MLB

Orioles 11, Red Sox 3

Baltimore’s lineup is unrelenting. The Orioles consistently get contributions from the usual suspects — Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman — but there are many other threats up and down the order. Kyle Stowers is just getting back into action for the O’s, but he’s made his mark, including a 3-for-4, four-RBI performance in yesterday’s game.

We might be approaching the end of the line for Dominic Smith, at least at the MLB level. Smith hasn’t been an above-average bat since the 2020 campaign with the Mets, and after a 0-for-4 performance in this contest, the first baseman is batting just .200. Boston needs Tristan Casas back.

Twins 6, Royals 5

I wonder how much longer the out-of-nowhere Royals are going to stick with Nelson Velazquez in the middle of the order. The outfielder was a revelation in 2023 with the Cubs and Royals, but he’s been scuffling this year to the tune of a .669 OPS — not terrible, but also not good enough to justify his place in the lineup for the 34-21 Royals.

Blue Jays 5, White Sox 1

The Blue Jays needed a get-right series, and there’s perhaps no better punching bag in MLB right now than the 15-40 White Sox. George Springer especially needs to get going for Toronto, and he went 2-for-3 with a homer yesterday.

Reds 3, Cardinals 1

Baseball is in a good place with its young starting pitching, but the talents of Nick Lodolo sometimes get lost in that conversation. The big Reds starter struggled in 2023 — with both health and performance — but he’s back on track this season. Lodolo tossed 5 1/3 innings in this game of one-run ball, lowering his ERA to 3.12.

Nationals 8, Braves 4

The Nationals are on the right track. Washington overachieved in 2023, going 71-91 and avoiding the basement of the sport, but this season has been even better for the Nats. Washington is now 24-28, getting positive contributions throughout the roster. One of the organization’s most important pieces, CJ Abrams, is thriving with a .261/.310/.482 line and eight stolen bases.

Out goes Ronald Acuna and in comes Austin Riley. That’s not a fair transaction for the Braves, though, as Acuna will miss the rest of 2024 with a torn ACL. Atlanta won the 2021 World Series without Acuna — he missed the Fall Classic with a torn ACL in his other knee — but the mountain for the Braves will be steeper this time around. For starters, Atlanta is six games back of Philadelphia in the NL East. Also, we’re only in May; the Braves will have to survive 111 more regular season games without their star right fielder.

Brewers 5, Cubs 1

Craig Counsell received a ton of credit for Milwaukee’s success in recent years, and hey, it made sense — the Brewers were extremely successful in one-run games. As it turns out, maybe it’s more about the Brewers’ players. Milwaukee is now 31-22, easily good enough for first place in the NL Central.

Counsell’s new team, the Cubs, are in the midst of a mini collapse, mainly due to the ineffectiveness of the team’s offense. A good sign for 27-27 Chicago: Justin Steele got back on track in this game, pitching seven shutout innings. Steele’s ERA is now 4.45.

Giants 8, Phillies 4

It’s getting ugly for Nick Castellanos. A bat-first player, Castellanos needs to hit in order to have value, and that hasn’t happened this season. After going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts yesterday, the right fielder is slashing .198/.264/.309. Philadelphia is fine though — the team is 38-17.