The Braves offense just could not find its usual groove over the weekend. After an exciting win on Friday. the Braves were shut out Saturday and did not score a run till the ninth on a rainy 2-1 Sunday loss to the Nationals. It was only the Braves second series loss of the season, but is the latest sign that the Braves offense as whole is going through a bit of a tough stretch. Hopefully, Monday’s off-day will be a nice reset before the week ahead.
Braves News
Spencer Schwellenbach has received good news in his injury recover, feels good, and is throwing.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 24: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch in the fourth inning during an MLB game against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 24, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers took care of business on the road last week, against two National League playoff contenders. They lost the first game of each series, in San Diego and Milwaukee, but then won the next two over the Padres and Brewers to a 4-2 week and a 7-2 road trip.
Batter of the week
Freddie Freeman did not have any singles this week, but he made up for it with two home runs, three doubles, and 10 walks, and a tidy 1,379 OPS.
Pitcher of the week
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched seven innings and allowed one run not once, but twice to bookend the week, making this an easy call.
Week 9 results
4-2 record 26 runs scored (4.33 per game) 14 runs allowed (2.33 per game) .756 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
33-20 record 274 runs scored (5.17 per game) 168 runs allowed (3.17 per game) .710 pythagorean win percentage (38-15)
Transactions
Monday: After opting out of his minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, Jonathan Hernándezsigned with the Dodgers and joined their bullpen. Chayce McDermott was optioned after his one day on the roster.
The Dodgers are back home, running the Kenny Roberts gauntlet while hosting the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies, the latter now helmed by old friend Don Mattingly.
May 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer (4) looks out to the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Colorado Rockies have made it one-third of the way through the season. They have gone 21-32, which is 13 games better than they were through 54 games in 2025. They started off well – going 14-18 in the months of March and April – but have cooled off significantly through May.
Over the weekend in Phoenix, manager Warren Schaeffer offered his insights as to what’s been working and what hasn’t.
Early season successes, challenges and surprises
For Schaeffer, the pieces are there. It’s just a matter of the Rockies playing consistently.
“We have a group of guys that compete night in and night out,” he said.
“I know early in the season, our bullpen was one of the best in the league – extremely strong and holding games down at the end. I think the offense was clicking early on and moving the line very well. And I think when we do those things and we get good starting pitching – which we did as well, we kept scores low – we won more ballgames. But it’s a formula that we can do every night. We have the ability to do that every night, and then it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”
The thing that has changed in May, when the Rockies have gone 6-16, is “a lack of offensive execution in big moments,” Schaeffer said.
“I think that has been a consistent theme this month, and also just inconsistency in all three facets of the game – starting pitching, bullpen work and offense. Just inconsistency where we can get better at that. We have the personnel to get better at that.”
The Rockies are 6-9 in one-run games, and 4-7 in two-run games. It’s a matter of executing the little things and getting over the top, which is something they work on everyday.
“It’s a daily grind,” Schaeffer said. “It’s not from a lack of trying and lack of work. We’re just trying to move the ball forward every single day in everything that we do. [We’ve got] great plans of attack against pitchers every night. [We’re] prepared on the pitching side more than I’ve ever seen. It’s just a matter of us learning to put it all together on a consistent basis.”
Baseball is a unique sport because teams play every day, while other sports have more days in between to prepare and practice. But that just means that what the players are working on might take a little longer to show up.
“These guys are working from 1:00 to 5:00 and then play a game at 7:00. That’s a lot of work,” Schaeffer said. “ And sometimes it doesn’t show up, sometimes it does show up that night, and sometimes it’s a process.
“This is a huge process game where each night you have a chance for redemption,” he continued. “You have a brand new opportunity every night, and you put in the work as a man and you know that at some point this is going to pay off. We have a really good ballclub, and it’s just a matter of time before we put it all together.”
However, there have been some early season surprises.
“Troy Johnston has been a really, really nice surprise for us,” Schaeffer said. “On Opening Day, it was borderline if Tyler Freeman was going to be healthy or not and if [Johnston] was going to make the team. And something else happened there, and then he made the club. But he’s been a great surprise.
“TJ Rumfield has also been a great surprise,” he continued. “You never know what you’re going to get out of a guy’s first year in the big leagues. Both of those guys have been incredible surprises on the positive end.”
Over the offseason, the Rockies completely overhauled their front office and coaching staff. They came in with a new plan and vision, and they’re seeing it emerge on the field.
“It’s showing up well,” Schaeffer said. “We’re looking for progress. We’re looking for a focus on winning, and that stuff is still the same. We’re looking to elevate everything we do, and on a daily basis, we’re definitely doing that as a whole. Our message has been consistent, and I think the daily process has continued to be consistent with that.”
But there haven’t been many adjustments just to keep the messaging steady.
“You can’t be wishy-washy in what you’re trying to do and in the message you’re sending to the players,” Schaeffer emphasized. “I don’t think anything has changed in that regard. I think throughout the season, there’s ebbs and flows to certain things at that moment that are important that you address, but the general theme of upholding a high standard and instituting basically a brand new standard is consistent.”
And the communication between the “Big Three” has remained the same, even though they’re all traveling a lot more than they did in spring training.
“I talk to Paul [DePodesta] every day, whether it’s text or calling on the phone,” Schaeffer said.
“And [Josh] Byrnes, I see him every day when we’re at home, and then every now and then we’ll touch base on the road. He was here in Arizona, but JB is focused heavily on scouting right now. But we have Slack channels and text messages, so there’s a ton of communication.”
Looking forward
There are 108 games left in the season, so a lot can change. But Schaeffer is still looking the forward to “watching these boys grow and play every single day and compete and get better.”
“There’s nothing better for me than to watch guys get better, and as a unit create something special. It’s the same opportunity that we talked about in spring training. It still exists, even though the record doesn’t look like what we want it to right now.
“Every day there’s a brand new opportunity to push something forward, and that’s exciting to me,” he continued, “to watch these guys grow into something special and a winning ballclub.”
But Schaeffer has one message to the fans as the Rockies continue to rebuild and evaluate.
“Know that we’re working hard, and we’re holding a high standard. Everyone here is.”
The Isotopes dropped their series finale in Las Vegas, splitting the series with the Aviators (Athletics). Ryan Feltner made his second rehab start, and pitched solidly. The righty threw five innings, allowing just one run on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The Topes’ bullpen struggled, though, as Blake Adams gave up three runs on five hits through three innings with a walk and three strikeouts. But Mason Green blew the save and was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in the ninth.
Cole Carrigg (No. 3 PuRP) went 0-for-2 but recorded two walks. Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts, but he did steal a base.
The Yard Goats’ pitching was excellent in the victory over the River Cats (Blue Jays). Konner Eaton (No. 28 PuRP) threw six innings and allowed two runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Cade Denton entered in the seventh, and pitched two shutout innings with two strikeouts. Carlos Torres earned his second save of the year, allowing just one hit in the ninth with a strikeout.
On the hitting side, Zach Kokoska went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Braylen Wimmer went 2-for-4.
The Spokane Indians went up 5-1 early, but allowed the Canadians (Blue Jays) to score in five straight innings to overtake them 6-5. Luckily, Alan Espinal singled and stole second in the sixth, and was able to score on a Jacob Hinderleider single three batters later to tie the game. Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) then scored Hinderleider on a sharp grounder of his own, which proved to be the game winnner.
In that first inning, things got started with a Tommy Hopfe solo homer. Then, Roynier Hernandez walked and Kevin Fitzer singled. Espinal walked and then Jack O’Dowd singled to score Hernandez and Fitzer. Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP) doubled to score Espinal, and then a bases-loaded walk three batters later scored O’Dowd.
On the pitching side, Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) pitched alright, allowing four runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Nathan Blasick ended up with the win after pitching two innings of relief and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Justin Loer earned the hold with two innings in which he struck out three and did nothing else, and Fisher Jameson earned his first save of 2026 with a clean ninth with a strikeout.
It was a back-and-forth affair in Rancho Cucamonga, but the Grizzlies edged the Quakes (Angels) to move to 25-20 on the season. Every Grizzlies’ starter recorded at least one hit except for Derek Bernard and Kyle Fossum, and Ashly Andujar (No. 20 PuRP) recorded two. The shortstop went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, one run scored and two RBI.
On the pitching side, Marcos Herrera pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just two runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Jhon Medina ended up with the win, though, after blowing a save. He pitched two innings and allowed one run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. Bryson Van Sickle allowed a solo home run in his 1.1 innings of work, but it was the only hit and run he allowed. He also recorded two strikeouts.
The Rockies signed Jack O’Dowd — son of former GM Dan O’Dowd — in the offseason, and he’s been tearing it up in the minor leagues so far. He began the year in Fresno and was promoted to Spokane earlier this week, where he hit two home runs in his debut on Thursday. Thomas Harding caught up with him and discussed his journey to this moment.
The Rockies’ IL filled up this week with players like Mickey Moniak and Brenton Doyle, but yesterday José Quintana left the game in the second inning after feeling pain and “heaviness” in his pitching elbow. He spoke after the game and things don’t look great… but he’ll get imaging today or tomorrow to determine next steps.
Tomoyuki Sugano is a legend in Japan. He had success over the last decade but came stateside because he didn’t want to have any regrets in the latter part of his career. Patrick Saunders also asked Ryan Spilborghs about Sugano, who Spilly described as “the equivalent of someone like Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, or Justin Verlander going to Japan after their elite run in the majors.” So far, Sugano is one of the Rockies’ best pitchers, with a 4-3 record and 3.86 ERA in 10 starts.
Happy Monday, everyone, and believe it or not… the last week of May. I’m not quite sure where this year is going, but somehow we are two full months into this baseball season, and unfortunately for some teams, that means it’s time to take a really long, serious look at what they plan to do for the remainder of the season. Predicted contenders may soon become wholesale trading houses (looking at you, Detroit Tigers), while some underdogs are on top of the heap (who saw the Tampa Bay Rays coming?)
Speaking of the Rays, they played an unexpectedly pivotal role in helping Aaron Judge this weekend, as the Yankees’ MVP slugger has been experiencing a home run drought lately. That all ended in a game against the Rays, though.
In other baseball news, the Blue Jays have suffered a spate of new injuries, one of them season-ending. Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole is back in action, and we’ll look at what it took to get him there, and Chris Taylor retired twice this weekend.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 08: A general view of Oracle Park during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants on Friday, May 8, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, and Happy Memorial Day baseball fans!
We’re going to be doing a combined BP for today and tomorrow, due to the holiday. And it is a new week of San Francisco Giants baseball, which means that it’s time to take a look at the week ahead and see what’s on deck.
This week will be a full week of NL West play. The Giants will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Oracle Park this afternoon to begin a three-game series. After an off-day on Thursday, they will head to the hellmouth Coors Field for a three-game weekend series.
Normally, a mid-week series against the Diamondbacks would not get my vote two weeks in a row. But I will never, ever, in good conscience, pick a series at Coors Field. So I guess that’s my pick this week.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
If you’re reading this on Monday, the Giants play game one of this series at 2:05 p.m. PT. And if you’re reading this on Tuesday, they play game two at 6:45 p.m. PT.
May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) reacts after hitting a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
There are three players in this story. The first is Victor Scott. The second is the fanbase’s opinion of Victor Scott. And then there’s my opinion of Scott, inextricably linked to the fanbase’s opinion. There are certain players who come along where I react to the fanbase’s opinion of a player. If I feel the fanbase is particularly hard on a player for reasons that I may even understand, and I certainly do with Scott, then I tend to root for that player more than normal.
Scott is a weirder case than normal for me though. The first player this happened to was Lance Lynn, and I believe it was 2013 and it was definitely before advanced stats were widely accepted, because boy were his advanced stats good that year. But he had a 4.83 ERA in June, 4.84 ERA in July, and a 5.84 ERA in August and he became known for “Lynnings.” A blowout inning essentially. And I just remember digging my heels in and defending Lynn on Twitter, because most people seemed to want Joe Kelly in the rotation instead.
The next year, that player became Peter Bourjos, so I’m not going to pretend I have a 100 percent success rate with this. But my point is that entirely due to the fanbase at large jumping on a player I felt deserved their spot in the rotation, I became a huge Lance Lynn fan. I was never that big of a Joe Kelly fan because of this. So it can go both ways.
I share that backstory because I feel like my opinion on Victor Scott has changed based on how the fanbase is reacting to Victor Scott. In none of the players where this situation has happened has that player both simultaneously been both Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly at various stages of their Cardinal tenure. This is also a unique situation because the Lynn situation was exclusively limited to Twitter and people I interacted with in real life, not this site. This site did not need to be shown advanced stats.
But with Scott, I’m going to be honest. VEB comments are primarily what I’m reacting against, even though I do suspect the fanbase at large does tend to share the majority opinion here. How you guys feel about Scott has impacted how I feel about Scott.
It started back in 2023, when I ran my top 20 prospect series that you guys voted on and you guys neglected to put Scott on the top 20. I did my put Scott on my top 20, something I tried to remind people whenever I could because of what happened in the following year. This is what I wrote about Scott:
“I don’t know why this guy isn’t getting more love to be honest. He is (as far as we know) an elite runner and elite defender. The runner part is most likely true. He stole 13 bases to 3 caught stealing and hit 4 triples. At least in the sample shown in Low A, he has an incredible plate approach. He had 24 walks to 26 strikeouts in 142 PAs. The bat is the only question mark – probably the most important part admittedly, but still. As long as his plate approach doesn’t completely go to shit to compensate for hitting…. I don’t think he even needs to be that good of a hitter to look like an MLBer.”
And then the next year, he was voted as the #3 prospect in the system. And I did not really hide that I thought he was too high on that list. The dynamic had shifted. The fanbase was higher on Victor Scott than I was. And nothing had actually changed. Remove the first sentence and I could have written the exact same thing when putting him on my top 20 and it would have been just as true.
And this was more or less the situation for the next two years, when I felt the need to write an article saying that Victor Scott should not make the Opening Day roster in 2025. And then Victor Scott had a much better year than I expected and I think a worse year than the people who wanted him to make the Opening Day roster expected. And that is more or less where the situation is now. Yes, the slow start has exacerbated the concerns about Scott, but it felt like people were done with Scott after last year before this slow start ever happened.
First things first, in my defense of Scott, and I know some of you are going to say you can’t do this. I throw out 2024 completely. He had no business being in the major leagues and I fully believe his experience in the majors impacted his AAA performance. I also believe his AAA performance would look better if he finished the year in Memphis and not the majors. He got called back up to the majors in early August and finished the year with an 85 wRC+.
And fair enough if you think AAA should count. I’ll concede that. I absolutely do not think his MLB performance should not count though. I’ll give you a current day comparable situation. Imagine if the Cardinals called up Jurrangelo Cjintje right now to start in the major leagues. And they gave him 10 starts. And he didn’t show anything in those 10 starts to show he belonged. In 2028, when discussing Cjintje, we would pretend these starts didn’t exist, because we all knew he wasn’t ready. That’s why I think it’s disingenuous to use his career stats when saying why Victor Scott doesn’t belong. 2024 shouldn’t be included.
Because of finishing the year with an 85 wRC+ and because of a great spring training, fans were still high on Scott entering last year. As an aside, between Scott, Nelson Velasquez, and Jordan Walker (and Joshua Baez, I mean there’s so many examples) this year, please for the love of god ignore spring training results people! I know it’s still going to happen, but just remember those players when Rainiel Rodriguez hits 5 homers in spring next year.
Which brings us to this year. Scott has had a genuinely slow start and the things that are supposed to carry his game have not been there either. I can’t deny that. I don’t think those things will continue. I don’t think most people reading this do either to be honest. He has merely been a +2 OAA in CF, which says something about his standard that what would be a +6 in a season is considered a huge disappointment. And he hasn’t really been stealing bases either.
By the way, I want to address the fact that he didn’t attempt to steal Saturday in the 9th. It was the pitcher. Tony Santillan appears to be elite at preventing stolen bases. Most people don’t even try, like Scott. Since 2021, he has had 10 net bases prevented, and baserunners have attempted a steal just 0.4% of stolen base opportunities, which is the 26th best mark since he entered the league. Unless I’m reading this wrong, literally one baserunner has successfully stolen off him, and six baserunners have either been picked off or caught stealing.
Yes, stealing in that situation is great, but you just can’t get caught. That’s why getting caught stealing is a bigger penalty than stealing a base. If you as a baserunner can’t get a good read on the pitcher, you can’t steal. Santillan is apparently hard to read. I was actually really annoyed with the broadcast for mentioning that nobody has stolen a base off Santillan this year and then spent the rest of the inning confused he wasn’t stealing. Can you not read between the lines here? Some of the stolen base discussion, not specifically about Scott, annoys me because the pitcher is never really taken into account.
*This is a really fun stat, so I’ll share two Cardinals starters on opposite extremes. Pallante is AWFUL at holding runners on, with -16 net bases prevented, which ranks 478th out of 546 pitchers since 2021. Michael McGreevy however has been elite, with +6 net bases prevented and 0.2% attempted steals since he entered the league.
Sorry, went off on a tangent. There aren’t that many stats I can share to show that Scott still deserves chances, but there aren’t zero. Scott is exceptional about not chasing pitches out of the zone. He hasn’t walked that much this year, but I think he’ll walk more than he has. He’s walked just 6.8% of the time, but he walked 9.1% of the time last year and has a 8% projection. If he continues to not chase pitches, he’ll walk more.
It’s not super encouraging, but most of his x stats suggest he’s been unlucky. Not tremendously so, but when we’re talking about the difference between a 53 wRC+ and a 70 wRC+, that certainly changes your perception of a hitter. He’s got a .221 xBA when his current batting average is .197. He is 27th percentile in average exit velocity, which is a lot better than his results thus far.
I also think we should still believe his defense is elite. He is 98th percentile in sprint speed, so he certainly hasn’t lost a step. And despite the fact that he has a rep for having a weak arm…. he doesn’t. I guess he’s had some weak throws that are noticeable, but he straight up does not have a weak arm. His throws are thrown at an average speed of 87.4 mph, which is 75th percentile. He is not particularly good at using that arm strength to throw out runners, granted, although it hasn’t cost him this year. His extra bases prevented is 0, which is tied with Jordan Walker along with about 50 other outfielders.
All I’m saying is that giving a player like Victor Scott opportunities is exactly what this season is for. He’s 25-years-old, I do not understand giving up on the idea that he could be good enough to start in CF, especially when he did it last season. I know his hitting wasn’t impressive and 1.7 fWAR doesn’t pop off the page, but he did that in 463 PAs, not 600 PAs. That’s an average player.
Plus, he’s been so much better lately, I kind of feel like it’s gone unnoticed just because his stats were so awful in that first month, that it’ll be a while before his stats don’t look terrible. Obviously, I am arbitrarily choosing the best time period to make Scott’s stats look good, but in his last 49 PAs, Scott has a 94 wRC+. It came with a 20% k rate, .313 BABIP, and .116 ISO. It might be too little, too late given Lars Nootbaar is coming back soon, but I just have felt the same criticism despite better play.
At the very least, if all you take from this article is that Victor Scott is playing better lately, then it’ll have been worth it to write it for me. I think that deserves to be acknowledged.
Apr 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) slides into home plate to score against Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgj Pirates are about to start another big divisional series when they face off against the Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh is 2-1 this season against Chicago winning the first series.
The first game against each other was on April 10 at Wrigley Field where the only scoring came from a two run home run by Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates then won the second game 4-3 in 11 innings which is just the third extra inning victory for Pittsburgh this season. The third game of the series ended with a Cubs walk off single hit by Carson Kelly.
The largest deficit in that series was just by 2 runs. That shows that these teams are very even and well matched.
That was a big series for Brandon Lowe who had two home runs. It was also a solid series for Brayn Reynolds who had three RBIs.
The Cubs are currently struggling after losing 2 out of three to their rivals the White Sox. They also got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers which at the moment puts them in second place in the NL Central.
The Bucs historically have struggled against the Cubs. The Buccos went just 3-10 vs Chicago last season. In those 13 games in 2025 against Chicago the Pirates did not score more than four runs which they snapped this season after their 7-6 victory.
This is going to be the first time this season that these two teams will meet at PNC park. In 2025 the pirates only won one game vs the Cubs at home.
Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Paul Skenes are the set starters for the four game series. It is very important for the starting pitching to step up and produce. Ashcraft’s last performance where he threw 7 innings and had nine strikeouts and just 1 earned run is a very good sign for Pittsburgh.
This is going to be a tough series because of the lack of success the Pirates have had throughout the years against the Cubs. It is important for the Buccos to at least take two out of three against what is arguably their biggest divisional rival.
BALTIMORE – Summer in the D is glorious, as a winter’s worth of chill finally gives way to warm days, late sunsets and good times in the Motor City. And when the Detroit Tigers return home to Comerica Park on Tuesday, May 26, the temperature is forecast to hit 82 degrees, a perfect prelude to Michigan’s high season.
If only the Tigers could so easily flip the switch on what was supposed to be a similarly sublime season.
Instead, a series of calamitous events, paired with abominable play, has this anticipated juggernaut fighting for survival. The final season for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal before he hits free agency took a jarring turn when the lefty was shelved May 4 with bone chips in his elbow that required surgery.
What happened since has been more dispiriting.
The Tigers lost 16 of their next 18 games, tumbling into the American League Central cellar, creating the impression they collapsed in the wake of their ace’s ailment.
More accurately, a handful of ailments, along with a roster not constructed to withstand them, has had a cascading effect. Fifteen Tigers are on the injured list, most in the majors after reliever Brant Hurter landed there Sunday with lumbar spine inflammation.
And the setbacks seem to get more macabre.
Sunday, the club lost for the 21st time in 28 road games when closer Kenley Jansen gave up a two-out, two-strike three-run ninth inning homer, his third walk-off blast yielded in this young season. The Tigers recovered to win the nightcap and gain a doubleheader split against the Baltimore Orioles, snapping an eight-game losing streak
And with that, they packed their bags and headed home, admittedly in an odd spot: Just as the city comes to life, the Tigers are forced to adopt an unexpected mantra.
Not dead yet. We swear.
“I want to keep encouraging these guys that No. 1, the season is not lost. The division has not been won,” manager A.J. Hinch insisted, on a day the Tigers fell 10 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. “The playoffs have not been named.
“All the goals you had as a team, eight weeks ago, are still available to you.”
It’s just awfully hard to see from here.
Detroit is 21-33, with only the Los Angeles Angels sporting an inferior record in the AL, and its 8-21 road record is the worst in the major leagues.
Center fielder Matt Vierling was a member of both the 2022 Phillies who started 21-29 and reached the World Series, and the ’24 Tigers who sold off parts at the trade deadline, were eight games under .500 on Aug. 10 yet rallied for a wild card and reached the AL Division Series.
While there’s no Knute Rockne speech to be given – the club’s performance after Skubal’s injury would’ve made such eyewash even sillier - Vierling says he’s made a point to pull teammates aside on the team bus, at dinner, in quiet moments in the clubhouse to keep the road ahead in sight.
Even if the current ride is bumpy.
“It’s difficult when you lose one guy, you lose two guys, you lose five or six,” says Vierling. “Kind of like a ‘Whoa, OK.’ The whole dynamic changes with everything. Unfortunately, that did happen to us.
“But that doesn’t have to define our season. It might define what’s going on right now, but we still got plenty of time left. Miss those guys a ton, and I know when they’re back, they’re really gonna help us.”
Yet the pain has yet to abate.
'It's been awful'
Gleyber Torres was an All-Star last year, and while his final numbers weren’t gaudy, his presence in the Tigers lineup balanced their offensive diet. He’d posted a .389 on-base percentage through 32 games this year when, two days before Skubal’s prognosis was revealed, he injured an oblique muscle.
He is nearing recovery, but the Tigers’ struggles without him has made it harder to watch.
“It’s been awful,” Torres said Sunday, now traveling with the team after getting treatment at the club’s Florida complex. “Being injured is no fun. At the beginning I thought it would be a short period. I feel frustration because I feel I can’t do anything for the team.
“When I was in Florida I see the game but I don’t be around the boys. Now I’m here and just feel whatever they feel right now.”
“It’s awful.”
Torres’ absence has been felt throughout the lineup. When he occupied the No. 2 spot on most nights, catcher Dillon Dingler typically batted fifth or sixth – and flourished, with a.257/.330/.495 line, an .850 OPS, six homers and 23 RBIs in 29 games.
In the 18 games since Torres’ injury? A .194/.279/.400 line, with four homers and eight RBIs.
“Even on his bad days, he’s going to find a way to get on base or get a hit. That’s very, very stable in the top third of the order,” says Hinch of Torres. “Everything changes when you lose someone of Gleyber’s presence. And we have to overcome it.
“We need somebody to get hot or get on base a little more to create good things in the absence of someone as talented as Gleyber.”
That won’t be Kerry Carpenter, sidelined with an AC sprain in his left shoulder, nor veteran Javy Báez, out indefinitely following a grim ankle injury.
Given all the absences, all too often it’s fallen to a dazzling rookie to lead them.
Kevin McGonigle: Indispensable rookie
Jumping Kevin McGonigle from Class AA all the way to Detroit wasn’t necessarily in the master plan. Yet the manner in which the 21-year-old handled himself in spring training – at the plate and in every facet that makes a big leaguer – left them little choice.
And he’s justified their decision almost every day.
McGonigle leads major league rookies – a fine class this season – in hits (55), doubles (12), batting average (.282) and OBP (.386) and is one of five major leaguers with more walks (31) than strikeouts (30).
Still, it has not been an entirely linear elevator to what should be an All-Star Game appearance.
McGonigle has just two extra-base hits in his past 106 plate appearances, his OPS dropping from .963 on April 25 to .796 through Sunday.
Still, his OBP has remained steady in that span – getting on base at a .356 clip even as his slugging has dissipated – and Hinch has admitted the club can’t afford to manage his workload in his first 162-game campaign.
On a largely veteran team, he’s been objectively its steadiest performer.
“His overall contribution demonstrates that he belongs,” says Hinch. “When players – especially hitters – get here, they want to feel that they belong. We want to look at how they respond. Same approach, same demeanor, same reaction to success and failure.
“How he’s overcome making mistakes, how he has drawn walks where normal, young hitters are going to be anxious and overswing, he’s demonstrated that he belongs as a big leaguer. He’s a mainstay in this lineup and sometimes you have to remind yourself, he’s 21 and didn’t play Triple-A.”
Especially in his ability to meet the moment. Some 250 family and friends made the roughly 90-minute drive from his hometown of Media, Pennsylvania to see him play at Camden Yards.
He led off the May 22 series opener and clubbed the first pitch for a home run.
“Advanced is one of the perfect words for it. Mature is another really good word for it. His personality – to be 21 and doing that is insane,” says Vierling. “His baseball sense and what he’s doing on the field is pretty incredible. Every single time he goes up there, I feel like he’s going to hit a ball hard, he’s going to walk, he’s going to work a long at-bat.
“I haven’t really seen much like him since I’ve been in the big leagues.”
McGonigle is 52 games into his career and clearly has a decent handle on the cat-and-mouse tango that goes on in the big leagues. The book is out on him, and he has not folded.
McGonigle ranks in the 97th percentile in both chase and whiff percentage, a startling level of discipline for such a young hitter. His compact 5-9, 187-pound frame should only add strength as he gets older.
Yet he’s more than holding his own already.
“To be able to compete at the highest level of the game is awesome,” McGonigle tells USA TODAY Sports. “I go out every day trying to stay consistent with mindset stuff and trying to help the team win.”
While he’s arguably been their most reliable player, McGonigle still leans significantly on veteran sounding boards. A big league indoctrination amid a season gone sideways is far from optimal.
The Tigers’ collective woes probably provided the more profound teaching moments.
“The biggest thing they help me with is tell me this is a game of failure. As a team you’re going to fail. As a player you’re going to fail,” says McGonigle. “But the way you stay in this game for a long time is how you respond to that.
“Everyone in here is ready to keep fighting, keep trying to win baseball games and I think we’re going to be in a good spot at the end of the year.”
Learning to take a punch
But at some point, they have to start winning.
Sunday, Baltimore’s Colton Cowser joined Atlanta’s Matt Olson and Cincinnati’s Nathaniel Lowe as lefty sluggers with walk-off homers against Jansen, who ranks third all-time with 483 saves. He was stewing after the Game 1 loss, saying he should’ve “died with my cutter” rather than throw a flaccid two-seam fastball that Cowser drove out to center.
It was the two walks that preceded Cowser’s blast that were less forgivable, the sort of carelessness the club cannot afford in these dire straits.
“We just gotta keep climbing that tall mountain,” says Jansen, “and get on top. It’s one pitch I wish I could’ve taken back.”
Another regret in a season full of them. Yet perhaps the injury report will be kinder soon.
Skubal, thanks to the innovative NanoScope procedure, is returning far sooner than anticipated. He’s thrown bullpen sessions and could possibly face hitters next week in Detroit; Justin Verlander, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer, is in a similar spot in his lengthy return from left hip irritation.
And in Game 2 Sunday, right-hander Troy Melton made his season debut after suffering elbow inflammation during spring training, earning the win with 5 ⅔ effective innings. Dingler washed away the bad vibes with a first-inning two-run homer. McGonigle contributed a two-run, left-on-left single off a lefty.
“We talk about this game being full of adjustments. Here’s a 21-year-old showing you how to do it,” says Hinch of McGonigle. “He loves his at-bats. He’s locked in his at-bats. And we love it when he’s at bat, too.”
Yet the Tigers will need this summer to be far more than the continuing saga of the McGonigle Chronicles. The reinforcements will need time to ramp up, even as the club desperately needs wins.
The goal remains not to enjoy the summer warmth, but stick around for the weather to turn again, in autumn, for the third consecutive season.
“We had the biggest punch in the face a few hours before this game,” says Hinch after the club salvaged the back half of the doubleheader.
“Our guys just stashed it away and went right back into game mode.”
Cleveland is Guards Balling its way to the top of the American League.
The Cleveland Guardians are slowly taking command of the AL Central and quieting every foe in their path, most recently outpitching the Philadelphia Phillies in a tightly-contested three-game series in which their starting pitchers held Philly's sluggers to three runs in 18 ⅔ innings pitched.
The effort began with Gavin Williams' 11 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings Friday and finished with Patrick Messick's 5 ⅔ shutout innings Sunday as the Guardians won an entertaining series - and zoomed to No. 7 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
After quieting Philadelphia, Guardians starters rank sixth in the majors with a 3.46 rotation ERA. Perhaps of greater import, they're second in innings pitched, their 307 IP trailing only Seattle. That will go a long way toward preserving a bullpen in which closer Cade Smith has nailed down 18 of 20 save chances.
Sprinkle in just a dash of timely offense, and Cleveland has won 11 of 13, establishing a 4 1/2 game lead over the Whtie Sox in the Central.
A look at our updated rankings:
1. Atlanta Braves (-)
Unstoppable for five weeks, Matt Olson in a .161/.224/.226 rut with one homer in 67 plate appearances.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Jack Wenninger #92 of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Clover Park on March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Jack Wenninger allowed four runs over five-plus innings, matching the total he had for the entire month of April and more than he had in the entire month of May coming into this contest. The offense kept the team in the game, with Ryan Clifford adding another double and home run to his total for the season, but the team had trouble getting men in scoring position and driving them home.
The one run that Syracuse scored in the fourth was all that was needed to win this one. Joe Geber and the bullpen combined to shut the Herd out, scattering a pair of hits and three walks over seven innings. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Clifford hit his tenth homer of the year, and technically second on the afternoon.
Bryce Conley and Joe Whitman traded zero after zero, both pitchers throwing scoreless inning after scoreless inning. Conley ended up throwing 5.0 scoreless innings, scattering 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4 while Whitman went 6.0 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 8. In the top of the seventh, Binghamton finally put something together. Jose Ramos led off the inning with a solo homer, and the blazing hot Nick Lorusso followed one batter later with a solo blast of his own. The Rumble Pony bullpen wasn’t able to keep the shutout going, as Dan Hammer put a baserunner on third that a Brian Metoyer wild pitch brought home, but they still got the job done.
A shutout is a shutout, even if it’s only seven innings. The Cyclones nickel-and-dimed the Renegades, logging three hits and drawing seven walks en route to a series split. Brady Miller started this one after the rain finally cleared after about 45 minutes after scheduled gametime, but only threw five pitches before being removed from the game due to some kind of injury; he showed no apparent pain or issues when warming-up or throwing those five pitches, but Eduardo Nunez saw something that concerned him and removed the right-hander from the game. Tanner Witt and the rest of the Brooklyn bullpen, rested thanks to Saturday’s cancelled game, ended up pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and four walks, giving the offense more than enough support to get the win. And here’s something you don’t see everyday: stealing 4 bases is impressive enough, two separate players doing so? Most impressive.
St. Lucie held on and secured the win by the skin of their teeth, staving off a ninth inning rally. Antonio Jimenez, back from the developmental list, doubled in a run to put St. Lucie on the board in the third and the team scored two more in the fourth. The Cardinals chipped away, scoring a run apiece in the sixth and seventh, but both runs were negated in the bottom of the eighth, when St. Lucie put up a two spot. If they hadn’t, the Mets would’ve lost this one, as Joe Scarborough had problems in the top of the ninth. A single and a double between a flyout and a groundout put men on the corners, and then an overturned strike call led to a walk that loaded up the bases. Shortstop Ryan Weingartner hit a ball into left-center that luckily ended up turning into a ground rule double, scoring two runs but keeping the tying run on base. With a blown save staring him in the face, Scarborough hunkered down and got third baseman Brayden Smith to weakly fly out to center to end the game.
May 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis García (53) reacts after striking out to end the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
That’s a big side of offensive ineptitude the Phillies delivered this weekend. Now, luckily, they get to move out west and play two teams playing good baseball, including a juggernaut. Cool.
May 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; The Milwaukee Brewers celebrate their win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Brewers 9, Cubs 3
Tuesday: Brewers 5, Cubs 2
Wednesday: Brewers 5, Cubs 0
Thursday: Off Day
Friday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 1
Saturday: Dodgers 11, Brewers 3
Sunday: Dodgers 5, Brewers 1
Division Standings
Brewers 30-20
Cardinals 29-22 (1.5 GB)
Cubs 29-24 (2.5 GB)
Reds 27-25 (4 GB)
Pirates 27-26 (4.5 GB)
Last Week
Brewers: 4-2
Cardinals: 2-3
Cubs: 0-6
Reds: 3-2
Pirates: 3-3
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
As Jason said last week, this is becoming the “What impressive performance did Jacob Misiorowski pull off last week?” feature. He put together another great start, this time going six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Cubs, allowing just three hits and a walk. He still hasn’t allowed a run since April 25, meaning it’s been a full month since an opponent has scored on him.
Misiorowski’s performance was perhaps not even the best of the week, though, as Kyle Harrison turned in seven scoreless frames against the Cubs, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits and a walk. Logan Henderson also went five scoreless with seven strikeouts, allowing two hits and three walks in a win over the Dodgers.
William Contreras had a big week offensively for the Brewers, putting up a team-high 10 hits, slashing .455/.478/.591 with a homer, three RBIs, five runs, and a steal. That included back-to-back three-hit games in wins over the Cubs and Dodgers on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
Shoutout to Jake Bauers, whose on-base streak reached 22 games on Friday night before coming to an end on Saturday. That also pushed him to a 12-game hitting streak, a career-high mark in his seventh MLB season.
The Brewers had a fairly quiet week on the transaction front, as the only swap they made was recalling right-hander Carlos Rodriguez on Sunday morning, sending lefty Robert Gasser back to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. Gasser made two starts in his latest big-league stint, spanning 8 1/3 innings with six earned runs and seven strikeouts against the Twins and Dodgers.
Right-hander Peter Strzelecki, who was selected on May 16 before being designated for assignment the next day, cleared waivers and was sent outright to Nashville. Instead of accepting the demotion, however, Strzelecki opted for free agency, signing with the Yankees on a minor league deal. He’s now with their Triple-A affiliate.
In the injury update category:
Right-hander Quinn Priester, who had already had a short rehab stint in late April/early May, is back on a rehab assignment. He gave up five runs in just three innings on May 21 with Nashville, as his fastball sat 92-93 mph, still slightly below the 93.5 mph average we saw a year ago. He’s currently listed as an early June return, meaning we can expect at least a couple more rehab outings.
Lefty Jared Koenig threw a live batting practice on May 20, and a decision on a potential rehab assignment is now pending.
Right-hander Brandon Woodruff simulated two innings in a 30-pitch bullpen on Monday before throwing 50 pitches in a live BP on Friday, hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.
Outfielder Brandon Lockridge got the stitches on his right knee out on Tuesday and is still slated for a mid- to late June return.
Left-hander Rob Zastryzny and outfielder Akil Baddoo are also on rehab assignments with Nashville.
May 24, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser (17) jumps onto home plate after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning to lead Baltimore to a win over the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If you’re an optimistic Orioles fan, you can find things to like about the Birds’ doubleheader split against the Tigers yesterday. They completed a series win over a struggling Detroit team, starting their 10-game homestand on the right foot. They got another quality start from Brandon Young, who’s stepping up his game in the absence of the Orioles’ many injured pitchers. And Colton Cowser delivered what might have been the Birds’ most exciting hit of the year, a dramatic, walkoff, three-run homer with two outs and an 0-2 count in the ninth that sealed a Game 1 victory.
If you’re a pessimistic Orioles fan, you might point out that the O’s were one strike away from getting swept in a doubleheader by a sorry Tigers team that had lost seven in a row. Or that the Birds’ offense was mostly missing in action besides Cowser’s dinger, managing only eight hits in the two games combined. Or that Trevor Rogers stumbled through another unacceptable outing, giving up four runs without getting out of the fifth inning in the Birds’ 4-1 loss in the nightcap.
Either way, you’re not wrong. You have to take the good with the bad with these 2026 Orioles. Every win keeps their hopes of relevance alive while every loss puts them closer to the point of no return. For every struggling Oriole who shows signs of improvement, like Cowser, there’s another who just continues to spiral, like Rogers. It’s been an emotionally draining season and we’re only just reaching the one-third mark today.
The Orioles could hardly have afforded to lose a series to a team as bad as the Tigers, so at least they avoided such ignominy. It doesn’t give me any real confidence, though, that they’ll be able to do the same against the Rays, their next visitor at Camden Yards. The Rays, the best team in baseball, schooled the Birds with a three-game sweep last week in Tampa. If they were to do the same this week, the O’s would fall to a season-worst 10 games under .500.
The Orioles will need to shake off last night’s loss and play their best baseball against a stellar opponent for the next three days. Are they up to the challenge? I have no idea.
Trevor Rogers almost looked like his 2025 self last night when he retired 10 batters in a row. And then it all fell apart again. What a bummer of a season he’s having, to put it mildly.
Not forever, no. But if you’re asking how soon they’ll part ways with him, that’s something that only O’s ownership knows.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! May 25 has been a popular day for Orioles birthdays; seven former Birds were born on this day. The most prominent is shortstop Miguel Tejada (52), who had four great years with the O’s from 2004-07 (and one less-than-great return in 2010) and set a franchise record with 150 RBIs in 2004. Statistics-wise, Tejada probably deserves to be in the Orioles Hall of Fame, but his links to performance-enhancing drugs at various points of his career eliminate that possibility.
Other former Orioles born on this date are 2025 two-game righty Carson Ragsdale (28), catchers Fernando Lunar (49) and Melvin Rosario (53), right-hander Bill Dillman (81), and the late outfielder Andrés Mora (b. 1955, d. 2015) and first baseman Jim Marshall (b. 1931, d. 2025).
On this date in 2003, O’s reliever Buddy Groom set an obscure record. He pitched in his 638th major league game, in none of which he got a plate appearance (since he was a relief pitcher for mostly AL teams in the non-interleague era). That broke the MLB record set by Red Sox reliever Bob Stanley. Groom went on to pitch 786 games in his major league career, and no, he never did step foot in a batter’s box. They should’ve let him take an at-bat in his final MLB game, just for kicks.
Random Orioles game of the day
On May 25, 1999, the Orioles began a nine-game west coast road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Angels. The O’s jumped out to a quick lead, scoring a first-inning run on B.J. Surhoff’s sac fly, but they were held scoreless for the rest of the game. Angels starter Omar Olivares worked eight strong innings and Troy Percival nailed down the save in the ninth. The Birds’ Scott Erickson went 7.1 innings but was tagged for three homers, including two by Garret Anderson. The loss dropped the Orioles to 16-28, the worst record in the American League.
Happy birthday to Neil Ramirez, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 2002 – With four homers on May 23rd, one on May 24th, and two more today, Shawn Green becomes the first major leaguer to hit seven round-trippers in three games. The Dodgers outfielder’s nine big flies in a week also breaks a National League record, established by Ralph Kiner with eight and tied by Ted Kluszewski and Nate Colbert. In this game, Diamondbacks southpaw Randy Johnson passes Walter Johnson to become seventh on the all-time career strikeout list with his 3,509th. After fanning Green in the 1st to catch the “Big Train”, Dodgers outfielder Brian Jordan swings and misses a 2-2 pitch in the 2nd inning to become the “Big Unit’s” historic victim — and other stories as well.
1923 – Crossing the plate for the 1,741st time, Ty Cobb surpasses Honus Wagner‘s record for most runs scored in a career. The “Georgia Peach” will tally 2,245 runs during his 24-year tenure in the major leagues, a mark which will not be equaled until 2001, when Rickey Henderson breaks the record.
1935 – Babe Ruth shows flashes of his past glory by hitting the final three home runs of his career in the Boston Braves’ 11-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition, his final homer is the first in Forbes Field‘s history to clear its right field roof.
1951 – Willie Mays debuts for the New York Giants, striking out in the 1st inning against Bubba Church. Mays goes 0 for 5, but makes three good plays in the field.
1958 – In a doubleheader sweep by the Pirates at Forbes Field, the Giants’Willie Mays acts as a peace-maker, preventing a berserk Orlando Cepeda from causing havoc with a bat during a bench-clearing brawl in the opener. The melee results from lingering bad feelings between the two teams after an exchange of beanballs in an earlier game on May 7th, and breaks out with P Ruben Gomez batting for the Giants. Mays tackles the bigger Cepeda, rushing to the defense of his countryman, and pins him down until things calm down.
1981 – Carl Yastrzemski becomes just the fourth player ever to appear in 3,000 games.
2009 – The Pirates beat the Cubs, 10-8. Freddy Sanchez goes 6 for 6 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a homer, the first Pirate in 19 years to have six hits in a game. Jason Jaramillo and Andy LaRoche each go 3 for 5.
1721 – John Copson becomes America’s 1st insurance agent.
1787 – Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia, George Washington presiding.
1842 – Christian Doppler presents his idea, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, Prague.
1927 – Henry Ford announces that he is ending production of the Model T Ford.
1935 – Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens equals or breaks four world records in 45 minutes at a Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan; remembered as “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport”.
1965 – Muhammad Ali KOs Sonny Liston at 2:12 of round 1 at Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing title.
2013 – Yuichiro Miura of Japan becomes the oldest person to climb Mount Everest at 80.
Today in Music History:
1962 – Wand Records releases The Isley Brothers’ cover single “Twist & Shout”; it becomes their first top-20 hit, peaking at #1.
1965 – Dave Davies of The Kinks knocked unconscious in an on stage scuffle with drummer Mick Avory at Cardiff’s Capital Theatre.
1967 – John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelically painted Rolls Royce.
1968 – Rolling Stones release song “Jumping Jack Flash”.
1979 – RCA releases David Bowie‘s 13th studio album, “Lodger”; his third collaboration with Brian Eno in what becomes known as his ‘Berlin trilogy’ features contributions from guitarist Adrian Belew.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 5-4 at Lehigh Valley IronPigs
SS George Lombard Jr. 1-3, BB, 3 RBI, K, SF — two-run single put Scranton on the board, tied the game with a sac fly in the fifth, and scored go-ahead run in the ninth after a walk RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K — with Scranton down to last out, doubled to score two runs and put RailRiders in front 2B Oswaldo Cabrera 1-5, K, SB, fielding error 1B Seth Brown 0-3, BB, 2 K 3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, BB, 2 K, fielding error — E5 allowed first IronPig run to score as Lehigh Valley went ahead 3-0 DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-3, BB, K C Payton Henry 1-4 CF Duke Ellis 1-4, K — nice diving catch in center to end it LF Kenedy Corona 2-3, sac bunt, outfield assist
Brendan Beck 6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, WP — not dominant, but hung in there into the seventh Kervin Castro 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K — gave up go-ahead double to Felix Reyes in the eighth Bradley Hanner 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (win) — down to a 1.54 ERA in 17 games (23.1 innings)
Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 5-2 at Chesapeake Baysox
DH Jace Avina 2-5, 2 RBI, K — two-run single in the second put Patriots on the board first RF Garrett Martin 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, K — 15th dinger of the season doubled Somerset’s lead in the fifth, new career-high CF DJ Gladney 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 SB — they stopped him at the plate, but not on the bases 3B Coby Morales 0-5, 2 K LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K C Manuel Palencia 2-5 1B Abrahan Gutierrez 2-4, K SS Owen Cobb 1-4, 2 K 2B Santiago Gomez 2-3, 2B, BB, K — registered first career hit(s) above A-ball
Chase Chaney 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (win) — smooth start Kelly Austin 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HR Michael Arias 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (save)
Garrett Martin slugs his @Yankees system-leading 15th HR of the season!
After 14 HR in 102 games last year, Martin has a new career-high in just 41 games this year! 👀 pic.twitter.com/bcaDm8zTlJ
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:W, 4-0 (7) at Brooklyn Cyclones — blanked in rain-shortened, three-hit shutout
SS Kaeden Kent 1-3, 2 K, SB RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-3 C Eric Genther 1-2, 2B, BB — allowed 10 stolen bases from the Cyclones, tough day behind the plate 1B Kyle West 0-3, 2 K, throwing error 3B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-3, 2 K 2B Roderick Arias 0-2, BB, K, CS DH Josue Gonzalez 0-1, 2 BB LF Josh Moylan 0-3, 2 K CF Camden Troyer 1-3, K, SB
Franyer Herrera 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 7 K, WP Brady Kirtner 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K Aaron Nixon 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Jack Sokol 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP — game was called with two outs in the bottom of the seventh after Sokol hit a batter
— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 24, 2026
Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 8-4 vs. Clearwater Threshers
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, K, HBP, picked off — not a good day on the bases for Tampa 3B Hans Montero 2-3, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, K, SF — didn’t go deep after three-homer day, but did go 391 feet on his RBI triple; up to a .948 OPS DH Luis Puello 2-5, RBI, K, GIDP, CS LF Willy Montero 1-3, K PH-CF Luis Durango 0-1 RF JoJo Jackson 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, GIDP, CS, fielding error C Engelth Urena 1-1, 2B, 3 BB, RBI, dropped ball error CF-LF Gabriel Lara 0-4, SB 1B John Cristino 1-3, BB, K 2B Luis Escudero 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, fielding error — first career homer in A-ball made it 6-0 in the sixth
Tyler Boudreau 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (win) — 11 swings and misses, including six on pretty solid outing Brennan Stuprich 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K — kinda fell apart in the ninth Jose Ledesma 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
🎙️Hans Montero’s 5th Triple drives in 2! (He was Yankees Top IFA a few years ago. Seriously needs to be considered for a promotion already)#RepBx#Yankeespic.twitter.com/8EeBlfUzqM
