Worldwide Sports News

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Brewers 9, Cubs 3
• Tuesday: Brewers 5, Cubs 2
• Wednesday: Brewers 5, Cubs 0
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 1
• Saturday: Dodgers 11, Brewers 3
• Sunday: Dodgers 5, Brewers 1

Division Standings

• Brewers 30-20
• Cardinals 29-22 (1.5 GB)
• Cubs 29-24 (2.5 GB)
• Reds 27-25 (4 GB)
• Pirates 27-26 (4.5 GB)

Last Week

• Brewers: 4-2
• Cardinals: 2-3
• Cubs: 0-6
• Reds: 3-2
• Pirates: 3-3

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

As Jason said last week, this is becoming the “What impressive performance did Jacob Misiorowski pull off last week?” feature. He put together another great start, this time going six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Cubs, allowing just three hits and a walk. He still hasn’t allowed a run since April 25, meaning it’s been a full month since an opponent has scored on him.

Misiorowski’s performance was perhaps not even the best of the week, though, as Kyle Harrison turned in seven scoreless frames against the Cubs, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits and a walk. Logan Henderson also went five scoreless with seven strikeouts, allowing two hits and three walks in a win over the Dodgers.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

William Contreras had a big week offensively for the Brewers, putting up a team-high 10 hits, slashing .455/.478/.591 with a homer, three RBIs, five runs, and a steal. That included back-to-back three-hit games in wins over the Cubs and Dodgers on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

Shoutout to Jake Bauers, whose on-base streak reached 22 games on Friday night before coming to an end on Saturday. That also pushed him to a 12-game hitting streak, a career-high mark in his seventh MLB season.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• The Brewers had a fairly quiet week on the transaction front, as the only swap they made was recalling right-hander Carlos Rodriguez on Sunday morning, sending lefty Robert Gasser back to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. Gasser made two starts in his latest big-league stint, spanning 8 1/3 innings with six earned runs and seven strikeouts against the Twins and Dodgers.
• Right-hander Peter Strzelecki, who was selected on May 16 before being designated for assignment the next day, cleared waivers and was sent outright to Nashville. Instead of accepting the demotion, however, Strzelecki opted for free agency, signing with the Yankees on a minor league deal. He’s now with their Triple-A affiliate.
• In the injury update category:
  • Right-hander Quinn Priester, who had already had a short rehab stint in late April/early May, is back on a rehab assignment. He gave up five runs in just three innings on May 21 with Nashville, as his fastball sat 92-93 mph, still slightly below the 93.5 mph average we saw a year ago. He’s currently listed as an early June return, meaning we can expect at least a couple more rehab outings.
  • Lefty Jared Koenig threw a live batting practice on May 20, and a decision on a potential rehab assignment is now pending.
  • Right-hander Brandon Woodruff simulated two innings in a 30-pitch bullpen on Monday before throwing 50 pitches in a live BP on Friday, hitting 94 mph on the radar gun.
  • Outfielder Brandon Lockridge got the stitches on his right knee out on Tuesday and is still slated for a mid- to late June return.
  • Left-hander Rob Zastryzny and outfielder Akil Baddoo are also on rehab assignments with Nashville.

On Deck

• Monday: vs. Cardinals (1:10 p.m.)
• Tuesday: vs. Cardinals (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: vs. Cardinals (12:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: @ Astros (7:10 p.m.)
• Saturday: @ Astros (3:10 p.m.)
• Sunday: @ Astros (1:10 p.m.)

That’s a big side of offensive ineptitude the Phillies delivered this weekend. Now, luckily, they get to move out west and play two teams playing good baseball, including a juggernaut. Cool.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Cristopher Sanchez is pitching the best baseball of his life. The Phillies cannot afford to waste what he’s doing now ($).
• The right handed bats, they were a’quiet on Sunday. They’re going to have make some decisions about it pretty soon ($).
• Under Don Mattingly, the Phillies are about to face their toughest test yet in San Diego and Los Angeles.

MLB news:

• J.P. Crawford is not shy about his trying to help Colt Emerson get acclimated to the big leagues ($). He’s even trying out third base to keep it smooth.
• It’s Memorial Day, so it’s time to hand out some grades for the season to this point. There are a lot of F’s.
• Joey Votto is and always will be an interesting dude. Fun story here.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (27-23)

GAME ONE

BUFFALO 6, SYRACUSE 4 / 7 (BOX)

Jack Wenninger allowed four runs over five-plus innings, matching the total he had for the entire month of April and more than he had in the entire month of May coming into this contest. The offense kept the team in the game, with Ryan Clifford adding another double and home run to his total for the season, but the team had trouble getting men in scoring position and driving them home.

·  2B Christian Arroyo: 1-4

·  LF-1B Jared Young: 1-4, RBI

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-3

·  1B-LF Ryan Clifford: 2-3, 2 R, 2B, HR (9), RBI

·  DH Eric Wagaman: 0-2, R, BB

·  RF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-2, HBP

·  CF Cristian Pache: 0-2, RBI

·  SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, 2 K

·  C Kevin Parada: 1-3, R, K

·  RHP Jack Wenninger: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, E (1), L (3-2)

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  REHAB ALERT LHP A.J. Minter: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

GAME TWO

SYRACUSE 1, BUFFALO 0 / 7 (BOX)

The one run that Syracuse scored in the fourth was all that was needed to win this one. Joe Geber and the bullpen combined to shut the Herd out, scattering a pair of hits and three walks over seven innings. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Clifford hit his tenth homer of the year, and technically second on the afternoon.

·  CF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-3, K

·  DH Christian Arroyo: 0-3

·  RF Ryan Clifford: 1-3, R, HR (10), RBI, 2 K

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-2, K

·  1B Eric Wagaman: 1-2, 2B, K

·  C Ben Rortvedt: 0-2

·  2B Yonny Hernández: 1-2

·  SS Jackson Cluff: 0-2, K

·  LF Matt Rudick: 0-2, K

·  RHP Joey Gerber: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Danis Correa: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (2-0)

·  RHP Ryan Lambert: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, BLK, H (6)

·  LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, H (1)

·  LHP Anderson Severino: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (5)

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (16-29)

BINGHAMTON 2, RICHMOND 1 (BOX)

Bryce Conley and Joe Whitman traded zero after zero, both pitchers throwing scoreless inning after scoreless inning. Conley ended up throwing 5.0 scoreless innings, scattering 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4 while Whitman went 6.0 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 8. In the top of the seventh, Binghamton finally put something together. Jose Ramos led off the inning with a solo homer, and the blazing hot Nick Lorusso followed one batter later with a solo blast of his own. The Rumble Pony bullpen wasn’t able to keep the shutout going, as Dan Hammer put a baserunner on third that a Brian Metoyer wild pitch brought home, but they still got the job done.

·  SS Marco Vargas: 1-4, 2B, 3 K

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, BB, 2 K

·  CF Eli Serrano III: 1-4, 2B

·  RF Jose Ramos: 2-3, R, HR (7), RBI, BB, K

·  DH D’Andre Smith: 0-4, K

·  3B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, R, HR (8), RBI, 2 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 0-3

·  LF Vincent Perozo: 1-3, K

·  2B Jaylen Palmer: 0-3

·  2B Wyatt Young: 0-0

·  RHP Bryce Conley: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

·  RHP Dan Hammer: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, W (1-0)

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP, H (2)

·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, BLK, S (1)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (13-31)

BROOKLYN 4, HUDSON VALLEY 0 / 7 (BOX)

A shutout is a shutout, even if it’s only seven innings. The Cyclones nickel-and-dimed the Renegades, logging three hits and drawing seven walks en route to a series split. Brady Miller started this one after the rain finally cleared after about 45 minutes after scheduled gametime, but only threw five pitches before being removed from the game due to some kind of injury; he showed no apparent pain or issues when warming-up or throwing those five pitches, but Eduardo Nunez saw something that concerned him and removed the right-hander from the game. Tanner Witt and the rest of the Brooklyn bullpen, rested thanks to Saturday’s cancelled game, ended up pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and four walks, giving the offense more than enough support to get the win. And here’s something you don’t see everyday: stealing 4 bases is impressive enough, two separate players doing so? Most impressive.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 1-3, R, BB, 2 K, CS (2)

·  CF John Bay: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K

·  LF Corey Collins: 0-3, BB, K

·  DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-2, BB, SB (2)

·  PH Diego Mosquera: 0-1, K

·  3B Yonatan Henriquez: 1-3, R, RBI, K, 4 SB (4, 5, 6, 7)

·  C Ronald Hernandez: 1-2, R, 2 BB, 4 SB (5, 6, 7, 8)

·  2B Colin Houck: 1-4, 3 K

·  RF JT Benson: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, HBP

·  PR Sam Biller: 0-0

·  1B Trace Willhoite: 0-2, BB, K

·  RHP Brady Miller: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Tanner Witt: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (2-0)

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, H (2)

·  LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, H (1)

·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (3)

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (20-25)

ST. LUCIE 5, PALM BEACH 4 (BOX)

St. Lucie held on and secured the win by the skin of their teeth, staving off a ninth inning rally. Antonio Jimenez, back from the developmental list, doubled in a run to put St. Lucie on the board in the third and the team scored two more in the fourth. The Cardinals chipped away, scoring a run apiece in the sixth and seventh, but both runs were negated in the bottom of the eighth, when St. Lucie put up a two spot. If they hadn’t, the Mets would’ve lost this one, as Joe Scarborough had problems in the top of the ninth. A single and a double between a flyout and a groundout put men on the corners, and then an overturned strike call led to a walk that loaded up the bases. Shortstop Ryan Weingartner hit a ball into left-center that luckily ended up turning into a ground rule double, scoring two runs but keeping the tying run on base. With a blown save staring him in the face,  Scarborough hunkered down and got third baseman Brayden Smith to weakly fly out to center to end the game.

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-3, R, BB, K

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-4, 2B, RBI, K

·  1B Yohairo Cuevas: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K

·  C Julio Zayas: 0-3, BB

·  DH Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K

·  LF Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K

·  2B Kevin Villavicencio: 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 K

·  CF Sam Robertson: 1-3, RBI, BB, K, CS (4)

·  RF Simon Juan: 0-4, RBI, 2 K

·  RHP Joel Lara: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

· RHP Justin Armbruester: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W (1-0)

·  RHP Emilio Obispo: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, H (1)

·  RHP Christian Rodriguez: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (2)

·  RHP Joe Scarborough: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, S (2)

ROSTER ALERT: SS Antonio Jimenez assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets placed LHP Conner Ware on the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mers activated RHP Joel Lara from the 7-day injured list.

Rookie: FCL Mets (7-8)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Ryan Clifford

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jack Wenninger

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 5-4 at Lehigh Valley IronPigs

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-3, BB, 3 RBI, K, SF — two-run single put Scranton on the board, tied the game with a sac fly in the fifth, and scored go-ahead run in the ninth after a walk
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K — with Scranton down to last out, doubled to score two runs and put RailRiders in front
2B Oswaldo Cabrera 1-5, K, SB, fielding error
1B Seth Brown 0-3, BB, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, BB, 2 K, fielding error — E5 allowed first IronPig run to score as Lehigh Valley went ahead 3-0
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-3, BB, K
C Payton Henry 1-4
CF Duke Ellis 1-4, K — nice diving catch in center to end it
LF Kenedy Corona 2-3, sac bunt, outfield assist

Brendan Beck 6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, WP — not dominant, but hung in there into the seventh
Kervin Castro 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K — gave up go-ahead double to Felix Reyes in the eighth
Bradley Hanner 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (win) — down to a 1.54 ERA in 17 games (23.1 innings)

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 5-2 at Chesapeake Baysox

DH Jace Avina 2-5, 2 RBI, K — two-run single in the second put Patriots on the board first
RF Garrett Martin 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, K — 15th dinger of the season doubled Somerset’s lead in the fifth, new career-high
CF DJ Gladney 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 SB — they stopped him at the plate, but not on the bases
3B Coby Morales 0-5, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K
C Manuel Palencia 2-5
1B Abrahan Gutierrez 2-4, K
SS Owen Cobb 1-4, 2 K
2B Santiago Gomez 2-3, 2B, BB, K — registered first career hit(s) above A-ball

Chase Chaney 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (win) — smooth start
Kelly Austin 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HR
Michael Arias 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (save)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:W, 4-0 (7) at Brooklyn Cyclones — blanked in rain-shortened, three-hit shutout

SS Kaeden Kent 1-3, 2 K, SB
RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-3
C Eric Genther 1-2, 2B, BB — allowed 10 stolen bases from the Cyclones, tough day behind the plate
1B Kyle West 0-3, 2 K, throwing error
3B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-3, 2 K
2B Roderick Arias 0-2, BB, K, CS
DH Josue Gonzalez 0-1, 2 BB
LF Josh Moylan 0-3, 2 K
CF Camden Troyer 1-3, K, SB

Franyer Herrera 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 7 K, WP
Brady Kirtner 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K
Aaron Nixon 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Jack Sokol 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP — game was called with two outs in the bottom of the seventh after Sokol hit a batter

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 8-4 vs. Clearwater Threshers

SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, K, HBP, picked off — not a good day on the bases for Tampa
3B Hans Montero 2-3, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, K, SF — didn’t go deep after three-homer day, but did go 391 feet on his RBI triple; up to a .948 OPS
DH Luis Puello 2-5, RBI, K, GIDP, CS
LF Willy Montero 1-3, K
PH-CF Luis Durango 0-1
RF JoJo Jackson 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, GIDP, CS, fielding error
C Engelth Urena 1-1, 2B, 3 BB, RBI, dropped ball error
CF-LF Gabriel Lara 0-4, SB
1B John Cristino 1-3, BB, K
2B Luis Escudero 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, fielding error — first career homer in A-ball made it 6-0 in the sixth

Tyler Boudreau 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (win) — 11 swings and misses, including six on pretty solid outing
Brennan Stuprich 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K — kinda fell apart in the ninth
Jose Ledesma 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Florida Complex League Yankees: Offday

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Neil Ramirez, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 2002 – With four homers on May 23rd, one on May 24th, and two more today, Shawn Green becomes the first major leaguer to hit seven round-trippers in three games. The Dodgers outfielder’s nine big flies in a week also breaks a National League record, established by Ralph Kiner with eight and tied by Ted Kluszewski and Nate Colbert. In this game, Diamondbacks southpaw Randy Johnson passes Walter Johnson to become seventh on the all-time career strikeout list with his 3,509th. After fanning Green in the 1st to catch the “Big Train”, Dodgers outfielder Brian Jordan swings and misses a 2-2 pitch in the 2nd inning to become the “Big Unit’s” historic victim — and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1922 – After being thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single, New York’s Babe Ruth throws dirt in the face of umpire George Hildebrand and then goes after a fan. Ruth is ejected, and eventually fined $500 and suspended one game by American League president Ban Johnson. The Babe is also stripped of his captaincy, a title he has held for barely a week.
• 1923 – Crossing the plate for the 1,741st time, Ty Cobb surpasses Honus Wagner‘s record for most runs scored in a career. The “Georgia Peach” will tally 2,245 runs during his 24-year tenure in the major leagues, a mark which will not be equaled until 2001, when Rickey Henderson breaks the record.
• 1935 – Babe Ruth shows flashes of his past glory by hitting the final three home runs of his career in the Boston Braves’ 11-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition, his final homer is the first in Forbes Field‘s history to clear its right field roof.
• 1951 – Willie Mays debuts for the New York Giants, striking out in the 1st inning against Bubba Church. Mays goes 0 for 5, but makes three good plays in the field.
• 1958 – In a doubleheader sweep by the Pirates at Forbes Field, the Giants’ Willie Mays acts as a peace-maker, preventing a berserk Orlando Cepeda from causing havoc with a bat during a bench-clearing brawl in the opener. The melee results from lingering bad feelings between the two teams after an exchange of beanballs in an earlier game on May 7th, and breaks out with P Ruben Gomez batting for the Giants. Mays tackles the bigger Cepeda, rushing to the defense of his countryman, and pins him down until things calm down.
• 1981 – Carl Yastrzemski becomes just the fourth player ever to appear in 3,000 games.
• 1982 – Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs fans Garry Templeton of the Padres for the 3,000th strikeout of his career. Jenkins is the seventh player to reach the plateau, but loses the game, 2-1.
• 1984 – The Boston Red Sox trade Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Bill Buckner.
• 1989 – The Montreal Expos, hoping to add the last piece to a playoff contender, trade three young pitchers, Brian Holman, Gene Harris, and 6′ 10″ Randy Johnson, to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston. Mike Campbell will go to Montreal in July to complete the trade, but he will never appear in a game for them. Langston will win 12 games for the Expos, Johnson 130 for Seattle on his way to the Hall of Fame.
• 2009 – The Pirates beat the Cubs, 10-8. Freddy Sanchez goes 6 for 6 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a homer, the first Pirate in 19 years to have six hits in a game. Jason Jaramillo and Andy LaRoche each go 3 for 5. 
• 2009 – Jim Thome passes Mike Schmidt for 13th on the all-time home run list, as the White Sox thump the Angels, 17-3.

Cubs Birthdays:Neil Ramírez*, Brad Snyder, Scott Hairston, Randall Simon, Todd Walker, Angel Echevarria, Jim Marshall, Bob Wicker. Also notable: Martín Dihigo HOF.

Today in history:

• 1721 – John Copson becomes America’s 1st insurance agent.
• 1787 – Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia, George Washington presiding.
• 1842 – Christian Doppler presents his idea, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, Prague.
• 1927 – Henry Ford announces that he is ending production of the Model T Ford.
• 1935 – Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens equals or breaks four world records in 45 minutes at a Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan; remembered as “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport”.
• 1965 – Muhammad Ali KOs Sonny Liston at 2:12 of round 1 at Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing title.
• 2013 – Yuichiro Miura of Japan becomes the oldest person to climb Mount Everest at 80.

Today in Music History:

• 1962 – Wand Records releases The Isley Brothers’ cover single “Twist & Shout”; it becomes their first top-20 hit, peaking at #1.
• 1965 – Dave Davies of The Kinks knocked unconscious in an on stage scuffle with drummer Mick Avory at Cardiff’s Capital Theatre.
• 1967 – John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelically painted Rolls Royce.
• 1968 – Rolling Stones release song “Jumping Jack Flash”.
• 1973 – George Harrison releases single “Give Me Love” in UK
• 1979 – RCA releases David Bowie‘s 13th studio album, “Lodger”; his third collaboration with Brian Eno in what becomes known as his ‘Berlin trilogy’ features contributions from guitarist Adrian Belew.

*pictured

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

If you’re an optimistic Orioles fan, you can find things to like about the Birds’ doubleheader split against the Tigers yesterday. They completed a series win over a struggling Detroit team, starting their 10-game homestand on the right foot. They got another quality start from Brandon Young, who’s stepping up his game in the absence of the Orioles’ many injured pitchers. And Colton Cowser delivered what might have been the Birds’ most exciting hit of the year, a dramatic, walkoff, three-run homer with two outs and an 0-2 count in the ninth that sealed a Game 1 victory.

If you’re a pessimistic Orioles fan, you might point out that the O’s were one strike away from getting swept in a doubleheader by a sorry Tigers team that had lost seven in a row. Or that the Birds’ offense was mostly missing in action besides Cowser’s dinger, managing only eight hits in the two games combined. Or that Trevor Rogers stumbled through another unacceptable outing, giving up four runs without getting out of the fifth inning in the Birds’ 4-1 loss in the nightcap.

Either way, you’re not wrong. You have to take the good with the bad with these 2026 Orioles. Every win keeps their hopes of relevance alive while every loss puts them closer to the point of no return. For every struggling Oriole who shows signs of improvement, like Cowser, there’s another who just continues to spiral, like Rogers. It’s been an emotionally draining season and we’re only just reaching the one-third mark today.

The Orioles could hardly have afforded to lose a series to a team as bad as the Tigers, so at least they avoided such ignominy. It doesn’t give me any real confidence, though, that they’ll be able to do the same against the Rays, their next visitor at Camden Yards. The Rays, the best team in baseball, schooled the Birds with a three-game sweep last week in Tampa. If they were to do the same this week, the O’s would fall to a season-worst 10 games under .500.

The Orioles will need to shake off last night’s loss and play their best baseball against a stellar opponent for the next three days. Are they up to the challenge? I have no idea.

Links

Orioles’ Colton Cowser hits walk-off home run in Game 1 as Orioles split with Tigers – The Baltimore Banner

For a better team, a thrilling walkoff like yesterday’s could have been the start of a winning streak. Instead, well…you know.

Orioles settle for doubleheader split with 4-1 loss in Game 2 (updated) – School of Roch

Trevor Rogers almost looked like his 2025 self last night when he retired 10 batters in a row. And then it all fell apart again. What a bummer of a season he’s having, to put it mildly.

Will Orioles continue with Mike Elias? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Not forever, no. But if you’re asking how soon they’ll part ways with him, that’s something that only O’s ownership knows.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! May 25 has been a popular day for Orioles birthdays; seven former Birds were born on this day. The most prominent is shortstop Miguel Tejada (52), who had four great years with the O’s from 2004-07 (and one less-than-great return in 2010) and set a franchise record with 150 RBIs in 2004. Statistics-wise, Tejada probably deserves to be in the Orioles Hall of Fame, but his links to performance-enhancing drugs at various points of his career eliminate that possibility.

Other former Orioles born on this date are 2025 two-game righty Carson Ragsdale (28), catchers Fernando Lunar (49) and Melvin Rosario (53), right-hander Bill Dillman (81), and the late outfielder Andrés Mora (b. 1955, d. 2015) and first baseman Jim Marshall (b. 1931, d. 2025).

On this date in 2003, O’s reliever Buddy Groom set an obscure record. He pitched in his 638th major league game, in none of which he got a plate appearance (since he was a relief pitcher for mostly AL teams in the non-interleague era). That broke the MLB record set by Red Sox reliever Bob Stanley. Groom went on to pitch 786 games in his major league career, and no, he never did step foot in a batter’s box. They should’ve let him take an at-bat in his final MLB game, just for kicks.

Random Orioles game of the day

On May 25, 1999, the Orioles began a nine-game west coast road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Angels. The O’s jumped out to a quick lead, scoring a first-inning run on B.J. Surhoff’s sac fly, but they were held scoreless for the rest of the game. Angels starter Omar Olivares worked eight strong innings and Troy Percival nailed down the save in the ninth. The Birds’ Scott Erickson went 7.1 innings but was tagged for three homers, including two by Garret Anderson. The loss dropped the Orioles to 16-28, the worst record in the American League.

The talent within Maryland baseball’s pitching staff has continued to blossom over the years. The Terps have had eight players selected in the last seven MLB Drafts — the most recent being Kyle McCoy in 2025.

Despite being an eighth-round pick, McCoy has shined in his first season of minor league baseball. The former third-team All-Big Ten honoree allowed just 10 runs across 23 innings pitched with the Daytona Tortugas, the Cincinnati Reds’ Single-A affiliate.

But McCoy saved his best outing for his High-A debut with the Dayton Dragons on Saturday. Maryland’s most prominent arm in recent memory tossed five scoreless innings and only gave up two hits to lead his team to victory. 

While McCoy still has a long way to go before making his MLB debut, the left-hander’s success thus far has been notable. His quick rise within the farm system, coupled with his college dominance — he had the Big Ten’s sixth-best ERA last season — highlights the potential that put him on professional scouts’ radars after just two years in College Park.

In other news

Maryland basketball’s incoming five-star recruit Baba Oladotun was selected as one of the 19 finalists for the USA men’s U18 national team.

Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski was inducted into the Maryland soccer Hall of Fame.

Former Maryland baseball infielder Nick Lorusso has been on a tear with six home runs in the last 11 games for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Good morning, everyone! If you’re from the United States, then today is Memorial Day. This is a particularly meaningful day on the calendar for many, a final tribute to members of the military who lost their lives in action. We hope that you’re fortunate enough to not have to work today on the federal holiday.

Today on the site, we have a reduced schedule aside from familiar Yankees gameday material. Estevão will preview the Yankees’ upcoming three-game series in Kansas City, Kevin will have the Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will celebrate the birthday of a Yankee who isn’t even the most famous Yankee with that name (you’ll get what I mean when it goes live), and Madison will post the latest mailbag prompt.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Kansas Ciry Royals

Time: 3:40 p.m. EST

Video: ESPN

Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will Aaron Judge follow up his slump-busting, walk-off homer from yesterday with another bomb today to begin a hot streak? Or are you unsure about the matchup with Michael Wacha?

2. Do you have any plans for the day off today, if you’re not working? Cookouts, or something along those lines?