This was a long time coming, but the Nationals finally promoted outfielder Yeremy Cabrera to High-A after a red hot start to the season. The outfielder was repeating Low-A to start the season, and it was clear pretty early on that he was too good for the level. Cabrera posted a crazy 1.114 OPS in 30 games this season.

Cabrera was seen by most to be the fifth piece in the MacKenzie Gore trade. He was a glove first outfielder with intriguing offensive traits. However, he has had a power explosion to start the season. After hitting 8 homers in 102 games last year, Cabrera has 7 in just 30 this season. Cabrera pummeled Low-A pitching, and got a much deserved promotion.

Now that he is in Wilmington, the real test begins for Cabrera. The thing I will be watching is his strikeout rate. He has some swing and miss in his game, even this season. Cabrera struck out nearly 25% of the time this season, but I think part of that was due to selling out for power. Last season, he only struck out 19% of the time.

Trading off some contact for impact is something that has worked for Cabrera to start the season. However, now that he is facing better pitching, Cabrera will need to keep that strikeout rate under control. Wilmington can be a tough place to hit, but guys like Devin Fitz-Gerald, Ronny Cruz and Ethan Petry are showing it is not impossible. 

Yeremy Cabrera has been one of the best power/speed guys in all of minor league baseball this year. There are just over 30 players with at least 15 steals in the minors, and few of them have the type of pop that Cabrera does. When he really gets a hold of one, his swing looks a little bit like Juan Soto’s.

Obviously Cabrera is not Juan Soto. When Soto was at Cabrera’s age, he was winning World Series. I am excited to see how Cabrera fares in Wilmington. If he picks up where he left off with the Fred Nats, his prospect status could really take off. Cabrera has the speed and the glove, now he needs to show his bat is for real at a level that is more appropriate.

The Nats will actually have an interesting decision when it comes to Cabrera this offseason. Despite only being 20, Cabrera will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason. Cabrera was only signed for $10,000 dollars, so he moved slowly through the DSL and Rookie Ball. Now, he is a real prospect and it could create a dilemma for the Nats.

Cabrera is still pretty far from the big leagues, so he would be kind of like a wasted 40 man roster spot. However, it would be a big risk to not add him. Teams would love to pick up a talented player like Cabrera for free. I am not sure if they would be able to roster a guy that young and that raw for an entire season though.

If Cabrera stumbles a bit in High-A, it would probably be safe not to protect him. However, if he keeps hitting and is knocking on the door of Double-A, the Nats might have to protect him. This dilemma adds another layer of intrigue for Cabrera. 

All of this context, as well as the fact Cabrera was dominating made it odd that he was not promoted. Now that promotion has finally happened. If Cabrera keeps hitting, he could start moving quite quickly. His secondary tools give him a high floor and his power potential gives him a high ceiling.

Cabrera got the promotion today, but he is not the only guy who the Nats should consider moving up. There have been a ton of prospects who are hitting the crap out of the ball right now. This gives Paul Toboni a fun problem. He has to decide which guys to promote and which to let marinate a little longer.

There was a post the other day which had promotion candidates at every level. Cabrera was their pick for Low-A, but the other three on the list are also deserving of promotions as well. Ethan Petry, Seaver King and Yohandy Morales have all been dominating at their respective levels.

I think Petry and King are pretty obvious promotion candidates. Petry is a polished SEC bat who is dominating in High-A with a .905 OPS. Given the level of competition he faced in college and his production in the minors, it feels like Petry is prepared for Double-A. This move would also open up more playing time for Cabrera, as Petry has been playing mostly in the outfield this season.

Seaver King has been one of the biggest stories on the farm right now. The former 10th overall pick had a brutal first season as a pro. However, he has bounced back in a huge way. King has a .987 OPS in 29 games this year at Harrisburg. 

It is worth noting that King left the game on Friday and did not play the next two games. Hopefully that injury is not too serious, and he can start playing again soon. Assuming the injury is not serious, he is an easy promotion candidate. Triple-A Rochester has mostly been playing Trey Lipscomb at shortstop lately, so there is an easy path to playing time here. King also looks ready for the level.

I am really enjoying the fact that the Nats have so many players who deserve a promotion right now. That has not been the case in previous years. This just speaks to the improved depth across the organization. There are also lesser known guys like Jack Moroknek and TJ White who have also made strong pushes to be promoted.

While Yeremy Cabrera was the guy who got moved up the ladder today, he is just one of many players on the farm performing. There are so many exciting players in this system that is just suddenly bursting with talent. I cannot remember a time when the Nats farm system was this fun.

Man, do the Guardians need to figure things out with the Angels coming to town.

The Angels are 16-25, 16th in MLB with a 99 wRC+, 28th in baserunning runs above average at -2.6, 27th in defense at -14.7, 17th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.05 (3.88 FIP), and 28th in bullpen ERA at 5.38 (4.98 FIP).

The Guardians are 21-21, 19th in MLB with a 96 wRC+, 16th in baserunning runs above average at 0.1, 16th in defense at -6.4, eighth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.91 (4.15 FIP), and 16th in bullpen ERA at 3.98 (3.98 FIP).

The Angels have a bad record and look, on paper, like a pretty bad team. Let’s see if the Guardians can take advantage of that… this time, unlike with the Twins.

Matchups:
Game One, Monday, 6:10PM: Opener of Brent Suter, LHP 4.05 ERA (4.23 FIP) followed by Alek Manoah, RHP (has thrown 1 inning so far this year) vs. Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.43 ERA (4.41 FIP).
Game Two, Tuesday, 6:10PM: Walbert Urena, RHP 3.22 ERA (3.88 FIP) vs. Slade Cecconi, RHP 6.15 ERA (5.53 FIP).
Game Three, Wednesday, 1:10PM: Reid Detmers, LHP 4.33 ERA (3.09 FIP) vs. Parker Messick, LHP 2.30 ERA (2.82 FIP).

The Angels’ starters Urena and Detemers are actually solid starters. The Guardians need to try to get them out of the game as soon as possible and capitalize on a weak Angels’ pen. It would really help if they can get Manoah out of the game in 2-3 innings tonight and try to tire out the Angels’ relievers for the remainder of the series.

The Angels are led on offense by Mike Trout 158 wRC+, Oswald Peraza 127 wRC+, Vaughn Grissom 119 wRC+, Jorge Soler 115 wRC+, Adam Frazier 105 wRC+ and Zach Neto 104 wRC+. STEPHEN VOGT – DON’T LET MIKE TROUT BE THE ONE WHO BEATS YOU IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. GO AFTER EVERY OTHER HITTER IN THIS LINEUP BUT TROUT.

The Guardians are led by Chase DeLauter 152 wRC+, David Fry 133 wRC+, Daniel Schneemann 132 wRC+, Austin Hedges 120 wRC+, Brayan Rocchio 115 wRC+, Jose Ramirez 110 wRC+, Travis Bazzana 106 wRC+ and Rhys Hoskins 101 wRC+. Let’s see if we can get Kyle Manzardo to crack 75 wRC+ by the end of this series, huh?

What to do with Trevor Story? Weighing the options with struggling shortstop originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s May, and the Boston Red Sox have a Trevor Story problem. Sound familiar?

Story’s early-season struggles were a hot topic last year, when he hit just .138 (20-for-145) with 49 strikeouts over a 38-game span from April 22 to June 6. The brutal slump sparked debate over whether Boston should designate Story for assignment despite owing him more than $50 million.

But the Red Sox stayed patient with the veteran, and he rewarded them by becoming one of the league’s most productive shortstops from June 7 onward. Story posted an .827 OPS over the final four months of the season and finished with a team-high 25 homers and 96 RBI.

It’s been déjà vu through Story’s first 38 games of 2026. The 33-year-old is hitting .200 (31-for-155) with 55 strikeouts and a .520 OPS. He can’t hang his hat on his defense either, as he has the third-most errors among MLB shortstops (five) with -1 Outs Above Average.

Again, the Red Sox face a difficult decision about Story’s future with the club, but he believes he can turn it around as he did in 2025.

“I mean, I think if you know exactly what it was, you could kind of fix it right away,” Story said of his struggles, per The Boston Globe. “But that’s not baseball. And there’s a lot that goes into it, physically, mentally, and effort-wise. I know that was a big one for me last year, and I think it’s just a matter of time before I get it right.”

“It’s tough to go through in the moment, but I have confidence that I can do it because I’ve done it before,” he added. “Takes one game, takes one pitch. And I’m always optimistic about it. I’m not gonna sit here and pout about it. I’m not gonna sit here and feel sorry for myself.”

So, should Boston stay the course and bet on another Story bounce-back, or is it time to make a major move? Below, we’ll weigh all the options with Story and share our take on how the Red Sox should proceed:

Option 1: Designate for assignment

Just like last year, many have grown impatient with Story and are clamoring for him to be DFA’d. While it might seem like the easiest solution, it’s hard to imagine the organization eating the $50 million remaining on his contract, especially given how he snapped out of his 2025 funk.

If Story is DFA’d, and he goes on to post an .800-plus OPS the rest of the season with another club, it will give fans yet another reason to lambast the Red Sox front office. He may give Craig Breslow & Co. no choice if this slump extends well into the summer, but now is too soon to pull the trigger. Story has earned additional time to figure it out.

Option 2: Trade in a salary dump

With a hefty contract and poor early-season numbers, Story’s trade value is at its absolute lowest. If the Red Sox look to trade him, it would likely be in an attempt to dump a good chunk of the $50M remaining on his deal, meaning they won’t get much of anything in return.

Perhaps there’s a club desperate for infield help that’s willing to take a chance on a struggling, high-upside veteran. Still, Story’s price tag makes such a move unlikely.

Option 3: Bench

Benching Story would be understandable, as he’s been a liability at the plate and hasn’t provided much value defensively. Perhaps that’s the kind of reset he needs, and he could look to regain form while Andruw Monasterio takes over as the starting shortstop.

That said, it seems doubtful that the club will sit its veteran leader, especially since he’s far from the only Sox player with awful offensive numbers.

Option 4: Move to second base and/or drop in the lineup

Story’s status as a veteran leader on an expensive contract is the only reason he remains a middle-of-the-lineup, everyday shortstop. Ex-Red Sox manager Alex Cora moved him down in the order earlier in the season, but Chad Tracy has put him in the fourth or fifth spot since taking over as interim skipper.

While the offense as a whole has been a massive disappointment, continuing to plug Story into the middle of the lineup is not a winning strategy. Moving him back down in the order while potentially switching him to second base, where there would be less pressure on him defensively, could help him get back on track.

Option 5: Stand pat and hope for the best

Story and the Red Sox seem convinced that another bounce-back is right around the corner. We wouldn’t be surprised if Option 5 is the organization’s pick, but if so, they’re playing with fire.

As of Monday, Boston owns the third-worst record in the American League at 17-23. The good news? The club is remarkably only 2.0 games back of a Wild Card spot, but it has to start stringing some wins together to stay in the mix. Sticking with this version of Story without making adjustments only hurts the Red Sox’ chances of doing just that.

Our pick: Option 4

DFA’ing Story would be a drastic move at this stage, though it’s fair to revisit the conversation if his struggles extend into mid-summer.

Heading into the upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Red Sox should move Story down in the lineup and consider a position switch. The latter seems less likely, as the organization has shied away from playing Marcelo Mayer at shortstop, but it has to be considered. If Mayer isn’t moved to short, Monasterio could take that spot while Story and Mayer platoon at second.

If those adjustments still don’t solve the issue, Option 3 comes into play. Options 1 and 2 will be on the table if Story can’t turn things around in June.

The Mariners took another two steps backwards over the weekend after such a promising start to their week last week. The 12-run outburst on Friday was very good to see but to follow that up by scoring two runs total over the final two games in Chicago was a huge let down. It feels like I write this same bit every week, but the uninspired play across the entire American League means Seattle isn’t really in too much trouble despite its struggles. The M’s are still the favorite to win the division and currently have the third highest playoff odds in the AL. The last time the Mariners faced the Astros, the vibes were in the toilet following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers. Seattle responded by sweeping Houston in four games. The team is in need of some of that schadenfreude this week.

Nothing has gone right for the Astros this year. They’ve been decimated by injuries and have limped along at the bottom of the AL West standings for nearly the entire season. Carlos Correa was the latest star to succumb to a significant injury; he injured his ankle last week and will be out for the season. He joins 14 other players on the IL, the most of any team in the majors. While the lineup hasn’t really been affected by all these absences yet, the pitching staff has been one of the worst in baseball. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Josh Hader are all working through significant injuries and six other pitchers have been sidelined with minor maladies. 

The lone bright spot for the Astros has been their offense. They’ve scored the second most runs in the AL and it doesn’t seem like a fluke. Yordan Alvarez has been one of the best hitters in baseball so far, running a career-high 188 wRC+. Christian Walker has also bounced back after a rough first season in Houston last year; he’s blasted nine home runs this year and is sporting a 143 wRC+. Even though the injury bug has hit the lineup hard, Houston has found enough depth to cover for its absences. Isaac Paredes has looked solid covering third base while Correa was covering shortstop for the injured Jeremy Peña and Brice Matthews and Zach Cole have been solid in the outfield while Jake Meyers and Joey Loperfido have been sidelined.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

After struggling to make much of an impact with the Rockies to start his career, Peter Lambert signed a one-year deal with the Yakult Swallows of NPB last year. He didn’t exactly excel, but he showed enough promise outside the oppressive environment in Colorado to earn a minor league deal with the Astros this offseason. He’s been pressed into service thanks to all the injuries Houston has dealt with and he’s looked pretty solid across four starts this year. He developed a straight cutter in Japan and that pitch has been a solid addition to his repertoire. He’s also got an excellent changeup to round out his deep arsenal. 

From a previous series preview:

The Astros emerged as the surprising suitors for Tatsuya Imai this offseason, signing him to a three-year deal well below what many were expecting. Perhaps his contract fell short because it’s really hard to figure out his arsenal. There were plenty of questions about how his fastball would play against MLB batters and pitch models had a terrible time trying to figure out his slider. That breaking ball is unique to say the least. The pitch has the least amount of horizontal movement of any slider thrown in the majors, and depending on how he locates it, it can look like a screwball at times. The heater has looked really good too, benefitting from a low arm slot and a lot of cutting action. Imai will also pepper in a splitter, changeup, and curveball to round out his pitch mix, but the fastball and slider are the two primary weapons.

Imai couldn’t work out of the first inning in his last start against the Mariners, walking four and allowing a single hit in just 0.1 innings of work. He was placed on the IL with general fatigue after that start in Seattle and will be activated from that list to make a start on Tuesday.

From a previous series preview:

Lance McCullers Jr. finally got back on the big league mound last season after missing more than two years following elbow surgery back in 2023. It wasn’t an easy return to his previous form. He struggled with his command throughout the season and his velocity was down two ticks across the board from where he was sitting way back in ‘22. His pitch mix looked a lot different too, with his sweeper taking the place of his trademark curveball as his preferred breaking ball. Command is usually the last skill to return after major elbow surgery and he’s now three years removed from that procedure. I’m not sure we’ll ever see peak McCullers again, but he’s got the deep repertoire and experience to be a solid starter as long as his health holds up.

The Mariners scored six runs off McCullers in that series in Seattle; he pitched 4.1 innings allowing five hits and two walks.

From a previous series preview:

The Astros acquired Mike Burrows in a three-team trade involving the Rays and Pirates this offseason. He was surprisingly solid for Pittsburgh in his first full season in the big leagues, even as he was overshadowed by some of the bigger name pitching prospects that were coming up through their system. Those same prospects gave the Pirates a surplus to deal from and Burrows ended up in Houston. He throws relatively hard and has a plus changeup to keep batters from sitting on his heater. That offspeed pitch is his go-to swing and miss pitch too, though he has a pair of above average breaking balls as well. Because the Pirates treat their pitching prospects so carefully, most of Burrows’s work came in four- or five-inning stints. He’ll need to prove he can work through an opposing lineup a third time to really take a step forward in his development.

Burrows is coming off his best start of the season, a scoreless seven-inning gem against the Reds. In his previous start against the Mariners, he allowed six runs on 11 hits and a walk in six innings of work.

The Big Picture:

The Athletics maintained their grip on the top of the AL West standings, winning their weekend series against the Orioles. They return home this week to take on the Cardinals. The Rangers managed to quiet the red hot Cubs over the weekend, holding them scoreless across both games on Saturday and Sunday. Texas hosts the Diamondbacks to start this week.

This was the 5th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Monday, May 11th).

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 19-year old Caden Bodine has regained his spot as the top hitter spot in the Rays system. The backstop is proving to be too advanced for Single-A as he was hitting .411 entering play on Sunday. After a zero hit performance though, he has dropped to .397/.442/.629 with 4 HR, registering a 184 wRC+ over 131 plate appearances..

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is still the team’s top minor league pitcher and among the top performers in all of minor league baseball. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far over six starts in Single-A, Cremarosa has a 2.38 ERA | 2.01 FIP with a 38.3 K% & 3.9 BB% over 34 IP. Most recently, Cremarosa completed a complete game no-hitter, a rarity in Rays organizational history.

RUMBLINGS

• RHP TJ Nichols began a rehab assignment with the FCL Rays
• INF Andreimi Antunez, a 2024 international signing, had quite the day on Friday. He was 4-6 on the day and homered twice in the first inning, including a grand slam. Overall he had the 2 homeruns, 2 doubles, and 10 RBI.
• Baseball America highlighted 12 prospects with impressive exit velocties early on this season; Taitn Gray and Nathan Flewelling are mentioned.
• Baseball America has also updated their top 100 prospect rankings, the Rays have players make the cut (this is a huge shake up, so I will not be updating the top 10 prospects futher below until Baseball America fully updates their rankings).
  • 36. Theo Gillen
  • 55. Brody Hopkins
  • 91. Nathan Flewelling
  • 95. Caden Bodine
  • 97. Cooper Flemming

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 60 TBF & PA)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
HR: 5,Blake Sabol & Dom Keegan
wRC+: 153, Victor Mesa Jr (hasn’t played since 4/15)
SB: 17, Jacob Melton (Placed on the IL on 4/23)

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.62, Kodi Whitley
FIP: 3.01, Kodi Whitley & Trevor Martin
K%: 40.0%, Joe Rock
BB%: 6.3%, Kodi Whitley
WHIP: 0.90, Kodi Whitley
AVG: .135, Evan Reifert
WHIFF%: 15.9%, Joe Rock

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 3.79 ERA | 5.26 FIP | 25.3 K% | 19.6 BB% | .210 AVG | 14.2 WHIFF% | 35.2 IP
• #3 Jacob Melton
  • AAA: .231/.346/.431 | 40.2 K% | 15.9 BB% | 1 HR | 17 SB | 98 wRC+ | 82 PA
    • 4/23: Suffered sprained ankle. Expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .341, Cooper Kinney (promoted to AAA on 5/5)
OBP: .440, Xavier Isaac
SLG: .605, Xavier Isaac
HR: 8, Xavier Isaac
wRC+: 170, Xavier Isaac
SB: 21, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.71, Michael Forret
FIP: 2.60, Alexander Alberto
K%: 33.3%, Alexander Alberto
BB%:  4.4%, Hayden Snelsire
WHIP 0.76, Hayden Snelsire
AVG: .157, Michael Forret
WHIFF%: 16.1%, Hayden Snelsire

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 T.J. Nichols
  • AA: 1.80 ERA | 1.71 FIP | 25.0 K% | 0.0 BB% | .300 AVG | 12.3 WHIFF% | 5 IP
  • CPX: 4.50 ERA | 3.05 FIP | 11.1 K% | 0.0 BB% | .333 AVG | 18.5 WHIFF% | 2 IP
    • 4/7: Placed on Injured List
    • 5/9: Began rehab assignment in Complex League
• #6 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 5.70 ERA | 5.58 FIP | 28.7 K% | 5.9 BB% | .226 AVG | 13.9 WHIFF% | 23.2 IP
    • 4/25: Placed on Injured List
    • 5/5: Activated from Injured List
• #8 Michael Forret
  • AA: 1.71 ERA | 5.08 FIP | 26.2 K% | 11.5 BB% | .157 AVG | 15.5 WHIFF% | 31.2 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .309, Nathan Flewelling
OBP: .471, Tony Santa Maria
SLG: .610, Theo Gillen
HR: 8, Connor Hujsak
wRC+: 156, Theo Gillen
SB: 15, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.72, Jacob Kmatz
FIP: 1.87, Jacob Kmatz
K%: 41.0%, Jacob Kmatz
BB%: 4.9%, Jacob Kmatz
WHIP: 0.83, Jacob Kmatz
AVG: .172, Jacob Kmatz
WHIFF%: 17.7%, Jacob Kmatz

Top 10 Prospects

• #2 Theo Gillen
  • A+: .280/.404/.610 | 26.3 K% | 15.2 BB% | 7 HR | 11 SB | 156 wRC+ | 99 PA
• #5 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 4.24 ERA | 4.17 FIP | 33.6 K% | 10.3 BB% | .250 AVG | 14.5 WHIFF% | 23.1 IP
• #10 Aidan Smith
  • A+: Hasn’t played in 2026
  • CPX: .200/.333/.333 | 11.1 K% | 16.7 BB% | 0 HR | 1 SB | 77 wRC+ | 18 PA
    • 4/2: Placed on the Injured List
    • 5/2: Began rehab assignment

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .397, Caden Bodine
OBP: .442, Caden Bodine
SLG: .629, Caden Bodine
HR: 5, Taitn Gray
wRC+: 184, Caden Bodine
SB: 12, Alberth Palma

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.96, Trey Pooser
FIP: 2.01, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 38.3%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 3.9%, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIP: 0.79, Aidan Cremarosa
AVG: .172, Jacob Kuhn
WHIFF%: 18.9%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #7 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .247/.314/.403 | 29.1 K% | 5.8 BB% | 3 HR | 4 SB | 96 wRC+ | 86 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/2: Activated from the IL
• #9 Brendan Summerhill
  • A: .188/.235/.375 | 23.5 K% | 3.9 BB% | 3 HR | 0 SB | 62 wRC+ | 51 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/11: Began a rehab assignment with the CPX Rays

Are these two teams evenly matched?

Historically, yes.  When these two teams met in the regular season, the Rangers won 32 games and the Diamondbacks won 31 games.  Against all teams, they were nearly equal in runs scored per game (4.5 vs 4.6) and runs allowed per game (4.7 vs 4.6).

Last Season, perhaps not.  When these teams met in the regular season, the Diamondbacks won more games (4 vs 2).  Against all teams, the Diamondbacks had more runs scored per game (4.9 vs 4.2), while allowing more runs allowed (4.8 vs 3.7).

This Season, probably not.   As of 7 May, four websites projected more wins for the Rangers.  The Ranger projections range between 81.0 and 86.4 wins.  The Diamondbacks projections are tightly bunched (79.4 to 80.3 wins).

In May, both teams are on a cold streak. In May, in games through 8 May, the Rangers lost 5 games out of 7, while the Diamondbacks lost 6 games out of 7. Whichever team loses the three game series may need their players to do a mental reset.

Which Ranger player will be at second base? 

Each player is barely 27 years old, although this season is Duran’s fifth in the Majors. Ezequiel Duran has recently been on a hot streak (OPS of .976 in the 14 days through 6 May).  However, on 7 May, the recently called up Justin Foscue played second base and Duran played left field. 

Pitching Matchups.

Monday, 5:05 PM MST.

Michael Soroka.  In his latest start, pitching against the Pirates, with some help by excellent Diamondbacks defenders he allowed only 1 earned run in 6.1 innings pitched.  The only Diamondbacks starter with a better ERA is Eduardo Rodriguez.

Nathan Eovaldi.  In his latest start, pitching against the Yankees, he allowed only 1 earned run in 8 innings pitched.  Of the five Rangers starters, only Jacob deGrom has a better ERA.

This matchup of starting pitchers is even.

Tuesday, 5:05 PM MST.

Zac Gallen.On 25 April, a comeback hit his shoulder. Before that incident, this season he started 6 games with an ERA of 3.14.  After that day, he started two games.  He allowed a total of 10 earned runs in 9.2 innings pitched.  How long until he returns to his earlier pitching prowess?

MacKenzie Gore. In his latest start, pitching against the Yankees, he allowed 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. 

This matchup of starting pitchers is even, but with some unpredictability.

Wednesday, 5:05 PM MST.

Ryne Nelson. He has pitched well this season except for 2 games in April. In May, he allowed 2 earned runs in 12.1 innings pitched.

Kumar Rocker. Although he pitched well in April, in May he allowed 8 earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Diamondbacks.