The Baseball Buffet for 5/20/2026

NYM 6, WSH 9 - The Mets scored five runs in the first two innings off WSH SP Foster Griffin (5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), including two, 2-run HRs by Bo Bichette. But after being blanked in the first inning, the Nationals came back with nine runs (six earned) off NYM SP Nolan McLean (5.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). James Wood went 3-5 with an inside-the-park grand slam, and José Tena also hit a HR. Carson Benge went 3-5 with 2 runs, and Juan Soto and Mark Vientos had two hits apiece in the losing effort.

PIT 6, STL 9 (10) - JJ Wetherholt got the Cardinals on the board first with a 2-run HR off PIT SP Mitch Keller (5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). The Pirates briefly took the lead when they scored four in the top of the fifth off STL SP Matthew Liberatore (4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), but then Nolan Gorman hit a 2-run HR in the sixth and Alec Burleson hit a solo HR in the eighth. Down 6-4, the Bucs scored two in the ninth off Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien, and the game eventually went into extras. George Soriano kept Pittsburgh from scoring in the top of the tenth, and then Mason Montgomery allowed a single to Wetherholt, and then a 3-run, walk-off HR to Iván Herrera.

SFG 3, ARI 5 - SFG SP Landen Roupp pitched well (6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), while ARI SP Ryne Nelson (7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) gave up three runs in the second inning, including solo HRs by Rafael Devers and Willy Adames. The Giants remained ahead 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, but reliever Caleb Kilian ran into trouble. He gave up one run, then allowed two more baserunners before being replaced by Matt Gage. Ketel Marte then hit a walk-off, 3-run HR for the Arizona victory.

LAD 5, SDP 4 - Freddie Freeman hit a 2-run HR in the first inning, but Manny Machado did the same in the bottom of the frame. Miguel Andujar then gave the Padres a 4-2 lead with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the third. Los Angeles scored a run in the fifth, and then Freeman hit his second HR of the day to tie the game in the sixth. The game remained locked at 4-4 through eight, and the Padres turned to Mason Miller for the ninth. With one out, Miller walked Max Muncy and Alex Call was summoned as a pinch runner. Miller made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and Call advanced to third. Andy Pages then hit a fly to shallow right field, and Call slid home just ahead of the throw to put the Dodgers ahead 5-4. Will Klein came in for Los Angeles and pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his first save of the year.

ATL 8, MIA 4

CLE 4, DET 3

BAL 1, TBR 4

CIN 4, PHI 1

TOR 4, NYY 5

BOS 7, KCR 1

HOU 2, MIN 1

MIL 5, CHC 2

TEX 10, COL 0

CWS 2, SEA 1

ATH 14, LAA 6

NYM Zach Thornton vs. WSH Zack Littell - 24-year old Zach Thornton is set to make his major league debut for the Mets today

TOR Trey Yesavage vs. NYY Cam Schlittler - this one features two of the best young pitchers in the game, with Yesavage owning a 1.40 ERA in four starts, and Schlittler an even more impressive 1.35 ERA over ten starts

BOS Connelly Early vs. KCR Michael Wacha - two teams that have been disappointing so far this year, but this is at least two pitchers doing fairly well so far

MIL Kyle Harrison vs. CHC Edward Cabrera - Harrison has been solid with a 2.09 ERA, while Cabrera has been inconsistent at times with a 4.06 mark so far

LAD Shohei Ohtani vs. SDP Randy Vasquez - the two elite NL West clubs face off again, and this one features Ohtani and his sparkling 0.82 ERA

Game summaries for every game

Current MLB standings

Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.

Rotating statistical leader lists

Current hitting streaks of seven or more games

On this day in baseball history…

Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys

Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?

Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers

… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!