Worldwide Sports News

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 8-9 (8) and W, 8-6 (7) at Columbus Clippers

Game 1

C Austin Wells 0-4, BB, 3 K — no-contact day in this rehab game, as opposed to the two homers on Thursday
2B Marco Luciano 0-4, BB, K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 4-5, HR, 2 RBI — great day for Waldo!
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-5, HR, RBI, 2 K, GIDP — dinger in the seventh but Scranton ahead, butmisplay in right allowed Bo Naylor to walk off the doubleheader opener in extras (yes, the eighth constitutes extras here) with a two-run inside-the-parker, had to be seen to be believed!
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, K, HBP
DH Payton Henry 3-4, RBI
LF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, K, HBP
PR-LF Duke Ellis 0-1, 2 SB — scored two runs though, and up to 30 stolen bases
SS Jonathan Ornelas 1-2, 2 BB, K, 2 SB
CF Kenedy Corona 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, SB — two-run double in the eighth put Scranton up, and he did as well on Cabrera’s hit; the 8-5 lead wasn’t enough

Adam Kloffenstein 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 4 K, HR
Angel Chivilli 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR — allowed game-tying homer to begin the seventh
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K — as noted above, Fernández was somewhat the goat for the final play, but Cruz and Montero played their part as well with poor relief work; Cruz continues to throw hard with 13 pitches of at least 100 mph and one at 102 … but he has work to do
Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, HR (loss)

Game 2

SS Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, HR, 4 RBI — grand slam got Scranton back in it after trailing 6-0 through five
2B Marco Luciano 2-4, K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, K — hit go-ahead homer put Scranton up by one
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, K — six hits combined in the twin bill
1B Tyler Hardman 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-1, 3 BB, K
C Payton Henry 0-4, K
LF Kenedy Corona 1-3, BB
CF Duke Ellis 1-3, BB

Danny Watson 1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 2 HR — ouch
Carson Coleman 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Dylan Coleman 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP
Bradley Hanner 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (win) — excellent work for the W (for the most part)
Cole Gabrielson 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (save) — Hanner and pitching coach Spencer Medick got ejected, so in came a position player for the save after the long day of RailRoders pitching … and he got it lol (walked one but then got a popup)

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 2-6 at Portland Sea Dogs

LF Jackson Castillo 0-4, K
CF Garrett Martin 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI — his 21st homer, cotinues laying waste to Double-A
RF DJ Gladney 1-4, K
1B Nicholas Torres 0-4, 3 K
3B Coby Morales 1-4, K, fielding error
C Tomas Frick 1-4, K, GIDP
DH Miguel Palma 0-3, 3 K
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 1-3, 3B, RBI, K

Chase Hampton 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K (loss) — the Tommy John rehab process is not for the faint of heart
Chase Chaney 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 4-5 at Rome Emperors

2B Kaeden Kent 0-4, BB, 2 K
SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2B, K, SB
DH Eric Genther 0-3, BB
1B Kyle West 0-3, BB, RBI, K, SB
LF Wilson Rodriguez 0-3, BB, 2 K
3B Roderick Arias 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, K — run-scoring hit in the first and a two-run blast in the third (his first against a lefty of 2026)
C Josue Gonzalez 0-4, 2 K
CF Camden Troyer 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Luis Durango 2-3, SB, sacrifice — only five hits total on the day from Hudson Valley

Allen Facundo 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, WP
Brady Kirtner 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, HBP
Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Andrew Landry 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, WP (loss) — wild pitch allowed game-tying run to score in the ninth
Tanner Bauman 0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP —gave up walk-off single to end it

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 8-7 vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

SS Jackson Lovich 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K — 13 homers and a .922 OPS in 51 games now, leading the Florida State League; his two-run bomb gave Tampa a 6-4 lead in the seventh
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-4, K
1B Hans Montero 0-4
LF Luis Puello 1-3, HR, RBI, SB, HBP — 416 feet on his homer, continuing hot streak from Tuesday
CF Willy Montero 1-4, 2B, K
DH Engelth Urena 0-4, 2 K
C Ediel Rivera 1-4, K
2B Luis Escudero 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, K
RF Gabriel Lara 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, K

Henry Lalane 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 8 K, HR — 12 swings and misses but only so much right outside of the K’s; that homer was a grand slam
Greysen Carter 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K (win)
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, 2 WP (save) — struck out final batter with the tying run at second

Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 2-9 and L, 8-15 vs. FCL Blue Jays

Game 1 — completion of June 12th game, which was suspended in a 2-2 tie in the eighth

1B Richard Matic 1-4, BB, RBI, K, picked off — tied it in the seventh with an RBI knock
RF-CF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, K (June 12th)
CF Francisco Vilorio 0-1
C Queni Pineda 1-4, K, catcher interference error
2B Leni Done 0-2, 2 BB, K, SB
DH Robbie Burnett 0-3, K (June 12th)
DH Justin Capellan 0-1
LF-RF Estivenzon Montero 1-4, K
SS Dexters Peralta 2-2, 2 BB, fielding and throwing errors
2B Christofer Reyes 1-4, 2B, RBI, K — only extra-base hit of the game for FCL Yanks
CF Isael Arias 0-2, K (June 12th), outfield assist
PH Jose Castro 0-0, HBP (June 12th)
LF Diego Flores 0-1

Omar Gonzalez 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP (June 12th)
Enixon Sanchez 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (loss) (June 12th)
Austin Breedlove 0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K (June 12th)
Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR — let the tie game get out of hand
Carlos Rondon 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K — he’s a catcher

Game 2

3B Richard Matic 0-3
PH-1B Carlos Rondon 0-1, BB
CF Wilberson De Pena 1-3, 2 K — appears to have left with an injury after singling in the fifth; would be unfortunate, as the 19-year-old from the Oswald Peraza trade has hit .341/.393/.674 with a 1.059 OPS this year in his first 32 games stateside
PR-CF Isael Arias 0-2
DH Queni Pineda 2-5, HR, RBI, K — 10th homer in 35 games at FCL
2B Leni Done 0-2, BB, K, SB — replaced in the top of the sixth after striking out to end the fifth
1B-3B Diego Flores 1-2, RBI
RF Jose Castro 0-4, 2 K, HBP
LF Francisco Vilorio 0-3, 3 K, HBP — no-contact day (aside from the pitch making contact with him)
SS Dexters Peralta 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
C Justin Capellan 1-4, 2 RBI
1B-2B Christofer Reyes 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K — bottom of the order had the ribbies anyway

Omar Gonzalez 3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R (9 ER), 2 BB, 3 K. 4 HR — it had been a week since that appearance, so yes he started this one too; it, uh, did not go well (FCL Jays pounded him in an eight-run third)
Enixon Sanchez 0.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R (5 ER), 8 BB, 1 K, HR, WP — then again, Gonzalez got more than one out and didn’t walk EIGHT, so
Edinzo Marquez 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, HBP
Brian Arias 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, balk
Estivenzon Montero 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K — an outfielder pitching

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-6 at DSL Arizona Red

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, BB, 2 RBI, K
DH Stiven Marinez 1-2, HR, 3 BB, 5 RBI, 2 SB — clubbed a game-breaking grand slam in the seventh
RF Yostin Pena 0-4, RBI, SF
SS Juan Torres 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, SB, fielding and throwing errors
C Juan Martinez 2-3, SB, GIDP — left one out into the sixth, wonder if there might’ve been a bad foul tip or something along those lines
C Edgar Jimenez 1-1, BB, SB
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-4, BB, GIDP
1B Cesar Lopez 1-3, BB, HBP
LF Eliezer Adames 1-4, BB, RBI, K
2B Emmanuel Orozco 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K

Victor De Leon 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, WP
Yunior Jerez 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, WP, pickoff error (win)
Varis Villarreal 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 7-5 vs. DSL Rockies

DH Mani Cedeno 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, K, SB
3B Carlos Bello 1-5, 2 K, GIDP, fielding error — not the cleanest of days on defense, but the Bombers won
RF David Carrera 2-3, BB, K
1B Poly Ojeda 1-4, K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 2-3, BB, RBI, SB, picked off, fielding error
C Jesus Guerrero 0-3, BB, passed ball
LF Sebastian Pinto 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI — tied game with RBI double in the fifth, and then did so again in the decisive five-run bottom of the eighth (plating two)
2B Stalen Ramirez 1-3, 2 K, throwing error
CF Alfiery Matos 0-3, BB, RBI, throwing error — drew bases-loaded walk to put Bombers ahead for good

Jose Sanchez 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR, WP — pro debut
Higor Requena 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
Jhon Castro 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K, 3 WP — effectively wild?
Oscar Vasquez 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, WP (win)
Carlos Hampshire 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 WP (save) — my favorite Hampshire, personally

These are the days when I’m super jealous of Al. A June afternoon at the park while the Cubs are playing pinball. To be fair, he’s watched a metric ton of bad baseball this year (and nine walk-offs too!). I’m sure I’m suffering from some recency bias, but this has felt like the weirdest ever season of Cub baseball. There doesn’t feel like any middle ground with this team. Epic wins. Terrible losses. So little ho hum. Typical baseball somewhere in my head is a 5-2 game or a 4-3 game. The Cubs don’t really play those games.

When you blog about baseball regularly, you start organizing your thoughts as the game unfolds. I remember thinking about how gifted this team is offensively. A 16-2 win doesn’t feel wacky. Because this offense is gifted. The offense jumped all over a talented pitcher on an afternoon when he just wasn’t executing. Then in the second act, they jumped all over the back half of the Blue Jays bullpen, forced to cover just too many innings.

But then I argued with myself. Is the offense actually gifted? Your mileage may vary. In the context I’m using it, gifted is a term of art, not necessarily a commonly accepted concept. In my head, a gifted offense is one that can, with some consistency, beat good pitching and teams. I would go a step down with the offense. They are a talented offense. But not gifted. A talented team has the capability of sustaining offense and producing lopsided scores with some frequency.

That collective skill is one of the reasons this team has so many come from behind wins. When this team faces a struggling pitcher, they tend to bury it. They piece together good plate appearance after good plate appearance. But they do also appear to struggle against good pitching, of any skill level, when it is executing well. I think of a game recently when they faced a young starting pitcher who’d yet to find any success at the major league level and couldn’t get anything going. I remember a pitcher (twice) recently who had pretty universally struggled all year long and not being able to mount any consistent offense.

I see Pete Crow-Armstrong as a gifted hitter. I see Michael Busch as a gifted hitter. I’m not super familiar with his body of work, but I believe Alex Bregman is historically a gifted hitter. To date, it looks like father time is winning the fight there and he is merely a talented hitter. Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, Nico Hoerner. Talented. But not gifted. It doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes come through against a pitcher who’s throwing well. But they don’t do so consistently. When the gameplan against them gets around the league, they may struggle for days and weeks at a time. We are watching so much of that happening.

This team has nowhere near enough starting pitching to stay competitive in a low-scoring environment. This team needs to score runs consistently. In an odd way, I think that any push that is going to be made by this team is going to have to come from the offensive side of things. Be it internal or external, I think that’s where this team can find a higher gear. This is why they have to continue to find spots for Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez. They’ve got to get Moisés Ballesteros right. Somewhere, they have to find more offense.

They score enough runs on the good days. When the other pitcher falters, this team pounces. But this team has to find more production on those days when the other guy is really executing. Offense has a cumulative effect. Success at the plate creates traffic on the bases. You can’t shift your defense in the same ways when runners are on base. You have to be more concerned about making the kind of mistake that can lead to an instant crooked number. You throw more pitches. You throw more pitches at max effort. That can wear you down. A team playing on a lead pitches different, defends different, hits different. It effects which relievers you use. It effects how aggressively you deploy your bullpen.

The Cubs have had such a cumulative negative effect over the last month plus. They are always behind. It forces their pitchers to have to try to be a little too perfect. It allows opposing pitchers to work a little more aggressively. Hitters press. Pitchers press. This team has become such a momentum team. But there are many different times of momentum. They roll hard when they roll. They fall harder when they don’t. We saw it one day last week. They had a wild come from behind win. Then they allowed so many runs early that there was no carryover what’s so ever.

The opportunity is still there. I don’t know where they could possibly find much more pitching. A healthy return for Matthew Boyd and/or Justin Steele, I guess. I think they’d have to give up too much to add meaningful amounts of pitching. But maybe if they could find enough offense, it would take some stress off of their pitchers. This team averages just under 4.75 runs per game. They are eighth in MLB in runs. To be fair, three of the teams ahead of them have done it in less games as have a few of the teams just behind them. But it’s not a wild exaggeration that this team has been one of the highest scoring teams. It’s all about consistency.

To be fair, I bet the vast majority of all of the teams feel that they need more consistency. So this isn’t a grand concept. It also isn’t a lever that can just be flipped. If it could, more teams would find it. But this team really does have one of the deepest groups of position players. That’s why sites like Fangraphs have consistently ranked them among the highest for expected WAR amongst the position player group. Of course, a significant chunk of that comes from excellent defense by so many of them. Almost every player is contributing positive defensive value. Now they just have to carry some of that over onto the offensive side. Or, sacrifice a little defense, at times, for offense.

Positives:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to lead the way. Three hits, two walks. A run, a run batted in, two steals. He jammed a box score. As I’m writing this, he sits 22nd in all of MLB in OPS.
• Seiya Suzuki had three hits and a walk. Among his hits was a double. He drove in two runs and scored two more.
• Carson Kelly had two hits and drew two walks. Among his hits was a grand slam. He scored three times.
• Nico Hoerner had three hits, one a double. He scored a run.
• Ben Brown, two runs allowed over six innings.

I could go on and on. Michael Conforto was really the only Cub who played who didn’t have some meaningful contribution. He only batted once.

Game 76, June 19: Cubs 16, Blue Jays 2 (40-36)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Carson Kelly (.182). 2-4, HR, 2 BB, 6 RBI, 3 R
• Hero: Seiya Suzuki (.119). 3-5, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Sidekick: Ben Brown (.087). 6 IP, 22 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 4 K (W 4-2)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.043). 3-6, 2B, R
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.011). 1-5, BB
• Kid: Michael Conforto* (.000). 0-1

*Michael Conforto draws the short stick. In reality, the Cubs emptied the bench and their lower leverage relievers. Six total players participated in a time in the game where there was basically no leverage and the teams were playing out the string. Three of them were pitchers who threw a scoreless inning. Two of them were hitters who had hits and run(s) driven in off of the bench. Michael was the one who would have a negative WPA under ordinary circumstances, however slight.

WPA Play of the Game: Carson Kelly with the rare first inning grand slam. It came with two outs and extended the Cubs lead to six. (.182)

Blue Jays Play of the Game: Kevin Gaussman’s first inning strikeout of Nico Hoerner with the bases loaded and one out, the Cubs already up two. This play was right before the grand slam. (.050)

*There were 21 plays in this game that registered no WPA score — positive or negative — because the game was essentially already over for all WPA purposes.

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 75 Winner: Matt Shaw 88-55 over Javier Assad (159 total 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 +25
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +13
• Carson Kelly +10.5
• Michael Conforto +9
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Caleb Thielbar/Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -19.5

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series Saturday afternoon. The Cubs look to win for their seventh time in nine games. Colin Rea (5-5, 5.45) gets the start for the Cubs. Colin is 0-2 with a 7.98 over three June starts to date. Our old pal Patrick Corbin (2-3, 4.57). The veteran lefty has 14 career appearances versus the Cubs, 13 of them starts (5-2, 4.60). The Cubs are 8-10 against left-handed starters, despite having the sixth highest OPS versus lefties of all MLB teams.

With eight games taking place down on the farm, there was no shortage of action. In five of the eight games, Atlanta’s minor league teams scored five or more runs, so there was plenty of offense to go around. Let’s dive in.

(37-34) Gwinnett Stripers 9, (37-33) Louisville Bats 8 (GAME ONE)

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3, 2B, RBI, R
• Aaron Schunk, 1B: 3-3, 3 R
• Jose Azocar, PH: 1-1, 3 RBI, R
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, BB, 3 K

Box Score

In what was easily the most entertaining game of the day on Friday, Gwinnett won game one of their doubleheader against Louisville in extra innings.

Before we get to the theatrics, let’s figure out how we got to that point.

Garrett Baumann got the start in game one and took a step backwards after a string of solid outings at the triple-A level. In 3.2 innings of work, Baumann surrendered six runs on eight hits. The upside is that he only issued one free pass in the short outing.

It’s an unfortunate start following his first triple-A start on June 11 in which he spun five innings of one-run ball while striking out five. Hopefully it’s just a minor setback for Baumann as he continues to adapt to the competition at the level.

Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Aaron Schunk — who went 3-3 on the day — singled before advancing to second on a Ben Gamel walk to put a runner in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners over before a Jim Jarvis sacrifice fly brought Schunk home and cut the deficit to 6-3. In the next at-bat, DaShawn Kiersey Jr. singled on a sharply hit ground ball to the second baseman to plate Gamel and make it a 6-4 game.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh down by two runs, Cal Conley would play the initial hero in this one.

Similar to the fifth inning, Schunk singled and Gamel walked to lead things off before Conley tripled both runners home to tie the game. While there were no outs in the inning with the winning run just 90 feet away, the Stripers failed to bring Conley home, sending the game into extras.

With Joel Payamps on the mound, Louisville tagged the righty for a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead once again.

However, Payamps offense luckily bailed him out with some late inning sparks.

With Brett Wisely starting on second base, Brewer Hicklen led off the frame with a walk and three batters later, Schunk worked a two-out walk to put the winning run at first base.

What proceeded could best be described as a gift by Gwinnett and a calamity for Louisville.

Jose Azocar — who pinch-ran for Gamel in the seventh — popped up to shallow right center field, during which the second baseman made a sliding attempt to catch the pop up. However, the ball ricocheted off his glove and got past the centerfielder, allowing Wisely, Hicklen and Schunk to score and give Gwinnett the walkoff 9-8 win to start their day.

(37-35) Gwinnett Stripers 0, (38-33) Louisville Bats 2 (GAME TWO)

• Adam Zebrowski, C: 1-2, 2B
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3
• Owen Murphy, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K

Box Score

Hoping to build off the high of walking off game one, Gwinnett ultimately fell short after getting shutout in game two.

Despite a solid outing from Owen Murphy in which he tossed six innings, giving up two runs and striking out six, the Stripers offense must have used all of its magic in game one as Gwinnett totaled just five hits in the second game.

While there wasn’t much to write home about in the second contest, Murphy put up his second consecutive solid performance in which he has tossed at least six innings while allowing two or fewer runs. He has also struck out 16 across 12 innings, while only walking two batters.

It’s a small sample size, sure. But it’s still encouraging to see from one of the top arms in the system as he continues to try and adjust to triple-A.

(29-33) Columbus Clingstones 3, (33-30) Biloxi Shuckers 14 (GAME ONE)

• David McCabe, 1B: 2-2, 2B
• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 2-4, RBI
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Box Score

Columbus didn’t have much of a fighting chance in this one as the Shuckers tagged the Clingstones pitching staff for eight runs in the second inning.

Cedric De Grandpre got the start and, simply put, had as bad of an outing as you’ll see. Across just 1.1 innings of work, Biloxi tallied seven runs on five hits while working a pair of walks in less than two frames. It was an abysmal start for De Grandpre, who was making his first start of the season at the double-A level.

Trying to battle back from an 8-1 deficit, the Clingstones really never had a chance to catch up offensively, as they were limited to just three runs compared to Biloxi’s 14.

David McCabe had the lone extra base hit on the night, a double, while Patrick Clohisy registered the only RBI for Columbus.

All in all, this was probably a game most of the Clingstones would rather forget.

(29-33) Columbus Clingstones 1, (33-30) Biloxi Shuckers 1 (GAME TWO/SUSPENDED)

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-2, R
• Will Verdung, 1B: 0-0, sac fly
• Brett Sears, SP: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

Box Score

On an initial positive note, Columbus had a chance to redeem themselves in game two. However, Mother Nature got in the way and forced this one to be suspended in the third inning tied at 1-1.

Prior to the game being called due to the weather, Patrick Clohisy registered the only hit, while Will Verdung drove in the lone run for the Clingstones on a sacrifice fly.

Friday’s game two will be completed on Saturday prior to the regularly scheduled game.

(34-31) Rome Emperors 5, (30-35) Hudson Valley Renegades 4

• Tate Southisene, SS: 3-5, 2B, R
• Dixon Williams, DH: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI
• John Gil, 2B: 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB
• Eric Hartman, CF: 2-5
• Briggs McKenzie, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K

Box Score

Much like their triple-A counterparts, Rome came away with a walkoff victory on Friday as well.

The Emperors had to battle out of an early 2-0 hole in this one as the Renegades tagged starter Briggs McKenzie for a pair of runs in the first inning, and two more later on in the third frame to extend their lead to 4-0.

While the baseline stats might not have been there for McKenzie, his stuff looked as excellent as ever — culminated with an excellent breaking ball to get an inning-ending strikeout in the bottom of the first inning.

Rome managed to cut the deficit to 4-3, but failed to produce any meaningful offense until their final trip to the plate.

Following a Collin Burgess strikeout to begin the inning, Tate Southisene and John Gil laced back-to-back singles to put the tying run in scoring position. Southisene proceeded to score on a wild pitch to knot things up before Owen Carey called game.

With the bases-loaded and one out on a 1-1 count, Carey took a fastball up in the zone and lined it into right field to plate Gil and give the Emperors the victory.

(36-31) Augusta GreenJackets 16, (31-36) Hub City Howlers 3

• Alex Lodise, SS: 3-5, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
• Junior Garcia, RF: 3-3, HR, 2B, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 4-6, RBI, 3 R
• Tanner Smith, 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
• Landon Beidelschies, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Box Score

It was an all-around great day for Augusta on Friday as the GreenJackets got excellent pitching on the mound and a banner day at the plate en route to a 16-3 victory.

Before we get into the offensive performances, let’s talk about the pitching staff for Augusta.

Landon Beidelschies got the start and had one of his better performances this season. While it was only across four innings, the lefty allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. The main thing for Beidelschies, however, is that he kept his offense in the game long enough for the GreenJackets to break out.

Reliever Adiel Melendez got the win after tossing three scoreless innings and allowing just one hit and striking out one in the process. Melendez has sneakily been excellent as of late, as the undrafted lefty out of the University of Montevallo has lowered his ERA to 2.45 across 21.1 innings to go along with 22 strikeouts. He’s a guy to keep an eye on to get the bump up to Rome in the near future given his age and recent success.

Fellow relievers Kade Woods (0.2 innings, one earned run) and Daniel Brooks (1.1 innings, three strikeouts) managed to keep Hub City at bay following the performances from Beidelschies and Melendez.

Back to the action at the plate, Augusta tallied 16 runs on 16 hits in what was one of the better offensive performances of the year.

To give you an idea of how good the bats were, the GreenJackets scored at least one run in every inning except for the fifth.

The bulk of the offense came courtesy of four guys — Alex Lodise, Luis Guanipa, Tanner Smith and the big man, Junior Garcia who had a career night.

Lodise homered twice and doubled while driving in three, and Smith registered three hits including a homer to go along with his three RBI. Luis Guanipa produced a lot for the offense as well, tallying four hits and crossing the plate three times on Friday night.

The biggest night belongs to Garcia who tallied not one, not two, not three — you get the idea — but seven total RBI on the night, thanks in part to a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to left center field to give Augusta an 11-2 lead at the time.

(11-24) FCL Braves 8, (21-14) FCL Rays 19

• Diego Tornes, CF: 2-5, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Manuel Campos, SS: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Mario Baez, 3B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• Wuilinyer Tovar, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 5 BB

Box Score

A loss for the FCL Braves resulted in one of the more unique box score you’ll ever see.

Despite the Braves outhitting the Rays 10-8, the Rays more than doubled the Braves’ score while walking a staggering 18 times over the course of nine innings.

The Braves got the offensive party started in the top of the first as Diego Tornes tripled in the first at-bat of the game. While Tornes was eventually gunned down trying to steal home, Manuel Campos later stole second and third base before scampering home on an errant throw to third on his steal attempt to make it a 1-0 game.

From there, things went back and forth until the seventh inning where the Rays tallied six runs, followed by four more runs in the eighth.

On the day, Tornes had a solid outing as he also laced a double and drove in a pair of runs and also scored a run. Campos went 3-4 with a double and two RBI as well, while third baseman Mario Baez doubled and scored a pair of runs for the Braves.

(2-12) DSL Braves 13, (4-10) DSL Red Sox Blue 15

• Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez, LF: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Jose Nelo, C: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
• Jorwin Pulido, DH: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Starlyn De La Cruz, CF: 2-5, 2 R
• Jesus Cova, SP: 1 IP, H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K

Box Score

There must have been something in the water on Friday as yet another minor league affiliate’s offense broke out in huge fashion.

Every member of the DSL Braves lineup registered at least one hit on Friday, while all but two tallied at least one RBI to their credit as well in what was a massive offensive showcase for both squads in this one.

While the Braves came up short by a 15-13 final, there were plenty of individual performances to write home about.

Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez and Jose Nelo each launched solo homers on the day to pace the offense, while Jorwin Pulido registered three hits including a double and two RBI to his credit as well.

Da Costa Gomez’ arrow continues to point upward, as he is carrying a .351 average along with an OPS of 1.192 — both of which lead the team.

Jose Manon also drove in two of the team’s 13 total runs, while Starlyn De La Cruz got a pair of knocks and scored twice himself. Meanwhile his plate discipline has also been sharp, as he has eight walks to 11 strikeouts in 33 at-bats thus far.

As most of these types of games are, the pitching left a lot to be desired. Jesus Cova got the start and lasted just one frame, giving up three runs on one hit and a pair of walks in the process.

It’s been a really rough go of it thus far for the DSL squad as they’ve only won two of their first 14 games this season. However, seeing an outing like this from the offense suggests perhaps things may be about to change in their favor moving forward.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday!

The Mariners bats struggled to get going last night against the Red Sox, with left-hander Ranger Suárez tossing six no-hit innings in a 6-2 M’s loss. The squad will try to get back into the win column tonight against young lefty Connelly Early.

It’s looking like a sunny Father’s Day weekend in Seattle. What plans do you have on tap for the next couple of days?

In Mariners news…

• Some Australians in town for the FIFA World Cup have found their way to Mariners baseball fandom.
• Jessica Roberts at the Everett Post-Intelligencer broke down Andrés Muñoz’s fastball issues this season.
• Over on The Feed, Kate Preusser shared some quotes from Perry Hill regarding Brendan Donovan’s defensive work.
• If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, LL commenter BlackbirdFly is organizing a reader meet-up for next week’s series!

Around the league…

• The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Major League Baseball after the league issued a warning to a handful of Giants players for altering their hats on Pride Night.
• Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander is excepted to miss several weeks with a hamstring strain.
• Jarred Kelenic has been called up by the Rangers.
• Bradford William Davis found that Rick Burnham, the man responsible for MLB’s probes into player misconduct, has himself had almost a dozen misconduct allegations brought against him during his time with the NYPD.
• Now that we are almost halfway into our first season with the ABS challenge system, Matt Martell at Fangraphs took a look at how teams are strategizing when to use their valuable challenges.
• After an injury-plagued first month of the season, Brewers youngster Jackson Chourio is having his star turn, writes Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs.
• Eno Sarris at The Athletic updated his starting pitcher rankings for the rest of the season. ($)

Blair Kerkhoff writes that Tyler Tolbert came up big in the Friday win over the Cardinals.

“You never know when your name is going to be called,” Tolbert said. “You just have to be ready.”

That was the case throughout the game for Tolbert. In the sixth inning, after failing to get down a pair of bunts with a runner on third, he drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

“To stay in the moment and be able to concentrate on that pitch, that was big for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That ball was smoked.”

Anne Rogers has more on how Tolbert stays ready.

“It’s a mental thing,” Tolbert said. “A lot of people are like, ‘Save your energy.’ But for me, it’s a mindset thing. My whole life, I’ve been a starter. It just gets my mind and body ready, like, ‘Hey, we’re playing a game. Let’s get in that mode. We’re not sitting around and hanging out. Turn the switch on.’”

She also provides an update on the knee injury for Bobby Witt Jr.

If playing one game shorthanded means the Royals can give Witt more time to recover and see how he feels, they’ll do it. Avoiding an IL stint means they would avoid the minimum 10 days without their best player. But they also don’t want to risk a long-term injury, so there are a lot of factors at play.

“It’s going to be what the conversations are with him and [team] Doc [Vincent] Key,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s not a surgical thing. I know they can put a brace on it. It’s going to be a lot of get the swelling out of there and understand how he feels, and those conversations are going to have to be honest between all of us.”

Thomas Harrigan at MLB.com writes about the starting pitcher trade market.

Kansas City made the playoffs in 2024 and won 82 games a year ago, but the club has cratered in ’26. The Royals aren’t going to launch a full-scale rebuild when they have Bobby Witt Jr. in his prime, but they badly need to retool.

With starters Cole Ragans (controllable through 2028) and Kris Bubic (pending free agent) both injured, their best chance to do that is dealing veteran hurlers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, each of whom is signed through 2027 with a ’28 club option.

Michael Baumann at Fangraphs examines the decline of Salvador Perez.

Perez’s power is gone. It just up and disappeared over the winter. And for a player who already couldn’t run, wasn’t much use defensively, and never walks, that was the last Jenga piece. The power was the only tangible skill Perez had left.

And it’s definitively gone. Last year, Perez’s barrel rate was in the 91st percentile and his hard-hit rate was in the 70th percentile. Those numbers are in the 45th and 44th percentiles now.

From last year to this, Perez has lost 1.4 mph of average bat speed and his fast swing rate has been cut nearly in half, from 30.5% to 16.9%. Another hitter could live with those numbers; Perez’s bat speed figures are in the same neighborhood as Kevin McGonigle’s and Kyle Tucker’s. But if power is your carrying tool, that little power won’t carry you very far. Maybe Perez is dealing with an injury from which he’ll recover, but for a 36-year-old who’s spent nearly 12,000 innings behind the plate, Occam’s Razor points in another direction.

David Lesky recaps the big offensive night on Thursday against the Cardinals.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep writes that the offense has not been a problem this month.

Shohei Ohtani is out of the lineup while away on paternity.

Travel issues led to the Padres/Rangers game to have only two umpires.

Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal and White Sox pitcher Mike Vasil exchange heated words.

Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler strikes out 13 in a shutout win over the Reds.

Justin Verlander is out several weeks with a hamstring strain.

How Jacob Misiorowski became one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The Tigers call up the grandson of Jose Cruz, making that family the fifth to have three generations of MLB players.

Byron Buxton isn’t looking for a trade out of Minnesota.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. admits he has never worn a cup, after taking a ball to the groin.

The Giants may be ready for a firesale, but can they move those large contracts?

Oklahoma and North Carolina square off in the Mens’ College World Series finals this weekend.

Could the United States actually win the World Cup?

Will NFL officiating improve with a new “practice squad” of refs?

Be careful with your dog’s paws in hot weather.

A TV series based on the popular RPG novel Dungeon Crawler Carl is greenlit for Peacock.

Pizza Hut is sold to a private equity firm.

Your song of the day is The Replacements with I Will Dare.

As Major League Baseball and the players’ association near the end of their collective bargaining agreement in less than 6 months on December 1, questions over a potential lockout loom. It was reported today that the MLB has proposed widespread changes to it’s annual draft.

The likelihood of the proposition being accepted as-is may not be high, but it confirms the rumors that sweeping changes could be made to players’ entry in to professional baseball and it could have massive effects on the future of college baseball.

First, the MLB wants to institute a separate international draft. Currently, international players are allowed to sign with whichever Major League team offers them a contract, with bonus pool limitations for spending, similar to the current draft. The signing period runs between January 15 and December 15, with prospects being required to be at least 16 years old to sign and turn 17 by September 1 of the next year. It’s basically free agency. An international draft would require players to be 18 and consist of 12 rounds.

How could that affect LSU? Well, instead of the process being essentially open game, it could bottleneck crops of players in particular drafts. It likely would not matter much to the top-end talent who will get paid on the higher end of slot values, but with middle-to-lower talent, prospects could choose to go to school for two years, earn NIL, and hope to develop within collegiate baseball programs to improve their abilities and, eventually, their draft stock. It would be fairly similar to the decision that high school players are faced with, although they are not only competing with their peers for draft positions, they’re also in the same crop as college players. Is it likely that college baseball sees a large influx of international players come to America to play college baseball? Probably not, but changes like this could certainly matter so some players from outside of the country.

You may have noticed that I mentioned that the international players could choose to go to college for two years. That’s because part of the proposed changes to the typical MLB draft entail changing the eligibility requirements to simply two years in college. Currently, players that attend four-year colleges are eligible upon finishing their junior year or turning 21 years old within 45 days of the draft. Although they’re the vast minority, there are some sophomores that make the cut for the age requirement, often referred to as “draft eligible sophomores” or “super sophomores”. Derek Curiel is a prime example.

The two year rule would go along with the most impactful change that would immediately affect NCAA Baseball. High school players would no longer be eligible to enter the MLB Draft. Every graduating senior must attend college and would be eligible after their sophomore season. In the 2025 draft, 96 high school baseball players signed professionally after being drafted. With the rule change, all of that top-end talent would enter the collegiate ranks, bettering college baseball as a whole.

While the entire sport would benefit from more high-level players taking the field from the SEC to the mid-majors, LSU, specifically, would be ecstatic to actually land all of the commitments that they receive. Over the years, they have been gutted by the MLB draft and, at times, forced to turn to the transfer portal as a saving grace. This past season was a perfect example. Jay Johnson lost 8 signees to professional baseball, a few of which were slight surprises. With a change like the one proposed, coaching staffs would have a much better idea of who will make it to campus, much like football and basketball.

To further illustrate the immense amount of talent that has skipped over LSU, here are the commits from Jay Johnson’s first four classes that signed professionally. Four have already made it to the MLB, three of which are everyday players (or in the rotation in Misiorowski’s case). For the others, their current level in the minors and their prospect rankings in their respective organizations are included, along with when they were drafted.

2022

OF Justin Crawford (1st rd, Phillies) – Made his MLB debut this season, playing in 69/75 games so far in 2026 with 200+ at-bats as Philadelphia’s center fielder.

RHP Jacob Misiorowski (2nd rd, Brewers) – After bursting on to the scene and making his Major League debut in 2025, Misiorowski has started 28 games over the past two seasons and has dominated. His ERA this season is 1.34 through 87.0 innings pitched and he has topped out at 104.5 mph just days ago.

LHP Robbie Snelling (1st rd, Padres) – Made his MLB debut in May for the Marlins with one start where he threw 5.0 innings. Currently ranked as Miami’s #2 prospect.

3B Tucker Toman (2nd rd, Blue Jays) – High-A/#40 Toronto

SS Mikey Romero (1st rd, Red Sox) – AAA/#11 Boston

LHP Michael Kennedy (4th rd, Pirates) – High-A/#18 Cleveland

2023

C Blake Mitchell (1st rd, Royals) – High-A/#1 Kansas City

2024

SS/OF Konnor Griffin (1st rd, Pirates) – Called up to make his MLB debut for Pittsburgh early in the season on April 3rd. Has played in 51 games and is hitting .270 with just under 200 at-bats while typically starting at shortstop.

LHP Cam Caminiti (1st rd, Braves) – High-A/#1 Atlanta

LHP Boston Bateman (2nd, Padres) – High-A/#9 Baltimore

3B Kale Fountain (5th rd, Padres) – A/#18 San Diego

2025

SS Brady Ebel (1st rd, Brewers) – A/#13 Milwaukee

SS Quentin Young (2nd rd, Twins) – A/#12 Minnesota

OF Dean Moss (2nd rd, Rays) – A/#29 Tampa Bay

SS Jaden Fauske (2nd rd, White Sox) – A/#7 Chicago White Sox

RHP Miguel Sime (4th rd, Nationals) – High-A/#17 Washington

LHP Briggs McKenzie (4th rd, Braves) – High-A/#6 Atlanta

C Landon Hodge (4th rd, White Sox) – Rookie ball/#19 Chicago White Sox

RHP River Hamilton (11th rd, Tigers) – Injured list/Ranking NA

It’s clearly visible how impactful just a fraction of these players could have been for the Tigers. Although the current state of the MLB Draft has not prevented Johnson from bringing two national championships home in his first five seasons in Baton Rouge, it’s hard not to imagine how incredible a few of these players could have been in purple and gold. Can you imagine a rotation in 2023 that included both Paul Skenes AND Jacob Misiorowski? Konnor Griffin and Steven Milam could have been one of the best middle infield in college baseball history. Briggs McKenzie and Miguel Sime would have been a revelation as starting pitching options as LSU’s entire rotation was injured at some point in 2026.

Johnson has been very vocal about how impossible it is for colleges to compete with the inflated amounts of money that MLB teams are offering high school prospects nowadays. They do their best, but when you have to get through 82 selections in the draft before the slot value drops below seven figures, it’s an uphill battle that they’ll never win.

Taking the option to sign professionally away from high school graduates would change that, though, and LSU would be set to benefit as much, if not more than anyone.

Hickory starter Daniel Keaney made his first ever full season league appearance and threw five innings of shutout, one hit ball, walking two and striking out six. Geury Rodriguez struck out three in two scoreless innings.

Yolfran Castillo was 3 for 5. Marco Argudin was 1 for 3 with two walks. Paulino Santana drew a pair of walks. Angel Arredondo had a pair of hits. Dewar Tovar doubled. Daniel Flames had a hit and a walk.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Caden Scarborough allowed one run and two hits in 4.2 IP, walking one and striking out 9 of the 16 batters he faced. Aidan Deakins allowed a two runs homer in 3.1 IP, walking one and striking out two.

Hector Osorio doubled. Yeison Morrobel had a hit.

Hub City box score

Dalton Pence started for Frisco and allowed three runs in 5.1 IP, walking four, striking out four and giving up a homer.

Facing 2025 #3 overall pick Kade Anderson, the Roughriders mustered just two hits in the game, one of which was an Arturo Disla double.

Frisco box score

For Round Rock, Wilian Bormie struck out two and walked one in two scoreless innings. Emiliano Teodo allowed four runs in 1.2 IP, walking four, striking out three and giving up a homer. Gavin Collyer faced five batters, allowing two runs on a hit and three walks while striking out one.

Cam Cauley homered and walked. Blaine Crim had a hit and a walk. John Taylor had a homer and a walk.

Round Rock box score

ACL Rangers box score

DSL Rangers Red/Blue box score

Dodgers right-hander Brock Stewart pitched a scoreless inning for Class-A Ontario on Friday, the second straight night to complete the planned back-to-back outings that manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday was coming this week.

Stewart in four games for Ontario during this rehab assignment has allowed one run on four hits in four innings, with five strikeouts and no walks. He’s been on the injured list since May 9 with a bone spur in his left foot.

Player of the day

Center fielder Alek Thomas had his best game yet in the Dodgers organization with four hits for Oklahoma City, including a double and home run.

Acquired by trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 12, Thomas drove in two runs and scored twice on Friday,

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Thomas and Ryan Fitzgerald homered in the Comets win over the Sacramento River Cats (Giants).

Fitzgerald had two hits, as did third baseman Taylor Young. Second baseman Austin Gauthier had three singles and drove in a pair in the four-run eighth inning that gave Oklahoma City its winning margin.

Paul Gervase pitched two scoreless innings, and since getting optioned to Triple-A on May 31 has allowed two runs in eight innings with 10 strikeouts and five walks, with five of his six appearances scoreless.

Double-A Tulsa

Tulsa scored seven runs in the first three innings to rout the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals).

Mike Sirota still has reached base every game since April 9, so he hasn’t exactly slumped much this season, though he needed extra innings to extend said streak this week on both Tuesday and Thursday. On Friday Sirota singled in the second inning then later added a double and single for his first three-hit game since June 4. His 57-game on-base streak is the longest minor league baseball this season.

Wyatt Crowell entered with a huge lead and dominated the final five innings with six strikeouts and only two walks allowed, and no hits to earn the win.

Like Sirota, Zyhir Hope (two walks, single), Jake Gelof (two singles, walk), and Kole Myers (two walks, single) all reached base three times, and combined to drive in five of the nine runs.

High-A Great Lakes

The first three Loons pitchers each allowed three runs in a loss to the Lake County Captains (Guardians) to open the second half of the season.

Infielder Eduardo Guerrero, as the designated hitter on Friday, had three hits, including a triple and a home run. First baseman Cameron Decker hit a two-run home run, his second homer in eight games since returning from the injured list.

Playing catch-up

Last Saturday, Loons reliever was one out away from finishing off a four-inning save, but was ejected after a tense interaction with Wisconsin pinch-hitter Marco Dinges. The two did not exchange blows, though Ayon certainly squared up, and benches did clear. Both players were suspended, Ayon for two games.

After the dust-up, pitcher Davis Chastain got the final out to close out Saturday’s 3-1 victory, and earned the save instead.

Class-A Ontario

Seven runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth were more than enough to beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels).

First baseman Easton Shelton, shortstop Mairo Martinus, and catcher Conner O’Neal each had two hits, including a home run. Chase Harlan doubled twice.

One start after allowing nine earned runs, Hyun-Seok Jang struck out a career-high nine and allowed only one run in his 4 2/3 innings. This came after a rough stretch in which Jang only struck out 12 of 63 batters faced (19 percent) over his last four starts, with 26 runs (23 earned) in only 10 innings.

Transactions

High-A: Infielder Logan Wagner was activated from the injured list after six weeks on the injured list. The switch-hitter played four rehab games in the Arizona Complex League.

Class-A: Outfielder Jaron Elkins returned from the injured list after missing eight games, and doubled twice. Starting pitcher Marlon Nieves, out since the end of April on the injured list, started a rehab assignment in Arizona. Nieves struck out three in his one inning of work, but also allowed two unearned runs on two hits and a hit batter in his first game action in seven weeks.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Sacramento 3
• Tulsa 9, NW Arkansas 1
• Lake County 11, Great Lakes 4
• Ontario 10, Rancho Cucamonga 1

Saturday schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) at NW Arkansas (Drew Beam)
• 4:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) vs. Lake County (Melkis Hernandez)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) vs. Sacramento (Blade Tidwell)
• 6:05 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (Trey Gregory-Alford)

Gavin Sheets and Ty France did everything they could to help the San Diego Padres get a series opening win against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Sheets drove in the first run of the game with an RBI-single in the top of the first inning and France launched an opposite field grand slam home run to give the Padres a 5-0 lead after their half of the first inning. San Diego starter Randy Vasquez seemingly did all he could to give Texas the win, as he committed an error on a throw from France at first base that would have been an out for the first batter he faced. Instead, Joc Pederson was standing on first base and kicked off what resulted in a six-run bottom of the first. After one complete inning the Padres trailed the Rangers, 6-5.

France hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game, 6-6 but Vasquez returned to the mound in the bottom of the fourth and promptly allowed a single and a double to the first two batters of the inning, which resulted in another run for Texas to make the score 7-6 heading into the top of the fifth inning. It should be noted Vasquez did not complete the inning and was removed from the game after 3.1 innings pitched. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with three walks and a strikeout. Yuki Matsui was called on to complete the inning.

The Rangers tacked on an additional run in the bottom of the sixth when David Morgan allowed three hits to the first four batters and the Padres found themselves trailing by two. San Diego cut the deficit to one run when Sheets hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning, but as was the case throughout the game, Jason Adam took the mound in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a leadoff home run to Wyatt Langford to make the score, 9-6.

For much of the season the San Diego pitchers have done their part to keep the Padres in games. It has been the offense that has failed to provide run support, so it was about time for the rotation to have a dud in the same game that the lineup scored seven runs on 10 hits. France finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, five RBI and two runs scored. Sheets finished 2-for-4 with a single, a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Samad Taylor also contributed finishing 3-for-5 with three singles and a run scored. The big four of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts combined to finish 0-for-17 with two walks, two runs scored and seven strikeouts.

The Padres will see if they can get a better pitching performance from Walker Buehler and any contributions from Tatis, Merrill, Machado or Bogaerts when they take on the Rangers today at 1:05 p.m.

Padres News:

• Matt Waldron made his second rehab start at Triple-A and struck out two batters as he works to get back on the mound for the Padres.

• Fernando Tatis Jr. has been hitting the ball hard and his average is starting to rise. Jared Greenspan of Padres.com points to changes that could be the cause.

• Mason Miller returned to the Padres bullpen and the team needed to make room on the roster. San Diego chose to do that by sending Bradgley Rodriguez down to the minors.

• Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribunetalked with Walker Buehler to learn more about the former Los Angeles Dodgers ace.

• Jackson Merrill is trying to get back to driving the ball to the opposite field so he can move forward the rest of the season and have success.

Baseball News:

• The MLB owners and the MLBPA continued their conversations in hopes to reach an agreement prior to the expiration of the current CBA. It is in the interest of both sides to work toward an agreement because a work stoppage looms and both sides will hear from fans.

• Jacob Misiorowski was dealing again but the Milwaukee Brewers took a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

• Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland reached a career milestone and helped his team get a win.

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It's another busy day across the Majors, and I've found solid value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions. 

Walker Buehler continues his dominance, while Cristopher Sanchez will be missing some New York Mets bats this evening. Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, June 20.

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
SD vs TEX	+266
MIL vs ATL	+370
NYM vs PHI	+360

Padres at Rangers SGP: Buehler Keeps Dealing

The San Diego Padres send Walker Buehler to the hill tonight against the Texas Rangers, and he's been dominating.

The right-hander owns a 1.86 ERA and 3.20 FIP over his last two outings. He hasn't allowed more than one earned run in three straight starts, and Buehler has cashed the Under in four consecutive appearances.

With Nathan Eovaldi struggling lately (5.70 FIP over last two starts), Buehler will lead the Padres to victory. Also, look for Fernando Tatis Jr. to stay hot. He owns a 58.7% hard-hit rate over his last 12 games, and the superstar has smacked a single in three of his last five. 

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Padres.TV, Rangers Sports Network

Brewers at Braves SGP: Sale Outduels Harrison

The Milwaukee Brewers will be looking to stop their road losing streak tonight, but it won't be easy with Chris Sale on the hill. The Brew Crew are striking out 9.67 times per game across their last three, and the Atlanta Braves lefty is averaging 11.02 K/9 over his previous three outings. He's also cashed the Over in punchouts in two of his previous three home starts. 

Meanwhile, Kyle Harrison sports a 5.21 xERA and 7.18 FIP over his last two appearances. A brutal outing where he gave up eight earned runs inflates those numbers, but Harrison also owns a 4.56 road ERA while surrendering 1.52 HR/9. That's compared to a 1.29 ERA at home. 

Sale will pitch deep into this one, and Atlanta's bats will jump on Harrison. 

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVision, Brewers.TV

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

Mets at Phillies SGP: Sanchez Racks up the Ks

Cristopher Sanchez is having a dominant campaign for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he's one of the top strikeout pitchers in the sport. The lefty is averaging 9.35 K/9 over his last five outings, and he's cashed the Over in three of his last four. 

He also doesn't give up many hits. Sanchez has hit the Under in two of his previous three appearances, and the New York Mets struggle immensely against left-handed pitchers, sporting a .238 average and a .142 ISO. 

Kyle Schwarber has a 57.1% hard-hit rate over his last six games, and he's finished with a hit in four of his last five. 

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNY, NBCS-Philadelphia

See full analysis of this game in our Mets vs Phillies 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 MLB-best Los Angeles Dodgers are surging, looking for a fifth straight win as they host the Baltimore Orioles.

L.A. opened the set with a 6-5 win Friday and will send ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the bump tonight, a big reason why they’re hefty home favorites in the MLB odds.

My Orioles vs. Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks stick with L.A., which I expect to overwhelm the struggling O’s at Dodger Stadium.

Who will win Orioles vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -2.5 (+134)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been dealing, allowing just three runs over his last four starts, striking out 24 and walking only three.

L.A. should tee off on Baltimore Orioles starter Trevor Rogers; they’re hitting .308 collectively against him in a small sample.

The lefty is 1-7 in his last 10 starts with a 6.70 ERA and faces a Dodgers lineup that’s second in runs per game and leads the majors in average, on-base percentage, and OPS.

L.A.’s bats will be a problem for an Orioles staff already allowing more than five runs per game. I'd play this down to +125.

COVERS INTEL: The Orioles know just how filthy Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s stuff is: last year, he was just an out away from throwing a no-hitter at Camden Yards.

Orioles vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-103)

It’s always a tricky proposition betting the total with Yamamoto on the bump, as L.A. gives him plenty of run support, but he doesn’t give much to the opposition.

Still, the Over has hit in two of his last three starts — missing a third Over by a single run in the third — while each opponent (White Sox, Angels, and Phillies) ranks in the bottom half of runs allowed per game.

Baltimore’s runs allowed mark is worse than those three, and the Over already hit in L.A.’s win Friday night. Rogers’ starts also yield high scores: the teams have combined for at least 10 runs in four of his last six.

Orioles vs Dodgers weather

Expect clear skies and temperatures around 70°F by first pitch, with that number dropping to the low-60s later in the night. Wind will not be a factor.

Orioles vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Orioles +223 | Dodgers -233
• Run line: Orioles +2.5 (-163) | Dodgers -2.5 (+134)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Orioles vs Dodgers trend

L.A. has won 10 straight night games against losing teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Orioles vs Dodgers and game info

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Worcester: L, 3-9 (BOX SCORE)

Brayan Bello allowed seven hits, three runs, walked two, struck out five, and let his pitch count get up to 88 (with just 49 strikes) without getting out of the fifth inning. The line by itself was fine for most pitchers. It wasn’t fine, though, for a guy already on a contract extension that many thought, myself included, solidified him as the future at the number two or three slot in the big league rotation. And, listen, Bello did keep the WooSox in the game. The offense even hung around. Tyler McDonough hit a homer in the fifth, the WooSox only had two at-bats with runners in scoring position but scored a runner with one of them, and Matt Thaiss had a clutch RBI knock, It wasn’t until Seth Martinez allowed five IronPigs (Phillies AAA) to score in the eighth when Iggy Suarez conceded the game and had Nate Hickey pitch the last out, officially turning this into laugher status.

Portland: W, 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

Gage Ziehl’s redemption arc continued against the Patriots (Yankees AA) on Friday night. He struck out nine and allowed four hits on two runs (one being a homer) as the bullpen carried the game the rest of the way scoreless. The Sea Dogs enjoyed a 5-for-10 night from the bottom of their lineup including a 3-run home run from nine-hole hitter Abhram Liendo. The Sea Dogs scored five in the second inning which would make Ziehl’s outing a lot more stress-free. Stanley Tucker is also on a nice five-game hit streak since joining the Double-A squad.

Greenville: L, 2-4 (BOX SCORE)

Greenville had just four hits on the night on the Jersey Shore (Phillies High-A) and just two of their starting nine had knocks, but that’s all the offense they needed behind Kyson Witherspoon’s five innings in which he struck eight Blue Claws out. Joe Vogatsky added five before Steven Brooks slammed the door. Ronny Hernandez, the catcher who’s been spending some time at first base, had what would become the put-away shot in the sixth inning with his sixth home run of the season.

Salem: W, 7-6 (BOX SCORE)

After losing ten consecutive games, the RidgeYaks have now taken two in a row from the Nationals. This was a high-scoring affair that was just 3-1 after six innings. The Nats’ three defensive errors came back to haunt them as the RidgeYaks also bid them death by a thousand paper cuts, essentially singling them to death. Mayers’ eleven outs in relief, striking out six, was also huge.

For those of you still in front of a screen for the Red Sox, last night was a late night. Today will be the same, with first pitch at 10:10 PM. So, have a slumbering Saturday.

Utility player Mauricio Dubon was acquired by the Atlanta Braves over the offseason for shortstop Nick Allen. The Braves were looking to have a more flexible player and some offense. The Astros saved a little money and got a great defender. The returns have been pretty one-sided toward the Braves, however. Mauricio has put together a line of .259/.314/.405 with a perfectly league-average 100 wRC+ and 1.5 WAR. Dubon has already doubled his criminally underrated projection of 0.7 WAR. Nick Allen has put up a 72 wRC+ and 0.2 WAR in a limited 70 plate appearances for Houston. Clearly, this move was quite a coup for the Braves. And it’s probably the trade of the season. But this is not the one I am thinking about, at least not exactly.

In years past, if the Braves decided to focus on the bullpen or the bench they always focused on the bullpen. This approach probably peaked in 2024, when the Snitker-proofed bullpen put up 6.2 WAR. That team had Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, A.J. Minter, a healthy Joe Jimenez, a pre-kerplosion Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee, Grant Holmes, and Jesse Chavez. These were solid choices all around. Meanwhile, the benches in those years were pretty thin. But you probably don’t worry about the bench in a DH-adopting National League when you have an excellent first nine. Ten through thirteen were a little Charlie Culberson-y, though.

However this year, the focus was clearly on the bench over the bullpen. Now, they picked up Robert Suarez who has been excellent the last few years. But otherwise they rolled with who they had in the organization, Here’s Walt Weiss on this year’s bench from last night.

I don’t think there’s been any question [about the bench] in my nine years here. We’ve always had the everyday players that posted and played well. And nothing about the guys that have been here, but there’s been a big dropoff when you go to the bench. [It’s been] just the opposite. There’s been times when the bench has carried us this year.

So is focusing on the bench over the bullpen the best trade in years? Is having a great bench better than having eight solid options in the bullpen? This year the bench has definitely paid off with the injuries and a suspension. The bottom three of four in the bullpen have been a frustration though.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 14, Syracuse Mets 3

It was an offensive explosion for the Tides on this night. They racked up 16 hits, nine for extra bases, in a blowout win in Syracuse. Shortstop José Barrero had quite possibly the most productive game of his life, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, four runs, and four RBIs. It’s like he hit for the cycle but with an extra homer instead of the triple. Barrero now has 17 homers in 63 games for the Tides.

Also homering in this game were Johnathan Rodríguez, Jud Fabian, and Ryan Noda. Atop the lineup, Enrique Bradfield Jr. snapped out of an 0-for-8 drought with three hits, while Creed Willems contributed a two-run single as part of a seven-run top of the eighth.

On the mound, starter Christian Heberholz had a mediocre outing, giving up three runs in 4.2 innings, but relievers Jose Espada, Josh Walker, and Hans Crouse combined for 4.1 scoreless frames.

Box score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 4, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 2

Pitching carried the day in this Baysox win. Starter Evan Yates delivered a six-inning, one-run quality start, his longest outing of the year. Yates struck out five and walked two. Reliever Micah Ashman followed with two scoreless to lower his ERA to 1.73. The 23-year-old might be ready for the challenge of Triple-A.

The Baysox, despite going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, generated enough offense to win, plating all four of their runs on homers. Ethan Anderson had a solo homer as part of a 3-for-5 night, Frederick Bencosme added a solo dinger, and Thomas Sosa blasted a two-run shot.

Box score

High-A: Frederick Keys 3, Hub City Spartanburgers (Rangers) 2

In this closely contested affair, the Keys scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the fifth and held on for a one-run victory. The Keys managed only five hits and didn’t get any contributions from their high-profile prospects, with Wehiwa Aloy going 0-for-4 and Ike Irish not in the lineup, but #9 hitter Yasmil Bucce powered his first home run of the year and a Hub City throwing error on a pickoff scored another run.

That meager run support was enough, thanks to a dynamite outing by starter Yeiber Cartaya, who worked six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Cartaya lowered his ERA to a stupendous 1.99 in 54.1 innings. The 23-year-old righty is thriving in his first full season at High-A. Riley Cooper worked the final two innings to notch the six-out save.

Box score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs) 4

It’s a clean sweep! It’s rare for all four O’s affiliates to win on the same day, considering that three of them have lousy records, so it’s nice when it happens. The Shorebirds held up their end of the bargain by scoring seven runs in their final two innings to overcome a 3-1 deficit. Second baseman Elvin Garcia stroked a game-tying two-run single in the seventh, and in the eighth, the Pelicans committed errors on back-to-back plays to gift-wrap four runs for Delmarva. Garcia drove in three runs on two hits, while leadoff man Jaiden Lo Re set the table with two hits, two runs, and a stolen base.

Unfortunately, the nice win came with a dark cloud: another horrific outing by fading prospect Esteban Mejia, who issued an unsightly six walks and three runs while recording just four outs. Mejia has now surrendered an unfathomable 54 walks in 39.2 innings this year, a rate of (gulp) 12.2 BB/9. It was his fourth outing this year of six or more walks. Relievers Adrian Heredia, Dalton Neuschwander, and Zac Lampton restored order long enough for the Shorebirds’ offense to complete their comeback.

Box score

Saturday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: at Syracuse, 6:35 PM. Starter: Chris Kachmar (1-0, 4.50)
• Chesapeake: vs. Richmond, 6:35 PM. Starter: Joseph Dzierwa (1-1, 2.70)
• Frederick: vs. Hub City, 6:00 PM. Starter: TBD
• Delmarva: vs. Myrtle Beach, 7:05 PM. Starter: Denton Biller (1-3, 6.43)

I really don’t know what to think about Andre Pallante. After a bad 2025 season, I was pretty ambivalent about him. Sure he showed some promise in 2024, but even when he is pitching well, he doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts or do anything overly flashy. Yet here we are approaching the midpoint of the season and he is arguably the Cardinals’ second best starting pitcher. He has lopped a run and a half off his ERA, lowering it to 3.76, and already eclipsed his 2025 WAR total. Today I want to take a quick look at his pitch metrics and utilization pattern to highlight some of the adjustments and evolutions he has made that are contributing to his success.

Stuff

Pallante’s Stuff+ score has gone from 97 in 2024 to 95 last season, and back up to 97 this season. Stuff+ is scaled so that 100 is average and is computed by measuring an individual pitch’s velocity, movement, spin rate, etc. Even though the aggregate metric has remained stable, there have been notable changes to his repertoire. 

Pallante’s primary pitch, his four-seam fastball, has graded out similarly the last three seasons (95 or 96) despite having a large change in the movement profile. The 2024 version of his four-seamer sunk and cut, moving away from right-handed hitters and in to left-handed hitters, much more than the typical four-seamer. It sank 6.4 inches more than average and cut 7.5 inches more than average. This season, it is sinking just 3.7 inches more than average and cutting 7 inches more than the typical four-seamer. This shift toward a slightly more typical shape could explain some of the drop in groundball percentage that Pallante has induced. After posting an absurd 77.8% GB% in 2023, that figure has dropped to 61.8% in 2024, 59.1% last season, and is down to 53.3% this year. Pallante has increased the velocity on the pitch about half a mile per hour to 95.1 MPH this season. 

Pallante’s sinker has been the highest-graded pitch by the models and this season is rated as a 107. He has improved the spin efficiency on the pitch and is generating 1.5 inches more arm-side movement while throwing the pitch a tick harder. This has been a critical development, as the sinker is the primary fastball he uses to try to neutralize the right-handed hitters that have historically given him so much trouble. 

Pallante’s slider and knuckle curve are both grading out similarly to last season, albeit with a bit more movement. Finally, Pallante has introduced a splitter into his repertoire, but has only thrown the pitch 37 times so far this season. In the extremely small sample size, the pitch grades out a tick below average at 97 on the Stuff+ scale, but it gives him another weapon to sprinkle in against the lefties.

Pitch Mix

Pallante has made drastic changes to his pitch mix over the last three seasons.

His four-seam fastball usage has declined all the way down to 30%. I cut the graph off at the last three seasons, when he has primarily been a starter, but he threw the pitch even more frequently in his first two seasons in the majors. He is still throwing the pitch 49% of the time against lefties, but is mixing more offspeed and breaking pitches than in years past. His four-seam fastball ate lefties alive in 2024, holding them to a .315 xwOBA, but the last two years his results have been more pedestrian with a combined xwOBA of .364. For reference, the league average right-on-left four-seam fastball xwOBA is .353 this season. This drop in reliance on the pitch seems like it is in response to the change in the movement profile of the pitch. It is still an effective offering to left-handers but not to the same level it was earlier in his career. 

The reduction in four-seam utilization has made room for Pallante to mix in all his other offerings a few percentage points more. You can see when you further break down the mix by the batters’ handedness that the plan of attack is even more polarized.

Pallante has moved to a slightly more balanced mix of pitches against lefties, mixing in more breaking and offspeed pitches at the expense of his four-seam. Against right-handers, he is now throwing his revamped sinker and slider a combined 76% of the time. Perhaps not coincidentally, for the first time in his career, Pallante is holding right-handers to a below-average batting line with a wOBA of .285 (.318 MLB average). Pallante is still holding left-handers to a solid .308 wOBA, but this is the first time in his career he is running more traditional splits. 

Location

Perhaps the biggest change this season for Pallante has been his ability to throw strikes and get into more favorable counts. His first-pitch strike percentage is 67.7%, fourth among qualified starters. Last season, Pallante ranked 32nd out of the 54 qualified starters. Batters who start off 0-1 have a 67 wRC+. Those who start off 1-0 go on to produce a 131 wRC+ in those plate appearances. Throwing first-pitch strikes is easier said than done. The obvious trade-off is if you get too strike-happy, batters will swing more frequently and ambush(™) (thanks Chip) hittable strikes. Pallante has avoided this fate thus far in 2026 as batters are managing a .342 wOBA against him on first-pitch contact. The league average wOBA on first-pitch contact (or HBP) is .386 across the league. How has Pallante managed to keep hitters from sitting on first-pitch strikes? Part of it is his ability to mix things up, reducing his first-pitch fastball usage from 67% to 56%. Last season, Pallante threw only 36.2% of his non-fastball pitches in the strike zone. The average pitcher lands offspeed and breaking pitches in the zone around 42% of the time. So far this season, Andre has increased his non-fastball Zone% to 42.6%. In fact, he is throwing each of his pitches in the zone more consistently this season.

This has allowed Pallante to significantly increase both his secondary usage AND his overall percentage of pitches in the zone. This has been a huge development both for his effectiveness and, selfishly, his watchability. It no longer seems like he is constantly behind in the count, bouncing breaking balls nowhere near the strike zone. The best way to capture where Pallante has found success this season is by looking at his slider utilization against right-handed batters. He has started 38% of his plate appearances against righties with the slider. On those 59 pitches, he has gotten ahead 0-1 38 times, he has induced five first-pitch outs, and given up one solitary hit, a single. That will play. 

Pallante has had good stretches before, followed by a series of blow-ups. Pitcher development is always tricky to follow and almost impossible to predict, but he has made some real changes to his repertoire and pitch mix, and is executing better than ever before. We just might have a good pitcher on our hands.