Category: Baseball

The Cincinnati Reds have the day off on Monday after Sunday afternoon’s series-winning victory over the Houston Astros. They also have a much clearer picture of how their banged-up starting rotation will look this upcoming week as they welcome the Washington Nationals to Cincinnati before heading up to Cleveland for a series over the weekend.

According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, the Reds have leaned on today’s day off to shuffle their healthy starters in a way that will accommodate the loss of Rhett Lowder to the 15-day injured list, a move that’s expected to be announced prior to the start of Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. It will feature Brady Singer in the opener on Tuesday, Nick Lodolo on Wednesday, and Chase Burns on Thursday, with Friday’s opener on the road against Cleveland listed as ‘TBD.’

Reds upcoming rotation:
Tuesday: Singer
Wednesday: Lodolo
Thursday: Burns
Friday: TBD

Rhett Lowder is expected to go on the IL

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) May 10, 2026

Chase Petty threw 79 pitches in 3.2 IP for the AAA Louisville Bats just yesterday in his first start back at the level after being recalled to start last Monday’s series opener for the Reds against the Chicago Cubs. Given how much more advanced he looked in the start in Wrigley relative to the struggles he went through in his initial call-up last season, it would be a shocker if Petty were not recalled to take Lowder’s turn in the rotation on Friday – especially now that it will be on his regular rest.

Cincinnati could also opt to keep Andrew Abbott on regular rest and pitch him on Friday, and even add Petty to pitch Saturday and give the youngster an extra day of rest before his return to the bigs.

What remains to be seen is how the Reds juggle the few days in between. In all likelihood, they’ll recall one of Zach Maxwell, Kyle Nicolas, or Jose Franco to bridge the gap to Petty and give them depth in the bullpen for the series against the Nats. Franco threw 22 pitches yesterday for AAA Louisville in a scoreless pair of IP, while Nicolas allowed a trio of hits and a walk (and 3 runs, somehow all unearned) in 1.1 IP and 35 pitches. Maxwell, meanwhile, hasn’t pitched since May 8th when he threw 25 pitches in a pair of perfect innings against the Nashville Sounds.

We’ll find out before tomorrow’s first pitch!

UPDATE

As was pointed out in the comments quite succintly, Chase Petty exited his start on Sunday with AAA Louisville with what’s being called a blister/nail problem. So, that obviously calls into question whether or not he’ll be ready to jump back into the rotation this week, or if the Reds will play it much slower with him.

While the Yankees didn’t get the result they wanted, falling in a one-run game against the Brewers, it was encouraging seeing Carlos Rodón back on a big league mound, regardless of the outcome. Rusty, as to be expected for someone coming from such a lengthy absence, Rodón battled himself on top of a dangerous Milwaukee lineup and held his own through plenty of traffic. The pitcher we have so often seen deliver worse results than the quality of his outings would indicate, due to untimely home runs, more than held his own by keeping the ball in the yard. Rodón covered 4.1 innings, allowing more runs (3) than hits (2) as the Yankees took a 4-3 loss in a quiet day offensively.

Highlighting just how inefficient Rodón was, following a trend we’ve seen in his rehab outings, the left-hander walked the leadoff batter in three of his first four innings—the cardinal sin for a pitcher to do it once, much less in more than half of his innings. It wasn’t just the lack of long balls that prevented this from being a blow-up, as he only allowed a pair of hits. Velocity-wise, Rodón sat at 95.7 mph on his four-seam fastball, but it should be noted that the number drastically decreased from the 97.0 mph in the first to the 94.5 mph he showed in his final inning. In fact, the root of those walks came from poorly located fastballs that the Brewers kept laying off with a zone rate of 32 percent, well below league average and Rodón’s average as well.

Assessing the bigger picture moving forward, this could be the beginning of a new era for Rodón with the Yankees—the rotation he returns to is one far different from the one he left behind. Not even in the wildest dreams of most fans could you have imagined what has transpired with the likes of Cam Schllitler and Will Warren, particularly the former establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport. Even if you’re still cautious about the promising signs Warren has exhibited in 2026, we’ve always known the raw tools for a great pitcher were there, so it’s difficult not to be at least a tad excited.

Evidently, it’s natural that Rodón will carry a lot of pressure on him to deliver in the most crucial moments, regardless of how the rotation shapes up around him, but we’re well off the role he was brought on to fulfill a few years ago, and that can only be a good thing. This is a rotation that’s at or near the top of the leaderboards in many categories, with none other than Gerrit Cole on his way back as well. The production has been so outstanding that one could even make the argument for a move to a six-man rotation based on merit once Cole is back, because it’s hard to justify booting Ryan Weathers from a starting role.

Focusing on Rodón, it’s not even a question of pressure or hierarchy but an acknowledgment that he has his work cut out for him to regain his previous standing on this staff. Last season was the closest we’ve seen to the best version of Rodón, and maybe that’s the best he can do at this stage in his career. Either way, the inconsistencies of his first two seasons won’t cut it, and unlike in the past, the Yankees have alternatives, all thanks to an outstanding development system.

Another Monday, another post wondering when the Dodgers offense will find itself.

After grinding out three runs in a win against Chris Sale, he who had only allowed that many in his last four starts combined, they only mustered exactly two runs in the last two games of the series with the Braves. Both runs came off two-run shots – in Saturday’s game, that came in the bottom of the ninth inning, and in Sunday’s, the bottom of the eighth.

But finally, some good news. Mookie Betts, who has been out for the past five weeks with a strained right oblique, is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday.

One man alone can’t fix all of the team’s offense woes, but he could be the spark they need.

Before his injury, Betts was batting third in the lineup. There has been some shuffling while he was away, with Will Smith moving to the third spot, and Kyle Tucker moving down to the cleanup spot. Having Mookie bat second gives the Dodgers batters from alternating sides of the plate atop the lineup, or they could rework it so they stack the righties atop the lineup against right-handed pitchers.

Since Mookie only got two games at Triple-A Oklahoma City, he is expected to play Monday and Tuesday with a planned off day on Wednesday. The Dodgers are once again finding themselves in the middle of a 13-game streak with no off days, so they will need to manage Betts’ workload within those parameters.

Alex Freeland was optioned in the corresponding move.

The Giants are in town for a four-game set. On Monday, they will send Trevor McDonald to the mound. The right-hander has only appeared in one game so far this season, last Monday against the Padres where he threw seven innings of one run ball, allowing only two hits and no walks, while striking out eight. He was originally in there as a spot starter, but the Giants just placed Logan Webb on the IL so McDonald will take his rotation spot.

For their part, the Dodgers will send Roki Sasaki to the mound. Sasaki was previously supposed to start in Saturday’s game against the Braves but was pushed back for Blake Snell’s return to the rotation. So far this season, Sasaki is 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA. In his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, he gave up three early runs but then settled down to complete six full innings, at one point retiring 10 straight batters.

The Giants offense is one of the worst in all of baseball, and Sasaki has historically pitched better at home than on the road. If there ever was a time for the Dodgers to right themselves, it’s at home against their rivals with one of their best hitters returning to the lineup.

MONDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Giants
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Dylan Dreiling, Frisco Roughriders outfielder, has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of May 4 to May 10, it was announced today.

Dreiling, a lefthanded hitter who was taken in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee, put up a .368/.520/1.000 slash line in 25 plate appearances over five games against the Northwester Arkansas Naturals, with four homers, six walks, and just one strikeout. For the season, he is slashing .300/.398/.511 in 108 plate appearances with 16 walks against 21 strikeouts.

Dreiling spent the 2025 season at high-A Hub City, where he slashed .226/.319/.381, then put up a .271/.364/.438 slash line in the Arizona Fall League. Although he was primarily a left fielder for Tennessee, Dreiling has primarily played center field as a professional.

Dreiling, who turned 23 last month, was the 65th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and the second player selected by the Rangers that year, behind only catcher Malcolm Moore.

Dreiling was also written up in today’s Monday Morning Ten Pack over at Baseball Prospectus.

The minor league season is in full swing.

Let's open up the mailbag to discuss some of the Mets' top prospects...

---

If Carson Benge is a good MLB center fielder, does it not make sense to give A.J. Ewing some shortstop reps? Lindor is 32 years old, even if he was healthy, he’d have 2-3 years max left at shortstop anyways. If Benge is above average in center field, it seems wasteful to put him in a corner. -- @will_nba_hater

This is a loaded question with a few factors to consider here. Benge projects as a long-term plus corner outfielder who can play center field, not a true center fielder. In the small sample size in the majors in 2026, Benge is negative-1 outs above average in center field, while being plus-1 in right field and plus-2 in left field.

Ewing has not played one inning of shortstop since he was at Springboro High School in Ohio in 2023. I have not heard from anyone in the organization that getting shortstop reps is on the radar. 

On the Lindor front, he is still a very good defensive shortstop. Will the day come that he eventually needs to slide somewhere else? History suggests yes, but that time does not appear to be even close to imminent, and Ewing is getting closer to a major league opportunity. He needs to be mostly preparing at the spot he will be playing when he reaches the big leagues.

The Mets also firmly believe that Ewing has all the tools to be an elite defensive center fielder. There is still some work to do with routes and jumps, and he’s already made strides this year there. That is something they believe will come with reps.

The best defensive setup from a projection standpoint is Ewing in center, Benge in a corner outfield spot and Lindor at shortstop. That could be three plus defensive players, two of whom are at premium positions. That is a good spot to be in.

A few reps at shortstop now for Ewing would likely have little bearing on potentially playing it a few years from now. If he reaches his potential defensively in center field, there won’t be any desire to play him anywhere else.

How soon do you think we could see Ryan Clifford in the majors given some of the recent injuries the team has had, and more power needed in the lineup? -- Reb Deud

The short answer is it is unlikely to be imminent or very soon. But you aren’t here for the short answer. 

On the season, Clifford is slashing .252/.327/.473 (.800 OPS) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 37 games for Triple-A Syracuse.

The pros of Clifford fit exactly what Reb said. The power is real, with his exit velocities (max EV of 113.1 mph), barrel rate (14.3 percent), hard hit rate (57.1 percent) and even pull-side air percentage (17.7 percent) all line up with that of a prototypical left-handed slugger. It is easy to envision a 30-home run type of bat if he can make enough contact.

The question among evaluators is if he will be able to make enough contact to get there. Clifford made some strides in his approach from 2024 to 2025, decreasing his strikeout percentage from 29.6 percent to 25.6 percent. While that is still a little higher than they’d ideally like to see, it was progress, and it is accepted that swing-and-miss will be a part of Clifford’s game. 

Through the first month-plus of the 2026 season, Clifford’s strikeout rate has spiked to 36.1 percent. That is accompanied by a whiff percentage of 34.3 percent and, importantly, an in-zone contact rate of just 74.3 percent. 

Comparing Triple-A stats to major league stats are apples to oranges given the level of competition, but just to add some context, Clifford’s Triple-A strikeout rate would be the third-worst in the majors and his in-zone-contact rate would be the seventh-worst in the majors.

The Mets are hopeful that things are starting to turn for Clifford as the calendar flips to May. Thus far in nine games this month, he is slashing .333/.389/.606 (.995 OPS) with two home runs, including this 110 mph EV blast on Mother’s Day. His strikeout rate so far this month is 25 percent, which is in line with his number from 2025. Again, progress, but it needs to be displayed over a larger sample size. 

The general player development philosophy is to not call up a prospect until there is confidence that they are being put in position to succeed and not be forced back down to Triple-A in a couple of weeks.

However, given the injuries and performance of the big-league offense, there comes a point where something different has to be done, even if it goes against the general organizational philosophy. It is a tough balance between the immediate short-term need and the long-term vision. Is it worth risking stunting a prospect’s growth to try to add a spark to a struggling major league team? I see both sides of that argument.

The Mets currently have the worst record in baseball, and it falls largely on the backs of the offense that is both injured and underperforming. The three most notable injured players (Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr.) don’t have a known return to play timeline.

If Clifford can continue to build off his hot start to the month of May and the Mets season doesn’t start turning for the positive, I can see the conversation heating up as the calendar flips to June.

This was a long time coming, but the Nationals finally promoted outfielder Yeremy Cabrera to High-A after a red hot start to the season. The outfielder was repeating Low-A to start the season, and it was clear pretty early on that he was too good for the level. Cabrera posted a crazy 1.114 OPS in 30 games this season.

The Nationals are promoting outfielder Yeremy Cabrera to High-A Wilmington, per a source.

The 20-year-old was acquired in the MacKenzie Gore deal and had a staggering slash line in Single-A Fredericksburg. pic.twitter.com/00v1GqjvAV

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) May 11, 2026

Cabrera was seen by most to be the fifth piece in the MacKenzie Gore trade. He was a glove first outfielder with intriguing offensive traits. However, he has had a power explosion to start the season. After hitting 8 homers in 102 games last year, Cabrera has 7 in just 30 this season. Cabrera pummeled Low-A pitching, and got a much deserved promotion.

Now that he is in Wilmington, the real test begins for Cabrera. The thing I will be watching is his strikeout rate. He has some swing and miss in his game, even this season. Cabrera struck out nearly 25% of the time this season, but I think part of that was due to selling out for power. Last season, he only struck out 19% of the time.

Trading off some contact for impact is something that has worked for Cabrera to start the season. However, now that he is facing better pitching, Cabrera will need to keep that strikeout rate under control. Wilmington can be a tough place to hit, but guys like Devin Fitz-Gerald, Ronny Cruz and Ethan Petry are showing it is not impossible. 

Yeremy Cabrera has been one of the best power/speed guys in all of minor league baseball this year. There are just over 30 players with at least 15 steals in the minors, and few of them have the type of pop that Cabrera does. When he really gets a hold of one, his swing looks a little bit like Juan Soto’s.

Yeremy Cabrera is slashing .307/.441/.634 with a 178 wRC+ and 16 SB to open the season.

Of the 32 players who have stolen 15+ bags in the minors, his 1.075 OPS is the 2nd-highest mark. His 7th HR of the season was a no-doubt left on left tank. pic.twitter.com/s3ESeMF8X9

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) May 8, 2026

Obviously Cabrera is not Juan Soto. When Soto was at Cabrera’s age, he was winning World Series. I am excited to see how Cabrera fares in Wilmington. If he picks up where he left off with the Fred Nats, his prospect status could really take off. Cabrera has the speed and the glove, now he needs to show his bat is for real at a level that is more appropriate.

The Nats will actually have an interesting decision when it comes to Cabrera this offseason. Despite only being 20, Cabrera will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason. Cabrera was only signed for $10,000 dollars, so he moved slowly through the DSL and Rookie Ball. Now, he is a real prospect and it could create a dilemma for the Nats.

Cabrera is still pretty far from the big leagues, so he would be kind of like a wasted 40 man roster spot. However, it would be a big risk to not add him. Teams would love to pick up a talented player like Cabrera for free. I am not sure if they would be able to roster a guy that young and that raw for an entire season though.

If Cabrera stumbles a bit in High-A, it would probably be safe not to protect him. However, if he keeps hitting and is knocking on the door of Double-A, the Nats might have to protect him. This dilemma adds another layer of intrigue for Cabrera. 

All of this context, as well as the fact Cabrera was dominating made it odd that he was not promoted. Now that promotion has finally happened. If Cabrera keeps hitting, he could start moving quite quickly. His secondary tools give him a high floor and his power potential gives him a high ceiling.

I mean the Nats HAVE to promote Yeremy Cabrera on the off day tomorrow right? They are just wasting this kids time keeping him in Low-A pic.twitter.com/xOjBJZLQLf

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) May 10, 2026

Cabrera got the promotion today, but he is not the only guy who the Nats should consider moving up. There have been a ton of prospects who are hitting the crap out of the ball right now. This gives Paul Toboni a fun problem. He has to decide which guys to promote and which to let marinate a little longer.

There was a post the other day which had promotion candidates at every level. Cabrera was their pick for Low-A, but the other three on the list are also deserving of promotions as well. Ethan Petry, Seaver King and Yohandy Morales have all been dominating at their respective levels.

One Nats prospect per level who is deserving of a promotion pic.twitter.com/kUSk8YAZOj

— MLST (@DCSportsCast) May 4, 2026

I think Petry and King are pretty obvious promotion candidates. Petry is a polished SEC bat who is dominating in High-A with a .905 OPS. Given the level of competition he faced in college and his production in the minors, it feels like Petry is prepared for Double-A. This move would also open up more playing time for Cabrera, as Petry has been playing mostly in the outfield this season.

Seaver King has been one of the biggest stories on the farm right now. The former 10th overall pick had a brutal first season as a pro. However, he has bounced back in a huge way. King has a .987 OPS in 29 games this year at Harrisburg. 

It is worth noting that King left the game on Friday and did not play the next two games. Hopefully that injury is not too serious, and he can start playing again soon. Assuming the injury is not serious, he is an easy promotion candidate. Triple-A Rochester has mostly been playing Trey Lipscomb at shortstop lately, so there is an easy path to playing time here. King also looks ready for the level.

I am really enjoying the fact that the Nats have so many players who deserve a promotion right now. That has not been the case in previous years. This just speaks to the improved depth across the organization. There are also lesser known guys like Jack Moroknek and TJ White who have also made strong pushes to be promoted.

While Yeremy Cabrera was the guy who got moved up the ladder today, he is just one of many players on the farm performing. There are so many exciting players in this system that is just suddenly bursting with talent. I cannot remember a time when the Nats farm system was this fun.

Man, do the Guardians need to figure things out with the Angels coming to town.

The Angels are 16-25, 16th in MLB with a 99 wRC+, 28th in baserunning runs above average at -2.6, 27th in defense at -14.7, 17th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.05 (3.88 FIP), and 28th in bullpen ERA at 5.38 (4.98 FIP).

The Guardians are 21-21, 19th in MLB with a 96 wRC+, 16th in baserunning runs above average at 0.1, 16th in defense at -6.4, eighth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.91 (4.15 FIP), and 16th in bullpen ERA at 3.98 (3.98 FIP).

The Angels have a bad record and look, on paper, like a pretty bad team. Let’s see if the Guardians can take advantage of that… this time, unlike with the Twins.

Matchups:
Game One, Monday, 6:10PM: Opener of Brent Suter, LHP 4.05 ERA (4.23 FIP) followed by Alek Manoah, RHP (has thrown 1 inning so far this year) vs. Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.43 ERA (4.41 FIP).
Game Two, Tuesday, 6:10PM: Walbert Urena, RHP 3.22 ERA (3.88 FIP) vs. Slade Cecconi, RHP 6.15 ERA (5.53 FIP).
Game Three, Wednesday, 1:10PM: Reid Detmers, LHP 4.33 ERA (3.09 FIP) vs. Parker Messick, LHP 2.30 ERA (2.82 FIP).

The Angels’ starters Urena and Detemers are actually solid starters. The Guardians need to try to get them out of the game as soon as possible and capitalize on a weak Angels’ pen. It would really help if they can get Manoah out of the game in 2-3 innings tonight and try to tire out the Angels’ relievers for the remainder of the series.

The Angels are led on offense by Mike Trout 158 wRC+, Oswald Peraza 127 wRC+, Vaughn Grissom 119 wRC+, Jorge Soler 115 wRC+, Adam Frazier 105 wRC+ and Zach Neto 104 wRC+. STEPHEN VOGT – DON’T LET MIKE TROUT BE THE ONE WHO BEATS YOU IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. GO AFTER EVERY OTHER HITTER IN THIS LINEUP BUT TROUT.

The Guardians are led by Chase DeLauter 152 wRC+, David Fry 133 wRC+, Daniel Schneemann 132 wRC+, Austin Hedges 120 wRC+, Brayan Rocchio 115 wRC+, Jose Ramirez 110 wRC+, Travis Bazzana 106 wRC+ and Rhys Hoskins 101 wRC+. Let’s see if we can get Kyle Manzardo to crack 75 wRC+ by the end of this series, huh?

What to do with Trevor Story? Weighing the options with struggling shortstop originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s May, and the Boston Red Sox have a Trevor Story problem. Sound familiar?

Story’s early-season struggles were a hot topic last year, when he hit just .138 (20-for-145) with 49 strikeouts over a 38-game span from April 22 to June 6. The brutal slump sparked debate over whether Boston should designate Story for assignment despite owing him more than $50 million.

But the Red Sox stayed patient with the veteran, and he rewarded them by becoming one of the league’s most productive shortstops from June 7 onward. Story posted an .827 OPS over the final four months of the season and finished with a team-high 25 homers and 96 RBI.

It’s been déjà vu through Story’s first 38 games of 2026. The 33-year-old is hitting .200 (31-for-155) with 55 strikeouts and a .520 OPS. He can’t hang his hat on his defense either, as he has the third-most errors among MLB shortstops (five) with -1 Outs Above Average.

Again, the Red Sox face a difficult decision about Story’s future with the club, but he believes he can turn it around as he did in 2025.

“I mean, I think if you know exactly what it was, you could kind of fix it right away,” Story said of his struggles, per The Boston Globe. “But that’s not baseball. And there’s a lot that goes into it, physically, mentally, and effort-wise. I know that was a big one for me last year, and I think it’s just a matter of time before I get it right.”

“It’s tough to go through in the moment, but I have confidence that I can do it because I’ve done it before,” he added. “Takes one game, takes one pitch. And I’m always optimistic about it. I’m not gonna sit here and pout about it. I’m not gonna sit here and feel sorry for myself.”

So, should Boston stay the course and bet on another Story bounce-back, or is it time to make a major move? Below, we’ll weigh all the options with Story and share our take on how the Red Sox should proceed:

Option 1: Designate for assignment

Just like last year, many have grown impatient with Story and are clamoring for him to be DFA’d. While it might seem like the easiest solution, it’s hard to imagine the organization eating the $50 million remaining on his contract, especially given how he snapped out of his 2025 funk.

If Story is DFA’d, and he goes on to post an .800-plus OPS the rest of the season with another club, it will give fans yet another reason to lambast the Red Sox front office. He may give Craig Breslow & Co. no choice if this slump extends well into the summer, but now is too soon to pull the trigger. Story has earned additional time to figure it out.

Option 2: Trade in a salary dump

With a hefty contract and poor early-season numbers, Story’s trade value is at its absolute lowest. If the Red Sox look to trade him, it would likely be in an attempt to dump a good chunk of the $50M remaining on his deal, meaning they won’t get much of anything in return.

Perhaps there’s a club desperate for infield help that’s willing to take a chance on a struggling, high-upside veteran. Still, Story’s price tag makes such a move unlikely.

Option 3: Bench

Benching Story would be understandable, as he’s been a liability at the plate and hasn’t provided much value defensively. Perhaps that’s the kind of reset he needs, and he could look to regain form while Andruw Monasterio takes over as the starting shortstop.

That said, it seems doubtful that the club will sit its veteran leader, especially since he’s far from the only Sox player with awful offensive numbers.

Option 4: Move to second base and/or drop in the lineup

Story’s status as a veteran leader on an expensive contract is the only reason he remains a middle-of-the-lineup, everyday shortstop. Ex-Red Sox manager Alex Cora moved him down in the order earlier in the season, but Chad Tracy has put him in the fourth or fifth spot since taking over as interim skipper.

While the offense as a whole has been a massive disappointment, continuing to plug Story into the middle of the lineup is not a winning strategy. Moving him back down in the order while potentially switching him to second base, where there would be less pressure on him defensively, could help him get back on track.

Option 5: Stand pat and hope for the best

Story and the Red Sox seem convinced that another bounce-back is right around the corner. We wouldn’t be surprised if Option 5 is the organization’s pick, but if so, they’re playing with fire.

As of Monday, Boston owns the third-worst record in the American League at 17-23. The good news? The club is remarkably only 2.0 games back of a Wild Card spot, but it has to start stringing some wins together to stay in the mix. Sticking with this version of Story without making adjustments only hurts the Red Sox’ chances of doing just that.

Our pick: Option 4

DFA’ing Story would be a drastic move at this stage, though it’s fair to revisit the conversation if his struggles extend into mid-summer.

Heading into the upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Red Sox should move Story down in the lineup and consider a position switch. The latter seems less likely, as the organization has shied away from playing Marcelo Mayer at shortstop, but it has to be considered. If Mayer isn’t moved to short, Monasterio could take that spot while Story and Mayer platoon at second.

If those adjustments still don’t solve the issue, Option 3 comes into play. Options 1 and 2 will be on the table if Story can’t turn things around in June.

The Mariners took another two steps backwards over the weekend after such a promising start to their week last week. The 12-run outburst on Friday was very good to see but to follow that up by scoring two runs total over the final two games in Chicago was a huge let down. It feels like I write this same bit every week, but the uninspired play across the entire American League means Seattle isn’t really in too much trouble despite its struggles. The M’s are still the favorite to win the division and currently have the third highest playoff odds in the AL. The last time the Mariners faced the Astros, the vibes were in the toilet following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers. Seattle responded by sweeping Houston in four games. The team is in need of some of that schadenfreude this week.

Game	Time	Mariners Starter	Astros Starter	Mariners Win%	Astros Win%
Game 1	Monday, May 11 | 5:10 pm	RHP George Kirby	RHP Peter Lambert	56.4%	43.6%
Game 2	Tuesday, May 12 | 5:10 pm	RHP Bryan Woo	RHP Tatsuya Imai	52.9%	47.1%
Game 3	Wednesday, May 13 | 5:10 pm	RHP Bryce Miller	RHP Lance McCullers Jr.	47.6%	52.4%
Game 4	Thursday, May 14 | 11:10 am	RHP Luis Castillo	RHP Mike Burrows	49.2%	50.8%

Overview	Astros	Mariners	Edge
Batting (wRC+)	113 (2nd in AL)	104 (3rd in AL)	Astros
Fielding (FRV)	-2 (7th)	-13 (15th)	Astros
Starting Pitching (FIP-)	107 (13th)	97 (7th)	Mariners
Bullpen (FIP-)	136 (15th)	91 (3rd)	Mariners

Nothing has gone right for the Astros this year. They’ve been decimated by injuries and have limped along at the bottom of the AL West standings for nearly the entire season. Carlos Correa was the latest star to succumb to a significant injury; he injured his ankle last week and will be out for the season. He joins 14 other players on the IL, the most of any team in the majors. While the lineup hasn’t really been affected by all these absences yet, the pitching staff has been one of the worst in baseball. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Josh Hader are all working through significant injuries and six other pitchers have been sidelined with minor maladies. 

Player	Position	Bats	PA	K%	BB%	ISO	wRC+
Jose Altuve	2B	R	163	19.0%	10.4%	0.132	99
Yordan Alvarez	DH	L	180	14.4%	13.3%	0.325	188
Isaac Paredes	3B	R	148	16.2%	9.5%	0.124	111
Christian Walker	1B	R	167	18.0%	9.0%	0.242	143
Cam Smith	RF	R	158	27.8%	10.1%	0.131	83
Zach Cole (MiLB)	LF	L	37	27.0%	18.9%	0.310	138
Brice Matthews	CF	R	95	33.7%	8.4%	0.212	93
Braden Shewmake	SS	L	21	14.3%	0.0%	0.450	218
Christian Vázquez	C	R	74	18.9%	8.1%	0.194	130

The lone bright spot for the Astros has been their offense. They’ve scored the second most runs in the AL and it doesn’t seem like a fluke. Yordan Alvarez has been one of the best hitters in baseball so far, running a career-high 188 wRC+. Christian Walker has also bounced back after a rough first season in Houston last year; he’s blasted nine home runs this year and is sporting a 143 wRC+. Even though the injury bug has hit the lineup hard, Houston has found enough depth to cover for its absences. Isaac Paredes has looked solid covering third base while Correa was covering shortstop for the injured Jeremy Peña and Brice Matthews and Zach Cole have been solid in the outfield while Jake Meyers and Joey Loperfido have been sidelined.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Peter Lambert	22.1	24.7%	11.8%	0.0%	44.6%	2.42	2.82
George Kirby	52	19.1%	5.9%	8.3%	57.6%	2.94	3.44

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	42.2%	32.9%	94.7	95	118	48	0.381
Sinker	18.1%	0.0%	94.2	89
Cutter	8.6%	16.7%	92.3	88
Changeup	7.8%	36.0%	88.6	80
Slider	23.3%	14.4%	86.4	101
Slurve	16.4%	10.8%	81.8	100

After struggling to make much of an impact with the Rockies to start his career, Peter Lambert signed a one-year deal with the Yakult Swallows of NPB last year. He didn’t exactly excel, but he showed enough promise outside the oppressive environment in Colorado to earn a minor league deal with the Astros this offseason. He’s been pressed into service thanks to all the injuries Houston has dealt with and he’s looked pretty solid across four starts this year. He developed a straight cutter in Japan and that pitch has been a solid addition to his repertoire. He’s also got an excellent changeup to round out his deep arsenal. 

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Tatsuya Imai (2025-NPB)	163.2	27.8%	7.0%	4.6%	48.3%	1.92	2.01
Bryan Woo	47	20.3%	4.3%	8.2%	30.9%	4.02	3.81

From a previous series preview:

The Astros emerged as the surprising suitors for Tatsuya Imai this offseason, signing him to a three-year deal well below what many were expecting. Perhaps his contract fell short because it’s really hard to figure out his arsenal. There were plenty of questions about how his fastball would play against MLB batters and pitch models had a terrible time trying to figure out his slider. That breaking ball is unique to say the least. The pitch has the least amount of horizontal movement of any slider thrown in the majors, and depending on how he locates it, it can look like a screwball at times. The heater has looked really good too, benefitting from a low arm slot and a lot of cutting action. Imai will also pepper in a splitter, changeup, and curveball to round out his pitch mix, but the fastball and slider are the two primary weapons.

Imai couldn’t work out of the first inning in his last start against the Mariners, walking four and allowing a single hit in just 0.1 innings of work. He was placed on the IL with general fatigue after that start in Seattle and will be activated from that list to make a start on Tuesday.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Lance McCullers Jr.	34	25.0%	13.5%	16.1%	42.7%	7.41	4.81
Bryce Miller (2025)	90.1	18.9%	8.7%	15.5%	37.9%	5.68	5.17

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	3.3%	6.5%	91.9
Sinker	57.1%	13.5%	91.4	91	100	177	0.349
Cutter	13.7%	40.6%	89.1	94	87	106	0.368
Changeup	16.5%	14.5%	85.5	83
Curveball	9.3%	24.9%	81.6	106	151	66	0.323
Sweeper	35.7%	10.5%	82.3	117	92	76	0.310

From a previous series preview:

Lance McCullers Jr. finally got back on the big league mound last season after missing more than two years following elbow surgery back in 2023. It wasn’t an easy return to his previous form. He struggled with his command throughout the season and his velocity was down two ticks across the board from where he was sitting way back in ‘22. His pitch mix looked a lot different too, with his sweeper taking the place of his trademark curveball as his preferred breaking ball. Command is usually the last skill to return after major elbow surgery and he’s now three years removed from that procedure. I’m not sure we’ll ever see peak McCullers again, but he’s got the deep repertoire and experience to be a solid starter as long as his health holds up.

The Mariners scored six runs off McCullers in that series in Seattle; he pitched 4.1 innings allowing five hits and two walks.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Mike Burrows	44.2	21.6%	7.2%	14.3%	37.8%	5.04	4.65
Luis Castillo	38.1	20.8%	7.3%	12.0%	34.1%	6.57	4.56

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	21.6%	33.9%	95.0	100	51	88	0.403
Sinker	24.3%	5.4%	94.6	97	78	94	0.380
Changeup	16.4%	34.2%	87.1	86	118	140	0.250
Curveball	16.4%	14.0%	79.7	97	119	66	0.271
Slider	21.3%	12.5%	89.8	95	88	80	0.250

From a previous series preview:

The Astros acquired Mike Burrows in a three-team trade involving the Rays and Pirates this offseason. He was surprisingly solid for Pittsburgh in his first full season in the big leagues, even as he was overshadowed by some of the bigger name pitching prospects that were coming up through their system. Those same prospects gave the Pirates a surplus to deal from and Burrows ended up in Houston. He throws relatively hard and has a plus changeup to keep batters from sitting on his heater. That offspeed pitch is his go-to swing and miss pitch too, though he has a pair of above average breaking balls as well. Because the Pirates treat their pitching prospects so carefully, most of Burrows’s work came in four- or five-inning stints. He’ll need to prove he can work through an opposing lineup a third time to really take a step forward in his development.

Burrows is coming off his best start of the season, a scoreless seven-inning gem against the Reds. In his previous start against the Mariners, he allowed six runs on 11 hits and a walk in six innings of work.

---

The Big Picture:

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Athletics	21-19	0.525		-6	L-W-W-W-L
Rangers	19-21	0.475	2.0	-3	W-L-L-W-W
Mariners	19-22	0.463	2.5	+2	L-W-W-L-L
Angels	16-25	0.390	5.5	-24	W-W-L-L-W
Astros	16-25	0.390	5.5	-34	W-L-W-L-L

The Athletics maintained their grip on the top of the AL West standings, winning their weekend series against the Orioles. They return home this week to take on the Cardinals. The Rangers managed to quiet the red hot Cubs over the weekend, holding them scoreless across both games on Saturday and Sunday. Texas hosts the Diamondbacks to start this week.

This was the 5th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Monday, May 11th).

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 19-year old Caden Bodine has regained his spot as the top hitter spot in the Rays system. The backstop is proving to be too advanced for Single-A as he was hitting .411 entering play on Sunday. After a zero hit performance though, he has dropped to .397/.442/.629 with 4 HR, registering a 184 wRC+ over 131 plate appearances..

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is still the team’s top minor league pitcher and among the top performers in all of minor league baseball. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far over six starts in Single-A, Cremarosa has a 2.38 ERA | 2.01 FIP with a 38.3 K% & 3.9 BB% over 34 IP. Most recently, Cremarosa completed a complete game no-hitter, a rarity in Rays organizational history.

RUMBLINGS

• RHP TJ Nichols began a rehab assignment with the FCL Rays
• INF Andreimi Antunez, a 2024 international signing, had quite the day on Friday. He was 4-6 on the day and homered twice in the first inning, including a grand slam. Overall he had the 2 homeruns, 2 doubles, and 10 RBI.
• Baseball America highlighted 12 prospects with impressive exit velocties early on this season; Taitn Gray and Nathan Flewelling are mentioned.
• Baseball America has also updated their top 100 prospect rankings, the Rays have players make the cut (this is a huge shake up, so I will not be updating the top 10 prospects futher below until Baseball America fully updates their rankings).
  • 36. Theo Gillen
  • 55. Brody Hopkins
  • 91. Nathan Flewelling
  • 95. Caden Bodine
  • 97. Cooper Flemming

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 60 TBF & PA)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
HR: 5,Blake Sabol & Dom Keegan
wRC+: 153, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
SB: 17, Jacob Melton (Placed on the IL on 4/23)

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.62, Kodi Whitley
FIP: 3.01, Kodi Whitley & Trevor Martin
K%: 40.0%, Joe Rock
BB%: 6.3%, Kodi Whitley
WHIP: 0.90, Kodi Whitley
AVG: .135, Evan Reifert
WHIFF%: 15.9%, Joe Rock

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 3.79 ERA | 5.26 FIP | 25.3 K% | 19.6 BB% | .210 AVG | 14.2 WHIFF% | 35.2 IP
• #3 Jacob Melton
  • AAA: .231/.346/.431 | 40.2 K% | 15.9 BB% | 1 HR | 17 SB | 98 wRC+ | 82 PA
    • 4/23: Suffered sprained ankle. Expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .341, Cooper Kinney (promoted to AAA on 5/5)
OBP: .440, Xavier Isaac
SLG: .605, Xavier Isaac
HR: 8, Xavier Isaac
wRC+: 170, Xavier Isaac
SB: 21, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.71, Michael Forret
FIP: 2.60, Alexander Alberto
K%: 33.3%, Alexander Alberto
BB%:  4.4%, Hayden Snelsire
WHIP 0.76, Hayden Snelsire
AVG: .157, Michael Forret
WHIFF%: 16.1%, Hayden Snelsire

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 T.J. Nichols
  • AA: 1.80 ERA | 1.71 FIP | 25.0 K% | 0.0 BB% | .300 AVG | 12.3 WHIFF% | 5 IP
  • CPX: 4.50 ERA | 3.05 FIP | 11.1 K% | 0.0 BB% | .333 AVG | 18.5 WHIFF% | 2 IP
    • 4/7: Placed on Injured List
    • 5/9: Began rehab assignment in Complex League
• #6 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 5.70 ERA | 5.58 FIP | 28.7 K% | 5.9 BB% | .226 AVG | 13.9 WHIFF% | 23.2 IP
    • 4/25: Placed on Injured List
    • 5/5: Activated from Injured List
• #8 Michael Forret
  • AA: 1.71 ERA | 5.08 FIP | 26.2 K% | 11.5 BB% | .157 AVG | 15.5 WHIFF% | 31.2 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .309, Nathan Flewelling
OBP: .471, Tony Santa Maria
SLG: .610, Theo Gillen
HR: 8, Connor Hujsak
wRC+: 156, Theo Gillen
SB: 15, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.72, Jacob Kmatz
FIP: 1.87, Jacob Kmatz
K%: 41.0%, Jacob Kmatz
BB%: 4.9%, Jacob Kmatz
WHIP: 0.83, Jacob Kmatz
AVG: .172, Jacob Kmatz
WHIFF%: 17.7%, Jacob Kmatz

Top 10 Prospects

• #2 Theo Gillen
  • A+: .280/.404/.610 | 26.3 K% | 15.2 BB% | 7 HR | 11 SB | 156 wRC+ | 99 PA
• #5 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 4.24 ERA | 4.17 FIP | 33.6 K% | 10.3 BB% | .250 AVG | 14.5 WHIFF% | 23.1 IP
• #10 Aidan Smith
  • A+: Hasn’t played in 2026
  • CPX: .200/.333/.333 | 11.1 K% | 16.7 BB% | 0 HR | 1 SB | 77 wRC+ | 18 PA
    • 4/2: Placed on the Injured List
    • 5/2: Began rehab assignment

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .397, Caden Bodine
OBP: .442, Caden Bodine
SLG: .629, Caden Bodine
HR: 5, Taitn Gray
wRC+: 184, Caden Bodine
SB: 12, Alberth Palma

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.96, Trey Pooser
FIP: 2.01, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 38.3%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 3.9%, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIP: 0.79, Aidan Cremarosa
AVG: .172, Jacob Kuhn
WHIFF%: 18.9%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #7 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .247/.314/.403 | 29.1 K% | 5.8 BB% | 3 HR | 4 SB | 96 wRC+ | 86 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/2: Activated from the IL
• #9 Brendan Summerhill
  • A: .188/.235/.375 | 23.5 K% | 3.9 BB% | 3 HR | 0 SB | 62 wRC+ | 51 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/11: Began a rehab assignment with the CPX Rays

The Cubs were the hottest team in baseball for most of the past week, winning their first five games of the week against the Reds and Rangers, the last five of their second 10-game winning streak of the year, which also extended their home winning streak to 15 (and an 18-5 record at Wrigley Field in 2026).

Then, clunk… no runs scored at all over the last two games.

Still, it was a successful week, all things considered. Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.

Three up

Michael Conforto has found his role

Conforto hadn’t played much since he filled in for Seiya Suzuki while the latter was out for the first 12 games of the season.

But Craig Counsell gave Conforto some playing time against the Reds and Rangers and his bat came alive. He batted .500/.588/1.143 (7-for-14) with three doubles and two home runs.

One of those homers walked off the Reds last Monday [VIDEO].

Conforto has certainly earned more playing time.

Michael Busch’s bat has also gotten hot

Busch got off to a terrible start this year, but lately he has been hitting like the guy who hit 34 home runs for the Cubs a year ago.

For the week, Busch batted .348/.500/.500 (8-for-23) with a double, a home run, six RBI and seven walks. And since he bottomed out with a .377 (!) OPS after the game of April 11, Busch is batting .302/.414/.479 (29-for-96) with six doubles, a triple, three home runs, 17 walks and 21 RBI in 26 games, one of the biggest reasons the Cubs are 21-5 in those games.

Busch also walked off a game against the Reds last week [VIDEO].

Shōta Imanaga is dominant again

Imanaga is flashing the form that got him an All-Star selection and fifth place in Cy Young voting in 2024. It seems clear that he had never fully recovered last year from the hamstring injury. Now 100 percent healthy, Imanaga has a 28.3 percent strikeout rate and just a 7.0 percent walk rate.

He’s also getting tons of swing-and-miss. ranking seventh in MLB with a 32.8 percent whiff rate, which is notable given that Shōta doesn’t throw 95+ like everyone else on the list ahead of him.

Here are his 10 Ks against the Reds last Thursday [VIDEO].

Honorable mention to Ben Brown for his four no-hit innings against the Rangers on Friday.

Three down

What is going on with Alex Bregman?

Sometimes Bregman hits for a while — .333 /.400/.456 for a 13-game span from April 11-24.

And then he doesn’t — .174/.296/.217 (4-for-23) over the past week, though with four walks. His .328 season OBP does provide some value, but he’s got just five doubles, a triple and three home runs in 159 at-bats. That’s not the guy the Cubs thought they were getting.

Craig Counsell gave Bregman Sunday off. Hopefully the extra day will help him reset.

He’s still solid at third base. Check out this slick play he made last Wednesday [VIDEO].

Moisés Ballesteros is in an awful slump

The Cubs DH/catcher (mostly DH) started the season out hot, so much so that it was hard to remember that he’s just 22 years old.

The league appears to have adjusted to him. He was 0-for-16 over the week and Sunday, he struck out three times (okay, so those were all by Jacob deGrom, a very tough pitcher).

Ballesteros can hit, no question about it. But he will now also have to make adjustments. If he can’t, I would not be opposed to sending him to Triple-A Iowa for a short time, if for nothing else than to help him get his confidence back.

Edward Cabrera got hit pretty hard

Cabrera made two starts during the week and allowed 16 hits and three walks over 11 innings (1.727 WHIP), and eight earned runs (6.55 ERA). He did strike out 14, and overall has a 22.4 percent K rate, down a bit from his 25.8 percent rate a year ago. I still think Cabrera is a perfectly solid starter and he’ll be fine.

Here’s an interesting thread about Cabrera. Worth keeping an eye on these things.

Edward Cabrera is throwing slower with different mechanics and pitch shapes.

Let's talk about this in a thread. I'll frame each post here as a question/answer.

1/8

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) May 10, 2026

Perhaps the Cubs are trying to manage his workload in a way that will keep him healthy this year, which has been an issue for him in the past. As always, we await developments.

I do my best to try and avoid ever thinking about the Tampa Bay Rays, but they have forced themselves upon my attention with some excellent play across the season’s first quarter. I’m writing this as Logan Henderson delivers his first pitch to Trent Grisham, and Tampa’s .658 winning percentage has them nominally atop the AL East, with two games in hand over the Yankees.

It’s a little rudimentary in 2026 to immediately look at run differential, but the Yankees should have an extra win with their strong +74, even after a weekend with strong Milwaukee pitching, and the Rays should be six games back of them with just a +17 differential. By BaseRuns, which intends to neutralize sequencing, the difference is more stark, indicating that the Yankees should have a seven-game lead in the East.

But of course there’s what should have happened and what has actually happened, and the Rays have banked those additional five or six wins early. A good chunk of those wins have come on two fronts: home field advantage, and one-run games. The club is 14-4 at the Tropicana House of Horrors, and while that .778 winning percentage will not hold up through August and September, the Rays have always felt an outsized impact of their home cooking.

The last season they played in Tropicana, 2024, the Rays were not a good team, finishing 80-82. They were a paltry .469 team on the road, and 50 basis points better than that at home. In 2023, a much stronger Rays team before a couple tough seasons, they were nearly a hundred basis points better when sleeping in their own beds. I think the 2026 Rays team is better than the squad we’ve seen in the past two years, but probably not a 92-win side. The Curse of the Trop is likely to continue into the summer, but they’ll win less than three-quarters of their remaining home games.

The one-run game phenomenon is a little harder to project out. One-run games are a product of sequencing and bullpen performance, both of which can be extremely volatile over the course of the season. A groundball to the right side after a leadoff double puts you in a great position to push a run across, but that same groundball to the right side when you yourself lead off an inning objectively hurts your chances at scoring. This is the problem that BaseRuns attempts to solve for: the compelling variable is that a batter hit a ground ball to the right side, which generally speaking does not create a lot of runs. This kind of volatility, where the outcome is dependent on a pre-established context, usually means that this stuff balances out over a season.

What’s more interesting is that the Rays don’t really have a particularly strong bullpen — 15th in baseball by ERA, 21st by FIP, 19th by K-BB rate. This is something the club could fix on the trade market, but between the unpredictability of sequencing and the fact the relief corps at present doesn’t frighten me, that 8-1 record in one-run games should start to close up a little bit.

Of course all of this is subject to devil magic, and it’s been a little while since we saw good old classic Tampa Bay Devil Magic. The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent, and the Rays can employ sorcery for longer than it takes for randomness to normalize. The Yankees looked perhaps the worst they’ve looked all year when they played Tampa, of course down at Tropicana, and keeping an eye on the devil magic meter will remain a concern all summer.

Are these two teams evenly matched?

Historically, yes.  When these two teams met in the regular season, the Rangers won 32 games and the Diamondbacks won 31 games.  Against all teams, they were nearly equal in runs scored per game (4.5 vs 4.6) and runs allowed per game (4.7 vs 4.6).

Last Season, perhaps not.  When these teams met in the regular season, the Diamondbacks won more games (4 vs 2).  Against all teams, the Diamondbacks had more runs scored per game (4.9 vs 4.2), while allowing more runs allowed (4.8 vs 3.7).

This Season, probably not.   As of 7 May, four websites projected more wins for the Rangers.  The Ranger projections range between 81.0 and 86.4 wins.  The Diamondbacks projections are tightly bunched (79.4 to 80.3 wins).

In May, both teams are on a cold streak. In May, in games through 8 May, the Rangers lost 5 games out of 7, while the Diamondbacks lost 6 games out of 7. Whichever team loses the three game series may need their players to do a mental reset.

Which Ranger player will be at second base? 

Each player is barely 27 years old, although this season is Duran’s fifth in the Majors. Ezequiel Duran has recently been on a hot streak (OPS of .976 in the 14 days through 6 May).  However, on 7 May, the recently called up Justin Foscue played second base and Duran played left field. 

Pitching Matchups.

Monday, 5:05 PM MST.

Michael Soroka.  In his latest start, pitching against the Pirates, with some help by excellent Diamondbacks defenders he allowed only 1 earned run in 6.1 innings pitched.  The only Diamondbacks starter with a better ERA is Eduardo Rodriguez.

Nathan Eovaldi.  In his latest start, pitching against the Yankees, he allowed only 1 earned run in 8 innings pitched.  Of the five Rangers starters, only Jacob deGrom has a better ERA.

This matchup of starting pitchers is even.

Tuesday, 5:05 PM MST.

Zac Gallen.On 25 April, a comeback hit his shoulder. Before that incident, this season he started 6 games with an ERA of 3.14.  After that day, he started two games.  He allowed a total of 10 earned runs in 9.2 innings pitched.  How long until he returns to his earlier pitching prowess?

MacKenzie Gore. In his latest start, pitching against the Yankees, he allowed 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. 

This matchup of starting pitchers is even, but with some unpredictability.

Wednesday, 5:05 PM MST.

Ryne Nelson. He has pitched well this season except for 2 games in April. In May, he allowed 2 earned runs in 12.1 innings pitched.

Kumar Rocker. Although he pitched well in April, in May he allowed 8 earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Diamondbacks.