The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels close out their weekend series Sunday at Angel Stadium with a lefty-lefty pitching matchup between MacKenzie Gore and Reid Detmers.
This is a fairly even pitching matchup, but I see value on the underdog in this Sunday Night Baseball matchup.
Read all about it in my Rangers vs Angels predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 24.
Who will win Rangers vs Angels tonight: Rangers (+105)
MacKenzie Gore comes into this matchup with a strikeout rate of nearly 26%, ranking in the 75th percentile of baseball.
Both of these pitchers can deliver swings-and-misses, but one matters more than the other. That's why I'm backing the Texas Rangers and would play them to -115.
The Los Angeles Angelsstrike out at a 23% clip against southpaws, the 11th-highest mark in baseball, and Gore's elite extension on his heaters plays well here. Reid Detmers can match the K upside, but the Rangers' offense is more well-rounded to attack him.
I mentioned earlier Gore's K rate mattered more in this matchup than Detmers'. The biggest reason is overall hitting: the Angels have the second-highest whiff rate in the sport. However, that doesn't mean the Rangers don't have their own strikeout issues.
They actually rank sixth in the sport in whiff rate at 27% and have struck out more with a smaller dataset against left-handed pitching.
Detmers' 25% K rate should be successful because of that. This all points to both pitchers having stretches of dominance in this game. I'd play this to 7.5.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 21-18, +2.56 units
Over/Under bets: 24-15, +11.34 units
Rangers vs Angels odds
Moneyline: Rangers +105 | Angels -125
Run line: Rangers +1.5 | Angels -1.5
Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Rangers vs Angels trend
The Texas Rangers have hit the game total Under in 27 of their last 45 games (+10.80 Units / 22% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Brewers.
How to watch Rangers vs Angels and game info
Location
Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Date
Sunday, May 24, 2026
First pitch
7:20 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Rangers starting pitcher
MacKenzie Gore (3-4, 4.78 ERA)
Angels starting pitcher
Reid Detmers (1-5, 5.07 ERA)
Rangers vs Angels latest injuries
Rangers vs Angels weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
TORONTO - APRIL 4: Toronto Blue Jays player stand for the National Anthem before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on April 4, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Time for a sweep.
Two games under .500 and tied to for the last Wild Card spot. It seems strange to have a playoff spot while being under .500, but I’ll take it.
Nathan Lukes is playing for Dunedin today, so he should be back soon.
George Springer is hitting again, six game hitting streak .320/.370/.760 with 3 home runs and 2 doubles. Sanchez is hitting too, .441/.474/.676 in his last 13 games. It is good to see. Now if Vlad and Okamoto could get things going, life would be great.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Kyle Hurt #63 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers have asked a lot of their relievers over the last two weeks, and so far they’ve been up to the task. The bullpen covered the last four innings of Saturday’s win in Milwaukee without giving up a run, and have now pitched 36 scoreless innings in a row, breaking the modern franchise record.
The previous longest scoreless streak in the modern era (since 1901) by Dodgers relievers came from April 17-27, 1998, when the bullpen pitched 33 innings in a row without allowing a run. Frank Lankford allowed the runs directly before and after that streak, and contributed four scoreless frames during. Darren Dreifort (7 1/3 innings) and Brad Clontz (7 innings) were the heavy lifters during the 1998 streak, which also included Antonio Osuna, Mark Guthrie, Scott Radinsky, and Jim Bruske, a beautiful concoction of remembering some guys.
Seven total relievers pitched in the 1998 scoreless streak. In the 2026 streak, a dozen different pitchers have put up zeroes, part of heavy roster turnover the last two weeks as the Dodgers covered for losing Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Jack Dreyer.
May 12 was the last time the Dodgers bullpen allowed a run, when the San Francisco Giants scored once in the seventh inning. Edgardo Henriquez and Dreyer finished out that game with scoreless frames, followed by 10 games in a row through Saturday without the bullpen allowing another run.
I would argue that the Dodgers bullpen scoreless streak is even longer, at 38 innings, because of the May 15 win over the Angels in Anaheim. They used a bullpen game in that series opener, filling in for a scheduled Snell start, and Will Klein began that game with two scoreless innings, which technically counts as a start, but in my eyes he’s a reliever who just happened to pitch at the start of the contest.
The Dodgers are 8-2 in the last 10 games while their bullpen has been spotless. Here’s the breakdown of all the contributors to the 36 38-inning scoreless streak, including Klein’s “start” on May 15:
Reliever
G
IP
H
BB
SO
xERA
Henriquez
5
5 1/3
1
1
6
0.51
Hurt
5
5
4
3
4
3.43
Vesia
5
4 2/3
1
2
8
0.82
Scott
4
4 1/3
2
1
7
2.69
Klein*
3
4
1
0
4
2.55
Treinen
4
3 2/3
1
2
3
2.43
Barnes
2
2
1
1
1
3.85
Mills
2
2
0
3
1
4.37
Dreyer
2
2
1
1
4
0.49
Gervase
1
2
1
1
0
8.52
Hernández
2
2
0
0
1
1.51
McDermott
1
1
1
0
1
1.91
Totals
36
38
14
15
40
2.21
*includes Will Klein’s 2-inning “start” of bullpen game on May 15
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - APRIL 18, 2026: Zach Messinger #29 of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders pitches during the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Syracuse Mets at NBT Bank Stadium on April 18, 2026 in Syracuse, NY. (Photo by Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
It was a rough start to the season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders relief pitcher Zach Messinger. In five appearances in April covering 12.1 innings, the 26-year-old right-hander allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 15 hits with nine walks and 11 strikeouts. His earned-run average was 7.07.
Since then, Messinger has turned things around. In his last six appearances dating back to April 28th, he has not allowed a run and just one hit in 13 innings with five walks and 11 strikeouts. He has lowered his ERA to 3.67.
“As the year goes on, there’s ups and there’s downs. I just hit a lower point early on,” Messinger said. “I’ve put in a lot of work with our analysts and our pitching coaches on things we can tighten up. I think we’ve done a really good job of that. It’s also me staying within myself, understanding it’s only April, it’s only May. Nothing really too crazy to push the issue on. Just the ebbs and flows of the season. But it’s been good to put a few good ones together.”
During the rough stretch, there wasn’t anything physically wrong with Messinger. Nothing wrong mechanically, his velocity was good. Some of it was bad luck. Most of it, Messinger feels, was a difference in game-planning and focus points.
“Typically in my career, that’s something I’ve leaned pretty heavy on,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty cerebral guy and I enjoy the game-planning aspect of going through a lineup and how you’re going to attack them. I got a little bit away from myself from doing that. So getting back to who I was and trusting my stuff. I’ve worked really hard to get where I’m at, worked really hard to get my stuff where it’s at. It was a little bit of seeing is believing. Now it’s starting to come together.”
The turning point came April 23rd in a home game at PNC Field against Rochester. Messinger came on in the top of the ninth inning with the RailRiders leading, 4-2, and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, enabling the Red Wings to take a 5-4 lead. The RailRiders tied it in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Messinger pitched three-up, three-down innings in the 10th and 11th with two strikeouts and the RailRiders won it in the bottom of the 11th on a RBI single by Jasson Domínguez.
“Putting together two really good innings and ending up winning that game,” said Messinger, who is 3-0 with one save this season. “That’s just good mentally, confidence-wise, too, to be able to have that one in the back pocket. So leaning on that and kind of doing a deep dive into some usage stuff – fastballs less, sliders more – looking back on what’s given me success over the course of my career as a starter or a reliever.”
Selected by the Yankees out of the University of Virginia in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft (393rd overall), Messinger has worked his way up through the organization, primarily as a starter.
He began last season in Triple-A with the RailRiders and his first seven appearances were starts. Then, in mid-May, he transitioned to a reliever and worked out of the bullpen. On August 28th, he was sent down to Double-A Somerset and finished the season there. In 33 combined games (28 RailRiders, 5 Somerset), he was 4-4 with three saves, one hold, a 5.55 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 73 innings.
Messinger doesn’t have a preference as a starter or a reliever. He believes he is capable in whatever role he is needed.
“Last year I did some starting at the beginning of the year, then had some ninth-inning appearances,” he said. “So far I’ve done a decent amount of long relief, but I’ve also had some later, high-leverage innings in the eighth and ninth this year.
“I think the best thing I can give the Yankees is me showing I’m adaptable. If you need 45 pitches out of me, I’m going to be there. If you need me to come in late innings and kind of put out a fire with guys on base, I’m adaptable. I’ll be ready in any situation.”
One of Messinger’s best friends in the organization is RailRiders teammate Brendan Beck. The two were drafted together in the same year. They are roommates on the road, so he had a front-row view for when Beck was called up to the Yankees on May 7th to make his Major League debut.
“I was right there watching everything that was going on in the Yankees game and there with him when he had to jump in the car and rush to the Bronx,” Messinger said. “Knowing that guy’s journey, there’s nothing you can take away from that guy that he hasn’t earned. Going through surgeries and setbacks, he’s an absolute grinder. It was so cool to see, he’s really earned it. They don’t hand out big-league debuts just for guys because it’s a cool story, coming back from injuries. You’ve got to go out there and put up the success on the field and he’s been able to do that at every level he’s been at. He’s been able to do it since college. He just needed the opportunity and let his body hold up a little bit. It’s been really awesome to see him do that these last couple weeks.”
If and when Messinger gets that phone call, he said he will be ready.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, especially the past few offseasons, to build my repertoire and my mentality for the game, especially as a reliever,” he said. “I think I’ve put myself in a good position to where if the team upstairs needs me, I’ll be ready. That’s kind of the whole goal, right? I stuck my toe in the water last year and got the taste of Triple-A as a starter and a reliever. I know how to get through a lineup and I’ve seen guys go up to the big leagues and succeed. I’ve talked to them and I feel like I’m good mentally and physically to where if the opportunity comes and the Yankees need me, I’ll be there.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 13: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park on May 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Toronto Blue Jays looking to grab a win.
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This photo taken on Sept. 21, 2025 shows an elephant with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background at Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya. Located at the border between Kenya and Tanzania and at the foot of Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, the park is known for its unique scenery and is one of the best places in Kenya to see various wild animals. (Photo by Li Yahui/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Hickory was rained out.
Hub City played a pair.
In Game One, Ismael Agreda allowed seven runs in four innings, walking 4 and striking out 7. Case Matter made his 2026 full season debut, throwing a scoreless inning.
Rafe Perich homered. Maxton Martin, Paxton Kling and Gleider Figuereo each singled.
In Game Two, Kling and Perich each had a hit and a walk. Chandler Pollard had a hit.
Frisco starter Leandro Lopez struck out seven in 4.2 IP, but allowed four runs on 10 hits and a walk, including a home run. Josh Sborz walked two in a scoreless inning.
Dylan Dreiling had a hit. Arturo Disla was 3 for 5. Cody Freeman had a hit.
For Round Rock, Robbie Ahlstrom threw 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one. Michel Otanez struck out three in two scoreless innings. Gavin Collyer struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning. Emiliano Teodo threw a scoreless inning.
Izack Tiger, making his way back from Tommy John surgery, threw a scoreless inning for the ACL Rangers, striking out one and walking one. Josh Owens walked two and struck out two in 0.2 IP.
Jay McQueen was 3 for 4 with a walk and a homer. Rashawn Pinder had a pair of homers.
On this day 44 years ago, LaMarr Hoyt improved his record to 9-0, his Comiskey Park winning streak to 16 games and his overall winning streak to 14. | (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
1917 Reb Russell threw a 12-inning shutout against the Senators, giving up 11 hits, striking out six, and walking none. Russell was helped by Ray Schalk gunning down all four of Washington’s attempts to steal second base.
Oh, and at the plate, Russell also went 2-for-4 with a triple.
1929 In one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history, White Sox starter Ted Lyons threw all 21 innings of a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the Tigers. He allowed 24 hits in the game and faced an astounding 85 hitters. His opponent that day, George Uhle, pitched 20 innings and faced 79 batters himself.
The 85 batters faced is the most-ever in White Sox history, and ranks sixth all-time in baseball history; the 21 innings pitched is the most in White Sox history, and is tied for seventh all-time.
The 21-inning game is tied for the third-longest in White Sox history.
1939 The first night game in White Sox history came in Philadelphia, and ended in a 4-1 Chicago win. The Athletics held a 1-0 lead until the top of the eighth, when the White Sox ruined the hopes of 18,721 A’s fans by rallying for three runs on five singles and a ground out. Eddie Smith went the distance in his first nighttime assignment.
1946 White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes was fired, replaced by … Ted Lyons. Dykes is atop the White Sox leaderboard in several manager categories:
Longest tenure: 12 years, 13 days
Most games: 1,839
Most wins: 899
Most losses: 940
Most managerial WAR: 34.4
Most managerial WAR per season: 3.0
With Lyons moving to manager, White Sox pitching legend Red Faber joined the team as a coach.
Dykes also was involved in a footnote that could have changed White Sox and baseball history.
In March 1938, the White Sox played a benefit exhibition against the Pasadena Sox, a group of young players from that California city. Holding forth on the local team was a 19-year-old Black youth who made several brilliant plays. Acknowledging the color line in place in the major leagues at the time, Dykes said, “Geez, if that kid was white, I’d sign him right now.”
In March 1942, Dykesallowed the phenom and another black baseball player, Nate Moreland, to try out for the White Sox. He sent them away without an offer. Perhaps he allowed the tryouts only to deflect integration criticism, since no major league team had yet expressed any positive attitude toward integration. In any event, nothing came of it. How history might have changed if he had been able to offer a contract to that phenom … a lad named Jackie Robinson!
(The White Sox also nearly had a third crack at Robinson, as Frank Lane had arranged a trade for the Dodgers star in the mid-1950. The Cincinnati Reds made a waiver claim, nixing the deal.)
1961 For the first time since the 1950 season, the White Sox dropped into last place in the American League (although just briefly), after they lost a doubleheader in Baltimore, 5-3 and 6-4. The plight of the Sox actually caused some Chicago aldermen in a city council session to publicly ask what was going on.
The Sox rebounded, though, to end the year in fourth place, with 86 wins.
1967 White Sox first baseman Tommy McCraw had his career day. In a game at Minnesota, McCraw slammed three home runs (all off of future White Sox pitcher Jim Kaat) and knocked in eight as the Sox pounded the Twins, 14-1. On the day he went 3-for-6, with three runs. The eight RBIs tied a franchise record.
1981 With a 10-2 win at California, the White Sox completed a three-game sweep compiling 45 hits and 34 runs (in victories of 9-5, 15-4, 10-2). The big blow came in the second inning, when Ron LeFlore hit a Little League grand slam by singling in three runs with the bases full, with an error by Brian Downing in left field allowing LeFlore to score and put the White Sox up, 5-0. Both LeFlore and Mike Squires had three hits apiece in the win.
It was a fourth straight win and seven victories in eight games. Chicago would win three of four games to come, making the run a full 10 wins in 12 games. For the road trip that included Toronto, California and Oakland, the White Sox won seven of nine.
The sweep pushed the White Sox to 21-15 and firmly in second place. With the season disrupted by the players’ strike with the club better than .500 all season, 1981 goes down as a great what-if in White Sox history.
1982 LaMarr Hoyt improved to 9-0 on the season with a 3-1 win over Kansas City. Hoyt went the distance, and in the process ran his overall Comiskey Park record to 16-0 and his personal winning streak in all games to 14. An RBI single from Greg Luzinski and a two-run safety from Tom Paciorek in the sixth inning provided all the scoring Hoyt needed for the win.
The victory moved the White Sox to 27-13 and back up by a half-game in the AL West, but sadly would be their final day in sole possession of first during the 1982 season.
1983 The 1983 season turned around completely on this evening, as the White Sox destroyed Boston and pitcher Doug Bird, 12-4. Bird, who hadn’t lost a game in two years, was roughed up as the Sox blasted five home runs on the night. Greg Luzinski hit one of them, his fifth shot in five games.
It was the start of the drive that led, four months later, to 99 wins and the Western Division championship.
2011 White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin wrote his name in the franchise record book when he hit three home runs in a game against the Rangers. Quentinhit them before and after a rain/high wind delay of almost three hours, which caused the game to end at 1:27 a.m. local time. He went 3-for-5 on the night, with five RBIs in the 8-6 win.
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Martin Perez (33) during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Another Sunday, another rubber match for the Atlanta Braves.
For the third straight weekend — and the fourth out of the last five — the series will be on the line in the deciding game Sunday when the Braves host the Washington Nationals at 4:10 p.m. EDT.
Given, rubber matches have been no problem for the Braves through the first two months of the season. They’ve won seven of their eight deciding games of series and still haven’t lost a series at home, a perfect 8-0-0.
Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.85 ERA) will be called upon to continue that run in this series finale. He’s making a second consecutive start without a relief appearance in between for the first time since April 28 and May 6.
While Pérez’s role has been a bit wonky, he’s handling it exceptionally well. He allowed a season-high-tying four runs Tuesday at Miami — three of them coming in the first inning — but still grinded out five innings and set a new career high of 10 strikeouts — no small feat for a 15-year veteran.
In 10 appearances (six starts) this season, Pérez has a career-best 2.85 ERA and a career-best 1.000 WHIP. When you look at his Statcast profile, there’s no one area that jumps out in terms of his effectiveness. But he just keeps providing strong-enough spot starts or relief appearances.
Pérez doesn’t have a particularly strong history against the Nationals. He’s 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA in six appearances (four starts), striking out 20, walking seven and allowing six homers. He faced them out of the bullpen back on April 22, allowing two solo homers in three innings of work of the Braves’ 8-6 win.
He’ll be facing off against Washington’s Foster Griffin (5-2, 4.02) in a battle of left-handers. Griffin is back in the United States this season after spending the last three in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants. He returned to the majors on a one-year deal with Washington.
That return has gone well through the first few months. He’s one of just three Nationals pitchers to make 10-plus starts and his ERA is 16 hundredths behind Cade Cavalli for the best among starters on the team.
However, he’s come back down to earth a bit in the last few starts after a very strong start to the season. He’s allowed 14 runs over 9 1/3 innings in his last two starts (five in five innings vs. the Mets on May 19 and nine in 4 1/3 against Cincinnati on May 14). He allowed two home runs in each of those starts and has allowed 10 in as many starts this season.
That’s potentially music to the ears of a Braves lineup still looking for his first homer of the series and which has scraped across just two total runs in regulation of the first two games against Washington this weekend.
Griffin made his first career start against the Braves back on April 21, allowing three runs over six innings and earning the win in Washington’s 11-4 win.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 23: Brad Lord (41) of the Washington Nationals delivers during the Saturday afternoon MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals on May 23, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In his second season as a big leaguer, former 18th round pick Brad Lord has continued to just be a steady and reliable presence. Last year he bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. However, this season he has settled into being a multi-inning relief arm, which is a role that suits him perfectly.
Lord is just a guy who quietly goes about his business and gets the job done. Even yesterday, his work could be lost in the shuffle, pitching in between the brilliant Jake Irvin and the high energy Richard Lovelady. Lord just gave the Nats 3 mostly drama free innings when they needed that stability badly. That is what makes Brad Lord the ultimate glue guy.
Brad Lord is in best glue guy in Nationals history talks for me
Nothing about Brad Lord’s game is particularly flashy. His 4-seamer and sinker have solid velocity, but he is not a flamethrower. Lord’s slider, sweeper and changeup are decent pitches, but nothing special. However, Lord is able to get outs on a consistent basis due to his deception and command.
Lord throws from a very low arm slot, at 17 degrees. Lower lots tend to be funkier and tougher for hitters to pick up. Throwing 95+ from that low of a slot while pounding the zone is also unusual. Lord really relies on his fastballs, throwing a 4-seamer or sinker 59% of the time. However, like many Nats pitchers he has dropped his fastball usage. Last year, he was throwing 4-seamers or sinkers 67% of the time.
This season, Lord picked up a sweeper that he is throwing 11% of the time. Batters are hitting just .111 on the pitch this season. The only hit on the sweeper came when Lord hung one to Juan Soto, which is generally not a good idea. His sweeper is not some elite weapon, but it gives hitters a different look along with his heaters and harder slider.
Lord actually gets more whiffs on his 4-seam fastball than any other pitch. He gets swings and misses at a 28% clip on the heater. From that low slot, his fastball just gets on guys at the top of the zone. We saw that yesterday, with Lord getting all three of his strikeouts on his heater.
What Lord did yesterday was so huge for this team, and I want to give him his flowers. Jake Irvin was throwing a gem, but an injury forced him to leave the game after 5 innings. The bullpen was absolutely taxed after an 11 inning game yesterday, so the Nats needed Lord to eat up outs in a pretty high leverage spot in a 2 run game. That is exactly what Lord did.
Three shutout innings with three strikeouts from Brad Lord.
Given how many relievers the Nationals used last night, the length Lord has given them today is huge.
Lord went three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking nobody, though he did hit a batter. This kind of outing is turning into the standard for Lord. For the season, Lord has a 2.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 35 innings. He has just been efficient and drama free.
This season, Lord has done a great job limiting free passes. In 35 innings, Lord has issued just six walks. I just love the way Lord attacks hitters. He knows he can get ground balls at an elite 56% clip, so he does not really fear hitters.
Between his multi-inning role and overall reliability, Lord reminds me of former Nats reliever and current Padres manager Craig Stammen. Both Lord and Stammen started as starting pitchers/swingmen before landing in a multi-inning relief role. Stammen ended up having a 13 year big league career where he had a 3.66 ERA. He did this as a 12th round pick. As an 18th rounder, I think Lord can do similar things.
Ever since he came up last season, I have really enjoyed watching Brad Lord pitch. I remember watching him face the Dodgers and get his first career strikeout against Shohei Ohtani. It was cool seeing a guy who worked at Home Depot in the offseason retiring the Dodgers $700 million superstar. That is just baseball I guess.
However, Lord is no flash in the pan or good story anymore. At this point, he is a full fledged bullpen weapon, who is one of the Nats most reliable arms. The Nats have been using relievers in multi-inning roles a lot more this season, and that kind of role is a perfect fit for Lord. He can be elite in these 3 inning bursts. I think he could be a decent starting pitcher, but he might be more valuable as a great multi-inning reliever rather than a mediocre starter.
Brad Lord is going to be a fixture on this Nats pitching staff for years to come. Right now, the Nats have a lot of guys who walk the tight rope out of the bullpen. Lord is not like that. He just comes in and does his job. That is what makes him the ultimate glue guy and a pitcher who will stick in the big leagues for a long time.
Saturday saw the teams in the Atlanta Braves organization split six games down the middle. Cade Kuehler threw his third straight great game, while Isaiah Drake, John Gil, and Jim Jarvis all had notable days at the plate. We also got to get the full Jhancarlos Lara experience, where he got himself into trouble, but also really showed his swing and miss stuff.
Anthony Molina got the start and threw five excellent innings on Saturday. Molina allowed just one hit and three walks in the five scoreless innings, striking out five and whiffing nine. Rolddy Munoz was the next pitcher used and allowed a run over an inning and two thirds. Joel Payamps got the next inning and a third, and recorded a strikeout for each of the four outs he picked up. A scoreless Ian Hamilton inning finished this one off for the Stripers pitching staff.
Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen once again carried the Gwinnett offense. Jarvis doubled twice in three at bats, walked, and scored a run, while Hicklen singled, doubled, scored a run, and batted one in. New catcher Maverick Handley added a pair of hits in his Braves system debut, while Brett Wisely, Rowdy Tellez, and Aaron Schunk all had a hit, while Tellez and Wisely each drew a walk to join Jarvis, Hicklen, and Handley in reaching base multiple times.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4, Columbus Clingstones 0
Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-4, 2B, .264/.338/.440
Ethan Workinger, LF: 1-3, 2B, BB, .204/.286/.357
Lucas Braun, SP: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 7.20 ERA
Back in Double-A Lucas Braun got his first start since the demotion, and just his second start here this year. Unfortunately he gave up a first inning run and ended up allowing three more in his five and a third innings. Braun allowed seven hits and a walk as he struck out three, though did have 11 whiffs. Samuel Strickland pitched a scoreless inning and two thirds in relief of Braun. Jhancarlos Lara came in for the eighth and final inning and got into some trouble as he allowed a leadoff single, strikeout, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, double steal, and a third strikeout. Lara used 20 pitches to get through the inning, but six have six whiffs.
Karson Milbrandt dominated the Columbus lineup with six shutout innings that included 12 strikeouts and 24 whiffs. Overall the Clingstones managed just four hits and three walks. Ethan Workinger was the most productive, doubling and walking, while Patrick Clohisy also added a double. The other two hits were singles by Drew Compton and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. David McCabe was the only other player to reach base, as he walked twice in the loss.
Rome Emperors 7, Hub City Spartanburgers 4
John Gil, SS: 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, .275/.383/.451
Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-4, RBI, 2 R, .274/.354/.452
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 5.03 ERA
Game 1 saw Cedric De Grandpre go six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. Cedric struck out seven and had 15 whiffs as he needed just 88 pitches to get this quality start. Those numbers may have looked better if not for a mistake in the third inning, when he allowed a two out, three-run homer. Jacob Kroeger came in to get the final three outs and picked up the save.
John Gil had a big part in this win, as he was two for four with a homer, two runs scored, and three batted in, running his OPS up to .834 on the season. Isaiah Drake went one for four, scored twice, and batted in a run. Eric Hartman was hitless in three at bats, but walked and scored a run, while both Dixon Williams and Cody Miller had hits and batted in a run, with Williams having a double and Miller picking up a pair of RBI.
The makeup of Friday’s game saw Cade Kuehler continue his recent run of strong starts. Kuehler went five and a third scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, giving him 17.1 innings of scoreless baseball across his last three starts. That lowers his ERA from 7.66 to 4.31 – over three runs off where it was earlier this month. Kuehler also struck out four with 12 whiffs. Logan Samuels got the next two outs in the sixth, before Drew Christo pitched the final inning to complete the combined shutout.
The offense wasn’t as loud in this one as the first game of the day, but Isaiah Drake continued his strong day with a two for four evening that included a run scored. Between both games he was three for eight, scored three runs, and batted one in. Cody Miller also had a double and batted in a pair, giving him two hits on the day. John Gil and Eric Hartman were each hitless in two at bats, though Hartman was hit by a pitch and Gil did walk and score a run.
Game two started on Friday night before a delay and the eventual push into Saturday, so Ethan Bagwell’s two scoreless innings were on Friday night. Bagwell allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out three and picking up six whiffs. Zach Royse got what amounted to a start, and went five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. Royse did strike out six and whiff 15, and he actually allowed just one run through his first four innings before getting into some trouble in his fifth inning of work and allowing four runs. Adiel Melendez followed and allowed a run in an inning and two thirds, and Kade Woods was needed to come in to get the final out of the game.
Augusta only managed one run through the first eight innings in this one, as they tacked on three runs in an attempt to rally from behind in the ninth. Luis Guanipa tripled in three at bats and also drew a walk, Juan Mateo singled and walked in three at bats. Nick Montgomery walked once, while Dalton McIntyre doubled, stole a base, and batted in a pair. Both Tate Southisene and Alex Lodise were hitless in four at bats, with Lodise picking up the platinum sombrero.
Augusta GreenJackets vs Columbia Fireflies – Game 2 – PPD
Game 2 was scheduled because Friday got rained out. Unfortunately the rain got in the way again, and this game was postponed before it got started. The game was moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader again.
Gensi Angeles came into this start with a 0.00 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through three starts – all against the Rays team, but he didn’t make it out of the first with that ERA still intact. Overall he allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts over 3.2 innings. Cesar Rodriguez allowed a run, while Yander Pinero allowed three as the next two pitchers, putting this game out of reach. Daniel Brooks and Juan Olmos each made scoreless appearances in the losing effort.
The standouts offensively included Manuel Campos, who had a triple and a run scored in four at bats, and Connor Essenburg, who singled, walked, and batted in a run in his five trips to the plate. Juan Elejandro and Mario Baez each had multi-hit games, with Baez picking up a double and also stealing a base. Diego Tornes went hitless in four at bats, but did get on in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - APRIL 22: Yamal Encarnacion #1 of the Corpus Christi Hooks is seen on the field during the game between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (21-29) lost 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
Weiss started for Sugar Land and allowed 5 runs over 5.1 innings while striking out 6 batters. It was a quiet day for the offense though as they picked up just six hits and were shutout in the 6-0 loss.
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (20-24) won 6-0 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got on the board in the third scoring 2 runs on a Schiavone RBI single and Austin RBI groundout. They got another run in the 5th on a Guillemette sac fly and in the 5th, Trammell connected on a solo home run to extend the lead. Gillis got the start and was great tossing 6 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. Trammell added some insurance in the 7th with a 2 run home run. The pen was solid closing it out with 3 scoreless innings as the Hooks won 6-0.
Asheville got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 3 runs on a Thomas 2 run home run and Frey solo home run. Smith got the start but struggled allowing 6 runs, 5 earned over 5 innings of work. Asheville got one back in the 6th on a Brutcher RBI single but that was it from the offense as they dropped game one 6-4.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 27: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners walks to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on April 27, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If the season ended today, the Mariners would miss the playoffs. The season doesn’t end today.
The Mariners will play their 54th game on Sunday to finish off the first third of the season. They are currently 25-28 and tied for second place (we’ll call it third) in the AL West, 1 1/2 games out of first and a 1/2 game out of the wild card. It’s been a disappointing start after last year’s banner and expectations for more in 2026. They’ve played hot and cold, with short, aggravating losing streaks between brief spouts of competence. They dropped a series to the worst team in baseball. They took a series from the best. If I had to describe the season in a word: Familiar.
I don’t want to talk about the Mariners today. You already know the deal. They’ve hit righties well. They’ve hit lefties poorly. Their lopsided roster has forced them to pinch hit to frustrating results. The pitching has been good but inconsistent, and nobody on Opening Day would have guessed the who or the how. Again… familiar.
Instead, I want to talk about seasons, specifically the Mariners’ season (tricked you). How much should we adjust our expectations at the one-third mark?
Some, but not a lot, is the short of it.
While the Mariners have lost more games than they’ve won, they’ve scored more runs than they’ve allowed. That’s important. If we want to consider how they might play going forward, we want to know their “true talent.” One of the best ways to measure “talent” is with run differential.
Let’s walk through the table, for those unfamiliar. The first column of numbers is good ol’ fashioned win rate. The second is PytheganPat win rate, which uses run differential to estimate wins. The third is Base Runs win rate, which uses more granular information (total bases) to estimate runs to estimate wins. And finally, we have gradient win rate, which is a lesser-known Tom Tango invention that weights run differential to estimate wins (distinguishing between a four-, eight-, and 12-run win).
The table shows the Mariners have played a bit better than their record to this point by each of the win estimators. It also suggests they haven’t been a good team, but they have indeed been a playoff-caliber one in a lackluster American League.
So where are those missing wins? That brings us to our next stop:
The Mariners are 7-13 in one-run games. I plotted them next to the 2025 Mariners, who won more one-run games than any other team in the majors. We can see that at about this point last year they were eight games better in contests decided by one run.
“To say that there is no skill in a team winning one-run games would be wrong. Teams that are good at scoring runs and preventing the other team from doing so will have a better chance at winning them. The problem is that one-run games actually happen in several different ways, and winning them would rely on the abilities of different parts of the roster. The way in which they unfold, often involving extra innings, adds an extra layer of variability over and above that of a normal game. Baseball is a game with a lot of randomness in it already, and that randomness overwhelms the effect of skill. Based on this, I wouldn’t recommend reading much into a team’s one-run record.”
You might expect a bad team to lose a lot of one-run games, because they lose a lot games period. And vice versa. But a “good” team could still lose a lot of one-run games without it being a reflection on their underlying skill. And vice versa. The Mariners, as it happens, are 15-15 in games decided by more than one run.
When should we start caring about the Mariners actual win rate? Pretty soon, but also, not for a while.
Let’s start with the good news. At this point in the season, through 53 games, actual win rate tells us the least about how a team will play going forward. The following plot shows the correlation between win rate at each game number and win rate the rest of the season.
We can see that winning the first game of the season tells us nothing about a team’s future success. Each game thereafter gives us a bit more information, until about game 100, when the sample size issue flips the other direction. Gradient win rate is generally the best at predicting the future, while actual win rate is the worst. We should expect the Mariners to play a bit better going forward.
OK, the bad news: Wins are wins are wins. The season isn’t played in Excel, and we don’t give trophies to decimals. The Mariners are indeed falling behind. I ran the same tests, but rather than looking at rest-of-season win rate, I looked at full-season win rate. We can see actual win rate becomes the best at predicting the final standings… right about now, as it turns out.
Still, seasons aren’t constants. The Mariners were hot at this time last year, then they collapsed in June, then had a great summer, then collapsed again, then went on one of the great runs in franchise history to close out the year. The 2022 squad was even more extreme, truly bottoming out around this time, before setting the longest win-streak in franchise history. Few teams are great from wire-to-wire, with the 2001 team being the exception.
This is all normal. Despite our irony and bloodlust, the Mariners are a fairly standard baseball team. Their current stretch — stumbling early and then hovering around .500 — is not at all out of place for a playoff-bound club.
I took every 25-game stretch for every team since 1996 and found the median best and worst win rates:
Good teams, bad teams — just about every team besides the 2001 Mariners — play good and bad at some point in a season. The difference between them in the final standings is how good and how bad and how often.
The Mariners worst 25-game stretch to this point was their first one, when they went 10-15 (.400) to open the year. Their best 25-game stretch came on May 8, when they capped a 14-11 (.560) stretch with a win over the Braves.
Let me throw out two things that are true:
If the Mariners have played their worst baseball this year, a pretty standard hot streak would get them into the 92-96 win range.
The Mariners probably haven’t played their worst baseball this year.
I’ll leave you with a Rorschach test. The Mariners are still favorites to win the AL West. The rest of the division is very bad. In fact, this is the worst the division has been on May 24 since 2011, a year where each team in the west was within three games of .500. The Rangers would go on to play the rest of the season with the best record in the American League. The Mariners would go on to play with the worst.
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 23: Texas Rangers outfielder Andrew McCutchen (4) catches a fly ball during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on May 23, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers (32-20) wrap up their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers (30-19). The division leaders split their first two games. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, with a 3.32 ERA, and Brandon Sproat for the Brewers, with a 5.75 ERA.
How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will each try to win the third game of the series, matching up NL division leaders in Milwaukee this afternoon.
L.A. has won eight of its last 10 games, while Milwaukee has won 12 of 15. After a prolonged cold streak, the Dodgers have found their bats. That’s why my Dodgers vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks call for L.A. to win a slugfest.
Who will win Dodgers vs Brewers today: Dodgers -1.5 (+100)
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 11 runs yesterday, the third time in seven games they’ve hit double figures. L.A. has scored 5+ in six of the last nine. Shohei Ohtani, who had a rare early-season slump, has now hit in nine straight, hitting .457 in the process.
The L.A. batters face Brandon Sproat, who has been sub-replacement this year with a 5.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. The Dodgers start Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has a 3.32 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00.
COVERS INTEL: Brandon Sproat gained velocity this year and added a cutter, but the results have been a disaster. He’s in the Bottom 1% in MLB in breaking ball value and the Bottom 3% overall. His fastball (27th percentile) is the only pitch not in baseball’s bottom quarter, and he has among MLB’s worst walk rates and chase rates.
Dodgers vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+105)
The Milwaukee Brewers have also been hitting. Sunday’s 11-3 loss snapped a streak of four straight scoring five or more. Yamamoto has allowed 3+ runs in four of his last five starts, surrendering six home runs over that period.
Milwaukee will want to get to him early — Yamamoto has a 7.00 first-inning ERA. The Brewers hit .263 with 110 OPS+ in the first and have six first-inning runs in the last two games.
Meanwhile, Dodgers batters have been more patient. They’ve walked 17 times in the first two games of the series and are walking 6.4 times per game over the last nine, up from 3.9 per game on the season up to that point.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 15-20, -4.28 units
Over/Under bets: 19-20, -2.51 units
Dodgers vs Brewers odds
Moneyline: Dodgers -163 | Brewers +156
Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+100) | Brewers +1.5 (+105)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+105) | Under 8.5 (-125)
Dodgers vs Brewers trend
The Dodgers have covered the run line in eight of their last 10 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Brewers.
How to watch Dodgers vs Brewers and game info
Location
American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Date
Sunday, May 24, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
SportsNet LA, Brewers.TV
Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-4, 3.32 ERA)
Brewers starting pitcher
Brandon Sproat (1-2, 5.75 ERA)
Dodgers vs Brewers latest injuries
Dodgers vs Brewers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
COVERS INTEL: Brandon Sproat gained velocity this year and added a cutter, but