Category: Sports News

The San Diego Padres really needed a win. They’d take it any way that they could get it, eking out a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals after failing to score a single run in 21 consecutive innings until Ty France’s fifth inning home run.

It was all the runs that they would need, with starter Randy Vásquez pitching five solid innings of one-run ball and Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Mason Miller each pitching scoreless appearances in relief. However, Adrian Morejon did allow a run in 2/3 of an inning in the top of the eighth.

Miller regained the MLB lead in saves by pitching his 12th of the season. He was briefly tied for the lead with Cards closer Riley O’Brien and Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians.

Miller pitched a four-out save for just the second time this season, and struggled with command in the ninth inning, issuing back-to-back walks to the first two batters. Miller worked out of the jam by striking out four (yes, that’s right) and secured the win for San Diego.

The Friars will need their offense to produce a little more if they hope to take the finale and salvage a split with St. Louis after dropping the first two games.

Taking the mound

Kyle Leahy (STL) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

In doing so, they’ll face Leahy. The young right-hander has yet to find any legitimate success in his MLB career. He’s spent his career in the St. Louis bullpen and was stretched out before this season in order to bolster the Cards’ rotation depth.

Leahy has been a serviceable back-end starter in the rotation with a 4.93 ERA across his first seven starts. His lasting outing against the Milwaukee Brewers was one of his best, pitching 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Heading into his eighth start of the season, he’ll look to continue that bounce back against the Friars.

The Padres will have Buehler on the bump for them, who has also struggled with consistency in his 2026 with San Diego. He’s pitched to a. 5.64 ERA across 30 1/3 innings.

But Buehler is likely pitching to save his spot on the roster. If he can’t turn things around, he’ll soon be supplanted by the recently-signed Lucas Giolito. Should Buehler stumble in today’s finale against the Red Birds, that decision would be even easier for the Padres’ front office to make.

Batter up!

The Friars haven’t faced Leahy very much before, with him only working out of the bullpen prior to this year. But what they have seen of him has been difficult, with only two hits across a combined 17 at-bats. But that was before Leahy transitioned into a full-time starter role. Now that he’s in that role, the Padres should fare much better against the righty.

1. Jackson Merrill, CF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, LF
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Miguel Andujar, DH
7. Ty France, 1B
8. Sung-Mun Song, 2B
9. Rodolfo Durán, C

Tatis was raised to the second spot in the lineup after batting fifth for the last few games. He rewarded skipper Craig Stammen for that faith immediately, hitting a two-run, go-ahead single in the fifth to win the game for the Friars.

Durán had a tough MLB debut, though he caught starter Michael King incredibly well (and was lauded by King after the game). At the plate, the catcher went 0-for-3 and will hope to improve in today’s contest.

Machado’s home run in yesterday’s contest was an encouraging sign that the third baseman may be heating up. He’s been solid to start the year, but has struggled to find a consistent rhythm at the plate. If he can turn that around it would be a huge development for the Padres’ offense.

Relief corps

The Padres used all of their high-leverage relievers to finish out yesterday’s win. Estrada and Adam each pitched hitless inning before Morejon hit some trouble. He allowed a run and only record two outs in the eighth before Miller was called upon to get a four-out save.

He did so swimmingly, though Miller made it more interesting than the Friar Faithful would have liked. After walking the first two batters, he struck out the next three. But catcher Freddy Fermin dropped the third strike to Yohel Pozo, allowing him to reach first base and load the bases. With the top of the order now up, Miller struck out JJ Wetherholt in four pitches to end the rally.

In today’s finale, the Friars will have to hope that Buehler can pitch better than he has lately. Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez represent mostly lower leverage options who could easily give up the lead in a close game.

That being said, all of them are able to cover multiple innings. If Buehler falters, they’ll easily cover the remaining innings for San Diego.

The road back from injury has reached its final stop for Carlos Rodón, who was activated this morning by the Yankees on the day of his season debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, adding talent to an already stacked rotation. To make room for Rodón’s addition to the MLB roster, the Yankees will send down right-hander Kervin Castro, whose time with the big league club was short-lived.

Utilizing a window in between different “starters” as Brendan Beck filled in as the bulk man in a Ryan Weathers illness-caused bullpen game before Rodón was ready for his first start, the Yankees added Castro to deepen their bullpen for a few games. Castro ended up covering two innings, allowing one run and striking out two in Friday’s shutout loss to the Brewers, and now returns to Triple-A. It was his first big-league action for any team since 2022.

Moving up gradually through the Yankees’ minor league system, Rodón makes his season debut with the big league club, having completed exactly one start in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A—the latest of these covering 6.1 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. It wasn’t the most efficient of outings, with Rodón allowing six runs, but all that matters is that he is healthy and ready to go.

Bobby Cox passed away yesterday, just a few days short of his 85th birthday.

Cox became our third manager after Roy Hartsfield and Bobby Mattick. After five losing seasons, fans were frustrated and eager for change. Cox was the first manager who appeared focused on winning.

Cox had managed the Atlanta Braves for the previous four years, working to turn them into a contender. Progress was being made, but the 1981 season was disrupted by a players’ strike, resulting in a strange, split season where the Braves struggled in both halves. Back then, the team was owned by Ted Turner (who died just a few days before Cox), who loved the spotlight and wanted to be associated with a winning club. Turner didn’t want a losing team—he wanted admiration. Even so, he never seemed entirely convinced that firing Cox was the right move:

Asked at a press conference who was on his short list for manager, Turner replied, “It would be Bobby Cox if I hadn’t just fired him. We need someone like him around here.”

The Blue Jays moved quickly to hire Cox, recognizing the opportunity. It proved to be an inspired decision.

Bobby quickly identified players with limited ability and put them in platoon roles, maximizing their contributions.

In 1982, he implemented a platoon at catcher, dividing playing time between Ernie Whitt—who had hit just .236/.307/.297 the previous season—and Buck Martinez, a long-time backup whose on-base and slugging numbers were typically modest. Cox also paired two backup middle infielders at third base, left-handed hitter Rance Mulliniks and right-handed Garth Iorg, creating an effective left-right platoon.

In 1983, Cox devised an elaborate outfield platoon system: Dave Collins played left field against right-handed pitchers, while Jesse Barfield took over right field against left-handers, with George Bell shifting between the two positions as needed.

In 1984, Cox continued his platoon approach at designated hitter, using Cliff Johnson against left-handed pitchers and Willie Aikens against right-handers. The following season, Al Oliver became the primary DH versus right-handed pitching.

The catcher and third base platoons worked very well. 1983 Whitt and Martinez hit 27 home runs and drove in 89 runs between them. Cox doesn’t deserve all the credit. In 1982, Cox brought in Cito Gaston to be the hitting coach. Cito taught Whitt and Martinez to pull the ball, which they took to well, especially Whitt, whose swing became an all-out pull.

Arguably, one of the most important contributions Bobby Cox made was bringing in coaches Cito Gaston and John Sullivan. Cito’s story is well known, and the organization owes Cox a great deal for introducing him to the Blue Jays. Sullivan, meanwhile, remained with the team as bullpen coach until after the 1993 season.

In Bobby’s 4 years with the team, a number of our best players became regulars: Willie Upshaw, Jesse Barfield, Rance Mulliniks, George Bell, Jimmy Key, Jim Acker, Tony Fernandez and Tom Henke, to name a few.

His time with the Jays wasn’t an instant success. The Jays went 78-84, finishing 6th in 1982, but Cox had a lot of the parts in place that would move the team up the standings.

In 1983, the Blue Jays made a significant leap, finishing 89-73, though it was only good for fourth place. Ernie Whitt discovered his power, hitting 17 home runs in 123 games, while Willie Upshaw and Jesse Barfield each contributed 27 homers.

Cox benefited from the Jays’ farm system, which finally began producing major league-calibre players.

The Blue Jays matched their win total in 1984, finishing 89-73 for the second straight year. This time, they placed second, though they remained 15 games behind the Tigers, who dominated the league with a 104-58 record. George Bell became a full-time player for the first time, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 87. Rance Mulliniks broke through at the plate, batting .275/.373/.467, while Lloyd Moseby enjoyed his first standout year, hitting .315/.376/.499 with 18 home runs.

After four years under Cox’s helm and in our ninth MLB season, the Blue Jays finally reached the playoffs in 1985. Sadly, we fell to the Royals in a dramatic seven-game ALCS. Cox’s platoon strategies, which had been so effective, were ultimately exploited by Royals manager Dick Howser. With the Jays up three games to one, Howser countered by starting a right-hander and then bringing in a lefty during the middle innings, prompting Cox to remove his left-handed bats from the lineup. This allowed closer Dan Quisenberry—a submariner who was dominant against right-handed hitters but vulnerable to lefties—to avoid facing our left-handed threats. Coupled with the challenge of containing George Brett, who torched the Jays with a .348/.500/.826 line and three home runs, these tactical moves cost the team the series. Nevertheless, Bobby was named AL Manager of the Year for his efforts.

After the playoff loss, the Braves offered Cox their general manager position. He accepted and remained with Atlanta until 2010. The Blue Jays stayed playoff contenders for the next eight years and, of course, eventually won the World Series twice. It’s hard to imagine those championships happening without Bobby Cox’s influence—especially considering he was responsible for bringing Cito Gaston into the organization. Many of the players and coaches who played key roles in those playoff runs got their start under Cox.

Cox had a 2195-1698 record as a manager, the fourth-most wins in baseball history. He also holds the MLB record for most ejections, generally in an effort to keep his players from being ejected.

I always admired Bobby Cox. His commitment to platooning was remarkable. With today’s eight- or nine-man bullpens, it would be much harder to platoon at so many positions. I valued how everyone on his bench knew their role and had a purpose. Cox wasn’t afraid to put his faith in young players, giving them meaningful chances to prove themselves rather than moving on too quickly. With young pitchers, he often started them in the bullpen, letting them gain experience against big-league hitters in less stressful situations. I thought he was our first real manager; the previous ones seemed more like caretakers. There was no expectation of winning, and they didn’t do much to push the team towards it.

If Bobby Cox had stayed on after the 1985 season, it’s hard to say how much would have truly changed—and it’s probably not worth dwelling on. The Blue Jays got their World Series wins, and Cox enjoyed a remarkable run in Atlanta. I like to imagine he could have prevented the sudden decline after 1993, but in reality, he likely wouldn’t have stayed on as manager under Gord Ash. By that point, he probably would have wanted a general manager role instead.

Cox’s achievements with the Braves earned him a place in the Hall of Fame, but his time with the Blue Jays laid the foundation for the Blue Jays’ later success as well.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (18-20) won 11-10 (BOX SCORE)

Bielak got the start and allowed 2 runs in the first inning. The offense responded with 3 runs in the 3rd on a Biggio walk, Winker walk and Unroe hit by pitch. Bielak allowed another 5 runs in the 4th, as he went 4 innings allowing 7 runs total. The offense battled back getting 2 runs in the 5th inning on Sacco and Biggio solo home runs. They scored 3 more runs in the 6th on a Johnson solo home run and Alexander 2 run home run. The pen allowed 3 runs as the Isotopes took the lead. Sugar Land tied things up in the 8th on a Sacco run single. The game was tied in the 9th but in the bottom half, Sacco walked it off with an RBI single as Sugar Land won 11-10.

Note: Santa has a 1.69 ERA this season.

• Daniel Johnson, CF: 4-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, SB
• James Nelson, LF: 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB
• CJ Alexander, 1B: 2-for-5, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Carlos Perez, C: 2-for-5, R, 2 2B, BB
• Tommy Sacco, 3B: 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Jack Winkler, DH: 0-for-2, RBI, 3 BB
• Riley Unroe, SS: 0-for-3, RBI, BB

• Brandon Bielak, RHP: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Josh Hader, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Nate Pearson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Anthony Maldonado, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• J.P. France, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (15-17) lost 7-5 (BOX SCORE)

Gillis started for the Hooks and allowed 5 runs over 4.2 innings, with 4 of those runs coming in the first inning. The offense got on the board in the 5th scoring 2 runs on a Hernandez groundout and Bush RBI single. The offense chipped away getting a run in the 6th on an Encarnacion groundout, a run in the 7th on a Hernandez RBI double and a run in the 8th on a Sullivan solo home run to tie it. The Cardinals got 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead and the Hooks was unable to respond as they fell 7-5.

Note: Sullivan has 6 home runs over his last 10 games.

• Will Bush, C: 2-for-4, RBI, BB
• Max Holy, SS: 0-for-4, R, BB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Garret Guillemette, 1B: 1-for-4, R
• Luis Baez, LF: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B
• Alberto Hernandez, 2B: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

• Brett Gillis, RHP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Derek True, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (8-24) lost 17-13 (BOX SCORE)

Howard started for Asheville but really struggling allowing 9 runs over 3 innings. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning scoring 4 runs on a Schiavone solo home run, Batista solo home run, Walker RBI double and Thomas RBI groundout. They got 3 more runs in the third on a Batista 2 run double and Powell RBI double. The offense would continue to rally scoring 5 runs in the 4th inning on a Schiavone walk, Brutcher RBI single, Batista groundout and Daudet 2 run double. Walker would add an RBI double in the 6th. Carr pitched in relief and was doing well until the 8th where he allowed 6 runs as the Emperors took the lead. The offense was unable to score again as Asheville fell 17-13.

Note: Thomas is hitting .307 this season.

• Justin Thomas, RF: 2-for-5, R, RBI, BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 1-for-6, R
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, SB
• Jason Schiavone, DH: 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
• Freuddy Batista, C: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• Caden Powell, LF: 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 SB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 1-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Kyle Walker, SS: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI

• Dylan Howard, RHP: 3.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jordan Carr, LHP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (12-20) lost 8-6 (BOX SCORE) 

Forcucci got the start and had his best outing as a pro allowing 1 run, which came in the first inning, over 3 innings. The offense responded with 2 runs in the first inning on an Ochoa RBI double and a run on a balk. MacRae relieved Forcucci and allowed 3 runs over 3 innings. Next in was Varela who allowed 4 more runs as the Woodpeckers found themselves down 8-2. They battled back getting a run in the 7th on an Ochoa RBI single. They got 2 more runs in the 8th on a Vasquez 2 run double. The offense got one more in the 9th on a Huezo groundout but that was it as the Woodpeckers fell 8-6.

Note: Ochoa is hitting .322 this season.

• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 0-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 4-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Camilo Diaz, DH: 1-for-5, R, 2B
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, R, BB, SB
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

• Ryan Forcucci, RHP: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Cole MacRae, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jose Varela, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ryan Weiss – 2:05 CT

CC: Trey Dombroski – 1:15 CT

AV: Nolan DeVos – 12:05 CT

FV: TBD – 4:05 CT

It’s a real credit to how well this team has played over the first quarter of the season to see how rarely they’ve come up empty. But on Saturday night in Texas, that’s exactly what happened. Not only was this just the 13th time they’ve lost this year, but it was one of an even smaller subset of games that they came up completely empty. The offense more or less came up with nothing. Their pitchers struggled to work clean innings. All things equal, this was one of the least effective games we’ve seen from the Cubs all year long.

This team has been so dominant, we just haven’t had to deal with this very often. This wasn’t much fun. It’s early in the season and things are still being sorted out. However, it feels like this might be one of the worst teams the Cubs have faced all year. So this loss is a bit vexing. It’s all the more vexing given the rough matchup Sunday afternoon. There is a very real chance this team goes to Texas and leaves with only a single win. That said, even if they leave town with just the one win, they’ll still be on pace for more than 100 wins. This team could tail off a lot and still be a favorite to make the playoffs based upon the work they have done to date.

As it stands right now, if the Cubs played exactly .500 ball the rest of the way, they’d win 88 games. In the handful of seasons that have allowed three wild cards in each league, 88 wins has generally been enough to make the postseason, though 90 is the lowest number of wins that has made the postseason every time. So the Cubs have to just play nominally over .500 the rest of the way to be a postseason team. This despite a rash of early season injuries, largely focused on the pitching staff.

So the long and the short is that this one will have little bearing on the season as a whole. This is one of the days that you thank the heavens that this team has been very greedy and it has snapped up every win available to it. This one hurts less as a result. It wasn’t any fun, but it feels like a one off and it doesn’t derail the larger goals. And so, we turn the page quickly. We get back after it on Sunday afternoon. Then we finally get an off day on Monday. That’ll be just the second off day in 25 days, a welcome respite ahead. It’s one of just two days off for the Cubs in May. This is the most games (29) they’ll play in any month this year.

Three Positives:

• Ethan Roberts threw two scoreless innings, facing seven batters and walking two. The game was pretty out of reach before he got in there. But he kept it where it was and kept the Cubs for having to get any further into the bullpen.
• Dansby Swanson had one hit, a double, in three plate appearances. The Cubs had just four hits.
• Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch had a fairly undistinguishing day at the plate. Each had a single and a walk in four plate appearances.

Game 40, May 9: Rangers 6, Cubs 0 (27-13)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.051). 0-4
• Hero: Michael Busch (.049). 1-3, BB
• Sidekick: Michael Conforto (.039). 1-4, BB

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Edward Cabrera (-.221). 5 IP, 21 BF, 7 H, BB, 5 ER, 6 K (L 3-1)
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.107). 0-4
• Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.101). 1-3, BB

WPA Play of the Game: Josh Jung led off the second inning with a solo homer to start the scoring. (.109)

*Cubs Play of the Game: Alex Bregman batted with a runner on first and no outs in the third inning, the Cubs down one. He reached on an error setting up first and second with no outs. (.103)

Player of the Game:

Game 39 Winner: Ben Brown 276 of 328

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

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

• Michael Conforto +13
• Shōta Imanaga +10
• Michael Busch +11
• Dansby Swanson/Jacob Webb/Caleb Thielbar/Phil Maton -6
• Matt Shaw -9
• Seiya Suzuki -13

Current Win Pace: 109.35 wins

Up Next: The third and final game of the season series with the Rangers is Sunday afternoon. Jameson Taillon (2-1, 4.24, 40.1 IP) starts for the eighth time this season for the Cubs. Last time out, he allowed two runs on five hits over 5.2 IP against the Reds. Small samples in the early going, but Jameson has been worse on the road (5.00 v 3.63) and during the day (4.68 v 3.52). None of that bodes too well. In fairness, the three road starts are against the Rays, Dodgers and Padres, who are all quite good.

The Rangers start polarizing figure Jacob deGrom (2-2, 3.11, 37.2). This will be his eighth start of the year. At 37 years old, what makes deGrom polarizing is that there are just 10 seasons (out of 13) that he’s made this many starts. In 13 seasons, he’s made 255 starts — fewer than 20 starts per year. He should reach 100 career wins this season. He should reach 1,600 innings later this month. Even at that, he will have a good distance to go to reach such Hall of Famers as Rollie Fingers (1,701.1) and Rich Gossage (1,809.1). Put simply, deGrom has been elite when healthy. But he just hasn’t stayed healthy in his career. He already has more career strikeouts (1,898) than some names like Hoyt Wilhelm (1,610) and Carl Hubbell (1,677). Whitey Ford is just ahead (1,956). The game has changed through the years.

In case you’ve ever wondered, the average Hall of Fame pitcher has 235 wins, 423 games started, 3,504 innings and 2,047 strikeouts. The rate at which he has accumulated WAR is elite. But he just hasn’t been healthy enough to accumulate very much of it.

Last time out, Jacob allowed six runs in just 6.1 IP. He’s lost his last two starts (both to the Yankees). Let’s keep that struggle going for him.

Find a way to survive deGrom’s start. Win a game.

Go Cubs.

The Braves are trying to win it today, not just for the series. They gotta do it #ForTheMoms.

I’d had a vague feeling that the Braves didn’t have a great track record on Mother’s Day, not based on any specific memories.

However, my recency bias was not completely unfounded: it turns out Atlanta have lost on Mother’s Day for the last three seasons. You have to go back to May 8, 2022 when Charlie Morton led the Braves to a 9-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers for their last win on this particular day.

They didn’t just lose, though. They specifically (and excruciatingly) lost in walkoff fashion for these three straight years.

Raisel Iglesias (2023, 2025) and AJ Minter (2024) came in to close tight games and were charged with losses instead. Road wins are tough, but the Braves lead the league in them this year, so let’s see if we can stop this unfortunate trend today behind starter Bryce Elder. Because if Bryce Elder pitches a complete game shutout, there can’t be a high-leverage bullpen arm to blow it, right? Right?

The regularly-rested Bryce and his sterling 2.02 ERA will take the mound in today’s finale hoping to add yet another quality start to his 2026 campaign. He had a strong performance his last time out versus Seattle, pitching six innings allowing two hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out nine. He got swings and misses on all five of his pitches and was very in control outside of the two-run homer allowed to J.P. Crawford in the third inning.

“Bryce is for real,” said Braves manager Walt Weiss after that game. We’re hoping so!

The 25-year old lefty Justin Wrobleski (5-0, 1.25 ERA) will make his sixth start for the Dodgers since moving from the bullpen on April 6. He’s made a fantastic case to stay in the rotation, especially with Snell’s less-than-ideal debut last night and Glasnow down with back spasms. That ERA is already eye-popping, but it’s even better when you discount his three-run, four inning relief outing to start the season – without that, he’s allowed two runs in 32 innings across five starts to amount to a 0.56 ERA. He’s bolstered the Dodgers rotation with a six pitch mix and quality run prevention, but there are some signs that regression looms. Take a look at some of these blue bars:

Defying the odds of his expected ERA at 4.23, he does it all with an incredibly low strikeout (10.5%) and whiff (12.5%) rates, which puts him in the bottom 2% of MLB. The maximum number of strikeouts he’s gotten in a game this season is six; seven’s his career high. He’s spun several scoreless outings by preventing quality contact, albeit aided with a .222 BABIP. Notably, he’s yet to give up a home run. It’d be nice to see the Braves, after getting to Blake Snell but making Emmet Sheehan look like Cy Young, get back to their homer-hitting ways as a parting gift to LA.

If last night was for Bobby, today’s rubber game is for Braves Country moms.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 10, 4:10 p.m. ET

Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

TV: BravesVision, Gray TV

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Andrés Muñoz changed for some reason.

It’s been a rough early going for the Mariners’ star closer. Muñoz has a 6.00 ERA and has already allowed more home runs (three) than he did all of last season (two). He’s been pinned with five “meltdowns,” or outings where his WPA was less than to -0.06 — basically, a more comprehensive version of blown saves. Batters have a 50% hard hit rate against him and a .533 xwOBAcon, which ranks next to last among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched.

Despite all the hard contact, Muñoz is still getting tons of whiffs and strikeouts. His 42.7% whiff rate is the best in baseball — except for Mason Miller’s anti-human 57.8% — and his 37.9% strikeout rate is top five.

We can see he occupies a unique space on the whiff versus quality of contact chart:

I’m going to start by saying Muñoz is probably fine. He has a stretch like this at least once a season, where batters hit him hard. Mixed with an always-high walk rate, that turns into lots of runs. Muñoz may very well go down as the best reliever in team history by the time he reaches free agency after 2028, but he is still a reliever, prone to the violent swings of one-inning samples.

Still, by xwOBA allowed, we’re witnessing the worst stretch of his career:

How? Why? 

I don’t know, is the truest thing I can say. While I’m going to do my best to step through the data, the thing I’m most confident in telling you is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all, universal truth to pitching — pitchers can be good and bad despite all sorts of peripherals.

Let’s start with a plot from Baseball Savant, showing Muñoz’s horizontal movement by year:

Muñoz four-seamer and sinker have much less arm-side run in 2026, with the four-seamer specifically moving three inches less than it did last year. His spin efficiency is also down about seven points, suggesting he’s releasing the baseball a bit different in 2026.

Stuff+ thinks this version of Muñoz’s four-seamer, with less movement and different spin, is much worse, though the profile doesn’t look far removed overall:

Muñoz has always had something of a weird fastball. It’s on the flatter end of the spectrum, meaning it enters the zone on a line, rather than if he were pitching from the top of a 10-foot ladder. Flat fastballs are often associated with more whiffs — think Paul Sewald and Bryan Woo — whereas steep fastballs are often associated with more grounders. Despite its flatness, however, Muñoz’s fastball has been more of a ground ball pitch.

Why?

That gets us to the concept of the “dead zone.” The term is used to describe fastballs that — based on their spin, angle and other physical properties — tend to move predictably and perform poorly. A good fastball isn’t always about getting lots of movement, but lots of movement relative to what a batter might infer out of hand.

Before joining the Dodgers in 2025, Max Bay created an app to illustrate this concept. Here we can see that Mason Miller often imparts vertical movement on his fastball that batters simply wouldn’t expect, helping explain why they so often swing (and miss) under the pitch:

And here we can see Muñoz, with significant overlap on his expected and actual movement. This suggests batters are more likely to swing accurately at the pitch, perhaps explaining why they posted a 59% hard hit rate on it last year:

But Bay’s “dead zone” calculation intentionally doesn’t incorporate velocity as a variable (for a variety of good reasons). Alex Chamberlain wrote a great piece about this “analytical blind spot” last year for FanGraphs, specifically discussing Muñoz’s fastball. When factoring Muñoz’s big velocity, Chamberlain noted batters should infer more “rise” on the pitch than implied by the dead zone, convincing them to swing too high and beat it into the ground. That’s likely why a four-seamer would normally get blown up could still serve as a (moderately) useful tandem for his other-worldly slider.

Looking at the dead-zone metrics this year (courtesy of Chamberlain’s pitch leaderboard), it’s possible this dynamic has changed:

I’m reluctant to make any sort of broad judgements about these figures, but it certainly looks like Muñoz is even closer to the dead zone than before, especially horizontally. And if his fastball had previously rested on a delicate balance of traits, it’s possible these changes have eliminated the grounder-inducing properties, allowing batters to elevate their hard contact. That’s not good.

So, why make this change?

I should say up front that I don’t know if this intentional. I’m far from an expert on these figures, and I don’t know how much they fluctuate in season. This could very well be a mechanical blip, or even just “how it goes.”

If it is intentional, however, I can only guess at the thinking. Again, Muñoz’s fastball last year wasn’t good for much more than stealing strikes and creating hard grounders, so a tweak was justified. The fastball also appears to be tunneling better with his slider, and the new shape gives him a greater range of total movement, making him less predictable in aggregate. His total whiff rate jumped from 36.5% to 42.7% this year.

I also haven’t addressed the corresponding changes to his sinker. Maybe whatever tweak we’re seeing in his four-seamer is causing the extra inch of drop on his sinker, allowing him to, you know, not throw it right down the middle all the time. The stuff and location models love this change. Like, if you already have a dead-zone fastball that you’re using as a sinker, maybe it’s best to simply improve the sinker. It’s a pitch he mostly throws to righties, and it’s swapped places this year with his four-seamer as the get-me-over pitch when behind in counts. Muñoz has a 0.00 FIP and 51% strikeout rate against righties this year. There is something about the profile that is working.

But Muñoz was already great against both handedness, and now he’s struggling to get the four-seamer past lefties. The Mariners and their pitchers are known for endless tinkering, and the returns have been somewhat mixed, with equal-and-opposite reactions to create offsetting gains (think George Kirby and Logan Gilbert). Obviously, the changes for Emerson Hancock have been outstanding, but that’s only because Hancock wasn’t doing anything well before — the only direction he could go was up. There wasn’t much more for Muñoz to reach for. Now there is.

Regardless of these changes and impacts (and the reasons behind them), it’s probably not too big of a deal. I’m overall confident in any pitcher getting so many whiffs, and I expect those to win out over time. I do think this iteration of Muñoz’s fastball will continue to get hit hard, and I expect less of that contact will come on the ground. But really the biggest issue in his early line is not the shape of his fastball but a few middle-middle mistakes. There’s hardly a pitch that can survive poor locations.

The final thing I will say is probably the only thing I should have said: Relievers.

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The New York Yankees — one of the hottest teams in baseball — will look to avoid a sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon.

New York got out to a lead last night only to see it dissolve in extra innings. Now it will send veteran Carlos Rodon to the mound to make his season debut, which introduces a high degree of volatility to the mix.

Read all about it in my Yankees vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 10.

Who will win Yankees vs Brewers today: Brewers (+105)

There’s an element of fatigue at play, with the New York Yankees playing their ninth game in nine days. Carlos Rodon is also making his season debut after not being a picture of consistency last season.

Season debuts naturally carry uncertainty, and they are even more of a concern with pitchers like Rodon. His 9.3% walk rate ranked in the Bottom 30% of baseball last season, and he now faces a patient swinging team in the Milwaukee Brewers today. 

On the other side, Logan Henderson has posted a 1.46 expected ERA through his first two outings.

COVERS INTEL:Logan Henderson has allowed zero barrels this season over 111 pitches thrown.

Yankees vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-133)

I’ve already mentioned the impressive metrics surrounding Henderson in a limited sample. Beyond that, though, the Brewers' bullpen, with a collective 1.33 WHIP and 3.46 ERA, is well rested.

Strong performances for their starters have given them a good amount of options to close this one out, including the emerging DL Hall, who has a ton of swing-and-miss.

On the other hand, while I’ve mentioned concerns about Rodon, he has enough to limit the damage and help keep this Under. Even if the Brewers do get to him, New York won't provide much else.

Yankees vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -121 | Brewers +109
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+140) | Brewers +1.5 (-155)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+111) | Under 8.5 (-133)

Yankees vs Brewers trend

The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the run line in five of their last six games at home (+6.10 Units / 85% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Brewers.

How to watch Yankees vs Brewers and game info

Yankees vs Brewers latest injuries

Yankees vs Brewers weather

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Good morning, folks…

The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago Cubs last night by a score of 6-0.

Evan Grant’s game story talks about Justin Foscue, and the Rangers as a whole, bouncing back after Friday’s ugliness.

Foscue collected his first major league home run in the Rangers’ win.

Jake Burger is going to sit Saturday and Sunday as the Rangers look to get him out of his current slump.

Chris Martin and Josh Smith are both expected to start rehab assignments shortly.

Ezequiel Duran has bonded with assistant hitting coach Alex Cintron, which has helped fuel his improvement this year.

Jeff Wilson writes about Duran defying the haters with his performance so far in 2026. Yes, Wilson is talking about you.

Ranger reliever Peyton Gray is inspired by his mother’s resilience as she battles cancer.

A.J. Russell was dominant in his High-A debut.

David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.