Category: MLB

The St. Louis Cardinals have passed every test thrown their way so far and are in the midst of another as they take on the NL Central in all but one series over the next two-plus weeks. How the rest of May ends up could tell us whether our expectations have shifted for what was supposed to be a rebuild year as the Cardinals could realistically be in first or last in the division by the first weekend of June. By that time, we will be more than 1/3 of the way through the season and I believe we can officially shift away from the overused small sample size arguments, if you have not already.

As we gain clarity on our true expectations for this season, I do not believe we are yet in the middle of the next great Cardinals team, although there are likely pieces here that will be involved with that next iteration of greatness. While we can figure JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, and possibly Ivan Herrera and Masyn Winn will be key cogs for that era, Alec Burleson may just miss the cut simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite being one of the most consistent and dependable hitters on the roster, Burly’s age and position could have him out of St. Louis before he is able to see the fruits of his labor ripen up.

I originally had this article asking if Burleson is still underrated, but decided to make the change to under appreciated because of the things he does that the rest of the league may not understand by simply reading the stats. Burleson was a second round pick in the 2020 draft (a draft that only the Cardinals can be proud of), and made his major league debut just two years later. That is already impressive for a guy that maxed out as the Cardinals’ 10th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, but even more so is the fact that he has not played a game in the minors since his first promotion.

Each year, he has taken his offense to the next level, going from a .691 OPS in his first full big league season in 2023 to now sitting at an .827 OPS before the Reds series after coming off a utility Silver Slugger award last year. His numbers improve every year, raising his OPS+, walk rate, and production stats on a per rate basis since he did miss time last year with injury. What has surprisingly gone in the wrong direction, however, is his value as a defender. Since breaking into the league, the lefty slugger has spent time in left field, right field, and first base, with more time at the cold corner last season than his previous three seasons combined. With Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras manning first base during Burly’s tenure, there simply were not enough innings to go around to Burleson until this year.

Alec Burleson’s underrated defense is tanking his overall value in an unfair way

After the still heartbreaking (to me) trade of Contreras, Burly has unofficially retired his outfield glove for the big pancake glove at first and, to the eye test, has been a solid contributor with the leather. When the eye test meets analytical measures, however, Burleson has technically been one of the worst defenders at first in all of baseball. Over the past two seasons, Burleson has spent 89 games at first base and according to FanGraphs, that minimal time there has totaled a -7 defensive value. This year, among the 19 first basemen who have taken at least 150 plate appearances while playing the position, Burleson is ranked 16th in defense, checking in with a -4 defensive value, as well as a -1 Outs Above Average and 1 Defensive Run Saved. Having watched the vast majority of the Cardinals’ 49 games this year, I came to the conclusion that there is simply no advanced metric that can fully grasp defensive value at first base.

When taking in Burleson’s offense and defense, FanGraphs pegged the slugger as a 1.2 fWAR player which ranks him as 9th-best in the league among primary first baseman. Looking further, though, Burly ranks 25th by measure of defensive value, falling below 30-grade fielder Munetaka Murakami, utility man Spencer Steer, and the rumbling Jake Burger. The other outlets are also down on Burleson’s glove with Baseball Savant giving him a 0 in Fielding Run Value (44th percentile) and -1 Outs Above Average (27th percentile), which again tells me that my eyes are either really messed up or the more likely fact that first base defense is tough to value.

Taking the metrics out of it, Burly has been asked to be the consistent piece of a Cardinals organization that has been going through a rollercoaster stretch for the entirety of his big league career. To his credit, he has taken every challenge in stride and challenging himself to become a more complete baseball player. On a team without any veteran leadership, Burleson has been a voice and example for the youngsters, while also being a solid foundation for Marmol to rally his team around. The issue, though, is that as the only veteran (until Nootbaar comes back), Burleson might miss the timeline for the Cardinals return to relevance if this year goes south.

Because of his early rise to the major leagues, Burleson will approach four years of service time and will be arbitration eligible for this offseason. This will put him as a free agent following the 2028 campaign, putting him firmly in the conversation of extension or trade piece in the next couple of years. Currently, the first base depth is thin behind Burleson, but that is typically a position that can be acquired relatively easily through trade or with cash. If Bloom feels that Burly will still be hitting at his current level or better in his age-30 and later seasons, an extension should be on the table despite his struggles against lefties. With Burly continuing to show his ability to adapt and improve, putting a ceiling on his potential might be premature.

Behind Burleson is Blaze Jordan, who I personally love as a prospect but wonder what the Cardinals feel about his future. Jordan has also played more third base this year so most of the first base starts have gone to 30-year-old Bligh Madris. Among prospects, Leonardo Bernal has played first this year while splitting time behind the plate with Jimmy Crooks and that could be a way to get the switch-hitter promoted quicker as the catching situation continues to be cloudy. Outside of those options, Ivan Herrera has been a common talking point from fans who say he should just simply move to first base, a position he has spent a grand total of eight games while playing in the Caribbean Series winter league in 2023 and I would rather not have a player learn a new position during the season.

Alec Burleson is an established major league hitter who continues to get better every season. He is still just 27-years-old but has been around the big leagues so long that it feels like he is even older. That could also just be because of the beard. Because of the extremely young team surrounding him and an unclear timeline in the organization’s expected return to relevance, Burly could find himself in an awkward in-between phase like teammate Lars Nootbaar may be in when he returns from the injured list in the next couple of weeks.

Columbus Clippers 7, Louisville Bats 3 F/7 Game 1
Columbus Clippers 0, Louisville Bats 5 F/7 Game 2

Clippers move to 26-24

The Columbus Clippers split their doubleheader with Louisville on Saturday. In game one, Ralphy Velaquez put on a show, going 2-for-4 with a double as he is settling in nicely at Triple-A and showing no signs of slowing down, just missing his first Triple-A home run by about a foot.

George Valera went 1-for-2 with two walks while Dom Nunez went 1-for-1 with a double and two walks and both Milan Tolentino and Kahlil Watson homered, with Tolentino’s being a grand slam.

Starting pitcher Ryan Webb had a strong showing, allowing two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He danced around five walks and had two strikeouts. Franco Aleman pitched a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts.

In game two, no one reached base safely more than once, with Stuart Fairchild having the lone extra base hit — a double.

Starting pitcher Pedro Avila was tagged for four runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Andrew Walters struggled in relief, allowing one run on three hits in just 0.1 innings. Jack Leftwich pitched 2.2 scoreless frames out of the bullpen.

Akron RubberDucks 7, Harrisburg Senators 3

RubberDucks improve to 25-18

Jaison Chourio had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Alex Mooney tripled and Juan Benjamin, Nick Mitchell and Jake Fox all walked twice.

Starting pitcher Josh Hartle had his best performance of the season, allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and a walk in 5.1 innings.

Jack Carey allowed one run despite not allowing a hit in 2.1 innings due to four walks. Reid Johnson earned the save by pitching the final 1.1 innings of the game.

Lake County Captains 9, Lansing Lugnuts 3

Captains improve to 22-21

Tommy Hawke had his best game of the season, going 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks and two stolen bases, setting the table perfectly for his teammates from the leadoff position as he scored three runs as well.

Jace LaViolette was one of the beneficiaries, blasting a three-run home run, his seventh of the season and he absolutely destroyed it.

Esteban Gonzalez also homered and Logun Clark walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored three runs.

Starting pitcher Melkis Hernandez allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks in just 3.0 innings.

Jogly Garcia was solid in the piggyback role, tossing 3.2 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and two walks and the bullpen closed out the game with 2.1 more scoreless innings to preserve the victory.

Hill City Howlers 5, Salem RidgeYaks 4

Howlers improve to 23-21

Luis De La Cruz led the way on offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. Johan Rodriguez also was rock solid, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk while Cannon Peebles went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Starting pitcher Jacob Zibin had the best game of his young, delayed career, throwing 5.0 scoreless one-hit innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

He’s worth keeping an eye on if he can continue this trend.

ACL Guardians 3, ACL Rangers 11

ACL Guardians fall to 10-7

Outfield prospect Steven Cruz had a perfect day at the plate, going 1-for-1 with three walks and two stolen bases.

Starting pitcher Erigaldi Perez allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. A rehabbing Matt Jachec pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout.

Do you know the last game when the Atlanta Braves weren’t in first place by the end of the day? Do you know when Walt Weiss tackled Jorge Soler? If you know one then you know the other. Let’s go back to April 7th.

I don’t know that it saved the season. But for the first twelve games, the Braves were 7-5 and underperforming their xwOBA by .005. Since that point, they’re 29-12 and outrunning their xwOBA by .007. That works out to a wRC+ advantage of 9 before and after. They’re definitely managing to keep the HR/FB monster in its cage. They’re doing a tremendous job getting a song out of Martin Perez, Grant Holmes, and even Chadwick Tromp. But this dustup didn’t do Reynaldo Lopez any favors. He would blow up two weeks later in Washington, and hasn’t approached his 2024 form this season.

So did the Walt Weiss tackle save the season? I mean, no, but one thing that Walt Weiss has been doing is pursuing wins. He chases those down in the same manner that he chased down Jorge Soler in Anaheim. The Braves are up by 9.5 games in the NL East Division. Let’s hope that they run away from everyone.

The Yankees were inactive on Saturday, not because the schedule had them sitting on the couch but because the weather didn’t feel like complying. With the Rays also washed out alongside them, the top of the AL East was inactive for the field to play catch up to.

Toronto Blue Jays (25-27) 5, Pittsburgh Pirates (26-26) 2

Paul Skenes versus Patrick Corbin should’ve been a matchup nightmare for Toronto, but it went the opposite way. Three pitches into his outing, Skenes got taken deep by George Springer to lead off, giving the Jays the lead right away. That score held up until the sixth inning though, when the Pirates briefly bailed out their ace with Bryan Reynolds hitting a two-out single followed by Marcell Ozuna doubling him home.

However, the Jays rallied right back to get Corbin back in line to pick up the win. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Yohendrick Piñango both singled to put runners on for Jesús Sánchez, who doubled to bring in one of them before Ernie Clement singled another one in. That chased Skenes from the game, but another run would go against him as Andrés Giménez grounded into a double play that allowed Sánchez to score. In a hurry it was 4-1, and then Tyler Heineman led off the seventh with a blast to push the lead to 5-1.

The Pirates managed to manufacture a run back in the eighth via walks and a grounder with an error mixed in, but they went down in order in the ninth to hand Toronto the win and bring them just two games under .500.

Other Games

Minnesota Twins (25-27) 4, Boston Red Sox (22-29) 2: The Sox ran Jovani Morán out as an opener, but found themselves in a 2-0 hole after the first three batters collected hits with an Austin Martin double the big blow of the frame. A Ceddanne Rafaela RBI double in the fourth cut the deficit in half, but the Twins’ offense reignited against bulk pitcher Brayan Bello in the fifth with back-to-back singles and an error loading the bases. A sac fly and single brought home two, giving Minnesota all the runs they’d need as Boston could only get a run across in the ninth on a bases-loaded walk, Jarren Duran striking out to end it.

Philadelphia Phillies (26-26) 3, Cleveland Guardians (31-23) 0: The Guardians gave the Cavaliers an homage by going down 0-3 in this game, but a fourth run wasn’t necessary for the Phillies to close out a shutout. Bryson Stott singled home two in the fourth and Adolis García walked with the bases loaded in the sixth to round out Philadelphia’s scoring, supporting Zack Wheeler as he pitched his second-straight scoreless outing tossing six innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

Kansas City Royals (21-31) 5, Seattle Mariners (25-28) 0: The Royals jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one thanks to a flurry of contact, two hits and an error getting one across before some groundouts pushed in another run and Jac Caglianone finished off the frame with an RBI single. That would be all that Stephen Kolek would need, as the 29-year-old pitched a complete game shutout and generated tons of weak contact, getting just two strikeouts in the entire outing.

Los Angeles Angels (19-34) 5, Texas Rangers (24-27) 2: Mike Trout lifted his 13th home run of the year in the first to spot the Angels a 2-0 lead, and that expanded in the fifth when Nolan Schanuel doubled in another run. Kyle Higashioka cut into that lead with a solo shot, but Oswald Peraza put it on ice in the eighth with the bases loaded, smacking a grounder through the hole in the left side to score two more.

During Friday’s loss against the Milwaukee Brewers, Max Muncy was plunked in the right wrist on an inside pitch from Aaron Ashby and was forced to leave the game. Although X-rays came back negative, he was out of the lineup on Saturday as Santiago Espinal got the start at third base.

Muncy will once again be out of the lineup for Sunday’s series finale in Milwaukee, and he will undergo an MRI on Monday once the team is back in Los Angeles, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Both Muncy and Dave Roberts are optimistic about his wrist, as his wrist guard caught some of the brunt from Ashby’s pitch.

“For me, I think we skipped the worst, because I’ve been hit in that spot before, and I’ve broken that spot before,” Muncy said after the game. “The biggest thing I always took with me from that was just the nauseous feeling that you get, and I didn’t quite have that tonight. So that’s why I’m feeling pretty optimistic about it.”

“I think we’re good right now,” Roberts said. “But once we get to Monday, get back home, I think we’ll see where we’re at to see if we need to get a CT scan on it.”

After allowing three runs in the first inning, Roki Sasaki completed four scoreless innings and earned the win on Saturday against the Brewers, his second winning decision in as many starts. Sasaki now has a sub-5.00 ERA for the first time since his early April, and Dave Roberts is seeing his gradual progression truly blossom, per Jackson Stone of MLB.com.

“It’s a sign of a young player really starting to grow up and understand his responsibility to the team,” Roberts said. “You need to take down innings and outs as a starting pitcher, and it’s not always going to be easy. That’s a learning moment that he could have folded, and last year it might have been tougher for him to get through that first inning, but he got through [it] and went four more scoreless.

“I’m really impressed because it seems like every outing he’s learning and getting better as a Major League pitcher.”

Teoscar Hernández has been hitting in the bottom third of the lineup routinely, but he’s been one of the Dodgers’ best hitters on this road trip, posting a .345 batting average with three home runs and 13 RBI. He was instrumental in Saturday’s 11-3 win over Milwaukee by going 3-4 with a home run and six RBI.

Dave Roberts has seen a great awareness of the zone from Hernández, as he has been more competitive in the box on the road trip, leading to drastically better results at the plate, notes Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

“For me personally, early on, I think that there was a couple of at-bats per night that he was just giving away. And now the last eight days, something like that, I don’t see him giving away any at-bats. And the production has reflected that.”

Today’s Reflections

Well, Nico Hoerner did do something I never saw Ryno do. That, and three singles, was all that there was to talk about after Saturday’s game. Better luck, and lineup, Sunday.

I had a little fun below, but I think Kevin Alcantara can provide a spark, a break, motivation — something — for this team. It was sad to see that Colin Rea’s fine quality start went to waste. I wouldn’t have believed this 10 days ago, but it’s not the starting pitching (for the most part) or the bullpen (for the most part) that is hurting the Cubs. It wasn’t runners LOB — almost no one was on base Saturday. It’s hard to believe after Saturday, but there IS something worse than leaving RISP.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

The Daily PCA Kevin Alcántara (I’m joking):

• Justin Binkowski (Minor League Baseball On SI): Cubs Call Up Slugging Outfield Prospect Who Leads Triple-A in Homers. “He’s been mashing the ball this year.”

• Cory Sporks (North Side Baseball): Kevin Alcántara Promoted to Chicago Cubs Again With One Goal: Never Get Sent Back Down. “Can the Jaguar reel in his biggest drawbacks to earn a permanent future in Wrigleyville?”
• Ron Luce (OnTapSportsNet): Cubs Recall Kevin Alcantara to Boost Bench. “After recalling Pedro Ramirez on Friday, the Chicago Cubs are recalling another top prospect as Kevin Alcantara joins the MLB roster.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): A Spark Arrives at Wrigley Field? The Cubs Are Calling Up Kevin Alcantara (UPDATE: Nicky Lopez DFA). “Outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara (a.k.a. The Jaguar) is being called up to the Chicago Cubs.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs hope promotion of another top prospect helps get a struggling offense going. “One of MiLB’s top power bats is back in Chicago.”

• Jeff Hawkins (Sporting News): Blanked by Astros’ Kai-Wei Teng, Cubs fail to score on starting pitcher for fourth straight game. “During their current seven-game losing streak, including five straight at Wrigley Field, the Cubs remain mired in a collective offensive funk. They have scored seven runs during their current six-game homestand, which ends Sunday.”

• Jordan Bastian (MLB): Lineup shuffle produces no results in Cubs’ seventh straight loss. “The lineup that Cubs manager Craig Counsell rolled out on Saturday afternoon had a much different look from what has been his typical alignment.”
• Kevin Altman (Cubs Insider): Watch: Nico Hoerner Makes Unreal Between-Legs Throw to First.

• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): This huge Cubs’ offseason regret looming larger with each passing day. “This move hasn’t panned out the way Jed Hoyer had hoped.
• Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Cubs fans are starting to panic, but May may not define this team. “Chicago has fallen into third place during a brutal skid, but the season is far from over.”

Food For Thought:

Sam Myers, best known as a blues vocalist and harmonica player, had been with The Rockets as their featured vocalist since 1986. Myers, along with The Rockets, collectively won nine W.C. Handy awards, the blues community’s equivalent to the Grammy awards. The Laurel, Miss., native had performed since his late teens dating back to the early 1950s. Myers was a former drummer with blues great Elmore James from 1952 to 1963 and had performed with countless others.

Myers got started in music while living in Jackson. He became skilled enough at playing the trumpet and drums that he received a non-degree scholarship from the American Conservatory School of Music in Chicago. Myers attended school by day and at night frequented the nightclubs of Chicago’s South Side, meeting and sitting in with Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Little Walter.

An influencer known as the “Lawn Queen” broke a Guinness World Record in Kentucky by mowing a football field-sized area in under 15 minutes. Hali Rieman, a turf care influencer known as the “Lawn Queen,” drove a mower provided by power technology company Rehlko to mow the TurfMutt Great Lawn at Louisville’s Waterfront Park in 14 minutes and 51.06 seconds.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

It’s been a weird, slow, and kind of boring month of May for the Colorado Rockies. Generally good for just two wins a week, the Rockies are just 6-15 this month after going 14-18 in March and April.

The last week has been more of the same. The Rockies picked up wins against the Texas Rangers at home—in a cold and rainy series at Coors—and the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road. The week was book-ended by losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks, though both were relatively close losses.

The Rockies’ week had a few unfortunate events. The first was a streak of over 320 plate appearances without hitting a home run dating back to Friday, May 15th. The streak was thankfully ended by TJ Rumfield—who leads all National League rookies in extra-base hits and total hits—on Saturday evening.

The other was a plague of injuries that continue to test the Rockies’ depth. After Jordan Beck went on the injured list last week, he was joined this week by both Brenton Doyle (left oblique contusion) and Mickey Moniak (right ankle tendonitis). Reliever Victor Vodnik was placed on the injured list as well.

With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:

To Read: Rockpiles

• Monday:Making an All-Star case for Mickey Moniak | Sam Bradfield
• Tuesday:Brett Pill talks hitting at elevation | Renee Dechert
• Wednesday:The Beautiful, Blessed Boredom of the 2026 Colorado Rockies | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday:Lessons for the Rockies from the Chicago White Sox two year turnaround | Cory Cohen
• Friday:Inside the never-ending job of the Rockies athletic training staff | Joelle Milhom
• Saturday:Hoping to sell: An early look at the Rockies’ fastest path to roster churn | James Riggenbach

To Read: News

• Rockies news:Tomoyuki Sugano notches his 150th career win | Renee Dechert
• Rockies roster:Rockies option Zach Agnos and recall Blas Castaño | Renee Dechert
• Weekly Pebble Report:Benny Montgomery takes things day-by-day | Evan Lang & Skyler Timmins
• Rockies injuries:Brenton Doyle leaves Rockies-Rangers game | Sam Bradfield
• Rockies roster and injuries:Rockies select contract of Keegan Thompson, place Victor Vodnik on IL | Sam Bradfield
• Rockies roster and injuries:Rockies place Brenton Doyle on the IL, select Chad Stevens, make additional roster moves | Renee Dechert
• Rockies roster and injuries:Rockies place OF Mickey Moniak on IL, recall Sterlin Thompson | Evan Lang

Weekly Discussion Topics

The Rockies’ homer-less streak has certainly contributed to their losses in May. What are some other unpleasant streaks you can remember from Rockies history?

In addition, there are just seven games left in May, including three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. What are your hopes and/or expectations for the last week of the month? Let us know in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning, baseball fans!

Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to an end today, so it’s time to share our favorite highlights of the week!

This week, I’ve got to give it to Rafael Devers and Willy Adames hitting back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches to lead off the second inning of Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sure, the team lost. But that’s a pretty dang cool accomplishment that doesn’t happen all that often. So that’s going to be my pick!

What was your favorite highlight of the week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants wrap up this three-game series against the Chicago White Sox this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA) 8, Norfolk Tides 4 – F/10

The Tides spent most of this game behind, but scored two runs in the ninth to take a one-run lead. But the Shrimp tied the game in the bottom half to send it to extras, then scored five runs in the 10th to walk it off.

Cameron Weston started the game and left after three innings with two runs allowed. He gave up three hits and three walks. Enoli Paredes allowed the game-tying run in the ninth, and Andrew Magno took the loss in the 10th. He allowed the Manfred Man to score first, then gave up a walk-off grand slam.

José Barrero was in the middle of the offense tonight, with two doubles. He scored the Tides’ first run in the eighth inning on an error, then knocked in the next two. Jud Fabian singled in the final run. It was a two-hit game for Fabian as well as Johnathan Rodríguez. Heston Kjerstad singled in four ABs.

Box Score

Double-A: Somerset Patriots (NYY) 4, Chesapeake Baysox 0

The Baysox offense managed just four hits in this game. In fact, they had one fewer hit than they did errors. Aron Estrada was responsible for half the hits, two singles. Frederick Bencosme doubled and stole a base. Griff O’Ferrall also had one single to go with three strikeouts.

Starting pitcher Sebastian Gongora somehow allowed just one unearned run despite giving up nine hits and a walk in five innings. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Gongora allowed multiple baserunners in each of the next four innings, but didn’t allow a run until the fifth. He benefitted from two double plays.

Relief pitcher Cohen Achen allowed the other three Patriots runs in one inning pitched. Ben Vespi had a nice outing. He had two hitless innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick vs Greenville – Canceled

Last night’s game was canceled for rain and will not be made up.

Low-A: Delmarva @ Wilson – Postponed

Delmarva was also rained out. Their game will be made up as part of a doubleheader this afternoon.

Today’s Schedule

• Norfolk @ Jacksonville, 6:35. Starter: Trace Bright
• Chesapeake vs Somerset, 1:05. Starter: Luis De León
• Frederick vs Greenville, 3:05 (Doubleheader). Game 1 starter: Carson Dorsey; Game 2: Kiefer Lord
• Delmarva @ Wilson, 12:05 (Doubleheader). Game 1 starter: Esteban Mejia; Game 2: TBD

Yesterday, Grant McAuley of Atlanta’s 92.9 the Game, From The Diamond and Battery Power, spoke with injured Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach about his rehabilitation progression.

Schwellenbach told McAuley that he has starting throwing from 60 feet on flat ground every other day – a process that began six days ago. That will be a two week process before he repeats that routine with the distance moved to 75 feet. If that goes well, Schwellenbach is hopeful he can begin throwing off the mound.

Although Schwellenbach says he feels good and is encouraged by the success of his early sessions, a multi-step process of mound work would be needed before he could go on a rehab assignment. Braves manager Walt Weiss told McAuley that there still isn’t a timeline for Schwellenbach’s return to big league action.

Based on the timeline Schwellenbach relayed to McAuley, and the time he’d need to build-up his strength while on a rehab assignment a speculative return could be August or September, assuming no set-backs during his rehabilitation work.

Progress is good news but there’s no guarantee that Schwellenbach will be able to return this season after having bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow in mid-February 2026.

McAuley also provided an update on pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver, who is aiming to return this summer after “Tommy John” surgery last season.

One of the curses of such a long season, and this is true for all levels of teams, is the incessant tinkering one might be prone to do, trying to optimize a team’s performance. As we comb through the Yankees’ offense and potential avenues of improvement, one that inevitably stands out is the improved production at the top of the order. Trent Grisham hasn’t yet been able to match his performance of last season, and his outstanding walk rate while befitting the role is mostly keeping his head above water as a worthwhile regular thanks to how he’s struggled with his batted balls.

Part of why Grisham ended up entrenched in the leadoff role the moment he found success as a Yankee last season is that this team doesn’t really have a traditional leadoff bat. What that term means exactly has changed a great deal over the years, but when we say they lack this option, it’s both in terms of what we consider an ideal name for the role and of any player who has had consistent success there. Ronald Acuña Jr., Brandon Nimmo, and Kyle Schwarber are all unique hitters, but they share the similarity of having filled this role consistently and successfully over a long period in recent campaigns. The Yankees’ hitters can’t say the same.

If Grisham is unable to improve his numbers, there will come a time when a new option is required, and while he may not represent the easiest of fits, Cody Bellinger could be that player. First things first, the cons of this decision are all pretty transparent, and chief among them is the fear of disrupting the routine of a veteran. Bellinger has built himself an outstanding career without featuring in conversations such as these — in fact, he’s only started a game in the leadoff spot three times. It could very well be the case that moving to the leadoff spot disrupts him. While potentially real, this is just a speculative point.

Forget for a second all of our preconceived notions of what Bellinger is, the profile he’s built over the years, and everything that comes with it — who is Bellinger right now?

While there is real pop in that bat (.202 ISO), one of the key factors in making Bellinger the great hitter he has been since joining the Yankees is an outstanding plate discipline that sees him walk (34) more times than he strikes out (27) in 2026. Bellinger’s .382 OBP is neck-and-neck with Ben Rice’s .383 for the team lead. While he doesn’t have the stolen base numbers of Jose Caballero or Jazz Chisholm Jr., he has enough speed to be a threat at the top of the order, certainly more than Grisham does.

One benefit of having Bellinger lead off would be to split the two most dangerous lefties of this team on either side of Aaron Judge. Suddenly, especially without Giancarlo Stanton’s presence as he’s currently sidelined with an injury, opposing managers would think a bit more before bringing on a southpaw to handle these two. Yes, this hasn’t been a problem because Rice and Bellinger are both mashing lefties, but in the long run, you’d naturally expect those numbers to regress some. The idea of having a righty splitting the two is quite appealing — and not just any righty, but the two-time reigning AL MVP.

Sure, Bellinger’s walk rate is miles off his career and recent norm, but even if you account for a more reasonable figure, he’s a player who has hit .270 over the last three years with a low standard deviation. Bellinger’s ability to get on base at a fine clip has been well established. Overall, it doesn’t require a lot of squinting for one to see why it could make sense to move Bellinger to the top of the order.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (26-22)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (15-29)

RICHMOND 5, BINGHAMTON 1 (BOX)

Seven walks in less than three innings is impressive work, just not in the way that Brendan Girton is probably looking for. Saul Garcia looks good though, so that’s something.

• DH Chris Suero: 0-4, BB, 3 K
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 1-4, K, E (5)
• LF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, BB, K
• CF D’Andre Smith: 0-4, 2 K
• 2B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, R, HR (7), RBI, 2 K
• 1B JT Schwartz: 0-4, 2 K
• C Vincent Perozo: 2-2, 2B, BB
• RF TT Bowens: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• SS Wyatt Young: 1-4, K, SB (4)
• RHP Brendan Girton: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 4 K, L (1-3)
• RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Saul Garcia: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• RHP Guillo Zuñiga: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (12-31)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (19-25)

ST LUCIE 4, PALM BEACH 2 (BOX)

Fun win here for St. Lucie. Nicolas Carreno had made a nice four inning start and is emerging as a new arm in the system. The bullpen then gave up a couple of unearned runs, but the offense was equal to the task; homers from AJ Salgado and Branny De Oleo proved to be the day. The latter is another name to monitor as a potentially interesting bat.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-3, BB, K, CS (4)
• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, K, E (2)
• RF Randy Guzman: 1-4, K, SB (4)
• CF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-3, BB
• LF AJ Salgado: 1-3, R, HR (7), RBI, BB, K
• DH Jamari Baylor: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• 1B Chase Meggers: 0-3, R
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 K
• C Francisco Toledo: 1-2, R, 2B, BB, E (4)
• LHP Nicolas Carreno: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• RHP Josh Blum: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• RHP Elwis Mijares: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (3-3)

Rookie: FCL Mets (7-8)

FCL METS 14, FCL NATIONALS 5 (BOX)

• CF Bohan Adderley: 2-5, R, 2 K, SB (9)
• LF Wyatt Vincent: 1-4, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB (4)
• SS Grae Kessinger: 1-2, 3 R, 2B, 3 BB, SB (1), CS (1)
• DH Boston Baro: 2-2, 2 RBI
• PR-DH Adolfo Miranda: 2-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI
• C Josmir Reyes: 0-2, R, 3 BB
• 2B Anthony Frobose: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• RF Heriberto Rincon: 1-4, R, HR (3), 2 RBI
• 3B Diover De Aza: 1-4, R, HR (2), 3 RBI
• 1B Justin Ramirez: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB
• RHP Camden Lohman: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• RHP John Valle: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-0)
• RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• LHP Luis Sotillo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Nicolas Carreno

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Brendan Girton

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Memorial Day weekend is in full swing, and I have you covered on the diamond, with 15 MLB games gracing the schedule today!

Headlined by an NLCS rematch between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, let's dive right into my MLB picks for Sunday, May 24.

MLB moneyline picks for May 24

Matchup	Pick
Pirates vs Blue Jays	-144
Rays vs Yankees	+122
Twins vs Red Sox	+144
Guardians vs Phillies	-122
Tigers vs Orioles	-127
Cardinals vs Reds	+108
Mets vs Marlins	+104
Mariners vs Royals	+127
Dodgers vs Brewers	-163
Astros vs Cubs	-156
White Sox vs Giants	-104
Rockies vs Diamondbacks	+170
Nationals vs Braves	+150
A's vs Padres	-150
Rangers vs Angels	-117

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 5-24.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for May 24

Pirates vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (-144)

Blue Jays win probability: 59%

Toronto is starting to hit a groove as winners of four straight, and Dylan Cease should only add to that momentum as the AL strikeout leader takes the mound.

Pittsburgh’s offense is currently without All-Star right fielder Ryan O’Hearn, making this the perfect opportunity for the Jays to keep rolling.

Rays vs Yankees: Rays (+122)

Rays win probability: 45%

It’s 2026, and the Rays are still doing Rays things, defying everyone’s expectations by boasting the best record in the AL at 34-15.

I’ll take Shane McClanahan over Ryan Weathers, so give me the Rays at plus money.

Twins vs Red Sox: Twins (+144)

Twins win probability: 41%

It’s hard to go on X without seeing some type of Red Sox fan meltdown. Even if Sonny Gray is posting encouraging numbers on the season, I much prefer the Twins’ offense over whatever Boston is running out.

(Why is Jarren Duran still leading off?!)

Guardians vs Phillies: Guardians (-122)

Guardians win probability: 55%

While Andrew Painter has endured some rookie blemishes, Parker Messick is a nice sleeper in the Cy Young odds, dealing with a 167 ERA+ and a K% that sits in the 87th percentile at Baseball Savant.

Give me the Guardians in the City of Brotherly Love.

Tigers vs Orioles: Orioles (-127)

Orioles win probability: 56%

My pre-season World Series pick is looking like an abject disaster right now, as the Tigers are 1–9 over their last 10 contests.

I’d like to think they’ll turn things around when Tarik Skubal, Gleyber Torres, and Kerry Carpenter return, but until further notice, I’m fading Detroit.

Cardinals vs Reds: Cardinals (+108)

Cardinals win probability: 48%

Matthew Liberatore has consistently kept Cincinnati hitters in check throughout his career, holding them to a .176/.236/.392 slash line.

With Brady Singer carrying a bloated 6.26 ERA, I’m backing the Cardinals in this NL Central clash.

Mets vs Marlins: Marlins (+104)

Marlins win probability: 49%

Say what you want about the Marlins, but they continue to play hard under skipper Clayton McCullough.

Miami is also notably better at LoanDepot Park, sporting a 17–15 record at home compared to 7–14 on the highway.

Mariners vs Royals: Royals (+127)

Royals win probability: 44%

Seth Lugo has dominated current Mariners hitters, holding them to a lifetime .564 OPS across 70 at-bats.

Listed as plus money at home, I’ll take a shot on Kansas City against Bryan Woo and Seattle.

Dodgers vs Brewers: Dodgers (-163)

Dodgers win probability: 62%

The last time Yoshinobu Yamamoto faced Milwaukee, the Japanese ace tossed a complete game in Game 2 of the NLCS, surrendering just one run.

With Los Angeles finally fully healthy on offense, expect the defending champs to crush Brandon Sproat inside American Family Field.

Astros vs Cubs: Cubs (-156)

Cubs win probability: 61%

Yordan Alvarez is currently day-to-day, and with Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve already on the IL, I’ll ride with the Cubbies at home while the Astros’ offense is compromised.

White Sox vs Giants: Giants (-104)

Giants win probability: 51%

San Francisco ranks dead last in runs per game, so I like the upstart White Sox to stay hot in the Bay Area.

The way the Giants are going, get ready for an absolute fire sale at the trade deadline.

Rockies vs Diamondbacks: Rockies (+170)

Rockies win probability: 37%

Jose Quintana continues to be an ageless wonder, and the Diamondbacks are batting just .202 against the veteran southpaw.

Meanwhile, Ryne Nelson has failed to reach the sixth inning in seven consecutive starts, so I’m all over the Rockies in this desert duel.

Nationals vs Braves: Nationals (+150)

Nationals win probability: 40%

Both of these offenses are crushing the ball, but it’s the Nationals sporting a league-best 124 wRC+ against lefties that has me backing them against Martin Perez. 

Athletics vs Padres: Padres (-150)

Padres win probability: 60%

While the Padres have one of the deepest bullpens in baseball, the A’s kryptonite is their relief staff, ranking 23rd in bullpen ERA.

How good would Mason Miller be going 1-2-3 on his former team?

Rangers vs Angels: Rangers (-117)

Rangers win probability: 54%

The Halos are mired in another disastrous campaign, wasting another year of Mike Trout’s Hall of Fame career. Vibes are an absolute mess in Anaheim, with owner Arte Moreno hearing the latest brunt of Angels fans’ frustration.

Head across the street to Disneyland if you want to see something magical. The Rangers roll on Sunday Night Baseball against Reid Detmers, who carries an ugly 1-5 record and 5.07 ERA into this matchup.

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

Hello, friends.

Weather robbed us of the Orioles getting to play yesterday. Given their all-too-frequent play this season, it may be that nothing was lost to the fan in not seeing the Orioles. As Zagreus is frequently reminded in the video game Hades, there is no escape. There will be two O’s games today, whether anyone likes it or not.

Maybe we will like it. The Tigers are not very good this year, and they are particularly reeling recently. Detroit is in the middle of a stretch where it’s lost seven in a row and 15 out of 17 dating back to May 4. We got one demonstration of that on Friday night. Even the Orioles for all of their problems dispatched those guys.

This is going to be a split doubleheader, with games scheduled for 12:35 and 6:05. I think it’s an absolute shame that the Orioles are not just putting those together as a traditional two-for-one doubleheader. I don’t believe that there are enough seats sold across both of these games to make it impossible to smash everybody together for one gate. They should do it.

My suspicion is that the reason that they aren’t doing it like that is because the postponed Saturday game was the Samuel Basallo bobblehead giveaway. The bobblehead-industrial complex must be fed. There are people who will whine if they do not get a separate gate to get their precious bobbles. Now, the Orioles should not cater to this mindset, just for starters. But even if they must, just make some more bobbles and give out vouchers if there won’t be enough for the one gate. They can get away with not doing this because it doesn’t ultimately matter, the only people who are going to complain are weirdos like me and even then not for long. Still, it sucks.

Hopefully the doubleheader itself doesn’t suck. The Orioles have the potential for a nice momentum swing here, if they can play well enough to accomplish it. Taking both games today doesn’t solve all of their problems, but it does put them farther down the path of solving their problems. Even a split at least gives them a series win for people to feel good about, if they want to feel good about that. This all may be a temporary reprieve if the O’s just go and get dunked on by the Rays again starting tomorrow.

That’s a problem for tomorrow. A problem for today is that the 2026 version of Trevor Rogers is pitching one of the games. What’s going on with him? I don’t know. Whatever is wrong probably wasn’t fixed since the last time he pitched. Maybe he will surprise me. Sooner or later I would figure he’ll start pitching at least like a 4.50 ERA guy. That would be better than the disaster we’re getting.

Brandon Young is pitching the first game, with Framber Valdez going for Detroit. The Tigers had TBD for Sunday listed even before it turned into a doubleheader and they’re still TBD. Your guess is as good as mine.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Albernaz defends Orioles use of analytics (Baltimore Baseball)
Ahead of Friday’s win over the Tigers, the manager indirectly responded to some of the postgame comments that Ben McDonald made on MASN after the sweep at the hands of the Rays.

The Orioles must restore their self-belief this homestand, if they have any left (The Baltimore Banner)
Not believing in themselves hasn’t really seemed to be their problem to me. I might even say that believing in what they’re doing too much is a greater issue.

Last, there’s this update on the starting rotation coming out of yesterday’s rainout:

Since the Orioles have both yesterday’s and today’s originally scheduled starting pitchers going today, and they don’t get an off day until June 1, that means there will be no one on regular rest on Thursday. What will they do about it? That’s a problem they can worry about until Thursday, since they’ve got five starts to get through before then. This year, you can’t take for granted that the current five guys will make the five starts. Or count on more than two of them at most to pitch a decent game.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

The Orioles have now played 51 games. In their 51st game last year, Trevor Rogers made his first start of the season and the O’s beat the Red Sox, 2-1, in the second game of a doubleheader, giving the team an 18-34 record. Heading into today, the Orioles are four wins better than that. It’s not enough! Games 52 and 53 were wins as well, so it would take a sweep by the O’s today to stay four games ahead of the 2025 Orioles.

One lone former Oriole was born on this day. Exactly 100 years ago, infielder Willy Miranda was born in Cuba. Miranda played for the team from 1955-59 and died in Baltimore in 1996.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: physicist Daniel Fahrenheit (1686), England’s Queen Victoria (1819), actor Tommy Chong (1938), and rapper Heavy D (1967).

On this day in history…

In 1626, Dutch colonial governor Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan for his budding colony, New Amsterdam, from an adjacent native settlement of the Lenape people.

In 1844, Samuel Morse sent a telegram message from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. The message quoted the Bible, “What hath God wrought,” as it inaugurated commercial telegraph lines.

In 1935, the Cincinnati Reds hosted the first ever night game in MLB history, winning a 2-1 contest against the Philadelphia Phillies.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 24. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!

I’d be surprised if the team does not get today’s game in with the rain being a bit more sporadic compared to yesterday. They’ll wait forever, of course, to try and get it started if they have to, but it should get played eventually.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Zack Wheeler has been outstanding this season, dominating left handers in particular. This deep dive looks at exactly how.
• The team made a major international signing, inking Korean teenager Chan-min Park to a $1.7 million deal.
• No matter how ineffective he is right now, Trea Turner isn’t getting moved out of the leadoff spot in the lineup ($).

MLB news:

• Chris Taylor retired from the game the other, then yesterday, said “Nevermind!” He’ll go in the minor league injured list instead.
• The Red Sox are showing some urgency these days, trying to kickstart the trade market and get a right handed bat.
• Even if he’s currently injured, the trade rumors surrounding Tarik Skubal are only growing louder with each loss by the Tigers.