SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 03: Keegan Akin #45 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 03, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles season is once again in danger of spiraling out of control, sinking close to a point beyond which one cannot reasonably hope that they will revive their fortunes even if they improved their play. Last year’s Orioles did manage that revival, of sorts, since they ended up being just about .500 under interim manager Tony Mansolino. The 2026 Orioles have won two games more than the 2025 team did through the same number of games. That’s probably not enough to make good things happen this year.
All that we can do as fans is wonder what in the world is going on. The problems are apparent almost on a daily basis. Solutions are not so easily found. If it was simple, they surely would have figured it out already. Nothing is simple in baseball! The best teams just make it look that way sometimes.
The result of all of this is that the Orioles enter this Mother’s Day game looking to avoid being swept by the Athletics. The Athletics! They’re one of the many teams muddling along around .500 this year. For a little while, the Orioles were one of those teams. Over the last week and a half or so, they’ve fallen out. It sucks.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms of Birdland.
Orioles lineup
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Taylor Ward – LF
Adley Rutschman – DH
Pete Alonso – 1B
Samuel Basallo – C
Leody Taveras – CF
Dylan Beavers – RF
Weston Wilson – 3B
Blaze Alexander – 2B
The Orioles changed things up on the morning of this game by deciding to employ Keegan Akin as an opener ahead of Chris Bassitt in a bulk innings role. Neither one of these pitchers has been good in their outings so far this season.
Athletics lineup
Nick Kurtz – 1B
Shea Langeliers – C
Brent Rooker – DH
Tyler Soderstrom – LF
Jacob Wilson – SS
Carlos Cortes – RF
Lawrence Butler – CF
Nick Gelof – 3B
Jeff McNeil – 2B
Sacramento’s starter is Luis Severino. At least he’s not left-handed.
TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 9: Jesús Sánchez #12 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a single against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inningat Rogers Centre on May 9, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Passing the quarter post on the racetrack of the season.
And Addison Barger, is out of the lineup with a ‘sore elbow’. That was an amazing throw, but maybe not the best move in his first day back.
Addison was to lead off today, but now it is Ernie Clement. I’m a fan of lead off men who will take walk when offered. But maybe he’ll get on four times and score each time.
And Tyler Heineman has apparently, been let out of the doghouse. Brandon Valenzuela homered yesterday. I guess it is a day game after an afternoon game?
HERNDON, VA - JUNE 11: James Madison High School pitcher Brady Myers, 16, of Vienna, Va., gets instruction on how to hold a baseball before throwing a pitch during a training session at MVP Baseball School on June 11, 2025 in Herndon, Va. As high school and college baseball players try to get their pitches faster and faster, it's doing major damage to their arms. Pitching coaches are working with these young athletes to correct their pitches and keep them from long-term injuries. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
If everything has gone to plan, I will have arrived back in Minneapolis last night from my Washington, D.C. jaunt. I’m sure I’ll have some pics/stories in a later post, but for today: a book club recommendation.
Any baseball fan plugged into the National Pastime in the current age gets a sense that the pitchers are way ahead of the hitters. Batting average is down, contact is down, and strikeouts are up. In Unhittable, Friedman (of PitchingNinja fame) provides some great context for why/how this came to be and what exactly pitchers are doing to refine their movements and arsenals so perfectly.
There are basically two trains of thought that run through Unhittable:
First is Friedman’s in-depth explanation of the various technological and analytical tools that pitchers currently use to maximize velocity, perfect their delivery, sequence their pitches, and all the while try to keep their golden appendages healthy. Friedman cites programs like Driveline and technology like Edgertronic cameras, Rhapsodo, Trackman, & Trajekt (among many others) that are being used to dig into the fine details of why the ball moves like it does and how to repeat that over and over again. Though perhaps slightly over the head of even a dedicated baseball fan like me from a technical perspective, all these concepts are fascinating. Friedman even goes so far as to delve into physics concepts like seam-shifted wake and pitch tunneling. He makes a compelling case that pitchers in the modern era are as much scientists as artists.
A second thread running through Unhittable is the historical context. Friedman essentially starts by explaining how pitching used to be coached/taught on “feel” and abstract concepts. Building the body or strengthening the arm via weight training was even discouraged. But then hurlers like Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan (using the then-unorthodox methods of pitching guru Tom House) broke the mold by showing how conditioning & deep analysis could extend both velocities and careers. The advent of full-capture stadium cameras in the 2010s spurred this on even further, with pitchers like Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes representing a new wave who are actively studying all aspects of their craft in ways previously unimaginable. The really strong writing here is a welcome break from the more technical aspects of the narrative.
Yes, there is a significant chapter devoted almost solely to Trevor Bauer. This will immediately turn some readers off, but I hope it doesn’t. For all of Bauer’s personality and off-field foibles, his story absolutely deserves (needs, really) to be recounted here. He truly was on the cutting edge of pitching analytics and in some senses paid a price for being first through the gate (a lot of criticism and scorn). Not that anyone is really feeling sorry for Bauer the individual at this point, but I’m glad he wasn’t excluded entirely from this story.
Overall, I found Unhittable to be a fascinating explanation of why pitchers continue to dominate batters in Major League Baseball. In one of the only major sports where the defense controls the ball, pitchers have the ability to always be a step ahead of their offensive counterparts–and that is exactly what is happening at the moment.
The Cleveland Guardians have established a pitching pipeline nearly second to none in MLB over the last decade or so. But let’s hope the Minnesota Twins can scratch out a few safeties and maybe dent the big Progressive Field wall a few times this early-afternoon.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 25: Kai-Wei Teng #17 of the Houston Astros pitches against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Daikin Park on April 25, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (16-24) and Cincinnati Reds (21-19) play the final game of a three-game series this afternoon at Great American Ball Park with first pitch scheduled for 12:40 p.m. CT.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng (1-2, 2.35 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros, opposite LHP Andrew Abbott (1-2, 5.13 ERA) and the Reds.
ABOUT TENG: RHP Kai-Wei Teng makes his second start of the season today after spending a majority of the season in the Astros bullpen.
In his 13 relief appearances, he’s gone 1-1 with 1.80 ERA (4ER/20IP).
Tough To Hit: Teng has posted a .183 opponent batting average, allowing 15 hits in his 23.0 IP.
Last App: Allowed one hit and struck out two in two scoreless innings on May 4 vs. LAD.
Last Start: Allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts in three innings on April 28 at BAL.
Fun Facts: With his first Major League win on Aug. 8, 2025 vs. WAS, Teng became the 8th Taiwanese-born pitcher in MLB history to earn a victory. Teng is also the second Taiwanese-born player to play for the Astros, joining RHP Chien Jen-Lo (2013).
VS. THE REDS: The Astros have faced the Reds 859 times in their history, their most games played against any other Major League franchise, going 404-454-1 in the all-time series.
The Astros went 2-1 against the Reds in 2025 at Daikin Park. On Friday night, the Astros secured the first win at Great American Ball Park since Sept. 9, 2012.
NO. 600: IF Isaac Paredes played in his 600th career game on Friday night at CIN. He became the 14th Mexican-born player to reach this milestone, joining players like IF Vinny Castilla, IF Hector Torres and C Alex Treviño.
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 40 different batting orders in their 40 games so far this season. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).
YESTERDAY’S WAIVER CLAIM: The Astros claimed OF Rhylan Thomas off waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to Triple A Sugar Land. To make room for Thomas on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred RHP Hunter Brown to the 60-day IL.
ON THE MEND: LHP Josh Hader allowed one hit and struck out two in one scoreless inning last night in a rehab appearance with Triple A Sugar Land. He has tossed two scoreless innings in his two rehab appearances this season.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1992 – Jeff Bagwell homers in the pinch in the top of the 8th to tie the Astros with the Pirates, 4-4. Two innings later, Bagwell hits the game-winner, a two-run shot in the top of the 11th. This marked the first time in club history for a player to homer twice in a game after entering as a pinch-hitter.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 10, 12:40 p.m. CT
Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Cincinnati Reds right fielder Will Benson (30) scores in the fifth inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros , Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Cincinnati Reds, believe it or not, have a chance to win a series on Sunday in Great American Ball Park. After stumbling their way through one of the more painful losing streaks in recent memory, they finally found their way back into the win column on Saturday, and on Sundy they’ll send a 2025 All Star to the mound to help them wrap things.
Of course, it’s been a far different 2026 for lefty Andrew Abbott than 2025. Still, he’s potentially begun to maybe perhaps round back into form, and he’ll take his talents up against a Houston club that has posted a collective 111 wRC+ against southpaws so far this season. Gulp!
The Reds, meanwhile, are finally shuffling up their lineup a bit. Will Benson has posted a 1.042 OPS over his last 9 games and will slot in atop the order today, with Spencer Steer – who owns an .843 OPS over his last 125 PA dating back to April 3rd – is moving up to the #2 spot in the order.
First pitch is set for 1:40 PM ET. Lineups for both clubs are listed below.
Yankees right-hander Luis Gil was placed on the injured list Saturday with shoulder inflammation and isn’t expected to throw for three weeks.
Gil had been with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he was optioned by New York following four major league starts this season where he struggled and pitched to a 6.05 ERA.
After his demotion in late April, Gil did not appear in a game for the RailRiders. He did make one start for them at the beginning of the season after not making the Opening Day roster and allowed three runs in 4.2 innings, while walking four and striking out six.
The AL Rookie of the Year in 2024, Gil hasn’t been able to sustain the success he had a few years ago and has been injured a few times. The 27-year-old began last season on the 60-day IL with a right lat strain before returning in August.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 1: Ernie Clement #22, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 and Addison Barger #47 of the Toronto Blue Jays miss a ball in foul territory in the seventh inning of their MLB game against Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre on April 1, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You know……
Baseball isn’t always a good thing. It didn’t even twig on me that Addison Barger’s 100+ mph throw from right field may not have been the smartest move from a fellow just off the IL. And it should have. There should have been a big flashing warning sign. There should have been an alert on my phone, with that scary noise that Rogers uses when they are ‘testing the system’.
We were in South Korea for a day on our holiday and the warning alert went off a few times. Our guide said ‘oh that happens all the time, they use the alert for anything’. Meanwhile, I was thinking that North Korea had decided to attack at that moment. There is nothing like sitting on a bus in a faraway land and hearing everyone’s cell phone start screeching.
Sending Yohendrick Piñango is starting to look like a dumber idea.
Anyway, the revised lineup has Ernie Clement leading off (because what you want from a lead off man is an allergy to taking a base on balls).
May 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies had a rough week last week. Heck, it’s been a rough month of May so far. The Rockies have won just two games. However, now is a good a time as any to turn things around, right?
After an extra-innings brawl on Friday, the Rockies dropped game two against the Philadelphia Phillies last night in a game that ended up not being particularly close. However, they still have the chance to walk away with a series win and potentially some momentum before heading across Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh.
Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 will make the start for the Rockies as he looks to continue a string of solid starts. Sugano has an ERA of 3.41 through his first seven starts in a Rockies uniform. He has allowed more than one earned run just three times, and more than two just twice.
His line against the New York Mets his last time out is deceptive. Sugano allowed four earned runs, but all four of those came in his sixth inning of work—and after he left the game. Sugano had actually been pitching a no-hitter after the first five innings and his only baserunner came via a walk in the top of the third.
Dominant lefty Cristopher Sánchez will toe the rubber for the Phillies. Sánchez has an ERA of just 2.42 coming into today’s contest and is off to a solid start following a truly excellent 2025 campaign. Last season he finished second in Cy Young voting with a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 32 starts.
Sánchez’s last time out against the Sacramento Athletics was his best start of the season so far. He pitched eight shutout innings with ten strikeouts and had just five combined baserunners.
In five career starts against the Rockies over 27 innings, Sánchez has a 3.00 ERA with 31 strikeouts. This season he is using a three-pitch mix consisting of a mid-90s sinker, a slider, and his excellent changeup.
To top it all off, today is Mother’s Day, and here is a message to the moms from your Colorado Rockies:
STACKING WINS: The Cubs have won eight and lost four of their previous series. They are 3-3 in rubber games of three-game series, including 2-2 on the road.
HOLIDAY WINS: The Cubs are 54-72-2 on Mother’s Day since it became an official holiday in 1914. Their .430 winning percentage in those games is exactly one percentage point above their .429 (24-32) on Easter, which is their lowest on any holiday or special day since 1876 or when a holiday became official: .564: Fourth of July (126-97-3). .540: Opening Day (80-69-2). .520: Closing Day (77-71-2). .511: Memorial Day (113-108). .505: Friday the 13th (52-51). .462: Father’s Day (61-71-1). .445: Labor Day (95-119-4). .430: Mother’s Day (54-72-2). .429: Easter (24-32). On all of those days combined, their percentage is .508 (712-690-14). The 1,416 games are 6.3 percent of games the Cubs have played since 1876, about one of every 16. In all other games since 1876, their percentage is .514.
STREAKING: Despite Saturday’s loss, the Cubs are 20-4 since April 14. That’s still the best record in MLB since that date (Braves and Rays, 17-6, are next).
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Hector Cruz hit a two-out, game-tying home run in the ninth inning in Atlanta. The teams played five more innings before rain came and ended play after the 14th with the score tied 5-5. The tie was supposed to be made up as part of a doubleheader July 21, but because of the players’ strike that year, the makeup game was cancelled. The Cubs/Braves tie game happened 45 years ago today, Sunday, May 10, 1981.
Jameson Taillon’s numbers are decent enough, not too far out of line from his career norms — 4.24 ERA, 1.192 WHIP.
The problem is home runs — 11 of them in 40.1 innings. Believe it or not, that’s not leading the league. Zack Littell of the Nationals has allowed 13 homers in 32.1 innings this year, yikes.
So, basically, if Jamo can keep the ball in the yard, he should do well enough. Last year against the Rangers, April 8, 2025 at Wrigley Field, he allowed three runs in six innings, with only one HR. That would work.
At age 38, Jacob deGrom is still pitching well, striking out lots of hitters and not issuing walks. He’s not the dominant force he was several years ago with the Mets, but still a perfectly good MLB starter.
deGrom has not faced the Cubs since 2022 and thus most current Cubs have not seen him much. One who has is Dansby Swanson (7-for-34, but with three doubles and two home runs). Ian Happ has also homered off deGrom.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
May 3, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson (43) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! The Brewers, of course, have some history on this holiday, and they’ll look to keep that rolling today.
By winning on Friday and Saturday, the Brewers have already clinched a big series victory against the New York Yankees. But they might as well get greedy, right? This afternoon, Milwaukee will go for the sweep, and to do so they’ll send Logan Henderson to the mound to face New York’s Carlos Rodón.
Milwaukee pitchers have been able to keep the mighty Yankee bats quiet so far during this series, quite a feat given that the Yankees lead the American League in runs scored. But behind a stellar outing from Jacob Misiorowski on Friday and effective (if not perfect) outings from Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick, DL Hall, and Aaron Ashby on Saturday, the Brewers have outscored the Yankees 10-3 in two games.
Henderson will look to keep that going with his third big-league start of the season, and second since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville last week. Henderson was fantastic against the Nationals last Sunday: in six innings, he allowed only three hits, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out eight. Washington, though, managed two runs against Henderson, and the Brewers offense couldn’t muster much, and Henderson took a hard-luck loss in a 3-2 Nationals victory.
Rodón, who was an All-Star in 2025 and finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting, will be making his season debut after surgery in October to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow. Rodón, who is 33, has been recovering deliberately; he made three rehab starts in the Yankees’ system, culminating with 6 1/3 innings on 85 pitches for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. Last year, Rodón set career highs with 33 starts and 195 1/3 innings, and allowed just 6.1 hits per nine, which led the American League. He pitched to a 3.09 ERA and earned 4.6 bWAR, which was by far his best season since joining the Yankees in 2023. Rodón’s All-Star selection last year was the third of his career, after he made the game in back-to-back years in 2021 (with the White Sox) and 2022 (with the Giants). The Brewers, who of course struggle with lefties, will hope he’s still got some rust to shake off.
To counter the left-handed Rodón, the Brewers will start Gary Sánchez (at catcher, with William Contreras as the DH), and they’ve also got Blake Perkins starting in right field, giving Sal Frelick (and not Garrett Mitchell) the afternoon off. I know lefties have been a problem for the Brewers this season, but boy does it sure look nice to see Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn back in there.
No “getaway day” lineup as far as the Yankees are concerned: their big hitters are all in the lineup, with just a couple of positional shuffles (Aaron Judge will serve as the designated hitter, Ben Rice is back at first base), the re-insertion of Ryan McMahon into the starting lineup, and a start for backup catcher J.C. Escarra.
First pitch this afternoon is at 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
May 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) in action against the Athletics during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Phillies will attempt to celebrate Mother’s Day by earning a series victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Happy Mother’s Day! 💕
Hug your mom today, or call your mom today, whatever you do, don’t throw a baseball at your mom today pic.twitter.com/mpFCzxbnXA
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 23: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates during the game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on April 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sometimes the universe — and especially the baseball universe — just lines things up in beautiful, unexpected ways. Today, Payton Tolle is starting on Mother’s Day because the most powerful mother of all — Mother Nature — decided the Red Sox and Rays weren’t going to play their game yesterday when Tolle was originally schedule to pitch.
As far as the baseball goes, this is a chance to back up his seven shutout innings last time out against the Tigers on Monday. If he does something spectacular again, it will also be on top of Connelly Early’s seven shutout innings on Friday, and given the Red Sox still haven’t seen the Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez part of the rotation click together yet, we actually may be on the verge of unlocking an incredibly special rotation over the summer months if those guys get healthy and Early and Tolle keep growing into rotation regulars.
On the flip side of the “is it real?” starting pitching questions, the Rays are sending 35-year-old Nick Martinez to the mound. For most of his career, Martinez has been the very definition of mediocrity, bouncing back and forth between bullpen and starting rolls as well as MLB roles and time in the Japanese League. However, even since putting on a Rays uniform this year he’s been borderline unhittable, allowing two runs or fewer in all seven of his starts this season. He now leads the team with the best record in the American League in WAR.
Lineup wise, it’s mostly what we’ve been seeing since Roman Anthony went on the IL, but with one key change. Mickey Gasper, the guy who replaced Anthony on the roster gets the start at catcher.
I actually really like using Gasper here. With the rainout yesterday and the off day tomorrow, it’s the rare opportunity to give both Narvaez and Wong three straight days off by sitting them for just one game. (And it can really be four days off if you start Wong on Tuesday since Narvaez started on Friday.) That stuff matters in the marathon.
The Toledo Mud Hens put up a baker’s dozen to beat the Memphis Redbirds on Saturday and take control of the series.
Toledo led from start to finish, scoring in the first inning and pulling away by the second. Max Clark scored the first run of the game, coming home on a Gage Workman sacrifice fly. Workman drove in Clark again in the second, but it shouldn’t have gone that way. Clark nearly had a grand slam, but a fan interfered and kept the ball in play. The umpires convened and ruled it a ground-rule double.
Clark’s double drove in two of the Mud Hens’ five second-inning runs. Jace Jung homered on the first pitch, and the broadcast almost missed it. Workman’s two-run single made it 6-0.
Troy Watson got the start for Toledo. He was great for three innings, working around a pair of leadoff walks, but things got hairy in the fourth. Memphis opened the frame with a double, single and triple, plating a pair of runs. Watson got two outs, but that was the end of the day for him — at 69 pitches; nice. He was responsible for the third run in the inning, but it went unearned thanks to a throwing error from Andrew Navigato at third.
The Redbirds pulled within a run in the fifth on a Jimmy Crooks homer. Konnor Pilkington hit a batter later in the inning, but he got out of it with his third and final strikeout of the day.
Toledo answered immediately to reestablish its lead. Tyler Gentry (bloop) singled in Eduardo Valencia, Navigato drove in Jung on a groundout, and Cal Stevenseon drove in Gentry on a liner to left. Just like that, the Mud Hens are back on top, 9-5.
Scott Effross took over for Pilkington after that, working around four hits over two innings for a hold. Memphis scored on him in the sixth, but it was another unearned run thanks to catcher’s interference, allowing the runner to reach.
Workman doubled in Clark for a third time in the bottom of the sixth, with a double, but Paul DeJong got thrown out at home.
Gage Workman doubles to right center to score Max Clark, but Paul DeJong gets thrown out at home. pic.twitter.com/Kg1meorasM
The Erie SeaWolves pushed for their 10th-straight win on Saturday, but the Harrisburg Senators walked them off, 6-5, in the bottom of the ninth to end the streak.
Erie took an early lead, scoring two runs in the first off an Andrew Jenkins single. Jenkins drove in Brett Callahan and Peyton Graham. Callahan and Jenkins each had three-hit days, accounting for the bulk of Erie’s 11 hits on the day. Graham also reached base three times. He walked twice and then was hit by a pitch in the head, forcing him to leave the game.
Andrew Jenkins gives Erie the early lead with 2-out, 2-run single to left center. pic.twitter.com/zXQ0amZhtf
Kenny Serwa got the start for the SeaWolves. He struck out three of the first four batters he faced, but things deteriorated after that. An error extended the second inning for him, leading to a single but no runs. The third is when things really went wrong. He got the first two outs of the inning and then went double, RBI single, walk, walk, two-run single.
It’s just one bad inning, but teams seem to figure out Serwa after a couple of innings these days. His 8.51 ERA on the year is pretty ugly. Fortunately, Erie scored a third run in the top of the inning. E.J. Exposito walked with the bases loaded.
The SeaWolves loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but couldn’t make anything happen. Serwa returned for the bottom of the fourth, but he was pulled after recording two outs around a single. Dariel Fregio took over and pitched through the fifth. A pair of singles in that frame put Harrisburg on top, 4-3.
Erie responded by tying the game up in the sixth. John Peck drove in Callahan, who reached on a base hit with two outs. The see-saw continued back and forth in the bottom half of the inning, as Johan Simon took over for Fregio and gave up an RBI triple.
John Peck smokes a grounder to right field that scores Brett Callahan (1B, SB) and ties the game for Erie. pic.twitter.com/5y25aQ5OkP
Things kind of settled down from there. Simon got through the seventh and Tanner Kohlhepp did the same in the eighth, despite both dealing with a pair of baserunners.
The lone extra-base hit of the day for Erie came in the ninth, when Justice Bigbie doubled and set up a game-tying RBI single from Jenkins. Kohlhepp couldn’t force extra innings, though. Cortland Lawson took him deep with one out to end the game.
Andrew Jenkins shoots a single to right and Justice Bigbie scores from 2nd to tied the game for Erie in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/W3KSDAogsY
West Michigan extended its losing streak to 13 games with a 5-3 loss to the Dayton Dragons on Saturday.
The Whitecaps have gotten close to snapping this streak, but something always seems to go wrong. This time it was a two-run ninth inning from the Dragons to break a 3-3 tie that held since the sixth.
West Michigan did all of its scoring early. Samuel Gil drove in Cristian Santana on a sacrifice fly in the second, and Bryce Rainer and Santana each had RBI doubles in the third. Dayton scored twice in the first off starter Max Alba, both runs coming on RBI singles. Alba only went three innings and struck out five with just one hit allowed after the first.
The Whitecaps held that 3-2 lead until the sixth. Luke Stofel pitched the fourth and fifth, giving up just one hit and a walk. Inohan Paniagua wasn’t as good in the sixth, blowing the save on the third pitch he threw. Yerlin Confidan took him deep to tie the game. Paniagua was fine after that, working around two walks and lasting through the seventh.
The only West Michigan hit after the third came in the seventh when Ricardo Hurtado singled with two outs. Dayton walked six batters, including three free passes in the eighth to load the bases, but the Whitecaps never took advantage.
Logan Berrier faced the minimum in the eighth to hold the 3-3 tie, but Thomas Bruss couldn’t do the same in the ninth. He gave up a one-out double after walking a batter, and a wild pitch on ball four scored the runner. Another single made it a two-run game, and all three Whitecaps hitters struck out in the bottom of the ninth.
Things are bad, bad, bad for this club right now.
Rainer: 1-3, 2B (3), R, RBI, BB, K
Santana: 1-1, 2B (2), R, RBI, 2 BB
Alba: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 2 p.m. ET start on Sunday; West Michigan is looking to avoid a second straight sweep.
Beau Brieske got another opener start and looked good against the four batters he faced. There was plenty of contact but no hits. He lost an eight-pitch at-bat with Edward Lantigua, which ended in a walk. Everything else was hit in the air or to an infielder.
Caleb Leys took over in the second and retired six batters in a row after giving up a leadoff single. He wasn’t as lucky in the fourth, when a leadoff double came back to bite him. Chase Meggers broke the scoreless tie with a two-out RBI single.
Leys saw another run cross in the fifth, but it was unearned thanks to a throwing error from Jack Goodman at short. Still, back-to-back base hits made it feel like an earned run.
Luke Hoskins took over for the sixth. He worked around a baserunner in each inning he threw, lasting through the seventh. Anibal Salas helped cut into the lead with a leadoff triple in the bottom of the sixth. Jordan Yost drove him in with a sac fly to make it 2-1.
Anibal Salas kicks off the bottom of the 6th with a triple into the right corner. pic.twitter.com/W2UBckWSiK
Lakeland had a chance to tie it in the seventh, with Edian Espinal on third base, but Salas grounded into a double play. Espinal got his chance in the eighth with the bases loaded, but a balk brought the run in. Espinal ended up striking out on a foul tip to leave the score tied at two.
Yendy Gomez took the loss. He gave up a leadoff single in the ninth and saw the run score on a double right after. Lakeland went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.
Yost: 1-3, RBI
Brieske: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 0 K
Leys: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a noon ET start on Sunday; Lakeland leads the series, 3-2.
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts after a pickoff at first base in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
That was a really tough loss for the Guardians. They had so many opportunities to win that game and they just could not do it. I look back at the bottom of the 10th, Chase DeLauter had a lineout with an expected batting average of .520. Then Daniel Schneeman lined out with an expected batting average of .670, then with two outs Travis Bazzana lined out to the left fielder with an expected batting average of .380. They had plenty of other opportunities to win this game, but this one hurts the most considering all three of them put good swings on the ball and it hit hard with the winning run in scoring position. Sometimes the baseball gods just don’t want you to win the game.
There were some positive takeaways in this game. First and foremost being that Tanner Bibee easily had his best start of the season. That was great stuff from him, if he can continue to pitch anything close to that level for the rest of the season, The Guardians will be in good shape. Hunter Gaddis also had a clean inning of relief which is huge for this bullpen.
The offense in general got super unlucky in this game, we hit the ball hard plenty of times against Joe Ryan and got no results to show for it. I still feel good about this offense and this team overall. Game 3 against the Twins will be Sunday at 1:40 pm ET. It will be Gavin Williams vs Andrew Morris.
Noah Cameron has a 6.32 expected ERA for a reason. The biggest reason is he’s survived pretty much exclusively on his fastball, with several underlying metrics screaming he’s overperforming even his already bad ERA. Given these factors, the Detroit Tigers should punish him.
This presents a strong opportunity for Detroit. Riley Greene (.385 xwOBA), Dillon Dingler (.396 xwOBA), and Kevin McGonigle (.390 xwOBA) are all capable of doing real damage against this profile. I’d play this to -110.
I projected this total at 9.4, would play it to 9.0, and I’m making this my fourthtwo-unit play of the year.
Hanifee is likely an opener for a presumed bullpen game, but he’s already shown this season he can go multiple innings. Either way, he’ll eventually turn things into a bullpen that isn’t the most rested.
Circling back to Cameron, his pitching run value ranks in the 5th percentile, and his breaking ball sits in the 2nd. That makes him too overly dependent on a fastball-cutter combination against a Tigers lineup that knows how to manufacture runs.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 14-14, +0.01 units
Over/Under bets: 18-11, +8.72 units
Tigers vs Royals odds
Moneyline: Tigers +109 | Royals -121
Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-155) | Royals -1.5 (+140)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (+105)
Tigers vs Royals trend
The Detroit Tigers have hit the team total Over in 13 of their last 20 games (+5.50 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Royals.
How to watch Tigers vs Royals and game info
Location
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Date
Sunday, May 10, 2026
First pitch
7:20 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Tigers starting pitcher
Brenan Hanifee (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Royals starting pitcher
Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.40 ERA)
Tigers vs Royals latest injuries
Tigers vs Royals weather
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