Category: Baseball

Brusdar Graterol’s year-and-a-half-long injury saga took another disappointing turn Sunday.

The Dodgers reliever underwent surgery for a recent back injury he suffered while on a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to The California Post after Graterol posted about the operation on Instagram.

It leaves Graterol facing another long-term recovery process, putting his chances of returning this season in jeopardy, sources said.

“I fell again, but I won’t stay down here,” Graterol wrote on Instagram. “I will rise. My goal isn’t over — it’s just beginning.”

At the start of May, Graterol went out on a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City, trying to return from a shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of last year and the start of this one.

After his fourth outing on May 12, however, he was pulled off the assignment as his back “flared up” on him, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced at the time.

Graterol was transferred to the 60-day injured list a week later.

General manager Brandon Gomes said then that surgery was an option for the 27-year-old right-hander, but that the club wanted “to exhaust all options” first. 

“He’s worked really hard [to try and come back],” Gomes said.

Now, he’ll have to start all over again.

While Graterol’s exact timeline wasn’t immediately clear, sources indicated it’s likely he will require a months-long recovery process.

Roberts had hinted at a prolonged absence for the flamethrower earlier this month, saying that “it’s gonna be a slow program for a while for him, unfortunately.”

Graterol, who has a 2.78 career ERA over six MLB seasons, last pitched in the majors during the 2024 postseason, as part of a bullpen that carried the Dodgers to the first of their current back-to-back World Series championships.

After that, he underwent surgery on his labrum in November, initially ruling him out for the first half of the 2025 season. When his shoulder didn’t recover as quickly as hoped, he ended up missing all of the Dodgers’ title-defense campaign on the injured list.

Graterol was slow-played again this spring, after struggling to regain his upper-90s mph velocity in a throwing program during camp. He opened the season back on the IL but said at the end of spring training that he was confident in making his return this year.

He seemed on track for that up until his May 12 outing, when his fastball velocity dipped back under 95 mph amid his back issue.

Now, suddenly he’s essentially back to square one all over again. Facing another surgical recovery. Another elongated rehab. And, quite possibly, another season spent entirely on the shelf.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Having 43 minutes to sit in the dugout between pitches is not ideal, but Will Warren surely did not mind, given the reason for the long wait.

The fact that it came at Sutter Health Park, where there is no access to the clubhouse or any facilities underneath from the dugouts, made it all the more unique.

But the Yankees right-hander just had to get creative as he watched his offense explode for a 13-run top of the third inning Sunday afternoon, then got back to business on the way to a 13-8 win.

Warren, who made his way out to the bullpen during the offensive onslaught to throw some pitches and stay loose after the A’s second pitching change, put up an important zero in the bottom of the third to keep a 13-3 lead intact.

He then went on to toss six strong innings in which he only gave up three runs, all of them unearned and all of them coming in the bottom of the first.

“We had the big lead, and I don’t know if I was exactly myself,” Warren said of a bottom of the third in which he gave up a pair of singles but stranded both runners. “I think I could have stepped on their throat when we wanted to. Coming back in the dugout [after the bottom of the third], [manager Aaron Boone] and I had that talk. I went back out there and finished the game strong, so that was nice to see.”

Warren had been throwing weighted balls in the small dugout early on during the Yankees’ wild inning, in which they sent 18 batters to the plate.

But as each passing teammate got on base, Warren began to realize he may need to do more to keep moving.

“I heard him kind of asking and maybe freaking out about how he was going to stay warm,” Anthony Volpe said with a smile.

So during the A’s second pitching change, Warren jogged out to the bullpen and threw about seven pitches, then ran to the mound from there to start the bottom of the third in a bizarre scene.

“Will did a good job of settling in, dealing with that long third inning,” Boone said. “When do you see a starting pitcher go down to the bullpen? I mean, it got that long. Good job by him of locking in and giving us six strong innings there.”

The only runs that Warren gave up came after Trent Grisham dropped a fly ball to shallow center field that initially got lost in the sun with two outs.

But he ultimately did not let that, or the long third inning, affect him as he lowered his ERA to 3.22 through 12 starts.

“A lot of time sitting there, and I just wanted to make sure I was sharp to go back out there after the boys put up 13,” Warren said. “Holding them to three with this offense is always going to be a good day.”

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With a lefty on the mound and his former team across the way, Max Schuemann got a rare start Sunday afternoon and made the most of it again.

The former A’s utilityman started at second base for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and went 1-for-3 with a walk, two-run double and two runs in the Yankees’ 13-8 win.

“He provided a good spark,” Boone said. “I knew he’d give us good at-bats, and he did. So good to get him in there and have him play a meaningful role.”

Schuemann has drawn seven walks in 24 plate appearances this season, batting .294 with a .971 OPS in limited action since being called up last month.

Taking advantage of Amed Rosario being on the paternity list, Schuemann was right in the thick of the Yankees’ 13-run third inning, drawing a seven-pitch walk against lefty Jacob Lopez after Anthony Volpe led off with a single.

In his second at-bat of the inning — still with no outs, this time against righty Michael Kelly — Schuemann drilled a two-strike double over the third baseman’s head to put the Yankees up 10-3.

“[Schuemann] has done a good job, he really has,” Boone said. “His versatility, obviously it’s been a lot of defensive replacements or pinch-running situations. The at-bats he’s given has been excellent. … That’s something we noticed in spring. We feel like he can put together a good at-bat.”

Jen Pawol, the New Jersey native, former Hofstra softball player and first female umpire in Major League Baseball, was behind the plate calling balls and strikes Sunday.

“I think she did great, especially when we win,” Aaron Judge said with a grin. “I think she did great. I had her in spring training, I think once or twice, I don’t know if it was last year or this year. She’s on top of it. She’s locked in back there. A couple times, I asked her about a couple pitches, if they were down or if that’s the bottom, and she was right there locked in.”

Pawol, a full-time Triple-A umpire who was called up for the weekend series, made her MLB debut last summer.

The Yankees thought they should have been out of the first inning Sunday when Tyler Soderstrom grounded a potential double play ball to second base with one out.

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But the 6-foot-5 Nick Kurtz, running to second, trailed off toward the third base side and got in Anthony Volpe’s way of throwing to first to finish it off.

Boone argued on the field that Kurtz should have been called for interference, but the umpires disagreed.

“The rule is that it has to be intentional,” Volpe said. “I didn’t really understand it. They understood it was just a weird play, but I think by the letter of the law, they couldn’t really do anything.”

Ryan Weathers and the Yankees were gifted a free strike in the fourth inning Saturday on a pitch that was out of the zone.

Soderstrom challenged it, but there was a glitch in the automated ball-strike system, as it froze on the scoreboard and never showed whether the pitch was a ball or a strike.

Home plate umpire Adam Beck eventually announced that his initial call of a strike was upheld despite the zone on MLB.com appearing to show it as a ball.

“My understanding was that we got one,” Boone said Sunday morning with a chuckle.

Francisco Alvarez appears to be making a speedy recovery from surgery to repair a torn right meniscus he suffered May 12.

Alvarez has resumed baseball activities and Carlos Mendoza said following Sunday’s 10-1 win over Miami at Citi Field that the catcher is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

The Mets have survived without Alvarez thanks to the presence of Luis Torrens, who had another solid game Sunday — helping get Nolan McLean through five solid innings despite a career-high five walks, and David Peterson through four scoreless frames — as well as providing a key two-run single.

But Torrens also had an injury scare, as the catcher was hit by a pitch on his left hand during a sixth-inning at-bat.

Torrens stayed in the game — and scored later in the inning on Juan Soto’s grand slam.

Still, the Mets are clearly better off with Alvarez as an option in the lineup — whether behind the plate or at DH.

Torrens, though, has again proven his value as more than just a capable backup.

Jorge Polanco could have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday as the infielder recovers from the wrist contusion and Achilles bursitis that have sidelined him since April 15.

But even when the veteran infielder returns to the Mets — potentially on the upcoming road trip in San Diego — he won’t see much time at first base, according to Mendoza.

The manager said he didn’t expect Polanco to need his glove initially when he gets back.

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“I’m not anticipating a guy who’s gonna play a lot in the field,” Mendoza said.

He also used words like “manage” and “monitor” when it came to Polanco’s usage, which will include off days, time at DH and off the bench.

“Let’s get to that point,” Mendoza noted.

Polanco has played just 14 games for the Mets since signing a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason.

Peterson has pitched better out of the bullpen than as a starter all season and that trend continued Sunday, as the lefty didn’t allow a run in his four innings in relief of McLean.

As a reliever this year, Peterson has allowed just five earned runs in 24 innings (1.88 ERA) compared to a 7.56 ERA over 33 ¹/₃ innings in his seven starts.

“I was given the ball and I try to do my role and help the team win,’’ said Peterson, who was yanked from the rotation again and replaced by fellow lefty Sean Manaea, who has pitched better recently and seen an uptick in velocity.

Marcus Semien reached base four times for a second time this year.

He homered, walked twice and singled.

Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott entered the game against the Phillies in the eighth inning Saturday with a 3-1 lead. As he stood on the mound at Dodger Stadium, that lead slipped until Edmundo Sosa belted a two-run homer to give his team the lead.

The Phillies walked away with a 4-3 win over the Dodgers, and Scott recorded the loss. But the nightmare was just starting for the Scott family.

Tanner’s wife, Maddie Scott, took to Instagram to expose the ghouls who are flooding her inbox and comment section with death threats toward their family, including the couple’s newborn.

“When did it stop being a game?” Maddie wrote on her Instagram Story in response to a message from a user who said “gun shot your family tonight.”

“I don’t speak out often. Ever actually,” she said. “I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”

Maddie posted another Instagram Story captioned, “The unfortunate reality Incase you were curious,” with a screenshot of six comments posted in a three-minute span from the same user, hawk.3112090.

The user’s hateful comments were directed toward Tanner and his newborn child.

“Hope this mutt d i e s soon,” one of the user’s comments read on a photo of the Scotts’ child. Another said “I hope you get home to your family lying in puddles of their own blood.”

“Hope it’s a still b i r t h,” the user wrote under one of the couple’s photos.

The faceless accounts behind the horrid messages and comments have become more common in the rise of internet trolling — deepening safety concerns for professional athletes and their families.

Maddie gave fans a glimpse of what it is like to be the wife of a high-profile athlete, but the battles behind closed doors of a new mother dealing with threats toward their child are impossible to measure on a social media post.

Francisco Alvarez is set to start his rehab assignment this week, Carlos Mendoza said Sunday after the Mets' 10-1 win over the Miami Marlins.

"As of right now, the plan is for him to play Tuesday in Syracuse," Mendoza said, referencing New York's Triple-A affiliate.

Syracuse is set to host the Yankees' Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.

The Mets placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with a right meniscus tear May 13. He last played May 12 in New York's 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Alvarez has been catching bullpens, blocking, running and throwing.

"Just two weeks removed from surgery, it's pretty amazing to see," Mendoza said before Friday's game.

Alvarez underwent surgery May 14.

"Alvarez, I mean, this guy is unbelievable," Mendoza said last Monday. "He's already hitting, he's already doing catching. We were talking about eight weeks. I'm not sure about that now. This guy is built different. ... There's a lot of positive from him, too."

Through 37 games this season, Alvarez is slashing .241/.317/.393 with four home runs and 10 RBI.

May is in its final hours, and the Colorado Rockies ended on a high note after scuffling hard for most of the month. After going 14-18 to start the season, they went 8-20 in May, but did finish by winning the series against the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the series (and month) ended with a thud as they were outscored 19-6.

That said, it wasn’t all bad.

• TJ Rumfield hit four home runs and continues to be an NL Rookie of the Year candidate
• Jake McCarthy hit three homers of his own — including back-to-back games against the New York Mets — and is now hitting .301/.330/.494
• Ezequiel Tovar has started to get out of his slump, including a two-homer performance on Friday night (that included the Rockies’ first walk-off win of 2026)
• Brett Sullivan had as many hits (3) as pitching appearances (3) in May. While the hitting struggled, the three pitching appearances he made were scoreless and saved the bullpen against Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also became the first non-Ohtani pitcher to homer this year, and nearly became the first pitcher in the history of MLB to homer twice in the same inning.
• Antonio Senzatela continues to shine and is making a case to be a valuable trade candidate and/or an All-Star
• Tomoyuki Sugano remains the Rockies’ most consistent starter, especially among a rotation that’s been decimated by injuries
• Jaden Hill has been one of the Rockies’ most under-the-radar relievers, often falling behind only Senzatela in a number of statistical categories

So here’s the question for tonight: Who are your Rockies player(s) for the month of May? Let us know!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Yankees ended May on a high note with Sunday's 13-8 win at the Athletics. New York (36-23) is a game and a half behind the 36-20 Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, winning six of its past seven game as it gets Monday off and returns to Yankee Stadium for this week's six-game homestand.

"Anytime you win five out of six on the road, it's a really good trip," Aaron Boone said, referencing the combination of the Yankees' three-game sweep at the Kansas City Royals earlier this week and New York's 2-1 series in West Sacramento, Calif, against the A's (28-31). "So, you take that. I feel like, for the most part, we played well. Today was one of those crazy games that I don't know what it was, but it was a win. So, obviously, a good way to go back cross country into an off day."

The Yankees' 13-run third inning created a 13-3 lead before the A's hung around with a four-run seventh and one-run eighth. New York ultimately enters this week's three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians, which starts with Cam Schlitter set to start Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. opener, on the upswing after a 16-12 month.

"Lot of positives," said Aaron Judge, whose 1-for-4 afternoon featured the RBI single in the third inning that gave the Yankees their first lead of the game as they piled on the 13-run frame. "You can take a lot of positives from the first two months here. ... It kind of starts with our pitching staff, especially the starting rotation, getting a lot of key guys back. It kind of is the main part of our team."

Judge enters June slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI through 59 games, but those around him in the Yankees' order have made a difference.

"A lot of people kind of banged on us about bringing the same guys back," Judge said. "But you bring back Cody Bellinger -- he's been so efficient for us, just probably one of the best players in the game right now. And then Ben Rice, the emergence of him -- I know he had a great year last year, but he just continues to make strides."

Rice, who brought in four runs Sunday, is tied with Judge for the team lead in homers while slashing .306/.397/.658 with 44 RBI through 54 games. Bellinger, meanwhile, is slashing .271/.378/.476 with eight long balls and 38 RBI through 58 games of his second season in pinstripes.

"There's a couple things you need to clean up -- maybe a couple things defensively or couple times where, like I said, our offense isn't clicking the way it should be," Judge said. "But I like where we're at. I love this team. A lot of guys are ready to go out there and compete, and all the guys competing for a job -- so, when you do that, good things happen."

Juan Soto isn’t known for his glove, but even he knows excellent defense when he sees it.

And these days, it’s happening right alongside him, as A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge continue to make highlight-reel plays.

“They’re great,” Soto said. “They call each other psychopaths. It’s crazy how hard they go into the wall and run around the field. It’s incredible. It’s really fun to watch.”

Ewing did it again in Sunday’s 10-1 win over the Marlins, robbing Connor Norby of a run-scoring extra-base hit with two on and no one out in the fourth, when Ewing raced back to make a leaping grab, crashing hard into the wall in the process.

It might be expected that Ewing might have been a little wobbly after the play, but the rookie insisted he was fine — and is now more inclined to go hard after shots like that at Citi Field.

“I feel great,’’ Ewing said of the possible aftereffects of the play. “The wall has a good amount of give. I think I could run into that thing at 30 mph and be all right. I won’t try it, but I like the odds.”

The Mets loved Ewing’s athleticism as he rocketed up their minor league system and they were confident he’d be able to handle the rigors of jumping to the majors so soon in his professional career because of his attitude and grittiness.

His fellow rookie, Benge, has similar attributes and nearly made a diving catch in right-center Sunday.

Their fearlessness was noted by Soto, who said he treats the pair as peers rather than taking a teacher/pupil role.

“I don’t try to be a mentor,” Soto said. “I try to be one of them. They are a part of this. It’s the first time for them being in the big leagues.”

Though Ewing and Benge likely will never approach Soto’s standards at the plate, they can still have a significant impact.

Benge followed a three-hit performance Saturday by getting on base twice — including a leadoff homer — Sunday.

The first-inning blast, his fourth of the year, was also the lefty-swinging Benge’s first against a left-handed pitcher.

Ewing has faltered of late offensively, with no extra-base hits in his last dozen games and 17 strikeouts in that span — including three Sunday — but he also walked and scored a run.

Plus, there’s the defense.

“It’s a game-changer,’’ Carlos Mendoza said. “Part of the reason the pitching staff is having this success is they’re making the plays in the outfield.”

Marcus Semien has a unique viewpoint of what Ewing and Benge are doing defensively.

“A lot of those balls are hit over my head [at second base] and feel like doubles and triples and they run them down,” Semien said. “Their talent is through the roof. Experience is how they get better.”

And after Ewing’s acrobatic play Sunday left him unharmed, he insisted he’ll do it again.

“Having gone into the wall like that and being OK, I’m even more confident about doing it,” Ewing said. “I’m definitely not gonna be afraid of it.”

I can finally say something that I’ve rarely been able to say this season. A Cardinals pitcher got past the 5th inning without dealing with a train wreck. The truth is Matthew Liberatore was as sharp as he’s been all year. That fact combined with the St. Louis Cardinals bats waking up resulted in a series-winning victory Sunday night at Busch Stadium with the ultimate “mang” Albert Pujols in the TV broadcast booth.

The Cardinals welcomed Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jordan Wicks to Busch Stadium by cracking 3 consecutive hits in the top of the 1st inning by JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker. Walker’s single drove in Wetherholt giving the Cardinals a quick 1-0 lead. After Nelson Velázquez grounded into a fielder’s choice, Alec Burleson hit a infield popup that landed just behind the pitcher’s mound, Herrera scored from third giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

For once, the St. Louis offense would not go on pause as they rallied for 3 more in the bottom of the third inning. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera singled to start the inning. After Jordan Walker struck out and Nelson Velázquez lined out, Alec Burleson hit a clutch single to left scoring JJ. Then, Masyn Winn singled right up the middle giving the Cardinals 2 more runs making it 5-0 St. Louis.

Matthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals exactly the type of start they needed. He was taken out after he got Pete Crow-Armstrong out to start the 6th inning by manager Oli Marmol. His stat line for the night was 5 1/3 innings giving up no runs and allowing only 3 hits while striking out 4 and walking only 1. New callup Hunter Dobbins was brought in to keep the Cubs faces in the dirt. Unfortunately, the first batter he faced, Alex Bregman, hit a home run into the left field bullpen getting Chicago on the board making it 5-1 Cardinals. He settled down after that and struck out Suzuki and got Ian Happ to ground out to close out the 6th.

Both the Cubs and Cardinals would threaten to score in the 7th inning, but neither team could get it done. In the top of the 7th, Michael Busch hit a one-out single before Michael Conforto doubled to left, but Busch was only able to take third on the play. Hunter Dobbins would get out of the jam by coming back from a 3-0 count to strike out the mega-struggling Dansby Swanson and then getting Nico Hoerner to ground out to end the Cubs 7th. St. Louis would be equally unable to turn a rally into runs after JJ Wetherholt walked (OBP for the win) and then stole 2nd base and advanced to 3rd base on a wild pitch. Ivan Herrera would also walk, but Jordan Walker sadly hit a ball to Alex Bregman at third who quickly turned that into a double play ending the Cardinals hopes of adding to their lead.

Hunter Dobbins did a good job keeping the Cubs under tabs not just through the 8th inning, but the 9th also. His only wart was the Alex Bregman home run, but he struck out 4 and didn’t walk anybody. Solo home runs every now and then are much easier to tolerate than an abundance of walks especially in a game you’re leading, so well done, Mr. Dobbins. Congratulations getting your first career save, too.

The St. Louis Cardinals return to Busch Stadium Monday night as the Texas Rangers come to town. Let’s make sure they see all of our 2011 pennants as their bus arrives. Is David Freese available for valet service I wonder? Michael McGreevy will start for the Cardinals while Jacob deGrom will give it a go for the Rangers. It’ll be nice to see Skip Schumaker again, if nothing else. First pitch is set for 6:45pm central time with the broadcast available on Cardinals.tv.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost to Indianapolis (Pirates), 8-1.

Matthew Boyd started this game on a rehab assignment and it went well. Much better than his final line would indicate. Boyd pitched 4+ innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits. Two of those runs came after he allowed two singles to start the fifth inning, after which Boyd exited after reaching his 60 pitch limit. Both of those runs came around to score. Boyd struck out two and walked one.

Here’s the Statcast breakdown of Boyd’s afternoon.

Iowa only managed four hits. Right fielder Brett Bateman doubled home shortstop Ben Cowles in the eighth inning for the only Iowa run. Bateman was 1 for 3 with a walk and Cowles was 1 for 4.

Bateman came just short of a home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies clouded the vision of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 4-2. The win moved the Smokies to within a half game of first-place Chattanooga in the Southern League North Division.

Brooks Caple turned in another good start, going five innings and allowing just one run on four hits. Most impressively, Caple struck out seven and walked just one.

The win went to Jace Beck, who pitched the next two innings and did not allow a run or a hit. Beck did walk one while striking out three.

Vince Reilly gave up a leadoff home run in the eighth to the first batter he faced, but threw the final two innings and got the save. The final line on Reilly was one run on one hit and three walks over two innings. Reilly also struck out three.

Knoxville didn’t even have a hit in this game until the sixth inning, but they scored one run in the sixth and three more in the eighth to get the win. Third baseman Jefferson Rojas had an RBI single in the sixth and another one in the eighth. He was 2 for 4 and also scored once.

Left fielder Carter Trice and first baseman Edgar Alvarez had back-to-back RBI singles in the eighth. They were both 1 for 4.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs cracked the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 7-5. The win moves South Bend’s record on the year to 30-17 with a 4.5 game lead over second-place Wisconsin.

Will Sanders started this game on a rehab assignment as he tries to work his way back to Iowa. Sanders pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three runs, all in the first inning, but only one of the three runs was earned. Sanders gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Nazier Mulé threw three middle innings, didn’t allow a run and got the win. Mulé gave up one hit. He walked two and hit one while striking out five.

Ethan Bell came on to pitch the ninth in a non-save situation with South Bend leading 7-3. But he couldn’t find the plate—giving up a single and four walks—and exited the game after giving up two runs and leaving with the bases loaded and two outs. So Kenton Egbert relieved Bell and got a one-pitch save by inducing a fielder’s choice on a grounder to short.

Right fielder Miguel Useche hit a solo home run in the fourth inning for South Bend’s first run. Useche was a triple shy of the cycle, going 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He drove in three runs and scored twice.

Catcher Justin Stransky was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run batted in.

Shortstop Ty Southisene was 2 for 4 with a walk and one run scored.

Useche’s fourth home run on the year.

RBI single for Useche.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans got their wings clipped by the Wilson Warbirds (Brewers), 10-1.

Pierce Coppola started and took the loss, although he pitched better than the guys who came after him. Coppola allowed one run on one hit over three innings, but he did have control issues as he walked five and had a wild pitch. Coppola struck out four.

The Pelicans managed just four hits. Right fielder Eli Lovich was 1 for 4 with a double. Second baseman Alexis Hernandez went 0 for 2 with two walks and he scored the one run.

The one run scored after Lovich’s double sent Hernandez to third and he scored on a groundout.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Unfortunately you can’t spread runs around.

Goal differential or aggregate scoring doesn’t decide a series in baseball. If it did, the Giants 19-6 pile on against the Colorado Rockies would’ve secured them a sweep with some runs to spare.

Alas, what’s done is done. This ain’t religion: the sins of Friday and Saturday can’t be erased with the mea culpas and genuflects of Sunday — no matter how many Hail Mary doubles a team hits. 

The Giants did hit a lot of those. Nine in fact by six different hitters. Rafael Devers collected three, Bryce Eldridge peppered two off the wall in center and left, and recent call-up, Jonah Cox, bagged a two-bagger for his first Major League hit in his first Major League at-bat — off a position player, but who cares?  

San Francisco’s 19 runs and 25 hits on the day were the most single game total for any MLB team so far this season. 13 of those knocks went for extra base hits, eclipsing the year’s previous high of 10 (hit by the Yankees earlier this week). Every Giants player who logged an at-bat earned a hit in this game, and 10 of the 11 knocked in a run. As a team, they went 10-for-22 with runners in scoring position. Five hitters collected three or more hits. Bryce Eldridge finished a triple shy of the cycle, his four hits shot his average up from .192 to .241. Jung Hoo Lee claimed his first five-hit night of his career (including two in one inning), giving him 13 total hits over his first three games back from the IL. He’s now batting .304 with a .774 OPS.  

Good for him and for him and for him and for him and for him… but after the week this team just put us through, you’re allowed to feel jaded about this one. This team has made us grouches and curmudgeons and skeptics of us all, and the timing of this Coorsy slugfest just feels a little bit in poor taste. At times it felt like watching a self-indulgent experimental art film with a three-and-a-half hour runtime. It begged the question: Who is this for really? Nothing like a blow-out to pad the individual stats, skew the season averages, and store away some hits for a rainy day.  

This team has had a lot of these types of games: Sunday steamers that are all hoo-rah and exclamation points that make us forget the cruel chill of the coming Monday. Offensive surges that are all sound and fury, but signify nothing. 19 runs at Coors Field — yeah, got to be another blip, right?

Right. The only thing that might refute that is time,  if we can look back on this outlier as the game the team re-discovered their legs and took their first step up the basement stairs and out of the cellar.

If we were being our most optimistic selves, what would those signs of life be? Perhaps this game will serve as a major boost for Bryce Eldridge in his early career. He had been putting together some great at-bats, making solid contact, but his slash line didn’t have much to show for it. That changed today. Results started to come. He led off the 2nd with a double on the eighth pitch of the AB from starter Tanner Gordon. He twice laid off 2-strikes change-ups below the zone, and twice fought off fastballs, before drilling another offspeed pitch to the wall in deep center. He’d work the count full again in the 4th and backspin a sinker to the opposite field corner. The only time he chased out of the zone was after a 3-1 sinker above the belt that swatted 453 feet to dead center.   

As a whole, the order responded well to a rather embarrassing two-error, two-run flub by starter Robbie Ray in the 4th that whittled San Francisco’s lead to just one run at the time. A one run lead in Denver essentially means you’re behind, and Ray had taken all of San Francisco’s momentum and airmailed it over first base into right field. It was the kind of mistake that had ruined San Francisco — and much better teams — before. Instead, four pitches into their next-ups, a pair of doubles from Lee and Matt Chapman had taken back one of those runs. Six consecutive Giants reached base with two outs later in the 5th, scoring six more runs thanks to Willy Adames’s grand slam. They didn’t stop there either, but continued to add on in each of the remaining frames because there’s no such thing as “overkill” in the Mile-High city.

Encouraging things happened that might lead to other encouraging things as the Giants make their way down the mountain and back to the land of reality…but don’t hold your breath. This offense likes to get hot and then go real cold real fast. Maybe it becomes more consistent and dynamic with more reliable contributions from Eldridge and Lee. Sure! And also, the offense isn’t really what worries me. It’s the pitching, and Robby Ray, that worries me.

I know it’s never fair to judge the arms in a rout, especially in Colorado — but Ray did not look sharp from the get-go. He needed 96 pitches to record 12 outs. Rockies bats just wrung him out like a dish towel just as they did to Adrian Houser yesterday. They put him in the stretch and had him stressed about runners in scoring position in every frame. They stole three bases behind him, and easily too. He did well to manage the threat, allowing one earned run on a sac fly while striking out 6, but 10 three ball count and 8 full counts, including two 10+ pitch plate-appearances, took their toll. Willi Castro’s 11-pitch battle with two on and two outs in the 4th nearly killed him. 

An inside sinker shattered Castro’s bat and produced a comebacker, but by that point, Ray was so gassed that he couldn’t bend down far enough to field the ball. He eventually recovered the baseball after it glanced off his glove, but in his haste to make the play, the throw sailed over Devers’ head. Two runs scored. Ray did hold the Rockies hitless in  8 at-bats with RISP, yet they still scored 3 runs thanks to a wild pitch set up a sacrifice fly and that disastrous throwing error. 

Even after the 7-run cushion provided by the offense, Ray couldn’t come out to pitch the 5th and put himself in line for a win. His four innings of work was the shortest outing of the year so far, and his fourth consecutive start in which came up short of five complete.

His recent inability to go deep into games tasks an inexperienced and weak relief corps with covering a lot of innings that no one feels comfortable with them covering. Tristan Beck took the hill in the 6th and with an 11-3 lead struggled to attack the zone. He needed 26 pitches to get through the inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. The lack of sharpness in the middle-late innings wasn’t consequential today, but we’ve certainly seen it become a problem in the not-so-distant past.

Colorado isn’t real. 19-run games aren’t real. Problems with the rotation and bullpen are real. Milwaukee is real, and that’s where the Giants are going next.

After a quick three-game road trip to visit the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers are back home to host the San Francisco Giants for four games beginning Monday night. The Brewers had a strong month of May, going 19-7 with just one series loss (a 1-2 series against the Dodgers over Memorial Day weekend). At 35-21 on the year, they’ll have at least a four-game lead in the NL Central heading into June (depending on tonight’s result between St. Louis and Chicago).

The Giants, on the other hand, went 10-18 in May, losing five straight and nine of 11 before picking up a big 19-6 win over the Rockies on the final day of the month. They sit at 23-36 on the season and in fourth place in the NL West.

Brandon Woodruff is the closest Brewer to returning from injury, with speculation he may start one of the final two games of this series as Milwaukee has TBD listed for both games as of now. Other injured pitchers include Angel Zerpa (out for the season), Logan Henderson (mid-June return), Jared Koenig (early June), and Quinn Priester (TBD). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the only injured position player, as he’s out until mid- to late June with a knee injury that’s kept him out for most of May.

The Giants are without pitchers Rowan Wick (out for season), Randy Rodríguez (late 2026 or 2027), Hayden Birdsong (out for season), José Buttó (late 2026 or 2027), Tyler Mahle (June), Reiver Sanmartin (June), and Jason Foley (June). Outfielders Harrison Bader, Jared Oliva, and Heliot Ramos are also out, with all three slated for June returns.

Jake Bauers leads the Brewer offense with nine homers, 10 doubles, 33 RBIs, and 30 runs scored across 49 games this season. Brice Turang is in the midst of a cold spell, though he’s still hitting .263/.391/.438 with seven homers this season. William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Andrew Vaughn are the other key contributors offensively, with Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo providing supporting roles. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .242/.328/.359 (.687 OPS ranks 25th), with 40 homers (last), 268 runs (11th), and 60 steals (second).

Casey Schmitt leads San Francisco’s offense with 12 homers and 12 doubles, slashing .294/.332/.548 across 51 games. Former Brewer Willy Adames has eight homers, while Rafael Devers has seven. With Bader and Ramos out, the next best players for the Giants are Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman (who hasn’t been all that good this year), and Luis Arraez (who continues to hit a reliable .300+, at .321 this season). Fellow former Brewer Eric Haase and Daniel Susac split catching duties, with Bryce Eldridge, Drew Gilbert, Victor Bericoto, Jonah Cox, and super utilityman Jesus Rodriguez rounding out the squad. As a team, the Giants are hitting .254/.301/.404 (.705 OPS ranks 14th), with 53 homers (tied for 23rd), 232 runs (25th), and 15 steals (last).

The Milwaukee bullpen is led by league wins leader Aaron Ashby (a perfect 9-0), Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill. Grant Anderson and DL Hall have also played key roles, with Shane Drohan (who will start the first game of this series), Chad Patrick (who has worked as both a starter and reliever), Rob Zastryzny, and Jake Woodford rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.17 team ERA (third), including a 3.11 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.25 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 542 batters (fifth) over 499 1/3 innings.

Matt Gage leads the San Francisco bullpen with 28 appearances and a 1.96 ERA this season, while Keaton Winn (2.45 ERA) and JT Brubaker (2.70 ERA) have also played key roles. Ryan Borucki, Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian, Tristan Beck, Joel Peguero, and Sam Hentges round things out for the Giants. Of note: they don’t really have a defined closer, as five players have at least one save this season, and no players have more than three. As a staff, the Giants have a 4.33 team ERA (20th), including a 4.77 starter ERA (28th) and a 3.69 bullpen ERA (12th). They’ve struck out 468 batters (25th) over 521 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Monday, June 1 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.63 ERA, 2.37 FIP) vs. RHP Landen Roupp (5-5, 3.30 ERA, 2.65 FIP)

Drohan, 27, has gradually turned into a key piece of Milwaukee’s bullpen this season. After making the start in his MLB debut back in April, each of his last 10 appearances have come in relief, picking up a pair of wins and a save. For the season, he has a 2.63 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 28 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. Expect Drohan to go somewhere between three and five-ish innings in this one (he’s maxed out at 71 pitches this season, though he has no more than 42 pitches since the start of May). This is Drohan’s first career appearance against San Francisco.

Roupp, 27, is in his third major league season, all with San Francisco. A former 12th-round pick, Roupp got out to a great start this year, pitching to a 2.55 ERA over his first six starts. In May, however, Roupp went 0-4 with 14 runs allowed (12 earned) across 24 2/3 innings (4.38 ERA) as the Giants lost all five games. Those bring his season stats to an average-looking 3.30 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and 68 strikeouts over 60 innings. In four career appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee, Roupp is 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings.

Tuesday, June 2 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (6-1, 1.57 ERA, 2.44 FIP) vs. RHP Trevor McDonald (2-2, 4.34 ERA, 3.24 FIP)

Harrison, 24, has quickly turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball with Milwaukee. A former third-round pick by these Giants back in 2020, he spent the first 2.5 years of his career in San Francisco, totaling 39 appearances (35 starts) with a 4.48 ERA, 4.56 FIP, and 178 strikeouts over 182 2/3 innings. Since being acquired by Milwaukee this offseason, he’s made 10 starts with a sterling 1.57 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 61 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings. He’s earned the win in each of his last three outings, allowing no runs since May 9. He went six scoreless against the Cardinals last week, allowing four hits and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. This marks Harrison’s first career appearance against his former team.

McDonald, 25, is a former 11th-round pick who has spent parts of three seasons with the Giants. He’s made five starts this season, with a 4.34 ERA, 3.24 FIP, and 27 strikeouts across 29 innings. He’s lost each of his last two outings, totaling 10 innings against the White Sox and Diamondbacks, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits, three walks, three hit batters, and a pair of wild pitches. This marks McDonald’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Wednesday, June 3 @ 6:40 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Logan Webb (2-4, 4.82 ERA, 3.52 FIP)

The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for either of these last two games, but I’ll venture a guess that they feature some combination of a returning Brandon Woodruff and a trio of young pitchers in Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Coleman Crow, especially given that Crow got this slot in the last go-round and Sproat’s turn through the rotation would be Thursday’s game. With that in mind, I’ll just quickly list out their season stats and career stats against the Giants.

Woodruff: 2-1, 3.60 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 25 Ks over 30 IP in 2026; 1-0, 2.00 ERA, 21 Ks over 18 IP against SF

Patrick: 2-2, 2.60 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 33 Ks over 45 IP in 2026; 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 7 Ks over 5 1/3 IP against SF

Sproat: 1-4, 6.24 ERA, 5.55 FIP, 52 Ks over 49 IP in 2026; no career appearances against SF

Crow: 0-0, 3.14 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 8 Ks over 14 1/3 IP in 2026; no career appearances against SF

Webb, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last four seasons (he’s finished 11th, second, sixth, and fourth in Cy Young voting in that time period), has struggled to begin 2026. Still just 29, he’s now in his eighth MLB season. He has a 4.82 ERA, 3.52 FIP, and 47 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings. San Francisco has lost each of his last four games, though he’s only been truly “bad” in one of those games. During that period, he’s totaled 22 1/3 innings, allowing 11 runs on 24 hits, seven walks, and three hit batters while striking out 20 against the Dodgers, Phillies, Padres, and Rockies. Webb has dominated the Brewers across seven career starts, with a 4-0 record, 2.08 ERA, and 50 strikeouts across 43 1/3 innings, including a pair of wins last year.

Thursday, June 4 @ 1:10 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Adrian Houser (2-5, 5.59 ERA, 5.18 FIP)

See above for the Brewers’ potential starter in this one.

Houser, 33, is in his 10th MLB season and first with San Francisco after agreeing to a two-year, $22 million contract in the offseason. The former longtime Brewer (he played parts of seven seasons with Milwaukee between 2015 and 2023) hasn’t had much success in San Francisco this year, with a 5.59 ERA, 5.18 FIP, and 35 strikeouts across 56 1/3 innings in 11 starts. He got hit hard in his last outing against Colorado, allowing four runs on eight hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out four across 3 2/3 innings on 92 pitches. Houser has never faced the Brewers entering this series.

How to Watch & Listen

Monday, June 1: Brewers TV & nationally on FS1; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, June 2: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, June 3: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, June 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers had a great month of May, and I think they’ll keep things rolling to start the month of June. Give me Milwaukee to win three of four.

Once again, the White Sox proved persistent, resilient and … just plain … good, knocking off Detroit, 2-1, sweeping the series and creeping to within a game of first place in the AL Central.

We’re all old enough to remember that most national writers tabbed the White Sox for last place once again in the division, generously allowing that the club would avoid a fourth straight 100-loss season. Meanwhile, Detroit was a near-consensus pick to run away with the division. Some prognosticators, certainly not someone as bright as your current recapper, saw the Tigers as the top team in the American League and a possible pennant-winner.

That is a distant memory now, all of two months ago, as Detroit’s loss today buries them further in the cellar of both the ALC and the American League at large; the Bengals in fact are tied with the Colorado Rockies for worst in the majors.

The White Sox, meanwhile, keep chugging along, five games better than .500 for the first time since 2022. With a White Sox win at Minny tomorrow, idle Cleveland can merely nibble its nails as the Good Guys creep to within a half-game of the top spot. (For those who care of such things Crosstown, the Cubs are getting mauled early in St. Louis, and a loss drops them below the White Sox in the standings. Who woulda thunk that one all of [checks calendar, rubs eyes, checks the year on the calendar] TWO WEEKS ago, when the ivy bumblers were the swellest thing since pee troughs and the White Sox were just a wannabe 70-win team?)

As for today’s contest, well this is a late and last-minute filler recap, so pardon the lack of deets. Detroit sprung ahead before fannies got settled in seats, a single-double combo with one out in the first putting Sean Burke again behind early.

Burke, natch, shook it off as all Sox starters have been doing for much of the season, turning in a tidy 5 1/3 innings with just one more hit allowed in his outing. And while we are fond of (or addicted to) dogging our bullpen, sorry folks but the reliever corps has been nothing but splendid. Missing Mike Vasil, losing Jordan Leasure’s solid 2025 finish, getting a non-closer performance so far from Seranthony Domínguez, this group has been nails. Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson and Sean Newcomb have been murderously good cogs in the machine, and at best we would have pegged Taylor as such.

Today, it was Chris Murphy (subbing up for Tyler Gilbert on emergency family leave), Brandon Eisert, Hudson and Tyler Davis (first career save) covering the final 14 outs of the game, and doing it with aplomb.

Offensively it wasn’t Chicago’s most buff effort, but when the pitching suffocates the opponent to one run, you don’t gotta do much. And the White Sox didn’t gotta do much today, with a short burst in the seventh that covered the one-run deficit.

First, Colson Montgomery homered again, tying the score at one and creating an uh-oh moment for the feeble Tigs and their hapless coward manager:

Providing the eventual winning margin was how-the-hell-is-he-on-pace-for-5-WAR Tristan Peters, doinking a grounder to the left side that plated Chase Meidroth:

(In-between the four straight singles that provided the winner came Jacob Gonzalez’s first career hit, as part of a 1-for-3 day and flawless play at first base:

That’s it! Just a simple, humdrum win for the White Sox. It is bizarre, after the setback .500 season of 2022 and then the sewer play that proceeded over the next three seasons, that the White Sox are a team now to be reckoned with. But reckoned with they must be. And if precious Cleveland isn’t careful, the South Siders are gonna sneak up and pop them in the jaw like most of the majors has experienced from them so far in 2026.