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When Darryl Strawberry was pinch-hit for in the championship softball game against the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant, Springfield Power Plant mogul and manager C. Montgomery Burns explained the decision:

“It’s called playing the percentages; it’s what smart managers do to win ball games.”

Sure, Strawberry had nine home runs that day, but with the lefty on the mound and the game on the line, Mr. Burns turned to the right-handed hitting “Home Run” Homer Simpson, who was subsequently beaned in the head to drive in the winning run.

Match-ups matter.

As I watch the Rockies on television, a common turn of phrase seems to be that the Rockies are looking for proper match-ups to allow their players to succeed. Lineup construction is often based on the handedness of the starting pitcher, and in-game substitutions are more prevalent based on which reliever is brought into the game.

Platoon splits are nothing new in baseball. Manager Warren Schaeffer and the Rockies front office haven’t reinvented the wheel, but the use of platoon splits has felt more pronounced this season as the Rockies try to give themselves and the players the best chance to win ball games.

So, this raises the question: Is the platoon system working for Colorado’s offense?

Team Splits

First, let’s take a look at the team’s splits as a whole.

Like most teams in the league, the Rockies generally have more success against right-handed pitching. Entering Tuesday, they rank seventh in batting average (.256) and eighth in OPS (.745) while having the second-most hits (265).

They also have the third-most strikeouts (284) and are 18th in walks (101).

On the flip side, left-handed pitchers represent a decline in production. The Rockies rank 14th in AVG (.235), 25th in OPS (.643), 19th in hits (84), the fourth-most strikeouts (117), and the second-fewest walks (24). Granted, the sample size against left-handed pitching isn’t large across the league, and the Rockies ranked 23rd in total at-bats against southpaws (357), nearly 700 fewer than against right-handers.

As you’d expect, right-hander batters are seeing the bulk of success against left-handed pitching, batting .251/.317/.379 with six home runs. Meanwhile, left-handed batters are slashing .295/.369/.489 with 22 home runs against right-handed pitching. In the same side match-ups, both aspects of the platoon have a .205 AVG and OPS numbers that are relatively close. The main difference is that right-handed batters have 11 home runs against righties in 300 more at-bats.

The platoon splits are nothing surprising. In general, the scarcity of left-handed pitchers makes the proportions of sample sizes skewed, and it’s well known that a hitter will often struggle more against a same-sided match-up, but that is exponentially more true for left-handed hitters. The lack of regular opportunity to see lefty-pitchers puts left-handed hitters under a microscope, making it more likely they will be subbed out if the match-up demands it.

The Lefty Swingers

The poster child for the Rockies platoon is none other than Mickey Moniak.

Tormenting right-handed pitchers to the tune of a .337/.390/.716 slash with nine home runs, Moniak is having a fantastic year in Colorado. However, he has seen his opportunities against left-handers limited as he is just 4-for-24 with 12 punchouts. Granted, he does have two home runs to do the heavy lifting for his slugging percentage (.417), but it’s clear that the Rockies are cognisant of his struggles along with the other left-handed hitters.

Moniak, TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnston, and Edouard Julien are a combined 19-for-92 against southpaws with three walks and 25 strikeouts. Like Moniak, this group of lefties — along with Jake McCarthy — are torching righties to help propel the Rockies’ offense. In the past, the team struggled to employ multiple lefties in the lineup in general, but in 2026, they have the luxury of deploying up to seven in a single lineup against a right-handed pitcher. Those kinds of odds are helping to produce runs and generate wins for the Rockies.

The anomaly for the group is catcher Brett Sullivan and McCarthy, to an extent. Sullivan has struggled quite a bit in the platoon advantage, slashing .167/.222/.238 with seven hits in 42 at-bats, including three doubles. Meanwhile, in half the sample size, Sullivan is slashing .350/.409/.500 against lefties, going 7-for-20 with three doubles. McCarthy seems to be the only one consistent on both sides of the platoon as he is batting .300/.300/.500 against lefties, albeit in just 10 at-bats, and .288/.368/.500 against righties.

The Righty Swingers

What becomes of the right-handed batters then?

This group of hitters is struggling quite a bit at this point in the season against right-handed pitchers. Tyler Freeman leads the group with a .315/.393/.352 batting line followed by Hunter Goodman’s .262/.327/.524 slash. Beyond them, however, none of the right-handed batters on the current roster against side-sided matchups have an AVG above .200, and only Kyle Karros has an on-base percentage above .300.

The struggles are quite pronounced and become more worrisome when the majority of starting pitchers in the big leagues are still right-handed. It has forced the Rockies to use more platoon match-ups, and we’ve seen decreased playing time for Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck, along with more days off for Ezequiel Tovar.

The player settling into the platoon role the best at this point is Beck.

As mentioned last week, Beck has earned some patience, despite his struggles against righties (.049/.114/.073), because he’s doing well against lefties. Thus far, he is slashing .306/.333/.500 with a 115 wRC+ against southpaws, tallying 11 hits including two doubles, a triple, and a home run. A platoon role may be what’s best for Beck at the moment to spot Moniak and Johnston in the outfield. The downside is that he gets less playing time, but the Rockies want him to have a chance to have opportunities to succeed. He was solid enough last season against right-handers, so he is capable, but just hasn’t found that rhythm in 2026.

Karros and the switch-hitting Castro, who is fine on either side of the plate, are also enjoying more results at the plate against left-handed pitching. Oddly enough, Freeman is batting .192/.276/.423, but does have two home runs. Unfortunately, Doyle’s struggles have continued against left-handed pitching with only slight improvement to a .198 AVG, but he has drawn five walks against 10 strikeouts.

Tovar is the interesting piece here because his struggles have felt more pronounced this year. In his big-league career, he has generally been immune to the platoon split because the numbers have been similar enough. Star players have to have the capabilities of posting up every day and finding ways to beat the pitcher regardless of what hand they throw with. This year, however, right-handers are exploiting Tovar’s weaknesses more than ever. Meanwhile, he’s posting career-highs in AVG (.286) and OBP (.375) against left-handers.

Out of all the players mentioned above, the Rockies can’t afford for Tovar to become a platoon player at the plate because he has the potential to be a star and is elite on defense.

Is it working?

Overall, the platoon system and hunting match-ups seem to be working. Given the makeup of the team, it makes sense that Paul DePodesta and Warren Schaeffer would keep an eye on platoon splits. For some players, it genuinely can make a difference and allow more opportunities for other players. However, for players like Tovar, some issues run deeper than a simple platoon split, and more work will need to be done to mitigate the gap in production.

Still, the Rockies are looking to give players opportunities to succeed, and platoon splits are a good place to start.

On the Farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 2, Oklahoma City Comets 1 F/10

Despite 10 hits as a team, the Albuquerque Isotopes managed just two runs as they won in extra-innings against Oklahoma City. The Isotopes scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single from Sterlin Thompson and wouldn’t score against until the 10th, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 men on base. Thompson played hero in extras, lacing an RBI single for the walk-off victory. Cole Carrigg, Adael Amador, and Chad Stevens also had two-hit nights for the ‘Topes. Erasmo Ramírez, the 36-year-old veteran, was excellent in his second start since joining the organization, as he allowed just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings. The bullpen surrendered just three hits the rest of the way and allowed three walks with two strikeouts.

Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 7, Portland Sea Dogs 6

Thanks to a walk-off home run by Benny Montgomery, the Hartford Yard Goats pulled out a 7-6 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs. The home run was Montgomery’s third of the year and his only hit of the night as he struck out three times. Meanwhile, Andy Perez tallied three hits and scored three runs on the night to lead the Yard Goats. Hartford recorded nine hits while striking out 13 times and drawing six walks. Konner Eaton started on the mound, allowing five runs through 4.2 innings, giving up three home runs while striking out three and walking one. Three relievers then combined to allow just one run on three hits with six strikeouts and four walks.

High-A:Spokane Indians 7, Hillsboro Hops 3

The Spokane Indians scored early and often to secure a 7-3 victory over Hillsboro. Roynier Hernanadez and Tommy Hopfe led the 13-hit barrage for Spokane with three hits apiece. Jacob Hinderleider drove in three runs, aided by a two-run homer, along with Jacob Humphrey, who had a two-run home run of his own. Jackson Cox was again brilliant in his start, working 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The bullpen was also strong, as two relievers combined to allow just one hit and a walk, along with two strikeouts.

Low-A:Visalia Rawhide 8, Fresno Grizzlies 7

A nightmare top of the ninth cost the Fresno Grizzlies a series-opening victory against the Visalia Rawhide as four runs came across to snag an 8-7 loss. Austin Newton delivered a solid start for Fresno, allowing two runs on five hits through five innings. He gave way to Easton Marks, who worked three innings but allowed two runs in the eighth and was responsible for three more in the ninth, although one was unearned. Seth Clausen was then tagged with the loss and blown save after giving up the winning run. Offensively, the Grizzlies had 11 hits with Cameron Nelson going 3-for-5 with a couple of RBI. Tanner Thach blasted his sixth home run of the season, and Roldy Brito delivered his fourth triple of the season as part of his two-hit night.

Affected by Altitude Episode 210: Snake in the Outfield Grass | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the production of Jake McCarthy and the cracks in the rotation, and take a quick look around the minor league system.

Rockies’ buy-in to relentless approach at plate spawns success at Triple-A | MLB.com

The Rockies have been trying to preach more patience and focus and the plate at the results are starting to show in Triple-A for the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Undrafted Jacob Humphrey Speeds To Early Pro Success For Rockies ($) | Baseball America

It’s always nice to see players who went undrafted finding success. Jacob Humphrey is doing just that in the Rockies system.

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

The San Francisco Giants had a good time in Southern California on Tuesday night, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2. In a statistic that almost defies reality, the Giants are now 4-1 against the two-time defending champions … and just 14-23 against the rest of the league.

But that wasn’t the only fun that was had, and it wasn’t the only reality that was defied. The Giants won with the long ball on Tuesday, with three solo home runs, all of which came from the eighth and ninth hitters.

That included a double dinger day for backup catcher Eric Haase, who did something that, when all is said and done, may go down as the least likely thing that happened to the Giants this year: he became the first player in the Majors to have a two-homer game against ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The fun continued all game, but it was … uhh … restrained. After Monday’s win in the series opener, outfielders Harrison Bader, Jung Hoo Lee, and particularly Drew Gilbert (to the surprise of no one) celebrated with a little bit of consensual behavior normally reserved for incognito mode.

All eyes were on Gilbert, Lee, and Heliot Ramos on Monday … but this time they kept it professional. So professional that one had to wonder.

And indeed, the Giants fantastic beat reporters got to the heart of it … and it turns out that the call came in from somewhere higher up.

Now for the million dollar question: was it Buster Posey putting an end to the mild dose of homoeroticism, or the corporate folks at the league offices? We may never know, but at least the Giants are having fun.

Or as much fun as they’re allowed to have, at least.

Pitching injuries happen. They have always happened, and they always will happen. That’s why when someone says “there’s no such thing as too much pitching”, they’re correct, regardless of how much pitching that team actually has. You could have a rotation of prime Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Pedro Martinez, Cy Young, and Randy Johnson, and that would still not be enough pitching (I don’t know why those are the five names that came to mind. It’s late. Leave me alone).

The Red Sox, despite having plenty of pitching, have proven that rule. Through the first month or so of the season, they’ve had eight different pitchers start games, and only one has been a scheduled opener. That also doesn’t include Johan Oviedo, who was injured before he could get a crack at the rotation. One of those pitchers was Jake Bennett, who most didn’t expect to debut in May. Thanks to a series of injuries, some major and some minor, he got his chance on May 1st. Since then, he’s made two starts, thrown 10.1 innings while registering a 4.35 ERA, 9.5% strikeout rate, and 9.5% walk rate. While those numbers are far from stellar, they’re not bad, and he’s held his own in those two games.

After Spring Training, I was excited about Bennett as a prospect. He’s a huge lefty who was throwing hard and using his frame to get down the mound. He’s also equipped with a plus changeup, a useful tool in neutralizing right-handed hitters. After two starts in the big leagues, I walked away underwhelmed, but not discouraged.

Bennett struggled to punch out hitters. Over his two starts, he only struck out four guys. He got to two-strike counts against 19 hitters. I actually don’t know what the league-wide conversion rate for two-strike counts into strikeouts is, but about 19% of two-strike pitches go for strikeouts, so it has to be above Bennett’s mark of 21%. Doing my best to be polite to Mr. Bennett, I’d say it’s because his stuff isn’t good enough. Here’s a look at his two-strike command against each side.

Against righties, it looks pretty good. The changeups are down and away, while the four-seamers are upstairs. Of those 37 pitches, however, just two returned whiffs, while 12 were fouled off to extend at-bats. While I can’t definitively give a reason for that, I’d say it’s because the four-seam fastball isn’t enough of a threat. Through two starts, it’s averaged 92.6 mph. The 7.1 feet of extension it’s thrown with helps it play up, but it only has about 11 inches of induced vertical break. The height-adjusted vertical approach angle is just 0.5 degrees, meaning it’s not an outlier at all in terms of shape.

It’s returned two strikeouts, but it feels to me like hitters aren’t threatened by it. His changeup is his best pitch, and he’s yet to strike out a right-handed hitter with it, depsite good locations. Almost half of his two-strike changeups to righties have been fouled off. It’s a good pitch; it’s generated whiffs earlier in counts, but it feels to me as if he’s missing a third pitch to prevent hitters from seeing a low pitch and identifying it as a changeup.

He has a curveball and a cutter, but neither has shown bat-missing ability so far. He doesn’t generate a ton of spin on any of his pitches, so finding a breaking ball to add to his arsenal could be a challenge. The low spin rate allows him to create depth on his changeup, which is a plus, but it makes it difficult for him to get lift on his fastball and move the ball to the glove side with a breaking ball. I think adding a quality breaking ball will be difficult, so his best path forward is likely to add velocity. It’s easier said than done, but his fastball was up to 98 mph in Spring Training, so there’s clearly room to grow in that department.

Against lefties, the story is similar. He does a good job locating his sinker on the arm side for weak contact and quick outs, but a breaking ball, something to throw away from lefties, is necessary to increase his strikeout rate. He uses his changeup against lefties, which can miss bats, but the downside is it’s often in an area where lefties can drop the barrel and tee off on it. That hasn’t happened for Bennett yet, but it happens to same-handed changeups when they’re poorly located.

It’s not all bad, though. Bennett hasn’t made many mistakes over the plate and has missed barrels as a result. It’s not overpowering, and he probably hasn’t been in the zone as much as he’d like, but he’s done a nice job living on the edges. With Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez returning to the rotation, Bennett was optioned back to Triple-A. If the Red Sox need him, though, he’s a high-floor option, with the ceiling of an excellent pitcher. He’ll need to add some velocity and potentially a breaking pitch to reach that ceiling, but the bones of a major league rotation piece are there.

Good morning.

• Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs last season and finished second in American League Most Valuable Player voting, is in a terrible slump. But last night he snapped an 0-for-38 streak with a single last night.
• All it took to break out was getting smacked in the oompa-loompas with a foul ball the half-inning before.

Tough way to break a slump, but Big Dumper will take it.

• Mike Axisa examined what was wrong with Raleigh.
• Mike Petriello also takes a crack at what’s the matter with Big Dumper.
• Karl Rasmussen has the five longest hitless streaks in MLB history. Raleigh came a bit short of knocking a current Cub off the list.
• Jay Jaffe evaluates the trade that sent catcher Patrick Bailey from San Francisco to Cleveland.
• Ken Rosenthal writes that Giants team president Buster Posey keeps making big, risky moves, but none of them are paying off at the moment. (The Athletic sub. req.) He also said that Posey grew frustrated with Bailey, feeling that his game management skills were lacking in addition to his weak bat.
• Kerry Crowley writes that since Posey’s big gambles haven’t paid off, we should expect him to make more trades.
• The Dodgers acquired outfielder Alek Thomas from the Diamondbacks for a minor league outfielder after Thomas had been designated for assignment by Arizona.
• Kiley McDaniel has five too-early questions about free agency this upcoming winter.
• Jason Foster looks at the current state of both Rookie of the Year races.
• The issues for Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai continue. He came off the injured list yesterday and got rocked for six runs in four innings. Jack Baer examines what’s gone wrong for the Japanese rookie.
• Thomas Harrington demonstrates what’s different for Braves first baseman Matt Olson this year that has turned him into one of the best power hitters in the game. More fly balls!
• The Braves put catcher Sean Murphy on the IL with a broken finger. Just don’t ask him to show you the finger that broke.
• Yankees infielder Jose Caballero went on the IL after he broke the same finger! Well, not exactly the same finger. Caballero’s broken finger is attached to his hand and not Murphy’s. It would be weird otherwise. Anyways, that means that Anthony Volpe got recalled from Triple-A.
• Adam McCalvy introduces us to Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby, who currently leads the majors in wins with seven.
• Both the Phillies and Red Sox have fired their managers this year and they meet this week. Mike Axisa looks at how the two teams have changed since the managerial switch.
• Thomas Harrington asks between the Phils and Red Sox, which team is more likely to rebound and contend for the playoffs this year.
• Adam Berry examines the Rays hot start to the season and notes how Tampa Bay’s wins are powered by friendship. Well, pitching, hitting and defense are playing a role too.
• Twins pitcher Bailey Ober threw a “Maddux” against the Marlins.
• Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster René Cárdenas died at age 96. Cárdenas was the first ever Spanish-language team broadcaster when he called the Dodgers in 1958. He moved on to Houston to call the “Colt .45s” when the expansion franchise got underway.
• Baseball writer Aaron Gleeman explained why he stopped writing for The Athletic and will instead write independently about the Twins.
• The Braves say their new TV deal will “meet or exceed the economics” of the old one, but as Evan Drellich notes, they aren’t giving out many details about that.
• This is a fascinating read. It’s been noted that walks are up under the new Automated Ball/Strike system, but Ben Clemens goes deep into the math to figure out where all those extra walks are coming from.
• Each team’s hottest pitching prospect from the MLB Pipeline gang.
• Michael Baumann examines the breakout rookie campaign of Guardians pitcher Parker Messick.
• John Smoltz explains the late Bobby Cox’s leadership style and his three simple rules. (Free The Athletic sub. req.)
• Angels outfielder Jo Adell is robbing home runs again.

• And finally, thirty years ago director Spike Lee wanted a red Yankees cap to complete his outfit for the World Series, but there weren’t any in any color other than Black. Lee’s quest for a red Yankees cap opened up the current world of multiple caps in multiple colors for alls teams. The Yankees, Lee and New Era are celebrating the 30th anniversary of that with a a new Spike Lee line of Yankees caps.

Salvador Perez moves closer to capturing the Kansas City Royals’ home run franchise record with his first-inning slam against the Chicago White Sox.

Royals fans get a decent update on southpaw Cole Ragans’ recovery after he hit the 15-day IL once again.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Ragans (elbow) played catch two of the past three days and remains day-to-day, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Quatraro added that Tuesday’s throwing session was better than Sunday’s, and the expectation is Ragans will play catch again on Wednesday, as he deals with a case of pitcher’s elbow. Stephen Kolek is starting in Ragans’ place Tuesday night and will fill his rotation spot while Ragans heals up on the 15-day injured list. It doesn’t sound like Kansas City expects this to be a lengthy absence for its ace.

The Royals check in at 20th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings, with one clear reason for hope.

One reason to believe in this team: The veteran pitchers still have it

Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha migrated to Kansas City from San Diego ahead of the 2024 season and spearheaded the Royals’ first trip to the postseason in nine years. The unions were so fruitful that the team eventually signed both pitchers to contract extensions. Lugo and Wacha are in their mid-30s now, but they’re still as productive as ever — and at a critical juncture, with Cole Ragans on the injured list and Noah Cameron enduring a bit of a sophomore slump. Wacha owns a 2.63 ERA, as he’s held hitters to a .188 average. Lugo’s ERA is 3.21, and he has allowed a grand total of one home run in 47 2/3 innings.

The Royals’ closer situation is just a microcosm of a greater trend league-wide, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Estevez won’t throw for three more weeks, and then he’s hoping to start working his way back — and given the volatility of bullpens around the game, it’s possible that he’ll get another chance to close games later this year. “I have hope,” he said. “I’ll be fine. I just have to keep working. I’ll be back, right on time, ready for the playoff hunt.”

With Estevez out, Royals manager Matt Quatraro turned to Lucas Erceg, who has been excellent, stabilizing the Kansas City bullpen and allowing just two hits and no earned runs over his past eight outings; he has compiled 10 saves this season.

The Royals might have found a temporary fix, but the closer roller coaster has been a popular ride throughout Major League Baseball this year.

(Self promotion) The Royals promoted first baseman Brett Squires to Triple-A Omaha hours after I proposed the idea at Kings of Kauffman.

The 2026 version of Squires is doing something more interesting. His .244 ISO is among the better power numbers in the Texas League, and a .538 slugging percentage from a first baseman who went undrafted out of college is not a small thing. His 139 wRC+ sits just six points below Kulasingam’s despite a vastly different profile. Squires swings more, walks less, and does his damage in larger doses. His 23.7% strikeout rate is the number skeptics will point to, and fairly so, but corner infielders with real power carry higher strikeout rates at every level of professional baseball. The contact he makes tends to travel.

The Royals feel fairly set at first base in 2026 with Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez handling the primary duties, and Squires knows it. That means the most realistic outcome for a strong season may not be a call-up but a deadline trade, a contender in need of corner infield depth acquiring a first baseman with a .538 slugging percentage and three stolen bases in a single game against Corpus Christi. That would be a reasonable outcome for both sides. In the meantime, Squires keeps hitting, keeps running, and keeps making the case that someone should have drafted him when they had the chance.

Royals Keep updates their top 20 Royals prospects list, including looking at two underperforming arms in Double-A.

Mozzicato rose from No. 20 in the preseason rankings to No. 17 in our latest update. The ERA is brutal at 6.65, but he has a 21.7% K% and has shown some intriguing stuff on his pitches, though control and command have been less than stellar to begin the year. The sooner Kansas City moves Mozzicato to the bullpen full-time (he’s made six starts), the better his outlook (and current statline in Double-A) will be. Also in Double-A, Beam rose from No. 9 to No. 7, despite sporting a 4.88 ERA and 6.63 FIP in 27.2 IP. The strikeouts haven’t been there for Beam to begin the year, as illustrated by a 13.6% K%. However, he could be due for a positive bounce-back when the weather heats up, and he gets more settled against Texas League hitting.

Seth Lugo continues to be talked about as a trade block candidate if the Royals fall out of postseason contention.

Long-time Minnesota Twins beat writer Aaron Gleeman talks departure from The Athletic and return to independent coverage.

The negotiation process for baseball’s new labor deal begins in New York City.

How two left-handed Atlanta Braves batters are powering the league’s best lineup.

New Era celebrates the 30th anniversary of a specific and defining request from Spike Lee.

Reigning AL MVP Cal Raleigh is mired in one of the longest hitless streaks for a player of his caliber ever.

René Cárdenas, the first Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history, passed away at 96.

Lance Brozdowski ranks the top 100 starting pitchers in MLB.

What is the perfect pitch?

Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player and 13-year veteran, died after an eight-month battle with a brain tumor at 47.

Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke died at 29, according to the team and representation.

Los Angeles Lakers leadership wants star LeBron James to return for one more season.

South Florida police officers are suing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for too many real-life details in their movie “The Rip”.

Olympian Ryan Lochte joins the swimming and diving coaching staff at Missouri State.

Today’s song of the day is Southern Belle by Renée Levesque.

Good morning! The Boston Red Sox have scored just four runs in their last three games. It is now abundantly clear that this is not a good offensive team. Moreover, it won’t be a good offensive team even if we see a little bit of a bounce back from Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin, Carlos Narvaez, Roman Anthony… from everyone except Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, really. The lineup’s ceiling is… league average, maybe?

There are four major components of the game — hitting, fielding, starting pitching, and relief pitching — and it’s rare for any team to excel in each of them. But when a team is outright bad in one of those areas, it can make for some ugly watches. But I will say this: if your team has to be terrible at one of those components (note to Craig: it doesn’t!) then I think I’d take the ugly lineup. The Red Sox might be losing ballgames, but at least they aren’t losing lopsided, four-hour affairs that are out of hand by the fourth inning, which is what fans of teams with terrible starting pitching are forced to deal with.

So I suppose my question today is: what’s the most tolerable kind of bad baseball team?

Use this space to talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, determined to break out of a frustrating 10-game hitless streak, decided to take drastic action, showering in his full uniform Monday after another tough night at the plate. His unconventional approach paid off, as he broke his slump Tuesday night and helped lead the Mariners to a 10-2 win over the Houston Astros.

In Seattle's May 12 victory, Raleigh snapped his 0-for-38 skid with two singles. Last year’s American League MVP runner-up recorded his first hit since April 27 with a sharp line drive to center field in the seventh inning. Moments later, Randy Arozarena doubled to right field, allowing Raleigh to capitalize and score, pushing the score to 8-2.

“Logan (Gilbert) gave me some good advice to wash off the bad mojo or juju from the baseball gods,” Raleigh told the Associated Press. “So yeah, it worked. He was right, so I got to give him credit where credit’s due.”

Cal Raleigh singles to snap an 0-for-38 stretch, the longest hitless streak of his career and of any player this season pic.twitter.com/g0dOpJVqgN

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 13, 2026

Raleigh capped off his night with another single in the ninth inning, finishing the game with two hits and a much-needed renewed sense of confidence at the plate.

Last year, Raleigh led the American League with an impressive 60 home runs and 125 RBIs. However, this season has been more challenging for the slugger, as he has recorded only seven home runs and 18 RBIs over the first 40 games.

More: Why catcher Cal Raleigh is nicknamed 'Big Dumper'

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The Cleveland Guardians seek a series sweep when they host the Los Angeles Angels in Game 3 of their three-game set.

Cleveland starter Parker Messick has been a revelation, and my Angels vs. Guardians predictions expect a convincing Guardians victory today.

Read on for my MLB picks for Wednesday, May 13. 

Who will win Angels vs Guardians today: Guardians -1.5 (+156)

The Cleveland Guardians send Parker Messick to the mound against a Los Angeles Angels lineup without many answers for left-handed pitching. 

Messick owns a 2.30 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through eight starts, with his fastball-changeup combination generating elite run value on both pitches. 

Three of the Angels' top four hitters rank among MLB's individual strikeout leaders, and Los Angeles owns the highest raw strikeout total in baseball with 419 on the season. 

With Cleveland's bullpen pitching decently over the last two weeks, the plus-money value is there. 

COVERS INTEL:The top of the Angels' lineup, Zach Neto (62), Mike Trout (49), and Jorge Soler (52) have combined for 163 strikeouts across 556 plate appearances.

Angels vs Guardians Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-108)

Two left-handed starters take the mound in Cleveland, and neither figures to allow much damage. 

Messick ranks in the 85th percentile in chase rate with a 28.3% strikeout rate, while Reid Detmers owns a 2.90 xERA and a 91st-percentile breaking ball that neutralizes opposing lineups. 

The Angels have struck out 115 times against left-handed pitching this season, while the Guardians lack much power against lefties, evidenced by their .148 ISO.

With two southpaws dealing and sharp money moving the total down to seven runs, a low-scoring affair is in the cards today. 

Angels vs Guardians odds

• Moneyline: Angels +133 | Guardians -138
• Run line: Angels +1.5 (-170) | Guardians -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+127) | Under 7.5 (-133)

Angels vs Guardians trend

The Under is 3-7 in the Los Angeles Angels' previous 10 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Guardians.

How to watch Angels vs Guardians and game info

Angels vs Guardians latest injuries

Angels vs Guardians weather

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