Category: MLB

Let’s not be overdramatic since it’s only the end of May, but I believe this weekend’s St. Louis Cardinals versus Chicago Cubs clash at Busch Stadium is more important than we probably think all because of one word – trajectory.

As a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan I have somehow obtained an alarming number of Chicago Cubs fans in my friend group. Please don’t hold that against me or them. From an intel standpoint, it’s enabled me to find out what our arch enemy fanbase is thinking and right now there’s big concern which translates into a great opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Chicago Cubs began the 2026 season on a tear with one of the best offenses in baseball

If you look at just the first 30 games of the 2026 campaign, the Chicago Cubs were raking. They were top 5 in nearly all of the offensive categories with a .354 OBP during the first month averaging around 5.5 runs per game. Everyone in the NL Central were looking up at them with a 20-13 record at one point, but then May arrived and the Cubs…flatlined. The torrid bats went silent with Chicago ranking 14th in MLB with a .242 average in May and an on-base percentage of only .333, but on-base plus slugging wasn’t awful at .720. Overall, the Chicago Cubs have a win-loss record of 10-16 in May losing 10 of the last 11 games. My Cubs friends see this as troubling. I see this as a Cardinals opportunity.

The St. Louis Cardinals have their own concerns since May 1

In Cardinals nation, we know that our young St. Louis team has overachieved what most thought possible in 2026. May has not been kind to St. Louis, though. As of today, the Cardinals have a win-loss record of 11-12 since May 1. If I had to pinpoint one game that was a turning point (in the wrong direction), it was the May 10 game when the Cardinals were one strike away from beating the San Diego Padres then Riley O’Brien proved himself vulnerable. The other heartbreaker was the second game of the doubleheader on May 23 when Cincinnati beat St. Louis 7-6 in extras. After this week’s sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals have lost 4 games in a row heading into the weekend series versus Chicago.

If you look at the month of May so far, the St. Louis Cardinals offense has become the very definition of “meh”. Team batting average for May is a meager .238 which ranks 16th in MLB. The bottom of the St. Louis Cardinals batting order has become an even bigger liability this month and the team barely mustered any RISP opportunities versus Milwaukee at all.

My point is that both the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs have an opportunity to change their trajectory this weekend at Busch Stadium. A dominant weekend by either team could make all the difference as we get into the summer months. What’s the St. Louis Cardinals pitching plans for the Cubs series? As of today, it looks like St. Louis will start Kyle Leahy Friday night, Andre Pallante Saturday night and Matthew Liberatore Sunday night. I haven’t seen any official Chicago Cubs lineups yet, but I think Friday night’s pitcher is Shota Imanaga while Ben Brown will start for the tiny bears Saturday night and Jordan Wicks Sunday night.

This might defy my goal of not being overdramatic, but this weekend’s St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs series reminds me of the end of Rocky II where both Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed have fallen to the canvas and the winner is the one who gets up first. No, the Cardinals and Cubs are not playing for a world championship this weekend, but symbolically the team that gets up off of the mat first this weekend might just be the one who remains competitive into the summer. Will the St. Louis Cardinals be Balboa or Creed? Let’s hope our “tarps off” crowd gets that Rocky chant (and our bats) going this weekend.

The Cubs finally snapped their 10-game losing streak Wednesday night in Pittsburgh and you could almost feel the sigh of relief on the North Side of Chicago. They posted 10 runs against the Pirates while holding the Buccos to just four. Under ordinary circumstances I’d just want to savor this win and not worry about problems that can be dealt with some other day. However, these aren’t ordinary times. The losing skid has the Cubs in third place in the NL Central, 4.5 games behind the Brewers. The Cubs need to make up ground and the Jameson Taillon home run issue is a bit too big to push to his next start.

All of the runs the Cubs gave up yesterday came on the 18th and 19th home runs Taillon has given up in 2026. Taillon has given up 20 or more home runs in each of the last six seasons. That’s a bit on the high side for season long home runs, but not terribly so. Basically a manageable issue, prior to 2026. You can see some of Taillon’s stats since 2021 below:

The next home run Jameson Taillon gives up in 2026 will be his 20th home run of the season. You read that right. To put this in perspective, in approximately half to a third of the innings he’s pitched this season, Taillon has already given up 19 home runs. He gave up 24 in 129.2 innings last season and just 21 in 165.1 innings the season before.

Given the Cubs current pitching injury situation, this isn’t merely a problem, it’s a potentially unavoidable crisis. The next man up should Taillon be unable to start for any amount of time is probably Javier Assad. The Cubs already tried an alternative starter with Jordan Wicks making his 2026 season debut earlier this week. For reference, here’s the line Wicks put up in that start: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB 5 K (plus a home run of his own).

To his credit, Taillon has acknowledged the problem. After a rough outing against the White Sox he stated that “at the end of the day homers are thrown, not hit.” His fly-ball heavy, working in the zone profile makes him naturally susceptible to this kind of damage.

Those comments are all well and good, but summer is coming. As the weather heats up Cubs pitchers, including Taillon, should be expected to give up more home runs, not fewer. It’s not exactly a comfortable thought to project out what Taillon’s home run totals could look like if he were to give up home runs at the same rate he’s given them up through March, April and May. It’s a potential catastrophe to imagine what they could look like if that rate gets even worse as the weather improves. Especially given the innings the Cubs need Taillon to cover over the rest of this season.

With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón back in the Yankees’ rotation, a staff that began the year in flux (and excelled despite it) is beginning to settle in. Still, with Max Fried a ways off from returning, the odds that the team will need to dip into its depth at Triple-A, either for a spot start or to replace an injured starter, remain high. Let’s take a look at who’s available down at Triple-A should additional reinforcements be needed. Note that Luis Gil has been on the minor-league IL with shoulder inflammation since May 8th, so he’s not in the discussion.

Elmer Rodríguez

In three starts with the Yankees this season, Rodríguez has clearly not been at his best. Baseball America’s 59th-ranked prospect entering the year has struck out six against nine walks; at Triple-A, his K:BB ratio is a much more tenable 34:15. Still, despite this underwhelming demonstration of his stuff and the fact that he didn’t make it through five innings in any of the outings, Rodríguez kept the Yankees in all three games, showing a tenacity and focus that belie his years and raise his floor.

Given his prospect pedigree and promising showing in limited MLB action, the 22-year-old remains the Yankees’ best option, whether for a single start or for a few turns through the rotation. One cause for alarm in the event Rodríguez gets another shot soon is his 6.03 expected ERA, a number which dwarfs his actual 4.15 mark.

Brendan Beck

When Ryan Weathers was ill on May 7th, Brendan Beck’s life was forever changed. He got the call to fill in, pitching behind opener Paul Blackburn and allowing two runs in three innings of work. It was a fine-if-unremarkable debut, the largest takeaway from which may have been that it forced the Yankees to add him to their 40-man roster.

Beck’s 4.42 ERA in 10 starts with Scranton doesn’t jump out and, at 27 with an injury history, the Stanford product has never been a top prospect (MLB Pipeline has 12 Yankees pitchers ahead of him in their rankings). Still, if another spot start is in order, the fact that the 2021 second-round pick can easily be called up without having to make room on the 40-man is appealing, particularly if the timing doesn’t line up with Rodríguez’s turn in the rotation. The right-hander has thrown at least 80 pitches each of his last three starts and should be able to give length if called upon.

Carlos Lagrange

Lagrange, he of the 103-mph fastball, may be the most tantalizing hurler in wait at Triple-A. There’s little question he has the raw stuff to pitch in the bigs. But, in 10 starts, he’s gone 0-2 with a 4.78 ERA and a 4.98 BB/9. That’s hardly enough to jump Rodríguez and Beck, both of whom are on the 40-man. There’s been talk that his repertoire could make him a more viable weapon out of the bullpen, and that could eventually come to pass in the second half of 2026. For now, the Yankees have insisted on keeping him stretched out. The coming months will be an important opportunity for the 23-year-old to show he can stick in a rotation, but he’ll need to show more before he’s in serious play for a start in the Show.

Ryan Yarbrough & Paul Blackburn

As always, in the event a spot start is called for, a bullpen game will be in play. Both Yarbrough and Blackburn have performed reasonably well in long relief roles and have extensive starting experience, making them options to pitch multiple innings either as openers or bulk arms.

After making three solid fill-in starts, Elmer Rodríguez remains the clear next man up, effectively serving as the Yankees’ shadow sixth starter. Brendan Beck is a useful depth option should Rodríguez be unavailable, with a bullpen game another avenue the team could take in a pinch.

Copy to a new draft

It is hard to imagine, but the 2026 MLB season is heading into June. Clubs will begin evaluating their rosters and identifying their weaknesses. Then, decide which players from other teams to target at the trade deadline.

Of course, the media has the Padres linked to several players in trade rumors. Let’s break down why each player is the perfect addition to the roster.

Padres linked to Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman 

The Friars’ offense has struggled to produce all season. If you cannot put runs on the scoreboard, you need to keep the score close on most nights. It is wise to build the best bullpen in baseball by adding another quality arm.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic (paid subscription required) was the first to report that the Padres have identified Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman as a possible trade deadline acquisition. 

He has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season in Boston. Chapman has posted a 0.51 ERA with 12 saves in 18 appearances. His addition to the ‘pen gives the Friars a lefty-righty combo that has the experience to close out games.

The “Cuban Missile” has a mutual option for the 2027 season; it is unlikely to be exercised by both sides. The asking price from Boston will not come cheap, as their front office will need to scout the Friars minor league system. 

If your team has trouble scoring runs, acquiring Chapman lowers the odds of opponents mounting a comeback late in games.

Could the Padres participate in Skubal sweepstakes?

To the surprise of no one, Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal has been the subject of trade rumors. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will become a free agent at the conclusion of this season. The Tigers are languishing at the bottom of the American League Central. They trail the Cleveland Guardians by 10 ½ games in the standings. 

The Friars could join the chase for his services, but Skubal must officially hit the trade block first. That final decision by the Tigers could come closer to the deadline. First, their front office must determine the state of the roster before engaging in trade talks.

The Tigers have battled through numerous injuries to their starting rotation, but the organization is hoping the team will get on a roll and move up in the standings. If there are any signs of life, Skubal is staying in Detroit for the remainder of the season.

The left-hander has been out of the rotation since May 4, as he underwent surgery to remove a loose body from his throwing elbow. Skubal has begun rehabbing and could rejoin the Tigers’ starting rotation next month.

The Padres will need to see him pitch in actual games before any trade discussions take place.

Are the Rockies a perfect trade partner

If the Friars fail to acquire Chapman, they will turn their attention to Colorado Rockies reliever Antonio Senzatela. Another trade option that upgrades an already elite bullpen. 

The right-hander converted to the ‘pen out of necessity because his arm could not handle the workload as a starting pitcher. Senzatela cemented his role as a dominant setup reliever, posting a 1.13 ERA over 32 innings this season. It is the perfect opportunity for the Rockies to move him and replenish their minor league system.

Mason Miller is clearly the best closer in baseball, and the addition of Senzatela to the mix makes the bullpen more balanced from the sixth inning on. Also, the Friars increase their chances of clinching a postseason berth. 

Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller is constantly on the phone looking for a potential trade partner. He is always open to making a move if it helps the team win. So, no one should be surprised that the Friars are linked to several players as the trade market heats up.

Adding any of these pitching options would be a step in the right direction. 

Dave Winfield’s time with the Yankees was memorable — for all the wrong reasons.

The Baseball Hall of Famer spent nine of his 22 big league seasons in The Bronx, racking up awards and honors as one of MLB’s best players from 1981-90, but often sparred with owner George Steinbrenner to the point that the man known as The Boss hired an investigator to dig up dirt on his slugger.

“Those nine-plus years that I was there, there wasn’t one day that I felt the organization was on my side trying to help me promote me, move me forward,” Winfield revealed on the “All The Smoke Baseball” podcast Wednesday. “You got to go to work every day, a toxic work environment.”

He added: “One of the best things that happened for my career is when I left New York.”

It started when he was signed by the Yankees to a historic 10-year, $23 million deal ahead of the 1981 season after leaving the last-place San Diego Padres.

Winfield alleges Steinbrenner made his intentions regarding the deal clear.

“He basically told me to my face that ‘I’m not going to give you all your money and if you don’t like it sue me’,” Winfield said. “Told me that a couple times.”

Fans were likely blissfully unaware of the the behind-the-scenes turmoil, as Winfield played some of his best baseball in New York.

He was an eight-time All-Star in pinstripes, adding five Gold Glove Awards and five Silver Slugger Awards.

Winfield slashed .290/.356/.495 for the Yankees, mashing 205 homers with 818 RBIs in 1,172 games.

But even with all that success, all that Windfield wanted to do was to get out out town. 

In 1990, he was granted that wish and was traded mid-season to the California Angels.

Winfield suited up for four different teams in his final six seasons, finally capturing the World Series that eluded him in New York with the Blue Jays in 1992.

He retired after the 1995 season, totaling 3,110 hits, 465 homers and 1,833 RBIs with a career slash line of .283/.353/.475 — more than enough for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Winfield opted to enter wearing a Padres hat — a reminder of a time before his Yankees nightmare.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) is most famous among Colorado Rockies fans for being drafted with the compensatory draft pick they received from the departure of Trevor Story. Thompson was drafted 31st overall in 2022 and finally made it to the bigs nearly three years later. Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 15, and made his MLB debut later that night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field.

Over the weekend in Phoenix, Thompson reflected on his first week in the big leagues.

It started with a call to his parents after receiving the news from Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez.

“I called my parents first,” Thompson said. “I called my mom and then she called my dad over, and I told them the news. And she started crying.”

Thompson got to Coors Field and wasn’t immediately in the starting lineup, which gave him some time to take it all in.

“I was just on the bench soaking it in and enjoying the experience,” Thompson said. 

But then he was called upon the eighth inning, so he quickly got ready to step up to the plate as a pinch hitter.

“And then I was in the cages and around the eighth inning, they told me I was up in the bottom of the eighth. I was the second one up. So that’s when I started to get my swings in, and then it was kind of quick from when I was told – it was like five minutes from when I was told to when I was in the box, so I had to get a few swings in. And I was the second one up that inning, and that’s how it was in the first debut.”

Thompson saw one pitch in his debut, grounding out to second and going 0-for-1 on the night.

But he had one thought going through his head.

“It’s just like, ‘Here we go. This is everything that you’ve worked for and everything that you’ve wanted,’” he said. “It was kind of everything I pictured – how the debut would be.”

And despite the result, Thompson got the chance to take in everything and reflect on the moments that brought him here.

“It’s a long time coming of just remembering all the years of sacrifice my family put into it – all the days, the long late nights, early mornings – that led into that,” he said. “Just all of those emotions all at once. That’s kind of what I was feeling. It’s a great feeling that I got to the Show. There’s only a select few people that made it, so that’s kind of how I was feeling.”

It took Thompson a few games to get into a groove, but he recorded his first hit in his third game — and it was a weird one! It was initially scored an error on Texas Rangers’ shortstop Ezequiel Duran, but then was changed to a hit by the official scorer.

Thompson played in three games before being sent down on Monday, but then he was called right back up on Friday when Mickey Moniak was placed on the injured list. 

“I got optioned on Monday and went to Vegas and played two games,” he said. “And on Friday I woke up with like 30 missed calls at 10:30. I had a flight at 1:00, and then got to Arizona around 4:00 pm and DH’d on that Friday night. So that’s been the whole process. It’s been a crazy week so far.”

But it was nothing compared to Tanner Gordon’s epic journey the previous week.

“I had a nice straight flight – non-stop – but I heard about TG’s flight experience,” he said. “But [mine] was quick because when I woke up, they said I was going up, and then I didn’t see anything with the flight right away, and then it came and it was at 1:30. And it was like 11:30 at the time, so I hauled to the airport real quick and then got here [to Arizona] and  did my little routine. It was crazy. And P-Lo wasn’t there – he was coaching third base – so Louie Lopez, who was the manager in Triple-A, called me. It was just cool to go and experience that and have ‘P-Lo’ at third base, too.”

Pedro Lopez coached third base for Warren Schaeffer on Thursday and Friday while everyday third base coach Andy González was at his daughter’s graduation. And the moment was not lost on either of them, as Lopez was the one who got to break the news to Thompson.

“When we told Sterlin that he was coming up, it was pretty cool,” Lopez said. “He actually made a baserunning mistake the day he got the call, so I brought him and we were talking about the baserunning, and I said ‘You can’t do that… if you do that and their manager wants to retaliate, you can get hit and you can get hurt.’ And then I told him, ‘And if you pull that tomorrow in the big leagues, I’m telling you right now you’re going to find yourself back in Albuquerque again.’

“And he kind of looked at me,” he continued. “But Sterlin and I go way back – I saw this kid from how he started playing last year in the first month and how much progress he’s made. I keep saying it to this day, I thought last year he was the most improved player out of all in Albuquerque. So just to see where he is now is incredible.”

And Thompson had high praise for his managers.

“It was great, with all the work we put in at Triple-A, to experience that firsthand at the big-league level together,” Thompson said. “And the time he was here, and had that moment in the top of the ninth, it was pretty cool. I think all the guys – the coaches and Schaeff – have all been welcoming since I’ve been here and have helped me settle in all the way.”

But the biggest piece of advice he’s gotten so far?

“Just go and play the game like you know how,” he said. “It’s the same game, so really just control what you need to control and the process of it, and go on doing the little things every day and be consistent at that. That’s something I’ve learned and just building each day at a time. [I’m] trying to get 1% better each day.”

And so far, Thompson has had some excellent moments. On Friday, he recorded his first extra-base hit — a double — and was driven in by Chad Stevens and waved home by Lopez.

“Here come the Isotopes!” indeed.

He also recorded his first career RBI the next night, driving in Troy Johnston on a 3-1 groundout.

Thompson hasn’t set the world on fire yet — going 4-for-24 with a double, two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts in nine games. However, he is showing what he can do and is working to get 1% better everyday like he set out to do.

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The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off another sweep of an NL Central foe in the Cardinals, are headed to Texas as they’ll take on the Houston Astros for three games beginning Friday night. The Brewers sit at 33-20 on the season, 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Cardinals heading into Thursday’s play. The Astros, at 25-32, sit in fourth place in the AL West, though they’re just three games back of the first-place Mariners (28-29). Houston wraps up their intrastate battle with the Rangers in Arlington tonight, as the Astros have won two of three entering the series finale.

The Brewers are currently without pitchers Logan Henderson (mid-June), Jared Koenig (early June), Brandon Woodruff (early June), Quinn Priester (TBD), and Rob Zastryzny (early June), as well as Angel Zerpa, who is out for the season. Outfielder Akil Baddoo was activated from the IL and sent to Triple-A Nashville, while fellow outfielder Brandon Lockridge is out until mid- to late June with a knee injury.

On the other side, Houston is without several of their big-name players. On the position player side, Jose Altuve (TBD), Yainer Diaz (June), Carlos Correa (out for season), and Joey Loperfido (could return this weekend) are all shelved. For the pitching staff, they’re without Cristian Javier (June), old friend Josh Hader (June), Hunter Brown (mid-June), Lance McCullers Jr. (TBD), fellow old friend Bennett Sousa (TBD), Ronel Blanco (second half of 2026), and Hayden Wesneski (second half of 2026), giving them a very depleted rotation.

Offensively, the Brewers are led by Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Jackson Chourio, Bauers leads the team with eight homers thus far, driving in 30 and scoring 29, while Turang has seven homers with 30 RBIs and a team-high 43 runs scored to go with nine steals. Gary Sánchez has struggled lately after jumping out to a hot start, but the return of Chourio and Andrew Vaughn has helped in a big way over the last few weeks. Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Luis Rengifo, and Blake Perkins round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .246/.332/.364 (.696 OPS ranks 17th), with 37 homers (last), 259 runs (seventh), and 57 steals (second).

Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker are powering the Astros, as Alvarez leads the way with 20 homers and Walker has 15 bombs. Alvarez is hitting .312/.422/.663, making him an early contender for AL MVP. Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith both had five homers, while Smith leads the team with seven steals. Christian Vázquez is the team’s primary catcher with Diaz out, while Brandon Shewmake and Jeremy Peña round out the infield. Jake Meyers starts in center, with Brice Matthews, Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo, Nick Allen, and César Salazar serving as depth. As a team, the Astros are hitting .246/.322/.412 (.734 OPS ranks fifth), with 74 homers (tied for fourth), 253 runs (12th), and 20 steals (29th).

Aaron Ashby sits atop the Brewer bullpen with 25 appearances, also leading the league with nine wins and a perfect 9-0 record. He’s struck out 49 over 35 innings with a 2.06 ERA. Grant Anderson, DL Hall, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill are the other regulars for Milwaukee, with Shane Drohan, Jake Woodford, Chad Patrick, and Carlos Rodriguez serving as depth/long-relief arms. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.14 team ERA (third), including a 3.05 starter ERA (third) and a 3.26 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 514 batters (fourth) over 472 1/3 innings.

The Astros’ bullpen — as you’ll see in the numbers below — is the worst in baseball through two months. Steven Okert leads the team with 26 appearances with a 3.86 ERA, while they’ve had plenty of arms going up and down from the minors and due to injuries. AJ Blubaugh (4.81 ERA over 33 2/3 innings) and Bryan Abreu (6.88 ERA over 17 innings) have both struggled, while Bryan King (3.04 ERA over 23 2/3 innings) leads the team with six saves in eight tries and Enyel De Los Santos (3.57 ERA over 22 2/3 innings) has four saves. Former Cub Nate Pearson, Logan VanWey, and Alimber Santa (who pitched the final two innings of a combined no-hitter in his MLB debut this week) round out the ‘pen. As a staff, the Astros have a 5.12 team ERA (29th), including a 4.84 starter ERA (29th) and a 5.46 bullpen ERA (last). They’ve struck out 469 batters (13th) over 499 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, May 29 @ 7:10 p.m.: RHP Coleman Crow (0-0, 2.61 ERA, 2.29 FIP) vs. Kai-Wei Teng (3-3, 2.19 ERA, 3.55 FIP)

Crow, 25, has looked strong in his first two career starts against the Marlins and Twins. Across 10 1/3 innings, he’s allowed three runs on seven hits, a walk, and a hit batter to go with seven strikeouts. He took a no-decision in both appearances, though the Brewers won both of those games. Since that start against the Twins on May 15, he’s made one start with Triple-A Nashville, going 4 1/3 innings with three runs allowed on six hits, a walk, and a hit bitter with five strikeouts against the Durham Bulls on May 22. This marks his first career start against Houston.

Teng, 27, is in his third MLB season and first with Houston after spending the last two with the Giants. After starting the season in the bullpen, he’s made his last three appearances as a starter, totaling 37 innings over 17 appearances (four starts) with a 2.19 ERA, 3.55 FIP, and 36 strikeouts. Teng’s last start was his best yet, as he went six scoreless innings against the Cubs, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out six to pick up the win. This marks Teng’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Saturday, May 30 @ 3:10 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (1-3, 5.84 ERA, 5.55 FIP) vs. Peter Lambert (3-4, 3.79 ERA, 3.37 FIP)

Sproat, 25, has picked up his strikeout numbers, but he still has difficulty making it through five innings — across eight starts this season, he’s made it through five-plus innings just three times. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that has translated to difficulties his second time through the order — while hitters are batting .220/.352/.390 against him the first time through, they’re hitting .254/.329/.508 the second time through, including five homers. Sproat went four-plus innings against the Dodgers in his last outing, allowing three runs on four hits, four walks, and a hit batter with seven strikeouts in a 5-1 loss. This marks his first career start against Houston.

Lambert, 29, is in his fifth MLB season and first with the Astros, as he spent parts of four seasons with the Rockies between 2019 and 2024. After coming into the majors as a starter (he made 19 starts for Colorado in 2019), he transitioned to a swingman role before returning to the rotation in Houston this year. Across seven starts this season, he has a 3.79 ERA, 3.37 FIP, and 40 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings. The former second-round pick sent five innings against the Cubs his last time out, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts in a victory. Lambert made two appearances against Milwaukee while with the Rockies, totaling eight innings with five runs allowed (5.63 ERA) and six strikeouts.

Sunday, May 31 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5-2, 1.83 ERA, 1.88 FIP) vs. Tatsuya Imai (2-2, 6.17 ERA, 6.03 FIP)

Misiorowski, 24, has simply dominated this month. Through five starts, he’s allowed just one run across 31 1/3 innings (0.29 ERA) with 49 strikeouts to just 11 hits and six walks (0.543 WHIP). That makes for one of the more interesting NL Pitcher of the Month races we’ve ever seen, as the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez has gone 39 scoreless innings with 45 strikeouts to 25 hits and three walks (0.718 WHIP) across five starts this month. Given that Miz has allowed a run and Sánchez hasn’t, I’d guess Miz needs to go seven or eight scoreless frames with 10-plus strikeouts to have a real shot at winning the award. As is the case with Crow and Sproat, this is Miz’s first career start against Houston.

Imai, 28, signed with the Astros out of Japan during the offseason, agreeing to a three-year, $54 million deal. He reportedly struggled acclimating to American culture, which translated to struggles on the field, though he’s coming off his best start in the majors. After entering Monday night with an 8.31 ERA over his first five starts, he went six no-hit innings against the Rangers, allowing four walks with a pair of strikeouts, as a pair of relievers (Okert & Santa) closed out Houston’s fifth no-hitter in the last five years (including one in the 2022 World Series). This marks Imai’s first career start against Milwaukee.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, May 29: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, May 30: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, May 31: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Astros haven’t gotten off to a great start, and a long string of injuries hasn’t helped them. I’ll take the Brewers to win two of three against their former division rivals.

TV: NESN

First Pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET

The Red Sox and Braves will compete in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday at Fenway Park.

Payton Tolle and Chris Sale will be the men tasked with getting the job done.

I don’t have to tell you guys just how fun this matchup could be, with the former riding an incredible streak of four consecutive quality starts into the outing, while the latter has allowed six total earned runs across his last seven starts. Tolle and Sale both had an opportunity to meet each other on Wednesday.

Andruw Monasterio, Carlos Narváez, and Caleb Durbin will slot back into the lineup, with the former getting the start as the designated hitter over Masataka Yoshida. Narváez will return behind the dish, while Durbin plays third base.

Sandy León and Dom Smith will join their starting pitcher as former members of the Red Sox to return to Fenway Park.

I’ll be betting the under on total runs and over on total strikeouts, in case you were wondering…

As we all know, the Nationals have surprisingly played winning baseball in the first two months of the season, with a 29-28 record. However, the winning has not just been taking place at the MLB level. Nats minor league teams are winning more than ever, and the Rochester Red Wings are the hottest of the bunch.

The Red Wings are on a wild 10 game winning streak, and have won 15 out of their last 16 games. That 10 game winning streak is the longest in Rochester history since 1992. Obviously, this is long before they were a Nats affiliate. Like the big league club, the Red Wings are winning with a deep lineup and solid pitching.

Manager Matt LeCroy really has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. In the last game, the Red Wings lineup featured Christian Franklin, Harry Ford, Abimelec Ortiz, Brady House, Joey Wiemer and Riley Adams. They also had Yohandy Morales, Robert Hassell and Seaver King on the bench. This is the deepest core of hitters I have ever seen the Nats have in AAA. There may not be a mega star like in 2024 when they had James Wood, but there are a lot of solid ball players here.

During this winning streak, Abimelec Ortiz has been putting the offense on his back. He has 7 home runs and 20 RBI’s in his last six games. Ortiz, who the Nats acquired in the MacKenzie Gore trade, was doing a nice job getting on base at the beginning of the year, but was not showing his signature power. That power has arrived, and he is putting on an absolute show.

He has put up insane numbers in May, and as you can see, the underlying numbers back it up. Ortiz is already on the 40 man roster, so a big league call up should come before too long. The Nats could make a spot for him by DFA’ing Jose Tena or trading Luis Garcia Jr. at the deadline. Ortiz is an absolute masher, and he is ready for the big leagues.

While Ortiz doesn’t provide much value in the field or on the bases, the kid can hit. He is also able to hit righties and lefties. In fact, his OPS is higher against lefties, and he has hit 4 of his 10 homers against southpaws, despite having far fewer at bats against them. Maybe, he is just a platoon masher, but he has the chance to hit against righties and lefties.

Another corner infielder who is red hot for the Red Wings is Yohandy Morales. He is cut from a similar cloth as Ortiz. Both are large men who hit the ball very hard. Morales hits more ground balls and low liners, which has resulted in a higher average. This season, Yohandy Morales is hitting .355 in 172 at bats with an OPS over 1.000. Morales has the ability to play first and third base as well. There are holes in his profile that we will discuss, but his numbers are making him tough to leave in AAA.

One might wonder why Paul Toboni has not called up Morales. In my opinion, the biggest reason is some of his under the hood data. Morales’ swing and miss concerns, combined with his nearly 55% ground ball rate raise some red flags. Players with this profile tend to struggle in the big leagues. However, Morales has earned the opportunity to see if his approach can work.

He would easily be an upgrade over Andres Chaparro as the right handed platoon bat at first base. However, I think the Nats don’t want to call up Morales and then have him on the bench for an extended period. With Curtis Mead locking down the third base spot for now, I am curious to see what the Nats do with Morales. He deserves a chance at the big leagues, but there is clearly some hesitation from this front office.

The last player carrying this Red Wings offense right now just got to the level. That would be the 2024 first round pick Seaver King. After a red hot start in AA, King was recently promoted to Triple-A. He has kept hitting at the new level. In six games, King is hitting .391 with a 1.140 OPS. He also hit his first AAA home run a few days ago.

The Nats have been playing King at both shortstop and second base. King playing some second base intrigues me because that position is a big need for the Nats. Nasim Nunez does a lot of really nice things, but he can’t hit. Even as he is adjusting to the big leagues, King would be an offensive upgrade over Nunez and probably Jorbit Vivas too. The question is whether the Nats front office wants to call him up quickly.

There is an argument to be made that King could use time to mature in AAA. He had a really rough season in 2025, so you want to make sure he is fully ready to go once he hits the big league level. There is also a looming lockout coming, and King would not be able to play games if he is added to the 40 man roster. However, if he stays red hot for a few more weeks and Nunez is still feeble at the plate, he may force the Nats hand.

Overall, it is a great time to be a Rochester Red Wings fan. You have these three big bats, along with some other guys too. Brady House has looked good since getting to AAA, Harry Ford is heating up after an ice cold start and the pitching staff has some exciting names like Jackson Kent and Luis Perales. The Nats stock as an organization is shooting up, and it is not just because of the success at the big league level. Teams like the Fred Nats and the Red Wings are giving fans a glimpse into a very bright future.

If the White Sox aren’t all exhausted from running around the bases so much in last night’s 15-2 lambasting of the Twins, they’ve got an excellent chance to make it three out of four for the Minnesota visit today.

Not only are the Chicago bats hot — okay, just for one game so far, but hot has to start somewhere — but a Twins offense that would have had to work its way up to feeble against lesser Sox starters has the problem of facing Davis Martin and his 2.04 ERA while themselves holding what will be pretty much a bullpen game.

Acting as an opener+ for the Twins will be lefty Kendry Rojas, who went four innings of two-hit shutout ball against the Astros the other time he started a game this season. The rookie has been excellent in limited action, with a 1.26 ERA and 14 K’s in 14 1/3 innings, but with a wildness problem — 10 walks, though just one in each of his last two appearances.

With a southpaw on the mound, Will Venable moved Chase Meidroth, who hit a grand slam in last night’s laugher, up to the leadoff spot.

Martin, who had his only bad start of the season against the Giants last time out — four earned runs in 5 2/3 — faces a Twins lineup that has only produced five runs in regulation in the series so far.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 Central on a beautiful day for baseball, 62 degrees and mostly sunny at game time, with wind a possible factor, gusting to 21 from left to right. Usual broadcast suspects.

First Pitch (CT):1:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: South Side Sox

This series has had everything. A nail-biting loss, a nail-biting win, a blowout loss. Let’s hope the pattern keeps up this afternoon and the Twins get a blowout win.

Taj Bradley had his start bumped a day in his return from the IL, so it will be rookie left-hander Kendry Rojas on the mound for the Twins. Rojas has showcased his effectively wild tendencies with electric stuff complimented by spotty command, but calling his potential tantalizing would be an understatement. The rook is off to a strong start with a 1.26 ERA, but will still be in the hybrid starter role and limited to 50-60 pitches. The Twins have quite a few pitchers on that same schedule between Rojas, Simeon Woods Richardson, Travis Adams, and Andrew Morris, though the latter’s outings have been getting shorter and shorter in his move to higher leverage spots.

Minnesota will be facing Davis Martin, the White Sox starter off to a blistering start. Martin had a solid, if unspectacular, first three seasons in Chicago but has ratcheted things up this year. He has a 2.04 ERA/2.30 FIP and 66 strikeouts in 61.2 innings this season. Martin’s 2.3 fWAR is 6th in the entire AL and second among pitchers. Even with some expected regression factored in, Martin looks like a surefire All-Star.

Lineups

Well, he did it again.

Cristopher Sánchez blanked another team, this time the San Diego Padres, for seven innings on Wednesday at Petco Park. He allowed six hits, no walks and struck out nine in the Phils’ 3-0, series-sweeping victory.

It was the fifth straight start in which he did not allow a run, a streak of 44.2 scoreless innings, all coming in the month of May. Grover Cleveland Alexander, a Hall of Famer whose jersey is retired by the team, previously held the record of 41 straight scoreless innings, done in 1911.

No one, not a single soul, over the course of 115 years was able to top Alexander’s mark until Cristopher Sánchez did it on Wednesday out in California.

“The Sánchize.”

We have fought two World Wars, one Cold War, been through a Great Depression, put men on the moon, watched rock ‘n roll rise and die, and created a world in which computers may someday soon rule us all during that time frame.

A lot of extremely talented pitchers have come and gone through Philadelphia in those 115 years. Four different pitchers have won seven Cy Young Awards, and dozens of others have come really close.

Steve Carlton. Roy Halladay. Curt Schilling. Cole Hamels. Zack Wheeler. Cliff Lee. Robin Roberts. Jim Bunning. Chris Short. Aaron Nola. Curt Simmons.

None of them did what Sánchez has done.

And is still doing.

His 44.2 straight scoreless innings ranks 11th all-time in MLB history. He is 16.2 innings away from breaking Orel Hershiser’s all-time record of 59. It’s also the third-longest scoreless inning streak by a left-handed pitcher in MLB history, and he’s just three innings away from surpassing Carl Hubbell’s 45.1. He’s the first pitcher in Phillies history to have five straight starts of seven or more innings. Only Don Drysdale (1968) and Hershiser (1988) reached six.

Sanchez’ season ERA stands at 1.47. He leads all MLB starters in fWAR (3.3). Only six pitchers are over 2.0. His rise from a AAAA/No. 5 fringe starter to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball is unprecedented in the history of the Phillies.

And although the competition is fierce, Sanchez should be the favorite to win NL Pitcher of the Month for May.

Only one of those pitchers didn’t give up a single run all month. And, Sánchez has been piling up strikeouts, giving up no walks, and dominating on another level.

• He joins Hershiser as the only pitchers to go an entire calendar month without allowing a run since 1913 (minimum 30 IP).
• Sánchez is the only MLB pitcher in the modern era with 40+ strikeouts and no runs allowed in a calendar month.
• He’s one of only three pitchers in MLB history to have a month in which he pitched at least 39 innings without giving up a run, joining Hershiser and Doc Gooden.
• He has the most strikeouts of any pitcher during a 5-start span in which he allowed zero runs (47). The next closest is 2007 Brandon Webb, and 1968 Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale (35).

Now, there were a few instances in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over San Diego where it looked like the Padres might break through.

Some of those swings were scary.

It’s also fair to wonder if this is the greatest single month any Phillies player has had, offensively or defensively. In terms of pitching, Cliff Lee’s iconic 2011 month of June has often been cited as the greatest single month of pitching in franchise history. Sánchez just topped it.

Offensively, one could argue Ryan Howard’s August of 2006 was superior. He tied the franchise record (Cy Williams) for most home runs in a calendar month (14), totaled 41 RBIs and hit .348/.464/.750 with a 1.214 OPS. He followed that up with a September in which he hit 9 bombs, knocked in 21 runs, and put up an even better slash line: .385/.562/.750, 1.312 OPS.

That’s a coin flip.

What’s next? In order to keep the streak going, he’ll have to go up against most of the same hitters he faced on Wednesday when the Padres visit Citizens Bank Park next week.

No one knows how long he’ll be able to keep this going. But for one afternoon, Phils fans got to experience a little bit of electricity watching The Sánchize make history.

Detroit Tigers (22-34) vs. Los Angeles Angels (21-35)

Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Halos Heaven
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-6, 5.94 ERA) vs. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (1-1, 10.61 ERA)

When the Yankees acquired David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates at last season’s Trade Deadline, he almost immediately stabilized the back end of the bullpen. After his first disastrous appearance with the team against the Marlins in early August, he allowed just 4 runs in 23 innings, striking out 33 and walking only 9, as “the Renegade” seized the closer’s role by the horns. Sure, the bullpen still wound up a block of Swiss cheese, but hey, it wasn’t his fault.

This year, though, the situation is very much different. While it would be unfair to pin the entire bullpen’s struggles on Bednar, the closer certainly shoulders some of the blame. Heading into action last night, he had a 4.70 ERA (89 ERA+), having allowed 15 runs (12 earned) in 23 innings; his K% is a career-low 26.4 percent (ignoring his four-game cameo in 2020), while his walk rate has inched up to 9.4 percent after a career-best 7.6 percent last season. He’s allowed at least one run in 11 of his 23 appearances this season, and two or more hits in eight of them.

Bednar has been able to lock down his share of leads — his 12 saves are tied for sixth in baseball — but even when he’s kept the opposition off the board, he’s needed to put on his emotional support baserunners first before he locks in. Meanwhile, his meltdowns have been big and loud, and were a major contributor to the oft-cited “June Swoon, but make it May” that dogged the Yanks until this week in Kansas City.

So how concerned should we be? Is this simply a cold stretch by a reliever, or are we looking at another Devin Williams situation on our hands? Well…it’s complicated.

As can be seen here, Statcast is overall very much a fan of what Bednar has been doing. While I’m sure everybody involved would like to see that walk rate and that hard-hit rate down, a 97th-percentile ground-ball percentage is exactly what the Yankees are looking for out of their relievers; after all, you can’t take advantage of the Short Porch on a worm-burner to second. When we dive into Bednar’s individual offerings, however, we see where the problems begin to emerge.

Bednar is a three-pitch pitcher*, throwing a four-seamer, a curveball, and a splitter. Whereas he was once overwhelmingly fastball-dominant — from 2021 through 2024, he threw the four-seamer more than 54 percent of the time — he has settled into a much more even three-pitch mix over the past two years. This year, he still throws his fastball the most (39.4 percent), but his splitter is a close second at 34.2 percent and he throws his curveball a touch over a quarter of the time (26.4 percent).

*He technically threw one sinker in 2023 and one cutter in 2019, but I’m willing to bet those were fastballs that wound up moving a bit too much, so they can be safely ignored.

Last season, Bednar found success with all three pitches, with both his curveball and splitter serving as very effective out pitches, generating whiffs roughly 40 percent of the time and soft contact when they did manage to hit it. 2026 has been a very different story. Opposing hitters have crushed the fastball and the curveball, with batters hitting .419 with a .613 slugging percentage against the former, and .412 and .765 against the latter. And of course, one particularly awful Uncle Charlie got annihilated by Tyrone Taylor on May 17th, leading to a galling Subway Series loss at the hands of a cellar-dwelling Mets team. It was Bednar’s second blown save of the road trip.

Only Bednar’s splitter has maintained its effectiveness from last season, as hitters have batted just .130 and posted a .152 slugging percentage against it.

When it comes to the fastball, the Statcast data suggests that we shouldn’t be too concerned. The pitch has an xBA of .230 and an xSLG of .327: so long as his defense doesn’t continue to let him down—much like Clay Holmes in 2024, it feels that the infield forgets how to play defense when Bednar is pitching—we should see better results from his fastball.

On the other hand, Bednar has been having some trouble throwing the curveball with consistency. Despite the pitch having the lowest exit velocity against of the three (82.1 mph), it is the pitch that hitters have been able to square up most consistency, as he has surrendered seven hits, including both of his home runs, on curveballs like the one above to Taylor. Furthermore, the batted-ball data does not suggest regression to the mean should be expected, as the xBA and xSLG of .368 and .626 are better than the actual numbers mentioned above, but not all that much better.

In order for Bednar to be the dominant closer he was down the stretch last season, the Yankees will need to figure out what exactly has been wrong with his curveball. In the meantime, however, the solution is simple: focus on the splitter. Despite occasional bouts of wildness, Fernando Cruz has shown just how useful a fastball/splitter pitcher can be out of the bullpen, and it seems like Bednar and pitching coach Matt Blake may have been taking notes. Bednar has increasingly sidelined his curveball in favor of throwing his splitter more over the last few outings, to great success. Against the Rays on the 22nd, he threw just two curves, leaning on his splitter as he struck out three of the four Tampa Bay batters he faced.

This past Monday, meanwhile, Bednar abandoned the curveball entirely, using the fastball and splitter evenly against Kansas City in one of his most stress-free outings of the season.

Time will tell if this was just a small blip in the data, or if Bednar will truly be leaning more heavily on his splitter going forward. In either case, it’s something to keep an eye out going forward — and if it works, well, it’ll go a long way towards getting the bullpen back on track.