Category: Baseball

The Yankees have been sputtering a bit of late, losing five of their last six games while also dealing with injuries, including one to Max Fried that the extent of is not known yet. However, it almost always could be worse, and we just need to look at this weekend’s opponent for an example of that.

This weekend, the Yankees are headed across the city, as they go to Queens for a three-game set against the Mets. Not only do the Mets currently sit in last in the NL East with one of the worst records in baseball so far, they’ve also been dealing with a mess of injuries. Expected regulars Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco, and Kodai Senga are all currently on the IL. Juan Soto has been one of the only regularly good bats for them, but he’s already had an IL stint and recently had another scare after fouling a ball of his foot (though he did homer yesterday).

However even with those struggles, the Mets always seem to get up for Subway Series matchups, and both fanbases certainly do, too. Before the action gets going tonight, here’s a look at this weekend’s expected pitching matchups.

Friday: Cam Schlittler vs. Clay Holmes (7:15 pm ET)

In his last outing, Schlittler had a gem wasted, as the Yankees’ offense and bullpen couldn’t hang on after the young ace allowed just two hits and no runs. There’s not much more you can say about Schlittler other than that he’s been awesome, leading the league in a number of statistics (namely ERA, FIP, WHIP, and H/9 entering play yesterday). We’ve seen how he gets up for the rivalry against the Red Sox, so let’s see what he does for this cross-city matchup.

The second year of the Holmes as a starter experiment is going … pretty well. The former Yankees closer has a 1.86 ERA in 48.1 innings across eight starts. He has yet to allow more than two runs in any one start, which is especially solid considering he’s made it through at least five innings in every start he’s made. Anecdotally, the Yankees also sometimes seem to struggle against pitchers who had down notes while a member of the Yankees, so we’ll see what happens this time around.

Saturday: Carlos Rodón vs. TBD (7:15 pm ET)

On Saturday, Rodón will be making his second start back off the injured list. His 2026 debut definitely saw some rust despite some good velocity, as he walked five batters in 4.1 innings. That partially caused him to give up three runs to the Brewers despite only giving up two hits. At least, hopefully that was only rust. You still can’t judge much on only two outings, but we’ll get a better sense of how he looks after this game.

At time of writing, the Mets haven’t announced who will be going in the second game. As mentioned, they’re a bit injured, and previous times at this spot in their rotation, they’ve gone with Huascar Brazobán as an opener. 2025 All-Star David Peterson lost his spot in the rotation with an awful start to 2026, but he’s been getting some work as a “bulk guy,” so he could follow Brazobán.

Sunday: Ryan Weathers vs. Freddy Peralta (1:40 pm ET)

Last time out, Weathers flirted with a no-hitter at Camden Yards, only for things to go to pieces after he left the game, leading to a Yankees’ loss to the Orioles. After an up-and-down start to his Yankees career, Weathers has been very solid in recent weeks. Over his last four starts, he has a 1.88 ERA and a 2.77 FIP.

Peralta was one of the biggest name pitchers to move over the offseason, as the Mets acquired him in a trade with the Brewers. He’s been good so far, especially of late, posting a 3.10 ERA and a 3.67 FIP over his first nine starts as a Met. As was the case in Milwaukee, he’s not the type of guy to go 7-8 innings, as his longest outings of the season have been 6.0 innings flat, without ever starting the seventh. However, he can still go out there and strike a bunch of batters out in bunches.

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It's another busy slate across the majors tonight, which means tons of value in my MLB player props.

I'll start things off with Cam Schlittler, followed by Taylor Ward and Edward Cabrera. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Friday, May 15.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Cam Schlittler	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-138
Taylor Ward	Over 0.5 runs	-115
Edward Cabrera	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-104

Cam Schlittler Over 5.5 strikeouts (-138)

Cam Schlittler has been a dominant force for the New York Yankees this season, making up for the loss of two key arms and inserting himself in the AL Cy Young conversation in the process. The right-hander owns a 1.35 ERA while striking out 59 hitters in only 53 1/3 innings of work. 

Schlittler has cashed the Over in Ks in two of his last four outings. The youngster collected six punchouts against the Minnesota Twins in his most recent start, and he also had eight Ks in his last road appearance.

The Yankees visit the New York Mets tonight. The Mets are one of the worst teams in the big leagues, and Schlittler has a mind-boggling 0.98 road ERA, striking out 42 in 36 2/3 frames. 

• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, SNY

Taylor Ward Over 0.5 runs (-115)

Taylor Ward has been a nice pickup for the Baltimore Orioles. In his first season with the team, Ward is hitting .265, coming across the plate 28 times in 43 games. The veteran has hit the Over in runs in back-to-back games, also registering three hits during that span.

The O's begin a series with the Washington Nationals tonight, and the matchup plays in Ward's favor. 

The Nats send the struggling Zack Littell to the hill, who has a 6.94 ERA. Ward is 4-for-8 lifetime against the right-hander with two home runs and three RBI. Ward also has 20 of his runs versus righties, and Littell allows a lot of runs. 

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Nationals.TV

Edward Cabrera Over 5.5 strikeouts (-104)

The Chicago Cubs' rotation is led by Edward Cabrera, who owns a 3.88 ERA. He's struck out 43 in 46 1/3 innings of work, and he's cleared tonight's number in three consecutive starts.

Cabrera has been hit around a bit lately, but he racked up six Ks in his most recent outing, and eight before that. 

The Cubbies take on the Chicago White Sox this evening, who struggle to make contact. They rank 28th in the MLB in strikeouts, and Cabrera is striking out more hitters than usual at the moment.

A matchup against a lineup who aren't swinging it well plays in the right-hander's favor. 

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marquee Sports Network, CHSN

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Hickory starter Aidan Deakins allowed two runs in 5.2 IP, striking out 5. Louis Marinaro struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings.

Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 5 with a homer and a sotlen base. Dewar Tovar was 2 for 4. Hector Osorio homered. Paulino Santana had a hit.

Hickory box score

J’Briell Easley started for Hub City, allowing four runs, including a pair of home runs, in three innings, striking out three and walking two. Brock Porter struck out four and walked three in four shutout innings.

Malcolm Moore doubled twice and drew a walk. Maxton Martin was 3 for 6 with a walk. Rafe Perich had a pair of hits and a walk. Paxton Kling homered and walked twice. Gleider Figuereo drew a pair of walks. Yeison Morrobel had three hits and a walk. Chandler Pollard was 4 for 5 with a double.

Hub City box score

2024 11th rounder Dalton Pence was promoted to Frisco and made his first start for the Roughriders, striking out three, walking two and allowing two runs. Bryan Magdaleno allowed a run in two innings, striking out two.

Frisco box score

Jose Corniell struck out four in five innings for Round Rock, allowing two runs. Michel Otanez allowed faced five batters, walked four of them, gave up a hit, threw a wild pitch, and allow four runs. Ryan Brasier struck out two in a shutout inning. Dane Acker allowed 6 runs in 0.2 IP. Emiliano Teodo needed 10 pitches (9 strikes) to retire four batters, including one via strikeout.

Round Rock box score

ACL Rangers box score

There are lofty expectations for anyone that gets signed to a contract with an annual average value of $60 million. In the case of Kyle Tucker, it appeared as though the expectations were too tough to reach throughout the beginning of the season.

Tucker was performing at a below league-average rate over his first 33 games of the season, as he slashed .236/.322/.362 while having dropped in the lineup considerably from second on opening day to hitting routinely in the cleanup and five spots in the lineup. Since the Dodgers went into Houston to face Tucker’s old team, the outfielder has found a new gear at the plate and has been one of the Dodgers’ hottest hitters over his last 10 games.

Tucker has a .323 batting average over his last 10 games since the series opener against the Astros, and while the home run power hasn’t broken through, he has five doubles and as many walks as strikeouts. Dave Roberts knows that is still more to come from Tucker at the plate, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“Yes, I think Kyle has looked better the last week. Still not right, for me – and for him,” Roberts said. “I think he is taking much better at-bats. I think he’s been much more consistent controlling the strike zone and not chasing as much which has led to a lot more contact and some hits.”

Links

Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup for a second straight game on Thursday, but it didn’t matter too much in the Dodgers’ 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants to split the four-game set. Ohtani gave Dave Roberts the “ok” to sit out on Thursday in an effort to keep him fresh for the team’s upcoming nine-game road trip, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

Said Ohtani, through interpreter Will Ireton: “I talked to the team, and I’m good with it. My last at-bat as a hitter [Tuesday] was really good, so I want to continue that momentum whenever I get to hit again. … Tomorrow’s a day for me to work on that and make sure that that’s really my body, and to make sure that I can do that during a game.”

Kiké Hernández is in the thick of his rehab assignment, and that included a series against the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes— the former Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers. Expecting to receive boos, Hernández was thrown off by the amount of love he received from the Albuquerque fans, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

“A little bit shocked. Slightly embarrassed, but good,” he told reporters, including Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal, before the Comets’ 8-2 loss on Wednesday.

Meet the Mets

A.J. Ewing hit his first major league home run, Nolan McLean got through seven innings, and the Mets hit a total of five home runs as they completed a sweep of the Tigers yesterday at Citi Field.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post

Ewing’s home run traveled 405 feet, and here’s something you might not have known about the 21-year-old: When he’s not on the field, he plays guitar to take his mind off the game.

Before the game, the Mets provided injury updates on Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez, as the former has shown signs of healing in his calf but still doesn’t have a timeline for returning, while the latter had surgery that will very likely keep him out until mid-July.

Roger Rubin wonders whether Alvarez will ever become the star that it seemed like he could be.

The Mets will appear on three different networks this weekend as they host the Yankees: Apple TV has the game tonight, FOX has the game tomorrow, and the series finale on Sunday will mercifully be on SNY.

The Mets have added a shuttle line in anticipation of the potential LIRR strike this weekend.

There’s mutual respect between Cam Schlittler and Nolan McLean, and Tim Britton and Will Sammon take a look at the debate about which pitcher is better.

Britton also put together an All-Subway Series team of the greatest players at each position in the history of the series.

Yesterday at Citi Field, the Mets celebrated the anniversary of Willie Mays’ debut with the club, and Mets legend Cleon Jones was in attendance.

With the Yankees in Queens this weekend, you’ll be constantly reminded that Luke Weaver and Devin Williams both pitched in The Bronx last year.

Newsday spoke to some Long Island fans about both teams about their elaborate tattoos inspired by the teams.

David Lennon writes that the Mets need to sweep the struggling Yankees to convince us that they are really back.

Around the National League East

Zebby Matthews was dominant for the Twins as they blew out the Marlins.

The Reds scored 15 runs and obliterated the Nationals.

Ranger Suárez struck out eight in five-and-one-third scoreless innings against the Phillies, the only team he’d ever pitched for until signing with the Red Sox in free agency, but Philadelphia scored three runs in the eighth and beat Boston.

The Cubs foiled the Braves’ attempt at completing a sweep by shutting Atlanta out.

Around Major League Baseball

Ken Rosenthal writes about Elly De La Cruz’s success so far this season and how he’s approaching his age-24 season while having fun with his teammates.

The Mariners won their series against the Astros with a big 8-3 win.

Kyle Harrison made a great start for the Brewers as they topped the Padres.

Ryne Stanek played a big part in blowing a late lead for the Cardinals, but St. Louis came back to beat the A’s shortly thereafter.

The don’t-call-them-Sacramento club completed a trade with their division rival Mariners for lefty reliever José Suarez.

The White Sox continue to be one of the most surprising teams in baseball, as they completed a sweep of the Royals to put themselves over .500 for the first time since Opening Day of the 2025 season.

The Dodgers managed a win over the Giants to salvage a series split, and Los Angeles gave Shohei Ohtani back-to-back days off to get some much needed rest following his most recent pitching appearance.

Former Met Justin Turner couldn’t get a gig with a major league club coming off his disappointing year at the plate in 2025—and blames the game putting too much weight in “data sheets” for not even getting a non-roster invitation—but he’s thriving as he continues to play baseball in Tijuana.

This Date in Mets History

Pat Mahomes recorded the win against the Phillies in his Shea Stadium debut on this date in 1999.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are on the “road” this weekend (I use that word very loosely, because they will be in Sacramento) so I think it’s time for another temp-check to see how we’re feeling about the team right now.

Every time I have to take time off during the season, I always feel the overwhelming urge to burst in here like Daveed Diggs in the opening of the second act of Hamilton, with a “What did I miss?”

Thankfully for all of you, this is not an audio or visual medium. But the sentiment stands.

I have been completely off the grid for nearly two weeks, and I’m thoroughly confused about what is going on. It feels like the last time I was here, Patrick Bailey was being celebrated for home run heroics against the Dodgers. Now I’m back, and the team is still playing the Dodgers (as of the time this is being written), and Bailey is gone.

Okay, then. I didn’t see that one coming. But I guess I’ll trust Buster Posey’s judgement on catchers. Given the fact that he is, in fact, Buster Posey.

Let’s see, what else have I missed? I see that they are still doing their absolute best to avoid even a .500 record, so clearly my early season predictions were a little too optimistic. But I guess it’s still early, and as we’ve established, I’ve missed a couple of weeks.

So I want to hear from you guys. How are we feeling about the team/season at the moment?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin their three-game series against the Athletics tonight at 6:40 p.m. PT.

Triple-A:Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 4 Norfolk Tides 1

Trey Gibson started and limited Charlotte to one run over four innings. After a brief stint in the Orioles bullpen, the organization limited Gibson to 65 pitches. He threw 41 strikes. The 23-year-old allowed four hits, three walks, and struck out five.

Trace Bright piggybacked Gibson and ran into some trouble. The righty allowed three earned runs on seven hits. He struck out six, but was done in by three Charlotte homers.

The Tides failed to match the Knights power. The team loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but Sam Huff grounded into a double play. The contact led to Norfolk’s only run, but the twin killing ended any attempt at a rally. The team finished 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 3, Chesapeake Baysox 2

Thomas Sosa drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, but Chesapeake’s defense gave this one away at the end. The RubberDucks tied the game on a squeeze play. Akron got the winning run to second, and he came all the way around to score on an infield single to second base.

The outcome spoiled a solid outing by Juaron Watts-Brown. The former Blue Jays prospect limited Akron to only one hit over four scoreless innings. He struck out five and issued four free passes.

High-A: Frederick Keys 5, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 4

Yeiber Cartaya kept his season ERA below one with 4.1 solid innings. Cartaya actually allowed two runs, but only one was determined to be earned. He struck out three and walked three.

Keagan Gillies, Chandler Marsh and Joe Glassey teamed up to pitch 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. The trio combined to allow only one hit and struck out eight.

Elis Cuevas smacked his sixth home run of the year during a five-run seventh. The blast capped a 3-for-4 night with four RBIs and two runs scored. Wehiwa Aloy finished 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Leandro Arias doubled in four trips, and Braylin Tavera went 1-for-4 with a run scored from the leadoff spot. Ike Irish went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.

Low-A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros) 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 3

Christian Rodriguez added to a strong night of starting pitching on the farm. Rodriguez held Fayetteville to only one hit over 4.2 innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

Unfortunately, the Woodpeckers managed six runs against Delmarva’s bullpen. The Shorebirds attempted to battle back with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but a two-run single by Stiven Martinez and a throwing error were not enough to get Delmarva back in the game.

Box Scores

Friday’s Schedule

Norfolk: at Charlotte, 7:04 pm. Starter: Levi Wells (2-2, 3.94 ERA)

Chesapeake: at Akron, 7:17 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (1-1, 5.40 ERA)

Frederick: at Hudson Valley, 7:05 pm. Starter: Kiefer Lord (0-1, 9.64 ERA)

Delmarva: vs Fayetteville, 7:05 pm. Starter: Denton Biller (1-1, 5.68 ERA)

I’ll be the first to admit that I was excited about the Rockies signing Michael Lorenzen this offseason.

With the new front office being high on him and the 34-year-old’s affinity for problem-solving and a seven-pitch mix, I bought into the hype. I even predicted Lorenzen, who signed a one-year deal worth $8 million in January, would record a career-high 10 wins this season.

Ten appearances — including nine starts — into the season, my optimism has worn thin. Lorenzen is leading MLB in hits surrendered with 67. And it’s not even close, as Cincinnati’s Brady Singer is second with 58. Minnesota’s Simeon Woods Richardson recently edged out Lorenzen for most earned runs given up at 36, while the Colorado RHP has 32.

Lorenzen has a 6.55 ERA in 44 innings — which is the worst in baseball among qualified players — and is 2-5 on the season. Lorenzen has not come close to solving Coors Field as he has a 9.64 ERA in four appearances there (18.2 innings) vs. a 4.26 mark in six appearances (25.1 IP) on the road.

Overall, opponents are hitting .347 with him with an xBA of .314. The xBA, his 114.2 max exit velocity, the .415 xOBA and 14.7% strikeout rate are all career-worsts for Lorenzen.

What’s most worrying about Lorenzen’s numbers is his high batting average on balls in play (BABIP) at .385, a hard-hit % of 50.3 and a barrel % of 9.3. The league average is around .300 for BABIP, 35-40% for hard-hit percentage and 6-7% for barrels. BABIP takes out homers, strikeouts, walks, and HBP and favors bloopers, line drives, poor defense, and ballpark gaps.

A high BABIP can be a mark of bad luck on its own, but paired with batters hitting the ball hard (at 95 mph or higher) and squaring the baseball up for barrels, it reduces the odds of bad luck and is more of an indicator of bad pitching.

In Lorenzen’s defense, he’s had some solid outings this season. His best game was his lone Quality Start when he gave up one run on seven hits in seven innings in New York against the Mets. Despite giving up 12 hard-hit balls, which is a season-high mark, Lorenzen’s curveball, sinker and cutter were working well.

He walked zero, struck out three and gave up only one double (six singles).

Lorenzen has two starts where he’s given up two runs or fewer, including the May 12 performance against Pittsburgh, where he was outdueled by Paul Skenes. In his five-inning outing, Lorenzen gave up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks, limiting the Pirates to three hard-hit balls. A big reason for his success was the command of his changeup and the steady 95-mph velocity of his four-seam fastball.

After the game, Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer was pleased with Lorenzen’s start.

“Breaking balls were good. I thought he was attacking very good. His fastball maintained velocity all night,” Schaeffer said. “I thought he was really good. He matched [Skenes]. Michael was good for us. That’s what we expect from him.”

Earlier in May, MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa documented Lorenzen’s high BABIP, especially at Coors Field, blaming bad luck. Lorenzen explained that he believes he is pitching well and his BABIP is bound to shrink.

“It’s kind of just challeng[ing] them to put the ball in play, and just a lot of bloops that are hit over second base on changeups, sinkers in that are jammed,” Lorenzen said. “I’m making good pitches, I’m throwing the right pitches. Just things aren’t going my way.”

Considering the elevated hard-hit % and barrels, this might be wishful thinking. At the same time, Lorenzen does have a low walk rate (6.6%) and a good ground ball rate (46.3%), which shows he is doing some things right. He’s proven he can have success, but it comes when his changeup, curveball, sinker and cutter are working and the four-seam fastball isn’t the go-to pitch.

However, Lorenzen has only made it to the sixth inning three times and is consistently getting shelled. After discussing Lorenzen’s early tenure with the Rockies with the wonderful Broomfield Baseball Club this week, it’s clear to see I am not the only one who’s doubting Lorenzen. The group, which meets monthly at the Broomfield Public Library, had several thoughts. Lorenzen might not have the durability to stay in the Rockies rotation, or, if he does, he’ll require a long reliever more often than not. He may have to move to the bullpen. Perhaps the front office will decide the Lorenzen experiment didn’t work and he’ll be shipped out of town by the trade deadline (if a team will take him).

After giving up seven runs on 11 hits with three walks, two strikeouts and 10 hard-hit balls on May 6 at Coors Field against the Mets, Lorenzen remained confident his numbers would even out.

“You just have to keep doing it and trust that baseball’s going to change,” Lorenzen told Randhawa. “You can’t have a .450 BABIP all year. So you just have to kind of hope that at some point it changes. … I feel like I’m making progress. Today’s the best I’ve felt in a really long time, mechanically. I’m happy with how I feel. And the numbers aren’t supporting it.”

His start in Pittsburgh supported that, but it was on the road. The next test will be when the Rockies return to Coors Field when Lorenzen is scheduled to start against the Diamondbacks on May 17.

On the Farm

Triple-A: Oklahoma City Comets 12, Albuquerque Isotopes 10

The Isotopes scored nine runs in the last three innings, shrinking an 8-1 deficit, but the comeback still came up short on Thursday night. The late surge was powered by a three-run homer by Blaine Crim, who also doubled and scored another run. Vimael Machín hit a two-run double, while Cole Carrigg tripled and added an RBI single. Zac Veen and Braxton Fulford each chipped in RBI singles, and Drew Avans drove in a run with a sac fly.

Double-A: Portland Sea Dogs 5, Hartford Yard Goats 3

Cole Messina homered, Andy Perez went 4-for-5 and Bryant Betancourt added two hits as the Yard Goats out-hit the Sea Dogs 10-7, but it wasn’t enough for Hartford. Portland jumped out to a 3-0 in the second inning by getting three hits, including a homer, against Sam Weatherly (0-2). Blake Adams took over for the next five innings, but gave up two more runs that ended up deciding the game. Jimmy Obertop added a double for Hartford, Zach Kokoska singled and scored a run and GJ Hill scored a run for the Yard Goats.

High-A: Hillsboro Hops 6, Spokane Indians 2

Spokane jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but it didn’t last long. The Hops tied it up in the bottom of the frame and continued to add one-run tallies in the second, third, fifth and seventh on their way to victory. Caleb Hobson started the game with a single for the Indians, stole second and reached third on an error. He came around to score on a Royneir Hernandez single to put Spokane up 1-0. Max Belyeu doubled to move Hernandez to third and a wild pitch allowed Hernandez to score to make up the Indians runs. Belyeu finished with three hits, while Kelvin Hidalgo added two. Lebarron Johnson Jr. took the loss, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in four innings.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Visalia Rawhide 3

Ethan Holliday hit his seventh homer of the season, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, Carlos Renzullo hit a two-run triple in the seventh inning and Roldy Brito and Derek Bernard each recorded RBI doubles in Fresno’s 15-hit victory on Thursday night. Tanner Thach added three hits, drove in a run and scored a run and Clayton Gray went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Riley Kelly struck out eight batters, giving up two runs on two hits with five walks in 4.1 innings for the win. Jhon Medina allowed one run in 1.1 innings and Manuel Oliveras added 3.1 scoreless innings to help the Grizzlies win.

Chase Dollander leaves Rockies-Pirates game | Purple Row

The young pitcher left in the second inning with right arm tightness. Dollander and the Rockies coaching staff aren’t saying a lot about the seriousness of the injury. Dollander will likely undergo imaging before more information is released. Read more about the game here.

Top Early Standouts in the Colorado Rockies’ Farm System | Just Baseball

Cristian Crespo dives into some of the successes of Rockies prospects like Cole Carrigg, Roc Riggio, Andy Perez, Jacob Humphrey and more across all four levels.

Colorado Rockies Top Prospect Ethan Holliday Is on Another Level Right Now | SI.com

In more good news from the farm, here’s a spotlight on Ethan Holliday and how he’s tearing it up for the Fresno Grizzlies.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Red Sox are starting to pitch like the rotation they were built to be over the offseason. That’s even with Garrett Crochet still on the shelf as he strengthens his way back from left shoulder inflammation.

A big part of better turns through the rotation lately comes from a solid run of starts from Sonny Gray. His ERA didn’t jump off the page from his final years in St. Louis, but his metrics were encouraging to the point that the Red Sox made the move to trade for him this winter.

He didn’t have his rhythm immediately in April and spent some time on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Gray clearly found something in his return as he’s allowed just one earned run in 11 innings since his activation off the injured list. 

The veteran right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA through his first seven starts in a Red Sox uniform. He’s settled into a role without the pressure to lead a return. Crochet will be back and Ranger Suarez also started to throw the ball exceptionally well in recent weeks. As a result, Gray can be himself and go to work on the mound.

All the recent signs are encouraging for Gray as of late and nobody in the Red Sox community wants him to succeed more than the person who still plays his 2013 ALDS highlights on loop (wonder who that might be). With that said, two metrics for Gray are worth keeping an eye on if his production slips this summer. 

Gray’s K/9 sits at 5.8 after his most recent start. For reference, he struck out at least 10 per nine innings in each of his final two seasons with the Cardinals. The Boston starter also holds an ERA-FIP gap of 1.01 (4.19 FIP). No need for real concern yet, just something to monitor as the season develops closer to hitter-friendly environments. 

Obviously, none of the rotation growth matters if the Red Sox don’t start scoring more runs. In the meantime, the Gray trade looks strong for the health of the pitching staff in 2026.

Happy Friday, everyone! Hopefully, it’s been a good week, and you’re set to enjoy your weekend. To ease you into the final day of the week, we’ve got an assortment of baseball news for you to enjoy. We’re taking a look at the early discussions regarding the CBA and a potential salary cap, the new tentative Rays stadium deal, bad luck injury news for Cal Raleigh (who just busted his slump in the strangest way), and a surprising turn for the White Sox who… are playing winning baseball?

We’ve got all that and more in today’s news, so grab a coffee and enjoy!

• Where does MLB stand with the CBA, and the potential salary cap? (ESPN)
• The Rays have a tentative deal in place for their new stadium. (AP)
• Ben Clemens thinks we’re all underrating Dylan Lee.
• On the topic of the Braves, Jay Jaffe writes a joint memorial for Ted Turner and Bobby Cox.
• Some injury updates from around baseball. (MLB)
• More May trades as the Mariners send Jose Suarez to the A’s. Story by Martin Gallegos.
• Kyle Koster wants us to believe the impossible: the White Sox are a .500 club.
• Matt Gelb looks at how the Mattingly father-son duo in Philadelphia is embracing their unexpected season. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Can’t say I would have predicted some of these at the start of the season.

• Enjoy this silly little quiz to help you pick your ideal MLB team. If you take it, we want to know if you actually ended up with the Cubs.
• Michael Baumann wants us to know how right he was about Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks.
• What is the “Tito speedo” and how did it help push the Reds to victory? Story by Mike Petraglia.
• Sonja Chen shares that Shohei Ohtani’s insane ERA is sparking plenty of Cy Young chatter.
• Who are the best third basemen in baseball right now? (SI)
• Corey Seager is trying to “figure it out” amid a rough slump. (AP)
• Ken Rosenthal looks at the results-focused mentality that has turned Elly De La Cruz into one of baseball’s best players. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• A scary update from a recent White Sox game. Stay safe out there, friends!

• David Laurila thinks Yandy Diaz is one of the most underappreciated hitters in baseball.
• Ryan Blake goes on a tangent about arm strength.
• Are things looking up for the Mets? They just had their first sweep of the season. Story by Anthony DiComo.
• Nick Selbe ranks all 30 MLB teams into “watchability” tiers and let’s just say it’s a great year to be a Cubs fan.
• Former MLBer Yasiel Puig may face jail time on federal charges. Story by Ryan Phillips.
• The Twins are sending struggling outfielder Matt Wallner to Triple-A. (ESPN)
• Before his injury, Cal Raleigh took an unusual approach to busting his slump: he showered in his uniform. Story by Rustin Dodd. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This is tremendous. Just give me crowd noise and the crack of a bat.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Introduction

On February 5th, 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen sent fan favorite infielder Blaze Alexander to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for relief pitcher Kade Strowd, along with two minor league prospects, RHP Wellington Aracena and infielder Jose Mejia. It definitely hasn’t been long enough to evaluate this trade fairly, and won’t be for a few years, but I am going to try to do that today anyway.

How’s Blaze doing for the Orioles anyway?

Blaze Alexander has appeared in 36 games for the Baltimore Orioles, He’s seen time at every fielding position other than catcher, first base and pitcher, and as a result, his defensive stats have really taken hit. This is pretty clearly demonstrated by his Def stat on Fangraphs (which includes the positional adjustment) going from a positive 2.7 for the Diamondbacks in 2025 to -2.7 in 2026. Looking over his advanced fielding stats at each position, Blaze is still an above average fielder at third base, and possibly at the two corner outfield positions, but he’s a well below average fielder anywhere else in the field. Blaze’s defense would be fine if he was taking steps forward and growing as a hitter, but that’s not what we’ve been seeing through his first 100 plate appearances. He’s hitting .244/.299/.289 with a 70 wRC+, 69 OPS+, and a .271 wOBA; combined with his defensive decline, that puts his seasons value at -0.1 fWAR.

It’s actually not all doom and gloom for Blaze, as he’s actually been hitting the ball harder with a max EV a full 2.2 MPH faster than his highs in previous seasons. His expected wOBA (.306), expected Batting Average (.281), and expected Slugging Percentage (.350) do give some indication that he’s been somewhat unlucky as well. I think Blaze has the potential to turn it around if the Orioles leave him at a defensive position he’s actually comfortable at.

Okay, that’s cool, but what about the players the D’Backs acquired?

First up, there’s Kade Strowd, who was assigned to the AAA affiliate Reno Aces after not making the MLB Roster out of spring. Strowd has been an effective reliever for the Aces so far in the 14 games he’s appeared in. He’s put up a 2.40 ERA, though that does come with a significantly higher 4.17 FIP and xFIP, so I would expect that ERA to go up. Strowd seems like a solid candidate to be called up eventually this season, especially if there are any injuries in the bullpen.

RHP Wellington Aracena was assigned to the A+ Level Hillsboro Hops. There he’s started 5 games, but appeared in 6, pitching 18 ⅓ IP with a 2.95 ERA, a 3.58 FIP, 3.61 xFIP, and a 64 ERA-. In other words, he’s been an above average pitcher so far. Aracena has stood out to me thanks to an insane 32.4 strikeout percentage, in addition to his other stats above.

Finally, there’s 2nd baseman Jose Mejia, who has stood out the most to me, thanks to his performance at the plate in 2026. In 32 games and 132 plate appearances for the D’Backs A ball level affiliate Visalia Rawhide, Mejia is hitting .308/.455/.500 with a .442 wOBA and 152 wRC+. Mejia is sporting an excellent 19.5 walk percentage, along with a more than acceptable 15.9 strikeout percentage. Mejia has been an above average hitter throughout his minor league career, ans hiis .363 BABIP is well in line with his career norms, so this isn’t a case of a fluke hot streak. Mejia appears to legitimately be one of the better hitters in the Diamondbacks farm system.

Conclusion

While none of the players acquired are currently on the MLB roster for the Dbacks, the results so far in 2026 from each player make this trade look more and more promising as time goes by. Kade Strowd should be a useful bullpen piece in the very near future, with Aracena hopefully doing the same a few seasons down the line. Mejia looks like a guy who should climb the Dbacks top prospect list, though he plays a position that the Dbacks are absolutely stacked at currently. Meanwhile Blaze Alexander is currently struggling for the Orioles and may be sent down to the Minors sooner rather than later if his struggles continue.

It’s still way too early, but right now this looks like one of the better long term moves that GM Mike Hazen made over the offseason.

You better run. Those three words were the only thought racing through pinch-hitter Alex Call’s head when he laced a pitch from San Francisco Giants reliever Matt Gage into right field.

The two-run single, which gave the Dodgers the lead, sparked a three-run rally in the sixth inning that concluded when Miguel Rojas drove in Call on a single to center field.

“It felt like I hit it,” said Call, who initially hesitated to run after making contact. “But I guess I just didn't quite see it off the bat, and I'm like looking for it, keep looking up, and then all of a sudden I hear the crowd get really loud.”

Call's single helped the Dodgers beat the Giants 5-2 on Thursday night, reclaiming first in the National League West after San Diego lost to Milwaukee. The Dodgers also escaped a third straight series loss at home ahead of their weekend road series against the Angels.

Read more:Kiké Hernández 'little bit shocked' by reception in Albuquerque while on rehab assignment

Call wasn’t the only Dodger who thrived under pressure. Designated hitter Will Smith, whom Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described earlier in the day as “unflappable,” hit from the leadoff spot for the first time in his career and homered to right-center field in the first inning to set the tone for the series-splitting win.

“That was nice, huh?” Roberts said. “Like I said before the game, just to be able to plug him in, you feel confident that no matter what, he’s going to give you his best. And I didn’t expect a homer, but it was a good way to start.”

The decision to put Smith in the leadoff spot allowed Roberts to maximize the 31-year-old’s plate appearances without moving other players after Shohei Ohtani was held out of the lineup.

The Dodgers (26-18) are trying to lighten Ohtani's workload after his recent struggles at the plate. It’s the first time a healthy Ohtani has been out of back-to-back batting orders, except for the paternity list, since the universal designated hitter rule was implemented in 2022.

Though the Dodgers outlasted the Giants (18-26) without Ohtani's help, the team’s compounded mistakes almost cost it a win.

In the second inning, the bottom of the lineup strung together two hits to score Max Muncy, who reached on a walk. However, after Miguel Rojas softly hit a ground ball to Giants starter Landen Roupp, Teoscar Hernández found himself stranded in no-man’s land after running toward home from third — there was no force play at the plate.

Rojas, who stood on the basepath, slammed his helmet down in frustration after Smith struck out to end the inning.

Rojas wasn't the only one upset. Dalton Rushing was shown on the game broadcast breaking his bat in the dugout and slamming his leg guard on the back bench after striking out in the fourth inning. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan shared some words of encouragement with the catcher and patted him on the back.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani holds Giants scoreless, Dodgers' bats heat up to snap losing streak

“He was frustrated obviously with that at-bat,” Sheehan said. “We just wanted to let him know that he’s good and we still got work to do.”

Despite striking out three times in three at-bats, Rushing continued to work well with Sheehan.

Sheehan gave up just two earned runs and two hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six innings. He produced a 50% whiff rate with his slider, and his four-seam dotted the zone 73% of the time.

“Every time he’s been going out there, he’s getting better,” Roberts said. “And today was his best outing in totality. The fastball was good, the life to it, the command of it. I thought Dalton did a great job with him, in the sense of when to use a curveball, when to use a change-up, when to use a fastball, and we needed it.”

With a four pitch arsenal, Sheehan put together three hitless innings before San Francisco’s Rafael Devers hit a one-out single to left field.

From there, things got worse. In the fifth, Jung Hoo Lee hit an inside-the-park home run when Hernández misread the ball off the left-field wall in foul territory, allowing the ball to roll past him. Rojas' relay throw was too high for Rushing to catch, and Lee slid into home to become the first Giants player to hit an inside-the-park homer at Dodger Stadium.

But the Dodgers responded in the sixth. After Max Muncy reached base on a force out at second and was moved over to third on a single from Hernández, Alex Call delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to right field. Rojas then blooped a ball over the infield to drive in Call.

“This game at the end of the day is about results,” Call said. “Sometimes you just have to let it play out and just play baseball. Sometimes you just have to get through the tough stuff. We're doing a great job in here and no one's losing faith in anybody.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers scored three runs in the sixth inning to back a strong start by Emmet Sheehan to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium and salvage a series split after dropping the first two games.

Teoscar Hernández figured prominently on both sides of the ball in and around left field on Thursday, and it was his third hit of the night that finally chased San Francisco starter Landen Roupp with one out in the sixth inning with a tie score and runners on second and third base.

Left-hander Matt Gage was called in for his third appearance of the series and struck out lefty-hitting Dalton Rushing for the second out of the frame. Alex Call, a right-handed batter, pinch-hit for Hyeseong Kim, and dunked a single into short right field to give the Dodgers their second lead of the night, and he took second base on the throw home. Call scored on the second single of the game by Miguel Rojas, who started at shortstop for Mookie Betts.

It took until the sixth inning of the seventh and final game, but the three runs in the sixth marked the Dodgers’ largest-scoring frame of the homestand.

Hernández had no extra-base hits in his previous 15 games before this series, but doubled twice on Thursday, including a third-inning ball to the right field wall that set up another run. Hernández was caught between third base and home later in the frame, when Rojas attempted a safety squeeze but bunted it right back to pitcher Landen Roupp. Rojas was so displeased with the bunt that he slammed his helmet to the dirt when the inning ended one out later without another run scoring.

Sheehan was effective all night against the Giants, inducing 19 swinging strikes — his second-most in a start this season — including 10 whiffs on the fastball and seven on the slider. That fueled Sheehan’s six strikeouts in six innings in which he nearly escaped unscathed.

San Francisco didn’t get a hit off Sheehan until Rafael Devers dropped a bloop single into shallow left field in the fourth inning. Sheehan walked a pair, both after 0-2 counts, including one in the fifth to Drew Gilbert. The second hit against Sheehan was another properly placed looper into left field, this one by Jung Hoo Lee that somehow managed to scoot past Hernández for an inside-the-park two-run home run.

Instead of a 2-0 lead in which Sheehan was relatively cruising, suddenly the game was tied. But he rebounded to retire his next four batters to complete six innings for the third time this season.

Sheehan famously pitched six scoreless no-hit innings against the Giants in his major league debut at Dodger Stadium in 2023, and has allowed only four runs and five hits with 31 strikeouts in 28 innings against them for a 1.29 ERA in five career games, including four career starts.

Notes

• Call has four hits in six at-bats as a pinch-hitter this season, including a double. Rest of the Dodgers have two hits in 25 pinch-hit at-bats.
• Hernández in the series had three multi-hit games and three total doubles in the four games.
• With Shohei Ohtani sitting, Will Smith got the start at designated hitter on Thursday after catching the first three games. Smith batted leadoff for the first time in his career and homered in the first inning.

Thursday particulars

Home runs: Will Smith (4); Jung Hoo Lee (3)

WP — Emmet Sheehan (3-1): 6 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts

LP — Landen Roupp (5-4): 5 1/3 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (4): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

Technically the Dodgers are on the road next, though close enough for many to still sleep at home, starting a three-game series against the Angels on Friday night (6:38 p.m.; SportsNet LA, KTTV channel 11) in Anaheim. Blake Snell goes in the opener, with Jack Kochanowicz on the mound for the Halos.