A lot of baseball happens on a weekend. This time, Luis Gil made a case to stay in the Yankees’ rotation and the Pirates’ Paul Skenes lived up to the hype in his second start.
Here’s what you need to know from this weekend in the MLB.
Life is so unpredictable that sometimes it’s reassuring, almost comforting, when baseball goes exactly as it should.
The Yankees, who are very good, defeated the White Sox, who are very bad, this weekend in The Bronx for a three-game sweep. That means seven straight wins for the Bombers. All three New York starting pitchers — Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil and Carlos Rodón — were excellent, but Gil’s 14-strikeout performance on Saturday was the cream of the crop. Gil won the fifth starting spot during spring training, a spot that was only available because Gerrit Cole had to go on the injured list due to elbow problems. Cole worked his way back, but rookie Gil was better than the Yankees had hoped. He’s almost certainly the starter returning to the pen once Cole is healthy, but Gil is pitching well enough to make the decision a difficult one for GM Brian Cashman and Co.
Oh, also Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto hit some home runs, but that happens all the time. Judge got some flak for starting off a little slow this season, but he has shown that concern was unfounded: It is now May 20 and his OPS is .973. The Yankees host the Mariners this weekend as they look to extend their winning streak to double digits.
From 2019 through the end of 2023, the Kansas City Royals had the second-worst team ERA in baseball, at 4.88. The only team with more runs allowed, the Colorado Rockies, play their home games a mile above sea level, where the thin air creates a comically offensive environment for scoring points. And so you can deduce with some degree of credibility that the Royals were the worst team in the MLB at preventing runs for half a decade.
It’s a new day. The Royals team ERA is currently 3.42, ninth in the MLB. Their starting pitcher ERA is 3.11, fourth in the MLB. And according to FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement metric, only the Phillies’ starters have contributed more wins so far this season.
Over the weekend, Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Brady Singer all turned in sensational performances to propel the Royals to within striking distance of the shambling Oakland A’s. KC’s pitching coach, Brian Sweeney, formerly part of Cleveland’s vaunted pitching development unit, joined the club before last season and has been a driving force behind the Royals’ run prevention renaissance.
The attack also occurred against Oakland, with Maikel Garcia and Salvador Pérez leading the way. Even the typically leading Vinnie Pasquantino (14th percentile sprint speed) posted a three-RBI triple. Things are going well in Kansas City and it’s going to be a fun summer there.
Pirates take 3 of 4 from Cubs behind dynamite starting pitching
Paul Skenes’ masterful start Friday in Game 2 was the headliner. The mustached 21-year-old, making only the second start of his MLB career, retired 11 Cubs in six hitless innings. If Skenes’ first appearance last weekend was a teaser, his performance at Wrigley was the whole meal, and it was a complete and total vindication of the hype that swirled around Skenes before his debut. Chicago hitters had neither an answer nor a prayer. Skenes had excellent control of his triple-digit heat that afternoon, allowing his mid-nineties ‘splinker’ to play even more. Make time in your calendar for his next start; this is just the beginning.
But Pittsburgh’s series win in Chicago was more than the Skenes Show. Jared Jones was good, not great on Thursday, but the Pirates pin did enough to earn a 5-4 win. Bailey Falter delivered seven scoreless innings on Saturday, but Pittsburgh’s sleepy lineup was shut down and Chicago walked a batter for a 1-0 victory. But the Buccos bounced back on Sunday, with Mitch Keller limiting the Cubs to two runs over six before the bullpen trio of Colin Holderman, Aroldis Chapman and closer David Bednar locked it down again.
Pittsburgh’s lineup remains inconsistent at best and overmatched at worst, but the emergence of former first-round pick Nick Gonzales could provide lasting momentum. The 6-foot-2 second baseman struggled in his first MLB stint last year, but has put up some hot points since being recalled on May 10. His homer was the difference on Thursday and his two-RBI single was the difference on Sunday. If Gonzales is a late-blooming difference-maker, that would be huge news for the Pirates.
Los Angeles bounced back from an opening series loss to take three of four from the Reds. Elly De La Cruz stole the show on Thursday with a four-hit, four-steal performance, but the Dodgers’ quality won out when the dust settled. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani homered on Friday, Walker Buehler made his best start of the year on Saturday and Ohtani came through with his first walk as a Dodger with a clutch single on Sunday.
Buehler’s performance was probably the Dodgers’ most important development. Once LA’s ace, Buehler missed much of 2022 and all of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In his first two starts this year, the nervous right-hander hasn’t looked particularly sharp. But on Saturday, Buehler was his true self, throwing multiple pitches in six scoreless innings. The Dodgers have so many good weapons, but their best possible playoff rotation definitely has a fully operational Buehler starting Game 2 or 3.
Phillies sweep Nationals behind surprise contributor
Trea Turner, who is on the IL, has opened the door for a few new Phillies characters to take center stage. Utility infielder Edmundo Sosa was in foul trouble against the Mets and Marlins, but last weekend saw Kody Clemens come through with a pair of timely hits. The son of seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens delivered a game-tying, two-out, solo homer in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday and then hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the fifth inning on Sunday . Good teams often get contributions from unforeseen places; that would have been Clemens, who was not on the Opening Day roster. How Phils skipper Rob Thomson will find at-bats for Clemens and Sosa once Turner returns in a few weeks is one of those “good problems.”
Other things to know:
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Houston won a statement series against first place at home Brewers and is slowly creeping back up the rankings after a horrible start. The Astros’ 5-4 victory on Friday was punctuated by four scoreless innings from their vaunted bullpen, which struggled early on. Milwaukee bounced back Saturday behind another big fly from William Contrera. Worth noting: Houston midfielder Jake Meyers is on fire right now. A three-hit game for him in Sunday’s win brought his OPS to .920.
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Anaheim took two from the defending champions Texas, thanks to a trio of strong starting pitching performances. José Soriano, who performed excellently this year, retired the first eleven batters he faced on Sunday in an Angels victory. The Rangers, meanwhile, remain in neutral. Their loss in the final episode pushed them back to .500.
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St Louis saw his stand against come to life Boston in a series win at home. Homers by Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn gave the Cards a win in the opener on Friday, then every St. Louis batter recorded a hit in their victory on Saturday. The Cardinals have played better this past week and welcome the Orioles for a bird showdown this week. Boston’s bizarre 2024 rolls forward; at least Rafael Devers has dingers in five straight games.
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The Mets I have an Edwin Díaz problem. After making two saves against the Phillies during the week, Díaz allowed a shocking, three-run, game-tying smash to Miami’s Josh Bell on Saturday. It’s been a rough start for the Mets’ high-priced closer, who missed all of last season after a WBC leg injury. Captain Carlos Mendoza has already described his team’s situation in the ninth inning as “smooth,” which is never a good thing when you’re paying someone over $17 million to be your closer. The Mets still have a chance to emerge from the disappointing underbelly of the NL, but they need a rejuvenated Díaz to have a real chance.
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Do you know Johnny DeLuca? He’s the new one Tampa Bay Ray you may not have heard of, but he’ll quickly break your heart by ripping off a timely homer like he did against Toronto on Saturday. The Rays took two of three from the meh Jays, who are somehow only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot (good news) but 11.5 out of the AL East (bad news). More good news for Toronto? Alek Manoah threw seven scoreless on Sunday as he continues his gradual return to form.
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Gunnar Henderson is on the heater. Baltimores superstar homered in all three games of his team’s victory Seattle, but his most breathtaking explosion was an opposite-field solo shot in the ninth inning of Baltimore’s Saturday loss. The Orioles’ 22-year-old shortstop hit 450 feet above the deepest part of Camden Yards’ massive “Waltimore” wall in left-center. Henderson can’t stop the Yankees from winning, but he’s doing everything he can to keep the O’s close in the standings.
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A rain shower on Saturday means a shaky schedule for San Diego And Atlanta: They play a doubleheader on Monday to complete their four-game set. The Padres, who came to Atlanta fresh off an embarrassing sweep of the Rockies, took the first two games behind masterful starts from Matt Waldron (5.2 IP/10 K/1 ER) and Yu Darvish (7 IP/9 K/ 0 ER). The exciting brown-gold roller coaster continues
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Colorado stormed in San Francisco winners of seven in a row; the Rockies left with an L3 on their backs. The incredibly weak Giants have lost a ton of outfielders to injuries, but second-tier guys like Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos stepped up against the Rockies. Still, the best news for San Fran right now is that high-priced free agent Matt Chapman is heating up.
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Tarik Skubal threw six scoreless innings on Friday before Jack Flaherty kept his encouraging bounce-back campaign going on Saturday when Detroit took out two of the three Arizona in the desert. The Tigers have a big AL Central showdown with the Royals this week.
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The Twins are so weird. It’s only May and they’re already on a five-game losing streak, a 12-game winning streak, and another six-game losing streak. Being swept by the Guards, who have their own offensive issues, was a blow to the Twinkies’ heart. Royce Lewis, please get better soon or expect more sausage-related trolling from the opponents.
