Worldwide Sports News

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.

Big oof and big ouch…

Cal Raleigh goes down after a hard foul tip directly between his legs and is understandably showing a ton of pain upon gathering himself.

But he'll remain in this game. pic.twitter.com/it90ag6RT1

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 13, 2026

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.

Jo Adell is back to robbing home runs! 😱 pic.twitter.com/vQpqQmqscu

— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2026

• 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.

Salvy's turn! 💥 pic.twitter.com/KebSHboaTw

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 12, 2026

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'

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mariners' Cal Raleigh ends hitless streak after washing off bad luck

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

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. 

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

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (21-18)

SYRACUSE 7, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 4 / 13 (BOX)

With nearly even records coming into this game, Syracuse held the lead for most of the early portions of the game, but it was a thin lead. Jack Wenninger went unscored upon, lowering his ERA to 1.08, but sure enough, Scranton not only tied things up but then took control after he was taken out of the ballgame. The Mets came into the ninth inning down 4-2, but Ryan Clifford and Yonny Hernandez tied things up with an RBI double and single, respectively. With the adoption of the ghost-runner-starts-at-second rule, you don’t see extra-inning games go too long, but this one made it into the thirteenth inning and since these things are not too common anymore, you gotta appreciate it.

Nick Morabito led off the thirteenth with a sac bunt to move ghost runner Matt Rudick over to third, but old friend Ali Sanchez bungled the play- considered a sure-handed catcher, he was playing first base after having been pinch hit into the game. A few batters later, Christian Arroyo drove in two more runs with a single into left. Mike Baumann, thankfully, was able to throw a 1-2-3 inning for the save, and that was that.

·  CF Nick Morabito: 0-5, R, RBI, BB, 2 K, SB (14)

·  LF Ji Hwan Bae: 2-7, 2 R, 4 K, SB (9)

·  1B Ryan Clifford: 1-6, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 4 K

·  2B Christian Arroyo: 3-7, 2 RBI

·  3B Yonny Hernández: 1-5, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (1)

·  RF Cristian Pache: 1-6, R, 2B, 3 K, HBP

·  SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, 4 BB, 2 K, SB (4)

·  C Hayden Senger: 1-4, R, HR (6), RBI, BB, 2 K

·  C Ben Rortvedt: 0-2

·  DH Matt Rudick: 0-5, R, K, HBP

·  RHP Jack Wenninger: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

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

·  LHP Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS (1)

·  RHP Daniel Duarte: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Alex Carrillo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Anderson Severino: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (2-0)

·  RHP Mike Baumann: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, S (1)

ROSTER ALERT: OF Matt Rudick assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (11-23)

SOMERSET 3, BINGHAMTON 0 (BOX)

The Rumble Ponies fell to the Patriots to kick off the Double-A Subway Series, their fifth loss in a row and their second consecutive shutout. Nick Lorusso and JT Schwartz were the only Ponies to log hits, while Eli Serrano and Jacob Reimer drew a walk apiece and the indomitable Wyatt Young drew two. Brendan Girton made the start for Binghamton and was solid, allowing one run over five innings, but even if the bullpen hadn’t allowed two more, he would’ve been the losing pitcher in this contest.

·  RF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, BB

·  C Chris Suero: 0-4, 2 K

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 0-3, BB

·  CF Jose Ramos: 0-4, 3 K

·  DH Kevin Parada: 0-4, 2 K

·  2B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, 2 K

·  LF TT Bowens: 0-4, 3 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 1-2, HBP

·  SS Wyatt Young: 0-1, 2 BB

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, WP, HBP, L (1-2)

·  LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, WP

·  RHP Zach Peek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Bryce Conley assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Syracuse Mets.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (8-25)

ROME 2, BROOKLYN 0 (BOX)

The Cyclones fell to Rome to kick off their series, their third loss in a row. Mitch Voit and Daiverson Gutierrez were the only Cyclones to log hits, while Ronald Hernandez drew a walk. Joel Diaz made the start for Brooklyn and was decent, allowing two runs over four innings, but even if he cut that in half, he still would’ve been the losing pitcher in this contest.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 1-4

·  2B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, 2 K

·  CF John Bay: 0-4, 2 K

·  DH Ronald Hernandez: 0-2, BB, 2 K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-3, CS (1)

·  1B Corey Collins: 0-3, 3 K

·  3B Colin Houck: 0-3, K

·  LF Vincent Perozo: 0-2, K, HBP, E (3)

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, K

·  RHP Joel Díaz: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 3 K, L (0-6)

·  RHP Felix Cepeda: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Danis Correa: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones transferred SS Antonio Jimenez to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: 2B Nick Roselli assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (14-19)

POSTPONED (INCLEMENT WEATHER)

ROSTER ALERT: SS Kevin Villavicencio assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Syracuse Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (2-5)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Christian Arroyo

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Binghamton/Brooklyn

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Eli Morgan, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history is a story that is so good, so nice it shouldn’t be buried amongst the ther stories. In 1947 – Larry Miggins hits the first of his two major league home runs, going deep off Preacher Roe in the fourth inning of the Cardinals’ 14-8 loss to the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The round-tripper hit by the Bronx-born outfielder, who had once shared his dream of playing in the big leagues during a prep school assembly with a buddy with aspirations to be a baseball broadcaster, is called by an overwhelmed Vin Scully, Brooklyn’s play-by-play announcer who had wondered that day with his friend “what the odds against that would be.” And enjoy the other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1911 – Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers hits his first grand slam. After six innings, Detroit leads the Boston Red Sox, 10 – 1. Boston comes back to win the game, 13- 1, in 10 innings.
• 1911 – The New York Giants score a major league record ten runs before the St. Louis Cardinals retire the first batter in the 1st inning. Fred Merkle drives in six of the Giants’ 13 runs in the first en route to a 19-5 victory. When Giants manager John McGraw decides to save starting pitcher Christy Mathewson for another day, Rube Marquard enters the game in the 2nd inning and sets a record for relievers (since broken) with 14 strikeouts in his eight-inning appearance.
• 1923 – Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians strikes out twice in one game for the first time in his career. Washington Senators rookie Cy Warmoth is the pitcher. In a 14-year career, Sewell will have only one other multiple strikeout game.
• 1947 – A barrage of racial slurs is directed at Jackie Robinson by the Cincinnati fans at Crosley Field. Brooklyn shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a Southerner from Kentucky, puts his arm around his teammate’s shoulder in support
• 1954 Robin Roberts gives up a HR then retires next 27 men in a row
• 1955 – At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate for the first time in his major league career. The New York Yankees slugger finishes the game with three home runs — two left-handed and one right-handed — and drives in all of his team’s runs in a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Whitey Ford is the winning pitcher and Steve Gromek the loser.
• 1958 – Teammates Willie Mays and Daryl Spencer each have four extra-base hits as San Francisco beats the Dodgers in Los Angeles, 16-9. Mays hits two home runs, two triples, a single and drives in four runs, and Spencer has two home runs, a triple, a double and six RBI for a combined 28 total bases. The Ginats set a record with a total of 50 total bases in the game.
• 1958 – Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals collects his 3,000th career hit with a pinch double off Chicago Cubs pitcher Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals win, 5-3.
• 1969 – Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs reaches the 1,500 runs batted in milestone with seven RBI in a 19 – 0 shellacking of the expansion San Diego Padres. Hard-throwing right-hander Dick Selma earns the win as the Cubs tie a modern-day record for the most one-sided shutout in National League history.
• 1976 – For the sixth consecutive game, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals collects at least three hits.
• 1981 – Don Sutton twirls a five-hit shutout to blank St. Louis, 3-0. It is the 53rd whitewash of the Astros hurler’s career.
• 1982 – The Chicago Cubs win game No. 8,000 in their history with a 5-0 shutout of Houston at the Astrodome. Allen Ripley and Lee Smith combine on the blanking.
• 1983 – Reggie Jackson became the first batter to strike out 2,000 (or about four years in the majors now)
• 1988 – Glenn Davis drives in four as Houston pounds the Cubs, 8-2. Nolan Ryan tosses his first complete game in over two years, fanning eleven. Davis leads the league in RBIs (33) .
• 1989 – Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins ties a major league record with four doubles against the Toronto Blue Jays. He becomes the 35th player to hit four doubles in a game, the first since Toronto’s Damaso Garcia in 1986.
• 1993 – George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hits his 300th career home run in the sixth inning of a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Brett is only the sixth major league player with at least 3,000 hits and 300 home runs.
• 1995 – As of today, Tony Gwynn has hit .402 in his last 162-game stretch.
• 2009 – Alfonso Soriano hits his 53rd leadoff homer as the Chicago Cubs defeat the Padres, 6-4, in a rain-shortened game. Soriano’s blast ties Craig Biggio for second on the all-time list, still well behind record holder Rickey Henderson at 81; it also breaks the Cubs record held by Jimmy Ryan, as it is Soriano’s 21st such homer since joining the team in 2006.
• 2015 – Last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner, Corey Kluber of the Indians, finally gets his first win of the year after starting off 0-5. He strikes out 18 Cardinals batters and allows only one hit over eight innings to lead Cleveland to a 2-0 win. The 18 strikeouts tie a club record set by Bob Feller in 1938 and are the most by any American League pitcher since Roger Clemens also struck out 18 in 1998.
• 2023 – By striking out Brice Turang and Joey Wiemer of the Brewers in the fifth inning, Zack Greinke becomes only the fifth pitcher in major league history to have struck out 1,000 different batters in his career. The veteran Royals hurler, who is in his 20th season, joins Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens in the exclusive club.

Cubs Birthdays:Eli Morgan,* Willson Contreras, Mychal Givens, Terry Hughes, Terry Hughes.

Today in history:

• 1607 – English colonists led by John Smith establish Jamestown at a second landing near the James River in Virginia – first permanent English settlement in North America.
• 1846 – US Congress votes in favor of President James K. Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico over border disputes.
• 1878 – Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, opens and later serves as inspiration for Arkham Sanitorium in the work of H.P. Lovecraft, which in turn inspires Arkham Asylum of the D.C. Batman universe.
• 1905 – World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson.
• 1940 – Winston Churchill says “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” in his first speech as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons.
• 1966 – The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” single in the UK.
• 1977 – Howard Stern begins his professional broadcasting career at WRNW radio in Briarcliff Manor, New York.
• 1981 Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
• 1989 – After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government initiated martial law in late May and deployed troops to occupy the square on the night of 3 June in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre.

*pictured.

The struggles continue for the Detroit Tigers, who opened up their three-game road series at the New York Mets on Tuesday night with a miserable 10-2 loss. Jack Flaherty only lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, which was all it took to overtake the visitors’ anemic offense.

The good news is that the Motor City Kitties get their No. 2 starter, left-hander Framber Valdez, back from suspension with a chance to even up the midweek series. The 32-year-old had one of the worst outings of the season, allowing 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits (three home runs) and a walk while striking out three before the bean-ball incident that led to his five-game stint in the penalty box.

Last time Valdez faced the Mets was with the Houston Astros on opening day 2025, when he threw seven frames of shutout ball while allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four to earn the win. He did, however, hit a batter in that game.

For New York, right-hander Christian Scott takes the mound for the fourth time this season. His season debut only lasted 1 1/3 innings after issuing five walks, plunking a batter and balking before he was pulled in that one. The 26-year-old’s next two outings saw him throw five and 4 2/3 innings, respectively, putting up a 2.79 and a 2.50 FIP while striking out 14 over that stretch.

Scott has only pitched a dozen games in his major league career, but none of them came against the Tigers.

Take a look below at an overview of the two starters in Wednesday night’s clay diamond duel.

Detroit Tigers (19-23) vs. New York Mets (16-25)

Time (ET): 7:10 p.m.
Place: Citi Field, Queens, New York
SB Nation Site:Amazin’ Avenue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 43: LHP Framber Valdez (2-2, 4.57 ERA) vs. RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 3.27 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	8	43.1	17.9	7.7	52.5	4.32	0.4
Scott	3	11.0	31.3	14.6	22.7	4.03	0.1

VALDEZ

SCOTT

Truly, I am not looking forward to the takes that will be coming out of the woodwork about Thursday’s game. The much anticipated Jesus Luzardo-Ranger Suarez dustup is going to bring the hottest of hot takes.

Not looking forward to that.

At. All.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Cristopher Sanchez has had an impressive season so far. A weird season, yes, but still an impressive one.
• The Phillies added some outfield depth to Lehigh Valley, signing Dylan Carlson to a minor league deal.
• If it usually takes 40 games for Dave Dombrowski to assess his team, what does he think of his current team now ($)?

MLB news:

• Talks between the league and the player’s union over a new CBA have begun. Thus begins the long march of doom.
• The Diamondbacks DFA’ed Alek Thomas, so the Dodgers swung a trade for him. Which means he’ll be the NLCS MVP.
• The Mets’ offense stinks right now, so they’re promoting their #2 prospect to try and get the ship right. Good luck!
• Anthony Volpe is a Yankee once again with Jose Caballero heading to the injured list.

Good morning Birdland,

Those two back-to-back wins the Orioles had on Sunday and Monday were cool, huh? But yesterday felt like a slap back to reality.

The 6-2 loss to the Yankees is easy enough to swallow. Losses happen in baseball. But the fact that Trevor Rogers got hit around does not instill much confidence that his IL stint allowed him to reset in any meaningful way. His pitch velocity was up, but so were the Yankees’ exit velocities.

On top of that, the O’s got some bad injury news. Grant Wolfram was placed on the IL just before the game with a low back strain. It doesn’t seem super serious. The team was trying to wait it out, but it got to the point where they just needed the fresh arm. Possibly more concerning was the late scratch of Dylan Beavers with right oblique discomfort. O’s manager Craig Albernaz said that Beavers felt it in the batting cage while preparing for the game. No IL stint was said to be imminent, but obliques do tend to linger.

Beavers has not been a star for the Orioles this year. He has a .243/331/.369 batting line after all. But he has at least been competent in the box, and had been putting together some nice at-bats lately. Missing him for any length of time does weaken the team’s outfield.

This team can’t really absorb the loss of any sort of offense contributor. It has been one week since the Orioles last scored more than three runs in a game. They have scored more than four runs in a game just twice in the month of May, both against the Marlins. You aren’t going to win many games consistently scoring four runs or fewer, especially with the O’s rotation in its current state.

Maybe an earlier game time wakes them up! The Orioles and Yankees will wrap up their series at 1:05 p.m. today, a late change to the schedule due to expected rain in the area. That might make it hard for some of us to take this game in. Depending on your feelings regarding this team, that could be construed as a positive.

Links

Ahead of her final game, Nicole Sherry reflects on two decades as Orioles head groundskeeper | The Baltimore Banner
Sherry is an iconic figure in Orioles history and a trailblazer in professional sports. She is part of what has made Camden Yards such an incredible place to take in a game. Now she moves on to another role that sounds like a great opportunity. But it will be odd to see someone else taking charge of the grounds crew.

Lou Trivino Elects Free Agency | MLB Trade Rumors
The Trivino era of Orioles baseball has come to end, at least for now. He pitched in two games and was worth -0.2 bWAR. Thanks for the memories, Lou.

Beavers (oblique) scratched as injuries continue to plague struggling O’s | MLB.com
Here’s more on the latest injuries that the Orioles are dealing with. It’s just one thing after another with this club. Their fortune has to turn around at some point, right?

More this, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Lots of notes from Roch, including about the rotation. In short: it’s been a disaster but the Orioles are trying to keep their cool. What else can they do? It’s not as if Norfolk is frothing with top prospects. There’s one Trey Gibson and more than one questionable spot in the rotation at the moment.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Mychal Givens turns 36 today. The sidearming reliever had two stints in Baltimore. The first, from 2015 through 2020 went well. The second, which lasted just six games in 2023, did not.
• David Hernández is 41 years old. He pitched in a total of 61 games for the Orioles between 2009 and 2010, as both a starter and reliever. the club then included him in a deal that landed slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds in Baltimore.
• Ryan Bukvich is 48. He pitched in four games for the 2008 O’s.
• Lyle Mouton turns 57. In 1998 he was an outfield option for the Orioles, playing in 18 games for the club.
• Juan Beníquez is 76 today. He spent 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, including the 1986 campaign in Baltimore.

This day in O’s history

2007 – The Orioles fall apart right at the end of a game that they were leading 5-0. Dubbed the “Mother’s Day Miracle” in Boston, the Red Sox rally for six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning against a combination of starter Jeremy Guthrie and relievers Danys Báez and Chris Ray, winning in walk-off fashion.

2011 – Rays rookie Jeremy Hellickson throws his first career complete game and shutout, leading his team to a 3-0 win over the Orioles.

2018 – Fresh off of a call-up from Triple-A, Joey Rickard hits two home runs and drives in four as part of the Orioles 17-1 romp of the Rays. Danny Valencia and Trey Mancini also homer in support of Dylan Bundy’s seven scoreless innings on the mound.

Note: All statistics are as of May 11

At some point every season, the Brewers’ bullpen stops making sense.

Not bad, necessarily. Just… different.

There’s no clean seventh-eighth-ninth progression. There’s no “this is the closer, this is the setup guy, everyone else fall in line.” Instead, it’s a constant shuffle of arms, innings, and situations that feel like they’re being decided on the fly.

And yet, more often than not, it works.

This year, a big part of that weirdness — and a big part of why it’s working — comes down to Aaron Ashby and DL Hall.

If you’ve watched even a handful of Brewers games this year, you’ve probably felt it. The most stressful inning is almost never the ninth. It’s the fifth when the starter runs out of gas with two on and one out. It’s the sixth when the lineup turns over and the middle of the order is coming up. It’s that one stretch where the game can flip, even if there are still 12 outs left to get.

That’s where Ashby has lived.

He leads the bullpen in plenty of stats, as he’s already up to 19 appearances and 26 innings with a 2.08 ERA, a perfect 7-0 record (those seven wins lead the majors), and 41 strikeouts. That alone stands out, but it’s how those innings are coming that really matters. These aren’t clean innings with nobody on and the bottom of the order due up. Ashby is getting the “this could unravel quickly” moments, and more often than not, he’s shutting them down.

He’ll give you multiple innings. He’ll come in mid-inning. He’ll face righties, lefties, whoever. There’s no clean label for it, but it’s pretty clear what the Brewers think of him: when things start getting dicey, he’s one of the first calls. That’s not a middle reliever or a setup guy. That’s just one of your most important pitchers.

Hall’s role isn’t identical, but it’s cut from the same cloth.

He’s been one of the more reliable arms in the bullpen so far, and like Ashby, he’s not being boxed into a traditional role. Some outings are longer, some are shorter, some are clearly matchup-driven, and some feel like pure feel. The Brewers aren’t asking him to be a one-inning specialist. They’re asking him to take whatever inning is available and turn it into something manageable.

Between Hall and Ashby, they’ve essentially created two malleable pieces that can plug into almost any situation. Starter exits early? They can cover it. Bullpen is taxed? They can stretch out. Tough pocket of hitters coming up? They can take that too.

If you’re trying to map out the Brewers’ bullpen by role, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. There isn’t a traditional structure here. Instead, it’s more about coverage. Ashby and Hall handle the messy middle innings and the multi-inning work, and the rest of the staff combines to get them to the finish line. Even that shifts from game to game.

The Brewers aren’t really managing innings as much as they’re managing problems, and Ashby and Hall are the guys solving the biggest ones.

Here’s the thing: even when it’s working, it doesn’t feel comfortable. You don’t get that sense of “OK, just three outs left.” Instead, you get Ashby coming in with traffic and throwing upper-90s with movement all over the place. You get Hall bouncing between roles. You get Abner Uribe hitting triple digits and occasionally losing the zone. Same with Trevor Megill. You get pitching changes that don’t follow a script.

It feels like the game is constantly on the edge.

And maybe that’s why Brewers fans never fully trust the bullpen, no matter how good the numbers look, because it doesn’t look stable.

But it works because of guys like this.

Take Ashby and Hall out of the equation, and everything gets thinner, fast. Suddenly you’re asking more of the traditional relievers. You’re exposing the lower-leverage arms. You’re burning through pitchers just to get from the fifth to the eighth.

Instead, the Brewers have built in some margin. Not through defined roles, but through flexibility. Ashby and Hall don’t just fill innings — they absorb chaos. They turn messy situations into manageable ones and keep games from getting away before the late innings even arrive.

No two games look the same. No bullpen usage pattern repeats cleanly. And no lead ever feels totally safe.

But somehow, Pat Murphy and this bullpen make it work.

That’s not happening by accident. It’s happening because in the middle innings — the ones that actually decide games — guys like Aaron Ashby and DL Hall are quietly doing the hardest work on the staff, even if it never really feels that way while you’re watching it.

Toledo Mud Hens 19, Omaha Storm Chasers 1 (box)

The Mud Hens got a solid start out of Dylan File, but they didn’t need any help as they piled up the runs early and put it to Storm Chasers’ pitching all game long.

Ben Malgeri doubled to start the game, and Max Clark dropped down a bunt single. A soft tapper from Paul DeJong was booted by Omaha pitcher Ryan Ramsey, scoring Malgeri. Eduardo Valencia flew out, and Max Anderson singled in Clark. That’s all they’d get, but Tyler Gentry led off the second with a single and Andrew Navigato walked. Malgeri stepped up and launched his sixth home run of the season. 5-0 Hens.

3-run home run 104.4mph off the bat of Ben Malgeri, who had a double earlier. @MudHens now goes up 5-0. pic.twitter.com/zWqOxfDAxC

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 13, 2026

An error gave the Hens another run in the third. In the fourth, Anderson singled and rode home on a Jace Jung two-run shot. Walks set up the Hens in the fifth, and Valencia doubled in Clark and rode home on Anderson’s first homer of the year as he only just returned from the injury list. That blast made it 12-0.

Omaha native Max Anderson drives a 2-run homer to right center to put Toledo up 12-0. Anderson is 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs tonight. pic.twitter.com/aotrVqHuG0

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 13, 2026

Tyler Gentry cracked a two-run homer in the sixth, and you get the picture. This was a full-on beatdown of the Twins’ Triple-A squad.

File allowed a run in the fifth before wrapping up his outing with five strikeout, three walks allowed, and just one run allowed over five innings of work.

Beau Brieske’s rehab work progressed to Toledo in this one. The struck out two, allowing one hit in the sixth inning. Connor Seabold also moved form Lakeland to Toledo for his rehab and spun a scoreless seventh. Woo-Suk Go continues to be the Tigers’ best upper level reliever this spring, and he tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth with three punchouts, maintaining his sub-2.00 ERA on the year, with a strikeout rate approaching 40 percent, though most of that work came at the Double-A level.

Malgeri: 2-6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K

Anderson: 5-6, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR, K

Jung: 3-6, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR

File (W, ): 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

BREAKING: Gary Jones named Manager of the Mud Hens.

Read more: https://t.co/eAxWGvFvvfpic.twitter.com/RSwJKjmnvf

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) May 12, 2026

Richmond Flying Squirrels 7, Erie SeaWolves 1 (b0x)

A couple of bad innings from Zack Lee and Yosber Sanchez on a bullpen day spelled doom for the Erie SeaWolves. Richmond is now 26-7 and running away with the first half divisional lead.

This was just a tough day for the offense all around. Zack Lee took over from Trevin Michael, who gave Erie two scoreless inning, but Lee allowed three in the third. Yosber Sanchez was knocked around for a four-run seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, a single from Chris Meyers was followed by a walk to Izaac Pacheco. Andrew Jenkins lined a shallow single to center that loaded the bases. The SeaWolves needed a big knock, but Aaron Antonini grounded into a double play, scoring Meyers, but that was all they’d get.

John Peck, Peyton Graham, and especially Brett Callahan have been swinging hot bats the past few weeks, but they were quiet in this one.

Jenkins: 2-3, 2B

Lee (L, 0-1): 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s an 11:05 a.m. ET start on Wednesday.

West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3 (box)

Good defense, solid starting pitching, and homers from Garrett Pennington and Ricardo Hurtado helped the Whitecaps finally break their 14-game losing streak on Tuesday.

Hayden Minton gave the ‘Caps his best start of the year. The right-hander had his breaking stuff working, punching out six, and allowing just a solo shot over five innings of work.

Pennington got the ‘Caps started when he cracked his seventh home in the top of the first inning. In the third, Andrew Sojka and Cristian Santana walked and performed the double steal. A wild pitch eventually scored Sojka to make it 2-0 ‘Caps, but Minton allowed a solo shot to Nico Perez in the bottom half. In the fifth, Bryce Rainer singled in Santana to make it 3-1 Whitecaps.

Hurtado launched a solo shot in the top of the seventh, and it was well that he did. Both Donye Evans and Ryan Harvey allowed a run in relief, but Luke Stofel held things down in the ninth to collect the save.

Ricardo Hurtado smokes a solo homer 414 feet to left center to put the Whitecaps up 4-1. It’s his 3rd home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/6pBGoc2c79

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 12, 2026

The Whitecaps still only managed three hits in this one, to the Loons 10.

Pennington: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, 2 BB, K

Rainer: 1-4, RBI, BB, K

Minton (W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, ER, BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps will look to keep it going at 6:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Clearwater Threshers 4 (box)

Grayson Grinsell was a bit wild but gave the Flying Tigers a good start anyway, and the top of the order pieced together enough runs to win on Tuesday.

The left-handed Grinsell has been pretty good so far, but still a bit erratic, and that showed up as he walked four and struck out five over five innings of one run ball in this one.

The Flying Tigers jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the first. Jude Warwick singled and Jordan Yost was hit by a pitch. Zach MacDonald singled in Warwick, and a sacrifice fly from Carson Rucker got Yost in from third for a 2-0 lead. Warwick doubled home Sergio Tapia in the second, and is suddenly swinging a pretty hot bat.

Grinsell allowed a run in the third, but in the fifth, Anibal Salas led off with a walk, Warwick was hit by a pitch, and Yost drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Single-A baseball, folks. MacDonald pulled a grounder to third, and Salas was cut down at the plate. A run was balked in before Rucker struck out and Beau Ankeney popped out. So it was 4-1 at that point.

In the seventh, Warwick singled, and Yost doubled him to third. A MacDonald sacrifice fly made it 5-1.

Preston Howey’s rehab outing in relief did not go well at all. The right-hander was wild, allowing three runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 5-4 Flying Tigers. Luke Hoskins and Yendry Gomez handled the last two innings with no issues to secure the win.

Warwick: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, 2B

Yost: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K

Grinsell (W, 3-1): 5.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

FCL Tigers 6, FCL Yankees 4 (b0x)

The Complex Leagues are development ball, so no one cares a lot about their records, but no doubt manager Brayan Pena was happy to get off the schneid with a good start from budding pitching prospect Jhonan Coba on Tuesday. Coba has really good stuff with plenty of projection, and he no-hit the Yankees rookies with six strikeouts and just two walks allowed. Cris Rodriguez cranked a two-run homer at 104 mph in the second inning to help lead the offense.

Rodriguez: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K

Ramirez: 2-2, R, RBI, 3B, BB

Coba: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K

It might come as a surprise, but negative run differential teams sometimes make the postseason. I am not saying that the 2026 Cardinals will finish with a minus in runs, but I’m not saying they are going to make the playoffs, either. Anyhow, I thought I might go all the way back to 1981, let’s take a journey back into time.

The 1981 Cardinals outperformed their pythagorean record (what their record should be assuming a normal balance according to run differential) by only three games. That is because of a positive run differential. But, in 1983 they also had a positive run differential and finished 4 games below .500.

In 1984, the Cardinals were 6 games above .500 but with a run differential barely above zero. They should’ve been just over .500, according to their pythagorean record. The 1986 Cardinals did the right thing and absolutely nailed their pythagorean record, finishing at 79-82 with a -10 run differential.

The 1991 Cardinals should have finished at .500 but were a few games over .500. We could talk about the 2006 Cardinals, but they had a positive run differential and barely finished over their pythagorean record. And yet somehow won the World Series, of course. It doesn’t happen often, but a +19 run team can go all the way. But could a team with a negative run differential have possibly pulled that off?

The 2007 Cardinals really paid the piper for that one, finishing with a -104 run differential. That team should’ve been much, much worse though, interestingly enough. So maybe they never paid the piper! Should’ve been 20 games under! Finished 6 games under .500! So strangely enough, that was a team that didn’t give two turds about their run differential.

The 2008 Cardinals were another team to absolutely nail their pythagorean record, just as the 1986 Cardinals did. The Cardinals finished 10 games over in 2008, winning 86 games.

In 2010, the Cardinals underperformed by quite a bit, +95, & should’ve won 91 games but won 86, ten games over just like the 2008 team.

The incredible 2011 team barely overperformed their pythagorean record but was still destined for the postseason. They did have a +70 run differential, however.

Then, something happened to the 2012 Cardinals… they had a +100 run differential, but finished 5 games lower than their pythagorean record, making a team that would seemingly be a good postseason team into a third place team.

The 2013 Cardinals scored so many runs that them underperforming their pythagorean record didn’t matter. That team should’ve won over 100 games! But 97 wins was enough. It is noted that that team didn’t fare too well in close games.

2014 Cardinals won a lot more than they should’ve. They didn’t overperform their run differential like the 2007 Cardinals did, but they were certainly another outlier finishing at 90 wins with a +11 run differential.

The 2018 squad which was lead by both Mike Matheny and Mike Shildt, is the third team that hit their pythagorean record spot on (since 1981). That team actually won 88 games! But somehow finished in 3rd place. And also the Covid shortened 2020 season would make it four.

The 2021 Cardinals were another team that really overperformed their pythagorean record, finishing at 90 wins when they had a +34 run differential. Impressive.

The 2023 Cardinals are our fifth Cardinals team since 1981 to hit their pythagorean record. This team finished 20 games below .500! Far worse than the 2007 squad.

Most fans remember the 2024 team as being a lot better than expected. This is because that team should’ve finished ten games below .500, but Oliver Marmol coaxed a winning record out of a team with a negative run differential. However, an 83 win Cardinals team usually isn’t going to make the postseason. So it’s possible for the Cardinals to have a winning season with a negative run differential, but it would take some opportune circumstances for a team of that caliber to sneak into the postseason. The are however the best example I have come across with success as a negative run differential season performance by the Cardinals.

Last year’s team won 4 more games than their pythagorean record, so maybe the Cardinals are pretty good at overperforming their run differential nowadays. They were still under .500, but what about this season?

Baseball reference has the Cardinals as a pythagorean record .500 ballclub. I’ve always thought this is about what this team would be, give or take 5 games. Fangraphs has them finishing just below .500 now. Certainly much better than the Las Vegas odds we saw at the beginning of the season. Instead, this season the team is 7 games over .500. But what’s most impressive: they are only +3 runs. And have been a minus for much of the season!

There is of course a correlation with run differential, but it’s also much more random than you might think. It’s about as effective as a weather vane. A rather general barometer for the season. But there’s a history to it, and pythagorean records have been around for a while. How meaningful it is for Cardinals fans, I must shrug it off a bit. And there have been teams with a really good run differential in the first half and not so good in the second half, barely over. All sorts of scenarios and situations.

_{Here is a much snarkier article about it that I ran across: https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-bauman-run-differential-far-from-perfect/c-132583912}

It’s hit and miss, but not a bad indicator, really. There are more advanced predictors out there, but it sticks around. It’s fun to look at, simple. But I have to admit, teams that beat their run differential are often more interesting than teams that just crush it. How do they do it? It’s often good bullpens and defense, and we have one of those, at least! At least a good closer helps, too.

It looks like I will have to go outside the Cardinals world to find a really good negative run differential team. Do they have those?

• 1981 and 1984 Royals were both negative run differential teams that had some success
• the (expletive) 1987 Twins had a -20 run differential and, you know… sigh.
• 1997 Giants had a -7 run differential… and won 90 games! but ended up being swept by the Marlins in the NLDS. This particular team was driven by a 11-3 extra innings record resulting from an offense that lead the league in late and close situations. Clearly one of those “devil magic” Giants teams.
• the 2005 Padres were some sort of unbelievable… they won their division only 2 games over .500 and scored -42 runs… the Cardinals swept them in the NLDS!
• 2007 Diamondbacks were a -20 run differential squad that somehow won 90 games, swept the Cubs, then got swept by the Rockies in the NLCS
• 2023 Diamondbacks made it all the way to the World Series with a -15 run differential, but lost
• the phenomenon might actually be happening more often, and more egregiously than ever… the 2023 Marlins finished with a -57 run differential, 6 games over .500 and good enough for a wild card
• last year’s Guardians had a negative run differential and won the AL Central with 88 wins

What did I learn? Successful teams with a negative run differential are rare. They often come from the NL West. The 2007 Cardinals weren’t as bad as I remember. And only two teams have made it to the World Series with a negative run differential in modern times… of course the Cardinals had to lose the championship to one of those two teams. So yeah, the only team to ever win the World Series with a negative run differential beat us.

Music section will be back next week, 1990 was a monster year! And I didn’t have as much time to research this week, being out of town then starting a new job.

Ok, last minute change of subject, where does our pitching stand? Our three best pitchers by BB/9 are Riley O’Brien, Michael McGreevy, and Dustin May. I think those guys will be all right. I would like to see Liberatore, Leahy, Pallante, and Graceffo improve their control. The problem is a big one though: Soriano, Svanson, Bruihl, and Stanek are all walking over 5 batters per 9 innings. That’s bad. Bruihl and Stanek in particular need to control their stuff, although Stanek can get away with it more than Bruihl with his 12 K/9.

I think I trust in Michael McGreevy more than any of our starting rotation, even though I’m a big fan of Dustin May, I just think McG is going to be the most reliable guy out there. I like that he has his walks under control. I like his xFIP. The xERA is worrisome but, whatever, I gotta trust somebody in the rotation. Maybe I’ll trust May more if he strikes out more batters.

Liberatore on the mound tonight, we will have to wait until 8:40 at night again. JT Ginn takes the rubber for the Athletics. Fangraphs gives a 41.7% chance of winning to the Cardinals. We’ll take it. I think I don’t mind Liberatore in this particular matchup, especially if he pitches like he has in the month of May as opposed to how he pitched in April.

Hey folks, it was a quick turnaround last night on a weeknight and I was at the game, so we’re going to just do a classic “Today on Pinstripe Alley” post today rather than doing a full question exercise. Thanks for understanding! We’ll still have two rapid-fire questions for folks to talk about if they so desire, as we do on the weekends.

Today on the site, we have a shorter schedule, partially due to the changes in the timing of the Yankees’ series finale in Baltimore. (It was supposed to be a night game but it was bumped up to 1:05 p.m. because it’s supposed to pour tonight.) So Scott will Triple-A Scranton’s big week ahead in Syracuse, Madison will run through the Rivalry Roundup, and Jonathan will salute 2010s Yankees catcher and all-time quote producer John Ryan Murphy on his 35th birthday.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST (moved up due to the weather)

Video: Amazon Prime Video, MASN

Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Questions/Prompts:

1. Would you rather see Anthony Volpe or Max Schuemann at shortstop in José Caballero’s absence? (No, George Lombard Jr. is not an option here because he is at Triple-A.)

2. How much of the Stanley Cup playoffs do you typically watch?