MLB Quickcap (May 9, 2026)
Atlanta's iconic manager, Bobby Cox, passes away at 84, the Cubs' 10-game winning streak is snapped, and a tough call for the best offensive line of the day.
SCORES OF THE DAY
Rangers-6, Cubs-0: Texas ends Chicago’s 10-game winning streak with a shutout victory behind solo homers from Josh Jung and Justin Foscue.
Brewers-4, Yankees-3 (F/10): Milwaukee’s catcher William Contreras hits a game-tying single in the eighth and a walk-off sac fly in the 10th as the Brewers look for a three-game sweep on Sunday.
Braves-7, Dodgers-2: In a not-so-great return from the IL by Dodgers southpaw Blake Snell (L, 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H), Atlanta’s SP Spencer Strider picks up the win after yielding one hit over six shutout frames (W, 6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K).
Blue Jays-14, Angels-1: A 5-for-5 day at the dish by Ernie Clement highlights Toronto’s 20-hit afternoon in a blowout win over the Angels.
Padres-4, Cardinals-2: After dropping the first two contests of this four-game series, San Diego responds with a victory behind a solid start from Randy Vasquez (W, 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 K).
Athletics-6, Orioles-3: A’s SP Cade Cavalli tosses five scoreless frames (W, 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 K) and Nick Kurtz extends his on-base streak to 33 games (2-for-4, 3 runs scored).
Reds-3, Astros-1: Cincy’s Chase Burns allows one run over six innings (W, 6 IP, 1 ER) to help end his team’s eight-game losing streak.
Marlins-8, Nationals-7: Jacob Marsee’s three-run homer in the eighth breaks a 4-4 tie as Miami evens the series with Washington.
Phillies-9, Rockies-3: Leadoff man Trea Turner collects four hits and third baseman Alec Bohm goes yard twice for the Fightin Phils.
Twins-2, Guardians-1 (F/10): In one of the more bizarre happenings you will see, Twins leadoff man Byron Buxton homers in the first inning and collects the only other Minnesota hit on a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th (Both teams had two knocks apiece).
Royals-5, Tigers-1: Bobby Witt Jr.’s two-run inside-the-park homer in the first frame propels Kansas City to a second straight victory, and SP Michael Wacha to a 4-2 record (W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H).
White Sox-6, Mariners-1: Miguel Vargas homers twice and drives in three runs for the Sox.
Diamondbacks-2, Mets-1: Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas continues his impressive season with the only ribbies the D-backs would need on a two-run single in the third frame.
Pirates-13, Giants-3: The Buccos offense explodes for 13 runs on 20 hits to give SP Braxton Ashcraft his second win (W, 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K).
Rays at Red Sox (Postponed)
OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE DAY
It’s between two Toronto teammates and Philadelphia’s third baseman. Do we go with the Jays’ infielder, Ernie Clement, who went 5-for-5, or the team’s catcher, Brandon Valenzuela, who collected four hits and drove in four runs? Bohm had two homers and a double for Philly.
I love any player who goes 5-for-5. That’s an uncommon feat at any point in baseball history, but witnessing that in today’s game at a time when the entire league is hitting .242 makes it even less likely. However, I think Valenzuela’s day from the nine-hole was slightly more productive, given that he had a homer and double, while driving in four runs compared to Clement’s two. Both players scored three times. Bohm scored two runs, drove in the same amount as Valenzuela with four, and his three extra-base knocks can’t be ignored.
In the end, I’m going with Valenzuela. Overall, he had the strongest line by a hair. If Bohm had four hits, he’d be the winner. I’ll show all three lines. What do you think?
TOR - Brandon Valenzuela (4 H, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
TOR - Ernie Clement (5 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
PHI - Alec Bohm (3 H, 2 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY
It comes down to two names. Strider’s one hit allowed over six scoreless frames in Los Angeles was impressive. So was Wacha’s seven scoreless at home versus the Tigers. Strider struck out two more batters than Wacha in one less inning. Both players walked two batters, and Wacha allowed one more hit than Strider. The only advantage I give to Wacha is that he pitched one more inning. Other than that, Strider’s overall line was better, and I’m giving him the win today.
ATL - Spencer Strider (W, 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 8 K, 2 BB)
KC - Michael Wacha (W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 6 K, 2 BB)
Saturday's poll results showed 60% of voters favored Jacob Misiorowski’s pitching line over Dylan Cease’s. I don’t often add polls, but I was curious what readers thought, given that there were five legitimate candidates for the best pitching line on Friday.
THOUGHTS OF THE DAY
If you missed Thursday’s edition of MLB Quickcap, I talked about the impact TBS and Ted Turner had on my baseball life growing up in upstate New York. Turner died earlier this week and was a Braves legend, among many other things. Unfortunately, on Saturday, another Braves icon passed away. Atlanta’s former manager, Bobby Cox, died at the age of 84.
Cox was part of Turner’s plan to rebuild the Braves organization in the early 90s to what became one of the most consistently dominant franchises in MLB history. Cox led the Braves to 14 straight division titles, five pennants, and a World Series championship in 1995.
You can read all about his Hall of Fame career on MLB. com. Earlier in the week, I left a link to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman’s article about Turner, and I’ll do the same today with his words about Cox. Click here for Bowman’s article.
My memories of Cox really come down to all the positive comments former players have made over the years about him. He was the very definition of a player’s manager. He would stand up for his guys like no one else I ever saw (and this is coming from someone who watched tons of Braves games during his 20 years as Atlanta’s manager). There’s a reason he’s the all-time leader in ejections with 162. If one of his players didn’t like a call on the field, Bobby was usually there to back him up, and oftentimes that resulted in an early exit to the clubhouse. He was a pleasure to watch.
Rest in peace, Bobby. Thanks for all the memories and great moments during your Hall of Fame career.
EYES ON TODAY *all times Eastern
2:10 PM - Yankees (26-14) at Brewers (21-16): It’s the season debut of Carlos Rodon, one of two important starting pitchers that New York has been without so far in ‘26 (the other being Gerrit Cole). Rodon is returning from offseason elbow surgery after posting an 18-9 record with a 3.09 ERA last season. The Brewers will start Logan Henderson (2 GS, 0-1, 4.50 ERA).
4:10 PM - Braves (27-13) at Dodgers (24-15): An interesting pitching matchup between two of the better surprises in MLB. Atlanta will send Bryce Elder to the bump (8 GS, 3-1, 2.02 ERA) to face the Dodgers’ 25-year-old southpaw, Justin Wrobleski, who hasn’t lost this season (6 G, 5 GS, 5-0, 1.25 ERA).
Elder was 8-11 with a 5.30 ERA in 2025, while Wrobleski is one of the most efficient non-strikeout pitchers this year. Wrobleski has only struck out 15 hitters in 36 frames pitched. Yet, he’s allowed a mere five earned runs in that span.
It’s a rubber match between two of the best teams going right now.
MLB Quickcap will be released five days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. If interested, you can read my MLB Series Preview on Pitcher List every Monday and Friday by following the attached link.