Category: Sports News

The Kansas City Royals’ plan for playing slugger Jac Caglianone has been a point of frustration for Royals fans. The Kansas City Star provided insights into the team’s methodology.

But Quatraro and general manager J.J. Picollo see his playing time as part of a broader and more intricate matrix. And you can’t say their thinking isn’t reasonable and measured — even if you’d rather they not douse the buzz that way.

Partly, it’s about their view of Caglianone as a work in progress. Partly it’s about Quatraro’s desire to keep the bench sharp when called upon. And, most of all, it’s about what they believe creates the best chance to win on any given day. Trying to usher along Caglianone and simultaneously seeking to seize the day don’t have to be mutually exclusive, of course — a topic in itself for another time.

But it’s also true that the Royals haven’t exactly muzzled Caglianone, who on Monday at Kauffman Stadium started for the 37th time in 48 games this season, and whom Quatraro noted is on pace for 500-plus plate appearances.

When I put that point to Picollo, he said “Actually, I’ll correct you: He’s on pace for a little bit more than that.”

Royals second baseman Michael Massey talks about a close play at the plate against the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

“That was a tough one,” Massey acknowledged. “I actually just went and looked at the play with Duper (replay coordinator Bill Duplissea), and I was running and I had the lane toward the catcher, which is where I was going to go, and then the throw — he did a good job as a catcher, he followed the rule and he gave me the lane — the throw led him in there, so he was allowed to kind of cover the plate to go get the ball. “But it was last second, so he kind of covered the lane I was going for, and then I either had two options. Either I truck him or dodge to the left and try to score, and in that split second. I just tried to make a juke move, and get my hand in there. But yeah, you know, so it was a legal play by him and just a tough break.”

Don’t worry, the Royals know they have issues in the middle of the lineup. Now, only if they would do something about it.

But the biggest talking point surrounding the Royals this season is the lack of production from the middle of the order. Vinnie Pasquantino has a .198/.279/.331 slash line this year, while Salvador Perez has a .201/.244/.346 line. No one in the American League has more plate appearances (54) with runners in scoring position than Pasquantino; his .434 OPS in those situations are fourth-worst in the AL among qualified players.

“Let’s face it: We’ve got our No. 3 and 4 hitters that are struggling right now,” general manager J.J. Picollo said pregame Monday. “They know how valuable they are to the team. What we have to keep reminding them is how important to the team [they are]. Just because you’ve had a tough start doesn’t mean that’s how you’re going to finish.

“… We have a lot of history to lean on with those two. We know that they’re run producers. And they will be run producers. It’s just a matter of when, and that’s why we need to keep running them out there, because they’ve done it before at this level.”

Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and home plate umpire Laz Diaz had some fun on Monday after Perez successfully challenged two of Diaz’s calls.

pic.twitter.com/pn1RwpreXa

— Foul Territory (@bsbls885) May 19, 2026

ConnectKC26, the bus system in Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is coming to Kauffman Stadium.

What can the Royals do about their road woes, according to Royals Keep?

So where do the Royals go from here? There are a few options that the Royals could go with. The first, and the one that seems the most likely, is to keep things where they are and just trust that the players you have now will improve over the course of the season. This plan has a better chance of not working than working, but the roster is what it is, and the fans will have to put up with it for the foreseeable future.

Another option is to make some moves at the deadline. JJ Piccolo can use some of the pitching depth he has at his disposal and trade it for a reliable bat who excels in driving in runs or more bullpen arms. The third, and most drastic option, is to blow it all up and trade players who could give you the most value (Wacha, Ragans, Witt, Kyle Isbel, etc.) This option would make more sense if the woes for the Royals were to continue, but we’re still in May, so the chances of this happening are slim to none. However, there is a lot of value you could get by making big trades like this. Hopefully, the Royals won’t get to that point and that this team will improve as the season goes on, but only time will tell.

Also, they look at whether Royals outfielder Starling Marte deserves more plate appearances and how he could cut into Issac Collins’ playing time.

I’m not saying Marte should completely replace Collins. However, once a week seems sufficient, especially since Collins can be very hot and cold at times at the plate. He is hitting .130 with a .174 slugging percentage in his last 24 at-bats. The former Brewers outfielder could use a day off, with Marte taking his place in the lineup and in left field.

It’s not a major change, which is what the Royals need, especially with Vinnie and Salvy not looking dramatically better at the plate lately. Kansas City needs an impact hitter, and that likely will have to come through the trade market.

That said, the Royals need all the positive production they can get on their active roster, especially since it’s too early to make a trade.

Quatraro might as well roll the dice and see what else Marte has left in the tank, especially against right-handed starting pitchers.

The Royals check in at 24th in Jim Bowden’s performance ranking, including looking at where the team stands on the trade market.

The Royals have also disappointed this season. They are in the bottom third of the league in team ERA and runs scored. Led by Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha, the rotation has been mostly solid, but Cole Ragans has battled injuries and hasn’t gotten back to that 2024 version of himself and Noah Cameron has really struggled. Though Lucas Erceg and Daniel Lynch have been effective in the back-half of the Royals’ bullpen, they’ve been without closer Carlos Estévez for most of the year, which has thinned their depth.

Offensively, they’re led by the best shortstop in the game in Bobby Witt Jr. but the rest of their core — Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone — have all under-achieved.

Trade deadline position: Wait and see. Like the Tigers, I think the Royals will get back in the race for the AL Central, so there’s no need to panic early with this team. If things go south, they could dangle both Lugo and Wacha at the deadline. If they buy, help at second base, the outfield and bullpen are the three biggest needs.

Kansas City drops to 26th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings.

Wish you were here: World Baseball Classic Vinnie Pasquantino

A lot can happen in 70 days. Back then, Pasquantino was crushing espresso shots and leading Team Italy on a Cinderella run through this year’s World Baseball Classic. His three homers in one game were a WBC first, and he finished with a .970 OPS and more walks (7) than strikeouts (5), giving Royals fans outsized hope that he could carry that production into the season. So much for that. Pasquantino has a 74 wRC+ on the year, with just five homers in 45 games. His batted-ball data is worse than 2025, so he’s not entirely unlucky. Perhaps the Royals should pry back the espresso machine from the winning bidder. — Flores

The Washington Post is asking the same question every Royals fan is, and the organization fails to answer.

The Miami Marlins’ unusual processes are starting to show undeniable results.

ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle takes a temperature check of the ABS system through the early part of 2026.

The Minnesota Twins demoted Royce Lewis, a former top overall pick, to the minors.

The Athletic has some scouting reports on newly promoted players or prospects to keep tabs on.

Hear from the teenage umpire in this viral baseball video.

The early season results are not going well for Boston Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.

The New York Knicks’ playoff run is valuable to the fanbase, but even more so to Madison Square Garden.

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is heading to jail for violating his probation.

Super Bowl LXIV, the 2030 iteration, is heading to Nashville.

Lance Brozdowski takes a look at pitchers around the league, including San Francisco Giants’ Robbi Ray hitting the dreaded wall.

Nate Silver reflects on ABC’s scrubbing and total loss of FiveThirtyEight.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Monarchs for winning their home opener! If you are looking for more baseball to watch for free, you can watch their games and the whole league’s here.

Texas Roadhouse is about to get even pricier.

The graduation rate in Kansas City Public Schools is on the rise.

Today’s song of the day is Nothing What It Seems by Tyler Nance and Jackson Dean.

For the last seven years, Colorado Rockies baseball has been many things, but “boring” rarely made the list.

Instead, we were treated to a chaotic roller coaster. They didn’t just lose games: They lost them in spectacular, historic fashion. They had public front-office feuds, bullpen implosions that defied the laws of physics, and forced us all to hear way too much about teams like the 1895 Louisville Colonels, which featured players named Tug Welch and Ducky Holmes. Every week brought new, creative ways to raise your blood pressure.

It was stressful. It was exhausting. It was a 162-game existential crisis wrapped in a baseball uniform.

On the other, hand the 2026 Rockies are, for lack of better words, kind of boring.

But before you mistake that for a complaint, let me clarify: Being boring is the best thing to happen to this team in years.

The comforts of being boring

The first month of the season for the new-look Rockies was fairly exciting. After losing 119 games in 2025, the Rockies came out playing a much-improved brand of baseball with a new lineup and pitching staff. They reached milestones in the win column that hadn’t been reached until the mid-June last season. The pitching was better, the offense was kind of shaky, but overall it was more interesting.

However, things have predictably regressed in May. The Rockies have lost quite a few games as pitching has struggled, and the offense has tried to fight off slumps. Still, things are nowhere near as bad as they were in 2025 and the team has , generally, played competitive ball.

The defense is making the routine plays. The pitching staff is eating innings without setting the world on fire. The offense isn’t exploding for 15 runs, but they aren’t getting shut out by a guy making his MLB debut, either.

There is also very little roster turnover. Fans are always quick to pull the rip cord on a struggling player, but a difference this season is that the team is not being reactive. Moves are being based on need rather than desperation. A significant indication of this fact is that the team has utilized just two rookies this season.

Boring means stability.

A toxic, high-drama losing environment is a terrible place to develop young talent. When a franchise is a walking dumpster fire, every mistake a rookie makes gets magnified under a microscope of organizational panic. Young players press, they try to do too much, and their development stalls out under the weight of a broken culture.

But in a boring environment? A young player can strike out with runners on, go back to the dugout, look at the tablet, and figure it out without feeling like they just ruined the season. The pressure is lowered because the baseline is stable. Both young and experienced players are allowed to make their routine adjustments quietly, tucked away in the middle of a functional lineup, rather than being asked to be savior-of-the-franchise figures.

It’s understandable to want winning baseball — that’s what we all want — but 2026 is all about the climb.

The Rockies have barely started up the trail, and there is growth happening. The big-league team is learning how to compete and win at the big-league level. The organization is figuring out how to win from top to bottom and implement systems that will reap benefits. There is comfort knowing there is a plan behind the rebuild, and boring baseball that isn’t historic for all the wrong reasons is a major step forward.

The Minor League excitement

If you are longing for excitement from Rockies baseball, the farm system may have what you’re looking for.

The Albuquerque Isotopes have played much better baseball this season. There is a healthy blend of external players that were brought for leadership and depth purposes and top prospects that are finding their footing. The Isotopes are putting patience at the plate into practice, which is what the organization is hoping to instill across the system. The Rockies are letting prospects get sufficient time to be ready to face big-league pitching.

There is also excitement to be found in the lower levels with teams like the Fresno Grizzlies. Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) and Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) are bringing plenty of flair to the offense, and there are plenty of quality pitching performances. Fresno is playing some of the best ball in the system, and it’s a testament to the changes bubbling under the surface for Colorado.

The minors represents baseball in its purest form, and it’s exciting because you get to watch growth in real time and development for the future of the big-league club.

Lowering the bar to raise the floor

Look, I’m not trying to convince you that this is a secret powerhouse hiding in plain sight. The National League West is still a buzzsaw, and nobody is printing playoff tickets in Denver just yet.

But there is a distinct beauty in a team that stops beating itself.

For years, watching the Rockies felt like watching someone try to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions while the house was on fire. Right now, it feels like they’ve finally found the Allen wrench. They are executing the boring plays, minimizing the catastrophic mistakes, and staying competitive.

In the grand scheme of a long season, boring means stability. It means we can watch a game on any given night and actually enjoy the baseball, rather than treating it like a psychological endurance test. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

The Rockies don’t have to be great right now. They just have to be enjoyable or, at the very least, serviceable.

Before you can become good, you first have to stop being a disaster. You have to raise the floor.

By becoming boring, the Rockies have finally stopped beating themselves. They have replaced the chaotic, unpredictable lurches from crisis to crisis with something resembling a standard Major League baseball operation.

It just feels like baseball. And after everything this fanbase has been through over the last few years, I will take a boring weeknight win, or even a boring loss, every single time.

On the farm

Triple-A:Las Vegas Aviators 16, Albuquerque Isotopes 8

A disastrous seventh inning that saw Las Vegas score eight runs ended up playing the difference in the Isotopes 16-8 loss. Sean Sullivan started on the mound and struggled through his 4.2 innings of work, allowing seven runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts. The seventh inning fell apart for Victor Juarez, but only three runs were earned as the Isotopes committed five total errors on the night. Offensively, Chad Stevens led the way with two hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Charlie Condon also had a much-needed multi-hit game, while Andrew Knizner also had two hits and drove in three runs.

Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4, Hartford Yard Goats 3 F/10

The Yard Goats held on to a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Fisher Cats managed to tie things up and eventually put up a two-spot in the bottom of the 10th for a walk-off victory. Ryan Feltner made the rehab start on the mound for Hartford and delivered 3.2 innings of work, allowing just three hits while striking out four. Offensively, the team had eight hits, with Braylen Wimmer knocking a pair of doubles.

High-A:Spokane Indians 9, Vancouver Canadians 2

Spokane rode a six-run bottom of the seventh inning, aided by a two-run eighth, to victory as they tallied 10 hits against Vancouver. Eight players had at least one hit for the Indians, seven of whom were starters in the game. Alan Espinal and Robert Calaz each had two hits while Jacob Humphrey led the way with three RBI. Surprisingly, Spokane had just two extra-base hits. Both were doubles from Humphrey and Tommy Hopfe. Jackson Cox started on the mound, allowing two runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

Low-A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 11, Fresno Grizzlies 8

Despite out-hitting Rancho Cucamonga 13-11, the Fresno Grizzlies’ pitching struggled with run prevention in the 11-8 loss. Every batter had at least one hit for Fresno, with four notching two hits, and Roldy Brito led the way with three RBI. The team had more walks than strikeouts, but the rally fell short in the latter innings. Marcos Herrera made the start and recorded just two outs in the first inning, giving up four runs on four hits, including three home runs. Manuel Olivares followed in relief and completed three innings, but also gave up four runs on four hits with four walks. Yanzel Correra then tossed 2.1 perfect innings with four punch outs before giving way to Jhon Medina who then allowed three runs in two innings of work.

Ethan Holliday, the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect, is swinging a hot bat for Single-A Fresno ($)| Denver Post

Patrick Saunders checks in on Holliday and how things are going down in Fresno.

Gold Glove Infielder Ezequiel Tovar Finding Rhythm for Rockies | Colorado Rockies on SI

Ezequiel Tovar’s struggles have been quite evident thus far but he has been getting better. At-bats are improved and he’s starting to make more solid contact.

Affected by Altitude Episode 211: May Doldrums | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the boredom of May and the struggles of Michael Lorenzen.

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

It might not be the rarest event in baseball.

But it sure feels like it.

On Tuesday night Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Mets, powering the Nationals to a 9-6 win over their NL East rivals. While there have been more than 200 such grand slams in MLB history, Wood’s was just the 26th such grand slam since the start of MLB’s Division Era in 1969.

Wood came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, with the Nationals trailing 5-0. Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean left a sweeper over the heart of the plate, and Wood rocketed a deep fly ball to left-center field.

Left fielder Nick Morabito made a leaping attempt at the wall, but the ball caromed first off his glove and then the wall, rolling away from him and center fielder Tyrone Taylor. As Taylor checked to see if Morabito had completed the catch, the ball settled in center field, and Wood continued to race around the bases:

After pointing at the ball in the outfield, Morabito raced over to center field himself to get the ball back into the infield. But by then it was too late, as Wood’s head-first slide into home beat the relay to the catcher, and the Nationals had pulled to within one run of the Mets.

For those wondering, Wood needed little more than 15 second to make it all the way around the bases:

It was also the first grand slam of his young MLB career.

“I was hype,” Wood said after the game. “Everyone was hype. It was fun. Everyone was celebrating.”

“He hit it pretty hard,” Morabito said. “I went back and just missed it. It hit the palm of my hand. I should have had it.”

After the ball ricocheted off Morabito’s glove, that’s when Wood knew he had a chance for something special.

“When I saw that, I knew I was full-on sprint home,” Wood said. “That’s probably why my eyes got big there.”

Washington tacked on three runs in the third, and did not look back en route to their 9-6 victory.

Good morning! Did Jarren Duran’s three-run shot in the ninth last night feel surreal to anyone else or was that just me? I had forgotten that teams were allowed to score late-inning insurance runs.

The Red Sox scored more than three runs for the first time in nine games last night. It was just the fifth time they’ve done it in the last 19 games. Unsurprisingly, they are 4-1 in those games, which just hammers home a fact that has become painfully obvious: if this team could hit at all, it would be really, really good.

Does this fact give you hope or despair? On one hand, they aren’t all that far off from being able to consistently win baseball games; just a little offensive improvement from a few guys in the lineup ought to do it. On the other hand, wishing that this Red Sox team could hit could be like wishing that Craig Breslow didn’t have the personality of a human sweater vest; some things just are what they are.

So with that said, what side of the hope fence are you sitting on: Do you think this Red Sox team will get back to .500 this year? Talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

We have seen so many heroic, ridiculously entertaining *but also mortifying Wins this season that it feels like one of those October teams that find ways to win… but in the regular season. Their record in extra innings is 6-1 and they are good in 1 run games. The offense is good at late-inning dramatics, not giving up, and hitting home runs when they need to. But one cannot rely on that to save games that are on the line that often! Sure Riley O’Brien is usually lights out but they’ve had to come from behind a lot (and sometimes, like last night, he just doesn’t have it).

As far as them being like one of those teams in October that just finds ways to win, let’s pump the brakes on that. Let’s see if they can get that far with a below-replacement-level bullpen.

So far in 2026, the Cardinals bullpen has had just a few bright spots. Overall, they obviously must be doing something right, but that’s related to outperforming their expected value and relying on some airtight defense provided by talented young players like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and our center fielders. Considering the fact that the St Louis bullpen is the worst of the not-dumpster fire by fWAR, it is a bit of a miracle the Cardinals are good in extra innings.

Is overusage due to a lackluster or even crappy starting rotation the culprit? Not really. The Cardinals are 20th in IP out of the ‘pen. Are we overrating Riley O’Brien, and we aren’t getting enough saves? No, absolutely not, St Louis has 17 saves, behind only San Diego and Tampa Bay in saves. The villain is the K/BB ratio, and several pitchers handily beating their FIP with their ERA:

• Gordon Graceffo roughly 3 points lower ERA as compared to FIP
• George Soriano 1.48 lower ERA/FIP
• JoJo Romero 1.28 lower ERA/FIP

You also see Graceffo doing a tightrope walk at a .157 BABIP against, with Soriano, Romero, and Bruihl well below league average in that area. But then you have Stanek and Svanson badly stung by BABIP against.

The only player above replacement level by fWAR has been Riley O’Brien who has been an elite closer, but even the best closers are not infallible, and he’s been faltering a bit lately, blowing some saves you think he would not have a lot of trouble with. But all in all he’s been the savior of the bullpen and without him it would be over -1 fWAR.

Bullpen usage has been divvied up well by Marmol with Gordon Graceffo shouldering the workload, and a core of Riley O’Brien, JoJo Romero, and Matt Svanson not far behind. Oli will also go to George Soriano, Justin Bruihl, and Ryne Stanek a lot. Innings usage is all pretty clustered together so far, so kudos on bullpen management and not using them too much.

What is wrong with the ‘pen? I alluded to it earlier. It’s the K/BB ratio, dummy.

Here is what Ryne Stanek and his 4 seamer are doing:

If Ryne Stanek striking mofos out? Yes, yes he is. He is elite in that dept. Is Ryne Stanek walking mofos? Yes, and at an alarming rate. Too close to a walked batter every inning at 7.65 BB/9. That said 50% ain’t too bad when it comes to the 4 seamer.

His sliders are hitting the zone 30% of the time! Jesus F nevermind:

Can it get any worse than that?? Yes! Stanek’s splitter is finding the zone 22% of the time:

It is rather difficult to watch, but some ridiculous potential is there. What pitch does he have control over? He’s really good at controlling his sinker, which finds the strike zone roughly 2/3 of the time.

Why bother? Stanek has swing and miss stuff. Batters swing and miss over 36% of the time, and the league average is around 25% of the time.

Thank you for attending my powerpoint presentation on Ryne Stanek.

When they do hit Stanek he’s getting hit HARD. But he also throws really hard. Remember, they’re not connecting with a lot of this stuff, but when they are he’s probably also walked someone, which compounds his failures.

Who is probably most like what we have actually seen, going forward? Riley O’Brien. His walk rate will likely increase, but I wouldn’t be alarmed by his recent struggles.

Guess he could improve his offspeed pitch? lol

What should Gordon Graceffo work on? His sinker is hitting the zone only 22% of the time!

He needs more control over his curveball and changeup too.

How about George Soriano? What is he good at? He has good control over his sinker, and last night his changeup was looking really good.

What does he need to improve on? His sweeper only finding the zone 28% of the time. I’ll skip the chart on that one, you get the idea.

One more thing, what about early season deserved scapegoat Matt Svanson?

Svanson cannot be trusted until he turns all this around, except for his fastball velocity, which is fine.

The bullpen repair could be to somehow reduce the terrible walk rates of Stanek, Svanson, Bruihl, and even Soriano. I would only expect Stanek, O’Brien, or maybe Svanson to strike out a batter. The bullpen’s overall strikeout rate ain’t good.

What is the bullpen good at? They are good at inducing the grounder, overall tied for 5th in MLB in GB%. Maybe the guys outside of O’Brien, Stanek, and Svanson can really focus more and more on pitch to contact and utilize that defense to save their own bullpen. That is a strength already. With fewer walks, it means more groundouts, hopefully. The Cardinals will probably shore up the bullpen somehow, especially if they continue to play contentious baseball.

Cardinals Pitching Big Picture

This will probably be difficult to read, but as you can see, there are about two, maybe two and a half red spots there, and too many blue spots. Graceffo is bringing home the wOBAcon and O’Brien looks fine by xwOBA. As a staff the expected batting average against is scary because of the exit velocity and hard hit %. This group will need to pitch to contact and reduce walks to stabilize the season. Otherwise we might have to be terrorized by wicked come from behind wins all season.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

1990

Part 1 (non-heavy metal version)

It took two weeks to even start fathoming the immense power of the year 1990 in music. A lot more albums started to come out by 1990, and more bands than ever is part of the reason why. But I get the sense that there was a bit of a fire catching in music culture by this point in history. Let’s take a look at what was groundbreaking at the time, because hey, I love music! And I’m just as into it as baseball. Ok, probably moreso, but anyway.

• The Jesus Lizard – ‘Head’ sure it’s a little bit creepy sounding but that’s part of the appeal… it’s also a perfect album, start to finish, all killer, no filler, and one of the great debuts of all time! And it’s just FUN to listen to. An absolute blast. It never gets old for me. One of the true great rock n roll bands but also channels uncanny punk energies and absorbs from a ton of other genres while sounding completely JL. How were they this good so quickly? They were in some other bands beforehand but wow.
• PRIMUS – ‘Frizzle Fry’ I could just as easily say many of the same things for Frizzle Fry and perhaps it is an even better album than ‘Head’ but I think I would go to this a little less often, it is however, pure genius. And nothing had really been done like this before. One of my soundtrack to teenage years albums, so it has been with me for a long while, and I still listen to it.
• Helmet – ‘Strap It On’ yet another envelope pushing, genre defying unique album from 1990, and a debut too! These three bands really got the 1990s off to quite a start. Nothing I mean nothing sounded like this and no other band quite got that Helmet sound right, not even Helmet itself after it lost its lineup heard here. Absolutely next level stuff, and my favorite Helmet release by far except perhaps for the Born Annoying collection of songs prior to this full-length debut by NYC’s Helmet.
• Sonic Youth – ‘Goo’ wanted to get this on the list even higher but the competitive nature of 1990 keeps Goo further down the list a bit. Not a super groundbreaking debut, but it is Sonic Youth absolutely perfecting their sound, and I go back and forth on this, Daydream Nation, and Washing Machine as my favorite SY.
• Skinny Puppy – ‘Too Dark Park’ Skinny Puppy takes it to the next level here and creates one of the absolute best industrial albums of all time, an absolute masterpiece and perfect album start to finish. Would rank higher, but definitely a special occasion listen! Perhaps the highest technical achievement on here, astonishing in scope and execution, most excellent listen.
• LOOP – ‘A Gilded Eternity’ what can I say, I truly love that Robert Hampson LOOP sound, a truly underrated and one of the best of the more forgotten bands. Cannot recommend enough if you like rock, garage, pscyhe, alternative, space rock, and shoegaze.
• Public Enemy – ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ the defining genre classic that still sounds fresh to this day, Public Enemy at their best. There is just something about the chemistry between the Bomb Squad production crew and the vocal rap duo of Chuck D and Flavor Flav. If I were less of a rocker and more of a hiphop head, this would be #1 probably. Another incredible technical achievement taking music into the future.
• Meat Beat Manifesto – ‘Armed Audio Warfare’ and ‘99%’ one of the most under-the-radar yet hugely influential bands ever dropped not one but two industrial meets punk and hiphop albums in one year. Both are super entertaining and fun to hear. Cyberpunk party music! More futuristic production genius taking things to the next level in 1990. Moved electronic music several steps into the future along with Public Enemy.
• Kiling Joke – ‘Extremities, Dirt, and Various Repressed Emotions’ I don’t know how I never heard this album before but before it’s all said and done I might move this WAY up the list, it’s just new to me. It might end up being my favorite Killing Joke album at the very least. So good!
• Living Colour – ‘Time’s Up’ I wore out a taped copy of this in high school and it still sounds so fresh and new to this day, one of the more underrated bands ever. Perfect album start to finish, yet again. 10/10 Vernon Reid is a guitar hero and Cory Glover is one of the best singers I have ever heard.
• Cocteau Twins – ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’ the best Cocteau Twins? If I had to choose just one, yeah! Another masterpiece 10/10 album on the list! For fans of shoegaze, goth, alternative.
• Fugazi – ‘Repeater’ well you gotta have Fugazi – Repeater on the list somewhere, right? Amazing.
• A Tribe Called Quest – ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ and this is my #2 hiphop album from a year stacked with important genre defining albums in a blossoming year for the genre. Totally different from Public Enemy but also just as important, or moreso to many people. My brother would pick this one.
• Naked City – self-titled and ‘Torture Garden’ whether you prefer the more well known self titled album or the latter, pick your poison you can’t go wrong here. Like if you threw 10 genres into a blender and somehow arranged that perfectly as a genius level composer, this is what you have here. File under: jazz.
• Alice In Chains – ‘Facelift’ here we take the genius down a notch but don’t write off Facelift, it’s freakin awesome. Makes the list just for “We Die Young” and “Man In The Box” alone, it’s a good album start to finish but it starts so strong that it is a force to be reckoned with. Also, the missing link between hair metal and grunge, I would say. Storming into the 1990s right away is the Alice In Chains debut album! Helped define a decade of music to come.
• Horațiu Rădulescu – ‘Clepsydra; Astray’ some very weird, peculiar classical music bordering on the ambient/drone territories, I don’t know where to put it on the list so I’ll drop it right here, amazing genius. maybe I just needed to change things up for a second
• Zoviet France – ‘Look Into Me’ more abstract weirdness for you, and Zoviet France at their best…
• Herbert Distel – ‘La Stazione’ …and more in the same vein, check it out if you like dark instrumental soundtrack ish 20th century composer material. Haunting and beautiful in its own right.
• Ween – ‘God Ween Satan’ gotta get Ween’s debut on here! More weirdness from the year 1990.
• Frontline Assembly – ‘Caustic Grip’ very strong year for industrial music, and a key band to the genre just getting started… a really good album!

Ok that’s it for this week! Thanks for reading. I hope this improves our bullpen. 😉

Prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves announced several roster moves, most notably placing catcher Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique. The club also selected Chadwick Tromp to the major league roster, reinstated Dylan Dodd from the injured list, optioned JR Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett, recalled Víctor Mederos, and finally, released Aaron Bummer from the roster.

The Atlanta lineup continues to be plagued by injuries, and this time, it’s sidelining Baldwin, who has hit .303 and logged 36 games behind the plate thus far. Considering this is an oblique injury, his time on the IL will likely surpass the minimum stint. Fortunately, Baldwin’s strain is just a Grade 1.

Beyond Baldwin’s injury, the release of Aaron Bummer has sparked lots of discussion. During his outing on Monday night, the left-hander got absolutely rocked, giving up six runs in one inning.

The remaining moves do not come as a huge surprise, and while Baldwin is out, the Braves will look for the rest of the roster to help keep them atop the NL East. 

More Braves News:

The Braves were finally able to put together timely hitting to power them past the Miami Marlins, 8-4. 

The Farm System is missing something this season, and it is most definitely affecting the pitching staff. 

MLB News:

After recovering from Tommy John surgery, New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole will be activated from the injured list and make his season debut on Friday. It will be his first big league start since 2024.

The Houston Astros placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to May 16.

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list due to a quad strain. He will likely miss four to six weeks.

From the Feed:

After evening up the series with the Marlins, cast your vote for Braves Player of the Game.

Tate Southisene is a name to look out for in our upcoming Top 30 Prospects list. 

If today is going to be a 1:00 start and both teams know that a storm is coming that would delay the game for quite a while, how often are they swinging at anything that is remotely close to the strike zone?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• We know that Cristopher Sanchez is really good, but Fangraphs looks at how he is still getting better. Good read here.
• Phillies prospect lists are going to look a little different soon. Some of their bigger names are starting to heat up.
• Switching from Rob Thomson to Don Mattingly has lead to some historic results for the Phillies ($). Can they continue the positive trend?

MLB news:

• The Marlins are going to extreme measure to help their team get better. It’s something they “have to do”.
• Of the National League teams that are currently considered “contenders”, which ones are you buying and selling?
• Gerrit Cole will make his long awaited return to the big leagues this Friday from his Tommy John surgery.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Bobby Murcer, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1971 – Martin Dihigo dies in Cienfuegos, Cuba, at the age of 65. Over the course of his career, Dihigo made seamless transitions between all nine positions and played in several countries. As a hitter, he won both batting average and home run titles; as a pitcher, he won more than 250 games and once defeated Satchel Paige while touring Cuba. He will be elected to the American Hall of Fame in 1977 and also was or will be voted into the Cuban, Mexican and Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1871 – In Boston, Mort Rogers introduces a scorecard with a picture of Harry Wright on the front. Each Red Stockings home game will feature a different player so that spectators can collect them and have a full set of Boston’s players by season’s end. This marketing strategy will be used throughout the 19th century and will ultimately evolve into Tobacco cards and, eventually, Baseball cards.
• 1878 – In a 3-1 loss to the White Stockings at Chicago’s Lake Front Park, right-hander Jim McCormick of the Indianapolis Blues becomes the first player born in Scotland to appear in a major league game. Next season, as a 23-year-old, the Glasgow native will manage the team, which will move to Cleveland, making him the youngest skipper in the history of the game.
• 1881 – Mike “King” Kelly scores the go-ahead run by cutting short the distance rounding the bases. Kelly doesn’t come close to touching third while the umpire is looking a different direction. Kelly then pulls off the hidden ball trick in the 9th inning to preserve the win for the Chicago White Stockings over Boston, 5-4.
• 1918 – In what will become a precursor of a tragic event, Indians outfielder Tris Speaker is struck on the head by a pitch thrown by Red Sox hurler Carl Mays. The submarine pitcher, who will fatally bean Ray Chapman with a ball in 1920 as a member of the Yankees, denies Speaker’s allegation that the pitch was intentional.
• 1919 – Babe Ruth wins a game pitching and batting as he hits his first career grand slam in the Boston Red Sox’s 6 – 4 victory over the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park.
• 1920 – Policenen raid the Wrigley Field bleachers. 24 people were arrested for gambling.
• 1925 – The Cleveland Indians score six runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the New York Yankees, 10 – 9. Tris Speaker scores the winning run from first base on a single.
• 1932 – Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits four doubles in one game to tie a major league record.
• 1948 – Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hits for the cycle and collects six RBI in a 13-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. DiMaggio hits two home runs, a triple, a double and a single, and narrowly misses another extra-base hit when Chicago left fielder Ralph Hodgin makes a spectacular catch at the wall.
• 1951 – Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies collects four hits in each game of a doubleheader as the Phillies sweep the rival Pittsburgh Pirates, 17-0 and 12-4, at Forbes Field.
• 1962 – In a doubleheader, Chicago Cubs rookie Ken Hubbs hits eight singles in eight at bats as the Cubs sweep the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 and 11-2.
• 1978 – Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a 535-foot home run off Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to highlight a 6-0 victory at Stade Olympique. It is the longest home run in the ballpark‘s history and is also Stargell’s 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider on the all-time list.
• 1979 – Don Sutton becomes the franchise’s winningest pitcher when he is credited with the victory, tossing eight innings in the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. The 34-year-old right-hander’s 210th win surpasses the team mark established in 1969 by Don Drysdale.
• 1983 – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton passes Walter Johnson to move into second place on the all-time strikeout list. Carlton’s four strikeouts put him at 3,511, just ten behind Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros. Ryan had bettered Johnson’s record earlier in the month.
• 1988 – Mike Schmidt belts the 535th home run of his career during the first inning at San Diego, CA off Padres starting pitcher Andy Hawkins, moving Schmidt past Jimmie Foxx into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time home run list.
• 2000 – After being released earlier in the month by the Mets for not hustling, Rickey Henderson, in his initial at-bat for the Mariners, hits his record 76th career leadoff home run in his team’s 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay at Safeco Field. With the round-tripper, the future Hall of Fame outfielder joins Ted Williams and Willie McCovey as the third major leaguer to have homered in four different decades.
• 2012 – Max Scherzer strikes out 15 batters in seven innings to lead the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Pirates. The strikeouts are one shy of the club record of 16, held by Mickey Lolich, and represent the highest total in the major leagues so far this season.
• 2013 – Two of the best pitchers so far this season throw complete game three-hitters today. Clayton Kershaw of Los Angeles defeats Milwaukee, 3-1. Patrick Corbin also pitches a gem in Coors Field, getting his first career complete game, as Arizona defeats the Rockies, 5-1. Corbin is now 7-0 with a 1.44 ERA, which only trails Kershaw’s 1.35 in the National League.
• 2014 – Masahiro Tanaka suffers his first loss in the majors when the Cubs beat the Yankees, 6-1, behind Jason Hammel.
• 2014 – At age 55, Julio Franco returns to professional baseball with a 1-for-3 night for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent United League. Hired for the Cats’ current homestand as a player-coach, Franco has now played professionally in five decades, having started in the minor leagues in 1978. He had retired in 2008 before his return this year.

Cubs Birthdays:Brian McNichol, Bobby Murcer,* George Grantham. Also notable: Hal Newhouser HOF.

Today in history:

• 1862 – US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900).
• 1899 – First speeding infraction by a New York cabbie driving an electric car – 12mph down Lexington Street.
• 1959 – Ford wins battle with Chrysler to call its new car “Falcon.”
• 1964 – Buster Mathis beats future world heavyweight champion Joe Frazer on points at trials in Flushing, NY to qualify for US Olympic boxing team; Mathis injures thumb, replaced by Frazier who wins gold medal.
• 1989 – “Toonces The Driving Cat” takes the wheel on SNL.
• 1990 – Hubble Space Telescope sends its first photographs from space.

Special Invention- and adventurer-related stories on this date:

• 1830 – Douglass Hyde receives the first US patent for a fountain pen.
• 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent the first blue jeans with copper rivets.
• 1891 – First public display of Thomas Edison‘s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs.
• 1892 – George Sampson patents clothes dryer.
• 1918 – US Navy launches USS New Mexico, its first battleship with an electric-turbine propulsion system.
• 1927 – At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
• 1932 – Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland on her journey to become the 1st woman to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic.

Special Music-related stories on this date:

• 1939 – “3 Little Fishies” by Kay Kyser swam to #1.
• 1954 – Decca Records releases Bill Haley & His Comets’ hit single “Rock Around the Clock”.
• 1967 – BBC bans the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life” due to the line “I’d love to turn you on” being construed as a drug reference.
• 1970 – The Beatles’ “Let it Be” documentary film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, premieres at the Liverpool Gaumont Cinema and the London Pavilion; none of the group attend.
• 1979 – Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR.
• 1980 – Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band Kiss.
• 1983 – “Every Breath You Take” single released by The Police (Billboard Song of the Year, 1983).
• 1992 – American rapper Tung Twista raps 597 syllables in under 60 seconds.

*pictured.

Good morning Birdland,

This Orioles team is just not fun to watch right now. They lost again on Tuesday night, a 4-1 defeat to the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays. At 21-28, the O’s are back in the division cellar, among the absolute worst teams in the entire sport.

Once again, the offense was basically a no-show. Taylor Ward opened the game with a homer, and then the team went 3-for-28 with two walks and nine strikeouts for the remainder of the evening. The 4-8 spots in the order went completely hitless. Yuck.

There was better news on the pitching side of things. Kyle Bradish continues to look much better. He allowed two runs over 5.1 innings, mostly taken out by his own pitch count. The bullpen was then solid (one run over the next 2.2 innings). That did include a run charged to Rico Garcia, only the second such occurrence this season. He’s still pretty good though!

The thing that I find the most frustrating about this team is their inability to maintain momentum of any sort. If they score a run in the top half of an inning, you can almost guarantee they will be allowing a run (or more) in the bottom half of that inning. That’s what happened in the first inning on Tuesday.

That lack of a shutdown inning has to sap any sort of positive vibes that might poke their head out of the Orioles dugout. Why get excited? You know that lead is going to disappear anyway?

There is still time for this team to figure it out, especially in such a poor American League. They are only 2.5 games back of the the final wild card spot with 113 games left on the schedule. The math is doable. But even that avenue will disappear if they don’t start scoring more runs. Right now, there is nothing to indicate that will happen.

It’s gonna be another hot one in the Baltimore area today. Hopefully you can stay inside and catch the conclusion to this series, either on TV or the radio. 1:05 is the scheduled first pitch from St. Pete.

Links

Ward’s leadoff homer all O’s bats can muster as offensive issues continue | MLB.com
This article includes a sentence that starts with “The Orioles generally played well enough to win on Tuesday…” I’m sorry, what? They scored one run. The defense didn’t make the key play of the game. This is a major league game. Those are the moments where you need to come through, and far too often this team fails.

More from the mailbag before today’s game | Roch Kubatko
Answers to many questions, including the latest on a few injuries. No real news though. Trey Mancini gets mentioned too! But that’s more of a “Hey, look at what this guy is doing!” Maninci is with the Angels Triple-A team, nearly three full years removed from his last big league game. Hopefully he beats the odds and gets back to the top level of the sport.

Orioles Select Albert Suarez, Designate Maverick Handley | MLB Trade Rumors
It really is a luxury for the Orioles to keep a guy like Suárez around. He has done exactly what they have asked of him for three years now, though he missed most of last with an injury. Still, to have someone in the organization that you can yank back and forth between the majors and minors that is willing to step into whatever role you want is pretty great. It’s unfortunate that the Orioles have needed a swingman SO much in that timeframe, but let’s stay positive.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Ramón Hernández turns 50 today. He was the Orioles catcher for three seasons from 2006 through ‘08. That included a career-best season in ‘06 that saw him hit .275/.343/.479 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI.
• Gordon Dillard is 62 years old. He pitched in two games for the Orioles in 1988.
• David Wells is 63. The southpaw’s 21 seasons of Major League Baseball included spending the 1996 campaign in Baltimore.

This day in O’s history

2014 – Chris Davis homers three times as part of the Orioles 9-2 win over the Pirates. That doubles his season total of long balls to six.