Category: Sports News

TODAY’S GAME: The Astros and Cubs will wrap up their 3-game series this afternoon at Wrigley Field. 

RHP Peter Lambert (2-4, 3.57 ERA) will start for the Astros vs. Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (4-4, 3.38 ERA).

SWEEPSTAKES: A win today would give the Astros their 2nd series sweep of the season and 1st on the road. Their other sweep in 2026 came March 30-April 1 vs. BOS at Daikin Park.

At Wrigley: The last time that the Astros swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field was in a 3-game series, May 30-June 1, 2011.

IN THE DAYTIME: Today is the 4th of 4 consecutive scheduled day games for the Astros.

Wednesday’s series finale at Minnesota had a 12:40 p.m. start and all 3 games this weekend at Wrigley Field had 1:20 p.m. start times.

The last time that the Astros played 4 consecutive day games was April 2-6 of last season (source: Elias).

ROADIES: Today is the 6th game (3-2 thus far) of a 10-game, 3-city road trip for Houston.

HOU went 1-2 at Minnesota on the 1st stop of the trip and are 2-0 with 1 game left to play in Chicago. 

After today’s game, they will travel back to Texas for a 4-game series vs. the Rangers at Globe Life Field (Mon.-Thurs).

VS. THE CUBS: Dating back to last season, the Astros have won 4 of their last 5 games vs. the Cubs.

They took 2 of 3 vs. Chicago, June 27-29 of 2025 at Daikin Park.

Prior to the current series, the Astros last visit to Wrigley Field was a 3-game series in April of 2024 (3-gm sweep by Chicago).

The Astros are 9-5 vs. the Cubs since 2019, and all-Time they are 387-338.

Their 387 wins vs. them are their 2nd-most vs. any opponent (404-455 vs. Cincinnati).

RARE VISIT TO WRIGLEY FIELD: The current series marks just the 2nd visit to Wrigley Field for the Astros since 2013 when the Astros moved to the American League.

THE LAMMA: RHP Peter Lambert will make his 7^th start of the season this afternoon.

In his 2 previous road starts, Lambert is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA (2ER/10.1 IP)

Vs. Cubs: Lambert is 2-0 in 3 career apps. (2 GS) vs. the Cubs with a 2.57 ERA (4ER/14IP) with 14 K’s.

Where It All Started: Lambert’s Major League debut came in a start at Wrigley Field on June 6, 2019 while with Colorado. In that start, he had a no-decision, but pitched well (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO) in a Rockies win.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Astros topped the Cubs yesterday, 3-0, behind the strong pitching of starter RHP Kai-Wei Teng and a 2-HR day from 1B Christian Walker.

Teng hurled 6.0 shutout innings to earn the win while Walker went 3×3 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. 

LHP Bryan King hurled a scoreless 9^th to earn his 6th save of the season.

BLANKINGS: Yesterday’s 3-0 win was the Astros 5th shutout of the season, which is T-3rd in the AL.

FOR STARTERS: Astros starters have a combined ERA of 2.56 (13ER/45.2IP) over the last 8 games.

Yesterday was the 3rd time in the last 4 games that an Astros starter did not allow a run in their start, and Astros starters have allowed no runs 4 times in the last 8 games.

WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker had his 17th career 2-HR game in yesterday’s 3-0 win.

For the season, he has been one of the top hitting 1st basemen in the AL. Overall, he currently ranks 4th the AL in RBI (34), 6th in TB (100), T-6^th in HR (13) and 7th in SLG (.521).

RECENT STROS: The Astros are 5-3 in their last 8 games and 6-4 in their last 10 games.

PEN PALS: As a group, the Astros bullpen has had a decent run of success recently.

Since May 8, they have a combined ERA of 3.35 (18ER/48.1IP).

Individually, several relievers are currently pitching well:
–RHP Bryan Abreu: 0.00 ERA in last 7 outings (6.2 IP, 0 R).
–RHP AJ Blubaugh: 2.18 ERA in last 8 outings (12.1 IP, 3 ER).
–LHP Bryan King: 1.42 ERA in last 10 outings (12.2 IP, 2 ER)
–LHP Steven Okert: 8 K’s in his last 4.2 IP (5 apps)

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 24, 1:20 p.m. CT

Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Mets lineup

Carson Benge – RF
Bo Bichette – SS
A.J. Ewing – CF
Mark Vientos – 1B
Brett Baty – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
MJ Melendez – DH
Tyrone Taylor – LF
Hayden Senger – C

SP: Christian Scott – RHP

Marlins lineup

Liam Hicks – C
Xavier Edwards – 2B
Owen Caissie – RF
Kyle Stowers – LF
Otto Lopez – SS
Jakob Marsee – CF
Connor Norby – 1B
Christopher Morel – DH
Javier Sanoja – 3B

SP: Tyler Phillips – RHP

Broadcast Info

First pitch: 1:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Sunday notes…

• LET’S KEEP IT THIS WAY: The Cubs have not been swept at home by the Astros since May 30-June 1, 2011, when they lost by 12-7, 7-3 and 2-1. This is the just the eighth series between the teams at Wrigley Field since then. In one, 2012, the Cubs lost the first two games, both by 3-0, then won the third, 5-4. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE SALVAGE GAME: This is the fourth series of the season in which the Cubs lost the first two games. They avoided sweeps in the first two, at home vs. the Pirates on April 12 and at Atlanta on May 14. They lost the finale to the Brewers on Wednesday. The Cubs are 10-6 in all third games this season, better than their 9-8 in second games and 8-9 in first games. They are 2-0 in fourth games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• SCORING FIRST — AND NOT: In each of their last five losses, the Cubs’ opponent scored first. Earlier this year, the Cubs gave up the first run in six straight games, winning three. They also fell behind to begin four consecutive games and won them all. The Cubs are 11-18 when their opponent scores first, including 8-10 at home — where they are 10-0 when they have scored first. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TRY NOT TO SUCK: The Cubs’ last winless home stand of at least six games was Sept. 21-26, 2021, when they lost twice to the Twins and four times to the Cardinals. They were outscored in those games by 46-25. In their five losses this week, they have been outscored, 26-7. From Aug. 6-12, 2021, the Cubs dropped seven straight in a home stand, three to the White Sox and four to the Brewers. They were outscored, 58-18, including 10-0 and 17-4 in the final two games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jon Lieber throws a one-hit, complete-game shutout over the Reds at Wrigley Field, the only hit a one-out single by Juan Castro in the sixth. He throws only 78 pitches and faces the minimum 27 batters, as the single and a one-out walk in the ninth were both erased by double plays. The Cubs won the game 3-0 in a game time of one hour, 48 minutes, though a rain delay of one hour, 37 minutes had the game ending about 4:45 p.m. It happened 25 years ago today, Thursday, May 24, 2001.

Cubs lineup:

Astros lineup:

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Peter Lambert, RHP

Shōta Imanaga’s last start was… not up to his previous efforts this year. The Brewers hit him hard.

Hopefully, that will not be the case this afternoon. He’s been better in day games (2.62 ERA, six starts, two HR in 34.1 innings) than night games (4.44 ERA, four starts, five HR in 24.1 innings), so maybe that will help.

He has never faced the Astros, and of current Astros, only Christian Vazquez (0-for-4) and Christian Walker (0-for-2) have faced him. Too bad the Astros don’t have any other guys named Christian.

Peter Lambert’s entire career was with the Rockies, until this year, when he signed with the Astros as a free agent. They released him at the end of Spring Training, then re-signed him, and he’s made six pretty decent starts (3.57 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, only two HR allowed in 35.1 innings), compared to a 6.28 ERA in 74 games (35 starts) with Colorado. Guess he just had to get out of Coors Field.

Lambert made his MLB debut against the Cubs at Wrigley Field June 6, 2019 and threw seven innings, allowing one run. Then his second start was also vs. the Cubs, five days later at Coors Field, where he allowed one run in five innings. Those, plus a two-inning relief outing in 2024, are his only career appearances against the Cubs. Alex Bregman and Michael Conforto have homered previously off him.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Astros site The Crawfish Boxes. If you do go there to interact with Astros fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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The upstart Chicago White Sox play a series-deciding game against the San Francisco Giants this afternoon at Oracle Park. 

Two southpaws, Noah Schultz and Robbie Ray, take the hill. 

See why I’m siding with the home team and the Over wth my White Sox vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 24.

Who will win White Sox vs Giants today: Giants (-113)

Noah Schultz is a heralded prospect, but he’ll need to clean up a few things to become a reliable and effective big-league hurler. 

The massive 6-foot-10 Chicago White Sox starter runs a preposterous 14.2% walk rate, which will come back to bite him once his unsustainably low .233 BABIP and 63.1% left-on-base percentage regulate. 

That contrasts with San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray, an established vet with a 1.91 ERA across over 28 innings at Oracle Park this season.

That gives SF enough of a starting pitching advantage to take the finale.

COVERS INTEL: Opponents have hit .195 with a 20.4% swinging-strike rate against Ray's slider. He should find success against a White Sox team with a Bottom-10 mark against sliders.

White Sox vs Giants Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-117)

Schultz isn’t adept at striking batters out (21.6%) and has a 14th-percentile groundball rate, leading to plenty of loud contact (26th percentile barrel rate) in the air. The White Sox have played to the Over in six of his seven starts. 

The White Sox have the fifth-best wRC+ (117) against southpaws, so they may find ways to plate runs against Ray or the moribund bullpen behind him (league-worst 4.88 SIERA in relief this month). 

Both lineups have been humming, plating 26 combined runs through the first two games of the series.

White Sox vs Giants odds

• Moneyline: White Sox +108 | Giants -113
• Run line: White Sox +1.5 (-194) | Giants -1.5 (+196)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-117) | Under 7.5 (+113)

White Sox vs Giants trend

The Giants are 4-1 in Robbie Ray’s home starts. Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Giants.

How to watch White Sox vs Giants and game info

White Sox vs Giants latest injuries

White Sox vs Giants weather

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It was just about the most characteristic game the San Diego Padres could have. Winning 2-0 on the laurels of their dominant pitching, the Friars won their first home series in quite some time. It’s certainly been nice to watch San Diego take out their frustrations from the recent rivalry series on someone.

Starter Lucas Giolito was solid, working around some shaky command to get through five scoreless innings. He had some help. Ty France made three double plays (one of which may have been overturned had the Athletics not lost their challenge in the first inning).

The Padres managed to scratch two runs across against J.T. Ginn. The lineup went 0-for-5 with RISP but scored on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and an RBI ground out. However they did it, it’s a results-based business and the Friars are now 11 games over .500. It feels good to be a Padres fan.

Taking the mound

Luis Medina (ATH) v. Michael King (SD)

Media has looked good so far for the A’s. He’s only been used in relief so it’s unclear if the Athletics will use him as an opener or if it will be a bullpen game. It remains to be seen how the club will pitch the series finale.

Whatever the case, Medina has looked great in what has been a breakout 2026. Through 14 games he owns a 2.41 ERA, almost three runs lower than his career 5.03 ERA. He hasn’t limited runners well, with a 1.18 WHIP, so San Diego will need to take advantage.

King has been the Friars’s ace, there’s just no other way to say it. His 2.31 ERA and 1.06 WHIP don’t even tell the full story of how good he’s been. And that’s without mentioning that — until his last start — he didn’t even look fully like himself.

Then he reminded everyone of who he was in his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching seven scoreless innings and outdueling 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the win. If he can keep that elite command intact, King could make a run at the National League Cy Young.

Batter up!

Most of the Padres have yet to face Medina. He’s only spent three years in the league, and it’s been in a different division so it’s not all that surprising. That means it’ll probably be a standard lineup.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Miguel Andujar, DH
3. Gavin Sheets, 1B
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Ramón Laureano, LF
8. Rodolfo Durán, C
9. Sung-Mun Song, 2B

Bogaerts got a rest day on Saturday, with Song starting at shortstop. He’ll be back in today’s lineup, though Song could still play at second to give Tatis his first outfield start in a while.

Merrill looked good in his first game back from tweaking his back. He went 1-for-3 with a walk in Saturday’s game. If he can keep that momentum going it would be a major boost for San Diego.

The same is true of Durán. After getting his first MLB hit (it was a homer) in Seattle against the Mariners, he’s looked fantastic. That continued to be the case in the series opener against the Athletics, with Durán going 1-for-1 with two walks.

Relief corps

After using most of their high-leverage relievers in Game 1 on Friday, the Friars exhausted them thoroughly in Saturday’s win. Manager Craig Stammen likely decided to do that due to King starting Sunday’s finale. The Padres will rest on the laurels of their ace against the A’s as opposed to their high-leverage bullpen options.

Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon each covered two innings between the two games while Mason Miller closed out the save last night. Miller could still be available in a save situation for the finale.

However, the likelier available pitchers are Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez. Only Rodriguez has pitched so far in this seres (0.2 IP on Friday).

Not even a rainout can stop these red-hot Orioles! Perhaps I exaggerate just a bit. But after a convincing 7-4 win on Friday night, one can almost glimpse what this team could be. Maybe a series against last-place Detroit was just what these Birds need to kickstart their herky-jerky season.

Don’t discount the importance of Jackson Holliday’s return, either. On Friday, just his third game since coming off the IL, Holliday went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Welcome back, kid! Gunnar Henderson also feasted, going 3-for-5, and Adley Rutschman and Leody Taveras contributed two hits apiece.

So despite a Saturday rainout, the Orioles will get a chance to get a win streak going with a scheduled doubleheader today. First pitch is at 12:35 ET, with Saturday’s original matchup going in Game 1 instead. It’s a battle of right handers, with Brandon Young (3-1, 4.25 ERA and 22 SO in 29.2 IP) taking on Framer Valdez (2-3, 4.58 ERA and 45 SO in 55 IP).

You may recall Framber Valdez as one of a handful of starters the Orioles were linked to during the offseason. Well, he didn’t sign with the Orioles. That hurt a bit back in April, when Valdez has a 3.67 ERA in six starts, but he’s had a terrible month of May, going 0-2 with a 7.98 earned run average. There’s some evidence that the velocity on his heaters is down. Could he be hurt? I don’t know, but the Orioles can’t worry about such things: there’s a season to save!

As for Brandon Young, he was, like, Plan C for this rotation back in spring training. But what with injuries to Zach Eflin (out for the season with Tommy John), Dean Kremer (still recovering from a quad strain) and Trevor Rogers (we’re not sure what’s going on with him), the big Texan-that-could has been thrust back into the rotation. He’s done OK, actually, with just one clunker in six starts (a 10-run, only 4 earned, effort against his childhood team, the Astros). On the other hand, as Mark Brown pointed out in his series preview, Young’s sizeable ERA-FIP gap (4.25/5.22) suggests things could go sideways. With the Tigers considered a bottom-10 offense by Fangraphs, maybe Young will continue to walk the tightrope.

Game 1 Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward DH
2. Gunnar Henderson SS
3. Adley Rutschman C
4. Pete Alonso 1B
5. Tyler O’Neill RF
6. Coby Mayo
7. Leody Taveras CF
8. Jackson Holliday 2B
9. Blaze Alexander LF

Game 1 Tigers lineup

1. Zach McKinstry 2B
2. Kevin McGonigle 3B
3. Dillon Dingler DH
4. Riley Greene LF
5. Matt Vierling CF
6. Colt Keith 1B
7. Wenceel Pérez RF
8. Jake Rogers C
9. Zack Short SS

Left-hander Trevor Rogers, originally slated for Sunday’s finale, takes Game 2. Rogers is 1-5 with an 8.42 ERA in his last seven starts. Oh, dear. Could it be pitch tipping? I hope so, because the alternatives seem worse.

In an act of procrastination so extreme even I am shocked by it (and I have a bad habit of procrastination), Detroit still hasn’t announced their Game 2 starter as of 12:05 today. The best guess we have is that they’ll reinstate second-year righty Troy Melton off the 60-day injured list (elbow inflammation) for his first start of the year. Last year, in primarily a relief capacity, Melton posted a 3-2 W-L record with a 2.76 ERA in sixteen games (four starts). The 25-year-old righty has excellent velocity on his fastball, which he pairs his heater with a slider that was effective last year, and a cutter that was less so.

Let’s play two! Let’s go O’s!

The Phillies and Guardians will wrap up their three game series on Sunday….or at least they will if the rain gives them a window to play. (Considering the Guardians won’t be back to Philadelphia this season, they’ll do their best to fit it in.)

The teams split the first two games of the series, each team winning by shutout. The Phillies have gotten well pitched games on both Friday and Saturday and hope rookie Andrew Painter can replicate the feat on Sunday.

The Guardians will go with lefty Parker Messick. Based on Messick’s strong season and the Phillies’ struggles against lefthanded pitching, runs may be at a premium.

Game time is 1:35 and will be televised locally on NBCSP.

The Mets have scratched Juan Soto from the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Miami Marlins due to an illness.

"Soto’s ill, so he’s out of the lineup," said manager Carlos Mendoza. "I think this is something that we are all battling for the past week. He’s been battling it for the past three days. Showed up today with fever, body aches, and didn’t have much sleep. So, hopefully he recovers and we have a player [off the bench] for today.

"Kind of like a flu going around."

Soto was originally batting third and serving as the designated hitter. Now, A.J. Ewing has been moved up to the three-hole, with MJ Melendez sliding in lower in the order as the DH.

Losing Soto's bat in the lineup comes at a rough time for the Mets, who have scored exactly one run on three hits in each of the first two games against Miami, both losses. 

And Soto has been on a heater as well, hitting .333 with a .778 slugging percentage, four home runs, and seven RBI over his last seven games.

UPDATED LINEUP:

Benge RF
Bichette SS
Ewing CF
Vientos 1B
Baty 3B
Semien 2B
Melendez DH
Taylor LF
Senger C

Scott P https://t.co/nvm0tvMjfx

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 24, 2026

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The Chicago Cubs desperately need a win, and they’ll look to get it this afternoon when they host the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs have lost seven straight for the first time in four years after a 3-0 loss on Saturday, but with Yordan Alvarez sidelined, my Astros vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks expect them to get back on track today.

Who will win Astros vs Cubs today: Cubs -1.5 (+130)

Yordan Alvarez will miss Sunday’s game, which particularly hurts them in this matchup. That’s because Shota Imanaga has a 2.12 HR/9 rate vs. left-handed hitters, but just a 0.65 HR/9 rate vs. righties.

He’s dominating opposite-side matchups, with RHH posting a .245 wOBA. He also walks RHH half as often. Over the past two weeks, Houston’s .179 wOBA, 13 wRC+, and .000 ISO vs. LHP are the worst in the league.

There’s too much juice for me to take the Chicago Cubs moneyline, but there’s value on the run line given Houston’s lack of production and poor bullpen performance.

COVERS INTEL: Shota Imanaga is utilizing his splitter 41% of the time vs. RHH, with opponents posting a .186 xBA and .267 xSLG against the pitch this season.

Astros vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-124)

I’m expecting the Cubs to score enough runs to cover the run line, but not much beyond that.

Their 60 wRC+ is third-worst in the majors over the past two weeks. They’ve managed just a .294 xwOBA, hindered by a 26.1% strikeout rate that's third-worst over that span.

Houston Astros starter Peter Lambert has far better road splits, with a .200 BABIP and a .270 FIP outside of Daikin Park. 

I foresee the Cubs finally breaking through against a Houston pen with a 5.18 xFIP the past two weeks, while both lineups struggle against the starters.

Astros vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Astros +150 | Cubs -156
• Run line: Astros +1.5 (-133) | Cubs -1.5 (+127)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+117) | Under 7.5 (-122)

How to watch Astros vs Cubs and game info

Astros vs Cubs latest injuries

Astros vs Cubs weather

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The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels close out their weekend series Sunday at Angel Stadium with a lefty-lefty pitching matchup between MacKenzie Gore and Reid Detmers.

This is a fairly even pitching matchup, but I see value on the underdog in this Sunday Night Baseball matchup.

Read all about it in my Rangers vs Angels predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, May 24.

Who will win Rangers vs Angels tonight: Rangers (+105)

MacKenzie Gore comes into this matchup with a strikeout rate of nearly 26%, ranking in the 75th percentile of baseball.

Both of these pitchers can deliver swings-and-misses, but one matters more than the other. That's why I'm backing the Texas Rangers and would play them to -115.

The Los Angeles Angelsstrike out at a 23% clip against southpaws, the 11th-highest mark in baseball, and Gore's elite extension on his heaters plays well here. Reid Detmers can match the K upside, but the Rangers' offense is more well-rounded to attack him.

Rangers vs Angels Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-105)

I mentioned earlier Gore's K rate mattered more in this matchup than Detmers'. The biggest reason is overall hitting: the Angels have the second-highest whiff rate in the sport. However, that doesn't mean the Rangers don't have their own strikeout issues.

They actually rank sixth in the sport in whiff rate at 27% and have struck out more with a smaller dataset against left-handed pitching.

Detmers' 25% K rate should be successful because of that. This all points to both pitchers having stretches of dominance in this game. I'd play this to 7.5.

Rangers vs Angels odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +105 | Angels -125
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 | Angels -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Rangers vs Angels trend

The Texas Rangers have hit the game total Under in 27 of their last 45 games (+10.80 Units / 22% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Brewers.

How to watch Rangers vs Angels and game info

Rangers vs Angels latest injuries

Rangers vs Angels weather

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