The ball remained in the park, but Munetaka Murakami slapped an 0-2 slider down the third-base line for a double to drive in three during a nine-run fourth. | (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
San Francisco’s Trevor McDonald was perfect through the first three innings against the White Sox tonight. Trying to get through the lineup a second time proved to be impossible for the righty, as Chicago hung nine runs on the Giants and cruised to a 9-4 win.
It started with back-to-back hit batsmen to put Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami on base. Colson Montgomery got the first hit of the game with an infield single, and with the sacks packed Chase Meidroth broke the shutout with an RBI walk.
And the runs would not stop coming. Antonacci would get hit once more before the end of the inning, by a different pitcher. The Pale Hose used five hits and a fielder’s choice to push nine runs in their half of the fourth. Nine is the most runs scored in a single inning this season, and are also the most runs scored in an inning without a home run since 2000. Although just two of the hits hit gaps and had any slug to them, it was a welcome wake-up of the bats after a slow start to the road trip in Seattle.
Please enjoy Mune’s third double of the season to add three RBIs to his ledger:
Davis Martin, untouchable all season, ran into troubles of his own in the bottom of the fifth. He opened the inning with issuing walks sandwiching a double from Drew Gilbert to load the bases. A ground out from Willy Adames put the Giants on the board, followed by a Luis Arráez RBI single. A wild pitch from Martin advanced the runners to second and third with one out, setting up the third and final run of the inning to score on another ground out. Not too many RBI hits in this game, for either side!
Will Venable gave his starter an opportunity to pick up an eighth quality start of the year, but Martin, at 98 pitches, ended his night just 5 2/3 innings in. He gave up an additional run in the sixth, pushing his ERA back past 2.00. During his outing, Martin struck out seven and walked two, but tonight’s four runs are the most the ace has given up so far this season.
The rest of the game was fairly quiet. The slugging White Sox won a game handily without hitting a home run, and without scoring outside of the fourth. Tyler Davis, Brandon Eisert and Trevor Richards each did their job out of the bullpen and kept the game exactly where it was.
After dropping a series to the Mariners in Seattle, this game was a nice win to start the holiday weekend. The South Siders will be back a little earlier tomorrow for the second game of the three-game set. First pitch will be at 3:05 p.m. CDT, where Erick Fedde and gang will look to secure a series victory.
May 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Sterlin Thompson (30) scores a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies came into Tuesday night looking to do more than play another close game.
This time, they finished one.
The Rockies (20-32) found a way to cross the finish line, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks (26-24) 3-2 at Chase Field after tying the game in the eighth, turning a huge double play in the bottom half, and pushing across the winning run in the ninth.
After back-to-back frustrating finishes — a late loss to Texas and Monday night’s walk-off loss in Arizona — Colorado finally got the kind of late execution it had been missing. Tomoyuki Sugano gave the Rockies a strong start, TJ Rumfield tied the game with an eighth-inning double, Sterlin Thompson set up the ninth with his first MLB extra-base hit, and Chad Stevens followed with his first MLB RBI to give Colorado the lead.
Antonio Senzatela got the win, improving to 4-0 after recording the final five outs. Ryan Thompson took the loss for Arizona, falling to 2-1.
Sugano survives the noise
The Diamondbacks hit the ball hard throughout Tomoyuki Sugano’s outing. That was clear early, and it never really went away. Arizona put 23 balls in play against him, and 11 were hard hit. Ketel Marte’s 116.7 mph double was the loudest swing, and Corbin Carroll added a 107 mph single in the fifth.
Sugano did not overpower the Diamondbacks. He managed them.
Arizona got its first run in the second, when Nolan Arenado opened the inning with a loud double to center. Ildemaro Vargas moved him to third with a flyout to right, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center. In the fourth, Sugano’s only walk came back to hurt him. Geraldo Perdomo reached with one out, moved to second on Vargas’ groundout, and scored when Gurriel pulled a ground-ball single into left.
There were other pressure points, too. Marte doubled with two outs in the third before Sugano got Carroll to fly out. In the fifth, after the Rockies had cut the deficit to 2-1, Ryan Waldschmidt singled, stole second and moved to third on Carroll’s hard ground-ball single. Sugano stranded both runners by getting Perdomo to line out to right.
That was the shape of his night. Arizona kept creating stress, but Sugano kept the game from opening up. He changed looks, limited the walks, kept the ball in the park and carried the Rockies into the seventh.
Sugano finished with 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts on 97 pitches. He threw seven different pitch types: 33 sinkers, 19 splitters, 15 sliders, 10 sweepers, eight four-seamers, eight curveballs and four cutters.
That length mattered for more than the box score. The Rockies had leaned hard on their bullpen in recent days, and Sugano gave them exactly the kind of start they needed.
“Our bullpen was in bad shape, and we needed him to go a long time,” Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “He was efficient with his pitches, throwing strikes and just doing what he does with all of his pitches (and) keeping guys off balance. He’s been huge for us all year, and tonight was no exception.”
Rockies let Soroka off the hook
Michael Soroka gave the Diamondbacks six strong innings, and the Rockies did not make him work as hard as they needed to. He allowed one run on four hits, struck out two, walked none and threw 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
Colorado was aggressive against him, swinging at 48 pitches while taking 30. That approach kept the ball in play, but it did not produce enough damage. The Rockies struck out only twice against Soroka, which is usually a good sign, but they also did not draw a walk and rarely forced him away from his plan.
Soroka mixed five pitches, throwing 28 slurves, 27 four-seamers, 11 changeups, eight sinkers and four cutters. He did not need to overpower the Rockies. He stayed around the zone, changed speeds and got enough soft contact to keep Colorado from building sustained pressure.
The Rockies’ best chance against him came in the fifth. Willi Castro and Ezequiel Tovar opened the inning with singles, and Sterlin Thompson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Soroka had given Colorado the opening it needed, but the Rockies came away with only one run. Chad Stevens struck out, Jake McCarthy drove in Castro with a deep sacrifice fly, and Hunter Goodman ended the inning by tapping a ball in front of the plate.
That was the miss. The Rockies had bases loaded, nobody out and a chance to take control of the game. Instead, they turned it into one run and let Soroka escape with the lead.
Rockies get to Arizona’s bullpen
For most of the night, the fifth-inning chance looked like it might define the game. Then the Rockies found another path against Arizona’s bullpen.
Hunter Goodman opened the eighth with a walk against Juan Morillo, then moved to second on a passed ball by Gabriel Moreno. TJ Rumfield followed with the swing Colorado had been chasing, pulling a double to right field to score Goodman and tie the game at 2-2.
They took advantage again in the ninth. After Ezequiel Tovar popped out, Sterlin Thompson worked the count full and lined a double to center for his first MLB extra-base hit. Chad Stevens followed with a line-drive single to right for his first MLB RBI, scoring Thompson and giving the Rockies their first lead of the night.
“It was an awesome job by [Thompson] hitting a double there,” Stevens said. “Then I don’t think I could have drawn it up much better by driving him in.”
“I couldn’t ask for much more,” he said. “I’m just happy I was able to contribute and help the team win.”
That gave Antonio Senzatela a one-run lead to protect, and he handled it cleanly.
Senzatela wins the day
Brennan Bernardino entered in the seventh and finished Sugano’s inning by getting Ketel Marte to ground out. He came back for the eighth after the Rockies had tied the game, but Arizona immediately put pressure on him. Corbin Carroll reached on a ground-ball single that deflected off Bernardino, and Geraldo Perdomo bunted him to second.
That brought in Antonio Senzatela with one out, Carroll in scoring position and the game tied. Senzatela hit Nolan Arenado with a pitch, putting two on and giving Arizona a chance to answer right back.
Instead, the Rockies made the biggest defensive play of the night.
Ildemaro Vargas grounded into a 5-6-3 double play, with Kyle Karros starting it at third, Tovar making the turn and Castro finishing it at first. The play ended the inning, kept the game tied and gave Colorado one more chance.
The Rockies used it in the ninth, and Senzatela made it stand.
He stayed on for the bottom of the ninth and retired Jose Fernandez on a flyout, Gabriel Moreno on a groundout to third and Adrian Del Castillo on a popup to second. His final line was 1.2 scoreless innings with no hits, no walks and no strikeouts. It was not flashy. It was clean, and it was exactly what the Rockies needed.
Colorado finished with nine hits and went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, so there were still missed chances. They left nine runners on base. They did not play a perfect offensive game.
But they got Sugano’s length, Rumfield’s tying double, the massive eighth-inning double play, Thompson’s first extra-base hit, Stevens’ first RBI and five outs from Senzatela.
Winning feels great.
Up Next
The Rockies will continue their series against the Diamondbacks on Friday night at Chase Field. Colorado is scheduled to send right-hander Michael Lorenzen to the mound. Lorenzen enters at 2-6 with a 7.03 ERA and 36 strikeouts.
Arizona will counter with right-hander Zac Gallen, who enters at 2-4 with a 4.78 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
May 22, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Athletics third baseman Zack Gelof (20) is congratulated by second baseman Jeff McNeil (22) after scoring during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Athletics and San Diego Padres kicked off a three-game series on a beautiful Friday night in San Diego. The A’s sought to win their fourth straight game, while the Padres hoped to rebound after losing their past series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buoyed by three key home runs, the Padres won the series-opener 7-3, ending the A’s winning streak.
Early Offense
A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes started the game with a single against Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler. First baseman Nick Kurtz promptly socked an RBI double on the first pitch he saw from the right-hander, scoring Cortes to give the A’s an early 1-0 lead. That hit extended Kurtz’s on-base streak to an incredible 45 consecutive games. Kurtz moved to third on catcher Shea Langeliers’ groundout and then scored on designated hitter Brent Rooker’s groundout.
In the bottom of the first, the Padres answered right back. Second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk against A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs. With two outs, Machado tied the game with his eighth home run of the year, a two-run blast to the stands in left field.
A’s Waste Multiple Scoring Chances
In the second, the A’s had a chance to re-take the lead. With one out, center fielder Henry Bolte walked and then second baseman Jeff McNeil singled. Alas, Buehler buckled down, retiring the next two hitters to escape that jam unscathed.
Kurtz led off the A’s half of the third with a walk, but was stranded at second. Athletics’ left fielder Tyler Soderstrom ended the inning by striking out looking on a pitch right down the middle that was begging to be crushed.
Through three innings, the A’s went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, failing to take advantage of several early scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Springs settled down, posting two-straight scoreless frames.
A’s Jump Back in Front
A’s third baseman Zack Gelof kicked off the fourth inning with a double down the left field line. Like Gelof, Bolte took advantage of the first pitch he saw from Buehler, sizzling an RBI single to center field. The Athletics first hit with a runner in scoring position put the team up 3-2.
Bolte did not spend any time at first. He was quickly thrown out attempting to steal second, the second A’s runner caught stealing through the game’s first four innings. Unlike in the first inning, Jeffrey Springs retired the San Diego Padres in order in the bottom of the fourth, delivering a much-needed shutdown inning. With one out in the fifth, Kurtz worked an 11-pitch at-bat that resulted in his second walk of the game and third time reaching base in three plate appearances. That was all the A’s offense mustered that inning.
Padres Come Back Again
In the bottom of the fifth, the Padres tied the game with their second and home run of the night. Right fielder Nick Castellanos crushed Springs’ hanging sweeper for his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that hit the Western Metal Supply Co. Building beyond the left field stands.
A’s Leave Bases Loaded
In the top of the sixth, Bolte’s speed was on full display as he hustled down the line to beat Machado’s throw to first base. The rookie recorded two singles and a walk in his first three at-bats. McNeil hit his second single to keep his team’s two-out rally going. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases.
The Padres brought in left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon to replace right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. The A’s countered by having right-handed hitter Colby Thomas pinch hit for the left-handed hitting Cortes. Morejon won the battle, striking out Thomas to strand the bases loaded.
Padres take the lead
San Diego fully seized the game’s momentum shortly after the A’s left the bases loaded. With one out in the seventh, Padres’ left fielder Ramón Laureano, a former A’s player, gave the hosts a 4-3 lead with his sixth home run of the season and his team’s third home run of the matchup.
His solo blast knocked Springs out of the game. The A’s starter allowed four runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. Springs mostly kept the ball on the ground, inducing nine groundouts compared to only three fly outs. The long ball was his downfall in tonight’s outing. A’s right-handed reliever Jack Perkins entered the game in relief of Springs and got the final two outs of the seventh inning.
Soderstrom began the eighth with a base hit to the gap. He tried stretching the hit into a double, but got thrown out at second for the first out of the inning.That proved to be a small momentum shift, as it erased a leadoff baserunner and led to a quick scoreless inning from Padres’ right-handed.reliever Jason Adam.
Padres Add on Late
In the last of the eighth, the Padres scored multiple insurance runs against Perkins. They opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. First baseman Gavin Sheets’s base hit knocked in two runs. San Diego added a third run on shortstop Xander Bogaerts’s sacrifice fly.
With it no longer being a save situation, the Padres put right-hander Jeremiah Estrada in for the ninth inning instead of their closer Mason Miller. Estrada needed just nine pitches to record the final three outs of the game.
The Athletics will try to bounce back and even the series tomorrow night. J.T. Ginn will make his second start of the roadtrip. The right-hander has been the A’s best starting pitcher these last few turns through the rotation, as evident by his near no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels in his last outing earlier this week. He will be opposed by Padres’ right-hander Lucas Giolito, who will make his second start of the season.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 22: Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) is looked at after being hit in the hand with a ball during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field on May 22, 2026 in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Muncy was hit by a 95.5-mph fastball from Aaron Ashby in the top of the eighth inning on Friday, and immediately left the game, replaced by pinch-runner Santiago Espinal.
“We just gotta monitor the next couple days. Typically, especially in that area, the X-rays never come back positive immediately. It kind of forms a little bit. I’m pretty sure it hit half my wrist pad and then half my wrist,” Muncy told reporters in Milwaukee, as shown by SportsNet LA. “Me deciding to wear that wrist guard the last couple of years might have saved my wrist, at least tonight.”
Muncy has been the Dodgers’ best hitter this season, hitting .258/.363/.515 with a team-leading 147 wRC+ and 12 home runs.
How long Muncy misses remains to be seen, but with left-hander Robert Gasser starting for Milwaukee on Saturday that was likely a logical day for Muncy not to start anyway. Manager Dave Roberts said that Espinal will start at third base in the middle game of the series, and Miguel Rojas will start at second base.
“He’ll be down for the next couple of days, just to make sure we get that swelling out,” Roberts said of Muncy, as shown by SportsNet LA. “But for right now, we’re breathing a sigh of relief.‘
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 08: Relief pitcher Juan Morillo #62 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Chase Field on May 08, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mets defeated the Diamondbacks 3-1 in 10 innings. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game Summary
The Diamondbacks starting rotation has been on another level over the last couple weeks, and that trend continued tonight with Michael Soroka earning another Quality Start, their league-leading 13th this month. With only 78 pitches thrown after six innings and only a single run allowed, it looked like it was a no-brainer for Soroka to come back out for the 7th. Instead, Soroka was pulled and the Diamondbacks bullpen allowed 2 runs over the next 3 frames to hand the Rockies a rare win at Chase Field.
Soroka wasn’t the best we had seen him, but he was extremely efficient and mostly effective. Not much swing-and-miss, but a lot of light contact and good defense backing him up. Right from the start of the bullpen usage, however, things were off. Taylor Clarke was first up and got some terrific help from his defense to record 2 outs, but he also allowed a couple baserunners which led to him being pulled in favor of Brandyn Garcia who recorded the final out of the 7th and hit the showers. Then it was Juan Morillo’s turn one night after getting hit with a blown save against these Rockies and it started off just as poorly as last night ended, allowing a quick run to tie the game before recording an out, but Morillo regained his composure and got 2 outs before turning the ball over to Ryan Thompson who mirrored Garcia’s 7th inning performance with a groundout to end the 8th. Thompson came back out for the 9th and looked considerably less sharp than before and ended up giving up the go-ahead run before working his way out of a mess of his own making.
Still, after all of that, Diamondbacks pitchers combined to only allow 3 runs. That is not an epic meltdown. They kept the offense in the game, giving their teammates a chance to win it, but the offense was nowhere to be found. Or, perhaps, the offense was down in the locker room with hamstring tightness for the last few innings.
Coming into the 6th inning, the Diamondbacks had scored 2 runs thanks to 2 RBI base hits by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. In the top of the 6th, Lourdes sprinted in for a sliding catch in shallow left field but was very slow to get back up. Eventually, Torey and the trainer came out to speak with Lourdes and all three walked back to the dugout together, with the team saying Lourdes left with hamstring tightness. While Gurriel finished the night 2/2 with RISP on the night, the rest of the team was 0/5, leaving 6 LOBsters.
The team’s last real opportunity came in the 8th with the score still tied and Corbin leading off. He earned an infield single, then was bunted over to second by Perdomo. Arenado went to first the hard way with a HBP, bringing the very clutch Ildemaro to the plate. Unfortunately, he grounded into a double play and that was that. Jose Fernandez (pinch hitting for injury replacement Jorge Barrosa), Gabi, and ADC went down 1-2-3 in the 9th and the Rockies got their 4th win at Chase in their last 22 tries.
Loss Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
In perhaps an early indicator of how the ball was going to carry tonight with the roof and panels open (SPOILER: there were no home runs this game, just a bunch of warning track fly outs), the Rockies second hitter of the game lifted a flyball to left field that carried and carried all the way to wall where Lourdes made a leaping grab to either rob a homer or keep it from scraping down off the top of the wall. It did not seem like that ball was that well struck and the expression on Michael Soroka’s face when the ball was finally caught looked like he was surprised at the carry as well.
The D-backs played some superb small ball in the 2nd inning to plate the first run of the game. Nolan Arenado led off with a double, Ildemaro hit fly ball to right field that was deep enough for Nolan to advance to third, and Lourdes then strung together a tough 8-pitch AB culminating in a deep flyout to center that scored Arenado.
Waldschmidt’s strikeout to start the third was of the ꓘ variety. He made valiant effort to work the count from 1-2 to full, laying off some tough balls just out of the zone, but then was fooled by a fastball that he stared right through the outer-third of the plate and into the mitt. That was his 6th strikeout looking of the year out of 13 total Ks. His 46% ꓘ-rate is easily highest on the team and is one of the higher marks across the league.
Ketel’s double in the third came off the bat at 116.7mph which was his 2nd hardest hit ball this year. The other was a 116.9mph grounder that resulted in an out. Because of course it was.
Geraldo Perdomo and Ildemaro Vargas paired up for an outstanding play to get the 2nd out of the 4th inning. Gerry ranged way into the deep hole between second and third to field a grounder and threw back across his body with his momentum still carrying to third. The throw short-hopped Vargas, but it was dead on line and Ildemaro was able to scoop it and complete the out. Excellent play!
Gerry Perdomo was back to his pesky self in the 4th inning, and it resulted in another D-backs run. Domo led off the inning with a 7-pitch walk, then exhausted Sugano’s disengagements across 2 different hitters looking like he was going to steal. After Arenado popped out during a Domo steal attempt, Ildemaro came up and grounded out to second but since Domo was running on that play, he slid in safely and was in scoring position for Lourdes Gurriel who played the hero again with a ringing single to left. A note should also be given that JR House gave a pretty aggressive send to Domo coming home, but the throw from left field was offline so there was no “option House to Reno” comments on the thread.
Lourdes Gurriel left the game in the 6th inning after making a stellar sliding grab in short left field. Replays showed he made a bit of a face on his last couple steps before sliding and he knew something was wrong immediately. Hopefully nothing serious and he’s back in short order.
The 7th inning was all about defense for the Snakes. Corbin started things off with a sliding, backhanded catch in right for the first out, then Waldschmidt made a long run and leap into the corner in left to track down a flyball for the second out of the inning. Then, with 2 runners on, Jake McCarthy hit a grounder halfway between first and second. Ildemaro ranged over and delivered an on-time, on-target toss to Brandyn Garcia who was hustling to cover first and beat McCarthy by a step.
Ketel Marte worked a 3-0 count in the bottom of the 7th with 2 outs and a runner on. If anyone has earned the right to swing 3-0 on this D-backs team, it’s Ketel, but he grounded out weakly to end the inning.
Juan Morillo was called on for the 8th inning one night after being pulled in the 8th for giving up the tying run and the box score will show he did indeed give up the tying run again, but tonight he was able to rebound after a rough start to the frame and get the final 2 hitters he faced out before handing the ball to Ryan Thompson who did his normal get-the-groundball-out-you-desperately-need thing.
Comment of the Game
The GameDay Thread started out fairly light tonight, but the comments picked up as the game outcome became more and more in doubt. A final tally of 310 comments at time of publishing with a tie for Comment of the Game awarded to Veeloh and Dano_in_Tucson, fittingly the top two rec’d comments on a night where Lourdes Gurriel had a great game and a very bad night:
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the Rockies for the third game of this 4-game set tomorrow evening with a 12:10pm first pitch Arizona time. Righthander Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 7.03 ERA) will take the mound for Colorado and Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.78 ERA) takes the ball for the good guys. Can Gallen continue this impressive streak of elite starting pitching for the Snakes?
May 22, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) hits a home run during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
If you had “a tidy 2-0 victory in Kauffman Stadium” on your mind tonight, no you didn’t. The amount of nonsense in AL Central road games over the past few seasons has been enough for a lifetime, but no greater shenanigans have taken place than here. There was the 11-spot in 2022, its little sibling in 2024, and despite ultimately winning three out of four games, I think plenty of ink has been spilled about that August 2023 series. Mix in a feeble righty-heavy lineup and a scuffling Logan Gilbert? Yeah, no one would blame you if you grabbed the clicker.
Tonight the Mariners transcended the ghosts of Kauffman.
The bats had an early chance in the first, with Julio Rodríguez continuing to lay waste to the Royals by ripping a one-out double down the left field line and Randy Arozarena working a walk to put two runners on. Alas, notably left-handed Royals starter Noah Cameron got the last laugh against Rob Refsnyder and Patrick Wisdom, dispatching them both on swings and misses over a combined ten pitches. Spark joy, that does not. Logan Gilbert thankfully came out of the gate strong, setting down Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. with a pair of leadoff strikeouts. Vinnie Pasquantino showed off a nice piece of hitting by slapping an up and a away fastball into left field, but after a harmless flyout from Salvador Pérez, the Royals were turned away.
That’s just kind of how the next several innings went. Logan picked up another duo of Ks from Carter Jensen and Isaac Collins that sandwiched a nice grab by Julio in center off the bat of Jac Caglianone. At long last scaling back the cutter (just nine out of 94 pitches thrown!), Gilbert’s slider and splitter were his primary offspeed offerings. The split kept any hard contact at arm’s length, and strong fastball command kept the Royals’ bats regular off balance. A one-out walk to nine-hole hitter Kyle Isbel was the only blemish through his first five frames, but things may have turned out different had J.P. Crawford not turned back the clock a tad in the fourth.
Gilbert wobbled a bit in the sixth, sneaking a knock from Garcia in between a popout from Isbel and an initially scary flyout from Witt, but an errant pickoff throw where his cleat got caught in the mound let Garcia scoot into second. Vinnie Pasquantino battled for seven pitches – the last four of which were splitters down – and came out victorious with a walk, ending a visibly frustrated Gilbert’s night. Walter may have been cranky, but after his last start against the Padres spiraled quickly, it was a reassuring sight to see that he’s still there. Eduard Bazardo was on to face Salvy, and took a minute to settle in, going into a full count before a harmless forceout at third.
Conversely, Cameron threw his four-seam just fifteen times in his six-inning start, leaning heavily on his changeup and curveballs to dice through Seattle’s hitters, setting a season-high in strikeouts in the fourth. The Mariners also did themselves no favors in the sequencing department. Julio spanked a 113 MPH ground ball into left for a two-out base hit in the third, but Randy went fishing on 2-2 curve. Mitch Garver checked in with a leadoff single in the fifth, only to be almost immediately erased by a Víctor Robles double play. But hey, Colt Emerson notched his second Major League hit, pulling a hard ground ball through the right side. J.P. Crawford and unable to get him in, though, sending a flyball to center for the third out, and after six, the 0-0 score felt quite earned.
The one silver lining on the offensive side was that the bats had worked Cameron for 96 pitches, forcing the Royals to turn to their struggling bullpen. Righty Nick Mears took over duties for the seventh, and promptly walked Cole Young. Garver stepped to the plate for the third time tonight, taking an easy high fastball before getting a middle-high sinker that didn’t sink. Two pitches prior, Angie on the broadcast opined that it was “do your job” time for the lineup.
The M’s never added on, and they never looked back. Bazardo was sent back onto the mound and threw a hellacious seventh inning, striking out the side in order – including a pair of his patented called third strikes. Matt Brash handled eighth duties, working around hits from Michael Massey and Garcia and some hard contact to stave off a late Kansas City threat. Andrés Muñoz, as is typical, was in to seal the deal. Three batters – and for the first time in his career, zero fastballs – later, and the Mariners had done the unthinkable: win a low-scoring, low-stress game in Kansas City. George Kirby squares off against notably right-handed Stephen Kolek tomorrow at 1:10pm Pacific time. Maybe the ghosts of Kauffman will show us something cool.
May 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (21) chases down a pop foul during the first inning by Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jorge Soler (12) at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs but the Anaheim Angels scored nine runs.
Last Friday we were wondering if the Rangers would make use of a ninth-inning rally from their previous game to push them forward on the cusp of returning to .500 baseball only for them to spend their Friday evening getting one-hit on their way to a series loss in Houston last weekend.
After coming back to win with a ninth inning rally on Wednesday in Colorado, the Rangers got their first look at the Anaheim Angels and instead of any presence of momentum, Texas combined two of the more dubious threads that have plagued them this season into one crappy first inning.
A dash of first inning woes with a pinch of Jacob deGrom dingerball issues put the Rangers in an immediate 4-0 hole. The first inning issues have been well documented but the home run bug for deGrom is something that was worrying early but became a crisis after allowing four dongs in the second loss in the series against Houston.
Tonight, deGrom allowed two more homers, including an inexcusable three-run bomb from someone named Wade Meckler, the first of his big league career.
Overall, deGrom lasted just three innings and allowed six runs on six hits while tying a season-high three walks. This came against a club that had won just five times all month and had scored as many as the four runs that they scored in the first inning alone in just six of their 19 games in May. As you might expect, their nine runs tonight is their best this month.
Texas tried to chip away at the Angels’ early lead and even got to within a run at 6-5 but they eventual ran out of innings but not before old, broken relievers allowed three more Angels runs.
So once again instead of building on a comeback victory the Rangers opened a series against the American League’s worst team with a loss to a division rival.
Player of the Game: Brandon Nimmo has been beat up a little over the last few weeks but after a day off yesterday he had a nice game tonight.
Nimmo hit a fourth inning solo home run and a seventh inning double that, at the time, seemed like it might bring in what would have been the tying run if not for the fact that Josh Jung is incredibly slow and couldn’t score from first base on a two-out extra base hit.
In addition to the success at the plate, Nimmo also made a nifty catch at the wall in right field that prevented extra bases.
Up Next: More Rangers and Angels with a pitcher to be named for Texas opposite LHP Reid Detmers for Anaheim.
The Saturday evening first pitch from the Big A is scheduled for 6:20 pm CDT and will be aired on NBCSN / Peacock.
Yes, it was another loss – to the Rays, no less. Again.
But if you zoom out from the workaday parts of Rays 4, Yankees 2 on Friday night at the Stadium, there’s gold in the fact that Gerrit Cole looked so good in his first big league outing since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
Because if these Yankees are going to reassert themselves in the AL East race, their rotation figures to be a major factor. And if Cole can be his old self, they’ll doubtless make a push.
“We’re capable of big things,” Aaron Boone said, referring specifically to his starting rotation. “And it’s great to have our ace back in the mix.”
Frankly, the Yanks needed the boost, even if one night’s result didn’t turn things around immediately. Following Friday night, the Yankees had lost three straight games and 10 of their last 14. Tampa Bay has pushed its division lead to 5.5 games on the Yankees (seven in the loss column).
Aaron Judge is struggling – he’s 0-for-his-last-15 – and while the Yankees had 11 hits Friday and mustered 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position, they only scored two runs. Boone, though, noted that there were several hard-hit balls throughout the lineup, including a long drive to the warning track by Judge that ended the game, that left him thinking “this wasn’t the last couple of nights” with his sputtering offense.
Cole, meanwhile, delivered six shutout innings, allowing just two singles, and seemed delighted by the results in his first game in 569 days. A reporter asked how close the performance was to his “full self,” and Cole, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, responded like this:
“You know, it’s pretty close.”
Added catcher Austin Wells: “Both fastballs look great. All the stuff was moving.”
Cole had only two strikeouts, a far cry from the nights he’s been utterly dominant in his wondrous career. But he and Boone attributed it partly to Tampa Bay’s overt aggression and their outsized ability to make contact. That helped Cole to some brief innings, including a four-pitch 1-2-3 fourth.
“The stuff I was looking at (Friday), moving forward, I think there’ll be nights when the swing-and-miss is there,” Boone said.
And one of the strikeouts was, perhaps, a harbinger of whiffs to come, according to Boone. Cole caught Rays cleanup hitter Yandy Díaz looking at a 97.2 mile-per-hour four-seamer to end the first inning. “The freeze of Yandy was really nice,” Boone said.
Overall, Cole threw 72 pitches and there was no thought of pushing him for more, even with the recent struggles of the Yankee bullpen. “He was done at that point,” Boone said. “He was great.”
“I feel like that was a smart play,” Cole said of when he exited. “You know, it may seem easy, but it was a high-pressure, tough game.”
The Rays tested Cole early by getting their first two batters of the game on base. Cole picked off the speedy Chandler Simpson, which probably helped settle any nerves that may have bloomed in the first inning. Boone praised Cole for the way the pitcher managed the Rays’ aggressive style.
Command is generally the last skill item to fully return for pitchers. Cole walked three Friday night and it was clear that a couple of four-ball free passes irked him.
“I might have to deal with some of that here,” Cole said.
Whatever tweaks he may have to make, the night, as a whole, was a success for him. He noted that his sons were thrilled for his comeback. He called the whole experience of being back “lovely” and that seems like a nice state to land in after all the ups and downs of surgery and rehab.
Now, of course, the Yankees have to start playing better. Over the long season, having Cole back and at this level – in start one – will help.
But the Yanks need to perform immediately against the Rays, too. Tampa Bay is 4-0 against the Yankees so far this season. You might remember a theme of the Yanks’ 2025 season was their inability to beat the Blue Jays, who won the division on a tiebreaker and got home-field advantage against the Yankees in the playoffs. Ultimately, Toronto eliminated the Yanks in the playoffs.
They can’t afford a repeat scenario with another division rival this year. The teams are close – the Rays have won four games against the Yankees by a total of six runs.
“Obviously,” Boone said, “we got to find a way to beat that team.”
PHOENIX — Arizona left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the Diamondbacks’ game Friday night against the Colorado Rockies because of left hamstring tightness after making a sliding catch.
Gurriel made the impressive play for the first out of the sixth inning, sprinting hard toward left center before sliding feet first while making the grab. He grimaced after the catch before slowly standing up.
After a short conversation with manager Torey Lovullo and medical staff, the 32-year-old Cuban walked slowly off the field. He was replaced by Jorge Barrosa, who played center while Ryan Waldschmidt moved to left.
Gurriel returned to the lineup April 18 after missing roughly eight months with a torn ACL in his right knee. He is batting .228 with a homer and 11 RBIs, including two RBIs on Friday night before leaving the game.
With the Mets in the midst of a grueling stretch of 16 straight games, New York will need reinforcements and are reportedly going to rely on a couple of young arms.
The Athletic's Will Sammon reports that after Jonah Tong's impressive season debut in relief in the Mets' 2-1 loss to the Marlins on Friday, the young right-hander will be rewarded by staying with the big league team. While his role is not yet known, Sammon reports that it is expected that Tong will pitch against the Reds on Wednesday.
Tong allowed just one walk in three scoreless and hitless innings on Friday while striking out two batters. It's arguably the most impressive he's looked with the Mets and the team hopes this time around, things will be different.
The right-hander struggled in his brief time with the Mets at the end of the 2025 season, going 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA over five starts.
In addition, Sammon is reporting that the Mets are expected to promote right-handed reliever Jonathan Pintaro.
Pintaro, 28, has pitched well in Triple-A Syracuse this season. He's pitched to a 2.81 ERA while striking out 32 batters in his 15 appearances (25.2 innings). He appeared in one game in the majors in his career, and it came last season with the Mets.
Back on June 25 against the Braves, Pintaro allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one batter in just 0.2 innings pitched.
The corresponding move for Pintaro is not yet known, but it's possible that if Tong pitches on regular rest, he could take Zach Thornton's spot on the roster. Freddy Peralta and Christian Scott are set to pitch this weekend, which leaves Nolan McLean and David Peterson going Monday and Tuesday before Tong on Wednesday.
The Mets are set to take on the Marlins at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday, and if Pintaro is indeed being promoted, the move will arrive before first pitch.
May 22, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp (39) celebrates after a walk-off single against the Washington Nationals in the eleventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves improved to 36-16 after Friday night’s 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals. The win came in walk-off fashion, and this time, Chadwick Tromp was the hero, ripping a hit in the 11th inning to score Eli White.
The hit capped a memorable night for Tromp, the fourth string catcher, who not only recorded two hits on the night, but also tallied the first walk-off hit of his career. The Braves hope this version of Tromp continues to suit up since the usual backstops are sidelined with injury.
The series continues this afternoon at 4:10 ET behind Grant Holmes.
Alex Lodise launched two home runs on Thursday for the Augusta GreenJackets. More in the minor league recap.
MLB News:
The Colorado Rockies placed outfielder Mickey Moniak on the 10-day injured list with right ankle tendinitis. It’s already his second stint on the IL this season.
Taylor spent the majority of his career as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he won two World Series titles.
He helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series championship in over 30 years, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in a six-game series back in 2020.
He won the second title of his career with the Dodgers winning a five-game series against the New York Yankees in 2024.
Among his career accolades, which include an All-Star nod in 2021, Taylor was named the co-National League Championship Series MVP, along with teammate Justin Turner, in 2017 after Los Angeles beat the Chicago Cubs. Taylor had a 1.221 OPS, three runs batted in and two home runs during that series, which sent the Dodgers to the Fall Classic for the first time in 29 years.
Chris Taylor: 10 years with the Dodgers, 2017 NLCS MVP, 2021 All-Star, 2x World Champ — an impactful career. https://t.co/O57vUpHxE7
He started his career as a member of the Seattle Mariners after he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Virginia.
After two-plus years in Seattle, he was traded to Los Angeles for Zach Lee in June 2016. He was released by the Dodgers during his 10th season with the club before signing with the Angels as a free agent in 2025. He was released by the Angels in March and returned to the organization nearly a week later. He finished out his career playing in their minor league system, with the Salt Lake Bees.
Chris Taylor's career
Taylor finished his career with 860 hits, 110 home runs, 516 runs and 443 RBI. He also had 91 stolen bases.
He was named an All-Star for the only time in his career in 2021.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) celebrates his three-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, May 22, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Brewers got right down to business tonight. They came after Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski early, and before anyone seemed to know what was happening, the Brewers had the lead. They added to that lead in the second inning, and while Wrobleski settled down and the Brewer offense turned quiet, the early lead proved more than enough for Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson and the relievers who closed this one out. When all was said and done, the Brewers had won their ninth consecutive regular-season game against the Dodgers (though most Brewers fans will only really care about the not-regular-season games sandwiched in between this win and the last one).
Henderson, a player who doesn’t typically walk many batters, looked a little tentative with the game’s first batter, Shohei Ohtani, at the plate, and walked him on five pitches. He went right after Mookie Betts, though, and struck him out on three pitches for the first out. Henderson struck out Freddie Freeman, too, perhaps with the aid of a favorable call on strike two. With Kyle Tucker batting, Ohtani appeared to steal second base, but a Brewers challenge overturned the call and Ohtani was out to end the inning.
Jackson Chourio got the Brewer offense started with a perfectly placed ground ball that made it through the middle of the infield. Brice Turang followed with a better-struck single to center, and the Brewers were in business early with runners on first and second and nobody out. On Wrobleski’s eighth pitch, the first to William Contreras, the Brewer catcher jumped on a slider over the lower-inside part of the plate and crushed it down the left-field line. It stayed inside the foul pole, and the Brewers had a 3-0 lead before they made an out.
Christian Yelich became the first Brewer out when he hit a little pop-up to shortstop, but Andrew Vaughn, the next batter, kept things going with a single to center. Jake Bauers singled, too. Luis Rengifo blooped a single just over Betts at shortstop, too, and six of the first seven Brewers had hits and they had the bases loaded with one out and three runs already in. Sal Frelick was next, and while he couldn’t keep the hit parade going, he did hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Vaughn. Joey Ortiz then walked, which brought Chourio to the plate for the second time in the inning, this time with the bases loaded. Wrobleski left a curveball hanging right over the middle on his first pitch to Chourio, but he was only able to foul it off; Chourio battled for 10 pitches after falling behind 0-2, but ultimately struck out swinging on a high 3-2 fastball that would’ve been ball four. Still: the Brewers punched first, and hard, in the bottom of the first, and handed Henderson a four-run lead.
Henderson got through the second with no trouble (and picked up a couple of strikeouts in the process). The Brewers struck again in the second: with one out, Contreras singled to right. After a Yelich popout, Vaughn hit his fourth double of the year to right-center, Contreras came around to score, and the Brewers extended their lead to 5-0.
Little did we know, the scoring would freeze there for quite a while. Henderson had another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third, and Wrobleski—who barely made it through the first inning and had trouble again in the second—settled in. He had a quick and easy bottom of the third, a 1-2-3 fourth, and erased a leadoff walk with a double play in another three-batter fifth.
Henderson, meanwhile, had a trying fourth inning but got through it without relinquishing the lead. A leadoff single by Ohtani and uncharacteristic walks to Freeman and Andy Pages loaded the bases with two outs, but Max Muncy popped out and the inning was over. Teoscar Hernández hit a leadoff single in the fifth, but Henderson got the next three.
That ended Henderson’s night: he pitched five innings (and threw 85 pitches), allowed just two hits, and didn’t allow any runs. He did walk three batters, which is unusual for Henderson, but he struck out seven and lowered his season ERA to 2.74. Henderson made a little history, too:
Shane Drohan was the first pitcher out of the Brewer bullpen, as he took over in the top of the sixth. Drohan also had some control issues tonight; he walked the leadoff hitter, Betts, and after a strikeout of Freeman, walked Tucker, too. But Pages struck out and Muncy flew out, and the shutout continued. Wrobleski was replaced by Paul Gervase in the bottom of the sixth, and except for a two-out walk to Ortiz, he had no trouble.
The Dodgers finally broke through in the top of the seventh. A fielding error by Rengifo put the leadoff batter, Hernández, on base, and a single by Dalton Rushing put runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas flew out to right, Hernández advanced to third, and with runners on the corners and one out, Pat Murphy opted to bring in Aaron Ashby to face Ohtani. Ohtani flew out harmlessly to left, which scored a run, but the Brewers were one out away from getting out of the inning. They got that out when Betts grounded out to third, a play which was challenged (Vaughn had to stretch quite a ways to catch Rengifo’s throw) but upheld on review. After six-and-a-half, the Brewers still led 5-1.
The Brewer half of the seventh went by with nothing except a one-out single for Contreras, his third hit of the game. The Dodgers got a leadoff baserunner in the eighth when Ashby walked Freeman, but Ashby got Tucker and Freeman was out at second on a Pages ground ball. Muncy was hit by a pitch, and with Hernández coming up, Murphy opted for the matchup and brought in the right-handed Chad Patrick. Patrick got Hernández to ground out to first, and the inning was over.
Milwaukee went quietly in the bottom of the eighth. Patrick stayed on for the ninth, and quickly got three harmless flyouts. Just under a week after his first career save, Patrick had his second.
Credit to Wrobleski for settling things down after Milwaukee’s early explosion, but with the way this team has been pitching lately, five runs was more than enough. Henderson didn’t look quite as sharp as he has in some of his other outings, but there’s no arguing with five scoreless innings. Since rejoining the rotation in early May, he’s allowed just five earned runs in 21 innings (a 2.14 ERA).
Offensively, Contreras was the big star. He was 3-for-4 with the big hit of the night, the first-inning three-run homer that ultimately provided the Brewers with everything they needed. Vaughn also had a nice night, as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored.
The Brewers will go for another series victory and a fifth straight win (and ten straight regular-season games against the Dodgers) tomorrow evening. Roki Sasaki and Robert Gasser will face off in that one, with first pitch at 6:15 p.m.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 22: Jonathan Aranda #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after an RBI double during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering the eighth inning down by a run, the Tampa Bay Rays did what they have done all year. They found a way. This time, they turned a one run deficit into a three-run lead in a matter of six batters and flipped the script in the Bronx. Facing reliever Tim Hill, Simpson reached on an error by Jose Caballero to start the inning. Caminero singled up the middle and Simpson took the extra bag advancing to third. With runners on the corners, Aranda doubled to tie the game at 1-1. The Yankees then intentionally walked Diaz to load the bases with nobody out. Palacios promptly delivered with a ground ball single that deflected off of Hill’s glove and over a leaping Caballero. Two runs scored and the Rays took a 3-1 lead. Vilade then drove home a pinch running Willaims to extend the lead to 4-1.
Prior to the eventful top of the eighth, this game was basically all Yankees, despite the slim one run margin. Gerrit Cole, making his first start since the 2024 World Series, was dominant. Had he not been making what was essentially another rehab start at the major league level, he may have gone the distance tonight.
Opposite Cole was Nick Martinex who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. he too was great, but made one mistake more than Cole and left after six trailing. Nonetheless, he did his job and kept it close.
This game felt like it could get away from the Rays at any moment. The Yankees had traffic on the bases in each of the six innings Martinez worked. In the first, he worked around a leadoff double. In the second, he worked around a leadoff single. In the third, another leadoff double. In the fourth, a two out single.
In the fifth, Wells finally tagged Martinez and sent a solo blast over the wall in right-center to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Well’s fourth homer of the year, and second off Martinez. Grisham then singled, and again Martinex worked around it.
In the third, the Yankees almost broke through, but Johnny DeLuca had other plans as he gunned down Grisham at the plate on what would have been a RBI-single by Ben Rice.
Martinez tossed six innings of one run baseball, allowing nine hits while striking out and walking one.
Cole settled in nicely after working around a first inning a pair of baserunners in the first. He retired ten in a row and didn’t allow the Rays their second hit of the game until the fifth inning. He finished with six shutout innings allowing just two hits, three walks. He punched out a pair.
Baker came on in the ninth to close the door with the Rays up 4-2 and did just that despite allowing a one out walk to Austin Wells, which allowed Judge a chance to tie it with one swing of the bat. Judge came close but remained mired in his slump, ending the game on a flyball to left center.
With the win the Rays moved to a MLB-best 34-15 and 5.5 games up on the Yankees (up 7 games in the loss column). Over their last 26 games, they are now 22-4.
MESA, AZ - OCTOBER 18: JP Wheat #22 of the Mesa Solar Sox pitches during the game between the Glendale Desert Dogs and the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on Saturday, October 18, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Javier Assad started and gave up five runs in the first inning. He settled down after that, but he still got the loss. The final line on Assad was five runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
First baseman BJ Murray drove in all four Iowa runs with two-run double in the first inning and another two-run single in the second. Murray was 2 for 4.
The Smokies were leading 1-0 in the second inning when the game was suspended because of weather. They’ll finish the game on Saturday followed by a seven-inning regularly-scheduled game.
It wasn’t a great start for Cole Reynolds, who allowed four runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Three Cubs relievers didn’t give up a hit or a run the rest of the way. Adam Stone did walk in a runner inherited from Reynolds, but he got the win after pitching 1.2 innings. Stone walked four and struck out no one.
JP Wheat turned in one of his best outings with two innings. Wheat struck out three and walked one.
Ethan Bell retired the side in order in the ninth for the save. He struck out two.
Catcher Justin Stransky hit an RBI double int he second inning. He finished the night 1 for 4.
Right fielder Leonel Espinoza gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning with an RBI single. He went 2 for 4. He scored on Stransky’s double.
Shortstop Ty Southisene and DH Kane Kepley pulled off a double-steal of second and home respectively in the seventh. Southisene went 1 for 4 with a hit by pitch. He scored once. Kepley went 1 for 5 and scored twice.
It was a great Myrtle Beach debut for last year’s fourth-round pick Kaleb Wing. Wing pitched four scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. That runner was thrown out stealing so the hit batter he had in the fourth meant he only faced one over the minimum. Wing struck out six.
Victor Zarraga pitched the next two innings and took the loss after giving up all three runs on three hits and three walks. Zarraga struck out one.
Third baseman Yahil Melendez doubled home two in the fourth inning. He was 2 for 4.
Second baseman Jose Escobar went 2 for 4 and scored once.
Some Wing highlights.
Kaleb Wing through four scoreless ends in his Myrtle Beach debut. He allowed one hit and struck out six. pic.twitter.com/U50EgD0leR
