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With just over one-third of the 2026 MLB season in the rearview, the Mets find themselves in the same position they were in at the end of the 12-game losing streak that sent their season into a spiral they haven't emerged from.

They were nine games under .500 ahead of play on April 22, and they're nine games under .500 ahead of play on June 3 -- with a record of 26-35. 

The Mets were better in May, going 16-12. But even amid a relatively positive month, they mixed in a five-game losing streak against the Marlins and Reds. And New York has started June by dropping two games to the Mariners, with the first loss due to a lack of offense and the second one due to poor pitching and sloppiness in the field. 

So it goes. 

It feels like the Mets have rescued their season from the brink a few times already, and it won't be a surprise if they do it again.

But the most important question isn't whether they can avoid slipping hopelessly out of it before June ends. Rather, it's whether the Mets can string together enough wins before the trade deadline to avoid becoming sellers in a year where they were expected to be World Series contenders.

As the Mets try to do that, let's assess what put them in this spot...

The bad

Underperformance and injuries have been the two key factors, but the one that has been the most glaring is the sloppiness.

The physical errors, including a leaky right side of the infield consisting of Mark Vientos and a badly regressing Marcus Semien, have been bad enough. But the mental ones, including being out of position, not backing up home plate, forgetting how many outs there are, or not coming forcefully enough through the bag on double plays, have been hard to figure. 

In addition to the mistakes has been a seeming lack of accountability at times. 

Not to pile on Vientos, but after going 0-for-4 on Tuesday (dropping his OPS to .633) and making a costly error at first base, he cited "bad luck" for his offensive struggles while noting he's got to give himself "a little bit of props." Regarding his defensive issues, Vientos said he feels he's been doing "pretty good" at first base. In actuality, he's been in the 8th percentile when it comes to OAA.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a player being positive and believing in himself. But Vientos' comments seemed peculiar given the circumstances -- and given his remarks earlier this season after he ran through a stop sign at third base. 

When it comes to underperformance, it has hit a number of the Mets' key offensive pieces, with Bo Bichette's difficulties being the most painful.

Bichette, who entered this season with a career OPS of .806, has a .570 OPS this season. It isn't rare for a player to have an adjustment period in his first season in New York and/or his first year with a new team after signing a big deal, but the drop-off from Bichette has been hard to fathom.

Brett Baty (83 OPS+ this year after a 110 OPS+ in 2025) has also regressed. Meanwhile, even though Francisco Lindor started to turn it on before going down with a serious calf injury on April 22, his OPS+ is just 91.

About those injuries...

The Mets have been decimated, with Lindor and Juan Soto being in the lineup together just 11 times this season -- Lindor suffered his injury during the game when Soto returned from a three-week absence due to his own calf injury that coincided with New York's big losing streak.

New York also lost Francisco Alvarez to a torn meniscus he sustained while swinging the bat, and has been without Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. for the majority of the season.

Both Polanco and Robert have checkered injury histories, making it fair to question David Stearns' team-building strategy. But it's also fair to note that the Mets being without four of their regular offensive players at the same time for a huge chunk of the season was not possible to forecast.

Also impossible to forecast was losing Clay Holmes to a fractured fibula after getting hit by a liner on May 15. At the time, Holmes had been New York's best starting pitcher and one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 52.2 innings.

Holmes' absence, in addition to the struggles and injury issues of Kodai Senga and the inability of David Peterson to succeed in a starting rolehas thrown a rotation that already wasn't providing enough innings into a bit of disarray.

The good

Soto has been tremendous, slashing .296/.385/.574 with 13 homers in 44 games. His .959 OPS is tops in the National League.

Carson Benge, who essentially replaced the traded Brandon Nimmo in the lineup, has been terrific since getting acclimated to the majors.

In 37 games since April 23, Benge is hitting .309/.378/.475 while working impressive at bats, smacking the ball to all fields, and starting to hit for more power.

Benge's defense in right field has also been a plus, with him in the 72nd percentile in OAA and the 98th percentile in arm strength.

Speaking of defense, the emergence of A.J. Ewing in center field has been a sight to see. Ewing has been a flash in the outfield, laying out for improbable catches while being fearless going back on balls that result in him having to crash into the wall.

Jared Young (142 OPS+ in a small sample size) has also been a bright spot as he fills in at first base and DH.

In the rotation, Nolan McLean began the season on an All-Star track before hitting a two-game hiccup. But he started to right the ship his last time out, and is one of the most important players for the Mets going forward.

Christian Scott (2.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 11.3 K/9) has excelled in what is his first year back after having Tommy John surgery, and is emerging as a potential long-term answer in the rotation.

The bullpen has also been solid, especially Luke Weaver (who hasn't allowed a run since April), Brooks Raley (1.61 ERA), and Huascar Brazoban (2.35 ERA).

It's been a bit of a mixed bag for Devin Williams, but his ERA is badly skewed by a performance against the Marlins on May 24 when he allowed four runs in just one-third of an inning. Aside from that outing, Williams has been unscored upon in 13 appearances dating back to April 26. Overall, he has struck out 31 batters in 20 innings -- a rate of 14.0 per nine.

What's to come

The Mets should get Polanco back in a few days and could have Alvarez in the fold soon after.

As far as calling up more prospects, New York has pushed nearly all of those buttons.

When Polanco returns, he'll be mainly a DH, which could lead to a configuration where Young gets the bulk of the time at first base.

Lindor has been progressing and could theoretically be back in a few weeks, which would provide an enormous jolt to the offense.

Will the Mets still have a season to salvage by the time Lindor gets back?

If they're able to survive their current road trip and rise to the occasion when they return home to face the Cardinals and Braves, the Mets can still make something of this season. At the very least, they would make things interesting this summer and avoid a trade deadline sell-off.

If not?

This year would likely resemble the 2023 campaign, when the Mets traded Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and others ahead of the deadline when they determined they were unlikely to reach the playoffs.

What that kind of sell-off would look like in 2026 is unclear, but it's fair to believe every pending free agent would be available. That includes Freddy Peralta and potentially Holmes, who has a player option for 2027.

Today marks Munenori Kawasaki’s 45th birthday.

Kawasaki spent two full seasons and part of a third with the Blue Jays, appearing in 201 games and posting a .242/.326/.301 slash line with a 1.6 bWAR.

He also spent time with the Mariners and Cubs, and, of course, enjoyed 12 seasons in Japan’s Pacific League.

But what truly made him a fan favourite wasn’t his play—it was his infectious personality.

Happy birthday, Munenori.

Today, Jose Molina celebrates his 51st birthday.

Molina was the quintessential good-glove, light-hitting catcher.

Over 15 big league seasons with five teams, Molina spent 2010 and 2011 with the Jays, appearing in 112 games and hitting .263/.323/.396 with 9 home runs—his best offensive numbers with any club (94 OPS+ compared to his career mark of 64). Maybe Cito’s coaching helped.

Across 947 MLB games, Molina hit .233/.282/.327 with 39 home runs, playing for the Cubs, Angels, Yankees, Jays, and Rays. His defensive prowess kept him in the majors—he threw out 37% of base stealers and was highly regarded by pitchers. His brothers, Yadier and Bengie, were also major league catchers. (Bengie, who arguably drew the short straw with names, also had a brief stint with the Jays.)

Happy birthday, Jose.

Nelson Liriano turns 62 today.

Liriano played for the Blue Jays from 1987 until midway through the 1990 season.

In his rookie year, he appeared in 37 games, hitting .241/.310/.342, and somehow even received a Rookie of the Year vote—perhaps for rescuing a writer’s cat from a tree.

In 1988, he played 99 games, hitting .264/.297/.333. The following year, he appeared in 132 games and played 3 more in the ALCS loss to the A’s. In 1990, after 50 games with the Jays, he was traded to the Twins for John Candelaria at the end of July.

Overall, Liriano appeared in 318 games for Toronto, batting .251/.311/.345 with 11 home runs, 44 stolen bases, and a 2.2 bWAR.

After leaving Toronto, he played for the Twins, Royals, Rockies, Pirates, and Dodgers. Over 11 seasons, he hit .260/.324/.366 with 25 home runs and 26 triples—an unusual feat to have more triples than homers over such a long career.

Liriano was essentially a replacement-level player: average defensively, a bit below average with the bat, but his reliability earned him 823 major league games.

That stretch of light-hitting second basemen—Garth Iorg, Manny Lee, and Liriano—helped explain why the Jays eventually traded for Roberto Alomar.

Happy birthday, Nelson.

It’s also Eric Lauer’s 31st birthday.

Lauer had a very good 2025 season but a terrible start to 2026, which led to his DFAed. The Dodgers picked him up, and he’s had two good starts for them. I see that he had a couple of his fastballs up to 94 mph, but was normally in the 92 range.

Happy birthday, Eric.

Nothing could possibly generate a headline Tuesday night when the worst American League team — the Angels — played host to the perhaps the worst National League team — the Colorado Rockies.

Except. . .

This.

A fly ball conked Angels right fielder Jo Adell on the head and bounced over the fence for a home run, reminding fans of José Canseco’s similar gaffe 33 years ago.

Adell chased TJ Rumfield’s fourth-inning drive onto the Angel Stadium warning track and reached up to catch it. The ball grazed his glove before bouncing squarely on his noggin and over the wall.

The ball caromed back into the outfield and Rumfield momentarily stopped at second base. But the umpires confirmed the home run, coupling Adell with Canseco in numerous social media posts.

Off his glove, off his head, and out!

One of the strangest home runs you've ever seen 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KaPpp1r9Cx

— MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2026

Canseco, the steroids-fueled, defensively challenged left fielder of the Texas Rangers, made a similar blunder on May 26, 1993, when a ball hit by Cleveland’s Carlos Martínez bounced off his head and over the wall.

Mike Trout presumably has witnessed every possible blooper, blunder and boo-boo in 16 seasons with the woeful Angels. The center fielder stood only a few feet from Adell when this one occurred and did not make himself available for comment afterward.

To his credit, Adell faced reporters.

“It looks like I’ve never played in the field before, which is disappointing, because it’s beyond the truth,” he said. “I’m the only one that really knows what happened. I was out there, and it happened to me, so it is what it is.

“It was kind of the icing on the cake, because I was [expletive] all the way around the whole day today.”

Read more:Plaschke: Memo to Arte Moreno: Sell your fallen Angels

Adell was hitless in four at-bats, striking out twice, in the 8-2 loss that dropped the Angels to 23-39, the worst record in the AL.

The play was emblematic of Adell’s seven-year career with the Angels, who made him a first-round draft pick in 2017. At first blush, his lifetime Wins Above Replacement of 0.3 would indicate that he’s little better than the fictional minor league “replacement player” to which MLB players are compared in calculating the statistic.

Yet Adell’s physical tools and occasional highlights scream stardom. He shouldn’t be an ordinary Jo. The antithesis of the embarrassing episode Tuesday night came less than two months ago when he robbed the Seattle Mariners of three home runs in one game.

“It was the Jo Show,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said at the time. “This guy works as hard as anybody I’ve ever been around. His work ethic, attention to detail, his desire to improve every single day. To see him do that, I don’t believe you’ll see that again.”

Suzuki, who was Adell’s teammate in 2021 and 2022, likely never thought he would see a fly ball bounce off the outfielder’s head and into the stands, the Jo Show shifting to Oh, No!

“I saw the play, but for me, Jo’s made great strides defensively from when I played with him,” Suzuki said Tuesday. “And obviously, he had the night he robbed three home runs. It was a tough play tonight, but at the same time, the strides that he’s made defensively have been great.”

Adell was considered a defensive liability early in his career and was saddled with a four-base error in 2020 when a fly ball hit his glove and went over the fence. But he steadily improved and became a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024.

That didn’t stop the “Tarps Off” throng of shirtless fans at Angel Stadium from chanting Adell’s name after the gaffe against the Rockies. For his sake, they likely will revert to imploring Angels owner Arte Moreno to “sell the team” soon enough.

Adell might have to stay away from social media forever, but he would like to forget the ball bouncing off his head as soon as possible.

“That’s what we have to do,” he said. “I mean, there’s really no other way around it. Let it fester and tumble over, but these are plays I’ve made hundreds and thousands of times. I’ve got to just keep going, and as a team, we’ve got to keep going.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The New York Yankees are favored again at home tonight, but my Guardians vs. Yankees predictions believe this number looks too heavy.

Gerrit Cole has been excellent in two starts back from elbow surgery, but the Cleveland Guardians bring a contact-heavy approach that will make him work.

Here are my free MLB picks for Wednesday, June 3.

Who will win Guardians vs Yankees today: Guardians moneyline (+135)

I’m backing the Cleveland Guardians moneyline and would play it to +120.

This is the same matchup idea I used last night against Cam Schlittler: New York is lining up another arm whose success leans on chase, command, and swing-and-miss.

Gerrit Cole has opened with just over 12 scoreless innings, but that level is not sustainable while he rebuilds after elbow surgery.

Again, Cleveland has the second-lowest whiff rate at 22.9% and rarely chase, so the Guardians can again put balls in play, lengthen at-bats, and make a taxed favorite uncomfortable.

COVERS INTEL:Cleveland’s lineup has four projected hitters with strikeout rates of 13% or lower: Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio, and David Fry.

Guardians vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 7 (+102)

I see this as good to -110.

Cole is still Cole, and even though the Guardians will make him labor, this is still a guy who has allowed zero barrels since returning, with a 2.19 expected ERA. Cleveland’s contact profile is more annoying than explosive, after all, last night was the first time they scored more than four runs in 13 games.

On the other side, Gavin Williams’ contact quality is the concern, but his power stuff (88th percentile run value fastball) gives him a cleaner path against a less dangerous Yankees lineup as Aaron Judge remains sidelined.

Guardians vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Guardians +130 | Yankees -155
• Run line: Guardians +1.5 | Yankees -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Guardians vs Yankees trend

The Guardians have hit the moneyline in 10 of their last 14 away games (+7.60 Units / 49% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Yankees. 

How to watch Guardians vs Yankees and game info

Guardians vs Yankees latest injuries

Guardians vs Yankees weather

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The Arizona Diamondbacks will try to take the advantage in the third game of their series against the Dodgers, but to do so, they'll need to survive baseball's best player.

Shohei Ohtani is on the mound for L.A., and he'll also be at the plate. He's won his last three starts and homered in the last two, matching the number of home runs he's given up all season.

He's good, but the odds have been pushed to ridiculous heights. My Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks predictions and MLB picks try to find a way to earn by taking the D-Backs and the runs.

Who will win Dodgers vs Diamondbacks today: Diamondbacks +1.5 (+100)

Shohei Ohtani's great, but not unbeatable. He's lost two of his last five starts, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are just 5-4 in games Ohtani pitches. Bettors have Ohtani fever, though. The Dodgers are such favorites that they're impossible to bet on. Even giving up runs, L.A. is favored.

Getting even money and runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks is an easy call, although if the Arizona moneyline gets much higher—say +185—it's worth a flier on an outright upset. Even in a best-case scenario for L.A., Arizona will get two innings against a L.A. pen that has a 7.82 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in the last three.

COVERS INTEL: He's still been strong, but Ohtani has been more vulnerable in road games. The Dodgers have lost three of their four road starts, and he allows batters to hit 64 points higher and 100 points higher in OPS away from Dodger Stadium, and strikes out 3.7 fewer batters per nine innings.  

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Pick (Odds)

The Under looks appealing with Zac Gallen pitching much better at home than on the road this season. While his overall numbers are unimpressive, he has been far more effective in Phoenix, where opponents have struggled to generate consistent offense against him.

Arizona's bullpen is also in excellent form, posting a 1.69 ERA over its last three games and providing reliable support if Gallen can work through the middle innings. Recent results also favor a lower-scoring game, as both teams have scored five or more runs in only two of their last six contests.

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -178 | Diamondbacks +170
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-120) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (+100)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-110) | Under 9.5 (-110)

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks trend

The Arizona Diamondbacks have covered the Run Line in 28 of their last 45 games at home (+10.70 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Dodgers vs Diamondbacks and game info

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks weather

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.

First Career Pitcher of the Month Award for Astros hurler.

HOUSTON, TX – Major League Baseball announced today that Astros RHP Spencer Arrighetti has been named American League Pitcher of the Month for May. It is the first Pitcher of the Month Award and second monthly award overall for Arrighetti. He was also named AL Rookie of the Month for August of 2024.

Arrighetti was outstanding in the month of May, posting a 4-1 record in his five starts with an 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) and a .165 opponents batting average. He led the AL in ERA and opponents batting average and was tied for first in wins. Arrighetti allowed just three earned runs in his five May starts, allowing one or no earned runs in all five starts. For the season, he is 7-1 in his eight starts with a 1.34 ERA and a .167 opponents batting average. Despite making just eight starts, he is tied for third in the AL in wins and would be leading in ERA as well if he had enough innings to qualify.

Arrighetti is the first Astros hurler to earn Pitcher of the Month honors since RHP Hunter Brown won the award for June of 2025. He is also the Astros second monthly award winner in 2026 as Yordan Alvarez was named AL Player of the Month for March/April of this season.

Worcester: W, 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

Jake Bennett threw five innings of great work, allowing just one hit to propel the WooSox to a lead, but they couldn’t get any run support for him and so they pulled into the ninth inning trailing the Bison (Blue Jays AAA) 2-1. Enter a rally that got everyone involved: Anthony Seigler lead-off double, Kristian Campbell groundout to advance Seigler, Mikey Romero triple to tie it up, and then Tsung-Che Cheng scored on a wild pitch that ended the game. Before that Seigler hit, the WooSox had one hit all game (also from Seigler), but they got the two other knocks exactly where it counted.

Portland: W, 9-0 (BOX SCORE)

This game had everything in 2026 Red Sox farm team tropes. Anthony Eyanson going five and not allowing a run, the team unloading their offense as if there won’t be close game where one run is needed later, a Brooks Brannon home run, and of course, a Franklin Arias home run, just as his OPS began to hover dangerously close to that 1.000 mark. The home run gave Arias 13 on the season and put the Sea Dogs up 6-0 on the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) but, with the way Eyanson, Halligan and Erik Rivera pitched, it would never have gotten close.

Greenville: L, 2-8 (BOX SCORE)

Marcus Phillips put in one of his best starts of the season, albeit a short one, but it didn’t stop Joe Vogatsky from melting down to start the seventh and allowing six total runs to the Emperors (Braves High-A), putting the team down much more than they could muster in a four-hit night.

Salem: L, 7-14 (BOX SCORE)

And speaking of “more than they could muster,” though the RidgeYaks pitching staff struck out thirteen Warbirds (Brewers A) they also walked thirteen and gave up fourteen, twelve earned. Not that the RidgeYaks were going down without a fight. Skylar King hit two home runs to boost his season total to 7 (and who also only seems to homer in losing efforts), and Kleyvar Salazar nuked a ball in about the biggest no-doubter I’ve seen in A-ball. Still, it’s tough to win when you’re going against 14 runs, and this one was never close.

After early reports of a heat wave, the expectation tempered down to about 80 here in the Albany area and it’ll be milder still in Boston. Perfect baseball weather in the evening. So, have a well-rounded Wednesday.

The Atlanta Braves DSL level squad, the lowest level in professional baseball, opened their play on June 1st to become the final affiliated league to get underway in 2026. I thought now would be a good time to take a look at that roster and give you some players to watch from that team.

Unlike the other rosters, this team is filled with all international signings, mostly between the ages of 16-18. Some of these guys are still very much unknowns, so there isn’t much talk or data surrounding them. However there are definitely some players worth tracking this summer on this team as there are both some six and seven figure bonus guys and lesser known talents on the roster – and you never know who will grow into the next Ronald Acuna Jr, Didier Fuentes, or even Michael Martinez – all players the Braves signed for little money without a ton of hype.

Pitchers

Hector Aguiar is a 18-year-old Panamanian right-handed pitcher signed this year for an unreported signing bonus. He won’t turn 19 until mid-August, but has reportedly touched 97 MPH with his fastball already.

Jonathan Hechavarria only turns 17 on June 4th, but signed for $340k out of Cuba this year. He is presently listed as being out on the 60-day IL, but he is an outfielder turned pitcher that is already up to 94 MPH.

Diego Ramirez is a Venezuelan lefty who turns 17 on June 12th, but is already to to 92 MPH from the left side at the age of 16.

Efrailin Caminero is a 17-year-old who doesn’t turn 18 until after the season. The Braves signed him out of the Dominican for six figures this winter ($150k).

Catchers

Jorwin Pulido is a 17-year-old Venezuelan catcher that won’t turn 18 until after the season. The Braves gave him $350k this year as the fifth biggest bonus in their class. He’s an athletic catcher with some power in his bat that hit in the three-hole in his first game and went two for three with a walk.

Infielders

Jose Manon was the Braves biggest international signee this year, getting $1.5M out of the Dominican. He projects as a solid all around shortstop. In his first pro at bat he homered, and added another hit in that game. Manon already ranks on our refreshed Top 30 as reports on him have been positive.

Edelson Cabral is a 16-year-old Dominican who doesn’t turn 17 until July. He signed for $600k and has also earned a spot on our most recent Top 30 because of strong reports. Cabral is known for his advanced feel for hitting at a young age and is a solid runner with a chance to grow into average power, though there is some question about where he sticks defensively. He was one for three with a walk in his first professional game, and is sounding like a potential steal for under a million dollars.

Yassel Pena is formerly known as Yassel Garcia, a player the Braves signed last year for $247.5k out of the Dominican. He debuted last year and hit .202/.404/.282 in 38 games. He is a switch hitting middle infielder with some speed, though can definitely get a little more strength – though he will still just be 18 until December.

Angel Carmona got $447.5k out of Venezuela last year and debuted with a slash line of .253/.374/.453 with nine extra base hits in 20 games. Unfortunately the now-18-year-old is listed as being on the restricted list, but he is still young and has shown promise both before and after signing.

Durban Arnedo is a Colombian infielder who just turned 17 in mid-May. The Braves gave him $275k this winter and is seen as a potential source of power. He is likely to get looks at third base.

Luis Fortunato is a 17-year-old Dominican shortstop who signed for six figures this winter ($150k). Fortunato was in the lineup for the first game and scored a run.

Outfielders

Starlyn De La Cruz was the Braves second largest signing this year, getting $1.2M out of the Dominican. He is 17-years-old all season. His power and speed are what sticks out, despite not being especially big at 5’10, 170-pounds. The hope is that he will be able to stick in center defensively. De La Cruz was one for four in his pro debut.

Osmar Torrealba is a 17-year-old who won’t hit 18 until next February. The Braves signed him for $400k out of Venezuela. Torrealba went one for four in his pro debut.

Elias Reyno is an 18-year-old Dominican outfielder that signed for $297.5k last year. He debuted last year and hit .178/.397/.271 in 42 games. He only turned 18 back in April and has shown an ability to get on base.

Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez received $250k to sign out of Curacao this winter and made his debut in the team’s first game with a single and two walks in four plate appearances. He is seen as a contact hitter who could develop more power and already has strong athleticism. He won’t turn 18 until the winter.

It’s one thing to be bad. It’s worse to be bad when you were supposed to be good.

It’s another thing altogether to be historically bad, ranking among the worst teams in the history of the franchise, when you were supposed to be good.

The Phillies’ offense is off to a historically terrible start. Coming into Tuesday’s three-game series against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park, their .224 team batting average is 2nd-worst in MLB (Padres, .218). Even in a season in which offenses throughout baseball are generally struggling, it is particularly terrible.

But even worse, their .224 average is the worst, through any team’s first 59 games in franchise history, of all time. The previous worst average, .226, belonged to the 1941 Phillies, the subject of a recent book by my Hittin’ Season podcast co-host and former Good Phight site director Justin Klugh, Summer of the Cheap Wieners. That squad lost 111 games. They did not have one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball.

They were so bad, their manager even went temporarily blind.

Their OBP is only 5th-worst, so at least they have that going for them!

They haven’t scored more than four runs in a game, since May 18. They haven’t reached double figures in hits since May 18. Over their last 11 games, they’ve scored 26 runs and tallied 59 hits. During their 4-2 road trip, the offense put up a slash line of .169/.229/.339.

Oh, and that $300+ million payroll features an active roster of position players that has tallied the 3rd-fewest Fangraphs WAR so far this season. Here are their rankings by position in terms of fWAR through May.

• Catcher (19th)
• First Base (21st)
• Second Base (T-16th)
• Third Base (27th)
• Shortstop (24th)
• Left Field (29th)
• Center Field (24th)
• Right field (T-20th)
• Outfield (29th)
• Designated Hitter (7th)

There are only three positions in which the Phillies rank inside the top-20 (2B, C, DH), but only Kyle Schwarber ranks among the top-half at his position. And Kyle doesn’t actually play a position.

Now, we can certainly argue about the value of WAR if the position primarily played by Bryce Harper is ranked 21st, although according to Fangraphs, Harper has been worth 1.0 WAR at that position, while Dylan Moore accumulated -0.2 fWAR and Felix Reyes -0.4 in their very brief moments at first. So yeah, there’s some noise there.

That being said, these are not the results one would, or should, expect from a $300+ payroll.

Adolis Garcia entered the week hitting .191/.274/.296 with just four home runs. He has 3 hits in his last 57 at-bats, with 30 strikeouts. The easy decision would be to sit him and replace him with someone else. The problem is there is no one in AAA worthy of doing that.

The same can be said for Bryson Stott and his .217/.264/.380 slash line. Or Bohm’s .210/.271/.335. Or J.T. Realmuto’s .220/.296/.299. Or Trea Turner’s .223/.273/.349. Or Justin Crawford’s .234/.297/.341.

There will be no hot prospect to ride to the rescue. Moving Bryce Harper to right field and trading for Boston’s Willson Contreras or Houston’s Christian Walker might be beneficial, but cannot overcome five regulars with OBP’s under .300. Same with adding Mike Trout.

I wish I could tell you there was a solution, but we both know there isn’t. At least not here in the middle of the season.

I do know that if the offense doesn’t improve, they will not go 18-10 in June, July, August or September. They cannot rely on Cristopher Sanchez never giving up another run again. They should not rely on Zack Wheeler to keep posting ERAs under 2.00. They should expect uneven pitching from Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter.

The Phils will hang around the wild card race all season. Their pitching is good enough, and the competition around the rest of the NL after the Big Three (Dodgers, Braves and Brewers), is middling (8 teams are no more than 2 1/2 games apart for the three wild cards).

All the Phillies can do is hope the breakout is right around the corner.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 6-5 at Syracuse Mets

3B George Lombard Jr. 1-3, 3 BB, RBI, K — celebrated 21st birthday with a bunch of walks and a 111-mph single
CF Spencer Jones 2-4, 2 BB, RBI, K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 SF
1B Tyler Hardman 0-5, 2 K
DH Seth Brown 2-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K
C Payton Henry 0-2, K
PH-C Ali Sánchez 0-2, BB, catcher interference error
RF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 2-4, HR, BB, RBI — solo shot to put RailRiders ahead in sixth
PR-RF Duke Ellis 0-0, SB — swiped his 25th base in 26 chances
2B Jonathan Ornelas 2-4, BB, K, CS
LF Kenedy Corona 1-3, 2 BB

Dom Hamel 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, HR (win)
Danny Watson 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — the funk was funkin’
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Carson Coleman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 1 K — turned a 6-2 lead into a one-run edge, hence Montero
Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (save) — got Kevin Parada to fly out with winning run on in the ninth

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 4-3 at Harrisburg Senators

CF Jace Avina 0-2 — left the game after running the bases in the top of the third
1B Miguel Palma 1-2, BB, RBI, K, throwing error
RF-CF Garrett Martin 3-4, 2B, HR, BB, RBI, K — 17th homer in 48 games at Double-A
1B-RF Nicholas Torres 0-5, RBI, 2 K, SB
LF DJ Gladney 1-4, 2B, RBI, K — 108 mph on ripped double in the third
DH Jackson Castillo 0-4, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia 1-2, 2 BB, CS
2B Connor McGinnis 0-4, K, throwing error
3B Kevin Verde 2-4, 2B, K, GIDP
SS Owen Cobb 1-4, 2 K, throwing error — yeah the Pats were chucking the ball around a little

Trent Sellers 6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HR (win)
Will Brian 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Ben Grable 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (save)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 3-7 at Frederick Keys — held to five hits despite the three runs

2B Kaeden Kent 0-5, RBI, K
SS Core Jackson 3-5, 2B, RBI, K, SB — briefly put Hudson Valley ahead in the second with an RBI single
DH Eric Genther 0-5, 4 K — golden sombrero among 14 K’s for ’Gades on the day
1B Kyle West 1-2, 2B, BB, RBI, K, SF
RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-4, K, outfield assist
3B Roderick Arias 1-4, 2 K, throwing error
C Josue Gonzalez 0-1, 2 BB, HBP
LF Josh Moylan 0-4, 4 K — another golden sombrero and a no-contact day
CF Camden Troyer 0-2, 2 K

Bryce Cunningham 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 2 WP (loss) — 2024 second-rounder has just had a tough go of it this year
Andrew Landry 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K — good relief from Landry and Balboni
Aaron Nixon 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, HBP
Tanner Bauman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 12-1 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals — 12 runs on 8 hits, sounds like A-ball

SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-4, 3B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, K, throwing error — went oppo taco into the Short Porch at GMS Field
3B Hans Montero 2-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, K, SB — solo shot in the third
DH Luis Puello 0-4, BB, 2 K
LF JoJo Jackson 1-3, 2 BB
RF Willy Montero 2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, SB — cleared the bases on an excuse-me double in the eighth, pretty great day for the Monteros!
C Engelth Urena 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, K — a fun, majestic dinger
CF Luis Durango 0-4, BB, K
1B Austin Green 0-4, BB
2B Luis Escudero 0-3, BB, K

Thatcher Hurd 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K — better second start than his Tampa debut
Luis Velasquez 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win) — sat just shy of 97 with the sinker and fastball
Justin West 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, pickoff (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 4-3 vs. FCL Blue Jays

1B Richard Matic 1-4, K, SB
CF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, 3 K
DH Queni Pineda 1-4, RBI, K
3B Leni Done 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB
LF-RF Estivenzon Montero 1-3, BB
SS Dexters Peralta 2-3, BB, K
C Justin Capellan 1-3, BB, CS, passed ball
2B Christofer Reyes 0-2, BB, K
RF Isael Arias 0-2, K
PH David McCann 1-1, HR, 3 RBI — clubbed a go-ahead, three-run blast in the seventh for decisive blow
LF Gabriel Lara 0-0

Blake Gillespie 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Brian Arias 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, HBP, WP
Austin Breedlove 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, WP (win) — wonderful work from a wonderful name

Dominican Summer League Yankees:L, 14-15 vs. DSL Mets Blue — led 9-0 after three innings and blew it, woof; allowed seven in the fifth, three in the seventh, and five to let the Mets go ahead in the ninth

CF Isaias Castillo 4-6, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, K, 2 fielding errors, outfield assist — finished hitting for the cycle with a double in the sixth, very nice; the defense less so
DH Stiven Marinez 1-3, 3 BB, RBI, SB
RF Yostin Pena 3-5, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, K — the second of four multi-hit games for DSL Yanks
SS Juan Torres 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI, K, GIDP
C Cesar Lopez 1-6, 2B, RBI, passed ball, missed catch error
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-2, 2B, 4 BB, K, 2 SB — made last out as DSL Yanks went 1-2-3 in the ninth to end it after the Mets’ five-run frame
1B Edgar Jimenez 0-5, RBI, 3 K, fielding error — only guy without a hit
2B Emmanuel Orozco 1-3, BB, RBI, HBP
LF Kendry Diaz 3-3, BB, HBP, SB — perfect (if somewhat painful) pro debut for 2026 IFA signee

Sebastian Rivas 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K — perfect pro debut for 2026 IFA signee; game got silly from there!
Dalvin Taveras 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 5 K— pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, defense didn’t help him
Emanuel Vargas 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 2 WP
Brandon Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HR, WP — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, tough one, as he was largely behind the ninth-inning collapse
Varis Villarreal 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K (loss)

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 3-9 (7) at DSL Miami

DH Dariel Santana 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, K — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, tied game with a two-run double in the third, his first-ever hit
SS Mani Cedeno 1-3
3B Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, GIDP, throwing error — tough day at the office for the kid
RF David Carrera 1-3, K, CS
LF Richard Meran 0-3, K, GIDP
1B Stalen Ramirez 0-3, K, fielding error
C Jesus Guerrero 1-3, 2 K
2B Adrian Feliz 2-3, HR, RBI — first pro homer in the fifth, a solo shot
CF Alfiery Matos 0-1, BB

Junior Tavera 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 5 K, HR, HBP, WP, pickoff error (loss)
Mauricio Vargas 0 IP, 1 H, 5 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 0 K, 2 WP — no control at all, not the 2026 debut he wanted; DSL Bombers allowed four runs to score in the fourth on wild pitches, and two of them came from Vargas
Lenin Caceres 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP
Ronald Tejada 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

How about a spicy, hot take to start things off? The 2015 draft was a pretty good one, but probably isn’t as valuable these last couple of years as maybe it was three or four years ago. The first round of the 2015 draft produced 33 players who reached the major leagues. To date, those players have accumulated 262.1 WAR. Just one year earlier, the draft yielded 30 players who reached the majors from the first round for a total of 244.9 bWAR. The 2017 draft actually saw 36 players reach the majors. But boy did things fall off of a cliff, just 83.4 bWAR between them. The top three players in terms of bWAR from the 2015 draft, have more bWAR between them than the whole first round in 2016.

Why do I bring up this seemingly arbitrary observation? Those top three players in bWAR? Alex Bregman (44.6), Dansby Swanson (29.7) and Kyle Tucker (28.1). For good measure, fourth is Ian Happ (24.2). I’d say at this point there is a better than even money shot that Ian Happ ends up being the second most productive (by bWAR) player in that draft when all is said and done. Maybe Tucker rebounds his career and makes me look silly on that. Or even Austin Riley, who is a bit lower on that list.

We certainly know by now that I’m a bigger Ian Happ fan than most of you. And I’m not sure I’ve ever had a bad word for any of Bregman, Swanson or Tucker here. But can we please ask that the Cubs stop pinning such a large chunk of their future on a draft class that is 10 years old this month? That should mean that the majority of these players are on the back 9 of their career by now. The Swanson signing was certainly a good one early in its existence. Right now, the last few years of that deal are beginning to look like quite an albatross. Kyle Tucker looked like a shrewd trade for the first few months of 2025. By the end, it was hard not to see it as unfortunate, even if you could see the wisdom of it at the time it was made. The Bregman signing??? The early returns say he’s a great teammate. But boy, the results have been rough to look at.

The irony is that Ian Happ has been the most productive of the four through the first part of 2026 and he’s set to be a free agent and quite possibly follow Tucker out the door while Swanson and Bregman stay here on hefty contracts that appear to be underwater. It’s really hard to win when you have a lot of dead money on the payroll. It doesn’t matter if you are a top spender or a spendthrift. Though Tucker’s future contract for the Dodgers is obscene. Amusingly, doing a little googling of blog posts about worst baseball contracts, I came across Andrew Benintendi another 2015 1st round pick comes up, as does Ke’Bryan Hayes, who I’ve seen rumored a few times as a Cubs trade target.

Just step away from that draft. Okay?

I didn’t talk much about the Cubs/A’s game here. But you get it. Bregman, Happ and Swanson all came up empty in this game. And so did the rest of the offense not named Nico Hoerner, really. Jameson Taillon showed signs of life, but it just didn’t matter. The Cubs managed four hits and drew two walks. Six baserunners is pathetic, particularly since three of those were Nico. Two more would be Pete Crow-Armstrong. The rest of the team was missing in action.

The cushion from the 20-3 stretch is gone. The team will start tomorrow off a game back in the Wild Card race. It’s too far from the end of the season to spend any time on that. But over the last 101 games, the Cubs will have to fight off teams in front and behind them in order to achieve one of the coveted playoff spots in the NL. As it stands right now, it appears that the target is going to be a little higher than usual to get into the playoffs. The Cubs are one of 11 teams with a .500 or better record. They’ll feast on each other some and reduce that number. But it might easily take 88 or more wins to get in. There’s a lot of work to be done. It didn’t have to be this way, but here we are.

Three Positives:

• Nico Hoerner had a single, drew two walks, stole a base and scored a run. The Cubs needed a lot more Nicos.
• Jameson Taillon threw 6.1 innings, allowing six hits, a walk and two runs. He struck out six and had a wild pitch. He pitched well enough to win.
• Hoby Milner just keeps on getting it done. Five up and five down. One strikeout.

PCA had a couple of singles, one off of a lefty. Had he not been caught stealing, I’d have listed him above.

Game 61, June 2: A’s 2, Cubs 1 (32-29)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Nico Hoerner (.193). 1-2, 2 BB, R, SB
• Hero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.155). 2-4, CS
• Sidekick: Jameson Taillon (.086). 6.1 IP, 26 BF, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K, WP (L 2-5)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Alex Bregman (-.260). 0-4, RBI
• Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.249). 0-4
• Kid: Ian Happ (-.192). 0-3, HBP

WPA Play of the Game: PCA’s single with Nico on first in the ninth inning and no outs. It set the table for late game heroics by the middle of the Cub order. (.185)

A’s Play of the Game: Alex Bregman followed with a strikeout. Hat tip to Scott Barlow. (.184)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 60 Winner: Alex Bregman received 40 of 99 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
• Ian Happ +10.5
• Nico Hoerner/Michael Conforto +10
• Alex Bregman/Ben Brown +9.5
• Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton -8
• Jameson Taillon -9
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -13
• Seiya Suzuki -28.5

Current Win Pace: 85 wins

Up Next: Back at it Wednesday night at Wrigley. Pitching definitely wasn’t Tuesday’s problem, and Colin Rea (5-3, 4.70, 59.1 IP) has been one of the better Cub starters. Last time out, he was a winner, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings. He had a dip in May. Hopefully getting home gets him to bounce back. The A’s lineup isn’t particularly formidable.

Another lefty pitcher after the Cubs have lost consecutive starts against lefties. 33-year-old Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.07, 66.1 IP) is making his 13th start. He’s in a rough rut. In his last seven starts, he is 0-5 with a 4.66 ERA. He’s allowed 39 hits and 11 walks. That’s lead to 19 earned runs in just 36.2 innings. This team needs to get back to grinding teams down. It just hasn’t been there for weeks now.

Bounce back. A couple of weeks ago was the best time. Absent that, might as well start with this one.

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The Seattle Mariners will look to complete a series sweep as they host the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon.

Seattle profiles well against New York starter Freddy Peralta, which is why I’m taking the home team to bring out the brooms in my Mets vs. Mariners predictions below.

Read on for more analysis and to get my free MLB picks for Wednesday, June 3.

Who will win Mets vs Mariners today: Mariners moneyline (-138)

The Seattle Mariners should be able to get another win behind George Kirby this afternoon. Kirby has an outstanding chase rate of 35.8% in 2026, which will play well against a New York Mets lineup chasing out of the zone 31.4% of the time.

Freddy Peralta has labored over his last four starts, putting up an ERA of 4.37 and a 1.54 WHIP in 22.2 innings of work. The Mariners' lineup has a .757 OPS against righties this season, and should hit Peralta hard. I’m taking Seattle to win as long as I can get at least a -150 payout.

COVERS INTEL: The Mariners are getting around on four-seam fastballs this year, pulling them in the air 21.3% of the time against righties. That’s a pitch Peralta throws 54% of the time.

Mets vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+113)

While Kirby should get the best of the Mets this afternoon, there are reasons to expect they’ll put up a little offense. New York has scored at least two runs in eight straight games, and Kirby is going through a rough patch, posting a 6.88 ERA over his last three starts.

If the Mets can post a couple of runs, I’m confident that Seattle will handle the rest of the total against Peralta, who is posting the worst hard-hit percentage (39.6%) and strikeout rate (23.9%) of his career so far in 2026. I’m backing the Over at even money or better.

Mets vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Mets +133 | Mariners -138
• Run line: Mets +1.5 (-163) | Mariners -1.5 (+156)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+113) | Under 7.5 (-117)

Mets vs Mariners trend

The Mariners are 8-0 straight up in their last eight games overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Mariners.

How to watch Mets vs Mariners and game info

Mets vs Mariners latest injuries

Mets vs Mariners weather

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Corbin Carroll Has Lefties in a Blender
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NL Cy Young Race Shaping Into Epic Showdown
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