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The San Diego Padres will look to even their three-game set with a win over the betting-favorite Chicago Cubs (-148) at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, June 30.

My top Padres vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks call for just the opposite, with Chicago winning another low-scoring game tonight.

Who will win Padres vs Cubs today: Cubs moneyline (-148)

The Chicago Cubs have won nine of their past 11 while averaging 7.3 runs per game and ranking seventh in wOBA, so I think we’re landing a fair number considering San Diego Padres lefty JP Sears entered 2026 with an underwhelming 4.87 xFIP and 12.9% strikeout-to-walk ratio across 58 2/3 innings.

Of course, the North Siders also rank third in wOBA against southpaws for the season, while the Friars check in 29th. So, the matchup sets up perfectly for Cubs starter Matthew Boyd in his second start back from knee and shoulder injuries.

San Diego ranking 24th in xwOBA over the past 30 days makes this Chicago moneyline playable down to -155 for me.

COVERS INTEL: The San Diego Padres have the third-lowest wOBAcon, which further highlights their struggles generating offense and paves the way for the Chicago Cubs moneyline and the Under 11.5.

Padres vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 11.5 (-112)

There were similarly favorable hitting conditions at Wrigley Field in the series opener Monday, and the Padres and Cubs combined for just five runs, so I think this is another inflated total.

Especially considering the highlighted shortcomings of the San Diego offense, alongside the Padres playing to the Under in six of their past eight road games (+3.90 Units / 44% ROI).

Chicago has also only played to the Over in 23 of its past 50 games (-6.40 Units / -12% ROI), so I’d recommend this Under down to -120.

Padres vs Cubs weather

Padres vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Padres +130 | Cubs -150
• Run line: Padres +1.5 (-135) | Cubs -1.5 (+115)
• Over/Under: Over 11.5 (-105) | Under 11.5 (-115)

Padres vs Cubs trend

The Chicago Cubs have won 13 of their last 17 games (+8.40 Units / 37% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Cubs.

How to watch Padres vs Cubs and game info

Padres vs Cubs latest injuries

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Yesterday, I made the All-Star case for Hunter Goodman. And while it’s unlikely he’ll start the game, he still has another opportunity to show off: He can participate in the Home Run Derby.

The Rockies have had 12 participants in the Home Run Derby in their history: Trevor Story (2021), Charlie Blackmon (2017), Carlos González (2016, 2012), Troy Tulowitzki (2014), Matt Holliday (2007), Todd Helton (2001), Larry Walker (1999, 1997), Vinny Castilla (1998), Ellis Burks (1996), Dante Bichette (1994). The last Rockie to participate in the Derby was Story in 2021, when he made it to the second round but was edged by Trey Mancini 13-12 (he hit 32 total between the two rounds).

Goodman told the media he’d be interested in participating if asked:

Should he?

Bonus Question: How many home runs do you think he’ll hit by the end of the year?

Let us know your thoughts!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

It was an ugly couple of weeks for the New York Mets’ starting pitchers, while the bullpen continued to come through. New York starters got shelled repeatedly, and the longest-tenured Met, David Peterson, was shipped out to greener pastures before he could have another clunker performance in the Orange and Blue. Freddy Peralta had a start so bad it might have cost him money in his upcoming free agency while also hurting his trade value, and Nolan McLean looked awesome and then not so awesome.

The usual disclaimer: this meter does not reflect Monday’s game and only covers the period from June 15-June 28.

Player	Last week	This week
Huascar Brazobán, RHP
Sean Manaea, LHP
Nolan McLean, RHP
A.J. Minter, LHP
Tobias Myers, RHP
Freddy Peralta, RHP
Cionel Pérez, LHP
Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
Brooks Raley, LHP
Christian Scott, RHP
Kodai Senga, RHP
Austin Warren, RHP
Luke Weaver, RHP
Devin Williams, RHP

Let’s start with the worst start of Freddy Peralta‘s career, where he gave up 10 runs on 10 hits. Of course, it came against the Philadelphia Phillies, who spectacularly padded their stats in a 15-3 loss for the Mets. Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs in one inning off Peralta, both nearly identical upper deck bombs. Bryce Harper hit for the cycle that night, getting his home run, double, and single against Peralta. Brandon Sproat, the young pitcher shipped out by New York when acquiring Peralta in the off-season, posted six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts for the Milwaukee Brewers just three nights after Peralta’s meltdown. Talk about adding insult to injury. Fortunately for Peralta, he looked more like himself in his next start, pitching 5.2 innings with zero earned runs against the Cubs. Unfortunately for Peralta, the defense let him down repeatedly as the Cubs plated three unearned runs with the right-hander on the mound.

Sean Manaea knows a little about the defense letting him down in his late June starts. Manaea recently worked his way back into getting solo starts without an opener, with mixed results. In both starts, errors haunted Manaea in losses to the Cubs and the Phillies. Manaea gave up two earned runs to Chicago and three to Philadelphia, but errors led to an unearned run in each of his starts. Those errors forced Manaea to work harder than he otherwise would have. Getting the veteran arm a start with clean defensive play behind him would be nice.

When you think Nolan McLean is back to being the staff ace of the present and future, he comes out and gets smacked around. He was brilliant against the Cincinnati Reds in seven innings with zero earned runs and nine strikeouts. His next time out, the Cubs teed off with home runs from Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson as McLean gave up six earned runs in a 10-3 loss. McLean wasn’t the only pitcher who got crushed by the Cubs that night. Later on, Jonathan Pintaro gave up a grand slam to Swanson before eventually being sent down to Triple-A.

Kodai Senga returned from the IL and looked a lot like he did before he left, not that great. Senga gave up four runs in four innings in a loss to the Reds, then gave up seven more runs in his next time out against the Cubs. The performance against Chicago drove Senga’s ERA briefly above 10.00. He came out of the bullpen against the Phillies and looked better, giving up two runs across five innings with four strikeouts. The problem was that those two runs came on a go-ahead home run from Schwarber that put the Phillies up for good. Cionel Pérez was the opener in that loss to Philadelphia, where he pitched a scoreless inning. Perez has rattled off three straight scoreless outings across his last 5.1 innings, but he gave up four runs in the two games previous to his scoreless streak. Tobias Myers, who was used in tandem with Senga multiple times, continued his disappointing season, giving up 14 earned runs across his last 8.2 innings pitched.

Christian Scott came off the IL and gave up two earned runs over 4.2 innings and struck out six against the Phillies. Scott was relieved by A.J. Minter, who pitched one and a third scoreless innings in the 6-2 victory. Minter has continued to raise his trade value with five scoreless outings in relief in the last two weeks. He has yet to give up an earned run in 12.1 innings pitched this season. That’s nothing compared to what Luke Weaver has been up to. Weaver extended his scoreless inning streak to 23 innings, the longest active streak in MLB. Five of those scoreless innings came in the last two weeks, including three outings where he struck out the side.

Devin Williams registered a save and four outings without an earned run. Still, four unearned runs came home thanks to the Mets’ defense letting him down. Huascar Brazobán continued his strong season, giving up one run across six innings of work. Unfortunately, that run put the Philadelphia Phillies up for good in a 2-1 loss. Still, his ERA (1.94) remains spectacular.

Austin Warren rebounded from a subpar start to June, posting four scoreless outings in five tries. The lone run he gave up came on a solo home run to Harper—no shame in that. Brooks Raley‘s season took an unfortunate downturn after he was responsible for back-to-back losses in his last two outings. He gave multiple extra-base hits, including a triple to Swanson in a loss to the Cubs. The next night against Chicago, Raley was asked to hold a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning, but Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled in the ghost runner Matt Shaw in a 4-3 loss.

1911
In his 22nd and final years in the majors, Cy Young pitched his final game against the White Sox, an 8-1 loss. The 44-year-old came into the game with a 506-307 career record, but was jumped on for three runs in the first and knocked out of the box in the fifth, during a four-run rally that put Chicago up, 7-1.

In his career, Young was “only” 27-22 against the White Sox, a .551 winning percentage that was far worse than his .619 career mark; only two American League franchises did better against the all-time wins leader.

1922
After a broken finger in a car accident delayed the start of his season, Ted Blankenship finally joined the White Sox to start his rookie season. The phenom had allowed just 44 runs over 140 innings for the Class D Bonham Bingers in 1921, at age 20, prompting the White Sox to purchase him that offseason. Blankenship made his MLB debut on July 2 and got his first start in the bigs five days later.

The righty’s crowning season was 1925, when he went 17.8 with a 3.03 ERA as a swingman (40 games, 23 starts) and a 5.2 WAR. He again broke his finger in 1926 and his career was never the same. In a nine-year, 241-game career with the White Sox, Blankenship went 77-79 with 12.2 WAR.

1957
The White Sox fell out of first place, ceding to the Yankees in heartbreaking fashion.

Entering a doubleheader Sunday, both clubs won openers in stirring fashion:

• New York took out visiting K.C., 2-1, with two runs in the bottom of the eighth
• The White Sox scored four in the top of the ninth to win, 7-6, at Washington, with the GWRBI coming on a Larry Doby triple

But the nightcaps turned downright tragic:

• The Yankees swept the A’s in decisive fashion, 5-1
• The White Sox fell behind early, 9-3, rallied late to tie, then lost on a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th from future White Sox slugger Roy Sievers

Up to June 30, the White Sox had only been out of first place a handful of days, and never more than a half-game out in all that time. From here, however, the White Sox would never get closer than the one game out they were after these doubleheaders. The South Siders never ceded second place, finishing 90-64, but could not catch the 98-56 Yankees.

1978
Twenty-one years after clobbering the triple that kept the White Sox in first place for one more game, Larry Doby was named manager of the White Sox, replacing Bob Lemon.

This marked the second time Bill Veeck and Doby had collaborated to break ground. In 1947, Veeck signed Doby to play for Cleveland, as the second Black major leaguer post-color line (after Jackie Robinson), and first American Leaguer. With his hiring, Doby became the second Black manager in MLB history, after Frank Robinson. Doby took over a disappointing, 34-40 team and went 37-50 to finish 1978, in his sole stint as a major league skipper.

The combination of Lemon and Doby piled up 1.1 managerial WAR in 1978, indicating at least a slightly positive season from the bench, and one Doby could likely claim a significant part of. But Veeck opted not to re-hire his former player for 1979, replacing him with player-manager Don Kessinger.

Doby was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1998, and his statue stands outside of Progressive Field in Cleveland.

1988
After years of saying that the original Comiskey Park was outdated, White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn came very close to moving the team to St. Petersburg, Fla.

At the stroke of midnight, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill allowing the construction of a new stadium, thus saving the Sox. Truthfully it was past midnight, but Governor Jim Thompson actually had stopped the clock to get the funding accomplished, because no bills could be passed after that time period. 

But it was a close call. Minutes before House and Senate members walked into their chambers late that Thursday, leaders from both parties predicted that the $150 million Sox stadium bill would fail, leaving the Sox “no choice” but to leave the South Side for St. Petersburg. House Republicans left their caucuses, saying they had only five votes for the package. Their Democratic counterparts said only 50 votes could be mustered. And Senate Democrats said they had only 10 votes in favor of the deal. But a few minutes before midnight, Senate Democrats ratified the measure by gathering 30 votes. The House then passed the measure by a 60-55 vote.

Meanwhile, Florida baseball fans were stunned as they realized they had been used as a pawn to get a new facility by the power brokers and politicians of Chicago. The new stadium built with taxpayer money, initially dubbed New Comiskey or Comiskey Park II, would open its doors on April 18, 1991.

1993
Three years after being denied the chance to be a six-decade major-leaguer when White Sox players objected, 70-year-old Minnie Miñoso suited up as designated hitter for the St. Paul Saints (owned, not coincidentally, by Mike Veeck). The Saints were playing a Northern League game against the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks.

Miñoso grounded back to pitcher Yoshi Seo in his first and only at-bat.

2008
White Sox outfielder Nick Swisher became the first player in franchise history to homer from both sides of the plate twice in the same season, when he hit two in a 9-7 win over Cleveland. Swisher accomplished the feat for the first time a few weeks earlier, in a game against the Twins. This also was the eighth incidence of a White Sox player switching-hitting homers in the same game. One of Swisher’s home runs was a grand slam, as he drove in five runs on the night. It was also Swisher’s second grand slam in four days.

2015
When Chris Sale struck out Jhonny Peralta of the Cardinals in the sixth inning of a game the White Sox would eventually win, 2-1, in 11 innings at St. Louis, it marked the eighth consecutive start in which he fanned 10 or more hitters. That tied Sale with Pedro Martinez for the longest streak in baseball history.

At the plate, Sale also collected his first career major league hit.

The strikeout stretch for Sale had started on May 23 against the Twins. Even though Sale was overpowering, the White Sox offense was so weak that his record in those eight starts was 3-3, with two no-decisions.

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The last two days have been brutal, but a full Tuesday slate gives us the perfect chance to bounce back.

My MLB player props are counting on Hunter Goodman and Kyle Schwarber to lead us back into the green on June 30.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Ty France	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-137
Hunter Goodman	Over 1.5 total bases	-122
Kyle Schwarber	Over 0.5 doubles | Over 0.5 home runs	+495 | +167

Ty France Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-137)

A guy I have never backed once in my life, Mr. Ty France, welcome to my card!

The San Diego Padres first baseman enters today with an elite rating over on Batters-Box's current season dataset, while also boasting nearly 90% arsenal coverage against Chicago Cubs southpaw Matthew Boyd.

The Cubs left hander has been allowing a ton of elevation and hard contact to opposing right handed hitters. Over the last 30 he has faced, they are generating a 52.5% hard-hit rate, 13% barrel rate, and 74% elevation rate.

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is.

France has torched left-handed pitching. To give you a delectable sample size, over his last 90 at-bats against lefties, he is hitting .300 with a .520 SLG and .877 OPS, while producing a 57% hard-hit rate and a 10.8% barrel rate.

With this already being a juicy-heavy prop, I would not play it any higher. If you cannot find a good number, I would pivot to his total bases instead.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MARQ, SDPA

Hunter Goodman Over 1.5 total bases (-122)

Time to back one of the hottest hitters in baseball as he takes on the worst rated pitcher on the slate, per Batters-Box.

My pride and joy, Colorado Rockies star catcher Hunter Goodman, is two home runs away from cashing his preseason home run total, and I want to ride his hot streak. Of course, I am playing it safe by taking the Over on his bases prop tonight against Miami Marlins right hander Eury Perez.

Goodman has been tearing the cover off the ball, generating a 33.33% barrel rate and 66.67% hard-hit rate over his last five games. On top of that, he has nearly 64% arsenal coverage against all of Perez's pitches, with every expected batting average checking in at .290 or better.

On the other side, Perez brings an arsenal where half his pitches grade below league average. His fastball, which he throws 47% of the time, is his only above-average offering. Against fastballs this season, Goodman owns a .351 xBA, .750 OPS, .321 wOBA, and 58% hard contact.

I would not pay much more than the current price for this prop. If you are looking for a little more value, I would rather sprinkle his double or home run props. 

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: COLR, MIAM

Kyle Schwarber Over 0.5 doubles (+495) | Over 0.5 home runs (+167)

Someone I am almost never looking to back on a total bases prop, because there is rarely any value, is Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. We know his game — he is a true three outcome player.

I am a firm believer there are only two ways to attack him when he is in a great spot but the prices are awful:

1. If you can get him below -170 for a hit.
2. What we will be doing tonight, which is targeting his double and home run markets.

Schwarber enters Tuesday with the fifth-highest arsenal coverage among elite rated hitters on Batters-Box, covering 81.5% of Bubba Chandler's arsenal. Across 104 elite rated home matchups, the Phillies slugger has homered 34.62% of the time while recording a double just 14.2% of the time.

Sure, that is not the sexiest trend for the double, but that's why it's priced at nearly +500.

He is also recording two hits only 24% of the time. For those looking to lay the juice on his hit, he records at least one hit 63.46% of the time.

Schwarber owns an 80% hard-hit rate and a 13.3% barrel rate over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. Meanwhile, Chandler has allowed a 14.3% barrel rate and a 71.4% elevation rate over his last 30 plate appearances against left-handed hitters.

If Schwarber gets a hold of one tonight, it is going to be elevated, and it has a great chance of leaving the yard.

Do not pay juice unless it is for the 1+ hit!

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSP, SNP

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Action on the diamond doesn't stop, and our MLB experts have sifted through games to bring you the best MLB picks for June 30.

Highlighted teams for today include the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies!

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Neil Parker: Nationals ML	+122
Joe Osborne: Marlins vs Rockies - Over 11.5	+108

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Neil Parker's expert pick: Nationals moneyline

Price: 45¢ (+122) at Polymarket

The Washington Nationalspace the majors in wOBA against lefties, and Boston Red Sox southpaw Connelly Early has surrendered the 10th-highest barrel percentage among pitchers with at least 75 innings.

Early is also eyeing statistical correction with his 3.59 ERA well below his 4.72 FIP, in addition to his unsustainably high 85.7% strand rate.

The Boston offense doesn’t move the needle with a 27th-ranked xwOBA in June and sixth-lowest barrel percentage for the season, either.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NESN, Nationals.TV

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Marlins vs Rockies - Over 11.5

Price: 48¢ (+108) at Polymarket

The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies could be in for another offensive explosion after combining for 17 runs on Monday at Coors Field.

Both lineups enter Tuesday red hot, ranking third and fifth in OPS over the past two weeks. Colorado turns to Tanner Gordon, who comes off the DL.

He owns a 6.37 ERA this season and an atrocious 9.92 ERA in 16 1/3 innings at home, while Miami counters with Eury Perez, who's posted a 6.04 ERA across six road starts. 

With the Rockies' bullpen ranking 29th in home ERA and a 10.3 mph wind blowing out, there's a lot to like about the Over in Denver.

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Rockies.TV, Marlins.TV

More MLB best bets for today

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Losers of five consecutive games and eight of their last 10, the Yankees are desperate to turn things around. Ryan Weathers and some suspect defensive play are mostly to blame for Monday’s loss against the Tigers, one in which the bullpen had to throw 7.1 innings.

With the unit needing a fresh arm for the next few days, the Bombers have recalled right-hander Yovanny Cruz from Triple-A Scranton ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup with Detroit. Yerry De los Santos, who tossed two frames on Monday and allowed two unearned runs in the process, was sent down to the RailRiders following the game.

The 26-year-old Cruz has racked up 2.1 innings in the majors this year, allowing no runs or walks and striking out three. He has mostly pitched in Scranton, where he has a solid 3.18 ERA and a 3.88 FIP in 28.1 innings of work. Cruz has struggled a bit in June, surrendering four earned runs in 8.2 innings, but was able to string together a couple of scoreless appearances last week, putting himself in a position to help the Yankees and getting the call.

Cruz’s control is not the best, as he walked 4.1 hitters per nine in Triple-A, but he is armed with a couple of impressive pitches in his triple-digit fastball and his slider. The latter is the real swing-and-miss weapon, and he’s not afraid of using it against both lefties and righties.

If he can keep his fastball in the strike zone but away from the middle-middle part of it, Cruz could be an interesting relief pitching piece for the Yankees in the upcoming weeks. He just needs a shot and some consistency.

De los Santos, who was called up last week, returns to Triple-A with a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 MLB innings this season,, albeit mostly mop-up work. He is likely to get another shot eventually whenever the Yankees are in another roster crunch.

Being an all-glove, no-hit player pretty much bars you from superstardom, but even then, some manage to earn a place among baseball legend by doing the right thing at the right time. Bucky Dent’s seasonal OPS never climbed above .700 during his Yankees tenure, yet his name is rightfully etched into club history because his three-run home run basically won the 1978 AL pennant and sent the Red Sox packing. However, players like Dent are the exception. Most of them fade into obscurity — and that’s far from the worst outcome. Some are seen as emblematic of their team’s incompetence, their names becoming shorthand for a fallow era. Unfortunately, that was the fate that met Jerry Kenney.

Gerald Tennyson “Jerry” Kenney
Born: June 30, 1945 (St. Louis, MO)
Yankees Tenure: 1967-72

Born in St. Louis, Jerry Kenney was raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, and excelled at basketball as a high schooler, earning All-State honors in his senior year. However, Kenney chose to focus on baseball as a profession, and in the 1963-64 offseason he was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent. He rose through the minor league ranks quickly, earning a promotion to the bigs in 1967, and proceeded to hit .310/.412/.397 over 74 plate appearances.

Kenney’s budding career was interrupted with a mandatory stint in the Navy, as the Vietnam War was ongoing. Fortunately, what was originally a two-year stint was shortened, and it was reported in November of 1968 that Kenney would be able to return for the 1969 season. As fate would have it, one Mickey Mantle announced his retirement on March 1, 1969. The narrative-hungry media were quick to name Kenney, who had split his time between center field and shortstop in the minors, as the heir to Mantle. Talk about setting reasonable expectations.

Suffice it to say that Kenney could not quite live up to Mantle’s standards. In his four seasons with the Yankees after he returned from military service, Kenney never hit more than four homers, and his batting average never reached the .270 mark. However, with the benefit of modern metrics, we can now see that Kenney was far more talented than the back of his baseball card would suggest. While his offensive metrics are generally mediocre, Kenney did manage to post a 103 wRC+ over 120 games in 1971, on the strength of a 14.2-percent walk rate and a .368 OBP. On the other side of the ball, the numbers paint a picture of a truly elite defender. From 1969-72, Kenney recorded 42 Fielding Runs Above Average — this despite only playing in 440 of 642 team games. On the strength of his glove, he was able to post 6.8 WAR over that period despite some terrible years with the stick. He wasn’t a star by any means, but he was a solid role player, and far from a scrub.

However, the Yankees, presumably not fully appreciative of Kenney’s defensive contributions, decided after 1972 that they had had enough of him. That offseason, Kenney was dealt to Cleveland as part of a four-player package for Graig Nettles.

OK, I know this article should be reserved for giving Kenney his deserved flowers, but this trade is so absurd that I feel compelled to spill some digital ink on it. So the Yankees dealt four players — Kenney, Charlie Spikes, John Ellis, and Rusty Torres — to Cleveland, getting back Nettles and Jerry Moses. What in the world was Cleveland thinking? Nettles had already established himself as one of the best players in the league, posting a whopping 16.2 WAR from 1970-72. And yes, I realize that WAR only meant Cold or Vietnam back in those days, but even when you account for his relatively low batting averages, Nettles still socked 71 homers over that period while playing Hall-of-Fame-caliber defense at the hot corner. It truly boggles the mind. I mean, imagine Cleveland trading Jose Ramirez to the Yankees in the 2020-21 offseason for a package of Tyler Wade, Kyle Higashioka, Mike Tauchman, and Estevan Florial. The resulting riot would have surpassed the Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969 as the most notable Cleveland disaster.

Phew. Okay, back to celebrating Kenney.

Kenney’s MLB career ended unceremoniously with just five games played with Cleveland in 1973. After his retirement, his name, along with Horace Clarke’s, became synonymous with the Yankees’ postseason drought that stretched from 1965 to 1975.

However, Kenney (and Clarke) deserve to be remembered as much more. Though it may be true that the Yankees never sniffed the playoffs during Kenney’s tenure, it’s not like he alone was the reason; far from it. As shown above, Kenney himself was a solid, if a bit one-dimensional, piece — had he found himself on more talented Yankees squads, he might have carved a name for himself with some postseason heroics, like Bucky Dent. It just so happened that his tenure coincided with a dip in the Yankees’ fortunes, and the retirement of a franchise legend in Mantle coinciding with the start of his career only served to inflate the hype around him — intensifying the scorn of fans when he inevitably failed to live up to it.

So, on this day, rather than disparaging Kenney for who he wasn’t, let’s celebrate Kenney for who he was — an elite defender, a solid role player, and a Yankee. Happy Birthday, Jerry!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The AJ Smith-Shawver news that Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos shared last week in an interview with BravesVision is coming exactly to fruition.

The right-handed pitcher is set to officially begin his rehab assignment Tuesday night with Single-A Augusta, the Braves announced Tuesday morning.

Smith-Shawver’s first rehab start is slated for a 7:05 p.m. EDT game time with Augusta hosting the Salem RidgeYaks. You can watch the livestream if you have an MLB.TV subscription.

It’s approaching 13 months since Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery last June. His last appearance was May 29 and the injury derailed what seemed to be a potential breakout season as he had a 3.86 ERA in nine appearances with 42 strikeouts, 21 walks and four home runs allowed in 44 1/3 innings.

The early returns from Smith-Shawver’s build-up work ahead of the rehab assignment officially beginning have been promising, Anthopoulos said.

“He was throwing the ball really well in Florida. He looked good,” Anthopoulos said. ” … Obviously it’s a max 30-day rehab assignment. We don’t necessarily always go all that way. We’ll see how he looks and he’ll build up.”

With Spencer Strider still sidelined for the foreseeable future and Bryce Elder coming hurtling back down to earth, more rotation options would be a big help for a Braves team which is all of a sudden clinging to a 3.5-game division lead.

Hurston Waldrep’s return over the weekend was Step 1. It seems Smith-Shawver will be Step 2. And with Spencer Schwellenbach heading to Florida soon for a potential return in August or September, per MLB.com, it would seem he will be Step 3.

Now to see if the Braves bridge that further over the next month with a trade acquisition ahead of the deadline.

“Look, it’s going to be one of those things where we’ll take the five best guys, the guys that are hot,” Anthopoulos said.

The Nats are in a seemingly endless search for quality MLB relievers, so every time I see an interesting one, I will write about it. After the disaster against the Phillies, the Nats decided to recall Zak Kent. He has fired two scoreless innings since coming back, and has a unique arsenal I want to talk about.

Kent is one of Paul Toboni’s many waiver claims since taking the job. As we know by now, these claims are dart throws and most of these guys are on waivers for a reason. With Kent, he has been on the waiver wire multiple times. He was DFA’d by the Twins in late April, and then picked up by the Nats. Kent made a few outings for the Nats in May before being sent down.

As mentioned here, Kent is a Virginia native, and he went to school at VMI. This is a bit of a homecoming for him, so that may add motivation for him. However, staying in the big leagues should be enough motivation. To stay in the big leagues, you need to perform, and that is what Kent has done since coming back.

Zak Kent has a very unique arsenal that could make him a sneaky piece. The biggest thing that stands out with Kent is how much he can spin the baseball. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 100 pitches, Kent has the third highest spin rate on his fastball. He also gets a ton of spin on his slider and curveball.

In my opinion, Kent’s 4-seam fastball is actually more of a hard cutter. If you look at the pitch plot, his heater has a ton of cut and not a lot of ride. Even when you watch the pitch, you can see the ball cutting away from hitters.

His fastball/cutter is not very hard, averaging 92.4 MPH on the season. However, since joining the Nats, his average fastball velocity is up to 93.4. Kent’s slider is over a tick harder as well, and his curveball is almost 3 MPH faster. It is not an arsenal that will overpower hitters, but a 93 MPH cutter is nothing to yawn at.

In my opinion, Kent’s two breaking balls are his best pitches. This season, he has a whiff rate over 35% on both his curve and his slider. Kent is a natural supinator, meaning he gets a lot of natural cut on the ball. That means he can access a lot of different breaking ball shapes. I wonder if the Nats try to add a sweeper here. This year he has one pitch that was listed as a sweeper and had three last year, so it seems like they are trying it out. 

Since coming back, Kent has been leaning into those breaking balls. It is only two outings, but he is throwing both his curve and slider over 30% of the time. We have seen Andrew Alvarez have success throwing his fastball, slider and curve in about equal doses, and I think Kent can follow that formula.

I actually found a piece from early 2025 where Kent dove into his arsenal. Interestingly, he did call his fastball a cutter, despite the fact Baseball Savant classifies it as a 4-seamer. There are some cool details about his mix in this piece.

In Kent’s 6 outings with the Nats, his ERA of 4.70 is unremarkable. However, he has a FIP of 3.49 and an xERA of 2.11. Stuff models do not really like Kent’s cut fastball, but they do grade out his breaking balls as above average. His command is nothing special, so those breaking balls are really the key for him.

I do not think Kent will be a dominant closer or even some great high leverage guy. However, I do think he has some interesting traits that could make him a solid big league reliever. Right now, the Nats need as many solid big league relievers as possible. If Kent can provide them with that, he would be a godsend.

He has only made two outings since coming back, but he has put up two zeroes and has not allowed any hits. In this bullpen, it does not take much to rise up the trust ladder. If Zak Kent has a couple more of these types of outings, he will be tasked with closing games before too long. I am not sure how well that would go, but it is great to see a reliever throwing the ball well and doing actually interesting things.

Tony Fernandez, widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Blue Jays history, would have celebrated his 64th birthday today.

Fernandez still leads the franchise in games played (1,450) and hits (1,583), among other records. He also set single-season marks for singles (161) and triples (17), and is second among position players in bWAR with 37.5, narrowly behind Jose Bautista (38.4). This changes every time there is a tweak to the formula of bWAR. He was first a couple of years ago.

Fernandez had four separate stints in Toronto. He debuted at age 21 in 1983 and played shortstop until 1990, when he and Fred McGriff were dealt to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter—a franchise-altering trade.

In 1993, after Dick Schofield’s early-May injury, the Jays tried Alfredo Griffin and Domingo Cedeno at shortstop, but neither stuck. Toronto traded with the Mets to bring Tony back, and he delivered: hitting .306/.361/.442 in 94 games and helping the Jays win another World Series.

After the season, Fernandez signed with the Reds as a free agent. He also played for the Yankees and Cleveland before rejoining the Blue Jays before 1998 as a utility infielder. In 1998, he played extensively at second and third base. By 1999, he was the starting third baseman and posted a terrific .328/.427/.449 slash line, though his defense drew some criticism.

In 2000, he played in Japan, then signed with the Brewers for 2001. After two months, Milwaukee released him, and Toronto brought him back once more; he finished his career as a Blue Jay, mostly as a pinch hitter and DH.

Tony won four Gold Gloves and was an exceptionally athletic shortstop—always one of my favorites. His leaping jump-spin throws and sidearm deliveries to first base were iconic, and I tried to copy them as a kid. He was usually smiling on the bench, though he didn’t say much to the media. Maybe it was a language thing, or perhaps Dominican players found the press unapproachable—or vice versa.

He was the smoothest shortstop I’ve ever watched play.

Fernandez is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. In a fairer world, he’d be in Cooperstown too.

Tony passed away in February 2020, and his loss hit me harder than I expected.

Bud Black turns 69 today.

The Blue Jays traded for Black on September 16, 1990, when they were one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East.

He debuted in relief on September 18 and got the win, pulling the Jays into a tie for first. Black’s first start was a loss, but he started the second-to-last game, earned another win, and kept Toronto in the race. However, a loss on the final day (while Boston won) left Toronto two games back.

After the season, Black signed with the Giants as a free agent.

Across 15 MLB seasons, Black posted a 121-116 record and a 3.84 ERA over 398 games (296 starts).

After his playing days, Black became a pitching coach, then managed the Padresin 2007. He managed the Rockies to start 2025 but was let go after 40 games (7-33 start). He’s now an advisor with the Padres.

Pat Venditte turns 41 today.

Venditte pitched eight games for the Blue Jays in 2016.

He’s famous for pitching with both hands—earning the headline “amphibious pitcher,” which is even rarer than ambidextrous.

Venditte appeared in 61 big-league games over five seasons with six teams.

It is also Kazuma Okamoto’s 30th birthday.

Happy Birthday Kazuma