Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. Crews to undergo testing:
The Nationals are promoting former top prospect Robert Hassell III for his big league debut today (weather permitting) after rookie Dylan Crews exited yesterday’s game with discomfort in his left side. Crews is expected to undergo testing today that will give the Nationals a better idea of his status. Hassell’s promotion seems to indicate that the Nationals believe a stint on the injured list is likely for Crews, who has struggled to a .196/.266/.354 slash line in 45 games. The former No. 2 overall pick has been turning things around, however, slashing .234/.315/.459 over his past 124 plate appearances and ripping three homers in his past nine games. If today’s imaging shows that Crews does not need an IL stint, perhaps the Nationals would instead facilitate Hassell’s promotion by placing center fielder Jacob Young, who collided with the outfield wall over the weekend and has been day-to-day ever since, on the injured list instead.
Hassell, a former No. 8 overall pick, will be the fourth player from the Nationals’ Juan Soto haul to make his big league debut, joining Washington’s star trio of James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. Hassell’s stock isn’t as high as it once was, but he’s hitting .288/.337/.405 (99 wRC+) with four homers and a 9-for-10 showing in stolen base attempts through 175 plate appearances with Rochester this season. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at how Washington’s Soto haul seems to look better by the day, and Hassell’s promotion could further add to that.
2. Orioles look to avoid MLB-worst losing streak:
The Orioles are at risk of losing their ninth consecutive game today, which would be the longest losing streak in the majors this year. Last night’s 5-2 loss to Milwaukee gave them an eight-game losing streak that places them in a tie with the Rockies for the longest string of losses — a benchmark that Colorado has incredibly reached on three separate occasions in 2025. The Orioles will try to stave off that ninth loss tonight against the Brewers with Tomoyuki Sugano (3.08 ERA in nine starts) on the mound against Milwaukee rookie Chad Patrick (3.35 ERA in ten appearances).
3. Angels, A’s face off amid streaks:
While the Orioles try to end their current streak of losses at eight, the A’s will try to avoid losing their eighth game in a row tonight against the Angels. It’s the third game in a four-game set, and after Anaheim took each of the first two games, they’ve put together a little streak of their own in the opposite direction, climbing to five consecutive wins. With veterans Tyler Anderson (3.04 ERA in nine starts) and Luis Severino (4.22 ERA in ten starts) on the mound in West Sacramento tonight, will both streaks continue, or will the A’s put a stop to their division rival’s recent surge and halt their own freefall in the process?
Getz should look to Washington as to how to make a rebuild going in the right direction. However, the Sox don’t have anyone like Soto to trade (who does?).
Washington has also been very lucky in the draft lottery.
As soon as Getz finds a Soto on his team he can go ahead and do just that. Your post is nonsense and ridiculously naive.
They had Cease and Crochet. Not Soto, but they did turn them into well regarded prospects.
Never Remember—-formerly blackpink and others—–thinks he’s paying for the “right” to insult at will.
Crews looked like he didn’t check his swing on that pitch but was lucky to get the walk. He had an 817 wRC+ that game, meaning he produced 717% more runs than the league average.
Also, big shoutout to Adrian Houser for blanking the M’s.
Regarding the A’s and Angels, the losing team will have sole possession of last place in the West. After sweeping the Dodgers, and the so far promising return of Moncada and the potential return of Trout (if he can better resemble his former 1.000+ OPS self), if the Halos can fortify their pen, I can see them climbing to contend for a playoff spot. I’d love to enjoy their homers, comebacks and Kenley’s saving routines through October or at least late September. I’m like a broken-hearted lover that gets vulnerable too fast only to suffer more heartbreak…so is the fate of die hard fans of certain teams. Better to love and lose than to never love….
Stephanson and Bachman coming back barring re-injury too.
Anderson/Severino are scheduled for tomorrow. Tonight is Kochanowicz/Sears.
More proof of the balanced schedule hurting division rivalries: Twins and Guardians had their Monday game suspended after 3 innings by rain. Was to resume Tuesday but that game and the scheduled game were both washed out. Now the suspended game has to resume today, weather permitting, with Tuesday’s scheduled game made up in September. This week and September are the Guardians’ only visits to Target Field.
How does that hurt teams? If it were any non division team they would have to find mutual agreeable off dates to fly in for one day, lose the said off day and fly right back out.
The balanced schedule means every MLB team plays all of the 29 other MLB teams during the season. MLB did that by cutting all division rivalries from 6 series to 4. That can lead to scheduling nightmares should bad weather hit.
Also, because of the balanced schedule, we won’t get a Yankees-Red Sox or Dodgers-Giants series until after Memorial Day.
What a disappointment the Orioles are. I’m a Phillies fan, but as someone from the outside (regarding the O’s) how in the world did they fail to add to that team (especially the starting pitching) through trades and free agency?
And then this happens. And it’s basically what everyone more or less expected. Why? Because it’s the Orioles. And because they did zero to make sure they are a better team than they were last year.
Like I said, I’m not even an O’s fan. Not in the sense of them being a favorite team or anything like that. But I do like rooting for the underdog — and they are from the AL, so I don’t mind pulling for them. But damn, this is such a failure on their part.
I can’t imagine what it must feel like for people who are true Orioles fans.
Nobody expected 15-32 in mid May, and if they say they did, they are lying. This is like a 5th percentile outcome, maybe even lower. Basically everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong this year (with the exception of Holliday, who is looking more and more like the real deal everyday).
Hopefully Mike Elias has learned his lesson, and instead of targeting guys whose upside is “fine/decent” this coming offseason, he takes advantage of Rubenstein’s willingness to spend at much higher levels than Angelos and uses it on actual impact talent.
I meant that people expect “this” to happen more in the sense that one way or another, the Orioles will fail. Not so much exactly how bad they will fail, but sooner or later they will ruin a good thing. Why? Because it’s the Orioles.
I enjoy seeing them prove otherwise and get it together next season. But I’m more so expressing that the O’s — despite a few good seasons here and there — seem to have been a disappointment since I the 90s.
I think they should ride the season out and not do much. The only player they have a ’26 commitment to is Tyler O’Neill. Some other players will be arb eligible. They’ll have a ton to spend this offseason if Rubenstein OKs it.
That store trade was great for the Nats. I wonder what the difference is in what the Padres gave up and subsequently got for him. Star LF, SS and an ace is quite a lot of talent. Woods on his own is better than Soto so far this year.
Soto autocorrected to store
In a tiny inconsequential sample size autocorrected to so far this year.
I’m enjoying the fact the winning streak is being powered by the kids. Neto, Schanuel, and O’Hoppe are starting to look like a good core.
We need more, but it’s a start.
Why does the author continue to call the Angels “Anaheim?” It’s been 9 years since they dropped “of Anaheim.” I for one prefer the original Los Angeles Angels name. The first/original pro baseball team in Los Angeles.
Because that’s where the team is located.