The Cardinals trailed 6-4 in the ninth inning but rallied off Brandon Morrow to tie the game and push it into extra innings. Extra innings did not last long however, as in the bottom of the tenth inning Kolten Wong blasted a two-run walk-off home run to end the game. He finished the game 1-for-3 with the blast, two runs, and two RBI. Harrison Bader wasn’t in the Cardinals starting lineup today, but entered the game in the second inning for an injured Tommy Pham . He finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs, and his fourth stolen base of the season. If Pham is forced to miss more time, Bader will make for a strong short-term play in both seasonal leagues and in DFS. The Cardinals were actually outhit in the game 12-to-7 but their late inning heroics made none of that matter. Tyler Lyons threw three pitches and recorded just one out, but it was enough for him to be the pitcher of record and pick up his first win of the season. Luke Farrell took the loss.
That Just Happened
Sonny Days… Sonny Gray turned in his best outing of the year, hurling six innings of two-run ball and racking up seven strikeouts. He also picked up his second win of the season. Gray has been one of the bigger disappointments in fantasy so far this year, but this marks his second straight quality outing and owners will be hoping he has turned it around. The Yankees have won 14 of their last 15 games for the first time since 1998.
Francisco Lindor clubbed his eighth home run of the season today and he continues his May hot streak. Since the calendar flipped from April-to-May the Shortstop has gone 13-for-31 (.419 BA) with four home runs, eight RBI, and eight runs scored.
Anthony Rizzo had a strong game today, finishing 2-for-5 with a two-run home run. It was his third home run in the last four games and he is 6-for-17 over that stretch. Rizzo had an absolutely miserable start to the season and is still hitting under the Mendoza line, but he appears to be heating up. Welcoming news for fantasy GMs everywhere.
The Tigers defeated the Royals 3-2 behind Jordan Zimmermann’s second straight strong start. He pitched five shutout innings and struck out five to pick up his second win of the year. Despite the two good outings in a row, don’t think that is enough of a reason to pick this guy up. He’s due for clunker. Leonys Martín went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored to continue his bounce back campaign.
Jacob Faria is looking good early and the Rays are currently leading the Blue Jays 2-1. Aarón Sánchez , on the other hand, is struggling once again and has already walked four and given up three hits in just three innings. Teoscar Hernandez continues to crush baseballs for the Jays; he just hit his fifth home run of the year.
Burning Questions
Which Jameson Taillon will show up tonight? He has been a roller coaster this year so far. Fantasy owners will be hoping to see him develop some consistency.
Can Caleb Smith continue to be dominant? In his last two starts he has thrown a total of 13 innings and given up just two earned runs while striking out 19.
Charlie Morton and Zack Greinke will do battle in the desert tonight, who comes out on top?
Kevin Gausman has quietly been pitching pretty well since a Opening Day disaster outing, can he keep it going tonight as the Baltimore Machado’s take on the Athletics in Oakland?
Tommy Pham injured his right groin for the second time this season, how many games will he be sidelined?
Where will Matt Harvey land?
Stay tuned.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.