A trio of Giants outfielders celebrated a big win over the Dodgers on Monday night in a very bizarre manner.
Just after San Francisco took down Los Angeles, 9-3, at Dodger Stadium, Jung Hoo Lee, Drew Gilbert and Harrison Bader all met up in centerfield and thrusted on each other.
Broadcast cameras captured the three wrapping their arms around one another and gyrating together multiple times.
Broadcast cameras captured the three Giants outfielders wrapping their arms around one another and pumping their pelvises multiple times. NBC Sports Bay Area
Bader and Gilbert really seemed to get a kick out of it, though at one point, Lee sure looked like he was ready for it to be over.
The guys then bolted into the infield without creating any further viral scenes.
The postgame party, while unique, was deserved. Not only did the scuffling Giants beat up their rival, but the evening marked Bader’s first game back since he suffered a hamstring injury in March.
Bader told reporters following the win that everything felt “good,” and he’s “excited to go out there and help this team win” moving forward.
If that all comes with further buzzworthy moments from the centerfielder and his teammates, it certainly seems social media users won’t mind it one bit.
But others online were outraged by the X-rated act.
“Now watch Little Leaguers wanna imitate that s–t,” wrote Carlos Betancourt on X. “Even if we lose, I would sit all 3 players tonight for doing that on live TV and embarrassing the franchise.”
“@NBCSGiants Come on guys you’re high paid professionals and you shouldn’t hump each other like that!” wrote another fan on the social media platform. “All games televised with young viewers and others that can be offended! I will not be surprised if MLB says something along with a fine or suspension!”
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That’s what California Post baseball writers Dylan Hernandez and Jack Harris are debating on the latest episode of the Dodgers Post podcast.
After the Dodgers’ Monday night loss to the San Francisco Giants, the pair analyzed the Dodgers’ continued skid over the last several weeks, and how much of what they’ve seen lately has raised bigger-picture concerns about the club’s World Series aspirations.
They also dive into Shohei Ohtani’s slump specifically, and try to identify why the four-time MVP has not been able to snap out of what is now a weeks-long funk.
Later, they break down Roki Sasaki’s most recent start, and whether the young right-hander is making enough to progress to warrant remaining in the Dodgers’ rotation moving forward this year.
They also discuss Mookie Betts’ return from the IL, and how much of an impact he will be able to making on the team’s slumping lineup.
On this episode of the Dodgers Post podcast, Jack Harris and Dylan Hernandez answer every fan’s question: ‘Is it time for the Dodgers to panic?’Getty Images On this episode of the Dodgers Post podcast, Jack Harris and Dylan Hernandez answer every fan’s question: ‘Is it time for the Dodgers to panic?’AP
As always, they then finish with their weekly predictions, and look ahead to the rest of this week’s series with the Giants.
All that and more on this latest edition of Dodgers Post.
The Astros hit a new low with Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. They are now 10 games below .500 after crossing the quarter pole of the season on a three-game losing streak.
That skid comes on the heels of a 16-game stretch in which the Astros managed to play .500 baseball against the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers despite an injured list as long as a CVS receipt.
There’s been some good and a lot of bad from the first 42 games of the season, so let’s hand out some awards.
MVP- Yordan Alvarez
After a lost 2025 season in which he posted a career-low 117 OPS+ over 199 plate appearances, Alvarez has largely regained the form that made him one of baseball’s most feared hitters, despite a recent slump to begin May.
Alvarez slashed .356/.462/.737 in March and April to earn American League Player of the Month honors for the first time since September 2023. He has followed that up with a .184/.262/.289 line in May, but his presence in a depleted Astros lineup continues to elevate the hitters around him.
Even with a rough 10-game stretch in May, Alvarez’s 1.044 OPS ranks second in baseball, and he is tied for fifth in home runs.
Most importantly for the Astros, Alvarez has started all 42 games this season.
LVP- Yainer Diaz
Three years ago, Diaz looked like a future All-Star. Now, he looks like a potential non-tender candidate if things don’t turn around. Diaz, who landed on the IL 10 days ago with a left oblique strain, was performing at a sub-replacement level before the injury. The 27-year-old slashed .238/.255/.347 with a 67 OPS+ in 26 games, and his OPS has declined from .846 in 2023 to .766 in 2024 and .701 this season.
Diaz’s struggles at the plate wouldn’t be nearly as glaring if he were playing well defensively, but he has continued to regress in that area as well.
In 2024, Diaz’s first season as the Astros’ primary catcher, he ranked in the top quartile in blocks above average and caught stealing above average, though he was below average in framing and pop time, per Baseball Savant. He declined in three of those four metrics last season and has regressed in all four this year, even after the Astros brought in new catching coach Tim Cossins from the Baltimore Orioles.
Cy Young- Spencer Arrighetti
Arrighetti opened the season in Sugar Land due to a numbers crunch, but the move allowed him to stay on a starter’s routine and hit the ground running when he joined the Astros rotation on April 15. He struck out 10 Rockies in his debut while allowing just one run over six innings. Arrighetti won his first four starts before defensive miscues caught up with him Saturday in Cincinnati.
The 26-year-old is 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA. While his 13.6% walk rate has prevented him from pitching deeper into games, Arrighetti has still completed five innings in each of his five starts, which has been crucial for a team missing three starters from its Opening Day rotation.
Opposing hitters are 4 for 33 with 20 strikeouts with a 50.9% whiff rate against Arrighetti’s curveball this season, and they are just 2 for 16 against his sweeper.
Arrighetti’s 2025 season was torpedoed by a fractured thumb suffered in an April batting practice accident. After returning to make five starts in August, Arrighetti was shut down in September due to elbow inflammation. He’s bounced back nicely, even while starting the season in Sugar Land.
Cy Yuck- Brian Abreu
Abreu went from closer looking to cash in after the season to unusable in the span of just a few weeks.
He became the first Astros reliever since 2017 to allow at least one earned run in six straight games in the same season, and while he’s only been scored on twice in the eight outing since, everything has felt like a struggle
Abreu has a 9.24 ERA through 14 games this season, and his strikeout rate has dipped from 35.5% to 30.3% while his walk rate has shot up to 24.2% from 10.5%, and his fastball velocity is down 2.3 MPH.
The New York Mets will look to build on a successful road trip as they return home to face the Detroit Tigers tonight.
New York’s offense has a great chance to pounce on struggling right-hander Jack Flaherty, so I’m backing the Mets to take care of business at Citi Field.
Let’s break down this matchup and take a look at my free Tigers vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, May 12.
Who will win Tigers vs Mets today: Mets (-145)
Jack Flaherty has failed to go longer than five innings in any of his last four starts, posting a 7.71 ERA over that stretch.
Command has been an issue for Flaherty all season, averaging 6.9 walks per nine innings, while hitters have largely stayed patient against the Detroit Tigers' starter, producing just a 24% chase rate against him.
The New York Mets may be struggling on offense, but they have chances to capitalize on the free passes and pressure Flaherty early.
On the other side, Freddy Peralta continues to deliver steady outings, allowing just one earned run over his last 11 innings pitched. He draws a favorable matchup against the Tigers, who are averaging just 2.83 runs over their last six games.
This sets up as a great opportunity for the Mets to secure a much-needed win.
COVERS INTEL: The Tigers have hit line drives on just 22.4% of four-seam fastballs — a pitch Peralta throws 54% of the time.
Tigers vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-108)
Any offensive outburst for the Mets is likely to come before the Tigers' bullpen enters the fray, which was given a much-needed rest day on Monday following a reliever-by-committee approach on Sunday Night Baseball in Kansas City.
I have even less faith in the Tigers generating runs off of Peralta, who has held Detroit hitters to a lifetime OPS of .419, and both teams are also a combined 6–14 to the O/U in their last 10 games.
Ed Scimia's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 6-13, -7.31 units
Over/Under bets: 7-10, -3.53 units
Tigers vs Mets odds
Moneyline: Tigers +125 | Mets -145
Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-170) | Mets -1.5 (+140)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+112) | Under 7.5 (-108)
Tigers vs Mets trend
Detroit is 0-4 SU in Flaherty’s last four starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Mets.
How to watch Tigers vs Mets and game info
Location
Citi Field, Queens, NY
Date
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
First pitch
7:10 p.m. ET
TV
TBS
Tigers starting pitcher
Jack Flaherty (0-3, 5.56 ERA)
Mets starting pitcher
Freddy Peralta (2-3, 3.12 ERA)
Tigers vs Mets latest injuries
Tigers vs Mets 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.
Andrew Joseph Ewing attended Springboro High School in Springboro, Ohio, where he was a multi-sport athlete who also played football. A baseball rat, his skill on the diamond quickly began outpacing his skill on the gridiron, earning him All-Conference First Team honors in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons and All-Southwestern Ohio Conference honors in his junior season. He was named named the 2023 Great Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year in his senior season after winning the triple crown, hitting .464 with four home runs and 37 RBI.
The Mets had a selection in the free agent compensation round of the 2023 MLB Draft, which they obtained when Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers, and with it, they selected shortstop A.J. Ewing. The youngster had a commitment to the University of Alabama but forwent it when he and the organization agreed to a $675,000 signing bonus, roughly $200,000 above the MLB-assigned slot value of $483,000 for the 134th overall pick. He was assigned to the FCL Mets to close out the summer and appeared in seven games with them, hitting .286/.524/.357 in 14 at-bats with 1 double, 1 stolen base in as many attempts, and 5 walks to 6 strikeouts.
He remained in the Florida Complex League when the 2024 season began and got off to a hot start there. In 19 games, he hit .254/.422/.571 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 5 stolen bases in 6 attempts, and 19 walks to 22 strikeouts. He was promoted to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets in June and spent the rest of the season in the Florida State League, hitting .228/.345/.344 in 71 games with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 13 attempts, and drew 44 walks to 87 strikeouts. All in all, he appeared in 90 games in his first full professional season and hit a cumulative .233/.361/.390 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts and drew 63 walks to 109 walks.
The 20-year-old Ewing began the 2025 season in St. Lucie, but he did not stay there long. In 18 games, he hit an astounding .400/.506/.615 with 3 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts, and drew 15 walks to 10 strikeouts, earning a promotion to High-A Brooklyn at the end of April. Ewing hit the ground running and thrived in an environment where many players—especially left-handed hitters like him—have trouble. In 88 games for the Cyclones, Ewing hit .288/.387/.388 with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 44 stolen bases in 51 attempts, and he drew 46 walks to 66 strikeouts.
He was promoted to Double-A Binghamton in mid-August and finished the 2025 season there, hitting .339/.371/.430 in 28 games with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and he drew 7 walks to 29 strikeouts. All in all, Ewing hit a combined .315/.401/.429 in 124 games between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A, hitting 26 doubles, 10 triples, 3 home runs, stealing 70 bases in 81 attempts, and drawing 68 walks to 105 strikeouts.
Ewing remained in Binghamton to start the 2026 season, but as had been the case over the prior two seasons, he did not stay for long. In 18 games, the 21-year-old hit .349/.481/.571 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts, and drew 17 walks to 15 strikeouts. He was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse on April 27 and did not miss a beat. In 12 games with the Syracuse Mets, he hit .326/.392/.435 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 0 home runs, 5 stolen bases in as many attempts, and drew an even 5 walks to 5 strikeouts.
A natural right-hander who was taught how to hit as a left-hander by a father when he was a kid, Ewing stands square at the plate with a slight crouch, holding his hands high and wrapping his bat behind his head at 9:30. He swings with a slight leg lift or toe tap timing mechanism and has an extremely minimal load and weight transfer.
Ewing dedicated a lot of time and effort to working out and adding muscle mass to his 5’10” frame over the 2025 offseason, but even before making a dedicated effort, he was capable of making loud contact with his long, whippy stroke. As a 19-year-old, he averaged an 88 MPH exit velocity with a high-water mark of 108 MPH in 151 recorded batted ball events in the Florida State Leagu, and now as a 21-year-old, he averaged an 89.2 MPH exit velocity with a high-water mark of 108.8 MPH in 41 batted ball events in the International League. In the interim, where concrete data does not publicly exist, scouts and evaluators have remarked about how balls put in play off his bat pass the “eye” and “ear” tests.
Aiding in his ability to make loud contact and put well-struck balls in play, Ewing makes excellent swing decisions, not just relative to his youth and experience, but in general. For his career, he has a 3:5 walk to strikeout ratio, with a cumulative 14.4% walk rate and 21.8% strikeout rate; over the course of his time in in Double-A, he drew 24 walks in 213 plate appearances to 44 strikeouts, a 11.3% walk rate and 20.7% strikeout rate, and during his time in Triple-A, he drew 5 walks in 51 plate appearances to 5 strikeouts, a 9.8% walk rate and 9.8% strikeout rate.
Ewing rarely swings at pitches that he can’t hit, nor does he swing at everything for the sake of making contact. He goes with pitches, especially fastballs, spraying the ball to all fields. In the totality of 2025, he pulled the ball at a 40.8% rate, went back up the middle at a 21.2% rate, and went to the opposite field at a 38.0% rate. In his month-plus with Binghamton and Syracuse this season, he pulled the ball at a 38.9% rate, went back up the middle at a 30.0% rate, and went to the opposite field at a 31.1% rate. In Binghamton earlier in the season, he had a 46.9% Pull%, 28.6% Cent%, and 24.5% Oppo%, but in an almost equal amount of games in Syracuse, he had a 29.3% Pull%, 31.7% Cent%, and 39.0% Oppo%.
Speed is Ewing’s carrying tool, and its influence is felt all over his game. One of the fastest sprinters in the Mets’ minor league system, he posts plus speeds out of the box, manufacturing singles busting out of the box and pushing the envelope stretching singles into doubles. As a result, Ewing has maintained a .372 BABIP for the totality of his minor league career, running a .430 BABIP during his time in Double-A and a .366 BABIP during his time in Triple-A. With that, Ewing has developed a style of hitting that maximizes his speed and takes advantage of that high BABIP. In Double-A Binghamton, he maintained a 25.9% line drive rate, 51.5% ground ball rate, 22.6% fly ball rate, and in Triple-A, he maintained a 21.1% line drive rate, 44.4% ground ball rate, 34.4% fly ball rate.
Ewing’s speed is also an asset on defense. Drafted as a shortstop and still technically listed as one despite never playing the position as a professional, Ewing has primarily shifted into center field, though he occasionally plays in a corner and every once in a while gets penciled in at second base as well. In the outfield, he is an above-average, borderline plus fielder, showing plenty of speed and range. He closes in on the ball well, is exceptionally sure-handed, and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately with a strong arm. Occasionally, he will flub a play by misreading the ball or airmailing a throw, but Ewing has already developed into a legitimate above-average defensive center fielder with the potential to truly be plus with more time and experience out there.
The Dodgers acquired a recognizable name in a minor trade with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Just don’t expect to see him on the Dodgers’ MLB roster for now.
A week after he was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks, five-year MLB veteran Alek Thomas was dealt to the Dodgers in exchange for 17-year-old prospect Jose Requena, both teams announced.
Dodgers have added some much-needed outfield depth when they traded for Diamondbacks OF Alek Thomas on Tuesday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Thomas, 26, boasts ample big-league experience, having played 448 games with the Dbacks since his debut in 2022. However, he is just a career .230 hitter, and was DFA’d last week –– even with a minor-league option remaining –– after starting this season with a .181 average.
The Dodgers will likely exercise Thomas’ minor-league option now that they’ve acquired him. According to a source, Thomas is not reporting to the club’s MLB roster following Tuesday’s trade.
Instead, it appears Thomas is effectively replacing Michael Siani –– who was DFA’d in a corresponding move Tuesday to clear a 40-man roster spot –– as left-handed hitting outfield depth in their minor-league ranks.
He offers some protection in center field, specifically, where he has excellent speed and a highly-touted glove.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts now has added outfield depth with the addition of Thomas. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Whether he can improve enough offensively to ever make big-league contributions for the Dodgers, however, is less clear.
Thoams isn’t much of a power threat, with just 31 career home runs. He has never had a season with a .300 on-base percentage, thanks in part to a walk rate that is almost half of the MLB average. And the last two years, his strikeout rate has jumped to roughly 25%.
Still, the Dodgers saw enough to take a flier on him, execute a rare intradivison trade, and stash him in their organizational ranks.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates (22-19) welcome the Colorado Rockies (16-25) to town for a three-game series at PNC Park.
Paul Skenes takes the mound for Pittsburgh as the Pirates are 5-3 when he pitches. Pittsburgh is coming back from a West Coast trip (3-3 record) and a series loss to San Francisco. The Pirates have won three straight at home and hitting an MLB-best .283 at home with the fifth-most walks (94).
Colorado is coming off two straight losses and are 2-7 in the month of May. The Rockies are 8-14 on the road this season, but rank in the upper half of the league when it comes to batting average (.239), home runs (21), and doubles (35). Michael Lorenzen is pitching for Colorado and the Rockies are 3-6 when he starts and 1-4 on the road.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Rockies at Pirates
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time: 6:40 PM EST
Site: PNC Park
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Pirates’ Nick Gonzales is hitting .316 with 43 hits and 49 total bases over 136 at-bats
The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .194 with 25 hits and 37 strikeouts over 129 at-bats
The Rockies’ Troy Johnston is hitting .325 with 39 hits and 55 total bases over 120 at-bats
The Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar is hitting .197 with 27 hits and 42 strikeouts over 137 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Pirates
The Pirates are 22-19 ATS this season
The Pirates are 11-9 ATS at home
The Pirates are 22-18-1 to the Over this season
The Pirates are 13-7 to the Over at home, ranking fifth-best
The Rockies are 22-19 ATS this season
The Rockies are 12-10 ATS on the road
The Rockies are 22-19 to the Under this season
The Rockies are 12-10 to the Under on the road
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Pirates
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game two between the Rockies and the Pirates:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 7.5
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SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - APRIL 18, 2026: Ryan Clifford #20 of the Syracuse Mets hits a three-run home run during the first inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders at NBT Bank Stadium on April 18, 2026 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Ryan Clifford logged 9 hits this past week, over 25% of his total on the season. The slugger is one of the streakiest minor league hitters the Mets have had in years, maybe even decades. When he is cold, he can be a black hole in the lineup, incapable of even having productive at-bats like moving runners over or plating sac flies. When he is hot, he can single-handedly win games, or entire series’; Syracuse lost this week’s series against Rochester 4 games to 2, so maybe next week.
Given how moribund the Mets currently are and how poorly David Stearns handled the first base situation over the off-season, now would be the perfect opportunity for Clifford to make his case and force his name into the conversation. Unfortunately, Clifford is not having that kind of season, and truthfully, may simply not be a player who has the necessary tools and abilities to play in the majors. There have been plenty of players in baseball history who had light tower power, blazing speed, a cannon for an arm, or an elite glove, or some combination of some or all of those tools, but if you can’t hit, you can’t hit.
Generously, Ryan Clifford has a below-average hit tool, if not something considered below that; he has not hit above .240 since 2023, when he hit .271 in 58 games in the late spring/early summer for the High-A Ashville Tourists just prior to being traded to the Mets. Since then, he hit .201 in 63 games with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2023-2024, .237 in 203 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2024-2025, and, interestingly enough, .237 in 71 games with the Syracuse Mets from his promotion there in late 2025 until Sunday night, all while striking out roughly around 30% of the time.
If transcribed 1:1 at the major league level, a .240 batting average with Clifford’s strong walk rate and his obvious power would be more than palatable, but there’s the rub: these things do not get transcribed 1:1 from the upper levels of the minor league to the majors.
Mark Vientos, the most successful of the most recent group of Mets prospects to make it to the majors, hit .281 during his 72 games in Double-A and .285 in his 210 games in Triple-A; he is currently a .239 hitter in 345 MLB games/1199 at-bats. Brett Baty hit .299 in 129 Double-A games and .273 in 97 Triple-A games; he is currently a .229 hitter in 336 MLB games/1048 at-bats. Ronny Mauricio hit .259 in 136 Double-A games and .305 in 140 Triple-A games; he is a .233 hitter in 97 MLB games/301 at-bats at present.
I’m not really sure what kind of baseball future Ryan Clifford is going to have, and maybe I’m being unfairly pessimistic as I’ve been accused of being by others in the past, but I don’t really know if I see it, even when I squint. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.
Jonathan Santucci
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (Double-A)
We are a month-plus into the season now, and this was Jonathan Santucci’s first real actually good game. I wouldn’t say that the former Blue Devil has been bad, but he certainly hasn’t been good, either. Coming into his start this past week, the left-hander had a 5.57 ERA in 21.0 innings over five starts, with 14 hits allowed, 17 walks, and 31 strikeouts.
Given the strong strikeout rate and BAA, Santucci’s stuff has not backed up, but he is not as sharp as he was last season, when he posted a 2.52 ERA in 50.0 innings with the Rumble Ponies. Command has been Santucci’s biggest problem going back to his college days, and that has been his biggest issue so far this season, an issue that he largely avoided last year; with 17 walks, he has virtually reached the same total he had last season while pitching for Binghamton (18), but in roughly 20 fewer innings. The left-hander generally has not looked as sharp the second or third time through the order, wearing himself out and/or giving batters a look at all of his pitches because of his inability to put himself in favorable counts early, and his stat splits for the fourth inning and beyond bear this out- his hit rate increases, his walk rate increases, and his strikeout rate shrinks.
With that said, coincidentally or perhaps not, like Jonah Tong, Santucci has been quite unlucky in that the relievers who are coming in to replace him are allowing the baserunners he put on base to score at astronomically high rates. Over the course of those above-mentioned six starts prior to his start this past week, Santucci has an abysmal 60.3% LOB%, roughly 10-15% below the major league average; with his most recent start last week included, that number climbs to 64.9%, roughly 5-10% below the major league average. Having allowed 14 earned runs so far this season in 27.1 innings, if the left-hander’s LOB% was adjusted to be the MLB average, he would currently have a 3.95 to 4.28 ERA.
When the final out is recorded following Game No. 162 of the 2026 MLB season, when the records are finalized and the statistical ledgers are put to bed, we will be comforted in knowing exactly what saved Alec Bohm’s year.
After starting April in the most dreadful slump imaginable on the field while dealing with what one can only assume is a nightmarish legal dispute with his parents off the field, interim manager Don Mattingly gave Bohm two nights off.
No baseball on Thursday. No baseball on Friday.
Entering Saturday, Bohm dragged a .159 batting average, .227 on-base percentage and .433 OPS around his neck like an anchor. The Phillies were running out of options. He was in danger of losing his starting spot to Edmundo Sosa or some combination of minor leaguers who would be called up to replace him.
Then, Elmo entered the picture.
After declaring “Elmo wants to see a home run,” to Tom McCarthy and John Kruk on the Phillies’ broadcast, Bohm stepped up to the plate and swatted a solo homer to left field, his first since Opening Day. He followed it up with a second dinger in his second at-bat and finished the day 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs in the Phils’ 9-3 victory.
On Sunday, Bohm didn’t exactly repeat those heroics, but did got 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Sunday’s 6-0 whitewashing of Colorado.
Sometimes, a player needs a little something, even if it’s not real. For Bohm, who has seen nothing go right for him in 2026, why not attribute a turnaround to a furry little red muppet?
Clearly, Bohm is entering the Elmo Stage of this current iteration of the Phillies.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he comes to the mound to take out Roki Sasaki #11 from the game during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers at least had a lead on Monday, which counts as progress for the funk they are in at the moment. It was their first lead since Friday, when they scratched together three runs against Chris Sale in what felt like one of their best wins of the season so far. But they’ve laid three legs in a row since.
Alex Vesia gave up three hits and a walk while recording only one out in a three-run seventh, and then Wyatt Mills walked four and hit a batter in a three-run ninth that made the score more lopsided.
The 6-3 deficit would have been enough, shocking as it was facing the worst offense in Major League Baseball. But the Dodgers offense can’t seem to get much going, and were held to no more than three runs for the ninth time in their last 12 games.
“The effort, the focus is there, I thought the fight was there. You know, we’re going to come out of it,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday night. “It’s frustrating while you’re in it, but we just have too much talent and too much desire to keep doing this for much longer.”
Three straight blowout losses — by five runs or more — ties a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record, last done on June 12-14, 2008.
The Dodgers have their two best starting pitchers going in the next two games, trying to lower the threshold of victory for an offense that hasn’t been consistently good for several weeks. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball on Tuesday, and Shohei Ohtani pitches on Wednesday. Ohtani the hitter is having his worst stretch in a while, his .404 slugging percentage on the season is his worst 38-game stretch within any season since 2021 with the Angels. Ohtani won’t hit in one of the final two games of the series, Roberts said Monday night.
Ohtani’s not alone in struggling at the plate. Teoscar Hernández has been fighting it for some time and didn’t have an extra-base hit for three weeks before Roberts moved him down to eighth in the lineup on Monday night, the first time Hernández hit that low since August 7, 2020 while with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I think he’s missing pitches that he should hit, whether it’s fastballs or spin. I think that he’s patient at sometimes the wrong time,” Roberts said before Monday’s game. “He’s working through his mechanics, that the hitting guys are trying to work through diligently. He hasn’t been successful, he hasn’t really hit left-handed pitching in quite some time, which is kind of a surprise for me.”
Hernández is hitting just .233/.410/.300 with a 113 wRC+ against southpaws this season, well below his career .273/.331/.542, 135 wRC+ line against left-handers. He didn’t face any lefties on Monday, but did double, single, and walk, his best game in a while.
The Dodgers can’t simply hit everyone eighth or ninth to try to get them going. At some point, the big hitters are going to have to hit big.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on prior to the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Some of the biggest stars in baseball make up the early favorites for the National League’s Cy Young Award.
Skenes is off to another solid start with a 5-2 record, 2.36 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a league-leading 0.71 WHIP. But there are concerns about Skenes’ limited innings to start the season, with many outings ending before five innings.
After Skenes comes an avalanche of elite arms still in the mix after a strong opening stretch. Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cristopher Sanchez (+390) is behind Skenes on the heels of two dominant starts. Sanchez allowed zero runs and only nine hits over 15 innings in his last two outings — moving to 4-2 on the season in the process. His 67 strikeouts are second in baseball and Sanchez’s 2.11 ERA — eighth in baseball — is notable as well. After signing a six-year contract extension before the season, Sanchez is delivering so far for the Phillies.
Winning the NL Cy Young in 2024, Atlanta Braves veteran left-hander Chris Sale (+500) is off to another hot start with a 6-2 record. Sale leads baseball with seven quality starts while staying close to the top in ERA (11th at 2.20), strikeouts (10th at 57) and WHIP (4th at 0.88). Sale’s durability is a concern in his age-37 season; he’s only pitched more than 158 innings in a season once since 2018. But the season Sale did, he took home Cy Young honors. So if he stays healthy, Sale should be a strong contender once again.
Shohei Ohtani (+700) is used to racking up hardware as a reigning three-time MVP. Thanks to a solid start on the mound, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star is also entrenched in the early Cy Young race. In six starts, Ohtani has a 0.97 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 37 innings — looking dominant at times.
Similar to Sale’s candidacy, Ohtani’s usage on the mound will play a major factor. Ohtani has never been a full-time two-way player since signing with the Dodgers as the organization brings him along slowly as a pitcher following a right elbow UCL tear in 2023.
Ohtani’s teammate in Los Angeles, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+850), is also still worth watching in the Cy Young race. Yamamoto finished third in Cy Young voting behind Skenes and Sanchez in 2025 and is off to another strong start.
After the core group of candidates, the secondary list of Cy Young candidates includes some of baseball’s best young power arms. Milwaukee Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski (+1500), New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean (+1600) and Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns (+1900) are all worth monitoring over the summer.
Apr 14, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (22) reacts after being called with a ball during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
Bryan Woo pitched the worst game of his career on April 25th and followed it up with another bottom-10 performance his next time out against the Royals. Combining the two outings, he struck out just three batters while surrendering 16 hits and six home runs. Six! So a lot of Mariners fans breathed a sigh of relief when Woo completed his turn against Atlanta on Wednesday with a line of 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K. But personally, I’m still holding my breath.
Here’s what’s bothering me:
Even for Bryan Woo, 66% is a lot of four-seamers. To be sure, he always throws a lot of fastballs, but he usually balances those four-seamers with a hefty dose of two-seamers. The seven sinkers Woo threw on Wednesday is the second-fewest he’s thrown in a game, ever.
Has his sinker become a stinker? Run value would sure tell you so. After running solidly positive numbers on the pitch over his first three seasons, this year, his sinker has collapsed to being worth -2.2 runs per 100 pitches.
And my concern has been magnified by the fact that the Mariners clearly see this issue too. Why else would they call for so few on Wednesday? I mentioned that game featured his second-fewest sinkers ever. Well, the third-fewest came in Woo’s prior game, when he threw seven in his first two innings, but just three over the entire rest of his outing. The team sees the bad results too, and they don’t think the problem is just going to go away.
To be sure, the plan to simply dial the sinker way back did work on Wednesday. Once. But scripture reminds us that band-aids don’t fix bullet holes.
So what’s up with the sinker? Sinkers aren’t really meant to induce whiffs, but Woo’s is generating the lowest swing-and-miss rate of his career. Rather, pitchers tend to use sinkers to induce weak contact. And by that score, it’s been a bit of a fiasco. Combining his first three seasons, Woo allowed an xwOBAcon (expected damage on contact) of .322, whereas this year, that’s up to .419. It’s like he turned Gleyber Torres into Bobby Witt Jr.
It’s hard to say why. The pitch shape really hasn’t changed that much. The velo’s the same, and he’s only getting the teensy-weensiest less run on it. The biggest difference is that he’s getting about an inch more drop, but that’s still a change of less than 5%. If you can spot the difference between the two pitches in this video, you’ve got a sharper eye than I do.
While the shape has stayed pretty consistent, his command has faltered. His sinker works best when he throws it toward the bottom rail, but he’s been leaving a lot of them belt-high this season, which is consistent with guys getting the barrel to it more often.
Maybe the issue is that he’s lost conviction in throwing the pitch. That’d help square the circle between the fact that he made a meaningful change in his pitch mix and his comments after the game that zeroed in on the mental game. “It felt like the last two starts, just trying to do too much, think too much, dive into scouting reports too much,” he said. “My best brand of baseball is . . . when it’s time to go on the mound, just go be. And I feel like I kind of got away from that the last two starts.”
Whatever the reason, the deterioration of his sinker is a big deal because arsenals are complementary. His four-seamer is a great pitch, but it needs something to play off of to keep hitters from sitting on it. Even the truly exceptional pitchers who only really needed one pitch to thrive were relievers who didn’t have to face guys more than once. Woo’s arsenal has really needed that sinker to contrast with his four-seamer.
Solutions are hard to come by.
Despite how the Mariners brass talks about it, his breaking balls aren’t that good. He’s often gotten decent results with them, as he did against the Braves, but I think that’s an effect of using them sparingly. Hitters aren’t ready for those breaking balls. It’s not that the pitches themselves are all that good.
One flag to plant here is that his changeup has looked better than ever, and maybe that can be the answer. But I’ve been saying that developing a better changeup is a good idea for Woo for years, and it’s just 34 changeups so far, so I don’t want to get over my skis on that.
Another possible answer is that the issue really is what Woo hinted at: that it’s a question of throwing with conviction. That seems eminently fixable.
And even if there is no answer, I can’t dismiss the possibility that this just doesn’t matter at all. He did just fine against the Braves—one of the best lineups in baseball—while throwing four-seamers two-thirds of the time. And I’ve long since learned not to doubt how Bryan Woo butters his bread. All this time it’s felt like it shouldn’t work, but it still did. Wombats poop in perfect cubes; some things are weird as hell and true anyway. That’s kind of Bryan Woo’s whole deal.
But I can’t help but worry that the one start against the Braves was a magic trick. The Braves weren’t sitting on the four-seamer yet. Why would they when it was the first time Woo had committed to that pitch so strongly? If that becomes the norm, the scouting report will get out in a hurry and who knows what happens next. Tonight’s test against Houston will tell us a lot. But until it’s over, I’m still holding my breath.
The New York Yankees have lost four straight games and five of their last six as they face the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of a three-game series.
Strikeout-heavy pitchers like New York’s Will Warren have troubled the O’s this season, and my Yankees vs. Orioles predictions expect him to find similar success.
Who will win Yankees vs Orioles today: Yankees -1.5 (+100)
If not for a questionable decision by Aaron Boone last night, we likely would have cashed on the New York Yankees run line. Maybe we wouldn’t get the value of this number today, though.
His 91st percentile strikeout rate should play well against a team with the seventh-highest whiff rate in the sport. He had one of his best performances of the season earlier this year against Baltimore, pitching 6 1/3 innings and striking out nine, while allowing just one earned run.
Rogers’ 83rd percentile hard-hit rate is a significant factor against New York. Simply put, when you’re able to limit the power swings of the Yankees, then the offense is much more pedestrian.
Even though I think they’ll score enough to win by multiple runs, Rogers should be able to keep their offense in check.
On the other side, Warren’s elite strikeout rate should navigate the Baltimore lineup effectively as we’ve noted above. I’d play this down to 8.0, with a projected run total of 7.9.
[WRITER NAME]'s 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 16-15, +1.16 units
Over/Under bets: 20-12, +10.59 units
Yankees vs Orioles odds
Moneyline: Yankees -165 | Orioles +139
Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+105) | Orioles +1.5 (-120)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-110) | Under 8.5 (-110)
Yankees vs Orioles trend
The New York Yankees have hit the run line in 15 of their last 25 games (+7.05 Units / 26% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Orioles.
How to watch Yankees vs Orioles and game info
Location
Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Date
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
First pitch
6:35 p.m. ET
TV
YES, MASN
Yankees starting pitcher
Will Warren (4-1, 3.46 ERA)
Orioles starting pitcher
Trevor Rogers (Projected) (2-3, 4.75 ERA)
Yankees vs Orioles latest injuries
Yankees vs Orioles 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.
He began the 2026 season at Class AA Binghampton (New York), where he hit .349/.481/.571 over 18 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in late April. Now, he's set to join fellow rookie Carson Benge in the Mets outfield for Tuesday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
Despite lofty preseason expectations, the Mets have fallen flat over the first quarter of the season, sporting a major league-worst 15-25 record through May 11 − their worst start since 1993.
During a just-completed nine-game road trip against the Angels, Rockies and Diamondbacks, the Mets hit a collective .209 and averaged just 3.6 runs per game.
And top hitters Juan Soto and Bo Bichette went a collective 0-for-20 during the final three games in Arizona.
Meanwhile, starting shortstop Francisco Lindor, center fielder Luis Robert, first baseman Jorge Polanco and pitcher Kodai Senga are all on the injured list.
"I mean, there’s no issues right here," Soto said. "We’re all professionals. We all can handle this stuff. But definitely, we’re struggling a little bit right now."
Ewing − a 5-foot-10, 160-pound outfielder − led the Mets organization with 70 stolen bases across three minor league levels last season. With his speed and excellent batting eye, he could be a candidate to lead off and set the table for an offense that could certainly use a spark.
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 15: Josh Phelps #17 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats during MLB game action against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 15, 2004 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Josh Phelps turns 48 today.
Phelps was once considered one of the Blue Jays’ catchers of the future—except, as it turned out, he wasn’t a catcher for long. Before the 2002 season, Josh was ranked #36 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects.
He tore up the minors. In 2001, he hit .292/.406/.562 with 31 home runs over 136 games for Double-A Tennessee. In 2002, he put up a .292/.380/.658 line with 24 homers in just 70 games at Triple-A Syracuse. We thought he could be a middle-of-the-order slugger, joining another former “catcher of the future,” Carlos Delgado.
After brief MLB cameos in 2000 (one at-bat) and 2001 (12 hitless at-bats), the Jays called him up in June 2002. He hit his first home run in his 14th game and finished that year with 15 homers and a .309/.352/.562 line in 83 games, mostly as a DH. On August 29th, he hit two home runs off Roger Clemens—a personal highlight, as it’s always nice to see the Jays beat Clemens. The next day, he drove in four runs against the Yankees, though Pete Walker’s rough outing cost us the win.
In 2003, Josh posted a .268/.358/.470 line with 20 home runs in 119 games, but injuries began to take their toll.
By 2004, he was hitting .237/.296/.417 with 12 homers in 79 games when, on August 4th, we traded him to Cleveland for Eric Crozier. It was a like-for-like swap—Crozier was also a power-hitting DH/first baseman—but it didn’t pan out for the Jays. Crozier played just 14 games for Toronto (his entire MLB career), hitting .152/.282/.39
Phelps, meanwhile, finished 2004 strong for Cleveland, batting .303/.338/.579 in 24 games. After the season, he signed with Tampa Bay. From there, he bounced around: Tigers, Orioles, Yankees, Pirates, Cardinals, Giants, Rockies, and back to Cleveland. When you’re a former top prospect, teams keep giving you chances, but he saw little major league action with most of those clubs.
His final MLB stint came in 2008, getting 36 at-bats with the Cardinals. For his career, he played 465 games, hitting .273/.343/.472 with 64 home runs.
Why didn’t he become the player we hoped for? In 2005, Baseball Prospectus wrote:
He had more power than your local utility but had no clue what to do with it, swinging indiscriminately at pitches, relay throws from the outfield, and low-hanging clouds. As his time in Toronto continued, Phelps crossed the line dividing productive aggression and diminishing returns, so this positionless player was sent south for nothing more than Eric Crozier. Working with Eddie Murray, he cut his strikeouts just slightly, but that sample is so tiny as to be nearly meaningless. Signed by Tampa, Phelps will meet Lou Piniella at the same age that the somewhat similar Jay Buhner did. Buhner blossomed at that point; Phelps will need to follow instructions a lot better than he did with the Jays to have a chance to do the same.
Baseball Prospectus was mean in those days.
Not having a true position hurt, and his career 25.6% strikeout rate—worsening over time—didn’t help either. If he’d been able to stick at catcher, things might have been different, but as a DH, you have to hit or lose your job. There’s no time for slow development at that spot.
Still, happy birthday, Josh. Hope it’s a good one.
Felipe Lopez turns 46 today.
The Blue Jays took Felipe in the first round of the 1998 draft, sixth overall. CC Sabathia, taken 20th, was the best of that round. Lopez didn’t set the minors on fire, but the Jays called him up in August 2001. In 49 games, he hit .260/.304/.418.
He started 2002 with the Jays but returned to the minors in mid-June, finishing his Toronto stint with a .227/.287/.387 line in 134 games.
After the season, he was dealt in a complicated four-team trade, ending up with the Reds. The Jays received Jason Arnold from the A’s—who never reached the majors.
Lopez, for his part, played 11 MLB seasons, hitting .264/.333/.391 with 90 home runs in 1,185 games.
Happy birthday, Felipe. Hope it’s a good one.
Jonathan Davis turns 34 today.
Davis played 122 games for the Jays over four seasons, hitting .180/.285/.263 with four home runs and 11 steals. He was about as good as a .180-hitting outfielder can be, which, admittedly, isn’t saying much.
The Yankees claimed him off waivers in August 2021; he played 12 games for them. In 2022, he appeared in 37 games with the Brewers; last year, he played 34 with the Marlins.
COVERS INTEL: The Tigers have hit line drives on just 
