Category: Sports News

Texas Rangers @ Miami Marlins

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 11:10 AM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

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RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Eury Perez

Go Rangers!

With Trea Turner at the plate, Brad Lord and the Washington Nationals were one strike away from completing another emotional win over the Phillies. In what felt like an hour later, Trea Turner came to the plate again in the top of the 9th to single and make it 14-8 Phillies. I would say I have never seen anything like this, but I did just a couple weeks ago in San Francisco.

At this point, we know what the floor of this bullpen is, and it is at the Dead Sea. The bullpen can actually string together some decent performances. However, when it is not going right, this unit is legitimately unable to get outs. That 9th inning in San Francisco and the 9th inning tonight are perfect examples of that.

All the damage in those innings came without the other team even making an out. Tonight, 10 straight Phillies reached base with two outs, turning an 8-6 lead into a 14-8 deficit. The normally reliable Brad Lord crumbled so quickly that he gave up 5 runs before another reliever was even able to get ready.

It was so close to being such a statement victory at Nationals Park. The crowd was engaged and fired up in a way that I had not seen in years. They were ready to explode when Lord got two strikes on Trea Turner. Instead, they went home disappointed like they have so many times over the past 6 years.

At the end of the day, this bullpen just does not have the horses. The floor is super low in the bullpen for a reason. It is because these guys do not have swing and miss stuff. When they desperately need it, these guys cannot get that big strikeout. Blake Butera mentioned all the times Nats pitchers got into 2 strike counts and could not finish the job.

He talked a lot about execution, and that is part of the problem. However, the bigger problem is something he cannot really say. These relievers just do not have good enough stuff. Butera knows this, but clearly you cannot totally throw your guys under the bus. Nats relievers have the lowest whiff rate in the MLB by a large margin and have the worst stuff with the least velocity.

As Paul Toboni sinks his teeth into this project further, that will change. However, for now, this bullpen is always on the brink of disaster because if they are not executing, there is nothing for them to fall back on. I wrote about the Nats lack of stuff in the bullpen and some options to fix that.

These pieces really loom large right now. I love me some Brad Lord and still think he is an extremely valuable piece of this bullpen. However, his best role is as a multi-inning guy. His stuff is fine, but it is not lockdown closer stuff. When the Phillies have a tight game in the 9th, they can turn to Jhoan Duran, who averages over 100. Meanwhile, the Nats don’t have anyone who even averages 97.

The Nats have some okay pieces in the bullpen, but they do not have an alpha, or anything close to that. Clayton Beeter has good stuff, but he can’t throw strikes. Richard Lovelady has a closer mentality, but he does not have closer stuff. Orlando Ribalta is solid, but he is not elite either. PJ Poulin is a nice opener, but nothing more. Gus Varland has gotten big outs before, but he also has plenty of blow up potential. It is just slim pickings for Blake Butera when he needs to get big outs.

Paul Toboni has been so long term driven in his quotes this year, but this morning on the radio, he struck a different tone. He talked about how much this loss ate at him and acknowledged that this team could be in a very different place with a better bullpen. 

Toboni is a big reason why the bullpen is in this spot. He traded the Nats highest upside bullpen arm that he inherited in Jose A. Ferrer. The Ford for Ferrer trade made a ton of sense at the time, but it has not aged well so far. Ferrer is not some perfect reliever, but he throws gas and has been good in high leverage. 

He also used the waiver wire to build the bullpen, instead of signing more proven options. When the Rangers rebuilt their bullpen this offseason, they went down the cheap veteran route. They signed Tyler Alexander, Chris Martin, Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis. Alexander, Junis and Beeks have all been hits, posting ERA’s below 4. These guys were not big money options, but all had fairly long track records.

This is not a bullet proof plan. We saw that last year, when Mike Rizzo brought in Jorge Lopez, Lucas Sims and Colin Poche. None of those guys worked out. However, you have a better chance of finding reliability when you bring in these veterans.

I do not necessarily blame Toboni for choosing the route he did. It is clear that he viewed this as a rebuilding year, and wanted to take some chances on arms that have the team control to help the team beyond this year. However, these guys were on waivers for a reason.

Now that Toboni knows that this team has something about them, I hope he addresses the bullpen at the deadline. I am not asking him to bring in a rental like Aroldis Chapman. Rather, I would like to see him bring in a younger, hard throwing controllable arm like Sam Bachman or Jaden Hill, who I wrote about.

With the lack of stuff in the bullpen, total implosion is on the table at any time for the Washington Nationals. As we get deeper into this build, Paul Toboni must find better stuff in the ‘pen. Whether that is through trades, or converting a guy like Luis Perales to the bullpen, we just need to find swing and miss stuff. Without elite stuff, it is tough to get those final outs, and we saw that last night and in San Francisco.

This off-season, there were reasons to be critical of Bryce Harper.

First, he simply wasn’t as impactful on the field in 2025 as he had been in previous seasons. His .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 and he failed to make an impact in the postseason for the first time in his career.

He never looked right. There was little emotion, little fire. He seemed to drift through the season as a spectator, not a leader.

Second, when Dave Dombrowski made his “elite” comments about Harper after the season, I felt Harper’s decision to publicly dispute the comments, replete with his “Not Elite” T-shirt months after Dombrowski’s comment, showed a lack of situational awareness.

I was highly critical of Harper during that time.

So yes, I came into the 2026 season a little annoyed with the Phillies’ star first baseman, and I truly did wonder if the 33-year-old’s best days were behind him.

Those fears have been allayed.

Despite a brief two-week slump heading into last weekend’s series against the Mets, Harper had been having a more impactful season than last. And then, he went off on Saturday and Sunday against New York.

Harper finished Sunday night’s game a triple short of a cycle after hitting for the cycle on Saturday. The last player to finish one element short of a cycle the game after hitting for a cycle was teammate Trea Turner, when they were Nationals teammates in April 2017 (via OptaSTATS).

Harper’s weekend pushed him atop the leaderboard among first basemen in OPS (.897) entering Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. But his triple to cap the cycle on Saturday has people talking.

For those who didn’t see it, Harper’s three-bagger was essentially a double to the left-center field wall that he turned into a triple simply because he had decided he wasn’t going to stop running, no matter what.

When Harper stepped to the plate, it was an 11-1 game with two outs in the 5th inning. His hit into the gap made it a 13-1 game. In this instance, Harper’s decision to try for the triple, at the risk of getting thrown out at third to end the inning, was a no-brainer.

In a one-run game, it’s a stupid decision. In a 12-run game? Light your hair on fire, dude.

Harper was credited with a triple because he never stopped running, so the official scorer made the decision that he did not advance to third because of the throw home. Harper’s intention was to get his triple and, after doing so, erupted in the kind of emotional celebration we saw routinely from Bryce during the 2022 and ’23 playoffs, but haven’t seen much of since.

Some fans didn’t like it. They didn’t like that Harper celebrated his individual accomplishment with such vigor. But why?

The game had already been won. It was a cool moment. Triples are awesome. Cycles are rare. Harper had never gotten one. What’s the harm?

After the game, Harper was asked about his decision to try for the triple, and about his tendency to run the bases aggressive on the bases.

“I’ll tell you what, I don’t really care what people think about my base running because that’s how I’ve always played,” a vindicated Harper said. “I’ve done it since I was seven years old. I don’t really play a different way when I know I can try to get to second base. I’ve made mistakes on the bases. I’m going to. Little kids are going to do the same thing, and I’ll preach to them to play the game hard, and if you get thrown out at second or third, then so be it.”

This answer, and Harper’s aggressive pursuit and celebration of his cycle, apparently rubbed some people the wrong way.

With a little over 12,000 votes cast online, 90% of the above respondents said “no.” I reckon that would be your answer, too. And the ratio on the tweet speaks to the silliness of the question itself.

I may be in the minority, but I think sports talk radio is fun. Most of the time, I think it adds to the enjoyment of following sports in Philadelphia. And if you think sports talk radio in Philly is “too much,” you weren’t around for the sports talk radio environment of the 1980s, ’90s and the early 2000s. It was a very, very rough scene.

Still, this question, and this take, was a misfire.

There was reason to criticize Harper last year and this previous off-season.

But now? After the monster weekend he had at Citizens Bank Park and the bounce-back season he’s having? You’re going there now?

Harper is playing terrific baseball. He’s a great teammate. I wholeheartedly agree that he sometimes says and does things that are worthy of criticism, but I also believe Harper would not have pushed for the triple on Saturday night if the game had been close. I absolutely do not believe Harper is a selfish player who is focused first on selfish goals and second on team goals.

To believe otherwise is to ignore his history with the Phillies.

As someone who was highly critical of Bryce during the off-season, I feel I can say this with some credibility.

Enough already. Leave the guy alone.

He’s playing great baseball.

He’s enjoying the game.

The team is feeding off him in a positive way.

And let’s not forget all the incredible moments he’s given the fanbase over the last seven years.

Criticize Harper when he deserves it. Let’s not go out of our way to make up things to criticize him for.

Worcester: L, 1-4 (BOX SCORE)

Patrick Sandoval had another short rehab outing, giving up a couple runs to Toledo (Tigers AAA) while also botching a pickoff attempt. The offense went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Romy Gonzalez, who hopes to return this week, had a knock, but it was one of just six on the day, and the only extra-base hit was Tsung-Che Cheng’s, who had a triple. The WooSox never held a lead despite Toledo not having a spectacular day themselves.

Portland: L, 5-7 (BOX SCORE)

Portland is probably the most consistent and intriguing offensive team relative to their level on the farm, and they showed it again Tuesday in Connecticut against the Yard Goats (Rockies AA). Franklin Arias had three hits and Johanfran Garcia chipped in a double, and even Brooks Brannon continues to get hits, but the team also had the stranding runners bug, leaving ten on the basepaths. In the end, Hartford puleed ahead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for good.

Greenville: W. 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Justin Gonzalez’s line drive in the third and Luke Heyman’s solo shot in the fourth were the only productive hits the team had in Asheville. (Astros High-A) But the offense isn’t the story, because Devin Futrell was absolutely nails in his six innings. Futrell is an overpowering lefty who has the size the team typically looks for (6’5″, 217) Although he lacks high-end velocity, he had total command Tuesday. He struck out 12 in six innings and threw 84 pitches; this was his second consecutive awesome start. Tyler Davis and Steven Brooks finished off a masterful night on the mound. Here are all of Futrell’s K’s throughout the night.

Salem: L, 2-7 (BOX SCORE)

Salem had just four hits against Myrtle Beach (Cubs A) and took until the sixth inning to get on the board. At the top of the lineup, Skylar King had a home run, and Andrews Opata had a knock and his 30th stolen base of the season, but the offense was mostly stagnant otherwise, wasting two hits from Avinson Pinto in the middle of the lineup as everyone otherwise got sat down on strikes at least once.

Happy day game Wednesday!

The Los Angeles Dodgers, ranked first in the NL West with a 51-29 record, face the Minnesota Twins, who are third in the AL Central with a 38-43 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored with a -175 moneyline compared to the Minnesota Twins' +145. Starting pitchers are Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers, with a 1.47 ERA, and Joe Ryan for the Twins, with a 2.99 ERA.

How to Watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs Minnesota Twins

• Date: Wednesday, June 24

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET / 4:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

• TV Channels: Twins.TV Presented by Progressive, SportsNet LA

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 51-29 (first in NL West)

• Minnesota Twins: 38-43 (third in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

• Moneyline: Minnesota Twins +145 / Los Angeles Dodgers -175

• Over/Under: 8.0

Starting pitchers

Los Angeles Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani (7-2, ERA: 1.47, K: 78, WHIP: 0.88)

Minnesota Twins: Joe Ryan (5-3, ERA: 2.99, K: 99, WHIP: 1.00)

Series: Game 3 of 3

Weather: 74°F at first pitch

The Texas Rangers have recalled pitcher Winston Santos, the team announced today. To make room for Santos on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned pitcher Jose Corniell to AAA Round Rock.

This is part of the domino effect resulting from Jack Leiter going on the injured list (and then having ankle surgery yesterday). Corniell was called up to take the place of Leiter on the active roster, with Cal Quantrill, the team’s long man, starting in Leiter’s place yesterday. Corniell threw 69 pitches yesterday, and thus would not be available to pitch again until, most likely, this weekend. Not wanting to be left without someone who can give them length out of the pen, Corniell is now sent down and Santos is up.

Santos, a 24 year old righthander who was added to the 40 man roster after the 2024 season, has spent 2026 at AA Frisco, and has not performed in such a way that you would expect him to get a call up. He has a 7.44 ERA on the year in 42.1 innings over 11 starts, though with an impressive 12.3 Ks per 9 (and a less impressive 2.1 HRs and 4.5 walks per 9). Interestingly, has allowed exactly three runs in each of his last six games, in which he has faced exactly 21 batters four times (and 25 and 18 batters the other two times).

So why is Santos the guy called up? The only other pitchers on the 40 man roster who are not short relievers are Leandro Lopez, currently on the injured list, and David Davalillo, who was assigned to the ACL Rangers where, I would assume, he’s working on things. Davalillo had started the season at Frisco and was pitching for Round Rock before he got sent to the desert. And there’s no one in the system who is not on the 40 man roster who is making a compelling case to be added to the 40 man roster (which would mean DFA’ing, say, Blaine Crim, or pre-emptively putting Jack Leiter on the 60 day injured list under the assumption he won’t be available until mid-August) and sit in the bullpen as the emergency long man.

The New York Yankees, ranked first in the AL East with a 47-31 record, face the Detroit Tigers, who are fourth in the AL Central with a 34-45 record. The Detroit Tigers are favored with a -145 moneyline compared to the New York Yankees' +120. Starting pitchers are Ryan Weathers for the Yankees, with a 4.13 ERA, and Tarik Skubal for the Tigers, with a 3.02 ERA.

How to watch New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

• Date: Wednesday, June 24

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET / 3:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

• TV Channels: Detroit SportsNet, Amazon Prime Video

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 47-31 (first in AL East)

• Detroit Tigers: 34-45 (fourth in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: Detroit Tigers -1.5

• Moneyline: Detroit Tigers -145 (56.6%) / New York Yankees +120 (43.4%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Ryan Weathers (2-5, ERA: 4.13, K: 89, WHIP: 1.13)

Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal (3-3, ERA: 3.02, K: 57, WHIP: 1.02)

Series: Game 3 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 72°F at first pitch

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How about a double-dinger Tuesday?

Things have been very profitable here over the last three weeks with a solid 7-14 SU run for +17 units. Let's smack some four-baggers and hit the MLB player props.

Daulton Varsho has come back from injury in great form and has an elite home run matchup today, while Luis Garcia is trying to go yard in every game vs. the Phillies, and might have his best chance today vs. Aaron Nola.

These are my favorite home run props for Wednesday, June 24.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Daulton Varsho	+494
Luis Garcia	+550

Home run pick: Daulton Varsho (+494)

All Daulton Varsho has done since returning to the lineup is hit two home runs and a pair of doubles in three games.

He racked up three extra-base hits against Houston yesterday, and while it's a small sample, his BlastContact numbers rank among the Top 20 in baseball over the last two weeks.

His matchup today might be the best he's had since returning.

He gets right-hander Mike Burrows, who has allowed 18 home runs this season, was recently moved back into the rotation, and has been crushed by left-handed hitters to the tune of a .320 batting average. Twelve of those 18 home runs allowed have come against lefties.

Burrows owns the 21st-worst HR/FB rate in baseball over the last 30 days and doesn't generate many groundballs, carrying just a 38% groundball rate.

I'd play this down to +420.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Space City Home Network

Home run pick: Luis Garcia (+550)

Luis Garcia has gone deep in each game of this series against the Phillies, which has already produced five homers last night and three more in the opener.

Home runs have accounted for 15 total runs through the first two games. Three of Garcia's last four hits have left the yard. He is locked in right now and gets another great matchup and setting today.

There is a slight wind blowing out to right field again, which has helped the left-handed bats throughout this series.

Aaron Nola still looks like he's searching for answers. He owns the 28th-worst HR/FB rate among MLB starters over the last 30 days and has allowed multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. His HR/9 is worse on the road, and left-handed hitters have tagged him for a .909 OPS.

Everything lines up for Garcia to stay hot.

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Nationals.TV, NBCSP

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (33-42) won 12-5 (BOX SCORE)

After El Paso got a run in the first, Sugar Land got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Spence sac fly. They got another run in the third inning on a Whitcomb solo home run. The offense added 5 runs in the 4th inning on a Biggio RBI double, Whitcomb 2 run single, Brooks RBI single and a run on a wild pitch. Biggio added a solo home run in the 5th and Brooks added an RBI double. Mancini got the start and went 4.2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned. The Woodpeckers added some insurance in the 8th inning on a Whitcomb walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch. The pen was great tossing 4.1 scoreless innings as they closed out the 12-5 win.

Note: Biggio has a .839 OPS this season.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Shay Whitcomb, SS: 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
• Collin Price, C: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 BB
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 3-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Zach Dezenzo, LF: 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Lucas Spence, CF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI

• Joey Mancini, RHP: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (32-38) won 10-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got the scoring started in the 2nd inning on a Whitaker RBI double and Holy 2 run inside-the-park home run. They blew it open in the 3rd inning scoring 6 runs on a Schiavone solo home run, Sullivan 2 run double, Bush 2 run home run and Whitaker solo home run. They got another run in the 4th on a double play. Nezuh started for the Hooks and went 5 innings allowing 1 run with 9 strikeouts. Santos tossed 2 perfect innings in relief and Torres tossed 2 scoreless innings as they closed out the 10-1 win.

Note: Schiavone has a .863 OPS in Double-A.

• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB
• Drew Brutcher, LF: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 2-for-5, 2 R
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 0-for-2, 3 BB, SB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K (WIN)
• Alex Santos, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (18-51) lost 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Rodriguez started for Asheville and turned in a nice outing allowing 2 runs over 6 innings while striking out 3 batters. The offense struggled all game collecting just 4 hits as they were shutout in the 2-0 loss.

Note: Rodriguez has a 2.74 ERA in June

• Nehomar Ochoa, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Alejandro Nunez, 3B: 1-for-4, SB
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-3, BB
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-3, 2B

• Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (34-35) won 9-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning scoring 3 runs on an error and RBI singles from Flores and Cauro. They got another run in the 4th on a groundout. Beck started for the Woodpeckers and tossed 3 scoreless innings. He was relieved by Fraide who allowed 1 unearned run over 4 innings while striking out 6. The Woodpeckers blew it open in the 6th inning getting back to back to back home runs from Huezo, Neyens and Alvarez. Salas added a sac fly as well. Saunier tossed 2 scoreless innings to close out the 9-1 win.

Note: Huezo has a .909 OPS this season.

• Anthony Huezo, LF: 2-for-2, 3 R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• Xavier Neyens, DH: 1-for-2, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, SB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
• Kenni Gomez, RF: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Waner Luciano, DH: 1-for-4, BB
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-4, RBI

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• Juan Fraide, RHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (WIN)
• Grayson Saunier, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ethan Pecko – 11:05 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 7:00 CT

AV: Yeriel Santos – 5:45 CT

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

A quick perusal of some niche MLB stats yields this quirky nugget – Brett Baty of the Mets sits in excellent company when it comes to results on the first pitch of an at-bat. 

Baty is 15-for-28 when he hits the first pitch, a .536 batting average. In this slice of baseball life, Baty ranks fourth in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber (.583) and CJ Abrams and Nick Kurtz (.556 each). Old pal Brandon Nimmo is fifth at .513. 

To get a window into the craft of hitting, we asked Baty why he thought he’s had such success on the first pitch: 

“I think it’s just being aggressive to stuff that I’m looking for and, if it shows up early, then hunt it,” Baty said. “Obviously, we do our homework and we know what the pitcher’s got, but I think it’s just about being aggressive on pitches in the zone and trying to hit the ball hard.” 

On the first pitch this season, Baty also has a 1.355 OPS. He’s got two doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. Entering Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cubs at Citi Field, Baty is batting .220 with a .606 OPS overall. 

In his career, Baty is a .417 hitter on the first pitch with eight home runs in 123 plate appearances that have ended on the first pitch.

Asked if there were any of his first-pitch hits this year that were particularly memorable, Baty pointed to an at-bat early in the Mets’ 16-7 victory in 12 innings in Washington on May 18 where he “sold out” for a fastball. He was leading off the fourth inning with the Mets trailing, 3-1, against Nationals righty Jake Irvin. 

“I was gonna look really silly if it was a curveball or changeup or anything,” Baty said. “I just completely sold out to the heater and it showed up in the window I was looking for and I hit it pretty hard. I was hunting in a certain area.” 

Irvin threw a 92.7 mile-per-hour fastball and Baty hit the second-longest home run of his career, a 451-foot shot to center field that landed near a dumpster beyond the wall. It was clocked at 111.2 mph off the bat. Not surprisingly, the ball had an expected batting average of 1.000 and would have been a homer in all 30 MLB parks, according to Statcast. 

On the television broadcast that day, Gary Cohen noted that Baty had hit the first 35 home runs of his career against 35 different pitchers. When Baty hit No. 36, Irvin became the first pitcher to give up multiple homers to Baty.

Baty did not realize he was among baseball’s leaders in average on the first pitch. But he was curious about some of the other names on the list. When told that Schwarber, the Phillies’ slugger who leads MLB with 29 home runs, was atop the category, Baty smiled and said, “Of course he is – he’s raking.”

Baty’s former Met teammate, Nimmo, hit a ninth-inning triple on the first pitch of an at-bat on Tuesday, bringing him to 20-for-39 on the first pitch. Nimmo has eight doubles, two triples and two homers on the first pitch this year. 

“What’s interesting about Nimmo is that he’s normally viewed as a kind of work-the-count, patient guy, right?” Baty said. “It’d be interesting to ask him if he’s doing anything differently.”

Whatever the case, connecting on the initial offering can be good business for hitters, even in this work-the-count age. So far this season, MLB hitters are batting .334 with a .912 OPS on the first pitch.

Morning, all!

Right handed pitcher AJ Russell, who the Rangers drafted in the second round last year, has been promoted to Hub City.

Jack Leiter has undergone surgery to remove the os trigonometry bone and the Rangers are confident he will return to the mound this year. The Rangers’ previous experiences with this surgery haven’t had such speedy recoveries, though.

The Rangers don’t really have a clear replacement to step into Leiter’s spot in the rotation.

Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery are still several weeks away from returning to the rotation.

The three starting pitching prospects on the 40 man roster have not had particularly good starts to the 2026 season.

Corey Seager’s return from the concussion protocol is unlikely before Thursday due to today’s early game against the Marlins.

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The Detroit Tigers are -145 favorites in their series finale against the New York Yankees.

With Tarik Skubal on the mound, my Yankees vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks are backing the home team to come out on top in the rubber match.

Who will win Yankees vs Tigers today: Tigers (-145)

Ryan Weathers has allowed at least five runs in four of his past six starts, conceding 10 homers along the way. Only once did he avoid a longball during that stretch.

The Detroit Tigersrank 15th in ISO against left-handed pitching, so they have enough power to cause problems for Weathers.

Tarik Skubal owns a sparkling 2.74 xFIP on the season and has effectively limited walks and homers. While the New York Yankees generally excel against lefties, they’re missing a lot of key bats due to injury.

Expect Skubal to capitalize and back the Tigers to -150.

COVERS INTEL: Weathers has allowed an 11.7% barrel rate, ranking him in the eighth percentile.

Yankees vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Over 7.0 (-120)

This total is half a run too low.

Homers are a great way to get chunk production, and Weathers is having a miserable time limiting them.

The Tigers rank eighth in ISO and first in flyball rate against lefties in June, so they’re well equipped to put Weathers’ home-run struggles to the test.

Skubal is one of the marquee pitchers in the sport, but he hasn’t been as effective this season while fighting injuries — understandably so.

He ranks in the 32nd percentile in hard hit rate and has allowed multiple runs in four straight starts.

Play to -130.

Yankees vs Tigers weather

Temperatures are expected to hover around 70 degrees with winds blowing in close to 10 mph. The weather favors the pitchers slightly, but the weather shouldn't be very impactful.

Yankees vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: Yankees +125 | Tigers -145
• Run line: Yankees +1.5 (-170) | Tigers -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 7.0 (-120) | Under 7.0 (+100)

Yankees vs Tigers trend

Detroit owns a 22-17 record on home soil this season. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Tigers.

How to watch Yankees vs Tigers and game info

Yankees vs Tigers latest injuries

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Stop me if you are getting tired of that headline. PCA has been on an unbelievable tear. Sammy Sosa, Derrek Lee, maybe Kris Bryant? Maybe Andre Dawson? How many Cubs have we seen have a run like this? Sammy is the most obvious, but I remember each of the other recent Cub MVPs having their stretches of dominance. With all due respect to the late Ryne Sandberg, his excellence was different. More relentless than flat domination.

PCA has a 1.327 OPS over his 24-game on-base streak. I believe Sammy Sosa’s June 1998 is the gold standard for the modern Cubs. He had a 198 wRC+ and 1.173 OPS. PCA is sitting at 282 and 1.434. There is just under a week to go and a doubleheader in there. This is some kind of hot streak.

One last thing in this PCA appreciation post. Yes, it’s silly that the haters are not voting PCA into the All-Stars. Also yes, his peers and NL coaches will vote him onto the team. I’d rather be the guy the players want to watch than the guys the fans want to watch. Does anyone really care that he might get one or two fewer plate appearances? He’s an All-Star. And he’s going to receive MVP votes again. I couldn’t really care less what the fans of other teams think about him. I assure you virtually all of them would love him if he was on their team.

As to the Cubs, you know where I am. They win these games. An opposing starter struggled and everyone ran to the bat rack and they piled on runs. They are good at those. They are good when the other bullpen blows up. They aren’t very good otherwise. Winning is fun. Scoring nine is fun. Crooked number innings are fun. I enjoyed this one.

The Cubs pitched relatively well before the garbage time of the ninth inning. Jayden Murray facing six batters, striking out two, allowing two hits and three runs was crazy. I hope they can find whatever they think they see. Of course, the bigger story is the same old story there. Edward Cabrera leaves with an injury. It’s a hamstring/adductor injury. We won’t see much (any?) of Cabrera the rest of the season. Matthew Boyd hopefully replaces Cabrera. But that’s a shame when you hoped Boyd would be an add and not a replace.

Of all the things I hate most being right about, it is that the Cubs got through 2025 relatively healthy. The injuries they had were headliners, so you remember them. But they had relatively few secondary injuries. They are being ravaged by them this year and they are particularly concentrated on the pitching staff, having a significant compounding effect. Somehow, this team is more or less on the trajectory that was expected before the season.

Today is a big day. Definitely don’t lose two. It’s a PCA world and we are all just living in it.

Three Positives:

• Dansby Swanson actually had the biggest day. Two hits, a homer and a double. A sacrifice fly. Four runs driven in. Pray he’s turned a corner.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong. Superstar. Just one hit, but two more walks. Oh and the one hit was a three-run homer. After three straight Cubs didn’t get a hit with RISP, he got a three-run homer. And hey, the Cubs did score two runs on the three not hits with RISP (walk and sac fly).
• Carson Kelly stays hot. A hit, two walks, two runs driven in, three runs scored. The Cubs had eight hits, but drew seven walks and had a hit batter. Near constant pressure.

Game 78, June 23: Cubs 9, Mets 6 (41-37)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.174). 1-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R
• Hero: Carson Kelly (.123). 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 3 R
• Sidekick: Dansby Swanson (.108). 2-3, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.082). 1-4, 2B, R
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.031). 0-4, BB
• Kid: Alex Bregman (-.029). 0-5

Jayden Murray’s ninth inning was in a no leverage situation and didn’t affect WPA.

WPA Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s three-run homer with two outs in the second gave the Cubs a five run lead. (.187)

Cubs Play of the Game: Francisco Alvarez’ two out single with the bases loaded cut a five-run Cub lead to three. (.106)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 77 Winner: Colin Rea 66-55 over PCA (135 votes)

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

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

• Michael Busch +20
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +19
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Carson Kelly +12.5
• Michael Conforto +9
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton/Dansby Swanson -10
• Caleb Thielbar -13
• Seiya Suzuki -19.5

Up Next: A double header Wednesday. Shōta Imanaga will start one of the games and Javier Assad the other. They’ll face Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea for the Mets.

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The Atlanta Braves are -130 favorites to snap their three-game losing streak on Wednesday, June 24.

My Braves vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks see plenty of value in backing Atlanta in a low-scoring affair against one of the league's worst offenses.

Who will win Braves vs Padres today: Braves moneyline (-135)

The Atlanta Braves have a wonderful matchup against JP Sears, who will be making his first start of the season for the San Diego Padres.

He posted a 5.04 ERA last season while allowing 1.99 homers per nine innings. He struggled mightily to limit power, and that is a recipe for disaster against the Braves.

Atlanta sits third in home runs, eighth in SLG, and ninth in ISO when facing left-handed pitching. 

The Braves will make it difficult on the Padres and their anemic offense to keep up.

Back Atlanta to -150.

COVERS INTEL: The Padres will struggle to produce against Martin Perez, who ranks in the 85th percentile in Pitcher Run Value.

Braves vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-110)

The Padres own a league-worst .285 OBP against left-handed pitching. They don’t hit for average, they don’t draw walks, and they lack power to cash in even when able to generate traffic.

Martin Perez has conceded two runs or fewer in 11 of 14 starts, and this is a great spot for him to do so again.

While the Braves possess a lot of power vs. lefties, they sit 19th in OBP. They are also playing in one of the more pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball, which could take away from some of their home run potential.

Play the Under to -120.

Braves vs Padres weather

Temperatures are expected to hover in the low 70s with wind blowing side-to-side. No real boost for hitters or pitchers.

Braves vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Braves -130 | Padres +110
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+130) | Padres +1.5 (-150)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Braves vs Padres trend

San Diego has hit the Under in 16 of its last 23 home games (+8.35 units, 33% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Padres.

How to watch Braves vs Padres and game info

Braves vs Padres latest injuries

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