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

Manager Craig Stammen announced in his pre-game media session on Tuesday, the promotion of LHP JP Sears to make his season debut with the San Diego Padres after the team placed starter Lucas Giolito on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

Stammen reported that Giolito spoke up about the soreness in his elbow after his last appearance against the Texas Rangers. It is reportedly similar to the soreness he felt last season before missing the rest of the year on the injured list. The Padres will push Randy Vásquez back a day, and Sears will start tomorrow against the Atlanta Braves, with Vásquez going the first game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Giolito joins Germán Márquez, Matt Waldron, Nick Pivetta, and Jhony Brito as starters on the injured list. Both Márquez and Brito are completing their work to return from injuries, with Brito pitching two days ago and Márquez nearing the end of his rehab assignment. Waldron just began his rehab assignment with El Paso this past week.

Giolito signed with the organization on April 22, making his season debut May 17 after an abbreviated ramp-up to the season. His velocity, diminished this season, sits 2-3 mph below his norm, and he has been hit frequently, pitching in 29.2 innings over seven games with a 5.16 ERA. The team has used an opener for him in his last two games.

Sears, acquired at the trade deadline last season, has a history as an innings-eater in his MLB career. His previous ERA, before pitching for the Padres, sat between 3.50 and 4.50 from 2022 to 2024. He finished last year with a 5.04 ERA overall, 4.95 with the Athletics before the trade and 5.47 in his five starts with the Padres.

For 2026, Sears has started for El Paso in Triple-A and leads the team with 62 strikeouts, but also has a 7.92 ERA in his 14 starts and 63.2 innings. The dry air and elevation in the Pacific Coast League are not conducive to the effectiveness of pitchers. He could be more successful at Petco Park, with the damp air and being at sea level. Sears features a seven-pitch mix with a four-seam fastball that sits in the low 90’s. His command and movement might look very different in MLB parks.

With Giolito to the IL, both Márquez and Brito could get opportunities to push their way onto the roster. Sears and the two returning pitchers give the team some depth and options as they decide what their moves will be at the trade deadline. With a starting pitching staff ranked 28th in MLB, the Padres need to improve the starting rotation if they are to remain in contention for the playoffs.

The Athletics are back on the road this week, beginning a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants tonight. This past weekend, the A’s lost the final two games of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, ending their seven-game West Sacramento homestand with a 3-4 record. Their most recent game on Father’s Day was especially brutal, as the A’s bullpen gave up a game-tying home run in the eighth and then the game-winning blast the next inning.

The Giants, led by rookie manager Tony Vitello, have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball as their 31-46 record is amongst the league’s worst. Veteran stars Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are not living up to their massive contracts, while the team recently faced extensive backlash over the actions of several pitchers during the organization’s Pride Night game.

Having lost two of three when these teams met in California’s capital city earlier this season, the A’s will be looking for revenge. Handing the Giants their fourth straight loss this evening would be a great start to this best-of-three road series.

Athletics’ right-hander Aaron Civale will make his 13th start of the season today. The 31-year-old enters this outing with a 5-3 record, a 4.91 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP and 41 strikeouts across 58 2/3 innings. Civale got off to a good start in his first year with the A’s.

However, his ERA has ballooned over his last seven starts, reflecting a noticeable decline in performance. After missing a couple of weeks with shoulder tendonitis, the A’s activated Civale to start last Wednesday’s final game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It did not go well. The veteran gave up six runs on nine hits in only three innings of work, ruining any chance his team had of winning that series rubber game.

In his second start since returning from injury, Civale will look to be more efficient and work deeper into the game. He should benefit from the pitcher-friendly environment at Oracle Park, after making his last two appearances in a rehab outing at Las Vegas Ballpark and a start at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.

Here’s the A’s lineup for this matchup:

new series who dis pic.twitter.com/xOOhj0XWs5

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 23, 2026

The Athletics are deploying a right-handed-heavy starting nine, with first baseman Nick Kurtz and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom the only left-handed hitters in the lineup. Second baseman Zack Gelof will look to extend his league-leading hitting streak, with his speed and contact ability making him an ideal leadoff option —capable of getting on base, stealing second, and scoring on a single from Kurtz or Shea Langeliers.

Colby Thomas, fresh off a spectacular catch in right field on Sunday, will start there again. Designated hitter Joey Meneses is also back in the lineup for a second straight game, aiming to extend the hot streak that earned him Pacific Coast Player of the Week honors.

The A’s offense will face Giants left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters his 15th start with a 5-6 record, a 4.07 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 74 strikeouts across 79 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old earned the win in his last outing, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves. In the start prior, he allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings, reflecting the up and down nature of Ray’s season to date.

The A’s will hope to see the vulnerable version of Ray this evening. If he is on, the southpaw with over 1800 career strikeouts could make it a long night for A’s hitters. Ray often struggles with command, so the Athletics will need to work counts, stay patient and capitalize when he leaves pitches over the plate.

And the Giants’ lineup for the series-opener:

Back home for a City Connect Tuesday 🎶

⌚️: 6:45 p.m. PT
📍: @OracleParkSF
📺: @NBCSGiants
📻: @KNBR | KSFN#SFGiants | @CocaColapic.twitter.com/EWn1EehIYL

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 24, 2026

Entering the season, no one expected Luis Arraez to become a dramatically improved defender at second base or Casey Schmitt to be arguably the Giants’ best hitter. Yet both have happened, serving as two bright spots in what has otherwise been a miserable first half of the 2026 season for San Francisco.

Additionally, the team’s top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, is finally getting everyday playing time and taking full advantage of the opportunity. Civale cannot afford to leave a pitch over the plate to Eldridge, whose prodigious power can send it quickly into McCovey Cove.

The “Green and Gold” look to snap a two-game losing streak tonight against the Giants. Let’s go A’s!

David Stearns might be right. The 2026 New York Mets he built might be capable of better. They might even still be capable of being a playoff team, even though the beat-up, underperforming bunch that was nine games under .500 as Stearns spoke on June 23 certainly has not looked the part.

At the very least, Stearns is going to wait until the last possible minute to admit the roster he retooled after last year’s disappointment is still somehow wrong.

“The cutoff is August 3rd. The cutoff is the deadline. Clearly, you have to have a strategic direction at that point,” Stearns said. “We can prepare along parallel paths as we go through this, and we know we have to play better than what we’ve played right now. And we’re going to give this team a chance to do that.”

No one would argue Stearns is being particularly stubborn. Though the San Francisco Giants, for one, have already made known their willingness to trade from a disappointing roster, good teams and bad teams elsewhere are choosing to wait and see. No points are awarded for giving up first.

But where Stearns remains steadfast – if “stubborn” is too harsh – is in his insistence that this roster was built well from the start, and that it has failed to add up because of temporary inconveniences, not structural deficiencies.

For example, if the Mets are going to play their way back into contention, they will need better from their starting rotation, which entered Tuesday night’s game with the fourth-highest ERA in baseball this season and a 5.92 ERA in June. Clay Holmes breaking his leg is an unforeseeable outcome, but the idea of rookie Nolan McLean struggling for a period while growing into an ace is not.

Even under the pressure of his free agent year, Freddy Peralta falling into the worst slump of his major league career is surprising. But given their lack of year-over-year history, none of Sean Manaea, David Peterson, or Kodai Senga not pitching like the best versions of themselves is not.

“We’ve clearly been inconsistent in that facet of the game. We’ve been inconsistent at various times around all segments of our team, which is why we have the record we have right now,” Stearns said. “From a starting pitching perspective, injury is part of it. That is real. We also haven’t gotten the level of consistent performances from most of our rotations that we expected and that our players expected coming into the season.”

Recently, Manaea has modeled a path to recovery for Mets starting pitchers who once looked like a lost cause. The lefty rebuilt his velocity, clawed his way out of bulk relief duty, and has allowed two runs and pitched into the sixth in two starts since rejoining the rotation. Certainly, the same should be possible for Peterson and Senga.

But so far, he and Senga have shown no signs of much-needed recovery. Senga left the Mets trailing 5-0 after two innings Tuesday, still unable to maintain command and velocity from one batter to the next.

Christian Scott, who was increasingly reliable before suffering a hip injury, is tentatively scheduled to return from the injured list Saturday. That is one more day each time through the rotation that the Mets can feel confident about. McLean has steadied himself after some late-spring stumbles. That day is another.

Stearns admitted Peralta is working through things mechanically, and fixing them is so crucial to the Mets that Carlos Mendoza went out of his way to watch him throw on flat ground before Tuesday night’s game. Fixing things takes time, but the righty has never been as bad as he was in his last outing. History says he will be better. If he is, and Manaea remains consistent, the Mets have one last day to worry about. And at some point in August, if all goes well, Holmes will be back to fill it.

Speaking of Holmes, his injury is also a point in defense of Stearns’s argument that the Mets roster was not broken from the start, just because it is broken now. Indeed, the lineup is built around Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, two of the most durable players in baseball over the last half decade. That both happened to miss significant amounts of time in the first three months of this season is not a foreseeable problem.

But it was not unforeseeable that Jorge Polanco, who has a history of leg injuries, would miss most of the first three months of the season with a nagging leg injury. That Luis Robert Jr., who has a history of lengthy absences and is a month-plus into another one, is not surprising. Stearns said Tuesday he and the Mets “have to evaluate injury risk as it relates to the entirety of our roster.”

“Whenever you bring in a player with injury history, we are aware there is heightened injury risk,” Stearns said. “In many cases, we thought we were insulated by that risk in certain areas of our roster with other players. And we haven’t been.”

Maybe, in keeping with Stearns’ original view of their depth, they will be more insulated against injuries from now on. After all, while Lindor’s return from a calf injury is imminent, he isn’t the only Met close to returning.

Tyrone Taylor is a strong fourth outfielder and will improve the Mets’ bench immediately when he returns. He is currently on a rehab assignment. So is infielder Ronny Mauricio, whose major league track record is unimpressive but whose ceiling is higher than any of the backup infielders the Mets have tried in Lindor’s absence. Even just adding Lindor will give the Mets a significantly more troublesome lineup for opponents. If Polanco comes back – and despite the fact that he is hitting and doing baseball activities, no one seems certain when or if that will happen – the lineup could look even deeper.

So heading into the last week of June, it is still possible Stearns is right about the 2026 New York Mets. It is still possible their struggles are temporary, not inevitable. It is still possible they will play their way back into contention and be buyers six weeks from now. 

For better or worse, all they have to do is be better than they have been at any point this year, despite having provided little on-field evidence that they can be.

After another lifeless offensive performance in Monday’s series opener at San Diego, the Braves look to level the series and force a Wednesday rubber match in Tuesday night’s 9:40 p.m. EDT game at Petco Park.

Atlanta turns to rookie JR Ritchie on the mound, while the Padres are expected to counter with Wandy Peralta as the opener followed by Griffin Canning.

The good news is that after tonight, there are only two more games that start after 9 p.m. on the East Coast.

The better news is the Braves commentary crew is back on the call tonight after whatever that ESPN broadcast was on Monday.

The weird news is certainly this Braves lineup loaded with changes. Bold move, Walt. Let’s see how it plays out.

Game preview

The Orioles have won three games in a row several times this season. They are yet to win four games in a row. That could change tonight as the O’s send Shane Baz to the mound in search of their fourth consecutive win in the Los Angeles area. The team took the final two games they played with the Dodgers and opened this series against the Angels with a 6-1 win on Monday night.

While Baz has not been spectacular overall in his first season with the Orioles, his performance has been better recently. Across his last six outings, Baz has a 2.39 ERA and 3.02 FIP over 37.2 innings. Usually, if he limits walks, he has a good night.

Ryan Johnson starts for the Halos. The 23-year-old has 19 total appearances under his belt, and only two of them have been starts. His most recent appearance, on June 18, was the longest of his MLB career. He lasted five innings and allowed five runs on eight hits, two strikeouts, and one walk. Games aren’t played on paper, but you would have to give the Orioles the pitching advantage.

Blaze Alexander and Jackson Holliday are both on the bench, and there was no IL news regarding either one. So it seems like the team isn’t too worried.

Alexander and manager Craig Albernaz both made comments after the Monday night win that suggested he may have been able to get back into the game if they had just a few more minutes. They didn’t, so he was pulled. But they weren’t ready to reinsert him into the lineup today.

Holliday has not played in three days due to his groin injury. Despite a favorable pitching matchup tonight, he misses again. That is a bit concerning. It seems like he wasn’t even an option on Monday, which suggests the Orioles are playing a man down. They can’t do that for much longer, especially if they need to be careful with Alexander.

Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Gunnar Henderson, DH
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Samuel Basallo, C
5. Coby Mayo, 3B
6. Leody Tavares, RF
7. Colton Cowser, CF
8. Tyler O’Neill, DH
9. Jeremiah Jackson, 2B

RHP Shane Baz (4-7, 4.04 ERA)

Angels lineup

1. Zach Neto, SS
2. Vaughn Grissom, 3B
3. Nolan Schanuel, 1B
4. Jorge Soler, DH
5. Jo Adell, RF
6. Oswald Peraza, 2B
7. Christian Moore, LF
8. Logan O’Hoppe, C
9. Jose Siri, CF

RHP Ryan Johnson (0-2, 12.83 ERA)

SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers’ interpreter, the Giants’ Spanish-language announcer Erwin Higueros, was halfway through translating his answer into English when the Giants’ first baseman interrupted him. He had something more to say.

“And, and, and, and, and, and,” Devers said in Spanish, winding up for a Donald Trump-style rant against the media.

“I think what it is, the media in general, you guys just blow everything out of proportion. I think it’s a reflection that I really don’t talk to you guys. I really don’t talk to the media. So because I don’t talk to the media, things like this happen. So you guys gotta write everything and try to blow everything out of proportion.”

It’s true: Devers doesn’t really talk to the media.

It’s not like he didn’t have his opportunity to explain himself and provide the clarity he sought to Tuesday, two days after he openly disrespected manager Tony Vitello by wagging his finger, attempting to shoo away a speedier pinch runner and storming back to the clubhouse.

Devers was asked after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Marlins to provide his perspective.

He declined.

Matt Chapman and Vitello were left to address the eyebrow-raising incident in the ninth inning of their third loss in three games in Miami. On Tuesday, president of baseball operations Buster Posey said he would have liked to see more accountability from his star first baseman who’s expected to anchor their lineup for another eight seasons.

“I think everybody has to be themselves,” Posey said. But, he continued, “I do think ultimately he understands there’s got to be some accountability. Sometimes it’s not fun. It’s not fun to stand in front of a camera or a microphone, but that’s something he’s going to need to work on.”

Devers, to his credit, answered questions for five minutes before the Giants began their homestand against the A’s. More importantly, he also cleared the air with Vitello.

Devers’ explanation expanded on what Vitello said after Sunday’s game — that it was all a miscommunication and he thought he was being lifted for Jonah Cox because of a hamstring issue that led Vitello to DH him earlier in the series.

Nevertheless, Posey described Devers’ actions as a “misstep.”

“We’re all prone to have missteps at times,” the former catcher turned top baseball executive said. “You could tell he’s frustrated. Look, the way the season’s gone, everybody’s frustrated. I think that’s a byproduct of frustration.”

Devers said he was trying to let his manager know that he was good to run, even though he still represented a far worse option as the potential tying run than the speedy Cox, who is on the roster almost for that express purpose.

Still, Devers said he apologized to Vitello, just in case “if he felt that I was disrespecting him.”

Vitello said after the game that he didn’t feel the need to speak with Devers about the incident, despite the star slugger openly undercutting the rookie manager’s authority.

It wasn’t the first time: Devers rejected former Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s request to play first base, leading to his trade to the Giants last June.

Devers was asked if he understood that this was a “bad look.”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I know the type of person that I am, I know the type of person [Vitello] is. Like I said it wasn’t meant for me to be disrespectful to him.”

The optics alone raised questions about Vitello’s respect within the clubhouse, particularly coming from one of their most important and highly compensated players.

“I think he’s a great person, as a manager and a person,” Devers said of Vitello, chalking up his actions to the heat of the moment. “Obviously he’s getting a lot of experience. But we all respect and will just continue doing the things that he wants and having him lead us.”

Still, Vitello appreciated the gesture from Devers and said they hashed things out on what was surely an unpleasant six-hour flight home from Miami following a sweep against the Marlins.

“It was needed,” Vitello said Tuesday. “We were going to have a conversation. But it was a great talk. It was good of him to come back. We sat there and hung out for a little bit. I told you where I stand on that guy.”

Vitello was clear about his feelings toward Devers, who he said has a “great” relationship with his dad, Greg. They often run into each in the team hotel, Vitello said.

“I’m good to go into battle with him anytime. As a person, with how he treats my family, especially my dad, I’ll go to battle anytime with him off the field, too,” Vitello said, dipping into his rolodex of movie references for a line from “The Town.” 

“If he came over to my condo and said I need your help, [but] you can’t ask about it, we’re gonna do some damage, all I’d say is who’s car are we going to take?”

The hits just keep coming for the struggling Mets. 

Juan Soto is officially day-to-day after leaving Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning with what the team called left side back tightness. 

Soto appeared to wince after swings in each of his first two at-bats, and that's when Carlos Mendoza could tell that something was off with his star outfielder. 

"It got to a point where it was bothering him to throw and just to get his A-swing," the skipper said. "At that point, I thought it was best to just get him out of the game, have the trainers look at him, and as of now we're day-to-day."

Soto did undergo treatment and was spotted back in the Mets' before the end of the night. 

The team will wait and see how he feels when he gets to the ballpark ahead of Wednesday's doubleheader before deciding if he'll have to undergo further testing. 

"We'll see where he's at tomorrow, and we'll go from there," Mendoza said. 

Losing Soto for any amount of time would be a significant blow to a Mets lineup that's expected to get Francisco Lindor back in the mix at some point over the next few days.  

Lindor came out of his potential final rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday feeling fine, but the team still hasn't decided if he'll be activated on Wednesday or not. 

Soto and Lindor have played together in just nine of the Mets' 77 games thus far this season. 

Atlanta Braves (48-29) at San Diego Padres (40-37), June 23, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Round two. pic.twitter.com/Kk4dxLarjb

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 23, 2026

How we're lining up tonight ⤵️#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/SoKWWt9KE5

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 23, 2026

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It has been a brutally unlucky season so far for Cincinnati Reds lefty Nick Lodolo so far in 2026. First, blister issues cost him the first month of the season, and even after he returned he looked a bit lost on the mound – uncomfortable throwing his breaking pitches the way he’d used to given that it was that series of grips that had caused the blisters in the first place.

On Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, though, he finally looked as if he was right again. He held Milwaukee hitless the first time through the order while also facing the minimum, and he was rewarded in just about the most unfortunate way possible in the 4th.

The first ‘hit’ he allowed? A 107 mph comebacker off the bat of Jackson Chourio that hit him square in his left (pitching) wrist.

There is a slight bit of good news here. He stayed in the game, for one, and despite loading the bases eventually finished the inning having allowed nary a run. However, he was still pulled after the inning as a precaution as he needed 32 pitches to get through the inning and odds are he’ll be swollen and bruised the moment the adrenaline begins to wear off.

Initial reports (and simply watching it all unfold) suggest he can’t be injured too badly, but the Reds are obviously going to take this with as many precautions as possible. As a result, Lodolo exited after 4.o IP having allowed nary a run on 2 H with a lone walk and 6 K (75 pitches).

It was the best he’s looked all season, and also the worst luck he’s had all season. Hopefully, this isn’t something that’ll become a bigger problem.

It was a day of the long ball, resilience, extra innings and jubilation.   In the end, Houston would hang on in a back-and-forth affair, defeating Toronto by a score of 9-7.     The hero would ironically be a former Blue Jay, Joey Loperfido, who Houston reacquired for moments such as these.   In the bottom of the 11th, Loperfido would launch a 3-run blast breaking the 6-6 tie.  

The longball would serve as the story for Houston at different intervals on this day.    Shane Bieber would run into a buzzsaw during his season debut.   The Astros would tee off on the former Cy Young Award winner in the 4th inning with a barrage of home runs, featuring a trifecta of solo shots from Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell.    Trammell’s 421-foot blast would reach the upper deck, ultimately forcing Bieber to the showers a few batters later.    The last time the Astros hit three homeruns in consecutive fashion was back on July 19th, 2019, versus the Rangers.    The Astros have never lost when hitting back-to-back to-back homers.   They are 8-0 in franchise history.      

After the barrage of blasts, Toronto would respond on their home half of the 4th.    Daulton Varsho, who led things off with a double and would score on a Luis Urias homer, cutting the lead in half at 4-2.   It was Urias’s debut as a member of the Jays.  Peter Lambert would exit in the bottom of the fifth.  In addition to the pair of allowed runs, Lambert would strike out six, walk three, and scatter six hits.    

Prior to the fireworks in the fourth, Jose Altuve began smacking his 12th double of the season.   He’d advance to third on a wild pitch, eventually coming home on Isaac Parades’ 2 out RBI single to center, scoring the game’s first run.   Altuve batted leadoff in place for Jeremy Pena who made an impromptu exit yesterday after sustaining a hamstring cramp in his right leg.    Pena would return as a pinch hitter in the 8th for Trammell and would draw a walk.   That walk would load the bases in the 8th but Brice Matthews, mired in a 1-18 slump, struck out and Raynel Delgado popped out ending any threat.    

Nate Pearson would come on in the 8th and would commit costly mistakes.   After issuing a walk to Springer, Vladimir Guerrero would reach on Pearson’s throwing error.    Kazuma Okamoto would then drive them in.   Okamoto now has 48 rbi’s on the year.   

In the 9th, Altuve, Alvarez, and Paredes would load the bases.   Joey Loperfido would reach on catcher interference which scored Altuve.    Cam Smith would execute a sac fly bringing in Alvarez and once again, things were tied up, this time 6-6.   Josh Hader would come in the bottom of the ninth and rack up a 1-2-3 inning.    In the 11th, the magic happened and now the Astros are in position to win their fourth consecutive series with a win tomorrow.    Logan VanWey earns his first win in relief.    

Mike Burrows returns to the rotation after a brief stint in the bullpen to close out the series tomorrow.   He’ll get the start and is opposed by Trey Yesavage.   First pitch is set for 6:07pm CDT.     

Odds & Ends:

Issac Parades has an 8-game hitting streak.    

Christian Walker went 0-6 on Tuesday with 3 strikeouts.    

One year ago, at the midway point, the Astros record stood at 48-33.   They had a 6 1/2 game divisional lead.  

Authors Note: This post contains sponsored content from Fan Duel Sports Book

By some miracle, despite being just a hair above .500, the Mariners have maintained a tenuous grip on first place in the American League West. If you were a casual observer, you could be forgiven for thinking this Mariners team is actually pretty good, but beneath the surface, the Mariners are muddled in mediocrity. As is tradition across all sports, these types of team performances tend to draw the ire of even the most casual of Mariners fans. The calls for roster changes are certainly being made, and none are louder than those surrounding Rob Refsnyder. Now, Refsnyder was explicitly brought in to hit lefties, and, uh, well, he’s not doing it. As a result, many have begun to question his place on the roster with the hot bat of Dominic Canzone and the imminent return of Randy Arozarena. A part of that could be bad luck, a part of that could be nagging injury, a part of that could just be being a fringe utility player on the wrong end of 35. Regardless of the reason, the Mariners are still left to make a decision. Nick Vitalis discussed the Mariners’ options earlier this week; for the sake of this piece, I’ll keep it simple: Does Reyfsnyder have a place on this team for the remainder of the season? Let us know what you think through the poll and comments below. 

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mariners fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

With the All-Star game quickly approaching, I wanted to get an idea of how other people voted in this thing. Frankly, most of the time I forget to vote for the All-Star game. Most of the time I can’t even be bothered to watch these days because the All-Star Game is on some new slop streaming service that I’m not gonna pay for. I have MLB TV I should be able to watch whatever game I want. But whatever, that’s a conversation for another time. Now we did want to know who you wanted to see at the All-Star game, and the results came back as a surprise to me: 

FanDuel Sportsbook

It seems Cole “Cole Young” Young has captured the hearts of Mariners fans everywhere. I did not expect his to eclipse Julio at all. Seems like Young’s rise as aface-of-the-franchisee type player for the Mariners is just getting started. 

I also wanted to know how other people vote. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of when fan bases stuff the ballot boxes and we get all of one team in the infield or something like that. It dilutes the overall purpose and experience of the game. I have no interest in seeing Brandon Belt take at-bats in the All-Star Game. I want to see the stars; that’s what the starting spots should be for! Most of you seem to agree with me: 

FanDuel Sportsbook

Now don’t get me wrong, I always vote for all Mariners at least once, but I definitely mix in a few ballots of who I actually think deserves to go…unless they’re a Yankee or Astro. 

The Colorado Rockies have won three of four games so far on their current home-stand, and all three of those games have come with late innings hijinks. After two ninth-inning nail-biters against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Rockies decided that more shenanigans were in store for their series opener against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Down by two runs in the top of the eighth, the Rockies strung together four straight singles and failed to score a run due to base-running mishaps. However, they came back to walk the Red Sox off with another four straight hits in the bottom of the ninth. Two singles, a bunt single, and a bases clearing triple by Jake McCarthy came against one of the best closers in Major League Baseball.

Tonight the Rockies will look to cement a series win against the Red Sox… Hopefully without causing their fans a lot of undue stress in the late innings.

Rookie lefty Sean Sullivan will be making the third start of his young Major League career, and ideally it will go a bit better than the first two. In his first start, a visibly ill and laboring Sullivan pitched just three–albeit solid–innings. In the second, he gave up eight earned runs in four innings of work with two walks and two strikeouts. Seven of those runs came in just one inning. If Sullivan can take the best parts of his two performances so far, the third time might just be the charm.

On the bump for Boston is the three-time All-Star and 14-year right-handed veteran Sonny Gray, who is making his 14th start of his first season with the Red Sox. Through his first 13 starts and 69.1 innings, Gray has a 3.12 ERA with 55 strikeouts.

Gray has surprisingly little history against the Rockies, having made just two starts with 11.2 total innings. In those starts he has allowed four earned runs on seven hits with seven walks and 14 strikeouts. He has not given up a home run. The 36-year-old has a very well-balanced arsenal of pitches consisting of a cutter, a low 90s four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a curveball, and a sinker.

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)

Red Sox SB Nation Site:Over the Monster

Lineups:

Back for more 😤 pic.twitter.com/Kj2LOJVAui

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 23, 2026

Tonight's lineup in Denver. pic.twitter.com/nOrtoQMO4l

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 23, 2026

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Buster Posey sat in the San Francisco Giants dugout Tuesday, June 23, surrounded by cameras and microphones, ready to take the heat for his hand-picked manager getting disrespected by his hand-picked superstar.

Yet the franchise legend and current president of baseball operations and the organization were thoroughly unprepared to address the Oracle Park-sized elephant in the room – three pitchers scrawling Bible verses on hats to commemorate the club’s June 12 Pride night, prompting a tepid response from the organization.

Remarkably, it is now a 12-day story, a sequence that initially angered the team’s LGBTQ-friendly fan base, prompted a Department of Justice investigation into the team’s response and inspired Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to respond to Sen. Josh Hawley that the club’s communications before the event were “inadequate and not clear.”

Posey opted to read a prepared statement on the Pride dust-up and then fell back on answering “baseball questions only,” a decision that frustrated the gathered media and likely will only further disappoint large swaths of the Giants’ fan base.

“I understand that there's strong feelings on this topic,” Posey said in his statement regarding pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker scrawling a Bible verse that infringed on the rainbow SF logo on their cap, and reliever Sam Hentges not wearing the hat altogether. “There's differing perspectives, and out of respect to everybody involved, it's not something that I'm going to revisit.

“I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I can promise you this is something that we've talked about a lot internally and will continue to do so.”

But certainly not externally.

Asked if the club talked to Vitello, the former University of Tennessee coach in his first job in professional baseball, and the clubhouse to explain the import of Pride night to the demographic, Posey said: “I’m not going to revisit. I’ll answer baseball questions.”

Asked to defend the club in the wake of Manfred’s comments, Posey said: “I’ll answer baseball questions,” the three-time World Series champ and future Hall of Fame catcher growing increasingly uncomfortable.

Very tense moment between Buster Posey and the press when questioned about the Giants pride hats and their players.

Before this, he began with a statement saying the organization had shared their response on pride night and he wasn't going to revisit. @KPIXtvpic.twitter.com/LOvHmgxOLk

— Matt Lively (@mattblively) June 23, 2026

After two more queries, a team staffer threatened to end the press conference if the line of questioning continued.

And there was plenty more to discuss.

Defending his guy

The Giants are 31-46 in Posey’s second year helming baseball operations, and he hired Vitello with the hope the fiery former Volunteers coach could provide a boost after four seasons in which the Giants hovered between 79 and 81 wins.

Instead, the bottom has fallen out, aided and abetted by Posey’s roster construction.

Posey guaranteed shortstop Willy Adames $182 million and traded for Devers – still owed more than $200 million – before and during the 2025 season; both are barely performing above replacement level, with Adames batting .223 with a below-average 94 adjusted OPS.

Posey-signed starter Adrian Houser was recently moved to the bullpen. Fellow signee Tyler Mahle posted a 6.04 ERA before landing on the IL.

It’s been a grim season, and the June 21 flareup between Devers and Vitello epitomized the frustration.

Two days prior, Devers told Vitello his hamstring was a bit tender, but not enough to take him out of the lineup. When the Giants trailed 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning at Miami, that’s why Devers believed Vitello sent in pinch runner Jonah Cox when Devers drew a key leadoff walk.

He wagged his finger vigorously at Vitello, screamed into his helmet and gave bench coach Jayce Tingler the brushoff when Tingler aimed to pat him on the back upon return to the dugout.

Tuesday, Devers addressed the media and said he apologized to Vitello.

“I just thought he was taking me out of the game because of my hamstring and if he felt I was disrespecting him, that’s why I went into his office and apologized,” Devers said via club translator Edwin Higueros in the Giants clubhouse. “I know the type of person I am, I know the type of person he is.”

It might have looked worse than it was, but the incident nonetheless produced worthy questions regarding Vitello’s command of the clubhouse. This was a 100% Posey pick, a significant risk given the move’s unprecedented nature and the potential blowback if it went sour.

And Sunday looked awfully sour.

“I feel like Tony has the clubhouse, has the respect of the players in the clubhouse,” Posey insisted Tuesday. “Everything’s going to be heightened when our record is what it is. There’s no concern on my part that he doesn’t have the respect of the clubhouse.”

He said Vitello and Devers had a good conversation after the game.

“We’re all prone to have missteps at times,” Posey said.

Meanwhile, Posey has a potentially large task ahead of him: Selling off parts at the trade deadline should the losing continue. He said Tuesday he has not yet approached veterans Matt Chapman and Adames regarding their no-trade clause, nor will he trade starter Logan Webb.

It will be the second consecutive summer Posey will sell at the deadline amid a disappointing season, though this should be a more vigorous fire sale, with bigger names and better parts. Most notably, four-time batting champ Luis Arraez – a Posey success – should draw some return.

“I think with where we're at, unfortunately, we’ve got to have everything on the table,” says Posey, “and hear out different thoughts, from not only internally but from other teams as well, and try to right the ship.”

Right now, the ship is listing. And Posey is looking more and more like a very uncomfortable captain.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buster Posey press conference highlights Giants' struggles, controversies

Three solo home runs accounted for all of the scoring on Monday. Let’s see how the Dodgers and Twins come to their offense on Tuesday.

Today's #Dodgers starters for game 2 at Twins: pic.twitter.com/Xib3hnqyon

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 23, 2026

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Twins
• Ballpark: Target Field, Minneapolis
• Time: 5:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA, TBS (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

WASHINGTON – Kyle Schwarber's epic first half was paused Tuesday, June 23, when the Philadelphia Phillies slugger was scratched from their lineup with lower back tightness.

The indomitable DH, whose 29 home runs lead the major leagues, entered this series against the Nationals on a significant heater, combining with teammate Bryce Harper to go 12 for 17 with six home runs over two games Saturday and Sunday against the New York Mets. He now has 369 homers for his career.

But shortly before game time against Washington, Schwarber was scratched from his No. 2 spot in the lineup; the Nos. 3-7 hitters all moved up a spot with Edmundo Sosa inserted in the eighth spot at DH.

Phillies manager Don Mattingly said the decision to scratch Schwarber came seven minutes before the game, when his back tightened up. He attempted to swing and could not do so effectively. But Mattingly said Schwarber "said he was feeling better already," as the game went on, and that Schwarber has managed such tightness in the past.

He is considered day-to-day.

Sosa went on to drive in five runs, including a two-run double in the Phillies' eight-run ninth inning, in their wild 14-9 victory over the Nationals.

Schwarber has played in 75 of the Phillies' 79 games. He played in at least 155 games in his first four years in Philadelphia, including 162 last season, hitting a National League-best 56 home runs before signing a five-year, $150 million contract over the winter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Schwarber injury: MLB home run leader removed from Phillies lineup