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More than 700 players have appeared in a game for the Rockies. Most do not last long. The average Rockies tenure is much closer to two years than five, which makes the long-timers easy to remember and the short stays easy to lose. 

This is not about franchise pillars, or random cameos, but Rockies who packed most of their Colorado story into one season. 

Jeff Cirillo helps draw the line. He spent two seasons with Colorado, and both were productive. In 2000, he hit .326 with 53 doubles, 115 RBI, 195 hits, an All-Star selection, and 4.5 bWAR. 

In 2001, Cirillo hit .313 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, and 3.2 bWAR. 

If this were just a list of great short Rockies stays, Cirillo would belong. But his tenure had two good seasons, then a transaction afterlife when Colorado traded him to Seattle in the deal that brought Brian Fuentes to Denver. 

This list is narrower: One big year, one sharp impression, and then the moment was gone.

The toolsy outfielder who looked like the future: Nolan Jones, 2023 

The most recent bit of one-summer magic is Nolan Jones.

The Rockies acquired Jones from Cleveland for Juan Brito in November 2022, started him in Triple-A, and did not get the full version right away. He was recalled in April, sent back down, recalled again in May, and then caught fire after returning from the injured list.

In 2023, Jones hit .297 with 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 4.3 bWAR in 106 games. He led the Rockies in Baseball-Reference WAR despite playing barely two-thirds of a season, and his outfield arm gave the profile another loud tool.

Jones looked like more than a nice find. He looked like a possible long-term answer.

Then came the follow-up. Jones fell to -0.8 bWAR in 2024, with injuries and swing-and-miss keeping the breakout from becoming a clean franchise arc. By March 2025, the Rockies had traded him back to Cleveland for Tyler Freeman.

The story has kept moving. Cleveland has since traded Jones to the White Sox. Teams are still searching for some version of the player who briefly looked like a future piece in Colorado. 

Replacing a legend: Justin Morneau, 2014 

Justin Morneau’s Rockies tenure technically stretched into 2015, but his Rockies story is really 2014. 

Todd Helton had just retired. First base at Coors Field had belonged to one player for nearly two decades. The Rockies were not going to replace him with another Helton. Nobody was. 

Then Morneau showed up and won the National League batting title. 

He hit .319 with 17 home runs and 82 RBI, giving Colorado a veteran first baseman who could still really hit. He was not Helton, and the Rockies did not need to pretend he was. Morneau was a former MVP, post-concussion and post-prime, proving there was still a high-level hitter left. 

The batting title can be dismissed by people who dismiss every Rockies batting line, but that undersells the season. Morneau gave Colorado a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat at a position that had just lost the most important player in franchise history. 

As one-year Rockies chapters go, it was about as simple as it gets: batting title, injury-limited follow-up, free agency. 

The Coors Field pitching answer: Joe Kennedy, 2004 

Joe Kennedy might be the most underrated brief-stay season in Rockies history. 

There was no All-Star selection. No major award. No playoff race. The 2004 Rockies lost 94 games, and Kennedy’s season mostly disappeared inside a bad team. 

Kennedy gave the Rockies something they almost never get: a legitimately strong starting pitching season at Coors Field. He went 9-7 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 162 1/3 innings, 117 strikeouts, a 135 ERA+, and 5.6 bWAR. He became the first Rockies starter to finish a season with an ERA under 4.00 after the team moved to Coors Field. 

Kennedy was actually better in Denver, going 6-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 14 home starts. 

Jason Marquis fits this bucket, too, just differently. He gave the 2009 playoff Rockies 216 innings, an All-Star selection, and 3.5 bWAR in his only season with Colorado before leaving through free agency. 

Kennedy had less visibility and less team success. For one year, though, he solved a problem Colorado has spent most of its existence trying to solve. 

The one-year relievers: Gabe White and Greg Holland

Relievers have their own version of this. 

Greg Holland is the visible one. He came to Colorado after Tommy John surgery, took over the ninth inning for a playoff team, saved 41 games, made the All-Star team, shared the National League saves lead, won NL Comeback Player of the Year, then reached free agency. 

Gabe White is the sneaky one. He came over from Cincinnati in the Manny Aybar trade, put up 4.5 bWAR, a 2.17 ERA, 0.916 WHIP, 84 strikeouts, and a 247 ERA+ in 83 innings, then fell off in 2001 and was traded right back to Cincinnati. 

Holland has the playoff team visibility. White has the “wait, that actually happened?” stat line.

The one that still stands out: Jeffrey Hammonds, 2000

The one that still stands out most to me is Jeffrey Hammonds in 2000.

The Rockies acquired Hammonds from Cincinnati on October 30, 1999, in the trade that sent Dante Bichette to the Reds after seven seasons in Colorado. Hammonds played one season in Denver, reached free agency, signed with Milwaukee, and never again matched that summer at Coors Field.

That one season was the whole story. Hammonds played 122 games for Colorado and hit .335 with 20 home runs, 106 RBI, 14 steals, and made the All-Star team. He was not even the only Rockies position player from that roster to get there. Helton made his first All-Star appearance, and Cirillo was there, too, which is a pretty good snapshot of how ridiculous that lineup became.

The Rockies were built for offense that year. Helton was having a monster season, and Coors Field was still playing huge. But Hammonds was not just along for the ride. He gave them average, gap power, home run thump, some speed, and enough RBI production to stand out even in that environment.

That is what makes it the cleanest brief-stay Rockies season: acquired for a franchise icon, one huge year, free agency, and a reminder that not every breakout is meant to be bought.

The current version 

That is part of the point: sometimes you do not know you are watching a “one-summer-only” Rockies season while it is happening. 

Hammonds looked like he might be part of the lineup beyond 2000. Kennedy looked like he might have found something that worked at Coors Field in 2004. Jones looked like he might be part of the next good Rockies team in 2023. Each one lasted much shorter than it seemed in the moment. 

That is what makes the current roster interesting. Jake McCarthy, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Troy Johnston are Rockies right now, and all three have given Colorado something worth watching. McCarthy has brought speed and useful outfield defense. Sugano has given the Rockies real innings. Johnston is fifth in the National League in batting average and tied with Rafael Devers and Ernie Clement for the Major League lead with 20 doubles. 

Maybe their Rockies stories keep going. But maybe this summer is the chapter. Maybe years from now, this is the stretch fans look back on as the brief moment when one of them dropped a little magic in Colorado.

ON THE FARM

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 16, Tacoma Rainiers 1

The Albuquerque Isotopes (35-32) crushed the Tacoma Rainiers (28-39) 16-1 on a night that started with Gabriel Hughes’ (No. 12 PuRP) return and ended with Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) and Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) launching back-to-back home runs.

Hughes was excellent in his first game back with Albuquerque after a rehab assignment with High-A Spokane, where he threw six scoreless innings across two starts. The right-hander worked five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four. He threw 58 of his 77 pitches for strikes and earned his first Triple-A win of the season, lowering his ERA to 7.20. Victor Vodnik followed with a scoreless inning, walking one but striking out the side, and Albuquerque pitchers held Tacoma to two hits while striking out 12.

Veen and Condon set the tone in the first inning. Veen doubled to right at 105.1 mph, his 16th double of the season, and Condon followed two batters later with a two-run homer to left-center. The 104.3 mph drive traveled 395 feet and was Condon’s 12th home run of the year.

They kept applying pressure from there. Veen added his 17th double in the third and finished 3-for-6 with two doubles, a three-run homer, three RBI, and two runs scored. He is now hitting .324 with a .985 OPS. Condon finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, four runs scored, and two walks. His second homer of the night, and 13th overall, came immediately after Veen’s three-run shot in the ninth. Condon has now homered five times in his last five games, and both Condon and Veen have gone deep in back-to-back games.

The game was still 3-1 after seven innings before Albuquerque buried it. The Isotopes scored nine runs in the eighth, with Vimael Machín delivering the biggest swing on a three-run homer, his ninth of the season. Machín finished 2-for-5 with four RBI

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 11, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1

The Hartford Yard Goats (34-26) beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (30-29) 11-1 behind an impressive Double-A debut from Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) and a huge night from the Hartford offense.

Cox was superb in his first start with the Yard Goats after being promoted from High-A Spokane, where he had posted a 4.23 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 55.1 innings. The right-hander did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and finished with 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight. He worked into trouble in the third with two walks and a hit batter, but escaped the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and kept New Hampshire quiet from there.

Hartford gave Cox breathing room in the second when Conner Capel walked and Bryant Betancourt followed with his 12th home run of the season. Betancourt finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and four runs scored, raising his OPS to .861.

The Yard Goats put the game away with an eight-run fourth inning. Zach Kokoska delivered the biggest swing with a three-run double, his eighth double of the season, and Aidan Longwell later added a two-run double, his 18th. Longwell finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Kokoska went 2-for-5 with three RBI.

Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP) also reached four times as the designated hitter, going 1-for-2 with his ninth double, three walks, and a run scored. Hartford finished with 16 hits and seven walks, giving Cox more than enough support in one of the Yard Goats’ most complete wins of the season.

High-A: Eugene Emeralds 7, Spokane Indians 6

The Spokane Indians (25-36) lost 7-6 to the Eugene Emeralds (41-20) on a walk-off homer after rallying back from a three-run deficit.

Jack O’Dowd stayed red hot, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. O’Dowd singled home Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP) in the first, doubled in the seventh, and doubled again to lead off the ninth before being stranded at third. In 20 games with Spokane, O’Dowd is now hitting .395/.471/.711 with a 1.182 OPS.

Tommy Hopfe also helped carry the offense, going 2-for-4 with a walk, his sixth home run of the season, and three RBI. Hopfe led off the game with a homer to center field, then tied it in the eighth with a two-run single after Spokane had fallen behind 6-3.

Hunter Omlid gave the Indians a chance, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen with two strikeouts. But after Spokane missed a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth, Trevor Cohen hit a walk-off solo homer in the bottom half to hand the Indians a tough loss.

Single-A: Visalia Rawhide 5, Fresno Grizzlies 1

The Fresno Grizzlies (31-30) lost 5-1 to the Visalia Rawhide (27-34) after scoring in the first inning but getting held quiet the rest of the way.

Yeiker Reyes opened the game with his first triple of the season, and Ashly Andujar (No. 20 PuRP) brought him home with a sacrifice fly to give Fresno a quick 1-0 lead. Reyes finished 2-for-4 and is now hitting .333 with a .777 OPS.

The lead did not last. Pedro Catuy hit a two-run homer off Riley Kelly (No. 27 PuRP) in the second inning, and Visalia added three more runs in the fifth. Kelly took the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on three hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and now has a 5.65 ERA.

Easton Marks gave Fresno a strong finish out of the bullpen, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. The Grizzlies managed only five hits, struck out 14 times to one walk, and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

‘He looked like death’: Sullivan’s MLB debut cut short due to illness | MLB.com

MLB.com’s Arion Armeniakos writes that Sean Sullivan’s Rockies debut was brief but memorable, with illness ending his first big-league start earlier than planned. Even so, Sullivan showed enough poise to make the outing feel more encouraging than disappointing. For a Rockies rotation still sorting through options, it was a strange debut — but a promising one.

A curious spike in Rockies injuries | purplerow.com

Purple Row’s Cory Cohen looks at a Rockies injury spike that has gotten hard to dismiss as normal attrition. Colorado had been one of MLB’s healthier organizations in recent years, but 2026 has brought a wave of injuries across both the major-league roster and the farm.

Sullivan records first multihomer game, looks to bounce back from slow May | MLB.com

MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Brett Sullivan turned a little momentum into his best offensive day as a Rockie, homering twice in Colorado’s loss to the Cubs. The bigger takeaway is that Sullivan is starting to look comfortable again after a rough May and limited playing time behind Hunter Goodman

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

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The dogs are barking this Saturday.

We have 15 MLB games on the card, with several underdogs who shouldn't be, and some massive favorites we must fade on price alone.

Read on for a fun day of MLB predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, June 13. 

MLB moneyline picks for June 13

Matchup	Pick
Cardinals vs Twins	+104
Yankees vs Blue Jays	+117
Mariners vs Nationals	+104
Marlins vs Pirates	+122
Padres vs Orioles	+113
Tigers vs Guardians	+117
Dodgers vs White Sox	+178
Rangers vs Red Sox	-100
Braves vs Mets	+104
Diamondbacks vs Reds	+104
Astros vs Royals	+108
Phillies vs Brewers	+133
Rockies vs Athletics	+170
Cubs vs Giants	-104
Rays vs Angels	-122

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 6-13.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for June 13

Cardinals vs Twins: Cardinals (+104)

Cardinals win probability: 49%

Minnesota hitters strike out 21.5% of the time against lefties. Matthew Liberatore holds a steady 4.68 SIERA and a low 0.93 home run rate. St. Louis relievers have a strong 3.10 SIERA, giving them the upper hand late.

Yankees vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (+117)

Blue Jays win probability: 46.1%

Kevin Gausman gives Toronto a real pitching edge at home. The Yankees' offense has slowed down recently, posting a 106 wRC+. New York starter Cam Schlittler has a 4.50 FIP, making the home underdog the smart play.

Mariners vs Nationals: Nationals (+104)

Nationals win probability: 49%

Cade Cavalli owns a solid 4.61 SIERA for Washington. He faces a Seattle offense that has a high 20.1% strikeout rate over the last two weeks. Both teams have matching 107 wRC+, making the home team a plus-money price great value.

Marlins vs Pirates: Marlins (+122)

Marlins win probability: 45%

Pittsburgh rookie Bubba Chandler has a high 5.36 SIERA and gives up 1.80 home runs per nine innings. Miami's bullpen is much safer with a 3.81 SIERA compared to Pittsburgh's weak 4.11 bullpen mark. Back the Miami bats to come out on top. 

Padres vs Orioles: Padres (+113)

Padres win probability: 46.9%

Baltimore starter Trey Gibson is overpriced with a poor 6.34 SIERA and a handful of strikeouts. Randy Vasquez has been much more reliable with a slightly better 5.70 SIERA. Take the better pitching numbers with the Padres on the road.

Tigers vs Guardians: Guardians (+117)

Guardians win probability: 46.1%

Tarik Skubal automatically makes the Tigers the favorites on the road. However, Joey Cantillo holds his own with a 4.46 SIERA. The real advantage is Cleveland's excellent bullpen, which has a sharp 3.59 SIERA to stop Detroit late.

Dodgers vs White Sox: White Sox (+178)

White Sox win probability: 41.5%

Rules prevent taking the Dodgers at a short price of -194. Chicago's offense has actually matched the Dodgers lately, with both teams earning a 122 wRC+. At a high +178 price, home field variance makes the White Sox worth backing.

Rangers vs Red Sox: Rangers (-100)

Rangers win probability: 50%

Texas is an excellent choice at an even pick'em price. The Rangers' offense is rolling with a 121 wRC+ over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Boston has completely gone cold with a weak 82 team wRC+ and is hard to trust. 

Braves vs Mets: Mets (+104)

Mets win probability: 49%

Sean Manaea matches up well against an Atlanta offense that has an ordinary 102 wRC+ across the past two weeks. Atlanta starter Martin Perez has a high 5.09 SIERA. The Mets bullpen carries a strong 3.33 SIERA to protect the lead late, and are a home dog worth backing. 

Diamondbacks vs Reds: Reds (+104)

Reds win probability: 49%

Rhett Lowder gets the start for Cincinnati at home. He faces an Arizona offense that has completely flatlined. The Diamondbacks have a league-worst 65 wRC+ over the last 14 days, making the home underdog the right play.

Astros vs Royals: Astros (+108)

Astros win probability: 48.1%

Mike Burrows gets the nod for Houston. The biggest edge for the Astros is their stellar bullpen. Houston relievers have a 3.14 SIERA, which will shut down Kansas City late in the game. Take the plus-money road team.

Phillies vs Brewers: Phillies (+133)

Phillies win probability: 42.9%

The market is making a mistake by pricing the Phillies as big underdogs. Aaron Nola is a top-tier pitcher compared to Shane Drohan. Philadelphia's bullpen supports him with a strong 3.22 SIERA to keep Milwaukee quiet.

Rockies vs Athletics: Rockies (+170)

Rockies win probability: 37%

The Athletics are too expensive to back here. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland has a 4.93 SIERA, which matches up tightly with Jeffrey Springs' 5.00 SIERA. At this large a price, the Rockies and Freeland are too difficult to ignore.

Cubs vs Giants: Cubs (-104)

Cubs win probability: 51%

Ben Brown gives Chicago a stable advantage over Trevor McDonald's 4.21 SIERA. San Francisco's bullpen is in deep trouble, posting a slate-worst 5.21 SIERA over the last two weeks. Back the Cubs at a great price.

Rays vs Angels: Rays (-122)

Rays win probability: 55%

Tampa Bay has a major pitching advantage. Angels starter Jose Soriano struggles with a high 5.69 SIERA and a poor 7.59 BB/9 walk rate. The Rays will score early and exploit a mediocre Angels bullpen.

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.

Today’s Reflections

Not that I was snoozing ….. but, boy, Seiya Suzuki’s slam had to wake everybody up, especially the other bats.

Speaking of Suzuki, Seiya must have read Ken Rosenthal’s article suggesting that the Cubs trade him (see link bel0w). Just like 100 million other people who read the article, those of which who are baseball writers went on a feeding frenzy. “(Enter team’s name) should trade for Suzuki.” I included the only article that actually posted a trade idea — for what it is.

The article by Sahadev Sharma on Edward Cabrera shows amazing detail on how the Pitch Lab went about providing the adjustments that Cabrera needed. I know people roll their eyes at the words “Pitch Lab” (I do at times as well), but if the work Tommy Hottovy put into Cabrera led to his performance in Colorado and he can build from there, there might be something to the Lab (at least in isolated situations).

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Mr. Rosenthal has entered the chat — More trade talk:

• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Why it would behoove the Cubs to explore the market for Seiya Suzuki, plus more MLB notes. “The Cubs could use a jolt. They need to extract value from at least one of their potential free agents. And in a sport increasingly lacking in potent right-handed hitters, Suzuki figures to be in demand.”
• Josh Davis (Clutch Points): Braves’ perfect trade offer for Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki after Ronald Acuna Jr. injury. “Why the Atlanta Braves should pursue Seiya Suzuki after Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury to reinforce their lineup for a World Series run.”
• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): If the Cubs Plan to Be Buyers, They’re Now on the Clock After Taillon Injury News. “The Chicago Cubs have lost another starter for an extended stretch, which could mean the next few weeks will make or break their season.”

Analysis of Thursday’s win:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman finally deliver big home runs for Chicago Cubs in 9-3 win to avert sweep. “The Cubs hadn’t slugged three home runs in a game since April 25, part of a four-week stretch to start the season of recording five games with three homers.”
• Joey Mistretta (Clutch Points): Cubs’ Craig Counsell sends brutally honest message to team after defeating Rockies. “The Cubs’ injury concerns have been impossible to ignore. They have certainly played a role in the team’s underwhelming overall season. However, many players have underperformed as well. The Cubs know they need to be better.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs used Edward Cabrera’s 15-day IL stint to get his stuff back. “When Edward Cabrera hit the injured list with a blister issue, Chicago’s coaching staff went to work with him.:
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): How Seiya Suzuki Slid Back into the Right Rhythm to Blast Thursday’s Key Grand Slam. “Nothing went right for Seiya Suzuki in May, when he batted .190 with little power. June has been a different story, and his grand slam Thursday was his biggest hit of the season.”
• Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Win After Suzuki Grand Slam, Bregman Bomb, Counsell Ejection – 3 Takeaways. “Cubs avoid a sweep in 9-run performance from the offense, fueled by Suzuki’s grand slam.”

Some good news — before the rest:

• Michael Avallone (MLB.com): Cubs prospect Owen Ayers has a sixth sense for hits, RBIs in Double-A doubleheader. “For some, a doubleheader means twice the work. For Owen Ayers, it meant twice the opportunity to wreak havoc.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Ben Brown: All-Star? It’s a big possibility for the Cubs. “Representing the Cubs at the All-Star Game would take his impressive campaign to another level.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs might’ve just hit new low with parallel to historically bad White Sox. “Things have, in fact, been that bad.”

• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs all but confirm Jed Hoyer’s newest offseason mistake with latest injury update. “Another disappointing injury update. Shocker.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): It’s becoming crystal clear who will be the first fall guy for Cubs’ 2026 failures. “Cubs fans are understandably furious with both Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell, but neither is likely to lose their jobs yet.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Are the Cubs too uptight? A scuffling club is asking the same question. “The rapid drop-off can be attributed to a variety of factors, from pitching injuries to the law of averages to the club’s best hitters failing to deliver with runners in scoring position. Clearly, something is off.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): While Cubs search for fixes in slumbering lineup, homer-plagued pitching staff needs help, too. “The Cubs’ struggling bats might be causing the most fan frustration, but the arms haven’t been much better, allowing more homers than any team in baseball.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jed Hoyer’s outdated vision for 2026 Cubs is unraveling in painful fashion. “The problem is that Hoyer’s need to find depth last offseason may have ignored the elephant in the room. It was made clear by the end of the 2025 season that the Cubs didn’t have a defined ace. Entering the 2026 season, it’s fair to suggest that was still case.”

Wednesday’s game story:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs fall back to .500 for 1st time since April 15 with walk-off loss to MLB-worst Colorado Rockies. “Cubs players slowly walked off the field while some stayed on the bench, staring out at the field. Even some coaches and support staff hung around briefly. Perhaps the reality of the Cubs’ situation was sinking in.”

Food For Thought:

Aynsley Lister is of the UK’s hottest contemporary blues guitarists. His unique brand of blues-based rock delivers contemporary song writing fueled with the kind of hear and soul that’s missing from so much modern music. Blessed with the coolest dad in town, regularly spinning Hendrix, Cream, Fleetwood Mac and a whole host of bewitching blues for his spellbound son, Aynsley taught himself to play with relentless dedication and a precociously attuned ear, spending hours copying his favourite records note for note. Peter Green, Albert King, Clapton and Kossoff weren’t just his heroes; they became his teachers.

Their influence, coupled with his dynamite live shows and an intense touring schedule, earned high profile support slots with established artists like John Mayall and Robert Cray, whilst rousing festival appearances, cemented his standing as an artist whose work, although rooted in blues, transcended the genre with a fiery modern sound that was eagerly embraced by fans of rock, pop, soul and acoustic music alike.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Not only did the Atlanta Braves drop the series opener to the New York Mets 7-5, but things remained difficult on the injury front. Spencer Strider got the start and struggled early on. He exited in the fourth inning due to shoulder and elbow soreness and likely undergo an MRI today.

Once again, the Braves are hoping for the best, but after seeing Strider’s significant velocity drop, this is another tough blow for Atlanta.

More Braves News:

Hurston Waldrep was activated from the IL and assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. In his start with the Columbus Clingstones, he threw 3.2 innings and allowed four runs. He will be joining Drake Baldwin, who begins a rehab stint with Gwinnett this weekend. 

MLB News:

The Kansas City Royals placed starter Seth Lugo on the seven-day concussion IL after being struck in the face on Wednesday. Fortunately, he was able to leave the game under his own power. 

The A’s placed DH/OF Brent Rooker on the 10-day injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee. The move is retroactive to June 9.

The Philadelphia Phillies placed right fielder Adolis Garcia on the 60-day injured list with a torn right lat. He suffered the injury on Wednesday in Toronto.

From the Feed:

Based on the recent injuries, what is your level of concern about the Braves right now?

Meet the Mets

The Mets began a three-game series against the NL East-leading Braves last night and were able to overcome a rough second inning from starter Nolan McLean and a late rally from Atlanta to secure a 7-5 victory. The star of the night was Bo Bichette, who hit two home-runs—including a grand slam—and drove in six runs. The Amazins have now won two straight.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, NY Post, North Jersey

The Mets have a new home run celebration featuring one of the most famous Mets fans of all time: your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

As mentioned above, the second inning was particularly rough for McLean, though he managed to escape a bases-loaded jam.

Francisco Lindor is continuing to progress in his rehab and the Mets hope to get him back before the end of the month.

Lindor was one of several topics discussed by David Stearns yesterday as he expressed hope that the Mets would turn the corner on their season soon.

The next few weeks will tell us whether the Mets are capable of turning their season around.

Around the National League East

The most noteworthy thing that occurred for the Braves in yesterday’s loss was Strider being forced to leave the game early due to right arm soreness.

The Phillies were completely and utterly dominated by Jacob Misiorowski last night, as the young Brewers ace threw a complete game one-hit shutout with fifteen strikeouts to give Philadelphia a 6-0 loss.

Prior to last night’s game, the Phillies made a number of roster moves—including placing Adolis García on the 60-day IL with a lat tear and adding the recently acquired Derek Hill to the active roster.

Sandy Alcántara racked up his 1000th career strikeout and the Marlins won their sixth straight with an 8-3 victory over the Pirates that put the Fish back at .500.

The Nationals were delayed for over two hours yesterday due to rain and didn’t exactly come out of the delay sharp, as they were shellacked by the Mariners to the tune of a 10-2 loss.

Around Major League Baseball

The Rockies suffered a brutal blow to their pitching staff, as Chase Dollander is expected to require surgery to repair his UCL.

Trent Grisham injured his right hamstring last night and could miss some time moving forward.

Gunnar Henderson hit career home run number 100 to join rare company in Orioles history.

The knee injury that Shohei Ohtani suffered the other day kept him out of the lineup last night, but the Dodgers do not expect him to hit the injured list.

The Athletics have been playing in Las Vegas for a few days and there has been a lot of offense.

Several potential deadline targets are increasing their value with solid play.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the first series of the season against the NL East rival Braves.

Joe Sokolowski provided an installment of This Week in Mets Quotes that isn’t really about the Mets and is all the better for it (Note: KNICKS IN FIVE).

This Date in Mets History

R.A. Dickey came very close to throwing a no-hitter—and instead settled for the first of what would end up being back-to-back one-hitters—on this date in 2012.

The Guardians won a big game to end their four-game losing streak and start the season 5-0 against the Tigers. Nick has your recap here.

Tonight is Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo and if I were the Tigers, losing this one would have me packing it up.

Travis Bazzana is in his first slump in the big leagues. He has a wRC+ of 30 over his last 39 plate appearances. Good for him. He will work his way out of it.

Tanner Bibee has been nails for the Guardians since that disastrous start vs. The Nationals. Props to him and Patrick Bailey for figuring it out. And, if my “Bench Steven Kwan” article can mark the beginning of a run for him, that would be great.

AROUND MLB;

White Sox beat the Dodgers, Twins won, and Royals lost. The Royals are 14 games under .500.

The Detroit Tigers dropped the opening game of their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, on Friday night in a game that saw the good guys manage just two hits — both solo home runs — plus a good deal of bullpen action after Jack Flaherty left the game early with an injury.

Speaking of injuries, the Motor City Kitties get their star starter, left-hander Tarik Skubal, back from the injured list on Saturday looking to even things up against their American League Central rivals. Last time the 29-year-old took the mound was way back on April 29, when he lasted seven innings, giving up a pair of runs on five hits (one home run) and no walks while striking out seven Atlanta Braves on the road for a no-decision in a 4-3 loss.

Skubal last faced Cleveland in the AL Wildcard Game last year, in which he threw 7 2/3 frames of one-run ball on three hits and three walks while striking out a whopping 14 en route to a no-decision in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory.

Up against him for the Guardians is fellow southpaw Joey Cantillo, who has been absolutely shelled over his last three starts. Stretching across 11 innings, the 26-year-old posted a 12.27 ERA and 9.28 FIP over that trio of appearances, allowing 18 hits (five home runs) and nine walks while striking out 12, earning a pair of losses in the process.

Cantillo previously faced Detroit on May 21 at Comerica Park, where he shut the Tigers out over 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three hits and three walks while striking out six for his fourth win of the year. That was also his last good start before that horrid stretch, so…

Take a look below at how the two match up on Saturday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (29-41) vs. Cleveland Guardians (38-33)

Time (ET): 4:10
Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 71: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Joey Cantillo (4-3, 4.57 ERA)

SKUBAL

CANTILLO

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (34 – 33)

BUFFALO 4, SYRACUSE 1 (BOX)

Nick Morabito drove in the only run for Syracuse, but also collected a golden sombrero in a pretty poor offensive team showing. Nate Lavender, who got a lot of talk as a potential major league bullpen arm this year gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work.

• LF Nick Morabito: 1-4, RBI, 3 K
• RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-4, 2 K
• 3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-4, K
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-3
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 1-3, 2B
• C Hayden Senger: 0-3, 3 K
• CF Cristian Pache: 0-3, 2 K
• DH Kevin Parada: 1-3
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, R, K, SB
• P Jack Weisenburger: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• P Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (24 – 37)

BINGHAMTON 7, SOMERSET 5 (BOX)

Chris Suero and Nick Lorusso both went yard for the Rumble Ponies, with Lorusso driving in five overall. The bullpen gave up just one run over five innings.

• C Chris Suero: 1-5, R, HR, RBI, 2 K
• RF Eli Serrano III: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB
• CF Jose Ramos: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 3-5, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, K, E
• 1B JT Schwartz: 0-4, BB, K
• LF Vincent Perozo: 0-3, BB
• 2B Jaylen Palmer: 1-4, K
• DH TT Bowens: 0-4, 2 K
• SS Kevin Villavicencio: 0-4, 2 K
• P Jonathan Santucci: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
• P Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Carlos Guzman: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Dan Hammer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (24 – 36)

BROOKLYN 13, FREDERICK 4 (BOX)

The Cyclones uncorked 13 runs, with all but one starter getting a hit and seven starters driving in runs. Colin Houck, Corey Collins, and John Bay all went deep for Brooklyn.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, SB
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB
• DH Corey Collins: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• RF John Bay: 1-3, 3 R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• LF JT Benson: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• 3B Colin Houck: 2-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, K, 2 SB
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 1-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, K
• 2B Diego Mosquera: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• P Daviel Hurtado: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Tanner Witt: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Ryan Dollar: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Low-A: St. Lucie Mets (28 – 33)

ST. LUCIE 2, PALM BEACH 1 (BOX)

Four pitchers all went at least two innings, with a collective eleven strikeouts. DH Jackson Hauge accounted for all the offense, driving in both runs on a double in the eighth inning.

• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, K
• CF Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2B, E
• SS Antonio Jimenez: 0-4
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-4
• 1B Julio Zayas: 0-4, K
• C Chase Meggers: 1-3, R
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, K
• LF Simon Juan: 0-3, K, E
• DH Jackson Hauge: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• P Joel Lara: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Tyler McLoughlin: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• P Luis Alvarez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (11 – 16)

FCL MARLINS 4, FCL METS 3

• DH Wyatt Vincent: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Bohan Adderley: 1-4, RBI
• 3B Roybert Herrera: 2-4, E
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-3, BB
• SS Anthony Frobose: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, SB, E
• LF Vladi Gomez: 0-3, 2 K
• RF Heriberto Rincon: 0-2, R, SB
• 1B Yeider Mindiola: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, K
• 2B Yorber Semprun: 0-3
• P Camden Lohman: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• P Eris Albino: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
• P John Valle: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

DSL Mets Orange (5 – 4)

DSL METS ORANGE 9, DSL ARIZONA RED 3

• CF Cleiner Ramirez: 0-3, R, BB, K
• DH Cesar Acosta: 3-4, R, 3B, 3 RBI, SB
• SS Sebastian Toro: 1-4, K
• RF Jhonael Cuello: 3-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI, 4 SB
• LF Anthony Delgado: 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
• C Yadier Fuentes: 1-4, R, 2B, K, SB
• 3B Jose Padilla: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K
• 1B Jose Serracin: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K, SB
• 2B Roni Garcia: 0-2, R, BB
• P Randy Guzman: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• P Olmedo Barria: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• P Alsy Torres: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

DSL Mets Blue (5 – 4)

DSL MIAMI 6, DSL METS BLUE 3 (BOX)

• DH Johnderis Sanchez: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• SS Michalle Mercedes: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Royner Bravo: 0-2, R, BB
• RF Jonnhan Sanchez: 1-2, R, BB, K
• LF Emerson Estevez: 1-3, R, K
• 1B Adrian La Rosa: 1-3, 2 K
• C Adrian Silva: 0-2, 2 RBI
• 2B Angel Ozuna: 0-0
• 2B Cristopher Jaquez: 0-2, 2 K
• 3B Jesus Minaya: 0-1, 2 BB
• P Maxgregori Harvey: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Enmanuel Feliz: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• P Yunior Canario: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• P Cristopher Hernandez: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Maykol Vasquez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Nick Lorusso

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Hayden Senger

Imagine being Gabriel Rincones, Jr.

You’re told that you’re headed to Milwaukee as a injury replacement for Adolis Garcia, that you’ll make your major league debut in the first game you are with the team.

Then you see the starting pitcher that will be on the mound for the Brewers.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Among these five questions about the Phillies, one was interesting. It’s simple: are the Phillies too old?
• Adolis Garcia is going to be out for a while, maybe longer than they think. Here are some candidates for the team to look at acquiring.

MLB news:

• Who are the teams that can (realistically) trade for Tarik Skubal ($)? The second one will surprise you!
• MLB wants to talk to one of the Dodgers’ trainers about alleged PED usage related to Connor McGregor. This feels like it is going to get big.
• The College World Series begins today in Omaha. Here is a primer about the top prospects for MLB playing in the tournament.
• The Guardians are calling up one of their top pitching prospects in Daniel Espino. It’s been a long road for him to get here ($).

This has not been a good season for Sal Frelick. He has struggled at the plate. Even more alarmingly, he has struggled in the field. People are speculating as to whether he’s injured. And when the Brewers secured the signature of Luis Lara—who has been red hot all season at Triple-A Nashville—earlier this week, they gave themselves an obvious candidate to take some of Frelick’s playing time.

Frelick is an easy target right now. His at-bats don’t look good. He has never hit for power, so he’s not offering value as a low-average, high-homer guy akin to Gary Sánchez. Previously, living with Sal’s struggles at the plate wasn’t hard to do; he was a Gold Glove-winning outfielder in 2024 and still solidly above average out there last season. He has generally been a good baserunner (which, it should be said, continues to be the case this season).

But, contrary to another struggling veteran on the Brewers right now, Frelick shouldn’t be completely given up on. I’m not ready to pull the plug in order to hand his job over to Lara quite yet. In his time with the Brewers, Frelick—who is still only 26 years old—has earned a little patience.

That being said, the concerns are real and should not be ignored. Let’s go through it.

Offense

Take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2026. Then take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2025. What’s different?

The answer: not much. What is true is that Frelick’s Statcast page is ugly. There’s a lot of blue. His exit velocities, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, expected slugging, all of that kind of stuff, are all bad. He’s in the bottom 10 percent in most of them.

But what’s weird is that he was bad at all those things last year, too. This season, Frelick is batting .228/.299/.311. Last year, he hit .288/.351/.405. So what’s different?

Frelick is still one of the best players in the league at not striking out. He’s actually been quite a bit better this season at not chasing. According to Statcast, he is squaring up the ball at an elite clip—he is maximizing theoretical exit velocity on the swings that he is taking—something he did well last season, too.

Unfortunately, a major factor isn’t allowing Frelick to maximize that high square-up percentage: he’s hitting too many ground balls.

A simple indicator is batting average on balls in play. In Frelick’s first three seasons with the Brewers, he had BABIP numbers of .286, .306, and .317. This year, it’s .243. A more specific indicator is the ground balls. In 2024 and 2025, Frelick was just about league average in line drive rate and he was a little below the league average in ground ball percentage. This season, his ground balls have jumped (GB = ground ball, LD = line drive, FB = fly ball):

• 2024: 48.0 GB%, 24.8 LD%, 18.0 FB%
• 2025: 46.7 GB%, 23.2 LD%, 20.2 FB%
• 2026: 53.8 GB%, 17.9 LD%, 17.9 FB%

Digging further into Frelick’s batted ball data, we can understand why the groundballs are happening. Statcast breaks down batted ball quality into six different categories: weak, topped, under, flare/burner, solid, and barrel. Barrels are what you want—that’s the best quality of contact—and while Frelick is slightly below last year’s 3.1%, at 2.2% he’s actually slightly above league average this year (2.1%). He’s making slightly less weak contact (the worst kind) than last season. He’s getting under the ball slightly more often, but not alarmingly so.

The big problem is his percentage of balls that are “topped.” This matches the eye test: Frelick is hitting a ton of balls that go directly into the ground. At 42.4%, Frelick is more than four percent higher than the league average, and more than seven percent higher than he was last season. We see this is in his launch angle data, too: at an average launch angle of 8.3 degrees, Frelick is well below last season’s 12.1 degrees and even further below the league average (12.5 degrees).

Another thing that might be preventing Frelick from maximizing his square-up percentage is that he has a slow bat. But a slow bat and a good square-up percentage can work for players who can elevate the ball: Luis Arraez is has first-percentile bat speed with a 100th-percentile square-up rate. But Arraez’ 14.6 degree launch angle dwarfs Frelick’s 8.3 degrees, and he’s hitting way fewer ground balls (43% versus 29.4% line drives and 24.2% fly balls).

Basically what the Statcast data tells us is that Frelick is the same hitter he was last year except for one crucial problem: he’s hitting over the top of balls way too often. This accounts for his poor launch angles, his high ground ball percentage, and his low BABIP.

The fact that Frelick is so poor in terms of exit velocity, barrel percentage, expected slugging, etc. means that he has very little wiggle room. If he’s not hitting line drives like he was last season, he’s just going to ground into a ton of outs. That’s true of anybody, but even more so with Frelick, as his low-exit-velocity grounders are less likely to sneak through the infield.

Whether you think this is good news or bad news depends on how you saw the Frelick of 2025, the one who finished seventh in the league in batting average and had a 111 OPS+. If you think that that version of Frelick was good and had a repeatable approach, then you should be optimistic that some adjustments to his bat path should help him stop topping the ball and he can return to being that player. But if you saw Frelick’s 2025 performance as mostly luck-based, and that all the blue on his Statcast page was a major red flag, then you will think that this year’s version of Frelick is simply what last year’s version should have been.

Defense

The defensive question is far more alarming. Simply stated, if Frelick isn’t offering anything in the field, his bat isn’t good enough to be a starting corner outfielder for a good team, and that was probably true even last season when things were going well.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s use Statcast’s defensive metric, Outs Above Average. Frelick has been a good outfielder the past two seasons by OAA. But it sees him as poor in 2026 (as does Baseball Reference’s preferred metric Defensive Runs Saved, for what it’s worth). Statcast has Frelick in just the 28^th percentile in fielding run value. That’s an alarming drop; Frelick was in the 85^th percentile in 2025 and 79^th in 2024 via the same metric.

The issues are all over. Frelick was in the 90^th and 93^rd percentile in range in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year he’s in the 48^th percentile. His arm has suffered, too: Statcast has two numbers to grade a player’s arm, “arm value” and “arm strength.” In 2026, Frelick is in the 9^th percentile in arm value and in the 44^th in arm strength; that’s down from 71^st and 66^th in 2025 and 66^th and 68^th in 2024.

Why has this happened? There has been a lot of speculation that Frelick, a player who plays with no real regard for his own body, is playing hurt. He does seem to react with pain at certain times during games. But if this is the case, it’s not really hurting his sprint speed, which you would expect to be an accompanying issue. Frelick’s speed as measured by Statcast is down slightly, but not much—he’s still in the 86^th percentile in sprint speed (he was 87^th last season).

If Frelick’s speed is intact, I’m not sure how to explain his diminished defensive value in right field. There could be an injury that’s affecting his upper body, but not his legs—that would be supported by the fact that some of the speculation about Frelick’s potential injury being related to his oblique. That could explain the dip in the value of his throwing, but it doesn’t really explain why he is or isn’t getting to balls that he used to be catching.

He has earned some patience

Whether there’s some positive regression in Frelick’s future or not, we do not know. Fans are getting frustrated and Lara is making waves in Nashville. But Frelick didn’t turn 26 until April. He’s got two years of solid major-league baseball behind him. He was a 3.6 fWAR player last season. By all accounts he is a great teammate, he works hard, and he is clearly one of Pat Murphy’s favorites.

There are signs that Frelick is improving, too. It’s only 10 games, but in June Frelick is hitting .303/.378/.394. The pessimists will point out that his xwOBA (.293) in that span is only 14 points higher than his season total (.279), and he is outperforming it by 55 points (.345 wOBA).

If Frelick is injured, then he should stop trying to play through it, go on the injured list, and let Lara have a chance. But it’s worth remembering that Lara is no sure thing, either; he’d be a defensive improvement over this version of Frelick, surely, but there’s no guarantee that he would outperform even Frelick’s 71 OPS+ this season.

In the case of the Brewers’ infield, I advocated for moving on from Luis Rengifo and giving Cooper Pratt the shortstop job. Sal Frelick isn’t Rengifo. Rengifo is on a one-year contract and everyone has known since the day that he signed that there were big prospects behind him. Frelick is a bigger part of Milwaukee’s past and he can still be a part of their future if he turns things around, and the Brewers should give him the chance to do so. He’s earned it.