First pitch: Everything you need to know from the week in MLB

Welcome to theScore's roundup of everything you need to know from around MLB. Here we'll touch on the notable storylines, biggest trends, most shocking plays, and some other cool things from the week. Let's dive in!

What everyone's talking about 👇

Devers unhappy with Red Sox again: Rafael Devers took issue with the Red Sox asking him to play first base, saying they went back on their word after he agreed to move from third base to designated hitter. The rift has caused a dilemma for the club. Read more ...

Pirates fire manager Derek Shelton: A 12-26 start to the season was enough for owner Bob Nutting to make a change. Unfortunately, the roster is still devoid of talent and in line for a summer likely to be defined by losing and another finish in the basement of the NL Central. Read more ...

Rockies fire manager Bud Black: Shelton wasn't the only skipper to lose his job this week, as the woeful Rockies dismissed their manager following a 7-33 start. Black was fired less than 24 hours after his team suffered a historic 21-0 loss at home. Read more ...

The AL Central is on fire: While much of the attention has been on the NL West, things in the AL Central are becoming pretty interesting, too. The Tigers are tied for the MLB lead with 26 wins, the Guardians have won six of their past 10, the Royals have rattled off 15 wins in their past 19 games, while the Twins have won eight in a row.

Who's hot? 🔥

Manny Machado: The Padres third baseman is on an unbelievable tear, going 13-for-23 (.565) with four doubles, eight runs, and three walks over his past six games.

Robbie Ray: The Giants left-hander held the powerful Cubs to one run in six innings for his fifth win of the season. Ray is the first Giants pitcher to go 5-0 in his first eight starts of a season since Tim Lincecum in 2010.

Byron Buxton: Knock on wood because Buxton is healthy and performing. The Twins outfielder is doing a little bit of everything and has been excellent in May with three homers, eight RBIs, and some excellent defensive play in center field.

Who's not? 🥶

Cedric Mullins: The Orioles outfielder has cooled off considerably. Mullins owned a 1.023 OPS on April 24, but now sits at .775 OPS after a recent 1-for-22 stretch that included eight strikeouts.

Paul Skenes: Maybe Skenes is human. The Pirates ace owns the third-highest fielding independent pitching (7.39) among qualified starters in May while walking hitters at a rate of 6.55 per nine innings. He also allowed three homers to the Cubs during his May 1 outing.

Rockies pitching: Colorado has allowed a jaw-dropping 75 runs over its past seven games, with the team's pitchers combining to post a 8.14 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and nine homers across 63 innings. Opponents are hitting .342 over that span.

Player who deserves more attention 🔎

Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham has gone from barely playing in 2024 to one of New York's best hitters. He's tied for seventh in MLB with 10 homers and is second on the Yankees in OPS behind Aaron Judge. He's owned in 34% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues.

You love to see it 😍

Brothers Jace and Josh Jung not only faced off against one another on the field over the weekend, but they also squeezed in a game of tic-tac-toe between innings.

Nick Castellanos was in enemy territory, but that didn't stop the Phillies outfielder from playing catch with a group of young and appreciative Rays fans.

Ceddanne Rafaela put his body on the line to steal an extra-base hit from the Texas Rangers, crashing into the center-field wall at Fenway Park after a long running catch. He deservedly received a hat tip from teammate Liam Hendriks.

We can't believe this happened 🤯

A Yankees fan caught a Judge homer in the Bronx but had it disappear from under his nose. Turns out another patron scooped up the ball as it rolled along the rail. Luckily, the patron's friend had a big heart and returned the souvenir to its rightful owner.

Rangers infielder Josh Smith surprised even himself after snaring a liner at first base against the Red Sox.

Sound smart among your friends 🧠

The Royals employ one of the quickest and one of the slowest players in the majors. Bobby Witt Jr. owns MLB's fastest sprint speed this season (30.2 feet/second) and fifth-fastest time from home to first base (4.12 seconds). Meanwhile, Salvador Perez ranks last in home to first (5.01), and 10th slowest in sprint speed (24.2).

They said what? 🗣️

Orioles GM Mike Elias understands complaints about offseason moves: "It's hard to push back on criticism that we didn't do enough when we're in this spot right now."

Blue Jays manager John Schneider had an interesting take on the team's struggles: "We've been operating with three round wheels and one square wheel. It's not quite there, and when it gets there, you forget about this. Right now, you want to try to just get the hell out of here, go to bed, wake up, and start all over."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had high praise for Shohei Ohtani after another magical moment in Arizona: "Between him and Barry Bonds, they're the two best players I've ever seen."

Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland had a message for fans amid the team's miserable start: "Keep believing in us. Keep ridin'."

What to watch this week 📺

Juan Soto returns to the Bronx: The Mets and Yankees meet up for the first time since Soto spurned the Yanks for a 15-year, $765-million deal with their crosstown rival. Get your popcorn ready.

Battle of Texas renewed: Things always get spicy when the Astros and Rangers meet up. Both teams are off to uneven starts and will be looking to get some momentum going at the expense of a hated AL West rival.