Category: Baseball

Sunday notes…

• SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCE: This is the 21st of the Cubs’ 59-regular season series against the White Sox in which the teams have split the first two games. The Cubs won a third game six times and lost it seven times. There was no third game seven times. The Cubs are 1-5 in third games after winning, then losing, including 1-4 on the road. The win was in the last such game, in 2020. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DAY GAMES ON THE ROAD: The Cubs lost their first day game of the year on the road, by 4-1 at Cleveland on April 3. Two days later, in Game 1 of a doubleheader, they beat the Guardians, 1-0. Beginning with a 4-1 loss in Game 2, they have dropped five of six day games as the visiting team. The win was by 5-4 at San Diego on April 29. Their only such game since then was last Sunday, when they lost, 3-0, at Texas. They are 1-3 in all day games on the road on Sundays. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE BUSCH LEAGUE: Michael Busch extended his on-base streak to a career-high tying 17 games in which he is batting .286/.453/.464 (16-for-56) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, 17 walks and 13 RBI.
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Sean Marshall and three relievers combine on a one-hit shutout of the Nationals at Wrigley Field. The only Nats hit is a leadoff single by Alfonso Soriano in the sixth. The Cubs win the game 5-0. It happened 20 years ago today, Wednesday, May 17, 2006.

Cubs lineup:

White Sox lineup:

Colin Rea, RHP vs. Erick Fedde, RHP

Colin Rea was going along pretty well and then the Braves torched him pretty good last Tuesday in Atlanta.

But, I’d say Rea does well enough for a fifth starter type. Eats innings, and most of the time gives you a decent outing.

Against the Sox almost exactly a year ago, May 18, 2025 at Wrigley Field, Rea held the Sox to one run in 5.1 innings. We’ll take another one like that today, please.

Erick Fedde… what year is this, 2024?

Fedde pitched for the Sox that year, then was shipped away to the Cardinals in a three-way deal that brought Miguel Vargas to the South Side. Since then he’s also pitched for the Braves and Brewers before he came back to the Sox as a free agent this past offseason.

He has pitched well enough for the Sox (3.77 ERA, 1.163 WHIP) in eight games (six starts) that, well, they could flip him again if they fall out of contention.

The Cubs hit him hard twice last year when he was with St. Louis — 10 earned runs in five innings. Dansby Swanson is 10-for-27 (.370) against Fedde with a double.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Rate Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on Chicago Sports Network and WCIU-Ch. 26 with the Sox announcers.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox. If you do go there to interact with Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Texas Rangers lineup for May 17, 2026 against the Houston Astros: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and Peter Lambert for the Astros.

Texas will attempt to avoid a sweep. They will also attempt to get their average runs scored per game in this series to at least 1. Corey Seager is out again.

The lineup:

Carter — CF

Nimmo — RF

Jung — 3B

Pederson — DH

Duran — SS

Osuna — LF

Burger — 1B

Foscue — 2B

Higashioka — C

1:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -125 favorites.

Unfortunately for the Mets, injuries have been the major storyline from their first quarter-plus of the 2026 regular season. From Juan Soto, to Francisco Lindor, to Francisco Alavrez, to Luis Robert Jr., to Jorge Polanco, the list goes on and on.

The club’s latest stroke of bad injury luck came on Friday night, when starting pitcher Clay Holmes fractured his fibula on a comebacker to the mound. 

Holmes, who stayed in the game on Friday a bit longer after the injury occurred, said he initially thought he could pitch through it, but by the end of the outing he was not surprised by the diagnosis.

“When it first hit me, I knew I could still put pressure on it, so I thought I still had a chance to pitch,” he said. “I’ve done this before, back in 2020, and it kind of immediately gave away on me then, so I was kind of hoping this was different. 

“I kind of knew walking off that it was probably broken, so I was kind of expecting it and wasn’t surprised with the X-rays. But it caught me good. Had some hope there for a little bit, but the more I was throwing on it, it kind of continued to feel worse. Like I said, I have some history with it, so I knew that it probably wasn’t great.”

Back in spring training of March 2020, Holmes suffered a similar fracture in his right foot after a Nelson Cruz comebacker caromed off of him. But Holmes said it’s hard to compare the two injuries because the last time he recovered happened during the COVID shutdown and he was back for the start of the shortened season in July.

The good news, it seems, is that Holmes believes he can avoid surgery. While adding a plate or a screw to stabilize the bone hasn’t been entirely ruled out, Holmes said that having surgery “doesn’t seem to be the case,” though the medical staff is still gathering information. 

“Comes down to how well the bone heals,” Holmes said.

Injuries are never welcomed with open arms, but Holmes’ fracture comes at an especially rough time for both the player and team. Individually, Holmes has been one of the Mets’ most consistent starters this season, pitching to a 2.39 ERA. The Mets, meanwhile, have gotten off to a rough start as a team, but are a game over .500 in their last 10 games.

According to Holmes, the toughest part is not being out on the field with his teammates as they try to climb out of this early hole.

“It’s tough. Just from a personal standpoint, I feel like I was in a good spot, the body and the arm,” Holmes said. “It’s kind of hard to stay healthy in this game as is, and I’ve had some freak accident things that are out of your control that are tough. More than anything, not being able to compete with the guys here, the team.

“We haven’t gotten off, I think, to the start that we wanted or everybody wanted, but just to see how guys were battling through it and seeing how things were starting to come together, you just want to be in the fight with everyone.”

Nobody who watched the first week of Rece Hinds’ MLB career will ever forget it. Most everybody who watched it will use it as a measuring stick for the debut of any other player, so rife was it with gargantuan homers and pinpoint precision with his powerful swing.

If only things had managed to keep even a sliver of that pace.

The Cincinnati Reds designated Hinds for assignment on Sunday morning as part of a larger series of short-term focused roster moves. They needed a 40-man roster spot for a catcher since they needed to place Jose Trevino back on the 10-day IL, and it was Hinds’ spot that, for whatever reason, was up.

Cincinnati also shuttled Luis Mey back to AAA after his rough outing last night, recalling a fresher Jose Franco to help add to the bullpen depth for the time being.

The story here, though, is with Hinds. Even as recently as spring training, manager Terry Francona spoke about how Hinds had done everything he needed to do to make the team only to lose out on a numbers game. Then, when Noelvi Marte ran into a serious slump to begin the 2026 season at the big league level, it was Hinds – not JJ Bleday – who was turned to, and he got a multi-week run in the outfield almost every day to show whether or not he’d made significant enough improvement at the AAA level to warrant a full-time role in the big leagues.

He went 4 for 33 with a lone walk and 18 strikeouts, with nary a homer to his name.

There is huge swing and miss with Hinds, that’s undeniable. The former 2nd round pick is still just 25 years old, though, and the rest of the tools in his arsenal are pretty dang impressive, and there will undoubtedly be another team out there willing to take a flier on him to see if they, unlike the Reds, can unlock the rest that’s there.

If anything, this also rings as an endorsement of who else the Reds have in their current outfield mix. Bleday has obviously hit the ground running, and the presence of Blake Dunn, Hector Rodriguez, and Marte has obviously given the Reds the impression that they’ve got a baked-in hierarchy at the position that no longer needs Hinds, should he be claimed on waivers.

Yeah, this is the way this season is going.

Tommy Nance has been put on the IL with forearm discomfort. Well, they said ‘right forearm discomfort’….but I figured you guys knew which arm it would be. Nance has pitched in 19 games, 20 innings, 16 hits, 1 home run, 8 walks, 24 strikeouts with a 4.05 ERA. He pitched three of four games from May 9 for May 12, but hasn’t pitched since then.

Adam Macko has been called up from Buffalo. He relieved in 13 games, 18 innings, allowing 13 hits, 3 home run, 8 walks and 19 strikeouts with a 4.50 ERA. He also pitched for Team Canada in the WBC.

Macko was #7 on our prospect list this year. Tom M wrote:

Every year there’s a guy I don’t think I’m going to have all that high in my rankings who, once I sit down and put together the probabilities that we use to underpin the expected value scores, just has to be up there. This year it’s Macko. He didn’t perform great in Buffalo’s rotation last season, but he held batters to a 73% contact rate overall and just under 82% inside the zone, both of which are solidly above average and represent steps forward over his superficially more impressive 2024.

Macko grew up in Slovakia, a noted baseball hotbed, and learned to pitch from watching YouTube. He moved to Canada and was drafted by the Mariners in the 7th round of the 2019 draft out of the noted baseball hotbed (but mostly not sarcastic this time) of Vauxhall High School in Alberta. He worked his way up to A+ in the Seattle organization before coming to Toronto in the Teoscar Hernandez deal. From there he’s gone one level at a time, establishing himself in Buffalo in 2025. He’s been maddeningly inconsistent, dealing with both actual injuries and fluctuations in his stuff and command. On the right day, he’ll spot 94-96 with a crisp slider and promising change, while on the wrong day he’ll be missing the zone entirely and sitting 91 with shaky secondaries. Things seemed to click a bit in the second half last year after a demotion to a long relief role. He sat closer to the top of his velocity range in three inning appearances and allowed just a 64% contact rate, generating 29 Ks and 61 swinging strikes in 26.0 innings while keeping his walks (6) under control.

I think that’s Macko’s most likely role going forward: a high quality multi-inning reliever who can make the occasional 5 and dive spot start. If that brings out the good version of him, the one with three 55 grade pitches that he can locate, more often, he could be an actual weapon on a good team. There’s still some hope that he finds a way to harness that quality in the rotation, in which case there could be a #3 starter in there, but that would take achieving a consistency that we haven’t yet seen from him.

When he makes it into a game, it will be his first major league appearance.

Congratulations Adam. Heal up quick Tommy (I have a friend that calls me Tommy, and I’m never sure how to react really, cause I don’t think that’s my name. But, we named my middle boy Thomas (my father, and his father, and his father were all Toms) and he decided, very young, that he was Tommy and he’s continued that way into adulthood and it suits him).

Today’s lineup. There are some changes. Pinango leads off, with Vlad second (DHing) and no Springer.

Team News

Gurriel steals a run — literally — to get D-backs on board
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/lourdes-gurriel-jr-steals-home

Diamondbacks’ Latest Loss to Rockies is Extremely Concerninghttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-latest-loss-rockies-extremely-concerning

Diamondbacks’ bats go quiet, Eduardo Rodriguez suffers 1st loss of season vs. Rockieshttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-loss

How Rare Was Merrill Kelly’s Complete Game, Really?https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/how-rare-merrill-kelly-complete-game-diamondbacks

Former D-backs Fan-Favorite Slugger Finds New Home in Mexican Leaguehttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/former-d-backs-fan-favorite-slugger-mexican-league-melendez

How do you celebrate a teammate’s outing? Ask for his autograph
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/kevin-ginkel-autographs-ball-for-ryan-thompson

Other Baseball

Gerrit Cole, nearing return, reaches 99.6 mph in 6th rehab starthttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48791182/cole-nearing-return-reaches-996-mph-sixth-rehab-start

Jose Altuve set for MRI after exiting Astros’ win earlyhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48792543/jose-altuve-set-mri-exiting-astros-win-early

Banner day for Sánchez: Shutout, 13 K’s and MLB’s longest active scoreless streakhttps://www.mlb.com/news/cristopher-sanchez-throws-shutout-with-13-strikeouts

After 11 years in Minors, Durán makes 1st hit a HR, then has No. 2 ROBBEDhttps://www.mlb.com/padres/news/rodolfo-duran-homers-for-first-major-league-hit-with-padres

58 runs over 3 games?! Cubs’ High-A affiliate delivers historic feat
https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-high-a-affiliate-south-bend-historic-run-scoring-feat?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

O’s add veteran OF Pham on Minor League deal
https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/tommy-pham-minors-deal-with-orioles

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-17

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/May_17

Germans eat twice as much chocolate as Americans.

At 11.3 kg of chocolate consumed each year, Germans eat twice the amount of chocolate that Americans do.

Croissants are not French.

You might associate croissants with French lifestyle, but the croissant is actually from Vienna. In the 13th century, it was known as a kipferl, a denser bread made in the distinct crescent shape.

Silent Hill is based on a real place.

If you’re looking for nightmare fuel: The eerie psychological horror game is actually based on a real place. If you’re a brave soul, you might want to visit the abandoned town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Travelers who have visited confirmed the Silent Hill-esque unsettling feel.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (23-20)

SYRACUSE 6, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 2 / 10 (BOX)

·  CF Nick Morabito: 1-5, R, RBI, K

·  2B Ji Hwan Bae: 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB

·  LF Ryan Clifford: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K

·  DH Christian Arroyo: 2-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, SB

·  1B Eric Wagaman: 2-4, 2B, BB, K

·  3B Yonny Hernández: 2-5, RBI

·  RF Cristian Pache: 1-5, 2 K

·  SS Jackson Cluff: 1-4, R, K

·  C Kevin Parada: 1-4, 3 K

·  PR Matt Rudick: 0-0, R

·  C Ben Rortvedt: 0-0

·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (12-26)

SOMERSET 12, BINGHAMTON 3 (BOX)

·  C Chris Suero: 2-3, R, 2 BB, K

·  1B-3B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, BB, E

·  CF Jose Ramos: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB

·  3B-2B Nick Lorusso: 2-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K

·  LF JT Schwartz: 0-3, BB, 2 K

·  RF TT Bowens: 0-4, 2 K

·  SS-P Wyatt Young: 0-4

·  DH-1B Vincent Perozo: 0-4

·  2B-SS Diego Mosquera: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  RHP Jordan Geber: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Jefry Yan: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Wyatt Young: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (10-27)

ROME 1, BROOKLYN 0 (BOX)

·  SS Mitch Voit: 1-4, 2B, K

·  2B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, 3 K

·  DH Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, 2 K

·  1B Corey Collins: 0-3, 2 K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-3, K, E

·  LF John Bay: 1-3, K

·  CF Sam Biller: 1-3, 2B, K

·  3B Nick Roselli: 0-3, K

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, K

·  RHP Irving Cota: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Cristofer Gomez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (15-23)

ST. LUCIE 7, JUPITER 6 (BOX)

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-4, R, BB, K, E

·  CF JT Benson: 1-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K

·  1B Randy Guzman: 1-4, R, HR, 3 RBI

·  DH Julio Zayas: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB

·  LF AJ Salgado: 2-4, R, K

·  3B Sam Robertson: 1-4, R, RBI, SB

·  C Chase Meggers: 2-4, 3 RBI, K

·  RF Simon Juan: 0-4, K

·  2B Jamari Baylor: 1-4, 2 K

·  RHP Jose Chirinos: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Ryan Dollar: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Justin Armbruester: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Christian Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (4-6)

FCL METS 5, FCL MARLINS 3 (BOX)

·  2B Vladi Gomez: 1-2, 2 R, BB, 2 SB

·  REHAB ALERT DH Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-3, 2 RBI, SB

·  C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-3, R, K

·  1B Josmir Reyes: 1-3, K

·  RF Heriberto Rincon: 0-2, RBI

·  CF Bohan Adderley: 1-2, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, K, SB

·  SS Diover De Aza: 0-3, 2 K

·  3B Yeider Mindiola: 0-2, RBI, K

·  LF Adolfo Miranda: 0-2

·  RHP Camden Lohman: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

·  RHP John Valle: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Eris Albino: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Christian Arroyo

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Brian Metoyer

In August of 1969, Carlos May found himself laying in a hospital bed. Just weeks removed from appearing in his first All-Star Game, the burly outfielder was, by his own admission, feeling sorry for himself. That’s because he’d suffered a freak accident during a gunnery exercise while fulfilling his service obligations with the U.S. Marine Reserves, losing part of his right thumb. At the age of 21, it looked like the promising future for which he’d worked so hard might be over as soon as it began. Instead, played 10 years in the majors — a more than commendable career.

Carlos May
Born: May 17, 1948 (Birmingham, AL)
Yankees Tenure: 1976-77

May grew up in Birmingham in the shadow of his older brother, Lee. Lee May was a three-sport athlete at Parker High School before embarking on an 18-year MLB career, earning the nickname “Big Bopper” while swatting 354 home runs. Carlos followed in his footsteps, playing baseball, basketball, and football at Parker High. Despite receiving a scholarship offer to play running back and punt at Southern University, May opted for baseball. “I saw the size of some of those guys, 270-280 pounds, and thought baseball would be a lot healthier for me,” he would later say of the fortuitous decision.

In 1966, the year after Lee made his debut with the Reds, the White Sox took Carlos in the first round of the MLB Draft. While he didn’t have the prodigious power of his big brother, who stood four inches taller, May showcased an impressive hit tool, batting .333 in 604 Single-A at-bats between the 1967 and ‘68 seasons. That was enough to earn him a September call-up in ‘68. He’d never see the minors again.

In just his age-21 season, May emerged as an offensive force in 1969, slashing .281/.385/.488 in 367 at-bats. He made his first All-Star game that season as the lone representative of an eventual 94-loss Chicago squad. The showcase allowed the Mays to make history as the first brothers to oppose each other in a Midsummer Classic, with Lee representing the Reds in the NL.

Carlos got one at-bat in the game and was faced with the dubious obstacle of opposing Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil Niekro. Unsurprisingly, he struck out to end the game. “Lee was at first base and he had his glove over his mouth,” Carlos later said. “He was laughing so hard at me. I’d never seen a knuckleball before; I didn’t know how to hit the thing!”

That moment of levity would stand in stark contrast to the months ahead. After the injury that cost him part of his right thumb, May spent months in and out of hospitals, leveraging everything from massage therapy to skin grafts to toughen up the skin around his wounded hand. He maintained a remarkable sense of perspective throughout the crisis.

“When I first went to the hospital, I felt sorry for myself,” said May. “Then I looked around. I saw guys with no eyes, guys with no legs, guys with half a head, guys who couldn’t talk, walk, hear, guys with no mind or half a mind. I began to think, ‘What am I griping about?’”

After making a few adjustments — including the use of a custom batting glove designed by Wilson Sporting Goods — May was ready to return for the 1970 season. The rapid recovery was not lost on his teammates. “Carlos really showed me something,” said Tommy McCraw, a first baseman and outfielder on the ’69 and ‘70 White Sox. “He’s got great courage. If he didn’t have real guts, he’d be back in Chicago, not out here trying to play ball. I know he has pain every time he throws, but he keeps throwing anyway.”

While May never again slugged as much as he had in his rookie season — a campaign in which he hit 18 home runs in 100 games and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting — his hitting ability and plate discipline kept him performing at a high level for the next three seasons. May had a career year in 1972, making his second All-Star team while slashing .308/.405/.438. He began to fall off in the years after that showing, as leg injuries had further sapped his power and made him a liability in the outfield.

On May 18, 1976, the day after his 28th birthday, the White Sox traded their homegrown star to the Yankees for pitcher Ken Brett and outfielder Rich Coggins. The lefty had gotten off to a brutal start, slugging just .206, but found new life in pinstripes, serving almost exclusively as a DH, where he split time with the right-handed Lou Piniella. In 87 games, May hit .278 and got on base at a .358 clip, an encouraging return to form.

May showed out in the first playoff game of his career. In Game 2 of the ALCS, the DH went 2-for-5 against Royals pitching. Unfortunately, he’d go 0-for-14 the rest of the way, unable to contribute as the Yankees got swept by the Reds in the World Series.

May got off to another slow start in ‘77, posting a .601 OPS in 65 games before getting moved to the Angels. After appearing in just 11 games there, it looked like a 10-year career that had yielded two All-Star berths and a .274 batting average had run its course. Indeed, at the age of 29, May had played his last game in the MLB. But, after being recruited to play for the Nankai Hawks of the NPB, he had a second act in Japan. In four seasons with the Hawks, May slashed .309/.390/.506 and hit 70 homers, showcasing more power than he had in the States and ending his playing career on a high note.

After hanging up his spikes, May transitioned to a career with the U.S. Postal Service and has remained involved with the White Sox in their Community Relations Department. “I came to Chicago in 1968 and haven’t left,” May said of his adopted city. “They have the greatest fans in baseball. I played with the Yankees and the Angels, but the White Sox are me. I am a Sox die-hard fan. It hurts me when they don’t do well.”

While his stint in New York was brief, May was part of a pivotal team in Yankees history, one that ended a 12-year playoff drought and set the stage for championships in 1977 and ‘78. Please join us in wishing a happy 78th birthday to Carlos May.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

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For just the third time this season, the Yankees are an underdog. Despite having a record eight and a half games better than the Mets, the Yankees have earned it after losing six of the last eight games.

A loss Sunday will mean the Bronx Bombers have lost their last three series, topping their season total entering this stretch.

The Mets have won four of five and have a lopsided advantage in the starting pitching matchup. My Yankees vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks have the Mets getting the win on May 17.

Who will win Yankees vs Mets today: Mets moneyline (-108)

The New York Mets seek their fourth series win in the last five. They’re allowing 3.1 runs a game over that stretch, down from 4.2 and scoring nearly a run more. The New York Yankees hit below .200 over the last week with an ERA nearly half a run over their season average.

The Yankees shuffled their rotation, pushing Ryan Weathers to Monday and starting rookie Elmer Rodriguez, still in search of his first MLB win.

He’s walking nearly a batter an inning, trouble against a Juan Soto-led patient Mets lineup. The Mets counter with All-Star Freddy Peralta, who has a 3.10 ERA.

COVERS INTEL:Peralta is avoiding solid contact this season. His barrel rate allowed is less than half of last year’s and in MLB’s top 17%. His exit velocity allowed is in MLB’s top quartile and his best in four years.

Yankees vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

The Mets offense still ranks at the bottom of MLB in OPS and OPS+ and third from the bottom in runs scored, but they’ve picked up the pace. The Mets have boosted their scoring by 0.7 runs a game in the last two weeks (from 3.7 to 4.4) and have scored five or more three times in the last five games.

The Yankees are the mirror image. They still lead the AL in scoring but have managed three runs or fewer in seven of the last 10. And the Bronx Bombers’ pitching hasn’t been good enough to gut out those low-scoring games.

The Yankees haven’t won a game scoring less than four runs since April 28. They’ve lost their last seven such games and are 3-12 in them on the year.

Yankees vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Yankees +104 | Mets -108
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+163) | Mets +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-113) | Under 8.5 (+108)

Yankees vs Mets trend

The New York Yankees have hit the Game Total Under in 14 of their last 22 away games (+6.15 Units / 25% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Mets.

How to watch Yankees vs Mets and game info

Yankees vs Mets latest injuries

Yankees vs Mets weather

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The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox split the first two games of their rivalry series, with both games featuring at least 11 runs.

My Cubs vs. White Sox predictions see another high-scoring affair coming, with the road team doing the heavy lifting.

Let's dive deeper into my MLB picks for Sunday, May 17.

Who will win Cubs vs White Sox today: Cubs moneyline (-130)

Erick Fedde owns an 0-4 record through six starts despite getting much better results than deserved.

His FIP (6.03) is 2.26 runs higher than his ERA (3.77). No other starting pitcher on today's slate has a FIP even 1.0 greater than their ERA. 

Fedde has benefited from great batted ball luck (.208 BABIP), and been heavily reliant on it due to a low 14.7 K%.

He is very much playing with fire, and likely to get burned against aChicago Cubs offense thatranks second in OBP and fourth in runs per game.

COVERS INTEL: The Cubs rank seventh in hard-hit rate against right-handed pitching on the road.

Cubs vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-115)

Fedde has benefited from a very soft schedule to date. He has only faced one team that ranks Top-10 in OBP, and he lasted just 14 outs while conceding three earned runs. 

The Cubs rank Top-10 in almost every offensive category and should cause real problems for Fedde.

The Chicago White Sox are in a good spot to produce as well. Colin Rea ranks in the 15th percentile in xERA and has really struggled against lefties. That's not ideal going up against Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and a powerful offense reliant on its left-handed bats.

Cubs vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Cubs -130 | White Sox +110
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+125) | White Sox +1.5 (-145)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (-105)

Cubs vs White Sox trend

The Cubs have hit the moneyline in 22 of their last 30 games (+14.65 units, 38% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. White Sox.

How to watch Cubs vs White Sox and game info

Cubs vs White Sox latest injuries

Cubs vs White Sox weather

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There are a number of changes to the Braves’ lineup as they face their first right-handed pitcher of the Red Sox series in Sunday’s finale.

Most notably, the Braves are giving their top two shortstop options in Mauricio Dubon and Ha-Seong Kim the day off, starting Jorge Mateo at short and seventh in the lineup.

Dubon has started 43 of the team’s first 46 games at a variety of positions, becoming a regular outfielder with Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. battling injuries early this season. Kim returned Tuesday from the finger injury which forced him to start the season on the injured list, but is 1-for-17 (.059) in his first five games of the season.

It bears mentioning given how liberally Walt Weiss has used his bench that it’s entirely possible one or both is utilized in a key at-bat or as a defensive replacement on Sunday.

Additionally, Dominic Smith is the designated hitter and hitting sixth, Mike Yastrzemski (who has five RBIs this week after he had six in his first 38 games) is in right field and hitting eighth. Jose Azocar moves to left field to replace Dubon and will hit ninth after his two-double performance in Saturday’s 3-2 loss.

No Braves hitter has faced Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (2-4, 6.46 ERA) more than nine times. Austin Riley has faced him the most and is 5-for-9 (.556) against him with an RBI. Drake Baldwin (2-for-3) and Dubon (3-for-5, three doubles) have also had success against Bello in limited sample sizes. Ozzie Albies is just 1-for-7 (.143) against Bello but has the Braves’ only homer and four RBIs.

Overall, Braves hitters are 18-for-58 (.310) against Bello with six doubles, seven RBIs and 11 strikeouts against four walks.

The Red Sox are running back a similar lineup for Sunday’s series finale. Mickey Gasper is DHing once more after doing so Friday but still hitting second, with Carlos Narvaez replacing him behind the plate and hitting eighth. Nick Sogard also replaces Caleb Durbin at third base, keeping his ninth spot in the Boston lineup.

No Red Sox hitter has faced Braves starter Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.35 ERA) more than six times. Jarren Duran is 1-for-6 (.167) but has the team’s lone homer off the righty. Saturday’s hero Willson Contreras is the only Boston hitter with multiple hits off Holmes (2-for-5).

Overall, members of the Red Sox lineup are a combined 4-for-29 (.138) against Holmes with three RBIs, 10 strikeouts and three walks.

Randy Arozarena isn’t all that streaky, but he is on a streak right now.

Arozarena has been the Mariners best hitter this year. His 148 wRC+ is best among the qualified hitters on the team, and his 1.8 fWAR makes him a top 25 player in the majors. He’s more than half-way to his 2.9 fWAR from last year, in about a quarter of the games. It’s looking like a career year.

But one thing I’ve often said about Arozarena is that he’s streaky. Last year, for instance, Arozarena posted a 136 wRC+ in the first half — also pacing for a career year — before posting a 97 wRC+ in the second half. That’s just Randy, I thought, like this is just Randy now.

I tried to measure that hot-and-cold tendency. I found every batter with at least 2,000 plate appearances since 2021. I found their rolling wOBA and xwOBA over each 100 plate appearance stretch. I then found the standard deviation and coefficient of variation for each player — basically, how much does their performance change relative to their personal average.

Arozarena… showed nothing. He is almost exactly the median player by these measures, meaning he was neither particularly streaky nor particularly non-streaky. His performance is about as normal as it gets. I tried different plate appearance thresholds and different spans of years- nothing. Arozarena has been remarkably consistent in his unremarkable consistency. I guess this was just something I made up in my head.

For instance, here’s one of the 10 least consistent hitters since 2024, Jorge Polanco, presented in 100-PA increments:

You can see Polanco’s line begins at the end of his first 100 plate appearances with the Mariners, where he hovered near average. Then he slumped, got hot, and slumped again… only to come out in 2025 and post one of the best months in team history, before slumping and finishing the year on fire… and now he has a 54 wRC+ with the Mets and an achilles injury.

Here’s Randy, on the other hand: 

And yeah, that looks more consistent. He starts very low, with the unfortunately-timed slump to begin 2024. But then he figures it out, gets hot after joining the Mariners, and lands firmly above average through April 2025. He slumped briefly last May before riding a long hot streak, then returned to average through the end of the season. So, yes, he has been streaky, but all hitters are streaky.

Of course, this is all just pretense to direct your attention to where the lines end on the plot above: The present. We can see by wOBA, Arozarena has performed well most of the year. But we can also see that his xwOBA is much lower. In fact, Arozarena’s .379 wOBA and .327 xwOBA represent one of the five largest gaps of 2026.

The whole profile is different this year. His 41.1% hard hit rate is much less than his career-best rate of 50.6% from 2025. His barrel rate is also more than halved. Most of his contact is now aimed at the ground, spiking his ground ball rate from 42.6% to 54.0% (one of the largest changes in the league). His line is largely the result of sneaking soft grounders through the infield and a .393 BABIP. Maybe Arozarena isn’t a streaky player historically, but this particular streak I expect to reverse course sometime in the near future.

That said, it’s not all bad. Arozarena is still finding better launch angles overall this year. His 35.5% sweet spot rate is a career best. That’s because, by turning toward the ground, he’s all but eliminated pop ups. It’s good to hit the ball in the air because that’s how you hit homers. But aiming too high is an auto-out, whereas even weak grounders come with a minimum .200 batting average. Arozarena is now hitting a lot of high grounders and flares that are good for singles. He’s making a lot less perfect contact, but his imperfect contact has improved dramatically. His xwOBA on non-barrels has leapt 30 points this year (.319), one of the 20-best marks in the majors.

I also think the contact is getting better overall. Arozarena was perhaps the lone example of a guy who’d actually lost bat speed in the early season — he lost so much bat speed that he brought the team average down with him. His bat speed is now back to normal, and his hard hit rate is up to 45% in May from 37% in April.

Arozarena also is swinging more, chasing more, and just overall being a lot more aggressive early in counts. And his swing is a little different, too. He’s both getting out in front of pitches, and also angling his bat more to the opposite field. He’s also really excited about fastballs up this year for some reason:

And so a lot of his hits look like this:

I’m really not sure what to make of it. Sometimes with these things I know what I’m going to say and where I’m going to land. Sometimes I find that along the way. But yeah, no, this is just bizarre more than anything.

Randy in 2026 looks like a fundamentally different hitter. I’ve always thought of him as kind of a wanna-be three true outcome guy — working counts, letting the ball travel, swinging hard and up. And now, for whatever reason, he’s become more of a slasher, swinging early and often and at anything close. His strikeout rate is down, and his walk rate is unchanged, which is good. But the lesser contact quality is concerning, and I don’t see him getting to 20 homers this year without some changes. He’s given himself over to the whims of BABIP, and we’ll see how far that takes him.

Still, the great irony here is that Arozarena’s xwOBA is .327 — identical to his mark last year (and .005 off the year before). So while I’m skeptical of his status as a top 25 hitter, he’s probably still in the top 50, and certainly in the top 100.

I guess that’s where my misplaced notion of his streakiness comes from. You just never really know what you’re gonna get with Arozarena. One day he’s a slugger. The next he’s slapping the ball the other way. One day he goes diving into the wall in left for an out. The next he’s walking toward the gap with runners on base. Consistently surprising. Surprisingly consistent. That’s just Randy.

In recent years, baseball fans have come to accept the phrase “Because baseball” to describe certain games. Generally, it involves a situation where you look at the matchup on paper and assume that Team A will dominate Team B because of a very favorable matchup. But then Team B wins. And we say, because baseball. It’s a short phrase that tries to explain how sometimes everything looks one way but happens the other. Those games occur, of course, in all sports. If you’ve ever won your NFL Survivor pool, it was because of a game that could have been described as because football. Or your NCAA pool. That guy who is sweating a Mountain West game at 2 a.m. and knows a little something about every team in the tournament lost his champion in the round of 32 when some school that no one has ever heard of just beat the reigning ACC champion on a late three. Because basketball.

If we allow for because baseball to explain things, then there is also a world where it has a total opposite. This is the opposite quadrant on an X,Y graph. In this quadrant, we have Team A that’s been struggling a bit. They are on the road, though as close to home as they can be and still be considered a “road” team. Their starting pitcher is prone to the long ball. Team B on the other hand, they are at home and are surging. They are playing with a ton of confidence. Their starting pitcher. Is he an Ace? Or is he just on a heater? Too soon to tell, but even a good pitcher on a heater is a handful. Team B also thrives on the long ball. This is a bad matchup for Team A.

This was not the matchup you were looking for. Move along, now. It sure would be nice to come off of this road trip with four wins in nine games. So shake the Etch-a-Sketch, forget this one happened and move along. This has been a tough trip. You certainly hoped to win at least five on this trip. But it’s really going to be sick if you only get three. So sleep tight and bounce back. Let’s keep little brother down a little longer. They can try to do their little Phoenix rising thing on someone’s else’s dance floor.

This trip, at times, has exposed that the Cubs pitching staff has been leeched of so much depth that pitching is not anywhere near a strength, even with a stellar defense behind them. None of us are surprised by that, either. It looks like some more relievers will surface soon. Jordan Wicks is getting healthy, but has never established himself at the major league level. But, at least it’s another live arm. Ben Brown has emerged and is a reason for some optimism. He is also a reminder not to flush Wicks. I’ve said this many times and in many contexts. The road to the top is never guaranteed and it’s not necessarily a straight line. Both Wicks and Brown were once highly thought of prospects. Brown is now rebuilding some of his in front of our eyes. Maybe Wicks can be a piece.

This team is going to need more than what they’ve got. It’s going to be interesting to watch this front office wrestle with addressing that. This team in no way looks like it is one or two pieces away from a sure World Series team, much less champion. But it does look like a team that could get hot and could be dangerous and maybe if things fall just right they have a shot. The kind of trade(s) that would significantly boost this team’s chances tend to hurt in terms of prospect capital. This organization has a ton of depth, but their top talent doesn’t exactly leave other talent evaluators drooling.

But that’s still at least a few weeks and probably more than a month away. So this team has to roll with what it’s got and it has to find ways to win games. More often than not, that’s going to rest on the shoulders of the offense. So this team has to get right and soon. Why not Sunday?

Three Positives:

• Miguel Amaya had a single and a solo homer.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong had a walk and a late two-run homer.
• Alex Bregman had a single and a double.

Game 46, May 16: White Sox 8, Cubs 3 (29-17)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.035). 2-4, 2B
• Hero: Miguel Amaya (.012). 2-4, HR, RBI, R
• Sidekick: Ethan Roberts (.002). 2 IP, 6 BF, BB, 3 K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Jameson Taillon (-.311). 5 IP, 8 H, BB, 8 ER, 2K (L 2-3)
• Goat: Ian Happ (-.079). 0-4
• Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.035). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: Miguel Vargas homered with two on and no outs in the bottom of the first for the first three runs of the game. (.172)

*Cubs Play of the Game: With a runner on first and one out in the seventh, the Cubs down six, Alex Bregman doubled. (.024)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 45 Winner: Carson Kelly received 108 of 173 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Busch/Shōta Imanaga +13
• Michael Conforto +12
• Alex Bregman +6.5
• Ben Brown/Ian Happ +5.5
• Caleb Thielbar -6
• Phil Maton -7
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -18

Current Win Pace: 102.1 wins

Up Next: The third and final game of the series Sunday afternoon. Colin Rea (4-2, 4.68, 42.1 IP) starts for the seventh time this year. He’s coming off of a rough start in Atlanta, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk in just 4.1 innings. Significantly better both at home and at night, so hopefully the Cubs offense gets things going quickly in this one.

33-year-old Erick Fedde has been a mixed bag so far this year. He’s 0-4 but has a 3.77 ERA in 43 innings across eight starts. He also didn’t win across his final nine appearances last year, but eight of those were relief outings. It’s been a long time since he’s won, let’s keep it that way. Last time out, he faced the Royals and allowed two runs on six hits over five innings but didn’t get a decision. The former first round pick of the Nationals from 2014 (18th overall) out of UNLV has been better during the day and much better at home.

This is no gimme. Be the better team. Get a win.

Go Cubs!

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For baseball drama and storylines, it doesn’t get much better than the Subway Series, so the rubber match between the New York Yankees and New York Mets naturally headlines today’s slate.

My MLB player props target that matchup with a wager on Cody Bellinger, and I also see Kevin Gausman dealing in Detroit to ease the pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Read on for my Top 3 MLB prop picks for the May 17 action.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Cody Bellinger	Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs	-110
Kevin Gausman	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-112
Mookie Betts	Over 1.5 total bases	+105

Cody Bellinger Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-110)

Cody Bellinger has come alive this month after a slow April, and that’s helping to fuel a New York Yankees offense that’s in the Top 5 in runs and OBP. He’s posted a .304 batting average in May, to go with a 1.010 OPS.

Bellinger chipped in with an RBI double in the Bronx Bombers’ win on Friday night, and I like this matchup against New York Mets starter Freddy Peralta.

Though Peralta has been steady so far this year, Bellinger has had the upper hand in their head-to-head duels, with a career 6-for-14 record against the Mets righty, including a double, a homer and three RBIs.

• Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, SNY

Kevin Gausman Over 5.5 strikeouts (-112)

The Toronto Blue Jays are fighting to stay afloat after a barrage of injuries, and that makes every Kevin Gausman start even more valuable.

The veteran’s strikeout tallies have tailed off after racking up 21 Ks across his first two outings of 2026, but this O/U number feels too low and I’m jumping on the Over against a Detroit Tigers lineup that he’s dominated over the years.

Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Zach McKinstry are a combined 6-for-36 against Gausman, while striking out 11 times. The Toronto ace has a 3.16 career ERA against Detroit, and I’m counting on a bounce-back effort here after a rocky start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

• Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, Sportsnet

Mookie Betts Over 1.5 total bases (+105)

After the Los Angeles Dodgers exploded for 15 runs yesterday against the cross-city Angels, I’m buying into a key piece of that offense tonight. Mookie Betts served up a homer and a single in last night’s rout, and that’s the surest sign yet that his oblique strain is behind him.

It was Betts’ second dinger of the week, and I like these odds for 2+ bases here, especially with Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez just returning from the 15-day IL.

Though Betts has struggled to post elite numbers this year, there’s been no dip in his exit velocity and he’s done his best work against righties on the road. Look for that trend to continue tonight.

• Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNLA, KCOP-FOX11+

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Jack Flaherty’s strikeout total is set too high today against the Toronto Blue Jays, and I plan to take full advantage. 

Read on to see why with my Blue Jays vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 17. 

Blue Jays vs Tigers predictions

Blue Jays vs Tigers best bet: Jack Flaherty Under 4.5 strikeouts (+115)

Collecting five strikeouts against the Toronto Blue Jays is a big ask of any pitcher, let alone a struggling one like Jack Flaherty. 

The Detroit Tigers have lost four straight starts of Flaherty’s, and he’s seen his ERA balloon from 3.47 to 5.74 in that span.

His strikeout numbers are down in that stretch as well, recording four or fewer in three of those outings.

To suggest he’ll surpass this number against the Jays, who own a league-low 18.2% K-rate, feels rich to me. 

Additionally, Flaherty owns a lowly 7% chase rate this season. 

COVERS INTEL: Flaherty owns a 5.21 xERA in 2026, and has completed five innings just once in his last five starts.

Blue Jays vs Tigers same-game parlay (SGP)

Yohendrick Pinango continues to rack up the hits. He owns a .364 batting average, while recording a hit in 11 of his 15 career outings. 

For the final leg of my SGP, I’ll take the Jays on the moneyline. They own the advantage on the mound with Kevin Gausman facing Flaherty, who hasn’t won a game all season and has seen his Tigers drop five straight contests he’s started. 

Blue Jays vs Tigers SGP

• Jack Flaherty Under 4.5 strikeouts
• Yohendrick Pinango Over 0.5 hits
• Jays moneyline

Blue Jays vs Tigers home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+405)

Despite Flaherty allowing four home runs in his last four starts, I’m making this a half unit wager this afternoon. 

The Jays haven’t been hitting many home runs lately. However, Kazuma Okamoto still remains the best bet to launch one. 

Okamoto has a team-high 10 home runs this year, while ranking in the 95th percentile in hard hit rate.

The Jays slugger owns a .295 AVG and a .590 SLG against the four-seam fastball, which is Flaherty’s most used pitch against right-handed batters.

Blue Jays vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: Toronto -130 | Detroit +110
• Run line: Toronto -1.5 | Detroit +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Blue Jays vs Tigers trend

The Blue Jays have hit the Under in 5 of their last 6 away games (+5.00 Units / 75% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Tigers.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Tigers and game info

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Blue Jays vs Tigers weather

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