KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 25: New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a homer run against the Kansas City Royals on May 25th, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Another ninth-inning meltdown wasted a great start from Michael Wacha in a 4-3 loss to the Yankees. This is just brutal to watch. It’s infuriating. The Royals held a 3-2 lead going into the 9th inning, which currently belongs to Lucas Erceg. I’m not sure it will for much longer.
In that inning, Salvador Perez was playing first base because Quatraro pinch-ran for Pasquantino earlier. Paul Goldschmidt hit a little pop-dribbler hybrid thing that Bobby Witt could not get to in time. With one out and a runner on first, Perez was hugging the line to protect against the grounder-down-the-line double. Unfortunately, Jazz Chisholm hit a line drive exactly to where a first baseman would normally be standing, but Perez could not reach it. With Tyler Tolbert in RF instead of Jac Caglianone, Chisholm hustled for a double. With one out and runners on second and third, Anthony Volpe singled to left field to bring both runners in. That put the Yankees ahead 4-3, and it felt like it was over with the bottom of the lineup coming in for the bottom of the ninth. The Royals got one guy on but could do nothing with him.
This hurts. Wacha threw yet another quality start – 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. The offense sputtered but put together enough runs to have a lead in the ninth. In the second inning, Perez led off with an ABS challenge to get a walk. He’s pretty good at ABS. Jac Caglianone went down 0-2 and then worked a walk. Isaac Collins went down 1-2 and also worked a walk to load the bases. Massey hit a lazy fly ball deep enough in the left-center field gap to bring in Perez on a sac fly. In the bottom of the 6th, Salvador Perez got a meatball that he hit almost into the fountains to tie the game 2-2. It was his 9th of the season. Bobby Witt Jr took a slider well beyond the left field fence in the 8th inning for a go-ahead solo homer to make it 3-2. It was Witt’s 8th homer of the season.
In the 7th inning, the Royals almost plated another run. Would have helped. Nick Loftin hustle-doubled a pop fly that CF Trent Grisham got a poor read on off the bat. He went backwards first and then sorta jogged for a sec before he made an attempt to charge in for the short fly ball. It dropped between three fielders and Loftin barely beat the tag at second. He advanced to third on a deep fly ball to left-center field. Garcia hit a weak grounder to the shortstop, but not weak enough to make it close at first base. The Royals were unable to score.
It wasn’t just the pitching either. The Royals flashed some leather too. Bobby Witt robbed a line drive up the middle from Ben Rice with a jumping, reaching catch. A double play got Wacha out of a jam in the third inning. Massey ranged to his right and threw on the run moving away from first base to get Jazz Chisholm out. Wacha was able to use his defense to work around runners on base in the third and fourth. He got a lot of quick outs and was at 93 pitches in the 7th inning. He was efficient and effective. His primary mistake was just a happy-zone four-seam fastball to Cody Bellinger that he blasted into the right-field bullpen. The Yankees put across another run with a walk and two singles.
Overall, it felt like a close game that the Royals had a real chance to win even with the relatively low offensive output. Just, once again, they cannot rely on anyone to close the game out with any sort of confidence. Erceg almost blew the game yesterday too.
The Royals are in a deep hole with the Guardians playing well above them as well as the upstart Chicago White Sox (??? How?). They cannot keep doing this and expect the season to end well.
The Royals move to 22-32. The Yankees move to 32-22. They play again tomorrow at 6:40pm US Central.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 11: A detail of the ESPN logo on a television camera following a game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Mets at T-Mobile Park on August 11, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers’ game on Monday, June 15 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium was added to ESPN’s collection of exclusive telecasts this season, the network announced on Monday.
That game against the Rays is the first game of a week-long homestand against American League East teams, with the Dodgers also hosting the Baltimore Orioles from June 19-21. Announcers for the ESPN telecast have not yet been revealed.
Mar 2, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Welinton Herrera (59) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
On Monday afternoon the Colorado Rockies announced multiple roster moves prior to their first of three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Left-handed veteran starting pitcher José Quintana has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow sprain.
Quintana, 37, had quietly been one of the Rockies’ more reliable rotation options since signing a one-year, $6 million contract this off-season. The well-traveled lefty had posted an ERA of 4.08 through his first eight starts in a Rockies uniform. He occasionally struggled with walks, issuing 17 free passes in 39.2 innings, but tended to avoid having those mistakes come back to haunt. Coming into Sunday’s game he had given up more than three earned runs in just one outing.
As a corresponding roster move, left-handed reliever Welinton Herrera (no. 17 PuRP) has been recalled from the Tripe-A Albuquerque Isotopes.
Herrera, 22, was signed as part of the Rockies’ 2021 international class out of the Dominican Republic and has quietly climbed up the prospect rankings for the organization. In 2025 he started the season with the High-A Spokane Indians and allowed just a single earned run over 15 appearances with an ERA of 0.49, six walks to 29 strikeouts, and ten saves over 18.1 innings of work.
Herrera started the 2026 season with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he has a 5.16 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League over 16 appearances and has struck out 34 batters over 22.2 innings.
With Herrera already on the 40-man roster after being protected from the Rule-5 draft, there were no additional moves necessary. He will wear no. 59 and is likely to make his Major League debut during the series in Los Angeles.
Palmquist, 25, struggled in the Rockies rotation after being called up to make his debut last season. He was eventually moved to the bullpen. In nine appearances—seven of which were starts—he posted an ERA of 8.91 and gave up ten home runs over 34.1 innings. Palmquist had continued to struggle this season in Triple-A Albuquerque, where he made 12 appearances—five of which were starts—with a 7.20 ERA, 19 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 25 innings.
The Mets have suffered another blow in their lineup.
Tyrone Taylor is expected to land on the IL after leaving Monday's loss to the Reds with right hip pain.
Taylor pulled up coming out of the box on a groundout to third during his at-bat to end the bottom of the sixth.
He slowly made his way back to the home dugout, then immediately went down to the clubhouse alongside trainers before being pulled in the top-half of the inning.
MJ Melendez entered in his place playing left, and Nick Morabito slid over to right.
Taylor will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning to see what exactly he is dealing with, but the Mets expect that he is going to be forced to miss some time.
This is just the latest loss for a club that is already without the majority of their Opening Day starting lineup.
His absence could lead to MJ Melendez or Nick Morabito sticking around on the roster when Jared Young returns from his own stint on the IL within the next few days.
Jul 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; The Silver Boot trophy is on display on the concourse for the Lone Star series with the Texas Rangers playinng against the Houston Astros at Global Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images
May 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Blaze Alexander (23) is tagged out by Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) on a steal attempt after a pickoff throw during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Happy Memorial Day, everyone (unless you are a Canadian, like me, in which case, happy very belated Victoria Day). The Rays are facing familiar foes this week, as they head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles. The O’s were just in St. Pete last week, where the Rays swept them. However, Baltimore might be feeling a little more emboldened. They took on the struggling Detroit Tigers over the weekend and took two of three games in that series. The Rays had Shane McClanahan on the mound, up against Kyle Bradish for the O’s. I don’t mind telling you that every time someone says Bradish’s last name, I hear it as “Radish” and it’s adorable.
With two outs in the top of the first, Jonathan Aranda doubled, but the Rays weren’t able to bring him home. In the home half, the Orioles went down in order.
The second inning was a speedy affair on both sides, and each team went down in order. It is a good time to acknowledge a classy gesture from Orioles fans as they gave Cedric Mullins a big round of applause when he came out for his first at-bat. That speaks volumes about a player when they are still so beloved by a team after they’ve moved on to a new club.
In the third, with two outs, Chandler Simspon singled. Junior Caminero then singled right behind him. Unfortunately, the Rays simply weren’t able to bring their baserunners home. Blaze Alexander got the home half going with a leadoff single. With one out, Alexander was then caught stealing, eliminating the baserunner. Tyler O’Neill singled, but a lineout then ended the inning with no harm done.
Two outs into the fourth, Mullins got a walk, but the Rays were once again unable to convert the baserunner. McClanahan continued to deal in the bottom of the inning, working his way through the Orioles in order.
Taylor Walls got a one-out single in the top of the fifth. Once again, though, the Rays let an opportunity get by them. Bradish has been good, despite having some issues with command, and while the Rays were getting on base, they were also having a hard time finding opportunities to then score those runs. In the home half with one out, Leody Taveras singled on a bunt towards first that McClanahan tried to scoop toss towards first but ended up overthrowing and allowing Taveras to get to second. With two outs, Jackson Holliday walked, but McClanahan got redemption and the final out by making a much more secure toss to first after catching a soft comebacker.
The Rays finally broke up the scoreless game in the top of the sixth with a solo home run by Aranda. It bounced off the top of the outfield wall so there was some initial concern the O’s might challenge, but they didn’t.
With two outs, Mullins walked, his second of the game, but the Rays had to settle for just the one run. McClanahan returned for the sixth, only his second time all season going more than five innings. He’d likely be on a very short leash for the inning, though. With one out, Gunnar Henderson was hit in the back with a pitch. Shane was looking pretty fired up after the HBP, so Kyle Snyder headed out to cool him down (and likely give the bullpen a little extra time to warm up). He then walked Adley Rutschman, and that was it for McClanahan. His final line for the day was 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K on 84 pitches. Hunter Bigge came out of the pen to replace him and hopefully get the final two outs of the inning. The O’s went for a double steal, but Henderson got snagged going for third, getting the second out of the inning. They found themselves back in a similar situation, though, when Pete Alonso walked, putting two on again. Bigge managed to get himself out of a tight corner, though, getting the final out and keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard.
Grant Wolfram was in for Bradish in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Chandler Simpson doubled to center. Yennier Cano replaced Wolfram to get the final out of the inning. In the home half, the Bigge wheels kind of fell off. Taveras got a leadoff walk, then stole second. Bigge tried to pick him off at second and the ball went into center, Taveras ended up at third. Then, Alexander singled, and the Orioles managed to tie the game. This, of course, begs the eternal question: if a pitcher is the one who commits the error that ultimately causes a run to score, should they not still be responsible for the run? A question for the ages. Bigge’s day was done and he was replaced by Casey Legumina, who got the first out. With two outs, Taylor Ward singled into right and Victor Mesa Jr. did his darndest to get the ball over to third, but it went over Caminero’s glove and into the netting, putting it out of play and allowing another run to score. An error was charged to Mesa. The Rays got the final out of the inning at last, but the O’s had claimed the lead.
Sloppy fielding wasn’t restricted to the Rays for this game. Anthony Nunez came in to pitch and Yandy Diaz hit a one-out double to deep center, but Taveras bobbled the ball, dropping it before he could throw to second, and Diaz was able to get all the way to third. Taveras was charged with an error. Oliver Dunn came in to run for Diaz, and Richie Palacios singled to bring Dunn home. A Mullins groundout got Palacios to second, but a lineout by newbie Mesa Jr. ended the inning with a 2-2 tie. In the home half, Alonso got a one-out walk, but was eliminated in a double play to end the inning.
Rico Garcia was the new Orioles pitcher in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Simpson singled, but he was then caught stealing, killing the Rays’ chance at a tie-breaker unless the game headed to extras. Bryan Baker came in for the Rays in the bottom of the inning, and he got the Orioles out in order to force extras.
In the top of the tenth, with one out, Garcia intentionally walked Aranda to put two runners on. Oliver Dunn then walked to load the bases. In the absolute best scenario they could have had, Palacios struck out (and he was big mad about it) and Mullins hit a liner right to first base to end the potential rally. Ian Seymour was the new Rays pitcher. With one out, Taylor Ward was intentionally walked to put two on, but two outs followed to get the Rays out of the inning.
Tyler Wells came in for the O’s in the eleventh, and newbie Mesa Jr. finally got his redemption moment with a leadoff homer to score two runs. It was the only hit the Rays would get in the inning, but it was enough.
Pete Alonso singled to start the inning, and in an attempt to get the ball home, it actually ended up near the dugout, and the Orioles easily scored. Alonso moved to second. Chandler was charged with the error. Jeremiah Jackson singled to score Alonso with another poorly placed throw home. With one out, Alexander was walked intentionally. He then advanced to second on defensive indifference (more like fear of overthrowing another base), and while the Rays finally got out of the inning, they were right back to being tied.
In the twelfth, Caminero flied out to advance free runner Chandler to third, then Aranda hit a sac fly to bring him home and get the Rays back into the lead. They would have to settle for just the one run, but hopefully it would be enough.
Jesse Scholtens was the next Rays’ pitcher out of the pen, and all eyes were on him to keep the O’s from scoring. Ward flied out to advance the ghost runner Cowser to third. Gunnar Henderson reached on a fielder’s choice, but they got Cowser out at home. Henderson somehow ended up at third and Kevin Cash absolutely lost his mind. Henderson was forced to head back to first. Nick Fortes, meanwhile, was looking like he felt a little tender after getting plowed into by Cowser. The Orioles evidently decided on a Hail Mary play by challenging the safe call at home, claiming Cowser touched the plate before he was tagged out. Honestly, depending on what angle you look at, it could go either way. The call was then overturned, and the game was once again tied. Pete Alonso got a two-out single, but no additional runs scored and the game headed to the 13th.
Dietrich Enns came out, and Palacios singled, moving runner Dunn to third. Mullins then singled to bring Dunn home. A sac bunt by Mesa moved both baserunners into scoring position, then a Fortes sac fly scored Palacios. The Rays were up 7-5. Taveras started the home half with a double to score their free runner Jackson. Blaze Alexander singled, then a Holliday sac fly scored Alexander to re-tie the game for the millionth time. Cowser then homered, scoring two and walking off the game with an Orioles win.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 23: Kyle Manzardo #9 of the Cleveland Guardians bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 23, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Guardians 3-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rikuu Nishida had reason to smile today. | Getty Images
After and exchange of long-ball offense early and then hanging on to a 3-1 win for the White Sox this Memorial Day. But the big play didn’t come from big bats but from 5´6´´ Rikuu Nishida, playing in his first major league game.
The Sox and Twins traded solo homers by Brooks Lee and Munetaka Murakani (No. 18 on the year, retaking the AL lead) in the first inning. Sox starter Anthony Kay was getting hit hard early, and in the second gave up singles to Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler before facing Minnesota catcher Alex Jackson — in only his second MLB game — who smashed a 107.1 mph liner to right for yet another single.
Enter Nishida:
Nishida’s bullet forced Arcia to slide wide, and Drew Romo stayed alert long enough to make the tag on a second try. The play not only kept the score 1-1 bit prevented Twins start Byron Buxton from coming up with two on.
Romo kept his own heroics going in the bottom of the second after Tristan Peters drew a four-pitch walk off Zebby Matthews.
Romo’s fly to right was only 93.4 mph and 352 feet, barely clearing the fence — but barely counts, and the homer made the score 3-1 Sox, where it would stay.
Kay settled down after that and went six innings, giving up just five hits and walking only one while striking out five. Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson and Seranthony Domínguez each tossed a scoreless relief inning. The Sox were outhit 7-6, with Chase Meidroth the only batter to double up, but the long balls did the trick.
In addition to the big throw, Nishida got inundated with fly balls to right, catching seven and almost getting another on a dive. Peters didn’t fare so well on a play to center that was generously called a double, after which Colson Montgomery didn’t bother covering third on a foul pop behind the plate. But while that would no doubt have led to opposing runs in recent years, this year it didn’t matter.
The win moves the Sox to 27-26 (yes, really!!) with Shane Burke and Joe Ryan facing off in the second game of this four-game series tomorrow night.
Who was the MVP of today’s triumph over the Twins?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: Jorbit Vivas #84 of the Washington Nationals hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a while, getting to .500 has been the big issue for the Nats, but now getting over that bar has been the issue. They will have another chance to secure a winning record tonight against the Guardians. The Guardians are a tough opponent, but after winning a series in Atlanta, this team is not scared.
The Nats are making a couple changes to the lineup tonight. With a righty on the mound, Luis Garcia Jr. will be back at first base in favor of Andres Chaparro. Interestingly, Curtis Mead will stay in the lineup for this one. The only other change comes behind the plate, where Drew Millas is giving Keibert Ruiz a breather. PJ Poulin was quickly called up after Jake Irvin’s injury and he will be the opener. Zack Littell will get the bulk of the action.
In the past, the Guardians lineup has been so heavily reliant on Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan. Those two are struggling to varying degrees, but this year the Guardians have more depth in the lineup. Rookies Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana are a big part of that. Angel Martinez and Brayan Roccio have both taken steps forward as well. Tanner Bibee may be 0-6, but he has thrown the ball well this year with a 3.75 ERA. He will be on the mound tonight.
Heading into Memorial Day, the Nats are an impressive 27-27. They will have the chance to go over .500 in this one. Hopefully they can take advantage of that opportunity this time around. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 14: Jesus Luzardo #44 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
May 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws a pitch during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Jacob Misiorowski doing incredible things has become shockingly routine this season, especially this month. He came into his start today not having allowed a run in four outings covering 24 1/3 innings in May. But he looked as good as he has at any point during that streak today, if not better, before he finally allowed a sole run in the sixth inning. His offense, meanwhile, jumped on Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore early and handed the Brewer pitching staff everything they’d need, and the Brewers took the first game of the first series of the year with their division rivals.
Misiorowski brought the heat in the first inning. His first six pitches were all at least 103 mph. Unfortunately four of them were balls, so Cardinals leadoff hitter JJ Wetherholt reached on a walk. After that, though, Misiorowski didn’t throw another ball in the inning. He struck out Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson on three pitches each before getting Jordan Walker to ground out on the first pitch of the at-bat.
The Brewers also got a leadoff walk after Jackson Chourio worked back from a 1-2 count. Liberatore almost walked Brice Turang, too, but came back to strike him out. Chourio should’ve been the second out when Liberatore threw over to first with Chourio stealing, but Burleson, the first baseman, made a weak throw to second base and Chourio just beat it (on a play that needed to be reviewed in order to make the correct safe call). That turned out to be big, as William Contreras followed with an RBI single and Christian Yelich followed that with his fourth homer of the season. The Brewers handed Misiorowski an early 3-0 lead.
Contreras extends his hitting streak to 9️⃣ and puts us in front
The Cardinals didn’t have any better luck in the second inning. Miz struck out Nolan Gorman, got a groundout from Masyn Winn, and blew away Bryan Torres on three pitches. Blake Perkins struck out to start the bottom of the second. Garrett Mitchell picked up a hit on a grounder up the middle, one which Masyn Winn was surprisingly able to glove despite it hitting the bag at second base, but he wouldn’t have had a throw even if it hadn’t hit the base. After a Joey Ortiz strikeout, Mitchell was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
Miz looked untouchable in the third. After a first-pitch ball to Pedro Pagés, Miz nearly got an immaculate-inning-minus-one, as he struck out Pagés and Victor Scott II on the next six pitches (including a filthy backdoor curveball on 0-2 to get Scott looking) and then got ahead of Wetherholt 0-2. Misiorowski did end up needing a couple more pitches, but he struck out Wetherholt, too. After walking the leadoff hitter, Misiorowski retired the next nine in a row with seven strikeouts… and needed only 30 pitches to do it.
Liberatore decided to do his best Misiorowski imitation in the bottom of the third, and struck out Chourio, Turang, and Contreras in order. Miz had another 1-2-3 inning with a couple of strikeouts in the fourth—Burleson hit one to the warning track, the first real contact for the Cardinals of the game, but Mitchell caught it without much trouble.
Liberatore continued his strikeout streak by getting Yelich to start the bottom of the fourth, but Andrew Vaughn lined a fastball into the right-field corner for a one-out double. Rengifo followed with a single into center, but Vaughn had to pause to make sure it fell and thus had to hold at third base. Unfortunately Vaughn was caught in a rundown and became the second out on the next pitch when Perkins hit a hard grounder right at the third baseman, Gorman. With runners on first and second and two out, Mitchell battled but struck out looking on a tough slider on the low-outside corner.
Misiorowski picked up his tenth strikeout to start the fifth, then got Winn on a weak groundout to first. Torres nearly got the Cardinals’ first hit with two outs, but Rengifo reached up and snagged his soft line drive to end the inning. Oritz led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left. Chourio hit a ground ball up the middle that was hit a little too softly for Winn to turn two on, so Chourio replaced Ortiz at first base. After Turang struck out looking (Liberatore’s career-high 10th strikeout), Chourio took off for second with Contreras batting—Chourio probably would’ve been out with a good throw, but the throw bounced into center field and Chourio made it to third. Contreras walked a couple pitches later—with first base open, Liberatore didn’t seem all that interested in pitching to him—but Yelich grounded out to second to end the inning.
Pagés, leading off the sixth, finally ended Misiorowski’s no-hit bid with a blooper that landed just out of the reach of Turang in right field. After Scott traded places with Pagés on a fielder’s choice, Wetherholt got the Cards’ first non-cheap hit, with a hard grounder through the right side that put runners on the corners with one out. Suddenly, the Cardinals had the tying run at the plate. A weak grounder from Herrera resulted in the second out but easily scored Scott from third, but a grounder by Burleson ended the inning. St. Louis was on the board, and Misiorwoski’s 29 1/3 inning scoreless streak was over, but the Brewers still had a 3-1 lead.
Liberatore, who crossed 100 pitches in the fifth, was done in the sixth, and his replacement was a lefty making his major-league debut, Brycen Mautz. He was rudely greeted by Vaughn, who lined a single into right, and after Vaughn advanced to second on a wild pitch, Rengifo walked. Perkins put a charge into one but he hit it to the deepest part of the ballpark, and Scott caught it with a leap (that was a little unnecessary, maybe) on the warning track, but Vaughn tagged and got to third. That set up runners on the corners with one out for Mitchell, who blooped one into left that landed just beyond the outsretched glove of the diving Scott. Vaughn scored from third, and Milwaukee still had runners on first and second with one out.
Mautz spiked a curveball with Ortiz at the plate that enabled both runners to advance to scoring position. Ortiz struck out, though—the first of Mautz’s career, and also a big one in the game situation—and Chourio struck out, too. The Brewers did finally get an add-on run, but it definitely felt like they’d left at least one more on the table.
Misiorowski was out for the seventh with 81 pitches on his ledger. He got Walker to fly out to center, then struck out Gorman and Winn to end the inning. The strikeout of Winn was Misiorowski’s 12th of the day, matching a career high, and it put an exclamation point on the end of another brilliant outing for the Brewer ace. He finished his day with one run allowed on two hits and one walk, and he lowered his ERA to 1.83.
Turang walked to start the bottom of the seventh. Contreras flew out to right on a pitch that he clearly thought he should’ve hit over the fence, but Yelich hit a base hit up the middle that was followed by a deep drive by Vaughn that bounced off the warning track in the left-field corner and went over the wall. The ground-rule nature of the double was unfortunate, as Yelich would surely have scored on the play; he tried to score on the next play, when Rengifo hit a medium-deep fly ball to right, and initially appeared to have done so. But on review, Yelich’s lead foot bounced up off the plate as he slid, and he was called out. Milwaukee had added another, though, and led 5-1 heading to the eighth inning.
Aaron Ashby came in to relieve Misiorowski in the eighth. The Cardinals squared him up pretty well, but the Brewers defense did what they needed to, as Torres grounded out to third, Pagés flew out to the warning track, and pinch-hitter José Fermín popped out behind second base.
Mautz pitched was out for a third inning in his debut in the bottom of the eighth against the bottom of the Brewer order. Perkins and Mitchell both grounded out, and Ortiz flew out to center. The Brewers headed to the ninth with a four-run lead.
Ashby didn’t need it. Wetherholt grounded out, Herrera struck out, and Burleson popped out. The Brewers won 5-1.
Misiorowski, as he has been, was the game’s big star. But several Brewers had solid days offensively, too, even if the team couldn’t manage more than five runs: every batter except Perkins reached base today (and even Perkins made solid contact a couple of times), and four Brewers had multiple hits. Yelich had the game’s biggest hit, the first-inning two-run homer, and he also hit a single later on. Vaughn had three hits on the day, including his RBI double. Rengifo added two hits and a walk, and Mitchell had two singles and an RBI.
It was a nice win to start the series against the team closest to them in the NL Central standings. The series continues tomorrow night, with Kyle Harrison taking on Michael McGreevy. That game is at 6:40 p.m.
May 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Well, that stuff about Dylan Cease making his next start? Not so much.
The team has put him on the IL.
“It doesn’t look too terrible, knock on wood. Just trying to be smart and not have it get worse. Don’t know the exact timeline yet, hoping it’s a minimal stay.”
The team hasn’t said who is coming to take his roster spot, but likely a reliever for now and then a starting pitcher when it is Cease’s turn in the rotation again.
And Vlad isn’t in tonight’s lineup. They say he is available off the bench, but I have my doubts.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 25: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on May 25, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and admit that someone was better than you. Today’s cap is tipped to Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski who overwhelmed the St. Louis Cardinals on Memorial Day Monday as Milwaukee won 5-1.
If you could erase the first inning, Matthew Liberatore had a better-than-average start for the Cardinals. He registered a career-high 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the 1st inning did happen and it was a punishing one for Matthew as he gave up a leadoff walk to Jackson Chourio who ended up stealing second base when Liberatore’s pickoff attempt was tardy and he was ruled safe on a successful Brewers challenge. Chourio then scored on a single to left by William Contreras making it 1-0 Brewers. That wasn’t nearly as damaging as what Christian Yelich would do when he slammed a 381 foot opposite field home run giving Milwaukee a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead.
That 3-0 lead felt “insurmountable” because Jacob Misiorowski was dealing. He didn’t allow a St. Louis Cardinals hit for the first 5 innings. The no-hit bid would end in the top of the 6th inning when Pedro Pagés managed a single into short right field. After Victor Scott II reached on a fielder’s choice, JJ Wetherholt smoked a single between first and second base and Victor advanced to third base. Suddenly, the St. Louis Cardinals had the tying run at the plate in Ivan Herrera, but all he was able to manage was a groundout to third which scored Victor Scott II and cut the Milwaukee lead to 3-1. Jacob Misiorowski ended up throwing heat for 7 innings and striking out 12.
Matthew Liberatore’s final stat line for Monday was 5 innings pitched allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits while striking out 10 and walking 2. Brycen Mautz made his Major League debut in the 6th inning and got off to a shaky start allowing a single to Vaughan who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brycen then walked Rengifo and then gave up a single to Garrett Mitchell which scored Vaughan making it 4-1 Brewers. Mautz finished the bottom of the 6th inning strong, though, with strikeouts of Ortiz and Chourio.
Milwaukee would tack on a run to their lead in the bottom of the 7th inning when Brycen Mautz walked Turang. After getting Contreras to fly out, Yelich singled and then Vaughan hit a ground-rule double scoring Turang and making it 5-1 Brewers. It could have been more, but Christian Yelich gave a clinic on why you don’t slide into home with your lead foot sticking straight up in the air as he was thrown out by Jordan Walker after a successful Cardinals challenge. Kudos to Brycen Mautz for setting the Brewers down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning. Imagine making your Major League debut in a tight 3-1 game against your NL Central Division-leading rival. He should feel good about his first game.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try again on Tuesday night as Michael McGreevy will start for the good guys while Kyle Harrison takes the mound for the villains. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Former All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual and psychological abuse of a 14-year-old girl but will not serve prison time, according to a verdict delivered Monday, May 25 by a three-judge panel in the Dominican Republic and reported by ESPN.
Franco, 25, was facing a second trial after he received a two-year suspended sentence when he was convicted in June 2025 of having an intimate relationship with a 14-year-old girl when Franco was 21. The girl's mother was convicted of trafficking her daughter and received a 10-year prison sentence that was overturned on appeal; prosecutors allege that Franco had paid off the mother.
The mother was once again convicted of trafficking her daughter and again received a 10-year sentence, ESPN reported. Although the outlet reported that the court issued a judicial pardon to Franco, he was still convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, which would prevent Franco from obtaining a visa to work in the USA.
The court's decision will be issued June 16. Franco remains on Major League Baseball's restricted list for failure to report.
"We are aware of today's verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time," MLB said in a statement.
Both the prosecution and Franco's attorney appealed the first trial's outcome, and according to "Diario Libre," a Dominican Republic newspaper, the state sought a five-year prison sentence, while Franco sought to have the conviction overturned – which would likely be his only hope to continue a major league career.
Franco responds to sentence, wants to play in MLB again
"To my fans, keep supporting me, trust in God, and with faith in God, I'll soon be back (in MLB)," Franco said in a video by Dominican journalist Luis Tomas Rae Barett. "In this process, I learned to never give up and to value family. Value your family, because they will always be there. I've always kept training thanks to my dad. I will continue training and waiting for God's decision."
Franco was in the second year of an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2023 when posts emerged on social media of Franco and the 14-year-old girl. Franco's conviction meant the Rays have not had to pay Franco in the years since, and that's likely to continue.
Franco was named to the American League All-Star team in 2023 and had accumulated 5.4 WAR before he was placed on the restricted list that August. He played his last game on Aug. 12.
Ben Brown was absolutely dealing. He allowed four hits and a run and struck out seven in six solid innings, throwing 83 pitches (58 strikes). The six-inning effort was his longest of the season, but the 83 pitches were just one more than he’d thrown in his previous outing. It was a warm day in Pittsburgh (73 degrees) but not overly hot and humid, so why not let him go one more?
Perhaps that would have prevented Henry Davis from hitting the solo home run off Trent Thornton that was the difference in the game.
We’ll never know, of course.
The other difference in the game, naturally, was the Cubs’ almost-complete offensive failure. They had six hits and three walks off Carmen Mlodzinski and Wilber Dotel over eight innings (and no runners in the ninth), but again couldn’t get any of the runners across the plate. It was so bad that the RISP numbers were just 0-for-2, largely because they simply couldn’t get anyone to scoring position. Overall the Cubs left seven on base, with one runner (Alex Bregman) picked off.
The only Pirates run off Brown came in the third when he walked Spencer Horwitz with one out and Brandon Lowe doubled him in.
Ben Brown finished with one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.
Only 12 previous Cubs starters since 1901 had exactly the first four numbers in at least six innings. Just three did not get a decision: Rube Kroh, first of the 12, in 8.0 innings in 1908 at Philadelphia; Tom Gorzelany, in 6.1, in 2010 at Cincinnati; and Jeff Samardzija, the last before today, in 6.0, on June 23, 2014 at home vs. the Reds. Eight were winners: Orval Overall (1910), Dick Selma (1969), Fergie Jenkins (1972), Scott Sanderson (1987), Jon Lieber (2000), Mark Prior (2003), Carlos Zambrano (2004) and Rodrigo Lopez (2011).
Prior and Lopez pitched 6.0, as Brown did.
Matt Garza pitched a complete game in 2011 vs. the White Sox and lost, 1-0.
As you can see there, Brown used a really good pitch mix and mostly baffled Pirates hitters. Could it be that Ben Brown has finally arrived as a MLB starter? You know I had my doubts, but the fact that he has developed good secondary pitches appears to have made the difference. Great for Ben, and great for the team. Here are Brown’s seven strikeouts [VIDEO].
Thornton retired the first two Pirates in the seventh on ground balls before Davis homered. The pitch wasn’t a bad pitch, either, a cutter down and away, but Davis just got it.
Craig Counsell sent three pinch hitters to the plate in the ninth, the first was Nico Hoerner for Pedro Ramirez.
I’m having trouble understanding why you’d bat for a switch-hitter (Ramirez) in that situation. Okay, Nico’s experienced at leading off innings, I guess you can make a case for it.
Nico swung at what would have been ball three and grounded out.
Seiya Suzuki, batting for Moisés Ballesteros, struck out and Carson Kelly, batting for Miguel Amaya, grounded out to end the game.
You can tell these guys are pressing, which can happen when a team’s on a long losing streak. All the team can do is pick up and try to win tomorrow.
A couple of likely meaningless notes on the Cubs losing recently: First, this game ran 2:24. It’s the sixth game this year the Cubs have played in that time or shorter. They’ve lost all of them.
Second, and even more meaningless:
Maybe wear the blue alternates the rest of the road trip? Just for the heck of it? Can’t hurt, right?
The Cubs will once again attempt to end the losing streak Tuesday evening at PNC Park. Jordan Wicks will make his first 2026 start for the Cubs and Braxton Ashcraft will go for the Pirates. Game time Tuesday is 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
