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MLB News & Moments: Matt Olson makes his MVP case

Atlanta and the Yankees continue to dominate

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 3 Hours Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

Tuesday’s slate was not as full as expected, with the Cardinals and Brewers rained out in St. Louis, while the Rockies needed to postpone their game against the Mets due to a snow storm (!!!). While snow in May feels impossible all around the country, it is business as usual for the Rockies, who may also need to adjust their game today. This is also a reminder of baseball’s diversity, where we can get bland domes, exotic skylines, and historic ballparks… but each of them adds a level of quaintness and charm to the game we love.

Today’s Headlines

 

A Familiar Bronx Tale

Despite a shaky outing from starter Elmer Rodríguez, who put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole in the first inning and allowed ten baserunners before being yanked in the fifth, New York found a way to turn things around, winning for the 15th time over their past 17 games, while handing Jacob deGrom his second loss in as many outings against the Bombers. The Rangers’ ace had an ugly final line of six runs allowed, but that was inflated by the bullpen allowing two inherited runners to score. The real problem for deGrom came via the homerun, as he allowed long balls to Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jr., with the latter giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead at the time. The 7-4 final score again showed that the Yankees may be inevitable in 2026, as they became the first team in the AL to reach 25 wins.

Tough Luck Sho – The Return

If there is something Hollywood loves, it’s sequels. They are usually a safe investment, and people continue to tune in. In baseball terms, though, the team mostly associated with the Hollywood shine saw a sequel they probably would have rather passed on. A week after Shohei Ohtani took his first loss of 2026 despite pitching brilliantly, history repeated itself, as Houston managed to squeak a 2-1 win over the Dodgers. Once again, Ohtani was left off the lineup to focus on pitching, and his bat was sorely missed as LA went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Ohtani completed seven innings on the mound for the first time this season, while limiting the Astros to four hits with eight strikeouts, as his ERA stands at a misprint-like 0.97. Alas, two of those hits were solo homers from Christian Walker and Braden Shewmake, giving Houston the only runs they would need. Peter Lambert earned his second win of the season with seven scoreless innings, matching Ohtani’s 2-2 record in 2026.

The Sanchize

In their slow trek back into contention, the Phillies just had what may be their most convincing win of the season. Facing the A’s and their potent offense, ace Cristopher Sánchez stepped up and delivered his best start of 2026, with only three hits and a walk allowed over eight scoreless innings. For several innings, Sanchez’s brilliance was needed, as the Phillies could only score once against Luis Severino, via a Bryce Harper solo homer. However, the floodgates opened in the seventh and eighth, as Philadelphia scored eight times, including a second blast for Harper and a Bryson Stott two-run jack of his own. The final 9-1 score included 14 hits for the Phillies, with seven of them going for extra bases, but the clear highlight is the lefty Sanchez, as he collected his ninth career double-digit strikeout game.

Matt the Bat

Atlanta continues to surge in the standings, as they erased an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Mariners with a 3-2 final score. The critical moment in the game came late, as Matt Olson broke the tie by hitting a solo homer off closer Andres Muñoz. With yet another long ball, Olson leads the NL in homers, RBI, runs, slugging, and OPS, as he is quietly becoming a legitimate candidate for MVP. Bryce Elder was also a key part of this win, settling down after allowing two runs in the third, as he would allow only two hits and three walks over six innings, while striking out nine. Meanwhile, closer Raisel Iglesias returned from the IL to notch his sixth save of 2026, as he kept his unblemished 0.00 ERA. As much as the Yankees have been great in the AL, Atlanta continues to be the dominant counterpart of the Senior Circuit.

Valdez Disaster

Framber Valdez probably cost himself millions of  free agency dollars in last season’s bizarre possible intentional cross-up with his catcher, and his attitude issues took another ugly turn last night in Detroit. To begin the contest, Valdez appeared to be suffering a BABIP death, with the Red Sox amassing seven singles and a homer to score eight times through three innings, as the Tigers also committed a key error that led to three unearned runs. However, the fourth frame began with consecutive homers from Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, opening a 10-lead for Boston. This is where Valdez lost it, throwing what looked to be a clearly intentional fastball to Trevor Story’s back. Valdez was promptly ejected, as the benches cleared and the usual baseball kerfuffle ensued. Even as cooler heads prevailed and the game ended in a lopsided 10-3 win for the Sox, the optics of Valdez’s outburst, along with a disappointing 4.57 ERA, will probably make many people in Detroit wonder if his signing was a wise investment.

 

By The Numbers

 

30 Christian Walker hit his 30th career homer against the Dodgers, joining Paul Goldschmidt as the only active players with at least 30 homers against LA.

12 The Rays have allowed three runs or fewer for 12 straight games, which ties a franchise record established in 2014. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff holds the fifth-best ERA in baseball, with a sparkly 3.65.

24 By winning their 24th game in 36 tries, the Cubs matched their best such start for the third time since 1920. The last time they started a season 24-12 was 2016, when they famously broke the curse of the Billy Goat.

11 Only 11 teams will start today’s action with a winning record, in what is quickly becoming a season of extremes.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Funky Bounce

Entering this past Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds were a perfect 7-0 on one-run games and had been undefeated in extra-inning affairs. Three games later, things have evened out in cruel fashion. After a 1-0 loss in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati has now lost two straight to the Cubs, both via walk-offs that followed blown leads. Last night’s game saw the Reds take a 2-0 lead behind Andrew Abbott’s strong pitching, but the bullpen could not hold the fort and sent the game to extras. While Cincinnati failed to score the ghost runner, Chicago wasted no time, with Michael Busch driving in the winning run with one of the strangest bounces you will ever see. Elly de la Cruz was so befuddled by the ball that he whiffed on it entirely, sending the home crowd into a frenzy with the 3-2 final score. The Reds have lost five in a row, and have fallen to third place in the NL Central.

Bachman Overdrive

Sam Bachman is a classic case of an obscure bullpen arm, as he has been mostly a mop-up man for the Angels since 2023. For a moment last night, he became the poster boy for the “pitchers are athletes” crowd. Aiming to hold the lead for the Halos in a tight affair against the White Sox, Bachman faced Miguel Vargas, who hit a sharp grounder up the middle that could end up in center field. Instead, Bachman positioned his body expertly, fielding his position to make an easy out at first. The Angels would ultimately keep their 4-3 lead to defeat Chicago, as Bachman earned his sixth hold of 2026.

Bobby, from the Parking Lot

After defeating the Guardians with a 5-3 final score, the Royals became the fourth team in baseball with an active winning streak of at least five games, which is especially encouraging considering their slow start to the season. And while homers from Isaac Collins and Michael Massey were key for the victory, let’s make a moment to appreciate Bobby Witt, Jr. The star shortstop contributed a couple of hits and a run, but his biggest moment came in a play where he reminded us about his superior baseball talent. As Rhys Hoskins hit a grounder into the hole in what appeared to be a lead-off single, Witt Jr. not only stopped the ball, but also sprung to his feet to get Hoskins by at least a couple of steps at first. If Kansas City continues its surge, it will likely be because they have Witt and his daily dose of awesomeness.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Padres have placed Jake Cronenworth on the 7-day IL with concussion symptoms. While there was no clear play or moment to track when the injury was sustained, it is clear that Cronenworth has been struggling for a bit, with a .468 OPS for the season. In his place, San Diego has called up infielder Sung-Moon Song, who will likely receive his first extended MLB look. Song was signed from the KBO last offseason. 

⚾ After being placed on the IL last week due to shoulder inflammation, Yusei Kikuchi will now be shut down for 3-4 weeks, as reported by the Angels. While the move is precautionary in nature, it is not particularly encouraging for the lefty, who owns a 5.81 ERA after posting a strong season in 2025. While the Angels hope he can rehab without surgery, things will become clearer after this rest period. 

⚾ Following three games out due to right side soreness, Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh made his return to the lineup, albeit limited to DH duties. While the issue is considered minor, his availability should be reviewed day-to-day. Raleigh went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, as his average is still below the Mendoza Line.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Is the NL East Race Already Over? — Dan Szymborski, Fangraphs

The Pitcher who is Now an Engineer — David Adler, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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