Category: MLB

What Henry Bolte did Thursday-Saturday was phenomenal, historical, and raised the question of whether his time is now. Bolte went 12 for 12 from the latter part of Thursday’s game through Saturday’s game, 5 for 5 each of Friday and Saturday — with one single, 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 HRs.

The problem is the crowded outfield even with Denzel Clarke sidelined and Brent Rooker back as the every day DH. I thought even so there was a path for Bolte to fit in now if the A’s thought he was ready for prime time — and that only became more the case when Jacob Wilson’s dive for a ground ball ended with a shoulder strain.

Wilson’s injury, the severity of which is still to be determined, solidifies Zack Gelof’s place on the infield for the coming days (and possibly weeks). Gelof, along with Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris, give the A’s ample infield coverage. So they could, assuming they place Wilson on the IL, replace him not with an infielder but rather with an outfielder.

Meanwhile, the big question has been where would Bolte play and who would he displace? Lawrence Butler and Carlos Cortes, along with Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker, occupy 4 spots and LF-CF-RF-DH are exactly 4 spots. Colby Thomas is also in the mix against LHP.

The answer lies in a rotation that doesn’t bench anyone but gives each player the occasional breather in order to get others in, one which would allow the A’s to get Butler out of playing so much CF and to give Bolte enough playing time to warrant the call up.

vs. RHP for 4 games in a week:

LF – Soderstrom, CF – Bolte, RF – Butler, DH – Rooker

LF – Soderstrom, CF – Bolte, RF – Cortes, DH – Rooker

LF – Soderstrom, CF – Butler, RF – Cortes, DH – Rooker

LF – Soderstrom, CF Bolte, RF Butler, DH – Cortes

vs. LHP for 2 games in a week:

LF – Soderstrom, CF – Bolte, RF – Thomas, DH – Rooker

LF – Thomas, CF – Bolte, RF – Cortes, DH – Rooker

A rotation like this puts Bolte in the lineup 5 of 6 games, Rooker at DH 5 of 6 games, puts Butler in CF only once a week, gives Cortes a start 2/3 of the time, and sits Soderstrom half the time against LHPs (he has a .133 BA, 20 wRC+ this season) and Butler against LHPs (.160 BA, 40 wRC+).

It’s a reasonably good balance that also fortifies the bench a bit with one of these players available to pinch hit. Meanwhile, Gelof is your every day 3Bman with Hernaiz at SS and Harris on the bench — this may not be ideal but it’s what the A’s have if Wilson goes on the IL, as there are no natural reinforcements ready in the minors.

Now, as I write this Bolte has fallen into in a deep slump, 0-3 with a K in today’s game. So he’s only 12 for his last 15 with 10 extra base hits. But his .351/.419/.669 line entering play today is not a Las Vegas or PCL mirage: in the park and league adjusted wRC+ he stood at 159, and the all-important K rate was down to 22.1% for the season. And Bolte is only 22, still young for the league.

Do the A’s feel Bolte’s time is now? Did they when they woke up this morning, and did Wilson’s injury move the needle? We will know in the next 36 hours as the A’s fly home to host the Cardinals on Tuesday night. But with who on the roster and who in the lineup???

The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the Chicago Cubs scored zero runs.

We’ve reached peak baseball at The Shed with two teams playing a full nine inning game in which neither team had a hit with RISP.

The good news is it was only a nine inning game without a hit with RISP for either team because the Rangers scored via a ground out and then Josh Jung singled and Evan Carter homered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth for some much-appreciated insurance.

Further good news, the victory was Texas’ second shutout victory in a row against the NL’s top club and it also means the Rangers are now on the other side of the hellish 40-game slate MLB saddled them with to begin the season.

Through a quarter of the 2026 season, the Rangers are 19-21. Is that ideal? No. But all things considered, it’s not the worst result. Now Texas can test itself against some not-league best teams and perhaps they can rise in the otherwise mid-as-all-heck American League.

P.S. Tell your mom you love them.

Player of the Game: Today’s starter Jacob deGrom was deGreat as the superlative veteran produced seven shutout innings allowing just three hits and zero walks to go along with ten strikeouts as he reached the 1,900 K mark for his career.

If you were to draw up an ideal outing, it would look a lot like deGrom’s from today.

Up Next: The Rangers welcome the Diamondbacks to Arlington as RHP Nathan Eovaldi will attempt to reenact Game 5 of the 2023 World Series against RHP Michael Soroka for Arizona.

The first pitch in Monday’s series opener is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can watch it on the Rangers Sports Network.

Before any game action today, a quick shoutout to all the Moms out there this 2026 Mother’s Day! I just returned from a trip with my mom to see the Twins in Washington, D.C.! I calculated that she has now seen 10 baseball stadiums (one I’ll never get to—Metropolitan Stadium). It probably helps to have a baseball die-hard son (haha). I pity the fool who doesn’t think of their mother today…

Baseball-wise, the Minnesota Twins—for the second consecutive Lord’s Day—threw their rag-tag bullpen assemblage out to the mound from “Play Ball!” and somehow again came away with a victory.

The Twins struck first in the top of the third inning when a Kody Clemens double was pushed to third base by a Brooks Lee single—and then Kody scampered home on a Guardians SP Gavin Williams heave to the backstop.

The lead didn’t last long—a Jose Ramirez (who else) single scored Brayan Rocchio in B3—but MN second-man-out-of-the-pen Kendry Rojas induced an Angel Martinez fly out to the warning track with the bases loaded. Phew!

In T4, a Ryan Jeffers double and an Austin Martin single seemed to be cooking up more runs—until a Luke Keaschall GIDP doused the fire.

Fortunately, T5 brought more action—and actual scoreboard movement! Clemens again started the rally with a 2B, then scored this time on a Lee 1B. Royce Lewis then chipped in a 2B of his own to score Lee. After two outs, it looked as if the inning might fizzle with nothing further—until Josh Bell cracked a 1B plating Lewis and Martin thought “hey, that was fun—let me try it!”. 5-1 Twins!

After Rojas departed mid-B5 after some really solid (if wild) work, RP Travis Adams’ two-out BB came back to haunt on a Daniel Schneeman RBI single. Once again, however, a Twins reliever wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the damage to a minimum. 5-2 Twins.

A Chase DeLauter 1B pulled CLE to within two runs, but Anthony Banda put down further rebellion. 5-3 Twins.

As they are wont to do, Cleveland continued chipping away—this time a DeLauter RBI ground-out in B8. Yet again, this time it was Luis Garcia dousing a RISP threat. 5-4 Twins.

That is where the score would stay, with Yoendrys Gomez (who I’m sure you’ll remember on the ‘26 Sporcle roster quiz) recording the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Cleveland Guardians 4

For the first time since September of 2023, the Twins have won a series at Progressive Field. The combination of Morris, Rojas, Adams, Banda, Garcia, & Gomez held Cleveland to 4 runs. While perhaps unremarkable by other clubs’ standards, after a week of MN bullpen blow-ups it was truly a remarkable thing to behold.

Go call your Mom and tell her the Twins won!

Zach’s Zealot

• Clemens: 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 SB (3B), generally just the offensive instigator all afternoon!

Zach’s Zombie

• Keaschall: 0-4, 1 K, GIDP, .612 OPS on the season

Egg-cellent Elocution

• norffagreeing with my Zealot

Who’s Got Next

• Off Monday; returning home to host the Miami Marlins (Tues. night, Wed. night, Thurs. afternoon).

Today’s Mother’s Day matinee gave us fans the first look at the newest Cleveland Guardian, Patrick Bailey and Tony Arnerich as a manager. Bailey got his first start as catcher for the club, hitting 8th and catching for Gavin Williams. Stephen Vogt was unable to manage today’s game due to illness, prompting Arnerich to step in. Gavin came into today’s game 5-2. Williams had a textbook start to the game, only allowing one run through the fourth inning. On a day where José is DH-ing, it is always nice when the defense still backs up the pitcher. In the top of the fourth, the Guards turned an impressive double play to retire the side.

The fifth inning saw a mini implosion from Gavin. In the top of the fifth, Gavin gave up 6 hits, allowing the Minnesota Twins to score 4 runs. He went 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, finishing his day 6.0IP/10H/5R/1BB/6K on 101 pitches.

Cleveland offense peppered in some runs, once again struggling to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Going into the bottom of the seventh, the team was 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded a base runner in every inning except the first.

The Guardians’ first run came in the bottom of the third on three single. Brayan Rocchio hit a lead off single to right. Chase DeLauter reached on a single and was follow up by José Ramírez hitting a RBI single.

In the bottom of the fifth, with two outs, the offense pieced together another run. Kyle Manzardo drew a walk and scored on back-to-back singles from Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martínez. Travis Bazzana drew a walk, loading them up for nothing to happen. Patrick Bailey struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, yet another patch work run crossed the plate. Much like the third inning, Brayan Rocchio and Chase DeLauter manufactured a run on back-to-back singles.

Patrick Bailey did get to flash his highly touted defense in the top of the seventh. Trevor Larnach was caught stealing 2nd base with a throw from Bailey to Rocchio.

Franco Aleman made his major league debut only a few days after his call up and proved to be everything he was expected to be. Aleman pitched two innings of much needed scoreless baseball. Aleman allowed two hits and struck out a batter.

The Guardians continued their piecemeal scoring attempt in the bottom of the eighth. Arnerich made the call to pinch hit David Fry for Patrick Bailey as the Twins turn to RHP Luis García. It was the right choice as David Fry hit a lead off single. Brayan Rocchio continued his hot hitting day, slapping another single of his own. Rocchio went 4-for-4 on the day with 3 singles and a double. A still struggling Steven Kwan laid down a perfect sac bunt to move both runners to scoring position. CDL hit into a ground out to first, but it allowed Fry to score, bringing the Guards within one run.

Tim Herrin was tasked with closing the game. The lefty got himself in a bit of a high leverage situation, but shut it down and maintained his 0.00 ERA. A single, sac bunt, and stolen base had the runner on third with two outs and Byron Buxton up to bat. Arenrich learned from last night’s Buxton beat down and wisely intentionally walked the Twin. The final out, Victor Caratini, flied out to Chase DeLauter who caught the ball on the warning track.

Schneemann, Angel, and Bazz went 1-2-3 to end the game, adding another loss to the Guardians’ record against one of the worst bullpens in the American League. The Guardians scored 4 runs on 11 hits and 6 walks.

It was a Mother’s Day to forget in Philadelphia, as the Colorado Rockies were blanked by the Phillies 6-0. They managed six hits, but they also struck out 10 times and did not walk once.

Sugano struggled early, but settled in later

Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 struggled out of the gate, striking out Trea Turner but then giving up back-to-back homers in the first to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to give the Phillies an early 2-0 lead.

He got Adolis García to line out to center but then Brandon Marsh singled before J.T. Realmuto flied out to end the inning.

In the second, things didn’t get much better.

Bryson Stott doubled to lead off the inning and then Alec Bohm walked. Stott then stole third and scored on a throwing error by Goodman, which also allowed Bohm to reach second. Justin Crawford then grounded out to first, but Turner hit a sac fly to score Bohm and put the Phillies up 4-0. Schwarber then homered again — marking his 38th-career multi-homer game — to tack on another run, but Harper grounded out to first to end the inning.

In the third, he allowed just one hit to the second batter — Marsh — and then sent down five straight before giving up another single to Schwarber in the fifth. Luckily, Harper grounded into a double play and then García struck out to end Sugano’s night.

“After [the first two innings] I thought he executed better,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “In the first two innings, I don’t think he was putting the ball where he wanted to put it and a good team like that with those left-handed hitters are going to make you pay. But after that he gave us three zeroes and protected the ‘pen and then did his job.”

In total, Sugano pitched five innings. and allowed five runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts. All five runs came on three homers.

Rockies offense kept stranding batters

The Rockies offense once again struggled against the Phillies pitching, especially Cristopher Sánchez. Sánchez threw seven shutout innings, allowing six hits and seven strikeouts. The combo of Jonathan Bowlan and Jhoan Duran racked up three more strikeouts in the final two innings without allowing a hit.

Hunter Goodman singled in the first, but then Willi Castro popped out to short to end the inning. Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros went down in order in the second, but then Ezequiel Tovar and Jake McCarthy led off the third with back-to-back singles.

However, Jordan Beck lined out and Tyler Freeman and Goodman both struck out swinging to end the threat. The Rockies then went down in order in the fourth and fifth before managing another single by Beck to lead off the sixth.

They batted around in the seventh a little bit with singles again by Moniak and Tovar (who had two hits on the night), but unfortunately Jake McCarthy flew out after nearly homering to end the inning.

In total, the Rockies only had multiple men on in the third and seventh, but weren’t able to capitalize either time. Tovar was the only hitter with multiple hits, as he went 2-for-3. He was also one of three starters to not strike out once (also Beck and Doyle).

“Sánchez’s changeup is deadly,” Schaeffer said. “We didn’t have an answer for it today. I thought [Tovar] swung the bat well today, got the ball up, but in general (with) Sánchez, we didn’t have an answer for that changeup. (He’s got) a good fastball, too. He’s a good pitcher for a reason.”

Up Next

The Rockies have an off day tomorrow before heading to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Michael Lorenzen will face off against Paul Skenes. First pitch is at 4:40pm MT. See you then!

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Angels 6 Blue Jays 1

Well that was awful.

The Jays got a run in the first and then didn’t get another base runner until the eighth. They did load the bases in the eighth, but Vlad ground out softly to third to end the chance

We had five hits on the day. Daulton Varsho had two (just barely beating out an infield single for the second one). Ernie Clement, Kazuma Okamoto and Myles Straw had one each.

Vlad is looking lost at the plate. The sooner he figures it out the better. Jesus Sanchez struck out three times. Lenyn Sosa twice.

Pitching?

Spencer Miles was terrific, throwing three innings, giving up two hits, getting two strikeouts without allowing a run. Tommy Nance had a quick fourth.

And then Eric Lauer came in. It was not good. Walk, homer, ground out, strike out, double, walk, double. Four runs in the inning. And that was pretty much the game.

He did end up throwing five innings, but allowed five hits, six earned, three homers, two walks and four strikeouts. As good as he was last year, he’s been awful this year. His velocity is down, but I don’t know if that’s enough to explain how bad he’s been. He’s got a 6.69 ERA now and there is no reason to expect it to get better.

I really have no idea what they are going to do. There isn’t anyone who’s ready to be slotted into the spot. Shane Bieber won’t be read for a month. Jose Berries is, well I don’t know, but there is inflammation and he’s not likely to be activated soon. Max Scherzer is finding that it takes longer to heal when you are the wrong side of 40.

And on top of all that:

Addison Barger is getting an MRI on his elbow.

He woke up with a limited range of motion today, John Schneider says. #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 10, 2026

Jay of the Day: Miles (0.16 WPA)

Other Award: Lauer (-0.49) and Vlad (-0.09).

Tomorrow the Rays come to town (and it is much better to see them in Toronto than at Tropicana). Drew Rasmussen (2-1, 2.95) vs. Kevin Gausman (2-1, 3.09).

Let’s just go ahead and forget almost everything that happened during the first week of the month of May, shall we?

Fresh off a streak-busting victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday spearheaded by Chase Burns, it was once again a Cincinnati Reds starter that fueled a win on Sunday. This time, it was 2025 All Star Andrew Abbott, who fired 6.0 IP of efficient (85 pitches), scoreless ball in his best outing since Opening Day. The bullpen backed up Abbott, who’ll take hom today’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game honors, and that was more than enough for a Reds offense that poured out 5 runs on Astros pitching on the day.

Spencer Steer homered from the #2 spot in the order, doing so after manager Terry Francona moved him up along with Will Benson (who was on-base twice out of the leadoff spot). Elly De La Cruz chipped in with a trio of hits and a steal, JJ Bleday continued his white-hot start in a Reds uniform by tripling in a pair of runs (along with a pair of walks, a steal, and a run scored) and Blake Dunn doubled and walked in a rare start against a RHP.

All told, the Reds pounded out 9 hits, walked five times, and Benson’s HBP added on to a pretty excellent offensive showing when the club really, truly needed it.

Other Notes

• Abbott’s full line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K on 85 pitches. He lowered his season ERA down to 4.47 and looked much, much more like his typical self.
• The bullpen allowed nary a hit nor walk while fanning 5 across 3.0 IP. Hat tip to Tejay Antone, Sam Moll, and Graham Ashcraft on a great day of work.
• Matt McLain, who was once again batting 8th, walked twice (one of which drove in a run). The walks are great from him, obviously, but man it would be wonderful to see him hit a ball hard again.
• For the third time already this season, the Reds will have a day-off after having played a game in Cincinnati in which their next game is also at home. So, they get a nice little break without having to travel through it. Nex tup will be the Washington Nationals in town on Tuesday, and Brady Singer will get the start in that one. It remains to be seen how the Reds will line up their rotation after that as Rhett Lowder is heading to the IL for some rest.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in DRBland. The Rays were in Boston, where everyone was wearing a touch of pink to wrap up the weekend series. The Rays were first in the AL East by a wee little percentage point and hoping to push ahead and claim it properly this week. To deal with Boston, the Rays were relying on Nick Martinez on the mound, while the Red Sox had Payton Tolle up.

The Rays wasted little time getting on the board, as Junior Caminero hit a one-out home run in the top of the first inning. Two outs followed, but the Rays had the initial lead.

Junior jumpstart 😝 pic.twitter.com/3GZctrMtab

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 10, 2026

In the home half of the inning, with one out, Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch to get a free bag. Two outs followed, though, keeping the Red Sox scoreless. Contreras was apparently not feeling great after being hit by that pitch, though, and he left the game between inning, being replaced by Andruw Monasterio.

Ryan Vilade singled to start the second, but he tried to leg it out into a double and was snagged at second base. Two outs followed, ending the inning in short order. In the home half, Mickey Gaspar and his incredible mustache got a one-out double, but the Red Sox ended up leaving him stranded.

The Rays got riled up in the third. Nick Fortes got a leadoff single, then advanced to second on a sac bunt by Taylor Walls. Chandler Simpson singled to score Fortest, with some thanks to an ugly Trevor Story deflection, that let the ball dribble out into left. Jarren Duran threw home for some weird reason instead of to second, and Simpson was able to safely wind up at second after all was said and done. Story was charged with an error. With two outs, Ben Williamson singled, bringing Simpson home. Yandy Diaz then singled as well, putting runners at the corners, but no additional runs scored.

On the move pic.twitter.com/KqHuSS3uPW

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 10, 2026

B-Dub brings Chan 🏠 pic.twitter.com/6s3DLMC4xu

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 10, 2026

Caleb Durbin started the home half by getting hit by a pitch, the second of the game for Martinez. They might want to be careful of that, things got zesty in a Red Sox game last week when they thought those HBPs were intentional. Durbin then attempted to steal second and was caught. With two outs, Monasterio doubled, but the Sox left him stranded.

In the fourth, Cedric Mullins got a leadoff single, then tried to steal second and got caught in a very lengthy rundown. Two outs followed. Masataka Yoshida singled to start the bottom of the fourth. The Rays got three outs in a row to follow that, though.

The Rays went 1-2-3 for the first time this game in the fifth. With two outs in the home half, Duran singled. Monasterio singled right behind him, putting two men on, a pop-out ended the threat and the inning.

Tolle’s day was done after five, and he was replaced by Zack Kelly. Kelly gave up a leadoff walk to Williamson. Then, with one out, a pinch-hitting Jonathan Aranda singled. That was it for Kelly, who was then replaced by Tyler Samaniego. Cedric Mullins put down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Williamson and extending the Rays’ lead. A lineout ended the inning, but we love to see insurance runs.

It's kind of our thing pic.twitter.com/Wog0uDtaXq

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 10, 2026

In the bottom of the inning, Trevor Story got a one-out double. Gasper then singled, bringing Story home and making the team extra-grateful for that bonus run. Martinez got the second out of the inning and then Kevin Cash headed out to make the switch. Martinez’s final line for the game was 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 80 pitches. A solid outing for him, with some command issues, but otherwise really good results. Kevin Kelly replaced Martinez and collected the final out of the inning.

Justin Slaten was the new Red Sox pitcher for the seventh and he got the Rays out in order. The Rays returned the favor by getting the Red Sox out 1-2-3 in the home half.

Greg Weissert came out of the pen for the Sox in the eighth and faced only the minimum three batters. Ben Williamson got a one-out walk, his second of the game, and then advanced to second on a Yandy Diaz groundout. That was it for Weissert. Jovani Morán came in to replace him and got the final out of the inning. The Rays also dipped into their bullpen in the eighth, bringing out Garrett Cleavinger and after a pretty long inning, he did manage to get the Sox out in order.

In the ninth, Jonny DeLuca got a one-out walk. Nick Fortes then hit into a double play to end the inning, and with that, the Rays would have to hope their three-run lead was enough to hang on for the win. Bryan Baker came in and gave up a leadoff double to Gasper. Marcelo Mayer then walked. Baker was clearly having some issues with command, and it couldn’t happen at a worse time. Caminero made an incredible toss over to first for the second out of the inning but it was within millimeters, so Boston challenged, which was reasonable, but the call was upheld and the game was down to the final out. That last out came on a flyout from Duran to end the game and the Rays came away as both game and series winners.

Final: Rays 4, Red Sox 1

Happy Mother’s Day, to those who observe it. It’s not too late to go out and get a bunch of flowers, a balloon and a plush animal from one of those stalls that have suddenly popped-up overnight, on garage forecourts and street corners… I’ve no doubt the pink bats and other equipment will be out in force this afternoon, and I’d expect a heavy emphasis on maternity this afternoon. The team are giving away quite a spiffy promotional item this afternoon, and I’m sure the lines at Chase Field were quite long. Been quite a well-attended series already, with over thirty thousand on both Friday and Saturday.

That’s an improvement over the last time the Mets series at Chase was over a weekend: it was back in 2022, when the three games totaled seventy thousand. Though compared to the same point last year, attendance at Chase is down about 2,500 per game. Not surprising, coming off the first losing season since that same 2022 campaign. All told, MLB attendance is up 894 per game. Though almost half that total is due entirely to the Blue Jays, who have seen the average crowds in Toronto surge, on the back of their pennant win, by more than 12,300. On the other end, Atlanta, oddly, are down even more than Arizona, despite their early-season surge.

Rubber game of the set this afternoon, and it could also decide the season series. That is currently 3-2 in Arizona’s favor, courtesy of them taking two of three in New York. I doubt it’ll be particularly relevant at the end of the year in determining a playoff spot. But the Diamondbacks haven’t won the overall season series against the Mets since back in 2017. So that would be a nice moral victory at least. We’ll see if Eduardo Rodriguez can keep the roll of current good starts going for the D-backs. It has certainly been in sharp contrast to the previous two turns through the rotation.

The Dodgers (24-15) and Braves (27-13) face off for a Mother’s Day rubber match at Dodger Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Justin Wrobleski (5-0, 1.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) takes the ball for the Dodgers. 

Bryce Elder (3-1, 2.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) counters for Atlanta. 

Lineups

Today’s #Mothers Day Dodgers lineup vs. Braves: pic.twitter.com/SCrbMdtKV6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 10, 2026

5️⃣5️⃣ on the mound!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/A1ChvRLD48

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 10, 2026

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Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Braves
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 1:10 p.m. PST
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

This game and this series came down to doing the little things right and winning on the margins. These two teams were very evenly matched and it came down to execution. In the end, the Marlins executed, and the Nationals did not. That is why the Fish came away with a series win today.

The Nats have not played clean baseball this series

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) May 10, 2026

While the Nats have lost by bigger margins and have been overmatched in some series, this may have been the most frustrating series of the year. They could easily have won the series or even swept if they played smart. Between the errors, the base running mistakes and the bad play behind the plate, the Nats could not get it done.

Cade Cavalli was not as sharp as he was in the Braves or Mets starts, but he did a nice job getting through 5.2 innings and keeping the boys in the game. The offense had some chances, but they were mostly quiet this afternoon. Outside of a couple early series explosions, it was not the best showing for the offense this weekend.

However, the thing that really doomed the Nats was execution. We saw that play out in the disastrous bottom of the 8th inning. After striking a guy out and getting ahead 0-2, Gus Varland uncharacteristically lost the zone, walking two straight batters. Then the Marlins executed a double steal. After a base hit, the Marlins had the lead, but the Nats still had a chance to limit the damage.

On an 0-1 pitch to Heriberto Hernandez, Drew Millas foolishly challenged a pitch that was not even close to the plate. That meant the Nats were out of challenges because their light hitting catcher threw one in the garbage. Later in the at bat, Millas allowed a second double steal, throwing the ball on the wrong side of the bag. It was on a pitch that caught a lot of plate, but Millas could not challenge because he had already wasted his bullets.

Millas challenging on a pitch that was not even close just cost them two runs

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) May 10, 2026

With his catcher potentially robbing him of a strikeout, Gus Varland allowed a two run single two pitches later that sealed the game. It was not a good outing by Varland, but if he had a competent catcher behind the plate, things could have been different. Harry Ford has shown some signs of life, and the Nats need him to get going. It is very clear that Drew Millas is not the answer behind the plate.

While Keibert Ruiz has struggled at the dish, his defense and pitch calling has been much improved. Millas is not doing anything well right now. He is not hitting, he is awful at ABS challenges and he is one of the worst blockers in the game. Something has to change, and it has to happen quickly.

However, Millas was not the only guy to make mistakes in this one. The usually sure handed Nasim Nunez made a crucial error that also cost the Nats a run. It was just a very sloppy series from the boys.

This was a series that was decided on the margins, and that is why the Marlins won. They played clean, fundamentally sound baseball, while the Nats were constantly shooting themselves in the foot. 

Final: Marlins 5, Nationals 2

Tied in the 8th, the Nats allowed 2 walks and 2 double steals that helped plate 3 runs. Razor thin margins all series, and they drop 2 of 3.

Record: 19-22

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) May 10, 2026

These last two games were really deflating because of how well they were playing leading into it. With .500 in reach, the Nats took their eyes off the ball and blew it. Hopefully this sloppy play does not carry over into the Reds series because these last two games have been very frustrating to watch.

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their 4-game series versus the San Diego Padres Sunday at Petco Park. Kyle Leahy will start for St. Louis while Walker Buehler takes the mound for San Diego. First pitch is scheduled for 3:15pm central time. Will the Cardinals win or split the series vs the Padres? Let’s find out. Both teams now have identical records of 23-16 starting the game today.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.

Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!

Lineups

Giants

1. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
2. Luis Arráez — 2B
3. Casey Schmitt — 1B
4. Rafael Devers — DH
5. Heliot Ramos — LF
6. Willy Adames — SS
7. Matt Chapman — 3B
8. Drew Gilbert — CF
9. Jesús Rodríguez — C

RHP. Tyler Mahle

Pirates

1. Oneil Cruz — CF
2. Brandon Lowe — 2B
3. Nick Gonzales — 3B
4. Ryan O’Hearn — RF
5. Marcell Ozuna — DH
6. Spencer Horwitz — 1B
7. Konnor Griffin — SS
8. Nick Yorke — LF
9. Henry Davis — C

RHP. Bubba Chandler

Game #40

Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM