Category: MLB

The Royals’ bats continued the vanishing act they have taken on the road so often this year, and the Royals dropped the series opener to the Cardinals.

Michael Wacha, for the first time since his last start, did his job. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs. Would you like more innings and fewer runs? Always. But the odds of getting either are very low, even with Wacha pitching as well as he has this year.

Dustin May, unfortunately, matched him, which made it a three-inning game between the bullpens. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but my sense is that the Royals’ bullpen has done a pretty good job of holding leads, but they’ve been abysmal at keeping tied or losing games from getting worse.

The Royals got the scoring going in the fourth inning. Vinnie Pasquantino drew a walk; Salvador Perez hit a long single off the right-field wall. The broadcast noted that it took a good defensive play to prevent Vinnie from scoring on that hit. If Vinnie nearly scored from first, how did Sal not end up at second? One might imagine it’s the nagging hip and groin injuries he’s been dealing with all year. And still he plays almost every day and bats cleanup.

No problem, Carter Jensen hit a double into the left-center gap! Run scored and Salvy to third. Except, if Sal had been capable of running and at second, he could have scored on that play, too. No problem, Isaac Collins followed a Jac Caglianone walk with a deep fly to right to sacrifice Sal home. When I started this paragraph, I thought I had a point about how Sal’s inability to run had hurt the Royals in a way that isn’t obvious from the box score. If I had such a point, I’ve lost it. It’s late. Let’s just move on. The Royals had the bases loaded with one out and managed no hits and only one run from that point on.

Michael Wacha gave up a two-run home run to Jordan Walker in the bottom of the inning. Tie game.

In the bottom of the fifth, Pedro Pagés hit a home run to almost the same spot and gave the Cardinals the lead.

The Royals answered in the top of the sixth. Vinnie walked again. Sal flew out softly. Jensen and Caglianone singled on groundballs to the right side to load the bases. Once again, bases loaded one out. Once again, only one run scored. This time Collins hit a groundball to first and Alec Burleson chose to step on the bag before throwing home, but Vinnie beat the throw to tie the game.

Daniel Lynch IV opened the seventh inning by allowing a double; he struck out the next two and escaped unscathed. Nick Mears got the eighth and walked the leadoff guy before escaping without allowing a run. Matt Strahm got the ninth and also allowed the leadoff hitter on. He got a strikeout, a walk, and a flyout before John Schreiber was asked to get out the right-handed Iván Herrera. Never mind that Strahm has proven more effective in his career against righties than lefties. Schreiber gave up a hard liner to center and Kyle Isbel made a diving catch to send it into extras.

With Maikel Garcia starting on second, Bobby Witt Jr. immediately smashed a double into center. Nathan Church almost turned it into an inside-the-park home run with a terrible route but managed a diving stop. Vinnie popped up, Salvy struck out in yet another awful at-bat. Carter Jensen got intentionally walked. Now, why would you walk Carter to get to Jac? Oh, because Jac was out of the game. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth with no one on and two out because a left-handed reliever was on the mound. At some point, pinch-hitting for Jac in situations like those has to be more damaging to his psyche than the occasional awkward at-bat against a left-handed pitcher. It’s not like the Royals even needed a contact guy at the plate to give them a better chance to drive in a runner before the inning had ended. There were two outs and no one on.

Also, Carter Jensen has a 54 wRC+ against lefties this year to Jac’s 58. So why doesn’t he get pinch-hit for? Make it make sense.

Anyway, with Lane Thomas due up, Carter got intentionally walked, and Lane took a predictably terrible at-bat against the right-handed Ryne Stanek. Lucas Erceg was brought in to preserve the one-run lead. His first pitch got lined into right to tie the game. He managed to prevent the Cardinals from scoring again, so to the eleventh we went.

This time, Lane Thomas started at second. Isaac Collins drew a walk – he had only two official at-bats in the game thanks to a pair of walks and a sacrifice fly. 0-2 with 2 RBIs has an argument as the best hitting performance in the Royals’ lineup tonight. Michael Massey came to the plate and attempted to bunt the runners over. He popped both of his attempts foul before hitting a moderately deep flyball to left. I would have liked to see Lane Thomas try for third there. The Royals weren’t getting hits, he’s fast, so why not see if he can get in range of a sacrifice fly? But he bluffed and didn’t go. Isbel grounded into a fielder’s choice – which could have scored a run if Thomas had been at third – and Garcia grounded out to end the “threat”.

Steven Cruz got the bottom of the eleventh. The Cardinals gifted him a sacrifice bunt before he got a chopper from Jose Fermín. Then, as the Royals have done so many times this year, he gave up the big hit he’d miraculously avoided until there were two outs. Yohel Pozo, pinch-hitting for the pinch-runner Thomas Saggese, smoked one through the shifted infield to right, and the Cardinals had won.

There’s not a lot of positives to build on out of this one. Wacha now has seven quality starts out of nine. But the Royals have now lost five in a row, and basically all the ground they had made up over the 11-5 stretch that followed their eight-game losing stretch is gone, but with 21 more games in the books. They’re still only 4.5 back in the division and 2.5 back of a Wild Card spot because the American League is ridiculous, but at some point, you have to think one of these teams will actually start winning some baseball games. With every loss, it feels less like that team might be the Royals.

Noah Cameron (5.55 ERA) will take the mound tomorrow afternoon to face Kyle Leahy (4.31 ERA). The game will air at 1:15 p.m. Central on Royals.TV. This is a friendly reminder that tomorrow is a continuation of Rivals weekend, and literally every game will be free on MLB.TV. If you’re fed up with KC, you have alternatives. Until tomorrow afternoon, good night and good luck.

The Cincinnati Reds got another solid start from lefty Andrew Abbott, got a homer from Matt McLain and one more huge performance from JJ Bleday, and managed to hand over a 6-1 lead to the heart of their bullpen on Friday night in the Ohio Cup opener against the Cleveland Guardians.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right?

Things went a bit sideways for the Reds when Graham Ashcraft took the bump for the Bottom of the 8th with said 6-1 lead, coughing up a 4-spot that made the rest of the game (with Cincinnati’s threadbare bullpen) a front-of-the-seat watching in Cincinnati’s eventual 7-6 victory.

Abbott labored a bit needing 90 pitches for just 5+ IP, but he kept Cleveland off the board entirely until Rhys Hoskins socked a solo homer off him in the Bottom of the 6th to end his day. McLain, meanwhile, bashed a pair of hits – one a 2-run homer – while driving in a trio of runs, said homer coming in the Top of the 8th and proving vital in this 1-run affair. He even swiped his 6th bag of the year. For all of that, we’ll give him the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award for the evening.

Bleday went 3 for 5 with a homer and a ribbie, doubling twice as his blistering start in a Reds uniform continues. Tejay Antone, meanwhile, was summoned for the save and converted it for his first one since back in 2021 on a totally different elbow.

Tony Santillan, meanwhile, fired a scoreless inning again, finally. He did allow a double to Jose Ramirez (who hasn’t?) but pitched around it with a K. The Reds are going to need him now more than ever with Emilio Pagan out, and hopefully he’s found the correction to his form.

These two will go toe to toe in Ohio Cup action again on Saturday, with Chris Paddack getting the start in his Reds debut after signing earlier in the week. We’ll all hope he catches lightning in a bottle. Gavin Williams of Cleveland will chuck out the game’s first pitch at 6:10 PM ET.

It’s a short one, but the Reds are on a win streak.

This was not the start to the homestand the Rockies were hoping for.

Colorado fell to Arizona 9-1 at Coors Field on Friday, dropping to 17-28 while the Diamondbacks moved to 21-22. The Rockies got bit early and spent the rest of the night trying to catch up, as Arizona turned an overturned call in the first inning into six runs and Merrill Kelly handled the rest.

Colorado did not strike out much, but they did not do much else either.

The first inning defined Freeland’s night

Kyle Freeland nearly avoided the first bite.

With two outs in the first inning, Corbin Carroll was initially called out trying to steal third. The call would have ended the inning. Arizona challenged, the call was overturned, and the Diamondbacks took full advantage.

Arizona followed with two walks, four straight run-scoring hits, and six runs before Freeland finally got out of the inning.

Freeland did not look sharp, but to his credit, he kept fighting after that. He stayed in the game into the fourth, which helped the Rockies avoid a full catastrophe for the bullpen. Freeland gave up plenty of loud contact, but it was the mix of softer contact and pressure on the bases that kept the Rockies out of rhythm and on their heels defensively.

On the night, Freeland gave up seven runs on eight hits and four walks. He struck out three and threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes.

Agnos gives the bullpen length

Zach Agnos took over for Freeland and limited the fourth-inning damage to one run (charged to Freeland) before giving the Rockies some steadier innings from there.

Arizona got to him for two runs in the seventh, but Agnos ended up pitching through the eighth. Agnos covered 4.1 innings in total, allowing two runs on four hits with one strikeout. On a night when Freeland exited before the fourth inning was over — and with the rotation already facing uncertainty — that length helped keep the rest of the bullpen from being overworked.

Seth Halvorsen handled the ninth, working around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless final inning. The last frame also included an ABS challenge, with Hunter Goodman getting a pitch call overturned for strike three and the second out against Gabriel Moreno.

Meanwhile, Merrill cruised along

Kelly did not give the Rockies many chances to climb back into the game.

Goodman answered Arizona’s six-run first with a solo home run in the bottom half, his 11th of the season.

But the Rockies did not build much from there. Ezequiel Tovar doubled, Mickey Moniak added another double late, and Colorado finished with just four hits. The Rockies did not draw a walk, went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, and never put together the kind of inning they needed.

Kelly did not overpower the Rockies. He struck out only three and did not issue a walk. But Colorado swung early in counts and made too much soft contact to turn the game back in their direction.

Vintage Kelly vs. Rockies.

Kelly ended up going the distance on 100 pitches, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He threw strikes, kept the Rockies quiet, and made the first inning stand up.

Final notes

Freeland took the loss, dropping to 1-5 with a 7.22 ERA, while Kelly earned the win to move to 3-3 with a 5.91 ERA.

Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) also made his major-league debut, entering as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and grounding out in a brief first appearance.

The Rockies will look for a better result tomorrow as the homestand continues.

Up Next

The Rockies will continue their series against the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Coors Field.

Tomoyuki Sugano is scheduled to start for Colorado. He enters at 3-3 with a 4.07 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Arizona will counter with Eduardo Rodriguez, who is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 33 strikeouts.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. MDT.

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With a little luck, the Arizona Cardinals would have had a much better 2025 season.

Unfortunately, very little went the team’s way last year and, after starting 2-0, they finished 3-14, ending the year on a torturous nine-game losing streak.

Yet, what that tawdry record doesn’t indicate is that a whopping games were lost by seven points or less.

Had they just gotten the job done, Kyler Murray and head coach Jonathan Gannon may have stuck around.

Sadly, that wasn’t in the…ummm…cards.

Instead, this year, Mike LaFleur inherits head coaching duties and Jacoby Brissett — who started 14 games in ’25 and went 1-11 — returns.

To add insult to injury, the squad has the third-toughest schedule of any team in the NFL.

Notable opponents dropping into Glendale, Ariz.’s State Farm Stadium this year include Jared Goff’s Detroit Lions (Oct. 11), Bo Nix’s Denver Broncos (Oct. 25), Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams (Nov. 15), Jalen Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles (Dec. 6) and Brock Purdy’s San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 9 or 10 in the final game of the regular season.

Plus, Sam Darnold’s defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will be swinging in too on Sunday, Sept. 20 aka the Cards’ home opener.

Thankfully, Brissett and the Cardinals got a bit of insurance in standout rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, as well as draft picks Chase Bisontis, Carson Beck and Kaleb Proctor.

Offseason acquisitions Devin Duvernay, Isaac Seumalo, Tyler Allgeier, Kendrick Bourne and quarterback insurance Gardner Minshew join them.

Franchise tight end Trey McBride, 2025 star signee Josh Sweat, starting wideout Michael Wilson, elite safety Budda Baker and offensive line anchor Paris Johnson Jr. return, too.

If you want to root yourself hoarse in the Valley of the Sun, tickets are available for all eight Arizona Cardinals 2026 home games at Glendale’s State Farm Stadium on SeatGeek.

SeatGeek is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

Not familiar with SeatGeek?

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

Arizona Cardinals 2026 home game tickets

For those who prefer to pick and choose which home games make the most sense for you to attend, we’re here for you, too.

Below, you’ll find a list of all upcoming Arizona Cardinals home games at State Farm Stadium, including dates, start times and opponents.

Full Cardinals 2026 schedule

If you think you might find yourself traveling with Jacoby and the Cardinals this year, here’s where you can find them on the road once the 2026 season begins.

But wait! There’s more!

The Panthers vs. Cardinals Hall of Fame Game goes down on Aug. 6 at Canton, OH’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium to kick off the season.

How to watch/stream Cardinals games

There is no shortage of ways to watch Cardinals games live from the comfort of your own home this season.

You can find LaFleur’s loaded roster on ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network on select dates.

Through the regular season, most NFC games will be broadcast on FOX.

For specialty games, “Sunday Night Football” can be found on NBC along with Peacock, “Monday Night Football” is reserved for ESPN and “Thursday Night Football” streams on Amazon Prime Video.

Huge concert tours in 2026

Before the Cardinals officially kick off the season (and a little after!), many of the biggest stars in music will be playing at arenas and stadiums all over the Valley of the Sun.

Here are just five of the concerts we’re most excited about in Phoenix these next few months.

• Daniel Caesar (July 16)

• Grupo Frontera (July 31)

• Earth Wind and Fire with Lionel Richie (Aug. 11)

• Zach Bryan (Sept. 5)

• Usher with Chris Brown (Sept. 29)

Need a little more entertainment in your life? Check out this list of all the events coming to the Mortgage Matchup Center to find the show for you.

Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

The Dodgers and Angels continue their weekend series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim with a Saturday matchup with two pitchers who got off to incredible starts this season.

Justin Wrobleski made one bulk relief appearance before stepping into the Dodgers rotation, then won his first five starts while allowing two total runs. Even after his clunker last Sunday, in which he still recorded 26 outs but while allowing seven runs, Wrobleski’s ERA still stands at only 2.42 in 44 2/3 innings.

José Soriano allowed only one total run in his first six starts, and had just one real blip with five runs to the Chicago White Sox on May 4. The right-hander enters Saturday with a 1.66 ERA in nine starts at 54 1/3 innings.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Angels
• Ballpark: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
• Time: 6:38 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, KCOP channel 13 (Angels broadcast)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The New York Mets' disappointing season took its most disastrous turn yet Friday, May 15 when starting pitcher Clay Holmes suffered a fractured fibula after taking a line drive off his right leg. 

Holmes, 33, will be out "for a long time," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Friday. New York Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a low line drive off Holmes' lower right leg leading off the top of the fourth inning; the ball's exit velocity was 111.1 mph. 

Holmes was examined by an athletic trainer and Mendoza and somewhat remarkably stayed in the game into the fifth. But X-rays revealed the fracture, robbing the Mets of arguably their best starting pitcher in this disappointing season. 

Clay Holmes got hit by this comebacker off the bat of Spencer Jones in the fourth inning.

Holmes stayed in the game and pitched into the fifth https://t.co/9itrCjJSGcpic.twitter.com/TwCfIUgz4W

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 16, 2026

Despite giving up four earned runs in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Yankees, Holmes has a 2.39 ERA this season and has pitched into at least the seventh inning in three of his nine starts this year. The Mets came into Friday 18-25, yet 5-3 when Holmes starts. 

Holmes' injury casts doubt on both his and the Mets' future. Should the club fall further out of the race, Holmes likely would have fetched a significant return on the trade market; now, it is unclear whether he'll be healthy enough to market his wares before the Aug. 3 deadline. 

And while Holmes figured to opt out of the final year of his three-year, $38 million contract and test free agency again, that's under some doubt after this injury, although Holmes likely showed enough before going down to be a prized target on the market this winter. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clay Holmes injury update after hit fractures Mets ace's fibula

It was a line drive off the bat of Yankees prospect Spencer Jones that caused Mets starter Clay Holmes to suffer a fractured fibula on Friday night.

Jones went down and lined a 2-2 sinker below the zone back up the middle, where the ball ricocheted off of Holmes' leg and into foul territory. The ball was hit at 111.1 mph. 

"I didn’t know that. That’s the first I heard of that," Jones said after the game when told of Holmes' injury. "I’m sorry. He’s a friend of mine, we work in Nashville together. It’s tough to hear."

The news of Holmes' injury came as a shock to most. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza delivered the news in his postgame presser after the team's 5-2 loss in the Subway Series opener. But more astoundingly, Holmes continued to pitch after the linedrive. Jones' single led off the fourth and Holmes escaped the inning after the Yankees loaded the bases. He then began the fifth and was taken out after Jazz Chisholm Jr. worked a one-out walk and Holmes was at 95 pitches.

"He’s a tough guy. Workhorse competitor as well," Jones said of Holmes continuing to pitch through the injury. "Says a lot about who he is to go back out there again the next inning with a broken leg. It’s incredible." 

"He's a dog. He's a gamer. He's physically tough, but he's tough between the ears, too," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Holmes. "Not surprised. I could tell he was hurting and he's not a guy that's showing, but you could tell it got him good, but watching him move off the mound, I knew it didn't look that great."

Holmes has been the Mets' best pitcher this season. 

Entering Friday's game, Holmes was pitching to a 1.86 ERA and a 1.014 WHIP through eight starts. Prior to tonight, Holmes had surrendered two or fewer earned runs in each of his last 10 starts dating back to September 2025. It was also the first time this season he had failed to complete at least five innings this season. 

Of course, prior to arriving with the Mets, Holmes spent parts of four seasons with the Yankees and Boone as their closer. So the Yankees skipper knows Holmes very well.

“He’s obviously having a great start to the season for them," Boone said. "Has really made a successful transition to being a starter. That sucks. I hate to hear that. Hopefully…he’s able to get back at some point because he’s obviously doing a great job for them.”

Clay Holmes got hit by this comebacker off the bat of Spencer Jones in the fourth inning.

Holmes stayed in the game and pitched into the fifth https://t.co/9itrCjJSGcpic.twitter.com/TwCfIUgz4W

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 16, 2026

Catcher Henniel Alcala was promoted from the rookie ball ACL Cubs to Low-A Myrtle Beach. Alcala was 7 for 15 with three doubles and a home run in Mesa on the young season.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost their fifth-straight, 4-3 in 11 innings to the Nashville Sounds (Brewers)

Jordan Wicks gave the I-Cubs a great chance to win with his only real mistake being a solo home run in the sixth. Wicks allowed one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Ryan Jensen pitched both the tenth and eleventh inning. He allowed the automatic runner to score in both innings, which meant he got the loss. The final line on Jensen was two unearned runs on two hits over 1.1 innings. He struck out two and walked two, but both walks were intentional.

Iowa went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position, which is probably the biggest reason they lost.

Center fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 5 and scored one run.

Left fielder Justin Dean was 2 for 4 with a walk and one run scored.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were canned by the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 6-5.

Starter Brooks Caple allowed four runs on six hits over six innings. Caple struck out six and walked one.

Marino Santy was called from the bullpen to get the save in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, he allowed a two-out, two-run single and took the loss. The final line on Santy was two runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. Santy had one strikeout.

DH Carter Trice stayed red-hot with his third-straight game with a home run and fourth in five. Trice’s home run came with two on in the fifth inning and was his sixth overall. Trice was 1 for 3 with three walks.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He scored twice.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs defanged the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 9-0. After scoring 25 runs last night, they’re slipping.

Cole Reynolds started and got the win with five innings and allowing just one hit. He struck out five, walked two and also hit a batter.

After Ethan Bell pitched a scoreless sixth inning, Adam Stone took it home and picked up a three-inning save. Stone allowed just one baserunner, a single with two outs in the seventh. He struck out four.

The Cubs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, thanks in large part because of a three-run home run by left fielder Leonel Espinoza. It was his third home run of the year. Espinoza went 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored twice in addition to the three RBI.

In the fifth inning, first baseman Cameron Sisneros hit South Bend’s second three-run home run of the night. It was Sisneros’ fifth home run this year. Sisneros went 1 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored.

DH Kane Kepley was 3 for 6 with a double. He scored twice and had one run batted in. Kepley is hitting .388 with a .523 OBP in May so far.

Espinoza’s home run.

We don’t have distances in High-A, but Sisneros’ home run went quite a long ways.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans scored seven runs in the seventh inning and swatted the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves), 7-6.

It was a good start for Braylon Myers, who gave the Birds four scoreless innings. Myers surrendered just two hits and no walks. He struck out five.

Connor Knox pitched the next three innings and allowed two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh, but he got the win after the Pelicans’ huge bottom of the seventh. Knox’s final line was three runs on three hits over three innings. One of the three runs was unearned. He walked two and struck out two.

Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run single.

Left fielder Eli Lovich went 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. He scored once.

Highlights.

ACL Cubs

Lost to the Angels, 14-1.

The St. Louis Cardinals began rivalry weekend welcoming the Kansas City Royals to town and Jordan Walker was on the welcoming committee hitting his 13th home run leading St. Louis to a game 1 win in the I-70 series, but it would take more than 9 innings to do it.

The first three innings of the game were a pitchers duel of sorts with both Dustin May and Michael Wacha not allowing a run until the 4th inning. The Royals struck first, but they received some assists from Dustin May as he walked Pasquantino. Salvador Perez followed that with a single before Carter Jensen doubled scoring Pasquantino giving Kansas City a 1-0 lead. May then walked Jac Caglianone. Collins sacrifice fly scored Perez doubling the Royals lead to 2-0.

The St. Louis Cardinals would immediately even the game in the bottom of the 4th inning after it was ruled that Ivan Herrera was hit by a pitch even though replay showed the ball glanced off the catcher’s glove and not his helmet. The Royals did not challenge which was a 2-run mistake because of what Jordan Walker would do with an 0-2 pitch from Michael Wacha.

Pedro Pagés gave the Cardinals the lead in the bottom of the 5th inning with his solo blast to Freese’s Landing in center field making it 3-2 St. Louis.

Dustin May would start the 6th inning with the lead, but not finish that way as he would again walk Pasquantino to start the inning. May would get Perez to fly out to right, but the Royals would load the bases on singles by Jensen and Caglianone. A Collins ground out to Alec Burleson at first base would score the tying run when Alec’s throw to the plate was too late to get Pasquantino making it 3-3. Dustin May’s final stat line for the night would be 6 innings allowing just 4 hits, but 3 earned runs with 3 strikeouts and 4 walks.

George Soriano and JoJo Romero would pitch around a Bobby Witt Jr. single in the top of the 7th inning keeping the Royals off the board. St. Louis would get off to a flying start in the bottom of the 7th inning as Masyn Winn rifled a double down the left field line. Nathan Church was unsuccessful getting down a bunt to move Winn over to third and then Pagés struck out. Manager Oli Marmol asked Jose Fermin to come off the bench as a pinch hitter with two outs in place of Victor Scott II. He would draw a walk bringing up JJ Wetherholt who was 0-3 up until that point of the game. He would unfortunately softly ground into a force out to end the inning squandering Winn’s leadoff double.

JoJo Romero would also handle the top of the 8th inning with the only wart being a two-out walk to Lane Thomas, but he would not score sending the game into the bottom of the 8th tied 3-3. St. Louis would threaten again in the bottom of the 8th when Herrera and Burleson both singled, but Jordan Walker would hit into bad luck grounding a ball that the Royals third baseman Garcia could grab, step on the base and fire across the diamond for a double play. The Royals then made the curious choice to walk Nolan Gorman bringing up Masyn Winn for a righty-on-righty matchup. Fortunately (for the Royals), that worked out as Winn struck out moving the game into the 9th inning tied.

The Cardinals brought in Riley O’Brien to keep the Royals at bay in the top of the 9th inning. After Massey grounded out to Alec Burleson, Isbel hit a bloop single to center. That brought up the top of the Royals order, but Garcia politely hit into a double play to end the top of the 9th.

Nathan Church led off the bottom of the 9th inning hoping to redeem himself for a missed sacrifice bunt opportunity earlier. He would do that by poking a single into short left-center field. Nathan Church was then gifted a stolen base as Perez throw to second beat him easily, but the ball was dropped during the tag. After Pedro Pagés struck out thanks to a perceptive ABS challenge by Perez. Reliever Strahm gave Jose Fermin nothing to hit walking him on 5 pitches. That brought up JJ Wetherholt. He hit a sac fly to deep left center advancing Church to third base. With Herrera up next, the Royals brought in John Schreiber to try and send the game to extras. Ivan Herrera came within inches of sending the Cardinals home a winner as he hit a screaming line drive to right-center, but Isbel made an incredible catch to save the game.

Ryne Stanek was brought in for the top of the 10th inning. He promptly gave up a double to Bobby Witt Jr. scoring designated runner Garcia giving the Royals a 4-3 lead. It could have been worse as Nathan Church made a great diving stop keeping Witt Jr’s ball from going to the wall. Stanek get Pasquantino to pop out and struck out Perez. The Cardinals chose to eventually intentionally walk Jensen bringing up former Cardinal Lane Thomas who also struck out holding the Royals to just that one run.

The Cardinals hopes in the bottom of the 10th inning would rest in the hands of Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. Designated runner Thomas Saggese would score on the first pitch to Alec Burleson as he immediately ripped a single to right evening the score to 4-4.

Jordan Walker entered the batter’s box with chants of “MVP!” from the crowd. That may eventually prove true, but Jordan unfortunately struck out on a disappearing slider. Nolan Gorman wasted no time crushing a single to right field advancing Burleson to third base with the potential winning run. Masyn Winn struck out for the second out leaving Nathan Church with the hero opportunity. He was only able to muster a weak flyball to right-center ending the 10th inning.

Gordon Graceffo was tasked with top of the 11th inning. He walked Collins on 4 pitches. Massey then gave two examples of how not to bunt before flying out to Fermin in right field, but designated runner Lane Thomas decided not to advance to third. Perhaps he still has some Cardinals tendencies after all. Isbel then grounded out to Alec Burleson, but it wasn’t hit hard enough for a double play, but did give the Cardinals out number two. That brought up Garcia who was hitless in 5 previous at-bats on the night. He would go hitless in the 6th at-bat, too, grounding out to Gorman to end the top of the 11th inning.

The Cardinals had speedster Nathan Church as their designated runner in the bottom of the 11th inning and he was bunted over to third base by Pedro Pagés. Unfortunately, Fermin’s ground out to 2nd base wasn’t enough for Church to score. The Royals chose to intentionally walk JJ Wetherholt which would have brought up Thomas Saggese, but pinch-hit superstar Yohel Pozo was sent to the plate instead. He did what Yohel Pozo often does and walked off the game with a single into right field giving St. Louis a 5-4 victory.

The I-70 series continues Saturday as it’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals playing host for the Kansas City Royals. Kyle Leahy (4-3, 4.31 PCL, 32 SO) will start the Saturday afternoon affair for the Cardinals while Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.55 PCL, 32 SO) will begin the game for the Royals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm at Busch Stadium and the broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.

What’s that viral quote referenced in Ted Lasso time and time again? “It’s the hope that kills you?” Unfortunately, White Sox fans know that all too well, although even hope has been hard to come by in recent years. In those recent years, the moment the White Sox fell behind the game was virtually over. There was no fight from the team, and it was nothing but sadness all season.

We’re still only midway through the month of May, but it’s clear that this White Sox team has plenty of fight in them and won’t go down easily. Unfortunately, it’s the hope for rallies that makes the pending collapses that much harder to watch. It’s only one game in a long season, but all the immaculate vibes leading into this first Crosstown Classic series fell apart in just a few bad innings late in the game, as the White Sox fell to the Cubs, 10-5. It’s certainly not the end of the world, but boy does it feel like it when you lose to a team as universally hated as pineapple on pizza.

The story coming into this game was what we’d see out of Sean Burke and Edward Cabrera. Both have struggled as of late, but have been solid enough this season. White Sox starter Burke blinked first when after getting two quick outs in the first inning he gave up a single, threw a wild pitch that allowed Alex Bregman to advance, and then gave up an RBI single to Ian Happ.

Luckily, Burke got out of the inning without any more damage and it was Cabrera’s turn to take the mound. The Cubs starter held serve in the first inning but faltered as well to start the second, when a hanging changeup was taken out by Colson Montgomery to tie the game up at one apiece.

Both pitchers battled fairly well for the next inning or two until the Cubs brought back their dark magic, sorcery that has allowed a team that has barely scored more runs than the Minnesota Twins to somehow find themselves atop the NL Central.

The Cubbies put together three singles, two coming on decent pitches outside of the strike zone, to take the lead. Fortunately, with runners on the corners Pete Crow-Armstrong decided to lay down a bunt that would’ve been poor from a Little Leaguer. Moisés Ballesteros accepted his fate awaiting for him at home and Burke got out of the inning:

The close game wouldn’t remain close much longer, as Burke just didn’t have it. With the vibes getting too fast and too furious, he looked more like a willing batting practice pitcher in a fifth inning that saw the deficit ballon to three runs.

Luckily, Cabrera pulled his best little brother act after watching Burke struggle and said, “anything you can do, I can do better” by promptly walking three batters and allowing a double to Drew Romo that resulted in the White Sox cutting the deficit to 4-3.

Craig Counsell brought back flashes of his management from his Brewers days and made the wrong decision by selecting Ryan Rolison to try to stem the damage. While he got out of the fifth, he unraveled quickly and the game was tied by a Miguel Vargas homer in the sixth. After that, the Good Guys had multiple chances in scoring position and the fans were getting behind the team, but the hope would fade away quickly.

Bryan Hudson stepped up to the mound with the White Sox looking like they had of all the momentum. Unfortunately that age-old quote came back again. Hudson looked lost for the first time all season, allowing two huge runs to cross the plate, and the Cubs never looked back. They would tack on even more runs in the eighth against the tackling dummy that is Jordan Hicks and the scoreline flattered the visitors in a game that got out of hand in a hurry. There weren’t enough innings left for the White Sox to come back, as they fell 10-5 to the hated northern neighbors.

The hope may be what kills you, but with two games left in the series and the White Sox still at .500, hope is still very much alive.

Game Summary

The Diamondbacks kicked the weekend off right with a big win in Denver. The headline from this one is all about Merrill Kelly and his first career Complete Game. Merrill finally had a good start against the Mets last weekend and he followed it up with quite probably the best start of his career: 9IP, 1 R, 4H and 0 BB.

It’s possible being staked to a 6-run lead before he even reached the mound helped him relax and flow through the game, but, big lead or not, Merrill was dominant in the most Merrill of ways. He wasn’t overpowering, finishing with only 3 Ks and 7 total whiffs, but he pounded the strike zone, getting first pitch strikes in 23/31 plate appearances and had an overall Strike% of 73% which is just about as high as you’ll see anyone get (73% would rank in the top 3% or so of all appearances this season with at least 50 pitches thrown per my BaseballSavant search).

That’s not to say there wasn’t hard contact against Kelly. The Rockies had 10 balls in play classified as Hard Hit, but only 3 resulted in hits. Some of that was good positioning/luck, but there were several good plays by Diamondback defenders that kept Kelly cruising along turbulence free. One of the nicer plays was by Tim Tawa in the 9th inning. As the old baseball maxim goes “the ball will find you” and Tawa was tested right away after being inserted as a pinch runner and defensive replacement for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Leading off the 9th inning, Edouard Julien cracked a line drive toward the left-center wall and Tim Tawa raced over and made a perfectly timed reach above his head before he sprinted into the wall for the critical first out of the inning. If that play wasn’t made, I doubt Kelly finishes the game. Merrill was also quick to credit his defense in the postgame interview. Our defense hasn’t been nails 100% of the time this season, but they have been pretty good most nights and this contest was a nice payoff for the guys behind the pitcher to help their guy go long.

Now, in a game where you score 9 runs, it seems weird to talk about the offense last, but writing about tonight’s offensive outburst was definitely worth the wait. The Diamondbacks scored 9 runs tonight, the first time they’ve scored more than 5 since they scored 9 runs against the Pirates on Cinco de Mayo. In fact, since scoring better than 5 runs 9 different times in their first 21 games, they’ve only scored more than 5 runs 4 times in their last 21 games. The bats have been scuffling, but perhaps a trip to this park, against this pitcher, is exactly what the doctor ordered to snap the offense out of it’s slump.

Kyle Freeland was the Rockies starter tonight and he’s had a bit of a rough go of it recently, and the Diamondbacks have usually fared pretty well against him, too. After a rare first inning challenge overturning a Corbin Carroll Caught Stealing 3rd to a Stolen Base with 2 outs, the Snakes had the next 6 reach and brought home a total of 6 runs in the inning. The telecast noted it was the first time this season that the Diamondbacks had scored 3 or more runs in the first inning this season, which by itself is kind of remarkable. The fact that the offense put up 9 runs in Coors without a homer is also fairly remarkable. The high mark for a road team without a homer in 2026 coming into tonight was 6 runs, and in 2025 only once did a team score at least 9 runs without a homer at Coors. The Diamondbacks were taking their walks and putting the ball in play (5:5 K:BB) and the balls in play were actually falling in for hits instead heading right at defenders gloves. Gold stars for offense go out to Nolan Arenado with 4 BB on the night, Ildemaro going 4/5 (and having a fifth hit taken away on a good defensive play) and Gabi driving in 3 runs. You can’t say the offense is fixed after putting up a crooked number in Colorado, but it felt great to finally see the boys running around the bases again.

Win Probability and Box Score

Outside the Box Score

• Ildemaro Vargas’ RBI single in the first was a rocket back up the box that made the pitcher duck and cover. I would be terrified of that kind of play if I was a pitcher and don’t blame anyone who hits the deck instead of trying to make a play on the ball. 
• The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the first inning and all six scored with 2 outs in the inning. What a fun rally to start off the game!
• Jose Fernandez double during the first inning rally was a hustle double which was great to see from the kid. The ball was softly hit into the right center gap and Fernandez utilized his awesome speed to slide into second safely even though the ball was fielded at medium depth. That’s normally Corbin Carroll hustle double territory, nice to see another player putting that sort of pressure on defenses!
• Merrill Kelly had recorded 2 outs, only thrown 7 pitches and was ahead in a 1-2 count when he threw a changeup that got turned around and sent screaming into the first few rows of the left field bleachers for a solo HR. The trajectory of the hit looked like it never got much higher than the wall, but when a ball is hit at 111 mph, it doesn’t need to get very high to get out. 
• Nolan Arenado was thrown out for the final out in the second inning trying to score from first on an Ildemaro Vargas double down the left field line. Looked like a bad send by our third base coach JR House. Replay showed the Go sign going up when the ball was fielded in the corner and Arenado not quite at third. An excellent relay throw beat Arenado by about 10 yards.
• I haven’t written much about Merrill Kelly thus far, probably because he’s cruising through extremely efficiently. He made it through 6 innings with only 3 hits and 0 walks and needed only 64 pitches to do it!
• The first batter after Tim Tawa came on as a pinch runner and defensive replacement for LGJ in left field drilled a line drive toward the wall in left field and Timmy made a fantastic running grab while reaching above his head just before he hit the wall.

Comment of the Game

The GameDay Thread was fairly sparse for a Friday night with a final tally of 256 comments at time of publishing. Comment of the Game tonight is awarded to AZNailgal520 for her appreciation of former Snake favorite Jake McCarthy:

Coming Up

The Diamondbacks face the Rockies for the second game of this 3-game set tomorrow evening with a 12:10pm first pitch Arizona time. Righthander Tomoyuki Sugano (3-3, 4.07 ERA) will take the mound for Colorado and our favorite hologram, Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 2.25 ERA), takes the ball for the good guys looking to continue his streak as the Snakes unequivocal best starting pitcher.

Heroes, zeros and the inside pitch from the Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Mets on Friday night in the Subway Series in Queens:

Hero

Cam Schlittler’s Subway Series debut was impressive — as has just about everything else the right-hander has done since being called up last season.

He gave up just one run in 6 ²/₃ innings, struck out nine and threw a season-high 106 pitches.

Zero

The Mets offense, arguably the worst in the majors, came up empty against Schlittler — outside of Juan Soto’s homer to left-center in the seventh inning.

Prior to that blast, they had just one hit on the night.

Unsung hero

Ben Rice hit his 14th homer of the year in the ninth, but it was his two-out single in the third that got the Yankees’ three-run rally started against Clay Holmes.

Key stat

111: The exit velocity on Spencer Jones’ comebacker that hit Clay Holmes and fractured the right-hander’s leg.

Holmes hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts prior to Friday, when he gave up four in just 4 ⅓ innings.

Quote

“He’s gonna be down a long time.”

– Carlos Mendoza on Holmes’ absence after suffering a leg fracture.

Following the Mets’ loss to the Yankees tonight, Carlos Mendoza announced that Clay Holmes, who started the game, has a fractured fibula and will be out for a long time. Holmes had taken a line drive to his leg during his start.

Having converted to working at a starter after signing with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season, Holmes has been a success story in his time with the team. While he struggled to go deep into games in the second half last year, he threw 165.2 innings and had a 3.53 ERA in his first year as a starter after working as a reliever for virtually the entirety of his big league career before then.

Holmes really looked the part of a starting pitcher in the early going this season, which makes the injury sting that much more. In nine starts, Holmes has thrown 52.2 innings, and he has a 2.39 ERA and a 3.22 FIP. Two of those starts saw him complete seven innings, a relative rarity in the sport at this time.

Cam Schlittler is really good at pitching a baseball. The young Yankees standout yet again refused to blink as he continued his domination of the major leagues in his sophomore season. Facing former Yankees closer Clay Holmes to open the 2026 edition of the Subway Series, Schlittler again gave the Yankees a solid performance. That gem, along with a three-run third inning, helped set the tone in Queens for a 5-2 victory in favor of the Bronx visitors.

The Yankees hitters seemed unimpressed with Holmes’ streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer in every start this season as that streak came to an end with two outs in the third inning. That was when the Yankees suddenly began lacing the ball to right field.

Ben Rice started the rally with a single before Aaron Judge followed with one of his own. Cody Bellinger then ripped a double into right field to drive in the Yankees’ first run, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with another double to make it 3-0, Bombers.

The Yankees threatened again in the fourth inning, but Holmes was able to escape without further damage. In the home half of the frame, Schlittler struck out Juan Soto before making an incredible play off the mound to end the inning. The web gem is one Yankees fans will likely be seeing on highlight reels for the rest of the season.

Soto also appeared to tweak his back during his second strikeout of the night, briefly causing concern for the Mets. He ultimately remained in the game, though carrying the weight of an entire organization on your shoulders can apparently be a painful experience.

Holmes failed to make it through five innings for the first time this season after issuing a walk to Chisholm in the fifth inning. That free pass ultimately ended the righty’s night after 4.1 innings of work. It was a painful day for Holmes in multiple ways, as an earlier 111.1-mph smash by Spencer Jones fractured Holmes’ fibula, and while he had initially seemed OK to stay in the game, the postgame X-rays revealed bad news for the Mets.

Jones greeted Mets reliever Austin Warren, ripping a hard-hit line drive into right-center field to plate Chisholm and give the Yankees their fourth run charged to the former Yankees closer. Holmes’ final line included four earned runs, on seven hits, with two walks, and eight strikeouts. For a Yankees lineup searching for more consistent production, getting to a tough customer was a good way to start the series.

Soto finally got his team on the board in the seventh inning with a solo home run to right field. Shortly after the blast, Schlittler had another comebacker scorched directly toward his feet. It marked the second time during the game that Schlittler had been hit by a sharply struck ball after also taking one off his leg during his previous outing in Milwaukee.

Schlittler would not be able to close out the seventh inning after his pitch count eclipsed 100 and a walk to Brett Baty ended his night after 6.2 innings of one-run ball. The rookie right-hander finished his outing with nine strikeouts and just two walks in another strong performance.

Aaron Boone then turned to Fernando Cruz. An infield single suddenly brought the tying run to the plate and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and quickly raised the tension level in Queens. Cruz ultimately settled down and got rookie A.J. Ewing to fly out, ending the threat and preserving the Yankees’ lead.

Rice helped the Yankees grab the run back in the top of the ninth inning. The already-likely All-Star launched his 14th home run of the season off Craig Kimbrel, extending the Yankees’ lead to 5-1 and giving the bullpen a little extra breathing room heading to the bottom of the frame.

The Yankees handed the four run lead over to closer David Bednar in a non-save situation. Bednar would walk Soto and then quickly erase him with a double play ball. Bednar didn’t exactly cruise from there though. After a single and a defensive interference call, Baty drove in MJ Melendez to make it 5-2. That, however, was the final score, as Bednar successfully slammed the door.

Schlittler was as good as advertised and the Mets continued to struggle. The Yankees will look to take game two tomorrow as Carlos Rodón makes his second start of the season against a Met yet to be named (likely an opener). First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm ET in another national broadcast, this time on Fox.

Box Score

Apparently no one is safe on the Mets roster. 

Clay Holmes, one of the few bright spots in an ugly Mets season, was drilled by a Spencer Jones comebacker in the top of the fourth Friday and suffered a fractured right fibula that will sideline him indefinitely. 

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Holmes would be “down for a long time.” 

The play happened when Jones led off the top of the fourth. 

Holmes finished the inning and got an out in the fifth before being removed in a 5-2 loss at Citi Field. 

“It’s a huge blow,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s been one of the most consistent guys we have in that rotation. It’s a big blow.” 

To Mendoza’s point, Friday was the first time Holmes allowed more than two runs in his nine starts this season. 

The rotation has already been impacted by the loss of Kodai Senga to lumbar spine inflammation, as well as ineffectiveness by left-handers David Peterson —who has been pitching in a bulk role — and Sean Manaea, who’s in the bullpen. 

Notified of Holmes’ injury, Jones expressed shock. 

“I didn’t know that,’’ Jones said. “I’m sorry. He’s a friend of mine.” 

Jones said the two work out at the same gym in Nashville, Tenn., during the offseason. 

“It’s tough to hear,’’ Jones said. 

Without Holmes, the Mets will need another arm. 

Jonah Tong has struggled with Triple-A Syracuse, with a 5.68 ERA in nine starts and he allowed seven runs- six earned- in just 1 ²/₃ innings in his last outing. 

Right-hander Jack Wenninger, 24, has been the best pitcher for Syracuse, with a 1.08 ERA in seven starts this season. He hasn’t given up a run in any of his previous three starts. 

Whomever the Mets call upon, they’ll unlikely be able to fill Holmes’ shoes. 

In his second season as a starting pitcher after pitching in the Yankees bullpen, Holmes was a candidate for the All-Star Game, with a 1.86 ERA in his first eight starts this year. 

But that all changed with the Jones comebacker. 

“It’s really sad,’’ Juan Soto said of Holmes’ injury. “It’s part of the game. We’re gonna support him. It just sucks. .. We have to keep our heads up and keep moving forward. We’re gonna miss Clay.” 

They’ve already missed Soto due to a strained calf and are still missing Francisco Lindor, who also suffered a calf strain. 

Key offseason additions Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco, off to bad starts in Queens, are also on the IL with no expectation they’ll be back soon. 

The lineup has been revived by rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, but a Mets team that was already rattled by injuries and underperformance will now be without their top pitcher for the foreseeable future in what’s already been a long season at Citi Field.