Category: Baseball

Jaron Williams called time and made his way from behind the plate to the pitcher's mound. Williams overheard the opposing team talking about his pitcher, Aaron Reese.

"He's only pitching with one hand. What can he really do?"

Placing the ball in Reese's left hand, the catcher told him what he had heard. Reese didn't respond. He struck out 10 and walked away with a win.

The only words Williams had for the opposing team at the conclusion of the game was, "That's what my pitcher can do."

This happened a couple of years ago at a summer-league game, but Reese has spent his baseball life hearing variations of the same question – what can a pitcher with one fully-functional arm really do?

At Carver-Montgomery High School, that question has stopped being about limitation and started being about production. He's become a legitimate pitcher competing without adjustments from his coaching staff. What began as a curiosity to outsiders has become, for Aaron, simply baseball.

His junior season ended last month with a win in the area tournament. He struck out eight.

'What we do with two hands, he can do better with one'

Reese was born 13 pounds at birth. He got stuck in the birth canal because he was so big, doctors had to forcefully pull him out. When they did, it dislocated a nerve from his spinal cord, causing Erb's palsy.

"At that time, we didn't care. My baby was alive," Deirdre Reese told the Montgomery Advertiser.

Since then, Aaron has undergone several surgeries and been through therapy. Doctors say he will never have full use of his right arm.

That didn't keep him from developing a love for baseball.

He followed his brother, Kendall Reese, everywhere on a baseball field. Aaron's presence eventually promoted him to batboy. But batboy wasn't enough for Aaron. Sometimes, while sitting on Kendall's lap in the dugout, Aaron moved his hands in all sorts of directions around his torso and head — attempting to give signs to the team.

"He brought extra energy to the dugout," Kendall said.

Kendall knew it was time to get to work with Aaron. He couldn't waste a love for the game because of a nerve condition.

A patient brother and a painstaking process

It started with a tennis ball.

Kendall tossed Aaron a ball over and over in the field that surrounds their house in the country. At first, it wasn't about throwing or velocity, just learning how to secure the ball cleanly with his left hand. Then came the glove, and Kendall transitioned to another basic skill: getting the ball out the glove.

Aaron caught the ball in his glove, threw his glove down on the ground, picked up the ball that rolled out when it hit the ground and made the throw.

"When I first saw that, I was kind of shocked because I was like, his mind is actually working because I was thinking that he was going to try attempt to grab the ball with his other hand," Kendall said.

As surprised as he was, Kendall knew that transition wasn't going to cut it during a game.

Instead, Aaron learned to catch the ball in his glove, tuck it into his right armpit, collected the ball and make the throw.

It wasn't easy.

He would fumble with the glove and lose precious seconds getting the throw off. Kendall clocked him at 6 or 7 seconds to make a throw.

When Aaron first started pitching, he wouldn't put his glove on because he wanted get rid of the ball faster. In one game, he fielded a ball with his bare hand. His finger swelled up from taking the brunt force of the ball, forcing him to be pulled.

The frustration built. Sometimes, it was too much.

Tears in his eyes, Aaron wanted to give up. But the desire to play baseball burned too brightly.

Kendall decided to slow things down and make training baseball simple and fun with the introduction of the three-inning game. The game was a one-on-one showdown between Aaron and Kendall, with the objective of hitting the ball and making it all the way back to home before the other brother could tag the batter out.

As the big brother, Kendall wasn't going to show any mercy. But he started to notice that when he'd hit the ball at Aaron, he attempted to try and catch it. Over time, Aaron started to beat Kendall.

Kendall noticed Aaron smiling and laughing more. So, they started again.

This time, they worked on Aaron taking the glove on and off with the ball already inside. Soon, Kendall was timing his transfer to throw at 2 or 3 seconds.

"I could never make the switch as fast he could, even with two hands," Kendall said.

Fielding the ball, tucking the glove in the armpit and grabbing the ball now only takes Aaron 1.3 seconds. After two years of countless reps in the backyard and in the mirror, it's a seamless transition.

Now parents of opposing players seek Dierdre Reese out after games.

"They tell me that their players or sons can't give them any more excuses," Deirdre said. "They tell me that watching Aaron is an inspiration because it is a rarity to ever do what he does."

'I'm just a pitcher. Nothing else'

Aaron stands tall on the mound, his eyes focused on the catcher. He cradles his glove upright in his right arm with his left hand fiddling with the ball inside his glove to find the right fastball grip.

He kicks his right leg up, puffs his cheeks full of air, pulls his right arm into his chest like he's hugging his glove and rears his left arm towards home plate. As his left leg swings around to touch the ground in front of him, Aaron is sliding his left arm in his glove.

"I would put him up against anyone," Carver coach Quawon Baldwin said.

When Baldwin was coaching at Park Crossing and he'd face Aaron on the mound, he didn't ever see a pitcher with a disadvantage. He encouraged his players to give their maximum effort because that's what they were going to need to beat him.

Now that he is Aaron's coach, he doesn't give the lefty pitcher any special treatment.

During his junior season, Aaron's fastball was consistently clocking at 82 mph and could reach upwards to 87 when he was really feeling letting it fly.

"He wants to feel normal. So, with that being said, I push him as hard as the rest of the team," Baldwin said.

Said Aaron, "I love baseball, it's just something I've always done, and I'm in a mindset that I'm just a pitcher. Nothing else."

Aaron has two dreams, One large and one small.

The grander of the dreams is to be enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, but before he gets to that point, he needs to reach the smaller dream first.

That dream is of playing college baseball at the Division I level. It's a dream that is slowly unfolding with showcase invitations finding their way into his mailbox. Schools like Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Jacksonville State want to see Aaron on the mound for themselves.

There haven't been any formal offers extended, but when Baldwin takes his seniors on visits during the offseason, coaches make sure to check in on Aaron.

Aaron has heard the question for years. What can he really do?

At Carver, it's no longer a question that defines him. The answer has stopped being theoretical, it's become routine.

Just over six months after he was appointed at Ibrox, is Danny Rohl already on the proverbial shoogly peg?

The German revived Rangers and led them back into the title race after the calamitous tenure of Russell Martin, but his team have collapsed at the business end of the season.

Losses in both post-split games so far - at home to Motherwell and away to leaders Hearts - have effectively consigned Rangers to a second trophyless season on the bounce and turned up the heat on Rohl.

While some supporters will remain fully behind the 37-year-old, he may fall victim to the "dripping tap of negativity" that comes with life as an Old Firm manager.

"I think there's a stick or twist scenario for Rangers if this season pans out the way it's beginning to look at the moment," said Stephen McGowan, football writer with The Herald, on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Ultimately, the Rangers manager is judged by how many trophies he wins and on that score, it looks like Danny Rohl is going to fall short.

"In a rational football environment, probably he wouldn't come under anything like this amount of pressure, but this is not a rational environment, it's Glasgow.

"He did do exceptionally well to get him back in the race, but there are big questions over Danny Rohl now, these are dangerous times for him."

Rangers led 1-0 at Tynecastle on Monday night but one of the main talking points post-match was Rohl's inability to cope with Derek McInnes' tactical tweaks.

McGowan added: "I think there have been questions from supporters over his starting XI, over his ability to change things when tactics start to go against him.

"So, regardless of whether he deserves it or not, I think whenever a manager loses the faith in the support of supporters, at clubs like Celtic and Rangers, it's really hard to turn off the negative dripping tap, and I think that's where Danny Rohl is now."

Former Hearts manager Robbie Neilson reckons Rohl will remain in situ until the start of next season, but he will be immediately under fire should he fail to start fast.

"I think they've got to give him time and a bit of support, and also better recruitment over the course of the summer," Neilson said.

"I would be very surprised if he's not there come the start of the season, how long he gets will be dictated by the results at start of the season."

Very recently, I wrote an article here talking about the opportunity presented to the Yankees in 2026, competing for the top spot in an American League that lacked standout clubs. Some of their potential biggest adversaries were dealing with more than their fair share of issues in the Blue Jays and Mariners. Since then, the Yankees have continued to establish themselves as the best team in the AL, and at the moment their closest opponent is a largely anonymous Rays club that—while just a half-game behind New York at 24-12—no one is entirely sure what their ceiling might be. Now, we’ll address how this particular outlook affects other teams besides the Yankees.

A significant number of teams that fought at the top last season are off to forgettable starts in both leagues. The Phillies and Blue Jays could’ve very easily won the championship last season, for instance. The difference between these two is that although there are powerhouses in their respective divisions, they face battles of different levels trying to play their way back into playoff contention. While we can make all the remarks about it still being early, the Junior Circuit is setting up in a pool of mediocrity, incapable of punishing a team’s slow start.

This is the jumbled mess as of the morning of May 7th. The Yankees and Rays are, in fact, literally the only teams with winning records.

The Astros and Angels are tied for the worst record in the AL, and they’re three games back of the last Wild Card spot. Do you want to guess how many National League clubs have at worst an equal gap between them and that last Wild Card spot? The answer is six. The hapless Mets are already 5.5 games out, with only the Giants and Rockies holding uglier records.

It’s fitting that the aforementioned Astros would occupy that particular spot at the moment because they are the perfect example of a team that has managed to waste potential but at the same time isn’t that far away from entering playoff contention—particularly when you look at their offensive production, boasting a team OPS+ of 113 (though now they’ll have to get by without Carlos Correa). Hunter Brown is working his way back from a shoulder injury, and Tatsuya Imai will return soon. If both of these pitchers perform at their highest level, this could be a totally different Houston team, and you just don’t need a whole lot to go your way before hovering in contender status.

The best record from all 10 combined AL Central and AL West teams is … .500. The Guardians and A’s lead their divisions with middling marks, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is very optimistic about either pulling away for a 90+ win season. The A’s in particular would probably be delighted to merely finish .500, and they appear unlikely to deviate too far from there.

Houston is a good example of what might happen, and the Royals are an interesting example of what’s currently happening. Here is a team that looked like the worst in baseball for the better part of April—dropping eight in a row at one point—but they’re already back in the thick of things following a five-game winning streak, a game and a half behind Cleveland. The rebuilding Twins are not expected to be competitive but with a few wins here and there, they could almost accidentally end up in the mix too. And remember when the Red Sox looked to be in complete disarray after firing Alex Cora? They woke up that morning tied with KC for the league’s worst record at 9-17; the underwhelming play of much of the Junior Circuit could very well allow them to remain in the Wild Card mix after winning 7 of their last 11 games.

Obviously, this early in the year, a five-game winning streak will dramatically affect the outlook of basically any team, but this seems to be the likely scenario moving forward in the AL. One or two teams might take the opportunity to stand out and secure a solid place as a contender, while nearly the whole pack could manage to stay within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. That could very well affect the Trade Deadline, as teams on the fence are wary of missing out on a chance to sneak into this postseason. The 2024 Tigers and 2025 Diamondbacks at least represent recent models of teams that sold parts but competed for playoff spots in the second half anyway.

If you’re looking for a way to highlight just how much this Yankees team stands out from the rest of the AL right now—as the team’s records don’t do it justice—the Yankees have a run differential of +74, more than double the amount of all other teams with a positive run differential combined. The next single highest is the Rays at +15. That’s the sound of opportunity knocking; we’ll see if New York can take advantage as the summer approaches and begins.

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The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays clash at Fenway, with both teams coming off series sweeps. Boston’s moves two weeks ago have paid off, while the Rays have been good all season long.

While Boston is improved and playing at home, that’s not enough to justify making the Sox the favorite. 

My Rays vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks call for a Tampa win as the road dog on Thursday, May 7.

Who will win Rays vs Red Sox today: Rays moneyline (+101)

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off back-to-back sweeps of the Giants and Blue Jays.

The Rays have won 12 of 13 and have allowed three runs or less in all 13 games, a franchise record and the longest such stretch in MLB in four years.

The Boston Red Sox are 6-4 since changing managers, but it's come against a soft portion of the schedule.

Rookie Boston starter Jake Bennett threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of the 19 batters he faced in his debut, but the Rays’ experienced lineup excels when behind in the count. They have a 121 OPS+ after a first-pitch strike and 128 when down in the count.

COVERS INTEL: Tampa’s bullpen extended its scoreless streak to 17 1/3 innings and has allowed just one run over the last 32 2/3.

Rays vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

In addition to the hottest bullpen in baseball, Tampa has the third-best starting rotation. That’s masked a Rays offense that has scored five runs twice — and never topped that number — in the last 10 games.

Tampa starts converted reliever Griffin Jax, who hasn’t made it out of the third inning in his two starts this year but also hasn’t allowed a run in them.

Boston has hit better since the coaching staff turnover, but they’ve done so by posting a .340 BABIP, which may be an indication that it’s a random fluctuation more than a sustainable change in approach. 

Rays vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: Rays -105 | Red Sox -115
• Run line: Rays -1.5 (+155) | Red Sox +1.5 (-189)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-118) | Under 8.5 (-102)

Rays vs Red Sox trend

The Boston Red Sox have hit the Game Total Under in 31 of their last 50 games at home (+13.20 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Rays vs Red Sox and game info

Rays vs Red Sox latest injuries

Rays vs Red Sox weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The St. Louis Cardinals, ranked second in the NL Central with a 21-15 record, face the San Diego Padres, who are second in the NL West with a 22-14 record. The San Diego Padres are favored with a -165 moneyline compared to the St. Louis Cardinals' +135. Starting pitchers are Matthew Liberatore for St. Louis, with a 4.50 ERA, and Michael King for San Diego, with a 2.95 ERA.

How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres

• Date: Thursday, May 7

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

• Where: PETCO Park, San Diego, CA

• TV Channels: ESPN/ESPN App

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• St. Louis Cardinals: 21-15 (second in NL Central)

• San Diego Padres: 22-14 (second in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: San Diego Padres -1.5

• Moneyline: San Diego Padres -165 / St. Louis Cardinals +135

• Over/Under: 8.0

Starting pitchers

St. Louis Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (1-1, ERA: 4.50, K: 23, WHIP: 1.50)

San Diego Padres: Michael King (3-2, ERA: 2.95, K: 39, WHIP: 1.13)

Weather: 65°F at first pitch

The Tampa Bay Rays, ranked second in the AL East with a 24-12 record, face the Boston Red Sox, who are tied for fourth in the AL East with a 16-21 record. The Boston Red Sox are favored with a -120 moneyline compared to the Tampa Bay Rays' +100. Starting pitchers are Griffin Jax for Tampa Bay, with a 5.14 ERA, and Jake Bennett for Boston, with a 1.80 ERA.

How to Watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox

• Date: Thursday, May 7

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT

• Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

• TV Channels: ESPN/ESPN App

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Tampa Bay Rays: 24-12 (second in AL East)

• Boston Red Sox: 16-21 (tied for fourth in AL East)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5

• Moneyline: Boston Red Sox -115 / Tampa Bay Rays -105

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Tampa Bay Rays: Griffin Jax (1-2, ERA: 5.14, K: 14, WHIP: 1.50)

Boston Red Sox: Jake Bennett (1-0, ERA: 1.80, K: 3, WHIP: 1.40)

Weather: 62°F at first pitch

Worcester: L, 7-9 (F/10) (BOX SCORE)

The biggest story out of this topsy-turvy game was that Justin Slaten, a couple days removed from his opener in Portland, made another rehab start and struck out two, including Oswaldo Cabrera, while allowing a hit and walking a batter in his inning of work. He also retired Anthony Volpe, who finds himself in Triple-A due to, well, not being good for almost a calender year now. Slaten’s fastball also touched 96, which is a very good sign. Good on him for getting out of the inning with no damage taken.

And thank goodness for that, because the WooSox pitching staff would incur plenty of trouble throughout the night from the Rail Riders (Yankees AAA). Scranton would score two runs each in the ninth and tenth innings. After leading the team through the eighth inning, Wyatt Olds would wear it a bit and wouldn’t record an out in the tenth inning, giving the inning to Tommy Kahnle to close out. The WooSox, despite three home runs in the first five innings courtesy of Nate Eaton, Nathan Hickey and Mickey Gasper, couldn’t manage any late fireworks.

Portland: PPD to today (Rain)

The Fisher Cats (Blue Jays AA) and Sea Dogs will play a double header beginning at 5:00 this afternoon. The Sea Dogs are promoting a Jhostynxon Garcia bobble head night, which seems curious, or at least decision that was made last season, as “The Password” struggled with the Pirates’ Triple-A club before landing on the injured list, but the promo is cool enough considering Password raked in his short time in Portland last season.

Greenville: L, 12-13 (BOX SCORE)

It’s not great when 12 runs isn’t enough to win a baseball game, much less when you get walked off like Greenville did on Wednesday. Kyson Witherspoon ran into some early issues but made it through four innings allowing just two hits but three runs. Greensboro (Pirates High-A) powered eight runs in the seventh inning to come climbing back from a deficit that saw Greenville hit SEVEN home runs on the night including two a piece from catcher Ronny Hernandez (not to be confused with ex-Red Sox catcher Ronaldo Hernandez) and Nathanael Yuten. Yoelin Cespedes, who’s been raking as of late, also got into the action. But the Drive couldn’t seal the game away and were handed their sixth consecutive loss.

Salem: : L, 4-6 (BOX SCORE)

And to round out the winless night on the farm, only four of the nine batters in Salem’s lineup reached base, although three of them did multiple times. But when you’re 1 for 10 with runners on, that causes an issue bringing that scarcity of runners in. On the contrary, Delmarva (Orioles A) had three such hits and that was the difference maker in this one.

Have a tremendous Thursday.

It is said that a leopard can’t change its spots. Change is a necessary part of success as a ballplayer, and thus, leopards do not play baseball (please note, per the Air Bud clause, that this is not technically banned). Bryson Stott cannot be suspected of being a leopard in disguise, despite his cat-like swiftness, because he has indeed changed his spots. Metaphorically speaking.

Stott entered the league as one of its slowest swinging players. In 2023, the first year in which Statcast recorded bat-tracking data, Stott’s bat speed of 68 MPH put him at 206 of 221 qualified batters, just above the snail-like territory we like to call the Kwan-Arraez zone. But he’s increased his bat speed every year of his career, and now he’s swinging his bat at 70.1 MPH, putting him at 176 of 230 qualified batters (Steven Kwan and Luis Arraez are taking it slow at 229 and 230, where they are surely agreeing that while at the plate one ought to stop and smell the roses. And the dandelions. And the marigolds. And the tulips).

So far, it’s paying off, at least in the peripherals (all data prior to yesterday’s game). Stott’s barrel rate has gone from 5.1% to 6.9%. His rate of blasts (a Statcast metric tracking swings that combine good bat speed and good contact) has gone up, from 10.5% of his contact to 16.8% of it. His average exit velocity has gone from 87.6 MPH to 90.5 MPH. His hard hit rate in his rookie season was 36.8%, and declined every year since… until 2026, which has seen it shot up to 43.7%.

It hasn’t led to better top-line results yet, as his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage are all down from last year. But that may be the result of some bad luck; his BABIP so far is .232, which, if it held, would be by far the lowest of his career. And with some impressive hitting in the past few games, including a pair of homers in the past week, things may be changing. It would be surprising if all of those underlying improvements in bat speed didn’t end up leading to some improvements once a full season’s data is in. All those numbers tell the same story: he’s swinging the bat faster, and hitting the ball harder.

All those numbers but one, that is.

Despite his average bat speed going up, Stott’s fast swing rate— the percentage of his swings that reach 75 MPH or above— has been cut in half. It was 5.7% in 2025, and in 2026 it’s 2.5%. Granted, 2025 was an outlier, with his fast swing rate being much lower in 2023 and 2024. But it still seems strange that his fast swing rate would drop when he’s, on average, swinging faster. What’s going on there?

This colorful chart of bat speed distribution tells the tale. For a year-over-year comparison, ignore the orange and the blue (that shouldn’t be too hard for a Phillies fan). Take a look at the red and the green. Stott’s average bat speed has gone up, but his range of bat speeds has also gotten narrower. He’s hitting speeds between 70 and 75 MPH with a much greater frequency than he did last season, and he’s posting far fewer swings below 65 MPH. He hasn’t had a single swing at 60 MPH or below. But while the most dramatic change is on the slower end, there’s also been a change on the faster end. He’s now a little less likely than last season to post swings over 75 MPH. And that, of course, is the range that MLB counts as a fast swing. It’s possible that whatever changes Stott made to tap into that 70-ish speed with more consistency are resulting in him tapping into that top-level speed less frequently. Or perhaps it’s just small sample size, and we’ll see his fast swing rate rise by the time all is said and done. But we’ll have to wait for more data to be sure. Some things, unlike Bryson’s bat, can’t be sped up.

Ho hum, anyone see anything interesting on Wednesday night? With all due respect to the 2016 Cubs, this team is becoming the most “must watch” Cub team of my lifetime. That ‘16 team was a rampaging juggernaut. But that was like sitting down and watching Michelangelo bang out a work of art. You expected them to win and they didn’t disappoint all too often. This year’s team had no such expectations and with a crazy run of injuries, basically all to the pitching staff, there remains a feeling that it could end at any time.

There were points during both Monday and Tuesday’s late wins where I thought if the Cubs could get the line moving, they were in good shape. Wednesday? Obviously, it was easy to feel pretty confident all night long. Everything was going right until a disastrous top of the ninth inning where the bullpen imploded. A 4-2 lead instead became a 6-4 deficit on a rare tag up and score from second play.

I definitely thought the sands had finally all run down on the hourglass and one was going to get away. The Cubs had a 94.2 percent chance of winning after a scoreless Reds eighth. It was 92.9 percent after the Cubs were held scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Spencer Steer’s homer dropped the odds down to 84.1 percent. But that inning just kept going. After that two run sacrifice fly, the Cub chances dropped all of the way to 8 percent. When Michael Busch struck out leading off the Cub ninth, it dropped to 4.3 percent. Wow.

Carson Kelly had a nice plate appearance and then singled. That gave the Cubs 10.3 percent. That set the table for Pete Crow-Armstrong. His two-run homer tied the game. That moved the odds all of the way up to 57.8 percent. What a wild ride. This team just doesn’t quit. They battle and they are playing with an immense amount of confidence. The Cub offense put up 10 hits, drew four walks and was hit by a pitch.

Fourteen straight home wins (tied for second most in team history and most since they won 14 straight in 2008). Seven straight wins (longest since, last month). 18 wins in 21 games. Three walk-offs against the same team for the first time since 1943. Three straight walk-offs for the first time since 2009. Ian Happ has a 27-game on-base streak, the longest since Bryan LaHair in 2012. Yeah, let’s run past that one.

This is such an amazing stretch of baseball. The Cubs have gone from last to first. But not only first, they now lead the Cardinals by 3.5 games in the Central and after that, the Brewers, Reds and Pirates are five back. The Cubs are just a half game back of the Braves for the best record in the NL.

So many achievements. So many accomplishments. Seemingly, every single day. What a wild and crazy ride.

Go Cubs.

Three Positives:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong had a pair of hits, was hit by a pitch, drove in two and scored one. That homer was the play of the game. The OPS continues to creep up and is now at .702. He’s just under league average at wRC+ 98.
• Ian Happ would have had the top spot if this had been a ho hum 4-2 win. He had three hits, one a homer (as he continues to climb the All-Time homers as a Cub list). He drove in two, scored two and stole a base. One of the all-time most underappreciated Cub players has an .890 OPS and a wRC+ of 149. And he still grades out as a plus fielder in left.
• Jacob Webb inherited two runners in the sixth, didn’t allow them to score and recorded five outs on five batters faced. Special mention to Trent Thornton recording three outs while facing two batters in the tenth.

Game 37, May 6: Cubs 7, Reds 6 (25-12)

WPA GRAPH

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.471). 2-3, HR, HBP, 2 RBI, R
• This is the fourth highest WPA score of the season by a Cub.
• Hero: Michael Busch (.350). 1-3, BB, RBI, R
• Sidekick: Trent Thornton (.339). IP, 2 BF (W 1-0)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Hoby Milner (-.505). IP, 6 BF, H, BB, ER, K
• This is the second lowest WPA score of the season by a Cub
• Goat: Corbin Martin (-.367). 0 IP, 3 BF, 3 H, 3 ER
• Kid: Nico Hoerner (-.132). 0-5, R, DP

WPA Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s one-out, two-run, game-tying homer in the ninth. (.475)

*Reds Play of the Game. JJ Bleday’s RBI-single with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth to cut the deficit to one. (.262)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 36 Winner: Michael Busch (232 of 250 votes)

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Conforto +10
• Michael Bsuch +9
• Nico Hoerner +8.5
• Pete Crow-Armstrong/Caleb Thielbar/Phil Maton -6
• Matt Shaw -9
• Seiya Suzuki -14

Current Win Pace: 109.46

Up Next: The Cubs will attempt to sweep the Reds in a four-game series on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley. Amazingly, the Cubs already have a four-game home sweep this season. Shōta Imanaga (3-2, 2.40, 41.1 IP) will make his eighth start of the season. Last time out, he threw seven scoreless against the Diamondbacks, picking up a win. The Reds will start 24-year-old righty Rhett Lowder (3-2, 5.09, 35.1). This is the eighth start of the season and 14th start of Lowder’s career. He was the seventh overall pick by the Reds in the 2023 draft. Last time out, he allowed eight runs in just 1.1 IP in a start at Pittsburgh.

This would be an excellent day for the offense to have one of those double digit scoring games.

Let’s get number 15 in a row at home for the first time in a very long time.

The Yankees broke their five-game winning streak on Wednesday, their offense finally getting stopped as Yankee Killer Nathan Eovaldi dominated them once again. Their last two losses both came at his hands, as he tossed seven shutout innings in their series in Texas before going eight strong with just an Aaron Judge solo shot blemishing his line in the Bronx.

The loss opens the door for the team’s rivals to have a rare chance to catch up with them, as they’ve lost just 3 of their last 18 games. Only one team taking the field was really within eyesight, and unfortunately they moved closer in that rear view mirror after taking advantage of the chance.

Tampa Bay Rays (24-12) 3, Toronto Blue Jays (16-21) 0

The Rays have also been red-hot, especially at home, and their home cooking kept going as they shut down the defending AL champs. Shane McClanahan pitched into the sixth inning, allowing just two hits and a walk against four strikeouts, and the rest of the Rays’ bullpen allowed just two hits the rest of the way to suffocate Toronto’s chances of ever starting a rally.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay struck in the fourth inning against Patrick Corbin. After Junior Caminero led off with a lineout, Jonathan Aranda walked to put a runner on ahead of Jonny DeLuca’s RBI double. Corbin got the second out to nearly keep it a minor scratch, but Chandler Simpson singled to right to score DeLuca and put up a crooked number in the inning. As it wound up, that would be all the damage that Tampa needed, but they got an insurance run in the eighth as Cedric Mullins singled and got moved around on a pair of grounders, eventually scoring on a throwing error from Ernie Clement.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (16-21) 4, Detroit Tigers (18-20) 0: Jack Flaherty had a rollercoaster of a day, striking out 10 batters in just five innings but allowing four runs (two earned) in the process. The two earned came in the third inning on an RBI double from Caleb Durbin and a sacrifice fly from Willson Contreras, while the two unearned came in the fourth after a grounder bounced off of Colt Keith into the corner in left field. Sonny Gray made his first start since April 20th and delivered five shutout on the other side, and the Sox bullpen prevented any hits from the Tigers bats to finish the sweep. Bad times in the Motor City, while Boston might feel a tad refreshed.

Cleveland Guardians (19-19) 3, Kansas City Royals (17-20) 1: Kansas City struck first, getting a sacrifice fly from Salvador Perez in the third inning, but it was all Cleveland the rest of the way. A leadoff walk and a single in the top of the fifth set up a double steal to put runners in scoring position with one out for Chase DeLauter, who drove them both home with a single to left field. The eighth saw them get some insurance, José Ramírez leading off with a walk and stealing second before eventually scoring on a groundout to third that bounced off of Maikel Garcia forcing Bobby Witt Jr. to field the ball.

Seattle Mariners (18-20) 3, Atlanta Braves (26-12) 1: Facing off against the team with the best record in baseball, the M’s managed a series victory in the rubber match thanks to six strong from Bryan Woo. It was the first time all year that Atlanta lost a series. Woo struck out nine batters and allowed just a single hit, walking two and giving up no runs. Martín Pérez did his best to match him, going 5.2 innings, but a double play ball in the third inning still brought home a run and Julio Rodríguez launched a solo shot in the fifth to give Seattle a 2-0 lead. Atlanta cut the deficit in half with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but Seattle got it right back thanks to an RBI double from Cole Young.

Ty France came in to pinch-hit in the top of the seventh inning and hit a two-out, two-run triple to score Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ramon Laureano to give the San Diego Padres a 3-1 lead over the San Francisco Giants. Xander Bogaerts, who entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning as a defensive substitution, added a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 5-1 and the Padres went on to beat the Giants and win the series before returning home to Petco Park. San Diego only outhit San Francisco 6-3 and the Padres were 2-for-10 with RISP, while the Giants were held without an opportunity to hit with runners in scoring position.

Matt Waldron did not start the game, instead he followed Bradgley Rodriguez, who pitch one inning without allowing a run to open the game. Waldron came into the game in the bottom of the second inning and pitched five innings without allowing a walk. He finished his five innings with one run allowed on two hits with seven strikeouts. Adrian Morejon covered the seventh and eighth innings and allowed one hit with four strikeouts. Mason Miller was called on to get the final three outs in the ninth inning and he did just that while recording two strikeouts.

The Padres return to home today to host the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park at 7:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Sung-Mun Song has provided a boost of energy to the Padres lineup since he joined the team earlier this week.

Baseball News:

• The Chicago Cubs won their third consecutive game in walk-off fashion.

• Paul Skene nearly threw a perfect game, but ultimately, he led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 12-2 thanks to three home runs from Andy Pages.

• Juan Soto hit a leadoff home run and helped the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies.

• The Texas Rangers knocked off the New York Yankees, 6-1.

• The Washington Nationals broke out for 15 runs to beat the Minnesota Twins.

• The Philadelphia Phillies got past the Athletics, 6-3.

It’s a headline that’s grammatically difficult to write. It’s a concept that’s rationally hard to stomach.

The Cincinnati Reds have lost back, to back, to back games to the Chicago Cubs to begin this four-game series, and they’ve been walked-off in all three of them. The last two of them have even come in extra-innings.

Wednesday’s will be the one that ends up the most difficult to stomach, at least for now. That’s assuming the depths to which this 6-game losing streak overall continues. After trailing early and often, the Reds got a standout performance from reliever Tejay Antone when they needed it most, the former fireballer back in the big leagues over two years after the most recent of his three Tommy John surgeries.

To say his inning had an ‘uplifting’ effect would be putting it mildly. There was pep in the step of the defense behind him, and it carried right over to their bats in the Top of the 9th inning. Spencer Steer socked a homer to lead the charge, JJ Bleday chipped in with a vital RBI single to tie the game, and Elly De La Cruz plated a pair with a sacrifice fly so deep into RF that it caused Seiya Suzuki to fall at the wall.

The Reds had roared back to claim a 6-4 lead, and they turned things over to their closer to close it out. Except, of course, closer Emilio Pagan had hurt his hamstring the previous night and been put on the shelf for at least a month, and instead Graham Ashcraft was summoned to do a job he’s got almost no experience doing before. He left a meaty pitch over the plate, Pete Crow-Armstrong lifted it to left-center, and it landed in the first row of the Wrigley Field stands for a game-tying homer…

A game-tying homer that would have literally only been a homer in Wrigley. Only Wrigley.

The Reds then failed to plate the Manfred Man in the Top of the 10th. Then, they walked the bases loaded intentionally in the Bottom of the 10th to set up more appealing matchups for pitcher Brock Burke only for Burke to then walk in the game’s winning run unintentionally and wrap things up.

Even after sleeping on the result, it’s hard to think this series of events won’t end up haunting the Reds over the course of the season. The NL Central is simply too good for it not to, and the Reds have already seen their electrifying (and razor’s edge) start to 2026 see them fall to 4th place within their own division thanks to this brutal run of form.

Something is going to need to change to bust them out of it. The sentiment surely seemed to suggest that would be Antone’s return, but not even that changed the tides. Getting Eugenio Suarez back soon may help, though it will also once again return the flaws and overlaps in the team’s roster construction.

The Reds are 20-17 on the season with over 3/4ths of the season left to play, yet the ship couldn’t possibly seem more leaky than it does right now.

Pitching in Colorado is already tough. 

It’s even tougher when you have to do it on a cold, windy night. 

Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta knew exactly what he’d be facing going in, though, and he tired to stay as prepared and loose as possible throughout Wednesday’s outing. 

“It was crazy weather,” he said postgame. “I knew what I was facing, though. I knew it was going to be a little crazy so between innings I was riding a bike to keep myself warm and ready to go.”

That resulted in Peralta gutting his way through five scoreless innings of work. 

The Rockies did do a good job of making him battle, as he threw a total of 91 pitches on the night, but he held their offense in check and left with a big-advantage still in place.

Peralta only struck out one, but limited Colorado to four hits and a pair of walks. 

“I think it was good,” he said. “I was hoping to get into the sixth inning, but it was crazy -- my pitch count was a little high, but other than that I thought it was pretty good.”

“He found a way,” Carlos Mendoza added. “On a day where they put fouled off tough pitches and put together good at-bats, he gave us five and kept us in the game -- he attacked even when he got behind, so it was a good outing.”

Peralta pitched well enough to earn his second Mets win, and his first since Opening Day against the Pirates. 

“It feels really good,” he said. “It’s funny because [Luis] Torrens was just asking me like ‘how long have you been pitching without a win?’ And I told him it was Opening Day and he was surprised -- me too.”

New York has suddenly found its footing a bit following the brutal stretch of play, going home victorious in three straight games and locking up back-to-back series to open the road trip.

“This is what I expected,” Peralta said. “This is who we are, we have to keep it that way.”

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Let’s run the table on a short slate with action throughout the day, starting in the afternoon. There are a few clear pitcher fades and favorable winds blowing out, making MLB player props ripe for the taking.

After initially targeting Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr. on the matinee slate, I'm capping things off with Miami Marlins infielder Otto Lopez in a favorable matchup against a flailing Orioles pitching staff.

Here are my favorite MLB home run predictions for Thursday, May 7.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Jazz Chisholm Jr.	+760
Bobby Witt Jr.	+452
Otto Lopez	+670
💲Today's HR parlay	+29283

Home run pick: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (+760)

I want a left-handed New York Yankees bat this afternoon with 9-mph winds blowing out to right field at Yankee Stadium. MacKenzie Gore is a lefty, but left-handed hitters are actually taking him deep at a higher rate than righties. He also carries the third-highest HR/FB rate among all starters on today’s slate.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has already taken Gore deep in a small nine-at-bat sample. He homered Tuesday, and three of his 11 hits over the last 12 games have left the yard. His bat-tracking metrics are checking every box as well, ranking among the top Yankee hitters in BlastContact% while posting strong marks in swing speed, SqUpContact%, and Ideal Attack Angle.

There’s also a useful stat that measures attack direction — the horizontal angle the ball comes off the bat, essentially tracking pull vs. late contact — and Chisholm’s +8-degree mark points to heavy pull-side barrel contact that plays perfectly with the short porch and the wind.

The fair price for this +EV homer is around +580.

• Time: 12:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, Rangers Sports Network

Home run pick: Bobby Witt Jr. (+452)

The wind is howling out to center at Kauffman Stadium at 15 mph, and Slade Cecconi is a great pitcher fade. The Cleveland Guardians starter has allowed five HRs over the last three starts and a whopping 26 hits over those 16 innings. His Ks are down, and the walks are up, leading to an increase in HR/9. 

Bobby Witt Jr's fair price to go yard this afternoon is around +390. It's tough to go wrong with any of the big Kansas City bats today with this setting and matchup.

This is also a great spot to stack some HRRBI for the Royals, and there could be runs as KC starter Seth Lugo is coming off a season-high 103 pitches, and there might be three arms unavailable in the Royals' bullpen.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Royals.TV, Guardians.TV

Home run pick: Otto Lopez (+670)

The Miami Marlins have a circled matchup today against lefty Cade Povich and an overworked Baltimore Orioles bullpen. I have Povich rated as a Bottom-5 starter on the slate, and his spot with the Orioles could disappear once Trevor Rogers returns.

Povich lasted just 12 outs in his last start while allowing two home runs, and if he can’t cover innings again, Baltimore will have to lean on a bullpen that may be without three arms, including closer Rico Garcia. That entire relief group owns a 7.84 ERA over the last two weeks, and 47 innings is more than enough sample size to take seriously. 

This Baltimore bullpen is bad.

I’m going back to Otto Lopez, who sat yesterday but will likely lead off against the southpaw. He’s been crushing lefties this year with a 1.004 OPS.

Lopez has a hit in nine straight games with five extra-base hits during that stretch and is playing some of his best baseball of the season with 20-HR potential. He could get five plate appearances today and multiple cracks at that Baltimore bullpen. 

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Marlins.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Jazz Chisholm Jr.	Bet Now +29283
Bobby Witt Jr.
Otto Lopez

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Despite their recent winning ways, the Phillies offense is still struggling to produce runs on a consistent basis. There hasn’t been much power to be found outside of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh is still the only other hitter who has been anything close to consistent. 

Perhaps the Phillies should look to alternative methods to help boost their offense. In Rob Thomson’s time as manager, the Phillies stole the ninth most bases in baseball with 503. Bryson Stott had the most on the team over that span with 103. Trea Turner is second despite joining the team in 2023 with 88 steals. The team was mostly efficient at stealing too, only being caught 102 times, good for a success rate of around 80%. 

However, the Phillies entering Wednesday were 19th in stolen bases this year with 21. Stott and Turner haven’t run often so far, combining for just nine steal attempts, but neither have been caught yet either. In addition to those two major threats from previous years, the Phillies also now employ another major stolen base threat in Justin Crawford. Crawford stole 46 bases last year while only being caught 11 times at Lehigh Valley, but so far in the majors he’s only swiped three bags and has already been caught twice. He has not quite found his footing yet as a base stealer in the majors.

Outside of those three, Brandon Marsh would be the next logical candidate. He’s swiped all three bags he’s attempted this season after swiping seven on eight attempts in 2025. J.T. Realmuto has been an underrated base stealing threat in years past and he totaled eight on ten attempts last year, but it’s likely the Phillies will not ask him to steal as often in order to preserve the 35-year-old catcher’s legs. Bryce Harper stole 12 bags last year while being thrown out twice but has already been thrown out once on three attempts this season.

So, should the Phillies attempt to steal mores bases? Is it a good way to try and find some offense? Or are they better off not running into outs with the few baserunners they actually have?