Category: Baseball

Today’s roster move: Here

Sunday notes…

• STREAKING AT HOME: The Cubs have won 10 straight games at home. It is their 19th double-digit win streak of the Modern Era, which began in 1901, their 15th at Wrigley Field, their home since 1916. This is their first such streak since they won 14 in a row, May 18-June 22, 2008. A 13-game streak in 2001 and a 10-game streak in 1998 are their only others of the kind since 1970. Their record is 18 straight, Sept. 4-22, 1935, during a surge that lifted them to the pennant. The 2008 streak was one of five of 14 games. The 2001 streak was the only one of 13. They also had a lone streak of 12, in 1927, and of 11, in 1910. Eight of the streaks ended after 10 games. The most recent, May 29-June 15, 1998, was snapped when the Cubs were routed by the Brewers, 11-2. They then lost five of seven to wrap up a home stand. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• STREAKING EVERYWHERE: The Cubs had won 10 in a row everywhere last month. Yesterday’s win makes 2026 just the 13th of the 126 seasons starting in 1901 in which they have enjoyed double-digit streaks overall and at home. The previous season was 2001, when the Cubs won 12 in a row, the first seven at home, May 19-June 2. After a loss at Milwaukee, they won three at home, went 2-4 on the road and won three more at home. Then came a 2-2 road trip, followed by a return to Wrigley Field, where they lost to the Brewers, 2-1, snapping their home streak at 13 games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• AGAINST ARIZONA: This is the Cubs’ 30th series at home against the Diamondbacks since Arizona began play in 1998. The Cubs have swept four of them, in 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2015. This is the 10th series at Wrigley Field since the last sweep. The Cubs won the first two games last year, then lost the third, as they had in 2011 and 2016. In 2014, they won the first two, then lost two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs trailed 2-1 going to the bottom of the ninth, with just two hits off the Mets’ Paul Wilson. Scott Bullett led off the ninth with a single and stole second. After two strikeouts, Mark Grace was intentionally walked. Sammy Sosa then hit a three-run walk-off homer and the Cubs won 4-2. It happened 30 years ago today, Friday, May 3, 1996. Here are the last few minutes of that game:

Cubs lineup:

Same time, same place.

Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/EReP04OElC

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 3, 2026

Diamondbacks lineup:

Road trip finale. pic.twitter.com/QqRiM45cFW

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 3, 2026

Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Merrill Kelly, RHP

Matthew Boyd’s numbers aren’t good (7.00 ERA, 1.444 WHIP) but I can’t help thinking he’s pitched better than that record. For one thing, in his two bad starts a run scored in each after he left the game. If the bullpen had prevented those runs, that ERA drops by a full run.

Anyway.

Boyd has struck out a lot of hitters —26 in 18 innings — with only five walks. I can’t help thinking that eventually, he’ll break through with a really good outing. Hopefully, this afternoon.

Merrill Kelly was traded from the D-backs to the Rangers at last year’s deadline. He was one of the most in-demand pitchers at that deadline.

Kelly went to high school in the Phoenix area and attended Arizona State and makes his home there. He really wanted to come back to the D-backs in free agency and they wanted him back.

Maybe they were too hasty. Kelly’s return was delayed by a nerve injury. His first start this year was okay, the two since then have been terrible — 16 hits, 13 earned runs, four home runs in 9.1 innings (12.54 ERA). Oh, also, eight walks.

Kelly made two starts against the Cubs last year and posted a 1.64 ERA (two earned runs in 11 innings) with no home runs allowed.

But I’m wondering if he’s past his sell-by date.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit. If you do go there to interact with D-backs fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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Sunday Night Baseball returns for the first time in May as the Texas Rangers face the Detroit Tigers on Peacock at 7:20 pm ET.

I’m focusing on three hitters in the player prop market with my favorite Rangers vs. Tigers MLB picks for Sunday, May 3.

Rangers vs Tigers props for May 3

Rangers vs Tigers player prop picks

Riley Greene Over 1.5 total bases (+132)

Detroit Tigers star outfielder Riley Greene is swinging a hot stick, slashing .298/.397/.463 with a 143 wRC+. With very strong underlying metrics (91st percentile xSLG, 84th percentile barrel rate), he appears primed to continue doling out damage.

Throughout his career, he’s been particularly lethal against right-handed pitchers, sporting a .825 OPS and 130 wRC+ against them. That’s good news against starter Jack Leiter, who has a 5.80 FIP against left-handed bats while allowing them to hit .304.

Josh Jung Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-165)

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung was a man on fire in April with a 1.103 OPS while slashing .381/.448/.655. That hot streak has carried over to May, as he’s 4-for-9 through the first two games of this series. 

He carries an 11-game hitting streak into the series finale, and he’s reached base safely in 22 of his last 23 games. There aren’t many hitters in finer form, so here’s looking to take advantage in the prop market during Sunday Night Baseball. 

FanDuel lists his odds of recording Over 1.5 HRRBI at -165 against a Detroit team set up for a bullpen game. The former Texas Tech product has either plated a run or scored one himself in 16 of his last 20 contests. 

Kerry Carpenter Over 0.5 doubles (+538)

Kerry Carpenter is a well-known righty-masher who has a career 136 wRC+ against them while hitting for a ton of power (.261 ISO). 

Carpenter has had trouble hitting for average (.197 xBA, 33.3% K rate), but is dangerous when he does get a hold of something, ranking in the 93rd percentile for hard-hit rate and 88th percentile for average exit velocity. 

Leiter throws one of his three fastball varieties 59% of the time against lefties. Carpenter demolishes all three and likes to sit on heaters with a 161 wRC+ against four-seamers, 186 against sinkers, and 211 against cutters, making it a strong matchup.

How to watch Rangers vs Tigers and game info

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After the Phillies delivered a one-hit offensive outburst on Saturday, they’ll try to get the bats going on Sunday in game three of their four-game series in Miami.

Jesus Luzardo gets the ball for the Phillies. The former Marlin hasn’t had a great season so far, but he’s coming off a strong start of seven shutout innings.

Game 3 in Miami#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/dncrwOnvhM

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 3, 2026

The Marlins counter with journeyman Chris Paddack. The righty is 0-4 with a 6.11 ERA in his first season in Miami.

Sunday plans:

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: https://t.co/pMAEOPHNJ8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 1:40 PM ET
🏟️: Roof status: CLOSED#FightinFish // https://t.co/ZrOdIbYDTIpic.twitter.com/0VXdI6VuB6

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) May 3, 2026

Game time is 1:40 PM and will be televised locally by NBCSP.

Game four of four. A win would mean a series win. And a win would bring us back to .500 for the first time since April 4th. They are 6-2 over the last 8 games.

And it is a Trey Yesavage start. 5.1 shutout innings in his first start.

The Jays made some minor league news:

• Nolan Perry moves from Dunedin to Vancouver.
• Austin Cates moves from Vancouver to New Hampshire.
• Arjun Nimmala moves from Vancouver to New Hampshire.

The Jays tell us that George Springer didn’t re-break his toe yesterday. He’s not in the lineup today, but they say it was a planned day off. I would think he’ll have a couple of days off, but that’s just guessing.

The lineup looks a little different today. Lips leads off and Okamoto bats second. Pinango is batting .500 in his first 10 at bats.

Go Jays Go.

The Yankees have an importantAnthony Volpe decision to make on Sunday, but manager Aaron Boone didn’t give any clues ahead of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. 

Sunday marks Volpe’s 20th day on his rehab assignment, the maximum allowed by Major League Baseball. The Yankees must either activate Volpe, or option him to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

“We’ll get through today and talk through that,” Boone said. “Just wanting to do what’s best for the team, for Anthony, so we’ll have those conversations.”

Complicating matters for the Yankees is the fact that Jose Caballero, the primary starter while Volpe has been sidelined while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, has filled in more than adequately. 

In 32 games this season, Caballero has a .719 OPS with four home runs, 12 RBI, and 14 runs scored, playing solid defensively as well.

"Well, one, Caballero's playing the heck out of the position and playing really well, so that complicates it,” Boone said, “Just deciding, what's the role that exists right away? Those are things we've got to continue to work through."

Boone said he does “love the idea” of Caballero playing a “kind of super-utility role because he's so good at it,” but reiterated that Caballero has played a great shortstop, and the manager must do what’s best for the ballclub.

“You also can't ignore that he's played so well defensively at shortstop, been a real spark for us offensively, especially after kind of getting off to a slow start probably the first 10 days, two weeks of the season,” Boone said. “He's really picked that up and been in the middle of us winning games.

“At the end of the day, we're going to try and do what's best for our team and then individual players that we care about too and know that are going to be important contributors to our team. We weigh all that."

Columbus Clippers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

Zach McKinstry hit a home run in his Triple-A debut on Saturday, but Toledo’s offense didn’t do much else in a 5-3 loss to Columbus.

McKinstry's HR is our Holy @sheetz Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/dG18ojfYoo

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) May 2, 2026

McKinstry hit his bomb in the fourth with Max Burt on base. It was the only extra-base hit of the day, but the Mud Hens still notched six other hits. Most of them came without any follow-up. Toledo strung something together in the second, too, with Andrew Navigato driving in Eduardo Valencia with a sacrifice fly.

Hens take the early lead with a sac fly from Valencia💥 pic.twitter.com/bjryuMSxn5

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) May 2, 2026

Max Clark’s lone hit of the day came in that frame, a base hit to shortstop that turned into a throwing error that moved everyone up a base.

Bryan Sammons got the start for the Mud Hens. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. Most of the damage came in the second, when the Clippers notched three of their eight total hits. Maick Collado doubled off Sammons to tie the game up at one run apiece, and Juan Benamin gave Columbus the lead with an RBI single.

It wasn’t Sammons’ best outing, but his final line looks just fine. His fastball velocity was down a bit, and whiffs were under 20% overall. Still, he left the game tied after giving up a homer in the fifth. Konnor Pilkington was first out of the bullpen in relief. He took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the sixth — a sacrifice fly from Collado.

Tyler Mattison gave up a run on a homer in the seventh, and Tanner Rainey worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth.

It wasn’t a very exciting day in Triple-A, but it’s good to see McKinstry doing things at the plate and on the field, especially with injuries mounting in Detroit.

Everyone, let's admire this defensive gem from McKinstry pic.twitter.com/CG7q1tNPzc

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) May 2, 2026

Clark: 1-5, K

McKinstry: 1-4, HR (1), R, 2 RBI, K

Short: 2-4, BB, K

Sammons: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens take a 3-2 lead in the series into a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday.

Erie SeaWolves 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4 (box)

John Peck didn’t play today, so the home run-watch is on hold for now. Instead, it was Andrew Jenkins and Brett Callahan with the big flies for Erie in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Chesapeake Baysox.

SeaWolves take down the Baysox 5-4 @PALottery#Sponsoredpic.twitter.com/xx3FuMWGRQ

— Erie SeaWolves (@erie_seawolves) May 2, 2026

The SeaWolves led for most of the game, scoring a run in each of the first four innings. They were practically handed a run in the first after Chesapeake starter Juan Rojas walked the bases loaded and threw a wild pitch with just one out.

Joe Miller gave up a three-spot in the second inning, giving up back-to-back doubles and a single with no outs to set up a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice bunt. It was a short outing for Miller, who allowed seven baserunners to reach over three innings. On the bright side, Miller struck out five.

Jenkins’ homer came in the second, and Callahan’s came in the third — both of the leadoff variety.

A home run from Jenkins cuts down the deficit in the 2nd!

We're into the 3rd with the score 3-2 Chesapeake. pic.twitter.com/QUGl3a53UL

— Erie SeaWolves (@erie_seawolves) May 2, 2026

E.J. Exposito, Seth Stephenson and Peyton Graham all singled in the fourth to give Erie the lead for good. Jenkins had the only other Erie hit of the day in the eighth, a single that moved Chris Meyers over to third base. Exposito drove in the insurance run with a fielder’s choice right after.

Peyton Graham laces an RBI single to right to give the SeaWolves a 4-3 lead, but Seth Stephenson gets thrown out trying to score. pic.twitter.com/fGL9JTeGXb

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 2, 2026

The bullpen was very good for Erie. Dariel Fregio took over in the fourth and gave three innings of scoreless relief. He faced the minimum in each inning, getting some help from Thayron Liranzo, who caught a runner stealing to end the fifth and sixth.

Dariel Fregio gets the strikeout and Thayron Liranzo guns down another runner, with help from a great pick and tag by Peyton Graham. @BurgessLuke03 calls the action. pic.twitter.com/pJynhMrdq7

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 2, 2026

John Stankiewicz went 1-2-3 in the seventh, Tanner Kohlhepp stranded a pair in the eighth, striking out two batters, and Woo-Suk Go closed things despite some drama. Frederick Bencosme homered to open the ninth, but Go struck out the side after that.

Jenkins: 2-4, HR (4), R, RBI, K

Callahan: 1-3, HR (4), R, RBI, BB

Fregio (W, 1-1): 3.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:35 p.m. ET start in Erie on Sunday with the SeaWolves up 4-1 in the series.

The Detroit Tigers, per @erie_seawolves notes have made the following roster move:

5/3 – RHP Eric Silva transferred to Triple-A Toledo

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, West Michigan Whitecaps 6 (box)

West Michigan’s losing streak hit seven games on Saturday despite the Whitecaps putting up six runs.

This loss is the result of a disastrous nine-run seventh inning, but West Michigan briefly led before that after scoring five runs in the fifth.

The Whitecaps didn’t get a baserunner until the fourth, though, when Ricardo Hurtado walked. He moved to third on an error and scored on a groundout later in the inning. Cristian Santana broke up the no-hitter in the fifth with a one-out single. Juan Hernandez tripled him in right after.

Juan Hernández drives an RBI triple to the gap and Cristian Santana comes around to score to give West Michigan a 2-1 lead. pic.twitter.com/9s8E1FmhxB

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

A two-out rally led to four more runs crossing. Andrew Sojka singled, Hurtado doubled, Garrett Pennington was hit by a pitch and Bryce Rainer reached on an error before Kernels starter Nick Trabacchi left the game with the score at 4-1.

The Whitecaps go up 3-1 on this RBI double down the line from Ricardo Hurtado. pic.twitter.com/SdWqCjHhwt

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

Samuel Gil drove in Hurtado and Pennington with a single for runs No. 5 and 6. Rainer and Gil executed a double steal, but both were left in scoring position.

Samuel Gil puts a pretty line drive swing on this to bring home two more runs and make it a 6-1 Whitecaps lead. pic.twitter.com/cx66a2JqaN

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

Troy Watson got the start for West Michigan. Things went well for him, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Both of those hits came in the second, when the Kernels scored the first run of the game.

Gabriel Reyes relieved him in the fifth. Cedar Rapids got to Reyes for a run on a couple of singles and a walk, and he got through the sixth without giving anything up. Then came the big inning.

Cedar Rapids went single, two-run homer, single, single, flyout, single, walk to make it 6-5, and Reyes left the game responsible for the tying and go-ahead run. Both of those runners scored as soon as Ethan Sloan took over on a single and a passed ball. Lovely. A wild-pitch ball four made it 8-6, and a three-run homer brought us to the 11-6 final.

Jalen Evans worked around two hits in the eighth, while the offense did diddly-squat.

Rainer: 0-4, RBI, 2 K

Gil: 1-4, 2 RBI

Hurtado: 1-4, 2B (4), 2 R, RBI, BB, K

Watson: 4.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 2:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday as the Whitecaps try to avoid a sweep.

Bradenton Marauders 13, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)

Lakeland gave up a crooked number to Bradenton in four of eight innings on Saturday as the Marauders clinched a series win, 13-4.

Things started okay. Beau Ankeney singled in Jordan Yost to give Lakeland an early lead, but Max Alba gave up a two-run homer in the bottom half of the first.

Beau Ankeney bounces an RBI single through the infield and Lakeland takes a 1-0 lead in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/SHDFtQY6v8

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

Alba was fine after that, working around four hits over the next 2 1/3 innings. He left with two men on base in the fourth, but Jose Guzman struck out the first batter he faced, and the defense came up with a 2-6-2 out to get the runner breaking for home.

Jose Guzman gets the strikeout and then Sergio Tapia and Jordan Yost do a great job of cutting down the running trying to steal home. pic.twitter.com/0xeEl4pi7i

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

That jump-started the offense going into the fifth. The Flying Tigers scored three runs, starting on a Jesus Pinto triple and a Yost RBI single. Max Anderson walked, and he and Yost executed a double steal that turned into a run thanks to a bad throw by the catcher. Beau Ankeney singled in Anderson right after.

Jesus Pinto smokes an opposite field triple to lead off the 5th inning. pic.twitter.com/Oi4imwlHM4

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

Jesus Pinto smokes an opposite field triple to lead off the 5th inning. pic.twitter.com/Oi4imwlHM4

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2026

That’s when the bullpen started to melt down. Caleb Leys got the sixth and promptly allowed a game-tying, two-run homer. Leys gave up the lead in the sixth on a leadoff triple and one-out single. A botched throwing error, walk and balk made it 6-4. One more walk forced Lakeland to make another pitching change.

Jan Caraballo intentionally walked the first batter he faced (or didn’t face?), gave up a run on a sacrifice fly, and allowed another run to cross on a double. Rough four-inning frame to break the tie and crush any hopes of a Flying Tigers win. Lakeland struck out three times in the next half inning.

Caraballo gave up a leadoff home run in the seventh, and Andrew Pogue gave up four runs trying to get the last three outs of the eighth—absolutely brutal stuff.

Yost: 1-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K

Pinto: 2-4, 3B (2), R, BB, K

Ankeney: 2-4, 2 RBI, K

Alba: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a noon ET start on Sunday with Bradenton leading the series 4-1.

FCL Yankees 10, FCL Tigers 6 (box)

Cris Rodriguez: 2-5, 2 R, 3B, K

Steven Madero: 3-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB

Ronald Ramirez: 2-3, BB, K, 2 SB

Owen Hall: 2.2 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 4 K

The Baltimore Orioles (15-18) face the AL East-leading New York Yankees (22-11). The Yankees won the series’ first two games by a combined score of 16-6. Scheduled starting pitchers are Trey Gibson for Baltimore, making his MLB debut, and Max Fried for New York, with a 2.09 ERA.

How to watch Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees

• Date: Sunday, May 3

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET / 10:35 a.m. PT

• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

• TV Channels: YES, MASN

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Baltimore Orioles: 15-18 (No. 4 in AL East)

• New York Yankees: 22-11 (No. 1 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: New York Yankees -230 (66.7%) / Baltimore Orioles +188 (33.3%)

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Gibson
New York Yankees: Max Fried (4-1, ERA: 2.09, K: 37, WHIP: 0.80)

Weather: 55°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,309 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

The Mets are set to call up infielder Vidal Bruján to replace Ronny Mauricio on their active roster, according to Mike Puma. Mauricio is heading to the injured list with a left thumb fracture that he suffered in the Mets’ loss to the Angels last night.

Mauricio himself was called up on April 23 to replace Francisco Lindor on the Mets’ active roster, as Lindor suffered a calf injury that doesn’t yet have a specific timetable for return. In 32 plate appearances in the big leagues this year, Mauricio has hit .219/.219/.313 with a 46 wRC+, and he’s had a rather absurd 53.6 percent chase rate.

Bruján was a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport in ahead of the 2019 through 2022 seasons as he worked his way up through the Rays’ minor league system. But that promise has never really materialized, as he’s hit just .199/.267/.276 and been worth -2.0 fWAR in 262 major league games. He’s been claimed on waivers four times since last summer: by the Orioles from the Cubs, the Braves from the Orioles, the Twins from the Braves, and the Mets from the Twins.

We’ll see whether the Mets give Bruján significant playing time at shortstop, the position where he’s spent the vast majority of both the 2026 season with Syracuse and his professional career. The team could opt to play Bo Bichette at short, Brett Baty at third, and Mark Vientos at first on an everyday basis instead while keeping Bruján on the roster as a defensive replacement.

The Dodgers continue their road trip on Monday night against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is coming off his shortest start of the season, with five innings and four runs (three earned) allowed against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. He lasted at least six innings in his previous eight straight starts and 15 out of 17 dating back to 2025.

The Dodgers’ last trip to Houston was in 2024, when they lost two of three games from July 26-28. They were also swept by the Astros at Dodger Stadium last July 4-6, and have lost six of their last seven games against Houston, dating back to 2023.

Los Angeles is 4-3 on the road against the Astros dating back to 2020.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Astros
• Ballpark: Daikin Park, Houston
• Time: 5:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Atlanta Braves' charmed ride to start the 2026 season - their 24-10 record is the best in the major leagues - finally hit a pothole as they placed All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the injured list Sunday, May 3, with a strained left hamstring.

Yet the club also got positive injury news, as right-hander Spencer Strider was activated from the IL and will make his season debut against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday after missing the first five weeks with a left oblique strain.

Acuña was injured Saturday running out a grounder in the second inning at Coors Field and was removed from the game. The five-time All-Star has been dogged by injuries the past five seasons, as he tore the ACL in his right and left knees in that span. He was off to a decent start this season, with a .252/.362/.378 line and two home runs.

The majority of his plate appearances figure to be consumed by outfielders Eli White and Mike Yastrzemski, while Mauricio Dubón will get more reps in left field, leaving shortstop duties to Jorge Mateo before the return of the injured Ha Seong Kim.

Strider posted a 4.45 ERA last season in his return from a second Tommy John surgery. The Braves rotation has performed admirably despite a litany of injuries to stars like Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, posting a 3.08 ERA - third in the major leagues - without them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braves' Ronald Acuña out with hamstring strain, Spencer Strider back

One of the strengths of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season is their bullpen.

Entering Saturday, the Yankees’ Triple-A club ranked second in the International League in bullpen ERA at 3.40 and paced Triple-A in fewest walks with 57. Thanks to the bullpen’s efforts, the RailRiders have nine wins in games where they were trailing at some point.

“The bullpen’s done great, we’ve relied on each other,” reliever Bradley Hanner said. “We’re a tight-knit group down there. It’s been fun to kind of piggy-back off each other. One guy does good, you want to keep the train moving. It’s been great so far and hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Hanner has been one of the key contributors. In his last six outings, covering 9.1 innings, the 27-year-old right-hander from Virginia has not allowed a run with six hits, one walk and 12 strikeouts. His most recent appearance Thursday against the Buffalo Bisons, he threw 2.2 perfect innings with four strikeouts. Overall, Hanner is 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in nine games. He has allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits with six walks and 18 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. 

One reason for Hanner’s success so far this season has been the work he has done on his four-seamer. 

“Coming in with the Yankees, that was one of the bigger things – to kind of clean up to orientation of the four-seam,” Hanner said. “So far we’ve kind of nailed it. It’s been good. I don’t know the numbers and stuff to back it up, but I think they’re all in the positive. Everything is trending with the four-seam, I feel more and more comfortable with it as we go on. That’s been the biggest key.”

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 21st round in 2019, he spent three seasons in that organization before before being claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians organization in December 2022. 

The moment Bradley Hanner struck out the side to send the @AkronRubberDuck to the playoffs! 💪 pic.twitter.com/QtEMt6FJm8

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 1, 2024

Hanner spent the 2023 campaign in Double-A with the Akron Rubber Ducks. He split time in 2024 with Akron and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Last season with Columbus, Hanner appeared in 42 games in relief and was 4-4 with two saves, three holds, a 4.74 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. The Yankees signed him as a free agent in December.

Coming to the RailRiders, Hanner had a familiar face with bullpen coach Pete Larson. “I had him in Low-A when I was with the Twins,” Hanner said. “It’s been fun to reunite with him.”

Other than Larson and fellow reliever Brent Headrick, Hanner didn’t know many players here. Still, he said it has been a smooth transition coming to the Yankees organization.

“Everybody’s been really welcoming, accommodating. Everything you need, they’ve got everything you could ever imagine to help you get better,” Hanner said. “It’s been great.”

The Yankees are signing RHP Bradley Hanner to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, per @Joelsherman1

Hanner has a 4.91 ERA in his minor league career, including a 4.74 ERA last season for the Guardians' Triple-A affiliate pic.twitter.com/FWu5gvKdYi

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 11, 2025

All that remains is for Hanner to one day get that call to the major league. He admits he thinks about it at times, but knows it is out of his control.

“All I can do is show up every day, work hard and pitch to the best of my abilities,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it at times. But I’m not losing sleep over getting the call. If it happens, it happens and I’ll be super-grateful for that. Obviously it’s what everybody dreams of.”

If and when that call comes, Hanner believes he is ready.

“I feel very good about where I’m at right now. I don’t know what else I would need to do,” Hanner said. “Keep putting up zeroes, keep pounding the zone. I don’t think that there’s an outlier that I need. I don’t think it’s anything like that. I think it’s just time and place and pitching well. Not getting lucky, just right-man, right-spot situation.”

The Mets lost another player to injury in last night’s extra-innings loss to the Angels. While sliding into first base in the sixth inning, Ronny Mauricio appeared to jam his left thumb on the base, fracturing it and being placed on the Injured List. He ran the bases for the rest of the inning but then left the game in the bottom of the inning.

Mauricio has been playing shortstop in Francisco Lindor’s stead, as Lindor hit the Injured List on April 23rd with a left calf strain. The Mets also have Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr, Kodai Senga, and Jared Young currently on the IL.

The Mets are in a bind as for what to do about shortstop until Lindor or Mauricio returns. While Bo Bichette, currently their third baseman, played shortstop for most of his career, his defensive abilities there were never elite, and over time they have eroded further. However, with a lineup that is already struggling to hit, calling up one of the players currently manning shortstop for Triple-A Syracuse for regular playing time—Vidal Bruján or Jackson Cluff—doesn’t inspire much offensive confidence. One of them will most likely join the team as a bench/backup option.

If Bichette is playing short, Brett Baty will likely get most of the third base reps. The Mets’ infield would likely be comprised of Baty at third, Bichette at short, Marcus Semien at second, and Mark Vientos at first. Insert your ‘run prevention’ joke here.

Dodgers fans have received more of the same experience they had last year with Roki Sasaki to begin this season, but there are some signs of growth that are starting to appear.

Sasaki has shown flashes of dominance early in games, as characterized by his 0.75 ERA over the first two innings of his six starts, but the wheels fall completely off once the third inning begins, illustrated by an ugly 9.72 ERA over innings 3 and beyond. It hasn’t helped that he is currently tied for the fifth most home runs allowed by qualified pitchers this year.

Over the last three starts, Sasaki has quietly been more effective on the mound. After walking 10 batters over his first 13 innings on the year, he has walked only five through his last 15 2/3 innings. On Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sasaki showed that he could bounce back after a rough inning by setting down his final 10 hitters in a row, managing six full innings for the first time while tossing a career-high 104 pitches.

Sasaki spoke about his ability to overcome the three-run third and deliver positive results through the middle innings on Saturday, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“After giving up three runs in the third inning, I was able to just stay focused and attack the zone, especially (the fifth and sixth) innings. So that’s good,” Sasaki said through his interpreter.

“The third and fourth innings, I was kind of struggling. I was trying to find my mechanics. But after that … I was able to make an adjustment. I got better mechanics.”

Dave Roberts spoke about Sasaki’s growth as a major league starter following Saturday’s loss to St. Louis, noting that there are hurdles that have yet to be overcome, per Plunkett.

“Each of his last handful of starts, he’s gotten better,” Roberts said. “But there’s some finishing school that needs to happen, where you’ve got to get the guys out that you need to get out and try to face less hitters.”

Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times notes that Mark Prior has worked with Sasaki on developing a new splitter that’s around six miles per hour faster than his ordinary splitter, and that has been a key reason for his recent effectiveness.

“We’re always supportive of crisper, harder, however you want to define it, assuming that it maintained his throw and maintained everything else,” Prior said of the new splitter… “Lo and behold, the first one was really good,” Prior said. “The second one was really nasty.”

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The Dodgers offensively are in the midst of a dormant five-game stretch where they have totaled just 12 runs as a team, and they were nearly shut out on Saturday had it not been for a two-run, two-out rally in the top of the ninth where they had the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base.

Andy Pages— who added to the rally with an RBI single to make it a one-run Dodgers deficit— noted that the rally might have lit a spark within this struggling offense, but the importance is maintaining good at-bats top through bottom, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“It was a good offensive sign in the ninth inning,” Andy Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. “But I think as a whole, we know we’re going through a bad stretch, and we’re just trying to focus on having really good at-bats, one at a time.”

Facing against an old friend on Sunday in Dustin May, who carries a 5.28 over his first six starts as a Cardinal, Dave Roberts hopes that the Dodgers bats can wake up and salvage the series against a pitcher they’re quite familiar with, per Chen.

“Hopefully,” Roberts said, “we can take that sense of urgency tomorrow against a guy that we’re very familiar with.”

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Nashville Sounds (MIL) 2

With most of their starting pitchers in New York this weekend to pitch for the Orioles, the Tides went with a bullpen game. They did a pretty good job! Cameron Weston started and allowed a solo home run in 2/3 of an inning. That was the only run Nashville scored until they got a single run in the ninth. Yaqui Rivera pitched 3.1 innings, the longest of any of the relievers.

After falling behind in the first inning, the Tides scored two in the second and never looked back. With Creed Willems and Ryan Noda on third and second base in the second inning, Willy Vazquez singled them both in. Christian Encarnacion-Strand added to the lead with his sixth home run of the year, then Sam Huff and Bryan Ramos had RBI hits of their own.

It was a big night for the bottom half of the lineup as Ryan Noda, Huff, and Willy Vasquez each had two-hit games. Number nine hitter Ramos singled and walked.

Box Score

Double-A: Erie SeaWolves (DET) 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4

It was a bullpen game for the Baysox and their bullpen let them down. Juan Rojas started and pitched one inning, in which he technically struck out the side but also walked four and threw a wild pitch. No hits, one run. Overall, they used six pitchers with Micah Ashman taking the loss with two runs allowed in two innings pitched.

The offense scored three runs in the third inning, in which Griff O’Farrell and Tavian Josenberger doubled. Carter Young also singled in the inning. One run scored on a squeeze bunt by Alfredo Velásquez. After their big second inning, the team had just three singles in innings three through eight. They added a fourth run in the ninth on a homer from Frederick Bencosme.

Brandon Butterworth and Ethan Anderson were hitless at the top of the order. Aron Estrada did not start but pinch-hit in the ninth. He struck out on a pitch clock violation.

Box Score

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 2, Frederick Keys 0

You will not win many games with just one hit. For the Keys last night, a second-inning single by Braylin Tavera was the only hit of the night.

Starting pitcher Yeiber Cartaya deserved better. He pitched five shutout innings with two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. He threw 75 pitches and has allowed just two earned runs in 21.2 innings this season.

The only two runs of this game scored in the sixth inning with the appropriately named Brandon Downer on the mound. Downer allowed three hits and walked four in just 1.1 innings.

Box Score

Low-A: Hill City Howlers (CLE) 13, Delmarva Shorebirds 4

Starting pitcher Kailen Hamson was lucky to pitch four shutout innings, considering he also walked four batters. He did only allow two hits. Things got out of hand late in the game when J.D. Hennen and Luis Beltrán combined to allow eight runs in the eighth inning.

The Shorebirds led this game, 2-0, at one point thanks to an RBI single from Junior Aybar and a sac fly by Félix Amparo. They added on two more runs in the eighth inning. DJ Layton doubled, then came in to score on a triple by Raylin Ramos. Ramos then scored on a balk.

The Shorebirds made five errors in the game, two by Félix Amparo. One of those errors could have been an inning-ending double play had Amparn not thrown it into center field to let three runs score.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Triple-A: Norfolk @ Nashville, 2:05. Starter: TBD
• Double-A: Chesapeake @ Erie, 1:35. Starter: Evan Yates
• High-A: Frederick @ Brooklyn, 2:00. Starter: Kiefer Lord
• Low-A: Delmarva vs Hill City, 2:05. Starter: Denton Biller