The Guardians took Game 3 from the Tigers in extras. Tanner Bibee was still refused run support from his team, despite going into the 8th inning. At least he didn’t get the loss. Nick has the recap here.
Tanner Bibee should sue the entire guardians lineup for defamation and emotional distress because of how little run support they give him
All eyes have been on Ralphy Velazquez as his explosive start in AA Akron seems to already be translating to success in AAA Columbus. His first hit for the Clippers was a double in the fourth inning of yesterday’s game.
May 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) hits a single during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Royals were swept at home by the Red Sox, they’ve lost 9 of their last 10 games now, writes Jaylon Thompson.
“People are frustrated, sure,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, we don’t come out here and lose games and walk away feeling good about it. “I mean, there’s no chance of that. So yeah, that’s being a big-leaguer, is being able to go turn the page and go compete the next time.”
The Royals are running into a lot of outs on the bases, why is that?
Garcia seemed to shoulder the blame, mainly for not running hard out of the box, which could have made the play at second much closer.
“Honestly, it was a mistake,” Garcia said through interpreter Luis Perez. “I didn’t come out of the box hard. Once the throw was high, [first base coach Damon Hollins] said, ‘Go,’ but obviously, he didn’t see me coming out of the box. So it was my mistake.”
After a leadoff single in the sixth inning, Lane Thomas was picked off attempting to steal third following Starling Marte’s one-out single that put runners on first and second. But Vinnie Pasquantino flew out to end the inning, following a passed ball that allowed Marte to go to second base.
Lefty Justin Lamkin was selected as the Royals most pleasantly surprising prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Last year’s 71st overall pick, Lamkin was the talk of the backfields in Surprise this spring, with director of player development Mitch Maier saying, “I’m really excited because, wow, this is what it looks like.” But even given that, the former Texas A&M hurler is moving quicker than expected, having already reached Double-A after posting a 1.27 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings for High-A Quad Cities. Lamkin works with a fastball-slider-changeup-curveball mix, and while he’s shown a little bit of a velo bump in the pros, it’s the slider in particular that has gotten a ton of whiffs early in 2026.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep talked about how bleak it is for the Royals
Matt Crossland dove into why the Royals are so bad on the road
Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman talked about how the Royals should follow the Twins footsteps on demoting underperforming players
Shohei Ohtani had an impressive outing and performance at the plate in San Diego
The Brewers just swept the Cubs in Chicago, behind Kyle Harrison’s impressive performance
People are taking their shirts off at baseball games, why? (KU did it at a football game against Utah this past fall, among other schools FWIW)
Pete Crow-Armstrong is having a tough couple days defensively, his latest gaffe allowed a little league homer last night
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 20: Ethan Anderson #57 of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Norfolk second baseman Payton Eeles had himself a big game, going 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, two walks, and a run scored. The rest of the lineup when 1-for-27 with five walks and 14 strikeouts. The only other hitter with a hit was Bryan Ramos. The team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Trey Gibson started on the mound, but went just three innings, allowing a run on three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Gerald Ogando was the standout for the Tides, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings and recording all four outs via strikeout. Nick Raquet had a tough afternoon. He allowed two runs in 1.1 innings and made two fielding errors. Josh Walker coughed up a run in his 1.1 innings or work. And Alex Pham worked a scoreless eighth inning to close the book on the pitching staff for the game.
Chesapeake were actually outhit by visiting Somerset 12-9, but they also walked 12 times and hit four home runs as part of the onslaught. Ethan Anderson got the scoring going with a solo homer un the first inning as part of his 1-for-2 game with three walks and three runs scored. Aron Estrada added two hits, a double and a home run, plus three runs scored and four RBI. Carter Young hit his fourth home run of the season while Tavian Josenberger went deep for the second time. Thomas Sosa had a 2-for-2 game with a double, three walks, and two runs scored.
Seven different Baysox pitchers took the mound in the winning effort. The first four hurlers allowed eight runs over 4.1 innings. That included starter Juaron Watts-Brown, who recorded just two outs and allowed three runs. The final three pitchers combined for 4.2 shutout frames. Cohen Achen earned the win, striking out two over 1.2 innings. Ben Vespi also had a nice outing, striking out three in his 1.2 shutdown frames.
High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Greenville Drive (Red Sox) 4
Eight of the Keys nine hitters collected hits. Many of them had multiple as the team collected 17 base knocks altogether, though only one went for extra bases. Leandro Arias led the way with his 4-for-5 game that included an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Wehiwa Aloy had two hits and a stolen base. Victor Figueroa had two hits of his own to go with a walk and two runs scored. Colin Yeaman had a three-hit game plus a stolen base. Ike Irish was out of the lineup again with a wrist bruise he suffered on a hit by pitch over the weekend.
Boston Bateman delivered 5.2 shutout innings in this one, striking out six and walking two in the process. The lefty is in the midst of an impressive run that has seen him allow just one earned run over his last four starts. His ERA is down to 3.62 on the year. The three relievers that came behind him had more trouble. Jacob Cravey allowed one run over 1.1 innings. Braeden Sloan followed with a run allowed on no hits but four walks in his lone inning. And Chandler Marsh coughed up two runs in the ninth inning before closing out the win.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 12, Wilson Warbirds (Brewers) 6
The Shorebirds absolutely loaded up the box score in this win. The team had 13 hits, nine walks, four stolen bases, and three errors. So, not perfect, but still an impressive showing. They were led by the two Amparos. Félix Amparo went 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBI. Edwin Amparo hit his second home run of the season and drove in two. Andrés Nolaya collected three hits, scored twice, and stole two bases. Juan Ortega added a pair of hits, a pair of runs, and a pair of RBI.
Christian Rodriguez put in a solid effort on the mound. The starter worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, three walks, and five strikeouts. Brendan Parks was credited with the win despite giving up two runs in his 2.1 innings of work. Jason Shockley allowed two runs but neither were earned as he recorded the final three outs of the game.
Oct 3, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) hits a two-RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
The Brewers do not hit many home runs. When play starts on Friday, they’ll be last in the majors. While I’d be surprised if the Brewers finish the season in last — remember, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Andrew Vaughn have all missed significant time, and they’ve closed the gap somewhat in the last week — it does seem like power isn’t going to be a major strength for this team.
But even if I don’t believe the Brewers are going to finish last in the league in homers, it got my twisted baseball-history brain working. I wanted to know: has a team that finished last in homers ever won the World Series?
The answer is yes, but it’s only happened five times, and two of those occurred more than 100 years ago. But surprisingly, the most recent occurrence isn’t from all that long ago. Let’s look back.
Ancient history: 1906 White Sox
I’d argue that the first two instances shouldn’t really count. The first is the 1906 Chicago White Sox, in what was just the third World Series ever played.
If you aren’t familiar with how baseball was played in 1906, get ready for some numbers.
The White Sox hit seven home runs in 1906.
The league leaders that season, the Philadelphia Athletics, hit 32. The A’s played in Columbia Park, where it was 340 feet down the left field line and — wait for it — 280 feet down the right field line.
Teams just didn’t hit homers in 1906, or, really, in any season prior to 1920. So even though the White Sox finished 16th out of 16 in home runs, they were an above-average offense, at least from a run-scoring aspect — they were sixth in the league in runs scored (and fifth in stolen bases).
Chicago was led by one of baseball history’s most underrated players, the Hall-of-Fame shortstop George Davis; he was 35 in 1906 but led the team with a 120 OPS+ and still had a sterling defensive reputation. The pitching staff had a couple of stalwarts, as well: Big Ed Walsh was on the younger side of his career but was one of four White Sox starters to throw over 200 innings with an ERA+ of at least 109. But Walsh was not Chicago’s best starter that year: that would be Guy “Doc” White, who went 18-6 with a league-leading 1.52 ERA.
So, Chicago didn’t hit homers, but they played good defense, ran the bases well, and pitched well.
Not-quite-as-ancient history: 1924 Nationals
This team also maybe shouldn’t count. The 1924 season is technically outside of the Deadball Era, but barely: no team in baseball hit 100 homers, and only three had more than 72. The Yankees led the league with 98, but 46 of those were hit by one guy.
So, while the Nationals did have the fewest homers in the league — just 22 — they were not a bad offensive team. Their leader that season was the Hall of Famer Leon “Goose” Goslin. He put up a .344/.421/.516 batting line (143 OPS+) and did lead the team with 12 home runs, but he also hit 30 doubles and 17 triples and led the American League with 129 RBIs. Another Hall-of-Fame outfielder, Sam Rice, also played for that team; he hit only one homer (of his 2,987 career hits, just 34 were home runs), but had 39 doubles and 14 triples.
But the player who was really carrying the team, along with Goslin, was arguably the greatest pitcher of all time, who, at age 36, was having a last hurrah: Walter Johnson.
In 1924, the Big Train led the AL in almost everything. He won the pitching Triple Crown with 23 wins, a 2.72 ERA (149 ERA+), and 158 strikeouts, and also led the league in FIP, WHIP, hits per nine, strikeouts per nine, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and shutouts.
A couple other starting pitchers played well for the Nationals, particularly Tom Zachary, but they also boasted a unique weapon for the time: an elite bullpen piece. Firpo Marberry threw 195 innings in 50 games (14 of which were starts) and technically led the league in saves (though that stat wasn’t kept track of for several more decades) with a 132 ERA+.
It was the pitching that really stood out for Washington: they led the majors with a 122 ERA+, way ahead of the next-best AL team. But that wasn’t all they did for run prevention: while it’s hard to know for sure, basic fielding metrics suggest they were the best defensive team in the league. Their shortstop, Roger Peckinpaugh, was not only the subject of a good Joey Votto bit but is credited as the 1924 league leader in dWAR by Baseball Reference.
Modern-ish times: 1965 Dodgers
The next team isn’t from the Deadball Era, but it’s from the closest thing this side of the 1920s.
There’s not a ton of mystery here: the 1965 Dodgers had peak Sandy Koufax. They also got good seasons from two other starters, Claude Osteen and another Hall-of-Famer, Don Drysdale. Out of the bullpen, the Dodgers had a major weapon, Ron Perranoski, in a fireman role.
Offensively that Dodger team was dreadful, but they found a way. They had just an 89 OPS+ and no player on the team had more than 12 home runs, but they were by FAR the league leaders in stolen bases: 172 of them, with second place at just 110. The reason for that was the shortstop, Maury Wills. Wills had already won an MVP in 1962, and he finished third in 1965 on the strength of his league-leading 94 steals (more than all but four other teams). Wills was also a good fielder, as were center fielder Willie Davis, second baseman Jim Lefebvre, and catcher John Roseboro.
The Dodgers really didn’t have anyone who could hit, though. Second baseman Jim Gilliam, who stands out among players of his time for having a high walk rate, led the team with a 121 OPS+; he played only 111 games and hit just .280 with only 27 extra-base hits in total, but he had a .374 OBP, and it was a bad offensive era and a bad offensive ballpark.
This is a clear example of a team that was led by its pitching staff. They led in team ERA by a fairly significant margin; that was partially boosted by Dodger Stadium, but they were just behind the league-leading Pirates in ERA+. They were also first in FIP, and that, combined with one of the best defenses in the league, is what put the Dodgers in the World Series. Koufax did the rest.
A painful memory: 1982 Cardinals
I swear I was not expecting this when I started researching this project, but one of the three teams in the last 100 years to win the World Series with the fewest homers is also the only team to ever beat the Brewers in the World Series.
It was a matchup of extremes. The Cards were dead last in homers with just 67, while the Brewers were the most powerful team in baseball and hit 216 homers, 30 more than anyone else. The Brewers had a 121 OPS+, best in the league by a lot, while the Cardinals were at 95.
That 95 OPS+ mark, though, was far from worst in the league — it was tied for 15th, just below the middle of the pack (remember there were 26 teams then). While the Cardinals didn’t hit homers, they did several other things well: they were second in the league in stolen bases, tied for second in triples, and seventh in walks.
They also played excellent defense, something that’s becoming a trend here. This was Ozzie Smith’s first season in St. Louis. He won a Gold Glove, and Baseball Reference has him as the league’s best defensive player that season. Keith Hernandez also won a Gold Glove at first base, second baseman Tom Herr probably should have, and third baseman Ken Oberkfell could also flash some leather.
Those Cardinals were interesting as far as this exercise goes because unlike the teams we’ve already looked at, they had a good-but-not-great pitching staff. They were third in the league in ERA, but several other teams were close behind; their FIP was a solid but not spectacular 10th in the league. Among their starting pitchers, only Joaquín Andújar stood out: he really did have a fantastic year and went 15-10 with a 2.47 ERA (148 ERA+) and was seventh in Cy Young voting.
But no one else in the rotation stands out, and while Bruce Sutter did lead the majors in saves (36), he had a middling 2.90 ERA (126 ERA+) and significantly worse FIP (3.63). In those bonkers times, though, when awards voters were fetishizing saves, Sutter finished third — ahead of Andújar! — in CYA voting.
Modern times: 2012 Giants
This is the one that’s kind of hard to believe. The first thought that came to my mind was that this must’ve been one of those Giants teams with a fantastic pitching staff, but that’s not the case — Tim Lincecum, the back-to-back Cy Young winner in 2008 and 2009, had already fallen off a cliff, and the 22-year-old Madison Bumgarner wasn’t yet much of a contributor (at least until the Giants were actually in the World Series). Matt Cain was the team’s best starter, but he’d had other better years.
Sergio Romo had an excellent season out of the bullpen, but the Giants’ closer situation was in flux all year; the team leader in saves was Santiago Casilla, who had a 4.14 FIP and 125 ERA+ while picking up 25 suspenseful saves. (The Giants did make Romo the closer before the postseason, and he was nails in October: he finished his 10-game postseason run with a 0.84 ERA, and he saved three of four games in the Giants’ sweep of Detroit.)
It’s still a little difficult to understand this team’s success, but the most compelling reason is that Buster Posey was 100% deserving of the MVP award he won in 2012. Posey won a batting title and led the majors in OPS+ (171), he hit 39 doubles and 24 homers, and he led the NL with 7.6 WAR via Baseball Reference. But FanGraphs’ framing-influenced numbers think he was even better than that and have him with 9.8 WAR in 2012, the best season ever by a catcher via fWAR.
San Francisco also got a big partial season from Melky Cabrera, who hit .346/.390/.516 in 113 games and would’ve won the batting title had he qualified, but he was suspended for steroid use in August of that season and missed the playoffs. Center fielder Ángel Pagán had the best full offensive season of his career. Pablo Sandoval played pretty well (in only 108 games). Brandon Belt had a 123 OPS+ and 27 doubles but homered only seven times. Marco Scutaro only played 61 games but hit an astronomical .362.
It was a lot of decent offensive players who just didn’t hit homers. San Francisco hit only 103 home runs (the Yankees led the way with 245), but they were 10th in doubles, first in triples, 10th in stolen bases, and fifth in batting average. They had several part-time players who performed quite well, so when starters were missing time, the gap between them and their backups was small. They also play in a tough ballpark.
Put all of that together, and despite being last in homers, the Giants were fourth in OPS+. They were a good offensive team; they just didn’t do it the way we’ve gotten used to. Honestly, they were good in a way that should look familiar to fans of the 2025-26 Brewers.
The bad news
So, there are the reasons to be optimistic that even if the Brewers don’t get out of the home run basement, they can still compete.
Now the reason to be pessimistic: recent trends suggest that this might not be possible anymore.
Since 2020, all six World Series winners have finished in the top four in baseball in homers:
This unsurprisingly aligns with the trends that some fans bemoan in modern times: that players have stopped putting the ball in play to sell out for the home run.
In the past — not that long ago — teams that struggled with the long ball could adapt and find a different approach. But in modern times, when parades of anonymous pitchers with unhittable stuff arrive in waves, we could be reaching a point where that alternative approach is difficult to find, particularly in the postseason as pitcher usage gets more extreme. In those low-scoring playoff environments, when stringing hits together becomes tougher, it helps immensely to have guys who can run into one.
It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though. The 2025 Brewers were 22nd in home runs but third in runs scored. The 2026 version of the team is, as of Wednesday, last in homers but seventh in runs scored. But there’s likely to be some difficulty in maintaining that disparity long term, and the postseason question will linger until it doesn’t anymore.
These past examples prove that winning with a low-power team can be done if other aspects of the game are in place. Those other aspects — speed, defense, pitching — are all present in this iteration of the Brewers. They were last year, too. It might just be a matter of things clicking into place at the right time.
KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 06: Savannah Banana Malachi Mitchell (2) flips in the air as the team cheers before the start of a banana ball game against the Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field on Friday, May 6, 2022 in Kansas City, KS. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Good morning, baseball fans!
It’s an off day for the San Francisco Giants today, so I wanted to touch on a topic that I’ve been thinking about for a while.
At this point, I can only assume that most people familiar with baseball are also at least somewhat familiar with the Savannah Bananas, and the league that was created around them called Banana Ball. If not, it’s a fast-paced version of baseball with an emphasis on entertainment value and fan engagement.
The rules are a bit different, but not so much that a fan of traditional baseball cannot follow the game. There’s an emphasis on trick plays and entertaining the crowds (both at the parks and those watching online). But that doesn’t take away from the on-field product at all, it just adds to it.
I recently had the chance to have a brief conversation with the founder of Banana Ball, Jesse Cole. You may know Cole as the dude that’s always in the yellow tux and top hat, featured in a lot of promotional materials for the league.
During the conversation, I told Cole that I think MLB should absolutely be taking notes from Banana Ball in terms of growing the game. What they are doing to engage new audiences is some of the best work I’ve seen from any league.
What works about it, in my opinion, is that it’s not intended to be gatekept. And what I mean by that is something that I think a lot of women who are sports fans can relate to. You have to prove you belong there, you don’t just get to be a fan because you like the team. I’ve had many experiences where I tell a male acquaintance that I was a Giants fan and I would get presented with a pop quiz to prove it.
And I feel like MLB in general kind of leans into that gatekeeping, whether they realize/intend it or not. Women are grudgingly allowed in the fandom, but not really catered to as a legitimate part of the audience.
Meanwhile, Banana Ball is not only catering to their female fans, they’re making the league as accessible and inviting as possible. And the game play is electric, there is never a dull moment for fans. If you go to a Banana Ball game, you know with absolute certainty that you’re going to have a great time, regardless of how the game plays out.
The same cannot necessarily be said for MLB games. Before the game I went to last month, the last five games I had attended in person were complete shut out losses by the Giants. And I had to pay about $300-400 and travel several hours for the pleasure of sitting through those games with dull, lifeless eyes watching a dull, lifeless team.
The Giants’ past offensive woes aside, with the cost of everything skyrocketing these days, entertainment value is assuredly going to become much more of a factor in terms of people planning to spend money on sports outings.
And listen, I’m not here to say that MLB should have dancing umpires and outfielders doing backflips. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with traditional baseball existing as it is, and having the more exhibition style league exist as a separate thing.
But MLB would be doing themselves a massive disservice to not take notes from how Banana Ball markets to all audiences, and focuses on appealing to a wide demographic of people by creating a fun environment for everyone. It’s a massively successful league that is only growing in popularity and talent.
Just this week, former MLB player Jackie Bradley, Jr. announced that he would be joining the Indianapolis Clowns, a team in the Banana Ball league. They also have the biggest stars of the upcoming Women’s Professional Baseball League, a former Broadway actor, and are so popular that they will have a player on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.
The kind of astronomical growth that Banana Ball has seen over the last few years should absolutely be studied by MLB. They’d be silly not to. Given the game’s decline in popularity, sticking to the traditional route of “playing the game the right way” and policing anything that could remotely be considered fun or an individual’s personality is not going to cut it.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Tanner Franklin #43 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during the fourth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
On Monday, I looked at how the pitchers in the upper minors were doing and honestly from a statistical standpoint, it wasn’t great. Mind you, it’s early in the season, and we know pitchers work on things at the expense of the best way they currently know how to get hitters out, and the run environments are pretty rough at both levels. Also, AAA has a different ball than the rest of the minor leagues. These are all reasons the stats are going look worse without being a problem. Lower minors however have good pitching environments, so I expect more pleasing-to-the-eye stats.
Peoria
Brandon Clarke, LHP – 23 (VEB’s #9 prospect)
Clarke was diagnosed with an aneurysm in his left arm and had surgery around the beginning of spring training and it has caused him to be out until at least June. I haven’t heard an update since.
Franklin is working on two things simultaneously. He is working on developing pitches to add to his fastball and slider while also working on a starting pitcher’s workload. He usually faces between 15 and 18 batters in a start, which even in today’s age, is short of how many outs a starter needs to get regularly. But he was facing between three and nine batters in college, and you don’t want to skip a step.
I am feeling very good about placing Fajardo 9th on my list. He has been unbelievable this season. That is an absurd K/BB ratio. He has 47 strikeouts and 6 walks in 32.2 IP. Just purely scouting the stat line + age, I feel like Fajardo should be a much bigger prospect than he appears to be.
I don’t know what to do with this line. His strikeouts are way up from last year, his walks are about the same, and he’s still getting groundballs. But when hitters make contact, they appear to be going for hits most of the time. Tough to say if that’s unlucky or not in this kind of sample. He has allowed 10 homers already, and he’s only allowed 28 flyballs all year. If you’re wondering, a normal amount of luck and that’s three homers allowed. He’s probably pitching worse than someone who would allow three homers, but 10 certainly feels unlucky.
Nate Dohm, RHP – 23 (acquired in the Ryan Helsley trade)
Well Dohm is for sure pitching poorly, but wow another case of a wildly disproportionate ERA in comparison to advanced stats. Now this is a significantly smaller sample size and can happen when you get blown up in three of your six starts, which unfortunately appear to be his three most recent starts.
Blake Aita, RHP – 23 (acquired in the Willson Contreras trade – with Fajardo)
The return for Sonny Gray has resulted in a completely missing season and one where they haven’t debuted yet, but the early returns for the Contreras trade have been fantastic. Dobbins, the MLB ready piece, looks like an ideal sixth starter, Fajardo has probably catapulted himself into a top 10 team prospect, and Aita – well he’s been fine. Clearly they’re making an effort to get him more strikeouts, which has the side effect of more as well so far. The next step is keep the strikeouts, lower the walks.
Oh yeah there was a third part of the Gray trade, which is Galle. He was quite literally unhittable in Low A, throwing 5.2 hitless innings down there. Just three of the 23 hitters he faced even made contact. No wonder they promoted him to High A after just five appearances. But it’s clear Galle doesn’t have a lot of control and High A hitters – well they’re still barely getting hits despite much more contact.
Frank Ellisalt, RHP – 24 (acquired in the Ryan Helsley trade)
Ellisalt suffered some kind of hip injury in February, and I’m not exactly sure how long he’s expected to be out, but he was put on the minor league 60-day injured list, so he certainly won’t pitch the rest of this month at least.
Van Dyke has already been promoted to Peoria and he had… a not very good first start there. He threw 3.2 IP, walked three, struck out two, and allowed three runs. Nevermind that though, it was his first start and we have a 10th rounder who the Cardinals promoted him to High A after just 12 starts at that level. I’d call that a success.
Well, I like the strikeouts. The walks and lack of groundballs aren’t great. A good example of his season is his last two starts. In his most recent start, Crossland threw 5 innings, struck out 7, walked two and allowed 2 ER. The start before, Crossland walked six, struck out six, allowed no hits and yet gave up a run. Every other start seems to involve a lot of walks. It has only really burned him in one start, when he gave up seven runs.
Jack Martinez, RHP – 23 (acquired in Nolan Arenado trade)
These stats kind of scream reliever to me. He misses plenty of basses but can’t find the zone a lot and almost nothing is on the ground. I don’t know, it’s a tough profile to make work. But these are his first 8 career pro starts, despite his age, because he was in college last season. Too early to make any declarations.
Oh hey a genuine breakout. Odle has been a strikeout machine and a groundball machine, which is a pitching coach’s dream. Very tough for an offense to get runs if the pitcher does both of those things. His walks are a little high, but really not that bad and especially not bad with that K rate.
Despite just one game started, Shelagowski appears to currently be a starting pitching prospect, average over 3 innings per game. And he was a starter in his most recent game, so he may have officially moved into the rotation. While his walks haven’t been bad, he has somehow hit seven batters already this season.
Well it’s obviously early in the season, but Batista may be seeing a promotion before the year is up, because 13 strikeouts to one walk is quite the K/BB ratio. He was kind of being treated like a starting pitching prospect a year ago, but his stats weren’t very good, so he seems to be in more of a relief role this year. And it has made a difference. Last year, his K% was just 16.4% and he walked 10.9%. The Cardinals made the right decision.
Young hasn’t quite pitched as bad as his ERA. It just so happens when you walk your fair share of batters and your BABIP is .400, you’re going to allow a lot of runs. It’s too early to judge if that BABIP is comically unlucky, or a sign that Young is pretty hittable. Striking out 26% of batters would seem to suggest the BABIP is probably, at least somewhat, unlucky.
Holiday is in the beginning stages of his rehab from his Tommy John surgery last year, which caused him to miss the entire season. He was the 3rd round pick of the 2024 draft, and he didn’t get a chance to pitch in the pros, getting hurt before he ever threw a pitch. These are exactly the stats I’d expect of college righty rehabbing in rookie leagues.
Graham is also pitching in the pros for the first time after having had Tommy John surgery last season. In Graham’s case though, he had it before he got drafted, and I was actually under the impression that Graham would debut much later. He’s carving up these teenagers like Michael Myers, so I actually expect to see him in Palm Beach pretty soon.
And that’s pretty much it. I wasn’t going to list any rookie league players, because the season just started, but both Holiday and Graham are arguably Low A pitchers at least who are simply pitching for the first time after Tommy John surgery. Graham was healthy and ready to pitch earlier than Holiday, because Graham faced 11 batters and threw 3 innings in his first outing, Holiday only pitched an inning. So just not the order I would have expected there.
On this day 70 years ago, the White Sox made a horrible blockbuster deal with Baltimore, shipping away Bob Nieman and three other future contributors. | (Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images)
1905 Frank Smith tossed a one-hitter, the first of his career and fifth in White Sox history.
The proceedings didn’t begin as a Smith masterpiece, as the righty actually trailed in the game after walking Senators leadoff man Charlie Jones, Jones sacrificed to second by Hunter Hill, then driven home on a Jake Stahl (with throngs … OK, 117 fans … from his hometown of Champaign, Ill. present) single. But that was the first and only Washington hit for the game, and later on Smith helped his own cause with a double (the only extra-base hit in the contest) in the fifth inning, sacrificed to third by Fielder Jones, and scoring on a bobbled ground ball at shortstop — the second and decisive Sox run of the game.
Smith would throw two more one-hitters in his White Sox career, and only Doc White, Ed Walsh and Billy Pierce have more all-time South Side one-hitters than him.
1915 Red Faber won his seventh straight game in a 17-inning win over the Red Sox at Comiskey Park, 3-2. Both Faber and Boston loser Carl Mays, rotation members, came on in relief and essentially pitched a second complete game on the day.
Faber went 10 scoreless innings on six hits, giving up one walk and whiffing eight to improve to 9-2. The White Sox as a team stood at 20-12, alone in first place in the American League.
The 17 innings were played in three hours, 25 minutes!
1943 The White Sox won the fastest nine-inning game they’ve ever played, 1-0 over the Senators at Comiskey Park. Johnny Humphries threw a three-hitter in a game that took just one hour, 29 minutes. Humphries in fact scored the game’s only run, doubling to lead off the fifth and getting singled home by Thurman Tucker.
1956 The White Sox made a six-player blockbuster trade with Baltimore, sending George Kell, Mike Fornieles, Connie Johnson and Bob Nieman to the Orioles for Dave Philley and Jim Wilson.
Philley, an outfielder and first baseman who’d spent his first seven season in the majors with the White Sox, part of seven seasons, had a poor finish to 1956 (-0.4 WAR, .701 OPS) and was swapped to Detroit in June 1957. Right-handed starter Wilson, presumably the headliner of the deal for the White Sox, was coming off of a stellar 1955 season with the Orioles but was mediocre in Chicago (0.8 WAR, 9-12, 4.06 ERA); he pitched for the ascendant White Sox in 1957 and 1958 as well, but saw his MLB career end after 1958.
Kell, a (very dubious) future Hall-of-Famer, was at the very end of his career yet still produced at a better-than-average clip for the remainder of 1956 and 1957. Fornieles was a swingman who could both start and close games, an average pitcher who nonetheless extended his career until 1963, mostly with Boston.
But the gems of this trade were Nieman and Johnson. Nieman was seeing no playing time in Chicago but broke out into stardom with the Orioles in 1956, putting up 4.0 WAR in just 114 games (.322/.442/.497); the left fielder would go on to a solid 17.4, WAR career over 12 seasons, 14.4 WAR coming with Baltimore. Johnson was a late bloomer who was very strong as a right-handed starter for the White Sox in 1955 and outright blooming in Baltimore, putting up 6.4 WAR and a 3.42 ERA in 87 games for the Orioles through 1958 to end his MLB career.
Although GM Frank Lane made his share of trade steals, but this one was a clear loss on his ledger, getting the two worst players of the trade for his trouble.
1980 Despite a 3-2 loss to Minnesota, the White Sox remained in first place in the AL West, at 22-16. Nearly 34,000 fans showed up at Comiskey Park on a 65° Wednesday night, excited over the prospect of fielding a competitive squad once again. Down 3-1 in the ninth, the White Sox put runners on the corners with one out but could only muster an RBI ground out and strikeout to end the game.
It was the start of a four-game losing streak that bounced the White Sox from first the next day. The White Sox would bid goodbye to a winning record a month later, but in a weak AL West stuck in and out of second place past the All-Star break, with a record as poor as 39-44.
The second half was a full free-fall, with a 32-49 record, as the White Sox finished the year in fifth place, at 70-90-2. Britt Burns, at 21, was brilliant for the club (15-13, 2.84 ERA, 11 complete games, and a 7.0 WAR that remains tied for 25th among all franchise seasons) and Chet Lemon had another solid year (4.2 WAR), but that was about it for a floundering franchise.
2009 The White Sox tied their team record for worst defeat when they were annihilated, 20-1, by the Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. The 19-run margin was first set on May 10, 2002 in Anaheim.
Bartolo Colón, Lance Broadway and Jimmy Gobble gave up all the runs. Colón at least had something of an excuse — of the eight runs he allowed, seven were unearned!
The Cleveland Guardians look to finish a four-game sweep and push their winning streak to six when they visit the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park this afternoon.
I’ll break down why I’m taking the visitors to break out the brooms in my Guardians vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, May 21.
Who will win Guardians vs Tigers today: Guardians moneyline (+100)
The Cleveland Guardians come into the series finale as a slight underdog, but there’s plenty to like about the visitors in this matchup.
The Detroit Tigers are banged up, missing three starters in Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Kerry Carpenter. Unsurprisingly, Detroit is 2-13 over its last 15 contests while mustering a mere 2.47 runs per game through that span.
The Guardians, meanwhile, are 8-1 over their last nine, ranking second in runs scored (102) and third in on-base percentage (.347) among all teams this month.
Guardians vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-125)
Detroit has a dismal offense, but also a solid starter on the hill today in Casey Mize.
Mize, who has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of seven starts, carries a stingy 2.43 ERA and ranks in the 85th percentile in xBA (.211).
The Tigers can’t score, Mize won’t give up a ton, and both teams have bullpens with a sub-4.00 ERA. That all adds up to a third straight meeting with Under 7.5 runs.
Chris Faria's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 1-0, +0.67 units
Over/Under bets: 0-1, -1 unit
Guardians vs Tigers odds
Moneyline: Guardians +108 | Tigers -113
Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+178) | Tigers +1.5 (-186)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+117) | Under 7.5 (-122)
Guardians vs Tigers trend
Detroit has cashed the Under in five of its last six games. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Tigers.
How to watch Guardians vs Tigers and game info
Location
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Date
Thursday, May 21, 2026
First pitch
1:10 p.m. ET
TV
Guardians.TV, DSN
Guardians starting pitcher
Joey Cantillo (3-1, 3.40 ERA)
Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize (2-2, 2.43 ERA)
Guardians vs Tigers latest injuries
Guardians vs Tigers weather
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.
May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (6) slides in safely at home against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a much-need 7-0 win last night over the St.Louis Cardinals. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched a stellar five innings, the bullpen got it done for a change, and Konnor Griffin went 4-for-5 at the plate with 3 runs scored on the evening. That stat line made Griffin the second-youngest player to have 4 hits an 3 runs in a game in the last 85 years. The only player younger to do it was Juan Soto. Pretty dang good company for Konnor.
Youngest players with 4+ H and 3+ R in a game in the last 85 years:
In addition, Griffin raised his average on the year to .278, which is a far cry from the slow start he had, when some of us were questioning if he really should have been brought up from the Minors. I think he’s proving that is was the right decision.
In addition, Griffin has 3 homers on the year, 20 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases, as well as a .405 slugging percentage and a .738 OPS. Those aren’t earth-shattering numbers, but I think it’s pretty clear that not only does Konnor belong, he’s got every ounce of potential that we had hoped for.
Griffin wasn’t the only Buc blasting at the plate last night. Nick Gonzales went 2-for-4 to lift his average to .318 on the season. Spencer Horwitz hit his 4th homer of the year. And Endy Rodriguez went 2-for-3 at the plate and is now hitting .333 over limited action. Even Jhostynxon Garcia got in on the act, going 2-for-3 on the night. The Pirates showed off their improved batting order up and down the lineup, finishing with 15 team hits on the evening, but it was Griffin who stole the show, adding his name to the record books already as a 20-year-old rookie.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had optimism for the future like the Bucs do now, but with Paul Skenes and now Konnor Griffin leading the youth brigade for the Bucs, the future finally appears bright.
Toledo Mud Hens 3, Indianapolis Indians 2 (F/7)(box)(Gm1)
Sawyer Gipson-Long put together his best outing since coming off the injured list, and the bullpen did a nice job holding down Indy in Game 1 on Wednesday.
The right-hander tossed 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball with two walks against six strikeouts. Still no sign of steady 94 mph velo though.
The Hens opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Jace Jung and Max Anderson started the inning with singles. With one out, Tyler Gentry reached on an error and a sac fly from Cal Stevenson made it 1-0.
Nick Sandlin allowed Indianapolis to tie it up in the fifth, and then Beau Brieske allowed a solo shot in the sixth. In the bottom half, Corey Julks answered back with a solo shot to tie the game 2-2.
Brenan Hanifee and Woo-Suk Go locked down the Indians the rest of the way while we got a look at former Tigers’ pitcher and 2015 Beau Burrows in the seventh. Go kept the runner on second from scoring in the top of the eighth, and a Tyler Gentry single walked this one off.
Malgeri: 2-4, 2B, 2 K
Jung: 1-3, 2 R, BB, K
Gipson-Long: 3.2 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 6 K
Indianapolis Indians 3, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (F/7)(box)(Gm2)
On a bullpen day for Game 2, Konnor Pilkington started things off but allowed three runs in the first two innings, and that’s all it took.
The Hens got on the board in the bottom of the third when Max Burt led off with a double. He was advanced to third and scored with two outs on a wild pitch from José Urquidy.
So it was a 3-1 deficit, and the Hens missed a few minor opportunities until the sixth when Max Clark singled up the middle and Julks singled him to third. A Jung groundout scored Clark, but the hit they needed never arrived.
Tyler Mattison struck out two in a 1-2-3 seventh inning that saw Indians’ hitting coach Eric Munson ejected for yelling at home plate umpire Jacob Metz, but that was the last notable event. Burt and Andrew Navigato drew one-out walks in the bottom of the seventh, but Malgeri took a called strike three and Clark lifted a routine fly to right field to end it.
Julks: 2-3
Clark: 1-4, R, K
Pilkington (L, 1-3): 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start at Fifth Third Park on Thursday.
The offense wasn’t exactly clicking, but in top of the fourth they got loose. Peyton Graham, who has been a nice sparkplug all season long for Erie, drew a leadoff walk and then stole his 24th base. John Peck struck out, but Thayron Liranzo and Justice Bigbie drew walks to load the bases. Chris Meyers smoked a sharp single to right to score Graham and keep the bases juiced for Izaac Pacheco, who unleashed a massive blast to right center field for a grand slam. 5-0 Erie.
Izaac Pacheco hits a rocket to center for a grand slam and the SeaWolves take a 5-0 lead. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MCajFAfQZW
The two most interesting position players after Liranzo are Brett Callahan and John Peck, and they combined to add on in the fifth. Callahan led off with a double to center field, and after Graham grounded out, Peck blasted home run number 8 on the year to make it 7-0.
John Peck mashes a 2-run homer to left center and the SeaWolves lead 7-0. It’s Peck’s 8th home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/YcvJybCiDT
Lael Lockhart Jr. took over in the sixth, and he allowed an unearned run on a Graham error at second base. In the seventh, the lefty gave up three more runs and Tyler Owens took over.
Justice Bigbie led off the eighth with a double and scored on a double down the right field line from Pacheco to make it 9-4. An Andrew Jenkins single moved Pacheco to third where he scored on a Bennett Lee sacrifice fly. 10-4.
Owens allowed a solo shot in the eighth and Yosber Sanchez gave up one in the ninth but the game was well in hand.
Pacheco: 2-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR, K
Lirnazo: 2-3, R, 2 BB
Callahan: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB
Peck: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, 3 K
Miller: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET start with the series tied at a game apiece.
South Bend Cubs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)
The quest to win back-to-back games for the first time since mid-April failed on Wednesday.
Ben Jacobs continued his outstanding first pro season with four no-hit innings with four strikeouts to give his team a chance to build a lead. The best they could do was one run, as Andrew Sojka doubled, stole third, and scored on a Luke Shliger single in the fourth.
Duque Hebbert followed Jacobs with two scoreless frames, but Logan Berrier gave up two runs in the eighth to lose the lead, and the Cubs added one in the top of the ninth off of Luke Stofel.
Sojka: 2-4, R, 2B, K
Jacobs: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Thursday with the series knotted 1-1.
The Flying Tigers pitching staff was pretty dominant in this one, and they got a pair of home runs to help the cause as they made it two straight over the Marauders.
Cash Kuiper has been pretty up and down in his pro debut, but he was really good on Wednesday. The right-hander allowed a solo shot, but that was all as he struck out seven over his 3 1/3 innings of work. His slider and control did most of the lifting.
In the bottom of the third, down 1-0, Carson Rucker led off with a single and rode home on a two-run shot from Anibal Salas. Edian Espinal, who played infield in college before starting to convert to catching, a move the Tigers have solidified, launched a solo shot in the fourth to make it 3-1.
Anibal Salas smokes a 2-run homer to right to give Lakeland the lead. It’s his 3rd home run of the season. @AaronArnstein on the call. pic.twitter.com/LdIOsSVSIc
The Flying Tigers took advantage of quality bullpen work by tacking on a run in the sixth. Espinal walked with one out, took second on a back pick attempt gone wrong, and scored on a wild pitch.
In the seventh, Alistair Tanner allowed a double and then a walk. A single to left field followed, but last night’s walkoff hero, Jesus Pinto, fired a perfect strike home to cut down the lead runner, and Tanner worked out of the inning unscathed. The Marauders never threatened again as Eliseo Mota closed them out for his second save.
Jesus Pinto uncorks a perfect strike from left field to cut down the runner at home and keep Lakeland up 4-1. @AaronArnstein calls it. pic.twitter.com/lRgh1DW2P6
May 20, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) talks with center fielder Trent Grisham (12) while walking off the field after the bottom of the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It’s a tough time to be a Yankees outfielder, or in the case of Giancarlo Stanton, outfield-adjacent. The big guy has been out for almost a month now with a right calf strain that he’s (unsurprisingly) been slow to recover to from, and he hasn’t been cleared for the next step yet. Granted an opportunity to fill in, Jasson Domínguez looked good at the plate, but a nasty collision with the left-field scoreboard at Yankee Stadium has him on the shelf with a shoulder sprain. Rookie Spencer Jones has not hit much at all in the Martian’s absence, but he now might have to keep filling in because of what happened to Trent Grisham during last night’s loss.
Grisham grabbed at his leg as he reached second base while hustling on a pop-fly double that the Blue Jays couldn’t handle. He stayed in the game, but a couple innings later, Jones replaced him in center field. The Yankees announced an initial diagnosis of “left knee discomfort,” and he will undergoing imaging today to get a better read on the situation.
Grisham was hobbled by leg problems that affected his defense last year, and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees play it safe by keeping him out for at least a short IL stint (though the potential severity of the knee problem could absolutely make it a longer stay). The question then becomes what the Yankees’ offense will look like with Grisham out of the picture.
Although it’s possible that the Yankees could try some other roster move, the most likely outcome at the moment would seem to be having Grisham and José Caballero swap places on the IL tomorrow. That’s when Caballero is due to return from his finger fracture, and Anthony Volpe has seemingly earned a chance to stick around. The Yankees probably won’t make a roster move for Grisham going to the IL prior to today’s game because it would likely be a one-game substitution. Jones might need more seasoning, but if Grisham’s going on the IL, then there’s an additional need for his glove in center.
So how would you gameplan the Yankees’ lineup with Grisham out? Acknowledging that there might be platoons in some form or another—Ryan McMahona and Amed Rosario will still get time, as well J.C. Escarra with Austin Wells mired in a slump—and multiple iterations of the starting nine to grant playing time to more players, here is one that could be the most common one we see for the next little while. It’s not necesarily one that I would have 100-percent confidence in, but the one that I at least somewhat expect. (Keep in mind that I am doing this off the cuff and am a little sleep-deprived because my son hasn’t been sleeping well.)
DH Ben Rice RF Aaron Judge LF Cody Bellinger 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. 3B José Caballero 1B Paul Goldschmidt SS Anthony Volpe C Austin Wells CF Spencer Jones
What’s your preferred lineup right now?
Today on the site, Peter will break down his Sequence of the Week, Madison will tackle the Rivalry Roundup, and Jeff will salute a savvy Yankees signing from last decade on the occasion of his 41st birthday. John will also open the history books and discusses the time when—as he puts it—“a home run wasn’t a home run.” Andrés and Sam will close us out, as the former explores the resurgent Paul Goldschmidt’s hot start and the latter raises a warning flag on Ryan McMahon that has made his struggles at the plate even more pronounced.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Anthony Volpe #11 and José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees after winning the game against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Mike Petriello: Aaron Judge, the greatest right-handed hitter of all time, has a chance to make history once more this year. Though his production thus far in 2026 hasn’t quite matched his play from the last few seasons, he’s on pace for 54 home runs, which would make the first hitter ever to hit 50 or more homers in five different seasons (he accomplished the feat in 2017, 2022, 2024, and 2025). If we’re fortunate, a year from now we’ll be discussing Judge’s chances of becoming the first hitter to mash 50 homers six times.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: José Caballero is aiming to return from a finger injury on Friday. In what role will he return? That remains to be seen, as Aaron Boone is keeping his cards close to the vest, stating “He’ll be in there. Look, we still got a couple days to go between that even being an option, so we’ll see.” Caballero played well as the starter filling in for a rehabbing Anthony Volpe, but now, Volpe is the one playing well in place of Caballero. Could Volpe get sent back to Triple-A? Could Caballero go back to being a utilityman, perhaps cutting into Ryan McMahon’s playing time at third? All options appear to be on the table — though Boone did make it clear that he thinks Caballero should be an everyday player.
MLB.com | Max Ralph: You may have noticed that Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pants have gotten baggier in the last week, and that’s because they’re not his. Chisholm started wearing teammate Giancarlo Stanton’s pants as a tactic to try and break out of a season-long slump, and so far, the returns are positive, the infielder posting a 1.302 OPS in his first five games since donning the roomy trousers. Stanton supported the decision, telling reporters “I think it’s great… they’ve got homers in them.”
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: ($) The Yankees came into this series with the Blue Jays feeling they had something to prove, looking to redeem themselves after their division rivals had their number throughout last season. “We owe you something,” Jazz Chisholm said of Toronto, who went 11-6 against the Yankees last year in the regular season and postseason combined. Although they’ve been far from dominant, the Yankees have fared better against the Blue Jays this week, taking the first two games of the series in dramatic fashion before taking it on the chin last night.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Jasson Domínguez is making progress on his recovery from a scary injury a couple of weeks ago, but he’s still some time from taking the field. Domínguez recently received a cortisone injection and hit balls off a tee yesterday but has no timetable for return. The Yankees are feeling the squeeze a bit from an outfielder perspective, and Trent Grisham’s own unclear knee injury from yesterday is an extra complication. (He’s undergoing imaging today to see what the left knee discomfort is all about.)
In this week's Closer Report, Cade Smith is proving himself as one of the top closers in baseball in his first full season in the role. Grant Taylor may be giving the White Sox something to think about in the ninth inning. And consistency continues to elude David Bednar. All that and more as we break down the last week in saves.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Mason Miller - San Diego Padres Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Miller has worked through some traffic in each of his last several outings. He stranded two runners while converting a four-out save against the Mariners on Friday, recording all four outs via strikeout. He then worked around a pair of walks on Monday against the Dodgers to convert his 15th save. Miller then gave up an unearned run to break a tie in the top of the ninth on Tuesday and took his first loss as a Padre. Still, he's a perfect 15-for-15 in save chances with a 0.79 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
There's no closer pitching better than Smith right now. He made three more scoreless appearances this week, picking up his ninth save in May and 16th on the year to lead baseball. After struggling a bit over the first week, he's got his ERA down to 2.66 with a 1.14 WHIP and 35 strikeouts over 23 2/3 innings.
Duran also worked two scoreless outings for a pair of saves. He's up to eight with just two runs allowed and a 21/5 K/BB ratio over 12 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander has struck out 42% of the batters he's faced, the highest mark in any 13-game stretch of his career.
Chapman made four scoreless appearances this week, picking up three saves against the Braves and Royals. The 38-year-old left-hander continues to get things done, with a 0.51 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings. Should the Red Sox fall out of contention over the next two months, Chapman should have plenty of suitors vying for his services at the trade deadline.
Muñoz pitched a clean inning against the White Sox on Monday, then was put in a tough spot on Tuesday. Luis Castillo was left out for the top of the ninth with a one-run lead to get his third inning of work, following Bryce Miller. Though he's no closer. Castillo left two runners in scoring position with one out for Muñoz, who gave up a pair of infield hits to blow the lead. The 27-year-old right-hander has been incredibly unlucky so far, but the underlying numbers still say he's one of the best. Meanwhile, Iglesias didn't get a save chance this week, but did toss two scoreless innings. He still has a spotless ERA, with no runs allowed over 14 2/3 innings.
▶ Tier 2
Riley O'Brien - St. Louis Cardinals Bryan Baker - Tampa Bay Rays Devin Williams - New York Mets Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers Louis Varland - Toronto Blue Jays
O'Brien picked up his 13th save against the Athletics last Thursday, then surrendered two runs against the Pirates to suffer his fourth blown save on Tuesday. His May hasn't been quite as good as his first month, with two runs allowed in three of his eight appearances.
Baker scuffled a bit, giving up a run in back-to-back outings, then recovered with two scoreless appearances for a pair of saves. The Rays have fully trusted him with the closer role. He's come through for the team with 13 saves, a 2.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings.
Williams worked two scoreless appearances, extending his scoreless streak to nine outings as he continues to turn his season around after a rough start. He converted his sixth save on Saturday against the Yankees, then earned a win on Sunday.
In Chicago, Palencia struck out two for just his third save of the season last Thursday against the Braves. He followed with a scoreless outing against the White Sox on Sunday.
Scott struck out two in a clean inning against the Giants last Thursday, then recorded the final out in the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth against the heart of the Padres order on Tuesday. Will Klein was used in the ninth for his first save. Scott is up to four saves with a 1.37 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings.
Varland has been lights out in any situation for the Blue Jays this season. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Tigers on Saturday to fall in line for a win, then struck out two to record his sixth save on Wednesday against the Yankees. The 28-year-old right-hander has posted a 0.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings.
▶ Tier 3
Paul Sewald - Arizona Diamondbacks Kenley Jansen - Detroit Tigers Pete Fairbanks - Miami Marlins David Bednar - New York Yankees Seranthony Domínguez - Chicago White Sox Trevor Megill/Abner Uribe - Milwaukee Brewers Jacob Latz - Texas Rangers
Sewald worked a scoreless inning in Colorado on Sunday to pick up a save against the Rockies, then worked a clean frame for his 11th save on Tuesday against the Giants. He's had three blowup outings that have led to a 4.15 ERA, but has otherwise been effective in the closer role for the Diamondbacks.
Jansen has made five straight perfect appearances, picking up a win this week against the Blue Jays. The 38-year-old veteran right-hander has converted seven saves with a 3.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings. Despite concerns that the Tigers would be utilizing a committee, Jansen has converted seven of the team's nine saves.
Fairbanks made his first appearance off the injured list on Saturday, giving up one unearned run to blow the save before falling in line for a win against the Rays.
Bednar has had a rough go on the mound of late, giving up runs in six of his last nine outings. He surrendered a run in a non-save situation against the Mets on Friday, then gave up three runs and blew a save on Sunday before holding on for a save against the Blue Jays on Monday despite giving up a run. With Bednar unavailable on Tuesday, Camilo Doval stepped in and picked up a save. He also allowed a run before closing it out.
Fantasy managers rostering Domínguez are on red alert this week after he blew a save, giving up three runs against the Cubs on Sunday. Two days later, it was Grant Taylor out for the ninth inning with a one-run lead against the Mariners. He struck out the side to lock down his first save. Taylor has the makings of a dominant closer, posting a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. Tuesday might've been a way to give Domínguez an extra day off after expending 32 pitches on Sunday. Or it was a showcase for Taylor to show what he could do in the closer role if Domínguez continues to struggle.
Megill got the first save this week for the Brewers, pitching a clean inning against the Twins on Friday after Uribe completed a scoreless eighth. Uribe then got the next save with a scoreless frame against the Cubs on Tuesday. It seems the two could work in tandem to close out games.
Latz had given up three runs without recording an out last Wednesday in a rare bad outing. After not pitching all week, he got the final two innings in Colorado on Wednesday, holding the Rockies scoreless with four strikeouts to fall in line for a win.
Tier 4
Gregory Soto - Pittsburgh Pirates Rico Garcia - Baltimore Orioles Lucas Erceg - Kansas City Royals Bryan Abreu/Bryan King - Houston Astros Gus Varland - Washington Nationals Kaleb Killian - San Francisco Giants Tony Santillan/Graham Ashcraft - Cincinnati Reds
Soto gave up three runs, two earned, to blow the save chance against the Phillies on Friday. He bounced back with a clean inning against the Cardinals, striking out the side in a non-save situation on Tuesday. The Pirates just haven't been in a position to offer many save chances, but Soto remains the best option, even if he isn't used for every opportunity.
The Orioles didn't see a save chance this week, but Garcia did make three scoreless appearances. The 32-year-old right-hander has stepped up for the injured Ryan Helsley, converting three saves with a 0.87 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings. Helsley has been out of action since April 29 with right elbow inflammation. He's making his way through his throwing progression, with a goal to return at the end of May.
Erceg blew a save with an unearned run allowed against the Cardinals on Friday, then bounced back with a save in St. Louis on Sunday. He's up to 11 saves with a 3.26 ERA over 19 1/3 innings, but it'll be tough to remain effective with a 17/13 K/BB ratio.
King converted a five-out save for the Astros on Friday against the Rangers. Abreu got the next two chances, converting back-to-back saves. He's come around a bit, with no runs allowed in his last six outings. King, Abreu, and Enyel De Los Santos have split save chances through the season, with Josh Hader working his way back from a biceps injury. Hader needs a few more rehab outings before he's activated from the injured list, but his return is near.
Varland didn't see a save chance this week. He recorded two outs against the Orioles on Friday, then pitched two scoreless innings against the Mets on Monday. Richard Lovelady stepped in for two saves. He's not someone to be trusted for saves going forward, with a 6.5% K-BB rate.
It seemed Kilian would have the opportunity to step into the primary closer role in San Francisco when the team optioned Ryan Walker to Triple-A Sacramento. Kilian hasn't exactly taken advantage of it, giving up runs in four of his last six outings. Manager Tony Vitello continues to play the matchup game in the ninth, with Matt Gage getting two save chances this week. He converted one, then surrendered a walk-off, three-run homer against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. It's tough to trust any Giants reliever at the moment.
The same can be said for the Reds, where it seems like as many as five relievers are in the daily saves mix. Tejay Antone converted a save against the Guardians on Friday. Then it was Santillan pitching a scoreless ninth for a save on Tuesday for his second of the season. No one has been particularly effective. If anything, Pagán (hamstring) will be the clear choice once he returns from the injured list.
▶ Tier 5
Jack Perkins/Hogan Harris - Athletics Juan Mejia/Antonio Senzatela - Colorado Rockies Eric Orze/Justin Topa/Luis Garcia - Minnesota Twins Sam Bachman/Ryan Zeferjahn - Los Angeles Angels
Senzatela has been the best pitcher among this bottom tier and the only one really worth rostering for fantasy purposes, even if he's not seeing traditional save chances. His save on Saturday against the Diamondbacks marked the first time he was asked to get just three outs. He then pitched two scoreless innings against the Rangers on Wednesday.
The curse of the tarp is broken for Purdue baseball after an eighth inning comeback over Illinois to start off Day 2 of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The Boilermakers had lost all five of their tournament games since 2022 when they scammed their way into the tourney by choosing not to tarp their field in the final series of the season. Today, they pulled off a 3-1 win despite a gem of a pitching performance from Illini lefty Aidan Flinn.
Flinn ends the third with his third strikeout of the day!
— Illinois Baseball (@IlliniBaseball) May 20, 2026
It was all about the pitching on both sides of the matchup as Zach Erdman matched Flinn’s efforts through five scoreless innings. He conceded the first run of the game as Illinois second baseman Michael Farina led off the top of the sixth with a single and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jack Zebig. Right after that, Illini freshman star A.J. Putty smoked a single that scored Farina and put Illinois on top 1-0.
Flinn continued to pitch strong, holding on to that slim lead into the bottom of the 8th. Up to that point he had only given up one run to Purdue and faced more than three batters in an inning just twice. He started the 8th off with a strikeout of Jackson Bessette and seemed on his way to another quick inning. But that was not to be the case as he plunked pinch-hitter Quincy Malbrough after being ahead in the count, and then turned around and hit Dylan Drake.
All of a sudden, Purdue had two on and one out, and were facing a pitcher that had suddenly lost control of his pitches and could not find the strike zone. Next up was the nine-hole hitter Westin Boyle who trotted to first after a five-pitch walk. Flinn had completely melted down and was replaced by another lefthander, Reed Gannon.
Eli Anderson, at the top of the order, stepped in to face Gannon with bases loaded and ripped a single right back at the pitcher. The ball deflected just a bit off his leg but still got through the infield, scoring two and putting Purdue on top 2-1. They scored another run right away as Brandon Rogers laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score Boyle.
The Boilers went to their closer Jake Kramer in the top of the ninth and he shut down the Illini with a pair of strikeouts and a weak grounder to first base. Curse broken and a Purdue 3-1 win allows them to play another day.
Illinois becomes the first team out of the tournament. Aidan Flinn deserved better today, but his teammates were stymied by a strong effort from the Purdue pitching staff. The Boilermakers will face the winner of Ohio State and Rutgers at 2:00 Thursday to see who gets to stick around and play against the big boys and who goes home.
Game 2
Ohio State 3 Rutgers 2
Starting Pitchers:
· Ohio State — RHP Pierce Herrenbruck (6-3, 3.45 ERA)
⚾️🏆 Obviously riddled with shame from our post putting them on blast about the pitching machine yesterday, Ohio State has chosen to go with the traditional “hit a G.D. ball with a G.D. bat” to take infield.
The story of the second game of Day 2 between Ohio State and Rutgers was the 98-pitch complete game tossed by Buckeye junior righthander Pierce Herrenbruck. Complete games are an unusual occurrence, but under the stress of a conference tournament and facing elimination, almost unheard of. Credit head coach Justin Haire for showing the confidence in his starter to stick with him.
Herrenbruck’s counterpart in the first base dugout, Zack Konstantinovsky, was very good today as well. Outside of a solo home run to Henry Kaczmar in the bottom of the fourth, he had done a very good job keeping the bases clear of Buckeyes. He did show some fatigue in the bottom of the sixth after his team had taken a lead and gave up a game-tying run.
Rutgers took advantage of Ohio State’s sloppy defense and took the lead for the first time in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Chase Krewson tripled to right-centerfield. Had he not stumbled around second base, he could have perhaps turned that into an inside-the-park home run. The Buckeyes then intentionally walked the dangerous Peyton Bonds for the second time in the game. Sensing the big moment, Coach Steve Owens put Matt Chatelle in to pinch-run for the big slugger.
Gabriel Rivera then took a four-pitch walk from Herrenbruck to load the bases with one out. Up came Ryan Jaros and the fun began for the Scarlet Knights. Jaros slapped a ground ball right at second base. All Lee Ellis had to do was field it, step on second and fire to first for an easy double-play. However, Ellis fumbled and kicked it enough that everyone was safe and Rutgers put their first run across. Right after that on another infield ground ball, Buckeye first baseman Dane Harvey committed an error and another run scored. Lee Ellis, backing up the play did pick up the ball this time and fired to home to nail Rivera trying to score. At that point, Rutgers was up 2-1.
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 20, 2026
As mentioned above the Buckeyes came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game as Alex Bemis scored on a Noah Furcht single. Furcht’s hit came off Joe Mazza, who had come in relief of Konstantinovsky.
With the game tied at two-all, one could sense the tension in the ball park. Both teams were scoreless in the seventh inning and Rutgers went down in order in the top of the 8th inning. Bemis led off the bottom half with a double, his second hit of the game. Mazza battled and got the next two batters out and kept Bemis at second. That didn’t last with Buckeye Big Boy Dane Harvey lacing a double of his own the opposite way to left-center to score Bemis. That ended up being the winning run as Herrenbrock worked around a couple of Rutgers singles in the ninth to end it.
BOTTOM 8 | The Buckeyes are back in the lead after an RBI double from @daneharvey_!!
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) May 20, 2026
Ohio State wins and advances and will play again Thursday in the 5:00 game against the winner of Washington and Michigan. Rutgers returns to New Jersey with their season over.
Game 3
Michigan State 4 Iowa 3
Starting Pitchers:
· Iowa — RHP Joe Husak (1-1, 6.52 ERA)
· Michigan State — RHP Carter Monke (4-5, 4.90 ERA)
For the third game in a row, pitching ruled the day and runs were hard to come by. Sparty starter Carter Monke was really good, as was Gannon Grundman who came in for him in the sixth. Iowa’s starter Joe Husak did struggle a bit in the second inning and Coach Rick Heller made the decision to pull him early and replaced him with Justin Hackett, who struggled but worked around trouble into the fourth inning when Kyle Alivo was brought in. Both coaches recognized the significance of this game and chose to act before the game got away from them.
Iowa took a quick lead in their usually aggressive way. First time lead-off batter Ben Swails started the bottom of the first off with a single and then stole second. He advanced to third when Gable Mitchell hit a ground ball to the second baseman and then scored on a fly ball to leftfield. 1-0 Iowa after one inning. After that, Monke toughened up and kept them from scoring any more runs through the fifth.
Just like that… the Hawks strike first!
Risley sends a sac fly to left to bring in Swails.
In the meantime, Michigan State tied the game in the top of the second and then took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Hackett walked three Spartans before he was pulled, and then one of them scored when Nick Williams hit a ground ball to the shortstop whose only play was to first.
Two innings later, Iowa went on top by a run when the top of their lineup came through. With one out Swails doubled and scored on a Mitchell single. Then Mitchell swiped second base to put himself in scoring position. He scored when Jaixon Frost record the third hit of the inning to make it 3-2 Hawkeyes.
Sparty came back quick and tied it in the top of the seventh when Parker Picot reached by being hit by Alivo and scored when catcher Matthew Delgado dropped the third strike, which would have been the third out, and sailed his throw well over the head of first baseman Caleb Wulf. Picot raced home from second base making it 3-3. Grundman retired six Hawkeyes in a row taking the tie to the ninth.
After Picot flew out to open the inning, Isaac Sturgess singled. An obviously fatigued Kyle Alivo then hit both Randy Seymour and C.J. Deckinga to load the bases. The Iowa staff opted to stick with their best reliever and then Ryan McKay poked a single through the left side to score Sturgess and put Michigan State up 4-3.
The one run lead was enough as Nolan Higgins came on in the bottom of the ninth and ended it for the Hawkeyes with a fly out and a couple of strikeouts.
Michigan State has the day off tomorrow and has advanced to the quarter-finals. Iowa will play again tomorrow in an elimination game.
An interesting statistic is that Michigan State left 15 runners on base and Iowa left four. Iowa pitching wasn’t great, but it, along with their defense kept things from getting out of hand. On the flip side, Spartan pitchers simply kept Iowa off the bases where they can create so much chaos.
Game 4
Washington 7 Michigan 1
Starting Pitchers:
· Washington — RHP Jackson Thomas (2-4, 5.13 ERA)
· Michigan — RHP Kurt Barr (5-4, 4.40 ERA)
Finally we were promised a battle between two teams’ aces. Only one didn’t go so well. Kurt Barr came out firing in the first inning for Michigan, looking unhittable. But then in the 2nd, he completely lost his feel for the bottom of the zone. Barr walked a batter then got to a 3-1 count on Husky third baseman Blake Wilson, and had to try and take some off his fastball to get it over. Wilson destroyed it into the bleachers for a 2-run blast.
A leadoff in the 3rd was all the Michigan staff needed to see to replace him. Showing how urgent winning this game is, they brought their 2nd most effective starter, David Lally Jr in. Lally gave up a double off the left field wall that allowed a runner to score to make it 3-0 Huskies.
Washington’s Jackson Thomas was on point in his khaki pants. He hammered the bottom of the zone with his sinker. After walking Michigan’s leadoff batter, Thomas retired 11 straight Wolverines, 6 of the 11 by strikeout.
It took Michigan until the 6th inning to finally get to Thomas. Back to back singles put runners on the corners and a sac fly scored the first Wolverines run of the game. Two more singles appeared to score another run, but the Michigan runner tripped rounding 3rd, he was able to scamper back to the base, but he had another runner right behind him who was gunned down heading back to second. Thomas’s 9th strikeout on pitch number 106 stranded two baserunners.
Lally had stabilized the game on the mound for Michigan, but as he neared 90 pitches in the 7th, he began to give up a lot more hard hit balls. He hit a batter, then gave up a double, that could have been caught by the right fielder. (What is it with right fielders from the state of Michigan in this park??) Last nights hero for Washington Mic Paul struck again late into the night. A solid single brought in both runners and extended the lead to 5-1.
The Huskies best hitter, Jackson Hotchkiss added a 2 run home run, his 20th on the season, to straightaway center, a rare feat in this park. Something only guys like Pete Alonso, have done. That gave us the final score, a 7-1 Husky win. Washington moves on to take on Oregon on Friday, and we get to watch The Game: Baseball Version on Thursday evening for the right to advance to take on Nebraska.
WASHINGTON — Zach Thornton’s thrills Wednesday included sharing the night with his father, who is recovering from spinal surgery.
Paul Thornton has been confined to a wheelchair, his legs paralyzed, after undergoing surgery April 2 that removed part of a tumor from his spine. He will undergo radiation this summer.
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But the elder Thornton managed to attend his son’s major league debut, traveling from Chicago (where he’s been undergoing rehab) to watch Zach Thornton pitch into the fifth inning of the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Nationals.
“[Zach] made one mistake to a major league hitter,” Paul Thornton said, referring to the three-run homer CJ Abrams hit for the Nationals in the first inning. “Those batters aren’t going to miss mistakes and he made one mistake that went a long way, and other than that he did great.”
Zach Thornton, who was selected from Triple-A Syracuse to fill a rotation need with Clay Holmes sidelined by a fractured right fibula, allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced.
New York Mets starting pitcher Zach Thornton (49) throws the first pitch of his major league debut against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park on May 21, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I thought he settled in really well,” Paul Thornton said. “I know him. He probably wanted to go through five or six innings, so he will be disappointed about that, but Zach never loses. He just runs out of time.”
Paul Thornton’s journey to Nationals Park was his first time flying since he was confined to a wheelchair.
“It was an experience for my wife and I and learning how to travel with a wheelchair and maneuver a stadium with a wheelchair and so we’re learning all these things on the fly,” he said. “That’s OK. That is part of life.”
Zach Thornton was asked what it meant seeing his dad at the game.
“Super special just seeing him sitting there in his little wheelchair,” Zach Thornton said.
Paul Thornton visited with his son after the game, and the message was simple.
“I told him that I loved him,” Paul Thornton said.
"The support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing."
Zach Thornton's father, Paul, talks with @SteveGelbs about what his son's promotion to the majors means after his recent health… pic.twitter.com/mPcSQlsGl9
COVERS INTEL: The Tigers are 
