Category: Baseball

Somewhat of a big deal has been made of the fact that the Yankees have built up their solid record so far mostly on the back of below .500 teams. That leaves them somewhat in an interesting conundrum this weekend. This weekend the Yankees will face the Athletics, who come in at 27-29. A Yankees’ series win would send the former Oaklanders further under .500. An A’s series sweep would get them back above .500, but would continue to hamper the Yankees’ record against those teams.

Just on position alone, this would be a solid series victory for the Yankees, should they get it. The Athletics are in second in the AL West, it’s just that no one in that division has exactly been impressive this season. However as we saw in New York a couple weeks ago, the A’s are a perfectly solid team with some good players capable of doing damage.

Before the action gets going later tonight, here’s a look at the expected pitching matchups for this weekend.

Friday: Carlos Rodón vs. Luis Severino (9:40 pm ET)

Rodón’s still only made three starts since coming off the injured list, but he is coming off his best one so far, allowing just one run in five innings against the Blue Jays. His main issue this season has been walks, and those were still an issue for him, as he issued three. In fact, he’s only allowed eight hits in 13 innings, and has struck out 17, so if he can cut back on the walks, he could really be cooking.

For the season, Sevy’s numbers grade out as a bit better than average, but he’s had his ups and downs. That being said, other than a bad outing against the Giants on May 16th, he’s had more ups than downs. Since April 24th, he has a 2.92 ERA and a 3.37 FIP over his last six starts.

Saturday: Ryan Weathers vs. J.T. Ginn (10:05 pm ET)

After a rough spring training and an up and down first couple outings, Weathers has gotten into a zone and his acquisition is starting to look like a very good one. Following one outing where he flirted with a no-hitter, Weathers shutout the Rays for seven innings last Sunday, eventually allowing Aaron Judge to hit a walk-off homer. He’s only allowed more than two runs in an outing once in the last month and a half, and he has a 2.48 ERA in that time.

Ginn is in his third season in the big leagues, and while the first two were both below par, he’s been very good so far in 2026, posting a 3.19 ERA. That being said, he can run into some trouble with walks. In his last start, he lasted just 2.1 innings despite not actually giving up a hit. That’s because he managed to issue six free passes in that time and was already over the 70 pitch mark.

Sunday: Will Warren vs. TBD (4:05 pm ET)

A major reason that the Yankees’ rotation has been one of, if not the tops, the best in baseball is that they’ve gotten good production out of the backend arms like Weathers and Will Warren. Only once this season has he given up more than three earned runs in a game. (Slight asterisk on that, as there was a game in which he allowed four, all just ended up scored unearned.) One negative you could jot down is that even in a good run throughout May, his longest outing is just 6.1 innings. That’s still a perfectly solid start, but he does tend to nibble a bit, occasionally leading to his pitch count knocking him out earlier than his numbers could suggest.

The A’s haven’t announced any starter for Sunday at time of writing. Starter Aaron Civale recently hit the injured list with a shoulder injury, leading to the A’s needing to shuffle some things around. Jacob Lopez has nine starts on the season, with the most recent being back on May 19th, so he seems like a potential option, but a bullpen game could be another option.

Three years ago, Justin Lebron faced the uncertainty of whether he would be selected in the MLB Draft from a deep class of Florida high school shortstops or would honor his commitment to play college baseball at Alabama.

The latter ultimately is what happened, as Lebron didn't get drafted in the 20-round 2023 MLB Draft.

After helping Alabama to three consecutive NCAA Baseball Tournament appearances, Lebron is expected to cash in his childhood dream of playing professional — and is projected to be drafted as one of the top players in the draft pool.

NCAA baseball tournament predictions: Who is heading to super regionals?

In his time in Tuscaloosa, Lebron — no, he is not related to four-time NBA champion LeBron James — has developed into one of the top players in the country. He entered the season as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but has been jumped over by the likes of UCLA's Roch Cholowsky.

That said, Lebron has still produced an impressive junior campaign for the Crimson Tide, who open up the Tuscaloosa Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament at 7 p.m. ET, Friday against Alabama State, with a team-leading 16 home runs.

He's also a menace on the basepaths with his speed. He is one of two players in the country to have at least 38 stolen bases and only been caught once this season.

Here's what to know on Lebron's MLB projections and more as the Crimson Tide begin their Road to Omaha in the NCAA Baseball Tournament:

Justin Lebron MLB draft projections

Lebron is projected to be a first-round draft pick by MLB draft analysts, with most projections coming between picks No. 7 and the mid-teens. Alabama has not had a top-20 pick since the Kansas City Royals selected Joe Vitello with the No. 7 overall pick in 1991.

Here's a breakdown of exactly where MLB draft analysts have Lebron being taken:

• USA TODAY (as of April 20): No. 7 overall to the Baltimore Orioles
• ESPN (as of May 14): No. 14 overall to the Miami Marlins
• MLB.com/MLB Pipeline (as of May 21): No. 11 overall to the Washington Nationals
• The Athletic (as of May 7): No. 16 to the Texas Rangers

Justin Lebron MLB draft rankings, grades

MLB Pipeline has Lebron as the No. 9 overall prospect and the No. 2 college-ranked shortstop in the upcoming MLB draft.

His hitting has a low 45 scouting grade — an individual tool used with the MLB draft, where players are graded on a scale of 20-80 in different categories — according to MLB Pipeline. That 40-49 grading for hitting is defined by Major League Baseball as "below average." He has higher scouting grades of 60 for his power, arm, running and fielding. He has an overall scouting grade of 55, which is defined as "average."

As noted by USA TODAY, the scouting grades assigned to a player are usually based on what the player will eventually develop into rather than where they stand at the time of being drafted or early on in their professional career.

Here's MLB Pipeline's scouting report on Lebron:

"The only knock on Lebron is a tendency to chase pitches out of the zone, especially breaking balls. But he's also making strides with his approach and two-strike plan and could develop into an average hitter, which would make him an All-Star. He has added 15 pounds and significant bat speed in college, giving him well-above-average raw power from the right side of the plate, and he also has good feel for driving balls in the air.

"All the rest of Lebron's tools grade as plus, as does his makeup, and some evaluators think he's even better than that as a defender despite an uncharacteristically erratic spring. He has a quick first step that allows him to steal bases and cover plenty of ground to both sides at shortstop. He can make any throw needed from anywhere at short and would be an asset anywhere on the diamond."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Lebron MLB draft latest mock projections for Alabama shortstop

On Tuesday, Kiké Hernández was forced to exit early and was placed on the injured list just two days after making his season debut. On Wednesday, another Hernández got bit by the injury bug.

Teoscar Hernández departed Wednesday’s game after suffering a left hamstring strain while trying to beat out a ground ball in the bottom of the second inning. Hernández was placed on the injured list on Thursday, with Ryan Ward being called back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill his spot, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

He sustained a left hamstring strain and is headed to the injured list, manager Dave Roberts said after the game. Hernández, after undergoing preliminary testing Wednesday, was scheduled for imaging Thursday. The Dodgers planned to recall outfield/first base prospect Ryan Ward, a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly confirmed Thursday morning.

While the Dodgers received bad news regarding both the Hernández’s injuries, reliever Evan Phillips is right on track in his recovery process. Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that Phillips is set to begin his rehab assignment after throwing another two live outings, putting him on pace to return in July.

“It’s really good to see,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Evan’s a guy that’s very focused and determined, and he’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do to get back. And to potentially have him back is a big weapon that we’ve missed for quite some time, and I miss seeing him around. … I depended on him a lot when he was active, so to get him back is going to be a big boost to everyone.”

Tommy Edman is now in the midst of his rehab assignment, as the Dodgers announced on Monday prior to their 5-1 win over Colorado. Edman went 1-3 in his Triple-A season debut on Tuesday.

The injuries to both Kiké and Teoscar Hernández have allowed Hyeseong Kim to receive more playing time, as the speedster finished Wednesday’s game in left field, a position foreign to him at the big league level.

For Kim, the goal is simply to focus on contributing on a nightly basis at the highest level rather than worry about decisions outside of his immediate control, notes Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.

“As a baseball player, it’s my job to produce, so I’m always focused on producing numbers, and just given the situation, I try not to think about it too much,” Kim said through an interpreter. “Just keep working hard and keep producing as best I can.”

The Atlanta Braves were firing on all cylinders as they collected a series win after Thursday’s 10-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Chris Sale was solid, throwing five innings of two-run ball. He issued three walks and struck out eight. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. showed a major sign of life and launched a grand slam in the sixth inning to blow it open. Together, the Atlanta lineup tallied 11 hits. 

The Braves look to chase this momentum into this weekend’s series against the Cincinnati Reds. 

More Braves News:

Owen Murphy collected eight strikeouts for the Gwinnett Stripers on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap. 

We continue to remember Bob Horner, this time, for his four-homer game in ‘86. 

MLB News:

The Boston Red Sox placed reliever Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation. The move is retroactive to May 25.

The Detroit Tigers placed righty Kenley Jansen on the injured list with pelvic inflammation. He has been dealing with groin/abdominal issues for the past few weeks. 

From the Feed:

ESPN’s Jeff Passan comments on the initial CBA proposals. Which do you like best?

Meet the Mets

For the first time in over two weeks, the Mets had the day off yesterday, but they’re set for a three-game series against the Marlins this weekend at Citi Field.

While the Mets avoided falling to their lowest point below .500 in the David Stearns era with their win on Wednesday, Tim Britton and Will Sammon take a look at the long-term problems facing the organization.

Britton also writes that the Mets will only go as far as their young players will take them.

Mets hitting director Jeff Albert is confident the team will break through at the plate.

Marcus Semien spoke about his role at a charity event with Hank Azaria.

Longtime hockey executive Lou Lamoriello once recruited then-17-year-old Bobby Valentine to play for a Cape Cod baseball team he was managing, and the two remain friends to this day.

Carson Benge has shown that he has a knack for overcoming slumps.

Around the National League East

Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a grand slam in the Braves’ 10-2 rout of the Red Sox.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB and the MLBPA have made their initial offers in collective bargaining agreement negotiations, and here’s the MLBPA response to the league’s ask for a salary cap.

The Tigers lost to the Angels by a 7-1 score.

With Detroit struggling mightily, what are the chances that Tarik Skubal gets traded before the deadline?

Simeon Woods Richardson struggled in a spot start, and the Twins lost to the White Sox.

The Blue Jays beat the Orioles 2-1.

Spencer Arrighetti was terrific as the Astros beat the Rangers.

The Cubs scored seven runs in a win over the Pirates, giving them a second-straight win after ending their ten-game losing streak against Pittsburgh one day earlier.

Umpire CB Bucknor hasn’t worked a game in months, as he’s still recovering from an injury.

MLB Pipeline has a new list of the top 200 draft prospects.

Reggie Jackson recently turned 80, and he recently reflected on his time with the Yankees and baseball.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Linus Lawrence offered his take on the rivalries that the Mets have—or don’t have—with the other 29 teams in baseball.

This Date in Mets History

Bud Harrelson took over as the Mets’ manager on this date in 1990.

The 2023 Minnesota Twins season will always represent a peak moment in my fandom. After 2022’s epic collapse, the ‘23 squad re-grouped to take the division and win a playoff series for the first time in two decades. Truly a great time to be a Twins fan.

One of the key components of that turnaround? A surge of contributions from what looked to be the “next wave” of offensive talent: Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Matt Wallner, Jose Miranda, Ed Julien, Trevor Larnach, & Ryan Jeffers. Alongside Byron Buxton & Carlos Correa, this looked to be the core group to lead the next-gen Twins to a run of success.

In just three years, it has crumbled. Yes, Pohlad ownership deserves a lion’s share of the blame. But the on-field talent—or lack thereof—from that once-hyped group has been startling. To be fair, Jeffers has found consistent success 2024+ (alas, he is now out with a hamate bone fracture). For the most part, so has Trevor Larnach (297 G, 1118 PA, .257 BA, .752 OPS, 2.6 WAR).

The rest? Well (all numbers 2024+ with the Twins)…

• Lewis: 219 G, 847 PA, .225 BA, .682 OPS, 1.0 WAR (recently demoted to AAA)

• Kirilloff: 57 G, 178 PA, .201 BA, .653 OPS, -0.6 WAR (currently retired due to chronic back issues)
• Wallner: 213 G, 788 PA, .214 BA, .775 OPS, 1.4 WAR (recently demoted to AAA)
• Miranda: 133 G, 465 PA, .275 BA, .735 OPS, 1.4 WAR (left MN after ‘25 and has not been seen in The Show since—recently released from a minor league deal with San Diego)

• Julien: 158 G, 509 PA, .208 BA, .623 OPS, -0.9 WAR (traded to Colorado after ‘25 and currently posting a -0.8 WAR in Denver thus far in ‘26)

It is almost mind-boggling to consider how spectacularly each of those players flamed out since that postseason run. Sure, the books aren’t closed on all of them yet—but their overall contributions have been negligible after that initial fellowship.

This is a big reason why the likes of Luke Keaschall, Austin Martin, & Brooks Lee (plus prospects Culpepper, Rodriguez, & Jenkins looming) have been asked not only to contribute, but to do so in major starting roles.

Because instead of setting a solid roster floor offensively, the young ‘23 gang crashed through into the basement. Quite frankly, it is amazing the ‘26 Twins are as competent & competitive as they are considering how quickly the personnel plans have changed in just two-and-a-third seasons.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are back on the road this weekend, so it’s time to do our semi-regular temp check to see how everyone is feeling about how the season is going at the moment.

Personally, getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks two weeks in a row doesn’t really inspire confidence. The Diamondbacks are (as of the time this is being written) now tied with the San Diego Padres for second place in the division. And I think a lot of that had to do with the Giants losing six games against them in less than 10 days.

Meanwhile the Giants are firmly in fourth place, hovering just barely above the Colorado Rockies. And you never want to hover too close to the Rockies. You’ll get Dinger germs.

So morale for me isn’t super high right now. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The team has had more moments of fun over the last couple of weeks than their record would indicate. The results aren’t great, sure. But it’s not unwatchably bad baseball. Which I guess is a reminder that things could always get worse.

That said, they head to Colorado tonight for a three-game Coors Field series. So things could always get worse very, very quickly.

How are you feeling about the Giants at the moment?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight at 5:40 p.m. PT.

Happy Friday, everyone, and it is happy because the Cubs finally won a game! Let’s try to take that positive energy into the weekend, shall we? Before we can get to the weekend, though, we’ll round up a little bit of news from the latter part of the week.

In today’s links, we look at why Paul Skenes is so much better in night games than he is during the day. Is he a vampire? Anyone who has watched Twilight knows they prefer to play in the dark. We’ll also look at the intial proposals put forth by both MLB and MLBPA to address the upcoming CBA, and if that was a lot of initials for you, don’t worry, it’ll all make sense below. We also look at the rumor mill heating back up around Tarik Skubal, and pause to reflect on how no one is harder on Shohei Ohtani than he is on himself.

We’ve got all that and more in today’s links, so let’s just get right into it.

• MLB has made its first CBA proposal. Reporting by Mark Feinsand.
• And here’s a look at the MLBPA proposal. Don’t expect these sides to agree any time soon. Story by Nick Selbe.
• How likely is a Tarik Skubal trade? Insiders weigh in. Story by Mark Feinsand.
• Jim Bowden, meanwhile, is making hypothetical Skubal trades with every team in baseball. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Davy Andrews looks at James Wood’s difficulty with reading his own strike zone when it comes to ABS challenges.
• Jay Jaffe shares how the return of Gerrit Cole is helping the Yankees.
• Chris Sale wants everyone (especially his old team) to know he’s still got it. Story by Mark Bowman.
• Paul Skenes struggles in day games, but at night, he’s nearly unstoppable. Story be Aiden Stepansky.
• Kyle Koster shares why some of the Mariners’ starting pitchers aren’t loving the unusual approach the team is taking with pitching.
• Who knew this lore behind the Red Sox playing “Sweet Caroline”?

• Jay Jaffe explains how Jacob Misiorowski fast-tracked his way to becoming an ace.
• Ronald Acuna Jr. gives his bat a lil’ kiss after he hits a rocket over the Green Monster. Story by Mark Bowman.
• Madison Williams explains why Freddie Freeman might be bumping up his retirement timeline.
• Kyle Koster looks at how the Phillies managed to turn things around so impressively.
• How a photographer created a legend when they captured Nolan Ryan’s iconic bloody jersey. Story by Dave Wilson.
• Ken Rosenthal reports that umpire CB Bucknor is still recovering from taking a ball off the mask during an April game. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Sacramento is looking to be a permanent MLB city.

• Ryan Blake spotlights the Rays, who are confounding all expectations.
• The White Sox just had their first winning month since 2023. Story by Scott Merkin.
• An update on the legal battle between Alec Bohm and his parents. Story by Charlotte Varnes.
• Dan Gartland shares how Shohei Ohtani managed to find fault in his own dazzling two-way start.
• Wander Franco has been found guilty, but will face no jail time. His baseball career, however, is DOA. Story by Sam Blum. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Adrian Chiles wonders why baseball lingo is so prevelant in the UK, where almost no one watches the sport.
• The Guardians have a new minorty owner.

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

Zach Agnos loves doing impressions.

So when the outgoing 25-year-old got the text from Warren Schaeffer telling him he’d be starting instead of waiting in the bullpen on May 21 vs. the Diamondbacks, Agnos stuck with his pregame routine. That includes mimicking some of his teammates, including the pitchers he works with day in and day out. 

“I like impersonating Tomo Sugano. He always gets kind of jokingly upset when I do his impersonation, but he’s a good sport about it,” Agnos told Purple Row. “And [Juan] Mejia, I think my best one is probably Mejia, but the one I like doing the most is Sugano.”

Even with the weight of his first start since high school seven years ago on his shoulders, Agnos knew that the best thing he could do was just be himself. When asked to elaborate on that, Agnos offered details on what he’s like with his teammates inside the Colorado clubhouse.

“We have this little soccer game — a flick soccer game in there. I’ll play darts, just kind of being loose, having fun, cracking jokes, and impersonating some people. It’s a lot of laughs and smiles,” Agnos said. “It’s always the same thing. I came out, warmed up, played soccer with the guys before, so just the same thing all the time.”

Agnos made his MLB debut with the Rockies in April last season after being selected in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by Colorado out of East Carolina. In his young career, he’s 1-3 with a 6.42 ERA in 45 innings with 44 strikeouts, six saves and three holds. In his rookie season, he mostly worked as a late-inning reliever, often in set-up or closer roles.

This season, Agnos’s 36 innings have already surpassed his 31.1 in 2025. In those 36 innings, he has put up a 6.25 ERA in 15 appearances with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Agnos, who grew up playing shortstop before transitioning to pitching, is also showing more versatility. Outside of his start on May 21 — when he threw five scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts — Agnos has served as a long reliever. Eight of his starts have been two innings or longer, with five of those going at least three innings. 

Even though Agnos got a no-decision and the Rockies lost in the lone start of his MLB career, 2-1, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer was impressed with his performance.

“He exceeded expectations — fantastic job taking the ball, throwing up five zeros,” Schaeffer said. “I know he’s done it a couple of times this year, where he’s gone three or four innings, but this is uncharted territory for him, and he’s doing it for the team. I can’t praise him enough. He was efficient with his pitches. Fantastic job by Ags.”

Whether it’s the first, the sixth or the ninth inning, Agnos said he sticks to his same approach to pitching. Thanks to his offseason work and preparation from the Rockies pitching staff, he was able to remain calm and manage his excitement for his start. Agnos let his coaches’ advice of “don’t change anything” be his guide.

“In the couple of outings leading up to the start, I was back to being myself in zone with a lot of my pitches. That was our goal — just to stick to that game plan and attack hitters,” Agnos said. “A big word that they use with me is suffocation, meaning just suffocate the hitters with the sinker, cutter, slider, sweeper and splitter. Suffocate them with that in the zone, because it’s going to be a tough at-bat.”

In his 4.1-inning appearance preceding his start, Agnos limited the Diamondbacks to two runs on four hits with no walks and one strikeout after relieving a struggling Kyle Freeland in the fourth inning on May 15. Agnos entered the game with the bases loaded and only gave up one run in an inning that could have been much worse. 

Despite the high pitch counts he’s seen this season — 67 vs. the Padres on April 23, 57 against the Diamondbacks on May 15 and 71 on May 21 — Agnos is taking it well.

“My arm feels great,” Agnos said. “I think when you’re rolling in a rhythm, and especially when you’re on the same page as Goody [Hunter Goodman] and [pitching coach] Alon [Leichman], I think the feeling kind of goes away, and it’s just straight compete mode.”

Like most Rockies pitchers, Agnos has had his ups and downs this season. His most recent outing, and the follow-up to his amazing start, was one of those downs. In a two-inning appearance out of the bullpen, he gave up seven runs on six hits, including two homers, with one walk and one strikeout against the Dodgers on May 26.

With the Rockies pitching staff being hit hard by the injury this season, including Thursday’s announcement of José Quintana being placed on the 60-day IL with a left elbow sprain, the Rockies will need lots of innings from Agnos.

When it comes to pitching or starting, Agnos said he doesn’t have a preference and just wants to help the team.

“I just love pitching,” Agnos said. “I love going out there and competing, and playing with the guys behind me, so it doesn’t matter.”

On the farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 12, El Paso Chihuahuas 7

Even though the Isotopes got out-hit 12-11, they out-scored El Paso by taking advantage of nine walks and a five-run fourth inning to earn a victory on Thursday. Nic Kent hit two doubles, drove in two runs, scored two more and added a single, Jose Cordova doubled and drove in three runs and Kyle McCann got two hits, scored two runs and drove in two more, in addition to drawing three walks. Domingo Acevedo had a decent start, giving up three runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Sammy Peralta threw 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 5, Altoona Curve 4

Benny Montgomery hit a two-run homer and Aidan Longwell hit two doubles to help Hartford jump out a 5-0 lead after three innings on way to a win Thursday. Connoir Staine picked up the win to improve to 4-1 on the season after throwing 6.2 innings with six strikeouts, only allowing three runs on five hits with two walks. Conner Capel added two hits, scored two runs and drove in another while Fidel Ulloa allowed one run in 2.1 innings, but shut down the Curve when it mattered to get his third save of the season.

High-A: Tri-City Dust Devils 5, Spokane Indians 4

Tri City rallied with a two-run eighth inning to pull off an upset over the Indians on Thursday. Jack O’Dowd homered in the first inning to put Spokane up 2-0. After the Indians fell behind 3-2 in the third, O’Dowd tied the game with a triple in the sixth. Max Belyeu kept the rally going with an RBI double to put Spokane up 4-3. O’Dowd went 4-for-4 on the night. Bryson Hammer had a solid start, but didn’t have good defense behind him. In five innings of work, he allowed three runs, only one of which was earned. The Indians committed two errors, while striking out four and walking two. Justin Loer recorded a blown save and the loss after allowing an inherited runner to score on two singles and a sacrifice bunt.

Low-A: San Jose Giants 1, Fresno Grizzlies 0

Despite connecting for five hits, the Grizzlies struck out nine times and walked only once as they were shut out on Thursday night. Ethan Cole pitched a gem, throwing 6.1 innings and holding the Giants to one run on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts, but took the loss without any offensive support. Easton Marks added 2.2 scoreless innings to keep the Grizzlies in the game. Roldy Brito posted three of Fresno’s five hits. The Grizzlies had two runners on in the third and Tanner Thach doubled in the seventh with no outs, but that was the only two times Fresno had a runner in scoring position.

Quintana (left elbow sprain) transferred to 60-day IL | MLB.com

The hits just keep coming. With Chase Dollander and Ryan Feltner still on the IL, Jose Quintana was placed on the 60-day IL on Thursday. The LHP left his last start with soreness in his elbow that’s now been categorized as a left elbow sprain. The Rockies activated RHP reliever Jeff Criswell to fill Quintana’s roster spot.

Sterlin Thompson reflects on his first week in the big leagues | Purple Row

Purple Row’s Samantha Bradfield checked in with Sterlin Thompson as he’s adjusting to life with the Colorado Rockies. The prospect, who was tearing up Triple-A before being called up, shared what it was like to tell his parents he was going to the Show, the crazy travel that was involved and what his impressions of MLB are like so far.

2026 MLB ABS challenge system tracker: Team, player rankings | ESPN.com

Edouard Julien is the highest-rated Rockie hitting, tied at No. 20 in MLB at five correct calls (50%). Hunter Goodman is tied for No. 6 at 26 correct challenges (66.7%). It’s interesting to see how different players and teams rank in the ABS era.

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

Oof. I thought we’d get something lighter after last Friday. I don’t think the last week made things better.

Max covered the labor negotiations so I’m just going to link to that article here.

I know there are a lot of opportunities for jokes here. But, in all seriousness, here’s a chance do good. Donate blood at any Community Blood Center donor center and get free Royals tickets:

Everyone who donates Monday, June 1, through Sunday, June 14, at any CBC donor center or mobile blood drive will receive two vouchers redeemable for tickets to a select 2026 Royals home game, while supplies last.

In addition, CBC and the Royals will host a special blood drive at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donors who come to give at the stadium drive may choose between a limited-edition 2026 Royals T-shirt or two Royals ticket vouchers. 

At The Star, Jaylon Thompson profiles Justin Lamkin:

Lamkin has a deceptive delivery. It’s a crossfire action with a little hitch that helps him hide his pitches during his windup. His fastball sits at 91-93 mph and can play up deeper into games.

He also has a gyro slider, changeup and curveball. Those pitches have gotten better under the tutelage of Royals senior director of pitching performance Paul Gibson.

“I think the slider is better than we originally got him late last summer,” Gibson said. “I think a lot of that has to do with the preparation and taking care of business in the weight room and arm care. But the breaking ball has definitely been a big weapon for him aside from the command of all four pitches.”

Speaking of which, at The Athletic ($), Keith Law updates his Top 50 prospect list. Lo and behold, there are a pair of Royals on the list:

22. Kendry Chourio

44. Justin Lamkin

Back to The Star, Anyone remember April Fool’s Day 2016? That was a good one, Nigel P. Higginbotham. This announcement, however, is no joke! Well, ok, it’s a little bit of a joke. Something about Royals and Royals cross-promotion comes to mind. Per Pete Grathoff, England’s soccer team will be attending the Royals game on June 21st:

“We would love to have them play catch,” said Sam Mellinger, the Royals’ vice president of communications and broadcasting, “but it just depends on their schedule.”

That game of catch would be before first pitch, of course. And the ceremonial first pitch likely would involve Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka or Jude Bellingham, three of England’s biggest stars.

I’m also grabbing a story from The Star from a couple of days ago that I don’t think we’ve linked to. Want some shoes to match your City Connect jersey? At The Star, PJ Green is reporting that the Royals City Connect Nike Air Max 1 drops on June 9th. I think we’re going to talk shoes sometime in the second half of this year.

Blog Time!

Today, it’s Preston Farr from Eight One Six leading off with some MLB draft targets for the Royals:

OF Drew Burress – Georgia Tech

Burress is in his junior season for Georgia Tech. He’s played center field again this season and set the Georgia Tech career home run record at 58. His slash line is absurd at .366/.478/.660 with 45 walks and 40 strikeouts. MLB Pipeline ranks Burress as the number eight overall prospect in this year’s draft class, grading him as a 60 grade prospect with above average grades on all five tools. The concern with Burress is his small stature. He’s listed at 5-9, but Pipeline calls him “shorter than his listed 5-foot-9.” His raw ability, work ethic, and baseball smarts could be enough to overcome that, but it’s a concern nonetheless. Burress has the smallest physical stature in Pipeline’s entire Top 150 draft prospects for 2026. Perhaps there is some Corbin Carroll to his game, but the raw tools are certainly clear for Burress despite his small frame. His right-handed swing would fit well in a farm system stocked full of lefties as well.

At Royals Keep, Kevin O’Brien looks at some takeaways from the Yankees series:

When looking at these May bullpen metrics, it’s obvious that Quatraro and the Royals need to shake up the bullpen usage. Right now, they should be investing in their young arms with upside, which includes Lynch, Avila, Cruz, and Lange. Schreiber has emerged as a key piece this month,, and he deserves to keep his spot, but Erceg probably needs to be utilized less like a traditional closer and more like the “fireman” he was utilized a year ago when Carlos Estevez closed things out in the ninth.

Even with Erceg out of the closer’s spot, the Royals need to adopt a different philosophy for building a bullpen.

Other than a year ago, the Royals’ weakness has always been the bullpen under Quatraro and Picollo. A big reason for that seems to be that they trust “experience” over “stuff”. That strategy blew up on them with free-agent relievers like Chris Stratton and Will Smith. It’s blowing up a bit, not just with Estevez and Strahm on the IL, but with Erceg as well, who looks like a shell of his 2024 self.

Blog Roundup:

• Darin Watson at U.L.’s Toothpick: This Date In Royals History–1976 Edition: May 28 – Doug Bird out-Ryans Nolan Ryan as the Royals beat California
• Caleb Moody at KOK: Royals may’ve just received hope at second base after promising prospect returns from injury
• Also, Caleb Moody at KOK: Royals reminded of another painful trade after White Sox pitcher’s historic debut

Here’s something new for OT today. We weren’t really going to talk much about baseball today, anyway, were we? Meanwhile, I had a couple of other things I’ve been working on, but, in light of last weekend’s closest Indianapolis 500 in the race’s long history, I thought I’d write about it today. It also flows nicely from the Olympic stuff last week.

Just to set the stage here, I know very little about racing. I literally watch one race a year, and not even every year. I’m sure there are better people to get you interested in the sport. However, I’m the one writing Friday Rumblings today, so you’re stuck with me today.

* * * * *

Quick Soapbox: it’s impressive just how shameless sports networks are about covering their bottom line. For years, the race was broadcast on ABC, and the story was the front-page dominating event on ESPN.com from sun-up to sun-down all day on Memorial Day Sunday. They had a race tracker that was a lot like they use for the NFL draft that updated by the minute. This year, even during the race, you had to scroll past MLB results and NBA results that were more than 12 hours old. Really? It was impressive just how nakedly transparent it was.

And CBS Sports was no better. For a while, they were trying to set themselves up as a viable alternative to ESPN. But that’s fallen off over the last few years. The Indy 500 was a story on the front page, but didn’t even have a picture – it was just a live blog entry that was the third or fourth story on the front page. Yahoo used to be excellent. Before you laugh too hard, remember where Jeff Passan and Adrian Wojnarowski were when they became household names or who broke the 2011 Miami booster scandal. But they’ve since been gutted by cost-saving measures. Unfortunately, the broadcast was on Fox. Fox Sports pivoted to video almost a decade ago, so their site has long since been hot garbage.

This isn’t even important stuff in life – it’s just sports. Theoretically, they cover the “news” of sports with the veneer of journalism while also broadcasting some of the same sports they cover. However, time and again, they are perfectly happy to throw away little bits of their integrity to chase a few dollars. SportsCenter coverage of the NHL went from 10 minutes a night to about 60 seconds the minute ESPN dropped their hockey contract in the early 00s. So next time someone wants to say something like “no, ESPN wouldn’t be biased towards overrating the SEC to try and get them extra, undeserved spots in the CFP just because they own the broadcast contract”, forgive me if I sideye something like that. Never mind what these networks do for stuff that dwarfs the money from sports – like business and politics.

Back to the more fun stuff…

* * * * *

Most anyone can watch it on TV – it’s still broadcast on an over-the-air network. But the reason for this post is that I have attended the race twice in person (2011 and 2025) and thought I’d share some of my experiences.

I lived in Indianapolis for a couple of years and it has some charms. I really like that size of city. The Indianpolis metropolitan area is 2.2M, about the same as Cleveland, Nashville, Columbus, Cincinnati, and… Kansas City. It’s big enough that you have all the amenities of a city, but not so large that it’s endless miles of concrete. Plus, Chicago was only a couple of hours up the interstate if I needed anything larger.

Generally, I liked the people, and didn’t care for the weather. The climate wasn’t that different from Kansas City, but it was enough. The daily mean temperature differs by only 1 degree. However, winter felt longer – a few weeks longer – and that was enough to throw off the whole year. Both years I lived there, winter arrived the first week of November and just didn’t let up. In KC, you’ll usually start to see signs of spring in February – I didn’t see that in Indy. It was well into March or later. Kansas City gets an extra 400 hours of sunshine per year, and that probably shades my perception, as well. Weather aside, though, I really liked the city.

* * * * *

If you asked 100 random strangers if they knew anything about Indianapolis, the 500 likely sits atop the Family Feud list.

While the total attendance is not officially announced, they do occasionally note records like how this year was a sell-out, which means more than 350K people. That makes logistics challenging at times. Indy is no stranger to conferences or major sporting events like the Super Bowl or Final Four. But 350K people is 350K people.

Flying into Indianapolis that week can be challenging. However, you can also get creative. Many people fly into Chicago or other surrounding cities. Trivia time! There are 8 MLB stadiums within a 6-hour drive from Indianapolis. Can you name them all? Results in the comments, provided someone tries to answer. Personally, we flew into Indianapolis on the Friday before the race and flew out of Cincinnati a few days after it, visiting some friends there. The ticket cost no more than a usual airline ticket. However, I bet if you tried to do Friday to Monday to Indy, you might be paying a pretty penny.

Hotels can be similarly challenging. I lived there the first time I went so no big deal. The second time, I used hotel points to great effect. The airport hotel we stayed at is normally economical so it had a low point cost and I booked it close to a year in advance. However, if we had tried to reserve it with a month or two to go, it was running $400 a night. It was not a $400-a-night room.

* * * * *

Tickets have some interesting quirks.

You can buy your tickets or better from year to year. They do ticket “renewals” every year and there’s a whole FAQ about it. For instance:

Requests for upgrade/change are processed by availability, account seniority and reorder date. Again, another reason to renew early. You gain seniority by purchasing tickets on a yearly basis on the same IMS account. Due to limited inventory and high demand in our more popular locations (Penthouses, Decks, Stands B and E), higher seniority levels will see more opportunities for improvement. Specific requests, such as aisles, front rows, etc. make upgrade requests more difficult to fulfill, so the broader your request is, the higher chance of fulfillment.

In short, if you buy your tickets through the track (not resale), you can try to upgrade your tickets each year. They mentioned something on this year’s broadcast about X number of 50-year or more ticket holders but I don’t remember the number and can’t find an article about it. Here’s a 2016 story from the local Fox station about families that have attended for decades.

In 2011, I went on a whim. I didn’t have anything else going that weekend so I bought resale tickets the week of the race. For 2025, I bought tickets in October 2024. You can apply as soon as the previous race ends, but you have less control over where you sit. I waited until single tickets went onsale and we did, fine-ish.

In 2011, I was in Paddock Section 18. In 2025, we were in Tower Terrace S78. Both times I wanted shade and was fortunate to get it. The race is long. There is a lot of pageantry before and after it. And there’s always a chance of rain. Both years, I was near-ish but before the finish line. One time I was inside the oval, the other time I was outside. There are a lot of strong feelings about the best seats in the house. My seats are on nobody’s list, but I was happy with them.

Before we go much further, we have to talk about the track and the sheer size of it. The broadcast can’t clue you in since it’s constantly cutting from camera to camera. Saying it’s a 2-and-a-half-mile oval doesn’t capture it. Even looking at it from the air doesn’t really give you an idea. One thing really brought it home to me a couple of years ago. If you have any sense (or hearing), you wear earplugs. However, if you’re in the middle of the oval, you can’t even hear the hum of the cars. I don’t really know how to convey the size of it any better, but we’ll talk about it more later.

* * * * *

There are a number of events leading up to the race, though we haven’t attended any at the track. Practice laps are pretty popular as is Carb Day. Carb Day also features the Wienie 500 “where six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles traded paint — or at least ketchup and mustard bragging rights — in a race for the coveted Borg-Wiener Trophy”.

Also, there’s a cool Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at the track. I don’t think it’s open the day of the race and I wouldn’t even try. I remember taking the tour on a bus around the track back when I was a teenager.

Saturday, before the race, the 500 Festival Parade rumbles through downtown Indianapolis. It’s your usual municipal parade with local law enforcement, floats, and marching bands. We saw the Purdue “All-American” marching band and the “World’s Largest Drum”. We would also see them at the race.

* * * * *

No matter how you get to the race, I think you have to pack your patience. Once again, 350K people is 350K people. While some camp there or get there (days?) in advance, the rest of us have to get there that morning. On the day of the race, dozens of streets are shut down or have alternative traffic flows.

One of the most popular ways to get there is by shuttle. Hundreds (thousands?) of buses from around the region carry people from the airport and downtown Indianapolis to the race track. This was how I got there both times.

This most recent time, we took our hotel shuttle to the airport at 7:45, waited in line a half hour, and boarded a school bus. Most of the time, we were on streets reserved for the shuttles. It still took an hour to go 12 miles.

Security and tickets were Midwesternly efficient, so we had a lot of time to explore before the race. As we were there pretty early, getting souvenirs and food was easy, too. We walked around up by the suites (I think someone accidentally left some stairs open that weren’t supposed to be).

We went down by the Pagoda. There was a celebrity red carpet, but we were far enough away that I couldn’t see who was up there. Supposedly, Keanu Reeves and Terry Crews were there. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Michael Strahan were there, probably contractually obligated because it was on Fox. Looking through my pictures, I think I caught a picture of Crews – by which I mean, I have a picture of his orange jacket and white pants walking up there, but you can’t see his face.

* * * * *

Wikipedia has an entire page entitled “Indianapolis 500 Traditions” and I couldn’t possibly do it justice. Pomp and circumstance abound.

I’m going to miss some, but these are ones that I remember:

• Multiple parade laps for various VIPs – like former winners, celebrities, and the Festival Queen
• Parade lap of vintage cars – a half dozen or so older cars – from the very old to more recent – take a lap
• Military appreciation lap
• Driver introductions – they all go up to the podium by rows

Then it’s almost time to race. From the above page:

The pre-race ceremonies usually go in the following order:
* Invocation
* “Taps”
* “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America”
* “The Star-Spangled Banner” followed by flyover
* “Drivers to your cars” command
* “Back Home Again in Indiana” (accompanied by a balloon release until 2021)
* Starting command

YMMV with each individual item, but I think the package as a whole lends an air of importance to the proceedings.

* * * * *

After that, it’s race time.

I don’t know how to describe what 200 mph looks like. But this is the only place I’ve seen it. Sure, you go faster in an airplane. But your frame of reference is skewed by three dimensions.

I also can’t describe what 200 mph sounds like. The TV broadcast tries to do it justice, but there’s no way to adequately replicate that sound.

You can’t see the whole track – it’s just too big – and somehow they race around this 2.5-mile circle in about 30 seconds. Then there’s pit strategy and the alternate strategy and the cautions and all the stuff that makes up the race.

However, we didn’t just sit there and watch all 200 laps. We watched a few dozen and then started wandering. The whole environment is interesting.

• The Goodyear blimp soared above the race. That seems a good way to try and capture the scale
• We walked around for over an hour and barely covered a quarter of the infield
• There are giant walkways that go under the race track. You can hear and feel the rumble of the cars as they go over
• In 2011, I could get really close to the track – there were fences and barriers up – but I was maybe 20 feet away from the cars at the closest spot and just feel the speed. In 2025, we couldn’t get nearly this close.
• You can walk over by pit row. Team members are running back and forth with rows of tires and tools and you can get remarkably close
• There’s a giant concert stage in the middle. From there, you can’t hear much of the race, if any

We made our way back to our seats with 50ish laps to go. Without cautions, it can take less than half an hour. With cautions, a bit more.

* * * * *

The 2011 race was one of the more notable in history as rookie J. R. Hildebrand hit the wall in the final turn and was passed by Dan Wheldon. The 2025 was dramatic as Álex Palou held off Marcus Ericsson and there were no lead changes after lap 187.

After the race, there is more ceremony: the victory lap, the milk, the kissing of the bricks. It’s fun, but it’s also at the end of a long day.

Then you have to find your way out of the speedway, line up for shuttles, and make your way home. I think it’s safe to say it’s a bit of a drinky crowd and, in the hour we were standing in line for shuttles, our son learned some colorful new language.

We had a similar experience with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade a couple of years ago in New York City – maybe I’ll write about it one of these days. I can’t imagine doing this year after year – it’s just a lot. However, it’s neat to experience at least once. In future years, when we’re watching, we can do the “remember when”s and look back fondly.

I guess I could use “Back Home Again in Indiana” here. But I thought the better video was the final crazy lap from this year:

The Boston Red Sox are a tough watch.

I don’t think we’re breaking news with that statement, but the truth became impossible to ignore after their debacle of a series against the Minnesota Twins over Memorial Day Weekend.

Justin Slaten, who had quite literally been perfect to that point, ruined what was an impressive start from Payton Tolle on Friday. Jovani Moran continued to be the worst opener in the history of the sport on Saturday. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Connor Wong simultaneously pimped/hesitated on a wall-ball double that could have tied the game but ultimately served as the final of many teases on Sunday. If there’s a chance for this team to build some momentum and/or string together victories, they do the exact opposite — making them the most frustrating team to watch in baseball.

“Keagan, you can just not watch.” “I already canceled my subscription to NESN!” “SELL THE TEAM!”

I understand your sentiments, truly, but the fact of the matter is that we all know we aren’t going to just stop watching this baseball team. I just think we all need something positive to look forward to in order to get through the dog days, which is why I floated this idea on Monday’s episode of Boston Has Entered The Chat on NESN:

I’ll continue watching this team because (1) I hate myself and have always been a glutton for punishment, and (2) I happen to have some contractual obligations when it comes to this particular baseball team. I don’t have to wallow in what will almost certainly be a whiplash-inducing season full of highs and lows, though!

I’ll take that frustration and channel it into something more positive, following up each of the remaining 110 Red Sox games with a viewing of an episode of the 110 episodes of hit sitcom Community! Is that dumb? Yes. Is it going to be fun, though? I hope so!

I’ll be keeping track of this little watch club over on X, so if you’d like to follow along with me, go over there and tell me how you feel about that wacky cast of characters! We can even talk about the show, too! If you’d don’t want to follow along, just be cool about it and don’t dump all over the idea.

It’s going to be an annoying summer, so let’s at least get something positive out of it!

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (28-25)

SYRACUSE 8, ROCHESTER 4 (BOX)

Syracuse jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, and although Kodai Senga gave those runs right back in the bottom of the inning, the Mets scored four in the fourth. That was more than enough cushion for the unearned run that Senga allowed in the bottom of that inning and Rochester’s last run of the game in the sixth. Syracuse tacked on a couple of late insurance runs, though, and their bullpen pitched well as it covered five-and-one-third innings in relief of Senga.

• CF Nick Morabito: 2-5, K
• LF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-5, 3 K
• DH Christian Arroyo: 1-5, R
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 1-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, K, E
• 3B Andy Ibáñez: 4-5, 2 R, RBI
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 3-4, R, BB
• C Ben Rortvedt: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, E
• RF Cristian Pache: 1-3, R, 3B, 3 RBI, BB, K
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-2, RBI, BB, SB
• REHAB ALERT: P Kodai Senga: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• P Joey Gerber: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• P Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Ryan Lambert: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Anderson Severino: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (16-32)

PORTLAND 10, BINGHAMTON 9 (BOX)

It’s not often that you see the top two hitters in your lineup combined for seven stolen bases, but Chris Suero’s four and Jacob Reimer’s three combined to do just that. Unfortunately, the offensive barrage from Binghamton wasn’t enough to overcome a particularly bad outing by Jordan Geber as he pitched out of the bullpen. With Channing Austin having been placed on the injured list instead of making his Double-A debut on Wednesday, the Rumble Ponies’ bullpen has covered a lot of innings over the past two games.

• C Chris Suero: 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB, K, 4 SB, E
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, K, 3 SB
• CF Eli Serrano III: 1-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• DH D’Andre Smith: 1-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
• RF Jose Ramos: 2-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K
• 2B Nick Lorusso: 0-5, RBI
• 1B JT Schwartz: 2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 K, E
• LF Vincent Perozo: 1-5, K
• SS Wyatt Young: 1-5, R, 2 K
• P R.J. Gordon: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Jordan Geber: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Danis Correa: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Channing Austin placed on 7-day injured list
ROSTER ALERT: RHP Danis Correa transferred from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (14-33)

WILMINGTON 7, BROOKLYN 5 (BOX)

A three-run lead slipped away in the fourth when Cyclones starter Noah Hall gave up three runs in the inning, and after the Cyclones regained the lead with a run in the fifth, a pair of Brooklyn relievers gave up two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh. Brooklyn scored one in the eighth, but that was it as the Cyclones—like several of the Mets’ affiliates—saw their record on the season get even worse.

• SS Mitch Voit: 0-4, 4 K
• CF John Bay: 0-4, R, 2 K
• C Ronald Hernandez: 2-4, 3 R, 2B, K, E
• LF Corey Collins: 1-2, 2B, RBI, 3 BB
• 3B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-4
• PR Sam Biller: 0-0
• RF JT Benson: 1-5, R, 2B, 2 K
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 0-1, 3 BB
• 2B Nick Roselli: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• P Noah Hall: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
• P Bryce Jenkins: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• P Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (22-26)

ST. LUCIE 3, BRADENTON 1 (BOX)

A three-run top of the second turned out to be more than enough, as Mets starter Jose Chirinos settled in very nicely after allowing a run in the bottom of the first. He went on to go six innings, notch nine strikeouts, and walk just one Bradenton batter, giving up just three hits in the process.

• LF AJ Salgado: 0-4, 2 K
• SS Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, BB, K
• 1B Randy Guzman: 0-4, 2 K
• DH Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, K
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 2-4, R, HR, RBI
• C Francisco Toledo: 0-4, R, E
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
• CF Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, K
• RF Simon Juan: 1-3, K
• P Jose Chirinos: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
• P Elwis Mijares: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Joe Scarborough: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (XX-XX)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Jose Chirinos

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Mitch Voit

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The good vibes of the Orioles’ sweep of the first-place Rays did not carry into their next series, at least not for the opener. The O’s slipped back to five games under .500 with their 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays, as their offense, which had plated 26 runs in three games against Tampa Bay, was held to nothing more than a Coby Mayo solo homer by graybeard Patrick Corbin and three Blue Jays relievers.

It was a very winnable game, thanks to one of Chris Bassitt’s strongest outings of the year, but a lot of little things went wrong. The O’s didn’t capitalize on some scoring opportunities, both through bad luck — such as scorching liners by Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson that went directly into infielders’ gloves — and dumb baseball, most notably Pete Alonso getting picked off first base to quash an eighth-inning rally. Craig Albernaz’s bizarre decision to eschew his best reliever, Rico Garcia, and instead turn to the struggling Anthony Nunez to face the top of the Jays’ lineup in the eighth turned out predictably poorly. Check out Mark Brown’s recap of all the action.

Oh well. You can’t win ’em all, and the Orioles are still 5-2 on this homestand. But they can’t rest on their laurels anytime soon. They’ve still got a bit of a hole to climb out of to get back to the .500 mark, and they’re facing nothing but division opponents for the next nine games, including the Blue Jays six more times and the Red Sox thrice. The Birds have been playing better baseball of late, and they’ve at least avoided tanking their season by Memorial Day like last year’s Orioles did, but it’s going to take a longer stretch of success before we can take them seriously as contenders.

Even after dropping the opener, the Orioles have a chance to make a statement against the defending AL champions, struggling as they may be. A series win is still on the table, but we’d settle for a split. Let’s see the O’s offense come back to life, and most of all, we need to see the Trevor Rogers of 2025 instead of whatever this 2026 monstrosity is. He’s on the mound tonight, and there’s no time like the present for Rogers to start turning his season around.

Links

Jon Meoli: A change in philosophy jump-started the O’s pitching development just in time – The Baltimore Banner

The O’s are changing the way they draft and develop pitchers. I would hold off on saying it’s “jump-started” their pitching development, though. Let’s see a few of these guys have sustained success in the majors first.

Bassitt keeps rotation on roll in Orioles’ 2-1 loss (updated) – School of Roch

My random thought from watching Bassitt last night: this guy really stretches the limits of the pitch clock, huh? On pretty much every pitch he starts his delivery with like half a second left on the clock, yet he manages never to get any violations. Bassitt likes to live dangerously, I suppose.

Questions about Orioles’ bullpen| MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

For once, I agree with one of the readers. Why is Keegan Akin still on the team?

For O’s Taylor Ward, is lower bat speed impacting his home run totals? – Steve Melewski

Ward’s power outage has been one of the more surprising developments of the season. Melewski delves into what might be going on.

Luck strikes twice! O’s fan snags two balls in two innings – MLB.com

At least there’s one fan who had more luck than the Orioles did last night.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Five former Orioles were born on this day: utility guys Tyler Nevin (29) and Jerry Hairston Jr. (50), outfielder Eric Davis (64), and right-handers Fred Holdsworth (74) and Dyar Miller (80).

On this date in 1970, Mike Cuellar became the first — and still only — Orioles pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning. In the bottom of the fourth against the California Angels, Cuellar started the inning with a strikeout of Alex Johnson, but a passed ball by Elrod Hendricks allowed him to reach first. Cuellar then racked up Ks of Ken McMullen, Tommie Reynolds, and Jim Spencer. At the time, Cuellar was only the fourth pitcher in American League history to accomplish the feat, but it has since been done 45 more times by AL pitchers, including 18 in the past 10 years. Yet somehow no other Oriole has done it.

And in 2013, the O’s gave up three homers in one game to the Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman — but still won, 9-6, thanks to four homers of their own, including two by Chris Davis.

Random Orioles game of the day

On May 29, 2015, the Orioles pulled off a walkoff win over the Rays, 2-1. In front of a sellout crowd of 45,505 at Camden Yards, starter Miguel González delivered an incredible outing, going eight innings and giving up just one run — with a Steven Souza second-inning homer his only blemish — but the O’s offense didn’t answer quickly enough to get him a win. The Birds trailed for most of the game, getting shut out through six by future Oriole Nate Karns, before Chris Davis launched a game-tying homer in the seventh.

In the bottom of the ninth, singles by Travis Snider and Davis set up J.J. Hardy, who grounded a base hit through the left side to score pinch-runner Everth Cabrera and send the fans home happy. The win was Buck Showalter’s 400th as Orioles manager.