Category: MLB

Happy Wednesday, everyone, and we hope this week is treating you well. If it’s not, well, at least it’s halfway done, now. In today’s news round-up, we’ll look at the latest victim of loose bodies in the elbow, and why Tarik Skubal’s speedy recovery timeline might make him feel a little better. We also look at one Blue Jays player who needs to start playing October baseball in May, while one player who hasn’t appeared at all this season is ready to help his team get to October.

We’ve got all sorts of good tidbits for you today, so grab your coffee and let’s jump right in.

• Jay Jaffe reports that Blake Snell is the most recent pitcher who will miss time due to loose bodies in the elbow.
• On that topic, Tigers’ Ace Tarik Skubal is already throwing bullpen sessions after his loose bodies procedure was completed. Story by Cody Stavenhagen. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Perla Paredes looks at the trick play that actually worked for the Braves.
• Some much-too-early predictions as to who could appear in the All-Star Game. (MLB)
• Stephanie Apstein explains why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. excels in October, but the Blue Jays need him right now.
• Jorge Castillo reports that Gerrit Cole will finally make his season debut with the Yankees this week.
• If I had to see this, you had to see this. (Here’s a direct link to the Bluesky post if you’re reading on Apple News)

• Jay Jaffe explains how the Padres managed to find themselves atop the NL West.
• Ryan Blake looks at the debut of Mariners’ rookie Colt Emerson amidst the team’s recent slump.
• Mike Petriello wonders if the Brewers have the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball.
• Tom Verducci explains why Konnor Griffin is the most precocious millionaire in baseball.
• Salvador Perez pushed umpire Laz Diaz to the brink after multiple ABS challenges. Story by Kyle Koster.
• Jim Bowden looks at every team’s outlook and where they’ll likely be at the trade deadline. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• The Field of Dreams has landed a very big donation to help the completion of a new stadium for MLB exhibition games as well as a new Northwoods League team. Story by Kevin Reichard.
• Two Japanese greats from two generations.

• Tyler Samaniego had a near-perfect start to his season, but he’s not perfect anymore. Story by David Laurila.
• Speaking of Boston pitching… Brayan Bello has lost velo and hitters have a read on his fastballs. That spells trouble. Story by Michael Baumann.
• Could Jackson Holliday be changing positions with the Orioles? Story by Brian Murphy.
• Kyle Koster explains why the Nationals are such a weird team.
• Why the Tigers have become one of the worst teams in baseball. Story by Kyle Koster.
• Ken Rosenthal shares Bo Bichette’s feelings about his rough season start. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This feels like one of those brain teaser games.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

If Payton Tolle came out of obscurity to help the 2025 Red Sox down the stretch, Connelly Early came from another planet. I’m pretty tapped into the farm system. I spend way too much time on Twitter, with an algorithm full of Red Sox content. I knew Tolle; I actually wrote about him well before he was called up, but Alex Speier published a piece about him on the same day I had one planned, so I saved it for closer to his debut. Unlike Tolle, I didn’t know who Early was until shortly before his call-up, and certainly didn’t have expectations for him when he debuted.

He was dominant in his four regular-season starts and pitched well but was let down by his defense in his one postseason start. Through nine starts in 2026, Early has been solid, but not as dominant as he was in late 2025. His ERA is up from 2.33 to 3.21, while his FIP (fielding independent pitching) is up from 0.91 to 4.56. FIP is often cited in determining if a pitcher has been lucky or not because it has some predictive value, but if you allow me to be pretentious for a minute, that’s typically from people who are either uninformed or just lazy. The stat takes balls in play out of the equation and focuses on home runs, strikeouts, and walks. So far this season, his strikeout rate is down, his walk rate is up, and he’s allowed seven home runs after allowing zero in his debut season.

Continuing to be pretentious, I am not uninformed or lazy, so I want to know why those stats have trended in that direction. I started with the home runs. He didn’t give up any in 2025, and has already given up seven this season. Here are the locations of those pitches.

Six of the seven have come on belt-high pitches. Other than that, there’s no real trend. It’s not as if they each came when he fell behind in the count, or if there’s one pitch in particular that has been punished. The location, however, is the most important thing. They’re all in the zone, and while Early’s pitches aren’t lollipops, they also aren’t entirely overpowering. His fastball averages 93 mph, and his slider is hard at 87 mph, but they’re both hittable in the wrong locations. There are very few pitchers who can get away with their mistakes over the plate frequently, and Early is no exception.

I did mention that he allowed no home runs last season, though. Part of that is likely because he only threw 19 innings. While he’s still facing many hitters for the first time, he was a relative unknown when he arrived last season, too. The stuff was more or less the same, and there were still some mistakes; they just didn’t go for home runs. That’s baseball, and statistics or something. We move on.

What are we moving on to, you might ask? The strikeouts and walks, of course. Early walked just four of 79 (5.1%) batters faced. This season, he’s walked 18 of 199 (9%). I mentioned this offseason that his 2025 minor league walk rate was close to 10%, so I’m not surprised to see more walks. I am, however, surprised to see the dip in strikeouts.

For starters, there was some statistical regression bound to happen. Early got to two-strike counts against 61% of the hitters he faced last season and turned 60% of those at-bats into strikeouts. The league average for converting two-strike counts into strikeouts is typically about 40%, and while striking out hitters is a skill that some are better at than others, a 60% strikeout conversion rate* is unlikely to be repeated year after year. This season, Early’s rate is, believe it or not, 41%.

*I made the name of this statistic up. It sounds pretty good though, right?

The other area where Early made slight changes was his two-strike pitch selection. I’ll focus on right-handed hitters, because that’s the area where he’s seen the most regression; his strikeout rate fell from 28.1% to 21.8% against righties.

This season, he’s leaned on his four-seam fastball more, while cutting the use of his curveball dramatically. Last season, his curveball was a great weapon for him, registering a 26% putaway rate. This year, that number is down to 13%, and Early has cut the usage as a result. If we look at the heatmaps, it’s pretty easy to see why that happened.

In his short debut season, his curveballs mostly landed below the plate, often in the dirt. This year, they’re in the zone more often, and hitters haven’t bitten. When they do swing, they aren’t missing as often, frequently fouling balls off to stay alive. His four-seam execution also hasn’t been as sharp.

The pitches here are still largely up and away, where they should play well, but there are more inside and over the plate. He’s using it more as well, and as I mentioned, it isn’t such an outlier where he can afford to miss over the plate, especially in two-strike counts. Here’s an example of where that pitch selection and location came back to bite him.

Brice Matthews is up with two runners on base. He swings through a first-pitch changeup, an indicator that he, like many hitters when they come up with a runner on third and less than two outs, is looking for a fastball. Early has the breaking stuff to use for chases, but elects to give him the four-seam fastball. It’s down in the zone where it’s hittable, and Matthews puts in the seats.

He hasn’t taken a step back everywhere, though. His changeup, which evaluators tabbed as his best pitch entering 2025, has improved. It comes in about nine miles per hour below his fastball and shows tremendous depth. Last year, it averaged -3.2” of vertical movement; this year, it’s dropping an additional inch and a half on average. It’s lost a little bit of horizontal, and he hasn’t spotted it on the arm side as frequently against righties, but it might just be a matter of finding a feel for the new shape. Even without pristine locations, the chase rate is way up, and he’s earned more whiffs as well. Here’s a look at one of his best this season.

Expecting Early to repeat his 2025 performance is probably wishful thinking. He made four starts, and his command was close to perfect over his 19 innings. While the bar is high, it’s also a good example of who Early can be. When his fastball is up, his curveball is down, and his changeup is arm-side, he’s going to punch hitters out. Remember, he’s only 24 years old and has plenty of time to grow, as well. He’s consistently put the Red Sox in the position to win games without his best command. As he matures and finds the feel for his pitches, he’ll only get better.

Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 5, Norfolk Tides 2

The Jumbo Shrimp scored one run in the 6th and two runs in the 8th to take Game 1 vs. the Tides on Tuesday.

Norfolk came into the 6th down 2-1, but quickly tied the game thanks to a leadoff solo homer from José Barrero. That tie was short-lived thanks to Jumbo Shrimp catcher Agustín Ramírez. The recently demoted Ramirez jumped on a first-pitch curveball from Norfolk starter Trace Bright, blasting it over the left field fence to give Jacksonville a 3-2 lead.

The long ball would then seal the win for the Jumbo Shrimp in the 8th. With Hans Crouse on the mound for the Tides, Matthew Etzel turned around a 2-2 slider down and in, sending a solo homer to right to grow the lead to 4-2. Two batters later, Ramirez struck again. Crouse hung a slider to the former big league backstop, who tomahawked it to left for this second homer of the game.

The Tides would bring the winning run to the plate four times in the 9th, only for Jud Fabian, Heston Kjerstad and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to all strike out and clinch the win for Jacksonville. CES provided the Tides’ only other run Tuesday night, blasting a 4th inning solo homer for his seventh home run in 26 games with Norfolk.

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 6, Somerset Patriots 5

The Baysox scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th to walk off the Patriots and take the series opener in Bowie.

Chesapeake came into the bottom of the 9th down 5-3 after Somerset scored two runs in the 7th to take the lead. Thomas Sosa led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a single by Anderson De Los Santos. Fernando Peguero pinch ran for Sosa and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 5-4. Frederick Bencosme then tied the game on a single up the middle to score Aron Estrada from second.

Tavian Josenberger walked before an Adam Retzbach groundout moved the runners to second and third. With two outs, Carter Young walked off the Patriots, punching a single into right field to score Bencosme.

Bencosme and catcher Ethan Anderson were the offensive stars for Chesapeake on Tuesday in their come-from-behind win. The outfielder let all Baysox with three hits, going 3-for-5 with three singles, two RBIs and the game-winning run. Anderson provided the power for the Baysox, going 2-for-5 with two solo home runs.

Chesapeake also got a strong outing from the Orioles’ top pitching prospect, Luis De León. The lefty pitched four innings, allowing only two hits and two runs while punching out five. It was the 23-year-old’s best start of the season, and he now has a 3.27 ERA in May with 14 Ks in 11 innings.

Box Score

High-A: Greenville Drive 9, Frederick Keys 4

The Keys took a lead late into the game against the Drive, only to surrender eight runs in the 8th and give away the series opener against Greenville.

Frederick took an early lead thanks to some small ball in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Keys loaded the bases on a leadoff hit by pitch and two walks. Elis Cuevas then hit a sac fly to center to give Frederick an early 1-0 lead, before Braylin Tavera doubled that advantage on an RBI single through the left side.

After a 4th inning Greenville home run cut the Keys’ advantage in half, catcher Colin Tuft restored their two-run cushion in the 6th. The Frederick backstop jumped on a 1-2 pitch over the middle of the plate and launched it over the right-center fence for a solo home run.

That 3-1 lead would evaporate in the 8th as pitchers Twine Palmer and Joe Glassey lost control of the game for Frederick. After Palmer struck out the first batter of the inning, he allowed five straight batters to reach via four singles and a walk, allowing Greenville to take a 5-3 lead. Greenville’s Isaiah Jackson ended Palmer’s outing with a two-run homer to right to give the Drive a 7-3 advantage. Glassey then came in, giving up two runs on a single, double and single, before finally ending the inning on a pop-up to the catcher.

Victor Figueroa got one run back on a solo shot in the bottom of the 8th, continuing his hot start to the season that has him with a 1.002 OPS and 33 RBIs. It was the only consolation Frederick could muster, though, as they dodn’t get another hit the rest of the game.

Box Score

Low-A: Wilson Warbirds 14, Delmarva Shorebirds 8

The Shorebirds gave up eight runs across the first two innings Tuesday, and could not recover in a lopsided loss to the Wardbirds.

It was an ugly start for highly-regarded prospect Esteban Mejia, with the 19-year-old finishing with a final line of 1.0+ IP, 3 H, 8 R (6 ER), 6 BB, 1 K and 2 HR. Mejia has perhaps the best stuff of any arm in the Orioles’ minor league system, but command is a big concern and it showed Tuesday.

The Warbirds scored two 1st-inning runs thanks to a bases-loaded passed ball and a bases-loaded walk. Mejia then allowed a three-run homer and solo homer in back-to-back at-bats in the 2nd, before leaving the game having thrown 57 pitches and only gotten three outs.

The Shorebirds would get as close as 8-6 thanks to a Stiven Martinez long ball in the 4th. After Edwin Amparo and Braylon Whitaker reached via walks, Martinez swatted a three-run homer to left to cut the Delmarva deficit to two runs. Seven of the Shorebirds’ eight runs came via the long ball Tuesday, as Martinez, Jose Perez, Junior Aybar and Andrés Noyala all went deep.

Box Score

Wednesday’s scheduled games

Norfolk Tides at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 12:05pm ET (Trey Gibson vs. Zach McCambley)

Chesapeake Baysox vs. Somerset Patriots, 6:35pm ET (Juaron Watts-Brown vs. Ben Hess)

Frederick Keys vs. Greenville Drive, 11:00am ET (Boston Bateman vs. Dylan Brown)

Delmarva Shorebirds at Wilson Warbirds, 7:05pm ET (Christian Rodriguez vs Jayden Dubanewicz)

The Kansas City Royals’ plan for playing slugger Jac Caglianone has been a point of frustration for Royals fans. The Kansas City Star provided insights into the team’s methodology.

But Quatraro and general manager J.J. Picollo see his playing time as part of a broader and more intricate matrix. And you can’t say their thinking isn’t reasonable and measured — even if you’d rather they not douse the buzz that way.

Partly, it’s about their view of Caglianone as a work in progress. Partly it’s about Quatraro’s desire to keep the bench sharp when called upon. And, most of all, it’s about what they believe creates the best chance to win on any given day. Trying to usher along Caglianone and simultaneously seeking to seize the day don’t have to be mutually exclusive, of course — a topic in itself for another time.

But it’s also true that the Royals haven’t exactly muzzled Caglianone, who on Monday at Kauffman Stadium started for the 37th time in 48 games this season, and whom Quatraro noted is on pace for 500-plus plate appearances.

When I put that point to Picollo, he said “Actually, I’ll correct you: He’s on pace for a little bit more than that.”

Royals second baseman Michael Massey talks about a close play at the plate against the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

“That was a tough one,” Massey acknowledged. “I actually just went and looked at the play with Duper (replay coordinator Bill Duplissea), and I was running and I had the lane toward the catcher, which is where I was going to go, and then the throw — he did a good job as a catcher, he followed the rule and he gave me the lane — the throw led him in there, so he was allowed to kind of cover the plate to go get the ball. “But it was last second, so he kind of covered the lane I was going for, and then I either had two options. Either I truck him or dodge to the left and try to score, and in that split second. I just tried to make a juke move, and get my hand in there. But yeah, you know, so it was a legal play by him and just a tough break.”

Don’t worry, the Royals know they have issues in the middle of the lineup. Now, only if they would do something about it.

But the biggest talking point surrounding the Royals this season is the lack of production from the middle of the order. Vinnie Pasquantino has a .198/.279/.331 slash line this year, while Salvador Perez has a .201/.244/.346 line. No one in the American League has more plate appearances (54) with runners in scoring position than Pasquantino; his .434 OPS in those situations are fourth-worst in the AL among qualified players.

“Let’s face it: We’ve got our No. 3 and 4 hitters that are struggling right now,” general manager J.J. Picollo said pregame Monday. “They know how valuable they are to the team. What we have to keep reminding them is how important to the team [they are]. Just because you’ve had a tough start doesn’t mean that’s how you’re going to finish.

“… We have a lot of history to lean on with those two. We know that they’re run producers. And they will be run producers. It’s just a matter of when, and that’s why we need to keep running them out there, because they’ve done it before at this level.”

Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and home plate umpire Laz Diaz had some fun on Monday after Perez successfully challenged two of Diaz’s calls.

pic.twitter.com/pn1RwpreXa

— Foul Territory (@bsbls885) May 19, 2026

ConnectKC26, the bus system in Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is coming to Kauffman Stadium.

What can the Royals do about their road woes, according to Royals Keep?

So where do the Royals go from here? There are a few options that the Royals could go with. The first, and the one that seems the most likely, is to keep things where they are and just trust that the players you have now will improve over the course of the season. This plan has a better chance of not working than working, but the roster is what it is, and the fans will have to put up with it for the foreseeable future.

Another option is to make some moves at the deadline. JJ Piccolo can use some of the pitching depth he has at his disposal and trade it for a reliable bat who excels in driving in runs or more bullpen arms. The third, and most drastic option, is to blow it all up and trade players who could give you the most value (Wacha, Ragans, Witt, Kyle Isbel, etc.) This option would make more sense if the woes for the Royals were to continue, but we’re still in May, so the chances of this happening are slim to none. However, there is a lot of value you could get by making big trades like this. Hopefully, the Royals won’t get to that point and that this team will improve as the season goes on, but only time will tell.

Also, they look at whether Royals outfielder Starling Marte deserves more plate appearances and how he could cut into Issac Collins’ playing time.

I’m not saying Marte should completely replace Collins. However, once a week seems sufficient, especially since Collins can be very hot and cold at times at the plate. He is hitting .130 with a .174 slugging percentage in his last 24 at-bats. The former Brewers outfielder could use a day off, with Marte taking his place in the lineup and in left field.

It’s not a major change, which is what the Royals need, especially with Vinnie and Salvy not looking dramatically better at the plate lately. Kansas City needs an impact hitter, and that likely will have to come through the trade market.

That said, the Royals need all the positive production they can get on their active roster, especially since it’s too early to make a trade.

Quatraro might as well roll the dice and see what else Marte has left in the tank, especially against right-handed starting pitchers.

The Royals check in at 24th in Jim Bowden’s performance ranking, including looking at where the team stands on the trade market.

The Royals have also disappointed this season. They are in the bottom third of the league in team ERA and runs scored. Led by Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha, the rotation has been mostly solid, but Cole Ragans has battled injuries and hasn’t gotten back to that 2024 version of himself and Noah Cameron has really struggled. Though Lucas Erceg and Daniel Lynch have been effective in the back-half of the Royals’ bullpen, they’ve been without closer Carlos Estévez for most of the year, which has thinned their depth.

Offensively, they’re led by the best shortstop in the game in Bobby Witt Jr. but the rest of their core — Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone — have all under-achieved.

Trade deadline position: Wait and see. Like the Tigers, I think the Royals will get back in the race for the AL Central, so there’s no need to panic early with this team. If things go south, they could dangle both Lugo and Wacha at the deadline. If they buy, help at second base, the outfield and bullpen are the three biggest needs.

Kansas City drops to 26th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings.

Wish you were here: World Baseball Classic Vinnie Pasquantino

A lot can happen in 70 days. Back then, Pasquantino was crushing espresso shots and leading Team Italy on a Cinderella run through this year’s World Baseball Classic. His three homers in one game were a WBC first, and he finished with a .970 OPS and more walks (7) than strikeouts (5), giving Royals fans outsized hope that he could carry that production into the season. So much for that. Pasquantino has a 74 wRC+ on the year, with just five homers in 45 games. His batted-ball data is worse than 2025, so he’s not entirely unlucky. Perhaps the Royals should pry back the espresso machine from the winning bidder. — Flores

The Washington Post is asking the same question every Royals fan is, and the organization fails to answer.

The Miami Marlins’ unusual processes are starting to show undeniable results.

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle takes a temperature check of the ABS system through the early part of 2026.

The Minnesota Twins demoted Royce Lewis, a former top overall pick, to the minors.

The Athletic has some scouting reports on newly promoted players or prospects to keep tabs on.

Hear from the teenage umpire in this viral baseball video.

The early season results are not going well for Boston Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.

The New York Knicks’ playoff run is valuable to the fanbase, but even more so to Madison Square Garden.

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is heading to jail for violating his probation.

Super Bowl LXIV, the 2030 iteration, is heading to Nashville.

Lance Brozdowski takes a look at pitchers around the league, including San Francisco Giants’ Robbi Ray hitting the dreaded wall.

Nate Silver reflects on ABC’s scrubbing and total loss of FiveThirtyEight.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Monarchs for winning their home opener! If you are looking for more baseball to watch for free, you can watch their games and the whole league’s here.

Texas Roadhouse is about to get even pricier.

The graduation rate in Kansas City Public Schools is on the rise.

Today’s song of the day is Nothing What It Seems by Tyler Nance and Jackson Dean.

It might not be the rarest event in baseball.

But it sure feels like it.

On Tuesday night Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Mets, powering the Nationals to a 9-6 win over their NL East rivals. While there have been more than 200 such grand slams in MLB history, Wood’s was just the 26th such grand slam since the start of MLB’s Division Era in 1969.

Wood came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, with the Nationals trailing 5-0. Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean left a sweeper over the heart of the plate, and Wood rocketed a deep fly ball to left-center field.

Left fielder Nick Morabito made a leaping attempt at the wall, but the ball caromed first off his glove and then the wall, rolling away from him and center fielder Tyrone Taylor. As Taylor checked to see if Morabito had completed the catch, the ball settled in center field, and Wood continued to race around the bases:

After pointing at the ball in the outfield, Morabito raced over to center field himself to get the ball back into the infield. But by then it was too late, as Wood’s head-first slide into home beat the relay to the catcher, and the Nationals had pulled to within one run of the Mets.

For those wondering, Wood needed little more than 15 second to make it all the way around the bases:

It was also the first grand slam of his young MLB career.

“I was hype,” Wood said after the game. “Everyone was hype. It was fun. Everyone was celebrating.”

“He hit it pretty hard,” Morabito said. “I went back and just missed it. It hit the palm of my hand. I should have had it.”

After the ball ricocheted off Morabito’s glove, that’s when Wood knew he had a chance for something special.

“When I saw that, I knew I was full-on sprint home,” Wood said. “That’s probably why my eyes got big there.”

Washington tacked on three runs in the third, and did not look back en route to their 9-6 victory.

Good morning! Did Jarren Duran’s three-run shot in the ninth last night feel surreal to anyone else or was that just me? I had forgotten that teams were allowed to score late-inning insurance runs.

The Red Sox scored more than three runs for the first time in nine games last night. It was just the fifth time they’ve done it in the last 19 games. Unsurprisingly, they are 4-1 in those games, which just hammers home a fact that has become painfully obvious: if this team could hit at all, it would be really, really good.

Does this fact give you hope or despair? On one hand, they aren’t all that far off from being able to consistently win baseball games; just a little offensive improvement from a few guys in the lineup ought to do it. On the other hand, wishing that this Red Sox team could hit could be like wishing that Craig Breslow didn’t have the personality of a human sweater vest; some things just are what they are.

So with that said, what side of the hope fence are you sitting on: Do you think this Red Sox team will get back to .500 this year? Talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

We have seen so many heroic, ridiculously entertaining *but also mortifying Wins this season that it feels like one of those October teams that find ways to win… but in the regular season. Their record in extra innings is 6-1 and they are good in 1 run games. The offense is good at late-inning dramatics, not giving up, and hitting home runs when they need to. But one cannot rely on that to save games that are on the line that often! Sure Riley O’Brien is usually lights out but they’ve had to come from behind a lot (and sometimes, like last night, he just doesn’t have it).

As far as them being like one of those teams in October that just finds ways to win, let’s pump the brakes on that. Let’s see if they can get that far with a below-replacement-level bullpen.

So far in 2026, the Cardinals bullpen has had just a few bright spots. Overall, they obviously must be doing something right, but that’s related to outperforming their expected value and relying on some airtight defense provided by talented young players like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and our center fielders. Considering the fact that the St Louis bullpen is the worst of the not-dumpster fire by fWAR, it is a bit of a miracle the Cardinals are good in extra innings.

Is overusage due to a lackluster or even crappy starting rotation the culprit? Not really. The Cardinals are 20th in IP out of the ‘pen. Are we overrating Riley O’Brien, and we aren’t getting enough saves? No, absolutely not, St Louis has 17 saves, behind only San Diego and Tampa Bay in saves. The villain is the K/BB ratio, and several pitchers handily beating their FIP with their ERA:

• Gordon Graceffo roughly 3 points lower ERA as compared to FIP
• George Soriano 1.48 lower ERA/FIP
• JoJo Romero 1.28 lower ERA/FIP

You also see Graceffo doing a tightrope walk at a .157 BABIP against, with Soriano, Romero, and Bruihl well below league average in that area. But then you have Stanek and Svanson badly stung by BABIP against.

The only player above replacement level by fWAR has been Riley O’Brien who has been an elite closer, but even the best closers are not infallible, and he’s been faltering a bit lately, blowing some saves you think he would not have a lot of trouble with. But all in all he’s been the savior of the bullpen and without him it would be over -1 fWAR.

Bullpen usage has been divvied up well by Marmol with Gordon Graceffo shouldering the workload, and a core of Riley O’Brien, JoJo Romero, and Matt Svanson not far behind. Oli will also go to George Soriano, Justin Bruihl, and Ryne Stanek a lot. Innings usage is all pretty clustered together so far, so kudos on bullpen management and not using them too much.

What is wrong with the ‘pen? I alluded to it earlier. It’s the K/BB ratio, dummy.

Here is what Ryne Stanek and his 4 seamer are doing:

If Ryne Stanek striking mofos out? Yes, yes he is. He is elite in that dept. Is Ryne Stanek walking mofos? Yes, and at an alarming rate. Too close to a walked batter every inning at 7.65 BB/9. That said 50% ain’t too bad when it comes to the 4 seamer.

His sliders are hitting the zone 30% of the time! Jesus F nevermind:

Can it get any worse than that?? Yes! Stanek’s splitter is finding the zone 22% of the time:

It is rather difficult to watch, but some ridiculous potential is there. What pitch does he have control over? He’s really good at controlling his sinker, which finds the strike zone roughly 2/3 of the time.

Why bother? Stanek has swing and miss stuff. Batters swing and miss over 36% of the time, and the league average is around 25% of the time.

Thank you for attending my powerpoint presentation on Ryne Stanek.

When they do hit Stanek he’s getting hit HARD. But he also throws really hard. Remember, they’re not connecting with a lot of this stuff, but when they are he’s probably also walked someone, which compounds his failures.

Who is probably most like what we have actually seen, going forward? Riley O’Brien. His walk rate will likely increase, but I wouldn’t be alarmed by his recent struggles.

Guess he could improve his offspeed pitch? lol

What should Gordon Graceffo work on? His sinker is hitting the zone only 22% of the time!

He needs more control over his curveball and changeup too.

How about George Soriano? What is he good at? He has good control over his sinker, and last night his changeup was looking really good.

What does he need to improve on? His sweeper only finding the zone 28% of the time. I’ll skip the chart on that one, you get the idea.

One more thing, what about early season deserved scapegoat Matt Svanson?

Svanson cannot be trusted until he turns all this around, except for his fastball velocity, which is fine.

The bullpen repair could be to somehow reduce the terrible walk rates of Stanek, Svanson, Bruihl, and even Soriano. I would only expect Stanek, O’Brien, or maybe Svanson to strike out a batter. The bullpen’s overall strikeout rate ain’t good.

What is the bullpen good at? They are good at inducing the grounder, overall tied for 5th in MLB in GB%. Maybe the guys outside of O’Brien, Stanek, and Svanson can really focus more and more on pitch to contact and utilize that defense to save their own bullpen. That is a strength already. With fewer walks, it means more groundouts, hopefully. The Cardinals will probably shore up the bullpen somehow, especially if they continue to play contentious baseball.

Cardinals Pitching Big Picture

This will probably be difficult to read, but as you can see, there are about two, maybe two and a half red spots there, and too many blue spots. Graceffo is bringing home the wOBAcon and O’Brien looks fine by xwOBA. As a staff the expected batting average against is scary because of the exit velocity and hard hit %. This group will need to pitch to contact and reduce walks to stabilize the season. Otherwise we might have to be terrorized by wicked come from behind wins all season.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

1990

Part 1 (non-heavy metal version)

It took two weeks to even start fathoming the immense power of the year 1990 in music. A lot more albums started to come out by 1990, and more bands than ever is part of the reason why. But I get the sense that there was a bit of a fire catching in music culture by this point in history. Let’s take a look at what was groundbreaking at the time, because hey, I love music! And I’m just as into it as baseball. Ok, probably moreso, but anyway.

• The Jesus Lizard – ‘Head’ sure it’s a little bit creepy sounding but that’s part of the appeal… it’s also a perfect album, start to finish, all killer, no filler, and one of the great debuts of all time! And it’s just FUN to listen to. An absolute blast. It never gets old for me. One of the true great rock n roll bands but also channels uncanny punk energies and absorbs from a ton of other genres while sounding completely JL. How were they this good so quickly? They were in some other bands beforehand but wow.
• PRIMUS – ‘Frizzle Fry’ I could just as easily say many of the same things for Frizzle Fry and perhaps it is an even better album than ‘Head’ but I think I would go to this a little less often, it is however, pure genius. And nothing had really been done like this before. One of my soundtrack to teenage years albums, so it has been with me for a long while, and I still listen to it.
• Helmet – ‘Strap It On’ yet another envelope pushing, genre defying unique album from 1990, and a debut too! These three bands really got the 1990s off to quite a start. Nothing I mean nothing sounded like this and no other band quite got that Helmet sound right, not even Helmet itself after it lost its lineup heard here. Absolutely next level stuff, and my favorite Helmet release by far except perhaps for the Born Annoying collection of songs prior to this full-length debut by NYC’s Helmet.
• Sonic Youth – ‘Goo’ wanted to get this on the list even higher but the competitive nature of 1990 keeps Goo further down the list a bit. Not a super groundbreaking debut, but it is Sonic Youth absolutely perfecting their sound, and I go back and forth on this, Daydream Nation, and Washing Machine as my favorite SY.
• Skinny Puppy – ‘Too Dark Park’ Skinny Puppy takes it to the next level here and creates one of the absolute best industrial albums of all time, an absolute masterpiece and perfect album start to finish. Would rank higher, but definitely a special occasion listen! Perhaps the highest technical achievement on here, astonishing in scope and execution, most excellent listen.
• LOOP – ‘A Gilded Eternity’ what can I say, I truly love that Robert Hampson LOOP sound, a truly underrated and one of the best of the more forgotten bands. Cannot recommend enough if you like rock, garage, pscyhe, alternative, space rock, and shoegaze.
• Public Enemy – ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ the defining genre classic that still sounds fresh to this day, Public Enemy at their best. There is just something about the chemistry between the Bomb Squad production crew and the vocal rap duo of Chuck D and Flavor Flav. If I were less of a rocker and more of a hiphop head, this would be #1 probably. Another incredible technical achievement taking music into the future.
• Meat Beat Manifesto – ‘Armed Audio Warfare’ and ‘99%’ one of the most under-the-radar yet hugely influential bands ever dropped not one but two industrial meets punk and hiphop albums in one year. Both are super entertaining and fun to hear. Cyberpunk party music! More futuristic production genius taking things to the next level in 1990. Moved electronic music several steps into the future along with Public Enemy.
• Kiling Joke – ‘Extremities, Dirt, and Various Repressed Emotions’ I don’t know how I never heard this album before but before it’s all said and done I might move this WAY up the list, it’s just new to me. It might end up being my favorite Killing Joke album at the very least. So good!
• Living Colour – ‘Time’s Up’ I wore out a taped copy of this in high school and it still sounds so fresh and new to this day, one of the more underrated bands ever. Perfect album start to finish, yet again. 10/10 Vernon Reid is a guitar hero and Cory Glover is one of the best singers I have ever heard.
• Cocteau Twins – ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’ the best Cocteau Twins? If I had to choose just one, yeah! Another masterpiece 10/10 album on the list! For fans of shoegaze, goth, alternative.
• Fugazi – ‘Repeater’ well you gotta have Fugazi – Repeater on the list somewhere, right? Amazing.
• A Tribe Called Quest – ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ and this is my #2 hiphop album from a year stacked with important genre defining albums in a blossoming year for the genre. Totally different from Public Enemy but also just as important, or moreso to many people. My brother would pick this one.
• Naked City – self-titled and ‘Torture Garden’ whether you prefer the more well known self titled album or the latter, pick your poison you can’t go wrong here. Like if you threw 10 genres into a blender and somehow arranged that perfectly as a genius level composer, this is what you have here. File under: jazz.
• Alice In Chains – ‘Facelift’ here we take the genius down a notch but don’t write off Facelift, it’s freakin awesome. Makes the list just for “We Die Young” and “Man In The Box” alone, it’s a good album start to finish but it starts so strong that it is a force to be reckoned with. Also, the missing link between hair metal and grunge, I would say. Storming into the 1990s right away is the Alice In Chains debut album! Helped define a decade of music to come.
• Horațiu Rădulescu – ‘Clepsydra; Astray’ some very weird, peculiar classical music bordering on the ambient/drone territories, I don’t know where to put it on the list so I’ll drop it right here, amazing genius. maybe I just needed to change things up for a second
• Zoviet France – ‘Look Into Me’ more abstract weirdness for you, and Zoviet France at their best…
• Herbert Distel – ‘La Stazione’ …and more in the same vein, check it out if you like dark instrumental soundtrack ish 20th century composer material. Haunting and beautiful in its own right.
• Ween – ‘God Ween Satan’ gotta get Ween’s debut on here! More weirdness from the year 1990.
• Frontline Assembly – ‘Caustic Grip’ very strong year for industrial music, and a key band to the genre just getting started… a really good album!

Ok that’s it for this week! Thanks for reading. I hope this improves our bullpen. 😉

Prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves announced several roster moves, most notably placing catcher Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique. The club also selected Chadwick Tromp to the major league roster, reinstated Dylan Dodd from the injured list, optioned JR Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett, recalled Víctor Mederos, and finally, released Aaron Bummer from the roster.

The Atlanta lineup continues to be plagued by injuries, and this time, it’s sidelining Baldwin, who has hit .303 and logged 36 games behind the plate thus far. Considering this is an oblique injury, his time on the IL will likely surpass the minimum stint. Fortunately, Baldwin’s strain is just a Grade 1.

Beyond Baldwin’s injury, the release of Aaron Bummer has sparked lots of discussion. During his outing on Monday night, the left-hander got absolutely rocked, giving up six runs in one inning.

The remaining moves do not come as a huge surprise, and while Baldwin is out, the Braves will look for the rest of the roster to help keep them atop the NL East. 

More Braves News:

The Braves were finally able to put together timely hitting to power them past the Miami Marlins, 8-4. 

The Farm System is missing something this season, and it is most definitely affecting the pitching staff. 

MLB News:

After recovering from Tommy John surgery, New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole will be activated from the injured list and make his season debut on Friday. It will be his first big league start since 2024.

The Houston Astros placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to May 16.

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list due to a quad strain. He will likely miss four to six weeks.

From the Feed:

After evening up the series with the Marlins, cast your vote for Braves Player of the Game.

Tate Southisene is a name to look out for in our upcoming Top 30 Prospects list. 

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (24-21)

SYRACUSE 9, BUFFALO 5 (BOX)

Syracuse scored six runs in the first and made that stand up, with three more insurance runs in the seventh making things a bit easier. A.J. Minter tossed a clean inning as he gets closer to a potential return to the majors, while Ben Rortvedt – likely the third catcher in the org at this point – homered as part of a two-hit day.

• 2B-1B Christian Arroyo: 1-4, R, HR (3), RBI
• 1B Jared Young: 0-3, K
• PH-2B Jackson Cluff: 1-2, R
• 3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-4, R, BB, K
• RF Ryan Clifford: 1-3, 2 R, BB
• DH Eric Wagaman: 3-4, R, 2 RBI
• LF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI
• CF Cristian Pache: 1-3, R, RBI, BB
• C Ben Rortvedt: 2-3, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, K
• SS Yonny Hernández: 2-4, K, SB (3)
• RHP Jack Weisenburger: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• RHP Joey Gerber: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, W (1-0)
• REHAB ALERT: LHP A.J. Minter: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (3)
• RHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• LHP Anderson Severino: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Roster Alert: Syracuse Mets sent RHP Adbert Alzolay on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (14-26)

BINGHAMTON 10, RICHMOND 7 (BOX)

The Flying Squirrels put up four runs in the first, but scored two runs in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to re-take a lead they’d hold. All of Eli Serrano, D’Andre Smith, Nick Lorusso, and JT Schwartz went deep, but Jacob Reimer’s recent resurgence hit a wall with a hitless day and an error.

• SS Marco Vargas: 1-4, R, BB, SB (10)
• C Chris Suero: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, 2 R, BB, K, E (4)
• RF Eli Serrano III: 2-5, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, K
• CF Jose Ramos: 2-5, RBI, K
• 2B D’Andre Smith: 2-3, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, BB, K, SB (3)
• 2B Wyatt Young: 1-1, RBI, SB (3)
• 1B Nick Lorusso: 1-5, R, HR (5), RBI, 2 K
• LF JT Schwartz: 1-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, K
• DH Vincent Perozo: 0-4, 3 K
• RHP Bryce Conley: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, W (1-0)
• LHP Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, H (3)
• RHP Zach Peek: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (1)
• RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (3)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (10-29)

HUDSON VALLEY 7, BROOKLYN 3 (BOX)

Brooklyn managed to score three runs on only two hits, which is great. They also only had two hits and gave up seven runs, most of which scored in a five run third – obviously less good. This roster isn’t in a great spot and the record reflects that – there will be reinforcements later in the season though in all likelihood.

• 3B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, 4 K
• LF John Bay: 1-4, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, K
• DH Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• 1B Corey Collins: 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-4
• SS Colin Houck: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• RF JT Benson: 1-4, 2B, RBI
• CF Sam Biller: 0-3, K
• 2B Diego Mosquera: 0-2, R, BB, K
• RHP Jonathan Jimenez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, L (0-5)
• RHP Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Tanner Witt: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Dakota Hawkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (16-24)

PALM BEACH 4, ST. LUCIE 1 (BOX)

Making three errors isn’t a great way to win a game. Nor is having your starter give up four runs in five innings. Nor is having the best prospect in the lineup – and quite possibly a top-20 or 30 prospect in baseball at this point – go hitless out of the leadoff spot.

• SS Elian Peña: 0-4, E (7)
• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 1-4, K
• 1B Randy Guzman: 1-4, K
• RF AJ Salgado: 0-1, R, BB
• DH Julio Zayas: 0-4, 2 K
• LF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-3, BB
• 3B Sam Robertson: 0-3, RBI, 3 K, E (5)
• C Chase Meggers: 1-3, K
• CF Simon Juan: 0-3, 2 K
• LHP Conner Ware: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, L (1-5)
• RHP Zack Mack: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Josh Blum: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, E (1)

Roster Alert: St. Lucie Mets activated SS Jeremy Rodriguez from the 7-day injured list.

Rookie: FCL Mets (5-6)

FCL METS 6, FCL ASTROS 5 (BOX)

• 2B Vladi Gomez: 0-3, R, 2 K
• SS Diover De Aza: 2-3, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
• 1B Josmir Reyes: 1-4, K
• RF Heriberto Rincon: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, SB (7)
• CF Bohan Adderley: 1-3, 2B, RBI, K
• LF Justin Ramirez: 1-3, R
• 3B Yeider Mindiola: 1-3, R, K
• DH Adolfo Miranda: 0-3, 2 K
• RHP Jose Guevara: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• RHP Omar Victorino: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, BS (1)
• RHP Jean Brito: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (1-0)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Eric Wagaman

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Bryce Conley

If today is going to be a 1:00 start and both teams know that a storm is coming that would delay the game for quite a while, how often are they swinging at anything that is remotely close to the strike zone?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• We know that Cristopher Sanchez is really good, but Fangraphs looks at how he is still getting better. Good read here.
• Phillies prospect lists are going to look a little different soon. Some of their bigger names are starting to heat up.
• Switching from Rob Thomson to Don Mattingly has lead to some historic results for the Phillies ($). Can they continue the positive trend?

MLB news:

• The Marlins are going to extreme measure to help their team get better. It’s something they “have to do”.
• Of the National League teams that are currently considered “contenders”, which ones are you buying and selling?
• Gerrit Cole will make his long awaited return to the big leagues this Friday from his Tommy John surgery.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Bobby Murcer, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1971 – Martin Dihigo dies in Cienfuegos, Cuba, at the age of 65. Over the course of his career, Dihigo made seamless transitions between all nine positions and played in several countries. As a hitter, he won both batting average and home run titles; as a pitcher, he won more than 250 games and once defeated Satchel Paige while touring Cuba. He will be elected to the American Hall of Fame in 1977 and also was or will be voted into the Cuban, Mexican and Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1871 – In Boston, Mort Rogers introduces a scorecard with a picture of Harry Wright on the front. Each Red Stockings home game will feature a different player so that spectators can collect them and have a full set of Boston’s players by season’s end. This marketing strategy will be used throughout the 19th century and will ultimately evolve into Tobacco cards and, eventually, Baseball cards.
• 1878 – In a 3-1 loss to the White Stockings at Chicago’s Lake Front Park, right-hander Jim McCormick of the Indianapolis Blues becomes the first player born in Scotland to appear in a major league game. Next season, as a 23-year-old, the Glasgow native will manage the team, which will move to Cleveland, making him the youngest skipper in the history of the game.
• 1881 – Mike “King” Kelly scores the go-ahead run by cutting short the distance rounding the bases. Kelly doesn’t come close to touching third while the umpire is looking a different direction. Kelly then pulls off the hidden ball trick in the 9th inning to preserve the win for the Chicago White Stockings over Boston, 5-4.
• 1918 – In what will become a precursor of a tragic event, Indians outfielder Tris Speaker is struck on the head by a pitch thrown by Red Sox hurler Carl Mays. The submarine pitcher, who will fatally bean Ray Chapman with a ball in 1920 as a member of the Yankees, denies Speaker’s allegation that the pitch was intentional.
• 1919 – Babe Ruth wins a game pitching and batting as he hits his first career grand slam in the Boston Red Sox’s 6 – 4 victory over the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park.
• 1920 – Policenen raid the Wrigley Field bleachers. 24 people were arrested for gambling.
• 1925 – The Cleveland Indians score six runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the New York Yankees, 10 – 9. Tris Speaker scores the winning run from first base on a single.
• 1932 – Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits four doubles in one game to tie a major league record.
• 1948 – Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hits for the cycle and collects six RBI in a 13-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. DiMaggio hits two home runs, a triple, a double and a single, and narrowly misses another extra-base hit when Chicago left fielder Ralph Hodgin makes a spectacular catch at the wall.
• 1951 – Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies collects four hits in each game of a doubleheader as the Phillies sweep the rival Pittsburgh Pirates, 17-0 and 12-4, at Forbes Field.
• 1962 – In a doubleheader, Chicago Cubs rookie Ken Hubbs hits eight singles in eight at bats as the Cubs sweep the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 and 11-2.
• 1978 – Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a 535-foot home run off Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to highlight a 6-0 victory at Stade Olympique. It is the longest home run in the ballpark‘s history and is also Stargell’s 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider on the all-time list.
• 1979 – Don Sutton becomes the franchise’s winningest pitcher when he is credited with the victory, tossing eight innings in the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. The 34-year-old right-hander’s 210th win surpasses the team mark established in 1969 by Don Drysdale.
• 1983 – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton passes Walter Johnson to move into second place on the all-time strikeout list. Carlton’s four strikeouts put him at 3,511, just ten behind Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros. Ryan had bettered Johnson’s record earlier in the month.
• 1988 – Mike Schmidt belts the 535th home run of his career during the first inning at San Diego, CA off Padres starting pitcher Andy Hawkins, moving Schmidt past Jimmie Foxx into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time home run list.
• 2000 – After being released earlier in the month by the Mets for not hustling, Rickey Henderson, in his initial at-bat for the Mariners, hits his record 76th career leadoff home run in his team’s 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay at Safeco Field. With the round-tripper, the future Hall of Fame outfielder joins Ted Williams and Willie McCovey as the third major leaguer to have homered in four different decades.
• 2012 – Max Scherzer strikes out 15 batters in seven innings to lead the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Pirates. The strikeouts are one shy of the club record of 16, held by Mickey Lolich, and represent the highest total in the major leagues so far this season.
• 2013 – Two of the best pitchers so far this season throw complete game three-hitters today. Clayton Kershaw of Los Angeles defeats Milwaukee, 3-1. Patrick Corbin also pitches a gem in Coors Field, getting his first career complete game, as Arizona defeats the Rockies, 5-1. Corbin is now 7-0 with a 1.44 ERA, which only trails Kershaw’s 1.35 in the National League.
• 2014 – Masahiro Tanaka suffers his first loss in the majors when the Cubs beat the Yankees, 6-1, behind Jason Hammel.
• 2014 – At age 55, Julio Franco returns to professional baseball with a 1-for-3 night for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent United League. Hired for the Cats’ current homestand as a player-coach, Franco has now played professionally in five decades, having started in the minor leagues in 1978. He had retired in 2008 before his return this year.

Cubs Birthdays:Brian McNichol, Bobby Murcer,* George Grantham. Also notable: Hal Newhouser HOF.

Today in history:

• 1862 – US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900).
• 1899 – First speeding infraction by a New York cabbie driving an electric car – 12mph down Lexington Street.
• 1959 – Ford wins battle with Chrysler to call its new car “Falcon.”
• 1964 – Buster Mathis beats future world heavyweight champion Joe Frazer on points at trials in Flushing, NY to qualify for US Olympic boxing team; Mathis injures thumb, replaced by Frazier who wins gold medal.
• 1989 – “Toonces The Driving Cat” takes the wheel on SNL.
• 1990 – Hubble Space Telescope sends its first photographs from space.

Special Invention- and adventurer-related stories on this date:

• 1830 – Douglass Hyde receives the first US patent for a fountain pen.
• 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent the first blue jeans with copper rivets.
• 1891 – First public display of Thomas Edison‘s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs.
• 1892 – George Sampson patents clothes dryer.
• 1918 – US Navy launches USS New Mexico, its first battleship with an electric-turbine propulsion system.
• 1927 – At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
• 1932 – Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland on her journey to become the 1st woman to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic.

Special Music-related stories on this date:

• 1939 – “3 Little Fishies” by Kay Kyser swam to #1.
• 1954 – Decca Records releases Bill Haley & His Comets’ hit single “Rock Around the Clock”.
• 1967 – BBC bans the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life” due to the line “I’d love to turn you on” being construed as a drug reference.
• 1970 – The Beatles’ “Let it Be” documentary film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, premieres at the Liverpool Gaumont Cinema and the London Pavilion; none of the group attend.
• 1979 – Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR.
• 1980 – Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band Kiss.
• 1983 – “Every Breath You Take” single released by The Police (Billboard Song of the Year, 1983).
• 1992 – American rapper Tung Twista raps 597 syllables in under 60 seconds.

*pictured.

Good morning Birdland,

This Orioles team is just not fun to watch right now. They lost again on Tuesday night, a 4-1 defeat to the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays. At 21-28, the O’s are back in the division cellar, among the absolute worst teams in the entire sport.

Once again, the offense was basically a no-show. Taylor Ward opened the game with a homer, and then the team went 3-for-28 with two walks and nine strikeouts for the remainder of the evening. The 4-8 spots in the order went completely hitless. Yuck.

There was better news on the pitching side of things. Kyle Bradish continues to look much better. He allowed two runs over 5.1 innings, mostly taken out by his own pitch count. The bullpen was then solid (one run over the next 2.2 innings). That did include a run charged to Rico Garcia, only the second such occurrence this season. He’s still pretty good though!

The thing that I find the most frustrating about this team is their inability to maintain momentum of any sort. If they score a run in the top half of an inning, you can almost guarantee they will be allowing a run (or more) in the bottom half of that inning. That’s what happened in the first inning on Tuesday.

That lack of a shutdown inning has to sap any sort of positive vibes that might poke their head out of the Orioles dugout. Why get excited? You know that lead is going to disappear anyway?

There is still time for this team to figure it out, especially in such a poor American League. They are only 2.5 games back of the the final wild card spot with 113 games left on the schedule. The math is doable. But even that avenue will disappear if they don’t start scoring more runs. Right now, there is nothing to indicate that will happen.

It’s gonna be another hot one in the Baltimore area today. Hopefully you can stay inside and catch the conclusion to this series, either on TV or the radio. 1:05 is the scheduled first pitch from St. Pete.

Links

Ward’s leadoff homer all O’s bats can muster as offensive issues continue | MLB.com
This article includes a sentence that starts with “The Orioles generally played well enough to win on Tuesday…” I’m sorry, what? They scored one run. The defense didn’t make the key play of the game. This is a major league game. Those are the moments where you need to come through, and far too often this team fails.

More from the mailbag before today’s game | Roch Kubatko
Answers to many questions, including the latest on a few injuries. No real news though. Trey Mancini gets mentioned too! But that’s more of a “Hey, look at what this guy is doing!” Maninci is with the Angels Triple-A team, nearly three full years removed from his last big league game. Hopefully he beats the odds and gets back to the top level of the sport.

Orioles Select Albert Suarez, Designate Maverick Handley | MLB Trade Rumors
It really is a luxury for the Orioles to keep a guy like Suárez around. He has done exactly what they have asked of him for three years now, though he missed most of last with an injury. Still, to have someone in the organization that you can yank back and forth between the majors and minors that is willing to step into whatever role you want is pretty great. It’s unfortunate that the Orioles have needed a swingman SO much in that timeframe, but let’s stay positive.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Ramón Hernández turns 50 today. He was the Orioles catcher for three seasons from 2006 through ‘08. That included a career-best season in ‘06 that saw him hit .275/.343/.479 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI.
• Gordon Dillard is 62 years old. He pitched in two games for the Orioles in 1988.
• David Wells is 63. The southpaw’s 21 seasons of Major League Baseball included spending the 1996 campaign in Baltimore.

This day in O’s history

2014 – Chris Davis homers three times as part of the Orioles 9-2 win over the Pirates. That doubles his season total of long balls to six.

I was told the downfall was coming. Was the wording specific enough?

Last night in Detroit, the Guards beat the Tigers for the 2nd night in a row. The 4-game series split has been clinched. A sweep is still on the table.

Cleveland hitters chose a good year to draw a ton of walks. There have been a bunch of high-walk staffs on their schedule lately, and the 2 DET starters have been no exception.

The patient Travis Bazzana arrived at the perfect time for this as well.

Elsewhere, like such as in the Minnesota

• The Twins optioned Royce Lewis to AAA.

• One of MIN’s top prospects, OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, needs thumb surgery.

• Ryan Jeffers is out a while after injuring his hamate bone.

• Byron Buxton returned from his hip injury last night.

Other Guards news

• Peyton Pallette was placed on the paternity list and thus Codi Heuer is back.

• Kolby Allard is also back… on a MILB deal after being released yesterday.

Yesterday, Jake opened up the day with a discussion about what the biggest positive development the Yankees have gotten out of this season has been. If you’ll forgive the shameless piggy-backing off of that topic, I’d like to flip the question on its head and ponder what the worst development has been, what decline in the team’s roster has been the most worrisome and in need of addressing. There are, unfortunately, plenty of areas to look at.

The culprit that has made the most commotion recently has to be the bullpen at large, and there are several offenders here but only one that has definitively regressed from what they were in 2025. David Bednar was solid enough for New York last season after coming over at the deadline, but his tendency to cause a mess before getting down to business has backfired tremendously this year. The other relievers struggling to this point, namely Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, were already problems after coming over as part of that deadline overhauling, with Bird infamously getting demoted after just a few games even.

The rotation has been the deepest strength of the team throughout this year, but there’s one candidate you could point to here in Luis Gil. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year missed a large portion of last season, but when he returned he was still serviceable with a 3.32 ERA in 57 innings. The same cannot be said about his 2026 campaign, as he got all of four starts before he landed on the IL with a gaudy 6.05 ERA that will all but necessitate a lengthy stay in the minors before he gets a shot in the rotation again. The staff is about to be getting a major boost with Gerrit Cole’s return on Friday, but with Max Fried taking his place on the IL indefinitely they remain one bad break away from needing an arm, yet Gil’s place in the organization is deeply in doubt nowadays.

The lineup has its highlights posted front and center, but when you get down to the bottom of it there are some bats that have severely struggled thus far. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has disappointed after emerging as one of the team’s better bats in his first full season with the team last year, Trent Grisham has been one of the most unlucky batters in baseball trying to follow up on his breakout in 2025, Ryan McMahon has gone from being a subpar bat with elite defense to nearly a negative WAR player, and Austin Wells has been a black hole at the plate for far too long. It would be the hardest to make changes with these players, but you could argue that any one of their declines have been more detrimental to the team’s success than the others. With the full field of choices, what would you say? Which one of them needs to turn it around the most? Which one would be the most damaging to future wins if they don’t?

Before we get back to the field with the Yankees looking to secure a series win in this four-game set, there’s a lot we’ve got ready for Wednesday. Peter has a double-feature out of the gate, first focusing on Cam Schlittler and how he’s renovated his sinker to rise to the top before covering the Rivalry Roundup. Matt gives Bobby Murcer his flowers on what would’ve been his 80th birthday, Kento examines Cody Bellinger’s renewed ability to work walks this year, John walks us through the best spots to avoid the Yankee Stadium speaker noise, and Scott rounds us out with a look at Payton Henry ahead of a matchup with his former team in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

Video: Amazon Prime Video, Sportsnet One, MLB Network

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

It’s like having a Porsche 911 Carrera and being instructed not to exceed 50 miles per hour.

It’s getting a custom Armani suit but told it can only be worn at family barbeques.

It’s like winning an all-inclusive Tahiti beach vacation for two, but your plus-one is your grandmother.

It’s the San Francisco Giants calling up their No. 1 prospect, one of the prized young sluggers in baseball, only to let him rot on the bench.

The Giants, who promoted first baseman Bryce Eldridge two weeks ago from Triple-A Sacramento, are utilizing their batboys more frequently than Eldridge.

Eldridge, called up May 4, has inexplicably started just five games in the last two weeks, and only once in the last four days for a team whose season is already on life support with the second-worst record in the National League.

Please, make it make sense.

This is a 21-year-old who just had the best night of his season on May 18, producing two hits for the Giants, which matched his season total.

His reward?

The bench.

Again.

Really.