Category: Baseball

In a matchup of the top two offenses so far in MLB this season, the Atlanta Braves will be taking on the Washington Nationals. The Nationals have continued their strong offensive showing leading MLB in runs and doubles while being fourth in OPS.

The Braves are right behind them scoring the second most runs while being second in OPS trailing the Dodgers by .002. The Braves are also second in HRs, first in hits, and first in slugging percentage.

What will be interesting in the game today is the Braves have Elder pitching, who has a 2.01 ERA but the Nationals were originally supposed to have Miles Mikolas pitching with a terrible 6.91 ERA. Mikolas has the fourth worst ERA of any pitcher with at least 40.0 innings pitched, while Elder is in the top ten best. However there was a change and Richard Lovelady will be getting the start with his much better 3.61 ERA in 20.2 IP.

It is a bit unfortunate for the Braves that the pitching change happened because Michael Harris has been great in his eleven at-bats against Mikolas with a .455 average and 1.000 OPS. Matt Olson has two HRs and a 1.067 OPS in fifteen at-bats, and Austin Riley has a .278 average and .816 OPS in eighteen at-bats. It is a much different story with Lovelady because no one has faced him in more than two at-bats.

Before the lineup was dropped, the biggest question was whether Ronald Acuña would be in the lineup. He apparently had a bone bruise yesterday, but wanted to start tonight.

With who the Braves are facing tonight, and Acuña’s history of struggling against Mikolas, it would not be a shock if the Braves decided to rest him for a game.

Turns out Ronald Acuña was good enough to start and will lead off and play RF.

As for the Nationals and their hot offense, their best players will be in the lineup for them tonight with James Wood leading off and C.J. Abrams hitting cleanup.

Garcia has had fourteen at-bats against Elder and has been successful with a .357 average and .971 OPS. Abrams leads the team with sixteen at-bats and has a .912 OPS against Elder.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

OLDY MOLDY asks:When was the last time a Yankees team carried one or more regular players batting under .200 into the All-Star break?

You don’t actually have to go too far back, as I believe Joey Gallo in the 2022 season would be the last time the Yankees had a regular starter below the Mendoza line at the All-Star break, though they had many close calls in the years since. Just last year the team had both Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe in danger of the feat batting in the .210s, and they also had the black hole situation at third base where a rotation of guys were hitting rather poorly there — Oswald Peraza was hitting below .200, but he was a sharing the starting job with the corpse of DJ LeMahieu who managed to pull a decent .266 mark off.

That kind of illustrates the flaw in worrying too much about batting average though — we all know LeMahieu was a net negative for the Yankees in 2025, but by batting average he was tied for fifth-best on the team with a guy in José Caballero who didn’t join the roster until LeMahieu had already been released. It’s far from a great indicator of offensive production, but even with the hindsight of the analytical revolution it is jarring to see three Yankee starters under the mark. Two of those starters, Wells and Ryan McMahon, have been various shades of awful at the plate so it’s not like they couldn’t do with some more hits landing, but Trent Grisham at least looks a little more respectable with his total body of work, not to mention the luck he’s had drilling pitches right at defenders.

The Yankee offense needs to find some more consistency, there’s no question about that. It starts with the bottom of the lineup graduating from being automatic outs, but unfortunately there’s been little indication that things will change anytime soon. With the backup options also mightily struggling though, they’ll need to soldier on for a bit and prove that the team doesn’t need to consider making some drastic moves as we get closer to the trade deadline and the rumor mill starts to churn.

ReadingYankee asks:The Yankees bats are the one area we seem to be underperforming. When fully healthy, and I realize that is a foolish thing to suggest would ever happen, how should the best Yankee line up produce when compared to some of the best teams in baseball right now?

The thing is that they’re damn near close to healthy offensively. Giancarlo Stanton has been out for a while, yes, but that’s a fact that most assumed would happen at some point in the season, and Caballero has missed a couple of weeks and will be gladly welcomed back to provide a bit of a spark in the middle/lower half of the lineup, but otherwise? What you’ve seen is what you can expect with this offense, which overall isn’t a bad thing — they’re third in hitter fWAR and wRC+, with a negligible difference between them and second place in the former category.

The thing is that they’re carried entirely by their top three hitters in Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger, with the only other effective batters throughout the season being Caballero and their platoon hitters in Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario. That leads to a lot of volatility if one or two of the big three aren’t clicking, and they’ve had that problem with Judge in the middle of a slump for the last couple of weeks. Adding back some floor raisers will do wonders for avoiding a result like the Yankees’ most recent road trip, but as you noted it’s foolish to assume that they’ll get Stanton and Cabby back and just deal with no other issues health-wise the rest of the way. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has gotten hot since stepping (literally) into Stanton’s pants, and if the Yankee second baseman can transition this into playing like his old self through the summer then that’ll be do a lot to revamp their feast or famine outlook and keep them among the premium offenses in the league.

The Ghost of Pop Logan asks:I can recall multiple instances where the Yankees pitching lab (the Gas Factory) has been credited with adding velocity to young arms acquired in the draft. Are there any examples of adding velocity to established pitchers acquired via trade or free agency?

Part of what made the Yankees’ initial success with their bullpen diamond in the rough finds was their ability to do this, and both Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver’s time in pinstripes showcased a tick up in velo to prove just that. The current roster doesn’t any cases like that, but that speaks more to the struggles of this current bullpen and the elite status of their rotation being a product of signing already-great starters and supplementing them with their own developed prospects.

Over the past two weeks the Jays are 7-6. The offense has scored 2.0 runs per game. No sorry, 4.2 runs per game.

Hot

Brandon Valenzuela: Played in 11 games, starting 9. Hit .300/.382/.433 with 1 double, 1 home run, 4 RBI, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

Why is this guy bunting? He’s been terrific over the last two weeks. There is a downside, teams are running wild on his, 14 steals, 3 times caught, though a 17.6% caught stealing rate isn’t all that bad. The Yankees stole 5 bases against him Monday, but only 1 more in the other two games when he was behind the plate. Whoever decided we should pick him up (for Will Wagner, who is hitting .212 in AAA this year) deserves a raise. He’s taken the number 1 catcher spot in Kirk’s absence and I can’t imagine they wouldn’t keep him on the team when Kirk is back.

Ernie Clement: Played in all 13 games, starting 11. Hit .349/.370/.558 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

Started 7 games at second, 3 at short, 1 at third. I hate that he swings at pitches head level, almost ground level, and well off the plate, but that’s who he is and he’s making a nice career out of it. Unfortunately, he’s not a free agent until 2029, when he’s 33, so he’s likely to miss out on the big money. But then the $4.6 million his is making this year isn’t all that bad. He leads the league in doubles.

Daulton Varsho: Started all 13 games. Hit .360/.407/.540, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, a homer run, 7 RBI, with 2 steals, 4 walks and 13 strikeouts.

He’s been terrific. He’s even hitting lefties well this year. He is a streak hitter, but his strikeout rate has dropped from 28.4% last year to 19.3% this year. His defense hasn’t been quite the same as in the past, he has a 1 above average this season. Last year he finished with a +8. I don’t know why. maybe he’s been nursing something (that isn’t showing up in his batting). Or maybe he’s just not getting the jump he used to. There has been times when he’s made the wrong first step. Hmmm looking at his Baseball Savant page, his spring speed has dropped. Last year he was 77th percentile. this year 51th percentile. going from 28.4 feet per second to 27.3 Maybe he is cursing something.

Jesús Sánchez: Played in 12 games, 9 starts. Hit .429/.438/.500 with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

He’s not providing the power we expected. But hitting over .400 over the last two weeks suggests he’s been hot. I am slightly worried his little injury is more than just getting the wind knocked out of him. Defensively….he’s a bit awkward out there. Fangraphs says he’s a -2 Outs Above Average in the outfield which scans with the eye test.

Cold

Vladimir Guerrero: Started 13 of 13. Hit .178/.298/.244 with 1 home run, 6 RBI, 8 walks, and 4 strikeouts. And 2 steals.

2 starts were as DH. Yeah he’s slumping. I thought he’s with more strikeouts than walks over this two weeks, because he seems to be swinging at a lot of stuff off the plate, which is unusual. He hasn’t taken his bat troubles onto the field (well, other than going most of the way to second base for that one play). I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I hope it ends soon. We really need him to get hitting. His career high for stolen bases is 8, he has 4 now (and hasn’t been caught, he’s picking his moments well).

Andrés Giménez: Played in all 13 games, starting 10. Hit .158/.233/.342 with 2 home runs, 1 double, with 10 RBI, 1 steal, 2 walk and 10 strikeouts.

He had that two home runs game and that incredible at bat the other day (11 pitch walk). And yet, he hit .158 over the past two weeks. And he’s hitting .361/.390/.583 with RISP, .181/.200/.289 with no one on base. It is weird. Last year he was some better with RISP (.661 OPS RISP, .569 with none on). Career he has a .779 OPS with RISP and a .696 in all situations. I’m dubious of these things being skills. The Jays, this year, as a whole, have a .742 OPS with RISP and .676 in total (surprise I bet, I thought they never hit with RISP). It is normal to hit better with RISP, because…well, the pitcher’s obviously not doing well. He’s not pitching a no-hitter, he’s got guys on base. But, this year, Andrés is doing much much better with RISP. Why I don’t think it is a real skill is, if you could hit like a Hall of Famer, why not do it all the time? He’d be a very rich man.

Kazuma Okamoto: Started 12 of the 13 games. Hit .133/.216/.178 with 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 5 walk, and 18 strikeouts.

His little hot streak ended. I said, jokingly, that he should move up in the box a bit. I really don’t think moving a few inches in the box really changes anything, but I think getting out of your head is likely a good thing. I was reading a book about tennis and it said not to judge your game as you are playing. It suggests you have two parts to your brain, one that says ‘that was a bad shot’ and the other hears that and says ‘that’s because you are a bad player’. Once you tell yourself you are bad, you’d play bad. The Pro who’s giving me occasional lessons says ‘remember the good shots, forget about the bad’. But if I do that there are two hours out of the day that are missing….I remember going to play tennis and I remember driving home, nothing in between. But, it is important not to carry bad shots (or bad at bats) with you. He knows me know and tells me I have 15 seconds to curse myself over a bad shot, then I have to let it good. On good days, I can do that. I think moving to a different spot in the box, or say at the back of the court, can give you something that will chase the bad thoughts away. I don’t know if that’s Kazuma’s problem, but I do believe that moving in the batter’s box does less for you physically than it would do mentally.

Davis Schneider: Played 8 games, starting 6. Hit .125/.263/.123 with no extra base hits, 1 RBI, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts and 1 steal.

Speaking of cold and needs to get out of his own head. Last year, near the end of the season, the commentators talked about how Schneider would decide that today he would copy the stance of some player when he was in the batter’s box. I really admit, I thought it was silly, you should be you. But it is something that would get you out of your head. Chase any negative thought away and get you playing on instinct. It seems to me that Davis could use that. He’s a likable guy….but he’s gotta hit and we don’t seem to be getting closer to where he will hit.

George Springer: Started 11 games. Hit .217/.265/.370 with 1 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 3 walks and 11 strikeouts, with 1 steals.

Played 3 games in left, 1 in right, the rest at DH. He’s been incredible. I would have bet that he was finished after last season. Happy to be wrong. He’s got 27 home runs on the season. He’s only DHed this season and it hasn’t gone well. These last two weeks have been a little better than what he has been doing, but not much.

Myles Straw: Played in 12 games, 5 starts. Hit .091/.167/.091 with no extra base hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts..

He’s had 2 hits in the base 2 weeks. He’s a +1 outs above average, but that’s just 194.1 innings. Are any of the right-handed platoon players hitting at all?

Tyler Heineman: Play in 5 games, starting 4. Hit .000/.000.000 with 1 RBI and 1 sac bunt.

He has thrown out 4 of 5 base stealers in the last two weeks. Before this last two weeks, he threw out 3 of 15 base stealers.

Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 11 games, starting 7. Hit .219/.286/.344 with 1 double, 1 homer, 4 RBI, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts.

Not terribly cold, but a .629 OPS definitely isn’t hot. I’m not worried, he’ll get the swing back quick. I really like watching him play. FanGraphs has him at a +1 OAA and he has looked good in the outfield.

IL

Anthony Santander: Might get into a game before the end of the season. Who knows.

Alejandro Kirk: He’s catching and throwing and hitting. Should start a rehab soon. Back sometime in early June with any luck.

Addison Barger: Might start throwing and hitting soon.

Nathan Lukes: He’s played two rehab games. 2 hits, 1 homer, 3 RBI, 2 walks in 6 PA. Could be back soon.

The annual draft is the easiest way for a baseball team to add talent cheaply. To keep things cheap, Major League Baseball has limited the amount of money teams can spend on signing bonuses, with penalties in place for anyone who goes over their limits. The San Francisco Giants are in a unique position this season to defy those rules and stock up on a lot of young talent by spending a lot of money and taking the punishment.

Let us preface this article with a caveat: The San Francisco Giants are unlikely to “blow up the draft” as Jarrett Seidler of Baseball Prospectus suggests. It’s an expensive strategy and a risky one. The league might really hate it. And it relies on a team developing high school draftees into successful major leaguers, something the Giants have not excelled at in the last decade.

The general concept is that the Giants go over their allotted bonus pool. Like, way over. Teams get to spend a certain amount of money on all their draft choices, based on where their draft picks are. When the Giants traded Patrick Bailey for the No. 29 pick, they added $3,720,200 to their draft pool and now have $17,350,600 to spend on their draftees, which is the 4th-most in baseball.

What happens if a team spends over its pool? If they go 1-5% over that number, they pay a 75% tax on the overage. Go 5-10% over the pool and they forfeit a first-round pick, along with paying the 75% tax. 10-15% over means the team loses a first- and a second-rounder and pays a 100% tax on the excess, and anything more than 15% over the drat pool costs two first-rounders and the 100% tax.

So teams are disincentivized towards overspending. However, the nature of the penalties means that if a team is going 15% over their pool, going 100% over the pool just costs them money.

Say the Giants spent $20M on signing bonuses. That would mean they’d lose their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 and pay a penalty of $2,649,200. Pretty harsh! But if they spent $50M on bonuses, they would have to pay $32,649,400 in penalties — but still only lose the two picks. That’s what BP called “burning the drafting ships,” named after what conquistador Hernan Cortes did upon reaching the New World, to let his crew know there was no going back to Spain. It’s also what Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead simply calls “F—- them picks.”

The nature of the draft means that’s a high-risk strategy, but New York Mets owner Steve Cohen believes high draft picks are highly undervalued.

A dollar-for-dollar tax is expensive, but the draft pick penalty for the Giants this season would be unusually low-risk. Since they moved up in the draft lottery this season, they can pick no higher than 10th in 2027, no matter how the rest of the year goes. They might be bad in 2027, though recent history suggests the team will still try to be good. If the Giants were to make any other trades like the Bailey deal, they could theoretically add more picks and increase their bonus pool further.

Essentially, the Giants would commit to meeting the demands of hard-to-sign players. These would primarily be high school players, who have more leverage than a college junior since they can threaten to simply go to college and collect that sweet NIL money. Rolling the rice and returning to college as a senior is riskier.

There has been chatter that the Giants are interested in “floating” UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky down to their No. 4 pick by offering a record-setting bonus, though he’s facing the same risk of one of the top three teams taking him instead and daring him to go back to school. For context, the biggest signing bonus in MLB draft history is $9.25M, which is what No. 2 pick Chase Burns and No. 3 pick Charlie Condon both signed for in 2024.

The San Diego Padres employed a similar strategy in the 2016-17 international signing period. They paid out $40.8M in bonuses, which cost them $37.4M in penalties, and limited how much they could spend on international free agents the following season. It also got them a boatload of young talent.

Will the Giants do this? Almost certainly not. It seems like it would deeply unpopular with the league and other teams, and the prize — a lot of very talented, very young players — is unreliable. Baseball would probably change the draft rules if a team like the Giants went rogue.

The Padres’ haul was impressive on paper but most of the players washed out, with the biggest success story being Adrian Orejon, who was an All-Star reliever last season. Still, San Diego was able to use some of these players in trades for players like Blake Snell, Adam Frazier, and Mike Clevinger, even if they didn’t pan out in the Plymouth of the West.

Still, it’s only money, and whatever else you can say about them, the Giants have shown they’re willing to spend. Whether they’re willing to upset the structure of the baseball draft is another thing.

The Mets have called up Jonah Tong, who ranked third on Amazin’ Avenue’s list of the organization’s top prospects coming into the season. In a corresponding move, the team has designated Craig Kimbrel for assignment.

After getting called up last year, Tong started five games for the Mets and had a 7.71 ERA. He started this season in Triple-A Syracuse, and in nine games and 38.0 innings there, he has a 5.68 ERA. His last start was notably difficult, as he allowed seven runs (six earned) in five innings. Nevertheless, the Mets seem to believe that he can provide immediate support at some point this weekend, as Tobias Myers is set to start tonight against the Marlins.

Kimbrel had a 6.00 ERA in 14 games and 15 innings for the Mets, and his last appearance on May 20 was the longest of his career at 2.2 innings. During that outing, he gave up a two-run home run to Jacob Young of the Nationals.

Victor Robles is back again.

The Mariners activated Robles from the injured list on Friday as the team heads to Kansas City to start a six-game road trip. Robles began the year in the majors but was placed on the injured list in early April with a right pectoral strain. The Mariners optioned Connor Joe to Tacoma to make room for him. Joe had replaced Robles on the roster following the initial injury, so the move is something of a full circle.

For Robles, it’s a re-re-restart. He was a revelation for the Mariners in 2024 — one of the few things that year that went well in the lineup — posting a 155 wRC+ in 262 plate appearances. The team felt strongly enough that they gave him a two-year contract extension to keep him through the end of 2026 with an option for 2027. But Robles missed most of last year after exploding his shoulder diving for a ball in the stands in San Francisco. His journey back to the majors included getting pelted over and over and over by minor leaguers, which led to him hurling his bat at a pitcher in frustration. He did eventually return to the majors after a suspension, but the results were poor, finishing the year with a 75 wRC+ in 114 plate appearances. Despite the performance at the plate, Robles made perhaps the most important catch in team history last year, helping finish off the Astros in the AL West.

Plays like that are what the Mariners are hoping to get from his spot on the roster. He’s fast, athletic, and has a strong arm in right field — things the team has sorely lacked this year. But what that amounts to is never clear for Robles. He hasn’t been a good defender, with -5 OAA since 2023, though that still represents an upgrade over the current options. He has been a fantastic base runner, with 37 steals in 40 tries since coming to Seattle. The Mariners right now are the second slowest team in the majors by sprint speed (though closer to the median in base running), so his presence makes them more “dynamic.” Still, it’s hard to run the bases if you’re not on base, and we haven’t seen Robles on base (or even on the field) much over the last year-plus.

For Joe, the demotion is unfortunate. He didn’t necessarily hit well during his brief stint, with a 93 wRC+ in 39 plate appearances. But he did make tremendous contact (.462 xwOBAcon) while drawing lots of walks (15.4%). His performance has been significantly better than the team’s other right-handed platoon option, Rob Refsnyder, who has an 8 wRC+ with much worse peripherals. Joe has also been the most productive pinch hitter on the team with two hits and three walks in eight tries.

But Joe had an option remaining, which allows the Mariners to hold onto him in the minors while they wait for Refsnyder to snap out of his funk. Refsnyder had been one of the best right-handed platoon hitters in the majors the last several years, and the ceiling there is much higher. Still, he’s quickly approaching all-time levels of ineptitude, as the second worst hitter the majors among batters with at least 70 plate appearances. It’s not clear how much leash is left. In some ways, Joe has been everything the Mariners were hoping for out of Refsnyder, at least by the theoretical batting metrics in a small sample. And if things keep trending in this direction, Joe could return to the majors soon.

The Mariners also could have moved on from Patrick Wisdom, who was just activated from the injured list last week. But Wisdom can play third base, which may help the Mariners manage the J.P. Crawford and Colt Emerson situation on the left side of the infield.

It will be interesting to see what role Robles assumes. Again, both Refnsyder and Joe have been used mostly as pinch-and-platoon options, jumping in and out of games at the will of Dan Wilson. Robles in his healthy 2024 played more of an everyday role, but found himself the same platoon to begin 2026. The strong-side of the platoon — Dom Canzone and Luke Raley — have continued to hit, so it’s unlikely there’s everyday at bats for Robles until either he or they change.

Regardless of the what and the who and the where, it’s good that the Mariners are getting healthier. Matt Brash was activated from the injured list over the weekend. Bryce Miller was activated before him. The Mariners will need all the help they can get while Cal Raleigh, Brendan Donovan and Gabe Speier each sit.

The Mariners are three games under .500 and 2 1/2 back as we approach the one-third post of 2026.

Craig Kimbrel ranks fifth all-time with 440 career saves, but he was unable to add to that total in his tenure with the New York Mets.

The Mets designated Kimbrel for assignment Friday, May 22, as they recalled starting pitcher Jonah Tong in an effort to navigate a challenging period for their pitching staff.

And it was clear Kimbrel, who turns 38 May 28, would not be a piece of that puzzle.

The Mets are just past the midway point of playing 17 consecutive days, but Kimbrel has pitched just twice since May 15. He signed a minor-league deal with New York in the offseason and was added to the roster in April, but posted a 6.00 ERA in 14 appearances.

New York has partially corrected course after a disastrous start, winning 12 of its past 19 games to reach the 50-game mark 22-28.

The Mets are Kimbrel's 10th team, though he's seen his role diminish with each passing organization. He last saved at least 30 games when he nailed down 42 saves for the World Series champion Red Sox in 2018, and last held a full-time closer role when he saved 24 games for Baltimore in 2024 before the Orioles designated him for assignment.

He remains 38 saves behind Lee Smith for fourth place on the all-time saves list, while his contemporary, Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen, has 483 saves and counting.

Tong, one of the Mets' top pitching prospects, struggled in five starts after his Aug. 29, 2025 debut, posting a 7.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. He remains an elite strikeout artist, punching out 55 in 38 innings at Class AAA Syracuse, but that's also accompanied by a 14.3% walk rate, the main culprit for his 5.68 ERA this season.

The Mets originally announced Tobias Myers would start Friday's series opener at Miami, but Tong's most recent AAA start was skipped, lining him up to throw in some capacity on Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Craig Kimbrel DFA'd as Mets recall Jonah Tong

The Mariners fell one win short of their first pennant last year, and came into this season with high hopes for contention. Like the Royals, they have had a disappointing start. They seemed close to righting the ship a few weeks ago, nearly reaching .500. But a sweep at the hands of the Padres last week has set them back again.

Seattle Mariners (24-27) vs. Kansas City Royals (20-30) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Mariners: 4.12 runs scored/game (21st in MLB), 3.90 runs allowed/game (6th)

Royals: 3.88 runs scored/game (27th), 4.48 runs allowed/game (16th)

The Mariners’ lineup has suffered from a big drop off in performance by slugger Cal Raleigh, and now he is on the Injured List for the first time in his career. The team is also without Brendan Donovan, who is on the Injured List for a second time since the Mariners acquired him last winter from the Cardinals.

Luke Raley has helped fill the void with a team-high ten-home runs, although he also has a 35.3 percent strikeout rate, sixth-highest in baseball for anyone with at least 100 plate appearances. Randy Arozarena has been on fire lately, hitting .326/.404/.533 with eight doubles and three home runs over his last 26 games. Julio Rodriguez is hitting .394/.379/.667 with six home runs against lefties this year.

Josh Naylor has 42 steals in the last year and a half – he had 25 career steals in the five years prior to that. He’s a lifetime Josh Naylor has 42 steals in the last year and a half – he had 25 career steals in the five years prior to that. He’s a lifetime .310/.343/.520 hitter in 26 games at Kauffman Stadium. The Mariners called up top prospect Colt Emerson earlier this week, and his first MLB hit was a home run.

Mariners starting pitchers have the lowest walk rate in baseball. Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo are both in the top ten in lowest walk rate among starters. Gilbert is coming off his worst start of the year, when he gave up seven runs and three homers against the Padres in a loss. He has a deep arsenal of pitches, and opponents are hitting just .186 against his splitter with a 38.8 percent whiff rate. Salvador Perez is a career .368/.455/.737 hitter against him with two home runs in 22 plate appearances.

George Kirby has never lost to the Royals in four starts, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA. He has a 2.92 ERA in four road starts this year. He throws a 96.7 mph fastball, as well as a swwper, sinker, curve, change, and cutter, and he has a 55.2 percent groundball rate this year.

Woo has only given up two runs in his last three starts, with 26 strikeouts in 18 innings. This will be his first career start at Kauffman Stadium. Randy Arozarena is 0-for-11 in his career against Seth Lugo.

The Mariners have a 3.10 ERA from their bullpen, fourth-lowest in baseball. Andrés Muñoz has struck out 39.5 percent of hitters, the third-best rate in baseball. He has eight saves, but suffered his third blown save of the year on Tuesday against the White Sox. Lefty Jose A. Ferrer has the fourth-lowest walk rate among relievers. Cooper Criswell has a 59.3 percent groundball rate. Longtime starter Luis Castillo is technically a reliever now, although he just “piggybacks” starter Bryce Miller.

The Royals swept the Mariners in Seattle at the beginning of the month, although that seems like a blip in an otherwise dreary May for Kansas City. For the Mariners, they are in a stretch where 17 of the next 25 games are against teams with losing records, so this is their chance to turn the season around. For the Royals, they desperately need to find the mojo from the last time they played the Mariners, or else their season will be over before Memorial Day.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Tonight sees the Toronto Blue Jays welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for the start of an interleague series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates lineup is a plus matchup for Jays ace Kevin Gausman, and I expect him to deliver an efficient outing tonight.

Find out more in our Blue Jays vs. Pirates predictions and MLB picks for Friday, May 22.

Pirates vs Blue Jays predictions

Pirates vs Blue Jays best bet: Kevin Gausman Under 2.5 earned runs (-135)

 Kevin Gausman is set for another strong performance when he faces the Pittsburgh Pirates. When the Toronto Blue Jays' right-hander is at his best, he’s painting the corners with the fastball and then baffling batters with his nasty splitter.

That’s where the Jays’ ace has the advantage in this matchup, as Pittsburgh has struggled to hit the split-finger fastball this season, sporting a .188 xBA against the pitch, the seventh-worst mark in baseball.

Gausman has gone Under his posted number of 2.5 earned runs in four of his last six starts this season, and he’s pitched well against Pittsburgh in the past, going 4-1 to the Under on this prop in his last five outings against the Pirates.

COVERS INTEL: Kevin Gausman has held opponents to a .186 average against his splitter, producing a 36% whiff rate this season.

Pirates vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll continue to ride the Gausman train and take him to eclipse 17.5 recorded outs. The Jays’ bullpen was taxed heavily yesterday, and they’ll need innings from their ace. Additionally, Gausman has recorded 18+ outs in four of his last six starts.

Meanwhile, Bubba Chandler has struggled to find the zone this season, issuing 17 walks in his last five starts, going Over this posted total in four of those games.

Pirates vs Blue Jays SGP

• Kevin Gausman Under 2.5 earned runs
• Kevin Gausman Over 17.5 outs
• Bubba Chandler Over 2.5 walks

Pirates vs Blue Jays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+320)

Chandler throws a hard four-seamer, ranking in the 96th percentile in velocity. 

Kazuma Okamoto seems to match up well with this pitching profile. He owns a .602 xSLG against the four-seam fastball with a 67% hard-hit rate, barreling the ball in 14% of at-bats against the offering. The Jays’ third baseman also has a team-leading five home runs against the four-seamer.

Pirates vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Pittsburgh +140 | Toronto -160
• Run line: Pittsburgh +1.5 (-150) | Toronto -1.5 (+130)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Pirates vs Blue Jays trend

Toronto has hit the run line in 15 of its last 23 games (+6.35 Units / 20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Pirates vs Blue Jays and game info

Pirates vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Pirates vs Blue Jays weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Royals announced they have designated catcher Elías Díaz for assignment and recalled infielder Tyler Tolbert from Triple-A. Díaz appeared in 10 games and hit .227/.261/.591 with two home runs in 23 plate appearances.

The Royals added him as a third catcher when Salvador Perez was experiencing hip problems that prevented him from catching, but the team appears to be satisfied with his ability to stay behind the plate. The team could try to bring Díaz back to Omaha if he clears waivers. The Royals originally signed Díaz to a minor league deal back in February. The 12-year MLB vet has appeared in 840 career MLB games and was an All-Star in 2023 with Colorado.

Tolbert returns after an earlier stint in which he appeared in seven games, and went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a caught stealing. The 28-year-old infielder/outfielder has been used mostly as a pinch runner in late game situations. He was hitting .260/.365/.288 with eight steals in eight tries in 20 games for Omaha.

The travels of the de facto Traveling Correspondent have begun, and we are now sorting through the highlights and lowlights of the experiences while providing in-person coverage for True Blue LA during the 2026 season.

As the Dodgers have mucked about in the mud with their actual rivals and dispatched their de facto rivals, on the eve of the rematch between last year’s laugher of a National League Championship Series, before Adric and I return to the road, let us reflect on what invariably came before…

The first road trip of 2026 was inevitably, ultimately, always going to be a spectacular letdown. To be fair, when the last act was the two most hallowed words in sport, followed by arguably the greatest game ever played, virtually nothing but perfection could possibly follow up as the next act.

So once I psyched myself out by lowering my expectations, I told myself that I was going to enjoy this outing no matter what. Acknowledging that fact was a lot easier said than done, which gives me some insight into what the Dodgers themselves must be thinking and feeling these days. Yes, they ride at the pinnacle of the sport, but one would be remiss not to notice that victory has at times defeated them.

After all, it’s hard to gin oneself up to go to St. Louis and Houston in early May, but I survived. The addition of going to St. Louis was the final addition to my 2026 itinerary, as it was cheaper and less hassle to get to Houston from St. Louis than frommy home base in San Francisco.

In retrospect, considering my slightly bum leg that I have been nursing for about a month, I probably should have just paid the extra amount and just done the three-game set in Houston. That said, I did get some nice footage of budget seating at Busch Stadium while the Dodgers ground into eight double plays over two games.

Seeing Dodgers baseball in St. Louis is like being in sweaty pajamas around the house: folks might judge you a little, but it’s comfy, and sometimes that is enough. What I found amusing was both the near-constant applicability of my Japanese skills in both St. Louis and Houston and the sheer shock my conversational Japanese would elicit from the unsuspecting.

More often than once in St. Louis and Houston, I had to play de facto translator, which made me smile and call my mother afterward, which goes to show the ongoing Japanese language work is still paying dividends.

Unapologetic

The main draw of this trip was my first visit to Houston, which I honestly had mixed feelings about beforehand for obvious reasons. I had a feeling this portion of the trip would be my hair shirt, and sadly, I was right. For those who do not know, a hair shirt is generally any self-imposed punishment used to show contrition.

I have gorged at the buffet of plenty. To complete the MLB circuit, I have to take my medicine.

I previously wrote that I was largely over 2017 before visiting Daikin Park. Saying that you’re over something is a much bigger challenge when you are having the thing you are allegedly over being thrust in your face at seemingly every opportunity over three generally forgettable days in Houston.

Imagine the sprawl and majesty of Tokyo, then remove anything interesting, and then remove the ease of transit, and what is left is a logistical nightmare without a vehicle. Apparently, there is a system of pedestrian tunnels in Houston for getting around downtown, which are currently entirely unhelpful for navigating the immediate area around Daikin Park.

While I did meet some lovely people in Houston, the main things that stood out were both the spectacular failures of Daikin Park as a baseball venue and the sheer unapologetic nature of the Houston faithful. What I did not anticipate was just the sheer audacity of the Astros’ cheating in 2017 being thrown in my face. I took a tour of the facility, which I knew would anger me. It did, but my ultimate victory came in not showing it.

During the three-game series, Manager Dave Roberts said that he had largely gotten over the scandal. He’s a better man than most.

While Padres fans and Blue Jays fans can be annoying (entitlement without many accomplishments to back it up), and Giants fans can be downright frustrating (especially when besting the Dodgers is the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal campaign), the majority of Astros fans I encountered seemed to take glee from their obstinacy.

Here’s the hard truth, people: there is no getting through to these people. Normally, these field reports do not turn into history lessons on dead horses, but when an opposing fanbase tries to spend three days gaslighting, my patience only goes so far.

Any poor soul that goes to Daikin Park has to steel themselves to this fact. The locals know the Astros cheated in 2017; they either do not care or attempt to deflect blame by arguing that every team was cheating back then, citing a Sports Illustrated article by Tom Verducci that came out in 2018.

Here’s how quickly things have changed, according to a Dodgers source. Three years ago, if you walked into the Dodgers’ video room behind their Dodger Stadium dugout you would likely have found Zack Greinke pouring over video of opposing hitters, looking for any edge he could find to match up his stuff against their weakness. This year, if you walked into the same room you would have found a small army of 20-something analysts in polo shirts and slacks pouring over video from the in-house cameras, like the security room at a Vegas casino. Most teams train their cameras on the catcher, the pitcher (from several angles), the third base coach and the dugout.

These cameras are not used for training purposes. They are used expressly for stealing signs and deciphering “tells” from pitchers.

“We’ve reached a point,” said one club executive, “where the attractiveness of the sport as an entertainment option has been lost in the quest to find every incremental edge. And video has changed things rapidly. I’m increasingly thinking something has to be done.”

Yes, it’s far cry from a surveillance system to learn more about what the pitcher will do, versus creating a real-time system, in part, to cement the legacy of playoff failure for Clayton Kershaw. During the trip, my mind kept going back to the relevant passage in his biography, The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness by Andy McCullough (excerpts from pages 249-251):

The rumors prompted Rick Honeycutt to gather his pitchers before the series. Honeycutt encouraged the group to protect their grips, monitor the placement of their gloves, and change their signs frequently, as if there was a runner at second base at all times, especially when playing in Houston, where the Astros had not lost all postseason. The message resonated with some more than others. Not every player was as paranoid as Utley, who had helped decipher the Dodgers’ signs with Philadelphia in the previous decade. “I was like, ‘Why is this a fucking thing?’” Brandon McCarthy recalled. “I thought that was being weird and overly protective.” But McCarthy followed the instructions.

When he pitched in a Game 2 loss at Dodger Stadium, he used an elaborate sequence with no runners on base. George Springer still launched the game-winning home run off him. Darvish declined to take the same precautions for Game 3 at Minute Maid Park and could not finish the second inning. For Game 4, Wood decided to change signs every ten pitches. “We’d heard whispers of some of the shady stuff they’d been doing,” he later said. Out in the visitors’ bullpen, tucked beyond the fence in left-center field, Dodgers relievers peered toward the Astros bullpen and attempted to discern a pattern. Several pitchers tracked someone in an Astros uniform whom they believed was relaying signs: The Dodgers thought if the Astro stood up straight, he was signaling an incoming fastball. For an off-speed pitch, the Astro leaned on his elbows. “You could see some shady shit going on in their bullpen,” Stripling recalled…

Before Game 4 in Houston, Kershaw sat inside the video room, running through his scouting sheets to prepare for Game 5. Pratt vocalized his concern. “I think something weird’s going on,” he said. Pratt suggested Kershaw protect his signs more carefully, as Honeycutt had advised. Kershaw dismissed the idea. He was willing to switch his signs every two pitches with a runner at second base. But to alter his entire approach felt foolish. He thought it would clutter his mind and disrupt his timing. He did not want the distraction, not when the threat felt so remote…

…What doomed Kershaw was less hubris than failure of imagination. He understood that when a runner stood at second base there was extra risk of technologically aided thievery. But the concept of teams using illegal cameras to relay signs in real time felt impossible. “You just don’t fathom that that’s happening,” Honeycutt recalled.

(Emphasis added.)

For all of my mild teasing of the Toronto faithful, I understand both the pain of losing a close World Series and the pain of losing a not particularly competitive World Series (there was a moment, then Ryan Madson…). Then that pain occurred all over again when it turned out Houston was cheating, I felt guilt for every unkind thing I said about Clayton Kershaw and others, and that pain turned to resentment when the Commissioner declined to vacate the 2017 title:

“I’m more than prepared to tolerate and listen to the debate and criticism about whether or not the punishments that have been levied in this case were sufficient,” Manfred said. “The one thing that I do take an issue with is the notion that anyone in the Houston organization escaped without punishment. I think if you look at the faces of the Houston players as they went out there publicly addressing this issue, they have been hurt by this. They will live with questions about what went on in 2017 and 2018 for the rest of their lives. And frankly it’s rare that for any offense, to have a punishment that you have to live with for the rest of your life.”

Then, after calling the trophy a “piece of metal,” for which he should and has been lustily booed ever since, he again shielded the Astros from responsibility by issuing an edict against beanballs in the hopes that everyone would move on. Baseball did. Large parts of the Dodgers fandom did too.

I rehash this history because I was subjected to the “Lost Cause” version of these events while in Houston, from people trying to get a rise out of me. It was like wrestling with a pig in the muck; the thing to remember is that the pig enjoys it, so the best way out is not to play. And my outward stocism worked, even though I was privately fuming.

I could spend hundreds, if not thousands of words, on substandard food, facilities, and lighting, while railing on how underwhelming the experience of attending a Dodger game at Daikin Park was, and how spectacularly underwhelming Houston barbecue is (see below), but then, I wouldn’t have a Guide entry to write the next time the Dodgers visit.

If you, dear reader, wish to still be angry and/or gloat over the end of the current Astros’ window, have at it.

While the experience of going to Oracle Park, Petco Park, or Rogers Centre may not be for everyone, at least in the first two instances, you would be at an otherwise respectable ballpark. Daikin Park can claim none of those characteristics. One would not generally need to wrestle with a pig to know what a bad idea it is, but in order to complete the circuit of 30 MLB parks, sometimes you just have to wade through the muck.

Anyway, ballpark 28 is down. Next up, a social holiday in Milwaukee, where I will attempt to both fight ghosts and tread on ground that David Vassegh once dared to tread.

Entering the season, most prospect lists had 3-4 Phillies prospects listed amongst their top-100.

Baseball America had three: shortstop Aidan Miller (No. 14), starting pitcher Andrew Painter (No. 32) and outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 75).

Baseball Prospectus was a bit more bullish, listing five: Miller (13), Painter (51), starter Gage Wood (77), infielder Aroon Escobar (78) and Crawford (98).

But with 50 MLB games now under their belts, Painter and Crawford have graduated and are no longer considered prospects. Therefore, some of the updated lists are light on Phils prospects.

This week, MLB Pipeline released an updated Top 100 on which there were only two prospects represented: Miller (16) and Wood (71), and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel updated his Top 50. Not surprisingly, Miller (16) was the only Phillies prospect listed.

Perhaps it’s not terribly surprising news, given the departure of Painter and Crawford, but it’s still a bit depressing when you consider Miller has yet to come close to playing an actual baseball game this season.

There were encouraging reports this week that Miller’s back issue was slowly getting better. Don Mattingly said Miller is “beginning to do light baseball activity,” which everyone hopes is more than playing catch with the Iron Pigs’ ball boys. But it does not appear he is swinging a bat as of yet.

Miller’s back injury is a cause for concern, even as the Phils attempt to downplay it. Information about it has been scant so far this spring, and it’s obvious Miller could lose a significant amount of important development in AAA. At this point, there should be no expectation of him joining the big league club at all in ‘26.

With Miller out, Wood is scheduled to make his first start for Reading since his promotion tonight (Friday), and is the only prospect in the system deemed worthy of inclusion among the game’s best.

That’s not to say there aren’t some intriguing prospects in the system, particularly at AA, where Escobar, center fielder Dante Nori, reliever Alex McFarlane, shortstop Bryan Rincon and Carson DeMartini.

• Rincon: .263/.389/.511 .900 OPS, 7 HRs, 20 RBIs, 15 SB
• Escobar: .255/.328/.369, .697 OPS, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs, 10 SB
• Nori: .245/.301/.387, .688 OPS, 2 HRs, 16 RBIs,
• DeMartini: .274/.361/.432, .793 OPS, 4 HRs, 11 RBIs
• McFarlane: 16 games, 0.57 ERA, 15.2 IP, 21/7 K/BB ratio

At the moment, none of the four position players listed project as potential All Stars. McFarlane could be a bullpen piece as soon as this year, so there is some hope there. But a top 100 prospect he will not be.

One of the items Dave Dombrowski was supposed to address was the farm system and, with Painter and Crawford in the Majors, the hope is those two will be the first promotions to make a major impact on the big league club. So far, the results are mixed, but plenty of time remains.

But entering the season, the Phils’ farm system, even with Painter and Crawford included and Miller’s back injury largely unknown, MLB Pipeline ranked it No. 20. They wrote:

It’s a good thing when your top three prospects — all Top 100 guys — will have the chance to contribute to the big league roster this year. Two of them, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford, should make the Opening Day roster. Just beyond the Top 100 prospects, there’s excitement brewing with 2025 first-rounder Gage Wood and 2026 international signee Francisco Renteria, who is already creating buzz in the organization.

Renteria is certainly an intriguing prospect the team has sunk a lot of money into ($4 million for a 17-year-old), but he’s only just begun playing in the Phils’ Dominican Summer League.

Clearly there’s a lot of work still to do to get the organization’s farm system to a point it’s among the game’s best. The first step would be for Aidan Miller’s back to start cooperating.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

A delectable Friday slate is upon us, and I have a few plays that should satisfy those cravings, as we are diving into a loaded menu of props and a few spicy sprinkles across this piece.

Tonight, we will be eyeing Jack Flaherty, Kyle Schwarber, and Shea Langeliers in what could be a profitable evening at the diamond in our MLB player props.

Let's get into our MLB picks for May 22.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Jack Flaherty	Over 2.5 Walks	-110
Kyle Schwarber	Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI	+100
Shea Langeliers	Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI	-115

Jack Flaherty Over 2.5 Walks (-110)

A prop I have been monitoring over the last few weeks has become one of my favorite sweats. Sure, I am 1-1 so far taking the over on Jack Flaherty walks, and sure, he had none the last time I was on the prop.

However, the first time, he walked three guys in his first 39 pitches. The Detroit Tigers right-hander owns an 18.4% walk rate on the road this season, allowing 3.6 walks per road outing.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Baltimore Orioles have six hitters with at least a 7.7% walk rate. Zoom in a little more, and four guys own a walk rate of 11.1% or higher. Overall, as a team, they sport a 10.3% walk rate, tied for 10th in baseball.

If trying to find the zone on the road is Flaherty's kryptonite, I want to continue taking the over on his walks, especially away from home. I'd pass on this prop if you have to pay juice. Look for a book offering plus money, as the risk outweighs laying any extra vig.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: AppleTV

Kyle Schwarber Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI (+100)

We will be going to the bank twice today, first to Citizens Bank Park, then to our personal banks to deposit our winnings (hopefully), as Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finds himself in a great spot this evening against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. The Phillies designated hitter owns the highest hitter rating in this matchup, per Batters-Box.

In 96 elite ratings at home, Schwarber has produced incredible trends, recording at least a hit 64.58% of the time and cashing this prop 56.25% of the time. The slugger has also surpassed 2+ HRR in eight of his last 10 elite ratings.

Left-handed hitters have given Williams hell this season, as he has allowed a ton of hard contact and plenty of home runs, nine through 10 starts. On top of that, against the last 60 lefties he has faced, the right-hander owns a 1.93 HR/9, while those hitters sport a .685 xSLG.

If you are able to find Schwarber's hit prop below -150 and you are in the juice-paying business, take it. However, only take his HRR prop if you can get it at plus money. His hit prices are surprisingly low this evening.

Also, do not be afraid to sprinkle on the big fella to leave the yard today either, as he homers 35.42% of the time at home when carrying an elite rating.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CleGuardians.TV, NBCSP

Shea Langeliers Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI (-115)

We are ending the evening with a BANG, a Shea Langeliers bang, by taking the over 1.5 hits, runs, RBI prop this evening against San Diego Padres right-hander Walker Buehler, who owns the second-worst pitcher rating on the day on Batters-Box.

The Padres starter also has poorly rated average hitter matchup numbers in wOBA, ISO, and strikeout percentage.

Over his last couple starts, Buehler has allowed right-handed hitters to make a ton of hard contact and elevate the baseball, posting just a 34.9% ground ball rate over the last 60 right-handed hitters faced.

The Athletics star catcher owns the third-highest elite rating in this matchup. In 16 elite ratings away from home, Langeliers has produced strong trends:

• 1+ Hit: 62.5%
• 1+ RBI: 56.25%
• 2+ HRR: 50%
• Home Run: 31.25%

Langeliers also owns the third-highest arsenal coverage on the day among elite-rated hitters, crushing nearly 75% of Buehler's offerings. On top of that, he has been terrorizing right-handed pitching this season, owning a 16.19% barrel rate.

With how strong the percentage changes are for the Athletics slugger, I also sprinkled on his home run prop as well. If you cannot find a number hovering around -115 for his HRR, take his bases prop at plus money.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, Padres.TV

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.