Brewers broadcaster Jeff Levering stops by The Crawfish Boxes to preview the weekend series versus Milwaukee.
Q: Christian Yelich was slowed in May with that groin strain. Last May when he last faced the Astros, he had some nice at bats against them. What kind of season is he having this year?
A: Yelich had a resurgent season in 2025, his most games played since 2022, and arguably his most productive since 2019. With no rehab assignment, and some lingering back issues, he has been somewhat slow to come back from the groin strain. However, he did homer in back to back games in his return. His presence strengthens the lineup.
Q: Do you think the NL Central is the toughest in all of baseball?
A: It has always been a competitive division, but every team got better this offseason. Two months into the season, it is the most balanced division in the league.
Q: What does Jake Bauers bring to the club?
A: Great intangibles and a steady approach to the game (and life). Finally healthy and given an opportunity to play most days, Bauers is thriving with the opportunity. He is solid at first, can play either corner outfield spot and has power to all fields at the plate.
Q: Kyle Harrison and Jacob Misiorowski have been equally impressive collecting K’s and wins. What have been their biggest improvements leading to their success this season?
A: Miz brings the heat, up to 104MPH, but his command has taken on a new life form this year. He’s not just a thrower anymore, he’s hitting spots with all of his pitches and maintains his velocity throughout the game.
For Harrison, he’s finally getting a shot. He’s always had the stuff, but moving to the first base side of the rubber has allowed his pitches to become weapons. (He’s added) Additional depth on the slurve, and the fastball sneaks up on the league’s best hitters.
Quite the 1-2 punch. And both leading MLB’s youngest pitching staff.
May 24, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pinch hitter Heriberto Hernandez (13) gets doused after hitting a grand slam to end the game against the New York Mets at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
The New York Mets (22-33) welcome the Miami Marlins (26-31) to Citi Field, one week after Miami swept New York down at loanDepot Park. Miami promptly went out and lost two out of three to the Blue Jays, much like how the Mets lost two of three to the Reds following the sweep.
The Mets ended up dropping the next two games after getting swept, falling by an identical 7-2 score on Monday and 7-2 on Tuesday. Even weirder still, both games had the same score and the same time of game (2:56). They did rebound to win, mercifully, by a 4-2 score on Wednesday, which halted their five-game skid. The win was primarily aided by the Reds’ inability to bring home runners, as they stranded a small army (17 in total) on the base paths. Despite having runners on base in every single inning, the Mets held Cincinnati to two runs on the evening, and the pitching, which was essentially a bullpen game with Jonah Tong serving as the bulk arm, did just enough to secure a win.
The offense scored eight runs across the three games, which feels like an embarrassment of riches compared to the two runs they scored last weekend in Miami, but it’s hardly enough to consider the offense “back”. Meanwhile, the pitching faltered in each of the first two games, first with Nolan McLean getting knocked around for a second straight start, and then with David Peterson reverting back to his struggles after some encouraging outings earlier in the month. Speaking of Peterson, he made a mental lapse in the field which was the topic of much conversation in the booth, and with some starting to question whether apathy is setting in for a group that appears to be going nowhere fast.
Carson Benge, who struggled so mightily in April, continues to emerge as a might spot in another relatively dim month for the Mets—this is again probably an overreaction given that the team is hovering around .500 this month, but still hardly well enough to be celebrated. Benge has the second-highest wRC+ (122) and second-best fWAR (0.6) among Mets hitters this month, trailing just Juan Soto in both categories. The rookie contributed two run-scoring hits on Thursday, which ended up being the difference, as the only other runs the Mets could muster came on solo shots from the aforementioned Soto and the newly-acquired Eric Wagaman. Benge is also second on the team in runs scored this month with 16 (again, behind Soto) and third in runs batted in with 14, trailing Soto (16) and Mark Vientos (15). He leads all Mets qualified hitters this month with a .302 average.
But two of the veterans the team acquired in the offseason continue to be hugely problematic on offense. Bo Bichette, who has shown some glimpses of turning it around, is still hitting .218/.275/.317 with a 72 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR in May. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien, who did homer in Monday’s loss, has done little else, hitting .207/.250/.326 with a 63 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR for the month. For the Mets to have any shot of digging themselves out of their early-season hole, they will need much more production from these two bats, specifically Bichette, who was brought in for his offense.
The Mets got to enjoy something yesterday that they haven’t enjoyed since May 11: a day off and some extra rest. The last time the Mets had a day off, the Knicks had just wrapped up a sweep of the 76ers on the previous day and were beginning their eight days of rest before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals. In any event, the Mets played a marathon stretch that took them through a homestand against the Tigers and Yankees, back onto the road against the Nationals and Marlins, and then back home again to face the Reds. The stretch encompassed their jubilant 5-1 homestand, their demoralizing 2-5 road trip, and their uneven series loss this week. This is just the second (and final) day off of the month, but it could prove to give them a bit of a boost as they prepare for one final home series before heading back out west to take on the Mariners.
Friday, May 29: Freddy Peralta vs. Max Meyer, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX
Peralta endured his strangest start as a Met. He allowed a season-high eight hits and matched his season-worst by allowing four earned runs and two home runs (both on Opening Day). However, he completed seven innings for the first time as a Met, struck out a season-high nine and walked just two batters after walking a season-high six in his prior outing. All that said, he still endured a loss to the Marlins, his fourth in a Mets uniform. It wouldn’t have mattered much anyway, as the offense was only able to push one run across.
Meyer had no problem handling the Mets his last time out. He hurled seven shutout innings against New York, allowing just one hit and walking three while striking out eight. He has now tossed 13 scoreless innings across his last two starts, and has earned a win in his last three starts and four of five outings in May. For the month, he has posted a 1.76 ERA and a 2.71 FIP in 30 2/3 innings. He has struck out 35 and is limiting hitters to a .168/.246/.271 slash line.
Saturday, May 30: Christian Scott vs. Tyler Phillips, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Scott is coming off his best start of the young season, and his best since coming back from Tommy John Surgery. The right-hander pitched into the sixth inning for the first time all year, throwing 5 2/3 innings against Miami. He held the Marlins off the board, scattering four hits while walking two and striking out five. It was his first time holding an opponent scoreless in 15 major league appearances, meaning that the 26-year-old could be turning a corner after struggling across much of the early part of this year. It’s a sorely-needed development for the Mets, who need all the help they can get on the starting pitching front.
Phillips started the year off as a reliever but has transitioned to the rotation in recent weeks. This will be just his second start of the season. His first one went well, as he limited the Mets to just two hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings. He walked two, struck out four, and tossed a season-high 59 pitches. It was his longest outing of the year, though he has gone three innings on four separate occasions in relief. It’s likely he’ll be stretched out enough to go four, and maybe a little further depending on pitch count, but he likely won’t go much further than 60-70 pitches. He has only allowed a run in five of his 16 outings this year.
Sunday, May 31: Nolan McLean vs. Janson Junk, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY
The last two starts have been a disaster for McLean. After allowing 19 runs in his first nine starts, he allowed 16 runs over his last two outings, which drove his ERA up from 2.92 to 4.40. His last time out started on a promising note, with the right-hander striking out the side in the first. However, it quickly devolved from there, and he only lasted 3 1/3 innings, the shortest outing of his major league career. He ended up being tagged for even earned runs (his season high) on five hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. He also allowed two home runs for the second consecutive start and has allowed six over his last four appearances after serving up just two in his first seven starts. For whatever little hope the Mets have of getting back into the playoff race, they will need McLean to be more like the 2025 version and less like what they’ve seen the last two times out.
Junk had a nice bounce back outing after suffering two really bad starts in a row against the Rays (5 2/3 innings, seven earned runs, ten hits, three walks, four strikeouts, two home runs) and the Braves (five innings, eight earned runs, eight hits, three strikeouts, zero walks, two home runs), both of which resulted in losses. Against the Blue Jays, he went five innings and allowed just one earned run on eight hits while striking out three and not issuing a walk. It was an encouraging outing and got the right-hander back in the win column after his recent string of losses. Surprisingly, the Mets did not see Junk at any point last year while pitching for the Marlins and in fact this will be his first regular season appearance against the Amazins.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 29: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox is taken out of the game in a break in play against the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on April 29, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brayan Bello Experience is turning into a complicated one in Boston on numerous levels. In the short-term, it’s unclear whether he should start or enter the game behind an “Opener.” In the season-long term, it’s unclear if he should be in the starting rotation or the bullpen. In the long, long term, it’s unclear if his extension through 2029 will be a bargain or a burden.
The word “Opener” gives me the shakes and it’s just one example in a long list of things that the Rays did very well, out of necessity, and the rest of the league copied poorly. It can’t be denied that Bello’s three games as the “bulk” reliever have been astronomically better than his seven starts.
That being said, Jovani Moran’s splits are an inverse relationship to Bello’s. In a fairly hot take, I don’t think Jovani Moran should start any more games this season.
Whether it’s Bello or an Opener, the starting pitcher has stunk on ice in each of the ten Bello games this season. This isn’t working, whatever it is.
As Garrett Crochet faces live hitters for the second time this week, a rehab stint seems imminent. It’s unfathomable for any of Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, or Connelly Early to be removed from this rotation (at least not until Sonny Gray is traded at the deadline). It’s also hard envisioning Brayan Bello transitioning into the Greg Weissert role and faring much better. Bello has two minor league options left, but what would that do for his confidence?
When Bello debuted in 2022, out of necessity due to nine starting pitchers being on the IL, he was due to become a free agent after the 2027 season. The Red Sox bought out his arbitration years, and signed him to a six-year, $55M extension running from 2024 through 2029. Bello had been solid in 2023, with a 4.24 ERA in 157 innings, with a 13.0 K-BB% when the team offered the extension. Since that date, Bello’s ERA has stayed at an identical 4.24 ERA, but his K-BB% is down to 10.3%. His velocity has decreased, the barrels allowed are way up, and he disappointed in his playoff start last October.
What would you do with Brayan Bello … Should he be following an Opener, and if so, whom? When Crochet returns, what should Bello’s role be? Do you anticipate him being in this Red Sox rotation for three more years after this one?
Enjoy the weekend, and be good to each other in the comments.
The home run grind rolls into a great Friday slate, and the +EV dingers and MLB player props are plentiful today.
It's never a bad idea to look for home runs in Cincinnati, but the pitching matchup is making it even better today, and getting the No. 2 HR/FB hitter in baseball at a price north of +500 is also making the card.
These are my favorite home run props for Friday, May 29.
UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Mike Yastrzemski
+577
Bryce Harper
+527
Aaron Judge
+246
💲Today's HR parlay
+13630
Home run pick: Mike Yastrzemski(+577)
Great American Ball Park is always a strong place to target home runs, and Mike Yastrzemski is one of the better +EV dinger looks on the board today with a fair price around +480, per the projections at Covers powered by THE BAT.
He’s in strong form right now with the team’s third-best slugging percentage and wOBA over the last 30 days, while also getting the ball in the air consistently with a 52% fly-ball rate that ranks second on the team this month.
He’ll face Chris Paddack, who has been crushed at GABP this year with a 12.67 ERA and a 2.2 HR/9. His 35% groundball rate does him no favors in this park, and his Bottom-10 xFIP among MLB starters over the last 30 days suggests the struggles are very real.
Pitcher/hitter history is usually secondary, but it’s still worth noting that Yastrzemski has had success against Paddack with three home runs across 25 plate appearances.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Reds.TV, BravesVision
Home run pick: Bryce Harper (+527)
Dodger Stadium grades out as a Top-5 park for home runs today, per Ballpark Pal, with 9-mph winds blowing out to right-center field.
That’s good news for a Bryce Harper bomb priced north of +500, with a buy point at +480 or better. Harper has already launched seven home runs this month and owns an absurd 31.8% HR/FB rate over the last 30 days, which ranks second in baseball behind only teammate Kyle Schwarber at 37.5%.
Harper’s fly-ball rate hasn’t been elite lately, but if he gets one in the air against Justin Wrobleski, it could quickly turn into four bases. Wrobleski is a fly-ball pitcher with reverse splits who has been vulnerable to left-handed hitters. There's often value in targeting reverse-split arms because the market tends to overprice the lefty vs. lefty matchup.
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Apple TV
Home run pick: Aaron Judge (+246)
When you’re cold, it’s never a bad idea to take the most probable home run on the slate today at a projection of 0.39 HR from New York’s Aaron Judge. With an implied 0.33 HR from the +246 price, it grades out as a +EV spot for a Judge homer.
This is also the second-best home run park on the slate, per Ballpark Pal, and the matchup is favorable for the right-handed slugger, who ranks as THE BAT’s No. 1 hitter in baseball. Luis Severino has struggled significantly at Sutter Health Park, where his ERA is roughly two runs higher than his season average and was three runs higher there last year.
His 2.2 HR/9 at home is among the worst marks in baseball, and he has already allowed multiple home runs in three of his four home starts this season. Judge also has history in the matchup, going 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBI across eight at-bats against Severino.
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, NBCS-California
Josh Inglis' 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 13-100, -32.94 units
Today’s HR parlay
Mike Yastrzemski
Bet Now +13630
Bryce Harper
Aaron Judge
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Columbus Clippers offense blasted off for 10 runs on 17 hits as every player in the lineup had at least one hit with five players have multi-hit games and all but two reaching base safely at least twice.
Leading the charge was Nolan Jones, who went 4-for-5 with a double. Jones has quietly raised his Triple-A batting average to .269 and his OPS is up to .802.
Angel Genao had a three-hit game, going 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.
Cooper Ingle had the big hit of the day, going 2-for-6 with a three-run home run.
C.J. Kayfus went 2-for-5 with a double and three runs scored, Milan Tolentino went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, Juan Brito went 1-for-2 with two walks and a steal and Bo Naylor returned to Columbus by going 1-for-4 with a walk.
Starting pitcher Austin Peterson was decent, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in 4.0 innings. Knuckleballer Trenton Denholm was sensational in long relief, tossing 5.0 shutout one-hit frames with four strikeouts and three walks to earn the win.
Lake County took advantage of eight walks to score four runs despite getting just four hits. Jace LaViolette reached base safely twice with a walk, a single and a stolen base.
Nolan Schubart walked twice and both Maick Collado and Esteban Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a walk. Gonzalez also stole a base.
Starting pitcher Jackson Humphries was superb, tossing 4.0 shutout innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and no walks.
Michael Kennedy also had one of his better outings of the season, finishing off the game with 5.0 innings of long relief, allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Top Guardians outfield prospect Robert Arias was in the middle of a breakout season, slashing .294/.400/.865 through 44 games in his age-19 campaign at Single-A Hill City.
Unfortunately, after a leadoff single on Thursday, Arias was injured sliding into second base when I think he caught a spike and his foot rolled underneath his body and he was removed from the game in an air cast. I wish him the best and hope for a swift recovery.
Jose Pirela went 2-for-4 and Anthony Martinez doubled, but otherwise, the offense was pretty non-existent.
Starting pitcher Joey Oakie absolutely dominated opposing hitters, allowing one run on two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings.
Ryan Prager was sensational out of the bullpen, striking out all six of his outs in 2.0 scoreless innings, but Miguel Flores allowed two runs in his 3.0 innings of long relief to take the loss.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 26: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts after lining out to center to end the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Progressive Field on May 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB’s owners and players exchanged CBA proposals yesterday. Jeff Passan has your breakdown here for ESPN.
For one, I dread the discussion and division ahead. Of course, a hard cap benefits owners who want to control the spending they have to commit to in order to get top-end talent. Also, players do not particularly care about competitive balance issues and refuse to admit that the current financial system is not particularly fair to mid-level talent or to fans. I kinda hate everyone involved already so expect analysis from other writers here, not me.
Tim Stebbins has an article on Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter. Would be nice to see CDL get a little burst from the off-day and get back on track.
Steven Kwan has been placed on the family leave/bereavement list. Our sympathies go out to him and hopes that things will be ok, whatever is going on. Neither Stuart Fairchild nor George Valera were in the Columbus lineup yesterday. One would assume it will be Valera because he is on the 40-man and left-handed.
Around MLB:
The White Sox beat the Twins and the Tigers lost to the Angels.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres reacts after striking out during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park on May 26, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When it was happening, the San Diego Padres and their fans knew the walk-off wins and seventh inning surges would not propel them through the season — but it was fun. The most recent homestand saw the Padres finish with a 3-6 record over nine games at Petco Park and was hardly the result anyone expected but was not totally shocking either.
There were concerns about the San Diego rotation coming into the season, but no one predicted the offense would be this bad. For the majority of the season, the big three of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill have struggled to provide any significant contributions at the plate. Machado has a slash line of .169/.265/.339 with nine home runs, 27 RBI and 27 runs scored. Tatis has a slash line of .260/.339/.300 with no home runs, 16 RBI and 19 runs scored, and Merrill has a slash line of .200/.271/.318 with four home runs, 19 RBI and 24 runs scored.
The trio of San Diego’s stars combined are eight home runs shy of the MLB leader, Kyle Schwarber. In fact, with all three combined, they would not rank in the top 10 in long balls this season. It was said about the spending under former owner Peter Seidler and it was said this season about the late-inning heroics to win games, this is not sustainable. Somehow the Padres remain seven games above .500, but San Diego is currently on a four-game skid and that seven can get to zero in a hurry unless something changes.
MLB and the MLBPA have traded proposals and have begun negotiating toward a new CBA that will prevent a lockout that will affect the 2027 season and beyond.
We took a little mini break from bases per out, but we were always going to come back. This is really about two suppositions. First, the Astros current pitching staff is MLB average. We saw that in the last lab that we ran on Wednesday. Yes, Josh Hader is due back next week. Hunter Brown is due back in a couple of weeks. Still, this is not the kind of pitching staff the team had in 2018, 2019, or 2022. That brings us to the second supposition. The Astros offense is also currently average.
The good news is that the team finds themselves three games out of first place as of this writing. There have been a few instances in history where teams have won their division with fewer than 85 wins. When I reviewed the math problem with everyone it was based on the assumption that 85 wins would be needed to get into the playoffs. It is fair at this point to question whether that actually is true. If it takes only 82 or 83 wins then the math changes and things become much more possible.
Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker have been spectacular this season. Yet, when you look at the rest of the current unit, no other regular has an OPS higher than Christian Vazquez at .725 and he will likely see that go down if expected numbers are correct. Players like Jeremy Pena are expected to improve and certainly that should be the case, but this offense is a little top heavy and that is clear in the outfield. If we consider Yordan Alvarez as a designated hitter only then there are seven guys that have gotten considerable time that likely will factor into the current or future plans of the organization.
As a reminder, bases per out are calculated by adding total bases, walks, stolen bases, and hit by pitches and dividing it by the total number of outs a player accrues. The current MLB average is .663. It goes without saying, but you want the players with the most outs to be the players that accrue the most damage per out. However, I am sure you will notice something immediately when looking at the outfielders. They will be listed in order of outs.
TB
BB/HBP
SB
Outs
BPO
Cam Smith
60
25
7
148
.622
Brice Matthews
46
10
2
113
.513
Jake Meyers
20
5
1
49
.531
Joey Loperfido
21
7
1
44
.659
Zach Cole
18
2
0
43
.465
Zach Dezenzo
16
4
0
33
.606
Taylor Trammel
14
4
1
21
.905
You’ve undoubtedly noticed that Trammel is the only outfielder over the league average and he has the least number of outs. Obviously, that is due to his untimely injury in Cleveland and he has been back in the lineup since returning from the injured list. Cole was mercifully sent down and Loperfido is on a rehab assignment, so he should be back next week as well. So, who amongst these guys will he replace?
Admittedly, holding a spot is not only a function of offensive production. The Astros have to consider things like positional flexibility, options, and defensive output. The same is true for when deciding who gets to start and where. Based on those points alone, Dezenzo would seem to be the most likely player out because of a lack of positional flexibility and defensive ability.
Certainly, this current road trip has changed a lot of minds over what is possible down the stretch. I am certainly in that group, but it is more about what other teams are not doing than what the Astros have actually done. Given that, the job for Joe Espada is to manage with razor thin margins and get as much blood out of that rock as possible. Many of you are screaming about the fielding side and it is definitely a factor. So, below we see the defensive innings along with the defensive runs saved (DRS), outs above average (OAA), and fielding run value (FRV). All three are popular fielding metrics that usually say the same thing, but occasionally disagree because they all have their own methods and assumptions.
Innings
DRS
OAA
FRV
Cam Smith
459.1
6
6
6
Brice Matthews
263.0
1
3
3
Jake Meyers
145.0
2
0
0
Zach Cole
127.0
1
0
1
Joey Loperfido
125.1
0
0
0
Zach Dezenzo
96.0
1
-2
-1
Taylor Trammel
84.1
1
-1
0
To give everyone some context, Smith is likely to be a finalist again for the Gold Glove in right field if he continues on this pace. Unlike last season, he may actually take it home this time. That obviously complicates a decision as to whether he should get regular starts in right field. When you add in the fact that he is probably the second best outfielder offensively behind Loperfido (Trammel likely comes back to Earth) then it seems pretty clear that he has right field held down.
This is why competing matters. If you are in the business of winning games then you put the best three guys out there. If you are in the business of development then you consider the best interests of the player. Smith likely should have been in the minors last season and maybe this season as well. It still might have been best for his overall development. Yet, if you are in the business of winning games then you need him out there.
Loperfido and Trammel seem like a nice platoon in left of sorts. In this case, it isn’t so much which side of the plate they hit from (left) as riding the hot hand in the moment. Trammel is not likely to be an average MLB performer over a full season. He certainly looks the part now, so you might as well ride that bull until it bucks you. Over a longer timeline, Loperfido has a slightly higher upside.
That leaves centerfield. Matthews has made that more compelling through his defense. Is Jake Meyers likely to live at a .531 BPO? He has a career .613 BPO. It seems reasonable to expect him to get back to the neighborhood of a .600 BPO at the very least. That certainly begs the question: is Brice Matthews likely to elevate himself to that? Obviously, what 2027 or 2028 might look like is anyone’s best guess, but the simple answer to that question in 2026 is likely no.
When Jose Altuve comes back it becomes a question of whether you want to option Matthews, Braden Shewmake, or Nick Allen. We haven’t looked at their numbers yet, but suffice it to say that both are performing better than Matthews. Remember, this is about squeezing as much offense as possible out of players that are not quite league average. If you have enough luck and win enough close games then you can find yourself right back in the hunt. These are razor thin margins we are talking about here, so the Astros must exploit every positive difference they can.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 28: Nicky Lopez #33 of the Texas Rangers reacts after striking out against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Globe Life Field on May 28, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros 5, Rangers 1
Guys, I’m getting worried about the Rangers’ chances of winning the Silver Boot this year.
Also, it appears that the addition of Nicky Lopez to the lineup hasn’t catalyzed the offense.
The last seven days have been demoralizing, as a Rangers fan. An opportunity to make a push and take control of the American League West has turned instead into a downward spiral.
This game, for example?
Very unpleasant.
Nathan Eovaldi giving up three runs in the first inning, part of the team’s ongoing inability to keep teams off the board in the first inning.
Rangers’ opponents have now scored 45 runs in the first inning this season. 31 runs have been allowed in the fifth inning. They haven’t allowed more than 23 runs in any other inning.
The entire rotation has been stricken with Dane Dunning disease.
Maybe Texas just needs to start using an opener in every game.
It wouldn’t solve the problem with the offense, however.
The Rangers recorded a whopping four hits in the game. Two by Josh Jung and two by Ezequiel Duran.
Incidentally, as part of the “the Shed has been de-nerfed” monitoring, Jung’s homer went 424 feet, as did Jeremy Pena’s. Those both are among the 10 balls in play that have traveled the farthest at the Shed this season. Eight of the top 10 on the list have come in the past three games.
The evidence continues to mount.
As do the losses.
Nathan Eovaldi hit 95.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.1 mph. Cal Quantrill’s sinker topped out at 94.4 mph.
Jake Burger had a 106.1 mph ground out. Josh Jung’s homer was 103.6 mph off the bat. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.6 mph single.
The Royals now come to town. Maybe the Rangers can avoid being swept by Kansas City.
May 28, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) reacts at second base after hitting an RBI double during the third inning against the Texas Rangers during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Good morning, LSB.
The Rangers lost to the Astros last night, 5-1.
Shawn McFarland’s game story discusses the hole that Texas’ starting pitching has been digging in the early going of games.
Kennedi Landry evaluates what’s gone wrong with the Rangers’ season one-third of the way into it.
Skip Schumaker missed the game while attending his son’s high school graduation.
Max Meyer gets the ball for the visitors, and he's collected a 2.52 ERA this season. The right-hander has a 9-2 NRFI/YRFI record as well, and he's held the Mets to a .094 average across 32 at-bats.
They failed to score off him in the first last Sunday.
Freddy Peralta counters for New York, and he hasn't allowed a run in the first inning in 10 straight appearances, and he's up against a Marlins lineup that doesn't often score in the first.
They're also batting just .239 in the opening frame, and he held them scoreless in the first last week.
I'd play this up to -160.
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marlins.TV, WPIX-11
Cubs at Cardinals: NRFI (-120)
Shota Imanaga takes the hill for the Chicago Cubs tonight, and while he's struggled at times this season, the left-hander rarely gets in trouble in the first.
He owns a 8-3 NRFI/YRFI record, and he hasn't given up a run in the first in five straight. The St. Louis Cardinals haven't scored in the opening frame in nine games and counting.
The hosts will hand Kyle Leahy the ball, and he's also been lights out in the first, with a 9-1 NRFI/YRFI record.
The Cubbies are hitting only .222 in the first inning, and they've scored just 10 times in the opening frame in 2026.
This is a play I'd take up to -150.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: MARQ, Cardinals.TV
Royals at Rangers: NRFI (-130)
The Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers are both struggling to score runs right now, and the pitching matchup here will make it difficult to get things going early on.
Stephen Kolek has a 2.77 ERA, and he hasn't allowed a run in the first once this year across four starts.
MacKenzie Gore has an ERA over 4.00, but he's usually came out unscathed in the opening frame, posting a 8-3 NRFI/YRFI record in '26.
The Royals' offense hasn't came across the dish in the first in four straight, while Texas has been held scoreless in the first in four of their previous six games.
I'll confidently ride this pick up to -140.
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Royals.TV, KDAF-CW33
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
NRFI/YRFI picks: 14-24, -0.35 units
What is a NRFI prediction?
NRFI (No Run First Inning) and YRFI (Yes Run First Inning) predictions add a thrilling twist to the start of an MLB game. A NRFI pick is a prediction that no runs will be scored in the first inning. You're predicting that the starting pitchers for both teams will get through the first inning without allowing any runs, whether by striking out batters, inducing ground balls, or through solid defensive play.
A YRFI pick is the exact opposite. You're predicting that at least one run will be scored in the first inning. In this case, you’re hoping for an early offensive burst such as a leadoff walk, a timely hit, or even a home run.
NRFI and YRFI picks add excitement to the early part of a game and offer immediate gratification for those looking for a quick resolution.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The start of the MLB season hasn't been kind to the San Francisco Giants and their first baseman, Rafael Devers.
The Giants have a 22-34 record through one-third of the season. Devers, their 2025 splash acquisition from the Boston Red Sox, has had a rather forgetful start to the 2026 season. He's on pace for one of his worst seasons in MLB, since his professional debut in 2017.
Devers is batting .242 with just seven homers in 215 at-bats through 56 games. This season he has struck out 69 times, which is ranked within the top 15 in baseball. His grand slam Sunday in the Giants' 8-5 win against the Chicago White Sox brought a sigh of relief after a sluggish start.
He followed it with a 1-for-3 performance, adding two RBIs in the first game of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a 6-2 loss on Monday, May 25. He remained in rhythm the following games batting 1-for-4 and adding an RBI despite the Giants losing, 7-5.
He cooled off in the final game of the series against Arizona. Devers was 0-of-4 as San Francisco was swept in the series after a 3-2 loss on May 27.
One of the more pressing issues for the Giants is what's going on with Devers and what to do with him at this point in his tenure. As talented as Devers is, the Giants' record indicates that something has got to change, and you start with Devers. The Giants need to determine whether they will continue to believe in Devers and allow him to shake the funk, or if they will bench him, or let him go altogether.
What should San Francisco Giants do about Rafael Devers' slump?
The Giants and Devers have got to figure this thing out if there's any hope of salvaging an otherwise lost season. It's not the end of the world, yet. San Francisco is 22-34, not the best record by far, almost the worst ... but not quite. All in all, improvement on all fronts needs to be made. The Giants are in a position where they can turn it around now or watch their 2026 season continue to crumble.
There needs to be answers for what to do with Devers. Here are a few options, whether popular opinion, or not.
Continue to play Devers
Everybody goes through a slump, right? Devers is no different. He's going to go through a lull, break out with a couple slugs out of the park and get back into form. Before we know it, this will be something we look back on and say "boy did we overreact."
That's best-case scenario. Sometimes that's how baseball goes — you need more and more games to shake out of a slump. Keeping confidence in Devers will allow him to remain confident in himself, which in turn will eventually translate to the diamond.
Bench Devers
Sit 'em down. Not for good, but with a 22-34 record, why not shake things up for a week to see how things go? USA TODAY baseball columnist Bob Nightengale posed a question that Giants faithful have wondered themselves: Why are the Giants not utilizing top prospect Bryce Eldridge?
Nightengale said it best when he wrote: "It’s like having a Porsche 911 Carrera and being instructed not to exceed 50 miles per hour. It’s getting a custom Armani suit but told it can only be worn at family barbeques. It’s like winning an all-inclusive Tahiti beach vacation for two, but your plus-one is your grandmother."
Eldridge is a 6-foot-7, 251-pound, first-round pick that’s one of the prized young hitters in baseball. Not to mention he's just the tender age of 21. Maybe a first-year skipper like Tony Vitello doesn't want to bring in the young gun in place of Devers, the 10-year MLB veteran. Both also play first base.
If Devers continues to have offensive woes, San Francisco has to look elsewhere and Eldridge could be the answer. At least playing youth will give fans some optimism after an abysmal start to the season.
Trade Devers
This might be the last straw. If the first two options are exercised and there's promise with Eldridge, then the next considerable move would be to see what the demand for Devers is and place him on the trade market. Devers is one of the high-priced players the team would "love to unload," according to previous USA TODAY reports. Devers is the highest-paid player on the team and still has $226.5 million remaining on his contract that runs through 2033.
San Francisco could look for an exit route, especially given his play since he first joined the Giants in a 2025 trade with the Red Sox.
Referring back to the previous options, if Devers is benched and someone such as Eldridge shows potential, or the Giants start clicking, then the move might be to find a new home for Devers. Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer detailed a list of teams that could be potential suitors for Devers that included the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves runs to first against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
More of a silly one today than anything else.
Mike Yastrzemski started off… poorly… with his new team. He had a 71 wRC+ through April 15; it dipped to 60 by the time April ended. On May 9, he was down to 46. And then, some stuff happened. He hit two homers, amid six total hits, over his next six games, only four of which were starts. Then, a few days later, he had a huge, 3-for-3 with a homer and a double game against the Marlins. His wRC+ wasn’t fully recovered, but it was up to 91 for the season.
That was about a week ago. Since then, the Braves have faced a bunch of lefties. Since then, Yastrzemski has had all of six PAs. Two series, six games, only four games in which he even appeared, one (bases-loaded, go-ahead) walk, one hit. He’s up to a 93 wRC+.
But, what has he been doing with his free time, since the universe has conspired to make sure the Braves face seemingly every lefty pitcher in existence?
Note: yes, this post has mentioned Yastrzemski’s outputs and their upswing, but his inputs have been sadder. On the season, he is outhitting his xwOBA by over .020, which is not inspiring given that his xwOBA is so low. His xwOBA was .259 through the May 9 nadir mentioned above. He then posted a great .377 xwOBA in his charged-up ten game stretch.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: Coby Mayo #16 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park on May 17, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Back in February, Jordan Westburg got a double-whammy of bad news: after suffering an oblique strain, he started feeling elbow discomfort, only to learn he’d partly torn his UCL—a bad injury, under any circumstances. Most people figured that Jordan Westburg was gone for this calendar year (this even before it was announced in May that he’d have season-ending elbow surgery), and someone had to step into the void at third base.
The obvious candidate to replace him: 24-year-old Coby Mayo, a power hitter who rose through the farm system as an infielder, though he’d lately switched to first base. A career .905 OPS hitter in the Minors, Mayo had the bat to fill the gap left by Westburg, a point his Grapefruit League performance made emphatically: Mayo hit .389 with a 1.039 OPS in spring, striking out just four times in the process. Now, with Westburg sidelined indefinitely, this looked like his chance.
Well, just because you need a hero doesn’t always mean you get one.
This, at least, is what we were saying for the first two months of the season.
From late March to most of May, Mayo was hitting .174/.242/.321, striking out in over 30% of his plate appearances, with a 41% whiff rate on curveballs. The line was bad enough that when Westburg’s injury was upgraded to season-ending the first week of May, the news was greeted with something like dread, because at this point, the conversation around Mayo (and Colton Cowser, for that matter) suggested less that they’d be rotation saviors or stalwarts, and more that is was plausible they should be optioned. At one point in early May, Mayo had gone 4-for-35 over a 13-game stretch. The prospect bloom, it seemed, had finally and definitively come off the rose.
Yet it’s now late May, and, I’m pleased to report, something seems to have shifted in Mayo’s offensive approach.
Over the last 14 days, Mayo has hit .292/.393/.458, with an .851 OPS. He homered last night, the only Orioles run plated in a 2-1 loss to Toronto, and of six home runs he’s hit on the year, three have come since May 11. Over the last seven days, the numbers are even more eye-catching: .429/.500/.571 (in two games, owing to time missed with a back injury). Yes, it’s a fragile, fledgling little Oriole of a sample set. But the recent results aren’t coming out of nowhere, either.
Statcast data shows that the gap between Mayo’s surface stats and his quality of contact has been wide all year. His average exit velocity of 91.1 mph is in the 85th percentile of hitters, and his hard-hit rate of 45.3% 80th: such contact usually produces sluggers, not .195 hitters. In other words, Mayo has been hitting the ball hard into outs at an unusual rate, and the recent results may simply reflect some of that contact luck normalizing.
There’s also reason to think the improvement is at least partly behavioral, not purely luck. Mayo spent the offseason at TBT Training in Boca Raton doing something he’d never done before: grinding specifically on off-speed pitches. He and his trainers cranked a pitching machine to extreme movement profiles, using foam balls to simulate the nastiest sliders and curveballs major league pitchers could throw. “That was the first time I really went into the offseason and grinded like that with off-speed,” Mayo said in spring training.
For a while, the payoff of such work was pretty hard to see. A 41% whiff rate on curveballs told us as much. But Mayo seems to be trending in the right direction: in the month of May, his BA on breaking balls has leapt 80 points, despite seeing even more of the pitch. What’s more, nearly half of his hits this month have come on breaking or offspeed pitches. Perhaps he’s adjusting, and pitchers will conclude they can’t just feed him junk anymore.
Anyway, irresponsible article headline aside, we’ll need a lot more evidence before we proclaim a total rehabilitation of Coby Mayo. But at least things are looking better. The whole team, it appears, was cold at the plate in April, but they’ve hiked their batting average as a unit nearly thirty points in the last two weeks. For Mayo, the underlying tools visible in his Statcast data all year are starting to flash.
At any rate, a 6’5” right-handed hitter with plus-plus raw power, a 45% hard-hit rate, and a demonstrated willingness to do the work on his weaknesses is not a player the O’s should give up on in late May of his age-24 season, not with Westburg gone for the season and no one really knocking on the door.
The Orioles, to their credit, haven’t. Mayo’s manager Craig Albernaz has been explicit about the philosophy: “You sucked today, you’re gonna play tomorrow.” That kind of patience from a coaching staff is exactly what the young Mayo needs to break through the wall.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal watches a play during the seventh inning between Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Happy Friday, everyone. It’s been a rough week to be a Tigers fan, and with the two upcoming series against the White Sox and Rays the Tigers are going to need to fight for every potential win. I never thought I’d say that about the White Sox, but they’ve just had their first winning month in almost three years and don’t seem like they plan to slow down any time soon.
In the meantime, Detroit’s downward trajectory coupled with Tarik Skubal’s speedier-than-hoped recovery timeline means it’s time to start heating up the hot stove, because rumors are swirling. Should the Tigers sell in the hope of being competitive in the future, or should they hold on and try to hope for a comeback this season? Only time will tell. Skubal has to get healthy first.
And healthy is something the Tigers don’t know much about this season. They have yet to go a single week this year without having a player on the IL, and this week is no different. Fingers crossed things start turning around.
Detroit Tigers News
While Tarik Skubal is still getting back into the swing of things, he’s on track to return as soon as everything looks good. Of course, with the Tigers flagging miserably since he’s been gone, the trade rumors are still swirling at an all-time high. Mark Feinsand at MLB dot com looked at what insiders were saying about the likelihood of Skubal being moved this season. The consensus among the unnamed AL executives quoted in the article is that a lot will depend on whether the Tigers feel they are truly out of contention. If they believe they have a shot at the postseason, don’t expect Skubal to go anywhere. One exec said about a trade:
“I always think there is a chance, but they would have to feel confident that they aren’t going to be able to go on a run… And that the return would be significant enough to wave the proverbial white flag.”
Mike Yastrzemski
Bryce Harper 
Aaron Judge
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