Josue De Paula homers twice in 4-hit game for Tulsa

TULSA, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 19: Josue de Paula #55 of the Tulsa Drillers swings the bat during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Dodgers multi-position switch-hitter Tommy Edman hit a two-run home run on Sunday and played center field for the first time on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Edman played four games in his first week with the Comets, the first two at second base plus once as designated hitter. He played seven innings in center field, a position at which he was hampered at times over the last two years while dealing with various right ankle maladies before surgery last November.

Four games into his rehab assignment, Edman has five hits in 13 at-bats plus a walk, with three runs scored.

Player of the day

Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula tied career highs with four hits and two home runs in Double-A Tulsa’s win on Sunday. The Drillers right fielder hit a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo shot in the seventh.

De Paula also singled in the first and second innings and scored four runs, establishing a new career best. He has five career four-hit games, including two others this season in Double-A on April 8and May 22. His other two-homer games were May 17, 2024 with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and May 10, 2025 with High-A Great Lakes.

After hitting .302/.439/.419 in April, De Paula turned up the power in May, hitting a robust .340/.410/.650 with 14 doubles, six home runs, and 29 RBI in 25 games. That’s the most home runs, RBI, and highest slugging percentage of any month in his career to date.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

James Tibbs continued his week to remember with yet another home run in the Comets road win over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros). Tibbs hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, and also singled and walked. He hit six home runs with 16 RBI during the six-game series, a rare feat.

Cole Irvin allowed a run in five innings for the win, and was followed by four scoreless innings of relief. Nick Frasso pitched two perfect frames with two strikeouts, his third straight scoreless outing with seven strikeouts among his 14 batters faced during that span.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers led 9-0 after three innings but had to hold on to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) by a single run. De Paula had plenty of company in producing offense.

Mike Sirota homered, doubled, singled, and walked, scored twice, and drove in three runs. Zyhir Hope tripled, singled, and drove in three. Jake Gelof doubled twice.

After Northwest Arkansas scored five runs in the eighth inning to pull within one, Nick Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save. The 27-year-old right-hander, who debuted with the Dodgers in 2023 and also pitched in the majors for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto Blue Jays in 2023-24, has pitched in 15 games this season, all of scoreless, totaling 21 1/3 innings with just four singles and five walks allowed, with 25 strikeouts.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons lost 3-2 to the Dayton Dragons (Reds) for the second straight day. That spoiled a strong start by left-hander Sterling Patick, who struck out seven and allowed just one run in his five innings. The seven strikeouts matched his season high.

Eduardo Quintero and Jose Meza each had two hits for Great Lakes.

Class-A Ontario

Down 8-3 in the ninth inning, the Tower Buzzers rallied for six runs to stun the Visalia Oaks (D-backs).

First baseman Easton Shelton hit a solo shot in the ninth for Ontario, his third home run in four games. AJ Soldra hit a two-run shot that pulled Ontario within a run, part of a three-hit day for the left fielder.

Mairo Martinus homered and drove in three runs. He reached on an error in the ninth inning, then Brendan Tunink walked, putting the tying and winning runs on with only one out. Chase Harlan singled home Martinus, and Ching-Hsien Ko singled home Tunink for the game-winner.

Brady Smith struck out six and allowed a run in his four-inning start.

Transaction

Triple-A: Right-hander Paul Gervase was optioned to Oklahoma City.

Sunday scores

The week ahead

  • Oklahoma City vs. Round Rock (Rangers)
  • Tulsa at Amarillo (D-backs)
  • Great Lakes vs. Lansing (A’s)
  • Ontario vs. Stockton (A’s)

The Dominican Summer League also gets underway on Monday, with a 56-game regular season that runs through Tuesday, August 18.

Good Morning San Diego: Padres fumble opportunities on offense, lose series to Nationals

May 31, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Jorbit Vivas (84) tags San Diego Padres second baseman Sung-Mun Song (28) for an out during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres found themselves trailing the Washington Nationals, 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, but they had runners on the corners with one out. Miguel Andujar was at the plate after being called upon to pinch hit for Freddy Fermin, who is currently mired in an 0-for-24 slump. It was not a sure thing, but it seemed likely that Andujar would put the ball in play and the Padres would have a chance to tie the game. San Diego had some speed at first base in Sung-Mun Song, who worked a walk with Ty France on third base. Andujar fouled off three pitches in which Song attempted to steal second base in an effort to take away Washington’s chance for a double play. Song took off for second a fourth consecutive time as Andujar watched strike three. Song was thrown out at second after sliding past the bag. He initially got his left hand to the base before he was tagged but could not maintain contact as he slid past and the tag was applied. The inning ended after an ABS challenge from Andujar, which was not close, with the tying run 90 feet from home plate.

The Padres trailed 4-2 entering the top of the ninth inning when Jackson Merrill reached on a one-out single through the left side of the infield. France followed and was at the plate as a legitimate threat to tie the game, but much like the seventh inning, France struck out as Merrill tried to steal second base. The Friar Faithful had to laugh to keep from crying when they saw Merrill slide past the bag in almost the same manner as Song, resulting in him disconnecting from the base and being tagged out to end the game. The Nationals got the 4-2 win and the 2-1 series win, while the Padres dropped to 1-5 in their last six games.

San Diego is off today and will take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m.

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Baseball News:

Podcast: Looking back on an up and down Orioles May

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 31: Gunnar Henderson #2 and Colton Cowser #17 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It was only a week or so ago that Birdland was buzzing over Ben McDonald’s post-game rant on MASN, and the Orioles, not far off getting swept by the Rays, seemed like they might be headed for disaster. Instead, for the second time in May, they picked themselves up after getting swept by a division rival, faced that team a second time, and did a lot better. In this case, the Orioles actually swept the Rays in Baltimore. That was fun!

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I’m looking back on what was a rollercoaster May for the Orioles. There are a number of players, particularly hitters, who did a lot better over that month, and much of the rotation has shown signs of improvement over the last two or three starts as well. These are good things. There are, of course, things that still need to improve, as the month was particularly disappointing for the duo of Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.

I’d say don’t even get me started on the bullpen, except in this episode I already did get started on them. I try to figure out where the solutions might be for some of the problem areas, though as ever, a lot of it really is just going to have to come down to, the Orioles players have to play better.

Listen to this week’s episode here:

If the above player isn’t displaying, view this article in Incognito Mode or check it out on the show’s page.

This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on SpotifyApple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.

How are you feeling about the way things are going with the Orioles right now? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of the next episode of the podcast.

Mets at Mariners: 5 things to watch and series predictions | June 1-3

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Mariners play a three-game series in Seattle starting on Monday at 9:40 p.m. on SNY.


5 things to watch

The reverse engineered rotation

The first two games of this series will feature Sean Manaea and Jonah Tong, but it's possible neither of them starts.

Manaea, who is basically replacing David Peterson in the rotation, will enter after opener Austin Warren on Monday.

On Tuesday, Tong will be on the mound in a bulk role, but it hasn't yet been revealed whether he'll start or enter after an opener -- Tong has been utilized after an opener in his first two big league appearances this season, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings. 

What the Mets are doing might be viewed as relatively unorthodox by some, but it is becoming a more prevalent strategy throughout the game.

It's also a different (and better) strategy than the one the Mets used at times last season, when they often had straight bullpen games where they didn't use a traditional starting pitcher to eat innings.

Juan Soto is still scorching hot

Soto had a monster weekend as the Mets swept a three-game series from the Marlins, with four hits (including a grand slam), two walks, and five RBI.

In 65 plate appearances over 15 games since May 14, Soto is hitting .382/.469/.873 (1.341 OPS) with nine homers and 18 RBI.

For the season, he is slashing .305/.397/.597 (.994 OPS) with 13 homers. Even after missing roughly three weeks due to a calf injury, Soto is on pace to finish the year with 36 home runs, which would be the third-highest total of his career.

Among players who have played 42 games or more this season, Soto's .994 OPS is tops in the National League and third-best in baseball, behind only Ben Rice of the Yankees (1.056) and Yordan Alvarez (1.050) of the Astros.

Is Marcus Semien turning a corner?

Ahead of the series against Miami, Semien had notched just three hits in his prior 28 at-bats dating back to May 20. 

In 221 plate appearances over 56 games to that point, Semien was slashing .213/.264/.307 (.571 OPS, 64 OPS+).

New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) celebrates scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) celebrates scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The struggles were deep enough to wonder whether the Mets could shift Semien to a bench role once Francisco Lindor returns from the IL, with Bo Bichette shiftingback to third base and Brett Baty taking over for Semien at second base.

Semien rose to the occasion against the Marlins, though, reaching base seven times in 12 plate appearances (five hits, two walks) while raising his OPS for the year to .615.

The Mariners are flying high

After falling to 23-27 on May 19, the M's have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, including winning their last six in a row with three-game sweeps over the Athletics and Diamondbacks.

The surge has been enough to catapult Seattle into first place in the mediocre AL West -- the 31-29 Mariners are the only team at .500 or better in the division. 

Julio Rodriguez has been hot amid Seattle's hot streak, with homers in three of his last four games.

J.P. Crawford, who is on a seven-game hitting streak, has also picked things up. 

One player the Mets won't see against Seattle is 2025 AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, who is on the IL with an oblique injury. Raleigh was struggling badly before his injury, hitting a paltry .161/.243/.317 with seven homers in 41 games.

Hancock, Gilbert, and Kirby

The Mariners' calling card remains their elite starting pitching.

Seattle has given up just 225 runs this season, which is second-best in the AL and sixth-best in MLB.

A lot of that has to do with Emerson Hancock, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby -- the trio of starters who will toe the rubber against the Mets this week.

Hancock has been especially impressive this season, allowing two runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto is as locked in as he's ever been as a Met.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Freddy Peralta

The Mets need more from Peralta, who couldn't make it through five innings this past Friday against the Marlins.

Which Mariners player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Randy Arozarena

Arozarena is having a strong season, with an .825 OPS through 60 games.

MLB Home Run Predictions Today: Best HR Prop Bets, Picks, Parlay & Odds for Monday, June 1

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Some hard-hitting sluggers headline our MLB player props home run analysis for tonight's quiet nine-game slate. I'll include James Wood and Jordan Walker.

Read more in my MLB picks for Monday, June 1. 

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HROdds
Nationals James Wood+285
Cardinals Jordan Walker+378
💲Today's HR parlay+7944

Home run pick: James Wood (+285)

James Wood will be licking his chops tonight as the Washington Nationals star faces Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara. The veteran has allowed 53.9% of his contact through the air and posted a poor 4.97 FIP in May.

Opponents are also making plenty of loud contact against Alcantara, producing a 40.4% hard-hit rate this past month, while he's allowing 1.61 HR/9 over his last five starts.

This bodes well for Wood. He's in the 100th percentile in xSLG, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate. The left-handed slugger owns a 23.5% HR/FB rate and a .225 ISO against right-handed pitching this season.

Alcantara's recent form only strengthens the case. He's surrendered five home runs across his last two appearances, while Wood has gone deep three times over the last seven days.

I'd confidently play this pick up to +250.

  • Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Marlins.TV, Nationals.TV

Home run pick: Jordan Walker (+378)

Jordan Walker is having a breakout campaign with 15 home runs, and he comes up against Jacob deGrom tonight. While the veteran's 3.77 ERA is respectable, the underlying numbers are more concerning.

He's allowing a 46.2% hard-hit rate this season, and that number jumped to 51.2% in May, when he also posted a 5.62 FIP. Walker owns a 21.2% HR/FB rate against right-handed pitching this season and has produced a 57.9% hard-hit rate over the last week. 

Eleven of his 15 home runs have also come against righties, while deGrom has been tagged for seven long balls across his previous three starts.

I'd play this pick up to +350.

  • Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: Rangers Sports Network, Cardinals.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
  • HR picks: 7-45, -10.52 units

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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In the lab: Astros infield Bases per out

As we go through some of these statistical series it becomes important to occasionally go back and explain the whys and what fors for these numbers. Simply put, the more numbers we can use to demonstrate the difference between players the better. Essentially, we are looking the mathematics of situational baseball. The good news is that the Astros are playing good enough baseball where it matters again. The bad news is they have dug themselves another hole where they cannot afford missteps.

Friday night was a misstep of epic proportions. For some it was even a fireable offense. In the 8th inning, Joe Espada subbed Brice Matthews in for Taylor Trammel ostensibly to get better defense in left field. Bryan Abreu immediately gives up the tying run and we are left needing that at bat later in the game. So, Matthews had to hit with the bases loaded and one out. Given his speed, a strikeout was the only real negative probability. Since he strikes out 32 percent of the time, he obviously struck out. That single decision was baseball malpractice.

Baseball is a game of probabilities. Every pitch and every situation sees the odds of success and failure change in the blink of an eye. A 1-0 count shifts to a 1-1 count. However, if ABS can shift that to a 2-0 count then the odds clearly change. Coaches and players must make split second decisions based on these odds. Even when the odds are in your favor you will often fail. Even if failure is predicted you sometimes succeed through happy happenstance.

A manager’s job is to put his team in a position where the odds of success are as high as possible. As much as we might love a manager like “Major League’s” Lou Brown, I would just as soon not have my manager rolling out phrases like, “I gotta hunch he’s due.” Coaches, gamblers, and even players don’t succeed without a healthy understanding of situations and what the highest percentage play is.

That brings us to bases per out. Obviously, this is just yet another number, but I believe it to be a pretty accurate one and descriptive one. No number explains everything. Nothing is ever that easy. However, it can explain a lot on both the pitching and hitting side of things. It is calculated by taking total bases, walks, stolen bases, and hit by pitches and divide it by the total number of outs. The league average is .663 and as we have seen in the outfield, very few Astros have met the average. Again, we will list the players from most outs to least outs.

TBBB/HBPSBOutsBPO
Christian Walker113250174.793
Isaac Paredes75270158.646
Jose Altuve62201133.624
Jeremy Pena386368.691
Braden Shewmake302060.533
Nick Allen174142.524

Let’s put these numbers in perspective. Yordan Alvarez might very well lead the league in BPO. His BPO is well over 1.000. There is a pretty significant drop off from there. You can clearly see there are only three really above average hitters on this team according to BPO. Taylor Trammel counts as one for the moment, but he is likely to see a regression really soon. The resurgence of Jeremy Pena has helped considerably over the last week, but this is still a pretty shallow lineup.

Mind you, Paredes is not far below average and one mini hot streak gets him above average. He has an OPS+ of 99 so he looks more or less average. Altuve obviously got off to the hot start, but faded in early May. Does he recalibrate himself and get back to what he was doing in the first couple of weeks of the season when he does come back? Anything is possible.

What this effectively means is that the Astros have several players that are interchangeable in terms of overall production. Shewmake and Allen are similar offensively if not in style, but results that matter. Mathews can also play on the infield and he is similar to them in results. These numbers are not predictive in nature, but they do help explain why managers sometimes make the decisions that they do. Unfortunately, it also highlights when they make the wrong ones.

When Altuve comes back, the decision of who to start will be simple. It is the decision of who to keep and who to drop that will become harder. As important as fielding is, this team does not have enough good bats to squander a spot to a fielding only player. However, looking at Matthews, Allen, and Shewmake right now is like looking at a group of siblings. They are not identical triplets. Each of them reach their BPO a little differently, but the results are all fairly similar.

So, it comes down to a decision. Do you want upside? Clearly, Matthews has more of that. Do you want positional flexibiity? Shewmake and Allen can play every infield position well. Matthews can play second well in addition to the outfield. He struggled in limited time at third and has not played short in the big leagues. Mathews also has options left and that is a pretty big deal. He has the look of a guy that needs everyday reps. Like Zach Cole before him, he just simply does not make enough contact yet to stick. Will he someday? Baseball history is littered with guys that take awhile to figure it out.

The simple fact is that the Astros have played well enough (and other teams in the AL West have sputtered) to where their games in June matter. Development can and should happen, but it cannot happen at the big league level under those circumstances. Joe Espada and Dana Brown have to maximize every single ounce of good baseball they can out of this 40 man roster. They will need to pick their bench and bullpen carefully. One or two missteps will cause losses like Friday night. Those are the kinds of losses this team can ill afford right now.

Is MarJon Beauchamp worth a longer look for the Sixers?

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 23: Marjon Beauchamp #16 of the Philadelphia 76ers arrives to the arena before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 23, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

MarJon Beauchamp was the last player the Sixers acquired before the 2025-26 season began. After the final preseason game, the team waived Emoni Bates and signed Beauchamp to an Exhibit 10 contract. 

He spent the majority of the season in the G League playing for the Delaware Blue Coats. In 19 games for the Coats he averaged 25.2 points shooting 47% from the field and 35% from three-point range. 

The Sixers rewarded his strong play there, cutting undrafted free agent Hunter Sallis to give Beauchamp their final two-way roster spot. Beauchamp wouldn’t appear in a game for the Sixers until Feb. 9, helping fill in on a night the team was decimated by injuries, illnesses, suspensions and the trade deadline. 

His appearances continued to be sporadic, but he shot it well in the time he was given. In the first nine games Beauchamp appeared for the Sixers, he shot 49% from the field and 38% from three. 

That was good enough to earn a start, albeit in a game the Sixers were so injured they were basically punting it to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Beauchamp went 5-of-18 from the floor in his 31 minutes against the defending champs. He would only appear in garbage time the rest of the season as the Sixers’ wings got healthy to end the campaign. 

It’s a shame Beauchamp’s production came when the team was so depleted. Not that it would have led to any huge impact, but the random 3-of-4 three-point nights he had can swing a regular season game. It’s just the type of fun, random end-of-bench production the Sixers haven’t had since… Corey Brewer? 

Of course, there’s a reason those were the only times Beauchamp got the opportunity. His struggles to translate his success in the G League to meaningful minutes is catapulting him towards “4A player” territory. 

That type of 4A player, one that does have the ability to hit some shots on any given night, is a pretty good use of a two-way contract. Unfortunately for Beauchamp, he is running out of two-way eligibility; only players with four years of experience or less can be signed to them. If he’s able to find a team next season, it would be his fifth year in the league. 

Beauchamp’s fate looks destined to be lighting up the G-League or somewhere in Europe. As a wing-sized player who possesses at the very least, the idea of a jump shot, that could be enough for someone to take another flyer on him.

Sabres Goalie Named Among NHLers Who Could Use Fresh Start

In a recent article for ESPN, Rachel Krysak discussed multiple young players who could use a change of scenery. A Buffalo Sabres goaltender was among the players listed, as Devon Levi made the cut.

With Levi dropping to the fourth spot on the Sabres' goalie depth chart and not making an appearance at the NHL level this season, it is certainly fair to argue that he could use a fresh start. There is simply not a path for him to make the jump to the Sabres' roster right now, so it would make sense if the Sabres gave him another opportunity elsewhere. 

With Levi being a young goalie with good upside, it is possible that the Sabres could use him in a trade package to land a player who would help them immediately. The 24-year-old goalie was once considered Buffalo's top prospect, after all. Furthermore, with the free-agent market being weak this year when it comes to goalies, that could also lead to interest being high in Levi.

Levi appeared in 52 AHL games this season with the Rochester Americans, posting a 23-20-9 record, a .904 save percentage, a 2.83 goals-against average, and three shutouts. This is after he had a 25-13-4 record, a 2.20 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and seven shutouts in 2024-25 with Rochester. 

In 39 career NHL games with the Sabres, Levi has a 17-17-2 record, an .894 save percentage, and a 3.29 goals-against average. 

Former Columbus Blue Jackets Forward Inducted Into IIHF Hall Of Fame

Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Thomas Vanek was officially inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame on Sunday. 

Vanek was traded to Columbus by Vancouver for Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen, February 26, 2018, to help Columbus with their playoff run that season. 

Vanek played in 19 games for the CBJ, scoring 7 goals and totaling 15 points, and having a plus-9 rating. He played 6 games in the first round of the playoffs and had two points. 

In the summer of 2018, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings, where he would play in 64 games, and then end his career in the NHL. 

Vanek also played for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and the Vancouver Canucks. 

The Austrian native played in various international tournaments for his home country. He played in the World Juniors, World Championships, Olympics, and other various tournaments for the Austrians. 

Congrats to Thomas Vanek on his induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame. 


Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.   

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The Orioles made a statement with successful home stretch

May 30, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles infielder Pete Alonso (25) begins to celebrate after hitting a walk-off single in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

If the Orioles do end up fully turning this season around, this past home stand will have been where it started. Ten days ago, this club was spiraling, losers of five out of six and cratering to the bottom of the AL East. Now, after some home cooking and a series of exciting wins, the O’s feel like they are truly back in the mix.

Prior to this 10-game home stretch, the Orioles were 21-29, in fifth place in the division, 13 games out of first place and 3.5 games back of the final wild card spot. After going 7-3, which included a series win over the Tigers, a sweep of the Rays, and a four-game split with the Blue Jays, they are now 28-32. That brought them up to fourth in the East, within 10 games of first in the division, and just one game out of the final wild card spot.

Clearly, there’s work to be done, but the success of the home stand is unambiguous. The Orioles finally put together a stretch of games that made them look like the competitive team they were always supposed to be. Dreams of a playoff run are back on.

Offensive outburst

Over these 10 games, the Orioles scored 60 runs and hit 14 home runs. Contributions came from up and down the order, the previous black holes at second and third base seem to have disappeared, and one Oriole in particular has reasserted his everyday place in the lineup.

Nine different Orioles had a wRC+ of 105 or better. That is the sort of well-rounded offense Mike Elias had in mind when he built the roster. And that includes Pete Alonso (119 wRC+), Gunnar Henderson (111), and Adley Rutschman (105) being good not great. It was the rest of the team that really drove the run scoring.

Coby Mayo, despite dealing with an injury, had an impressive showing across five appearances. He slashed .333/.412/.600 with a home run. Could he be turning the corner? The Orioles really need him to take third base as his own.

Jackson Holliday’s return to the lineup has added a crucial dimension to the offense. He hit .276/.371/.483 with two home runs, and a 14.3% walk rate. While Jeremiah Jackson did a great job early in the season, his struggles have been evident for a while now. Holliday brings a much better approach to the plate.

But the MVP of the entire home stand is, without a doubt, Colton Cowser. The outfielder hit .375/.444/.792 with three home runs, eight runs scored, and nine RBI. He cut is strikeout rate in half, just 18.5% in this stretch, while still walking at a solid 11.1% rate. Cowser also came up clutch several times, including a pair of walk-off home runs. The Orioles don’t even need him to be that good at the plate. They just need him to be competent. He was certainly that these last few days.

Rotation rounding into form?

Expectations for the Orioles starting staff were not as high as they were for the lineup. The group simply needed to be serviceable with occasional pops of brilliance. Until recently, the underlying numbers for the starters were better than the actual outcomes. In these 10 games, their fortunes turned around a bit.

The Orioles 2.38 starter ERA since May 22 is the fifth-best in baseball. Their 4.27 xERA is 17th, their 4.21 FIP is 19th, and their 4.48 xFIP ranks 23rd. So were they actually good, or did they just get some good luck? The answer varies by the individual.

Shane Baz had a brilliant seven-inning outing, and both Brandon Young and Kyle Bradish have found some consistency recently that feels impossible to ignore. Chris Bassitt, on the other hand, allowed just one run in six innings despite barely missing any bats. Trey Gibson navigated a boatload of walks to give up just one run in 5.2 frames. Those two seem to be on the luckier side of things.

Trevor Rogers exists somewhere in between. Neither of his two starts on the home stand were “good,” and the Orioles lost both games. But they also felt like progress from where he has been. If he had been pulled after six innings in the game against the Blue Jays then maybe we would feel even better about this team, the pitching staff, and this stretch of 10 games.

Bullpen roles becoming clear

The relief corps had an opposite experience to their mates in the rotation. Some of their underlying stats from the home stand were actually better (3.16 FIP) than their top-line numbers (4.10 ERA). But overall outcomes in a bullpen feel less important than how some of the most important individuals are doing. In that regard, it was promising.

Rico Garcia went another 4.2 innings without allowing an earned run, though his strikeout (5.79 K/9) and walk (3.86 BB/9) numbers are not where you want them. Even still, it’s more brilliance from one of the team’s best surprises.

Andrew Kittredge seems to have found his footing after struggling after his IL stint. He didn’t allow a run in three appearances, which included coming into a bases loaded jam with no outs against the Rays. He struck out the three batters he was responsible for.

It was not a good week-and-a-half for Yennier Cano. He is the one that created the aforementioned bases loaded mess for Kittredge, and he exited with what seemed to be a hamstring injury. The good news is that he’s fine! No IL stint. and his underlying metrics are much better than the 16.20 ERA across 1.2 innings would suggest.

On top of that, Ryan Helsley is on the way back. He threw a 15-20-pitch bullpen on May 30, will do more bullpen work this week, and then is expected to go out on a rehab assignment sometime after June 8. He’s a reliever, so shouldn’t need an overly long stint down in the minors before he is ready to help the rest of the group out.

The return of Helsley should make the entire unit deeper. He will likely return to the closer’s role, even though Garcia has filled in admirably there. More importantly, it pushes everyone else further up in the game. So if a starter can get through five or six innings with the game in reach, you feel confident that a combination of Garcia, Kittrege, Cano, and Helsely can lock things down from there. It’s a much better situation in the late innings than many expected coming into the season.

Keep it going

Hoping for the Orioles to continue winning seven out of every 10 games is a way to get yourself disappointed. But they do need to maintain some level of momentum, and this road trip could give a chance to do just that.

They start with three games in Boston, who are back at the bottom of the AL East following the O’s winning ways. The BoSox have been awful at home this year, owning a 9-19 record at Fenway Park. Similarly, the Orioles have been terrible on the road (9-17) this year. Something’s gotta give.

Then the O’s get to see the Blue Jays again. The defending American League champs have righted the ship after early-season wobbles. But they are no juggernaut. There’s no better way to get back into playoff position than to beat a team that currently holds one of the last wild card spots.

This past home stand was so huge for the Orioles and the fan base. If it had gone wrong, it would have felt like a final blow to this underperforming team. Instead, they were fantastic. We saw the potential. Let’s keep it going, folks!

Monday Morning Texas Rangers Update

May 31, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz (67) and catcher Kyle Higashioka (11) celebrate their teams 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals following the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

Good morning.

Shawn McFarland writes about what we’ve learned about the Texas Rangers over the last week, a club that started a homestand by getting no-hit and ended it with a sweep.

Kennedi Landry writes about Jack Leiter following his Vandy bro Kumar Rocker for a stellar outing against Kansas City as the Rangers finished off a sweep of the Royals on Sunday.

McFarland writes that the Rangers secured the sweeping victory by scoring six runs with timely hits, getting good pitching from their starter, and playing sound defense.

Jeff Wilson writes about the Rangers bouncing back from a poor start to finish with a winning homestand by taking the win on Sunday.

The cavalry could soon arrive as McFarland notes that Corey Seager is expected to begin a rare rehab assignment with Wyatt Langford also nearing a return.

Landry writes that getting Seager back and healthy and hitting is the hope for Texas to heat up in June.

And, Evan Grant answers why it was Andrew McCutchen on the chopping block despite several other players also struggling.

Have a nice day!

Who was your Braves MVP for May?

CINCINNATI, OHIO - MAY 31: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single in the 9th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 31, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Well, that’s another month in the books. It was a pretty good month; while the Braves didn’t play at a league-best rate (hi Brewers), they weren’t far behind, either.

If you had to pick one Brave as the standout, however defined, who would you pick? Some food for thought…

While Mike Yastrzemski didn’t have the most bombastic batting line, he did far and away lead the team in WPA. His resurgence was perhaps also emblematic of the season the Braves are having as a whole: next man up production-wise, with different heroes stepping up to delivery victory after victory. It’s not that his context-neutral performance was anything to sneeze at, either, with a 170 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR in just 66 PAs. But, in perhaps a fitting fashion for this season and not any other Braves season, he did it while massively outhitting his inputs: a .418 wOBA on a .338 xwOBA for the month.

Robert Suarez was almost entirely money, with a 6/1 shutdown/meltdown ratio in 12 appearances. Dylan Lee had a similar ratio and actually a much better pitching line (Suarez’ 17/85/94 is actually kinda meh; Lee was a hilariously dominant 34/42/54), but Suarez did stuff like have four consecutive outings (and five of six) with 0.10 WPA or more and only entered in low leverage three times for the month.

Meanwhile, Chris Sale was Chris Sale, with the most fWAR on the team for May (1.3). He made five starts, and though the Braves somehow lost two of them, he was dominant in every single one. Seriously, among his five starts, his worst ERA- was 88, his worst FIP- was 84, and his worst xFIP- was 70.

Though they weren’t around for the whole month, no one would blame you for going with Ronald Acuña Jr. or Drake Baldwin, either. Both had 0.9 fWAR. Acuña had a 192 wRC+ with a .451 wOBA and .462 xwOBA, because that’s what heroes do. Baldwin, well… .441 wOBA, .469 xwOBA, 185 wRC+. These guys were monsters. Get well soon, Drake Baldwin.

I think I’ve covered the likely picks here, but who ya got?

Who is your choice for NL Pitcher of the Month?

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Cristopher Sanchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

There isn’t a lot to go into this question. The National League just witnessed two of the best months from a starting pitcher in a long time.

These are two types of domination. For Sanchez, he literally did the exact job a pitcher is supposed to do: prevent the other team from scoring. No one scored on him in the month of May. For Misiorowski, he only allowed a single run, but struck out twelve more hitters than Sanchez did. They were both beyond excellent and entered a different stratosphere of pitcher while doing so.

So, which is the pitcher of the month? A minor award when thinking in terms of Cy Young stuff, but it is still something that any pitcher would be happy to claim.

Cardinals 5, Cubs 1: Back to the drawing board for Jordan Wicks

The Cubs looked really good Saturday. Great pitching from Ben Brown, a huge day from Pete Crow-Armstrong, good relief, great defense…

As good as they looked Saturday, that’s how bad the team looked Sunday in a dispiriting 5-1 loss to the Cardinals.

You knew it probably wasn’t going to be the Cubs’ night after they got the first two hitters in the game on base and didn’t score. Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to begin the night’s action and then… Alex Bregman struck out, Seiya Suzuki popped up and Ian Happ struck out. If you’re keeping track that’s already 0-for-3 with RISP. (0-for-8 with RISP for the entire game, not that such things are anything new for this team.)

Then Jordan Wicks had a second start just like his first, getting hit hard in the first inning. He allowed hits to the first three Cardinals and by the time the inning was over, two runs had scored. So, improvement? Just two runs given up in the first instead of five, as he did in Pittsburgh?

Yes, I’m being sarcastic. Everyone could have gone home after that inning because the Cubs offense was largely absent. They had only five more hits the rest of the way, just two for extra bases — a double by Michael Conforto in the seventh, by which time the game was basically over, and a solo homer by Alex Bregman in the fifth.

By the time Bregman left the yard, the Cubs were already down 5-0. Three of the runs were off Wicks, who completed just two innings plus one batter’s worth of the third, a leadoff single by JJ Westerholt, who eventually scored. Three runs off Wicks in two innings and his ERA went DOWN, from 16.62 to 15.63. Yikes. I feel badly for Wicks, who does have talent, but who doesn’t seem to know how to harness it at the MLB level. It seems likely that at least one more start in that rotation slot replacing Edward Cabrera will be needed, and my recommendation (not that the team listens to me) would be for Javier Assad to be recalled to make that start and Wicks be sent back to Triple-A Iowa.

Two more runs scored in the Cardinals third off Ethan Roberts, who had a rare bad outing. At 5-0 the game appeared out of reach, but Bregman did put them on the board with this home run [VIDEO].

It was Bregman’s first home run since May 12, a span of 82 plate appearances. All five of Bregman’s home runs so far this year have come with no one on base. That’s not a criticism, it’s just a coincidence. Did you know that Bregman is on a 10-game hitting streak? True story. He’s batting .304/.373/.413 (14-for-46) during the streak with two doubles, a home run and six runs scored. So that’s… pretty good, I guess. Hopefully he can build on it.

After Roberts left the game, Trent Thornton, Phil Maton and Ryan Rolison combined to throw five one-hit innings, though they also issued four walks. Maton actually retired all three hitters he faced — baby steps, maybe. Maton’s only strikeout came after this ABS challenge [VIDEO].

Honestly, that’s about all I’ve got from this one. With Cabrera and Matthew Boyd (who had a good rehab outing Sunday) on the shelf and Jameson Taillon and Shōta Imanaga giving up home runs every time you look up, Cubs starting pitching is in tatters, and it’s shown in the results over the last week. The Cubs went 3-4 on the road trip, which wouldn’t have been terrible if they hadn’t lost eight straight games right before it.

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

It was fun to hear Anthony Rizzo as a field reporter for a Cubs game, and Jim Deshaies and Jason Benetti had an easy rapport. NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball production is, in my view, vastly superior to ESPN’s. NBC focuses much more on the action on the field, and that’s the game I want to watch.

Silly fun fact about this game:

After an excellent 17-9 April, the Cubs went 13-16 in May. Let’s hope that’s the worst month of 2026. They trail the Brewers by five games in the NL Central and dropped into a third-place tie with the Pirates after Sunday’s loss. With 102 games remaining, that is certainly not an insurmountable lead. Perhaps coming back to Wrigley Field and a turn of the calendar page will get the Cubs back on a winning track.

The Cubs are off Monday, an off day they surely need after 10 straight games during which they went 3-7. They’ll open a three-game series against the Athletics at Wrigley Field Tuesday evening. Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and Gage Jump will go for the A’s. Game time Tuesday is 7:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Have Golden Knights, Hurricanes given Bruins a blueprint to contending?

Have Golden Knights, Hurricanes given Bruins a blueprint to contending? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Drafting and developing has often been the best and most cost effective way to build a true Stanley Cup contender, especially in the salary cap era (2005-06 to present).

The Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cup titles after drafting franchise cornerstone players such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. The Pittsburgh Penguins won three titles after drafting Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won two championships after drafting Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman.

There are several other examples, too.

This season’s Stanley Cup finalists — the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes — have taken the complete opposite approach to roster construction.

Let’s breakdown some crazy numbers and notes from both of their active rosters ahead of Tuesday night’s Game 1 in Carolina:

  • The Golden Knights’ Game 1 lineup likely won’t have a single player they drafted in the first round. The Hurricanes have two of their own first-round picks (Andre Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis) on their roster.
  • Andre Svechnikov (Carolina) is the only player drafted by one of these teams in the top five. Other players, such as Jack Eichel (Vegas), were top-five picks, but they were drafted by other teams.
  • Sixteen of Vegas’ players, including many of its best players (Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, Rasmus Andersson, etc.) were acquired via trade.
  • Seven Hurricanes players, including Taylor Hall, captain Jordan Staal, K’Andre Miller and Logan Stankoven, were acquired via trade.
  • Only two of the Golden Knights’ players — Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak — were drafted by Vegas. Just six of the Hurricanes’ players — Svechnikov, Jarvis, Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Alexander Nikishin and Jaccob Slavin — were drafted by Carolina.
  • Both starting goalies — Carter Hart (Vegas) and Frederik Andersen (Carolina) — were free agent signings.

Veteran sportswriter Adam Gretz made a great graphic that highlights these two rosters:

The Florida Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup team was built heavily on trades, too. The Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in separate trades.

It’s true, to some degree, that the Golden Knights are a bit of a unique case. They greatly benefited from the expansion draft process. They also operate in the state of Nevada, which has zero state income tax, and that’s helpful in terms of signing players to team-friendly contracts. But their overall approach of not overpaying in free agency and making super aggressive (but also smart) trades has been fascinating to watch over the last eight years.

Is there a lesson or a blueprint the Bruins can follow here?

Yes, actually.

Trades are an effective way to build a team. This method of roster construction does carry plenty of risk, especially if you’re trading away first- and second-round picks at a high rate. But if you have good pro scouts and can identify players who will fit your team and can be extended long term (if necessary), it’s possible to build a perennial contender through the trade market.

Jack Eichel and Mark Stone.Bob Frid-Imagn Images
The Golden Knights got Jack Eichel and Mark Stone via trades.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has generally done a good job in his role since taking over in 2015. Drafting and developing has been a challenge for the entire organization during his tenure, though. It’s gotten better in recent years, but overall, the Bruins have not done a good job building through the draft.

Trades are a different story. Sweeney is awesome at making deals. He has won nearly every trade he’s made as Bruins GM, and many of them were home runs. It doesn’t matter if he was a buyer or seller — he almost always knocks it out of the park.

If a team is looking to build a winning roster via trades, Sweeney is a great guy to have in charge. And if you look at the Bruins’ current situation, they absolutely should consider being super aggressive in the trade market this summer.

Why is that?

For starters, the free agent market is pretty weak. Alex Tuch is the only legit top-six forward available. Rasmus Andersson and Darryn Raddysh are the only legit top-four defensemen available, and giving an expensive long-term deal to either player would be a risk considering they’re both 29 years old.

The Bruins have the No. 23 pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. They did not get lucky in the draft lottery and won’t get a first-round pick from the Maple Leafs to complete the Brandon Carlo trade until 2027 or 2028.

That leaves the trade market. And for the first time in a long while, the Bruins are loaded with quality assets to dangle.

They have five first-round picks in the next three drafts. They own all their second-round picks, too. They have several super talented prospects such as James Hagens, Dean Letourneau and Will Zellers. NHLers such as Casey Mittelstadt and Mason Lohrei have value, too.

The Bruins desperately need more high-end talent. They have only one elite forward in David Pastrnak. Every true Cup contender has at least two or three of those players. The B’s have a legit No. 1 defenseman in Charlie McAvoy, but the depth and talent behind him (especially on the right side of the blue line) is not great. The B’s have a great goalie in Jeremy Swayman. That’s one position that doesn’t require substantial improvement.

Boston hasn’t been able to find a real No. 1 center, or even a legit top-six center, since Patrice Bergeon and David Krejci both retired in 2023. Elias Lindholm was supposed to be that kind of player when he signed a seven-year, $54.25 million deal in 2024 free agency, but he has played well below expectations so far. Maybe Hagens becomes a No. 1 center in the near future, but even if that scenario did play out, trading for another top-six center should still be a priority.

The bottom line is the trade market is by far the best way for the Bruins to add the premium talent they need.

Which players could they target? Last week, we looked at seven players the Bruins should consider pursuing, including top-six forwards Robert Thomas, Jason Robertson and Mason McTavish, as well as defensemen Owen Zellweger and Simon Nemec.

Robertson is a 45-goal scorer at left wing and only 26 years old. He would take significant pressure off of Pastrnak. Thomas is a legit No. 1 center and an elite playmaker. He might be a little unrealistic as a target given the crazy high asking price. McTavish might be a less expensive option if he became available.

Zellweger and Nemec are two highly talented young defensemen who could benefit greatly from a change of scenery and/or a larger role.

The Bruins have a good core. Pastrnak, McAvoy and Swayman are franchise pillars. Pavel Zacha was a 30-goal scorer. Morgan Geekie is a very good goal scorer, too. Hampus Lindholm, when healthy, is a solid second-pairing defenseman. Fraser Minten could be a strong two-way center for many years. Hagens has enormous potential.

  • James Hagens, C, 19 years old
  • Fraser Minten, C, 21
  • Morgan Geekie, LW, 27
  • Jeremy Swayman, G, 27
  • Charlie McAvoy, D, 28
  • Pavel Zacha, C/W, 29
  • David Pastrnak, RW, 29
  • Elias Lindholm, C, 31
  • Nikita Zadorov, D, 31
  • Hampus Lindholm, D, 32
  • Viktor Arvidsson, LW, 33 (UFA this summer)

There’s a lot to like about the Bruins’ roster. But the lack of elite talent was glaringly obvious during the playoffs, and until that issue gets addressed, the Bruins will likely be a first-round exit kind of team.

The best place for them to make immediate and massive roster additions is the trade market, which is why Sweeney needs to be aggressive this summer.