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A Flip Of The Subban Switch—Aug 20, 2018 - VOL. 72, Issue. 02 - Matt Larkin
IT’S A SLEEPY, SUNBAKED morning in Las Vegas, hours before the 2018 NHL Awards, where P.K. Subban will be unveiled as the cover model for EA Sports’ new video game, NHL 19. He saunters into the lobby of the Encore Tower Suites, shorts and T-shirt, wide-brimmed hat covering his eyes, the kind of outfit famous people wear to avoid detection. But that’s impossible for Subban. He’s unmistakable, and not just because he’s one of the NHL’s few black stars. It’s the smile, the raspy voice and, of course, the league’s most gregarious personality that make Subban pretty much allergic to hiding.
And so, when he enters the lobby, it takes about 0.4 seconds for a kid to notice him. He’s scheduled for hours of interviews upstairs to talk about the video game, and he’s arrived early to take a breath and prepare, but that opportunity disappears. Subban flicks the virtual “on” switch. He gives the youngster several minutes of his time, cracking jokes, taking selfies. Soon after that, he’s sprawled on a couch in a suite, snapping off one-liners, claiming he’s the best-looking guy to grace the video-game cover, sharing memories of cheating at PlayStation as a kid, hitting his brothers Malcolm and Jordan with pillows and mini-sticks.
THERE AREN’T A LOT OF PLAYERS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH THE GAME THAT WANT TO BE THEMSELVES
– P.K. Subban
He’s built such a brand as the game’s most interesting talker that people have grown to expect that out of him. It seems Subban never gets a chance to just…be. Table that idea to him, though, and he quickly fires it back, like he’s clearing a puck from his zone while patrolling the Nashville Predators’ blueline. “People who maybe aren’t like me might see it that way, but everyone’s got to be themselves,” he said. “So, what would be ‘on’ for someone is just normal for me. If I need a break from people, I take a break. If I don’t want to post something on social media, I don’t. But when you are with me, you’re going to get P.K.”
The whole world gets P.K. – not just his Predators teammates or fans watching him play Norris Trophy-caliber hockey year after year. If one word defines his personality, even more than funny, it’s “giving.” In a literal sense, he’s peerless in his philanthropic efforts, having famously pledged to donate $10 million to the Montreal Children’s Hospital while he played for the Canadiens. He’s also generous with his time every day. As Predators coach Peter Laviolette explains, he wants his troops at the rink ready for game-day preparations by 5:00 p.m., and Subban arrives at Bridgestone Arena at 4:45 p.m. on the nose to run Blueline Buddies, a program he created to unite an underprivileged youth and a Metro Nashville police officer before every home game in the hopes of building a positive relationship between at-risk kids and law enforcement. In addition to giving them tickets to the game and a meal, Subban carves out time to chat with the kid and the cop. He never misses it.
He’s a charitable man yet also a highly public man, and that doesn’t jive with typical hockey culture. No matter how beloved Subban is by people who watch the game from afar, snippets of evidence pop up throughout his career suggesting the old-guard inner circle rejects him. He was a much louder leader than Max Pacioretty in Montreal, but the majority of teammates voted Pacioretty over Subban for the captaincy in 2015. Less than a year after Subban’s pledge to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin traded him – two days before his no-movement clause kicked in July 1. After a game between the Predators and Habs this past season, former teammate Brendan Gallagher ripped Subban for always “trying to make it about P.K. Subban.” After Subban joked about Sidney Crosby telling him he bad breath and tweeted a picture of a Listerine bottle during the 2017 Cup final, Subban was infamously unavailable to media before Game 6, prompting accusations the Predators had gagged him.
He’s a fun guy who loves to show his personality, and not everyone in hockey is comfortable with that yet. “Look at Jeremy Roenick, a guy who had a ton of personality, but he’s one of the best American-born players to ever play the game,” Subban said. “But people talk about his personality all the time. Maybe that’s just hockey. There’s not a lot of players that have come through the game that want to be themselves. It’s very easy to fall into the culture of how everybody talks and the way they walk. It’s a great culture, by the way, I love the game of hockey, but I’ve chosen to be myself.”
Subban believes NHLers are starting to show more exuberance. He singles out Connor McDavid’s on-ice displays of emotion as a sign that players are cracking open their shells. And if you talk to anyone from the Predators, who have one Cup final appearance and one Presidents’ Trophy since Subban arrived in the 2016 one-for-one Shea Weber trade, they have no problem accepting his grandiose presence because it doesn’t get in the way of his play. “You always hear P.K. talking,” said Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne. “But through the game he’s very focused, and he’s a very driven person. He’s not the loudest guy during the game, but in the locker room or anywhere like that before the game, he likes to stay loose and keep everybody else loose and have fun. So, he has a positive effect on us.”
For Laviolette, no one is immune to criticism, and that includes Subban. Protective of his player, he won’t reveal exactly what he and Subban talk about, but Laviolette insists it’s just standard hockey stuff, no different than what he discusses with any of his players about what they can do differently, how they can improve their game-to-game play and so on. There’s no sense he views Subban as a distraction. “He’s done a really good job of trying to manage his life, and it’s a busy life,” Laviolette said. “The things he does are different from other people. But for me, it always comes back to: Is he putting the time in during practice? Does he practise hard? Does he play hard? Is he a good teammate? And he’s been all those things in Nashville.”
Subban won the Norris Trophy in 2013 as the league’s top defenseman and has been a finalist two other times, including this past season. He’s a two-time first-team all-star, and he’s played in three All-Star Games. Yet most conversations about Subban concern who he is off the ice. It’s easy to forget what he’s capable of on it.
Since 2010-11, his first full NHL season, Subban is fifth among blueliners in points, trailing only Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Dustin Byfuglien and Keith Yandle. He ranks seventh in goals and eighth in points per game, too. This past season, Subban finished top-three in the league in primary points per 60 minutes 5-on-5. That’s particularly remarkable considering Ryan Ellis’ injury meant Subban played the first half of the season without his regular partner, Mattias Ekholm, and instead had to drag around a significantly older and slower Alexei Emelin. Those words may seem harsh, but the truth is right there in the numbers. Emelin’s 5-on-5 Corsi was three percentage points higher with Subban than without. He takes real pride knowing Laviolette can look at the whiteboard and pair him with anybody, whether it’s Emelin, the 32-year-old banger, or Ekholm, 28, the talented, rangy shutdown defender who forms a truly elite tandem with Subban.
YOU ALWAYS HEAR P.K. TALKING, BUT THROUGH THE GAME HE’S VERY FOCUSED, AND HE’S A VERY DRIVEN PERSON
– Pekka Rinne
Subban is known as an offensive juggernaut, but, among the 133 defensemen who played at least 1,000 minutes 5-on-5 in 2017-18, he had the 11th-highest defensive-zone start percentage and ranked in the top third for quality of competition. He generates tons of chances but also battles the opposition’s scoring lines. “For me, what has been really great about him has been his ability to defend, his ability to go back under pressure and break out pucks, his ability to take on other teams’ top performers and shut them down,” Laviolette said. “Defensively, he’s been a huge part of our team, and that’s probably a little underrated for what it is. He’s a terrific offensive defenseman, but his game on defense is equally good.”
The new guard, the millennials, the fancy-stats advocates know that about Subban, and the Norris Trophy voting tells us his excellence isn’t exactly overlooked. But there’s no denying conversations about him usually nudge aside his play and focus on his antics, like his trademark bow-and-arrow goal celebration. He’s a rare high-end player for whom the analysis doesn’t always involve actual hockey, and he notices it. “I would have to agree with that,” he said. “There are times when people like to talk about the personality and the celebrations and stuff like that, but before you can be that way, you’ve got to be able to back it up. We’re not talking about celebrations if I’m not scoring. A lot of times, when people pay attention to that, those people are just sloppy and don’t do their research. It’s very easy to say, ‘LeBron James has got to control his emotions.’ Well, yeah, but he’s getting emotional at a crucial point in the game, and he already dropped 44 points, so maybe you should talk about the fact he has 44 points, and he’s complaining to the ref because he hasn’t been on the foul line once the whole game.”
Attention anyone not doing homework on Subban: he’s doing homework on you. He reads what people write about him. He respects some of his detractors and dismisses others. Whether he takes criticism to heart depends on who it comes from. “It’s very easy to know people who do their research in the media and people that don’t,” he said. “You can just follow the trend of what people are saying, or you can actually do your research, get to know someone, follow their career, look at the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.”
So Subban will keep burying pucks with his heavy slapshot and rubbing it in haters’ faces, pulling arrows from his imaginary quiver. He knows he’s one of the sport’s highest-impact players on the ice. At the same time, he realizes he’s different. As he said, “on” is his normal. He follows more of an NBA athlete template, not because of the color of his skin but because he’s willing to build a brand for himself.
Subban takes that part of his career seriously. When Nashville’s season ended with a second-round Game 7 home loss to Winnipeg, he headed to Harvard University for a course called The Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports. Also present for the class: Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara, ex-NBA star Chris Bosh, former NFL defensive end Michael Strahan and U.S. Olympic gold-medallist skier Lindsey Vonn, who happens to be Subban’s girlfriend. They met at the ESPY Awards a year ago, “and the rest is history,” as he puts it.
The Harvard course is aimed at anyone in the talent industry looking to grow a business across multiple digital platforms, from actors to musicians to agents to athletes, and it introduces students to various case studies showing why some ventures succeed and others fail. A star-studded class roster spawned some fun photos and Instagram videos, naturally, but Subban was committed. He recognizes his potential for a long post-hockey career. Strahan, who became an analyst and talk-show host after retiring, is a great example to follow. “In today’s world, with pop culture, everything crosses now,” Subban said. “Nothing is in a specific lane. Unless it’s television for children and television for adults, everything else is sort of crisscrossing, and even that does, too. So, in the world of business, the more you know, the better, and I just had the opportunity. Hopefully for the next couple years in the off-season, I don’t have as much time to do things like that, but it was really, really good. I’m glad I did it.”
That statement is quintessential contradictory Subban. He’s devoted to having fun but obsessed with pursuing the Stanley Cup. He’s carefree and fun-loving while understanding his personality is a commodity he can market. He clowns around in the dressing room but also sacrifices his free time for noble causes. There’s no other P.K. Subban. Maybe that’s why he refuses to flip his ‘off’ switch. Being anything less than special would make him someone else.
PHOENIX (AP) — Alex Jackson’s single tied the game in the seventh and the go-ahead run scored on an error, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The rally spoiled the major-league debut of Arizona’s José Cabrera. Called up to make the start Sunday, the 24-year-old Dominican held the Twins to three hits in five-plus innings, including a strikeout of Byron Buxton with two on and two out to end the third inning. He struck out three.
Cabrera threw 62 pitches, 42 for strikes, and was pulled after Jackson’s bunt single leading off the sixth.
Royce Lewis led off the seventh with a single. Juan Morillo (2-4) retired the next two hitters, then Ryan Kreidler singled with Lewis going to third. Pinch-hitter Josh Bell singled to drive in Minnesota’s first run, then Jackson singled to right to make it 2-2. Corbin Carroll’s throw to third hit Bell as he slid and got past Nolan Arenado, which allowed Bell to score.
Cody Laweryson (1-0) pitched the sixth and picked up his first major-league victory. Anthony Banda pitched the ninth for his second save.
Trevor Larnach added an RBI double in the ninth. Kreidler had three of the Twins’ 11 hits, following up a three-hit, four-RBI performance Saturday in a 16-8 win over Arizona. The Twins have won six of their last seven games.
Ketel Marte drove in both Diamondbacks runs in the second with a double, one of six hits off Twins starter Mike Peredes. He walked three and struck out one in five innings.
Up next
Twins RHP Zebby Matthews (3-4, 4.78 ERA) starts Monday to kickoff a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (5-6, 5.81 ERA) takes the mound Monday in the opener of a four-game series in St. Louis.
Jun 21, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (36) celebrates after he hits a three run home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Rangers 4, Padres 3
That was a good game that the Texas Rangers should’ve won, and did won.
I like when that happens.
Especially given how down the vibes were coming into the game.
Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his start on Saturday, then the Ranger bullpen blows a lead and the Rangers lose a winnable game in demoralizing fashion.
Then, before this game, we learn that Jack Leiter is headed to the injured list. The bullpen is struggling, Eovaldi’s health is up in the air, and now Leiter is on the i.l.? Might as well start fielding phone calls from buyers in anticipation of the deadline…
But Nathan Eovaldi, once again, came up big when the team needed him.
Eovaldi went six innings, five of them very good, one problematic. Eovaldi allowed seven hits in the game, with six of them coming in the top of the fourth, when the Padres scored three runs, and could have scored more, had Gavin Sheets not been thrown out at home on a one out Xander Bogaerts single.
Eovaldi had given up a single to start the game, then retired the next nine batters in a row before things went sideways in the fourth. He retired the side in the fifth and issued a two out walk as the only baserunner in the sixth.
Eovaldi struck out nine batters in all. His splitter was especially effective — he got 10 swings and misses on it, while his curveball generated another 5 whiffs.
Peyton Gray and Robbie Ahlstrom got the Rangers to the ninth, where Jakob Junis allowed a pair of singles to start the inning, prompting all sorts of nail biting and glue sniffing, though Junis retired the next three batters to secure the win.
Offensively, the Rangers were having good enough at bats that you feel like they should have put more than four runs and five hits up on the board.
Wyatt Langford accounted for three runs with a three run homer in the third, his sixth of the season. He also had a single as part of a 2 for 4 afternoon.
One of the very positive things from this weekend is that the “what’s wrong with Wyatt Langford” discussions we’ve been having the last week or so on here should die down, at least for a while.
Langford is currently slashing .271/.311/.479, good for a 119 wRC+. As a point of reference, last year, Langford had a 118 wRC+.
Josh Jung, Jake Burger and offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez all had two hit games, with Jung driving in Lopez with a fourth inning single for what was ultimately the winning run.
On the flip side, the 5th through 8th spots in the order went 0 for 12 with a pair of walks.
One of the walks was by Justin Foscue, pinch hitting for Alejandro Osuna. Jarred Kelenic was sent in to pinch run for Osuna, and promptly got caught stealing to end the inning.
Not the way to impress upon management the need to keep you up with Corey Seager and Evan Carter return.
Nathan Eovaldi topped out at 94.9 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.6 mph. Peyton Gray reached 95.4 mph with his fastball. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball maxed out at 95.2 mph. Jakob Junis got to 94.8 mph with his fastball.
Brandon Nimmo had a 108.9 mph GIDP. Wyatt Langford had a 105.4 mph home run and a 103.2 mph single. Joc Pederson had a 104.9 mph GIDP. Jake Burger had a 102.5 mph single. Josh Jung had a 101.9 mph single and a 101.5 mph fly out. Nicky Lopez had a 101.2 mph single.
The Rangers now start a ridiculous road trip that will see them play 10 games in 10 days, followed by a one game at home before their next off day, on Friday, July 3 (thank the World Cup for that Friday off day).
Jun 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) waves to the crowd after being relieved for against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
A day after being left behind by some more lefty pitching from the Red Sox, the Mariners righted the ship and escaped being swept by Boston thanks to the righteous contributions of three of their lefties: Dominic Canzone (actual lefty), Cole Young (actual lefty), and Logan Gilbert (spiritual lefty).
Gilbert – who does everything except throw a baseball with his left hand – was masterful today over six innings and change, holding down the Red Sox. He struck out eight, and lit up the radar gun with some extra zip on his four-seamer, averaging 96.8 mph on the pitch today. Gilbert leaned heavily on his heater, throwing it almost 70% of the time, using it to get ahead in counts and then putting the Red Sox hitters away with a combination of his curveball and later, splitter. Gilbert praised his catcher (who gets half-credit as a lefty as a switch hitter) Cal Raleigh for calling that particular combination of pitches.
“Cal did a good job – like, [with two strikes] I think slider right away, probably. And he went to curveball a few times with two strikes. I think that was smart, looking back afterwards. If guys are kind of in-between bat speed you don’t really want to give them a gift, something at 90 or whatever. So the curveball at 81, if you’re keeping the same hand speed and everything. I think it does a good job fooling them.”
The Mariners made some loud contact early against Red Sox starter Payton Tolle, but didn’t get anything for it until Dominic Canzone laced an opposite-field home run to put the Mariners up 1-0. It was a nice at-bat by Canzone overall against the lefty, fouling off a couple pitches, refusing to chase a cutter outside, and then putting a good swing on a 98.4 mph fastball on the plate to push it right over the left-field wall, territory usually reserved for the Mariners’ right-handed hitters.
“That was a wall scraper,” said Canzone, who usually doesn’t hit those, as he is enemy number one of the glass panes at the Hit it Here Café in right field.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox got that run right back in the top of the third. Nine-hole hitter Nate Eaton jumped on a fastball up and crushed it well into Edgar’s for his first home run of the season (and second-ever career home run). While that outcome falls squarely in the “sometimes they’ll get their hits too” bucket, it was nonetheless disheartening given the Mariners’ recent dearth of offense, especially when facing lefty starters.
The Mariners actually had a chance in the bottom of the fourth, as Tolle lost the handle on his command and issued back-to-back walks, but Rob Refsnyder, right on cue, went after the first pitch he saw and grounded into a double play. But they were able to make a little two-out noise in the fifth inning, when Weston Wilson jumped on a first-pitch cutter in the middle of the plate for a single; the certified large lad Weston (6’3”, below 50th percentile sprint speed) then surprised the Red Sox by stealing second base, bringing up the lefty Cole Young.
Young has quietly had a very grueling 2026: he’s the only Mariner who’s played every day, and because of the Mariners’ struggles to hit left-handed pitching, he’s also had about a third more at-bats facing lefties already than he had all of last season (67 in 2025; he would come in just under the century mark today). So as impressive as Canzone’s at-bat was earlier, this at-bat from Young is my Play of the Day. Tolle threw him the same pitch twice, the four-seamer on the plate, and Young took the first one for a strike, but was ready for it the second time he saw it, while working the count at-bat in between those two pitches; on pitch eight, he scalded an opposite field single right past a diving Marcelo Mayer.
The Mariners were able to scrape another run off Tolle in the sixth, when Julio Rodríguez led off with a single and was able to move to third on a mistake play where Mayer mishandled a routine-looking grounder from Refsnyder. Dominic Canzone brought Julio home on an RBI groundout, but at a cost, as he came up pulling at his hamstring after running to first and had to leave the game.
But three runs looked very robust next to Logan Gilbert’s outing. Aside from the fluky solo homer, Gilbert was never really in trouble on the mound today, and his few mistakes were quickly rectified: when he did give up a bad-luck base hit in the fourth, it was erased with a double play; a leadoff single in the fifth was erased thanks to a rare pickoff from Gilbert; and a leadoff walk in the sixth was again erased with a double play, this one courtesy of some strong defense from Canzone, who dove for a flyball and then doubled off Eaton, who erroneously ran too far off second.
“I feel very comfortable coming in and diving,” said Canzone, aiming to prove he’s the right man for the everyday right fielder job. “Going back is a little bit of a different story, but it felt pretty good today.”
Gilbert made it into the seventh, and he should have had two outs but Josh Naylor mishandled the throw on a routine groundout, causing poor Logan to take a tumble past first base (because Josh Naylor likes to be oppositionally defiant and refused to join the parade of Lefties Doing Good Things). With one on and one out, Gabe Speier came in to face the lefty Jarren Duran and struck him out on some high and inside heat, but righty Caleb Durbin was able to get to a 97 mph sinker on the bottom right corner and laced it into left for a double. The Red Sox pinch hit righty Andruw Monasterio for the lefty Mayer and Speier excommunicated Monasterio on three straight pitches – 98.1, 97.8., and 97.1 mph respectively, with two of those setting new season highs in velocity for Speier. Eduard Bazardo pitched a clean 1-2-3 inning in the eighth to move the game right along to the ninth.
It’s been a while since Andrés Muñoz has looked right, and he wasn’t perfect today, allowing a single to the second hitter he faced, but he was able to quell any Red Sox threat in the ninth and deliver his 13th save of the season. Encouragingly, Muñoz’s stuff was up a tick: he averaged 99.9 mph on his heater, touching as high as 101.1, and 88.3 on the slider, which tempted swings on back-to-back strikeouts from Contreras and Duran to end the game and seal the victory.
Happy Andrés, happy Cal, happy Logan, happy dance, happy fans in a sellout crowd, the third straight sellout of the weekend. This team still faces injury issues and roster construction questions, but for today, at least, all is right in Mariners-land.
The Florida Panthers sent shockwaves across the NHL on Sunday when they acquired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
Adding Tkachuk to Florida’s already deep and skilled roster puts them squarely back into place as one of the league’s elite teams and Stanley Cup contenders.
There is still one glaring hole on the roster that needs to be filled, though, and it comes at perhaps the most important position in hockey.
Of course, we’re talking about the goaltender.
At the moment, the Panthers do not have any NHL goalies signed for the 2026-27 season.
That will change in the coming days and weeks, but after acquiring Tkachuk, it puts Florida in a more precarious spot in terms of the amount of money they have to spend on their goaltending.
With longtime Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and the two sides reportedly far apart on contract negotiations, Florida General Manager Bill Zito may have to look outside the organization to fill the team’s need.
The good thing for Zito is that he’s got an ace up his sleeve: Florida’s Goaltending Excellence Department.
Headed by Roberto Luongo, Florida’s goalie guild has helped the team find several solid tendies who have either played well in the team’s systems or turned into a valuable trade asset, including Alex Lyon, Anthony Stolarz, Devon Levi, Vitek Vanecek and Daniil Tarasov.
They also targeted Brandon Bussi last summer, but the Panthers lost him to the Carolina Hurricanes after trying to sneak him to AHL Charlotte on waivers.
So what will Zito and his goalie experts choose to do with the team’s need between the pipes and relatively limited resources?
It’s been widely reported that a pair of high-end netminders may be available by trade: the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck and St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington.
Hellebuyck’s contract pays him an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million through 2030-31 and Binnington makes a $6 million AAV, though he’s entering the final year of his deal.
After using their first-round picks to acquire Tkachuk, it’s unlikely the Panthers would be willing to part with the kind of NHL-level assts it would take to pry Hellebuyck away from Winnipeg.
Depending on the price, Binnington may be a possibility, though Florida would likely need to shed some additional salary in order to leave room for any addition depth adds or call-ups, and/or have St. Louis retain some of his salary.
Another potential trade target that would be more in-line with a team looking for a bargain in goal could be Devin Cooley of the Calgary Flames.
In addition to being Calgary’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy last season, the 29-year-old enjoyed his longest stretch in the NHL of his career, posting a 2.69 goals against average and .909 save percentage for a Flames team that wasn’t particularly good defensively.
Cooley also features the kind of size (6-foot-5, 192 pounds) and agility that Florida has appeared to target when shopping for goalies, and he makes a very reasonable $1.35 million AAV through the 2027-28 season.
There is also the likelihood that the Panthers take a good look at this year’s class of expiring contracts, with several interesting names set to hit free agency, including the aforementioned Vanecek and Tarasov.
Don’t be surprised to see Florida take a good look at another familiar name who will be looking for a new contract on July 1 in former Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner.
Aside from his playoff experience and reputation as a positionally sound goaltender who moves well laterally for someone with his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds), Skinner would also likely come on the inexpensive side.
If Florida’s goalie guild signs off on Skinner or Cooley or any other goaltender’s ability to perform, the way they had previously with Vanecek and Tarasov, it would make sense that a Panthers team operating at full strength would be comfortable with either of those gentlemen stopping pucks for the Cats.
It would also allow Zito and his staff some additional financial flexibility under the cap, which is never a bad thing.
We’ll see how things play out over the next week, as the NHL Draft is set for Friday and Saturday in Buffalo, and free agency set to open four days later on July 1.
Photo caption: Nov 22, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) defends his net against Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Fifteen-year-old cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stunned with the fastest half-century in List A history, smashing the milestone in just 11 balls on Sunday.
Jun 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) hits a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The Orioles entered today’s series finale against the Dodgers fresh off a pair of late-inning affairs. Wisely, the Birds decided not to leave anything to chance this afternoon. Baltimore scored in each of the first four innings and kept its foot on the gas for the remainder of the contest.
The Dodgers put together rallies in the ninth inning on Friday and Saturday. Today, they sent a position player to the mound for the final frame. The Orioles topped Los Angeles 12-1 to secure a series victory at Dodger stadium.
Baltimore tallied 15 hits and scored double digit runs for the first time since June 5. Colton Cowser and Blaze Alexander both finished 3-for-5 with a homer, and the Birds added long balls from Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso. The laugher allowed the Orioles to empty the bench with Sam Huff and Michael Siani getting some run, while Grant Wolfram and Keegan Akin spared an overworked bullpen.
The number 12 jumps off the page, but Brandon Young did his part to earn the victory. Both Young and Los Angeles’ starter Emmet Sheehan saw their pitch count climb early in the contest, but only Young was able to keep the traffic from reaching home plate
Baltimore got things started with a single, a double, and a walk by its first three hitters. Samuel Basallo drove in the first run of the game with an single up the middle, and Cowser drove in another with a bloop single to left. The Birds nearly struck for more, but Coby Mayo failed to check is swing with the bases loaded and the count full. Alonso failed to get a good read on Cowser’s single, and the first baseman remained at third when Alexander popped out to end the inning.
Briefly, it felt like the missed opportunity could come back to hurt the Orioles. Young walked Shohei Ohtani in his first at bat. The MVP advanced to second on a single by Freddie Freeman and came around to score on a two-out single by Max Muncy. Young failed to deliver a true shutdown inning in the first, but he preserved the lead by retiring Kyle Tucker to leave a man in scoring position.
Taylor Ward doubled the lead with a solo shot in the second. Young walked Alex Freeland and gave up a single to Ohtani in the bottom half, but he struck out Andy Pages to post his first zero of the day.
Young went on to post three more donuts. He limited Los Angeles to a single in the third and a double in the fifth. He needed 95 pitches to do it, but he completed five frames to put himself in position for his sixth win of the season.
The Birds tacked on two more in the fourth. Ward, Alonso and Mayo all walked to give Cowser an opportunity with two outs and the bases juiced. The Milk Man muscled a base hit up the middle against lefty reliever Jack Dreyer, and the Orioles led 6-1.
Fans couldn’t quite relax with a five-run lead after six, but the Orioles allowed all the dads out there to recline and start to doze after a four-run seventh. Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson both doubled to plate the seventh run. The Dodgers walked Henderson to setup a force against Alonso, and the veteran stepped to the plate with bad intentions. Alonso launched a towering fly to right center to give Baltimore its eighth, ninth, and tenth runs of the day.
Leody Taveras tripled in the eighth inning, and Alexander capped an impressive day with a two-run blast off of former Oriole Chayce McDermott.
Wolfram and Akin combined for four hitless innings to bring the game to a close.
It’s crazy to think that the Orioles were one bad inning away from sweeping the World Series favorites in their building. The team should take some confidence from today’s result, and the O’s will look to inch closer to the .500 mark tomorrow against the last place Angels.
Young kept the Orioles afloat while the game was still up for grabs. Alexander and Cowser both delivered big time performances at the dish, and Alonso’s big fly provided the explanation point. Who is your pick for the Most Birdland Player of the Day? Let us know in the comments below.
TCU baseball has nabbed UW-Milwaukee transfer Dominic Kibler, who slashed an impressive .300/.451/.537 with 61 hits, 13 doubles, 11 home runs and 60 RBIs during his junior season with the Panthers in 2026. Kibler stole 13 bases, drew 43 walks and started all 60 of his team’s games this spring. The left-handed-batting, right-handed-throwing junior had previously played at Kent State, where he made 59 starts and played in 73 games.
Frogs pickup a commit from Milwaukee C/OF @D_Kibbs per his Instagram
– Kibler slashed .300/.451/.537 in a very impressive season for Milwaukee baseball pic.twitter.com/Fhweywdgxx
As a freshman at Kent State in 2024, Kibler started 40 games and posted seven doubles, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 19 runs and a .376 on-base percentage. The following season, Kibler made 19 starts hit .203 and hit six home runs with 28 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .402, scored 18 runs and stole a base in 2025.
The addition of Kibler, a New Berlin, Wisconsin native, continues a nice run of position players for the Horned Frogs, who’ve added Midland College teammates Bammer Maes and Caleb Eagar as well as Coastal Carolina’s Trace Mazon, Mississippi State’s James Nunnallee and Flagler College’s George Gilson.
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 20: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Truist Park on June 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This’ll be another quick opening in the series recap department since we’ve got another rain-shortened series recap that fell through the cracks. It’s also very similar to last week’s rain-shortened recap to where it was pretty miserable to sit through as a fan. The Atlanta Braves continued their skid by looking flat for the majority of the doubleheader against the Giants. It would’ve been reasonable to expect disaster against the NL Central-leading Brewers but baseball has a funny way of being unpredictable, doesn’t it? Let’s get into the action.
When this game started in a downpour on Tuesday, Drake Baldwin hit the longest homer in MLB so far this season but the game ended up being suspended and restarted at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Baldwin’s two-run dinger was the high point as this ended up being a miserable afternoon tilt for Atlanta. The light-hitting Giants ended up hitting three balls over the fence in this one, which made my series prediction look pretty foolish. Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee went back-to-back in the fifth inning and then Willy Adames cracked one out to make it 6-2. It eventually ended 6-2 with the Braves largely staying quiet at the plate.
The nightcap provided largely more of the same, as the Giants hit another three dingers. Adames led off the second inning with his second homer of the day that made it a 2-0 game and then San Francisco went back-to-back for the second game in a row. This time, Bryce Eldridge and Luis Arraez (!!!) combined for the dingers and Eldridge’s homer was the fifth and final run that JR Ritchie would give up in five innings of work.
The Braves finally showed some life in the sixth inning with Austin Riley and Dominic Smith picking up RBIs but a two-RBI single in the ninth from Arraez off of Carlos Carrasco (who admirably tossed four innings in this one) proved to be the death knell. Atlanta did rally in the ninth for three runs (with two of those coming off of one swing from Mauricio Dubón) and the tying run was actually at the plate but Austin Riley could turn his good night at the plate (three hits) into a great night. He struck out swinging to end the game as the Braves had to suffer the ignominy of dropping two games in one day to a Giants squad that went on to get swept by the Marlins over the weekend. Yikes!
Considering the run of form that the Braves were in heading into this series, Atlanta’s chances against early Cy Young candidate Jacob Misiorowski looked extremely bleak. Sure enough, the first five innings of this game went about as you’d expect as the Braves had very little success against the Miz. A second-inning rally came and went without a run scored and it surely felt like Atlanta was about to suffer a similar fate to what happened to the Phillies during Misiorowski’s last start.
Then the sixth inning rolled around and Mauricio Dubón got a chance with the bases loaded and two outs. Whatever two-out magic Dubón has going on ended up trumping Miz’s dominance as Dubie somehow kept up with a 101-mph heater inside and pulled it into left for a two-RBI single that gave the Braves the lead. As if being relieved not to be seeing absurd heaters all night, Mike Yastrzemski then followed that up with a leadoff homer in the seventh off of Abner Uribe on a hanger that gave Atlanta a two-run lead.
Martín Pérez may not have been bringing the heat, himself, but he still delivered another six strong innings and was actually in line for the pitcher win — which was a feat considering who his opposition was on this night. The high-leverage bullpen arms held steady and it was time for Raisel Iglesias to close things out. Yaz’s homer ended up being extremely valuable as the Brewers rallied in the ninth with a one-out walk and a double. Iggy had seemingly given up the game-tying hit right after Jackson Chourio’s double but Eli White came up with a huge throw home on a hit from Brice Turang that saw Chourio get tagged out at the plate. Instead of tying things up, the Brewers had to watch as Raisel Iglesias struck out old friend William Contreras to give the Braves a sorely-needed win to get this series going.
This was looking like it was going to be yet another case of the Braves squandering a solid Chris Sale start — something that had been growing a bit too common for our liking around here. By the time Sale had left this one, he had struck out seven batters and only given up two runs through 5.2 innings. Those two runs were enough for Milwaukee. to be leading at the time, as Ozzie Albies was having an up-and-down game at the time. He had hit a homer in the fifth to put the Braves ahead but his poor decision-making in the field in the sixth had helped contribute to the Brewers taking the lead in the sixth.
In fact, it was 3-1 in the seventh after Jackson Chourio’s productive out gave Milwaukee a two-run lead. Fortunately, a productive out from Austin Riley after Brewers starter Kyle Harrison was finally chased from the game brought the Braves within a run, which set the stage for another fantastic finish in the ninth inning. Aaron Ashby struck out Drake Baldwin for the first run of the ninth and that ended up being the only out he’d get on his line for his appearance. With Matt Olson on first, Ozzie Albies came up to the plate and hit a deep fly ball that hung in the sky similarly to his first dinger of the day. Sure enough, it stayed fair and hung up in the air long enough to make it into the Chop House for a walk-off homer — ensuring that the Braves ended up snatching a series win seemingly out of thin air.
Unfortunately, I think the chariot has turned into a pumpkin as far as Bryce Elder is concerned. In his past six starts dating back to May 16, Elder’s ERA- heading into this game was 127 and his FIP- was 118. For comparison’s sake, he had an ERA- of 43 and a FIP- of 75 in the nine starts before that date. Those recent numbers are going to look a lot worse now after Elder got lit up for eight runs (8!) in the second inning of this game, alone. Milwaukee went single-single-ground out-double-ground out-double-walk-single-single-three run homer-strikeout against Elder in the second game and that was basically it as far as the result was concerned.
Atlanta actually had a 1-0 lead after the first inning after Ozzie Albies hit a sacrifice fly to put the Braves ahead early but that ended up being the peak for the home team in this one. Atlanta did get on the board later on thanks to a pair of newcomers — Joey Bart picked up his first RBI as a member of the Braves with a productive out that brought in Michael Harris II following a leadoff double in the fourth inning and then Rowdy Tellez lit up the crowd with a two-run shot in the ninth inning that brought us to the final score of 9-4. Interestingly enough, Elder still ended up going six innings and Reynaldo López dusted off the final three innings with just one run allowed so the rest of the bullpen did catch a bit of a break in this one. Other than that, an impressive series win ended on a downer. C’est la vie.
This week really did serve as another example of just how unpredictable baseball can be. The Braves had just got done playing through (what will hopefully be) their worst stretch of baseball all season with a very dangerous foe looming in the horizon. As it turned out, we another example of the resiliency and never-say-die attitude of this ballclub as they apparently used the rainout on Thursday to wash away the past three series before rising to the occasion against a Brewers team that looked primed to do some serious damage this weekend. The imposing 1-2 punch of Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison cast a large shadow on this weekend’s series.
Instead of rolling over, the Braves rose up and pulled off two of their most exciting finishes of the season. Credit has to be given to Martín Pérez for coming up huge on the mound on Friday and the rest of the pitching staff essentially kept the Brewers at bay for large parts of this series. Bryce Elder’s wobble was the only real slip-up during the Milwaukee series, as the results were otherwise outstanding for the Braves against a potent Milwaukee lineup. It wasn’t like this was easy for the Braves, either — both of the wins came in dramatic fashion and could’ve gone either way. Instead, Mauricio Dubón continued to come up big in clutch situations, Eli White is proving to be an extremely valuable role player any time he gets to take the field and Ozzie Albies has continued to bounce back following two rough seasons in ‘24 and ‘25.
There is potential for a slip-up, though. West Coast trips are always tricky for the Braves — particularly when they go to California, which is where the Padres and Giants await. The Padres have definitely slowed down a bit but that team is still one that should be taken seriously and hopefully the Braves will be looking to set the record straight once they head over to the Bay Area for a series. Hopefully, we’ll see more of what we saw from Atlanta during the Brewers series and if that’s the case, this could be a very productive trip to California for the Braves. For now, sometimes you just have to play your way through a funk and the Braves did so with the series win over the Brewers.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 21: Emmet Sheehan #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a mound visit with Chuckie Robinson #52 during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After five consecutive one-run games, the Dodgers on Sunday closed out the homestand with a literal one-run game on offense. Unfortunately for them, the Baltimore Orioles scored a dozen runs, romping through Los Angeles in a 12-1 victory.
Emmet Sheehan allowed half of those 12 runs while recording only 10 outs. The big blows were solo home runs by Taylor Ward and Colton Cowser.
Relievers Jonathan Hernández and Chayce McDermott also each allowed a home run and combined to allow the other six runs.
Not much else to say about this one, other than it’s the first time the Dodgers lost consecutive games since May 9-12.
Sunday particulars
Home runs: Taylor Ward (4), Colton Cowser (8), Pete Alonso (18), Blaze Alexander (3)
The Dodgers continue their dalliance with the American League, heading to Minneapolis to face the Twins beginning Monday night (4:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), the fourth consecutive interleague foe for Los Angeles. Left-hander Eric Lauer starts on the mound for the Dodgers in the series opener.
Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan delivers during the third inning of a 12-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
An eye-watering, cough-inducing thick stench of burning plastic permeated Dodger Stadium on Sunday morning. The smoke from the Boyle Heights warehouse fire had spread into every crevice and corner of the facility, inescapable despite the masks handed out to staff.
“It’s a little dark out there, little Gotham City when I was driving up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Major League Baseball approved the Father’s Day game to be played, according to Roberts. Still, the ominous atmosphere was hard to miss. When rolling up Vin Scully Avenue, a white smoke hung like a curtain behind the small hills on the other side of outfield walls, obscuring the normally scenic view of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Smoke from a structure fire in nearby Boyle Heights shrouds Dodger Stadium before Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Perhaps that should’ve been the first sign things wouldn’t go as planned for the Dodgers, who lost 12-1 to the Orioles. The loss marked the first time the Dodgers (49-29) have lost consecutive games since May 12.
“It just wasn’t a great start for our team, and offensively we weren’t very good,” Roberts said. “Feel fortunate we won a game this series.”
By the time Emmet Sheehan took the mound, the smell had diluted, and the sunshine broke through the haze. The 26-year-old hasn’t won in more than a month, despite what at the time appeared to be a bounce-back performance against the Chicago White Sox last week. Sheehan lasted 3 1/3 innings against Baltimore, none particularly worse than the first.
Sheehan (3-5) loaded the bases, and Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo put Baltimore (37-42) on the scoreboard with a softly hit ball that split first baseman Freddie Freeman and right fielder Kyle Tucker. A two-out single by Colton Cowser put the Orioles up by two. With the bases loaded, Sheehan worked out of trouble with two strikeouts and a pop out. But the inning cost him four hits and nearly 30 pitches.
“At this point, my coaches, my teammates deserve better,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan struggled the most with his slider. Normally, the pitch elicits about a 43% chase rate, though against Baltimore it plummeted to 18%. The nosedive, mainly caused by his inability to throw the slider in the zone, made his other pitches look less competitive, and the Orioles started connecting with his fastball. He gave up two home runs on the pitch to Taylor Ward in the second and Cowser in the third.
“He wasn’t sharp,” Roberts said. “The slider wasn’t in the zone, they were seeing him well, he wasn’t efficient.”
Meanwhile, Max Muncy drove in the Dodgers’ only run in the first with a line drive to left field. Shohei Ohtani, who had reached first on a walk and took second on Freeman’s single, slid home as the throw came in. However, the ball bounced off Basallo’s gear and ricocheted away from the plate.
Baltimore's Pete Alonso scores after beating a throw to Dodgers catcher Chuckie Robinson during the fourth inning Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Orioles scored runs in four consecutive innings before Edgardo Henriquez threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. The team tacked on four runs in the seventh, when, with a man on, the Dodgers reliever Jonathan Hernández intentionally walked Gunnar Henderson, who had gone two for four. He then threw a belt-high sinker down the middle of the plate that Pete Alonso smashed into the right-field bleachers for a three-run homer. Hernández could only watch the ball soar, hunched over.
Blaze Alexander hit a two-run homer in the eighth. But position-player pitcher Miguel Rojas dealt a 1-2-3 ninth inning, one of the team’s three innings it held the Orioles scoreless. By then, the skies had cleared enough for the faint outline of the San Gabriel Mountains to appear. The Dodgers, though, finished the game as uncompetitive as it had started.
“It’s everywhere in baseball, to be quite honest, but my concern is our team,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ recent performances. “I don’t know the answer. It happens sporadically with all teams.”
Catcher Will Smith will not travel with the team this week as they take on the Twins and the Padres, Roberts said before the game. Smith is expected to participate in some baseball activities and will have a better estimate of his return depending on how he feels after.
Teoscar Hernández is slated to play in a rehab assignment Tuesday with the triple-A Oklahoma City Comets before joining the team for its final June series against the Athletics.
Reliever Blake Treinen, on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, got some good news. The MRI did not show any structural damage, only inflammation that Roberts attributed to the wear and tear of the season. “I don’t think it’ll be a long thing,” Roberts said. “Obviously, he’s on the IL, so it’s going to be two weeks, but hopefully it’s not much more beyond that.”
Knoxville Smokies pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (41) pitches during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 3, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Pelicans right-hander Edwardo Melendez was activated off the Development List.
South Bend left-hander Ethan Flanagan was activated off the Development List.
Brooks Caple started and took the loss after surrendering five runs on six hits over four innings. Four of those runs came in the top of the first inning. Caple walked three and struck out five.
Third baseman Devin Ortiz hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, his third of the season. Ortiz went 1 for 4.
Center fielder Carter Trice was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. He scored on Ortiz’s home run.
The Ortiz home run.
Devin Ortiz muscles his third homer of the season out to dead center field 😳
Jaxon Wiggins started this game on a rehab assignment. He allowed one hit—a solo home run to lead off the second inning—over 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three.
The loss went to Ethan Flanagan, who pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth inning. But then he came out for the seventh inning and gave up three runs. Flanagan’s final line was three runs on five hits over three innings. He struck out four and walked no one.
South Bend managed just five hits. DH Kane Kepley was 2 for 2 with an RBI double, a walk. and he was hit by a pitch.
Braylon Myers started and got the win. He made pretty much one mistake, a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Other than that, his final line was two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked no one.
Daniel Avitia pitched the next three innings without allowing a run. Avitia gave up one hit, walked three and struck out four.
Catcher Logan Poteet homered for the third-straight game and for the 13th time this year. It was a solo home run in the fourth. Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored three times.
First baseman Michael Carico hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, his seventh on the year. Carico was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.
DH Edward Vargas was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and an RBI infield single in the fifth inning. He also scored one run.
Left fielder Darlyn De Leon went 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Poteet
Shortstop Derniche Valdez was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.
In a stunning move on Sunday, June 21, the NHL team that just had its two-time defending champion status revoked reloaded in a big way.
The Florida Panthers, who missed the Stanley Cup playoffs this past season in a year riddled with injuries, have reportedly traded for Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, uniting him with his brother Matthew — undoubtedly a special Father's Day gift for their dad Keith, a U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer.
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk won gold together at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina in a stunning upset of Canada.
The Senators will reportedly receive a plethora of picks in the blockbuster deal, including two in the upcoming NHL draft.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the return is the No. 9 and No 25 picks in the 2026 NHL draft — the latter of which was acquired earlier on June 21 by trading Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken — a 2029 first-round pick and a second in 2030. Tkachuk waived his no movement clause to allow the deal to happen.
Per reports from the Ottawa Citizen, Tkachuk had indicated to the Senators he would not re-sign in Ottawa when his contract expires in two years, upping the urgency to make a move. It's the second time in the past 12 months an American player muscled his way off a Canadian roster, with Quinn Hughes doing something similar with the Vancouver Canucks partway through the 2025-26 season when he was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
The Senators did not get any players in dealing Tkachuk, instead landing two first-round picks in the 2026 NHL entry draft (Nos. 9 and 25 overall), a first-round pick in 2029, and a second-round pick in 2030.
Brady Tkachuk contract
Tkachuk is on the back end of a seven-year, $57.5 million contract with an AAV of $8.2 million. He has two years remaining on the deal and is anticipated to become a free agent in the 2028 offseason unless he signs an extension with the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk, for his part, is on the fifth year of an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million AAV), and is slated to become a free agent in 2030.
Brady Tkachuk stats
Tkachuk, who has served as Senators captain since 2021, logged 59 points last season with 22 goals and 37 assists. He played in 60 games, the lowest total in a full season in his career, and had 221 shots with a shot percentage of 10%.
In his career, Tkachuk has scored 213 goals and has 250 assists. He has spent his entire career in Ottawa to date and leaves with the fourth-most goals in Senators history.
Jun 21, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Sterlin Thompson (30) RBI singles n the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Coming into Sunday’s afternoon game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies were looking to finish the sweep after Friday and Saturday night wins in games that had, well, stressful conclusions. The hope on Sunday was to finish the job in a less-dramatic fashion.
That did not happen as the Rockies bats stayed quiet early while the Pirates offense cranked up the volume on Rockies pitching, and a late-game rally wasn’t enough.
In the end, the Pirates avoided the sweep with a 8-6 win.
Although the Rockies lost the game, they did win the series, their seventh series win of 2026.
The Rockies offense arrived fashionably late — too late
Things began to get serious in the second inning when the Rockies loaded the bases, starting with a leadoff single from Tyler Freeman followed by two walks issued by Jared Jones. A Sterlin Thompson force out got the run home while sending Edouard Julien to the dugout. Still, the Rockies had a one-run lead with two on and just one out.
However, following that, Kyle Karros struck out, and Brett Sullivan flied to center, ending the threat.
Starter Jared Jones left the game after three innings and 45 pitches (28 for strikes). He left after being struck on the right elbow by a comebacker. His final line was one run (earned) on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. Jones’ ERA is 5.75.
The Pirates answered back in the fourth inning. After Bryan Reynolds hit a lead0ff double, Nick Gonzales finished the job with a homer, and the score was 2-1 Pirates.
The Pirates extended their lead in the fifth when a Jake Mangum double brought home Tyler Callahan, giving the visiting team a 3-1 lead.
As for the Rockies, they were unable to figure out Yohan Ramírez and continued scoreless into the sixth.
In the sixth inning, RHP Juan Mejia entered the game in relief of Lorenzen with one out and runners at the corners. He allowed a single that gave Gonzales an opportunity to score, but a gorgeous throw from right fielder Tyler Freeman to third baseman Kyle Karros gave the Rockies their second out of the sixth. Jake Mangum hit an RBI double that made the score 5-1 Pirates as the top of the sixth ended.
Things got worse in the seventh as Mejia stayed in for a second inning of work. He surrendered two singles to Spencer Horowitz and Brandon Lowe before Bryan Reynolds went yard to make the score 8-1 Pirates.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Rockies showed some offensive life with a Cole Carrigg leadoff single — the Rockies first hit since the second inning. Julien followed that with another single. But even with three outs remaining, the Rockies were unable to capitalize.
The Rockies tried to rally again against Pirates reliever Dennis Santana in the eighth with a Jake McCarthy lead-off single followed a Will Castro single that moved McCarthy to third with no outs. And then TJ Rumfield hit a 387 ft. home run (12) to make the score 8-4.
That was Rumfield’s fifth homer run in his last 11 games.
Gregory Soto came in to close for the Pirates.
Tension was high in Coors Field as Braxton Fulford kicked off the inning with a leadoff walk. Kyle Karros, who had struck out three times, smacked a double to score Fulford, making the score 8-5.
At that point, Schaeffer sent in catcher Hunter Goodman, who had an off-day, to hit. But he struck out, turning over the order with Karros surveying the scene from second with one out.
And then things got interesting.
McCarthy got on base with a single, E4, no RBI, which scored Karros. At that point, the Pirates lead was 8-6 with one out.
However, Willi Castro hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and the game.
The Pirates finished the day with eight runs (earned) on 13 hits, which were spread out across the Pirates lineup. They walked once and struck out five times.
As for the Rockies, they had six runs (five earned) on eight hits. They struck out 10 times compared to four walks.
“It just wasn’t our done on offense,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game.
Michael Lorenzen struggled through
For starter Michel Lorenzen, it was another day of trying to find his footing. Although he kept the Rockies in the game through five innings, things began to skid in the sixth.
He left the game after 5.1 IP on 90 pitches, 57 for strikes. He give up four runs (all earned) on seven hits. In addition, he walked one and struck out six.
“I thought Mike was good,” Schaeffer said. ”I thought that was another building block for him. I thought he pitched very well. He was efficient. He got ahead in counts.“
The bullpen was uneven
Juan Mejia, who entered the game in the sixth inning, went 1.2 IP allowing four runs on give hits. He neither walked nor struck out a batter. Mejia’s current ERA is 6.95.
The eighth and ninth innings went to reliever John Beribbia, whose contract the Rockies had selected earlier in the day. He saw traffic but no runs. Brebbia’s final line was 2.0 IP with one hit, no walks, and one strikeout.
Of Brebbia, Schaeffer said, “He’s efficient. He throws strikes. He’s a veteran that’s not scared of anything.”
Painful fact of the day
Tyler Freeman was HBP for the 12th time this season. He is fourth in MLB in that category.
(Shoutout to Eli Whitney for doing the research on this one.)
Up next
Tomorrow, the Colorado Rockies (30-48) will welcome the Boston Red Sox (31-43) to Coors Field for a three-game stand.
Jake Bennett will take the mound for the Red Sox while Ryan Feltner will start for the Rockies.
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