Welcome to another edition of our MLB notebook!
This week, we touch on the red-hot Boston offense, Kris Bryant's rough first season in Colorado, Seattle's struggles, and much more.
Let's get after it.
MLB Notebook: May 27-29
Click on each item to read the full update.
- Red Sox showing signs of life
- Kris Bryant can't stay healthy
- Mariners in a freefall
- No Tatis, no problem
- Semien not living up to Texas-sized contract
- Featured weekend matchups
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MLB betting news for this weekend
Red Sox showing signs of life
The Boston Red Sox stumbled out of the gate in 2022, going 9-13 in the month of April. They have played better in the month of May, led by the resurgence of Trevor Story.
Story was hitting just .224/.297/.299 in the first month with his new team and has hit eight home runs in 21 games since. Rafael Devers continues to rake with an AL-best 60 base hits, and J.D. Martinez leads the entire MLB in batting average at .372.
Over the 5-game span that Trevor Story has hit 6 homers and driven in 17 runs, JD Martinez has (I guess) quietly hit SIX FORTY-SEVEN with a 1.508 OPS. He leads the AL in average (.366) and is hitting .429 with an 1.134 OPS over his last 20 games. pic.twitter.com/YHXNtkiR5x
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 25, 2022
Now at 20-23, The Red Sox are 11.5 back of the Yankees for first place in the AL East, but only three games back of a Wild-Card spot thanks to the expanded playoff format in 2022.
Kris Bryant can't stay healthy
The Kris Bryant era in Colorado started off quite promising, with the Rockies being five games over .500 on May 7. They have been in a freefall since, with just 4-14 over their last 16 games.
Bryant has already struggled with injuries, landing on the IL twice with the same back ailment.
The first year of Kris Bryant and Ian Desmond are feeling very similar...
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 25, 2022
Bryant: 7-yr, $182m
Thru 5-22-2022: 17 games played, 25 games missed, .270/.343/.333, 4 XBH, 4 RBI
Desmond: 5-yr, $70m
Thru 5-22-2017: 20 games played, 25 games missed, .275/.306/.388, 5 XBH, 10 RBI
Bryant currently has a bWAR of -0.2. The Rockies' only real bright spot on offense in Bryant's absence has been C.J. Cron, who already has hit 12 home runs. When you look closer, however, Cron's numbers are quite concerning. At the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, Cron is hitting .398, but only .182 away from the thin Denver air.
Former NL batting champ Charlie Blackmon is only hitting for an OPS+ of 82, 18 points below what qualifies as a league-average hitter. Colorado is currently at the bottom of the NL West at 20-23, a feeling the franchise has known all too well over the last decade.
Mariners in a freefall
Welp. I fell for it again. And I'm not the only one.
There was a lot of buzz around Seattle Mariners this offseason. Seattle finished one game back of a playoff appearance last year and looked primed to break their long postseason drought this year. They acquired the reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, traded for All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker, and were about to enjoy a full season of budding ace Logan Gilbert.
Although Gilbert has lived up to his end of the bargain, both Ray and Winker have been underwhelming, to say the least, and the Mariners are 18-27 as a result of it.
It took the Mariners 19 years before they had their first playoff run.
— Dave “Softy” Mahler (@Softykjr) May 23, 2022
It's now been 21 since the last.
Please, stop using the word patience on this app when discussing them. That word no longer applies
A silver lining for the M's is they have a legitimate superstar on their hands in Julio Rodriguez, who's only 21 years old and already looks the part.
Listed as the No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com heading into the regular season, J-Rod is getting more and more comfortable at the plate, and also leads the MLB in stolen bases with 13.
Rodriguez currently has the best odds to win AL Rookie of the Year at +200 ahead of Jeremy Pena and Bobby Witt Jr.
No Tatis, no problem
When the Los Angeles Dodgers got arguably even better in the offseason with the addition of Freddie Freeman, a lot of pressure was put on the San Diego Padres.
After a second-half choke job that resulted in the Padres missing out on the postseason entirely last year, news got worse ahead of the 2022 season when it was announced that superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. would miss the first few months of action.
In Tatis's absence, Manny Machado has put the Padres on his back, batting an astonishing .361/.437/.590 for an OPS+ of 202, which leads the National League.
Best 41-game starts by batting average in Padres history (min. 150 PA):
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) May 23, 2022
Tony Gwynn, 1994: .382
Manny Machado, 2022: .374
Gwynn, 1998: .373
Gwynn, 1992: .369
Gwynn, 1997: .368
Machado is now first in NL MVP Odds and once Tatis Jr. returns, look out. The Padres are 28-16, just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for first in the NL West.
Semien not living up to Texas-sized contract
After betting on himself and signing a one-year deal with Toronto last year, Marcus Semien bet on himself and it worked out to perfection. Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2021 and hit the free-agent market awaiting a well-deserved payday.
Semien chose to sign in Arlington with the Texas Rangers, agreeing to a seven-year, $175 million contract. Semien has primarily been the Rangers' leadoff hitter and it hasn't exactly gone according to plan.
The 31-year-old second baseman is hitting below the Mendoza Line at .185, with an OPS+ of 45 and WAR of 0.1. Semien has been especially bad when the Rangers play home, hitting just .129 at Globe Life Field compared to .247 on the road.
Marcus Semien and Yasmani Grandal were both Top 10 OPS in the League in 2021 and right now they have the 2 worst OPS of all qualified hitters.
— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) May 25, 2022
A lot of free agents who sign long-term deals with new teams can struggle in their initial season in a fresh uniform, so let's hope this is one of those instances when it comes to Semien.
Featured MLB games for this weekend
Friday, May 27
• Blue Jays at Angels: Alek Manoah vs. Chase Silseth, 9:38 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, Bally Sports
• Astros at Mariners: Justin Verlander vs. Chris Flexen, 9:40 p.m. ET, ATTSN-SW, Root Sports
Saturday, May 28
• Brewers at Cardinals: Adrian House vs. Matthew Liberatore, 2:15 p.m. ET, Bally Sports
• Cubs at White Sox: Wade Miley vs. Johnny Cueto, 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
Sunday, May 29
• Yankees at Rays: Luis Severino vs. Shane McClanahan, 1:40 p.m. ET, YES, Bally Sports
• Phillies at Mets: Zack Wheeler vs. TBD, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Check out the full MLB schedule, matchups, odds, and more!