DETROIT, MI - MAY 27: Jung Hoo Lee #51 of the San Francisco Giants (R) greets starting pitcher Logan Webb #62 before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 27, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As expected, the San Francisco Giants made a handful of moves on Friday, as they return from the off day to kick off a 10-game road strip, which starts a stretch of 13 games in as many days. We’d known for a few days that All-Star pitcher Logan Webb would be returning on Friday as the Giants face the Colorado Rockies, but the corresponding move was not known, and it’s a tiny bit surprising: fellow right-handed starter Tyler Mahle has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List with with a hamstring strain. Mahle’s IL stint is retroactive to May 27.
Mahle has been struggling all season, and has a 6.04 ERA, a 4.85 FIP, and an MLB-worst seven losses in just 11 starts. He’s looked nothing like the player who had a 2.18 ERA and a 3.37 FIP for the Texas Rangers a year ago, before coming to the Giants on a one-year deal that featured not just $10 million, but a very loud stamp of approval from Bruce Bochy.
With Trevor McDonald pitching very well while filling in for Webb, the Giants had a decision to make about their rotation. And while it seemed like a distinct possibility that they would make the decision to move Mahle to the bullpen, they instead kicked the decision down the road a bit by placing him on the IL. Now he can take his time getting fully healthy, make a few rehab appearances in AAA, and the Giants can reassess in a few weeks.
San Francisco also made a move on the position player side, by activating right fielder Jung Hoo Lee from the 10-Day IL, and optioning Will Brennan to Sacramento. This was the first day that Lee was eligible to come off the IL, which certainly suggests his injury was quite minor. Like Webb, Lee is slotting straight into the starting lineup at Coors Field, and will bat sixth. Brennan will head back to AAA where he’ll stay on call as emergency outfield depth.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 18: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles looks to receive the ball back against the Tampa Bay Rays during a game at Tropicana Field on May 18, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Trevor Rogers will look to get back on track tonight against the Blue Jays. The Orioles received a quality start from Chris Bassitt yesterday, but the offense failed to carry its weight in a 2-1 loss. Baltimore will need to score more than two runs tonight if Rogers’ recent woes continue.
Adley Rutschman (DH) and Samuel Basallo (C) will both be in the lineup this evening against left-handed pitcher Adam Macko. Colton Cowser, Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward will handle the outfield duties. Coby Mayo will play third base, Gunnar Henderson will take short, Jackson Holliday will handle second and Pete Alonso will begin the game at first.
Albert Suárez should be available after rejoining the roster on a major league deal. Yennier Cano was testing his hamstring on the field earlier today. The team optioned Cameron Weston back to Norfolk and transferred Dean Kremer to the 60-day IL before tonight’s contest.
Baltimore carried some significant momentum into the series but suffered a setback last night. Can Rogers and the Orioles rediscover the good vibes this evening at Camden Yards?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 23: Grant Holmes #66 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Washington Nationals in the first inning at Truist Park on May 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves and their offense which is currently second in MLB in runs scored will to Cincinnati to take on the Reds who are 5-5 in their last ten games.
The Reds have the fourth worst team ERA in MLB while sporting an offense that is right at league average being fourteenth in MLB in runs scored. Chris Paddack will have his hands full for the Reds as he takes the mound with his 6.86 ERA and Grant Holmes looks to continue his streak of solid starts.
The Braves only play the Reds six times this season, and after this series won’t see them again until the end of September.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 25: Daylen Lile #4 and Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals celebrate scoring on a single hit by Luis García Jr. during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Nats and Padres get together, things tend to get interesting. That could be especially true this time as the two teams are as evenly matched as they have been in a long time. Both are over .500, but have gotten there in very different ways. The Nats are powered by an explosive offense, while the Padres have a lockdown bullpen.
Blake Butera is making a couple changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will be back in there in right field, which pushes James Wood to DH. Nasim Nunez will also be at second base and hit 9th. Keibert Ruiz will be behind the dish and hit 8th. Paxton Schultz will be the opener today, but Andrew Alvarez will be coming for bulk relief duty.
The Padres offense has underperformed this year. Fernando Tatis Jr. does not have a home run, while Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado have also taken big steps back. Gavin Sheets, Miguel Andujar and Ty France have the highest OPS numbers in the Padres lineup. We know that the big names in the Padres lineup can get hot at any time though. Lucas Giolito signed with the Padres very late, but he has been solid in his first couple of starts for the team. He will take the mound and face the team that drafted him.
The energy in the stadium this weekend should be great, and that fires me up. This team is giving the fans reason to believe. Hopefully the Nats can continue playing better baseball at home, after an awful start to the year at Nats Park. This will be a fun test for the boys. Follow along in the comments down below, and let’s go Nats!
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 23: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the second inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins on May 23, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Great; another opener in front of Brayan Bello. The Guardians lead the AL Central while the Sox slipped right back into fifth place. Who’s looking for a fun weekend?!
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm EDT — Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney is finalizing a deal to move to the Sunshine State after the conclusion of the postseason and join Orlando, according to multiple reports.
Sweeney beat out two other candidates for the position — former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy.
Sweeney has been coaching in the league since 2011, but this is his first head coaching job.
Spurs Associate Head Coach Sean Sweenny NBAE via Getty Images
In the past, he worked for the Nets, Bucks, Pistons and Mavericks before joining the Spurs this season. Sweeney played college basketball for both Green Bay and St.Thomas.
Sweeney takes the reins over from Jamahl Mosley, who was fired after blowing a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Pistons. Mosley built a strong foundation in Orlando, reaching the playoffs in three straight years but never getting past the first round.
Jamahl Mosley during the playoffs after losing game 7. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
“We’re grateful to Jamahl for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” Magic president Jeff Weltman said in a statement after the firing. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”
Now, Sweeney is tasked with taking the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane past the first round of the playoffs.
Sweeney is viewed as one of the best up-and-coming defensive minds and has played a key role in the Spurs’ long playoff run. Sweeney turned the 25th-best defense in the league into the third-best with a 108.5 defensive efficiency this season.
Sean Sweeny with forward Victor Wembanyama. NBAE via Getty Images
Sweeney was also able to fully harness Victor Wembanyama’s defensive abilities. He helped the forward become the first-ever unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Sweeney and the Spurs will head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder in Game 7 on Saturday, hoping to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
The Ottawa Senators can scratch one name off their Belleville Senators’ coaching candidate list.
On Friday morning, the New York Islanders announced that Jay McKee had agreed to a contract to become the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Hammers. McKee spent the last nine seasons coaching in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers and the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs.
McKee’s powerhouse Brantford Bulldogs squad were upset in the OHL semifinals after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Barrie Colts. With several of the organization’s best players expected to graduate, and having spent so much draft capital on talent pursuing a Memorial Cup opportunity, the organization appears poised to endure a downturn in its development cycle.
Recognizing that, it made sense for McKee to explore and pursue other opportunities.
Given his connections and ties to Michael Andlauer and Steve Staios, the prevailing belief was that it was only a matter of time before McKee would join the Ottawa Senators’ organization in some kind of coaching capacity.
Having fired David Bell midseason as the head coach in Belleville and replacing him with Andrew Campbell, who has held the interim head coach tag, there appeared to be a potential vacancy in the organization for McKee to slide into.
McKee, of course, was the head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs in Staios’ last year as the organization’s general manager and president. Together, the duo presided over the 2021-22 OHL championship team, while Michael Andlauer continued to own the Bulldogs until he sold the franchise in January of last year.
That combination of familiarity and success made McKee feel like a natural candidate for the job in Belleville, but that obviously will not happen now.
Organizations insist on strong communication and relationships between the parent team and their affiliate, but would the presence of McKee, who has strong ties to the Senators’ general manager and owner, have been viewed as an existential threat to head coach Travis Green’s job?
There is absolutely no question that McKee would have been perceived as an eventual successor, but few coaches in the NHL have more job security than Green after the Senators’ 2025-26 season.
His team climbed a mountain to defy the odds and overcome the worst statistical goaltending in the league during the first half of the season. Thanks to what was one of the best five-on-five teams in the league analytically, and the play of a resurgent Linus Ullmark, the Senators clinched a second consecutive postseason berth.
Green deserves all the credit for the structure and system the Senators played to keep the team competitive during their goaltenders’ struggles, key injuries to the blue line, and several distractions throughout the season.
Although a loyalty to Nolan Baumgartner may have impacted Green’s reluctance to take away the penalty kill duties from him, that decision was ultimately made and paid dividends down the stretch.
It was a season that merited Jack Adams Trophy consideration.
With a recently hired Pete DeBoer in New York, there is no clear path for McKee to get an NHL head-coaching opportunity there, but he can continue to hone his craft and develop as a viable candidate for the future.
It feels fair to assume the Senators likely reached out to McKee to gauge interest in the Belleville position, but now they will have to pivot to an alternative. I reached out to the Senators organization for comments on the interim tag status of Andrew Campbell and their search for a prospective head coach, but at the time this article was posted, the organization had not responded.
Australian teenager Ollie Peake will make his international debut this weekend, selected for Saturday’s series opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, captain Josh Inglis has confirmed.
This week on The Hockey Show, one of the main topics of discussion was that very question.
Between the controversial signing of Carter Hart and not permitting former coach Bruce Cassidy to talk with other teams, they’re not exactly making PR-friendly moves.
Not that it’s mattered in terms of wins, as the Golden Knights are on their way to the Stanley Cup Final following their shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
Who they’ll face has yet to be determined, but as of Friday afternoon it looked like the Carolina Hurricanes were on their way to eliminating the Montreal Canadiens.
Three straight dominant defensive victories will do that.
Joining THS co-hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork this week to discuss all that and more was Sara Civian of The Civ Report and the Too Many Men podcast.
Also this week, THS producer Rose Arias sat the boys down to go over episodes four and five of Off Campus, the new hockey romance show on Amazon Prime.
The latest wins and fails of the week included a haymaker-filled tilt at the Memorial Cup, a spear to the cup that wasn’t called correctly, Montreal’s fans turning against them and a Miami Heat player being spotted at a Golden Knights game in Vegas.
You can check out the full show and interview in the videos below:
Today’s Pirates starter is rightly Jared Jones, from Whittier, CA. Famous people from Whittier include Tricky Dick, Nomar Garciaparra, Tom Waits, and Bull Durham writer/director Ron Shelton (who knew Derek Shelton’s dad, also a Ron).
Jones is making his 2026 debut for the Pirates. He started 22 games for the team in 2024, doing better in the first half than the second, and missed all last season with UCL surgery/rehab. He throws mad gas, in the upper 90s, with a upper-80s slider plus a change and curve. If you’ll remember from the Liriano days (the happy ones), fast fastball with a fast slider is a nasty combo when the control is good. If the control isn’t so good… you might still throw a no-hitter with six walks, if you’re lucky.
In the Allegheny Mountains city of Altoona, PA, about two hours from Pittsburgh, there’s an unusual pizza you can get. It has tomato sauce, green pepper slices, meat and cheese. That’s not so unusual! Well, here’s what it looks like:
Yes, that’s “American” cheese (AKA slicy Velveeta) on top of salami. Invented at the Altoona Hotel, which burned down in 2013 and I swear I have an alibi for where I was that night.
Some people swear by this pizza. The Altoona Curve (the Pirates’ AA team) changed their name for a few days in 2023 to the Altoona Pizzas, featuring this logo:
Now, to my mind, that isn’t anywhere near as good as the death-metal pizza from the beginning of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. But that decision’s up to you. (Mild cussing in the clip below.)
One thing that struck me as odd in the article about the pizza was how it says that putting the toppings below the cheese makes it “Detroit style.” Huh. I suppose most restaurants put the toppings on the cheese. But we usually make pizza at home, and always put the toppings below the cheese. It helps them stay on! Whatever floats your boat. And I personally think American cheese with salami would be fine on a pizza. I’m not TOO picky about pizzas as long as you keep yer pineapple and fish bits away from me.
Ben Clemens at FanGraphs just posted an article about negotiations over the next CBA, and he analyzes the proposals from both the players’ union and the owners. It’s a very well-written article, check it out if you have any interest in this sort of thing.
What I found intriguing is that both sides are talking about changing the way TV revenue is distributed. The MLBPA wants a large chunk of local TV revenue to be shared; the MLB wants ALL of it to be shared. All the TV money, local and national, would go in a big pile and be split 30 ways.
I never would have expected that to happen. I’d have thought the Dodgers and Yankees would scream bloody murder to keep it from happening. Since this is the one thing both the league and the union basically agree on (they just disagree about percentages), you can expect that some form of it WILL happen. Whether that benefits a midmarket team like the Twins as much as it would a small-market team like Pittsburgh, I dunno. Keep in mind that the Pirates make enough from tickets/concessions alone to cover their whole payroll, and that’s before you count TV money, and they hate spending on players. So how a salary floor might operate is gonna be a big point of contention.
Also sure to be a point of contention: what counts as “revenue” for revenue-sharing purposes. Is it tickets and concessions? Or is it the free gimme gimme land teams routinely demand in new stadium deals, these days? Land they can use to be property developers? Players will want to call that part of “total revenue.” Owners will NOT.
Keep in mind I am never saying that restaurants and bars and condos and such around stadiums are bad things — what would a trip to Target Field be without explaining to your kids what a strip club is? But those things should go to the most enterprising property developers who build businesses, not ALL to one team (and often with massive tax giveaways other businesses wouldn’t get). Worth keeping an eye on this stuff.
Finally, we can’t visit Pittsburgh without remembering the time in 1974 when Dock Ellis went a little bananas on the Reds. Immortalized in this song:
The thing is, he’d let it be known a few days beforehand! Sports writer Donald Hall even asked Ellis about it at a party: “are you really going to hit every Cincinnati ballplayer Wednesday night?” Ellis replied, “how you know that?”
Well, Ellis sure meant it. He told the team in the locker room there was no need to talk about opposing players and their approaches to hitting, because “I’m just going to mow the lineup down.” Which he did, until obviously the manager had to pull him out.
You can read about it in this excerpt from Hall’s book, Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball. Fun stuff.
Appropriately for a guy whose name name sounds like the letters “L-S,” there was also that time Ellis threw a Liriano-style no-no of his own. On L-S-D. With eight walks and a HBP! (This time, the HBP was not on purpose)
Being high as heck on LSD was not on purpose, either. He’d been partying pretty hard, mixing vodka and acid (don’t try this at home), and he lost track of what day it was. But he made it to the ballpark in San Diego on time, and pitched a no-hitter that hopefully nobody will ever attempt to replicate.
And, like the song says, after finishing his baseball career, Ellis eventually became a drug counselor who spoke to young people and prison inmates about the dangers of addiction. And helped some former baseball players struggling with the same problems. From this article on the HOF website by Bruce Markusen.
Oh, and we have another very funny video with some mild cusswords in it:
That’s enough post length for today, I think! For a game probably nobody here is gonna watch because nobody has dang Apple TV!
BRADENTON, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a photo during the Pittsburgh Pirates photo day at Pirate City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Pitching Matchup: Taj Bradley (5-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (0-0, 0.00 ERA – 2026 debut)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Minnesota Twins looking to grab a win.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.
BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
San Diego, California - May 26: Ramon Laureano #5 of the San Diego Padres walks back to the dugout after striking out during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
San Diego Padres (31-24) at Washington Nationals (29-28), May 29, 2026, 3:45 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
The Carolina Hurricanes have finally broken through their Eastern Conference Final roadblock. Now comes the chance to play for the Stanley Cup for the first time in two decades.
Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson scored in a dominating first period that helped push the Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday night, closing a five-game series that sent the Eastern Conference’s top seed on to face Vegas for the Cup.
Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere added second-period goals that pushed the Hurricanes to a 5-0 lead entering the final period, while Seth Jarvis scoring into an empty net with 3:41 left. Frederik Andersen carried a shutout until midway through the third in net.
Carolina swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, then regrouped from a Game 1 loss to the Canadiens after an extended between-rounds break to win four straight. That included a run of 10 straight goals going back to Andrei Svechnikov’s overtime winner in Game 3 before Montreal finally got on the board with Cole Caufield’s power-play score at 10:50 of the third.
That made the Hurricanes the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with only one loss since 1983, according to SportRadar, and the only team to do so since the league went to best-of-seven series in all four postseason rounds in 1987.
It was a long-awaited moment for the franchise, which is on an eight-year run of postseason appearances under Rod Brind’Amour. The Hurricanes have been a perennial contender in the East, yet they entered this series having gone 1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final under Brind’Amour — falling in sweeps to Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023 before losing in five games to the Panthers in last year’s rematch.
But they were tested, and wounded, from those past postseason failures. Throw in their depth and talent, and the Hurricanes were finally ready to punch through for their third shot at the Cup since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina before the 1997-98 season.
The last time the Hurricanes reached this point? Brind’Amour was the captain on a team that hoisted the Cup in a seven-game series against Edmonton in 2006.
After regrouping from a 6-2 loss in Game 1, the Hurricanes took control of the series from the young and skilled Canadiens — who had arrived at this round ahead of schedule after Game 7 road wins against Tampa Bay and Buffalo through the first two rounds. They won consecutive 3-2 overtime wins, then took Game 4 in a 4-0 road romp Wednesday.
Beyond the score, Carolina was getting to its smothering game in pressuring the Canadiens in their own end or shutting off most high-danger chances they could muster going the other way.
By midway through the second period, festive and rowdy Hurricanes fans were offering mocking “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” chants with Carolina up 4-0. By the final two minutes, they were chanting “We want the Cup! We want the Cup!” as the Hurricanes closed this one out.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27, 2026: Nate Furman #90 of the San Francisco Giants warms up during the sixth inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Scottsdale Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Thursday was an off day for the San Francisco Giants, but not for their Minor League Baseball affiliates. All five of the teams who are in season played on Thursday (the Dominican Summer League doesn’t begin until Monday), and there were some exciting performances to talk about.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento (32-20)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 7-2 Box score
There seems to be a sentiment that Luis Arráez’s days as a Giant are limited. It seems unlikely that San Francisco will re-sign him next year, which means that if the team remains uncompetitive come July, Arráez will be on the trading block, opening up time for Casey Schmitt to be the team’s second baseman.
But what about Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL)?
Furman fits the Arráez mold, with preternatural contact skills, limited power, and bad second base defense, which apparently means he’s only two months with Ron Washington away from being a Gold Glove candidate. The Giants signaled how high they are on the 24-year old lefty, who was part of the Alex Cobb trade, when they gave him an invite to Spring Training and then assigned him to Sacramento despite just 21 career games in AA.
He’s rewarded that confidence, and Thursday was perhaps his best day yet, as the 2022 4th-round pick hit 3-5 with a 2-run home run and a double. That’s a damn good day!
Furman’s numbers are more good than great, as he has a .772 OPS and a 112 wRC+ with 6 stolen bases, but it’s been an exciting AAA debut, especially when you account for his inexperience entering the level (not only did he have just 21 games in AA before this year, but he had fewer than 200 total games played in his career due to injuries). He’s walking more than he’s striking out, and his K rate (12.8%) ranks 11th out of 71 qualified hitters in the Pacific Coast League. His Statcast page is hilariously Arráezean … massively blue bars when it comes to exit velocities, paired with extremely red bars for contact categories.
If Arráez is traded in July, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Furman get a chance at second base, so the Giants can see if the youngster can replicate Arráez’s success and be the second baseman in 2027 (assuming there’s a season). He’s obviously not going to push Schmitt off the position, but the Giants aren’t tied to Schmitt being the everyday second baseman so much as just an everyday hitter somewhere. If I had to make a list of potential second base starters come next Opening Day, Schmitt would be at the top by a mile … but Furman would be the only other name on the list.
First baseman Jake Holton also had a standout day, as the Minor League veteran went 2-5 with both a homer and a double, while also striking out twice.
After a slowish start, the 28-year old righty is starting to find his AAA rhythm, and is up to a .783 OPS and a 111 wRC+. He’s more emergency depth in the Trenton Brooks mold than anything else, but it’s nice to see him getting a shot at the highest Minor League level, after playing more than 300 games in AA for the Tigers (and hitting quite nicely, I might add). He’s playing well in AAA, which means he’s only ever one move or one injury away from getting a taste of the bigs.
Another strong day for designated hitter Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL), who went 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout. The 24-year old catcher continues to dominate following a recent promotion, and is now 20-46 with 11 extra-base hits, 5 walks, just 8 strikeouts, and 3 stolen bases with Sacramento. They might have traded away their homegrown Gold Glover, but the Giants sure continue to have some intriguing and exciting options behind the dish!
And speaking of recently-promoted prospects, nice to see a bounce-back day for left fielder Scott Bandura, who responded to Wednesday’s 0-5, 5-strikeout performance by hitting 2-5 with a double and a stolen base on Thursday, albeit with 2 strikeouts. He’s still finding his footing at the level — the 2023 7th-rounder is 8-35 with 12 strikeouts — but he’s certainly shown some flashes.
A decent start on the mound for RHP Carson Seymour, who threw 53 of 78 pitches for strikes while giving up just 1 run in 5 innings. Seymour, who allowed 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4, hasn’t been sharp with the walks lately, but he has been doing a much better job suppressing runs. Following a 5-game stretch in which he allowed 19 earned runs in just 22.1 innings, Seymour has only ceded 3 runs in 16 innings over his last 3 starts, albeit with 7 walks against just 15 strikeouts. It hasn’t been the best season for him — he has a 4.04 ERA and a 4.62 FIP, with just 7.7 strikeouts per 9 innings — but hopefully he can keep this good streak running and get back to the Majors.
A good bullpen showing, which featured a scoreless inning by RHP Ryan Walker, who allowed 1 hit. Walker has made 4 appearances for Sacramento since getting optioned, and has kept runs off the board in 3 of them. LHP Reiver Sanmartin made his 4th rehab appearance and struggled a bit, giving up 2 hits (including a double) and a run in an inning of work, with 1 strikeout. Sanmartin is on the 60-Day IL, so the Giants will need to make a roster move when he finishes his rehab … but that roster move doesn’t need to be at the Major League level (where they currently have 4 lefty relievers), as Sanmartin does have options remaining.
RHP Wilkin Ramos also allowed 2 hits in an inning of work, but didn’t give up any runs and struck out 2, lowering his ERA to 2.00 (his FIP is lagging behind, at 4.02). Ramos gave up runs in each of his 1st 3 games this year, but since then has given up just 2 earned runs in 14 outings.
Yet another strong game for right fielder Jonah Cox, who has officially graduated from “hot start” to “leveled up.” It’s been nearly 50 games and 200 plate appearances for the new-look Cox, whose swing has undergone changes that have resulted in dramatic improvements in both the stat sheet and the underlying metrics.
He was back to his old tricks on Thursday, though, as he hit 3-5 with a pair of infield singles and a stolen base, while also knocking a double.
Cox has, stunningly, hit safely in 40 out of 43 games this season, which includes 16 multi-hit games. A year after posting a .731 OPS, a 103 wRC+, a 22.4% strikeout rate, and a 12.0% swinging strike rate in High-A, he has a 1.130 OPS, a 196 wRC+, a 16.9% strikeout rate, and a 10.3% swinging strike rate in AA. He’s even stealing more bases, with 27 in 43 games, after an organization-leading 58 in 126 games a year ago (easier to steal bases when you’re getting on base seemingly every at-bat!).
Just a phenomenal year, and the A’s 2023 6th-rounder is quickly becoming one of the top prospects in the system.
Third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 2-5 with a double, while second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) went 2-3 with a sacrifice fly. Harber is up to a .948 OPS and a 148 wRC+ in his injury-shortened season, with 18 extra-base hits in 28 games, while the 22-year old Velasquez has a .758 OPS and a 107 wRC+ in his 3rd pass through Richmond.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) May 29, 2026
A fairly nondescript game on the mound. 24-year old LHP Cesar Perdomo had a so-so game, with 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs allowed in 4 innings. Those numbers aren’t great, though Perdomo did strike out 5 batters.
In all, it’s been an encouraging year for Perdomo, who has bumped his strikeouts from 8.3 per 9 innings last year (in High-A), to 10.2 this season. Not surprisingly, the increase of strikeouts has come hand in hand with a decrease in hits … last year with Eugene, Perdomo pitched 127.1 innings, and allowed 120 hits, including 13 home runs. This year, in 40.2 innings, Perdomo has only given up 33 hits, and just 1 home run. All of that has led to a 3.02 FIP, which ranks 4th among the 47 Eastern League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year … though, in a testament to Richmond’s excellent season, ranking 4th in the league still results in ranking just 3rd on his own team, as the top of the list is anchored by LHPs Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) and Matt Wilkinson.
The one stain on Perdomo’s resume this year has been the walks, which have bumped up a little, from 2.7 per 9 last season to 3.5 this year. That, plus some unfortunate sequencing, has given him a 4.43 ERA despite all the good stuff.
Richmond’s rotation his been awesome this year, but their bullpen has struggled, so nice to see shutout performances from RHPs Manuel Mercedes and Brad Deppermann, and LHP Dale Stanavich, all who have ERAs that were happy to see scoreless games. Unfortunately the same could not be said for RHP Mitch White, who allowed 4 baserunners and 2 runs in an inning of work as his difficult season continues.
High-A Eugene (36-12)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 5-2 Box score
The highly-touted top of Eugene’s lineup has struggled lately, but that wasn’t the case on Thursday, as the trio all had strong games. Hitting in their usual lineup construction, the threesome was led off by right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), who hit 2-5 but was caught stealing. Then it was center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), who went 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout, followed by shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a double and a walk. And just like that, the trio combined for 6 of the team’s 10 hits, 2 of their 3 walks, and 3 of their 5 runs batted in. The future is bright!
Trevor Cohen, Dakota Jordan and Gavin Kilen each had two hits to lead the Emeralds offense past Vancouver on Thursday to improve their record to 36-12 (.750 winning percentage), the best record of all full-season minor league teams.
All 3 of those players have shown good things this year, but also with some question marks and red flags. Cohen, last year’s 3rd-round pick, has a .732 OPS and a 108 wRC+, though he hasn’t shown much power (.098 ISO) and his vaunted contact skills have done a better job suppressing strikeouts than accumulating hits (.264 average). Jordan, the team’s overslot 4th-round signing in 2024, has a .789 OPS and a 115 wRC+, but his 30.6% strikeout rate and 16.9% swinging strike rate are 13th and 8th-highest, respectively, out of the 58 Northwest League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this season. Kilen has had the best line, with an .811 OPS and a 121 wRC+, but he’s had a fair share of slumps and hasn’t lit the league on fire quite as dramatically as some might have hoped given that he was the 13th overall pick out of the SEC.
Those were the offensive stars, though third baseman Walker Martin also had a multi-hit game, as he went 2-4. Martin has really been struggling lately, and this was his 1st multi-hit game since May 12, so good to see him tally a few knocks.
One of the team’s top prospects took the mound, as LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) made his 6th start of the year, following a delayed season due to injury. It wasn’t the sharpest we’ve seen Bresnahan who, along with Furman, constituted the delightful haul the Giants got for trading Alex Cobb to Cleveland a few years back. But it certainly wasn’t a bad game, as he limited the Canadians to 5 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run in 5 innings. Bresnahan did an excellent job finding the strike zone, as he threw 52 of 77 pitches for strikes, and ended the day with 5 punchouts.
There’s a lot of work to be done in order for Bresnahan to take home Pitcher of the Year honors for the 3rd consecutive season. Right now he has a 3.47 ERA and a 4.83 FIP, and is walking 5.0 batters per 9 innings (though he’s also striking out 10.4). The biggest change year over year, though, has just been that he’s been more hittable: with Low-A San Jose in 2025, Bresnahan allowed just 67 hits and 2 home runs in 93 innings. This year he’s ceded 20 hits and 3 home runs in 23.1 frames.
Still, he’s a month away from being able to legally drink, and some rust is expected for anyone who has a delayed start to the season. It hasn’t been a breakout year, but it certainly isn’t a disappointing season, either.
RHP Liam Simon wasn’t at his best, but had another scoreless showing, as he threw 2 shutout innings with 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts, while throwing 18 of 27 pitches for strikes. It seems that Simon’s dramatic struggles with finding the strike zone post-Tommy John are finally behind him, and now we’re starting to see just how talented the 2022 5th-rounder is. Over an 11-game stretch spanning the end of last year and the start of this year, Simon threw 9.1 innings and walked 22 batters. In 9 games since? Just 6 walks in 14 innings, and he has a 10-game scoreless streak going.
Low-A San Jose (26-22)
San Jose Giants beat the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies) 1-0 Box score
The pitching in this game was quite a mixed bag. That’s not something you expect to say with a shutout, but I don’t know what else to call it. The performances were great, but concerning, as RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) exited the game with the trainers in the middle of an at-bat. According to Roger Munter, it appeared that Cayama was gesturing to his back or oblique, rather than his elbow or shoulder, and that’s obviously a good thing. Relatively speaking, of course … one of the team’s top prospects leaving in the middle of an at-bat is, it goes without saying, not a good thing at all.
Cayama put up some zeros before the discomfort, but he wasn’t at his sharpest, as he didn’t strike out any batters in his 3 scoreless frames, while allowing 3 hits and a walk. Even with that unconventional 0-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (something you rarely ever see from a starter), Cayama’s numbers on that front remain exceptional: the 19-year old has 45 strikeouts against just 8 walks in only 36 innings this season. 32 hits and 4 home runs, however, have given him an ERA (4.50) and FIP (4.40) that don’t really reflect the quality of his pitches.
The star on the mound was the piggybacker, who jumped in to save the day, as RHP Ben Bybee pitched 4 utterly dominant innings, giving up just 1 baserunner (a double) while striking out 5. It hasn’t been the smoothest transition to the pros for last year’s 8th-round pick, but games like this one (which featured 39 of 51 pitches going for strikes) show how much potential the 22-year old Arkansas product has. He only has a 3.63 ERA and a 4.04 FIP, but he does have 19 strikeouts to just 5 walks in 17.1 innings.
Capping off the pitching performance was RHP Mauricio Estrella, who struck out 4 batters in 2 scoreless innings, with 1 hit allowed. In keeping with the theme, Estrella’s strikeout and walk numbers stand out more than his actual run suppression … his ERA is a fine 3.00 and his FIP a mediocre 4.03, but he has 33 strikeouts and just 6 walks in 27 innings … including 11 strikeouts against 2 walks in 8 shutout innings over his last 4 appearances.
The offense did only just enough to secure a win for the great pitching, with the Baby Giants mustering just 4 hits, 0 extra-base hits, and 4 walks on the day. A pair of hitters reached base twice: center fielder Damian Bravo, who hit 1-3 with a walk, and third baseman Dario Reynoso, who went 0-2 with a strikeout, but drew 2 walks and stole his 6th base of the year. Bravo, a right-handed hitting 22-year old taken in the 15th round last year out of Texas Tech, has an .817 OPS and a 100 wRC+; Reynoso, a right-handed hitting 21-year old from the Dominican Republic, has a .961 OPS and a 143 wRC+, and also made a tremendous defensive play to end the game.
First things first: let’s cover some logistical stuff. During yesterday’s roundup, I noted that the transaction page had High-A Eugene outfielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) reassigned to the Complex League, which made no sense to me. Thankfully, Roger Munter, per the usual, has the information: it appears that the Cuban Diaz was, as is sadly not uncommon, unable to cross the border to Canadian soil with Eugene, so he’s staying fresh in Arizona instead, where he played in center field in this game, and hit 0-3 with a walk.
Now to the more exciting stuff: another superstar showing from shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL). The 17-year old sensation did it again on Thursday, hitting 2-5 with both a home run and a double.
Through 19 games, Hernández is hitting 25-75 with 5 home runs, 2 triples, 8 doubles, 8 walks, and just 13 strikeouts. All while playing a fluid shortstop (and third base), and stealing 3 bases in as many attempts. Have I mentioned that he’ll be wrapping Christmas presents when he celebrates his 18th birthday? And not because he plans many months in advance?
Hernández is 1 of just 6 17-year olds who has at least 50 plate appearances in the Complex Leagues this year, and 3 of those other 5 are getting their butts kicked. The only 2 who are performing well spent last year in the Dominican Summer League, which Hernández, who signed in January, did not. Although, funnily enough, 1 of those 2 is Miguel Caraballo, the former Giants prospect who was traded to the Twins in December to facilitate the Giants getting Daniel Susac … he’s rocking an .871 OPS and a 122 wRC+ in his stateside debut.
Back to Hernández, though. Despite his age and position, he is putting up staggering numbers. There are 166 Complex League hitters with at least 50 plate appearances, and he ranks 24th in average (.333), 66th in on-base percentage (.400), 5th in slugging percentage (.693), 4th in ISO (.360), 10th in OPS (1.093), and 19th in wRC+ (193). Truly an absurd season.
Unfortunately, the same can only partially be said for his running mate, as Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) has not played since May 23 after suffering what we all hope is a minor injury. González, like Hernández, has been lighting the ACL on fire when he’s on the field … we just need to get him back on the field!
Right fielder Evan Estevez only hit 1-4 with a strikeout, but he smashed a solo home run. The 18-year old right-handed hitter is in his debut stateside season after 2 years in the DSL, and right now the power and walks are the only things that are really playing. He has just a .204 average and a 33.8% strikeout rate (which has led to a .713 OPS and an 82 wRC+), but he has 3 home runs in just 77 plate appearances, and a 15.6% walk rate.
It was a struggle on the mound for the ACL Giants, namely for their most notable pitching prospect, LHP Carlos De La Rosa (No. 30 CPL). De La Rosa, an 18-year old who came to the Giants in last year’s Camilo Doval trade, faced 7 batters and retired just 1 of them (by strikes, though). The other 6? 2 doubles, 2 singles, and 2 walks, planting 5 runs in just 0.1 innings on De La Rosa’s ledger.
The starter struggled as well, as RHP Hunter Mensik allowed 6 hits (including a home run and a double), 2 walks, and 4 runs in 4 innings, though he did strike out 5 batters. Mensik was the team’s 17th-round pick last year, but was picked out of high school so he’s only 18. He’s shown his stuff can play at this level — he has 17 strikeouts in as many innings — but has struggled with hits, walks, and runs.
Sacramento: 6:35 p.m. PT at Reno (SP: TBD) Richmond: 4:17 p.m. PT at Akron (SP: Greg Farone) Eugene: 1:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Charlie McDaniel) San Jose: 7:05 p.m. PT at Fresno (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
DENVER, CO - May 19: Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) prepares to bat in the first inning during a game between the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for May 29, 2026 against the Kansas City Royals: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore and Stephen Kolek.
The floundering Texas Rangers will try to flounder less tonight against the Royals of Kansas City. Offensive dynamo Nicky Lopez is hitting ninth, which I assume is for that “two leadoff man” synergy.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Carter — CF
Osuna — LF
Jansen — C
Lopez — 2B
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -131 favorites.
