The Mets found themselves in an early hole and didn't have enough offense on Wednesday night, falling 8-4 to the Washington Nationals.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Zach Thornton had a rough start to his MLB debut, letting up a three-run home run to CJ Abrams on a cutter he left over the middle. The left-hander was able to settle down and get the next two outs, including his first career strikeout.
A walk by Thornton and a throwing error by Hayden Senger gave the Nats a runner on third with one away, as Keibert Ruiz took advantage with a single to push the lead to 4-1. Thornton got some help from Carson Benge on a catch against the wall to rob extra bases from James Wood and then recorded his second strikeout on his 58th pitch of the night. Luckily, the 24-year-old got in a groove and tossed two straight 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth, retiring eight straight.
Thornton's debut came to an end in the fifth inning after giving up a double to Ruiz and getting Wood to fly out. The lefty, who's Joe DeMayo's No. 13 overall prospect in the Mets’ system, allowed four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 4.1 IP (80 pitches).
-- Mark Vientos got the offense going in the second inning with a leadoff double that took a funny bounce down the left field line. He advanced to third on a flyout and then scored on Brett Baty's single to right field, cutting Washington's lead to 3-1. A.J. Ewing recorded the team's third hit of the inning to make it a first-and-third situation for Sengerwith two outs, but the backup catcher went down swinging against Zack Littell to end the scoring chance.
-- After coming close to a home run in the first inning, Juan Soto made sure he got enough of it in the top of the third inning. The solo homer, his second of the series and eighth of the year, smacked off the deck in right field and made it a 4-2 game.
Soto stayed hot and launched a two-run blast in the eighth inning to right field, cutting the Nationals' lead to 6-4. It's his 29th career multi-home run game.
-- Benge made another great defensive play in the bottom of the fifth, throwing out Ruiz at home to keep another run off of Thornton's line. The perfect throw was Benge's first career outfield assist.
-- Austin Warren replaced Thornton on the mound and got through the fifth, but allowed two runs in the sixth inning. Craig Kimbrel had to come in to get the final two outs of the sixth as the Mets trailed, 6-2. He stayed through the eighth inning, retiring seven straight before things unraveled with a two-run homer to Jacob Young, making it an 8-4 game. It was the longest outing of Kimbrel's career at 2.2 IP and 32 pitches.
Game MVP: CJ Abrams
Abrams' three-run HR set the tone for Washington and put him in a four-way tie for the NL lead in RBI with 42.
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 20: Jhonny Pereda #5 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Jhonny Pereda picked off the go-ahead run then slugged the go-ahead homer to will the Mariners to a much-needed 5-4 win on Wednesday.
With the game tied 2-2 in the sixth, Chase Meidroth picked up a one-out single off Cooper Criswell. Tristan Peters followed with what looked like an RBI double, but the ball got lodged in the wall down the first base line, keeping runners at second and third. It’d been a frustrating game for the Mariners to that point, with the lineup struggling to string hits together once again. It wasn’t an ideal showing after Tuesday night’s excruciating, hard-feelings loss, of which there have been many in recent weeks. With the White Sox threatening to take the lead on a couple weak, seeing-eye hits, the wheels seemed ready to come right off the bus.
Then Drew Romo squared to bunt on the first pitch he saw. It was well outside, prompting him to pull the bat back. Meidroth either took too big of a lead at third or was expecting a safety squeeze — either way, he was well off the bag. After receiving the pitch, Pereda noticed Meidroth in no man’s land and fired to third. A pickle ensued, and Pereda eventually tagged Meidroth out a few feet from home. It was Pereda’s fifth caught stealing on eight attempts with the Mariners this year, in just his sixth game with the team.
Pereda was focused on simply getting the batter out and it was all reaction from there, he said after the game.
“I saw him take two steps forward, and I took my chance,” he said.
With the game still tied at 2-2, Pereda stepped to the plate to leadoff the seventh. Again, the Mariners offense to this point had been frustrating. Cole Young leadoff the game with a walk, and was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. Young later picked up a double in the third inning but was stranded. The Mariners even loaded the bases in the fifth with nobody out, only to go down quickly without a run. It was that kind of day for the first six innings.
To be fair, they had scratched across a couple runs. In the second, Randy Arozarena leadoff with a hit by pitch, stole second, and scored on a double from Dominic Canzone. In the fourth, Arozarena leadoff with a walk and later scored on a double from Patrick Wisdom. But two runs and a bunch of stranded runners proved not quite enough as the White Sox clawed their way back, eventually evening the score.
Back to Pereda: He stepped to the plate to leadoff the bottom of the seventh. Sean Newcomb threw a first-pitch fastball up and in, and Pereda fouled it back. Newcomb returned with a big, slow slurve that hung over the plate, and Pereda saw his chance. He turned on the pitch and slugged it 106.7 mph on a line, zipping it just over the wall in left.
It was Pereda’s first homer in the majors at 30 years old. The ball is already authenticated, labeled, and displayed in a glass box on the shelf in his locker. He said after the game he wasn’t trying to do much and stay in his approach, wanting to get the ball in the air to the pull side every time up.
“And then it happened,” he said. He could tell off the bat. “That was so special. As soon as I hit the ball I was like, ‘Oh my god, my first homer.’ I couldn’t believe it.”
It seemed to start something for the Mariners. Julio Rodríguez followed with a double, ripping a hard liner down the left field line. That brought Arozarena to the plate, who got every bit of a hanging sweeper from Jordan Hicks, blasting it 105.1 mph out to left-center and extending the lead to 5-2. In some ways, this was The Randy Arozarena Game, but he’s had a plenty of those in 2026, now with a 150 wRC+ on the year (top 20 in the majors).
Of course, the Mariners refused to make this one easy. Eduard Bazardo pitched the eighth and allowed back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out. Peters then hit a double-play ball to Young at second, who flipped to Emerson at the bag, who made a low-ish throw to first. The ball ticked off Josh Naylor’s glove and squirted back toward the dugout, allowing a runner to score.
It was that kind of day for the Mariners in the field, too. Emerson Hancock got the start and was sharp as ever in the first inning. But things got dicey in the second. He completely lost the zone and issued three straight walks to load the bases with nobody out. Hancock bounced back, however, getting Peters to punch out, before getting Romo to ground into a double play.
That was the extent of Hancock’s command issues for the day, though he did eventually give up some runs. The White Sox got a run in the third on a pair of singles. They got another in the fifth on a trio of singles. Hancock’s final line was five innings, five hits, three walks, two runs, and four strikeouts on 10 whiffs. It wasn’t his best start, but most of the bad parts came and went in the second.
José Ferrer took the mound with a 5-3 lead in ninth, assuming the closer role while Andrés Muñoz got a day off following Tuesday night’s snafu. The first pitch he threw was a sinker up and out of the zone to pinch hitter Randal Grichuk, who poked it out to right field to make the game 5-4. Things were dicey once again.
And then, they weren’t. Strikeout. Strikeout. Strikeout. Ferrer set down the next three in order to finish off a series victory.
Greeting him on the mound and taking part in the infield’s victory dance was Pereda. It’s been a long time coming for the journeyman backup catcher. Pereda signed with the Cubs at 17 and started in Rookie Ball way back in 2013. He bounced around the minors from level to level, organization to organization, before finally making his big league debut in 2024 with the Marlins. But even then, he struggled to find any sort of regular playing time, with just 118 plate appearances in the majors when he signed with the Mariners in January.
As Zach Mason noted in our 40 in 40 series, “if we see him in Seattle at any point this year, there’s a good chance something has gone horribly wrong.” And yeah, that’s essentially why Pereda is here. Cal Raleigh was placed on the injured list last week with a side injury, and Pereda joined the team as a backup to Mitch Garver.
For Pereda, though, it doesn’t matter why he’s here now, only that he is. How does it feel to play in the majors?
“Perfect. Beautiful. It took me a long time to get here so I have to enjoy every moment.”
Still, it can be a tough transition for even a veteran newcomer to the bigs. The Mariners have helped ease the way for Pereda by encouraging him to be himself and just have fun. That’s simply who he is, bringing a joyous personality to the club — one reminiscent of former Mariner and countryman Eugenio Suárez.
“I like to play that way, I like having fun, I like to be joking around during the game. So that meant a lot for me, because, like I said, it took me a long time to get here, so I gotta enjoy it. That’s why I always have fun during the game.”
And as Kate Preusser noted when talking with Pereda after the game, he and Suárez might even share a motto.
“I assume they’re not gonna get mad if I do that (play with energy and have fun). I’m going to do it all the time, because that way I can do my 100%.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 04: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 04, 2026 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The weather may not be bright, but the Yankees’ spirits are probably a little brighter after taking the first two games of this series against Toronto. They haven’t been pretty, but after the abysmal road trip New York suffered, back-to-back wins could be just the thing to jumpstart them back into high gear, and they could further that momentum with their ace on the mound tonight.
Cam Schlittler takes the mound having tossed another stellar game in his last outing, pitching 6.2 innings of two-hit ball against the Mets on Friday. The 25-year-old has collected four starts already this season where he’s limited opposing offenses to two hits or less, and in the process owns MLB’s best ERA with a 1.35 mark in 60 innings. Any way you slice it, Schlittler has been one of if not the best pitcher in the league thus far, and he’ll look to continue that trajectory with his first chance at revenge for last year’s ALDS.
His opponent on the night is Trey Yesavage, a fellow phenom who needs little introduction after he devastated the Yankees’ lineup in Game 2 of their postseason clash en route to a World Series run that he played a big part in pushing to seven games. Yesavage had just three regular season starts on his resume prior to that trial by fire, and his first full season got off to a delayed start after a shoulder injury put him on the IL to begin the year, but he was activated in late April and has been on a tear ever since. Yesavage has gotten four starts in 2026 and done well to limit the damage in all of them, pitching to a 1.40 ERA in 14 innings. He hasn’t flashed the big swing and miss potential that he capitalized on against the Yankees and Dodgers in that postseason, however, collecting six K’s in each of his last three starts as a season-high.
The Yankees will shift Ben Rice up to the leadoff position against the 22-year-old righty and give him a half-day as the DH, with Paul Goldschmidt entering the lineup in the five-hole after the core of Judge, Bellinger, and Chisholm Jr. Trent Grisham slides down to the sixth spot in center, and Austin Wells will get his second straight start behind the plate as Ryan McMahon and Anthony Volpe continue to man the left side of the infield and command the bottom of the lineup.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:10pm ET 9:10pm ET (post-rain delay)
TV broadcast/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, SN1, MLB Network
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, SN590 THE FAN
In addition to getting just one hit in 11 at-bats — plus six strikeouts — in the Chicago Cubs' three-game series against the NL Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers, Crow-Armstrong made a defensive blunder during Wednesday night's game that led to a "Little League home run" by the Brewers' David Hamilton.
In the top of the second inning at Wrigley Field, the Brewers' Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz were on base when Hamilton came to the plate against Cubs starter Edward Cabrera. Hamilton hit a line drive to center field, where Crow-Armstrong whiffed on collecting the ball for the fielding error. It was a costly blunder by Crow-Armstrong. The speedy Hamilton was off to the races around the bases and scored sliding head first into home plate to give Milwaukee an early 3-0 lead.
Hamilton, who hasn't gone yard yet this season, is still looking for his first official home run of 2026. He was credited with a single on the play, which helped the Brewers win, 5-0.
Hamilton was acquired by the Brewers in the offseason in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in which third baseman Caleb Durbin was the headliner. The Brewers' winning pitcher on May 20, left-hander Kyle Harrison, also was part of that six-player trade. Harrison improved to 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA after striking out 11 and allowed just two hits over seven innings of work.
Brewers move into first in NL Central after sweep of Cubs
The Brewers swept the Cubs in the first series of the season between the two expected NL Central contenders. That vaulted Milwaukee atop the NL Central, with a game and a half lead over the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the standings.
The Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at American Family Field on May 22-24. The reeling Cubs, meanwhile, host the Houston Astros over Memorial Day weekend.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 16: Brent Rooker #25 of the Athletics hits a three run home run during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Sutter Health Park on May 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After briefly falling below .500 the A’s got back to the even mark yesterday evening when they beat the Angels in the second game of this four-game series. They remain a half-game over the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West so a win tonight sure would feel good in order to remain atop the division all alone. Time to put two together and make this the start of an extended winning streak.
One of the A’s better pitchers will be taking the ball for them tonight. Right-hander Aaron Civale has been tabbed to make it two straight for the Athletics as he’ll be getting the ball for the 10th time this year. The 30-year-old has continued to be a revelation for the A’s as he’s leading the starting staff with a 2.70 ERA in his first season in the Green & Gold and he’ll try to lower than number even more with a strong performance against a division rival tonight. In five career starts against the Halos Civale owns a 4.28 ERA so he’ll be hoping for better results now that he’s in a new uniform.
Here’s the A’s starting nine for the game tonight:
New leadoff man tonight as Carlos Cortes draws the start in right field in place of Lawrence Butler. Other than that it’s the rest of the starters tonight with everyone in the batting order moving down a spot. That means Langeliers in the 2-hole, Kurtz batting third with Rooker hitting cleanup. Sodey behind him, followed by the hot-hitting Zack Gelof at third, McNeil at the keystone, Bolte back in center field, and Hernaiz handling shortstop.
Meanwhile the Angels have righty Jack Kochanowicz getting the start for them this evening. The third-year starter got hit hard in his first appearance this season before settling into a groove. He’s recently fallen out of said groove as he’s allowed six runs in each of his previous two outings. Can the A’s take advantage of a struggling pitcher and make it three straight with six runs allowed?
And the Angels’ starting nine courtesy of old friend and current Halos manager Kurt Suzuki:
Los Angeles Angels Lineup 1. Zach Neto (SS) 2. Mike Trout (CF) 3. Nolan Schanuel (1B) 4. Jorge Soler (DH) 5. Vaughn Grissom (3B) 6. Jo Adell (RF) 7. Oswald Peraza (2B) 8. Logan O'Hoppe (C) 9. Josh Lowe (LF)#Angels#MLBhttps://t.co/6cc8yXYAlj
Save for a bit of shuffling it’s mostly the same batters from last night except in left field, where former Ranger Josh Lowe will replace Jose Siri tonight. Can Civale handle the lineup and keep them off the board tonight?
After a successful April the A’s have lost four of their five series this month. If they lose tonight they’ll guarantee at best a split and put themselves in a big situation tomorrow for the series finale. Let’s avoid that scenario, shall we? Let’s go A’s!
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a double during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 19, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Yuichi Masuda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani takes the mound (and hits) against Randy Vázquez as the Dodgers wrap things up in San Diego.
Updated lineup:
Ohtani DH Betts SS Freeman 1B Tucker RF Pages CF Muncy 3B Smith C Hernández, T. LF Kim 2B Ohtani P https://t.co/hj3DpN93hS
Yankees manager Aaron Boone took time during his news conference ahead of Wednesday night's home game against the Toronto Blue Jays to commend the performance of Anthony Volpe.
The team's starting shortstop for the grand majority of the last three seasons entering 2026, Volpe began the season in the minor leagues rehabbing a torn labrum, which required offseason surgery.
As Volpe worked his way up the farm system, Jose Caballero made the shortstop position his own. Caballero's .259/.320/.400 slash line is already respectable, but his baserunning and defense are elite for his position.
Volpe was called back up eight days ago in the stead of Caballero, who was placed on the 10-day IL with a broken right (throwing) middle finger.
Through his first seven games back in the majors with the Yankees, Volpe is batting .294 with an eye-popping .500 on-base percentage through 17 at-bats. He's also stolen two bases.
When asked what stands out about Volpe's return to the Yankees lineup, Boone pointed to his ability to work "quality at-bats."
"He's hit some balls on the screws a handful of times...the baserunning has been excellent."
The most outstanding example of Volpe's baserunning occurred during Monday night's series opener, when he acrobatically avoided the tag of rookie Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela to score a run on a shallow J.C. Escarra fly ball.
Caballero is aiming to return on Friday, when fellow injury returnee Gerrit Cole will make his return to the mound in the Bronx to kick off a pivotal three-game home stand against the AL East division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
It will be interesting to see whether Boone makes a straight swap of Caballero in at shortstop for Volpe, or if Boone leans on Caballero's defensive versatility to swap out third baseman Ryan McMahon instead to keep Volpe in the lineup at shortstop.
Zach Thornton’s MLB career began with a touching father-son moment — but it was no ordinary one.
The Mets left-hander blew a kiss to his dad, Paul, who was watching from the stands, as the rookie took the mound to face the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
The sentimental moment is all the more touching with Paul having vowed to attend the game earlier in the week — and checking out of Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he spent the last month learning how to walk again after a botched spinal surgery, according to The Athletic.
Mets rookie Zach Thornton sends a kiss to his dad, Paul, in the stands ahead of his MLB debut. SNYPaul Thornton, who checked himself out of rehab to attend his son’s first MLB start, threw a thumbs-up to Zach. SNY
“It was go and be a dad and support a young man in Zach or take care of my health,” Paul told the outlet. “The doctors at Shirley Ryan assured me that my health was in good hands and that they felt as though I could do it. So it really made my decision very easy.
“To be honest, as a dad, I’m not going to miss this,” he added.
With his dad in the stands in a wheelchair along with his mom Julie on his side, the family clapped as Zach — a wispy 6-foot-3, 170-pound hurler — struck out Washington’s Dylan Crews for his first major league K.
"The support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing."
Zach Thornton's father, Paul, talks with @SteveGelbs about what his son's promotion to the majors means after his recent health… pic.twitter.com/mPcSQlsGl9
It’s hard to believe because of course we’re like, ‘What? This is happening already?'” Julie told SNY’s Steve Gelbs during Wednesday’s game broadcast. “But yeah, so much pride. He’s been an underdog, and I just feel like he’s gone through so much, so it’s just so fun. Just a prideful moment.”
Paul, a track coach at the University of Kansas and a former athlete at St. Olaf, had surgery on April 2 to remove a tumor from his spine. The procedure ended early when he began to bleed and lost feeling in his lower body, per The Athletic.
The elder Thornton has documented his rehab on social media, and he’ll get an extra special update to make after the whirlwind start to the week — one the Mets have played a very big role in.
“Being called up is one thing, and that’s a special thing,” Paul told Gelbs.
“But given a situation which we have had, and the support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing.”
Chase Meidroth races around second after Tristan Peters lodged a double in the wall during the sixth inning. Moments later, the Sox watched another scoring chance vanish. | (Connor Jalbert/Getty Images)
The White Sox spent the afternoon tripping over their own shoelaces. They outhit Seattle 11-7 but still dropped the rubber match. Eleven strikeouts, 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, nine left on base. All that traffic, and nothing to show for it.
It was the kind of game that keeps rebuilding clubs awake at night — enough traffic to win, not enough execution to finish the job.
The omens were bad from the jump. In the top of the second, the Mariners practically handed the Sox a gift when Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Jarred Kelenic drew three straight walks to open the inning. Bases loaded, nobody out, and a golden opportunity to seize momentum. Instead, Tristan Peters whiffs, and Drew Romo rolled into an inning-killing double play. Just like that, the Good Guys come away with a big fat zero.
Seattle immediately made them pay.
After Randy Arozarena got plunked in the bottom of the frame and swiped second, Dominic Canzone smacked a double down the first base line to plate the game’s first run and put the Mariners ahead, 1-0.
The Sox answered in the third. Sam Antonacci punched a one-out single, then stole second after Munetaka Murakami flew out. Andrew Benintendi followed with an RBI single to center to knot things up at 1-1.
But Seattle kept the screws on Sean Burke, whose rough stretch continued. In the fourth, Arozarena worked a leadoff walk, stole second again, and eventually came around when Patrick Wisdom ripped a two-out double to left, giving the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Chicago clawed back once more in the fifth. Luisangel Acuña and Antonacci opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Murakami delivered with an RBI knock to plate Acuña and tie the game at 2-2.
Burke’s afternoon ended shortly after. He walked Jhonny Pereda to begin the bottom of the fifth, then hit Cole Young before Julio Rodríguez packed the sacks with a single. Antonacci bailed him out with a nice play on a Josh Naylor fly, and then Arozarena popped up, but Will Venable had seen enough and pulled the plug anyway.
Sean Newcomb came on and cleaned up his mess, preserving the tie and salvaging Burke’s line: 4 2⁄3 innings, four hits, two runs, three walks, five strikeouts.
However, it was the sixth inning that may have been the game’s defining moment. Meidroth led off with a single, and after Kelenic struck out, Peters ripped a ground-rule double that got lodged in the wall down the line. Runners at second and third, one out, another massive chance. Then came the kind of mistake that young, agressive teams make: Meidroth got caught in a rundown breaking toward home during Romo’s at-bat, erasing the lead runner before González grounded out harmlessly. Another golden ticket, shredded.
Seattle finally broke things open in the seventh. Pereda ambushed a Newcomb pitch for a leadoff solo shot to make it 3-2, and after Rodríguez doubled, Venable waved in Jordan Hicks to face Arozarena.
It did not go well.
After getting ahead with strike one, Hicks grooved one over the plate, and Arozarena didn’t miss. Two-run bomb, 5-2 Seattle, just like that.
But the Sox still had chances.
Eighth inning, Sox still breathing. Meidroth and Kelenic single, Peters reaches on a throwing error, and Meidroth scores. Miguel Vargas drew a pinch-hit walk, two on, two out. Edgar Quero, hero last Sunday, comes up as the tying run — swings through strike three — threat over.
Brandon Eisert handled the eighth at least, kept things tidy in the bottom half, tossing a quick inning and even picking off Emerson after issuing him a walk.
Ninth inning, last gasp. Randal Grichuk jumps the first pitch for a pinch-hit homer to right. Sox within one, and the dugout has a flicker of life.
Then, poof, the bats disappeared.
Three straight strikeouts. Ballgame.
So went the afternoon for the South Siders: traffic everywhere, timely hits nowhere.
Even after the loss, the Sox are 25-24, still above water and 2 1/2 games back, depending on what Cleveland does against Detroit. Off day Thursday, then they’ll head to San Francisco for three. Time to forget this one ever happened.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 16: Justin Wrobleski #70 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws on the field prior to a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch on March 16, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers go from playing one recent postseason opponent to battling another recent playoff foe, heading from San Diego to play the Brewers beginning Friday night in Milwaukee, in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series.
In 2025 the Dodgers and Brewers faced off in two different times. They played two series over two weeks surrounding the All-Star break, and Milwaukee swept all six games, winning by a combined score of 31-16. Then came the NLCS when Dodgers pitching was on a heater, holding the Brewers to exactly one run in all four games. Los Angeles only scored 15 total runs in the series, but that was enough for a pennant-winning sweep.
Justin Wrobleski gets the ball in the series opener on Friday night, rookie right-hander Logan Henderson on the mound for Milwaukee making his 10th major league start.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 19: Alex Call #12 of the Los Angeles Dodgers scores a run ahead of the tag by Freddy Fermin #54 of the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Petco Park on May 19, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Los Angeles Dodgers (30-19) at San Diego Padres (29-19), May 20, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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The addition of some thump in the offseason hasn’t helped the Orioles avoid a dud early this season.
And one of their television broadcasters put his feelings about the state of the last-place team on full display after Baltimore’s third straight loss to the rival Rays on Wednesday afternoon.
MASN analyst Ben McDonald used the postgame show after a 5-3 loss — one in which the Orioles allowed four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning — to discuss what he believes is wrong with the team.
In short, he couldn’t care less about any expected stats or analytics, but that at the end of the day, the team is 21-29 and in the basement of the American League East.
Shane Baz f the Baltimore Orioles walks back to the dugout in the middle of the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on May 20, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. Getty Images
“We can talk about analytics and what could happen and what should happen if you hit the ball hard. But I don’t care if you hit the ball hard. Like, I don’t care if you hit it hard and you hit it to somebody. You’re out. I don’t care how hard you throw ball four. I don’t care what your spin rate was on your breaking ball if you bounce it three feet in front of home plate. I don’t care,” McDonald said, via the Baltimore Banner.
“What I care about is, do you make plays? Do you make pitches? Do you get hits when it matters? And that’s what the Orioles are struggling to do right now. They are struggling to complete ball games. They are struggling to have all phases of the game go right at the same time. That’s where the struggle is. So, all this nonsense is eyewash to me about all this analytical stuff. You either do or you don’t. And right now, the Orioles don’t. They are not doing it and they’re not playing well right now. That’s the bottom line.”
Alonso, who went deep Wednesday, now has nine homers through May 20, but his .744 OPS is well below his career norms and over 100 points lower than his total (.871) from last year in New York. Baz had one of his best starts of the year on Wednesday (six innings, one run), but has a 4.87 ERA and 1.45 WHIP this year.
As a team, the Orioles offense ranks 18th in OPS (.700) while the pitching staff is 26th in ERA (4.97).
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) returns to the dugout after driving in a run and being caught in a rundown during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
In the three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays, the Orioles were outscored 25-10. Manager Craig Albernaz didn’t mince words about the latest loss.
“It’s a big-time gut punch, for sure,” Albernaz told reporters after Baltimore lost for the fifth time in six games.
The latest defeat was particularly crushing after the Orioles brought a 3-1 lead into the eighth before reliever Anthony Nunez imploded, allowing four earned runs to score. Closer Ryan Helsley is out with an elbow injury.
McDonald said he doesn’t even know what the Orioles’ next move is.
“They are having trouble finishing ball games. Where do they go from here?” the analyst said. “I can’t tell you where they go from here. I don’t know where the Orioles go from here other than that they have to start playing more consistent baseball. That’s the bottom line.”
Roughly 60 days into the MLB season, the Dodgers still look like the team baseball expected them to be. They remain near the top of the National League standings, project as a World Series favorite, and continue operating with one of the deepest rosters in baseball.
But beneath the standings, another market has been moving just as aggressively.
Inside the sports card world, the Dodgers are no longer functioning as one team. They are multiple collectible economies operating simultaneously. Some players are accelerating rapidly. Some are flattening despite elite production. Some are being repriced downward because uncertainty became visible. Others have evolved into historical assets that now trade more on legacy and scarcity than week-to-week statistics.
That distinction matters because baseball and sports card markets reward different things. Baseball rewards wins. The card market rewards belief, visibility, and future demand.
Shohei Ohtani’s market has moved beyond the traditional superstar cycle.
His offensive production remains elite, but the larger shift has come from the possibility of meaningful pitching innings returning later this season. Once Cy Young conversations re-entered the picture, collectors stopped evaluating Ohtani as simply the best hitter in baseball and started evaluating the possibility of another historically unprecedented two-way season.
That distinction changes the market entirely.
An MVP-caliber hitter is valuable. An MVP-caliber hitter who can simultaneously compete for Cy Young consideration becomes historically scarce. Ohtani’s OPS, power production, and hard-hit profile continue reinforcing elite offensive consistency, but the card market is reacting less to the baseline numbers themselves and more to the expanding ceiling around them.
That change is visible directly in pricing behavior. Ohtani’s market has risen more than 53% over the last 90 days, with demand concentrating into BBM rookies, Japanese-exclusive releases, low-population PSA 10s, and high-end autos. His buyer pool has also expanded globally, pulling in traditional collectors, Japanese buyers, and alternative asset participants simultaneously.
The market is no longer pricing short-term production alone. It is pricing historical significance.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki Are Moving in Opposite Directions
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s market has spent the first two months of the season moving from projection toward validation.
Entering the year, collectors were still pricing upside tied to his transition from Japan to MLB. But despite stretches of early ERA volatility, Yamamoto’s strikeout-to-walk profile, command metrics, and pitch efficiency remained strong beneath the surface. Just as importantly, the Dodgers continued treating him like a frontline postseason arm, signaling organizational trust before the broader market fully caught up.
That combination matters because the card market tends to follow visible role stability almost as much as raw production. Once collectors believe a player’s role is secure, confidence begins consolidating into fewer, more liquid assets.
His market has responded accordingly, climbing roughly 27% as demand concentrates into PSA 10 rookies, Topps Chrome parallels, and autograph formats.
Roki Sasaki’s market has moved in the opposite direction.
Sasaki entered the season carrying one of the most aggressively priced projection markets in baseball. Velocity, strikeout upside, and international hype created enormous demand before sustained MLB production had fully materialized. But uneven command, fluctuating velocity consistency, and workload caution introduced visible instability into what had previously been a pure upside narrative.
His market has fallen roughly 18% during the same stretch the broader baseball card market rose more than 12%.
That divergence reveals one of the central realities of modern sports card pricing: the market loves projection while uncertainty remains abstract. Once instability becomes measurable instead of theoretical, repricing happens quickly.
Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim Show How Visibility Creates Demand
The Dodgers have also produced one of the clearest examples of how opportunity converts into card market demand.
Andy Pages has become one of the fastest-rising baseball card markets in the sport, with prices climbing more than 70% over the last 90 days. Increased lineup trust, improving offensive production, and everyday at-bats pushed him into national visibility, but the market move started before the highlights became constant.
The signals appeared earlier through playing time, lineup confidence, and improving production quality. The narrative formed afterward.
That sequencing sits at the center of how modern sports card markets operate. Visibility accelerates once performance becomes easy for the broader market to recognize and simplify.
Hyeseong Kim represents a similar dynamic. Mookie Betts landing on the injured list created immediate opportunity on baseball’s most visible roster, accelerating Kim’s relevance almost overnight. Increased playing time, defensive versatility, and growing visibility helped push his market higher as Korean collector demand expanded alongside mainstream hobby attention.
Performance created the opening. Exposure amplified the demand.
Mookie Betts Illustrates the Problem With Established Greatness
Mookie Betts presents the opposite dynamic.
Despite recently returning from the injured list, his market has remained relatively flat compared to other Dodgers stars. That is not because the market doubts him. It is because the market already fully understands him.
His greatness is efficiently priced.
Championship pedigree, Hall of Fame trajectory, elite production, and long-term consistency are already embedded into his market structure. There is very little discovery left. Modern sports card markets reward acceleration more aggressively than stability because emerging narratives create urgency while established greatness creates consistency.
For Betts’ market to materially accelerate again, it likely requires another MVP-level stretch, postseason dominance, or historically significant milestones. Sustained excellence alone rarely creates explosive repricing once a player becomes fully understood.
Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz Reflect the Volatility of Pitcher Markets
Pitchers continue to operate at a structural disadvantage inside the sports card market.
Blake Snell’s injuries and interrupted workload softened demand because pitcher markets rely heavily on continuity and visibility to maintain momentum. Edwin Díaz reflects a different version of the same issue. Despite elite stretches as a closer and a massive contract, his hobby market has remained relatively thin outside a handful of recognizable releases like Topps Heritage. Recent controversy tied to cockfighting allegations in Puerto Rico only complicated the narrative further.
Even elite pitchers often struggle to sustain hitter-level demand because they generate fewer culturally dominant moments, carry greater injury volatility, and rely more heavily on sustained performance to maintain visibility.
What the Dodgers Reveal About the Modern Sports Card Market
The Dodgers are not simply one of baseball’s best rosters. They are one of the clearest real-time demonstrations of how modern sports card markets actually function.
Inside one team, the market is simultaneously pricing historical legacy, breakout acceleration, international demand, uncertainty, narrative momentum, and long-term preservation.
Shohei Ohtani trades like a global historical asset. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is moving from projection toward validation. Roki Sasaki shows how quickly uncertainty can reprice upside. Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim demonstrate how visibility accelerates demand. Mookie Betts reflects the ceiling of established greatness, where consistency matters less than new narrative momentum.
The standings measure wins. The card market measures future attention.
That difference explains why some players rise faster than their statistics suggest, while others remain flat despite elite production. The market is not reacting to performance alone. It is reacting to how performance gets interpreted, amplified, and believed.
For the Dodgers, the opportunity is obvious. Another postseason run, continued growth from Pages and Kim, and full validation from Yamamoto could push multiple segments of the Dodgers card market substantially higher by October.
But the risks are equally visible. Pitching volatility, injuries, workload concerns, and the pressure of sustaining expectations over a full season can quickly reshape both narrative and demand.
Sixty days into the season, the Dodgers are still winning games.
The card market is now trying to determine which players, and which assets tied to them, will still look undervalued by the time October arrives.
What team should we look at next. Let us know on Mantel.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 2: Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on May 2, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Le/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals barrage of games against NL Central rivals Wednesday as Michael McGreevy will try to dominate the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs will counter with Carmen Mlodzinski on the mound for Pittsburgh. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and game viewable on Cardinals.tv.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 20: Jhonny Pereda #5 of the Seattle Mariners tags out Chase Meidroth #10 of the Chicago White Sox as Meidroth attempts to steal home during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park on May 20, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mariners 5, White Sox 4
Enjoying a baseball game with your family: Jhonny Pereda, +0.24 WPA A drunk 20-something whipping you in the back of his head with a sweaty shirt: Josh Naylor, -0.15 WPA
