ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 9: Justin Foscue #14 of the Texas Rangers runs the bases after hitting his first Major League home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on May 9, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Chicago Cubs did not score a run.
Welcome to The Shed, Chicago.
Pure usual Rangers anti-scoring energy radiated from the Arlington den where the dreadful ley lines for impotent RISP ability seem deeply rooted. Luckily, those undesirable powers wafted from the home dugout over the visitors and the National League’s best and hottest club turned 13 scoring chances into zero runs while stranding eleven runners.
Meanwhile, the team that might as well hold the patent on runless scoring chances collected four hits with RISP in nine such opportunities to plate six runs. Those six runs equaled Texas’ home high-water mark along with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh back in late April.
Fresh off winning their tenth in a row last night in the series opener, the Cubs were made to take the place of the Rangers in run production misery. It was like watching two teams swapping fates akin to a zany ‘80s comedy where a straight laced nerd wakes up in the body of a charming popular kid.
It was an odd game in many respects as the Cubs wore down Rangers starter Jack Leiter with five walks and had him out of the game after 97 pitches and just 4 2/3 innings but they still came away with nothing to show for it.
Meanwhile, for Texas, several unlikely sources picked tonight to contribute. The top of the lineup went 0-for-11 with a walk but the bottom four produced six hits and five of the six RBIs.
As the Rangers sent the Cubs to the loss column for the first time in eleven games, they’ve earned a much-needed win and have a shot to claim the series in Sunday’s finale.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung had three more hits, including a home run. Alejandro Osuna had two hits and drove in two. Joc Pederson doubled and drove in a run.
But, No. 9 hitter Justin Foscue laced a solo home run for the first of his big league career. Foscue has notably had a pretty miserable go of it in the majors in a few stints over the last few seasons, so getting that first home run was special for the former first-rounder.
Up Next: The Rangers close out this series and this treacherous 40-game stretch to begin the season with RHP Jacob deGrom expected to pitch for Texas against RHP James Taillon for Chicago.
The Sunday afternoon Mother’s Day finale from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
The Mets lost the second game of this weekend's three-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending up on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel in a 2-1 loss.
Takeaways
New York RHP Clay Holmes has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts this season. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two in 5.2 IP. Holmes (4-3, 1.86 ERA) was the tough-luck loser after throwing 64 strikes on 103 pitches -- one short of his career-high 104 that he threw in last June's 7-1 loss at the Atlanta Braves -- and continuing to be nails as the Mets (15-24) struggle offensively. Ildemaro Vargas's two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning was the difference, but Holmes rebounded by retiring the next nine batters before Nolan Arenado's two-out single three frames later ended Holmes's night.
As a result of Holmes's quality start, New York did not need to dig into its bullpen much. It tapped Austin Warren, who recorded the sixth inning's final out before pitching a scoreless seventh and handing the ball to Craig Kimbrel for the eighth. Kimbrel walked the frame's first two batters before settling in and retiring the next three, including an inning-ending Lourdes Gurriel Jr. strikeout swinging on an 86.2 mph sweeper to keep the score at 2-1. Beyond Holmes, Warren and Kimbrel kept the Mets in the game and give the bullpen a breather entering Sunday's finale.
Batting seventh,Brett Baty bounced back from an 0-for-4 line in Friday's 3-1 win by driving home the Mets' only run of Saturday's game. With two outs in the second inning, Baty picked up Marcus Semien's single by splitting the right-center gap for an RBI double that drew first blood and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Leadoff-hittingJuan Soto's back-to-back games without a hit featured an intentional walk in the fifth inning that took the bat out of his hands when he could have done some damage. After Tyrone Taylor's two-out double, the Diamondbacks put Soto on and Bo Bichette's flyout to left field stranded the Mets while staying down 2-1.
Who's the MVP?
Merrill Kelly, who outdueled Holmes by allowing one run on three hits in seven frames. Kelly fanned six and walked three while throwing 58 strikes on 96 pitches for the Diamondbacks (18-20), who lost seven of their previous eight games before they evened the series Saturday.
Sunday's 4:10 p.m. game on SNY, the series finale between the Mets and Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, has southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 2.50 ERA) set to start for Arizona. New York manager Carlos Mendoza said before Saturday's game that the Mets would name a starter after assessing the bullpen's usage. After Saturday's game, New York announced Huascar Brazobán (2-0, 1.53 ERA) as Sunday's starter.
May 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Coming into 2026, Michael Wacha had been the epitome of consistency for the Royals. If you saw he was starting, you could mark down ~6 innings and a couple of runs scored pretty much every time. Every once in a while, he’d get torched, slightly more often than that, he’d pitch a gem. 2026 has been different, though, at least in terms of what we can consistently expect from the 34-year-old.
Wacha made his eighth start tonight and pitched seven shutout innings. If you look at it primarily from an innings-pitched perspective, half of those starts have been 7+ innings with 2 or fewer runs allowed. If you focus on the runs-allowed perspective, he’s thrown 3 games where he didn’t give up a run and all were at least 6 innings. No matter how you slice it, 3/4 of his outings have been Quality Starts, allowing 3 runs or fewer and pitching 6 runs or more. None of those quality starts saw him give up more than 2 runs. It’s been a remarkable stretch. I keep meaning to dedicate a full article to describing how well he has pitched and why, but other things keep coming up. Now I’m a bit afraid to jinx him. But we can praise him liberally in this space, as we have had reason to do all year.
Matt Strahm pitched the eighth and gave up a run on two hits and a strikeout. It happens. Better to happen when you’re pitching with a five-run lead. Steven Cruz was given the ninth inning. In his first outing since he was demoted, Cruz looked like the guy we saw for so much of last year. He struck out a pair in a clean inning. It would be very nice to be able to slot him into the late-innings picture with Strahm, Daniel Lynch IV, and Lucas Erceg.
The Royals’ offense scored five runs, but I think we have to admit they got a little lucky with that. They did it on only 6 hits and 2 walks. The only way you accomplish that is with very good sequencing, which requires a fair bit of luck. That’s especially true when you take into account that they ran into 3 outs on the bases. Meaning they reached base 8 times, scored 5, and ran into bad outs 3 times. That’s a bit silly.
After Wacha pitched a very efficient first inning, the Royals decided to do some efficient scoring in the bottom of the inning. Maikel Garcia smoked a double into the left-center gap on the second pitch from opener and old friend Burch Smith. Bobby Witt Jr. smoked the third pitch he saw just fair down the first base line. It seemed a sure RBI double, but Kerry Carpenter whiffed on his attempt to cut the ball off, and it shot around the corner and into right field as balls like that often do. It became an inside-the-park home run for Bobby, his fifth dinger of the year.
Vinnie singled to right ahead of a Salvy flyout, and Smith was pulled for lefty Tyler Holton to face Carter and Cags. Carter Jensen hit a ball down the left field line that he and Vinnie hustled into a double, but Jac Caglianone hit a grounder to the right side, and Carter took off for third, allowing the Tigers to throw behind him. Eventually, Vinnie was tagged out heading for home.
In the fourth inning, after bulk man Ty Madden had come in, Salvy made another out, and Carter and Cags each singled to put runners at first and third with one out. Lane Thomas struck out swinging on a fastball down the middle, but Michael Massey picked him up.
Watching live, I thought that one had a chance to split the outfielders. But it kept not dropping, and I became convinced it was going to be caught. But then I saw the outfielders didn’t seem to be setting up to catch it, and it finally became a home run! It turns out that Massey smoked it at 103.9 MPH. Go watch that swing at that pitch above and tell me that looks like 104 off the bat. If you’re wondering why Massey plays, that’s why. He’s got some easy power for a middle infielder.
And those are all of the hits the Royals had. So, yeah, sequencing wins. So many of the Royals’ home runs this year have come with the bases empty. If the Royals had led 2-0 instead of 5-0, who knows how different the energy would have been and whether the Tigers might have been able to mount a comeback. But it was 5-0, the energy was completely sapped out of the Tigers, and the Royals won.
That guarantees the Royals a winning homestand. That gives them their third straight winning homestand or road trip. That, my friends, is how you make up ground. If the Royals lose tomorrow, remember that hit sequencing matters for scoring runs, but it doesn’t matter what order the wins come in and if you’d have been excited if the Royals lost Friday night and won the next two, be excited for the record following the homestand being a step better. If you need another way to understand it, the Royals are not only second in the division following this win, they’re firmly in the third AL Wild Card spot. That’s how ridiculous the season has been in the AL so far. This isn’t nearly over.
Of course, the Royals do have a chance to complete the sweep for the third straight weekend tomorrow. The game will be on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball once again, scheduled at 6:20 KC time. Noah Cameron (5.40 ERA) will take the mound again after being cleared from his back tightness. The Tigers originally planned to have Framber Valdez go, but he’s currently serving a suspension for throwing at a player and inciting a brawl earlier this week. They’ve still got TBA listed on MLB, and I can’t find any rumors anywhere else. So your guess is as good as mine. Fingers crossed the Royals score a bunch of runs regardless.
Mar 6, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain first baseman BJ Murray (7) hits a single during the first inning against Mexico at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jordan Wicks didn’t look great, but he did managed to keep the Clippers from scoring for four innings. So the results were great. His final line was no runs on two hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out four.
The win went to Zac Leigh because Wicks didn’t go five innings. Leigh allowed one run on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out three.
Iowa had 17 hits this afternoon and everyone in the lineup had at least one.
In the third inning, DH BJ Murray hit a solo home run, his sixth of the season. Murray went 2 for 5 with a walk, a double and the home run. He scored three times.
In the fifth inning, right fielder Kevin Alcántara hit his league-leading 13 home run 417 feet with the bases empty. Alcántara was 1 for 4 with two walks. He scored three times.
First baseman Jonathon Long went 3 for 5 with a double. Long drove home two and scored once.
Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 4 with a sac fly and an RBI double. He drove in three runs total and scored twice.
Left fielder Owen Miller was 3 for 4 with an RBI triple and a walk. He scored once and had two total RBI.
Ben Cowles was was 2 for 2 with a double. He scored one run.
Some great defense from shortstop Scott Kingery, who was 1 for 2 at the plate.
Tyler Schlaffer put in a strong start with five scoreless innings and just one hit. He struck out seven and walked just one.
Jackson Kirkpatrick relieved Schlaffer and gave up three runs and the lead in the top of the sixth. But he ended up getting the win when the Smokies came back in the bottom of the inning. Kirkpatrick’s final line was three runs, but only one earned, on no hits and three walks. He struck out two.
Vince Reilly pitched the final two innings, didn’t allow a run or a hit and collected the save. Reilly struck out five and walked one.
The Smokies took and early 2-0 lead on DH Ariel Armas’ first home run of the year. Armas went 1 for 4 with a walk and the two RBI.
The Smokies tied it back up in the sixth on a solo home run by catcher Owen Ayers. It was Ayers’ tenth overall home run and fourth in Double-A. Ayers was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Right fielder Alex Ramirez tripled right after Ayers’ home run and scored the eventual winning run on an Edgar Alvarez sac fly. Ramirez was 3 for 4 with the triple and two runs scored. Alvarez was 0 for 1 with a walk and the sac fly.
Cole Reynolds got out of the first inning with no runs, but he let the first five batters of the second inning reach, and all five of them came around to score. Reynolds ended up getting the loss after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks over 1+ innings. He struck out one.
Shortstop Ty Southisene is having little trouble adapting to High-A. Today he was a perfect 2 for 2 with a triple and two walks. He also stole a base. Southisene is now hitting .417 with a .483 OBP over six games with South Bend. Southisene scored twice and drove in two.
Catcher Justin Stransky went 3 for 4 and scored one run.
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After last night’s exciting extra innings win against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Colorado Rockies took the field at Citizen’s Bank Park today looking to have a three-game winning streak. It would have been a great way to rebound after their six-game losing streak they snapped earlier in the week.
Sadly, the streak was not to be.
A slump-busting Alec Boehm led the Phillies offense to a commanding nine-run victory, and the Rockies had little to offer as a response.
Freefall
After giving up a leadoff single and stolen base to the speedy Trea Turner, left-handed starter Kyle Freeland showed some of his best stuff, recording six straight outs with three strikeouts.
Then everything fell apart in the third inning.
Freeland allowed five earned runs on six hits in a third inning that started with a home run, two singles, and another home run before he recorded his first out. After his first out, he gave up a double and single for another run.
While eventually he stopped the bleeding, the Phillies had already rocketed ahead.
Freeland settled down somewhat in the next two innings. He did give up a solo home run to start the fourth inning—Alec Boehm’s second of the game. The Phillies did score a seventh run in the fifth inning, but it was unearned due to a defensive miscue at shortstop by Willie Castro. Freeland’s final line for the game saw him dinged for seven runs—six earned—on ten hits and three home runs over five innings before he was replaced by Tanner Gordon.
Much like Freeland, Tanner Gordon looked sharp through his first two innings of work. He gave up just one hit and struck out two batters without issuing a walk or giving up an earned run. However, also like Freeland, things fell apart in his third inning of work.
Gordon kicked off the bottom of the eighth inning by giving up two singles followed by a bases clearing Alec Boehm double. He sat down the next three batters in quick succession, including with another strikeout, but the damage was done and the game was severely out of reach for the Rockies offense heading into the top of the ninth inning.
The Rockies used up all the offense last night
Things started out on a relatively promising note for the Rockies against Phillies starter Aaron Nola. They struck out just twice over the first four innings and seemed to have some momentum after last night’s extra innings affair.
Willi Castro kicked things off with a solo home run in the second inning.
The Rockies then rallied in the fourth to keep the game within striking distance despite Kyle Freeland’s difficult third inning of work. A Troy Johnston single and a walk drawn by Jake McCarthy thanks to a well-used ABS challenge set the table for Kyle Karros. Karros doubled to plate both runners.
Unfortunately, the Rockies offense did very little of note the rest of the game. They had two runners on in the fifth but failed to plate a run from the opportunity. From the sixth inning onward, nine out of the Rockies’ final ten batters were set down—punctuated in the eighth when TJ Rumfield was hit by a pitch. Seven of those batters struck out.
Coming Up Next:
The Rockies still have a chance to bounce back and win the series tomorrow morning. The right-handed Tomoyuki Sugano will look to continue a string of strong starts against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 AM MDT.
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) looks on after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Alec Bohm has been under fire lately and justifiably so. He’s been one of the worst hitters in the game this year and came under question, even in these here pages, about his viability as a regular in the lineup. Don Mattingly sat him down for two days to give him a reset, but openly wondered about his place in the starting lineup.
Tonight at least, Bohm was king. And the Phillies reaped the rewards.
After losing Bryce Harper early due to migraines and falling behind to the Rockies in the second thanks to a Willi Castro home run, the outcome looked bleak. When Aaron Nola, the starting pitcher, falls behind like that, it feels like a long night again is in store. Yet Nola was able to battle on the evening, giving his offense a chance to battle back on their part. In the third, Bohm did just that, tying the game with one swing.
Adolis Garcia doubled, Edmundo Sosa singled and the lead stretched to 5-1. Who is this team?
Nola, though, did give a few back in the fourth when Kyle Karros hit a two-run double to make the score 5-3, yet that was where it would remain for a bit. Nola was actually pretty decent on the evening, a contrast to most of his April starts, and kept the Rockies at bay the remainder of his outing. Meanwhile, Bohm decided to have another.
A sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh made the score 7-3 while the Phillies’ bullpen took over. Tim Mayza, Tanner Banks, Chase Shugart and Orion Kerkering combined to go 4 1/3 innings on the evening without giving up a hit or a walk. They were outstanding.
Then Alec Bohm hit another ball down the line to score two more runs and it was officially the “Alec Bohm Game” for this season.
Listen, the criticism levied at Bohm was, as said before, justifiable and fair. He just hasn’t been good this year, regardless of whatever is going on off the field. He has tried to work through it, but Mattingly wisely saw that maybe a few games off would be the best thing for him and the team. It worked tonight like a charm (an Elmo-sized influence notwithstanding). Will it continue? Let’s find out.
Apr 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) celebrates in the dugout after the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Wrobleski has started three of the Dodgers’ eight fastest games this season, averaging two hours, 34 minutes over his five starts.
Bryce Elder has been collecting outs himself for Atlanta, with a 2.02 ERA and 2.83 xERA through eight starts and 49 innings. He’s pitched at least six innings in each of his last four starts.
May 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Once again, the Detroit Tigers did not swing the bats well in this one. The makeshift pitching combination didn’t actually do that badly, but they aren’t scoring any runs, and they watched another player go down with a potential injury as Kerry Carpenter left the game after crashing into the wall on a play in the first inning that cost the Tigers a run defensively. No one is feeling sorry for them, and several guys are going to need to step up or they’re going to be fully cooked by the time they get any help back from the injured list.
Once again, things did not start off very well. Michael Wacha went through the order 1-2-3 in the top of the first. Opener Burch Smith saw Maikel Garcia line one into the left center field gap and outhustle Matt Vierling’s play on the ball into a double. Bobby Witt Jr. sliced a ball down the right field line and Kerry Carpenter overplayed it, banging into the wall while the ball rattled away into the corner. Witt Jr. sped around the bases with a two-run inside the park home run, which was a bit of home cooking from the official scorer, but whatever. Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a single, and a big, bad inning was already looming three batters in. Smith popped up Salvador Perez, but the plan was blown up from the start, and AJ Hinch came out to turn things over to Tyler Holton.
Carter Jensen got into a 1-1 count and then lined a drive down the left field line for a double, moving Pasquantino to third. Fortunately, with the infield in, Jac Caglianone grounded one to McKinstry, who checked Pasquantino for a moment and flipped to first. Jensen didn’t get the memo and ran on contact from second and was picked off as Torkelson threw to McGonigle at second. That left Pasquantino no choice but to run home with two outs and try to induce some chaos. Instead, Kevin McGonigle fired home to Jake Rogers to apply the tag and end what could’ve been a really bad inning. 2-0 Royals.
Wacha punched out Riley Greene to start the second inning, and Dillon Dingler got a first pitch sinker and flew out to right field. Kerry Carpenter chopped a bouncer to Michael Massey at second, but he had to try and rush it and instead failed to catch the baseball, and so far this was a pretty messy game on both sides. Wacha stayed away from Spencer Torkelson into a 3-0 count, then fired a fastball down the middle that Tork hit about 450 feet foul to left. Another sinker on the outer edge got a whiff, and once again the Tigers couldn’t make an opponent pay for their mistakes the way opponents are routinely doing to the Tigers right now.
Holton quickly retired Lane Thomas and Massey on weak contact in the bottom of the second, and Kyle Isbel grounded out to McKinstry to end the inning.
Now it was the Royals who couldn’t play the field, as McKinstry grounded one to Pasquantino and he just flat out clanged it as it rode up on him and then into shallow right field. The official scorer decided it was an error, but it gave the Tigers the leadoff man on base, and McKinstry promptly stole second without a throw. Jake Rogers was looking for something he could poke to right field behind the runner, but in a 2-2 count Wacha smelled this out and painted the inside corner for strike three. McGonigle drove a ball out to Caglianone at the warning track for the second out, and McKinstry tagged and took third. Vierling grounded out to Massey to end the threat.
Carpenter came out of the game at this point, with his left shoulder banged up from the collision, and Wenceel Pérez took over in right field. Is it Ben Malgeri time? Can Zack Short play right field? These are questions that can’t be avoided because everything sucks right now.
Ty Madden’s turn as the “bulk” guy, which isn’t exactly a friendly descriptor, began in the bottom of the third. Maikel Garcia pulled a chopper that Colt Keith had to jump and pull it down, and then uncorked a somewhat wild throw to first. Torkelson had to take his foot off the bag to catch it, but Garcia wasn’t exactly busting it down the line thinking he’d made an out, and so he did make an out. Witt pulled a sharp grounder that took a weird kick and McGonigle clanged it off the backhand, allowing Witt to reach. However, Madden then picked off Witt, who blew a tire trying to get back to first base, so that play didn’t hurt the Tigers. Pasquantino grounded out to McGonigle to end a very peculiar first three innings of baseball.
Avert your eyes, children, this baseball is unclean. Anyway, Keith struck out, Greene popped out, and Dingler grounded out in the fourth.
Madden was off to a solid start, and opened the bottom of the fourth by whiffing Sal Perez on a slider. He got a little wild against the left-handed hitting Jensen, missing a bit with several cutters and walking him. He fell behind against Caglionone as well, and the big right fielder got a fastball and pulled a grounder into right field as Jensen went first to third. In a 3-2 count against Lane Thomas, Madden fired a heater right down the middle and Thomas was late on 93 mph. So, there were two outs, and escape was at hand if Madden could get Massey, but left-handers have always been a problem for Madden. A first pitch cutter up was a strike. The second pitch cutter up in the zone was launched to right center field for a three-run bomb. Isbel grounded out to end the inning, but it was 5-0 Royals.
Wenceel Pérez flew out to right field to open the fifth, but Spencer Torkelson doubled to left and then took third on a wild pitch to Zach McKinstry. The infielder walked, but Jake Rogers lifted a shallow fly to right that wasn’t deep enough for Torkelson to score on. So, it was up to McGonigle. Wacha got ahead 0-2 with the help of a good challenge by Jensen on the first pitch of the AB, but Wacha pulled a cutter and hit McGonigle in the arm to load the bases. Vierling watched a 1-0 sinker just below the magnetic center of the strike zone, and then a swung at a changeup almost in the dirt and grounded out weakly to Witt to end the inning.
Madden came back out and walked Garcia to start the bottom half, bringing up the heart of the Royals order with the leadoff man on. That’s not a good idea, but Witt ulimately popped out to McKinstry. Jake Rogers then cut down Garcia trying to steal on a perfect throw to McGonigle. Caglianone whiffed on a cutter, and Madden had walked the tightrope.
Colt Keith opened the sixth with a pop-out. Riley Greene walked but Dingler tapped one back to Wacha for the second out as Riley moved to second. That left it to Pérez, who took a changeup on the top rail for strike three.
Madden punched out Sal Perez on a slider down and away to start the bottom half. Jensen hit a little dying quail into left field but Keith made a nice play running out there and snaring it over the shoulder before it got down. Caglianone whiffed on a slider to strike out, and we were on to the seventh, still 5-0 Royals.
The Tigers went in order without a hard hit ball in the top of the seventh as Wacha continued to cruise through them with absolute ease.
Madden got flyouts from Thomas and Massey in the bottom of the seventh. Isbel lined one back to Madden off the end of the bat and he snared it for the final out. Five decent innings from Ty Madden. He lost his command for a while in the fourth and fifth, wasting some counts where he was ahead, and he paid for it with Massey’s three-run shot, but for the most part he did depth starter things and was fine. Rogers did a really nice job leading him through it.
On the other hand, the offense is absolutely DOA right now. Losing Carpenter wouldn’t necessarily hurt much because he’s been pretty poor this year, but the Tigers don’t exactly have a stockpile of outfielders left to draw from with Parker Meadows and Javier Báez already injured.
Lefty Matt Strahm succeeded Wacha in the eighth, and McGonigle flicked a sinker the opposite way for a single to start the inning. Vierling worked into a full count and then chased a slider well down for strike three. Hao-Yu Lee hit for Colt Keith as Hinch searched for someone other than McGonigle, Greene, and Torkelson who can hit right now. Lee flew out to right field, and that left it up to Greene. The Tigers left fielder drove a ball to right field and Caglianone laid out for it and missed. McGonigle raced first to home, while Greene cruised into second with a double. 5-1 Royals. That was all they’d get as Dingler lifted a routine fly ball to Caglianone.
Madden kept going in the bottom of the eighth. Garcia flicked a soft liner to third base that Lee handled. McGonigle handled a slow grounder from Witt Jr. and did a nice job charging it and getting the ball to first quickly for the second out. Pasquantino grounded out to Torkelson to end the inning, making that 11 straight retired by Madden.
Hard throwing Steven Cruz came on to close this one out. Pérez grounded out, Torkelson took a slider for strike three, and McKinstry struck out as well to end it.
The Tigers are now 18-22 at the 40-game mark, as the Royals take command of second place in the AL Central. With the White Sox leading the Mariners as of this writing, the Tigers could be in fourth place just ahead of the Twins by the time the night is over.
Right-hander Beau Brieske made his second successful rehab appearance in Lakeland on Saturday. His velocity looks good and he should be transferred to Toledo pretty soon to complete the process.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 8, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts towards the bullpen after hitting his 100th homer as a Dodger against Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on May 8, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Blake Snell makes his season debut against Spencer Strider.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 26: Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Miami Marlins in the top of the fifth inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is a weird day. The San Francisco Giants traded their two-time Gold Glove catcher and then, a few hours later, placed their two-time All-Star starting pitcher on the 15-Day Injured List. And yet, through it all, the games must go on, and the Giants still have a date with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight.
Landen Roupp makes the start for the Giants, as he looks to build on his great season. The 27-year old right-hander has made seven starts this season, and is 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA, a 2.65 FIP, and 43 strikeouts against 16 walks in 39.2 innings. He’s looking to bounce back from his worst start of the year, when he allowed four runs in 4.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s Braxton Ashcraft, a 26-year old right-hander in his second season. Ashcraft has made seven starts this year, and is 1-2 with a 3.02 ERA, a 2.99 FIP, and 45 strikeouts against 14 walks in 41.2 innings. He’s coming off his best start, when he pitched 7.2 shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds.
If the sun is blocked at some point Sunday by clouds passing over Dodger Stadium, Freddie Freeman won’t move his sunglasses to the brim of his cap.
He doesn’t want his shades to obscure the Dodgers’ logo.
Former Braves manager Bobby Cox died Saturday at age 84. AP
“It will be on the back of my hat,” Freeman said. “That’s Bobby. Bobby’s still in me.”
Freeman smiled often Saturday as he told stories of his first MLB manager, Bobby Cox, whose death was announced earlier in the day by the Braves. The Dodgers are in the middle of a three-game series against the Braves.
Cox, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, was 84.
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A September call-up in Cox’s final season as a manager, in 2010, Freeman’s time with the Braves didn’t overlap much with Cox’s. However, Freeman said Cox had an oversized influence on him.
“A manager who relentlessly had our backs,” said Freeman, who was in the Braves’ major-league spring training camp in each of Cox’s last two years.
Freeman recalled walking into the Braves’ clubhouse for the first time on Sept. 1, 2010, and seeing a lineup card on which he was listed as the team’s No. 6 hitter.
“I almost threw up,” Freeman said.
Freeman was staring into space in front of his locker when Cox walked over. The manager dropped an expletive, which was followed by a question: “What took you so long to get here to the big leagues?”
“All the nerves immediately went away,” Freeman said.
Dodgers star Freddie Freeman shared his favorite Bobby Cox stories on Saturday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Freeman said everyone who was in Cox’s orbit had stories like that.
“A lot of how the game goes is already played out before the game,” Freeman said. “There’s meetings with pitching coaches, who’s available, who’s down, but the managers that can connect with you as a person, that’s what makes a great manager. And that’s what Bobby was.”
Freeman’s favorite memory of Cox wasn’t even from a baseball field or clubhouse. In spring training of 2017, Freeman and his wife were out to dinner with their then-6-month-old son, Charlie. They ran into Cox and his wife.
“To see Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, the joy on his face when he saw my 6-month-old son, that’s the stuff I will never forget,” Freeman said.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 3: Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on May 3, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the San Francisco Giants looking to grab a win.
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MILWAUKEE — The biggest Yankees workhorse over the past two seasons is ready to get back in the saddle.
Nearly seven months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur, Carlos Rodón is set to return from the injured list Sunday to make his season debut against the Brewers at American Family Field.
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The left-hander will do so with an unfamiliar feeling: no longer pitching through discomfort.
Across an MLB-high 33 starts last season, and even for some time before then, Rodón had limited range of motion with his left arm — making everyday tasks like buttoning his shirt difficult — which he had learned to pitch through, and pitch well. He posted a 3.09 ERA with 203 strikeouts across 195 ¹/₃ innings and finished sixth in the American League Cy Young voting.
Now, after spending much of his rehab process rediscovering how to harness the extended range of motion that he was not used to, Rodón is about to find out how it plays on a big league mound.
“I just want to go out there and compete,” Rodón said Saturday. “I know I can still do this.”
After right hamstring tightness in late March slightly delayed his buildup, the 33-year-old made three rehab starts, getting up to 83 pitches and 6 ¹/₃ innings Tuesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He will likely be limited to a pitch count around that same range Sunday as the Yankees ease him back in.
Carlos Rodón of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, during a game against the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park on Tuesday May 5, 2026. Arthur Mansavage for NY Post
“This being probably my third time through a lengthy rehab process, I have some experience, although most people don’t want to really say that,” Rodón said. “Just [leaning] back on those times and working on the craft and trying to get back here and help the team.”
Aaron Boone acknowledged that Rodón, who admitted not being good at staying patient, would have liked to be back pitching in the big leagues a few turns sooner. But the manager is looking forward to getting him back Sunday.
“Feel like he’s had a good couple months, even in and around the hamstring that didn’t trip him up too much,” Boone said.
Rodón’s return gets the Yankees one step closer to having their full rotation, with Gerrit Cole possibly joining it by the end of the month after he makes two or three more rehab starts in his own comeback from Tommy John surgery.
The Yankees rotation has gotten off to a terrific start without the two veterans, entering Saturday with a 3.09 ERA (the second best mark in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers’ 2.95) and a 4.9 fWAR (which was the best in the majors). Much of that has been thanks to Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, though Will Warren and Ryan Weathers have been strong in their own rights, with the rotation providing the backbone for the AL-best 26-13 record coming into Saturday.
Carlos Rodon throwing during a spring training workout. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“They’ve been impeccable,” Rodón said.
But adding Rodón — whose 370 ¹/₃ innings from 2024-2025 were the fifth most in the majors and 3.50 ERA the 20th best during that span — into the mix has the potential to make the Yankees even better.
In his first few starts back, Rodón’s command and velocity will bear watching. He only walked three batters in 16 innings during his rehab process, though he acknowledged at various points of his comeback that he was still relearning his arm path after compensating for the limited range of motion in recent years.
As for the velocity, part of the reason why Rodón finally underwent the surgery in October was because his four-seam fastball velocity took a fairly significant step down last season — averaging 94.1 mph compared to 95.4 mph in 2024. In his final rehab start Tuesday, Rodón’s four-seamer averaged 93.3 mph, though that number is expected to tick up a bit when he gets the adrenaline back of pitching in the major leagues.
Just how much that accounts for in miles per hour remains to be seen, but after staying patient throughout a lengthy rehab process, Rodón is champing at the bit to find out.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 08: Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (23) reacts after being called out at home trying to score during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 8, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Join us and discuss tonight’s game in the comments below, as the Braves look to even up their series against the Dodgers in LA!
Game Info
Game Time: Saturday, May 9th, 9:10 pm EDT
Location: UNIGLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 8: Otto Lopez #6 of the Miami Marlins reacts after being tagged out by CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals at second base during the eighth inning at loanDepot park on May 8, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nationals had a chance to get back to .500 this afternoon and after the first couple innings, it looked like they would pull it off. They were all over Marlins starter Janson Junk early. However, when the game got turned over to Zack Littell and Mitchell Parker, things went off the rails.
As we mentioned, things started so well in this late afternoon showdown. For the third time this season, James Wood hit a leadoff home run. It was a towering 442 foot shot that went way into the second deck. Seeing Wood really get a hold of a ball is truly a joy to watch.
After the Wood homer, Luis Garcia Jr., Brady House and CJ Abrams got three straight hits. Before you could even blink an eye it was 3-0 Nats. The same sort of thing happened last night, but this time it was even faster. Last night the Nats could not add on and were lucky to escape with a victory.
This time the Nats scored on a sac fly after a CJ Abrams triple. However, the offense went quiet after that. The Nats did not score between that Lile sac fly and the ninth inning. While the Nationals were in an offensive malaise, the Marlins struck.
Once Zack Littell entered the game, the momentum really shifted. Littell has probably been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. He is fooling absolutely nobody, and even in a bulk relief role he struggled. Even the outs he was getting were loud outs.
Littell did not totally melt down in this one, but he allowed the Marlins to slowly chip away. In the 4th, he allowed a home run on an absolute meatball to Kyle Stowers. Nats pitchers got punished for hanging their offspeed pitches all afternoon in this one. All three Marlins homers came on secondary pitches right down the middle.
The Nats led 4-0 after three innings. The Marlins have responded seven unanswered runs, thanks in large part to three big homers on pitches over the middle of the plate.
Littell was also not helped by his defense. CJ Abrams made an error for the second straight game, and has really gone back to old habits defensively. He looked great on defense the first week or two of the season, but that has shifted in a big way. While Abrams is a superstar at the plate, he might be the worst defender of any everyday shortstop. His -5 OAA ranks in the 1st percentile.
Littell was not convincing at all, but he did maintain the lead for the Nats in his four innings of work. However, I am not sure how much longer you can continue with this experiment. He just has not had it in a Nats uniform.
Mitchell Parker had looked promising in a multi-inning relief role before this game, but today was not his day. After giving up a game tying home run and limping his way through the 7th inning, that much was clear. However, Blake Butera decided to stick to his plan and roll out Parker for a second inning.
That decision backfired in a huge way. Parker’s command was just completely off today. He was unable to consistently throw his fastball in the zone and his slider was just hanging on a tee for Marlins hitters. After a single and a walk, Parker allowed a gut punch of a homer to Jakob Marsee. It was on yet another hanging slider.
He was unable to stop the bleeding there either. Still in the game, Parker allowed a double to Esteury Ruiz before Blake Butera finally pulled him, a move he made way too late. Butera went to Zak Kent, who allowed the inherited runner to score, but stopped the bleeding there.
It was a major gut punch and the game felt all but over, but the Nats had one last rally in them. Jose Tena led off the inning with a double, and then the light hitting Drew Millas drove him in with an RBI knock. With the top of the order coming up, the boys were in business.
James Wood made the game even more interesting with an RBI double on a rope to left field. Luis Garcia Jr. drove him in with yet another hit. It was now 8-7 Marlins with a runner at second base. Joey Wiemer would pinch run for Garcia, but his base running would cost the Nats. Pinch hitter Jorbit Vivas hit a ground ball to third, and Wiemer was caught between second and third base. He got tagged out trying to scramble back to second.
That meant the game would be up to CJ Abrams. There was only a runner on first now, but the Nats had the right man in the box. The Marlins went to a lefty out of the bullpen, and unfortunately, the move paid off. Abrams got under an 0-2 sweeper and flew out to left to end the ball game.
This was a really frustrating loss. The Nats were in control for most of the contest, but allowed the Marlins to wrestle that control away. Sloppy mistakes were just scattered across this contest. I did not think Blake Butera had his best game either. The Nats had a chance to get to .500 and they blew it. Now the boys need to brush off that disappointing loss and go for the series win tomorrow afternoon.
