ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 30: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals reacts after striking out against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on May 30, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals are in complete disarray. They have lost 15 of their last 18 games and are trying to avoid being swept for the third time in the last four series.
I don’t really have many positive things to say, Michael Wacha starts today, he’s been one of the few bright spots this season. With Maikel Garcia leaving the game yesterday with a pulled hamstring, it’s a different starting lineup for the Royals today.
The Rangers aren’t much better than the Royals and their three best hitters are injured right now, but they are still looking to sweep the Royals. They lost 3 of 4 at home to a bad Astros team before the Royals came to town.
Right hander Jack Leiter starts for them today. He made two starts against the Royals last season.
Here are the starters for the Rangers behind Leiter.
Rangers 5/31
J. Pederson DH J. Jung 3B B. Nimmo RF J. Burger 1B E. Duran SS A. Osuna LF K. Higashioka C N. Lopez 2B M. Helman CF
After this game concludes, the Royals are off to Cincinnati to play the Reds three times. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. CT, the game can be watched on Royals.TV
It’s the last day in May and the first time this season the Cubs will be featured as the Sunday Night Game of the Week in 2026. It’s also the beginning of a whole new era of Sunday Night Baseball here at Bleed Cubbie Blue, with the game moving from ESPN to NBC this season.
Long time readers of the site will remember that this feature began as a way to at least have a bit of fun while ESPN’s original crews shared gems like “Javy Báez should be more boring” or Matt Vasgersian ranting about bachelorette parties in the bleachers while absolutely butchering the pronunciation of some player names. Credit where it is due, that broadcast got a lot better over time. The final crew of Karl Ravech, with David Cone, Eduardo Pérez, and sideline reporter Buster Olney was actually pretty excellent, but the Bingo game must go on!
So here we are, on a new baseball channel but with the same classic rivalry between the Cubs and Cardinals. That rivalry has spanned parts of three centuries, now, our little Bingo game can surely survive a broadcast channel change or two.
As always, make it a blackout game for a challenge, but I don’t really recommend making it a drinking game unless you’re looking to pass out before the end of the game itself. The game begins at 6:20 p.m. CT on the NBC broadcast channel in your area.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 25: Knicks fans celebrate winning the eastern conference championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25, 2026 in New York City. The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals in 1999, falling to the Spurs, and are seeking their first championship since defeating the Lakers in 1973. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! Ever since Aaron Judge dropped a home run into the short porch against the Tampa Bay Rays last Sunday, the Yankees have been on a roll — and yet, they are currently the second biggest sports story in the Big Apple. How have they responded on social media? Let’s find out!
I wanna party like it’s 1973
This past Monday, the New York Knicks completed a sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers, punching their ticket to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. YES Network researcher/statistician James Smyth took advantage of the fact that ESPN had the Monday broadcast in Kansas City and made sure he was in attendance for the historic moment.
While there, he commented on the fact that the Cavs played “Sweet Caroline” down by…well, down by a lot.
CC Sabathia, meanwhile, took to Facebook to share his excitement.
Behind the NY
The Yankees released episode nine of Behind the NY this week, focusing on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s charity fashion show.
Game Belts
Thanks to a few wins, the Yankees passed the game belt around quite a bit this week — but not as much as they should have, according to some reports. Online speculation originally suggested that the team left the belt in New York, and did not get it back until Wednesday. That, however, seems a tad outdated, because they’ve only shared the game belt a couple times this week.
DJ LeMahieu had his debut as the manager of the Royal Oak Leprechauns, and guess who threw out the ceremonial first pitch? Former teammate Gleyber Torres! Now with the Tigers, he’s rehabbing from an oblique strain but had time to pop over to support his fellow erstwhile Yankees infielder.
Rikuu Nishida is looking for another clutch RBI this afternoon | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
I’m still looking at 31-27 with some level of disbelief. I have typically been on the sunnier side than many of colleagues in prognosticating the future of the White Sox. It took until August 2024 for me to think that they really, truly had a chance at reaching 121 in the loss column. In 2025, I remained confident that they would keep it together enough to be an ordinarily bad 100-loss team, rather than maintaining the 2024-esque pace they played with for the first two months of that season. This year, I predicted they’d reach the 70-win mark for the first time in four seasons. Maybe they could make a second-half push for .500 ball if the midseason call-ups were just as effective as last season.
This, though? Even for my eternally hopeful brain, the idea that they would be better than .500 with a hold on a Wild Card slot as late as June felt ludicrous.
Perhaps the most surprising part is that while a LOT of important things have gone more right than I ever imagined — Murakami setting records, Colson Montgomery maintaining his 2025 pace, Miguel Vargas adding 3 mpg of bat speed and turning into a bona fide middle-of-the-order hitter, Randal Grichuk finding the fountain of youth, Davis Martin finally fulfilling my long-held fantasy of competing for a spot on an All-Star roster — there have still been plenty of duds that they’ve nonetheless overcome. The Opening Day starter was back in Triple-A after three games. The primary trade return for Luis Robert Jr. isn’t a major league-caliber player. Injuries have led to far more plate appearances from Jarred Kelenic, Derek Hill and Tristan Peters than anyone would have thought ideal. Erick Fedde remains completely washed, Noah Schultz struggled in his first action with the big club. Kyle Teel has yet to play and Edgar Quero has spent much of the last month seemingly on the verge of being demoted. Seranthony Domínguez has avoided many meltdowns but has already lost a secure grip on the closer job despite being signed for that exact purpose.
Yet here we are. The last time the Sox reached five games above the break-even mark was September 2022. Here’s the getaway day lineup we’re getting as they try to set themselves up to reach their highest water mark since the halcyon days of 2020-21. I can only presume that you, like me, are quite invested in Jacob Gonzalez’s first look on the South Side, given the absurd 19 homers he’s already cranked in Triple-A. If he can keep up anything close to like that, it’ll certainly go down as one of the more remarkable bust-to-boom prospect stories in recent memory.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have treaded the opposite path and undergone an utter shitshow of a season in which they were division favorites and World Series contenders, and are instead racing towards a very early draft pick in 2027. At the moment, they are the worst team in the American League and tied with the Rockies for worst in all of baseball.
The Sox last swept the Tigers in 2023, which is not what I expected to find. That series was also in late May, and after winning the second game in walk-off fashion, they secured the sweep with a Jake Burger grand slam to end it. It may have legitimately been the high point of the 2023 season.
Here’s the lineup that the moribund Tigers will trot out today, in hopes of salvaging some pride:
Wheeling is out of the Kelly Cup playoffs. Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate bowed out in five games to the Florida Everblades. The Nailers had two players in this playoff run on NHL contracts, Emil Pieniniemi played first pair minutes and produced eight points (1G+7A) in the 15 games, goalie Taylor Gauthier ran out of gas this round but acquitted himself well with a 9-6-2 record, .922 save percentage and 2.23 GAA. Gauthier was signed late in the year to an NHL contract, he’s scheduled to be a free agent again after playing parts of the last four seasons in the Wheel. The Penguins might have some upward mobility next year for an AHL goalie spot if one of those goalies goes up and Maxim Pavelenko becomes a free agent. Rookie Gabriel D’Aigle is in the picture too, with his entry level contract starting next season that will likely see him get a heavy workload in the ECHL.
— xy-Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) May 31, 2026
Up one rung on the ladder, it wasn’t good news for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. The Toronto Marlies took a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven with a Friday night Game 2 OT win. The game-winning goal wasn’t without controversy.
It took a post-play review, where AHL officials cannot make goaltender interference determinations, to end up crediting former Penguin Marc Johnstone with the goal. Weird play for Sergei Murashov to lunge for the puck and come up empty. The odd notion was Johnstone was credited with the goal from in front, and how it was determined that he didn’t contact the puck above the crossbar is probably an even bigger question.
The next three games in the series shift to Toronto, putting WBS in a big hole.
ICYMI: #WBSPens HC Kirk MacDonald didn't agree with the game-deciding call in OT last night, but as the old saying goes "nothing we can do about it now".
The Penguins have been dealing with difficulties, Owen Pickering has missed the last few games with injury (and isn’t expected back any time soon) and now Alex Alexeyev was out for Game 2, dropping the two most important left shot defenseman from the lineup.
The offensive output has struggled so far, Wilkes only scored one goal on 34 shots in Game 2 – after scoring only twice on goalie Artur Akhtyamov in Game 1. The Marlies are a veteran team, 28-year olds Alex Nylander and Michael Pezzetta were the goal scorers in Game 2 for Toronto, WBS will have to dig deep starting in Monday’s Game 3 to overcome their biggest challenge so far in the playoffs.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 30: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers reacts after scoring the winning run against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field on May 30, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Carson Benge – RF Bo Bichette – SS Juan Soto – LF Jared Young – DH Mark Vientos – 1B A.J. Ewing – CF Brett Baty – 3B Marcus Semien – 2B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Marlins lineup
Xavier Edwards – 2B Liam Hicks – C Otto Lopez – SS Kyle Stowers – DH Jakob Marsee – CF Connor Norby – 1B Owen Caissie – RF Esteury Ruiz – LF Javier Sanoja – 3B
SP: John King – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:40 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
On this day 103 years ago, Ernie Johnson headed from the South Side to the Bronx. | (American Caramel)
1914 Joe “The Butcher Boy” Benz, (so named because he worked as a butcher in the offseason) fired a no-hitter, beating Cleveland 6-1 at Comiskey Park. The lone Naps run, scored in the fourth inning, came out of three consecutive White Sox errors. Benz walked two and struck out three on the day.
It was the second time in 17 days a White Sox pitcher had thrown nine no-hit innings. On May 14, Jim Scott went nine frames without a hit, then lost his no-hitter (and the game, 1-0) on two hits in the 10th at Washington.
1923 After a stirring reclamation of his MLB career two seasons earlier, Ernie Johnson’s poor play at shortstop saw him waived by the White Sox. Johnson had signed with Chicago in 1921 after two years out of the majors, playing for the Double-A Salt Lake City Bees. He played well enough on the South Side (1.8 WAR and extremely good defense) in 1921, but saw his value winnow to glove-only in the two subsequent seasons.
The Yankees, dominating the American League at 29-10, claimed Johnson on waivers and employed him as a bench player for the rest of the season. Thus while Johnson’s career was on the wane, he did earn himself a World Series ring as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner that October.
1950 White Sox GM Frank Lane made a six-player deal with the Senators that included former All- Star second baseman Cass Michaels (real name Casimir Kwietniewski). The move was important, because it cleared the way for a youngster named Nellie Fox to take over full-time at the position; that year, Fox would play in 130 games and register 497 at-bats.
1970 The torpid White Sox, on their way to the worst single season in franchise history, annihilated the Red Sox in Boston, 22-13. The South Siders banged out 24 hits, with Luis Aparicio and Walt Williams collecting five apiece. Williams scored five times, and Bill Melton knocked in four runs. Chicago had innings where they scored seven, six, four and three runs.
The victim that afternoon? None other than former White Sox star pitcher Gary Peters, who was knocked out of the box in the first inning. It was the second-most runs ever scored in a single game by the White Sox.
1971 In the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Orioles at Comiskey Park, former White Sox infielder Don Buford charged pitcher BartJohnson with his bat after Johnson drilled him with a pitch that hit him in his behind in the eighth inning. When Bufordwent out to left field in the last of the eighth inning, Sox fans pelted him with garbage and vocally let him know what they thought of his actions.
Cooler heads prevailed, but in the ninth inning while standing in the on-deck circle lecturing a fan, Buford was attacked from behind by a second fan, who escaped … onto the field! Buford was alerted by White Sox players yelling from the field, because they could see what was unfolding. Buford knocked the fan out with one punch, then his Oriole teammates charged out of the dugout and did a bloody number on the trespasser before security could lead him away.
Bufordwas ejected from the game by umpire Nestor Chylak for going to the screen to warn fan in the first place, antagonizing the situation.
The teams split the doubleheader that afternoon.
1973 It was an inauspicious debut for a player who’d make himself into a fine big-league hitter. In a game at Chicago that the Sox won, 10-2, BrianDowning entered the game in the seventh inning to make his big-league debut at third base.
On his first play in the big leagues, in fact on the first pitch, Downing caught a foul pop off the bat of Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe, diving to make the catch. On the play, though, Downing ripped up his knee and was placed on the injured list.
Downing would collect his first big league hit in August, an inside-the-park home run off of Mickey Lolich in Detroit.
1978 The White Sox trounced California, 17-2, with a 22-hit attack.
The game turned into a rout in the fifth inning, when the Sox turned a 1-1 game on its head and exploded for 11 runs. Fifteen White Sox came to the plate, with Greg Pryor singling and doubling, Jorge Orta singling twice — and Lamar Johnson making two of the inning’s outs. Three Angels pitchers were victimized by the ex-Hit Men, none worse than recent White Sox hurler Ken Brett, who relieved in the frame but was knocked out of the box having retired just one Chicagoan. The hurlers were done no favors by two errors in the inning.
On the White Sox side, Steve Stone somehow weathered that endless fifth to complete the game and improve to 4-3 on the year.
That run output ties for 38th-most ever by the White Sox, and the 22 hits rank tied for 24th.
The rout zeroed out a 5-2 homestand and marked a fifth straight win. The South Siders would win two more on the road, stretching the win streak to seven, before losing again. However, the White Sox were floundering, stuck in sixth place even after the win streak and improving to just 17-28 with this romp.
2000 The White Sox swapped relief pitcher Tanyon Sturtze to Tampa Bay for infielder Tony Graffanino, in the very first trade Chicago ever made with the Rays. Graffanino was excellent in 2000 and over the next three seasons, increasing his WAR each year and serving as a superb utilityman covering shortstop, second base and third. Sturtze was having a horrific (-0.8 WAR) season in Chicago but recovered for a 1.6 WAR and 2.56 ERA as a swingman in Florida; in the next season (2001), Sturtze was outstanding, garnering 3.3 WAR primarily as a starter, pitching almost 200 innings to a 4.42 ERA.
Graffanino even gave the White Sox assist later in his career, committing a key error for the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS in Chicago.
2007 Mark Buehrle lost to Toronto, 2-0, giving up solo home runs to Aaron Hill and Frank Thomas. That’s it: No other hits, walks, or Sox errors in the game. Thus the Blue Jays became the first team ever to win a game without a single baserunner.
The White Sox only twice even had runners reach third base, with one, Rob Mackowiak, thrown out at home.
Despite the loss, Buehrle also became the first White Sox pitcher since Joe Horlen in 1967 to throw a no-hitter and a complete game of only two hits or less in the same season.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 30: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros hits a three-run home run in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Daikin Park on May 30, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (27-33), who are 8-3 in their last 11 games, will play the rubber game of their three-game series today opposite the NL Central division leading Milwaukee Brewers (34-21).
RHP Tatsuya Imai (2-2, 6.17 ERA), who started the Astros combined no-hitter on Monday at TEX, will start for the Astros today opposite the Brewers and hard-throwing RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5-2, 1.83 ERA).
ABOUT IMAI: RHP Tatsuya Imai is set to make his seventh career Major League start today and his fourth since returning from the IL after a bout with right arm fatigue.
He’s performed better since his return, particularly in his last two starts in which he’s gone 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA (3ER/10.2IP) and a 0.84 WHIP.
In January, the Astros signed Imai to a three-year deal.
In 2025, he was an All-Star for the Seibu Lions in the NPB in Japan, where he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA (35ER/163.2IP) in 24 games.
ABOUT THE NO-NO: In the last start by RHP Tatsuya Imai, the Astros got back in the record books on Monday at TEX, tossing their 17th regular season no-hitter and their 18th no-hitter overall in club history.
A few notes on the no-no:
• Imai (6IP), LHP Steven Okert (1IP) and RHP Alimber Santa (2IP) produced the fifth combined no-hitter in club history and the first since Nov. 2, 2022 at PHI (World Series, Game 4).
• Per Elias, RHP Alimber Santa became the first pitcher since 1900 to pitch in a no-hitter in his ML debut. According to their records, it happened one other time, which was on Oct. 15, 1892, when RHP Bumpus Jones of Cincinnati hurled a 9.0-inning, complete game no-hitter in his Major League debut.
• The no-hitter was the Astros seventh since 2019, which is the most in the Majors in that span. Additionally, the Astros 18 no-hitters overall are the most in the Majors since the franchise was born in 1962.
CONGRATS JOE!: Manager Joe Espada is one of several individuals being inducted into the Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in Puerto Rico today. This Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, and sports figures who have made profound contributions to local and international athletics. Roberto Clemente, who was born in Carolina, was their first inductee.
FOR STARTERS: Astros starters have a combined ERA of 3.35 (32ER/86IP) over the last 15 games (since May 15) with a 1.07 WHIP. In that span, they have allowed just 52 hits in 86.0 innings for a Major League-best .174 opponent average, while also ranking third in the AL in WHIP and fourth in ERA. Additionally, Astros starters have allowed one or fewer runs seven times in the last 15 games.
MAKING THE PLAYS: The Astros have committed just 21 errors on the season, the fewest in the AL and the third-fewest in the Majors. They also lead the AL in fielding percentage (.990).
MAY-KING HIS CASE:RHP Spencer Arrighetti has made a strong case for the AL Pitcher of the Month award for May, going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) and a .165 opponent average (16×97) in five starts in the month. In May, he has the lowest ERA and opponent average among AL starters, while ranking tied for first in wins.
HOMER HAPPY: The Astros have slugged 19 homers in their last nine games. Houston now ranks tied for second in the AL in homers with 79, trailing only the Yankees (86) in that category.
ON THE LEADER BOARD:DH Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in OPS (1.062) and total bases (137). In the AL, he ranks first in extra-base hits (32), tied for first in HR (20), second in SLG (.643), second in OBP (.419), second in hits (65), fifth in batting avg. (.305), sixth in RBI (39), tied for sixth in walks (39), and tied for eighth in runs (39).
HISTORIC HOMERS: DH Yordan Alvarez is off to one of the most prolific starts in franchise history. His 20 homers through the club’s first 60 games of the season match the franchise record, also reached by 1B Jeff Bagwell in the 1999 season.
YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has blasted 190 career regular season home runs, which ranks seventh in Astros history. He’s now one home run shy of matching 3B Alex Bregman for sixth all-time.
WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker has five HR and 12 RBI in his last seven games.
For the season, he leads the AL in RBI (43) and ranks tied for fifth in XBH (26), tied for fifth in total bases (113), sixth in HR (16), and eighth in SLG (.521). Walker also has not committed an error in 59 games.
HIT PAREDES: 3B Isaac Paredes has 499 career hits and is looking to become just the 10th Mexican-born player in MLB history to reach 500 career hits. Two of those nine ahead of him played portions of their careers with the Astros in 3B Vinny Castilla (1,884 hits) and C Alex Treviño (604 hits).
HEATING UP: RF Cam Smith has a hit in nine of his last 10 games, batting .324 (12×37) with seven runs scored, two doubles, two homers, four RBI and three walks in that span.
OF Taylor Trammell is riding a career-high, nine-game hitting streak, batting .387 (12×31) with two doubles, one triple, three RBI and a .940 OPS within the streak.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1975 – The Astros set a club record with a 12-run inning, doing so in the 8th frame in a 15-3 win over the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. PH Cliff Johnson has a double, homer and three RBI in that 8th inning. Enos Cabell (HR, 3 RBI) and Milt May (3×5, 2 RBI) had big days offensively.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, May 31, 1:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 18: David Fry #6 of the Cleveland Guardians at bat against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Please win one for Bibee.
Here’s the Red Sox lineup:
UPDATED 5/31 at CLE: Duran CF Gasper 1B Abreu RF Yoshida LF Kiner-Falefa 2B Durbin 3B Mayer SS Wong DH Narváez C Suarez P
May 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) congratulates relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (67) after the Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images
Happy Sunday, Red Sox Nation! We’ve got another series finale on deck today after splitting the first two games against the Cleveland Guardians. Willson Contreras gets a maintenance day, and Ceddanne Rafaela was scratched, so we’ve got an interesting lineup. All three catchers are in there, somehow. I flew a little too close to the sun last night at a wedding, and should probably also be scratched, but we’re powering through. Congrats to the Andersons.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 12: A tribute to recently deceased Ted Turner and Bobby Cox on the field with the 1995 World Series trophy before the Tuesday evening MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs on May 12, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When I was gallivanting around Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, I saw that Ted Turner & Bobby Cox had passed away. I wanted to comment on that, as those two fellows had a surprising impact on my “baseball upbringing”, if you will.
Let’s start with Ted Turner. Perhaps best known for starting CNN (a 24/7 news channel? No one will ever get into that), Turner also created the TBS (Turner Broadcasting System) cable TV channel, which was included in cable packages across the nation. Why was this important to baseball fans? Well, alongside James Bond movie marathons & WCW professional wrestling, TBS became the broadcast home of the Atlanta Braves (which Turner also owned). As far as I know, this was the first time an MLB team could be routinely followed out-of-market by a mass audience.
(Side note: Billionaire Ted also established TCM—Turner Classic Movies—and bought out old studio back catalogs simply to fill air time. Without that endeavor, a film like It’s A Wonderful Life would never have been re-discovered and now-revered).
How did this have an impact on me living in northwest Minnesota? You have to remember that I started following MLB—in 1996—when the Minnesota Twins were the joke of the league. In a sense, it is truly amazing I stuck with it at all. But I fell hard for baseball and the Braves were the class of the league in the late-1990s. Granted, I was usually rooting against them and for the underdog (what a world!) New York Mets of Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, & Benny Agbayani vintage. Either way, it allowed me to watch highly-competitive baseball from time to time as opposed to the Twins slogging through their doldrum late-90s.
The manager of those ATL squads? Why, Bobby Cox of course! Excluding the never-concluded 1994 campaign, Cox presided over a mind-boggling run of 14 consecutive division titles for the Braves (1991-1993, 1995-2005). Over 29 skipper seasons with Atlanta & the Toronto Blue Jays, Cox compiled a 2504-2001 record (.556 WP), one World Series title (though not two), four other NL pennants, and a plaque in Cooperstown.
I don’t care how much he leaned on his “Big Three” SP of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, & John Smoltz—a track record like the one he put together speaks for itself. He was also a Gardenhire-esque source of entertainment in that he set the all-time MLB record for manager ejections—even surpassing the notoriously wicked John McGraw in terms of getting the ‘ol heave-ho from the Men in Blue!
A final thought to mull over here as the Twins are set to clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon: in the span of the 1991 to the present—not all that long in the grand scheme of things—cable TV went from nascent curiosity to in 90% of TV-watching homes to the most hated enterprise in business to almost obsolete (we are currently here) to being pined for in an uber-fragmented TV landscape (we are also here). Remarkable—Ted Turner and his irascible-but-brilliant manager were right in the middle of all of it.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 30: Drew Millas #14 of the Washington Nationals is congratulated after hitting a home run during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After yesterday’s comeback win, the Nats have a chance to win yet another series this afternoon. With a win today, they will end May with a record above .500. That would be a huge accomplishment for a group that did not come into the season with high expectations at all.
Initially, Dylan Crews was in this lineup, but he was a late scratch. I would assume that has something to do with the hit by pitch that caught him in the hand yesterday. That means the outfield will be Daylen Lile in left, Jacob Young in center and James Wood in right. Curtis Mead will be back at third base and Jorbit Vivas will slide to second. Keibert Ruiz will do the catching for this game. Zack Littell looks to put a bow on what has been a very strong May for him.
The Padres have made several changes to their lineup. Fernando Tatis Jr. will move to right field after playing second base the first two games. Rookie Sung-Mun Song will play second base today. Gavin Sheets will move to DH and veteran Nick Castellanos will be in left field. Freddy Fermin is back behind the plate for the series finale. Griffin Canning has struggled this season, but he posted a quality start last time out and will look to build off of that today.
Getting a series win would be a great way to close out a successful month of May. The crowds have been outstanding this weekend, and the team is on a roll. Yesterday was an amazing win, and hopefully they can build on that. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Four wins stand in the way of the first championship in half a century for the Knicks. The San Antonio Spurs and phenom center Victor Wembanyama will be the toughest opponent New York has faced in these playoffs.
To get over the hump, the Knicks will need great two-way play from wing OG Anunoby. He’s the X-Factor for New York in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Anunoby is playing at the highest level of his career during these playoffs. In 12 games, the forward is averaging 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. Despite missing two games due to a hamstring injury, Anunoby returned for all four games of the conference finals sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers. By the end of the series, he looked more like himself after shaking off the rust.
The wing is shooting a blistering 48.3 percent from the three-point line during the playoffs. Anunoby’s also been an off-ball threat. He’s averaging 1.53 points per possession on cuts in the postseason per NBA Stats. It’s the fifth-best mark in the NBA.
Anunoby’s combination of shooting, off-ball movement and scoring has been a great complement to New York’s stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Through the first three rounds, New York is a plus-21.3 points per 100 possessions in 406 minutes with Anunoby on the floor, according to NBA Stats.
Defensive domination
Anunoby has been a versatile defender for the Knicks. Named to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team this season, he’s taken on primary defensive assignments in big men like Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen throughout the postseason. He’s also guarded the likes of Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson and Philadelphia 76ers wing Paul George.
San Antonio has multiple perimeter offensive shot creators like Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, so the Knicks will need Anunoby to guard multiple positions. There’s also the potential for Anunoby to defend the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. Towns and the currently injured Mitchell Robinson are expected to have the primary assignment to defend San Antonio’s alien superstar.
But Anunoby should also spend some time on Wembanyama. New York had Anunoby guard Wembanyama on numerous possessions in New York’s three matchups with the Spurs in the regular season and the NBA Cup.
Despite the significant height difference, Anunoby has proven to be a physical defender. He can prevent Wembanyama from getting to his comfort zones in the post and he should at least be able to disrupt the seven-footer’s rhythm. According to Caitlin Cooper, of 20 players who have defended Wembanyama for at least 100 half-court matchups during his three-year career, Anunoby has allowed the fewest player points per 100 matchups as the primary defender.
How much Anunoby guards Wembanyama will depend on the lineups San Antonio goes to. If the Spurs have Harrison Barnes or Keldon Johnson on the floor for significant minutes, the Knicks can have Towns defend either of those two players. But if the Spurs feature lineups with high volume three-point shooters Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie on the floor together, it makes sense for the Knicks to have Towns defend Wembanyama. Regardless, Anunoby will have an impact either as a primary defender or protecting the rim as a backline help defender.
For the Knicks to win a championship, they will need a good series from Anunoby. He’s arguably been the most consistent player on the Knicks during this sprint to the Finals. And that should continue in this final test for the Knicks.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MAY 30: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 30, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves can conclude their second consecutive 19-win month if they close out May with a win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Follow along here as the Braves look to complete a 5-1 road trip in the Queen City at 1:40 p.m. EDT on BravesVision.
