LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Enrique Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kiké Hernández got off to an excellent start in his first two games back, collecting two hits in each of his first two games since getting activated off the injured list on Monday. But the Dodgers infielder/outfielder left Tuesday’s game after four innings with a strained left oblique strain.
Hernández doubled and scored in the Dodgers’ four-run fourth inning. But on replay appeared to be laboring while running around first base on the hit.
He was replaced on defense by Hyeseong Kim in the top of the fifth inning, with SportsNet LA showing manager Dave Roberts talking to a frustrated Hernández in the dugout, before Hernández retreated to the clubhouse.
“I think I was in so much pain this year that it helped with the patience,” he said Monday.
Hernández started at third base on both Monday and Tuesday. He doubled in a run and singled on Monday, then homered in his first at-bat on Tuesday before the fourth-inning double. Now we’ll see how long that 1.000/1.000/2.250 batting line holds for the utility man.
A “defeated” Kiké Hernández said he first hurt his oblique yesterday during batting practice. Thought he could play through it. Said his home run swing was full of pain. Then felt it when swinging and running on the double. Clearly and understandably frustrated after.
It's been more than a year since A.J. Minter took the ball in a major league game, but on Tuesday night, the veteran left-hander completed his long road back.
Although the Mets' offense continued to struggle in their 7-2 loss to the Reds, the biggest silver lining from the game was Minter's first action since April 2025.
Minter allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning.
"Felt like I debuted all over again," Minter told reporters after the game. "Some butterflies...The first one is always the hardest."
"It was great to have him back," catcher Luis Torrens said through the team interpreter. "He’s obviously an important part of the team and it’s great to have him back in the fold."
It was a good outing for Minter, who had season-ending lat surgery that erased most of 2025 and the start of the 2026 season. The 32-year-old spoke about the range of emotions he was feeling from his rehab to getting on the mound, and was effusive about the Mets' organization for helping him get back out there.
"A lot of emotions. Makes you not take this game for granted. Never know when it will be your last one," Minter said. "A lot of people got me back here. I can’t speak any more highly of this organization."
Minter only made 13 appearances for the Mets in 2025 before his injury. With the loss of Minter, many believed the Mets' bullpen was never the same as it was taxed following the starting rotation's struggles, which resulted in the team missing out on the postseason last year.
Now that he's back, Minter wants to bolster a Mets bullpen that has pitched very well -- seventh in the National League with a 3.35 ERA -- and try to save the team's season.
"
Last year, I feel like I let the team down. Took me a little bit longer to get back here," Minter added. "Got this first one, but now it’s time to help this team get back in the right direction."
"It was good to see him after a long recovery, long year for him," manager Carlos Mendoza said of Minter's outing. "Couldn’t wait to get back on a big league mound, he looked good. He looked sharp…it’s not easy to go through what he went through."
Including Tuesday night, Minter has pitched to a 3.22 ERA over his 10-year career, with 36 saves and 121 holds. And to be that successful over that period of time, Minter understands he needs to pitch to his strengths and be able to adapt.
He said that he's pitched long enough to be a pitcher and not just a "thrower," and that he hopes to pitch for seven more years, and to do that, he needs to stay healthy, be durable and throw strikes. And while he tries to do that, he wants to learn from his first big league start in nearly 400 days and keep improving.
"Felt like I still need to improve on a few things, and can still get better," Minter said of his outing. "I’ll take that first one. Feel like the weight is off my shoulders and now I feel like I can get back to doing what I know I can do."
May 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) walks off the field after getting taken out in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
What can you even write for recaps nowadays? After a strong early May where the Mets legitimately got themselves back into the conversation, they immediately said that was enough of that and lost five in a row, and six of their last seven, to bring themselves down to a lowly 22-33.
The game was whatever. David Peterson, sans opener, was bad, surrendering 11 hits, three walks, and six runs. The bullpen was good, with The Most Expensive Mop-Up Guy In MLB History(™) Sean Manaea throwing three innings of one run ball, striking out six. Carlos Mendoza said postgame that its possible he will switch Manaea and Peterson in the rotation, which does make sense, even if I was being rather glib a sentence ago. A.J. Minter came back from a torn lat that sidelined him for a year and played well, which is lovely to see. Juan Soto hit a two run home run, and the Mets had a whopping four hits outside of that.
Games, losing streaks, seasons like this, drive me to existentialism. Will the Mets ever be good again? Will Juan Soto play meaningful baseball in Queens while he is here? Will I be one of those grandpas you saw after the Cubs won in 2016, saying they’ve been waiting 90 years for this? As one of the rare Lakers-Mets fans in existence (it’s a really funny story that involves my dad trolling his high school best friend about the Lakers being better than the Knicks back in the 1970’s despite not watching basketball at the time, and working himself into a shoot, brother, accidentally giving himself a lifelong Lakers fandom he passed onto me), will Soto and Luka Dončić get their primes wasted by nonsensically bad organizations? Frankly, all of these thoughts are more compelling than 99% of the games the Mets played this season, because everyone is either hurt, bad, or a rookie (or Juan Soto).
Of course, while things seem terribly hopeless at 10:49 pm, the exact time I am typing this sentence, things change on a dime in baseball. The 2024 Mets were once 22-33, and the Jorge Lopez glove throwing game happened on May 30th of that year. If you told a Mets fan at that time that they would go to the NLCS your sanity would have been called into question, and rightfully so. While that is not a recipe for success, its an example of how things can change. The 2025 Atlanta Braves were a disaster, and they did not do much this offseason, and look like the Atlanta Braves again in 2026. Because sometimes, stuff happens.
The recaps to the these games are dull, its true. A.J. Ewing looks like a future building block, Carson Benge has really turned it around after an absolutely horrific April, and, like I said a few times, Juan Soto is Juan Soto. However, with the amount of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, they just do not have the juice right now. The pitching has largely been fine, outside of the recent McLean blowups and the Peterson/Senga/Manaea spots. They lose in alarmingly similar ways almost daily: they fall behind early, Soto does something cool, Ewing and Benge get on base, and nothing else happens.
Maybe they’ll go on a run, maybe they won’t, but the beauty of baseball is it’s always on tomorrow. The Mets will look to get back into it starting then.
Big Mets winner: Luis Torrens, 5% WPA Big Mets loser: David Peterson, -28% WPA Mets pitchers: -27% WPA Mets hitters: -23% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s two run home run in the sixth, +4.1% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Eugenio Suarez’s two run double in the first, -19.1% WPA
If things are going to get any better for New York, there will have to be changes. One of those may be switching David Peterson and Sean Manaea's roles in the rotation after the two had another game of very different outcomes.
"I'm pretty sure there's going to be a conversation. We just ended here, but we're going to need all of them," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We're going to need Petey to throw important innings for us, whether it's a starter, whether it's coming after an opener, or pitching out of the bullpen. We're going to need innings from them, especially with how the rotation is right now.
"And Sean, another good outing for him. So I'm pretty sure there's going to be a discussion here what's next when it comes down to the next turn in the rotation."
Peterson allowed six runs on a career-high 11 hits in Tuesday's loss, while Manaea let up just one run over 3.0 innings in relief with six strikeouts.
"It was a tough one for him from the very beginning, missing arm side," Mendoza said of Peterson. "Looked like he didn't have the best feel for his pitches. And they put some really good swings on it. There was some hard contact there; we made some good plays behind him, but there was a lot of traffic in those early innings.
"He competed, but it was a tough one for him today."
Peterson had gone 3-0 over four outings in May, but looked more like his April self (0-4, 7.92 ERA) against the Reds. Manaea, on the other hand, has looked good recently and is down to a 3.75 ERA in May.
Mendoza went on to say Manaea's delivery and his success against right-handed batters stood out against the Reds.
"There's a lot to like there," Mendoza said. "With his delivery, you got to give him credit, man, he kept working and he continues to work. The life on the fastball. I think you see the swing and misses, especially at the top of the zone. The cutter, the sweeper, some changeups in there. He faced a lot of righties today... but overall, he came in with runner on third and got out of it.
"He's been very good against lefties, but it was good to see him today against righties."
When asked about a potential move to the bullpen or something else, Peterson said he is just focused on getting better.
"I haven't thought about it," Peterson said. "It's been week-to-week every week. I'm focused on going back and looking at what we did well, what we need to do better, and move forward. Focus on the next one, whatever situation that's in."
For now, Mets pitching will remain in flux as they look to snap their losing streak on Wednesday against the Reds and avoid a second straight sweep.
May 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) singles in two run in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Tuesday marked the 12,000th game in the already historic career of Aaron Judge. He became the 33rd Yankee to reach that plateau in pinstripes and the player with the most home runs by game 12,000 in MLB history with 385, 58 ahead of Ralph Kiner. The captain and his teammates marked the occasion with aplomb, dismantling a 22-33 Royals squad in a laugher to take a three-game set while notching a nice little bit of history.
Bailey Falter served as the Royals’ opener, entering play with a 9.82 ERA. It didn’t take the Yankees long to show him why. After retiring the first two batters of the game, the veteran southpaw allowed a home run to Clay Bellinger, a Stantonian blast that left the bat at 105 mph and cleared the right-field wall on a line.
Paul Goldschmidt, starting his sixth straight game after beginning the year in a reserve role, laced a double just over the head of the reigning AL Gold Glover at third base, Maikel Franco, before coasting into second with a double.
Despite the rocky start, Falter nearly got through the frame with just one run on the board. The struggling Ben Rice, who came into the game mired in a 5-for-37 funk, smoked one to right. The ball was playable for Jac Caglianone and the hulking right fielder initially appeared to make the inning-ending grab. Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged the apparent snow-cone grab, and upon review it became clear the ball scraped the ground while in Caglianone’s glove, netting Rice a single and an RBI as Goldschmidt was awarded home.
Amed Rosario, making his first start in over a week, made that defensive miscue hurt two pitches later, yanking a hanging curveball 420 feet to left field.
When it landed, the Yankees had a 4-0 lead, an embarrassment of riches given their starter, Cam Schlittler, had yet to allow as many as four runs in any of his 11 outings entering play.
In the bottom half of the inning, Schlittler worked around a two-out single to put up a zero. He was aided by a nifty play from Anthony Volpe, gloving a ball in the gap between short and third and throwing across his body to retire a plodding Salvador Perez. Tuesday’s game marked Volpe’s second straight start at shortstop while his competition for the job, Jose Caballero, was on the bench for the first time since returning from injury on Friday. A few minutes after the inning-ending play, Volpe smoked a center-cut fastball deep to left center for his first home run of the season.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro let it ride with Falter, presumably in hopes of saving as many of his relievers as possible in what was quickly becoming a nightmare scenario: an unwinnable game requiring an emptying out of the bullpen. After allowing four more hits, he threw in the towel, pulling his opener with two on and one out in the third. The next man out of the Royals’ ‘pen, Luinder Avila, didn’t get off to a much better start. Volpe, the first batter he faced, lined an RBI single to score Rice.
Then, after Austin Wells singled to load the bases, Trent Grisham grounded out to first, scoring Rosario. Judge followed with a walk before Bellinger hit a hard grounder through the hole between first and second, scoring two more to stake the Yankees to a commanding 9-0 lead. The inning only ended, mercifully for KC, when Judge was thrown out advancing to third.
The Bombers continued to pile on, with Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. going yard in the late innings. Every starter ended up with at least two hits, a first in the Yankees’ long history. In total, New York hitters reached base 29 times, accounting for more than half of their plate appearances. After winning their last two games in the ninth inning to break out of a 4-10 skid, the comfortable victory was, as Ryan Ruocco put it on the broadcast, a much-needed chance to exhale.
Bellinger, who entered this series facing a narrative that he was struggling to hit away from Yankee Stadium, led the way with a three-RBI showing. Rosario, buoyed by a two-run shot in the ninth against utilityman Tyler Tolbert, actually ended up with the gaudiest stat line, notching four hits and as many RBI to make a case for expanded playing time.
Judge reached safely in four of his five plate appearances from the two hole. Rice notched three hits to break out of his slide. Perhaps most consequentially in the scope of the Yankees’ season, Volpe’s three-hit, three-run, two-RBI day continued to build on the erstwhile golden boy’s case to regain the starting shortstop role he’d held the last three seasons.
This offensive output placed Schlittler firmly in the catbird seat. He took full advantage, allowing just one run (on a Bobby Witt Jr. homer) on four hits. Despite throwing just 77 pitches, he was pulled for Ryan Yarbrough after six innings, cruising to his seventh victory of the season. The showing was just another day at the office for the sophomore starter, whose 1.50 ERA was unchanged by the dominant showing.
The Yankees will go for the sweep tomorrow. Gerrit Cole’s scheduled to make his second start of the season for the Yanks while the Royals will hand the ball to left-hander Noah Cameron. The game, which will air on Amazon Prime, is scheduled to start at 7:40pm ET.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 25: Brooks Lee #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on May 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a pitching duel tonight with the starters Joe Ryan and Sean Burke exchanging zeros for the first 3 innings before the Twins scored first in the 4th. Trevor Larnach started things off with a double, then Kody Clemens drove him in with a triple. A single by Austin Martin scored Clemens to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.
This lead would stick with Ryan through 7 shutout innings. In the 8th, however, a hanging sweeper to Munetaka Murakami would be hit over the right field wall for a game-tying two run homer. Joe was brilliant tonight, otherwise, striking out 9 over 7.2 innings, but just one bad pitch in the 8th slated him with the no-decision.
Meanwhile, the Twins couldn’t get much of anything going against Sean Burke and company, as 12 straight Twins batters were retired by Chicago pitchers after the fourth inning.
The game moved to extra innings, and, with 2-outs, Orlando Arcia got a single to right field, but Clemens was thrown out by Rikuu Nishida (his second assist in as many games).
Going to the bottom of the 10th, Taylor Rogers came in to pitch and got Nishida to strike out, then Sam Antonacci hit an infield single advancing Luisangel Acuna to 3rd. Then Rogers got Murakami to ground to 1st baseman Josh Bell, who stepped on first and Antonacci just sort of backed up and left the base path for an inning ending unassisted double play.
In the top of the 11th, Luke Keaschall singled to 3rd, then Byron Buxton walked after James Outman’s 4th strikeout of the night, loading the bases for Brooks Lee. In the biggest at bat of the night, Lee lined a double down the right field line, scoring 3, and giving the Twins a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the 11th.
The Twins would call on Yoendrys Gomez to pick up the save. He got Vargas to fly out, and Colson Montgomery to strikeout. Chase Meidroth picked up an RBI single to left, but Gomez got Randal Grichuk to ground out to end the game and give the Twins their second extra inning win of the season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Yankees may have a new Twins, or at least a budding twin of the Twins — another AL Central team that has become their personal punching bag and a cure to all that ails them.
The Royals do not yet have the longevity of the Twins, but they may be on their way.
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During a recent stretch when hits and runs have largely been at a premium, the Yankees enjoyed an all-you-can-eat buffet of them Tuesday, courtesy of the Royals, en route to a much-needed laugher.
Attacking early and often while racking up a season-high 24 hits — 21 before facing a position player pitching in the ninth — the Yankees cruised to their third straight win, 15-1 over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
For the first time in franchise history, every member of the starting lineup had at least two hits. Amed Rosario led the way with four, and Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells each added three. Rosario homered twice, and Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep on a night the Yankees led 9-0 by the third inning.
“As hard as hitting is and as hard as it is now, night in and night out, to have a day where everyone can fatten up a little bit is good,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees (33-22) have won 13 straight games against the Royals (22-33), dating to the 2024 ALDS, and will go for the sweep Wednesday with Gerrit Cole on the mound. They have won 22 of their past 23 completed series against the Royals. In five wins against them this season, the Yankees have outscored them 43-10.
Before Tuesday, each of their past eight games — including Monday’s ninth-inning comeback win — and 11 of their past 15 had been decided by two runs or fewer.
That made Tuesday’s blowout a nice change of pace, allowing Cam Schlittler to get a breather — in the form of six innings of one-run ball on 77 pitches, on a night when he did not think he had his best stuff, keeping his ERA at 1.50 — and Ryan Yarbrough to finish the game and give an overworked bullpen a rest.
Cody Bellinger hits a solo home run in the first inning of the Yankees’ 15-1 blowout win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 26, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“It’s electric,” Schlittler, who struck out six, said of the hitting outburst. “Long sits there [between innings], but I think that’s the most hits this season in MLB, so really impressive up and down the lineup.”
The Royals used Bailey Falter as an opener, and the left-hander simply faltered. The Yankees clobbered him for seven runs across 2 ¹/₃ innings.
Falter faced 16 batters, all of them putting the ball in play and 13 of them registering hard-hit balls at exit velocities of 95 mph or higher.
Cam Schlittler throws a pitch during the first inning of the Yankees’ blowout win over the Royals. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
“That stuff’s contagious,” said Rice, who went 3-for-5 with a walk and three runs. “Started early and then just kept our foot on the gas. It’s really fun when everyone’s clicking like that.”
Bellinger started it off with a two-out homer in the top of the first inning — his second home run in as many days — before Paul Goldschmidt doubled.
Then, after a successful Yankees challenge turned the third out into an RBI single for Ben Rice on a sinking liner to right field that touched grass as Jac Caglianone tried to make a snow-cone catch, Amed Rosario took advantage by crushing a two-run shot.
Rosario, who had not played in six days and not started in eight days, later added another two-run shot off infielder Tyler Tolbert in the ninth inning.
“Feels great to be part of Yankee history,” Rosario said through an interpreter, referring to every starter collecting at least two hits. “It’s a great fraternity. It’s great to be part of that. It’s a team effort.”
Volpe — who played hero Monday with a two-run, go-ahead single in the top of the ninth — led off the second inning Tuesday with his first home run of the season.
Amed Rosario hits a two-run home run in the first inning of the Yankees’ blowout win over the Royals. Getty Images
It was a 409-foot blast that came off the bat at 103.1 mph, his first home run since Aug. 29.
The shortstop ended up a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-6 with two RBIs and three runs, making a case for more playing time as the Yankees continued their domination of the Royals.
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“It’s one of those things where we’ve probably run into them at a good time, where we’ve had some good series at different points,” Boone said. “Just a ton of really good at-bats, and guys that were hitting the ball out of the ballpark, too. One of those nights where everything’s falling.”
May 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) hits a triple to left field as Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) looks on in the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
For a while, in the early part of this game, it looked like the Red Sox were on their way to a satisfying victory. Ranger Suarez got through the first inning on eight pitches and held Atlanta scoreless into the fifth, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela led things off with back to back home runs, and all the high leverage relievers were ready and rested following an off day. Unfortunately, it didn’t materialize.
For a while, in the bottom of the ninth inning, it looked like the Red Sox were on the verge of piecing together their most impressive comeback of the season. They were facing Raisel Iglesias — one of the best closers in the game — down by three, and had the bottom of the lineup due up. But five batters into the inning, four men had reached, the tying run was at second, the potential winning run was at first with speed in Jarren Duran, and the heart of the order was coming up. Again, it didn’t materialize.
And that kind of sums up the 2026 Red Sox, doesn’t it? The ingredients are always in the kitchen, and the meal is never made.
We could pinpoint an extraordinary number of moments from the middle of this game where it all fell apart, particularly if you want chronicle Ranger Suarez slowly melting away, but offensively, it’s hard to find a more costly at bat than Mickey Gasper’s double play in the sixth inning. Atlanta was struggling to bridge the gap to their better relievers and looked frustrated they had to leave Didier Fuentes in to face a third hitter, but somehow, they still got the best result they could have hoped for in their most problematic inning on paper.
But regardless of where you want to point the telescope, the night night sky was filled with an array of Red Sox shortcomings. There were approximately 874 different things the Red Sox could have done slightly differently in this game, and if they had done any of them, they probably would have won. Alas, things didn’t materialize.
Here’s a few other fun facts about where the Red Sox stand after this game:
They’re nine games under .500 for the first time since 2022
They hit three home runs at Fenway Park for the first time all year, and still lost.
They’re 0-4 on the homestand and 8-18 at Fenway Park this season.
They’re still winless when they fall behind by at least three runs.
Alas, things are not materializing.
Three Studs
Jarren Duran: For leading off the bottom of the first inning with a home run:
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: For a home run of his own in the bottom of the seventh and a single up the middle to help make things interesting in the bottom of the ninth.
“We’re honestly just lucky to be in the American League”
You can say that again!
Three Duds
Ranger Suarez: Five runs in five plus innings just isn’t good enough, especially after being handed a two run lead early.
Mickey Gasper: It was a questionable night behind the plate, and that double play was a complete backbreaker.
Wilyer Abreu: Not only did he go 0-4 on the night, but he also made the final out and killed what could have been the most fun rally of the entire season. If you’re going to be one of the biggest sticks in the lineup, you eventually need to start cashing some of these big moments in.
You could pick a half dozen items here and not be wrong, but for me, it’s the Gasper double play. (A base hit here and there’s a decent chance the Sox put up a number large enough to get the high leverage relievers in the game.)
Anyway, leave it to the 2026 Red Sox to make the play of the game a moment where they score a run, and it still simultaneously crushes their chances to win.
May 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the fewest number of homers in the major leagues this season, coming into the night with just 35 long balls. It’s been a tough year for Bernie Brewer, not being able to go down his slide as often as he’d like. But on Tuesday night, he was able to make use of his slide a couple of times in the Crew’s 6-0 win over the Cardinals.
Jake Bauers got the scoring started for the Brewers with a solo shot in the fourth inning on an 0-1 cutter that leaked too far out over the plate. It was Bauers’ eighth home run of the season, which leads the team. He’s now surpassed his home run total from last year.
Then the Brewers really busted the game open in the fifth inning. It started with a leadoff double from Christian Yelich, which was followed by walks from Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang. That loaded the bases for William Contreras, who ripped a double to the opposite field on the first pitch he saw, bringing home two runs. That was all for Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy as Oli Marmol went to his bullpen.
For some reason, with both a lefty and a righty warming, and four of the next five batters being true lefties, Marmol opted for the right-hander Ryan Fernandez. Fernandez hung a slider to Garrett Mitchell, who sent the ball 421 feet to dead center to give the Brewers a 6-0 lead and sent Bernie Brewer down the slide again. It was the first time the Brewers had multiple homers in a home game since April 30 against the Diamondbacks.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Kyle Harrison was twirling a gem once again. He carved through the Cardinals’ lineup with ease, allowing just two baserunners to reach scoring position all night and not a single runner to reach third base. Harrison had just two strikeouts on the night, well below where he was in his last start when he had 11 punchouts.
Harrison extended his scoreless innings streak to 18 IP, covering his last three starts. In those 18 IP, Harrison has allowed just 11 total hits, only one walk, and has 20 strikeouts.
After 92 pitches from Harrison, Pat Murphy went to his bullpen. Grant Anderson posted a 1-2-3 seventh with the help of a 4-6-3 double play. Then Abner Uribe had a pair of strikeouts in the eighth inning and added a new emote to his end-of-inning celebration, the DX chop. Directed at the Cardinals’ dugout.
Pat Murphy strongly condemned Uribe’s celebration, saying, “That’s unacceptable. I don’t know what got over him. I mean, he’s been an emotional guy, but that kind of thing, that’s just not how we do things. And I was embarrassed by it.”
Uribe offered a different story, saying via translator Daniel de Mondesert, “I understand that that’s unacceptable to go out there and react in a way like that, but at the same time I don’t think it’s professional for their manager to be making signs toward our dugout that he’s going to be hitting guys,” Uribe said. “There was an event that occurred during the practice today, too, and I don’t think that was right, and I have my teammates’ backs, always.”
Uribe declined to comment on what the pre-game incident actually was. He apologized to his Brewers teammates, coaches, and all the higher-ups, but declined to apologize to the Cardinals.
After that, it was on to Trevor Megill back in a ninth-inning role, even though this was not a save situation. Megill slammed the door, kept the shutout intact, and gave the Brewers the series win.
While the rivalry between the Brewers and Cubs has been the hottest the last couple of years, the rivalry with the Cardinals sure seems to be alive and well. The Brewers have a chance for a sweep on Wednesday. First pitch in that one is slated for 1:10 p.m., with Dustin May starting for St. Louis and the Brewers not yet announcing a starter.
The Yankees smashed six home runs and Cam Schlittler was strong through six innings in their 15-1 win over the Royals in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
It's the Yankees' third win in a row and 13th straight victory over the Royals, including the postseason. New York's 24 hits are a season high, with every starter getting at least two base knocks, the first time in franchise history that has occurred. It's the most hits the Yankees had in a single game since 2011.
Here are the takeaways....
-Going up against an opener, the Yankees made the Royals pay. Cody Bellinger opened up the scoring again with his eighth homer of the season, launching a two-out solo shot in the first on a slider over the heart of the plate from Bailey Falter.
After a Paul Goldschmidt double, Ben Rice hit a sharp liner toward Jac Caglianone in right field, who could not maintain control of the ball. It was initially called an out, but Aaron Boone challenged and it was overturned, allowing Goldschmidt to score.
Amed Rosario made the Royals pay with a two-run bomb that went 420 feet into the fountain in left center field to put the Yankees up 4-0.
-Anthony Volpe launched his first homer of the season in the second, a 409-foot blast that went 103 mph to straightaway center. It's his first regular season homer since Aug. 29 of last year. Volpe finished 3-for-6 with two RBI.
-The Yankees would pour on four more runs in the third thanks to RBI from Volpe, Trent Grisham and Bellinger. Aaron Judge's double in the fifth pushed the Yankees' lead to 10-1. Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added solo homers in the seventh and eighth, respectively.
Rosario would launch his second homer of the game in the ninth off shortstop Tyler Tobert to put the Yankees up 15-1.
-The offensive onslaught was more than enough for Schlittler. The young right-hander tossed just 77 pitches but got through six innings, allowing just one hit on four hits. His one mistake was a Bobby Witt Jr. homer back in the third inning.
Schlittler struck out six batters and has now gone at least 6.0 innings in his last four starts (2-1).
Ryan Yarbrough mopped up the rest of the innings, pitching three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk.
Game MVP: Amed Rosario
Rosario's two-run bomb in the first inning made the Royals pay and gave the Yankees the breathing room for Schlittler to do his thing.
May 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bailey Falter (36) looks on after giving up two-run home run to New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario (14) in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
One of my pet theorems about the Kansas City Royals franchise and their fans is that nobody really knows what winning looks like, what good players look like. It’s a point of view naturally warped by decades of mediocrity punctuated by brief seasons of excitement. Tonight, the New York Yankees crushed the Royals 15-1 and notched a hilarious 24 hits in a farce of a game that was never close.
There’s not much of a story to this one, really. The Royals, down a couple of starting pitchers and bereft of any legitimate arms in the upper minors to help, made this a bullpen game. One week ago, I sat in the press box and wrote about a game wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes. Tonight, I type this sitting in the press box and am writing about a game being wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes once again.
Falter’s first inning was one of the worst innings I think I’ve ever seen. No, he didn’t give up nine runs in a frame like Edinson Volquez did in 2016 or 10 runs like Vin Mazarro’s fourth inning disaster in 2011, but it was frankly a miracle he didn’t give up more. And that’s because, well, just look at this:
Seven batted balls. An average—average!!!—exit velocity of 104 MPH. Not a single ball had an expected batting average of less than .460, and that one was the home run. Just an absolute embarrassment. Four runs scored.
Now, to be somewhat fair to Falter, he should have been out of it with just Cody Bellinger’s solo home run on the board. Two batters later, Ben Rice hit a sinking line drive to right field. Jac Caglianone had a bead on it but jogged it down instead of ran it down, barely catching the ball with his glove touching the ground.
But the Yankees challenged. They thought the ball touched the ground in the course of the catch, and the MLB replay officials agreed. That ended up scoring Paul Goldschmidt and led to two more runs.
Ben Rice lines out Caglianone and was called out. Yankees challenged the catch and it was overturned making it 2-0 Yanks pic.twitter.com/s984GjA3fP
Falter managed to squeeze through the second inning with only one additional run given up, but the Yankees tagged him (and reliever Luinder Avila) for another four runs in the third. Just look at this beautiful pitching from Falter:
The Yankees ended up with a whopping 11 batted balls off Falter at more than 100 MPH, tagging Avila with two more. Stephen Cruz later gave up a 103.9 MPH home run from Trent Grisham. Eli Morgan gave a 107.3 MPH homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. It was a bloodbath.
The Royals bats were, as you might expect, silent. Kansas City didn’t get shut out thanks to a laser beam opposite-field homer from Bobby Witt Jr., in a sort of “Chris Paul hits a huge 3 to cut the lead to 42” sort of way. It was his second consecutive day with a home run. His wRC+ is up to 135. That’s nice.
The rest of the game happened, but it was over in the first inning, unfortunately. Despite the conditions, the sizable crowd remained jovial throughout. I’m sure that was because of the significant count of Yankees fans; during the “root, root root for the TEAM NAME” section of the seventh-inning stretch, the volume of the words “Yankees” and “Royals” was identical.
But this goes back, I think, to my initial statement a few hundred words ago. Royals fans are so used to losing that they didn’t seem particularly phased by the drubbing. Despite getting totally pantsed by a team that most Royals fans despise, the only notable boos were reserved for Jazz Chisholm (warranted) and varying calls by the officiating crew (maybe warranted, depending on your opinion of the Cags drop call). Now, it was indeed a lovely night at the ballpark with absolutely perfect weather, and Lord knows there are enough angry Royals fans on the internet to make up for the chill vibes at Kauffman tonight. And yet I simply can’t imagine Yankees fans in the Bronx suffering a game like this without being ticked about it, and I can’t imagine St. Louis Cardinals fans just sitting around if the Cubs were dominating at Busch Stadium.
At one point there was this, I guess? It was a Vinnie bobblehead night.
Anyway, it’s easy to chalk a game like this up to a pitching mismatch—Yankees starter Cam Schlittler has been the best pitcher in the American league, after all—and to just shake a game like this off. Some of tonight’s result was because the Royals put in Tyler Tolbert in to pitch the ninth inning, so like, ok. But the truth of the matter is that this is simply the result of a talent difference. The Yankees are a good team. The Royals are not.
The Royals are 22-33. They are not coming back from this.
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 26: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the first inning during the game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kelcee Skoug/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Houston Astros scored seven runs.
Tonight’s starter for Houston Jason Alexander must feel like the biggest chump alive. After the Rangers nearly experienced a perfect game against them in Anaheim two games ago, and then saw these Astros toss a no-hitter against them last night, Alexander had to have been eager for the chance to face Texas.
If you were wondering if maybe the Rangers felt a little embarrassed by want transpired last night, I think the first inning tonight provided a decent answer. Alexander got an out to start the game and then ten more Rangers stepped up to the plate before he got the third out of the inning.
Before the final out of that fateful first frame the Rangers had collected five hits and scored eight runs. It was the most runs scored in the first inning at home in The Shed’s history, the most for Texas since 2004, the first time they’d scored eight or more in a first inning at all since 2012, and the most runs scored in the first inning following a no-hitter since 1905.
Brandon Nimmo’s one-out single was Texas’ first hit of the series and before the first inning had concluded, the lineup had combined to hit for the cycle with an Ezequiel Duran double, Evan Carter triple, and a two-out Joc Pederson three-run dinger to act as the exclamation mark in Pederson’s second at-bat of the inning.
We will ignore the fact that the Rangers only got one baserunner after the first inning until a ninth inning insurance run and that the Astros scored seven of the game’s final nine runs. Instead, we will celebrate the fact that for tonight, the first inning didn’t kill the Rangers and now they have a shot at a series win taking a lead in this series tomorrow night.
Player of the Game: After last night’s no show, only three Rangers regulars didn’t have a hit tonight with only two of them failing to reach base. However, it was Carter who produced a team-high three hits as he finished a double shy of the cycle following his sixth home run of the year.
Up Next: The Rangers and Astros close out this play the third game in this series with RHP Jacob deGrom on the mound for Texas opposite RHP Mike Burrows for Houston.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
The Los Angeles Dodgers organization might be down one of its most intriguing prospects, and in one of the most bizarre fashions you'll ever see.
Outfielder Kendall George, one of the fastest players in the minor leagues and one who has drawn comparisons to Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays, suffered a knee injury with Double-A Tulsa while trying to avoid the team's bat dog on May 25, according to a report by The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya and Jesús Cano.
Per the article, George underwent imaging on May 26 and though the team is currently awaiting the official results, initial testing reportedly didn't bring optimism.
George scored from second on a Josue De Paula single in the second inning of the Drillers' 14-8 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, but had to jump out of the way as he returned to the dugout to avoid the bat dog, which came out to retrieve De Paula's bat. George landed on his left foot, but a replay showed him immediately jump back up after his right foot landed. He was visibly upset after and slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration as he limped the rest of the way to the dugout.
George, the Dodgers' No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America and 13th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, was having a stellar start to the season at Double-A, hitting .333 with an .841 OPS through 43 games.
Though lacking power with just four home runs in his four years in the pros, George excels at making groundball contact and reaching base with his blazing 80-grade speed that helped him swipe 100 bases with High-A Great Lakes in 2025, making him the fourth minor leaguer in the last 20 years to reach triple digits.
Slater, 33, was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after appearing in nine games with the team, slashing .250/.286/.300 with one RBI across 20 at-bats.
Austin Slater has joined the Rays on a minor league deal after a brief stint with the Mets. Getty Images
The veteran right-handed hitter elected free agency on Sunday after he cleared waivers, allowing him to sign with any team.
Tampa Bay marks Slater’s fourth organization of 2026 as he began the year with the Tigers in spring training before brief cameos in the majors with the Marlins and Mets.
Slater has long been regarded for his ability to hit lefties, notching an outstanding .285/.374/.463 line with an .837 OPS against southpaws from 2017-23.
This season has been a different story, however, as Slater wields a .175/.244/.200 line in 45 plate appearances versus lefties.
Kimbrel threw a scoreless eighth inning in his Rays debut Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out two Orioles hitters in a 6-1 loss. AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
Slater will serve as minor league depth for the Rays, unlike Kimbrel, who signed a major league deal with the team earlier in the day.
Kimbrel, 37, was also DFA’d by the Mets after a rough 14-game stretch that saw the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer post a 6.00 ERA.
The Rays became Kimbrel’s 11th team when he made his debut with the club on Tuesday against one of his former teams, the Orioles.
Kimbrel threw a scoreless eighth inning at Camden Yards, allowing one hit and striking out two batters in a 6-1 Rays loss.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 26: Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers flips his bat while hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on May 26, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
By any measure, the St. Louis Cardinals have overachieved this season. Their trip to Milwaukee would be viewed by many as a measuring stick to determine how competitive this young team is compared to the NL Central division leaders. If the first two games are the measuring stick, the answer is not very as the Brewers hammered the Cardinals again Tuesday night shutting out St. Louis 6-0.
Michael McGreevy gave the St. Louis Cardinals a reasonable start for the first 4 innings, but he received no run support and the 5th inning would be his undoing as it has been for many of the St. Louis starters lately. You won’t see any offensive highlights from the Cardinals here, but the Brewers provided more than their share. The first would come in the bottom of the 4th inning when Michael McGreevy made one too many mistakes to Jake Bauer who crushed a 394 foot solo home run into the right field seats giving the Brewers their first lead at 1-0.
The infamous 5th inning would be one that Michael McGreevy would not finish. It started with a Christian Yelich double followed by walks to Chourio and Turang to load the bases. William Contreras would quickly unload them when he blasted a double to the right-center field wall upping the Brewer lead to 3-0. That would end Michael McGreevy’s night with his final stat line being 4 innings allowing 7 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3 giving up 5 earned runs. That final earned run would cross the plate when Ryan Fernandez started his relief effort by giving up a 3-run bomb to Garrett Mitchell that traveled 421 feet careening off the center field overhang giving Milwaukee a commanding 6-0 lead.
The Cardinals bats made Brewers starter Kyle Harrison look like Cy Young. To his credit, he pitched well throwing 6 complete innings allowing a measly 4 hits and no earned runs to St. Louis with no walks and two strikeouts.
One minor subplot late in the game was Abner Uribe’s exaggerated gesture after he struck out Alec Burleson (confirmed strike on appeal). The managers apparently discussed the issue in between innings. Quite possible we’ll be hearing more about this in the near future.
The Cardinals will try to avoid a sweep Wednesday afternoon when Dustin May takes the mound for St. Louis. The Brewers starter is to be determined at this point. First pitch at American Family Field in Milwaukee is set for 12:40pm central time and the game will be watchable on Cardinals.tv.
