Posts

Posted on

Amed Rosario hits two of Yankees' six homers in 15-1 rout of Royals

The Yankees smashed six home runs and Cam Schlittler was strong through six innings in their 15-1 win over the Royals in Kansas City on Tuesday night.

It's the Yankees' third win in a row and 13th straight victory over the Royals, including the postseason. New York's 24 hits are a season high, with every starter getting at least two base knocks, the first time in franchise history that has occurred. It's the most hits the Yankees had in a single game since 2011. 

Here are the takeaways....

-Going up against an opener, the Yankees made the Royals pay. Cody Bellinger opened up the scoring again with his eighth homer of the season, launching a two-out solo shot in the first on a slider over the heart of the plate from Bailey Falter.

After a Paul Goldschmidt double, Ben Rice hit a sharp liner toward Jac Caglianone in right field, who could not maintain control of the ball. It was initially called an out, but Aaron Boone challenged and it was overturned, allowing Goldschmidt to score. 

Amed Rosario made the Royals pay with a two-run bomb that went 420 feet into the fountain in left center field to put the Yankees up 4-0.

-Anthony Volpe launched his first homer of the season in the second, a 409-foot blast that went 103 mph to straightaway center. It's his first regular season homer since Aug. 29 of last year. Volpe finished 3-for-6 with two RBI. 

-The Yankees would pour on four more runs in the third thanks to RBI from Volpe, Trent Grisham and Bellinger. Aaron Judge's double in the fifth pushed the Yankees' lead to 10-1. Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added solo homers in the seventh and eighth, respectively. 

Rosario would launch his second homer of the game in the ninth off shortstop Tyler Tobert to put the Yankees up 15-1. 

-The offensive onslaught was more than enough for Schlittler. The young right-hander tossed just 77 pitches but got through six innings, allowing just one hit on four hits. His one mistake was a Bobby Witt Jr. homer back in the third inning. 

Schlittler struck out six batters and has now gone at least 6.0 innings in his last four starts (2-1). 

Ryan Yarbrough mopped up the rest of the innings, pitching three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. 

Game MVP: Amed Rosario

Rosario's two-run bomb in the first inning made the Royals pay and gave the Yankees the breathing room for Schlittler to do his thing.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees and Royals wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m.

Gerrit Cole will make his second start this season and go up against Noah Cameron (2-3, 4.72 ERA).

Posted on

The Yankees beat the Royals by so many runs I lost count

May 26, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bailey Falter (36) looks on after giving up two-run home run to New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario (14) in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

One of my pet theorems about the Kansas City Royals franchise and their fans is that nobody really knows what winning looks like, what good players look like. It’s a point of view naturally warped by decades of mediocrity punctuated by brief seasons of excitement. Tonight, the New York Yankees crushed the Royals 15-1 and notched a hilarious 24 hits in a farce of a game that was never close.

There’s not much of a story to this one, really. The Royals, down a couple of starting pitchers and bereft of any legitimate arms in the upper minors to help, made this a bullpen game. One week ago, I sat in the press box and wrote about a game wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes. Tonight, I type this sitting in the press box and am writing about a game being wrecked by Bailey Falter and The Bullpen Dudes once again.

Falter’s first inning was one of the worst innings I think I’ve ever seen. No, he didn’t give up nine runs in a frame like Edinson Volquez did in 2016 or 10 runs like Vin Mazarro’s fourth inning disaster in 2011, but it was frankly a miracle he didn’t give up more. And that’s because, well, just look at this:

Seven batted balls. An average—average!!!—exit velocity of 104 MPH. Not a single ball had an expected batting average of less than .460, and that one was the home run. Just an absolute embarrassment. Four runs scored.

Now, to be somewhat fair to Falter, he should have been out of it with just Cody Bellinger’s solo home run on the board. Two batters later, Ben Rice hit a sinking line drive to right field. Jac Caglianone had a bead on it but jogged it down instead of ran it down, barely catching the ball with his glove touching the ground.

But the Yankees challenged. They thought the ball touched the ground in the course of the catch, and the MLB replay officials agreed. That ended up scoring Paul Goldschmidt and led to two more runs.

Falter managed to squeeze through the second inning with only one additional run given up, but the Yankees tagged him (and reliever Luinder Avila) for another four runs in the third. Just look at this beautiful pitching from Falter:

The Yankees ended up with a whopping 11 batted balls off Falter at more than 100 MPH, tagging Avila with two more. Stephen Cruz later gave up a 103.9 MPH home run from Trent Grisham. Eli Morgan gave a 107.3 MPH homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. It was a bloodbath.

The Royals bats were, as you might expect, silent. Kansas City didn’t get shut out thanks to a laser beam opposite-field homer from Bobby Witt Jr., in a sort of “Chris Paul hits a huge 3 to cut the lead to 42” sort of way. It was his second consecutive day with a home run. His wRC+ is up to 135. That’s nice.

The rest of the game happened, but it was over in the first inning, unfortunately. Despite the conditions, the sizable crowd remained jovial throughout. I’m sure that was because of the significant count of Yankees fans; during the “root, root root for the TEAM NAME” section of the seventh-inning stretch, the volume of the words “Yankees” and “Royals” was identical.

But this goes back, I think, to my initial statement a few hundred words ago. Royals fans are so used to losing that they didn’t seem particularly phased by the drubbing. Despite getting totally pantsed by a team that most Royals fans despise, the only notable boos were reserved for Jazz Chisholm (warranted) and varying calls by the officiating crew (maybe warranted, depending on your opinion of the Cags drop call). Now, it was indeed a lovely night at the ballpark with absolutely perfect weather, and Lord knows there are enough angry Royals fans on the internet to make up for the chill vibes at Kauffman tonight. And yet I simply can’t imagine Yankees fans in the Bronx suffering a game like this without being ticked about it, and I can’t imagine St. Louis Cardinals fans just sitting around if the Cubs were dominating at Busch Stadium.

At one point there was this, I guess? It was a Vinnie bobblehead night.

Anyway, it’s easy to chalk a game like this up to a pitching mismatch—Yankees starter Cam Schlittler has been the best pitcher in the American league, after all—and to just shake a game like this off. Some of tonight’s result was because the Royals put in Tyler Tolbert in to pitch the ninth inning, so like, ok. But the truth of the matter is that this is simply the result of a talent difference. The Yankees are a good team. The Royals are not.

The Royals are 22-33. They are not coming back from this.

Posted on

25-29 – Prideful Rangers punish Astros 10-7

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 26: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the first inning during the game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kelcee Skoug/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Houston Astros scored seven runs.

Tonight’s starter for Houston Jason Alexander must feel like the biggest chump alive. After the Rangers nearly experienced a perfect game against them in Anaheim two games ago, and then saw these Astros toss a no-hitter against them last night, Alexander had to have been eager for the chance to face Texas.

If you were wondering if maybe the Rangers felt a little embarrassed by want transpired last night, I think the first inning tonight provided a decent answer. Alexander got an out to start the game and then ten more Rangers stepped up to the plate before he got the third out of the inning.

Before the final out of that fateful first frame the Rangers had collected five hits and scored eight runs. It was the most runs scored in the first inning at home in The Shed’s history, the most for Texas since 2004, the first time they’d scored eight or more in a first inning at all since 2012, and the most runs scored in the first inning following a no-hitter since 1905.

Brandon Nimmo’s one-out single was Texas’ first hit of the series and before the first inning had concluded, the lineup had combined to hit for the cycle with an Ezequiel Duran double, Evan Carter triple, and a two-out Joc Pederson three-run dinger to act as the exclamation mark in Pederson’s second at-bat of the inning.

We will ignore the fact that the Rangers only got one baserunner after the first inning until a ninth inning insurance run and that the Astros scored seven of the game’s final nine runs. Instead, we will celebrate the fact that for tonight, the first inning didn’t kill the Rangers and now they have a shot at a series win taking a lead in this series tomorrow night.

Player of the Game: After last night’s no show, only three Rangers regulars didn’t have a hit tonight with only two of them failing to reach base. However, it was Carter who produced a team-high three hits as he finished a double shy of the cycle following his sixth home run of the year.

Up Next: The Rangers and Astros close out this play the third game in this series with RHP Jacob deGrom on the mound for Texas opposite RHP Mike Burrows for Houston.

The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

Posted on

Flashback Five Years: Islanders Close Out Penguins

Five years ago today, May 26, the New York Islanders polished off their first-round upset of the-then division champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Nassau Coliseum shook as hard as it did in the glory days of the 1980s as the Islanders marched on.

Rookie sensation goaltender Ilya Sorokin led the way, dominating the Penguins in Games 1, 4, and 5 before a shaky start to Game 6 saved by his team picking him up.

Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, and Anthony Beauvillier torched the Penguins in the series and especially in Game 6.

Nelson scored twice in the second period, while assisting on Beauvillier's first period tally. Josh Bailey notched two assists, including a jaw-dropping slap-pass assist to Nelson.

The Islanders trailed three separate times in Game 6, but never once backed down.

Ryan Pulock scored the game and series-winning goal in the second period.

Sorokin went 4-0 in the series, including making 48 saves in Game 5 in Pittsburgh to give the Islanders a chance to close out the Penguins in Nassau Coliseum.

Posted on

Dodgers prospect suffers freak knee injury while dodging team’s bat dog

The Los Angeles Dodgers organization might be down one of its most intriguing prospects, and in one of the most bizarre fashions you'll ever see.

Outfielder Kendall George, one of the fastest players in the minor leagues and one who has drawn comparisons to Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays, suffered a knee injury with Double-A Tulsa while trying to avoid the team's bat dog on May 25, according to a report by The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya and Jesús Cano.

Per the article, George underwent imaging on May 26 and though the team is currently awaiting the official results, initial testing reportedly didn't bring optimism.

George scored from second on a Josue De Paula single in the second inning of the Drillers' 14-8 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, but had to jump out of the way as he returned to the dugout to avoid the bat dog, which came out to retrieve De Paula's bat. George landed on his left foot, but a replay showed him immediately jump back up after his right foot landed. He was visibly upset after and slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration as he limped the rest of the way to the dugout.

George, the Dodgers' No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America and 13th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, was having a stellar start to the season at Double-A, hitting .333 with an .841 OPS through 43 games.

Though lacking power with just four home runs in his four years in the pros, George excels at making groundball contact and reaching base with his blazing 80-grade speed that helped him swipe 100 bases with High-A Great Lakes in 2025, making him the fourth minor leaguer in the last 20 years to reach triple digits.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers prospect Kendall George injures knee trying to avoid bat dog

Posted on

Division Leading Brewers Put Cardinals in their Place – Beat St. Louis 6-0

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 26: Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers flips his bat while hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on May 26, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

By any measure, the St. Louis Cardinals have overachieved this season. Their trip to Milwaukee would be viewed by many as a measuring stick to determine how competitive this young team is compared to the NL Central division leaders. If the first two games are the measuring stick, the answer is not very as the Brewers hammered the Cardinals again Tuesday night shutting out St. Louis 6-0.

Michael McGreevy gave the St. Louis Cardinals a reasonable start for the first 4 innings, but he received no run support and the 5th inning would be his undoing as it has been for many of the St. Louis starters lately. You won’t see any offensive highlights from the Cardinals here, but the Brewers provided more than their share. The first would come in the bottom of the 4th inning when Michael McGreevy made one too many mistakes to Jake Bauer who crushed a 394 foot solo home run into the right field seats giving the Brewers their first lead at 1-0.

The infamous 5th inning would be one that Michael McGreevy would not finish. It started with a Christian Yelich double followed by walks to Chourio and Turang to load the bases. William Contreras would quickly unload them when he blasted a double to the right-center field wall upping the Brewer lead to 3-0. That would end Michael McGreevy’s night with his final stat line being 4 innings allowing 7 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3 giving up 5 earned runs. That final earned run would cross the plate when Ryan Fernandez started his relief effort by giving up a 3-run bomb to Garrett Mitchell that traveled 421 feet careening off the center field overhang giving Milwaukee a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Cardinals bats made Brewers starter Kyle Harrison look like Cy Young. To his credit, he pitched well throwing 6 complete innings allowing a measly 4 hits and no earned runs to St. Louis with no walks and two strikeouts.

One minor subplot late in the game was Abner Uribe’s exaggerated gesture after he struck out Alec Burleson (confirmed strike on appeal). The managers apparently discussed the issue in between innings. Quite possible we’ll be hearing more about this in the near future.

The Cardinals will try to avoid a sweep Wednesday afternoon when Dustin May takes the mound for St. Louis. The Brewers starter is to be determined at this point. First pitch at American Family Field in Milwaukee is set for 12:40pm central time and the game will be watchable on Cardinals.tv.

Posted on

Offence Arrives, Jays Drub Marlins 8-1

May 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jesus Sanchez (12) hits a grand slam home run and celebrates with first baseman Lenyn Sosa (50) gainst the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

That was a little better. Spencer Miles continues to impress, stretching out to 4.1 innings this time while stifling the Marlins offence with a steady stream of induced ground balls. The offence was distributed, with seven Jays sharing the 12 hits and three different guys going deep.

Braydon Fisher worked as the opener today. Otto Lopez hit a grounder to Kazuma Okamoto at third that Okamoto threw away. It was initially called a two base error but eventually revised to a hit and an error. Ultimately it didn’t matter, as Fisher got out of the inning without Lopez advancing farther.

Spencer Miles took over beginning in the second. He walked lead off man Connor Norby, but retired the next nine Marlins in order, racking up three strikeouts. Jakob Marsee was the next fish to reach, with a ground ball single across the shift to lead off the fifth. Marsee stole second and took third when Brandon Valenzuela’s throw skipped into centre field. An infield single by Heriberto Hernandez plated the Marlins’ first run of the night. A Santoja line single put two on, but a trio of ground outs got him out of the jam with the lead.

Miles would face one batter to being the sixth, getting Lopez to ground out. He went 4.1 innings as the bulk guy, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. Adam Macko took the reins and retired the next two batters.

The offence, meanwhile, was on Sandy Alcantara. He was also on them, hitting four batters. George Springer and Daulton Varsho opened the first with back to back singles. Those two runners were stranded, but Ernie Clement got Toronto on the board in the bottom of two, leading off with a homer that was the highest pitch hit out of the park in the majors this season. Clement also has the lowest, which is on brand. They added a second run in the third. Varsho got his second hit of the night, and Jesus Sanchez moved him to third with a double off the centre field wall. Kazuma Okamoto hit a hard grounder that ate up third baseman Javier Santoja and deflected into left field for an RBI single. They went quietly in the fourth.

Alcantara hit Springer with a high change up in the fifth, and then one batter alter spiked a curveball off Sanchez’ toe. He got Okamoto swinging to prevent the Jays from capitalizing, though.

They broke it open in the bottom of the sixth. Yohendrick Pinango lead off with a home run. Two batters later, Valenzuela singled, Lenyn Sosa was hit by a pitch, Springer singled to drive Valenzuela home, Varsho walked to load the bases, and Sanchez emptied them with a grand slam lined into the second deck in right field. That made it 8-1, a score that would stand the rest of the way. Alcantara hit his final batter, Okamoto, and was finally pulled from the game. I don’t think any of it was intentional. There’s no bad blood between these teams, and all of the pitches were off speed or breakers. Still, the Jays earned their eight set the hard way today.

Cade Gibson punched out Pinango to end the sixth. Yariel Rodriguez worked a clean seventh, while Gibson worked around a Valenzuela single in the bottom half of that inning and a Springer hit in the bottom of eight. Tanner Andrews finished it out for the Jays, giving up an infield single in the eighth and a pair of walks in the ninth but punching out Hernandez for his first career MLB strikeout to end the game.

Jays of the Day: Miles (0.15), Springer (0.11), Sanchez (0.11)

Less so: Nobody!

The series wraps up tomorrow with a day game at 1:07pm et. Eury Perez (3-6, 4.91) will go for the Marlins, while Kevin Gausman (4-3, 3.23) reps the Jays.

Posted on

Dodgers vs. Rockies game VI chat

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 14, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) in the dugout during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on May 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Eric Lauer makes his Dodgers debut.

Tuesday game info
  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
  • Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
  • Time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

  • Fewer ads
  • Create community posts
  • Comment on articles, community posts
  • Rec comments, community posts
  • New, improved notifications system!
Posted on

Braves offense strikes hot to take close win over Red Sox

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 26: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves reacts afgter hitting 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 take the win against the Boston Red Sox 7-6 at Fenway Park, in an ending that came eerily close; the offensive production woke up when it mattered.

After giving up two back-to-back homers in the bottom of the first to Boston’s Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela (2-0), Spencer Strider held the Red Sox to those two runs in his five innings pitched on three hits, also walking three batters and getting five strikeouts with 11 total whiffs.

Atlanta didn’t go scoreless for long, when Matt Olson hit a two-run homer over the green monster to drive in Mauricio Dubón to tie the score (2-2).

Posted on

Becky Hammon doubles down on polarizing Jalen Brunson Knicks take — but willing to being ‘proven wrong’

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Head Coach Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 23, 2026 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Image 2 shows New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11, reacts after hitting a 3-point shot in the 1st quarter, Image 3 shows New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11)and the Eastern Conference Finals trophy on the table during a post game press conference
Hammon Brunson Knicks

The Knicks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, a fact that probably wouldn’t have been possible without Jalen Brunson.

But that doesn’t seem to be enough for Becky Hammon to change her stance on him. At least not yet.

The Las Vegas Aces head coach told reporters Tuesday that she is ready to be “proven wrong” about Brunson after previously saying he didn’t measure up to be a “1A dude.”

Jalen Brunson reacts after hitting a 3-point shot in the first quarter of the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals on May 25, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“I speak from experience,” Hammon said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong. That’s the other thing, I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player. I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don’t know why everybody’s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.

“I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”

In December 2023, during an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Hammon, the former WNBA star player who has won three of the past four titles as a coach, said the Knicks were stuck in the second tier of teams that didn’t have quite enough to win an NBA championship. Part of that, according to Hammon, was that Brunson — listed at 6-foot-2 — was not the caliber of star needed to reach the next level.

“They don’t have enough personnel, they don’t have the manpower that they need to hang with those guys,” Hammon said then. “I think you’re going to get a consistent team like they’ve been, they’re a pretty good team.

“They’re, they’re well-coached, they’re going to be on their defensive game, but at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude. You gotta have a dude, you gotta have a 1A dude and they’re missing that at the end of the day if we’re just getting down to brass tacks.”

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon looks on during their loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on May 23, 2026 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. NBAE via Getty Images

Since then, the Brunson-led Knicks — with two different head coaches (Tom Thibodeau and Mike Brown) — have reached the playoffs three times, twice getting to the Eastern Conference finals and breaking through to get to the NBA Finals this year.

Brunson has averaged 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game in this postseason and scored more than 30 points twice in the four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the conference finals, including a 38-point effort in the Knicks’ historic Game 1 comeback. He took home MVP honors for the series.

Jalen Brunson and the Eastern Conference Finals trophy on the table during a post game press conference. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“The belief that the organization has in me has been amazing, and something I don’t take for granted, and something not a lot of people get the opportunity to do,” Brunson said after clinching the finals berth. “So I’m very thankful. It’s an honor to be here in this city for this organization with my teammates.”

Posted on

Baz deals and Rays infield flubs in O’s win 6-1

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 26: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates after recording a strikeout against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Shane Baz impressed, and the Orioles took advantage of a bad night for the Rays infield. It all added up to a 6-1 O’s win on Tuesday night at Camden Yards

This game sure didn’t feel like a winning performance out of the gate. Shane Baz, facing his old teammates, got into some trouble early. Chandler Simpson led off the game with a double, and then came in to score moments later on a Jonathan Aranda single into right field.

That easily could have been a situation that snowballed into an even deeper ditch that may have proved impossible for the Orioles to dig out of. Instead, Baz got a double play off the bat of Richie Palacios to end the frame, and was dynamite from there on out.

From the second through the seventh innings, Baz allowed a handful of baserunners on singles and walks, but would work his way out of trouble each time. That was despite not having his best stuff. His fastball was down half a tick on the radar gun, but his whiff rate was right around where it normally sits at 21% in this one. The final line is a good one: seven innings, seven hits, one run, two walks, and nine strikeouts. His season ERA dropped for the third straight start, now at 4.48 on the year.

The Orioles offense showed some fight as well. They were outhit by the Rays 9-7, but they took advantage of their opportunities, going 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Three of their runs came in a wacky second inning. Samuel Basallo reached on an error by Rays starter Grffin Jax. Leody Taveras added injury to the insult by smacking a line drive off of Jax’s back to give the O’s two runners on with no outs. The Rays staff came out to check on Jax. He remained in the game though he would exit at the conclusion of this inning. Not before Jeremiah Jackson loaded the bases. Then, it seemed Jax had worked his way out the jam with a grounder up the middle, made to be a double play. Instead, the second baseman Palacios bobbled the grounder and got no outs at all. Jackson Holliday cashed in with an RBI single before Taylor Ward drove in the third run of the inning with a sac fly to center.

The Baltimore bats picked back up in the fifth inning. Holliday led off with a single, and then got to second on a Gunnar Henderson grounder that was bungled yet again by the Tampa defense. Palacios had fielded the ball cleanly and fed to Oliver Dunn covering the bag at second base. Dunn then threw to first but couldn’t retire the speedy Henderson for the twin killing. It seemed like a routine fielder’s choice, but the O’s video review crew noticed that Dunn’s foot was off the bag when he received Palacios’ throw. Craig Albernaz challenged and the call on the field was overturned, giving the good guys two runners on with just one out. That would come back to a bite a few batters later when Samuel Basallo launched a 405-foot homer to right center field, extending the Orioles lead to 6-1.

Outside of the two innings where they scored runs, the Orioles offense was rather quiet. Taveras and Holliday were the only two O’s with more than one out, and Basallo’s homer was their only extra-base knock. But if you score six runs in a game, you are going to win more than you are going to lose. And that was exactly the case tonight.

The bullpen did its job as well. Grant Wolfram allowed two hits but managed to work a scoreless eighth inning. And then Andrew Kittredge looked good in the ninth, retiring the Rays in order and recording a strikeout in the process. Getting both of them right will be key to returning this ‘pen back to the form we saw in April.

This was a relatively low-stress game from the Orioles perspective. For once, the bone-headed fielding mistakes and the fluky injuries were happening to the other team. We’ll take it.

Baz is the story of the game. The Orioles made a big investment in him this offseason. First, they traded a haul of prospects to a division rival in order to get him in the organization, and then they inked him to an extension. Considering all of that, they need him to be a frontline starter. Over the last few trips through the rotation, he has finally looked the part. The length and quality of his most recent outings has been impressive. Hopefully there’s more on the way.

This game earned the Orioles a series win against the current beasts of the AL East. That’s big. It’s now the second time this Orioles team has bounced back from disastrous showings the first time they face a division opponent to be much better the second time around. First it was the Yankees and now the Rays. Maybe there’s something to that.

Another win tomorrow would give them a sweep. That would be neat. First pitch of the series finale is set for 6:35 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to confirm a starter while the Rays have committed to Steven Matz for the evening. Trey Gibson could be in line for the start. He is with the team as a member of the taxi squad.

Most Birdland Player

Presented for your consideration, here are the nominees for Most Birdland Player on May 26, 2026:

  • Shane Baz (win, seven innings, one run, nine strikeouts)
  • Samuel Basallo (three-run homer, two runs scored)

Who do you think is worthy of the honor? Let us know in the comments!

Posted on

Washington Nationals use early offense to win the series and get two games over .500

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 25: James Wood #29 and Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals celebrate a solo home run hit by Wood during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Gosh, this team is truly a breath of fresh air. The Nats won their 4th straight game, and are now two games over .500. I am truly starting to believe that this team is good, and boy is that crazy to think about given the preseason expectations. Truly though, why not the Nats?!

As they did against Tanner Bibee last night, the Nats immediately put pressure on Guardians starter Joey Cantillo. Despite not scoring in the first inning, the Nats forced Cantillo to throw 29 pitches and show them the whole arsenal. That got them ready for the second inning, and boy were they ready. 

Daylen Lile and Jacob Young got on to start the second inning. Then, after a wild pitch, the pressure was truly on for Cantillo. With the infield forced in, Keibert Ruiz chopped a high pitch through the infield to drive in two runs. There was still only one out, and the pitch count was piling up for the Guardians southpaw.

Speaking of Ruiz, this was another really nice game for him. He got two hits to raise his average to .262 and his OPS to .763. We wrote about Ruiz’s resurgence yesterday, and thankfully we did not jinx the Nats catcher.

However, these Nats were far from done in the second. The next batter was James Wood, the crown jewel of this special lineup. Wood absolutely destroyed a Joey Cantillo changeup, and made it 4-0 in the blink of an eye.

This Nats offense has been striking insanely quickly these past couple of games, and really all season. You are never safe facing this team. Wood and Abrams are always lurking. Even when it is not those guys, Curtis Mead and Daylen Lile can also come through with big hits.

Right now, James Wood is in the middle of one of his patented heaters. He is seeing the ball so well at the moment. Wood already has 7 hits and 2 homers in this series. For the season, Wood has a .276 batting average and a .964 OPS with 15 home runs. Those are totally absurd numbers. After a slow second half last year, he is getting back to that super star level.

The Nats forced Cantillo out of the game after just two innings. It is crazy to see the devastation this offense can inflict on pitchers, especially early in games. Almost every game we see that graphic that the Nats lead the league in first inning runs. Today, it was the second inning, but just like Tanner Bibee yesterday, Cantillo left shaking his head.

However, the biggest key to the Nats recent success has not been the offense, which has been great all season. Now, the Nats pitchers are stepping up their game as well. Cade Cavalli was on the mound tonight, and he fired his third straight quality start. Cavalli is starting to turn into a work horse for the Nats who can consistently give them six innings.

Tonight, he mainly relied on his bread and butter, which is his fastball/curveball mix. The heater averaged over 97 and got up to 99 on several occasions. His curve also had a ton of power and bite. On the night, he went six innings, with seven strikeouts to just two walks.

Cavalli has gotten his season ERA down to 3.62. Importantly, he is allowing fewer base runners, which is letting him get deeper into games. His season WHIP of 1.41 is not great. However, his WHIP in May is down at 1.14, which is better than average. It took some time for him to get going, but we are now seeing the best of Cade Cavalli.

After that big frenzy in the second inning, the Nats offense went into a bit of a lull. That is natural for any team, as the pressure to score diminishes. Some of the Guardians relievers were also throwing the ball well. It felt at times like the Guardians were slowly creeping back into the game.

However, the Nats put the Guardians away in the top of the 9th. With two outs, Andres Chaparro delivered a clutch two out knock to score two runners. Chappy has struggled since being re-called, so seeing that success must help his confidence. While he was thrown out trying to extend it into a double, he put the finishing touches on the game.

It turned out that those insurance runs would loom large. Mitchell Parker labored in the 9th inning, allowing two runs. If that game had been 4-3 instead of 6-3, things would start to become real scary. Thankfully for Nats fans’ nerves, Chappy delivered in the top of the frame. Eventually, Parker worked his way out of the inning, and the Nats won 6-3.

I know I say it a lot, but this team is so freaking fun! This offense is absolutely electric and the pitching is coming around too. The personnel on the field has not changed that much, but the product has. You have to credit the coaching staff and the players for both putting in a ton of work. In this crazy season, why not the Nats!

Posted on

Ryan Smith is building the Jazz, Mammoth, around Utah’s identity

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - FEBRUARY 05: Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith looks on during the second half of a game against the Golden State Warriors at Delta Center on February 05, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The initial round of Ryan Smith’s Utah Jazz rebrand didn’t go according to plan. That is, unless the plan was to make Walker Kessler visible from space while simultaneously removing any concept of “design” from the team’s identity.

Utah Jazz v Brooklyn Nets

Highlighter yellow on a bed of black. The new threads in Utah were clearly hideous and universally panned as perhaps the worst primary uniforms in all of professional basketball. A harsh overcorrection from new ownership, which saw the Jazz’s seemingly endless color palette and determined that this basketball organization needed something that had been slowly fading away: identity.

They knew this, of course. In the immediate aftermath of Utah’s rebranding fiasco — a crime of fashion, if you will — the team quickly scraped together an even newer rebranding announcement: purple is back.

Thank the basketball gods for that.

Paired alongside an all-new colorway for the Jazz was an anchoring thread that desperately held the organization to its early roots. Fans hated the State of Deseret-themed yellow-and-black apparel, but couldn’t get enough of the purple alternates. The ugly rebrand was overtaken by the return of the purple mountains’ majesty, and a second round of rebranding gave way to perhaps the most beautiful set of uniforms in the entire NBA.

Purple and white, with a powder-blue accent, is a winning combination. The nerdy girl just took off her glasses, and now she’s turning heads in the hallway. Utah found its identity, and it is hot!

With this in mind, a recent quote from owner Ryan Smith caught my attention.

Recalling his conversation with Gail Miller amidst the process of purchasing Utah’s NBA franchise from its owners of 35 years, Smith shared the following:

“Gail sat us down multiple times,” Smith remembered. “A little bit like ‘buyer beware, are you guys sure you know what you’re getting into? […] I know you’re going to do it differently than us, but you care about Utah, and you’re going to keep [the Jazz] here.”

“As we’ve thought about what our ‘why’ is, and Utah is a big piece of that, and probably the biggest piece and our community. When you see the Mammoth on the screen, it says ‘Utah’ as opposed to ‘Mammoth’. […] It’s not by accident that ‘Utah’ is on the jersey. This was all thought through to the ‘why’ for us.”

There’s a reason why the Utah Mammoth hockey team displays the word “Utah” and not “Mammoth” on their uniforms — both home and away. A closer look at the Jazz’s newest round of redesigns shares that same pattern; the word “Jazz” is nowhere to be found. Ryan Smith has been effusive in his belief in the Beehive State as a national stage.

In his eyes, there is much more to Utah than the greatest snow on Earth; Utah isn’t the exclusive, impenetrable zone that larger markets like LA, New York, Miami, etc. often believe it to be.

The Jazz and Mammoth are ambassadors for a Utah community that Smith holds dear to his heart, and that community is the driving force in his teams’ identities.

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

Posted on

Angels 10, Tigers 6: Late inning implosion dooms Detroit once again

May 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Colt Keith (33) slides into safe at home in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Tigers were starting their week back home in Detroit against the Angels, hoping to carry the luck of their Sunday win along with them. To get them there, they had Keider Montero on the mound up against Jack Kochanowicz.

Things started well, with Montero getting the Angels out in order. Kevin McGonigle got the home hald going with a leadoff single, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a double play to eliminate the baserunner. A Riley Greene strikeout then ended the inning.

Jorge Soler started the second with a single, then Wade Meckler singled behind him, advancing Soler to third. Montero righted the ship and got himself out of the jam by getting the next three batters out in order. In the home half, Colt Keith hit the strangest comebacker I’ve ever seen, as the ball headed right back to the mound at Kochanowicz’s feet and the shot straight up about a sixty feet in the air, letting Keith get safely to first. Kochanowicz appeared to be okay. Spencer Torkelson was then hit by a pitch. A wild pitch from Kochanowicz advanced the runners and brought the trainers back out, because he was certainly out of sorts all of a sudden. A Zach McKinstry flyout brought Keith home and put the Tigers on the board first. They would only get the one run, but it was a good start.

Logan O’Hoppe hit a leadoff single between diving fielders to start the third. Zach Neto then walked. A one out single by Vaughn Grissom right up the middle, once again slipping by diving fielders, scored two runs and put the Angels out ahead. With two outs, Wade Meckler singled back to the mound and the Tigers were able to get the final out of the inning tagging Grissom out at the plate. In the home half, McGonigle got back on base with a one-out single. Two outs followed, leaving McGonigle stranded.

Jo Adell homered to start the fourth. With one out Donovan Walton doubled, and one out later Neto doubled to bring in another run. Montero did get the final out of the inning, but considering how well the Tigers have been doing at staging comebacks this season, I wouldn’t blame you if this was where you tapped out. Colt Keith wasn’t going to go down without a fight, though, and he hit a triple to center, sneaking it right by Mike Trout. With one out, McKinstry hit a sac fly to score Keith.

The Angels went 1-2-3 for the fifth. In the bottom of the inning Matt Vierling got a leadoff single, followed by a walk to Wenceel Perez. And I’ll be eating my words, as McGonigle came through with a triple into right, scoring both baserunners and tying up the game.

Dingler took a walk despite O’Hoppe challenging the fourth ball call. That was the end of the day for Kochanowicz, which should be good news for the Tigers, as the Angels’ bullpen is… not great. Mitch Farris came in and gave up a wild pitch to put Dingler on second. Riley Greene walked to load the bases. A pinch-hitting Jahmai Jones, brought in to face the lefty reliever, came through with a single, scoring McGonigle. Still no outs. Spencer Torkelson was very close to hitting a grand slam, coming nearly in line with the foul pole, but after review, the call was upheld. With two outs, Hao-Yu Lee came in to replace Workman, but a flyout ended the inning.

With one out in the sixth, Oswald Peraza was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Montero’s day was done and he was replaced by Brenan Hanifee. Montero’s final line for the game was 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR on 89 pitches. Not a great outing, but not his worst. Hanifee got the final out of the inning. In the home half, Perez hit a one-out home run.

McGonigle continued to be as consistent as they come, getting a walk. After the second out of the inning, a wild pitch advanced McGonigle to second, then Riley Greene walked. That was it for Farris who was replaced by José Fermin, who got the final out of the inning.

Neto singled to start the seventh. Grissom singled with one out, bumping Neto over to third. That was it for Hanifee, who was replaced by Will Vest, who battled it out and won against Soler. The final out of the inning was a very nice catch at the wall by Greene.

The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

In the eighth, Peraza got a one-out single. A groundout advanced Peraza to second, and then an O’Hoppe double (missed spectacularly by Perez in center), brought Peraza home. Neto then singled back to Vest, who was fine. Mike Trout walked to load the bases. Grissom then hit a grand slam. Tyler Holton came in to get the final out of the inning. Chase Silseth was the new Angels pitcher for the inning. The Tigers went down in order again, which isn’t really the best way to make a comeback.

Siri started the ninth with a solo home run because, sure, why not at this point? Three outs followed, and the Tigers were down to their final three outs to make something happen. Kirby Yates came in and gave up a leadoff walk to Dingler. That would be it for baserunners, though, as the Tigers then went down in order and the game was over.

Final: Angels 10, Tigers 6

Posted on

Cubs Minor League Wrap: Josiah Hartshorn moves to South Bend

Mar 24, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Josiah Hartshorn against the New York Yankees during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Some movement in the system today as outfielder Josiah Hartshorn and right-hander Mason McGwire were promoted from Low-A Myrtle Beach to High-A South Bend. Both players have been among the best performers in the Cubs minors so far this season.

Also, shortstop Alex Madera and first baseman Cameron Sisneros were promoted to Double-A Knoxville from South Bend.

Right-hander Henry Cone moves to Myrtle Beach from rookie ball Mesa.

Second baseman Nicky Lopez elected free agency.

Iowa Cubs

Off day.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were spotted by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 12-3.

Yenrri Rojas started this game and gave up three runs on two home runs in the first inning. He pitched the second and third innings without incident, retiring the side in order in both frames, but then came out to pitch the fourth inning. All six batters he faced in the sixth reached and he was pulled after the sixth one hit a two-run home run.

The final line on Rojas was nine runs on eight hits over 3+ innings. Three of those eight hits were home runs. Rojas walked two, hit one batter and struck out three.

The Smokies only managed six hits today but two of them were home runs. The first was a solo home run in the seventh inning by third baseman Jefferson Rojas. It was Rojas’ fifth home run of the season. Rojas was a perfect 2 for 2 with two walks.

The other home run came in the top of the ninth by center fielder Andy Garriola, his ninth. Garriola was 2 for 4.

Second baseman Alex Madera went 1 for 2 with an RBI single in his Double-A debut. Madera also walked once.

Here’s the Rojas home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs cleaned up the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 5-2. South Bend has won six in a row and nine of their last ten games.

It was a strong start for Alfredo Romero, who got the win after allowing just one run on four hits over 5.2 innings. Romero struck out two and walked one.

Jackson Brockett went the rest of the way for the 3.1 inning save. He also allowed just one run on three hits. Brockett struck out five and walked one.

Both TinCaps runs scored on solo home runs by Jake Cunningham.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a sacrifice fly in his first High-A at-bat. Later on, he hit an RBI double off the left field wall for his first South Bend hit. Hartshorn finished the game going 1 for 2 with a walk and the sacrifice fly. He scored once and had the two runs batted in. Those were also the only two South Bend RBI for the game, as the other three runs scored either on one of two double plays or an error.

Center fielder Kade Snell went 1 for 2 with a double before leaving the game after colliding with second baseman Miguel Olivo. I don’t have any report on Snell’s condition but he was back in the dugout before the end of the game.

Olivo was 1 for 2 and was hit by a pitch.

Here’s Hartshorn’s sac fly. It really could have been a double.

And here is Hartshorn’s actual double that was a few feet shy of a home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were strafed by the Wilson Warbirds (Brewers), 4-1. It was the Pelicans ninth-straight loss.

Pierce Coppola didn’t have a bad start, but he got tagged with the loss anyways. Coppola allowed two runs on three hits over four innings. One of those hits was a solo home run. Coppola struck out eight and walked one, which is impressive. Coppola has now struck out 28 batters and walked six over 17 innings.

The only Birds run came on a solo home run in the eighth inning by right fielder Eli Lovich. Lovich had four of Myrtle Beach’s eight hits, going 4 for 4 with a double and the home run.

Three of the other four hits came from DH Edward Vargas. Vargas was 3 for 4.

Lovich’s home run.

Some Coppola highlights.

ACL Cubs

Lost to the Brewers, 10-6.

Will Sanders started this game in a rehab assignment. He gave up three runs in two innings.