Category: MLB

Today’s Reflection

The fact that the Chicago Cubs have kept a run a going with all the obstacles in their way (like the Dodgers) is quite the blessing!

What the heck is going on? The Cubs won 10 in a row, then they showed that they were human in Los Angeles. Then they pull off four more wins in a row against the Padres and Diamondbacks — by big scores, or with stellar pitching.

What the heck is going on? NICO HOERNER is hurt! Hopefully just for one game. But that is an example of the productive offense without the usual big bats or without major injuries (Pounds fist on wood!). The Cubs are led in home runs by ….. Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson? They are led in RBI by …… Hoerner? It doesn’t matter — production is production, right? Right? And just depend on the pitching staff——

What the heck is going on? The starting pitching is led by ….. the guy that nearly everyone regretted took the qualifying offer, Shōta? He’s improved across the board, but how many of his pitches are really consistently effective? And what the he — no, the wreck of the bullpen was expected, just a shuffling of the deckchairs on a group of boats in a number of harbors.

And all that, plus a pair of Reds losses by the combined score of 26-8, put the Cubs in first place of the N.L. Central by the end of the day on Saturday? Keep up the great work, the Chicago Cubs hitting/Iowa Cubs pitching!

• Paul Magno (ChiCitySports): Chicago Cubs President confirms need for trades amid rash of pitching injuries. “The usually poker-faced Cubs front office is starting to show at least a bit of alarm in their acknowledgment that they will definitely have to dive into the trade market to find some quality pitching plug-ins.” “Rumored Cubs trade targets have ranged from Sandy Alcantara and Joe Ryan to Kodai Senga and Luis Severino.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib) Cubs prospect Pedro Ramirez continues to hit new heights in his breakout campaign. “The young infielder is knocking on the door after a strong start to the season.”

• Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Nico Hoerner injury update shows how much Cubs rely on their offensive engine. “Chicago may have avoided a worst case scenario, but his absence still carries weight …… Hoerner’s absence immediately impacts the Cubs’ ability to produce, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Hoerner hasn’t just been important in theory, he’s been one of the most consistent pieces in real time.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times {$}): Cubs’ challenge starts with real-deal Reds in formidable NL Central. “The Reds’ own 20-12 start should be turning heads around the league considering their top two SPs — flame-throwing ace Hunter Greene and lefty Nick Lodolo — have yet to appear in a game.”
• Tom Domol (Cubs Insider) Craig Counsell’s Managerial Masterclass Has Cubs Clicking. “Counsell has had to squeeze every last pitch out of a litany of relievers, many of whom have been added to the roster as emergency replacements. The usage of surprise contributors like Ryan Rolison, Corbin Martin, and Riley Martin has shifted the tide of this campaign exponentially.
• Paul Magno (ChiCitySports): Daniel Palencia kills it in rehab outing, topping out at 102 mph. “Palencia came into the game in the fifth and pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning. In the outing, he struck out one, allowed one hit, and threw 14 of 19 pitches for strikes. His velocity ranged from 100-102 mph in the appearance.”

• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery): Chicago Cubs Got First-Hand Proof How They Dodged Bullet in Free Agency. “On Friday, the Cubs got first-hand proof that despite being desperate for arms, they dodged a bullet by not signing Zac Gallen in Free Agency.
• Casey McAller (Da Windy City): Cubs have clear path to series win against Diamondbacks at home. “Chicago’s offense and home field advantage create opportunity against inconsistent Arizona club ….. This is a series the Cubs should control at Wrigley.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Busch returning to form with productive at-bats as calendar turns to May. “The Cubs have been waiting for Michael Busch to really find his rhythm in the batter’s box this season.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Why Kyle Hendricks joined the Tigers, not the Cubs, as a special assistant. “Kyle Hendricks returning to the Chicago Cubs in a different capacity seemed like a natural next step ….. With a young family, financial security and a Dartmouth degree, the extent to which Hendricks wanted to stay involved in the game was unclear.”

“Every page these days has some form of advertising. {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.“

Food For Thought:

John Lee Hooker was born August 17, 1917, in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he developed in Detroit. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi hill country blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie.

Beginning in 1962, Hooker gained greater exposure when he toured Europe in the annual American Folk Blues Festival. Hooker began to perform and record with rock musicians. In 1970, he recorded the joint album Hooker ‘n Heat, with the American blues and boogie rock group Canned Heat, whose repertoire included adaptations of Hooker songs. It became the first of Hooker’s albums to reach the Billboard charts, peaking at number 78 on the Billboard 200. Other collaboration albums soon followed, including Endless Boogie (1971) and Never Get Out of These Blues Alive (1972), which included Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop, Van Morrison, and others. Hooker owned five houses in his later life, including ones in the California cities of Los Altos, Redwood City, and Long Beach. On June 21, 2001, Hooker died in his sleep at home in Los Altos.

San Diego Zoo launches Elephant Valley live camera

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is giving the entire Internet the chance to visit its new elephant habitat with a live camera on its website. The zoo announced pachyderm patrons around the world can now meet the eight elephants in its herd thanks to a live camera feed from the newly-opened Denny Sanford Elephant Valley.

“Elephant Valley serves as a bridge between the vital science happening in San Diego and the collaborative elephant conservation initiatives supported by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance across the African savanna.” (Video)

Top 10 Places To Visit in 2026 (Year of Travel) (Video)

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Pinstripe Alley readers are well accustomed to our traditional end-of-month check-ins around the other five divisions. With that in mind, we’ve decided to take this opportunity in early May to cover one specific aspect that stands out about the journeys of the Yankees’ adversaries in the AL East. It’s been a weird start to the season, with the Rays currently standing out as the second force in this division and a couple other storylines that few people saw coming: manager Alex Cora getting the axe in Boston, and the Blue Jays failing to capitalize on last postseason’s momentum.

Tampa Bay Rays: A different kind of rotation—one that still figures out a way to succeed

The Rays couldn’t make Shane Baz and Taj Bradley work last year, and to be frank, they couldn’t make those two work throughout their whole tenure with the club. Shane McClanahan is back, but he doesn’t have the same zip on the fastball as he once did, although it is still effective. In the end, almost independently of who they throw out there, the Rays seem capable of securing good numbers as a staff, which is the primary reason for this 20-12 record to open the year.

Drew Rasmussen has proven himself a terrific, All-Star-caliber starter when healthy, and he headlines this rotation, but seeing two veteran innings eaters in Nick Martínez and Steven Matz feels almost too traditional for Tampa. The skepticism about just how much we can expect from these pitchers is part of why there isn’t a large concern about the Rays’ record, particularly with the news that Ryan Pepiot is out for the year. Still, they’re probably going to be a feisty bunch, as the Yankees saw themselves in the first series between these two in 2026.

Toronto Blue Jays: Missing Bo Bichette and likewise on the other side

The Blue Jays got about as close as a team could get to winning the whole thing without actually doing it, and right in the middle of it all was free agent-to-be Bo Bichette. It’s difficult to blame the Jays for not matching the Mets’ offer for Bo Bichette, but it’s also undeniable that both parties are missing each other early on in 2026. Bo is off to a lousy start, having moved to third base for a New York Mets team with a shuffled infield and a last-place record. The Jays haven’t had a single impact bat outside of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Sure, newcomer Kazuma Okamoto has flashed here and there, but this is an offense that clearly lacks depth. With Dylan Cease in tow, the rotation seemed at least somewhat better equipped to withstand the early absence of Trey Yesavage, who has now returned.

Ernie Clement is doing his best to provide some stable production out of the second base spot as Andrés Giménez takes his defensive prowess to short, but particularly with George Springer yet to get going in 2026, Vladdy is close to a one-man show—not the ideal scenario for a team with such lofty expectations.

Baltimore Orioles: “Thank goodness we traded for Taylor Ward.”

Once upon a time, not very long ago, Grayson Rodriguez was touted as one of the next big things in the American League, the ace who was supposed to lead this young Orioles team. Well, a plethora of injuries and inconsistencies along the way prevented Rodriguez from fulfilling the promise, and already with his value severely diminished this offseason, the O’s opted to move him to the Angels for Taylor Ward—it was a rare one-for-one trade of established big leaguers.

As things currently stand, the Orioles are a team with league-average production offensively and on the mound. A primary reason the former is true rather than something far worse is Ward’s value, who’s been far and away the best Orioles hitter in 2026, particularly with Gunnar Henderson off to a meandering start.

The Orioles, more than most teams, have suffered in recent years with underwhelming production from potentially valuable players. Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo, and Dylan Beavers come to mind as hitters who could become terrific big leaguers but have yet to truly cement their place as reliable contributors—whether due to injury issues, inconsistencies, or even lack of opportunities. With Ward, the Orioles knew what they were getting, and considering Rodriguez has yet to throw a pitch in 2026, one could say Baltimore made out well—even if Ward naturally takes a step back from the AL-leading 13 doubles he’s provided so far in what could be the pending free agent’s only season in the Charm City.

Boston Red Sox: Reevaluating front office decisions

Things are not always in your control. Something may happen to a team, and they’re just not in a position to do anything about it … but it’s possible to respond to setbacks in a positive way. Working under the assumption that the Red Sox simply had to move Devers—and that’s very much up to what you think about owner John Henry—they managed to do it in a way that netted them nothing other than the financial room to reinvest* the money he was making.

*It certainly wasn’t reinvested in his replacement Alex Bregman, who opted out after 2025 and walked in free agency.

The issue right now isn’t so much the absence of Devers, who has scuffled to a 55 OPS+ start in San Francisco this year. James Tibbs III and Kyle Harrison are the two players involved in the Devers deal whose value has skyrocketed since then. It’s just unfortunate for Boston that this happened after the Red Sox flipped both them to the Brewers and Dodgers in deals that haven’t panned out.

Caleb Durbin was acquired from the Brewers for Harrison alongside other players, and he’s been the main third baseman for Boston in 2026 with terrible results. At his best, Durbin can deliver the league-average line he did for Milwaukee in 2025, but even those numbers might not be worth the Harrison loss if the southpaw can capitalize on the early-season form he has shown since moving to Milwaukee. Tibbs III is raking in the Dodgers Triple-A team after Boston flipped him for Dustin May in last year’s deadline, a free-agent-to-be who was terrible for them.

It’s the Year of the Rookie, the Year of the Underdog, and the Year of the Underperforming.

Who could have envisioned that Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson would be unemployed before May?

Who could have imagined, in their wildest dreams, that that the Colorado Rockies would have a better record than the Mets, Phillies and San Francisco Giants?

How in the world of economics can four of the top six highest-paid teams have losing records: the Mets, Phillies, Blue Jays and Red Sox?

It’s been a strange but certainly entertaining start to the season, so why not hand out awards to some of the best, worst and funkiest events of April.

Alex Cora’s termination ended the short-lived tenure of the painfully awful hit celebration that the Red Sox began the 2026 season with. No matter what else comes out of the managerial and coaching changes, I’m truly appreciative of the ripple effect they had on this weirdly weak and unoriginal celebration. As I wrote earlier, the team had put me in the thoroughly uncomfortable position of rooting for a prolonged losing streak, simply in order for it to go away.

One prolonged losing streak, six terminations, and one reassignment later, here we are.

On hearing the Cora news last week, one of my immediate thoughts was the fate of the hit celebration. Earlier in the day, during the 17-1 blowout against the Orioles, the pelvic thrust was still very much alive. The 2026 broadcast had started cutting away from Sox players once they reached base, but Andruw Monasterio and Connor Wong, at least, were observed celebrating hits with pelvic thrusts. It was the only part of the Sox performance that could be called a “Dud” in the game recap. Not all players were using it by this point, though. Caleb Durbin had pivoted to tapping his helmet then doing a sort of standing abdominal crunch, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa pounded a fist several times on his helmet. Guys, thank you.

During Sunday’s game, the first of the Chad Tracy era, Ceddanne Rafaela celebrated both of his hits with a forward lunge. Monasterio, a thruster on Saturday, changed things up by pounding the top of his bare head twice, then striking the Most Muscular bodybuilding pose—and then lunging as well. A true convert!

When Wilyer Abreu singled, he sent a kiss skyward, then did a pelvic thrust…but then seemed to interrupt himself with a laugh, a lunge, and a Most Muscular pose. It read like a self-deprecating acknowledgment of having let muscle memory take over.

Marcelo Mayer singled, then gave one quick side lunge. Since he promoted the original celebration, I thought Red Sox Nation could likely consider pelvic thrusting dead and gone.

By Monday’s game against the Blue Jays, I was positive it was defunct when Mayer celebrated a single with a helmet tap and a side lunge.

Normally, this is when it would be appropriate to say Rest in Peace. I won’t say that, but I’m glad the Red Sox players gave it a rest.

The Phillies got Harry Doyle’d yesterday in Miami, but hey, they get two more cracks at winning the series down there. Maybe they were just taking that day as a rest day.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Garrett Stubbs, somehow, had found a way to stay on the Phillies’ roster ($).
• With Stubbs back on the roster, Dylan Moore now has to go find a new job, being designated for assignment.

MLB news:

• The Tigers have some injuries already, but now have to add Will Vest to the list.
• Anthony Volpe saw his rehab assignment extended while Jose Caballero continue to play well ($).
• The Reds tied an MLB record by walking seven consecutive batters yesterday.

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Fifteen games are on the MLB schedule today, and I’ve got you covered with my favorite moneyline picks for each matchup, highlighted by the Detroit Tigers edging out the Texas Rangers on Sunday Night Baseball.

Read on as I break down all of my top MLB picks for Sunday, May 3.

MLB moneyline picks for May 3

Matchup	Pick
Blue Jays vs Twins	+100
Reds vs Pirates	+108
Astros vs Red Sox	+122
Brewers vs Nationals	-122
Orioles vs Yankees	-203
Phillies vs Marlins	-127
Giants vs Rays	-113
Dodgers vs Cardinals	-138
Dodgers vs Cardinals	-150
Braves vs Rockies	-170
Guardians vs Athletics	-113
Mets vs Angels	+113
White Sox vs Padres	-170
Royals vs Mariners	-122
Rangers vs Tigers	-122

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 5-3.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for May 3

Blue Jays vs Twins: Twins (+100)

Twins win probability: 50%

Although Trey Yesavage looked solid in his 2026 debut, Joe Ryan has had the Blue Jays' number over the years, limiting Toronto hitters to a .708 lifetime OPS.

Expect the Twins to take the series finale at home.

Reds vs Pirates: Reds (+108)

Reds win probability: 48%

Cincinnati has quietly been crushing it away from the confines of Great American Ballpark, sporting a 10-5 SU mark on the road. 

Considering we have an equal pitching matchup that pits Chase Burns against Braxton Ashcraft, I'll roll with the Reds at plus value. 

Astros vs Red Sox: Astros (+122)

Astros win probability: 45%

There aren’t many teams more unwatchable than the 2026 iteration of the Boston Red Sox, and our very own Josh Inglis does a great job breaking down why their offense may have spiraled this season.

For all of Houston's pitching issues, the Stros can still score with the best of them — and it likely won’t take much to get past this Red Sox club.

Brewers vs Nationals: Brewers (-122)

Brewers win probability: 55%

Zack Littell enters Sunday winless through four starts, carrying an ugly 7.85 ERA that includes a 16:11 K:BB ratio.

Both offenses have been red-hot down the stretch, but Littell’s struggles loom large in D.C.

Orioles vs Yankees: Yankees (-203)

Yankees win probability: 67%

Shane Baz hasn’t been able to reinvent himself in Baltimore, showing the same inconsistency he flashed in Tampa with a 4.50 ERA, and the Yankees will have a major leg up when they send Max Fried to the mound in the Bronx.

This one won't be close. 

Phillies vs Marlins: Phillies (-127)

Phillies win probability: 56%

Can Donnie Baseball save the Phillies? Their new skipper is 4-1 and will be back at his old stomping grounds in Miami this afternoon.

Philly should keep the momentum rolling against Chris Paddack, who’s been rocked to the tune of a 6.11 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through 28 innings of work.

Giants vs Rays: Rays (-113)

Rays win probability: 53%

San Francisco is in the midst of a massively disappointing season for the second consecutive year, and the Giants are sitting in the basement when it comes to team home runs.

The Rays will grind you down with small ball and heads-up baserunning at the Trop, and I expect that to show up against a scuffling Tyler Mahle .

Dodgers vs Cardinals: Dodgers (-138)

Dodgers win probability: 58%

Justin Wrobleski is 4-0 as a Dodgers reliever-turned-starter, and with the struggling Dustin May on the mound for the opposing side, this play becomes an easy choice.

Diamondbacks vs Cubs: Cubs (-150)

Cubs win probability: 60%

Merrill Kelly rates among the bottom 10 of qualified pitchers in proStuff+, and he’ll be in trouble against a Cubs offense that has averaged six runs per game over their last five contests.

Braves vs Rockies: Braves (-170)

Braves win probability: 63%

Spencer Strider is set to make his first start of the season, though his notable dip in velocity over the years could give the Rockies a chance to pounce.

Meanwhile, Kyle Freeland will have his hands full against an Atlanta Braves lineup that ranks in the Top 5 in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.

The real bet is on the Over, but it's hard to go against Atlanta right now. 

Guardians vs Athletics: Guardians (-113)

Guardians win probability: 53%

Parker Messick is looking like an early AL Cy Young candidate, rolling into Sunday undefeated with a 1.73 ERA and a chase rate that sits in the 96th percentile at Baseball Savant.

As long as Messick keeps dealing, there's no reason not to bet on Cleveland when he takes the bump. 

Mets vs Angels: Angels (+113)

Angels win probability: 47%

Not only do the Mets possess the worst record in baseball, but Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr. have all landed on the IL.

It’s been a season from hell for Frank the Tank and the rest of Mets Nation, but let's profit off of it, shall we?

White Sox vs Padres: Padres (-170)

Padres win probability: 63%

Did San Diego win the Juan Soto trade with New York?

Randy Vasquez has really stepped up as a key cog in the Padres rotation, and the home team will have no trouble getting to White Sox lefty Anthony Kay (6.12 ERA), who’s on his third team in as many MLB seasons.

Royals vs Mariners: Mariners (-122)

Mariners win probability: 55%

Luis Castillo has been a shell of his former self, but the Mariners right-hander should bounce back against a putrid Royals offense that is hitting just .205 off of him.

Side with Seattle on Sunday afternoon. 

Rangers vs Tigers: Tigers (-122)

Tigers win probability: 55%

My preseason pick to win the World Series has been treading water through much of March and April, but a Sunday night matchup at Comerica will see the Tigers take on a Rangers team struggling to plate runs, sitting bottom-10 in runs per game and OPS.

Add in injuries to Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford, and the home team should pull away in primetime.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Hello, friends.

As is often referenced in GIF form, “Oh no, we suck again!” Two days of playing the Yankees has made it feel as if the list of Orioles problems is proving insurmountable, that nothing is going to go right this year, that the theory of the case that Mike Elias had for this roster being able to compete was once again fatally flawed. Check out Alex Church’s recap of yesterday’s game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.

Two games remain in the series. This feels more like a threat than something to inspire hope of an in-series turnaround. For just one example of why it feels like a threat, the Orioles are facing left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried today. They remain winless in games started by lefty pitchers this season, a stretch of futility that’s gone on long enough to be alarming. Their right-handed batters are, collectively, not hitting lefties.

Also happening today, which will be news to you if you missed hearing about it yesterday, is the MLB debut of pitching prospect Trey Gibson. The team scratched him from starting for Norfolk on Saturday in case they wanted to use him today, and sure enough, it’s going to happen. The 23-year-old Gibson joined the Orioles as an undrafted free agent out of college and has made himself into a prospect who has some believers in his arsenal and his ability to use it to get through lineups.

I am not one of the believers, so I don’t have high expectations for today. There will probably be the standard stories about how a number of family members have come to New York to see him and I almost won’t be able to watch because I fear it will go badly. My non-belief in Gibson is mostly about his Triple-A results to date. Between last season and this season, he’s got a 6.17 ERA at the level. He has made a tweak to his pitch mix over the offseason. 2026 may go better for him, and if so, that’s great.

Still, Gibson is only here right now out of desperation. I think the ideal scenario for the Orioles would be that none of Gibson, Nestor German, or Levi Wells needed to be tried out any time sooner than July. Here Gibson is on May 3. That’s because Zach Eflin’s elbow blew out in his first start, because Dean Kremer strained his calf, and because Trevor Rogers got the flu so bad that he had to go on the injured list.

Even more recently, it’s because Cade Povich was so bad on Friday night that Albert Suárez, who I think otherwise might have made the start, had to pitch. Instead, Suárez was designated for assignment yesterday for roster flexibility. Tough business when you’re on the fringes of it. All of which adds up to Gibson today, facing down a Yankees lineup that has put up runs against the Orioles in this series. I just don’t think it’s going to go great. I’ll be happy if I’m proven wrong. The series continues at 1:35 today. One more game awaits on Monday night.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

The rotation comes under the microscope after Orioles lose another to the Yankees (The Baltimore Banner)
Andy Kostka’s gamer from yesterday puts some deserving focus on a struggling starting rotation. I’m down on the group, though I continue to wonder how much better things would go with even an average level of defense.

Three Orioles takeaways: Craig Albernaz takes ownership of 15-18 start (The Baltimore Sun)
Also in the takeaways are concerns about Kyle Bradish’s command and general issues with the offense. There’s a lot going on here and not a lot of it is good.

Get to know Trey Gibson: Orioles 2025 minor league pitcher of the year makes MLB debut today (Steve Melewski)
Longtime Orioles prospect writer Steve Melewski has been following Gibson’s career in the system in recent years. He’s more excited than I am.

Rutschman, Basallo are coexisting on Orioles roster just fine (Orioles.com)
The hitting of their catching duo is one of the few things that there’s no need to worry about, at least up to this point, with the 2026 Orioles.

Saturday roster summary: Wells optioned, Suárez cut, Enns and Raquet return (Baltimore Baseball)
A lot went on yesterday in the quest for fresh arms. Raquet’s stay will likely be brief, as someone has to come off the roster to make room for Gibson when he is activated today.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

In their 33rd game a year ago, the Orioles were beaten by the Royals, 11-6, to fall to 13-20 on the season. This comparison would really feel a lot better if the Orioles had won either of the first two games here in New York. Instead, they remain merely two wins better than last year’s performance. The O’s managed to lose that game despite Jackson Holliday hitting a pair of homers; three relievers gave up two runs in one inning in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. That was a bad team. To be determined if this one is much better.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2008-09 pitcher Bob McCrory, 1999-2000 pitcher Gabe Molina, and 1986-87 pitcher Tony Arnold. Today is Arnold’s 67th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: philosopher Niccoló Machiavelli, baseball Hall of Famer Eppa Rixey (1891), singer Bing Crosby (1903), baseball Hall of Famer Red Ruffing (1905), musician Pete Seeger (1919), musician James Brown (1933), Four Seasons singer Frankie Valli (1934), actress Christina Hendricks (1975), and golf guy Brooks Koepka (1990).

On this day in history…

In 1715, a total solar eclipse occurred, with the path of totality crossing much of northern Europe and Asia. This was a notable eclipse because astronomer Edmond Halley – the one the comet is named after – had predicted the start time of the eclipse within four minutes.

In 1815, a Neapolitan army led by Joachim Murat, who had contrived to become king of Naples, was defeated by the Austrians in the Battle of Tolentino. Murat was ousted by a post-war treaty before the end of the month.

In 1921, a British law passed the previous year took effect, partitioning Ireland between Northern Ireland, which has remained a part of the United Kingdom, and Southern Ireland. This occurred within the ongoing Irish War of Independence, which by the end of the following year led to the establishment of an Irish Free State.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 3. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!

The Detroit Tigers evened up their weekend home series against the Texas Rangers on Saturday night with a 5-1 victory. Keider Montero gave the good guys 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, while Dillon Dingler’s three-run shot in the opening frame was enough to earn the W.

Sunday night, the two teams will duke it out one more time at Comerica Park in the series rubber match. With Casey Mize on the injured list with a groin injury, left-handed reliever Tyler Holton will start on the mound in what we can assume is an opener role.

So far in 2026, Holton has averaged exactly one inning per outing while entering the game in the seventh or later in 10 of his 13 appearances. Through his first seven games, he allowed zero runs on just four hits and four walks while striking out five over seven frames; he has put up a 12.00 ERA with an 8.14 FIP while giving up 13 hits (two home runs) and four walks over his last six appearances.

Meanwhile, Texas sends fellow struggling southpaw Jack Leiter to the bump, who has given his team at least five innings in five of his six starts. However, after beginning the season having given up just three runs in 11 innings, he has put up an ERA of 6.64 and FIP of 6.53 over the last 20 1/3 frames.

The last time Leiter faced the Tigers was in his major league debut on April 4, 2023, in Detroit, which saw him surrender seven runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out three over 3 2/3 frames in a 9-7 Texas loss.

Make note that the game will be broadcast on the NBC Network/Peacock. Take a look below at the rest of what you need to know for the game.

Detroit Tigers (17-17) vs. Texas Rangers (16-17)

Time (ET): 7:20 p.m. ET
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball
Media: NBC Sports Network/Peacock, Tigers Radio Network

Game 35: LHP Tyler Holton (0-1, 5.54 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Leiter (1-2, 5.17 ERA)

HOLTON

LEITER

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (17-14)

LEHIGH VALLEY 9, SYRACUSE 6 (BOX)

Not a great game here. Yes, Jonah Tong had a strong six inning start, but continues to struggle with his breaking ball shape under the hood. The bullpen then blew it in the late innings, giving up seven runs from the seventh and onwards. Ryan Lambert was also throwing 92 MPH. At least A.J. Ewing continues to look like a star in the making.

• RF A.J. Ewing: 2-5, R, K, SB (4)
• CF Nick Morabito: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• DH Ryan Clifford: 1-5, R, RBI, 2 K
• 1B Eric Wagaman: 2-4, 2 RBI
• 3B Christian Arroyo: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K, SB (3), E (4)
• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 0-4
• LF Cristian Pache: 2-3, R, 2 2B, BB, K, SB (6)
• C Ben Rortvedt: 0-3, BB
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, R, RBI, BB
• RHP Jonah Tong: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, E (1)
• RHP Joey Gerber: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• LHP Anderson Severino: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (1)
• RHP Luke Jackson: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, L (0-1), BS (1)
• RHP Ryan Lambert: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (9-16)

SUSPENDED (RAIN)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (7-18)

BROOKLYN 2, FREDERICK 0 (BOX)

Channing Austin might be a real dude. Despite being unranked and not even really on our radar all that much, he now has a 1.21 ERA on the season across 22.1 innings. Now, he is a 24-year-old in High-A, but the stuff looks demonstrably better than prior seasons. Maybe he’s the next interesting backend starting prospect magicked up but the Mets’ PD apparatus.

• SS Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, K
• CF John Bay: 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K
• C Ronald Hernandez: 1-2, R, HR (1), RBI, 2 BB
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-3, R
• 3B Colin Houck: 1-4, 2 K, E (5)
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 1-3, 3B, BB, K, CS (1)
• LF Vincent Perozo: 0-4, RBI
• 2B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• RHP Channing Austin: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-0)
• RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (1)
• RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (1)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (11-15)

TAMPA 5, ST. LUCIE 2 (BOX)

Three unearned runs and only four hits is not a winning formula. No Elian Peña happenings either. Let’s move on.

• SS Elian Peña: 0-4, K
• CF Edward Lantigua: 0-3, R, 2 K, 2 SB (3)
• 1B Randy Guzman: 1-3, R, RBI, K
• LF AJ Salgado: 0-4, K
• DH Julio Zayas: 1-3, RBI, BB, K
• C Chase Meggers: 1-4, K
• RF Simon Juan: 0-3, 3 K
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 0-3, E (5)
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 1-3, K
• RHP Jose Chirinos: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, E (1), L (1-1)
• RHP Elwis Mijares: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Jorge De Leon: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-1)

FCL ASTROS 9, FCL METS 7 (BOX)

This sure was a rookie-league game. Four errors, giving up a six run inning, nine walks from the FCL Astros staff – just a lot of ugly ball. And it was a loss to boot. Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

• CF Bohan Adderley: 0-4, R, RBI, BB, SB (1)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-2, 2 BB, K, SB (1), 2 E (2)
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-4, RBI, K, CS (1)
• DH Josmir Reyes: 1-3, 2B, BB
• 2B Anthony Frobose: 0-2, R, E (1)
• RF-LF Heriberto Rincon: 1-4, R, 2 K, 2 SB (2)
• 1B Yeider Mindiola: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, SB (1)
• LF Wyatt Vincent: 0-1, R, BB
• RF Justin Ramirez: 0-1, BB
• 3B Yunior Amparo: 2-3, R, 2 2B, RBI, BB, SB (1)
• RHP Camden Lohman: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• RHP Omar Victorino: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, L (0-1)
• RHP Franyel Diaz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, E (1)
• RHP Yoralbert Cadiz: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

STARS OF THE NIGHT

Channing Austin

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Luke Jackson

I’ve made this point before on Pinstripe Alley, but it’s never a bad time to bring it up: Boy, do I love a good, boring win. The Yankees have been getting quite a few of those lately, and that continued yesterday against the Orioles. The Bombers very casually roughed up Kyle Bradish, Ryan Weathers was effective enough despite not necessarily having his wipeout stuff, and the offense kept adding when Bradish left, ensuring that any bullpen lapses wouldn’t hurt too much. The end result: a 9-4 win that didn’t even feel that close. May there be more on the horizon!

Today on the site, Estevão will spotlight some trends from the Yankees’ AL East foes’ first month, Peter will present the Rivalry Roundup, Matt will celebrate the 121st birthday of Yankees pitching legend Red Ruffing, Scott will have a feature on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre reliever Bradley Hanner, and after the matinee, John will write up this week’s Social Media Spotlight.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time: 1:35 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, MASN

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. How deep does ace Max Fried go this afternoon against the O’s?

2. Any Game 7 predictions for today? We’ve got the top-seeded Detroit Pistons against the underdog Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, as well as Canada’s last hope for snapping its 33-year Stanley Cup drought with the Montreal Canadiens trying to advance to the next around against the Tampa Bay Lightning (who, of course, have won three Cups in that timespan, including against the Habs in 2021).

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Anthony Volpe’s rehab assignment will end today, and the Yankees will have to chose what to do with the former top prospect. He will either need to be activated and added to the MLB roster, or optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and begin his season for real in the minors. With José Caballero doing everything the Yankees could possibly ask of him, especially with his shortstop defense, some time in Scranton to ensure that Volpe can be a representative MLB player might not be the worst idea. Of course the counterpoint is what risk do you pose in hurting Volpe’s confidence, a player who has already struggled to live up to the expectations placed on him in his career?

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: Much was made over the winter about the new Trajekt machines, batting practice aids that replicate the arm angle and movement of virtually any MLB pitcher. At least one Yankee has found success in a more low-tech environment though, with the aforementioned Caballero sinking his teeth into onfield batting practice. The shortstop has hit four home runs on the year, after five all of last season, and credits the confidence that watching the ball travel around the stadium during BP instills with the power surge. I’m not sure Cabby will ever be hitting in the top third of a lineup, but not having automatic outs at the bottom of the order has been a big part of the Yankees’ success early.

New York Post | Bridget Reilly: Yep, I’m gonna talk about Ben Rice again. The perceived vulnerability in the Yankee slugger was supposed to be left handed pitching — Paul Goldschmidt came back to the Bronx on a $4 million insurance policy as a partial hedge against that weakness. Instead, Rice is the second-best hitter in all of baseball against lefties, with a sterling 1.308 OPS facing southpaws in the first six weeks of the season. The Yankees lost Juan Soto and then effectively made Juan Soto out of a 27-year-old Dartmouth alum, one of the more stunning player development successes in recent years. A platoon hitter no more!

When it rains, it pours.

In the middle of a dreadful start to the season, the players and coaches on the field aren’t the only ones making mistakes for the Mets. Yes, it seems it’s now spreading beyond the walls and into the video replay room.

In the first inning of Saturday’s eventual 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles in extra innings, Nolan McLean allowed three straight two-out hits with the third hit resulting in both an out and a run scoring.

Except it shouldn’t have. 

Upon further review, the runner trying to advance to third base was tagged out, on a great throw by Austin Slater in right field, before the runner going home touched the plate which should’ve negated the run from counting.

The Mets did not challenge the call on the play and manager Carlos Mendoza was asked why not.

“He missed it,” the skipper said, referring to Mets replay analyst Harrison Friedland. “We called, obviously, and he missed it. Harrison is one of the best at his job. Obviously it ends up being a big play when you lose by one run, but I also think we had chances there and we couldn’t cash in.”

Yes, New York ended up losing by a single run in extra innings, meaning had they challenged the call and got it overturned and everything else stayed the same, the Mets would’ve won.

However, while that mental lapse proved costly, Mendoza doesn’t believe it’s the only reason his team lost. After all, once they tied the game in the seventh inning they had two more big chances to take the lead but were unable to cash in.

The first opportunity came with the bases loaded and one out and the top of the order coming up. In a lineup bereft of big hitters, this was the perfect time for the Mets to go for the jugular as Bo Bichette and Juan Soto, the two survivors of a once-thought stacked lineup, were due up.

Instead, Bichette, who had an RBI single earlier in the game, grounded into a force out at home and Soto struck out. Inning over.

Nevertheless, by a stroke of luck (and catcher’s interference), Bichette had a chance to redeem himself in the 10th inning with runners on first and second and nobody out. Once again, Bichette grounded out, this one a double play.

“I just hit two sliders in the ground,” Bichette said after the game. “I think for me just trying to be too perfect, have the perfect swing for every pitch and that’s not attainable.”

In a game where the Mets also lost Ronny Mauricio to a left thumb fracture (on the play right before Bichette’s first groundout), Mendoza admitted this loss was a tough one.

“This one stings,” he said. “We had our chances, but more times than not guys like Bo and Juan, those are the guys that we want at the plate to be in those situations. They’re gonna come through more times than not, today they just didn’t do it.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Mets need a replacement for their replacement at shortstop.

Ronny Mauricio is headed to the injured list, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, after he fractured his left thumb Saturday while diving into first base in the seventh inning of the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Angels in 10 innings.

Mauricio hit a grounder to first base and beat Nolan Schaunuel to the bag with a dive into the base — a play that was originally ruled an out but was overturned on replay — and fractured his thumb.

He was removed after the half inning concluded.

Mauricio became the starter at shortstop just over a week ago when Francisco Lindor was placed on the IL with a left calf strain expected to sideline him for months.

Bo Bichette moved from third base to shortstop for the final four innings on Saturday and is a candidate to play the position in Mauricio’s absence.

Bichette was a shortstop before switching to third base this season.

“I have got to wait and see who the player is coming up [from Triple-A Syracuse],” Mendoza said. “I am pretty sure Bo is going to be in the conversation.”

Randy Johnson is the first Mariners pitcher I remember watching. Somewhere there is a picture of a mulleted Randy taken by me with a hot pink camera in the Kingdome at a Kid’s Day. It’s blurry, and his head is partially cropped off, seven-year-old me tilting up the camera at the towering figure above me. That’s what it felt like watching him pitch: larger than life, scary, and a little bit thrilling.

Emerson Hancock, while very tall in his own right, does not spark the same fear, with his kind smile and soft Georgia accent. I have seen many versions of Emerson Hancock over the years: the college acee whose career and trip to Omaha was cut short; a young pitcher surrounded by other young pitching that leapfrogged him on his journey to the bigs; a beaten but not defeated Hancock searching for answers after a bad start, and another, and another; and tonight, what should have been a triumphant Hancock coming off a career-best start of 14 strikeouts against not walks, but was instead a chastened Hancock forced to explain away his teammates’ mistakes in a crushing 3-2 extra-innings loss.

Randy Johnson was famous for telling his offensively anemic Mariners teammates “just get me one run tonight, boys, that’s all we need.” Hancock would need just a little more than that. He wouldn’t get it.

The Mariners did oblige The RJ Doctrine in the first. Julio Rodríguez continued his torrid stretch with a one-out double that missed being a home run by about a foot, tagging a 90-mph fastball on the opposite corner of the plate. Josh Naylor followed him up with a classic Naylor single, the high fastball away that he punched into center field for a run. Unfortunately, Randy Arozarena capped the scoring there by unluckily lining into a double play, so the Mariners really did just get the one run, boys. That would prove to be significant, later, in a chain of events that undid this game from what should have been a thrilling win into a loss.

The Royals got their own run in the third through some bad luck for Emerson Hancock. Nine-hole hitter Kyle Isbel got a hold of a cutter at the bottom of the zone and laced it just past a diving Josh Naylor. Maikel Garcia then threw his bat at a first-pitch sweeper on the outer edge of the zone and blooped it into left field to bring home Isbel. Hancock rebounded even with one out, getting Bobby Witt Jr. to pop out on the sweeper (assisted by a strong throw from Luke Raley to hold the runner at second) and ending the inning on a strikeout looking to Vinnie Pasquantino, a perfectly spotted four-seamer at 97.4 mph.

The Mariners were able to get a go-ahead run in the fifth but it came…weirdly. With one out, the Mariners loaded the bases on back-to-back-to-back singles from Leo Rivas, J.P. Crawford, and Julio Rodríguez; Rivas then scored on a wild pitch by Royals starter Seth Lugo, the reigning Royals organizational Pitcher of the Month. Josh Naylor then struck out for the second out, but Randy Arozarena walked to re-load the bases…and then was picked off to end the inning, having lost track of the count. Manager Dan Wilson was gracious about the mental mistake postgame, saying there are times where he’s forgotten the count, or rolled the ball back with runners on, but once again, a scoring chance would be squandered, and eventually, the Mariners would run out of chances.

That sent Hancock out to protect the precious one-run lead once again. It looked like he might be done after the sixth, having to work around a leadoff ground-ball single from Bobby Witt Jr. followed by a line drive base hit from Vinnie Pasquantino. With Hancock’s velocity trending downwards and some location misses with sinkers leaking onto the plate, things felt dangerous. But Hancock spun a bunch of sweepers at Salvador Perez to get him to strike out, retired Carter Jensen on a frankly scary flyout, and then got Jac Caglianone to tap a comebacker right at him to end the inning without trouble.

Then, a surprise: Dan Wilson sent Hancock back out for a seventh inning of work, and Hancock dug down for what he had left, collecting two more strikeouts from the bottom of the order and getting Kyle Isbel to pop out softly to put a cap on his night. It was a brilliant, beautiful performance from Hancock that deserved so much better than this loss. It deserves a full recap devoted to the particular journey Hancock has taken this season, tunneling himself out of the fear and doubt and ineffectiveness of his first few seasons, bad outings and worse ones, and the perseverance he’s shown in making himself into not just a big-league starter, but the current anchor of this rotation.

If you want to just watch this highlight and stop reading, go ahead. I won’t fault you.

But once again, the bullpen wasn’t able to protect that slender lead, and the offense wasn’t able to add on. To be clear, Eduard Bazardo is blameless in this; he worked a clean eighth inning with some help from a diving Randy Arozarena. But Andrés Muñoz had the ninth and things started off roughly, with perpetual Mariner-killer Salvador Perez lining a leadoff single into right field and then pinch-runner Lane Thomas getting to second on a called balk. “DAN DO SOMETHING!” hollered one aggrieved fan in front of me in the press box and honestly, yes, I would also have liked for Dan to fix it somehow. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. Muñoz struck out Carter Jensen on a slider, but then Jac Caglianone ambushed a first-pitch heater for an RBI single – and then advanced to third on a fielding error by the normally surehanded Julio Rodríguez, who just sort of…let the ball roll past him. A swinging bunt from Isaac Collins advanced the runner to third, bringing up Michael Massey, who popped out to end the inning and make Julio’s error academic, but it felt like another missed stitch in the ugly afghan that was this game. May seems a little late to be making these kinds of mistakes, and so many of them.

The Royals brought out the anciént one (Matt Strahm) again for the ninth, causing Wilson to dip into his bench and summon Rob Refsnyder to pinch-hit for Canzone after Cole Young flew out softly for the first out of the inning. But righty pinch-hitters Refsnyder and Connor Joe couldn’t get anything cooking, and the game went to extras.

Cooper Criswell was tasked with handling the tenth and immediately had a base stolen off him, but was able to strike out Kyle Isbel for the first out of the inning, so it was basically like the sac bunt worked. That turned the lineup over, though, and Maikel Garcia was able to get that runner home with a shallow sac fly. Criswell was able to retire Bobby Witt Jr., but the Mariners – who hadn’t scored on a hit since the first inning of the game, remember – now entered with the bottom of their lineup to try to score off Royals closer Lucas Erceg.

They did not. It’s not important how. In lieu of dwelling on this annoying, frustrating, frankly godawful loss, let’s return to Emerson Hancock. While images of Randy Johnson snarling and strutting filled the giant screen behind him, Hancock warmed up as he always does, keeping an even tempo. The old baseball rule is you don’t talk to pitchers on their start days; most of the Mariners starters don’t follow that, but definitely not Hancock, who greets every member of the media as he does every day, with a soft hello-how-are-ya. Pregame, he was hanging on the batting turtle with Kevin Seitzer, maybe talking about the Braves, who come into town next, cheering a Dominic Canzone homer that scraped the upper deck. Hancock admitted he was a little starstruck by the baseball luminaries – Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez among them – whose voices filled the stadium before his start, but stopped short of saying he felt pressure to bring something of their greatness into his game, despite his career-best performance.

“You go out there and you try to be someone you’re not, you try to do something you don’t usually do, you can run into a trap,” said Hancock.

Not intent to dominate but intent to compete. Not a 99 mph fastball but one that ticks down to 93 at times and he lets it. Not an untouchable, harrowing presence, but a warm one that reflects the Georgia sun and open farmlands. Not a snarl but a smile. Emerson Hancock has always done it his way, and tonight he did it better than he ever has. In a frustrating game, that’s worth holding on to – the lesson that you don’t have to borrow anyone else’s persona to be great. Stick to who you are, be who you are, and you can find your own way to it, no matter how long it takes.