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Washington Nationals vs Cleveland Guardians Game Thread

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 26: Andrés Chaparro #87 and Curtis Mead #45 of the Washington Nationals celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nationals defeated the Guardians 6-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After another highly impressive performance, the Nats are now two games over .500. They will finish off their road trip this afternoon in Cleveland, and finally get an off day afterwards. While the Nats have been outstanding this season, they only have one sweep. The boys will look to change that today.

With a righty back on the mound for the Guardians, the Nats are making a few changes. Luis Garcia Jr. will be back in the lineup at first base. Curtis Mead looks to be a full time player now, getting another start at third. Jorbit Vivas will start at second over Nasim Nunez. Jose Tena will be back at DH, which slides Daylen Lile to left and James Wood to right. Dylan Crews will get the day off today. Drew Millas will be doing the catching in this one. PJ Poulin will open again, and Miles Mikolas will follow. It should be all hands on deck with a fresh bullpen and an off day.

The Guardians are changing some things up too. Jose Ramirez will be at DH. That will move Daniel Schneemann from center field to third base. Steven Kwan will go back to center field. Back up catcher Austin Hedges will get his first start of the series. Gavin Williams has been outstanding for the Guardians this year and will hope to give Cleveland length after their first two starters got lit up.

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Game Info:

Stadium: Progressive Field

Time: 1:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This road trip against two first place teams has already been outstanding. Getting the sweep today would be the cherry on top. The bullpen should be involved heavily today given their lack of usage lately and the off day tomorrow. Blake Butera should go all in for the sweep. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

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NHL Insider Provides Update On Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers Goaltending Situation

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Florida Panthers heading into the summer is their goaltending.

Or perhaps, it’s their lack thereof.

As of now, the Panthers do not have any NHL goaltenders under contract for next season.

Longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 following the expiration of the seven-year, $70 million deal he signed with Florida back in 2019.

Bobrovsky, who will be 38 years old on Opening Night later this year, is reportedly still looking for a reasonably-sized payday and a deal that will have some term attached to it.

Considering his age,v those could be fairly big asks, but he’s also been arguably the best playoff goaltender over the past several seasons and has a pair of Stanley Cup wins under his belt to go along with the well-earned reputation.

Ideally, Bobrovsky and the Panthers will negotiate their way to something that both sides can live with, but the vibe over the past several weeks is that the two sides are not close.

On Tuesday, NHL Insider David Pagnotta joined NHL Network’s Erika Watcher, and the latter asked for an update on Bob in Florida.

“He wants to stay in Florida, I think that’s the preference,” Pagnotta said. “He wants to stay there but he also wants term, by every indication.”

Pagnotta mentioned the six-year, $31.5 million deal Florida signed a then-37-year-old Brad Marchand to last summer as something Bobrovsky may be looking at the Panthers to offer, with more money spread out over a longer-term deal.

The two sides have been discussing a contract extension for several months, Pagnotta said, which is why Borbovsky’s name came up around the Trade Deadline.

That outside interest in Bobrovsky remains there, but how far those potential discussions go will depend on how things shake out with the Panthers.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes to July 1, to at least understand what the proper appetite is out there for his services,” Pagnotta said. “But again, his priority would be to stay in Florida. I think the Panthers certainly would like to keep him, but at the same time, they’re going to do their due diligence as well, and look to see what other options might be available if Bob leaves.”

Those options could include a pair of veteran goaltenders that could be available via trade this summer in Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.

“One guy, I think, on (Florida’s) radar is St. Louis’s Jordan Binnington, who is going to be entering the final year of his contract,” Pagnotta said. “Again, the priority is to keep Bob, but Florida is going to look at their options if that’s not the case.”

Binnington has one year remaining on his current deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $6 million while Hellebuyck has five years left on his contract that carries an AAV of $8.5 million.

Florida is estimated to have around $15.2 million in cap space to work with this summer, according to PuckPedia.

We still have about a month until the NHL Draft, which takes place on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo and will be followed by the start of free agency on July 1.

It should be a fun and interesting time between now and then as we keep track of all the chatter regarding potential player signings and movement while simultaneously enjoying the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Photo caption: Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks on against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)

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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani still set to start after getting hit on hand by a pitch against the Rockies

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani was hit on the right hand by a pitch and left the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies.

The two-way superstar was struck by Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in the fourth. Ohtani left after grounding out in the fifth. He was 0 for 2 with a run scored in the team’s 16-5 win.

Manager Dave Roberts said the ball mostly hit the pad on Ohtani’s hand before clipping his pinkie finger.

“We’re in a good spot,” he said, adding that given the Dodgers’ big lead he wanted Ohtani to rest ahead of his scheduled mound start in the series finale.

“I haven’t decided yet if he’s going to hit,” Roberts said. “I just want to kind of make sure how he comes in and physically how he feels because I want to make sure he feels really good on the pitching side of things.”

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Yankees get 2 hits from every starter for the first time in franchise history in 15-1 rout of Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone watched the hits begin to pile up on the massive, crown-shaped scoreboard beyond the centerfield wall at Kauffman Stadium, and he knew that his team was doing something impressive against the Kansas City Royals.

He didn’t know until afterward that it was something historic.

Yes, there were six home runs, including two from Amed Rosario. And the Yankees put up 24 hits in the 15-1 romp, their most since a game against Baltimore in July 2011. But what set the performance apart from all others — including all those games played by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle — was this simple fact: For the first time in their storied history, the Yankees got at least two hits from every single player in their starting lineup.

“I did see all the hits on the board,” Boone said afterward, “and I was like, ‘Man, you don’t see that very often.’”

The Yankees had the benefit of facing the Royals on a designated bullpen day. Struggling reliever Bailey Falter was first on the mound, and he allowed as many hits (seven) as he record outs. Luinder Avila wasn’t a whole lot better when he replaced him.

The last of the hits came against outfielder Tyler Tolbert, who threw a steady diet of 44 mph pitches to get through the ninth inning.

Yet that doesn’t take away from one of the impressive hitting performances in Yankees history. Their hit total tied for their eighth-most ever, and the 24 hits were their most in a road game since Aug. 31, 1974, in a game against the White Sox.

The six homers were the most by a team in the majors this season.

“The performance they put up today,” Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler said, “that was awesome to watch.”

The barrage began with Cody Bellinger’s second homer in as many days, a two-out shot in the first. But it really gained steam after Paul Goldschmidt’s double, when Ben Rice hit a sinking liner to right field that Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone lazily grabbed at grass level. Boone challenged the out call, and a review confirmed that the ball had touched the ground for an RBI single.

Rosario came to the plate next and belted a two-run homer an estimated 420 feet to left field.

Anthony Volpe added his first homer of the season in the second inning, and the Yankees piled on four more runs on a steady stream of singles in the third. Aaron Judge provided an RBI double in the fifth, Trent Grisham went deep in the seventh, Jazz Chisholm Jr. — the last of the starters to get two hits — homered in the eighth and Rosario hit his second of the game in the ninth.

He sheepishly admitted that he was just trying not to strike out against Tolbert’s languid lobs to the plate.

“It feels good to be part of history,” Rosario said through a translator. “It’s a team effort and being part of it is great.”

The Yankees now have hit 82 home runs this season, by far the most in the majors. The Royals, by comparison, have hit 51, including the solo homer that Bobby Witt Jr. hit in the third inning for their only run of the entire game.

Meanwhile, the 24 hits that the Royals allowed were the fourth-most in a game in franchise history. Rosario finished with four hits while Grisham, Rice, Volpe and Austin Wells had three apiece. The rest of the starters each had two.

“Look,” Boone said with a smile, “as hard as hitting is — as hard as it is now, night-in and night-out — to have a day where everyone, you know, can fatten up a little bit, it’s good.”

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Former Rangers' Coach John Tortorella Propels Golden Knights To Stanley Cup Final

Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Rob Gray-Imagn Images

One of the best stories of the spring has been John Tortorella. Seemingly from out of nowhere he was summoned to fix the falling apart Vegas Golden Knights.

Torts proved that he still has the Golden Touch. 

Poof! Just like that the Knights rolled through, one, two rounds and then the real test arrived and Vegas celebrated three out of three wins going into last night's epic encounter with Colorado.

The result was – shall I say – redundant; a 2-1 and an un-real four-game sweep of the series.

What matters now is up for conjecture but the much is certain. Torts has emerged as the hottest personality in The Game – AND HIS VEGAS CONTRACT ENDS THIS SPRING.

Granted, the likelihood is that he'll wind up with a cushy multi-year deal – BUT.

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Esmerlyn Valdez off to a promising start for Pirates

May 26, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) gestures as he circles the bases on a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense caught fire Tuesday night after a 12-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. One of the bigger storylines from that game is rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hitting his second home run of the season in just his fourth game played.

Valdez hit his first home run of his Major League career against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday night. The 22-year-old has now hit home runs in back to back games played since he did not play on Monday. He also has 5 RBIs so far on the season.  

Valdez has 12 at bats so far in his Major League career with two hits, both of those hits are home runs. The rookie has found his power which is a great sign for the Bucs especially with the injury of Ryan O’’hearn. 

The power has been great for Valdez but he has struggled with strike outs so far. In four games played he has struck out seven times including twice in Tuesday night’s games. There is also a concern about having no hits outside of those home runs. Consistency is important and although the power is great you want to see him get on base some more and get some more hits. 

This is a very promising start for Valdez and for the players on the Buccos. With Konnor Griffin playing well too the future is very bright in Pittsburgh. Although he played really well in the Minors, Valdez was only called up because of the Ryan O’hearn injury but if he continues to play and hit well then there might be a spot on this team. 

The Pirates have now won three games in a row including winning the first two games of a four-game series against the Cubs. That is massive news because the Bucs were just 3-10 vs Chicago last year, and they already have four wins this year. Pittsburgh has two more games in this series against the Cubs with Bubba Chandler and Paul Skenes set to pitch. 

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The Short Porch finds a silver lining for Moisés Ballesteros

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Cubs baseball. Those two 10-game winning streaks feel like they were a long time ago as the Cubs dropped their 10th game in a row Tuesday night, falling 12-1 against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. It’s honestly an impressive amount of variance in their streakiness. The Cubs are in uncharted territory:

There’s a lot of offensive blame to go around, but today I wanted to focus on the hitting fortunes of one player in particular: Moisés Ballesteros. Ballesteros started off the season red hot with a .338/.392/.620 slashline, including five home runs en route to a 183 wRC+ through his first 79 plate appearances in March and April. That’s cooled off considerably with the rookie hitting just .100/.200/.160 with just one home run and a wRC+ of 18 through 59 May plate appearances. Today, let’s take a closer look at Ballesteros’ struggles at the plate, because the real hitter is probably somewhere between these two extremes.

The good news is this snapshot of Ballesteros’ skills and expected results is pretty positive for the young hitter. It would be nice if the Chase % and Whiff % were a little lower (more on that in a second) but the underlying metrics, including a 90th percentile Hard Hit %, an 11.7% Barrel %, an above league average K% of 18.7% and a similarly above average BB% of 11.2% are all pieces to build and hope on for Cubs fans, so what changed in May?

The below charts make a pretty compelling case that at least in the last 15 games or so, it’s just bad BABIP luck, first up Ballesteros’ 15-game rolling wOBA, BABIP and Hard Hit %:

This is far and away the closest correlation of three stats, but the Hard Hit rate has recovered in the last 15 games or so and nothing tracks closer to Ballesteros’ actual wOBA than his BABIP. That’s going to be a running trend in these charts. As a reminder, wOBA is a fancy on-base percentage that gives you more credit for extra base hits and BABIP measures your batting average on balls in play, literally, was it a hit or not. BABIPs tend to coalesce around a mean, but that mean is different for different players. Ballesteros currently has a pretty limited sample for his MLB BABIP, last season he ran a hot .349 through 66 plate appearances. He’s currently sitting at a .256 through 138 plate appearances. For reference, during his last two full seasons in MiLB he ran BABIPs of .323 and .315 through full season samples.

So that .256 is quite unlucky relative to Ballesteros’ previous results and it’s not being driven by hard hit rate, at least not recently. What about ground ball rate?

Adding ground ball rate to the equation helps us understand a bit of the problem, it’s inversely correlated to Ballesteros’ recent results, although it’s a little all over the place early in the season. A number worth keeping an eye on for sure, although maybe not as closely tied to Ballesteros’ overall results as his hard hit rate is.

Last, but certainly not least,

Last, but certainly not least, we can look at that wOBA and BABIP result correlated with Ballesteros’ strikeout rate. Again, like with his ground ball rate, we can see that when Ballesteros is striking out more, he’s getting worse results.

In the last month, Ballesteros’ BABIP luck has been pretty bad. That appears to be correlated with both an increased strikeout rate and an increased ground ball rate. So I wanted to see if there were possible explanations for either, and as you can see below Ballesteros is seeing a few more breaking pitches as the season progresses. It looks like an adjustment the league is making to him, he’ll need to adjust back:

The silver lining is that we may already be seeing Ballesteros adjust, just without the results yet. Check out his last 10-games of work (minus yesterday, which did have some weak contact and two strikeouts):

That’s a lot of hard contact along with more walks that strikeouts. Critically, it’s also a lot of hard contact in the air (admittedly sometimes too high in the air, but in the air).

It’s going to be a season of adjustments for Ballesteros, but I’m cautiously optimistic the young hitter is in the process of figuring out this most recent adjustment. His BABIP in May has been .114, that screams positive regression on the horizon.

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McCullum vows to keep ‘firm grip’ on England players after ‘mistakes’ in winter tours

  • Head coach ‘confident our best cricket is in front of us’

  • Issues with alcohol among tourists due to ‘distractions’

Brendon McCullum has promised to use “a firm grip” to eradicate issues with alcohol and attitude among the England squad, admitting that “there were some mistakes made” by his players during last winter’s tours of New Zealand and Australia.

In his first interview since returning to England for the start of the international summer, with the first Test against New Zealand starting at Lord’s next Thursday, McCullum conceded that his team had proved unable to handle the pressure of an away Ashes series.

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Royals designate Bailey Falter for assignment

Aug 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Bailey Falter (36) on the mound against the Boston Red Sox in the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

After a blowout on Tuesday, the Royals announced that starting pitcher Bailey Falter has been designated for assignment. Falter gave up seven runs to the Yankees, recording just seven outs. Mason Black was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Falter appeared in five games this year, giving up 15 runs in 9.2 innings for a 13.97 ERA.

The Royals acquired Falter last summer from the Pirates for first baseman Callan Moss and pitcher Evan Sisk. Falter had been a useful pitcher for Pittsburgh in 2025, with a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts, but a low strikeout rate and a 4.91 FIP suggested perhaps he had been a bit lucky. He gave up 15 runs in 12 innings with the Royals before they shut him down in August with a bicep contusion.

The Royals decided to bring Falter back on a one-year, $3.6 million deal, hoping he could help provide some rotation depth. He gave up five runs in 3.1 innings over his first two starts before the team put him on the Injured List with elbow inflammation. He returned in mid-May, and was used for a spot start last week against Boston as the Royals suffered injuries to their starting rotation. He was called on to start again for the Royals on Tuesday, but immediately ran into trouble, giving up three home runs.

After the game, Falter seemed displeased with being asked to start on short notice.

“I’ve been in the bullpen the past few days, been trying to do my bullpen routine,” Falter said. “Trying to stay ready, just in case I do get in the game. And then just another last-minute start. Kind of just throws a whole wrench in the plan.”

Falter ends his Royals career with the third-highest ERA in club history for anyone with at least ten innings. His contract is guaranteed, meaning the Royals are on the hook for the rest of his salary, unless he is claimed off waivers (minus the league minimum if he clears waivers and pitches for another MLB team).

Black was up earlier this year for the Royals and pitched 4.2 shutout innings over four games. The 26-year-old right-hander had a 6.53 ERA in 13 relief outings for Triple-A Omaha with 14 striekouts and 10 walks in 20.2 innings.

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Cubs All-Star Matthew Boyd is scheduled for the first of two rehab starts

PITTSBURGH — Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd is scheduled to make the first of what is expected to be two rehab starts for Triple-A Iowa, the team said.

Boyd has been on the injured list since May 4 with a torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery. He was injured when he sat down on the floor to play with his children.

Boyd is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA in five starts this season. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his 12-year career last season.

Boyd threw a 52-pitch simulated game prior to a 12-1 loss the Pirates.

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Game Thread #53: Milwaukee Brewers (32-20) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (29-24)

May 22, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chad Patrick (39) and catcher William Contreras (24) celebrate a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

After dropping two of three to the Dodgers, the Brewers enter today’s finale against the Cardinals with a chance to complete a sweep and end their six-game homestand on a high note. Chad Patrick will go for Milwaukee opposite Dustin May.

This is Patrick’s first start since May 4, although it’s probably more of a multiple-inning opener situation than a true start for the right-hander, who hasn’t thrown more than four innings since April. Here’s what Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy said about his role a couple weeks ago:

“We know he’s a multiple-inning guy, but this role that he’s in right now could be used at the front end for four innings, or in the middle of the game for three or four innings, or in that one-inning role,” Murphy said.

Patrick has been excellent since moving to the bullpen, allowing just three total hits over 9 2/3 shutout innings while striking out nine.

Dustin May is the opposite of Patrick in that he’s made it through six innings in six of his last eight appearances. May’s season-long numbers (5.00 ERA, 1.426 WHIP) don’t look great, but that’s largely because he got shelled in his first two outings of the season. Since then, he’s been remarkably consistent, limiting opponents to three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.

Christian Yelich is back in the leadoff spot after going 3-for-5 last night. In fact, today’s lineup is… exactly the same as yesterday’s, which is kind of funny for a team that started the season with 47 straight unique lineups. Joey Ortiz and Andrew Vaughn will both come off the bench for the second straight game.

Today’s first pitch is set for 12:40 p.m. As usual, you can catch the game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network.

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White Sox place Noah Schultz on 15-day IL, recall prospect David Sandlin from Triple-A

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox placed left-hander Noah Schultz on the 15-day injured list and recalled right-handed prospect David Sandlin from Triple-A Charlotte.

Schultz is dealing with patellar tendinitis in his right knee, something he said before Chicago’s game against Minnesota that has been “nagging” him for about a week.

“It’s just something that you want to catch before it gets worse,” said Schultz, who added that he tried playing through a similar injury last season.

The move to place Sandlin on the IL is retroactive after he allowed six runs and six hits in four innings in an 8-5 loss at San Francisco. Schultz is 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA this season in his first eight major league starts since being promoted on April 14.

Sandlin was 0-0 with a 0.75 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .200 against him in four starts with Charlotte this season.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound righty began the season on the injured list with a right forearm injury and was reinstated after two rehabilitation starts. Rated the No. 18 prospect in the White Sox’s system by MLB.com, Sandlin was acquired from Boston on Feb. 1 in a deal that also sent right-hander Jordan Hicks to Chicago for right-hander Gage Ziehl and a player to be named.

Sandlin was an 11th-round pick by Kansas City in the 2022 amateur draft out of the University of Oklahoma.

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Reds ace Hunter Greene throws first side session after elbow surgery

NEW YORK — Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene took another step in his rehab from elbow surgery when he threw 15 to 20 pitches during a side session at the club’s spring training facility in Arizona.

Greene, who was the Reds’ Opening Day starter in 2023 and 2025, had bone chips removed on March 11. Cincinnati expected him to be sidelined 14 to 16 weeks.

“It’s really kind of cool to see him throw a side,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He’s got some work to do.”

Francona said Greene and left-handed pitcher Brandon Williamson, who is on the 60-day injured list due to shoulder fatigue, will join the Reds for their six-game homestand before returning to Arizona to continue their rehab.

Right-handed starter Rhett Lowder, who hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to pain in his shoulder, threw long toss and is scheduled to throw to hitters.

Closer Emilio Pagán (strained left hamstring) and catcher Jose Trevino (left hamstring injury) are scheduled to get imaging. The imaging will provide the Reds an idea of how far along Pagán is in his recovery from the injury he suffered while pitching May 5. Francona said the testing for Trevino, who has been sidelined since May 17, will indicate how much activity he can handle.

“He’s kind of chomping at the bit to run,” Francona said.

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MLB Player Props & Best Bets for Today, May 27

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We've got another beautiful slate filled with plenty of great matchups for us to sink our teeth into with our MLB player props.

This afternoon, I will be diving into a few total bases props, while also sprinkling on home runs from guys like Aaron Judge, Brandon Lowe, and Julio Rodriguez.

Let's dig in with my full MLB picks for Wednesday, May 27.

Best MLB player props today

Player PickOdds
Pirates Brandon LoweOver 1.5 total bases-101
Mariners Julio RodriguezOver 1.5 total bases-114
Yankees Aaron JudgeOver 1.5 total bases-112

Brandon Lowe Over 1.5 total bases (-101)

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe is one of baseball's most reliable bats when carrying an elite rating on Batters-Box. 

Through 80 elite ratings, his trends have been outstanding:

  • 1+ hit: 80%
  • 2+ bases: 47.5%
  • Home run: 28.75%

Lowe has also surpassed 2+ bases in seven of his last elite ratings.

Tonight, he draws Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon, who brings poorly rated matchup numbers in ISO and strikeout percentage to the table. All season long, the veteran starter has allowed left-handed hitters to elevate the baseball, owning just a 25.6% ground ball rate, and over his last 60 left-handed hitters faced, that number still sits at just 28.6%.

Not to mention, those lefties are making 47.6% hard contact with a 19.1% barrel rate, while Taillon owns a 4.05 HR/9 during that span.

With Lowe seeing the ball extremely well lately, sporting a .310 ISO and 18.1% barrel rate, getting this prop near plus money is mouthwatering.

  • Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Marquee, SportsNet Pittsburgh

Julio Rodriguez Over 1.5 total bases (-114)

It may have been two years since the last time I placed a wager on Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, but today is a new day, and he finds himself in an all-time spot this evening against Athletics southpaw Jeffrey Springs.

The young star has been destroying lefties this season. Over his last 30 plate appearances against them, Rodriguez sports a .893 SLG, 1.326 OPS, and .560 wOBA, while making 54.5% hard contact with an 18.2% barrel rate.

On the other side, Springs has been getting torched by right-handed bats, carrying a 6.19 xERA and 4.98 xFIP over his last 60 batters faced, while allowing just a 32.6% ground ball rate and 2.92 HR/9. During that span, right-handed hitters own a .379 xBA, .692 xSLG, and .396 xwOBA against him.

Rodriguez also owns near 90% arsenal coverage against all of Springs’ offerings, so from top to bottom, this is a great spot for the young fella to have success at the dish.

I always mention that I am not a fan of paying juice for most props if I don't have to, but I think this spot is well worth it. At -114, this is a solid price for the matchup.

  • Time: 3:05 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Mariners.TV, NBC Sports California

Aaron Judge Over 1.5 total bases (-112)

Well, you can call me a liar, because I am piling on props that require laying some juice.

However, when it comes to New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, this is the norm. The reigning AL MVP enters with the third-highest matchup rating on the day over on Batters-Box. When elite, Judge holds some of the most appealing and trustworthy trends in baseball, especially because of the sample sizes.

In 160 elite ratings away from home, Judge records:

  • 1+ hit: 71.88%
  • 2+ hits: 33.31%
  • 2+ total bases: 49.38%
  • Home run: 30%

He has also surpassed 2+ bases in six of his last 10 elite ratings on the road.

This evening, he draws Kansas City Royals left-hander Noah Cameron, who brings poorly rated matchup numbers in strikeout percentage and ISO. Early this season, the southpaw has struggled against right-handed hitters, allowing 45.9% hard contact with a 10.1% barrel rate, while opposing hitters are elevating the baseball 67.9% of the time.

Despite the sluggish start against left-handed pitching this season, Judge is still making 57.6% hard contact with a 21.2% barrel rate against southpaws. This matchup is simply too juicy to pass up.

Be sure to sprinkle his home run prop as well for a little added fun.

  • Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Royals.TV
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
  • Prop picks: 160-282-26, +1.8 units

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Pacific Pillow Fight? Golden Knights Laugh Their Way Back To The Final

The Pacific Division spent most of the season getting treated like the NHL’s weak link.

Too many flawed teams, with too little consistency, and not enough eventful hockey night-to-night.  It was a division where nobody really grabbed control, and 95 points was enough to finish first.

So naturally, the Vegas Golden Knights are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final.

That's a slap in the face for everyone who spent the year clowning the Pacific—most NHL reporters included—because while the division absolutely deserved criticism at times, Vegas has once again shown that regular-season perception doesn’t always mean much once playoff hockey starts. 

And honestly, they haven’t even looked dominant doing it.

This isn’t the same Golden Knights team that rolled through the league a few years ago. They looked weak for long stretches this season. Older in some areas, less dynamic offensively, and plenty of nights where they just looked slow. Nights where they absolutely looked beatable.

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But they also looked organized, experienced, and completely comfortable playing ugly hockey.

Meanwhile, the supposedly terrifying Colorado Avalanche suddenly don’t look so terrifying anymore. Injuries have piled up, and the depth scoring hasn’t consistently shown up. And when the series tightened, Vegas dragged Colorado into the low-event, grinding hockey the Avalanche clearly didn’t want to play.

The Golden Knights don’t really care how a game looks as long as they control the pace of it. They’re fine winning 2-1. Fine sitting on leads. Fine cycling pucks low and waiting for mistakes. There’s nothing flashy about it, which is probably why people keep underrating them until they’re suddenly four wins from the cup again.

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Still, it’s hard not to look at the bigger picture here and laugh a little at how the Western Conference broke this year.

The Pacific was called a "pillow fight" because, frankly, it often looked like one. The Edmonton Oilers couldn’t defend consistently enough. The Los Angeles Kings felt stuck in the middle. The Vancouver Canucks hit rock bottom (literally). There wasn’t a true powerhouse sitting at the top, intimidating everybody else.

Vegas won the division mostly because somebody had to.

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And now that same team is rolling through a Colorado team that many thought was the best in hockey.

That doesn’t suddenly make the Pacific a powerhouse of enviable contenders. If anything, it says more about playoff hockey than the division itself. Once the postseason starts, systems tighten up, whistles disappear, and games become less about talent accumulation and more about execution.

Vegas executes.

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They don’t beat themselves very often. Their defense stays compact. Their forwards stay above pucks. Their goaltending has held up. And unlike some teams built heavily around offence, the Golden Knights don’t seem bothered when games slow down.

Colorado, on the other hand, looked increasingly frustrated the longer the series went on. The speed and skill were still there occasionally, but the room to use it disappeared quickly. Vegas turned games into trench warfare, and the Avalanche never fully adjusted.

And maybe that’s the most annoying thing about Vegas if you’re the rest of the conference. They rarely feel overwhelming, but they almost always feel composed. Even when they’re not playing especially well, they stay within themselves long enough for the other team to make mistakes first.

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That’s not exciting hockey. It’s effective hockey.

So yes, the Pacific may still deserve the “pillow fight” label based on the regular season. The standings were messy. The consistency wasn’t there. Nobody looked particularly dominant for six straight months.

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But if Vegas ends up with another Stanley Cup, nobody’s going to care how pretty the division looked in January.

They’re just going to care who came out of it.

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