Category: MLB

Hickory starter Moises Morales allowed three runs in six innings, striking out six and walking one.

Hector Osorio was 2 for 4 with a walk. Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 4 with a walk. Marcos Torres doubled. Daniel Flames had a hit. Josh Springer had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Aidan Curry allowed four runs in four innings, including a home run, while striking out seven and walking two.

Maxton Martin was 3 for 6 with a double. Malcolm Moore was 2 for 5 with a double and a homer. Rafe Perich homered and walked twice. Paxton Kling doubled. Gleider Figuereo had a homer and a walk. Yeison Morrobel had a pair of hits and a walk.

Hub City box score

For Frisco, starter Josh Trentadue went 1.2 innings, allowing a grand slam, walking one and striking out one. Ryan Lobus struck out one in an inning of work.

Dylan Dreiling doubled and walked.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Austin Gomber walked four and struck out three in 5.1 IP, allowing four runs. Alexis Diaz retired the two batters he faced. Chris Martin, starting a rehab assignment, faced six batters, retired two of them, and gave up four runs on four hits, including two homers. Marc Church walked one and allowed a run in 1.1 IP.

Cam Cauley walked four times and stole a base.

Round Rock box score

Rangers 7, D-Backs 4

• And back in the win column are our Texas Rangers.
• With a bunch of runs scored, which is nice.
• On the heels of a bullpen game, the Rangers…I hesitate to say “needed” length from MacKenzie Gore in his start, given that there were probably only two relievers who were unavailable. But they definitely wanted to get a lot of innings out of Gore, to avoid further taxing the bullpen.
• One December, when my daughter, Rowan, was in kindergarten, I asked my wife what she wanted for Christmas.
• She said, “For Christmas, I want Rowan to pick up her room, because it makes me sad and mad that her room is always so messy.”
• Rowan piped up and said, “You can’t get that for Christmas, mommy, because that’s a service, not a good, and Santa brings goods for Christmas, not services. Also, its a want, not a need, because you want me to pick up my room, but I don’t need to do it.”
• Whether it twas a want or a need, Gore came through for the Rangers in spades, logging eight innings, allowing just one run, giving up three hits and one walk, striking out five.
• Gore’s inconsistency when it comes to throwing strikes has been something we’ve talked about a fair amount, but that was not an issue on Tuesday. Of Gore’s 95 pitches, 63 were for strikes.
• Gore wasn’t missing bats, either. He had just 8 swings and misses, total.
• Ironically, given that the broadcast was discussing his D-Back counterpart Zac “Ten” Gallen’s ridiculously low whiff rate on the fastball this season, Gore got zero whiffs on the 26 fastballs he threw.
• Whether this was a deliberate strategy Gore was utilizing, throwing more strikes in order to try to be as efficient as possible in order to work deeper into the game, or just serendipity, it worked. The D-Backs did have some hard hit balls off of him — most notably Ildemaro Vargas’s second inning home run — but Arizona balls in play tended to find gloves.
• What was a blowout turned into, well, not a blowout in the ninth.
• Gavin Collyer was summoned to pitch the ninth on what was Collyer’s 25th birthday, and it was not a birthday he will want to remember.
• Collyer walked Corbin Carroll on five pitches, walked someone named Tim Tawa on four pitches, then walked Nolan Arenado on five pitches, with a wild pitch mixed into the Arenado plate appearance. With the bases loaded, Vargas singled to make it a 7-2 game, at that was the end of Collyer’s outing. Jacob Latz replaced Collyer and retired all three batters he faced, though a run scored on the first out, a fielder’s choice, and the second out, a sac fly, giving us the ultimate 7-4 result.
• Gavin Collyer has, prior to 2026, had a walk problem. Doing a better job of throwing strikes is what had him in the mix in spring training, and is what earned him a callup when the Rangers needed a bullpen arm. He has now hit or walked 10 of the 42 batters he has faced in the majors.
• The three runs he got dinged for are the first runs he’s allowed in his major league career. That said, Collyer is going to have to tighten things up. Walking three straight batters in the ninth inning with a big lead is going to kick you out of a manager’s tree of trust faster than just about anything.
• Collyer has pitched in 12 major league games. He has walked the first batter he faced in three of those 12 games, and hit the first batter he faced twice. That’s also not something that is going to make a manager real comfortable.
• Offensively, the Rangers rebounded well after being shut out on Monday. Skip Schumaker shook things up, putting Joc Pederson in the leadoff spot, and Pederson responded with a homer on the second pitch Gallen threw.
• With Pederson, Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager in the top three spots, the Rangers had three lefties in a row, but that alignment does work better, I think, than having Pederson and Evan Carter back-to-back, as Schumaker had been doing. A lefty brought into the game, particularly in the middle innings, to face Pederson and Carter either results in two guys who can’t hit lefties facing a lefty, or else Schumaker pinch hitting for one or both of them, which weakens the lineup overall, particularly if/when those spots come back around later in the game against a righthanded reliever. If lefty is brought in to face Pederson, Nimmo and Seager, though, Pederson likely gets pinch hit for, Nimmo has minimal platoon splits, and Corey Seager is Corey Seager. It doesn’t mean that the opponent won’t go with a lefty in that situation, but the impact is lessened.
• Jake Burger, mired in a bad slump, had three singles and a walk, and while none of the singles were exactly stung, he made contact and got on base, and I’ll take that.
• Ezequiel Duran had one of the most fortunate home runs you’ll see, going the opposite way with a pop fly that was just 92.4 mph off the bat, and that barely made it over the wall down the line in right field. Per Statcast, the xBA on that ball was .060.
• But we’ll take it.
• The Rangers chased Gallen in the fifth. A Nimmo one out triple was followed by a slow Seager roller, with the D-Backs unsuccessfully trying to get Nimmo at the plate. A Josh Jung single, an Evan Carter 4-3, and an Ezequiel Duran infield single (that I think probably should have been an E6) made it 5-1 and had Torey Lovullo go to the pen. Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger singles made it 7-1, and the rout was on, at least until the ninth.
• Osuna ended up stealing third that inning on a delayed steal, where the third baseman was far enough off the bag that he was able to get his secondary lead and then, after the pitch was thrown, just keep going to third. It didn’t end up mattering, as Kyle Higashioka struck out for the final out, but it was the kind of heads-up play that makes you appreciate what Osuna brings.
• The dark cloud to the offensive outburst is that Brandon Nimmo, who had three hits, turned his ankle on an infield single in the sixth. He initially stayed in the game but was ultimately pulled for pinch runner Sam Haggerty. The Rangers say he is day-to-day, though I’m guessing he sits in the series finale on Wednesday, giving him, with Thursday’s off day, two days to rest the ankle.
• MacKenzie Gore topped out at 96.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.8 mph. Gavin Collyer’s fastball touched 98.0 mph. Jacob Latz hit 95.7 mph with his fastball.
• Joc Pederson’s leadoff homer was 109.1 mph off the bat. Brandon Nimmo had a 108.3 mph triple and a 107.1 mph single.
• Now let’s win the rubber game, in what will be my first game at the Shed in 2026.

Look at it this way. At least the Cubs scored some runs in this game.

Not enough runs, as they lost to the Braves 5-2 in the series opener in Atlanta.

Colin Rea and Grant Holmes matched zeroes through two innings, and the Cubs failed to score in the top of the third. The Braves got on the board in the bottom of that inning on a single by Dominic Smith (who you might remember from a brief appearance as a Cub in Spring Training 2024), a ground out advancing him and an RBI single by Mike Yastrzemski.

The Cubs took the lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Alex Bregman challenged a pitch and was incorrect. That was the Cubs’ second wrong challenge of the game, and I’ll get to the other one later.

That didn’t hurt Bregman’s at-bat, as he smacked his fourth homer of the year, making it 1-1 [VIDEO].

So that was good. It broke a 23-inning scoreless streak for the Cubs and was Bregman’s first home run since April 24, a span of 62 plate appearances. As it would turn out, that was the Cubs’ only hit.

Perhaps that homer rattled Holmes, as he walked the next three hitters, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch. So the Cubs had the bases loaded with one out. This is exactly where a team has to go for it, this is an excellent scoring opportunity, especially for a team that’s had trouble scoring recently.

Instead, they got only one more run, when Moisés Ballesteros beat a double-play relay [VIDEO].

So the Cubs had a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the fourth, and Rea had been dealing, but that ended in the Atlanta half of the inning, which included home runs by two players (Austin Riley and Yastrzemski) who both came into the game with BA’s below .213. For Yastrzemski, it was his first home run of the season in more than 125 plate appearances.

With the score 4-2 due to the homers, Ryan Rolison relieved Rea with two runners on and one out and allowed an RBI single to Matt Olson, making it 5-2.

And that, basically, was that. Cubs relievers (Rolison, Jacob Webb and Trent Thornton) threw 3.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts. Braves relievers threw five no-hit innings and allowed one further baserunner after the fourth (a one-out walk by Nico Hoerner in the fifth).

The Cubs did flash some glove in this game or the score might have been worse.

Pete Crow-Armstrong with a great running catch to end the second inning [VIDEO].

Nico with a nice diving stop in the third [VIDEO].

And two pickoffs, one by Rea and this one by Rolison in the fifth [VIDEO].

Now I’d like to talk a bit about the Cubs’ first ABS challenge of the game, made by Ballesteros in the first inning. Here’s the situation and pitch [VIDEO].

That’s the ninth pitch of the game. There’s nobody on base, the game is scoreless and there’s one out. As Jim Deshaies said after Ballesteros was wrong on that one, if you’re going to challenge in that situation, you have to be really, really sure that you’re right. The pitch was close but it wasn’t that close. Now, the lack of challenges didn’t really have any impact on the result of this game, but this should be a learning experience for the young catcher. Ballesteros had twogood challenge games in Spring Training, but… this is a different story.

More on the Cubs getting just one hit, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs had been held to one hit in 68 previously games since 1901, most recently Sept 18 of last year, in a 1-0 loss at Cincinnati.

They had scored two runs in five of the 68, winning the first three, vs. the Dodgers at home in 1902 (2-0), at St. Louis in 1908 (2-0) and at home vs. the Reds in 1937 (2-1). They also beat the Dodgers at home, 3-2, in 1914.

The two losses with two runs were by 8-2 at Cincinnati in 1971 and by 4-2 at home vs. the Royals on Aug. 21, 2021.

They now have been one-hit five times since then and did not score in any of the games.

They did not score in 55 of the 69 games. They scored once in eight games – and won one of them, in Game 1 of a Fourth of July doubleheader at Pittsburgh in 1906. The hit, by Jimmy Slagle, came in the ninth inning and he scored the run.

In that 2021 loss to the Royals, the only Cubs hit was also a home run, a two-run job by Patrick Wisdom.

The offense has been moribund for three games now, with a total of two runs and eight hits. This is too good of an offense to do that for very long, and eventually they will come out of it.

And… yeah, gotta say this: The Cubs had a 10-game winning streak, lost three in a row, then won 10 straight again. Now they’ve lost three in a row again. You don’t suppose…

Well, of course it’s very unlikely. But that’s why they play the games.

The Cubs will look to snap that three-game streak Wednesday evening in Atlanta. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and rookie JR Ritchie goes for the Braves. Game time Wednesday is again 6:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

In the offseason, the Braves knew that there’d be some issues with Sean Murphy’s availability. They signed Jonah Heim on February 10. That move turned into 45 PAs for Heim, where he ended up barely above replacement thanks to A) one big game at Coors Field in his final outing with the team and B) outhitting his .278 xwOBA over those 45 PAs. Then, Heim was DFAed and traded to the Athletics when Murphy was activated from the Injured List.

Heim was signed when the Braves knew Murphy would be out for about a month of regular season action. Now, Murphy is going to be out about twice as long. The Braves did re-sign Sandy Leon, but that’s likely a stopgap: they didn’t go to Leon as the backup earlier, so it’d be strange to think that they now plan to rely on Leon for an even longer period. Chadwick Tromp is once again in the organization, but the Braves neither relied on him in April, nor opted to select his contract instead of re-signing Leon, so I’m not sure if he’s the team’s preference to hang out on the roster and catch games against southpaws and such up until the All-Star Break or whatever.

Who does that leave, though? It’d be funny if the Braves simply re-acquired Heim, especially since he’s not really playing for his new team (he’s made one start in ten days, along with a couple of pinch-hit appearances). On top of that, Heim didn’t really show anything on either side of the ball to make him an exciting (re-)acquisition; other than familiarity, his career looks to be continuing in its 2024-2025 sub-replacement vein, rather than a return to form. But, it’s not clear what options the Braves have overall that aren’t Leon or Tromp.

Austin Wynns was an Athletics roster casualty after being supplanted by Heim. The problem with Wynns is that the 35-year-old journeyman backup catcher isn’t actually good at anything, clocking in as a typical backup catcher bat without any notable framing skills. After that, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking the question. Other guys that are floating around include Austin Barnes and Reese McGuire; I couldn’t find other MLB veterans that re-entered the waiver wire this year. Barnes is 36 and may still be an okay framer, but his overall defensive profile has taken a tumble in his mid-30s; he was released by the Mets in Spring Training. McGuire actually got into a few games for the White Sox this year, and his framing is non-horrible, but no team has shown any interest in him since he was cut a few weeks ago.

Who else ya got?

Imagine being told in the offseason that Alec Bohm would be hitting .180 with a .527 OPS through the Phillies first 41 games. One of your first thoughts after a slew of expletives would probably have been “well at least that’s giving Aidan Miller a golden opportunity”, and you wouldn’t have been wrong!

But that would have been before knowing about Aidan Miller’s back injury. The mysterious ailment, which the Phillies have declined to go into detail about, has prevented Miller from appearing in any games since the end of spring training. In fact, he has not even swung a bat yet and has not advanced to baseball activities as was reported on May 6th by TGP contributor Jeff Kerr.

Two days later, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki mentioned on The Phillies Show podcast that Miller had suffered what Zolecki calls a “setback” after starting to field ground balls and ramp up baseball activities.

The shroud of mystery over the injury adds to the worry, but as Zolecki mentions in the video clip, this perhaps could be the Phillies exercising extreme caution with a top prospect. They obviously showed their willingness to do so with how they handled Andrew Painter’s elbow injury in 2023. Of course, these are two different injuries to two different players as elucidated by Phillies prospect expert Matt Winkelman.

Nevertheless, Miller’s lack of progress is concerning, especially at a time in which he very well may have been on the doorstep of his MLB debut. Now his debut could be delayed until much later in the season than originally expected or into 2027. It’s an uncomfortable situation to be in considering many had pegged Miller as the Phillies likely 2027 starting third baseman with Bohm’s impending free agency following the 2026 season. So, what is your concern level with Aidan Miller?

Coby Mayo delivered the biggest hit of his young career on Monday with two on and the Orioles trailing by two. Mayo launched a go-ahead three-run home run in a game that he likely never would have played in if Samuel Basallo felt well enough to go. The Orioles scratched Basallo after the catcher reported some knee soreness, and Craig Albernaz penciled Mayo into the designated hitter slot.

It’s likely not a coincidence that Mayo came up with the big knock in a game where he had little time to think. The 24-year-old told the MASN broadcast booth that he only found out he was starting about an hour before the first pitch. Mayo admitted that he had not gone through his usual routine, and he pointed to a recent Trea Turner quote about experiencing success after not taking his pregame swings.

Mayo also had the luxury of not pretending to be a third baseman. That may sound a little harsh, but it’s no secret that Mayo remains a work in progress at the hot corner. I haven’t met anyone that thinks learning a defensive position on the fly has helped Mayo at the dish. There’s a considerable probability that the defensive anxiety has contributed to his .165/.230/.311 slash line.

The Orioles have to be aware of this. However, they also know that Mayo has a bat worth saving and that Pete Alonso is under contract for the next five years. Jordan Westburg could very well be lost for the season, and Basallo has already begun to demand at bats when he’s not behind the dish. The only place for Mayo is at third. For better or worse, if he wants at bats, a majority have to come from third base.

I get this. You probably do too. It’s unfortunate for Mayo, but that’s the reality for a former fourth-round pick trying to make it in the majors.

I don’t get how the Orioles could look at the negative impact that Coby Mayo has felt and still feel comfortable asking Jackson Holliday to play third base during his latest rehab assignment. That’s former first-overall pick Jackson Holliday. A 22-year-old that fast tracked his way to the majors before struggling in his first taste of big league action. That’s the guy recovering from a broken hamate bone that has required multiple rehab attempts. That’s the one with all the potential in the world but only a .229/.300/.360 slash line over 209 games.

The Orioles have always valued defensive versatility under Mike Elias. Craig Albernaz reaffirmed this sentiment a few days ago when asked about Holliday getting reps at third. “If you look at our roster, the versatility is something that we need,” Albernaz said. “He has the ability to play second, short and third, so we’ll see what it looks like when it gets on there.”
Baltimore has historically moved prospects all over the diamond. Westburg, Gunnar Henderson and Joey Ortiz used to rotate infield positions like a merry-go-round, but the same cannot be said for Holliday. Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer tweeted out last week that Holliday had only logged 18 innings in his pro career at third base.

Holliday went 0-for-4 while playing third base at Norfolk last night. He’s 0-for-10 through his first four games of this rehab stint.

This isn’t the Orioles calling up Manny Machado to play third base in a pennant race. On one hand, Holliday has yet to display anything close to the defensive instincts that Machado possessed as a prospect. I’m not suggesting that Holliday shares Mayo’s defensive shortcomings, but he’s displayed some early limitations at second base and short. Additionally, the O’s appear to be more than one hole away from competing for a playoff spot.

The team could definitely use a permanent solution at third. Blaze Alexander probably does not have the bat to be playing every day. And while Mayo provided a boost on Monday, there’s a costly throwing error for every go-ahead blast. Jeremiah Jackson made 13 appearances at third base last season, but the Orioles clearly do not trust him at third this season.

Holliday still needs to learn how to hit with one less bone in his hand. The hamate bone surgery often robs players of their power for an extended period of time. Holliday, once fully healthy, will still need to adjust to MLB pitching with slightly less pop in the first half.

The Orioles need a solution at third base, and Mayo has yet to seize the opportunity. That being said, he’s not the only option. Henderson has the ability to play third base, and he should be willing to slide over from time to time if it’s what’s best for the team. Holliday could eventually log some time at shortstop (a position he knows) with Henderson manning the hot corner.

Is there a chance that Holliday excels at third? Definitely. Is there a chance that he returns to second next week and this is never discussed again? Absolutely. Is there a chance that this adventure at third has a negative impact on his performance at the plate? Yes. And that’s an outcome that the Orioles cannot afford to see. Baltimore’s defense has been bad, but the offense has been an even bigger disappointment. The Orioles need the best version of Holliday in their lineup as soon as possible.

We’ll never know how Mayo would have developed if the Orioles immediately put him at first base and kept him there. The same can be said for Ryan Mountle. Holliday has already made his way to the big leagues, but he has yet to master major league pitching. He doesn’t need another hurdle in his path.

There’s no reason to throw in the towel, but this team needs more than decent defense at third base to climb back above .500. The Orioles should resist the temptation to tinker with a rehabbing Holliday if it could lead to long-term issues for the former top pick.

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

We're mostly focused on totals — specifically Unders — with our MLB picks for Wednesday's slate.

See why our baseball experts expect Rockies/Pirates and Giants/Dodgers to stay low scoring... plus the White Sox to find success behind a strong pitching matchup.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: COL/PIT o8.5	-104
Jon Metler: CWS ML	-104
Joe Osborne: SF/LAD u8.5	-133

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Rockies/Pirates Over 8.5

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

Jose Quintana might be one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball right now, with his 3.90 ERA hiding behind the fourth-worst xFIP among MLB starters. He’s also backed by a Colorado Rockies bullpen that owns the fourth-worst ERA in baseball over the last two weeks. Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller can also get added to the “lucky” list, with a .246 BABIP that is well below the league (and his career) average, and the Pirates' bullpen has been even worse than Colorado's lately. There’s a slight chance of rain, but 13-mph winds blowing out to center field are not going to help two fly-ball-heavy starters.

Jon Metler's expert pick: White Sox moneyline

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

The Royals' lineup is built around right-handed bats, led by the red-hot Bobby Witt Jr., but this is a uniquely difficult matchup against Noah Schultz, who isn’t a typical left-handed pitcher. The 6-foot-10 southpaw throws from a low three-quarter arm slot and features a sweeping slider that dives toward the back foot of righty hitters. That combination of angle and movement makes it extremely difficult for righties to pull the ball in the air with authority, limiting a lot of KC's power upside. Outside of Witt, the only other major power threat is Vinnie Pasquantino, who has historically struggled against left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox are positioned to create matchup problems of their own, with the ability to stack as many as seven left-handed bats against Seth Lugo throughout the lineup. When you factor in both the pitching matchup and the platoon advantages, I think the White Sox should be trading closer to a 56-cent (-127) favorite in this spot.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Giants/Dodgers Under 8.5

Price: 57¢ (-133) at Polymarket

Runs should be at a premium tonight, as Shohei Ohtani is putting together the best pitching season of his career, posting a 0.97 ERA across six starts — with five of those games staying Under the total. He’s also been dominant at Dodger Stadium since joining the team, allowing one earned run or fewer in all 10 of his regular-season home starts! Ohtani has owned this San Francisco Giants lineup, holding them to a .525 OPS in 73 combined ABs, but his counterpart Robbie Ray should not be overlooked either. Not to be outdone, Ray looks to be back in ace form with a 2.76 ERA, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been below average vs. left-handed pitching in recent weeks.

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.

It was one of the more iconic scenes in baseball moviedom. Lou Brown tells his troops that Rachel Phelps (the owner) does not want them to win. In order to win the division they will need to win 32 more games (from that point in the season) and with every win they will pull off a slice to reveal a nearly naked Rachel Phelps. I’m sure we would all just as soon scrub that mental image in our minds when doing the same with Jim Crane and the animus is not nearly on the same level.

Still, we need to look at the basic exercise because once you approach Memorial Day it is time to stop calling the season early. My comrade Patrick Creighton talked about the team only being one month in. With the early start, we are now approaching two months of baseball. So, if we are playing the Rachel Phelps game then how many wins will it take to get to the playoffs?

We need to approach this from two angles. Obviously, we need to look at where the Astros currently are and do the simple math to get them to a certain number of wins. However, how many wins is that? Following the 2020 season, MLB permanently expanded the playoffs to add the third wild card. Below are the lowest number of wins in each league to make it to the postseason that year. We will add another column for the aggregate.

So, it is possible when looking at the National League to imagine a team with 83 wins making it to the postseason. You could argue that the American League could be in one of those seasons where the balance of power is skewed to the other league. Even in that universe, the average number of wins in THAT league has been 85. It feels irresponsible to assume anything less than that. Is it possible? Sure. Is it responsible? Not in a million years.

So, let’s assume 85 wins for the time being. The Astros have two separate issues. They are eleven games under .500 and they are 0-6 against the team most likely to wind up on top in the AL West. They have five games remaining this week between the Mariners and Rangers. This math exercise could get out of hand really quick, but let’s look at the basic math. The Astros sit at 16-27. In order to get to 85 wins they would need to finish the season at 69-50. That’s a .580 clip.

That doesn’t seem like much. This team played to that down the stretch in 2024 (in fact playing at a better clip after starting 12-24). They famously played at a better clip in 2005 after starting 15-30. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results because this is a different Astros team than even the 2024 outfit. Like the 2025 bunch, they are decimated by injuries. However, we go back to the basic math question. A .580 baseball team over 162 games would win 94 games. This is a basic question. Can this team be a 94 win team as currently constituted even when it is healthy?

I have no doubt that a healthy Hunter Brown would be huge in this rotation. A healthy Josh Hader would be huge at the end of the bullpen. A healthy Jeremy Pena would be key to the lineup. These are all givens but they are also all theoretical. None of them are currently healthy. Brown cannot return until June at the earliest because he is on the 60 day disabled list. Pena could possibly return within a week to ten days, but that would be after this key stretch in the AL West. Hader probably has at least another two to three weeks of rehab left before he can join the team.

Let’s say that in 28 days you have them all back and playing at their previous high levels. That would mean you would need to play at a .580 clip with some or all of them out or the math would change. If you go say 13-13 in those games while some or all of them are out then you need to go 56-37 down the stretch. That’s a .602 percentage or a 98 win pace.

I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but someone needs to say this. The odds of coming back from this start are slim. Yes, you are only a handful of games separated from the top of the league. You also have the 15th best record in the American League. Focusing on the number of games you are back seems simple enough, but that is assuming every other team in the league continues to sputter and spin their wheels. It assumes no one gets hot or figures something out. The best way to approach it is to go based on history and focus on that number. That number is 85.

Obviously, this is a place for cold, hard data. Understanding the math obviously spills us into the next debate and that is whether the Astros realistically can do that and what they would need to do to help their chances. That feels more like commentary to me, so I will leave that for a different time. What do you think? How realistic do you think it is for this Astros team to come back?

We have reached the midway point of the first half of the International League schedule and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are in the thick of the race for first place. They entered the week in fifth place with a 20-17 record, four games behind the leading Memphis Redbirds (25-14). The Gwinnett Stripers are second at 24-15, the Louisville Bats third at 23-16 and the Worcester Red Sox fourth at 21-16. Right in back of the RailRiders are the Syracuse Mets and St. Paul Saints, both 20-18.

Unfortunately, the RailRiders do not play Memphis, Gwinnett, nor Louisville this season. However, they were scheduled to begin a series at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania against Syracuse on Tuesday. Then after visiting the Lehigh Valley IronPigs next week, they host Worcester for six games May 26-31, then go to Syracuse for seven games June 2-7.

So in the next four weeks, the RailRiders have a chance to take care of business on their own and hope that the top three teams hit the skids. This week is the second meeting of the season between the RailRiders and Syracuse. The Mets won four of five when the teams played April 14-19 in New York.

Some of baseball’s top prospects will be featured in the series. Syracuse has the Mets’ No. 1 prospect and No. 36 overall according to MLB Pipeline in righty Jonah Tong, who debuted last year for the Amazins and is 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA, along with a league-leading 52 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. Fellow right-hander Jack Wenninger is the Mets’ No. 5 prospect with a 3-1 record, 1.27 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. Wenninger defeated the RailRiders, 5-3, on April 17th. He allowed one run on three hits in 5.1 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. The lone run he allowed was a home run to the since-promoted Spencer Jones.

First baseman/outfielder Ryan Clifford—acquired in the 2023 Justin Verlander trade—is the Mets’ No. 3 prospect. He is batting .252 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs.

Of course, the RailRiders have the New York Yankees’ top three prospects in infielder George Lombard Jr. and righthander pitchers Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez. Lombard (No. 22 MLB Pipeline) is batting just .176 (6 for 34) with 6 singles in 10 games since being promoted to Triple-A, but he does have 12 walks. Lagrange (No. 62 MLB Pipeline) is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in seven starts with 38 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. Rodríguez (No. 65 MLB Pipeline) is 1-2 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts with 26 strikeouts in as many innings.

Last week in Worcester, the RailRiders won two of five games from the WooSox, including the series final, 3-2, on a home run by Ali Sánchez in the top of the second inning and a two-run home run by Yanquiel Fernández in the top of the sixth. Zach Messinger worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth by getting a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

The win was No. 500 in the managerial career of Shelley Duncan — 269 of which have come with the RailRiders. Duncan also has 87 wins from his time in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization, with the Hillsboro Hops (2015-16) in the High-A Northwest League; 69 with the Visalia Rawhide (2017) in the Low-A California League; and 75 with the Jackson Generals (2018) in the Double-A Southern League. His overall record is 500-411.

Other highlights from the series with Worcester:

Fernández batted .333 (8-for-24) in five games with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs. Duke Ellis and Payton Henry both batted .462 (6-for-13) in four games. Ellis, getting a chance to play in the outfield with Jones called up to the Yankees, had two doubles, one home run, three RBIs, and three stolen bases. Henry had a double and three RBIs.

Messinger and Dylan Coleman each had one save. In two appearances, Messinger worked 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks and three strikeouts. He has not given up a run in his last four outings covering 8.2 innings. Coleman did not give up a run or a hit in 2.2 innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

As a team, the RailRiders have nine saves with eight pitchers recording at least one. Kervin Castro—who spent most of the weekend with the Yankees before returning to Scranton upon Carlos Rodón’s activation—leads with two saves. Harrison Cohen and erstwhile Astros reliever Rafael Montero also did not give up a run in two appearances against Worcester.

Meet the Mets

The Mets beat the Tigers in a 10-2 blowout. A.J. Ewing impressed in his debut, drawing three walks, driving in two runs, stealing a base, and hitting a triple for his first major league hit.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post

Carson Benge’s outfield dynamism has turned heads and is one of the few bright spots in the slog of the 2026 season so far.

With A.J. Ewing’s call-up, the Mets designated outfielder Andy Ibáñez for assignment.

The Mets aren’t in the bottom of at least one hyper-specific statistic: pitches thrown outside the zone and called strikes without a challenge.

A.J. Minter threw a bullpen session yesterday and should be heading back to a rehab assignment this weekend, hopefully putting his return in the somewhat near future.

On the other hand, Luis Robert Jr. is still experiencing symptoms and doesn’t look to be coming back anytime soon, potentially giving A.J. Ewing a lot of runway.

Francisco Alvarez was removed from last night’s game due to a right knee injury and will undergo an MRI today.

MLB Pipeline put out a list of every team’s current hottest pitching prospect, and the Mets’ selection is (unsurprisingly) the nearly-untouchable Jack Wenninger.

Around the National League East

Much of the Braves’ offense—and success—is coming courtesy of the heavy-hitting duo of Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.

The Nationals routed the Reds in a 10-4 victory, with Daylen Lile driving in four of the Nationals runs on two home runs.

The Phillies held on to beat the Red Sox 2-1, with Zack Wheeler going 7.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits and striking out four.

The Marlins were shut out by the Twins 3-0. Eury Pérez gave up all three runs in six innings, allowing six hits and three walks while striking out eight.

The Braves bested the Cubs 5-2 in a heavyweight matchup. The hero of the game for the Braves was Mike Yastrzemski, who drove in three runs on two hits including a two-run home run.

Around Major League Baseball

So many of this year’s best teams have issues with the back end of their bullpen, and Buster Olney explained why.

The Dodgers have acquired outfielder Alek Thomas from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a minor league outfielder.

MLB and the Player’s Association met for the first time yesterday to begin negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current one set to expire on December 1.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa returned with another group of Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

Steve Sypa also introduced us to the newly called up top prospect A.J. Ewing.

This Date in Mets History

Bobby Valentine turns 76 years old today.

The Dodgers are now losers of four straight (again) after falling to the San Francisco Giants 6-2 on Tuesday, but Shohei Ohtani was able to bust out of his slump and was the only redeeming factor for the Dodgers.

Ohtani went 2-4 with a single, a home run and a walk, recording his first home run since April 26, as he was the only Dodger to get multiple hits on Tuesday. With his next scheduled start coming today against Robbie Ray, the Dodgers will have Ohtani get the day off from hitting for the final two games of the homestand as a means to give him some additional time to regather as a hitter, notes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“For me, with any hitter, when the quality of at-bat starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a telling sign there needs to be a break,” Roberts said. “Because you’re just not able to – whether it’s the mechanics, the mind – just stay within your game plan, and then the chase starts to spike. There’s a workload component with some players, but that are more on the defensive side.”

While Ohtani hit his seventh home run of the season, rapper Ice Cube was on the broadcast with Joe Davis and Orel Hersheiser. Courtney Hollman of MLB.com has more.

Roki Sasaki has continued to display marginal improvements with each start, as before getting ambushed by San Francisco in the top of the sixth on Monday, he had held the Giants to one run over five innings with five strikeouts and just one walk. As the team sees the improvements, it only vindicates them more in seeing the potential with Sasaki as a viable starting pitcher within their rotation, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

“We definitely see him as a long-term starting pitcher,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told The Athletic. “We are very firm believers that he has the ability and the upside to be an elite starting pitcher in this game.”

It’s been almost 10 whole years since Charlie Culberson hit his iconic walk-off home run that helped the Dodgers clinch the NL West during Vin Scully’s final broadcast at home. Culberson spoke with Sierra Santos of MLB Network about the home run, noting that Scully was able to sign the bat he hit the home run with.

Salvador Perez moves closer to capturing the Kansas City Royals’ home run franchise record with his first-inning slam against the Chicago White Sox.

Royals fans get a decent update on southpaw Cole Ragans’ recovery after he hit the 15-day IL once again.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Ragans (elbow) played catch two of the past three days and remains day-to-day, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Quatraro added that Tuesday’s throwing session was better than Sunday’s, and the expectation is Ragans will play catch again on Wednesday, as he deals with a case of pitcher’s elbow. Stephen Kolek is starting in Ragans’ place Tuesday night and will fill his rotation spot while Ragans heals up on the 15-day injured list. It doesn’t sound like Kansas City expects this to be a lengthy absence for its ace.

The Royals check in at 20th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings, with one clear reason for hope.

One reason to believe in this team: The veteran pitchers still have it

Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha migrated to Kansas City from San Diego ahead of the 2024 season and spearheaded the Royals’ first trip to the postseason in nine years. The unions were so fruitful that the team eventually signed both pitchers to contract extensions. Lugo and Wacha are in their mid-30s now, but they’re still as productive as ever — and at a critical juncture, with Cole Ragans on the injured list and Noah Cameron enduring a bit of a sophomore slump. Wacha owns a 2.63 ERA, as he’s held hitters to a .188 average. Lugo’s ERA is 3.21, and he has allowed a grand total of one home run in 47 2/3 innings.

The Royals’ closer situation is just a microcosm of a greater trend league-wide, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Estevez won’t throw for three more weeks, and then he’s hoping to start working his way back — and given the volatility of bullpens around the game, it’s possible that he’ll get another chance to close games later this year. “I have hope,” he said. “I’ll be fine. I just have to keep working. I’ll be back, right on time, ready for the playoff hunt.”

With Estevez out, Royals manager Matt Quatraro turned to Lucas Erceg, who has been excellent, stabilizing the Kansas City bullpen and allowing just two hits and no earned runs over his past eight outings; he has compiled 10 saves this season.

The Royals might have found a temporary fix, but the closer roller coaster has been a popular ride throughout Major League Baseball this year.

(Self promotion) The Royals promoted first baseman Brett Squires to Triple-A Omaha hours after I proposed the idea at Kings of Kauffman.

The 2026 version of Squires is doing something more interesting. His .244 ISO is among the better power numbers in the Texas League, and a .538 slugging percentage from a first baseman who went undrafted out of college is not a small thing. His 139 wRC+ sits just six points below Kulasingam’s despite a vastly different profile. Squires swings more, walks less, and does his damage in larger doses. His 23.7% strikeout rate is the number skeptics will point to, and fairly so, but corner infielders with real power carry higher strikeout rates at every level of professional baseball. The contact he makes tends to travel.

The Royals feel fairly set at first base in 2026 with Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez handling the primary duties, and Squires knows it. That means the most realistic outcome for a strong season may not be a call-up but a deadline trade, a contender in need of corner infield depth acquiring a first baseman with a .538 slugging percentage and three stolen bases in a single game against Corpus Christi. That would be a reasonable outcome for both sides. In the meantime, Squires keeps hitting, keeps running, and keeps making the case that someone should have drafted him when they had the chance.

Royals Keep updates their top 20 Royals prospects list, including looking at two underperforming arms in Double-A.

Mozzicato rose from No. 20 in the preseason rankings to No. 17 in our latest update. The ERA is brutal at 6.65, but he has a 21.7% K% and has shown some intriguing stuff on his pitches, though control and command have been less than stellar to begin the year. The sooner Kansas City moves Mozzicato to the bullpen full-time (he’s made six starts), the better his outlook (and current statline in Double-A) will be. Also in Double-A, Beam rose from No. 9 to No. 7, despite sporting a 4.88 ERA and 6.63 FIP in 27.2 IP. The strikeouts haven’t been there for Beam to begin the year, as illustrated by a 13.6% K%. However, he could be due for a positive bounce-back when the weather heats up, and he gets more settled against Texas League hitting.

Seth Lugo continues to be talked about as a trade block candidate if the Royals fall out of postseason contention.

Long-time Minnesota Twins beat writer Aaron Gleeman talks departure from The Athletic and return to independent coverage.

The negotiation process for baseball’s new labor deal begins in New York City.

How two left-handed Atlanta Braves batters are powering the league’s best lineup.

New Era celebrates the 30th anniversary of a specific and defining request from Spike Lee.

Reigning AL MVP Cal Raleigh is mired in one of the longest hitless streaks for a player of his caliber ever.

René Cárdenas, the first Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history, passed away at 96.

Lance Brozdowski ranks the top 100 starting pitchers in MLB.

What is the perfect pitch?

Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player and 13-year veteran, died after an eight-month battle with a brain tumor at 47.

Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke died at 29, according to the team and representation.

Los Angeles Lakers leadership wants star LeBron James to return for one more season.

South Florida police officers are suing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for too many real-life details in their movie “The Rip”.

Olympian Ryan Lochte joins the swimming and diving coaching staff at Missouri State.

Today’s song of the day is Southern Belle by Renée Levesque.

Good morning.

• Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs last season and finished second in American League Most Valuable Player voting, is in a terrible slump. But last night he snapped an 0-for-38 streak with a single last night.
• All it took to break out was getting smacked in the oompa-loompas with a foul ball the half-inning before.

Tough way to break a slump, but Big Dumper will take it.

• Mike Axisa examined what was wrong with Raleigh.
• Mike Petriello also takes a crack at what’s the matter with Big Dumper.
• Karl Rasmussen has the five longest hitless streaks in MLB history. Raleigh came a bit short of knocking a current Cub off the list.
• Jay Jaffe evaluates the trade that sent catcher Patrick Bailey from San Francisco to Cleveland.
• Ken Rosenthal writes that Giants team president Buster Posey keeps making big, risky moves, but none of them are paying off at the moment. (The Athletic sub. req.) He also said that Posey grew frustrated with Bailey, feeling that his game management skills were lacking in addition to his weak bat.
• Kerry Crowley writes that since Posey’s big gambles haven’t paid off, we should expect him to make more trades.
• The Dodgers acquired outfielder Alek Thomas from the Diamondbacks for a minor league outfielder after Thomas had been designated for assignment by Arizona.
• Kiley McDaniel has five too-early questions about free agency this upcoming winter.
• Jason Foster looks at the current state of both Rookie of the Year races.
• The issues for Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai continue. He came off the injured list yesterday and got rocked for six runs in four innings. Jack Baer examines what’s gone wrong for the Japanese rookie.
• Thomas Harrington demonstrates what’s different for Braves first baseman Matt Olson this year that has turned him into one of the best power hitters in the game. More fly balls!
• The Braves put catcher Sean Murphy on the IL with a broken finger. Just don’t ask him to show you the finger that broke.
• Yankees infielder Jose Caballero went on the IL after he broke the same finger! Well, not exactly the same finger. Caballero’s broken finger is attached to his hand and not Murphy’s. It would be weird otherwise. Anyways, that means that Anthony Volpe got recalled from Triple-A.
• Adam McCalvy introduces us to Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby, who currently leads the majors in wins with seven.
• Both the Phillies and Red Sox have fired their managers this year and they meet this week. Mike Axisa looks at how the two teams have changed since the managerial switch.
• Thomas Harrington asks between the Phils and Red Sox, which team is more likely to rebound and contend for the playoffs this year.
• Adam Berry examines the Rays hot start to the season and notes how Tampa Bay’s wins are powered by friendship. Well, pitching, hitting and defense are playing a role too.
• Twins pitcher Bailey Ober threw a “Maddux” against the Marlins.
• Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster René Cárdenas died at age 96. Cárdenas was the first ever Spanish-language team broadcaster when he called the Dodgers in 1958. He moved on to Houston to call the “Colt .45s” when the expansion franchise got underway.
• Baseball writer Aaron Gleeman explained why he stopped writing for The Athletic and will instead write independently about the Twins.
• The Braves say their new TV deal will “meet or exceed the economics” of the old one, but as Evan Drellich notes, they aren’t giving out many details about that.
• This is a fascinating read. It’s been noted that walks are up under the new Automated Ball/Strike system, but Ben Clemens goes deep into the math to figure out where all those extra walks are coming from.
• Each team’s hottest pitching prospect from the MLB Pipeline gang.
• Michael Baumann examines the breakout rookie campaign of Guardians pitcher Parker Messick.
• John Smoltz explains the late Bobby Cox’s leadership style and his three simple rules. (Free The Athletic sub. req.)
• Angels outfielder Jo Adell is robbing home runs again.

• And finally, thirty years ago director Spike Lee wanted a red Yankees cap to complete his outfit for the World Series, but there weren’t any in any color other than Black. Lee’s quest for a red Yankees cap opened up the current world of multiple caps in multiple colors for alls teams. The Yankees, Lee and New Era are celebrating the 30th anniversary of that with a a new Spike Lee line of Yankees caps.

Pitching injuries happen. They have always happened, and they always will happen. That’s why when someone says “there’s no such thing as too much pitching”, they’re correct, regardless of how much pitching that team actually has. You could have a rotation of prime Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Pedro Martinez, Cy Young, and Randy Johnson, and that would still not be enough pitching (I don’t know why those are the five names that came to mind. It’s late. Leave me alone).

The Red Sox, despite having plenty of pitching, have proven that rule. Through the first month or so of the season, they’ve had eight different pitchers start games, and only one has been a scheduled opener. That also doesn’t include Johan Oviedo, who was injured before he could get a crack at the rotation. One of those pitchers was Jake Bennett, who most didn’t expect to debut in May. Thanks to a series of injuries, some major and some minor, he got his chance on May 1st. Since then, he’s made two starts, thrown 10.1 innings while registering a 4.35 ERA, 9.5% strikeout rate, and 9.5% walk rate. While those numbers are far from stellar, they’re not bad, and he’s held his own in those two games.

After Spring Training, I was excited about Bennett as a prospect. He’s a huge lefty who was throwing hard and using his frame to get down the mound. He’s also equipped with a plus changeup, a useful tool in neutralizing right-handed hitters. After two starts in the big leagues, I walked away underwhelmed, but not discouraged.

Bennett struggled to punch out hitters. Over his two starts, he only struck out four guys. He got to two-strike counts against 19 hitters. I actually don’t know what the league-wide conversion rate for two-strike counts into strikeouts is, but about 19% of two-strike pitches go for strikeouts, so it has to be above Bennett’s mark of 21%. Doing my best to be polite to Mr. Bennett, I’d say it’s because his stuff isn’t good enough. Here’s a look at his two-strike command against each side.

Against righties, it looks pretty good. The changeups are down and away, while the four-seamers are upstairs. Of those 37 pitches, however, just two returned whiffs, while 12 were fouled off to extend at-bats. While I can’t definitively give a reason for that, I’d say it’s because the four-seam fastball isn’t enough of a threat. Through two starts, it’s averaged 92.6 mph. The 7.1 feet of extension it’s thrown with helps it play up, but it only has about 11 inches of induced vertical break. The height-adjusted vertical approach angle is just 0.5 degrees, meaning it’s not an outlier at all in terms of shape.

It’s returned two strikeouts, but it feels to me like hitters aren’t threatened by it. His changeup is his best pitch, and he’s yet to strike out a right-handed hitter with it, depsite good locations. Almost half of his two-strike changeups to righties have been fouled off. It’s a good pitch; it’s generated whiffs earlier in counts, but it feels to me as if he’s missing a third pitch to prevent hitters from seeing a low pitch and identifying it as a changeup.

He has a curveball and a cutter, but neither has shown bat-missing ability so far. He doesn’t generate a ton of spin on any of his pitches, so finding a breaking ball to add to his arsenal could be a challenge. The low spin rate allows him to create depth on his changeup, which is a plus, but it makes it difficult for him to get lift on his fastball and move the ball to the glove side with a breaking ball. I think adding a quality breaking ball will be difficult, so his best path forward is likely to add velocity. It’s easier said than done, but his fastball was up to 98 mph in Spring Training, so there’s clearly room to grow in that department.

Against lefties, the story is similar. He does a good job locating his sinker on the arm side for weak contact and quick outs, but a breaking ball, something to throw away from lefties, is necessary to increase his strikeout rate. He uses his changeup against lefties, which can miss bats, but the downside is it’s often in an area where lefties can drop the barrel and tee off on it. That hasn’t happened for Bennett yet, but it happens to same-handed changeups when they’re poorly located.

It’s not all bad, though. Bennett hasn’t made many mistakes over the plate and has missed barrels as a result. It’s not overpowering, and he probably hasn’t been in the zone as much as he’d like, but he’s done a nice job living on the edges. With Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez returning to the rotation, Bennett was optioned back to Triple-A. If the Red Sox need him, though, he’s a high-floor option, with the ceiling of an excellent pitcher. He’ll need to add some velocity and potentially a breaking pitch to reach that ceiling, but the bones of a major league rotation piece are there.

The San Francisco Giants had a good time in Southern California on Tuesday night, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2. In a statistic that almost defies reality, the Giants are now 4-1 against the two-time defending champions … and just 14-23 against the rest of the league.

But that wasn’t the only fun that was had, and it wasn’t the only reality that was defied. The Giants won with the long ball on Tuesday, with three solo home runs, all of which came from the eighth and ninth hitters.

That included a double dinger day for backup catcher Eric Haase, who did something that, when all is said and done, may go down as the least likely thing that happened to the Giants this year: he became the first player in the Majors to have a two-homer game against ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The fun continued all game, but it was … uhh … restrained. After Monday’s win in the series opener, outfielders Harrison Bader, Jung Hoo Lee, and particularly Drew Gilbert (to the surprise of no one) celebrated with a little bit of consensual behavior normally reserved for incognito mode.

All eyes were on Gilbert, Lee, and Heliot Ramos on Monday … but this time they kept it professional. So professional that one had to wonder.

And indeed, the Giants fantastic beat reporters got to the heart of it … and it turns out that the call came in from somewhere higher up.

Now for the million dollar question: was it Buster Posey putting an end to the mild dose of homoeroticism, or the corporate folks at the league offices? We may never know, but at least the Giants are having fun.

Or as much fun as they’re allowed to have, at least.