Category: Baseball

The Pirates have had a handful of big name free agent signings in the offseason. The Bucs signed players like Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’hearn, Marcell Ozuna and Gregory Soto to name a few. Who has been the most impactful free agent signing so far for the Bucs ? 

To me, the obvious pick for most impactful free agent has been Brandon Lowe. Lowe was not a free agent signing, as he was a part of a three-team trade, but was still a move made in the offseason so we are counting it here. Lowe was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, and he leads the team in home runs with 10 and is third on the team in RBIs with 23. Oneil Cruz is first on the team with 28 RBIs, while Ryan O’hearn is second with 25. 

It has been a long time since Pittsburgh has had a second baseman who can hit for serious power, and Lowe is doing just that.

The veteran second basemen went on an absolute tear in their last series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lowe had five hits in two games played in Arizona. He also hit two home runs in the series, with both of them coming in the first inning. Those home runs were a huge reason why the Pirates won two out of three against Arizona, securing a 1-0 and 4-2 wins.

Pittsburgh is now 21-17 on the season, and that early success is because of the Pittsburgh offense. The Pirates had one of the worst offenses last year, but the addition of Lowe specifically has turned them into more of a power team this year.

That is surprising too, because everyone thought that O’hearn and Ozuna would be the additions that would bring the power, but really it has been the opposite. Lowe’s power has been so nice, especially in the top of that lineup. Having Lowe bat second in the lineup behind Cruz and in front of Bryan Reynolds is the best lineup decision in my opinion.

We have talked a lot about his offense, but his defense has been really solid too so far. His veteran presence has also been important especially with Pittsburgh still having a younger lineup and team. The Pirates will need Brandon Lowe to continue to play well if Pittsburgh wants to contend in what is the most competitive decision in baseball.  

Comment below who you think has been the most impactful acquisition from the offseason so far for the Pirates.  

Baseball is full of statistical oddities, but the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 and 2009 had one of the strangest name coincidences in franchise history. Enter Brian Barden and Brian Barton.

Both were born in California. Both were born in April. Both were trying to find their footing in the big leagues at the exact same time—often on the same roster.

In this week’s episode of Random Cardinal of the Week, Jim Plaza dives into the overlapping careers of these two players who flashed brilliance before fading into baseball trivia.

In this episode, we discuss:

The 2008 Rule 5 Draft pick that cost the Cardinals a fan favorite (So Taguchi).

Brian Barden’s blistering April 2009 that saw him named NL Rookie of the Month.

The “switch” that happened between the two Brians during Spring Training.

The surprising link between Brian Barden and World Series hero David Freese.

Whether you remember them as the future of the Cardinals’ infield or just as a confusing duo in the box score, we’re breaking down the full “Two Brians” saga. Unfortunately, the quick stay in the majors made it more difficult to find relevant pictures and highlights, so the YouTube video is a little bare on the visual this week. Either way, we hope you have been enjoying this weekly segment and are always welcome to feedback!

Drop your favorite Brian memories below!

This past offseason, many Yankees fans grew anxious as Cody Bellinger remained unsigned and the club’s only outside addition appeared to be Ryan Weathers. These were the days before the “run it back Yankees” became the reality surrounding the roster construction for 2026. Even after signing Bellinger and making a few additional moves, many felt the team did not do enough to go all in for a chance to finally capitalize on Aaron Judge’s championship window.

Most of the frustration centered around the team not addressing third base, finding a right-handed backup catcher, or fortifying the bullpen. That bullpen, mind you, had just lost the previous off-season’s prized closer acquisition from the Brewers in Devin Williams, as well as Luke Weaver, the former Cardinals castoff turned bullpen staple of the past few seasons, as they both headed across town to Queens.

How could a team with championship aspirations seemingly not address losing two high-leverage relievers from the previous year? Before the season, Brian Cashman pointed toward last summer’s trade deadline acquisitions of David Bednar and Camilo Doval as part of the organization’s reasoning for staying relatively quiet. Sure, those high-profile trade acquisitions bring traditional high-octane stuff to the late innings, but there’s another player who has been even more instrumental in stabilizing the Yankee ‘pen, and his name is Tim Hill.

Hill’s performance during the 2026 season has been nothing short of spectacular and has helped buoy the bullpen while the unit struggled through parts of early April. Now just over a month into the season, the Yankees entered Thursday with the sixth-best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.35 across 129 innings pitched.

Of those 129 innings, Hill has pitched 14.1 of them in 16 games, entering Thursday. So far on the season the thirty-six-year-old journeyman has posted a 1.26 ERA and had allowed zero of his nine inherited runners to score (he finally let an inherited runner cross home plate against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon). This is the type of performance that is expected from big ticket relievers, not a cheap, soft tossing lefty. So how has Hill been so successful?

Since he was released in 2024 by the White Sox and claimed by the Yankees, Hill has seen the organization’s pitching lab significantly alter his pitch usage. Prior to joining the Yankees, Hill threw his four-seam fastball roughly 30 percent of the time while in Kansas City and closer to 50 percent on average in San Diego. That number dropped to 13.7 percent last season and fell even further to just 8.1 percent in 2026.

Instead, the Yankees have leaned heavily into Hill’s sinker. This season, the pitch accounts for more than 80 percent of his offerings. Before arriving in New York, the highest sinker usage rate of Hill’s career came in 2022 with the Padres when he threw it 54.5 percent of the time.

Besides throwing his sinker more, Hill has upped the usage of his slider. After trending downward for several seasons, the pitch now accounts for 11.9 percent of his arsenal. The slider is also coming in roughly eight miles per hour slower than it did last season, giving it more sweeping action and further disrupting hitters’ timing.

Hill also does an excellent job keeping his release point on all three of these pitches very consistent, making them even more deceptive to the hitter. The results have been dramatic. Hill currently has the highest groundball rate of his career at 79.1 percent.

Opponents have been hitting the ball hard off Hill with an average exit velocity of 91.5 mph. For reference, the league average is 87.7 mph. But much of that contact comes in the form of sharply hit groundballs rather than dangerous lift. That can be seen in Hill’s tiny 2.3 percent barrel rate and -9.2 launch angle.

The Yankees have increasingly emphasized the sinker and deception, and several pitchers on the staff have reaped the rewards. Hill’s profile fits that mold perfectly. While he is not the modern-day flamethrower, he offers a change of pace from a unique arm slot and has become a trusted option out of the pen for Aaron Boone.

In addition to posting incredible numbers, Hill was also the recipient of the 2025 Tony Conigliaro Award from the Boston Red Sox. The award recognizes a big leaguer who “has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage.”

Yesterday, Tim Hill received the 2025 Tony Conigliaro Award, which recognizes a “Major Leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C."

Before Hill was selected in the 32nd round of the 2014 Draft,… pic.twitter.com/sn2IkMCwPY

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 24, 2026

Adversity has followed Hill throughout much of his life. He lost his father to colon cancer during his sophomore year of high school in 2007. Then, after being selected in the 2014 MLB Draft, Hill was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome and Stage 3 colon cancer during spring training in 2015 at just 25 years old. He underwent surgery, radiation, and eight months of chemotherapy while facing a projected five-year survival rate between 65 and 75 percent.

I am sure Tim Hill’s baseball career has not gone exactly as he once scripted it in his dreams. It certainly has not followed a conventional path, but it has produced another story that simply makes you want to cheer for the guy.

As the summer unfolds, I expect the Yankees to do their due diligence on every available high-leverage relief pitcher ahead of the trade deadline. As we all know, you can never have too much pitching, and Cashman has never been afraid to make a move if he believes the value is right. However, the efforts and success of players like Hill allow the organization to approach those decisions deliberately rather than out of necessity or panic as it continues chasing championship number 28.

The Mariners finally showed some life against a really tough opponent, handing the Braves their first series loss of the season earlier this week. All three games were incredibly close affairs as you would expect in a series between two playoff contenders. Seattle now embarks on a seven-game road trip and the beginning of a stretch of 13 straight games without an off day. Despite possessing a record two games below .500, the M’s are still in fine position in the standings because it seems like no other team in the American League actually wants to win — there are just four teams with winning records currently and the Mariners are in possession of a Wild Card berth with their 18-20 record.

Game	Time	Mariners Starter	White Sox Starter	Mariners Win%	White Sox Win%
Game 1	Friday, May 8 | 4:40 pm	RHP Emerson Hancock	RHP Sean Burke	52.8%	47.2%
Game 2	Saturday, May 9 | 4:10 pm	RHP Luis Castillo	LHP Anthony Kay	55.7%	44.3%
Game 3	Sunday, May 10 | 11:10 am	RHP Logan Gilbert	RHP Davis Martin	55.2%	44.8%

Overview	White Sox	Mariners	Edge
Batting (wRC+)	96 (11th in AL)	103 (3rd in AL)	Mariners
Fielding (FRV)	1 (6th)	-12 (15th)	White Sox
Starting Pitching (FIP-)	99 (10th)	96 (5th)	Mariners
Bullpen (FIP-)	103 (9th)	82 (2nd)	Mariners

The White Sox have made some quick progress in their rebuild after losing more than 100 games in three straight seasons. It’s easy to improve after losing a record 121 games like they did in 2024, but the forward progress this year has been shocking. The team was the surprising landing spot for Munetaka Murakami this offseason and their crop of young prospects have already started to make big impacts in the majors. After a bit of a slow start to the season, Chicago is 11-7 over its last 18 games. Even though they’re in a pretty favorable spot in the standings — third in the AL Central and just half a game out of a Wild Card spot — I don’t think this team is suddenly a contender this year, but they’re definitely a lot closer to breaking out of their rebuilding cycle than expected.

Player	Position	Bats	PA	K%	BB%	ISO	wRC+
Sam Antonacci	LF	L	74	9.5%	8.1%	0.148	126
Munetaka Murakami	1B	L	160	34.4%	17.5%	0.328	153
Miguel Vargas	3B	R	159	17.0%	16.4%	0.208	119
Colson Montgomery	SS	L	154	28.6%	9.7%	0.258	127
Chase Meidroth	2B	R	153	24.2%	10.5%	0.098	108
Andrew Benintendi	DH	L	121	33.1%	5.8%	0.135	74
Jarred Kelenic (MiLB)	RF	L	104	28.8%	18.3%	0.262	98
Tristan Peters	CF	L	89	24.7%	6.7%	0.038	78
Drew Romo (MiLB)	C	S	68	26.5%	10.3%	0.263	137

I think there are a bunch of teams who really regret missing out on Murakami this offseason now that they’ve seen what he can do against MLB pitching. Yes, the contact issues are still present — he’s running 34.4% strikeout rate and a 58.9% contact rate — but his walk rate has been surprisingly robust and the power is obviously big enough to play. He’s currently second in the majors with 14 home runs. He’s not the only power hitter in the middle of this lineup either. Colson Montgomery made a splash last summer, blasting 21 home runs in just 71 games after being called up in July. He’s hit another nine to start this year and is playing solid defense at shortstop to boot. Miguel Vargas is the other youngster showing some real progress this season. Pushed off the fringe of the Dodgers roster a few years ago, he’s been able to establish himself with regular playing time in Chicago. He’s got an excellent approach at the plate and hits the ball hard enough to run an above average batting line at third base.

Jarred Kelenic deserves a mention as well. He was recalled from Triple-A last week after Everson Pereira was sidelined with an injury. Kelenic couldn’t establish himself in the two years he spent in Atlanta and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox this offseason. Still just 26 years old, his issues are still the same as ever: trouble making consistent contact.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Sean Burke	39.2	20.5%	5.1%	6.8%	42.5%	2.72	3.19
Emerson Hancock	41.2	28.9%	3.8%	17.5%	46.7%	2.59	3.69

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	28.8%	42.9%	94.0	112	97	108	0.289
Sinker	24.2%	9.1%	94.2	91	55	196	0.292
Cutter	2.7%	6.9%	89.9	86
Changeup	0.4%	6.9%	85.8
Curveball	16.7%	28.8%	79.3	87	58	112	0.306
Slider	27.3%	5.3%	86.5	85

Sean Burke showed some flashes of promise in his first full season in the big leagues last year. His 4.22 ERA was perfectly acceptable for a rebuilding Chicago club, though his 4.92 FIP wasn’t nearly as encouraging. Still, there was a stretch in May and June where he ran a 3.33 ERA and a 4.06 FIP across nine starts. Things are looking up for Burke this year. He’s dramatically improved his command and cut his walk rate by more than half, down to 5.1%. He doesn’t strike out that many guys, but simply reducing the amount of traffic on the bases has helped him dramatically improve his topline results.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Anthony Kay	30	14.0%	10.5%	15.4%	39.2%	5.70	6.41
Luis Castillo	34.1	19.4%	8.1%	8.7%	33.0%	6.29	4.25

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	38.2%	35.2%	95.8	91	57	72	0.491
Sinker	13.4%	44.0%	95.1	114
Cutter	24.1%	18.7%	90.9	99	91	158	0.421
Changeup	22.3%	0.0%	85.7	109
Slider	2.0%	2.2%	84.6	109
Sweeper	20.3%	45.1%	82.8	109	78	97	0.323

After a few years of riding the Triple-A shuttle for the Blue Jays, Anthony Kay signed a two-year deal with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of NBP. He excelled in Japan and returned to the US this offseason, signing a two-year deal with Chicago. He developed a sinker and a sweeper overseas, giving him a much deeper repertoire to keep batters off balance. Unfortunately, that revamped arsenal hasn’t helped him find much success against batters this year. The stuff models really like his sinker and a few of his secondary pitches, but he’s throwing a thoroughly mediocre four-seam fastball 30% of the time right now. That pitch is getting absolutely crushed. He simply isn’t working deep enough into counts to properly utilize his secondary pitches, his strike out rate has cratered to just 14.0%, and his ERA and FIP are both approaching six.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Davis Martin	44	25.4%	4.7%	4.9%	38.6%	1.64	2.46
Logan Gilbert	44	23.2%	5.4%	15.4%	36.7%	4.30	4.43

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	21.8%	28.9%	94.0	96	111	102	0.356
Sinker	20.2%	11.5%	92.8	86
Cutter	10.3%	19.5%	89.6	89	105	82	0.468
Changeup	10.7%	21.4%	90.1	86	45	85	0.356
Curveball	5.8%	14.3%	82.1	91
Slider	31.3%	4.4%	87.1	95

Davis Martin has quietly led the White Sox rotation with a 1.64 ERA and 2.46 FIP in seven starts this year. He’s improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 2.17 to 5.38 this year, adding more than eight points to his strikeout rate while simultaneously cutting his walk rate to 4.7%. He’s added a cutter to his pitch mix this year, giving him six weapons to use against opposing batters. None of them stand out individually in the stuff models, but his slider looks like one of the nastiest pitches in baseball right now. The whiff rate on that breaking ball is 59.6%, the second highest whiff rate on a slider in baseball. Opposing batters are running a sub-.200 wOBA against his three secondary pitches, and a plus-.300 wOBA against his three fastball variations. The problem is that batters have been struggling to identify his pitches — his called strike rate is up 3.5 points this year — so even if they’re making good contact against his fastballs, they’re just as likely to whiff or mishit one of his secondary offerings.

---

The Big Picture:

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Athletics	19-18	0.514	—	-10	L-W-L-L-W
Mariners	18-20	0.474	1.5	+4	L-L-W-L-W
Rangers	17-20	0.459	2.0	-6	L-L-L-W-L
Astros	15-23	0.395	4.5	-37	W-W-L-W-L
Angels	15-23	0.395	4.5	-14	W-L-L-W-W

The Athletics managed to avoid a sweep in Philadelphia with a 12-1 blowout win yesterday. They head to Baltimore this weekend looking to maintain their grip on the AL West lead. The Rangers lost their series in New York against the Yankees and will return home to face the red-hot Cubs this weekend. The blows just keep coming for the Astros: Carlos Correa has been sidelined for the season with an ankle injury suffered on Tuesday. Houston wound up losing its series against the Dodgers and will head to Cincinnati this weekend.

Thanks to an offensive outburst by Keibert Ruiz, which included 2 doubles and a solo shot, the Nationals beat the Twins 7-5 to secure the series win and an even 3-3 homestand. The win brought their record on the year to 18-20, good for sole possession of second place in the NL East and 2 wins shy of the .500 mark. They’ll have an opportunity to climb over the .500 mark with a three-game set in Miami against the Marlins, who are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak.

The Marlins have been led offensively by a pair of middle infielders in Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards in 2026, who have a 143 and 145 wRC+, respectively. Like the Nats, the Marlins lineup is extremely young, with none of their usual starting 9 hitters being over the age of 28. On the pitching side, they are led by a mix of former top prospects, journeymen, and a former Cy Young winner, and the result has been a respectable 4.09 ERA on the year as a club.

Friday – 7:10 PM EST

WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (3-1, 2.27 ERA)

MIA: LHP Robby Snelling (Major League Debut)

Despite throwing 6 innings and allowing 0 earned runs last time out, Griffin earned the loss due to some unearned runs in the first inning and the Nats’ offense failing to get going. He’s been a monster for the Nats every 5 days, and will look to keep it going against a young Marlins lineup.

Robby Snelling, one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, will make his major league debut tonight against the Nats, a left-handed heavy lineup. Acquired from the Padres for reliever Tanner Scott in 2024, Snelling had a 1.86 ERA in Triple-A this season and will now get his first crack at the big leagues.

Saturday – 4:10 PM EST

WSH: Zack Littell (1-4, 7.24 ERA)

MIA: RHP Janson Junk (2-3, 2.82 ERA)

Littell was effective in his last outing after PJ Poulin opened the game, throwing 3 2/3 innings of 1-run ball. The best the Nats can hope for out of Littell is to get through the order twice unscathed, before handing it off to Mitchell Parker to pitch the bulk of the innings.

A 22nd-rounder in 2017 by the Yankees, Junk has turned himself into an effective starter in Miami, with a 4.17 ERA in 21 outings in 2025 and a 2.82 ERA in 7 starts in 2026. He’s allowed just 1 run in his last 3 starts, so the Nats are catching him in the middle of a hot stretch.

Sunday – 12:15 PM EST

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (1-2, 4.15 ERA)

MIA: RHP Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 4.01 ERA)

After back-to-back 10-strikeout starts against the Braves and Mets, Cavalli took a step back in his outing against the Twins, allowing 3 runs over 4 innings and walking more batters than he struck out. When Cavalli has his command, he’s a tough guy to get runs off, so hopefully he has a feel for his stuff on Sunday in Miami.

Alcantara’s season has been a mixed bag so far, as he’s been brilliant in 6 of his 8 starts, going deep in the outings and limiting damage, but in 2 of them, he has allowed 7 runs, including last time out against the Orioles. Hopefully, the Nats get the bad version of Alcantara on Sunday and can drop a 7-spot of their own.

The Cubs’ starting rotation has actually done pretty well in 2026, considering they lost Cade Horton for the season after two starts, and now are missing Matthew Boyd with an injury for the second time this year (and Boyd has a 6.00 ERA in five starts in 2026).

The team’s 3.77 starting pitcher ERA ranks seventh among all teams, which is really pretty good considering the injuries. Colin Rea and Javier Assad have done a good job as fill-ins, and Ben Brown will get a chance at a start tonight.

Clearly, Jed Hoyer will be looking for starting pitching help going forward, particularly as we approach the trade deadline. But that’s two months away and most teams aren’t going to trade a quality starter in early May.

One starter who might become available somewhat soon is Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta.

The Mets are off to a terrible start, currently tied with the Giants for MLB’s worst record at 14-23. They’ve had injury issues and some of the changes they made in the offseason simply haven’t worked. They stand 11.5 games behind the first-place Braves just 37 games into the season.

Would the Mets trade Peralta now? Possibly not; there have been teams that started this poorly who have made the postseason, though it seems unlikely. The Mets lost 12 in a row last month, including being swept by the Cubs, and no team that has had that long a losing streak has ever made the postseason. So maybe they’d be open to a trade now, instead of waiting until the deadline.

Peralta is a pending free agent who turns 30 next month. He’s been consistently good throughout his career and has been so this year as well, entering Friday’s action with a 3.12 ERA and 1.200 WHIP, with just four home runs allowed in 43.1 innings. He’s made at least 30 starts each of the last three years and seems durable. And, Cubs manager Craig Counsell managed Peralta for six years in Milwaukee, so he’s quite familiar with the right-hander.

Also, Peralta is making $8 million this year, so he could likely easily fit into Hoyer’s budget.

Now, what would the Cubs have to give the Mets to get Peralta?

This article suggests sending Kevin Alcántara and Jefferson Rojas to New York in exchange for the veteran right-hander. Those two currently rank third and fourth in MLB Pipeline’s ranking of Cubs prospects. This past offseason, Josh ranked them fifth and third.

So that’s a fairly high price for a rental pitcher, though it’s not impossible that the Cubs could keep Peralta past this year.

Would you make that trade?

What if before the season, I told you that a former Phillie would be leading the National League in OPS come the second week of May? You’d probably assume that Nick Castellanos was having some sort of revenge season out in San Diego, right?

Well, don’t worry. Nicky is batting .183 and playing his usual bad brand of defense out West. However, Mickey Moniak is absolutely crushing it in Colorado.

Mickey Moniak currently owns the leagues longest active hit streak at 17 games. He gained a full 0.5 fWAR against the best team in baseball:

Against the Braves:
4/9
3 HR
.784 wOBA
403 wRC+

He hits FA in 2028. Does DePodesta move him at the deadline and for how much? pic.twitter.com/apXEIuKvgs

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) May 5, 2026

Most of you probably know the story: The Phillies had the top pick of the 2016 draft, and there were no obvious standout prospects to take. So, they took a chance on a high school outfielder, with hopes that he could develop major league power and defense. He didn’t amaze anyone in the minors, but slowly progressed through the system, and made his major league debut in 2020.

He struggled in the minors but looked poised to start the 2022 season as the Phillies’ centerfielder before suffering an injury on the last day of Spring Training. He couldn’t regain his hitting form after returning from the injury and the Phillies shipped him to the Angels in exchange for Noah Syndergaard.

He underwhelmed in Los Angeles and didn’t make the team out of Spring Training in 2025. The Rockies, who were barely even attempting to field a major league team decided to take a chance on him.

In 2025, despite being regarded as one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball, his bat showed some life in the thin Colorado air, and he hit 24 home runs. He’s shown even more life this season, with a .318/.367/.700 slash line.

Obviously, he’s unlikely to continue hitting at this pace, and he’s definitely benefitting from playing in Colorado, since his road OPS is almost .500 points lower than it is at Coors Field. But for now, it’s a nice story to see him finally experience success after being such a disappointment.

The funny thing is: If you told Phillies’ management back in 2016 that Moniak might be in Philadelphia for the 2026 All-Star Game, they’d probably be thrilled.

#Rockies' Mickey Moniak is playing like the All-Star the Phillies envisioned when they drafted him No. 1 https://t.co/Ly8tL1Z1Tr

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) May 8, 2026

Trivia

Last week’s answer: The 2012 Phillies’ first visit to Marlins Park ended with them getting swept. The three losing pitchers were Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Nobody was able to name two of the three.

This week’s question: On August 23, 1993, the Rockies earned their second ever win in Philadelphia, behind a home run by what former Phillie?

Non-Phillies thought

It didn’t take long for the optimism around the Sixers and Flyers to fade. The Flyers look completely outmatched by the Carolina Hurricane, and the Sixers have spent the first two games of their series against the Knicks looking like they used up all their energy against the Celtics. (To be fair, a 48-hour turnaround after an intense game seven is kind of tough.)

When the Sixers vs. Knicks series began, I had optimism that the Sixers’ home games wouldn’t be taken over by Knicks fans like they were in 2024. The fans were mostly checked out on that year’s team, while people seemed pumped about this year’s team after beating the Celtics. But falling into an 0-2 hole likely changed the math, and unfortunately, I expect there to be a very healthy contingent of Knicks fans in the building.

NEWS: Surge in inventory on @TickPick for Game 3 and Game 4 in Philadelphia after Knicks take 2-0 series lead

Game 3: 2.1K tickets before series ➡️ 3.4K tickets now

Game 4: 2K tickets before series ➡️ 5K tickets now

Huge decrease in price as well for both games. pic.twitter.com/9JfConUFfg

— Kyle Zorn (@Kyle_Zorn) May 7, 2026

Additional thought about the series

A home series against the Rockies should allow the Phillies to continue their recent run of hot play. The key to the turnaround has been that the starting pitching – Andrew Painter aside – has met expectations lately.

The Phillies rotation through April 26 (9-19):
5.80 ERA (30th in MLB)
.307 BAA (30th)
.838 OPS (30th)
.380 BABIP (30th)
1.64 WHIP (30th)

From April 28 through last night (7-1):
1.53 ERA (1st)
.199 BAA (1st)
.525 OPS (1st)
.282 BABIP (11th)
0.94 WHIP (1st)

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 6, 2026

The Rockies have a mediocre offense – 16th in runs scored overall, 21st in road games – so the Phillies’ starting trio of Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez should be able to turn in strong outings.

I’m less certain about the Phillies’ bullpen. Jhoan Duran looked shaky in his return from the IL, but the hope is that was just him getting readjusted. The bigger question is do they have a late inning lefthanded reliever they can depend on? With both Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks struggling mightily, who do they call upon if they have to face Moniak in the late innings? (There’s something I didn’t expect to be writing before the season.) Will Tim Mayza become their primary setup lefty? (Something else I didn’t expect to write.)

Someone needs to assert themselves, because I don’t want to spend the entire season holding my breath in the seventh and eighth innings.

Happy Friday.

The Jays are back home for a series against the Angels. It almost can’t be worse than the last series. I think the team has let Tropicana Field get into their heads.

Maybe all the batters should move back in the batter’s box:

18 games into his MLB career, Kazuma Okamoto moved back in the box by more than half a foot.

Ever since? He's been a top-5 hitter, with a .308/.400/.708 line.

On how a big step back might have been a big step forward .. pic.twitter.com/D3d4Zuvd05

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 7, 2026

Petriello talks about it here.

There is talk about having more time to watch a pitch. I don’t know, a foot of extra time on a pitch 132 (+/-) feet per second is not all that much extra time. But I do think a change when things aren’t working is a good idea. It gets the mind thinking about something else. Perhaps moving up a foot would have don’t the same thing.

There was always going to be adjustments. I try not to judge a player in the first month or so of being in a new place. I think it takes a bit for the brain to realize that it is the same game they’ve always played.

There are always ones that like to be at the front of the box, to ‘get breaking balls before they break’ and ones that stand at the back to ‘give more time to see the ball’. I think whatever a player is comfortable doing is the right thing.

---

Addison Barger is going to be activated soon, I keep stalling so I can add whoever is set out, but I have a birthday party to go to (I have a tennis friend who has turned 90, he still plays, still runs, still hits the ball good. I tell him I want to be him when I grow up. He still mentally sharp, as well. We should all be so lucky).

It will be good to have Addison back. I don’t think he’s going to be the savior or anything like that but it is a step towards the roster we hoped to see this year.

As soon as I hit publish, they will make an announcement.

---

You think baseball players know the rules? It is possible he didn’t see the third baseman touch the bag before throwing home, but he seemed bewildered when the umpire was explaining it to him.

This type of shit should get you benched for multiple games pic.twitter.com/nFCV3TJXei

— Ohio Divided (@BuckeyeNatty) May 8, 2026

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The New York Yankees open a new series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night with Max Fried on the mound against Jacob Misiorowski, one of the most electric young arms in the National League, and they're doing it in their eighth game in eight days.

This is a genuinely elite pitching matchup on both sides, and my handicap reflects that. 

Read all about it in my Brewers vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks for Friday, May 8, 2026.

Who will win Yankees vs Brewers today: Yankees moneyline (-124)

Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski is elite, we know that, but we also know how reliant he is on the strikeout. Both his whiff rate and strikeout rate are basically as good as it gets, ranking in the 99th percentile of the sport. 

What's most intriguing about this matchup, though, is that this New York Yankees team isn't the one of old with an enormous strikeout rate. They enter this game with the third-lowest swing rate and fourth-lowest chase rate in the league.

That discipline forces Misiorowski to throw every pitch for strikes rather than trying to chase hitters out of the zone. He can do that, but against a lineup this patient, the margin for error shrinks considerably.

A pitcher reliant on swing-and-miss who can't manufacture chases has to be perfect in the zone, and that is a lot to ask over seven innings. Max Fried, on the other side, removes any concern about the lineup needing to score big. 

Yankees vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-124)

Not much of a reason to go against the general consensus. 

I'm a believer that the Yankees will eventually grind the Miz down and score enough, but it's not like he won't have a strong performance. There are plenty of likely strikeout victims for him towards the middle to the bottom of the order, even if it is an offense that has become much more well-rounded. 

On the other side, Fried has hardly taken a step wrong this season, and I expect this to continue. His 94th percentile barrel rate helps him remain pretty fullproof against the crooked innings that can sink innings.

More importantly, though, a 52% groundball rate is less than ideal against a pitcher who has made his career out of inducing soft contact.

Yankees vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -142 | Brewers +129
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+127) | Brewers +1.5 (-147)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-103) | Under 7 (-117)

Yankees vs Brewers trend

The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the Run Line in 24 of their last 45 games at home (+7.95 Units / 16% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Brewers.

How to watch Yankees vs Brewers and game info

Yankees vs Brewers latest injuries

Yankees vs Brewers weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

My favorite novel is “Fight Club” by  Chuck Palahniuk. There are tons of philosophical nuggets in the book and one of them is my moniker for everything analytics. “On a long enough timeline the survival rate drops to zero.” In other words, given enough time and data, the underlying metrics and outward metrics will align. This is almost universally true and there are very few instances where it is not true. Those instances are usually the most interesting ones and the ones we can learn a lot from.

Enter Jose Altuve. Altuve is one of the more fascinating statistical studies in history. Obviously, there is a whole lot going on physically as well. However, in this edition we are focused just on the numbers. For his entire career, sources like Statcast would predict failure for Altuve. He doesn’t hit the ball as hard as others. He swings too often (in general), and the quality of his contact is not nearly as good as the elite hitters in baseball. Yet, he has spent most of his career as one of the more elite hitters in baseball. It just doesn’t make sense.

We will do the same thing with Altuve that we have done with Cam Smith and Yainer Diaz, but that is only the last two seasons. To better understand Altuve we need to look at the total career. The underlying numbers follow a particular pattern that fits, but they don’t fit the outward numbers we see from day to day. Let’s start with those.

Conventional Numbers

	AVG	OBP	SLG	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
2025	.265	.329	.442	.283	.331	113
2026	.241	.327	.376	.290	.316	98

All players decay. We just don’t necessarily know the ways they will decay until we see it. Some struggle to remain healthy. Some see their speed and reflexes erode. Others lose their ability to field. Some of them suffer equally in all of those areas. Altuve has been fairly durable (knock on wood) but he is leaking oil in terms of offensive and defensive effectiveness.

Being a league average hitter at 36 is not necessarily a bad thing and there is time for him to have a hot streak and get back above water. In some ways, he is aging much like Craig Biggio aged. The fascinating thing is in the ways that it manifests itself. Biggio cheated on pitches and collected more doubles and homers when he guessed right. Yet, he was susceptible to that slider in the dirt late in his career. Altuve’s magical power was being able to put the bat on the ball in almost any instance.

Altuve had a career .330 BABIP until the last couple of seasons. You give him those 50 points back and suddenly he looks like the Altuve of old. The loss of BABIP “luck” can be explained through the nature of contact, but also diminished speed. At his peak, he was averaging 30 to 40 infield singles a season. Even if you cut those in half you severely hamper that average. He officially has eight so far on the season according to Baseball Savant, so that probably does not explain what is going on this season, but that will be a general certainty moving forward.

Statcast Numbers

	xAVG	xOBP	xSLG	xwOBA
2025	.237	.301	.384	.300
2026	.247	.333	.362	.310

Here comes the analyst’s nightmare. Do you go in the direction that 99 percent of the numbers will go or do you go with the way Altuve’s career has unfolded to this point? Based on the former, Altuve is pretty much producing what he is expected to produce. That has the look of a below average player overall, but somehow better than he was last season.

The flip side is that Altuve has outproduced his Statcast numbers in every full season of his career. So, you could be forgiven if you predicted better than what these numbers currently show. Notice the difference between his wOBA and xwOBA last season (.331 vs. .300). Does this mean he is destined for a .340 wOBA? I don’t think that kind of exact overperformance is likely, but it would be completely reasonable based on his career norms to project a .320 to .325 wOBA.

In most seasons that would be around the league average. Altuve’s magic power has been impressive productivity given his ability to remain in the lineup. So, the runs, hits, and other counting numbers will continue to mount for a player marching to Cooperstown. Of course, this is scratching the surface on Altuve. Let’s take a look at why Statcast has the numbers it has.

Quality of Contact

	EV	Barrel	Hardhit
2025	85.1	6.2	30.9
2026	85.3	6.7	34.6

Numbers will always say more than one thing at the same time. These numbers say that he has been better in 2026 than he was in 2025. They also say that he isn’t even an average hitter when looking at these numbers alone. Most players have a higher exit velocity. More than half have more barrels. They certainly hit the ball harder.

Numbers like Statcast work because they are based on assumptions. They assume that hitters are more or less the same. They can control the quality of the contact but cannot control the result. So, we assume a neutral result over time. It does not account for hitters that are able to find weaknesses in the defense. Pick your favorite hitter in history and most of them probably have the ability to hit against the defense and pick holes in the defense. Older fans will wax poetic about how the guys in the good ole days could do this, but as a general rule this was not true. The Tony Gwynns, Rod Carews, and Wade Boggs of the world are not normal. That is why they are in the Hall of Fame.

Jose Altuve is one of those guys. He might not quite be on their level, but he also dove into his power more than them. If he had continued on the slap hitter track he might have approached their numbers. This season has been a tale of two seasons. In the first couple of weeks he was a new hitter that took a ton of pitches. In the last three or four weeks he has returned to the Altuve of old. Let’s see where the growth can happen.

Areas of Growth

	Chase	Swing%	Contact%	Zone%
2025	38.3	49.1	82.0	45.1
2026	31.1	46.5	77.6	45.4

If we take these numbers at face value and offer no context then we would say that Altuve is a much approved hitter in terms of his approach. The reality is that the Altuve with a 11+ percent walk rate hasn’t been here in a couple of weeks. Naturally, hope springs eternal and he could return to that. The reasonable hope is that the numbers would hold where they are and this would become a jumping off point.

Altuve’s superpower was his ability to put the bat on just about any pitch. Age has diminished that ability and he has become an ordinary mortal. He still has the ability to turn weak contact into hits where others cannot, but he is striking out more often and that is zapping his ability to hit for the higher averages that we were used to during his prime.

I feel reasonably certain that Altuve won’t hit .250 or worse this season once the dust has settled, but we are seeing steady erosion of his skills. These are the push and pull factors that every player must face at the end of their career. You add more numbers with each passing year, but you also diminish the overall quality. Altuve is now clearly in accumulation territory.

The New York Mets (14-23) travel to the desert to face the Arizona Diamondbacks (17-19) in a three-game series. While the Mets have won their last two series against bad teams, they still co-own the worst record in baseball and have a lot more work to do before convincing fans that they’re a serious baseball team.

All one needs to do is look at yesterday’s lineup and pitchers used to tell the story about why this team is in trouble. Austin Slater bating fourth? Andy Ibañez batting sixth? Craig Kimbrel coming into a tie game? Come on now.

Now part of this was clearly a result of injury and part of it was trying to maximize right-handedness against a left handed starter. But a lineup that included Slater, Ibañez, Tyrone Taylor, and Vidal Brujan is a March 7 spring training lineup, not a May 7 lineup. It is much easier said than done to improve a team in the first seven weeks of a season, but part of the frustration that Mets fans feel is due to the fact that nothing has really been done to address the team’s struggles.

This is not a call to fire Carlos Mendoza, but rather a plea to do anything to shake things up a little bit. Until that happens, there is very little that will convince fans that the organization is taking the situation as seriously as it should.

That said? If the Mets can keep winning series, all of this will be moot. And while beating the Angels and Rockies shouldn’t be lauded too loudly, it is better than the alternative. The Mets will face the Yankees in one week, and that is easily the best team in their upcoming schedule, so it is imperative that they hold their own against Arizona, the Tigers, the Nationals, and the Marlins in the next few weeks. There’s every chance that the Mets are near .500 by the end of the month if they can rattle off some wins, and then this is a very different conversation on June 8.

Fortunately for the Mets, the Diamondbacks have hit a skid after a hot-streak in early to mid-April. Losers of 11 of their last 17, the Snakes have won just one of their last six series. The Mets are also getting the D-backs’ two worst starters (but also their best) and the Mets are throwing their two best pitchers (and an unknown) in the series. This seems like a series that is very winnable for the Mets, and would be a nice way to wrap up this road trip.

Standing in their way are Corbin Carroll and Ildemaro Vargas, both of whom are off to hot starts, as well as the always dangerous Ketel Marte, who is off to a slow one. When the D-backs have won lately, it has been by large margins (9-0 against he Pirates, 12-7 over the Padres, 11-7 over the White Sox), but those days seem few and far between.

Nolan McLean vs Ryne Nelson, 9:40pm EDT on PIX11

McLean (2026): 39.1 IP, 51 K, 11 BB, 2 HR, 2.50 ERA, 2.12 FIP, 75 ERA-

The Mets have only won one of McLean’s seven starts thus far, but none of that is McLean’s fault. Two of those losses have come in extra-innings affairs, and in five of his seven starts, he’s given up two or fewer earned runs. McLean is more than just holding his own in the rotation, much like a young Jacob deGrom did with minimal run support.

Nelson(2026): 31.1 IP, 28 K, 15 BB, 6 HR, 6.61 ERA, 5.50 FIP, 159 ERA-

Nelson had an all-time bad start against the Blue Jays on April 19th, lasting just one-third of an inning but giving up a staggering eight earns runs on eight hits. His next start went longer, but yielded six earned runs. He settled down agains the Cubs last week, but he has had a rough go as of late.

Clay Holmes vs Merrill Kelly, 7:15pm EDT on FOX

Holmes(2026): 42.2 IP, 31 K, 14 BB, 3 HR, 1.69 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 42 ERA-

I don’t think anyone expecting Holmes to be this good a year plus into his transition to starting, but the results speak for themselves. He’s pitched into the sixth in all but one start and into the seventh in three starts. In his last two starts, he’s given up just one earned run and seven hits over 12 and tw0-thirds innings.

Kelly(2026): 19.0 IP, 14 K, 15 BB, 6 HR, 9.95 ERA, 8.14 FIP, 240 ERA-

Kelly’s first start of the year came in April 14, and he had a good one: five and a third innings pitched, two earned runs, three strikeouts. But since then, it’s been real bad. Each start has seen at least five earned runs, no more than five innings pitched, and he’s walked as many batters as he’s struck out.

TBD vs Eduardo Rodriguez, 4:10pm EDT on SNY

Rodriguez (2026): 39.2.0 IP, 29 K, 19 BB, 4 HR, 2.50 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 60 ERA-

Rodriguez is having the best start of any Diamondback to the season, and he just had his best start of the year against the Pirates where he pitched seven innings of two-hit, shutout baseball. He’s waking more folks than he should, but so far he’s limiting the damage by not allowing many hits and limiting home runs, aside from one game when the White Sox took him deep twice.

Yesterday was School Day at the K, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Kansas City-area children were attending their first Royals game (and learning early on that being a Royals fan means seeing a lot of losing!) Despite the loss, it was a beautiful day in a beautiful ballpark, and they got to see a couple of dingers. Hopefully they’ll be back.

Most of you have probably been to Kauffman Stadium dozens, if not hundreds of times. But do you remember the first game you attended? I think my parents may have taken me to see the Royals when I was very young, but I do not remember. The first game I really remember was in April of 1988, when I had just become a rabid baseball fan. Because of the details I can recall, I have been able to pinpoint exactly when the game was. What I remember was:

• The Baltimore Orioles were in the middle of an epic losing streak to begin the season, and the Royals were losing to them before coming back.
• The Royals pinch-hit Thad Bosley, and people around me groaned. I learned what a “pinch-hitter” was that day. I also learned Royals fans can be very sarcastic and use salty language!
• The Royals won in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off hit. No fireworks back then though!

Using the power of the internet, I can find it was this game on April 23. Thanks for the game-winner, Kurt Stillwell! That Orioles team lost their first 21 games of the year. Woof!

Do you remember your first Royals games? What do you remember about the game? About seeing the stadium in person for the first time? Share your memories!

Mookie Betts is starting a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and will play for the Comets on Friday and Saturday, the team announced on Thursday. Saturday marks the five-week mark since Betts strained his right oblique.

BREAKING: Eight-time All-Star, four-time World Series champ and former MVP Mookie Betts is scheduled to play for the Comets Friday & Saturday as part of a Major League Rehab Assignment!

🎟️: https://t.co/eeScJIhiNv

(Note: Scheduled rehab assignments are subject to change.) pic.twitter.com/ihauVeAsHH

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) May 7, 2026

Kiké Hernández is already with Oklahoma City and has played two games so far for the Comets, manning third base on Tuesday and on Thursday, five innings in each game. Hernández is on the 60-day injured list and can’t be activated until May 24 at the earliest, so his rehab will last a little while.

Betts is likely a more immediate return, health permitting of course. When he missed two months in 2024 after breaking his hand, Betts didn’t play in any rehab games at all before getting activated. Betts hasn’t played in a minor league game since August 9, 2015 for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs while on the injured list with the Boston Red Sox, and that rehab assignment lasted all of one game.

The Dodgers have been deliberate with his rehab, backing off various drills or batting practice depending on how his oblique responded. That he’s ready to play in rehab games suggests he’s turned a corner.

“There’s no magic formula to this. You can do as much rehab as you want. Obliques just take time, it’s always four to six weeks, no matter however you want to twist it,” Betts said at Dodger Stadium last week. “We’re close, and after that it’s going to get a lot better.”

With Betts out, Hyeseong Kim has taken the lion’s share of playing time, starting 22 games at shortstop with Miguel Rojas starting seven times. Alex Freeland has remained at second base, the job he won in spring training, and do date has started 29 of 37 games at the position this season, with Rojas starting at second base five times and Santiago Espinal three times.

When Betts gets activated, someone on the roster has to go, with likely another roster move needed in two and a half weeks or so when Hernández is ready to go. But for now let’s focus on the near term.

Freeland and Kim can be optioned to the minors. Espinal, who has also started three times at third base, has over five years of service time and cannot be sent to the minors without his consent, so he’d need to be designated for assignment if the team wants to move on. Here’s how they’ve done do date:

• Freeland: .253/.330/.363, 97 wRC+, 105 PA, .314 wOBA, .307 xwOBA, +2 fielding run value
• Kim: .314/.372/429, 126 wRC+, 78 PA, .356 wOBA, .338 xwOBA, +2 fielding run value
• Espinal: .185/.185/.259, 17 wRC+, 29 PA, .195 wOBA, .272 xwOBA, +1 fielding run value

Today’s question is which Dodgers player will be jettisoned from the active roster when Mookie Betts returns from the injured list?

Art López could always hit. Despite an injured throwing arm that limited his effectiveness in the outfield, a diminutive stature, and little fanfare, he played until the age of 36, winning championships in six different countries. A hit tool can carry a ballplayer quite a long way, and despite his brief MLB career, the man had a fascinating life.

Arturo “Art” López Rodríguez 
Born: May 8, 1937 (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico)
Yankees Tenure: 1965

López grew up in Mayaguez, a city on the west coast of Puerto Rico. In addition to excelling in volleyball, he took an early interest in baseball, playing third base in sandlot games and closely following the Puerto Rican Winter League. The López family moved to New York in the late ‘40s, settling in in the Bronx, where young Art attended Morris High School. He quickly became a Yankees fan, later recalling the autographs he secured from the likes of Phil Rizzuto and Vic Raschi.

As was the norm in that era, López played not only high school ball but softball and stickball with neighborhood kids. A burgeoning baseball career was temporarily interrupted by four years of service in the Navy. Upon his return, he joined the Central Park League, playing amateur ball around New York, including a stint under manager John Candelaria Sr. (father of the longtime MLB pitcher who played for the Yankees in 1988 and ‘89).

López hit well enough to draw the attention of Yankees scout Art Dede, who invited him to a showcase at Yankee Stadium in addition to watching him play in several Central Park League games. In one of those games, López threw his bat in frustration after a strikeout but later homered. “When you strike out, don’t throw the bat,” Dede chided him after the game. Three days later, the scout showed up at López’s home and offered him a pro contract.

The outfielder steadily rose through the Yankees’ system, hitting .338 at Single-A in 1963 and .315 at Triple-A the following season. After an outstanding spring training performance that netted him the James P. Dawson Award for best performance by a Yankees rookie in 1965, López made the Opening Day roster for his beloved Yankees. He debuted in the season’s first game, pinch-running for a 33-year-old Mickey Mantle and coming around to score. He’d end up splitting the season between New York and Triple-A Toledo, recording just seven hits and one walk in 51 plate appearances in what would end up being his only MLB action.

After another season spent back in the minors, López accepted an offer from the Tokyo Orions that would make him the first Puerto Rican to play pro ball in Japan — even if the Orions initially thought they were signing his Yankees teammate, Hector López.

Despite the confusion at the outset of the deal, it turned into a happy ending. It was here that the erstwhile Yankee would play his best baseball. In four seasons with the club (which changed its name to the Lotte Orions in 1969), López hit .300 with 91 home runs, making two All-Star teams and helping lead the 1970 Orions to the pennant. He played two more years for the Yakult Atoms before handing up his spikes at the age of 36.

López reached out to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner inquiring about employment opportunities from his former club but never heard back. Instead, he launched what would be a long and fruitful second act in banking and insurance, eventually earning three master’s degrees and going into education. On the occasion of his 89th birthday, join us in wishing a very happy birthday to a man whose brief stint in pinstripes was just one chapter in an extraordinary life.

---

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.