Category: Baseball

The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:

Jeremy Pena is looking forward to re-joining the Astros:

Jake Meyers said he is ready to get back:

Meanwhile, Jose Altuve is IL bound:

While no two players or two injuries are identical, Brian McTaggart did give a reasonable case for how long Altuve may be out:

The Astros don’t expect Hunter Brown back until mid-June:

Braden Shewmake, who stands to be the primary replacement for Jose Altuve, had a solid week last week vs. Mariners & Rangers:

What’s wrong with Cam Smith? Astros hitting coach Vic Rodriguez thinks he knows (maybe with an assist from Jose Altuve):

Brice Matthews flashed some leather yesterday:

It has only taken the Phillies 23 days to get from 10 games under to a winning record. Here’s how it happened:

The Padres just swept the Mariners and are neck and neck with the Dodgers in the NL West:

Bo Bichette signed a massive deal this offseason. He’s had a tough start, but wants to live up to his deal:

The Twins had a 3-3 week (stop me if you’ve heard this before), taking a 2-1 series against the Marlins, which included an incredible Bailey Ober “Maddux”, and then dropping two games to the Brewers during “Rivalry Weekend” in the MLB. We might have seen the last of Matt Wallner in a Twins uniform after he was sent down to Triple-A, and Simeon Woods-Richardson’s scheduled start today is getting skipped in favor of a bullpen game, so things are slowly changing in the Twins dugout. With Byron Buxton’s absence in the last few games due to an injury, Austin Martin has batted leadoff for the last four games with mixed results. A three-game series against the equally hapless Houston Astros and a weekend series in Fenway await the Twins this week.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• We’re starting a new segment called Daily Questions! Provide your opinion on the Twins and debate with the community!
• Game threads and recaps are back! Commiserate with your fellow fans as we experience the season together.
• Zach Koenig evaluates Ryan Jeffers’ place among catchers in Twins history.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Dan Hayes at The Athletic provides his thoughts on what the Twins should do with Royce Lewis.
• Betsy Helfand at the Pioneer Press looks at how Austin Martin’s role is growing this season.
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage checks in on Aaron Sabato’s development in St. Paul this year.

In the World of Baseball:

• The Rays have increased their lead to 3.0 games over the Yankees. The Guardians and White Sox are a game apart in the AL Central competition, while the A’s have a one-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers.
• Atlanta has also increased their gap over the Cubs and Dodgers to 3.0 games.
• The Mets broke a 96-game losing streak in games where they trailed after eight innings after rookie Carson Benge hit a walk-off single in the 10th to lead the Mets over the Yankees.
• In one of the more interesting baseball plays this week, Double-A Biloxi gave up an inside-the-park home run after right fielder Damon Keith landed on top of the ball and got it stuck in the outfield grass.

The Jays start a four-game series with the Yankees at Yankee Stadium tonight.

Tonight it is Patrick Corbin (1-1, 3,93) vs. Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.00).

Tuesday: Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.41) vs. Will Warren (5-1, 3.42).

Wednesday: Trey Yesavage (1-1, 1.40) vs. Cam Schlittler (6-1, 1.35)

Thursday: Bullpen Day, likely with Spencer Myles (1-0, 2.55) doing the bulk of the work vs. Carlos Rodón (0-1, 5.63).

As much as it has been all doom and gloom around the Jays, they are only one game back from the last Wild Card spot. On May 18th last year they were 22-24, three games out of the Wild Card spot. So there is hope, but they better start hitting soon. I’ve been in New York when the Jays were swept in a four-game series, it isn’t much fun.

Kazuma Okamoto, after a really hot stretch, has two hits in his last five games (.111/.227/.167) and is .225/.319/.375 in his last 11. I said, yesterday, that maybe he should move up in the batter’s box again.

Vladimir Guerrero is .136/.231/.273 in his last six games and .143/.229/.214 in his last 12. As much as the home run was great to see, we really need him to start hitting.

Ernie Clement is .158/.200/.158 in his last 6 and .256/.267/.326 in his last 12. And he seems to be taking his hitting issues out to second base. Fangraphs has him at a -5 Outs Above Average (last year he was a +5 at second base) and he’s made 4 errors.

Davis Schneider is .182/.308/.182 over his last six games. His playing time has dropped with his batting average below a buck fifty this year.

George Springer is .100/.182/.100 in his last five. I’d say it was his toe but he wasn’t hitting all that much better before that. His bat speed is still good, but he seems to be popping everything up.

And, even with the two home run game Andrés Giménez isn’t hitting a lot, .200/.238/.550 (slugging is good because of the homers) in his last six and .179/.195/.359 in his last 12.

Myles Straw is .143/.250/.143 in his last five, but that’s limited playing time.

Brandon Valenzuela is .167/.333/.167 in his last six games.

On the good side:

Daulton Varsho is one of the few who is hitting, .310/.383/.476 over his last 12 games.

Jesús Sánchez is also hitting .429/.400/.500 in his last 6 and .290/.324/.419 in his last 12.

Yohendrick Pinango is hitting .227/.292/.409 in his last six and .286/.324/.429 in his last 10. Not quite what he was doing when he first came up, but not bad.

Shi Davidi has a nice profile on Pinango on the Sportsnet page. Yohendrick’s father was killed when he was a young boy and he has a tattoo on his arm of his father with fu en cielo, yo en la tierra, un solo comazon written underneath. You are in heaven, I’m on earth, one heart.

His father played profession basketball.

Pinango also said:

“I had in my mind that this year I was going to be in the big-leagues – I wasn’t expecting to be here this soon,” said Pinango. “But my goal was to be here at some point this year.”

The lips on his neck? “When you are young, you do things”. I’d imagine alcohol was involved.

Dan Bellino had a bad day yesterday, but the teams didn’t do any better on the challenges:

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The Chicago White Sox visit the Seattle Mariners for a midweek series with momentum on their side.

After winning two out of three over the first-place Cubs, the Sox have won their last three series and five of the last six. Meanwhile, the Mariners have lost three in a row and six of the last nine.

That’s why my White Sox vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks call for a Chicago road win.

Who will win White Sox vs Mariners today: White Sox (+150)

The Chicago White Sox have won seven of eight and are three games better than the Seattle Mariners. While they’re on the road and starting a less experienced pitcher, this is still a lopsided underdog price.

Chicago has scored 5+ runs in the last six games and eight of the last nine, averaging 6.2 runs per game over that stretch, which includes scoring 16 in three games against Seattle.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo’s fastball hasn’t been as effective as it was last season, while Chicago rookie Noah Schultz has better hit and homer per nine rates this season.

COVERS INTEL: Bryan Woo has lost about 40 revolutions of spin on both his four-seamer and sinker, and batters have noticed. They’re hitting more than 50 points higher against each pitch, while swinging and missing far less often.

White Sox vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-106)

The Mariners have plated four or fewer in seven of the last nine, and J.P. Crawford left Sunday’s game after getting hit by a pitch. Seattle called up top prospect Colt Emerson, who had an .816 OPS in Triple-A and should add power to the left side of the infield.

Seattle scored 12 runs against Chicago earlier this month and could put up some runs against Schultz, who struggles with control. He’s walking more than six batters per nine, which could be trouble against a Mariners lineup that ranks third in the AL in walks drawn.  

White Sox vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: White Sox +150 | Mariners -165
• Run line: White Sox +1.5 (-160) | Mariners -1.5 (+135)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-106) | Under 7.5 (-118)

White Sox vs Mariners trend

The White Sox have cashed the moneyline in 17 of their last 25 games for +10.75 units and a 41% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Mariners.

How to watch White Sox vs Mariners and game info

White Sox vs Mariners latest injuries

White Sox vs Mariners weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn't played since injuring his calf on April 22 and hasn't yet resumed baseball activities, but it's possible he will be able to return in June.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on Monday that there's "hope" that Lindor "may be back in about a month," adding that the Mets aren't putting a timetable on things.

Lindor underwent a follow-up MRI last week that showed healing. 

"Now we’re moving to the phase of the strength part, moving to the weight room before he starts his running progression," manager Carlos Mendoza said about Lindor last Thursday. "Positive sign, we’ve just gotta let it heal."

There has been a bit of mystery surrounding Lindor's injury, with the team not disclosing the grade of the calf strain and not giving an estimate regarding his timeline.

By all indications, though, there is nothing going on beyond a calf injury that is simply more serious than the kind of strain Juan Soto was able to return from in roughly three weeks. 

After starting the season in an offensive funk, Lindor was heating up at the plate before getting hurt, hitting .286 in 14 games between April 7 and 22.

The injury to Lindor is the most important one the Mets are dealing with, but their lineup is also without three other regulars -- Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr.

Alvarez is recovering from meniscus surgery, while Robert's back is not improving. As far as Polanco, he was been running and hitting as he works his way back from an Achilles issue that he will likely have to play through.

Well, maybe it wasn’t a phantom IL stint after all? The Red Sox have reported that Trevor Story, rather than battling a minor “groin issue,” has a sports hernia that could require surgery, keeping him out for up to ten weeks. Though for what it’s worth, Story himself sounds a little hesitant: “We’re still unsure, but [surgery is possible.] Still trying to diagnose it, the severity of it, because we’ve got a couple of different opinions.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

So with the news that Story could be on the shelf until the second half of the season, we have a little more clarity on what’s going to happen at shortstop. Marcelo Mayer will start working out there in anticipation of moving across the bag if Story goes under the knife. Of course, he doesn’t sound like he needs much prep time: “Obviously, that’s home to me. That’s where I’ve played my whole life. And we’ve had some discussions, going to get some reps there in practice whenever I can. But wherever Trace [tells] you to play, that’s what it’s going to be, whether it’s short, third, second. I’m just here to help the team.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Marcelo Mayer sure looks like he handle shortstop with the glove. But can he hit enough to be an everyday plaer in the big leagues? Here’s a look at the new Red Sox hitting coach who is going to try to turn Mayer’s offensive season around, John Soteropulos, the former Driveline coach and Red Sox minor league hitting coordinator. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

Of course Soteropulos has a lot of work to do with the entire lineup, not just Mayer. The Red Sox offense continues to be shockingly bad. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

Brayan Bello isn’t hurt like Story; he’s just been mostly terrible to start the season. And with Garrett Crochet hoping for a May 1 return, his time in the starting rotation may be coming to an end. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Bello’s battery mate in yesterday’s game may find himself with some time off, too, though not because of poor performance. Carlos Narvaez left yesterday’s game after experiencing some pain in his middle finger. X-rays were negative, though, and he is considered day-to-day:

The pitching’s a mess and the lineup is a disappointment. Which team am I talking about?

Arizona has just 3 more home runs as a team than the Giants (40 to 37) and a sub-average offensive production (95 wRC+). That’s with Corbin Carroll having an MVP-caliber start to the season, a resurgent Nolan Arenado, a surprise in journeyman Ildemaro Vargas, and the always reliable Ketel Marte in the lineup. The Giants thought they had their best lineup since 2021, if not the championship era, and it’s cruising around 10% worse than league average.

Arizona’s pitching has been about as valuable as the Giants’ (2.2 fWAR to 2.0), but when you split it into starters and relievers, the Giants have managed to get solid performances out of three starters (Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, and Trevor McDonald) compared to Arizona’s two (Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka). Meanwhile, Arizona’s relievers are better at avoiding walks (by 1.75 BB/9) and striking out batters a bit better than the Giants’ pen, giving them a slight edge in value there, by around a win above replacement.

On the other hand, Arizona’s been great on defense: +5.5 Defensive Runs Above Average — 6th in MLB, and a full 10 runs (or 1 win) better than the Giants (-5.5 Def).

But let’s circle back to that disastrous rotation the Diamondbacks are sporting. Here’s what it looks like:

Eduardo Rodriguez, 2.53 ERA
Ryne Nelson, 5.40 ERA
Michael Soroka, 3.49 ERA
Zac Gallen, 5.02 ERA
Merrill Kelly, 5.91 ERA

Rodriguez was a hot commodity around the 2023 trade deadline until he made it clear that he didn’t want to be traded. The Diamondbacks signed him that offseason and in the first two years of the deal, he posted a 5+ ERA. They’re finally seeing some strong positive value in year 3, but it’s worth noting that the 2.53 ERA is betrayed by a 3.85 ERA and the Giants won’t see him in this series! Meanwhile, Michael Soroka was once a promising arm for Atlanta whose career was derailed by injuries. He’s back with Arizona and have a great reclamation project season. The Giants will miss him, too.

But the rest?

Even after all the drama that followed Zac Gallen’s first foray into free agency, he has come back looking like the wornout arm we saw last year. Ryne Nelson has managed to frustrate the Giants before (2-0, 3.05 ERA in 44.1 IP), but he’s allowed 9 home runs in 9 starts. Merrill Kelly was traded to the Rangers last deadline and then re-signed with Arizona, but the 37-year old has been bad — though, it must be noted, his last start was a complete game in Colorado where he gave up a solo home run. The start before that was 7 innings of 1-run ball at home against the Mets.

Are the Giants bats heated up enough to do some damage against a vulnerable staff? How Devers, Adames, and Chapman do against a “Please Hit Me” trio of starters could be very telling about how all three will do this season.

In terms of their fearsome lineup, it’s Corbin Carroll, Ildemaro Vargas, and Nolan Arenado who’ve been consistently threatening. Ketel Marte is still 20% below the league average, Gabriel Moreno is around 25% worse. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo is backing up his 7-WAR 2025 with a very slow start in 2026 (sub-100 wRC+ and -100 points of slug). Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was close to league average last season (95 wRC+) but has been really bad this season (61 wRC+) — though, it must be noted he’s 6-for-his-last-17 with 2 doubles and a homer.

It’s a scary lineup if everyone’s clicking and it’s possible that a bat or two beyond Carroll, Vargas, and Arenado are close enough to create real problems for the Giants. It’ll be an interesting test to see if the Giants’ ability to frustrate their NL West opponents is only possible against the Dodgers and Padres and not the two other teams in their division, because on paper, the Diamondbacks look like they could really frustrate the Giants.

Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (20-27) at Arizona Diamondbacks (22-23)
Where: Chase Field | Phoenix, Arizona
When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:40pm PT, Wednesday at 12:40pm PT
National broadcasts: None.

Projected starters
Monday: Robbie Ray (LHP 3-5, 3.04 ERA) vs. Zac Gallen (RHP 1-4, 5.02 ERA)
Tuesday: Landen Roupp (RHP 5-4, 3.49 ERA) vs. Ryne Nelson (RHP 1-3, 5.40 ERA)
Wednesday: Tyler Mahle (RHP 1-5, 5.59 ERA) vs. Merrill Kelly (RHP 3-3, 5.91 ERA)

Players to watch

Diamondbacks (besides Corbin Carroll)

Ildemaro Vargas: The infielder is having the best season of his career at age 34 and it comes on his third stint with the Diamondbacks. This is a wacky transaction log!

In 2026, he went to Arizona’s Spring Training as an NRI and earned his way onto the major league roster from there. He has a .903 OPS so far this season and has hit about as well as Munetaka Murakami, Bryce Harper, and Nick Kurtz. He’s always done fine against the Giants (career .720 OPS), so we’ll see if his hot streak is just a streak or if he goes off on our favorite team in such a way that we know that he’s simply having one of those years.

Nolan Arenado: The Cardinals tried very hard to trade him the past two offseasons and finally found a taker in the Diamondbacks, who will pay him just $11 million of the $42 million owed to him over this season and next. In 2022, he was worth 7.2 fWAR, but in the three seasons that followed, just 6.8 total. Here in his age-35 season, he’s hitting 25% better than league average (125 wRC+) thanks to a .798 OPS. Time has taken away enough of his physicality that he’s no longer the demigod defender at the hot corner of days gone by — we have seen him make some unbelievable defense plays against the Giants over the years, that’s for sure — but he’s still adequate. Coupled with a resurgent bat, it’s plausible that we’ll be cursing his name before the end of the series just like old times.

Paul Sewald: He’s sort of like their Ryan Walker in that he backed into the closer role by accident. Arizona traded for him in 2023 as part of their World Series run. He was on the team in 2024 but sort of fell apart as their closer and left as a free agent. He played for two teams last season and then this past offseason the Diamondbacks re-signed him and he’s back to being their closer. He has just 1 blown save on record, but 4 losses already. Could his vulnerability give the Giants an opening late in one of these games?

Giants

Daniel Susac: Maybe it’s me, but I can’t shake the feeling that Buster Posey shoved aside Patrick Bailey for Daniel Susac because of batting average. I’d like to believe that the front office hasn’t bought into the equivalent of magic beans in the form of a small sample size heater in a position that had basically been a black hole of production in the lineup. The Diamondbacks-Giants matchup used to feature two of the best defense catchers in the sport — Bailey vs. Gabriel Moreno — but the focus has become “will Daniel Susac hit a single?”

Jung Hoo Lee: He ended April slashing .297/.344/.441 but has fallen off here in May. His pinch-hit RBI single in yesterday’s win raised his May line to just .215/.250/.292. He has a career .607 OPS at Chase Field, suggesting that his slump will be prolonged for at least a few more days. Then again, Arizona’s rotation has been Athletics/Rockies/Nationals bad, so it’s as good a time as any for that bat to get going again.

Robbie Ray: In 5+ seasons for the Diamondbacks, he made 147 starts and one All-Star appearance. He has a 3-0, 3.15 ERA in 3 starts (21 IP) against his former team, including a 102-pitch complete game last July. It’s not too early to start putting him on lists for “players who will be traded this season,” which means each start will be watched not just by scouts, but by fans salivating at the prospect of the team acquiring, um, err, a prospect for him near the deadline. Regrettably, he’s likely to net something in the range of what Tyler Rogers brought back for the Giants: 2-3 prospects near the bottom of the trading team’s top 10 or outside of it altogether.

Bryce Eldridge: Throwing him in here because either as a pinch hitter or a starter, Arizona’s righties would seem to have a lot to offer a masher looking to get his bat going. The rotation gives up a lot of home runs!

Tony Vitello Watch

There was a moment before the Vitello hire that Torey Lovullo’s job was maybe not so secure despite a World Series appearance just two years prior. In that brief bit of time I wondered if maybe the Giants might try to poach Lovullo a la Bruce Bochy from San Diego. His modest success in Arizona aside (686-715 a month and a half into his 10th season with two postseason appearances), he seems like the kind of player-centric and stats-second manager Buster Posey would want. He does a regular radio hit on MLB Network Radio and sounds like a good guy and the type of energy the Giants’ manager position needed in a post-Bochy/Kapler/Melvin period. It didn’t work out that way and instead the Giants signed a guy whose name sort of sounds like Torey Lovullo.

Tony Vitello, Torey Lovullo. Torey Lovullo, Tony Vitello.

Lovullo. Vitello. Lovullo. Vitello.

Torey. Tony. Torey. Tony.

Prediction time

Those are some rough numbers from Arizona’s starters. It stands to reason that the Giants should win a game in this series for that fact alone.

Reggie Jackson arrived at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 1977 with a chip on his shoulder. In part, it was because that was his natural state. But he had something in particular to prove that day. Despite winning a trio of championships — and the 1973 World Series MVP — in Oakland, he had yet to show what he could do in New York. After Jackson went 3-for-22 through the first seven games of the Yankees’ postseason run in ‘77, team captain Thurman Munson sarcastically dubbed him “Mr. October,” a snarky reminder of how his larger-than-life persona was not yet lining up with his results on the field.

Reggie responded, going 5-for-11 with two long balls in the next three games as the Yankees took a 3-2 series lead over the Dodgers. But it was on this day that he’d metamorphose from superstar into legend, transforming a snide moniker into an earnest superlative.

Reginald Martinez “Reggie” Jackson
Born: May 18, 1946 (Abington, PA)
Yankees Tenure: 1977-81

Reggie grew up in a working class family within a more affluent suburb of Philadelphia, where he was often among the only people of color in his classes at school. He was an extraordinary athlete, excelling in several sports in high school before narrowing his interests to baseball and football at Arizona State University. After his sophomore year there, the Kansas City Athletics took him second overall in the 1966 MLB Draft. With the first pick that year, the Mets selected Steve Chilcott, a catcher who never made it to the big leagues. Jackson would later claim the Mets passed him over because he had a white girlfriend.

In 1967, Jackson played for the Double-A Birmingham A’s. This relocation led to culture shock for the 21-year-old, who was forced to deal with the tail end of the Jim Crow era in the South. Upon his return to that team’s home ballpark, Rickwood Field, nearly 60 years later, he eloquently and emotionally recounted his experience dealing with segregation that threatened both his career and his life. Instead of pulling quotes from the below clip, I’d encourage you to watch it in full so you can hear from Reggie in his own voice.

Despite facing the adversity with which most of his teammates and opponents did not have to contend, Jackson’s talent shone through. In 114 games that season, he slashed .293/.372/.562 and earned a call to The Show. For the first time in his career, he struggled, hitting just .178 for Kansas City before getting sent back down. After helping Birmingham to a first-place finish back at Double-A, Reggie closed the chapter on minor-league baseball.

Jackson earned the starting right field job with the nascent Oakland Athletics before the 1968 season and was an instant star. He hit 29 home runs in 553 at-bats while striking out 171 times, the first of four straight years in which he’d lead the league in that category. He’d follow up that breakout campaign with the best year of his career. By early July in ‘69 the phenom already had 34 home runs, ahead of Roger Maris’ record-breaking 61-homer pace. That brought Jackson national media attention. “Microphones were shoved in my face for the first time,” he would later say. “Fans grabbed and screeched for autographs.” By his own account, this onslaught got to him, limiting him to one homer in September. He finished the season with a career-high 47 dingers, a league-leading 1.018 OPS, and valuable experience about handling pressure.

Reggie would play six more years in Oakland, helping the team ascend from afterthought to perennial contender while winning AL MVP honors in 1973. That run culminated in five AL West titles and the only three-peat in MLB history by a franchise other than the Yankees, from 1972-74. A nasty leg injury sustained in the 1972 ALCS victory over Detroit prevented him from participating in the first of those A’s World Series, but he absolutely made his presence felt in the latter two against the Mets and Dodgers. Jackson hit .302 with a .400 on-base percentage in those Fall Classics, establishing himself as a playoff MVP and seasoned postseason performer while still in his 20s.

Before the 1976 season, with his franchise disassembling and amidst contentious contract talks with his homegrown superstar—and the new concept of free agency on the horizon—A’s owner Charlie Finley traded Jackson to the Orioles. Despite the glory to come, he would later say that “the eight years I spent in Oakland were the best baseball years of my life.”

After a single successful year in Baltimore, Jackson hit free agency at 30 years old. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner pounced, signing him to a five-year, $2.96 million compact that made him the team’s highest-paid player. It’s hard to believe now, but the Yankees were actually outbid by the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres. Steinbrenner won Jackson over with the allure of being a star in New York City. The expectations that came with that contract, paired with Jackson’s bravado and the existing tensions within the “Bronx Zoo” clubhouse of the era, led to a tumultuous first season in pinstripes.

In a June article that would become the stuff of legend, Reggie was quoted as saying, “This team, it all flows from me. I’m the straw that stirs the drink. Maybe I should say me and Munson, but he can only stir it bad.” Jackson continues to deny having made the comments, though the damage was done. When told Reggie had claimed he was misquoted, Munson supposedly retorted, “For 12 fucking pages?”

An even more contentious relationship developed between Jackson and his manager, Billy Martin. “He lied to people,” Jackson later wrote of his skipper. “That was his history. He lied to the general manager; he lied to the owner. He lied to players all the time, which was a big reason why he wore out his welcome.”

The drama bubbled over in public view on June 18th. During a nationally televised game, Martin pulled his star right fielder mid-inning, accusing him of not hustling. The two got into a shouting match in the dugout and likely would have come to blows if not for coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard separating them.

As was a trend throughout his career, this rancor did not prevent Jackson from performing, as he posted a .925 OPS with 32 homers and 110 RBI as the Yankees won 100 games and the AL East title. And, after getting swept by the Reds in the World Series the year prior, the newly christened “Mr. October” helped the Yankees to their first title since 1962, hitting three home runs to punctuate the decisive Game Six victory.

The distinctive title by which he remains best known became something of a double-edged sword. “I’ve got to live with it both ways,” Mr. October said in 1980. “It’s tough to have a big name like this when you’re not hitting, but I don’t mind the name. I just don’t want to be ridiculed.”

There would be nothing to ridicule in 1978, when Reggie hit .417 with four homers in the postseason as the Yankees repeated against Los Angeles — now managed by Bob Lemon instead of Martin, who had resigned shortly after insulting Jackson and Steinbrenner to the media in July. While he posted a typically excellent season in 1979, the loss of Munson in a mid-season plane crash was a crushing blow which dulled the Yankees’ momentum as they missed the playoffs altogether.

Although Martin had briefly returned in the latter part of the ’79 season, there would be less manager/star tension heading into the new decade. An offseason brawl with a marshmallow salesman led to Martin’s second dismissal, and he was replaced by the level-headed Dick Howser. Jackson felt more supported by the level-headed Howser, who had previously been a longtime Yankees coach. Reggie would have perhaps his best regular season in pinstripes in 1980 under Howser, hitting .300 with 41 homers while finishing runner-up to George Brett for AL MVP, but the Yankees got swept by Brett’s Royals in the ALCS.

1981 would be Jackson’s last year as a Yankee, now teamed up with a new superstar outfielder who joined the team in free agency, Dave Winfield. At the age of 35, Jackson looked somewhat diminished, playing in 94 games and hitting just .237. He was back for the playoffs, performing well in another pennant run as the Yankees fell to the Dodgers .

With Winfield effectively replacing him in the middle of the order, Jackson exited, signing a five-year deal with the California Angels. In total, he’d hit 144 home runs while batting .328/.417/.672 with 12 homers and a 1.090 OPS in 34 playoff games, netting two rings during his five years in New York. That cemented a legacy which would later earn him a spot in Monument Park.

Jackson’s five years with the Angels were a mixed bag, punctuated by an MLB-leading 39 home runs for a division-winning team in 1982, slugging No. 500 in 1984, and a memorable appearance in The Naked Gun. He played one more season, his 21st in the MLB, at the age of 41 in 1987, returning to Oakland to round out his career while playing with ascendant stars José Canseco and Mark McGwire. Reggie’s 563 home runs and big game pedigree earned him first-ballot induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Reggie went in with a Yankees cap despite spending twice as many years with the A’s, a sign of how much he personally valued his time in the Bronx. The Yankees retired his No. 44 the same year and followed with a Monument Park plaque in 2002. He was a fixture at the club’s Old-Timers’ Days and the spring training facility for many years, a tradition that concluded when he became a special advisor to the Astros in 2021 but could one day resume after he departed that role in the fall of 2024.

Reggie Jackson remains a true icon of the game, the type who commands attention whenever he speaks and whose exploits on the field are intrinsic to the story of Major League Baseball. Join us in wishing a very happy 80th birthday to Mr. October.

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

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

TUESDAY

A.J. Ewing became the second Met this year, along with Carson Benge, to reach base three times in their MLB debut. It’s the first time the Mets have had two such debuts in the same season in franchise history. 

The 2026 Mets also became the first team in history to have multiple players reach base three times, record an RBI, and record a stolen base in their major league debut. 

Ewing became the first Met to walk three times and triple in one game since Brandon Nimmo, the Mets’ previous No. 9, on May 26, 2023, at Coors Field. Ewing also became the first Met to do it at Citi Field and the second player overall along with the Phillies’ César Hernández on September 22, 2016—a game you might remember. 

The Mets scored 10 runs against the Tigers in Queens for the second time. The first came on June 22, 2010, when another player made their major league debut with a little less success than Ewing. Tigers reliever Jay Sborz hit the first two batters he faced and allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning, marking his first and only major league appearance. But thirteen years later, his brother Josh closed out the 2023 World Series.

Freddy Peralta generated 11 whiffs on his fastball, the most on a Mets pitcher’s fastball since Tylor Megill against the Rays on June 14, 2025.

WEDNESDAY

Carson Benge became the first Mets rookie to record a walk-off RBI since Patrick Mazeika, who did so twice within his first week in the Majors on a pair of fielder’s choices in May 2021. Benge became the first Mets rookie to record a walk-off hit since Travis Taijeron off future Met A.J. Minter on September 26, 2017. It was the last of Taijeron’s nine hits in the big leagues.

THURSDAY

The Mets hit five home runs in a game for the first time since August 29, 2025, during Jonah Tong’s debut against the Marlins at Citi Field. The Mets also hit all five home runs at 104+ mph, marking just the third time in the Statcast era (since 2015) they’ve hit five homers with that high an exit velocity. The other times were April 6, 2019 (against the Nationals at Citi Field) and September 5, 2023 (against the Nationals in Washington). Patrick Corbin started both games, giving up three of the 104+ mph homers in each one.

Juan Soto hit his 250th career home run to become the 10th-youngest player to reach that total behind. In alphabetical order, only these players did it at a younger age: Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr., Andruw Jones, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez. Of that group, none came close to Soto’s total of 911 walks at the time of their 250th homer, and only three (Griffey, Jones, Rodriguez) surpassed his 96 stolen bases.

Carson Benge became the first Mets rookie with three consecutive multi-hit games since Pete Alonso from September 16-18, 2019.

A.J. Ewing became the second Met to score a run in each of his first three major league games. Benny Ayala was the first to do it in 1974.

Nolan McLean received the win for the first time since April 3 in San Francisco. In his previous six starts, he had totaled 35 innings and allowed just 11 earned runs while receiving no wins. The last Mets pitcher to have a six-game stretch with that many innings pitched, that few earned runs allowed, and no wins was Steven Matz, and the last right-hander to do it was Jacob deGrom. Both Matz and deGrom accomplished the unlucky feat in 2018.

The Mets earned their first series sweep since August 25-27, 2025, against the Phillies at Citi Field, a series which also concluded with a McLean win (though the series MVP was arguably SNY’s parabolic microphones).

FRIDAY

Juan Soto became the eighth player to homer for both the Mets and Yankees in the Subway Series, joining Robin Ventura, Tony Clark, Miguel Cairo, Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Beltrán, and Robinson Canó.

Cam Schlittler generated 17 whiffs on fastballs against the Mets. The last pitcher to generate that many fastball whiffs in a single game against the Mets was Saturday night’s starter, Carlos Rodón, on April 20, 2022, as a member of the Giants.

With 1.2 scoreless innings, Austin Warren became just the fifth Met with an ERA below 0.75 and 15+ strikeouts through nine appearances to begin a season. The others are Tug McGraw (1971, 1972), Armando Benítez (1999), Jacob deGrom (2021), and Reed Garrett (2024). It’s worth noting that all these pitchers were relievers, who maintained their minuscule ERA over 25 IP or fewer — except for deGrom, who had a 0.62 ERA through 58 IP after nine starts in 2021.

SATURDAY

Carson Benge became the first Mets rookie with 10 hits in a five-game span since Pete Alonso from August 15-20, 2019.

SUNDAY

A.J. Ewing became just the fourth player in baseball history with multiple three-walk performances in their first six career games, joining: Bobby Estalella (1935), Earle Brucker (1937), and Jim Gilliam (1953).

Ewing also became the fifth Met to reach base 12 times in their first six career games, joining: Mike Vail, Kazuo Matsui, Mike Jacobs, and Daniel Murphy. Ewing and Matsui are the only two players in Mets history to walk seven times in their first six career games.

The Mets have won 14 of their last 19 games at Citi Field against the Yankees, dating back to June 10, 2018. 

The Mets earned their 11th walk-off win against the Yankees, and their first since Brandon Nimmo’s double off Nick Ramirez on June 14, 2023.

Tyrone Taylor’s three-run, game-tying homer had a 48.3% WPA (Win Probability Added), the second-most of any Mets plate appearance this year behind Luis Robert’s walk-off homer on March 28 (48.7% WPA). No other Mets plate appearance has yielded greater than 33.9% WPA.

Taylor’s homer was also the Mets’ first game-tying homer when down to their final out since Francisco Alvarez took Andrew Chafin deep with the Mets down 1-0 in Arizona on July 5, 2023. Alvarez also had the Mets’ prior homer of that variety against Jason Adam and the Rays on May 17, 2023 — exactly three years before Taylor’s blast.

Taylor’s homer was also the Mets’ first game-tying homer by an outfielder when down to their final out or final two outs since Michael Conforto took Kyle Barraclough deep on September 13, 2018. Soon after Taylor’s blast on Sunday, Conforto hit an eerily similar three-run, game-tying homer in the ninth inning for the Cubs against the White Sox. It was Conforto’s first game-tying homer with his team down to their final out or final two outs since that September afternoon almost eight years ago.

Carson Benge became the first Met to record two walk-off RBI within five days since Patrick Mazeika, who did it on May 7, 2021, and May 11, 2021. It’s only fitting that Benge’s second walk-off came on a fielder’s choice, Mazeika’s patented play.

Benge also became one of two Mets to deliver a walk-off RBI against the Yankees at age 23 or younger. The other was David Wright, who did so in another 7-6 game almost exactly 20 years earlier on May 19, 2006, when he was just 33 days older than Benge.

The Mets overcame a deficit of three or more runs in the 9th inning to win against the Yankees for the first time in Subway Series history. The largest 9th-inning comeback by either side came when the Yankees scored four runs in the ninth to beat the Mets on…May 20, 2006 — the day after Wright’s walk-off.

The Mets won a game while trailing after eight innings for the first time since Game 3 of the 2024 Wild Card Series, when Pete Alonso hit a homer off Sunday’s winning pitcher, Devin Willams. The winless streak in those situations had reached 96 games, including regular season and postseason.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:
Ron Swoboda is baseball’s all-time leader in walk-off walks with four. All four came with the Mets between 1966 and 1970:

April 17, 1966 vs. ATL (facing Billy O’Dell)
July 9, 1967 vs. ATL (facing Claude Raymond)
June 1, 1969 vs. SF (facing Joe Gibbon)
July 7, 1970 vs. STL (facing Sal Campisi)

The Cubs just completed a 3-6 road trip. They were outscored 41-33 and those numbers are only that “good” because the first game of the trip was a 7-1 win over the Rangers.

After that they were shut out twice and had some bullpen failures.

Hopefully, some home cooking this week will help them get back on track. Even with the bad week, going 2-4 in Atlanta and on the South Side, the Cubs still lead the NL Central by 1.5 games.

Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.

Three up

Alex Bregman’s bat is heating up

Bregman is on an eight-game hitting streak. Over the six games in Atlanta and against the White Sox, Bregman batted .385/.429/.538 (10-for-26) with a double, a home run, three RBI and six runs scored. Now that the weather is getting warmer, hopefully Bregman’s power will return. He has hit just four home runs in 46 games so far this year.

Ben Brown seems to have taken to being a starter

After no-hitting the Rangers for four innings, Brown continued his good pitching with four one-hit innings against the Braves on Thursday. He struck out seven [VIDEO].

In addition, he has an improved pitch mix [VIDEO].

Maybe this starting pitcher thing will work out for him after all.

Jacob Webb has become a member of the Circle of Trust

Webb had a rough start to his 2026 season but over the week, threw 3.1 scoreless innings vs. the Braves and White Sox, allowing one hit and striking out five of the 12 batters he faced.

For the month of May: Seven appearances covering nine innings, 1.00 ERA, 0.667 WHIP, two walks, 11 strikeouts.

Craig Counsell could use some reliable relievers and Webb appears to be one of them now.

Tip o’ the cap to Michael Conforto for his home run Sunday that tied the game in the ninth, even though the Cubs lost the game.

Three down

Phil Maton, ugh

Maton started poorly and went on the IL in early April with a 13.50 ERA.

On his return he allowed two runs to the Padres in his first game back, then had a few scoreless outings. But this past week he allowed two runs to the Braves in a single inning, then had trouble getting outs against the White Sox. Result for the week: 2.2 innings, 16.88 ERA, 2.626 WHIP, two home runs allowed.

For the season: 9.49 ERA, 1.784 WHIP, three home runs in 12.1 innings.

And he’s under contract for next year, too. This looks like a bad mistake by Jed Hoyer.

Dansby Swanson’s bat has vanished

Swanson was in such a bad slump that Counsell gave him Saturday off. In the other five games: 2-for-17 with six strikeouts. He’s now batting .192/.302/.351 for the season with 38 strikeouts in 151 at-bats.

He does continue to play good defense, though. Here’s a slick play he made in Atlanta last Thursday [VIDEO].

Colin Rea got rocked

In two starts over the week against the Braves and White Sox, Rea threw nine innings and allowed nine runs (9.00 ERA), 13 hits and two walks (1.667 WHIP) and served up a pair of home runs.

Rea was good as a fill-in starter last year and for most of April this year, but these last two starts are concerning.

A note about Moisés Ballesteros, who was 1-for-11 with three strikeouts and didn’t play in the last two games vs. the White Sox: In his last 14 games since April 28, Ballesteros is 3-for-46 (.065) with 11 strikeouts. It might be time for him to spend a few weeks at Triple-A Iowa to get regular at-bats.

Season Record: 22-24

Week Record: 3-3

Series Record: 6–8, 1 split

GAME 41: 0-1 LOSS vs ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
GAME 42: 7-4 WIN vs ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
GAME 43: 6-5 WIN vs ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

GAME 44: 0-2 LOSS @ HOUSTON ASTROS
GAME 45: 1-4 LOSS @ HOUSTON ASTROS
GAME 46: 8-0 WIN @ HOUSTON ASTROS

Whatever Texas had on Wednesday and Sunday, they need to bottle it up, multiple it, and use it in every game going forward.

Both games proved the Rangers have it in them, but brining that out once a series, isn’t really worth anything.

Truly the win on Wednesday to end the home stand and the series, was maybe the biggest shock of the season so far. I fully expected three up three down that inning. To get their first walk off going into the 9th inning down 5-3 and scoring all three runs with two outs, that’s the determination they needed to show going into a nine game road trip against the three worst teams in MLB.

Going into Friday, Houston was the second worst team in the American League.

In Friday’s game, the Rangers got one hit.

In Saturday’s game, they stranded 13 base runners, this series was theirs to win.

Sunday had a slow start but they did a good job of stringing together hits to score runs as well as additional slugging in the form of home runs.

And what feels like the eighth time I’ve said this, maybe they can ride the momentum of Sunday’s win into the next series.

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The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs open a series Monday night at Wrigley Field in the first meeting between these NL Central rivals since the Brewers won Game 5 of last October's NLDS. We like the Cubs to get revenge.

Read all about it in my Brewers vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks for Monday, May 18, 2026.

Who will win Brewers vs Cubs today: Cubs -1.5 (+110)

Brandon Sproat takes the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers tonight with a concerning profile, especially against a team like the Chicago Cubs.

His pitching run value ranks in the third percentile of baseball, with the breaking ball slightly worse than that. That’s a problem against the Cubs because it forces him to rely too much on the fastball, which is a pitch the Cubs hit as well as any team in the sport.

On the other side is Shota Imanaga. His diverse skill set, which has resulted in a chase rate in the 99th percentile, will neutralize the Brewers' bats tonight. I would play this down to -110. 

COVERS INTEL: Sproat walks batters at one of the highest rates in baseball, with a BB rate in the bottom 13 percentile of the sport. 

Brewers vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 10.5 (-105)

A very windy Wrigley Field has pushed this total up at least a full run. I get it. I still think it's a bit too much.

Imanaga has been sensational over the past month, and his 91st percentile whiff rate should grab some easy outs.

The Brewers are a disciplined lineup that chases at right around 25%, but that doesn't matter much here. Imanga generates swing-and-miss with pure stuff, which poses unique issues.

On the other hand, while I expect the Cubs to score enough to cover, it won't be enough to push this Over. I'd play to 10.  

Brewers vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Brewers +139 | Cubs -168
• Run line: Brewers +1.5 (-136) | Cubs -1.5 (+113)
• Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-112) | Under 10.5 (-107)

Brewers vs Cubs trend

The Chicago Cubs have hit the Moneyline in their last 15 games at home (+15.00 Units / 66% ROI)Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Cubs.

How to watch Brewers vs Cubs and game info

Brewers vs Cubs latest injuries

Brewers vs Cubs weather

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It’s back to facing off against the usual suspects for the Atlanta Braves, as their 2026 train now rolls into familiar territory for the next week of baseball action. This includes four games with the Marlins in Miami and three games at home against the Nationals. This is certainly a golden chance for the Braves to continue to put some serious distance between themselves and their divisional foes but as you can imagine, these two teams aren’t going to just roll over for the Braves and get ran over.

Instead, this’ll probably be (here we go again) tricky for the Braves to navigate. The Marlins and Nationals are both going to provide a unique set of challenges that’ll be tough for the Braves to deal with but at the same time, it also helps that this Braves team has experience and knows what to expect from both Miami and Washington at this point. It’s time to take a further look into what’s in store for the Braves this week.

May 18-21: Miami Marlins

Current Record: 21-26 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 75-87

The last time the Braves saw the Marlins was around this time last month when Miami made the trip to Cobb County. Miami actually took the first game in convincing 10-4 fashion before the Braves got it in gear and won the next two in order to clinch the series. Ever since then the Marlins have been on a bumpy road. They have series wins over the Cardinals and the Dodgers (in Dodger Stadium, no less) but ever since that run, it’s been pretty rough. They dropped three out of four against the Phillies at home and that began a 2-6 stretch that only abated once they took a series win over the Nationals. Now they’re entering this series with the Braves having dropped two straight series on the road and are essentially limping back home.

As far as their record goes, this isn’t particularly a case of a team that’s playing above or below their weight class. Their Expected W/L record and their Pythagorean W/L are an identical 22-25, which seems to suggest that this is just who the Marlins are at this point. Their pitching staff has a collective 103 ERA- with a 97 FIP-, which seem like totally middle-of-the-road numbers until you break it down by rotation and bullpen. That’s when you see that the starting pitching has actually not been great for Miami at all (118 ERA-, 104 FIP-) while the bullpen has been lights out (81 ERA-, 85 FIP-) when called upon. It’ll likely be crucial for the Braves to do their damage early because if they leave it too late, that late-game magic may be tough to conjure up against this bullpen in particular.

With that being said, it’s pretty difficult to avoid seeing the best of any given pitching staff during a four-game series and the Braves are going to have to deal with Max Meyer, Janson Junk and Sandy Alcantara, who have been Miami’s top starters so far. As far as Miami’s top three hitters go, the three guys to keep an eye on are Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks. If the Braves can avoid getting beat by that trio while taking care of the rest of Miami’s underwhelming lineup (team wRC+ of 97) then this could be a productive four-game series for the Braves. A split is the bare minimum result, here.

Monday, May 18 at 6:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Tuesday, May 19 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Wednesday, May 20 at 6:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Thursday, May 21 at 6:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

May 22-24: Washington Nationals

Current Record: 23-24 Projected Record: 72-90

Well, here we are, a week before Memorial Day and the Nationals are still floating around .500. Washington is also on a bit of a NL East sojourn, themselves, as they’ll be coming to town after having hosted the Mets for four games (and the Marlins will be seeing the Mets while this series is going on, so there will be plenty of intra-NL East action this week). They’re actually having to scrape and claw for second place because the Phillies are proving that simply firing your manager apparently is the key to success and if I’m being honest, it likely won’t be long until the Nationals get left in the dust and have to fight with the Mets and Marlins for third place in the division.

That’s because not a lot has changed for the Nationals since the last time they ran into the Braves. Washington still has a top-10 offense according to team wRC+ (107) but their pitching staff is absolutely dreadful. Cade Cavalli is clearly their best starting pitcher, which is not a position you want to be in. In fact, none of their pitchers have yet to clear the 1.0 fWAR mark. For comparison’s sake, both Bryce Elder and Chris Sale have cleared that mark. Cavalli is at 0.9 fWAR and one he does clear that mark, he’ll likely be alone in that territory for a good, long while. The good news for the Braves is that they’ll likely avoid Cavalli since he’s currently slated to pitch the series finale against the Mets, so that could be good news for the Braves after dealing with Miami’s pitching staff.

Still, the Nationals have to be taken seriously because their lineup is no joke. CJ Abrams and James Wood have proved to be a fairly effective dynamic duo and Daylen Lile is also starting to establish himself as a dangerous big league hitter as well. Joey Weimer and Curtis Mead have also been very reliable for this team when called upon and then dealing with José Tena and Luis García Jr. won’t be a walk in the park either. If this goes how the first series in D.C. went then expect this to be a stressful affair where the Braves are going to have to swing the bat effectively every single night in order to come away with a series win.

Friday, May 22 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Saturday, May 23 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Sunday, May 24 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)