There's No Need to Panic..

 

Now, I know the Guardians are going through injury troubles of their own right now, but how'd you like this to be you: one of your best starters leaves with a hamstring injury after keeping the opposing team down, then your best hitter, who's also your best pitcher, leaves after his knee, the same knee he spent a while rehabbing, flares up. And then the following game you get fleeced by the White Sox.

The Dodgers have come back from worse and won it all. Famously. And they still have enough on this team working that it may not be a great deal. Plus, Shohei Ohtani did come back last night and hit a home run, so his injury might not even be that bad. Same with Justin Wrobleski, who isn't going on the IL. But...already you are seeing the Dodgers trying to hold on, for dear life, to their luck. Because they know how quickly things can unravel if the centerpiece, Ohtani, is thrown off balance.

This is already looking like another MVP-caliber season for Ohtani, with a 1.06 ERA with a 6-2 record as a pitcher, and a 14 homer/41 RBI campaign, with a league-leading .946 OPS as a batter. I would honestly say he's done better as a hitter, and it took a little while for him to get going at the plate, but June has been a lot better for him, and he's looking like his old self. Wrobleski has also been a nice surprise, with a 2.95 ERA and a 7-2 record. He's a leverage pitcher mostly, but he's been really dominant, and has kept so many tough lineups down this year. The threat, even if minimized, of losing both of these guys should really be a reality check for this team.

Because so far this year they've lost Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, as they are prone to, they got Mookie Betts back after an injury and he's not really back yet, they lost Will Smith and have to deal with Dalton Rushing's defense daily, they lost Teoscar Hernandez and are now plugging career minor leaguer Ryan Ward out in left to platoon with Alex Call, and the guy they paid cornerstone money for at the top of the season is producing his most okay campaign to date. If this wasn't The Dodgers, all this not going to plan would sink them.

But, of course, they've got the division tightly, their nearest competition is either the Padres, who can't hit, or the D-Backs, who just got swept by the Marlins, and they still have Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto performing like absolute world-beaters. So even if this is an actual injury concern, it might not be much more than a small dent in this team's overall outlook. They're 7-5 in June, which, if you ignore how much better they were in May, is a good run. They can still take a loss to a team like the Angels or the White Sox, and with the Rays and Orioles coming up they may take a few more sizable ones. But the Dodgers are built to withstand these inconveniences, and at this rate they'll likely be alright.

Coming Tonight: Remember when we all thought it was a bad idea for the Yankees to bring this guy back? What a world that was, right?

All Caught Up

 

The Mariners currently have 5 guys with over 30 RBIs and four starting pitchers with 70 strikeouts. I've been wanting a balanced Mariners team for ages and we seem to be getting one now. 2024 was the year of the immaculate rotation with barely any run support, 2025 was the year of insane offensive production with shakier starting pitching than usual. Now everybody seems to be caught up. 

So...Julio Rodriguez is 25 this year. To this point, he's been in 3 all-star games, had two 30+ homer years, crossed 125 homers and has shown no signs of slowing down. This is another great year for Julio already, he's got 13 homers and 34 RBIs, plus 9 steals and 72 hits. I know there have been some years where it's taken him longer to really get going but he's made all this progress by 25. It's not Juan Soto crazy but it's still a lot. And in a year where Cal Raleigh's been out, and was not at 100% in April anyway, someone like Julio, and Randy Arozarena honestly, is way more valuable. You need your marquee guy to be worth his weight in gold. It's not happening with Acuna this year in Atlanta. It's not really happening with Mookie Betts in LA. But Julio is that guy for this team, and the team's way better for it.

I'm in awe that the Mariners have six healthy starters and they're all doing pretty solid work. Like, Luis Castillo's the weakest of the six this year, he's been running nonstop for like 4 years and it's taking its toll, but even he can have a classic start where he holds a team to only one run every now and then. Hancock and Miller are hot now because they've missed time and didn't burn themselves out. Gilbert's on an upswing, Woo and Kirby have had rough outings but are still putting in solid work. There's really not any scary options in the bunch this time around, and having a full, consistent bullpen has helped even more. 

I think the real issue is they still haven't broken away from the rest of the pack in the AL West. They're a very good team but they keep getting caught up in tough matches to teams like the Orioles and Padres and not legging them out. They've been doing much better lately, and have retaken the division lead, but after this Orioles series I do worry about their legitimacy. Especially with the Nationals up next, who, while not a league monolith or anything, certainly can run a pitching staff wild if given the opportunity.

We'll see what happens when Raleigh comes back as well. If that'll be the factor that gets them to take off.

Coming Tomorrow- How about that, a Dodgers pitcher breaking out on a rookie contract? 

The Bauers That Be

 

Not looking forward to the Brewers having to play the Phillies right now. Not that we're bad, but we're throwing Derek Hill out as a starter. The Miz game is the day Andrew Painter has to start. It's not gonna be pretty.

I don't know if the Brewers are the best team in the NL, but they might be the most lethal. Similar to the Braves, they've filled the lineup with people that are doing 100% what they were brought here to do, but unlike the Braves, there's like 5 or 6 more 'OH MY GOD' prospects waiting for one of the genuinely effective people to get hurt. We're still waiting on Jett Williams, Jeferson Quero, Jesus Made, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt, Luis Pena even...and this team is currently extremely good without them. The infrastructure is there to insure that they will continue to be this good for a while. The Braves have some of that but not to this degree. Same with the Dodgers honestly.

Like, to give you an idea, the current mega-prospects who are working for this team at the MLB level are Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson, Brandon Sproat and Shane Drohan, plus secondary prospect guys like Robert Gasser, Coleman Crow, Chad Patrick and Sal Frelick. That's already the majority of the team. And not only are these guys working, they're elite. Chourio, despite the late start, is having a phenomenal year, hitting .304 with 6 homers and 20 RBIs in 32 games. Turang's chasing MVP numbers again, with 10 homers, 11 steals, 42 RBIs and some of the best 2B play in the league. The Miz has a 1.50 ERA, 116 Ks and a 0.808 WHIP. Video game numbers. And Kyle Harrison, even after the Vegas start where you could tell that playing in an a-ball park really hurt the pitching, has a 2.72 ERA and 7 wins.

The triumph might be some of the people brought in for nothing. Last year Quinn Priester was a terrific bargain acquisition, and though he's yet to appear he looms large over the second half. Jake Bauers was a low-rent utility guy who'd succeeded in Cleveland and New York, and now suddenly he's the starting 1st baseman, hitting .277 with 12 homers [meaning his next one will mark a career high] and 43 RBIs. And even crazier is Andrew Vaughn, who's now splitting time with him, is still on fire, hitting .370 with 2 homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games. I might even throw in Gary Sanchez, who's become a terrific DH/backup choice in his later years and has an .845 OPS in 39 games. Even David Hamilton's become a terrific utility infield option, topping even Andruw Monasterio, who he was traded for.

The Brewers are an efficient, deep, varied team that can beat you several different ways, and look like they're gonna get even better as they go, with Woodruff and Henderson expected back soon. I am really worried that the Phils might not be able to get anything done against these guys this weekend, but...can you blame them if not?

Coming Tonight: I follow Mina Kimes on Bluesky, and she just had a very nice interview with this guy on there. Pretty sure he's the real deal.

Down Under the White Sox

 

The Guardians' downturn since the Phils series on May 22nd is understandable. One of the best teams in the bigs, constantly putting in new working pieces, of course they're gonna have a stretch where they can't play too well. Losing games to the Rangers, Red Sox and Nats, those are tricky teams even if their records don't show it. The Nats are a beast on the road, they've got nothing to be ashamed of. And being swept by the Yankees, meaning all the people pointing out that they don't do well against .500+ record teams can finally shut up, is understandable because the Yankees are extremely multifaceted this year.

But being in second in the division for the first time in a couple months while the 1st place team is the Chicago White Sox...that has got to hurt.

Yes, the White Sox are a good team, but the Guardians are better, and have been at this for longer. The Sox are currently without Munetaka Murakami, and just lost some games to Philly. But they're in first, and thanks to Braden Montgomery they're lifting back up. The Guardians haven't looked this beatable all year, which is odd because nothing's...really changed.

It's really just some cold spells at the moment that have shifted thinks. Chase de Lauter's been cold since April ended pretty much, and he's currently only hitting .254. He's only hit 3 more homers after starting the season by hitting 4 in his first 3 games. He still has 34 RBIs, leading the team, but the long ball has eluded him since April began. Rookie Travis Bazzana has the highest OPS on the team, and that's at .766. Meaning, as good as Ramirez, Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Kyle Manzardo have been, they're still very average statistically as hitters. Even Rhys Hoskins, despite his 6 homers, is only hitting .166. The ability is packed into this team, but statistically it doesn't look great after a rough 3 week stretch.

Travis Bazzana's 2026 start shouldn't be overlooked though. Dude came up a year and a half after being drafted first overall and is already looking like a natural. In 39 games he's got 4 homers, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases, plus some solid work at 2nd base. The Guardians already had several impressive pieces [including, somehow, Austin Hedges apparently], but Bazzana is the latest and greatest to really impress people, and it's looking like he'll be this good for a while. 

Also, and I don't even know if this is worth saying, but...the entire rotation's made all their starts and everybody has over 61 Ks. Some seasons are better than others [Williams and Messick are killing it], and Tanner Bibee's currently 1-7 despite a halfway decent campaign, but they're all reliable, healthy and up to the task. Maybe Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo could be a little more well rounded, but it's better than holding tryouts for a 5 spot in June. 

The Guardians's slide to 2nd does not worry me because they have the kind of team that's still destined for 1st, solely because they've shown more debilitating faults than their competitors. Injuries have killed the Tigers and Royals, the Twins aren't well put together yet, and the Chicago White Sox, while very good, are not a fully great team yet. I worry about the consequences of them dealing Derek Hill. Yes, Braden Montgomery means he's not as crucial, but that's a depth guy they could have used. I still think the Guardians are the team to beat, and however scary this stretch has been won't matter ultimately.

Coming Tomorrow- He's having another strong year at 1st for a team that is about to play my Phillies. Eek! 

Miss the Misery

 

So. To give you an idea. Christian Scott comes up for the Mets on May 4th 2024. He's called back down on May 31st. The Grimace thing happens on June 12th. Scott gets called back up to start July 3rd. From this start to Scott going on the IL on the 21st, the Mets are 8-7. Then, after Scott's injury, the Mets keep winning til they get to an NLCS. 2025 happens, it's hysterical. 2026, decent enough start, then the bottom falls out, everybody gets injured and the Mets wind up in last. And it is at this point that Christian Scott rejoins the Mets and becomes their best starter, with a 2.50 ERA in 8 starts.

I'm thinking the #1 question on Christian Scott's mind right now has to be 'how come I'm only up when the team sucks?' Like, we have a Met whose presence boosts the team, that is Francisco Alvarez, it's proven that the team is substantially better when he's healthy. But the Mets also have Scott, who is only healthy when the team isn't very good. Is he the jinx? Or is the team just so messy this year that it can't be helped?

Now, admittedly. Since May 27th, the Mets have been *better*. Since then they've been 7-4. That's very good timing, I think New York sports fans were conflicted over something from 5 days earlier, or Knicks fever kinda bled over into the Mets. I personally credit the upsurge to the outfield stylings of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, who've been having great months. Benge is now hitting .264 with 7 homers and 26 RBIs. Ewing is hitting .270 with 24 hits and 7 steals in 26 games. And while Jared Young is not as Young as Ewing or Benge, he's still getting in on the fun with a .270 average, 3 homers and 7 RBIs in 21 games. With everything in this lineup that isn't working [[motions around]], it's nice that there can be a homegrown boost of genuine talent to help things along.

...which begs the question, would this team be better off if they didn't try to buy up all those contracts and instead let the team develop naturally? Maybe? They'd still have Brandon Sproat, PCA and Luisangel Acuna. 

Either way, the inadvertent side effect of loading up for this year is the big items they've taken on are getting eyed by competitors. Freddy Peralta's lowered his ERA to 4, and is having a very good season if you had no idea how good he was in 2024 or 2025. Marcus Semien's doing his usual thing of heating up after 2 months of progress have already gone by. Luis Robert should be back soon, and should be a July target. Some relievers might be on the block too. Probably not Devin Williams, he's suffered enough.

At the very least the Mets are a better team than they were, and have more immediate answers than just buying contracts. But they're still very far from competing, and they're nothing compared to a much sharper and fuller Braves team. So...unless they plan on really trying to see if Christian Scott is a jinx, it's probably more of the same from here on out.

Coming Tonight: I can't remember the last time that someone made breaking into the majors look so easy right from the jump. Maybe Skenes? Either way, this guy's immediately making waves.

Which Young People are the Good Ones Again?

 

The trouble with basing a team around a youth movement is that after a certain point it becomes akin to wrangling cats. And that's kinda where we're at in Boston. Obviously the veterans are gonna be taken care of. Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Ranger Suarez and IKF- no issues. They know the drill, and even the newcomers can take to Boston pretty easily. Suarez had a rough first few starts, he's mellowed out, he's now got a 3.18 ERA. Gray's even settled in, he's 7-1. IKF's been a really valuable utility guy, proving he can excel anywhere in the AL East except New York. 

But the kids...the kids that are supposed to be leading the team...it's just not entirely happening.

Roman Anthony in 2025 was hilariously inconsistent. He took a month to get going, then got hotter than hell to the point where, once he got injured, he became the 'magic hat' piece for this team. And so he starts the year healthy, and now he's hurt again. Marcelo Mayer has stayed healthy, but like last year he hasn't really gotten going yet. He's hitting .224 with a .600 OPS. This is not what was promised. Caleb Durbin cost this team Kyle Harrison, something that's gonna really haunt them going forward, and he's barely done anything this year, hitting .193. At least Isaac Collins has turned his season around. Durbin's just stalling in place. And Carlos Narvaez, after a breakout 2025, has regressed to a .200 hitter and has given the catching job back to Connor Wong essentially.

The most confounding detail of this Sox team is Jarren Duran, who's supposed to be the centerpiece of the whole thing. He's got 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 11 steals right now, which is not bad. But he is currently hitting .209, with a .655 OPS. That is heartbreakingly average. Duran is constantly put in position to be the hero, and while sometimes it does pay off, this should not be the central guy. Not when he's hitting .209. In 2024 he had a 9 WAR, and was one of the most impressive hitters in baseball. Now he's just as forgettable as he was back in 2021 when he was starting out.

What's nice is that the young players that ARE pulling their weight are mostly pitchers. Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, after debuting last August, have essentially taken over the rotation, and are in the midst of very strong breakout years. Early has made all his starts and has a 3.30 ERA with a team-leading 69 Ks. He's an impressive, consistent starter without being too flashy. Tolle is even sharper, with a 2.70 ERA and 54 Ks in 9 starts. In a year where Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet have let this team down, these two springing into action is exactly the right remedy, and is a surer sign of future value than Mayer and Durbin's antics. Also, lest we forget Ceddanne Rafaela, who's having a great contact year so far. There's even a chance Jake Bennett could make a further impact if he shakes off starts like today's, which wasn't even that bad but isn't to the standard of his compatriots. So it's not all horror stories from this youth movement, but the fact that it's a lot of that does not bode well.

The Sox have Texas and Toronto up next. I can't say with certainty that they're better than either. We'll see how the young guys continue to fare in a team very much made for them.

Coming Tomorrow- He hasn't pitched since 2024, and he's suddenly extremely valuable, which says less about him and more about the state of his team. 

Can't Keep Goodman Down

 

The good news is that, generally, the 2026 Colorado Rockies can be described as 'not as bad as last year's.' The bad news is that since April ended they haven't exactly been acting like it.

Look, here's what should sum it up. Yesterday the Rockies called up Cole Carrigg, a centerfield prospect looking to stake his claim on the team. To remind you, this team has already gone through so many 'here's the big new prospect' moments that haven't worked. This has been since like 2024. We've seen Drew Romo, Zac Veen, Yanquiel Fernandez, Warming Bernabel, Braxton Fulford, Jordan Beck, Ryan Ritter, Kyle Karros, Adael Amador, McCade Brown, Carson Palmquist and Bradley Blalock in the bigs, and with the exception of a few decent months from Beck, a solid week from Bernabel and maybe some of Karros's recent stuff, there's been little to no impact. 

The goal is to build a team upwards with young talent, and it's not gonna work if all of them can't play in the bigs. It's bad enough that there's two actual good pitching talents that absolutely refuse to stay healthy, meaning Dollander and Feltner are leaving major responsibilities to veterans on one year deals AGAIN. But the lineup is mostly replacement-level guys because the prospects aren't panning out. Brenton Doyle might even be cooked at this point. Dude started his career with two straight gold gloves and hasn't been competent since. 

So what is working? Well, once again, Hunter Goodman, who's got 17 homers and 31 RBIs already. Dude's a born hitter perfect for Coors Field, his power work has been very helpful as usual. T.J. Rumfield and Troy Johnston are having great offensive campaigns as supporting players. Jake McCarthy and Willi Castro are playing pivotal roles...seeing as Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle really aren't. The bullpen's still great, and Seth Halvorsen's finally stepping up in a big way. Feltner's been great his last few starts. Tomoyuki Sugano might be the perfect Rockies starter because he's a fly ball pitcher anyway and these guys are used to the air difference, plus he's efficient without overexerting himself. Everything else is kind of forgettable, especially the major pieces like Freeland and Tovar.

Hopefully Carrigg can provide some level of stability upon his call-up. I know they've got people coming, Roc Riggio eventually, Veen again at some point, and hopefully that can work better than what they've got. If they can eventually build something sustainable, then we can really talk, but until then it's gonna be stuff like this. And as long as it's not 2025-bad, I think we'll be alright.

Coming Tonight: In a very good sign for the club, the Red Sox are once again calling up homegrown pitchers who can actually keep runs down. 

Too Fun For the Majors

 

A couple years ago, when the White Sox were going for the all-time losses record, occasionally it would be said, 'oh, well this is a minor league team, isn't it?'. And that is what the 2024 White Sox felt like at times. The only star feels like he is rehabbing, the big pitching talent is being kept under preexisting MLB talent, the big prospect's bored out of his mind, most people are replacement level. Sad stuff.

So when I say that the Angels right now feel like a minor league team, that's not necessarily an insult. So far in 2026, we've yet to find a last place team that truly bores me to tears every time I have to write about them. Every last place team is interesting this year, from the somehow-superior Rockies to the disappointing but rallying Mets to even the backpedaling Royals. The Angels, being one of the candidates for last overall, should be an exhausting last place team. But they're not. Because they've somehow cobbled together a motley crue of former top prospects and have created the most surprising lineup in the bigs. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who runs the Bananas is taking notes. 

Beyond Mike Trout, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel, this lineup is so frigging weird. So first of all, you have Jo Adell, former top prospect, who will either hit 2 home runs and have the catch of his life or strike out 3 times and make an embarrassing error. No in-between. He's got 10 homers and 37 RBIs already, but at what cost? Then you have Oswald Peraza, consistently blocked in New York, playing everyday and hitting .270 with 7 homers and some terrific 2B play. 

That's basically the extent of the understandable lineup additions though. Cause then you get to the really wild stuff. Like Wade Meckler, former Giants farmhand waived this January, who's hitting .300 in left and is already an upgrade from Josh Lowe. Then you have backup catcher Sebastian Rivero, a career minor leaguer who had some cups of coffee with the Royals in the early 2010s who just went 5 for 5 with 6 RBIs against the DODGERS of all people. Just in the last few weeks you've had insane comeback campaigns from Jose Siri, who's hitting .375 with a 1.068 OPS, 9 RBIs and 2 homers in 19 games, and Nick Madrigal, who's hitting .346 with 9 hits in his first 10 games back. Both of these guys were dead on arrival after some injuries got them dropped by the Mets, and now they're succeeding in Anaheim.

AND! AND! Just last night the Angels brought up Trey Mancini, who hasn't played since his Cubs contract in 2023 didn't go well. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI. This is ridiculous, but somehow it's working. And to be clear, the Angels were thinking like this before as well, that's how Travis d'Arnaud, Jeimer Candelario, Adam Frazier and Yoan Moncada got roster spots. But like...none of them worked. So they brought in people who WERE doing well in the minors, and they're actually helping the team. This team beat the Dodgers 13-5 on Sunday. Not every team this season's gonna be able to say they scored more than 10 against the Dodgers.

Now, does this make them a competitor? No, not necessarily. They're playing the Astros and Rays this week, two teams that have been doing the 'whichever cheap guys can help the big league ballclub' schtick better, and for longer, than the Angels have. Last night the Astros squeaked one out. The Angels are still expected to finish in last, and I do not think this month's bonkers mentality is sustainable. But they're not exactly keeling over and dying, and they're not giving the fans a product that isn't worth going to games for.

I salute these piecemeal, ragtag Angels, for making things interesting when they could be otherwise cut-and-dry.

Coming Tomorrow- 

Good Heavens! An Actual Pirates Team!

 

It's so refreshing. Two straight years the Pirates have been basically a front for Paul Skenes's highlight reels and showcases for his agent, and now, finally, there's an actual baseball team to build around Skenes. Actual other ballplayers who can actually play well, and actual depth that can actually keep this team in the conversation for the next few months. Not that I figured it would never happen, but the fact that it hasn't in so long, and now we're here...is just really refreshing. There's actual things to talk about!

Bringing in Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, Ryan O'Hearn and Jhostynxon Garcia onto this team is some long-awaited wise thinking from management, cause they've all greatly improved this team's output. Brandon Lowe's having another phenomenal year, with 15 homers and 41 RBIs already. He might make an all-star team at this rate. O'Hearn's hitting .286 with 9 homers and 33 RBIs, doing exactly what they signed him to do. Mangum's a .291 hitter that's also an excellent outfield depth piece. And Garcia, though the team doesn't completely have room for him yet, is a dangerous hitter who, when he has made contact, has done some damage. In addition, Bryan Reynolds is having his best season in a while, with an .805 OPS and 39 RBIs. Spencer Horwitz has an .846 OPS and is still surging. Oneil Cruz can obviously still rake in between the frustration. It's a very full lineup, and one that might only get better as they figure out some of the last few details [like an actual viable catching option, which is weird to say when Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez were supposed to be so good]. 

And then, right when Paul Skenes gets rocked for a few starts, Braxton Ashcraft is able to step up and take the brunt of the workload effortlessly. He's currently 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 86 Ks [more than Skenes!] This is a more human year for Skenes, as his ERA's over 3 and he's getting hit more often than usual, probably the effect of pitching for 2 years straight. The down seasons are gonna happen, just hopefully they're only this and not full burnout. You also have Jared Jones slowly returning to his old self, Bubba Chandler finding the strike zone, Mitch Keller trying to stay consistent and Carmen Mlodzinski all but assuring he'll be dealt in a month and a half. The bullpen's not great but it was a lot worse before. 

Just very refreshing to see a Pirates team this good, and one that's able to soundly beat the Astros, Cubs and Reds. This week they're playing the Dodgers. Considering how well the Braves series went, this could be similarly rough, but Skenes is pitching in one of these games, so maybe they'll keep things rolling.

Coming Tonight: The Yanks had nowhere to play him....but the Angels certainly did. And now they're being rewarded. 

Lugo for Broke

 

The Royals' season was already kinda going down the toilet, despite the amount of talent baked into it. But now, Bobby Witt Jr.'s got right knee soreness and it feels like the whole season could be hinging on it. Remember 2024, where everybody showed up and made this a formidable, varied team with so many different points to hit teams with? Now we're at 'if Witt's gone there's no point'. 

Cause like...when one of the big storylines of the WBC is 'look at Caglianone and Pasquantino go for Team Italy', and then they get back and Pasquatch hits .220 with a .650 OPS and Caglianone takes a month to get going, has a strong May then gets hurt...that's false advertising, man. Every spring for the past four years has been 'look at how well Vinnie Pasquantino's been playing', and then the season starts and he hits .220. He just does this. Mr. February. Right now it's Witt, Cags, Maikel Garcia and surprisingly Michael Massey who are the only people currently doing well in the lineup. Salvador Perez is technically hitting, but he's hitting .204. They're phasing him out of catching more and more, and while Carter Jensen is a slight upgrade, he's been slumping a bit lately. The lineup just doesn't have the forcefulness and depth that it used to, and even the Twins are doing more in that department right now.

As for the rotation...the draw in 2024 was that if you have Cole Ragans up top, then Seth Lugo and Brady Singer, and then Michael Wacha's your fourth man, it's still gonna be difficult. Having the depth of 'here are some young fireballers who can beat you and also here are two 34-year-olds who can also beat you' is how they got far in 2024. Now, Bubic and Ragans are hurt, Marsh is still hurt, Stephen Kolek's out on leave, and the sole lines of defense are Seth Lugo, who's good but not 2024 good, Michael Wacha, who's still very good, and Noah Cameron who's good now but took a while to get there...with the other two days' worth of options being Luinder Avila and a shrug....yeah, that's not deep. They're getting Kolek back tomorrow, that will help. And worse comes to worse they could try Ryan Bergert, if they needed to. But it's much less formidable now. Lugo's still a fundamentally good pitcher, he's got a 3.91 ERA and 64 Ks, but he's getting dangerously close to Chris Bassitt territories of innings-eating. Bullpen isn't great either.

The rumor is that, once Matt Quatraro loses his job this year [how the hell is Oli Marmol gonna out last this guy?], the Royals are gonna try to court Albert Pujols to take over, and that might help things, but...I dunno if this team is a managerial regime away from being fixed. If you keep putting people in position to hit and they don't hit, a new manager can't fix that. Maybe a new GM can, but we don't wanna talk about that yet probably..

Coming Tomorrow- So Paul Skenes has had a rough go of things lately, meaning now was an ideal time for another Pirates pitcher to step up. But then Jared Jones got rocked in his first start back. So it was up to this other guy.

Mead 'Em and Weep

 

2026 has already been a nice year for Australian ballplayers, and so soon after Liam Hendriks sort of trailed off. You've got the frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year, Travis Bazzana, already taking to the bigs like a fish to water, he grew up in Australia then went to Oregon State. You've got Brandan Bidois, a relief specialist who just came up with the Pirates and has been doing alright for himself [or really just 'better than Justin Lawrence and Mason Montgomery were doing]. And then you've got Curtis Mead, who struggled to find an entryway with Philly, Tampa and the White Sox then was dealt to Washington right before the season started and is now an everyday guy. For a country whose biggest exports to this point were Dave Nilsson and Graeme Lloyd, things seem to be picking up for our friends down under.

Mead is the kind of hitter that the Nationals need right now, because his contact sensibilities click with this team, and he's still got plenty of prime years left. Right now he's got an .829 OPS, 9 homers and 28 RBIs. He's settling in as a corner infielder, primarily playing third but occasionally finding time at 1st. Considering how many sneaky contact guys are already on this team [Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, C.J. Abrams, Luis Garcia], Mead just seemed to arrive at the perfect time. And throwing an Australian journeyman with contact ability in with the people who were part of the plan to begin with is a very Toronto-esque strategy of just going for it. Why not Curtis Mead, especially if he's playing this well.

It's the same mentality that's made Foster Griffin a rotation staple this year, even after all that missed time overseas. It explains why Jorbit Vivas, former Yankee also-ran, is providing some recent utility flair. It's also why the team has been so patient with Zack Littell, after a scary start to the season. His last few starts have been really good, and he's back to allowing only 1 or 2 runs per game, winning his last five starts easily. It's a shame Littell's April was so snakebitten, but the guy who surprised people with the Rays and Reds last year is definitely still in there. 

The Nats know they're probably not a competitor this year, and are just trying to be the best they can given those circumstances. Fortunately, this 'why not' mentality has put them in 3rd place, a game above .500 and with one of the most run-scoring teams in the league. This week they've been chasing the D-Backs, a very good team, and have the Giants to play next. Even if the likelihood of the Nats being sellers is still high, they're doing more with a depleted team than anyone would have thought, and it might even mean that James Wood leading a team to the playoffs might not even be that far away.

Coming Tonight- One of those guys that finds himself after turning 30. The Royals have been loving his stuff.

The Rare Double Catcher Formation

 

The Baltimore Orioles currently have two catchers on their ML roster. Both of them have a 1.5 WAR, and both of them are hitting .273. They're both among the best hitting catchers in the game. One of them is signed til the end of the decade. The other...is former Rookie of the Year runner-up Adley Rutschman. And to make things clear...Rutschman isn't exactly a concession. 

Right now it's clear that Rutschman is gonna get the bulk of the starts at catcher because Samuel Basallo isn't great defensively. But you also can't leave Basallo out of the lineup, because he's hot as hell right now, so you have to DH him and free up any flexibility you might otherwise have. So any chance of having both Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday in the lineup if they're both fighting for third is probably very small, meaning once again Coby Mayo's gotta try something else if he wants to play everyday. These guys are very lucky that Ryan Mountcastle's already out for a while, because he was already out of a job at 1st and now he's out of a job at DH. 

Thankfully, so much of this lineup is working right now that the overflow isn't an issue. Really only Tyler O'Neill is truly stinking it up out of this bunch, but Colton Cowser's been getting the bulk of the starts anyway and he's heating up. Basallo's .494 SLG is the highest on the team, and he's got 9 homers and 26 RBIs, making this a very confident full season statement from the 21-year-old. It's also nice seeing Rutschman fully taking advantage of his role on the team, as he's landed 36 RBIs in 46 games. Henderson, Ward, Alonso and Leody Taveras surprisingly are all nailing their assignments and making this a fluid, bankable lineup. No wonder they've lapped Toronto, and no wonder they're headed for .500. 

I do still think the rotation's a little shakier than it should be. We all thought Trevor Rogers had found his stuff again but now he's spotty like he used to be, with an ERA over 6 and a 3-6 record. Chris Bassitt's a little cooked as well, despite 4 wins and his usual innings-eating. Baz, Bradish and Brandon Young are a perfectly fine core but nobody's really excelling. Like, Bradish looks better than he has in a few years but his WHIP is up to 1.423. Hopefully somebody has a strong June, cause then I'll be a little surer about their long term chances. The bullpen's great though, Rico Garcia's having himself a year. 

The O's are 8-4 so far against all these division rivals. They swept the Rays, won out over the Sox and are going toe-to-toe with Toronto. Maybe this could be their year after all?

Coming Tomorrow- His name had been coming up a bit recently because the Rays traded Cristopher Sanchez to get him...and then they traded him to Washington before they could even benefit from him as a surprise corner bench weapon.

Hoo Lee Cow

 

Eighteen runs....against the CUBS???

Like, the Cubs aren't even that bad of a team, they've had ebbs and flows like everybody else. PCA will have a terrible snafu in centerfield and then he'll rock a triple or something. Jameson Taillon will bat the lineup around in an inning then have three straight 1-2-3 innings. They're inconsistent, but more on the side of good than bad. And they gave up 18 runs...to the Giants. Who also aren't bad, but really only emerge as a hitting giant occasionally.

So to recap how it all went down; Willy Adames hit 2 homers. Casey Schmitt hit 2 homers. Matt Chapman hit 2 homers. Jung Hoo Lee kept his hitting streak alive with an RBI double. Jonah Cox, who just came up last week, hit his first career home run as a pinch-hitter. The only starter without a hit was catcher Daniel Susac, who's generally been one of their best hitters outside of this game. Even Rafael Devers had 2 hits and an RBI, meaning even HE's getting hot, slowly. The whole lineup came together to rain down on the Cubs IN WRIGLEY. And now they've got two more games there...to see if they can do anything remotely similar.

My skepticism comes from the fact that, despite the team's .260 average, there's so many lapses in this team's formula that has kept them from really emerging. Rafael Devers is the biggest one. Even if he's currently leading the league in doubles with 20, he's still struck out 80 times and only has 7 home runs. The maddening tendencies, like the strikeouts and the poor defense and the attitude, are piling up, and it's become a similar struggle to his Boston days. I also look at Drew Gilbert and Bryce Eldridge, and they still haven't completely broken out a year later. You're seeing signs; Eldridge is hitting .286, but like Devers he has limited uses in the field. Gilbert's hitting .236 without much offensive production to speak of.

Which is why it's very nice that the core of the lineup has woken up in recent weeks, and Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Luis Arraez and Casey Schmitt have solidified some really nice seasons. Lee is hitting .322 with some insane contact perks this month. Schmitt has 13 homers and 35 RBIs and is still surging. Arraez, while not quite at batting title levels yet, is still hitting .325 with 76 hits. There's a lot about this lineup that's finally beginning to click, and just in time for Logan Webb's return as well.

I'm not sure if there's enough here for this team to really get going to extent they did yesterday, but there's more life in there than there was a month ago, and while they're far from reaching the Padres at the moment they're certainly hitting better than the Padres are.

Coming Tonight: They brought him up as a potential longterm catcher, then forgot they already had one. So now they have TWO young catchers hitting like crazy, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

In No Way An Improvement

 Even as someone who dislikes the Astros, I can tell you that the core era of that team subsisted on a well-built youth movement, so many slam dunk prospects, deals made for people in their prime, and a solid backbone that could withstand departures. The 2026 Astros are the result of that era having run its course. And so without the generation that gave us Springer, Bregman, Cole, Valdez, Tucker and Brantley...this is a very okay baseball team. And I think FINALLY...they're done pretending they're not.

Beyond Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker, pretty much everything on this team is run-of-the-mill. If this was 2018, and they had a player of Isaac Paredes's caliber on a tear, it'd be going a lot better than this. Not that Paredes is playing badly, but...he's a .238 hitter with 8 homers and 28 RBIs. And even then, he's here for his power and all his home runs are pulled. They released a spray chart today, and the man's never launched a single opposite-field home run in his entire career. So they have an okay third baseman having an okay season being okay at the thing he's the best at...like, compare that to what Bregman was doing even in a down year. It's not even close. And somebody like Jake Meyers or Zach Dezenzo or Brice Mathews, doing the best they can but still winding up at replacement level...this is the level of local talent they have now. And compared to what Yordan Alvarez is doing, leading the league in homers and OPS and average and fitting firmly into the MVP conversation upton Judge's injury, it's even more pathetic. You can't run on a Jake Meyers season anymore when it's clear that Yordan Alvarez can lift a pinky and go yard.

The pitching isn't much better, because even the usual failsafes aren't working. They tried the 'let's bring up Jason Alexander' gambit again, and that didn't work this time around. Aside from Spencer Arrighetti, who's wonderful, this team has to trot out Mike Burrows and his 5.66 ERA, Tatsuya Imai and his occasional brilliance flanked by 6 run outings, Peter Lambert who's far too okay to be playing this great a role in this team, and Kai-Wei Teng, who's actually pretty decent but is being stretched out from a prior relief role and hopefully can stay healthy. The team's already lost Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are gonna be out for longer, and this unit is what they've got. For...what it is I guess it's alright, but this is the most anonymous Astros rotation since Bud Norris and Erik Bedard were the draws. Occasionally it works, but I don't know how sustainable it is, much like how I don't know how sustainable Christian Walker and Christian Vasquez are.

The Astros are firmly under .500, and are in fourth, but they do play the A's this weekend, and the A's rotation might have slightly more weak points. So it might be close. But if things continue at this rate, the Astros might be sellers at the deadline for the first time in nearly a decade, and that's an insane concept to consider.

Coming Tomorrow- A guy who's had a monster hitting streak as of late, and took part in a huge blowout of the Cubs yesterday.

The Cardinals Continue to Baffle Me

 

I think there's probably a connection between whether or not I like a team and whether I can understand when they start doing well. Because I'm very logic-based, I try to imagine that most teams have ebbs and flows in the usual way, and that when a team takes a few years to regroup they'll surface when they really have the right team, or when a team starts losing key players they'll ultimately stop winning games. The Astros and the Cardinals routinely defy this logic, and I believe it's specifically to vex me.

The Cardinals have won only 5 games since May 17th, have to trot Dustin May out there every five days and start Nolan Gorman and Victor Scott daily, and yet they're still 2nd in the NL Central and generally well regarded. This week has been all about the Pirates scoring 10+ runs repeatedly, Chase Burns allowing no runs and PCA getting his groove back and yet here we still are with this Cardinals team ahead of them.

There are elements that work, of course. J.J. Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker and Nathan Church are all having excellent seasons and earning their right to start everyday. Michael McGreevy's having a terrific full season ahead of the rotation, with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.101 WHIP. Riley O'Brien has 15 saves. Nelson Velasquez keeps making contact. Yes, of course all of that is good. I'm so relieved that Jordan Walker can actually perform at the MLB level after all this time. That is valid and good and happening. Beyond that this is a very dull, okay team. 

What is this rotation, even beyond McGreevy. Last year at least they had Sonny Gray and his strikeouts. Now what do they have? Dustin May can strike people out and go deep but he has ZERO wins above replacement and it's June. Matthew Liberatore still cannot get his ERA below 4. Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy would both be great 5th options on a better team. The idea is for McGreevy to be the Jack Flaherty type young guy the team can rally around, but McGreevy's a very simple, low-strikeout control artist and to me that's not enough to lead with. The Guardians can do that with Messick because they have Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee already. There's just...no depth, man. Richard Fitts is done for the year, Roby and Hjerpe are hurt, Tink Hence is struggling so bad he's been moved to relief, and they tried Bryson Mautz and he wasn't ready. So we're stuck with these five. Yay. 

The Cardinals could, for all intents and purposes, compete with this team. But literally every other NL Central team has a better rotation than they do. At least the Cubs have Imanaga, I'd take him over McGreevy. I just don't get excited about these guys. If they improve over time, like the Brewers' rotation last year, then great. I just don't see it right now. 

The other teams are circling the Cardinals, and I'm expecting them to drop in the standings a bit. Remains to be seen whether they're still competitors, though part of me thinks they'll persist mainly to spite, and confuse, me.

Coming Tonight: The Tigers gave this guy away and have struggled to fill third base ever since. Astros are doing just fine there though.

Any Which Way You Draft

 

So, to recap. The 2026 Minnesota Twins have, at the MLB level, currently:

-Byron Buxton, 2012 2nd overall pick.

-Alex Jackson, 2014 6th overall pick.

-Royce Lewis, 2017 1st overall pick.

-Trevor Larnach, 2018 1st round pick.

-Ryan Jeffers, 2018 2nd round pick.

-Matt Wallner, 2019 1st round pick.

-Austin Martin, 2020 5th overall pick.

-Mick Abel, 2020 1st round pick.

-Brooks Lee, 2022 8th overall pick.

-Connor Prielipp, 2022 2nd round pick.

-Luke Keaschall, 2023 2nd round pick.

All of these people were picked high for a reason, and the Twins themselves picked all but three of them. The goal was to draft, or accumulate, the kind of prospects to build a great team out of. Now...with all of these people on the active roster...how come nothing's getting done?

It blows my mind that people like Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach and Royce Lewis could look so good out of college or high school, get to the MLB level and continue to blow opportunities. Wallner is the kind of athlete you could build in a lab, and they still can't get him to hit for average. Royce Lewis can hit home runs like crazy, but only for 2 weeks out of the year, in between injuries and slumps. Larnach's a decent power hitter but he's more okay than anything. I also think about Brooks Lee, who came up as this incredible shortstop prospect, one who got Carlos Correa traded to get himself more room there...and as of a week ago, starting Lee at short is no longer a viable option. So now he's a third baseman. Let's see, who's the nearest shortstop in that draft- oh, Zach Neto. He'd have been a good career shortstop. Or...would he have been if the Twins drafted him?

I give Lee shit for blowing the SS job but he's actually having a halfway decent season. He's hitting .252 with 8 homers and 35 RBIs, and is one of the best non-Buxton plate performers the Twins have right now. Keaschall's also beginning to heat up, and he's got 10 stolen bases already. If Jeffers had stayed healthy it'd have been a nice top of the order, and guys like Tristan Gray, Austin Martin and Ryan Kreider providing excellent bench work. Granted, not much depth beyond that though, but I think the Twins are at the point where they're just trying shit out and seeing if that works better than the original plan.

Case in point: the Twins just cut Simeon Woods-Richardson, after a dismal 0-7, 7.74 ERA start, and sent him back to his initial system in Toronto. The plan is to go with a four man rotation of Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp [which is actually a pretty decent combination considering Matthews and Prielipp's ceilings], plus an added bullpen slot as they debate whether to stretch out Mike Paredes all the way. At some point either Mick Abel or Bailey Ober will come back anyhow. And honestly...for a team that everyone was assuming would be a last place punchline, that's not bad at all. It makes me wish the team hit better.

The Twins do theoretically have enough to stay ahead of the Royals, but the Royals want out of last very badly, and won't be afraid to really go crazy to get to that point. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Cardinals have a very young rotation, and technically he's the ace. So he's beginning to act like one.

Looks Max-ing

 

[This title is one of the serious downsides of there still being a relatively young person in the blogosphere. Also, no, I couldn't tell you what it means either.]

The Marlins are usually deeply weird, but this year is a new breed of abject strangeness. This Marlins team is one where Otto Lopez is highly likely to make an All-Star team and has a batting title, Liam Hicks is vying for an RBI title, all but three active batters have a WAR of less than 0.5, two of the best power hitters with MLB experience are sitting in Jacksonville waiting for Joe Mack or Connor Norby to have a stroke, three necessary starters are hurt [one of which immediately after making his MLB debut] and another is pitching so poorly that HE'S sitting in Jacksonville, and the bullpen may be one of the Top 5 in all of baseball. Essentially hollow at the plate, above average on the mound despite the swiss cheese.

Just once I want to write about a normal Marlins team that just wins a division and has stars and isn't a barrel of nonsense. Just one time.

In all of the pitching uncertainty, Max Meyer has emerged as a relatively strong ace. It's been a rocky road for Meyer, missing a few years with injuries, coming back last year and struggling some more before eventually finding his footing. This year he's been terrific, going 6-0 with a 2.81 ERA and 81 Ks in 13 starts. It's upsetting it took him until 27 to reach this point, but he's here now, and his work, plus occasional greatness from Sandy Alcantara [he does have a CGSHO under his belt this year], are aiding this team tremendously. Beyond that, they're stretching out Tyler Phillips as a starter again, and while it didn't go well in Philly it's worked fine so far. I'm not sure what the heck their plan is beyond that, but I would guess Bradley Blalock would get a go, and possibly Braxton Garrett again if he behaves this time. 

The lineup, beyond Lopez, Hicks, Edwards and Sanoja, really isn't doing much. Owen Caissie's a great outfield bat on paper but he strikes out too much and he has poor defense. Connor Norby's fine but counterproductive. Stowers and Marsee are both way down from last year. This team has Deyvison de los Santos, Agustin Ramirez and now Rece Hinds all stuck in the minors while people like Leo Jimenez, Joe Mack and Chris Morel eat precious roster space. I know that the runs can score with these types of guys, but it's not a working model, and you can't build that much from it. If guys like Marsee, Caissie and Norby did what they were supposed to, we'd be in better shape, but they're wasting this year.

The Marlins are now fighting to keep from being lapped by the Mets, who, while having a bigger payroll and more working factions, are still the Mets. So that'll be interesting for sure.

Coming Tonight: His infield defense may not be terrific, but his burst of offense has been keeping his team from being the total failure many people figured it would be.

High Sugar Intake

 

The limitations of modern arm strength point towards a frustrating factor about modern pitching. There are some people pitching right now who, if they didn't overwork themselves and miss time in between amazing seasons, would be Hall of Famers. Back then you only had the occasional case, a Sam McDowell here, a J.R. Richard there, but even then it was an outside circumstance that led to the decline. Even Madison Bumgarner, the ATVing ruined his arm more than overthrowing did. But now, throwing the best season of your life means not being that good again for another 2 or 3 years, and considering that people are already coming up at 25 anyway, it's reducing people's prime.

If this was 1979, Shane McClanahan would have been up at 22, have a Cy Young by 25 and would be in the midst of a Dodgers contract by now. But no, the Rays didn't have room for him til the 2020 playoffs, he flirted with greatness but went down mid-2023, missed two seasons and is now 29 and working on a 'comeback' year. Throwing hard isn't what it used to be, man.

I think the Rays are still very thankful that McClanahan's still a mighty centerpiece of their rotation, and that he's back to 2022 form this year, working on a 6-2 record with a 2.45 ERA through 11 starts. He's still a big game guy who can take a strong workload and hold the line against great teams. I think he's still being a little careful with speeds and control but he's still very much THE guy for this team, and he, Rasmussen and Martinez have been very good at keeping runs down this year. I just feel like if the Rays had more of a sample size from him they'd have been better off. They got a ton of strong, healthy seasons out of Blake Snell, and McClanahan's very much seen in the same kind of light as Snell was, but with less to show for himself. It definitely speaks to how good McClanahan's been when he's been active, as his highest season ERA to this point is still a 3.43 from his rookie year. 

The Rays in general, by the way, are still a strong AL competitor despite the bottom beginning to drop out a bit in the past week. Today the Tigers smacked around Nick Martinez and friends behind 8 innings of Troy Melton, marking their 7th loss since the rainout that could have ended the 'Yanks can't win a series against a .500 team' argument once and for all. The team is still hitting, and still surging behind the usual suspects of Caminero, Diaz and Aranda, but the depth isn't completely there [barring Ryan Vilade maybe] and the bullpen's still in shambles. This is still a good team, and they're still capable of a lot of strong run production, but the uncontested upswing they had in May might have come to an end. 

...of course they don't play a .500+ team again til mid-month in LA, but apparently it's only okay to bring that up if you spend money on the team.

Coming Tomorrow- A guy who plays for one of the teams the Rays have to play next. And he got his start out of the way today, so they won't have to face him. 

There's No 'F' in Utility

 

2026 has already been a great year for lifetime utility guys making a name for themselves when thrust into a starting role. From the jump, Mauricio Dubon's been excellent at shortstop, to the point where Ha-Seong Kim is practically a backup right now. Ezequiel Duran's been wonderful filling in for Corey Seager, and his clutch and contact abilities are helping out the Rangers quite a bit. Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas essentially have starting jobs right now, Jose Caballero made quite the impact covering for Anthony Volpe, Tristans Peters and Gray are finding everyday jobs, the list goes on. But right at the top of that list is Ildemaro Vargas, because it's simultaneously true that nobody could have seen his rise coming...and yet his rise was honestly bound to happen.

Since 2017, Ildemaro Vargas has bounced around as one of those likable infield role-player guys who's never a star but always does what he's supposed to. He was with the Diamondbacks for years, played for a bunch of midwest teams in the early 2020s, found a niche as a utility guy with the Nats then returned to Arizona. Last year he was really impressive in a swing role, hitting .270 in 38 games, while continuing to be an above-average upgrade in the infield. Heading into the 2026 season, the D-Backs found themselves without their Opening Day 1B options [Pavin Smith and Carlos Santana both got hurt], so the majority of the reps there went to Vargas. 

So far, Vargas has become an everyday, reliable guy for this D-Backs team this year. He's hitting .291 with 7 homers, 37 RBIs, 59 hits [tied for most on the team with Marte and Carroll, whoever they are] and a 1.5 WAR. His 7 homers are already more than he's ever hit in a season. This is probably not a long term answer, as they kind of want Jose Fernandez to be that, but it's working right now. It's also just a nice perk that Vargas as working in an area that wasn't expected to be a big source of consistent production from this team. Like they banked on Corbin Carroll having a great year, Ketel Marte having a great year, Perdomo and Moreno to do their thing. I don't know if they banked on a bounce-back from Nolan Arenado either, but there he goes, hitting .270 with 8 homers and 28 RBIs [one more homer than Carroll]. 

I think if Gallen and Kelly weren't having buffer years, they'd have a chance to take out San Diego for 2nd. Zac Gallen has a 5.16 ERA, and is once again looking worn down. Same with Kelly, who's got a 5.08 ERA after missing a few weeks. It's a good thing that Eduardo Rodriguez and Mike Soroka are having excellent years, but, again, it falls into the issue with pitching right now where everyone throws so hard that nobody's good every year anymore. The D-Backs are balancing Rodriguez and Soroka's on years with Gallen and Kelly's off-years, plus a rehab year from Corbin Burnes. Forty years ago you just kept going ahead without having to plan for this kind of stuff. 

I still think the D-Backs are a nice under the radar threat in the NL this year. I don't know if they're a playoff team yet, cause the last few D-Backs teams have arguably been playoff caliber but just haven't made it. But they have a lot right now that's getting me excited, and the random resurgence of Ildemaro Vargas is honestly one of them.

Coming Tonight: He got hurt. Missed a season. Came back last spring training, got hurt, missed another season. And now he's back and pitching beautifully. 

Have It Your Way

 

The way the bungee is working out, the Rangers have righted themselves back to a 2nd place team, which is around where they were aiming for to begin with. They had a great weekend, the A's had to play the Yankees, the wins piled up, therefore the Rangers lapped them. And while it's a reach to say they're a first place team right now, it's nice to see the Rangers making the most of a fairly scattered product. Three big pieces are injured and a lot of the auxiliary guys are picking up the work, but the team has felt more itself in the last few weeks.

Immediately, you can tell that this is the most human Nate Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom have looked in a while. They're not playing badly per se, but some early starts have led to steeper ERAs than usual. deGrom is 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA, which for him is the equivalent of a 5 ERA. He's still got his WHIP around 1, and he's still got 78 Ks, but the big game dominance he had in New York isn't completely there. Granted he is, after all, 38, and may finally be past his peak. I think he's still reliable enough, but this isn't as bang-on as he was last year. Evo's finally got his ERA below 4, but in the process he's gone 5-6 with a league-leading 13 homers allowed [tied, concerningly, with deGrom]. He's definitely improved in his May starts, but I think coming back from the second-half injury left him a little waterlogged to begin the season. The important thing is they're both healthy and making all their starts. Leiter, Gore and Rocker are following in behind them but are similarly carrying around low-3/high-4 ERAs. They're honestly just inconsistent, which figures.

Meanwhile, in a lineup without Corey Seager or Wyatt Langford, things are moving ahead skillfully with a slightly altered approach. It's a good thing Jake Burger's more consistent than he was last year around this time, his power numbers have been pretty nice, with 10 homers and 37 RBIs. Like always, he's good for cheesy power and little else, but he's slightly more well-rounded this year. Can't really say the same for Joc Pederson, as he's all on the power stuff, but at least he's got a .794 OPS and 9 long balls. Took him forever to truly get going in Arlington, but he's got a bit more of a niche now, especially considering they DFA'd his only other competition for starting DH. Jung, Nimmo and Duran have been very helpful revitalizing that portion of the lineup, and Carter is still a very versatile player that just hasn't really started hitting yet. These guys are hitting, even if it's not a fully well rounded offensive output. But for right now, it doesn't need to be much more than flashy. 

They're an unassuming, relatively young, relatively simple team that can just outhit you even if they make it close. Heck, somehow Jacob Latz is really working as a primary closing option, even though he was a perfectly fine starting choice last year. Things are kind of coming together, and while I don't know how sustainable it is, it's certainly a better Rangers team than I thought, and better than they looked a month ago.

Coming Tomorrow- He's 34 years old, he's never played more than 95 games in a season, and he's already topped his season home run mark in two months. Why not, right?

Without Elly

 

So. The day the Reds land, solely, in last place, also happens to be the day that Elly de la Cruz lands on the IL. And now the Reds are without Elly, Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder, Graham Ashcraft, Emilio Pagan, Jose Trevino and Ke'Bryan Hayes. And while, yes, they are still over .500, and still technically a good team...you take away the tentpole and you see the flaws.

Okay, so who's their best hitter now that Elly's hurt? Well you'd think from his April that Sal Stewart would fit that bill, but he's quieted down a great deal since then, and despite some prime stats [.261 average, 12 homers, 37 RBIs], his May was way less eventful. Actually, their best hitter right now is J.J. Bleday, the A's outfield castoff whose offense tried to make up for his lackluster defense. He's rolled into an everyday role and is hitting .303 with 9 homers and 26 RBIs in 30 games. His May was pretty incredible, and he's already been named one of the players of the month. So even if the Reds were struggling, and considering how many people on this team aren't even hitting .200 it's no wonder, Bleday was an excellent jolt forward. Power from Nathaniel Lowe and a surprising bounce back from Spencer Steer have also helped. 

But yeah, when Stephenson, McLain, Friedl, Benson and Hayes are all hitting under .200, you have to take a step back and regroup. This team has been trying to put a workable formula together for so long, and you'd think that all of these guys would be able to put together good seasons. But McLain once again is struggling to hit substantially, even with more productivity in the last few weeks than he had in April. That Stephenson and Friedl are replacement-level this year are especially heartbreaking.

Thankfully the rotation has solidified a bit, and the Reds haven't needed to do as much starter juggling as usual. Chris Paddack has settled into that 5th spot, and while it's not terrific it's better than his Miami stuff. Singer's struggling but he's eating innings. Lodolo's still got a 5 ERA but he usually figures out how to get it down. Abbott's more hittable than he's ever been but even he's managed to get his ERA under 4. And then Chase Burns is just having an incredible year all around, with a 1.96 ERA, 7 wins and 72 Ks already. I do worry about the bullpen now that Johnson's hurt, but they've got enough workable options at the moment that it's not terribly worrying.

Hopefully by the time Elly gets back there's still stuff that can be salvaged. Cause if not, we may have an NL Central team dip below .500. We wouldn't want that, right?

Coming Tonight: Another guy on a team that probably thought it'd have a better lineup this year. 

DET On Arrival

 

I'm gonna say this very plainly. At the very end of April, the Tigers were 16-16. At .500, in 2nd, still contending. And then the rotation got hurt. And so in May, in total, the Detroit Tigers won...six games. And lost 22. And now they're in last in a division where being over .500 seems like a feat. 

And you can't really go 'what happened?', because it's fairly obvious. The Tigers have some hitting assets but are helped along by strong pitching. When Skubal, Mize, Verlander, Olson and Jobe are all hurt, plus Kenley Jansen and Brant Hurter, you're left with this lineup having to fend for itself, and at its current incarnation they can't outhit most teams. Dillon Dingler, the catcher, has the most home runs on the team with 11. He's the only one with over 10. Riley Greene, as good as he's hitting, only has 5. And the people you'd otherwise rely upon, like Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter, aren't hitting whatsoever. Carpenter has power but isn't balancing it out. Plus, with both Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez hurt, the Tigers are resorting to a down Zach McKinstry year covering 2nd everyday, and that doesn't work anymore. Especially with a breakout Kevin McGonigle year next to him.

And it's not as if Dingler's a bad player, but the team was built so that he wouldn't have to do this much. I don't think he was expected to be the Cal Raleigh type this year, at least not completely. But it seems like, somehow, the lineup depth has dissipated, and barring Greene, Dingler and McGonigle, this lineup doesn't really offer much.

I'm intrigued by some of the ways the Tigers are filling the rotation vacancies though. They're going with Troy Melton in Skubal's spot essentially, and that's working, he's got a 1.42 ERA through his first two starts. They also tried out Ty Madden in Mize's spot tonight, and that didn't go quite as well. Otherwise, the Tigers are going with Jack Flaherty, who's worn out from a few consecutive full seasons, Framber Valdez, who also seems a bit wrung out and not his usual, dominant self, and Keider Montero who's been pretty good. But without Skubal, they've been equalized, and nearly every team in the AL Central's been taking advantage. Even with a huge offensive swell over the Rays tonight, it's not gonna be a shutout thanks to the Tigers' pitching.

The way through this awful stretch is a rebound of full-squad health, and I don't know if they'll get that til July at this rate. For now, they need an offensive upswing, and to get the heck out of last. Games like tonight's will help, but only if they can keep runs down in addition.

Coming Tomorrow- The Marlins dealt him. The A's cut him. And the Reds are watching him deliver a surprise smash of a month for them. 

Behind the Wheels

 

One of the reasons why many pundits worried that the Phillies' regime would die out after this year was the sustainability of the once-strong rotation. With Suarez and Elfin gone, Walker on the way out and more emphasis on Painter and Luzardo, the idea was that either Nola and Wheeler hunker down for the long run or trail off. And in the middle of all this was Cristopher Sanchez, who, if you'll recall, was a 50/50 for the last rotation spot out of camp a few years ago. Sanchie was a serviceable fifth man in 2023, put on more of a role for an 11-win full season in 2024, then had an incredible season deserving of both an ASG nod [but nobody wanted to go pretty much] and a Cy Young [but, y'know, Skenes]. 

And now...Cristopher Sanchez is the best pitcher in baseball. He's only allowed one run since May began, has a 1.47 ERA on the season, has struck out 95, and has a 4.3 WAR. The level of dominance Sanchie has been capable of this month does not come around often. Misiorowski is doing this as well, but...before that it had never happened to 2 guys in the same month. And what's fantastic is that Sanchez worked his way into this position, and now he's essentially the #1 guy.

Getting Wheeler back has been really nice, because Wheels is still very much in his prime, and similarly unhittable. He's got a 2.27 ERA, 40 Ks and 4 wins through 7 starts. Zack Wheeler, kinda like Gerrit Cole, is quieting the injury concerns and is pitching like he was before. Having Sanchez and Wheeler at the top of the rotation is a luxury a lot of teams simply don't have. Two untouchable, formidable guys at the top of their game, firing on all cylinders. 

Now...the trouble is getting running support behind them. As we're seeing with this Dodgers series, they pick their select moments to show up. Edmundo Sosa has been clutch for this team, but if it wasn't for him, they'd have been swept. Schwarber can show up and hit a home run, or Marsh and Harper can have big nights, but the bulk of the team is still limping along. Bohm WAS improving but that seems to have subsided. I think Turner's trying to catch fire, he's still not where he usually is around this time of year. And now J.T. might be out for some more time, meaning unless we really wanna go with the Rafael Marchan show again, this team needs to seriously think about the next generation behind the plate. I dunno who we have that's ready, though. We can't even get Otto Kemp time in the majors, let alone anyone who'd need to be there. 

So the flaws are still evident, even as this team approaches .500 and looks better than they had before Mattingly took over. People are convinced a midseason trade would save the team, a Trout or Robert trade, the likes of which we've been hearing rumors about since like 2023. I dunno if these'll actually happen this time. We just have to see how the Phils progress as we get further to July, and if the lineup can actually turn a corner. 

Coming Tonight: Speaking of teams that aren't hitting, an unlikely everyday catcher hoping to once again jumpstart some forward momentum at the plate.