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It was an absolute jam-packed day down on the farm with plenty of action to dive into. From Briggs McKenzie’s outing, to Starlyn De La Cruz having a strong day at the plate in the DSL, there was a ton of solid performances. Let’s dive into it all.

(31-30) Gwinnett Stripers 7, (24-37) Norfolk Tide 2

• Brewer Hicklen, LF: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Brett Wisely, 3B: 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, R
• Jair Camargo, C: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI
• JR Ritchie, SP: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 K

Box Score

Gwinnett rode a stellar start on the mound from JR Ritchie and a trio of excellent performances at the plate to a win on Friday, getting to one game over .500 on the season.

Across six frames, Ritchie allowed two runs on four hits, but didn’t walk a single batter while striking out six in the process. It was a nice bounce back performance from Ritchie after a disastrous start his last time out in which he gave up five runs in just one-third of an inning.

The Stripers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

With one out in the frame, Brett Wisely took an 0-1 fastball and promptly deposited it over the right field wall for a solo homer to put Gwinnett on the board. Two batters later, following a Rowdy Tellez double, Brewer Hicklen hit his ninth homer of the year to extend the lead to 3-0 over Norfolk.

HELLO BREWER, GOODBYE BALL. pic.twitter.com/vNcuKk7xdq

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 5, 2026

While the Tide attempted to claw back by scoring one run in each of the second and fifth innings, the Gwinnett offense continued to pour it on.

Wisely came through yet again in the bottom of the seventh as he doubled into left field to plate both Ben Gamel and Cal Conley to extend the Gwinnett lead to 5-2 on the night.

In the home half of the eighth, Hicklen came around to score on an error off the bat of Jose Azocar to make it a 6-2 game. Later, Jair Camargo laced his second double of the night into the right center field gap to plate Azocar and give Gwinnett the 7-2 lead.

While Ritchie was solid in his own right, the Stripers’ bullpen came through in a huge way. Rolddy Munoz tossed a pair of scoreless inning while striking out four and Ian Hamilton threw one scoreless frame and struck out one in the process.

(26-27) Columbus Clingstones 2, (27-27) Rocket City Trash Pandas 1

• Jordan Groshans, 3B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
• Logan Braunschweig, LF: 1-4, RBI
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 7.2 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 K

Box Score

Continuing with what could be considered the biggest enigma in the Atlanta farm system, Garrett Baumann put up a very, very strong performance on the mound after what could best be described as a poor performance his last time out.

Simply put, Baumann was excellent on Friday as he struck out seven across 7.2 scoreless innings for Columbus. Compared to his last performance on May 29 in which he gave up five earned runs in 4.1 innings, Friday’s outing was a stark contrast in a positive way.

While Baumann was dominant in his own right, so was the pitching for Rocket City as both offenses were kept off the board through the first nine innings, sending this one to extras.

In the top of the tenth, with David McCabe starting on second base, Jordan Groshans doubled on the first pitch he saw to plate McCabe and give Columbus their first lead — and score the games first run. Two batters later, Logan Braunschweig plated Groshans with an RBI-single to extend the lead to 2-0.

A Braunschweig bleeder and it's a 2⃣ run lead pic.twitter.com/EuhIghAAXk

— Columbus Clingstones (@GoClingstones) June 6, 2026

That second run was super important as Rocket City scored a run off of Blane Abeyta in the home half of the tenth inning to cut the Columbus lead to 2-1. However, Abeyta locked in and limited the damage as the Clingstones held onto their narrow lead for the win.

(30-25) Rome Emperors 1, (21-32) Greenville Drive 0

• Eric Hartman, CF: 3-4, R
• Dixon Williams, 2B: 1-3
• Cody Miller, 3B: 0-3, RBI, game-winning sacrifice fly
• Luke Sinnard, SP: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K

Box Score

Making his fifth start of the season on Friday, Luke Sinnard had what was easily his best outing on the mound.

The 6’7 righty tossed five scoreless innings, striking out five and walking three in the process. While he has been solid thus far — as he has given up two runs in each of his first two starts for Rome — Friday’s start was his best outing by far.

Offensively, things were much different for the Emperors as they were also held scoreless for a majority of the game. Eric Hartman — to no ones surprise — had an excellent night as he went 3-4 with another stolen base, his 22nd of the season. The only other hits tallied by Rome were two singles, one each from Colin Burgess and Dixon Williams.

Prior to the bottom of the ninth, which would prove to to be very fruitful for Rome, the Emperors got some excellent defense to keep them in the game in the top half of the ninth.

With runners on second and third, John Gil fielded a ball up the middle and managed to fire the ball home to gun down the runner at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

Some Glove Love 💕

Gil cuts down what would be the go-ahead run! pic.twitter.com/J78ocsD1mn

— Rome Emperors (@GoEmperors) June 6, 2026

In the home half, Cody Miller played the role of hero as he plated Hartman on a sacrifice fly to give Rome the 1-0 win in what was an absolute pitching and defensive duel.

On another pitching note, Blake Burkhalter continued to dominate on his rehab assignment as he struck out six in two innings of work while allowing just one hit.

(30-25) Augusta GreenJackets 0, (20-35) Delmarva Shorebirds 6

• Tanner Smith, C: 2-4, 2B
• Tate Southisene, SS: 0-3, BB
• Conor Essenburg, CF: 0-3, BB
• Luis Guanipa, RF: 1-3
• Briggs McKenzie, SP: 5 IP, H, BB, 8 K

Box Score

On the one hand, Briggs McKenzie was downright dominant in his low-A debut. On the other hand, he didn’t get any run support in the start either.

The 2025 fourth-rounder was absolutely stunning as he tossed five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out eight in the process. What is more impressive is he got 11 whiffs and threw a staggering 45 strikes on 66 pitches.

McKenzie’s fastball averaged in the mid-90s while his changeup and curveball were both excellent as well as he showed the ability to work both pitches all throughout the bottom half of the zone.

While it’s only three starts — two of which were in the FCL — McKenzie is carrying an ERA of 0.79 across 11.1 innings to start his professional career.

5 scoreless, 8 Ks for Briggs McKenzie in his full-season debut! pic.twitter.com/GqVdv6gIlX

— Augusta GreenJackets (@GreenJackets) June 6, 2026

While McKenzie was dominating, his offense struggled mightily in this one.

The GreenJackets were held scoreless and tallied just six total hits on the night — only one of which was for extra bases as Tanner Smith doubled.

Regardless of how the offense performed, the McKenzie debut was enough to wipe away the lackluster performances at the dish despite the loss.

(7-18) FCL Braves 1, (17-8) FCL Rays 3

• Yamvier Carrero, 3B: 3-3, BB
• John Estevez, LF: 1-3, RBI
• Wuilinyer Tovar, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Box Score

The FCL Braves came up short in this one as the FCL Rays took it by a 3-1 final.

Wuilinyer Tovar started on the mound for the Braves and put the squad in a bit of a hole from the jump as the Rays plated three runs off him on three hits. He did, however, strike out four batters in the process.

Meanwhile at the plate, Yamvier Carrero carried the offense with three singles and a walk to his credit in this one. John Estevez, who got the start in left field, tallied the Braves’ only RBI on the day with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning.

Top international signee Diego Tornes had a rough day as he went o-4 with a strikeout to lower his batting average to a dismal .180 thus far.

(0-4) DSL Braves 6, (2-2) DSL Padres Gold 11

• Starlyn De La Cruz, DH: 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
• Jorwin Pulido, C: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Reillin Aquino, 2B: 1-2, 2B, R
• Derek Torres, SP: 0.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 BB

Box Score

The DSL Braves are still in search of their first win of the year as they fell to the DSL Padres Gold squad by an 11-6 margin on Friday.

On a positive note, Starlyn De La Cruz had a banner day at the dish as he went 1-2 with his first professional homer and three runs scored after he worked a pair of walks in the process. He also drove in two of the team’s six runs in this one while raising his OPS to a team-leading 1.472.

Catcher Jorwin Pukido also had a solid day offensively as he doubled and scored two runs and scored a run in the process as well.

Derek Torres got the start on the mound and it was a bit of a rough outing for him as he failed to get out of the first inning and gave up two runs and five walks across those frames.

Good morning folks, and happy Saturday!

Last night, the Mariners fell hard to the Tigers 7-3 in the series opener in Detroit. J.P. Crawford suffered an apparent hand injury in the game on a hit-by-pitch, but appears to have avoided significant damage according to the team.

This will be my last Moose Tracks post for a couple of weeks as I am taking my honeymoon to Greece starting tomorrow! I leave you all in the capable hands of the Lookout Landing staff in the interim. On that note, what is the best vacation you’ve ever been on?

In Mariners news…

• Brent Maguire dug into the data behind Bryce Miller’s tremendous start to the 2026 campaign.
• Adam Jude at The Seattle Times spoke to Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan about the special bond they’re forming as the two top pitching prospects in the sport.
• According to a recent survey, the Mariner Moose is the sixth-most beloved mascot in Major League Baseball.

Around the league…

• Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was activated off the injured list yesterday and promptly hit a home run to snap his 0-for-29 skid.
• Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano is likely done for the season after undergoing hip surgery.
• Owen Riley and Maxfield Lane took a deep statistical dive to uncover whether some managers are really better at bullpen management than others. Dan Wilson grades out far better (by their model) than you probably think.
• The A’s are playing in Vegas this Monday — at yet another minor league ballpark — as part of two Sin City series against the Brewers and Rockies. Gabe Fernandez at SF Gate wonders if their arrival next week will cause more harm than good.
• Michael Baumann at Fangraphs wrote about immovable contracts and whether they truly are albatrosses or not.
• Protect Goose at all costs.

Goose has fallen asleep at his first @WooSox game 😭 pic.twitter.com/Xc1BMkR3Kc

— emily ⚾︎ ✮⋆˙ (@emily_distasio) June 4, 2026

I can safely say that I got the answer to the question I posed yesterday. Well, not exactly. The question I asked was: Is it possible for the team to hit rock bottom and still end up winning the game? If that’s possible, I suppose, remains an open question. The reality is, though the Cubs won Thursday’s thrilling game, it was not rock bottom. On Friday afternoon, the team sunk lower.

I mean, we can be fair and balanced about Friday’s loss. The Giants thought they would field a competitive team in 2026. They did not. But, the remnants of a team they thought would contend are largely in tact. It’s a team that just took back-to-back wins in Milwaukee, the class of the NL Central and one of the best teams in baseball. A loss? That can happen. On any given day, right? I mean, that’s kind of something that football talks about. But it’s the kind of thing that happens every single day in baseball. Probably on 90 percent or more of the days, if we scan all of the final scores, some team is beating some other team with a much better record. If I’m wrong on that number, it’s only because there are so many teams with middle of the road records. As a for instance, ignoring the Cub game, the Mets beat the Padres Friday.

Put simply, these things happen. So that is whatever. But 18-3? The 18 runs in one game is the second-most that any team has allowed this season in a game. The most? 19. Bonus points if you knew that the opponent was also the Giants. So the Giants are at least a team that has been explosive this year. But Wrigley Field isn’t Coors Field. Also, the Cubs aren’t supposed to be the Rockies. One of those teams won a playoff series last year, the other… well, most of us don’t readily remember the Rockies even being in a playoff series. I imagine most of us have a hazy memory about a Rockies team that reached the World Series. And we all remember the Cubs losing a very frustrating Wild Card game against them. More bonus points if you readily knew that was the last time the Rockies played in the postseason.

The Cubs drew a good number of walks against Giants starter Robbie Ray. But they only had two hits during the competitive portion of this game. They ended up with six hits and six walks. But that’s basically never going to work when you allow 19 hits. As per usual, the Cubs got pummeled in the middle innings of this game. It’s not usually 14-1 bad. But if you read John’s stat packs, you’ve seen recently that the Cubs more or less play the first three innings close to even and they win over the last three innings, on the strength of their massive run differential in the ninth inning. But the Cubs have been outscored more in the middle innings than they outscore opponents at the end of the game.

What does it tell us about a team that struggles consistently in the middle innings? Well, some combination of two factors is at play when you allow a lot of runs in the middle innings. Either A) your starters struggle as the lineup cycles to the third time through the order or B) your depth relievers aren’t good. In this instance, the eye test would say both. Ignoring Friday’s game, year to date, Cub starters allow an opponent OPS of .648 the first time through the order, .756 the second and .850 the third.

If the Cubs are going to regroup at this point and make a run, I’m pretty sure they are going to have to start looking for 18 batters out of the starter and getting into the pen. As much as hitting is down across baseball as a whole, Cub starting pitching just doesn’t give opponents anywhere near enough trouble. That kind of usage will likely torch an already suspect Cub bullpen. But then, that beleaguered bullpen is outperforming the starters.

The only good pieces of news about Friday’s game are that no matter how lopsided the game is, it only counts as a single loss. Additionally, no matter how bad you lose, it’s still scoreless the next day when the next game starts. This series can still be won.

The odds that this team is a seller and not a buyer next month are increasing by the day. It’s becoming hard to imagine this team rebounding with any authority. There is plenty of time. I just don’t believe this team knows what to do with it.

Three Positives:

• Seiya Suzuki had a home run and drew three walks.
• Pedro Ramirez got into the game late and had a pair of singles in two plate appearances. He also scored a run.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong had a hit and a walk in three plate appearances.

Game 64, June 5: Giants 18, Cubs 3

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.037). 1-1, HR, 3 BB, RBI, 2 R
• Hero: Carson Kelly (.035). 2-4, RBI
• Sidekick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.016). 1-2, BB

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Edward Cabrera (-.327). 3.2 IP, 20 BF, 8 H, BB, 8 ER, 6 K (L 3-3)
• Goat: Ian Happ (-.093). 0-2
• Kid: Nico Hoerner (-.051). 0-3

WPA Play of the Game: Willy Adames’ two-run homer with two outs in the first inning. (.180)

Giants Play of the Game: Carson Kelly singled leading off the bottom of the second, the Cubs down two at t he time. (.041)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 63 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 119 of 158 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Busch +21
• Nico Hoerner/Michael Conforto +10
• Ben Brown/Kelly +9.5
• Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton/Jameson Taillon/Caleb Thielbar -8
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -26.5

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series. Ben Brown (2-2, 1.92) starts for the Cubs. Landen Roupp (5-6, 4.22) starts for the Giants.

Let’s see how some of the Phillies’ prospects fared last night in the minor leagues.

Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 2

The Ottoman Kempire raised its flag in Lehigh Valley once again, this time leading the IronPigs with two hits, one of them being a solo home run. It’s probably past time to admit he’s simply a good minor league hitter, nothing more than that. Also, did you know that Seth Johnson had two more strikeouts? That’s 36 in 24 1/3 innings this year. Something to monitor if a need arises.

Also, imagine being Bryse Wilson. Going from released by the Phillies to re-signing with the team on a minor league deal to pitching four innings of shutout ball for the IronPigs in a span of about 24 hours. The life of a minor leaguer I suppose.

Binghamton 5, Reading 4

This one went extra innings when the two teams were tied at two. Reading had a few hitting highlights on the night, Bryan Rincon continuing his resurgence this year by homering again, his ninth on the year. Kehden Hettiger had two hits on the night as well, including an RBI single in the tenth that scored Dylan Campbell, who had just had an RBI double before him, that gave the Fightin’ Phils a two run lead going into the bottom of the tenth. However, the Rumble Ponies stormed back when Reading reliever Vincent Perozo came in with the ghost runner on, allowed a single to put runners on the corners, then a three-run home run to end the game. Yikes.

Brooklyn 6, Jersey Shore 3

Tough night for the BlueClaws as they drop one to Brooklyn in Lakewood. Kodey Shojinaga was two for three, a double added to his resume. Trent Farquhar and Pedro Leon also doubled, but a rough third inning by Jersey Shore starter Luke Gabrysh doomed the home team. He was not helped by an inning beginning error that was exascerbated by a three-run home run, followed by a solo shot that was the backbreaker. Tough game.

Clearwater 5, St. Lucie 4

Clearwater took another game from St. Lucie last night, but there were two names that popped out. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with Alirio Ferrebus and Ramon Marquez, it might be time to do so. The former hit another home run last night for Clearwater, his eighth on the season, pushing his overall OPS to .936 on the season. It’s time to pay more attention to his prospect status, even if it maybe doesn’t end with his being a catcher. The latter was Marquez, who has continued to build on his season with 5 1/3 innings, only allowing two runs on two hits and striking out nine. This might be another solid arm the team needs to develop properly.

The Yankees dropped the opener of their weekend series against the Red Sox on Friday, losing 5-3 with all of the damage done in three consecutive innings against Ryan Weathers. Spencer Jones went 3-for-3 with an RBI in his return to the team following Judge’s placement on the IL and Ben Rice hit his 18th long ball of the year, but the only other offense to be found for New York came on a Trent Grisham solo shot. Not the most encouraging sign of life for a lineup that’ll be without their captain for the foreseeable future, but they’ll get back at it today looking to even the series back up. In the meantime, their rivals had the opportunity to either catch up to them or in the case of the Rays, get a little breathing room.

Tampa Bay Rays (37-23) 6, Miami Marlins (29-35) 0

Tampa controlled this game from the get-go, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Ryan Gusto. After a groundout opened the game, Junior Caminero ripped a double out to right and Jonathan Aranda walked to give them runners on. Yandy Díaz hit into a fielder’s choice that put runners on the corners, and Richie Palacios brought them both in as he dropped a ball out into right that deflected off of Owen Caissie’s glove and rebounded out to the wall in center for a triple. Ryan Vilade then singled him home to round out the threat.

That was all the offense the Rays needed, because Drew Rasmussen was dealing against the Fish. Rasmussen tossed seven innings as he blanked the Marlins, allowing just a single hit in the second inning to Javier Sanoja and stranding him with ease after striking out the next two batters to escape the frame. Rasmussen sat down nine Marlins hitters personally, and after he handed the ball over to the bullpen Cam Booser and Cole Sulser combined to strike out five more in the last two innings. Sulser did give up the second and last hit that Miami collected on the night via a leadoff bunt to third, but no rally was forthcoming.

There was more offense to be had for Tampa though, as they struck in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Another Caminero double and an Aranda single brought in Tampa Bay’s fourth run of the game, and their fifth came on Cedric Mullins launching a home run to open the next inning. The final insurance run was brought home after a leadoff walk got moved to third via a hit and passed ball before Vilade earned his second RBI of the game with another single.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (30-34) 3, Baltimore Orioles (31-33) 13: The Orioles took it to the Jays, but it didn’t become a blowout until much later in the game. The two teams traded a run in the first inning, Gunnar Henderson launching a solo shot for the O’s while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lifted a sacrifice fly for Toronto. The Blue Jays briefly took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on a two-run blast from Brandon Valenzuela, but Baltimore took the lead right back with a five-run sixth inning — RBI hits from Adley Rutschman and Jeremiah Jackson set the stage for Coby Mayo to hit a two-run homer to cap it off.

The eighth and ninth inning turned this into a proper blowout. Baltimore scored three in the former thanks to a quartet of singles with a wild pitch in the mix, and then scored four more in the latter when Rutschman doubled home two and a throwing error allowed two more to round third. Brandon Young lasted 6.1 innings for the Orioles, allowed all three of Toronto’s runs, but the Baltimore bullpen clamped down allowing just a single baserunner the rest of the way.

Cleveland Guardians (36-29) 2, Texas Rangers (31-32) 3: For five innings Cleveland was slowly building itself a little lead, scoring one run in the first on a Travis Bazzana solo shot and a second run in the fourth on an RBI single from Austin Hedges to support starter Parker Messick. Messick allowed just a lone single through that point, but in the sixth Texas’ offense woke up: Kyle Higashioka led off with a blast, Wyatt Langford hit a one-out double, and then Corey Seager launched a two-run homer to take the lead away. Both pitching staffs kept the offenses in check from there, with Jacob Latz working around a single and walk in the ninth to secure a two-inning save.

Seattle Mariners (33-31) 3, Detroit Tigers (26-38) 7: Detroit apparently decided to play their best ball of the season against division leaders this week, taking it to Seattle coming off of their sweep of the Rays. The Mariners did take a 1-0 lead in the first, but Detroit answered back with three in the third, first scoring on a Dillon Dingler looped ball that dunked in front of Julio Rodríguez before the center fielder managed to fire it back in quickly enough to get a force out at second. Kerry Carpenter made it easier for the next two to cross, lifting a two-run shot out to right.

The game was locked down at 3-1 Tigers until the seventh, when Seattle got a solo shot from Colt Emerson to get within one but Detroit struck back immediately with a Gleyber Torres two-run double in the bottom frame. The eighth inning was a similar story, the Mariners carving back a run on a Cole Young RBI single only to give back two via a Spencer Torkelson home run.

Anne Rogers writes about a whirlwind day for Josh Rojas on Thursday, with a hit at Triple-A in the afternoon, and the game-winning hit in the big leagues that evening.

“I can’t imagine having a travel day like that,” said Michael Massey, who homered in the fourth inning. “And then having to come in and face a leverage reliever.”

“I think I would have been a little more stressed [getting here] if I hadn’t played a game yet today,” Rojas added. “But I’d already done all my activation. I played a game. I did sit at the airport for a while, but I still felt pretty good. It didn’t feel like I had just woken up out of bed. Obviously, the adrenaline of being in the big leagues, I felt really good just stepping out there.”

Jaylon Thompson notes that Rojas missed his initial flight.

“They were like, hey, your flight is in an hour and 45 minutes — we’re going to try and rush you there,” Rojas recalled. “I ended up missing that one and didn’t get there in time. And then, my next flight left at eight o’clock. So I was there for about four hours waiting for my next flight.”

Pete Grathoff looked at how rare it is to get hits for two different teams in the same day.

Researching players who appeared in a minor- and major-league game the same day has proven to be difficult, but the Twins’ Matt Wallner did it on May 23, 2023. After playing for the St. Paul Saints in the afternoon, he was promoted to the Twins but made an out in his pinch-hit appearance that night.

Curt Nelson, senior director of the Royals Hall of Fame, noted that former Royals outfielder Lane Adams played for the Braves and their minor-league affiliate in 2017.

Adams had two hits for Triple-A Gwinett in an afternoon game, then got the call to join the big-league Braves that night. He went 0 for 2 with Atlanta.

Jaylon also talks to Lucas Erceg about his recent struggles.

After blowing consecutive saves, Erceg became a major talking point among the fan base and national pundits. People criticized his subpar season, and it’s led to lingering concerns about his ability to stick in the role as the team’s closer.

“I’m allowing the outside noise to affect me a little bit,” Erceg said. “I talk about that a lot. It’s not allowing the outside noise and not allowing the situation to dictate how I feel out there. And I guess, the last couple of weeks, I’ve allowed it to affect the way I think and I moved down the mound.”

David Lesky breaks down Seth Lugo’s start on Thursday against the Twins.

Overall, the numbers don’t paint a picture of a particularly bad outing, but don’t mistake that for me saying Lugo was good or even just a little unlucky. He had trouble putting hitters away, and the Twins didn’t seem to be having trouble with any of his pitches. He had a perfectly respectable whiff rate of 23 percent and didn’t seem to get crushed overall, but it was just an underwhelming performance. One thing that I thought was interesting is that I thought his changeup looked different in the first inning. He threw one to Brooks Lee and then another to Clemens, which sort of caught me off guard when they came up as a changeup.

And sure enough, he was throwing it significantly harder. He averaged 86.2 MPH on it after averaging 84.6 on it this year previously. Additionally, it had a lot more spin. The movement wasn’t that different by the numbers, but there was one, in the fourth maybe, that I thought looked like a totally different pitch. That’s something I do appreciate from Lugo. He will continue to work and work and work, honing pitches. There might be something negative about that, too, if he doesn’t let what’s working keep working, but I appreciate someone who always tries to improve themselves.

Dave Helling reports that a petition may force a vote on the proposed Royals downtown stadium.

Catcher Elias Díaz has elected free agency.

Former Royals catcher Logan Porter signs with the Angels.

The ball that hit off Jo Adell’s head and went over the fence is changed from a home run to a four-base error.

Jorge Castillo at ESPN writes about the takeaways from the owner’s meetings.

Padres outfielder Ramon Laureano is likely out for the year after hip surgery.

What are the toughest decisions on All-Star ballots?

Why the Orioles serve as a cautionary tale for the Red Sox.

Cody Bellinger has been a great investment for the Yankees.

What starting pitchers have improved the stuff and command this year?

The Chicago Bears advance a plan to relocate to Indiana.

How Curaçao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup.

Companies are using Reddit to manipulate ChatGPT results.

Why do we sleep under blankets, even on hot nights?

A rare blue micromoon rises this weekend.

Your song of the day is Gary Wright with Love is Alive.

Home runs proved costly for two of the Phillies’ affiliates on Friday night, but Lehigh Valley and Clearwater prevailed thanks to some strong pitching performances. The Threshers’ win was their sixth in a row.

Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 2

Bryse Wilson allowed just one hit and struck out five across four scoreless innings for the Iron Pigs. He’s now thrown nine straight scoreless innings (Look out, Cristopher Sanchez!). Chuck King also pitched well, tossing three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. Carter Kieboom broke a 2-2 tie with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Otto Kemp provided an insurance run with his fourth home run of the year in the eighth.

Binghamton 5, Reading 4

There was extra inning excitement in Binghamton on Friday night. With the game tied at two after nine innings, the Fightin’ Phils took a 4-2 lead in the top of the 10th thanks to a double by Dylan Campbell and a single by Kehdan Hettiger. But after pitching a scoreless ninth, reliever Colin Peluse’s second inning of work didn’t go well. He gave up a single and then a walk off home run to Chris Suerto.

Brooklyn 6, Jersey Shore 3

Home runs were a problem for the Blue Claws against the Brooklyn Cyclones on Friday. Starting pitcher Luke Gabrysh only gave up three hits in five innings, but two of them left the yard. Reliever Danyony Pulido surrendered another home run in his one inning of work. Offensively, outfielder Nick Biddison drove in two with a sixth inning single.

Clearwater 5, St. Lucie 4

Pitcher Ramon Marquez had a good night, striking out nine batters in 5.1 innings. The Mets made things interesting as the game wore on, but the Threshers’ early offense, highlighted by Alirio Ferrebus’ two run home run, was enough to give them their sixth-straight win.

The Mets continue their a three-game series against the Padres in San Diego on Saturday at 10:10 p.m. on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Nolan McLean looks to string together his second straight win after allowing just one run and two hits vs. Miami on May 31
• Bo Bichette picked up two hits on Friday night, giving him six hits with four RBI in his last two games
• Luis Torrens homered for the first time this season on Friday and is now hitting .368 over his last seven games

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Today's Lineups

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Inside the Chicago White Sox, there are two wolves.

The first is the three true outcome wolf. The South Side Smashing Machine is currently fifth in team slugging, ninth in on-base percentage and fourth in strikeouts. The latter is frustrating at times, as evidenced when Ozzie Guillén’s frustrations boiled over with Colson Montgomery after Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Twins. My apologies to Ozzie, but I reckon a few bad swings is a fair trade for a 33-30 record, especially when you allow for the second wolf.

Wolf Two is John McGraw’s scientific baseball of the Dead Ball Era — beanings, baserunning and bunts. This is personified by the guys like Sam Antonacci (major league leader with 13 HBPs), Luisangel Acuña (a speed demon, when he manages to get on base), and a group of guys I lovingly call the bunting gremlins: Tristan Peters, Derek Hill, Rikuu Nishida and Antonacci again. These men stand on the broad shoulders of the OG, Chase Meidroth.

This balance has put the White Sox in a unique position: The South Siders are on pace for 219 home runs and 47 sacrifice hits. This puts them within a shout of the first 200 home run/50 sacrifice hit season since the universal DH was established.

The analytics case against bunting is simple: Outs are a finite resource to a baseball team. You’re only guaranteed 27 of them. Don’t give any of them away on purpose, you idiot!

It wasn’t always like that, of course. You can trace the story of baseball through these home run-to-sacrifice ratios. For example, there have been 22 teams who have done the reverse ratio of 200 sacrifice hits and 50 home runs, and 21 of them occurred from 1920-29, the lone outlier being the 1911 Cubs.

Let’s split the difference and look at 100 HR/100 SH teams, sorted by decade:

The analytics revolution put an end to that: 47 teams have hit 200 or more home runs this decade, while no team has had 50 sacrifice hits in a season during the same time period (last season’s San Diego Padres came closest, with 48).

Starting last year, however, bunting is on the rise across baseball:

Despite this uptick, the White Sox are the only team with a realistic chance of creating the 200/50 U-DH Club:

I’ve been on the side of abolishing the bunt for more than a decade, but I have to admit I’ve begun to soften with old age (my liver is 84.) The Manfred Man began the bunting renaissance, with the do-or-die stakes of extra innings multiplying the significance of every lone run. Bunting bundled and boldness on the basepaths have been a hallmark from the bottom of the White Sox order this season, as they punch above their weight in the American League. May the wolves and the gremlins live in peace for a thousand years.

Aroooooooooooooooo!

Rangers 3, Guardians 2

• A win, that was.
• That was a win.
• Kumar Rocker started the game by giving up a homer to Travis Bazzana, because that’s sort of the Rangers’ thing now, giving up homers in the first inning, particularly to the leadoff batter.
• After that things went relatively smoothly for Rocker, though. He allowed another run in the fourth, and appeared primed to give up another run in the fifth when Bazzana tripled to lead off the inning, but Rocker worked out of that situation without allowing Bazzana to score.
• That ended up being a pretty important development, when it was all said and done.
• Rocker was fine, generally. He only went five innings, which isn’t ideal, due to a lack of pitch efficiency, which resulted in him needing 94 pitches to get through just 22 batters. He only generated 9 swings and misses, which is part of the reason for the lack of pitch efficiency.
• But we’ll take 2 runs in five innings from Rocker.
• Peyton Gray came in for Rocker to pitch the sixth and ended up getting his second major league win, by virtue of being in the game when the Rangers scored their runs and took the lead.
• Gray called pulled in favor of Jalen Beeks when Bazzana, who was a double shy of a cycle, came up with two outs in the seventh, Beeks struck out Bazzana, and there was rejoicing.
• Oddly, though, that was the only batter Beeks faced in the game. Jacob Latz came in to start the eighth for what ended up being a two inning save.
• There was a worrisome moment in the ninth, when, having walked Stuart Fairchild earlier with one out, Latz gave up a single to Austin Hedges, to put the tying run at second and go ahead run at first.
• Nails were being bitten, anxiety was rising, nervousness permeated the Shed. Were the Rangers going to blow it?
• They didn’t. Latz got a swinging K to end the game on his 35th pitch of the night.
• Hedges, incidentally, had two hits in the game. Bazzana had three hits. Steven Kwan had two hits. No other Guardian had a hit.
• That’s interesting, isn’t it?
• Maybe not.
• The Rangers’ offense didn’t do a whole lot, but they made it count.
• Kyle Higashioka broke up the shutout with a homer to lead off the sixth. Two batters later, Wyatt Langford doubled, and Corey Seager followed that up with a home run to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.
• The only other hits all game came from Josh Jung, who had a pair of singles. There was only one walk drawn, by Ezequiel Duran.
• So just six baserunners for the Rangers in the whole game. But three of them scored. So it all worked out.
• The Higashioka homer, incidentally, was tracked at 428 feet by Statcast. That’s tied for the seventh longest ball hit at the Shed this year. 11 of the 13 longest balls hit at the Shed this year have come since the start of the Houston series.
• Kumar Rocker’s sinker touched 96.5 mph, averaging 95.2 mph. Peyton Gray hit 93.2 mph with his fastball. Jalen Beeks reached 94.2 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball topped out at 96.9 mph.
• Joc Pederson had a 109.8 mph groundout. Kyle Higashioka’s homer was 106.5 mph off the bat. Corey Seager’s homer had an exit velocity of 105.1 mph. Wyatt Langford had a 103.8 mph double. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.0 mph fly out.
• Next step…a return to .500.

The day went from bad to worse for the San Diego Padres. Before the start of their game against the New York Mets, Padres manager Craig Stammen announced left fielder Ramon Laureano had hip surgery and would be out until the end of the regular season and would likely miss the entire season should San Diego find some way to get into the playoffs. Stammen also announced reliever Jeremiah Estrada was headed to the injured list with knee inflammation and that David Morgan was recalled from Triple-A to take his spot in the bullpen.

Then the game started and maybe it was fitting, considering the pregame news, that a pitcher the majority of Padres fans and probably some of the players never heard of dominated the San Diego lineup and handed the Padres their sixth consecutive loss in shutout fashion. Christian Scott allowed just three hits over 5.2 scoreless innings and allowed two walks with three strikeouts en route to a 5-0 win for New York. Michael King completed six innings for San Diego, but allowed four runs on six hits, two of which were home runs, with four strikeouts.

The depleted Padres lineup looked as anemic as it has all season, with only Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado and Ty France recording hits — all singles. Rodolfo Duran still has a batting average of .080, but to his credit he was able to get on base thanks to two walks, which were the only free passes San Deigo earned in the contest. The Padres will try to stop their six-game skid tonight at 7:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribuneagrees with Manny Machado when he says the Padres are a better team than what they have shown lately and Padres fans are waiting to see it.

• Machado also had things to say about analytics and how they have affected the Padres and the game of baseball.

Baseball News:

• Roki Sasaki recorded 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Los Angeles Angels.

• The Boston Red Sox got a win over the Aaron Judge-less New York Yankees with help from Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray.

• Adley Rutschman had a 4-f0r-4 day at the plate to lead the Baltimore Orioles past the Toronto Blue Jays.

• The Washington Nationals got a dominating 14-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• Matt Chapman hit two home runs and the San Francisco Giants routed the Chicago Cubs, 18-3 at Wrigley Field.

• The Milwaukee Brewers got a 10th inning win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

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With a busy day across the big leagues, I've found huge value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions. 

Bryce Miller is in line for another quality start against the Detroit Tigers, while Braxton Ashcraft should also toss a gem against the Atlanta Braves. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, June 6. 

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Mariners at Tigers SGP: Dingler Keeps Raking (+415)

Dillon Dingler is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. Over the last week, he owns a 63.6% hard-hit rate and 18.2% barrel rate. During that span, he's posted a .476 ISO while going 7-for-21 with 10 RBIs. Another hit should be well within reach here.

Bryce Miller has averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings across his last two outings, and he's cashed the Over in two of his last three starts. The Detroit Tigers own a 22.6% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season and struck out 10 times in the series opener.

Keider Montero is averaging 8.49 strikeouts per nine innings over his last two appearances, and the Seattle Mariners carry a 22.5% strikeout rate on the road this season. They're also 24th in MLB in team strikeouts, creating another favorable spot for Montero to rack up punchouts.

• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, DSN

See full analysis of this game in our Mariners vs. Tigers predictions.

Pirates at Braves SGP: Ashcraft Deals (+430)

Braxton Ashcraft has been one of Pittsburgh's most reliable starters lately, posting a 2.34 xERA and 2.30 FIP across his last two starts while limiting opponents to a 6.3% barrel rate.

The right-hander has also shown excellent command, issuing just 0.73 walks per nine innings during that span, which bodes well for both Ashcraft Under legs. 

Oneil Cruz rounds out the SGP after posting a 16.7% barrel rate and 92.3 mph average exit velocity over the last week. The Pittsburgh Pirates slugger is 6-for-14 in June, with five of those hits coming via singles.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, BravesVision

See full analysis of this game in our Pirates vs. Braves predictions.

Rays at Marlins SGP: Caminero Stays Hot (+288)

The Tampa Bay Rays send Shane McClanahan to the hill today against the Miami Marlins. He owns a 2.82 FIP across his last 10.1 innings of work and has cashed the Under on earned runs allowed in both starts. McClanahan has also limited opponents to a barrel rate below 10% during that span.

The matchup is favorable as well. Miami is hitting just .199 over the last week while carrying a .299 wOBA. McClanahan has surrendered only seven hits across his last two starts, putting both Under legs in a strong position.

Junior Caminero rounds out the SGP. The Rays slugger owns a 66.7% hard-hit rate and .500 batting average over his last six games, recording a single in three straight contests.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, Marlins.TV

See full analysis of this game in our Rays vs. Marlins predictions.

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.

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The New York Mets visit the San Diego Padres tonight, and I'm expecting first-inning fireworks at Petco Park.

That matchup will headline my top MLB picks today for the "no run first inning" and "yes run first inning" markets. 

Here are my best NRFI predictions and YRFI picks for Saturday, June 6. 

Best NRFI/YRFI predictions today

Mariners at Tigers: NRFI (-115)

The Seattle Mariners hand Bryce Miller the ball today, and he's been dominant over his last two outings, posting a 1.87 xERA while walking just 0.90 hitters per nine innings.

While the Detroit Tigers have been red-hot offensively, Miller's command and impressive 20.8% hard-hit rate across his last 10 innings should keep them at bay in the first.

As for Detroit, they hand Keider Montero the baseball, and he's been incredibly reliable. He owns a perfect 11-0 NRFI/YRFI record in 2026 and has posted a 2.85 FIP and 2.36 xERA across his last two starts.

Those underlying numbers suggest he's well positioned to continue that success against Seattle.

I'll play this pick up to -130.

• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, Mariners.TV

Orioles at Blue Jays: NRFI (-115)

The Baltimore Orioles send Kyle Bradish to the mound in Game 2 of the series, and he's allowed a run in the first inning just once in 12 starts.

Bradish owns a 3.58 xERA across his last 13 innings of work and a hard-hit rate of just 30% during that span. Additionally, 52.5% of the contact against him in his last two outings has been on the ground, suggesting he's doing a good job of keeping hitters from elevating the baseball right now.

Braydon Fisher, meanwhile, will be the opener for the Toronto Blue Jays before they turn it over to the rest of the bullpen. He has a 2.15 FIP at home this season, and Fisher has yet to allow a first-inning run across the three starts he's made.

His 2.95 xERA over the last month only adds appeal here.

I'll play this pick up to -130.

• Time: 3:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Sportsnet

Mets at Padres: YRFI (-105)

New York Mets SP Nolan McLean has allowed a 42.9% hard-hit rate over his last 27 innings of work, and he owns an alarming 6.30 FIP during that span.

The San Diego Padres have only scored 11 times in the first inning this season, but this is a favorable matchup against a pitcher who has struggled to limit hard contact and owns an 8-4 NRFI/YRFI record.

As for Griffin Canning, he has a 6.79 xERA across his previous two starts while allowing a 53.1% hard-hit rate and 15.6% barrel rate. In other words, Canning is getting absolutely torched lately, and he's also walked 3.69 hitters per nine innings over his last 11 2/3 frames.

Between the consistent hard contact and inability to pound the zone, the Mets could jump on him early.

I'll play this pick up to -140.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Padres.TV, SportsNet New York

What is a NRFI prediction?

NRFI (No Run First Inning) and YRFI (Yes Run First Inning) picks add a thrilling twist to the start of an MLB game. A NRFI pick is a prediction that no runs will be scored in the first inning. You're predicting that the starting pitchers for both teams will get through the first inning without allowing any runs, whether by striking out batters, inducing ground balls, or through solid defensive play.

A YRFI pick is the exact opposite. You're predicting that at least one run will be scored in the first inning. In this case, you’re hoping for an early offensive burst such as a leadoff walk, a timely hit, or even a home run.

NRFI and YRFI picks add excitement to the early part of a game and offer immediate gratification for those looking for a quick resolution.

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.