Category: Baseball

Lovullo is an idiot.

“Why don’t the diamondbacks dfa lovulululu. He’s an idiot.”

Such a thoughtful phrase might have come from a nowadays philosopher. Something like Kant, but reflectioning on baseball instead of economics. But, no, it was Zekedos2 on mlbtraderumors.com, commenting on the article that Aramis García was DFAd by the Diamondbacks after reinstating Gabriel Moreno.

The Diamondbacks are gifted with a terrific bullpen, one of the best in the league. Their 19th ranked 0.3 fWAR does not do right to the potential, nor does their .263 BABIP. This bullpen is World Series level.

The 0.4 fWAR of the rotation is not a true reflection of how great the starting pitching actually is. Their 30th ranked position is a fluke. These starting pitchers are way better than you might think. The .311 BABIP says so.

The offence isn’t mediocre like their 3.5 fWAR might indicate. This is an elite hitting squad. We only need our first basemen to get back from their injuries to reach our full potential and hit our way to the play-offs.

Unbelievable that we got swept by the Cubs. This team is so much better than their 16-17 record indicates. What? We were 16-14 before getting our butt kicked in Wrigleyville? I laugh at your 16-14. The White Sox beat us. The Dodgers swept us. We lost a game against every NL East opponent. We should have been at 22-11 now, leading the league comfortably.

Unfortunately Zekedos2 hides his geniality behind a nick, but just like with Banksy, all geniuses will eventually get revealed.

Who is not a genius? Lovullo. Handed a terrific roster, Lovullo is a complete idiot.

Pirates are no idiots.

Jack Sparrow looked like an idiot and certainly behaved like one, but wasn’t a idiot, though the rum might disagree with that statement. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a bit like the Pirates of the Caribbean. After watching the second installment of the series, you have seen them all: the entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise becomes a drag. That’s how a Pittsburgh Pirates’ fan must feel: since 2017 the Pirates of the NL Central end 4 or 5 in each season, no matter how their season (movie went). Maybe this year is their best movie of the entire franchise since 2017, but the result is still the same: they are last in their division.

The crew, though, looks better than in previous seasons, because the directors actually tried to make work this off-season of putting some decent acting on the set.

• Padre Ryan O’Hearn signed a two-year $29MM contract as free agent.
• Slugger Marcell Ozuna joined the team on a one year $12MM contract.
• Reliever Gregory Soto signed for $7.75MM and one season.
• Brandon Lowe was acquired in a 3-team trade from the Tampa Bay Rays, with one year left on his contract.

Though Marcell Ozuna still has not found his groove yet in Steel City, the influx of hitting talent into that batting lineup has done the Pirates well. Last year the Pittsburgh offence was 28th in the league, according to their fWAR, with their 117 homeruns being the lowest total in the entire league, 31 less than division rival St. Louis Cardinals. Now? That same fWAR and WRC+ puts them in the top 10 of the MLB. Except for the catching (Henry Davis / Joey Bart) and designated hitter (Marcell Ozuna), the entire Pittsburgh lineup has a 100+ OPS+, with Brandon Lowe (141 OPS+), Bryan Reynolds (136 OPS+), Ryan O’Hearn (141 OPS+) and Oneil Cruz (126 OPS+) posing the biggest threads. Nick Gonzales and Konnor Griffin have been on a hot streak the past two weeks.

The Pittsburgh hitters are coming off an especially successful weekend bashing of the Reds: 27 runs in 3 games. That halted a 5-game losing streak, despite scoring 18 runs over those.

Pitching wise, their 5 saves are almost league lowest, leaving only the Angels and the Mets behind them. A team that scores many, does not need to save many. That is true, but closer Dennis Santana is not the trustworthy sailor he was last year, with way more walks and less strikeouts, when compared to 2025. The two blown saves are the proof of that, though the latest one, giving up 4 runs against Cardinals on April 27, was just the second time he gave up a run or more this season.

Their starting pitching is top of the league: xERA, xFIP, FIP and fWAR all puts the Pirates in the top 5 of the MLB. Obviously, ace Paul Skenes is a big reason for that, but the Pirates are also enjoying great starts from Brandon Ashcraft and Mitch Keller as well. Carmen Mlodzinski and Bubba Chandler round out a starting rotation with all ERAs below 5.00.

Last year the Diamondbacks lost their season series against Pirates (4-2), the year before was the other way around. Arizona has an all-time 104-77 record against Pittsburgh.

Matchups.

Game #1 Tue 05/05 6:40 PM MST, Eduardo Rodríguez (ARI) vs Bubba Chandler (PIT).

• Eduardo Rodríguez. 6 GS, 32.2 IP, 2 W-0 L, 3.03 ERA, 4.86 FIP, 1.41 WHIP, 22/16 K/BB.
• Bubba Chandler. 6 GS, 29.0 IP, 1 W-3 L, 4.97 ERA, 5.70 FIP, 1.48 WHIP, 27/20 K/BB.

If there is one matchup that provides the Diamondbacks the biggest chance to win a game in this series, it is the one on the first night.

It were 3 games of fun with E-Rod, until the WBC magic was over and E-Rod turned into E-Rotten again. Baltimore might have been a fluke, but the struggles continued against the White Sox and Brewers. With the Pirates, the Venezuelan certainly won’t face an easier lineup than those of recent weeks.

Bubba Chandler is the weakest link in the Pirates’ rotation at the moment, strugging heavily with his command. He has huge troubles getting the batters out and has been walking them at a 6.2 BB/9 rate. It’s a tough blow for one of the biggest Pirates prospects after a good start of his career last year. Especially left-handed batting has been feasting on his pitching, which sounds like a great opportunity for the Diamondbacks to win this first game.

Both starting pitchers have never faced their opponent for their (current) team.

Game #2 Wed 05/06 6:40 PM MST, Michael Soroka (ARI) vs Paul Skenes (PIT).

• Michael Soroka. 6 GS, 30.2 IP, 4 W-1 L, 4.70 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.44 WHIP, 36/9 K/BB.
• Paul Skenes. 7 GS, 34.0 IP, 4 W-2 L, 3.18 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 0.85 WHIP, 39/7 K/BB.

If Soroka wants to bounce back after a horrible performance against Milwaukee, he will have to return to his former best of the beginning of the season if he wishes to beat Paul Skenes.

Skenes was terrible in his opening day start, getting just two batters out against the Mets, giving up 5 runs. After that he looked pretty much like the ace he is until he encountered a bump in the road against St. Louis in his most recent pitching performance, where he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, though he struck out 9.

Last season Skenes pitched twice against the Diamondbacks and, obviously, won both matchups. 20 snakes have been killed by this Pirate in 18 innings of work. Ouch!

Game #3 Thu 05/07 12:40 PM MST, Zac Gallen (ARI) vs Mitch Keller (PIT).

• Zac Gallen. 7 GS, 32.1 IP, 1 W-2 L, 4.45 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 20/10 K/BB.
• Mitch Keller. 7 GS, 41.0 IP, 3 W-1 L, 2.85 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 31/12 K/BB.

After a tiny scare against the Padres, Zac Gallen returned to the mound against the Chicago Cubs and…well, he returned to the mound. Maybe he is able to regain a bit of his former himself against the Pirates. Gallen faced the Pirates twice last season and, like you might expect, he lost both games, giving up 10 runs over 11 innings.

2026 is Keller’s 8th season as a Pirate. He has a been a very reliable and durable pitcher for the Pirates since the 2022 season, a bit like Merrill Kelly, but with less spectacular results. However, this season he has been performing like an ace for the Pirates. BABIP says he will regress, most likely to the low 4.00 ERA pitching we are used of him, so why won’t we start with that regression to the mean this Thursday. Keller didn’t face the Diamondbacks last season and has 4 no-decisions in the 5 times he pitched against Arizona. The sole win was at Chase Field in 2022 and the other two times he took the ball in Arizona he completed 7 innings in both games, allowing 0 and 2 runs. We better be warned.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

One more on the road#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/TbcZDAtb8k

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 4, 2026

For the Marlins:

Episode IV:

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: https://t.co/pMAEOPHNJ8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 6:40 PM ET
🏟️: Roof status: CLOSED#FightinFish // https://t.co/ZrOdIbYDTIpic.twitter.com/1vBHxBN5M3

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) May 4, 2026

Let’s talk about it.

This is certainly not the worst-case scenario. Yet, it's a reality that Tarik Skubal – and the Detroit Tigers – always had to be prepared to accept.

Skubal and the Tigers entered into an uneasy limbo this season, Skubal knowing he'd be just six months from a payday approaching $500 million by not entertaining long-term extension talks – and the Tigers potentially left holding the bag if they didn't trade him.

So, when the club announced Monday, May 4 that Skubal will be undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, both parties could do little but grimace at the ramifications.

Both sides assumed risk, and each will take a hit. Skubal's recovery will determine how big that will be.

For the Tigers? This significantly dents their chances in this all-in year, the last season they'll employ the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner before he plays the rich and desperate against each other this winter and wins Major League Baseball's equivalent of Powerball.

For Skubal? Well, this is not Tommy John surgery heading into a walk year, nor a concerning shoulder or rotator cuff malady and certainly not something career-threatening such as certain strains of thoracic outlet syndrome.

Yet, he will be sidelined into the second half, his dreams of a third consecutive Cy Young Award dashed. He will take into his walk year not a major league-leading strikeout total but rather a concerning number like 15 or 17 in the "Games Started" column.

Not exactly what suitors want to see when doling out the largest contract in history to a free agent starting pitcher.

Suddenly, Skubal and the Tigers will have to imagine life without him on the mound until, say, Aug. 1. That would leave him roughly 10 to 12 starts down the stretch to both reestablish his market – and push the Tigers back into the playoffs.

That latter part has been more complicated than Detroit imagined.

The Tigers are 18-17, in large part because they've lost 14 of 20 away from Comerica Park, and also because they've lost a fair amount of pitching to the IL already. From All-Star Casey Mize to serviceable Reese Olson to ancient Justin Verlander, the infirmary is bursting with starters already.

That said, almost any team can conjure an injury sob story. Despite the startling contributions from rookie Kevin McGonigle – on his way to Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star nod with his .315 average and .884 OPS – the Tigers have played unevenly thus far.

And find themselves in a surprisingly thick AL Central race.

All five teams are within three games of each other – even the 15-20 Minnesota Twins, who are aiming to contest a 162-game season minus a bullpen. Nearing the end of the first quarter, it's a division where separation seems elusive.

In that vein, the Tigers should consider themselves fortunate that owner Christopher Illitch loosened the purse strings and OK'd a $115 million investment in Framber Valdez, who has been his typically steady self, aveaging nearly six innings a start with a 3.35 ERA.

Nope, not Skubal numbers. But enough to keep Detroit afloat.

And as Skubal joins Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene and Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz on the recovery road from surgery to remove loose bodies, that's as good as Detroit can hope for right now. Nor can they rely on significant help from within (the top starters in their minor league system are at least a year away) or the trade market (not when roughly 25 teams are loosely contending in this year of parity).

So it's Framber and Jack, and Tarik, please hurry back.

Mize should eventually rejoin the fray, though adductor strains can be testy. Keider Montero will have to continue throwing the ball well, though his track record suggests he be additive value from a sixth starter role than a guy you're relying on.

And who are we kidding? None of them are Skubal, who in his first seven starts saw dips in his strikeouts per nine innings (from 11.1 to 9.3) and adjusted ERA (187 to 161). It's likely his elbow's been barking for a minute, before it became publicly known after he left his most recent start.

And now it's surgery, rehab, build back up, get back on the mound - and see exactly where the Tigers are in the standings. Shoot, if the bottom falls out, Skubal himself could be on the trade market, though dealing for him by the Aug. 3 deadline may purely be a buyer beware situation if he hasn't returned yet.

What a bummer, for all involved.

Skubal and the Tigers both knew this was a potential outcome. You also can't fault them for going all-in, in their own ways.

Now, a pitcher's pot of gold and a city's championship hopes must be put on hold, dampening what was to be a glorious summer in the D.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does Tarik Skubal surgery mean? Pitcher's Detroit Tigers future

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The Detroit Tigers will be without ace Tarik Skubal for the foreseeable future, as the two-time AL Cy Young award winner is set to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow.

Before the injury designation, the left-hander was the presumptive favorite to win a third straight American League Cy Young.

With Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet already on the shelf, Skubal's lengthy absence sends the AL Cy Young odds into chaos.

Latest AL Cy Young odds following Skubal injury

Odds from FanDuel, one of our best betting sites, as of 5-4.

What Skubal's injury means to Cy Young race

With Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal likely on the shelf for the next couple of months, the AL Cy Young race is suddenly wide open and very interesting. Tigers fans may not find much solace in that, though.

New York Yankees duo Cam Schlittler and Max Fried have immediately leapt to the front of the line at +250 and +350, respectively. Schlittler has been borderline untouchable in his first full MLB season, going 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and 31.4% strikeout rate compared to a 3.8% walk rate. The 25-year-old has earned his status as the favorite, perhaps even had Skubal not been sidelined.

Fried has been quite effective, though in a much different way, with a 2.39 ERA and a 21.4% strikeout rate, relying more on inducing soft contact than blowing hitters away.

Outside the Bronx, Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jose Soriano and Toronto Blue Jays newcomer Dylan Cease are both shorter than +1000 and have seen their odds improve significantly with Skubal going under the knife.

Fourteen pitchers are drawing odds shorter than 50/1, showing how crowded the field is with Skubal and Garrett Crochet hurt, and someone like Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (+6000) struggling.

AL Cy Young pick to make now

Pick: Dylan Cease (+500 at FanDuel)

I don't love the landscape right now. Schlittler is probably a good option, but he's also at least somewhat unproven as a sophomore starter, and +220 is too short relative to the risk involved.

Similarly, Fried's tendency to pitch to contact will inflate his numbers at some point.

You may lean more toward Soriano at slightly longer odds, but he's vastly outpitching his career norms and his peripherals. I fear regression is coming for him.

So, I'm settling on Cease. He pitches for a team that should be in the mix for a playoff spot with World Series odds of +2500, has more strikeouts than any other pitcher in MLB since 2021, has consistently logged a ton of innings, and is finally pitching in front of a top-tier defense that will help keep his ERA down. I'd like the line to be a bit higher, but none of the long shots inspire much confidence at the moment.

What this means for Skubal

Only a few short months ago, Skubal won his arbitration case against the Tigers to earn a record $32-million salary in 2026. He hasn't agreed to an extension and is slated to hit free agency at season's end. 

A third straight Cy Young award would have resulted in an unfathomably huge contract, and while he will almost certainly get paid an absurd amount of money to the layman, this injury puts the ceiling of a potential deal in at least some doubt.

Whether that means a short-term pillow deal with opt-out clauses and a high annual salary or a deep-pocketed (*cough* Dodgers *cough*) team saying "screw it" and giving him the deal he desired in the first place, remains to be seen. That it's not Tommy John surgery should at least curb some concern, especially if he finishes strong and healthy down the stretch.

One other wrinkle is what happens if the Tigers fall out of the race? At 18-17, Detroit is tied for the AL Central lead, but is also only three games ahead of the last-place Minnesota Twins. Skubal, injured or not, would definitely be the most sought-after player at the trade deadline if he were to become available.

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With a spring storm approaching Denver, the Rockies have moved their series-opening game against the Mets up three hours to 3:40 p.m. today. The weather could throw a curveball for the entire three-game series with rain, thunderstorms and/or snow forecasted for Tuesday through Thursday.

With warmer temperatures reaching the 70s by early afternoon, thunderstorms and hail are possible later Monday. The Rockies and Mets could be in a race against the weather.

🌦️ An afternoon cold front will bring a few showers and rumbles of thunder, higher coverage north of Denver. Low severe/hail risk. Early high near 70° before the front.

🌧️ Cold with a rain/snow mix tomorrow, with steadier snow after dark tomorrow and Wednesday morning.#COwxpic.twitter.com/bfBY1Pc0MH

— Chris Bianchi (@BianchiWeather) May 4, 2026

A winter storm watch alert has been issued beginning on Tuesday at 8 p.m. It is calling for three to nine inches of snow in some parts of the Denver Metro area.

🎲Probability of Winter Storm Impacts❄️

Graphic shows probability of at least minor winter storm impacts. Nearly certain across mountains, Front Range Foothills, and I-25 Corridor. Full probabilistic impact dataset at https://t.co/FHqnq2RUCF#COwxpic.twitter.com/tIDYdL1SlQ

— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 4, 2026

The Rockies (14-21) are coming off being swept by the Braves and are still looking their first win of the homestand. It could come against the MLB-worst Mets (12-22), who Colorado swept in New York in April.

It would be a good day to not have a traditional, high-scoring, long Coors Field game. If the forecasts are correct, then Colorado is sending the right man to the mound. Tomoyuki Sugano is 3-1 in six starts this season with a 2.84 ERA in 31.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and nine walks. Sugano has surrendered only one run in 11 innings in his last two starts, recording wins over the Padres and Reds.

In order to try to shake things up and help a rotation that’s struggled thus far this season, the Mets will be deploying RHP Huascar Brazobán as an opener today. In 14 appearances in relief, Brazobán is 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and three walks.

LHP David Peterson is expected to eat up the middle innings for the Mets. Peterson (0-4, 6.53 ERA) started the season in the bullpen and was so ineffective that he was moved to the bullpen. He’s made five starts in seven appearances. He returned to the rotation on April 29, but was hit hard by the Nationals, who put up seven runs on five hits with three walks (and five strikeouts) before being pulled after 3.2 innings.

May the 4th be with you to all who celebrate!

First Pitch: 3:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

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

SBN Site:Amazon’ Avenue

Lineups:

Starting IX. #LGMpic.twitter.com/Tw0jtElLRR

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 4, 2026

A rare 3:40 pm first pitch to hopefully avoid the cold front. pic.twitter.com/XWXr7NJZra

— Purple Row (@PurpleRow) May 4, 2026

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Mets lineup

Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – SS
MJ Melendez – RF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Brett Baty – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – CF
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Luis Torrens – C

SP: Huascar Brazobán – RHP

Rockies lineup

Mickey Moniak – LF
Tyler Freeman – DH
TJ Rumfield – 1B
Hunter Goodman – C
Willi Castro – 2B
Jordan Beck – RF
Kyle Karros – 3B
Ezequiel Tovar – SS
Brenton Doyle – CF

SP: Tomoyuki Sugano – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 5:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Astros have recalled OF Zach Cole and designated OF Daniel Johnson for assignment.

The club has reinstated OF Zach Dezenzo from the Injured List and optioned him to Triple A Sugar Land.

Cole, 25, was a 2022 10th round pick by the Astros who burst on the scene last year after a swing adjustment.

Cole began last season at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he batted .267 with a .363 OBP and an .868 OPS in 307 AB. He smashed 14 HR and 19 doubles, with 6 triples and 15 stolen bases before being promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Cole continued to excel with the Space Cowboys, batting .353 with a .459 OBP and 1.204 OPS over 15 games with 5 HR and 16 RBI. That performance earned him a call up to Houston.

With the Astros last season, Cole hit .255 with a .327 OBP and an .880 OPS, hitting 4 HR and 2 doubles in 47 AB. His strong showing late in the season last year had him in line to compete for a starting job with the Astros this season, one in which he clearly had an inside track.

However a poor spring training landed him in Triple-A to start the season, and a broken toe suffered on a hit-by-pitch 3 days onto the season kept him out of the lineup for a month.

Since returning to the Space Cowboys 4/23, Cole is 5×20 with a homer, double, triple, 5 walks, 4 runs and 3 RBI.

Rick Leach turns 69 today.

In 1979, the Tigers picked him 13th overall. Leach reached the majors in the 1981 strike season, hitting .193/.320/.289 in 83 at-bats, mainly pinch-hitting with some first and right field. He played three seasons for Detroit without much success at the plate before his release.

After leaving Detroit, the Blue Jays signed him before the 1984 season. He spent five seasons with the Jays, playing DH, first base, right field, left field, and occasionally center field. He even pitched an inning in 1984, though it went poorly: two walks, two hits, a home run. He hit fairly well. In 1986, he posted a .308/.335/.435 line; in 1987, .282/.371/.405. Still, he lacked the power and speed expected of a corner outfielder, but as a fourth outfielder, he was solid.

His time in Toronto had challenges as well. In 1986, Leach tested positive for a recreational drug, resulting in a 60-day suspension and mandatory treatment.

In 5 years with the Jays, Rick hit .283/.34/.391 with 8 home runs and 95 RBI in 763 at-bats. After Toronto, Leach played a season with the Giants and Rangers before leaving baseball at 33. He was a likable, fan-favourite fourth outfielder, but with Bell, Barfield and Moseby in the outfield, he had no chance at a full-time role. Still, he was a useful lefty off the bench.

He was a favourite of mine partly because, back in the day, I played Statis Pro Baseball and Strat-O-Matic Baseball. Rick had good numbers in 1986 and 1987, which gave him a valuable card in those games.

Leach was also a solid college football quarterback and was a fifth-round Broncos pick in 1979.

Wishing Rick a happy 69th birthday.

Also having birthdays:

• Miguel Cairo turns 52. Signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent, he played 17 MLB seasons. His debut was with the Jays, who acquired him and Bill Risley for Edwin Hurtado and Paul Menhart. After 9 games (.222/.300/.296), he was traded to the Cubs for Jason Stevenson, who never made the majors. Cairo played 1,490 MLB games, hitting .264/.314/.361 with a 7.7 bWAR.

• Max Castillo turns 27. An international free agent signed by the Jays in 2015, he pitched in 9 games (2 starts) for them in 2022. In August, he and Samad Taylor were traded to the Royals for Whit Merrifield. He pitched 12 games for the Royals in 2022 and 2023 and is now in the Phillies farm system.

• Butch Alberts turns 76. He played 6 games for the Jays in 1978, hitting .278/.278/.333. Butch and Pat Kelly were traded to the Angels for Ron Fairly in 1977.

Tarik Skubal, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner, will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, the Detroit Tigers announced May 4. No timetable for his return has been set, but a two-to-three-month recovery is typical for this type of procedure. That would potentially have the 29-year-old ace out of the rotation until sometime in July or August.  

What are loose bodies? About the Tarik Skubal injury

Loose bodies are fragments of bone, cartilage or both that have broken off and float freely inside a joint. In a pitcher’s elbow, they are typically caused by the extreme stress of throwing. The violent snapping motion of releasing a pitch, repeated thousands of times over a career, causes bone and cartilage to chip away. It usually comes from the back of the elbow. Those fragments can move around the joint, causing locking, catching, pain and loss of range of motion.  

It’s not an uncommon injury for pitchers. Skubal himself has had significant elbow problems before, including Tommy John surgery in 2017 and flexor tendon surgery in 2022. This procedure is generally considered less serious than either of those.  

How serious is Tarik Skubal's upcoming surgery?

Arthroscopic surgery is minimally invasive. Surgeons insert a small camera and instruments into the joint through tiny incisions to locate and remove the fragments. Recovery varies widely by each pitcher. Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both had loose body surgery this spring within days of each other. Schwellenbach was placed on the 60-day IL and still had not thrown two months later. Waldrep was throwing bullpen sessions within weeks. Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz had the surgery in April and is expected to miss about four months.  

Skubal’s situation will be clearer once he consults with doctors and schedules the procedure.  

Bottom line: Tarik Skubal injury will cost Tigers ace time in contract year

There were warning signs. In his last start, Skubal shook his left arm mid-inning, grabbed his forearm and called catcher Dillon Dingler to the mound. He stayed in and finished seven innings and told reporters on May 3 he felt fine going through his between-starts routine. Later that day, however, Skubal told manager A.J. Hinch something had flared up. He underwent imaging where the loose bodies were identified.   

It’s obviously a blow for the Tigers, but also one for Skubal. He is in the final year of his contract and expected to command one of the largest pitching deals in baseball history this offseason. The injury adds uncertainty to that picture heading into what should have been a showcase season.  

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarik Skubal's elbow surgery explained: what are loose bodies?

When the Mets unveiled their lineup for Monday's matchup with the Colorado Rockies, there was a new name at the top of the order: Juan Soto. 

For just the third time in his major league career, and the first time since the 2021 season, Soto finds himself batting leadoff, which manager Carlos Mendoza explained he'd been considering, especially with the injury to Francisco Lindor.

"It’s something that I’ve been thinking about the past few days, given a lot of the players on our injury list. Just got to a point of watching how other teams deploy their bullpen, not so much affecting Juan, but the guys behind him, and it’s forcing us to make decisions a lot earlier in games," Mendoza said. "We’re gonna get a guy who is gonna get on base, having Bo (Bichette) behind him. But I think it makes my decision a lot easier when you get the buy-in from the player. I didn’t bring it up to him until yesterday, but I was thinking about it for a few days. I was giving the team a chance to see how it was going to play out. 

"But when I brought it up to him yesterday, it was an easy yes. It was ‘I’ll do whatever the team needs,’ kind of like my conversation with him when we talked about the left field situation in the offseason, or the times that I hit him in the three hole or back to the two hole, it was an easy yes."

According to Mendoza, having Bichette hit behind Soto, instead of the other way around, makes it more difficult for teams to pitch around the slugger.

"If they bring a lefty, they know they’re going to have to face Bo behind him.," said the skipper.

The one potential downside to moving Soto up is that it could take away RBI opportunities, but Mendoza said that he's "also trying to create traffic" to lead to more runs as well. 

Mendoza was also asked how long he plans to stick with Soto in the leadoff spot, and the answer seems to be open-ended. 

For now, it's a wait-and-see situation. 

"It’s hard to tell. Personnel matters," Mendoza said. "I’m not putting a number of days, games. I’m just going to let it play out and see how it goes."

Soto is hitting .314 with a .915 OPS this season, belting three homers with eight RBI and eight runs scored.

The San Francisco Giants were still licking their wounds after the pasting the New York Yankees gave them opening week and it seemed as though their division rival the San Diego Padres would extend the misery. Instead, the Giants took 2 out of 3 and left San Diego with the same 2-4 record as the Padres. But, from this point, the two teams diverged.

The Padres exploded for an 18-7 record in April while the Giants went 11-15. The surprise was less that the Giants underperformed and more that the Padres were great. As I mentioned in the last preview:

It’s expected to be a down year for the Padres, right? The team’s finances are such that AJ Preller couldn’t make a big splash in free agency and years of huge trades has emptied their farm system. They scored just 7 runs in their opening series against the Tiges, tied for third with the Rockies and just behind the Diamondbacks, putting all four non-Dodger NL West teams in the bottom 5 of the sport in terms of runs scored. By wRC+, San Diego’s 66 puts them just outside that bottom 5 at 6th place. Sustainable for all these NL West teams? Probably not. 

San Diego sold at a valuation of $3.9 billion not long after the series and that seemed to gas them up to competing with the Dodgers for the top of the NL West. Except there’s been one cute little storyline accompanying all that winning:

Fernando Tatis Jr. has not hit a home run this season.

He’s slashing .261/.333/.311 in 139 PA (32 G) with just 4 doubles and a triple. He is 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts and he’s playing his normally great defense in right field, but why has the power disappeared? Has he caught the Matt Chapman Virus? Not according to Statcast, which puts him in the 99th percentile of Hard Hit rate. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan, “While he has been hitting rockets, he hasn’t been producing contact that’s conducive to slugging, recording the lowest pull and fly-ball rates of his career.“ He warns, ”At some point, though, the dam is going to break.“ Could that be at Oracle Park, where he’s enjoyed a .908 OPS thanks to 10 home runs, and 9 doubles in 178 career plate appearances?

While the Padres and their fans hold their breaths, Giants fans will be holding theirs to see if the team’s #1 hitting prospect, Bryce Eldridge, can finally hit his first major league home run. At the end of Spring Training during the exhibition schedule, those willing to attend a game that didn’t count got a look at Eldridge’s opposite field power in Oracle:

Bryce Eldridge blasts a three-run homer 💥 pic.twitter.com/FtkfBuyO0v

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 24, 2026

He’s been called up along with Jesus Rodriguez to give the Giants a season-saving shot of talent. In a 10-game, 37-PA cup of jav at the end of last year, he was 3-for-28 with a pair of doubles. He’s been striking out in 30% of his plate appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, though, and those seem likelier to stick than the .900+ OPS he’s also sporting. Still, who will homer first this season: Fernando Tatis Jr. or Bryce Eldridge?

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Series overview

Who: San Diego Padres (20-13) vs. San Francisco Giants (13-21)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:45pm PT, Wednesday at 12:45pm PT
National broadcasts: None.

Projected starters
Monday: Randy Vasquez (RHP 3-0, 2.94 ERA) vs. Trevor McDonald (RHP season debut)
Tuesday: Walker Buehler (RHP 1-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. TBD
Wednesday: Matt Waldron (RHP 0-1, 9.88 ERA) vs. TBD

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Players to watch

Padres (besides Fernando Tatis Jr.)

Randy Vasquez: Is the 27-year old good and breaking out or has he just had a few good starts here in the early season? Last year, he posted a 3.84 ERA in 133.2 IP (26 starts) but with a 4.85 FIP and just a 5.3 K/9. Through his first 6 starts here in 2026, he’s at 2.94 in 33.2 IP (3.45 FIP) and a 9.1 K/9. His game log looks like this:

• Start 1: 6 IP 0 ER 3 BB 8 K
• Start 2: 6 IP 1 ER 1 BB 3 K
• Start 3: 5.2 IP 1 ER 0 BB 8 K
• Start 4: 4 IP 4 ER 4 BB 6K
• Start 5: 7 IP 0 ER 0 BB 5 K
• Start 6: 5 IP 5 ER 3 BB 4 K

He’s allowed just 1 run on the road — okay, admittedly, just 2 starts on the road, but they were in Boston (Start 2) and Colorado (Start 5).

Still, his Statcast page is unremarkable, bordering on poor. It’s when you look at the raw stuff that you see the upside: a 95 mph fastball (has both a four-seamer and sinker) and wicked spin on his cutter, curveball, slider, and sweeper. He also throws a changeup. The Giants lineup has a tough assignment ahead of them, as is often the case.

Miguel Andujar: Along with Xander Bogaerts (138 wRC+) and Manny Machado (112), Andujar (161) has really helped the Padres hit their way to victory over the past month or so. He has just a 2.9% walk rate against a 15.7% strikeout rate, but an impressive .209 Isolated Slugging percentage. His .389 batting average on balls in play suggests this is all pretty unsustainable, and maybe the Giants will pitch him into a cold streak, but for now, this utility guy is hitting the ball hard (41.5 Hard Hit%) and he’s doing it by pulling the ball in the air at an elite rate (23.1%).

Mason Miller: He’s not a “lights out” closer, he’s a soul devouring one. On top of all the strikeouts (32 in 16.1 IP), he’s got a 65.2% groundball rate. If he gets the ball at the end of the game, and you haven’t already done so, give the Giants the L.

Giants (besides Bryce Eldridge)

Matt Chapman: Is he, like Willy Adames, the ghost of the player we once knew? Did Chapman and Adames fall down an elevator shaft at the team hotel and what we’re seeing on the field now is merely their ghosts? What’s happened to Chappy? What’s happened to Willy? Their career-threatening slumps are getting a little silly.

Trevor McDonald: The only named starter for this series as of publication, it will be exciting to see if he can pickup where he left off at the end of last season as sort of the “hey, why didn’t the Giants stick him in the rotation sooner?” guy. He’ll be going against a strong lineup who might not be all that impressed with 93-94 and a big ol’ curveball.

Who will close: It couldn’t possibly be Ryan Walker at this point, which means Caleb Kilian, Erik Miller, and Keaton Winn are on closer watch.

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Tony Vitello watch

You know, Hunter Wendlestedt’s jab at Director of Pitching Frank Anderson was a really sudden reminder that the top step of the dugout crew for the Giants is not respected around the league. Makes sense. That’s got to be earned. At the same time, the disrespect is compounded by all the losing. I don’t know if these Giants have any resiliency, but when Tony Vitello’s answer in the post-game presser goes like this:

“It all kind of got pretty hot pretty quick,” Vitello said. “I was trying to figure out, can we take a look at it and what can be done from there. I kind of blacked out, to be honest with you amongst all the extra riffraff after something about ‘rah-rah’ and ‘pom-poms,’ which I assume was something to do with either college or my behavior in the dugout.

I become concerned about focus and priorities. What’s coming across is that Vitello & co. are overwhelmed right now, likely in over their heads, and they’re (especially Vitello) lurching from feeling to feeling. The abject failure of the roster has to be making this all seem surreal or nightmarish, so I have some sympathy, but at this point, I think I only know Vitello by his visceral reaction to events or situations and not really anything about his philosophy on baseball or the players under his management. Am I going to learn any of that in this three game series? Probably not, but I’ll be on the lookout.

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Prediction

The Giants won’t get swept, but it might feel like they did. Unless they win the series, in which case we’ll all be a little crabby about how they didn’t get a badly needed sweep.

What had been a fantastic week for the Yankees became somber this Monday, as the news of John Sterling’s passing broke this morning. The radio broadcaster was the voice of the team for decades, retiring during the 2024 season but sticking around for their postseason run to the World Series. His iconic custom calls for every Yankee player who hit a home run were an endearing part of his legacy, and he’ll be sorely missed.

The season must go on, and the Yankees now have yet another reason to go and win it all. After a week that saw them win series against the Rangers and Orioles (with a chance to sweep a four-game set against the latter tonight), they made news by sending down shortstop Anthony Volpe at the end of his rehab assignment. Did the Yankees make the right call in keeping Caballero as their shortstop for now? Will we see Volpe return to the team before the first half concludes? Can George Lombard Jr. push his way into the picture? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of May 7th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Tarik Skubal will miss Monday’s start against the Red Sox — and then some.

The Tigers ace will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, manager A.J. Hinch revealed ahead of the first game of the series in Detroit.

Skubal’s time away could look to be at least two months, though there is no official timetable yet.

Skubal’s last start was a possible indication that something was off with the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

He shook his left arm and rubbed his left elbow during an outing against the Braves last Wednesday. Hinch, assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades and catcher Dillon Dingler visited the mound but Skubal stayed in the game after throwing a practice pitch.

The 29-year-old felt a “funny feeling on the outside of his arm,” Hinch said after Wednesday’s game.

He went on to strike out the side and finish the night with two runs allowed, both earned, and seven strikeouts across seven innings.

Before he was scratched from Monday’s start, Skubal didn’t seem worried about his health, saying “I’m all right.”

This season, two-time All-Star holds a 2.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts across seven starts.

After winning back-to-back American League Cy Youngs, Skubal was highly expected to be in the running again in 2026 — as well as be a potential trade chip after a record $32 million arbitration victory in the offseason.

Before the injury, the baseline was a new deal for Skubal was seen as $400 million, per The Post’s Jon Heyman.