LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 14: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits for a pitch in the third inning during a game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on May 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With mirroring campaigns on either side of the spectrum, the Dodgers and Rockies meet at Dodger Stadium on Memorial Day. The home side aims to carry on the momentum from an outstanding road trip that saw them win seven of nine, taking two of three from the Brewers and Padres, and sweeping the Angels.
While as a team the Dodgers thrived away from home, Emmet Sheehan didn’t have the best of times in his game, even if the Dodgers ended up beating San Diego 5-4. All four of the Padres’ runs came against Sheehan courtesy of a couple of long balls as their lineup made him grind, though it was his shortest outing since his 2026 debut, when Sheehan failed to complete four innings against the Diamondbacks.
Sheehan will face one of the more harmless offenses away from home in the big leagues, a nice segue to touch on the stark difference between what the Dodgers’ lineup has produced away from Dodger Stadium and at home. As the visiting club, the Dodgers have a 128 wRC+, while 28 of the other 30 teams sit at 115 or below. Playing in front of their fans, the Dodgers rank a respectable but unimpressive 11th in wRC+ (107).
Facing the Rockies, the Dodgers have the ideal opponent to juice those home stats—Tyler Gordon will be the starter for Colorado, having allowed a two-homer game to Dalton Rushing the last time he faced the NL West leaders and reigning champs.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 18: Nick Lodolo #40 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s been an unfortunate yet somewhat predictable start to Nick Lodolo’s 2026 season since he missed over a month while dealing with blister issues. It forced him to tweak the way he approaches batters, looking at times to avoid throwing his slider too much and risking a recurrence of the problem. He also, obviously, missed a lot of time he’d otherwise have been building up to his best at the start of what was viewed as a crucial season for him, especially with Hunter Greene on the sidelines for months.
So far, he’s yielded 12 earned runs in just 15 IP across a trio of starts, though at times in his start on May 18th against the Phillies he looked a bit more like his old self. Still, he’s been plagued with the exact same problem as the entirety of the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff as a whole this year, as he’s walked an uncharacteristic 9 batters against just 11 Ks in that time.
For the record, he was fanning hitters at a 9.0 K/9 just last year with a stellar 1.8 BB/9. The Reds, quite frankly. aren’t going to go anywhere in 2026 if he can’t rediscover something close to that form.
He’ll get another shot to find it on Monday in New York as the Reds begin a series against the sputtering New York Mets. The Reds will do so with a rested staff, too, having had Thursday, Friday, and Sunday off thanks to scheduling and some weather postponements.
The Mets, meanwhile, will roll out burgeoning ace Nolan McLean, who has looked mostly brilliant through his first 58.0 IP of the season.
First pitch in the series opener is set for 4:10 PM ET.
Here’s how the Reds will line up for the opener, with Blake Dunn continuing to get run at leadoff and in CF, Eugenio Suarez in the lineup at DH, and hopefully a big pile of runs baked into it:
SACRAMENTO, CA - MAY 13: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a Sunday rainout in Cincinnati, the St. Louis Cardinals will battle the Milwaukee Brewers Monday afternoon. It would be tempting to say that the Cardinals are fighting the Brewers for first place in the NL Central, but this is supposed to just be a development year, so I won’t say what all of us are thinking. The Sunday rainout allowed St. Louis to reset their rotation which is what they hoped to achieve with the callup of Brycen Mautz on Sunday. It appears the the Cardinals will start Matthew Liberatore Monday against the Brewers as they’ll put Jacob Misiorowski on the mound. First pitch scheduled for 1:10pm in American Family Field.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 19: Zebby Matthews #52 of the Minnesota Twins makes a throw to first during the game between the Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):1:10 PM TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: South Side Sox
Fresh off a sweep of one set of Sox, the Twins will look to do the same to a White pair this time around. Zebby Matthews is on the mound for the Twins, staying in the rotation after a couple solid outings, while Simeon Woods Richardson has been demoted to long relief for the time being.
They’ll be facing lefty Anthony Kay, who is looking strong after spending two years playing in Japan. Kay’s overall season numbers aren’t dazzling, but he’s been very strong in the month of May with 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings and four starts. Guys are still getting on base, he’s allowed eight walks and four hit batters this month, so it’ll be up to the middle of the lineup to make sure those guys are coming home this time around.
Also of note: the White Sox currently hold the second AL Wild Card spot while the Twins hold the third. It’s too early in the season for that to particularly matter, but the Twins will likely hold the second spot if they win this series. The White Sox aren’t elite by any stretch, but they are a talented group with a lot of young talent that is moving in the right direction. Even if they don’t maintain a hold on playoff position, they have a young core and a clear path forward, more than they’ve been able to say in years.
I’m spending Memorial Day with some family so I won’t be around the comments, but I’ll see you post-game where Austin Martin will be coming off the first multi homer game of his career (if this comes true, I’ll include the lottery numbers in the recap as well).
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Blaine Bullard #29 of the Toronto Blue Jays catches a fly ball during the third inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on March 21, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
After an unexpected couple of weeks’ hiatus, I wanted to get back to looking at one promising Blue Jays prospect each week. Today, the Blue Jays’ intriguing 12th round selection in last year’s draft, who’s nearly matching the performance of his much more highly touted teammate, first rounder Jojo Parker.
Blaine Bullard was considered a top 3-5 round talent in the 2025 draft class, ranked #151 by Baseball America. His commitment to Texas A&M was regarded as pretty firm, though, and teams weren’t willing to risk taking him with a top 10 round pick and losing a valuable slot bonus. As a result, he slid out of the top 10 rounds entirely and the Jays were able to tab him 352nd overall. They scraped together $1.7m from money saved on Parker’s bonus and from a couple of later picks plus the allowed 5% bonus pool overage, roughly equivalent to the slot value for the 55th overall pick, and dared him to turn it down.
So far, they have to be happy that he couldn’t. Bullard is an elite athlete with easy plus speed. He’s been able to deploy that to steal 18 bags in 19 tries, one of the best success rates among all high volume runners in A ball. He’s also drawn strong reviews for his routes in centre field, and looks like he’ll ultimately be an above average to plus defender there.
The questions in his profile have all been about his future at the plate. He’s a switch hitter, but naturally left handed, and he’s far more advanced from that side of the plate. The scouting consensus was that he had the potential to be an average or somewhat better pure hitter, although he was seen as raw. He also faced questions about his ultimate power potential, with a lanky build and whippy swing that’s geared to spray grounders and line drives more than elevate for power.
So far, things have looked a little different than expected. Bullard has already launched five home runs in 167 PAs, using his wheels to add in eight doubles and a pair of triples. His .184 isolated slugging is well above the Florida State League average and third best among the 10 teenagers who have gotten regular run there. He’s also struck out a fair bit (30% of the time), though, and hasn’t produced many walks (8%, in a league where the median is 12%). It’s an effective overall package, as his .265/.337/.449 line has been 12% better than league average and in the 68th percentile among teenagers in full season ball, but it’s not quite the shape we expected.
Digging in a little, it appears that part of the difference is due to his switch hitting. All but two of his extra base hits have come from the left side, and his 27% and 9% walk and strikeout rates look a little more like it. He’s a more aggressive than average swinger, but his 68.7% in-zone swing rate and 27.4% chase rate suggest decent underlying plate discipline. He’s making contact inside the zone just 78% of the time, which is less than ideal, but not disastrous by any stretch and not necessarily a surprise for such a young player seeing professional pitching for the first time. When he does hit the ball, he’s delivering the low line drives expected, with a 5.5 degree launch angle, but he actually makes his best contact a little higher, with a 13.7 degree angle on hard hit balls. His 85mph average exit velocity and 27% hard hit rate from that side would both be near the bottom of the scale in MLB but they’re not bad for a teenager and suggest that with a little maturation he could get to the 40-grade raw power many scouts projected for him, with enough hard contact pulled for line drives or fly balls to get to all of it in games.
Things are less promising from the right. He’s struck out 11 times in just 24 PA without a walk, and has just 6 hits, two of them doubles. His 80.6mph average exit velocity is pretty dismal, as is his -4.5 degree launch angle. He’s more aggressive from that side, swinging 54% of the time, and he’s whiffing far too much both inside the zone (67.7% contact rate) and outside it (25%). It’s a small sample because Dunedin hasn’t happened to face that much left handed pitching yet, but it’s at least a yellow flag on his ability to switch hit longer term.
The overall picture is of a very talented player experiencing mixed success with an aggressive assignment to start his pro career. Many high schoolers, including for example last year’s 9th overall pick Steele Hall and Bullard’s draft-classmate Tim Piasentin, would start their first full pro season at the complex. Bullard was sent straight to a real league where he’s more than two years younger than his average competition, and has produced. His speed and defence look to be everything advertised, and his power production has exceeded expectations. He also has clear work to do on refining his approach and contact ability, though. That goes for both sides of the plate, and the gap on the right side is big enough to question whether he might ultimately wind up focusing on his natural left handed stroke full time. He remains one of the higher upside players in the system, with the potential to develop into a Lorenzo Cain or Coco Crisp type table setting centre fielder if everything comes together.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (33-20) open a series against the Colorado Rockies (20-34) in a meet of the first- and last-place teams in the NL West. The Dodgers are favored with a -327 moneyline compared to the Colorado Rockies' +259. Scheduled starting pitchers are Tanner Gordon for Colorado, with a 6.59 ERA, and Emmet Sheehan for Los Angeles, with a 4.93 ERA.
How to watch Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 26: A detail photo of a base with a Memorial Day placard prior to during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, May 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: Keibert Ruiz #20 of the Washington Nationals hits a double against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the biggest storylines of this month for the Nats has been the play of their catcher Keibert Ruiz. The Nats catcher is playing some of the best baseball in his career, combining great offense with a new found defensive game. It is no secret that Ruiz has struggled since signing his 8 year extension, so seeing this from the 27 year old is very encouraging.
In April, it was clear that Ruiz was laser focused on his defense, to the point where it was harming his hitting. He was grading out well defensively early in the season, but his hitting was putrid. Ruiz posted a dismal .480 OPS in April. However, he has totally flipped the switch in May, hitting .340 with a 1.049 OPS. Ruiz has done all this while maintaining his strong defense.
It feels like the Twins series early in May was a big turning point for him. Ruiz had a monster three for four day with 8 total bases. Ever since then, Ruiz has been absolutely smoking baseballs. Ruiz has been looking to do damage rather than just put the bat on the ball this month.
Of Keibert Ruiz’s 16 hits this month, 11 of them have gone for extra bases. Ruiz has a crazy 8 doubles this month, and it is not like he is turning singles into doubles with his speed. The Nats catcher is just smoking balls, especially to the pull side. That pull side thunder has been a staple of his game this season.
Among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, nobody is pulling the ball in the air more than Keibert Ruiz. His air pull percentage is an insane 38.2%. Statistically, pulled flyballs are some of the most productive batted ball events for hitters. Some guys are not built to sell out for air pull, but if you can do that, it is a positive. That is exactly what Ruiz is doing right now.
He is not just pulling balls in the air in an attempt to hit a bunch of home runs though. Ruiz is yanking a ton of balls down the line for doubles as well. He is able to outslug his pedestrian exit velocity numbers because of this. A great example of this is his double the other night. If he hit this ball to center field, it would be a routine fly out. Instead, it was almost a home run that bounced off the wall and became a double.
Keibert Ruiz has now hit safely in seven straight games:
Ruiz has an extra-base hit in six of the seven games and now leads MLB catchers in doubles (12). pic.twitter.com/OxZVC8YjsU
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) May 23, 2026
Some of Ruiz’s underlying numbers are still in rough shape because of how bad that April was. His xWOBA is still only .261, but it has been going up steadily this month. His overall numbers for the season look very good though. Ruiz is hitting .252 with a .754 OPS, which is very good for a catcher playing quality defense. Sure, his on base percentage is only .269 because he has only walked twice all season, but he is making up for that with a very good .485 slugging percentage.
Pulling the ball more is a big reason for the jump in slug, but it is not everything. Ruiz is also hitting the ball a lot harder. His average exit velocity has gone from 86.2 MPH last year to 90.1 MPH this year. That is a massive jump, and it is allowing him to do a lot more damage.
The bat has been very impressive this month, but we have seen Ruiz get hot with the bat before. His defense has probably been the most impressive thing about his season. For most of his career, Ruiz has been one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball, with -22, -7 and -10 fielding run value the last three seasons. Under the tutelage of new catching coach Bobby Wilson, Ruiz has +3 FRV for the season, a truly stunning turnaround.
Ruiz’s blocking and framing have gotten so much better this season. He has 2 blocks above average and is in the 84th percentile as a framer. Last season he had -6 blocks above average and was a 4th percentile framer. Ruiz has also done a nice job controlling the running game, especially lately.
Keibert Ruiz has now hit safely in seven straight games:
Ruiz has an extra-base hit in six of the seven games and now leads MLB catchers in doubles (12). pic.twitter.com/OxZVC8YjsU
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) May 23, 2026
Among catchers with at least 60 plate appearances, Ruiz is tied for 10th in fWAR with 0.8 wins above replacement. That is a crazy turnaround for a guy who has posted negative fWAR in the last three seasons, mainly due to his defense. You have to give credit to Bobby Wilson, but also wonder what they were teaching Ruiz before.
If Keibert Ruiz can even post a .700ish OPS for the season while playing solid defense, that would be a massive win. With that kind of production, Ruiz would be playing up to, or even exceeding his contract. Coming into the season, that contract looked like an anchor, but who knows now.
We still need to see Ruiz keep this up. It has only been a month, so there’s still a decent chance that his bat falls off a cliff again. I actually think the defense is fairly likely to be at least average going forward. We are two months into the season, and I think the defensive improvements are real.
One other thing that is important to point out is how they are using Ruiz. The Nats are managing his playing time very well. He has been in a near even split with Drew Millas this year. In this hot run, Ruiz is getting a bit more playing time, but Millas still gets at least a couple starts a week. Under Davey Martinez, it felt like Ruiz was getting run into the ground. Ruiz is a competitive guy, and it seemed like Davey just asked Keibert if he was ready to play, and naturally he always said yes.
Now, Ruiz is not putting too much strain on his body, and is being put in advantageous matchups. Blake Butera has really liked Ruiz against left handed pitchers this year, and it is easy to see why. The switch hitting Ruiz is hitting .333 with a .911 OPS as a right handed hitter. Ruiz starts just about every game against lefties, and some of them against righties.
There is still plenty of time for things to go haywire, and I am knocking on wood, but I love this version of Keibert Ruiz. He is a reliable defender, who is looking to do damage at the plate. Ruiz still has his warts, like never walking, but he has been an ultra-productive player for the Nats this month. Long may that continue for the Nats catcher.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 24: Orlando Arcia #11 of the Minnesota Twins hugs Ryan Kreidler #5 after their 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 24, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before we start with our usual fanfare, we do want to thank the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for this country to allow us to enjoy things like Memorial Day Weekend.
The week started auspiciously with Royce Lewis getting sent to St. Paul and ended with a sweep of the Red Sox. I just give out the facts folks; you can choose to connect the dots if you want. All joking aside, it was a much-needed week for the Twins as they went 5-1 against the bottom-feeders in the American League. The bullpen is still in a state of organized chaos, with Travis Adams becoming the 11th reliever to earn a save this season. We also saw some fruits of the Jorge Polanco trade as Gabriel Gonzalez made his debut with the major-league team on Friday, going 1-2 with two walks. Ironically, earlier in the week, Justin Topa, another player who came over in that deal, was DFA’d. The Twins now go to South Side Chicago to face the White Sox in a four-game series and could take second position in the AL Central. The team will wrap up May with a three-game series in Pittsburgh.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
We’re starting a new segment called Daily Questions! Provide your opinion on the Twins and debate with the community!
Game threads and recaps are back! Commiserate with your fellow fans as we experience the season together.
The Rays have increased their lead to 4.5 games over the Yankees, who are tied with the Guardians for second in the AL standings. The A’s are a distant fourth place now, 4.0 games behind. The Twins have actually vaulted into the top six in the standings, despite owning a losing record, half a game behind the Chicago White Sox.
It’s a bit of a tighter race in the National League, with the Dodgers 2.0 games behind Atlanta, while the Brewers and Padres are 1.5 games behind LA. You have to scroll down to the 11th team, the Philadelphia Phillies, to find the first team with a losing record.
Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers has been throwing gas this season, with over 250 pitches over 100 mph. Brian Murphy at MLB.com looks at what the Miz thinks are the limits of his talent.-
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 12: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners bats in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 12, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pre-season prognosticators were virtually unanimous: The Seattle Mariners will win the AL West. And they may well do so, but if they win the division it will not be on the strength of the season’s first 1/3. The Mariners completed their 54th game yesterday, an 8-6 loss to the Royals that left them 25-29 for the season.
How many games were the Mariners predicted to win in 2026? Here projection systems vary a touch, but let’s go with 93 as a reasonable median that conveniently is divisible by 3. That means Seattle was projected to average winning 31 games in each of the season’s three “thirds”.
Does a 25-29 start mean analysts were way, way off and in fact the Mariners are going to win only 75 games? Probably not. Does it mean analysts were exactly right and to make up for lost time Seattle will go 68-40 the rest of the way to finish with those 93 wins? Probably not.
Here’s what I would submit is the most mathematically sound way to look at it. If the Mariners are a 93 win team that masqueraded as a 25-29 squad for 2 months, you can reasonably expect them to play at a 93 win clip going forward. But this comes with a significant caveat: Some losses are already in the bank.
How many losses? Instead of going the projected 31-23 the Mariners won a whopping 6 fewer games than that pace. And those are 6 losses they can’t get back. Give Seattle its 93 win pace going forward and you get a big turnaround of a 62-46 record in the last 2/3 of the season. Don’t be surprised if the Mariners “get up on the deck” and go 62-46 the rest of the way.
The problem, for Seattle, is that this leaves them with a season record of 87-75, not the 93-69 originally predicted. And that is a huge difference in terms of what the bar might be for teams like the A’s, Rangers, even Astros (who are only 4.5 games back of 1st place thanks to the mediocrity of the division to date).
This is important because it suggests that while the standard needed to win the AL West was poised to be something like 24 games over .500, Seattle’s stumbling first 1/3 might bring that standard all the way down to more like 12 games over .500. The A’s need to go 60-49 (a .550 clip) the rest of the season in order to finish with 87 wins.
Of course none of this is set in stone or even etch-a-sketch. It’s still entirely possible Seattle could get sizzling hot and win 95 games or that they could remain in quicksand and finish with just 78 wins. Or Texas could turn out to be the team to beat, or who knows? This is why you play the games and just try to win as often as possible.
Is my “mathnalysis” the right way to look at the division going forward? Or if not what do you think is a better projection for “The State Of The AL West” going into the season’s second 1/3? The only analysis I can bet we will all agree on is this: beating Seattle these next 3 days will only help the A’s cause.
Apr 19, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) stands for the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The first series of the Orioles’ season-longest 10-game homestand went reasonably well. The O’s took advantage of a reeling Tigers team to take two out of three games, though let’s not try to think about the fact that they were one strike away from losing the series.
Now the task gets much tougher with a rematch against the majors’ best team, the Rays, who swept the Orioles at Tropicana Field last week. Tampa Bay enters today with a stupendous 34-16 record, 12.5 games better than the Birds. And it’s only May.
The Rays will throw Baltimore-born ace lefty Shane McClanahan at the O’s in today’s opener. The good news is that the Orioles actually had some success against him last week, tagging him for four runs, tied for his season worst. The bad news is that the O’s still got destroyed in that game, 16-6, so McClanahan cruised to an easy win. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles. He pitched well in Tampa Bay last week, holding the Rays to two runs in 5.1 innings, but got no run support. Imagine that.
The Birds, as usual against a lefty, are stacking their lineup with righties, even those who can’t hit against southpaws (most notably Tyler O’Neill, who is 2-for-39 against lefties). The exception is Jackson Holliday, a lefty-swinger who’s getting the start today against McClanahan. He probably wouldn’t be if Coby Mayo were healthy, but the O’s third baseman is still sidelined with a back injury.
Today marks Cedric Mullins’ return to Baltimore for the first time since the O’s traded him last July. He’ll surely receive a standing ovation from the Camden Yards crowd and a nice video tribute on the Jumbotron. Best of luck, Cedric. I hope you have a great game individually while your team loses.
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward DH Gunnar Henderson C Adley Rutschman 1B Pete Alonso 3B Weston Wilson CF Leody Taveras SS Blaze Alexander 2B Jackson Holliday RF Tyler O’Neill
RHP Kyle Bradish
Rays lineup:
LF Chandler Simpson 3B Junior Caminero 1B Jonathan Aranda DH Yandy Díaz 2B Richie Palacios CF Cedric Mullins RF Victor Mesa Jr. C Hunter Feduccia SS Taylor Walls
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics celebrates hitting a two-run home run in the dugout wearing an elephant chain in the bottom of the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Sutter Health Park on May 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. This was Shea's 100th career home run (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whatever listlessness is plaguing the Mariners currently, it would be great if they figured out how to snap out of it this week. This series against the Athletics represents the last time Seattle will face the current AL West leaders until September. It’s actually the last series against a division rival until the final week of June. I don’t know if it’s a lack of urgency that’s leading to the sloppy play or if it’s just plain old bad baseball. Maybe a series with real stakes is what the team needs to get this season on track again.
Thanks to the uninspired play throughout the AL West, the Athletics have led the division for the majority of the season so far. This despite running a win percentage just a hair over .500 throughout their reign atop the standings; indeed, they’ve gone exactly 14-14 since these two teams met in Seattle at the end of April. Their young offense is still the brightest spot on the roster, though they haven’t been as dominant as they were last year. The pitching staff is still a bit of a mess, though that group has improved over last year’s disaster. They’re still struggling to prevent runs at home in Sutter Health Park and it’s not even the middle of the summer when the temperatures skyrocket and the winds pick up.
Player
Position
Bats
PA
K%
BB%
ISO
wRC+
Carlos Cortes
RF
L
142
9.9%
11.3%
0.203
175
Nick Kurtz
1B
L
239
28.9%
21.3%
0.199
163
Shea Langeliers
C
R
221
20.4%
9.0%
0.244
155
Brent Rooker
DH
R
155
31.0%
10.3%
0.169
80
Tyler Soderstrom
LF
L
214
20.1%
10.3%
0.163
78
Zack Gelof
3B
R
125
24.0%
6.4%
0.202
97
Henry Bolte
CF
R
42
21.4%
14.3%
0.057
108
Jeff McNeil
2B
L
183
14.2%
8.7%
0.093
97
Darell Hernaiz
SS
R
103
16.5%
10.7%
0.045
89
The A’s lineup is built around a core that includes reigning Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, and the veteran Brent Rooker. It’s been a pretty mixed bag for that group to start the season. Langeliers has taken his breakout from last year to another level, leading all AL catchers in fWAR and wRC+. Kurtz hasn’t found the power that he displayed during his award-winning season last year; instead, he’s getting on base more than any other player in baseball. The remaining four players in that core have really struggled; Wilson injured his shoulder recently, an oblique injury slowed Rooker down in April, and Soderstrom and Butler have simply been bad. Butler has struggled so much that he’s essentially been benched over the last few weeks.
The A’s signed Aaron Civale in February to give them another veteran innings eater while their top pitching prospects continue to develop in the minors. Pitching for his sixth team in four years, he’s a prototypical back-end starter with a deep repertoire. He doesn’t stand out in any one area, but average skills across the board help him work through a lineup a couple of times without courting disaster. His best pitch is a hammer curveball and he’ll mix in five other pitches to keep batters off balance.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Luis Severino
61.2
24.2%
11.7%
12.7%
43.0%
4.23
4.31
Emerson Hancock
58.2
26.2%
5.7%
13.6%
44.2%
3.07
3.58
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
27.4%
28.7%
96.9
112
119
70
0.300
Sinker
47.4%
21.3%
96.4
103
110
74
0.397
Cutter
15.0%
35.7%
94.3
92
81
118
0.350
Changeup
2.5%
10.1%
86.6
88
Slider
7.8%
4.1%
86.9
123
Sweeper
40.8%
26.2%
84.8
123
87
92
0.289
It hasn’t been easy serving as the Athletics’ ace during their brief time in Sacramento. Over the last two years, Luis Severino has pitched to a very respectable 3.14 ERA and 3.69 FIP on the road. At home, it’s been an ugly 5.91 ERA and a 4.68 FIP. At least he’s been able to rekindle some of that electric stuff that made him one of the most exciting pitchers in baseball nearly a decade ago. He’s throwing his fastball harder than he has since 2018, though he’s also throwing his heater less often than ever too. Instead, he’s leaning on his sweeper much more often and mixing in a sinker and cutter to give batters three different fastballs to deal with. His strikeout rate has benefitted — it’s the highest it’s been since 2022 — but his walk rate has jumped up to 11.7% too.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Jeffrey Springs
61.1
19.7%
7.5%
13.1%
34.3%
4.11
4.82
Logan Gilbert
62.1
25.0%
5.6%
14.7%
35.7%
4.04
4.18
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
48.5%
43.1%
91.4
92
67
94
0.324
Cutter
3.5%
0.9%
88.7
Changeup
31.2%
1.9%
79.4
112
124
117
0.226
Slider
16.8%
54.0%
83.5
96
85
62
0.368
Sweeper
7.7%
9.0%
76.2
96
Jeffrey Springs has faced the same challenges pitching in Sutter Health Park, though his home/road splits aren’t as dramatic as Severino’s. Instead, he’s managed to survive by generating a ton of weak contact. His .255 BABIP was the ninth lowest among qualified pitchers last year and it’s even lower this season. He allows a ton of contact in the air and all that elevated contact hasn’t turned into damage like you might expect. It’s mostly just weak fly balls that are easily caught. He’s also throwing a little harder this season, though his strikeout-to-walk ratio is almost an exact mirror of what he posted last year. His best pitch is still his changeup and that’s what allows him to run a slightly reverse platoon split.
The Big Picture:
Team
W-L
W%
Games Behind
Run Diff
Recent Form
Athletics
27-26
0.509
—
-7
W-W-L-L-W
Mariners
25-29
0.462
2.5
+6
L-W-W-L-L
Rangers
24-28
0.462
2.5
+6
W-W-L-L-L
Astros
23-31
0.426
4.5
-48
W-L-W-W-W
Angels
20-34
0.370
7.5
-62
L-L-W-W-W
The A’s lost their weekend series against the Padres, allowing the Mariners to keep pace in the AL West standings. The Rangers dipped below Seattle after getting swept by the lowly Angels over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Astros have clawed their way to 4.5 games back after they swept the Cubs. The two Texas teams face each other in a huge four-game series this week.
May 22, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Nick Castellanos (21) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning against the Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Phillies’ righthanded hitters have been a massive disappointment this season. Of their regular players who hit from the right side, Trea Turner has the highest OPS at .619. Adolis Garcia, signed to be the regular right fielder is batting .203 with four home runs. Despite that weak production, Nick Castellanos has done little to make the Phillies regret releasing him.
This shouldn’t be surprising because in aggregate, Castellanos was one of the worst players in baseball during his four years with the team. There would be periods when he looked like the middle of the order bat the Phillies thought they were signing, and he deservedly made the All-Star team in 2023. But those periods were too brief and separated by long stretches when he seemed to do nothing but swing futilely at low and away breaking pitches.
There has been plenty written about Castellanos since his release. My impression is that he isn’t an outright bad person or teammate, but he was a diva and me-first guy. He didn’t respect the manager or hitting coach – partly because they didn’t play in the major leagues – and wasn’t especially receptive to coaching. Perhaps most importantly, he wanted to be afforded star treatment by management despite a distinct lack of star results on the field.
Thanks in part to Castellanos’ Instagram manifesto, there’s been a narrative that the Phillies “got rid of him for drinking a beer.” I’m sure that was his intention. But it’s clear that he wasn’t just trying to enjoy a cold one after a stressful experience, but rather attempting to blatantly break the rules – and yes, this is an MLB rule – to show how mad he was at the manager who had the audacity to pull him – one of the worst defensive players in the game – for a defensive replacement.
Nick Castellanos released notes written to the Phillies and regarding the Miami incident that led to his benching.
It’s interesting that nowhere in Castellanos’ written letter did he mention that he would still be on the team had his play even come close to matching expectations from when he signed. I was never crazy about the signing in the first place because it seemed like an impulse buy, but the Phillies thought they were getting a hitter who would be a great complement to their lefthanded sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
Instead, according to WAR, he was one of the least valuable players in baseball two of his four years with the Phillies. In fairness, much of that negative value came on defense, and when he was signed, I believe the expectation was that he’d spend a decent amount of time at designated hitter. But his offensive numbers weren’t all that great either. Over the four years, his OPS+ was an even 100 which represents an average hitter, which is definitely not what the Phillies thought they were getting after a career best season in 2021.
And that’s ultimately the reason he is now an ex-Phillie: His production on the field wasn’t nearly enough to compensate for how much of a pain he apparently was off it. If you’re going to act like a diva, then you’d better play like a star. And you need to be self-aware enough to realize that you’re not playing like a star.
Maybe he’s happier in San Diego, but his play on the field hasn’t reflected that. He’s batting just .190 with four home runs, although his play has improved since injuries have forced the Padres into making him their everyday right fielder. He’s even delivered a few clutch moments along the way.
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 10, 2026
Of course, delivering the occasional clutch hit was never Castellanos’ problem. It was the long stretches in between those clutch moments that was the problem.
Being who he is, it feels like a given that Castellanos will hit at least one home run this season. It will be extremely interesting to see how he reacts and what he says after the game when that happens.
Pennant year song battle
This feature doesn’t seem to be all that popular, so this may be the last one. But for now, It’s a Mistake by Men at Work continues to hold the crown, getting past Flo Rida’s Right Round.
In honor of Memorial Day, this week’s song comes from 1915: I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier by Morton Harvey.
Vote for the winner:
Additional thought about the series
I’m somewhat confused how the Padres are doing so well. They’re 31-21 despite underperformances from star players Manny Machado (.608 OPS) and Fernando Tatis (.615 OPS).
Manny Machado homered last night against the Dodgers as he looks to get on track this season.
Harold highlights how the talented slugger returning to an open stance can result in a breakthrough at the plate ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/W7spqTi6eM
The Padres have the lowest team batting average in baseball, are next to last in on-base percentage, and third from last in slugging percentage. You’d think that meant they were carried by their pitching staff, but the team ERA is a good, but not amazing .386.
They’re outplaying their Pythagorean record by four games, and that makes sense once you see how good the backend of their bullpen has been. Closer Mason Miller has been almost untouchable this season, going 16-16 in save opportunities. Not only has he not blown a save, but he also hasn’t allowed a run in his save opportunities.
"I'm actually going to go with [Mason] Miller at this point, I think he's the most valuable player in the league."
Setup man Jason Adam has been almost as good, with a .102 ERA in 19 games. And the rest of their bullpen with guys like Bradgley Rodriguez and Wandy Peralta has been solid as well.
Basically, the key to beating the Padres is to score early. Because if you are trailing heading into the late innings, you’re probably not going to be making a comeback.
May 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) talks with pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Greetings to all of you on this Memorial Day!
The Brewers finally lost a series over the weekend, their first series loss since April 24-26 against Pittsburgh, but it was still a good week, as Milwaukee went 4-2 against the Cubs and Dodgers. They’ll try to keep playing good baseball against another NL Central foe this week, as they start a three-game series with the surprising St. Louis Cardinals today at American Family Field.
The Cardinals are doing better than anyone thought. I am one of those people. There’s certainly a lot of season left, but St. Louis has jumped out to a 29-22 record, just behind the Brewers for second in the NL Central, despite a run differential of +1. A big part of that is their record in one-run games: at 10-4, the only teams in their territory in this regard are the Rays (9-1) and the Cubs (9-3). They’re also 7-2 in extra-inning games this year, which is more wins in extras than any other team. These underlying factors suggest some regression could be in the cards (get it), but Brewers fans have seen enough of this devil magic in their lifetimes to take nothing for granted, even if it seems as if some of that witchery has moved up to Milwaukee in the past few years.
Starting for St. Louis is lefty Matthew Liberatore, who hasn’t had a great year. In 10 starts, he’s 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 4.84 FIP, with not quite enough strikeouts (7.5 per nine) and a few too many walks (3.5 per nine) and homers (1.6 per nine). He’s allowed four runs in five innings or less in each of his last two starts, so the Brewers will try to get to him as well.
Jacob Misiorowski will be on the hill for the Brewers, and a scoreless outing today would likely clinch a scoreless May for the flamethrowing right-hander — he hasn’t allowed a run since that last series loss, on April 25 against Pittsburgh. We’ve covered it heavily, but it bears repeating: in the month of May, Misiorowski has a 0.00 ERA in 24 1/3 innings, during which he has struck out 37 batters and walked five (and allowed only nine hits). At the risk of jinxing something, Misiorowski seems to have ascended to the very top of the food chain far faster than anyone, including himself, expected. As long as he is pitching this way, he is very much in the Cy Young conversation.
Christian Yelich is back in the lineup today, a slight surprise versus the left-handed Liberatore. Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell are the other lefties in today, while Jackson Chourio and Blake Perkins round out the outfield with Luis Rengifo, Joey Ortiz, Andrew Vaughn, and William Contreras the others in the infield. A possible new Brewer nemesis, JJ Wetherholt, tops the Cardinals’ lineup: he came into the season ranked as high as No. 3 in prospect rankings, and he’s been one of the best middle infielders in the league thus far this season, combining solid offense (a 120 OPS+, nine homers) with defensive metrics that place him amongst the elite glovemen in the league.
It’s a rare Monday matinee on the holiday today, with first pitch at 1:10 p.m. Catch the game on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres is tagged out at home by Jonah Heim #15 of the Athletics during the fifth inning at Petco Park on May 24, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres took a tough loss in the series finale against the Athletics on Sunday. After Michael King gave up three runs in the first two innings, the Padres found themselves in a hole they couldn’t get out of.
They managed to accrue nine hits, but failed to score until the sixth inning after some base running gaffes took away a few high-leverage opportunities. Had those gaffes not happened, the Friars could have certainly won this game.
They’ll now face a surging Philadelphia Phillies club headed by interim manager Don Mattingly. They’ve had some momentum with power hitting (slugging three homers on Friday’s series opener), but they’ll need to come alive against Philly’s pitching.
Taking the mound
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
The lefty Luzardo was given an extension with Philadelphia at the outset of 2026, cementing his place in the Phillies’s rotation. That extension has not paid off the way they hoped, with Luzardo owning a 4.85 ERA.
He hasn’t been much better recently, with a 4.23 ERA in his last seven starts (38.1 IP). Luzardo has been inconsistent in limiting contact, with 58 hits and 66 strikeouts through his year. His last two starts have been solid, giving up just two runs across 12 innings.
Vásquez has shared ace duties with King this year, authoring a career-best 2.96 ERA through 54 2/3 innings. He’s lost that a bit in his recent starts, posting a 3.89 ERA across his last 37 innings.
His last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was uncharacteristic, pitching just 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs. If he can limit the Phillies lineup, he’ll need to do much better at limiting contact from Philadelphia’s sluggers.
Batter up!
Fernando Tatis Jr. has finally started to break out, going 4-for-10 with two walks in the series. It’s been up-and-down (mostly down) for the Padres superstar. Perhaps his elusive first homer is not too far away.
Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
Miguel Andujar, DH
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Manny Machado, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jackson Merrill, CF
Ramón Laureano, LF
Nick Castellanos, RF
Freddy Fermin, C
Fermin has had a tough go of things lately. Entering play on Monday, Fermin is batting .146 with zero homers this year. He’s been good defensively, but hasn’t done much else to prove his value.
Ty France had a great outing on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk. Some poor base running stopped him from scoring another run, but he was a big part of the Padres almost-comeback.
Relief corps
After using most of their high-leverage pieces in Saturday’s win, the Friars were resting on the laurels of ace Michael King. Unfortunately, he did not deliver, only making it through 3 2/3 innings before giving way to the ‘pen.
Thankfully, Ron Marinaccio pitched an efficient three innings before Wandy Peralta took over in the seventh to record the final out. Peralta pitched a scoreless eighth and Bradgley Rodriguez came in to close the game. He gave up a run on three hits and a walk but escaped the jam by striking out Jeff McNeil.
Yuki Matsui was the only pitcher not used in the series against the A’s. He’ll be available tonight against Philly, but Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon will be as well.
