Author: rincon

The Orioles faced a six-run deficit and a manager nursing a foul ball to the face when things were at their lowest on Monday night. 

The Diamondbacks had hammered two Baltimore pitchers for seven runs in six innings. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz had exited the dugout after a foul ball off the bat of his No. 8 hitter, Jeremiah Jackson, struck his cheek and left a bloody laceration. 

As bleak and hopeless as all this was, the Orioles didn’t let it get to them. They had 12 outs to fight, claw back and rally, but they only needed nine. 

Baltimore started chipping away in the bottom of the sixth. They wanted at least a couple of big hits to mount a resurgence. Fittingly, none other than Jackson delivered a grand slam to cut the O’s deficit to 7-6. Albernaz hugged Jackson, who atoned for his frightening foul ball accident. Things were looking up. Still, the toughest challenge remained. Getting close is one thing, and taking the lead is another. For that, Baltimore would need a hero.

Who else but Pete Alonso completed the comeback with a two-run home run in the seventh inning. Alonso resurrected the Orioles with an 8-7 lead in his signature absurd style, by hitting a dinger to the only person in the stadium wearing a polar bear head because, of course, he did. 

Alonso, the O’s new Polar Bear, turned toward his dugout, leaped into the air, and let out weeks of pent-up emotion and frustration before starting his home-run trot. For good measure, Jackson belted a solo shot in the eighth inning to pad Baltimore’s lead. Closer Ryan Helsley efficiently took care of business in the ninth, securing his league-leading fifth save of the year for a thrilling, come-from-behind 9–7 Orioles win.

For the first time in a long time, the magic returned to Camden Yards. 

Moments like these were the reason the O’s signed Alonso to a mammoth five-year, $155 million contract this past offseason. They were eager to make the second-largest total financial commitment in Orioles history for Alonso, hoping he would be the answer in high-leverage situations and the veteran leading by example. It didn’t click right away for the slugging first baseman. Adversity and pressure crept into his psyche. 

On Friday, Alonso faced the media in a somber mood. He fought back tears. His voice wavered. In an eight-game stretch beginning April 3, Alonso went 2-for-31 with one RBI and no home runs. He had only one long ball in his first 15 games with the Orioles. His batting average plummeted to .167, and his slugging percentage dropped to .259. He was frustrated. He vowed to be better, more consistent. He badly wanted to turn it around. 

Now, the five-time All-Star is heating up. In Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Giants, Alonso went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored. In Monday’s win over Arizona, he went 2-for-3 with another double, a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored, including that energizing go-ahead home run. When Alonso is the engine of the lineup, he’s a stabilizing force that the rest of the offense can build around. He sets the tone. Now, we’ve seen how powerful the Orioles could become with a little maturity and belief. 

Despite a slew of injuries and persistent questions about the pitching staff, the Orioles have managed to win six of their last seven games. The young core is stepping up alongside Alonso. Good teams can overcome their weaknesses without letting the early part of the season spiral and devolve into a dilemma that’s more concerning than it needs to be. The O’s have 13 players on the injured list. But nobody could tell by the time Helsley pounded his glove on Monday night to secure the comeback win.

Ace Zach Eflin exited his 2026 debut on March 31 with right elbow discomfort. A week later, his season ended after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle sustained a left foot fracture and is expected to miss significant time. Second baseman Jackson Holliday is recovering from right hamate surgery. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is on the concussion list. Over the weekend, catcher Adley Rutschman hit the IL with ankle inflammation. Right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge is dealing with shoulder inflammation. 

Injuries plagued the Orioles last season on the way to a last place finish in the American League East. So far, their luck in that department hasn’t been much better. But their ability to be resilient will be a key factor in times of hardship, and what we saw against a competitive Arizona club — being unfazed by a pair of Nolan Arenado home runs, including a three-run blast — was an encouraging turning point that has Orioles fans buzzing. 

If Alonso continues producing at a high level, then the O’s are on a playoff-caliber trajectory. If shortstop Gunnar Henderson continues his stellar start to the season — including five home runs and a .911 OPS in 16 games — and the supporting cast takes steps forward, then the O’s are a dangerous team. Still, remaining questions have to be addressed about Baltimore’s shaky pitching staff. Will they survive without Eflin? Who will step up without their ace? So far, O’s starters have allowed 40 runs in 80 innings, which is ranked 17th, or slightly below average, in the major leagues. 

Baltimore’s bullpen, for all its legitimate concerns entering the season, has been surprisingly solid. The relief corps ranks in MLB’s top 10 in ERA, fWAR, and strikeout percentage. Plus, there are a handful of relievers on the O’s IL, indicating this encouraging group will only get stronger. Bullpens are volatile, but what their arms have shown early on is a positive foundation for the rest of the season. 

So far, the Orioles are imperfect — but explosive. Monday’s huge victory was a microcosm of their initial identity. With Alonso leading the charge, Baltimore is hinting at something bigger. It was the kind of win fans have been dreaming about for months. While their confidence is still growing, the O’s magic is back. 

“In The Dugout” is where we provide an insider’s view on the biggest and best storylines surrounding MLB’s top players and teams.

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Yankees streak ends on a walk-off… wild pitch

The Yankees started out 8-2, but then lost five-straight games, which did two things: allowed other AL East teams time to narrow the gap between New York and themselves, and made the Yankees one of just four teams to ever go 0-6 in one-run games 15 games into a season. The Bombers are now 1-6 in one-run games, though, thanks to facing the Angels in a thriller that ended on a walk-off wild pitch. Before that could happen, though, a whole lot of runs had to be scored in far more explosive ways.

It was already 7-4 Yankees in the top of the sixth, with both starters having departed well before, when Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout went yard. Trout tied things up with one swing of the bat, driving in second baseman Adam Frazier and shortstop Zach Neto.

The tie did not last long, because Yankees’ star slugger Aaron Judge had another dinger in him. The right fielder hit a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, a 398 footer to left that got out of the park in a hurry thanks to coming off the bat at 111 mph.

This was the 47th multi-homer game of Judge’s career, which not only put him ahead of Mickey Mantle for the second-most in Yankees’ history, but also has him three up on the next-highest player in MLB history through 1,400 games. Judge, as Sarah Langs pointed out, has played in 1,161 games. Folks, he’s good at baseball. Especially the part where he hits them very far.

Hey you know who else has hit a few dingers in their day? Mike Trout. Here’s his second homer, and the 31st multi-homer day of his career.

That put the Angels up 10-8 in the top of the eighth, but putting New York away would not be as easy as that. Center fielder Trent Grisham, who had entered as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game before hitting his first homer of the year, bashed his second to tie things up again, this time at 10-10, in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Now, this game was full of power, and certainly not stellar pitching performances. So it might seem a little odd for it to end on a walk-off wild pitch, but it’s still on theme, you know? If the pitching had been better for either team, things never would have gotten to the point of a 10-10 tie game in the ninth.

Alas, the pitching was not better than that, and so Jordan Romano lost on a wild pitch. Which, given the frequency that the ball left the yard Monday, and that he has allowed 15 homers over his last 61.1 innings as a reliever and posted a 2.2 HR/9 in that stretch, is surprising in more ways than one.

Polar Pete

Pete Alonso is nicknamed “Polar Bear,” so mascot Mr. Splash — who resides in the Bird Bath splash zone at Oriole Park at Camden Yards — donned a polar bear head when he was at the plate on Monday. That apparently gave Alonso a target: the first baseman mashed a Jonathan Loasiga pitch to left-center, 399 feet away, right to Mr. Splash.

Not only is that hilarious on its face, but Alonso’s long ball put the Orioles up, 8-7. It would be all the offense Baltimore needed to defeat Arizona, but the O’s scored another the next inning on a Jeremiah Jackson homer, the third of the season for the second baseman, to make it 9-7.

Baltimore is now 9-7, in second in the AL East, while Arizona hovers a game over .500 and in third in an NL West where no one can afford to fall behind.

Schwarber takes a knee

There sure were a bunch of high-scoring games — and multi-homer games — on Monday. Phillies-Cubs was another such contest, with Philadelphia eventually winning 13-7. The Cubs just could not stop letting the Phillies score, to the point that a late five-run outburst for Chicago merely dented Philly’s lead instead of endangering it.

Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber got things going early with a solo shot in the first inning, which doesn’t seem all that exciting at first given the final score, but check this out: Schwarber dropped to his knee to smash this thing.

Schwarber hit an 87 mph changeup just below the strike zone 414 feet, with an exit velocity of 103.5 mph, from one knee. Just incredible power from one of the best in the game at this very thing. And he had a sequel later on, too, to put the Phillies up 7-0. Not from one knee, no, but this one went 417 feet thanks to Javier Assad leaving it middle-middle.

Just because Schwarber can generate power from basically anywhere doesn’t mean you can just throw it 93 down the pipe because nothing matters.

Astros get Naylored

The Astros, to their great regret, had a fourth game against the Mariners to play — the end of the weekend did not bring an end to this series. This one went just as well for Houston as the previous three had, with the Astros losing 6-2, and almost entirely because of first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor squared up on a 95.8-mph Mike Burrows fastball in the middle of the zone with two runners on in the first inning, which would turn out to be the game-winning hit.

No one knew that back in the first, of course, and Naylor added on some additional runs later. Not very much later, though — the next time he came up, in the third. And once again off of Burrows, who once again threw a fastball practically down the middle.

While the first long ball wasn’t all that long of one, coming in at 365 feet, Naylor crushed this one 433 feet to center with an exit velocity of nearly 112 mph.

Throw in a great start from George Kirby — 7.2 innings, six strikeouts against one walk, two runs on seven hits — and the Astros would lose their eighth game in a row, making them the first team to lose 11 games. Now, a whole slew of injuries plays a significant role here, but credit to the Mariners for playing the role of buzzsaw over the last four days, too. Seattle is mostly recovered from their own rough start, sitting at 8-9 following this extended sweep.

Dodgers best Mets

The Yankees snapped their losing streak facing off against Los Angeles, but the Mets weren’t so lucky. In part because they drew the other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers, and that one did not struggle to put a competent pitching performance on the board. Justin Wrobleski shut the Mets out for eight innings despite striking out just two batters, thanks to limiting them to a pair of hits and not giving up a free pass. Wrobleski also had a little help from his defense:

Mets’ starter David Peterson wasn’t terrible by any means, but he also wasn’t particularly good nor sharp. He allowed four walks in five innings, and four runs, too. The Mets’ bullpen was much better about handling Los Angeles’ lineup, but the damage was already done by then. Said damage including Andy Pages becoming the first player in MLB to reach 20 RBIs this season, thanks to a three-run homer that gave Los Angeles a bunch of insurance it didn’t end up needing to cash in.

The Mets have now lost six-straight, and are in last place in the NL East. New York is also just three games back, so it’s not panic time yet, but star outfielder Juan Soto remains on the IL and this should be a time where a team with postseason aspirations is gaining ground on competition that isn’t playing particularly well.

Look out!

Disaster averted.

Hey, he got there

A little bit of twisting and spinning and waiting for Lawrence Butler here, but the Athletics’ right fielder brought it home all the same.

Sadly for the Athletics — but not so sadly for the Rangers — this was basically the lone bright spot of the evening. It was already 4-0 Texas when Butler pulled this would-be solo shot of shortstop Corey Seager back in, but the Rangers would drop another four runs on the A’s, anyway, winning 8-1.

Another trot for Walker

We’re still very much in that early-season “is this for real?” territory with every performance, good or bad, but with each home run it becomes more difficult to think that Jordan Walker hasn’t taken a genuine step forward. Here, the Cardinals’ right fielder took an 85-mph sweeper that Gavin Williams had catch a little too much plate and drove it 398 feet to center on a line.

That’s Walker’s MLB-leading eighth dinger of the year — he’s now hitting .333/.394/.767, with that slugging percentage and his 46 total bases also leading the majors. Now, expecting Walker to keep an Aaron Judge impression going all season long is courting disappointment, but as for a 24-year-old who has always had the potential to unlock power in his impressive frame finally putting it all together? That’s an expectation you can get behind.

Skenes got run support for a change

The Pirates, famously, do not score runs for ace Paul Skenes. He won the NL Cy Young in 2025 while posting a 1.97 ERA, but had a record of 10-10 because even at that low rate of runs allowed, Pittsburgh couldn’t make it work for the right-hander. So far, 2026 has been a far different Bucs’ squad, though. They scored five runs in the first three innings, which is the kind of thing that would have helped Skenes and the Pirates as a whole a ton in 2025, but did not stop there. In the sixth, the Pirates scored 10 runs.

Skenes had just completed what would be his final inning of work in a six-inning gem with one hit, one walk and one run allowed each against six strikeouts, but before he could officially be lifted from the game his teammates gave him a series of salutes for the strong effort. Just an absolute disaster of a frame for the Nationals.

Catcher Henry Davis singled and then stole second to open the inning. Center fielder Oneil Cruz would then walk, and second baseman Brandon Lowe would single the bases loaded. DH Bryan Reynolds tripled in all three runners, then right fielder Ryan O’Hearn doubled him home. Jackson Rutledge finally recorded the first out of the inning after Pittsburgh had already made it 9-1, but first baseman Spencer Horwitz and rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin then both singled to make it 10-1. Brad Lord would come on in relief of Rutledge and get Davis to pop out the second time around, but Cruz would add a hit to his sixth-inning walk, then Lowe went yard — as seen above — to make it 15-1. Reynolds would then collect a single, but, mercifully, he would not come around to score.

Pittsburgh ended up winning 16-5 — Jose Urquidy gave up four runs in relief, which spoiled his day more than the Pirates’ as a whole — and sit atop the NL Central at 10-6. Repeat the “it’s early” mantra daily at this stage of the season, but also, hey, the Pirates look… good?

Crochet imploded, Twins exploded

The 10-run inning against the Nationals was bad, but it somehow wasn’t the worst performance of the day. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet faced off against the Twins on Monday, and he allowed 11 runs in 1.2 innings without recording a strikeout. It’s important to remind you here that Crochet led the majors with 255 strikeouts in 2025. After Monday, he’s leading the AL in runs allowed.

Crochet walked three and allowed nine hits in that short time, throwing 55 pitches — just 30 for strikes — while giving up two homers. This was mostly a station-to-station beatdown, and worth noting, too, that Crochet’s velocity on the four-seam fastball that third baseman Ryan Kreidler sent 438 feet into left field was just 92.7 mph. Crochet averaged 96.4 mph on his four-seamer in 2025. Maybe just a rare off day for Crochet, who had never allowed more than seven runs in a game before, never mind in an inning.

The Red Sox are just 6-10 now, but the Twins? They are the first-place AL Central leaders at the moment, thanks to three dubs in a row.

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There are bad starts. Then, there’s Garrett Crochet‘s Monday night outing against the Minnesota Twins.

The Boston Red Sox ace, who was a finalist for the 2025 American League Cy Young Award, surrendered 11 runs (10 earned), 12 baserunners (nine hits and three walks), two home runs and was pulled after 1.2 innings in an eventual 13-6 loss to Minnesota. Of the 55 pitches that Crochet threw, 25 were balls. That specific stat line is the first in MLB history, according to the X account “Pitchergami.”

What’s more, the individual who runs the Twins’ X account had time on their hands, as they quoted the post about Crochet by saying, “Happy to help make history!”

“Ricky Bobby just had himself a bad day.”

Through his first four starts, Crochet has recorded a 7.58 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 22 strikeouts across 19.0 innings pitched. The Monday night loss dropped the Red Sox to 6-10, good for last place in the AL East.

As for the Monday night action, the Twins had four players hit home runs: Victor Caratini, Ryan Kreidler, Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers, who had three hits altogether. Minnesota is tied with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central at 10-7.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There’s something to be said for every baseball game featuring something you haven’t seen before. Our latest example came in the New York Mets‘ Monday night road matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mets reliever Craig Kimbrel was set to deliver a 2-2 pitch to Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. Then, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez started walking out to the mound to presumably stop Kimbrel from taking a pitch clock violation, but it was almost too late.

Why was it “almost too late?” Well, that’s because Kimbrel nearly brought the heat as Alvarez was making his way to the mound, and the latter had to get down in a stance in front of the plate for safety before the former realized that the catcher called for time; Ohtani watched with apprehension from the batter’s box.

Ever seen that before?

Kimbrel, who was making his second appearance for the Mets after being added to their MLB roster on April 11, ultimately got Ohtani to flyout, finishing off a scoreless inning. That said, Ohtani and the Dodgers were victorious, as an RBI single from catcher Will Smith, a three-run home run from outfielder Andy Pages and eight shutout innings from left-hander Justin Wrobleski lifted Los Angeles to a 4-0 win.

Alvarez finished the game 1-for-3, and, through 15 games played, has hit four solo home runs — which account for all of his RBIs — while boasting a .302/.388/.605 slash line. The Mets have lost six consecutive games and are in last place in the NL East at 7-10.

As for the third player involved in the viral moment, Ohtani has totaled five home runs and 10 RBIs, while recording a .267/.410/.533 slash line. As a pitcher, Ohtani is yet to surrender an earned run, recording an 0.75 WHIP and posting eight strikeouts over his first two starts (12.0 innings pitched). The Dodgers own the best record in MLB at 12-4.

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Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham both homered twice and the New York Yankees scored on a game-ending wild pitch in a three-run ninth inning to overcome Mike Trout’s two homers and five RBIs in an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night that stopped a five-game losing streak.

Judge and Jose Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night, but Caballero’s error on Trout’s fourth-inning leadoff grounder to shortstop led to four unearned runs.

Grisham’s pinch-hit, three-run homer off Shaun Anderson lifted New York into a 7-4 lead in the fifth. Trout, like Judge a three-time AL MVP, retied the score with a three-run drive in the sixth against Jake Bird.

Judge’s homer off Anderson leading off the bottom half gave him 47 multi-homer games, one more than Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth’s 68 among Yankees.

Josh Lowe knotted the score at 8 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, and Trout’s two-run drive in the eighth off Camilo Doval put the Angels ahead 10-8 with his 31st multi-homer game.

Grisham, who had five RBIs, tied the score at 10 with a two-run homer against closer Jordan Romano (0-1) in the ninth. Caballero doubled and stole third without a throw. And after Austin Wells walked, Caballero scored when Romano bounced a full-count slider to Ryan McMahon to the backstop.

Judge has 374 homers, one more than teammate Paul Goldschmidt. New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads active players with 454, missed by about a foot with a double off the center-field wall in the fifth. Trout has 408 homers.

Paul Blackburn (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.

Caballero allowed Trout’s grounder to glance off his glove for an error, leading to a 28-minute, 55-pitch top of the fourth that ended with Trout’s bases-loaded flyout to the center-field warning track.

Jorge Soler doubled for the Angels’ first hit and his AL-high 17th RBI. Jo Adell and Logan O’Hoppe hit two-out RBI singles off Will Warren, who threw 37 pitches in the inning while getting two outs. Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz walked a pair of batters, including Zach Neto with the bases loaded.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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FOX Sports’ MLB analyst Dontrelle Willis captured Major League Baseball’s pulse in the span of 90 seconds during this week’s rendition of “Hit and Run.” 

Here’s who was worthy of Willis’ praise this week. 

World Series Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

“You didn’t see the ring that I brought in a couple of days ago? The Dodgers, I’m taking. They’re just too deep of a lineup. They lead all of baseball in home runs, RBI and (slugging percentage). And really, Kyle Tucker hasn’t begun to be himself. But this is too deep and too experienced of a team.”

MLB’s Home Run Leader: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

“If he stays healthy, in Houston, I think that swing, plays to that ballpark. He has line to line power. Already six home runs on the year. They’re going to need him to stay healthy and give them 500 at-bats if they want a shot in the AL West. So I think he’s going to lead it. ” 

Best NL Shortstop: Elly de le Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

“He’s absolutely dynamic. Love what he does defensively. He has range. Hitting .280 right now. Leads the Cincinnati Reds in runs scored. He can do it all, and have some power as well.”

MLB’s Most Unhittable Pitcher: Mason Miller, San Diego Padres

“You see that bad man down there in San Diego, Mason Miller? He’s absolutely elite. The fastball plays anywhere from 100 miles an hour to 103. Slider is 92 miles an hour. He’s truly fun to watch.”

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

When do MLB’s many mercurial contenders want to reveal their true form?  

We’re only about 10% into the 2026 season, but only the two-time defending World Series champions Dodgers (11-4), Braves (10-6) and Padres (10-6) have double-digit wins, while 20 teams are within two games of .500. 

But numerous teams projected to be among the best in baseball have also, at times, looked like some of the worst.

Both the Yankees and Brewers started 8-2 … and then lost five straight games. The story’s similar for the Mets, who began 7-4 before dropping five in a row. The defending AL champion Blue Jays haven’t fared any better, starting 4-1 before losing eight of their last 10 games. 

The Astros were 6-3 before losing seven straight — a skid that’s still ongoing as they’ve fallen into last place in the AL West. The Mets (7-9) and Cubs (7-8) are also in last place in their respective divisions, while the Blue Jays (6-9) and Red Sox (6-9) are in a share for last in the AL East with the same number of wins as the Rockies (6-10) and White Sox (6-10). 

For many of these teams, injuries can help explain the unexpected volatility. 

This week’s power rankings include some of the latest injuries to monitor around the league. 

Top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this week, so that’s a reason to be excited. He can’t, however, fix the team’s offensive woes: The White Sox are slashing .193/.278/.306 with the fewest runs scored in MLB, and hamstring injuries to Kyle Teel and Austin Hays haven’t helped. 

The Rockies have a sweep of the Astros already under their belt, and their bullpen has held up well so far. But their rotation ranks 25th in ERA. They should get another veteran arm back to help with Jose Quintana expected to return from a hamstring strain this week. 

The Nationals can hit. They’re fourth in runs scored and OPS. The pitching, however, is another story. It would still be a problem at full strength, but setbacks for 2023 All-Star Josiah Gray in his return from Tommy John surgery — he’s now on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain — have provided fewer options.

Health is not the reason for the Giants’ early-season spiral: Their best players just aren’t performing. Logan Webb has a 5.25 ERA, while Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee are both hitting well below league average. To make matters worse, Luis Arraez, who’s hitting a team-high .304 to start the year, left Saturday’s game with a wrist contusion.

Reclamation projects Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah are both on the shelf. But the most important thing is Mike Trout is on the field, despite some hold-your-breath moments lately. He’s only hitting .208, but he has a .400 on-base percentage.  

Led by Xavier Edwards (.350 batting average) and Otto Lopez (.327), Miami’s offense had been a pleasant surprise to start the year until a trip this weekend to Detroit, where the Marlins plated three runs total over a three-game sweep. Getting 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers back from a hamstring strain sometime this month will provide a lift. 

Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch on his leg Friday and missed the rest of the weekend series against the Red Sox, though for now it doesn’t seem serious. The Cardinals are one of the healthier teams in the sport, and you should take a look at what 23-year-old Jordan Walker is doing. It looks like it’s all coming together for the 2020 first-round pick, who leads the majors with seven home runs. 

Cole Ragans left his last start early after taking a comebacker off the hand, but he’s still slated to make his next start. For now, it’s just something to keep an eye on. So is the progress of Carlos Estévez, who’s sidelined with a foot contusion and might need to use the time off to get right again mechanically after allowing six runs and dealing with diminished velocity in his first outing of the year. 

Another year, another laundry list of injuries. They’ve lost seven straight games, and the rotation is in shambles. Ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are both dealing with shoulder strains, and Houston’s starting pitchers have an MLB-worst 6.20 ERA. Now, Tatsuya Imai is also experiencing arm fatigue while 2025 All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña exited Saturday’s game with knee tightness. Is this the time to mention Houston’s relievers also have the worst ERA in MLB, and Josh Hader is still out? It’s bleak right now in Houston. 

Royce Lewis is hurt again, though his knee sprain appears to be relatively minor, so it isn’t as big of a blow as Pablo López’s season-ending elbow injury. Taj Bradley, however, is helping keep the rotation afloat. The former top Tampa Bay pitching prospect is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA through four starts and ranks third in MLB with 29 strikeouts. 

The reigning American League champs have lost eight of their last 10 games, own the second-worst run differential in MLB and continue to be ravaged by injuries. The pitching staff is depleted, the offense is missing Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger, and now George Springer is the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his toe. 

Hey, progress! After an abysmal start to the year, the Red Sox won series against the Brewers and Cardinals with the pitching staff performing more like Boston expected. Johan Oviedo is sidelined with a flexor strain, but Boston still has depth in the rotation and should get more in the coming weeks with Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval both on rehab assignments. 

The rotation is producing even with Ryan Pepiot starting the year on the IL, but the staff took another hit with Joe Boyle getting sidelined with an elbow strain. The more surprising issue is a bullpen that has a 6.35 ERA. The Rays could get needed reinforcements soon, however, in Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta. 

After a 2-6 start, the A’s are suddenly in a share of first place in the AL West following a New York trip that saw them go 5-1 against the Yankees and Mets. The offense has yet to reach its potential, though, and now Brent Rooker is on the shelf with an oblique strain. 

Thank goodness for the Edward Cabrera trade. This month has brought brutal pitching news for the Cubs, who will be without 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton for the rest of the year following season-ending elbow surgery. Starter Matthew Boyd and relievers Hunter Henry and Phil Maton also went on the injured list, though Boyd isn’t expected out long. 

It was a scary sight last week when Parker Meadows collided with Riley Greene and needed to be carted off the field after suffering a concussion and fractured arm. In the rotation, Justin Verlander has been out with hip inflammation since his first start back in Detroit, but he’s not expected to be sidelined for long. 

Rookie Rhett Lowder and 23-year-old Chase Burns have given the Reds’ rotation vital innings following Hunter Greene’s elbow surgery, but the Reds could use Nick Lodolo. The left-hander, who had a 3.33 ERA in 29 appearances last year, has yet to make his 2026 debut after dealing with a blister issue late in spring. 

Getting Zack Wheeler potentially before month’s end should provide a significant lift, though he won’t be able to fix Philadelphia’s uninspiring offense. The Phillies lost back-to-back series against the Giants and Diamondbacks while averaging fewer than three runs per game. Their offense ranks in the bottom 10 in both batting average and on-base percentage. 

Juan Soto had a hit in each of his first eight games before being sidelined with a calf strain. The Mets are missing his bat. Since losing Soto on April 3, the Mets’ offense ranks 28th in wRC+. 

Starter Bryce Miller is still out with an oblique strain, and outfielder Victor Robles was placed on the IL last week with a pec strain, but it’s been the offensive stars’ lack of production — not injuries — that explain Seattle’s slow start. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor all have batting averages that start with a “1.” 

The injuries are starting to pile up in Baltimore. Already starting the season with Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg sidelined, they added Adley Rutschman (ankle inflammation), Ryan Mountcastle (broken foot) and Tyler O’Neill (concussion) to the injured list last week. Meanwhile, starter Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery. The team, however, has won five of its last six games. 

Wyatt Langford is day-to-day with a quad issue, but the Rangers are mostly healthy. They swept the Mariners and salvaged their series at Dodger Stadium behind a Jacob deGrom gem, and the Texas pitching staff ranks seventh in ERA. 

The Snakes are suddenly streaking. Since getting swept by the Dodgers to start the year, they’ve swept the Tigers, split with the Braves, then won back-to-back series in Queens and Philadelphia, despite a growing list of injuries that now includes Jordan Lawlar (wrist fracture), Carlos Santana (adductor strain) and Gabriel Moreno (back tightness). However, Merrill Kelly is slated to return from injury to make his 2026 debut this week. 

The Pirates are a healthy group getting a big boost from their offseason additions. Newcomers Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe both rank in the top 30 among qualified hitters in wRC+, while Oneil Cruz is slashing .339/.400/.644 with five homers and five steals. The Pirates have won eight of their last 11 games and also boast a pitching staff with a top-five ERA. They deserve their due. 

The Guardians have a winning record despite a tough schedule to start the year, and now Hunter Gaddis is on the precipice of returning to help a Cleveland bullpen that sports an uncharacteristic 4.98 ERA. 

It was not a good injury weekend for the Brewers. Kyle Harrison banged up his left knee when Gary Sanchez whipped a fastball toward his legs as he went to cover first base. Harrison appears to have avoided any serious damage. More concerning is Christian Yelich’s hamstring issue and the Brewers’ five straight losses after jumping out to an 8-2 record. 

The Yankees have had the best rotation in MLB despite missing Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the year. The issue has been a healthy offense that nonetheless ranks 25th in OPS. The Yankees have averaged fewer than three runs per game over a five-game losing skid.

The Padres are surging. They’ve now won eight of their last nine games, but Nick Pivetta left his start Sunday with elbow stiffness. That’s a potentially significant development, considering the team’s lack of starting pitching depth. An elite bullpen helps, though. Mason Miller’s on an absurd run to start the year, striking out 19 of the 24 batters he has faced. 

Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had elbow surgery. Spencer Strider strained his oblique. Ha-Seong Kim slipped on ice and needed surgery to repair a torn tendon in his middle finger. Jurickson Profar failed another PED test and is out for the year. Despite another year of injury chaos, though, the Braves have looked like one of the best teams in baseball with a pitching staff that has banded together to produce the lowest ERA in MLB and an offense that trails only the Dodgers in home runs. 

Was there any question? The favorites are still piling up wins after losing Mookie Betts to an oblique injury, but it’s worth keeping an eye on Edwin Díaz. The Dodgers and their new closer have insisted he feels fine physically, but his velocity has been down lately, and Dave Roberts wouldn’t reveal if he was available Sunday. Something to monitor.  

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