SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 16: Trevor McDonald #72 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants welcome the Chicago White Sox to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Trevor McDonald, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.37 ERA, 3.47 FIP, with 17 strikeouts to three walks in 19 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Athletics last Saturday, in which he allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk in six and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who enters tonight’s game with a 1.61 ERA, 2.39 FIP, with 59 strikeouts to 10 walks in 56 innings pitched. His last start was in the White Sox’ 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, in which he allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts in six innings.
May 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) runs to second on a stolen base attempt against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals were clear that this season would be a constant desire to compete, but the priorities would be player development and the future. The only thing that is clear right now about Victor Scott II’s development is that what he’s doing to make adjustments is not working against Major League pitching. Is it time to utilize one of his minor league options or is there wisdom to continue on the road the Cardinals are on with him staying in the lineup? The numbers don’t seem to favor the latter.
It was almost exactly one month ago when our own Jake Wood did an excellent deep dive into Victor Scott II and what he did during the offseason to adjust his swing and approach. I won’t rehash all that Jake shared, but I highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t already. The Cliff Notes version is Victor spent the offseason with a biomechanical specialist at his alma mater of West Virginia trying to improve swing efficiency. As Jake mentioned then, the early Statcast numbers didn’t reveal any great improvement other than an effort to direct the all up the middle to allow himself the opportunity to beat out more infield hits. He also moved back in the batter’s box to support that approach.
One month later, where is Victor Scott II now?
As of today, Victor Scott II has 138 plate appearances and he’s below the Mendoza line with an average of just .185. He’s making very little solid contact with a barrel rate of only 1.1 and a hard hit rate of just 27.7 according to Baseball Savant. Most of his offensive metrics are in the bottom 13th percentile with the exception of his whiff rate of just 22.9. I was surprised to see that Victor’s defensive numbers have regressed with only a 2 outs above average compared to his stellar 17 OAA last season.
Why won’t the Cardinals use one of Victor Scott II’s remaining minor league options?
The question is who would take Victor Scott II’s place on the major league roster if he gets another stint in the minors. The Cardinals just placed Nathan Church on the injured list which resulted in the callup of Bryan Torres. Torres would have been one of the likely candidates for Scott II’s roster spot if he were sent down. I have to wonder if St. Louis might be approaching the time when this would make sense for everyone involved since I’ve seen estimates that Lars Nootbaar will be ready to return to the Cardinals lineup around the start of June. Victor still has 2 minor league options remaining and the end of May/beginning of June timeframe might be the time to utilize it once Lars is ready for prime time again.
I love having players like Victor Scott II on the major league roster. His speed off of the bench and his ability to be a late inning defensive replacement are valuable. However, I would much rather he be allowed more development time out of the major league spotlight if he can manage to overcome the offensive struggles to become a complete player. I’ve seen Oli Marmol and the other Cardinals coaches talk about how hard Victor is working pre and post-game and I don’t doubt that effort, but I think the reappearance soon of Lars Nootbaar gives the St. Louis Cardinals the opportunity they need to allow VSII to see if he can ascend into the kind of all-around player they need him to be for the long term.
The Mets' offense couldn't get anything going and New York lost to the Miami Marlins, 2-1, on Friday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-- It looked like the Mets might get to feast against struggling Marlins starter Eury Perez after Juan Soto blasted a tank of a solo shot in the first inning that gave New York a 1-0 lead. The home run, which traveled 449 feet, landed in the second deck and was Soto’s longest career homer.
-- Also in the first, Carson Benge led off the game with a deep fly ball to center field that Jakob Marsee made a splendid running catch at the wall. While the play was impressive, Mets hitters appeared to be on Perez early.
-- But after Soto’s home run, Perez retired the next eight hitters in a row before Soto stayed hot with a single. Soto has had a terrific road trip with eight hits, four home runs, five RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. He’s also hit safely in nine of the last 11 games and has had multiple hits in seven of those games.
-- Unfortunately for the Mets, Soto was the only player to show up in Miami as the rest of the offense went hitless against Perez, who settled in after the dicey first and looked incredible in his 6.1 innings of work.
-- Perez left with a lead after the Marlins scored once in the second and once in the fourth. The first run was charged to Tobias Myers, who got the start and lasted 1.1 innings, leaving the game after giving up a double to Esteury Ruiz.
-- Sean Manaea was the bulk reliever and the first one out of the bullpen and was unable to strand the runner in scoring position, giving up the tying run on a groundout after Ruiz stole third base. The left-hander looked better than he has in recent outings in his 3.2 innings of work. He struck out three while reaching 94 mph on his fastball, which the Mets have not seen this year.
Still, he allowed the go-ahead run in the fourth after Ruiz reached third base on a two-out triple down the right field line that Benge just barely missed before Owen Caisse singled Ruiz home.
-- The only other hit New York had aside from Soto was A.J. Ewing, who singled with two outs in the eighth inning. Trying to make something happen, the speedster immediately took off for second base, but he was gunned down on a perfect throw by catcher Joe Mack to end the inning.
-- Perhaps the biggest star for the Mets was Jonah Tong, who, in his season debut, came in after Manaea and looked dominant, facing the minimum over three innings and striking out two on just 28 pitches.
-- Benge made a bid to tie the game in the sixth with another shot to center, but there was Marsee once again making a tremendous catch high up the wall for the out. Benge finished 0-for-3 with a walk and had 801 feet worth of flyouts.
Game MVP: Jonah Tong
The right-hander looked unhittable in his season debut, which could be great news for the Mets and their patchwork starting rotation.
May 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians infielder Kyle Manzardo (9) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
So even if the Phillies lost this game, there is some good news for it going quick.
Sánchez entered tonight’s game with a 29.2 inning scoreless streak that began back in April against the Giants. Even if he threw eight shutout innings against a surprisingly competent Guardians offense, it didn’t always look like his A stuff.
He was cutting his changeup often early in the game but it didn’t matter. Angel Martínez and Rhys Hoskins couldn’t stop biting on it in the first.
David Fry took a hanging changeup into left field for one of his two hits off Sánchez for the night but the next three batters couldn’t do anything.
Skipping to the 5th, Brayan Rocchio took a single to left field for a knock but it led to nothing again. This time, it was JT Realmuto who fired a dart to keep the Guardians out of scoring position. They did not have a runner on second or third base for a single pitch of this game.
The seventh inning was the Guardians best chance of ending Sánchez’s streak. Rhys Hoskins crushed a sinker at 99.9 mph off the bat but it died into Justin Crawford’s hands. David Fry hit a 106.2 mph line drive over Bryson Stott’s head and after a Bazzana strikeout, Sánchez fell 3-0 to Rocchio.
Rocchio got the green light to swing 3-0, got a good pitch to crush, but the ball died at the warning track in Crawford’s hands.
Sánchez would fire a scoreless eighth inning to put his streak at 37.2 innings for second most in Phillies history. It’s incredible.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams more than matched Sánchez pitch-for-pitch with 11 strikeouts, 17 whiffs, four hits allowed, and no walks. The command and feel for his sweeper and curveball tonight were elite and the Phillies didn’t stand a chance.
Bryce Harper smacked a two out double past a diving Rhys Hoskins into right field but Alec Bohm struck out to end the threat. Adolis García reached first base on a José Ramírez error but nothing could follow.
The single worst at bat of the entire night might’ve been in the fifth inning by García. He has not been able to find any sort of offensive stroke for two weeks. He entered tonight just 1 for his last 32 with 17 strikeouts in his last ten games. He chased three different Williams sweepers that weren’t particularly close and went back to the dugout.
They tried to start something right after with Bryson Stott slapping a single and stealing second base. However, the bottom of the order couldn’t get the job done and the game stayed scoreless.
Moving forward to the bottom of the seventh, there could’ve been a spark. Brandon Marsh took a curveball to right field for a one-out single and was looking to run. García worked a seven pitch at bat, laying off a few down and away sweepers but wasn’t ready for the high fastball and Marsh was caught stealing.
Jhoan Duran entered the ninth inning with a game still searching for it’s first run of the night. As both starters threw body shots and uppercuts at the opposing lineups for eight innings, it was time for both teams’ top-tier closers to send the game into extra innings.
José Ramírez was ready for a splinker and sent one down the right field line for what should’ve been a leadoff double. Adolis García had other plans, throwing an absolute strike to second base to nail JRam by multiple feet.
It seemed like the game would remain scoreless forever… well for only a few extra minutes.
Stephen Vogt went to his bench and called on Kyle Manzardo to hit for Rhys Hoskins with the right handed Duran on the mound. He looked for a splinker up in the zone, got it, and sent it into the left field seats to finally break the tie.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 23, 2026
Cade Smith, one of the game’s underrated closers, entered to shut down the top of the Phillies lineup. Trea Turner popped up a first pitch sweeper to shortstop. Kyle Schwarber saw a steady diet of splitters and sweepers to work a full count but was not ready for the one fastball he was going to get and walked back to the dugout. Bryce Harper ended it quickly by chasing a first-pitch sweeper to Manzardo to end the inning.
The Phillies are once again below .500, with the offense being shutout by the Guardians. As things were heading in the right direction to begin the Don Mattingly tenure, the club has now lost three in a row.
Gerrit Cole's long-awaited return fell short of spectacular, but was the solid shot in the arm the New York Yankees badly needed.
Pitching for the first time since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, Cole pitched six shutout innings against the first place Tampa Bay Rays Friday, May 22 at Yankee Stadium.
Cole missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, his right elbow finally giving way during spring training. He underwent a steady and successful rehab since, and rejoined the Yankees after they jumped out to a 30-21 start − but still 4½ games behind the Rays.
Amid that backdrop, he took the Yankee Stadium mound and delivered efficiency, giving up just two hits in six innings, but walking three and striking out just two. Yet he finished striking, fanning Jonathan Aranda looking on a full-count 96-mph fastball.
Thanks to an Austin Wells home run, Cole left with a 1-0 lead.
Cole, who won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, is in the seventh year of a nine-year, $324 million contract.
Alas, the Yankees bullpen could only preserve the advantage provided by Wells and Cole for one inning. Shortstop José Caballero committed an error on a grounder by leadoff batter Chandler Simpson, and after a Junior Caminero single, Jonathan Aranda followed with a game-tying double off lefty Tim Hill.
Richie Palacios then followed an intentional walk with a go-ahead two-run single, producing a 3-1 lead and chasing Hill.
A hiker looks at the Phoenix skyline from the top of the Hole In The Rock trail during a record heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 19, 2023. The extreme heat in the northern hemisphere is putting an increasing strain on healthcare systems, hitting those least able to cope the hardest, the World Health Organization said July 19. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Lineups not yet announced
We did previously highlight how well the D-backs’ bullpen is pitching this month. While their ERA has crept up a little from the sub-two figure, it’s still a thoroughly respectable 2.08. That’s fourth-best in the majors, and they are also the only bullpen to have a WHIP below one. Over 47.2 innings, they have allowed only thirty hits (that’s a minuscule .181 average against) and fifteen walks, for 0.944 WHIP in May. However, a league-low BABIP of just .227 is clearly a factor there. They also haven’t allowed a home-run this month: the last reliever to do so was Brandon Pfaadt on April 30th. Let’s hope I’m not tempting fate by mentioning this. It’s why their xFIP – FIP with a normal home-run rate – is a much less impressive 4.30.
But it’s worth nothing that the rotation have been getting on board the performance train of late. As noted the other day, they have been working hard, having thrown 119 innings across nineteen starts. That’s an average of 6.26 IP per start. The next-highest figure for May is the Phillies, down at 5.84 IP/GS. At the other end? The Tigers, barely at four. They have one win in nineteen efforts this year. But it’s not just length, it’s quality length. A 3.18 ERA by the rotation this month is fourth-best, and certainly deserving of more than the eight wins, also in nineteen starts.
It’s when we combine the two that we get the really startling number. Because it’s not often that the D-backs have had both the rotation and bullpen firing on all cylinders. Combined, through 19 games in May, Arizona has an ERA of just 2.86. It has been almost twenty-four years since the Diamondbacks have posted a figure that low over the course of a calendar month. You need to go back to August 2002 to find a lower figure of 2.63. [Kinda fun to look at the contributors – not just the obvious!] There hasn’t even been an ERA for a month under 3.20 since August of 2018. Hopefully that can continue tonight against the cellar-dwelling Rockies.
Gerrit Cole throws a pitch during the Yankees' May 22 game.
Prior to Friday’s game, Aaron Boone made it clear what it meant to the Yankees to have Gerrit Cole back on the mound: “We’re excited to get our ace back.”
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Cole returned against the Rays in The Bronx, having last pitched in a major league game in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
And he looked every bit as good as the Yankees remembered after missing a year-plus following March 2025 Tommy John surgery.
The 35-year-old pitched six shutout innings, allowed two hits and three walks.
He struck out just two and was removed after just 72 pitches- with lefty Brett Headrick taking over to start the seventh.
Gerrit Cole throws a pitch during the Yankees’ May 22 game. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
It was exactly what the Yankees wanted to see from Cole.
He started off with a 96-mph four-seam fastball to Chandler Simpson before the speedster poked a single over shortstop to lead off the game.
A walk to Junior Caminero put the Yankees and Cole in a dangerous spot, but Cole got Simpson leaning off second and got him caught in a rundown for the second out before the right-hander struck out Yandy Diaz looking to end the inning.
The right-hander, who was initially expected to make one more minor league rehab start before his return to the Yankees rotation, was certainly major-league ready.
After allowing a leadoff walk in the second, Cole retired the next 10 batters he faced before Cedric Mullins’ one-out single in the fifth.
And he threw hard throughout the outing, consistently hitting 96-plus and topping out at 98.6 mph before Boone went to the bullpen with the Yankees leading, 1-0.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 20: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs plays defense on Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game during Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was considered a top-two defender in the NBA. He only trailed San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year, for the most total votes by 10, 200-190.
The pair of ‘cream of the crop’ shot blockers are going head-to-head in the Western Conference Finals as you read this. They have disliked each other since the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Riga, Latvia, when USA’s Holmgren won the gold medal over France’s Wembanyama. Holmgren won the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team.
The lanky challenger at the rim is coming off an NBA All-Star appearance for the first time in his career. He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship, becoming only the fourth Zag to win an NBA title last summer (Los Angeles Lakers’ Adam Morrison in 2009 and 2010, Miami Heat’s Ronny Turiaf in 2012, and San Antonio Spurs’ Austin Daye in 2014).
Through 69 starts for the Thunder, the 7-1 talent averaged 17.1 points on a shooting split of 55.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent on three-pointers, and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. His 8.9 rebounds per game rank tied for No. 11 in the NBA, while his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for No. 2. Most importantly, the world’s up-and-coming basketball star listed a defensive rating of 104.1.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder climbed out of a 15-point hole minutes into the game to beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 on Friday night and take a 2-1 lead in their series.
Jared McCain had 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, who sat out with left hamstring soreness.
Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23, including 15 points by Alex Caruso.
Victor Wembanyama had 24 points for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 20 and De’Aaron Fox had 15 in his series debut.
The Thunder have won two straight after the Spurs’ double-overtime victory in Game 1. Game 4 is Sunday. Fox (sprained right ankle) and Dylan Harper (right adductor soreness) were cleared to play 45 minutes prior to tipoff.
Fox’s return sparked a historic start.
The Spurs raced to a 15-0 lead, the longest run to open a game in the conference finals since the play-by-play era began in 1997.
Fox opened the run by wrapping in a driving layup and Wembanyama followed by crossing over Isaiah Hartenstein to drill a 3-pointer. Vassell’s 3-pointer put the Spurs up 10-0, leading to an early timeout by Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
Hartenstein broke the drought with a runner over Wembanyama, but the center was immediately greeted with thunderous boos after his physical play against the Spurs in Game 2.
The Thunder went on a 13-2 run when Wembanyama went to the bench and closed the first quarter trailing 31-26.
It was a pattern the Spurs could not overcome.
The series continued to be chippy with emotions boiling over early in the second half. Stephon Castle hit the court on back-to-back dunk attempts. The second resulted in a flagrant 1 foul against Ajay Mitchell and technical fouls on Mitchell and Vassell after the two exchanged words following the foul.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams extended Oklahoma City’s first lead to 35-31.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder climbed out of a 15-point hole minutes into the game to beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 on Friday night and take a 2-1 lead in their series.
Jared McCain had 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, who sat out with left hamstring soreness.
Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23, including 15 points by Alex Caruso.
Victor Wembanyama had 24 points for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 20 and De’Aaron Fox had 15 in his series debut.
The Thunder have won two straight after the Spurs’ double-overtime victory in Game 1. Game 4 is Sunday. Fox (sprained right ankle) and Dylan Harper (right adductor soreness) were cleared to play 45 minutes prior to tipoff.
Fox’s return sparked a historic start.
The Spurs raced to a 15-0 lead, the longest run to open a game in the conference finals since the play-by-play era began in 1997.
Fox opened the run by wrapping in a driving layup and Wembanyama followed by crossing over Isaiah Hartenstein to drill a 3-pointer. Vassell’s 3-pointer put the Spurs up 10-0, leading to an early timeout by Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
Hartenstein broke the drought with a runner over Wembanyama, but the center was immediately greeted with thunderous boos after his physical play against the Spurs in Game 2.
The Thunder went on a 13-2 run when Wembanyama went to the bench and closed the first quarter trailing 31-26.
It was a pattern the Spurs could not overcome.
The series continued to be chippy with emotions boiling over early in the second half. Stephon Castle hit the court on back-to-back dunk attempts. The second resulted in a flagrant 1 foul against Ajay Mitchell and technical fouls on Mitchell and Vassell after the two exchanged words following the foul.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams extended Oklahoma City’s first lead to 35-31.
Kendrick Perkins thinks this is all a LeBron James charade.
As rumors swirl about what the future holds for James, Perkins said on ESPN’s “sports talk show “First Take,” that the 41-year-old Lakers star already knows what his next move will be.
“Look I’ve been knowing LeBron all my life. He moves like the president,” said Perkins, who teamed briefly with James on the Cavaliers in 2015.
Kendrick Perkins shared his thoughts on LeBron James’ free agency. NBAE via Getty Images
“He already has a plan in place. He knows what he’s doing. He knows what his next move is.”
As the NBA Finals approach, one of the biggest topics of the offseason has been whether or not James will retire, play for another team or sign up for another season in Los Angeles.
James hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down after averaging 21 points and 6.1 rebounds as the Lakers were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Thunder.
James, himself, said on his “Mind the Game” podcast this week that his decision is coming sooner than later following a family vacation scheduled to begin this Memorial Day weekend.
LeBron James is mulling his NBA future AP
"We took the bait. He threw his fishing pole out there… He caught the attention that he wanted." @KendrickPerkins on LeBron James talking about his future in the NBA pic.twitter.com/3goY2eI23L
Perkins however, thinks the decision has long been made.
“He already knows that,” Perkins said. “Like this right here, was just throwing the bait out to get more national media attention real quick, to get people talking about it. And here we are talking about it again. He’s already got his plan.”
DENVER, CO - May 16: Colorado Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches in the first inning during a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 16, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies are better than they were a year ago.
That is true. It is also not especially comforting after the last two nights.
On Wednesday, the Rockies carried a one-run lead into the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers and lost 5-4. On Thursday, they wasted an impressive first career start from Zach Agnos in a 2-1 walk-off loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two games. The same frustrating result.
The season splits make the frustration easy to understand. Colorado is 5-14 in May and has been outscored 122-74 this month, so this has not all been heartbreak. They have had their doors blown off, too. But the pain comes from the games that were there to be won. The Rockies are 5-8 in one-run games, have blown 12 leads, and have four walk-off losses without a walk-off win of their own. Some nights get away early. The ones that stick are the ones they fail to finish.
After Thursday’s loss, Warren Schaeffer did not dress it up. Arizona executed. Colorado did not.
And, yes, that is pretty much it.
The Rockies did not lose because of bad luck, bad vibes, or some complicated baseball mystery. They lost because Arizona made the pitches and plays when it mattered, and the Rockies did not.
Tonight, the Rockies enter at 19-32 and get another chance against an Arizona team that comes in at 26-23 and has won five straight. Colorado is 1-3 against the Diamondbacks this season and has been outscored 21-12 in the series.
Taking the ball for Colorado is 36-year-old veteran righty Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之, who enters at 4-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Sugano is coming off his 150th career win in professional baseball after beating this same Arizona team in his last start. The Diamondbacks made Sugano work, but he kept the ball in the yard and gave Colorado a chance. He went 5.0 IP, allowing seven hits and two earned runs with two walks and one strikeout.
Sugano does not miss bats, and the underlying numbers are still flashing warning signs, including a .310 xBA, .589 xSLG, and 7.37 xERA. But he generally avoids walks, and when he keeps the ball in the park, the Rockies have been able to live with the contact.
On the mound for Arizona is 28-year-old right-hander Michael Soroka, who enters at 6-2 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. In his last outing, Soroka faced the Rockies at Coors Field and gave Arizona 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, two walks, and no home runs while striking out eight. Soroka threw 98 pitches and used a five-pitch mix, led by 38 slurves, 21 four-seam fastballs, and 19 cutters.
The slurve is the pitch that makes his arsenal work. He has thrown it 33.0% of the time this season, and it has produced a 36.9% whiff rate. The four-seamer has been more vulnerable, allowing a .349 batting average and a 47.8% hard-hit rate.
Against Soroka, the assignment is simple: do not let the slurve control the at-bat, and do not miss the fastball.
For Colorado, the rest of the formula is unforgiving: Sugano has to thread the needle, the defense has to be sharp, and the bullpen has to execute well enough to give the Rockies another chance to finish one.
The long-term project is still the long-term project. Nobody needs to pretend otherwise.
But even bad teams should want to win.
And after the last two nights, a win would feel awfully good.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Bryce Johnson #29 of the San Diego Padres hits a single during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on May 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Athletics (26-24) at San Diego Padres (29-20), May 22, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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Derrick White reaches in to try to steal the ball from Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham during a game at TD Garden. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Derrick White is officially a member of the All-Defensive first team for the first time in his career.
The Celtics guard, who made the second team in 2022-23 and 2023-24, joined Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson and Rudy Gobert on this year’s top squad.
He received 58 first-team votes and 30 second-team votes, edging out Toronto’s Scottie Barnes by 18 points to claim the final spot.
White, 31, led all guards in the NBA with 1.3 blocks per game, racking up the most in a season (98) since Dwyane Wade in 2008-09. The 6-foot-4-inch White also added 1.1 steals per night and stabilized a unit that allowed the fewest points per game (107.2) in the NBA.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team.
With Jayson Tatum out for most of the season, and Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet all heading elsewhere, White embraced even more responsibility and handled the additional spotlight well.
Neemias Queta received one first-place vote and six second-place votes to finish 19th overall with 8 points. Jaylen Brown was right behind him with two first-place votes and three second-place votes for 7 points.
Jul 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
