Paul Skenes' stuff was as electric as advertised.

A fastball that reached at least 100 mph 17 times. A slider that left major leaguers shaking their heads. An invention called a "splinker" that is a hybrid of a splitter and a sinker and dips and dives unlike any pitch anywhere in baseball.

Yet even at age 21, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie knows all the "oohs" and "ahs" and knee buckles a ball that at times seems to explode out of his right hand can produce won't matter if he can't control it.

So while there were some positive takeaways from his major league debut Saturday -- seven strikeouts over four-plus innings and much, much later a 10-9 victory over the Chicago Cubs -- the top overall pick in last year's draft understands there is more work to be done.

The Chicago Cubs drew six bases-loaded walks in the fifth inning against the Pirates on Saturday, the most by a major league team in a single inning in 65 years.

The last team to draw that many free passes with runners at every base in one inning was the Chicago White Sox, who had eight in the seventh inning on April 22, 1959.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw 29 pitches including breaking balls on Saturday in his third bullpen session since injuring his elbow in spring training.

Cole said he threw 13 curveballs and his fastball reached 89 mph in the workout before the Yankees played at Tampa Bay.

"Fastball profiles were good," Cole said. "Location was good. Velocity was where we wanted. A lot of strikes."

The Oakland Athletics have received trade calls about closer Mason Miller, according to a report.

They haven't gotten deep in talks with a suitor, but the A's are at least broadly open to discussions.

Miller, 25, has a 1.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 16.1 innings this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will be the subject of a scripted TV series about his friend and former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who stole almost $17 million from him to pay off illegal gambling debts.

Tony Award winner and producer Scott Delman and former Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Chen, author of the sports gambling book "Billion Dollar Fantasy," are behind the untitled project.

Mike Trout feels that having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee was a better alternative than postponing the procedure and being a designated hitter the rest of the season.

"It was an option they put out there," he said. "It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it. The day I got the MRI and it showed [a tear], I was in a lot of pain, so it would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that. I felt the best option for me was to get it right and be fully healthy to come back soon."

In 1,518 career games, Trout has been the DH for the Los Angeles Angels only 81 times and has a .214 batting average.

At 12-24, the Houston Astros occupy last place in the American League West.

The club is on pace for more than 100 losses, something that could lead them to sell at the trade deadline.

However, general manager Dana Brown isn't ready to entertain the idea.

"No," he said on MLB Network. "No, I can't envision that. This ballclub is too good." 

Giancarlo Stanton hit a 119.9 mph home run Wednesday night against the Houston Astros, the hardest-hit ball in the Major Leagues this season.

In the third inning, Stanton pulled a 1-2 curveball from rookie Spencer Arrighetti into the second deck in left field at Yankee Stadium, just inside the foul pole. The Yankees went on to win 9-4.

It was Stanton's third-hardest-hit home run since Statcast tracking began in 2015. He launched a 121.7 mph homer against the Texas Rangers in August 2018 -- the record in the Statcast era -- and a 121.3 mph shot at the Washington Nationals in July 2020 that ranks second.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to promote top prospect Paul Skenes to make his debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

Skenes, 21, has allowed three earned runs in 27 1/3 innings with 45 strikeouts in Triple-A.

The Pirates drafted Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.

Ippei Mizuhara has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of felony bank fraud and submitting a false tax return after authorities found that he stole nearly $17 million from Shohei Ohtani in order to pay off gambling debts to an illegal sportsbook.

Mizuhara, 39, who had been Ohtani's longtime interpreter, is expected to enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks.

His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

 The total maximum sentence Mizuhara could receive for both crimes would be 33 years imprisonment and fines of $1.25 million, but in exchange for his plea -- outlined in the agreement released Wednesday -- prosecutors would recommend a reduced sentence.