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2026 Brewers Minor League Roundup: Week 7

Brewers third base prospect Andrew Fischer signs an autograph during spring training workouts Sunday, February 15, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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 (20-19)

Opponent: Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)

Record this week: 3-3

Standout performances:

Jeferson Quero (No. 8): 7-for-19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K

Eddys Leonard: 6-for-17, 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Jett Williams (No. 3): 6-for-21, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K

Luis Lara (No. 11): 6-for-21, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K

Garrett Stallings: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Coleman Crow (No. 26): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Carlos Rodriguez: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K

Robert Gasser (No. 16): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Now that we’re more than a month into the minor league season, stats are starting to stabilize a bit. Nashville’s offenses has been led by Eddys Leonard, who leads the Sounds with a 1.028 OPS and .345 batting average over 116 at-bats. Luis Lara isn’t far behind him, with a .317/.417/.511 line in 139 at-bats. Other important contributors for the Sounds have included catchers Ramon Rodriguez (.319 batting average, .806 OPS) and Jeferson Quero (.257/.344/.425).

The Sounds have a few top organizational prospects who have struggled to start the season. Cooper Pratt is barely hitting over .200 (.205). He’s hitting .207 over the last month and .205 over the last two weeks, although his numbers are weighed down by a 3-for-24 performance this week. Jett Williams (.243/.360/.354) also had a rough start, although he’s started to turn things around over the last month (.812 OPS).

Brock Wilken (No. 21) has also bounced back recently, but his season long slash line (.179/.316/.317 with just two home runs) is still far from encouraging. He’s struck out 43 times in 123 at-bats, which means he’s striking out in over a third of his at-bats. Luke Adams (No. 12)has been out with a shoulder contusion for almost a month, but he had a .732 OPS in 39 at-bats before going on the IL. Tyler Black, who’s up in Milwaukee right now, has gone 11-for-39 with the Sounds this season.

The Sounds have a lot of pitching depth, but a couple of their starters haven’t had great starts. Tate Kuehner (5.50 ERA) and Coleman Crow (4.70) have had a few rough outings that have ballooned their season-long stats, although both pitchers are still striking out one batter per inning. Carlos Rodriguez (7.91) has been hit even harder over 19.1 innings. Logan Henderson (1.02) has been by far the Sounds’ best starting pitcher, but he’s now in the major league rotation.

With Henderson in Milwaukee, lefty Robert Gasser (4.08) would probably be the next pitcher to get the call to the majors should the Brewers need reinforcements. Gasser’s only allowed one home run all year and has 25 strikeouts to seven walks in 17.2 innings pitched.

Jacob Waguespack (11 appearances, 2.25 ERA, 12.94 K/9) has pitched extremely well out of the bullpen, as has Will Childers, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in nine relief appearances. Neither has Brian Fitzpatrick, who’s now pitching out of the bullpen in Milwaukee.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (14-18)

Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

Record this week: 2-3

Standout performances:

Blake Burke (No. 17): 6-for-21, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K

Darrien Miller: 4-for-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

Mike Boeve: 4-for-14, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K

Manuel Rodriguez: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Dylan O’Rae: 6-for-18, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

1B/DH Blake Burke, who was just named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Month, has turned into a formidable power hitter with the Shuckers. He’s hit 22 homers for the Shuckers since his promotion from High-A in August 2025. Eight of those home runs came in the month of April, along with 8 doubles, a triple, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored, and — perhaps most impressively — 9 stolen bases.

The Brewers don’t usually rush their prospects, so don’t expect to see Burke in the major leagues this year — especially given the wealth of 1B/DH options currently on the 26-man roster. Still, he should be in Triple-A pretty soon if he keeps hitting like this. He’s looking like a legitimate power hitter, a trait that should translate to the majors someday.

Jesus Made’s season-long stats still look solid (.275.360/.427), but his numbers have taken a nosedive over the last month. He’s now hitting .242 with a .698 OPS over the last month. Over the last two weeks, his numbers are down even further (.233 batting average, .578 OPS).

I’ve consistently said not to worry about Made, but at this point he’s been performing below his (admittedly sky-high) expectations for about a month. I still wouldn’t worry too much, for a couple reasons.

One, Made is still a good two years younger than the average Double-A player. Going from High-A to Double-A is often considered the hardest jump in the minor leagues, and pitchers have adjusted to how they pitch him. He was so absurdly good to start the season (and last year) that anything short of eye-popping stats start to feel like a let-down, but he’s also not striking out that often (16 Ks in his last 95 at-bats) and has still looked like himself at the plate. Development isn’t linear. If Made keeps hitting like this for another month, then it’s worth a deeper dive into his mechanics and approach.

I generally try to avoid speculation, but it’s at least worth noting that Made’s recent downturn has overlapped with the hospitalization of Luis Peña, who collapsed in the dugout during a High-A game. I’ll get into Peña’s situation more in the High-A section below, but the short version is this: Brewers GM Matt Arnold said Peña was okay following the incident, yet he hasn’t appeared in a game in nearly three weeks. The organization announced more than a week ago that Peña was scheduled to see a neurologist, but there hasn’t been any public update from either the Brewers or Peña’s camp since then.

Hitting is as much mental as it is physical, and the Peña situation was undeniably scary. Made and Peña have known each other since they were twelve years old and are reportedly very close. If Peña is still dealing with something serious, it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s affecting Made as well.

Less-heralded prospects Dylan O’Rae, Mike Boeve, and Damon Keith have all continued to play well with the Shuckers. O’Rae is hitting .299 with an .809 OPS, while Keith is hitting .338 with a 1.093 OPS in eighty at-bats. Boeve’s season-long numbers are less impressive, but over the last two weeks he has an OPS of .762.

Tyson Hardin and Brett Wichrowski, both top-30 Brewers prospects, haven’t been effective this season. Hardin had a breakout season in 2025, but he’s already allowed almost as many earned runs (25) as he did all of last season (28) and has an ERA approaching eight. At least he’s still striking guys out, with 43 Ks in less than 30 innings. Wichrowski has nearly identical stats, except that he’s striking out less batters and has allowed twice as many home runs as Hardin.

Manuel Rodriguez (5.40 ERA), Bishop Letson (6.75), and Jaron DeBerry (7.25) have also been struggling. Letson’s at least had a couple solid outings lately, giving up three hits and two runs in four innings in his last appearance. Ryan Birchard has been limiting opponents’ production, but he’s also walked 26 batters in 20 innings.

Next week’s opponent: @ Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (19-12)

Opponent: Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals)

Record this week: 4-2

Standout performances:

Luiyin Alastre: 7-for-15, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K

Andrew Fischer (No. 5): 9-for-23, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K

Josiah Ragsdale: 6-for-21, 3 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

Eric Bitonti (No. 25): 8-for-23, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K

Travis Smith: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Braylon Owens: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Bryan Rivera: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Andrew Fischer turned in another impressive week, recording three home runs and six total extra-base hits in just 23 at-bats. Josh Adamczewski (No. 10) and Marco Dinges (No. 9) also both bounced back this week with six hits each. Adamczewski hit two home runs, while Dinges hit one. Adamczewski’s OPS is still over 1.000 on the season, while Dinges’ is “only” .908.

Josiah Ragsdale has also kept hitting. Over the last month, he owns an .883 OPS across 78 at-bats, trailing only Andrew Fischer among Timber Rattlers hitters.

Eric Bitonti has quietly been great over the last month, with a .257/.382/.473 line over 74 at-bats. Bitonti still strikes out way too much (30 Ks in those 74 at-bats), but this stretch has still brought his strikeout rate down. He won’t be promoted until he refines his approach, but he’s been showing that the hit tool is still very much there.

Luis Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, is the best prospect on the Timber Rattlers. As I mentioned above, Peña still hasn’t played since the medical emergency on April 22nd, and the organization hasn’t given any updates on him since they announced he was scheduled to see a neurologist last Monday. Simply put, that’s not great.

Like I also said above, I hate to speculate, but it seems logical to conclude that there may be more going on here than initially meets the eye. Peña was diagnosed with heatstroke, but has now missed almost three weeks. Furthermore, the Brewers haven’t placed him on the injured list. If he had been cleared to play, the Brewers would have obviously announced that, even if they were giving him some time to recover before throwing him back in the lineup. I’m not going to guess what’s going on, but it’s clearly something. Hopefully he’s alright and will be back in the lineup soon.

Wisconsin has four pitchers who threw more than 20 innings this month — Travis Smith, Ethan Dorchies, Braylon Owens, and Wande Torres. Other than Smith (3.42), the others had ERAs between 4.50 and 6.95.

Next week’s opponent: vs. South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (15-17)

Opponent: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros)

Record this week: 3-2

Standout performances:

Luis Lameda: 5-for-13, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K

Frederi Montero: 5-for-14, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 2 K

Handelfry Encarnacion: 6-for-25, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K

Juan Ortuno: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K

Jacob Morrison: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Jarrette Bonet: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Tanner Perry: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Tyler Renz: 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Player of the Month: Jarrette Bonet (this week: 7.2 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 6 BB, 7 K)

Jarrett Bonet, named the Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April, went 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA over 23.1 innings pitched. He racked up 26 strikeouts while posting an opponent batting average of just .222 (18-for-81). Bonet was signed as a free agent after last year’s draft and is quickly surpassing expectations with the Warbirds.

Although the season-long hitting stats look pretty bad so far, the bats have continued to heat up as Wilson inches closer to .500. Infielder Luis Lameda is slashing .318/,439/.379 this season. Handelfry Encarnacion, who won Carolina League Player of the Week last week, has shown some serious power over the last month with five homers and ten extra-base hits. Over that same stretch, Pedro Ibarguen is hitting .327 with a .929 OPS and Brady Ebel (No. 14) has a .388 OBP. Ebel is still hitting south of .200 on the season, but he’s clearly improving at the plate.

Wilson doesn’t really have a workhorse starter outside of Bonet (31 IP). After Bonet, Enderson Mercado ranks second on the staff in innings pitched, though he’s struggled to a 6.58 ERA. Tyler Renz (3.38 ERA in 26 2/3 innings), Miqueas Mercedes (3.04 ERA in 23 2/3 innings), and Garrett Hodges (2.00 ERA in 18 innings) have all quietly put together strong seasons.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians)

Player of the Week

Andrew Fischer, who hit three home runs in a week for the second time in the last month. It’s easy to forget Fischer, who’s slashing .274/.365/.623 with a .988 OPS and nine home runs in his first full professional season, was playing in the College World Series less than a year ago. At this rate, it would be surprising if he isn’t viewed as a top-50 prospect in baseball by the end of the year.

Play of the Week

I couldn’t find a defensive play that impressed me as much as this filthy strikeout from Craig Yoho:

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Tuesday Rockpile: Rockies players share their experiences from the Cultural Education & Development Program

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 06: Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 6, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This is the fifth installment in Purple Row’s series on the Colorado Rockies Cultural Education & Development Program. So far, I have written about what the program does, its curriculum, and its origins. Yesterday, Renee Dechert wrote a profile on one of the English teachers, and this week we’ll continue exploring how the Rockies help non-English-speaking players develop their language skills.

As we’ve discussed over the last few weeks, the Colorado Rockies have been at the forefront of English education around Major League Baseball. It all started because Josh Rosenthal had a vision after returning from the Peace Corps, and he and Angel Amparo have turned that vision into a reality that set the standard for all 30 clubs. 

The Rockies currently have five players from Latin America on their active roster, and three of them graduated from the Cultural Education & Development Program – Antonio Senzatela, Juan Mejia and Ezequiel Tovar. Here’s how they described their experiences.

Antonio Senzatela

Senzatela was one of the original students in the program, having been signed out of Valencia, Venezuela, in 2011. He was assigned to the DSL Rockies the following year and came stateside in 2013. Since he was around in the early goings, he had a lot more experience with Rosenthal than Amparo.

“It was really good,” Senzatela said of his experience. “Josh was an amazing person. He’s a different personality. He liked to teach us how to be a good person and how to engage in American culture when we’re just kids. And it was really fun and really nice to have him.”

And the lessons he learned have stuck with him throughout his career.

“In our country, we don’t have a lot of things. It’s different,” he said. “Here you have to be more quiet and more careful with things you say and stuff like that. He taught us that and a couple of English words, especially more on the baseball-wise because at least we have to know baseball terms. And it’s really nice, and it was perfect for me.”

Ezequiel Tovar and Juan Mejia

Tovar and Mejia were both signed in 2017 – Tovar out of Maracay, Venezuela, and Mejia out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Both came stateside in 2019, but Tovar made his MLB debut in 2022 while Mejia made his debut in 2025. 

“I think it was a big help. They taught me so much,” Mejia said of his experience. “I think through that program and through the help of Angel, I think it not only shaped myself as a whole but it also shaped my personality. It changed my personality over here, so it helped me from that first year that I got in the United States. I felt better going into it because I had so much help, and it helped me in various ways.”

Tovar explained more about how the early classes were structured.

“There’s two of them over there that head the program, and obviously they taught me a lot,” he said. “That program meant a lot for learning English. First it was through Duolingo and some of the classes over there, and they had a bunch of applications that they gave to us to help us learn English. But yeah, I started all the way over there in the Dominican my first year with all that.”

He also remembers there were a lot of “quizzes and tests” but also Amparo and Julio Medina got more creative with teaching their players how to understand and begin internalizing English.

“They’d send you movies, songs and things like that to help you remember English and kind of get used to it,” Tovar said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I remember.”

Mejia remembered a project where the players all had to create an advertisement for a product, and while he couldn’t remember the specific product he was trying to sell, he “vividly remember(s) doing those videos.”

“I can’t specifically recall that because I was in Spokane,” he said. “I knew a little more English, so I think that was helpful, but it was still hard for me because I was a little nervous, and I kind of wanted to get it done with so I kind of rushed it a little bit. It was still hard on me, doing those videos, and I can’t recall specifically that.”

However, he didn’t think it was harder than opening or closing a baseball game – it’s just a different kind of challenge.

“I think it was that you’re focusing on talking, and obviously it makes you nervous because you’re not fully adapted to the language,” he explained. “But over here, I’m confident in my talent when I’m pitching. I think everyone can see that talent that I have, and thanks to God, so I enjoy being out there with the guys.”

Tovar offered some advice for players who are still in the program and who are still getting used to English as well as life in the United States.

“My advice for them is that I’m still learning English myself and getting used to it,” he said. “But over here, we speak English. It’s a huge part of the culture and a huge part of what you do, so you’ve got to go hard and focus on what you’re doing. 

“But I think all the guys are doing it,” he continued. “Ever since you leave from the Dominican and come to Arizona, you’re still doing the programs, even if it’s on Zoom or anything like that. The program is something that obviously helps a lot of us out, and I think it’s a program that means a lot for a lot of us. It’s something that follows you, even as you keep rising in the programs.”

Closing Thoughts

Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted a lot of details about this program. This concludes the first part of our series, but it is not the end! We will go on a short hiatus, but we will bring this back in June with more teacher interviews as well as interviews from players currently in the program.

Stay tuned!

On the Farm

Arizona Complex League: ACL Rockies 7, ACL Diamondbacks 3

The ACL Rockies continued their hot start to the young season, where they have only lost one game so far. Things got a little hairy in the first inning, as the Baby Snakes put up a three-spot where the third run was scored on a wild pitch by Eliezer Pena. However, the Baby Rockies got things going in the fourth with a triple by Kamuel Villar followed by an RBI single by Yeiker Reyes. A wild pitch tied things up in the fifth, and a three-run double by Reyes doubled the Baby Rockies score. Sebastian Blanco doubled in the fifth to end the scoring at 7-3.

In total, ACL Rockies pitching held the ACL Dbacks to just four hits while striking out eight and walking four. The ACL Rockies offense, on the other hand, had 13 hits, six walks and just three strikeouts.

1 thing each team can improve upon the rest of the way | MLB.com

The Rockies are better this year, but there’s always room for improvement. Thomas Harding identifies “better right-handed hitting” as the need for the Rockies, as players such as Ezequiel Tovar, Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle and Hunter Goodman have all struggled out of the gate in various ways.

Elmo’s opinion of The Rockies? ‘The team’s okay’ | Denver Gazette ($)

Forget Grimace. Forget Dinger. Elmo entered the booth during the Rockies-Phillies game on Saturday as part of the Phillies’ Strike Out the Stigma’ initiative to support mental health awareness. During his interview, Elmo gave his opinion many things including the Rockies, especially since he’s beefing with a friend with a similar name (Rocco).

Here’s the full video, if you missed it (or want to relive it!):

Behind Chase Dollander and Antonio Senzatela’s pitching revitalization | Blake Street Banter

Antonio Senzatela and Chase Dollander have been the focus of the Rockies this season, and for good reason. Both have had excellent starts, and both have made some major adjustments at the suggestions of the new coaching staff. Shawn Trewartha details the changes that both have made, and how they’ve been working in real time.

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SF Giants Videos: Let’s re-visit Barry Bonds breaking the home run record

San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds hits his record-setting 756th career home run in the fifth inning against Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik in San Francisco, Ca. (Photo by Richard Clement /Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)

Good morning, baseball fans!

Today, we are in wrapping up a new feature for May that I’m calling the “12 Days of Mays-mas” because I have been away, and I wanted to leave you guys with some fun things to watch while I’m gone.

It’s only fitting that for the twelfth day of Mays-mas, we go back a little farther than we have been to include Willie Mays’ godson breaking the all-time home run record on August 7th, 2007. That’s right, baby, it’s time for some Barry Bonds dingers! Well, one very specific dinger, to be exact.

Unfortunately, they don’t have the full game available but I was able to find the full at-bat. So grab your coffee, settle in, and enjoy!

What time do the Giants play today?

The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at 7:10 p.m. PT.

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Chicago Cubs news and notes — Kelly, Happ, Milner

Today’s Reflections

Today, a lot of varied topics and varied fervor are here in Cub Tracks: From the latest injury news and fears, to rumors of needed trades, to comparing the 2026 and the 2016 Cubs (WAY to early for that, but a fun exercise) to Glenallen Hill checking out the apartment building across the street the HARD way.

The injury replacements are getting injured themselves. The trade deadline is many moons away, but 1) the Cubs can’t wait until August 3 (which sounds a lot farther away than July 31 was), and 2) the Athletic lists TEN possible targets (again, a fun exercise, but, wow). With just a scan of the 2016/26 comparison, there may be a point on offense, but I didn’t even look at the pitching comparisons. I did look at the verdict and agreed straight down the line.

And Glenallen, that swing still scares me. I’m sure it’s the shortest swing for a 500-foot homerun ever. So enjoy the fun and not so fun.

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Food For Thought:

Guy Davis is a two-time, back-to-back Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, Actor, Author, and Songwriter. Guy uses a blend of Roots, Blues, Folk, Rock, Rap, Spoken Word, and World Music to comment on, and address the frustrations of social injustice, touching on historical events, and common life struggles. His storytelling is sometimes painful, deep, and real, an earthy contrast to modern-day commercial music, meant to create thought, underlined by gentle tones from his guitar or banjo fingerpicking. A self-taught “Renaissance Man”, he first heard the banjo at a summer camp run by John Seeger, the brother of the American Folk Musician, Pete Seeger, and soon after, asked his father for one.

When asked about his experience as a performer, Guy has replied, “There is no tale so tall that I cannot tell it, nor song so sweet that I cannot sing it.”

Are you looking for the best travel destinations in the world for 2026? People are traveling like never before and going places all over the world. We love to travel so we made this list of the 50 best places to travel in the world. Islands in the Pacific, to best cities in the world, beautiful countries and much more. Some of those destinations include Bora Bora, Maldives, Petra, Rome, London, Dubai, Bali and everything in between. In this travel video we explore the best travel destinations in the world for 2026. From exotic beaches to vibrant cities, these destinations are a must-visit for any traveler. Start planning your dream trip now! For those of you looking for a honeymoon vacation, a family trip or just an adventure this travel vlog has you covered. (VIDEO)

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

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Orioles minor league weekly recap: Aloy mashes 5 HRs, German and Dzierwa shine

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Wehiwa Aloy, the Baltimore Orioles 2025 3rd pick in the draft, looks on during batting practice prior a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 9, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As the Orioles try to decide which direction they’re going to take their 2026 season, every week we turn our attention to the youngsters who could eventually boost the team, whether in the short term or the long term. It’s time for our recap of the last six days of minor league baseball, with a particular focus on Camden Chat’s top 20 Orioles prospects.

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

  • Last week: 2-4 vs. Gwinnett Stripers (Braves)
  • Coming week: at Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
  • Season record: 15-24, tied for last place (10.0 GB) in International League East

We’re at a point where the pitchers are far more interesting than the hitters at Norfolk, something that hasn’t been said for the past few years. That’s partly because the Tides have very few interesting hitters currently active, and partly because some O’s pitching prospects are doing interesting things. Right-hander Nestor German (#11 prospect) had an especially eye-opening week, making two outstanding starts and allowing just one earned run in 11 innings. The 11th-round pick from 2023 racked up an impressive 16 strikeouts and just one walk.

Levi Wells (#16) also did well(s), holding Charlotte to one run in a 4.2-inning performance, with four Ks and no walks. At the rate the Orioles are losing starting pitchers to injury, don’t be surprised if German and/or Wells get a major league call-up before the All-Star break.

José Barrero and Creed Willems carried the Tides’ offense this week, mashing three home runs apiece. The rest of the team combined for two. Willems is now rocking a .265/.370/.496 slash line with eight homers this season. I’ve been skeptical of Willems as a real prospect since the O’s drafted him, perhaps because of his, let’s say, non-ballplayerish physique. But the kid can hit. Too bad he’s a catcher/first baseman, two positions at which the Orioles don’t currently have a need. Can he play third base? (The answer is no, he cannot play third base.)

The O’s could also use a capable outfielder or two, but Enrique Bradfield Jr. has been sidelined since April 21 with left hand discomfort, and Reed Trimble, who was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, is still rehabbing in the lower minors. Norfolk’s only real outfielder at the moment is Jud Fabian, whose .225 average and .784 OPS don’t exactly cry out as a solution to the Orioles’ problems.

Norfolk season stats

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

  • Last week: 3-3 vs. Altoona Curve (Pirates)
  • Coming week: at Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)
  • Season record: 14-18, fifth place (11.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest

Chesapeake’s offensive numbers were boosted by a 19-4 win on Wednesday, a game in which they bashed five home runs and collected 15 hits. They didn’t top five runs in any of their other games. Catcher Ethan Anderson was their hitting star, collecting a team-high seven hits and three homers for the week. Part of a problematic 2024 draft class in which the Orioles’ top three picks (Vance Honeycutt, Griff O’Ferrall, and Anderson) all had lousy pro debuts, Anderson is the one who’s taken a step forward this year. He’s hitting .289/.407/.456 in 25 games for the Baysox and is trying to put himself back on the prospect map. No such luck for Griff O’Ferrall, who is batting .156 with a .606 OPS.

Two 21-year-old hitting prospects, Aron Estrada (#13) and Thomas Sosa (#18), are scuffling at Double-A. Estrada is slashing .231/.274/.346 and Sosa .219/.274/.381. Each had just four hits this week. Neither is ready to join Samuel Basallo on the Orioles’ list of successful international signings, at least not yet.

Two familiar Orioles, Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad, began rehab assignments with Chesapeake this week. This is Kjerstad’s first field action since suffering a right hamstring strain in spring training. He’s 1-for-6 so far. Holliday, meanwhile, is taking his third crack at rehab after his first one was cut short on April 12 and his next one halted after three games. He went 0-for-6 with four walks this week and, notably, played third base for just the third time in his professional career. I’m not sure Holliday has the arm for third, but the O’s clearly are desperate for a non-Coby Mayo alternative at the hot corner.

Chesapeake’s rotation had a fine week, ERA-wise, with their six hurlers combining for a 2.42 mark. But lefty Sebastian Gongora was the only one to work six innings, delivering a quality, one-run, seven-strikeout performance. Evan Yates held Altoona to one run and one hit in 5.1 frames, while the other four didn’t make it through five. Righty Juaron Watts-Brown (#15) gave up just one run and two hits in 4.1 innings, but walked four.

Chesapeake season stats

High-A Frederick Keys

  • Last week: 5-1 vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
  • Coming week: at Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees)
  • Season record: 19-13, second place (1.5 GB) in South Atlantic League North

I don’t want to jinx anything, but do the Orioles have a minor league team that’s actually good? Their High-A affiliate, in their first year back in Frederick, is six games over .500 and just completed a dominant series in which they scored 56 runs in six games, including three straight 11-run performances from Wednesday to Friday. They hit 18 home runs!

Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy (#6) went absolutely bonkers. He blasted five dingers, leading all South Atlantic League hitters for the week, and went 11-for-22 with nine RBIs. The 2025 competitive balance draft pick, selected #31 overall, is hitting .306 with a .985 OPS and 10 homers in 27 games. He’s been outstanding so far. It should be mentioned that he’s struck out in 29% of his PAs, with 35 Ks and 10 walks, which he’ll probably need to address as he moves up the organizational ladder. At High-A, though, it’s not stopping him from having success.

First round pick Ike Irish (#4) hit pretty well himself, even if he was upstaged by Aloy. Irish had two homers and a double and scored seven runs. Two other Keys had three-homer weeks: shortstop Elis Cuevas and the rehabbing outfielder Reed Trimble. I think Trimble’s about ready to return to Triple-A.

It’s always a good week when Joseph Dzierwa (#14) makes two starts, and he did not disappoint. In 8.2 innings, he allowed only one run and racked up 15 strikeouts, walking just two. His first start, in which he threw five scoreless, hitless innings, was particularly dominant. He had to leave his second start after 3.2 innings following a freak play in which a bad-hop overthrow cut him above the eye. Ouch. The injury doesn’t figure to keep him sidelined, fortunately.

Among other Keys pitchers, let’s give some praise to starter Yeiber Cartaya, who tossed five shutout innings with one hit and six strikeouts. The 23-year-old righty is doing excellent things so far this year, posting a 0.68 ERA (two earned runs in 26.2 innings) with a 0.79 WHIP, a .110 batting average against, and 12.15 K/9. Cartaya has put up middling to bad numbers every year of his pro career until now, so maybe something has clicked for him. The Athletic’s Keith Law, for one, was impressed by what he saw from Cartaya this week.

Frederick season stats

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

  • Last week: 3-3 at Salem RidgeYaks (Red Sox)
  • Coming week: vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros)
  • Season record: 13-20, tied for last place (10.0 GB) in Carolina League North

The only top-20 Orioles prospect on the Shorebirds roster, Esteban Mejia (#8), continued to struggle with his control. In his lone start this week, he walked six batters, though he at least limited the damage to one run. That came three starts after an eight-walk performance on April 17. Mejia has issued 22 walks in 18.2 innings this year. It’s not what you want.

The award for Strangest Pitching Line goes to righty Brayan Orrantia, who worked 5.1 innings and gave up 10 runs — but only three were earned. Two Delmarva errors cost him a couple of runs in his first outing of the week, and another two miscues led to five more unearned runs in his second start. He certainly didn’t pitch well, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates, either. The only quality start from a Shorebird this week was righty Christian Rodriguez (six innings, one run).

The team’s best hitter of the week was outfielder Braylon Whitaker, a 19th-round pick in 2024, who reached base 14 times on six hits and eight walks. Whitaker is batting .305 this season and has more walks (19) than strikeouts (16), albeit with no power. Shortstop DJ Layton has been off to a good start in 2026 but was 5-for-20 with nine strikeouts this week.

Delmarva season stats

**

In the glorious return of the Player of the Week poll last week, Ike Irish was the winner with 63% of the vote. This week there were so many standout performances that five guys who hit three home runs each — Creed Willems, Jose Barrero, Ethan Anderson, Elis Cuevas, and Reed Trimble — didn’t even make the cut, nor did Joseph Dzierwa. Instead it’s a two-man race. Who gets your vote?

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Kansas City Royals News: Bobby Witt Jr. named AL Player of the Week

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 10: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday, May 10, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

After his inside the park homer and a blistering offensive week overall, Bobby Witt Jr was named the AL Player of the Week.

Witt collected 11 hits during the week, which included a four-hit performance against the Guardians on Thursday. It was one of three multi-hit games last week for Witt, who raised his batting average more than 20 points last week to .302, and raised his OPS by 82 points to .847. Witt is now at 2.8 bWAR for the season, tied for the MLB lead among position players.

Tod Palmer writes about Bridget Howard’s journey as the first female full-time broadcaster for Royals TV.

She remembers watching as female broadcasters broke into the sports world and made a mark — Erin Andrews, Jenny Dell, Taylor McGregor, et al. — and that fueled her desire to do the same.

“Those were women that I looked up to, and I saw them in roles like this and was like, ‘Hey, I can do this, too,’” Bridget said.

Now, she’s one of those inspirational women whom little girls with big dreams watch during Royals games.

Baseball America has mock draft 3.0.

6. Royals — Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.

A high school player feels most likely for the Royals. They have been all over Rojas this spring, and he’s pitched excellently. He has terrific arm speed, a big fastball and a chance for a wipeout breaking ball. If Lombard isn’t taken by now, he probably doesn’t last much longer than this, and it’s also hard to rule out Booth and his top-of-the-scale speed.

Eno Sarris wonders why left-handers aren’t throwing splitters as much despite the pitch being more popular than ever.

One of the first things that always comes up with splitters is the impact the pitch has on a pitcher’s health. Does the split-finger grip lead to injury?

“The reason that I don’t throw the splitter anymore is I did blow out my elbow when I was throwing it,” said San Francisco Giants left-handed starter Robbie Ray. “I don’t think there’s any correlation between the two, but it just happened. I was throwing it a lot in spring training, I was working on it, and never had any issue. I think my elbow was just ready to go.”

Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs covers the Giants trade of Patrick Bailey to the Guardians.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his start last night due to left side tightness.

Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger goes right back to the IL after just returning.

Mookie Betts makes his return from the IL.

Kevin Gausman reached 2000 career strikeouts last night.

The Mets are calling up one of their top prospects, A.J. Ewing.

Batters tapping their helmets as part of their in-between pitch routine can cause accidental challenges.

A deep-dive film review of Chiefs fifth-round draft pick, RB Emmett Johnson from Nebraska.

The Milwaukee Bucks are seeking offers for star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Buffalo Bills will have the first Prime Video Thursday Night Football to open their new stadium.

The full NFL schedule release is coming later this week.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are being sued by police officers in Florida because of their movie The Rip.

J. Craig Venter, who helped decode the human genome, died at 79 years old.

Your song of the day is Typhoons by Royal Blood.

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MLB Player Props & Best Bets for Today, May 12

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It's a full 15-game slate across the Majors today, which means no shortage of value in my MLB player props. I'll highlight Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, May 12. 

Best MLB player props today

Player PickOdds
Pirates Paul SkenesOver 7.5 strikeouts-101
Reds Elly De La CruzOver 1.5 hits+185
Dodgers Yoshinobu YamamotoOver 6.5 strikeouts+114

Paul Skenes Over 7.5 strikeouts (-101)

Paul Skenes is carving opponents early on, posting a 2.36 ERA while striking out 46 hitters in 42 innings of work. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace has cashed the Over in Ks just once in his last three starts, but he did finish with seven punchouts in the other two outings, and tonight's matchup heavily plays in Skenes' favor. 

He'll face the lowly Colorado Rockies, one of the worst teams in the big leagues. Colorado strikes out more than any other team, with an average of 9.78 per game. They're also averaging over 12 Ks per contest across their last three, and Skenes' electric stuff will be too much for them.

He also has 26 punchouts in 21 1/3 home innings. 

  • Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Rockies.TV

Elly De La Cruz Over 1.5 hits (+185)

Elly De La Cruz is tearing the cover off the baseball. He's batting .308 in May and .367 over the last week. The Cincinnati Reds star has three consecutive multi-hit games, and he finished with three hits in Sunday's victory over the Astros. De La Cruz had seven hits in that three-game series. 

Tonight's matchup will be one he's looking forward to as well. The Washington Nationals send veteran Miles Mikolas to the mound, who sports an ERA over seven. He's getting absolutely torched every time he takes the hill, and De La Cruz is hitting .333 against him, going 5-for-15 lifetime. 

De La Cruz is also batting a mile better at home with a .346 average, compared to a .232 mark on the road. 

  • Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Reds.TV, Nationals.TV

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 6.5 strikeouts (+114)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been led by the dominance of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is having a nice campaign. He's gone 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 40 in 43 2/3 frames. Yamamoto has hit the Over in Ks in three of his last four appearances, and he sat down eight via the strikeout in his most recent start against the Astros. 

Yamamoto will face the San Francisco Giants this evening, and he already struck out seven against them earlier this season. He's held them to a .181 average as a lineup as well. The Giants do a respectable job of putting the ball in play, but they strike out a lot more on the road, averaging 8.33 Ks. 

  • Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: SportsNet LA, NBC Sports Bay Area
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
  • Prop picks: 22-41, +0.25 units

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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The one-dollar 2026 Bowman card we should all be buying

The one-dollar 2026 Bowman card we should all be buying

Remember last year, when your pal J.R. Fickle tipped you off to future Yankees ace Cam Schlittler — with the caveat that he had no real cards… but would soon? And then he basically was awesome before his first card came out, leveling the playing field for all those non-Mail Day readers?

Let’s try this again. 

Bowman Draft isn’t the most attractive set for investing in cards — being described casually as “Bowman paper” doesn’t exactly ooze cardboard sexiness. But there is a pitcher in the Dodgers system who has his first card in the upcoming set and NOBODY is on him, despite the double-banger of having fantastic stats and — potentially — the most compelling story of the season. 

Patrick Copen is a 6’6”, 220 lb, 22 year-old starter for the Tulsa Drillers, LA’s Double-A affiliate. He currently has a 3.31 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts in 33 ⅔ innings. He was the Texas League Pitcher of the Month in April. He is an elite strikeout machine — last year he struck out 152 batters in 117 ⅔ IP.  

And he was permanently blinded in one eye two seasons ago. 

In 2024, Copen was hit in the face by a line drive. He lost vision in his right eye from the injury. A year later he was back on the mound. He hasn’t missed a step as far as his stats go, although he told MLB Network he had trouble checking runners on second base. Fabian Ardaya wrote a fantastic story about him last year for The Athletic. There’s storyline gold here. And the fact that his prices in breaks or singles on eBay are still low mean that people haven’t caught on yet. He’s not a top prospect, but maybe he should be. Still, we use that to our advantage as collectors apparently haven’t done their homework. 

There are, as always, a couple caveats. Keith Law projects Copen as a reliever. And he’s in the Dodgers system, which is already blocking things with possibly seven starters for a six-man rotation.  But hey — anyone can be traded at any given time! And Keith Law has probably been wrong before. We haven’t checked but… 

Copen’s card should be one you want. He’s put up near-elite minor league numbers, he’s a member of a prestigious organization, and he has a backstory that would make your Alysa Liu cards wilt in its presence. 

 I would like to take a moment to shout out the Jose Rijo 1994 Stadium Club card. 

I stumbled upon it during one of my white rabbit pursuits and man. What a great card. 

Also we forget that Rijo basically lost five seasons at the end of his prime because of two Tommy John surgeries and other arm issues. He was borderline studly before that and has one of the more tragic runs of bad luck in junk wax history. But the twist is that he came back after those five seasons and had a couple more years of decent relief outings. 

For those of you following my months-long PSA/GameStop saga — it has come to an end. Predictably, it did not go well. 

To bring everyone up to date: Three months ago I dropped off two cards — a Lauren Betts autographed rookie and a Trey Lance autographed rookie (yes, back in February the gamble was Lance would sign on as a starter somewhere) — at GameStop just to see how that process would go. Last week I got an email that they were ready. I was expecting an 8, hoping for a 9, and would love to have gotten a 10. 

Both cards graded out as 6s. 

I’m going to crack them open and send them to TAG. Or CSG — they were an awesome experience for me. Or SGC — they were also an awesome experience. I’m not a grading noob; I know these cards were in good enough shape to send in. I just picked the wrong company. 

Also, GameStop still smells weird. And it doesn’t open until noon, so I had to kill time at Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx (don’t get me started on the state of men’s low-cut socks), and Target for two hours, foolishly assuming they opened at 10am like a normal store. 

If you read this newsletter regularly, you know I have little good to say about PSA. So this mini-rant shouldn’t be a surprise. But I have now gone through even their most obscure grading process and it was, predictably, an annoying waste of money.                                              

Two 6’s!!!

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Atlanta Braves News: Ha-Seong Kim Back To Braves, Big Series with Cubs, More

After winning the weekend series in Los Angeles versus the Dodgers in one attempt to prove they are the National League’s best team, the Braves get a chance to further validate that claim against the Cubs to start the week. The Cubs have been the hottest team in baseball, and will likely prove to be another big challenge for the Braves.

Fortunately for Atlanta, more reinforcements are on the way. Ha-Seong Kim is back in the majors and is ready to make his season debut. Eli white was put on the 7-day concussion IL as a result, so Mauricio Dubon will have plenty of opportunity to play until some of the Braves outfield depth returns.

Braves News

A weekend full of home runs fueled many highlights across the Braves minor league teams.

Matt Powers looks at some of the Braves best and works picks in recent draft history.

MLB News

Rays continue to impress with one of best starts in MLB this season.

In the midst of their struggles, the Mets are calling up one of their top prospects in A.J.Ewing.

The Feed

Jim Jarvis, who made his MLB debut over the weekend, left a lasting impression as he delievered the defensive play of the week across MLB.

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Phillies meet Red Sox in battle of struggling teams with new managers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 01: The Philly Phanatic prior to the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on April 1, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Despite their best efforts — and the effort was there on Sunday by Payton Tolle and others — the Red Sox lost another series. This time to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox briefly rose to 4th place in the AL East before the Sox dropped the series, the Orioles won, and Boston returned to its seemingly permanent last place home. That series was supposed to be four games, but rain forced Saturday’s matinee — and a possible split — to July. Boston remains just 2.0 games out of a Wild Card and about a game out of third place in the division. If they can just string a few wins together the entire feeling surrounding the season can flip. The dark clouds can be vanquished.

Chris Cotillo said the Red Sox may hope to get Willson Contreras back for the start of the series against the Phillies. Losing their first baseman would bring shades of 2025. And Contreras has been one of the few players to contribute on both sides of the ball so far this season. Roman Anthony might return at the end of the week when eligible. Ranger Suarez dodged a bullet with his own health issue. There are positives. The team just needs…wins.

While the Red Sox found Chadball after the firing of Alex Cora and a 7-6 record, the Phillies have benefitted even more from their shakeup: they’re 10-3 under Don Mattingly. This pushes the Phillies all the way to 19-22 (.463) vs. the Red Sox 17-23 record (.425) The Mets, the remaining big market flop, thankfully sit at 15-25 with their manager intact.

But if the Sox can sweep Detroit, can they handle Philly? They’ll miss ace Christopher Sáchez, thankfully. Bryce Harper, Kyle “from Waltham” Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh are leading the offense, while Trea Turner and some of the younger players struggle.

Zack Wheeler returned from thoracic outlet syndrome to pitch like he always has. A lucky break for the Phils to regain a second ace. His strikeouts are down a tick, his walks up a bit, but he’s made three starts on the season and allowed just 6 runs in 18 innings. He’ll face, likely, Brayan Bello and an opener. Bello was excellent against the Tigers tossing 7 innings while allowed just a single run in a 10-3 Boston win. He struck out 7 and walked 1. That’ll play against any lineup.

Top prospect Andrew Painter is now “struggling rookie Andrew Painter” and hopefully stays like that for one more start. A righthander and still just 23, Painter was rocked by the A’s last time out for 8 runs in 3.2 innings. Two starts earlier he gave up 5 runs n 5.2 against Atlanta. He’s struck out 30 in 32.2 innings while walking 12. Six homers haven’t helped either. Sonny Gray looked solid against the Tigers after a couple weeks on the IL. He didn’t’ allow a run in 5.0 innings and the bullpen was able to carry the victory across. Hopefully he’s able to add a sixth inning and give the ‘pen a little breathing room.

Jesús Luzardo has had some rough outings. He’s given up at least 5 runs in 4 of his 8 starts. In the other four he’s allowed 4 runs combined. Last time out against Colorado was a 6-run, 3.0 inning affair. But he handled the Giants, who like the Sox have struggled offensively, for 7.0 shutout innings at the end of April. We’ll see what the Sox lefties can do to him. Ranger Suárez, who left his last start on 5/3 with some hamstring trouble, avoids the IL to make a start with just a little extra rest. He’s been basically everything the Red Sox could have hoped. The WBC delayed his preparation a tad but then after his first two starts it’s just the blip with the Yankees who were, frankly, crushing everything. If he’s healthy and rolls out another 7-8 inning gem against his old team it’s possible the Sox win this series, though obviously he’d rather take the mound with visions of brooms.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, May 12: Zack Wheeler (3.12 ERA / 2.83 FIP) vs. TBD (— ERA / — FIP)

Wednesday, May 13: Andrew Painter (6.89 ERA / 4.86 FIP), vs. Sonny Gray (3.54 ERA / 4.29 FIP)

Thursday, May 14: Jesús Luzardo (5.98 ERA / 2.95 FIP) vs. Ranger Suárez (2.77 ERA / 3.24FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Tuesday, May 12: 6:45 PM on NESN

Wednesday, May 13: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

Thursday, May 14: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

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How do you feel about MLB’s balanced schedule?

BOSTON, MA - MAY 21: The scoreboard in the bleacher seats displays tonight's interleague matchup on May 21, 2011 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Tonight the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox are wearing replica uniforms from 1918. Before this series, the two teams haven't played at Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Happy Tuesday, Red Sox Nation. The Red Sox start a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies today. It marks the fifth National League opponent the Red Sox have played over the first month of the season. The balanced schedule has been around for a few years now, with fewer divisional games and everyone playing everyone, but it still doesn’t feel quite right to me. So, I’m wondering, how do you feel about the balanced schedule? Do you wish we still played Baltimore 19 times, or whatever it was?

Talk about whatever you want, and be good to one another.

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Orioles news: A satisfying comeback win

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 11: Coby Mayo #16 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates in the dugout with teammates after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters!

It’s an especially happy Tuesday because the Orioles last night with a comeback win against the Yankees to start the three-game series out on the right foot.

For much of the game, it didn’t look like it would be a happy ending. Through six innings, the Orioles had no hits off of Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. Brandon Young hadn’t pitched poorly, but his two runs allowed looked like they might hold up for New York.

It all unraveled in the seventh inning, when Adley Rutschman broke up the no-no with a ground ball single, Tyler O’Neill worked a walk, and Coby Mayo launched the kind of home run we all imagined from him when he was a prospect. You can get the full details on the win in Alex Church’s game recap.

Let’s talk about Coby Mayo for a minute. Mayo was not in the original lineup for last night’s game. He was added as the DH not long before the game started when Samuel Basallo was pulled with a sore knee. Mayo struck out in his first at-bat, but worked a walk in the fifth inning before his seventh-inning home run was hit deep into the left field stands. What a night for Coby!

Another maligned Oriole, Tyler O’Neill, also had a few big contributions last night. With one out and Rutschman on second base, O’Neill worked the count full. He fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches before taking ball four on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. We haven’t seen many ABs like that from O’Neill this year. O’Neill also made a nice diving play to catch an Aaron Judge line drive early in the game, then made a leaping catch at the wall in the top of the ninth.

Are the Orioles a fundamentally better team after last night’s win? Of course not. Should we expect that Mayo and O’Neill will turn it around and lead this team back into a playoff position? Probably not. But it sure was nice to see them contribute to a team win, and it was nice to see the Orioles have some fight in them to come back after being held down by a tough starting pitcher for many innings.

Now the Orioles have two chances to get a series win against the Yankees. Tonight, they face righty Will Warren. The one little problem is that there is no one to start for the Orioles. It would have been Cade Povich’s turn in the rotation, but he is on the injured list. If Trevor Rogers comes off of the IL without making a rehab start, it could be him.

Links

Orioles updates on Helsley, Kremer and more – MASN Sports
There is no real update on Dean Kremer, other than he is “trending in the right direction.” Ryan Helsley could be ready to return by the beginning of June.

Samuel Basallo scratched from lineup with knee discomfort stemming from collision at plate – The Baltimore Banner
Remember how they banned home plate collisions? Yeah, this is why. Here’s hoping one of the team’s best hitters is back in the lineup soon.

Orioles head groundskeeper Nicole Sherry to depart team for opportunity outside pro sports – The Baltimore Banner
Nicole Sherry has been with the Orioles for 20 years. I don’t know how other team’s fans feel about their heads groundskeepers, but I think Sherry is beloved in Baltimore. We’ll miss her. Here’s hoping her next gig gives her more regular working hours.

Nationals Team Dog Natty to Debut on Friday, May 15 – MLB.com
Ok so this isn’t Orioles news, but the Nationals have a puppy who will be making his debut this Friday when the Orioles go to DC. Why doesn’t every team have a puppy?

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies, including Joe Nolan (75). Nolan had an 11-season MLB career, the last four of which were with the Orioles from 1982-85. In 216 games, Nolan hit .249/.313/.374 as a backup catcher.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Terrin Vavra (29), Evan Meek (43), and Kevin Bass (67).

On this day in 2023, Cedric Mullins hit for the cycle as the Orioles beat the Pirates, 6-3. He started the game with a flyout, then got four hits to end the game. His bottom-of-the-8th home run was an Earl Weaver Special to seal the cycle. Relive the magic! That triple was incredible. Cedric is so fast.

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Giants hitters and bullpen are too much for Dodgers in 9-3 victory

People come to Los Angeles with big dreams. Some want to make it as Hollywood actors. Others dream of a record deal and music fame. And there’s those who aspire to drink green juice while wearing oversized sunglasses and attend the third-through-seventh inning of a Dodger game at Chavez Ravine while pitching a reality show.

The San Francisco Giants had more humble dreams: To get double-digit hits for the third time in four games and continue their 2026 dominance over the defending world champions. They did that and more Monday night, notching 12 hits and six walks in a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

You know it’s a big hit when the NBCS account breaks out a reference to a 30-year-old Will Smith album! Willy Adames went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, one of five Men In Black and Orange with a multi-hit game Monday night. Rafael Devers got jiggy wit his fifth home run, scored three runs, and reached base four times. Every member of the starting lineup had either a hit or an RBI, truly the mark of an offense that keeps the roof blazin’.

All this on a night where the Giants had two runners thrown out at home, Jesus Rodriguez got his first career stolen base, and Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5.

Matt Gage (3-1) picked up the win after relieving Trevor McDonald (5.1 IP, 9H, 3R, 2BB, 4K) in the 6th inning, after a Max Muncy home run and a Teoscar Hernandez single chased him from the game. Gage retired all five Dodgers he faced, mowing down the heart of the lineup. Maybe Ohtani and Kyle Tucker could settle for some deferred hits?

McDonald got hit hardest in the 4th inning, when the Dodgers led off the inning with four straight singles, all off of sinkers. The Giants escaped down only 2-1 thanks to an Adames-to-Arraez-to-Schmidt double play.

The Giants countered with three straight singles off lefty Alex Vesia (1-1) from Jung Hoo Lee, Luis Arraez, and Casey Schmidt, who reached base four times Monday. Devers drew a seven-pitch, bases-loaded walk to give the Giants a 4-3 lead before “Big Willy Style” drove in Arraez and Schmidt, just the two of them.

Devers started the scoring with a second-inning homer off starter Rory Sasaki, who had one of his better outings of the season by giving up three runs and six hits and striking out five. Like his walk, this came on a 3-2 pitch, the 8th pitch of the at-bat. Devers nearly fouled out on the previous pitch, but Hernandez got distracted by a Dodgers official holding a folding chair. One pitch later, he made Sasaki and the chair-wielding man pay.

Devers missed on a bases-loaded opportunity in the 3rd, where the Giants loaded the bases in unusual fashion. Rodriguez drew a walk and then stole second when Lee struck out, swinging and missing so badly he threw his bat down the first-base line. He went to third on an Arraez single but didn’t score after Sasaki beaned Schmidt and Sasaki retired Devers and Heliot Ramos.

In the 6th, the Giants showed off some excellent baserunning and some less excellent baserunning. Schmidt singled and took third on a Devers single, with Devers hustling to second when the throw went to third. Ramos followed with a two-run double down the line.

In a very Heliot Ramos sequence, he went to third on a deep fly ball, then got thrown out at home by roughly 20 feet on a Matt Chapman groundout.

Was that the only Giant thrown out at the plate? Heavens no. Harrison Bader doubled in the 8th and made it to third on a delayed start when Rodriguez grounded out to Muncy and Freddie Freeman’s throw back to third went high. One pitch later, Lee grounded to first and Bader was tagged out in a rundown.

The Giants got some insurance in the 8th inning when Schmidt walked and stole second (two steals in one game?!?). An intentional walk to Devers was followed by an unintentional walk to Ramos, an Adames single, and another walk, this time to Chapman.

The Giants rounded out the scoring with an RBI groundout from Rodriguez. Poor Lee was the second Giant hit in the game, but at least he only got nailed by a curveball. That made four walks and a hit batsmen in one inning from Wyatt Mills, who may not be long for the Dodgers roster.

The bullpen went 3.2 innings and only gave up a single, with Keaton Winn and JT Brubaker closing it out. The Dodgers have lost three straight, the Giants have won three out of four, and the Giants’ big hitters are mostly hitting again. That’s what we call a Hollywood Echo Park ending!

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Yankees news: Waiting for news on Cabby’s finger

ESPN: Adding injury to the insult of getting swept in Milwaukee this weekend, José Caballero hurt his finger in the series finale. “There is definitely some concern,” opined Aaron Boone Monday when asked, and the shortstop was out of the starting lineup Monday, though he pinch-ran in the ninth and got caught stealing to seal a Yankee loss. Cabby will have tests done Tuesday as he will see a hand specialist in New York City and could undergo an MRI. Everyone’s fingers will be crossed for Caballero, who’s played a solid shortstop in the first quarter of the season, while providing a little bit of pop with the bat and terrorizing opponents on the basepaths with 13 stolen bases.

MLB | Casey Drottar: The Yanks’ weekend callup of Spencer Jones has enabled him to reconnect with a former minor league teammate. Jones and Ben Rice hadn’t seen each other since spring training and Jones made a point to meet up with Rice as soon as he could. It wasn’t all motivated by friendship, however. “I told Ben this morning I’m going to be attached to his hip today,” Jones remarked, knowing he was going to take advantage of the opportunity to pick his friend’s brain on adjusting to the big leagues.

MLB | Jon Schwartz: Austin Wells has struggled at the plate so far this season after a lackluster 2025 offensively, but that has not affected his defense. Schwartz examines Wells’ routine preparing the Yankees’ pitching staff for games, while highlighting the leaps Wells has made defensively, especially considering there were questions about whether Wells would ever be good enough behind the plate to stay at the position in the majors. Meanwhile, his stature as a leader continues to evolve. “He’s very involved,” [Cam] Schlittler says. “For someone who’s young, that can really make an impact.”

X | Bryan Hoch: Led with injury news, finish with injury news. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has been out for a while with a strained right calf. Monday, he was due to undergo some testing to see how the healing process is going. Throughout, Stanton has been able to hit, but not run. Manager Aaron Boone remarked Monday there is optimism that Big G will be able to begin running this week.

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Struggling Shohei Ohtani won’t hit on one of Wednesday or Thursday

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) waves to fans as he runs through the dugout after taking live batting practice prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani won’t hit in one of the final two games against the San Francisco Giants this week, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn’t yet decided if that will be on Wednesday when Ohtani pitches or on Thursday for what would amount to a mental reset day for the slumping superstar.

When to give Ohtani any sort of rest has been an interesting puzzle to solve as he’s back to being a full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023. He didn’t hit in three of his first six pitching starts, including his previous two times on the mound. But he has played in all 41 games in one way or another.

“One of those days he’s not going to hit, I haven’t decided,” Roberts said Monday night. “But on top of that, given what we’re asking of him on the pitching side, it’s a fair question.”

When Shohei Ohtani last homered, on April 26 against the Chicago Cubs, he snapped a string of 59 consecutive plate appearances without a long ball, his longest power drought since joining the Dodgers. Since then, Ohtani has gone 51 plate appearances and 13 full games since, his second-longest skid with the team.

He was hitless in five at-bats with a pair of strikeouts in Monday’s loss, and since that last home run has seven hits in 43 at-bats, hitting .163/.294/.209 with seven walks and 12 strikeouts. That dropped his season line to .233/.363/.404, which is a 114 wRC+, but with an isolated power (.171) 75 points lower than any of his previous five seasons.

“Even early on [in the season] when he wasn’t hitting, he was still taking walks and getting on base,” Roberts said. “Tonight was a classic example, I think he’s just trying to swing out of it, that’s just so apparent. A lot of hitters, when their scuffling, they want to swing out of it, and tonight was one of those nights.”