Category: Baseball

By any measure, Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle is having an excellent rookie year. The number two prospect in all of baseball coming into the year has an impressive .291/.397/.424 slash for the season and is walking more than he’s striking out. With his blistering start, he quickly settled into the leadoff slot of Detroit’s lineup.

That said, his month of May has been a bit of a struggle, as his power has mostly evaporated. He’s still taking his walks, but a .224 SLG on the month really won’t do. An exceptionally low BABIP for the month is deflating things even more, though a lot of routine fly balls and pop-ups will do that to you, but this is easily the worst stretch of his professional career. There’s nothing to be concerned about long-term at all, and we’re only talking about a few weeks for a 21-year-old rookie, but McGonigle is going to have to make some adjustments to get back on track.

To better understand what those adjustments might be, let’s pretend to be Red Team for the Detroit Tigers scouting department. Typically, MLB scouts focus on how to attack guys for the other team, but when you’re on the struggle bus, reverse scouting is the right idea. The premise is simple: if you put yourself in your opponent’s shoes and better understand how they want to attack you, you can adapt preemptively. To do so, I’ll try and find out McGonigle’s biggest weaknesses so far. Who knows, maybe he’ll read this and learn a thing or two about himself!

The first thing I thought I’d look at is pitch type distribution. Is there a pitch type the league has decided McGonigle can’t handle? I figured if that was the case, his pitch distributions before May 1 and since would look pretty different. Here’s that table:

Pitch Type (%)	Fastball	Offspeed	Breaking Balls
Before May 1	52	16.4	31.7
After May 1	58.6	14.8	26.6

There’s a small change there, but not the one I expected. Teams saw McGonigle spit on secondary pitches and ambush fastballs early in the year, so they responded by… throwing him more fastballs? That feels unintuitive, to say the least. For the whole season, both of his home runs have come on a fastball, and he’s only whiffing on 9% of them. On its own, this doesn’t feel like the solution to beat McGonigle. Trying to get McGonigle out on a fastball feels like crossing your fingers as you send the pitch out towards home plate, but the league seems to have a plan. Let’s keep going.

Next I decided to check pitch location. Maybe that could be more illuminating than pitch type, and indeed, I think it was. Here’s what I found, with the first image being the percentage of pitches he saw in April/May, and the second being for May so far:

Now the extra fastballs make sense. It’s no secret the modern pitcher loves fastballs up, and recently, McGonigle is facing a lot of those. That top right corner of the zone is a particular hot zone, as it’s the hardest pitch to pull for power. Pitchers seem to be coming in with a concerted effort, forcing McGonigle to play more to their strengths than his, knowing that he’s looking for fastballs to drive. The game plan appears to be trying to get ahead in counts with softer stuff, then challenging McGonigle and his average raw power up in the zone, assuming whatever air contact he makes will be more of a lazy fly ball than a crushed dinger. It’s a pretty solid plan, especially since McGonigle’s entire approach is predicated on singling out a few pitches to pull in the air for extra base damage; fastballs up and away help negate this.

Naturally, the follow-up is ‘is it working’? Is this new gameplan backing McGonigle into a corner? And the answer to that is… kind of? Let me try to explain. One way of looking at that would be launch angle; more pitches up probably means a higher launch angle, and we see that. Mostly:

I went ahead and highlighted May 1 in that photo to help give a timeframe. We see McGonigle’s rolling launch angle spike in early May, and then it drops almost as quickly as it climbed. This is measuring the launch angle of his previous 25 batted balls after every batted ball, so it’s susceptible to a lot of noise. In particular, since it’s an average, this isn’t a very precise instrument to begin with. A towering popup at 40 degrees and a weak grounder at -5 degrees average out at 17.5 degrees, same as two well-struck line drives, so it’s probably worth checking out how he’s getting to that mid-May average.

Here is where I have unfortunate news to share: McGonigle has seemingly entered his Ian Kinsler arc. His ground ball rate has spiked from 27.3% to 36.6%, his line drives are down from 27.3% to 19.5%, and worst of all, his infield fly rate has ballooned from 2.2% to a hilariously untenable 16.7% (note: infield flyball rate is expressed as the ratio infield fly balls/all fly balls, not infield fly balls/all batted balls, so it’s bad, but not as awful as it sounds at first blush). Still, this isn’t how a good hitter operates long-term. If McGonigle wants to start bashing again, he needs to either commit to punishing the fastball up he knows he’s going to get and going to the opposite field more, or spit on the fastball until two strikes and wait to ambush an in-zone mistake on a breaking ball.

The good news is he’s not broken and starting to chase: his plate discipline metrics are all still excellent. He’s not going out of the zone much, and he’s making as much contact in the zone as he did in March and April. Plus, as pitchers force him to look outside, he’s responded with more of an all-fields approach which should be the right decision, if he can get back to a line-drive swing. The only red flag is in his inability to punish the fastball up the way he needs to, or to just let more of those go since he isn’t getting that many of them actually in the zone where he can barrel them up. Instead, pitchers know he’s trying to read fastball out of hand, and they’re showing them to him while not really giving him many he can drive. Essentially they’re forcing him to take his walks and betting that he’ll be too tempted to offer when he does get the fastball.

Considering his short levers, great bat-to-ball skills, and strong eye at the plate, this shouldn’t be a pitch that breaks the whole profile long term. He’s really not built to barrel up pitches on the outer edge consistently, but he torched fastballs up in the zone throughout his minor league run and without regard to velocity. It’s likely the first time pitchers have consistently spotted fastballs up and away but close to the zone against him for weeks at a time, and now, the young rookie will have to adjust. This shouldn’t be a surprise for the kid who skipped AAA. MLB pitchers will eventually force some adaptations. Based on his career so far, and the excellent run we saw in March and April, I think we’re just one small approach tweak away from the on-base machine developing into a power hitting force at the top of the lineup.

Welcome to another new week A’s fans!

The team had a lackluster weekend as they dropped two of three to the Giants. Add that to the series loss mid-week to the Cardinals and the A’s did not have a great time in their latest homestand in Sacramento.

It’s in the books and behind us now though and the team has packed their bags and flown down south to Anaheim to take on the Angels in the team’s second four-game series of the season. This’ll be the first time these two teams have seen each other all year so it’s a fresh start against one another in that regard. The A’s will come into tonight’s series with a slim one-game lead over both the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners so the team really needs to rack up wins against these Angels.

Los Angeles is, yet again, near the bottom of the league but perhaps the bottom has truly fallen out from under them this year. At 16-31 the Angels are the owners of the worst record in the sport. Their offense, led by a resurgent Mike Trout, aren’t completely punchless but still rank in the bottom third in most offensive categories. Slugger Jorge Soler and shortstop Zack Neto have provided solid production, as has former Yankee Oswaldo Peraza, but they’ve gotten little help from the other spots in the batting order.

On the pitching side for the Angels they’ve been treated to the revelation of starter Jose Soriano, who is far and away the best pitcher on the team. They’ve gotten strong results from top-20 prospect Walbert Ureña as well but none of the starters have adequate ERA’s. They’ve also had their depth severely tested early on as they’ve already had 10 pitchers start a game for them this year. Things aren’t any better in their bullpen as their relief unit ranks 29th in the league in bullpen ERA, just ahead of the Astros.

The way things have been and are headed for the Angels right now, the future is not too bright. There’s not much in the way of reinforcements coming up in their farm system anytime soon, and Trout will be turning 35 in August. Could this be the year the team finally pulls the trigger and sends their franchise icon to a winning situation? That’ll be a fascinating story to watch as the summer trade deadline approaches.

The starting matchups this week are all already set. J.T. Ginn will get us started tonight as he gets the ball for his eighth start and looking to keep his roll going. He’ll be opposed by Ureña, who himself is pitching well and has had three straight solid starts. Another thing to keep an eye on in this game? If first baseman Nick Kurtz can extend his on-base streak to 41 games:

Nick Kurtz works a walk to leadoff the bottom of the first, extending his on-base streak to 40 consecutive games.

Only Mark McGwire has a longer single-season, on-base streak than Nick Kurtz in the last 40 years of A's franchise history.#Athleticspic.twitter.com/8CpfpHrpzB

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) May 17, 2026

Tuesday will see the lefty vs. lefty matchup this series as Jacob Lopez will take on Reid Detmers. Lopez has had struggles this year but has put together back-to-back quality starts and has lowered his season ERA by nearly a full run. There’s other arms in the system that are waiting for their shot though so Lopez needs to keep it up to keep the competition off his heels. Detmers, who once looked like a building block for the Angels years ago, has shifted back to the rotation after spending last year exclusively as a reliever. The early results have been mixed but he’s still only 26 years old and the Angels have nothing to lose letting him try to rediscover his previous form as a starter.

Right-hander Aaron Civale gets the ball for the A’s on Wednesday as he’ll be making his 10th start for the ballclub. He’s continued to be a steal for the Green & Gold as he’ll bring a 2.70 ERA into his first start of the year against the Angels, which ranks 7th in the American League. That mark also leads the Athletics’ pitching staff, though Ginn’s 3.12 mark isn’t far off. Civale will be going up against Jack Kochanowicz, who has gotten lit up to the tune of 12 runs in 10 innings over his previous two starts entering this one. Advantage: A’s.

The final pitching matchup of the series will pit the staff leaders against one another as Luis Severino goes up against one of the best starters this year in fellow righty Jose Soriano. Sevy was on a four-game roll before stumbling this weekend against the Giants. That was at home in Sacramento though and we all know how much he dislikes Sutter Health Park. Maybe getting back on the road will help him get back in the win column too. It won’t be easy as Soriano has been one of the best pitchers in the league this year. That said, he just endured his first rough start last time out when he surrendered six earned runs to the cross-town Dodgers, boosting his season ERA form 1.66 to 2.41. Still a good mark but doesn’t show how dominant he’s been for the Angels so far. Like Trout expect to hear his name in trade talks come this summer.

ESPN Analytics gives our #Athletics a 51.1% chance to beat the Angels tomorrow.

J.T. Ginn is projected to be on the bump tomorrow, will the righty lead the boys in a bounce back series?https://t.co/X9pI8zy8ur

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) May 18, 2026

Who else thinks that’s too small of odds? Gotta take at least three of four against these guys, but division games are always a different beast. First pitch of the series is at 6:38 tonight. Until then, have a great day everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Bullpen, Defense Collapse in Series-Deciding Loss to Giants
• How John Fisher betrayed Oakland (again) by finally spending on the Athletics
• A’s Drop Saturday Contest To Giants 6-4
• Kurtz Blasts the A’s to a 5-2 Victory Over the Giants
• The Giants-A’s rivalry is officially dead
• A’s get lefty reliever Suarez in trade with Mariners
• Bolte Flashes In Athletics’ Win Over Cardinals
• Kurtz shakes off pain, crushes massive grand slam to lift A’s
• A’s roster moves: Bolte, Stefanic recalled; Wilson to IL; Harris optioned, Nuñez DFA’d
• There’s Forcing Your Way Up And There’s Bolte — Is There A Spot For Him?
• May Roster Shuffle Could Help The A’s — But They’d Have To Want It
• Athletics’ Wei-En Lin Continues Rising The Ranks
• Now that we’ve seen a two-way player, what about a three-way player?
• A Walk In The Park Is Nice…To A Point
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In May

MLB News and Interest:

• Mariners call up top prospect Emerson for debut — and he’s here to stay
• Mariners place Brendan Donovan on 10-day IL
• Dodgers give life to injury-riddled starting corps, acquire lefty Lauer
• Blake Snell To Undergo Surgery To Remove Loose Bodies In Elbow
• Astros’ Jose Altuve heading to IL with oblique strain
• Rangers’ Corey Seager (back) remains sidelined, has MRI
• Lucas Giolito tosses 5 strong innings in Padres debut
• AL West Notes: D’Arnaud, Smith, Clarke
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Denzel getting back into action:

Denzel Clarke felt really good about where he was at in his progression and will begin a rehab assignment tonight with Single-A Stockton. Will play two games there today and tomorrow, then likely head to Triple-A Las Vegas next week.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 16, 2026

Shotaro Morii getting some Single-A action:

Shotaro Morii, A’s No. 13 Prospect and baseball’s first “three-way” player, collected his first Single-A hit today—an RBI triple! 🔥 #Athleticspic.twitter.com/JhEgWYJrgm

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) May 17, 2026

Possible Leo De Vries promotion to Triple-A coming? He was a late scratch from the Double-A lineup yesterday:

⚠️LINEUP CHANGE⚠️

Leo De Vries scratched and replaced by Davis Diaz at 3rd base.

Shane McGuire will now be catching.

Euribiel Angeles will now be in the DH position.

— Midland RockHounds (@RockHounds) May 17, 2026

Shortstop is a very important position, who knew?

The A's prior to this homestand (40 games): 8 errors
The A's this homestand (6 games): 9 errors

Feels like a completely different defense since Jacob Wilson has gone down with injury.#Athleticspic.twitter.com/QWYJebA8Ei

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) May 17, 2026

ICYMI:

RHP Chen Zhuang to LV IL
RHP Nick Hernandez off LV develop list
OF Denzel Clarke to STK on rehab
IF Michael Stefanic DFA’d
IF Alika Williams to A’s from PIT for LAN RHP Kyle Robinson
OF Junior Perez to CWS for LHP Jackson Nove (to STK)
RHP Jay Dill to LANhttps://t.co/joKXkyUAPy

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) May 18, 2026

Worcester: W, 4-0 (BOX SCORE)

In yet another bullpen game, the WooSox kept Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) off the scoreboard despite using six pitchers. Everyone was in lockstep, and the Bison managed just three hits on the night. The WooSox matched that total just in their extra base hits, and Nathan Hickey hit his third home run of the season out of the nine-hole to get Worcester on the board and in the lead for good.

Portland: L, 5-6 (BOX SCORE)

Just as the Sea Dogs walked off the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) earlier in the week, this time, it was the home team’s turn to capitalize on a blown save. Michael Sansone had a very tough second inning but recovered well and kept it a tie game through 5. This was thanks to Brooks Brannon and Miguel Bleis each going yard in the first inning.

Now, I’m not saying that Bleis is suddenly going to become an organizational factor again, as this game pulled him only just barely back over the Mendoza line, but it’s good to know that revered power still exists somewhere. There was no power, or even much contact, from either side to speak of for the vast majority of this game; after no scores from the third inning all the way to the eighth, Max Ferguson had an RBI knock with two outs in the top of the ninth, and then Cooper Adams got walked off by allowing two runs. The six-game series in Connecticut was a split 3-3 and four were decided by one run.

Greenville: W, 12-10 (BOX SCORE)

After losing eight consecutive games including five with Bowling Green (Rays High-A) in town, the Drive finally got in the W column despite giving up ten runs on fourteen hits. The offense was aided by some usual suspects who remained hot even through the losing streak; Mason White hit his eighth home run of the season and Justin Gonazales had his sixth, a three-run shot to put Greenville up 12-3. Bowling Green would threaten to bring this drought to an end and get this to within two runs, but on Sunday, a dozen runs was enough to come away with the W.

Salem: : L, 5-6 (BOX SCORE)

The Drive got walked off by Fredericksburg (Nationals A) in the series finale, in part due to allowing ten walks on the afternoon and three in that defining ninth inning on the way one of those runners putting the game away, but it wasn’t all bad: Enddy Azocar, the 19-year-old outfielder and leadoff hitter for the RidgeYaks, had a four-hit day as his batting average re-approaches .300 and accounted for the team’s only stolen base of the day. Still, the team stranded a dozen men and they suffered a Sunday loss.

Have a merry Monday. And, special shout out to the first person to solidify me as a lifelong Sox fan, my father, who turns 65 today. Happy birthday Dad!

I’m on double duty tonight for Rivalry Roundup and our Today on Pinstripe Alley/daily question post, so since I generally try to throw some very quick thoughts on what the Yankees did as well in these, you’ll excuse me for double-dipping in the next two paragraphs.

What an awful road trip. The Yankees got swept in Milwaukee, lost two of three to an underwhelming-as-hell Orioles team, and then did the same against the Mets, who entered as one of the worst teams in baseball. The 2-7 trip ended when David Bednar couldn’t hold a three-run lead in the ninth, evaporating the edge on a three-run blast by Tyrone Taylor. They then stranded the zombie runner and lost in the bottom of the 10th. That’s some bad baseball, folks.

Now, they get to play the Blue Jays! It doesn’t matter that they’ve been kind of whatever thus far in 2026; it’s not as though the O’s or Mets were rolling when the Yankees faced them this past week. So… joy.

Here’s some of what else was going on around the Junior Circuit.

Tampa Bay Rays (30-15) 6, Miami Marlins (21-26) 3

Just like that, the Rays are the American League’s first team to reach 30 wins — just as we all expected! They’re now three games up on the Yankees as well. Bad.

Early on, the Marlins shook off a Junior Caminero solo shot in the first and made a bigger statement by taking a 2-1 lead on Drew Rasmussen, as they seemed to identify a flaw in the Rasmussen/Nick Fortes battery. Owen Caissie reached on an infield hit, stole second, and scored on an Xavier Edwards single to center. Edwards then repeated the trick with Otto Lopez, swiping second and crossing home on Lopez’s hit. Although Lopez was stranded, he stole the Marlins’ third base of the inning. All told, the Fish went 5-of-6 on steals against this battery.

The Rays had an answer in the home half of of the fourth. Eury Pérez loaded the bases with one out on walks to Yandy Díaz and Cedric Mullins, as well as a double by Jonny DeLuca. He got Fortes to hit into a fielder’s choice, but was burned on a fastball down the heart of the plate to Taylor Walls. The normally light-hitting shortstop cracked a bases-clearing triple to the right-center-field gap that proved to be the difference in the ballgame.

Pérez fanned Chandler Simpson to strand Wells, but in the next inning, Díaz took him deep for a 426-foot shot to dead center. They also got a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, and the Tampa Bay bullpen cruised with a four-run lead.

The Fish did threaten when they loaded the bases themselves in the seventh against Garrett Cleavinger. Kyle Stowers’ RBI single had made it 6-3, and the go-ahead run was at the plate. In came Ian Seymour, and down went Leo Jiménez on strikes, with Heriberto Hernández following with a lineout. Miami never got that close to the lead again.

Toronto Blue Jays (21-25) 4, Detroit Tigers (20-26) 1

The Jays aren’t back or anything and there haven’t been any sweeps, but to their credit, they have won six of their last eight series. Gotta start somewhere! After beating Detroit in 10 innings on Saturday night, Toronto made it two in a row with a pretty smooth victory yesterday. Kevin Gausman muzzled the Tigers with six scoreless innings, and the Jays built up a 4-0 lead against Jack Flaherty on the strength of a solo shot by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., an RBI triple from Daulton Varsho, and a poorly-timed wild pitch.

Yariel Rodríguez allowed a run in relief but limited the damage, and both Joe Mantiply and Tyler Rogers threw up zeroes to nail down the win. Four big games in the Bronx are up next for the Jays to fight their way back into it, their first head-to-head with the Yankees of 2026.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (19-27) 1, Atlanta Braves (32-15) 8: The team with the best record in baseball wasted no time in getting to Brayan Bello, and a guy who needed a big hit in a disappointing season thus far certainly delivered. Austin Riley clobbered a 431-foot, three-run homer to make it 3-0 after five batters. Grant Holmes kept the zeroes on the scoreboard for Boston with six scoreless innings as Atlanta built the lead up to 7-0 with Mike Yastrzemski going deep, too. The Red Sox sit in the AL East cellar, 11.5 games behind the Rays, though even with a better record than only the Astros and Angels, they’re only three back of the Wild Card. The American League field ain’t great, folks.

Texas Rangers (22-24) 8, Houston Astros (19-29) 0: On the same day that Houston put Jose Altuve on the IL with an oblique strain, Nathan Eovaldi put the offense to bed with an outing familiar to Yankees fans who have seen him dominate them: seven innings, no runs, and eight strikeouts. The Astros mustered five hits, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch, but that wasn’t nearly enough because feel-good story Peter Lambert got smoked for five runs. Jake Burger seared a meaty pitch to the opposite field for a two-run homer, and when Lambert departed with the bases loaded in the seventh, he plated a pair with a double. Kyle Higashioka scored another on a single, and Brandon Nimmo made it a five-run inning with a two-bagger of his own. Higgy had the cherry on top with a homer in the ninth. It’s been a rough season to date for the Higster, so good for him.

The Rangers are still under .500, but they sit one game back of the now-.500 A’s for the AL West, who lost to the Giants yesterday. (Great division! The White Sox would be leading it.)

Seattle Mariners (22-26) 3, San Diego Padres (28-18) 8: Meanwhile, the Mariners continue to sag and underachieve, even if the .500 first-place team means they’re far from out of it. The Padres completed a Vedder Cup sweep in Seattle, with a five-run attack on George Kirby driving the right-hander from the ballgame. Gavin Sheets had a particularly great day, going 3-for-3 with a double, two homers, two walks, and four RBI. Lucas Giolito allowed one hit over five scoreless in his belated season debut following a late signing with San Diego, only faltering in the sixth when his control abandoned him. The already-extended Colt Emerson made his MLB debut for Seattle at third base with Brendan Donovan on the IL, going 0-for-2 with a walk.

Cleveland Guardians (26-22) 10, Cincinnati Reds (24-23) 3: Brady Singer’s season ERA ballooned over 6.00 as the Guardians hit three homers in his four innings of work. Rookie Chase DeLauter clubbed a two-run shot in the first, and though Elly De La Cruz cut into the lead with a 400-foot blast in the second, Kyle Manzardo had his two-run homer in the third. Brayan Rocchio then made it 5-2 with a solo shot, and after Singer left the ballgame, Manzardo launched his second, while Angel Martínez and José Ramírez hit Cleveland’s fifth and sixth homers, respectively.

The Yankees got run out of Queens this weekend, dropping back-to-back contests to the Mets—the latter in particularly ignominious fashion—to lose the Subway Series and their third straight series overall. Adding to their woes is the Rays’ continued success, which leaves them three games back in the divisional road. Now seems like a less-than-ideal time for the Yanks to face a team that was a true nemesis for them in 2025: the Blue Jays. Fresh off going 11-6 against them in 2025 (including the playoffs), Toronto returns to the site of their ALDS Game 4 clincher to begin a new four-game series tonight.

The Jays have battled inconsistent hitting and a rash of pitching injuries to start their year, as they enter action at 21-25. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the midst of one of his rather frequent power outages (though he did go deep yesterday), and the cast surrounding him hasn’t flexed much muscle this year. NPB free agent Kazuma Okamoto has been their most reliable slugger, but much of the core that brought them within a few feet of winning the World Series has failed to repeat their success. That said, the Jays remain flush with talent and have won six of their last eight series. This four-game rumble promises a bevy of fascinating pitching matchups. Let’s dig in.

Monday: Ryan Weathers vs. Patrick Corbin (7:05 pm ET)

Both teams will open this series sending a portsider to the mound. Ryan Weathers was invincible for most of his last start against the Orioles. He didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning, at which point he was chased from the game and Coby Mayo’s go-ahead home run off Brent Headrick spoiled all the fun. Weathers, whose father David was a Blue Jays draftee in 1986, will face them for just the second time in his MLB career. His first time at Rogers Centre marked a nice finale to his 2024 season with Miami: 6.1 innings of one-run ball with three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.

Patrick Corbin always comes back. He signed in Toronto when the season was already underway to shore up an undermanned rotation which was reeling from preseason injuries to José Berrios, Shane Bieber, and Wednesday night’s starter Trey Yesavage. Corbin has performed better than your typical replacement-level arm so far, with a 3.93 ERA through seven spins of the wheel. He’s always going to be pitching around a good amount of traffic, but his slider remains a weapon after all these years.

Tuesday: Will Warren vs. Dylan Cease(7:05 pm ET)

Warren got decidedly more aid from his lineup than from his defense in Tuesday night’s win against the Orioles—a bevy of misplays in the field cost him a chance to complete six frames, but he wound up with a win regardless thanks to a big third inning. Warren will return to the barn where he got eaten alive last playoffs, wearing the rest of the Blue Jays’ relentless onslaught during ALDS Game 2, in relief of Max Fried. But he does so having grown into his repertoire a lot more than his up-and-down rookie year. Regardless, this will prove a psychologically important start.

Cease is the Jays’ shiny new ace, channeling Dave Stieb in more ways than just his striking mustache. The 30-year old is on a roll, having finished seven innings in three straight starts. His last effort was almost wasted, as the Rays rallied against the Toronto bullpen to force extra innings; the ultimately Jays prevailed 5-3. Cease’s command is always liable to fly away on any given day, but you’ll take the chance because he has 75 strikeouts, the most in the AL so far.

The only MLB pitchers with a higher fWAR than Cease’s 2.2 thus far are the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez at 2.5 and the 6-foot-6 Yankee I’m about to discuss.

Wednesday: Cam Schlittler vs. Trey Yesavage(7:05 pm ET)

You get the feeling we’ll be seeing this exact pitching matchup in the AL East for years to come. Both breakout stars of the 2025 playoffs have repeated their brilliance in 2026, but Schlittler’s first 10 starts have been in a class unto themselves in the Junior Circuit. Cam exceeded 100 pitches in a start for the first time his last time out against the Mets; a leadoff home run from two-out walk to Brett Baty was all that stood between him finishing seven innings. Revenge may be on his mind after his Game 4 loss to Toronto, which sent the Yankees home last October.

Yesavage stole the spotlight from Schlittler in those playoffs as his team’s playoff run went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. The big righty with the extreme top-down delivery had a shoulder issue that delayed his encore, so he’s only four starts into his campaign. His latest outing against the Tigers was his first to complete six innings, and he limited Detroit to two runs on four hits while striking out exactly six batters for the third straight appearance. Seeing these two sorcerers of the slab go toe-to-toe should be a delight.

Thursday: Carlos Rodón vs. TBD(7:05 pm ET)

Carlos Rodón would be the first to tell you that his first two starts of 2026 “didn’t go well at all.” The left-hander departed Saturday’s start before the end of the fourth inning thanks to command issues and a pair of gaffes on one play in the third which gave the Mets the lead. Room for optimism exists: Rodón’s issues have almost exclusively come after getting two outs in an inning. The two-out numbers have been rather grisly: the Mets and Brewers combined went 4-for-11 with three walks and five runs scored. As long as he can continue to obtain the first two outs without too much trouble, those troubles should even out over time. Toronto was an outstanding two-out offense in 2025, but have not been quite the same force this season.

This slot in the Blue Jays’ rotation used to belong to Eric Lauer, but he struggled so mightily to begin the year that the Jays designated him for assignment last week. On Saturday against the Tigers, Toronto turned to a bullpen game in which lefty reliever Mason Fluharty opened ahead of rookie Spencer Miles. Miles proved effective in the bulk man role last time, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings with two runs and two walks on five hits. Depending on how much (or how little) the Yankees make the Jays’ bullpen work in the first three games, Miles may be compelled to eat up more of this contest than that affair in Detroit—a 10-inning 2-1 victory.

Meet the Mets

Every good Mets season needs That Game. You know, the one that you look back on in a year or 20 and say “remember that game?” Perhaps Sunday afternoon was That Game for the 2026 New York Mets. Coming against the Yankees, that’s just a bonus.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic

The Mets had lost 91 consecutive games when trailing entering the ninth inning until Tyrone Taylor and Carson Benge ended that dastardly streak.

Clay Holmes said on Sunday that there is an outside chance that he may need a stabilizing plate surgically inserted into his broken fibula, but the most likely outcome is a natural healing.

Jorge Polanco’s Achilles bursitis probably won’t be going away this season, so the Mets’ hope is that they can get it to a point where Polanco can play mostly comfortably.

During the Subway Series, things just feel right to remember the tenure and times of upcoming Mets Hall of Famer Bobby Valentine.

Howie Rose left Sunday’s Subway Series finale before the final pitch, but when you’re going to meet Paul McCartney, exceptions can be made.

Around the National League East

Taylor Walls cleared the bases against Eury Perez with a triple and the score never flipped again as the Marlins dropped the Rivalry Weekend finale to the Rays, 6-3.

Richard Lovelady was given the opener assignment for the second time as a National, but took the loss against the Orioles in a 7-3 contest.

Not even Paul Skenes is enough to stop the Mattingly Phillies as they completed a sweep of the Pirates and moved to 15-4 since changing managers.

Around Major League Baseball

For the first time in a long time, the Mets are the cause of a column highlighting the failures and faults of a losing team. In this case, the subject is the Yankees.

The Seattle Mariners called up top prospect and recent extendee Colt Emerson for the first and, if all goes right, only time in his career.

With their pitching staff in various states of injured and hobbled, the Dodgers traded some tasty cash considerations to the Blue Jays in order to acquire starter Eric Lauer.

In his Padres debut, Lucas Giolito was scoreless into the sixth inning and even got a perfect 1-0 record for his troubles.

As Adam Macko takes his first steps onto a big league field, the Blue Jays pitcher will become the first MLB player born in Slovakia.

The tweak that knocked Jose Altuve out of the game in his last at bat on Saturday ended up being an oblique strain which earned him a swift trip to the injured list.

This Date in Mets History

Happy birthday to Mets Legend and New York native Nelson Figueroa.

Roki Sasaki had his best MLB start to date on Sunday, issuing no walks and striking out eight in seven innings to beat the Angels in Anaheim, allowing just one run along the way.

Sasaki has tinkered with his pitch mix this season, adding a faster version of his split-fingered fastball while also throwing a slower forkball that he’s used in both years with the Dodgers. David Adler at MLB.com broke down the differences in movement of the pitches, and how Sasaki has been able to incorporate both.

“When hitters have to contend with both the diving splitter and floating forkball with two strikes,” Adler wrote, “Sasaki can keep them way more off-balance.”

Links

The Dodgers acquired Eric Lauer from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash consideration on Sunday. The veteran left-hander will be activated at some point during the series against the San Diego Padres, reports Maddie Lee at the Los Angeles Times, who noted that manager Dave Roberts is “initially picturing Lauer in a length role out of the bullpen.”

---

Shohei Ohtani tripled home two runs and scored on an error in the eighth inning on Saturday. There was plenty of confusion since the ball bounced in play and then hit and nearly got caught in the netting above the right field wall in foul territory, which per the ground rules in Anaheim was not out of play.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic wrote about the Little League home run, including this reaction from Alex Call: “I turned around and Shohei was coming home, and I’m like, ‘What happened?’ I didn’t find out until later. But I guess yeah, the ball’s in play there.”

---

Former Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, who retired from baseball a year ago, has a financial services company and wants to talk to athletes about how to properly prepare for life beyond sports. From Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times:

Stripling believes he can win by concentrating on young athletes, the ones suddenly showered in six- or seven-figure payments from draft bonuses, college revenue sharing payments, and name, image and likeness deals.

“I’ve seen the first-rounders come in and blow money on cars and houses and gambling,” Stripling said, “and I’ve seen the first-rounders like (former Dodgers shortstop Corey) Seager, who probably hasn’t spent a dime of his signing bonus.”

Last week, I shared how the hitting prospects in the system were doing. Wasn’t really planning for it to be a weeklong thing, it’s just that the Cardinals seem to have that many prospects worth monitoring. And I definitely didn’t cover everyone too. This week, I’ll cover the pitching prospects. Let’s get started.

Memphis

Quinn Mathews, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #4 prospect)

Stats: 8 GS, 28 K%, 18.2 BB%, 40.3 GB%, .250 BABIP, 5.23 ERA/6.59 FIP/5.28 xFIP

Maybe it’s because he got to Memphis so fast, but I am truly confused as to how long it is taking Mathews to adjust to AAA. Maybe it’s the ball and he’s uniquely affected. Maybe it’s just that some pitchers need more development time at some level. Whatever it is, I really wish he could get his walk rate to a level where I would feel comfortable promoting him to the big leagues. 18% is a nonstarter and it’s not like his other stats are good right now either.

Tink Hence, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #10 prospect)

Stats: 8 G, 8.1 IP, 15.6 K%, 20 BB%, 57.1 GB%, .333 BABIP, 8.64 ERA/7.00 FIP/6.79 xFIP

I am suddenly not concerned about Mathews at all after seeing how Hence has pitched this year. He is not currently in Memphis to the best of my knowledge, being sent to the complex league to work out whatever exactly is affecting him right now. The talent is still there. Either the mechanics or the health isn’t however. Hopefully, it works out as well as the Joshua Baez experience.

Tekoah Roby, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect)

Underwent Tommy John surgery on July 28th last season. If he pitches at all this year, I doubt he’ll have much time to do more than be a multi-inning relief pitcher.

Brycen Mautz, LHP – 24 (VEB’s #13 prospect)

Stats: 8 GS, 23.8 K%, 13.8 BB%, 40.4 GB%, .250 BABIP, 2.97 ERA/5.01 FIP/5.43 xFIP

Mautz hasn’t really had a walk problem before this season, so there really does seem to be something to having to adjust to pitching with a different ball. And of course harder competition. I’m not worried about Mautz only because he wasn’t really ever on my radar to pitch at the big league level this season except maybe a spot start later in the season. Would have surprised me more if he was immediately good in Memphis.

Ixan Henderson, LHP – 24 (VEB’s #17 prospect)

Henderson was shut down due to a flexor strain in his elbow and was slated to miss at least the first two months of the season. I haven’t heard any updates since spring training.

Hunter Dobbins, RHP – 26 (acquired in the Sonny Gray trade)

Stats: 7 GS, 33.1 IP, 16.3 K%, 8.5 BB%, 52.5 GB%, .290 BABIP, 3.78 ERA/4.66 FIP/5.06 xFIP

Dobbins is currently a bit of a confusing pitcher. His Memphis stats suggest we basically have another Andre Pallante waiting in the wings. Which… actually it’s support by his lone MLB start too. He got a ton of groundballs, but couldn’t locate the zone. Pallante, despite lacking control, walks less than you would think. I don’t think Dobbins is exactly kicking down the door with his performance, though it’s good enough that he’s the clear choice if you need a starter.

Richard Fitts, RHP – 26 (acquired in the Willson Contreras trade)

Stats: 3 GS, 15.1 IP, 17.7 K%, 9.7 BB%, 41.9 GB%, .295 BABIP, 1.76 ERA/3.46 FIP/5.04 xFIP

After three not especially impressive starts – yes I know ERA-wise it was – Fitts suffered an injury to his right lat and will miss the entire season.

Bruce Zimmermann, LHP – 31

Stats: 9 GS, 45.1 IP, 29.4 K%, 5.2 BB%, 41.6 GB%, .333 BABIP, 4.76 ERA/4.64+ FIP/3.65 xFIP

I understand that Zimmermann is this year’s version of Curtis Taylor. I kind of want to see what he’s like in relief though. His K/BB numbers are excellent and it’s clear he can’t start at the MLB level – he’s just too homer-prone. He allowed three homers in yesterday’s game so that FIP is going to get way worse. He had a 6:1 K/BB so that xFIP won’t be hit that badly. Anyway, he was a reliever for 7 total games at the MLB level and he had a 14:0 K/BB ratio. I see more potential in him than Jared Shuster.

Pete Hansen, LHP – 25

Stats: 5 GS, 19.2 IP, 20.5 K%, 9.1 BB%, 48.3 GB%, .328 BABIP, 5.49 ERA/3.06 FIP/4.39 xFIP

Hansen began the year injured, but has worked his way back to full heath at this point. If you focus on his batters faced, they have steadily increased to a season high of 22 in his most recent start, even though he only went 4.1 IP and he managed 5 innings in a previous start. It got momentarily derailed when he got rocked in a start where he lasted just 1.2 IP, hence the high ERA. It’s going pretty well for Hansen so far though. Would like to have another viable player to call up if needed in the Memphis rotation. It’s pretty much just Dobbins right now.

Sem Robberse, RHP – 24

Robberse underwent Tommy John surgery on May 14th of last season, so it’s entirely possible he could be starting rehab in the near future. Very far from being an MLB impact of course.

Hancel Rincon, RHP – 24

Stats: 10 G (3 GS), 20.2 IP, 27.6 K%, 11.3 BB%, 45.6 GB%, .396 BABIP, 6.23 ERA/5.80 FIP/4.19 xFIP

The Cardinals are kind of playing the in-between game with Rincon, where he’s not a starting pitcher, but he’s a little more than a reliever. He has started 3 games, but not been asked to face more than 15 batters in any appearance. I’m not sure if his innings are being limited or if he’s truly not a starter anymore, but I do find it a bit strange they seem to have given up on him as a starter.

Max Rajcic, RHP – 24

Stats: 15 G (1 GS), 28.2 K%, 7.3 BB%, 50 GB%, .288 BABIP, 1.95 ERA/3.41 FIP/3.69 xFIP

His lone start wasn’t a real start, Rajcic is a full-blown reliever. Just wanted to put that out there. Jake Wood has been a big advocate to consider promoting him to the big league and it’s easy enough to see why. Probably not future as a starter and excelling as a reliever at the moment.

Cade Winquest, RHP – 26

Stats: 3 G, 3 IP, 25 K%, 6.3 BB%, 37.5 GB%, .429 BABIP, 12.00 ERA/9.19 ERA/6.72 xFIP

Winquest somehow has three hit by pitches in his three innings of work which do factor into his overall stats. It’s a similar negative penalty to a walk. Despite a solid K%, he hasn’t actually had a good appearance in Memphis yet – he’s allowed a run in each one. He had 2 Ks and no walks or HBPs in one appearance, but also allowed a homer. He is also now injured with an undisclosed injury. So much for bullpen help here.

Ryan Murphy, RHP – 26

Stats (AA): 6 G, 8.2 IP, 37.5 K%, 0 BB%, 36.8 GB%, .222 BABIP, 3.12 ERA/3.95 FIP/3.00 xFIP

AAA: 5 G, 8 IP, 25.6 K%, 7.7 BB%, 45.8 GB%, .391 BABIP, 7.88 ERA/5.77 FIP/3.22 xFIP

For a minor league Rule 5 pickup, this is as good of a start as you can ask for. Yes, I know his ERA and FIP are ugly in Memphis. And it’s unfortunate he’s already allowed four homers this year. But he proved to be too good in AA pretty much immediately which is encouraging for a guy who spent last year pitching only rehab innings essentially.

Ryan Fernandez, RHP – 28

Stats: 12 G, 12.2 IP, 26 K%, 6 BB%, 41.2 GB%, .242 BABIP, 2.84 ERA/3.21 FIP/3.51 xFIP

Ryan Fernandez went from someone they couldn’t send down because he needed to work out his issues at the MLB level to a guy who can’t get called up even if he’s pitching well in Memphis (and a brief time at the MLB level) despite the Cardinals having a bad bullpen pretty quickly honestly. It is nice to have someone who I think deserves to get called up if a spot is needed at least.

Chris Roycroft, RHP – 29

Stats: 14 G, 15 IP, 15.1 K%, 6.8 BB%, 58.9 GB%, .421 BABIP, 7.88 ERA/3.05 FIP/4.55 xFIP

I mean… Roycroft has to be getting close to entering DFA territory if a 40 man spot is needed. In his last four appearances, including last night, he’s allowed 10 earned runs in 4.1 IP. He may have been the punching bag on May 9th because innings were needed and he faced 13 batters, which is 5 batters more than he’s faced in any other appearance. He allowed six runs in that appearance.

Luis Gastelum, RHP – 24

Stats: 18 G, 21.1 IP, 19.8 K%, 12.5 BB%, 44.6 GB%, .255 BABIP, 4.64 ERA/5.39 FIP/5.49 xFIP

People have suggested Gastelum for the MLB bullpen. He doesn’t appear that close to being MLB ready to me. It does not help his case that he is not on the 40 man roster. Typically if you are on the outside looking in with regards to the 40 man, you need to have great stats to get the call-up. He does not have that.

Skylar Hales, RHP – 24

Stats: 15 G, 16.2 IP, 24.1 K%, 16.9 BB%, 54.2 GB%, .348 BABIP, 5.94 ERA/5.76 FIP/4.81 xFIP

Good news. I can adjust many stats based upon how a pitcher pitched the night I’m writing this, but FIP and xFIP are not those stats. And Hales pitched a great inning yesterday and his FIP and xFIP will both drop. He struck out 2 in a scoreless innings with no walks and only a hit allowed. The bad news is that his BB% only dropped to 16.9%, so that’s going to need to fall a lot farther down before you consider a promotion.

Scott Blewett, RHP – 30

Stats: 15 G (GS), 24 IP, 29.4 K%, 9.8 BB%, 46.7 GB%, .362 BABIP, 4.13 ERA/4.02 FIP/3.64 xFIP

Okay we at least have two relief pitchers worth promoting if they are needed. Obviously Blewett is a bit more complicated, not being on the 40 man and not having any options if promoted. The team BABIP in Memphis must be .330 because I am seeing a lot of high BABIPs.

Springfield

Liam Doyle, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #2 prospect)

Stats: 7 GS, 25.1 IP, 29.7 K%, 8.1 BB%, 30.9 GB%, .394 BABIP, 6.04 ERA/3.72 FIP/4.28 xFIP

In Doyle’s last three starts, he has a 37 K% and 5.6 BB%, so I think he’s at the right level. His advanced stats for the whole season are solid, though nothing special and I would expect a higher GB% at some point. But yeah if you were concerned about his first few starts, his last few starts make me think he’ll see Memphis sooner rather than later.

Jurrangelo Cjintje, RHP – 23

Stats: 8 GS, 35.2 IP, 28 K%, 12.2 BB%, 38.7 GB%, .310 BABIP, 6.06 ERA/5.71 FIP/5.09 xFIP

Not the most impressive stats, and you can really see the value in not walking guys when comparing him and Doyle. Doyle doesn’t have a particularly low BB%, and yet he has a significantly lower xFIP than Cjintje pretty much just because of walks. Cjintje also has four HBPs and man I really wish HBPs wasn’t playing such a big role in some of these pitching lines, because a 12.2 BB% is high, but I found it weird how bad his xFIP was. If you add the HBPs to the walks, it’s a 14.6 BB/HBP% which is really bad. He did strike out 10 in his most recent appearance so clearly there’s a lot of potential here.

Cooper Hjerpe, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #15 prospect)

Hjerpe underwent Tommy John surgery on April 15th last season. I haven’t seen any updates on his rehab, but he should probably pitch this season and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him in the MLB bullpen in September.

Chen-Wei Lin, RHP – 24

Stats: 7 G (5 GS), 27.1 IP, 31.5 K%, 12.1 BB%, 44.6 GB%, .359 BABIP, 3.95 ERA/3.90 FIP/4.32 xFIP

Everyone raise your hand if you thought Lin was going to outpitch Cjintje after a month and half of play. Now stop lying because you guys did not vote him onto the top 20 prospect list this past season. He’s still walking too many batters, but at least he’s striking out nearly a third of hitters and his walks are in a better place than last season certainly. Let’s hope he keeps this up.

Mason Molina, LHP – 22

Stats: 7 GS, 29.2 IP, 29 K%, 12.2 BB%, 34.2 GB%, .324 BABIP, 3.94 ERA/3.75 FIP/4.74 xFIP

Molina is now in his third organization and at least two of them have been pretty aggressive in promoting Molina, which is interesting because he was a 7th round pick. He’s advanced like a Day One pick. He started 11 games at Low A for the Rangers before they promoted him, and 12 total games at High A before the Cardinals put him in AA. Because the dude can miss bats.

Braden Davis, LHP – 23

Stats: 8 GS, 31.2 IP, 24.7 K%, 13 BB%, 43.8 GB%, 7.18 ERA/5.08 FIP/4.46 xFIP

If I wrote this before yesterday’s start happened, there’d be a lot more reason for optimism about Davis, but he had a horrendous start yesterday, walking five and only striking out two while giving up 5 runs. His FIP is going to be a lot worse and so will his xFIP. So that one’s a bummer. I also felt they were particularly aggressive with Davis, as he made just 8 starts at High A last year.

Brandt Thompson, RHP – 23

Stats: 7 G (4 GS), 28.1 IP, 26.6 K%, 8.1 BB%, 47.4 GB%, .303 BABIP, 3.81 ERA/4.03 FIP/3.91 xFIP

I can’t be the only one whose first instinct on seeing this guy and his stats and thought: “Who’s this guy?” Honestly, there wasn’t much reason before this year to pay attention. He was a 17th rounder in 2024 and spent most of 2025 in A ball, only striking out 19.8% of hitters in Low A. He struck out 39% of batters in High A, but it was just 15 innings. But he also was promoted to Springfield as well, and had a 1.00 ERA, albeit with a 15% K rate. Clearly that 39% K rate told us more than I think I would have guessed at the time as well as his permanent promotion to Springfield. These are great stats. This is a late round gem, even if he ends up hitting a wall. He’s not even old for his level. Score one for the scouting department on this one.

Darlin Saladin, RHP – 23

Stats: 11 G, 15.2 IP, 32.9 K%, 16.4 BB%, 51.4 GB%, .444 BABIP, 6.89 ERA/3.37 FIP/4.59 xFIP

Saladin appears to be a full-time reliever, which is a bummer after his 2024 season, but appears to be the right choice. He didn’t have a great 2025, he would have started being old for his level if they kept him at High A, so they both promoted him and moved him to the bullpen. He’s been wild. Hasn’t allowed a homer, but a crazy high BABIP. Yesterday he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, so his FIP and xFIP will see some improvement. Just needs to control the walks.

Austin Love, RHP – 27

Stats: 13 G, 18 IP, 27.7 K%, 13.3 BB%, 48 GB%, .289 BABIP, 5.21 ERA/4.99 FIP/4.14 xFIP

Okay, well the Cardinals know more than me. News at eleven. Love has been pretty bad lately, and in fact gave up four runs in a relief appearance yesterday. I don’t know if he’s working on something, I don’t know if he’s fighting through an injury, but the Love I wanted to promote has exited the building.

Michael Watson, LHP – 24

Stats: 13 G, 18.1 IP, 37.5 K%, 12.5 BB%, 43.6 GB%, .343 BABIP, 4.42 ERA/5.08 FIP/3.54 xFIP

Most of you probably know this – hell most of you probably don’t pay attention to this – but when I list the age of a player, I am listing the age they are considered for that year. Which can lead to thinks like me calling Watson 24-years-old despite not turning 24 until June. If he was born a month later, he’d be considered 23. That’s just the way it works. Anyway, he actually allowed three of his four homers in his last appearance, which really dragged down his numbers.

Jack Findlay, LHP – 23

Stats (High A): 7 G, 6.2 IP, 30 K%, 6.7 BB%, 55.6 GB%, .389 BABIP, 4.05 ERA/2.56 FIP/3.80 xFIP

AA: 6 G, 8.2 IP, 25 K%, 9.4 BB%, 57.1 GB%, .238 BABIP, 2.08 ERA/2.91 FIP/4.08 xFIP

Oh hey I made a good call. In a post earlier this year, I said Love should be promoted to Memphis. That has not aged well, I also said Findlay should be promoted to Springfield. It happened less than a week later. And Findlay has rewarded that promotion so far.

Mason Burns, RHP – 24

Stats: 13 G, 19.1 IP, 29.1 K%, 12.7 BB%, 62.8 GB%, .209 BABIP, 1.40 ERA/4.39 FIP/3.86 xFIP

Again, let’s give a hand to the scouting department. Burns was drafted in the 14th round of the 2024 draft. Granted, if you told me a later round draft pick had made it to AA, I wouldn’t be that shocked if it was a reliever. Thompson is shocking to me because he’s a starting pitcher. That’s taking nothing away from Burns however, who has been a three true outcomes guy: strikeout, groundball, or walk. He’s allowed two homers in 19.1 IP and has been supremely unlucky to do so since 25% of his flyballs allowed have been homers (average is 12%)

Randal Clemente, RHP – 24

Stats: 10 G, 13.1 IP, 43.1 K%, 18.5 BB%, 44 GB%, .667 BABIP, 10.13 ERA/3.19 FIP/2.96 xFIP

Uhhhh, what in the hell? How is this line even possible? This is legitimately an unbelievable line. I don’t know what to do with this. He has allowed 24 balls in play, which is a crazy low number considering he’s thrown 13.1 IP. Out of those 24, 16 have been hits. Does he occasionally just want to make things hard and just yell “I’m throwing three fastballs right down the middle” because how can you be this unhittable and have a .667 BABIP against. I want to write 2,000 words about this.

Anyway, that’s a good place to end. Hunter Hayes does not have stats worth sharing but he did strike out four and walk none a 2.1 inning relief appearance yesterday, so hopefully that means he turned a corner.

The Colorado Rockies have, to put it lightly, struggled over the past few years. However, one bright spot every year is the selection of a team’s All-Star representative(s). The Rockies have only had one representative each year since 2021:

• Germán Márquez (2021)
• C.J. Cron (2022)
• Elias Díaz (2023)
• Ryan McMahon (2024)
• Hunter Goodman (2025).

Looking ahead to this year, one player is making a case for himself to represent the Rockies in the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia: Mickey Moniak.

Since he was signed by the Colorado Rockies last spring, Mickey Moniak has been a bright spot in the lineup. In 2025, he put up career numbers at the plate but struggled in the outfield. Because of that, he finished 43rd in our Ranking the Rockies series.

Moniak posted career highs in games played (135), runs (62), hits (117), total bases (225), triples (8), home runs (24), RBI (68), walks (22), stolen bases (9) and OPS (.824).

He began the 2026 campaign on the 10-day IL after he sprained his finger diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt during spring training. However, he’s been on a tear since being reinstated on April 3 and is leading in numerous categories, both for the Rockies and around Major League Baseball.

Here’s how he ranks among NL and MLB leaders so far in 2026 (all stats current through the evening of May 17):

Stat	Number	NL Rank	MLB Rank	NL OF Rank	Rockies Rank
AVG	.298	12th	—	5th	2nd
SLG	.645	1st	2nd	1st	1st
OPS	.996	1st	5th	1st	1st
Total Bases	91	7th	9th	T-2nd	1st
Home Runs	12	T-4th	T-7th	T-2nd	1st
Extra-Base Hits	23	T-3rd	T-4th	T-2nd	1st
AB per HR	11.8	2nd	7th	1st	1st

In addition to the above stats, Moniak has had four multi-homer games in 2026 — which leads the Majors — and had an 18-game hitting streak from April 15-May 6. And on Wednesday, the 28-year-old fell a single shy of the cycle with a career-high tying five RBI, and his nine total bases were the most for a Rockie on their birthday.

The Mickey Moniak Birthday Game. pic.twitter.com/jpoqUnYbJz

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 14, 2026

Mickey Moniak vs. The Field

If All-Stars were selected today, Moniak would have a case alongside St. Louis’ Jordan Walker and Washington’s James Wood. Wood was an All-Star last year, while Walker would also make his first All-Star team is selected. Here’s how Moniak stacks against them:

Stat	Number	NL OF Rank	Next Number	Player
AVG	.298	5th	.293	Michael Harris II (ATL)
SLG	.645	1st	.584	Jordan Walker (STL)
OPS	.996	1st	.955	Jordan Walker (STL)
Total Bases	91	T-2nd	91	James Wood (WSH)
Home Runs	12	T-2nd	12	James Wood (WSH)
Extra-Base Hits	23	T-2nd	23	Jordan Walker (STL)
AB per HR	11.8	1st	13.3	Jordan Walker (STL)

As you can see, not only does Moniak rank among NL outfield leaders, but in some cases, he’s far ahead of the next ranking player. That is particularly true of SLG, OPS and AB/HR.

In addition to Wood, the rest of the 2025 honors belonged to Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Kyle Tucker (CHC), Corbin Carroll (AZ), Kyle Stowers (MIA), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD). Acuña, Crow-Armstrong and Tucker were the starters, while the other four were reserves.

Mickey Moniak vs. The Rockies

Not only does Moniak rank among league leaders, but he leads the Rockies in numerous categories — often by a wide margin.

Stat	Number	Rockies Rank	Next Number	Player
AVG	.298	2nd	.275	TJ Rumfield
SLG	.645	1st	.506	Hunter Goodman
OPS	.996	1st	.844	Troy Johnston
Total Bases	91	1st	82	Hunter Goodman
Home Runs	12	1st	11	Hunter Goodman
Extra-Base Hits	23	1st	19	Hunter Goodman
AB per HR	11.8	1st	14.7	Hunter Goodman

Most of the time, he ranks just above Hunter Goodman, who is making his own case to be the first Rockies back-to-back All-Star since Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon did it from 2017-2019. The thing that would give Goodman the edge over Moniak is that the catcher field is less crowded than the outfield, but Moniak is still leading his teammates in enough categories that position might not matter.

Mickey Moniak 2026 vs. Charlie Blackmon 2019

The last Rockies outfielder to make an All-Star Game was Charlie Blackmon in 2019. (He was also selected in 2017 and 2018.) It was also the last time the Rockies fielded multiple All-Stars.

The rosters were announced on June 30 that year, and here’s how Blackmon stood out entering the reveal:

Stat	Number	NL Rank	MLB Rank	NL OF Rank
AVG	.337	3rd	4th	3rd
SLG	.653	3rd	3rd	3rd
OPS	1.036	3rd	4th	3rd
Triples	7	1st	T-2nd	1st
Home Runs	20	7th	T-8th	T-4th

Blackmon also had two multi-homer games in that stretch, and went on two separate 11-game hitting streaks from April 16-28 and May 1-14.

In 2019, Christian Yelich (MIL), Cody Bellinger (LAD) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL) were selected as starters, while Blackmon was selected by his peers as a reserve alongside David Dahl (COL) and Jeff McNeil (NYM).

The case for Mickey Moniak to be an All-Star

The case speaks for itself. Moniak is among league leaders in numerous offensive categories. When you’re in the same conversation as players such as Kyle Schwarber, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper and Max Muncy, you’re doing something right.

That said, Moniak likely won’t be selected as a starter — the last Rockie to have that honor was Nolan Arenado in 2019. However, if Moniak keeps playing the way he has been, he will likely be selected by his peers as a reserve.

Do you think Moniak will be an All-Star, or will that honor go to Goodman? Or do you think the Rockies will have multiple All-Stars for the first time in seven years? Let us know in the comments!

---

On the Farm

Triple-A:Oklahoma City Comets 20, Albuquerque Isotopes 8

It was not a good day for the Isotopes pitching staff against the Oklahoma City Comets (LAD). Starter Erasmo Ramírez lasted just three innings and gave up nine runs on 10 hits. Bryson Van Sickle then came in and gave up six (four earned) on three hits and Ryan Miller gave up two on three hits. Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) and Mason Green combined for three shutout innings (Herrera threw two perfect innings with three strikeouts), but then TJ Shook gave up three more in the final inning to seal the blowout loss. The pitching staff gave up three home runs, and only one was a multi-run homer in the fifth inning.

Offensively, Adael Amador went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored. Chad Stevens, Blaine Crim and Jose Cordova also recorded multi-hit games, and Crim and Nic Kent also hit homers of their own.

Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 5

The Yard Goats fared better than the Isotopes, as they walked off the Portland Sea Dogs (BOS). Starter Konner Eaton struggled, giving up four runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks, five strikeouts and two home runs. Luckily, Carlos Torres bailed him out with two hits and two strikeouts over two innings, and Cade Denton ended up with the win after allowing just one run on one hit with two walks and a strikeout.

Bryant Betancourt ended up being the hero for the Goats, hitting a two-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth.

High-A:Hilsboro Hops 4, Spokane Indians 2

It was a low-scoring affair in Spokane, but the Indians came out on the losing side of it. They jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over the Hops (AZ) in the first, but it was given back in the bottom of the inning. Roynier Hernandez scored on a pickoff error in the third to put the Indians up 2-1, but that was the end of the scoring as the Hops scored twice in the fifth and once again in the eighth. Hernandez was the only Indians player to have multiple hits (2).

On the pitching side, each player gave up at least one run but Hunter Mann’s was unearned in his 2.2 innings of work.

Low-A:Visalia Rawhide 15, Fresno Grizzlies 14

It was a high-scoring affair in Fresno, but unfortunately the Grizzlies weren’t quite able to overcome an eight-run sixth inning by the Rawhide (AZ). The game was tied 2-2 after the first, and then the Grizzlies scored six in the third to go up 8-2. It started with Tanner Thach being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Clayton Gray. Then Derek Bernard reached on an error to score Roldy Brito, and then Jack O’Dowd hit a grand slam. But then the Rawhide scored eight in the sixth with an RBI double by Pedro Catuy, a two-run triple by Ivan Luciano, an RBI single by Jose Alpuria, a two-run homer by Enyervert Perez and then another two-run homer by JD Dix to put them up 11-8 after the inning. Kyle Fossum grounded into a force in the seventh, but Bernard and O’Dowd were able to score. But then Jakey Josepha singled to tack on another run in the eighth, 12-10, and Alpuria doubled and Cunningham singled to put the Rawhide up 15-10. Gray doubled to score Matt Klein, then Brito singled to score Fossum and Gray. And finally Ethan Holliday singled to score Brito, but that was the end of it: 15-14.

---

Inside Tanner Gordon’s two-day, 6,134-mile journey to rescue Rockies in a pitching pinch | Denver Post ($)

Tanner Gordon flew to and from Albuquerque in place of Jimmy Herget twice last week. After being recalled on April 14, he was optioned down on Tuesday when Herget came off the bereavement/family emergency list. However, he barely touched down before he was summoned back on Thursday when Herget went on the IL with right shoulder impingement. And naturally, after being in five different cities in 48 hours, Gordon had to pitch four innings at PNC Park after starter Chase Dollander went down with an elbow injury in the second inning. He allowed one run on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

‘I don’t care if it’s Mars’: Lorenzen’s Coors struggles continue | MLB.com

Michael Lorenzen signed with the Rockies with the hopes of solving Coors Field. Unfortunately, that has not happened yet, as the right-hander has put up a 2-6 record and 7.03 ERA (10.03 at Coors Field). On Sunday, he yielded nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in 4.2 innings in the loss to the Diamondbacks. Lorenzen addressed the media after the game, and we’ll have to see if he’s able to right the ship.

Gianna Girardi — Joe’s niece — is carving her own MLB career with the Rockies | Denver Post ($)

The Rockies’ in-game host has connections both to Colorado and to Major League Baseball. Patrick Saunders caught up with Gianna about her history in both, and how she is making her way in a tough industry.

---

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

Good morning.

• Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz, currently on the injured list, has been seen on social media promoting cockfighting in Puerto Rico, along with Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr., the two brother jockeys who finished 1-2 in this year’s Kentucky Derby. Josh Peter reports.
• Peter follows up by reporting that animal rights groups have been calling for the athletes to face consequences if they are proven to be involved with cockfighting in Puerto Rico. Cockfighting is illegal everywhere in the US, including Puerto Rico, under federal law.
• Jayson Stark writes about what we’ve learned so far at the quarter-mark of the season. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• We’re going to the butcher’s bill early today because it’s long and I don’t have any more animal cruelty stories (thank goodness). Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The Dodgers are hopeful the former two-time Cy Young Award winner will return before the end of the season.
• Blue Jays right-hander José Berrios will also have surgery to remove “loose bodies” from the elbow, but doctors may have to repair ligament damage in Berrios’ elbow as well. That would likely knock him out for the season.
• Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went to the IL with an oblique strain.
• Red Sox infielder Trevor Story went to the injured list with a sports hernia. He’s expected to miss several weeks. Although a “sports hernia” is less embarrassing to Story than an accounting hernia would have been.
• Mets starter Clay Holmes is out with a broken fibula after getting hit with a 111 mile per hour comebacker line drive. I know that I had considered Holmes as a top trade target for the Cubs this summer.
• The Yankees put lefty Max Fried on the IL with a bone bruise in his throwing elbow.
• The Yankees got some good injury news as former Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole is throwing 99.6 mph in a rehab start and is expected to return to the team after one more rehab start.
• The Dodgers acquired lefty Eric Lauer in a trade with the Blue Jays. Toronto gets cash. Lauer takes the place of lefty Jack Dreyer, who goes on the IL with left shoulder discomfort.
• Travis Sawchik looks at the surprising reason that velocity in MLB keeps increasing, which is that the slower pitches are disappearing. This is likely a big reason for the increase in pitching injuries.
• Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg, who hasn’t played yet this year, is now out for the season with ulnar collateral ligament surgery. Dayn Perry writes that the pressure is now on the rest of the Orioles to step up.
• The Mariners/ Brendan Donovan went on the IL with muscle inflammation in his left groin, so top Mariners prospect Colt Emerson was promoted to make his major league debut. Daniel Kramer with more on Emerson’s debut.
• The Athletics acquired infielder Alika Williams from the Pirates for a minor-league pitcher.
• The Orioles signed outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal.
• Ben Clemens examines the slumping Dodgers lineup, except for Max Muncy, who has been exceptional.
• Thomas Harrington has nine players who are surprisingly leading their teams in hitting. Muncy is one of them.
• Dayn Perry looks what an Astros teardown might look like.
• The Phillies have rebounded under interim manager Don Mattingly and are now over .500. Matt Snyder look at what’s changed.
• One reason is DH Kyle Schwarber’s history home run pace. Scooby Axson shows how Schwarber is challenging the record books.
• Julian McWilliams writes that in addition to being a great slugger, Kyle Schwarber is one of the most beloved players in baseball by fans and players throughout the league. I don’t think he has to convince any of you of that.
• Bob Nightengale profiles Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, whom he says is already one of the best players in baseball.
• Justin Turner is not ready to hang up the spikes, despite no team offering him a deal this winter. So Turner is now playing for Tijuana in the Mexican League, (The Athletic sub. req.) where he’s become a star and a fan favorite.
• Just under a year ago, Wilber Flores hit three home runs in one game for the Giants. Now a free agent, Flores can’t find a team that wants him. (The Athletic sub. req.) So he’s also playing for Tijuana. Sam Blum and Dennis Lim with both Tijuana stories. (If you want a blast from the past, Flores and Turner are teammates on the Toros with Junior Lake.)
• Jay Jaffe looks at the breakout season of A’s catcher Shea Langeliers.
• Can these ten players having rebound seasons keep up the good work?
• Kiri Oler looks at the many factors playing into the Royals offensive surge this year. It also cost Hawaiian Bros Island Grill a lot of money.
• Tim Britton makes up an all-time Subway Series All-Star team. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• MLB beat writer Christina DeNicola writes about her whiffing on the catch of a foul ball back to the press box.
• Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez caught a home run ball in the bullpen with a traffic cone.
• Tom Hanks met Mr. Met at Citi Field and Mr. Met was decked out like “Wilson” from Cast Away. Theo DeRosa has the details.
• And finally:

Hi everybody! Elmo was wondering if he could ask the Phillies some questions? pic.twitter.com/HV2qWYRrMs

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 15, 2026

…………………………………..Sometimes I wonder why I watch a team like this, man. I’m so tired already. I can’t even muster the energy to write a fun lil’ intro. You know what the deal is with this team: the deal is that the 2026 Boston Red Sox fuckin’ suck at baseball. So, why waste any time? Let’s get this over with, because we’ve got plenty of stuff to talk about over the past week. Feel like this is gonna be a relatively quick one, since I don’t know how many times I can tell you that we’re watching a bad team.

(Going back to read this intro now that I’m done, and hahahahahahahaha of course I couldn’t keep it short. Who am I fooling? God I’m an ass.)

It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.

Defense Good, Offense Bad

Say what you want about Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, but he was a man of his word when it came to emphasizing pitching and defense. The Red Sox’s pitching staff has a top-10 ERA in the league following the weekend, while their defense has graded out as by far the best in baseball in terms of defensive runs saved.

Team Defensive Runs Saved pic.twitter.com/rtaEpfiPU5

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 15, 2026

Unfortunately, it looks like that’s come at the expense of…well, anything resembling consistent offense. The only team that has a worse combined OPS than the Sox this season (.666; very fitting if you ask me) are the Mets. Boston boasts one of the worst total on base percentages across MLB (.310) and are the posting the second-worst combined slugging percentage (.356; I’ll let you guess which team is putting up the only worse slugging output as of the time of publication).

You know who the suspects are. Three Red Sox hitters qualified for the league’s bottom 10 in OPS as of Sunday morning. Sing ‘em with me: Durbin, Duran, Story.

MLB Worst OPS pic.twitter.com/ulxgMaufL6

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 17, 2026

It’s not just that trio that have sucked complete shit on offense. The only guys who can skate from criticism here are Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, and Ceddanne Rafaela. Those three—along with Nick Sogard (who has had all of four ABs in the bigs this year) and Mickey Gasper (25 ABs to his name, wowwwww such a bigger sample size)—are the only guys this year who are able to say they’ve got an OPS north of .687.

Again: I can sit here and try to dissect exactly what the problems are (I’ve tried to! On this very website! Multiple times this season!!!! In blog posts just like this one!!!!!!). Honestly, there are too many to even name. They can’t move runners over once they actually somehow manage to get into scoring position. They strikeout far too often for a team that has nearly zero slugging potential to speak of. They ground out far too often in general, sans qualifier. Go ahead and name a dozen more problems in the comments; there’s no shortage of them.

So this all comes back to Breslow, especially now that this is official his entire show. Hindsight is 20/20, yes, but what the fuck are we doing here, guys? I’ve been one to complain about stupid defensive mistakes before (again, I’ve done so on OTM many times over the last few years!!!!), but I didn’t want the monkey paw to curl this much to the point where the offense is on life support.

I’m sure in the coming weeks and months we’ll carry out the official autopsy on the 2026 lineup. The larger conversations about Breslow will be shelved, by me at least, for another day (knock yourself out; I just don’t have the energy for it right now……this team is breaking me, man). Those will all come with time. I guess I’m just still shocked at how uninspiring this team is at the plate. Almost everyone looks like they’re hitting with a pool noodle. Here I was trying to find silver linings about the hard hit rate, or strides that were being made by Marcelo Mayer or Jarren Duran. Serves me right for sticking my neck out for perhaps the single worst Red Sox offense I’ve seen in my entire life.

Hope the defensive improvements have been worth it!

It’s Hell-o Watching Bello

(Yes, I’m aware this doesn’t actually rhyme.)

Speaking of sticking my necks out for guys: I think I’m done doing so for Brayan Bello.

Just as I was starting to warm up to him again after a pair of solid outings that were preceded by an opener on the hill, Bello self-destructed once again in Sunday’s finale against Atlanta: seven earned runs coughed up across five innings of work. He surrendered eight hits, several of which went for extra bases, and walked three Braves.

I don’t really know what else to say about his stuff on the mound that I haven’t already touched upon in a previous MMBB this year (with the exception of one point that I’ll get to in a moment). His cutter still sucks, and it’s still a bad idea to make it his number two or three offering (which, to be fair, he only ended up throwing it 9% of the time on Sunday……….I can make a guess why that is, though). So, it made no sense as to why he tried to deploy it as an out pitch with two strikes and two down in the first and a pair of runners aboard against a power hitter in Austin Riley. The Bravos slugger did exactly what he was supposed to do with a 88 MPH cookie that ended up right in his happy zone.

Despite a slow start, Austin Riley is on pace for 25 HR and 98 RBI.

This 3-run shot was his 7th HR. He now has 28 RBIs in 46 games.pic.twitter.com/HguUT5TkDh

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) May 17, 2026

Bello can’t consistently get strikes with his changeup or his curve, and he’s never gonna consistently pile up the K’s. If he’s not spinning to keep the ball on the ground and if he can’t keep batters off balance, it spells trouble for him. Simple as that; nothing you didn’t already know.

Is this pickle’s solution really something as simple as preceding Bello’s “starts” with an opener? I don’t know if two appearances after an opener is enough of a sample size to see something sticky in that idea. But on the other hand………like……..it had been working. He was ass before the opener strategy, manager Chad Tracy and the gang enacted that idea for two starts, he threw 13.1 total frames in those appearances to the tune of just two earned runs alongside eight hits and a pair of free passes (12 strikeouts, too!), they dumped the opener plan for the finale against Atlanta, and then he was ass again.

I think having an opener appear before handing it off to Bello is at least worst revisiting once more. What’s the worst that can happen at this point? That he shits his pants, something he had been doing the entire season thus far without the assistance of someone from the bullpen to be his opening act?

A point on this topic of openers I want to share: Tracy, after Sunday’s loss, said the opener strategy could be back on the table.

Chad Tracy isn't shutting down the idea of going back to an opener with Brayan Bello. Seems like it will be decided based on where the lefties in the bullpen are at. pic.twitter.com/N3222JmROR

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 17, 2026

Isn’t the onus on Tracy, the rest of the staff, and the organization to set Bello up for success?

I understand that Brayan’s a veteran at this point (one with a not-so-insignificant contract and financial commitment from the club, might I add) and that he should be expected to start a game right away, opener or not. But to quote John Mulaney talking about horses lose in hospitals, we’re well past that. It’s clear that at this point in time, the regular plan for Bello ain’t worth a lick.

So isn’t it the responsibility of Tracy to ensure that he’s getting the best version of number 66 by not burning all of his possible openers? This is especially the case when ace Garrett Crochet has yet to return and when you need guys to eat innings in order to survive in what is a truly putrid American League race (it is insane that we could hypothetically be in a playoff spot by the time Memorial Day rolls around next week). Isn’t the manager supposed to, I suppose, manage these things?

Regardless of what inning Bello toes the rubber in his next outing, though, he’s obviously got to improve. Otherwise, I don’t think an option to Worcester in the near future is out of the question. I’m rooting for him desperately. I’ve defended his pitching profile plenty of times before. I really want to see a homegrown talent succeed here, like he did in 2025. Yet it’s time for the veteran to start pitching like one, opener or no opener.

Oh, and happy belated birthday Brayan.

(What’s The Story) Trev and Sogie?

Trevor Story’s bad start to 2026 got worse this past week, as the shortstop has been placed on the injured list with a sports hernia. Chris Cotillo of The Mexican TimesMassLive reported that all options to get Story on the mend, including surgery, are being considered. As I’m writing this on Sunday before the finale in Hotlanta, it sounds like he could miss at least six to 10 weeks of action.

A trio of points I’d like to make on this front to round us out:

1. As reported in that same MassLive article, Story himself mentioned he’s been playing with this lingering groin issue since spring training.

“Obviously, I haven’t been able to really move like myself out there, so it kind of built up on me. After a few hard days in a row, it popped up and I just couldn’t kick it after that. It’s been a battle for the first month, month-and-a-half. I hang my hat on being able to play and being available, and obviously, now it’s probably a good time to re-evaluate that.”

Maybe that explains some of the struggles we’ve seen from Story, both at the plate and on the infield dirt, to begin 2026. To be frank, he’s looked lost with both the bat and the glove. Not to go all Savant slop on all of you, but the old saying is that a picture says 1,000 words. If that’s the case, I think a screenshot of Trevor’s Savant page can do all the explaining I need.

Bad. Really, really, really bad stuff. And honestly, if you watch the games (which I’d imagine you do if you’re reading this, thank you for doing so), you didn’t need me nor that screenshot to tell you that everything with his game this season has been rough to see.

With that said, here’s hoping the recovery process goes well for Story so that we can maybe get some productivity out of him in the second half of the season. For better or for worse, I think we’re gonna have him on the roster short of a DFA being executed in a few months. I don’t think anyone’s gonna trade for him along with the $25 million deal for 2027 that’s attached to him at this juncture (and that includes the Mets; I saw those rumors too and I don’t buy ‘em). I suppose stranger things have happened, and maybe Story can salvage something from this season, but I guess I’m not holding my breath. Just a shame all around, really.

2. Story’s time on the shelf paved the way for Nick Sogard to be recalled from AAA. While he’s not the absolute pinnacle of the farm system at this point, maybe he can step in and be a serviceable left-handed hitting option within the infield alongside the righty Andruw Monasterio at least for the time being.

For what it’s worth, Sogard has been hitting the ball real well this season for the WooSox: his triple slash prior to being called up to the big club stood at .269/.417/.454 for an .871 OPS across 168 plate appearances at the AAA level, with the five homers sticking out to me as an impressive figure worthy of a shout out.

Is five homers in the minors gonna get me out of bed in the morning? No, not particularly. However, to bring things back to what I spoke about earlier on in the article: this team is starved of offensive output right now, so any positive developments within the organization are a welcome sign and something that’s worth monitoring at the very least.

After all: Sogard’s Prospect Savant page don’t look too shabby. He’s been drawing a healthy amount of walks, he hasn’t been striking out a ton, and his average exit velocities have actually been quite firm. A solid approach at the plate could provide the foundation of some semblance of production, regardless of how long his stint in Boston this season lasts. Watch this space. Let me try to convince myself of something to latch onto, folks. I’m gonna go insane if I can’t, and I’m sure Mr. Secatore and Co. will not appreciate that outcome.

3. Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported a piece of news regarding Marcelo Mayer prior to Sunday’s game that I was really hoping to see sooner rather than later.

Marcelo Mayer said he has talked with Chad Tracy about potentially moving to shortstop and is going to start practicing there.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) May 17, 2026

Two words: THANK GOD.

With all due respect to Mr. Story along with his career accomplishments and previous reputation on defense, I think this moves has to happen—nay: had to, as in something that should’ve happened. I don’t think I’d hear much pushback to the idea of Mayer being a better fielder right now than anyone else you could put on the left side of the infield right now outside of, perhaps, Caleb Durbin. Durbin’s been sensational at third, though I’m not sure how he’d fare at short. Meanwhile, I’ve seen Mayer play both quite well. But I digress.

While Mayer’s offensive output has ebbed and flowed thus far in 2026, he’s already shown he’s a major league-caliber fielder. It would behoove the organization to get him over to shortstop now, especially while the incumbent Story heals up. Hell, I would’ve made the change much sooner—but I’m just a mere blogger trying to write this while my dog paws at me to take him to go pee (in a minute, Marshall, I’m writing thousands of words about a sub-.500 ball club…).

Point is: more Mayer at short, please. It’s been long enough. The kid’s got to sink or swim at some point; that means putting him in the lineup against more lefties and letting him get a hold of that position full-time.

Song of the Week: “If Not For You” by George Harrison

A beaut from the best Beatles solo album, of course.

Same time and same place next week, friends! Go Sox.

Good morning, baseball fans!

A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball begins today, so let’s take a look at what’s on deck for this week.

First up, the Giants keep their west coast road trip going as they begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. After a day off on Thursday, they head back to Oracle Park to begin a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Personally, I’m going to pick the Diamondbacks series this week. The Giants are currently sitting in fourth place in the division and if they can get a couple wins against Arizona, that would move them up a bit to a slightly more respectable third place. One can dream, anyway.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin their series against the Diamondbacks tonight at 6:40 p.m. PT.

Hello and happy Monday, folks. A new week begins, but that means we’re closer to a long weekend. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.

What we don’t have going for us at the moment, though, is quality outings from Brayan Bello. The birthday boy was unfortunately shelled on Sunday, as he gave up eight earned runs in five innings en route to the loss against Atlanta. Bello will not be pitching in this upcoming series in Kansas City, which is set to begin tonight at 7:40 p.m. EST.

My question to you folks is simple: what’s next for Bello?

He had two very solid outings preceding yesterday’s disaster, as both of those appearances featured an opener from the bullpen eating the first inning before handing things over to number 66. Is this simply a matter of reverting back to that strategy, or do you think the problems with Bello go deeper than that? Do we have to ride things out with him—especially with Crochet still on the mend—or do we have to consider sending him down to Worcester to get his act together? I want to hear from you.

Be good to each other and go Sox.

Last week saw to divisional matchups in the National League West, and NL West teams lost the two series against other NL teams outside the division. The San Diego Padres dropped two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Colorado Rockies lost two out of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But the division mostly took out any such frustration against the American League. The Dodgers and Padres, the two teams at the top of the standings and the only two teams in the division with a winning record, swept the Angels and Seattle Mariners, respectively, over the weekend. The San Francisco Giants won two out of three against the A’s in West Sacramento. The Arizona Diamondbacks did lost two of three to the Texas Rangers, but overall the division went 9-3 in interleague play for the week.

Divisional notes

The Dodgers and Giants split four games in Los Angeles, with the Giants winning the first two games. On Tuesday, Eric Haase homered twice off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the first player to homer against Yamamoto twice in the same game. Haase is just the fourth catcher in Giants history to hit two home runs in a game against the Dodgers, and the first since Bob Melvin on September 22, 1987. Haase is the only Giants catcher with such a game at Dodger Stadium. Sean Keane has more on Haase’s big game at McCovey Chronicles.

Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly at age 37 pitched the first complete game of his career on Thursday night, his 178th career start, in a 9-1 rout of the Colorado Rockies. The folks at AZ Snake Pit have more. Kelly had just the second complete game at Coors Field since the start of 2023, along with Stephen Kolek of the San Diego Padres on May 10, 2025. There are 94 complete games in the history of the ballpark, which is now in its 32nd season.

Jake Cronenworth out with a concussion. Padres have gotten contributions from other players, like Miguel Andujar and Gavin Sheets (three go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning), which Thomas Conroy chronicled at Gaslamp Ball.

Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander exited his Thursday start and was placed on the injured list on Friday. There’s no timetable yet for his return, but optimism that he won’t need surgery. From Evan Lang at Purple Row:

Dollander described his injury as “just a very minor UCL sprain. That’s just what the MRI showed. I have a little information around the ligament, nothing to be too concerned about. Just thanking God that it wasn’t more than that. Obviously, it’s probably the best case scenario. Trying to look at the positive side.”

NL West standings

Dodgers 29-18, – –
Padres 28-18, 0.5 GB
D-backs 22-23, 6 GB
Giants 20-27, 9 GB
Rockies 18-29, 11 GB

The week ahead

Three different intradivisional series this week, in San Diego and Arizona.

• Dodgers: at Padres, at Brewers
• Padres: vs. Dodgers, vs. A’s
• D-backs: vs. Giants, vs. Rockies (4 games)
• Giants: at D-backs, vs. White Sox
• Rockies: vs. Rangers , at D-backs (4 games)

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: Brewers 6, Padres 4
• Wednesday: Padres 3, Brewers 1
• Thursday: Brewers 7, Padres 1
• Friday: Brewers 3, Twins 2
• Saturday: Brewers 2, Twins 1
• Sunday: Twins 5, Brewers 4

Division Standings

• Cubs 29-18
• Brewers 26-18 (1.5 GB)
• Cardinals 27-19 (1.5 GB)
• Pirates 24-23 (5 GB)
• Reds 24-23 (5 GB)

Last Week

• Cubs: 2-4
• Brewers: 4-2
• Cardinals: 4-2
• Pirates: 2-4
• Reds: 2-4

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Is it time to rename this section to “What impressive performance did Jacob Misiorowski pull off last week?” It’s starting to feel that way with how well he’s been pitching. He followed up his performance against the Yankees last week with a seven shutout inning, 10-strikeout day on Wednesday. He only allowed four hits, did not walk a batter, and did that in 93 pitches. That start could have gone even longer had he not felt a cramp in his leg again when going out for the eighth inning. Misiorowski hasn’t allowed a run in the month of May and the last run he allowed came on April 25 against the Pirates.

All 10 of Jacob Misiorowski's strikeouts tonight 🔥 https://t.co/4Mf0SaSmvGpic.twitter.com/QLuOQvwQBT

— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2026

There’s also some honorable mentions to go around. Kyle Harrison would be making an appearance here more often if it wasn’t for Misiorowski. He pitched five shutout innings on Thursday, allowing just five hits while striking out seven. Chad Patrick is transitioning to the bullpen and it’s going well. He had a scoreless inning on Tuesday, but that was just the warmup for his four shutout innings on Saturday. He allowed just one hit and struck out three as he recorded a four-inning save. Coleman Crow and Logan Henderson also had good starts for the Brewers, each allowing just a single run in five innings of work. Henderson has 56 strikeouts through his first nine major-league games, which is one more than Misiorowski had in his first nine.

Logan Henderson is off to a historic start to his Brewers career pic.twitter.com/AX4wH50RbP

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 17, 2026

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

Jake Bauers is making himself known in his final year before free agency. In four games last week, he went 7-for-15 with four doubles, two RBI, and one stolen base. He had a .467/.529/.733 batting line and boosted his overall line to .281/.358/.489 this season. One of his biggest hits came on Friday, when he hit an RBI double to put the Brewers ahead for good. He’s also on an 18-game on-base streak that goes back to April 21.

JB for the lead ‼️ pic.twitter.com/EybxOImJX6

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 16, 2026

The Jake Bauers renaissance is real pic.twitter.com/WbnkHl68QX

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 17, 2026

Honorable mention goes to Joey Ortiz. He put together a .308/.412/.615 batting line last week with a double, home run, and two runs batted in. His home run was his first since July 19 of last season.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• The Brewers’ batting order returned to full strength as Christian Yelich was activated from the IL on Tuesday. Tyler Black was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. However, that lasted just one day and then Yelich was back to day-to-day with back tightness. He didn’t need a repeat trip to the IL, and was back in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Twins.
• The pitching carousel was in full swing for the Twins’ series. Prior to Friday’s opener, the Brewers recalled Coleman Crow to make the start and optioned Brian Fitzpatrick to Triple-A. The next day, Crow was optioned and Peter Strzelecki’s contract was selected for Saturday’s game. Strzelecki didn’t even get to pitch and was designated for assignment before Sunday’s game, and Robert Gasser was recalled for Sunday’s start.
• Brandon Lockridge had an MRI that came back clear of any fractures or tears. He began riding a stationary bike on Wednesday. He officially has a bone bruise and is expected back in mid-to-late June.
• Jared Koenig threw his first bullpen session on Tuesday. He’s been out most of the season with a UCL sprain.
• Jacob Misiorowski had another start end early when he felt another cramp when warming up in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game. He felt fine the next day and is expected to start on Tuesday against the Cubs.
• Rob Zastryzny was sent to Nashville on a rehab assignment on Thursday. He pitched in Thursday’s game for Nashville, pitching a clean inning with a strikeout.
• Brandon Woodruff threw a bullpen session on Thursday and was pleased with it. His next step is another bullpen session today in Chicago.
• Akil Baddoo was sent to Nashville on a rehab assignment on Friday. He played in Friday’s game, going 0-for-2 at the plate and played five innings in left field.
• Quinn Priester began his second rehab assignment on Saturday, this time starting with High-A Wisconsin. It was another short outing for him. He allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings and faced 12 batters. He allowed five hits and three walks, and struck out two. Manager Pat Murphy reiterated that it will take a while for him to get back to where he was.

On Deck

• Monday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Tuesday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: vs. Dodgers (6:40 p.m.)
• Saturday: vs. Dodgers (6:15 p.m.)
• Sunday: vs. Dodgers (1:10 p.m.)