MLB Baseball 3 Days

Last updated: May 25, 2026, 8:48 PM ET

Loss Streaks and Roster Moves

The Chicago Cubs continued their freefall with a 2-1 defeat to the Pirates on Monday that marked their ninth consecutive loss, a dubious distinction that now ties them with the 2017 Dodgers as the only expansion-era clubs to post multiple 10-game winning streaks and then lose nine straight ninth straight loss. Manager Craig Goldstein shuffled the lineup again, giving struggling left fielder Ian Happ the day off and inserting center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong into the leadoff spot Happ gets day off. The slide deepened with further roster churn as the Cubs placed reliever Matt Shaw on the injured list with back tightness and called up Triple-A infielder Pedro Ramirez, who was hitting .312 with nine home runs Shaw placed on IL. Houston designated hitter Yordan Alvarez exited Saturday's 3-0 win over Chicago in the sixth inning with a back spasm and missed the series finale Alvarez exits with back spasms, compounding a rough stretch for a club that once looked like a playoff contender.

Dominant Pitching Performances

Pitching took center stage across the league, with several starters delivering career-best outings. Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski struck out 12 batters, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and touched 100 mph on more than half his pitches in a Monday victory over the Cardinals Misiorowski's 12-K gem. Across the country, Angels left-hander Reid Detmers was nearly flawless for eight innings, retiring 24 of 25 batters while striking out a career-high 14 in a 2-1 win over the Rangers that hinged on a ninth-inning throwing error by Justin Foscue Detmers' 14 strikeouts. In New York, Gerrit Cole made his long-awaited return from elbow ligament reconstruction and pitched six shutout innings, ending a 569-day absence with a dominant outing that energized the Yankees' rotation Cole's 6 scoreless. Meanwhile, Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams matched Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez with eight scoreless frames before Kyle Manzardo delivered a pinch-hit homer in the ninth to lift Cleveland to a 1-0 victory Williams' 11-K gem.

Injury Woes Across the League

A wave of injuries battered several clubs heading into the holiday weekend. Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, and he exited Friday's game in the fifth inning with the same discomfort while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left after being hit in the elbow by a pitch Cease to IL. The Rays added Jonny DeLuca to the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain DeLuca to IL, and the Angels placed third baseman Yoán Moncada on the 10-day IL with right knee inflammation while optioning struggling left fielder Josh Lowe to Triple-A Angels demote Lowe. Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana left his start against the Diamondbacks in the second inning with left elbow discomfort Quintana leaves start, and Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin, who combined with his bullpen for a one-hitter in a 2-0 win over Atlanta, was placed on the 15-day IL on Sunday with a right shoulder strain Irvin to IL. On the Mets, slugger Juan Soto missed his second straight game on Monday due to illness Soto sidelined, a day after being scratched from the lineup against the Marlins on Sunday Soto scratched, while the team designated 37-year-old reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment after just 14 appearances Mets DFA Kimbrel. Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres said Sunday that his left oblique strain is not fully healed and that he is taking a break from swinging the bat Torres halts hitting, and left-handed reliever Brant Hurter was placed on the 15-day IL with lumbar spine inflammation Hurter to IL.

Power Surges and Bullpen Depth

Offensive fireworks punctuated several games. Dodgers utilityman Teoscar Hernández homered and matched a career high with six RBIs in a dominant 11-3 rout of the Brewers on Saturday night Hernandez drives in 6 runs, while Max Muncy left that same game after a pitch struck his right wrist in the eighth inning Muncy exits after HBP. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge snapped a career-worst 11-game streak with no RBIs by launching a walk-off, two-run homer in the ninth inning against the Rays Judge halts homer drought. Jackson Holliday hit a 337-foot two-run shot that sneaked just under the foul pole in left field during Friday's 7-4 win over the Tigers Holliday's 337-foot homer. Four years after considering retirement, 28-year-old Bryan Torres homered in his MLB debut for the St. Louis Cardinals Torres homers in debut. On the pitching side, Brewers lefty Robert Gasser was optioned back to Triple-A a day after blowing an early lead to the Dodgers, with manager Pat Murphy noting it is possible Gasser was tipping his pitches Gasser optioned. Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández is expected to be activated in time to make his season debut Monday after elbow surgery Hernández likely to debut. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is set to throw batting practice off the Fenway mound Tuesday as he returns from shoulder inflammation Crochet to throw BP.