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The Mariners devised their piggyback plan, alternating Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo as starters, so the division would be “equitable,” rotating between which pitchers made the scheduled five-inning start. Today they got a perfectly even split as each pitcher tossed exactly five innings, with exactly 71 pitches for each, as it took the Mariners offense ten innings to polish off a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-2.

Bryce Miller looked strong, cunningly mixing his pitches against an Arizona team that likes to hunt the fastball. Miller out-Mized Brewers wunderkind Jacob Misiorowski today, with 17 swinging strikes.

“It’s cool seeing the whiff and the results and the swing and miss on non-fastballs,” Miller said postgame. “I’ve always been the guy with the good fastball and after that, not great. So far this year I think the slider’s performed really well, cutter has been good, splitter has been good, sweeper and curveball, when I’ve thrown them, have been good as well. Seeing the breaking balls and the off-speeds come along has been fun.”

Miller got himself into and out of some trouble in the second. It started, as it so often does, with a one-out five-pitch walk to Ryan Waldschmidt where Miller stubbornly trying to go to the bottom of the zone with a fastball and Waldschmidt kept laying off. Miller pulled out some off-speed to try to retire pesky Ildemaro Vargas, who fouled three straight balls to the pull side before finally pulling a fastball fair into right field for Arizona’s first hit of the day. Miller got some help from Luke Raley, who made a strong throw home on a would-be sac fly to keep a run from scoring, and then struck out Aramis Garcia to end what would be his only real threat of the day. From there, Miller cruised through his five assigned innings, never giving Arizona room to breathe.

Offensively, the Mariners got on the board first in the second thanks to Cole Young. It’s been a tough May for Young, who’s been putting in a lot of work with hitting coordinator Edgar Martínez to relax his grip at the plate and get back to simplifying things. Young got a 91.7 mph fastball right in his lefty loop zone and kept things simple to the tune of 105.4 mph:

The Mariners could have done more in that inning, loading the bases with one out with a pair of singles and a walk, but Julio Rodríguez flew out to shallow center and then a questionable send/base running decision at home saw Jhonny Pereda cut down. Boooooo. On the bright side, they did have Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly at 42 pitches through two innings, which is a plus against the weak contact merchant Kelly. Kelly didn’t have his best command today – he hit Luke Raley in the third, which, understandable, and walked Dom Canzone in the fourth – but was able to navigate around trouble both times and get those weak-contact outs to keep his pitch count in check, with the Mariners again squandering a scoring opportunity in the fourth despite a J.P. Crawford two-out single that sent Colt Emerson from first to third (oh the specific, forgotten joy of having a runner who can go first to third on a shallow line drive to right field), as Julio grounded out softly on a swinging bunt on the first pitch he saw.

Those missed scoring opportunities came back to bite the Mariners when it was time for the piggyback to change over. Luis Castillo, facing the top of the order, walked Ketel Marte and gave up a fluky ground-ball double to Corbin Carroll to put runners on at second and third with one out. It looked like Castillo might escape the inning cleanly despite some shaky command after a play at home, nicely executed by Crawford and Pereda, but a wild pitch from Castillo brought the run in anyway, tying up the game and costing Bryce Miller a win. It wasn’t really Castillo’s fault, instead victimized by some shaky defense – and, in an echo of the last piggyback loss, if the Mariners had scored more during their many chances, it wouldn’t have mattered – but it was still a bummer of a follow-up after Miller had been so brilliant.

Thankfully, Dominic Canzone came through in the sixth with another solo homer to pull the Mariners ahead, getting a hold of a pitch from Kelly that was very similar to the one Young hit out:

But once again the Mariners left a chance to stack runs on the DBacks on the table; after Jhonny Pereda singled and Kelly exited the game, Kevin Ginkel was able to strike out Crawford and Rodríguez to end the threat, giving Castillo again just the one whisper-thin run to work with. Castillo made it until the eighth, but once again fluky luck caught up with him. Pinch-hitter Gabriel Moreno led off the inning with a parachute-job single, and nine-hole hitter Tim Tawa laid down a bunt that was poorly fielded by Pereda (and maybe misdirected by Naylor pointing at second trying to get the lead runner), who overthrew into center to allow the runners to second and third with no outs. Moreno then scored the tying run on a sac fly from Marte. But Castillo was able to get out of it thanks to a groundout and yet another leaping play from Cole Young, quietly the MVP of today’s game.

The Diamondbacks brought in hard-throwing reliever Juan Morillo for the eighth, who had to work around a Dominic Canzone single and a walk to Colt Emerson but was able to strike out Crawford swinging. After Castillo put the middle of the lineup down in the ninth, the DBaks stuck with Morillo, who blew through the top of the lineup, all seemingly swinging for the home run ball.

So once again, the game went to extras, and the Mariners stuck with Castillo, pitching in a Manfred Man situation for the first time. Castillo navigated around some sticky trouble in the top of the tenth, letting Arizona’s ghost runner get to third and walking the pesky Moreno but no more than that, keeping the game tied.

“That’s an inning where if you don’t have experience with it, it does make you a little nervous,” said Castillo postgame. “But the important thing was we were able to keep attacking every hitter. The pitching coach told me, this is your game, finish it, let’s go, and those words motivated me to go out there and do that.”

Arizona countered with former Yankee Jonathan Loáisiga, who immediately intentionally walked Luke Raley (great bunter) to get to Cole Young (acceptable bunter). Young, who has been solid in clutch situations, was able to put down the sacrifice cleanly, bringing up Victor Robles, who had pinch-run for Canzone back in the eighth. Robles put a swing on the first strike he saw, booping a little lawn dart towards the drawn-in shortstop, who muffed the ball, delivering the Mariners a win and a sweep.

Despite the sturm und drang around the piggyback situation, the Mariners are now 2-1 in those games, and the one loss is pinned more squarely on the offense. It’s quite a different situation now – the Mariners tallied 33 hits in the series sweep against Arizona, and 36 in the series against Oakland, versus a paltry 17 in the series against Kansas City (with 12 of those coming in one game). Today Ryan wrote about how the piggyback experiment has been working, and why it’s been working; it’s true that wins cure all ills, but that’s something that can only happen when the offense pulls its weight, too. Today they did just enough to do that, keeping the good vibes rolling (do piggybacks roll? Jostle? Hitch?) as the Mets come into town to finish off the homestand before a long road trip.

So how we feeling?

James Attwood: Well, my allergies have been flaring up like nobody’s business as the season change and high winds blow through. But other than that – oh, you mean about the team, don’t you? In that case, I tend to be content with where they are at right now. They had a grueling start to the season. Now, they just finished the nice, soft, cushy part of the schedule. They remain over .500 as the calendar flips to June. There is a lot of baseball left to be played, but this team is starting to look like they are at least going to make a show of being competitive until the break. That should make this season’s trade deadline “interesting”.

Makakilo: Friday’s 1-run loss to the Mariners left me conflicted. FELT GOOD. Six runs scored. Perdomo’s homer showed resurgence of his power. The bullpen allowed 1 earned run in 4 innings (before extra innings). FELT BAD. Batters were 3 for 17 with RISP, with 13 runners LOB. Gallen allowed 5 runs in 5 innings.

1AZFan1: Pretty good. We’ve closed the gap with the Padres and are in the middle of the Wild Card race at the end of May. Can’t complain there. I’m answering before the Saturday and Sunday games so I’m hoping that the D-backs don’t fall flat in the next 2 days, but Friday was a good close game in which we played a hot team in a raucous environment right down to the wire.

Spencer: Fine. Games one and half of two against Seattle have tempered my excitement. A great reminder that we beat up on the second worst run team in MLB and probably the third worst as well.

ISH95: I’m with James on the allergies, but other than that I’m alright. This has been a great, very fun, and satisfying couple of weeks, but I can’t shake the knowledge that it’s been against the Rockies and Giants. Nor have the first two games against the Mariners done much to convince me those concerns were invalid. But winning is winning, and every win you get against sub-.500 teams counts the same as the ones against the Dodgers come October, so I can’t be mad about it.

Obviously, the team’s hot streak has been helped by facing lower caliber opponents, but given that, what has been the biggest cause for optimism during the streak?

James Attwood: The trio of Marte, Carroll, and Perdomo being big contributors to the success. My first instinct was to point at the pitching being so dominant during that spell. But I am discounting those successes a bit because of the opponents. But this team needs the trio at the top of the order to keep doing special things if the team is going to remain in contention for October baseball. Those three finally coming around can only spell good things for Arizona. Marte’s streak may have come to an end last night, but Perdomo had three knocks, including a home run. The key is for those three to keep the production up.

Makakilo: Starting 12 May, there were two simultaneous streaks.

BATTING. Diamondbacks scored at least 2 runs per game. 16 game streak is ongoing.

ROTATION. 11 of 16 games were quality starts.

1AZFan1: Ketel going white hot and the continued excellence from the starting rotation has been great. Those two are obvious but perhaps the less obvious piece I’m excited about is the reemergence of Kevin Ginkel as a weapon out of the bullpen.

Spencer: Ketel Marte. He wasn’t hitting before this easy schedule, and confidence can do a lot when you’re talking about a top tier MLB hitter. That feels sustainable (at a lower level) in a way that nothing else about the streak does.

ISH95: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Ketel Marte. It started with that walk-off home run and just snowballed from there. It’s been a long time coming this season, and thankfully, Marte has finally shown up.

And what red flags are you seeing that might suggest it won’t be sustainable when they resume playing playoff-caliber teams?

James Attwood: Zac Gallen struggled again last night, this time against the Mariners. The offense, despite the comeback and despite scoring six, missed out on some opportunities to tally another win. Zac Gallen is not the only Arizona pitcher who started looking better against weak opponents. The pitching staff is going to need to continue to grind and the offense is going to need to be deeper than the top-three hitters. That’s an awful lot to ask of a team with precious little in the way of depth and some close injury scares of late.

Makakilo: The Diamondbacks defense is often among the top teams. Currently it has 11 DRS, which ranks only 11th. Great defense will be needed against playoff caliber teams.

1AZFan1: Ketel won’t be white hot forever. I’m sure Ketel will still be productive after this streak ends, but we’ll need a couple guys clicking beside Marte and Corbin.

Spencer: No true red flags for me, but the rotation is no where close to being as good as they’ve looked against the Rockies and Giants.

I will take this time to discuss the defensive miscues or Jose Fernandez though. Rookies will rookie, but he needs time in Reno and a “main” defensive spot. His decisions to not step on first before throwing to second cost Ryne Nelson a shot at a complete game…. It’s normal and fine when the team is doing well, but it’s a sign showing his lack of high end minor league experience.

ISH95: The starting pitching has been fine during this run, but there have been more chinks in the armor with them than the offense or the bullpen. Gallen especially.

The initial salvos of the CBA battle have been sent out. What are your initial reactions?

James Attwood: I still think that both sides kicked the can down the road a few too many times and that a lockout seems inevitable. The MLBPA proposal does little to help the sport get any healthier while the ownership side of things isn’t even listening to what the players are saying. Oh, and Rob Manfred is still completely out of touch with anything resembling reality.

Makakilo: Although the two proposals are very far apart, one aspect is not so different. The initial proposals seem to agree on a new requirement for teams to spend a minimum of $150 Million on player salaries. Links follow for MLBTR articles about the two initial proposals (form may delete them): [Ed. note] form did not delete them! https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/mlb-submits-initial-counterproposal-to-mlbpa.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/05/mlbpa-releases-details-of-collective-bargaining-proposal.html

1AZFan1:This is my favorite non-Diamondbacks baseball story to follow this year. The owners officially threw down the salary cap proposal, but most everything they laid out was very hypothetical with no real details or mechanisms about how we would get to our current system to this new salary cap era. The owners proposal throws out a salary cap number that is $100m+ less than what the Dodgers are scheduled to spend next year; how do we get them there?

The Players’ proposal is good for what it is; asking for younger players to make money earlier and revamping the QO are good items for them, but it’s essentially more of the same system. The owners didn’t put anything about that in their proposal because they genuinely don’t care how the Players want to divvy up the pie as long as the owners can establish that there is only one size of pie. The Players do propose a salary floor, but it’s lower than what the owners suggested so that’s kind of a bad look if you ask me.

I’m very hopeful that some sort meaningful change can come through this CBA. Major League Baseball is an entertainment product, so at the end of the day, the fans should be happy with the outcome. Every poll I’ve seen has shown the majority of fans want some sort of cap. Talking heads will say a cap only helps the owners, but it’s not like the Players are some sort of righteous martyrs playing for scraps. They’re in it for themselves, too. So yeah, give us what we want! Sorry for the long response.

Spencer: That neither side deserves my sympathy. They make more money in 6 months than I will in half my career (if not far, far more). Argue and complain all you want, but I am embarrassed watching it play out.

ISH95: The last lock out was a long time ago, but I remember being far more supportive of the ideas and proposals put out by the MLBPA than this first round. The MLBPA comes off as not really being serious about the issues facing the sport and while the basic plan the Owners put forward seems a bit too simplistic to actually fix the problem as well, it seems closer to the right track. A cap is the way to go at this point. Taxes and penalties clearly don’t work, and the sport is suffering for it.

A random thought/aside that’s been bouncing around in my head related to this is that a lot of people point to say, the Mets, as an example that money doesn’t win by default. But the flip side of that is that now we’ve got a bunch of high value players that are off the market, can’t be used by anyone and are still losing. It’s better for the sport of those top tier free agents get spread out more.

If you became God Emperor of MLB, what would your salary cap/competitive balance tax solution look like?

James Attwood: For starters, all television revenue is split evenly among the 30 (preferably an expanded 32) teams. That will require taking a few years to implement, as the various RSN deals and other smaller deals expire on staggered schedules. I do like the notion of a competitive integrity floor, probably one tied to penalties to the MLB revenue sharing, so that teams not spending enough forfeit money for doing so. Essentially, they spend the same either way, so might as well spend on players instead of funding an “exceptional rookies fund” (or whatever purposes the forfeiture goes toward). Maybe even make the penalty hit harder (by a small number) than having spent enough to begin with. Then, deferrals, even under this revised escrow-based funding model, need to be eliminated to avoid gaming AAV and to keep teams from reaping interest payments on unpaid salaries, giving them more money to sign premium talent. There are plenty of other, smaller tweaks I would like to see made as well. But for me, as long as there is massive disparity in media revenue and no disincentive to extreme frugality, there really is nothing else to discuss.

Makakilo: I keep the current system, which results in high revenue teams sharing with low revenue teams, like the Diamondbacks. An alternative could be that all 30 teams equally share all broadcast revenues, but the complexities and contractual restrictions could make that alternative unworkable.

1AZFan1: If I were God Emperor, the teams in New York and LA would get half the cap space of every other team. Just because.

Spencer: I’m in a mood, so imma tear it all down. They want to be a State-sponsored illegal monopoly, they deserve true equality. Pool all money made by all teams and divide equally into 31 pools (each team and the big business), then divide that into 2 50% buckets. One pays the players equally regardless, and the other is used to pay the rest of the franchise employees/owners.

The big business section will be divided in half an additional time. Half is put into savings for future needs or miscellaneous expenses and the other half pays league employees.

Since they want special treatment to be a “legal” monopoly, they also don’t deserve hidden books. All financials for the league and each team should be fully public so fans/taxpayers know exactly how the money is being used.

None of this is realistic in the corrupt world we live in, but it’d be fair to all involved parties. I know, I know, imagine talking about “fairness” in the 2026 iteration of the USA

ISH95: There has to be a cap. There has to be a floor. The cap needs to be a hard number. I’m less sure how the floor could be a hard number. What happens if a team doesn’t meet that floor, but Paul Sewald is the only FA left? Does he get a 1 year, $20, $30 million contract to make it up? Given that, I think the soft floor that the MLBPA suggested is probably more feasible. Beyond that, equal sharing of media. Other sports do it, MLB can figure it out, and probably easier since they’re moving towards all of them being produced by MLB Advanced Media/ESPN anyway.

The Athletics and New York Yankees closed out their weekend series on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Sutter Health Park. The Yankees capitalized on another horrible start from A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez, scoring 13 runs in one inning and then holding off the A’s late comeback attempt to prevail 13-8, winning the series and moving the A’s into a tie for second place with the Texas Rangers.

A’s Strike First

Athletics’ right fielder Carlos Cortes led off the bottom of the opening frame with a booming double to left against Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren. With two on and two outs, A’s catcher Jonah Heim reached on Yankees’ center fielder Trent Grisham’s fielding error, both runners scoring on the outfielder’s mishap. Heim proceeded to score on A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler’s RBI single to left field. Butler finally came through with a big hit, giving the hosts a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning.

A’s starting pitcher Jacob Lopez began the game with two straight scoreless innings, getting two contested strikeouts thanks to the new ABS system.

A’s Pitching Rears its Ugly Head

The Yankees developed their first rally in the top of the third. The visitors led off the inning with a single and two walks to load the bases. Lopez’s command issues reared its head once again. Yankees’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI infield single and then designated hitter Ben Rice tied the game with a two-run double down the first-base line. One batter later, New York took the lead on Judge’s single that fell in front of Butler in center.

Lopez did not record an out in the third inning. A’s manager Mark Kotsay took him out after his starter allowed four runs on five hits along with a couple of walks to blow his team’s 3-0 advantage.

Newly recalled reliever Michael Kelly replaced Lopez with the bases loaded, zero outs, and the A’s down 4-3. He walked his first batter on four pitches and then gave up Grisham’s two-run single.

The Yankees kept the parade going as former A’s player Max Schuemann lined a double off Kelly to bring home his team’s ninth and tenth runs of the inning. The A’s set the high-water mark in MLB history for the most runs scored without getting an out. A few batters later, Rice crushed a two-run triple to make it a twelve-run inning, the most runs the A’s have allowed in an inning since 1983.

Kelly only got two outs, allowing six more runs as the Yankees batted around twice in one inning. The A’s pitching staff made all kinds of wrong history, but they were not helped by their outfield defense as Cortes and Butler missed a couple of catchable balls.

Fellow right-handed reliever Jack Perkins replaced Kelly, retiring the first batter he faced to end arguably the worst-pitched inning in Athletics franchise history. The inning lasted so long (48 minutes) that Warren went to the bullpen to warm up and stay fresh.

Yankees Cruising Along to Victory

Facing a ten-run deficit, the A’s offense sought to chip away. First baseman Nick Kurtz and Soderstrom hit back-to-back singles, but Warren escaped the jam unscathed by getting Heim and Butler out. The Yankees’ catcher tagged Butler at home plate as Butler just stood there thinking that the ball was foul.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Athletics stranded two more runners. Designated hitter Brent Rooker’s one-out bloop double will hopefully get his bat going as the A’s need more from their struggling slugger. Through five innings, the hosts had plenty of chances to score, yet went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

A’s Offense Fights Back

Meanwhile, Warren shut down the A’s offense, allowing only three unearned runs on six hits over six innings. Yankees’ left-handed reliever Tim Hill replaced him in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Rooker launched his eighth home run of the season, a solo blast to left-center, giving the A’s their first run since the first inning.

The A’s were not done against Hill. After Kurtz walked and pinch-hitter Henry Bolte was hit by a pitch, Heim swatted his second home run of the season, a three-run shot to right-center. His first long ball in an A’s uniform cut his team’s deficit to six.

A’s shortstop Darell Hernaiz began the eighth with a double off New York reliever Fernando Cruz, setting the table for the top of the lineup. With two outs, Kurtz delivered a booming double that scored Hernaiz, bringing home the A’s eighth run of the high-scoring game.

While the Athletics offense fought its way back into this matchup, the team’s bullpen held the Yankees hitless the rest of the game. After struggling last night, Perkins bounced back with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, though the circumstances were much different. A few innings later, A’s reliever Luis Medina continued his impressive relief work, recording four strikeouts over two dominant scoreless innings.

Down five runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Athletics put two runners aboard against Yankees closer David Bednar, but he slammed the door on their comeback bid.

In the wake of a 1-5 homestand, the A’s return to the road to kick off a new month. The team gets a day off in Chicago tomorrow. On Tuesday, the Athletics will start a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Left-hander Gage Jump will make his second MLB start. He will be opposed by Cubs’ right-hander Jameson Taillon, who is 2-4 with a 5.37 ERA in 11 starts this season.

In general, it feels fair to say that parity is a good thing in the game of baseball. The more teams that are involved in the chase for playoff contention, the better, and 2026 has certainly been a year of such parity to this point. For better or worse, much of the Junior Circuit is within only a few games of each other, which could lead to a season full of intrigue for plenty of fanbases.

Only three AL teams have “separated” themselves to this point, and we’re getting a little loose with that term as it is. The Yankees, Rays, and Guardians were the only American League clubs to have won 30 or more games headed into this weekend. With a solid series behind them, the White Sox (!) and Mariners have now also reached that mark. What makes the level of parity more interesting, is that almost everyone else is floating around in no-man’s land.

With New York and Tampa Bay (and to a lesser extent Cleveland) at the top of the food chain, that leaves nine other teams with between 25 and 32 wins in 2026. To perhaps put the situation into better context, all but three American League teams — the Royals, Angels, and Tigers, are within just three games of a spot in the postseason. This also doesn’t consider that fact that one of the basement-dwelling teams, the Tigers, made the postseason just last year. They’ve had a truly awful time trying to compete without two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal since April 29th, and a 6-22 month of May might have single-handedly nerfed their 2026 hopes and dreams.

There is a lot to take in on the standings page, and at this point in the season, it’s hard to make anything resembling a conclusion. The White Sox and Athletics are both in second place in their respective divisions, playing respectable ball for the first time in years, while the Mariners are in first place with a team that just crept over .500 this weekend. It’s a mess, and despite the benefits a situation like this can bring for the “good” teams, the Yankees aren’t quite able to enjoy them.

Despite the overall good baseball the Yankees have been playing, they still find themselves in second place in the East, in a League they have already somewhat separated themselves from. The Rays, who have that first-place spot by a slim margin, are the only team that has played better than the Yankees in the AL. So, while much of the American League is mired in mediocrity, the Rays and Bombers have to duel it out atop the East. Depending on how things play out, the Yankees could benefit from middling teams occupying much of the schedule, but the priority in their mind is certainly moving past Tampa Bay.

Cleveland is also in close proximity, just a couple of games back of the Yankees, but they certainly have plenty to prove. The American League Central has long been a largely unimpressive (and thus competitive) division, and the Guards once again look to be in the running for the crown.

For the Yankees, the good thing is that at this juncture, no opponent, or potential postseason matchup would be particularly troubling, as the American League remains a bit jumbled. The downside is that their strongest competition at the moment is right in their backyard, and if the Rays come out on top, any advantage New York had becomes far less significant with a longer road in October — as they endured in 2025 with Toronto.

Considering all of this, the Yankees will certainly take a head start on much of the AL, no matter what form it takes. But, however comforting that backdrop may be, a potential Wild Card berth rather than a division win changes things rather significantly. If they can take care of business, the door could be as wide open as it was in 2024, when they fended off Baltimore for the division crown and then pushed past two AL Central clubs for the pennant. The Yankees just need to find the optimal way forward for this year’s field.

The Dodgers had a couple debatable roster decisions to make this week.

Based on Sunday’s results, they might have been right on both.

In a 9-1 rubber-match win over the Phillies, the Dodgers were led offensively by their two recent Triple-A call-ups, getting fourth-inning home runs from Alex Freeland and Ryan Ward that helped them take two of three games in this National League Division Series rematch.

“We had spent the whole morning hitting together, talking through our routine together, talking about our plan versus the Philly guys that we felt we’re gonna be facing,” Ward said. “And to have us both homer in the same inning, this is a really cool moment for us.”

Freeland went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs from the No. 9 spot Sunday, opening the scoring with a double off the wall in center in the second before extending the lead with a solo home run in the fourth. 

Ward also left the yard in the bottom of the fourth, giving him his first career home run in his first career game at Dodger Stadium.

Once they were both back in the dugout, the two wrapped each other in a hug.

“I’m just uber excited for Ryan,” Freeland said. “I don’t think there’s anybody that deserves it more than him. So to share that moment with him is special.”

At the start of this week, neither player was on the Dodgers’ big-league roster. Only after injuries to Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández did the need for reinforcements from the minors arise.

Even then, Freeland and Ward were not guaranteed to be recalled. For each of their spots, there were other options the team could’ve considered.

Freeland effectively got the nod over the since-demoted Hyeseong Kim, who was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City after a recent slump cost him his platoon job at second base. Ward, likewise, was called up over breakout outfield prospect James Tibbs III, receiving only his second career opportunity in the majors after a brief two-game cameo earlier this year.

Both decisions were questioned by some corners of the fan base.

Both were then validated in Sunday’s blowout.

“Everybody in this locker room is a superstar,” Freeland said. “A lot of us get overlooked, just because we have guys like Shohei [Ohtani] and Freddie [Freeman]. But everybody in this clubhouse can ball.”

What it means

After a late-game slip-up from Tanner Scott on Saturday night, the Dodgers bounced right back with their 14th win out of the last 17 overall.

Of all the victories in that span, Sunday’s was among the most impressive.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto navigated traffic in a scoreless 5 ⅓-inning start, working around four hits, two walks and one hit batter while setting a season high with 10 strikeouts.

The Dodgers’ offense, in a refreshing change of pace, also provided him with plenty of run support, tagging Phillies rookie starter Andrew Painter with four runs in 3 ⅓ innings before pouring it on late.

In addition to Freeland and Ward, the Dodgers also got two hits each from Ohtani (extending his on-base streak to 16 games), Kyle Tucker (snapping a 1-for-16 slump previously on this homestand) and Max Muncy (including his team-leading 14th home run); and two RBIs apiece from Alex Call (on a pinch-hit single in the fifth) and Freeman (on a pair of sacrifice flies).

The team has now won five straight series and has a season-high 5 ½-game lead in the National League West.

“On the heels of last night, to be able to bounce back like we did, that was a good thing and a good sign for our club,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Who’s hot

Ward hasn’t gotten many at-bats during his limited time in the majors this season.

But when he’s been at the plate, he has made the most of them

During his MLB debut on April 19 in Colorado, the longtime minor-league prospect had a pair of singles and an RBI. And after going 1-for-2 with his home run Sunday — he was lifted early for Call’s pinch-hit at-bat in the fifth — he is now hitting .375 in his first three career big-league games.

“Even talking to Freeland today on the bench, he made a note that Ryan was probably the most positive guy down there in Triple A,” Roberts said of Ward, who had to wait seven years in the Dodgers’ farm system before finally reaching the majors this season.

“That speaks to his character. If there’s anyone that has the right to be salty and frustrated, it’s him. But he was professional about it, and he was an easy one to recall and get him here. And I’m going to try to give him some opportunities, so he can make the most of them.”

Who’s not

Home plate umpire Sean Barber, who had a whopping eight calls overturned via the new ABS challenge system.

The first two came in the first inning, when backup catcher Dalton Rushing — who was previously just 3-for-8 on ABS challenges from behind the plate this year — got Yamamoto a pair of strikeouts by successfully getting a couple called balls converted to third strikes.

Freeman found himself on the other end of the equation in the bottom half of the inning, when he had what was initially ruled a walk in a full count overturned to a strikeout after already jogging down to first base.

Not every ABS review went against Barber. The Dodgers and Phillies lost one challenge each.

Still, the eight overturned calls were just one shy of the most in a game this season. 

Up next

The Dodgers head to Arizona on Monday for a four-game series against the Diamondbacks. The opener will feature Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.70 ERA) against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 2.31 ERA).

Not a cake or a ribbon-wrapped present, but the Dodgers celebrated manager Dave Roberts’ 54th birthday with a 9-1 win over the Phillies on Sunday. The Dodgers ended their homestand with a 5-1 record despite their six-game winning streak ending the night before.

“You’re gonna get beat at times, it’s gonna happen,” Roberts said. “But I do think with the talent that we have, if we focus and play like we’re capable of, we should win series, regardless of home, road.”

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-4) held the Phillies hitless over the first three innings thanks, in part, to the defense.

Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh tried to steal second in the second inning, but he took off too early. Yamamoto swung around and tossed the ball to Alex Freeland, who nabbed Marsh’s hands.

Read more:Tanner Scott struggles to execute and Phillies make him pay in Dodgers' loss

Yamamoto, much like Roki Sasaki the night before, threw his pitches faster than normal. But the elevated velocity didn’t seem to affect his performance beyond extending at-bats. Despite throwing his four-seam fastball 1 mph faster than usual, the pitch resulted in a strike 76% of the time.

“During the preparation this week towards today’s game, I was always having a great feeling, and then I think I was able to get myself pretty ready,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “I was prepared. ... And then I was getting into the game with confidence.”

Philadelphia’s Trea Turner and Alex Bohm each clubbed singles in the fourth inning, but little came to fruition. When Roberts pulled Yamamoto in the sixth, he had blanked his opponents with 10 strikeouts, four hits and two walks.

“He just didn’t have that great command of the fastball, which I think led to some deeper counts,” Roberts said. “Didn’t take on any damage, but it just led to a higher pitch count. So tried to get him into the sixth inning, which we did, but I didn’t want to push him too much further.”

Yet no one — not the Phillies (30-29) nor the Dodgers (38-21) — had a harder game at the plate than home plate umpire Sean Barber, who had nine ABS challenges, three of which were upheld.

Two overturned calls in the first inning helped Yamamoto settle into the game, catcher Dalton Rushing said.

“I’ve worked on that recently to kind of understand the corners to give us the best advantages we can,” Rushing said. “To be able to help him out like that was great. The command was a little touchy in the first, compared to where he’s usually at, so just to be able to kind of, quote-unquote, save him a little bit with those two challenges, I think it allowed him to settle in.”

Yamamoto agreed: “That was a good challenge, because I believe I was hitting my spots. So that was a great challenge.”

The Dodgers had 13 hits, and the runs followed. In the second, Alex Freeland’s RBI double bounced off the center-field wall. As Philadelphia’s Justin Crawford rushed to track it down, Max Muncy sprinted around third and slid into home, avoiding the tag by catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Read more:Why ABS didn't deter Dodgers' Will Smith from honing his framing: 'More important, in a way'

Realmuto left in the bottom of the fourth inning with a left wrist contusion from a pitch that had hit him earlier in the game. He will undergo further testing, according to the team.

Kyle Tucker took a step toward overcoming his recent struggles with a third-inning RBI single down the first-base line. The ball skidded against the dirt and deflected off the base over Bryce Harper’s head. Freddie Freeman scored.

Tucker was one for his past 17 at Dodger Stadium before he finally connected off Phillies starter Andrew Painter (1-6).

“Today was a good day,” Roberts said. “Obviously, that [single], got a little lucky on, but the double over the right fielder’s head, García, that was a good swing. I just thought today, took some really good swings, got some good counts, chased a sweeper down below on his last at-bat, but, yeah, I thought today looked more of who he is.”

From there, the Dodgers kept scoring.

Ryan Ward and Freeland each homered to right field. It was Ward’s first home run in his first game at Dodger Stadium. Alex Call, who pinch-hit for Ward in the fifth, also drove in two runs with a single to shallow center left field.

“I’m just uber-excited for Ryan Ward,” Freeland said. “I don’t think there’s anybody that deserves it more than him. So to share that moment with him is special.”

Andy Pages scored in the sixth inning on a Freeman sacrifice fly, and Muncy homered in the seventh.

“It just speaks to how we’re playing,” Roberts said. “I expect to go out there, regardless of opponent, and play well. You know, on the heels of last night, to be able to bounce back like we did was a good thing and a good sign for our club. But I just like the way we go about things, and to be able to give guys days off, and backfill with other guys, and for those guys to step up, that was great.”

Bryson Stott put the Phillies on the board with a home run in the ninth. By then, though, the Dodgers had already wrapped the bow on Roberts’ birthday gift.

Dodgers activate Jack Dreyer

The Dodgers activated reliever Jack Dreyer from the injured list and, in a corresponding move, optioned Paul Gervase to triple-A Oklahoma City.

Dreyer had been one of the Dodgers’ most consistent relievers before he missed 13 games with left shoulder inflammation. In 20 appearances, he held a 2.08 ERA with five earned runs and 24 strikeouts.

“Really excited to be back, obviously to do what I can to help the team,” Dreyer said. “Feeling great, so just ready to go whenever my number is called.”

Blake Snell, recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, is throwing plyo balls but is not on a throwing progression yet like closer Edwin Díaz.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

“I had a root canal on Thursday and I’m not sure which was worse,” said Rockies commentator Jeff Huson about today’s baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants.

The Rockies entered today’s game with a series win already wrapped up and a chance to sweep a scuffling division rival. Instead, they lost to the Giants in what might end up being the worst game of the 2026 season.

On a combined 396 pitches, there were a combined 25 runs on 35 hits and six errors—though most of those runs and hits were from just one team. The game lasted a grueling three hours and 38 minutes to become the longest nine-inning game the Rockies have played this season. It was also one of the longest nine-inning games played in the league so far in 2026.

TJ Rumfield was a late pre-game scratch with shoulder soreness, the pitching was unpleasant, the offense could have been better, and ultimately Rockies fans were left with a game they’d love to forget to finish out what has been a largely unpleasant month of May.

A truly spectacular pitching meltdown

With the Giants scoring 19 runs on 25 hits and three Rockies errors over a total of 216 pitches thrown, this afternoon was easily the worst overall pitching performance of the season.

Starting pitcher Tanner Gordon lasted just three innings and threw 75 pitches with only two strikeouts. The Giants opened up the scoring in the first inning with a double—the first of many—a walk, and a single to score their first run and it was all downhill from there. Back-to-back doubles in the second inning plated another run, though it was in this frame that Gordon notched his only two strikeouts of the game.

With just a two run deficit heading into the third inning, it looked like the ship could still be righted. Gordon allowed a single but no other baserunners in what would end up being the only scoreless inning of the game for Rockies pitching.

Gordon started the fourth inning by giving up his fourth double of the game and then hitting catcher Daniel Susac in the (helmeted) head to end his afternoon. He was replaced by bullpen lefty Brennan Bernardino, who immediately threw a ball into the outfield checking a runner to have both runners advance. He then gave up a single, a walk, and a sacrifice fly for another two runs to score. Both runs were credited to Gordon.

The fifth inning is where things completely fell apart. With a close 4-3 ballgame, Zach Agnos—sporting a newly grown beard—took the mound. Things got ugly quick.

The Giants sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the fifth inning. Agnos gave up five extra-base hits—three doubles, a triple, and a home run—with a grand slam following an intentional walk to load the bases sealing the Rockies’ fate. Six of the seven runs allowed by Agnos came with two outs and his ERA for the season jumped to an ugly 7.78.

The Rockies sent out Keegan Thompson, Juan Mejia, and finally Brett Sullivan to finish the game in mop-up duty. All three gave up multiple hits and multiple runs.

Feared catcher reliever Brett Sullivan was finally made to look mortal, giving up his first two earned runs of the season. It was his fourth appearance as a reliever in ten days.

Hard and loud contact was ultimately what the Giants brought to the table against Rockies pitching. Of their 25 total hits, 13 were for extra bases: nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs.

What offense would have been enough?

In another world, the Rockies could have won this game and swept the Giants with a generally decent outing from their bats. The Rockies scored six runs on ten hits and drew five walks against San Francisco pitching while their defense committed three errors. However, there’s not a lot you can do when the pitching staff gives up 19 runs and you don’t capitalize on the many opportunities you had available to you.

The Rockies had at least one baserunner in every inning except for the ninth—which, by then everyone from the Rockies to the Giants to the Umpires were ready to call it a day. In several innings they had multiple baserunners. However, they ended the day going just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left ten men stranded. They also had just three extra-base hits compared to the Giants’ 13.

For what it’s worth, a few Rockies hitters did have genuinely solid days at the plate. Tyler Freeman went 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, Kyle Karros went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double, and Troy Johnston went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Infielder Chad Stevens drew two walks despite going hitless, and backup catcher Braxton Fulford had just one hit but used it to drive in two of the Rockies’ six runs.

Up Next

The Rockies are back out on the road with a series against another basement dweller. With a record of 23-27, the Los Angeles Angels are just one win above the Rockies and the Detroit Tigers for the worst record in Major League Baseball.

California games also mean late start times. Tomorrow’s series opener will kick off at 7:38 PM MDT with a match-up between struggling veteran lefty Kyle Freeland and right-handed Angels ace José Soriano.

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