Worldwide Sports News

Welcome back to my annual, unrequested article for Covering the Corner. Below are parts 3 and 4 of my mid-May roster review for the Lake County Captains. I’m also going to organize this mess into a list for reference. I hope that you get some value out of this thought exercise, and that my perspective gives you something to consider. Maybe you’ll find a future favorite player in the weeds here, or a new least-favorite prospect evaluator. 

On we go:

The Infield: Class of 2025 on the Left Side

NOTE: All the infielders on this team throw right-handed.

Dean Curley, SS/2B/3B: 6’4”, 230, Bats R, DoB 4/15/2004 (22 yrs. old), Tennessee (CB-A pick, 2025 Draft).

Hit: 45/50, Power: 50/55, Run: 55/50, Field: 50/50*, Arm: 60/60

Dean Curley looks like the prototype. He is strong, fast, and light on his feet. His plate patience and discipline has led to many, many walks. Already, it is clear he needs to see better pitchers to determine if his patience is merely passiveness. When he does swing, Curley makes good contact, and he possesses power to all fields. He can identify and attack mistakes in the zone, and he can get to fastballs of any velocity. However, he does swing and miss in the zone a bit more than you would like. Additionally, I have his defense as a present 50, but Curley is prone to throwing errors due to issues with his arm slot and mechanics required to get to a comfortable throwing angle. His arm is strong, but he struggles to make accurate throws while moving to his left. Still, I believe he has the movement skills and athleticism to stick at shortstop, and that this issue can be resolved with continued reps.

Verdict: Curley is a mature, powerful hitter and a prototypical athlete who belongs on the left side of the infield. He may Knoblauch, but there is reason to believe he can develop into a fine defender. FV: 45+.

Luke Hill, SS/2B/3B: 5’11”, 193, Bats R, DoB 4/9/2004 (22 yrs. old), Mississippi (4th Rd, 2025 Draft).

Hit: 40/50, Power: 40/45*, Run: 55/55, Field: 45/50, Arm: 60/60.

Hill is a solid infielder who can play competently at shortstop, although he is a much better fielder at second or third base. Hill has hit well through his first few months at High-A, showing patience and the ability to recognize pitches he can attack. Like Curley, he has also shown power to all fields despite his smaller frame, currently leading the team in home runs. He has had some impressive exit velocities to all fields. 

Verdict: Hill may pan out to be a nice surprise in the early-middle rounds of the 2025 draft. I had him pegged as a utility infielder, but he may become more. Monitor him as he gets promoted, because the early sample is very promising. FV: 40+.

Bennett Thompson, C: 5’9”, 201, Bats R, DoB 12/16/2002 (23 yrs. old), Oregon (13th Rd, 2024 Draft).

Hit: 55/55, Power: 30/40, Run: 30/30, Field: 35/40, Arm: 30/35.

Bennett Thompson is a bat-first catcher with a precocious feel for the zone and a compact, line-drive oriented swing. He is very likely to hit as he moves up, although he is not likely to impact the ball much. However, he is not a smooth operator behind the plate. He often struggles to move in front of pitches, and his arm is middling. This pitching staff is hard to catch, but teams run wild on Thompson no matter who is throwing.

Verdict: Thompson is not a Cleveland type of catcher, at least with the defensive expectations they have. However, the bat and the approach will play, and I am sure there will be interested teams that are willing to let him try catching. FV: 40+.

 Nolan Schubart, 1B/LF: 6’4”, 227, Bats L, DoB 5/10/2004 (22 yrs. old), Oklahoma State (3rd Rd, 2025 Draft).

Hit:30/35, Power 60/70, Run 25/25, Field 30/40, Arm 50/50.

Schubart is a three-true-outcome player on offense, and he is learning first base on the fly. His swing is powerful and pretty, but it is also a bit grooved with a permanent uppercut. He generates incredible power, and he knows the zone well enough to wait out his pitch. Too often, he misses his pitch (you will hear this again in the outfield section). As he ascends the ranks, he needs to be able to consistently hit pitches in the middle of the zone, but he shows an approach that can allow him to succeed if he does manage to make just a bit more contact. 

Verdict: Schubart is boom or bust. When he gets hot, he can carry an offense, but he needs to be able to survive pitches he can’t handle in the zone to have a more consistent impact. In acknowledging the volatility, FV: 35++.

Logun Clark, C: 5’11”, 205, Bats R, DoB 6/4/2003 (22 yrs. old), Taft Union HS (CA) (16th Rd, 2022 Draft).

Hit: 20/30, Power 30/40, Run 40/35, Field 50/50, Arm 60/60.

Clark is a defense-first catcher who is only catching 1-2 times a week at present. He is a reasonable mover behind the dish, an adequate framer, and a talented thrower with a strong arm.

Verdict: Cleveland loves these types of players, but Clark is a true non-factor at the dish. His defensive chops will keep him in this organization, though. FV: 30+.

 Garrett Howe, SS/2B/3B: 5’8”, 178, Bats L, DoB 7/12/2002 (23 yrs. old), Samford (11th Rd, 2024 Draft).

Hit:30/40, Power 30/35, Run 50/50, Field 45/50, Arm 40/40.

Howe has occasionally shown a propensity for pulling the ball in the air, maximizing what is an otherwise modest frame. However, the feel for contact has not translated at this level. Defensively, his arm is just good enough to make most throws at shortstop, but he struggles at the hot corner.

Verdict: Howe is almost certainly going to be quality depth for the minor leagues. FV: 30.

Maick Collado, 1B/3B: 5’11”, 185, Bats S, DoB 12/24/2002 (23 yrs. old), Santiago, DR (Int’l free agent, 2019).

Hit:30/40, Power 30/35, Run 40/40, Field 45/50, Arm 50/50.

Collado is already being treated like MiLB floating depth, as he recently spent a few weeks acquitting himself well in Columbus. Collado is not going to wow you at the plate, and he often lacks discipline, but he can occasionally punish a mistake. He is a plus defender at first base, and he makes the occasional flashy play at third base.

Verdict: Collado is already quality depth for the minor leagues, but there is not much of a reason to expect more. FV: 30.

Kevin Rivas, 1B/2B/C: 5’9”, 183, Bats S, DoB 4/7/2003 (23 yrs. old), San Felipe, VZ (Int’l free agent, 2019).

Hit:20/30, Power 30/30, Run 40/40, Field 30/40, Arm 40/40.

Rivas has done everything the team has asked of him. Originally a middle infielder, he converted to catcher to allow the team some flexibility. Catching does not come naturally to Rivas- his games feature many wild pitches and passed balls, and even his bullpen catching leads to on-field delays- but this is the type of player that keeps a minor league system healthy. He has already made cameos at every minor league level above Lake County. He also has a pitching win, thanks in part to his ability to mix speeds and in part to the player below, who hit an improbable 3-run home run to walk off an extra innings game.

Verdict: Rivas is someone the organization values because he can be brought up at short notice. He does that well. These are the kinds of guys that end up coaching. FV: 25.

Jeffrey Mercedes, 1B/2B: 5’8”, 185, Bats S, DoB 10/2/2004 (21 yrs. old), Azua, DR (Int’l free agent, 2022).

Hit:20/30, Power 20/30, Run 50/50, Field 40/40, Arm 30/30.

Mercedes is in an odd situation. He is young for this level, and he looks appropriately overmatched. The team plays him every other day, and the performance often leaves much to be desired. He has been about as effective at the dish as a pitcher, and his glove is limited to the right side of the infield because his arm is underwhelming. For the team to stick a relatively young international signee in High-A would imply that they see potential in him, but there is no doubt that Mercedes is just here to give some guys a breather. On the plus side, he does have a reasonable ERA from the times he has been asked to pitch (although Kevin Rivas has him beat there, too).

Verdict: I’m rooting for him. I call him Jeff. FV: 25.

Part 4: The Outfield Toolshed

Aaron Walton, OF: 6’4”, 218, Bats R, Throws R, DoB 5/14/2004 (22 yrs. old), Arizona (Competitive Balance-B, 2025 Draft).

Hit: 40/50, Power: 50/55, Speed: 60/60, Field 50/50, Arm 50/50.

Surprised at the name? I think many people are, or they will be when they plug in to what Walton is doing. Walton’s performance in High-A has been very strong. He has impacted the ball, hit for average, walked at a healthy rate, and managed his strikeouts to this point. His jumps are reasonable in center field, and he has enough arm to play right field. He is aggressive on the bases, and he moves very well for his size. While Walton appears to be vulnerable to spin in the zone, he does seem to recognize it, and he lays off those pitches enough to get something he can handle. His ability to combat spin will be the key for him going forward.

Verdict: Walton is what they look like, and he is my favorite prospect on this team in terms of present tools because he has shown such a feel for hitting. I’m not quite ready to say he is the best position player prospect on the team, but it is tight between him and two others. FV: 45+.

Jace LaViolette, OF: 6’6”, 227, Bats L, Throws L, DoB 12/4/2003 (22 yrs. old), Texas A&M (1st Rd, 2025 Draft).

Hit: 30/40?, Power: 60/60, Speed: 60/50, Field 50/50, Arm 60/60.

Jace LaViolette is a tremendous athlete. If you see him have a good game, you understand why he was a first-round selection. He has tremendous power, he is patient, he moves incredibly well for his size, and he plays a good, comfortable center field. He has everything, and for one game, he will make you think we found a left-handed Aaron Judge with speed. 

If you watch one of his bad games, you’ll understand why many analysts were uncomfortable with LaViolette at any spot in the draft. He is currently running a 39%K rate at High-A (it is trending down from a disastrous start to the year). He routinely gets pitches to damage, and he routinely misses them. His swing appears to have a loop, and his operation is stiff. As a result, there is a noticeable hole in his swing, and it happens to be at the center of the zone between the mid-thigh and the belt. He has the whole package except the hit tool. As such, he would be a developmental challenge for any team; but it’s a whole lot of fun when he gets rolling, and it’s hard not to dream on what he could be when you see it all click.

Verdict: LaViolette has tremendous upside, but he also has a subterranean floor. He is easily the second-most exciting prospect on the team in terms of his present tools- because that hit tool is the key between flaming out in the minors and being a star. Accounting for volatility, FV: 40++.

Ryan Cesarini, OF: 5’9”, 211, Bats L, Throws R, DoB 12/16/2002 (23 yrs. old), St. Joseph’s (PA) (14th Rd, 2024 Draft).

Hit: 40/50, Power: 40/40, Speed: 45/40, Field 50/50, Arm 45/45.

Cesarini is an odd case of a player who has put up respectable at-bats, surprising exit velocities, and decent enough defense in the corners. Despite that, he has not received as much playing time as his play seems to warrant. When he does play, he is often a DH, perhaps indicating an injury. His play would not indicate such a thing. Cesarini pulls the ball often, and he sees right-handed pitching very well. He is likely maxed out at 211, and he does seem to be slower than he was last year.

Verdict: There may be something with Cesarini, and it is odd that he is not getting more playing time. Barring a breakout, he will be organizational depth for Cleveland, but I would not be surprised to see a breakout happen. FV: 35+.

Tommy Hawke, OF/2B: 5’8”, 151, Bats L, Throws R, DoB 7/7/2002 (23 yrs. old), Wake Forest (6th Rd, 2023 Draft).

Hit: 40/40, Power: 20/20, Speed: 60/60, Field 50/55, Arm 40/40.

Tommy Hawke can run like the wind, and it’s more about his base running instincts than his natural speed. Unfortunately, his swing is very big, and he tries to slug when he swings at the baseball. This usually does not result in extra bases, but Hawke could easily swipe second and third against this level if he so chose. He is currently playing second base more often than the outfield.

Verdict: Hawke is willing to do the work to remain relevant, and his mentality is a plus for an organization. Still, it’s hard to see him becoming more than depth. FV: 30+.

Esteban Gonzalez, OF: 5’6”, 171, Bats L, Throws R, DoB 3/19/2003 (23 yrs. old), Maracaibo, VZ (Int’l free agent, 2019).

Hit: 30/30, Power: 30/30, Speed: 60/60, Field 50/50, Arm 50/50.

Gonzalez plays baseball with tremendous energy and joy. He is a good outfielder with a decent arm who can play all three positions, and he can occasionally run into one at the dish. However, he is a maxed out 5’6”, and while he can hit the ball hard, he usually does not. 

Verdict: He will be around as someone to play the outfield in various affiliates, but Gonzalez is not a developmental priority for Cleveland. FV: 30.

(Editor’s Note: Thank you, Mike, for another great installment of this series on the Captains. We will have Mike’s final installment, a ranking of the prospects in Lake County, tomorrow)

It was a getaway day for the Nats, who have their first day off in over two weeks tomorrow. Unfortunately, they played like it was a getaway day with a day off coming. This game was pretty uneventful most of the way, and the Guardians just found a way to execute a little bit more than the Nats.

In a 162 game season, these kinds of losses are perfectly acceptable. It would be nice if the Nats were able to find a way to get the sweep though. Just like last year, the Nats have struggled to finish off sweeps. However, it is tough to get sweeps in the big leagues, especially against first place teams like the Guardians.

Just like the first two games, the offense looked good early for the Nats. They really made Gavin Williams work in the first three innings. The Nats were only able to come out of those first three innings with one run, instead of the big crooked numbers they put up the first two games. CJ Abrams drove in the first run of the game, roasting a double down the line to drive in James Wood.

After that, the Nats normally ferocious offense went into a lull. They allowed Guardians ace Gavin Williams to settle into the game and rack up some very quick innings. Williams’ pitch count was in the 60’s after three innings, but he was able to go seven innings on just 94 pitches. 

The Guardians did all their damage in the fifth inning today. It was Guardians ball at its finest, with Cleveland’s pesky bats taking advantage of mistakes and blooping balls into the outfield for hits. The inning started with an error by Curtis Mead at third base. Austin Hedges hit the ball hard, but it was a play Mead had to make.

Since moving to third base, Mead has mostly been solid, and this was his first real mistake. However, the mistake would prove to be costly. A couple batters later, Guardians lead off man Travis Bazzana hit a double to make it second and third with one out. Miles Mikolas then allowed a sac fly to tie the game, which would finish his afternoon.

The normally reliable Richard Lovelady came in with a runner on second. It was just not Lovelady’s day today. He allowed three straight hits and a walk to begin his outing. In the blink of an eye, the game was 3-1 Cleveland. Those would be all the runs the Guardians needed in this one.

The Nats would rally in the 9th, with Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams starting things off. Daylen Lile would get a sac fly to score Mead to make it a one run game with one out. However, Jose Tena and Jorbit Vivas would both strike out to strand Abrams on second.

The duo of Tena and Vivas have been tough to watch lately. Vivas is now 0-23 on the season with runners in scoring position. That is not going to cut it at the big league level. He seems to come up in big spots fairly often, and never delivers.

Tena and Vivas are both out of options, so that could give them some security. However, with the way Abimelec Ortiz, Yohandy Morales and Seaver King are swinging the bat, you have to wonder how much of a leash those guys have.

While this loss left a slightly sour taste in fans mouths, it was a great road trip. The Nats went 4-2 against two first place teams and are still above .500. This is the first time the Nats come back from a road trip over .500 since 2019. That is a crazy stat to think about.

This series against the Padres should be an exciting one. We all know the history between these two teams. These two franchises combined to make one of the biggest trades of the 21st century, and it gave the Nats their two best players. It also just seems like crazy things tend to happen when these teams play. So look out, and get to the ballpark this weekend if you can!

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl got 4 PA against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 18th, and he went 0 for 3 with a K and a sac-fly RBI. In the eight days that followed, he got a grand total of jsut 3 PA, with a sac bunt the only thing to show for it.

That I even called him ‘Cincinnati Reds outfielder’ instead of ‘Cincinnati Reds leadoff man and everyday centerfielder’ should’ve been a tell on where Friedl stands on this roster currently, as well as how quickly he has fallen from the ranks of dependability to merely hanging on to his roster spot.

To date, he’s hitting .176/.255/.257 in 169 PA this season. Among the 182 MLB players who have logged at least 160 PA this season, his 43 wRC+ ranks second worst, while his xwOBA – an expected stat – ranks tied for third worst, too. In other words, he hasn’t just been unlucky, he’s just been plain awful at the plate.

Friedl ranks in the 10th percentile (or, in many cases, much worse) in each of xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, Barrel %, Hard-Hit %, Launch Angle Sweet-Spot %, and Batting Run Value so far in 2026. His sprint speed is down to just the 34th percentile, his arm value at 23rd, and that’s been enough to see manager Terry Francona move him out of center and into left whenever he had the gumption to actually put Friedl into the lineup in the first place so far in 2026.

That gumption is once again there on Wednesday, however, as Friedl will return to the lineup in the series finale against the New York Mets as the Reds look to complete the sweep. TJ will start in CF and bat 9th, the hope being this much time on the pine has helped him hit the reset button as hard as physically possible and that maybe, just maybe, there’s a little something left in the tank for the veteran outfielder.

Andrew Abbott will start for the Reds tonight, Matt McLain gets to ride pine to start, and Spencer Steer will get some run at 2B.

Here’s the full Reds lineup for the 7:10 PM ET start:

Well, after a one day only engagement, the offence has gone back on hiatus. It didn’t end up mattering, though, as a combination of solid work from Kevin Gausman and the bullpen and questionable Marlins base running held them to only one run in spite of racking up 11 hits. The Jays are back within two games of .500 and one in the loss column away from a wildcard, somehow.

The Marlins got one off Kevin Gausman early. Xavier Edwards won a 10 pitch battle in the first at bat of the game, lining Gausman’s 10th pitch for a double. One batter later, Otto Lopez snuck a ground ball single up the middle to bring Edwards home. Four of the next five Marlins struck out to get Gaus out of the first and through the second with no damage.

He got into a jam in the third, walking Edwards and Liam Hicks with one out and giving up a line single to Lopez. a double play got him out of it, but it cost him pitches. The fourth was more trouble, as he hit Connor Norby and gave up a ground ball single to Owen Caissie that moved the lead runner to third, but a strikeout and a pop up got him out of trouble once again. Miami managed two more hits in the fifth, but a double play and a ground out prevented either from scoring. That would be the end of Gausman’s afternoon. It took him 95 pitches to get through five. He allowed only one run, but gave up six hits and a pair of walks, while striking out five. It was a messy outing, but he did enough to leave with the game competitive.

Meanwhile, Eury Perez was effectively wild, getting into deep counts but avoiding much hard contact. Vladimir Guerrero jr. reached on a soft line single in the first, and Andres Gimenez had one in the third, but the Jays also struck out seven times in that interval. Guerrero singled again in the fourth, and Kazuma Okamoto was hit by a pitch, but the Jays could not capitalize. Perez got the hook at that point, having taken 73 pitches to get through four. The Jays couldn’t lay a finger on him, striking out nine times without walking and managing just three soft singles.

They fared a little better against the Marlins’ bullpen. Michael Peterson got the first two batters of the fifth, but then Tyler Heineman worked a 10 pitch walk and Nathan Lukes doubled him home to tie the game at one. Peterson intentionally walked Vlad and was replaced by Andrew Nardi to face Daulton Varsho, who he struck out to preserve the lead.

Mason Fluharty started the sixth. He hit Jakob Marsee, but got a fly out from Connor Norby and then some help when Marsee way overshot the bag stealing second and was easily tagged out. Heriberto Hernandez single to replace the base runner, though, and John Schneider called on Jeff Hoffman, who caught Hernandez stealing third after having successfully stolen second. With one out in the bottom half, Okamoto took his revenge for the HBP by taking Nardi deep to the opposite field for a solo home run, putting Toronto in front 2-1.

Hoffman returned for the seventh. Christopher Morel singled, but it was erased when pinch runner Esteury Ruiz was caught stealing second. He got the next batter swinging. Edwards notched his third hit of the afternoon, but another K got Hoffman through with the lead held. John King worked a clean home half of the inning for the Marlins.

Otto Lopez collected his fourth hit of the afternoon off Louis Varland to begin the eighth. That brought his tally to 75 on the year, leading the league by eight over teammate Xavier Edwards. Kyle Stowers follwoed with a ground ball single of his own. Varland fielded a chopper by the next batter himself and almost threw it away into centre field. Andres Gimenez made a game saving catch to record one out and hold the lead runner at third. He then struck Norby out and got Stowers, the runner on first, hung up halfway to second on a delayed steal for an inning ending double play. Pete Fairbanks set the Jays down in order.

It fell to Tyler Rogers to lock down the one run save. He made it look easy, getting through a 1-2-3 inning on seven pitches.

Jays of the Day: Okamoto (0.18), Lukes (0.13), Gausman (0.14), Hoffman (0.12), Varland (0.13), Rogers (0.16)

Less So: Varsho (-0.13)

It’s off to Baltimore for a four game set beginning tomorrow. Patrick Corbin (2-1, 3.86) will start the opener for the Jays. The Orioles haven’t announced pitchers yet. First pitch is set for 6:35pm ET.

Well. Gavin Williams was great today! Not in the way he normally is, but he pitched to contact and managed to put together 7 great innings of 1-run ball. Something interesting to note with him these last two starts is his pitch usage. Both of his last two starts have been caught by Hedges, and both have featured uncharacteristically high breaking ball-usage. Against the Phillies, he threw nearly 70% curveball/sweeper, and only went to his 4-seam 11% of the time. He instead threw his sinker 25% of the time. His sweeper had a 62% whiff rate in that start. In the 3 starts preceding that, his fastball was getting killed. He re-introduced his cutter which partially helped, but the sweeper/curveball usage drove down the quality of contact allowed on his 4-seam. That pattern continued today. Gavin was 47% curveball/sweeper today, almost 50% of the time the first time through the order. Felt like he didn’t have great feel for either today, which would explain the decreased usage. Nevertheless, Gavin was fantastic today. He provided a start the Guardians bullpen desperately needed after two abhorrent performances from Bibee and Cantillo in the two days prior. To refresh your memory, those two combined for 5 innings and 11 (eleven) earned runs allowed.

Gavin’s only run came off a C.J. Abrams 2-out RBI double in the 3rd on a, well, questionable 0-2 fastball call from Hedges. The offense finally seemed to wake up today, going 10/32 as a unit with 3 walks to 2 strikeouts.

Bazzana was fantastic, going 2/4 with 2 laced doubles to center. He nearly added a homer to that line, but was robbed by James Wood.

DeLauter (hopefully) is waking up, as he went 2/4 with an unlucky lineout to right in the 1st.

The metaphorical floodgates finally opened up for the Guardians in the 5th with this sequence to both score and give the Guardians the lead.

Herrin struck out two in his only inning of work and walked none.

Cade got BABIP’d in the 9th, unfortunately giving up a run. However, he struck out the last two Nationals after that run scored to close out the game.

The Guardians improve to 33-25 as Boston comes to town for a 3-game set this weekend.

It’ll be Bello vs. Cecconi on Friday.

Game Summary

Over the last three games, the Brewers served a stinging reminder to these upstart Cardinals about who is boss in the NL Central and provided a guidepost on how much more this team has to accomplish on the rebuild path.

The Cardinals reach the 1/3 point of the season with a better-than-expected 29-25 win-loss mark but somehow seems like their vibe has been misplaced.

Today, Dustin May brought his best, taking a no-hitter into the eighth. Two hits chased him, then JoJo Romero relieved, but defensive gaffes complicated the inning and let two runs in, resulting in a final score of 2-1.

Pre-game notes

• The standard line-up with Pages catching and RHP on the mound.
• May on the mound for the Cardinals. Patrick on the mound for the Brewers. This will be a pseudo-bullpen game for the Brew Crew. They will start Patrick and ride him as far as they can. Figure 3-5 innings, no more than twice through. Patrick has been very effective in short stints.
• Day off tomorrow, then struggling Cubs comes to town. Blogger Night on Saturday.

The early innings are quiet, with lots of early swings and few walks

The Cardinals go quick to lead out the game. The league is getting Wetherholt out with early-in-the-count fastballs at the top of the zone that he likes to swing at but can’t drive. Lots of pop outs is the consequence. With all the P4 and F9’s he is accumulating, I’m guessing he is trying to jerk/pull these pitches since he experienced some early HR success. He will need to let these go early in the count and put more pressure on the pitcher. The Cardinals put multiple runners on in the 2nd and 3rd but could not cash in.

On the other side, Dustin May came out sharp, benefitting from the getaway day, swing early and swing often approach employed by many. Through three innings he had allowed zero hits and compiled five strikeouts. The only runners to reach were by HBP and a catcher’s interference.

The Cardinals jump on top as May sails

The Brewers are able to carry Patrick through four innings. In the fourth, the Brewers elected to leave him in to pitch to a LH hitter (Torres) with two out and one on (Walker) and Torres drove one into the corner to break the ice with a two-out RBI triple. Pages K’s the strand that runner, but the Cardinals were up 1-0. Patrick ended up striking out the side. The Brewers effectively traded a run for an out. When you are good, you can do that.

May follows up the Cardinal rally with another zero in the fourth, with two more strikeouts. He has been a bit sharper with command and a tick higher with velo today. Tough AB for the Brewers. 54 pitches through indicates his efficiency, which has not been a feature often so far this season.

The dreaded middle innings arrive

The Brewers take Patrick out after 4 IP, replacing with a lefty, Shane Drohan. The Brewers bullpen is good and well rested, so they are in good shape there. The Cardinals waste a double by Wetherholt as the left-left match-up against Burleson was not a good one.

Lately, as the Cardinals try to stretch their starters through six (against better lineups), they continue to suffer the third time through the line-up (TTTTLU) fate. Really, they aren’t losing games here, but they are putting them out of reach. It remains to be seen if they successfully climb the innings mount or are forced to lean more heavily on an under-manned bullpen.

Of course, May defeats any TTTTLU talk by pitching well. What an interesting twist! First Cardinal starter to pitch into the eighth.

The decisive and bitter end

May’s no -no ended with a lead off double in the eighth. A bunt single misplayed by the infield results in first and third with no out. Romero in. He gets a key infield out that freezes the runner and then a K against pinch hitter Vaughn. Left-left matchup against Yelich results in a two-out RBI to tie. Things worsened when Winn boots a grounder, scoring the winning run instead of ending the inning. Ugh.

Winn gets on and steals second in the ninth but the bottom of the line-up is unable to cash in. Final score 2-1. Swept.

Post-Game Notes

• Check out Today on the Farm – Wednesday 5/27 for updates on MiLB action.
• One thing is for certain. The Brewers can pitch.
• Today, some really poor ABs, especially with runners on. Winn and Burleson lead that class.
• The end of this game marks the end of the first third of the season. 54 games down, 108 of them to go (seemingly most of them in August).

Hey, universe! Let Dominic Smith get some starts! Which means, stop making the Braves face lefty starters!

In tonight’s contest, the Braves will be taking aim at a lefty starter for the fourth time in five games. You have to go back to May 4, the start of a streak where the Braves faced four righty starters in a row, to create a span where the Braves have faced more righties than lefties. The kicker? Immediately before that four-game stretch, they had to face five straight lefties. (But, there were six straight righties immediately preceding that.)

So, with Drake Baldwin still out with injury, the Braves are turning the DH slot tonight over to… Jorge Mateo. Now, Mateo isn’t exactly eating gravel down in an alley, as he has a 124 wRC+ that’s the result of massively outhitting his xwOBA. Against lefties, it’s only a 66 wRC+, but he does have a decently-sized platoon split for his career. Actual useful full disclosure:

• Mateo, vs. RHP: .403 wOBA /.325 xwOBA this year in 40 PAs | .268 wOBA / .269 xwOBA in 933 career PAs
• Mateo, vs. LHP: .266 wOBA / .281 xwOBA this year in 24 PAs | .292 wOBA / .295 xwOBA in 542 career PAs.

This will be Mateo’s first time starting at DH since his rookie season in 2020, when he did it all of one time. He’s actually “appeared” at DH a bunch due to pinch-running for slow-footed actual DHes here and there quite a bit, but he’s not really carried for his bat.

So, maybe not a very exciting DH choice, but the Braves have persevered through a lot of unexciting choices to yield exciting games, and exciting results, so far this season.

The Red Sox are using the exact same lineup as yesterday — which to their credit, worked out pretty well for them. They just got outscored.

The six guys in the Atlanta lineup that have faced Connelly Early did so two weekends ago in Atlanta. The other three (Chadwick Tromp, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Mateo) weren’t in that lineup. Early generally pitched pretty well but for allowing dingers to Baldwin and Michael Harris II. The collective result among the starting sextet here was a .248 wOBA / .281 xwOBA in 15 PAs. Meh.

Everyone in the Boston lineup has faced Bryce Elder at least once save Nick Sogard. Some of those PAs came earlier this season, some in years past. Only Willson Contreras and Cedanne Rafaela have hit Elder particularly well: the collective line is a .262 wOBA and .263 xwOBA in 49 PAs, though only Contreras, who hit a game-winning homer off Elder in Atlanta, has more than ten PAs against the right-hander.