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It rained all morning on the North Side of Chicago, but by game time the rain had left the area and it became a beautiful, sunny, late spring afternoon at Wrigley Field.

The sky might as well have kept on pouring, because the Astros rained down three home runs off Shōta Imanaga and defeated the Cubs 8-5, extending the Cubs’ losing streak to eight.

Jake Meyers hit the first of those homers, a solo shot in the second. Okay, a solo homer, that’s not too terrible. The Cubs, meanwhile, had two runners on with two out in the first but (all together now) failed with RISP. Again.

And the Cubs actually took the lead in the bottom of the second. I say “actually” because when they did take the lead, it was the first time they had led in any game in the entire homestand. With one out, Moisés Ballesteros walked and Carson Kelly singled him to third.

Pedro Ramirez, starting his first MLB game after pinch-hitting Saturday, doubled in Ballesteros [VIDEO].

So that was Ramirez’ first major league hit, and yes, they did get the ball for him.

Kelly took third on that hit and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Crow-Armstrong [VIDEO].

That gave the Cubs the lead. Ramirez took third on that play and scored on a single by Nico Hoerner [VIDEO].

Michael Busch followed with a walk and Alex Bregman was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two out. Michael Conforto, who has had his share of heroics this year, could have helped put the game (maybe) out of reach, but he struck out to end the inning.

Still — a 3-1 lead! And, about the three-run inning, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs’ three-run second inning was their first with more than two runs in their last four games, since they scored three in the fifth inning on Monday vs. the Brewers. They had scored a total of four runs in 41 subsequent innings.

Today’s was their 19th three-run inning of the season. They have scored four runs in eight innings, three runs in five, and seven runs in one.

Could Imanaga hold that lead? Friends, you already know he could not. Here’s how that went down. He served up another solo homer in the third, to Nick Allen. Still, solo homers aren’t what kill you. It’s the three-run jobs, and that’s what Imanaga gave up in the fifth after two runs had scored on a Jeremy Peña single to give Houston a 4-3 lead. That might have been okay, but the three-run job, by Christian Walker, who already had two home runs in this series, was the death blow.

I thought at the time, “There’s no way the Cubs are going to score four more runs in this game,” and indeed, they did not.

The Cubs had put a couple of runners on in the fourth on walks, but Nico hit into a rally-killing double play.

A couple more things about Imanaga. First, his pitch selection, which as you see was mostly offspeed [VIDEO].

And more Imanaga facts from John:

Imanaga is just the sixth Cubs starter since 1901, and first in nearly 20 years, to pitch six innings and give up seven runs with six strikeouts.

The first five:
Fergie Jenkins, June 14, 1972 (11 hits, 2 homers)
Bill Hands, Aug. 15, 1972 (6 hits, 3 homers)
Kerry Wood, Aug. 5, 1998 (9 hits, 2 homers)
Matt Clement, May 16, 2003 (8 hits, 1 homer)
Carlos Zambrano, July 2, 2006 (7 hits, 2 homers)
Jenkins, Wood and Zambrano also did it at Wrigley Field.

Hands and Zambrano walked three, as Imanaga did. Wood walked two; Jenkins and Clement, one.

The bullpen did a decent job in this one, until the ninth. Ethan Roberts and Phil Maton threw scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. While that was going on, the Cubs did get a bit closer. PCA led off the seventh with a walk, and one out later, Busch smashed an opposite-field home run to make it 7-5 [VIDEO].

But the next two Cubs were routine outs, and in the eighth, Ballesteros walked with one out ane Carson Kelly singled. Kevin Alcántara was sent in to run for Kelly, but Ramirez hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the ninth, Caleb Thielbar allowed the Astros a run to make it 8-5. A leadoff walk helped lead to that, and, well, you know how those leadoff walks generally come back to bite you.

The Cubs did get the leadoff hitter on in the bottom of the ninth off ex-Cub Nate Pearson, another walk drawn by PCA, who had three bases on balls in this game. That, hopefully, is a good sign for PCA. This was the first time in PCA’s MLB career that he had walked three times in one game.

But he wound up stranded. Hoerner and Busch both hit the ball hard (99 miles per hour for Hoerner, 96 for Busch) but right at Astros infielders, and Bregman flied to right to end the game [VIDEO].

This all feels like the end of the world for the Cubs, but it’s clearly not, as we have just reached Memorial Day. At 29-24, the Cubs still trail the first-place Brewers by just 2.5 games, as Milwaukee lost to the Dodgers Sunday. The Cardinals, in second place, are a game ahead of the Cubs. Those are not insurmountable deficits, even if they feel like it right now.

To put this streak into perspective, here’s John:

The Cubs have tied for the longest losing streak in MLB history by a team that also had multiple double-digit winning streaks. The 1916 Giants won 17, 14 and 12 in a row (the last two separated by a tie) and lost eight. The losing streak came before the winning streaks, making the Giants 1-9. They were 2-13 when they won 17. The two subsequent streaks came in September. They finished 86-66, in fourth place, seven games out of first. 

Hopefully, that fourth-place finish will not be the Cubs’ fate.

They will simply have to go on the road and start winning games, and doing so in Pittsburgh and St. Louis is never easy.

A four-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park begins Monday afternoon. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs and Carmen Mlodzinski goes for Pittsburgh. Game time Monday is 12:35 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB game preview will post at 10:30 a.m. CT.

It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! This wasn’t one of the best weeks of the season, as the Yankees decided to start their June Swoon early this year with a couple of bad stretches of baseball in the month of May. Thanks in part to the Knicks’ success, however, social media has remained buzzing within the Yankees Universe. With so much to do, let’s get started!

Eastern Conference Finals

During the offseason, members of the New York Yankees, both past and present, spend quite a bit of time at Madison Square Garden to catch the Knicks and the Rangers. The regular season, of course, brings this to a grinding halt, as the players have a few more important things to worry about, but a deep playoff run causes a lot of former players to forego Yankee Stadium for a trip to the world’s most famous arena. This week, Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia were in attendance for the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Earlier in the week, Sabathia also commented on his Facebook about the Knicks’ improbable 22-point comeback that gave them a 1-0 series lead:

What an unbelievable comeback…LFG New York Knicks!!!

Congrats, Gio!

Earlier this week, former Yankees infielder Gio Urshela announced his retirement.

A-Rod Teaches Base Stealing

Speaking of third basemen, Alex Rodriguez took to Instagram to post a video on the art of the stolen base. While more known for his power, A-Rod did have some wheels, stealing 329 bases over the course of his career.

Game Belts

The Yanks may not have passed around the Game Belt as much as we’d have liked, but we still saw a couple of Ws this week.

Dave’s Thoughts

As always, Yankees radio voice Dave Sims took to Instagram to react to the Yankees’ games this week.

During the Mets' three games in Miami, they managed to score just two runs, culminating with getting shut out in Sunday’s series finale to finish off a sweep at the hands of the Marlins who began the series in the NL-East cellar.

Despite at least one baserunner in every inning on Sunday, New York, without Juan Soto because of an illness, couldn’t get the big hit and finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while leaving 10 men on base.

The Mets’ lack of offense looked eerily similar to how it looked when Soto was out with a calf injury and when they were losing 12 in a row.

“We’re scuffling,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We got a lot of guys that are going through it right now, we’re not grinding [out] at-bats. … We gotta figure it out because you gotta be able to score runs.”

While nobody in the lineup is safe from criticism, one player, in particular, who had a tough series and a rough road trip was Marcus Semien.

Semien finished the weekend series 0-for-10 after an 0-for-4 performance on Sunday and has struggled all season long in his first year in Queens after coming over in an offseason trade with the Texas Rangers.

Now in his age-35 season, Semien is hitting .214 with a .560 OPS, tied for the eighth-worst mark in MLB among qualified hitters. Right behind Semien is his teammate Bo Bichette (.581 OPS).

“What I’m feeling is I’m putting the ball in play but not driving the ball,” Semien said. “Like I said, that's a good pitching staff over there so just trying to do everything I can to be on time, be ready for high velocity and be able to handle the offspeed they throw.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get anything really in the air or in the gaps this series and ended up with a tough series.”

Asked if he was concerned that age is starting to catch up with the veteran, who had even struggled in the past few seasons with the Rangers, Mendoza pointed to Semien’s track record and work ethic “behind the scenes” as reasons why he still believes in his second baseman.

“This is a guy that continues to show up and continues to put the work in, day in and day out,” the skipper said. “You hope that at some point he’s gonna come out of it. He’s been in this league for a long time and there’s a reason why and we’re gonna continue to run him out there.”

Where exactly the Mets go from here remains to be seen.

Even with some injured players possibly on their way back soon, New York’s offense has been a problem all season, even at full strength.

“We gotta find a way,” Mendoza said. “We gotta keep going here, we gotta continue to make adjustments because what we’re doing right now is not good enough. It’s as simple as that.

“We got a few guys that are having a hard time, we’re having a hard time creating traffic, we’re having a hard time squaring the ball up and we gotta figure it out.”

Mendoza added: “We can’t be making excuses because of the players that aren’t here. We have 26 MLB players who are capable of executing, but right now we’re going through a tough situation offensively. Obviously we can’t score runs and we’ve got to get back to the basics which is compete, have good at-bats and trust in the guy behind you. We have to create opportunities and right now we’re not doing that.”

Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time/Place: 6:05 p.m. ET, Camden Yards
SB Nation Site: Camden Chat
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 54: RHP Troy Melton (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (2-5, 6.87 ERA)

Christian Walker continued his hot streak with a 3-run homer, and Nick Allen went 3-for-3 with a solo HR and 2 RBI as the Astros (23-31) held off the Cubs (29-24) 8-5 to complete a 3 game sweep in Chicago.

Peter Lambert (W, 3-4) survived a tough 2nd inning in which he allowed 3 ER before settling down to get through 5 innings without allowing any additional damage. Lambert finished with 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB and 5 K.

Nate Pearson (S, 1) pitched a scoreless 9th for his first save as an Astro and his 4th career save. It was his first save since 2024.

The Astros struck first in the second inning, when Jake Meyers drove the first pitch he saw from Cubs SP Shota Imanaga (L, 4-5) 388 feet to left for his 2nd HR of the season to give Houston a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second, the Cubs would take the lead. Moises Ballesteros drew a 1-out walk before Carson Kelly singled to center, putting runners on the corners with one out. Pedro Ramirez then doubled to right center past a diving Meyers to drive in Ballesteros to tie the game at 1. Pete Crow-Armstrong then hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Kelly to make it 2-1 Cubs, with Ramirez advancing to third. Nico Hoerner then singled to right to drive in Ramirez and make it 3-1 Chicago.

After a mound visit from Astros pitching coach Josh Miller, Lambert walked Michael Busch and hit Alex Bregman with a pitch to load the bases. Lambert finally escaped the inning by striking out the next batter, Michael Conforto, to end the inning.

Lambert, who appeared frustrated with his inability to consistently throw strikes in the inning, was pumped up after striking out Conforto, and it seemed to rejuvenate him. Over the next 3 innings, Lambert would not allow a run or a hit, and struck out 4. That effort helped an already overtaxed bullpen from being grossly overexposed, as Bryan King, Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert were all unavailable after pitching back-to-back days.

In the top of the 3rd, Nick Allen would get one back for the Astros, sending a 3-2 fastball from Imanaga over the wall in left for a solo HR to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Astros would break the game open in the 5th. Cam Smith (1-3, BB, 2 R) doubled to lead off the inning, followed by a walk by Zach Dezenzo. After a failed bunt by Vazquez led to a pop out, Allen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a Brice Matthews infield pop up for the second out, Jeremy Pena singled to center to score Smith and Dezenzo, giving the Astros a 4-3 lead and runners on the corners with 2 out for Christian Walker.

Walker blasted a 2-0 pitch from Imanaga 426 ft to left center for his 14th HR of the season and a 7-3 Houston lead.

A.J. Blubaugh, who has not allowed a run when pitching only one inning since April 8, breezed through a 1-2-3 6th, but because of a shorthanded bullpen was asked to go a second inning. In his second inning of work, Blubaugh allowed a 2-run HR to Michael Busch that cut the lead to 7-5.

Bryan Abreu came on to pitch the 8th and it was a white knuckle ride the whole way. After getting Seiya Suzuki to ground out to start the inning, Abreu walked Ballesteros on 4 pitches, none of which were close. He then went 3-0 to Kelly before surrendering a single, giving the Cubs 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

Josh Miller then came out to the mound, and seemed to be trying to settle Abreu down with some positive reinforcement. To this point, Abreu had thrown 12 pitches, only 4 fastballs, with none of the fastballs exceeding 93.9 MPH.

After the meeting, Abreu would find a little extra on the heat, and on a 95.6 MPH fastball Abreu got Ramirez to bounce into a 6-3 double play to end the inning and hold the lead at 7-5.

In the 9th, the Astros would tack on an insurance run, as Allen knocked a 2-out single to right to score Smith and extend the lead to 8-5.

Nate Pearson would lock it down in the 9th, and the Astros completed the sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley. It’s the Astros second series sweep of the season, and first since their second series of the year against the Boston Red Sox.

Houston currently sits 4 games out of first place in the AL West. Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Joey Loperfido and Taylor Trammell are all scheduled to play today for Corpus Christi on rehab assignments.

Tomorrow the Astros start a 4-game series in Arlington against the Rangers.

Pitching probables:

Monday: RHP Tatsuya Imai (1-2, 8.31) vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (2-4, 3.60) 6:05 pm start

Tuesday: RHP Jason Alexander (1-0, 7.30) vs. RHP Jack Leiter (1-4, 4.61) 7:05 pm start

Wednesday: RHP Mike Burrows (2-6, 5.75) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.86) 7:05 pm start

Thursday: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (6-1, 1.32) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.65) 7:05 pm start

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to host the St. Louis Cardinals this week, beginning with an afternoon game on Memorial Day Monday. Milwaukee, who leads the NL Central at 30-20 on the season, swept the Cubs earlier in the week but dropped two of three to the Dodgers over the weekend. The Cardinals are coming off a rough weather weekend in Cincinnati, as they had a pair of rainouts on Friday and Sunday, wrapped around a 1-1 doubleheader on Saturday. They currently sit in second place in the Central, 1.5 games behind Milwaukee.

The Brewers’ injured list is primarily occupied by pitchers, with right-handers Quinn Priester and Brandon Woodruff shelved along with lefties Angel Zerpa, Rob Zastryzny, and Jared Koenig. Zastryzny, Koenig, and Woodruff are all pretty close to returning, while Priester is aiming for a June return. Zerpa is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. On the position player side, outfielders Akil Baddoo and Brandon Lockridge are both out, with Baddoo currently rehabbing at Triple-A Nashville and Lockridge out until mid- to late June.

St. Louis’ injured list is fairly short, with three position players making up the whole group. Outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Nathan Church are both out, with Nootbaar aiming for a June return after double heel surgery — he’s currently rehabbing at Triple-A Memphis. Church was placed on the IL with a left shoulder strain over the weekend, with his return currently TBD. Infielder Ramón Urías rounds out the IL, as he’s also TBD with a right elbow injury that has kept him out since May 5.

Jake Bauers and Brice Turang sit atop Milwaukee’s home run leaderboard with seven each, while William Contreras has been one of the better hitters over the last month or so, boosting his season line to .303/.371/.410 with four homers, eight doubles, 30 RBIs, and 28 runs. With a healthy offense, Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Gary Sánchez, and Andrew Vaughn are also regularly in the mix, with Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo rounding things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .246/.333/.361 (.694 OPS ranks tied for 18th), with 34 homers (last), 246 runs (eighth), and 54 steals (tied for second).

The St. Louis offense is led by Jordan Walker, who is turning in a career year with 15 homers, 11 doubles, seven steals, and a .302/.372/.594 line through 50 games. Rookie JJ Wetherholt is second on the team with nine homers and is a perfect 6-for-6 on the basepaths, while Alec Burleson has seven homers. Pedro Pagés, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, Victor Scott II, and Iván Herrera round out the regulars for the Cards, with Bryan Torres, José Fermín, César Prieto, Thomas Saggese, and Yohel Pozo providing the depth. As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .242/.323/.393 (.716 OPS ranks 11th), with 60 homers (tied for 10th), 233 runs (tied for 11th), and 34 steals (tied for 18th).

Aaron Ashby anchors the Milwaukee bullpen with a 2.61 ERA and a perfect 8-0 record across 23 appearances, totaling 31 innings with 46 strikeouts. Grant Anderson and DL Hall are right there with Ashby with ERAs below 3.00, while Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill round out the “A” bullpen. Jake Woodford, Shane Drohan, and Carlos Rodriguez give Milwaukee plenty of depth in the innings-eater category. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.31 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.19 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.47 bullpen ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 488 batters (fourth) over 445 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals’ bullpen has been less than great thus far, though they’ve had a pretty group, as seven players have 23 or more appearances. Justin Bruihl leads the bullpen with 25 appearances, though he has a 5.56 ERA over 22 2/3 innings. Riley O’Brien, JoJo Romero, and Gordon Graceffo are the best of the bunch, as O’Brien leads the way with 13 saves in 17 tries and a 2.96 ERA, Romero has a 2.92 ERA, and Graceffo has a 1.65 ERA. George Soriano (3.32 ERA over 21 2/3 IP), Ryne Stanek (6.00 ERA over 21 IP), Matt Pushard (6.23 ERA over 4 1/3 IP), and Brycen Mautz (no MLB appearances) round out the group, after Mautz was recalled on Sunday to replace Matt Svanson, who was optioned. As a staff, the Cardinals have a 4.20 team ERA (22nd), including a 4.07 starter ERA (13th) and a 4.39 bullpen ERA (21st). They’ve struck out 380 batters (29th) over 462 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Monday, May 25 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (4-2, 1.89 ERA, 2.13 FIP) vs. LHP Matthew Liberatore (2-2, 4.70 ERA, 4.85 FIP)

Misiorowski has simply dominated in May. Over his last four starts, dating back to May 1, he’s totaled 24 1/3 innings with no runs allowed on just nine hits and five walks (0.575 WHIP), striking out 37 to maintain his lead atop MLB’s leaderboard with 88 this season. He went six scoreless with eight strikeouts on just 74 pitches in his last outing against the Cubs, a 5-2 win as part of a three-game sweep. Including his MLB debut last June, Miz has made three career starts against St. Louis, with a 3.95 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings, though all of those appearances came last season.

After a rainout in Sunday’s series finale against the Reds, the Cardinals pushed their probables back a day. That means Matthew Liberatore gets the ball in the series opener opposite Misiorowski. Liberatore, 26, hasn’t quite panned out as the top prospect he once was, with a 4.64 ERA and 4.28 FIP over 385 2/3 career innings. He’s made 10 starts this year, with a 4.70 ERA, 4.85 FIP, and 43 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings. He went 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision his last time out, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks with nine strikeouts against the Pirates. A common opponent for Milwaukee, Liberatore has made 11 career appearances (four starts), spanning 28 2/3 innings with a 1.26 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and a perfect 4-0 record.

Tuesday, May 26 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (5-1, 1.77 ERA, 2.48 FIP) vs. RHP Michael McGreevy (3-3, 2.40 ERA, 4.03 FIP)

As good as Miz has been, Harrison has been about as good. He’s made nine starts this season, with a sterling 1.77 ERA, 2.48 FIP, and 59 strikeouts across 45 2/3 innings. He’s won each of his last four decisions, and the Brewers have won in each of his last six starts, dating back to early April. He went seven scoreless against the Cubs in his last outing, allowing just two hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts at Wrigley. This marks Harrison’s first career appearance against the Cardinals.

McGreevy, 25, is in his third MLB season with the Cardinals after being drafted in the first round out of UC Santa Barbara in 2021. Though he has a 2.40 ERA, his underlying 4.03 FIP is less than sterling, though that’s at least in part due to low strikeout numbers, with just 37 across 56 1/3 innings. He went five innings in a loss against the Pirates in his last start, allowing three runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out just one. This marks McGreevy’s first career start against Milwaukee.

Wednesday, May 27 @ 12:40 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Dustin May (3-5, 5.00 ERA, 3.90 FIP)

Assuming the Brewers are following their recent rotation, this would be Logan Henderson’s game. Henderson has made five starts this season, totaling 23 innings with seven runs allowed (2.74 ERA, 2.39 FIP), striking out 30. The 24-year-old righty went five scoreless against the Dodgers his last time out, allowing three walks and two hits with seven strikeouts. This would mark Henderson’s first career appearance against St. Louis.

May, 28, is now with his third team in St. Louis after agreeing to a one-year, $12.5 million contract in the offseason. A former third-round pick by the Dodgers, May has made 10 starts for the Cards this year, with a 5.00 ERA, 3.90 FIP, and 42 strikeouts across 54 innings. He took the loss in his last appearance, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks, striking out seven over 5 1/3 innings against the Pirates. May’s only career appearance came all the way back in 2021 while with the Dodgers. He went just 1 2/3 innings in that one, allowing a run on one hit (a solo homer) and a walk, striking out three.

How to Watch & Listen

Monday, May 25: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, May 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, May 27: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers hit a bit of a roadblock with the Dodgers over the weekend, but I expect they’ll bounce back against the Cardinals at home this week. Give me the Crew to take two of three.

The conditions at Fenway Park were sloppy for Sunday’s series finale between the Red Sox and Twins. It rained at various intensities from the first pitch to the last, and while the grounds crew did an excellent job keeping the field playable, the conditions were a factor. For the Red Sox, that manifested in the form of sloppy baseball.

It first appeared in Sonny Gray’s performance. He managed just four innings, allowing three runs on 75 pitches. The outing wasn’t a disaster, but he clearly had a difficult time spinning the baseball, couldn’t land his cutter in the zone, and didn’t execute with two strikes. In the first inning, he failed to back up a throw home from Wilyer Abreu. It ultimately didn’t matter, but good teams get those details correct. In the third inning, the Twins took advantage of two infield singles — one of which looked like an easy double play ball that deflected off of Gray’s foot — and grabbed two runs to retake the lead.

Later on, in the sixth inning with the Red Sox in the lead, Tyron Guerrero gave up two singles on jam shots through the infield. Garrett Whitlock took over and surrendered a hit to plate a run. Jarren Duran fielded the ball at the wall and made an out-of-control, high-arching throw to third base that allowed the hitter to easily take second base. The next hitter singled, Duran threw home, and Carlos Narvaez couldn’t handle the throw. Two runs scored on the play, the second being the runner who took an extra base on Duran’s throw.

Skipping ahead to the ninth inning with the Red Sox trailing by two, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa doubled off the wall with runners on the corners. Third base coach Chad Epperson tried to have Connor Wong score from first on the play, and he was cut down at the plate. The send came with one out, and the rain was so bad at that point that the grounds crew came out to work on the field. After the delay, Twins pitcher Yoendrys Gomez balked and then hit Jarren Duran with a wild pitch. Neither of those things is guaranteed to happen with Wong on first base, but they’re both evidence that the send was reckless.

Ceddanne Rafaela flew out for the final out after a pitching change, and the Red Sox lost 6-5. After sweeping the Royals, the Twins do the same to the Red Sox. It’s one step forward and six steps back this season, seemingly.

Three Studs

Masataka Yoshida

He hit an absolute bomb of a home run. I really wish he were better.

Willson Contreras

Two more RBIs for Willson, who continues to put the offense on his back.

Grounds Crew

I thought there was no way this game was played, but the grounds crew somehow kept the field in good enough shape. Time to go walk my dog in the rain. Maybe they can help.

Three Duds

Chad Epperson

Hindsight is 20-20, but that send was terrible.

Tyron Guerrero

He got tagged with two runs, although I think he was unfortunate. He was in the zone, and the two hits weren’t hit hard. With his velocity, if he’s in the zone as he was today, he’ll be successful more often than not.

Carlos Narvaez

0-3, two strikeouts, and he dropped the ball when he should have been able to tag a runner out at the plate to prevent a run.

The Texas Rangers have placed pitcher Cole Winn on the 15 day injured list due to right arm fatigue, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled pitcher Gavin Collyer from AAA Round Rock.

Winn rattled off eight scoreless appearances in a row to start the 2026 season but in 14 appearances since then he has allowed 12 runs in 11.2 IP, including two runs in an abbreviated outing yesterday.

Collyer was called up in mid-April and, for his part, he had 11 straight scoreless appearances before an ugly three run, three walk and a hit while facing four batters appearance on May 12. He was sent down earlier in the week when Chris Martin was activated from the injured list. With the Rangers now needing a replacement for Winn, Collyer re-joins the big league team and will be part of the middle relief mix.

Through 4 and half innings, the Royals looked like they were bound for a disappointing, low scoring loss, which many fans have been accustomed to this season. But Michael Massey battled back from a 1-2 count to earn a walk to start the bottom half of the 5th. Kyle Isbel bunted on a 2-2 pitch, Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo fielded and wildly threw it away down the line, 2nd and 3rd nobody out with the top of the order coming up.

Woo did get two unproductive outs from Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr., but after falling behind 2-0 to Vinnie Pasquantino, the Mariners decided to intentionally walk him. On the first pitch, Salvador Perez smashed a two-run single into left to put the Royals in front, 2-1.

Carter Jensen smacked a high fly ball to deep left, that just keep carrying, and went off the top of the wall, scoring 2 more runs, Royals up 4-1, and at the same time, forcing Woo out of the game.

Isaac Collins led off the 6th inning with a double and came around to score on an Isbel sacrifice fly, putting the Royals up 5-1. Seth Lugo was really good today, going 6.1 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, walking 2 and striking out 3. Outside of a solo homer to Julio Rodríguez, Lugo was efficient and rather untouchable until the 7th. After three straight hits, Daniel Lynch IV replaced Lugo, allowing an inherited runner to score, but retired the next two hitters, 5-3 going to the bottom of the 7th.

Pasquantino hit a one out double, and came around to score on Perez’s third hit of the day, and his third run batted in. 6-3 KC.

John Schreiber worked a scoreless 8th inning, allowing just a two out single. The Royals tacked on two more in the bottom of the 8th, on a two out single from Garcia.

Lucas Erceg made his first appearance since last Sunday, and it was a mixed bag. Erceg got two quick outs with a double mixed in. A bloop single, some defensive indifferences and a couple more hits, and it was 8-6 with the tying run at the plate, but Erceg buckled down, getting a groundout to Salvy to end the game. The concerning thing is Erceg threw 32 pitches, his availability for the next couple days will be something to monitor.

The Royals take the series from the Mariners, they finish the year, 5-1 against Seattle. The Royals are now 5-12 this season in series finale games, and 1-4 in rubber match games. The Yankees come to town for three to finish the homestand. The Yankees have won 11 straight games against the Royals. Tomorrow, the game is on ESPN, first pitch is set for 2:40 p.m. CT.

MILWAUKEE — If such a thing as a textbook win exists, the Dodgers’ performance Sunday afternoon was it.

In the series rubber match against the previously red-hot Brewers, the Dodgers produced a decisive 5-1 victory at American Family Field, flashing all the factors that have underscored their own recent return to form.

It started on the mound, where in his first trip back to Milwaukee since last year’s complete game in the National League Championship Series, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was once again dominant, pitching seven strong innings of one-run ball in which “he was in complete control,” manager Dave Roberts said.

It was bolstered by a big inning at the plate, with the Dodgers breaking the tie score with a four-run outburst in the top of the fifth; keyed by a two-run triple from Kyle Tucker, then a two-run home run from Andy Pages.

It was locked up by a history-making bullpen, which extended its franchise-record scoreless streak to 38 innings.

It was even aided by good defense, highlighted by two double plays and an MLB-leading fifth outfield assist from Pages in center that helped flip the momentum.

At no point did the Dodgers seem stressed, not even after the Brewers opened the scoring with an RBI grounder in the bottom of the second.

At no point did they ever come close to looking lost, even while facing hard-throwing Milwaukee rookie Brandon Sproat for the first time.

A few weeks ago, that wasn’t often true of the two-time defending champions, who struggled to consistently put the pieces together during an extended 9-14 slump.

Since then, however, they have gone 9-2, finished this nine-game road trip with seven wins and three series victories, and made displays such as Sunday’s feel like the expectation once more.

“The pitching staff has done a great job all year, just giving us the opportunity to stay in games,” Tucker said. “And then our offense has come through when we needed it, too. It’s been nice.”

What it means

Winners of 11 of 13 games entering this weekend, the Brewers had been the hottest team in baseball.

But now, the Dodgers might have reclaimed that distinction.

After snapping their nine-game regular-season losing streak to Milwaukee on Saturday, they completed their first series win over the club since 2024 and their first at American Family Field since 2023.

They have also won three consecutive series for the first time since early April, maintaining first place in the NL West (by one game over the Padres).

Who’s hot

Tucker has had underwhelming numbers for basically the entirety of the season. 

More games like Sunday, however, could help him turn a corner.

The $240 million offseason signing went 2-for-5 with his two-run triple in the fifth and a two-out double in the first. It marked only his second game this season with multiple extra-base hits and the second straight day he tripled into the right field corner.

“I feel like my approach and swinging has gotten a lot better recently,” said Tucker, who is batting .251 on the season with a .767 OPS. “I’d like to stay inside of the ball a little bit better, but as long as I’m getting some walks and hits, and especially with guys on base and getting some RBIs, just take them.”

Indeed, since moving down the batting order a month ago, Tucker has been better, with a .233 average before the drop and a .268 average since. Power swings, however, have still been inconsistent. Whether Sunday helped spark something, time will only tell.

Who’s not

With Kiké Hernández set to rejoin the Dodgers on Monday, a roster move is coming.

Hyeseong Kim is making it more interesting than he would want.

For weeks, the expectation has been that Santiago Espinal will be cut to make room for Hernández, who would be an upgraded option in Espinal’s right-handed-hitting utility role.

Kim, however, has picked the wrong time to begin struggling mightily, striking out three times in an 0-for-4 performance Sunday to extend what is now a 6-for-40 slump.

“He’s back to chasing,” Roberts said. “He’s passive when he shouldn’t be, and then he’s getting into bad counts. I don’t know if it’s a mechanical thing. But he’s been grinding the last — quite honestly, the last month it’s been kind of tough for him.”

Kim provides value as a left-handed hitter, as well as with his speed and defense. But Roberts said he will nonetheless be in the conversation to get sent down to the minors when Hernández is activated Monday. The team’s other choice would be cutting veteran utility man Santiago Espinal, which seemed like the logical move prior to Kim’s struggles since he serves a repetitive right-handed utility role off the bench.

“Obviously, we’ve got to make a decision,” Roberts said.

Up next

The Dodgers return home Monday for a three-game series against the Rockies. Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.93 ERA) will be on the mound for the opener, which is an early 6:10 p.m. start for Memorial Day.

Texas Rangers lineup for May 24, 2026 against the Anaheim Angels: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore and Reid Detmers.

The last game of the road trip. Its a spring training split squad looking lineup today.

The lineup:

McCutchen — LF

Foscue — 2B

Nimmo — RF

Burger — 1B

Duran — 3B

Jansen — C

Haggerty — CF

Higashioka — DH

Helman — SS

6:20 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.