — the Yankees’ nemesis last season that crushed them in the ALDS — and three against the Rays, who swept the Yankees last month and lead the AL East.

“Couple [of] close games, but it’s just about finishing the job,” Aaron Judge said. “A couple games here where we got to close it out or some games in extras where we got to get a couple runs across and just don’t get the job done. The boys are playing hard though, that’s the biggest thing. Guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to, but just coming up a little bit short. We got to have a short memory and move on and get ready for the [homestand] because we got a big division opponent coming in.”

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A day after leaving 11 men on base, the Yankees stranded 10 more while going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

They had still looked to be in good position to take the series by getting out to leads of 5-1 in the top of the sixth and 6-3 in the top of the seventh.



But it all came crashing down late, first in the bottom of the ninth, when Bednar capped off a rough trip for the bullpen.

He allowed back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, then got two outs before leaving a curveball over the plate to Taylor.

Anthony Volpe reacts during the Yankees’ May 17 loss to the Mets. AP Photo

“Just not putting guys away early,” Bednar said. “Overall, that’s unacceptable, but especially in that spot, it’s just very frustrating.”

Then came the excruciating end.

After the Yankees pulled Schuemann in from left field with a runner on third, Hill hit Luis Torrens to bring up Benge.

Schuemann hovered as a third infielder on the right side, shaded just to the right of second base, and Benge chopped it between him and Volpe.

Schuemann picked it with his backhand but Volpe ran into him while also trying to make the play, preventing a throw, providing a fitting end for a forgettable trip.

“It’s very frustrating,” Schuemann said. “We’re a really good team. I think it’ll turn.”

Mariners promote top prospect Colt Emerson and place utilityman Brendan Donovan on IL

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners promoted top prospect Colt Emerson from Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday and placed All-Star utilityman Brendan Donovan on the 10-day injured list with a left groin muscle strain.

Emerson, 20, was originally announced in Tacoma’s lineup for the Rainiers’ home game against Sugar Land, but was scratched shortly before first pitch. Instead, he made the quick drive north to Seattle and will be the youngest Mariners player to make his major league debut since Félix Hernández did so at 19 years old on Aug. 4, 2005.

General manager Justin Hollander said the Mariners electing to call up Emerson wasn’t on his bingo card Sunday morning, nor was placing Donovan on the IL.

“I probably wouldn’t have taken the kids tidepooling in Deception Pass (State Park) this morning,” Hollander said with a chuckle. “But, we want to do the right thing for Colt. We also want to do the right thing for the Mariners. We think he’s the best option. This period will get him some runway. This is not a 15 at-bat or 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year.”

Hollander confirmed that Emerson, who is viewed as the shortstop of the future in the Emerald City, will primarily see time at third base at the start of his major league career. He started five games at third base for the Rainiers this season.

J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured player on Seattle’s roster, remains the everyday shortstop. Crawford, who started the season on the injured list with a right shoulder injury, is hitting .217 with six homers in 39 games.

Hollander said he, manager Dan Wilson and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto convened Sunday morning and decided it was time to bring up the franchise’s top prospect.

Emerson signed a $95 million, eight-year contract April 1 – the biggest commitment at the time for a minor leaguer yet to make his major league debut. The Mariners selected Emerson with the 22nd pick in the 2023 draft, and his stock only rose from there.

Emerson had a breakout year in 2025, when he hit .285 with an .842 OPS, 16 homers, 28 doubles and 78 RBIs across three levels and established himself as a big league-caliber defender. This season in Tacoma, Emerson has hit .255 with an .816 OPS, seven homers, eight doubles and 26 RBIs.

Emerson got off to a slow start to the season as he dealt with a wrist injury, but Hollander said a cortisone shot has allowed him to bounce back at the plate recently.

“He looks loose, he looks comfortable, he looks confident up there,” Hollander said. “He’s starting to put together quality at-bat after quality at-bat. There’s no reason that can’t translate over to what happens on this field out here.”

Donovan missed Saturday’s game as he continues to be plagued by a left groin injury. Donovan also missed time from April 18 to May 7 with a left groin muscle strain, and dealt with right groin discomfort earlier in the season as well.

Hollander said Donovan reaggravated his left groin injury while trying to hit for the cycle in an 8-3 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday. Donovan will receive a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection for his groin strain, as well as a different injection in his adductor, according to Hollander. There is no timeline yet for Donovan to return to play, but Hollander estimated it could be two to three weeks.

Donovan underwent sports hernia surgery in October 2025 shortly after his last season as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, which Hollander said the Mariners’ sports performance team anticipated could make him more susceptible to groin strains and core muscle strains.

“Our own internal view was that there would be some days where he didn’t feel good, at least for the first half of the season,” Hollander said. “I think the most important thing that we can do is that we’re putting him in position to go out there and feel good every day.”

Dodgers think Roki Sasaki is finally on his way to realizing his potential after dominating Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Roki Sasaki’s eventful major league career finally appears to be going the way most everyone expected when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers at the start of last season.

Sasaki pitched a career-high seven innings of four-hit ball in a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, turning in the longest and most dominant start of his strange tenure in blue.

The 24-year-old right-hander racked up a career-best eight strikeouts with no walks, doing it all with a burgeoning confidence he lacked for most of last season. Sasaki (2-3) repeatedly baffled the Halos while attacking the strike zone with a 98 mph fastball and his proliferating selection of breaking pitches.

“I think he has confidence in who he is as a big league pitcher, and we’re seeing some of the fruits right now,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Although he did it against the team with the worst record in the majors, Sasaki’s stuff is clearly working at a high level he has rarely reached as a starter stateside.

He was already a ballyhooed young star in January 2025 when he chose the Dodgers as his big league home for at least the next six years. But after a rookie season in which almost nothing went as planned, Sasaki has only recently shown why every team in the majors wanted him in their rotation.

“I actually felt better in my last outing, but today I felt able to throw strikes a little bit more,” Sasaki said through his interpreter. “Also the offense did a great job of scoring a lot of runs.”

Sasaki hasn’t been dominant in most of his starts, but Roberts said he is clearly trending upward. He is also working well with catcher Dalton Rushing, who received credit from Roberts for calling an outstanding game at Angel Stadium.

“He looked really good today,” Rushing said. “Obviously it’s really good momentum for him to carry forward, but at the same time, there’s opportunities for him to be even better. We know that’s not his ceiling. What he just did is obviously the best we’ve seen him to this point, but I trust that guy has got a lot more in the tank, and we’re going to continue to push. But it was fun to watch.”

Sasaki is again trying to carve out a permanent spot in the Dodgers’ rotation this season after famously failing to do so as a rookie. He subsequently missed 4 1/2 months with shoulder problems, but improbably returned as Los Angeles’ closer during its playoff run to a second straight World Series title.

Sasaki’s success as a reliever was a lifesaver for the short-handed Dodgers, but it didn’t change their long-term plans for him. Sasaki returned to spring training as a rotation member again — but then he repeatedly pitched poorly in Arizona and damaged his confidence.

Exactly half the batters he faced in spring exhibitions reached base, and Sasaki struggled for any control.

Roberts said the Dodgers’ message to Sasaki has been consistent: Stop worrying about minor mechanical tweaks or fine-tuning new pitches, and simply attack the strike zone with your already formidable talent.

It took a while for Sasaki to hear it, but now it’s loud and clear — and it turns out his aggressiveness is also improving his delivery. Sasaki generated 18 swing-and-misses from the Angels, a big factor in his career-high strikeout total.

“I think one of the reasons is mechanical,” Sasaki said of his recent success. “Things are kind of clicking, and I was able to execute really well throughout the game today.”

The Dodgers need Sasaki to be sharp as they attempt to get through yet another year of major pitching injuries. High-priced starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are out once again, and closer Edwin Diaz is also on the shelf along with Jack Dreyer, their most-used reliever.

Los Angeles is still pitching superbly, going into the weekend with the third-lowest ERA in the majors. Rushing and Roberts both expect Sasaki to be a big part of the effort to keep it that way.

“Pretty much it’s a confidence thing,” Rushing said. “He needs to trust his stuff, understand how good his stuff is, and execute. ... With the stuff he has, it’s easy to miss barrels, and we hadn’t quite got to see that just yet. Today was obviously a big step forward.”

Cubs Minor League Wrap: Smokies storm back to beat Clingstones, 4-3

KNOXVILLE, TN - APRIL 01: Edgar Alvarez #25 of the Knoxville Smokies poses for a photo during the Knoxville Smokies photo day at Tennessee Smokies Stadium on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Randy Sartin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Cubs claimed right-hander Christian Roa off of waivers from the Orioles and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs are Roa’s fourth team this year already.

Iowa blew a two-one lead in the ninth. Knoxville rallied after trailing by two in the ninth.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost their seventh-straight game, 4-3 to the Nashville Sounds (Brewers).

It was the best start to his Cubs’ career for Paul Campbell, who gave the I-Cubs five scoreless innings on just two hits. Campbell walked two and struck out four.

Corbin Martin gave up a game-tying solo home run in the sixth, but then Luis Peralta threw the seventh and eighth innings and retired all six batters he faced. Peralta struck out one.

But with the I-Cubs holding a 3-1 lead going to the bottom of the ninth, Gabe Klobosits came on for the save and he blew it, giving up three runs on two hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.

James Triantos was 3 for 4 with three steals today. He scored the first two Iowa runs and he singled home an insurance run in the eighth.

Shortstop Scott Kingery drove home Triantos once with a sacrifice fly and he doubled him home to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Kingery was 1 for 3.

Kingery’s double.

Triantos’ RBI single.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies canned the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 4-3.

It was a bullpen game for the Smokies who started Frankie Scalzo Jr. Scalzo gave the Smokies two innings of no runs and one hit. He struck out three and walked one.

Jackson Kirkpatrick tossed the bottom of the ninth and Columbus tacked on an insurance run on a solo home run. Kirkpatrick would get the win when the Smokies rallied in the ninth. His final line was one run on one hit and one walk over one inning. Naturally enough, he struck out one.

Marino Santy pitched the ninth and while it was shaky, he nailed down his first ever professional save. Santy pitched one inning and allowed a hit and a walk. He struck out two.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the ninth, his fourth on the season. Alvarez went 1 for 3 with a walk.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez had an infield RBI single in the third inning for the first run of the game. Ramírez went 2 for 4.

Here’s Alvarez’s home run.

South Bend Cubs

After South Bend scored 74 runs in the first five games in Appleton against the Timber Rattlers, Sunday’s game was “rained out” and will not be made up. Honestly, I don’t know whether it was raining or not, but it was awfully convenient for a pitching staff that had been battered from pillar to post.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans had an allergic reaction to the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves), 7-4.

David Bracho started this game and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over four innings. Bracho walked two and struck out two.

It was a tandem start with Hayden Frank, who didn’t pitch as well and got the loss. Frank went the rest of the way, all five innings, and allowed five runs on six hits. However on the positive side, Frank struck out nine and walked only one.

Second baseman Alexis Hernandez tied the game up 2-2 in the third inning with a two-run home run. Hernandez went 1 for 3 with a walk.

First baseman Edward Vargas was 2 for 3. He scored on Hernandez’s home run and drove in one run with a single in the fifth.

That’s all three hits the Pelicans had this evening.

Here’s Hernandez’s first home run of the year.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Yankees' David Bednar on 'unacceptable' blown save against Mets: 'It's just very frustrating'

The Yankees were one out away on Sunday from taking round one of the Subway Series against the Mets at Citi Field and salvaging a rough road trip with at least some crosstown rivalry bragging rights.

Instead, David Bednar allowed a game-tying, three-run home run to Tyrone Taylor in the ninth inning before Tim Hill took the loss after a slowly hit fielder’s choice by Carson Benge drove in the game-winning run in the 10th.

“That’s a tough one to swallow, but we gotta get right back out there tomorrow,” Bednar said.

The home run allowed by Bednar was the second the closer has allowed on this road trip after he gave up a game-winning solo shot to Brice Turang and the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning on May 10.

In fact, both home runs came on first pitch curveballs in the zone. After the game, Bednar blamed his “execution” of the pitch, not the pitch selection.

“I’ve had a lot of success with that pitch and I trust my stuff implicitly,” Bednar said about his curveball. “It’s more the position I put myself in.”

The inning began with Benge, in the middle of things once again, singling on a 2-2 fastball up in the zone and Bo Bichette grounding one up the middle on a first pitch fastball down in the zone. 

Bednar then did the heavy lifting by getting Juan Soto to ground out and Mark Vientos to strike out before facing Taylor who had been struggling all season and entered the at-bat with a .177 batting average.

“Just not putting guys away early,” Bednar said about what went wrong in the ninth. “Getting to two strikes on the first guy and not being able to put him away… Overall it’s unacceptable, especially in that spot, it’s just very frustrating.”

Manager Aaron Boone was asked about not only his closer, but the state of the rest of his bullpen as well as the 2-7 road trip that has the Yankees 28-19 and 3.0 GB of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead.

“I think they’re all capable of getting big outs,” Boone said. “And they have throughout this year. We just had a terrible road trip where we certainly had some tough ones. That’s part of it, we gotta get after it tomorrow.”

The Yankees will try and regroup quickly as they return to the Bronx for the first time in nearly two weeks to host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series starting on Monday night at 7:05 p.m.

Thoughts on an 8-0 Rangers win

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 17: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Evan Carter #32 after defeating the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 17, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Rangers 8, Astros 0

  • Okay, I guess, for one day, we can calm down a little about the offense.
  • And about Nathan Eovaldi’s achy side.
  • Eovaldi had it going on today. Seven innings, 8 Ks, 64 strikes on 94 pitches. Five hits, a pair of walks, and a hit batter.
  • Honestly, it felt like he was pitching even better than those numbers indicate.
  • Eovaldi went heavy with this splitter and had it working, throwing it 44 times and generating 13 whiffs out of 27 swings on it.
  • Eovaldi threw his curveball 18 times and only once was it put into play. That one was kind of a big deal, though, as Yordan Alvarez skied a 1-2 curve to start the bottom of the fourth way, way up in the air, on an arc that looked like it would land in the right field seats.
  • Brandon Nimmo wasn’t having any of that, though:
  • Nimmo made a spectacular leaping catch to steal a home run from Alvarez. In fairness to Eovaldi, though, that’s a warning track fly ball in most parks. While the Crawford Boxes get all the attention, the right field seats at the onetime Enron Field are closer in than most. Statcast has that as a homer in just two parks — Philly and, of course, Yankee Stadium.
  • Eovaldi had little in the way of issues the rest of the way.
  • Three weeks ago, Eovaldi’s ERA was 5.79 on the season. Since then, he has allowed one run in 22 innings, has struck out 23, and has walked just three, lowering his ERA to 3.62.
  • Gavin Collyer came in to handle the final two innings. The last time Collyer was asked to close out a game with a big lead, he ended up walking three batters, giving up a hit, and being pulled without retiring a batter.
  • This time went much better, Six up and six down for Collyer, with a pair of Ks.
  • It looked quite unlikely that a Ranger pitcher would be doing positive mop-up duty in the early part of the game, though. Through four innings, the Rangers were once again being no-hit, with a Joc Pederson walk giving the Rangers their only baserunner.
  • Alejandro Osuna beat out an infield single to break up the no-hitter with one out in the fifth. And he did it on a ball he had no business swinging at, a changeup he was way out in front of and that was barely above the ground when he made contact with it. Osuna chopped it past the pitcher’s mound, just hard enough to get past Astros pitcher Peter Lambert, just soft enough that Nick Allen wasn’t able to get the ball to first in time.
  • We had barely finished celebrating the exciting news that the Rangers wouldn’t be no hit when Jake Burger took a fastball the other way, tucking it into the seats in the right field corner for a homer, making it 2-0.
  • It was the second time in four days Burger gave the Rangers a lead with a home run right down the line in right field.
  • That doesn’t have any particular meaning, but I figured I’d point it out.
  • The flood gates ended up opening in the seventh, with Jake Burger once again doing damage. A Joc Pederson walk, an Ezequiel Duran double, and an Osuna HBP loaded the bases and led to the Astros making a pitching change. Burger let a pair of cutters go by for balls, watched a sinker and a cutter get called for strikes, then crushed a sweeper that stayed out over the plate right over third baseman Braden Shewmake’s head for a two run double.
  • I thought Shewmake was going to catch it, because that’s how things have been going. It was probably going too fast for him to see it, though.
  • Kyle Higashioka singled home Osuna and Burger, Nimmo doubled home Higashioka, and it was 7-0 and we were feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
  • Higashioka finished things off with a 9th inning homer, his second of the season, giving the Rangers a snowman on the scoreboard.
  • In the first game of the series, the Rangers barely got anyone on base. In the second game of the series, the Rangers had a ton of traffic, but only scored one run and stranded, I don’t know, I think 13 runners? Something like that?
  • Sunday, they got things figured out. They did the very fun thing where they scored more runs (8) than they had hits (7). Five of the seven hits were of the extra base variety. Of their 10 baserunners, only two were left on.
  • Efficient, it was.
  • The 8 run margin of victory is the largest for the Rangers since they beat the Angels 20-3 on August 27, 2025.
  • In addition, the A’s have lost, and so the Rangers are back to being just a game out of first place.
  • Let’s be happy, everyone!
  • Nathan Eovaldi’s fastball topped out at 95.7 mph, averaging 94.9 mph. Gavin Collyer reached 97.5 mph with his fastball.
  • Jake Burger had a 109.6 mph double and a 102.4 mph home run. Brandon Nimmo had a 101.6 mph fly out. Alejandro Osuna had a 100.7 mph ground out. Evan Carter had a 100.2 mph ground out.
  • Now to Colorado.

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 6: Damp spirits as comeback falls short

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 17: Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen #24 of the Colorado Rockies leaves the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Coors Field on May 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This afternoon’s rubber match against the Arizona Diamondbacks started after a rain delay that lasted almost two hours. By the time first pitch finally came around one could hardly tell it had been pouring not too long ago. However, spirits were certainly damp as the Colorado Rockies went down early and failed to mount a comeback.

Another difficult Coors start for Michael Lorenzen

For the first two innings this afternoon, it looked like Michael Lorenzen might have himself a solid start at a soggy Coors Field. He pitched two shutout innings with only two baserunners: a single in the first inning—that arguably should have been taken care of by Edouard Julien at second base—and a walk in the second inning.

Things fell off the rails in the third inning. With two outs, Lorenzen walked two batters and gave up back-to-back singles to put the Diamondbacks on the board with two runs. He then finished the inning. In the fourth inning he gave up a leadoff single before getting two outs… only to then give up a single and a home run by Corbin Carroll to give the Diamondbacks another three runs. The fifth inning featured a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. home run, then another run scored via a pair of singles—again with two outs. He was then pulled for newcomer Blas Castañ0, who was called up this morning from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Six of the seven runs allowed by Lorenzen came with two outs.

“I have to get the third out. For them to put up that many runs with two outs is frustrating,” he said.

The veteran, signed as a free agent this off-season, has struggled immensely at Coors Field. In four starts at a mile high he now has a 9.64 ERA with eight walks and opposing batters hitting .416 against him.

Lorenzen was brutally honest about his performance after the loss.

“I don’t care if it’s Mars,” Lorenzen said after the game. “I need to figure it out.”

He shouldered the responsibility for his poor pitching so far this season.

“It comes down to me. I’ve got to get better. Physically I feel great, but the results are just horrendous. I need to figure it out, because it’s just unacceptable to be this deep in the season and have these kinds of results on a consistent basis.”

Bullpen stops the bleeding

For what it may be worth, the bullpen did exactly what they needed to in relief of Michael Lorenzen. They held the Diamondbacks to just one run for the rest of the game. That run came via newcomer Blas Castaño, who overall had a solid outing. He allowed just the one earned run—a solo home run off the bat of Corbin Carroll—on two hits and a walk while striking out three batters over 2.1 inning.

Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik combined for two scoreless innings of their own. Halvorsen did give up a hit but also tallied two strikeouts. His velocity appears to have fully recovered from his elbow injury last season as he easily hit 101 MPH multiple times. Vodnik pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout as well.

Late offensive surge comes up short

The Rockies offense was again stagnant for most of the game. Michael Soroka kept the Rockies hitless until there were two outs in the fourth inning with their only baserunner coming in the first inning via a Hunter Goodman walk.

With those two outs in the fourth, the offense finally showed some life. Three straight doubles from birthday boy TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnston, and Willi Castro plated two runs. The Rockies had baserunners in both the fifth and six innings but failed to score, and went down in order in the seventh.

The Rockies attempted to begin a comeback in the eighth inning, which started with three straight batters reaching and loading up the bases. A Willi Castro sacrifice fly drove in one run, and back-to-back singles by Jake McCarthy and Kyle Karros drove in two more before a Brett Sullivan sacrifice fly plated yet another and had the Rockies suddenly within two runs.

Unfortunately, the Rockies’ eighth inning ended with an Edouard Julien pop-up. Julien was one of just two batters in the Rockies lineup to go hitless, and the only one to fail to reach safely. The Canadian second baseman has gone stone cold in the month of May, hitting just .075/.159/.075 without an extra base hit, four walks, and 16 strikeouts over 40 at-bats.

“When Eddie is going good, he’s taking his walks, and he hasn’t been doing that a lot lately,” said manager Warren Schaeffer after the game regarding Julien’s struggles.

The Rockies sadly went down relatively quietly in the ninth. Mickey Moniak—who also failed to record a hit today—and Hunter Goodman combined for two quick outs. TJ Rumfield walked after a lengthy at-bat (and thanks to an ABS challenge) but Troy Johnston flew out and ended both the Rockies’ comeback bid and the game.

Coming Up Next

The Rockies will start a series against the visiting Texas Rangers tomorrow evening with two lefties on the mound. José Quintana will face off against MacKenzie Gore with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM MDT.


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Adrian Houser, Harrison Bader lead 10-1 SF Giants win

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 17: Harrison Bader #9 of the San Francisco Giants reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on May 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants closed out their three-game series with the Don’t-Call-Us-Sacramento A’s on Sunday and winning the series was a breeze. A stiff wind blew in from left field at Sutter Health Park, but that didn’t stop Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader from hitting home runs out to right, the last one for a grand slam, in a 10-1 Giants win.

Adrian Houser (2-4) had his third straight strong outing, going six innings and only giving up a run when a wind-blown popup in shallow left field turned into a two-run double. He walked five, but induced three pop-ups and eight ground balls and two double plays in his six innings, and his only extra-base hit was the RBI “double” from Carlos Cortes.

The game was tight for seven innings but the Giants broke through with a six-run 8th inning that took advantage of some bad defense from the A’s and a brutal outing for reliever Luis Medina. Zach Gelof committed his second error of the game to start the inning, then a walk to Arraez and a Casey Schmidt single loaded the bases for Rafael Devers, who brought home Bader with a single to center. Lawrence Butler dropped the ball taking it out of his glove and Arraez, who was stopping at third, came home to make it 4-1.

Willy Adames singled to re-load the bases, with Schmidt holding at third even as Tyler Soderstrom kicked the ball in left — he did wisely boot the ball forward. The 1-for-5 day lowered Adames’ batting average to .234, but he’s still up 25 points on this road trip and up 37 points since May 9.

The Adames single mercifully ended Medina’s afternoon (0 IP, 3H 5 R, 2 ER). Daniel Susac grounded to second on a drawn-in infield, and it was Jeff McNeil’s turn to bobble the ball, turning a potential double play into an RBI groundout. After an intentional walk to Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee’s grounder to McNeil, a tougher play, went off his glove for an infield hit and a 6-1 lead.

Then Bader took Suarez deep for a grand slam over the comically-low right field fence at Sutter Health, though it will always be Raley Field to me. If this was the Olympics, Bader’s shot wouldn’t qualify for a record since it was wind-aided, but it was worth four big runs in major league baseball.

It was a stunning change in the nature of the ballgame. Keaton Winn was warming up to protect a 3-1 lead, and then an inning later, the A’s were bringing in their right fielder to pitch the 9th — Cortes pitched a scoreless inning, yielding a walk and a Chapman double and never exceeding 85 MPH on the radar gun.

Bader has raised his average 38 points on the road trip and his slugging percentage by 155 points thanks to going deep three times in his last four games. He’s tied for third on the team with four homers despite having only 75 plate appearances.

Arraez started the scoring with his second home run of the weekend, and also his second of the season. Maybe playing in a Triple-A ballpark unlocked his power potential? He went 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring two runs and raising his slash line to .328/.370/.437.

Our own esteemed Bryan Murphy asked whether Arraez would homer this season and Arraez gave it a resounding yes. The next question is, can he hit one out in a normal-sized park not in a windstorm? The Giants will probably be happy with his ultra-contact approach and a few doubles, but if he can slug like Eric Haase, they might really have something!

The Giants tacked on their second run thanks to more sloppy play from a squad who is poised to be Las Vegas’ fifth-favorite team. Gelof’s first error let Adames reach first and starter Jeffrey Springs balked him to second on an illegal pickoff throw. Then Matt Chapman defied the gods of wind with a double into the left-field gap, his second RBI of the road trip and the first from actually hitting the ball (Chappie had a bases-loaded walk against the Dodgers).

Springs (3-4) probably deserved better on a day when he gave up five hits and two runs in six innings, only one of them earned. He only struck out three Giants, however, and the combination of unpredictable wind and awful A’s defense made this a tough day for pitching to contact.

The Giants will have to succeed without a boost from Mother Nature when they finish the road trip in Arizona Monday-Wednesday. Robbie Ray takes on former teammate Zac Gallen Monday at Chase Field, likely with the roof shut. It’s a long 10-day road trip with no off days, but the Giants can’t feel too bad with a 4-3 record and their slumping veterans starting to hit again.

The key is to keep hitting, continue turning lots of double plays, and give offerings to Apollo and Helios, god of the Sun, rather than Aeolus, keeper of the winds. We hear Apollo likes wine and honey.

A’s Bullpen, Defense Collapse in Series-Deciding Loss to Giants

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 17: Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Athletics and Giants battled in the rubber-game of their three-game set on a windy Sunday afternoon in Sacramento. While the wind helped both teams score runs, the weather did not play that much of a factor in this game’s result. Rather it was the A’s bullpen and defensive collapse in the eighth inning, when the Giants scored eight runs to break the game open and go on to a 10-1 series-deciding victory.

Giants Threaten Right Away

A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs encountered some early traffic before inducing two fly outs to escape that first inning jam.

Kurtz Keeps Streak Going

A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz led off the bottom of the first with a walk against Giants’ pitcher Adrian Houser, extending his on-base streak to an incredible 40 consecutive games. Houser settled down after that, matching Springs with a scoreless first.

Springs continued his strong start in the second, inducing an inning-ending double-play grounder to erase Giants’ catcher Daniel Susac’s leadoff single. In the latter half of that inning, A’s third baseman Zack Gelof crushed a ball that got knocked down by the wind and wound up in the Giants center fielder’s glove.

Giants Strike First

The Giants took the lead against Springs. With one out in the third, Arraez hit his second home run of the season, a wind-aided solo shot down the right field line. A’s catcher Jonah Heim led off the last of the third with a single, his first hit with the team and the A’s first hit of the game.

Giants Add Another Run

The Giants extended their lead the next inning. Their shortstop, Willy Adames reached on Gelof’s throwing error, advanced to second on a balk and then scored on Matt Chapman’s double to center. Springs limited the damage by getting Giants’ right fielder Drew Gilbert to fly out with Chapman on second and two outs.

A’s Attempt a Comeback

Houser worked his fourth straight scoreless inning. The Giants middle-infield duo of Adamesand Arraez made nice defensive plays to assist their pitcher.

In the bottom of the fifth, the A’s got on the board thanks to a two-out rally. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz singled and then Kurtz walked for the third time in three at-bats. That brought up right fielder Carlos Cortes, whose pop-up was somehow not caught by a Giants infielder. His double that never left the infield brought home Hernaiz to cut his team’s deficit in half. Houser escaped the jam by getting designated hitter Brent Rooker to line out as the A’s stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base.

Springs responded with a shutdown sixth inning, not letting the Giants grab back any momentum. He allowed two runs, one earned on five hits over six innings. He struck out just three while inducing seven groundouts and seven flyouts.

In the bottom of the sixth, Gelof singled and then stole second with two outs. Unfortunately, center fielder Lawrence Butler popped out to end the inning. For the second straight inning, the hosts wasted an opportunity to at least tie the game. Butler continues to struggle, his batting average now a woeful .172.

Like Springs, Houser completed six solid innings for the Giants, only allowing one run on four hits. Aside from the five walks, Houser pitched well and in all likelihood should have ended his outing with zero runs allowed given how the A’s scored their lone run against him.

A’s Bullpen and Defense Falters: Giants Score Eight in the Eighth

In the seventh, both teams turned things over to their bullpen. A’s right-hander Justin Sterner and Giants’ left-hander Sam Hentges each pitched scoreless innings.

The Giants extended their lead in the eighth inning against Athletics’ reliever Luis Medina thanks to several A’s mistakes. The rally started when Gelof made his second fielding error of the game. Following a walk and a single, San Francisco had runners on every base with zero outs. First baseman Rafael Devers singled to center scoring two runs, the second run coming home because Butler failed to cleanly field the ball.

Medina failed to record an out, and was not helped by the defense behind him. Left-hander José Suárez replaced him with the bases loaded, but by the time he finally escaped the inning, the game had gotten out of hand. Giants center fielder Harrison Bader punctuated the rally with a grand slam down the right-field line, capping what was likely San Francisco’s best offensive inning and the A’s worst defensive inning of the season.

Position-player Pitching Alert

Down by nine, A’s manager Mark Kotsay turned to position-player Carlos Cortes to pitch the top of the ninth inning. In his first MLB pitching appearance, the outfielder allowed a walk and a double but did not give up a run.

The Athletics went down meekly in the bottom of the ninth, suffering a 10-1 defeat that marked their second straight home series loss to a National League opponent and dropped them back to .500. The A’s are now just 10-12 at home this season, a mark that must improve if they hope to contend for a playoff spot. They also need to tighten their defense after committing nine errors over the past six games.

Next Game Preview

The A’s, however, have been better on the road, where they are 13-11 entering tomorrow’s matchup at the scuffling Los Angeles Angels. Coming off back-to-back scoreless outings, right-hander J.T. Ginn will start for the A’s as they try to snap their two-game losing streak. The Angels will counter with 22-year-old right-hander Walbert Ureña, who brings a 1-4 record and a 3.29 ERA into his eighth appearance and sixth start of the season. Ureña has pitched well recently, setting up an intriguing first meeting of the year between the division rivals.