Category: MLB

Happy Wednesday Athletics fans!

After several consecutive losing seasons, the A’s entered 2026 with renewed expectations, aiming to finish above .500 and remain in playoff contention late in the season. Through nearly 50 games, the A’s have played like a .500 team, yet they still sit atop an underwhelming American League West in which no team has consistently separated itself from the pack. Even the Seattle Mariners, preseason favorites to win the division, entered play today below .500.

Mark Kotsay’s team has handled adversity better this season, avoiding extended losing streaks like the nine-game skid it suffered last May. The A’s have fluctuated between playing strong, winning baseball and enduring sloppy stretches marked by costly losses, but inconsistency is part of the grind of MLB’s 162-game season.

Currently, the A’s miss Jacob Wilson, who is on the injured list with a left shoulder subluxation and sprain. Wilson was heating up offensively before the injury, but his improved defense at shortstop may have been even more encouraging for the A’s. In the wake of Wilson joining fellow infielder Max Muncy on the injured list, Darell Hernáiz has received everyday playing time at shortstop. While Hernáiz can hold his own defensively, Wilson offers more consistency at the plate.

Like last season, the A’s offense was expected to lead the way this year. At the moment, however, the unit has struggled aside from outfielder Carlos Cortes, catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz. Designated hitter Brent Rooker and outfielders Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler are all batting around the Mendoza Line, with the latter two left-handed hitters mired in prolonged slumps that kept them out of last night’s starting lineup against Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.

Kurtz has drawn 44 walks, the second-most in MLB, in large part due to his keen eye and strike-zone awareness, but also because opposing teams would rather avoid him and take their chances with the hitters behind him, including Rooker and Soderstrom. The A’s have also received limited offensive production from their backup catcher, a spot that was previously held by Austin Wynns and is now Jonah Heim’s.

Entering last night’s game, the Athletics ranked near the middle of the pack in runs scored and home runs, despite playing home games at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. They proceeded to tag the woeful Los Angeles Angels’ pitching staff for a season-high 14 runs. That will surely boost the team’s offensive confidence. Time will tell whether last night’s offensive explosion was a breakthrough or an anomaly.

The A’s need daily contributions from their offense to offset any pitching concerns if the team wants to remain competitive this season. Wilson and Muncy will return at some point and Soderstrom and Butler have too much talent to keep playing this poorly offensively. Down on the farm, shortstop Leo De Vries remains an intriguing late-season call-up possibility, while left-handers Jamie Arnold and Gage Jump could provide reinforcements for an Athletics’ pitching staff that has been respectable this year.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s clobber Angels 14-6 in Anaheim
• A’s Suffer Heartbreaker to Open Road Trip
• ’Gut-wrenching’: Ginn takes no-no into ninth only to give up walk-off home run
• Michael Stefanic Elects Free Agency
• A’s Bullpen, Defense Collapse in Series-Deciding Loss to Giants
• How John Fisher betrayed Oakland (again) by finally spending on the Athletics
• Kurtz in rarefied air through 162 career games
• The Giants-A’s rivalry is officially dead
• A’s get lefty reliever Suarez in trade with Mariners
• Bolte Flashes In Athletics’ Win Over Cardinals
• A’s roster moves: Bolte, Stefanic recalled; Wilson to IL; Harris optioned, Nuñez DFA’d
• There’s Forcing Your Way Up And There’s Bolte — Is There A Spot For Him?
• May Roster Shuffle Could Help The A’s — But They’d Have To Want It
• Athletics’ Wei-En Lin Continues Rising The Ranks
• Now that we’ve seen a two-way player, what about a three-way player?
• A Walk In The Park Is Nice…To A Point
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In May

MLB News and Interest:

• Where all 30 MLB teams stand and their trade deadline outlook at the quarter mark
• Dodgers’ Glasnow has setback; Snell set for NanoScope procedure
• Cole to make season debut for Yankees Friday vs. MLB-best Rays
• Seager placed on injured list with lower back inflammation
• Shirtless LA Angels fans’ ‘sell the team’ chant rocks stadium as team slides with worst record in baseball
• Twins option former top pick Lewis; Jeffers out with hamate fracture
• Braves catcher Drake Baldwin to IL with oblique injury
• Houston Astros Activate Star Shortstop Jeremy Peña
• Jake Fraley To Undergo Sports Hernia Procedure
• Rangers’ MacKenzie Gore leaves with muscle tightness in back
• Kyle Teel Shut Down With LCL Sprain
• Nationals To Recall Dylan Crews
• 2026 MLB draft rankings: Updated top 150 prospects
• Mets achieve rare extra-inning feat not seen in 43 years
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Here is the Athletics‘ updated minor league transaction log. Should outfielder Denzel Clarke remain at Triple-A after his rehab assignment or return to the big-league club?

Which player do you think has the best nickname in Minor League Baseball?

The American League West has arguably been the weakest division in MLB this season, which makes it even more disappointing that the A’s have been unable to separate themselves from their division rivals.

The A’s offense was at its best with two-outs last night.

There’s been more than a few songs written about baseball.  I wrote a more expansive piece several years ago, but for this essay, I’ll just concentrate on a few selections.

There are classics like “Take me out to the ballgame” which has been a 7^th inning staple for decades.  Some ballparks have taken to playing “God bless America” while the Red Sox have made “Sweet Caroline” their 8^th inning staple. 

Most players have a walk-up song, and many relievers have a walk-in song.  My favorite was Trevor Hoffman entering a game to “Hells Bells”.   I mean, who doesn’t love ACDC?  I’m thinking about having my kids play this at my funeral.  If they won’t, I’m getting up and walking out.

The mid-1980’s were a fruitful, and cringe worthy, time for baseball songs with John Fogerty’s 1985 hit “Centerfield” and Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 “Glory Days”.  Peter Paul and Mary got into the act in 1986 with their song “Right Field”.   I never cared for that trio of songs, but like anything else, someone, somewhere surely liked them.  An old-timer once said to me, “Kid, there’s an ass for every seat”.   Yes, there is. And there’s a song for every set of ears.

One baseball song I did like was Section 36’s 1980 regional hit, “Go Joe Charboneau” a paean to Cleveland’s irrepressible rookie star.  Everyone liked Joe Charboneau. How could you not like him?  The guy drank beer through his nose.  He did his own dental work and fixed his broken nose with a pair of pliers.  Before the 1980 season, a crazed Mexican fan stabbed him with a pen knife.  The blow was stopped when it hit a rib.  The assailant was arrested and fined 50 peso’s, to which Charboneau replied, “that’s $2.27 for stabbing a person”.  He captivated Cleveland and the baseball world by hitting home runs and doing outrageous things.  He was a runaway winner of the Rookie of The Year.  Then injuries and hard living took hold and by 1983, he was out of baseball.

Those really were the days, back before the internet, cable TV and the 24/7 news cycle.  A time when you had to rely on various sources of information, often outdated, to hear what the latest phenom was doing.  That lack of information allowed players like Fernando Valenzuela, Charboneau and Mark Fidrych to develop reputations that whetted the appetite of baseball fans anxious to get a glimpse of said player.  We relied on daily newspaper box scores, radio sports reports, The Sporting News and 30 second clips on the evening news to catch a glimpse of them.  If we were lucky, you’d see them in the Baseball Game of the Week.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s great today, to be able to watch any game, any time of the day.  It’s great to have advanced stats at your fingertips, updated with each at-bat or pitch.  But it does take away from some of the suspense and the myth building.  We gained something and we’ve lost something.

Another baseball hit during the 1980’s was Terry Cashman’s “Talkin’ baseball”.   Cashman is a prolific writer who had several modest hits prior to Talkin’ Baseball. 

I didn’t care much for the song when it first came out.  One of our local radio stations, probably KSAL, would play it a couple times a day that summer, but I wrote it off as a hokey novelty song.  Plus, it didn’t fit my genre, which arced more towards deafening hard rock.  ACDC, Molly Hatchett, The Outlaws, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen.  You get the idea.

I stumbled back upon “Talkin’ Baseball” a few weeks ago, gave it another listen to, and you know what, it’s not bad.  In fact, it’s a bit of a rhyming masterpiece, how Cashman gets all the names to fit together.  Writing a song is a very special skill, getting the music and lyrics to fit.  I admire those who have the ability to do that.  Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I liked the song this time around. 

The Royals are featured prominently in the song.  George Brett gets a nice line, “and Brett is the greatest”.  Dan Quisenberry gets a mention:

“I’m talkin’ baseball, like Reggie, Quisenberry

 talkin’ baseball

Carew and Gaylord Perry”.

The structure of the song reminds me a bit of Dave Frishberg’s 1969 song, “Van Lingle Mungo”, in which Frishberg recites the names of various ballplayers in a rhyming fashion set to a Bossa Nova beat.  Frishberg was a terrific jazz pianist whose name may ring a bell for some of you who had small children that watched Schoolhouse Rock.  He wrote the children’s classic, “I’m just a bill”.   

I can remember my father, a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, talking about Mungo.  I thought he was pulling my leg with the name.  Van Lingle Mungo?

Mungo was a flamethrowing, albeit wild, righthanded pitcher who won 120 games over a 14-year career that was worth almost 33 WAR.  He was also a colorful character, who often clashed with his teammates, managers and a few disgruntled husbands. 

Mungo and Frishberg appeared together on the Dick Cavett show, where Frishberg sang the song.  Before the taping, Mungo asked Frishberg if there was any money in it for him.  Frishberg replied with this zinger, “No, but you might make some money if you wrote a song called Dave Frishberg”.   Roy Campanella is the only player mentioned in both songs.

Baseball remains a fertile ground for musicians.  What are some of your favorites?

Morning, all!

Mackenzie Gore left Monday’s game against the Rockies with Kat tightness but isn’t expected to miss another start, and Wyatt Langford may start back on a hitting progression by Friday.

Chris Martin has been activated from the IL.

Kumar Rocker has over an 11.00 ERA in the first inning of games this year and the Rangers have decided to do something about it.

The decision to go with an opener Tuesday night against the Rockies paid off, with Kumar Rocker pitching 7.2 innings of shutout out ball on the way to a 10-0 win.

Nobody knows why Rocker has been having so many problems in the first inning, and maybe the opener didn’t change anything about the outcome of the game.

Skip Schumaker also went with a new lineup and saw it put up a season high 10 runs, so maybe the Rangers should try new things more often.

Rangers prospect Malcolm Moore has been lighting the South Atlantic League on fire.

The Tampa Bay Rays have made a flurry of roster moves ahead of Wednesday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, Kevin Cash advised reporters that infielder Ben Williamson was dealing with a stiff back. Then following the Rays 4-1 victory over Baltimore, the team acquired infielder Oliver Dunn from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Joe Rock.

This morning, the Rays officially activated Dunn and placed Williamson on the Injured List with a back strain. The Rays also activated starting pitcher Steven Matz and optioned Chase Solesky to Triple-A Durham.

Dunn is a 28-year old versatile defender that is capable of playing in both the infield and outfield. This season, he has primarily been a third baseman but has spent time at shortstop, left field, and second base. Over 183 plate appearances in Triple-A for the White Sox this season, Dunn was hitting .295/.393/.545 with 9 HR and 9 SB, registerin ga 132 wRC+.

Originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 11th round of the 2019 draft, Dunn has bounced around the league having already played within the systems of the Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, and White Sox. In 2024 he made his big league debut while with Milwaukee and over parts of two seasons he hit .206/.261/.290 with 1 HR over 145 plate appearances.

Joe Rock’s tenure with the Rays comes to an end during his third season with the team. The Rays originally acquired Rock at the end of spring training in 2024 for former first round draft pick Greg Jones. Rock was primarily a starting pitcher but made his big league debut in 2025 with three relief appearances. Thus far in 2026, Rock has been a full-time reliever, and has seen a vast increase in his strikeout numbers but also a significant spike in walks.

Meanwhile, there has not been update for Yandy Diaz, who was removed from last night’s game after being hit on the fingers by a 93mph splitter.

The good people of New York like to consider themselves tough. If you can make it there, as Frank Sinatra crooned, you’ll make it anywhere.

Do not confuse hot takes with sounding tough. Two New York sports talk hosts this week took daft shots at Joe Davis and came off — in the last adjective with which any true New Yorker would want to be described — as soft.

Let’s rewind: Davis is the lead voice of the Dodgers on SportsNet LA. He is also the lead voice of the national baseball broadcasts on Fox. In the latter role, he called last Saturday’s game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets.

At one point, Mets outfielder Carson Benge dropped an easy fly ball. Without missing a beat, Davis said: “Oh, no! Oh, no, the Mets!”

It was the perfect call. The foibles of the Mets are so many and so weird that Mets fans themselves have embraced a term for them: LOLMets. You can learn all about it in a 23-minute YouTube video narrated by a former Mets pitcher.

Firing one manager (Willie Randolph) at midnight in Anaheim? Dumping another manager (Carlos Beltran) before he could manage a game because he was the only player cited in the commissioner’s report on the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal? Opening this season with baseball’s highest payroll and spending some time with baseball’s worst record?

“This year, and in recent years, there have been so many moments where it looks like the Mets are right there, ready to make a run or win the division or win a championship, and then something just tends to go wrong,” Davis said in San Diego Tuesday.

“They were in a stretch right there where every single day, they were getting a stud hurt. They put together a winning streak against the Tigers, then Clay Holmes has the comebacker break his ankle.”

The next day, Benge totally clanked it, and Davis totally nailed it — in the moment, not with some scripted phrase waiting in his pocket.

“You hope that your reactions in those moments — in any moment in this job — are authentic,” Davis said. “You don’t have much time for it to be anything else.”

On Monday, Evan Roberts — a host on WFAN, New York’s top-rated sports station — unloaded on Davis for “mocking” the Mets.

Read more:Shaikin: Pitching injuries are piling up again for Dodgers. Can the starting rotation hold up?

“Joe Davis has become a clown for the Los Angeles Dodgers and we all hear it,” Roberts said, in remarks posted by the Awful Announcing website.

Got anything else?

“I think he’s a Dodger fanboy,” Roberts said. “I think he wants to just make love to Shohei Ohtani every time he talks about him … He’s a great broadcaster, and I’ll admit it. But, for now, I think Joe Davis is a Dodgers shill and it’s obnoxious.

“And I’d give him this advice, not that he cares, he doesn’t care: Don’t go to the Dodger parade and be the emcee. It’s a bad look. It just is. You’re sitting there as the national voice and now you’re pom-pom waving at the Dodger parade. Come on, man.”

Davis works for the Dodgers. When the boss wants you to emcee the World Series championship rally, you do. Would the Mets’ broadcasters do the same? When the Mets win their first World Series championship since 1986, we’ll find out.

Let’s hear from Sal Licata, formerly at WFAN and now working independently: “What’s up with Joe Davis, by the way? You Dodger homer. ‘Oh no, the Mets,’ that’s a national unbiased broadcast? You biased Dodger blue fool.”

Read more:Shaikin: Justin Turner is playing for the Tijuana Toros. Why he 'wouldn't trade it for anything'

There always will be people who claim Davis is biased toward the Dodgers, just as people claimed his predecessor, Joe Buck, was biased toward the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck worked for Fox on weekends and called Cardinals games during the week.

And, for the people who see only what they want to see, Davis is the voice of baseball’s evil empire. Maybe that aggravates New Yorkers, but consider how aggravated we are that we have to fight through hellish traffic to get to Dodger Stadium or a television set by 5 p.m. so we can see our team play in the World Series because the East Coast needs to see the game in prime time.

Or how annoyed we are that we get televised Yankees-Red Sox games shoved down our throats when Red Sox management has opted for irrelevance and the best rivalry in baseball is here, between the Dodgers and Padres.

Better yet, how about we all chill? It’s just a game. We could break bread with New York’s famous bagels, except the New York Times told us we have the better bagels.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mason Miller walked Max Muncy on a borderline pitch that was initially called a strike, but was challenged by Muncy and overturned, resulting in ball four. Muncy was replaced by pinch runner Alex Call and that proved to be a game-winning decision by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Miller faced Andy Pages with one out and Call at first base. The pinch runner left the base early attempting to steal second and should have been thrown out. Instead, Miller threw the ball to first base, and it tipped off the glove of San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France and rolled into foul territory up the right field line. By the time the ball got back to the infield Call was standing on third base. Pages won a nine-pitch at-bat against Miller and hit a fly ball into right field which allowed Call to tag up and score on the play to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. Miller was replaced by Ron Marinaccio and he struck out the following batter to end the inning.

San Diego needed a base runner and some of their late-inning magic if the Padres were going to avoid the loss. It was not to be as France struck out on a check swing and Freddy Fermin grounded out to shortstop for the first two outs of the ninth. Fernando Tatis Jr. stepped in looking to extend the game and the Friar Faithful were hoping he would launch his first home run of the season and tie the game, but Tatis grounded out to third base to end the game and the Padres suffered a 5-4 loss at Petco Park.

Griffin Canning started on the mound for San Diego and allowed a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to Freddy Freeman. The Padres were in a hole when they came to the plate in the bottom half of the inning and Manny Machado tied the game with his own two-run home run. The game remained tied until the bottom of the third inning when Miguel Andujar hit a two-run home run to make the score 4-2. The Dodgers were able to get a run in the fifth and tied the game in the sixth inning when Freeman hit his second home run of the game to make the score, 4-4. That set the stage for the top of the ninth.

San Diego will try to win the series against Los Angeles today at 5:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Fernando Tatis Jr. is not the first Padres slugger to struggle. He added that fans should not expect it to continue.

• Rodolfo Duran waited a long time to get his shot at the MLB level and he does not appear to be willing to give it up any time soon.

• The big three of Tatis Jr., Machado and Jackson Merrill are still looking for offensive consistency, but the rest of the lineup is picking them up and that has resulted in a winning record.

Baseball News:

• The New York Yankees were on the losing end of two challenges – at least that is how the umpires ruled it – and that was enough to send Yankees manager Aaron Boone over the top in their 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Ivan Herrera hit a 10th inning home run to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a walk-off win.

• Washington Nationals slugger James Wood hit his first career grand slam, and it never cleared the wall.

• Jacob Misiorowski dominated the Chicago Cubs and helped the Milwaukee Brewers take over as the leader in the NL Central.

• Yandy Diaz helped the Tampa Bay Rays get their 20th win in their last 24 games.

• Jackson Holliday returned to the Baltimore Orioles roster on Tuesday and may be making a position change.

• Martin Perez recorded 10 strikeouts and helped the Padres eat the Dodgers.

Alex Freeland and Cole Irvin headlined a win for the Comets, as only the Loons ended up on the losing side of a full slate of games in the Dodgers minor league system on Tuesday.

Player of the day

For only the second time this season and the first one in front of his home crowd in Oklahoma City, left-handed starter Cole Irvin had a scoreless start. The veteran starter was able to hold the Aces silent through six innings, allowing but just one extra-base hit and no free passes.

After starting the year with a 1-3 record, Irvin has managed to secure the W in three of his last four starts, with the six strikeouts he secured against the Aces representing a season high.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

One rally that started with the bottom of the order had the Comets scoring half a dozen runs on their way to beating the Aces 6-3 at home, also in large part thanks to a standout performance from Cole Irvin. The veteran left-hander was rewarded for delivering six innings by seeing his offense break through in time to earn him the victory.

Ever since he was sent down to make room for Mookie Betts’ return to the big league club, Alex Freeland has played with a point to prove in Triple-A. In this home win, the Comets’ leadoff bat recorded his fifth straight multi-hit performance in the minors, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances.

Continuing to work his way back, Kiké Hernández had one hit in four at-bats, responsible for two of the five strikeouts from Comets hitters.

Double-A Tulsa

Despite trailing big early on, as starter Patrick Copen couldn’t find his footing, the Drillers overcame a 3-0 deficit thanks to an outstanding effort from Josue De Paula. At just twenty years of age, De Paula is delivering quite a campaign in the minors’ second-highest level—a key piece of this Drillers team that’s now 23-17 after a 7-5 victory.

For the sixth time in his last seven games, De Paula netted at least one RBI, this time tallying four thanks to a double and a home run, his sixth of the year.

That top of the order with De Paula and Kendall George continues to be a problem for Double-A pitchers, both hitting and on the base paths—each of them stole a bag and combined have now 31 stolen bases in 2026, 20 for George and 11 for De Paula.

High-A Great Lakes

When you get out-homered by your opponent four to zero, a loss is virtually guaranteed. All things considered, the Loons did a decent enough job of making this a competitive game late with a four-run rally in the eighth, as they ultimately fell by a score of 6-4.

Reaching base three times with a double and a pair of walks, also stealing two bases successfully, Eduardo Quintero was the Loons’ standout performer offensively. Quintero was one of the few hitters shining for a team that suffered early on against opposing starter Wande Torres, responsible for six shutout innings.

Single-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers put on a very peculiar display, blowing out the 66ers 12-4 and doing so with an absurd 17 strikeouts from its lineup—that included a golden sombrero for third baseman and cleanup hitter Chase Harlan, who certainly represented his first name well in this performance.

It should be noted that two-thirds of those 12 runs came in the ninth inning, with the Tower Buzzers padding a lead. Easton Shelton, who had already homered in the sixth, finished his game with four RBI, the most he has had this season.

Interestingly, with starter Cam Leiter completing just 2.1 innings, each of the six Tower Buzzers pitchers who took the mound for this one struck out exactly two hitters.

Transactions

The biggest moves were Mike Sirota’s call-up to Double-A and right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills getting sent down to Triple-A, with plenty of shuffling between all minor league affiliates for the Dodgers this Tuesday.

Tuesday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 6, Reno 3
• Wichita 5, Tulsa 7
• Great Lakes 4, Wisconsin 6
• Inland Empire 4, Ontario 12

Wednesday’s schedule

• 3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Zach Root) vs. Wisconsin (Braylon Owens)
• 4:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) vs. Reno (Tommy Henry)
• 4:35 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Wyatt Crowell) at Wichita (Ty Langenberg)
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) at Inland Empire (Aiden Butler)
• game 2: Ontario (TBD) at Inland Empire (Scott House)

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It's another busy day across the majors, which means lots of value in my MLB player props.

I'm keying in on big days from Corbin Carroll, Chris Sale, and Cam Schlittler. 

Read more for my MLB picks for Wednesday, May 20. 

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Corbin Carroll	Over 1.5 total bases	+124
Chris Sale	Under 1.5 earned runs	+100
Cam Schlittler	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-147

Corbin Carroll Over 1.5 total bases (+124)

Corbin Carroll is having another impressive season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. While the power numbers aren't huge, the outfielder is still batting .285, and he's raking lately. Carroll is hitting .429 over the last week with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Six of his nine hits during that span have been for extra bases. 

Carroll has cashed the Over in total bases in six straight contests heading into the finale against the San Francisco Giants this afternoon. Although he's never faced Tyler Mahle, the righty has an ERA north of eight on the road, and owns chase and whiff rates in the 26th percentile or worse. 

• Time: 3:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DBACKS.TV, NBCS Bay Area

Chris Sale Under 1.5 earned runs (+100)

Chris Sale looks primed to be in the NL Cy Young conversation again. The Atlanta Braves ace is dominating, compiling a 6-3 record and 1.96 ERA through nine starts.

Opponents are hitting only .183 against the left-hander. Sale has allowed Under 1.5 earned runs in five of his last six appearances, and he tossed six scoreless frames last time out against a solid Cubs team. 

Sale will face the Miami Marlins tonight, who are around the middle of the pack offensively. He's truly looked unhittable this season, and all signs point to Sale tossing another gem as he continues to strengthen his Cy Young odds case.

• Time: 5:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Braves.Vision, Marlins.TV

Cam Schlittler Over 5.5 strikeouts (-147)

Shifting over to another Cy Young candidate in the American League, as Cam Schlittler takes the mound tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. The New York Yankees righty is one of the breakout stars of the 2026 season, leading the Majors with a mind-boggling 1.35 ERA. He's also sixth in strikeouts with 68 in just 60 innings of work. 

Schlittler has hit the Over in Ks in three of his last four, and he just registered nine punchouts in his most recent appearance against the struggling Mets.

Toronto doesn't typically strike out a lot, but they've been worse lately, averaging 8.33 Ks across their last three games. Schlittler also has all the confidence in the world right now, and ranks among baseball's elite in chase, whiff, and strikeout rates. 

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, YES

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

It has been a long time coming, but it finally feels like the Washington Nationals have an identity as a team. They are a young and hungry group that can mash and play the game hard. This is also one of those teams that is never out of a game, no matter the deficit.

In the past week, the Nats have erased two 5-0 deficits and have come back to win both games. That never say die attitude has become a staple for this team. Sure, the pitching can be rough at times and they can make some frustrating mistakes in the field, but they can always make up for it with the bat. They are also a hard charging and aggressive team on the bases.

If an opponent is not on their A game, the Nats can make team’s lives miserable. We saw that last night against the Mets. The Nats aggression and tenacity caused the Mets to make multiple mistakes in the field. Nats base runners and hitters were putting pressure on the Mets defense, and eventually they cracked. On another night, the Nats aggression could have bit them and been seen as reckless, but that is just who they are as a team.

After the stench of last season, it is fun to have an identity again. There were times in 2023 and 2024 where it felt like the Nats were beginning to build an identity, but it never stuck. I have faith that this identity can stick. The Nats have a whole new staff and braintrust now. Also, those other teams were never leading baseball in runs scored.

It is wild that we are sitting here on May 20th and the Washington Nationals are leading baseball in runs, and it is not even close. The Nats have scored 271 runs, and the next closest team only has 258. These Nats are scoring over 5.5 runs per game, which is absolutely bonkers.

I remember worrying about the Nats offense when they hit .194 in Spring Training. Little did I know that there was absolutely nothing to worry about with this offense. The duo of James Wood and CJ Abrams has been one of the best in the league and the two youngsters have been the engines of this elite offense.

Speaking of Wood, he had a monster night at the plate. Of course, his signature moment was when he hit an inside the park grand slam in the second inning. That was the moment where the game turned. The game went from a comfortable 5-0 lead for the Mets to a 5-4 ball game. It felt like the Mets clenched up after the Nats immediately erased their big lead. This was Wood’s first grand slam, and he made it an exciting one.

Wood tends to be a pretty even keeled guy, but he was all smiles after that. You could tell when talking to him at his locker that he was in a great mood. He was smiling ear to ear talking about his inside the park grand slam. Wood does not show emotion too much, so it is very exciting when he does come out of his shell like he did last night.

While Wood is not the most emotional guy, part of the Nats identity is based on emotion. You saw it when Richard Lovelady closed out the game. Another time you saw it was when Daylen Lile hit a go ahead homer in Cincinnati last week. This team is young, hungry and having a great time right now. Last season, especially in the second half, this was not a team having a lot of fun. They were beat down after a long season, but they have been rejuvenated by this new staff.

Another part of the Nats offensive identity is their power hitting. They are in the top 10 in home runs after ranking towards the bottom of the league the last few years. Obviously, Wood and Abrams are leading the way there, but it is not just them. Jacob Young is showing power we have not seen from him before. Curtis Mead and Keibert Ruiz are also showing increased pop. Jose Tena is another guy who has been hitting lasers, and we saw that tonight when he went deep.

Despite having that home run power, this is not a home run reliant offense either. This team has mastered the art of the double this season. They have 98 doubles this season, which is the most in all of baseball. Under new hitting coach Matt Borgschulte, Nats hitters have loved shooting gaps and driving guys in via the double.

Obviously, they lost due to a 12th inning implosion the other night, but that was a great example of the Nats double heavy offense. They were able to score plenty of runs without homering. This was able to happen because the Nats hit six doubles, all from different players. James Wood, CJ Abrams, Daylen Lile and Keibert Ruiz all have at least 10 doubles on the season.

For a young, fast team, it is fitting that doubles are a part of their identity. The Nats play such an exciting brand of baseball. Obviously it is not a perfect brand of baseball, and as this team matures, they need to clean some things up. However, as a Nats fan, all I could ask for this year is a team that is fun to watch. That is what we have been given in Blake Butera’s first year as manager. They are not a great, or even good team yet, but the Washington Nationals are an exciting team to watch and have a clear identity.

Hickory starter Moises Morales allowed five runs in six innings, including three home runs, striking out two and walking one. Michael Trausch threw a scoreless inning, striking out two and walking one.

Josh Springer was 4 for 5 with two doubles. Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 5 with a homer. Paulino Santana doubled. Hector Osorio doubled and homered. Marcos Torres had a hit and a walk. Dewar Tovar was 3 for 4 with a homer. Daniels Flames had a hit.

Hickory box score

Aidan Curry had an excellent start for Hub City, going six shutout innings with nine Ks and three walks. Joey Danielson struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Malcolm Moore’s hot streak continued, as he doubled twice and homered. Paxton Kling and Yeison Morrobel each had a pair of hits.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter Josh Trentadue had another rough outing, giving up three homers in three innings, and seven runs overall, while striking out three and walking one.

Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. Arturo Disla doubled and homered.

Frisco box score

For Round Rock, Alexis Diaz struck out two in a scoreless inning. Emiliano Teodo threw a scoreless inning, with 11 strikes out of 19 pitches, striking out one, walking one and allowing two hits.

Cam Cauley had two walks and a stolen base. Aaron Zavala tripled and drew two walks.

Round Rock box score

ACL Rangers box score (Monday)

ACL Rangers box score (Tuesday)

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It's a getaway slate with lots of potential rain spots on the board. The hot weather has come and gone, so digging for some home run gems and MLB player props means circling the few HR-plus matchups.

The HR potential in Anaheim today might be the best on the board, with both offenses - highlighted by Mike Trout and Nick Kurtz - needing a piece of the HR pie. 

These are my favorite MLB home run predictions for Wednesday, May 20. 

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Mike Trout	+316
Willy Adames	+557
Nick Kurtz	+340
💲Today's HR parlay	+10466

Home run pick: Mike Trout (+316)

I'm kicking myself for avoiding Mike Trout yesterday in a good spot, but at a sub-300 pricetag, it was a pass. That won't be the case today at +316 with a fair price at +280. Trout snapped a 12-game HR drought last night in Anaheim, and his swing speed is not dropping as we enter the Summer months of the season, which can be a worry for the oft-injured outfielder.

Trout gets Aaron Civale, who is a bottom-25 starter in BlastCont% and a pitcher he has already taken deep in a small six-at-bat sample. He isn't the only Halo projecting +EV, as Zach Neto (+433) and Jo Adell (+399) are also on the list. Neto has been crushing, and I bet Adell in yesterday's MLB picks, so the day-after theory is in full effect.

With a lot of rain on the slate, 6-mph winds blowing out to center with mid-70-degree temperatures are creating one of the better hitting environments with a pair of bad bullpens.  

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, NBCSCA

Home run pick: Willy Adames (+557)

I have Merrill Kelly ranked as one of the worst starters on the board today. He gets hit hard, his fly balls leave the yard, and the expected metrics suggest the damage is fully deserved. He’s also coming off a complete game, and that recent two-start stretch against weaker offenses feels due for a hard correction. Just three starts ago, he was carrying a 9.95 ERA with six home runs allowed over a 19-inning span.

Willy Adames is the target today, and Rafael Devers was unfortunately left off the card yesterday despite getting plenty of consideration. Adames has logged 25 at-bats against Kelly, which is a meaningful sample and gives the hitter a sizeable information edge. He’s already taken him deep twice and owns a .946 OPS in the matchup.

Adames has homered in back-to-back games and has an extra-base hit in four of his last five. I’m backing the hot bat in what could be the best starting pitcher matchup on the board, especially with potential weather concerns hanging over the Zack Littell spot.

• Time: 3:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DBACKS.TV, NBCS BA

Home run pick: Nick Kurtz (+340)

Nick Kurtz is climbing the AL MVP odds board and now sits as the No. 5 betting favorite at +2200. Over the last two weeks, he owns the third-fastest swing speed in baseball behind Junior Caminero and Jordan Walker, while also ranking inside the Top 20 in both ISO and slugging percentage. He’s coming off a 3-for-5 game in Anaheim and should get a full nine innings against some of the worst pitching in baseball.

Jack Kochanowicz is a pitch-to-contact arm with poor BlastContact numbers and is coming off a three-home-run outing at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His bullpen is also a massive target, carrying the second-worst ERA in baseball over the last two weeks while dealing with closer issues. The Athletics piled up 15 hits yesterday, including six extra-base knocks.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, NBCSCA

Today’s HR parlay

Mike Trout	Bet Now +10466
Willy Adames
Nick Kurtz

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I’ve created a bit of a dilemma for myself. (Not Jonah Heim related.)

I’m at least reasonably committed to doing the Big Board… but all the questions that I’ve come up with, and that people submitted responses and confidence ratings to, are all scored at the end of the year — except the Braves’ manager one, which is the only one to assign points so far. I’ve wanted to do in-season questions that are resolved and scored sooner, but the 2026 Braves season, as great as it has been, hasn’t lent itself to that for whatever reason. With the Braves dominating, there just hasn’t been much worthwhile, meaty debate on stuff that should or could happen. (I also have a separate dilemma about the best way to score certain things, but… that will be its own series of posts as we get closer to the end of the season and the need for scoring things.)

With that said, I do think Drake Baldwin’s injury and the Braves’ current catching situation lends itself to an in-season question… but, unfortunately, it’s another one that can really only be resolved at the end of the year. Anyway, here goes…

As the Braves waited for Sean Murphy to recover from hip surgery, they signed Jonah Heim to a low-cost ($1.25 million) MLB deal. Heim was an elite defensive catcher from 2021-2023, and the Rangers’ title run coincided with him starting to hit a bit, too, garnering a 4 fWAR season in the process. However, his career fell apart afterwards. Maybe it was the wrist injury he suffered in 2023. Maybe it was something else less overt. But, he went back to not hitting, and more damningly, he went from a cream-of-the-crop defensive catcher to a below-average one. Despite playing for 400+ PAs in both 2024 and 2025, he clocked in below replacement, tallying a combined -0.6 fWAR in the process. His time with the Braves before he was traded was similar despite the small sample of 45 PAs: a .275ish xwOBA, and well below average defensive play. The only reason Heim ended up at +0.1 fWAR in that sample was because he massively outhit his xwOBA in those 45 PAs.

So, that’s Jonah Heim. But, with both Murphy and Baldwin down, the Braves’ other options are… also bad.

Sandy Leon is a 37-year-old veteran of 14 major league seasons who is about as replacement-level as they come. He has a .250ish career xwOBA, and was consistently below replacement from 2019-2025 because he simply can’t hit enough despite the decent defense he sometimes provides. He has a career 0.3 fWAR in 1,752 PAs. He also hasn’t actually provided useful defensive value since 2019, either. It’s not clear why the Braves really wanted Leon rather than some other option, enough to fish him out of the Mexican League when Murphy got hurt again, but here we are.

Chadwick Tromp is 31 years old and is largely a Quad-A catcher. His career xwOBA is even worse than Leon’s (in the .230s). He’s generally gotten positive defensive marks when he’s played enough to accrue them, but he only has 179 career PAs at the big league level. His 0.4 fWAR in that span kinda suggests that he might actually be a serviceable MLB backup catcher, but the problem is that he has a .264 wOBA / .234 xwOBA over those 179 PAs, and if he had a .234 wOBA instead, that positive value probably evaporates. Tromp hasn’t even hit in the minors since 2024. The upside is unclear, if it exists.

The Braves could go outside the organization for temporary help. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be a lot of options. Guys like Austin Wynns have been on the waiver wire recently, but they’re basically Leon-esque, no hit, some field, veteran options. Heim hasn’t been good in a while but was at least useful once; many of these waiver wire options have rarely gotten MLB exposure and haven’t done much when they have, even if they’ve been around the game for a decade or more.

So, here’s my question to you:

There are two “buckets” of production, for which we’ll use fWAR.

Bucket One is Jonah Heim, since the Braves traded him. (Irrespective of whether he goes anywhere else.) Right now, he has -0.2 fWAR in 20 PAs, which is a bizarrely hilarious -6 fWAR/600 PAs. This bucket consists of that -0.2, plus whatever else Heim does for the rest of the season.

Bucket Two is every non-Baldwin, non-Murphy player the Braves use at catcher this year. This includes Leon, Tromp, and anyone else they use as a stopgap. Leon is currently at -0.1 fWAR (-5.5 fWAR/600, in all of 11 PAs). Tromp had a single in his only PA yesterday, so he’s at 0.1 fWAR in 1 PA. (I’m not pro-rating that, el-oh-el.) This bucket consists of everything Leon, Tromp, and any other guys the Braves acquire to catch do for the team over the course of the season.

Your choices are as follows:

In the below, production means “taking Heim’s rate basis production and applying it over the set of PAs accrued by non-Baldwin, non-Murphy Braves catchers for the rest of the year.” Yes, this is subject to insane variation depending on how much Heim plays. But, there isn’t a better way to do this, I don’t think, because with Heim barely playing for the Athletics, while the Braves are forced to use multiple catchers due to injury, doing a straight-up fWAR basis wouldn’t work.

A: Bucket One (Heim) outproduces Bucket Two (Leon, Tromp, anyone else) by at least 1.0 fWAR. In other words, this is a meaningful difference.

B: Bucket One outproduces Bucket Two, but only by 0.5 to 0.9 fWAR. In other words, yeah, better production, but not really enough to swing anything.

C: Bucket One outproduces Bucket Two by less than 0.5 fWAR, which includes Bucket Two producing more than Bucket One.

Note that due to the quality of player we’re talking about here, “outproduce” can definitely mean less negative.

As usual with these, please assign a confidence score, where 5 is “I am absolutely certain this will occur” and 1 is “I have no idea but feel like participating in this anyway.” So, an answer would be something like A1 (you think it’d be funny if Heim was more productive but you aren’t staking much on it) or C5 (you are certain that the Braves won’t regret shipping Heim off). I kind of imagine that based on the types of people that have participated in these Big Board-soliciting questions, this will be heavily C3 through C5 rather than any As or Bs, but if you truly believe in Heim, here’s your chance to get some Big Board points and gloat later.

Cheering for a lousy baseball team can be a real drag. As the season progresses, the margin for error shrinks. Outcomes become more crucial as the trade deadline creeps into the picture. It’s an unpleasant scenario where wins provide relief instead of joy. Each defeat hurts more and more as the season evolves into death by 1,000 cuts.

Is that a little dramatic? Maybe. But that’s how it felt last season when the Orioles fired Brandon Hyde after a 15-28 start. The team sunk its season by the end of May, and fans were left with a long wait for another chance to compete in 2026.

The Orioles have yet to completely squander another season, but things don’t look great. The heightened frustration comes with a panic that the winning window could be closing before Baltimore achieves any success in the postseason. The Rays and Yankees appear destined for a competitive division race, and the Blue Jays—not the Orioles—feel like the struggling team that could eventually make a run.

It’s times like these when searching for the positives feels like grasping at straws. The Orioles need some real changes if they’re going to recover from a disappointing start. What exactly could those changes be?

Jackson Holliday made his first start of the season last night. Camden Chat’s John Beers asked yesterday if Jackson Holliday can make this team better. While Holliday probably won’t make a drastic immediate impact, he represents the sole infield reinforcement with Jordan Westburg officially out for the season.

Holliday is a former number one overall draft choice with plenty of untapped potential. The 22-year-old will likely need to shake off a little rust, and the hamate procedure could rob the young infielder of his power for an extended period. Still, Holliday could breakout as a talented table setter if he manages to find the outfield grass more than Jeremiah Jackson and Blaze Alexander.

Any significant change in fortune would require significant improvement from the starting rotation. Trevor Rogers has been getting absolutely shelled to the point that many are wondering if he’s tipping his pitches. Rogers inability to put away hitters, especially after his level of dominance last season, doesn’t compute.

Rogers will be a free agent at the end of the season. Last year, he looked like a player that the Orioles could not afford to let walk. He’s been a below replacement level player in 2026.

Speaking of replacements, the rotation has needed a few. Injuries to Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Cade Povich have already carved out a spot for Brandon Young. Young and Povich were the guys penciled in as pitching depth this season. Povich recently received a cortisone injection, and the Orioles have yet to provide a timetable for a return. The lack of additional depth has shifted more youngsters into the picture.

Trey Gibson already made his major league debut. Gibson, Baltimore’s second best pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline, already has two short big league stints under his belt. The 24-year-old is not currently on the 26-man roster, but he’ll be back at some point with a chance to make an impact. Unfortunately, even replacement-level pitching from Gibson or another Norfolk starter would represent an improvement of Rogers or Chris Bassitt.

There are other Norfolk starters by the way. Nestor German and Levi Wells both rank in the team’s Top 15 prospects. German and Wells look slightly less polished than Gibson, but the trio represent the latest wave of starting pitching hope with guys like Luis De León, Joseph Dzierwa, and Juaron Watts Brown still another click away.

I always find myself looking to these pitching groups when searching for optimism. Dreaming on pitching prospects is a right of passage for struggling teams. It’s more difficult when the team does not prioritize pitching in the draft, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Prospects like Gibson, German and Wells could make a positive impact at some point, but they can’t save the Orioles season. Vintage Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander aren’t walking through that door either. If this team wants to win, the guys already here need to play better. Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso have to perform like stars. Rogers and Shane Baz need to pitch to their “Cy Young potential.” Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser have to find a way to hit above the Mendoza line. It really seems to be that simple.

The Orioles are 21-28 with a -57 run differential. I refuse to completely throw in the towel before Memorial Day for the second consecutive year, but the search for optimism continues to be a struggle.

The Phillies have gauged Gage’s progress, and they have found much to be impressed with. The young hurler, less than a year removed from his selection in the first round of the draft, has been sent straight from Low-A Clearwater to Double A Reading. That’s a ringing endorsement from the organization. He had been talked about as a potential fast-mover when he was drafted, and the promotion seems to bear that out. He’s two promotions away from joining the Show, and those promotions could come fast.

Today’s question is: WillGage Wood play for the Phillies this season?

Happy Wednesday, everyone. While there might not be much to celebrate if you’re looking at the Tigers’ place in the standings, we have a little good news to temper the bad in today’s links. For starters, Tarik Skubal is already throwing bullpens, which has to give anyone a glimmer of hope. Plus, the Tigers have played community heroes by visiting a few charities to show support. I’m leading with the good, because Sports Illustrated also wrote an entire article highlighting how the Tigers have become one of the worst teams in baseball, and while we want to be defensive, they raise some valid points.

We also take a look at news around baseball, including the return of Gerrit Cole to the Yankees, and a look at one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball. All that and more in today’s post, so let’s get right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• Kyle Koster explained in a recent post why the Tigers have become one of the worst teams in baseball. Besides the obvious: injuries, not enough pitching, he also points to the delayed development of young talent, saying:

Colt Kieth is having a strong year fueled by a .293 batting average. Yet he hasn’t homered the entire year and has six RBIs in 43 games. Spencer Torkelson, already sent down to the minors once in his career, is carrying a .191 average with 61 strikeouts. Meadows, though injured, hasn’t matured into the player the organization thought he could be and Carpenter has taken a step back from solid production last season.

• But wait, there’s good news, because Tarik Skubal threw a bullpen session this week! ($)
• Tigers doing good.

AL Central News

• Salvador Perez of the Royals pushed umpire Laz Diaz to the brink after multiple ABS challenges.
• Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will be fined an undisclosed amount for his interaction with a White Sox fan. PCA has apologized for his inappropriate language used with a female fan who was heckling him.

MLB News

• Blake Snell is the newest pitcher who will miss time due to loose bodies in the elbow.
• How the Padres managed to find themselves atop the NL West.
• A good trick play never gets old.
• Do the Brewers have the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball?
• Could Jackson Holliday be changing positions with the Orioles?
• Some much-too-early predictions for the All-Star Game.
• Why Konnor Griffin is one of the youngest and most precocious millionaires in baseball.
• One stat to explain the weirdness of the Washington Nationals.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is great in the postseason, but the Blue Jays need him now.
• The Yankees will finally see the season debut of Gerrit Cole this week.
• A big donation will help the Field of Dreams complete their new stadium.
• Can’t unsee it now.

• Perhaps I shouldn’t laugh, but I did.

• Two different generations of Japanese talent in one place.

• This looks fake.