Category: Sports News

So what are the 2026 Boston Red Sox made of?

That’s what I keep asking myself, because the box scores and the standings tell two completely different stories right now and I can’t reconcile them. The Red Sox are 18-26, dead last in the AL East, nine games behind Tampa Bay with May not even over. By every measure that matters in the standings, this team is a disappointment.

But watch the actual games and something doesn’t add up.

Even with Garrett Crochet on the IL, the rest of the rotation has been effective. The bullpen has been one of the quiet success stories of the first two months. The defense is better. Chad Tracy hasn’t lost the clubhouse.

And yet the Red Sox are 18-26 because the offense has been absolutely allergic to doing anything—aka scoring runs—when it matters.

The Workhorses

This pitching staff is getting buried under all this offensive misery, and it shouldn’t be.

Garrett Crochet is still a pig. He’s doing side sessions and working his way back from left shoulder inflammation, and the rotation does in fact miss him. But even without the ace, these starters have held this team together in games all season, and this week gave you two of the starkest examples of what that actually looks like.

On Wednesday, Sonny Gray came back from his own IL stint for a right hamstring strain and was dominant. Six innings, one run, two hits, six strikeouts against a Phillies lineup that had been on a tear—especially Kyle Schwarber, who’s been eating every pitcher alive in baseball, basically. Gray is 4-1 on the year and has been every bit the steady workhorse the Red Sox needed him to be. Ceddanne Rafaela’s pinch-hit two-run shot over the Monster bailed the offense out in the win, but Gray handed them a game they had no business losing.

Thursday was the one that stings. Ranger Suárez, who left after eight seasons in Philadelphia to sign a five-year, $130 million deal with Boston in January, took the mound against his former team and was something else. He retired the first 11 batters he faced. Held the Phillies scoreless through 5.1 innings. Didn’t allow a hit until the fifth. He left with the game tied at zero and the bullpen held Philadelphia through the seventh. Then Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer off Tyler Samaniego in the eighth and the Red Sox lost 3-1 after scoring exactly one run in the ninth. Suárez was as good as you can be in a start. He got nothing for it.

That’s the whole season in two games.

Connelly Early has quietly been one of the better stories on this staff too, his smooth delivery and pitch mix confusing lineups without needing to throw 97. Peyton Tolle is the dude who absolutely shoves at 97 and beyond with just create-a-player nasty stuff. 

The bullpen might actually be the best unit on this roster. Garrett Whitlock has finally found his footing after years of bouncing between starter, closer, and long relief — a defined set-up role has let him flourish in a way he never quite could before. Aroldis Chapman, at 38, is still throwing absolute heat and is perfect in nine save chances. The Cuban Missile hasn’t slowed down. Justin Slaten is back with more life on his pitches than before he left. Tyler Samaniego, despite Thursday, has been one of the more underrated arms on this staff all year.

When this pitching staff takes the mound, the Red Sox have a real chance to win. That’s been true all year. The problem is entirely what happens when the offense comes up.

The Numbers Don’t Lie, They Just Sting

Seven.

That’s how many times the Red Sox have lost this season while allowing three runs or fewer. Seven games where the pitching held a quality opponent to a manageable score, kept Boston close late, and got nothing in return.

Now expand that window: any low-scoring loss where both teams finished with four runs or fewer, games entirely decided by a handful of plate appearances, and the list grows to nine.

Nine games. Flip those close losses into close wins, not some fantasy offseason move but just winning the games a competent offense makes winnable, and the Red Sox aren’t 18-26. They’re 27-17. Tied with the Yankees for second in the AL East. Right in the conversation with Tampa Bay instead of watching them from nine back.

This feels like the insanity of last year, of losing so many one-run games that could have made that team feel much more like a juggernaut. 

Nine games! From an offense that ranks 21st in batting average (.235), 23rd in on-base percentage (.314), and 29th in slugging (.353). Through 19 home games at Fenway, the Red Sox have scored just 56 runs — the lowest 19-game stretch at Fenway since the Green Monster was built in 1934. Their record at home is frankly embarrassing, but that’s another story. 

Missed Opportunities

The team is hitting .236 with runners in scoring position. That’s bad enough. But the individual numbers are where it gets ugly, and it’s both the frequency and the flavor of the failures that make this so hard to watch.

Jarren Duran is hitting .189 with men on base. Caleb Durbin, playing almost every day at third, is at .169. Trevor Story, supposed to be the middle-of-the-order veteran presence, is hitting .198 with RISP and drawing boos at Fenway after back-to-back strikeouts have become something of a calling card. His .520 OPS in those situations tells you everything about where he is right now. I’m sure he feels in a weird place hearing all the information from the front office on whether he’s in or out of this squad, but the amount of drama this team has is—yet again—another story. 

Two guys who’ve held up are Willson Contreras at .253 and Ceddanne Rafaela at .276. Contreras is also the team leader in home runs (8) and RBI (23): the guy brought in as a complementary hopeful power bat has become the one to actually count on to drive in a run. Rafaela’s numbers are decent, but he’s a nine-hole hitter, not meant for the middle of the order.

The multitude of ways this Red Sox team continues to fail at scoring runs matters as much as the frequency. A leadoff double dies on three weak grounders. An obvious fastball count turns into a called strike three because the hitter was sitting breaking ball. A swing with a man on third and one out that looks more like someone trying to end a month-long drought single-handedly than just put the ball somewhere useful. Getting greedy trying to swipe a bat and either getting picked off or caught stealing. Multiple games this season where Boston stranded nine, ten, eleven runners while the pitching kept things close enough that any one of them scoring changed the outcome.

Fenway wakes up for half an inning and goes quiet before anyone can actually get excited.

What We’re Missing

Roman Anthony is hurt, and that matters. He was the one hitter in this lineup with the plate discipline and natural power to change games, the kind of presence who makes the whole order harder to pitch around. When he comes back healthy, hopefully he regains his form from 2025, because this team is a different animal when he’s in it. His eye and walk rate was still solid, it’s clear he had something physical coming into the season and that should hopefully be abated. 

In the meantime, Wilyer Abreu is the most dangerous bat this lineup has. He leads the team in hits, he has real pop, and he’s the one guy opposing pitchers actually have to think twice about. Marcelo Mayer keeps flashing enough to make you think the breakthrough is one hot week away. Jarren Duran, when he locks in and goes back to attacking instead of guessing, can still change games — but he’s hitting .162 overall right now and the new load approach continues to be a work in progress.

The defense is genuinely better. Ceddanne Rafaela continues to be a platinum glove in center. His range alone saves runs that never show up anywhere. That part of the team, at least, is doing its job.

Direction

Truly bad teams announce themselves early. You stop expecting much, adjust, and start looking at draft positioning and talking about next year.

This team keeps refusing to do that. It keeps flashing enough competence to make the offensive failures feel personal. You go into every series thinking this is the week something clicks, and then watch the offense score one run in nine innings behind a guy who retired 11 straight Phillies.

Tampa Bay is 29-14 and running away with this division. The pesky Rays are back. Great. That’s the reality. But the other reality, the one that makes watching this team feel like a specific, targeted kind of torture, is that those nine games are sitting right there. Nine games not lost because the Red Sox got outclassed. Nine games lost because the offense couldn’t do the one thing the pitching kept begging it to do.

Chad Tracy has been a steady presence since taking over and the clubhouse clearly hasn’t fallen apart. But steady presence doesn’t score runs. At some point this offense has to look at those nine games and decide it wants them back.

Gray eats innings coming off the IL and doesn’t skip a beat. Suárez shuts down his former team for five innings and gets nothing for it. Chapman throws 99 at 38 years old. Whitlock finally has the role he was built for. Slaten comes in throwing harder than before. And Crochet is doing side sessions, working his way back, probably thinking about all the run support he’s not missing.

The pig will be back. The rest of the staff is holding the building up in the meantime. Someone else needs to show up to the trough.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in a slump at the plate, but a matchup against Casey Mize may be just what he needs to buck the trend. 

Read on to see why with my Blue Jays vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, May 16. 

Blue Jays vs Tigers predictions

Blue Jays vs Tigers best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 singles (-130)

Despite being mired in a lengthy skid at the plate, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still ranks in the 96th percentile in xBA, and should see some positive regression soon once he finally gets going. 

Today could be that day, especially with Casey Mize on the mound for the Detroit Tigers.

Guerrero Jr. is 3-for-3 against Mize in his career, with two of the three hits being singles. 

I’m betting his singles market specifically because that’s the sweet spot for value, as 80% of his hits this year have been one-baggers. 

COVERS INTEL: Guerrero Jr. owns a .345 career average against the Detroit Tigers.

Blue Jays vs Tigers same-game parlay (SGP)

Yohendrick Pinango continues to rack up the hits game by game. He owns a .350 batting average, while recording a hit in 10 of his 14 career outings. 

Ernie Clement is a contact hitter who’s gone Under his strikeout number in 68% of his outings this season, ranking in the 99th percentile in K-rate. 

Blue Jays vs Tigers SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 singles
• Yohendrick Pinango Over 0.5 hits
• Ernie Clement Under 0.5 strikeouts

Blue Jays vs Tigers home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+300)

I’m making this a half-unit wager. 

Mize has kept the ball in the yard this season, and hasn’t given up a home run in four starts. However, if there’s one player who could take him deep today, I’m banking on it being Kazuma Okamoto.

The Jays slugger owns a .391 AVG and a .610 SLG against the four-seam fastball, which is Mize’s most used pitch against right-handed batters.

Okamoto has a team-high 10 home runs this year, while ranking in the 95th percentile in hard hit rate.

Blue Jays vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: Toronto +110 | Detroit -130
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 | Detroit -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Blue Jays vs Tigers trend

The Blue Jays have hit the team total Under in 15 of their last 20 away games (+9.35 Units / 39% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Tigers.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Tigers and game info

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Blue Jays vs Tigers weather

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The Yankees’ bullpen has dealt with underperformance, bad luck, and a lack of clearly defined roles through mid-May. And yet, the unit ranks fifth in baseball in ERA. Aided by a starting rotation which has shouldered a lion’s share of the workload and overperformances by two little-heralded lefties, New York’s relievers have somehow managed to keep pace.

As I do each month in a given season, I’m going to take a look at the Yankees’ relievers to identify how manager Aaron Boone is deploying each and offer a verdict as to how much trust we can place in them moving forward.

Statistics below are as of the morning of May 15th.

The Closer

David Bednar

Season stats: 18 IP, 3.50 ERA, 22 SO, 2.38 FIP, 10 Saves (in 11 opportunities)

Bednar has not been a shutdown closer. That fact has not prevented him from getting the job done. Of the eight games in which he’s allowed at least one run, only one has resulted in a blown save. He’s avoided the big inning, permitting only one home run, and hasn’t walked a batter since April 17, limiting traffic as he’s worked around some base hits.

Confidence level: High

Bednar’s peripherals may be the strongest of his career. 40 percent of the time opponents swing at one of his pitches, it’s outside the strike zone, helping along an elite 57.7 percent ground-ball rate. His expected ERA of 2.39 is more in line with his career benchmarks and suggests the veteran closer is right where he needs to be.

The Middle Relievers

Camilo Doval

Season stats: 15.2 IP, 5.74 ERA, 17 SO, 4.00 FIP

The Yankees do not have a set-up man. That’s because Doval, who was handed the job out of camp, has struggled mightily, creating a vacuum which has yet to be filled. Despite allowing 10 runs in 15.2 innings, Doval remains in the mix for late-inning opportunities. He’s looked better, though by no means dominant, in May, pitching to a 3.38 ERA in six outings.

Confidence level: Low

Part of the reason the former Giants’ closer is still involved in high-leverage spots may be his pedigree, but part of it is his underlying numbers. Doval has a sparkling expected ERA of 2.86, driven by a miniscule 4.5 percent walk rate and an ability to keep the ball on the ground. That gives some cause for hope that he can turn things around, but the right-hander is yet to build confidence that he will do so.

Fernando Cruz 

Season stats: 16.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 24 SO, 4.13 FIP

With Cruz, the formula is simple: here’s my splitter, good luck hitting it. After opponents batted .178 against the pitch last year, it was fair to wonder if the league would adjust. Through this point in the season, they’re hitting .139 against it. Sure, batters are raking against Cruz’s four-seamer and he’s walking more than a batter every other outing. But, as long as that splitter continues to dominate, his formula for success is clear.

Confidence level: High

Cruz is red hot, having allowed only one earned run in his past nine appearances. Boone has continued to use him in key spots, often in the middle innings of close games when the outcome is still very much in the air.

Brent Headrick

Season stats: 21.2 IP, 2.08 ERA, 23 SO, 3.29 FIP

After getting his ERA as low as 1.37 after a victory on May 7, Headrick has allowed runs in his last two outings.

It could be the beginning of a regression anticipated by just about any predictive metric, though the 28-year-old has done plenty to earn the trust Boone has placed in him. One thing to keep an eye on is some gaudy splits. Bizarrely, the southpaw has dominated righties (.538 OPS) but struggled against lefties (.914) He’s also pitched much better at home (.368 OPS) than on the road (.931).

Confidence level: Medium-High

Underlying metrics and unsustainably extreme splits, as well as an unremarkable track record before this season, suggest that Headrick’s early run of success may not last. Time will tell, but for now, he’s well established as a high-leverage option, and for good reason.

Tim Hill

Season stats: 18 IP, 1.00 ERA, 7 SO, 3.38 FIP

In last month’s column, I lamented how difficult it is to find new angles to discuss “old reliable” himself. Since then? Hill has tossed seven scoreless innings. The man walks no one and gets opponents to put 73.2 percent of batted balls on the ground, far and away tops in baseball. 20 appearances into the season, he’s still just allowed one home run.

Confidence level: High

FIP and expected ERA anticipate some regression from Hill. I can guarantee you that the 36-year-old does not care. Clearly, neither does Boone, who’s quickly elevated the southpaw from lefty specialist to pseudo set-up man.

The Long Relievers

Paul Blackburn

Season stats: 17.2 IP, 4.08 ERA, 11 SO, 4.29 FIP

The Yankees re-signed Blackburn, who’d started 86 big-league games in his career, this offseason to serve as a long reliever. So far, he’s fit the role like a glove. When Boone wanted an opener for a Brendan Beck spot start? Blackburn took the bump in the first. When Max Fried exited with an injury after three innings? Blackburn stepped in. He’s been eminently solid, pitching to a 105 ERA+ and eating innings at a pro level.

Confidence level: Medium

Assuming he continues to be used in low leverage spots, Blackburn provides a solid floor. There’s nothing under the hood to suggest he’s on the path to more prominent usage.

The Mop-Up Men

Ryan Yarbrough

Season stats: 15.2 IP, 3.45 ERA, 14 SO, 3.49 FIP

Yarbrough has largely been used in blowouts, mopping up in games that are already out of hand. Still, his ERA+ of 124 is exemplary. The lefty’s peripherals, including a 2.22 xERA and 18.2 percent hard-hit rate, suggest those outcomes may not be a fluke, though the sample size remains small.

Confidence index: Low

Despite better outcomes than Blackburn, Yarborough is clearly below his right-handed counterpart in Boone’s pecking order. The lack of confidence here is not his fault; it’s simply impossible to put trust in a pitcher who’s only pitched twice in the last three weeks. Given this lack of usage, it’s unclear if the southpaw will continue to maintain his spot in the bullpen long-term.

Jake Bird

Season stats: 13.1 IP, 4.73 ERA, 14 SO, 3.11 FIP

May has been kind to Jake Bird. After entering the month with a 7.00 ERA, he’s turned in six scoreless appearances.

The right-hander hasn’t looked particularly dynamic, striking out four against three walks, but beggars can’t be choosers. On the season as a whole, opponents are hitting .200 against his sinker after batting .345 against the pitch last year. Given it’s his primary fastball, that difference could end up having a major impact.

Confidence level: Low

Considering the open-ended nature of the Yankees’ bullpen picture, if Bird continues to perform well, he could start to see himself inserted in more high-leverage spots. The Yankees clearly think highly of his stuff; expect them to continue looking for opportunities to get him involved.

The Atlanta Braves began the series with the Boston Red Sox on a high note after getting a win in walk-off fashion. Mike Yastrzemski was the hero and delivered a walk-off in the 10th to give the Braves the 3-2 edge. 

Prior to the 10th inning, the Atlanta offense was relatively quiet. The lineup collected seven hits but only plated a run in the first and fourth innings.

Yastrzemski and the Braves look to ride this momentum and go for another series win tonight at 7:15 ET.

More Braves News:

Ronald Acuña Jr. took BP ahead of Friday’s contest, but he is still not ready to play in the outfield. 

Luis Arestigueta recorded six strikeouts during his outing on Thursday. More in the minor league recap.

MLB News:

New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes has a fractured fibula and will be out “for a long time.” He suffered the injury during Friday’s matchup with the New York Yankees.

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Matt Waldron on the 15-day injured list with an injury to his right brachialis muscle. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed lefty Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list due to loose bodies in his throwing elbow. The move is retroactive to May 12. 

The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Chase Dollander on the 15-day injured list with an elbow sprain. 

The New York Yankees placed Max Fried on the injured list due to a bone bruise in his left elbow. Though there is not a clear timetable for his return, he will be on the IL for more than a minimum stint. 

From The Feed:

When Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from the injured list, should Drake Baldwin continue to hit leadoff? Cast your vote here.

The Dodgers starting rotation was the most stable part of their team through the first quarter of the season, but the last week and a half has put a dent in the depth and figures to create some tests over at least the next few weeks. Blake Snell was placed on the injured list on Friday with loose bodies in his left elbow, which means he’ll be on the shelf for quite a while.

“We feel confident he’ll be back with us this year,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters before Friday’s game in Anaheim, from which Snell was scratched from his scheduled start.

That’s not what you want to hear about any player or pitcher, but it’s where the Dodgers are at. Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz had arthroscopic surgery on April 22 to remove loose bodies from his elbow and is expected to miss three months. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had surgery to remove loose bodies as well on May 6, and his return timetable is measured in months, not weeks.

The outcome for Snell is still to be determined, but surgery is the most likely per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times. That decision will come in the next week, per Jack Harris of the California Post, who noted such a procedure would sideline Snell until July or August.

Tyler Glasnow is also on the injured list with back spasms. He’s technically eligible to return next Friday, but Roberts said earlier this week that Glasnow won’t be ready by then, and is only just now throwing off flat ground.

So for now, the Dodgers rotation is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, and Roki Sasaki. Yamamoto and Sasaki always get at least five days of rest between starts and Ohtani usually gets at least six, with just one start this year on five days rest. That figures to continue, per Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic:

“I think we’re prepared to do whatever we can,” Roberts said. “But I will say the most important thing is to keep the guys on their schedules, not try to push too much because of circumstances with the rotation, because then you start to compromise their health.”

To date, no Dodgers pitcher this season has started on four days rest, and only 12 of 45 starts have been with five days rest.

After Ohtani’s seven shutout innings on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, Roberts said part of the reason he kept Ohtani in was due to getting extra rest before his next time out, which suggested some sort of shuffling before the series against the San Diego Padres. It’s unclear whether Snell’s injury changed those plans.

Perhaps a bullpen game was inevitable either in this series or the next, but with Snell scratched on Friday the Dodgers pivoted to using eight pitchers for a combined shutout of the Angels. There are five games left during this current stretch of 13 game days in a row. If the Dodgers stay in order, they can start Wrobleski, Sasaki, Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Sheehan over the next five games, with all of them going on five days rest.

If the Dodgers stay in that order in the rotation, they won’t need a sixth starter (or someone pitching on four days rest) until May 27, at home against the Colorado Rockies. If Glasnow isn’t an option by then, River Ryan will at least still be on the radar. Ryan returned for Triple-A Oklahoma City with four innings and four strikeouts on Friday in Albuquerque, after missing over a month with a hamstring strain, and has time to start at least once more in Triple-A to build up before a potential call-up, though the Dodgers don’t plan to rush him back.

“You’ve just got to be sure that he gets out of this one okay and it’s got to be a uniform decision that we all feel good about,” Roberts told reporters in Anaheim earlier on Friday. “Him pitching for us is a possibility, but it’s a slim possibility. The most important thing is his progression. If everyone isn’t on board with that and speeding it up, it’s moot, it’s just not going to happen. But if the training staff feels that it’s okay and you’re not compromising him and the progression, then it’s a conversation.”

Or more bullpen games could be in the future Left-hander Charlie Barnes was called up from Oklahoma City on Friday with Snell going on the injured list, and pitched the ninth inning on Friday’s shutout. Barnes is a starter by trade and four of his seven appearances for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs this season were starts, all of them lasting five innings, the last on May 6. The Dodgers claimed Barnes off waivers on May 9, and he was originally slated to start for Oklahoma City on Saturday before the call up.

Hunter Goodman has been good. Again.

That is the place to start.

Goodman hit 31 home runs last season, became an All-Star, and won a Silver Slugger. And he has been productive in 2026, hitting .247/.310/.513 with an .823 OPS and 11 home runs through May 15th.

The interesting part is not that Goodman is producing. It is the extreme, occasionally odd shape of how he is doing it.

The power indicators are extreme. So are the access concerns. His production has been better on the road than at Coors Field. And he is not just a right-handed power bat exploiting left-handed pitching.

Then there is the ABS piece, where Goodman’s relationship with the strike zone appears to change depending on whether he is wearing the gear or holding the bat.

The production is real. So are the caution lights.

In 2026, Goodman ranks in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity, 85th percentile in barrel rate, 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate, and 90th percentile in bat speed. When he gets to the baseball, there is impact in the bat. The shape has also moved in an even more power-friendly direction:39.6% fly balls, 52.7% pull rate.

This is an extreme power profile.

But here is another extreme: 3rd percentile chase rate, 4th percentile whiff rate.

That is where the access question gets sharper. Power hitters are going to miss. Aaron Judge whiffs, too. The difference is whether those misses come while hunting damage in the zone or chasing damage out of it. Judge’s 2026 chase rate is 25.2%, below the MLB average of 28.5%. Goodman’s chase rate is 43.6%.

Their chase-contact rates are fairly similar — 45.7% for Judge, 49.7% for Goodman — but Goodman is putting himself in those chase situations much more often, contributing to an eye-catching 1st percentile strikeout rate and 25th percentile walk rate that holds the entire profile back.

Right now, Goodman is more Oneil Cruz and less Judge: overwhelming impact, real production, and massive plate discipline caution lights.

Still, it is working.

The home/road split is its own (odd) extreme

There were hints last year that Goodman’s power did not need Coors Field. In 2025, he hit more home runs on the road than at home, 18 to 13, even though the full profile still behaved like a normal Rockies hitter profile.

Goodman hit .307/.356/.526 with an .882 OPS at home and .248/.288/.515 with an .803 OPS on the road. The power traveled. The production still lived mostly at home.

This year, the whole thing has flipped.

In 2026, Goodman has hit .200/.278/.415 with a .693 OPS at home and .281/.333/.584 with a .917 OPS on the road. He has three home runs at Coors and eight away from it.

That is not just road power: That is a Rockies hitter doing the Rockies thing backward.

And because, apparently, the profile needed one more oddity, Goodman’s day/night split has been extreme, too: a .571 OPS in day games and a .962 OPS at night.

The platoon split is not extreme

Goodman is a right-handed power bat, so one might think the damage is coming mostly against left-handed pitching — the reverse Mickey Moniak.

Except that is not exactly the case, either.

His 2026 platoon splits are almost perfectly neutral: .244/.311/.512 with an .823 OPS against lefties and .248/.309/.513 with an .822 OPS against righties. And while the plate appearance gap matters, eight of his 11 home runs have come against right-handed pitching.

Goodman is giving the Rockies right-handed thump against all pitchers.

Goodman the catcher and Goodman the hitter

The strangest layer is Goodman’s relationship with the strike zone: it seems to change depending on where he is standing — or squatting.

As a hitter, Goodman has been one of the worst ABS challengers in baseball — ranking second-to-last in MLB in net overturns vs. expected at -4.0, while going 2-for-8 on challenges.

Behind the plate, he has been one of the best in baseball — ranking second in MLB with +14.4 net overturns vs. expected and a 71% success rate on 31 challenges.

Goodman appears to know the strike zone when he is trying to win a pitch for his pitcher. He has had a much harder time knowing it when he needs one more pitch for himself.

That split sounds strange, but eye angles and body positioning aside, there may be a simple human explanation. League-wide ABS usage hints at the emotional difference between challenging as a batter and challenging as a catcher. Batters challenge more often as the count becomes pressure-filled — especially in two-strike and full-count situations:

The same pattern shows up by inning, too. As the game gets later and the pressure rises, hitters challenge more often:

The urgency shows up in the challenge rate, but not in the success rate. Hitters challenge more often in those do-or-die counts without getting better results.

That is the existential crisis of the hitter. For a catcher, a challenge can be tactical. For a hitter, it can become a plea for one more pitch. To stay alive.

That does not solve Goodman’s hitter-side ABS struggles. It just makes the split more fascinating: the catcher can read the edge; the hitter is trying to survive it.

The Rockies can live with extremes

For now, maybe the cleanest way to understand the Rockies’ 26-year-old catcher is this: swing hard and often. Hit the ball outrageously hard when contact arrives. Live with the misses.

That profile is not tidy, but tidy is not the requirement. Production is. The Rockies can live with an extreme Hunter Goodman.

But this is also where the “what if?” game gets fun. What if Coors starts helping? What if the whiffs tick down? What if Goodman the hitter borrows a little more from Goodman the catcher?

Then the question gets bigger.

Is Hunter Goodman someone the Rockies can truly build around?

On the Farm

Triple-A: Oklahoma City Comets 17, Albuquerque Isotopes 1

The Albuquerque Isotopes fell to 25-18 with a lopsided 17-1 loss to the Oklahoma City Comets, who improved to 22-20.

Oklahoma City scored in each of the first five innings, including nine runs in the fifth. Carson Palmquist (No. 19 PuRP) started for Albuquerque and allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks over 2.1 innings. Palmquist took the loss, falling to 1-3 with a 6.95 ERA. The bullpen did not fare much better, as the Comets finished with 17 runs on 19 hits and 12 walks. Albuquerque had eight hits but scored only once. Blaine Crim drove in the lone Isotopes run and now has a .781 OPS, while Vimael Machín went 2-for-4 and is carrying a 1.010 OPS. The rest of the lineup was quiet. The Comets were led by Alex Freeland, who drove in five runs, Jack Suwinski, who added three hits and four RBI, and James Tibbs III, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and has a 1.011 OPS.

Double-A: Portland Sea Dogs 2, Hartford Yard Goats 1 (F/10)

The Hartford Yard Goats fell to 17-19 with a 2-1 extra-innings loss to the Portland Sea Dogs, who improved to 17-19.

Portland scored first in the fifth inning on a Tyler McDonough RBI single, but Hartford answered in the sixth when Bryant Betancourt hit his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field that tied the game at 1-1. The game stayed there until the 10th. Portland opened the inning with the automatic runner on second, moved him to third on a single, and brought him home on a groundout. Hartford moved its automatic runner to third with one out in the bottom half, but GJ Hill struck out and Benny Montgomery grounded out to end the game. Jake Brooks gave the Yard Goats a strong start — one run on eight hits over five innings with no walks and four strikeouts. Andy Perez went 2-for-4 and continues to produce on offense with a .368 average and .897 OPS.

High-A: Hillsboro Hops 5, Spokane Indians 4

The Spokane Indians fell to 14-23 with a 5-4 loss to the Hillsboro Hops, who improved to 15-22.

Spokane scored twice in the first inning, but Hillsboro tied it in the third, moved ahead in the fifth, and took the lead for good with two runs in the seventh. The Indians made it close in the ninth, loading the bases and scoring on an Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP) hit-by-pitch, but Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) struck out to end the game. Spokane had eight hits, with Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP) and Tevin Tucker collecting two apiece. Hedges drove in two runs, while Kelvin Hidalgo added an RBI single. The Indians used three pitchers in short outings. Brody Brecht (No. 3 PuRP) allowed two runs over 2.1 innings, Francis Rivera gave up one run in 2.2 innings, and Justin Loer took the loss after allowing two runs over three innings.

Single-A: Fresno Grizzlies 6, Visalia Rawhide 5 (F/10)

The Fresno Grizzlies improved to 22-15 with a 6-5 extra-innings win over the Visalia Rawhide, who fell to 13-24.

Fresno led early, lost the lead in the eighth, and then got it back late. Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) delivered the biggest swing of the night, tying the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. In the 10th, the Grizzlies put runners on the corners before Jeremy Ciriaco reached on a throwing error that brought home the winning run. Brito finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and now has a .965 OPS. Tanner Thach also had a strong night, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and pushing his OPS to .920. Jack O’Dowd added an RBI as part of Fresno’s 12-hit night. Angel Jimenez gave the Grizzlies a solid start, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits over six innings while striking out six. Fresno’s bullpen made things interesting, but Samy Clausen struck out the side in the 10th to keep the game tied and earn the win.

Mickey to Mickey: A baseball thank-you letter | MLB.com

MLB.com’s Ayako Oikawa-Hughes shares a beautiful first-person piece from Mickey Moniak, written as a letter to Mickey Mantle. It is part family history, part baseball memory, and part reflection on how a name can connect one generation of the game to another.

Chase Dollander’s Elbow Is Now Colorado’s Biggest Problem | SI.com

Kyle Newman of SI.com frames Chase Dollander’s right elbow strain as the Rockies’ biggest concern because he represents both the present and future of a rotation already in crisis. It also covers the related roster moves, including Sterlin Thompson’s call-up and Sammy Peralta being added as likely multi-inning depth.

Purple Row After Dark: What are your way-too-early trade deadline predictions? | Purple Row

If you like trades and predictions, check out this Purple Row After Dark from Zeke you might have missed. He asked Purple Row readers for their way-too-early trade deadline predictions, which feels like a pretty natural conversation starter for where this Rockies season already is.

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

Good morning Birdland,

Leave it to the 2026 Orioles to make a pitcher with an ERA near seven look like an all-star. Look, Zack Littell has been in the majors for nearly a decade and has put together multiple solid seasons. He’s not a random Triple-A arm making a spot start. But 2026 has been a struggle for him. The opener of this series with the Nationals seemed like an opportunity for the Orioles to score some runs. Instead, Littell shut the lineup down for five innings, and they couldn’t do much of anything against any of the Nationals pitchers until the ninth inning.

Given how poorly the Orioles hit all game, they were fortunate to have a chance so late in the game. They even had their best hitter, Adley Rutschman, at the plate with the bases loaded. They could have taken the lead outright. But it wasn’t to be. Rutschman got down in the count and was then struck out on a half-swing to end the game.

It was an appropriate conclusion to a bad day for the Orioles. A few hours earlier it had been announced that Jordan Westburg had undergone Tommy John surgery and was out for the year. This wasn’t necessarily a surprise at this point. The news trickling out about his rehab had all been bad. But it is still disappointing, and it gives the Orioles fewer viable options to solve their broken offense.

The decision to get Jackson Holliday involved at third base probably had a lot to do with the fact that the Orioles already knew Westburg’s elbow was not getting better. The team also can’t love what they have seen from Coby Mayo. Weston Wilson probably isn’t the solution. But they have to figure something out at the hot corner.

Just add it to the list of things with this team that have not gone according to Mike Elias’ plan in 2026. Some of it is bad luck, like the injuries to Westburg, Holliday, and Zach Eflin. But a lot more of it comes down to poor planning or bad development. The O’s President of Baseball Operations had better hope his roster magical starts playing well, or it’s going to be a long summer for him and his staff.

Links

Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg undergoes season-ending elbow surgery | The Baltimore Banner
Here’s more about Westburg’s surgery. It always felt like the Orioles weren’t going to have the third baseman in 2026, but because they opted for rehab over surgery for the last three months, the injury may now impact the 2027 season. It’s understandable. No one wants to get surgery if they can avoid it. Unfortunately, Westburg could not avoid it.

Orioles Acquire Eduarniel Núñez, Designate Christian Roa | MLB Trade Rumors
You have to be a sicko to know who either of these players are at this point in their careers. The Orioles swapped one righty for another. Núñez is a 26 years old and made his big league debut last year. He walks a lot of hitters, and his limited MLB experience has not gone well. Clearly, the Orioles like him a bit more than Roa, who could stick around the organization if he gets through waivers.

Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
Quotes from Elias abound in this one. He even says that the team is looking in to what might be causing the continued onslaught of injuries that have plagued the Orioles for several seasons now. Any ideas?

Mayo shows potential with bat, glove while re-adjusting to hot corner | Orioles.com
Mayo has popped on occasion. That’s great. But the team needs some level of consistency. The answer could be to platoon him with Holliday since he does have an .874 OPS against lefties this year, but a lowly .411 OPS against righties.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Luis Sardiñas turns 33 today. He appeared in eight games for the Orioles as an infield option in 2018.
• Dietrich Enns is 35 years old. The lefty came out of nowhere to be a viable member of the Orioles bullpen in 2025, and has continued to do so in 2026.
• Ivanon Coffie is 49. His only MLB experience came as a utility infielder with the 2000 Orioles.
• The late Dave Philley (b. 1920, d. 2012) was born on this day. He had an 18-season career, which included parts of the 1960 and ‘61 campaigns in Baltimore.

This day in O’s history

1984 – The Orioles release legendary pitcher Jim Palmer, who began the season 0-3 with a 9.17 ERA. He is asked to retire and accept a job with the organization, but he declines, hoping to find a roster spot elsewhere.

1999 – The Orioles crush the Rangers 16-5. Mike Bordick leads the team with four hits, and Albert Belle smacks two home runs.

2017 – Chris Davis hits two extra-inning home runs to lift the Orioles to a 13-11 win over the Tigers. The O’s had blown a 7-1 lead and needed a Mark Trumbo homer with two outs in the ninth inning to even get to extras in the first place.

Today’s Reflections

Please. Jed. Just re-sign Ian Happ ASAP. You have to look at what he’s doing with bat-to-ball contact compared to how much he swings and misses pitches. Barreling-the-bat percentages aren’t my forte, but Happ been doing so at an over 18-percent rate, which puts him in the top 12 in baseball, ahead of Yordan Alvarez, Shohei Ohtani and Nick Kurtz. Good company.

There is a lot of consistent contact elsewhere on the Cubs. Leave it to them. The Cubs need to continue to have a big bat to count on. Thirty HRs is possible. He’s averaging over 20. He plays nearly every game, averages over 30 doubles and four Gold Gloves, even in LF, is nothing to sneeze at. I’m still hammering away on the big bat, but he’s seven HRs behind Hack Wilson, 15 behind Hank Sauer to be in the Cubs’ top 10 and 17 HRs from 200 for his career. Can he total 27 HRs this year? Heck, why not. He hit 25 two years ago, and he has 10 as of Thursday — a quarter through the season.

After I wrote this, I posted below that Pedro Ramirez will be playing some outfield in Iowa, making him a prospective replacement for Happ. Well, that’s interesting — can you name that last Iowa Cub that was an infielder who turned himself into a good LF to help his move into the majors? Yep. Happ. You should see my head having a nuclear explosion.

If Ramirez can turn himself into an inexpensive Happ by the trade deadline, do you deal Happ? If the Cubs have built an offense to make a World Series run, can they handle the up-and-downs of another young player in the lineup while dealing with PCA, Shaw and Ballesteros at the plate? We await developments.

Thank goodness that Daniel Palencia is back! A big ninth inning for his third save of the year Thursday. His presence moves everybody up a chair. Hoby Milner pitched the fifth and sixth for the win, while Phil Maton and Jacob Webb took care of the next two. Combined, four innings of shutout ball on three hits and four strikeouts. Need more of that!

I don’t always pay attention to everything that goes on — some do. More power to ya. 🙂 As much as I love JD, I usually watch the Cubs with the sound off. I don’t want to belabor the reason why. But Thursday night, while working on the computer, I had the game and volume on. I entered the game in the fourth, scoreless (again), and after a couple of innings, I had realized that there had been melodious sounds coming from the speakers that just melded perfectly with JD and called the game with the perfect flair with out overdoing. It was like music to my ears. I have heard people talk about Alex Cohen from the Iowa Cubs, and I now I know why people have sung his praises. I will hold off on giving the obvious comment in this spot. 🙂

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(misc videos)

• Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Cubs learned an important lesson during statement series against Braves. “Chicago proved it could compete with one of baseball’s best teams, but the series also exposed what still needs to improve moving forward.”
• Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball): Cubs’ Distinguished Running Game Is Finding Its Stride. “Seizing opportunities is what separates baseball’s contenders and pretenders. Despite their recent slide, the Chicago Cubs are one of the best in the game at cashing theirs in. The club’s deceptively deep running game is one major way in which the North Siders are winning or staying in ball games.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): Cubs’ series against the White Sox could not come at a worse time. “One team in Chicago is playing hot and having fun right now, and it’s not the Cubs.”
• AP (CBS Sports): Ian Happ homers, 5 combine for shutout as Cubs snap a 4-game skid with a 2-0 win over Braves. “Happ’s home run led off the eighth inning and traveled 424 feet to right field, bouncing off the side of the Chop House restaurant. ….. In Ben Brown’s two starts, he has not allowed a run in eight innings.”

• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery): Ian Happ Replacement? Chicago Cubs Prospect Moves to Outfield. “Pedro Ramirez, a switch-hitting infielder, has already set a career high in home runs after 40 games with the Iowa Cubs, and now Ramirez is expanding his versatility by playing in the outfield.”
• Carson Wolf (Just Baseball): Michael Conforto Is Back To Mashing Righties. “Michael Conforto has become a key left-handed bat for the Cubs, returning to form while dominating right-handed pitching.”
• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic): Cubs mailbag, Part 2: All your questions about the trade deadline answered. “Ultimately, the major decisions won’t be made until much closer to the Aug. 3 trade deadline. But the interest in trade concepts is such that it filled Part 2 of this week’s mailbag.”
• Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): Braves skipper Walt Weiss has fond memories of Craig Counsell, Dansby Swanson. ““He’s a good one, man,’’ Weiss said of Counsell.”
• Perla Paredes (MLB.com): Amaya returns to Cubs’ lineup after battling back tightness. “Amaya participated in baseball activities on Tuesday, doing fielding work and taking live at-bats before rejoining the lineup on Thursday.”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Perils of Bat Speed. “The Cubs’ star center fielder has better bat speed this season, which is leading to more hard contact. He’s not paying for it with more whiffs, either. So why are his numbers so off?”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Beloved former Cub is once again proving Jed Hoyer right that it was time to move on. “Cubs fans are quick to point out the ones that got away under Hoyer’s watch, but in this case, it seems like the Cubs were smart to give up on Morel when they did.”
• Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs’ Alex Bregman called upon to break out ASAP, which doesn’t make sense. “Bregman, so far in 2026, has been a bit underwhelming for his massive contract, but compared to the rest of Major League Baseball, he’s not actually been that bad.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs drop season-high 4th straight, wasting Shota Imanaga’s strong start in 4-1 loss to Atlanta Braves. ““Reflecting on my outing today, if I didn’t give up any runs, then the Cubs would have had a chance to win,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “So when I’m looking back at it, I should have kept them to zero.”
• Max Ralph (MLB.com): Cubs’ pitcher injuries: Who’s available? Who’s on the way back? “The club has used 24 pitchers this season, 11 of whom were not on the active roster on Opening Day. …… So, let’s take stock of what’s actually out there for the North Siders.”
• Paolo Mariano (Clutch Points): 2 2016 World Series champions spurn Cubs’ efforts to bring them back. “The Chicago Cubs tried to infuse the front office with familiar faces as they aim to return to the World Series.”
• Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ losing streak reaches four after rare misplay by second baseman Nico Hoerner. “The Braves scored three runs in the eighth inning after an errant flip by Hoerner en route to a 4-1 victory. The Cubs have scored a total of three runs during their skid.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs drop season-high 4th straight, wasting Shota Imanaga’s strong start in 4-1 loss to Atlanta Braves. ““Reflecting on my outing today, if I didn’t give up any runs, then the Cubs would have had a chance to win,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “So when I’m looking back at it, I should have kept them to zero.”

• Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): Friendship goes a long way for Cubs first baseman Michael Busch. “Cole Veith is Busch’s best friend. Has been since they met in history class in sixth grade in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.”

Food For Thought:

Freddie King, blues musician, was born Freddie Christian in Gilmer, Texas, on September 3, 1934. He was the son of J. T. Christian and Ella Mae (or May) King. At the age of six he began playing guitar with his mother and an uncle, Leon King. As a youth he purchased a Roger’s acoustic guitar with money he had earned picking cotton.

He moved to Chicago with his family in 1949. At the age of sixteen he snuck into a Chicago blues club and sat in with the house band, which included Howlin’ Wolf. King developed his style under the influence of Lightnin’ Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, B. B. King (not a relative), Louis Jordan, and others. By day he worked in a steel mill, and he played shows at night. King formed his own band, the Every Hour Blues Boys, which included Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Lee Robinson, and Sonny Scott.

Mexican performer lifts 166.11 pounds with her hair — A Mexican circus performer showed off the strength of her scalp by lifting a 166.11-pound weight with her hair. Diana Elizabeth Batres Hermosillo, who has been performing circus feats for 26 years, took on the Guinness World Record for the heaviest weight lifted with the hair (female) at the Le Paz Theatre in San Luis, Potosi, on Feb. 28.

Hermosillo put her long hair into twin braids that she tied together at the ends and used them to lift 166.11 pounds of weight. She kept the weight off the ground for 14 seconds. She took the record from Indian weightlifter Asha Rani, who used her hair to lift 122.58 pounds in 2014. Hermosillo said she trained for six months to be able to withstand the immense pressure on her scalp, neck and back.

Top 10 Travel Destinations That Will Change You — Looking for a trip that will change your life? These life-changing travel destinations go beyond beautiful scenery — they’re places that can shift perspective, spark courage, and open new chapters. In this video, I’m sharing my top 10 travel destinations that will change you, diving into why each place can be powerful for a journey of personal growth and self-discovery — from Tanzania and New Zealand to Peru, Iceland, and beyond. As a woman in midlife who loves to travel, I believe the right destination can spark new adventures, personal growth, and even a whole new chapter of life. So, are you ready to explore these life-changing places? Let’s go! (VIDEO)

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.