ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 29: Stephen Kolek #32 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on May 29, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After yet another heartbreaking loss yesterday, the Royals will attempt to win the series against the Reds this evening. Getting the series would be a nice way to start this road trip for a team in desperate need of some positive momentum.
It will be Stephen Kolek taking the ball for Kansas City today. He has been a little uneven in his five big league starts this year but has been brilliant when he is pitching well. That extreme ground ball rate along with the Royals solid infield defense can really work wonders and is doubly helpful in a park as homerun friendly as Cincinnati’s.
Kolek will be facing Chase Burns, the Reds’ young fireballer. He is only 23 and his fastball sits near 99 and can touch the low triple digits. Burns was the second overall pick in 2024 out of Wake Forest and made it to the majors by June of 2025.
No Maikel Garcia in the lineup for the fourth game in a row, that means Carter Jensen is back in the leadoff spot versus a right-handed pitcher.
Texas' high school baseball has as rich a history—arguably more than any other state—and on Wednesday, another chapter was added to that legacy.
Fort Worth Christian (North Richland Hills, TX) shortstop Grady Emerson has been named the 2025-26 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year following a standout senior season.
Emerson was surprised at school today by his teammates, friends and family who presented him with the award. He also received a surprise video call from MLB All-Star and World Series champion Eric Hosmer, who called and congratulated him on the honor.
An early first-round projection in the upcoming MLB Draft, Emerson originally committed to TCU. He flipped his commitment from the Horned Frogs to the Longhorns on November 25, 2024.
Emerson now joins an elite group of past winners, including Alex Rodriguez, Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Witt Jr., and countless others.
“Grady Emerson’s track record of performance is outstanding, including four stints with U.S. national teams and a dominant senior season at Fort Worth Christian,” Jim Callis, Senior Writer at MLB Pipeline, said in the release. “He’s the best high school prospect in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft and a strong candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick by the White Sox. Grady is also a fine student and coaches and scouts rave about his intelligence and character. He’s a deserving winner in the fine tradition of Gatorade National Baseball Players of the Year.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Texas commitment led the Cardinals to a 32-7-1 record this season, batting .532 with 42 RBIs, nine doubles, four triples, and seven home runs. Emerson was a force on the base paths, recording 21 stolen bases, and was just as stout defensively, with 37 putouts, 17 double plays, and no errors on the year.
On top of his play on the field, Emerson is a stand-up person off the field and in the classroom. He maintained an A average in school while playing baseball and volunteering at The North Texas Food Bank and Mission Arlington.
Emerson has also donated his time to leading training sessions and defensive coaching camps for youth baseball. With his parents' company, Always Family Senior Home Care, during the holiday season Emerson will also deliver home care services.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: From April 14-May 8, the Cubs won 20 of 23 games. Tonight’s game will be their 23rd since then. They have won five. A loss tonight would complete their first 5-18 span 2021, when they did it June 14-July 8, then nine overlapping times between July 21 and Aug. 29. They were 5-18 in at least six spans in 2012, four in 2010, 10 in 2006 and 13 in 2000. The Cubs’ last 6-17 spans were in 2022, when they two overlapping sets of two. They had 13 in 2021 and five in 2013. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
A WEIRD HOME/ROAD SPLIT: Cubs now are 7-6 at home vs. the Athletics — and 10-2 at Oakland (7-2) and Sacramento (3-0). The Cubs lost the opener of three games at home against the A’s twice before: the first two times they met at Wrigley Field, in 2004 and 2010. Each time, the Cubs won the next two games to take the series. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
SIGNS OF LIFE IN PCA: Pete Crow-Armstrong is on a seven-game hitting streak in which he is batting .367/.441/.567 (11-for-30) with three doubles, a home run and five runs scored. His OPS of .718 is at its highest level since May 8 (.721).
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ken Holtzman throws the second no-hitter of his career as the Cubs defeat the Reds in Cincinnati 1-0. Holtzman also scores the only run of the game after reaching on an error. It happened 55 years ago today, Thursday, June 3, 1971.
Colin Rea hit a bit of a rough patch early in May but his last two starts were at least decent. That’s what we expect from him, right?
Rea threw the last three innings of the Cubs’ 18-3 thrashing of the A’s March 31, 2025 in Sacramento, allowing four hits and no runs. In doing so he picked up a save, one of three he has in his career.
No A’s batter has more than five at-bats against him, and that’s Brent Rooker, who’s 3-for-5 with a home run. Stop Rooker and this could be a fine evening of pitching.
Jeffrey Springs is the A’s best starter so far this year… which isn’t saying much. He has a 4.07 ERA and 1.191 WHIP in 66.1 innings, with 12 home runs allowed. He can usually be counted on for giving his team six innings, though, as he’s gone that many or more six times in 12 starts.
Last year against the Cubs, April 2, 2025 in Sacramento, Springs allowed five runs (four earned) in three innings, including a home run by Seiya Suzuki.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Kodai Sengatook the mound for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday for his latest rehab start, and it wasn't much better than his last outing.
The Mets right-hander pitched five innings for the first time on his current rehab assignment, but allowed three runs on six hits, two walks, two hit batters and two wild pitches against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while striking out five. Senga tossed 91 pitches (54 strikes) and topped out at 95.7 mph. His ERA is now 5.19 across his three rehab starts.
Earlier this week, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expected Senga to throw around 85 pitches, but the team will need to see how he does and how he feels afterwards before they decide on what Senga's next step will be.
In his previous start with Syracuse, Senga allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and one hit batter while striking out five. He tossed 80 pitches through his 3.2 innings, and while the workload has increased, the results have been less than encouraging.
Senga was placed on the IL in late April with lumbar spin inflammation, and the Mets hoped the he could be inserted into a rotation that is in need of arms after Clay Holmes went down with injury.
HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 02: Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three run homer in the top of the fifth inning during the MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros on June 2, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a completely different offense than they were a year ago.
Calling it a night and day difference doesn’t do it justice.
A year after falling in the bottom five of most offensive categories, the Pirates are a top-five offense in baseball.
The team is second best in baseball in on-base percentage (.338), tied for second in hits (8.8), fourth in batting average (.255), tied for fourth in OPS (.740), and fifth best in baseball in runs per game (5.1).
It’s not an opinion, but a fact.
The most drastic improvement? Power.
Pittsburgh hit an MLB-low 117 home runs last season. The next closest team was the rival St. Louis Cardinals (148), who beat out the Bucs for last place by a jarring 31 homers.
This season? The Pirates are on pace to top 117 by mid-July.
Don Kelly’s team owns 71 home runs in 61 games, on pace for over 180 homers in 2026.
The Bucs hit three longballs on Tuesday in Houston and are getting contributions up and down the lineup. Brandon Lowe hit his 15th of the season, and Oneil Cruz smacked his 14th, both three-run long balls, to power the Pirates to a 10-6 victory.
Endy Rodriguez started the scoring with a two-run shot. Initially ruled a triple, the call was overturned to a home run following a video review for his first of the season.
Cruz led the Pirates in home runs last season, but only amounted 20 in 135 games. He is on pace for a 30/30 season and the best year of his career.
Lowe leads all Pirates with 15 and ranks tied for fourth in the National League, one year after hitting 31 with the Tampa Bay Rays in 134 games.
Bryan Reynolds finished second on the team in 2025 with 16 round-trippers. Lowe is one away. It’s June 3.
Five Pirates have hit six or more home runs, and Marcell Ozuna, who has been relegated to a part-time player, has hit five.
The Pirates offense is more balanced, and created lineup protection for veterans mainstays like Reynolds and Cruz.
Spencer Horwitz is having an eye-popping season with seven home runs and a .385 on-base percentage, eighth highest in the National League.
The Pirates were one of four teams to score at least 300 runs through May. The others are all World Series contenders (Braves, Dodgers, Yankees).
This season marked the first time the Pirates won 30 games before the end of May since 2013.
The expectation was that the Pirates’ offense would be good, but not THIS good.
Could this be the best offense since the 1979 “Lumber Company” Pirates?
The last World Series championship team led the NL in runs (775) and hits (1,496). Led by 1979 MVP Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, and Bill Robinson, the Pirates only hit 148 home runs.
This year’s club should well exceed it, albeit in a different era of baseball and how the game is played.
Lowe, Reynolds, Cruz, and even Ryan O’Hearn all have legitimate cases to make the All-Star Game.
Pittsburgh has an offense that has proven through the first third of the season that it can be sustained.
The club is +35 in run differential and sits in second place in the very difficult NL Central.
It’s not an illusion. It’s no fantasy. It’s not a dream. The Pirates’ offense is good for the first time in a long time, and they’re not looking to wake up from this dream.
One of the Chicago Blackhawks' biggest objectives this off-season should be to add a proven star forward to their top six. It is clear that Connor Bedard needs more help around him as the Blackhawks look to be more competitive in 2026-27.
Due to this, the Blackhawks should strongly consider targeting New York Islanders star forward Mathew Barzal this off-season. The Ottawa Citizen's Bruce Garrioch recently reported that the Islanders have been exploring Barzal's market.
"A league executive told The Citizen that the New York Islanders are exploring the market for forward Mathew Barzal," Garrioch wrote.
While that does not mean the Islanders will automatically trade Barzal this summer, the Blackhawks should still consider making a push for him. He would have the potential to be an excellent addition to their top six due to his elite playmaking skill. This is especially so when noting that he can play both center and right wing.
Barzal could thrive playing on a line with a superstar center like Bedard. The Islanders star forward would also give the Blackhawks another major weapon to work with on their power play.
Barzal would be more than a rental for the Blackhawks if acquired, too. This is because he has a $9.15 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season.
In 81 games this season with the Islanders, Barzal recorded 19 goals, 53 assists, 72 points, and a plus-10 rating.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 31: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Joc Pederson #3 following their team's win over the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on May 31, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for June 3, 2026 against the St. Louis Cardinals: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Andre Pallante for the Cards.
Texas is looking to sweep the Cardinals in St. Louis, as well as extend their winning streak to six games and get back to .500. Skip Schumaker is rolling with the same lineup as yesterday.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Osuna — LF
Carter — CF
Higashioka — C
Lopez — 2B
6:45 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 02: Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres celebrates his two-run home run in the third inning with Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 02, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (32-27) at Philadelphia Phillies (31-29), June 3, 2026, 3:40 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, Penn.
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The NHL All-Star Game is going to look a little different next season.
On Tuesday, the league unveiled the format for the 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend, which is set to take place Feb. 5 and 6 at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York.
The All-Star Game itself will feature five different teams: the United States, Canada, Finland, Sweden and what the league is calling a “world” team which will be comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four nations.
And yes, the league likely is making this transition based off the success of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Each of the five teams will be made up of 11 players, with nine skaters and two goalies.
Based off comments from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly during a press conference ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, it does not sound like Russian players will be included with the “world” team, not until a time if/when the IIHF allows Russia to compete again.
The NHL will select 30 players from each of the five teams for fans to vote on in order to create the rosters, with the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote officially opening in December.
Fans will select eight players for each of the five teams, leaving the NHL and NHLPA to jointly select one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender to fill out each squad.
All five teams will play four 5-minute games as part of a round-robin tournament, and then the top two teams will advance to a 10-minute final match. The tournament will follow a point system of two points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss. There will only be overtime for the final match.
The winning team will take home a cool $2 million prize.
Additionally, the NHL All-Star Skills competition is undergoing some changes as well.
There will be eight total events and only ten players will participate.
All players will all be 25 years old or younger, with each participant selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
The first six events are pretty traditional: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One-Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting.
After that, the top four players advance to a shootout, where they’ll have to face the All-Star goaltenders, and then the top two competitors will battle in the last event, which is called the Obstacle Course Finale.
The player crowned Skills Competition champion will be awarded a prize of $1 million.
So, in a nutshell, there’s your All-Star Weekend for next season.
Assuming the Florida Panthers aren’t decimated by injuries again, it’s reasonable to think that there could be some solid South Florida representation at the annual gathering of talent.
Interestingly, just as it was when the NHL held its 4 Nations Face-Off, the Panthers are likely to be represented by only those same four countries.
Looking at potential All-Star candidates from Florida’s current roster, Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones could easily get tapped by Team USA, and it’s not hard to imagine youngster Mackie Samoskevich making a case for himself to be a part of the 25-and-under Skills Competition.
The Panthers have several Canadians on their roster who could easily receive All-Star consideration with strong showings next season.
Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad have all participated at the NHL All-Star Game before, and we’ve seen what happens when Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe get going.
Florida has one of the deeper Finnish contingents in the NHL, as evidenced by their representation at both 4 Nations and this year’s Winter Olympics.
With the All-Star rosters being quite limited in size, though, it’s likely that only a fraction of Florida’s Finns receive consideration.
Obviously that includes Panthers captain and world class two-way center Sasha Barkov, who also captains the Finnish National Team. Fellow Florida centerman Anton Lundell continues to improve and impress year-over-year, and he could easily find himself on the short list of potential All-Stars should he continue on that path and have a strong start to his season.
Team Sweden will take a good look at Panthers blueliner Gus Forsling, as he has grown into one of the top two-way defensemen in the game.
Again, considering its an All-Star game with a limited roster, Forsling could end up an odd-man out among some very good Swedish defensemen such as Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin and Erik Karlsson.
Now keep in mind that plenty of things could change between now and next season, though.
Florida’s roster could end up looking a bit different depending how things shake out between the NHL Draft at the end of the month, free agency opening on July 1 and the days and weeks that follow.
Let us know in the comments below which Panthers players you think will be heading to Long Island for next season’s All-Star festivities.
Photo caption: Feb 3, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Team McDavid center Sam Reinhart (13) of the Florida Panthers skates during the warmup before the 2024 NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
The Good Guys’ offense ran on Sam Antonacci energy, as the rookie spark plug went 4-for-4 in a dominant win over the Twins. | (David Berding/Getty Images)
After two frustrating losses to begin the series, the White Sox responded exactly how good teams are supposed to: They punched back.
Erick Fedde spun five shutout innings, the offense piled on 12 hits and eight walks, and the Sox steamrolled the Twins. Sure, they lost the series, but they leave Minnesota with a +11 run differential and at least a little dignity restored.
The Sox jumped all over Taj Bradley from pitch one. Sam Antonacci singled, Miguel Vargas walked, and Andrew Benintendi slapped a base hit, and suddenly the sacks were packed with nobody out. Colson Montgomery, who had a rough game, whiffed on three pitches, but Chase Meidroth worked an eight-pitch walk to push home the first run and keep his on-base streak alive at 17.
Rookie Jacob Gonzalez delivered the big blow of the frame, slapping a single the other way to plate two more.
The Twins then gift-wrapped another run on a soft Tristan Peters grounder and some classic Minnesota bumbling. The Good guys were up 4-0.
Fedde could have pitched in slippers with that early cushion. The righthander, finally in the win column, was on cruise control. He mowed down the first 11 Twinkies and breezed through three innings on just 30 pitches. Minnesota didn’t sniff a baserunner until he walked Trevor Larnach with two outs in the fourth, and didn’t surrender a base hit until Luke Keaschall finally broke up the party with two gone in the fifth. The veteran’s final line: five scoreless, two hits, a walk, two Ks. Efficient, effective, and with 61 pitches, he barely broke a sweat.
The Sox kept loading the bases and then leaving them there, stranding runners in the second, third, and fourth. Montgomery had a day to forget with four strikeouts, seven left in scoring position, and a golden sombrero for his troubles.
The South Siders finally broke it open in the sixth, thanks to some generous Twins defense. Rikuu Nishida reached on an error, took second on another, and Antonacci cashed him in with a double for 5-0.
The bullpen relieved Fedde after five frames and ensured there would be no drama. Grant Taylor took care of the sixth and seventh, mowing down six of seven and picking up three Ks. Chris Murphy cleaned up the last two, dodging a couple of late baserunners to lock down the shutout.
The bats added some finishing touches in the eighth. Antonacci doubled again, Vargas singled him home, and Benintendi put the cherry on top with a two-run Benny Bomb to right-center. 8-0, let’s go!
Antonacci, Vargas, and Benintendi did the heavy lifting at the top, combining to go 7-for-10 and reaching base 13 times. The offense also did exactly what was discussed in our game thread: they were patient and worked the free passes. Eight walks later, Minnesota’s pitchers were begging for mercy.
Despite the big lead, the Sox went just 5-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left a pile of runs on the table, but after the first two games, nobody in the clubhouse was about to gripe. The guys gets a breather on Thursday, then it’s off to Philly for the weekend.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 29: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abdoul Sow/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Not to fear, Braves fans, the starting rotation’s depth is soon to get stronger.
AJ Smith-Shawver will be facing hitters soon, the final step before beginning a rehab assignment. He is throwing high intensity bullpen sessions currently and is not too far behind Hurston Waldrep (who made his first rehab start Monday) according to #Braves MGR Walt Weiss.
While we are waiting for the return of some more helpful hands like Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, Smith-Shawver is another young dominant arm that is expected to make an impact in Atlanta’s rotation.
After suffering a torn UCL that cut his strong stint (3.86 ERA) short last May, he’s making significant progress in his high-intensity bullpen sessions and looking to take the final step in facing live hitters before he’s assigned to rehab and find his way back in Atlanta’s clubhouse.
Waldrep started his rehab stint this past Monday, so the two are not far behind in each other in terms of progression.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, first in the NL West with a 39-22 record, face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are third at 32-28 record in a key divisional matchup. The Dodgers are favored with a -193 moneyline compared to the Diamondbacks' +160. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Shohei Ohtani for Los Angeles, with a 0.82 ERA, and Zac Gallen for Arizona, with a 5.16 ERA.
How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 31: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after reaching second base on a sharp fly ball to left field to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field on May 31, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics, third in the AL West with a 29-31 record, face the Chicago Cubs, who are fourth in the NL Central at 32-29. The Chicago Cubs are favored with a -125 moneyline compared to the Athletics' +105. Starting pitchers are Jeffrey Springs for the Athletics, with a 4.07 ERA, and Colin Rea for the Chicago Cubs (4.70 ERA).
Don't rule out the Los Angeles Dodgers adding more firepower at next month's trade deadline.
Despite their gaudy payroll, NL West leaders are down two major pieces of the rotation with Blake Snell (loose bodies in left elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms) both on the IL for the foreseeable future.
One name that the Dodgers have been attached to on the rumor mill for some time now is Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, and as manager Dave Roberts joked to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles may be the only team with a strong enough farm system to pull off a hypothetical deal for the back-to-back Cy Young winner.
"They would go ballistic," Roberts told USA TODAY, laughing. "But we would have the prospect capital to do that. We are one of the teams that could do that with the Tigers."
Armed with the No. 2-ranked farm system in the league and five top-100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, there's no shortage of options the Dodgers could use to entice Detroit to part ways with Skubal, if the TIgers were to deal him.
The Dodgers' top prospects include Josue De Paula, who's hitting .320 with a .958 OPS and eight home runs in 49 games with Double-A Tulsa, Zyhir Hope (.296 with 11 homers and .871 OPS), Eduardo Quintero (their 2025 Minor League Player of the Year) or Mike Sirota, who's hitting .349 with a 1.035 OPS in 12 games since being called up to Double-A.
Skubal's currently on the IL with loose bodies in his throwing elbow, an injury the Dodgers are all too familiar with right now with both Snell and closer Edwin Díaz. Skubal, however, is closest to a return out of all three. According to MLB.com's Jason Beck, he threw 64 pitches in a four-inning simulated game at Tropicana Field on Monday and could go on a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
