Now this is Gerrit Cole. He was utterly dominant facing just three batters over the minimum and forcing 15 swings-and-misses. He got some help from his defense too when Aaron Judge threw a strike to nail Michael Massey at home plate. After that, just one more Royal reached scoring position as the righties had fits trying to put a bat on Cole’s slider and lefties the same with his changeup. It was all held up by his fastball that consistently sat around 97 mph and Cole was able to spot it wherever he wanted. This looked like one of the best pitchers in the league, as Cole has been for the better part of the last decade. Keep an eye on his workload, as he hasn’t gone above 80 pitches yet in two starts off the injured list. He’s scheduled to face the Guardians next time out.

Happ got the Cubs going in this one with a two-run single in the first inning that instantly put Pirates’ starter Bubba Chandler on the ropes. Then, his three-run homer in the seventh gave them a lead and set up what turned into a six-run inning. This was the most RBI that Happ has had in a single game since July 4th, 2024 and brought his season total from 21 to 26 in one fell swoop. That’s the kind of heroics the Cubs needed to finally break their 10-game losing streak.

Jansen was checked on by a trainer early on while protecting a four-run lead in the ninth inning, but managed to stay in the contest. He recorded two quick outs before issuing a four-pitch walk to Mike Trout, which led to his removal from the contest. Brenan Hanifee came on to record the final out following his departure. The 38-year-old veteran stopper will undergo further evaluation and possibly imaging to determine the severity of the issue. Kyle Finnegan would be the next man up should Jansen require a trip to the injured list.

It sounds like Mize’s early departure was precautionary in nature, but he’ll undergo further evaluation, and possibly imaging, to determine the severity of the issue. The 29-year-old missed two weeks with groin tightness earlier this month. He left the contest with a trainer after reeling off four shutout innings with six strikeouts against the Angels. He’s obviously in jeopardy of missing his next scheduled start against the Rays on Monday. There should be an update on his status at some point later this week.

There was some minor concern after Ohtani was hit by a pitch on the right hand during Tuesday’s blowout win at Dodger Stadium, but he appears to be fine.The 31-year-old generational talent is in the lineup at DH while also handling his usual pitching duties in Wednesday’s series finale. It marks his second consecutive start back in his usual two-way role.

Sánchez struck out nine. Manny Machado made a bid to end the scoreless streak in the sixth, but his drive to right-center was caught at the wall by Justin Crawford. Statcast says it would have been a homer in 16 ballparks. Sánchez’s May concludes without him allowing a run in 39 innings of work. He’s potentially two starts away from challenging Orel Hershiser’s record streak of 58 scoreless innings from 1988. He’s one inning away from matching Zack Greinke’s streak of 45 2/3 scoreless innings in 2015, which is the longest since Hershiser’s. He’ll face the Padres again next week in Philadelphia.

Pérez will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of a hamstring spasm that led to his removal from Wednesday’s start against Toronto after four shutout innings where he struck out nine and allowed just three baserunners. There should be an update on the electrifying 23-year-old’s status at some point later this week. He’s tentatively scheduled to face the Nationals in a road tilt on Tuesday.

May struck out nine in seven brilliant innings, but the eighth started with a Garrett Mitchell liner for a double with the Cardinals up by just one. A better left fielder than Bryan Torres might have caught the ball, but Torres had it go over his head. Luis Rengifo then put down a bunt and neither May nor third baseman Nolan Gorman attempted to make a play on it, turning the sacrifice into a hit. That ended May’s day, and the Brewers went on to score both runners with Jojo Romero on the mound. May fell to 3-6 despite having his most impressive outing since 2023. He’ll next face the Rangers on Tuesday.

The $1.5 million minimum salary — a significant jump from the $780,000 minimum that currently exists — is among the highlights of the initial proposal, but far from the only ask. The union proposes a “competitive-integrity tax” for any team that does not spend $150 million in their respective season. Among the other highlights are a proposed jump from $50 million to $180 million in the bonus pool, a minimum tender in arbitration of $3 million, and a jump in Super 2 players from 22 percent of the field to 44 percent. The MLB owners are expected to make their initial proposal to the player’s association Thursday.

The Dodgers will take a wait-and-see approach on Ohtani’s availability as a DH. He was originally slated to hit Wednesday for the second straight start on the mound, but if there’s any hand soreness at all, he’ll probably be restricted from double duty. The positive news is that he managed to avoid serious injury after being hit by a pitch during Tuesday’s one-sided affair.