MLB

Pirates 8, Blue Jays 1

I mentioned Paul Skenes and Jared Jones yesterday as Pirates starters captivating attention, but Mitch Keller deserves to be mentioned with those two. In fact, Keller has been effective as a Pirate for longer than both Skenes and Jones, and is arguably better than ever in 2024. In this game, Keller went six innings, allowing just one earned run and punching out eight. Pittsburgh has a formidable trio at the top of its rotation to build around.

Outside of positional versatility, I don’t know what Cavan Biggio offers the Blue Jays anymore. The prospect shine is long gone for the 29-year-old, and he isn’t much of a threat at the plate. There needs to be a sense of urgency for the 27-30 Blue Jays, and that should include not starting the light-hitting Biggio, who holds a .614 OPS.

Orioles 9, Rays 5

I think Ryan Mountcastle sometimes gets lost in the shuffle when people talk about the Orioles’ loaded collection of position players. All the first baseman does is produce, and he did so again in this game, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI.

Diamondbacks 10, Mets 5

The 24-34 Mets aren’t going anywhere if the club’s pitching doesn’t improve — significantly. It would help matters if New York didn’t roster pitchers such as Josh Walker. The reliever allowed four earned runs in this game and has a career ERA north of 5.00.

Brewers 4, White Sox 3

Are the Brewers exciting or what? Sports aren’t typically kind to the average fan, but Brewers fans have to be really enjoying this team. In this game, Milwaukee’s bullpen saved the day, pitching five scoreless innings to finish off the victory.

These White Sox waste a lot of good starts, but they really waste a lot of good Garrett Crochet starts. The 24-year-old was solid again yesterday, striking out eight and allowing one earned run over six frames, but alas, Chicago’s offense isn’t good enough.

Red Sox 6, Tigers 3

It’s rare for a big-market team to fly under the radar, but the 30-29 Red Sox are quietly treading water and keeping themselves in the mix for a wild card spot. Brennan Bernardino has been a monster in middle relief for Boston, and he was yet again in this game, tossing two scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.72.

I’m obviously not around the Tigers organization, so I don’t have a good answer, but it’s fair to wonder if Javier Baez took his foot off the gas once the Tigers handed him a six-year, $140 million contract prior to the 2022 season. The shortstop went 0-for-3 yesterday, dropping his average to .190. Unfortunately for Detroit, the club isn’t even halfway through its commitment to the 31-year-old.

Astros 5, Twins 2

Yordan Alvarez’s 2024 hasn’t reached the lofty standards set by his recent seasons, but he demolished the Twins in this tilt. Houston’s designated hitter bombed his way into a 3-for-3, two-homer night.