Category: MLB

Mookie Betts singled and walked in his second and likely final rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and played six innings at shortstop. He advanced from first to third base twice after reaching base on Saturday.

In two games with Oklahoma City, Betts had two singles and a walk in his six trips to the plate.

“He’s going to play tonight, then he’ll be off for travel, and join us Monday,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. “That’s the plan as it is right now.”

Betts has been out the last five weeks with a strained oblique.

Per the Comets, Betts is the third former MVP winner to play with Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment in its modern era (1998-present), along with Cody Bellinger (five games from May 21-27, 2021) and Clayton Kershaw (eight total starts, in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, and2025).

Brusdar Graterol’s wild ride continued in his third rehab appearance for Oklahoma City. He got two outs in the fifth inning, but also allowed a run on two walks, a balk, and a triple.

Player of the day

Kendall George continued doing Kendall George things in Tulsa’s win. He singled, stole second base, and scored on a throwing error in the third inning. George singled in the eighth, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, then scored on another fielding error.

After George’s two hits on Saturday, his 12th multi-hit game this season, he’s hitting .336/.425/.388 this season. With two steals against Arkansas — he was also picked off once — George has 18 steals on the season to lead the Texas League.

At this point last season, when George finished with 100 steals in 111 games, he had 11 stolen bases for Great Lakes.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Jack Suwinski continued his extra-base-hit barrage in the Comets’ win over the Salt Lake Bees (Angels). He tied the game twice, first with an RBI single in the third inning, then with a two-run home run in the decisive four-run seventh.

Suwinski’s home run was his ninth of the season, and his 13th extra-base hit (eight doubles, five home runs) in his last 14 games, during which he’s hitting .407/.500/.833 with 17 runs batted in and 16 runs scored.

One night after hitting his first two home runs since getting traded to the Dodgers, Tyler Fitzgerald stole two bases on Saturday, a night in which he walked twice and singled. Fitzgerald started at third base in this one, his fourth start at the hot corner in seven games with Oklahoma City, in addition to two games at second base and one start at shortstop.

Saturday was a bullpen game, and after some rough middle innings, Keynan Middleton cleaned things up with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, with four strikeouts, to earn the win. Carlos Duran got the final four outs with two strikeouts of his own for the save.

Double-A Tulsa

Two runs in the eighth inning lifted the Drillers over the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners). Tulsa took advantage of a whopping seven errors by Arkansas.

George scored two of Tulsa’s four runs. Another came on a solo home run by Zyhir Hope, his sixth of the season and part of a two-hit game.

Adam Serwinowski limited the damage to only one run allowed in his 3 2/3 innings, but wildness remains a problem. He walked four and the only run scored against him came home on a wild pitch. After getting acquired at last year’s trade deadline, Serwinowski had a 9.5-percent walk rate between High-A Great Lakes (six starts) and Double-A Tulsa (one start). This year for the Drillers, Serwinowski has a 15.1-percent walk rate through seven starts, with 19 walks in his 24 2/3 innings to go with his 30 strikeouts.

The back end of Tulsa’s bullpen was stingy, with three strikeouts for Lucas Wepf in his two scoreless innings. Kelvin Ramirez struck out a batter and retired all six batters he faced to finish out the win.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons and the Lake County Captains (Guardians) were rained out on Saturday, which leads to a potential interesting schedule quirk. They will not attempt to play a doubleheader on Sunday in Eastlake, Ohio, but rather will make up the game later this season when the two teams meet at Great Lakes, in Midland, Michigan, at a date to be determined.

Great Lakes will host Lake County from June 16-21. The first three of those games are considered first-half games, so presumably the makeup game will be from June 16-18 if needed for playoff positioning. The two teams meet again in Lake County from September 1-6, the final week of the season.

Class-A Ontario

After giving up the lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Tower Buzzers scored four in the top of the seventh in a win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Ching-Hsien Ko homered twice as the designated hitter and drove in three runs in his four-hit night.

Third baseman Chase Harlan drove in five with his two doubles and a single, and also walked. Second baseman Joendry Vargas also had three hits, including two triples. Left fielder AJ Soldra also joined the three-hit brigade, with a double.

Hyun-Seok Jang struck out a season-high six but also walked four in his 4 1/3 innings, one more free pass than he issued in his first four starts and 16 2/3 innings combined. Jang allowed three runs, two of them earned, on five hits.

Transactions

Triple-A: Left-hander Charlie Barnes, claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, was assigned to Oklahoma City.

High-A: After first baseman Cameron Decker and infielder Jordan Thompson were placed on the injured list on Friday, infielder Jose Hernandez was promoted to Great Lakes. Hernandez with Ontario played mostly first base, plus one game each at third base and in right field.

Class-A: Outfielders Brendan Tunink and Landyn Vidourek were activated off the injured list. Tunink (hamstring strain) hadn’t played for Ontario since April 14, and Vidourek was out since April 18.

Saturday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Salt Lake 4
• Tulsa 4, Arkansas 2
• Great Lakes at Lake County, postponed
• Ontario 10, Rancho Cucamonga 8

Sunday schedule

• 10 a.m.: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Lake County (Melkis Hernandez)
• 11:35 a.m.: Tulsa (TBA) at Arkansas (Adam Leverett)
• 12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Logan Allen) vs. Salt Lake (Caden Dana)
• 2 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at Rancho Cucamonga (Talon Haley)

The Mariners lost a bummer of a game in Chicago yesterday but still have a chance at a series win tomorrow at 11:10 am PST.

Happy Sunday everybody!

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners announced yesterday that Bryce Miller will be making his season debut on Wednesday in Houston. Manager Dan Wilson said that with Miller’s return, the club will run a six-man rotation for the remainder of the road trip and decide how to proceed when the team gets back to Seattle.
• Big shoutout to the Chicago White Sox who made the super classy move of going well out of their way to honor the great Rick Rizzs during his last visit to the Southside.

Around the league…

• The great Bobby Cox, who managed the Braves during their juggernaut era of the ‘90’s, sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 84 years old. The tragic news was met with a massive outpouring of respect and grief from a litany of Braves legends, both past and present.
• The Cleveland Guardians acquired defensive catching specialist Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and the 29th overall draft pick in the upcoming draft. Bailey has been a “change of scenery” candidate since his debut, and the difference in offensive environment in Cleveland has the potential to unlock some extra production.
• Minnesota Twins placed pitcher Taj Bradley on the 15-Day IL with inflammation in his right pec, an injury that’s probably pretty miserable if you have any musculature in your chest, which I do not.
• Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday will be getting reps at third base during his upcoming injury rehab assignment, a move that manager Craig Albernaz says could add some necessary positional flexibility to the Orioles roster.
• The Houston Astros filled the roster that was vacated when they placed starter Hunter Brown on the 60-day IL with recently released Mariners outfielder Rhylan Thomas.
• (CW: Domestic Abuse) The writers at [eyeblack] obtained a recording of a call between Olivia Feinstead, one of the women who accused Mike Clevinger of domestic abuse, and MLB’s Department of Investigations. In the call, Feinstead strongly opposes that the evidence provided by herself and other accusers did not qualify as substantial evidence. Also learned by [eyeblack] was that the league did not interview all of the accusers and witnesses provided. If true, this all paints an upsetting picture of gross incompetence by the investigators tasked with evaluating all available evidence to determine disciplinary action.

Nick’s pick…

• Growler Guys, the delightful Lake City tap room that has hosted a number of Lookout Landing community events, was struck by tragedy yesterday. The owners have announced that they will be closed for the remainder of the rest of the weekend and are asking for privacy at this time.

Team News

That’s more like it for Merrill Kelly in Diamondbacks’ win vs. Mets

“You guys have seen me long enough to know that if I’m commanding the ball, I’ve got a pretty good chance,” Kelly said. “If I’m not, it’s going to be a long day for me. … I’ve been putting myself in bad counts, putting people on with free passes and then getting hurt after that. So I was able to limit a little bit of the damage.” https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/merrill-kelly-mets

After ‘getting F’s the whole time’ in ’26, Kelly turns in A-plus outing
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Kelly said. “You almost feel like the kid who finally passed the test. You know, you feel like the kid who’s been getting F’s the whole time and finally got an A. But like I said, it feels a lot better walking off the mound knowing that you gave your team a chance to win. And that’s the big takeaway from today.” https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/merrill-kelly-goes-7-innings-dominates-mets-in-d-backs-win

Merrill Kelly’s Start vs Mets Was Huge Sigh of Relief for the D-backshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/merrill-kelly-start-mets-huge-sigh-relief-d-backs

Diamondbacks End Losing Streak With Tight Win Over Metshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-end-losing-streak-tight-win-mets

Diamondbacks flamethrower Justin Martinez begins throwing bullpenshttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/justin-martinez-bullpens

Other Baseball

Bobby Cox, Hall of Fame manager and Braves icon, passes away at 84
https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-cox-dies

Freddie Freeman, coaches remember late manager Bobby Coxhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48726457/baseball-remembers-late-manager-bobby-cox-lost-great-one

Remembering Bobby Cox, iconic manager of the Atlanta Braveshttps://www.batterypower.com/atlanta-braves-history/131373/remembering-bobby-cox-iconic-manager-of-the-atlanta-braves-toronto-blue-jays-obituary

Guardians acquire Gold Glove catcher Bailey from Giantshttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48721649/guardians-acquire-gold-glove-catcher-bailey-giants

Orioles To Give Jackson Holliday Reps At Third Base During Rehabhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/orioles-to-give-jackson-holliday-reps-at-third-base-during-rehab.html

Witt hits inside-the-park HR … on a ground ball
https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-witt-jr-hits-speedy-inside-the-park-homer

Crew capitalizes on Yankees’ blunder for first walk-off win of ’26
https://www.mlb.com/news/william-contreras-walk-off-sac-fly-lifts-brewers

Pirates erupt for season-high 20 hits to back Ashcraft’s gem in rout of Giantshttps://www.mlb.com/pirates/news/pirates-tally-20-hits-to-back-braxton-ashcraft-s-gem

Here are MLB’s top Mother’s Day moments
https://www.mlb.com/news/best-baseball-mothers-day-moments

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-10

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/May_10

The Earth used to be purple.

Green is seen as a symbol of life, but scientists claim that the earliest life on Earth might have been purple. Currently, chlorophyll molecules create the greenish hue of organisms. However, scientists theorize that ancient microbes may have used a different molecule to harness sun rays, giving organisms a violet hue instead.

Small breeds of dogs live longer than larger breeds.

Smaller breeds have a life expectancy of 12-14 years. Larger dogs, on the other hand, have a life expectancy of around 8-10 years. For giant breeds, they can live as short as 5 years up to 8 years.

Avocados never ripen while they are still attached to the tree.

Avocados do not ripes despite physically maturing mainly due to the inhibitor located in the fruit stem. This makes it a convenient storage system for farmers

The San Diego Padres faced a catching void after Luis Campusano suffered a broken toe. The front office sidestepped pressure from the Friar Faithful to promote Ethan Salas to the majors by calling up Rodolfo Duran instead. And for the moment, the Padres will let Salas stay and develop in the minors. 

It was the right move.

Salas needs some seasoning

Yes, his call-up could be on the horizon. But the organizational mindset appears to have changed toward Salas. It makes sense to keep him at the team’s Double-A affiliate, San Antonio, and let Salas develop his skills without pressure from above.

A very different approach to the standard in today’s baseball, where teams bring up top prospects and let them develop at the big league level. One problem with that equation for the Friars is that their prized prospect has not played much in his minor league career.

Salas nearly missed the entire 2025 season (played 10 games) due to a lower back stress reaction. Team doctors believe injuries of this nature are common for young catchers who are handling a professional baseball workload for the first time. The lost season hindered his growth, leaving him behind front-office expected development projections.

He has put together quite a body of work in the first month of the 2026 season. Salas is hitting .322/.398/.567 with five home runs, 17 RBI, and a .965 OPS in 26 games. The 19-year-old backstop is a slick defender who is figuring it out in the batter’s box.

Despite the early-season success, the club feels staying in the minors is the best course for long-term success in the majors. However, a hot bat could expedite his target date. 

Padres sticking with the veterans

The Padres’ front office is operating with a newfound sense of urgency following last postseason’s early exit in the Wildcard round against the Chicago Cubs. The 2026 roster is veteran-heavy, featuring 15 players aged 30 and older. In fact, the Friars are the fourth-oldest team in the majors, with an average age of 30 years and six months. 

This group seems to be fighting for one another every night, despite the disappointing results of late. Yes, the first six weeks of the season have felt like a roller-coaster ride. But team chemistry should be left untouched.

Granted, roster moves might come later if the Padres fall into an extended descent. Salas could be called up at that time. The hope is for him to contribute and help the team win games. If he is ready to make his major league debut, it could happen after the All-Star break. 

Do not read much into the Padres not calling up Salas from the minors. It does not change their opinion of him or what type of player they believe he will become.

In hindsight, the Friars thought it was the right move to leave Salas in San Antonio. Time will tell if that decision pays off.

For the second day in a row, the Yankees played a somewhat frustrating game in Milwaukee. They did better offensively on Saturday, but the three runs didn’t end up being enough, as the Brewers rallied twice before walking it off in the 10th inning. With the Yankees facing a speed bump after a hot run in recent weeks, were any of their AL foes able to take advantage in Saturday’s action? Let’s see in today’s Rivalry Roundup.

Toronto Blue Jays (18-21) 14, Los Angeles Angels (15-25) 1

You might not have guessed that this game was still close when the Blue Jays came to bat in the fifth, but it was. However shortly later, it was no longer close and Toronto was on their way to a blowout win.

Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz wasn’t terrible at first, as he got through three innings scoreless and then managed to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out spot by allowing just one run. Things came unraveled in the fifth for him, though. The first six Toronto batters reached to start the fifth, with an error on Kochanowicz himself mixed in with the hits and walks. The sixth of those chased the pitcher from the game, but the Jays then tacked on a couple more runs. Brandon Valenzuela added a three-run homer, amid a four-hit day for him, as Toronto put up seven runs in the fifth to take full control of the game.

The Blue Jays ended up tacking on six more runs before the game was over, as they put up 20 hits on the day. With a score that lopsided, you might think the Angels had nothing in either the pitching or hitting department, but they did have their chances. The Angels recorded 10 hits themselves, but they left nine runners on base for the game.

Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox

No action between two of the Yankees’ other AL foes, as Rays-Red Sox was rained out, with a makeup date scheduled for July.

Other Games

• Minnesota Twins (17-23) 2, Cleveland Guardians (21-20) 1 – 11 innings: The Guardians allowed just two hits all game to the Twins, both to Byron Buxton. Unfortunately for them, both happened to be big ones. After Buxton led off the game with a home run, Minnesota did not record another hit until the top of the 11th inning. It just so happened that one was an RBI double that gave Minnesota the lead for good, as the Guardians only managed two hits themselves for the game.

• Texas Rangers (18-21) 6, Chicago Cubs (27-13) 0: The Rangers snapped the Cubs’ 10-game winning streak thanks to a combined shutout from their pitching staff. Jack Leiter kept Chicago off the board in his 4.2 innings, but was limited thanks to the five walks he issued. However, Texas’ bullpen kept up the pace to blank the Cubs. At the plate, Josh Jung led the Rangers, going 3-for-4 on the day.

• Kansas City Royals (19-21) 5, Detroit Tigers (18-22) 1: Bobby Witt Jr.’s inside-the-park homer set the tone for the Royals as they downed the Tigers. Kansas City only scored in two innings in the game, but they put up five runs across them, which ended up being plenty. Michael Wacha allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings to help KC to the win.

• Chicago White Sox (18-21) 6, Seattle Mariners (19-21) 1: The muddled mess that is the AL West continues to not get much clearer, and that continued as the Mariners fell to the White Sox on Saturday. Seattle mustered just one run on four hits of White Sox starter Anthony Kay and Chicago’s bullpen. Meanwhile, M’s starter Luis Castillo lasted just four innings himself, having allowed homers to Colton Montgomery and Miguel Vargas.

Saturday was a day filled with not just home runs, but prospect home runs. In total four games got played, with the Columbus doubleheader being rained out, and nine homers were hit by members of the Atlanta Braves farm system – including a pair of two-homer games by Logan Braunschweig and Colby Jones. We also saw another big day from Isaiah Drake, Tate Southisene getting back in the hit column, rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim being very productive, and a solid start out of Lucas Braun.

Gwinnett Stripers 11, Norfolk Tides 3

• Ha-Seong Kim, SS: 2-4, 2B, BB, R, .333/.412/.400
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 3-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, .235/.343/.522
• Brewer Hicklen, CF: 3-4, 3B, BB, 3 R, SB, .337/.423/.584
• Lucas Braun, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.72 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

Lucas Braun turned in five solid innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out six, to go with a game-high 10 whiffs. He was excellent in this one, prior to getting removed after the fifth with a pitch count of 82. Dylan Dodd came in and went the next inning and two thirds, and though he was mostly good – he did make a pair of mistakes that went for solo homers. Tayler Scott finished off the seventh inning with the final out, before Daysbel Hernandez and Joel Payamps pitched scoreless innings to finish this game off.

The Stripers offense was also quite the story, as six guys reached base multiple times in an 11-run effort. Rowdy Tellez was once again a star, as he went three for five with a double, homer, and three runs batted in. Brewer Hicklen went three for four with a walk, triple, steal, and scored three runs. Rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim played the full game at short, and was two for four with a walk, double, and run scored. Brett Wisley (2-5), Nacho Alvarez (3 walks), and Jair Camargo (2-4) were the other three Stripers to reach multiple times in a game where eight of the nine starters reached base safely.

Columbus Clingstones at Biloxi Shuckers – PPD, Rain – Game 1

Columbus Clingstones at Biloxi Shuckers – PPD, Rain – Game 2

Both ends of the doubleheader were rained out pretty early in the day. One of them is being rescheduled for tomorrow, while the other has yet to have a date set.

Rome Emperors 17, Asheville Tourists 13

• Logan Braunschweig, RF: 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, .301/.420/.470
• Isaiah Drake, LF: 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB, .288/.355/.480
• Colby Jones, 3B: 2-3, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 RBI, .277/.452/.404
• Cam Caminti, SP: 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5.34 ERA

Box Score

Cam Caminiti didn’t have his best day here, as he was charged with seven runs (four earned) in three innings. Caminiti allowed six hits and two walks, while striking out three and picking up seven whiffs. Caminiti was mostly throwing strikes, but his stuff proved quite hittable, including a pair of homers allowed. He was followed by Jacob Kroeger, who would allow five runs in just an inning and two thirds. Logan Samuels got charged with one additional run over his two and a third innings, while Drew Christo was responsible for two scoreless frames.

Despite a rough day from the Rome pitching staff, they were able to pick up the win thanks to a huge day from their offense. Both Logan Braunschweig and Colby Jones hit a pair of homers, while Isaiah Drake added one of his own for the second day in a row. Drake went three for four with the homer, double, two walks, a stolen base, and was responsible for three runs scored plus two batted in. Braunschweig got credited with four batted in, while Jones scored four during his two for three game that also included two walks. Those weren’t the only guys in the lineup with big days however, as John Gil was three for six with three runs scored, Dixon Williams was two for three with a double, two walks, two stolen bases, a run scored, and two batted in, and Eric Hartman went two for five with a walk, two runs, and one batted in.

Augusta GreenJackets 7, Charleston RiverDogs 6

• Tate Southisene, SS: 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, 2 SB, .265/.420/.470
• Alex Lodise, DH: 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, .254/.322/.410
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 3-4, HR, BB, R, RBI, 3 SB, .299/.336/.504
• Zach Royse, SP: 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 5.08 ERA

Box Score

Zach Royse had some ups and downs in this one. On one hand he allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks over his five innings of work. On the other hand he struck out five, and also recorded 15 whiffs in his 80 pitches. He was relieved by Mathieu Curtis, who pitched two and two thirds scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Adiel Melendez went the final inning and a third without giving up a run, and picked up the win as the Jackets came back from a 6-2 deficit and scored the winning run on a walk-off single in the ninth.

This was another game with prospect homers, as Luis Guanipa and Alex Lodise both went yard. Guanipa went three for four with the homer, a walk, and three stolen bases – with the homer being his career-high sixth of the season. Lodise was two for five and batted in a pair of runs. A day after his on base streak ended, Tate Southisene was back to getting on base frequently. Southisene doubled in four at bats, walked, stole two bases, and scored two runs. Those weren’t the only homers, as Cooper McMurray also added one. Nick Montgomery added a double and a walk in the win, while it was Junior Garcia who came through with the walk-off single, for his second hit of the night.

FCL Braves 4, FCL Rays 3

• Manuel Campos, SS: 1-3, BB, 2 R, 2 SB
• Gabriel Cesa, CF: 2-4, 2 RBI
• Gensi Angeles, SP: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Box Score

Statcast

Gensi Angeles got the start, and pitched a very strong outing. Angeles was charged with just one unearned run on five hits and a pair of walks over five and two thirds innings. He struck out four batters, and picked up seven whiffs. While Angeles didn’t average 90 MPH with any pitch, he did pick up at least one whiff with four different pitches and had quality spin on them – and the curveball was responsible for three of his four strikeouts. Daniel Brooks followed for the next inning and a third, and was charged with a pair of runs. The final two innings came from Yander Pinero, who didn’t allow any further damage to come across.

Manuel Campos was the star on offense, as he was one for three with a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Campos also recorded one exit velocity of 105.3 MPH, the top mark in the game and another at 98.4 MPH. Gabriel Cesa went two for four and batted in a pair of runs, while a rehabbing Will Verdung was one for two with a pair of walks. Juan Espinal (2-4) and Johan Rodriguez (1-3, BB) also reached base multiple times.

This week, we lost two key figures on Atlanta Braves history. Ted Turner accumulated discounted media, bought the Atlanta Braves, and built and rode the cable television wave to a fortune and brought the America’s Team to millions across the country. Bobby Cox served forty plus years in baseball and helped build, nurture, and inspire the Atlanta Braves to fourteen straight division titles, one World Series Championship, gaining undying loyalty and a record-setting number of ejections. If you’re in a younger generation, you barely know them or just caught the tail end of the story. But we’re learning again about their greatness and some of the lost lore is starting to emerge.

They’re as Atlanta Brave as it gets. It makes me wonder how everybody thinks about when they think about the Braves. I remember this conversation with my mother from a few years during probably the last time we watched together.

Mother: Why are the Braves wearing orange?
Me: Mother, that’s the Mets. They’re the home team.
No it isn’t. The team wearing black is the Mets.
That’s not black. It’s a really dark navy that looks black.
It’s ugly.
Yeah I don’t like it either, but they’re short-sleeved and some pitchers like it.
Where’s Bobby Cox?
They have a new manager now.
Is his brother managing?
His brother?
Yeah, him and his brother used to set next to each other and his brother would just rock back and forth just nervous about everything. He looks just like him.

So to my mother, Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone plus red, blue, and mostly white uniforms equaled Atlanta Braves. Which is fair, I think, if you folded laundry and talked on the phone while I had the Braves on. So who is Braves Baseball to you? If I picked three, it’s probably Bobby Cox, Andruw Jones, and John Smoltz.

Probably my favorite Bobby Cox memory was a game in 2003. The umpire told Kevin Grybowski to take off a gray bandage on his pitching hand. Not on the fingers, on the wrist because it could deceive the batter. This was after he had already thrown 15 pitches. Bobby Cox blew a gasket, pulled Grybowski off the mound, and got tossed. Lots of times his anger was theatrical, but it wasn’t that night. He tells the media afterward that “these hitters can come up to the plate with all this body armor on and the pitcher can’t even wear a bandaid.” He protected his player, got tossed, and Barry Bonds took a stray. That’s a Bobby Cox trifecta there.

I don’t have my three in any order and they’re not necessarily the most important to the 15-year run. But those are the ones I think when I think Braves. There are no wrong answers here or decade limitations. If Ronnie and Ozzie are the Atlanta Braves to you, then they are.

The San Diego Padres entered the top of the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Padres reliever Adrian Morejon was on the mound and manager Craig Stammen was following the blueprint to a San Diego win. Randy Vasquez started the game and pitched five innings of one-run ball scattering six hits without allowing a walk and striking out six. Jeremiah Estrada worked a scoreless sixth and Jason Adam followed with a scoreless seventh. Morejon was supposed to pitch a scoreless eighth before handing the ball to Mason Miller to close out the win. It did not happen that way.

Instead, Morejon hit JJ Weatherholt to put a runner on with one out. He then allowed a double to Ivan Herrera, which scored Weatherholt and cut the Padres lead to one run. Morejon faced lefty Alec Burleson and got him to ground out for the second out of the inning, but then Stammen called on Miller for a four-out save. The right-hander did his job in the top of the eighth and got one of the Cardinals’ hottest hitters in Jordan Walker to ground out to end the inning, stranding the tying run at second base.

Manny Machado launched a one-out solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning to push the lead to 4-2, but San Diego did not score any additional insurance runs. Miller returned to the mound in the top of the ninth inning and looked less than dominant… kind of. Miller allowed a leadoff walk, recorded a strikeout and then allowed the second walk of the inning to put runners at first and second base. Miller then recorded his second strikeout of the inning and followed that with his third strikeout, but Freddy Fermin was unable to keep the ball in front of him and Yohel Pozo was able to reach first base safely to load the bases. Miller then faced Weatherholt and froze him with a fastball down the middle for the fourth strikeout of the inning, earning the save and the win.

Ty France opened the scoring for San Diego with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Fernando Tatis Jr. came up with two out and runners at second and third and dumped a shallow fly ball in right field, which allowed two runs to score to put the Padres ahead, 3-1.

The Padres will play for the split when they host the Cardinals in the fourth game of the series at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Yuki Matsui was being stretched out during his minor league rehab assignment and he wants to continue to work toward helping the Padres cover multiple innings out of the ’pen.

• Tony Gwynn would have turned 66 on Saturday, but he died far too young. The man they called Mr. Padre was a legend in San Diego and beyond. Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribuneshared his thoughts on Gwynn.

Baseball News:

• Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame manager, Bobby Cox, died at the age of 84. The Braves honored Cox by knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blake Snell returned from the IL and made the start for the Dodgers.

• The San Francisco Giants traded catcher Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians for prospects.

• The Milwaukee Brewers got a walk-off win to take down the New York Yankees.

• The Chicago Cubs proved they are not a machine and lost for the first time in 10 games.

• San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb lands on IL.

The boos started to boil over from the stands in the 6th inning. A walk, a wild pitch, and two consecutive RBI singles allowed by Ryan Walker set off audible mutterings of a mutiny. The fan uprising grew louder after Heliot Ramos couldn’t pick a line drive out of the lights, turning what should’ve been a flyout into a RBI double that ultimately beget a six-run 7th for Pittsburgh.

The boos became physical, dark winged omens that crow-hopped around the infield, shrieking expletives and crawing curses as more baseballs collided with Giants defenders. A routine grounder that should’ve ended the inning jumped out of Willy Adames’s glove, leading to a 2-run triple off the bat of Brandon Lowe. A comebacker to Gregory Santos off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn hit the palm of his glove and ejected itself without the reliever knowing it. Another run scored. 

What was an exchange of scoreless frames for four innings between starters Landen Roupp and Braxton Ashcraft devolved into an ugly exposé for the Giants once the bullpen took over.

Rampant and pervasive ills were on full display: their impatience at the plate, their inability to build rallies, hit for power, stress-out opposing arms, as well as their unstructured, unproven, and unreliable relief corps. 

This bunch in a nutshell:    

The Pirates plated 10 runs over the 5th, 6th, and 7th frames.

On a day that the Giants off-loaded an offensively-challenged catcher, another discarded backstop in Joey Bart collected four hits and two RBIs while scoring thrice. His infield knock to start the 5th chased Roupp from the mound, kickstarting Pittsburgh’s offensive takeover. They go on to collect 13 runs and 17 more hits off six different relievers. The hits weren’t blasts either. The Pirates picked and pecked on the Giants. They singled them out — in a sense, beating them at their own game (if it’s even fair to say this team has “a game”). 

15 of Pittsburgh’s 20 hits on the night were singles (and two of their extra base hits came with Christian Koss on the mound in the 9th). Why were those measly one-baggers so meaningful. Quantity helps, but the main difference was clearly in the quality of the at-bats. A single on the second pitch of the at-bat versus the seventh or eighth? That wears on an arm. The Pirates took to the plate with a mortar-and-pestle, grinding the baseball down into a fine powder with foul balls and disciplined takes. They managed just a pair of hits off Roupp but forced him to throw 90+ pitches over 4 innings. 8 strikeouts, while cool, didn’t help his efficiency. Nor did his 44% first pitch strike rate. Pittsburgh’s starter Ashcraft’s rate: 65%. He ended up throwing 80 pitches over 7 complete. Pirates eventually worked five walks to go along with their 20 knocks, they took advantage of over-enthusiastic relays home, capitalized on errors, and went 10-for-22 with runners in scoring position. 

Meanwhile, as the top half of innings labored on, the bottom half of innings went by in a blink of an eye, and there seemed to be no willingness by Giants hitters to change  their approach until the 9th inning, when, down by a dozen runs, Ramos earned San Francisco’s first walk in 130 batters. They had gone nearly four games, 34 straight innings, without managing a base-on-balls. 

Of course, Ramos bat-flipped it. The irony of the gesture had never been more apparent. It actually led to the Giants most productive rally of the game: an RBI single from Eric Haase, and three walks and a hit batter. Go figure.  

In Mike Krukow’s words, the loss was a “burnt pizza,” a phrase taken from his time playing for the Cub affiliate Key West Conchs in the early 70s. The wisdom here is you don’t over-analyze a “burnt pizza.” Sometimes you make a dumb mistake, the oven temp is too high, or you forget to set a timer, and the pizza becomes a charred saucer in an instant. There’s wisdom in that story. But burning a pizza could reveal some obvious executive functioning problems that need to be addressed. Sometimes you can’t just throw a mistake out like that and move on — an autopsy might be necessary; a good and long, soul-searching look in the mirror in which you ask yourself, through gritted teeth, how did you burn the pizza?   

Or we could just bin it, and distract ourselves. Oh, look over there! Bryce Eldridge’s first career homer! 

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The sluggers are out in full force today with 15 games on the MLB docket.

Yordan Alvarez went yard already this weekend, and he’ll headline my home run picks and MLB player props for Sunday, May 10, alongside Kazuma Okamoto and Kyle Schwarber.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Kyle Schwarber	+239
Kazuma Okamoto	+430
Yordan Alvarez	+256
💲Today's HR parlay	+6296

Home run pick: Kyle Schwarber (+239)

Kyle Schwarber is coming off a career year where he hit 56 home runs, and the Philadelphia Phillies slugger is looking to top that number in 2026.

Schwarber is already up to 14 dingers in 40 games and has gone yard in three consecutive contests.

Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano has surrendered six dingers in seven starts, while the Colorado bullpen has allowed 24 homers — third most in the MLB.

Schwarber has hit 11 of his 14 home runs vs. right-handed pitching, so he’s got a perfect matchup today.

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-Philadelphia, Rockies.TV

Home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+430)

Kazuma Okamoto has stepped up for the injury-riddled Toronto Blue Jays with a team-leading 10 homers in 38 games.

The Japanese import has been on fire in May with five dingers in his last eight contests to go along with a .355 batting average and .871 slugging percentage.

L.A. Angels starter Jose Soriano has impressive numbers, but he’s fallen off heavily over his last two outings. 

The southpaw has allowed two homers in each of those starts, while the Angels' pen has the MLB’s third-worst ERA (5.42) and the fourth-most home runs surrendered (22). 

• Time: 1:37 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet One, Angels Broadcast Television

Home run pick: Yordan Alvarez (+256)

Yordan Alvarez snapped a six-game home run drought on Friday, and the Houston Astros star has a good opportunity to add to his lofty totals on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds starter Andrew Abbott has given up at least one homer in four of his last seven appearances, while Alvarez has launched six of his 13 dingers against southpaws in just 56 at-bats vs. lefties.

Alvarez has the fifth-best rate of barrels per plate appearance in the MLB at 13.4%, so chances are he squares up a few balls this afternoon.

• Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Space City Home Network, Reds.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Kyle Schwarber	Bet Now +6296
Kazuma Okamoto
Yordan Alvarez

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Last night, the Phillies’ bullpen held the Rockies without a baserunner over 4 1/3 innings. Colorado isn’t exactly a titan of offensive production, but this season, they’ve also been no slouch. Holding them down like that is still rather impressive.

It got me thinking: other Jhoan Duran, who is this team’s best reliever this season? Naturally my mind went to Brad Keller, but he’s been merely good instead of his otherworldly self he was in 2025. Chase Shugart has opened some eyes so far, but would we really put him second behind Duran? There are other options to choose from, but I still think it might be Keller.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to those in your lives!

By almost all accounts, the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals have surpassed expectations so far this year and are well on pace to blow past preseason win projections, which has made my wallet happy. It has been a full team effort so far, with the lineup coming with plenty of surprises and great performances, and the pitching staff chipping in with solid games here and there, although less consistent than we would like to see. Regardless of those frustrations, the Cardinals are still above .500 and in playoff contention as we approach the 1/4 mark of the season. If the offense slumps, though, is there anyone in the organization that can jolt the lineup back into what we have come to expect from an electric top of the lineup?

To answer that question, though, that means someone is going to have to be removed from the overachieving lineup, an offense that currently measures as 4% above league-average and top-10 in the league in power stats. As with every team’s lineup, there are holes in the Cardinals’ normal alignment. Outside of the top half of the order, the bottom 4-5 players have had runs of good, followed by longer, more painful runs of bad. By measure of wRC+, spots 1-3 in the order all fall in the top 10 of baseball, while only the seven-spot in the lineup ranks among those top teams. In the other five lineup spots, none are greater than 14th-best in baseball.

Who will be the first Cardinals player to lose their regular playing time?

The starting lineup is a point of conversation literally every game, with fans wondering how Oli Marmol could bat someone in a certain spot or why another player is getting an off day despite “getting paid millions to play a game for three hours a day”. I do my best to stay out of those unintelligent conversations, having been in a clubhouse and see the day to day for how a baseball team works, of course nowhere near the level these guys grind everyday. And yes, it is a grind. Okay, stepping off the soapbox and moving along.

To avoid talking more about the spots in the order, let me shift to talking about the actual players and their production at the plate. I think we are all in agreement that JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn are written in pen, barring injury, of getting the starter at bats for the entire season and beyond as they look to cement themselves as the core of the next great Cardinals team. That makes sense as each of those five players has rated as above-average offensive contributors and could be fixtures in figuring out what the next step is in this rebuild.

Of the remaining four spots, the players with the most at-bats so far this year are catcher Pedro Pages, center fielder Victor Scott II, outfielder Nathan Church, and third baseman Nolan Gorman. Now, as I figure out which of these players will be the first to lose out on their playing time, I will try to keep my personal emotions and expectations for them aside and attempt to be realistic in who is out first. In my preseason expectations, I had Victor Scott II nowhere near the starting lineup for this season or beyond, but the word around the organization was that he had changed his swing and the staff was excited for what he was going to bring this year. Nathan Church was truly just an afterthought for me, a placeholder until the next bus from Memphis came up or Lars Nootbaar became healthy. There was never a doubt that Pages was going to remain the starting catcher, even as they kept Yohel Pozo on the roster and had Herrera working his way back behind the plate. And Nolan Gorman, the one I was highest on coming into the year, was supposed to finally get his runway (no his 1500 PAs coming into the year was not enough, in my opinion) and get his at-bats against righties and lefties while slotting in the middle of the order.

So, where are we now?

Victor Scott II has turned it on the last couple of weeks, finally tallying his first barrel of the year with his first homer, but his current “hot streak” still has him hitting below .200 with an OPS that starts with a four. The whole idea was that VSII was going to find ways on base, with a punch and Judy single, bunt, or a walk, but he is currently reaching base just 25% of the time, severely limiting his premier speed tool. Because of his inconsistent on-base skills, Scott has six stolen bases (off pace from his preseason goal of 70) but caught thrice after being thrown out just four times in 38 attempts last year. His defense has also fallen below his normal Gold Glove levels, settling in as simply above-average, but there are plenty of solid defensive center fielders who can provide more at the dish. Because of this, he is my first man out in terms of the lineup. The issue with this whole exercise, though, is that there has to be someone ready to take that spot. For me, that moves Nathan Church over to center, leaving left field open for the next man up.

The fun answer would be that Joshua Baez gets his shot to play left field in the bigs, at least until Lars Nootbaar is healthy and ready to return. That would give Baez a low-risk opportunity, albeit with a timeline, assuming that Noot returns at the end of May as has been reported. It would also give him consistent at-bats, which is the biggest reason I am against top prospect promotions unless there is an everyday spot open. Baez was off to a slow start with Memphis, but has found another level in recent weeks, raising his overall season line to .250/.336/.500 with seven homers and six stolen bases, but has seen his strikeout rate back at pre-2025 levels. For me, I am saying lets wait on a Baez promotion for another couple of weeks.

With Chaim Bloom stating at the beginning of the year that he wants to keep guys around without having to jump through the 40-man hoops, that means it would likely be Jose Fermin as the next man up for the daily left field reps. It is not attractive, fun, or really even exciting, but he is already on the roster and has performed better than VSII in his limited opportunities. The team obviously is high on Fermin, keeping him around rather than Thomas Saggese (before calling Saggese back up) as Fermin is out of options and done well so far. Whether they are worried about another team claiming him, or they truly think he’s a viable major league player remains to be seen, but for now, he is the next man up in the outfield for the Cardinals. I was hoping Saggese could flash something with the bat like he did as a Texas League MVP, but that has not come to pass just yet.

Nolan Gorman has unfortunately been much of the same with the bat so far this year despite the lower strikeout rate. That improved discipline has not resulted in more power, as his OPS is in line with his past three seasons. What has been impressive, though, is his above-average defense at third, which I expected after bouncing between third, second, and the bench with irregularity while Nolan Arenado was in town. I have constantly called him a “more athletic Kyle Schwarber”, hoping that he could hit 30+ homers while actually contributing on the defensive end, but I may be willing to admit those hopes were too high, even though Gorman is still just 25-years-old. I am not ready to pull the plug on him since he still has the chance to do some damage with the bat and has at least shown some improvements in his approach. There is also the fact that nobody is ready to take over for him at third just yet.

My preseason pick to click was Blaze Jordan and I am still feeling good about that with his scorching start to the Triple-A season after ending last year with a whimper. Currently, Blaze is hitting .322 with a 148 wRC+ with eight homers and stellar strikeout rate. His has spent more time at third base then first so far and has yet to make an error at the hot corner, so he could be getting closer to that major league debut. Like I just mentioned, if Blaze were to be called up, I want it to be for everyday opportunity, otherwise I could see his career going the same way as Luken Baker. A Gorman injury or complete incompetence would open up that shot, but beyond that, we may have to continue waiting on the Jordan promotion to St. Louis.

Onto Pages. The Ivan Herrera move back to catcher has been as expected, solid receiver with an inability to throw runners out but a spectacular knowledge of the strike zone and ABS challenges. Because of Herrera’s arm, the organization’s infatuation with Pages’ game calling, and Pages’ knack for the random clutch hit, the split behind the plate should be expected to continue, even with Jimmy Crooks playing well in Memphis. Despite the mid-.600s OPS for the entirety of his career, Pages continues to see time as the starting catcher, a role best suited for any of the other top catching prospects in the organization, but Pages profiles as a just fine backup catcher on a contending team. As a placeholder while Herrera hopes his arm bounces back and the next level of catchers approach the bigs, Pages is doing his job with the Cardinals.

The whole idea of the 2026 season was for the Cardinals to get answers on the vast majority of their roster. As we approach the quarter mark of the year, it looks like they are on their way of doing just that. However, even if the team continues to outperform those preseason expectations, we should not expect major turnover with the big league roster as the fact-finding mission continues. A worst-case scenario for Chaim Bloom would be if he were to give up on one of these youngsters too early and Cardinal Nation would get unfair flashbacks of Randy Arozarena. The next man up will likely have to continue waiting for their next opportunity.

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The Toronto Blue Jays' bats erupted last night, and I expect the party to keep on rolling into today’s matchup against Jose Soriano.

Read on to see why with my Blue Jays vs. Angels predictions and MLB Picks on Sunday, May 10. 

Angels vs Blue Jays predictions

Angels vs Blue Jays best bet: Jose Soriano Over 5.5 hits (+120)

Jose Soriano was looking like a Cy-Young favourite a couple of weeks ago, but he’s been roughed up in back-to-back outings as reality is setting in for the veteran right-hander.

This regression was expected as his 1.74 ERA didn’t match up with his 3.58 xERA, while ranking in the 62nd percentile in xBA.

Soriano has now allowed six or more hits in three straight outings, which includes a start against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 22, where he surrendered seven hits to Toronto. 

I expect the Jays' bats to roll again this afternoon after waking up yesterday with a 20-hit performance.

It’s a good matchup for Toronto’s offense, too, which ranks 6th against the sinker, Soriano’s most utilized pitch, with a .304 team batting average.

COVERS INTEL: Jose Soriano has allowed an average of seven hits over his last three starts. 

Angels vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

Death, taxes, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting singles. It’s just what he does now. He ranks 3rd in singles hit this season and is 2-for-4 lifetime against Soriano, with both hits being for one base. I’ll add O 0.5 singles for Vlad to my SGP.

For the final leg of the SGP, I’m taking Daulton Varsho to go Over 0.5 hits tonight. He’s 3-for-6 against Soriano in his career and has recorded at least one hit in seven of his last nine games.

Angels vs Blue Jays SGP

• Soriano Over 5.5 hits
• Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 singles
• Varsho Over 0.5 hits

Angels vs Blue Jays home run pick: Daulton Varsho (+700)

After giving up just one home run through his first five starts of the season, it’s starting to unravel for Soriano, who’s given up four dingers in his last two starts. 

Soriano has a three-pitch arsenal, but utilizes the sinker the most. 

Varsho has handled the sinker pretty well this season with a .391 average and a .565 slug rate with a home run against the pitch.

Additionally, Varsho is 3-for-6 against Soriano with a 1.166 OPS against him. 

Angels vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Los Angeles -110 | Toronto -110
• Run line: Los Angeles -1.5 (+150) | Toronto +1.5  (-175)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Angels vs Blue Jays trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Run Line in 5 of their last 6 games at home (+5.20 Units / 74% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Angels vs Blue Jays and game info

Angels vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Angels vs Blue Jays weather

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Seriously, the headline tells pretty much the story of the Cubs’ 6-0 loss to the Rangers, a defeat that ended their 10-game winning streak, the second such Cubs streak this season.

Well, not the entire story. Here’s most of the reason for the loss:

I’m not going to complain too much about this, because the team has done so well and this game was an aberration compared to many of the games during the winning streak. Yes, they have had RISP issues at times this year, but not during the streak. Nevertheless, the Cubs did have plenty of baserunners in this game, four hits, six walks and one runner reaching on an error, but they simply could not capitalize. At all. This despite again forcing the Rangers starter, this time Jack Leiter, to throw 28 pitches in the first inning, and got him out of the game before the fifth inning had ended.

These kinds of things happen, all the time, even to very good teams. I don’t think this is going to start some sort of trend.

Edward Cabrera had an easy first inning, then didn’t really have much the rest of the way. He served up a pair of solo homers and five runs overall in five innings. It wasn’t a terrible outing, but it wasn’t really a good one, either. Jacob Webb and Ethan Roberts finished up, throwing three innings combined and allowing one run. That saved the higher-leverage arms for the series finale Sunday.

Usually, even in a loss like this, I sometimes have good defensive highlights to show you. Not from this one, there was nothing out of the ordinary. So here, let me break up this wall of text with a summary of Cabrera’s start [VIDEO].

Ian Happ’s on-base streak remained alive when he drew a walk in the first inning. That puts his streak at 30 games, if you’re keeping track of such things. The Cubs’ only hits were singles by Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch, and doubles by Michael Conforto and Dansby Swanson. Moisés Ballesteros got a couple of innings behind the plate, so I suppose that’s useful.

A couple of notes from BCB’s JohnW53 on the end of the streak:

This was the 11th winning streak by the Cubs since 1901 that ended after 10 games. The loss to the Rangers was the fifth in which the Cubs were beaten by at least six runs.

The previous two were by eight: 8-0 at Minnesota in 1998 and 12-4 at Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers on April 25.

They fell to the Giants at home by seven runs, 7-0, in 1906 and by nine runs, 18-9, in 1910.

The Cubs also were shut out, 3-0, at home vs. the Superbas, today’s Dodgers, in 1909, so four of the 11 streaks ended in a shutout defeat.

Two of the losses were by one run and two more by two. A 1938 streak was halted by a 7-7 tie at St. Louis.

And more from John regarding interleague competition:

Last night’s loss was the 42nd in which the Cubs were shut out by an American League team. It was their 586th interleague game. They have won 304 and lost 282, for a winning percentage of .519.

None of the earlier shutouts had been against the Rangers. In the 28 previous games between the teams, the Cubs had averaged 5.18 runs, while winning 15 and losing 13.

They had scored one run in two of the losses, at Texas in 2010 and at home in 2016.

The only AL team that has not shut out the Cubs at least once is the Orioles, whom the Cubs have played 25 times.

Oddly enough, during the three-game losing streak that came in between the 10-game winning streaks for the Cubs, one of the losses was by this same score, 6-0, to the Dodgers on April 26.

So, as the saying goes: Flush this one and move on, and hopefully start another winning streak Sunday afternoon.

It will not be an easy task, as the Cubs will be facing Jacob deGrom. Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs. Game time is 1:35 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

With all of the consternation about Greg Weissert’s performance lately, it’s worth remembering that he’s not supposed to be a high-leverage reliever. But the mercurial nature of bullpens means that the Red Sox frequently have no choice but to use pitchers who don’t inspire the utmost confidence. But at least the Sox can now knock Weissert down a spot in the pecking order, because Justin Slaten is officially back. “It felt like the longest month of my life,” he said of his recovery form an oblique strain. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Had yesterday’s game not been rained out and had Slaten pitched, he would’ve found himself throwing to a surprising catcher: Mickey Gasper, who was penciled into the starting lineup despite the fact that there were no injuries to either Carlos Narvaez or Connor Wong. Here’s Chad Tracy on why he did it:

Pedro Martinez also found himself throwing to a surprising catcher at Fenway recently. Back in town to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, Pedro reflected on the strange fact that the recently fired Jason Varitek wasn’t behind the plate to receive it. “To be honest, I’m not gonna go into details without knowing why because I haven’t really been inside the offices. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna let me know. There’s gotta be a reason because Tek means so much to this city just like every one of us.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

Speaking of former Red Sox catchers, David Ross was also recently back in town, and he spoke about his time in Boston. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Pedro certainly sounds dismayed about Varitek’s parting, but he hasn’t given up on the 2026 Red Sox. Nor have many of the players. “I think we’ve been playing pretty good baseball lately,” said Ceddanne Rafaela. “I think it shows we’re a pretty good team and we’re going to be in a pretty good spot in September.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

They’ve certainly looked like a pretty good team when Payton Tolle is on the mound and on his game. He’ll get the start today on what will likely be an emotional mother’s day for him. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)