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It’s a trifle unlikely that a strategy of nine-up-nine-down-nine-run-inning-five-more-innings-without-a-hit will work two games in a row, so the White Sox may want to try a different form of attack today.

That approach will start against Adrian Houser, who was Chicago’s best pitcher last year — 6-2, 2.10 ERA — before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline. Houser hasn’t fared so well this season, with a 5.25 ERA and -0.6 bWAR, though he’s only given up four earned runs in 17 2/3 innings over his last three starts. The righty doesn’t strike out many (26 in 48 innings), which may present a problem for him against the Three True Outcomes members of the White Sox lineup.

At the top is Sam Antonacci, who went into the record books barely a month into his major league career last night when he became only the 11th batter to get hit by a pitch twice in one inning.

The White Sox counter with Bryan Hudson, the opener for (presumably) Erick Fedde. The southpaw sports a fine 1.57 ERA (though 1.348 WHIP), but is usually only good for one inning. Fedde is 0-4 with a 4.30 ERA and got knocked around by the Cubs last time out. They’ll face a Giants lineup that’s last in the majors in runs per game.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Central. It’ll be 63 degrees under partly sunny skies, with wind blowing from left field at 14 mph and gusts up to 23. Usual broadcast suspects.

Jays are in tough against Paul Skenes.

The Jays say that Addison Barger will start throwing and hitting tomorrow. And Tommy Nance and Joe Mantiply should start throwing tomorrow too. And Max Scherzer is throwing as well, he threw 30 pitches n the bullpen yesterday.

Go Jays Go

Being down 4-0 after the first inning put a damper in the series opener on Friday night in Milwaukee, but the Dodgers offense at least nominally threatened for most of their 5-1 loss to the Brewers.

The Dodgers batted 22 times with at least somebody on base on Friday, compared to 15 plate appearances with the bases empty. That feels weird to say in a game that the Dodgers only had three hits.

All three hits were singles, and all came with nobody out. the one non-leadoff hit was in the seventh inning, when Dalton Rushing singled after Teoscar Hernández reached on an error. Throw in six walks — three of which also led off an inning — and Max Muncy getting hit on his right wrist by a pitch, and the Dodgers had their chances, but they didn’t do much with them.

That seventh inning produced the only run for Los Angeles, with two flyouts scoring Hernández from second base. the Dodgers had one hit in 17 at=bats with anyone on base on Friday, and no hits in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Logan Henderson pitched five scoreless innings, the 10th starting pitcher to last at least that long without giving up a run to the Dodgers this season. Only the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres, at 11 starts each, have had more such games against them.

So far this season, MLB teams bat 55.9 percent of the time with nobody on base, and 44.1 percent with someone on. Dodgers splits are similar, batting 54.6 percent of the time with nobody on base. They are fourth in MLB in plate appearances with people on base, and sixth in PA with runners in scoring position.

But that was flipped on Friday, batting just 40.5 percent of the time with no one on. It’s out of line with the other three low-hit games this season:

• April 14 vs. Mets (3 hits, 2 runs): 10 PA on base, 21 without
• April 21 at Giants (3 hits, 1 run): 13 PA on base, 23 without
• May 10 vs. Braves (2 hits, 2 runs): 10 PA on base, 26 without
• May 22 at Brewers (3 hits, 1 run): 22 PA on base, 15 without

All those opportunities on Friday led to only one run for the Dodgers, who have been held to three or fewer runs 12 times in their last 22 games. Getting to four runs has been the magic number for Los Angeles this season, winning 27 of their 29 games when scoring at least that many. They are 3-3 when scoring exactly three runs, and just 1-14 when scoring two or fewer runs.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Brewers
• Ballpark: American Family Field, Milwaukee
• Time: 4:15 p.m. PT
• TV: Fox
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Texas Rangers have claimed first baseman Blaine Crim on waivers from the Colorado Rockies, the team announced today. To make room for Crim on the active roster, the Rangers have moved pitcher Carter Baumler from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.

Crim, who turns 29 next month, was originally a 19th round pick of the Rangers back in 2019. He spent a little over a week in the majors with Texas in 2025 when the team sent Jake Burger down to AAA for a reset, and went 0 for 11 with a walk and an HBP in 13 plate appearances over 5 appearances. He was put on waivers later in the season and claimed by the Colorado Rockies. In 15 games with the Rockies last year, Crim slashed .241/.295/.556.

Crim has had a disappointing 2026 campaign thusfar, slashing .256/.339/.449 in 36 games for the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes, who play in a much more hitter-friendly environment than Round Rock. My assumption is that, given the underwhelming performance by the Rangers’ righthanded bench bats in the majors this season, and the overall lack of righthanded hitting depth in AAA, Texas saw Crim as someone who could provide from depth in that regard.

Baumler was a Rule 5 pick from the Baltimore Orioles this winter. He was left unprotected due to his having very little professional experience due to an extensive injury history. He made the Rangers out of spring training, but appeared in just four games before going on the injured list. He made three rehab appearances before being pulled off due to a rotator cuff strain.

Baumler going on the injured list doesn’t prevent him from meeting the requirements of spending the season on the major league roster for purposes of meeting the Rule 5 requirements, but he does have to spend at least 90 days on the active roster. If he does not do so, the Rule 5 restrictions would remain in place until he does spend 90 days on the active roster. Baumler spent 10 days on the active roster this year before going on the injured list, so if he spends the rest of the year on the injured list, he would have to spend 80 days on the active roster next year before he could be sent to the minors.

Mattingly drops Garcia in batting order, sticks with Turner at the top originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Over the winter, the Phillies took a $10 million gamble that Adolis Garcia would be the formidable right-handed bat that they’ve long lacked.

At the Memorial Day weekend checkpoint, Garcia hasn’t come close to being that.

He entered Saturday night’s game against Cleveland with just one hit in 35 at-bats over his previous 11 games. For the season, he was hitting .203 with four homers, 14 RBIs and a .596 OPS, which was significantly worse than the lackluster .675 OPS he registered with Texas the last two seasons. That performance fueled the Rangers’ decision not to tender him a contract over the winter.

Earlier this season, manager Don Mattingly gave struggling hitters Alex Bohm and Trea Turner a couple of days off to reset. But without “a true alternative, a guy who’d totally be an upgrade offensively,” Mattingly had Garcia in right field Saturday night. However, he dropped Garcia to eighth in the batting order, the lowest he’s hit all season.

“Just trying to get him going,” Mattingly said. “The defense in right field has been tremendous and with this pitching staff, defense is important.”

Entering Saturday, Garcia had just two extra-base hits in his previous 21 games.

“I think it’s still in there,” Mattingly said. “The last homestand, I felt like, ‘This cat’s on the way.’ He was hitting balls in the middle of the field. His outs to center field were hard. His at-bats looked better. Then he got off track a little in Boston and Pittsburgh. I feel like it’s still there. You see it. We’re trying to find it. If he can get it going, he can really help us.”

While Garcia was dropped in the order, Turner remained in the leadoff spot. Mattingly is not considering a change there, despite Turner’s .288 on-base percentage and .234 batting average.

Turner won the National League batting title at .304 last season. He had a .355 on-base percentage.

Turner lowered his chase rate to 31.2 percent last season. It has increased to 34.6 percent this season.

“Trea looks like he’s getting better,” Mattingly said. “You feel like it’s coming. It’s not like all of a sudden he forgot how to hit. He’s heading in the right direction. There’s no need to panic and put someone else there.”

Despite his faith in Turner, Mattingly made it clear the team needs more.

“If we’re going to get where we want to go, these guys have got to go,” he said. “Trea’s a big part of that, and that’s not putting undue pressure on him. But Trea’s going to have to be Trea. (Kyle) Schwarber is going to have to be himself. (Bryce) Harper is going to have to do his thing. Bohm … It’s going to take all of them to get to where we want to go.

“It’s not fantasy baseball where you can just go out and make all these deals and all of a sudden we’ve got all these guys we like. ‘Hey, I like this guy, can we get him?’ It doesn’t work like that. This is our team. We have to be the best team we can possibly be, help our guys be the best they can be, count on them and trust them.”

Worcester: L, 1-12 (BOX SCORE)

The Red Wings (Nationals AAA) had the WooSox’s number for the duration of the night, as only two Worceter batters recorded a hit (Matt Lloyd and Braiden Ward.) But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Jack Anderson got shelled, allowing six runs off nine hits including two home runs, both in the first inning, and Seth Martinez had a rough bullpen outing. It was 12-1 after six innings, and truth be told, given that Worcester was taken for sixteen hits and seven walks, it could have been uglier than that.

Portland: W, 2-1 (BOX SCORE)

John Holobetz put in six shutout innings and kept the Fightin’ Phils (Phillies AA) honest as Portland now wins their second consecutive game by a combined score of 3-1. Before I spend a paragraph on the reason you all clicked (picture below) I want to say that I kind of like John Holobetz, who some may know as the return in the Quinn Priester trade, and I think there’s a chance the 24-year-old could be an MLB level multi-innings guy within the next 12 months. His fastball touches 96 but averages around 93 so nothing too spectacular there, but it has good movement and gathers a lot of swings and misses at the top of the zone. And now, for the reason for these two runs amidst a mostly stagnant offense…

The Sea Dogs’ offense was almost entirely off the back of Franklin Arias and his two solo shots to boost his total to 10; he’s on pace to hit 30. I mean, what else is there to say? Arias has consistently had an OPS over 1.000 the entire season. He has the power the Red Sox so obviously lack this season. And yet, we don’t know yet if he can hit MLB pitching, and I think it should stay that way for at least another year. I do think Arias’ time in Double-A is over and a call up to Triple-A is overdue and I also think with Trevor Story being, well… not good, there’s no way, if you’re Craig Breslow, you look at the 2027 and beyond iteration of the roster and not figure Mayer and Arias as your infield, and that’s without even picturing where Mikey Romero goes organizationally. But, with Arias being 20, there’s no real reason to rush it and risk messing up a bonafide middle infield power hitter.

Greenville: PPD, Make Up 5/24

Today’s one-game day in Frederick, MD (Orioles High-A) remains untouched as Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader was outright cancelled following a nasty storm and Greenville will play yesterday’s game two in a double-header tomorrow starting at noon.

Salem, Game 1: W, 3-1 (F/7) (BOX SCORE)

Jay Allmer has had a tough season. He’s been touched up in Portland and Greenville and has been sent down to Low-A to re-tool, and honestly, probably to regroup. He seemed to have it figured out against the Howlers (Guardians A) as he struck out three and navigated the ship in relief on choppy offensive waters. Last year’s 16th round pick, Jason Gilman, had a really good start, allowing two hits and one run, and couldn’t get the last out for the decision win. Avinson Pinto, the shortstop who turns 19 next week, gave the team a lot to celebrate with a clutch seventh-inning long ball to put them up for good.

Salem: : L, 1-2 (F/8) (BOX SCORE)

Jose Bello pitched into the sixth and looked great, giving up three hits and just one run, but ultimately ran into some trouble in the sixth of this abbreviated contest. The game went to extras at 1-1 as just two guys in the Salem offense had knocks (Kleyver Salazar and Stanley Tucker each had two.) Nicolas De La Cruz struck out five in his two innings but, ultimately, walks did him in and he got walked off looking for the final out that would have sent the game to the ninth.

Have a skippy Saturday.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Toronto Blue Jays, May 23, 2026, 3:07 p.m. ET

Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (6-3, 2.62 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-1, 4.23 ERA)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Toronto Blue Jays looking to grab a win.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

Back in August, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. As we near the end of this month, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered? And maybe some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else?

With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-May Birthday Yankee Team.

Pitcher: Red Ruffing (May 3rd birthday post)

David Wells could be the #2 starter and Andrew Miller would be a strong option out of the bullpen, but the Hall of Famer Ruffing is the choice as the ace of the May team. Ruffing was a star on the mound for six Yankees’ championship teams and was the result of probably the second best ever Yankees’ trade with the Red Sox.

Catcher: Yogi Berra (May 12th birthday post)

Considering he’s probably the catcher on the overall all-time Yankees’ team, yes obviously Yogi gets the start for this team too. The man has a World Series ring for all 10 fingers. Sure, the infrastructure of MLB was obviously quite different than it is now, and there’s a chance if Yankees’ teams of that era had to go through the amount of playoff rounds you have to now, they could’ve been upset a couple times. Still, though, 10 rings, just think about that.

First Base: Miguel Cairo (May 4th birthday post)

Not a ton of obvious candidates for first base for May, so we’ll stick the quintessential utility man Cairo there. He did play 39 games at first across his two stints with the Yankees.

Second Base: Billy Martin (May 16th birthday post)

We’re making Billy pull double duty, as he’s going to be player-manager for the May team. Martin said “I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest.” at his jersey retirement ceremony, which I’ve always found to be a wonderful quote.

Shortstop: Jerry Hairston

Shortstop is another position without a ton of obvious options for May, so we’re putting the 2009 championship bench extraordinaire there.

Third Base: Charlie Hayes

Chase Headley is another option to put at third, but it’s hard to go against the guy who caught the final out of the 1996 World Series. Plus, we can post the video of it!

Left Field: Bob Cerv (May 5th birthday post)

Cerv is probably best known as being the roommate of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle during the duo’s 1961 home run chase season. Sadly, his body was found in the Baltimore harbor with stab wounds, after which his union reelected him as treasurer despite his death.

PLEASE NOTE: That last sentence very much DID NOT happen, but if you can guess why I made that joke, I’ll give you a metaphorical pat on the back.

Center Field: Felipe Alou

We didn’t give Alou a birthday post, as he shares the day with Yogi, who’s a bit more important in Yankee history. However, the longtime MLB manager and father of current Yankees’ third base coach Luis Rojas did have a stint as a player in the Bronx.

Right Field: Bobby Murcer (May 20th birthday post)

The longtime outfielder and broadcaster is one of the most popular figures in Yankees’ history who never ended up winning a ring.

Designated Hitter: Reggie Jackson (May 18th birthday post)

The flipside of that is Jackson, who didn’t have a long Yankees’ career in the grand scheme of things, but he packed some big moments into it. We just have to worry about the interactions with his May manager/teammate over at second base.