Category: MLB

After a minor blip on Wednesday night, the Yankees got back to their winning ways, bruising their way past the Rangers en route to a series win. I’m sure Wednesday’s limp offensive effort, which bled into a slow start to the game on Thursday, had some fans worried that the offense was about to head into a slump, but no matter. The Yankees crushed the Ranger bullpen, easing their way to a 9-2 win before heading to Milwaukee.

Ahead of the series with the Brewers, Jeremy previews the three games in Milwaukee. Also, Sam reviews Thursday’s American League action, and Nick profiles Art López, an outfielder who played for the Yankees in 1965 and turns 89 today. Later, Kento continues his history on the Yankees’ journey at first base between Mark Teixeira and Ben Rice, Jonathan praises the work of Tim Hill (and the Yankees for finding him), and Madison delivers the answers to this week’s mailbag.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at Milwaukee Brewers

Time: 7:40 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Brewers.tv

Venue: American Family Field, Milwaukee, MI

Questions/Prompts:

1. Well, what do you expect from Spencer Jones now that he’s been thrust onto the major league roster?

2. Will the Knicks put the Sixers in a 3-0 hole tonight?

PHOENIX — Pittsburgh PiratesCy Young winner Paul Skenes kept talking, but without the slightest hesitation, leaned over, rapping his knuckle against the adjoining locker, knocking on wood.

It’s an uncomfortable subject, one that terrifies every pitcher, but it’s a cold, cruel reality in the baseball world.

Pitchers get hurt. They require surgeries.

Seasons are ruined. Careers are shortened.

“I’ve never really had to deal with stuff like that," Skenes tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s not something I like to think about."

Yet, on the morning of Skenes’ last start Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks before yielding just two baserunners in eight shutout innings, he was in his hotel room sending a text message to Detroit Tigerstwo-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Skubal, his Team USA teammate in the World Baseball Classic, underwent elbow surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday to clean out bone chips, which is expected to sideline him about two months.

“I mean, it’s unfortunate," Skenes tells USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t know, I’ve never really had to deal with stuff like that. But he has.

“I’ve seen his routine now, up close and personal in the WBC. He has a really good routine. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to be really good."

Skubal’s surgery comes just two weeks after Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz underwent elbow surgery to remove five “loose bodies’ in his elbow. Diaz pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC.

“I’ve heard that a lot of pitchers probably have it,’’ Skenes says, “but who knows?"

It’s no secret that as much as MLB embraces the WBC, and players love participating, there are risks. Maybe it’s just a cruel coincidence, but the landscape is littered with pitchers who have been injured besides Skubal and Diaz, and others who have struggled in the early going.

– Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia, who closed out the WBC championship game for Venezuela, went on the injured list in April with a strained oblique. 

– Cubs starter Matthew Boyd went on the IL with a biceps strain in April, and then sustained a freak knee injury to his meniscus Wednesday playing with his kids.

– San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, who is battling left knee discomfort, is 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA.

– Michael Lorenzen, who pitched for Italy, is 2-3 with a 6.09 ERA with the Colorado Rockies.

– Taijuan Walker, who pitched for Mexico, went 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA before being released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

It’s believing season in Major League Baseball.

This weekend, all but one team will pass the 40-game mark, a very unofficial but nonetheless meaningful checkpoint that signals the season is already – gulp – one quarter complete. And it’s officially OK to start buying what you’re seeing.

Oh, that’s not a hard and fast rule. Fans can believe the New York Mets won’t lose 99 games, and Fernando Tatis Jr. won’t finish with zero home runs, and they’ll probably be correct.

But for many trends, the cement has set even if it’s not totally dry. With that, we take a look at six paces that are defining the season – and would certainly look startling come the end of September:

61: Home runs for Munetaka Murakami

OK, this one might be tough to maintain. That doesn’t diminish what the 6-foot-2, 213-pound Murakami has done in his first season in the world’s premier league.

Sure, the worrywarts were right: Murakami is striking out 34.4% of the time, his 55 punchouts leading the AL. His whopping 43.9% whiff rate is near the very bottom of the majors. Yet he’s clearly running into enough balls, and his expected slug (.568) practically mirrors reality (.565).

Additionally, his .369 on-base percentage was only slightly dented by the move to MLB, as he posted a .379 OBP his last full season in Japan. An elite 22% chase rate certainly helps that, allowing him three shots to unleash his “A” swing against pitches in the zone.

His two-year, $34 million deal is possibly the White Sox’s finest free agent investment ever. In concert with slugging middle infielder Colson Montgomery and emerging ace Davis Martin, Murakami has helped the 17-20 Sox push memories of 121 losses seem much longer than two years ago.

110: Wins for the Cubs, Braves and Yankees

OK, so these teams probably won't maintain their .684 winning percentage, right?

Well, you probably didn't figure that the Cubs would win (at least) 15 games in a row at Wrigley Field, either. Heck, a streak that long hasn't happened since 1935, but Chicago is now a stunning 18-5 at the Friendly Confines after a raucous four-game sweep of the Reds, who went from second to last place in a hurry.

Now, however, the Cubs will have to carry on without lefty Matthew Boyd, who tore meniscus in his knee. Then again, they lost ace Cade Horton for the season and lefty Justin Steele suffered a setback on the rehab trail and still, the club is 26-12, tied with Atlanta and the Yankees for the best record in baseball.

Once again, Shota Imanaga is off to a fantastic start, with 11- and 10-strikeout games already. Yet April and May are by far the two best months of his career (2.28 ERA, 3.83 the rest of the time). Put it this way: If Imanaga can sustain, the Cubs may just run off with their first full-season division title since 2017.

SNY | John Flanigan: Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez suffered a low-grade AC sprain in his left shoulder after crashing against the wall while making an impressive defensive play on Thursday. He tested negative for a concussion, but the shoulder injury sent him to the 10-day injured list anyway; they’ll continue to monitor for concussion symptoms as well.

It was a scary scene as Domínguez stayed face down for several moments before the training staff arrived. It’s a tough break for him, as he had rightfully earned a promotion to the majors with a 138 wRC+ in Triple-A Scranton. He leaves behind a 71 wRC+ in eight games with the Bombers and is expected “in a few weeks,” but the Yankees can’t offer a timetable at this juncture.

New York Post | Andrew Crane: To take the Martian spot, the Yankees will call up young outfielder Spencer Jones in advance of this weekend’s series in Milwaukee. The slugger, who ranks sixth in MLB Pipeline’s organizational prospects list, currently leads Triple-A with 41 RBI and has 11 home runs and a 143 wRC+ in Scranton. Jones’ role is still unclear, but he will need to prove he can limit the strikeouts at the highest level to secure consistent playing time. Still, it’s a huge day for him and his family.

New York Yankees on SI | Devon Platana: Lost in all the hoopla was the fact that Brendan Beck, the Yankees’ 21st prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made his MLB debut with the team on Thursday. He pitched as a bulk reliever after opener Paul Blackburn and allowed two runs in three innings, with a couple of hits, three walks, and one strikeouts. “A dream come true to come up here and do it at Yankee Stadium,” he said after the game. Good for Beck, who was sporting a 5.11 ERA in Triple-A.

SNY | Ben Pawlak: Reliever Kervin Castro will be called up to the active roster today, replacing Beck to give the Bombers a fresh arm. He has a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 frames in Scranton. The 27-year-old, who was a candidate to make the team out of camp, last appeared in the majors in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants. Expect him to return to the minors by Sunday at the latest, when Carlos Rodón returns to the rotation.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: John Sterling was a national treasure. Respected by the entire broadcasting industry and nearly universally loved by New York fans, his voice brought joy to multiple generations of Yankees supporters. Jaffe had some beautiful words for him just a few days after his passing. “Dressed in a suit and tie even though listeners couldn’t see him, prone to dropping a reference to a midcentury Broadway musical while celebrating a Yankees home run, and delivering his lines with a booming baritone capable of reaching the cheap seats, Sterling brought a unique and dramatic flair to the job,” he said, and that last sentence sums up his style to perfection.

Matthew Liberatore gave the St. Louis Cardinals the strong start they needed to begin their west coast swing as his nasty curveball and a power surge from Alec Burleson made the difference in a victory over the San Diego Padres 2-1 late Thursday night.

Matthew Liberatore looked both shaky and nasty in the bottom of the first inning. After getting the first two outs, he walked Manny Machado. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to left moving Machado to second and Xander Bogaerts singled to right scoring Machado and giving the Padres a 1-0 lead.

The St. Louis Cardinals bats were quiet until the top of the 4th inning when Alec Burleson turned on a Michael King pitch and jacked it over the right field wall with an impressive exit velocity of 111 mph tying the game 1-1.

After a 1st inning where he looked vulnerable, Matthew Liberatore shut the Padres down giving the Cardinals six strong innings only allowing the 1 earned run on only 3 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. Michael King was equally impressive for San Diego as he also pitched a solid six innings allowing only 1 hit, but that one hit was the one from Burleson that left the park.

The Cardinals would take the lead in the top of the 7th inning when Jordan Walker missed a home run by maybe a foot crushing a line drive off of the left field wall for a double. He then scored when Masyn Winn hit a ball down the right field line to a helpless-looking Nick Castellanos who stumbled toward the ball as it bounced past him and continued to the right field wall as Walker scored and Winn cruised into third base giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.

George Soriano entered the game in the bottom of the 7th inning giving up an infield single to Tatis Jr, but he was thrown out by Pedro Pagés even though the tag by JJ Wetherholt was unsuccessfully challenged by the Padres. That caught stealing muted any potential Padres threat in the 7th inning.

The bottom of the 8th inning belonged to JoJo Romero. He had no problems with Ty France, Nick Castellanos or Rodolpho Duran shutting the Padres down 1-2-3. That helped the Cardinals from having to deal with super-reliever Mason Miller as San Diego brought in Jason Adam to handle the top of the 9th inning as they still trailed 2-1. He was greeted by Jordan Walker who hit a laser shot into left center that he turned into a hustle double. Nolan Gorman then worked Adam for a 9-pitch walk. Yes, miracles do happen. Unfortunately, Masyn Winn was unable to get a sufficient bunt down as the Padres were able to get the force at third base for the first out. Nathan Church hit a weak fly to left field for out number 2 with neither runner being able to advance. Pedro Pagés was retired for the final out shutting down the Cardinals 8th inning threat.

Riley O’Brien came in to close out the Padres in the bottom of the 9th inning. He was tasked with facing the top of the San Diego lineup. He quickly retired Merrill on a weak groundout to JJ Wetherholt. Miguel Andujar struck out and failed to use the ABS challenge that probably wouldn’t have saved him anyway. Manny Machado grounded out to Masyn Winn to end the game giving the Cardinals a tight victory.

The St. Louis Cardinals will send Michael McGreevy to the mound for Friday night’s contest against Griffin Canning. First pitch is scheduled for 8:45pm central time and will be an Apple TV exclusive so finding a free 7-day trial is your friend.

Brendan Beck could have stopped playing long before Thursday arrived. 

A second-round pick out of Stanford in 2021, he did not make his professional debut until 2023 because of Tommy John surgery.

He pitched in just 10 games that season before a follow-up elbow procedure was required, which erased his entire 2024 season, too. 

The 2025 campaign became the breakthrough, when the right-hander ascended all the way to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

And Thursday was the pinnacle, when he became a major league pitcher. 

Beck was called up for his moment and for a Yankees victory, contributing three-plus innings in which he allowed two runs in a 9-2 win over the Rangers in The Bronx. 

“You always want it to happen, and you think it’s going to happen,” the 27-year-old from Southern California said. “When it actually does, it’s still a dream.” 

The Yankees knew before Wednesday’s game that Ryan Weathers, who had been sick, would be scratched from Thursday’s start.

Beck, who had been up and down with SWB but was coming off a strong effort, was lined up to pitch Thursday.

So after an afternoon game in Worcester, Mass., on Wednesday, the Yankees told Beck to be ready depending upon the night’s events. 

As it turned out, Will Warren lasted four innings, and Yerry De los Santos, who could be and would be optioned, was needed for long relief.

Thus Beck was the best choice as a bulk pitcher, and SWB manager Shelley Duncan delivered the news in a hotel lobby. 

Beck packed his bag and had hopped in a car destined for New York by about 9:30 p.m.

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His wife, who was in Scranton, raced to the city.

His parents, sister and brother — Tristan, who is in the Giants organization — all made red-eye flights from California to see the No. 21 Yankees prospect make his debut. 

Following opener Paul Blackburn, Beck let up a lot of hard contact — his first two at-bats were a 110.9-mph lineout from Jake Burger and 108.2-mph lineout from Evan Carter — and had location issues, walking three in three innings — but navigated through the Rangers lineup 1 ¹/₂ times with some help from his defense. 

“Held his own out there. Gave us a chance to win,” manager Aaron Boone said of Beck. “Walked a few guys, and some of the hard contact found gloves, which was good. But he looked in control out there. Gave us just what we needed.” 

Ezequiel Duran’s home run in the third inning dented Beck, and he walked Alejandro Osuna in the fifth before Tim Hill entered and allowed Osuna to score.

But from there, Brent Headrick, Jake Bird and Camilo Doval locked down a game with which the Yankees ran away. 

A game that Beck has awaited for a long time. 

“I’ve been through a lot of stuff,” said Beck, who was optioned back to SWB after the game, “but I think everyone has things they have to overcome.” 

José Caballero was out of the starting lineup a day after getting plunked in the left elbow, which necessitated X-rays that came back negative, but entered the game in the eighth inning. 

Max Schuemann got the start at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, his first hit and RBI with the club. 

Cody Bellinger (3-for-4, two runs, a triple and two RBIs) is slashing .394/.465/.606 with runners in scoring position this season. 

Ben Rice did not play for a fourth straight game because of the left hand contusion he sustained Sunday.

Rice, who ran in the outfield before the game, has not done much baseball activity since sustaining the injury “because he hasn’t wanted to aggravate it,” Boone said. 

The Yankees still do not believe he will need an IL stint.

The Atlanta Braves are coming off a series loss to the Seattle Mariners and have a challenging weekend ahead. After losing their first series of the season, the West Coast road trip has moved on to Los Angeles, where the Braves take on the Dodgers in a three-game set. 

Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Bryce Elder are each expected to start against a talented LA pitching staff. The Braves are tied for the best record in the league with 26 wins and 12 losses, while the Dodgers enter play with a 23-14 record. Fortunately, the Braves are 14-6 on the road, and this could shape up to be a great series should Atlanta’s performance remain consistent. 

The series gets underway Friday night at 10:10 ET.

More Braves News:

With an abundance of moving parts in the starting rotation, we discuss what the Atlanta pitching staff looks like in the near future. 

Tate Southisene continues his strong start with the Augusta GreenJackets after driving in three on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap. 

MLB News:

The Boston Red Sox have placed outfielder Roman Anthony on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained ligament in his finger. The move is retroactive to May 5.

The Philadelphia Phillies claimed right-hander Grant Holman off waivers from the Detroit Tigers and optioned him to Triple-A. 

Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd will undergo meniscus surgery and is expected to miss at least a month. Fortunately, the club does not expect a major meniscus repair. 

From the Feed:

After clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, the Carlos Carrasco saga continues. 

A Braves beat writer has joined The Athletic.

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Ferguson was acquired from the Athletics and sent to Triple-A Iowa.

Right-hander Kenten Egbert was promoted from High-A South Bend to Iowa.

Iowa catcher Casey Opitz was activated off the Development List.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were broadsided by the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 4-2.

Connor Noland gave the I-Cubs a solid start, going five innings and giving up two runs on four hits. Noland did walk five batters while striking out five. One of the five walks issued was intentional.

Paul Campbell pitched the other four innings and got the loss after he gave up back-to-back solo home runs in the eighth inning. Campbell’s final line was two runs on three hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

Iowa managed just five singles in this one. First baseman BJ Murray was 1 for 3 with a walk.

A nice play on defense by second baseman Scott Kingery.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were harried by the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 4-1.

Grant Kipp had an impressive start, allowing just one run on three hits over five innings. Kipp struck out eight and walked no one.

Jace Beck relieved Kipp and took the loss after he allowed one unearned run on one hit over two innings. Beck struck out four and walked one.

The Smokies only run came on a home run by first baseman Owen Ayers in the bottom of the second inning. It was Ayers’ ninth home run this year and third for Knoxville.

Ayers was 1 for 4.

Here’s the Ayers home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs nailed the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics), 9-2.

Eli Jerzembeck’s High-A debut went about as well as the Cubs could have hoped for. Jerzembeck pitched three scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He walked two, hit two and struck out three.

I don’t know if Jerzembeck would have be taken out anyways after 51 pitches, but the game was delayed 92 minutes by rain after three innings. Alfredo Romero took over when the rain stopped and he got the win. He gave up two runs on three hits over four innings. Romero struck out two, walked two and hit one batter.

South Bend scored nine runs on just seven hits and none of them were home runs. First baseman Cole Mathis had one of the two doubles, which drove home two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mathis was 1 for 4.

Left fielder Kane Kepley went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI double in the sixth inning. Kepley also stole one base.

Center fielder Christian Olivo was 2 for 4. He scored twice and drove in two runners.

Shortstop Ty Southisene hit a two-run single in the fifth. He was 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He also scored once.

The Mathis double.

Southisene’s two-run single.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans boiled the Hickory Crawdads (Padres), 9-7.

Mason McGwire continued his strong start to the season by allowing three runs on six hits over four innings. Only one of the three runs McGwire allowed was earned. Most impressively, he struck out seven and walked just one.

Braylon Myers relieved McGwire and got the win. Myers gave up four runs on four hits over three innings. Myers struck out four.

Riely Hunsaker got his first career save by retiring all six batters over the final two innings. Hunsaker struck out one.

Catcher Logan Poteet hit a solo home run in the fourth, his fifth on the year. Poteet was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy clubbed a two-run home run in the sixth. Lumpuy was 1 for 5.

The Pelicans took the lead after they scored six runs in the eighth inning. They took the lead when shortstop Alexis Hernandez hit a two-run single in that inning. He was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Second baseman Jose Escobar was 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored one run.

Poteet’s home run.

Lumpuy’s home run.

The Hernandez two-run single.

ACL Cubs

Beating the Diamondbacks, 7-6 in the 7th.

I had a feeling this game wasn’t going to go the Sox way before it even started. To be fair, that isn’t saying much— most games haven’t gone the Sox way this year! But I knew the vibes would be off as soon as this came across the timeline shortly before the game started:

Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony are the two most important players on the Red Sox. As fun as the sweep in Detroit was, it’s going to be really hard for this team to build any sort of momentum without those two guys healthy playing to the best of their abilities. Tonight’s game showed everyone precisely why that is. The lineup looked punchless, as any lineup with Trevor Story batting cleanup would. The pitching staff couldn’t get big outs when it mattered. And the Sox dropped a listless game to a team they’ll probably need to catch in the standings at some point this season if they’re going to make the playoffs.

Three Studs

Jake Bennett

Bennett didn’t exactly mow down the opposition. In fact, I would describe his outing as more of the “chugging along” variety. He generated just five swings and misses all night, but managed to keep it close, limit the walks, and pitch into the sixth. Look, folks, the word “stud” is relative tonight.

Tyler Samaniego

Like I said, we’re playing a little fast and loose with the studs. Samaniego faced just two batters, coming into the game after Greg Weissert coughed up two runs in the sixth. But he sat those two batters down, as he’s done to most guys so far this season.

Wilyer Abreu

He singled in the third and brought home a run on a sac fly in the eighth. That was enough to make him the most productive hitter in the Red Sox lineup tonight — by far.

Three Duds

Greg Weissert

To a certain extent, Weissert can console himself with the thought that he was BABIPed to death in the sixth inning, when he gave the Rays a two-run lead they would not relinquish on a couple of soft hits. But the fickle nature of the BABIP gods is precisely why it’s so important for relievers who come into tight games to strike dudes out. Weissert did not strike any dudes out, and walked a dude to boot. It’s not his year, folks, which is something that gets said about most middle relievers a few times throughout their mercurial careers.

Ryan Watson

Ryan Watson, on the other hand, cannot blame the cruel winds of fate for his performance. Watson entered the game in the seventh tasked with holding the Rays lineup at bay long enough for the Sox to get back in the game. The Rays sure looked happy to see him, as they hit him hard and often, putting the game out of reach.

Willson Contreras

There’s never a good time for a TOOTBLAN. But it’s hard to think of too many worse times for a TOOTBLAN than in the eighth inning of a three-run game with no one out and a runner on second. Contreras’s terrible decision to try to take second after singling while Jarren Duran held up at third base cost the Sox a chance at a big inning.

Play of the Game

I’m giving it to the back-breaking TOOTBLAN, the latest deflating moment in a season that’s already had too many.

Charlotte Knights 16, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 1
Not only did the Knights (18-18) make it back to .500, but they outhit the Jumbo Shrimp (18-18), 14-5, and went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Charlotte’s pitching set the tone for the rest of the White Sox affiliates, striking out eight while walking just one, with the one run coming off an RBI double in the fifth, when the Knights already had a 10-run lead. Appearing for the seventh time this season and making his fifth start, Duncan Davitt tossed four scoreless with two hits, a walk, and two Ks. Earning his first win of the season, however, was righthander Jackson Kelley, shutting the Shrimp down for two scoreless.

Back to the red-hot offense. Half of the Knights hits were for extra bases — five doubles and two home runs — and they drew eight walks as a team while striking out 10 times. Nearly everyone got a hit tonight, but there were two guys that drove in more than half of the runs for the Knights: Dru Baker and Jacob Gonzalez. Baker’s first two came off an RBI single with the bases loaded in the fifth, and he then hit a three-run bomb the next inning, giving him five RBIs on the day.

Gonzalez accounted for four, off of a two-bagger and a homer, and Braden Montgomery was the only player that mashed three hits, also accounting for two of the doubles and runs batted in. These were Montgomery’s first extra-base hits in Triple-A, but he has overall adjusted well so far, holding down an .804 OPS in his 14 at-bat sample size.

Outside of Montgomery and Gonzalez, Ryan Galanie also went 2-for-4, with both of his hits being doubles. Galanie has been slugging like crazy since being promoted to Charlotte (.586 SLG), and has maintained an .881 OPS. It was a beautiful, well-rounded win for Charlotte. Hopefully, the big-league squad can follow in their footsteps and get back to .500.

Birmingham Barons 4, at Knoxville Smokies1
A prime six-inning start from lefthander Jake Palisch to begin a holistically outstanding performance from the Barons (14-15) pitching staff set them up for success in their 4-1 win over the Smokies (14-15). Left fielder Jacob Burke led the way for the Birmingham offense, posting three hits with a triple while driving in two runs. Burke has been hot at the plate recently, leading qualified Barons players with a 1.072 OPS (44 at-bats), four doubles, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs over the last 15 days.

A solo bomb for the smokies off of Palish was the lone run given up for Birmingham. After the five hits allowed during his start, the bullpen didn’t let up another the rest of the game, and Jairo Iriarte received the save. The bats did just enough to keep Birmingham in the game, though outside of Burke only Jordan Sprinkle recorded an RBI. As a team the Barons struck out 14 times while walking just three, and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position with eight left on base; it’s a good thing the bullpen was on its A-game.

Winston-Salem Dash 7, Hudson Valley Renegades 3
Bouncing back after a blowout loss on Wednesday, the Dash (18-12) pushed seven runs across in as many hits while going 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Thursday’s 7-3 win over the Renegades (15-14). Righthander Gabe Davis tossed another excellent four innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven. Davis now sits at a 1.80 ERA across 20 innings, and if he keeps this kind of efficiency up he will likely make a trip over to Double-A Birmingham sooner than later.

Driving in two runs apiece for the Good Guys were Ryan Burrows and Kyle Lodise, including a solo bomb from Burrowes in the fifth. T.J. McCants and Kaleb Freeman also joined the homer brigade, while the other extra-base hit was an RBI double from Grant Magill in the fourth. Despite giving up the most runs (two), Frankeli Arias ended up with the win for the Dash, and Garrett Wright followed it up with two hitless innings to end the game and establish the W.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3, Columbia Fireflies 2(10 innings)
The Cannon Ballers (12-18) completed a late-game comeback against the Fireflies (14-16) to force extras, and pulled off the W, now having won four of their last five, 3-2. Kannapolis was outhit, 7-4, and Columbia essentially handed two runs and the game over to the Ballers in the final two innings.

D’Angelo Tejada led the eighth inning off with a double, and scored a couple batters later on a balk from the Fireflies pitcher, cutting the lead to one. In the bottom of the ninth, Marcelo Alcala lined an RBI double out to left, allowing pinch-runner Abraham Núñez to score all the way from first and tie the game.

Tejada poked a perfect sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th, but wild pitch offense ended the game after the Columbia pitcher threw it away, allowing the Ballers to walk it off.

Making up for where the bats were lacking, the pitching staff walked just one batter, while combining for a whopping 15 strikeouts. Righthander Riley Eikhoff was solid for his six-inning start, racking up six Ks and allowing the two runs, but receiving zero run support in return. In his ninth appearance for the Ballers, Jackson Nove was nearly perfect in his two innings, adding five strikeouts to the tally. Closing it out, righthander Marco Barrios earned his fourth win of the season, also striking out another four in his two innings of work.

Trent Grisham opened the floodgates.

The Yankees were hitless in their previous seven at-bats with runners in scoring position Thursday when the center fielder stepped up in the bottom of the sixth against the Rangers.

He didn’t just clear the bases in slapping an RBI double to the wall in left center, he kicked off a contagious six-run rally that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 lead.

“I think that Grish at-bat’s the at-bat of the game,” Aaron Boone said following the 9-2 win in The Bronx. “And [then] we’re able to tack on a little bit from there.”

Following his clutch hit, Grisham reached home via a J.C. Escarra single, while Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger soon chipped in with RBIs as well, opening a five-run lead.

Every Yankees starter (other than the injured Jasson Domínguez) ended the game with a hit, and Grisham scored again in the seventh off a Max Schuemann double — the first hit of the recent call-up’s Yankees career.

Texas starter MacKenzie Gore allowed just four hits prior to the Yankees outburst, one being a first-inning RBI triple from Bellinger.

Still, Boone was pleased with the quality of the team’s at-bats after the game and singled out his lefty hitters for praise.

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Grisham, who is one of those lefties, has struggled at the plate this year as his average dipped to .151 in late April.

But he was the protagonist of this Yankees comeback and the game’s co-leader in hits (three), alongside fellow lefty Bellinger.

“He has been incredibly unlucky because I feel like he’s hit the ball off the barrel a couple times a game and not being rewarded,” Boone said of Grisham.

That luck shifted in the fourth inning for the 29-year-old when he saw a soft pop-up land off his bat in front of catcher Danny Jansen.

From there, he eventually kicked the Yankees’ turnaround into gear in what turned out to be a collective effort.

“Everybody feels pretty close. It’s a tight-knit group, so I feel like everybody’s fighting for each other up there,” Schuemann said. “It’s not necessarily selfish in any way. I haven’t gotten that vibe since being here.”

The Yankees will look to carry that positivity into their Milwaukee road trip.

If I were a Royals’ fan, I’d hate the Guardians.

There was all the reason in the world to think the Royals would win this series today. Seth Lugo had the best numbers of any pitcher on Kansas City’s roster so far this year, and Slade Cecconi has been the worst pitcher on the Guardians’ roster. Lugo has also mostly owned the Guardians. But, that’s why they play the games, folks. Somehow, the Guardians won 8-5 today and have a 4-3 lead on the Royals in their season series, needing to win only three more games to clinch the season series (which could be significant).

How did the Guardians’ do it?

Well, maybe it was because I wore my Red Diamond C hat today. Or, perhaps because I wrote an unpublished article about how Slade Cecconi should go to the bullpen, hoping to jinx him into a decent start today. Or, perhaps it was because YOU wore your underwear inside out (thank you for your service). More likely, however, it was because the Guardians finally remembered how to hit.

I wasn’t the only one with my doubts:

When the Royals posted their lineup today, Royals’ fan Carson Hudkins on Twitter said, simply: “We win this one”

But, it turns out, the Guardians are capable of hitting Seth Lugo.

Then Bo Naylor finally got one off the Kansas City pen:

Kwan had a hit and a walk, DeLauter had a hit and a walk, Jose had a hit and 2 walks, Kyle Manzardo had a huge double and almost hit another one out, Schneemann had a hit and a walk, Bazzana had a hit and a walk, Rocchio had two hits and a walk, Naylor had two hits and Halpin had a hit and a walk. See, now, Guardians? Wasn’t that easy? Do that every night.

Slade Cecconi was better! Still gave up six hits and three walks and should be lifted after five. But, he bought himself more time, especially since Logan Allen isn’t doing much. Connor Brogdon is bad and needs to be replaced by Franco Aleman, Hunter Gaddis struggled AGAIN and had to be rescued by Erik Sabrowski overpowering Vinnie Pasquantino. And Cade Smith looks back to his old self, thank heavens, striking out two.

Oh, also, Travis Bazzana made a heads up play and a great throw to nail Maikel Garcia trying to go to third:

Greg on Twitter said today: “Mlb so scripted man. As soon as a pitcher has a 6 era they turn into Randy Johnson when you put money against them. 2 days in a row now getting burned by pitchers with horrible ERAs throwing perfect games 💀”

Greg, let this be a lesson to you and Emmanuel Clase: Don’t bet on baseball. It’s dumb.

Michael McGee on Twitter said: “Yea it’s official! Lugo needs to hang it up. He wasn’t ever that good to begin with, no reason to think he’ll be worth anything approaching 40 years old.”

Michael, Lugo has had a couple bad games. But, hey, if you want to cut him, I’m interested.

JMP77 said: “Thurs game is SO IMPORTANT. Forget Standings. I mean for the mentality of the team. We got 1 hit….after Ragans left. Must WIN Thurs imo.…..”

Ooops.

Our friends at RoyalsReview tweeted: “Wow, it is possible for the Royals to get Kyle Manzardo out.”

Yes, it is. But, we do hope he has found some things this week he can carry with him as the boys head back to Cleveland.

The Royals seem like a good fanbase. I almost feel badly about how the Guardians have treated their team over the past decade.

Almost.

Mets prospect A.J. Ewingadded another highlight to his already impressive 2026 season on Thursday night.

Playing in just his ninth game at the Triple-A level, Ewing came through with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Syracuse over the Rochester Red Wings, 3-2. He ripped a line drive to right field off LHP Zach Penrod, scoring Kevin Villavicencio from third base.

The 21-year-old was having a rare tough night at the plate prior to his game-winning hit, finishing the night 1-for-5 with the RBI.

He's now hitting .364 with a double and three RBI over 33 at-bats in Triple-A since being promoted on April 27.

Ewing, who is SNY's No. 3 Mets prospect, was also recently ranked No. 37 overall in Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list and talked about his big rise over the past year, crediting his self-confidence for his improvements on the field.

A walk-off single for A.J. Ewing wins it for Syracuse! pic.twitter.com/5ZchYYsI3c

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 8, 2026

This game had a little bit of everything, both good and bad. The second inning was the story early on as the Rays showed to a national audience how they had won 12 of their last 13, before then reminding those same viewers how they got off to a 2-5 start this season with defensive issues and pitching command problems. A month ago, this would have been one of those game that went from bad to worse (see series vs Cubs), but this red hot team showed its character by putting the second inning behind them and sticking with the flat swings and soft contact to come back in the mid stanza before bringing out the late inning thunder against the Boston bullpen to put the bow on a 8 to 4 victory over the Red Sox.

Griffin Jax continued his evolution into a starter facing 17 batters and throwing 59 pitches, 38 for strikes. One could argue the results would have been better with even normal defensive execution by the infield, but instead decided to revisit some of the defensive lapses which plagued the club in the early part of the season. Jax threw six different pitch types on the evening, using the full arsenal to both righties and lefties. He got off to an efficient 10-pitch first inning, but the second inning saw him and the club give it all back with some poor pitch and defensive execution. The inning led off with one-hopper rocket down the line to a diving Junior Caminero, who popped up and threw a seed across the infield that pulled Jonathan Aranda slightly off the bag, which was not caught live but replay quickly overturned:

Story quickly, and easily, swiped second base to erase a potential double play and that was followed up by a five-pitch walk to Masataka Yoshida which involved four pitches well out of the strike zone. Cedanne Rafaela then drove in Story with another hard hit ball to Caminero that rebounded off him and Taylor Walls allowing Story to score from second on a ball which barely reached the outfield grass:

Jax came back to retire Rafaela on a forceout on a grounder to Ben Williamson setting up a potential double play with Connor Wong at the plate. Jax did his part in that equation, but Walls did not, and it was u-g-l-y without an alibi. Needless to say, this play will likely not come up on the next Waechter Wednesday interview. I would embed the video, but the play was not recorded. It was a textbook groundball for a 6-4-3 which was first booted and then scooped over Williamson’s head into shallow right field allowing Yoshida to score and Mayer to advance to third. Mayer was then driven on on a single through the infield with Aranda close to the bag holding on Wong. The double play that should have come earlier in the inning finally did happen as Jax induced the required grounder from Jarren Duran to bring the sloppy inning to a merciful end.

That long inning allowed Jake Bennett to reset himself after a rough first two innings which required him to throw nearly 50 pitches to get the first six out of the game. The Rays plated three runs in the second inning after Jonny DeLuca converted a one-out walk into a steal of second base and scored on a Ben Williamson single through the right side. Nick Fortes singled to left which was followed by a Cedric Mullins bunt single and a steal of second base. The final run scored that frame was on a ball Yandy Diaz backspun to the warning track near the Devils Triangle part of the yard. Bennett pitched the rest of the game from a rocking chair retiring seven of the next eight Rays around a Yandy Diaz single. Bennett then was bodied by a batted ball by Caminero for an infield single before striking out Aranda on an ABS overturn to end Bennett’s night on the mound.

This was the first of four lefties the Rays will face in this series, so it was nice to see them plate three runs off Bennett even if they all came off singles, walks, and steals. Keep in mind, most of this was done without Chandler Simpson as he was not in the starting lineup tonight but made his presence felt later with a two-run single, a triple, and a strong throw from left field to home as part of a 7-2-4 put out of Willson Contreras trying to advance to second as the trail runner on a play home. Mike Petriello made a point on the broadcast that Simpson has gone from a 0 measure on his first pitch reads in the outfield to a lead-leading 5.7 so far in 2026. Simpson did not make any notable defesnisve impact in this game, but his two-run bases-loaded single in the 6th inning gave the lead back to the Rays and a later triple to drive in a run in the 8th. His half-day off was been earned as has the love the national broadcast gave him in the bottom of the sixth inning for his improvements.

The streak of 13 consecutive games of allowing three runs or fewer came to an end because Cedric Mullins failed to take charge on a can of corn between him and DeLuca which allowed Jarren Duran to turn a routine out into a double. He came around to score on a sac fly, but Caminero put some more distance between the two clubs with this absolute laser into the center field bleachers that might have mortally wounded someone:

That homer brought home Yandy Diaz, who made some history with his leadoff double becoming the 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000 career hits and kudos to the broadcast for calling that out:

Some final takeaways:

• 7th straight win and 13 of the last 14 with that very winnable game against Cleveland the only blemish of late. It still feels surreal given just how poorly the team stumbled out of the gate in many aspects of the game.
• 2026 Cedric Mullins feels more like 2012 Hideki Matsui every day. A roster move has to be made this weekend to bring Gavin Lux on the roster, and while Richie Palacios has an option and is the cleanest move, it just feels like it is time to move on from Mullins.
• Jesse Scholtens will have to do some work tomorrow a the bullpen has seen four guys used in each of the past two games. Mason Englert will likely work multiple innings in front of or behind Scholtens.
• Connelly Early, who gave the Rays fits last season, pitches tomorrow. We could see an outfield of Simpson/DeLuca/Vilade tomorrow. Hunter Feduccia will have to catch one of these four games and start against a lefty, so having both him and Mullins in the bottom of the lineup would be sub-optimal.

A series of missed opportunities and a Coby Mayo 9th-inning error sunk the Orioles Thursday, as the Marlins walked off the O’s for a 4-3 loss.

After the O’s tied the game in the 8th but couldn’t score in the top of the 9th, Andrew Kittredge entered to try and force extras. The start of the inning couldn’t have gone better for Kittredge, who got pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers to pop out to first before striking out Jakob Marsee with a slider in the dirt.

The inning unraveled with two outs, though. Rookie Joe Mack came off the bench trying to extend the inning, and succeeded with a double into the right-field corner. That brought No. 9 hitter Javier Sanoja to the plate. On a 0-1 slider, it looked like Kittredge got out of the jam, as Sanoja rolled over the ball to third. However, the ball kicked off the heel of Mayo’s glove, and although he recovered to snag the ricochet, his rushed throw to first skipped past Pete Alonso and allowed Mack to score the winning run.

While Mayo’s error was the game-losing play, the Orioles’ inability to come up with clutch hits was the biggest reason for the loss. Down 3-2 entering the top of the 8th, Alonso delivered the O’s only clutch hit of the evening. Taylor Ward started the rally on a leadoff walk and moved to second on a soft single to right from Dylan Beavers. Alonso then broke his bat on a Josh Ekness sweeper, but was able to muscle a single into shallow center, driving home Ward to tie the game at three. Samuel Basallo couldn’t keep the hit parade going, grounding into a double play on a 109mph grounder. Tyler O’Neill then left Beavers stranded at third on a towering flyout to left.

After falling behind early, the O’s had plenty of other chances to tie the game or take a lead but consistently failed to capitalize. Trailing 2-0 in the 3rd, Mayo kicked off a rally by reaching on an infield single hit 101mph to short. Jeremiah Jackson then worked a five-pitch walk to move Mayo into scoring position, setting up Gunnar Henderson for an RBI single up the middle to bring home Mayo. With two outs, Beavers worked a walk to load the bases, but Alonso couldn’t come through, striking out to strand all runners.

Baltimore failed to capitalize on another promising opportunity in the 4th. Now down 3-1, Basallo led off the inning with a beautiful piece of hitting, taking a backdoor breaking ball and lining it into the left-center gap for a double. O’Neill then followed it up with a single the other way to score Basallo and bring the O’s back within one. However, the rally died there as Colton Cowser lined into an unassisted double play and the inning ended on a Jackson strikeout after a Mayo single.

In the 5th, Beavers once again put the tying run on base with a two-out double down the left field line. Alonso just missed a two-run home run that would’ve given Baltimore the lead, sending a 104mph, 384-foot fly ball to the warning track to end the threat. The Marlins would rob Basallo of a similarly loud fly ball in the 6th, with Marsee making a leaping catch on a ball 103mph and 396 feet to dead center.

The heartbreaking nature of the loss distracted from the loss of left-hander Cade Povich, who was forced to leave early with what the Orioles called “left forearm discomfort.” The outing got off to an inauspicious start in the 1st when he issued a four-pitch walk to former Orioles Connor Norby. Two pitches later, Povich hung a slider over the plate to Marlins’ No. 3 hitter Liam Hicks, who launched it over the right field fence to give Miami a 2-0 lead.

After allowing yet another early long ball, Povich rebounded with a much calmer 2nd. He began the inning by winning a 10-pitch battle with Esteury Ruiz, getting the speedy outfielder to fly out harmlessly to right. The Orioles’ southpaw would then put Jakob Marsee on base via HBP, as a first-pitch fastball just grazed the front of Marsee’s jersey. Povich would immediately erase the base runner, however, getting Leo Jiménez to ground into an inning-ending 4-3 double play.

Trouble would find the Orioles’ starter again in the 3rd. Miami’s No. 9 hitter Javier Sanoja led off the inning with a walk, before Povich left a fastball over the plate to Otto Lopez. The shortstop’s deep fly ball to right just missed leaving the yard, but Sanoja clearly thought the ball left the yard, as he jogged around second. When Tyler O’Neill’s throw reached relay man Jeremiah Jackson, both runners were halfway between a base—but the O’s defense failed to convert the base-running error into an out. With runners now at first and third, Baltimore pulled the infield in, only for Norby to rocket a single past Gunnar Henderson to give Miami a 3-1 lead.

Povich hung tough to limit any further damage. He got the first out of the inning by getting Hicks to fly out to shallow center, before getting Christopher Morel to pop up to Alonso on his best curveball of the evening. Heriberto Hernández looked like he had a two-out RBI single, only for Povich to snag the comebacker and flip it to Alonso for the final out. There were no signs that it’d be the lefty’s final batter of the game, but he’d exit after three with a final line of 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and 1 K. Should Povich land on the IL, he’d be the Orioles fourth starter to go down injured, joining Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Trevor Rogers.

The bullpen kept the O’s in the game, despite being called into action way earlier than expected. Yennier Cano entered in the 4th, and set down six straight batters to keep the Baltimore deficit at one. Deitrich Enns then breezed through the 6th on five pitches for the Orioles’ third-straight scoreless frame. Jiménez broke a streak of 14 straight Marlins retired when he worked a two-out walk in the 7th. One pitch later, Enns got Sanoja to fly out on a running catch by Colton Cowser in center, as the bullpen set the stage for the comeback.

Keegan Akin then performed a Houdini act in the 8th. The lefty started the inning by giving up a single to Lopez, before Xavier Edwards laid down a perfect bunt single to give the Marlins two on with no out. Akin then punched out Hicks looking with a 3-2 fastball at the knees. Morel then flew out to center to move both runners into scoring position, before the Orioles’ reliever got Hernández to pop up to short to keep the game tied, 3-3.

The loss denied the Orioles their second sweep of the season and dropped their record to 17-21 as they head back to Baltimore. The O’s open a new series tomorrow against the A’s, with Kyle Bradish getting the ball, looking to start a new win streak.