Category: Baseball

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said antics on the mound by reliever Abner Uribe after an inning-ending strikeout in a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night were unacceptable.

Uribe got Alec Burleson on a called third strike with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth, the only inning he pitched. Uribe then made three WWE-style crotch chops while facing the Cardinals dugout.

The Cardinals challenged the call, which was close, but narrowly confirmed to be at the bottom of the strike zone.

“I don’t know what got over him. I mean, he’s been an emotional guy, but that kind of thing, that’s just not how we do things,” Murphy said. “I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it? It’s a 6-0 game. What are we doing there?”

“I love the kid. Believe me, I love the kid,” Murphy continued. “There’s so much good in this kid. He’s been so great for us in so many ways, but that’s unacceptable. So, whatever’s going on, you can’t tolerate that. For his teammates, and for everything, it’s not going to be tolerated. That’s all there is to it.”

Murphy said he had already talked with Uribe. Murphy also realized how close the pitch was to being overturned and the possible ramifications.

“The thing that I think about is if that challenge got overturned, you’ve got to reset and go back out there and pitch,” Murphy said. “This is Major League Baseball. Guys can reset, boom, base hit, dumper, homer, and all of a sudden it’s 6-5.”

Uribe apologized through an interpreter, but also directed some of the blame toward the Cardinals.

“Everyone here knows me and knows who I am, and knows I have a bit of a history of being emotional out there,” Uribe said. “I think first I owe an apology to the Brewers. I owe an apology to my teammates, to my manager, all the bosses of the team. I understand that’s unacceptable to go out there and react in a way like that.

“But at the same time, I don’t think it’s unprofessional for their manager to be making signs towards our dugout saying that he’s going to be hitting guys,” Uribe said. “There was an event that occurred during practice today, too, and I don’t think that was right. So, I have my teammates’ back always.”

Uribe declined to elaborate on the event, and said St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol was making signs during Monday’s game that led Uribe to believe it was to hit Brewers batters.

Marmol did not comment afterward on Uribe’s antics on the mound.

“It looked like their team and Murph was handling it on their side,” Marmol said. “That’s their player. We’ll handle ours.”

At the time, however, Marmol was not aware of Uribe’s accusation.

Uribe was suspended for six games and fined following a benches-clearing brawl against the Tampa Bay Rays in April 2024.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

What better way to become a part of your hometown baseball team than to buy a stake in the franchise?

That’s what Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has done, purchasing a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians, according to ESPN; Kelce attended Cleveland Heights High School, which is roughly 20 minutes east of Progressive Field, home of the Guardians.

“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce said about purchasing a minority stake in the Guardians, per ESPN. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate, they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. That mentality of Cleveland against the world runs deep.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a front-row seat to good ownership in my career, and I know the best teams prioritize culture. Everyone is there to play their role, and right now, I’m here to observe and learn and really to support the team and the city when and where I can.”

Forbes lists the Guardians as having a $1.66 billion valuation; David Blitzer and Paul Dolan are the primary owners of the franchise. Kelce also has a stake in the Alpine F1 Team (Formula 1) and the St. Joseph Goats (The Arena League).

The 36-year-old Kelce said “there was nothing like Cleveland baseball in the ’90s” and that it was “a core memory” for him. As for those 90s teams, Cleveland reached the World Series in 1995 and 1997 and made the playoffs in six of seven years from 1995-2001. Hall of Famer Jim Thome, six-time All-Star Sandy Alomar, nine-time Silver Slugger Manny Ramirez, five-time Silver Slugger Albert Belle and four-time Gold Glover Kenny Lofton were among the faces of that generation of Cleveland baseball.

As for the present, while they’ve lost back-to-back games, the Guardians previously won 11 of 13 and stand atop the American League Central at 32-25.

Regarding Kelce, the four-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion is returning to the Chiefs for his 14th NFL season. Last year (2025), Kelce totaled 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns. He stands third all time among NFL tight ends in regular-season receptions (1,080) and receiving yards (13,002) and fifth with 82 receiving touchdowns.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Chicago White Sox rookie infielder Munetaka Murakami isn’t off to a plausible start: He’s off to a scorching hot one.

Here’s Murakami’s first 53 games in MLB by the numbers (230 plate appearances):

1: Murakami is first among MLB rookies in home runs (18), RBIs (37), slugging percentage (.540), OPS (.914), runs scored (37) and walks (41). He also leads the White Sox in each of the aforementioned categories, as well as in on-base percentage (.374).

3A: Murakami has tallied three or more hits in four games.

3B: He ranks third among rookies with 1.6 wins above replacement.

3C: Despite the absurd power display, Murakami has hit just three doubles.

4: Murakami’s 18 home runs through his first 53 games ties him for the fourth-most homers to start a career over that span, according to MLB.

18: Murakami leads the American League with 18 home runs, which ranks second in MLB as a whole.

37: His 37 RBIs are tied for fourth in the AL.

41: He’s fifth in MLB with 41 walks.

48: Murakaki played both first base and third base in Japan (2018-25), but he primarily played the hot corner. However, with the White Sox, he has made 48 starts at first base, three as the team’s designated hitter and zero at third base.

76: Of course, the other side to mammoth power can be an enormous number of strikeouts, as Murakami is tied for fourth in MLB with 76 strikeouts.

97: Murakami ranks in the 97th percentile in MLB in average exit velocity (94.0 mph), according to Statcast.

98: He ranks in the 98th percentile of the sport in hard-hit percentage (58.0%) and barrel percentage (20.5%), per Statcast.

139: Murakami’s on-base percentage (.374) is .139 higher than his batting average (.235).

155: Murakaki leads the White Sox with a 155 OPS+.

914: His .914 OPS is 12th in MLB.

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:

Brewers’ starter Jacob Misiorowski was terrifying on Monday. He struck out seven batters over the first three innings against the Cardinals and finished with 12 punch outs on the day, making him the first pitcher to reach 100 on the season. He limited St. Louis to one run on two hits and a walk, and got through seven innings on just 96 pitches.

What was most startling, though, is just how hard he was throwing — even for Miz. He registered 103 mph on eight pitches in the first inning, and threw 57 pitches of at least 100 mph: per MLB, that’s 10 more times than anyone has managed since this data began to be tracked in 2008. In addition, the 103.4 mph four-seamer he got Cardinals’ DH Iván Herrera to whiff on in the first is the fastest strikeout pitch recorded during this same stretch, topping Miz’s own record from April, when he struck out the Pirates’ Oneil Cruz on a 102.7 mph pitch.

Just a phenomenal start from Misiorowski, who has seen his command and control improve in his sophomore campaign to the point that he’s now leading the majors in hit rate, strikeouts, strikeouts per nine and has a 1.83 ERA — the run he allowed on Monday was the first he’s given up all month.

The Brewers’ lineup made sure not to waste this effort from their 24-year-old hurler, either, as Milwaukee plated five runs — three of those in the first, thanks in part to a two-run shot from veteran DH Christian Yelich — and the Brewers defeated the Cardinals, 5-1, to increase their NL Central lead to 2.5 games.

Tatsuya Imai has had a tough time adjusting to MLB after joining up from NPB this offseason, but on Monday against the Rangers the 28-year-old righty had things together enough to throw six no-hit innings. His bullpen kept things going, holding the Rangers hitless the rest of the way, and Houston managed a combined no-hitter on the road.

[Houston Astros No-Hit Texas Rangers: Historic Feat By The Numbers]

Of course, it’s never just the pitchers that make no-hitters happen. The defense has to be there, too, and that was the case for the Astros against Texas. In the third, with Houston up 1-0, shortstop Jeremy Peña made a great snag on a ball deep to short off the bat of first baseman Joc Pederson, and then Christian Walker was able to rope in the off-balance throw at first to complete the out.

Walker made his presence felt in other ways, too: in the seventh, he hit a three-run blast — his 15th homer of the year — to put the Astros up 7-0. 

Reliever Alimber Santa came on in the eighth and ninth innings to finish off the combined no-hitter, and he succeeded. Even better is that this was Santa’s first-ever big-league game. That’s correct, the 23-year-old right-hander managed to partake in a no-hitter in his MLB debut. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, he’s just the second pitcher in league history who can make this claim, too: the other occurred all the way back in 1892, when Bumpus Jones threw a no-hitter in his debut for the Reds. That predates the formation of MLB itself!

This W is also significant for the Astros since they are now just a game back of the Rangers in the AL West, despite a horrible start to the year thanks to myriad injuries to key players. Houston is still under .500, yes, but the Athletics are also in first place at 27-27, so. The division is open, is the thing.

MLB’s home run leader remains Kyle Schwarber, as the Phillies’ left fielder and DH was the first to 20 dingers and, after last night, is also the first to 21. In the top of the first against Padres’ righty Griffin Canning, Schwarber took a 90.6 mph changeup low in the zone 374 feet to put Philadelphia up 1-0.

That would turn out to be the only run the Phillies needed, as lefty Jesús Luzardo and a trio of relievers threw a combined five-hit shutout against San Diego, but Philly added another couple of insurance runs along the way anyway to win 3-0.

Now, it’s much too early to talk about pace with real seriousness, but Schwarber is currently on track to hit 65 long balls in 2026. Which is notable mostly because 2025 was the first time that he went yard at least 50 times in a season, when he wrapped with 56. Assuming 65 just because he has 21 before May concludes is pushing it, but back-to-back 50+ campaigns? Now that’s something to consider, and he would be just the 12th player to manage more than one 50-homer season if he pulls it off, to boot.

On Sunday, Orioles’ outfielder Colton Cowser pinch-hit late against the Tigers, and then ended up staying in the game and hitting a three-run, walk-off homer in the ninth to give Baltimore the W in the first game of a doubleheader. On Monday, Orioles’ outfielder Colton Cowser pinch-hit late against the Rays, and then ended up staying in the game and hitting a two-run, walk-off homer in the 13th to give Baltimore the W. Simply incredible.

Even better, that dinger was not the only way that Cowser contributed. He scored in the 12th to keep the game going after the Rays scored a run in the top of the inning, on a play at the plate that required a challenge to review what exactly happened.

He somehow got his arm in under catcher Nick Fortes while sliding, and his other arm was far enough away that the left got the plate before Fortes could tag the right. That extended the game, and gave Cowser a chance to end it with one swing. And he did just that.

Well, let’s rewind. First, Tampa Bay scored a pair of runs in the top of the 13th, and then Baltimore answered with an RBI double from center fielder Leody Taveras and a sac fly from third baseman Jackson Holliday to tie things up, 7-7. Then Cowser did his thing to give the O’s the dub — a great all-around effort for anyone who wasn’t pitching for Baltimore last night.

Look at this ball come out of the hand of rookie right fielder Rikuu Nishida, who was making his big-league debut on Monday. It looks like he shot that thing right out of a cannon, and directly at White Sox’ catcher Drew Romo. Who, after a brief bit of comedy, managed to apply the tag and end the threat.

Romo was not expecting the ball to make it all the way to him, as you can glean from his positioning there, well in front of the plate. Nishida showed off his arm, though, and it all ended up working out in the end because Twins’ shortstop Orlando Arcia missed home plate assuming Romo was going to be more in the way of it than he was.

Speaking of White Sox rookies, Munetaka Murakami continues to impress. Yankees’ right fielder Aaron Judge tied him for the American League home run lead on Sunday with his 17th of the season, and Murakami answered right back with No. 18 on Monday.

Murakami, who was supposed to struggle with velocity in his transition from NPB to MLB, took this 97.5 mph four-seamer that came inside on him and sent it flying back at nearly 106 mph. He’s been something to behold these first two months of the season, that power is legit.

Things do not go well for the Athletics on Monday overall — more on that shortly — but it was an important night for first baseman Nick Kurtz. When the 23-year-old slugger drew a walk in the third inning against off Mariners’ starter Luis Castillo, it stretched his on-base streak to 48 games: that ties him with Mark McGwire for the longest in Athletics’ history.

It’s also tied for the 58th-longest streak in MLB history, which is more impressive than it might sound like off the bat, as another five games will put him in the top-25 ever, tied with the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Shohei Ohtani, who got that far on the list earlier this season.

Kurtz isn’t hitting for quite as much power in 2026 as he did in his Rookie of the Year-winning 2025, but part of that is because pitchers are rightly terrified of his bat. He slugged .619 with 36 homers in 117 games last summer; this time around, he’s leading the majors in walks with 52, just 11 shy of his entire 2025 total which had helped him to a .383 on-base percentage. Kurtz is slugging .481, but he has a .444 on-base percentage to make up for that — it’s been a fascinating sophomore season, and it also has him approaching some rare territory in MLB history.

Kurtz might have extended his on-base streak, but the Mariners’ offense got to work in the third inning and never looked back. Things started out innocently enough, with first baseman Josh Naylor driving in a run on a force out, but then left fielder Randy Arozarena hit an RBI double to score Naylor, and right fielder Luke Raley hit a two-run shot to make it 4-0, Mariners.

Designated hitter Dominican Canzone would hit his own two-run shot later in the inning to make it a six-run frame for the M’s, too.

Those represented just half the homers that Seattle launched on Monday: shortstop J.P. Crawford hit a solo shot in the seventh, and Arozarena went yard in the ninth to make it 9-1, Mariners. The A’s got a run back in the ninth, but that was nowhere near enough, and while they still sit in first in the AL West, they are also just .500.

The Rockies were more than holding their own against the Dodgers, as Colorado was up 3-1 after the top of the seventh, within which they added another run to their lead courtesy a home run from shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.

That dinger must have woken up the Dodgers, however, as Los Angeles responded with a four-run bottom of the seventh. It opened with catcher Will Smith and second baseman Hyeseong Kim walking against reliever Juan Mejia, who was in his second inning of work. Mejia was then lifted for Brennan Bernardino in the middle of a strange back-and-forth where Dalton Rushing was sent in to pinch-hit for Kiké Hernandez, but then Miguel Rojas was put in for Rushing once the lefty Bernardino was summoned from the pen. Bernardino then hit Rojas with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

DH Shohei Ohtani would ground into a force out but push a run across, cutting the Rockies’ lead in half, and then shortstop Mookie Betts would tie the game up with a sac fly. First baseman Freddie Freeman managed to drive in a run without giving up an out to do it, and put the Dodgers ahead for good with a double that scored Ohtani.

Jaden Hill would come on in relief of Bernardino — who, to be fair, was dealt a pretty terrible hand there, not that he helped himself much — and center fielder Andy Pages kept it going one batter longer with an RBI single to center to score Freeman.

A trio of Dodgers’ relievers — Will Klein, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen — kept the Rockies in check the rest of the way, and Los Angeles secured the come-from-behind victory. With San Diego losing to Philadelphia, that puts the Dodgers 2.5 up in the NL West as the last days of May approach.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Even though this 2026 Major League Baseball season is still young, the New York Yankees have been a roller coaster all year. 

A sizzling start had them at 7-1 in early April with the best record in baseball. Then they promptly lost six out of their next seven games. 

On May 8, the red-hot Yankees entered a series in Milwaukee with a 26-12 record, having won 16 out of 19 games. There, they got swept, the beginning of a 4-11 stretch that got them as far as 5.5 games behind the first-place Rays in the American League East. 

However, in their last two games, the Yanks got a walk-off home run from Aaron Judge to break a 0-0 tie and beat Tampa Bay on Sunday, followed by a ninth-inning comeback on Monday to defeat the Royals. 

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

The Yankees are currently -140 to win the AL East, and as inconsistent as they have been in the first two months of the season, perhaps betting them now to win the division is the perfect time — especially considering their streakiness. 

Former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole returned Friday night after over a year-long absence, delivering six shutout innings and reaching 98 mph on the radar gun. Starting pitcher and former All-Star Carlos Rodon also returned to the rotation recently, joining AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler. 

Schlittler’s co-ace, Max Fried, is currently on the injured list but is expected to return at some point this season. The team the Yankees are chasing, the Rays, have been a great story and always seem to do more with less considering their low payroll and lack of resources. 

But a couple of stats stand out and suggest the Rays might not be the team in first place once the fall rolls around. 

Despite the outstanding record, they have only outscored opponents by a combined 38 runs, as opposed to the Yankees, who have outscored their opponents by 68 runs so far this year. 

A big reason for the disparity between record and run differential is that the Rays have been exceptional in close games. The Rays have played nine, one-run games this year; they lost the first one to the Cardinals in their opening series but have since won each of the eight others.

Some might say Tampa Bay simply plays well in close games, but it’s also fair to suspect there has been some good fortune attached to that record.

With well over 100 games still to be played, and the Yankees only 3.5 games out of first place, a bet at -140 odds for the more talented Yankees to surpass the Rays and win the American League East is one I’m willing to make. 

PICK: Yankees (-140) to win the AL East

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

It happens every once in a while, and it happened in Arlington, Texas on Monday night, as the Houston Astros threw a combined no-hitter against the Texas Rangers in what was a 9-0 win.

Here’s the no-hitter by the numbers:

1: Alimber Santa pitched the ninth inning for the Astros. Want extra significance? This was the first MLB appearance of Santa’s career — we could go in another direction with this, but that note will do.

2A: Speaking of the bearded man in the red suit (okay, we lied), Santa is just the second player to pitch in a no-hitter in his MLB debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other? Cincinnati Reds right-hander Bumpus Jones in 1892.

2B: Regarding the bats, Houston had two home runs, with designated hitter Yordan Álvarez hitting a solo homer in the top of the fourth and first baseman Christian Walker blasting a three-run homer in the top of the seventh.

2C: Astros catcher Christian Vázquez was behind the plate for all nine innings, with him tallying two singles — including one that drove in a run in the top of the fifth — at the plate.

3A: The number of pitchers the Astros used: Tatsuya Imai (six innings), Steven Okert (one inning) and Santa (two innings).

3B: The number of wins that Houston has against Texas this season (the Astros are 3-1 against their American League West rival).

4A: Amazingly, Houston’s pitching staff recorded just four strikeouts.

4B: The Astros are now on a four-game winning streak, including two shutouts (9-0 win over the Rangers and a 3-0 victory against the Chicago Cubs).

5A: This is the fifth combined no-hitter in Astros’ history, with the previous one coming against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series; Houston also had a team no-hitter against the New York Yankees in June of that season.

5B: While the Astros surrendered no hits, they did give up five walks. 

6: In pitching six innings, Imai had the longest start of his MLB career (Monday night was the right-hander’s sixth start).

7: Okert’s one inning of relief marked the seventh time in his last eight appearances that he pitched a scoreless inning.

9: Houston put nine runs on the board.

18: In all, this is the 18th no-hitter in Astros’ history, with Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1, 2024 being their last one.

136: The number of pitches thrown by Houston pitchers.

628: The number of days between the Astros’ combined no-hitter and the last no-hitter in MLB (a combined no-hitter by the Cubs on Sept, 4, 2024).

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai and relievers Steven Okert and Alimber Santa combined to throw a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night.

It was the 17th regular-season no-hitter in Astros history, and the fourth one that was a combined effort. They also had a combined no-hitter in the 2022 World Series when four pitchers had one against Philadelphia.

Okert took over to start the seventh inning Monday night after Imai got 16 outs over the last 16 batters he faced. Imai walked three of his first four batters but benefited from a double play in the first inning before settling into a groove.

Santa made his big league debut and retired all six batters he faced, his 24th pitch being a called third strike against Brandon Nimmo that ended it after an ABS challenge by the batter was confirmed a strike.

The Rangers were held without a hit for the sixth time, the first since Corey Kluber threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against them on May 19, 2021.

The Astros got the first no-hitter in the majors since Shota Imanaga and two Chicago Cubs relievers combined on a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024. The previous pitcher to throw a complete-game no-hitter was Blake Snell for the San Francisco Giants against Cincinnati on Aug. 2, 2024.

Imai’s fourth walk of the game was to Nimmo leading off the fourth, but Ezequiel Duran then grounded into a double play.

Imai threw 57 of his 97 pitches for strikes. He struck out two.

The 28-year-old Imai is in his first big league season after coming over from Japan. He was 1-2 with an 8.31 ERA in his first five starts for the Astros.

Imai joined the Astros in January after agreeing to a $54 million, three-year contract. He was a three-time All-Star during eight seasons in Japan, and went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA last season for the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions, striking out 178 in 163 2/3 innings.

Rangers leadoff hitter Joc Pederson was retired on a nifty play in the third when shortstop Jeremy Pena made a backhand stop and a twisting throw to first for the out. Justin Foscue and Danny Jansen had deep flyouts in the Texas fifth.

Okert walked Nimmo leading off the seventh before retiring the next three batters.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski threw 57 pitches of at least 100 mph — the most in a single game since pitch tracking began in 2008 — while getting 12 strikeouts to match his career high Monday in a 5-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The previous record for 100-mph pitches in a single game was 47 by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene against St. Louis on Sept. 17, 2022.

Misiorowski (5-2) allowed two hits and one walk in his seven-inning stint. He improved his ERA to 1.83.

The 24-year-old right-hander reached 101 mph on 40 of his 96 pitches. He got to 102 mph on 22 pitches and had nine of at least 103. His top velocity was 103.4 mph, which he reached three times.

Nine of his strikeouts came on pitches that reached 100 mph, tying the single-game record that Greene set in that 2022 game against St. Louis.

Misiorowski started the game by walking JJ Wetherholt on a 3-2 pitch inside, but the Cardinals didn’t get another runner on base until Pedro Pages hit a bloop single to lead off the sixth. The Cardinals got a run later in the sixth to end Misiorowski’s streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 29 1/3.

Teddy Higuera owns the Brewers franchise record with 32 straight scoreless innings in 1987. Misiorowski entered Monday having not allowed any runs in his past four starts.

Reporting by the Associated Press

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Henry Davis hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates sent the Chicago Cubs to their ninth straight loss with a 2-1 victory on Monday.

Davis turned on a 91 mph cutter from Cubs reliever Trent Thornton (2-1) and sent it well over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season.

Pittsburgh’s bullpen made it stand up. Wilber Dotel (1-0) tossed three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory. Gregory Soto worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save as the Pirates beat the Cubs for the third time in four tries so far this season.

Brandon Lowe had two hits for Pittsburgh, including an RBI double. Spencer Horwitz also had a pair of hits and a handful of excellent plays at first base, all of them against Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong. Horwitz was perfectly positioned to snatch a couple of line drives and then made a brilliant diving grab on a sharp grounder before tossing to Dotel covering first to rob Crow-Armstrong of a hit.

Michael Busch hit his sixth homer of the season for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough to halt a funk that is nearing three weeks. Chicago’s nine-game skid is the franchise’s longest since a 10-game slide in 2022. The Cubs have dropped 13 of 15 overall to fall into the middle of the pack in the hyper-competitive NL Central, where all five teams started Memorial Day above .500.

Cubs starter Ben Brown allowed one run and four hits over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts, whittling his ERA to 2.01.

Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski — fighting hard to stay in the rotation as Jared Jones nears his return from elbow surgery — allowed one run over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

Up next

The series continues on Tuesday. Braxton Ashcraft (3-2, 2.89 ERA) starts for the Pirates.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

With the advent of live in-game wagering a few years ago, good timing became an even bigger part of sports betting.

But good luck certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

A DraftKings Sportsbook customer learned that in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, turning a long-shot bet into a five-figure payday.

More on that wager, a four-figure MLB bet for a huge six-figure win, an update on the NBA ladder bettor and more, as we recap the week that was in sports betting.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Knicks of Time

Last Tuesday, the Knicks were 5.5-point home favorites vs. the Cavaliers. New York was riding an eight-game playoff win streak, including a second-round sweep of the 76ers.

But Cleveland was having none of it. 

With 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cavs led 93-71. It was a total runaway.

Yet at that point, a DraftKings bettor thought: Why not take a $200 shot on the Knicks in-game moneyline, at a hefty +8000?

It seemed like lighting money on fire.

But New York stunningly went on a 30-8 run to tie it at 101 and force overtime. Then the Knicks outscored the Cavs 14-3 in the extra period to win 115-104.

So that $200 flier became $16,000 in profit, in perhaps an hour’s time. 

That’s some outstanding ROI right there.

MLB Money

Also last Tuesday, a Fanatics Sportsbook customer put down far more money than most people should on a six-leg parlay: $5,000 on an MLB moneyline ticket.

As I often remind: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend. Sportsbooks enjoy nothing more than seeing customers add more and more legs to their wagers. So just keep that in mind every time.

To the bettor’s credit, the parlay mixed in a couple of short underdogs and four relatively modest favorites. The Dodgers were the biggest favorite, at -165 against the host Padres.

As it turned out, Los Angeles was the biggest sweat, too. 

The Dodgers won 5-4, with Andy Pages’ sacrifice fly scoring Alex Call with the decisive run in the top of the ninth inning.

At healthy odds of +5713 — just beyond 57/1 — the bettor’s five grand turned into a whopping $290,675.89.

Ladder Day Saint

As reported over the past month, one bettor is putting a notable dent in BetMGM’s bottom line, on ladders of straight point-spread bets in NBA games.

A week ago, the customer was up $1.085 million. On Tuesday night, in that aforementioned incredible Knicks comeback, the bettor draped a whopping $775,000 across five bets on New York:

All five of those bets — and more than three-quarters of a million dollars — appeared dead in the water early in the fourth quarter. Then came the stunning rally, with the Knicks not only winning 115-104 in overtime but covering every one of the numbers in that customer’s wagers.

The bettor profited $466,718 (total payout $1,241,718), running the total profit over the past four weeks to $1.55 million.

But wait, there’s more.

On Friday, the high roller dropped $300,000 worth of Thunder bets on Game 3 vs. the Spurs. Oklahoma City proceeded to give up the first 15 points of the game.

But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co. erased that deficit early in the second quarter, going on to a 123-108 victory as 2.5-point road underdogs.

All five bets easily cashed, profiting $167,509 (total payout $467,509), running the bettor’s total profit to $1.72 million.

Then on Saturday night, the whale bettor tossed $350,000 across six Knicks bets, for Game 3 against the Cavs. And as you might’ve guessed by now, the bettor went 6-0 to pocket $217,173 profit (total payout $567,173).

That bumped the customer’s total profit to an eye-popping $1.94 million.

Finally, on Sunday, for just the second time during this incredible run, the bettor had a losing night. And it was sizable.

The high-roller had $350,000 across six spread bets on the Thunder for Game 4 vs. the Spurs. But San Antonio ran away with the game, covering every number in a 103-82 home win.

That noted, the customer is still up $1.59 million in the past month. Further, the big bettor has $200,000 across five wagers on the Knicks for tonight’s Game 4, ranging from Knicks +3.5 to Knicks -2.5.

More NBA Paydays

At Fanatics, a customer dialed in nicely on both Game 1 matchups in the NBA conference finals. The bettor put $175 on a six-leg parlay, with three legs from Spurs-Thunder and three from Cavaliers-Knicks.

The key to that ticket: Dylan Harper +2200 to grab 10 or more rebounds. The Spurs guard finished with 11 rebounds.

At huge odds of +55850 (558.5/1), aided by a 10% profit boost, the bettor bagged nearly six figures, turning $175 into $97,911.72.

In Wednesday’s Spurs-Thunder Game 2, a Fanatics customer rode ostensibly a free play into a five-figure win, banking on Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Hartenstein to have a good night.

The wager was $109 in FanCash on a two-leg parlay:

• Hartenstein +1400 to have 10 or more rebounds
• Hartenstein +700 to score 10 or more points

Add up those odds, and you’ve got +14000 (140/1). Hartenstein finished with exactly 10 points and grabbed 13 boards. And that free bet became $15,260 in real money.

Bad Beat

In Friday’s second round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, a Hard Rock Bet customer dabbled in betting on just one grouping: Jordan Spieth, Sungjae Im and Chris Kirk.

The bettor put $400 on Spieth +200 to outshoot his playing partners.

Spieth shot a respectable 2-under 33 on his first nine. Then he went haywire with six straight birdies en route to a 7-under 29 on the second nine, for a 9-under 62 total.

Almost any other day, that would’ve been more than adequate. But over the final three holes, Im shockingly got a hole-in-one, followed by a par, then a closing eagle-3 on a par-5 to shoot 61.

Granted, it was only $200 to profit $400. But that one’s gotta sting.

Here’s Hoping You Had It

It’s not always about making bets for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Sometimes, it’s about finding that long shot or semi-long shot and just getting 10 bucks on it to fatten your wallet a bit.

For example, in Game 1 of the NHL’s Western Conference finals, the Golden Knights’ Dylan Coghlan was +7000 to score the first goal. With 7:30 remaining in the second period, Coghlan lit the lamp, and Vegas went on to a 4-2 road upset of the Avalanche.

If you’d put a tenner on Coghlan, then you’d have an extra $700 in your pocket. Heck, even if you’d bet Coghlan as an anytime goalscorer — rather than the first goal — you’d be up $150, as he was +1500 to score at any point in Game 1.

On the PGA Tour, Wyndham Clark was +4800 to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this past weekend. Clark then fired a ridiculous 10-under 60 in the final round to post a 30-under 254 total and a three-shot victory.

Ten bucks on that would’ve netted you $480 profit. And a DraftKings Sportsbook customer did far better than that, putting $400 on Clark to bank $19,200.

That’s a nice weekend’s worth of work.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports