Memorial Day weekend continued with a full 15-game slate of big league action on Sunday. Two incredibly hot American League teams stayed hot, there were walk-offs in Colorado and Kansas City, the Reds boat-raced the Cubs and have been playing pretty well for a bit, the Diamondbacks again handled the Giants with ease and so much more.
The daily Eye on Baseball roundup starts now.
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Baseball scores for Sunday, May 26
- FINAL - Blue Jays 10, Padres 1 (box score)
- FINAL - Mets 4, Tigers 3 (box score)
- FINAL - Rays 6, Indians 3 (box score)
- FINAL - Dodgers 11, Pirates 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Nationals 9, Marlins 6 (box score)
- FINAL - Brewers 9, Phillies 1 (box score)
- FINAL - Twins 7, White Sox 0 (box score)
- FINAL - Red Sox 4, Astros 1 (box score)
- FINAL/10 - Royals 8, Yankees 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Reds 10, Cubs 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Rockies 8, Orioles 7 (box score)
- FINAL - Diamondbacks 6, Giants 2 (box score)
- FINAL - Athletics 7, Mariners 1 (box score)
- FINAL - Angels 7, Rangers 6 (box score)
- FINAL - Braves 4, Cardinals 3 (box score)
Twins open 10-game lead in AL Central
Let the record show I was the only CBS Sports scribe to pick the Twins to win the AL Central this year. I will admit to having never imagined Minnesota would own a 10-game lead -- 10 games! -- before the calendar flipped to June though.
The Twins bludgeoned the White Sox (again) on Sunday -- rookie manager Rocco Baldelli's squad swept the three-game series by the combined score of 26-5 -- while the Indians fell to the Rays (again), giving Minnesota that 10-game lead. It is the largest division lead in baseball and the Twins' largest division lead since Sept. 25, 2010.
As usual, the Twins used a quality pitching performance and home runs to secure Sunday's win. Jake Odorizzi struck out nine and allowed one hit in 5 1/3 shutout innings. Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler both clocked three-run homers. Rosario has 16 home runs on the season. Kepler has 12.
The Twins lead baseball with 104 home runs through 52 games this season -- they hit their 104th home run in their 103rd game last year -- and they aren't sacrificing contact for power. Minnesota went into Sunday's game with the third lowest strikeout rate in baseball at 19.5 percent. Only the Angels (16.4 percent) and Astros (18.2 percent) had struck out less often in 2019.
According to FanGraphs, the Twins have raised their postseason odds from 35.8 percent on Opening Day to 95.0 percent Sunday. The 59.2 percentage point increase is easily the largest in baseball. There is still a lot of season to play -- a lot -- but gosh, the Twins and every Twin fan would've signed up for a 10-game lead on May 26 no questions asked before the season.
A's going streaking
Something of a signature move in the Billy Beane era -- including only the playoff teams, obviously -- is a slow start followed by kicking it into gear in May or June. It's happened several times, including last season. For whatever reason, it keeps happening and it looks like that might be the case again.
With their thumping of the Mariners -- remember when Seattle was 13-2? -- the A's have now won nine straight games. Their last loss dropped them to 19-25 but they are now a season-high three games over .500. It's too early to scoreboard watch or anything, but just for a point of reference, the A's are tied with the Red Sox for the second AL wild card spot.
Red Sox salvage one again
Two AL titans squared off two straight weeks in a rematch of last season's ALCS. Both times, the result was the same.
- Astros win on Friday
- Astros win on Saturday
- Red Sox avoid sweep on Sunday
Quirky.
The Astros have still won 17 of their last 22 games and have a strong claim to be the best team in baseball. As such, it's not really overly concerning that the Red Sox have lost these two series. Since hitting their low point at 11-17, the Red Sox have gone 17-8 and, as previously noted, they are in a playoff position. Looking inferior to the Astros in May isn't a big deal when it gets to October. The Red Sox are fine.
Archer rocked as Meadows goes deep
The Chris Archer trade continues to look worse and worse for the Pirates. The Dodgers hammered Archer for four runs on six hits and a career-high tying six walks in five innings Sunday. He struck out three and threw 105 pitches. Eight starts and 40 2/3 innings into the season, Archer has a 5.75 ERA.
Following Saturday's game, Joe Musgrove called on Pittsburgh's management to get rotation help. Jameson Taillon (elbow) and Trevor Williams (side) are both on the injured list, forcing the Pirates to use an opener twice in the last four games. Top prospect Mitch Keller is coming up to start one game of Monday's doubleheader, and there's a chance he'll stick around long-term.
Of course, the Pirates wouldn't be as desperate for rotation help if Archer were pitching like the pitcher the Pirates thought they were acquiring last summer. He has a 5.03 ERA in 93 total innings with Pittsburgh, and because that's not bad enough, Tyler Glasnow has a 3.12 ERA in 104 innings since the trade, and Austin Meadows is breaking out as well. He launched a monster leadoff home run Sunday.
Statcast measured that home run at 431 feet. Meadows went 4 for 4 with two singles, a double, a homer, and a hit-by-pitch Sunday to raise his season batting line to .341/.420/.659. Going into Sunday, Meadows and Glasnow combined for 3.4 WAR with the Rays. Archer was at 0.3 WAR with the Pirates before Sunday's debacle. As a small market team, Pittsburgh can not afford to miss this badly on a trade. It could set them back years.
Biggio hits first career home run
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not the only son of a Hall of Famer on the Blue Jays' roster. Earlier this week Toronto called up Cavan Biggio, Craig's son, and inserted him into the lineup. After going 0 for 6 with three strikeouts in his first two games as a big leaguer, Biggio smacked a single Sunday for his first career base hit.
A few innings later, Biggio launched his first career MLB home run. It landed in the fourth deck at Rogers Centre. Here's the video:
Biggio, 24, is not as highly regarded as Vlad Jr. -- MLB.com ranks Biggio as the ninth best prospect in Toronto's system -- though few are. Still, before being called up, Biggio authored a .307/.445/.504 batting line in 42 Triple-A games. The Blue Jays aren't any good this year, but at least now you can begin to see the makings of their next contending lineup.
Quick hits
- RHP Chris Paddack was scratched from Sunday's start with a stiff neck, the Padres announced. He will start Wednesday instead. Long reliever LHP Robbie Erlin started a bullpen game in Paddack's place.
- The Rays called up RHP Oliver Drake, the team announced. RHP Tyler Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot. Glasnow, who was originally expected to miss 4-6 weeks, is not eligible to return until the All-Star break.
- The Mets have activated OF Michael Conforto off the 7-day concussion injured list, the club announced. Conforto missed 10 days after an outfield collision. OF Rajai Davis was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot.
- The Dodgers activated RHP Kenta Maeda off the injured list, the team announced. Officially, he was out 10 days with a minor thigh injury, though the Dodgers were just giving him rest. OF Kyle Garlick was sent down in a corresponding move.
- The Angels activated LHP Andrew Heaney off the injured list, the club announced. Heaney missed the first two months of the season with an elbow issue. RHP Jaime Barria was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- The Pirates placed C Francisco Cervelli on the 7-day concussion injured list, the team announced. He was hit in the head by a piece of a broken bat during a backswing Saturday. C Jacob Stallings has been called up in a corresponding move.
- The Orioles placed 1B Chris Davis on the 10-day injured list with a hip issue, the club announced. The team did not give a firm timetable for his return. RHP Evan Phillips was called up in a corresponding move.
- The Astros have placed C Max Stassi on the 10-day injured list, the team announced. He suffered a knee injury Saturday. Top prospect C Garrett Stubbs has been called up a corresponding move. Stubbs hit .250/.364/.440 in Triple-A.
- Braves OF Ender Inciarte is not close to returning, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Inciarte is out with a lumbar strain and manager Brian Snitker said it is "still barking a little bit and giving him some problems."
- The Yankees placed RHP Jake Barrett on the 10-day injured list with elbow inflammation, the team announced. The Yankees now have 15 players on the injured list. RHP Joe Harvey was called up in a corresponding move.
