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MLB News & Moments: Yankees display their power and pitching

The Cubs are going through it

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.

On April 29 of last season, the Yankees and Dodgers managed to score 15 runs apiece, showing off some of their power and dominance. Last night, they matched that feat, grabbing easy wins over the Royals and Rockies, respectively. The main difference between last season and this one is that while both juggernauts remain atop their leagues, the rest of baseball continues to be a mess, outside of a few teams that continue to be good and consistent.

With the A’s taking a loss to the Mariners, only three AL teams currently hold a winning record (Yankees, Rays, Guardians), while the NL has proven to be much more competitive, but now has the Cubs on a ten-game skid and only seven of its members own a positive run differential. While it would be easy to think that LA and the Yankees are on an inevitable path towards a World Series rematch, things can still get pretty weird over the next four months.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Power and Cam

Giving Cam Schlittler a couple of runs of support is usually a great idea, but handing him a four-spot before he even takes the mound is simply unfair. As the Yankees opened the game with homers from Cody Bellinger and Amed Rosario, the tone of the game was set quickly. Things got so bad for the Royals that even Anthony Volpe went deep, and the scoring would never stop. Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jr. joined the power barrage, as the Yanks amassed 24 hits and five walks as they cruised to a 15-1 win. Every starter had at least two hits, with only Paul Goldschmidt failing to record an RBI, while Aaron Judge was, oddly, the only Yankee starter that did not cross the plate. Schlittler took advantage of the demoralized Royals and posted six easy innings of one-run ball, as his ERA stayed put at 1.50. By pitching the final three innings, Ryan Yarbrough earned a save despite the 14-run advantage.

Brewers Pitching Lab

Through the first three seasons of his MLB career, Kyle Harrison went from a prized prospect in San Francisco to an afterthought for the Red Sox, putting up a 4.39 ERA as he was even sent back to the minor leagues several times. After an offseason trade that led him to Milwaukee, he may end up becoming the best transaction of the winter, as the lefty has taken full advantage of this change of scenery. While he is still a few innings away from being a qualified hurler, expect Harrison to garner some Cy Young buzz if he keeps this up, as he extended his scoreless streak to 18 innings by blanking the Cardinals over six frames. Despite only getting two strikeouts, Harrison was efficient and needed only 92 pitches to cruise to his sixth win of 2026, which is just one shy of his career high. As his ERA was lowered to a sparkly 1.57, the Brewers’ offense provided plenty of run support, including a five-run fifth that featured a three-run homer from Garrett Mitchell. The 6-0 final score adds another chapter to Kyle Harrison’s redemption arc, even if he is still only 24 years old.

Cubs Rollercoaster

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Cubs stood atop the NL Central following their second 10-game winning streak of the young season. Now, the panic button has been pressed, with Chicago dropping to the bottom of the division by now having a 10-game losing skid. Giving the start to Jordan Wicks, who had not started an MLB game since September 2024, was probably a sign of things to come, as Wicks immediately ran into trouble, as the Pirates jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first. Even as Wicks settled down, he allowed three more runs before departing, as Pittsburgh scored at least once in their final four trips to the plate. As Pittsburgh completed the 12-1 rout, the offense collected 15 hits, with eight of its nine starters having at least one. The Cubs are the first team since the 1985 Twins to have a 10-game winning streak and a 10-game losing streak within a month.

Boooo-urns

With the Mets entering last night’s action on a four-game losing streak, many fans at Citi Field were predictably restless. Things became immediately more stressful with a two-out, two-run double from Eugenio Suárez that gave Chase Burns an early lead, and it all would go downhill from there. As Burns cruised through the first five innings with only a hit allowed, Cincinnati’s offense was relentless, tagging David Peterson for eleven hits and six runs as a smattering of boos rained down from the crowd. The Mets finally showed some life in the sixth, with three straight hits off Burns, including a two-run homer from Juan Soto, but the Reds’ bullpen would hold the fort from there, allowing no further damage as Cincinnati cruised to a 7-2 win. Chase Burns is now 7-1 with a 1.96 ERA, as he added eight strikeouts to his ledger. The Mets, on the other hand, stand only above the Rockies for the worst record in the NL.

All About That Baz

Following two straight walk-off losses, the Rays took another brutal L, as their defense played a sloppy game and a former pitcher kept them at bay. Despite allowing a first-inning run, Shane Baz was unfazed by Tampa Bay’s offense, navigating through several innings with runners on base. Baz would allow seven hits and two walks over seven frames, but no runs would score after the first, as the righty struck out nine to keep things under control. Meanwhile, the Orioles’ offense took advantage of several defensive miscues by the Rays, as a big Richie Palacios error led to three runs in the third, while Oliver Dunn, playing for the first time at shortstop, added another error in the sixth that ended on another three-run frame. As Baltimore cruised to a 6-1 victory, Baz earned only his second win of the season, while the Rays are losers of three straight for the first time since late April. All six Baltimore runs were unearned.

 

By The Numbers

 

5 A day after being no-hit by the Astros, the Rangers amassed five hits and eight runs in the first inning of last night’s game. The outburst set up a 10-7 win for Texas, as they held off a late Houston rally.

450+ Houston’s Cam Smith only has five homers this season, but two of them have travelled at least 450 feet, just as he did last night against Texas. He is the only batter with multiple 450+ feet long balls in 2026.

48 After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, Nick Kurtz ended his remarkable 48-game on-base streak, which had tied the single-season A’s record held by Mark McGwire.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Right Place, Right Time (X2)

The Blue Jays continue to climb towards .500, as they posted a dominating 8-1 win over the Marlins, tagging Sandy Alcantara for eight runs and three homers. However, the most impressive thing from the affair happened in the stands. With Lenyn Sosa at the plate, a rare, perfectly-placed foul ball line drive hung enough down the right-field line, as a fan snagged it expertly. A few minutes later, with Daulton Varsho now at the plate, a more natural left-handed swing shot the ball down the same spot, and that very fan was ready to grab his second souvenir of the game. As most baseball fans can only dream of catching a ball at a ballpark, this guy showed that you only need to be lucky and ready for the moment.

Awesome Grissom

If someone told you before the season that the Angels and Tigers would have the same record on May 27, that would probably mean that either the Angels had overachieved or that something had gone horribly wrong for the Tigers. As both teams met, it became clear that it had been the latter case. A day after breaking an eight-game losing streak, Detroit led 6-4 entering the eighth, as Will Vest was trusted to hold the lead. Instead, he imploded by allowing four hits and a walk, including a grand slam from Vaughn Grissom, who turned a deficit into a three-run lead with two outs on the board. It was the first career grand slam for Grissom, who had not even hit a three-run homer before. Both teams are now tied for the worst record in the AL.

An Amazin’ Reunion

With the Mets unable to come out of their early-season funk, it is at least nice to see they still carry some New York gravitas in the stands. Last night, this meant a nice photo op for actor J.K. Simmons, who famously portrayed the NY-centered director of the Daily Bugle in the original Spider-Man movies. With Spidey right behind him, the moment became even more epic (although it appears that Simmons still likes to wear a Tigers shirt under his Mets jersey). Never forget that J. Jonah Jameson was a stand-up guy.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Royals ace Cole Ragans will be shut down for at least a few days due to stiffness in his pitching elbow. The lefty is currently on the IL and completed a rehab start over the weekend, but his recovery after the outing did not go as expected. Ragans has suffered several injuries since the start of 2025, and so it is likely that Kansas City will be conservative with his return. Meanwhile, expect the Royals to hold the fort with other starters like Stephen Kolek. 

⚾ The Brewers have placed starter Logan Henderson on the 15-day IL with a lower back strain. Henderson has been effective in limited playing time, but will now need to take a seat for an unknown amount of time, as the team recalled Coleman Crow to take his spot. Considering that Milwaukee has found many ways to replace injured starting pitchers, they should not miss a beat. 

⚾ The Rays had a busy Tuesday on the waiver wire, adding two recently released veterans. It started with the addition of Craig Kimbrel on a major league deal, as the former closer was immediately available for last night’s game. Tampa Bay is now Kimbrel’s 11th team in MLB. Later on, Austin Slater was signed to a minor league deal, becoming another option for a team that needs better production from its outfield. While Slater has been below league-average as a hitter since leaving San Francisco in late 2023, Tampa Bay needs plenty of depth and some veteran presence to balance its young roster.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

How Unlikely Was the Astros’ Combined No-Hitter? — Davy Andrews, Fangraphs

10 Hitters Who Shook Off their Slow Start — Brian Murphy, MLB.com

 

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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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