Recaps

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks build big lead, hold off Rockies in road trip finale – A weather delay was announced five minutes before the scheduled first pitch, and a few minutes later, groundskeepers rolled out the field tarp. Light rain then began to fall. At 1:31 p.m., in Denver, fans were told to seek shelter with lightning in the area. But the sky eventually cleared up, the tarp was off the field by 2:35 p.m. and the game got under way. Fans in the stands sang along and danced to music, including Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline. Most appeared to have waited out the delay.

[dbacks.com] Carroll homers twice as D-backs erupt, then hold off Rox late rally – After being held homerless for the first two games of the series, the D-backs unloaded on the Coors Field bleachers Sunday, with Corbin Carroll knocking a pair to pace Arizona’s 8-6 win over the Rockies and secure the series win and a .500 road trip. Gurriel knocked his first homer of the season in the two-run fifth and Carroll’s second homer of the game, a 448-foot blast to right-center, accounted for a sixth-inning insurance run to make it an 8-2 lead. Michael Soroka pitched 5 2/3 innings for Arizona, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out eight.

[Arizona Sports] Corbin Carroll knocks 2 home runs in Diamondbacks’ win over Rockies – With the D-backs up 3-0 in the fourth inning, Carroll hit a 94-mph fastball off Rockies righty Michael Lorenzen into the Colorado bullpen for his sixth homer of the season to make it 5-0. His second homer of the day marked the ninth-career multi-home run game of Carroll’s career. His last multi-homer game came on June 3 last season against the Atlanta Braves. Carroll’s offensive outburst was a welcome sight for the Diamondbacks, as Arizona left 10 runners on base and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a 4-2 loss to the Rockies on Saturday.

Team news

[AZ Big Media] Paul Sewald of the Diamondbacks has, literally, returned home – Last spring, Sewald and his wife, Molly, purchased a home in the Valley with a plan: six months at home, six months on the road, and stability for their two young daughters. The cycle of packing, unpacking and re-establishing routines was getting tiring. Then the phone rang. “The Diamondbacks called, and we thought, ‘That’s amazing,’” Sewald said, sitting in the dugout during batting practice. “Pretty cool to stay at home.” For Sewald, the move wasn’t just convenient — it was personal. Sewald and Molly met while she was an ASU student. His brother, Johnny, is also a former Sun Devil. The couple considered settling in the Valley during Sewald’s first stint with the D-backs, from 2023-2024.

[SI] Diamondbacks Prospect Manuel Pena Simply Can’t Be Ignored Any Longer – To say infield prospect Manuel Pena has been swinging a hot bat for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles would be a vast undersell. The 22-year-old is simply posting a .963 OPS, with a .634 slugging percentage through the first 36 games of the Texas League season. The reason that slug is so high? Pena has 15 home runs already. That is on pace for just over 57 long balls in the 138-game Texas League season. Six of his home runs have come in the month of May, including a two-homer game back on May 7.

And, elsewhere…

[ESPN] Mariners call up top prospect Colt Emerson for MLB debut – [Emerson] will be the youngest Mariners player to make his major league debut since Félix Hernández did so at 19 on Aug. 4, 2005. Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million contract April 1 — the biggest commitment at the time for a minor leaguer yet to make his major league debut. The Mariners selected Emerson with the 22nd pick in the 2023 draft, and his stock only rose from there. General manager Justin Hollander said, “This is not a 15 at-bat or 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year.”

[Awful Announcing] Joe Davis, John Smoltz discuss whether MLB should change ABS strike zone – As Davis explained, walk rates (specifically, unintentional walk rates) are at an all-time high because the ABS has shrunk the strike zone. Davis then asked Smoltz, “Would you tweak the ABS zone, make it bigger in certain areas?” “No,” Smoltz, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, responded. “I think lowering it gives hitters a chance with velocity down vs. velocity up. If that strike zone was higher, no chance.” “That’s a spot where the zone has shrunk the most,” Davis said. “The top of the zone is three inches shorter than what umpires were calling last year.”

MLB.com: Top 10 Plays of the Week

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous days recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (20-25) lost 7-6 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 4 runs on a Strahm sac fly and Nelson 3 run home run. McPherson got the start making his Triple-A debut but struggled allowing 5 runs over 2.2 innings. After falling behind 6-4, the offense tied things up in the 7th on a Strahm 2 run single. The game went to the 9th and in the bottom of the 9th, Tacoma walked it off as Sugar Land fell 7-6.

Note: Nelson is hitting .305 in Triple-A.

• Daniel Johnson, CF: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB
• Collin Price, C: 2-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Kellen Strahm LF: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
• James Nelson, DH: 1-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-4, 2B
• Jax Biggers, SS: 1-for-3, R

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Nate Pearson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (17-22) lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Dombroski started for the Hooks and went 4 innings allowing 1 run. The offense tied it up in the 3rd on a Whitaker sac fly. In the 8th, the Hooks rallied for 2 runs on RBI doubles from Encarnacion and Meyers. The bullpen was solid until the 9th where Ramsey allowed 4 runs, though all were unearned. The offense was unable to counter in the bottom of the inning as the Hooks fell 5-3.

Note: Austin has a .834 OPS this season.

• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
• Lucas Spence, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, BB

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (9-30) lost 19-12 (BOX SCORE)

DeVos started for Asheville and went 4 innings allowing 6 runs, 4 earned. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Call RBI double. They picked up 3 more runs in the 4th on a Call 2 run home run and Thomas sac fly. Steinbaugh relieved DeVos but struggled allowing 6 runs over 1.2 innings. In the 5th, Daudet connected on a 3 run home run. Asheville rallied for 5 runs in the 6th inning to tie it on a fielder’s choice, Call 2 run double, and two runs scoring on wild pitches. The bullpen continued to struggled as the Spartanburgers added 7 more runs between the 8th and 9th inning. The offense loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th but was unable to score as Asheville fell 19-12.

Note: Walker is hitting .294 this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 0-for-4, R, 2 BB
• Ethan Frey, DH: 1-for-6, R
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 3-for-5, 2 R, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-5, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Kyle Walker, SS: 2-for-5, 2 R
• Chase Call, RF: 4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, SB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• Reylin Perez, 2B: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Conor Steinbaugh, RHP: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Alain Pena, RHP: 0.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nate Wohlgemuth, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Keduar Trujillo, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (18-21) won 8-7 (BOX SCORE) 

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on an Alvarez solo home run, his 5th of the season. Carrera got the start and went 5 innings allowing 7 runs. The offense battled back in the 5th scoring 2 runs on a Sierra RBI double and Alvarez RBI single. The offense got another run in the 6th on a Ramirez sac fly and one in the 7th inning on a wild pitch. The Woodpeckers tied things up in the 8th inning scoring 2 runs on a Wakefield groundout and Sierra sac fly. The offense took the lead in the 9th inning on a Salas RBI double. Smith went the final 4 innings allowing zero runs as he closed out the 8-7 win.

Note: Sierra has a .892 OPS this season.

• Juan Sierra, LF: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, DH: 3-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB, SB
• DJ Newman, RF: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, SB
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB

• Jesus Carrera, RHP: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (WIN)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

Worcester: W, 4-0 (BOX SCORE)

In yet another bullpen game, the WooSox kept Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) off the scoreboard despite using six pitchers. Everyone was in lockstep, and the Bison managed just three hits on the night. The WooSox matched that total just in their extra base hits, and Nathan Hickey hit his third home run of the season out of the nine-hole to get Worcester on the board and in the lead for good.

Portland: L, 5-6 (BOX SCORE)

Just as the Sea Dogs walked off the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) earlier in the week, this time, it was the home team’s turn to capitalize on a blown save. Michael Sansone had a very tough second inning but recovered well and kept it a tie game through 5. This was thanks to Brooks Brannon and Miguel Bleis each going yard in the first inning.

Now, I’m not saying that Bleis is suddenly going to become an organizational factor again, as this game pulled him only just barely back over the Mendoza line, but it’s good to know that revered power still exists somewhere. There was no power, or even much contact, from either side to speak of for the vast majority of this game; after no scores from the third inning all the way to the eighth, Max Ferguson had an RBI knock with two outs in the top of the ninth, and then Cooper Adams got walked off by allowing two runs. The six-game series in Connecticut was a split 3-3 and four were decided by one run.

Greenville: W, 12-10 (BOX SCORE)

After losing eight consecutive games including five with Bowling Green (Rays High-A) in town, the Drive finally got in the W column despite giving up ten runs on fourteen hits. The offense was aided by some usual suspects who remained hot even through the losing streak; Mason White hit his eighth home run of the season and Justin Gonazales had his sixth, a three-run shot to put Greenville up 12-3. Bowling Green would threaten to bring this drought to an end and get this to within two runs, but on Sunday, a dozen runs was enough to come away with the W.

Salem: : L, 5-6 (BOX SCORE)

The Drive got walked off by Fredericksburg (Nationals A) in the series finale, in part due to allowing ten walks on the afternoon and three in that defining ninth inning on the way one of those runners putting the game away, but it wasn’t all bad: Enddy Azocar, the 19-year-old outfielder and leadoff hitter for the RidgeYaks, had a four-hit day as his batting average re-approaches .300 and accounted for the team’s only stolen base of the day. Still, the team stranded a dozen men and they suffered a Sunday loss.

Have a merry Monday. And, special shout out to the first person to solidify me as a lifelong Sox fan, my father, who turns 65 today. Happy birthday Dad!

Welcome to another new week A’s fans!

The team had a lackluster weekend as they dropped two of three to the Giants. Add that to the series loss mid-week to the Cardinals and the A’s did not have a great time in their latest homestand in Sacramento.

It’s in the books and behind us now though and the team has packed their bags and flown down south to Anaheim to take on the Angels in the team’s second four-game series of the season. This’ll be the first time these two teams have seen each other all year so it’s a fresh start against one another in that regard. The A’s will come into tonight’s series with a slim one-game lead over both the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners so the team really needs to rack up wins against these Angels.

Los Angeles is, yet again, near the bottom of the league but perhaps the bottom has truly fallen out from under them this year. At 16-31 the Angels are the owners of the worst record in the sport. Their offense, led by a resurgent Mike Trout, aren’t completely punchless but still rank in the bottom third in most offensive categories. Slugger Jorge Soler and shortstop Zack Neto have provided solid production, as has former Yankee Oswaldo Peraza, but they’ve gotten little help from the other spots in the batting order.

On the pitching side for the Angels they’ve been treated to the revelation of starter Jose Soriano, who is far and away the best pitcher on the team. They’ve gotten strong results from top-20 prospect Walbert Ureña as well but none of the starters have adequate ERA’s. They’ve also had their depth severely tested early on as they’ve already had 10 pitchers start a game for them this year. Things aren’t any better in their bullpen as their relief unit ranks 29th in the league in bullpen ERA, just ahead of the Astros.

The way things have been and are headed for the Angels right now, the future is not too bright. There’s not much in the way of reinforcements coming up in their farm system anytime soon, and Trout will be turning 35 in August. Could this be the year the team finally pulls the trigger and sends their franchise icon to a winning situation? That’ll be a fascinating story to watch as the summer trade deadline approaches.

The starting matchups this week are all already set. J.T. Ginn will get us started tonight as he gets the ball for his eighth start and looking to keep his roll going. He’ll be opposed by Ureña, who himself is pitching well and has had three straight solid starts. Another thing to keep an eye on in this game? If first baseman Nick Kurtz can extend his on-base streak to 41 games:

Tuesday will see the lefty vs. lefty matchup this series as Jacob Lopez will take on Reid Detmers. Lopez has had struggles this year but has put together back-to-back quality starts and has lowered his season ERA by nearly a full run. There’s other arms in the system that are waiting for their shot though so Lopez needs to keep it up to keep the competition off his heels. Detmers, who once looked like a building block for the Angels years ago, has shifted back to the rotation after spending last year exclusively as a reliever. The early results have been mixed but he’s still only 26 years old and the Angels have nothing to lose letting him try to rediscover his previous form as a starter.

Right-hander Aaron Civale gets the ball for the A’s on Wednesday as he’ll be making his 10th start for the ballclub. He’s continued to be a steal for the Green & Gold as he’ll bring a 2.70 ERA into his first start of the year against the Angels, which ranks 7th in the American League. That mark also leads the Athletics’ pitching staff, though Ginn’s 3.12 mark isn’t far off. Civale will be going up against Jack Kochanowicz, who has gotten lit up to the tune of 12 runs in 10 innings over his previous two starts entering this one. Advantage: A’s.

The final pitching matchup of the series will pit the staff leaders against one another as Luis Severino goes up against one of the best starters this year in fellow righty Jose Soriano. Sevy was on a four-game roll before stumbling this weekend against the Giants. That was at home in Sacramento though and we all know how much he dislikes Sutter Health Park. Maybe getting back on the road will help him get back in the win column too. It won’t be easy as Soriano has been one of the best pitchers in the league this year. That said, he just endured his first rough start last time out when he surrendered six earned runs to the cross-town Dodgers, boosting his season ERA form 1.66 to 2.41. Still a good mark but doesn’t show how dominant he’s been for the Angels so far. Like Trout expect to hear his name in trade talks come this summer.

Who else thinks that’s too small of odds? Gotta take at least three of four against these guys, but division games are always a different beast. First pitch of the series is at 6:38 tonight. Until then, have a great day everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Bullpen, Defense Collapse in Series-Deciding Loss to Giants
• How John Fisher betrayed Oakland (again) by finally spending on the Athletics
• A’s Drop Saturday Contest To Giants 6-4
• Kurtz Blasts the A’s to a 5-2 Victory Over the Giants
• The Giants-A’s rivalry is officially dead
• A’s get lefty reliever Suarez in trade with Mariners
• Bolte Flashes In Athletics’ Win Over Cardinals
• Kurtz shakes off pain, crushes massive grand slam to lift A’s
• A’s roster moves: Bolte, Stefanic recalled; Wilson to IL; Harris optioned, Nuñez DFA’d
• There’s Forcing Your Way Up And There’s Bolte — Is There A Spot For Him?
• May Roster Shuffle Could Help The A’s — But They’d Have To Want It
• Athletics’ Wei-En Lin Continues Rising The Ranks
• Now that we’ve seen a two-way player, what about a three-way player?
• A Walk In The Park Is Nice…To A Point
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In May

MLB News and Interest:

• Mariners call up top prospect Emerson for debut — and he’s here to stay
• Mariners place Brendan Donovan on 10-day IL
• Dodgers give life to injury-riddled starting corps, acquire lefty Lauer
• Blake Snell To Undergo Surgery To Remove Loose Bodies In Elbow
• Astros’ Jose Altuve heading to IL with oblique strain
• Rangers’ Corey Seager (back) remains sidelined, has MRI
• Lucas Giolito tosses 5 strong innings in Padres debut
• AL West Notes: D’Arnaud, Smith, Clarke
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Denzel getting back into action:

Shotaro Morii getting some Single-A action:

Possible Leo De Vries promotion to Triple-A coming? He was a late scratch from the Double-A lineup yesterday:

Shortstop is a very important position, who knew?

ICYMI:

By any measure, Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle is having an excellent rookie year. The number two prospect in all of baseball coming into the year has an impressive .291/.397/.424 slash for the season and is walking more than he’s striking out. With his blistering start, he quickly settled into the leadoff slot of Detroit’s lineup.

That said, his month of May has been a bit of a struggle, as his power has mostly evaporated. He’s still taking his walks, but a .224 SLG on the month really won’t do. An exceptionally low BABIP for the month is deflating things even more, though a lot of routine fly balls and pop-ups will do that to you, but this is easily the worst stretch of his professional career. There’s nothing to be concerned about long-term at all, and we’re only talking about a few weeks for a 21-year-old rookie, but McGonigle is going to have to make some adjustments to get back on track.

To better understand what those adjustments might be, let’s pretend to be Red Team for the Detroit Tigers scouting department. Typically, MLB scouts focus on how to attack guys for the other team, but when you’re on the struggle bus, reverse scouting is the right idea. The premise is simple: if you put yourself in your opponent’s shoes and better understand how they want to attack you, you can adapt preemptively. To do so, I’ll try and find out McGonigle’s biggest weaknesses so far. Who knows, maybe he’ll read this and learn a thing or two about himself!

The first thing I thought I’d look at is pitch type distribution. Is there a pitch type the league has decided McGonigle can’t handle? I figured if that was the case, his pitch distributions before May 1 and since would look pretty different. Here’s that table:

There’s a small change there, but not the one I expected. Teams saw McGonigle spit on secondary pitches and ambush fastballs early in the year, so they responded by… throwing him more fastballs? That feels unintuitive, to say the least. For the whole season, both of his home runs have come on a fastball, and he’s only whiffing on 9% of them. On its own, this doesn’t feel like the solution to beat McGonigle. Trying to get McGonigle out on a fastball feels like crossing your fingers as you send the pitch out towards home plate, but the league seems to have a plan. Let’s keep going.

Next I decided to check pitch location. Maybe that could be more illuminating than pitch type, and indeed, I think it was. Here’s what I found, with the first image being the percentage of pitches he saw in April/May, and the second being for May so far:

Now the extra fastballs make sense. It’s no secret the modern pitcher loves fastballs up, and recently, McGonigle is facing a lot of those. That top right corner of the zone is a particular hot zone, as it’s the hardest pitch to pull for power. Pitchers seem to be coming in with a concerted effort, forcing McGonigle to play more to their strengths than his, knowing that he’s looking for fastballs to drive. The game plan appears to be trying to get ahead in counts with softer stuff, then challenging McGonigle and his average raw power up in the zone, assuming whatever air contact he makes will be more of a lazy fly ball than a crushed dinger. It’s a pretty solid plan, especially since McGonigle’s entire approach is predicated on singling out a few pitches to pull in the air for extra base damage; fastballs up and away help negate this.

Naturally, the follow-up is ‘is it working’? Is this new gameplan backing McGonigle into a corner? And the answer to that is… kind of? Let me try to explain. One way of looking at that would be launch angle; more pitches up probably means a higher launch angle, and we see that. Mostly:

I went ahead and highlighted May 1 in that photo to help give a timeframe. We see McGonigle’s rolling launch angle spike in early May, and then it drops almost as quickly as it climbed. This is measuring the launch angle of his previous 25 batted balls after every batted ball, so it’s susceptible to a lot of noise. In particular, since it’s an average, this isn’t a very precise instrument to begin with. A towering popup at 40 degrees and a weak grounder at -5 degrees average out at 17.5 degrees, same as two well-struck line drives, so it’s probably worth checking out how he’s getting to that mid-May average.

Here is where I have unfortunate news to share: McGonigle has seemingly entered his Ian Kinsler arc. His ground ball rate has spiked from 27.3% to 36.6%, his line drives are down from 27.3% to 19.5%, and worst of all, his infield fly rate has ballooned from 2.2% to a hilariously untenable 16.7% (note: infield flyball rate is expressed as the ratio infield fly balls/all fly balls, not infield fly balls/all batted balls, so it’s bad, but not as awful as it sounds at first blush). Still, this isn’t how a good hitter operates long-term. If McGonigle wants to start bashing again, he needs to either commit to punishing the fastball up he knows he’s going to get and going to the opposite field more, or spit on the fastball until two strikes and wait to ambush an in-zone mistake on a breaking ball.

The good news is he’s not broken and starting to chase: his plate discipline metrics are all still excellent. He’s not going out of the zone much, and he’s making as much contact in the zone as he did in March and April. Plus, as pitchers force him to look outside, he’s responded with more of an all-fields approach which should be the right decision, if he can get back to a line-drive swing. The only red flag is in his inability to punish the fastball up the way he needs to, or to just let more of those go since he isn’t getting that many of them actually in the zone where he can barrel them up. Instead, pitchers know he’s trying to read fastball out of hand, and they’re showing them to him while not really giving him many he can drive. Essentially they’re forcing him to take his walks and betting that he’ll be too tempted to offer when he does get the fastball.

Considering his short levers, great bat-to-ball skills, and strong eye at the plate, this shouldn’t be a pitch that breaks the whole profile long term. He’s really not built to barrel up pitches on the outer edge consistently, but he torched fastballs up in the zone throughout his minor league run and without regard to velocity. It’s likely the first time pitchers have consistently spotted fastballs up and away but close to the zone against him for weeks at a time, and now, the young rookie will have to adjust. This shouldn’t be a surprise for the kid who skipped AAA. MLB pitchers will eventually force some adaptations. Based on his career so far, and the excellent run we saw in March and April, I think we’re just one small approach tweak away from the on-base machine developing into a power hitting force at the top of the lineup.

Sunday saw the teams in the Atlanta Braves farm system split the results of four games. More importantly we got to see Luis Guanipa and Tate Southisene help carry the Augusta offense, the best start of the season for Cade Kuehler, and Dixon Williams record another extra base hit.

Durham Bulls 7, Gwinnett Stripers 6

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-4, BB, .299/.407/.416
• Brewer Hicklen, CF: 3-5, R, RBI, .339/.422/.583
• Anthony Molina, SP: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 5.40 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

Anthony Molina got the start, and things were looking good through three innings. The Stripers held a 6-1 lead at that time, before Molina imploded a bit and gave up three runs while recording just two outs in the inning. After Daysbel Hernandez came in to get the final out in the fourth, Hunter Stratton went on to allow a run in the fifth inning. Hayden Harris got the next two innings, and didn’t allow a run – but also didn’t record a strikeout. With a 6-5 lead heading into the eighth the Stripers turned to the usually reliable James Karinchak, and he proceeded to allow two runs to score and picked up the loss. Ian Hamilton pitched a scoreless ninth to finish things off on the pitching side.

The Gwinnett offense was hot early on, but couldn’t score a single run after the third inning. Brewer Hicklen’s three for five day was one of two three-hit games, along with DaShawn Keirsey Jr.. Luke Williams had a pair of hits, while Aaron Schunk walked twice, and the following guys all had a single and a walk: Jim Jarvis, Nacho Alvarez, and Ben Gamel. Brett Wisely also had a key game, as he scored twice and batted in a pair of runs in his one for four afternoon.

Knoxville Smokies 4, Columbus Clingstones 3

• David McCabe, DH: 1-3, BB, .274/.366/.613
• Cal Conley, 3B: 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, .293/.389/.585
• Lizandro Espinoza, SS: 1-3, BB, SB, .296/.418/.556
• Ian Mejia, SP: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 10.13 ERA

Box Score

Ian Mejia turned in one of his better starts of the year, going three and a third innings and allowing just one unearned run on a pair of hits and a pair of walks. Mejia, who struck out three and had five whiffs, lowered his ERA to 10.13 after a rough start to his season. From there the bullpen came in and did their job. Blayne Enlow went an inning and two thirds, followed by two innings from Samuel Strickland, and one from Owen Hackman where no further damage came across. Blane Abeyta was next, but he gave up three runs in just two thirds of an inning, before Elison Joseph had to come in to get the final out.

The Clingstones actually held a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth thanks to a two-run homer from Cal Conley, then Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. adding a solo shot in the eight to give them an insurance run. Conley, who hit his fifth homer of the season, also had a single on the day. Both David McCabe and Lizandro Espinoza went one for three and drew a walk, plus Espinoza stole a base. Beyond that group, the only other hit was a Patrick Clohisy double.

Rome Emperors 3, Brooklyn Cyclones 1

• Dixon Williams, CF: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .295/.418/.538
• John Gil, SS: 1-4, R, SB, .273/.373/.446
• Cade Kuehler, SP: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 4.98 ERA

Box Score

Cade Kuehler turned in his best start of the season as well on Sunday, throwing six innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball. Kuehler allowed two walks and struck out six, picking up 12 swings and misses. Connor Thomas followed with two and a third innings of one-run ball, striking out two. Justin Long earned the save by coming in to get the final two outs.

All of the key prospects in the Rome lineup did something in this win. Isaiah Drake singled and drew a walk in his four plate appearances. John Gil singled, stole a base, and scored one of the runs. Dixon Williams had a double and batted a run in. Eric Hartman had a single. Drake was one of three guys to reach base multiple times, joined by Colin Burgess (1-3, BB) and Will Verdung (2-4).

Augusta GreenJackets 7, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4

• Luis Guanipa, CF: 3-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, SB, .317/.362/.531
• Tate Southisene, SS: 2-5, R, 2 SB, .270/.413/.482
• Alex Lodise, DH: 1-4, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2 SB, .252/.328/.399
• Davis Polo, SP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 4.08 ERA

Box Score

Davis Polo got the ball on Sunday evening and went four and two thirds, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks, with five strikeouts and 12 whiffs. It was better than it sounded, as he pitched a pair of scoreless innings to open, allowed a two-run homer in the third, and didn’t allow anything more in the fourth. He came back out for the fifth, and it was clear he was running out of gas, as he allowed two more runs in two thirds of an inning. After Lewis Sifontes got the final out of the fifth inning, Kendy Richard came on and didn’t allow a hit or a run over the final four innings, allowing just one walk and striking out three, as he picked up the win.

Tate Southisene was back in the lineup after getting Saturday off, but Luis Guanipa was the story in this one. Guanipa was three for four with a pair of doubles, single, stolen base, run scored, and three runs batted in. Southisene also had a strong day, going two for five with a pair of steals and a run scored. Alex Lodise also reached base twice, as he walked, singled, stole a pair of bases, scored twice, and batted one in. That trio at the top of the lineup combined for six hits, one walk, five stolen bases, four runs scored, and three batted in. That was pretty much the entirety of the Augusta offense along with Joe Olsavsky, who was two for three with a walk and a homer.

Coming off their most improbable win of the year to take the Queens edition of the Subway Series, the Mets (20-26) find themselves in Washington, D.C. for a four-game series against the Nationals (23-24). With five wins in their last six games and a 10-5 record thus far in the month of May, the Mets will simply be trying to keep the good times rolling as they continue to attempt a slow climb back into the playoff picture.

To be fair, the team is still just 2.5 games ahead of the Rockies, the team with the worst record in the National League. But there’s a real opportunity to move up a couple more spots in the league over the course of these four games. The Marlins are just a half-game ahead of the Mets, and both the Diamondbacks and the Nationals are 2.5 games in front of them. While a four-game sweep to pass Washington would be a tall task, it’d be great to see the Mets gain some ground by winning the series.

As you’re undoubtedly already aware, the Mets have had one of the worst lineups in baseball this season, but things have started to improve. They’re up to 3.83 runs scored per game, the fourth-lowest rate in the game. That’s better than being literally last, though, and for much of this season, that has been the case. You can thank the Mets’ exciting duo of A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge for that, as the former has a 209 wRC+ since getting called up from the minors and the latter has a 157 wRC+ over the past two weeks.

It’s understandable when a top prospect bats near the bottom of the lineup to get his feet wet, but Ewing is taking the best at-bats of anyone on the team right now, and it would be wise for the Mets to get him into the leadoff spot as soon as possible. The 21-year-old has looked poised and comfortable in his first 25 major league plate appearances, and he’s getting on base at a .500 clip. It’d be unconventional to bat three lefties in a row at the top of the order, but the Mets might need to be unconventional here. Ewing, Benge, and Juan Soto are the team’s most appealing bats at the moment.

Recent contributions from Brett Baty (131 wRC+) and Marcus Semien (130 wRC+) over those same two weeks shouldn’t be ignored, of course. And Luis Torrens (95 wRC+) has woken up with the bat, a welcome sign as the Mets deal with the extended absence of starting catcher Francisco Alvarez following surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee.

As for run prevention, the Mets have given up 4.17 runs per game, the 11th-best rate in baseball. Their rotation ranks 12th in baseball with a 4.02 ERA, while their bullpen ranks 9th with a 3.45 ERA. There’s a major hole to fill for the next few months thanks to the fractured fibula that Clay Holmes suffered when he took a line drive off his leg over the weekend.

Turning our focus to the Mets’ opponents, you might be surprised to read that the Nationals have the best offense in baseball with 5.43 runs scored per game. Like the Mets, they’ve had a couple of youngsters leading the way, as CJ Abrams (155 wRC+) and James Wood (149 wRC+) have been their best hitters on the season.

Joey Wiemer (146 wRC+) has thrived in a part-time role, and Curtis Mead (126 wRC+), Daylen Lile (117 wRC+), José Tena (108 wRC+), and Luis Garcia Jr. (103 wRC+) have been better than league average. Keibert Ruiz (99 wRC+) is right behind them. If a lot of those names are unfamiliar to you, you’re not alone. The average age of Nationals hitters this year is 25, making the lineup the youngest in the sport.

Run prevention, however, has been a major problem for the Nats. They’ve given up 5.70 runs per game, the very worst rate in baseball. Their rotation has a 5.17 ERA that ranks 29th, and only the Rockies’ rotation has been worse. The bullpen hasn’t been much better, as its 4.78 ERA ranks 26th.

If you’re into low-scoring baseball, well, this might not be the series for you, but the Mets have a real opportunity to build upon their recent success. Whether or not that’s been a mirage remains to be seen, but it’s nice to have something to look forward to with this team right now.

Last but not least, it is going to be hot in the capitol this week, and with that comes a chance of thunderstorms and rain, especially for the Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon games. Highs will be in the mid-to-upper 90s through Wednesday, and the same cold front that’s coming for New York this week will see temperatures dip into the low 60s on Thursday if the teams are able to get that game in on a day the looks like it’ll be pretty rainy.

Monday, May 18: Christian Scott vs. Jake Irvin, 6:45 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 15.2 IP, 20 K, 9 BB, 1 HR, 3.45 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 88 ERA-

Given the long gap between major league appearances, it’s understandable that Scott felt like something of a forgotten man when the 2026 season was getting underway. He’s going to have to cut down on the walks before they come back to bite him, but his strikeout rate and ability to limit home runs have been encouraging signs. If he continues to be an above-average pitcher, he’d be a huge reason that the Mets are trending toward relevance instead of toiling away in the cellar.

Irvin (2026): 42.2 IP, 45 K, 20 BB, 6 HR, 5.91 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 146 ERA-

Having thrown 180.0 innings last year with a 5.70 ERA, the 29-year-old looks to be the same pitcher this year. His strikeout and walk rates are up, his home run rate is down, and here he is with a high-fives ERA again. FIP suggests he’s deserved better, but his 5.74 xERA does not.

Tuesday, May 19: Nolan McLean vs. Foster Griffin, 6:45 PM EDT on SNY

McLean (2026): 52.1 IP, 64 K, 15 BB, 4 HR, 2.92 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 75 ERA-

The way McLean got through seven innings after giving up three early runs in his last start was impressive, and while he isn’t the National League Cy Young favorite at the moment, he shouldn’t be counted out of the running. Yes, he has the 14th-best ERA in the NL at the time of this writing, but he ranks fifth in both FIP and xERA. He is the Mets’ ace—particularly with Clay Holmes sidelined—and is the team’s most exciting pitcher to watch.

Griffin (2026): 51.0 IP, 49 K, 18 BB, 8 HR, 3.53 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 87 ERA-

Of all the probable pitchers in this series, Griffin has been the second-best by ERA-, trailing only McLean. The 30-year-old lefty spent the 2023 through 2025 seasons pitching in Japan, having logged just eight major league innings in his career between 2020 and 2022 before making the move. The Nationals signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal ahead of this season, and that’s looking like a shrewd move, even if the peripherals aren’t quite as keen on him as his ERA appears today.

Wednesday, May 20: TBD vs. Zack Littell, 6:45 PM EDT on SNY

TBD

This is a real TBD for the Mets, as the team hasn’t announced its plans for the vacancy created by the Holmes injury. Sean Manaea and Tobias Myers are the two pitchers on the active roster who could be moved into the rotation. Jack Wenninger pitched yesterday and walked four batters in a short outing, but he might factor into filling in for Holmes at some point soon, even if it’s not in the cards for this game.

Littell (2026): 41.1 IP, 20 K, 15 BB, 14 HR, 6.10 ERA, 7.69 FIP, 151 ERA-

The Mets should be rooting for good enough weather to face Littell in this one. He’s tied for the second-most home runs allowed by a pitcher this year, and as a low-strikeout guy, it’s not an ideal thing to be serving up dingers. The 30-year-old was much better than this over the course of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, as evidenced by his 3.73 ERA over that span, but things haven’t been great in his first year with the Nationals.

Thursday, May 21: TBD (likely opener + David Peterson) vs. Cade Cavalli, 4:05 PM EDT on SNY

Peterson (2026): 43.1 IP, 46 K, 17 BB, 2 HR, 5.40 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 138 ERA-

If you were looking for a textbook case for the concept of an opener in baseball, Peterson would be an excellent choice. He has an 8.10 ERA when working as a traditional starter this year, but he has a 2.25 ERA working as the bulk guy after an opener. FIP has been a fan of his work regardless of those splits, but the results are undeniably quite different. Here’s hoping it continues to work for both him and the team.

Cavalli (2026): 46.2 IP, 52 K, 18 BB, 3 HR, 4.05 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 100 ERA-

The 27-year-old has been a league average pitcher, and FIP likes him more than that because of his strikeout and home run rates. He threw six innings against the Mets when he saw them in Queens, and he struck out ten, walked two, and gave up just two runs along the way.

I’m on double duty tonight for Rivalry Roundup and our Today on Pinstripe Alley/daily question post, so since I generally try to throw some very quick thoughts on what the Yankees did as well in these, you’ll excuse me for double-dipping in the next two paragraphs.

What an awful road trip. The Yankees got swept in Milwaukee, lost two of three to an underwhelming-as-hell Orioles team, and then did the same against the Mets, who entered as one of the worst teams in baseball. The 2-7 trip ended when David Bednar couldn’t hold a three-run lead in the ninth, evaporating the edge on a three-run blast by Tyrone Taylor. They then stranded the zombie runner and lost in the bottom of the 10th. That’s some bad baseball, folks.

Now, they get to play the Blue Jays! It doesn’t matter that they’ve been kind of whatever thus far in 2026; it’s not as though the O’s or Mets were rolling when the Yankees faced them this past week. So… joy.

Here’s some of what else was going on around the Junior Circuit.

Tampa Bay Rays (30-15) 6, Miami Marlins (21-26) 3

Just like that, the Rays are the American League’s first team to reach 30 wins — just as we all expected! They’re now three games up on the Yankees as well. Bad.

Early on, the Marlins shook off a Junior Caminero solo shot in the first and made a bigger statement by taking a 2-1 lead on Drew Rasmussen, as they seemed to identify a flaw in the Rasmussen/Nick Fortes battery. Owen Caissie reached on an infield hit, stole second, and scored on an Xavier Edwards single to center. Edwards then repeated the trick with Otto Lopez, swiping second and crossing home on Lopez’s hit. Although Lopez was stranded, he stole the Marlins’ third base of the inning. All told, the Fish went 5-of-6 on steals against this battery.

The Rays had an answer in the home half of of the fourth. Eury Pérez loaded the bases with one out on walks to Yandy Díaz and Cedric Mullins, as well as a double by Jonny DeLuca. He got Fortes to hit into a fielder’s choice, but was burned on a fastball down the heart of the plate to Taylor Walls. The normally light-hitting shortstop cracked a bases-clearing triple to the right-center-field gap that proved to be the difference in the ballgame.

Pérez fanned Chandler Simpson to strand Wells, but in the next inning, Díaz took him deep for a 426-foot shot to dead center. They also got a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, and the Tampa Bay bullpen cruised with a four-run lead.

The Fish did threaten when they loaded the bases themselves in the seventh against Garrett Cleavinger. Kyle Stowers’ RBI single had made it 6-3, and the go-ahead run was at the plate. In came Ian Seymour, and down went Leo Jiménez on strikes, with Heriberto Hernández following with a lineout. Miami never got that close to the lead again.

Toronto Blue Jays (21-25) 4, Detroit Tigers (20-26) 1

The Jays aren’t back or anything and there haven’t been any sweeps, but to their credit, they have won six of their last eight series. Gotta start somewhere! After beating Detroit in 10 innings on Saturday night, Toronto made it two in a row with a pretty smooth victory yesterday. Kevin Gausman muzzled the Tigers with six scoreless innings, and the Jays built up a 4-0 lead against Jack Flaherty on the strength of a solo shot by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., an RBI triple from Daulton Varsho, and a poorly-timed wild pitch.

Yariel Rodríguez allowed a run in relief but limited the damage, and both Joe Mantiply and Tyler Rogers threw up zeroes to nail down the win. Four big games in the Bronx are up next for the Jays to fight their way back into it, their first head-to-head with the Yankees of 2026.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (19-27) 1, Atlanta Braves (32-15) 8: The team with the best record in baseball wasted no time in getting to Brayan Bello, and a guy who needed a big hit in a disappointing season thus far certainly delivered. Austin Riley clobbered a 431-foot, three-run homer to make it 3-0 after five batters. Grant Holmes kept the zeroes on the scoreboard for Boston with six scoreless innings as Atlanta built the lead up to 7-0 with Mike Yastrzemski going deep, too. The Red Sox sit in the AL East cellar, 11.5 games behind the Rays, though even with a better record than only the Astros and Angels, they’re only three back of the Wild Card. The American League field ain’t great, folks.

Texas Rangers (22-24) 8, Houston Astros (19-29) 0: On the same day that Houston put Jose Altuve on the IL with an oblique strain, Nathan Eovaldi put the offense to bed with an outing familiar to Yankees fans who have seen him dominate them: seven innings, no runs, and eight strikeouts. The Astros mustered five hits, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch, but that wasn’t nearly enough because feel-good story Peter Lambert got smoked for five runs. Jake Burger seared a meaty pitch to the opposite field for a two-run homer, and when Lambert departed with the bases loaded in the seventh, he plated a pair with a double. Kyle Higashioka scored another on a single, and Brandon Nimmo made it a five-run inning with a two-bagger of his own. Higgy had the cherry on top with a homer in the ninth. It’s been a rough season to date for the Higster, so good for him.

The Rangers are still under .500, but they sit one game back of the now-.500 A’s for the AL West, who lost to the Giants yesterday. (Great division! The White Sox would be leading it.)

Seattle Mariners (22-26) 3, San Diego Padres (28-18) 8: Meanwhile, the Mariners continue to sag and underachieve, even if the .500 first-place team means they’re far from out of it. The Padres completed a Vedder Cup sweep in Seattle, with a five-run attack on George Kirby driving the right-hander from the ballgame. Gavin Sheets had a particularly great day, going 3-for-3 with a double, two homers, two walks, and four RBI. Lucas Giolito allowed one hit over five scoreless in his belated season debut following a late signing with San Diego, only faltering in the sixth when his control abandoned him. The already-extended Colt Emerson made his MLB debut for Seattle at third base with Brendan Donovan on the IL, going 0-for-2 with a walk.

Cleveland Guardians (26-22) 10, Cincinnati Reds (24-23) 3: Brady Singer’s season ERA ballooned over 6.00 as the Guardians hit three homers in his four innings of work. Rookie Chase DeLauter clubbed a two-run shot in the first, and though Elly De La Cruz cut into the lead with a 400-foot blast in the second, Kyle Manzardo had his two-run homer in the third. Brayan Rocchio then made it 5-2 with a solo shot, and after Singer left the ballgame, Manzardo launched his second, while Angel Martínez and José Ramírez hit Cleveland’s fifth and sixth homers, respectively.