Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

As a Guardians fan you may not be very familiar with Kody Huff, but you are way too familiar with Gabriel Arias. Let’s adjust the familiarity vortex there, real soon.

Gabriel Arias currently has a 54 wRC+ and a 46% strikeout rate. I think it is fair to note that his planned rehab was cut short by the injury to José Ramírez. Still, for his career, Arias has a 74 wRC+ and a 34% strikeout rate. Among ML hitters with 1,000 or more plate appearances since 2022, he ranks last with a swinging strike rate north of 20%. He is just a terrible hitter.

Enter Kody Huff. Acquired from the Rockies for Cal Quantrill, Huff is a right-handed hitter having a breakout season as a 25 year-old in Cleveland. Huff has a 141 wRC+ with a 17/15 K/BB%, with a home OPS of 979 at Columbus and a .875 OPS in road games. He also has a 1.012 OPS against LHP this year. Admittedly, his wOBA of .407 is belied a bit by a .366 xwOBA… but .366 reduced down to, I don’t know, .315 in the bigs would still be a huge improvement over current options, especially if it included production vs. southpaws. Huff has seen his hitting output skyrocket with slightly higher exit velos (+1 mph in average exit velo) and moving about 9% of his prior groundball rate to line drives and 6% to flyballs. Nothing looks particularly unsustainable… he simply seems to have made some hitting growth later in his development, as catchers often do.

“Aha, he’s a catcher,” you say. “How can we fit him on the roster with our catching all-stars Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges??” Leaving aside all sarcasm there (Bailey and Hedges are excellent defenders and both have hit fine with Cleveland this year), Huff has started 20 games at first base and 9 at third base this year.

Huff is fine at third base. He has a good arm and looks smooth picking the ball. He may actually be a pretty good first baseman. And he’s got a solid reputation as a catcher. I think the team should pause Huff’s catching work and tell him, “Kid, you are gonna fill in for José and get some great reps at third base.” Then, DFA Arias (who will get through waivers, and if he doesn’t, who cares?) and add Huff to the roster. If he hits and Jose is back, then keep Huff in the David Fry role.

It’s probably bad that I want to solve our offensive woes with catchers. But in Ingle and Huff, I see professional hitters. And we need more of those in Cleveland, by George. Get Huff the magic dragon up!

The Detroit Tigers’ four-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees to even up the three-game home series. Casey Mize cruised through the first five frames before surrendering three runs in the sixth and the offense just did not have enough gas to get over the hump before they ran out of time.

On Wednesday night, left-hander Tarik Skubal will make his third start since returning from the injured list after having an innovative nanoscope procedure performed on his pitching elbow. The 29-year-old has not found his old form just yet, posting a 4.35 ERA and a 5.42 FIP in his last two games stretching over 10 1/3 innings of work, allowing 12 hits (three home runs) and two walks while striking out 12 and hitting a batter.

Up against him will be fellow southpaw Ryan Weathers, who is having his best season since his 2024 campaign with the Miami Marlins. The 26-year-old hit a rough patch recently, putting up an 8.47 ERA and a 7.63 FIP over three starts stretching across 17 frames before bouncing back his last time out, allowing one run on a solo shot over 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight vs. one walk for a no-decision in a 5-1 home loss against the Chicago White Sox.

Here is a look at how the two matchup in the series finale.

Detroit Tigers (34-45) vs. New York Yankees (47-31)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Pinstripe Alley
Media: Detroit SportsNet, Amazon Prime Video, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 80: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA)

SKUBAL

WEATHERS

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 7-2 at Indianapolis Indians

3B Oswaldo Cabrera 3-6, 2 RBI, 2 K, fielding error – after a dreadful start to the year, Oswaldo has come alive with a .967 OPS in June
2B Marco Luciano 2-4, BB, K, SB
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, BB, 2 K, GIDP
CF Garrett Martin 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 K, SB – he did it all last night
1B Tyler Hardman 0-5, 3 K
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, 3 BB, K, SB
SS Jonathan Ornelas 0-4, 2 K
C Payton Henry 0-4, K
LF Duke Ellis 1-4, RBI, BB, K

Alexander Cornielle 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Zach Messinger 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 0 K
Carson Coleman 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win)
Yordanny Cruz 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (hold) – good to see a steady outing from Cruz
Bradley Hanner 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 4-0 at New Hampshire River Cats – Somerset stifled, four hits, all singles

LF Jackson Castillo 2-3, BB, SB
CF Jace Avina 0-4, K
RF DJ Gladney 1-3, BB, K
DH Nick Torres 1-4
3B Coby Morales 0-4, K
C Tomas Frick 0-3
1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, K
SS Owen Cobb 0-3, 2 K
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, K

Cade Smith 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR (loss) – probably the 24-year-old’s best start of the year, tough luck loss
Chris Kean 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Tony Rossi 1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 5-4 at Bowling Hot Rods

3B Kaeden Kent 1-5, K
SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2 K, throwing error
DH Eric Genther 0-4, RBI, 2 K
1B Kyle West 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
RF Wilson Rodriguez 2-3, BB
2B Roderick Arias 1-4, 2 K, SB
C Josue Gonzalez 0-3, RBI, SF
CF Camden Troyer 0-4, K
LF Luis Durango 2-4, 2B, SB

Bryce Cunningham 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR – 2024 second-rounder has given up three runs over his last three starts
Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Brandon Decker 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (hold)
Brady Kirtner 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB 0 K (loss, blown save)

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 3-1 at Dunedin Blue Jays

3B Jackson Lovich 0-4, K
CF Brando Mayea 0-4
DH Luis Puello 0-4, K
LF Logan Maxwell 0-1, BB, SB
LF Gabriel Lara 0-2, K
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-3, RBI, SF, SB
RF Willy Montero 1-4, 2B, 2 K
1B Hans Montero 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB
C Engelth Urena 0-3, K
2B Luis Escudero 0-2, BB, 2 K

Justin West 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K (win)
Kevin Stevens 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (hold)
Greysen Carter 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K (hold)
Matthew Tippie 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 10-6 (7) vs. FCL Tigers

3B Richard Matic 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
CF Wilberson De Pena 1-1, 2B, 3 BB, 2 SB, fielding error – a nice .417 OBP on the year for the 19-year-old
DH Queni Pineda 0-3, BB, 2 K
2B Leni Done 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB
LF Jose Castro 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, CS
RF Francisco Vilorio 0-3, K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, fielding error
C Justin Capellan 1-3, 2B, K, throwing error
1B Christofer Reyes 0-3

Hueston Morrill 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Jerson Alejandro 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K
Sunayro Martina 0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (loss) – a 4-1 fourth-inning lead evaporated quickly
Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Edinzo Marquez 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Brian Arias 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 11-3 vs. DSL Cardinals

DH Isaias Castillo 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, SB
SS Stiven Marinez 1-5, 3B, RBI, K, fielding error
CF Yostin Pena 3-4, K, 2 SB
2B Juan Torres 2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB
1B Cesar Lopez 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
C Juan Martinez 1-3, K, SB
L Manuel Aguilar 1-4, 2B, 3 K
RF Eliezer Adames 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
3B Emmanuel Orozco 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB

Fredy Penuelas 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 4 K
Angel Salazar 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (win) — one of the cleanest DSL lines you’ll see
Luis Ilarraza 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K (hold)
Varis Villarreal 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 12-5 at DSL Tigers 2

SS Mani Cedeno 1-5, 2B, 2 K
2B Carlos Bello 2-4, 2 2B, K, SB
C Alessandro Rodriguez 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB, two throwing errors, one pickoff error – oops
RF David Carrera 1-4, HR, RBI, K
3B Kevin Beltre 0-4, K
DH Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB
1B Adrian Feliz 0-2, K
1B Jesus Guerrero 1-2, 2B, RBI, K
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-1, BB
LF Eddison Charles 1-2, K, SB
CF Alfiery Matos 0-4, K

Randy Angomas 2.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
Kevin Centeno 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Carlos Hampshire 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K
Lenin Caceres 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to boast arguably the top farm system in all of baseball and that’s even with a large number of graduations that have happened through the first two and a half months of the season. Because of those graduations, and a pretty good sample size of play down in the minor leagues, it’s time to make some updates and adjustments to our Brewers Top 50 prospects list from the pre-season.

There are some notable risers and fallers with their performances early this season. The recently extended Luis Lara is certainly one of them with his breakout season. But he’s not the biggest riser on this list.

Biggest risers: 2B/LF Dylan O’Rae (+17 spots), OF Braylon Payne (+16), RHP Jayden Dubanewicz (+14), RHP Jaron DeBerry (+10), OF Luis Lara (+9)

Biggest fallers: 1B/3B Eric Bitonti (-8 spots), RHP Melvin Hernandez (-4), OF Jose Anderson (OUT)

Graduations: RHP Brandon Sproat, RHP Logan Henderson, LHP Robert Gasser, LHP Shane Drohan, RHP Carlos Rodriguez, 1B/LF Tyler Black

1. Jesus Made, SS

2. Luis Pena, SS

3. Cooper Pratt, SS

There are no changes to the top three spots in the Brewers farm system. However, since the pre-season, Jesus Made has vaulted to the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball status and Cooper Pratt signed an eight year contract extension with the Brewers. Pratt was recently called up to make his MLB debut and has taken over the starting shortstop job in Milwaukee, which will likely be his for years to come, that is unless one of the other two names above him take that title.

4. Luis Lara, OF (Up 9)
5. Jett Williams, SS (Down1)
6. Josh Adamczewski, IF/OF (Up 8)

Luis Lara and Josh Adamczewski are the big risers into the Top 10 in this update. Lara has completely crushed Triple-A pitching and earned himself a long-term contract extension from the Brewers. It’ll only be a matter of time before he joins Cooper Pratt in Milwaukee. Jett Williams has struggled a bit offensively this year, leading to Lara surpassing him. Josh Adamczewski also put up big numbers in High-A Wisconsin before earning the mid-season promotion to Double-A Biloxi.
7. Jeferson Quero, C (Up 2)
8. Andrew Fischer, 3B (Up 2)
9. Blake Burke, 1B (Up 3)

Jeferson Quero continues to be blocked by William Contreras and Gary Sanchez, though he was able to make his MLB debut earlier this season. Quero has been solid in Triple-A and is ready when an opportunity presents itself. Andrew Fischer has been the talk of this Brewers system almost with his home run barrage this summer that pushed him up to Double-A. The strikeout rate is still a concern long-term, but in spite of it he’s hitting nearly .300 with an OPS over 1.100. Blake Burke, another former Tennessee Volunter, is also mashing in Biloxi with 15 homers himself, plus even more stolen bases. Keep an eye on Burke.
10. Bishop Letson, RHP (Down 2)
11. Marco Dinges, C —
12. Tyson Hardin, RHP (Up 4)
13. Braylon Payne, OF (Up 16)
14. Coleman Crow, RHP (Up 9)

Bishop Letson really struggled to start the season in Double-A, but has finally started to turn things around, which keeps him in the Top 10. Tyson Hardin has done much better after a promotion to Triple-A and he finds himself pretty close to making it to the big leagues given the amount of injuries the Brewers have had in their rotation. Braylon Payne has been one of the biggest risers in this update as he’s hitting the ball extremely hard in High-A and he’s also dropped his strikeout rate. That K rate will remain important to watch as the 19 year old develops. Coleman Crow has also gotten himself to the bigs and risen up the list. He’s on the IL, which has prevented him from graduating, but he will return and graduate soon.
15. Brady Ebel, SS (Up 2)
16. Luke Adams, 3B/OF (Down 1)
17. JD Thompson, LHP (Up 3)
18. Tate Kuehner, LHP (Up 6)
19. Jayden Dubanewicz, RHP (Up 14)

Luke Adams missed a ton of time early in the season with a wrist injury so the sample size is a bit smaller than the other hitters. Since returning from the IL, Adams has looked great and he could leap back up in the August re-rank. Lefties JD Thompson and Tate Kuehner get a nice boost as their development remains on track. Jayden Dubanewicz is another big riser as his stuff has looked nasty and he’s already pushed his way to High-A Wisconsin. In his first two starts there, he’s struck out 11 and is yet to walk a batter. Dubanewicz could be that next pitching lab success story.
20. Craig Yoho, RHP (Down 2)
21. Brock Wilken, 3B (Down 2)
22. Mike Boeve, 1B/3B (Down 1)
23. Brett Wichrowski, RHP (Up 2)
24. Bryce Meccage, RHP (Up 2)

Brock Wilken has not adjusted well to Triple-A, still hitting below the Mendoza Line with not a lot of home runs to make up for it. It’s not too late for him, but that future infield is looking crowded already and there are a lot of good ones right around him in the upper minors. Mike Boeve has looked a little better a year removed from shoulder surgery, but his numbers still haven’t returned to what they were pre-injury.
25. Ethan Dorchies, RHP (Up 2)
26. Manuel Rodriguez, RHP (Up 2)
27. Josh Knoth RHP, (Up 5)
28. Dylan O’Rae, 2B/OF (Up 17)
29. Jaron DeBerry, RHP (Up 10)

Some of the numbers are unsightly for the young pitchers across the lower levels when it comes to ERA, but that doesn’t mean their stuff has diminished. Numbers are like that all across those levels this year so I’ll take them with a grain of salt and not ding guys like Dorchies or Rodriguez too much. Knoth is returning from TJS and has looked good, ramping the velo up to 97 MPH but generally sitting around 94 with his fastball. Dylan O’Rae is having a great year after missing 2025 with wrist surgery. Jaron DeBerry is also putting himself on the radar in the upper minors with some strong outings this year.
30. Diego Frontado, SS (Up 8)
31. Ricki Moneys, SS (Up 6)
32. Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP (Up 8)
33. Josiah Ragsdale, OF *
34. Frank Cairone, LHP —

Down in the DSL, two of the Brewers big signings this year were Frontado and Moneys and they are living up to the hype, showing off power and bat-to-ball skills, giving them a big boost in this update. Brian Fitzpatrick put himself clearly in the big league bullpen picture before an elbow injury sidelined him. Josiah Ragsdale is the first player to make this list after missing the pre-season top 50. He’s showcased a combo of speed and contact skills with a little bit of pop in High-A. Frank Cairone is back in Arizona after recovering from a January car accident. He’s yet to see game action, but could be in ACL games soon.
35. Braylon Owens, RHP *
36. Tyler Renz, RHP —
37. Alexander Frias, OF *
38. Eric Bitonti, 1B/3B (Down 8)
39. Mark Manfredi, LHP *

Another handful of new faces here. Braylon Owens, a 10th round pick last year, has done really well in High-A and is among the organization’s leaders in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP. Alexander Frias has finally gotten promoted to Low-A Wilson after tearing up the Arizona Complex League. He looks like he has big-time potential. Eric Bitonti is striking out at a high clip still in High-A and it worries me about his long-term viability. Mark Manfredi is up to 97 MPH on his fastball and his strikeout rate has ticked way up this year. Keep an eye on Manfredi as a bullpen option in Milwaukee in the near future.
40. Griffin Tobias, RHP (Up 4)
41. Handelfry Encarnacion, OF —
42. Pedro Ibarguen, OF (Up 4)
43. Jacob Morrison, RHP (Up 6)
44. Cameron Wagoner, RHP *

Some young players still with good potential with Tobias, Encarnacion, and Ibarguen here. They’re in the lower levels, Ibarguen in particular has had a nice year in Low-A. Jacob Morrison, out of Coastal Carolina last year, is on the IL right now but looked good in his limited action in Low-A. Cameron Wagoner is throwing upper 90s and hitting triple-digits on occasion after missing a long stretch due to injury. He could move up quickly as a bullpen arm.
45. Brailyn Antunez, OF *
46. Melvin Hernandez, RHP (Down 4)
47. Chase Bentley, RHP *
48. Joey Broughton, LHP *
49. MaKale Holden, RHP *
50. Luis Lameda, SS *

Brailyn Antunez was the big international signing last year, but struggled in the DSL. Upon heading to the ACL this year, there’s been some positive reports, and it’s starting to translate into on-field results. Melvin Hernandez has not pitched at all this year due to visa issues, per a source. He’s still a talented arm when he is on the field. This list is rounded out with some of the young, projectable talent the Brewers possess. Chase Bentley had the biggest “Day 3” signing bonus the Brewers gave out last year and has looked good. Broughton is back from TJS finally and has done well upon his promotion to Low-A. MaKale Holden also got a big bonus last year and has showcased some nasty stuff. Luis Lameda is hitting over .300 with more walks than strikeouts for Low-A Wilson.

The city of New York is on a high right now, still celebrating the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years. Though the Knicks will have every chance to return to the NBA Finals next year, observers of the team and the NBA at large knew that this season was a crucial chance for the Knicks, 2026 representing possibly their best opportunity to win a title with their current core.

Now, if you took that last sentence and swapped out the word “Knicks” for “Yankees”, would it still hold true?

Every season of Aaron Judge’s prime that has passed without a World Series championship has been lamented as a missed opportunity, but it’s worth wondering now if this is truly the team’s biggest chance. The way the 2026 American League has developed means that New York has a huge opportunity that they should (must?) convert on.

Take a look at the AL standings. At time of writing, the Yankees have a +111 run differential, tops in the Junior Circuit. The second-best run differential belongs to the Mariners, who are miles back at +18. In third are the Rays at +0. There are two (2!) teams in the American League that have outscored their opponents thus far!

The Yankees have played an entirely different caliber of baseball this year than the rest of the AL. And if we turn our sights to the future, it’s not like we should expect one of the league’s middling clubs to suddenly turn things around and surpass New York down the stretch. The Yankees are easily first in the AL in FanGraphs’ projected rest-of-season WAR, with only the Mariners and Blue Jays in the same ballpark.

There’s obviously a prime opportunity here. But does all this mean that this is the opportunity for the Yankees? On that score, I’m not completely sure. The Yankees have lapped the AL in quality of play mostly with their Captain either on the IL or playing hurt. That they’ve done so suggests that, while Aaron Judge’s reign as the game’s premier hitter could be coming to a close, the team is positioned to continue to contend at a high level even as Judge ages.

There’s enough young or prime-aged talent here performing with Judge injured that the Yankees should feel confident about the future. This year might be their best shot, or, perhaps Judge has a healthier 2027, and the team actually comes back next year with an even better opportunity, with Judge backed by a better supporting cast than he’s had in years. 

What do you think? Is it now or never for New York? Or will they have just as promising opportunities in the future?

On the site today, you can check out Madison recap of Tuesday night’s American League action, as well as Peter’s At-Bat of the Week, which features Ali Sánchez. Also, Scott analyzes the first half of the season for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and John writes up Phil Hughes, the once top Yankees pitching prospect who turns 40-years old-today.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers

Time: 6:40 p.m. EST

TV: Amazon Prime Video, Detroit SportsNet

Venue: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Worcester Red Sox 1 (box)

The Mud Hens got a great performance out of their bullpen, and the lineup pounded out eight hits, including the first knocks for Brett Callahan and John Peck in their Triple-A debuts, to win on Tuesday.

Jack Little, Brenan Hanifee, Matt Seelinger, and Woo-Suk Go each tossed two innings in this one. Hanifee allowed an unearned run after a Max Anderson error kept the third inning going, but that was it. Tanner Rainey also fired a scoreless inning of work.

Jace Jung singled in the top of the third and later scored on an Anderson single to open the scoring, so it was 1-1 game early on. In the fourth, Gage Workman led off with a walk and moved to third on John Peck’s single. A wild pitch later brought Workman in as the go-ahead, and ultimately the game winning run.

In the sixth, Workman again led off with a walk and advanced on a Callahan single. Singles from Corey Julks and then Jung brought both runners in for a 4-1 lead, and that was all that was required.

Workman: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, CS

Jung: 2-4, R, RBI

Little: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:45 p.m. ET start in Worcester on Wednesday.

Erie SeaWolves 10, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 2 (box)

Jack Flaherty looked good to go, and the SeaWolves offense cracked four home runs in this one as Thayron Liranzo and Izaac Pacheco continue to do a lot of damage.

Flaherty allowed a pair of solo shots, but otherwise went 5.2 innings allowing just those two runs, and only one other hit. He struck out seven and threw 83 pitches, so he’s seemingly ready to return when eligible.

Liranzo lifted a towering solo shot to right in the fourth inning with two outs to tie the game up 1-1. Chris Meyers followed with a double, and Garrett Pennington showed out in his Double-A debut, mashing a two-run shot the opposite way for a 3-1 lead.

Pacheco followed him with an absolutely monstrous blast to right center field. The third baseman’s 12th shot of the year made it a 4-1 game, but the SeaWolves weren’t done in the inning. Max Burt singled and E.J. Exposito also went yard for a 6-0 lead. All of that with two outs.

Liranzo doubled with two-outs in the fifth as well, scoring on a Meyers double. In the seventh, three walks loaded the bases for the SeaWolves and Pennington cashed in two of them with a line drive single to center field. 9-2 SeaWolves, and they would tack on a run in the eighth when Burt singled, took second on a balk, and then scored on an Exposito single.

Lael Lockhart cruised through the final three innings to put this one away.

Liranzo: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HR, BB

Pennington: 2-4, R, 4 RBI, HR, K

Meyers: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 2B, K

Flaherty: 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 7 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start at UPMC Park on Wednesday.

Dayton Dragons: 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)

The offense had a pretty good night, but they still failed to capitalize on plenty of scoring opportunities in this one. Meanwhile the bullpen crumbled to lose a close game late.

Zack Lee gave the ‘Caps a nice spot start, tossing three shutout innings with five strikeouts to start things off right.

The Whitecaps loaded the bases in the first but couldn’t score. In the second, Samuel Gil led off and Patrick Lee walked with one out. Woody Hadeen grounded into a force of Lee, but Bryce Rainer smoked a drive to center field to plate both runs for a 2-0 lead.

Juanmi Vasquez took over for the ‘Caps in the fourth and was promptly knocked around for four runs. He did get some help from Hadeen and Rainer to escape.

So it was 4-2 Dragons in the top of the sixth. Patrick Lee led off with a double and Rainer and Ricardo Hurtado walked to load the bases. Lee scored on a Jackson Strong ground out, and after the Dragons went to the pen, the new reliever balked in Rainer from third. So it was all tied up at 4-4.

Patrick Lee would launch a solo shot in the eighth, completing a heck of a return to action after a rehab stint in the Complex League.

Unfortunately, Eliseo Mota’s High-A debut saw him allow a run in two innings of work. Carlos Lequerica then crumbled for a three-run bottom of the eighth that was the difference in this one.

Lee: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HR, BB

Rainer: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K

Zack Lee: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps look to even the series at 7:05 p.m. ET in Dayton on Wednesday.

Dayton Dragons 6, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (box)

Grayson Grinsell settled in for a good start after allowing two runs in the first, but the bullpen kept leaking and the offense didn’t get much going in this one.

The left-hander scattered five hits without a walk, striking out five. Jorge Guzman allowed three runs in the sixth, and Jan Carabello allowed a run in the seventh.

Meanwhile the offense was doing very little. Carson Rucker stayed hot with three hits, and the team drew five walks, but they were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Finally in the eighth, Edian Espinal singled and took second on a throwing error. The young catcher holds a .936 OPS this year. With one out, Jude Warwick singled him in and then he took second on a passed ball. Jesus Pinto struck out, but another wild pitch got Warwick to third, and a bliner from Rucker scored the run.

That was about it for the offense though.

Rucker: 3-4, RBI

Yost: 1-3, BB, K

Espinal: 1-3, R, 2 BB, K

Grinsell (L, 4-3): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

FCL Tigers 10, FCL Yankees 6 (box)

Jhonan Coba was knocked around for the first time, giving up six runs over four innings of work. The bullpen, however, was nails and the Tigers blew up the Yankees with a seven run fourth inning and pulled away to win.

Cristian Perez homered and had two hits, while Steven Madero chipped in three of his own. Cris Rodriguez and Santiago Pinto drove in five runs between them.

Pinto: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, K, CS

Rodriguez: 1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB

Perez: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, K

Coba: 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K

MLB.com: The Yankees have signed Chien-Fan Lai as an undrafted free agent, the team announced Tuesday. The highest-rated Taiwanese pitcher in the 2026 amateur class, Lai is a 6-foot right-hander who recently graduated from high school. “The signing of Chien-Fan represents our renewed commitment to players in Taiwan, and in Asia as a whole,” said Mario Garza, the Yankees’ Director of International Scouting. “As I have gotten to know Chien-Fan, I have seen a focused and self-assured individual with great aptitude and a desire to improve.” Garza also noted the youngster’s pitch mix, which includes a live fastball and multiple promising off-speed pitches. The Yankees have signed two other players out of Taiwan in their history, most notably Chien-Ming Wang in 2000, who finished runner-up in AL Cy Young voting after the 2006 season.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: ($) After getting demoted to Triple-A Saturday, J.C. Escarra was recalled before Tuesday’s game. This reprieve came as Ali Sánchez, who’d edged him out for the backup catching job behind Austin Wells, landed on the paternity list. Sánchez coincidentally exited Monday’s game after taking a hit by pitch to the wrist. While X-rays were negative, he was slated to receive a CT scan as well to rule out a hairline fracture.

In other injury news, both Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt threw bullpens last week and are expected to begin facing live hitters next week. Per manager Aaron Boone, Trent Grisham is expected to join the Yankees later this week in Boston to begin “running bases, shagging, BP — all that stuff.” Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge remain essentially in holding patterns at this point in time.

MLB.com | Steve Kornacki: Gerrit Cole had a rough go of it Monday, allowing five runs on nine hits while lasting 4.1 innings in his worst outing since returning from the IL last month. “I sure made a handful of mistakes there,” said the Yankees’ ace. “But they hit a good amount of good pitches. But we just weren’t able to respond with the type of quality pitches to get out of those situations from the extra pressure they put on us.”

The start bumped Cole’s ERA up from 2.57 to 3.62. His manager emphasized that the 35-year-old’s stuff looks undiminished after a year-plus layoff. “I think overall, he’s pitching very much in line with who Gerrit Cole has been throughout his career,” said Boone. “I think he looks good. The stuff’s there. It always comes down to how good you execute time in and time out, and for the most part he’s been very good.”

ESPN: Jazz Chisholm’s unusual mid-game treat Monday did not go unnoticed, as Boone expressed frustration with Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s decision to take the field with a lollipop in his mouth. “That pisses me off,” the normally measured manager said in an interview Tuesday, noting he was unaware of the transgression until after the game. “He and I talked about that, and that won’t be going on.”

Rochester Red Wings 10, Charlotte Knights 9
The Knights (42-34) came up just short in a wild one despite outhitting the Red Wings 12-10. The bats snoozed through the early frames until Nolan Jones finally got things cooking in the fourth with his 10th bomb of the year. Korey Lee chipped in an RBI double in the sixth to make it 3-2, but then came the seventh. It was a full-on meltdown, with Rochester tagging Adisyn Coffey and Chase Plymell for seven runs, and the Knights were buried under a mountain of tallies.

Charlotte refused to go away, though, answering with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Rikuu Nishida and Dustin Harris both with RBI knocks, and Jones lacing a two-run double to keep the corpse twitching at 10-6. In the ninth inning, it was one last gasp with the Knights putting up three more runs. Jones with a sac fly for his fourth RBI, Caden Connor slapping a two-run single to bring Charlotte within a run, but that was the end of the magic. On the hill, Duncan Davitt provided a bright spot for three hitless innings, and Jared Kelly closed up the last two frames, allowing two hits, a walk, and two punchouts.

Knoxville Smokies 5, Birmingham Barons 3
Despite the loss, the Barons (26-44) did show some patience at the plate (eight walks!), but it was about the only thing worth applauding. Four hits, all night, and every run squeezed out in a single, frantic fourth inning. Anthony DePino and Samuel Zavala started things with back-to-back walks, Colby Shelton poked a single to jam the bases, and Jeral Perez broke through with a two-run double. Eddie Park walked to reload the bags, Dylan Campbell took a bases-loaded freebie, and that was it for the offense. Shelton doubled in the sixth, Alec Briley doubled in the ninth, but the Barons stranded nine, whiffed 11 times, and went a ghastly 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

On the mound, Jake Palisch took the loss, tagged for four runs on seven hits in five innings. The bullpen of Phil Fox, Nick Altermatt, and Jacob Heatherly each tossed a clean frame to keep things close, but the offense never got the clutch knock. No late heroics tonight, just a slow fade to a 5-3 defeat.

Hub City Spartanburgers 5, Winston-Salem Dash 4
The Dash (39-31) let a late lead slip away and got walked off the field in Hub City with a gut punch. There were some early fireworks from Winston-Salem. Ryan Burrowes hit a two-run bomb in the first, and George Wolkow smacked a solo shot in the third. Ely Brown laced a triple in the fourth, scored on an Alex Ungar single, and it was 4-2, Dash. For a while, it looked like cruise control. But the bats dried up just in time to leave the door wide open heading into the ninth.

Garrett Wright, wild as a rodeo, handed out five free passes and watched the Spartanburgers cash them in. Jack Young came in to try to stem the bleeding, but Boston Smith had other ideas, leaking a passed ball that plated the winning run. All of this wiped out a perfectly decent start from Riley Eikhoff (five innings, two runs, five hits) and three solid frames from Frankeli Arias and Mathias LaCombe.

Columbia Fireflies 4, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3
The Ballers (35-35) spent most of the night chasing after Jhosmmel Zue unloaded a grand slam in the second. Four runs, one swing. The Kanny bats were mostly silent, seven strikeouts and precious little traffic, but the pitching staff at least kept things from getting ugly. Gabe Tanner wore the loss, tagged for all four on that one mistake, but he hung in for five. Daniel Wright followed him with two scoreless frames while Jesus Mendez and Marco Barrios each tossed a clean inning to keep the deficit from ballooning.

Finally, Kanny mounted a rally in the ninth. Matthew Boughton and Derek Cerda poked singles, Stiven Flores cracked an RBI double, and suddenly the Ballers were back in it. Adrian Gil’s double play drove in another run, and Nathan Archer laced a triple to drag Kannapolis within one. The tying run stood a whisper from home, but Jurdrick Profar rolled over, and the rally fizzled out.

ACL Reds 8, ACL White Sox 1 (7 innings)
The ACL White Sox (11-27), unfortunately, took another one on the chin. Four hits, 0-for-6 with RISP, and one lonely run. Their tally came in the sixth when Alejandro Cruz decided to make something out of nothing with a double, a swipe of third, then a mad dash home on a wild pitch. Otherwise, the bats were pretty silent with just singles from Jefrank Silva, Marcelo Ácala, and Steven Lancia. On the mound, Fabian Ysalla got roughed up for four runs in 3 2/3 innings, and the bullpen got tagged with four more.

DSL Mariners 2, DSL White Sox 1 (7 innings)
The DSL White Sox (5-12) dropped a tough one to the Mariners in a game that was all about the pitching. Ronald Kelly was outstanding in his start, holding Seattle hitless and scoreless across four innings while punching out seven. The righthander worked around three free passes and a hit batter. Jefferson Timaure kept it close with two solid frames, allowing just one run on two hits. The decisive tally came in the bottom of the seventh against Beinel Adon, who walked the leadoff guy, gave up a single, and after a fly out, a grounder and a shortstop miscue let the winning run in. Offensively, it was the Diego Natera show with a solo homer in the third, a double in the fifth, and that was two-thirds of the team’s hits. Not much else to write home about.

ACL Mariners 14, ACL White Sox 3
The ACL White Sox got steamrolled, 14-3, surrendering a couple of touchdowns. They went up early when Jordan Rich and Marcelo Ácala worked back-to-back walks, José Mendoza doubled them in, and it was 2-0 after the first. Then the offense vanished until Eduardo Herrera smacked a solo homer in the eighth, but by then it was a lost cause. Only six hits, 1-for-13 with RISP, 11 runners left on base. The pitching was a horror show, except for Jefrank Silva, who kept his line clean. Christian Oppor, Chicago’s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is still wrestling with his command. He tossed 1 1/3 innings, gave up a run on one hit, walked four, hit a batter, and fired off a wild pitch, which allowed the tally to score.

DSL Arizona Black 16, DSL White Sox 7 (7 innings)
This one wasn’t even remotely close early, with Arizona up 10-1 after six and the Sox bats looking like they’d rather be anywhere else. Three hits, one run, and that only thanks to Sebastian Romero, who keeps finding ways to matter. His sixth bomb came with two outs in the first, and then it was pretty much tumbleweeds until the seventh. Suddenly, six runs — yes, six! — in the seventh, with Romero and Ronald Cardozo knocking RBI singles to make the box score look a bit less embarrassing. The pitching? Forget about it. The only guy who didn’t get lit up was Yordany Marte, who tossed three innings, allowing one run on four hits, two walks, and three punchouts.

The Athletics took on the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game midweek series on a beautiful summer night in San Francisco. The Giants scored a pair of early runs that held up in the hosts’ 3-1 victory, snapping their losing streak and stretching the A’s skid to three games. Robbie Ray, a looming free agent, boosted his trade value by quieting the A’s offense over eight sparkling innings.

Giants Take Early Lead

Starting pitchers Aaron Civale and Robbie Ray each got off to a strong start, tossing scoreless first innings. The Giants took the lead in the second inning. Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center field against Civale. Shortstop Willy Adames doubled and then third baseman Matt Chapman crushed a ball off the left field wall, bringing home the Giants second run of the inning.

A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom made a nice throw to catch Matt Chapman trying to stretch his hit into a double, but A’s second baseman Zack Gelof got his right hand stepped on while applying the tag and had to be replaced by Jeff McNeil. Gelof’s early injury-related exit ended his hitting streak at an impressive 24 games. He suffered a right hand laceration and contusion on that play. Thankfully, he avoided a more significant injury.

A’s Respond

Athletics’ right fielder Colby Thomas reached to start the third inning when Lee dropped the fly ball off his bat in right field. The A’s quickly capitalized off the Giants’ mistake. Third baseman Max Muncy singled to left, scoring Thomas to cut the Giants lead in half. Muncy proceeded to make a base running mistake, as Ray picked him off first base for the first out of the inning.

Civale Escapes Trouble

In the bottom of the fourth, the Giants hit two straight singles against Civale, putting two runners on the bases with one out. Civale struck out San Francisco’s catcher Daniel Susac to strand the bases loaded and end the threat.

Game Rolls Along

Having thrown 84 pitches through four laborious innings, Civale did not return for the fifth inning. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking none. Left-hander Matt Krook replaced him out of the A’s bullpen, making his second MLB appearance of the season. The southpaw pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Krook returned for the sixth, recording one out before giving way to right-hander Mason Barnett, who struck out Susac to escape a two on, two out jam and keep the score the same. Twice, Susac came up to the plate with runners in scoring position and two outs, and both times he failed to come through for the hosts.

Giants Extend Their Lead

In the last of the seventh, Barnett struck out the first batter before Giants’ designated hitter Bryce Eldridge walked and then second baseman Casey Schmitt recorded his second single of the game.

The A’s turned to left-hander Jose Suarez with two left-handed hitters coming up. First baseman Rafael Devers made the visitors regret the pitching change by grounding an RBI single up the middle with Eldridge just beating A’s center fielder Henry Bolte’s throw home to score the Giants’ third run of the game. Suarez retired the next two hitters he faced, stranding runners on second and third.

The A’s offense struggled against Ray. The “Green and Gold” swung at a lot of first pitches, allowing the Giants’ starter to need just 102 pitches to complete eight innings of one-run ball. Despite walking four, Ray only allowed two hits, inducing eight groundouts and four fly outs. He would have finished with a scoreless performance if not for Lee’s fielding error, which led to the Athletics’ lone run.

Ninth-inning Drama

Giants’ reliever Caleb Kilian came on in the top of the ninth to try to secure the save. Soderstrom hit a one-out single. After shortstop Jacob Wilson grounded into a force out, Killian walked pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Alas, Bolte struck out to end the game, as the A’s last chance fizzled out.

The Athletics will look to bounce back and even up this interleague series tomorrow night. Left-hander Gage Jump has pitched exceptionally well through his first few MLB starts and now gets to face the Giants for the first time in his young career. He will be opposed by Giants’ right-hander Tyler Mahle, who is returning from a monthlong absence due to a left hamstring injury.

A wild night at Petco Park was capped off by a walk-off single by way of Manny Machado as the Braves fell to the Padres, 7-6, in 10 innings.

This is a bad baseball team at the moment.

The second inning was a doozy for both sides. The Braves loaded the bases and cashed in on a Rowdy Tellez two-run single up the middle to take an early 2-0 lead. Michael Harris then doubled off the wall to make it 3-0, and Matt Olson drew a bases loaded walk to extend the lead to four.

Unfortunately, the lead evaporated in a hurry. JR Ritchie walked the first two batters of the inning — a continuing problem for the rookie — and two duck fart singles found their way through the left side of the infield to make it 4-2. Fernando Tatis Jr. then doubled in a run and Samad Taylor drove in two more to give San Diego the 5-4 lead. In total, the second inning took nearly an hour.

Despite the disastrous second inning, Ritchie settled in nicely and kept things under control over the next three frames. He ended the night with back-t0-back strikeouts, something to build from perhaps. But until he’s able to throw more strikes, the struggles are going to continue.

The Braves tied it in the fourth by way of an Ozzie Albies RBI double. They took a 6-5 lead by way of a no-doubt blast from Mauricio Dubon in the fifth.

In the 7th inning, Walt Weiss inexplicably left Carlos Carrasco out there for a second inning. As literally everyone scratched their heads, Carrasco promptly surrendered a solo homer to Fernando Tatis Jr. to tie things at 6-6. Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias were all fresh and ready to go. I have no earthly idea what Walt was thinking.

The Braves and Padres will conclude their series on Wednesday evening with Martin Perez and JP Sears set to take the mound. First pitch is an hour earlier at 8:40 p.m. ET.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jung Hoo Lee was on the delivering and receiving end of two hard knocks. Ultimately, the one he dealt proved to be more powerful.

Lee crushed the longest home run of his career, clearing the fence in Triples Alley, the deepest part of Oracle Park, to get the Giants on the board first in a 3-1 win over the A’s to open their series Tuesday.

“I never thought I was going to hit a home run [there],” Lee said in Korean through a team interpreter.

Then came the inadvertent revenge.

After Lee reached base for a third time, drawing a walk in the sixth, he bolted for second base. When he arrived, he was met by the elbow of second baseman Jeff McNeil, whose momentum attempting to corral the wide throw took him into the path of Lee’s slide.

Lee’s initial reaction sent a scare through the sellout crowd of 40,043 that the throw had possibly nailed the portion of his head unprotected by his helmet. It turned out that it was McNeil’s arm that got his face.

Count manager Tony Vitello among those fooled.

“We thought the ball hit him,” Vitello said. “That probably would’ve been more painful than the elbow. But McNeil’s elbow just kind of inadvertently got his jaw and rung his bell for a little bit.”

Vitello, a trainer and Lee’s interpreter rushed from the dugout to second base, where Lee remained motionless for an extended period. He was, it turned out, just shaken up.

“He knocked me out,” Lee joked. “K.O.”

That blow was, apparently, no match for the one he gave to a cutter that caught all of the plate from Aaron Civale with one out in the second. Lee’s fifth homer of the season traveled 414 feet, 40 feet further than his longest homer to date this season. His career long had previously been 406 feet.

“That’s a tough part of the park to go out,” admired starter Robbie Ray, who hugged Lee after he made an error in right field that resulted in the only run the A’s managed against him over eight innings.

“He came in and said he was sorry [about the error] and I was like, ‘That’s my guy, we’re good.’ … He made some great plays in the field today too. The wind was playing tricks out there.”

The solo shot got the Giants’ bats in business, as Willy Adames followed with a double and came around to score, opening a 2-0 lead, on a line drive from Matt Chapman off the wall in left.

Chapman punished the pitch so hard — 112.1 mph, tied for his second-best hit ball of the year — that he was out by a mile when he tried to take second on the play.

Bryce Eldridge hustled, or more like huffed, home to barely beat the throw on a single from Rafael Devers to pad the lead in the seventh after using an ABS challenge to draw a walk.

Lee wasn’t the only victim of what proved to be a physical game.

Both second basemen were forced to leave early, with Luis Arraez departing after fouling a pitch off his shin and Zack Gelof getting spiked in the hand by Chapman.

What it means

The Giants began their home stand with a much-needed win, following a sweep at the hands of the Marlins to end their road trip that sent them 15 games below .500.

Who’s hot

Ray walked four batters but didn’t let any come back to bite him and largely cruised through eight innings, the only damage coming on an unearned run after Lee flubbed an easy fly ball in right field, resulting in the first batter of the third reaching and coming around to score.

Ray, who had trouble getting through five innings earlier this year, turned in his second-longest start with the Giants and easily his best effort of the season.

“Obviously the walks tonight [were] not ideal, so that’s something I need to work on,” Ray said. “But even though those walks happened, I was able to come back and … get the next guy. I think the two-seam has helped out my arsenal a lot.”

There were signs a breakthrough was coming, though.

The two-hit effort from Ray marked the third time in four starts this month that he didn’t surrender a single earned run. In the one outing he was hit around, he didn’t issue a walk.

It all began when Ray started swapping out his four-seamer at the top of the strike zone for a sinking two-seamer. He used it on 20 of his 102 pitches against the A’s.

“Just the combination of all my pitches, I feel like was pretty unpredictable tonight,” said Ray, who threw all five of his offerings at least 12 times but none more than 27. “I felt like the two-seam was really good. I got some early outs with it. Changeup was good. I think everything was just playing well off each other.”

After posting a 6.44 ERA in May, Ray improved to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA so far in June.

Who’s not

It was shaping up to be a revenge game for Daniel Susac, the catcher the Giants selected in the Rule 5 draft after the A’s left the former 28th overall pick unprotected.

Upon review, not so much.

Susac struck out three times, lowering his batting average in 24 games since returning from the injured list to .205. He was hitting .407 with an 1.152 OPS when he was diagnosed with neuritis in his right elbow on April 20; his batting average now is down to .267 with his OPS at .652, barely better than Patrick Bailey’s .633 mark with the Guardians.

The A’s determined he posed such little threat that, with two outs and a runner on second in the sixth, they intentionally walked the light-hitting No. 8 batter Drew Gilbert to bring up Susac.

It proved to be a prescient choice. The at-bat ended the same way as the previous two — strike three.

Up next

Tyler Mahle makes his return to the Giants’ rotation as they continue their three-game series against their former Bay Area rivals on Wednesday. Mahle, out since May 29 with a hamstring strain, was 1-7 with a 6.04 ERA when he landed on the injured list.

The Giants will have to make a roster move to activate him from the IL.

We don’t care much about starting pitching records anymore, and for good reason. But it’s kind of wild to look up and realize that Sonny Gray is 9-1 following his latest gem for the Red Sox against the Rockies in Coors Field on Tuesday night. On a team that entered the evening tied for the fewest wins in all of baseball, Sonny Gray has pretty much been everything Boston could’ve asked for this year, and he was again following the team’s latest gut punch loss on Monday.

Gray didn’t just throw seven innings of one run baseball, he struck out eleven guys in a ballpark notorious for balls going in play. It never felt like he was in trouble, he once again proved in command of all of his pitches, and he’s now responsible for nearly a third of the team’s victories all season.

And I guess that’s kind of the other big story of this game: The Red Sox, for whatever reason, seem to play a little bit more of a complete game when Gray is on the mound. It’s probably mostly sequencing and luck, but this squad has wasted so many wonderful outings from their starters in 2026, it’s almost surprising how often they’ve been able to button things down in mostly uneventful fashion for Gray.

But for overall balance, score one for a game going mostly as advertised on paper. The Red Sox had the huge pitching advantage on the mound, and it largely played out that way. If we want to get picky, you wouldn’t be wrong to point out they probably should have scored more than five runs with a wild Sean Sullivan on the mound for the Rockies at Coors Field, but I’m not going to complain about that tonight. The Red Sox got a win they needed, the Rockies looked like the Rockies, and Coors Field proved much more docile than it can be on a warm summer night.

To the studs and duds!

Three Studs

Sonny Gray: Seven innings of one run baseball at Coors Field with eleven strikeouts attached is a golden ticket here every time. If he does get moved later this summer, the price just went up.

Wilyer Abreu: He grew up a fan of Carlos Gonzalez, and he looked a lot like Carlos Gonzalez in his heyday tonight. A monster home run, a triple, and he almost had an outfield assist that turned into an unlucky error when the ball hit the runner. Here’s the big blast:

Nate Eaton: Led off the game with a walk, scored the first run on Abreu’s triple, and then had three more hits the rest of the night.

Bonus Stud: Anthony Seigler: 2-3 with a walk, and helped set up chances all night from the bottom of the lineup.

Three Duds

Jarren Duran: Not only did he go 0-5, but he managed to strike out three times while the rest of the team only struck out once combined. Opponents are attacking him down and away pretty routinely, and they’re having enormous success.

Andruw Monasterio: The only other player to go hitless in the Boston lineup, although he at least walked once.

Garrett Whitlock: He came into a four run game in the ninth inning after allowing four hits last night and quickly looked vulnerable again surrendering a solo home. While Whitlock worked through it and recorded the final out before Chapman was needed, Coors Field doesn’t seem to agree with him, and I have to imagine the Sox will try and stay away from him tomorrow in the finale.

Speaking of which, that will be an early 3:10pm ET first pitch with Ranger Suarez on the hill trying to finish off what would become a 4-2 road trip for the Sox with a win.

It may be too little, too late, but there’s a chance Francisco Lindor is back with the Mets on Wednesday, according to Carlos Mendoza.

The Mets have been waiting for Lindor to return from a strained left calf since April. After picking up a pair of hits and playing eight innings at shortstop in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse in Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Lindor could be part of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Citi Field against the Cubs.

After the Mets lost 9-6 Tuesday, Mendoza said he would talk to the front office and trainers to see if Lindor could “potentially” play Wednesday.

With his return imminent, his teammates are ready.

“It’s exciting,” Bo Bichette said. “We haven’t played at full strength pretty much the whole season, and we’re still not, but having him back is a huge boost.”

Bichette said that in Lindor’s absence, he has stayed focused on shortstop rather than working at third base as well, and president of baseball operations David Stearns said that although Lindor is “a big part of” the Mets possibly turning their season around, “We also can’t put everything on Francisco to come back at a time where he hasn’t been playing baseball very much and expect him to put us on his back.”

When he returns, Lindor will play shortstop, but he will likely get days off and games at DH to try to keep him healthy.

The Post reported in the offseason about issues within the Mets clubhouse last season, including an incident involving Lindor and Jeff McNeil, now with the A’s, and as a chilly relationship between Lindor and Juan Soto.

Stearns said Tuesday that despite the team’s struggles so far this season, he’s not aware of any problems with the team’s chemistry.

“My observation is those guys have meshed pretty well,” Stearns said of the team’s roster, which got an overhaul in the offseason. “I think we’re playing hard. That doesn’t mean we’re always playing well. I think the guys care about winning. I have not seen a clubhouse cohesion issue.”

Much of Stearns’ success as an executive came in small-market Milwaukee.

Now, as he said Tuesday, “The benefit of this job [with the Mets] is we have access to everyone in the player universe. It’s very different [from] some other markets. That’s a benefit for us. It requires me — and us — to do work a little bit differently.”

That’s produced mixed results so far, with Soto playing at an elite level, but other expensive additions either playing poorly or dealing with extensive injuries.

Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation) and Jorge Polanco (Achilles bursitis) are doing baseball activities, with Robert taking normal batting practice, but Polanco is still having “some good days, not so good others” while running.

The Mets claimed outfielder Jared Oliva off waivers from the Giants. The 30-year-old was optioned to Syracuse. He’s appeared in 33 games over parts of three seasons in the majors, including seven with San Francisco this year.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell was tossed after a bizarre play in the seventh inning. Michael Busch walked with Pete Crow-Armstrong on first.

Crow-Armstrong was attempting to steal and briefly slid off the bag, where Bichette tagged him. Crow-Armstrong was ruled out after the Mets challenged the call because he touched second and then left the base.

For the vast majority of the night, this game was trending like so many others we have grown all too familiar with this season. Starting pitcher throws a great game, bullpen does their job, but the offense just couldn’t come through with the big hit with runners in scoring position. Fortunately for the Dbacks, that narrative changed in the 9^th inning as they were able to get a couple of big hits and hold on for a 4-3 win to even the series against the Cardinals.

Eduardo Rodriguez shoved yet again for the Dbacks tossing 6.2 innings and holding the hot Cardinals offense scoreless. He was able to lower his season ERA to a minuscule 2.27 today following his 16th start of the season which is simply increadible. ERod’s changeup was filthy tonight generating a staggering 50% whiff rate and has really been a tremendous pitch for the veteran lefty. Juan Morillo, Kevin Ginkel, and Brandyn Garcia were sharp tonight in relief. The only blemish on this game from the pitching side was Paul Sewald who inexplicably still struggles mightily in non-save situations.

The Dbacks offense was all too quiet for 8 innings and as I mentioned earlier, struggled mightily with runners in scoring position. Going into the 9^th inning, the Dbacks were 0-8 with runners in scoring position until Nolan Arenado came up and doubled home the games first run. Arenado put together a great 7 pitch at bat and fought off some tough pitches to get a mistake right down the middle, and he did not miss it driving it into the left field corner.  Lourdes Gurriel Jr followed that at bat with a 2 run single up the middle, and finally after doing nothing for 8 innings, the Dbacks had a 3-0 lead. In addition, a passed ball proved to ultimately be the game deciding run a couple of batters later when pinch runner Jorge Barrosa scored.

Then came the bottom of the 9^th and Paul Sewald with a 4-run lead continued with his struggles in non-save situations and made the game pretty interesting. Sewald allowed 2 doubles and 2 singles to allow the Cardinals to come within 1 run of spoiling the rare clutch hitting from the half inning before. Fortunately, Brandyn Garcia was able to come to the rescue and strikeout the red-hot JJ Wetherholt to kill the rally and secure the win for the Dbacks and record his first major league save.

For the Dbacks, 95% of this game was much of the same, but you really have to hope that the big hits from the veterans Arenado and Gurriel Jr. spark this offense and give this group some kind of momentum that they can build upon. Gurriel Jr also had another hit earlier in the game for a solid double, so maybe this is the beginning of Gurriel Jr. beginning one of his trademark heaters this team is so desperately in need of.

Lets see if the offense can continue this momentum tomorrow as Mitch Bratt will be making his major league debut, and it would be great for him to get some early run support to ease the nerves. The lefty has been a really exciting young arm in this Dbacks system after coming over in the Merrill Kelly trade last season, and it would be huge for him to step up and lead his team to victory tomorrow.

Metaphorically speaking, some needed sunshine peeked through late in the black-cloud day the Mets endured Tuesday. 

After their 9-6 loss to the Cubs at Citi Field, Carlos Mendoza said the club would have nighttime discussions about whether a rehabbing Francisco Lindor could be activated for Wednesday’s doubleheader.

It’s a possibility, the manager said, and anything that tilts positive rates highly in a blue-and-orange world where so much has gone wrong. Especially if it’s a little weightier than a few successful challenges or some cosmetic ninth-inning runs, both of which were basically the pluses emanating from the Mets’ third-straight loss.

Otherwise, the Mets got yet another clunker from their rotation, that chronic trouble spot. Kodai Senga looked like his old self in a spotless first inning, but thereafter looked mostly like his more recent self, which is not a good thing.

AndJuan Soto left with back tightness. 

“His back locked up,” Mendoza said, and Soto came out after the fourth inning. But even if Soto is considered day-to-day, as Mendoza said, it still feels ominous that the manager also said Soto could really feel it when he was trying to get to his “A” swing. The Mets will determine if Soto needs further testing.

If Lindor, who had two hits and two runs for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, can return and be a threat, perhaps the Mets can find some equilibrium as they try to prove that David Stearns shouldn’t look to sell at the trade deadline. Math and baseball’s generous wild card system dictate that they deserve some time, even at 10 games under .500, but their starting pitching must improve.

Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea, in that order, will start against the Cubs in the doubleheader, and they’re probably the starters pitching the best right now. Christian Scott, who had begun to blossom nicely, could return soon, too.

Senga, however, is a wreck, toting a 10.08 ERA. He’s trending toward being un-pitchable after giving up seven runs on three hits in 3.2 innings against the Cubs.

“David was pretty clear before the game that performing matters here and having outings like these is not going to cut it,” Mendoza said of Senga’s performance. “We need better.”

“That first inning version of myself, if I can replicate that over and over again, I think I absolutely do belong in the rotation,” Senga said through an interpreter. “However, if I’m struggling to find the strike zone, then it becomes a tougher conversation. That’s a decision that Mendy and the front office will make and I’ll just continue to do what I can and continue to prepare so that I can, when I do go back out there the next time, I can perform at the highest level possible.”

Seven runs on only three hits? Yes, walks were a huge factor for Senga – again. He walked five and three of those scored, along with the one batter he hit. Mets starters came into the game with the third-worst walk rate in baseball. Overall, the Mets walked seven, a continuation of a problem that dates back several seasons, including in 2024 when they went to the NLCS.

“It (walks) is absolutely something we’re talking about internally,” Stearns said before the game. “We’ve got to more consistently throw strikes.”

Even before Senga’s outing, the Mets had the fourth-worst starter ERA in baseball. Losing Clay Holmes in May certainly hurt.

Freddy Peralta, brought in to top the rotation, has had some struggles and owns a 4.83 ERA. Stearns noted that Peralta has been missing locations he’s hit in the past, which has hindered his effectiveness. Peralta is “working on some mechanical things,” Stearns said.

“We haven't gotten the level of consistent performances from most of our rotation that we expected and that our players expected coming into the season,” Stearns added. “I think each of our starters would say that there's another level of performance in there, and it's our job as an organization to do everything we can to try to get the best versions of each of those players out.”

Obviously, the Mets need the rotation to begin soaring, and fast. They’ve stuck with struggling pitchers such as Senga and David Peterson because there aren’t alternatives.

It puts a strain across the roster. The Mets have given up so many early runs when their starters crater that they often play from behind, supersizing the burden on what can be a spotty offense.

And they’re not even deep enough into the season for the rotation’s deficiencies to blast chaos through what’s been a good bullpen so far. Last season, the starters failed to pitch deep into games and the resulting reverberation through the relievers helped wreck the Mets’ season.

For now, the Mets might have to console themselves with Lindor’s return. He’ll certainly lengthen the lineup and help the defense.

“We also can’t put everything on Francisco to come back at a time when he hasn’t been playing baseball very much and expect him to put us on his back,” Stearns said.

True enough. The starting pitching will have to help. And quickly. 

Can it? Not if the rotation keeps having nights like Tuesday.