Category: MLB

Casey Mize returned in fine form in this one, but the Detroit Tigers remain hamstrung offensively. The Toronto Blue Jays are having similar issues, but they pulled this one out in the tenth against Tyler Holton, and Louis Varland closed out the Tigers to even the series at a game apiece on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday’s matchup featured a sight for sore eyes, as Casey Mize returned to the bump after a few weeks out with a minor groin strain. The Tigers need him, and plenty of other players, back in action. Mize settled in pretty nicely in the top of the first. George Springer grounded out, and after Yohendrick Piñango reached on a swinging bunt, Mize got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground to Hao-Yu Lee at third, and Lee started a double play to end the inning.

Lefty Mason Fluharty was on the mound for the Blue Jays as the opener, prompting AJ Hinch to bat Hao-Yu Lee third, playing third base, in order to get his a bat against the southpaw. Kevin McGonigle’s rough stretch continued with a soft fly out to start things off. Dillon Dingler was the DH in this one, and he and Hao-Yu Lee had trouble with Fluharty’s extreme angle to the plate, taking called strike threes.

Mize whiffed Kazumo Okamoto for the first out of the second, and Dalton Varsho lined out sharply to center. Jesus Sanchez dug in and he too struck out over a splitter, shooting Mize some looks at he accepted his fate.

Matt Vierling led off the bottom half with a single back up the middle. Riley Greene was rung up on a pretty tough checked swing call. That was the end of Fluharty’s job with Greene dispatched, and John Schneider took the ball and gave it to Spencer Miles as the bulk guy. Spencer Torkelson whiffed on a mistake slider at the top of the zone. As Zach McKinstry fell behind 1-2, Vierling broke for second but didn’t get the best jump and was cut down by Tyler Heineman.

Mize went through the Blue Jays 7-8-9 in order to start the third inning. We’ve seen him a little sharper this year, but for his first start back he really didn’t look like he’d missed a beat.

Zach McKinstry flared a single into right field to start the bottom half. Wenceel Perez flew out, and Jake Rogers struck out. McGonigle pulled a single that moved McKinstry to third with two outs. Dillon Dingler followed by drawing a walk to load the bases, and Hinch turned to Gage Workman to pinch-hit for Lee instead of Colt Keith. It didn’t work out, as Workman chased a flurry of breaking balls and struck out.

Mize started the fourth with a nasty slider to punch George Springer. Piñango flew out and Guerrero’s struggles continued as he popped out to Torkelson to end the frame. The Tigers weren’t dialing in on Miles’ breaking stuff yet, and Vierling and Greene grounded out to start the bottom half. Torkelson missed a curveball over the middle for strike three, and it was on to the fifth.

Okamoto lifted a fly ball out to Riley Greene to start the inning. Varsho got a splitter that hung up over the middle of the plate first pitch and drilled a double to right field to give the Blue Jays their first threat in the game. Mize turned from splitters in the first at-bat against Sanchez, to sliders in this one and carved him up. Lenyn Sosa popped out to Workman to strand Varsho as Mize continued to look very good.

The Tigers weren’t having any luck against Miles. A pop-up from McKinstry to Okamoto saw the third baseman juggle the ball and then snatch it out of the air bare-handed. Wenceel Pérez’s struggles continued with a ground out to Okamoto. Pérez is striking out just 13.5 percent of the time and somehow cannot buy a hit this year. Jake Rogers came to the plate with a more cagey plan and stayed patient until Miles walked him. Miles stayed heavily breaking ball against McGonigle, bouncing one that got away from Heineman as Rogers scampered to second base. In a 1-2 count, Miles tried a front door swingback sinker and got a called strike three, but it was a ball and McGonigle correctly challenged it. He then swung over a curveball for strike three anyway.

After trying to be patient early on and getting chopped up by Mize’s splitter, the Blue Jays started swinging earlier through the middle of the game, but all it did was make for quick innings. Andrés Giménez flew out down the left field line as Greene made a fine sliding catch in foul territory. Heineman popped out, and Springer flew out, and Mize was through six scoreless with a pitch count at 71.

However, with Mize back off the IL with no rehab work, the Tigers didn’t want to push him too far, and so that was it for him, and it was a heck of a return to action. 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K. Mize got 10 whiffs on 42 swings, with the slider and splitter accounting for eight of those. With that, Mize’s ERA drops to 2.43 on the year, with a FIP of 2.67. The breakout year continues.

However, Spencer Miles day was done. RHP Braydon Fisher took over to face Dingler, Workman, and Vierling in the bottom of the sixth. On a 2-1 pitch, a called strike was challenged correctly by Dingler to get to 3-1 instead, but he ultimately grounded out. Workman struck out, but Vierling got an 0-1 slider over the middle and lined it into the Tigers’ bullpen for a 1-0 lead. Greene struck out on a slider, and we were onto the seventh with the Tigers up a run.

Of course, trying to take it easy on Mize meant that the Tigers bullpen would have to collect nine outs to win. Instead, Kyle Finnegan took over and immediately gave up a solo shot to Piñango, the first of his young career, on a first pitch splitter that carried just inside the right field foul pole. 1-1 game. Guerrero Jr. grounded out, and Okamoto flew out to Pérez. Finnegan walked the dangerous Varsho to put one on and Jesus Sanchez at the dish, but the right-hander got ahead 0-2 and Sanchez bounced out harnlessly to second.

Right-hander Tommy Nance took over for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the seventh and quickly dispatched Torkelson on a swinging strike three. McKinstry grounded one to Guerrero ranging toward second base, and the first baseman couldn’t hit the moving target that was Nance covering the bag. McKinstry reached, and Pérez worked ahead in the count. A couple of breaking balls evened the count at 2-2, and Pérez’s troubles with contact continued as he popped out to Heineman at home plate. With Jake Rogers down 0-1, McKinstry tried to steal second on a breaking ball thrown for strike two, but he was cut down by Heineman pretty easily, and we were onto the eighth.

Connor Seabold returned from the injured list yesterday, with Ricky Vanasco optioned to Toledo, and Seabold took over in the eighth from Finnegan. Lenyn Sosa grounded out to McGonigle to start things off. Giménez also grounded out to McGonigle. Davis Schneider pinch-hit for Heineman. A 1-1 fastball away was called a strike. Schneider challenged it incorrectly, leaving it 1-2 and the Blue Jays down to one challenge. A good fastball blew Schneider away to wrap up a brisk inning from Seabold. Welcome back, Connor.

Tyler Rogers, the closest thing to a submariner we seem to have left in the game, took over for the Blue Jays and punched out Rogers. McGonigle striped a hard ground ball just fair down the left field line for a single, but a nice play from Piñango prevented him from taking second. Dingler popped out to Okamoto at third, and Workman grounded out to Sosa to send us to the ninth.

As he did last night, Hinch turned to Kenley Jansen to hold the Blue Jays in place. The veteran closer got Springer to pop out in foul territory, with Gage Workman coming all the way over to the railing of the Tigers’ dugout to haul it in. Jansen tied Piñango in knots with a high, inside cut fastball for a whiff. That left it up to Guerrero, and the big man’s struggles contiinued as Jansen got in on him with a cutter a bit and he grounded out on a nice lunging play from McGonigle. Jansen is finally putting together consistent innings, which is a plus.

And so, it was walkoff time again, hopefully.

It wouldn’t be easy against hard-throwing Louis Varland. Vierling started it off with a ground out. Varland was firing 98-99 mph darts and got ahead of Riley Greene 0-2. Varland missed twice with soft stuff trying to get him to chase, and Greene eventually lined a single to left field. For some reason, Varland wasn’t trusting his fastball, and lollypopped a 2-2 slider over the middle. Torkelson was shortened up properly, and just lined a single up the middle. McKinstry stepped in, and surprisingly Hinch didn’t pinch hit Colt Keith. McKinstry grounded one to Sosa, who forced Torkelson at second while Greene took third. And finally it was Colt Keith time, hitting for Pérez.

Varland dropped in a knuckle curve for a first pitch strike, and then Keith chased a changeup well away. Another changeup bounced on the plate and Keith whiffed. The ball got away from Brandon Valenzuela, who replaced Heineman at catcher, but he was able to pounce on it and throw Keith out in time. On to the 10th.

Tyler Holton took over with Guerrero Jr. starting on second and this is where the lack of a lefty with better strikeout ability makes this situation a tough fit for the Tigers’ pen. Zack Short entered as the second baseman, taking over for Keith for defensive reasons. The Blue Jays were swinging away on the road, and Okamoto grounded one deep to third base, but Workman’s arm was plenty. The main reason for Holton was to try and control Varsho, but he couldn’t. Varsho lined a sinker back into center field for an RBI single, and a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.

Myles Straw pinch-hit for Sanchez to get the platoon matchup but flew out to McKinstry in right. Holton threw a cutter well down first pitch, and Sosa just golfed it to left field for a double. Greene was able to get the ball in to prevent Varsho scoring, but the situation was grim as Ernie Clement pinch-hit for Giménez. He lifted a harmless fly ball to left for the final out, but the Tigers now had to answer back.

With Short at second, Jake Rogers started things off, breaking his bat and grounding out to Clement at shortstop with Short unable to advance. McGonigle grounded a Varland offering to Guerrero at first for the second out, and Dingler chased a knuckle curve down for strike three to end it.

The Tigers pitched and defended well in this one, and it’s encouraging to see that on back-to-back days considering how they’ve been tracking. Still not enough production coming out of this lineup though, particularly in the power department.

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After the Yankees took Game 1, the Subway Series resumes tonight in Queens.

The Yankees’ ace, Cam Schlittler, allowed just one run — a Juan Soto homer — in 6 ²/₃ innings on the mound, in the 5-2 Game 1 victory. A three-run third inning opened up scoring for the Yankees, who added runs in the fifth and ninth innings as well.

In addition to losing the game, the Mets also lost starting pitcher Clay Holmes to a fractured fibula after his leg got hit with a line drive going 111-mph.

Game 2 of the Subway Series is airing on a different network than last night’s game — here’s everything you need to know to tune in.

Yankees vs. Mets start time (May 16)

The second game of the 2026 Subway Series is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. ET tonight, May 16.

How to watch Yankees vs. Mets for free

If you don’t have cable or a TV antenna, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to catch tonight’s game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching sports live for free — the five-day free trial of both its MySports and MyNews genre packs includes FOX, where tonight’s Subway Series game is airing. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $.99/month for your first two months and gain access to 20+ live sports or news channels, depending on the pack you choose.

Yankees vs. Mets starting pitchers

Carlos Rodón (0-0, 6.23 ERA) will start for the Yankees; Huascar Brazobán (2-1, 2.14 ERA) starts for the Mets.

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+ or FS1 (National)

Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Bassitt (3-2, 5.21 ERA, 26 K) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (1-2, 4.02 ERA, 44 K)

After an incredibly unlucky night for the offense on Friday, the Orioles look to even this season’s first Battle of the Beltways series tonight in DC. Most of Birdland doesn’t want to hear luck as an excuse for another Orioles’ loss, but it was an undeniable part of last night’s 3-2 loss in the District. Baltimore put up a staggering 16 hard-hit balls against Zack Littell and the Nationals’ bullpen—only to be rewarded with six hits and two runs.

Strikeouts and clutch hitting were still ever-present problems for Baltimore in the loss. The O’s struck out 10 times to raise their season total to 414—the fourth-worst mark in baseball. The Birds also went 1-f0r-6 with RISP, as they failed to raise their mediocre season average of .246 with runners on second or third (16th in MLB). Still, their frequency of quality contact would have yielded more runs on a different night and possibly have helped the O’s steal Game 1.

Baltimore will look to right those offensive wrongs tonight against a relatively unknown opposing pitcher. The Nats send 2020 1st-round pick Cade Cavalli to the mound, looking to limit the talented-but-inconsistent Orioles order. The 27-year-old right-hander made his debut in 2022, but only has 20 Major League appearances since then, thanks to two separate Tommy John surgeries.

The Orioles will want to attack Cavalli early and sit on the Oklahoma natives’ big fastball. Cavalli is averaging just 4.5 IP per start this season, and has only completed 5+ innings in four of his starts. The 6’4” righty’s best pitch this year has been his changeup vs. lefties, but his fastball has been hit so hard that it’s hard for him to set up the offspeed pitch. Left-handed batters are hitting .525 with a .750 slugging percentage against the four-seamer that sits in the upper 90s but has below-average movement.

Opposing Cavalli is the frustratingly inconsistent Chris Bassitt. The 37-year-old right-hander has four starts this season in which he has allowed one or fewer earned runs. In his other four starts, he’s allowed 19 combined earned runs and an opponent batting average of .382.

Despite his inconsistent nature, the Orioles seem to win a lot with Bassitt on the mound. Baltimore has won six straight Bassitt starts while scoring an average of 6.8 runs/game in those outings. Bassitt has made two career starts in Nationals Park, both in 2022 with the Mets. The now-Orioles right-hander dominated in those outings, tossing 13 combined shutout innings, while limiting Washington to nine hits and striking out 12. In 21 career innings vs. the Nats, Bassitt has yet to allow a run.

Orioles lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
2. Taylor Ward (R) LF
3. Adley Rutschman (S) C
4. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
5. Samuel Basallo (L) DH
6. Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
7. Leody Taveras (S) CF
8. Coby Mayo (R) 3B
9. Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B

Nationals lineup

1. James Wood (L) RF
2. Luis García Jr. (L) 1B
3. José Tena (L) 3B
4. CJ Abrams (L) SS
5. Daylen Lile (L) LF
6. Nasim Nuñez (S) 2B
7. Keibert Ruiz (S) C
8. Jorbit Vivas (L) DH
9. Jacob Young (R) CF

Last night was tense at the end, but the Nats pulled out the win thanks to Daylen Lile and solid pitching. Now they will have a chance to get back to .500. The last 15 times they were in this position, they have come up short. Hopefully, the 16th time can be the charm.

The Nats are rolling out a lefty heavy lineup against Chris Bassitt. Jose Tena will get the start at third base and hit third. Nasim Nunez will be back in the lineup at second base. Jorbit Vivas stays in the lineup as the DH. Keibert Ruiz will get the nod behind the plate in this one. Cade Cavalli will be the man on the mound as the Nats attempt to reach that .500 milestone.

The O’s are only making one change to their lineup. Leody Taveras will be in center field over Colton Cowser. Other than that we are seeing the same O’s squad as last night. Gunnar Henderson had a couple hits last night, so hopefully that is not the start of an explosion for the O’s struggling star. Veteran right hander Chris Bassitt will be on the mound this afternoon.

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 4:05 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and FS1

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This is a big game for the Nats. Not only is it a chance to get to that .500 mark, it is also a chance to get a series win over the O’s. The crowd was great last night and it should be packed again today. Hopefully the boys put together another good performance. Follow along down below in the comments and let’s go Nats.

The Mets officially placed starter Clay Holmes on the 15-day IL after suffering a fractured fibula in last night’s game against the Yankees. To take his place on the roster, the Mets called up right-handed reliever Joey Gerber from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.

Holmes suffered the fractured fibula in the fourth inning after taking a comebacker off the bat of Spencer Jones. The ball was hit 111.1 mph off the bat and led to a visit from Carlos Mendoza and the trainer. Holmes was able to stay in the game for the fifth inning, which seems improbable now given the diagnosis. Mendoza didn’t mince words after the game, saying that the team’s de facto ace and ERA leader “be down for a long time”.

The team has not yet given a timeline for Holmes’ return to action, though it seems safe to say it would come after the All-Star Break. The team won’t need a replacement starter until Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. Until then, they will roll with Huascar Brazobán (as an opener) and David Peterson as the bulk arm today, Freddy Peralta in tomorrow’s series finale, Christian Scott on Monday, and Nolan McLean on Tuesday.

The options to replace Holmes in the rotation include moving Tobias Myers or Sean Manaea from the bullpen to the rotation, or exploring some of the young arms in Triple-A, including Jack Wenninger, Zach Thornton, and Jonah Tong. For now, they will go with Gerber, who will likely stick around until Tuesday. Gerber, who was acquired in a trade with the Rays over the offseason, has made one appearance for New York this season. In that relief appearance, he tossed two scoreless innings, recording five of his six outs via the strikeout. He walked one and allowed two hits.

The Mets have recalled right-hander Joey Gerber from Triple-A Syracuse, the club announced Saturday.

The move is the corresponding move to officially placing right-hander Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list after the starter sustained a fractured fibula in Friday night's 5-2 loss to the Yankees.

Gerber made one appearance with the Mets earlier this season. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five over 2.0 innings on April 13 before he went on the IL himself with a right finger blister. For his career, the righty has appeared in 20 big league games, with 17 of them coming in his debut season of 2020 with Seattle. 

Gerber, acquired in an offseason deal for cash with Tampa, has a 3.27 ERA and 1.091 WHIP over 22 innings with 15 strikeouts to six walks over three seasons.

The 29-year-old has surrendered 10 runs (nine earned) on 13 hits and four walks and nine strikeouts over 10.0 innings and nine bullpen appearances at Triple-A this season

The injury to Holmes occurred when a Spencer Jones hard-hit liner up the middle struck the starter's leg. The veteran was shaken up, but remained in the game and recorded one out in the fifth inning before he was removed.

"He's going to be down for a long time," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game, adding the injury was a "huge blow" for the club.

In other roster news, veteran reliever Luke Jackson is opting out of his minor league deal with the Mets, according to a report from Will Sammon. The Mets signed the 34-year-old in early April.

It was a pretty standard night for the San Diego Padres. Starter Randy Vásquez pitched six shutout innings (and probably could have gone deeper), the high-leverage relievers covered the seventh and eighth innings before Mason Miller closed out the game for his MLB-leading 14th save. All signs pointed to a 2-0 win for the Friars.

It wasn’t nearly as simple as that. The bullpen made it a little more difficult than they needed to, allowing the tying and go-ahead run to reach the plate multiple times for the Seattle Mariners. It was an uncharacteristic night in that regard. But, each time, they worked themselves out of the jam.

The gem from Vásquez rested the majority of a somewhat beleaguered bullpen. That will certainly help to back up Walker Buehler in tonight’s game, as well as Lucas Giolito in his debut Sunday.

Taking the mound

Logan Gilbert (SEA) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

Since 2022, Gilbert has been one of Seattle’s aces, posting an ERA below 3.50 in all but one year. That ability to take the mound consistently and pitch to solid results has marked his career as a valuable pitcher for the club. He’s been off to a similarly good start this season, pitching to a 3.78 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 50 innings.

But he’s been even more dominant in his last seven starts, posting a 2.97 ERA and averaging 5 2/3 innings. The Padres will have to take advantage of the few mistakes that Gilbert makes if they hope to take Game 2.

Buehler has been a solid back end option for the Friars, but hasn’t impressed enough to ensure his roster spot. His performance has been the lesser of two evils more than its stood out from the rest. He owns a 5.20 ERA in 36 1/3 innings.

His last start against the St. Louis Cardinals was solid. He gave up two runs over six full innings against the Cards. Buehler has yet to find a consistent rhythm on the mound. If he can do that tonight it would be a major relief for any rotation concerns that popped up with starter Griffin Canning’s tough performance on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers (6 ER, 1.2 IP).

Batter up!

The majority of the Padres’ lineup doesn’t have an abundance of experience against Gilbert, but some have produced well in their careers against him. Xander Bogaerts, Nick Castellanos and Gavin Sheets each have a batting average over .270, with Castellanos batting .375 with a 1.125 OPS against the right-hander. Expect those three to be in tonight’s lineup.

1. Jackson Merrill, CF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, 1B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Miguel Andujar, DH
7. Ramón Laureano, LF
8. Nick Castellanos, RF
9. Rodolfo Durán, C

It’s unlikely to be the offensive blowout the Friars need, but they should be able to scratch some runs across the board to back Buehler up. The Padres didn’t face Gilbert in their last series against Seattle, they’ll need to solve him to ensure a series win tonight.

Relief corps

It was somewhat of a surprise for Vásquez to exit after the sixth. He had been efficient, needing just 79 pitches to get through the first six frames. But a trio of left-handed batters were due up in Luke Raley, J.P. Crawford and Dominic Canzone.

Manager Craig Stammen decided to go with lefty Adrian Morejon for the more favorable matchup. The Mariners countered by pinch-hitting with righties Connor Joe and Rob Refsnyder, but Morejon made it out of the inning.

Setup man Jason Adam pitched a shaky eighth inning. After allowing two runners to reach base on a single and a walk, Adam was relieved for Miller who would pitch a four-out save.

Miller had to work to get out of the eighth, throwing 12 pitches to do so. He loaded the bases when Randy Arozarena singled on a broken-bat infield single. But he struck out Joe in a seven-pitch battle to end the threat. He gave up a walk and a single in the ninth but achieved all three outs via the strikeout to slam the door on Seattle.

Tonight, that means Miller will likely be unavailable since he threw 34 pitches. But Jeremiah Estrada, Alek Jacob, Ron Mariaccio, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez. The Friars have a nine-man bullpen until Giolito is activated to the roster Sunday, so Jacob will likely be used in tonight’s game before he is sent back to Triple-A.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 16, 2026, 4:05 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Cristopher Sanchez (4-2, 2.11 ERA) vs. Bubba Chandler (1-4, 4.62 ERA)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the Philadelphia Phillies today at beautiful PNC Park.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game against the Phillies. Enjoy!

It’s hard to read too much into all of two games, but the Dodgers have scored 11 runs over their last two games, more than any three-game stretch of the previous six games. They’ve scored four, five, and six runs over the last three games, and you don’t need Disco Stu to see this is a positive trend.

The Dodgers scored at least five runs in consecutive games for the first time since April 25-27, while averaging only 3.43 runs in the 14 games in between, which included nine losses. And they did so while Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman each got rare nights off.

Three straight wins have also lined up with two shutouts by the pitching staff, sandwiching a two-run game during which the only runs came on a weird bounce and a misplay on what turned into an inside-the-park home run. Had the Dodgers lined up those three pitching performances over any of the previous four-game losing streak, they would have won at least two games, if not three. But of course, baseball doesn’t really work like that.

The Dodgers’ two longest streaks of scoring at least five runs this season are four games (April 3-6 at Washington and Toronto) and three games (April 25-27 at home vs. Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins). They go for a third straight game on Saturday while facing Angels right-hander José Soriano, who has allowed zero or one run in seven of his nine starts this season.

The day after a bullpen game is always a day in which a team could use a starting pitcher going deep into a game, and to that end that’s what Justin Wrobleski has been doing since joining the rotation, even in his one bad start out of six, when he went 8 2/3 innings. Wrobleski has lasted six innings in each of his last five starts, including starts of eight and seven innings in addition to last Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.

Saturday game info

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

Welp, I’m glad I decided to check the baseball scores. For I was under the impression this was another evening game. But turns out it’s effectively a little after noon, so I am scurrying to assemble a quick GDT. Nice to see the bullpen get another day off. The past week has been largely a holiday for them. Jonathan Loaisiga hasn’t pitched at all since May 8th, while Brandyn Garcia and Juan Morillo have thrown only seven and ten pitches. Paul Sewald is the only guy with more than two appearances in that time, having taken the mound on three occasions. Not often any bullpen get an entire day off in Denver.

As noted yesterday, the D-backs’ bullpen ERA for May is currently the best in the majors at 1.99. If that is sustained for the rest of the month, it’ll be among the very best in franchise history. The only other times it has been below two for a calendar month, were in July 2015 (1.78 over 81 IP) and the start of 2018 (1.92 over 98.1 IP). The most recent “best” month was the last month of 2023, which you may remember as we rode the bullpen into the post-season, and on to the World Series. There, the Arizona bullpen posted an ERA of 2.31 over 117 innings, going 6-1. We’ll see what happens the rest of the month.

Unwilling, and rightfully so, to rush Gerrit Cole’s return date to a big-league mound, the Yankees will look to their Triple-A roster to help fill the absence of the recently injured Max Fried. With their ace hitting the shelf due to a left elbow bone bruise, the Yankees will bring up starter Elmer Rodríguez to fill out the rotation, temporarily.

This is hardly a surprising move, as Rodríguez has already been the go-to guy in emergencies for the Yankees on a staff that’s been reasonably healthy throughout the year. It wasn’t even two weeks ago that the rookie took the ball in a 7-4 win over the Rangers, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings of work in his second career start. The particular date of that start, May 5th, carries weight in this move, as it is the reason the Yankees didn’t first call a reliever to provide a bit more depth to the bullpen and then replace him with Rodríguez at the date of his start.

MLB rules required Rodríguez to spend at least 15 days in the minors prior to his return, unless there was an injury — in this case, Fried’s, whose IL placement allows for the quick return of Rodríguez. The general expectation based on Cole’s original timetable is that, much like in his last time with the big-league club, Rodríguez will make a pair of starts before heading back to Triple-A—the first of them within the next few days.

Update

The Yankees have updated their rotation schedule, and Elmer will start against the Mets on Sunday instead of waiting for early next week against Toronto.

Last night was a rather unhappy affair, until suddenly it wasn’t. Let’s hope the Phillies pick up where they left off last night, and keep it rolling through the weekend.

Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound for the visitors, as he continues a typically excellent season (4-2, 2.11 ERA).

His cross-state counterpart is Bubba Chandler, struggling a bit in his sophomore campaign (1-4, 4.62 ERA).

The game will get underway at 4:05 PM, televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

1900
White Sox player-manager Dick Padden was clubbed over the head with a bat during a fight in the third inning at Detroit. The fracas started with the White Sox up, 4-2, after an uncalled balk by Chicago pitcher Chauncey Fisher that was then reversed under protest by the Tigers, scoring a run for Detroit. That in turn got the ire of Padden, to no avail.

After the arguments and consultation of the rule book, Padden returned to his position at second base as play resumed, but was getting cussed out by Detroit outfielder Ducky Holmes — who wasn’t playing in the game, and not even in uniform! Padden threw a punch at Holmes and missed, and in the ensuing melee a Detroit player crowned Padden with a blow from a bat.

Once things calmed again and play was to resume, Detroit manager George Stallings stormed onto the field with a policeman, demanding Padden be arrested; he was laughed off by all involved, and the White Sox prevailed in the game, 7-3.

1944
With a 10-4 win in the Bronx, the White Sox snapped pitcher Hank Borowy’s 11-game winning streak, which had dated back to Aug. 16, 1943. After a quiet first three frames, the White Sox exploded for seven runs over the next three frames. All of the runs were charged to Borowy, and the three earned runs were as many as he had given up all year to that point!

Thurman Tucker was a particular thorn in Borowy’s side, doubling twice off of the starter and having an overall afternoon of 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs.

1953
White Sox pitcher Tommy Byrne, who was knocked out of the game in an eventual win against the Yankees two days earlier, was sent up to pinch-hit for Vern Stephens in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the Sox trailing, 3-1. Byrne, with just one career grand slam to Stephens’ 10 at the time, slammed a 2-2 pitch from Ewell “The Whip” Blackwell into the lower deck in right field at Yankee Stadium, for the only pinch-hit grand slam by a pitcher in team history! The Sox won the game, 5-3, scoring all of their runs in the ninth inning.

That was the only home run Byrne hit that year for the White Sox, although he totalled 14 in his big-league career.

1965
A doubleheader sweep of California, 6-2 and 5-4, completed the first 7-0 homestand in White Sox history. Since then, the White Sox have had four other 7-0 homestands.

1978
With the White Sox a dismal 9-20 and owner Bill Veeck knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to re-sign him after the season, slugger Bobby Bonds was traded to the Texas Rangers for Claudell Washington and Rusty Torres. 

Bondsonly played in 26 games for the Sox, with two home runs and eight RBIs. Making matters worse was that Bonds was acquired the previous December for three players, including future All-Star Brian Downing. 

Washington would become the target of fan displeasure because of his tendency to take it easy on the field while with the team. One fan made up a banner, hung over the right field wall, expressing that sentiment: “Washington slept here.”  

1984
Carlton Fisk had one of his finest games, as he became the third player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in a game. It came against the Royals at Comiskey Park.

Despite Fisk’s efforts, the Sox lost, 7-6. Carlton went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs in the game.

Per Baseball-Reference, as Fisk hit his only triple of the season as part of this cycle, he joined Pittsburgh’s Bill Salkeld as the only catcher of the century to hit the only triple of his season as part of a cycle.

1996
After getting picked off of first base in a 3-2 White Sox loss to the Brewers, Tony Phillips gets word postgame that battery charges were filed against him for a incident the previous night in Milwaukee. A fan was yelling racial slurs at Phillips, who later sought out the fan and got into a skirmish with him. Both men would be fined and charged with disorderly conduct.

Height is a curious thing. Sure, all else being equal, it’s better to be taller if you’re a baseball player, but particularly for position players, this maxim ceases to apply after a certain point. More body mass means it’s harder to have precise control over your movement. Longer levers usually lead to more strikeouts. It’s harder to readjust your swing when it gets out of sync. There’s a reason why the list of baseball’s tallest players of all time isn’t quite a collection of greats. There are real drawbacks to being extremely tall.

It’s important, then, when extremely tall players do grace our team, that we recognize their rarity and celebrate their presence. And what better time for Yankees fans than now, when the newly promoted and impossibly large Spencer Jones has joined an outfield that already contained (barely) the gargantuan Aaron Judge? 

On May 9th, during a 4-3 loss against the Brewers, the Yankees deployed an outfield for the ages – the duo of Judge and Jones in right and center, flanked by the 6-foot-3 Cody Bellinger in left, with a combined height of 19 feet and 5 inches. Seeing that, I thought to myself, this must be the tallest Yankees outfield ever. Turns out I was selling them short. According to the incomparable Sarah Langs, it was the first time any team had multiple position players listed at 6-foot-7 or higher in MLB history, let alone play them simultaneously. I assume that seals the deal for Judge-Jones-Bellinger to go down as the tallest outfield of all time, unless there was an outfield of three Frank Howard clones during the 60s that I’m not aware of. 

While the question of the tallest outfield in Yankees history was settled, that got me thinking; what about the second-tallest one? 

This was a question that not even Sarah Langs had publicly answered – though I imagine if I asked her directly she would have an answer for me in mere minutes. In fact, I tried Googling variations on “tallest Yankees outfield” and the only thing of substance I could find was this Reddit thread asking the same question but for all of MLB. So, I took matters into my own hands. 

My methodology was intricately planned and foolproof (read: pretty haphazard and lacking rigor); try to come up with tall Yankees outfielders, check their teammates for any other tall outfielders, and search through game logs where they shared the field. Here’s what I found.

(Probably) 2nd Place: Joey Gallo (LF, 6-foot-4), Judge (CF, 6-foot-7), Stanton (RF, 6-foot-5)

Occasion: August 23, 2021, Yankees @ Braves

Combined height: 19 feet, 4 inches

As I embarked on this task, my first line of inquiry was, “Did Judge have any other tall teammates in the outfield?”. Two names immediately came to mind; Giancarlo Stanton, our second favorite beeftank, and Joey Gallo, who serves as a high-end comp for Spencer Jones. I thought finding a game where all three players shared an outfield would be an easy task. Oh, how I was mistaken.

My foray into the Yankees’ 2021 game logs quickly turned into a seemingly unending slog. Even within the relatively rare occasions where Stanton took up a glove, the stars didn’t quite line up. When Gallo and Stanton were patrolling the grass, Judge would often be DHing, leaving Brett Gardner to handle center field. When Judge and Stanton were in center and right, Tyler Wade would spoil things by standing in left instead of Gallo. Eventually, though, I hit the jackpot with this August game against the Braves. With a combined height just one inch shorter than the presumed all-time record, I’m quite comfortable declaring this outfield to be the runner-up. (Postscript: the folks at esteemed podcast Effectively Wild came to the same conclusion, so now I’m even more confident!)

However, something about both outfields featuring Aaron Judge didn’t quite sit right with me. It felt too easy, too obvious – of course playing the Tallest Dude would lead to having the Tallest Outfield. So I got curious; what was the tallest Yankees outfield, non-Judge division?

As far as I know, after Judge and Jones, these three players are tied for third place on the tallest Yankees outfielder rankings: Darryl Strawberry, Dave Winfield, and Dave Kingman, all listed at 6f-oot-6. Assuming that these three were my best bet to find a suitably tall outfield, I began my search by trying to find out whether they had any tall colleagues.

I started with Kingman, as his eight-game stint for the 1977 Yankees meant that I only had to pore over a limited sample of game logs. However, it turned out that Kingman was ineligible for this exercise in the first place – he never took the field during his time with the Yanks, appearing exclusively as a DH or pinch hitter. It makes sense, given Kingman’s notoriously porous glove.

Undeterred, I turned my eyes toward Winfield. Here, I quickly noticed that his outfield-mates were quite lacking in height. During the Hall of Famer’s 1981-1988 Yankees tenure, only three other Bronx outfielders reached even 6-foot-3 – Gary Roenicke, Hal Morris, and Jay Buhner. I knew that today’s MLB players were on average bigger than their predecessors, but this was still jarring to me – a 6-foot-3 outfielder would be relatively unremarkable in today’s game, but in the eighties they would have been notably tall! For my purposes, this meant that I had to abandon Winfield – just one Tall Dude does not a Tall Outfield make.

That left me with Strawberry. As the troubled slugger was largely limited to DH and bench bat duties by the time he arrived in the Bronx, it was relatively easy for me to zero in on the games where he was stationed in the outfield. Not before long, I had my answer.

Tallest Yankees Outfield, non-Aaron Judge division: Paul O’Neill (LF, 6-foot-4), Bernie Williams (CF, 6-foot-2), Darryl Strawberry (RF, 6-foot-6)

Occasion: A bunch of times from 1995-1999

Combined height: 19 feet

Full disclosure: I’d completely forgotten that Paulie was so tall. In retrospect, I should have zeroed in on Strawberry and O’Neill on those dynasty teams at the start, but then again, I guess that would have made for a brief and uneventful article. Also, some of you might look at Bernie and go, “But he’s not that tall!”. However, aside from O’Neill, I could find only three outfielders whose Yankees careers coincided with Straw’s who were taller than Bernie; Rubén Rivera, Clay Bellinger, and Mark Whiten. Of the three, only Rivera saw time in center, and perusing the game logs, I could not find a game where Rivera, O’Neill, and Strawberry were all in the outfield. So, to the best of my knowledge, Paulie-Bernie-Straw is the tallest Yankees outfield that does not include Aaron Judge.

If nothing else, I hope this gave you the opportunity to Remember Some Guys. And if you think I’m overlooking any tall Yankees – a distinct possibility – please sound off in the comments!