More to come…
Athletics Beat Yankees 6-4
Dodgers notes: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki
As the Dodgers wrap up their three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, they will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to try and salvage the series.
After scuffling over a four start stretch from April 21 through May 12 where he posted a 1-2 record with a 5.18 ERA, Yamamoto has returned back to his All-Star form over his last two starts, tossing seven innings and allowing runs against both the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. He is set to face a team that although has combined for six runs in the series, the Phillies have crushed three home runs.
The biggest challenge for Yamamoto, as noted by Sonja Chen of MLB.com, will be his ability to limit the long ball early in the game, especially as he faces the league leader in home runs in Kyle Schwarber.
Yamamoto has had two primary issues this year: the long ball and the first inning. He’s surrendered nine home runs — just five fewer than last year — and seven of the 22 earned runs he’s allowed have come in the opening frame… The Phillies should present a challenge from the get-go with leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, who leads the Majors with 22 home runs — and memorably took Yamamoto deep for a Statcast-projected 455-foot shot in the NLDS that was commemorated with a plaque.
Since being placed on the IL back on May 7, Tyler Glasnow has yet to progress in his recovery. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic tweeted that Glasnow is able to play catch, but has yet to “get over the hump” in increasing his throwing progression.
Although an ill-fated eighth inning robbed him of a third straight win, Roki Sasaki continued to show gradual improvements on the mound, as he allowed just three hits, one run and one walk while striking out seven across 5 1/3 innings against a dynamic Phillies offense. Sasaki even retired 13 hitters in a row on Saturday after allowing a second inning home run to Alec Bohm.
Sasaki spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following the Dodgers’ deflating 4-3 loss about the increasing diversity of his pitch arsenal, which has allowed him to find recent success after another disappointing start to the season.
“My usage really depends on different hitters, but overall it’s going pretty well and the usage is pretty good. My fastball was really good. The velocity was there and I was able to execute the catcher’s calls.”
Best MLB trade that wasn't made: C.J. Abrams has Nats off to shocking start
The Washington Nationals planned to trade him.
They let everyone know he was available.
If someone was willing to meet their price, 25-year-old shortstop C.J. Abrams was all theirs.
No one made an offer compelling enough to entice Paul Toboni, Nationals president of baseball operations, to move him, but instead of Abrams pouting when he arrived to spring training, he actually felt invigorated.
The key was the communication between Toboni and Abrams. Toboni was up-front with Abrams, telling him that they set a high bar for rivals if they wanted him, but if anything ever got close, he promised to let him know. And if Abrams had any questions, or wanted to confirm or dispel rumors, please call.
“It meant a lot," Abrams told USA TODAY Sports. “I was able to ignore things out there because I was in communication with Paul."
Said Toboni: “That’s something I tried doing with [starter] MacKenzie Gore too, and going forward I will keep doing that. They deserve to be in the know. I’ve come to realize that in most cases it’s not the fear of being traded, but what mostly bothers players is being completely in the dark. I never met a player, or a coach, or a front office guy who was too transparent."
“I told both of them if there’s something out there that just isn’t true, I’ll let you know. And if you have any questions, and there is some truth, we’ll talk about it," Toboni said. "I told MacKenzie there’s a world where you’re traded, and a world you’re not. We think super highly of you, so they’d have to clear a really high bar. If a team surpassed it, we’ll consider it. If not, you’ll be here."
The Texas Rangers met it, sending five prospects for Gore just three weeks before spring training.
Abrams stayed put, and becomes the best trade Toboni never made in his first season with the Nationals.
Abrams is playing his way right onto the All-Star team. He leads all National League shortstops in virtually every offensive category, hitting .291 with a .392 on-base percentage, .544 slugging percentage, .936 OPS, with 12 homers and 47 RBIs.
“He was really good before," Toboni said, “but now he’s turned himself into an awesome, awesome player. He’s working his tail off."
Abrams’ improved plate discipline has been the biggest difference in this season. He came into the year with a career .306 on-base percentage, averaging 35 walks and 130 strikeouts a season. This year, he has already drawn 27 walks with 49 strikeouts. And when pitches are in the zone, he’s taking advantage of it.
He has produced the most RBIs by a shortstop in his first two months of the season since Alex Rodriguez in 2002 with the Texas Rangers.
“I’m pretty proud of it," Abrams said, “because whenever that situation in the game comes, you got to get the job done. And just to be able to do that and help the team win is big."
Said Toboni: “The one thing that jumps out to me is that he seems to be especially clear-minded when he’s in those situations, and that leads to confidence. I think when young guys struggle, they start thinking of different things, and your timing is off. Where with CJ, he has a clear-minded approach what he wants to do. And when he is getting a pitch to hit, he’s not missing it."
Abrams’ resurgence has the Nationals winning again, off to their best start since 2018 with a 29-29 record, while leading the major leagues in runs scored.
“You know, in spring training, we saw the bats were alive," Abrams said, “and they haven’t gone anywhere since….We’ve had that consistency as a group. No matter what happens, we just keep going and pay attention to the right now, and keep working.
“So, I think we’re looking really good."
Now, after averaging 96 defeats the last five seasons with four last-place finishes, the Nationals see light at the end of the dark tunnel, and perhaps can be a contender much sooner than anyone believed.
If the Nats keep winning and hanging in the wild-card race, Abrams likely won’t be going anywhere. If they start to fade, well, maybe those trade rumors will surface again, only this time with even a higher price tag.
“We’ve got to see how these next couple of months go," Toboni says. “I’m not sure people expected us to be in a spot where we could make a run. We’ll see how the team plays, and how it comes together, and obviously that will influence our decision. We’ll figure it out."
For now, Abrams is a Nat. He should be representing the Nats at the All-Star Game. And he hopes to be wearing a Nats’ uniform when the time comes that they’re playing in October again.
“I mean, I’m still here, I’m with the Nats," Abrams said, “and I want to win with the Nats."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CJ Abrams locked in after Nationals didn't trade SS amid rumors
MLB Predictions and Moneyline Picks for Sunday, May 31
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The Dodgers are a heavy favorite over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon, but it's deserved.
Find out why my MLB picks for every moneyline on May 31 are topped by Los Angeles, and why the Nationals could pull off an upset earlier in the day.
MLB moneyline picks for May 31
| Matchup | Pick |
|---|---|
 Blue Jaysvs  Orioles | -122 |
 Twinsvs  Pirates | +133 |
 Padresvs  Nationals | +113 |
 Red Soxvs  Guardians | -104 |
 Angelsvs  Rays | -170 |
 Bravesvs  Reds | +122 |
 Marlinsvs  Mets | +144 |
 Tigersvs  White Sox | -122 |
 Brewersvs  Astros | -163 |
 Royalsvs  Rangers | -108 |
 Giantsvs  Rockies | -110 |
 Yankeesvs  A's | -133 |
 Diamondbacksvs  Mariners | -127 |
 Philliesvs  Dodgers | -194 |
 Cubsvs  Cardinals | +104 |
Prices courtesy of Polymarket.
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Expert MLB moneyline picks for May 31
Blue Jays vs Orioles: Orioles (-122)
Orioles win probability: 55%
Kyle Bradish has quietly put together three quality starts in his last four appearances. He'll be backed by an Orioles lineup that's seventh in OPS since May 15.
No matter who the Blue Jays turn to to start this game, they'll be in trouble in Camden Yards. I'll back Baltimore to -140.
Twins vs Pirates: Twins (+133)
Twins win probability: 43%
With Zebby Matthews (2.37 ERA) and Braxton Ashcraft (2.75 ERA) both pitching well, and both lineups in the bottom third in OPS over the last two weeks, this game could come down to which bullpen outshines the other.
Minnesota's relief corps (3.08 ERA since May 15) gives the Twins the edge over Pittsburgh (4.26 ERA), so play Minny to +110.
Padres vs Nationals: Nationals (+113)
Nationals win probability: 47%
There's isn't much to like about Griffin Canning's form this year (7.54 ERA). Zack Littell counters, and his 2.19 ERA in May shines by comparison.
The Nats' bats are also doing much better over the last two weeks, ranking fourth while San Diego is 24th.
Playing Washington to +100.
Red Sox vs Guardians: Guardians (-104)
Guardians win probability: 51%
Tanner Bibee brings an ugly 0-7 record into this one, but the Guardians lineup hits lefties well (eighth in OPS), and the inconsistent Ranger Suarez comes to town today.
Cleveland's bullpen also holds the edge in xERA (eighth vs. 18th) over the last two weeks, so I'll back them to -120.
Angels vs Rays: Rays (-170)
Rays win probability: 63%
It's been a brutal month of May for Jack Kochanowicz (7.52 ERA), and the Angels bullpen has been a dumpster fire these last two weeks, ranking dead-last in xFIP.
Shane McClanahan owns a sparkling 1.33 ERA in May, and is backed by the Rays' 12th ranked bullpen by the same metric, so this is a tremendous mismatch. I'm willing to play this all the way to -210.
Braves vs Reds: Reds (+122)
Reds win probability: 45%
Spencer Strider has given up five home runs over his last two starts, and the Reds are fourth in longballs at home this year.
Nick Lodolo is fresh off his best start of the season (one ER over six innings vs. the Mets), so I'm buying low on him and Cincinnati. Take the Reds to +110.
Marlins vs Mets: Marlins (+144)
Marlins win probability: 41%
Both Janson Junk (7.00 ERA in May) and Nolan McLean (6.92 ERA) are in poor form, but the Marlins have the Mets beat in bullpen xFIP these last two weeks (sixth vs. 23rd), as well as OPS (11th vs. 22nd).
Back the Fish to keep New York in the NL East cellar to +125.
Tigers vs White Sox: White Sox (-122)
White Sox win probability: 55%
Keider Montero has failed to go six frames in three straight, while Sean Burke has had three short outings in his last four overall. That will expose two bullpens in the bottom third in xFIP over the last two weeks to these lineups.
However, the Tigers can't hit water if they fell out of a boat right now, ranking dead-last in OPS since May 15. Even with Munetaka Murakami on the shelf, I'll back the South Siders to -140.
Brewers vs Astros: Brewers (-163)
Brewers win probability: 62%
I refuse to believe Tatsuya Imai has suddenly "figured it out" for the Astros after tossing six scoreless innings as part of a no-hitter last Tuesday. His ERA is still a sky-high 6.17.
He can't hang with Jacob Misiorowski (1.83 ERA), so back the Brewers to -200.
Royals vs Rangers: Rangers (-108)
Rangers win probability: 52%
I keep waiting for Michael Wacha's 2.69 ERA to float up and greet his 3.96 xERA. Maybe the Rangers' ninth-ranked bats by OPS - despite being no-hit last Tuesday - will help that happen?
I'm willing to find out at these odds, and will play this to -120.
Giants vs Rockies: Rockies (-110)
Rockies win probability: 52%
It's been a rough month of May for Robbie Ray (7.11 ERA). Tanner Gordon has shown flashes of promise this year, and this is a light-hitting Giants lineup.
I'll take a swing on the Rockies to -120.
Yankees vs A's: Yankees (-133)
Yankees win probability: 57%
Jacob Lopez is a southpaw taking on a Yankees team that's tops in the majors in OPS vs. lefties in 2026, and is pitching in one of baseball's most hitter-friendly parks. This could get ugly.
New York up to -160 is the play.
Diamondbacks vs Mariners: Mariners (-127)
Mariners win probability: 56%
Merrill Kelly's high ERA figures to come down as the season progresses after some early blow-ups, but his bullpen may let him down today, as this unit is 25th in xFIP since May 15.
Early returns on 2026 Bryce Miller are positive, so I'm a buyer on Seattle to -140.
Phillies vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-194)
Dodgers win probability: 66%
It's been a rough rookie season for Andrew Painter (5.40 ERA), and things won't get easier vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a Dodger lineup that's tops in the majors in OPS over the last two weeks.
The Dodgers are playable to -220.
Cubs vs Cardinals: Cardinals (+104)
Cardinals win probability: 49%
Matthew Liberatore's strikeouts are on the rise in May, with 19 over his last two games alone, and the Cubs have fanned left and right over last two weeks with the fourth-most Ks.
Jordan Wicks and his 5.71 ERA don't inspire much confidence. Back the Cardinals to -120.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran is looking like himself again
Back in March, Jarren Duran was one of the best stories at the World Baseball Classic. Patrolling center field for Mexico (he represented them in 2023 too, though that one’s best forgotten, going 0-for-5 as a bench player), he was an absolute force. Four games, three home runs, five RBIs, two stolen bases. He hit .333 with a .412 OBP, and slugged 1.000. That’s a tournament OPS of 1.412.
He came back to Ft. Myers looking like a changed player. The spring numbers backed it up. The buzz was real. Everyone talked themselves into the idea that 2026 was going to be the year Jarren Duran not just arrived, but served as a baseball dominator.
Then the regular season started.
By the time we hit mid-May, Duran was hitting .162. His OPS had dipped below .500 at one point. The same guy who’d been launching balls over the wall for Mexico in March was rolling over breaking balls and getting punched out on fastballs he used to barrel up. His adjusted high leg kick was seemingly messing up the entire mechanical structure in his swing. The WBC hadn’t been a preview. It had been a very small sample of Duran at his ceiling, mistaken for his floor.
To be fair to everyone who bought in, the tournament version of Duran was real…at one point. Still, 15 at-bats against international rosters in early March, before pitchers are stretched out and before the humidity in Florida has had a chance to stiffen anyone up, doesn’t tell you that much about how a guy is going to hold up against five months of a major league rotation. The WBC is great baseball. It’s just not the same thing. And the gap between a 1.412 OPS in March and a .497 OPS in April isn’t actually that surprising if you step back and look at it honestly.
Over the final two weeks of May, Duran has finally started doing what the WBC version of him had been doing all March. On May 19th in Kansas City, he crushed a three-run homer in the ninth inning to put a bow on a 7-1 win—the Sox’s most convincing offensive performance in weeks. Two days later, he came back with a go-ahead, two-run shot in the seventh to complete a sweep. In between those two, he roped a 114.1 mph rocket to right-center field for his first triple of the season, a ball that left his bat looking like it was shot out of a cannon. Seven-for-nineteen over that five-game stretch. Three doubles. One triple. Two homers. Six RBIs.
Then the Twins came to Fenway and swept the Sox in three games. Duran went quiet—including a strikeout looking with the bases loaded to end a game on May 23rd. It didn’t hold.
He kept it going against Atlanta. A 106.9 mph leadoff shot off Spencer Strider on May 26th—412 feet, gone in every ballpark—was his 10th career leadoff homer, tying Jacoby Ellsbury for second-most in Red Sox history. Only Mookie Betts has hit more. The next night: four hits, another homer, an 8-0 Sox win.
His season line is still a project. Through 212 at-bats he’s hitting .217 with a .675 OPS. The ten stolen bases and nine home runs are real production, but anyone who watched him grind through April knows how much damage that stretch did to the overall numbers. One good week doesn’t rewrite the story. The WBC hangover was real and the early-season hole was deep.
But the direction is right. The contact has looked different lately. That 114.1 mph triple didn’t come from a broken swing. He dropped the leg kick for a toe-tap in late April but has seemingly brought it back. Whatever he’s been working on with the leg kick—whether it’s a timing mechanic or just a different method for comfort—it looks like it’s clicking.
Mike Carlucci wrote about Duran’s season by the numbers not even two weeks ago—he preceded this hot streak just enough to warrant revisiting it.
He was genuinely great at the WBC. Three home runs in four games against that competition isn’t nothing. But the reasonable expectation for 2026 was always something between that 1.412 OPS in March and whatever rock bottom looked like in April. He’s a dynamic, disruptive leadoff presence when he’s right. He’s a problem at the top of the order when he’s not. Right now, for the first time since he got back from Mexico, he’s starting to look like the right version of himself.
Duran didn’t blink through the worst of a months-long slump this season so far. The Angry Lizard is pounding on more infield clay once again.
Chicago Cubs news and notes — Happ, Imanaga, Roberts
Today’s Reflections
I don’t want to make accusations or give blame for something that I might be misreading. This is far from a scientific study, but in the full three articles about Shōta’s struggles below, there are parts of three sentences, one per article, about Jameson Taillon. And I don’t see many (if any) punishing articles like this about Taillon. Quick stat check: Shota is 0-4 in his last four games with nine HR given up, his ERA went from 2.32 to 4.37, and his FIP went from 2.81 to 4.41. Taillon is 0-3 in four games with 10 HR, ERA from 3.94 to 5.37, FIP from 5.63 to 6.56. Just, where are all the Taillon articles?
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I have no idea who the media is going to jump on after Friday night ….. :
- Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Shota Imanaga implodes again as Chicago Cubs drop series opener to St. Louis Cardinals 6-5. “Ian Happ didn’t know how to explain how he came out of his slump to homer in three straight games. But Shota Imanaga was back to his old ways, and thus, so were the Cubs.”
- Joe Harris (MLB.com): Imanaga continues to struggle with long ball as Cubs fall to Cardinals. “Three of the five hits Imanaga allowed to the Cardinals left the yard, accounting for all five runs the left-hander yielded in a 6-5 loss.“
- “Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs starting pitchers’ home run troubles a major cause for concern. “The Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff’s home run problem has become glaring.”
Or it’s the coaching:
- Tyler Courtney (Last Word On Sports): Is Cubs Coaching Pressure Starting To Build in 2026?. “While the team has had multiple 10-game winning streaks, those have not told the whole story of the season. Much of the blame has been on the coaching staff for various reasons.”
Then let’s throw some more stuff at the wall and see if it sticks:
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs might continue reclamation project haul with latest Twins’ bullpen arm cut loose. “It’s a name if nothing else.”
- Paranjoy Goswami (Total Pro Sports): MLB Rumors: Chicago Cubs Emerge As Perfect Destination For Boston Red Sox Star. “A Boston Red Sox outfielder is likely to end up with the Chicago Cubs after the trade deadline, according to an MLB analyst.” “According to Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, the Boston Red Sox will deal with the overload of outfielders on their roster at the deadline.”
- George Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): By George, what a history: The Cubs’ Ben Brown grew up in historic Long Island home. ““George Washington may or may not have walked through our door one day,’’ said Brown, who grew up on Long Island, New York. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”“
- Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): Cubs may quietly be witnessing the emergence of a homegrown bullpen weapon. “He’s throwing up scoreless innings left and right.”
- Warren Mayes (AP): Happ homers again, but Cardinals survive with 6-5 win over the Cubs. “It was the third consecutive game Happ has hit a homer.”
Food For Thought:
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin’ Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chicago blues, and over a four-decade career, recorded blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians ever.
Burnett became a protégé of Delta blues musician Charley Patton in the 1930s. In the Deep South, he began a solo career by performing with other notable blues musicians of the day. By the end of the decade, he had established himself in the Mississippi Delta. Burnett was recruited by A&R man Ike Turner to record for producer Sam Phillips in Memphis. His first record “Moanin’ at Midnight” (1951) led to a record deal with Chess Records in Chicago. Between 1951 and 1969, six of his songs reached the Billboard R&B chart.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
Orioles minor league recap 5/31: Creed Willems walks it off
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 8, Durham Bulls (TBR) 5 – F/10
The Tides broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth on a Ryan Noda RBI double and José Barrero’s 11th home run of the year. The rally put them up, 5-3, then Ryan Long immediately allowed three runs in the next inning to re-tie it. That score held until the bottom of the 10th, when Creed Willems got to be the hero. He walked it off with a three-run homer to send the fans home happy.
Starting pitcher Trace Bright had his best start at the Triple-A level with a six-inning, two-run effort. He allowed five hits and two walks. He struck out five.
Double-A: Erie SeaWolves (DET) 4, Chesapeake Baysox 0
The Baysox were held to four hits, one each from Aron Estrada, Ethan Anderson, Thomas Sosa, and Frederick Bencosme. Estrada’s hit was a double. Bencosme also worked a walk.
Luis De León pitched 4.1 innings with four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. He allowed two runs, but just one was earned. In the fifth inning, the defense made two errors in the same play, one each by Sosa and Maikol Hernandez. It was part of a two-error game for Hernandez.
High-A: Frederick Keys 3, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI) 1
Caden Hunter made his first start for the Keys after six games with the Shorebirds. He pitched 4.1 innings with two hits and two walks. He struck out nine. Great high-A debut, Caden!
The game was scoreless until the eighth inning when Colin Yeaman (Yeah Man!) doubled with Vance Honeycutt, Elis Cuevas, and Victor Figueroa on base. That put the Keys up, 3-0. Prior to the eighth inning, they had exactly one baserunner.
Carson Dorsey pitched the final three innings and allowed one run on four hits.
Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 9, Delmarva Shorebirds 6
It was another rough start for Esteban Mejia. He was knocked out of the game after five walks and just two-thirds of an inning. He was charged with four runs, two earned. His season ERA is now 8.16. The season has not gone well for him so far.
The Shorebirds scored six runs on just seven hits. They bunched four of those hits and three walks into a four-run third inning. One of those walks was from the rehabbing Enrique Bradfield Jr, who had a hit and two walks in the game. Elvin Garcia had three hits in the game and Junior Aybar picked up two.
Today’s Schedule
- Norfolk vs Durham, 1:05. Starter: Christian Herberholz
- Chesapeake @ Erie, 1:35. Starter: TBD
- Frederick @ Jersey Shore, 1:05. Starter: Yeiber Cartaya
- Delmarva vs Fredericksburg, 2:05. Starter: Christian Rodriguez
What do Giants fans think was the highlight of the week?
Good morning, baseball fans!
Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to a close today, which means it’s time for us to pick our favorite highlight of the week!
As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to shout out two players this week and I gave yesterday’s honors to Rafael Devers for his grand slam in last Sunday’s game. Which means today’s honors go to Harrison Bader for HIS grand slam in last Saturday’s 10-3 win over the Chicago White Sox!
While the team may not be racking up the wins the way I might want them to, I cannot complain about multiple grand slams in the same week! (And yes, I know this was technically last week but I have to pre-write these so I get to include the former week, okay?)
Anyway, what was your favorite highlight of the week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants wrap up this road series against the Rockies this afternoon at 12:10 p.m. PT.
This Week in Purple: Goodbye May and hello June
After a promising—but still losing—April, the Colorado Rockies slid into May and… certainly had themselves a month of some kind.
It’s been a weird and rough May. The Rockies are 8-19 in May. They have just one series win for the month while polishing off the final weekend of May against a bizarrely struggling San Francisco Giants and have won consecutive games just twice. Michael Lorenzen, Kyle Freeland, and Edouard Julien have had a month from hell, the roster has suffered a glut of injuries to several key players, and top prospect Ethan Holliday (no. 2 PuRP) just got shut down for the season.
But hey. It hasn’t been all bad!
It’s important to remember that at this point last year, the Rockies were 9-49. Now at 22-37—tied with the Detroit Tigers for the worst record in the league—they have more than doubled their win total and many of the games they lose are still at least close.
Throughout the month, we’ve also seen debuts of both new Rockies and prospects. Chad Stevens and Keegan Thompson both received the call, while prospects Sterlin Thompson (no. 13 PuRP) and Welinton Herrera (no. 17 PuRP) made their Major League debuts.
There have also been some solid results on the existing big league roster. Relievers Antonio Senzatela and Jaden Hill continue to put up strong numbers out of the bullpen, first baseman TJ Rumfield is quietly one of the best rookies in the National League, and Hunter Goodman—despite his strikeout woes—continues to tear the cover off the ball when he gets a hold of one.
And then there’s Ezequiel Tovar, who is finally climbing his way out of a brutal slump to thunderous applause and late-game heroics.
Tovar has increased his walk rate, dramatically cut down on strikeouts, and is finally making strong contact with the baseball. On Friday night, he had a game to remember with a steal of home plate and two home runs, including the game winning walk-off blast. Tovar now has three home runs in May after having just one all season until recently, and getting to see him finally get to put on that incredible purple coat was a thing of beauty.
With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:
To Read: Rockpiles
- Monday:Checking in with Warren Schaeffer through 54 games | Sam Bradfield
- Tuesday:The Rockies and the amazing purple-colored home run coat | Renee Dechert
- Wednesday:The Colorado Rockies and the late-game woes | Skyler Timmins
- Thursday:Jaden Hill is quietly emerging as the Rockies most reliable reliever | Cory Cohen
- Friday:Zach of all trades: Agnos pitches when and where needed for Rockies | Joelle Milholm
- Saturday:Luis Arráez would lead the Rockies in WAR. He’s not the only “What-If” who would | James Riggenbach
To Read: News
- Rockies injuries:José Quintana leaves Rockies-Diamondbacks game with injury | Evan Lang
- Rockies roster:Rockies recall LHP Welinton Herrera, place José Quintana on IL | Evan Lang
- Rockies injuries:Colorado Rockies injury report, May 25, 2026 | Renee Dechert
- Rockies injuries:TJ Rumfield hit by pitch, leaves Rockies-Dodgers game | Joelle Milholm
- Weekly Pebble Report:Pedro Lopez takes himself and the Isotopes forward | Evan Lang & Skyler Timmins
- Rockies prospects:Sterlin Thompson reflects on his first week in the big leagues | Sam Bradfield
- Rockies prospects:Ethan Holliday to miss remainder of 2026 season | Evan Lang
Weekly Discussion Topics
Now that May is finally ending, what are your expectations or desires for June? What record do you think the Rockies will finish the month with? Do you think we’ll see any more important transactions or call-ups? Let us know in the comments!
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The Penguins could be getting a zany new alternate jersey next season
The NHL will have what they’re calling ‘Hometown Remix’ alternate jerseys for their teams next year. In essence (and in classic NHL style) it’s taking ideas from other leagues and making it their own. The MLB has City Connect and the NBA has City Edition jerseys they break out from time to time.
Based on recent leaks of the Florida and NYI jerseys, we might expect something loud for the Penguins.
The news might not be welcome and popular for the Penguins, who reportedly are getting a design in navy blue. Exact details or a mock up of the jerseys have not yet been released or leaked.
Navy blue is a natural in franchise history, given the team wore various versions of that color from the team’s inception in 1967 until the colors were changed in early 1980. The concept of navy blue jerseys has been a controversial one since its last use starting at the 2011 Winter Classic where Sidney Crosby was injured. Later in that season, Evgeni Malkin tore his knee wearing the dark blue jerseys and they were phased out of the regular rotation in quick order due to association with those events.
It remains to be seen for the Pens on just what their hometown remixes will look like. It could be something simple and tasteful like what the team wore in the late 1970’s. Given the leaked jerseys so far, it doesn’t look like those adjectives are the objective for these loud, festive type of jerseys.
Something to keep in mind as the summer rolls along, we’ll have to see how it goes. This concept may well go the way of the 2021-22 ‘reverse retro’ jersey that was worn a few times and then fortunately never seen again, but the NHL season is expanding to 84-games next year and to help keep things fresh and no doubt make some more money in merchandise sales, we know something new is coming down the pike soon for the Penguins to occasionally wear next year.
Knicks NBA Finals Series Primer: San Antonio Spurs
It’s here.
After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in an uncompetitive Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks have reached a place they have not been in 27 years. A long journey has resulted in entire generations of Knicks fans being able to experience something new.
But it certainly won’t be easy. A seven-game war out west for the right to play the ‘Bockers concluded on Saturday night in OKC, and the 2026 NBA Finals are set.
It’s the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks (53-29) against the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs (62-20) for the right to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy in a rematch of both the 1999 NBA Finals and the NBA Cup. Is there anything better?
Season Recap
You know how the Knicks’ season has gone. After all, you’re reading this on a Knicks site, but just to sum it up.
After firing Tom Thibodeau, engaging in a long coaching search, and keying in on Mike Brown, the Knicks mostly ran back the same team, albeit with new faces Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, while drafting Mo Diawara. It was supposed to be a deeper, offensive powerhouse, and, for the most part, it was. The Knicks started 23-9 and even got some hardware along the way, beating the Spurs in the NBA Cup Final in December. Everything was coming up New York as 2025 turned into 2026.
And then everything fell apart. Starting with a New Year’s Eve collapse in San Antonio, the Knicks lost nine of their next 11 games, capped off by a terrible effort on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at MSG against the tanking Mavs. The sky was falling, we had podcasters saying he couldn’t wait to blow up this core, we had loud calls for Mike Brown’s job, the defense was abhorrently bad, and the season was in a tailspin.
Then, they mollywhopped the Nets by 54 and everything calmed down. After going from 23-9 to 25-18, the Knicks won 28 of their final 39 games, powered by the NBA’s second-best defense over the final 2.5 months of the season. They swapped the disappointing Yabusele for Jose Alvarado and finished the season strong.
After struggling through three games with the feisty Hawks, something clicked in the heads of every coach and player on the roster. The last 11 games have seen a level of dominance so historic that they’ve broken every single point differential record imaginable. They obliterated the Hawks in the final three games, swept and demoralized the worn-down Sixers, and then broke the Cavaliers after a 22-point Game 1 comeback en route to a sweep to advance to their first NBA Finals in 27 years.
After taking a decent step forward in 2024-25 in Year 2 of the Victor Wembanyama, nobody could’ve expected the Spurs getting this good, this fast. Some lottery luck allowed them to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper No. 2 overall, while also adding Carter Bryant at the back of the lottery. Aside from those two, all they did was add big man depth in Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet, which was apparently enough to improve by 28 games.
San Antonio made a big statement early in the season, managing to be the first to derail the defending champion’s early quest at 70 wins by beating them four times in five meetings, while advancing to the NBA Cup Final in mid-December before falling to the Knicks. They spent much of the second half of the season chasing down the Thunder for the best record in basketball, finishing 30-4 in their last 34 games, but fell short due to just how hot OKC finished the season.
They endured some growing pains in a surprisingly competitive series against Portland that ultimately was only extended to five games because of a Wemby concussion. Additionally, this young group battled to six games by a banged-up Timberwolves team without Donte DiVincenzo and with a laboring Anthony Edwards. In a seven-game battle with the 64-win Thunder, they rallied back down 2-1 and 3-2 to win the series on the road.
Regular Season Series
12/16/2025: Knicks win 124-113 (NBA Cup Final)
12/31/2025: Spurs win 134-132 (A)
3/1/2026: Knicks win 114-89 (H)
The first time these two teams met wasn’t initially on the schedule, but when they both won their way to the NBA Cup Final in mid-December, a third meeting was added to the calendar in Las Vegas.
The circumstances surrounding the matchup deserve an asterisk. Victor Wembanyama was on a minutes restriction and came off the bench. Despite that, the two teams were even for much of the first three quarters, despite San Antonio often going on runs to stretch it to a 7-8 point lead before a counter by the Knicks.
Everything changed in the fourth, when Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek went ballistic to punch the Spurs in the mouth and secure the NBA Cup trophy. OG Anunoby had 28, Jalen Brunson had 25, and Kolek/Clarkson combined for 29, while Wembanyama had just 17 in 25 minutes, being routinely bullied on the boards by Mitchell Robinson.
The second meeting looked like it would go in the Knicks’ favor for three quarters. 45 points in the first quarter and a 19-point advantage late in the first half had NYK rolling, but Wembanyama and company slowly chipped away until the 7’5” alien left with a knee injury in the fourth, trailing by 11.
How would the Spurs respond without their best player? Well, the December-January Knicks didn’t play a lick of defense, and Julian Champagnie capitalized by nailing a career-high 11 threes in a stunning comeback victory on New Year’s Eve in what would ultimately begin the three-week stretch from hell that rocked the boat as much as any stretch in recent memory.
Brunson had 29, Deuce McBride and Clarkson both had 20, but injuries to Josh Hart and Robinson thinned the team’s frontcourt, allowing for Wemby to score 31 in 23 minutes while Fox and Champagnie combined for 52 of their own.
By early March, the Spurs were an absolute wagon. They went 11-0 in February and were in the midst of a 30-4 run to end the season. But when they went to Madison Square Garden for a nationally televised matinee, they were blown out of the building. After the first eight minutes, the Spurs led 19-7. The Knicks closed the quarter on a 15-2 run and never trailed again, blitzing a healthy San Antonio squad by 25 points.
Mikal Bridges had his best performance of the second half of the season, scoring 25 and being a +21. Brunson added 24, while Mo Diawara splashed four threes in 15 impactful minutes. Wembanyama had 25-13 on 8-for-17 shooting. Outside of him and Devin Vassell, nobody had much of an impact.
Playoff History
1999 NBA Finals: Spurs win 4-1
This is a rematch of the last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals, and the two franchises have been completely different since. San Antonio used this series as a springboard to a 20-year dynasty under Gregg Popovich, while it was the last gasp of the Patrick Ewing era and the second-to-last deep playoff run before 20 years of mediocrity.
The Knicks were never winning this one. As the No. 8 seed in a strike-shortened season, the Knicks were a ragtag group who stunned the world on their way here, but any chance they had to knock off the youthful Spurs vanished when Ewing tore his Achilles in the Eastern Conference Finals. As such, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston were a solid 90% of the offense.
San Antonio won Games 1 and 2 at home by 12 and 13 points in low-scoring, gritty affairs. The Knicks failed to score 80 in either. 23-year-old Tim Duncan scored 33 and 25 in two games in which his team scored less than 90 points. That’s a baby goat.
The Knicks took Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in what is currently the most recent Finals victory by the franchise. Houston scored 34 in an 89-80 victory. That momentum was short-lived, as the Admiral and the Big Fundamental carried the Spurs to a seven-point win in Game 4.
While it was academic at that point, the Knicks nearly stole Game 5 in the Alamodome. They led by eight in the second quarter and spent the fourth quarter going back and forth. Avery Johnson splashed a mid-range jumper for the lead in the final minute for San Antonio, and Sprewell, who had 35 in a terrific game where nobody else had it, missed two different go-ahead shots from inside the arc to clinch the title for the Spurs.
Key Stats (Regular Season)
Spurs:
Offensive rating: 118.7 (T-3rd)
Defensive rating: 110.4 (3rd)
FG%: 48.3% (6th)
3pt%: 35.9% (T-14th)
FT%: 78.7% (12th)
Pace: 100.7 (12th)
OREB%: 30.6% (10th)
TOV%: 13.3% (5th)
Points in the Paint: 49.3 (19th)
Opponent PITP: 46.3 (7th)
Opponent 3pt%: 35.2% (8th)
4th Quarter Net Rating: +3.2 (11th)
Clutch Record/Net Rating: 24-12, +8.3 (7th)
Knicks:
Offensive rating: 118.7 (T-3rd)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (7th)
FG%: 47.8% (11th)
3pt%: 37.3% (4th)
FT%: 79.2% (T-10th)
Pace: 97.5 (25th)
OREB%: 32.8% (7th)
TOV%: 13.9% (T-10th)
Points in the Paint: 47.8 (22nd)
Opponent PITP: 43.4 (3rd)
Opponent 3pt%: 36.2% (20th lowest)
4th Quarter Net Rating: +11.7 (1st)
Clutch Record/Net Rating: 21-13, +20.5 (3rd)
Trends:
Knicks since 1/20: 118.5 ORtg (6th), 108.2 DRtg (2nd), +10.3 net rating (3rd)
Spurs since 2/1: 30-4, 122.2 ORtg (1st), 109 DRtg (3rd), +12.2 net rating (1st)
Coaching Breakdown
Mike Brown (NYK):
Season with team: 1st
Season as head coach: 12th
Career teams coached: CLE, LAL, SAC, NYK
Career record: 507-333 (.604)
Career playoff record: 54-42 (.563)
Best finish: 2007 Cavaliers (Finals appearance)
Mike Brown is entering the postseason as the head coach of a third different team. He’s never won a game past the Eastern Conference Finals, but he’s certainly experienced deep playoff runs as an assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2001-03 and an assistant under Steve Kerr from 2017-22, winning four championships as an assistant coach.
Brown’s philosophy is a stylistic change from former head coach Tom Thibodeau, in that he prioritizes ball movement, spacing, and a drive-and-kick to open shooters (which he calls “sprays”). He was mostly unsuccessful in increasing the Knicks’ pace, showing that the team’s slow play is rooted in the way their captain operates in the offense, rather than the scheme. His biggest success has been increasing three-point attempts, but those have slowly decreased as the season has gone on.
Defensively, Brown has been flexible in his scheme. While Thibodeau always required a true rim protector on the floor, Brown has been more willing to mix up lineups in certain areas. After starting the season with a scheme that funneled the ball towards the middle of the floor into the help, Brown switched the scheme to look to send the ball towards the sidelines after the Knicks endured a month-plus stretch of abhorrent defense, powered by other teams driving and kicking to open shooters.
Mitch Johnson (SA):
Season with team: 2nd
Season as head coach: 2nd
Career teams coached: SA
Career record: 94-65 (.591)
Career playoff record: 12-6 (.666)
Best finish: 2026 Spurs (Finals and counting)
Coaching wasn’t at the forefront for Johnson for much of his life, as he spent a full four years as a starter at Stanford before going on to play in the D-League and overseas, but he got his start as an intern at Seattle University in 2011 before coaching AAU and later landing a full-time assistant role at the University of Portland in 2015.
One year later, he was in the Spurs’ organization as an assistant for their D-League affiliate in Austin. Three years after that, he was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for a fading contender. While Becky Hammon and (briefly) Tim Duncan were considered initial heirs to Coach Pop’s throne after a Hall of Fame career, it was Johnson who emerged after Wembanyama was drafted and the two developed a close relationship.
Early in the 2024-25 season, Popovich was sidelined indefinitely with a health issue, and even though it was considered interim at the time, Johnson unceremoniously took the reins in early November 2024 as the new head coach. Since then, through good team building and some fortunate lottery bounces, he’s led San Antonio into a new golden age with exciting young guard play and a future GOAT candidate in the middle.
Projected Rotations
Knicks:
Jalen Brunson
Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart
OG Anunoby
Karl-Anthony Towns
–
Jose Alvarado
Deuce McBride
Landry Shamet
Jordan Clarkson
Mitchell Robinson
Situational: Mo Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Jeremy Sochan, Tyler Kolek
Spurs:
De’Aaron Fox
Stephon Castle
Julian Champagnie
Devin Vassell
Victor Wembanyama
–
Dylan Harper
Keldon Johnson
Carter Bryant
Harrison Barnes
Luke Kornet
Situational: Jordan McLaughlin, Kelly Olynyk
Injury Report
For the Knicks, it’s about Mitchell Robinson and his broken pinky finger. Specifically, he broke his fifth metacarpal, an injury that usually sidelines players for several weeks. Robinson, himself, missed the 2021 playoffs with a very similar injury. As of Saturday, he still plans to play when the NBA Finals begin on Wednesday, but he’ll surely be wearing a brace. Hey, at least the free throws can’t get any worse?
For the Spurs, their injury report was clean heading into Game 7, but we need to monitor the status of De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper as the series goes on. Fox missed Games 1 and 2 with an ankle injury, and his effectiveness was so-so across the rest of the series. Harper suffered a minor hamstring injury in Game 2 and played in a slightly limited role off the bench for the next five games, albeit with Fox back in the lineup, making his role smaller.
Broadcast Schedule
Game 1: Wed, June 3, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 2: Fri, June 5, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 3: Mon, June 8, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 4: Wed, June 10, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 5*: Sat, June 13, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 6*: Tue, June 16, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 7*: Fri, June 19, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Guardians News and Notes: My Kingdom For Some Runs
Tell ya what, I am kinda tired of watching the Guardians not score runs.
They lost to the Red Sox 9-1 yesterday. Travis Bazzana has a 150 wRC+. Everybody else could use to step it up.
Angel Martinez has foot inflammation and will get an MRI today. Stuart Fairchild looked real bad but he’ll have a chance to show he can hit a lefty or two today.
Matt Seese and Nick Karavolos talked over the latest CBA proposals on the Disgusting Baseball Podcast.
AROUND MLB:
The White Sox won again over the Tigers, and the Royals and Twins lost.
Spurs fan, 17, declared brain-dead after horrific accident while celebrating conference final win
A young NBA fan suffered catastrophic head injuries after falling from a moving vehicle while celebrating a San Antonio Spurs playoff win.
The unidentified boy, 17, is in critical condition and brain-dead following the incident which took place during the celebrations after the Spurs’ game six victory over Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, News 4 San Antonio reported.
The teen was celebrating the win, which sent the Western Conference to a seventh deciding game, when he fell off the vehicle and hit his head, according to relatives.
He was rushed to an ER before being transported to another local hospital due to the severity of his injuries.
The teenager is brain dead and is not expected to survive, a police source told the San Antonio Express News.
The exact circumstances behind Thursday’s incident remain under investigation.
“The San Antonio Police Department extends our sympathy to the family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragic and preventable incident,” the SAPD said in a statement.
“This serves as an important reminder that public safety is a shared responsibility. We encourage everyone celebrating to follow traffic laws, stay inside of your vehicles and follow directions from the officers who are there to keep everyone safe,” the statement continued.
The Spurs defeated the Thunder on Saturday night to advance to the NBA Finals, where they will face the Knicks.
Will MLB add new teams? One owner thinks expansion would be 'stupid'
They had a lavish press conference in Sacramento this week featuring balloons, baseball caps, politicians and even future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker, letting Major League Baseball know they have the money, the land and the passion to be part of their exclusive club.
They have a star-studded staff of advisors in Nashville, an office constantly pumping out press releases, and even though they have no actual ownership, already chosen a team name.
They have already started seeking investors in Vancouver. They have everything set but the shovels in the ground in Salt Lake City.
Everywhere you turn, whether it’s in Charlotte, Portland, Orlando or Montreal, there’s a clamoring to be prepared the moment MLB announces it is ready to expand.
Well, what if everyone is wasting their time?
What if, after all of these years of hype and promises, MLB is not ready to expand in 2031, 2032 or 2033?
What if expansion simply doesn’t happen?
USA TODAY Sports asked a handful of MLB owners and owners and executives for their take on the potential of expansion, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the situation.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen, I really don’t," one longtime MLB executive said.
Said one owner: “Expansion would just be stupid."
Said another owner: “It’s not anything that’s being discussed right now, I know that."
Indeed, expansion has not been addressed in the early collective bargaining agreement talks between MLB and the players union. It’s expected to be tabled until after a CBA agreement is reached.
So, once there’s a new CBA, whenever that is, just why wouldn’t there be expansion?
The players union would love it, with 52 new jobs coming to MLB. The owners would love it, with expansion fees for each team expected to be perhaps $3 billion.
Commissioner Rob Manfred would love it, wanting expansion as part of his legacy, and already on record wanting to add two more teams before he leaves office in January 2029.
“When people want your product," Manfred said last week on the Pat McAfee Show, “I think it’s kind of incumbent on you to try to figure out a way if you can deliver that product to them."
The schedule makers would love it, knowing it’s much easier to comprise a 162-game schedule featuring 32 teams than 30. And the players would love it, with expansion bringing massive realignment, reducing travel and the frequent cross-country flights.
Yet, as several owners and executives say, the biggest problem with expansion is that it doesn’t make sense financially.
“Why would we want to subsidize two more small-market teams?" one executive said. “I don’t understand it. The economics don’t add up."
There’s no need to look further for evidence than the two Florida teams when MLB expanded in 1993 with the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies, and again in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Marlins, who won two World Series titles in their first 10 years, have finished last or next-to-last in National League attendance in all but one year since 1998. The only time they’ve drawn more than 2 million fans since 1997 was when they moved into their new ballpark in 2012.
The Rays, who have won two American League pennants and have been to the postseason nine times since 2008, have finished last or next-to-last in AL attendance 21 years, drawing more than 2 million fans only in their 1998 inaugural season.
So, guess who’s been subsidizing these teams, with MLB executives estimating that the Marlins alone have received about $4.5 billion in revenue sharing from the central fund since their birth into MLB.
How does that investment look to their fellow owners with the Marlins and Rockies paying just $95 million in expansion fees, the Diamondbacks and Rays paying $130 million, with none of the teams among the revenue sharing payees?
So now, with Manfred wanting every team to share their local TV revenue, and new national TV contracts coming in 2029 that MLB estimates could be worth $250 million per team, do owners really want to cut out two more slices of that pie and hand the money over to the new teams?
The two expansion cities will likely be low-revenue teams with small TV markets, but they would be sharing the same national TV revenue pie as the Dodgers, Yankees and the other big boys.
“Those teams certainly won’t be paying money into revenue sharing," one owner said, “so it will be less money for everyone else. What’s the added benefit, to get more fans engaged? I’m not sure expansion will drive fan engagement in either market. So, we’ll see what happens once our labor deal is done.
“But I really don’t understand the logic for expansion, at least not yet."
Around the basepaths
– While MLB owners will gather Tuesday and Wednesday in New York as labor talks have begun, several owners believe that if this becomes a long, drawn-out work stoppage that threatens games in 2027, the X-factor could be sitting in the White House.
“If we miss spring training, I could see Donald Trump getting involved," one owner said. “He could say, 'Gentlemen, enough is enough. I want a deal. And I want it by the end of the week. Or else.'"
– While owners insist there are a number of teams losing money, at least on paper, no one is losing more money each year than Steve Cohen with the New York Mets.
Yet, while the Mets may have annual operating losses in excess of $200 million, guess who’s going to become even a much richer owner?
Yep, Steve Cohen, thanks to an $8 billion casino project that will be built next to Citi Field.
“Cohen never would have gotten the casino if he didn’t have the team," one owner said, “so it really worked out well for him, no matter how much money he loses with the Mets."
– Perhaps the biggest surprise in MLB’s initial proposal to the players union is that teams would equally share their local TV contracts, meaning that the Dodgers, who receive an average of $334 million a year, would be earning the same as the Milwaukee Brewers, who receive about $25 million a year.
Yet, the caveat is that owners will agree to sharing their local TV deals only if there is a salary cap.
– If the players union gets their way with a $3 million minimum for salary-arbitration eligible players, the free-agent market could be flooded with a whole lot of non-tenders. There were 77 of 160 players who settled their arbitration cases last season for less than $3 million.
– If there was a hard salary cap of $245.3 million in MLB, the Dodgers could have a problem on their hands, considering that Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2035), Shohei Ohtani (2033), Mookie Betts (2032) and Blake Snell (2029) are all signed to massive contracts through at least 2029.
The Marlins, on the other hand, could have to go on a massive spending spree if there’s a $171.2 million salary floor. They have only $5 million on their books after this season, and have had a $100 million payroll once during Bruce Sherman’s eight years as owner.
– The Philadelphia Phillies made quite the shrewd move this spring when they tacked on three more years with Cristopher Sanchez’s six-year, $107 million contract extension, leaving the Cy Young candidate under team control through 2033.
Sanchez will attempt to go where only Orel Hershiser and Don Drysdale has gone before with a 44 ⅔-inning scoreless streak, needing to pitch just 2 ⅔ innings shutout innings in his next start this week to move into third place on the all-time scoreless streak. Orel Hershiser has the MLB record with 59 consecutive shutout innings in 1988, with Drysdale at 58 innings in 1968.
– Can you imagine how good the Dodgers would be if they didn’t trade an 18-year-old prospect by the name of Yordan Alvarez to the Houston Astros for reliever Josh Fields in 2016?
Alvarez, scouts and baseball executives will tell you, may be the greatest all-around hitter they’ve seen since Barry Bonds, with his teammates now even calling him Barry. He went into Saturday slashing .301/.415/.641 with a league-leading 1.056 OPS, with 20 homers and 39 RBIs.
“There is a level of intelligence and calm through his at-bats that I have never, ever seen in my career,” Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters.
– It’s amazing the Padres have a winning record, let alone the fourth-best record in the NL. The Padres team headed into the weekend hitting just .218, the lowest batting average by a team this late in a season since the 1968 Baltimore Orioles.
– The Marlins sold 15% stake in the franchise to pay down debt, with the deal valued at $1.55 billion, $300 million more than the original purchase price in 2017.
– The postseason scenario that leaves Fox executives in a cold sweat at night?
A Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays World Series.
It would also be MLB’s worst nightmare in labor talks, proving that small-market teams can be on the ultimate stage without a salary cap.
– The Dodgers already have six reliable starters, even with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell on the IL, but just in case someone falters, River Ryan is lighting it up at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He is yielding a 2.05 ERA, striking out 29 while walking only three batters in 22 innings.
– Even though Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco won’t have to serve time in prison in the Dominican Republic with a judge in the Dominican Republic finding Franco “criminally responsible’ for abusing a minor, but immigration attorneys believe that he still will never be approved for a visa to play in the United States, preventing the Rays for having to pay the $160 million he’s owed.
– While the Boston Red Sox continue to struggle, their former pitchers had quite the week:
Chicago White Sox rookie David Sandlin giving up a home run to Minnesota Twins leadoff hitter Byron Buxton on the second pitch of his major-league debut, only to then retire 18 consecutive batters, becoming the first White Sox pitcher to achieve the feat since at least 1900 in his first career start.
Kyle Harrison pitched six shutout innings for the Milwaukee Brewers against St. Louis, lowering his ERA to 1.57.
And Atlanta’s Chris Sale beat the Red Sox at Fenway Park to go 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA.
– Dodgers starter Blake Snell, who was placed on the 60-day IL this past week, has pitched only 64½ regular season innings since signing his five-year, $182 million contract before the 2025 season.
– New York Mets broadcaster Ron Darling called out today’s MLB coaches knowing that many are afraid to criticize players for fear of losing their jobs.
“I don’t understand it,” Darling said after Mets pitcher David Peterson failed to back up a play. “It really tells me that coaches don’t have as much influence on the players as they think they have, because someone should rip someone at some point, but they don’t, because they don’t want to upset anyone."
– Twenty years ago, there wasn’t a single team hitting below .250.
In 2016, there were nine teams hitting below .250.
Today, there are a whopping 26 teams.
– Oh, where have the complete games gone?
Fifty years ago in 1976, starting pitchers threw complete games 28.3% of the time, according to Codify Baseball.
- 1986: 14.9%
- 1996: 7%
- 2006: 3.1%
- 2016: 1.8%
- This year: 0.4%
– Kansas City Chiefs all-pro tight end Travis Kelce is the latest star athlete from a different sport to become a minority owner in MLB, purchasing a piece of the Cleveland Guardians.
Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes owns part of the Kansas City Chiefs.
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has a minority stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James had a stake in the Boston Red Sox through his investment in Fenway Sports Group.
Milwaukee Bucks starter Giannis Antetokounmpo is part of the Milwaukee Brewers’ ownership team.
– Oh, what a difference just two years can make.
The Chicago White won their 30th game of the season Friday evening on Miguel Vargas’ walk-off homer against the Detroit Tigers.
They didn’t win their 30th game in 2024 until Aug. 16, when they were 30-93, and outscored by 251 runs on their way to baseball futility.
–The Rays made one of the greatest acquisitions of the offseason when they signed veteran pitcher Nick Martinez to a one-year, $13 million contract.
You may soon see him on the national stage pitching in his first All-Star Game.
Martinez, 35, is 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA, becoming the oldest pitcher to yield two or fewer runs in his first 11 starts in a season in modern baseball history.
– The Detroit Tigers have had their share of rough seasons, but this one may be the most disappointing in their recent franchise history.
They went into the season as a serious World Series contender.
They enter June as one of the worst teams in baseball, completely falling apart after Tarik Skubal’s elbow surgery, going 4-19 entering Saturday. They are 22-36, with only the Colorado Rockies having a worse record.
They have yet to win back-to-back games since Skubal went down.
– The Phillies’ right-handed hitters are a mess, hitting a major-league low .217 with a .315 on-base percentage and .585 OPS.
They will be on the lookout for a right-handed hitter at the trade deadline, but no, Mike Trout will not be coming to Philadelphia. He still is owed $148.46 million after this season, and has a full no-trade clause.
– The Athletics pitching staff has to keep reminding itself that they have only 1 ½ seasons left in Sacramento.
Their staff is yielding a 5.45 ERA at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park this year compared to a 3.39 ERA on the road.
The A’s, who were 10-16 at home entering Saturday, have been outscored by a staggering 52 runs.
They are 17-14 on the road where they have outscored their opponents by 21 runs.
– Future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts is the latest player to delete his social media accounts with ugly comments from fans berating him for his early-season struggles, ignoring the fact he has helped the Dodgers win three World Series titles since his arrival.
“There’s so much hate out there,’’ Betts told Katie Woo of The Athletic. “It’s kind of unbelievable. …It’s like, how can you go cheer and then go and be so negative to somebody. But that’s the world today, and it just sucks sometimes. It’s not like I’m out here trying to sabotage the team.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB expansion plans may not come to fruition as owners bash expansion
Spurs Game 7 Highlights: Corgi, Alien, Champagnie, oh my!
I’m not saying I knew this series would go to a Game 7. But when our fearless leader, J.R. Wilco, asked me to quit submitting “The Adventures of Wembanyama and Grogu” fan fiction graphic novels to publish because this is primarily a Spurs community site, I begrudgingly and enthusiastically volunteered to sign up for Game 7 highlights.
And boy, were there highlights to be had! Victor Wembanyama scored a team-high 22 points along with 7 rebounds while Julian Champagnie uncorked 20 points on 6 – 10 shooting from downtown. It was truly a team effort as all five starters scored in the double digits, and Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson got in on the action off the bench, scoring 12 and 11, respectively.
Emotional players play emotionally. If anyone thought Wembanyama wouldn’t come out angry, aggressive, angrily aggressively angry, then what team have you been watching? Sure, he almost fouled out of the game, but we can’t blame that on emotions. Blame it on the eternal battle between the two neighboring states’ powerhouse gas stations: Love’s and Buc-ees. One’s a nice, convenient gas station whenever you need one and the other is a roadside Texas-wrapped beef jerky haven, brisket brimming, peanut brittle laden, coven of kolaches, disguised as a refueling station. If Darth Vader loved clean restrooms and mascot beavers, he’d probably have a Buc-ees set up every 0.00000000000000324 parsecs on the Death Star. And Buc-ees would have a billboard anchored to every other asteroid floating through space: “Just 100 more light years until the next Buc-ees!”
The beaver won this round. But it’s going to be a bloody battle for years to come.
This, like it’s been all season, is a Julian Champagnie appreciation post. He showed up for every single game (literally) this season for the Spurs and put in a very agrarian consistency that was often appreciated but sometimes overlooked. It’s no surprise then to see that when the moment shined brightest, Champagnie did not shy away and helped his team punch their ticket to the big dance.
99.99% sure Mitch Johnson decided to slow roll the number two overall pick throughout his rookie season just to unleash him in the Western Conference Finals. Haven’t seen a rookie with this level of maturity to his game since Stephon Castle, which was like ages ago—last season to be exact. Do I sound giddy? My family, friends, and group chats have anticipated my giddiness by preempting any celebration on my part with, “at least you don’t live in San Antonio anymore so we don’t have to watch for your name to come up on the local news for all the wrong reasons.”
They’re no fun.
De’Aaron Fox’s game is so smooth. Even on a balky ankle, he is able to glide anywhere on the court and get his own shot or set up his teammates. Friends and strangers alike on the internet are already declaring the Spurs will trade Fox next season, and I say to that don’t talk to me about salaries, cap space, and roster construction. I’m just a lowly pretend caveman lawyer (RIP Phil Hartman) who’s unfamiliar with your fancy lingo and advanced analytics or whatever internet speed faster than dial-up is these days. All I know is, Fox has been everything and more ever since he became a Spur.
Two-way point guards who can find their own shot, be a team’s closer when needed, run a professional NBA offense, all while sacrificing their own stats do not come along so often—just like opportunities to win an NBA title, these things are rare for a reason.
We rock the party that rocks the rim.
Fox serving up floaters and fond, familiar flashbacks of Tony Parker floating in the lane for a floater. Here’s hoping 3 full days of rest will get that ankle right so we can see number 4 at full strength for the Finals.
Keldon Johnson’s one-man run in the fourth quarter to help sustain the Spurs’ lead gave me endless joy. A lot of chatter (understandably so) surrounded KJ’s play in this series on the heels of his Sixth Man award. Let’s not forget that these awards are regular season awards, and that it’s a long season. The Sixth Man embodies team before self, instant energy off the bench, reliability, depth for support, and leadership when the team needs it most.
When the Thunder threatened and showed why you cannot count the defending champs out, Johnson rolled right in and showed up for his team.
This Luke Kornet chase down block is better than LeBron James’s chase down block in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
I will not elaborate, but I can offer you seven indelible words: “Because it’s Luke (expletive) Kornet!”
I mean dude only played 6 minutes in this game, but he had one emphatic block so shocking that it made the Salesian Sisters question whether they were watching Luke Kornet or The Gospel According to Luke.
What is this, an MVP trophy for ants? Oh it’ just his humongous mitts.
What a team.
Anyone who’s anyone who’s watched Cowboy Bebop naturally knows that corgis never lie.
If you missed the game because you were too busy wreaking (good, clean, fun) havoc in downtown San Antonio, here are the full-game highlights:
Next up, the Spurs host their first NBA Finals game since 2014! They are playing against none other than the New York Knickerbockers, who are in their first NBA Finals since 1999—against none other than our Spurs. Catch Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.