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Ty France smacked a game-tying solo home run in the top of the sixth inning and Jackson Merrill hit what would prove to be a game-winning two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to give the San Diego Padres a 7-5 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

The home runs were the highlights for the Padres at the plate, but the high-wire act by the San Diego bullpen may have been the most critical part of the game. Mason Miller allowed a two-out walk to James Wood to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning. Luis Garcia Jr. came to the plate with a chance to tie the game with a hit and put the ball in play with a sharp line drive to left field. Ramon Laureano got twisted around, but was able to recover and make the catch running back toward the wall to end the inning and the Washington scoring threat.

Miller came back out for the ninth inning and issued a leadoff walk to Curtis Mead, who hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning off starter Lucas Giolito. Miller was able to lock in and looked more like the dominant closer the Friar Faithful have come to expect and struck out CJ Abrams, got a flyout from Dylan Crews and ended the game with a strikeout of Daylen Lile to secure the win for the Padres and earn his 17th save of the season.

Giolito was staked to a 1-0 lead after San Diego manufactured a first-inning run on a sacrifice fly from Xander Bogaerts to score Fernando Tatis Jr. Giolito gave up the lead with the two-run home run to Mead, which put Washington ahead, 2-1. The Nationals would push the lead to 3-1 with a solo home run by Keibert Ruiz in the bottom of the second and the Padres answered with and RBI-single from Manny Machado to score Gavin Sheets in the top of the third inning to make the score, 3-2. The single by Machado snapped an 0-for-35 streak with runners in scoring position for San Diego.

Washington regained a two-run advantage in the bottom of the third inning when Crews singled to score Abrams to make the score, 4-2. Giolito was replaced on the mound one batter later after allowing a walk to Jacob Young. Giolito ended his day with four runs allowed on five hits with four walks and one strikeout in just 2.2 innings pitched. The Padres answered back in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI-groundout from Freddy Fermin to pull within a run and then tied the game when Tatis hit an RBI-single to right field, which scored France. The Nationals took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Young singled to center field off Jeremiah Estrada to score Abrams to make the score, 5-4. That set the stage for France who tied the game with his solo home run in the top of the sixth before Merrill homered in the top of the seventh to give the Padres their first lead since the top of the first inning.

The back-and-forth game was much different than what San Diego fans have come to expect and the blast from Merrill may have provided a sigh of relief for many. He finished his night 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI, but that followed a multi-hit performance in the final game of the homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies. Additionally, Tatis finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Machado went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. The Padres got production from each of their three struggling stars, which might indicate they are breaking out of their offensive slumps. France and Sheets also went 2-for-3 and were part of 10 total hits for San Diego.

The Padres snapped a four-game losing streak with the win and will look to make it two wins in a row today at 1:05 p.m.

Padres News:

• Craig Stammen has shown a willingness to do what it takes to help his team win games. He has shuffled the lineup, rotated players in and out of the lineup and has held his team accountable with comments in the media. AJ Cassavell of Padres.com looks at what Padres fans have learned about their first-year, first-time manager two months into his tenure.

• Jhony Brito is working to make his way back to the MLB roster for San Diego. He took a step in that direction with six scoreless innings in his latest rehab start.

• In some positive news on the injury front for the Padres, Nick Pivetta played catch.

Baseball News:

• The Los Angeles Dodgers hit four home runs and outslugged Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies to get win.

• Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami left their game with hamstring tightness and is expected to miss a couple weeks.

• The New York Yankees got a stellar start from Carlos Rodon and pushed their win streak to five games.

• Ethan Holliday, the Colorado Rockies top prospect, is expected to have season-ending foot surgery.

• Ezequiel Tovar lifts Colorado over the San Francisco Giants with walk-off home run.

• The New York Mets got a 9-7 walk-off win over the Miami Marlins.

• Bryan Reynolds hit a walk-off home run to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins.

• The Seattle Mariners got a one-run win with walk-off against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Rangers 9, Royals 1

• The Rangers won!
• Yeah!
• Woo-hoo!
• And they won by a lot!
• Look, I know that last time they won by scoring a bunch of runs, we thought that things were on the upswing, and then Texas lost their next two. But this time its going to be different.
• Let’s “power of positive thinking” them on a win streak!
• If we all set our minds to it, I bet we can do it!
• MacKenzie Gore recorded a Quality Start, throwing 6.1 shutout innings.
• There have been games this season where we have talked about a pitcher pitching better than the results indicated. This was kind of the other way around.
• Gore threw strikes for most of the game — he hit one batter and allowed one walk, and those happened with the final two batters he faced.
• He wasn’t missing bats, though, putting up just three strikeouts and getting just seven swings and misses. Gore gave up a lot of loud contact to the Royals hitters, and was somewhat fortunate to allow just four hits to the 24 batters he faced.
• The only real trouble he got into was in the first, when a two out single was followed up by a double that was too hard hit to bring the runner home from first. A ground out ended the inning.
• The first inning could have gone a lot worse — the Starling Marte ground ball for the third out was 102.1 mph off the bat, and was still the softest hit ball of the inning.
• Bobby Witt Jr. crushed a line drive to dead center that Evan Carter made a very nice running catch on for the second out. Let’s give some partial credit to Carter for keeping a 0 on the board in the first.
• After the potentially scary first, the Royals banged balls less bangily against Gore, and when they did hit it hard it tended to be at a defender or a ball where a defender could make a quality play, such as Kyle Isbel’s line drive back up the middle in the third that Ezequiel Duran made a great leaping grab of.
• So we are glad of that.
• Tyler Alexander came in for Gore with one out in the seventh after the HBP-walk sequence and needed just three pitches to get out of the inning, thanks to a 6-4-3 GIDP. Jalen Beeks handled a scoreless eighth before Gavin Collyer pitched the ninth, allowing a run to end the shutout.
• We have talked before about Collyer’s ability to pitch in the majors being dependent on his ability to throw strikes. Collyer walked the first two batters he faced in the ninth.
• Collyer now has issued 11 unintentional walks and hit four batters this season. He’s struck out 15 batters.
• When you are allowing as many batters on base via walk and HBP as you are striking out, that’s a problem.
• When you walk the first two batters you face when you have a 9-0 lead, that’s also a problem.
• You may recall a couple of weeks ago, the Rangers brought Collyer in to close out a 7-1 game and he walked the first three batters he faced, and ultimately got pulled for Jacob Latz without retiring a batter.
• Not throwing strikes when you are closing out a blowout is the type of thing that makes you fall out of a manager’s tree of trust pretty quickly.
• Still, Collyer finished things out, and recorded a pair of Ks in the process.
• The offense scored a bunch of runs, so that was fun.
• Four came in the first inning, and as a general rule, when you score four runs in the first, your chances of winning go up.
• Let’s do a compare and contrast. The Royals had a runner on first and two outs in the top of the first inning, had a two out double, held the runner at third base, and then saw the inning end on a groundout.
• The Rangers had a runner on first and two outs in the bottom of the first inning, had a two out double, held the runner at third base, then had Ezequiel Duran single home the two runners.
• What we can learn from that is that it is better to get a hit with two outs and runners on second and third than to make an out. You might want to right that down.
• Clownball from the Royals brought home two more runs, due to an E4 on an Alejandro Osuna grounder that allowed Duran to score, then Salvador Perez throwing the ball into center field on an attempted Osuna steal of second base, which allowed Evan Carter, who had doubled after Duran had singled, to score from third.
• Stephen Kolek, the Royals starter, retired 11 of the next 12 batters, reminding us of the 10-7 win against the Astros where the snowman in the first was followed by batters being mowed down until the late innings.
• A Josh Jung double and Brandon Nimmo homer in the fifth busted that up, though, and added some additional breathing room.
• Continuing our theme of “the Rangers have de-nerfed the Shed,” Nimmo’s homer went 435 feet, per Statcast. It is the farthest that a Ranger has hit a ball this season at the Shed. It is the fifth farthest that anyone has hit a ball this season at the Shed, with the four ahead of the Nimmo homer all coming earlier this week in the Houston series.
• Eight of the nine longest balls in play at the Shed this season, and 10 of the 13 longest, have come this week.
• Joc Pederson also homered for the Rangers, as did offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez. Lopez’s homer was his first hit for the Rangers. Neither of those homered went super-far, and the Pederson homer was down the line in right field and barely made it over the wall, but they still count.
• Pederson is now slashing .244/.356/.437, and has a 136 OPS+. That’s the third best OPS+ on the team, behind Jung and Duran.
• MacKenzie Gore hit 96.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.0 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastest pitch was an 85.0 mph changeup. Jalen Beeks hit 94.1 mph on his fastball. Gavin Collyer reached 99.0 mph on his fastball.
• Jake Burger had a 108.8 mph double. Brandon Nimmo had a 108.1 mph home run and a 100.7 mph home run. Nicky Lopez had a 101.7 mph home run.
• Let us see if the Rangers can keep the vibe going over the weekend.

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With another jam-packed slate today, I've dug deep to find value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions. 

I'm expecting Trey Yesavage to run through the Baltimore Orioles, while Bryan Woo should miss some bats as the Seattle Mariners face the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, May 30. 

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
TOR vs BAL	+325
SD vs WAS	+296
ARI vs SEA	+400

Blue Jays vs Orioles SGP: Yesavage Dominates O's

Toronto Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage has been impressive since returning from injury. Across six starts, he's compiled a 2.25 ERA, holding opponents to a .207 average. Yesavage has cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in all but one of his outings. He comes up against an inconsistent Baltimore Orioles lineup, and his ERA sits at 1.69 on the road. 

Toronto is riding a six-game winning streak against the Orioles, and three of those victories have been on the road. The O's have lost two straight at home. Ernie Clement has cashed the Over in runs in three of his last five games, and his high degree of contact (8.3% strikeout rate) leads to more opportunities to get on base and get driven in by Toronto's bats.

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Sportsnet

Padres vs Nationals SGP: Tatis Stays Hot

The San Diego Padres are riding a four-game winning streak on the road, and they've captured five victories in the last six meetings with the Washington Nationals. Washington has lost two straight, and starter Foster Griffin has allowed 14 earned runs across his last three starts. 

Michael King owns a 2.86 ERA on the road this season, and he's given up Under 2.5 earned runs in three of his last four contests. Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally starting to find a rhythm, with four multi-hit games over the last week. He's cashed the Over in total bases in back-to-back contests, and in four of his last five. 

Griffin is shaky at times lately, and Tatis is batting .317 against left-handers. 

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Padres.TV, Nationals.TV

Diamondbacks vs Mariners SGP: Whiffs Against Woo

Bryan Woo has been inconsistent at times this season, but he's still missing a lot of bats. The right-hander has 59 Ks in 63.2 innings, and 34 in 31 frames at home.

Woo has cashed the Over in strikeouts in three of his last four appearances, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are striking out a lot more on the road, averaging 8.60 per game. Woo has a 70.7 first pitch strike percentage. He's getting ahead of hitters, which undoubtedly helps him strike out more opponents. 

The Seattle Mariners won the series opener by just one run on Friday, but they've now covered the run line in three of their last four contests. Ryne Nelson takes the hill for the D-Backs, who owns a 4.65 ERA. Julio Rodriguez is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, and he had three hits on Friday. 

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Dbacks.TV, Mariners.TV

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A pitcher's duel between the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates highlights serious value in a scoreless first inning this afternoon. 

That matchup headlines my top MLB picks today for the "no run first inning" and "yes run first inning" markets. 

Here are my best NRFI predictions and YRFI picks for Saturday, May 30.  

Best NRFI/YRFI predictions today

Pick	Odds
/ - NRFI	-108
/ - NRFI	-100
/ - NRFI	-100

Twins at Pirates: NRFI (-109)

It's Mitch Keller vs Bailey Ober on the mound in this matchup, two starters who have had success this season. Keller owns a 3.64 ERA, and he's compiled a 9-2 NRFI/YRFI record this season.

Keller hasn't allowed a run in the first inning in three consecutive appearances. The Minnesota Twins are hitting just .199 in the first stanza, and they've been held scoreless in the opening frame 40 times this year. 

As for Ober, he sports a 3.92 ERA and a 10-1 NRFI/YRFI record. In fact, Ober hasn't given up a run in the first inning in nine straight outings. While he has gotten into trouble at times on the road, it's usually later in the game, and the Pittsburgh Pirates haven't scored in the first inning in two of their last three games. 

Play this one to -130. 

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Twins.TV

Brewers at Astros: NRFI (-100)

While the matchup on the hill here between the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers isn't elite, it's a pair of guys that rarely get into trouble out of the gates.

Brandon Sproat hasn't surrendered a run in the first inning in five consecutive starts, and Houston hasn't scored in the opening inning in three of their last four games. 

As for Peter Lambert, he owns a sub-four ERA and a 6-1 NRFI/YRFI record in 2026. Milwaukee's lineup has had minimal success against Lambert, and they've been held scoreless in the first in three straight. The Brew Crew is also hitting just .205 in the opening inning.

Play this to -125.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Space City Home Network, Brewers.TV

Phillies at Dodgers: NRFI (-100)

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies haven't been two teams that score a lot out of the gate this season. They've both compiled 38-19 NRFI/YRFI records, and tonight's clash is expected to be another quiet first.

Jesus Luzardo has historically dominated the Dodgers, holding them to a .168 average across 107 at-bats. He's also allowed a run in the first inning just once this season. 

As for Roki Sasaki, he has an 8-1 NRFI/YRFI record in '26, and the Phillies have gone back-to-back games without creating any meaningful offense in the first inning. They're also hitting just .125 against Sasaki, although it's a small sample size of 24 at-bats. 

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, Sportsnet Los Angeles

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Friday, in case you missed it...

• The Mets opened the series with a 9-7 walk-off victory over the Marlins in extra innings
• MJ Melendez played hero late, overcoming recent struggles to deliver his first career walk-off hit
• The bullpen was mostly terrific helping the Mets get there, headlined by A.J. Minter and Austin Warren
• The one arm who did struggle was Tobias Myers, who was reportedly optioned to Triple-A postgame
• Pregame, Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns provided a number of injury updates
• Among those was Jorge Polanco, who enjoyed himself a strong second rehab game with Binghamton
• Stearns took stock of where the club stands at this point in the season
• David Peterson is moving back to the bullpen, and Sean Manaea is taking his place in the rotation
• WATCH: Melendez, Mendoza, and Freddy Peralta discuss the victory
• WATCH: Stearns discusses the Mets' struggles to this point in the season

There have been some subtle changes in the things Don Mattingly has done different than Rob Thomson this season. There had to be since whatever the team was doing prior to Thomson’s firing was clearly not effective any longer.

One of, if not the, biggest changes has been the usage of Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. Lately, they have been in the lineup not matter who is on the mound, left or right handed pitcher. They have responded by hitting much better against southpaws, their weaker side. A lot of that was out of necessity since the team really doesn’t have that much in the way of right handed alternatives for either, but it is nice to see nonetheless.

So far, what has been your favorite thing Mattingly has done that has been different than that of what Thomson did? Maybe it’s the idea of letting Marsh and Stott play more, maybe its in his handling of Andrew Painter or some other reason.

Cubs left-hander Shōta Imanaga was off to such a good start this season. Over his first nine starts he posted a 2.32 ERA and allowed just five home runs in 54.1 innings. Maybe, just maybe, he had put the home-run issue from last year in the past?

Well, nope, or so it now seems. Over his last three starts Imanaga has an 11.49 (!) ERA and eight (!) home runs served up in just 15.2 innings. Perhaps needless to say, the Cubs have dropped all three of those games, including Friday’s 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Still, the Cubs might have had a chance to win this game if not for yet another bad outing from Phil Maton, who gave St. Louis the insurance run they needed in the eighth. Do the Cubs still score in the ninth if it’s 5-4 instead of 6-4? Pitch sequencing might have been different. Still, Maton dug the hole deeper and that’s exactly what the Cubs did not need.

More on that later. Let’s start at the beginning, which was actually good.

After the first two Cubs grounded out, Michael Busch and Alex Bregman singled.

Then Ian Happ left the yard for the third straight game [VIDEO].

This is classic Happ — cold streaks followed by hot streaks. Here’s hoping the hot streak lasts a while.

What did not last was that lead, as Imanaga gave up the first of the three home runs in the bottom of the first, to, of all people, former Cub Nelson Velázquez. Velázquez was playing his first MLB game since 2024. More on that three-run homer from BCB’s JohnW53:

Shota Imanaga also gave up a three-run homer that wiped out a 3-0 lead last season, on Sept. 25 at home against the Mets.

Of the last 10 three-run shots that came with the Cubs up by three, seven have been with the score 3-0.

Kyle Hendricks and Jameson Taillon did it in 2024, three days apart; Jeremiah Estrada and Justin Steele in 2023; and Adbert Alzolay in 202.

Last night’s was just the third of 88 total three-run homers with a 3-0 lead that came in the bottom of the first. The first was off Kerry Wood, at San Francisco in 2000, and the second off Steve Smyth, at Houston, in 2002.

Smyth’s was the 60th of the 88 such homers.

The Cubs took a 4-3 lead in the second. With one out, Dansby Swanson singled. One out later, he stole second and Nico Hoerner walked.

Michael Busch singled in Swanson [VIDEO].

That’s where the game stayed until the fourth, when St. Louis’ Thomas Saggese homered off Imanaga to make it 4-4. And in the next inning, the Cardinals took a 5-4 lead on the third homer off Imanaga, that one by Ivan Herrera.

Cubs pitchers have allowed 82 home runs, most in MLB (Nationals are second-worst with 79). For individual pitchers, Jameson Taillon has served up 19, four more than anyone else (Zack Littell of the Nats, 15). Third is Brady Singer of the Reds with 14, then Imanaga with 13 (tied with five others, including, of all people, Jacob deGrom). None of this is any good for the Cubs, who rank 18th in fewest runs allowed.

More on all the home runs given up by Cubs pitchers this year from John:

This is the eighth game of the season in which the Cubs have surrendered at least three home runs.

Through the first 58 games of previous seasons, they gave up three or more nine or more times in 10 years and eight in seven, including a year ago.

The most were 11, in 1956, 2000 and 2022.

They did it 10 times in 1999 and 2020, and nine in 1959, 1960, 1966, 1994 and 2017.

After the Cardinals took that fifth-inning lead, the Cubs went down meekly in the sixth and seventh, and also in order after a leadoff single by Seiya Suzuki in the eighth.

Ethan Roberts, who relieved Imanaga with two out in the sixth, retired five of the six Cardinals he faced, two by strikeout. Roberts got helped out by this nice defensive play by Busch [VIDEO].

Roberts has been very effective recently and the Cubs can really use another trustworthy reliever.

That’s in part because Maton has become the opposite of “trustworthy.” What’s a good word for that? Don’t answer that question.

Maton allowed a one-out single to Velázquez, then struck out Alec Burleson. Okay so far, but… two more line-drive singles scored the sixth Cardinals run. Craig Counsell had to call on Hoby Milner to bail out Maton, which he did with an infield popup.

Maton, who Jed Hoyer signed after he had a solid year in 2025 split between the Cardinals and Rangers, has been just awful in 2026. He has a 7.64 ERA (5.10 FIP) in 20 appearances, his walk rate is way up (11.6 percent compared to 9.5 percent last year) and he’s already allowed as many home runs (three) in 17.2 innings as he did all of 2025 in 61.1 innings.

This kind of feels like the relief pitching version of the Trey Mancini signing in 2023 — a two-year deal for a guy who didn’t really rate that sort of contract. The Cubs simply cannot use Maton in any more high-leverage situations and if they do and he does this again, they might have to think about just eating the rest of the deal and letting him go.

The run that Maton allowed turned out to be very important, as the Cubs scored off Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien in the ninth. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a double [VIDEO].

PCA advanced to third on a comebacker by Nico that hit O’Brien but went for an out. Then Busch grounded out, scoring PCA [VIDEO].

Bregman came to bat as the potential tying run, but grounded out on the first pitch to end the game [VIDEO].

Now, does that ninth inning go exactly like that if Maton doesn’t give up the run in the eighth? Obviously we’ll never know, but it sure would have been better to go into the ninth down one run instead of two.

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

The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in St. Louis. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs and Kyle Leahy goes for the Cardinals. Game time is 6:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Fox-TV (regional — coverage map, scroll down to the bottom of that link). A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch this game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market. Announcers: Eric Collins, John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal.

It’s only been two hits. Two hits over two days. Can you declare someone back from the dead after two hits, especially in such venues as Fenway Park and Great American Ball Park? But did you see the hits though? Let me help you with that. Here’s Thursday in Boston:

And here’s last night in Cincinnati.

As someone who witnessed the home run last night, this ball was crushed loud and far. You can’t really hear it from the audio here. But along the third base side was a flock of loud Braves fans. Acuña’s home run and the robbed Harris II home run lit up the left side of the stadium.

Here is Ronald’s rolling xwOBA. Where this chart starts to dip is May 19th, the day that Ronald returned from the Injured List with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Is he feeling better now? Is a month a good recovery time for a guy with some other lower body injuries? During Thursday’s game he acquired a .684 xwOBA. I’m guessing last night would be in that neighborhood as well. Even the grounders were loud, especially the one that De La Cruz required a spin and throw to get Ronald.

So is Ronald Acuña Jr. back now? It sure sounds like it. Literally.

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With wins in four of their last five, the Chicago White Sox look for a second straight series win when they play the middle game of their 3-game set against the Detroit Tigers.

Last in the AL Central, Detroit is reeling, with 19 losses in its last 23 starts. Despite this, the Tigers are -113 favorites on the moneyline.

My Tigers vs. White Sox predictions and free MLB picks have the White Sox hammering the team with the worst road record in the American League on Saturday, May 30.

Who will win Tigers vs White Sox today: White Sox moneyline (+108)

The Detroit Tigers have hit rock bottom, batting .196 and ranking Bottom-3 in strikeouts over the past two weeks.

That’s crippled their run production (second-worst), and they're facing a Chicago White Sox team that’s Top-3 in run production over the same period.

Chicago has mashed lefties all year, ranking second in homers and Top 4 in slugging and OPS.

Bad news for Detroit’s Framber Valdez, who has struggled with command, allowing 14 earned runs and 21 hits over four starts, ballooning to a 6.10 ERA.

With three of the White Sox's last four wins over Detroit coming by multiple runs, I not only like them on the moneyline, but would hit the alternate run line at +223 for Chicago to win by two or more.

COVERS INTEL: Detroit ranks near the bottom of the majors in run value vs. the four-seam fastball, Anthony Kay’s money pitch.

Tigers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-110)

With good offense comes good run totals, so it’s no surprise the White Six have seen the Over go 7-3-0 in their last 10 outings.

Chicago is also one of baseball’s better scoring teams at home this season, putting up 4.93 runs per game, which ranks sixth.

In three of their last four wins vs. Detroit, the teams have cruised past 7.5 runs.

Detroit puts up far fewer runs, but Valdez’s recent form has helped push the score Over 7.5 runs in three of his last four appearances.

Even with Chicago slugger Munetaka Murakami hitting the shelf, I'd stay with the Over up to 8.5 runs.

Tigers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Tigers -122 | White Sox +117
• Run line: Tigers -1.5 (+138) | White Sox +1.5 (-144)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+117) | Under 8.5 (-122)

Tigers vs White Sox trend

The Chicago White Sox have covered the Run Line in 21 of their last 30 games (+10.40 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Tigers vs White Sox and game info

Tigers vs White Sox latest injuries

Tigers vs White Sox weather

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Adrian Beltre is often pointed to as the best one-year player to don the Red Sox uniform. 

Boston signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract for the 2010 season at age 31. All he did in that season was lead baseball with 49 doubles, slug 28 home runs with 102 RBIs while leading all third basemen in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS (.919). 

That tremendous season in Boston, though it marked the first of three consecutive playoff absences for the Red Sox, earned Beltre a six-year, $96 million deal with the soon-to-be back-to-back reigning American League champion Texas Rangers. 

Fast forward to 2026. Willson Contreras isn’t quite to that level of production and is three years older at age 34. Nonetheless, in what will likely be a short stay in Boston, Contreras is the most productive player in the Red Sox lineup as a rare source of consistent energy and pop. 

Contreras ranks third among MLB first baseman with an .894 OPS in ranks in the top-six in several other offensive categories at the position. Given how much inconsistency in personnel the Red Sox have had at that position over the previous two seasons, it’s hard to ask for anything more from the veteran. He hits, plays solid defense, leads in the clubhouse and plays with energy unreflective of a team that’s nine games under .500. 

Contreras should be an All-Star with a ticket to Philadelphia in mid-July. He’s made a fantastic impact for a Red Sox team that hasn’t left much to be fondly remembered when this season ends, barring an unrealistic turnaround. 

So, what’s his future like in Boston? 

That’s weird to ask two months into his first season with a new team, but the reality is that if the Red Sox choose to fully sell at the trade deadline (which they should), Contreras is among the most intriguing names teams could call on. 

His contract could sway the trade-or-keep decision each way. Contreras is under contract through the 2027 season with a club option for $20 million in 2028. The Red Sox could keep him as the answer at first base through then or use that to haul a more enticing return from a contender at the end of July. 

Contreras is fantastic in a Red Sox uniform. The only question is how long will it last? 

Once again, the Yankees boast the best offense in the American League. Ben Rice might actually get more MVP votes if they were tallied today than Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger has made everyone forget who Kyle Tucker is. Even Trent Grisham has started to hit like a key member of a powerful lineup, and Anthony Volpe has come off the IL looking like the top prospect we always wanted to be.

Just don’t mention Austin Wells.

Or JC Escarra.

The Yankees have the best offense in the AL, but only the Angels and Pirates have gotten less offensive production from their catchers. You accept that your catcher will very rarely be a top-half-of-the-lineup hitter, especially when that catcher is an above-average or better fielder. You can’t really accept a 59 wRC+ or .557 OPS no matter how good the defender is.

Now I’ve advocated all season for Austin Wells to simply not swing the bat, because he does walk a lot and is seeing a career-low rate of pitches in the zone. I think he should take this weekend in Sacremento and just stand there in the batter’s box, see what happens, can’t really do worse than you’re doing. However, I also think the Yankees might be wise to bring in an outside option, preferably someone hitting from the right side that can work as a true tandem. But who would those options be?

The initial problem with the catching market is how beat up, or more specifically, broken some key parts of it are. Two of the immediate possible solutions are on the IL with broken bones, Ryan Jeffers with a busted hamate and Sean Murphy out until July with a broken finger. Jeffers is a pure rental, and despite the injury might still be the best overall option. He’ll earn just over $3 million from the time he returns — likely the first week of July — until the end of the season, had a sparkling 166 wRC+ across his first 150 plate appearances this year, and while that won’t hold up, Jeffers has posted a 110 mark in the two seasons previous to this, so he’s no slouch at the plate.

We’re also fairly good at diagnosing, treating, and recovering from broken hamates. You don’t want anyone to break that little hand bone, but returning from the injury is more manageable than, say, consistent soft tissue injuries in the legs. The biggest downside that I see with Jeffers is the Regression Monster, if we assume he’s closer to a 110 wRC+ hitter than a 166 (he is), he’s going to hit at a lower level to bring that mark down. Fortunately for his career, he’s handled lefties to the tune of an .851 OPS, more than 350 points better than what Wells and Escarra have managed against southpaws.

Murphy and his behind should be a name Yankee fans are familiar with, as he was an excellent catcher with the A’s and has been solid over parts of four seasons with Atlanta. He’s under contract at $12.17 AAV through the end of 2028, but while he was a two-win player and above-average hitter for the position last season, he’s been on the IL twice already to start 2026, with that broken finger and earlier this season with a hip injury. I’m not putting any stock in his -72 wRC+ across just 14 plate appearances, but I’m putting stock in the health challenges. Drake Baldwin is the catcher of the now and future for Atlanta, so they might be willing to get out of that final year and a half for Murphy but I’m very, very worried about that body holding up.

The rest of the market doesn’t really seem very promising. You need a catcher good enough to be an upgrade, on a team that has a reason to move him, and the Yankees care about their budget regardless of whether we do. Jake Rogers is terrible, Travis d’Arnaud isn’t an upgrade, ditto on Kyle Higashioka. There just isn’t a lot of other opt-

Yo Soy Gary, indeed.

Yes, Gary Sánchez has a 131 wRC+ as the backup catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. I know it’s tempting to think about that swing chugging line drives into the gap at Yankee Stadium. Gary perhaps broke my heart more than any Yankee in the post-dynasty years. However, I have already issued an opinion on the matter:

There’s also the small matter of the Brewers being atop the NL Central, and likely looking to add pieces at the deadline. Maybe a deal could be swung where the Yankees give a current need for a current need, but from Milwaukee’s perspective they could probably get that need from somewhere else.

I don’t expect the Yankees to make a deal for a couple of weeks yet, even if I do expect some kind of move coming well before the actual trade deadline. Injuries and ineffectiveness are the current bottlenecks in the catcher market though, so for right now we’ll just have to hope Austin Wells stops swinging the damn bat.

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The weekend is here, and that means there’s plenty of baseball on deck.

My MLB player props for Saturday, May 30, home in on Michael Harris and Ian Happ, two of the hottest hitters in the majors, as well as Toronto Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Michael Harris II	Over 2.5 HRRBI	+123
Ian Happ	Over 1.5 HRRBI	-111
Trey Yesavage	Over 6.5 strikeouts	-105

Michael Harris II Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI (+123)

Michael Harris II has been on a tear over the past seven days, batting .400 with 10 hits and seven RBI in six outings. The Atlanta Braves center fielder has cashed in 3+ hits, runs, and RBIs in three of his last four games, and he’ll feast against the Cincinnati Reds tonight.

Brady Singer is off to a miserable start, with a 6.26 ERA and 1.70 WHIP, ranking in the fourth percentile in xBA (.298) and bottom 1% in pitching run value (-21).

Singer’s favorite pitch is his sinker, which he goes to nearly 46% of the time, but it’s been a stinker. Opposing teams are hitting .322 vs. that pitch, while Harris himself is batting .343 when he sees it.

Atlanta has scored 18 runs over its last two contests while averaging 5.29 runs per game this season, third-best in MLB. Harris will get on base plenty vs. the Reds, and his teammates will have no problem driving him home. 

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

Ian Happ Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-111)

This prop feels like a steal at close to even money, and there’s even an argument to take a swing at Over 2.5 H+R+RBI for Ian Happ at +183.

The Chicago Cubs outfielder has been one of the deadliest sluggers in the majors this week 11 RBI in five games and a dinger in each of his last three outings. Happ has recorded 2+ hits, runs, and RBIs in four straight contests and will enjoy a favorable matchup tonight.

St. Louis Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy was crushed for seven hits, two homers, and five earned runs by the Reds last time out, and the right-hander has a subpar 4.44 ERA and 1.58 WHIP on the season.

The switch-hitting Happ has really enjoyed batting vs. righties this year. He owns a .923 OPS vs. right-handers and 24 of his 31 RBI have come against them.

Happ is crushing the four-seam fastball against righties for a .364 BABIP and 3.1 wRAA, and that happens to be Leahy’s most common pitch (31.7%).

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

Trey Yesavage Over 6.5 strikeouts (-105)

Trey Yesavage didn’t make his season debut until April 28, but the 22-year-old hasn’t missed a beat. He’s averaging 9.84 K/9 while sitting in the 88th percentile in Whiff% as well as the 81st percentile in K%.

The Toronto Blue Jays starter has recorded at least six punchouts in each of his last five starts, and eight Ks in his second-last appearance. He’s also seen his pitch count steadily increase, topping out at 98 on Monday, when he nearly pitched through the seventh inning. That’s a great sign for the Jays, and for those of us betting the Over.

Yesavage is known for his deadly splitter, which he goes to over 34% of the time. That pitch is getting whiffed 45% of the time, and it’s also a pitch the Baltimore Orioles have not seen much of this year.

Orioles batters have faced just 260 total splitters, the 12th-fewest among all clubs. They’re also swinging at splitters in the zone 80% of the time. 
Yesavage’s unique release point, combined with Baltimore’s unfamiliarity, will add up to a lot of strikeouts this afternoon.

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, MASN

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