Category: Baseball

After squeezing out a tight 2-1 win over the Red Sox in game one of this series, it was Boston’s turn to win on the margins. Trevor Story led the way with two fantastic plays in the 5-6 hole to prevent hits and he took Painter deep on a middle-middle sinker. Ceddanne Rafaela hit the big home run and the Phillies’ offense didn’t have much in the tank outside of a Justin Crawford home run.

Andrew Painter entered his eighth major league appearance with something to prove after getting crushed against the powerful Athletics offense. Luckily, the Boston Red Sox came into this game ranked 29th in wRC+, 28th in OPS, and 29th in home runs. There aren’t many opponents that look like an easier matchup on paper than this one for the rookie right hander, who entered this outing with a 6.89 ERA overall.

Painter looked the part of a solid back-of-the-rotation starter with five innings of one-run ball, a Trevor Story home run in the second inning. He seemed to a real rhythm right after that home run. He ended off the inning by striking out Caleb Durbin with Marcelo Mayer on second base. In the third, he generated two ground balls, one of them being a double-play ball from Willson Contreras.

His fifth and final inning of the night was his finest. He got Connor Wong to chase the tight slider for a strikeout, Caleb Durbin looked like a bad fisherman on the two-strike slider he swung at, and got Jarren Duran on an inside fastball.

Painter showed a different pitch mix in this one. In 62 pitches of work, he threw just 15 four-seam fastballs and six sinkers. He relied on sliders and sweepers to keep the Red Sox lineup off balance and generate more swing and miss. This also might help explain why Don Mattingly had a quick hook for him, with the potential that the Red Sox would be able to make a significant adjustment the third time through the order.

In that span, Sonny Gray matched the rookie pitch for pitch but could not record a shutdown third inning right after Boston took the lead. Justin Crawford worked a two ball count and got a 91 mph fastball right down the middle and put a fantastic swing on it to straightaway center field.

The Phillies offense struggled to handle Gray’s mix outside of that. The sweeper and curveball kept the Phillies offense off-balance enough to produce some ugly swings. One stat that might symbolize the issues is that Gray got 4 whiffs on nine swings with his sinker. That is probably more about how he was mixing his pitches, and the Phillies offense rather than how nasty the pitch is.

It was a battle of the bullpen’s with Painter going five and Gray going six. The Phillies deployed Tanner Banks but he gave up a single to left handed hitting Wilyer Abreu. When Red Sox manager Chad Tracy elected to hit Ceddanne Rafaela for Masataka Yoshida, Mattingly countered with Orion Kerkering.

One thing you should probably not to do a hitter who takes big hacks and chases 36% of the time is throw a fastball right down the middle.

That would be all for either offense as the bullpens handled the opposing lineups for the rest of the night. Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Whitlock specifically made an impressive catch in foul territory to end that frame. It all set up for Aroldis Chapman to close out the ninth.

It wasn’t easy for him, Kyle Schwarber walked on five pitches because Chapman couldn’t find the zone and took second base on a wild pitch. Bryce Harper and Adolis Garcia went down swinging. Mattingly elected to deploy Trea Turner, who wasn’t in the lineup to begin the same, for Brandon Marsh. While Marsh has been hitting lefties better than Turner this year, it did make sense to have a right handed hitter in that spot. Turner stood there for four pitches and walked down to first base.

Alec Bohm was the Phillies’ last chance and eventually had the chance to tie the game with a single. Schwarber and Turner ran a double steal to put runners on second and third.

On a one-two count, Bohm could not lay off on Chapman’s whiffle ball sinker and struck out to end the night.

After scoring 22 runs against the Rockies in three games at home, the Phillies have scored just three runs through the first two games of this series and their pitching just couldn’t save them tonight.

The 20-23 Phillies are supposed to play the final game of this series tomorrow night with Jesús Luzardo going against Ranger Suarez. The battle of who the Phillies let walk and decided to pay on a long term contract extension.

John Franco now has 424 career saves and one first pitch to forget.

The Mets’ all-time leader in saves was given the ceremonial task for Italian Heritage night at Citi Field on Wednesday night before the Amazin’s 3-2, 10-inning win over the Tigers, and his throw delivered flashbacks to rapper 50 Cent’s ill-fated toss in Queens that went viral in 2014.

Franco, donning the promotional green, white and red Mets jersey of the Italian flag, didn’t complete the follow-through on this throw, and it sailed well high and wide and eventually made its way to the backstop in Flushing.

All the Brooklyn native could do was laugh, shrug his shoulders and extend his arms in disbelief as he walked toward home plate for a handshake with Mets catcher Hayden Senger.

The embarrassing miscue was certainly odd from someone who had so much success in the big leagues. But the Mets Hall of Famer’s daughter, Ella, provided an explanation on X. She said it was the first time Franco has thrown a baseball since undergoing shoulder surgery — asking fans to “cut him some slack.”

John Franco's first pitch for Italian Heritage Night was *just* a bit outside pic.twitter.com/IwREmr4wLM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 13, 2026

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

It didn’t stop her from having some fun at her dad’s expense, writing on X: “Dude I’m crying.”

“This reminds me of 50 cent I have not stopped laughing (crying laughing emoji), she added.

Franco played 21 MLB seasons, including 14 with the Mets. The St. John’s alum, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 1981 and debuted with the Reds three years later, was a four-time All-Star and two-time Rolaids Relief Award winner.

He last played in the majors in 2005 at the age of 44 for the Astros, finishing with a 90-87 record and a 2.87 ERA. 

His wild pitch comes with the home team also struggling.

The injury-riddled Mets improved to 17-25 but still remain in last place in the National League East. 

There was a familiar face at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

Jason Heyward was reporting for his first day of in-person duty in his new job.

The Dodgers have hired Heyward, the recently retired 16-year MLB veteran and former All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, as a special assistant in their front office — a role that will allow the 36-year-old to begin what he hopes is a second career as a front office official.

“I asked for an opportunity to learn,” Heyward said. “I have a goal of potentially one day being in the front office.”

Heyward said his interest in a front office future was piqued during the final few seasons of his career, growing fascinated as an older player by all the intricacies that go into running an organization.

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“As I came down the stretch over the last few years, it was watching different roles, having to make bullpen moves, having to make lineup matchups and things like that,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Let’s continue to have conversations on those and see what I can bring as a former player to that side of things.’”

For now, Heyward’s role with the Dodgers is open-ended. He will get the opportunity to experience several different front-office departments (on Wednesday, he was shadowing Dodgers vice president of scouting David Finley). He will also travel to the team’s minor-league affiliates to work with young players.

“I think it’s awesome to be a line of communication,” he said, “and be a resource to not just the players but also the front office.”

As for his long-term goals, he said it “would be amazing” to one day become a general manager or president of baseball operations with an MLB club.

“Again, I don’t know what that route looks like right now today, coming here without much experience in it,” he said. “But that’s what I’m here to work toward.”

While Heyward spent most of his playing career with the Braves (who drafted him 14th overall in 2007) and Cubs (where he won a World Series in 2016 and continues to live), he made a significant impact with the Dodgers over his two-year tenure with the team in 2023 and 2024.

During that time, he served a critical role as a veteran leader in the clubhouse. And though he was DFA’d late in the 2024 season –– just months before the team won its first of two consecutive World Series titles –– people around the organization still credit him with helping set a standard that has underscored much of their recent success.

“I’m excited for Jason to be back in the organization,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s got the clubhouse part covered, so part of it is working with the front office guys and getting to see the other side of things and how it operates. He’s going to be very helpful.”

After retiring as a player following a short stint with the Padres last year, Heyward said he reached out to several teams inquiring about a front office role this offseason.

The Dodgers, he noted, were the one that gave him the best opportunity to learn.

“I understand there’s a lot I have to learn on this side of things,” he said. “It’s great to be a player, it’s great to have that experience. I think that will help me along the way. But at the same time I knew it was important to learn to scout, how to evaluate players, learn the R&D, analytics, terminologies and things like that.”

“Everything’s on the table,” he added of what his future might hold. “It is a process, starting from the ground up … But it is nice to have an opportunity to learn for what I think is the best.”

The Mets have yet another injury worry on their hands. 

Juan Soto exited Wednesday’s game against the Tigers at Citi Field in the seventh inning, four frames after fouling a ball off his right foot. 

During his third inning at-bat, Soto hobbled out of the batter’s box and hopped around to regain feeling in his foot.

He briefly took a knee while manager Carlos Mendoza and trainer Joe Golia came out to check on him. Soto eventually stood up on his own power and limped back to the plate.

He went on to strike out with two runners on base.

The four-time All-Star came out for one more at-bat and grounded out. He finished the night 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

Soto may join a lengthy list of Mets regulars on the mend, including Francisco Alvarez, whom the team placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday after he sustained a right meniscus tear. 

Mets outfielder Juan Soto is considered "day-to-day" after X-rays came back negative on his ankle/foot after he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers.

"We got good news there," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "He’s day-to-day so we’ll see how he comes tomorrow and whether he’s a player for us and in the starting lineup, but we’ll see."

Soto, who was DHing, left the game for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and was replaced by MJ Melendez with runners on first and third and two outs in a tie game.

The foul ball occurred in the third inning and after getting looked at by team trainers, Soto finished his at-bat by striking out against Framber Valdez. Soto was able to take his next at-bat in the sixth inning, grounding out softly to the pitcher, but after New York tied the game at 2-2 on Bo Bichette's single, Soto was replaced for Melendez.

"I was concerned as soon as he got hit because he got him pretty good there," Mendoza said. "We went out there and you could tell that he was in pain. And then just that second at-bat didn’t look right. And then when I saw the trainer came my way I knew something was up… So I’m glad that we got good news."

Soto finished the game 0-for-3, but the Mets ended up beating the Tigers, 3-2, in extra innings thanks to Carson Benge's first walk-off hit.

For the second time in as many nights, a Mets hitter left the team’s game early after suffering an injury in the batter’s box, as Juan Soto fouled a ball of his lower leg in the bottom of the third. The ball appeared to hit the front of his ankle and the top of his foot.

Serving as the Mets’ designated hitter tonight, Soto was able to remain in the game for a bit and take his at-bat in the bottom of the sixth. There was a point during that at-bat that his ankle didn’t look comfortable, though. And when his turn came up in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and third, two outs, and the Mets having just tied the game at two, MJ Melendez was sent up to pinch hit for him.

Last night, Francisco Alvarez left the Mets’ game early after suffering an injury on a swing that turned out to be a torn meniscus in his right knee. Here’s hoping Soto just needs some ice and some rest and doesn’t end up on the Mets’ ever-expanding list of players on the IL.

The St. Louis Cardinals California vacation continues Wednesday night as Matthew Liberatore will start the game for St. Louis. J.T. Ginn will take the mound for the Athletics. First pitch at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 8:40pm central time and the game will be televised on Cardinals.tv.

The A’s are back at it looking to put an end to this two-game losing streak. At 21-20 the A’s are close to the .500 mark and would like to avoid hitting that threshold tonight. They’ll face the St. Louis Cardinals again in this one and with the Mariners just one game behind and on a two-game winning streak the Green & Gold need a win if they want to remain in pole position in the AL West.

Taking the ball for the home squad this evening in the middle game of the series will be right-hander J.T. Ginn. Coming off a horrible start, Ginn absolutely bounced back in a huge way his last time on the mound, pitching eight full innings of one-run baseball against the Phillies last week. That was clearly his best start of his young career as he punched out eight Philly batters with the only run coming off a solo home run to superstar slugger Kyle Schwarber. Nothing to be ashamed of there and plenty to be proud of his most recent outing. How will the young righty follow that performance up?

The Athletics’ lineup this evening shakes out like this:

Tonight is going to be a memorable one. We have a big league debut this evening as outfielder Henry Bolte draws the start for his first big league game tonight manning center field. Manager Mark Kotsay is also clearly not afraid to throw the well-regarded Bolte into the middle of the lineup as he’ll be batting fifth tonight, right behind Brent Rooker, who will grab his glove and head to left field. Langeliers is DH’ing but in there and him ‘Bangeliers’ and Nick Kurtz lead things off atop the batting order. They’re followed by right fielder Colby Thomas, who is quietly on a decent 5-for-15 stretch with one homer. And as a right-handed hitter it helps that the opposing starter is a left-hander (lefty hitters Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler are on the bench tonight against a lefty, but they both could use the off day as a mental reset).

Bolte isn’t the only one making a debut this evening. Second base will be handled by journeyman infielder Michael Stefanic, who will be making his first big league appearance of the year. The light-hitting second baseman/third baseman has bounced around in recent years and didn’t hit much in his time with the Aviators (.250/.351/.355 with two homeruns), but the A’s don’t need him to be a star. Just hold down the fort when you’re in the lineup. He’ll be joined in tonight’s starting nine along with catcher Jonah Heim, who draws is second start with the A’s, and fellow infielders Zack Gelof (third base) and Darell Hernaiz (shortstop)

As for St. Louis’s starting pitcher tonight, it’ll be lefty Matthew Liberatore for them this evening as the fifth-year big leaguer will get the ball for his ninth start for the Cards. The 26-year-old has been uneven for the Red Birds through the first month-plus, posting four starts with one run allowed (plus another two-run showing), but also three outings where he’s yielded four or more runs. That adds up to a decent 4.07 ERA. The A’s will be hoping to get the lesser version of Liberatore in this one though he’s on a small roll with quality starts in his last two outings. He shut down the A’s in his lone start against us last season, pitching into the sixth inning while allowing no runs on just four hits in an eventual Cardinals win.

And the Cardinals will line up like this tonight:

Mostly the same hitters in the top half that were in there last night, just some minor lineup adjustments. Let’s hope they messed up their mojo and aren’t able to put up another 6-spot in this one.

A win puts us two games over the .500 mark and assures that the team will remain in first place at least for one more day. If you’re scoreboard watching during the game the second-place Mariners are going up against fellow AL West rival Astros so we’re rooting for a Houston victory over our Seattle counterparts. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

The Red Sox won a baseball game in which they didn’t obtain an early lead!!!!

If you want to learn more, continue reading!

STUDS

Willson Contreras: I’ve always been a fan of dudes who play good defense and hit, which isn’t exactly shocking information but there haven’t been very many of them around these parts over the last few seasons. Contreras is an absolute delight to watch, no matter if he’s making great defensive plays or trying to murder people on the other team.

Wilyer Abreu: #ILoveWilyerAbreu

Ceddanne Rafaela: I’ve got the sniffer out on why he didn’t initially start this game — swinging through a pitch above his head in the opening game of this series would have been enough to bench him for a night. Rafaela brushed that off, though, and bombed a pinch-hit home run that swung this game in the good guys’ favor.

DUDS

Jarren Duran: It’s pretty clear at this point that he’s not the same leadoff hitter as in year’s past, so what is he good for?

Justin Crawford: I dislike that family…

“OH MY GOD HE DID IT” OF THE GAME

If you’re a loyal reader of this fine website, you probably stumbled across a certain story that called for Trevor Story to lose his job on Tuesday.

Story decided to stick it to that author and belt his first home run in nearly an entire month on Wednesday.

Of course…

By the time it was over, the Pittsburgh Pirates had two runs, Colorado Rockies pitcher Jose Quintana had an interference call, and nobody could figure out exactly what happened.  

It began innocently enough in the bottom of the second inning at PNC Park with what should have been an inning-ending play.  

With the bases loaded and two outs, Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros made a terrific stop on a Henry Davis rocket. Instead of throwing to first base to try and get the Pirates’ young catcher, he threw to second, but Pirates infielder  Brandon Lowe had run through the bag and was on his way to third. No out and the play was still live.  

Idk what's happening here but we're on the board ‼️ pic.twitter.com/EBVDmJG2ul

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 13, 2026

Ryan O’Hearn had scored and Nick Gonzales, who had been at second when this all started, rounded third and was caught in a run-down.  

While Lowe was safely at third, it again looked like it would be the end of the inning. Quintana, however, pushed Gonzales on the play and was called for interference.  

LOS ANGELES — Despite Shohei Ohtani's multi-hit night that snapped his two-week-long home run drought on Tuesday night, the two-way superstar is out of the lineup for the third game of the Los Angeles Dodgers' rivalry series against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, May 13.

The move doesn't come as a surprise, as manager Dave Roberts had confirmed postgame Tuesday that Ohtani would not hit Wednesday after previously saying he was "leaning towards" sitting the two-way superstar for his outing on the mound in addition to a planned day off for Thursday's series finale.

"We were both good with it," Roberts said. "I don't like the baby switch. I think that sometimes that might have been something where you know you get a couple days off of hitting, and it might have freed him up. So, you just never know and to go back on a pact or a decision that we came upon or I came upon, I don't like that."

Mookie Betts will take the leadoff spot on Wednesday while Teoscar Hernández will be the Dodgers' designated hitter.

Roberts said that while Ohtani will not DH on Thursday, either, he may make him available to pinch-hit late in the game if the situation calls for it. But as currently planned, this will mark the first time Ohtani will be out of the lineup on two consecutive days for a non-injury or paternity leave-related reason since 2021, according to Jack Harris of the California Post.

Though the pitfalls of not having a guy that's hit over 50 home runs in each of the last two seasons in the lineup are obvious, Roberts believes this will only help Ohtani in the long run as an opportunity to physically and mentally reset.

Prior to tonight’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves provided injury updates on numerous players via manager Walt Weiss. A summary of updates on five of the players is listed below.

• Ronald Acuña, Jr. – His injured hamstring is progressing, but the expectation is that he will not be activated during this homestand which concludes against the Boston Red Sox this weekend.
• Spencer Schwellenbach – Recent updates have been positive and he should be cleared by doctors to begin throwing soon. There is still no timeline his possible return.
• Hurston Waldrep – He has begun throwing bullpens at the team’s Florida complex, but there is not yet an update on when he might begin a rehab assignment.
• Eli White – The outfielder, who is on the 7-day concussion IL after colliding with the wall in Los Angeles, should be activated once he is available to return.
• Joe Jiménez – The reliever hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2024 largely due to knee issues, had yet another surgery on his knee within the last month. While encouraged by the results, there is no timeline as to when he might begin attempting to pitch again. He is in the last year of his contract with the Braves.

Yesterday, the Braves provided an update on Sean Murphy, who is expected to miss two months with a broken finger.

The positive news? This time last year Atlanta was struggling with a similar spate injuries and trying to claw their way back to .500. This year? The best record in baseball.

He’s back.

Bryce Miller takes the mound for the Mariners for the first time since the 2025 ALCS. He’s sat out the first 43 games of the new season with an oblique injury, after missing large swaths of last season with bone spurs in his elbow. I wrote before the season in our 40 in 40 series about the quick start to Miller’s career and the quick drop in performance as he tried to pitch through injury. Kate Preusser wrote more recently about his rehab starts and some of the adjustments he’s making to get right this year. What I’m looking for today is what his pitch mix looks like early and how his velocity holds up late.

With wins in games one and two, the Mariners will look to clinch the four-game series tonight, after sweeping the Astros in four games back in May, after sweeping the Astros to all but clinch the AL West last September. The Mariners have won nine straight against Houston.

Brendan Donovan is not in the lineup tonight, after being activated from the injured list at the start of the road trip. Leo Rivas is back at third base, while J.P. Crawford moves back up to the leadoff spot.

Lineups

Game Information

First Pitch: 5:10 p.m. PDT

TV: Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Dave Valle, Jay Buhner and Brad Adam

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (16-27) will continue their homestand tonight in the third game of a four-game series against the rival Seattle Mariners (21-22).

Astros starter RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-3, 7.41 ERA), a veteran of nine Major League seasons, enters tonight’s game with 898 career strikeouts and is looking to become the 15th pitcher in franchise history to reach 900 career strikeouts. He’ll be opposed by the Texas native RHP Bryce Miller (NR), who’s returning from the IL today to make his 2026 debut.

LANCE VS. THE M’S: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is set to make his eighth start of the season and his second against the Mariners, also April 11 at SEA (4.1IP).

McCullers has gone 10-3 in 21 career starts against the Mariners and also faced them once in the postseason, in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS, in which McCullers tossed 6.0 shutout innings in the Astros 1-0 win in 18 innings.

FIGHTIN’ AGGIES: The Astros will face off tonight against Texas A&M Aggie RHP Bryce Miller, who pitched three years at A&M (2019-21) before being selected by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.

Notably, Astros SS Braden Shewmake also played three seasons at A&M (2017-19) and was a teammate of Miller’s in the 2019 season. The 2019 Aggies made it to the finals of the Morgantown Regional, losing to Duke, a team that featured Astros OF Joey Loperfido.

VS. SEATTLE: The Astros and Mariners are playing their second series of the 2026 season this week in Houston and will not see each other again until August.

Tonight, the Astros are looking to snap a nine-game losing streak to Seattle, which spans back to September of 2025.

THE ORDER: The Astros have used 43 different batting orders in their 43 games in 2026. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second), while 1B Christian Walker has played in every game (42 starts).

AIR YORDAN: DH Yordan Alvarez is batting .308 (49×159) with 10 doubles, 13 HR, 29 RBI and a 1.029 OPS (.413 OBP/.616 SLG).

In the AL, he ranks tied for first in total bases (98), tied for first in extra-base hits (23), tied for third in hits, tied for third in homers, tied for third in RBI, fourth in OPS, fourth in SLG, fifth in batting average, and sixth in OBP.

EXTRA! EXTRA!:DH Yordan Alvarez has 355 career extra-base hits, which ties him with 3B Doug Rader for 10th in extra-base hits in Astros franchise history. The two immediately trail 1B Bob Watson (410) for ninth on that all-time list.

THE SHEW FITS:SS Braden Shewmake went 2×4 with an RBI last night, which extended his current hitting streak to a career-long seven games.

Shewmake has hit .357 (10×28) with three homers and a 1.036 OPS in 12 games since being acquired by the Astros in a trade from the Yankees on April 19.

STARS DOWN IN CORPUS: SS Jeremy Peña (right hamstring strain), CF Jake Meyers (right oblique strain) and LHP Josh Hader (left biceps tendinitis) all played on rehab assignments for Double A Corpus Christi last night.

Peña went 1×2 with a double and a HBP. Hader pitched 1.0 inning, allowing 1 hit with a strikeout, but faced the minimum due to a caught stealing. Meyers went 0x4.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2022 – The Astros beat the Nationals in Washington by a score of 6-1, extending their win streak to 11 games.

LHP Framber Valdez (1ER/7.2IP) dominates in the outing, while 2B Jose Altuve hits a leadoff homer.

The streak, which ended the following day, fell one win shy of the club record.

The win also gave manager Dusty Baker his 2,009th managerial win, which moved him past Leo Durocher (2,008) for 10th on the all-time manager win list.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, May 13, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Last night was the seventh consecutive game where the Diamondbacks were held to six hits or fewer. That ties a franchise record, last done in April 2022, and previously in August 2011. The team’s .477 OPS over that time is actually lower than either streak, though due to the efforts of the pitching staff, Arizona are actually 3-4 during the current run. They went 2-5 in 2022, and 1-6 in 2011. There hasn’t been a longer streak in the majors since the Angels went nine in April last year. In the National League, the Pirates went eight in June 2023. And in case you are wondering, the last team to reach a double-digit streak of games with 6 or fewer hits each time? The 1968 Astros reached 11, the year before the mound was lowered.

Let’s hope the D-backs render that moot and the offense comes to life a bit. The three runs added in garbage time last night, because one of the Rangers’ relievers couldn’t find the strike-zone, certainly padded Arizona’s resume. But they were more because of walks than hits. I’ve no doubt the team will hit better. They have batted .152 over the past week. It’s the second lowest in franchise history for a seven-game span. The only worse was April 7-15, 2022 when Arizona hit a remarkable .135, going 28-for-208 in that span. They actually scored three more runs than the current streak, mostly because they had twice as many home-runs (6-3).