Category: Baseball

On the morning after the Lakers got swept out of the playoffs and the Dodgers lost their fourth consecutive game, Magic Johnson flashed his trademark smile and stepped to the podium to talk soccer.

“The world’s game is coming to the greatest city in the world,” Johnson said Tuesday.

In Los Angeles, Johnson joined in a celebration marking one month until the World Cup arrives in town. Meanwhile, in New York, representatives of Major League Baseball and its players’ union held the first session of collective bargaining negotiations widely expected to be so contentious that the 2027 season could be in jeopardy.

The Dodgers might not be the lone reason for the dispute, but they are Exhibit A. For these negotiations, the owners have shifted their benchmark for competitive balance from making the playoffs to winning the World Series.

Read more:Mookie Betts returns but the Dodgers' offensive struggles persist in loss to Giants

No small-market team has won the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 2015, and the Dodgers last year became the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back championships.

If you’re a Dodgers fan, these are the best of times. If you own one of the other 29 teams, you can complain that you cannot sell championship hope and faith if the Dodgers are spending five times as much as the Cleveland Guardians.

On the day the negotiations started, the Guardians were in first place in the American League Central. Of the first-place teams in the six divisions, four reside in small markets: Cleveland, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Sacramento/Las Vegas. The team with the highest payroll in the majors — not the Dodgers, but the New York Mets — had the worst record in the majors.

On opening day, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter told me this: “Here’s what the problem is: Money helps us win. We can’t win all the time. We’ve got to have some parity.”

Johnson is L.A.’s ultimate champion. As a player, he won with the Lakers. As an owner, he's won with the Dodgers, Sparks and LAFC.

So, after the soccer talk was done Tuesday, I asked Johnson what a Dodgers fan should think when the Dodgers chairman says the team can’t win all the time.

Johnson, who is one of Walter’s ownership partners, laughed.

“We want to win all the time,” Johnson said. “But, realistically, we can’t win all the time.”

Why not?

The Dodgers just went back-to-back, and everyone at the championship rally — including Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Dave Roberts, Andrew Friedman and even Walter himself — giddily talked about a threepeat. They run L.A. — and now Japan — and their star-studded team leads baseball in road attendance, generating money for the rival owners that complain about the Dodgers.

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers owner Mark Walter: 'We’ve got to have some parity'

“Nobody can win all the time,” Johnson said. “Mark made that comment, and I think he wants — everybody wants — the game to be great. It’s great when there is parity. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what you’re seeing in the NBA now. You want the same thing in Major League Baseball.

“Do I ever want to lose? No. But it’s great for the game that it can be even and everybody has a real fair chance of winning.”

In the NBA, which has the salary cap that major league owners covet as a supposed solution to competitive balance, the Oklahoma City Thunder are eight victories from winning back-to-back championships, just like the Dodgers did. The Sacramento Kings, the kind of small-market team a salary cap is intended to lift toward parity, have made the playoffs once in the past 20 seasons.

However baseball’s owners and players resolve their differences, the almost certain lockout in December is expected to be followed by a season-threatening stare down: Do the players give in on a salary cap rather than give up their salaries for part or all of the season?

Or do the owners surrender on the salary cap, well aware that a 2027 lockout could drive away fans on the eve of media rights negotiations in 2028? After the 1994-95 strike, the average attendance did not return to prestrike levels until 2006.

And how long might the unified front Walter and the other 29 owners are putting up now last, once games and the revenues that flow from them are lost?

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, one of the runners-up in the sale of the Padres, said at a Sportico conference last week that his group’s bid assumed the possibility of MLB not playing the 2027 season. In order for the NHL to secure a salary cap, its owners shut down the sport for an entire season.

Read more:Dodgers muster only two hits, drop series to MLB-leading Braves: 'We're struggling'

The Dodgers sold 4 million tickets last season. If parity would make it harder for the Dodgers to win, what would Johnson tell the team’s fans?

“We’re going to try to win all the time,” he said. “That’s what we are telling our fans. But, probably, things are going to change after this season, so we’ll see what those changes are.”

If the Dodgers do not threepeat, or even if they somehow fail to make the playoffs, no matter. The bargaining battle is on.

But the baseball gods surely had a laugh about this: On the eve of the first bargaining session, and for the first time in the Walter ownership era that started in 2012, the Dodgers lost a third consecutive game by at least five runs.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

After spending the weekend and going 1-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Colorado Rockies (16-25) will look to reset as they begin a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates (22-19).

They will, however, have their work cut out for them with a much-improved Pirates squad. Moreover, Colorado has lost five-straight in Pittsburgh dating back to their last win at PNC Park on May 3, 2024.

The Rockies have gone 8-14 on the road overall but are 6-4 over their last 10 road games dating back to April 16 at Houston. The are averaging 4.4 runs per game of that span while batting .256 (90-for-351) with nine home runs. Worth noting, Rockies pitchers have posted a 4.30 ERA (88.0 IP, 42 ER) over their last 10 road games, including a 4.38 ERA (51.1 IP, 25 ER) by the starting pitchers.

Starting for the Rockies is Michael Lorenzen. This will be his tenth start for the Rockies in 2026.

The righty has a 6.92 ERA in 39.0 IP. He’s struck out 26, walked 12, and given up seven home runs. Lorenzen has a 1.90 WHIP. 

He suffered his fourth loss of the season May 6 against the Mets at Coors Field, a 10-5 Rockies loss. During that outing, Lorenzen allowed seven runs on 11 hits with three walks and two strikeouts across five innings.

Taking the mound for the Pirates will be RHP and Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

Currently, he has an ERA of 2.35 in 40.2 IP. He’s struck out 47 while giving up seven walks and allowing four home runs with a 0.71 WHIP.

 He won a 1-0 decision after allowing just two hits (back-to-back singles from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nolan Arenado in the fourth inning) and striking out seven batters over 8.0 scoreless innings in his last start on May 6 at Arizona. Skenes became only the sixth Pirate (seventh instance) to pitch at least 8.0 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, two or fewer hits allowed and zero walks issued in a game during the Modern Era.

He has a 1.83 career ERA (73.2ip/15er) vs. the National League West.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 4:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site:Bucs Dugout

Lineups:

For the visiting Rockies:

And the home Pirates:

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Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 12, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Michael Lorenzen (2-4, 6.92 ERA) vs. Paul Skenes (5-2, 2.36 ERA)

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home with a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies at beautiful PNC Park.

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One of the old adages in Major League Baseball is that all teams win a third of their games, all teams lose a third of their games, and it’s that middle third that separates pretenders from the contenders. Well, let’s just say that on paper, this is one of the games that looks like a loss for Boston.

The Red Sox have Jovani Moran opening for Brayan Bello, they’re down both Roman Anthony and Willson Contreras in the lineup (although Contreras did avoid the IL today after getting hit in the hand with a pitch on Sunday), and Mickey Gasper batting second. They’re also facing Zack Wheeler, who has a 3.12 ERA and has been the second best starter all year for the Phillies.

But then again, the Red Sox were facing almost this exact same predicament last Tuesday when they were on the road in Detroit. They had Moran opening for Bello, were missing Roman Anthony from the lineup, and were facing the Tigers’ second best starter in Framber Valdez. But because baseball is baseball, they won that game going away 10-3.

Will something like that happen again tonight? And if it does, does Brayan Bello start to earn some trust tokens back in his quest to stay in the rotation? We’ll all find out together over the next few hours.

⚾️ First Pitch: 6:45pm — Fenway Park, Boston MA

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI

Zack Wheeler is brilliant in tight 2-1 win over Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

BOSTON – Zack Wheeler worked so quickly (and efficiently) Tuesday night you’d have thought he was double-parked out in Kenmore Square.

Wheeler led the Phillies to a tight 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. His recipe for success was simple: Get the ball, throw the ball, get back in the dugout.

Nineteen days before his 36^th birthday and just shy of eight months after he had surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, Wheeler pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He took a shutout into the seventh before the Red Sox nicked him for a run on three singles. Wheeler left the game with one out in the eighth and a runner on first base. Jose Alvarado survived some shaky work by his defense to get out of that inning with the tying run on third.

Jhoan Duran got the final three outs for the save. He recorded the final two outs with two men on base.

The win improved the Phillies to 11-3 under new manager Don Mattingly. Phillies starting pitchers have delivered nine quality starts in those 14 games.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott both hit balls over the wall for the Phillies. Schwarber homered (No. 17) for the fifth straight game, tying a team record, in the first inning and Stott clubbed a ground-rule double in the second inning for the Phillies’ second run.

The pitching did the rest. It had to because the Phillies’ bats produced just five hits.

Wheeler gave up six hits, all singles. He walked none, hit a batter and struck out four. His economy of pitches was exceptional. He threw eight or fewer pitches in four innings. He needed just 16 pitches to complete the first three innings and 59 to complete the first six. He faced one batter over the minimum over that span, thanks to two double plays.

Wheeler has won both of his career starts in Fenway Park. He’s given up just two runs in 14 1/3 innings in those games.

(More coming)

David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza provided Mets injury updates prior to Tuesday’s game against the Tigers…

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Good news on Lindor

Francisco Lindor is feeling better, and he’s shed the boot on his left foot as he continues recovering from a calf strain. 

Lindor is set to undergo a follow-up MRI within the next few days. 

From that point, Stearns said that the team will get opinions from their doctors so they can start mapping out what a return to play looks like.

“We won’t know until we see the results of the MRI,” he said. “We need to get it over the next 48 hours or so and once we get that, we’ll get our doctors to map out a plan.”

Stearns also said the team isn’t concerned that Lindor’s injury could impact his Achilles. 

The star shortstop has been on the IL since April 23.

Robert Jr. not progressing as planned

While both Stearns and Mendoza emphasized that A.J. Ewing’s call-up had nothing to do with Luis Robert Jr’s timeline, they didn’t have a positive update on the injured outfielder. 

Robert hasn't been progressing as hoped, and he continues to deal with discomfort in his lower back.

“He’s still showing some symptoms there,” Mendoza explained.

The team hasn’t gotten any indication that surgery could be required, but they are consulting with additional specialists. 

Robert received an injection upon landing on the IL two weeks ago, and the Mets said at the time that they didn’t expect him to miss much more than the minimum.

They do not have an update on his timeline, as of now. 

Polanco’s ankle still symptomatic 

The Mets will be without Jorge Polanco a bit longer as well, as he continues recovering from bursitis in his Achilles. 

Stearns said Polanco’s ankle continues to show signs, and they have to get it asymptomatic before he can work his way back into the lineup. 

“We have good days and then it flares up,” he said. “We need to get the ankle asymptomatic so we know he can go out on a daily basis, run the bases freely, and we’re not there yet.”

The team is currently following protocols put forward by specialists in that area, who have not recommended shutting Polanco down completely.

The veteran began the season but quickly developed the issue. 

He played just two games at 1B, then was in and out of the lineup as the DH before landing on the IL on April 18.

Polanco resumed baseball activities over the past few weeks, but hasn’t been able to take the next step in his recovery, with the issue continuing to flare up. 

Next step for A.J. Minter 

The left-hander doesn’t appear far off from resuming his rehab assignment after completing a successful bullpen session on Tuesday at Citi Field.

Minter is expected to toss at least one more bullpen later this week. 

He’ll then head to the minors to continue building up, but could be back up with the big league club before long. 

Stearns said a two-to-three-week timeline is about right. 

Minter, of course, wasn’t too far off from making his return to the Mets' bullpen before left hip discomfort caused him to pause his rehab last week.

He’d allowed just three runs (one earned) over eight appearances, at the time.  

The Athletics announced a bunch of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon in the lead up to their series with the Cardinals kicking off:

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/nEhWmxKOa5

— Athletics (@Athletics) May 12, 2026

That’s a lot of moves for one day. The biggest news is the promotion of Henry Bolte. One of the organization’s very top prospects, the former 2nd-round pick has absolutely demolished Triple-A pitching this season and will be rewarded with his first call up to the major leagues. With Denzel Clarke on the IL and Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler struggling, there is a clear and open path for Bolte to make an impression and make it so he never has to return to the minor leagues.

The other big news is the Wilson injury. After injuring his shoulder this weekend we saw the runner-up in last year’s AL ROTY voting in a sling so this placement isn’t exactly a surprise. It does sound as though it’s not a worst-case scenario for him as it’s to his non-throwing shoulder but the team will surely be cautious with their young infielder. There’s no set timetable for his return but it’s going to be at least a month before we see him suit up again. In the mean time expect to see plenty of Darell Hernaiz at shortstop for the Athletics.

The team is also bringing up infielder Michael Stefanic to help bolster the team’s depth on the dirt. The 30-year-old has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues with the Angels and Blue Jays. He joined the A’s on a minor league deal this offseason and he’s slashed .250/351/.355 with a pair of long balls and a trio of steals for the Aviators. He has some experience at shortstop but hasn’t played there this season, getting most of his playing time at second and third base. He’s a depth piece for Mark Kotsay at this point but the A’s need bodies with Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson out of action.

The A’s weren’t done there. To make room for Stefanic on the roster the team demoted third baseman Brett Harris. The shine has worn off Harris as he’s struggled in his limited opportunities in the big leagues. He only got four at bats this year for the A’s and didn’t record a hit in those chances. For now he’ll return to Las Vegas and continue to try working on his game and force the team to give him another chance later this year.

And finally wrapping up the roster moves today, the team needed to create 40-man roster space and reliever Eduarniel Nuñez was the casualty. The flame throwing right-hander came over in the Mason Miller trade with the Padres last year but struggled in his time with the Athletics. Those struggles have continued this year as he’s allowed 7 runs in just over 11 innings of work. The A’s made him a part of the return for Miller so it’d be disappointing to see the team move on after less than a calendar year. Hopefully the team can sneak him through waivers unclaimed and get him back into the Las Vegas bullpen, but we’ll just have to wait and see if another team is more interested.

There isn’t much for news today.

Jake Bloss pitched for the first time this year, after UCL surgery a year ago. He threw 2.1 innings, with four strikeouts. He allowed 2 hits, with no walks and no runs, pitching in the FCL. We could use him now, but it will be late June before he’ll be an option for the Blue Jays.

It looks like Max Scherzer would be the first of the injured pitchers, he had cortisone injections, one in his thumb yesterday, so he won’t be throwing for a few days. And Shane Bieber is to throw a bullpen session today. It will be June before he can help the Jays. José Berríos is meeting with a doctor about the changes in his latest MRI.

Rotowire says that the Jays are the second most injured team in the MLB, behind the Tigers.

The Jays have an off-day Thursday, so they won’t need a fifth starter until May 19th. I thought Spencer Miles did a great job, the other day, I’d lean to seeing if he can be stretched out beyond three innings.

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Today’s lineup against the lefty. Andrés Giménez gets the day off despite the two home runs yesterday. Giménez doesn’t hit lefties well and has been nursing an sore hamstring. I got an email saying Andrés had the best day at the plate of any MLB player yesterday.

Sooner or later some of the other guys are going to have to start hitting.

The biggest name in baseball right now is Shohei Ohtani, the two-way star for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But could the next big name in baseball be a three-way player?

Shotaro Morii is hoping to be that next big name, and the young prospect embarks on his journey tonight with the Athletics’ Single-A affiliate in Stockton. But what makes Morii different is the fact that he’ll be pitching, hitting, and playing the field for the Stockton Ports.

Morii signed with the Athletics in January of 2025, signing at age 18 for just over $1.5 million. That was the largest bonus ever for a Japanese amateur player outside of Nippon Professional Baseball.

The plan for Morii is to appear in three or four games each week as a hitter, either as the designated hitter or as Stockton’s second baseman. Then on Thursdays, Morii will take to the mound, starting with one inning of work and slowly building up to three innings per appearance.

In addition, the Ports plan for Morii to rest on Fridays, and throw bullpen sessions on Saturday.

“He is attempting to do something that is very difficult,” A’s farm director Ed Sprague said. “His offensive game is ahead of his pitching, but he has a great arm and is committed to doing both. I think he could have stayed at shortstop for a while if he just played on one side of the ball, but we both felt like second base would lessen the workload.”

Morii appeared in 43 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League last season, where he slashed .258/.399/.384 with three home runs. This year in four games in the ACL Morii slashed .308/.385/.742.

He also made one appearance as a pitcher in the ACL this year, facing four batters and striking out two while allowing just one hit.

Here’s Morii from last summer in the ACL, showing quick hands through the zone at the plate:

Here’s a base hit from Shotaro Morii last summer in the Arizona Complex League 🎥⬇️

At the plate, Morii shows solid barrel control, above-average bat speed and advanced plate discipline. https://t.co/951k8zYGH4pic.twitter.com/68iQ92We9Y

— Paul Beckman (@prospectsaz) February 7, 2026

“He has been hampered with some minor injuries to start his career, so we will take it slow as he progresses to pitching and playing a position in the pro game,” Sprague said. “We are excited to see him get out to an affiliate and get started.”

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

First of three at Fenway#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/L9SJjASvQ8

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 12, 2026

For the Red Sox:

Series opener starters. pic.twitter.com/cXDdIbldl8

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 12, 2026

Let’s talk about it.

Man proposes, and the baseball god disposes. While the Yankees seemed content to let former top prospect Anthony Volpe re-discover himself with Triple-A Scranton, an injury to incumbent shortstop José Caballero means that Volpe is heading back to the major-league roster. Cabby was sent back to New York for secondary screening on a finger on his right hand yesterday, and now one of the sparkplugs for this Yankee team will see time on the IL with a broken middle finger.

Caballero was on pace for a four-win season at the time of his injury, with a 105 wRC+, 13 stolen bases and a +2 FRV fielding value per Statcast. He also seems to be a bit of a pest to play against, already costing opposing pitchers multiple clock violations with his personal style of gamesmanship in the batter’s box. In totality José has been as valuable in 41 games than Volpe was in 153 games last season, and critically a notably better hitter.

For Volpe, he has an opportunity to re-establish himself as a key piece of the franchise, even if his .570 OPS while in Double and Triple-A this season leaves a lot to be desired. With the Yankees hitting a speed bump after a great first six weeks of the year, the pressure is on the still-25-year-old to hit the ground running and help stop this little skid his club is on. While I want Tony Fox to succeed as a fan of the team, nothing in his performance over the last 14 months makes me overly confident that the team is upgrading with the recall.

For those curious, top infield prospect George Lombard Jr. is only 6-for-30 with all singles since being promoted to Triple-A. If he had been scalding the ball, this might have been a more interesting decision, but the Yankees weren’t pushed, so they’re simply recalling Volpe.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
•Placed INF/OF José Caballero on the 10-day injured list with a right middle finger fracture.
•Recalled INF Anthony Volpe (#11) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 12, 2026

Texas Rangers lineup for May 12, 2026 against the Arizona Diamondbacks: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Zac Gallen for the D-Backs.

The Rangers play the D-Backs this evening. The Rangers will try to score at least one run in this game. It will be challenging, I know, but if we all think positive we can maybe will it into happening. Oh, and Joc Pederson is leading off.

The lineup:

Pederson — DH

Nimmo — RF

Seager — SS

Jung — 3B

Carter — CF

Duran — 2B

Osuna — LF

Burger — 1B

Higashioka — C

7:05 p.m. Central start time. The Rangers are -125 favorites.

Ahead of the Mets’ six-game homestand against the Tigers and Yankees, president of baseball operations David Stearns is speaking to the media. The biggest news over the past couple of days has been the team’s promotion of A.J. Ewing to the major league roster, as the 21-year-old is set to make his major league debut tonight. He’s batting eighth and playing center field.

The Mets, of course, have the worst record in baseball right now at 15-25 despite having one of the highest payrolls in the sport. Since their 12-game losing streak, they’ve gone 8-9, and with just 3.48 runs scored per game, they have the second-worst offense in the sport thus far. Stearns will undoubtedly be asked about the team’s struggles.

• Asked about the team’s decision to promote A.J. Ewing and the situation that the club is in right now, Stearns said, “We would not have made the decision if we did not feel that A.J. was ready to make the jump. So that’s first and foremost. The situation the big league club is in and the opportunity that’s here right now is certainly a part, but we would not have made the decision to promote A.J. if we didn’t think we was ready for the moment.
• Asked about what makes Ewing ready right now, Stearns said, “a combination of first and foremost performance. He’s a pretty well-rounded player right now.” And he highlighted Ewing’s maturity and ability to handle different situations throughout his time in the organization.
• Asked about the Mets’ under-performance a quarter of the way into the season, Stearns said that the Mets “haven’t been a good enough offensive team” and cited a combination of injuries and players who have been healthy but haven’t performed at their typical level.
• Asked about Ewing’s approach, Stearns mentioned that there aren’t a lot of holes in Ewing’s swing and highlighted his understanding of the strike zone and ability to drive the ball from gap to gap. He also highlighted his speed.
• Asked about Luis Robert Jr.’s lack of progress, Stearns said that “the back soreness has not resolved” and mentioned that the team is consulting with additional specialists. But he said the team has not gotten an indication that the injury could require surgery.
• Asked why he believes the team can make a run at the postseason, Stearns said that the team has a lot of talent on the roster and that there’s enough season left to make a run.
• Asked about rethinking the Mets’ approach to acquisitions given the team’s injuries, Stearns mentioned that the team has to look at risk assessment on injured players and said that the team knows it’s “taking a level of risk when [it] brings in players with a history of injuries.”
• Asked about Jorge Polanco, Stearns said that he needs to get asymptomatic with the bursitis in his ankle. He says that there are really good days, but then condition flares up. He mentioned that the team is following protocols recommended by physicians, which is why Polanco hasn’t been fully shut down.
• Asked about additional acquisitions or trades, Stearns said that the team is always looking to improve and mentioned this isn’t the best time of year for external trades.
• Asked about his defense of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, Stearns mentioned that the organization has collectively under-performed. He said that he won’t address Mendoza’s status as the team’s manager during his regular media availability and will let his past statement speak for itself.
• Asked about Francisco Lindor’s injury recovery, Stearns said that the start shortstop is scheduled for an MRI within the next 48 hours. He also answered a question about a potential Achilles issue by saying that it is not an Achillies issue.
• Asked about Sean Manaea’s struggles, Stearns said that the team is working to get him to the level he needs to be and mentioned that Manaea wants to get there.
• Asked about the bullpen, Stearns said he thinks it’s functional and that the pitchers in the bullpen and working well in their roles.
• Asked about what he’d do differently in building this team, Stearns said he wouldn’t do a postmortem on this team in May. He cited the track records of the players on the roster when talking about his belief that the team will improve.
• Asked about A.J. Minter, Stearns says there’s at least one more bullpen session scheduled for Minter before he gets back out on a rehab outing. He says the team needs time to get him back to being able to do back-to-back outings.
• Asked about his message to Mets fans, Stearns said, “We recognize that the first six weeks of this season haven’t been close to good enough, and we understand that. We’re disappointed in it. We also believe we have the talent on this team to turn this around, and our focus is doing everything we can every single day to get it there.”
• Asked about deciding to be sellers, Stearns said, “We’re not close to that point right now.”