Category: MLB

The Great Lakes Loons made official on Tuesday what was first reported on Sunday, that infielder Emil Morales was promoted to High-A. He’s batting cleanup and playing shortstop in his Loons debut on Tuesday.

Morales, who turns 20 in September, joins fellow top-100 prospects Josue De Paula (start of 2025) and Eduardo Quintero (last July) as Dodgers teenagers getting promoted to Great Lakes.

Morales hit .323/.385/.570 with a 134 wRC+ and 24 extra-base hits in 36 games for Class-A Ontario, and counting his time with Rancho Cucamonga last season hit .330/.401/.560 with 26 doubles, 11 home runs, and three triples in 66 games in Class-A.

He hit home runs on both Saturday and Sunday, his final two games with the Tower Buzzers.

With Ontario, Morales played 23 games at shortstop and nine at third base this season, with Joendry Vargas splitting time between shortstop and second base. Kellon Lindsey, another shortstop and the Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2024, returned from the injured list last week and played his three games at second base. This frees up time at shortstop in Class-A. Jose Izarra and Eduardo Guerrero covered the innings at shortstop for Great Lakes before Morales’ arrival.

Morales was named to five top-100 prospect lists in the offseason, and has since moved up in a few rankings. He’s now ranked 57th by MLB Pipeline, up from 92nd in January, and at Baseball America Morales went from unranked in the offseason to the No. 61 prospect in baseball now.

From Josh Norris at Baseball America:

Amid a sea of talented outfielders, Morales stands as the Dodgers’ best infielder. After early struggles last year in the Arizona Complex League, he righted the ship and continued his success at Low-A before the close of the season. That success has extended into 2026, which has seen him hit for both average and power. He might not stick at shortstop, but his bat should profile easily at any position on the diamond.

So far this season, Curtis Mead has been the Nats most underrated hitter. The Aussie infielder has put up really impressive numbers to start the season. Mead has an .815 OPS, a 133 wRC+ and has more walks than strikeouts. Entering the season, this was seen as Mead’s last chance to prove himself, and he is taking advantage of the opportunity.

There was a time where Curtis Mead was a big time prospect. Entering 2023, he was the 33rd ranked prospect in all of baseball with a 65 grade hit tool. However, he struggled to translate his minor league production into big league success for the Rays. Eventually, Tampa traded him to the White Sox, who DFA’d Mead and traded him to the Nats for Boston Smith.

At this point, Curtis Mead knew he had to make changes before time ran out. Mead told Federal Baseball that he attributes his early success this season to, “controlling the zone and trying to swing the bat when I think I can do damage”. The numbers bear this out as well. Last season, Mead had a 27.8% chase rate, but has dropped that to 23.2% this season. Mead’s walk rate has also gone from 5.7% to a crazy 15.8%.

For hitters with great bat to ball skills, they can sometimes fall into the trap of swinging at pitches just because they are able to hit it. As Mead is maturing as a hitter, he is learning to key in on pitches he can drive. He also told me that he thinks he is doing a better job digging into opposing pitcher scouting reports and looking at what pitch types are the ones they want hitters to chase.

By finding better pitches to hit, Mead is tapping into his power. His four home runs are already a career high. As a prospect, Mead was seen as having at least average power, but it had not translated because he was not swinging at the right pitches. Now he is, and Mead has hit some clutch home runs, most notably a two run blast against the Giants.

Last season, Mead had just 14 extra base hits in 240 at bats. This year, he has 12 in just 94 AB’s. This has been a crazy breakout, and it is really cool for the Aussie. Over the past couple years, he has been known as the guy that got traded for Cristopher Sanchez. For a while, it looked like the Rays were going to win that swap, but Sanchez blossomed into the best left handed pitcher in the National League, while Mead struggled.

Now, Mead is also having big league success. Part of the reason for that is that there is not as much pressure on him now that he has pretty much been written off. He told me that “It has been nice to just play my game and not worry about my situation as much”. 

Part of that is having less pressure on him, but he also has a defined role now. Mead starts just about every game against left handed pitching, and usually comes off the bench when a lefty reliever comes in. While he has been used as a lefty killer, his splits are actually pretty similar, with his OPS being slightly higher against righties. 

We saw Mead come up with a huge hit against a right handed pitcher last night. The 25 year old hit a game tying double against Tobias Myers in the 8th inning. It was a great piece of hitting, with the Aussie shooting a line drive into the right-center gap. That is the type of thing scouts expected Mead to be doing all the time when he was coming up through the minors.

It has taken a while, but it really does seem like Mead has found his footing. There are not many guys that can walk more than they strike out in the modern game, but that is exactly what Curtis Mead is doing. Playing for his former minor league manager, Blake Butera, Curtis Mead is coming into his own.

Rick Cerone celebrates his 72nd birthday today.

Cerone was one of the original Blue Jays. Four months and one day before their inaugural game, Toronto traded for Rick and John Lowenstein, sending Rico Carty to Cleveland. The Jays had selected Carty from Cleveland in the expansion draft and reacquired him in March 1978.

Cerone appeared in the Blue Jays’ first-ever game, going 2-for-4 with a double in a snowy victory over the White Sox. He played four games that first week before being sent to AAA. Cerone returned for a game in May and rejoined the team for good in mid-August, finishing the season with a .200/.245/.270 line in 31 games.

In 1978, Cerone played 88 games, hitting .223/.284/.298 with 3 home runs while sharing catching duties with Alan Ashby. After the season, Toronto traded Ashby to the Astros, making Cerone the full-time catcher in 1979.

Cerone improved at the plate in 1979, hitting .239/.294/.358 with 7 home runs over 136 games.

Following the 1979 season, Cerone, along with Tom Underwood and Ted Wilborn, was traded to the Yankees for Chris Chambliss, Damaso Garcia, and Paul Mirabella. The Jays then sent Chambliss to the Braves for Barry Bonnell, Joey McLaughlin, and Pat Rockett. Damaso Garcia went on to play seven seasons with Toronto. Both trades proved beneficial for the Blue Jays.

Yankees catcher Thurman Munson tragically died during the 1979 season when he crashed his plane while taking flying lessons.

Cerone had an outstanding 1980 season, hitting .277/.321/.432 with 14 home runs—by far his best offensive performance—while helping the Yankees finish first in the AL East. He finished 7th in MVP voting. Rick would go on to play five seasons with the Yankees, reaching the World Series once, where they lost to the Dodgers in 1981.

After his time with the Yankees, Cerone played for the Braves, Brewers, Yankees again, Red Sox, Yankees yet again, Mets, and finally the Expos, where he became the backup to my favourite player, Gary Carter.

Cerone enjoyed an 18-year MLB career, hitting .245/.301/.343 with 59 home runs in 1,329 games. While he was never a great hitter—he had only two seasons with an OPS+ over 100—he embodied the hard-nosed catcher. Cerone was sound defensively, possessed a strong arm, and excelled at blocking the plate. My lasting memory of him is his perpetually dirty uniform.

Of all the Blue Jays who played in the team’s first game, Cerone had, by far, the best career.

After retiring, Cerone worked in broadcasting for a few years. It would be fascinating to hear his thoughts on the early days of the Blue Jays and his reaction to the trade to the Yankees. I imagine he was thrilled to join a contending team.

Happy Birthday, Rick—I hope it’s a great one.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to snap a three-game losing streak in their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals today.

Aided by a starting pitching advantage, my Pirates vs. Cardinals predictions see the road team getting back on track.

Let's take a closer look at my MLB picks for Tuesday, May 19.

Who will win Pirates vs Cardinals today: Pittsburgh Pirates (-110)

Matthew Liberatore owns a 4.40 ERA, and that is flattering based on how he has pitched. He ranks in the 10th percentile in xERA (5.83) and the fifth in xBA (.297).

He has started four games against teams ranking in the Top-10 in OBP and Top-16 in walk rate. Liberatore allowed four earned runs in three of them.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a good spot to score, and it'll be difficult for the St. Louis Cardinals to keep up. Mitch Keller has allowed two runs or fewer in five of six starts against teams outside of the Top 10 in OBP. 

COVERS INTEL: The Pirates rank eighth in line drive rate against left-handed pitching this month.

Pirates vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Over 8.0 (-115)

The Pirates lead the majors in hard-hit rate against left-handed pitching, ranking just ahead of the Yankees and Dodgers. That's a sign results should follow – especially facing a vulnerable pitcher like Liberatore.

Konnor Griffin and Bryan Reynolds own wOBAs above .365 vs. lefties, while Oneil Cruz (.237) and Brandon Lowe (.196) have provided power. They have the weapons to score.

Keller has performed much worse against left-handed hitters, and the Cardinals are expected to start five, headlined by JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson. 

This total should be half a run higher.

Pirates vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Pirates -110 | Cardinals -110
• Run line: Pirates -1.5 (+150) | Cardinals +1.5 (-175)
• Over/Under: Over 8.0 (-115) | Under 8.0 (-115)

Pirates vs Cardinals trend

Pittsburgh has hit the moneyline in 16 of the last 30 away games (+4.3 units, 13% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Cardinals.

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Coming off a 12-0 thumping, their worst loss of the year, the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves look to get back in the win column as they continue their series with the Miami Marlins.

While the books have Atlanta as the road favorite today at loanDepot Park, they’re getting just -133 moneyline odds.

That makes my Braves vs. Marlins prediction and free MLB picks pretty easy: back the visitors on Tuesday, May 19.

Who will win Braves vs Marlins today: Braves moneyline (-133)

The Atlanta Braves have just two losing streaks all year (of two and three games, respectively), so I expect them to bounce back large behind Martin Perez.

In five starts, he’s got a cool 2.25 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 36 innings, striking out 28.

Shut out for the first time all year, baseball’s second-highest scoring team should tee off on Miami Marlins starter Braxton Garrett.

Against lefties, the Braves rank first in total hits and RBI and lead the NL in homers (20).

Moreover, when you get such a low price for the best team in baseball to win straight up against an opponent it typically handles with ease, I'll take the Atlanta moneyline every time. That's as valuable as any in-game stat to convince me to take the visitors.

COVERS INTEL: Garrett has yet to beat the Braves. In five starts, he’s 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA, giving up 29 hits in 21 innings of work, including four home runs.

Braves vs Marlins Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+102)

The Over has been thriving in the recent matchups, going 6-0-1 over the last seven head-to-head meetings.

Miami has seen the Over cash in six straight games, while Atlanta has gone Over the total in back-to-back contests.

Atlanta is baseball’s second-best scoring team on the road, while Miami ranks in the Top 10 at home.

The Marlins also don’t know what they’ll get out of Garrett. In his lone start this season, he was chased after just 1 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and five earned runs, while walking five. That's not a recipe for Unders, especially with baseball's best lineup looming.

Braves vs Marlins odds

• Moneyline: Braves -133 | Marlins +127
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+127) | Marlins +1.5 (-138)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-108)

Braves vs Marlins trend

Atlanta has won each of their last seven games against the Marlins following a loss. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Marlins.

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Last Monday, Alex Freeland was the odd man out in the Dodgers infield when Mookie Betts was activated off the injured list. Freeland was optioned to Triple-A, but made the most of things with Oklahoma City, winning Pacific Coast League player of the week in his first week back in the minors.

The switch-hitting Freeland hit .400/.464/.920 with three home runs — one hit right-handed, two left-handed — and two triples, with three walks, eight runs scored, and 11 runs batted in in five games on the road against the Albuquerque Isotopes, a Colorado Rockies affiliate.

A shortstop by trade, Freeland has played second base and third base in his major league time with the Dodgers last year and this year. Back with Oklahoma City last week, he started three times at third base and twice at second base.

Freeland is the second Comets player to win player of the week honors this season, joining first baseman and outfielder James Tibbs III for the week of March 31-April 5.

Freeland was not the only Dodgers minor leaguer to capture an award on Monday. Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers right-hander Isaac Ayon took home California League pitcher of the week after his 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings last Wednesday at home, allowing only one single and no walks to the San Jose Giants.

Ayon, drafted out of Oregon in the 18th round in 2024, has a 2.96 ERA in seven games, including five starts for Ontario this season, with 35 strikeouts against only five walks in his 27 1/3 innings. Among all Dodgers minor league pitchers with at least 20 innings in 2026, Ayon’s 28-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate ranks third, trailing only Christian Zazueta (33 percent) for High-A Great Lakes and Ayon’s Ontario teammate Brady Smith (29.9 percent).

Ayon is the second Tower Buzzers player to win weekly honors this season. Marlon Nieves was California League pitcher of the week for the week of April 6-12.

For his efforts, Ayon was promoted to High-A Great Lakes on Tuesday.

Back on October 9th of last year, an announcement came from the Atlanta Braves that may not have raised a ton of eyebrows at the time. However the effects of that move are being felt right now in a very noticeable way in the team’s farm system.

That move in question is the Braves parting ways with Paul Davis, who had been the team’s director of pitching development since 2020. Davis was there for the rise of pitchers like Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep among others who have already established themselves in the big leagues, and the likes of JR Ritchie, Didier Fuentes, Jhancarlos Lara, and Owen Murphy who are now right there or just on the doorstep.

How big of an impact is this move having? Well let’s take a look at the ERA’s of the Braves full season affiliates for this year against the last few years to give you a better idea. Note that the FCL isn’t being mentioned due to the small sample size, and the DSL is yet to begin their season.

Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A)

2021 was a team 3.72 ERA, 2022 was a 4.37 ERA, 2023 was 4.95, 2024 was 4.33, and 2025 was 4.07. Through 45 games the ERA is 4.33 this year. Note this is probably the level least effected, as a lot of these guys are more veterans than true prospects.

Columbus Clingstones (Double-A)

2025 had a 3.92 ERA, and is as far as we will go back here as the team was in Mississippi before 2025, and different park factors are at play. This year the ERA is 5.60 through 38 games, or almost 2 full runs higher than last year.

Rome Emperors (High-A)

2021 was a 3.97 ERA, as was 2022. In 2023 it was 4.09, followed by 3.47 in 2024. Last year it was 3.72. Through 39 games it is 4.82 this year, more than a full run higher than two of the five previous years and almost a full run higher than two more.

Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A)

2021 had a 5.11 ERA, which went down to 4.52 in 2022. In 2023 it was 4.41, then 4.04 in 2024. Last year it was at 3.70. Through 39 games it is 4.65 this year, which is quite a bit higher than four of the five years we have looked at.

It’s not just the affiliates that have struggled this year. In fact multiple Braves pitching prospects have seen their results go backwards as well, without many making the big leap in their development.

Jhancarlos Lara is pitching to a 9.28 ERA in Double-A and walking nearly two guys per inning through 10.2 innings. Fellow Columbus reliever Elison Joseph has also seen the walks skyrocket, while dropping nearly four off his K/9 total from the same level last year, and hasn’t looked to have the same stuff.

While it’s not an apples to apples comparison since he spent last year in Low-A and is in High-A this year, Cam Caminiti has also seemed to regress a bit. Cam is missing less bats, while giving up nearly 10 hits per nine innings pitched. Fellow top prospect Owen Murphy is in a similar boat, facing better competition this year and struggling more with his command than we had ever seen from him.

The examples there could go on and on, like Lucas Braun missing less bats. After making his big league debut last year following complete domination across the minors, Hayden Harris is walking guys at a career high rate and has 1.64 WHIP in 17.2 innings. Sixth round pick Landon Beidelschies is giving up almost two hits per inning in Low-A. Even Garrett Baumann is having more issues with his command than we’ve previously ever seen from him, leading to more hits and walks allowed than we’ve ever seen from him.

Conclusion

It may or may not have been the right call to move on from Davis after last season ended, as the pitching injuries had been an issue for the past couple of seasons for young Braves pitchers. However the changes they have made have had the opposite effect to date, and the Braves are going to need to take a really close look at this as soon as possible, in order to do something to right the ship and not cost all of these pitching prospects a year of lost development.

Note that I initially wrote this article last week, and over the last four to five games, things have gone slightly better overall. Team ERA’s have actually dropped by a little, while some of the individual pitchers have actually improved their numbers a bit – Lara, Baumann, and Cade Kuehler in particular. Still to this point, we have seen far more pitchers take a step backwards this year than forwards – really only Ethan Bagwell seems to have taken a step forward, and some of that is simply on the fact he is now healthy again after dealing with injury last season.

Game Recaps

Diamondbacks get production from entire lineup in win over Giants by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

Not to be lost on Monday was a solid performance from D-backs starter Zac Gallen, who delivered his first quality start (six-plus innings, three earned runs or fewer) since April 1. That was the game when he blanked the Detroit Tigers for six innings, outdueling Tarik Skubal.

Gallen allowed two runs in the first three innings but settled down, retiring the final seven batters he faced. He only threw 81 pitches in the blowout.

Arenado’s 1st inning slam sets the tone in D-backs 10-run win by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]

Everyone got into the act with each member of the starting lineup collecting at least one hit, as the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in their last five games.

Nolan Arenado set the tone with a grand slam as the fourth batter in the first inning, and Gabriel Moreno added a two-run shot in the fifth.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks’ A.J. Puk to start facing live hitters in big step toward return by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher A.J. Puk is scheduled to face live hitters at Salt River Fields on Tuesday, the first time he will do so since undergoing elbow surgery last summer, manager Torey Lovullo said on Monday.

Puk entered 2025 as a co-closer with Justin Martinez, and they along with starter Corbin Burnes made up the big three, so-to-speak, of key pitchers who needed season-ending elbow surgeries. Puk is ahead of Martinez (potentially August) and Burnes (July target) on their respective return timelines.

If all goes well on Tuesday, Puk could return to game action this weekend in the Arizona Complex League.

Examining five struggling D-backs: Reasons for optimism and concern by Brent Maguire [DBacks.com]

Zac Gallen, RHP

Reasons for optimism: Gallen has a 5.65 ERA in nine starts but he still has plenty of time to turn it around. The velocity and pitch movement are largely in line with his career norms and he’s still only 30, so there aren’t many physical reasons to fret too much. Even with the decline he’s shown in recent years, he’s never been this bad, and some ERA indicators (4.69 FIP, 4.51 xFIP) suggest he should be a bit better.

Reasons for concern: That aforementioned decline is hard to ignore at this point. His ERA and overall production has consistently regressed each season since his peak from 2022-23 and there are even more worrying trends this year. His strikeout rate is at a career-low 15 percent (he’s never been below 21.5 percent in a season) as is his 18.5 percent whiff rate. Until the whiffs come back, Gallen will likely continue to struggle.

D-backs, Mike Hazen Make 6-Figure Donation to Ivy Brain Tumor Center by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and the Barrow Women’s Board, will present a sizable donation to the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and Dr. Nader Sanai during Monday night’s pre-game festivities, the team announced in a press release.

Mike Hazen, alongside his sons John and Sam Hazen, will take the opportunity to honor late wife and mother Nicole Hazen, who tragically passed away from a brain tumor in 2022. The donation will be worth $200,000, as part of Brain Tumor Awareness night at Chase Field.

Around the League

How the Hall of Pretty Good became your favorite players’ favorite account by Michael Clair [MLB]

Like a modern Mount Olympus, the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s doors open only to the greatest of the greats, those remarkable ballplayers who stood out from their big league brethren the way the Greek gods towered over us mere mortals.

But for those players who didn’t put together the numbers necessary to reach Cooperstown, they no longer need worry about being forgotten by time’s cruel march forward. Enter: The Hall of Pretty Good.

Yes, in a world where social media seems hellbent on division and discord, there is one place on the internet that is a bastion of baseball positivity. It’s a place where fans and their ballplaying heroes can unite, sharing memories together in the Hall of Pretty Good’s comment section — a space traditionally reserved for only the foulest of trolls.

Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong regrets words in heated exchange with fan by Jesse Rogers [ESPN]

The incident occurred in the fifth inning after Crow-Armstrong crashed into the wall attempting to catch a fly ball off the bat of White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas. As Crow-Armstrong sat on the ground — in front of fans seated below the bleachers and near the visitors bullpen — a woman heckled him, leading to a vulgar response from the Cubs’ third-year player.

The interaction was captured by camera phones and went viral.

“I saw the cameras in my face, it’s not like I didn’t,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m definitely aware of the fact that it has blown up. … I am intense on the field. In a moment like that, I think I let it get away from me a little bit.”

Everybody Who’s Anybody is Getting Loose Bodies, and Now It’s Blake Snell’s Turn by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]

It would be inaccurate to say that that Blake Snell saw what teammate Edwin Díaz and fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal both had and decided he wanted in. Clusters of injuries, such as the wave of broken hamate bones from this spring or the more recent outbreak of loose bodies in pitchers’ elbows, are just coincidences instead of sudden fads or outbreaks. Nonetheless, like Díaz and Skubal before him, Snell will undergo surgery on Tuesday, with the expectation that he’ll return this season.

Rangers Place Corey Seager on Injury List by Darragh McDonald [MLB Trade Rumors]

The Rangers announced that shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 15th, due to lower back inflammation. Infielder/outfielder Michael Helman has been recalled as the corresponding move. Prior to the official announcement, president of baseball operations Chris Young revealed the Seager news on 105.3 The Fan, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News and Kennedi Landry of MLB.com noted that Helman was with the club in Colorado.

It’s been a rough campaign for Seager so far. He currently has a batting line of .179/.286/.353. His defensive metrics are also notably worse than last year. He last played on Wednesday, with the back issue keeping him sidelined since then. It was reported yesterday that he had undergone an MRI and would be visiting a specialist. It appears the Rangers decided that he could use a bit more time off. Due to the backdating, he could be back in a week, though it’s unclear if that’s a realistic expectation.

Good morning! Last night’s Mariners win had just about everything: a first inning Julio homer, a wacky obstruction call in the third inning, a dominant Bryan Woo outing, and an incredible moment for Colt Emerson’s first major league hit in the form of a three-run home run.

Bryce Miller will hope to build on the momentum from the 6-1 win as he takes the mound tonight at 6:40 PM against Chicago White Sox LHP Anthony Kay.

In Mariners news…

• Luis Castillo has been moved to the bullpen prior to his “piggyback” start with Bryce Miller. It is assumed that Miller with throw the first four to five innings tonight and Castillo will follow with a few innings of relief.
• The Mariners announced a series of roster moves prior to last night’s game, including Patrick Wisdom’s activation from the IL and Leo Rivas heading back down to Triple-A Tacoma.
• Matt Brash is very close to returning from the IL after a pair of rehab outings in Triple-A Tacoma, and Gabe Speier is reportedly not far behind.

Around the league…

• Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10-day IL with lower back inflammation.
• MLB veteran Gio Urshela has announced his retirement from baseball after 10 seasons with eight different teams.
• Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel will be shut down for another 3-6 weeks after injuring his knee while rehabbing his hamstring in Triple-A Charlotte.
• The New York Mets scored a whopping 10 runs in the 12th inning of their 16-7 win over the Washington Nationals last night.
• Somehow, a second team scored 16 runs yesterday as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 16-6 with a season-high 18 hits.
• The Kansas City Royals have placed LHP Kris Bubic on the 15-day IL due to left elbow soreness.
• Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers is seeing drastic improvements at the plate this season after changing multiple aspects of his approach.
• After finding themselves just three outs away from being no-hit, the Los Angeles Angels managed to walk-off the Athletics with a home run from shortstop Zach Neto.

You can’t really call a game in mid-May with the team still in comfortable playoff position and only two games behind the leaders a “must win,” but for vibes reasons, the Yankees sure could’ve used a victory on Monday. They got one, but it was quite the nerve-wracker.

For one, they had to come from behind, taking a lead on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. home run off the foul pole. Then after Sunday’s adventure, they still called on David Bednar for the save, but he made things as stressful as possible before getting Vladmir Guerrero Jr. — of all people — to ground out to end the game.

With the Yankees at least halting their woes for the day, let’s see if the win allowed them to gain any ground anywhere, as it’s time for today’s Rivalry Roundup.

Tampa Bay Rays (31-15) 16, Baltimore Orioles (21-27) 6

Unfortunately for the Yankees, the Rays stayed hot, as they scored early and often to crush the Orioles.

Tampa Bay took an initial lead on Ryan Vilade’s sac fly in the first inning, but they fully broke things open in the second. The Rays batted around, recording five runs on six hits and a walk. The biggest blow came on a two-run double from Johnny DeLuca, which took the lead from four to six.

Baltimore got on the board themselves after that, but the Rays, answered and then kept the offense coming. They cracked double digits by the fifth inning and ended up with 16 runs on 18 hits for the game. Both Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero had four-RBI days, with Díaz going 4-for-5, while only one Tampa Bay starter failed to reach base at least once.

On the mound, Shane McClanahan wasn’t even particularly good, allowing four runs in five innings. The Orioles’ six runs on 12 hits would be enough to win plenty of games, it just didn’t come particularly close in this one.

Other Games

• Cleveland Guardians (27-22) 8, Detroit Tigers (20-28) 2: While the Tigers struck first, the Guardians slowly and surely pulled away to gain more breathing room in the AL Central. José Ramírez was, well, José Ramírez, going 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBI, including a late home run to put the game away. The Guardians also got 7.1 good innings from Slade Cecconi, who allowed only two runs on five hits.

• Boston Red Sox (20-27) 3, Kansas City Royals (20-28) 1: Willson Contreras’ two-run homer led the way for Boston as they won a low-scoring game over the Royals. Sonny Gray was also solid on the mound for the Red Sox, allowing just one run in six innings, while striking out nine.

• Colorado Rockies (19-29) 7, Texas Rangers (22-25) 6: The Rangers made a charge late, but they ended up falling one run short against the Rockies. Led by Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle, the Rockies jumped out to a 7-3 lead through six innings. Texas chipped away at that deficit in the eighth, getting within one run, and putting the go-ahead run in scoring position, but were unable to complete the comeback.

• Seattle Mariners (23-26) 6, Chicago White Sox (24-23): The Mariners cooled off the hot White Sox thanks to a strong outing from Bryan Woo. The Seattle starter allowed no runs on three hits in six innings, while a three-RBI game from recent call-up Colt Emerson, including his first major league hit/home run, allowed the M’s to win without much trouble.

Welcome to Tuesday everyone!

We were treated to some grade-A pitching last night from young right-hander J.T. Ginn. For eight innings the 26-year-old only allowed one walk while taking a no-hitter into the ninth. We’re going to ignore what happened in the final inning from last night’s game because we can.

That performance dropped Ginn’s season ERA to a nice 2.98 through 11 games. That number alone is good for ninth-best in the American League but his dominance goes deeper than that. One must remember that Ginn didn’t even begin the season in the starting rotation, instead acting as a long man out of the bullpen for the first couple turns through the rotation. If we’re only looking at his starting appearances that number drops to 2.64 in eight starts.

Not a lot of people expected Ginn to take off quite like he has this year. In his first cup of coffee in 2024 he showed glimpses of what had the A’s so high on him. He had some bumps and bruises in his first extended action last year though, going from starter to reliever and back to starter again as a rookie. Not an easy situation for anyone to deal with, especially someone who is still trying to find their footing in the big leagues. Add on top of that Ginn allowing 17 runs in 16 innings of work this spring and no one would blame you for being caught off guard by Ginn’s ascent.

Since getting his shot he’s done what tons of pitchers in this league try and fail to accomplish: take advantage of their opportunity. Ginn could have very easily been a spot-starter had he struggled, with someone like Mason Barnett waiting in the wings for his own chance. Instead he’s relied on terrific command while keeping the ball in the ballpark. The strikeouts aren’t the name of his game as he’s instead relying on that heavy sinker to get the ground balls he wants. That’s especially useful in a hitter’s park like Sutter Health Park.

Going forward it’s good to be hopeful that Ginn has truly unlocked something and this isn’t just a hot streak. Every A’s fan was perfectly happy to let Ginn go for history tonight, pitch count be damned. That said, it may be prudent to keep a handle on his innings count going forward. Acquired in the trade that sent Chris Bassitt to New York, Ginn already has a Tommy John surgery on his ledger and he pitched a career-high 112 1/3 frames last year. He’s already departed one game earlier this year with “arm soreness”.

How high is the limit for Ginn? Scouts always believes he would, at best, settle in as a backend 4th/5th starter type but he’s making everyone rethink that calculus. And if he keeps this up he’s going to be in the rotation long-term, waiting for guys like Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold to hurry up and join him in the big league rotation.

Same time same place for tonight’s game. Have a great day A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Suffer Heartbreaker to Open Road Trip
• ‘Gut-wrenching’: Ginn takes no-no into ninth only to give up walk-off home run
• Athletics Outright Michael Stefanic
• A’s Bullpen, Defense Collapse in Series-Deciding Loss to Giants
• How John Fisher betrayed Oakland (again) by finally spending on the Athletics
• A’s Drop Saturday Contest To Giants 6-4
• Kurtz Blasts the A’s to a 5-2 Victory Over the Giants
• The Giants-A’s rivalry is officially dead
• A’s get lefty reliever Suarez in trade with Mariners
• Bolte Flashes In Athletics’ Win Over Cardinals
• Kurtz shakes off pain, crushes massive grand slam to lift A’s
• A’s roster moves: Bolte, Stefanic recalled; Wilson to IL; Harris optioned, Nuñez DFA’d
• There’s Forcing Your Way Up And There’s Bolte — Is There A Spot For Him?
• May Roster Shuffle Could Help The A’s — But They’d Have To Want It
• Athletics’ Wei-En Lin Continues Rising The Ranks
• Now that we’ve seen a two-way player, what about a three-way player?
• A Walk In The Park Is Nice…To A Point
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In May

MLB News and Interest:

• Dodgers’ Glasnow has setback; Snell set for NanoScope procedure
• Yankees consider bringing ace Gerrit Cole back early
• Seager placed on injured list with lower back inflammation
• Houston Astros Activate Star Shortstop Jeremy Peña
• Jake Fraley To Undergo Sports Hernia Procedure
• Rangers’ MacKenzie Gore leaves with muscle tightness in back
• Kyle Teel Shut Down With LCL Sprain
• Nationals To Recall Dylan Crews
• Mets achieve rare extra-inning feat not seen in 43 years
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Injury updates!

Updated prospect list:

Stefanic heading down to Triple-A:

The streak continues:

It’s pretty good:

A’s great Gio Urshela riding off into the sunset:

Andrew Friedman got the last laugh last year, and another ring. At the trade deadline, you screamed he had to do SOMETHING BIG to get a left fielder and a closer. He did neither. The Dodgers rode a parade of starters to win Game 7 in Toronto, before they rode in a parade in L.A.

There are few things Friedman despises more than a deadline trade. The price in prospects is too high, the guarantees are too few.

Friedman might well face that same dilemma this year. We are two months from the trade deadline, and he just might need to trade for a starting pitcher by then.

Blake Snell undergoes elbow surgery Tuesday. Tyler Glasnow is back to square one in his recovery from back spasms. The Dodgers believe both will be back by the trade deadline, but you never really know for sure when an injured pitcher will return, and whether he will need some time thereafter to regain his sharpness.

Read more:Dodgers offense falls quiet in loss to Padres: 'Just couldn't get it done'

There is something else Friedman despises: finishing second. It is not just about getting into the playoffs. It is about winning the National League West, with one of the two best records in the league, thus ensuring a first-round bye.

However, in a division race that was projected to be a runaway, the Dodgers find themselves in second place. With a 1-0 loss in San Diego Monday, the Padres leapfrogged the Dodgers for the lead in the NL West.

The Dodgers also figure to have a short time frame to determine whether they might need bullpen help at the trade deadline. The Dodgers have said closer Edwin Díaz is expected to return from elbow surgery sometime after the All-Star break, which would confine that time frame to two weeks, if that.

On Monday, Friedman said he was confident that the three key pitching injuries would not push him toward the July trade market.

“It’s more that the timing of the injuries would be way easier if they were spaced out,” Friedman said in a text message. “Obviously, injuries are part of the game and we can’t be shocked when it happens.

“It’s the overlapping nature that is tough in the moment, but that doesn’t really change July thoughts (at this point) or October outlook.”

In the third week of May, nothing is urgent.

The Dodgers are supplementing where they can, picking up three pitchers cut by their former clubs. The only one with name recognition: Eric Lauer, who posted a 6.69 earned-run average for the Toronto Blue Jays and complained about the team using an opener ahead of him.

The Dodgers can mix and match for awhile, but a team that prides itself on positioning its starters best for October success finds itself in an awkward position.

With Snell and Glasnow out, the Dodgers have little choice but to ask Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki to take regular turns. No one but Yoshinobu Yamamoto has done that recently.

“You have to deal with the circumstances that are presented to you,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re not pushing any of these guys right now. It could be a different conversation in September.

“Right now, they’ve got to take the baseball. In May, I don’t think it’s much cause for concern.”

Before the season, Fangraphs projected the Dodgers to win the NL West by 15 games, and to finish 17 games ahead of the fourth-place Padres. However, if what we see in the NL West right now is close to what we get all summer, that “different conversation in September” could involve not how to put a starter on a glide path toward October but whether that starter has exhausted himself to the point where he could not be counted on in an unexpected pennant race.

Ohtani is on pace to pitch 149 innings, a figure he last reached in 2022. He pitched 47 last year, none the year before.

Wrobleski is on pace to pitch 171 innings, 39 more than the professional high he set last season. He pitched 117 innings last year.

Read more:Dodgers give injury updates on Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Brusdar Graterol

Sheehan is on pace to pitch 141 innings, 18 more than his professional high. He pitched 93 innings last season, none the year before.

Sasaki is on pace to pitch 137 innings, eight more than his professional high. He pitched 57 innings last season.

Maybe Lauer turns from a Dodger killer into a Dodger asset. Perhaps prospect River Ryan gets promoted into the starting rotation next month and sticks.

But July trades for starting pitchers need not be such a scary proposition. Friedman acquired Yu Darvish at the trade deadline in 2017 and Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline in 2024, and no one in Dodger Land is bemoaning the loss of Willie Calhoun, Trey Sweeney and Thayron Liranzo.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

On Monday night, Athletics starting pitcher J.T. Ginn was cruising. He reached the bottom of the ninth against the Los Angeles Angels without allowing a hit, and had ten strikeouts to his credit as he took the bump to close out the contest.

Six pitches later he had lost the no-hitter, and the game.

Ginn was masterful through the first eight innings, allowing just two batters to reach base, one via a walk and another via a hit-by-pitch. He was also perfect through the first 4.1 innings of the game, the Angels failed to even put a runner on base. As the ninth inning began the Athletics held a slim 1-0 lead, but with Ginn on just 99 pitches and yet to allow a hit, he took the mound hoping to close out his third win of the season, and a no-hitter.

But the tide turned, and rather quickly.

Infielder Adam Frazier, the number nine hitter in the Angels’ lineup, led off the inning and laced an 0-2 pitch low and away over the shortstop’s head for a single, breaking up Ginn’s bid for a no-hitter:

That brought Zach Neto to the plate, the batter that Ginn had plunked in the sixth inning.

Neto got his revenge:

Ginn fell behind in the count 2-0, and Neto drilled a 93-mph sinker low in the zone to deep center field, giving the Angels a 2-1 win.

Had he completed the no-hitter, Ginn would have thrown the first no-no since Shota Imanaga combined with Chicago Cubs relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024.

Instead, he fell to 2-2 on the season with a loss.

Miguel Andujar hit a one out, solo homerun in the bottom of the first inning and Michael King outdueled Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to lead the San Diego Padres to a 1-0 win at Petco Park on Sunday night. Andujar stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the second inning and connected on a 2-2 pitch that landed beyond the wall in left-center field to give the Padres an early 1-0 lead. There was no way to know at the time that would be the only run scored in the game.

King had his most impressive start of the season. He pitched seven innings without allowing a run. King scattered four hits, walked two and struck out nine batters. He turned the game over to the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning and Jason Adam pitched one inning, allowing one hit and one walk and Mason Miller closed out the game in the ninth inning after allowing two walks and recording one strikeout.

Rodolfo Duran, who recorded his first hit on a two-run homerun against Seattle over the weekend, did not record a hit in the win over the Dodgers. However, he did contribute on defense with successful ABS challenges and by throwing out two baserunners at second base.

The Padres will have their first chance to win the series when they take on the Dodgers today at 6:40 p.m. in Game 2 of the three-game set.

Padres News:

• Lucas Giolito was impressive in his first start as a member of the San Diego rotation. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball was impressed by the performance and expects Giolito to get even better with more starts.

• The Padres had a winning week on the road with a 4-2 record, but they did suffer their first series loss of the season, falling to the Milwaukee Brewers two games to one. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides highlights from the week.

• Gavin Sheets has been insanely hot at the plate in recent weeks and should remain a constant in the lineup until he cools off. Fernando Tatis Jr. will also remain in the lineup, despite his offensive struggles this season, but he will be moved around the order to try to find a place to get him going.

• The Padres and Dodgers have become the most captivating rivalry in the sport. Every time the two teams get together the games are intense, often close and are discussed in baseball circles for days. Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says that because San Diego and Los Angeles bring out the best in each other.

Baseball News:

• The Los Angeles Angels were being no-hit by the Athletics – until the ninth. Then the Angels broke up the no-no and earned a win.

• The New York Mets dominated the Washington Nationals in extra-innings to earn a win.

• The Milwaukee Brewers opened their series against NL Central rivals with win.

• The New York Yankees edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6 to open series.

• Bryson Stott helps Philadelphia Philles get fifth consecutive win by beating the Boston Red Sox.

• The Tampa Bay Rays scored 16 runs in win over the Baltimore Orioles.

When it was reported during last night’s game that Dylan Crews was making his way back to the big league club, most assumed the corresponding move would either be an injured list stint for Jacob Young, who wore 93 to the ribs from former Florida Gator teammate Christian Scott, or a DFA’ing of Joey Wiemer, who had performed about as could be expected of a 4th outfielder ever since his absurd start to the year, and also wore a pitch off the wrist in the late innings. As it turns out, the answer was neither, as Brady House was optioned to Triple-A Rochester postgame, and Jacob Young and Joey Wiemer both had negative X-rays and are listed as day to day.

House made improvements with his bat from 2025 to 2026, raising his wRC+ from 56 to 88 while lifting the ball more and chasing a little less, but he was also whiffing more than ever, and his defense went from above average to nearly the worst in baseball, with his 8 errors being tied for the worst in the National League with CJ Abrams. He’ll now join a Rochester lineup which features a red-hot Yohandy Morales, a rebounding Harry Ford, and latest call up Seaver King, among others.

Still just 22 years old, the move to Rochester is a chance for a mental reset and to figure out the holes in his game, much like what Dylan Crews did in the first month and a half of the year. House has the raw power to be at least an average big league hitter one day, but he won’t be able to tap into it consistently enough while he has a 1st percentile zone-contact rate. He also needs to get back to the basics on defense and find whatever worked for him in 2025, as his sluggish bat is an easier pill to swallow when he is a wall at third base.

A multitude of young Nats hitters, such as Dylan Crews and Seaver King, have benefitted from swinging much less in 2026 than ever, and a similar change for Brady House could be beneficial. A more patient approach could help House cut down his chase rate even more and even eliminate some in-zone swing and miss by having House keyhole for pitches he wants early in counts. It’s not an easy fix, as House has spent his entire professional career with a swing-happy approach, but if done right, it could help House drive the ball with authority while also taking more free passes.

For Crews, this big league stint is a massive one for him, as he hasn’t shown much in his first 2 big league seasons to suggest he’s a building block of the Nationals rebuild. His plate approach has looked much improved over the last 2 weeks at Rochester, combining high-end exit velocities with less chase and more in-zone contact, and the result has been some of the best expected numbers in the minors. Hopefully, these changes stick in his transition back to the bigs, and he can show why he was such a hyped prospect coming out of college and into the big leagues in 2024.