Category: Sports News

Tonight, the Yankees were a cat that couldn’t catch the mouse. To be fair, the mouse in question was capable of dealing mighty blows to the cat. The Guardians grabbed their well-earned series win in the Bronx by flexing their muscles, clubbing three home runs off Gerrit Cole and always finding the timely hit to keep the tardy Yankee offense from responding with enough pop of their own. Gavin Williams was far from terrific on the mound for Cleveland, but the bullpen was able to stifle the Bombers just enough for a 5-4 final.

Cole’s scoreless streak to begin his season was snapped by a single swing in the second. Kyle Manzardo scooped a tumbling curveball — far from the worst offering of the game from Cole — and elevated it high and far to the facing of the second deck for a 1-0 Cleveland lead. We saw that power from him a few postseasons ago; his seventh long ball of the year gave the Guards the initiative.

Thankfully, the Bombers bashed back. Jazz Chisholm Jr. probably wasn’t consciously trying to clock a ball further than Manzardo did, but that’s what he did to lead off the second against Williams. Jazz turned on a belt-high heater from the tall right-hander and launched it 409 feet to reach the second deck. Of course, with nobody aboard, the homers counted the same; we were back to even.

The Cleveland offense which was in a groove last night found their stride again in the top of the fourth inning. It started with a hot line drive off the wall from José Ramírez that a strong throw in from José Caballero limited to a single. Ramírez would be able to trot home thanks to a two-out thunderstrike from veteran power bat Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins seized on a hanging slider from Cole and kept his blast fair down the left field line to make it 3-1 Cleveland.

Once again, the Yankees were able to respond quickly, albeit not with a two run shot. Still, a homer is a homer, and Caballero was more than willing to provide with a skyscraping fly ball to left that eluded the Guardians’ Angel Martínez and nestled into the glove of a Yankee fan and brought the Bombers within one.

Martínez lobbied for fan interference, but let’s face it; he’d have to be Victor Wembanyama’s height to snare that one. Or perhaps Mitchell Robinson’s — this is Knicks country, after all.

Unfortunately, Cole continued to struggle to keep the ball in the ballpark. The Guardians are not known for their proficiency against velocity, but it’s still unwise to give a center-cut offering of any speed to José Ramírez. The superstar third baseman continued his excellent career performance against Gerrit with a solo shot to right, restoring the two-run advantage at 4-2.

Manzardo continued the extra-base hit parade by smacking a double to the gap, then a walk to Hoskins spelled the end of Cole’s night. It wasn’t entirely fair to say Cole didn’t have his stuff per se, but every mistake he made was punished in a timely fashion. His breaking pitches routinely caught too much plate for a lineup that was suddenly geared to do damage, especially down the foul lines. Gerrit departed in line for the loss, replaced by Fernando Cruz.

Cruz did his job to strand the duo on base, but the Yankees had work to do against Williams, who was operating on cruise control aside from those solo homers. Ben Rice jostled him a bit with a leadoff double to start the home sixth, then advanced to third on a productive out from Paul Goldschmidt. That was sufficient to chase Williams from the mound.

Steven Vogt brought in lefty Tim Herrin to face Cody Bellinger, but the left-on-left matchup never daunts Cody. He made quality contact to center field for a lineout, and Steven Kwan airmailed the throw home to allow Rice to score easily on the sac fly. Herrin, who was in the game just as much to face Jazz as he was to face Bellinger, retired the Yankee second baseman to hold the lead at 4-3.

But the scuffling Yankee bullpen backpedaled. Tim Hill’s recent funk continued: he surrendered some more loud noises as Ramírez collected his third hit, and Manzardo nearly scored him on a booming double off the center field wall. Ramírez’s helmet flew off and obstructed him in a rare twist of good fortune, forcing him to retreat to third. Naturally Paul Blackburn entered and promptly wasted the lucky break by serving up a perfect batting practice ball to Hoskins, who scored Ramírez on a simple single to left. Once again, the Guards led by a pair.

Like last night, the Yankees bats were unable to solve Hunter Gaddis, who put up a zero in the bottom of the eighth, then a clean ninth from Blackburn brought this irritating game of cat-and-mouse to its final frame.

Goldschmidt came to the dish ready to hit against closer Cade Smith, rapping a double into the left field corner to immediately bring up Bellinger as the tying run. A lawn dart from Smith immediately moved Goldschmidt up 90 feet, Cody repeated his sixth-iunning act by grabbing a sac fly, but it seemed to have ultimately done Smith a favor. He roared back to strike out Chisholm, then got Caballero to pop out to end the night.

The Bombers continually played from behind tonight, and never found the big hit they needed to flip the script. They fell 5-4.

The Yankees will seek to salvage the final game and ward off a sweep at the hands of the AL Central leaders. Carlos Rodón will toe the slab, giving this Cleveland lineup which has found success against the Yankees’ righties a different look. Slade Cecconi will oppose Rodón, with the Thursday matinée kicking off at 1:35 PM on YES.

Box Score

Both starters were dealing tonight. Despite that, the Royals were able to get on the board early. Vinnie Pasquantino turned on a fastball in the first inning and drove it out of the park down the right field line. Bobby Witt Jr. had walked on four pitches right before that, so the Royals had a 2-0 lead just three batters into the game.

After that, Chase Burns only allowed a few Royals on base and when he did, he would just strike everyone out to prevent them from coming around to score. He struck out 9 Royals across his six innings before turning it over to the bullpen.

Stephen Kolek also felt like striking out a lot of batters today. Through four innings he was straight up dominant before it seemed his command started to wane a bit. In the 5th inning this got him into a little trouble. Will Benson led off that inning with a bunt single because the defense was back and shaded to pull leaving the third base line a long way from any defenders. That ended up not mattering because Kolek rolled up a double play and looked like he was going to get through five without any runs, but Matt McLain had a seeing eye single to keep the inning going and get it back to the top of the lineup. Blake Dunn then saw a slider break into the middle of the zone and drove it out to tie up the game. Kolek still managed to get through 7 innings and struck out 8 for the second time in his career. The final line was 7IP, 6H, 2BB, 2ER, 8K. He had 7 Ks through three innings though, so his slider that was dominant early lost some of its power the 2nd and 3rd time through Cincinnati’s order.

In a year that has mostly gone wrong, Stephen Kolek has been a bright a spot. He now has a 3.32 ERA and four of his six starts have been quality starts. Not bad for a guy who was 7th on the depth chart for the rotation.

With the starters out, it was a new game all tied up. Daniel Lynch was the first out of the pen for the Royals. Other than a load double off the wall from pinch hitter Dane Myers, Lynch looked in control. The Reds’ relievers only allowed a single to Pasquantino in the 7th and 8th. The Royals then got something going in the 9th. Jac Caglianone led off the inning with his second single of the night, which brought in Tyler Tolbert as a pinch runner. Isaac Collins then sac bunted him to get a runner in scoring position with Michael Massey coming up. Tony Santillan was having his attention divided watching Tolbert on base and trying to pitch to Massey until finally, on the 8th pitch of the plate appearance, Michael singled to right and got the Royals back ahead 3-2. There was still only one out and a runner on. Nick Loftin came up to try and get some insurance runs. Ryan Lefebvre then said, “Loftin has not hit a home run yet this year”. Two seconds later he did just that and the Royals’ lead was extended to 3.

Lane Thomas, who pinch hit for Kyle Isbel in the 7th, walked and that ended Santillan’s night. Zachary McCambley was next up and had his major league debut. He struck out Carter Jensen and started heading for the dugout, which his teammates are going to have some fun with I am sure given that there were only 2 outs. And the Royals kept making things interesting with a Bobby Witt single and then an intentional walk to Vinnie after Bobby took second on defensive indifference. Bases loaded, Salvador Perez coming to the plate, but it was not to be as he struck out and the lead stayed 5-2.

The Royals have blown multiple saves through this bad stretch of baseball. Lucas Erceg was not given the opportunity to have a fourth consecutive blown save and Alex Lange came in to try and close it out. Spencer Steer immediately doubled into the left field corner and that sinking feeling started to creep in. The Reds did have their 7, 8, and 9 hitters coming though. Benson struck out on a check swing and Cincy decided to pinch hit with Edwin Arroyo and his 1 career hit after making his debut on Monday. He was called out on a slider that hit the top of the zone for strike three. Noelvi Marte was up and things got a little weird. He checked his swing on the first pitch for a ball, but then said it hit his arm, so the Reds decided to challenge. They did not win the challenge and Marte returned to the batter’s box. The next pitch was called a strike and Marte challenged that turning it into a ball and eventually leading to a walk. Dunn was back up with a chance to hit a second game-tying home run of the day, but then he bunted the first pitch foul? Bunting with 2 outs and runners on first and second was a strange choice. He then hit a fly ball to center than Lane Thomes caught ending the threat, giving the Royals a win for the game and the series.

That was an uncomfortable ninth inning, but the bullpen did its job tonight. Thanks to Kolek they only needed to take care of two innings and they did. Next it is off to Minnesota for four games against a division rival who is not very good, though their record is still quite a bit better than Kansas City’s.

Blue Jays 3 Braves 7

We got more than 2 runs!!!!

They should have scored a few runs in the first inning. It started single (Nathan Lukes), single (Yohendrick Piñango) and walk (Vladimir Guerrero). The walk included Vlad challenging a called strike, which, the review showed, was easily a strike. I hate blowing a challenge in the first inning.

Anyway, I digress…..

Bases loaded, no outs, you start to hope for a big inning.

Nope.

Jesús Sánchez hit into a double play (scoring a run) and Ernie Clement struck out.

We got the other run in the third, Lukes homered.

Patrick Corbin wasn’t good. He gave up a run in the second and three more in the third (Mauricio Dubón homered). He ended up allowing four earned in five inning.

Yariel Rodríguez pitched a quick sixth and got one out in the seventh, with a walk. Adam Macko came in and gave up a single and a home run, before getting out of the inning.

Hayden Juenger had a 1, 2, 3 eighth.

Brandon Valenzuela crushed a home run in the ninth, 399 feet. But that was it for ninth inning fun.

I thought the Braves organist deserved points for playing ‘if I only had a brain’ when Myles Straw came to bat in the ninth.

We had 8 hits and 3 walks. But an 0 for 4 with RISP didn’t help (though it says a lot that we only had four runners in scoring position).

Joe did a rant about the Jays not catching a popup, saying it would the little things that were killing them. I respectfully object. They are losing because they aren’t scoring, But your mileage may vary.

Jays of the Day? Well, there wasn’t any. Lukes had the high mark at 0.07 WPA.

Other Award: Corbin (-0.24), Sánchez (-0.12), and Macko (-0.9).

Tomorrow we have game three of this series. And it is a bullpen day, while the Braves will start Chris Sale (8-3, 2.01). That should be fun.

In a game that seemed to speed up within each inning, the Atlanta Braves secured a 7-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays to secure the three-game mid-week series.

Looking at the highlight of the night first, Mauricio Dubón’s three-run homer is what forced a stop to Patrick Corbin and the Blue Jays.

After a grounded double-play by Jays’ Jesús Sánchez to kick the game off, Ha-Seong Kim hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second to bring in Eli White for the Braves’ first run of the night. Blue Jays Nathan Lukes answered back in the top of the third with a homer off Grant Holmes’ slider (2-0).

That put Atlanta on notice and brought Dubón out for his go-ahead three-run home run to drive in Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies for a two-run lead (4-2) against Toronto.

The Blue Jays stayed stuck for the remainder of the game as Corbin tried to get settled in his five innings, while keeping his team in the contest, but it only amounted to one strikeout and four earned runs off of the six hits and two walks he gave up.

Tonight was Corbin’s 22nd career start and 24th total appearance against the Braves, and the loss marked his 12-game losing streak against the team dating back to September 2019.

The story didn’t end there, however. The Braves decided they wanted to extend their stretch towards the end, so Ozzie Albies hit a three-run homer of his own in the bottom of the seventh to drive in Dominic Smith and Olson for a five-run lead, 7-2.

Fun fact: all of the Braves’ runs were scored with two outs against them.

The Blue Jays not only could get a runner in scoring position, but also couldn’t get a hit until a single from Ernie Clement in the eighth, yet it didn’t amount to a productive result until the ninth, where Brandon Valenzuela homered in an attempt to climb back in contention (7-3).

That would be the final run of the night before Tyler Kinley closed out with a string of sliders to strike out Blue Jays’ Myles Straw and seal the win.

As for Holmes, he ran into a bit of trouble with bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first inning, but ended with a quality start (6 IP/ 2 ER/ 5 H/ 2 BB/ 4 K) on 89 pitches to keep the Braves’ defense in the game and hold the Blue Jays scoreless for the remainder of his outing.

Tomorrow, the Braves look to close out their series finale with Chris Sale on the mound. Tune in at 7:15 p.m. EDT to see if the Braves pick up where they left off with the left-handed ace to back them up.

The Yankees offense never kicked into high gear and Gerrit Cole's white-hot start to life back on the mound ended in a 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium.

New York drops to 36-25, and is now a full game (1.0) back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East division lead.

Here are the takeaways...

-Team captain and star outfielder Aaron Judge missed his second straight game due to a nagging rib injury. He is still considered day-to-day for the time being, with the organization awaiting further clarity on the severity of the issue.

-Yankees middle infield duo Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jose Caballero dealt the only damage to Guardians righty Gavin Williams with a solo shot for each. Williams posted a strong start despite those two runs allowed, striking out six Yankees while allowing just four hits and one walk through 5.1 innings.

-Yanks ace Gerrit Cole, who hadn't given up an earned run through his first two stellar starts back from his lengthy absence due to injury, finally looked mortal on the mound. He was tagged for four earned runs, all of which came on three home runs, across 5.1 innings. He struck out just two Cleveland batters and allowed six hits before Boone called on trusty reliever Fernando Cruz, who answered the bell by retiring all four batters he faced tonight, striking out three.

-Tim Hill dug a deeper hole for the Yankees in the top of the eighth, allowing one run on two hits before Paul Blackburn relieved him to limit the damage and keep the score 5-3.

-Despite a Paul Goldschmidt leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth, eventually coming around to score and cut the lead to 5-4, standout Cleveland closer Cade Smith handled the heart of the Yankees batting order and picked up his 21st save of the season.

Game MVP: José Ramírez

J-Ram was 3-for-4 with a homer tonight, showcasing to the New York crowd why he'll very likely wind up in Cooperstown one day.

Highlights

Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers to right field to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/USSKHwOCWs

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 3, 2026

Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers to right field to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/USSKHwOCWs

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 3, 2026

What's next

The Yankees close out their three-game series against the Guardians tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch set for 1:35 pm. Carlos Rodón (3.32 ERA) is slated to make his fifth start of the season for New York, squaring off against Cleveland righty Slade Cecconi (5.25 ERA).

Headed into the weekend, the Bronx Bombers will extend their home stand with another three-game set, this time against the archrival Boston Red Sox. 

The Orioles have played better baseball over the last few weeks, but they laid an egg tonight. Chris Bassitt labored through three innings before leaving with a possible injury, and the Red Sox broke the game open with a five-run fifth. Baltimore dropped the game 8-1 at Fenway Park.

This was the type of game that the Orioles should just flush and put behind them. The immediate attention will turn to Bassitt and any potential injury. The starter allowed a run on a single by Wilyer Abreu in the first inning, and would have allowed another if Taylor Ward hadn’t thrown out Abreu at the plate on a double by Wilson Contreras.

Bassitt retired the side in order in the second, but the Red Sox wore him out in the third. The 37-year-old picked up a pair of outs after a leadoff single, but Abreu pulled a two-run homer down the left field line. The Red Sox then proceeded to load the bases on a single and a pair of walks, but Bassitt got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to ground out to keep the deficit at three.

Bassitt had only thrown 56 pitches, but Albert Suárez entered in the fourth inning. Suárez struck out Abreu to leave runners on the corners, but he ran into some serious trouble in the fifth. Contreras got the rally started with a leadoff double, and Suárez walked Masataka Yoshida to place two on with nobody out.

Suárez generated what should have been a harmless fly ball for out number one, but Blaze Alexander never saw the ball in center field. The ball eventually found the grass, and both runners came around to score. Kiner-Falefa followed with a double off the green monster, and the game quickly fell out of reach. Boston added its seventh and eighth runs on a double by Caleb Durbin and a single by Ceddanne Rafaela.

Alexander has less than 10 major league starts in center field, but the Orioles felt comfortable sending him out to play a difficult center field at Fenway tonight. To be fair, Boston shortstop Marcelo Mayer lost a ball in the sky just one inning prior.

Suárez allowed five runs in two innings. We’ll now wait to see if the Orioles designate the veteran reliever for assignment for the umpteenth time. Suárez threw 53 pitches, but he could be saved if the Orioles place Bassitt on the injured list. Trey Gibson tossed 6.1 innings at Norfolk earlier today, so he would be on regular rest if the Orioles need him for Bassitt’s next turn in the rotation.

The Orioles wasted some early opportunities before the game was fully out of reach. Taylor Ward walked and Adley Rutschman singled in the first, but Rutschman was thrown out on a double steal attempt. Pete Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning with Ward at third base.

Jackson Holliday and Ward both singled in the third, but Gunnar Henderson and Rutschman came up short with runners in scoring position. Boston gave Baltimore an extra out when Mayer failed to catch a pop fly in the fourth, but Rutschman flew out to leave runners on second and third.

Rutschman eventually drove in Baltimore’s only run with a stand-up triple in the seventh.

Anthony Nunez tossed two scoreless innings and Grant Wolfram kept the Sox off the board in the eighth.

The Orioles fell to 29-33. They can still take the series with a win tomorrow afternoon when Trevor Rogers takes the mound. The Red Sox have yet to announce a starter for Game 3.

The Red Sox should really try to replicate this performance all the time at home to change their Fenway Park fate in 2026. 

Boston earned a long-desired 8-1 win at home and controlled the game from the jump to set up a matinee rubber match for the second consecutive series at Fenway. 

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s win. 

TOLLE THRIVES

Payton Tolle continues to throw the ball exceptionally well.

The young Red Sox flamethrower tallied six shutout innings Wednesday night and had plenty of run support to work with. Tolle struck out five batters and set a career-high with 99 pitches. 

He had fun doing it. 

EVERYBODY HITS!

The entire starting lineup recorded a hit for the Red Sox in a satisfying offensive performance.

Boston exploded for a five-run fifth inning in cruise control as the Red Sox passed the baton with power. The lineup tallied seven extra-base hits on the night. 

The Red Sox have hammered Chris Bassitt the last two times they faced him, scoring 11 earned runs in five innings. 

FINALLY!

The Red Sox were still the only team in baseball without 10 home victories on the season entering play Wednesday night. 

Start the party! That club is now empty in 2026.

Shohei Ohtani faces Ryne Nelson as the Dodgers look to take two straight against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

WEDNESDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks
• Stadium: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
• Time: 6:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)