Category: Baseball

On Monday night, the Washington Nationals were in Cleveland for the start of a three-game series with a Guardians who just left Philadelphia having won two out of three games while holding the Phils to just four runs.

In the first game of their series, the Nats plated 10 runs on 15 hits in their 10-2 victory. They did it against Tanner Bibee, who entered the game with an 0-7 record and a 4.57 ERA. He lasted just three innings against Washington, gave up seven earned runs on eight hits with just three strikeouts.

Washington did what you’re supposed to do with a lousy pitcher. They bullied and bloodied him.

The Phillies, meanwhile, trudged into San Diego having lost four of their last five with an unreal pitching staff but dragging an offense that has struggled mightily against, well, everyone. They entered their three game series against the Padres facing right-hander Griffin Canning, who had a 7.54 ERA in his first four starts of the season. Canning held the Phils to one run on one hit, a first inning Kyle Schwarber homer, before Brandon Marsh touched him for a two-out, two-run blast in the 7th, helping the Phillies to a 3-0 victory.

They did not bully and bloody a lousy pitcher. They made him look like a Cy Young contender. They managed just three hits off him, and have not compiled at least 10 hits in a game since Friday, May 15, in an 11-9 win against the Pirates in which they totaled 14.

That was 10 days ago.

Through the first two months of the season, Washington leads MLB in runs scored (298), while the Phillies are tied with Toronto for 22nd (216). If you look at all the numbers, you will see a Nationals team that had few expectations coming into 2026 totally outperforming the Phils’ collection of “stars.”

The Nats are outpacing the Phillies in every offensive category. It’s not even close.

But is it real?

To answer that question, ask yourself this.

Would you trade the Nationals offense/position players straight-up, right now, for the Phillies’?

It seems crazy to say out loud, but consider that the Nats appear to have young talent that the Phils could only dream of. You could argue James Wood (.939 OPS, 14 HRs) alone would be worth the swap. C.J. Abrams (.925, 12 HRs), is finally playing like an elite shortstop. Both should be starters in the NL All Star Game at the moment.

Outfielder Daylen Lile is emerging as a young star (.752) in his own right. Catcher Keibert Ruiz (.754) and Luis Garcia Jr. (.719) are starting to produce, and center fielder Jacob Young has found a power stroke he never had before, with seven bombs, 24 runs and 24 RBIs. He’s certainly been more productive than Justin Crawford thus far. And would you rather have Ruiz or J.T. Realmuto at catcher?

Washington is also getting big time production from platoon and part-time players. Curtis Mead, given up by the Phils in the Cristopher Sanchez trade to the Rays, plays first and third base for the Nats and launched two dingers on Monday night, giving him seven on the season with a very healthy .844 OPS in 136 PAs. And waiver claim Joey Wiemer is absolutely destroying left-handed pitching as a right-handed hitting outfielder, with a 1.199 OPS in 43 PAs against them. The Nats claimed him from the Giants back in January, and Wiemer made history by reaching base in each of his first eight plate appearances with the Nationals back in late March.

Wiemer is exactly the type of the player the Phils need and don’t have.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper don’t quite cancel out the production Wood and Abrams are giving the Nats, but it’s relatively close. Lile and Brandon Marsh are essentially a wash in left field, too. At some positions, the Phils have the advantage. You’ll take Bryson Stott over Nasim Nunez, whose 22 steals leads the NL but who will have a hard time staying on the field with a .188/.288/.206 slash line. And at third base, Brady House has a .681 OPS, while Alec Bohm is at .605, but rising (House was sent to AAA by Washington this week to improve his defense). By the end of the season, it’s more likely Bohm’s numbers will be better.

In my heart, I honestly do not believe Washington has a “better” offense than the Phillies. While I am a firm believer in Wood, Abrams and Lile, no one else on that roster deserves much trust yet. That’s why I would not flip the offensive rosters if I could. I truly believe, by the end of the season, the Phils’ offensive numbers will surpass the Nationals’ in most categories.

That being said, it’s hard not to be envious of what Nats fans are watching right now, at least offensively. They’re a fun, entertaining group, hitting the ball hard, playing solid fundamental baseball, and scoring a bunch of runs.

The bats are giving them a chance to win every night.

The same cannot be said of the Phillies.

On the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, powered by WHYY, we discussed this and lots more! Listen to the full podcast below!

More so than any other American sport, Major League Baseball stadiums have their own characteristics.

One of the biggest variations in ballparks is capacity, with the league's 2026 stadiums ranging from 56,000 (Dodger Stadium) all the way down to 13,416 (A's). While the Athletics' temporary home in Sacramento is in fact a minor league stadium, the team's new stadium in Las Vegas is expected to have a capacity of about 33,000 – which would be the second-smallest in the game.

More than two-thirds of MLB stadiums have a capacity of more than 40,000, while the league's three newest stadiums — Globe Life Field (Rangers), Truist Park (Braves) and loanDepot Park (Marlins) all rank in the lower half for capacity.

In addition to the Athletics' new home in Las Vegas, the Tampa Bay Rays are expected to have a new stadium built perhaps by Opening Day in 2029, which will likely have the lowest capacity of any stadium in the game.

Here's a look at 2026 MLB stadiums ranked by capacity:

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The Boston Red Sox offense has been wildly inconsistent, and things don't get any easier against Spencer Strider and the Atlanta Braves.

Boston's struggles won't be undone with Ranger Suarez on the mound, but that does help our Braves vs. Red Sox predictions land squarely on the Under and the Atlanta moneyline in our MLB picks for Tuesday, May 26.

Who will win Braves vs Red Sox today: Braves moneyline (-102)

I don't care if Ranger Suarez has been the best Boston Red Sox starting pitcher in 2026; getting the Atlanta Braves at anything close to even money is too good to pass up.

This is especially the case with Spencer Strider starting for Atlanta. Now, Strider isn't quite pitching at his peak as he continues working his way back from myriad injuries, but the Red Sox lineup is a soft landing for him to build upon some encouraging results.

Boston is batting .253 in May, but that's inflated due to a .313 BABIP. The Red Sox haven't cashed those runners in with any consistency, either, scoring just 71 runs in the month (28th in MLB).

Strider limited the Red Sox to one run over 5 1/3 innings two starts ago, and Atlanta's bullpen grades out as one of baseball's best, with a 3.07 ERA.

Even with Drake Baldwin sidelined, I would play the Braves to -125, as Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies have both handled left-handed pitchers well this season, and both Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. have historically fared better vs. southpaws than their current wRC+ numbers indicate.

COVERS INTEL: Post-injury, Strider still maintains 95th-percentile ranks in Whiff% and xBA. Expect his elite swing-and-miss stuff to anchor both the Braves ML and Under 8.5.

Braves vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-113)

While I like the Braves to win straight up, this has the makings of a pitcher's duel.

Even if brighter days are ahead for Riley and Acuna against left-handers, Suarez limits damage. The lefty has surrendered one earned run across his last 21 2/3 innings, and even if his outing is brief (as has become something of a custom for him), the Boston bullpen — similar to Atlanta's — has done an excellent job at run suppression this season.

Since April 11, Suarez is 2-1 with a 1.12 ERA and a 2.41 expected ERA. Even against the Braves' vaunted offense, which lacks Baldwin's stable presence in the middle of the lineup, expecting a massive offensive output is foolish.

Paired with Boston's own issues with run production, and I'd happily play the Under 8.5 to -140. If you can get the Under 7.5 at plus money, I'd strongly consider that, too.

Braves vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: Braves -104 | Red Sox +100
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+156) | Red Sox +1.5 (-163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+108) | Under 8.5 (-117)

Braves vs Red Sox trend

The Braves have cashed the moneyline in 35 of their last 50 away games for +21.00 units and a 34% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Braves vs Red Sox and game info

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Yes, it is still May. Yes, you are reading a trade deadline article. Some say you really should wait until the dust settles on the first half of the season before debating what a team will do at the deadline. I am not one of those people.

What do the Guardians have to offer?

Well, the Guardians have, by most outlets, a top 5 farm system. Even with the graduation of a top 40 prospect (Chase DeLauter) and the imminent graduation of a top 20 one (Travis Bazzana), the Guardians still have three top-100 prospects per MLB Pipeline. That is either as many or more top-100 prospects than 17 MLB teams. That is, of course, not accounting for helium candidates who could very well crack the top 100 within the Guardians farm system this season (Caceres, Watson, Doughty, Campbell). Nor is it accounting for the rising of already top-100-ranked prospects like Velazquez and Ingle, who should both crack the top 50 on MLB Pipeline by their next update. The former, however, is much more likely to crack the top 30 than stay outside the top 50. This is all to say that the Guardians’ system is loaded. They could very easily do whatever they want to at this deadline.

Why this year?

A wonderful question. It is very fair to curb your enthusiasm with the deadline by wondering why this year will finally be the year the Guardians make a splash at the deadline. Well, I’m full of optimism and whimsy and would love to share some of that onto with you. (If you’ve listened to the Disgusting Baseball podcast you’ll know what I’m about to say) The Guardians’ front office is not acting in the ways we’ve all become accustomed to. They’re being aggressive with prospect promotions: Delauter on the OD roster and batting 2nd in the OD lineup, Bazzana called up in April, Velazquez promoted from Akron to Columbus after 36 games. They sent Bo to Arizona a little over a month into the season and immediately traded for a 3x Gold-Glove winner in Bailey. There is nothing that suggests the Guardians aren’t going to be aggressive all year (internally), but I’m pretty confident they’ll be aggressive at the deadline too. (Author’s note: As I was editing this article, the Guardians decided to move Bazzana up to the leadoff spot. Another aggressive move!)

What do the Guardians need?

Well, like most teams, there are a few holes needing to be filled. You may feel inclined to argue with me over some of these assertations, I would ask that you not. I am almost always right and do not appreciate criticism. Kidding! Okay, so the first thing I think they might go after is a starting pitcher. Yes, the rotation has been fantastic (6th in MLB in ERA, 12th in FIP, 9th in K-BB%). Parker Messick and Gavin Williams both look to be bonafide Game 1 starters. But, Bibee has been somewhat shaky (albeit better with Bailey), Cantillo has command issues that could cause an implosion, and Slade is, brutely, not good enough to start a playoff game. Who might be available? Let’s get into that.

SP Trade Candidates (work in progress)

Sonny Gray, BOS (3.27 ERA, 3.66 FIP)

Gray is one of those reliable vets who can give you a good five and fly in a playoff series. He is owed $31M ($20M of which Boston received in the trade) and has a $10M buyout for 2027, so it would require some money invested but that should be possible.

Tarik Skubal, DET (2.70 ERA, 2.10 FIP)

This is mostly a joke. Mostly. But, the Tigers are in freefall. Skubal is a free agent next year, and is making north of $30m this year. There are a laundry list of reasons why this will never happen, chiefly that the Guardians never make landmark trades within the AL Central and this would be nigh impossible for the Tigers to sell to their fans, regardless whom they got back. But, Skubal talks about how much he appreciates Cleveland’s fans all the time and he owes us a trade demand because he hit Fry in the face, right? Right??!!

The bullpen, however, is the much more pressing concern. Although it’s been better recently with the stabilization of Cade Smith and the emergence of Colin Holderman, the Guardians could really use another power lefty (especially with Sabrowski’s injury). They could also, just in general, use another leverage reliever. Who might be available, you ask?

RP Trade Candidates

LHRP Jojo Romero, STL (3.04 ERA, 4.24 FIP)

Romero has been markedly worse this year than he was last year and in 2023. His sweeper usage is down from last year, and his feel for the pitch is a little shaky. His sinker command has been exceptional, however, which should be a good building block for the Guardians. I’m pretty confident that he’s just a few tweaks away from being a stalwart reliever again, and this presents a fantastic buy-low opportunity for the Guardians.

LHRP Brooks Raley, NYM (1.40 ERA, 2.79 FIP)

Raley has been consistently good every year since 2022. Although he has been affected by some injuries in both 2024 and 2025 with New York, he’s still been good. He’s a rental (yay) and old (double-yay), so his price should not be exorbitantly high.

(Author’s note: Hello, me again. These next two are simply being advocated for from a baseball standpoint. I do not condone their past behavior)

LHRP Josh Hader, HOU (career 2.64 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 14.56 K/9)

Hader’s a fun one. I have no idea what Houston will do at this deadline (but I do have a very fun trade candidate who shares a clubhouse with Hader later on in the article), but Hader seems like he could realistically be traded. He’s on the third year of a 5y/$95m contract, and hasn’t pitched yet. He is slated to make a few more rehab appearances in MiLB before his activation of the 60-day, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. He’s been one of the best, if not the best, left-handed reliever in baseball since his debut. He could easily take over the closer role from Cade, and Cade could go back to being the all-world fireman that he was in his rookie season. Win-win.

LHRP Aroldis Chapman, BOS (0.51 ERA, 1.85 FIP)

(Editor’s Note: We rarely take an official site position on something, but CtC opposes the idea of acquiring Chapman. Please, NO).

RHRP Garrett Whitlock, BOS (2.79 ERA, 2.89 FIP)

Not a lefty, but Whitlock is an elite reliever. He ranks in the 85th percentile or above in Chase%, K%, and Hard-Hit%. He’s 29 and on the last year of a 4-year extension with the Red Sox. He has club options for 2027 and 2028 at $8.25m and $10.5m, respectively.

RHRP Bryan Abreu, HOU (career 2.86 ERA, 3.21 FIP)

Another Astro! Abreu has, since 2022, been a lockdown leverage guy. From 2022-2025, he had a 2.30 ERA and a 2.79 FIP, pitching 70 innings 3 times. This year has been atrocious for him. His walk rate has ballooned from a career 4.35 BB/9 mark to 10.69 this year. He seems to be cutting his fastball more this year, which has led to an extremely high xwOBA allowed, and a whiff rate that is 12% less than it was last year. Another somewhat reasonable buy-low and hopefully easy-fix reliever. Although, unlike most other organizations, the Astros are probably much less likely to sell low on a pitcher. But, we’ll see.

Onto the (limited) position player candidates. You can always add on hitters at the deadline, especially when you’re the Guardians. The offense has been much better this year than in year’s past, but you can always improve. Let’s start with a fun one.

Position Player Trade Candidates

DH Yordan Alvarez, HOU (179 wRC+, .481 xwOBA, 2.2 fWAR)

Yes, this is unrealistic. But, the Guardians appear to be in contention mode and they have all the pieces to make a trade for Alvarez viable. He hasn’t just sneakily been the best hitter in baseball. His xwOBA is 60 (SIX-ZERO) (SIXTY) points higher than the next best hitter. He’s a monster at the plate, and an at worst top 5 hitter in baseball when healthy. He has a career 156 wRC+ in the postseason (7th all-time, min. 150 PA). He’s a monster. He immediately takes you from contender to odds-on pennant favorite. There are not enough positive things that I can say about Alvarez. There are, however, some concerns. He has a somewhat lengthy injury history, which is especially notable considering he’s transitioned into almost a full-time DH. He has played some outfield in the last two years, but I think the Guardians should never play him in the field. He’s a bad defender, even in Houston’s little-league LF. He should really only see the field on days in which Jose *has* to DH. It’s not a perfect fit, but you can move some pieces from your MLB roster (Manzardo, Hoskins) to free up the DH role most days.

1B/DH Willson Contreras, BOS (140 wRC+, .393 xwOBA, 1.7 fWAR)

For what it’s worth, I really wanted us to get Contreras last offseason. He filled a lot of the holes on this roster that existed at the time, and would’ve been a perfect clean-up hitter. He’s a RHH 1B/DH (who used to catch but doesn’t at this point) who destroys the ball. Is he also a cranky player who occassionally trucks the opposition’s catcher? Yes.

Normally, I’d have more hitters on this list, but the number of productive RHH who would also be feasibly available at the deadline is pretty small, even for being at this point in the season. However, given where the Guardians are at right now, I think that their needs lean more heavily toward relief pitching than offense. They have, theoretically, all the bats you need at all the positions of need in the minors. If Manzardo keeps hitting the way he’s been hitting in the month of May and if Fry and Hoskins keep being productive, there might not be a need for an impact right-handed bat at the deadline.

Here’s a recap of Sunday and Monday in the minor leagues, including Double-A Tulsa opting to play on Memorial Day for the first Monday game of the season among Dodgers affiliates.

Easton Shelton, first baseman for the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers, powered his way to winning California League player of the week. Shelton had at least one hit, one RBI, and one run scored in all seven games last week at Inland Empire (they played a doubleheader on Wednesday), and hit .419/.424/.774 with three home runs, two doubles, 12 runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.

Shelton, who signed out of high school as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, has scored in each of his last 11 games and driven in a run in eight straight contests. The 20-year-old is hitting .267/.337/.547 with a 111 wRC+ this year, and leads Ontario in home runs (10), RBI (38), and runs scored (33).

Player of the day

Ontario second baseman Kellon Lindsey had five hits, including a triple and double for Class-A Ontario. He scored four runs and drove in a pair from the leadoff spot. In seven games since returning from the injured list, the former first-round pick is 15 for 33 (.455/.486/.727).

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Tyler Fitzgerald hit a three-run home run in the first inning, helping the Comets to a Sunday win over the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). It was the second home run in three days for Fitzgerald, who since getting acquired by the Dodgers has started seven games in left field, two at third base, two at second base, two at designated hitter, and one apiece at shortstop and right field.

Ryan Fitzgerald, playing first base on Sunday, doubled and scored in the win.

Carlos Duran pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers lost on Sunday to the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins), but rebounded with a Memorial Day rout of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals).

Tulsa scored seven runs in both the first and second innings on Monday. Sean McLain, who tripled and homered in Sunday’s loss, hit a grand slam in the first inning on Monday.

Leadoff man Kendall George batted three times in those first two innings, and scored the 14th Tulsa run of the game, but in doing so appeared to get injured while trying to avoid a bat-retrieving dog near the Drillers dugout.

George came out of the game after that, replaced in center field by Chris Newell.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons’ Sunday home series finale against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) was postponed by rain.

No makeup date has yet been announced. The only time these two teams meet again this season is June 9-14, but that’s at Wisconsin.

Class-A Ontario

Chase Harlan homered twice and drove in five runs in the Tower Buzzers’ Sunday rout of the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners).

Harlan hit a solo shot in the fourth inning and a two-run homer in the eighth inning. He also had a sacrifice fly and RBI single in his three-hit game. The 19-year-old, drafted by the Dodgers in the third round in 2024, is hitting .333/.460/.507 with a 149 wRC+ this season with nearly as many walks (team-leading 31) as strikeouts (33).

Cam Leiter struck out five in his two scoreless innings. He has 27 strikeouts and five walks in his first 17 innings as a pro this year.

Transactions

Double-A: Right-hander Antonio Knowles demoted to Tulsa from Oklahoma City. Catcher/infielder Bryan Garcia was sent back to the Arizona Complex League after two games active for Tulsa, during which time he did not play

High-A: Right-hander Robby Porco promoted from Ontario to Great Lakes.

Class-A: Right-hander Accimias Morales sent back to Ontario after 18 walks, 10 strikeouts, and eight runs allowed in eight innings for Great Lakes.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 5, Reno 3
• Wichita 8, Tulsa 4
• Great Lakes vs. Wisconsin, postponed by rain
• Ontario 17, Inland Empire 9

Monday score

• Tulsa 14, Northwest Arkansas 8

Tuesday schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sterling Patick) at Dayton [Reds] (Ovis Portes)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) at Sugar Land [Astros] (TBA)
• 6:35 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Visalia [D-backs] (TBA)

No Tuesday game for Tulsa after playing on Memorial Day.

Tommy Edman is expected to start his rehab assignment for Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

A couple of days ago, we asked for your input on which struggling Yankee you all were most concerned about. There were a variety of options, as the team has clearly seen problems arise in both their lineup and their bullpen that have defined their struggles up to this point. With plenty of input in outright votes as well as more in-depth responses via comments, let’s dig into the players that prompted the most worry.

Leading off, the overwhelming majority of you weighed in to elect Austin Wells as our most concerning struggling Yankee, at a whopping 66 percent of the vote. A couple of you also added commentary to your decision, with toddmarlin122 saying “third base and catcher need to be replaced asap,” ConorGallogly adding “I almost put Austin Wells because the organization has so little catching depth,” MDG92 chiming in that they’re “most concerned about Wells, because I don’t see it getting any better, and he was supposed to be a bat-first catcher,” and David6776 putting in “position wise though, I’m more worried about catcher. With the challenge system, Wells’ pitch framing is less valuable, we can’t have so many dead bats.”

That’s a lot of eyes on catcher specifically, and it makes sense that so much attention would be there. Wells indeed developed as a bat-first catcher that was looked at skeptically defensively, but the total inverse came true in the majors: he’s never found his stride consistently at the plate, but he’s handled the pitching staff beautifully and is one of the best framers in the league. The introduction of ABS does take away some of the effectiveness of Wells’ game, but only to a point as challenges can easily be wasted early in a game and batters can hesitate to pull the trigger on challenging borderline calls hoping to save their shot for a key at-bat later in the game. Still, it’s a slight damper on what is clearly Wells’ biggest strength individually that we can monitor, combined with the much easier to see struggles to get anything going offensively.

Wells’ bat has been average throughout his first three seasons, but its taken a complete nosedive in 2026. Despite working a career-best 14.7 walk percentage to this point, Wells is well-under the Mendoza line and slugging less than he’s getting on base, completely negating his defensive value by being a black hole at the bottom of the lineup. The team’s lack of options within the organization have given him little challenge for starting time, as J.C. Escarra has managed to look even worse offensively and commanded no more than the typical backup catcher’s playing time and the team appears unwilling to burden Ben Rice with the tools of ignorance now that he’s emerging as an elite bat. It’s on Wells to pull things together for now, and at best perhaps the Yankees look for an upgrade from Escarra to prompt some competition for their incumbent catcher.

The player that came in second at 13 percent of the vote was Jazz Chisholm Jr., and it’s easy to see why his name was on people’s minds as well. Chisholm was perhaps the team’s worst hitter through the first month and change of the year, completely missing his power swing as the cold of April sapped his ability to get a solid grip on the bat. Chisholm admitted to this being part of his problems, but he also had miscues in the field on top of the offensive struggles that elicited some heat from the fanbase. However, Chisholm has heated up with the weather, hitting for an .850 OPS in May to pull himself up to a slightly-above average 104 wRC+. He’s also gotten a couple of bombs on the board to pair with 13 stolen bases, continuing to apply pressure in that regard (though the team as a whole has struggled to swipe bags of late). Jazz will be one to monitor still, but he’s trending in the right direction and has the track record to inspire belief that he’s turned things around.

Third place in our polling went to the Other option, meaning that they opted not to chose either of our two main candidates nor any of Camilo Doval, Trent Grisham, or Ryan McMahon. Reading through the comments though, it’s clear who that other choice is: none other than the Captain, Aaron Judge. Several commenters felt no clarification was necessary other than to type his name, but others added on with WhittakerWalt asking “did he get old overnight, or is this just his usual slump?” while David6776 led off his thoughts with “for player, I’m most worried about Judge. Wondering if he’s starting to need glasses, and he’s probably our most important players.”

I can’t lie, I was surprised that so many of you were sounding off on Judge’s slump. We have the foresight of having seen his walk-off homer on Sunday and the double he laced in Monday’s game as indications that he’s breaking out of it, but even with those results its undeniable that he’s been on a cold streak: over his last 12 games, Judge owns a .593 OPS with that lone blast as his only long ball and the only two runs he’s batted in. However, given the body of work that he’s put up this season alone, I thought it would be clear that he’s going through just that — a slump. Judge has been one of the focal points of the offense, and when he’s firing on all cylinders he can hide the lineups’ flaws nearly single-handedly. His numbers may not be at the all-time pace he’s been on over the last two seasons, but he was putting those kinds of numbers up before this stretch and I have no doubt that he’ll get back to that territory before long.

If there was one area I would critique Judge’s play thus far, it would be his reluctance to abuse ABS to his advantage — Judge has seldom pulled the trigger on challenging a pitch, despite being the poster child of who the system should benefit after all of the low strike calls he’s taken throughout his career. He did confidently tap the helmet on a 3-2 pitch that was initially called strike three, and started walking towards first base before the replay confirmed that he’d indeed taken ball four, which leads me to believe that his top-notch plate discipline isn’t too out of whack. Instead, his timing is the thing that’s off, leading to him swinging through pitches and getting under more of them. I get the worries to a degree, as everyone knows the offense without Judge performing like he has throughout his MVP campaigns is a flawed one, but we don’t need to rush straight to being convinced that the cliff is here and Judge is going to start his decline.

Overall, I’d agree with the polling that Wells is the player I’m most concerned with, followed closely by McMahon who got a smattering of comments pointing out his performance as well. The two have ran into the occasional pitch that they can demolish, but haven’t done much else otherwise offensively, and having two regulars performing that poorly on top of having some starters still sitting with below-average numbers is a recipe for disaster. The Yankees have mostly avoided an outright tumble in the standings, facing one truly bad stretch of play that saw them lose three straight series to the Rays, Orioles, and Mets on the road. To avoid that in the future, it sure would help if one of those two could start to turn things around.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

The A’s have been without starting shortstop Jacob Wilson for a couple weeks at this point thanks to the 24-year-old hurting his shoulder on a diving play. Dislocating your shoulder is never fun, especially for a player than literally needs it on every play he makes.

He’s now taking swings with the bat though as he progresses into his regular routine. The right-handed hitter is also getting work in the field as he’s fielding ground balls at his usual position of shortstop.

There remains no exact time table for Wilson’s return but based off everything we know it doesn’t seem to be much longer until we see him back with the big league club. His extended absence almost all but guarantees that he’ll need some sort of rehab assignment to get back into the swing of things, but it’s looking like once he gets back into baseball activities he won’t take long to return to the big league squad and reclaim his spot as the team’s #1 option at shortstop.

Have a great week A’s fans!

A’s Coverage:

• Is A Jump In Talent Nigh?
• Wilson takes swings in next step toward return from IL
• A’s Win In San Diego, Beat Padres 5-2
• A’s Drop Second Straight To Padres 2-0
• A’s Drop Series-Opener in San Diego
• “State Of The Rotation”: A Projected Weakness, An Actual…?
• Big Amish, meet Man of Steal: Kurtz ties Henderson’s 46-game on-base streak
• Jump, A’s No. 3 prospect, dazzles to extend scoreless streak
• Guerrero touts West Sacramento’s MLB experience as expansion looms large
• A’s Come Back In Extras, Beat Angels 6-5
• A’s clobber Angels 14-6 in Anaheim
• A’s Suffer Heartbreaker to Open Road Trip
• ’Gut-wrenching’: Ginn takes no-no into ninth only to give up walk-off home run
• Kurtz in rarefied air through 162 career games

MLB News and Interest:

• Astros combine on MLB’s 1st no-hitter since 2024, 18th in club history
• Blue Jays Place Dylan Cease On 15-Day IL
• Miz raises bar for 100+ mph pitches: ‘That’s what I do, I throw hard’
• Wander Franco found criminally responsible, but no charges
• White Sox call up Nishida from Triple-A
• Craig Kimbrel Elects Free Agency
• Dodgers Reinstate Kiké Hernández, Designate Santiago Espinal
• Rockies Place José Quintana On 15-Day IL With Sprained Elbow
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

The wind is a factor, folks:

One big positive from yesterday!

Tough to win the award with a low home run total, but good to see him among the top finalists:

I’ve written about more than a thousand Cubs games in my years doing this. Never before has this felt more like Groundhog Day. For 23 games, this team overachieved. They caught a lot of breaks and came through in what felt like every big situation. It felt like every single day I was writing that we should soak it all in because the worm would turn, so to speak. Now they’ve lost 13 of 15, including nine straight. Now I’m writing every day that it isn’t as bad as all of this feels.

The big difference? We have so many decades of Cub fandom. We had no trouble accepting that the good times were a mirage. Taking on faith that this shall past? Another question all together. Unless we are talking in general about former Cub first round picks that didn’t pan out, Jordan Wicks isn’t particularly likely to be the answer to any questions. Things look so bleak right now.

There haven’t been a lot of quality starts in this stretch for Cubs starters, but this is the second one now in three games. But neither was enough to stop the skid. The Cub offense has scored 24 runs in the nine losses. Without doing any math, that’s fewer than three runs per game. The worst part of an extended offensive slump, the manager almost universally has to give days off to his struggling offensive players. The thought obviously makes complete sense. Also, any Cub lineup without Nico Hoerner in it is less than. I’d have said that earlier about a game that Ian Happ sat. I understand the frustration. This team will start stacking wins again when those guys and a handful of other regulars start consistently producing again.

The Cubs managed six hits and three walks. They had one runner caught stealing. They sent only 35 men to the plate. Quite simply, not good enough.

Three Positives:

• Ben Brown allowed one run over six and struck out seven. That should win the overwhelming majority of time, even on a team much less skilled on offense.
• Moisés Ballesteros had two singles and a walk in three trips to the plate.
• Michael Busch had a solo homer for the only Cub run.

Game 54, May 25: Pirates 2, Cubs 1 (29-25)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Ben Brown (.225). 6 IP, 24 BF, 4 H, 2 BB, ER, 7 K
• Hero: Moisés Ballesteros (.078). 2-2, BB
• Sidekick: Michael Busch (.042). 1-4, HR, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Trent Thornton (-.154). IP, 5 BF, 2 H, ER (L 2-1)
• Goat: Dansby Swanson (-.145). 0-3
• Kid: Michael Conforto (-.126). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: Henry Davis’s solo homer in the seventh with two outs. Broke the tie. (.232)

Cubs Play of the Game: Michael Busch’s solo homer with two outs in the fifth. Tied the game at one. (.140)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 53 Winner: Michael Busch 31-24 over Pedro Ramirez (79 total votes).

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

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

• Michael Busch +18
• Nico Hoerner +13
• Michael Conforto +9
• Shōta Imanaga +7
• Trent Thornton/Carson Kelly +5.5
• Ryan Rolison -8
• Phil Maton -9
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -12
• Seiya Suzuki -23.5

Current Win Pace: 87 wins

Up Next: Game two of the four-game set Tuesday night. Jordan Wicks makes his 2026 MLB debut. In his career, he has a 5.21 ERA in 95 MLB innings. To be fair to him, that’s a pretty small sample size and he’s only 26. It isn’t entirely unprecedented for a guy to have a success as a late starter. It’s just that the Cubs had high hopes after grabbing him with the 21st pick in the first round in 2021 out of Kansas State.

He’ll face another 26-year-old in Braxton Ashcraft. Ashcraft was the 2nd round pick of the Pirates all of the way back in 2018 (51st overall). He’s 2-3, 2.89 in 62.1 innings over his 10 starts this year. Last time out, he held the Cardinals to one run on four hits in seven innings of work. He struck out nine and walked only two.

The possibility of a 10-game losing streak in the same month as a 10-game winning streak is looming ominously.

Maybe this is the one, though? The one that stops the bleeding? This team desperately needs someone to step up and deliver an over the top performance and lead the way.

Our 19th entry features pitcher Sean Bergman, who in 1998 would pitch 172 innings for the Astros, while allowing only 42 walks en route to a dozen wins.    

Q:  How much did you know about the Astros prior to being dealt for outfielder James Mouton?

A:  I knew absolutely nothing (laughs) when I came there.     

Q:  Was that first season with Houston the pinnacle of your career?

A:  I would say so.   I remember going into the season talking to Larry Dierker and the staff and they walked me through what they had done with Mike Hampton the year before.   We talked about taking a little bit off pitch, and simply hit more spots, and not worry about throwing it as hard as possible.   That actually worked really well for me.  

Q:  That 1998 season was a memorable one as McGwire and Sosa captivated the nation.  How did you battle those guys?

A:  I wasn’t afraid of anybody, but with McGwire you never wanted the ball to go up the middle when he hit it.   It was kind of cool being in the middle of that thing.   I actually gave up a homerun to each of them.     

I remember the one I gave up to Sosa in particular was the only four seam fastball I had thrown the whole game, and he hit it out to right field.     

The one I gave up to McGwire was a laser shot.  I look back now and realize I was part of history, and it’s kind of cool.   

Q:  You mentioned Larry Dierker a moment ago.  Did you prefer his managerial style?

A:  I really appreciated him.  He let his pitchers get out of trouble and would let guys figure things out.   I have nothing but good memories about Houston.   I owe a lot to the Astros for giving me the opportunity to play there.    

Q:  When Randy Johnson came to the club, how much did it change things for you?   

A:  I thought when Randy came, our odds of winning it (World Series) became better.  When it happened, it was so exciting and we were ready to go!    

For me, it meant being kicked to the bullpen, but I got to play with him and I learned so much.    He was one of the greatest to have ever played the game.  I took away as much as I could from him.

Q:  Favorite memory of the Astrodome?

A:  I loved taking B.P. in the Astrodome.   One time I hit a ball into the upper deck, and I thought that was pretty cool.   Another time, I had a battle with Kerry Wood and there were some 55,000 people and it was a tight game, and the place was rocking.  That was special. 

Game Recaps

Diamondbacks move to 5 games over .500 with win vs. Giants by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

Marte extended his hitting streak to nine games with four knocks at Oracle Park, his third straight game with three-plus hits.

The last Diamondbacks players with three hits in three straight games were Marte last June, Marte in 2019 (twice), Eduardo Escobar in 2019 and Paul Goldschmidt in 2018.

His batting average has jumped from .209 on May 15 to .275, as no one in MLB has a higher average over the past 15 days than his .444.

Kelly finding groove, Marte extending his streak key D-backs’ 9th win in 11 games by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]

In other words, a vintage Merrill Kelly performance.

In an era where big velocity is king, Kelly has found success with a low 90s fastball because he’s able to throw a multitude of pitches and command them.

It was that command and feel that were missing early in the season, when he was still essentially going through Spring Training while pitching in regular-season games.

“That was probably, in my opinion, the sharpest it’s been so far,” Kelly said. “Saw some good life on the fastball. The misses that I have when I’m going bad, when things aren’t right, I didn’t see as many of those today. As far as shapes and location, everything was probably the sharpest.”

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks notes: In what order will A.J. Put, Jordan Lawlar and Pavin Smith return? by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

With June starting next week, the Arizona Diamondbacks are anticipating the impending return of several players from long-term injuries, including reliever A.J. Puk, outfielder Jordan Lawlar and first baseman Pavin Smith.

General manager Mike Hazen suggested on Monday that the order of their respective returns would be Smith, followed by Lawlar and then Puk.

Lawlar and Smith’s 60 days on the injured list are coming to a close, with Smith eligible to return first. Smith went on the IL on March 30 with left elbow inflammation while Lawlar was placed on April 3 with a broken right wrist.

How Ryne Nelson is stringing together starts Arizona needed by Wendy Lopez [Burn City Sports]

While Corbin Carroll and Tommy Troy grabbed the headlines in Sunday’s win over the Colorado Rockies, Ryne Nelson quietly turned in a career outing of his own — and his consistency over the last few starts has made him one of the anchors of Arizona’s rotation.

Arizona’s rotation had previously hit a wall, with inconsistency and short outings from starters hurting not only results, but also forcing the bullpen into games earlier than ideal. Manager Torey Lovullo held a closed-door meeting with his starters to stress the need for better performances, and so far, that message has translated onto the field — especially in Nelson’s case.

The right-hander delivered his fifth consecutive quality start in his latest outing, working into the eighth inning for the first time in the majors. Nelson allowed just one earned run across eight frames while striking out three, continuing a stretch that has helped stabilize the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff.

The 2026 Diamondbacks Are Starting to Feel Weirdly Familiar by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

It was around the 2022 season that the Diamondbacks, at least in the Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo era, began to witness a core group of young players rising to the top of the system, graduating, and becoming regular major league contributors.

Young players like Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy — and even pitchers like Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry — began to make their mark on the big league club. So much so that the Diamondbacks made a surprise march to their second National League pennant and a World Series appearance. 

It’s beginning to feel like that again, though perhaps not in identical fashion. The Diamondbacks have stripped away some of their veteran players like Christian Walker, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez and begun to rely on their youth, once again.

Around the League

Astros combine on MLB’s first no-hitter since 2024, 18th in team history by Michael Clair [MLB]

Tatsuya Imai walked the first two batters he faced Monday night, throwing only two of his first 10 pitches for strikes. That prompted a visit from pitching coach Josh Miller, whose message must have struck the right tone with the former Japanese superstar.

Imai responded by getting a double play grounder and then allowed just two of the next 17 batters he faced to reach to finish six scoreless innings and combined with two relief pitchers to throw the first no-hitter in the Major Leagues in nearly two years in the Astros’ 9-0 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

The no-no was the first in the Major Leagues since the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge against the Pirates on Sept. 4, 2024.

2026 Memorial Day standings check: Surprises, letdowns, more [ESPN] {Ed. Note: Passan continues to beat the MLB line about how payroll isn’t actually a big deal in baseball. In the meantime, two of his colleagues further down the article note how the Dodgers don’t care about the regular season anymore because they know they’re getting to October…}

What stands out most when you look at the standings?

Passan: The number of low-payroll teams at the top and the number of high-payroll teams at the bottom. A look at the 10 best and worst teams by record reveals a very interesting fact: Their payrolls are almost identical. The 10 best teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.89 billion on players. The 10 worst teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.90 billion on players. Three of the 10 best teams — the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians — are carrying sub-$100 million payrolls, while just one of the bottom 10 (the Miami Marlins) are. There are five teams at $200 million-plus among the top 10 but only three in the bottom 10. Lower that threshold by just $5 million, though, and the Red Sox and San Francisco Giants join the New York Mets, Houston Astros and Tigers among the underachievers.

Miz raises bar for 100+ MPH pitches: ‘That’s what I do, I throw hard’ by Adam McCalvy [MLB]

Jacob Misiorowski’s vow to join the 105 mph club will have to wait for another outing.

On Monday against the Cardinals, 103 mph was more than enough to continue rewriting the record books for power pitching.

The big right-hander hit 103 mph or more an unprecedented eight times in the first inning and hit triple digits 57 times on the day — 10 more than any other pitcher since the pitch tracking era began in 2008. Misiorowski tied his career high with 12 strikeouts to become the first pitcher in MLB to reach 100 strikeouts this season. He didn’t allow a hit until the sixth, when he finally allowed his first run of what has been a dazzling month of May.

Wander Franco found criminally responsible, but no prison [ESPN]

 Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was declared criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, but he will not serve a sentence for it, a Dominican judge ruled Monday.

In his decision, Judge José Antonio Núñez considered that Franco had been the victim of extortion and blackmail by the minor’s mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter.

“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and, at the same time, exempt him from punishment,” Núñez said. “The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one.”

Rockies Place José Quintana On 15-Day IL With Sprained Elbow by Connor Byrne [MLB Trade Rumors]

Quintana’s IL placement comes on the heels of a short and disastrous start in Arizona on Sunday. In what turned into a 9-1 loss, Quintana yielded six earned runs over 1 1/3 innings. He will now miss at least two weeks, but elbow injuries often lead to much longer absences. The 37-year-old Quintana has been on the IL seven times during his career, including once this season for a hamstring strain, but an elbow problem had never shelved him until this issue cropped up.

This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”

Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (25-25, 5.5 games back)

The Storm Chasers took 4 of 6 from the St. Paul Saints on the road. Cole Ragans made a rehab start, he threw 4.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, walking 1 and striking out 3. However, Ragans experienced the same feeling in his elbow as he did previously. He is going to be shut down before being reevaluated. Other notable pitching performances include Beck Way throwing 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out 5. Eric Cerantola struck out 6 in 3 innings worth of work.

At the plate, Brett Squires continued to mash. He was 7-for-22 at the plate, with a pair of doubles and homers. Josh Rojas was 7-21 with a pair of doubles and homers as well. Squires is a 26-year-old, who plays the corner outfield spots and first base. He has steadily worked his way through the Royals system, with a career .271/.364/.455 line in the minors with stolen 76 bases in his career. For him to get the call to KC, it would require a 40-man roster move and him to find a spot to play, as there is a logjam at first and the corner outfield spots.

Omaha is home this week for the Memphis Redbirds, the series runs Tuesday through Sunday.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (22-22, 5.5 games back)

The Naturals split their six-game series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles. At the plate, Spencer Nivens was 7-22 with three homers and a double. Carson Roccaforte was 9-26 with two more homers and a triple. Roccaforte is primed for a promotion really soon.

On the mound, Justin Lamkin’s second start in Double-A was a beauty. 6 innings of 1 hit ball, a solo homer, striking out 8. Lamkin is a fast riser to keep an eye on in the Royals system. Drew Beam also had a quality start, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 3.

The Naturals remain on the road, playing the Tulsa Drillers, the Naturals are down 14-7 right now in the top of the 8th as I write this. They gave up a pair of seven run innings to start the game. They don’t play Tuesday, but the rest of the series runs Wednesday through Sunday.

Quad Cities River Bandits (19-23, 6.5 games back)

The River Bandits lost 4 of 6 to the Beloit Sky Carp last week. David Shields threw a quality start, throwing one hit ball over 6 scoreless innings, while walking 1 and striking out 5. It was a good rebound for Shields, who got knocked around in his previous start. Blake Wolters, who recently got promoted from Columbia, had two rough starts. In total, he went 7.1 innings, allowing 11 hits, 13 runs (12 earned), walking 5 and striking out 5. It’ll be interesting to see how the 21-year-old bounces back this week. L.P. Langevin, a 22-year-old out of Quebec, had a good week, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out 4. The right-handed reliever was a 4th round pick in 2024 for the Royals from Louisiana-Lafayette. Langevin’s season ERA is 2.89 over 18.2 innings, with 34 strikeouts.

At the plate, Ramon Ramirez had a good week, hitting .455 over the series, smacking 3 doubles and a homer, while driving in 10 runs. Ramirez is batting .313 on the season, with a .374 OBP and .905 OPS and 40 runs batted in. The catcher is only 20 years old. Luke Pelzer, a 23-year-old outfielder has been having a nice season. The 17th round draft pick in 2025 out of Illinois-Chicago is hitting .305 on the season with 25 RBI’s and 15 stolen bases. This last week, Pelzer was 4-for-18 with a homer, 5 RBI’s and 3 stolen bases.

The River Bandits travel to Cedar Rapids this week. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday.

Columbia Fireflies (20-25, 6 games back)

The Fireflies lost 4 of 6 to the Augusta GreenJackets last week. Catcher Brooks Bryan had a solid week, going 5-12 with 2 runs batted in. He was 3-4 with runners in scoring position. Sean Gamble was 6-22 on the week with a pair of doubles. It was one of the best weeks at the plate this year for Gamble. Josh Hammond was 7-22 on the week with a triple and three runs batted in.

On the mound, Michael Lombardi made 2 starts, totaling 9 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. Kendry Chourio threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 batters. Jordan Woods threw 5 innings of one run ball, striking out 8 batters.

Columbia is home this week for the Charleston RiverDogs, the series runs Tuesday through Sunday.

Also, congrats to these three Royals pitching prospects for earning a promotion! They will be our spotlights next week!

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It’s another full slate on the diamond Tuesday, May 26, and I’ve got three MLB same-game parlay predictions to cover you for tonight’s action.

My top MLB picks begin with a Chicago Cubs SGP and wrap up with parlays backing the Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers in the late window.

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
CHC vs  PIT	+350
SEA vs  ATH	+258
COL vs  LAD	+405

Cubs vs. Pirates SGP: Chicago snaps nine-game skid

The Pittsburgh Pirates strikeout at the second-highest clip in baseball against lefties, while ranking 22nd in wOBA, and Chicago Cubs southpaw Jordan Wicks has scattered a single run through 15 innings across his past three Triple-A starts. Wicks also sports a respectable 8.2 K/9 across 60 1/3 MLB innings the past two years.

Turning to Cubs first baseman Michael Busch, he’s gone 3-for-8 with a pair of homers the past two games, and his .246 batting average against righties this season is way below his .272 mark in 2025.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNP, MARQ

Mariners vs. Athletics SGP: Bats power A's to upset win

The Athletics have beat up on righties to the tune of a second-ranked OPS and third-ranked wOBA, and Seattle Mariners righty Emerson Hancock has surrendered a healthy 44.2% hard-hit rate while sporting an unsustainable 83.3% strand rate.

Hancock has also been more vulnerable away from pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park and allowed a .355 wOBA with a 5.12 ERA across 96 2/3 career innings, so I like Athletics left-handed hitters Nick Kurtz and Carlos Cortes to have solid nights at the dish. They respectively sport elite .446 and .411 wOBAs against right-handed arms this season, after all.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-California, SEAM

Rockies vs. Dodgers SGP: Boys in Blue keep rolling

The Colorado Rockies strikeout at the highest rate against lefties, and Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw Eric Lauer is a candidate for improvement. He spun a solid 3.18 ERA and 3.86 xERA across 104 2/3 innings last year, so I’m expecting regression to his respective 6.69 and 5.83 current marks.

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been a force against lefties with a .391 wOBA and .284 ISO since the beginning of 2024, and he’s also rolling along a 12-game heater consisting of 11 runs, 17 hits, and 14 RBI with a 1.099 OPS.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet-Los Angeles, COLR

See full analysis of this game in our Rockies vs. Dodgers predictions.

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.

It has become all too common that the San Diego Padres have seen a starter throw at least five or six innings and allow three runs or fewer and it results in a loss. Coming into the season that would have been the dream scenario for a Padres rotation that is missing Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta. That was before the season began when people were discussing a possible MVP season for Fernando Tatis Jr., a breakout season for Jackson Merrill, a return to form from Manny Machado and a full season of Ramon Laureano. All four have struggled mightily at the plate 50-plus games into the season so it is no surprise that the San Diego offense is near the bottom or last in MLB in almost every offensive category.

This was the case Monday afternoon for Padres starter Griffin Canning. He did his part, pitching 6.2 innings allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Unfortunately for San Diego and Canning, two of the three hits the right-hander allowed were home runs and accounted for all three of the runs scored by the Philadelphia Phillies. That was enough offense for the visitors to hand the Padres a 3-0 loss at Petco Park. Canning allowed the first home run to Kyle Schwarber in the top of the first inning which gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Philadelphia pushed the score to 3-0 in the top of the seventh when Brandon Marsh hit a two-run home run with Schwarber on base.

San Diego recorded five hits in the game with two of those coming from Tatis, along with two walks, and Ty France chipped in with two hits as well. The only other “offense” came from Miguel Andujar who had a base hit and a walk. That was it. The Padres outhit the Phillies, but none of their hits made it over the wall or produced any runs — which means Tatis still has ZERO home runs on the season.

All that can be done is to move on to the next game and that is what San Diego will do. The Padres will host the Phillies in the second game of the series today at Petco Park at 6:40 p.m. The anticipation of the Jekyll and Hyde offense will diminish some of the excitement for a Randy Vasquez start but San Diego seems to find a way to win with him on the mound so that is something to look forward to.

Padres News:

• Speaking of the San Diego offense, Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball took a look at the possibility of the Padres continuing their success throughout the season — as far as their win/loss record — in spite of their offensive struggles.

• Monday was the first time Nick Castellanos took the field as an opponent of the Phillies since leaving the organization — he went 0-for-4 at the plate. Despite the unceremonious departure the veteran says he has no hard feelings toward Philadelphia.

• With two more hits to open the series against the Phillies, Ty France has 26 hits and has upped his average to .289. He has five home runs, scored 10 runs and has driven in 16 runs. France has also added a stolen base. As good as his offense has been, his defense has been even better, and the former San Diego State Aztec looks happy and comfortable to be back in San Diego.

• Luis Campusano is progressing toward a return to game action, but Padres manager Craig Stammen said the team will ensure he is pain free before they get him to start a rehabilitation process in the minors.

Baseball News:

• Houston Astros completed combined no-hitter to beat the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

• Merrill Kelly helped the Arizona Diamondbacks get their ninth win in 11 games.

• Colton Cowser hit a walk-off home run to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays.

• Jacob Misiorowski hit 103 mph on the radar gun multiple times in a winning effort over the St. Louis Cardinals.

• The New York Yankees needed a ninth-inning rally to beat the Kansas City Royals.

The Nationals laid down the hammer last night on the Cleveland Guardians, smacking 6 home runs en route to a 10-2 victory, bringing them 1 game over .500 at last. While the bats were the top story, the real hero of the day was Zack Littell, who threw 7 innings of one-run ball after PJ Poulin opened the game, securing the win and giving a day off to a very taxed Nats bullpen. Littell, who had atrocious numbers in April, has looked much sharper in the month of May, not having allowed more than 3 runs in a start this month.

Littell isn’t the only one seeing improvements in the Nats rotation, as in the month of May, Nationals starters as a whole have a 4.21 ERA, good for 19th best in baseball, and much improved from their 5.46 mark in April. Over the last 11 days, it has been even better, as their 3.15 starters’ ERA since May 15th ranks 11th in all of baseball. The offense has carried the weight all season with the most runs scored in the league, and the starting pitching has begun to chip in as well.

But what about the bullpen? While the improvements haven’t been as drastic as the starters, the bullpen has seen better results as a collective as well, with their 4.59 ERA ranking 25th in baseball, better than their 5.16 mark in April. The improvement has come in part from cutting off subpar arms, but it’s also been a result of some pitchers coming into their own, such as Richard Lovelady, who has done everything from open to close games for the Nats.

Overall, the Nationals have gone from a team ERA of 5.30 and FIP of 5.22 in April to a team ERA of 4.40 and FIP of 4.06 in May. What has led to the newfound success? One of the key variables has been controlling the 3 true outcomes much better. From April to May, the Nats have increased their strikeout rate by 1.8%, cut their walk rate by 2.1%, and dropped their home runs per 9 innings from 1.61 to 1.08. They went from ranking 27th in the league in K-BB% at 9.3% in April to 14th with 13.2% in May, a stark change.

Another key variable in the Nats’ improving pitching success has been limiting damage on balls in play, particularly where and how hard balls are hit. The Nats 11.5% barrel rate was the worst in baseball, and reflected in the amount of extra base hit damage they were allowing. In May, that number is down to 9.6%, still 3rd worst in baseball, but a strong improvement from where it was in April. Combined with a 4.4% lower Hard Hit Rate, Nats pitchers are limiting the damage hitters are doing when they do barrel up baseballs.

If the Nats can continue to keep their pitching numbers around the 20th best in baseball, rather than the bottom 3, they have a serious chance to make some noise in the NL this summer, as the offense has continued to hum with zero signs of slowing down. As the front office makes moves such as waiver claims and minor league callups, the pitching staff may continue to get better with more talent in the fray.

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (30-20)

Opponent this week: Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)

Record this week: 4-1

Standout performances:

Luis Lara (No. 5): 7-for-18, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Luis Matos: 5-for-13, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Akil Baddoo: 4-for-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 17): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Thomas Pannone: 8 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Coleman Crow (No. 25): 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Tyson Hardin, who was promoted to Triple-A Nashville last Sunday, had another great start in his second appearance with Biloxi. Hardin has now pitched 12 2/3 innings with the Shuckers, allowing just two earned runs and 13 strikeouts while walking six. If you want to nitpick, he’s given out too many walks thus far, but he only walked 1.59 batters per nine innings in 21 starts last season. Given the rest of his numbers, it’s hard to ask for anything better from the 24-year-old righty as he adjusts to Triple-A.

Coleman Crow made another start for Nashville, allowing six hits and three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Not a perfect line by any means, but Crow has impressed in his two appearances with Milwaukee. His performance next time he makes a spot start in Milwaukee will say more about his long-term potential than his Triple-A outings.

Thomas Pannone, who made one appearance for the Brewers back in 2023, pitched eight innings this week. He allowed four runs, so his ERA doesn’t look great, but he didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight.

The Sounds’ lineup this week was led by the Luises. Matos is now slashing .367/.457/.500 since clearing waivers and being outrighted to Nashville. Lara has continued to rake in Triple-A, and at this point, there might be no keeping him down. Brewers manager Pat Murphy has said that Lara won’t be up until there’s regular playing time, but if there’s any room for him in the lineup, he should be the first outfielder called up.

The other consideration with Lara is the “Super Two” deadline, which is quickly approaching. Normally, players need three years of service time before becoming eligible for salary arbitration. However, players who rank in the top 22% of service time among those with between two and three years of service qualify for “Super Two” status, allowing them to become arbitration-eligible a year early. Because of this, the Brewers are somewhat incentivized to keep Lara in Triple-A until they’re confident he won’t qualify.

Cooper Pratt (No. 4) only went 4-for-20, but hit a no-doubt home run. Jett Williams (No. 3) went 5-for-26 and struck out 10 times. Despite the off weeks, both prospects still have OPSes over .900 for the last month. Luis Rengifo currently has the fourth-worst OPS among qualifying batters, while Joey Ortiz would rank fifth if he qualified, so I’d keep an eye on these two (and Eddys Leonard: see video below). Pratt has already signed an extension, so Super Two status isn’t a factor for him. Williams, meanwhile, feels like a strong candidate to arrive shortly after the deadline passes.

Jeferson Quero went 4-for-14 with a pair of RBIs, although none of his four hits went for extra bases. Brock Wilken went 3-for-17 with a double and nine strikeouts. Akil Baddoo, who was activated yesterday from the IL after starting a rehab assignment on May 15, hit two home runs in 16 at-bats.

Next week’s opponent: Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (23-21)

Opponent this week: Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox)

Record this week: 6-0

Standout performances:

Dylan O’Rae: 11-for-22, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 3 K
Jesús Made (No. 1): 10-for-28, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Blake Burke (No. 16): 7-for-23, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Jaron DeBerry: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

After a few relatively lackluster weeks, No. 1 overall prospect Jesús Made produced eye-popping numbers once again with a 13-RBI week. For context, Dylan O’Rae — who leads the Shuckers in hits and batting average — has 13 RBIs all season. Made now leads the entire Southern League in RBIs, with 35, and is slashing .277/.353/.452. Guess who ranks second in the Southern League? Blake Burke, with 33.

Burke has found another level since being promoted to Double-A at the end of last year. He’s tied for the Southern League lead with 12 home runs and has an OPS of .866. He profiles as a 1B/DH in the majors, so with Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, and Gary Sánchez all healthy, there’s no reason to rush him through the farm system. Still, if he keeps this up, he’ll end up in Nashville sometime soon.

Jaron DeBerry continues to do nothing but rack up strikeouts. He’s now punched out 49 batters in 41 1/3 innings, but the rest of his profile remains uneven. DeBerry owns a 5.66 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, largely because he’s been extremely volatile: four very rough blow-up outings have inflated his numbers, but he’s held opponents to two runs or fewer in his other five appearances. The right-hander could very well become a useful major league pitcher, but he’ll need to find more consistency to do so.

Finally, Manuel Rodriguez had another good outing this week. His ERA is still near 5.00, but he’s only allowed two earned runs in each of his last three outings.

Next week’s opponent: Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (20-16)

Opponent this week: Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Record this week: 3-2

Standout performances:

Josiah Ragsdale: 9-for-20, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Andrew Fischer (No. 6): 7-for-19, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 6 K
Josh Adamczewski (No. 10): 4-for-15, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 8 BB, 4 K
Marco Dinges (No. 9): 4-for-16, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Braylon Owens: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

A 2025 seventh-round pick, Josiah Ragsdale spent his first weeks as a member of the Brewers organization in Low-A, but started this season in Wisconsin and has quietly been one of the Timber Rattlers’ best players. After this week’s 9-for-20 showing, Ragsdale is now slashing .292/.423/.442 with three home runs and 17 stolen bases, good for fifth in the Midwest League.

Braylon Payne now ranks second in the Midwest League with 10 home runs, behind only Andrew Fischer. As a reminder, Payne hit eight home runs in nearly 300 at-bats last season in Single-A. His batting average is up 20 points, to .260, while his OPS (.569) is also up in a major way (nearly 200 points). These are clear signs of development, which is exactly what you want to see from a 19-year-old prospect who has all of the athletic tools to succeed at the big-league level someday.

With Fischer, Payne, Josh Adamczewski, and Luis Peña on the roster, some of the Timber Rattlers’ other players have flown a bit under the radar. One of those guys is catcher Marco Dinges. Even after a breakout 2025 season, Dinges — the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect — doesn’t get quite as much coverage as some of the other prospects on the roster.

This may be because, unlike Fischer, Adamczewski, Peña, and even Ragsdale, he rarely puts together huge statistical weeks. However, Dinges has been remarkably consistent all season, putting together a .261/.397/.468 slash line with six home runs.

Speaking of Peña, he started his rehab assignment in rookie ball over the weekend. In five at-bats over two games, he’s recorded a single, double, and RBI.

Pitchers Wande Torres and Braylon Owens, both of whom have made multiple appearances in this column, had the two best outings among Wisconsin pitchers. Ethan Dorchies (No. 18) has had a rough start to his season, but bounced back this week, pitching three innings and allowing two hits and a lone earned run.

Next week’s opponent: Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (23-21)

Opponent this week: Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles)

Record this week: 4-2

Standout performances:

Brady Ebel (No. 13): 9-for-22, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Juan Ortuno: 6-for-19, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K
Pedro Ibarguen: 4-for-13, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Jarrette Bonet: 6 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Carlos Carra: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Brady Ebel, a 2025 first-round compensatory pick, has now had 16 hits over his last two weeks, including nine this week. Ebel had a scholarship offer from LSU, but instead chose to sign with Milwaukee. The 18-year-old shortstop got off to a bit of a slow start, but after a strong two-week stretch, his slash line is up to .242/.388/.362 — a mark that looks even more impressive when you remember he could still be in his first college season.

In last week’s column, I mentioned Pedro Ibarguen had been hitting .353/.433/.510 over the last month in his first full season in Single-A. He didn’t slow down much this week, adding a pair of doubles and walking more than he struck out. Juan Ortuno has also been steadily producing for the Warbirds, and this week wasn’t an exception.

Jarrette Bonet, who was named the Brewers organization’s Pitcher of the Month back in April, had allowed at least four earned runs in each of his three starts in May. He bounced back in a big way with his best start of the year, going 6 1/3 one-hit innings while striking out six and walking one. Carlos Carra (6.63 ERA) also had a quality start.

Next week’s opponent: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs)

Player of the Week

My heart wanted to give this week’s award to Ragsdale, but Andrew Fischer just continues to produce. By “produce,” I mean on the stat sheet, but he also produces more than his fair share of highlights.

Fischer had more hits than strikeouts this week and added three more home runs — the most in the Brewers’ organization — to bring him to a Midwest League-leading 13 for the year. The strikeouts are concerning, and will be until he manages to string together a few weeks with lower whiff totals, but at some point, you have to trust that the guy with a .266 batting average and 1.012 OPS in his first professional season can figure it out eventually.

Play of the Week

Blake Burke is a better defender than he gets credit for, but I didn’t know he had this in his bag.

Since you’re still reading, here’s a Tyler Black outfield highlight as a thank you: