Mar 13, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Ben Cowles against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
It was a Sunday bullpen game for Iowa today as Gabe Klobosits started and allowed three runs in the top of the first inning. Memphis didn’t score again until the ninth. The final line on Klobosits was three runs on four hits over two innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Ryan Jensen threw the next two innings and got the win, retiring all six batters he faced. Jensen struck out one.
Iowa took the lead for good with a nine-run second inning, highlighted by a grand slam by shortstop Ben Cowles. It was Cowles third home run of the season. He also had a two-run double in the eighth, giving him six total RBI on the game. Cowles final line was 4 for 6 with two doubles and the grand slam. He also walked once and scored three runs.
DH Chase McCormick clubbed a solo home run in the fourth inning, his fifth one the season. McCormick went 2 for 4 with a double, the home run and a walk. He scored three runs and drove in two.
Right fielder Justin Dean was 2 for 5 with a walk and three RBI. He scored two runs.
Third baseman Owen Miller went 3 for 5 with an RBI double. Miller had two total runs batted in and scored twice.
Second baseman Scott Kingery was 2 for 5 with two runs scored.
Catcher Eric Yang was 1 for 3 with two walks and three runs scored.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Bateman scored once and drove in two.
Dawson Netz was activated off the injured list to make this start, which unfortunately did not last long. Netz struck out the side in order in the first, but he got knocked around in the second and didn’t finish the inning. He took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits over 1.1 innings. Netz struck out three and walked one.
Jace Beck tossed two scoreless innings of relief. He gave up just one hit and issued one walk while striking out four.
DH Edgar Alvarez was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.
Catcher Ariel Armas doubled in a run in the fifth inning. Armas went 1 for 3 with two overall RBI.
Koen Moreno gave South Bend a great start to the game with four scoreless innings. Moreno only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four.
Nazier Mulé kept the shutout going in the fifth and sixth innings, but he got hammered in the seventh to cough up the lead. Mulé’s final line was four runs on two hits and three walks over 2.1 innings. He also had two wild pitches. Mulé struck out three.
Grayson Moore let two runners inherited from Mulé score, but finished out the inning and got the win after the Cubs retook the lead in the top of the eighth. The final line on Moore was no runs on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one and did not walk anyone.
Eli Jerzembeck went the rest of the way for a two-inning save. The only baserunner Jerzembeck allowed was a one-out walk in the eighth. He struck out three.
Center fielder Christian Olivo hit a two-run single in the top of the eighth that ended up being the winning hit. Olivo went 2 for 4 with the two runs batted in. He also stole a base.
Third baseman Alex Madera was 2 for 3 with a walk and one run scored.
Shortstop Ty Southisene went 1 for 2 with three walks and two steals. He scored one run.
A two-run single in the first inning by first baseman Cole Mathis, who was 1 for 5.
May 24, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) looks on after striking out during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Anaheim Angels scored two runs.
Ok, let’s focus on the positive for a moment. MacKenzie Gore allowed one run on one hit and struck out seven Angels batters over six innings as he rebounded from pitching just one inning in his last start which he left with weird side/shoulder/back pain.
In the first game of this series, a one-run start gets him a win with Texas scoring six runs. Last night, that start might have been good enough for a victory with Texas scoring two runs.
Tonight, however, one run on one hit wasn’t good enough as the Rangers also collected just one run on one hit against came-into-the-game-with-a-5.00-plus-ERA Reid Detmers, who struck out 14 Rangers over eight innings.
Eventually the Angels overtook Texas in the late innings thanks in part to the Rangers again failing to score with the bases loaded and Anaheim collecting the walk-off on an errant Justin Foscue throw a half inning later.
Truth be told, I didn’t watch this game because I don’t have NBC Peacock Plus or whatever. So maybe it is because of that fact that while I was following along on Gameday, I realized there’s not much reason to be annoyed or upset right now other than we’re all donating our time to this.
The simple fact is, the current lineup would probably make Triple A Round Rock feel like they have a fighting chance on any given night if they were playing these Rangers.
Corey Seager is out. Wyatt Langford wasn’t hitting before he got hurt and he hasn’t played in weeks. Josh Jung was at one point the only member of the lineup hitting and now he’s out for a day or more. Josh Smith was supposed to be the starting second baseman finally elevated to a regular role but he was among the worst hitters in baseball before he contracted the plague or something.
Michael Helman is the starting shortstop. They’ve got .357 OPS Sam Haggerty in center field. 39 year old Andrew McCutchen is batting leadoff and I don’t think he’s had a hit since the first series of the season. Danny Jansen makes me miss Andrew Knizner and his tandem Kyle Higashioka was the DH tonight despite he and Jansen perpetually battling it out to see who can finally raise their OPS to above .615 first (and somehow Higashioka is trailing in that race!).
It seems unwise to expect anything more than what the team can reasonably give right now. Of course, if you’re investing your time in watching it, you can feel however you want about it.
The Rangers seemed pretty flawed if everything went perfectly and if they had good health. Not much has gone well other than the rest of the league also being pretty bad and half the expected lineup has been cast across the nation with various ailments like they were on the Springfield softball team.
Even the worst team in baseball, which I think the Angels probably are, can sweep a team like the one Texas is fielding these days and here we are.
Player of the Game: I mentioned Gore, but I guess also Jake Burger hit a second inning solo home run to become the first Ranger in dinger double digits this season as he basically single-handedly prevented Detmers from attempting to a shot at one of the greatest games of all time. Instead, Detmers settles for perhaps the most impressive start from anyone this season.
Then again, it was Burger that struck out with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, his third strikeout with the bases loaded this weekend.
Up Next: The Rangers head back home with their tails between their legs and immediately open up a series against the Houston Astros. RHP Kumar Rocker is listed as Monday’s starter but we’ll have to see if the Rangers attempt the opener gambit again with Rocker after he enjoyed success in his last game utilizing that tactic. Meanwhile, Houston will opt for RHP Tatsuya Imai.
The Memorial Day first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT and you can catch it on the Rangers Sports Network.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13 : Savanah Bananas Alex Ziegler balances a bat on his nose to entertain the crowd before the Bananas defeat of the Firefighters at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on July13, 2024. (Photo by John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
My kids put up with me watching the Rockies all summer, which is a bigger act of patience than I probably give them credit for. But when Banana Ball is on, they are not just tolerating baseball. They genuinely love it.
And I get it. Banana Ball is absurd. That is the whole point. The rules are built for pace, chaos, fan involvement, and the kind of baseball-adjacent weirdness that asks traditionalists to meet it halfway. This made me wonder: If the Rockies could adopt one Banana Ball rule to use at Coors, which one would you choose?
But what other absurd rules could help Coors Field feel unfair again?
The fan in me wants Rule 8: If a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.
At Coors Field, that would be tremendous. Suddenly, every foul ball has real stakes. We have already seen a Rockies fan make a catch while holding a baby and another make a full-extension grab after a massive bounce. The second one would not count as an out under Banana Ball rules, but that is exactly the kind of effort I would expect from the Coors Field faithful.
It would be chaotic, unfair, deeply silly, and probably a lot of fun.
But if we’re talking about a rule that might actually help the Rockies, Rule 5: Batters can steal first might be the answer.
The Rockies already have speed, ranking 10th in baseball in stolen bases despite sitting just 24th in on-base percentage. That tells a pretty simple story: When they get runners on, they can create pressure. The bigger problem is getting enough runners on in the first place.
That is where stealing first becomes interesting. In Banana Ball, a hitter can try to take first base on any pitch of an at-bat. It is not exactly a stable offensive plan, and every two-strike take turning into a footrace would probably get old quickly. Still, for a Rockies team that needs more ways to turn athleticism into baserunners, it would at least fit the roster’s shape.
There are other options, too. No mound visits. A two-hour time limit. No stepping out. A showdown tiebreaker. The Golden Batter rule is tempting, but I’m not sure who the Rockies would anoint with that title.
So what’s your pick?
Which Banana Ball rule would be the most fun at Coors Field?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 22: Chadwick Tromp #39 of the Atlanta Braves reacts with teammates after a walk off single to end the game in the eleventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 22, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves had their worst performance of the season in the first game in the Miami, and then bounced back to deliver three straight clobberings. There was no inkling that they’d return home for a soggy holiday weekend and suffer a letdown, but ultimately, that’s what happened. Whatever combination of weather, travel, regular baseball season ebb-and-flow stuff, offensive doldrums, Nationals gameplanning to perfection — you name it — it completely derailed Atlanta’s offense, and handed the Braves their second series loss of the season.
The big story here really was that the Braves suddenly ran out of offensive answers for an extended stretch. This series was the first time the Braves went homerless in three straight against the same opponent since July of last year. When you think about how the summer and tail end of 2025 were pretty much a disaster for the Braves, that’s kind of impressive. The Braves did have a three-game homerless stretch earlier this year, and they also went 1-2 in the process, but that happened in Seattle and Los Angeles, which is a bit different from facing the Nationals, who came into this series with the worst pitching staff in baseball. The Braves only scoring six runs in three games isn’t even that unusual — they scored five in three games at one point last week, and five in three games as part of that Seattle-Los Angeles trip — but the lack of homers was incredibly sudden, and incredibly detrimental.
This game was kind of a portent of things to come, but also ended up as the only win of the series. The Braves were held scoreless by opener Richard Lovelady and bulk guy Miles Mikolas for six frames, until taking the lead in the seventh, giving it back in the eighth, falling behind in the tenth, tying it in the tenth, and finally walking it off in the 11th. Chadwick Tromp played hero not once, but twice: his leadoff single in the tenth and mad dash home on a Mauricio Dubon bouncer helped the Braves tie the game, and then his two-out single on a 2-2 pitch brought home the winning run in the 11th.
This game featured a lot of wild stuff even beyond that: Mikolas having a 3/0 K/BB ratio but furnishing five scoreless frames, Robert Suarez grooving a 3-0 pitch that CJ Abrams turned around into a game-tying homer, a rare (and possibly rain-aided) “meltdown” by Dylan Lee (thanks to a not-that-hard Abrams double), and so on. In many ways, it was absolutely bizarre that the Braves even got themselves in a position to be able to win this game, given that the Nationals had two homers on their two barrels in this one, while the Braves went 0-for-2 on their two barrels. And yet, Chadwick Tromp provideth, and the ostensibly-blessed season continued… until it didn’t.
This was the real offensive doldrums game. The Braves got out-barreled 4-0, and had by far their worst wOBA and xwOBA of the season. It’s not like they were facing down some kind of world-beater, either, as Jake Irvin came into this game both mediocre and unlucky stat-wise. Furthermore, Irvin ended up leaving with injury, and the Braves then got eaten alive by three innings of Brad Lord, who has been good but not dominant or anything so far this year.
Grant Holmes ended up having a bizarre start, with a 10/2 K/BB ratio but two homers yielded. Holmes continues to have a pretty stark times-through-the-order split, with an expected uptick in peripherals, but more problematically for the Braves, a big homer problem once batters have seen him the first time in a game.
The Braves had one big chance in this game thanks to a defensive gaffe by Washington in the seventh, but the trio of Ozzie Albies, Dominic Smith, and Austin Riley didn’t get it done and that was pretty much that. There was a brief-ish rain delay, but it didn’t really upend anything and this was just a welp game for the team.
Somewhat fittingly, this game kind of ended up being a mix of the first two games of this series, but the Braves ultimately didn’t pull this one out. There was a no-rain rain delay to start, and another delay partway through; much of the game was played in pretty horrid conditions and it’s kind of impressive that no one got hurt and there weren’t any weird “welp that’s not how baseball should be played” shenanigans.
This time, it was Foster Griffin’s turn to dominate the Braves — he was largely forced out by the rain delay. The Braves had a scoring chance in the fourth, but Eli White hit it hard into a double play with the bases loaded and one out. The Nats then got three straight hits off Martin Perez, and added a second run post-rain delay off Reynaldo Lopez. The Braves only kind of came alive with a couple of hits (one well-struck, one bloopy) in the ninth. White then hit into what could’ve been a game-ending double play (again hitting it hard, but at a fielder), but it was booted, scoring the first (and only) Atlanta run. Lovelady, in for the third game in a row (and all three in this series), walked Ha-Seong Kim to load the bases and bring up Tromp…
…who did not get it done this time against Orlando Ribalta (the guy he had his first key single against on Friday). That meant it was all up to Ronald Acuña Jr., who had the Braves’ only barrel of this game (an out) earlier. But, Acuña didn’t get it done either, mis-hitting an inside sinker for a weak groundout to end the game.
With the Rays also losing today, the Braves are nominally “tied” for the best record in baseball, even if this series kinda sucked. At least we’ll always have the Chadwick Tromp Game, even if he couldn’t come through twice in the same weekend.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been better than everyone’s expectations this year but is that going to bite them later in the season? This week on the Redbird Rundown podcast we had the legendary Bernie Miklasz join us. We are thankful that Bernie was able to squeeze us in among his 40 other daily articles and podcast appearances and love the conversation we ended up having.
We hope you have been enjoying the content lately and massive thank you to everyone who has taken in our recent episodes. As always, please feel free to drop your feedback so we can continue to get better and bring you what you want to hear. This episode took plenty of turns so let us know your thoughts!
In the episode, we talked if it is fair to change our expectations for the season since the Cardinals have outperformed the expected stats. If they fall below .500, as we figured they would do at the start of the year, is this now a failure of a season? You will hear that I am just enjoying the ride and still see the season as a “fact-finding” mission. At the end of the day, they are finding things out about Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, and others while playing some fun baseball.
Make sure you subscribe, like, and comment so we can continue to grow. Thanks as always!
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: James Wood #29 and Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals celebrate after a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How about these Washington Nationals! They just took two out of three in Atlanta to hand the Braves their second series loss of the season. The Nats offense was not firing on all cylinders this weekend, but the pitching staff picked up the bats. This offense deserved the help they got from the pitching this weekend badly.
After back to back shaky starts, Foster Griffin was back to his best this afternoon. He threw 6 scoreless innings against one of the best offenses in baseball. Griffin’s command was absolutely impeccable in this one. He was dotting the corners all game long. Despite pitching in the pouring rain for a chunk of his start, Griffin executed at a very high level.
The sweeper was the star of the show in this one for him. He got 4 whiffs on 7 swings against the sweeper. Griffin was also able to freeze hitters with his big breaking ball. His ERA got over 4 following his last start, but now it is back down to 3.63.
Once again, the Nats offense was fairly quiet in this one. However, they did just enough to get the job done. Nasim Nunez got a big RBI hit in the fifth. Then in the 8th, after a long rain delay, the Nats used some small ball. James Wood walked and then stole second. After Curtis Mead moved him over on a sac fly, Luis Garcia Jr. got a pinch hit knock to score Wood and give the Nats a massive insurance run.
— Nationals Advisory (@nats_advisory) May 24, 2026
The rain was a big story all weekend, and especially today. From about the 5th inning onwards, the two teams were playing in a big storm. Crew Chief Ron Kulpa kept the game going as long as he could. However, two pitches into the 7th inning, they had to call a delay.
With the storm getting out of control, the grounds crew had a tough time getting the tarp on the first base side of the field. At points, it really felt like the game should have been called off. If the Braves were winning, I have a feeling the game may have been called. The Nats travel to Cleveland, while the Braves are off tomorrow. Whatever the motive, the grounds crew did their thing, and got the field into just good enough conditions to play.
The Braves (who have an off day tomorrow) doing whatever it takes to patch up a totally wrecked field to get the game in while the Nats are on a getaway day. Insane home cooking.
That meant Nats fans were in for an anxiety inducing finish. The Garcia hit cleared some of the nerves, but only temporarily. Keibert Ruiz almost gave the Nats a huge insurance run, but he was robbed by a leaping Matt Olson, who showed why he is such an elite defender at first base.
After getting the last two outs of the 8th, Gus Varland came out for the 9th. However, he put his team in a bind by allowing two straight hits to Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley. Blake Butera turned to Richard Lovelady for a third straight day. Lovelady has dealt with Michael Harris Jr. well this series, and did it again, getting him to flyout to shallow right.
With runners on first and third with one out, it looked like Eli White hit into a game ending double play. However, the usually sure handed Nasim Nunez booted the ball and everyone was safe. With the way he is struggling at the plate, Nunez can’t afford to make those kinds of defensive mistakes.
In the end, this would not cost them though. After Lovelady walked a batter to load the bases, Blake Butera went to Orlando Ribalta, a roll of the dice that paid off in a massive way. Ribalta blew away Friday’s walkoff hero Chadwick Tromp. That set up a matchup with the face of the Braves franchise, Ronald Acuna. Ribalta got Acuna to break his bat and ground out to first. The big right ran over to cover first and received a toss from Luis Garcia Jr. to win the series and get to .500.
Awesome win for the Nats.
Awesome series.
The Braves have lost 2 series all year. This was No. 2.
The Nats just held ATL’s second ranked offend to 3 runs in two wins this weekend. 5 runs in 27 regulation innings.
This was a statement series win for the Nats. They did not have their A game on offense this weekend, but were able to pitch their way to a series win. This pitching staff has been much maligned, but since about the middle of April, they have been solid. It has not been unbelievable, but they are holding up their end of the bargain.
It is Memorial Day, and the Washington Nationals are .500 and second in the NL East. Seeing how rejuvenated this team looks has me so excited. Nats fans are finally able to dream of a bright future ahead. If this is what the Paul Toboni and Blake Butera regime can do in year 1, I am very excited to see what is to come.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out in the eight inning against the Detroit Tigers during game two of a double header at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles were unable to complete the double-header sweep on Sunday evening at Camden Yards, losing 4-1 to the Tigers in Game 2. The loss saw the team’s offense go quiet while starter Trevor Rogers continued to scuffle.
The box score makes it look like yet another rough outing for Rogers. The lefty lasted only 4.2 innings, and allowed four runs on four hits, two walks, two strikeouts, and a home run. Despite featuring slightly better velocity than we typically see from Rogers (up about 0.5 mph on his fastball), his whiff rate was a woeful 13%. That’s about half of what his season average has been, which itself was already below league average.
The trouble started early. Matt Vierling singled into left field to begin the game, and then after recording one out, Rogers allowed a two-run homer off the bat of Dillon Dingler. It came on a cutter that was down in the zone, but Dingler was able to golf it out of the park at 104 mph anyway.
But then Rogers settled in, retiring the next 11 Detroit batters in a row, which included the final two outs of the first inning followed by 1-2-3 frames in the second, third, and fourth innings.
It was in the fifth inning where he seemed to run out of gas a bit. Rogers walked Spencer Torkelson to open the inning, and then gave up a single to Wenceel Pérez to put two runners on with no outs. He got one out and then walked Zack Short to fill the bases. A pop out of Vierling seemed like it would allow Rogers to escape, but he couldn’t quite make it. Kevin McGonigle came up clutch with a two out single to drive in the Tigers third and fourth runs of the day. That was the end of the line for Rogers.
You can’t say this was a “successful” start for Rogers. He failed to get to the fifth inning for the fourth straight start, dating back to late April. And his ERA rose yet again, now sitting at an unsightly 6.96 on the year. But he showed glimpses of his 2025 form, and had an impressive stretch without even allowing a baserunner. At the very least, this was the best he has looked since returning from the IL.
The Orioles offense, on the other hand, was putrid. The best thing you can say about them is that they walked five times. But it’s not like they did much with those walks. The team collected just three hits and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Any sort of positive vibes that may have emanated from winning the first two games of the series and the magic of Colton Cowser’s walk off in the first half of this doubleheader were unapparent in the nightcap.
The only run they scored came in the fourth inning. Adley Rutschman opened the frame with a walk. Pete Alonso singled him over to third. And Samuel Basallo knocked him in with a sac fly to center field. That was it.
Their other best chance to score came in the ninth inning. Alonso and Basallo earned back-to-back walks to begin the inning. But then three straight strikeouts for Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill, and Blaze Alexander quickly ended any hopes of a comeback. Cowser, the hero from Game 1, was not an option to come off the bench because he had already been pinch hit for by O’Neill and his now-.487 OPS earlier in the game.
Perhaps the standout of this game for the Orioles was reliever Albert Suàrez. After Andrew Kittredge recorded the final out of the fifth inning, Suárez came on to eat some innings. He did just that, tossing four shutout frames. That’s a pretty big contribution in the night game portion of a doubleheader before the team plays a day game on Monday.
The Orioles used just four relievers across both of today’s games. Kittredge here and Dietrich Enns in Game 1 only threw 11 pitches each. So all of their high-leverage arms should be fresh. From that perspective, the team is in good position for their Memorial Day clash with the Rays.
Speaking of which, the O’s will welcome their division rivals into Camden Yards on Monday as they begin a three-game set at the friendly confines. Let’s hope they don’t embarrass themselves like they did down in St. Pete last week. First pitch is set for 1:35, if the rain cooperates.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 24: Ozzie Albies (1) of the Atlanta Braves picks himself up after a dive back to first base during the Sunday afternoon MLB game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves on May 24, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Even heavy rain couldn’t wash away a poor series at the plate for the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves were shutout through six innings of Sunday’s rubber match against the Washington Nationals, facing a 1-0 deficit.
One 90-minute weather delay later, that deficit grew to 2-0. The Braves rallied mildly in the ninth, but left the bases loaded, taking a 2-1 loss to the Nationals which resulted in their first home series loss of the season and just their second overall.
For eight innings, the Braves’ offense seemed destined for a second straight shutout against a Washington pitching staff which entered the day 26th in the majors in ERA (4.87).
But when Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley led off the ninth with back-to-back singles, one could begin to dream of another dramatic win to extend the series winning streak at Truist Park.
An Eli White fielder’s choice after Michael Harris II flew out to shallow right prevented the shutout before a Ha-Seong Kim walk loaded the bases with one out.
But Friday’s hero, Chadwick Tromp, struck out and Orlando Ribalta got Ronald Acuña Jr. to ground one to the right side, covering the bag himself to end the game and secure the series.
Sunday’s offensive showing was mildly better than Saturday’s one-hit performance. The Braves managed six hits this time, but couldn’t string them together. Albies (3-for-4) accounted for half of Atlanta’s hits
Atlanta finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position (.111), stranding nine runners in its second straight narrow loss as the bats were never able to figure out Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin (6-2). He scattered three hits over six shutout frames, striking out six and walking one.
That overshadowed Atlanta’s unlucky losing pitcher Martín Pérez (2-3, 2.70 ERA), who allowed just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two.
Griffin had two separate streaks of seven straight batters retired. The first started with a strikeout of Austin Riley to strand two runners in the first inning. The second started with the escape from a fourth-inning jam.
The Braves seemed poised to jump ahead when they put runners on the corners with no out in the fourth after Matt Olson led off with a double down the left-field line and Ozzie Albies beat out a chopper in front of the pitcher for an infield single.
But a Riley strikeout and a White hard-hit double-play grounder — with a Harris hit-by-pitch in between — kept the Braves off the board.
The Nationals had the same opportunity in the fifth when Daylen Lile led off with a double and Jacob Young followed with a single. They did not come up empty, as Nasim Nuñez followed with a single to right to give Washington a 1-0 lead.
Pérez got a double play and a strikeout to largely limit the damage, but it was a day where there was minimal margin for error given the offensive lull.
When the rain delay finally ended Griffin’s outing, Washington brought Andrew Alvarez out of the bullpen. He allowed a leadoff single to Riley in the seventh and a one-out walk to Acuña in the eighth, but neither baserunner made it any further than first base.
Washington tacked on with pinch hitter Luis Garcia Jr.’s RBI single off Reynaldo Lopez which brought home James Wood after a one-out walk. That proved to be the winning run.
In all, the Braves managed just three runs in regulation across the three-game Nationals series. That’s not often going to get the job done, and in this case, ruined three strong starts from the Atlanta rotation.
One can only hope this being the 13th game in as many days for the Braves had an effect on the bats. An off day before kicking off a six-game road trip Tuesday at the Boston Red Sox may be just what the offense needs to wake up.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Troy Melton #52 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during game two of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After yet another gut-wrenching loss in the first of two on Sunday, the Detroit Tigers and their fans really needed a win. They got it with some early offense and strong performances from Troy Melton, Tyler Holton, and Drew Anderson, who closed out a 4-1 victory with a nice six-out save.
Facing lefty Trevor Rogers, the Tigers started this one with a single from Matt Vierling. Kevin McGonigle followed with a grounder to first and Pete Alonso fired to second to get the lead runner but they couldn’t turn the double play. Dillon Dingler went down and launched a breaking ball high and deep over the left field wall, and it was 2-0 Tigers before a lot of fans found their seats. Riley Greene took a called strike three, and Jahmai Jones flew out to center field for the final out of the frame.
As uncertain as the Tigers future is right now, Troy Melton is going to be part of it, so it was great to see him back on the mound making his first start of the season. Melton had a minor elbow sprain early in spring camp and the Tigers immediately shut him down and took plenty of time to make sure he was 100 percent before letting him ramp up.
Melton got fly outs from Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson to begin his outing. He got into a 3-1 count against Adley Rutschman and challenged him with a 96.7 mph fastball. The Orioles catcher took a huge hack but Melton won out as he lifted a routine high fly to right field.
Spencer Torkelson and Hao-Yu Lee hit the ball hard in the second, but the Tigers went hitless. Kevin McGonigle made a nice pick on a hot Pete Alonso grounder to start the bottom half. Melton’s velo was very good early on. His command was a little rougher, and he left a splitter up against Samuel Basallo that was smoked into center for a one-out single. Leody Taveras grounded out, but Colton Cowser drew a walk on a 3-2 fastball that was initially called a strike but was challenged correctly. Blaze Alexander strafed a line drive that was heading down the left field line but Kevin McGonigle made a great leaping catch to prevent at least one run.
Melton was attacking the zone and looked 100 percent, but it was still his first start of the season and his command wasn’t real sharp in terms of the life on his stuff nor location early on. He also hasn’t thrown more than 65 pitches, and only got one rehab start in against Triple-A hitters, so it’s going to be a while before he’s up to full strength.
You’ll recall that Melton has always been a starter, but pitched in a mixed role last year and had a problem with his splitter against left-handed hitters. He has plenty of strengths in his fastball and breaking stuff to build from this season but getting that splitter dialed will be important.
Short, Vierling, and McGonigle all popped out in the top of the third. Melton jammed Jackson Holliday, who popped out, and Taylor Ward grounded out. A nasty fading splitter and then a 97.3 mph heater up and away dusted Gunnar Henderson for the third out of the third inning.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the fourth, with Jahmai Jones lining out to Holliday at second to end the top half. Emblematic of how his season has gone.
Melton started the fourth with a walk of Rutschman and then Alonso padded a grounder up the middle for a single to get Rutschman to third. He scored on a Samuel Basallo sacrifice fly to make it 2-1 Tigers. Melton blew Taveras away for his second strikeout, and so it was up to Cowser, who bounced out to Torkelson to end the inning.
Torkelson drew a walk to open the fifth inning. Wenceel Pérez showed bunt first pitch but pulled it back and took a ball. He tried again 1-1 and fouled it off to the first base side, then pulled a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield for a single. Lee flew out to center field, but not quite deep enough into this tiny outfield to get Torkelson to third. Rogers was really nibbling by this point and Short worked a full count and fought off a fastball before walking to load the bases with one out.
That brought the top of the order up, and if the Tigers were going to break this losing streak they needed to cash some of these chips with Vierling and McGonigle next up.
Rogers tied Vierling up and he popped out near the Orioles dugout, so it was up to the Kid, and the Kid came through. McGonigle got into a full count after Rogers started off ahead, and then rifled a single into center field to score Torkelson and Pérez. Short moved to third, and it was 4-1 Tigers.
That ended Rogers’ outing. Craig Albernaz turned to right-hander Andrew Kittredge instead, facing Dingler. McGonigle stole second base to get into scoring position without a throw. Kttredge bounced a slider on the eighth pitch of that at-bat, and the bases were loaded with two outs for Riley Greene. The Orioles pitching coach came out to chat with his pitcher, and let’s not forget the Orioles are struggling too.
Unfortunately, Greene got ahead 2-0 but swung at a sinker up on the outer edge and grounded out to first. I’ve mentioned this a few times, but one of the cascading effects of this misery is that the Tigers are rarely getting to a team’s worst relievers, which is where a lot of the addition run scoring and stat padding happens. They got a chance there and couldn’t capitalize. Would it cost them? Eh, probably considering how things are going.
Melton started the inning at 55 pitches. He got Alexander and Holliday to hit the ball to Pérez for a quick two outs. Taylor Ward popped out on a cutter, and we were on to the sixth with Melton looking as though he had at least another inning in him.
Right-hander Albert Suárez took over for the Orioles in the sixth. He used to be a sinkerballer but is now a mediocre, very fly ball prone pitcher who doesn’t strike many hitters out. Colt Keith took over for Jahmai Jones, hitting fifth. He flew out to right field and Torkelson followed suit. Pérez grounded out to shortstop, and now things would get very interesting.
Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Pete Alonso were due up for the third time against Melton, who started the inning at 65 pitches. If they could get through this inning and add on another run or two, that would probably be enough.
Henderson fought off a couple of tough two strike pitches, but a perfect back foot slider got the whiff. Melton missed with four straight to Rutschman as he looked to be running out of gas. That brought Alonso to the dish. Drew Anderson and Tyler Holton were warming at this point. Dingler went out to the mound, presumably to tell him this was his last batter and to just empty the tank. A slider got Alonso off balance and he lifted a pop fly to Pérez. That was it for Melton, and the Tigers couldn’t be happier with his first outing.
Melton’s final line was 5.2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K. Plenty to build on for the young right-hander, who isn’t much more than a rookie himself.
Holton took over to face the dangerous Samuel Basallo, and carved him up with a flurry of good sweepers to end the inning. Stiill 4-1 Tigers.
Suárez got Lee on a grounder to Holliday at second to open the seventh inning. Short followed with a single to right field to turn the lineup over, and Vierling dug into the box. He smoked a drive to the warning track in right center field but Taveras ran it down. McGonigle bounced out to first to send it to the bottom half.
Taveras put up a lengthy fight against Holton, but grounded out to Short for the first out. A nice changeup got a whiff from O’Neill, and Blaze Alexander flew out weakly to right field to end the inning.
While we begged for one more run, Dingler popped out and Greene grounded out to start the eighth. Colt Keith came through with a line drive single to right field and then took third as Torkelson followed suit with another lined single to right. Unfortunately, Pérez hit an opposite field fly ball out to Taylor Ward to end the two-out threat.
With Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, and Kenley Jansen burnt for the day, Drew Anderson came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth. He got ahead of Holliday 0-2, but the young hitter worked back into a full count. A fastball up and in was pulled just foul with near home run distance, but a changeup down the middle induced a weak fly ball to center field. Ward followed with a flared single to right field. Henderson popped up on a changeup as well. Kick change, ftw. Anderson stayed on the attack against Rutschman, mixing mostly 96-97 mph fourseamers in between changeups, but after starting ahead, the Orioles catcher took some decent pitches to work it full. A filthy kick change that disappeared like a splitter drew a wild whiff to send this to the ninth.
The Tigers went in order quickly, and so it was up to Anderson to finally get the Tigers a win. It didn’t start well. He walked Alonso and Basallo both, but Fetter came out in pretty animated fashion. Presumably “throw #$%$#%# strikes!” was part of the message. Anderson rebounded by punching out Taveras and O’Neill. He got ahead of Alexander 1-2 and whiffed him on a nasty changeup that was foul tipped into Dingler’s glove.
Nice moxie from Anderson there. After a nice eighth, things looked sketchy after two walks to start the ninth, but he pulled it together to strike out the side as the Tigers snap an eight-game losing streak.
The Tigers are 21-33, and they’ll head home now for an off day before welcoming in the Los Angeles Angels for three on Tuesday. Suffice it to say, whatever slim hopes are left depend heavily on the Tigers ripping through numerous series victories in a row. Nothing for anyone, including the fans to do, but take it one game at a time.
I would’ve bet Kevin was the gene edited one in the family.
Fun fact I learned from spending time with the McGonigle family.
Kevin’s baby cousin KJ is the first gene edited person IN THE WORLD.
Saved his life from a rare disease that affects 1 in every 1.3 million. Now, he’s here to watch his cousin in the bigs. pic.twitter.com/XqZCmPPDMQ
Casey after the bat | (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
The mighty Casey may be fated to strike out sooner or later. Still, today was not that day, as Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt and first baseman Rafael Devers ran wild on Sox pitching this afternoon, driving in all eight San Francisco runs in the White Sox 8-5 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park.
It’s the second straight series loss for the Sox, who are back to .500 after a blissful week-and-a-half above the breakeven point. Fresh off the remarkable feat of allowing an entire grand slam within the first six pitches of the game, it looked like it was going to be another rough one for Robbie Ray when Chase Meidroth came out swinging for his second leadoff home run of the season.
Unfortunately, Noah Schultz once again struggled somewhat out of the gate, walking Willy Adames to open the game before back-to-back doubles from Schmitt and Rafael Devers made the Sox lead as short-lived as Arson Judge’s time with the Giants.
On a more promising note, Schultz did not offer up any more free passes after batter number one, which makes it just one walk over his last 43 batters. Although the results still aren’t there — Schultz did wind up getting tagged for six runs over four-plus innings — the sudden descent from the 17% walk rate he ran over his first five starts is probably a more important takeaway than the runs, or dearth of strikeouts. If Schultz can consistently throw strikes, he’s going to be effective. Point blank. He’s not there yet, but as long as he can continue avoiding free baserunners, the results are going to follow sooner or later.
Two more of those six earned runs came in the fourth inning, when Schmitt’s reign of terror hit its apex with a home run to bring San Francisco’s lead to 4-1.
Still, this White Sox team doesn’t quit. Before talking about what happened next, I want to be clear and say that, like the quintessential modern baseball fan, I am generally opposed to sacrifice bunts in the way they’ve been traditionally used. The LaRussa methodology, so to speak.
However.
I also believe there are still scenarios where it makes sense in context, even if it doesn’t. One of those contexts was the fifth inning today, when Tristan Peters was entrusted with no outs to lay down a bunt to move runners to second and third. Ordinarily, a questionable move when one is chasing a few runs. But consider this: Tristan Peters is better at bunting than he is at hitting for power, and the on-deck hitter, Luisangel Acuña, has been flat-out terrible at hitting all around this season.
Acuña hit a sacrifice fly before Chase Meidroth struck out to end the inning, which comes full circle on a successful sac bunt situation, if you ask me. The numbers say that neither Peters nor Acuña was terribly likely to get on base, much less notch an extra-base hit to drive those runners in. Considering how Peters and Jarred Kelenic swung them out of a first-and-second-with-less-than-two-outs situation a couple of innings later, I’m okay hedging for a single run when they would have been otherwise as likely as not to come away with nothing.
Though he avoided more grand slams, Robbie Ray still had a tenuous (at best) idea of where the ball was going this afternoon, racking up six walks before getting driven out of the game in the fifth inning. There was no single big hit that got the Sox back in the game, but a bases-loaded ground out by Colson Montgomery, followed by a single from Edgar Quero, was enough to knot things up at four.
This version of the comeback kids was sadly short-lived, as Schultz’s half of the fifth inning nearly mirrored Ray’s. A double and a hit batter to start the inning ended Schultz’s afternoon. Unlike the Sox offense, the up-to-this-point-struggling Rafael Devers took full advantage, becoming the first opposing batter in 56 career appearances to take Grant Taylor deep.
Taylor will now hold his place in history with the eighth-most games pitched to start a career without giving up a longball.
That was more or less it for the excitement in this one. Miguel Vargas did get a hold of one, his 12th of the year, so if nothing else, his All-Star campaign is still rolling strong despite an underwhelming road trip.
There wasn’t any action the rest of the way. Still, we did see some interesting bullpen usage from Will Venable, who curiously deployed Seranthony Domínguez in the seventh inning of a game in which he trailed by three runs. Between this and Grant Taylor’s save last Tuesday, Venable is giving us a bit more to think about at the back end of the bullpen moving forward. Domínguez’s appearance today was, to me, at least a little eyebrow-raising in tandem with Tyler Davis’s 1 2/3 IP appearance today, in which he once again looked all the part of a solid big league reliever.
There will surely be some noise about sending Schultz back down to Charlotte after this performance, but I’d be shocked to see him anywhere but the big league rotation the rest of the way. He’s got little left to prove in the minor leagues; if this front office has any real designs on competing in 2027 or 2028, then right now is the time to let Schultz get through his growing pains. Look at Davis Martin — these things simply take time, and while this unexpected spurt of competitiveness has been exciting, we shouldn’t forget that time is one thing the Sox do still have in their back pocket. For now, at least.
As my friend Sean Anderson likes to say, West Coast games don’t count, as far as I’m concerned. The Sox are back at home for Memorial Day tomorrow afternoon, when Sean Burke will take the mound on Meidroth’s bobblehead day against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CT, and we’ll see you there!
May 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies Catcher Brett Sullivan (26) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
After three close contests in the desert where the Colorado Rockies lost by just one run in two of them (and won by one in the other), the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks went anything but according to plan. The Rockies were bullied for nine runs while failing to get anything going on offense. The one bright side was that the suffering was at least quick. This afternoon’s game clocked in at just two hours and 18 minutes, a tie for the third-quickest nine innings of the season so far.
Quintana struggles before leaving injured
Rockies starting pitcher José Quintana got off to a rough start this afternoon as the Diamondbacks got to him early. In the first inning Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll went back-to-back with extra-base hits and the Diamondbacks ended up scoring two runs. In the bottom of the second inning, Quintana gave up another three runs on two singles and two doubles.
Quintana recorded just one out in the second inning before further disaster struck. After giving up a two-run ground-rule double to Ketel Marte, Quintana left the game with Rockies training staff without attempting another pitch. His injury would be later described as left elbow discomfort.
Manager Warren Schaeffer stated after the game that Quintana had not been dealing with any discomfort prior to his start today. He said more information would follow over the next day or two.
The Rockies are currently in the midst of playing 16 straight games without a day off. The pitching staff has already been stretched thin as we have seen players like Zach Agnos pressed into starting duty. José Quintana leaving after just 1.1 innings spelled even more work for the bullpen.
Right-handed pitcher Blas Castañ0 is deserving of kudos, entering the game cold in the second inning to replace Quintana. Castañ0 ended up pitching a fairly solid 3.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits and a hit batter. He also tallied three strikeouts.
Castaño has proved a valuable innings-eater after being claimed by the Rockies earlier this season. He has pitched a minimum of two innings in all three of his appearances so far, with today’s outing being his longest in a Rockies uniform.
Seth Halvorsen struggled to finish out his inning of work today. With two outs in sixth inning he gave up three straight hits—a double, a single, and a triple—that allowed the Diamondbacks to plate another two runs.
Halvorsen gave way to lefty Brennan Bernardino, who worked a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts before a position player took the mound in the eighth.
Catcher Brett Sullivan, who started today’s game behind the plate, moved to the mound and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. It was Sullivan’s second relief appearance of the year, the other of which happened on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers.
The offense went out not with a bang but with a whimper
Despite only striking out four times and drawing a handful of walks, the Rockies struggled to get anything going offensively with just one run on six hits.
The Rockies actually started both the first and second innings with a baserunner, only to have the following hitter ground into a double play to erase the advantage. Perhaps even more frustrating is that the Rockies had baserunners in every inning except the seventh and ninth. The lone run of the afternoon came in the eighth inning. Jake McCarthy led off the frame with a single, reaching second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout. He was then driven in on a sacrifice fly by Chad Stevens.
McCarthy was the only Rockies batter with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 on the afternoon. Troy Johnston and Kyle Karros were the only other members of the Rockies lineup to reach safely twice. Johnston went 1-for-2 with two walks while Karros went 1-for-2 with one walk.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies are heading to California to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. It will be their final series of this 16-game stretch before a much-needed day off. The series starts tomorrow evening with Emmet Sheehan on the mound for the Dodgers. The Rockies have not yet announced their plans for the game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM MDT.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: Jacob Lopez #57 of the Athletics pitches against the San Diego Padres during the second inning at Petco Park on May 24, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The A’s lost the first two games of their weekend series against the Padres but managed to salvage the finale. They beat the Padres in the finale thanks to some early scoring and quality pitching all around, maintaining their AL West lead and heading home back to Sacramento on a winning note.
It didn’t take long for the scoring to get started in this one against San Diego ace Michael King. Leadoff man Carlos Cortes took the sixth pitch of the game and whacked it out to right-center field and over the wall for a solo home run to give the A’s the quick 1-0 lead just one batter into the game:
The Swingin’ A’s kept it up in the next frame when Zack Gelof worked a one-out walk and rookie center fielder Henry Bolte brought him home with a two-out RBI double:
Think the A’s were done there? Think again! Today’s starting shortstop Alika Williams, who only just arrived in a minor trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, kept the line going as he snuck an RBI single through the left side to bring home Bolte and make it a 3-0 Athletics lead:
And he did it in front of his hometown crowd in San Diego! He surely had some friends and family in the stands for today’s contest, which marked his first start for the Athletics.
Another positive from the early innings was Nick Kurtz. Looking to extend his on-base streak, he got that out of the way in his second at-bat with a single, pushing him ahead of franchise great Rickey Henderson and putting him in a tie for second-most in franchise history:
That ties him with Jimmie Foxx for second-most in franchise history but that’s not the goal at this point. Only Mark McGuire stands ahead of him at this point with his 62-game on-base streak back in ‘95-’96. Only 15 to go until he ties him and it’s becoming a real possibility. How we feeling about his chances at this point, A’s fans?
The A’s got one more in the fourth thanks to some help from King. A double and two walks loaded the bases for the Athletics and a wild pitch brought home the team’s fourth run of the day. Another walk reloaded the bases and chased King from this contest. The Green & Gold couldn’t cash in more than the one run but at least the Padres’ starter was out of the game.
Meanwhile on the pitching side of things it was right-hander Luis Medina getting the start this afternoon, his first in a big league game since 2024. He’s been having a solid season in the bullpen up to today and evidently the team wanted to get him the ball to kick things off this afternoon.
Medina did his job but apparently he was only ever destined to be in there for a short stint. After just four outs manager Mark Kotsay elected to turn to lefty Jacob Lopez, ending Medina’s first start in two years after just 18 pitches.
Lopez seemed to thrive following an opener this afternoon. The left-hander pitched 4 2/3 innings this afternoon while only allowing one run via a Manny Machado sacrifice fly in the sixth. He also got some help from the defense behind him today as well:
The lefty ended his day after finishing the sixth, making way for the bullpen to maintain the three-run lead.
Jacob Lopez: 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 91 pitches
Does this outing earn Lopez another start/bulk appearance? Fellow lefty Gage Jump is on a roll and looking good in Triple-A but today may have pushed that decision down the road a bit. Should the team deiced to stick with Lopez one way or another, he’d be lined up to pitch next against the Yankees this coming weekend.
The A’s, always looking to pad their lead, added one on in the top of the ninth off a Sodey single, bringing home another run and pushing it to a 5-2 A’s lead:
Right-hander Justin Sterner replaced Lopez to start the seventh. He allowed a solo homer to Ty France but nothing else. Mark Leiter Jr. handled the eighth and had a scoreless outing, setting up Hogan Harris for the save. Back-to-back walks put the tying run up to the plate in the ninth, making Kotsay turn to Scott Barlow to get the final two outs against a pinch-hitting Nick Castellanos and Fernando Tatis Jr. Barlow struck Castellanos out then got Tatis to fly out, securing his first save of the season and the Athletics’ 27th win of the year.
A solid day from the bats all around as they collected 10 total hits plus seven walks. Six of the nine starters collected hits and two of the three drew walks (only Langeliers went 0-for today). The combination of Medina opening and Lopez acting as the bulk pitcher worked to perfection as the two combined for six innings of one-run ball. Sterner allowed that home run but it didn’t end up hurting as Leiter Jr. and Harris finished things off. A’s win, remain in first place, and return home on a winning note.
No off day tomorrow as the A’s head back to Sacramento. They’ll welcome the division-rival Mariners to town for three games that’ll be crucial for the Athletics to win. Right-hander Aaron Civale will kick things off for the A’s while the M’s will send Luis Castillo to the bump for the assignment. Gotta win these upcoming games against one of the biggest contenders for the AL West.
Memorial Day is generally seen as the end of the first quarter of the MLB season, which isn't entirely accurate, but it serves as a tidy delineation point to help analyze which teams are in the hunt and which ones have work to do.
With 13 games on the slate, I'm eyeing my favorite MLB moneyline picks to cover the entire day of action.
It's all part of our full MLB picks for Monday, May 25.
MLB moneyline picks for Memorial Day, May 25
Matchup
Pick
Cubs vs Pirates
+100
Rays vs Orioles
-122
Twins vs White Sox
+104
Cardinals vs Brewers
-194
Yankees vs Royals
+127
Reds vs Mets
-156
Diamondbacks vs Giants
-133
Nationals vs Guardians
-170
Phillies vs Padres
-113
Astros vs Rangers
-133
Marlins vs Blue Jays
-163
Rockies vs Dodgers
+233
Mariners vs A's
+104
Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 5-24.
Trade on the MLB at Polymarket!
Sign up now using our exclusive Polymarket promo code 'COVERS' (on your mobile app only) and get a $20 trading bonus after you deposit $20 to trade on any other event contracts — including MLB moneylines!
Sign Up Now at img src="https://img.covers.com/editorial/2026/polymarketlogo.png" alt="Polymarket" width="100" height="28" style="vertical-align: middle;"
*Eligible locations only
Expert MLB moneyline picks for Memorial Day, May 25
Cubs vs Pirates: Pirates (+100)
Pirates win probability: 49%
Saying the Chicago Cubs have to eventually snap their running eight-game losing streak is true, but using it as a reason to pick them to win any particular game is foolish. Since scoring 10 times in their last win on May 15, the Cubs have plated 23 runs over the eight losses. That's 2.87 runs per game, and that includes one in which they scored eight! The Pittsburgh Pirates are a bit of a mess, and Ben Brown has pitched well for the Cubs, but I need Chicago's offense to show me something, anything, before it can regain my trust.
Rays vs Orioles: Rays (-122)
Rays win probability: 55%
The Tampa Bay Rays are an enigma. No one projected them to even be in the race, and here they are leading the AL East in late May. They've been demonstrably better than the Baltimore Orioles, who do not have a starter announced. At this number, with Shane McClanahan on the bump for Tampa, there was never an alternative option.
Twins vs White Sox: Twins (-108)
Twins win probability: 52%
Many of these picks will focus on the starting pitcher matchups, and in this case, it's a matter of favoring Minnesota Twins righty Zebby Matthews over Chicago White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay. Matthews probably should have opened the season in Minnesota's rotation, and he's looked sharp in two starts since getting the call. He induces soft contact, doesn't walk anybody, and probably has more strikeout upside than he's shown in 13 innings.
Cardinals vs Brewers: Brewers (-194)
Brewers win probability: 66%
I would love to find an angle to confidently take the St. Louis Cardinals in this spot, but Milwaukee Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski is simply too overpowering to ignore. Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore is who he is, and that's a guy who allows a lot of baserunners and often sees them cross home plate. He's allowed eight runs over his last two starts, and an early hole will doom St. Louis against "The Miz."
Yankees vs Royals: Royals (+127)
Royals win probability: 43%
Michael Wacha's arsenal can give the New York Yankees fits. He has six pitches and can be expected to rely less upon his four-seamer when facing a Yankees lineup that generally crushes heaters. A healthy dose of a rock-solid change, curveball, and slider will keep New York off-balance.
Reds vs Mets: Mets (-156)
Mets win probability: 61%
New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing eight hits and nine runs (six earned) against the Nats. But with the Cincinnati Reds answering with southpaw Nick Lodolo, McLean has enough of an overall edge in the pitching matchup. I am a huge Lodolo fan, but he hasn't looked right in three starts since returning from a blister that kept him on the shelf for the first month and change of the season. He issued five walks in his most recent outing, and until he figures out his command, he's almost an instant fade candidate.
Diamondbacks vs Giants: Giants (-133)
Giants win probability: 56%
Landen Roupp has been one of the lone bright spots for the San Francisco Giants in 2026, boasting a 3.27 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over his 10 starts. He doesn't generate a ton of whiffs, but he limits hard contact with the best of them while keeping the ball on the ground at a 55.7% rate (94th percentile). This helps him exponentially at Oracle Park. The Arizona Diamondbacks lineup isn't terrible, but it's closer to league average (100 wRC+). And while it's not predictive, it's encouraging to know Roupp held the D-Backs to one run while scattering seven hits in his last outing on May 19 in Phoenix.
Nationals vs Guardians: Guardians (-170)
Guardians win probability: 63%
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee is the weirdest pitcher in MLB this season. Somehow, he is 0-6 despite a 3.75 ERA and a generally solid FIP. He's not an overpowering hurler, and the Washington Nationals have a dangerous offense, but he's not going to 0-7. I just don't see Zack Littell keeping Cleveland off the board. The only area where Littell thrives is in his 71st-percentile walk rate, which can be construed as a negative. He lives in the zone, and he gets killed in there.
Phillies vs Padres: Phillies (-113)
Phillies win probability: 53%
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo is the second-weirdest pitcher in MLB this season. His 4.85 ERA is certainly quite poor, but everything under the hood looks solid. He ranks in the 82nd percentile or better in fastball velocity, exit velocity, chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, walk rate, and hard-hit percentage. He's a buy-low candidate in fantasy baseball and a chief reason why I like the Phillies over the San Diego Padres here.
Astros vs Rangers: Rangers (-133)
Rangers win probability: 56%
I'm tempted to go with the visiting Houston Astros here with no starting pitcher officially announced for the Texas Rangers, but I don't yet trust Tatsuya Imai (8.31 ERA, 16.9% walk rate, four home runs allowed in 17 1/3 innings), and Yordan Alvarez may either miss the game or be limited in the wake of back spasms that forced him to leave Saturday's game early.
Marlins vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (-163)
Blue Jays win probability: 61%
Trey Yesavage has been a breath of fresh air for the Toronto Blue Jays since getting healthy, going 2-1 with a microscopic 1.07 ERA and a 28.7% strikeout rate in 25 1/3 innings. It's a small sample size, but with the Miami Marlins traveling north after a finale against the Mets in South Florida, I expect the Blue Jays' bats to get the job done against Janson Junk while Yesavage holds serve.
Note: While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did exit Sunday's game after being struck by a pitch, he's optimistic about playing against the Marlins. I still like Toronto if Vladdy doesn't play, but we might get a better number if he sits.
Rockies vs Dodgers: Rockies (+233)
Rockies win probability: 28%
We have a couple of things working against us up front, all of which can be summed up with it's the Colorado Rockies visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that's more or less baked into the line, and we're not going to touch the Dodgers at -270. L.A. starter Emmet Sheehan has been up and down over his nine starts, and his 4.93 ERA can be explained away by an elevated 1.77 HR/9. This is all about value, recognizing Sheehan as the Dodgers' most vulnerable starter, who even a dismal Colorado offense can squeak out some runs against.
Mariners vs A's: A's (+104)
A's win probability: 48%
The Seattle Mariners are deploying starter Luis Castillo as an opener in front of Bryce Miller in the latest gambit to get the veteran right. So far, nothing's worked, as he's 1-5 with a 6.41 ERA in 46 1/3 innings, and the numbers under the hood aren't much better. The A's, notably Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, will feast on Castillo early at Sutter Health Park in what could be a laugher.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
May 23, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) is tagged out by Texas Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue (14) while attempts to steal second base during the third inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The Mets could not capitalize on any of their offensive efforts today, leaving runners in scoring position ten times in nine innings. The Marlins were in the same boat for eight innings, and the game remained scoreless into the ninth inning before Heriberto Hernandez hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Marlins.
The Marlins’ Tyler Phillips, a recently promoted right-handed pitcher who had a hand in ending the Mets’ 2025 season, started his day by striking out Carson Benge and Bo Bichette before A.J. Ewing singled on a line drive to center field. Shortly after, Ewing stole second base, but the inning ended when Mark Vientos flied out to center field, setting the tone for the Mets’ offense for the day.
In the bottom of the first, Christian Scott came out for his sixth start of the year and allowed a one-out double to Xavier Edwards on a line drive to left field, but he then made quick work of the next two batters, ending the first inning just like that.
In the second inning, Marcus Semien reached second base on a throwing error by Marlins third baseman Javier Sanoja, and then Tyrone Taylor walked. However, the Mets could not capitalize, and the top of the inning ended when Hayden Senger flied out to right field. Scott made quick work in a 1-2-3 inning at the bottom of the second, and score stayed 0-0.
At the top of the third inning, Phillips worked a 1-2-3 inning as well. In the bottom of the third, Sanoja hit a line drive just past Semien into center field for a single. Liam Hicks walked, and so did Edwards on four pitches to load the bases with only one out. Scott responded by striking out Owen Caissie and inducing a groundout from Kyle Stowers to end the inning. The score remained 0-0, and Scott remained impeccable with the bases loaded: now 0-7 across 14 games.
At the top of the fourth, Brett Baty smacked a line drive into center field, and MJ Melendez walked with two outs before Phillips was replaced by Calvin Faucher. Unfortunately, Taylor flied out to left field immediately after to end the Mets’ scoring hopes. In the bottom of the fourth, Scott hit Connor Norby on the elbow guard with a pitch, making Norby the fifth batter that Scott has hit in six games. However, Scott again dodged trouble by striking out Morel and getting Sanoja to fly out to center field, and at the end of the fourth inning, neither team had scored any runs.
In the top of the fifth inning, Bichette sneaked a two-out single right under Sanoja’s glove into left field, and A.J. Ewing followed up with a single on a ground ball to right field that held Bichette up for a moment, so that he had to stop at second base. However, Vientos grounded out to end the inning, and the scoring threat, once more. Scott worked another 1-2-3 inning to keep the game scoreless.
John King came in for the Marlins to pitch the sixth inning, and Baty led off with a four-pitch walk. However, Semien followed up by grounding into a double play. Melendez was hit by a pitch to end King’s outing in favor of Anthony Bender, and Bender induced a groundout from Taylor to end the top of the sixth. Scott returned to the mound for the bottom of the sixth, marking his longest outing of 2026. After the first out, there was a kerfuffle about Otto Lopez’s bat, but once the umpires determined that he could not use the bat and it was replaced, the game rolled on. Lopez lined out, and Marsee singled before Huascar Brazobán replaced Scott to get the final out and move on to the seventh inning with the score still 0-0.
In the top of the seventh, Benge walked and stole second base, and Bichette flied out to center field to move Benge to third base with two outs, the first time that the Mets had a runner on third base during this series. The Marlins then brought in yet another pitcher, Michael Peterson, who struck out Ewing on a foul tip and ended the top of the seventh without allowing any runs from the Mets. In the bottom of the seventh, Sanoja socked a line drive into left field for a double. At that point, Brazobán was replaced by Brooks Raley, who came in and walked Hicks. Edwards then smacked a single straight up a center field, where Ewing was waiting to throw directly to Luis Torrens (having replaced Senger earlier), who tagged Sanoja out at home to save the run and get the second out. However, Hernandez then came in as a pinch hitter and hit a single to load the bases. Raley then induced a groundout and also ended without allowing any runs after a close call in the seventh. After everything, the score remained 0-0.
In the top of the eighth inning, Peterson and Luke Weaver both worked 1-2-3 innings, and Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch for the Marlins at the top of the ninth. MJ Melendez belted a single into right field to start the ninth inning, but when Nick Morabito came in to pinch run for him, he was caught stealing second base. Taylor grounded out, and Torrens drew the Mets’ sixth walk of the game, moving to second on a wild pitch by Fairbanks. Ultimately, it did not matter after Benge struck out to end the top of the ninth, marking 27 innings of play for the Mets in which they have scored two runs. Devin Williams came in for the bottom of the ninth and gave up a double to Morel, who was replaced by Esteury Ruiz as a pinch runner. Sanoja put down a sacrifice bunt to move Ruiz to third, bringing up Hicks, who walked after a full count. Williams intentionally walked Edwards, loading the bases for Hernandez to hit a walk-off grand slam and end the game 4-0.
The Mets return home tomorrow to face the Reds with Nolan McLean on the mound in a matchup with Nick Lodolo. Here’s hoping everyone is feeling better, as well.
Big Mets winner: Christian Scott, +32% WPA Big Mets loser: Devin Williams, -36% WPA Mets pitchers: +20% WPA Mets hitters: -70% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: A.J. Ewing throws Javier Sanoja out at home base, -7.1% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Heriberto Hernandez hits a walk-off grand slam in the ninth, +16.5% WPA
Cubs
Pirates
Rays
Orioles
Twins
White Sox
Cardinals
Brewers
Yankees
Royals
Reds
Mets
Diamondbacks
Giants
Nationals
Guardians
Phillies
Padres
Astros
Rangers
Marlins
Blue Jays
Rockies
Dodgers
Mariners
A's
