Brewers collect hits but little else in 5-1 loss to Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan (55) watches Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) round the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of their game Sunday, May 24, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Box Score

The Brewers collected seven hits off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but couldn’t string enough of them together to score more than one run. After today’s loss, the Brewers have now dropped two straight as they head into a series against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals.

Unlike in the first two games of this series, the Brewers couldn’t put a run on the board in the first inning. Milwaukee broke through in the second against Yamamoto, who opened the frame by running a fastball in on Jake Bauers’ hands. The pitch was initially ruled a foul ball, but Bauers challenged the call. Replay clearly showed the ball hit his hand, sending Bauers to first with nobody out.

After Andrew Vaughn struck out for the first out of the inning, Garrett Mitchell lined a single into center to put runners on the corners. Sal Frelick followed with a slow chopper to second that wasn’t hit hard enough to turn two — or even elicit a throw from shortstop Mookie Betts, who was covering the bag. Mitchell was thrown out at second, but Bauers crossed the plate with the game’s first run.

Despite walking three batters and allowing a double to Kyle Tucker, starting pitcher Brandon Sproat managed to escape the first two innings unscathed. He retired Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Tucker in order in the third. However, as has happened in a few different starts this season, Sproat started to fall apart after that. Despite tying his career high with seven strikeouts in the fourth inning, he allowed two singles and hit Miguel Rojas, then gave the Dodgers a run on a wild pitch.

Sproat managed to escape the fourth by inducing a groundout off the bat of Shohei Ohtani, but the fifth would be a different story. Betts led off with a single, then Sproat walked Freeman. At 89 pitches, that would be all for the rookie right-hander. Brewers manager Pat Murphy brought in Shane Drohan to face Kyle Tucker, who ripped a grounder down the right-field line and into the corner for a two-run triple.

Drohan’s very next pitch was a 92-mph cutter up and in to Andy Pages, who made him pay, launching it deep into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. Drohan retired the next three batters, but the damage was already done, as the Dodgers extended their lead to 5-1.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto settled in after the second inning and cruised through the middle frames. He didn’t allow another run and entered the seventh inning at just 74 pitches. The Brewers weren’t completely overmatched — they collected seven hits off Yamamoto — but every one of them was a single. Milwaukee also went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position against Yamamoto and grounded into a pair of double plays, which usually isn’t enough to keep pace with the formidable Dodgers lineup.

Reliever Will Klein came in for the eighth and retired Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras in order, and the Brewers fared no better against Tanner Scott in the ninth.

Looking on the bright side, Milwaukee won’t have to wait long to try and get back in the win column. They’ll welcome the Cardinals to American Family Field for a rare Monday day game on Memorial Day. First pitch for tomorrow’s series opener is set for 1:10 p.m.

José Quintana leaves Rockies-Diamondbacks game with injury

May 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

Postgame updates: Quintana spoke to the media after the game and said his elbow is feeling “quite painful.”

“In the second inning, I felt stress in my elbow,” he said. “It was the first time I’ve felt [that]. It’s really frustrating to leave the game with the loss like that, so it’s pretty sad for me.”

He said he felt a little fatigue while he was warming up, but hoped to go out as soon as he was ready.

“It feels a little better than when I was warming up, but sitting and going back in when the game started, I started to feel a lot of pain in there.”

“I didn’t feel any pop,” Quintana emphasized. “I don’t think anything is broken, but I felt a lot of pain, especially on my offspeed, and I still feel a lot of heaviness in my elbow so I couldn’t get focused and execute pitches so I had a really hard time.”

He said the pitch he threw to Corbin Carroll for the triple in the first inning was really painful, and everything after that just got worse and worse.

As far as next steps go, Quintana is going to fly back to Denver to get an MRI either tomorrow or Tuesday. He’s never had elbow issues, so “it’s so frustrating right now.”

“You have that chance to compete, you want to stay in the game” he said. “It’s really tough to handle, and you have a lot of other things go through your mind. But it’s tough for me to know what happened in there. I just know that I’m in a lot of pain.”


Update 3:19pm: The Rockies announced that Quintana left today’s game with left elbow discomfort.


Colorado Rockies left-handed pitcher José Quintana left Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks with the training staff in the second inning.

Quintana gave up six earned runs on seven hits without a recording a walk or a strikeout through 1.1 innings before he was removed. His final pitch was taken deep to left field for a ground-rule double off the bat of Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte, which scored two runs. Quintana was seen shaking his left arm as the training staff took the field to check on him, and he was removed from the game without attempting to throw another pitch.

Right-handed reliever Blas Castañ0 entered the game in relief of Quintana.

Purple Row will continue to follow this developing story as more information becomes available.


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Rays place OF Jonny DeLuca on 10-day injured list with strained right hamstring

NEW YORK (AP) — The AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays placed Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of a right hamstring strain, two days after the right fielder was injured on the bases.

Victor Mesa Jr. was recalled from Triple-A Durham before Sunday’s game against the Yankees to replace DeLuca and Ryan Vilade started in right field. Mesa is expected to rotate in right field with Vilade and Richie Palacios.

DeLuca is scheduled for an MRI later Sunday and was hurt in the seventh inning during Friday’s 4-2 win over the Yankees when he felt pain hitting an infield single to shortstop José Caballero. DeLuca stayed in the game, but was lifted after advancing to third on a double by Cedric Mullins.

“I was kind of hoping something would change, but going second to third, yeah, there was just no point to keep on running,” DeLuca said Friday after the Rays won to improve to 34-15.

DeLuca is hitting .269 with two homers and 19 RBIs in 41 games. He batted .217 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 2024 after being acquired from the Dodgers for Tyler Glasnow and was limited to 20 games last season because of hamstring and shoulder injuries.

Mesa joined the Rays in a trade from the Marlins on Feb. 6 and was hitting .329 with two homers and seven RBIs in 18 games for Durham. Last season, he batted .188 in 16 games for the Marlins.

Left behind: Guardians 3, Phillies 1

May 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Phillies faced a lefthanded starting pitcher and lost the game. On Sunday afternoon, the Phillies faced a solid lefty in the Guardians’ Parker Messick and their season-long struggles against southpaws continued. They mustered just six hits and one run on the day, and as a result, lost the game by a score of 3-1.

After getting gems from Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler in the first two games of the series, the Phillies were hoping for a solid performance from rookie starter Andrew Painter on Sunday. And that’s what they got, with Painter going 6.1 innings, and allowing two runs.

He’s still not striking out as many batters as you’d hope, and he got some help from his defense with two double plays being turned as well as J.T Realmuto throwing out a would-be base stealer. Still, after his awful showing against the Athletics earlier this month, he’s been plenty respectable in the three starts since.

Painter walked just two batters, but unfortunately, both of them came around to score. In the fifth, after giving Daniel Schneemann a one-out walk, consecutive hits by David Fry and Steven Kwan broke the scoreless tie.

The following inning, a two-out walk to Chase DeLauter when Rhys Hoskins followed with a double to make it 2-0. Here was one case when Painter’s defense didn’t help him, as Edmundo Sosa took a long time to get the ball back in.

The Phillies didn’t take advantage of the few scoring opportunities they had. Messick walked two batters in the third, but Alec Bohm struck out to end the threat. In the sixth, a two out single by Bryson Stott chased Messick, and then Adolis Garcia walked against reliever Colin Holderman. But a Justin Crawford groundout ensured the Phillies’ run total remained at zero.

Their best chance to make a game of it came in the seventh when Brandon Marsh led off with a triple and Trea Turner followed with a walk. But after Kyle Schwarber struck out, Bryce Harper just missed a pitch, instead sending a long fly ball to center that stayed in the park. It was a sacrifice fly that represented the Phillies’ only run of the game, but it was still a letdown, especially when Bohm weakly grounded out to end the inning.

That felt a bit like game over, and that feeling grew stronger the following inning when Jonathan Bowlan gave up a home run to Travis Bazzana.

Sure enough, the Phillies went down in order the final two innings. Fittingly, Trea Turner ended the game with one of his trademark looping strikeouts, capping off an 0-12 series. The Phillies’ problems with lefty pitching aren’t limited to Turner, but when he’s supposed to be your star hitter from the right side, that’s certainly a big part of what’s ailing them.

The Phillies will now venture westward for a six-game Southern California road trip. Maybe the switch to Western time will help wake up the Phillies’ bats, because they seemed to sleepwalk through the entire weekend.

Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet set to throw batting practice off Fenway Park mound Tuesday

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox ace left-hander Garrett Crochet is set to throw batting practice off the Fenway Park mound on Tuesday as he returns from inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

Crochet was 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA when he went on the injured list on April 29. He had a bullpen session before Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, his fourth side session.

“I think right now we’re on track for a live BP on Tuesday,” interim manager Chad Tracy said before Boston faced Minnesota Sunday.

After his bullpen Saturday, Crochet seemed encouraged.

“Feeling good, feeling confident in the throw,” he said. “Mechanics are in a good spot. That’s kind of the sucky part of all this, is that’s all I have to focus on right now.”

He had the worst start of his career on April 13, when he gave up 11 runs and got only five outs in a loss against the Twins.

Last year he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA in his first season with the Red Sox, who signed him to a $170 million, six-year contract that started this year.

Mets swept by Marlins after Devin Williams allows grand slam in ninth inning

The Mets were swept by the Miami Marlins after a 4-0 loss on Sunday afternoon.

Here are the takeaways...

-- We pick this one up in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 0-0 tie where closer Devin Williams gave up a leadoff double to Christopher Morel. After a perfect sacrifice bunt moved the runner over to third base, Williams walked Liam Hicks and then Xavier Edwards intentionally to load the bases and set up a possible double play. 

Instead, Heriberto Hernandez hit a grand slam to give the Marlins a 4-0 win.

-- Christian Scott started the game and had his best (and longest) outing of the season after keeping the Marlins scoreless for 5.2 innings.

The right-hander had some trouble to work out of in the early part of the game, like leaving a runner stranded at second base in the first inning following a one-out double byEdwards and escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third after allowing a single and back-to-back walks with one out.

Both times, Scott got the second out of the frame with a strikeout to give himself some wiggle room, ultimately getting out of harm's way unscathed and keeping Miami off the board.

-- In the fourth, the right-hander once again had to deal with runners on the basepaths following a leadoff single by Otto Lopez and a one-out HBP. Once again, Scott struck out the next batter before ending the inning with a flyout.

-- After a 1-2-3 fifth inning and at 83 pitches thrown, Scott went back out for the sixth for the first time this season and retired the first two hitters of the inning. A single by Jakob Marsee ended his afternoon, though, as manager Carlos Mendoza pulled his youngster for Huascar Brazoban.

It was easily Scott’s best start of the year as he lowered his season ERA to 3.20, but with the game tied 0-0 once he left, Scott would not factor into the decision and will have to wait for his next start for an opportunity to get his first career win.

-- New York’s offense wasn’t able to help out its starting pitcher as it matched the Marlins’ scoring drought over nine innings. 

After scoring just two runs in the first two games, the Mets' bats, without Juan Soto, who was scratched from the lineup due to an illness, continued to stall and were held scoreless against Tyler Phillips (3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB), Calvin Faucher (1.1 IP, 2 H), John King (0.2 IP, 1 BB), Anthony Bender (1.0 IP, 1 BB), Michael Peterson (1.1 IP, 2 K) and Pete Fairbanks (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K).

-- Neither team could get the big hit when it mattered the most for most of the game, combining to go 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position until Edwards hit one up the middle with runners on first and second in the bottom of the seventh. 

However, the hit did not yield a run as A.J. Ewing came up firing in center field and delivered a perfect two-hopper to Luis Torrens at home plate who tagged out Javier Sanoja to keep the game scoreless. Heriberto Hernandez followed with another hit with RISP, an infield single that loaded the bases against Brooks Raley, but the veteran lefty did not flinch and got the next batter to ground out to second to end the inning.

-- The Marlins made a great defensive play of their own in the top of the ninth inning when the catcher Hicks threw out pinch-runner Nick Morabito trying to steal second base after MJ Melendez led off the inning with a single.

Game MVP: Heriberto Hernandez

In a game that was scoreless until one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hernandez had the big blow with his grand slam.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets head home for a quick Memorial Day turnaround as they get ready to host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series starting on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Nolan McLean (2-3, 3.57 ERA) hopes to bounce back from his worst start and will face off against LHP Nick Lodolo (0-1, 7.20 ERA).

Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leave the game against Pirates with injuries

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease left Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning because of a sore left hamstring.

First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left in the bottom half after being hit on the right elbow by a pitch from Mitch Keller. Lenyn Sosa came in to run for Guerrero and took over at first base.

The Blue Jays said an X-ray of Guerrero’s elbow did not reveal a fracture.

Manager John Schneider said Guerrero reported feeling numbness in his arm and hand after being hit, but said the slugger could return Monday against Miami.

“It’s sore, obviously, but I think it was probably best possible news,” Schneider said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

Schneider and head athletic trainer Jose Ministral came to the mound in the top half of the inning after Cease shook his leg several times between pitches. Cease stayed in to retire Spencer Horwitz but was replaced by left-hander Mason Fluharty.

After Toronto’s 4-1 loss, Schneider said Cease was going for an MRI.

“He said he wants to make his next start,” Schneider said. “Just see how he is the next couple of days, and just hoping for good news. He’s obviously very, very valuable to us, so we’ll make the decision in the next couple of days.”

Cease allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight. It’s just the second time in 11 starts this season that Cease has failed to finish five innings.

Cease has made at least 30 starts in each of the past five seasons, one of just four big league pitchers to do so. The others are also Blue Jays starters: José Berríos, Patrick Corbin and Kevin Gausman.

Cease joined the reigning AL champions last December, signing a $210 million, seven-year contract.

Horwitz homered on Cease’s first pitch of the game Sunday, and Oneil Cruz made it 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the second.

The Blue Jays currently have 13 players on the injured list, including starting pitchers Shane Bieber (elbow), Berríos (elbow), Bowden Francis (elbow), Cody Ponce (right knee) and Max Scherzer (forearm).

Aaron Judge stops 11-game homerless drought, 2-run walk-off homer in 9th lifts Yankees over Rays 2-0

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge ended a career-worst 11-game streak with no RBIs by hitting a game-ending, two-run homer off Kevin Kelly in the ninth inning that lifted the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 Sunday for their first win in five games this year against their AL East rival.

After New York’s Ryan Weathers and Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen each pitched seven shutout innings, Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger made a key defensive play with two outs in the eighth. With Oliver Dunn at second and Junior Caminero at first, Ryan Vilade singled to left and Bellinger threw out Caminero at third as Ryan McMahon applied the tag before Dunn crossed the plate.

Kelly (3-2) walked Trent Grisham, starting the ninth and Judge hit a first-pitch sinker on the inside corner to the opposite field. The ball landed in the second row of the right-center field seats for his 17th homer, his first since May 10.

Judge, who entered in a 1-for-24 slide, hit his fourth walk-off homer, his first since 2022, ending the Yankees’ fastest game of the season after 2 hours, 12 minutes. It was his eighth walk-off hit.

Judge’s drive would have been a home run in just three major league ballparks: Citizens Bank Park and Great American Ball Park are the others.

New York ended a three-game losing streak with its fifth win in 15 games and stopped a five-game winning streak by Tampa Bay, which lost for just the fourth time in 17 games. The Rays’ AL East lead was cut to 4 1/2 games over the Yankees.

Tim Hill (1-2) struck out Richie Palacios to strand two runners in the ninth.

Up Next

Rays: LHP Shane McClanahan (5-2, 2.82 ERA) opens a three-game series Monday at Baltimore.

Yankees: RHP Will Warren (6-1, 3.61) opens a three-game series Monday at Kansas City, which starts RHP Michael Wacha (4-2, 2.70).

Rays Run Into A Loss: Rays 0, Yankees 2

The Rays absolutely had their chances to win this game to wrap up a five-day and two-game road trip, but bad baserunning in multiple innings left the club scoreless to set up an Aaron Judge walk-off home run in the 9th.

The game for the Rays came down to two innings – the 3rd and the 8th – and poor decisions on the basepaths derailed both innings. Carson Williams led off the third with a walk, but was promptly picked off first by Ryan Weathers:

That moment was followed by singles from both Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda, but instead of Williams scoring on either event, the inning ended when Junior Caminero grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. The 8th inning was more painful because a one-out double off the wall by Diaz was soon followed by a two-out intentional walk of Caminero by Fernando Cruz. Kevin Cash elected to leave Ryan Vilade in to face Cruz with Tim Hill warming in the pen, and Vilade had a tremendous at bat against Cruz singling into left field. That single would have easily scored pinch-running Oliver Dunn if Caminero had not decided that he should take it upon himself to go first to third on a ball hit to left field and get thrown out at third before Dunn was able to cross the plate:

Bellinger picked up the baseball as Caminero was into his second step toward third base from mid-left field, and from the video above, it is not clear when he made the decision to run, but his delusions of grandeur cost the Rays the go-ahead run in the 8th because this was just an aggressively bone-headed decision that someone who is not the fleetest of foot absolutely cannot make in that moment:

It turns out one run would not have mattered as Kevin Kelly turned an 0-2 count to Grisham into a walk before Aaron Judge broke out of his 11-game RBI slump with a walk-off shot into right-center field.

The bad baserunning should not take away from what a brilliantly pitched game by both starters today. Ryan Weathers held the Rays at bay through the first seven innings with only Nick Fortes making any type of hard contact off him. Weathers only generated five swings and misses, but the combination of his stuff and the damp and windy weather shut down the offense. Rasmussen went seven innings on 92 pitches generating 14 whiffs resulting in six strikeouts and just one walk. It was the first time in three years Rasmussen worked seven complete innings and his sixth consecutive start allowing three or fewer runs since the unfortuate outing in Pittsburgh five weeks ago.

One area of positivity was something Nick Fortes corrected during the game. Jazz Chisholm Jr was easily able to steal a base in the second inning as Fortes’s throw went to the shortstop side of the bag, something he did twice on Friday night:

David Laurila had an interesting piece on Fangraphs the other day which included quotes from Hunter Feduccia in it

“I don’t know exactly when they started teaching this, but it’s more to the right side of the bag,” Feduccia told me. “The infielder will set up there to give you a good target. If you tag the runner before he gets to the bag, you have a better chance of not getting swim-moved, and things like that. If you accidentally pull your throw to the left side of the bag, you’re not giving yourself as much of a chance as when it’s toward the runner.”

The article then goes on to quote Matt LewCroy who says video review helped teams see throws to the first base side were yielding more out calls, and now teams are coaching that at all levels. Fortes self-corrected in the 4th and barely nabbed Bellinger attempted steal of second base:

The Rays have struggled all season to prevent the running game, but throws like that at least give the ifnielders a fighting chance and it was good to see Fortes make the better throw the next time the siutation presented itself.

The Rays have been in New York since Wednesday night and played just two games in their five-day, four-night stay and walk away with a series split and a 4.5 game lead in the division. They take an Amtrk down from Penn Station to Union Station in Baltimore, where the Orioles walked off the hapless Tigers today with Colton Cowser taking a center cut cutter from Kenley Jansen into the centerfield bleachers. Perhaps the coaches can conduct a micro-lesson while on the train on baserunning to avoid repeating the misatkes of the weekend which also included two pickoffs on inside moves at second base in the first game.

Aaron Judge breaks out of funk with walk-off homer to give Yankees much-needed win over Rays

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a game-winning home run, Image 2 shows New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates his walk-off home run with teammates

Aaron Judge is back, and so are the Yankees.

The slumping slugger came through with a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth Sunday in a 2-0 win over the Rays on a wet, chilly day in The Bronx.

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The Yankees entered having dropped three straight — and scoring a total of three runs in that stretch — with Judge in the midst of a 1-for-24 funk.

But Trent Grisham led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Max Schuemann.

Judge followed with an opposite-field shot to right field off Kevin Kelly to end it, as the Yankees cut the Rays’ AL East lead over them to 4 ½ games.

“We were able to grind out a win,’’ Ryan Weathers said. “It ended with a bang.”

The blast, Judge’s fourth walk-off homer since 2022, broke an 11-game drought in which he hadn’t homered or driven in a run.

Yankees’ Aaron Judge looks after his two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, May 24, 2026. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

It was the longest stretch of his career without an RBI.

“There was no frustration,’’ Judge said of his struggles. “I’ve got a job to do. Obviously, I want to get the job done and help the team win. We weren’t winning and I was mad about that, [but] you can find other ways to help.”

The best way for Judge, though, is to do what he did Sunday, as the Yankees had dropped 10 of their previous 14 games to fall behind Tampa Bay in the standings.

The Yankees got seven scoreless innings from Weathers, as the left-hander bounced back from a tough start against Toronto.

Weathers was locked in a duel with Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen, who also pitched seven shutout innings after blanking the Yankees for six innings April 12.

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases on his two-run walk-off home run during the ninth inning when the New York Yankees played the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday, May 24, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Tampa Bay threatened in the third, with runners on the corners and one out.

Weathers got Junior Caminero to hit into an inning-ending double play and allowed just a pair of walks the rest of the way before being replaced by Fernando Cruz to start the eighth.

Cruz gave up a one-out double to Yandy Díaz, and Jonathan Aranda followed with a liner to right-center, where Judge made a great diving catch.

An intentional walk to Caminero led to Ryan Vilade’s single to left.

Pinch runner Oliver Dunn seemed set to score the go-ahead run, but Cody Bellinger alertly threw to third base in time to get Caminero before Dunn reached the plate, keeping the game scoreless.

Tim Hill struck out Richie Palacios to strand two runners and Judge won it in the bottom of the inning.

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases on his two-run walk-off game-winning home run. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Prior to the game, manager Aaron Boone said, “It’s been a crappy couple weeks for us, result-wise, but I feel like we’re in a good place team-wise. I feel we have a good run in us here.”

Perhaps it began Sunday, as they open a three-game series in Kansas City on Monday after sweeping the Royals in The Bronx last month.

Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) walks back to the dugout after ending the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, May 24, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

And Judge getting back to hitting home runs would make a difference.

He has 17 on the season.

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“You know it’s just waiting to come out at any point,’’ Boone said of a Judge breakout. “He put a great swing on it and was able to ride it out of here.”

The ending allowed the Yankees to finish the homestand 3-3, with a chance to get going again.

“We’re doing a lot of really good things,’’ Boone said. “That’s why I feel so good about this group having the ability to take off. We’ve got to start moving that needle offensively a little bit. Hopefully that’s something that gets us started and we go have a successful road trip.”

Cowser’s three-run blast gives O’s Game 1 win, first walk-off of 2026, 5-3

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 24: Colton Cowser #17 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates after hitting the game winning three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game one of a double header at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images

“The first walk-off home run of your career,” asked MASN’s Ben Wagner. “How does it feel, Colton?”

“It feels wet.”

Yesterday’s weather was soggy, and on Sunday, after the Orioles’ unexpected Game 1 walk-off win and a Gatorade shower, home plate was a little soggy, too. Staring at a 3-2 hole with future Hall of Famer Kenley Jansen on the mound for Detroit in the ninth inning, the Birds rallied in unexpected fashion, earning their first walk-off of the season, courtesy of Colton Cowser’s three-run bomb.

For both offenses, runs and loud hits were precious today, and before the ninth-inning comeback, it looked like the difference-maker for Detroit was going to be a pair of unearned runs coming off a 32-mph Spencer Torkelson squibber that Pete Alonso made an error on. Fortunately, Cowser’s 440-foot bomb erased those mistakes, absolved Alonso of his fielding mishap, and took starter Brandon Young off the hook for a loss he didn’t deserve.

Let’s talk about Young first. This was all good news for a guy who’s always on the fringes of the Orioles rotation, and for the Orioles themselves, who could really use some stability from their starters, even—especially—if it comes from their No. 5 guy.

Facing a Detroit lineup that’s lost seven—oops, now eight—in a row, Young looked just fine. Actually, we do often damn the guy with faint praise, but he looked really good. His two-seam sinking fastball had movement. His splitter—remade, per the MASN broadcast—features an additional 7” of break. He jammed both righties and lefties with his fastball inside. After Young landed a perfect fastball on the corner in the third, Ben McDonald said, from the MASN booth, “He’s got spot control today.”

Young had just one bad inning in an otherwise superb performance. After rolling through the first and second innings on just nine pitches apiece, and dancing around a two-out double in the third, Young conceded two runs in the fourth, neither earned. He left up a high fastball that Kevin McGonigle punched past a diving Jeremiah Jackson to lead off the inning. Bad defense compounded the mistake. Designated hitter Dillon Dingler hit a humpback squibber toward first that Pete Alonso let bounce, thinking he’d go for the double play. Instead, the ball squirted past him, and his throw to second was hasty enough that Jackson muffed it. All the runners were safe. Then, a sac fly, single, and another sac fly scored them both. While none of the runs were charged to Young, it was 2-0 Detroit, and the big righty looked ruffled.

But to his credit, he didn’t unravel, and he managed to hold on for some length. He tossed an easy fifth, navigated around two two-out singles in the sixth—one just in front of a diving Tyler O’Neill, making you wish we had nimble outfielders—and came back out after 80-plus pitches to get two outs in the seventh, both on swinging strikeouts.

It was a really impressive day for Young, who lowered his ERA to 3.47, and makes my take the most obvious in the world when I say we should look forward to his next start.

The fact that Young left with the score 2-1 in the seventh and on the hook for a loss, however, tells you just how little the O’s had done against Framber Valdez. Despite Valdez’s struggles recently, today his stuff looked just fine, especially his hook, which he used to great advantage to keep the O’s off-balanced for six innings in which he struck out five. O’s hitters were wearing their frustration at not timing up Valdez’s breaking stuff.

The box score showed a goose egg for the home team until the sixth, in fact, when Valdez hung a curveball against Gunnar Henderson—here it is, right down the chute, and here is Gunnar, blasting it onto the flag court.

After that, Valdez was out, and the Orioles still needed to find one run or more from inside the couch cushions.

But after Tigers fastballer Will Vest tossed a shutdown seventh, and the O’s Keegan Akin allowed a third Tigers run in the eighth, it felt like the momentum was going all the wrong way.

There was some poor play, but also some silly luck involved in the Tigers’ third run. Akin annoyingly walked the leadoff hitter, then Matt Vierling’s little duck snort to right put runners at the corners. Detroit pinch-hit the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft (ahead of Heston Kjerstad) Spencer Torkelson, and the slugger responded with a 37.2-mph nubber to first. Pete Alonso had no play on it, and the third run scored. From the booth, Ben Wagner called it a “very meager RBI” for Torkelson, and McDonald lamented, “The Orioles just can’t catch a break.” It was deflating, indeed.

The Orioles’ search for runs turned up one more in the eighth. Jeremiah Jackson hit a leadoff two-bagger off new reliever Kyle Finnegan, moved to third on pinch-hitter Colton Cowser’s slow roller, and made it 3-2 on Taylor Ward’s ringing RBI single. But Baltimore came up short after that: Gunnar Henderson walked on a 3-2 pitch, then Adley fought off a few two-strike pitches plus a failed challenge by Detroit, but he flew out. Detroit went to future Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen, who got Pete Alonso to fly out for the fourth time today. Alonso’s frustration was appreciable.

Could the O’s produce a comeback in the ninth against the future Hall of Famer? By now, you know they could. Here’s how it went. With one out, the pinch-hitting Jackson Holliday worked himself a walk off Jansen and stole second. Nicely fouling off a few, Leody Taveras got aboard by free pass, too. Jeremiah Jackson had himself a two-on, one-out situation. But he popped it up, which felt like it could be it. Unless you had massive confidence in Colton Cowser, which I didn’t. As moos echoed through the stadium, Holliday and Taveras pulled off the double steal. Helpful, but ultimately not necessary. Jansen threw two cutters down the middle, then a sinker. Cowser connected, and the crack off the bat left little doubt:

Cowser’s first walk-off homer of his career, and the Orioles’ first walk-off win of the year. The O’s have played some bad baseball this year, and so has Cowser, but as they say in a different sport, on any given Sunday, any team can win. The Orioles now have a two-game win streak, and pick up again in just a few hours for Game 2, starting at 6:05. Let’s go for the series sweep!

Aaron Judge crushes walk-off home run to vanquish Rays, salvaging weekend

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 24: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a walk off 2-run home run during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on May 24, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The New York Yankees won 2-0. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Just when it looked like the Yankees’ offensive malaise would lead to a fourth consecutive loss, the Captain rose to the challenge in the bottom of the ninth. Trent Grisham fought back from down 0-2 to draw the full-count leadoff walk, and Aaron Judge called game, crushing a first-pitch inside sinker to the opposite field for the game winning walk-off home run — his first home run and RBI since May 10th — to split this rain-shortened series with the Rays at the Stadium.

The offense had marginally more success this time around against Drew Rasmussen, though it’s an awfully low bar considering they got one-hit across six scoreless when they faced him last in April. More than anything, this game was about brilliant starting pitching and fabulous defense from the Yankees. Ryan Weathers completed seven scoreless innings to lower his season ERA to 3.14. It was his second start of at least 7 scoreless after tossing 7.1 shutout against the Royals on April 19th.

Behind him, Grisham and Judge both made diving catches to prevent extra bases — Grisham on a Taylor Walls bloop in the seventh and Judge on a Jonathan Aranda liner in the eighth. However, the defensive highlight of the game came to end that eighth inning. Fernando Cruz allowed a Yandy Díaz double and then intentionally walked Junior Caminero to put runners on first and second. Ryan Vilade looked to have lined the go-ahead single to left, but Cody Bellinger made a brilliant heads-up throw to third as Caminero made the ill-advised decision to try to go first to third. The ball beat him to the bag before Díaz could step on home, keeping this game scoreless.

Weathers entered this contest with the fourth-highest strikeout rate (29.9-percent) of any starter in MLB and you could see why in the first. After going one pitch, one out with the first hitter, he punched out Aranda and Vilade looking on a pair of four-seamers painted on the low, glove-side corner. In the bottom of the frame, Judge smoked a one-out single, but then got caught way too far off first base on a Ben Rice line out to right and was doubled off to end the inning, a rare TOOTBLAN from the captain.

In the third, Weathers walked nine-hole hitter Carson Williams to lead off but then promptly picked him off at first. He then navigated around singles from Díaz and Aranda by getting Caminero to ground into the inning ending double play. Meanwhile, his offense continued to create mild traffic while never really threatening to score. Bellinger singled and Paul Goldschmidt walked in the fourth, but Bellinger got caught stealing second and Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out to end the inning. Grisham’s single to lead off the sixth was immediately erased by a Judge GIDP. Ryan McMahon singled in the eighth only for Austin Wells to ground into the inning-ending double play.

Weathers saved his best stuff for the final two innings, allowing just one baserunner across the sixth and seventh. With the Yankees’ veteran starters getting back to full health, Weathers is doing everything in his power to prove he belongs in the rotation. His final line saw him give up four hits and three walks in seven scoreless innings, with four strikeouts on 95 pitches.

Cruz and Tim Hill made things nervy in the eighth and ninth, Cruz escaping the eighth with the aforementioned gem from Bellinger. Hill atoned for his nightmare outing on Friday worked around a walk and a single, stranding the pair of runner with an inning-ending strikeout of Richie Palacios. That was all the Yankees needed to go win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Grisham drew four-straight balls after falling behind 0-2, and that is the kind of discipline that deserves to be rewarded, Judge doing just that on the very next pitch that Kevin Kelly threw.

For those keeping an eye on the record books, Judge’s 385th career homer pushed him past curious Hall of Famer Harold Baines and tied him with a guy who is actually more deserving of a spot in Cooperstown, Dwight Evans, at 68th in MLB history.

The offense still doesn’t inspire confidence, scoring five runs in their last 39 innings, but hopefully Judge’s walk-off can provide momentum rolling into the upcoming series against the Royals. Will Warren gets the series opener tomorrow against Michael Wacha. First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 pm EDT on what will hopefully be a sunny Memorial Day afternoon with the broadcast moving to ESPN.

Box Score

Guardians Take Series from Phillies

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 24: Parker Messick #77 of the Cleveland Guardians delivers a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a seven game win streak, the Cleveland Guardians were looking to right the ship and get back in the win column.

Parker Messick got the start for the Guardians today, falling one out shy of a quality start. Messick went 5.2 innings of shutout baseball, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks and striking out 6 batters on 91 pitches.

The game was looking to be another pitching matchup with Painter pitching well for the Phillies and Parker doing great for Cleveland. However, the Guardians were able to strike first on the Philly starter, even if it took until the top of the fifth to do so.

With one out, Daniel Schneemann drew a walk to get on base. David Fry and Steven Kwan hit back-to-back singles to score Schneemann.

In the top of the sixth, the Guards tacked on another run to put them up 2-0 on the Phillies. Chase DeLauter drew a two-out walk and scored when Rhys Hoskins hit a RBI double.

Colin Holderman replaces Parker Messick with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the sixth. He got out of the inning and handed things over to Tim Herrin for the bottom of the seventh. Herrin gave up a lead off triple to Brandon Marsh. Petey Halpin, having just been brought into the game, made a great attempt at getting the ball. He ran it down and got the tip of his glove on it, but ultimately was not able to make the catch. Trea Turner drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After getting the next two lefties out, but allowing a run on a sac fly, Vogt went to Hunter Gaddis to retire the side.

Travis Bazzana, who was 3-for-4 on the night, gave Cleveland a much needed insurance run with a no-doubter solo home run.

Gaddis went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth with two strikeouts, leaving it to Cade Smith to close out the game. Cade go two groundouts and struck out the third batter to book it on the Phillies for another series win. In the three game series, both teams only scored four runs. This was a positive series, even with the loss, as it showed that this team can hold their own against some phenomenal pitching while throwing absolute gems themselves.

Braves and Nationals Rain Delay Updates, May 24 (Updated)

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 03: Fans seek shelter from the rain during a weather delay of the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 3, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Just like yesterday, Mother Nature is interrupting the Braves game with today’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals has been delayed due to (the threat of) inclement weather. Or in this case, the start of the game has been delayed. Current start time is projected for 4:30PM.

Call it the Braves pulling a Nationals.

Check back for updates they become available.

Guess who’s back?

Rain is back.

6:07PM Rain Delay – check back for an update when we have it.

Rough go of it for the grounds crew as the downpour prevented them form getting the tarp all the way across the infield. Looks like it may be awhile before the game re-starts.

If you are still watching BravesVision during the delay, do you like the picture-in-picture?

The tarp is being removed from the field. We might have baseball again at some point later this evening.

Now the tarp is coming back on the field.

And the tarp is back off and they are working furiously to get the field back in playing shape.

The broadcasters are laying into the umpiring crew for not calling for the tarp earlier.

7:35PM restart.

Okay, time for a rally.

Aaron Judge belts walk-off home run in Yankees' 2-0 win over Rays

Following Saturday’s rainout, the Yankees walked off with a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.

Here are the takeaways…

-- With the game scoreless into the ninth inning, Trent Grisham got things started by fighting back from an 0-2 count to work a leadoff walk. That set the stage for Aaron Judge, who delivered in dramatic fashion, as he so often does. On a first-pitch sinker from Kevin Kelly, Judge drove a two-run walk-off homer over the wall in right field, giving the Yankees a needed win on a dreary May day in the Bronx.

-- Judge snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a single in the first inning, but he was then uncharacteristically doubled off first base on a line drive out to right field. But the captain certainly redeemed himself with his walk-off blast.

-- Ryan Weathers had one of his best outings in a Yankees uniform. The lefty walked nine-hole hitter Carson Williams to lead off third, but then immediately picked him off. Weathers worked around four hits in first three scoreless innings, and ended up going 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just those early four hits. He walked three and struck out four, lowering his ERA on the season to 3.14.

-- With neither offense doing much of anything through the first five innings, a key moment came in the bottom of the sixth. After Grisham singled to lead things off, he stayed put at first base on a ball in the dirt that got away from Nick Fortes, even though it appeared that Grisham likely could have taken second base with the right read. 

A few pitches later, Judge grounded into a double play that wouldn’t have happened if Grisham was on second base.

-- The Yankees flashed some excellent defense in the eighth inning to keep things scoreless. First, with a runner on second and one out, Judge made a terrific diving catch to prevent the runner from advancing.

Later in the inning, with runners at first and second and two outs, Ryan Vilade singled to left, which looked to score the go-ahead run. But an alert Cody Bellinger came up throwing to third, nabbing Junior Caminero at third base to end the inning before the run could score.

-- The Yankees surely needed the win, entering the game with just four wins in their past 14 games.

Game MVP

Judge, who made a potential game-saving catch in the eighth before slamming the walk-off home run in the ninth.

Highlights 

Upcoming schedule

The Yankees start a three-game series at the Royals this week.

New York's Will Warren and Kansas City's Michael Wacha are set to start Monday's 3:40 p.m. opener.