The red-hot Kansas City Royals go for the sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday Night Baseball on Peacock at 7:20 p.m. ET.
What’s in store for star hitters Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, and starting pitcher Noah Cameron?
Let’s break down my favorite Tigers vs. Royals props and free MLB picks for Sunday, May 10.
For the full game breakdown, check out our Tigers vs. Royals predictions.
Tigers vs Royals props for May 10
Pick
Odds
Bobby Witt Jr. to record an RBI
+155
Noah Cameron Over 15.5 outs recorded
-108
Vinnie Pasquantino Over 1.5 H/R/R
-135
Tigers vs Royals player prop picks
Bobby Witt Jr. to record an RBI (+155)
Bobby Witt Jr. is a man possessed when he plays at Kauffman Stadium, posting a career 145 wRC+ while slashing .313/.365/.550.
He rarely strikes out, owns a 15.2% K-rate, and brings plenty of power with a .236 ISO. That makes him an appealing target in the player prop market, especially with a large enough home sample size to fully buy into the production boost.
This season, 13 of Witt’s 19 RBIs have come at home. Detroit is also turning to another bullpen game with its rotation wrecked by injuries, making this a very manageable matchup for Witt to drive in a run.
Noah Cameron Over 15.5 outs recorded (-108)
The Tigers are slumping, dropping five straight games while scoring only four total runs through the first two matchups of this series.
Detroit has also struggled badly away from home with a 6-16 road record, and the lineup is dealing with injuries to Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Parker Meadows.
That sets up well for Kansas City starter Noah Cameron, especially against a Tigers lineup that owns just a 92 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. Cameron has cleared this outs recorded number in 20 of his 30 career starts and has been effective at Kauffman Stadium with a 3.31 ERA, giving him a strong path to work deep enough to cash this prop.
Vinnie Pasquantino Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135)
Vinnie Pasquantino is heating up after a very slow start to the season, making this a good time to target his bat while the production is climbing.
After finishing April with a .165 average, Pasquantino is batting .263 in May and averaging 2.1 Hits, Runs, and RBIs this month.
The underlying metrics back up the improvement, with his hard-hit rate climbing 10 percentage points to 41.4%. Hitting in a premium lineup spot, usually third, Pasquantino is well-positioned to take advantage of Detroit’s pitching chaos approach.
How to watch Tigers vs Royals and game info
Location
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Date
Sunday, May 10, 2026
First pitch
7:20 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 8: Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with teammate CJ Abrams #5 after batting Abrams in on a home run during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 8, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday was a missed opportunity for the Nats, but they still have a chance to get the series win this afternoon. They have an early game today that is nationally televised. It will be a good chance for the boys to show what they have. Hopefully they can secure yet another road series win.
The lineup will look a little different today. After a couple shaky games at shortstop, CJ Abrams will DH today. Nasim Nunez will move over to short and Jorbit Vivas will play second. Outside of that, the lineup will be the same as yesterday. They have scored early against the Marlins this series, but have taken their foot off the gas. Cade Cavalli will get the ball looking to bounce back from a rough outing.
The Marlins have a couple new faces in the lineup. Javier Sanoja will get his first start of the series and Christopher Morel will be in the DH spot after not playing last night. Liam Hicks will actually be sliding over to first base today and is hitting second. Former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara will get the ball, and he looks better than he did last year as he is further removed from his Tommy John Surgery.
After coming up short yesterday, the Nats need to get back on the horse and bounce back. They face a tough pitcher, but this lineup has proven they can handle that. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
The Pittsburgh Pirates look to notch their seventh win in nine games when they face the San Francisco Giants this afternoon
Our MLB odds have the Giants favored to win despite the hosts having lost nine of their last 11 games.
My Pirates vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks explain why the Patrick Bailey trade makes the home pitching staff even more vulnerable to a rough outing.
Who will win Pirates vs Giants today: Pirates (+102)
The Pittsburgh Pirates 20-hit outburst on Saturday wasn’t a fluke. The Pirates rank fourth in xwOBA over the past two weeks with a .339 mark while sitting third in MLB in wRC+ over that span.
It also came immediately after the San Francisco Giants traded Patrick Bailey, arguably the best pitch framer in baseball. The Giants' pitching staff looked noticeably more vulnerable without him behind the plate.
That’s bad news for Tyler Mahle, who enters with a 4.50 BB/9 ratio and now loses an elite catcher who consistently stole strikes for his pitchers.
The Pirates have also dramatically improved their plate discipline lately, carrying just a 5% strikeout rate over the past two weeks — a major boost against a pitcher prone to issuing walks.
COVERS INTEL: Eric Haase, San Francisco’s projected catcher for Sunday, owns a 63% called strike rate on pitches 1-2 inches inside the zone — 25% lower than the league average.
Pirates vs Giants Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-115)
Saturday’s matchup produced 16 runs, and another high-scoring game is very much in play Sunday afternoon.
The Pirates are slugging .416 over the past two weeks while posting a 37% hard-hit rate that ranks second in baseball during that stretch.
Bubba Chandler has also been far less effective on the road, allowing opponents to slug .448 with four home runs surrendered in just 18 2/3 innings away from Pittsburgh.
Mahle’s control issues should continue giving the Pirates free baserunners, and the weather conditions only help the Over case further, with winds expected to blow out to left field at more than 10 mph.
Jason Ence's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 4-7, -3.67 units
Over/Under bets: 8-3, 4.91 units
Pirates vs Giants odds
Moneyline: Pirates +104 | Giants -108
Run line: Pirates -1.5 (+178) | Giants +1.5 (-186)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+113) | Under 8.5 (-117)
Pirates vs Giants trend
The Pittsburgh Pirates have hit the Moneyline in 11 of their last 18 away games (+5.20 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Giants.
How to watch Pirates vs Giants and game info
Location
Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Date
Sunday, May 10, 2026
First pitch
4:05 p.m. ET
TV
SNP, NBCSBA
Pirates starting pitcher
Bubba Chandler (1-4, 4.76 ERA)
Giants starting pitcher
Tyler Mahle (1-4, 5.00 ERA)
Pirates vs Giants latest injuries
Pirates vs Giants weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1926: New York Yankees General Manager Ed Barrow circa 1926.. (Photo by WM. C. Greene/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images) | Sporting News via Getty Images
Most days during our Yankees Birthday series have been highlight a player who was born on that particular day. While the players are the ones we watch on a day in and day out basis, it takes more than them to make a baseball team go, and today we’ll look back on someone who had a major impact in franchise history off the field.
You can make an argument that Ed Barrow is one of the single most important people in franchise history. While in the front office, he played a key role in the Yankees finally getting over the World Series hump, and then them winning a bunch more, as they became the preeminent MLB franchise.
Edward Grant “Ed” Barrow Born: May 10, 1868 (Springfield, IL) Died: December 15, 1953 (Port Chester, NY) Yankees Executive Tenure: 1920-45
Barrow was born in Springfield, IL in 1968, but his birth came as his family was moving to Nebraska in search of farmland. His family settled there for a couple years, but the Barrows would later move to Iowa, where Ed spent much of his youth.
As a teenager, Barrow began working as a mailing clerk for a Des Moines, IA newspaper, eventually working his way up to a reporter job with the Des Moines Leader. He used his higher position to create a local baseball team, which featured future Hall of Famer Fred Clarke among others.
Barrow later moved to Pittsburgh and worked in some other industries before returning to baseball. He bought pieces of several minor league teams, including the Patterson (NJ) Silk Weavers, eventually also managing the team. He ended up signing a young Honus Wagner from the team, giving the future Hall of Famer his start in pro baseball. After holding a number of positions around baseball, he bought a share of the Toronto Maple Leafs (the baseball version) of the Eastern League, also eventually becoming their manager. He managed to help turn them around from a struggling franchise to the EL pennant winners in 1902. That quick turnaround led to the Detroit Tigers hiring him as manager for 1903.
In Detroit, Barrow helped improve the Tigers’ spot in the standings in his first season. However that offseason, new owners bought the team and Barrow soon found himself at odds with some of the new brass and resigned partway through 1904. He returned to the minor leagues for a while after that, eventually getting the position of president of the Eastern League. Under him, the league was redubbed the “International League,” which it still exists as today in Triple-A. Later in his run, he tried to build up a third major league with some IL franchises, leading him to clash with some of the league’s owners and them eventually ousting Barrow.
By this point, Barrow’s reputation in baseball had grown enough that he was then quickly hired to manage the Boston Red Sox. Boston had finished in second in the AL the previous season, but with some savvy additions, Barrow took them to the AL pennant in 1918. However, the savviest move was putting to use the hitting ability of the young Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth. In addition to hitting a league-leading 11 homers, Ruth then won two games on the mound in the World Series as the Red Sox won the title. As we Yankee fans once liked to point out, it would be Boston’s last for a while.
The Red Sox fell under .500 the following two seasons, and against Barrow’s wishes, Ruth was famously sold to the Yankees after 1919. His frustrations eventually boiled over, and the Yankees’ owners gave him an opportunity to become the team’s business manager. He took that opportunity, resigned from Boston, and jumped to New York. With the Yankees, Barrow’s position morphed into something resembling the general manager job of today. He was generally in charge of contract negotiation and player acquisition, while acting as an intermediary between ownership and on-field manager Miller Huggins.
While Ruth’s move to the Yankees did predate Barrow, almost every other move in the 1920s through the next couple decades, many of which led to championships, can be traced back to Barrow in some way. He hired scout Paul Krichell, who quickly discovered Lou Gehrig, and then also scouted and signed the likes of Tony Lazzeri, Phil Rizzuto, and Whitey Ford. Barrow stuck by Huggins despite internal and external pressure, who eventually led the Yankees to their first couple titles, and then later hired Joe McCarthy. He played a role in helping the Yankees secure their move to Yankee Stadium. He signed a young Joe DiMaggio out of the Pacific Coast League. His protégé, George Weiss, later became Yankees GM and led the team to a host of even more World Series titles. During Barrow’s tenure from 1920-45, the Yankees won 10 World Series titles, never mind the ones that came after that he deserves an assist for.
In 1945, the estate of Jacob Rupert, who had hired Barrow, sold the Yankees to Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping, and Del Webb. The new owners moved Barrow to a ceremonial position and advisor, and Barrow eventually retired from baseball in 1946. MacPhail briefly held the GM position for a couple years before Weiss took over and continued on with the franchise’s dominance.
After leaving the Yankees, Barrow was offered the position of commissioner, but declined, citing his age. He remained in the New York area until he passed away in 1953. Shortly after his passing, he was voted into the Hall of Fame and given a Monument Park plaque by the Yankees. Beyond what his teams did on the field, Barrow was the innovator of putting numbers on players’ uniforms, as well as retiring them, as he did initially with Lou Gehrig’s No. 4. He was the first to let fans keep foul balls. There’s so much about the Yankees and baseball that you can trace back to Ed Barrow in some form.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
May 9, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) pitches against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
The Cincinnati Reds are an absolute wreck.
The Cincinnati Reds are 1.5 games out of a playoff spot.
The Cincinnati Reds pitching staff owns the single worst xERA in baseball (5.21).
The Cincinnati Reds are two games over .500.
The Cincinnati Reds have a team wRC+ of 87, fourth worst in baseball and ahead of only the 17-22 Boston Red Sox, last place New York Mets, and last place San Francisco Giants.
The Cincinnati Reds just lost eight straight games, including three straight as walk-offs.
The Cincinnati Reds just won yesterday, ending that losing streak.
The Cincinnati Reds have been without ace Hunter Greene all season, and without #2 Nick Lodolo for all but one start this year. They’ve lost their closer in Emilio Pagan and rotation depth with Brandon Williamson. Big slugging Eugenio Suarez has been out two weeks with an oblique, and wasn’t exactly their 49-homer superstar when healthy.
Andrew Abbott looks woefully mediocre.
The bats of Ke’Bryan Hayes and TJ Friedl look hopelessly washed as they near 30, the hope that Matt McLain ever regains his 2023 form has almost completely evaporated. So, too, has much of the expectation that Noelvi Marte will figure it out at the big league level, with him now firmly in the same AAAA bucket as Rece Hinds.
Despite that – despite all of that – the Reds have made it through one-quarter of the 2026 season with their heads above water, two games over the .500 mark on a Sunday morning with a chance to win a series against the Houston Astros on their docket for the afternoon.
And they owe a gargantuan portion of that to young Chase Burns.
Burns, still just 23, has been the single most valuable pitcher in the National League so far in 2026 according to Baseball Reference (2.1 bWAR). His 2.11 ERA ranks 3rd in the NL among qualifying pitchers, his 47.0 IP perhaps even more valuable (and 10th overall in the league) given the troubles the rest of the Cincinnati rotation has heaped upon its overworked bullpen.
Most recently, though, you’ve seen a Burns that wasn’t just good, he was rise to the occasion good. When his team was bruised and battered after two bad losses to the Pittsburgh Pirates last weekend, he poured in a career-best 7.0 IP of scoreless ball for his club (even though the offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain). One full turn of the rotation later, the Reds still hadn’t found a way to win a single game, and he poured in another gem with 6.0 IP of ER ball against Houston to help them finally, mercifully get back into the win column.
That’s a rock on which this team can lean. That’s a bona fide stopper within the rotation. That’s precisely the kind of part of a team that can almost singlehandedly redirect a team’s momentum, a cog this iteration of Reds need so badly right now it’s hard to understate.
If that proves to also make him a human reset button, perhaps yesterday is what gets the rest of this team out of the gutter. Perhaps him showing up unfazed, uninterrupted yesterday will help remind the dugout that they, too, can shelve the poor form of the last few weeks and walk into the 1st inning of today’s game with a clean slate.
And if Burns can continue to do that for another turn in the rotation, these Reds are going to get Geno back in the lineup. If Burns can do it for another handful of turns, they’ll get Pagan back, too. If he can help bridge them to early July, this Reds club will have Burns and Greene atop their rotation and not a team in the sport is going to want to face them back to back.
Saturday’s outing by Burns is a microcosm of just how vital to this team he has already become just 16 – yes, just sixteen – starts into his big league career. And if he keeps it up, he might just save this Cincinnati Reds season.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 21: Justin Foscue #56 of the Texas Rangers looks on during the third inning of the spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for May 10, 2026 against the Chicago Cubs: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Cubs and Jameson Taillon for the Cubs.
Texas will try to make it a two game winning streak this afternoon, and win the series against the Cubs.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Duran — 2B
Seager — SS
Jung — 3B
Carter — CF
Pederson — DH
Osuna — LF
Jansen — C
Foscue — 1B
1:35 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -125 favorites.
Hickory’s Saturday and Sunday games have been cancelled due to a fire in the visitor’s clubhouse.
Hub City starter Ismael Agreda allowed allowed a homer to Devin Fitz-Gerald to lead off the game, then allowed just one more run in five innings, walking one and striking out seven. With Hickory not going, A.J. Russell, who was slated to pitch for Hickory on Saturday, made his high-A debut for Hub City. He struck out four in three perfect innings. Joey Danielson struck out two in a scoreless inning.
Gleider Figuereo tripled. Maxon Martin was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Malcolm Moore had a pair of hits. Paxton Kling had a hit.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on May 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres really needed a win. They’d take it any way that they could get it, eking out a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals after failing to score a single run in 21 consecutive innings until Ty France’s fifth inning home run.
It was all the runs that they would need, with starter Randy Vásquez pitching five solid innings of one-run ball and Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Mason Miller each pitching scoreless appearances in relief. However, Adrian Morejon did allow a run in 2/3 of an inning in the top of the eighth.
Miller regained the MLB lead in saves by pitching his 12th of the season. He was briefly tied for the lead with Cards closer Riley O’Brien and Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians.
Miller pitched a four-out save for just the second time this season, and struggled with command in the ninth inning, issuing back-to-back walks to the first two batters. Miller worked out of the jam by striking out four (yes, that’s right) and secured the win for San Diego.
The Friars will need their offense to produce a little more if they hope to take the finale and salvage a split with St. Louis after dropping the first two games.
Taking the mound
Kyle Leahy (STL) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
In doing so, they’ll face Leahy. The young right-hander has yet to find any legitimate success in his MLB career. He’s spent his career in the St. Louis bullpen and was stretched out before this season in order to bolster the Cards’ rotation depth.
Leahy has been a serviceable back-end starter in the rotation with a 4.93 ERA across his first seven starts. His lasting outing against the Milwaukee Brewers was one of his best, pitching 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Heading into his eighth start of the season, he’ll look to continue that bounce back against the Friars.
The Padres will have Buehler on the bump for them, who has also struggled with consistency in his 2026 with San Diego. He’s pitched to a. 5.64 ERA across 30 1/3 innings.
But Buehler is likely pitching to save his spot on the roster. If he can’t turn things around, he’ll soon be supplanted by the recently-signed Lucas Giolito. Should Buehler stumble in today’s finale against the Red Birds, that decision would be even easier for the Padres’ front office to make.
Batter up!
The Friars haven’t faced Leahy very much before, with him only working out of the bullpen prior to this year. But what they have seen of him has been difficult, with only two hits across a combined 17 at-bats. But that was before Leahy transitioned into a full-time starter role. Now that he’s in that role, the Padres should fare much better against the righty.
Jackson Merrill, CF
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, LF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Miguel Andujar, DH
Ty France, 1B
Sung-Mun Song, 2B
Rodolfo Durán, C
Tatis was raised to the second spot in the lineup after batting fifth for the last few games. He rewarded skipper Craig Stammen for that faith immediately, hitting a two-run, go-ahead single in the fifth to win the game for the Friars.
Durán had a tough MLB debut, though he caught starter Michael King incredibly well (and was lauded by King after the game). At the plate, the catcher went 0-for-3 and will hope to improve in today’s contest.
Machado’s home run in yesterday’s contest was an encouraging sign that the third baseman may be heating up. He’s been solid to start the year, but has struggled to find a consistent rhythm at the plate. If he can turn that around it would be a huge development for the Padres’ offense.
Relief corps
The Padres used all of their high-leverage relievers to finish out yesterday’s win. Estrada and Adam each pitched hitless inning before Morejon hit some trouble. He allowed a run and only record two outs in the eighth before Miller was called upon to get a four-out save.
He did so swimmingly, though Miller made it more interesting than the Friar Faithful would have liked. After walking the first two batters, he struck out the next three. But catcher Freddy Fermin dropped the third strike to Yohel Pozo, allowing him to reach first base and load the bases. With the top of the order now up, Miller struck out JJ Wetherholt in four pitches to end the rally.
In today’s finale, the Friars will have to hope that Buehler can pitch better than he has lately. Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez represent mostly lower leverage options who could easily give up the lead in a close game.
That being said, all of them are able to cover multiple innings. If Buehler falters, they’ll easily cover the remaining innings for San Diego.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 17: Carlos Rodón #55 of the New York Yankees poses for a photo during Spring Training Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 17, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The road back from injury has reached its final stop for Carlos Rodón, who was activated this morning by the Yankees on the day of his season debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, adding talent to an already stacked rotation. To make room for Rodón’s addition to the MLB roster, the Yankees will send down right-hander Kervin Castro, whose time with the big league club was short-lived.
Utilizing a window in between different “starters” as Brendan Beck filled in as the bulk man in a Ryan Weathers illness-caused bullpen game before Rodón was ready for his first start, the Yankees added Castro to deepen their bullpen for a few games. Castro ended up covering two innings, allowing one run and striking out two in Friday’s shutout loss to the Brewers, and now returns to Triple-A. It was his first big-league action for any team since 2022.
Moving up gradually through the Yankees’ minor league system, Rodón makes his season debut with the big league club, having completed exactly one start in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A—the latest of these covering 6.1 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. It wasn’t the most efficient of outings, with Rodón allowing six runs, but all that matters is that he is healthy and ready to go.
Following last night’s game, the Yankees optioned RHP Kervin Castro to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Prior to today’s game, the Yankees returned LHP Carlos Rodón (#55) from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 15-day injured list.
TORONTO, ON - CIRCA 1982: Manager Bobby Cox #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays walks out to the mound to visit his pitcher during an Major League Baseball game circa 1982 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. Cox managed the Blue Jays from 1982-85. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bobby Cox passed away yesterday, just a few days short of his 85th birthday.
Cox became our third manager after Roy Hartsfield and Bobby Mattick. After five losing seasons, fans were frustrated and eager for change. Cox was the first manager who appeared focused on winning.
Cox had managed the Atlanta Braves for the previous four years, working to turn them into a contender. Progress was being made, but the 1981 season was disrupted by a players’ strike, resulting in a strange, split season where the Braves struggled in both halves. Back then, the team was owned by Ted Turner (who died just a few days before Cox), who loved the spotlight and wanted to be associated with a winning club. Turner didn’t want a losing team—he wanted admiration. Even so, he never seemed entirely convinced that firing Cox was the right move:
Asked at a press conference who was on his short list for manager, Turner replied, “It would be Bobby Cox if I hadn’t just fired him. We need someone like him around here.”
The Blue Jays moved quickly to hire Cox, recognizing the opportunity. It proved to be an inspired decision.
Bobby quickly identified players with limited ability and put them in platoon roles, maximizing their contributions.
In 1982, he implemented a platoon at catcher, dividing playing time between Ernie Whitt—who had hit just .236/.307/.297 the previous season—and Buck Martinez, a long-time backup whose on-base and slugging numbers were typically modest. Cox also paired two backup middle infielders at third base, left-handed hitter Rance Mulliniks and right-handed Garth Iorg, creating an effective left-right platoon.
In 1983, Cox devised an elaborate outfield platoon system: Dave Collins played left field against right-handed pitchers, while Jesse Barfield took over right field against left-handers, with George Bell shifting between the two positions as needed.
In 1984, Cox continued his platoon approach at designated hitter, using Cliff Johnson against left-handed pitchers and Willie Aikens against right-handers. The following season, Al Oliver became the primary DH versus right-handed pitching.
The catcher and third base platoons worked very well. 1983 Whitt and Martinez hit 27 home runs and drove in 89 runs between them. Cox doesn’t deserve all the credit. In 1982, Cox brought in Cito Gaston to be the hitting coach. Cito taught Whitt and Martinez to pull the ball, which they took to well, especially Whitt, whose swing became an all-out pull.
Arguably, one of the most important contributions Bobby Cox made was bringing in coaches Cito Gaston and John Sullivan. Cito’s story is well known, and the organization owes Cox a great deal for introducing him to the Blue Jays. Sullivan, meanwhile, remained with the team as bullpen coach until after the 1993 season.
In Bobby’s 4 years with the team, a number of our best players became regulars: Willie Upshaw, Jesse Barfield, Rance Mulliniks, George Bell, Jimmy Key, Jim Acker, Tony Fernandez and Tom Henke, to name a few.
His time with the Jays wasn’t an instant success. The Jays went 78-84, finishing 6th in 1982, but Cox had a lot of the parts in place that would move the team up the standings.
In 1983, the Blue Jays made a significant leap, finishing 89-73, though it was only good for fourth place. Ernie Whitt discovered his power, hitting 17 home runs in 123 games, while Willie Upshaw and Jesse Barfield each contributed 27 homers.
Cox benefited from the Jays’ farm system, which finally began producing major league-calibre players.
The Blue Jays matched their win total in 1984, finishing 89-73 for the second straight year. This time, they placed second, though they remained 15 games behind the Tigers, who dominated the league with a 104-58 record. George Bell became a full-time player for the first time, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 87. Rance Mulliniks broke through at the plate, batting .275/.373/.467, while Lloyd Moseby enjoyed his first standout year, hitting .315/.376/.499 with 18 home runs.
After four years under Cox’s helm and in our ninth MLB season, the Blue Jays finally reached the playoffs in 1985. Sadly, we fell to the Royals in a dramatic seven-game ALCS. Cox’s platoon strategies, which had been so effective, were ultimately exploited by Royals manager Dick Howser. With the Jays up three games to one, Howser countered by starting a right-hander and then bringing in a lefty during the middle innings, prompting Cox to remove his left-handed bats from the lineup. This allowed closer Dan Quisenberry—a submariner who was dominant against right-handed hitters but vulnerable to lefties—to avoid facing our left-handed threats. Coupled with the challenge of containing George Brett, who torched the Jays with a .348/.500/.826 line and three home runs, these tactical moves cost the team the series. Nevertheless, Bobby was named AL Manager of the Year for his efforts.
After the playoff loss, the Braves offered Cox their general manager position. He accepted and remained with Atlanta until 2010. The Blue Jays stayed playoff contenders for the next eight years and, of course, eventually won the World Series twice. It’s hard to imagine those championships happening without Bobby Cox’s influence—especially considering he was responsible for bringing Cito Gaston into the organization. Many of the players and coaches who played key roles in those playoff runs got their start under Cox.
Cox had a 2195-1698 record as a manager, the fourth-most wins in baseball history. He also holds the MLB record for most ejections, generally in an effort to keep his players from being ejected.
I always admired Bobby Cox. His commitment to platooning was remarkable. With today’s eight- or nine-man bullpens, it would be much harder to platoon at so many positions. I valued how everyone on his bench knew their role and had a purpose. Cox wasn’t afraid to put his faith in young players, giving them meaningful chances to prove themselves rather than moving on too quickly. With young pitchers, he often started them in the bullpen, letting them gain experience against big-league hitters in less stressful situations. I thought he was our first real manager; the previous ones seemed more like caretakers. There was no expectation of winning, and they didn’t do much to push the team towards it.
If Bobby Cox had stayed on after the 1985 season, it’s hard to say how much would have truly changed—and it’s probably not worth dwelling on. The Blue Jays got their World Series wins, and Cox enjoyed a remarkable run in Atlanta. I like to imagine he could have prevented the sudden decline after 1993, but in reality, he likely wouldn’t have stayed on as manager under Gord Ash. By that point, he probably would have wanted a general manager role instead.
Cox’s achievements with the Braves earned him a place in the Hall of Fame, but his time with the Blue Jays laid the foundation for the Blue Jays’ later success as well.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Nehomar Ochoa #94 of the Houston Astros runs off the field during the seventh inning of a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 15, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (18-20) won 11-10 (BOX SCORE)
Bielak got the start and allowed 2 runs in the first inning. The offense responded with 3 runs in the 3rd on a Biggio walk, Winker walk and Unroe hit by pitch. Bielak allowed another 5 runs in the 4th, as he went 4 innings allowing 7 runs total. The offense battled back getting 2 runs in the 5th inning on Sacco and Biggio solo home runs. They scored 3 more runs in the 6th on a Johnson solo home run and Alexander 2 run home run. The pen allowed 3 runs as the Isotopes took the lead. Sugar Land tied things up in the 8th on a Sacco run single. The game was tied in the 9th but in the bottom half, Sacco walked it off with an RBI single as Sugar Land won 11-10.
J.P. France, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (15-17) lost 7-5 (BOX SCORE)
Gillis started for the Hooks and allowed 5 runs over 4.2 innings, with 4 of those runs coming in the first inning. The offense got on the board in the 5th scoring 2 runs on a Hernandez groundout and Bush RBI single. The offense chipped away getting a run in the 6th on an Encarnacion groundout, a run in the 7th on a Hernandez RBI double and a run in the 8th on a Sullivan solo home run to tie it. The Cardinals got 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead and the Hooks was unable to respond as they fell 7-5.
Note: Sullivan has 6 home runs over his last 10 games.
A+: Asheville Tourists (8-24) lost 17-13 (BOX SCORE)
Howard started for Asheville but really struggling allowing 9 runs over 3 innings. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning scoring 4 runs on a Schiavone solo home run, Batista solo home run, Walker RBI double and Thomas RBI groundout. They got 3 more runs in the third on a Batista 2 run double and Powell RBI double. The offense would continue to rally scoring 5 runs in the 4th inning on a Schiavone walk, Brutcher RBI single, Batista groundout and Daudet 2 run double. Walker would add an RBI double in the 6th. Carr pitched in relief and was doing well until the 8th where he allowed 6 runs as the Emperors took the lead. The offense was unable to score again as Asheville fell 17-13.
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (12-20) lost 8-6 (BOX SCORE)
Forcucci got the start and had his best outing as a pro allowing 1 run, which came in the first inning, over 3 innings. The offense responded with 2 runs in the first inning on an Ochoa RBI double and a run on a balk. MacRae relieved Forcucci and allowed 3 runs over 3 innings. Next in was Varela who allowed 4 more runs as the Woodpeckers found themselves down 8-2. They battled back getting a run in the 7th on an Ochoa RBI single. They got 2 more runs in the 8th on a Vasquez 2 run double. The offense got one more in the 9th on a Huezo groundout but that was it as the Woodpeckers fell 8-6.
It’s a real credit to how well this team has played over the first quarter of the season to see how rarely they’ve come up empty. But on Saturday night in Texas, that’s exactly what happened. Not only was this just the 13th time they’ve lost this year, but it was one of an even smaller subset of games that they came up completely empty. The offense more or less came up with nothing. Their pitchers struggled to work clean innings. All things equal, this was one of the least effective games we’ve seen from the Cubs all year long.
This team has been so dominant, we just haven’t had to deal with this very often. This wasn’t much fun. It’s early in the season and things are still being sorted out. However, it feels like this might be one of the worst teams the Cubs have faced all year. So this loss is a bit vexing. It’s all the more vexing given the rough matchup Sunday afternoon. There is a very real chance this team goes to Texas and leaves with only a single win. That said, even if they leave town with just the one win, they’ll still be on pace for more than 100 wins. This team could tail off a lot and still be a favorite to make the playoffs based upon the work they have done to date.
As it stands right now, if the Cubs played exactly .500 ball the rest of the way, they’d win 88 games. In the handful of seasons that have allowed three wild cards in each league, 88 wins has generally been enough to make the postseason, though 90 is the lowest number of wins that has made the postseason every time. So the Cubs have to just play nominally over .500 the rest of the way to be a postseason team. This despite a rash of early season injuries, largely focused on the pitching staff.
So the long and the short is that this one will have little bearing on the season as a whole. This is one of the days that you thank the heavens that this team has been very greedy and it has snapped up every win available to it. This one hurts less as a result. It wasn’t any fun, but it feels like a one off and it doesn’t derail the larger goals. And so, we turn the page quickly. We get back after it on Sunday afternoon. Then we finally get an off day on Monday. That’ll be just the second off day in 25 days, a welcome respite ahead. It’s one of just two days off for the Cubs in May. This is the most games (29) they’ll play in any month this year.
Three Positives:
Ethan Roberts threw two scoreless innings, facing seven batters and walking two. The game was pretty out of reach before he got in there. But he kept it where it was and kept the Cubs for having to get any further into the bullpen.
Dansby Swanson had one hit, a double, in three plate appearances. The Cubs had just four hits.
Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch had a fairly undistinguishing day at the plate. Each had a single and a walk in four plate appearances.
Game 40, May 9: Rangers 6, Cubs 0 (27-13)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Alex Bregman (.051). 0-4
Hero: Michael Busch (.049). 1-3, BB
Sidekick: Michael Conforto (.039). 1-4, BB
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Edward Cabrera (-.221). 5 IP, 21 BF, 7 H, BB, 5 ER, 6 K (L 3-1)
Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.107). 0-4
Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.101). 1-3, BB
WPA Play of the Game: Josh Jung led off the second inning with a solo homer to start the scoring. (.109)
*Cubs Play of the Game: Alex Bregman batted with a runner on first and no outs in the third inning, the Cubs down one. He reached on an error setting up first and second with no outs. (.103)
Player of the Game:
Game 39 Winner: Ben Brown 276 of 328
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Up Next: The third and final game of the season series with the Rangers is Sunday afternoon. Jameson Taillon (2-1, 4.24, 40.1 IP) starts for the eighth time this season for the Cubs. Last time out, he allowed two runs on five hits over 5.2 IP against the Reds. Small samples in the early going, but Jameson has been worse on the road (5.00 v 3.63) and during the day (4.68 v 3.52). None of that bodes too well. In fairness, the three road starts are against the Rays, Dodgers and Padres, who are all quite good.
The Rangers start polarizing figure Jacob deGrom (2-2, 3.11, 37.2). This will be his eighth start of the year. At 37 years old, what makes deGrom polarizing is that there are just 10 seasons (out of 13) that he’s made this many starts. In 13 seasons, he’s made 255 starts — fewer than 20 starts per year. He should reach 100 career wins this season. He should reach 1,600 innings later this month. Even at that, he will have a good distance to go to reach such Hall of Famers as Rollie Fingers (1,701.1) and Rich Gossage (1,809.1). Put simply, deGrom has been elite when healthy. But he just hasn’t stayed healthy in his career. He already has more career strikeouts (1,898) than some names like Hoyt Wilhelm (1,610) and Carl Hubbell (1,677). Whitey Ford is just ahead (1,956). The game has changed through the years.
In case you’ve ever wondered, the average Hall of Fame pitcher has 235 wins, 423 games started, 3,504 innings and 2,047 strikeouts. The rate at which he has accumulated WAR is elite. But he just hasn’t been healthy enough to accumulate very much of it.
Last time out, Jacob allowed six runs in just 6.1 IP. He’s lost his last two starts (both to the Yankees). Let’s keep that struggle going for him.
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 05: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Braves are trying to win it today, not just for the series. They gotta do it #ForTheMoms.
I’d had a vague feeling that the Braves didn’t have a great track record on Mother’s Day, not based on any specific memories.
However, my recency bias was not completely unfounded: it turns out Atlanta have lost on Mother’s Day for the last three seasons. You have to go back to May 8, 2022 when Charlie Morton led the Braves to a 9-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers for their last win on this particular day.
They didn’t just lose, though. They specifically (and excruciatingly) lost in walkoff fashion for these three straight years.
Raisel Iglesias (2023, 2025) and AJ Minter (2024) came in to close tight games and were charged with losses instead. Road wins are tough, but the Braves lead the league in them this year, so let’s see if we can stop this unfortunate trend today behind starter Bryce Elder. Because if Bryce Elder pitches a complete game shutout, there can’t be a high-leverage bullpen arm to blow it, right? Right?
The regularly-rested Bryce and his sterling 2.02 ERA will take the mound in today’s finale hoping to add yet another quality start to his 2026 campaign. He had a strong performance his last time out versus Seattle, pitching six innings allowing two hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out nine. He got swings and misses on all five of his pitches and was very in control outside of the two-run homer allowed to J.P. Crawford in the third inning.
“Bryce is for real,” said Braves manager Walt Weiss after that game. We’re hoping so!
The 25-year old lefty Justin Wrobleski (5-0, 1.25 ERA) will make his sixth start for the Dodgers since moving from the bullpen on April 6. He’s made a fantastic case to stay in the rotation, especially with Snell’s less-than-ideal debut last night and Glasnow down with back spasms. That ERA is already eye-popping, but it’s even better when you discount his three-run, four inning relief outing to start the season – without that, he’s allowed two runs in 32 innings across five starts to amount to a 0.56 ERA. He’s bolstered the Dodgers rotation with a six pitch mix and quality run prevention, but there are some signs that regression looms. Take a look at some of these blue bars:
Defying the odds of his expected ERA at 4.23, he does it all with an incredibly low strikeout (10.5%) and whiff (12.5%) rates, which puts him in the bottom 2% of MLB. The maximum number of strikeouts he’s gotten in a game this season is six; seven’s his career high. He’s spun several scoreless outings by preventing quality contact, albeit aided with a .222 BABIP. Notably, he’s yet to give up a home run. It’d be nice to see the Braves, after getting to Blake Snell but making Emmet Sheehan look like Cy Young, get back to their homer-hitting ways as a parting gift to LA.
If last night was for Bobby, today’s rubber game is for Braves Country moms.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 10, 4:10 p.m. ET
Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: BravesVision, Gray TV
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 05: Andres Munoz #75 of the Seattle Mariners reacts while taking the mound during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park on May 05, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Andrés Muñoz changed for some reason.
It’s been a rough early going for the Mariners’ star closer. Muñoz has a 6.00 ERA and has already allowed more home runs (three) than he did all of last season (two). He’s been pinned with five “meltdowns,” or outings where his WPA was less than to -0.06 — basically, a more comprehensive version of blown saves. Batters have a 50% hard hit rate against him and a .533 xwOBAcon, which ranks next to last among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched.
Despite all the hard contact, Muñoz is still getting tons of whiffs and strikeouts. His 42.7% whiff rate is the best in baseball — except for Mason Miller’s anti-human 57.8% — and his 37.9% strikeout rate is top five.
We can see he occupies a unique space on the whiff versus quality of contact chart:
I’m going to start by saying Muñoz is probably fine. He has a stretch like this at least once a season, where batters hit him hard. Mixed with an always-high walk rate, that turns into lots of runs. Muñoz may very well go down as the best reliever in team history by the time he reaches free agency after 2028, but he is still a reliever, prone to the violent swings of one-inning samples.
Still, by xwOBA allowed, we’re witnessing the worst stretch of his career:
How? Why?
I don’t know, is the truest thing I can say. While I’m going to do my best to step through the data, the thing I’m most confident in telling you is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all, universal truth to pitching — pitchers can be good and bad despite all sorts of peripherals.
Let’s start with a plot from Baseball Savant, showing Muñoz’s horizontal movement by year:
Muñoz four-seamer and sinker have much less arm-side run in 2026, with the four-seamer specifically moving three inches less than it did last year. His spin efficiency is also down about seven points, suggesting he’s releasing the baseball a bit different in 2026.
Stuff+ thinks this version of Muñoz’s four-seamer, with less movement and different spin, is much worse, though the profile doesn’t look far removed overall:
Muñoz has always had something of a weird fastball. It’s on the flatter end of the spectrum, meaning it enters the zone on a line, rather than if he were pitching from the top of a 10-foot ladder. Flat fastballs are often associated with more whiffs — think Paul Sewald and Bryan Woo — whereas steep fastballs are often associated with more grounders. Despite its flatness, however, Muñoz’s fastball has been more of a ground ball pitch.
Why?
That gets us to the concept of the “dead zone.” The term is used to describe fastballs that — based on their spin, angle and other physical properties — tend to move predictably and perform poorly. A good fastball isn’t always about getting lots of movement, but lots of movement relative to what a batter might infer out of hand.
Before joining the Dodgers in 2025, Max Bay created an app to illustrate this concept. Here we can see that Mason Miller often imparts vertical movement on his fastball that batters simply wouldn’t expect, helping explain why they so often swing (and miss) under the pitch:
And here we can see Muñoz, with significant overlap on his expected and actual movement. This suggests batters are more likely to swing accurately at the pitch, perhaps explaining why they posted a 59% hard hit rate on it last year:
But Bay’s “dead zone” calculation intentionally doesn’t incorporate velocity as a variable (for a variety of good reasons). Alex Chamberlain wrote a great piece about this “analytical blind spot” last year for FanGraphs, specifically discussing Muñoz’s fastball. When factoring Muñoz’s big velocity, Chamberlain noted batters should infer more “rise” on the pitch than implied by the dead zone, convincing them to swing too high and beat it into the ground. That’s likely why a four-seamer would normally get blown up could still serve as a (moderately) useful tandem for his other-worldly slider.
I’m reluctant to make any sort of broad judgements about these figures, but it certainly looks like Muñoz is even closer to the dead zone than before, especially horizontally. And if his fastball had previously rested on a delicate balance of traits, it’s possible these changes have eliminated the grounder-inducing properties, allowing batters to elevate their hard contact. That’s not good.
So, why make this change?
I should say up front that I don’t know if this intentional. I’m far from an expert on these figures, and I don’t know how much they fluctuate in season. This could very well be a mechanical blip, or even just “how it goes.”
If it is intentional, however, I can only guess at the thinking. Again, Muñoz’s fastball last year wasn’t good for much more than stealing strikes and creating hard grounders, so a tweak was justified. The fastball also appears to be tunneling better with his slider, and the new shape gives him a greater range of total movement, making him less predictable in aggregate. His total whiff rate jumped from 36.5% to 42.7% this year.
I also haven’t addressed the corresponding changes to his sinker. Maybe whatever tweak we’re seeing in his four-seamer is causing the extra inch of drop on his sinker, allowing him to, you know, not throw it right down the middle all the time. The stuff and location models love this change. Like, if you already have a dead-zone fastball that you’re using as a sinker, maybe it’s best to simply improve the sinker. It’s a pitch he mostly throws to righties, and it’s swapped places this year with his four-seamer as the get-me-over pitch when behind in counts. Muñoz has a 0.00 FIP and 51% strikeout rate against righties this year. There is something about the profile that is working.
But Muñoz was already great against both handedness, and now he’s struggling to get the four-seamer past lefties. The Mariners and their pitchers are known for endless tinkering, and the returns have been somewhat mixed, with equal-and-opposite reactions to create offsetting gains (think George Kirby and Logan Gilbert). Obviously, the changes for Emerson Hancock have been outstanding, but that’s only because Hancock wasn’t doing anything well before — the only direction he could go was up. There wasn’t much more for Muñoz to reach for. Now there is.
Regardless of these changes and impacts (and the reasons behind them), it’s probably not too big of a deal. I’m overall confident in any pitcher getting so many whiffs, and I expect those to win out over time. I do think this iteration of Muñoz’s fastball will continue to get hit hard, and I expect less of that contact will come on the ground. But really the biggest issue in his early line is not the shape of his fastball but a few middle-middle mistakes. There’s hardly a pitch that can survive poor locations.
The final thing I will say is probably the only thing I should have said: Relievers.
The New York Yankees — one of the hottest teams in baseball — will look to avoid a sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon.
New York got out to a lead last night only to see it dissolve in extra innings. Now it will send veteran Carlos Rodon to the mound to make his season debut, which introduces a high degree of volatility to the mix.
Read all about it in my Yankees vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 10.
Who will win Yankees vs Brewers today: Brewers (+105)
There’s an element of fatigue at play, with the New York Yankees playing their ninth game in nine days. Carlos Rodon is also making his season debut after not being a picture of consistency last season.
Season debuts naturally carry uncertainty, and they are even more of a concern with pitchers like Rodon. His 9.3% walk rate ranked in the Bottom 30% of baseball last season, and he now faces a patient swinging team in the Milwaukee Brewers today.
On the other side, Logan Henderson has posted a 1.46 expected ERA through his first two outings.
Yankees vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-133)
I’ve already mentioned the impressive metrics surrounding Henderson in a limited sample. Beyond that, though, the Brewers' bullpen, with a collective 1.33 WHIP and 3.46 ERA, is well rested.
Strong performances for their starters have given them a good amount of options to close this one out, including the emerging DL Hall, who has a ton of swing-and-miss.
On the other hand, while I’ve mentioned concerns about Rodon, he has enough to limit the damage and help keep this Under. Even if the Brewers do get to him, New York won't provide much else.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 14-14, +0.01 units
Over/Under bets: 18-11, +8.72 units
Yankees vs Brewers odds
Moneyline: Yankees -121 | Brewers +109
Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+140) | Brewers +1.5 (-155)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+111) | Under 8.5 (-133)
Yankees vs Brewers trend
The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the run line in five of their last six games at home (+6.10 Units / 85% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Brewers.
How to watch Yankees vs Brewers and game info
Location
American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Date
Sunday, May 10, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
YES, Brewers.TV
Yankees starting pitcher
Carlos Rodon (2025: 18-9, 3.09 ERA)
Brewers starting pitcher
Logan Henderson (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Yankees vs Brewers latest injuries
Yankees vs Brewers weather
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