Munetaka Murakami blasted his 15th home run of the season in yesterday’s 12-8 White Sox loss to the Mariners, and set some big league history in the process. As per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Murakami is the first player to ever hit a homer in eight consecutive series-opening games — Hall-of-Famer Eddie Murray held the previous mark of seven games.
1. Cubs cruising, Reds reeling
April ended with Cincinnati holding a one-game lead over Chicago for first place in the NL Central, but the two clubs’ fortunes have drastically changed in May. The Cubs completed a four-game sweep of the Reds on Thursday and then extended their overall winning streak to 10 games in yesterday’s 7-1 rout of the Rangers. On the other hand, the Reds continued their winless month with a dismal 10-0 loss to the Astros on Friday, as Cincinnati has now dropped eight in a row. The NL Central remains the only division entirely above the .500 mark, but the Reds’ 20-19 record puts the team in last place.
2. The Miz brings the velo
Not to be overlooked in the NL Central race, the Brewers have won seven of their last 10 to improve to 20-16, and Jacob Misiorowski delivered a gem of a start in Friday’s 6-0 shutout of the Yankees. Misiorowski allowed only two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings while striking out 11, and displayed unreal velocity with 10 different pitches that reached at least 103mph. Misiorowski’s three offerings of 103.6mph were the fastest pitches on record from a starting pitcher since Statcast began recording velocity in 2008, and Misiorowski has now thrown 11 of the 14 fastest pitches from a starter during the Statcast era. (Hat tip to MLB’s Sarah Langs.) Two more impressive young arms meet today as the series continues in Milwaukee, as New York’s Cam Schlittler gets the start against the Brewers’ Kyle Harrison.
3. Snell to make 2026 debut
Blake Snell has yet to pitch this season due to shoulder fatigue, but the Dodgers will activate the southpaw to start against the Braves tonight in a battle of NL division leaders. While the Dodgers clearly haven’t been held back by an avalanche of injuries to starting pitchers over the last few years, the revolving door continued on Friday when Tyler Glasnow was placed on the 15-day IL due to lower back spasms, opening up a spot for Snell in the rotation. Glasnow may only miss the minimum 15 days, as L.A. manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Katie Woo) that Glasnow might have been able to pitch through the back problem but the club chose to be cautious.
