Category: Baseball

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The Seattle Mariners won the first two games of the series, outscoring the Houston Astros 13-3 in aggregate.

My Mariners vs. Astros predictions see the road team picking up its third consecutive win tonight.

Let's take a closer look at my MLB picks for May 13.

Who will win Mariners vs Astros today: Seattle Mariners (-125)

The Houston Astros are struggling mightily to score runs without several key bats in their lineup. That's even more problematic with Lance McCullers Jr. on the mound.

He has allowed at least three earned runs in six of seven starts this season, and lasted more than five innings just once over his last six.

Excluding Bottom-10 teams in batting average vs. right-handed pitching, McCullers Jr. has allowed three or more runs in all five games, and an average of 4.8.

The Seattle Mariners are well-positioned to score, and they shouldn't need many runs to win against this Houston offense.

COVERS INTEL:Lance McCullers Jr. ranks in the 10th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed.

Mariners vs Astros Over/Under pick: Under 9 (+100)

The Astros have scored three runs or fewer in eight of their last nine games. Worse yet, they have plated just four runs over the last four. Four!

It's not going to get any easier for them against Bryce Miller, who performed well in his rehab starts, and a Mariners bullpen that sits fourth in ERA and eighth in xFIP this season.

The Astros are unlikely to score more than two or three runs, which means the Mariners would have to put forth a ceiling performance to push this game Over the number.

Mariners vs Astros odds

• Moneyline: Mariners -125 | Astros +105
• Run line: Mariners -1.5 (+125) | Astros +1.5 (-145)
• Over/Under: Over 9.0 (-115) | Under 9.0 (-105)

Mariners vs Astros trend

The Seattle Mariners have hit the game total Under in 13 of the last 21 away games (+5.5 units, 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Mariners vs. Astros.

How to watch Mariners vs Astros and game info

Mariners vs Astros latest injuries

Mariners vs Astros weather

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Visitors to Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night were greeted with a barrage of baseballs in the stands. Unfortunately, none of them were socked by the Cincinnati Reds. Instead, the Reds themselves offered up six homers to the visiting Washington Nationals in a 10-4 drubbing that once again served as a reminder to just how disheveled the current state of the pitching staff truly is.

Starter Brady Singer was on the hook for a trio of those homers, all of which came after he took a hard comebacker off his foot/ankle. He only yielded 3 of the 10 total runs on the night, though, as the latter 7 all came with Reds relievers on the mound.

That’s been the tale of the last few weeks, unfortunately – a beleaguered bullpen tasked with picking up lots of innings after short starts that simply can’t keep runners of the bases, or runs from crossing home plate.

Here’s just a sample of where the Reds bullpen ranks in Major League Baseball relative to its 29 other peers:

ERA: 4.70 (25th out of 30)

FIP: 5.04 (29th)

xERA: 5.36 (30th, with 29th at 4.78)

xFIP: 4.93 (29th)

WHIP: 1.57 (28th)

SIERA: 4.51 (29th)

BB/9: 5.92 (30th)

HR/9: 1.22 (t-28th)

vFA: 93.0 mph (27th)

Oppo%: 20.5% (29th)

GB%: 36.7% (28th, or 3rd lowest)

FB%: 42.3% (28th, or 3rd highest)

Barrel%: 11.1% (30th)

Launch Angle (LA): 16.8 degrees (3rd highest)

**************************************************************************

The top few metrics show you the ends here. As you work your way down the list of places where the Reds bullpen ranks last, or close to it, you stumble face first into the means to the ends.

The Reds are walking more batters than anyone else, while also allowing opponents to barrel balls more than anyone else. The balls that are hit are hit with one of the highest launch angles in the game – good for the batter, bad for the Reds. The Reds are also extremely fly-ball prone (while playing in the worst possible ball park for that to be a trait), and opposing batters are turning on them more (read: pulling the ball) than almost any club in the sport.

Cincinnati’s also throwing it up there slower than their collective bullpen has for most of the last handful of years, even when they sported soft-tossing Brent Suter down there.

Some of this would be fine if, say, they were sporting an elite K/9. Serving up the occasional dinger is OK if there’s nobody on base and you’re fanning just about everyone else. However, the bullpen sports just a 9.07 K/9 (12th overall) that’s too middling to make up for the copious walks and frequency of having balls squared up against them, too.

The frustrating part is that you can’t even simply pin this on their closer being hurt, nor can you bank on this improving drastically the moment he’s inserted back into the mix. Emilio Pagan was a big, big part in all of this (though far from the only one), and the in-house replacements don’t necessarily figure to be instant improvements if given the chance, either.

So, how the Reds go about fixing this remains to be seen. For now, all we know is that how it’s been simply can’t keep being status quo if this club has any expectations of October baseball.

Columbus Clippers 5, St. Paul Saints 10

Clippers fall to 20-20

Kahlil Watson’s hot streak continued, as he went 2-for-5 with a home run and a double. He has straight up been obliterating baseballs lately.

Angel Genao also continues to rake at Triple-A, going 2-for-4 with a double.

Starting pitcher Ryan Webb got absolutely annihilated, allowing eight runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout in just 0.2 innings.

Tommy Mace came in with 2.1 innings of scoreless long relief, but the damage had been done. Jack Leftwtch also had 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Akron RubberDucks 6, Chesapeake Baysox 3

RubberDucks improve to 18-16

Ralphy Velazquez did it again, this time blasting an opposite field home run off a tough left-handed pitcher to the deep end of Akron’s park. Velazquez went 2-for-5, raising his batting average to .312 and OPS to .935. He doesn’t have much left to prove at Double-A.

Also having a strong game was Nick Mitchell, who went 3-for-5 with a triple and a double. Jake Fox also impressed by going 2-for-4 with a double. He’s batting .328 while repeating at Akron and appears to have figured the level out finally.

Wuilfredo Antunez reached base twice, going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Starting pitcher Cam Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings.

A rehabbing Shawn Armstrong allowed one run on one hit and one walk in his lone inning of work while striking out a pair.

Lake County Captains 9, Dayton Dragons 3

Captains improve to 16-17

Lake County’s offense did a great job of showing its patience, scoring nine runs on nine hits with eight walks.

Dean Curley had a strong game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk.

Aaron Walton also had himself a day, going 2-f0r-3 with a home run, a stolen base and two walks.

Esteban Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk while Bennett Thompson walked twice and Tommy Hawke went 2-for-5.

Starting pitcher Jogly Garcia allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 4.2 innings.

Melkis Hernandez was sensational in long relief, tossing 4.0 shutout innings with five strikeouts and a walk on two hits to earn the win.

Hill City Howlers 4, Wilson Warbirds 2

Howlers improve to 19-15

Dauri Fernandez was a terror on the basepaths Tuesday, going 1-for-3 with a walk and three steals, raising his season total to 17.

Robert Arias also stole a base after walking (his 16th). Jose Pirela went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two steals while catcher Ty Howard got in on the action, getting hit by a whopping three pitches and stealing a base.

Jhorvic Abreas went 3-for-4 from the bottom of the batting order.

Starting pitcher Aiden Major allowed two runs on two hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

Zane Petty followed with his best outing of the season, tossing 4.0 scoreless frames of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and one walk. Luke Fernandez finished off the victory with a scoreless ninth inning to earn his second save.

ACL Guardians 5, ACL Mariners 7

Guardians fall to 5-3

A rehabbing Gabriel Rodriguez looks like he’s about ready to return action. Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks on Tuesday.

Catcher Gustavo Baptiste had a great game, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base. Angel Abreu went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base and Reiner Herrera walked twice and stole two bases.

Starting pitcher Alejandro Rivera impressed, striking out eight batters and walking zero while allowing two runs on three hits in 4.0 innings. The Guardians seemed well on their way to winning until reliever Diovel Mariano allowed five runs without getting an out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

With the way the Mets’ season has gone, you can forgive folks for not being exactly sure what to make of A.J. Ewing’s call-up. After all, Ewing had played just 12 games at Triple-A before getting promoted. And while he moved up three levels last season, starting the year in Single-A and ending the year in Double-A Binghamton, there have been plenty of examples of players called up far too early or for whom the transition to the majors never quite clicked.

While one game is never exactly a portent for a career, it is hard to image someone looking more comfortable, confident, or like he was exactly where he belongs than Ewing did in his first game at Citi Field.

Ewing went 1-for-2 with three walks, a triple, a stolen base, two runs batted in, and two runs scored. His one out was a long fly ball to the warning track. He looked comfortable in center field, and he didn’t look remotely phased at any point in the game.

Not taking anything away from Carson Benge’s home run on Opening Day or Nolan McLean’s eight-strikeout performance against the Mariners, but something about Ewing’s debut felt different than those. Part of it is that last night’s game was the first time this team has looked like a formidable team in weeks, but there’s more to this than what the other guys on the roster did.

Ewing took some very close pitches with men on base for walks last night, pitches that many of his teammates probably wouldn’t be able to lay off. He had a Soto-like calm when watching a borderline pitch into the catcher’s glove, where he knew that the pitch might be close but it was going to go his way.

Then there was the confidence with which he stole second base in the sixth inning. After diving back in after Burch Smith threw over, Ewing took a walking lead before absolutely sprinting to second, losing his helmet in the process, but beating the throw comfortably.

But his first big league hit is really where Ewing showed just how much he belongs here. A stand-up triple is rare, but a stand-up triple on a ball that touched the infield dirt is something I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before, but especially not by a kid in his fourth career plate appearance.

Pick your factoid of choice: the first Met to reach base four times in his first game since Kaz Matsui in 2004, the youngest starting outfielder (21 days and 276 days old) since Fernando Martinez in 2009 (at 20 years and 228 days old), the only player since at least 1900 to walk three or more times in his MLB debut with a triple or multiple RBI, one of four players in the last 25 years to have one game with a triple, stolen base, and two walks younger than 22 (alongside James Wood, Ronald Acuña Jr, and Francisco Lindor), and the first ever Met to hit a triple in his MLB debut.

No matter how you slice it, Ewing’s debut was a memorable night for the Mets. Here’s to many, many more memorable nights.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (19-21) won 8-6 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Nelson solo home run. They scored another run in the third on a double play. Alexander got the start and went 5 innings allowing 3 runs. In the 5th, Strahm connected on a 2 run home run. The offense continued to add runs getting 3 runs in the 6th on a Winkler RBI single and Strahm 2 run single. Alexander would add a solo home run in the 7th inning. Maldonado allowed a few runs in relief but Santa tossed 1.2 scoreless innings as he closed out the 8-6 win.

Note: Santa has a 1.53 ERA this season.

• Kellen Strahm, LF: 2-for-5, R, 4 RBI
• James Nelson, DH: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• CJ Alexander, LF: 2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI
• Tommy Sacco, 2B: 1-for-4, R
• Jack Winkler, 3B: 4-for-4, 3 R, RBI
• Riley Unroe, SS: 1-for-3, BB

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Nate Pearson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Anthony Maldonado, RHP: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (15-19) lost 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Nezuh started for the Hooks and pitched well tossing 5 scoreless innings while striking out 3 batters. Hader made a rehab appearance and struck out one over a scoreless inning. Perez struggled in relief allowing 2 runs as the Sod Poodles took the lead. The Hooks offense was quiet on the night collecting just four hits as they were shutout in the 2-0 loss.

Note: Nezuh has a 3.86 ERA this season.

• Jeremy Pena, SS: 1-for-2, 2B
• Jake Meyers, CF: 0-for-4
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-4
• Joseph Sullivan, DH: 1-for-4
• Jeron Williams, LF: 1-for-3, SB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Josh Hader, LHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (8-26) lost 13-11 (BOX SCORE)

Rodriguez got the start but struggled allowing 9 runs over 2.2 innings. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Call 2 run home run. They got 2 more runs in the 3rd on a Nunez 2 run double. Ogando allowed 4 runs in relief as the Spartanburgers took a 13-4 lead. The offense got one back in the 6th on a Walker RBI single. In the 9th, the offense rallied for 6 runs on a Thomas RBI single. Schiavone 2 run double and Brutcher 3 run home run but that was it as Asheville fell 13-11.

Note: Thomas is hitting .302 this season.

• Justin Thomas, LF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-5, R
• Jason Schiavone, C: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 1-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Chase Call, RF: 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
• Kyle Walker, SS: 1-for-4, RBI
• Caden Powell, DH: 1-for-3, R, BB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB

• Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 2.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Anthony Cruz, RHP: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (13-21) lost 7-2 (BOX SCORE) 

Beck got the start for the Woodpeckers and pitched well allowing 1 run over 4.2 innings while striking out 7 batters. The offense took the lead in the 7th scoring 2 runs on a Wakefield sac fly and Flores RBI single. Verdugo relieved Beck but struggled allowing 5 runs over 2.1 innings. Cassedy allowed a run in the 9th and the offense was scoreless the rest of the way as they fell 7-2.

Note: Beck has 26 K in 20.2 innings this season.

• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-4
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Juan Sierra, DH: 1-for-4
• Josh Wakefield, LF: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 1-for-3, RBI, BB

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
• Ryan Verdugo, RHP: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Cassedy, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: TBD – 8:05 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 11:05 CT

AV: Yeriel Santos – 10:05 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

LOS ANGELES — A day after the Giants made waves with an explicit celebration, their outfielders couldn’t have rung in a second straight win over the Dodgers in more of an opposite fashion.

Out with the hip thrusts, in with the bows.

“I like that,” manager Tony Vitello said after the 6-2 win Tuesday. “I like that, for sure.”

The skipper had his eyes elsewhere after the final out, but when informed of the respectful gesture that took the place of the barely-safe-for-work one from the previous night he provided his stamp of approval.

Little different victory celebration from #SFGiants outfielders tonight pic.twitter.com/2Lhq3Lc6Qk

— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) May 13, 2026

Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos converged with Drew Gilbert in center field, where the players dropped their gloves, placed their hands on their hearts and bent at the waist before joining the high-five line.

The change came after a team meeting where, among other topics, there was some disapproval expressed over what occurred on the same real estate the previous night.

Harrison Bader, Gilbert and Lee locked arms in a group hug and hip-thrusted five times, though the former two looked to be more enthusiastic about it than the latter, who eventually attempted to wiggle away.

“There was a meeting today,” Vitello said. “But that was a side note. It was a fun meeting. … We just need everybody on board [and to] kind of trust the overall process and approach we’re trying to take.”

Their original celebration went viral overnight, and by the time the team returned to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, they were doing their best to divert attention toward their play on the field.

Before the game, Bader declined to comment on what took place the previous night and Gilbert said they planned to switch things up.

It didn’t take long for them to get another chance, with some apparent influence from Lee, whose Korean culture uses the gesture as a greeting and a sign of respect.

pic.twitter.com/wsIHUdvLGC

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 12, 2026

Vitello, in fact, has taken to bowing toward Lee, for which he expressed appreciation to The California Post.

If Monday’s act left Lee feeling uncomfortable, he didn’t show any indication the following night. He was about as animated as ever upon reaching second base after doubling home two runs in the seventh.

With Ramos hyping him up from a few steps in front of the dugout, Lee yelled and used an uppercut to punch the air with his right arm.

“The one thing about Jung Hoo … each day you’re around him, you realize how competitive he is,” Vitello said. “Maybe he doesn’t verbalize it as much and he’s not the quickest guy to slam his helmet or anything, but he is ultra competitive. … It’s fun to see that emotion.”

Diamondbacks News

Streak of Dominant Starts Ends with Gallen Loss to Rangers
Zac Gallen surrendered seven runs, all earned, in only 4 1/3 innings. On the other side, Mackenzie Gore pitched the longest outing of his career, eight innings of dominant one-run ball.

Diamondbacks Trade Alek Thomas to Dodgers
The Dodgers take on all of Thomas’ $1.45 million contract and also send back minor league outfielder Jose Requena

Why Arizona Made Move to Trade Thomas to Dodgers
It should come as no surprise that the answer comes down to money.

Diamondbacks Upcoming Schedule Provides Massive Opportunity
After going 20-20 over the course of the season’s first 40 games, the Diamondbacks are now entering a 37-game stretch that might well define the remainder of the season. During the stretch, the Snakes only have seven games against teams with a winning record.

Other Baseball News

Guide to MLB’s Looming Labor Battle: CBA, Salary Cap and More
The next round of MLB labor negotiations officially began Tuesday with the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association exchanging opening presentations more than six months before the December 1 expiration date of the current collective bargaining agreement.

Paul Skenes Once Again Flirts with No-Hitter
It really is just a matter of time right now.

Teruaki Sato Looks MLB-Bound in Superstar Form
Teruaki Sato has forged himself quite the resume, even forcing his way into a stacked WBC lineup for Japan – the only non-MLB player to hit in the top-six for the baseball powerhouse.

Common sense says that things like this should be reviewable, even if not explicitly provided for in the manual.

Three one-run losses and a blowout win for the Ontario Tower Buzzers—that’s how the day went in the Dodgers’ minor league system.

Player of the day

While the first-place Drillers might not have gotten the result they wanted in a loss against the Cardinals, it most certainly didn’t come due to a lack of trying from Chris Newell. The right-fielder finished his game with three hits in four at-bats and stole two bases without getting caught once.

While Newell hasn’t had what one may describe as a memorable campaign, the twenty-five-year-old could be heating up with this being his second three-hit performance in as many games.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Despite tossing eight scoreless frames in between the second and ninth innings, the Comets couldn’t produce enough offensively to grab a win on the road. Instead, they lost it 2-1 in walk-off fashion on an RBI single from Sterlin Thompson.

The weird thing is that it wasn’t a particularly dominating day from the Isotopes on the strikeout side, with only five, but they managed to hold off the likes of James Tibbs III and Jack Suwinski hitless.

Double-A Tulsa

Different kind of game, same kind of result. The Comets dropped one 7-6 to the Cardinals as the struggles of Maddux Bruns showed up once again. The once very promising left-hander saw his ERA balloon to 11.68, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) with just as many walks, earning only one out in the process. Interestingly, Bruns didn’t even have the shortest outing of a pitcher involved in this game, as Christian Ruebeck opened the game and didn’t record a single out.

Despite the six runs, it wasn’t necessarily the most productive of days for the Drillers’ offense as a whole. Chris Newell recorded half of the team’s six hits and their only two stolen bases. Five of those runs came in the third inning, later held in check by the Cardinals’ bullpen.

High-A Great Lakes

In the battle of hits over walks, walks won as the Whitecaps beat the Loons 4-3 on a day in which their pitching staff allowed three hits and eight walks, a direct contrast with the Loons’ 10 hits and two free passes. Great Lakes threatened to take the lead late in this one, but they had the wrong part of the order up as Eduardo Guerrero and Samuel Muñoz stranded the tying and the potential go-ahead runs on the basepaths in the eighth inning.

Jacob Frost came into this game with an undefeated 5-0 record,but ended up suffering his first loss of the year, allowing two runs in 3.2 innings, with three walks and four strikeouts. On a positive note, middle infielder Nico Perez hit his sixth home run of the season, finishing the game three for four.

Single-A Ontario

The day was salvaged by the Tower Buzzers, who crushed the Giants en route to a 9-2 win, despite 13 strikeouts. Emil Morales went two for four to elevate his season batting average to .333, while shortstop Joendry Vargas and first baseman Easton Shelton both left the yard.

With starter Cam Leiter covering only a pair of scoreless innings, the bulk of the game was left for reliever Mason Estrada, who earned six strikeouts in four innings and set up a calm finish for Jhonny Jímenez.

Transactions

The Ontario Tower Buzzers activated shortstop Kellon Lindsey. Outfielder Alex Thomas was assigned to the ACL Dodgers, who activated second baseman Reyli Mariano.

Tuesday’s scores

• Albuquerque 2, Oklahoma City 1
• Tulsa 6, Springfield 7
• Great Lakes 3, West Michigan 4
• Ontario 9, San Jose 2

Wednesday’s schedule

• 9:00 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) vs. Springfield
• 3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sterling Patick) vs. West Michigan (Ben Jacobs)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Albuquerque (TBD)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (Isaac Ayon) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (TBD)

The Yankees broke their losing streak on Tuesday, besting Baltimore 6-2 thanks to a five-run third inning. Trent Grisham punctuated the rally with a three-run blast off of Trevor Rogers, who has looked nowhere close to the dominant form he displayed for the O’s in 2025. The rest of the league was back in action after most were traveling on Monday, so we’ve got a full slate of games to cover today.

Tampa Bay Rays (28-13) 7, Toronto Blue Jays (18-24) 6 (10 innings)

For a while, this looked like a one-sided affair. The Rays built up a 5-0 lead midway through the seventh inning thanks to a flurry of hits early, a wild pitch with a runner on third in the sixth, and a solo shot from Ryan Vilade in the seventh. Shane McClanahan was keeping Toronto under wraps on the other side, allowing just a single hit through five innings of work before Casey Legumina came in and got around a leadoff hit in the sixth. Legumina stayed in for the bottom of the seventh, however, and the game flipped on its head in a hurry.

Ernie Clement got aboard on a single, but it came between a flyout and strikeout to put Toronto an out away from wasting one of the few chances they’d gotten to this point. Instead, they rattled off a double, walk, single, and another double to plate four runs, and then a fielding error allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to reach and the tying run to cross the plate.

With nothing going in the eighth or ninth, the Rays entered extra innings and promptly retook the lead thanks to a Taylor Walls single. After a walk and wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, Jonathan Aranda lifted a sacrifice fly to give them a huge insurance run. The Jays managed to score their ghost runner on a sac fly in the bottom of the 10th, but could manage only a walk against Garrett Cleavinger as he secured the save.

Other Games

Philadelphia Phillies (20-22) 2, Boston Red Sox (17-24) 1: The first two innings brought all of the offense Philly would need, as Kyle Schwarber hit a solo shot in the first and Bryson Stott crushed an RBI ground-rule double in the second. Boston struggled to find an answer against Zack Wheeler, getting shutout until the seventh inning when a trio of singles brought home one run. With runners still on the corners Wheeler shut the door, getting Marcelo Mayer to ground out. The Sox then threatened against Jhoan Duran in the ninth, getting two aboard with one out, but Duran recovered by striking out Ceddanne Rafaela and getting Mayer to ground it to second.

Cleveland Guardians (23-21) 3, Los Angeles Angels (16-27) 2: The Angels managed to double the Guardians’ hits, but Cleveland made the most of their opportunities: Angel Martínez hit a solo shot in the third inning, Patrick Bailey drove in a run in the fifth on a grounder, and Brayan Rocchio lifted a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Angels cut into the lead with a sac fly and solo shot of their own in the sixth and eighth innings respectively, but they went down in order in the ninth.

New York Mets (16-25) 10, Detroit Tigers (19-23) 2: The Tigers briefly held a 2-0 lead in this game, getting a Dillon Dingler solo shot and a sac fly in the second inning. That was short-lived, as the Mets put up runs in every inning except the first and fifth as they scored 10 unanswered to pull off a blowout win.

Seattle Mariners (21-22) 10, Houston Astros (16-27) 2: The Mariners’ quest to pull back to .500 is nearly complete after they got a huge win on Tuesday. Cal Raleigh broke out of his extended slump with a 2-for-4 night, scoring three runs, and Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone both launched homers to lead the way for the offense. Bryan Woo tossed six innings of two-run ball for Seattle, striking out nine while allowing four hits and a pair of walks.

Texas Rangers (20-22) 7, Arizona Diamondbacks (20-21) 4: Joc Pederson got the Rangers off to a strong start, leading off with a homer, and the hits kept coming from there. Texas added one in the second and third, and blew the game open with a four-run fifth jumpstarted by a Brandon Nimmo triple. Arizona didn’t go down quietly, rallying for three runs in the ninth inning with three-straight walks to start the inning, but they couldn’t get runs across without using up outs in the process.

Hickory starter Moises Morales allowed three runs in six innings, striking out six and walking one.

Hector Osorio was 2 for 4 with a walk. Yolfran Castillo was 2 for 4 with a walk. Marcos Torres doubled. Daniel Flames had a hit. Josh Springer had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Aidan Curry allowed four runs in four innings, including a home run, while striking out seven and walking two.

Maxton Martin was 3 for 6 with a double. Malcolm Moore was 2 for 5 with a double and a homer. Rafe Perich homered and walked twice. Paxton Kling doubled. Gleider Figuereo had a homer and a walk. Yeison Morrobel had a pair of hits and a walk.

Hub City box score

For Frisco, starter Josh Trentadue went 1.2 innings, allowing a grand slam, walking one and striking out one. Ryan Lobus struck out one in an inning of work.

Dylan Dreiling doubled and walked.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Austin Gomber walked four and struck out three in 5.1 IP, allowing four runs. Alexis Diaz retired the two batters he faced. Chris Martin, starting a rehab assignment, faced six batters, retired two of them, and gave up four runs on four hits, including two homers. Marc Church walked one and allowed a run in 1.1 IP.

Cam Cauley walked four times and stole a base.

Round Rock box score

Rangers 7, D-Backs 4

• And back in the win column are our Texas Rangers.
• With a bunch of runs scored, which is nice.
• On the heels of a bullpen game, the Rangers…I hesitate to say “needed” length from MacKenzie Gore in his start, given that there were probably only two relievers who were unavailable. But they definitely wanted to get a lot of innings out of Gore, to avoid further taxing the bullpen.
• One December, when my daughter, Rowan, was in kindergarten, I asked my wife what she wanted for Christmas.
• She said, “For Christmas, I want Rowan to pick up her room, because it makes me sad and mad that her room is always so messy.”
• Rowan piped up and said, “You can’t get that for Christmas, mommy, because that’s a service, not a good, and Santa brings goods for Christmas, not services. Also, its a want, not a need, because you want me to pick up my room, but I don’t need to do it.”
• Whether it twas a want or a need, Gore came through for the Rangers in spades, logging eight innings, allowing just one run, giving up three hits and one walk, striking out five.
• Gore’s inconsistency when it comes to throwing strikes has been something we’ve talked about a fair amount, but that was not an issue on Tuesday. Of Gore’s 95 pitches, 63 were for strikes.
• Gore wasn’t missing bats, either. He had just 8 swings and misses, total.
• Ironically, given that the broadcast was discussing his D-Back counterpart Zac “Ten” Gallen’s ridiculously low whiff rate on the fastball this season, Gore got zero whiffs on the 26 fastballs he threw.
• Whether this was a deliberate strategy Gore was utilizing, throwing more strikes in order to try to be as efficient as possible in order to work deeper into the game, or just serendipity, it worked. The D-Backs did have some hard hit balls off of him — most notably Ildemaro Vargas’s second inning home run — but Arizona balls in play tended to find gloves.
• What was a blowout turned into, well, not a blowout in the ninth.
• Gavin Collyer was summoned to pitch the ninth on what was Collyer’s 25th birthday, and it was not a birthday he will want to remember.
• Collyer walked Corbin Carroll on five pitches, walked someone named Tim Tawa on four pitches, then walked Nolan Arenado on five pitches, with a wild pitch mixed into the Arenado plate appearance. With the bases loaded, Vargas singled to make it a 7-2 game, at that was the end of Collyer’s outing. Jacob Latz replaced Collyer and retired all three batters he faced, though a run scored on the first out, a fielder’s choice, and the second out, a sac fly, giving us the ultimate 7-4 result.
• Gavin Collyer has, prior to 2026, had a walk problem. Doing a better job of throwing strikes is what had him in the mix in spring training, and is what earned him a callup when the Rangers needed a bullpen arm. He has now hit or walked 10 of the 42 batters he has faced in the majors.
• The three runs he got dinged for are the first runs he’s allowed in his major league career. That said, Collyer is going to have to tighten things up. Walking three straight batters in the ninth inning with a big lead is going to kick you out of a manager’s tree of trust faster than just about anything.
• Collyer has pitched in 12 major league games. He has walked the first batter he faced in three of those 12 games, and hit the first batter he faced twice. That’s also not something that is going to make a manager real comfortable.
• Offensively, the Rangers rebounded well after being shut out on Monday. Skip Schumaker shook things up, putting Joc Pederson in the leadoff spot, and Pederson responded with a homer on the second pitch Gallen threw.
• With Pederson, Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager in the top three spots, the Rangers had three lefties in a row, but that alignment does work better, I think, than having Pederson and Evan Carter back-to-back, as Schumaker had been doing. A lefty brought into the game, particularly in the middle innings, to face Pederson and Carter either results in two guys who can’t hit lefties facing a lefty, or else Schumaker pinch hitting for one or both of them, which weakens the lineup overall, particularly if/when those spots come back around later in the game against a righthanded reliever. If lefty is brought in to face Pederson, Nimmo and Seager, though, Pederson likely gets pinch hit for, Nimmo has minimal platoon splits, and Corey Seager is Corey Seager. It doesn’t mean that the opponent won’t go with a lefty in that situation, but the impact is lessened.
• Jake Burger, mired in a bad slump, had three singles and a walk, and while none of the singles were exactly stung, he made contact and got on base, and I’ll take that.
• Ezequiel Duran had one of the most fortunate home runs you’ll see, going the opposite way with a pop fly that was just 92.4 mph off the bat, and that barely made it over the wall down the line in right field. Per Statcast, the xBA on that ball was .060.
• But we’ll take it.
• The Rangers chased Gallen in the fifth. A Nimmo one out triple was followed by a slow Seager roller, with the D-Backs unsuccessfully trying to get Nimmo at the plate. A Josh Jung single, an Evan Carter 4-3, and an Ezequiel Duran infield single (that I think probably should have been an E6) made it 5-1 and had Torey Lovullo go to the pen. Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger singles made it 7-1, and the rout was on, at least until the ninth.
• Osuna ended up stealing third that inning on a delayed steal, where the third baseman was far enough off the bag that he was able to get his secondary lead and then, after the pitch was thrown, just keep going to third. It didn’t end up mattering, as Kyle Higashioka struck out for the final out, but it was the kind of heads-up play that makes you appreciate what Osuna brings.
• The dark cloud to the offensive outburst is that Brandon Nimmo, who had three hits, turned his ankle on an infield single in the sixth. He initially stayed in the game but was ultimately pulled for pinch runner Sam Haggerty. The Rangers say he is day-to-day, though I’m guessing he sits in the series finale on Wednesday, giving him, with Thursday’s off day, two days to rest the ankle.
• MacKenzie Gore topped out at 96.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.8 mph. Gavin Collyer’s fastball touched 98.0 mph. Jacob Latz hit 95.7 mph with his fastball.
• Joc Pederson’s leadoff homer was 109.1 mph off the bat. Brandon Nimmo had a 108.3 mph triple and a 107.1 mph single.
• Now let’s win the rubber game, in what will be my first game at the Shed in 2026.

Look at it this way. At least the Cubs scored some runs in this game.

Not enough runs, as they lost to the Braves 5-2 in the series opener in Atlanta.

Colin Rea and Grant Holmes matched zeroes through two innings, and the Cubs failed to score in the top of the third. The Braves got on the board in the bottom of that inning on a single by Dominic Smith (who you might remember from a brief appearance as a Cub in Spring Training 2024), a ground out advancing him and an RBI single by Mike Yastrzemski.

The Cubs took the lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Alex Bregman challenged a pitch and was incorrect. That was the Cubs’ second wrong challenge of the game, and I’ll get to the other one later.

That didn’t hurt Bregman’s at-bat, as he smacked his fourth homer of the year, making it 1-1 [VIDEO].

So that was good. It broke a 23-inning scoreless streak for the Cubs and was Bregman’s first home run since April 24, a span of 62 plate appearances. As it would turn out, that was the Cubs’ only hit.

Perhaps that homer rattled Holmes, as he walked the next three hitters, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch. So the Cubs had the bases loaded with one out. This is exactly where a team has to go for it, this is an excellent scoring opportunity, especially for a team that’s had trouble scoring recently.

Instead, they got only one more run, when Moisés Ballesteros beat a double-play relay [VIDEO].

So the Cubs had a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the fourth, and Rea had been dealing, but that ended in the Atlanta half of the inning, which included home runs by two players (Austin Riley and Yastrzemski) who both came into the game with BA’s below .213. For Yastrzemski, it was his first home run of the season in more than 125 plate appearances.

With the score 4-2 due to the homers, Ryan Rolison relieved Rea with two runners on and one out and allowed an RBI single to Matt Olson, making it 5-2.

And that, basically, was that. Cubs relievers (Rolison, Jacob Webb and Trent Thornton) threw 3.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts. Braves relievers threw five no-hit innings and allowed one further baserunner after the fourth (a one-out walk by Nico Hoerner in the fifth).

The Cubs did flash some glove in this game or the score might have been worse.

Pete Crow-Armstrong with a great running catch to end the second inning [VIDEO].

Nico with a nice diving stop in the third [VIDEO].

And two pickoffs, one by Rea and this one by Rolison in the fifth [VIDEO].

Now I’d like to talk a bit about the Cubs’ first ABS challenge of the game, made by Ballesteros in the first inning. Here’s the situation and pitch [VIDEO].

That’s the ninth pitch of the game. There’s nobody on base, the game is scoreless and there’s one out. As Jim Deshaies said after Ballesteros was wrong on that one, if you’re going to challenge in that situation, you have to be really, really sure that you’re right. The pitch was close but it wasn’t that close. Now, the lack of challenges didn’t really have any impact on the result of this game, but this should be a learning experience for the young catcher. Ballesteros had twogood challenge games in Spring Training, but… this is a different story.

More on the Cubs getting just one hit, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs had been held to one hit in 68 previously games since 1901, most recently Sept 18 of last year, in a 1-0 loss at Cincinnati.

They had scored two runs in five of the 68, winning the first three, vs. the Dodgers at home in 1902 (2-0), at St. Louis in 1908 (2-0) and at home vs. the Reds in 1937 (2-1). They also beat the Dodgers at home, 3-2, in 1914.

The two losses with two runs were by 8-2 at Cincinnati in 1971 and by 4-2 at home vs. the Royals on Aug. 21, 2021.

They now have been one-hit five times since then and did not score in any of the games.

They did not score in 55 of the 69 games. They scored once in eight games – and won one of them, in Game 1 of a Fourth of July doubleheader at Pittsburgh in 1906. The hit, by Jimmy Slagle, came in the ninth inning and he scored the run.

In that 2021 loss to the Royals, the only Cubs hit was also a home run, a two-run job by Patrick Wisdom.

The offense has been moribund for three games now, with a total of two runs and eight hits. This is too good of an offense to do that for very long, and eventually they will come out of it.

And… yeah, gotta say this: The Cubs had a 10-game winning streak, lost three in a row, then won 10 straight again. Now they’ve lost three in a row again. You don’t suppose…

Well, of course it’s very unlikely. But that’s why they play the games.

The Cubs will look to snap that three-game streak Wednesday evening in Atlanta. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and rookie JR Ritchie goes for the Braves. Game time Wednesday is again 6:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

In the offseason, the Braves knew that there’d be some issues with Sean Murphy’s availability. They signed Jonah Heim on February 10. That move turned into 45 PAs for Heim, where he ended up barely above replacement thanks to A) one big game at Coors Field in his final outing with the team and B) outhitting his .278 xwOBA over those 45 PAs. Then, Heim was DFAed and traded to the Athletics when Murphy was activated from the Injured List.

Heim was signed when the Braves knew Murphy would be out for about a month of regular season action. Now, Murphy is going to be out about twice as long. The Braves did re-sign Sandy Leon, but that’s likely a stopgap: they didn’t go to Leon as the backup earlier, so it’d be strange to think that they now plan to rely on Leon for an even longer period. Chadwick Tromp is once again in the organization, but the Braves neither relied on him in April, nor opted to select his contract instead of re-signing Leon, so I’m not sure if he’s the team’s preference to hang out on the roster and catch games against southpaws and such up until the All-Star Break or whatever.

Who does that leave, though? It’d be funny if the Braves simply re-acquired Heim, especially since he’s not really playing for his new team (he’s made one start in ten days, along with a couple of pinch-hit appearances). On top of that, Heim didn’t really show anything on either side of the ball to make him an exciting (re-)acquisition; other than familiarity, his career looks to be continuing in its 2024-2025 sub-replacement vein, rather than a return to form. But, it’s not clear what options the Braves have overall that aren’t Leon or Tromp.

Austin Wynns was an Athletics roster casualty after being supplanted by Heim. The problem with Wynns is that the 35-year-old journeyman backup catcher isn’t actually good at anything, clocking in as a typical backup catcher bat without any notable framing skills. After that, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking the question. Other guys that are floating around include Austin Barnes and Reese McGuire; I couldn’t find other MLB veterans that re-entered the waiver wire this year. Barnes is 36 and may still be an okay framer, but his overall defensive profile has taken a tumble in his mid-30s; he was released by the Mets in Spring Training. McGuire actually got into a few games for the White Sox this year, and his framing is non-horrible, but no team has shown any interest in him since he was cut a few weeks ago.

Who else ya got?