On a night when the Mets handed out disguises to their fans, MJ Melendez saved his team from going into hiding after what would have been an ugly loss.
The Mets blew a trio of four-run leads, but Melendez’s first career walk-off hit stayed fair down the right-field line and landed in the seats for a one-out, two-run, 10th-inning home run to cap a 9-7 victory Friday against the Marlins.
“Honestly, pretty speechless,” Melendez said. “Kind of a surreal feeling. Something I had never done before at the major league level.”
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It was a strange ending that included the Marlins pitching to Juan Soto with first base open and the winning run on second base. In an obvious intentional walk situation, Soto flew out and Melendez — who came off the bench earlier in the game — delivered after falling down 0-2 in the count against flamethrower Pete Fairbanks.
“I knew I got it. I just didn’t know if it was going to stay fair,” Melendez said. “I’ve been hooking a lot of balls foul the last few weeks, so that was in the back of my mind.”
It took seven batters for the Mets (24-33) to score twice as many runs Friday as they did over the course of three games off the same pitching staff last weekend.
Before many of the 39,386 fans at Citi Field finished their first beer, A.J. Ewing and Brett Baty delivered two-run singles in the first inning and the Mets had their first four-run rally unassisted by ghost runner since May 6.
MJ Melendez of the New York Mets reacts after his walkoff two-run home run in the 10th inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on May 29, 2026. Getty Images
And they needed every bit of the rare offensive outburst because ace Freddy Peralta ran out of gas on an inefficient 94 pitches and the back of the bullpen imploded.
“At the big league level, you take the wins however they come,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, “especially with how hard it’s been for us.”
New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos (27) tosses his bat after he hits a solo home run during the third inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Marlins starter Max Meyer wasn’t quite as baffling as when he held the Mets to one hit over seven innings last Saturday in a series that highlighted the lineup’s recent ineptitude. The Mets totaled two runs during that three-game sweep.
After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Ewing singled through the middle. He then stole second base to set the stage for Baty’s two-out one-hopper into right field.
The Mets’ only other four-plus-run inning during the last 20 games was against the Nationals, when they plated 10 in the 12th and teed off on pitching infielder Jorbit Vivas.
New York Mets pitcher Brooks Raley (25) throws a pitch during the seventh inning. Robert Sabo for NY PostNew York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch during the first inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post
But the 4-0 lead didn’t hold up. Neither did leads of 5-1 and 6-2.
Against the backdrop of Mets president David Stearns saying Friday afternoon that it is too “early to have very robust trade discussions,” Peralta — their most valuable rental chip — cruised through the first eight outs. He stranded Xavier Edwards on third base after a 408-foot, two-out RBI triple during a third inning.
But Peralta never recovered from the 37 pitches — including 12 in one at-bat — needed to get through the third. He allowed an RBI double in the fourth and two runs in the fifth.
Peralta squandered a chance to qualify for a victory when he couldn’t get the final out of the fifth. A dribbler scooted under first baseman Mark Vientos’ glove to score one run and set up another as the Marlins drew within 6-4.
“Good at-bats they took against me, really good approach,” Peralta said. “I was navigating and coming out of the innings without big damage.”
Mendoza burned through three relievers to get through the seventh despite the unavailability of closer Devin Williams even with Thursday’s off day. Williams threw 34 pitches saving Wednesday’s win.
A.J. Ewing of the New York Mets follows through on his first inning two run base hit against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on May 29, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images
Instead of sticking with left-hander Brooks Raley — who recorded one out in the seventh but threw 24 pitches Wednesday — or turning to usual setup man Luke Weaver, Mendoza called on Tobias Myers to protect a 7-5 lead with two lefties due up in the eighth.
“We were trying to stay away from Raley,” Mendoza said. “If he was in the game, it was going to be a batter or two. I was trying to avoid that situation, but the game called for it.”
The Marlins completed their game-tying comeback against Myers on Owen Cassie’s two-run home run into the right-field bullpen with one-out in the eighth.
Because of Melendez, Mendoza didn’t need to borrow one of the packages of sunglasses and mustaches that the Mets passed out to the crowd in honor of former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who famously returned to the dugout in disguise after an ejection in 1999.
Weaver and Austin Warren pitched scoreless ninth and 10th innings, respectively.
Vientos hit the second-longest homer of his career (445 feet) in the third inning.
Admiring his handiwork. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Twins blew an early lead, got it back, pulled out a near-Houdini in the eighth… and in the ninth, the Pirates’ longest-tenured player won the game. Inning-by-inning notes:
1: AppleTV lets some doofus with an iPhone hover around the pitching mound during warmups. I wonder how pitcher Jared Jones feels about this.
He’s plenty warm. 302 MPH total on three straight pitches to K Buxton. A quick Brooks Lee groundout, and Kody Klemens Klobbers one.
Taj Bradley pretty warm himself; 99 MPH. A one-out, four-pitch walk to Brandon Lowe, who has a .904 OPS. Then four straight to Bryan Reynolds, ergggh. Nick Gonzales rolls one to Lee, who should just eat it. He don’t. He tries making an off-balance throw, he airmails it, everybody take two bases!
Oneil Cruz with an RBI groundout, and Konnor Griffin with rocket up the middle. So, all three runs are earned, and Taj throws 666 pitches. Not ideal. Pirates 3-1
2: A leadoff Trevor Larnach single and five-pitch Austin Martin walk. Bringing up Victor Caratini, which ain’t what you want… but he walks on four pitches! It’s a TRAP. Luke Keaschall whiffs badly for his K. Tristan Gray falls behind 0-2… and singles to tie it up! 50 shades of yay! Unfortunately Bux hits it so hard, it’s a perfect GIDP ball, but still, good job gang.
TV shows how Kody in CF has a little positioning index card in his pocket. I love it. Hope it’s laminated, though. Sweat would muss the ink. Bradley still with a high pitch count (36) but strikes out Lowe nicely to end it after falling behind 3-0. Tied 3-3
3: Josh Bell gets a two-out single, important because Jones (coming back from injury) will be on a tight pitch count. Also important because it’s followed by a Trevor NarLaunch! Consensus vote is that it went in the Allegheny River.
Ha, Taj hit the camera in the first row. Not ha — Oneil Cruz hits some more fish food. Connor Griffin with a single & steal, but Taj Ks Endy Rodríguez to end it. Twins 5-4
4: Caratini with a leadoff single? He hits now? Ok. Nothing comes of it, though.
Taj finally with a 1-2-3 inning. Radio tells us that Larnach’s ball was the 86th hit into the river, Cruz’s the 87th. But only 7 have gone in on the fly, without bouncing off the pathway behind. Cruz’s was one of ’em. See what you learn from multimedia?
5: Brooks with a leadoff single. Clemens strikes out, and that’s it for Jones. Sidearming Evan Sisk — their best reliever — gets out of it.
Orze’s splitter is nasty tonight. He leaves after a two-out single. Yoendrys Gómez gets the next guy on one pitch.
7: Dotel doinks da Duals.
Apple pointing out the Twins have have a top-five lowest bullpen ERA since May 9th. This feels like jinxing. Anthony “Bad” Banda comes in with one out and one on. Gets the first guy. A long AB by Reynolds ends with a walk. Fortunately, Gonzales hits right into the shift.
8: Dotel STILL in. Still throwing 100. Still gets the Twins.
Banda still in, and leadoff walks Cruz. That brings in Other Cody, Lawyerson, his first game back from injury.
F**K. On a Griffin grounder, Keaschall utterly boots a throw by Gray that could have started a DP. This sends Cruz to third, and Griffin steals second during the next AB. Nobody out.
Rodríguez strikes out. Infield in. Ball hit to Clemens at first! (He moved there a while ago, replacing Bell.) 3-2 for the putout. Then… Jared Triolo lines it right to RF Martin.
Whew!
9: Lefty Gregory Soto pitching. Twins do Nada.
Former closer Taylor Rogers in for the Twins. Infield hit for Horwitz. Pinch-runner Tyler Callihan in for him.
Seriously, thanks to everybody who joined the thread tonight. Sometimes these CrappleTV games can feel like ghost towns on the thread. (And there’s another one next week…)
Tomorrow’s game is at 3:05 Central, featuring something called a Mitch Keller against our own soft-tossing Bailey Ober. Catch ya next time!
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 7: General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Golden State Warriors talks to the media before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 7, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
A few days ago, I put out a call for Golden State Warriors mailbag questions. We didn’t get a ton this time around, but what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality, with some excellent questions.
ScottWarrior
I am sure the Warriors are working out some prospects projected in the first round. Why are we not seeing any names? Are we going to see any at all? I understand this is part of the strategy to keep their big board secret. But players come to visit and journalists could find out who the visitors are. How come no information leaks to the media?
The boring answer is that it’s pretty rare for first-round talents to have these types of workouts. HoopsHype has been doing a fantastic job tracking all the reported workouts across the league, and a quick glance at their list reveals that only a small handful of first-rounders have had individual workouts, while the vast majority of workouts are for potential second-round picks and undrafted players.
Why is that? Because these sorts of workouts are fairly meaningless, and almost entirely meaningless for top prospects. Individual pre-draft workouts are, in essence, going through the movements of a very basic workout, with a softball job interview attached. That can still have value, but the value is primarily for deciding who to target for Summer League rosters and camp invites, and who could be a quality two-way addition. It also goes both ways: it’s an opportunity for those players to decide what team to sign with if they go undrafted.
The Warriors probably have 10-15 names they’re considering with the No. 11 pick. At this point, the Warriors have presumably seen all of them play in person, have watched virtually all of their college games, have talked with their college coaches, have had conversations with them, and have seen them at the combine. Nothing is going to change with 45 minutes of cone drills and a 10-minute interview, and so neither side is particularly interested (most projected lottery picks flatly refuse individual workouts).
That’s not to say that the Warriors haven’t gotten to know all of their potential draftees well (there’s a joke to be made somewhere in here about having dinner with them all and seeing what foreign languages they speak). But there are avenues to do that beyond the reported workouts. And while a mild-mannered workout isn’t going to impact how the Warriors feel about the 10-15 players they’ve done extreme due diligence on for their first-round pick, it can be a difference maker for the 200-300 players they’re considering for their second-round pick, two-way contracts, and Summer League roster, all of whom have had significantly less time making an impact on the organization than the first-rounders have.
bill645
I haven’t seen much commentary yet on the newly enacted draft lottery rules for next year. It sounds like the W’s would’ve had a better chance at a top four pick. Not sure the new rules will do much to reduce tanking, although it may prevent super-tanking (i.e., racing to the very bottom of the overall league standings).
Indeed, as our own Sean Keane noted in his article about the new rules, the Warriors would have had a 5.4% chance at the top pick under the new format, as opposed to the 2.0% chance they actually had. I think you hit the nail on the head: it’s going to reduce super-tanking, which is really the issue. No one cares about teams that aren’t good and aren’t making maximum effort to change that in the short term; it’s the teams that are blatantly trying to lose games that are ruining the fan experience (looking at you, Utah), and hopefully this will help keep that at bay.
420_blackbirds
Can you give us a peek behind
the curtain?Obviously, scouting at this
level means going beyond typing a prospect name into Youtube.In addition to a scouting department, the
Warriors have a video team to assemble scouting reports on every requested player.
All of this research must play an important
role in developing the draft day strategy.Beyond that, I’m guessing that they continue to “scout” every player in
the NBA at some level, as long as they’re in the league.
NBA scouting is still nothing compared to the intense and rigorous scouting that you see in baseball, but it is still a very big deal. According to RealGM’s database, the Warriors have two scouts, two pro scouts, two international scouts, and one advance scout, but that underscores just how many hands and eyeballs are at work leading up to the draft. Assistants, special assistants, and video coordinators are all playing huge roles here, along with part-time employees. And, ultimately, everyone up to Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
In general, though, these things work like a pyramid. The lowest-level people in the process compile massive amounts of info on massive amounts of players, and as it moves up the chain, players are eliminated and the fat is trimmed from the data. It’s a process that starts as soon as the college basketball season begins, and doesn’t stop until draft day.
But seriously, it’s nothing compared to baseball: according to the San Francisco Giants’ directory, they have 64 different full-time employees with the word “scout” in their title.
9ergold: I understand you may not be able to answer this …
How can the NBA roll into the draft without first holding the Clippers accountable for hiding player payroll off the books and away from the NBA with zero draft pick penalties (as was levied against the penalty for the T-Wolves when they cheated the league on payroll hidden off the books) as well as the next season status of Kawhi, who was at the center of the matter?
It’s like Silver doesn’t plan to penalize the Clippers or Kawhi at all and acting like just nothing terrible even happened? To me, this undermines the credibility of the league, makes a joke of the NBA’s payroll & salary tier structure, and spits in the eye of every other team that didn’t cheat.
It’s a great question, and one that only Pablo Torre will be able to get to the bottom of. The simplest answer — though surely not the entire story — is that the NBA just hasn’t finished their investigation. It’s a massive investigation, and they’ve hired a huge, respected law firm to handle it. It’s going to take a while, and the league isn’t going to act until the investigation is completely concluded.
With that said, it wouldn’t surprise me if the league is waiting until after the offseason to do anything, regardless of the investigation. Assuming that they do find Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers guilty, it would make sense that they would seek to punish both. But what if Leonard gets traded, as has been rumored? If Leonard stays on the Clippers, the league could punish both parties in one fell swoop by suspending Leonard for a lengthy period (they would, presumably, further punish the Clippers with a fine and/or draft pick penalties).
But let’s say that the Clippers trade Leonard to, oh, I dunno … the Warriors. It’s hardly fair if the NBA then suspends Leonard for 25 games and punishes the Dubs, right? So I suspect sometime after the offseason chaos is over, the league will announce a conclusion to the investigation and some punishments that likely won’t faze Steve Ballmer.
MidcoastPerson: Kerr emphasized that the Warriors need players who are regularly on the court. Does this mean they move on from both KP and Horford? If so, who would you replace them with?
I don’t think so. I think they very much hope that Al Horford opts into his deal, and they’ll be interested in bringing back Kristaps Porziņģis at the right price. The Dubs can talk all they want about having players regularly on the court, but at the end of the day, they’re an old team, and they’re in need of talent more than availability, so…
That said, I do think they target younger and more available players to round out the bench. They’re not bringing back both Gary Payton II and Seth Curry. But another way to address availability is to just have more players who deserve playing time. Part of why the Warriors have felt like they don’t have enough healthy bodies is because players like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Quinten Post, Will Richard, and Buddy Hield fluctuated between being deserving of minutes and being glued to the bench. Get better players and it makes it easier to put up with Horford only playing 55 games.
RIP Thunder the mascot: Steph Curry has gifted Warrior fans and the entire bay area an unquantifiable amount of sporting success and general philanthropy over the last decade and a half. Unfortunately, but predictably, there has been a diminishing return of success as his growing supermax salary has engulfed a larger % the team’s salary cap. No thanks to injuries nor Father Time, either..
It’s rare but we’ve seen players sacrifice a hit on their salary for the greater good of the team. Look no further than Jalen Brunson and the Knicks who are, not coincidentally, in the finals this year. ESPN reported that Steph is eligible to sign a 2-year 136.7 million dollar extension in August. Do you see Steph taking a pay cut via a contract extension? If so, what can we offer this game breaking talent without insulting him… without insulting the players union.. and without stirring up a Kawhi cap circumvention controversy? It’s almost sacrilege to wonder.. but I think we all know how competitive our team will be without.
I wouldn’t expect a pay cut, but you never know with Steph Curry. If someone is willing to do it, it’s him. Though they will be very careful about not circumventing the rules, as you mention.
But here’s why I don’t expect it to happen: it usually doesn’t actually do anything. When players do take discounts, it’s usually when all the pieces are in place and a star is sacrificing a few million to make it easier to retain everyone (you might recall that Kevin Durant did this when he was with the Warriors). But for a team in Golden State’s situation, Curry taking a slight discount on an extension isn’t going to change things. It’s not going to give them the money to chase a free agent this year (where his max contract is already set), and it’s unlikely to make a tangible difference in the books next offseason. In all likelihood, taking a discount really only accomplishes one thing: saving Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the two people in the organization with more money than Curry, a few million.
May 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton (52) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
After a disappointing mid-week series that the Tigers dropped against the cellar-dwelling Angels, they hit the road for the south side of Chicago for the opener of a trio of games against the White Socks — who were wearing a new City Connects outfit that makes them look like the Bulls — and it didn’t go well as the home team came back to win 4-3 in a gut-punch of a tenth inning.
Troy Melton made his second start of the season, after a late beginning due to right elbow inflammation. He had three solid outings for the Tigers in the playoffs (and a terrible one), and getting any kind of pitching help is definitely welcome at this point. His first start of the year was the nightcap of the doubleheader against the Orioles: he went 5 2/3 innings, and while he walked three he only gave up a pair of hits and a solitary run.
The Pale Hose went with an opener, lefty Brandon Eisert, before righty Erick Fedde took over. It’s been tough slogging for the veteran lately: after a nice seven-inning outing against the Angels at the end of April, May has not been kind to him and his previous appearance saw him surrender eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. He’s been giving up home runs at a pretty astonishing rate this year: a dozen of ‘em in 49 1/3 innings coming into tonight.
Speaking of that, in the third inning, Dillon Dingler opened the scoring thusly after a Zack Short walk:
The Chicagoans got a run back in the bottom of the inning with a single and a double, narrowing the gap to 2-1.
Fedde got himself into a peck o’ trouble in the top of the fourth: the Tigers loaded the bases with two out after a pair of singles and a walk, bringing Short to the plate. Alas, Short lined out to short and the Tigers left ‘em loaded. Would’ve been really nice to get another run there.
Meanwhile, Melton looked good; he gave up four doubles, but managed to strand all those runners. His fastball commmand was a little off and pitching from behind in a lot of counts hurt his strikeout total, but he managed to figure out how to get through innings pretty efficiently, needing only 77 pitches through six frames. At the end of the seventh his pitch count was 89 so his night was done, and his final line was delightful: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K… don’t worry, Troy, those strikeouts will come along.
Will Vest took over in the bottom of the eighth and gave up an infield single, but got a double play to erase the runner. Now, the last time we saw Vest, things went spectacularly awfully for him late in a long appearance… but this time around he got three pretty crisp outs to take the game to the ninth with the same score.
It would’ve been nice if the Tigers added some insurance in the top of the ninth, but that didn’t happen, so the game was turned over to Kyle Finnegan with a one-run lead, which didn’t go particularly well.
With one out, Andrew Benintendi singled to right; Tristan Peters did the same to put runners on the corners. Rikuu Nishida bunted back to Finnegan, who threw to first as Benintendi waited off third; as soon as Finnegan threw, Benintendi bolted for home and Spencer Torkelson’s throw home was wild, letting Peters get to third.
Drew Romo followed with a tricky grounder to Torkelson at first, and with some amount of acrobatics he threw to Finnegan covering first to just nab Romo and send the game to extra innings, which have really not been good for the Tigers so far this year. Tonight was no exception.
The Manfred Man for the Tigers in the tenth was Matt Vierling, who was bunted over to third by Zach McKinstry and driven-in by Short with a sacrifice fly to go up 3-2. The Tigers typically try to play for two in that scenario, but with McKinstry and Short it probably made sense to move the runner and just try for one and hope Drew Anderson could hold it.
Could the Tigers get three outs before giving up a run? It was decided that Drew Anderson was going to give it a try. Romo started the bottom of the inning on second base, and Anderson got a strikeout, a grounder to third that glued Romo to second, and… well…
Yep, Miguel Vargas hit a two-run walk-off home run to win the game for the White Sox, 4-3. There ya go. That’s your 2026 Detroit Tigers, everybody. At least the home team’s uniforms were lousy.
Notes and Whatnot
Writing a recap that has both Zach McKinstry and Zack Short on the same team is annoying because of how they spell their names just a little bit differently.
It was only just today that I learned that my city library’s e-book app also has access to a boatload of magazines, all readable for free. We’ve got National Geographic, we’ve got New Scientist, we’ve got Blue Pants Weekly. Check out you local library; the app around here is called Libby.
On this day in 1660, King Charles II (not the current UK monarch’s dad, for the record) was restored to the throne after that little misunderstanding with the Cromwell fellows.
May 29, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Charles McAdoo (26) celebrates after hitting his first career hit/home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 6 Orioles 5
Back to .500.
Bullpen days are a terrible thing to watch. One of my lines is that if you use a lot of relievers, you are likely to find the one that doesn’t have it on that day.
And the Jays did find that guy. The second pitcher into the game, Austin Voth, had nothing, but with the guys who weren’t available, he had to throw some innings. He gave up 3 home runs, 5 hits, 5 earned with 4 walks. He had a terrible time finding the strike zone and anytime he came close the Orioles hit it hard. I thought it was game over, but the offense surprised us.
Beyond that:
Adam Macko opened and worked his way through 5 outs, giving up 3 singles with a strikeout. He wasn’t great, but he didn’t give up a run.
Connor Seabold (I keep typing Seaborn, I liked West Wing back in the day. If I thought he was going to stay around long, I’d call him Rob Lowe) got 5 outs without allowing a base runner (helped along by a successful Brandon Valenzuela challenge).
Mason Fluharty was terrific, getting the last out of the seventh and all three outs in the eighth.
And Braydon Fisher picked up his first save his MLB career, despite a two-out Ernie Clement error (on a very easy play). I made have sworn very very loudly, and with windows open in the house, several neighbours likely heard, but then they know me, they’ll just think ‘Something bad happened in the Jays game’.
On offense, we did nothing for the first six innings, just two hits, a one-out triple by Daulton Varsho in the second (he was stranded) and a one-out double by Valenzuela (also stranded). It looked like it was going to be one of those days where we just wouldn’t score. We thought that Trevor Rogers was going to get a complete game on 60 pitches. But we got to him in that seventh inning.
Vladimir Guerrero started off the seventh with a single and Kazuma Okamoto homered (108 mph, 387 feet). Varsho followed with a double and Charles McAdoo homered (his first MLB hit, 369 feet).
Suddenly it was 5-4 and I was hopeful.
Then, in the eighth, George Springer and Clement started it with singles and Vlad doubled them home, giving us our first lead of the day. It would have been nice to score Vlad and give the bullpen a little bit of room for error, but no. And, in the top of the ninth, Nathan Lukes started the inning with a double and again we couldn’t score him. But we had faith in Fisher.
We had 10 hits. Vlad and Varsho had 2 each. The only starters without a hit were Myles Straw (but he was pinch hit for after 2 at bats) and Yohendrick Piñango who needed break from carrying the team for the last while.
Jays of the Day: Vlad (0.34 WPA), Fisher (0.19) and Fluharty (0.15). Let’s give an honorable mention to McAdoo and Okamoto for the home runs.
Other Award: Voth (-0.26) and Piñango (-0.10). And an Honorable Other Award to Clement for that ninth inning error that shot up my blood pressure 40 points. He made the play on the next ground ball hit right at him.
Also making an error tonight was Vlad, who seemed to misread a popup, but got there, then had the ball pop out of his glove. Joe, in the analyst spot, said something about Vlad being so good at popups and I was thinking ‘name me an infielder who isn’t good at chasing popups’. I mean, there are pretty easy plays, I can catch a popup. Oh well, it didn’t cost us.
I thought McAdoo (or Chuck to those of us who are close friends) looked good at second. He made a very tough play. It is great to see him get that first hit, first home run. Also good to see anyone not named Sosa at second base.
We have game three of four in Baltimore tomorrow. It is a 4:00 Eastern start. Trey Yesavage (2-2,2.25) tries to get us above .500. Brandon Young (3-1, 3,47) starts for the O’s.
The Mets walked off the Miami Marlins on Friday night in the 10th inning to win, 9-7.
Here are the takeaways...
-- For a league-leading 11th time this season, the Mets went to extra innings with the Marlins after the game was tied at 7-7 through nine. Austin Warren did his job by stranding the ghost runner in a clean top of the 10th inning to give New York a chance to win it in the bottom half and that's exactly what it did after MJ Melendez socked a two-run shot to give the team a 9-7 win.
Melendez entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and finished with three RBI.
-- As is the case so often when a team faces a pitcher for a second straight start after the pitcher shut them down in the first outing, the Mets got to starter Max Meyer this time around, jumping him for four runs in the first inning after the right-hander went seven scoreless against New York in Miami on May 23 while allowing one hit.
It started after the Mets loaded the bases on a single and two walks, which brought up A.J. Ewing, hitting fifth in the order, who delivered a two-run single up the middle to beat the drawn-in infield. Brett Baty tacked on two more with his two-out single to right field after Ewing stole second base and put two in scoring position.
The four runs New York scored in the first inning doubled the total number of runs it scored in the three-game series in Miami last weekend.
-- Staked to an early big lead, Mets starter Freddy Peralta kept the Marlins off the board for the first two innings, but had to endure a rigorous third inning in which he threw 38 pitches. The right-hander allowed just one run in the frame on a triple by Xavier Edwards, but he took a big hit to his pitch count, which could have possibly affected the rest of his performance.
-- Miami wasted no time in the fourth, attacking Peralta early in counts and stringing together three straight hits, two doubles and a single, on the first five pitches of the inning to score a run. Luis Torrens helped out his starter by throwing out a baserunner at second base for the first out and then Peralta escaped further trouble with a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.
-- Both times the Marlins scored in the third and fourth innings, the Mets got it right back by answering in the bottom half of the inning. In the third, it was Mark Vientos’ solo shot, a 445-foot towering blast that landed in the second deck. In the fourth, New York took advantage of two consecutive errors by Miami’s defense to plate a run.
-- In the fifth, it was a Mets error that hurt Peralta after he had gotten the first two outs of the inning following a leadoff single that advanced to third on two groundouts. On a 101 mph hot shot to first base off the bat of Otto Lopez, Vientos couldn’t make the play, which resulted in a run. Given an extra life, the Marlins cashed in immediately with a double by Kyle Stowers that drove in the second run of the inning and ended Peralta’s night.
Peralta lasted just 4.2 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. He threw 94 pitches (60 strikes) and wasn’t able to earn a win despite his offense scoring six runs for him.
-- A.J. Minter made his second appearance for New York since returning from the IL and recorded the final out of the fifth. The left-hander got two more outs in the sixth before getting pulled. He had two strikeouts in his inning of work.
-- Huascar Brazoban also pitched an inning in relief but allowed a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly following a walk and a double that rolled past Baty down the third-base line and had a 50 mph exit velocity. Brooks Raley got the final out of the inning on a strikeout.
-- Once again, the Mets responded in their bottom half of the inning by scoring on a sac fly of their own by pinch-hitterMelendez. Bo Bichette walked with one out and Juan Soto singled to put runners at the corners before the sac fly.
-- With a two-run lead, manager Carlos Mendoza chose to go with Tobias Myers in the eighth inning, which backfired when Myers allowed a leadoff single and then a game-tying, two-run home run to Owen Caissie that knotted things up at 7-7. Myers finished the inning without any further damage and Luke Weaver maneuvered through two hits in the ninth to give New York a chance in the bottom half of the ninth.
Game MVP: MJ Melendez
Melendez called game with his walk-off two-run homer.
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 27: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) and Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) celebrate following the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians on May 27, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Interesting one tonight. The Red Sox used an opener for struggling righty Brayan Bello tonight. The Guardians scored 4 runs off of him. In one inning. Here’s the sequence from that inning: strikeout-single-single-single-single-single-single-sac fly-strikeout. Here it is in action.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 29, 2026
You must be thinking the Guardians managed to pile on after to blow the Red Sox out, right? 4-0 in the first? Not quite. Bello came in for the 2nd inning and pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing only 4 Cleveland baserunners. Those 7 innings are tied for the longest outing of Bello’s season, and represent the longest start in which he’s given up 0 runs all year. In fairness, Bello has been great since he started coming in after the 1st (with the exception of one game in which he started). He’s pitched 30.1 innings in his last 5 games and given up only 9 earned runs (7 of which came against the Braves, where he opened the game). But, the Guardians only made Bello throw *63* pitches in 7 innings.
Okay, I’m done with the negativity. Jose looked really good today. In his 4 plate appearances he struck out once, and had batted balls of 103.6mph, 100.9mph, and 106.4mph. Two of those were outs. Perhaps he’s finally about to catch fire.
Slade was, well, normal. He pitched extremely well for the first 4 innings, and then imploded in the 5th. He gave up 4 hits and 3 runs recording only 1 out in the 5th. (Much like what the Red Sox have done with Bello, I really think the Guardians should consider having Festa open for Cecconi)
The bullpen was good again! Colin Holderman was tasked with cleaning up Cecconi’s mess and did so beautifully. He came on with a runner on second and got two weak groundouts. He came on for the 6th and induced a strike out and a groundout. Gaddis found himself in some trouble in the 8th with runners at the corners and 2 outs, but got Mickey Gasper to groundout for the last out of the inning.
Let’s talk about Cade Smith. He got his league-leading 20th save tonight, striking out the side. His ERA is down to 2.60, and his FIP is down to 1.04. Since the Cubs series, he’s pitched 20.2 innings to the tune of a 1.31 ERA and 0.36 FIP (3 total ER). He’s struck out 31 (thirty-one!!) batters and walked only 2. He’s recorded 16 saves in 20 opportunities. Since then, he’s remembered how to locate his fastball, consistently gotten his splitter below the zone, and is throwing his sweeper down-and-away to righties a blistering 56.3% of the time.
That’s all for tonight. It’ll be Messick (yay) vs. Gray tomorrow night.
May 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Dodgers (36-20) face off with the red hot Philadelphia Phillies (29-27) on Friday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a three-game weekend series.
Justin Wrobleski (6-2, 3.07 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers.
Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67 ERA, 0.82 WHIP) takes the mound for Philly.
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 29: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 29, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For six innings, everything appeared to be going Baltimore’s way. Trevor Rogers looked like the guy everyone hoped he would be this season. The Orioles already had three home runs under their belt and appeared destined for more against Toronto’s bullpen.
Then things quickly fell apart. Rogers allowed four runs in the blink of an eye, and Yennier Cano surrendered the lead one inning later. Baltimore’s bats went silent, and the Orioles dropped an extremely winnable game 6-5.
Rogers absolutely cruised through the first six innings. If he hadn’t been so efficient, he would have ended the day with six scoreless frames and a much needed confidence boost. Instead, he left the game with a bat taste in his mouth.
Rogers needed only 74 pitches to record 18 outs. He limited the Jays to two hits and a walk before running into trouble in the seventh. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got the rally started with a base hit on a 0-1 fastball. Rogers attempted to sneak a first-pitch fastball by Kazuma Okamoto, but Toronto’s home run leader ambushed the pitch. Okamoto turned the ball around at 108 MPH and trimmed Baltimore’s lead to three.
Daulton Varsho followed with a double down the left field line, and Adley Rutschman trotted out to the mound before rookie Charles McAdoo stepped to the plate. McAdoo took a pair of pitches before jumping on a similar high fastball. The rookie sent the ball into the first row of the right field bleachers for his first major league hit, and Rogers looked down at the ground in disbelief.
On a night filled with disappointments, it’s brutal that Rogers let a quality start slip away. Tonight could have marked a significant step in the right direction for the struggling starter. Instead, he’s stuck regretting a few late mistakes.
Craig Albernaz summoned Tyler Wells from the bullpen, and the former starter recorded three outs without relinquishing the lead. Baltimore went quietly in the bottom half of the seventh, and Toronto picked right back up where they left off in the top of the eighth.
Yennier Cano coughed up a pair of singles to George Springer and Ernie Clement to start the inning. Guerrero jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it to left field for a two-run double. Gunnar Henderson spiked the relay into the ground, and the go-ahead run scored without a play at the plate.
The Orioles jumped out to the five-run lead with some patience at the plate and three home runs. Jackson Holliday led off the third with a single, and Baltimore took three consecutive walks to score the first run of the game. The team could have struck for more, but Pete Alonso delivered an uncharacteristic and uncompetitive at bat with the bases loaded.
After three straight walks, Alonso swung at two pitches well outside of the strike zone before popping out for the first out. Samuel Basallo extended the strike zone a few times as well, but Basallo muscled a fly ball deep enough to plate the second run with a sacrifice fly.
Holliday extended the lead to three with a solo homer in the fourth, and Alonso returned to the plate with some patience in the fifth. Alonso took three pitches before launching an opposite field home run. The Polar Bear’s 11th homer of the season gave Baltimore a 4-0 lead and provided a template for Basallo.
Basallo stepped in and took three pitches before sending an opposite field homer of his own. The back-to-back jacks appeared to position Baltimore for a relatively easy path to victory. The Jays had other plans.
Baltimore had one last chance to extend the game in the ninth inning. Taylor Ward flied out to the warning track. Gunnar Henderson reached on a fielding error, but Adley Rutschman bounced out to end the game.
The game marked the latest chapter in a series of bad losses. The Orioles appeared to capture some momentum with a three-game sweep of the first-place Rays, but things changed in a hurry. The Blue Jays returned to .500 with the win, while Baltimore slipped to 26-32.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 15: Iván Herrera #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium on May 15, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as letting your former team know what they gave up on. Nelson Velázquez greeted the Chicago Cubs by slamming the first pitch he saw into the visitor’s bullpen helping the St. Louis Cardinals win Friday night. He was joined in the home run parade by Ivan Herrera and Thomas Saggese, but more on that later.
Andre Pallante struggled and that’s putting it kindly. In the top of the first inning, Andre was able to get Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner out, but then allowed Chicago to do a lot of two out scoring. Michael Busch singled and Alex Bregman both singled before Cardinal killer Ian Happ greeted a Andre Pallante 4-seam meatball by sending it 407 feet into the stands giving Chicago an early 3-0 lead.
Fortunately, it did not take long for the Cardinals to respond. In the bottom of the 1st, Iván Herrera had a ball glance off of his toe and then Jordan Walker lived up to his name and walked which brought up Nelson Velázquez who played his first Major League game as a Chicago Cub in May of 2022 until he was traded to Kansas City the following year. Nelson celebrated his call-up from Memphis by destroying a Shota Imanaga 4-seam fastball giving it a 411 foot ride tying the game at 3-3. Yo Nelly indeed.
Andre Pallante looked uncomfortable in the top of the 2nd inning as he gave up a single to Dansby Swanson and then walked Nico Hoerner with two outs. Michael Busch punished him by singling in Swanson allowing Chicago to jump back in the lead 4-3.
The resilient Cardinals answered that challenge again in the bottom of the 4th inning when Thomas Saggese homered to left-center tying the game again 4-4.
Andre Pallante would only last 3 innings giving up 8 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 3 and walking 1. Justin Bruihl would come in for relief in the 4th inning before handing the ball to Gordon Graceffo who entered the game in the top of the 5th inning, but only being allowed to throw 10 pitches. George Soriano pitched the top of the 6th inning. They were able to keep the Cubs off of the scoreboard in the middle of the game giving St. Louis a chance to grab the lead for the first time which they did thanks to Ivan Herrera slamming his 7th home run of the season. At that point, it was 5-4 Cardinals.
The late innings were handled by JoJo Romero who took over in the top of the 7th inning and had the honor of being the first Cardinals pitcher to get Michael Busch out Friday night as he was 3 for 3 before JoJo struck him out. He also struck out Ian Happ which proves it’s possible for a St. Louis pitcher to accomplish this. Ryne Stanek was tasked with the top of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Seiya Suzuki, but struck out Michael Conforto with a nasty split finger third strike. After Carson Kelly grounded out in front of the mound, Stanek appeared to tweak his knee a bit, but he stayed in the game. Ryne was able to close out the Cubs in the top of the 8th by getting Dansby Swanson to fly out to Walker in right field.
The Cardinals would add some badly-needed insurance in the bottom of the 8th inning when Nelson Velázquez reached on an infield single. After Alec Burleson struck out, Masyn Winn (who had 2 hits on the night) went the other way with a pitch into right field giving St. Louis a scoring chance that was delivered on when José Fermín singled into left upping the Cardinals lead to 6-4.
Riley O’Brien was brought in to lock down the game for St. Louis in the top of the 9th inning. He was rudely greeted by Pete Crow-Armstrong who knocked the 2nd pitch he saw off of the right field wall for a double. Nico Hoerner then nailed Riley in the back of the leg with a ball back up the middle, but he was able to recover and get the first out at first. O’Brien got Michael Busch to ground out scoring Armstrong from third, but the Cardinals were still clinging to their 6-5 lead. Alex Bregman grounded out to Masyn Winn to end the game and give St. Louis a very important early season victory.
Game 2 of the rivalry will happen Saturday night at Busch Stadium as Kyle Leahy will make the start for the St. Louis Cardinals while the Chicago Cubs will ask Ben Brown to take one for the team. Saturday night’s game will be a national broadcast on Fox with first pitch scheduled for 6:15pm.
With their team up 4-0 and seemingly on the cusp of the Stanley Cup Final, Carolina Hurricanes fans took a playful shot at the struggling visitors.
Fans at Raleigh's Lenovo Center broke out into a boisterous "Olé" chant during the second period — the same chant that is frequently heard during Montreal Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.
Carolina fans have plenty to celebrate. Up 3-1 in the series, the Hurricanes appear poised to book their first Stanley Cup Final ticket since they won it all in 2006.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 26: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park on May 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves have scored the second most runs MLB so far this season and had plans of continuing this trend while facing the Reds an their started Chris Paddack and his 6.86 ERA.
The first inning started off with a bang. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the fourth pitch he saw for a solo shot in the first inning to set the tone with a solo shot to make the score 1-0. The interesting part is he saw three four-seam fastballs and then took a curveball deep. Notoriously this season he has struggled against four-seamers.
After a Harris fly out Olson hit a ball to the wall and tried for a sliding double but got thrown out in a bang-bang play. Albies then flied out to end the top of the first. Grant Holmes looked good in the first, outside of a walk to Mosley High School graduated JJ Bleday, he sat down every other batter to include a strikeout.
In the second inning the Braves started to blow the game open, Smith singled followed by a Riley walk and a Yastrzemki walk and the bases loaded. Jorge Mateo then hit a chopper to short in which he got out, but a run scored to make it 2-0. Tromp then came to the plate and did his job by hitting the ball deep to right to get a sac fly and make it 3-0. After a walk, Harris hit a single to score Mateo from second to make the score 4-0. Olson grounded out, but the damage had been done.
Holmes then did what he does best early in a game and sat the Reds down in order in the second inning picking up two groundouts and a strikeout. To not be outdone, the Braves were also sat down in order in the third. In the third fr Holmes his rival Freidl who already has two HRs against him singled, but then Holmes struck back with back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout from De La Cruz.
The only offense in the fourth for the Braves was a single by Yastrzemski. The fourth for the Red was very different. Bleday hit a shot to to RF to make the score 4-1. After a pop up and Stewart being caught try ing to steal third, Lowe hit a solo shot to make the score 4-2 Braves. Steer then singled, but after a mound visit Holmes got the last out.
In the fifth, Harris singled, but was caught stealing second. He was initially called safe, but after a challenge it was overturned. That was the only offense for the Braves in the inning. The Reds got to Holmes again. This time with two singles After the hits Didier Fuentes came in the game. Holmes finished the game going 4.2 innings with seven hits (two HRs), three earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Solid work.
Fuentes allowed a runner to score that he inherited, but then he got the strikeout to end the inning. After a single by Smith and a HBP from Riley, Yastrzemski hit a double to make the score 5-3.
Mateo then singled to keep the scoring going and make it 6-3. Harris came in clutch after an intentional walk and singled to make the score 8-3, which would end up being the final score.
The Braves started the series off with a statement. They are the best overall team in MLB. After Fuentes the Braves pitched Lee, then Suarez, and finally Kinley who combined for 3.0 innings and allowed two hits, zero walks, zero runs, zero walks, and five strikeouts.
The Braves showed out tonight and look to do it again when they face the Reds again tommorow. Harris and Smith had three hit nights and Ronald Acuña had a HR.
Mike Breen had a chance to call last year’s Eastern Conference finals, even though the series was on TNT.
The longtime Knicks play-by-play announcer on MSG Network has been a prominent fixture in the NBA as the lead play-by-play caller on ESPN.
But last year, TNT’s Kevin Harlan offered Breen a chance to call the Knicks ECF series against the Pacers despite Breen’s status with the Worldwide Leader.
Tim Legler and Mike Breen look on during the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 13, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Breen explained the situation with The Post’s Dexter Henry on a recent episode of “New York Got Game.”
“We had the West and TNT had the East,” Breen recalled, citing that he’d be calling the series between the Thunder and Timberwolves. “Kevin Harlan, the great Kevin Harlan, who is a dear friend, they’re calling the Knicks-Pacers [series].”
Mike Breen tells @DHenryTV how much it meant to him that Kevin Harlan actually offered to let him call the Knicks-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals on TNT last season.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 29, 2026
Kevin Harlan and Stan Van Gundy speak on the Amazon Prime broadcast before tipoff at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Getty Images
Breen continued: “He calls me couple of days before the series and he says, ‘You know what?’ He goes on, ‘You’ve been waiting almost three decades for the Knicks to be in a conference final because it was the first in 25.’ He goes, ‘I want you to call the games for TNT. I’m going to go to my bosses. I’m going to tell them you should do it, and I’ll go do the West for ESPN.'”
Breen, when asked by Henry, confirmed that Harlan was serious.
“‘I know my bosses would love to have you, you deserve it,'” Breen remembered. “‘This is the team you’ve followed all this, you deserve it.’ And he goes, ‘”And even if ESPN doesn’t want to use me, and they want to use one of their announcers, whether it was Dave Pasch or Mark Jones, I’m fine, I’ll sit it out.’ That’s the kind of man Kevin Harlan is. I was so touched by that.”
Breen added that he thought about it overnight, and Harlan called him the next day, but acknowledged they both decided it might not have been the best for their employers, ESPN and TNT, respectively.
Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony, who is on the injured list, watches from the dugout rail during a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Boston.
The Red Sox will likely have to wait a little longer for their young star’s return to the diamond.
Outfielder Roman Anthony suffered a setback during his rehab process on Thursday and is now reportedly shut down, according to Boston manager Chad Tracy.
Tracy told reporters on Friday that Anthony “felt discomfort hitting off a tee” and that the 22-year-old “has been shut down from swinging…at least for a few days,” according to MassLive.
Boston Red Sox’s Roman Anthony, who is on the injured list, watches from the dugout rail during a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Boston. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Anthony is recovering from an injury he suffered in a game against the Tigers earlier this month, with this being the second time he’s been shut down during his rehab. The first time occurred last week.
He last played on May 4, when he hurt his wrist while swinging a bat, and the Red Sox placed him on the 10-day injured list three days later.
The affliction has since been reclassified as a finger injury, with Anthony calling it a partially torn right ring finger ligament. But there is still some confusion about what exactly he is suffering from.
“I know stuff came out yesterday about ‘tear vs. sprain vs. strain’ and all these things. I don’t know what else to say other than a strain/sprain, it is a tear,” Tracy said. “If you strain a hamstring, that’s a partial tear.
“Fibers let go a little bit and they’ve got to heal. I don’t think anything was portrayed differently or wrongly.”
Tracy added that although Anthony’s time away from the field hurts his club, the best thing they can do is just wait and see.
Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox has his hand examined by trainer Brandon Henry (R) as interim manager Chad Tracy (C) looks on during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 4, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Getty Images
“The fact of the matter still remains that he’s got something in there and if there’s discomfort, we just have to wait,” he said. “Did we want it to go quicker? Yeah, but we can’t control the healing. If he’s got discomfort, we’ve got to wait.
“Is it going to go longer than we had originally hoped and thought? Yeah, but that’s just how it goes.”
Anthony was off to a slow start to his sophomore season before his injury, putting up a slash line of .229/.354/.321 with just one home run through 30 games.
He burst onto the scene during his rookie year, batting .292 with 18 doubles through 71 games in 2025, prompting the Red Sox to sign him to an eight-year, $130 million contract midway through his impressive campaign.
A tourist observes used chewing gum decorating Post Alley brick walls in downtown Seattle on June 24, 2025. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP) (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
MARINERS
Ketel Marte – 2B
J.P. Crawford – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Julio Rodriguez – CF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Josh Naylor – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – C
Randy Arozarena – LF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Luke Raley – RF
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Cole Young – 2B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Dominic Canzone – DH
Jose Fernandez – 3B
Jhonny Pereda – C
Tommy Troy – LF
Colt Emerson – 3B
Zac Gallen – RHP
George Kirby – RHP
I hope we all enjoyed our two-week vacation, enjoying the lightest of thrills resulting from the D-backs going 11-2 against the Rockies and Giants. Things will likely be a bit tougher now, facing the division leading Mariners, who just came off a three-game sweep of the [THIS SPACE FOR RENT] Athletics. However, I’d be more impressed if the Mariners weren’t still actually below .500, despite being on top of the AL West. It is arguably the most competitive division in the game so far, with just 2.5 games covering the top four. The NL Central is the only other division where you need less than double digits for that, and even they are still at a five-game spread.
The D-backs come in, having used only eighteen pitchers to this point. No team in the majors has needed fewer arms. The rotation has been particularly stable, with just the late arrival of Merrill Kelly disrupting things, bumping Brandon Pfaadt to the bullpen. The Cleveland Guardians are the only more stable team than Arizona, having used the same five guys since Opening Day. At the other end, the Astros are already up to thirteen different starting pitchers. Out of the bullpen, the Diamondbacks have been very stable too: thirteen relievers used is just one man above the MLB low to date, in San Diego and St. Louis.
A good series here could see the D-backs’ ERA for the year drop below four – it’s currently at 4.02. Been a while: to find the last time Arizona had a sub-four ERA through 55 games, you need to got back to 2018, when it was 3.40 to this point in the season. We’d used twenty pitchers, and only one – Kris Medlen, in a single appearance – had an ERA of five or worse. Patrick Corbin anchored the rotation in the way E-Rod is doing this year, having made twelve starts with a sub-three ERA. Out of the bullpen, T.J. McFarland, Yoshihisa Hirano, Brad Boxberger and Andrew Chafin, had thrown 19-35.1 innings, all with sub-two ERAs. Those were the days…
