Category: Baseball

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (33-31)

BUFFALO 7, SYRACUSE 2 / 6 (BOX)

Syracuse initially kept pace with the Herd, but Buffalo began pulling away in the middle innings; with a good two months plus into the season, it is beginning to look more and more apparent that the tinkering the Mets have made with Jonah Tong has made him a worse pitcher than he was last season, so here’s hoping this experiment comes to an end sooner rather than later. It started raining hard in the sixth and the game was delayed, and then eventually ended early; in my mind, no question: Syracuse would’ve come from behind to take this one if given the chance and it would’ve been an epic walk-off win that would’ve been the impetus of a ten game winning streak that would’ve bumped Rochester out of first place.

 ·  CF Nick Morabito: 0-3, K

·  LF Ji Hwan Bae: 2-3, R, K, SB (21), CS (4)

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 2-3, RBI

·  1B Ryan Clifford: 0-2

·  DH Yonny Hernández: 0-2

·  SS Grae Kessinger: 0-2

·  RF Cristian Pache: 1-2

·  2B Jackson Cluff: 0-2

·  C Kevin Parada: 1-2, R, HR (1), RBI, K

·  RHP Jonah Tong: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, WP, HBP, L (1-4)

·  RHP Daniel Duarte: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Zach Peek: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned C Hayden Senger to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated 3B Grae Kessinger from the 60-day injured list.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (23-35)

SOMERSET 10, BINGHAMTON 2 (BOX)

Binghamton’s modest little five-game winning streak came to an end, falling in game one of the Double-A Subway Series in a laughter. Binghamton had the initial lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first on a Jose Ramirez single, but the Patriots took over in the fourth thanks to the Rumble Ponies’ own carelessness, taking the lead on a wild pitch and adding an insurance run on an error. They continued piling on and piling on, while the Binghamton bats forgot how to hit.

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (18), E (8)

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 1-3, R, BB, K, SB (12)

·  CF Eli Serrano III: 0-4, 2 K

·  RF Jose Ramos: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

·  2B Nick Lorusso: 0-4, 2 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 0-4

·  DH Vincent Perozo: 0-4, 3 K

·  LF Jaylen Palmer: 0-2, BB, K, SB (6)

·  SS Wyatt Young: 0-2, BB, K, E (3)

·  RHP R.J. Gordon: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, E (3)

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Dan Hammer: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, WP

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, WP

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (22-35)

FREDERICK 3, BROOKLYN 0 (BOX)

Jose Chirinos had a strong start, allowing three runs over six innings, allowing four hits and walking three while striking out ten, but it wasn’t good enough to avoid getting tagged as a hard luck loser. The Brooklyn bats were mostly shut down, managing only six baserunners on three singles, a double, a walk, and a hit batsman.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 0-4, K

·  CF John Bay: 1-3, K, HBP, SB (15), CS (3)

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 1-4, 2 K

·  DH Corey Collins: 1-3, BB

·  3B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-3

·  RF JT Benson: 1-3, 2B, K

·  2B Colin Houck: 0-3, K

·  LF Trace Willhoite: 0-3, 3 K

·  RHP Jose Chirinos: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, L (0-1)

·  RHP Danis Correa: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Danis Correa assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (26-32)

ST. LUCIE 7, PALM BEACH 0 (BOX)

For six-and-two-things inning, Cam Tilly was phenomenal. Not perfect, but pretty close, walking three and striking out four while not allowing a hit. He ran into some trouble in the seventh, walking a pair of batters and was replaced by Elwis Mijares, who wiggled out of trouble, inducing a flyball and groundball to end the inning. Mijares pitched a clean eighth and ran into a little trouble himself in the ninth, but once again got out of trouble, completing the no-hitter, the second in the Florida State League this year and the ninth in all of Minor League Baseball. For St. Lucie themselves, it was the franchise’s first no-hitter, and for the Palm Beach Cardinals, it was the first time ever that they got no-hit.

·  SS Elian Peña: 0-3, 3 R, BB, K, HBP, SB (19), E (11)

·  CF Trey Snyder: 1-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, K

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-4, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, BB, K

·  LF Yohairo Cuevas: 2-4, RBI, HBP

·  1B Julio Zayas: 1-5, RBI, K, E (4)

·  C Chase Meggers: 0-5, 3 K

·  2B Branny De Oleo: 0-4

·  DH Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, 2 K

·  RF Simon Juan: 2-4, R, 2B, K

·  RHP Cam Tilly: 6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W (3-2)

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Caden Wooster assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: C Jack Scanlon assigned to St. Lucie Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (11-14)

FCL NATIONALS 17, FCL METS 1 (BOX)

·  CF Bohan Adderley: 2-4, 2B, K, CS (1)

·  DH Josmir Reyes: 0-2, R, BB, K, SB (4)

·  1B Roybert Herrera: 1-3, K

·  C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-2, RBI, K, HBP

·  2B Anthony Frobose: 0-3, 3 K

·  RF Heriberto Rincon: 1-3

·  SS Vladi Gomez: 0-3, E (3), CS (2)

·  3B Diover De Aza: 1-3, 2B

·  LF Adolfo Miranda: 0-3, 2 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Ethan Lanthier: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Julio Gonzalez: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, L (0-3)

·  LHP Wilmer Lugo: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 HBP

·  RHP John Valle: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, E (1)

·  LHP Luis Sotillo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HBP

·  RHP Jun-Seok Shim: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, WP

ROSTER ALERT: SS Vladi Gomez assigned to FCL Mets from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets sent RHP Ethan Lanthier on a rehab assignment to FCL Mets.

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Cam Tilly & Elwis Mijares

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

The Brooklyn offense

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Frank Demaree, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1972 – Hank Aaron‘s grand slam helps the Atlanta Braves to a 15-3 rout of the Phillies. It is Aaron’s 649th home run, moving him ahead of Willie Mays into second place on the career list. It is also his 14th grand slam, tying Gil Hodges‘ National League record, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1892 – Though Baltimore fails to score after the 6th inning‚ the Orioles explode for 25 hits and swamp St. Louis, 25-4. Wilbert Robinson‚ Orioles catcher‚ goes 7 for 7‚ bats in 11 runs‚ then a major league record.
• 1935 – Paul Waner‚ Arky Vaughan‚ and Pep Young hit successive homers in the eighth inning off Benny Frey in the Pirates’ 14-1 win against the Reds.
• 1998 – Yankee OF Tim Raines steals the 800th base of his career in New York’s 6-2 win over the Expos. He is the fifth player in history to reach that milestone.
• 2006 – The Devil Rays beat the Royals, 9-5. Kansas City OF Reggie Sanders hits his 300th career home run to become the fifth player in major league history with 300 homers and 300 stolen bases. The others are Barry and Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson.
• 2023 – In only his fourth start since coming back from a serious shoulder injury that cost him the second half of last season, Kyle Hendricks takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Mitch Haniger hits a two-out double. Hendricks then retires the next batter and Julian Merryweather pitches the 9th inning to complete the Cubs’ 4-0 shutout win over the Giants, the first victory of the season for Hendricks.

Cubs Birthdays:Frank Demaree, Mike Kreevich. Also notable: Fred Hofmann HOF.

Today in history:

• 1692 – First victim of the Salem witch trials, Bridget Bishop, is hanged after being found guilty of witchcraft in the Colony of Massachusetts.
• 1752 – Benjamin Franklin tests the lightning conductor with his kite-flying experiment.
• 1845 – Andrew Jackson‘s African Grey parrot “Poll” is removed from his funeral for swearing at The Hermitage, Tennessee. Funeral attendee William Menefee Norment records: “Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house”.
• 1898 – US Marines land in Cuba during the Spanish–American War.
• 1933 – Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker flip their car into a ravine. Parker suffers serious third degree burns from the accident which would affect her for the rest of her life.
• 1933 – John Dillinger robs his first bank, taking $10,600 from the National Bank in New Carlisle, Ohio.
• 1991 – Final episode of David Lynch‘s “Twin Peaks” television series airs on ABC-TV.
• 2003 – The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission.
• 2007 – “The Sopranos” series finale on HBO (infamous “cut to black” ending).

Today in music history:

• 1964 –Rolling Stones record their “12×5” album at Chess Studios in Chicago, Illinois.
• 1966 –Janis Joplin plays her 1st live gig with Big Brother & The Holding Company, at Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
• 1966 – The Beatles release single “Paperback Writer” / “Rain” in UK; “Rain” featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out.
• 1966 – The Mamas & the Papas are awarded a gold record for “Monday, Monday”.
• 1972 – Elvis Presley records a live album at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
• 1972 – Sammy Davis Jr.‘s cover of “The Candy Man” by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (from the film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”) goes to #1 on the charts – his biggest single.
• 1976 – 67,000 fans attends Paul McCartney & Wings concert at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington

*pictured.

Note: the stats in this article were accurate through Monday; Pratt hit another homer on Tuesday.

When Cooper Pratt signed an eight-year, $50 million contract (with two lucrative option years) on April 3, a clock started. Pratt was no longer beholden to any concerns about team control, super two status, 40-man roster status, any of it. That’s all been sorted out.

This clock was for the players on the left side of the major league Milwaukee Brewers infield.

This was a known weakness coming into the season. When the Brewers traded Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler to Boston before the season, they opened up some holes. Despite offensive concerns, Joey Ortiz was still around to play shortstop, and Seigler, maybe, was never in the plan beyond providing some minor league depth. Monasterio played a utility role, and though he played that role nicely, David Hamilton, who came back in the trade, could probably make up for that loss.

The starting role at third base, though, was a question. Milwaukee’s minor league system is chock-full of tantalizing infield talent, but before the season started, all of Pratt, Jett Williams, Jesús Made, Luis Peña, and Andrew Fischer had a combined 151 plate appearances at Triple-A or higher. All of those belonged to Williams, and his OBP during that stretch was .285.

The problem

The kids weren’t quite ready, so Milwaukee made a move for a temporary solution: Luis Rengifo, a proven commodity, a 29-year-old with six years of MLB experience who was coming off a tough year but had a reasonable track record of success going back to 2022. It wasn’t unreasonable to think it would work fine for a year until someone showed they were ready for the big-league Brewers in 2027. My own analysis told me that Rengifo’s issue was less about hitting the ball hard than about needing to elevate the ball. If he could just hit more fly balls than line drives, he could turn back into a 15-homer guy and provide solid-enough offense for Milwaukee.

Well, it hasn’t happened. Rengifo’s exit velocities are largely in line with his career average, but the launch-angle aspect hasn’t come to fruition at all. There’s somebad luck in Rengifo’s season results: his BABIP is just .226, and his weighted on-base average (.243) is underperforming his expected number (.296) by more than 50 points.

But that xwOBA would still be the worst for Rengifo since he became a regular player in 2022. He has zero home runs. The doubles he was hitting at the beginning of the season have mostly dried up. What’s worse, arguably, is that he’s not offering any defensive value while all of this is happening. Rengifo, depending on whether you prefer looking at DRS or OAA, is either slightly above or slightly below average in the field. He’s passable, but he’s not good.

This might be an issue for the Brewers as a whole. I say “might be” because your preferred defensive stats will influence this conversation. By DRS, the Brewers rank eighth, which is actually a slight step above the 10th-place finish they had in 2025. But by Outs Above Average, Milwaukee, at -5, is 18th; they were thirdin 2025 at +33.

Rengifo is not solely responsible for that drop in OAA. Jake Bauers is way worse in 2026 than he was in 2025. Andrew Vaughn has flipped from +5 to -2. Sal Frelick has gone from one of the team’s best defenders (+7 in 2025, behind only Joey Ortiz) to neutral (0). David Hamilton weighs heavily on the Brewers’ OAA score — at -6, he’s the worst defender they’ve had in the last two years by this measurement. (This should be taken with a grain of salt, though; DRS quite likes Hamilton’s defense, and this accounts in large part for the Brewers’ gap between DRS and OAA).

The thing about all of those other guys (save for Frelick, who might be a discussion for a different time): they’re not all that easily replaceable. The Brewers need offense from Vaughn and Bauers. Hamilton is coming around offensively, offers a lot of value as a base runner, and the Brewers may very well believe that he’s a good defensive player (which wouldn’t be unreasonable at all).

The solution

In Pratt, the Brewers have a replacement.

Will he struggle when he gets the call? Probably. Pratt started the season badly at the plate, and he had just a 107 wRC+ at Double-A last season. But in his last 24 games, which covers exactly the last month, Pratt is hitting .301/398/.516 for a 143 wRC+. He’s striking out only 16.5% of the time and walking almost 13%. His wRC+ for the season was at 74 at the end of play on May 8; it’s now at 105.

And the thing about Pratt is that he could give the Brewers a huge defensive boost, not just because of his own ability but because of how the pieces would fall into place alongside him. His scouting grades give him a 60/60 fielding/arm score. People feel like he’s ready today to be plugged in at shortstop at the major league level. He might not be better than Ortiz, but he probably isn’t much worse.

My solution, then, would be to cut Rengifo, move Hamilton and Ortiz into a third-base platoon, and give Pratt the shortstop job. Hamilton is clearly better against right-handed pitching; Ortiz has reverse splits this season, but has been clearly better against left-handed pitching over the course of his career. If you believe DRS’s measure of Hamilton’s impact is more accurate than OAA’s, then you’ve vastly upgraded the defense at third base. A Hamilton/Ortiz platoon isn’t going to strike fear into opposing pitchers’ hearts, but it’s going to give you more than what Rengifo has this season.

Crucially, it paves the way for Pratt to play every day, which seems to be a major concern of management. It’ll probably be a struggle for a while at the plate, but when the guy being replaced has a 49 OPS+, I’m not all that worried about Pratt’s struggles. This is a rare move that works at two levels: it’s a pivot to the future, but it’s also a move that makes the team better today.

The case for haste

Look: I don’t like doing this. I’m acutely aware of the fact that baseball players are human beings, even if they are lavishly compensated for that work. I feel bad saying this. But the Brewers should cut their losses with Rengifo. They’re already on the hook for a $1.5 million buyout of a mutual option in 2027, and he has a clause in his contract that rewards him an extra $100,000 for every 50 plate appearance he makes at this point in the season (and more if he gets to 400+); that’s not a ton of savings, but there’s no reason Milwaukee should keep paying those bonuses. Rengifo is harming the team offensively, and he’s not helping on defense.

The Brewers are winning. That has afforded them time to wait and see if Rengifo turns it around. With the wins piling up, there’s no harm in that.

But there could be a form of harm later in the season, specifically in the postseason. It seems certain that at some point soon, the Brewers will need to come to the conclusion that Rengifo is not going to be who they want at the hot corner in a postseason series.

Maybe they think the answer is outside the organization. I’m skeptical. I haven’t really done my pre-deadline scan of the league yet, but I’m not expecting the Brewers to trade for a real difference maker at third base when they have the upcoming prospects that they have.

So if the answer is not coming from outside, that means it’s already here, and that means it’s either Pratt or Williams. Williams is struggling. Pratt is improving. The longer the Brewers wait, the less time Pratt will have to adjust to major league pitching, and the less prepared he’ll be for a potential postseason series. It’s time to make this happen.

A quick post-script

Given that Luis Lara signed a contract similar to Pratt’s after I had already done much of the research for this piece, I do feel it’s necessary to address his situation at least a little bit. Lara is now in line to come up to the big leagues if there’s any immediate need, but I don’t see it happening unless something else happens first. For one thing, Lara’s track record is far shorter than Pratt’s.

There’s also an issue of playing time. Garrett Mitchell has been good lately. Frelick hasn’t been, but he’s a favorite of the manager, and he was a three-WAR player last season and a Gold Glove winner the year before. Blake Perkins will be sent back to the minors as soon as Brandon Lockridge is ready to return, and if what Murphy said about Pratt is true — that they don’t want him in the big leagues unless he’s going to play regularly — then one would assume that would also be true of Lara, and he would thus not fill a soft-side platoon role in the majors. (Lara is also a switch-hitter, which complicates things; he’s better from the right side, so could conceivably do a loose platoon with Frelick.)

If Mitchell (or Jackson Chourio) gets hurt again, Lara will be up. If Frelick is still rocking a 70 OPS+ in August, then Lara will probably be up. But I think Mitchell and Frelick have earned some patience here that Rengifo has not, and this is why I’d make the Pratt move immediately and save Lara for later.

Batted ball luck, when going against the team you choose to root for, is the worst thing to watch. The Blue Jays had quite a bit of luck in that final frame against Jhoan Duran, but the guy was simply going to show a crack in the armor at some point.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Brandon Marsh has arrived. Be it against lefties, righties, he is having the season of his life. He’s worked very hard to get there ($).
• Hey, even though we do daily minor league recaps, you can still check out overall recaps on some of the bigger names.
• 6 pitchers in the game, including Aaron Nola, have improved their Stuff this year. Will results be following that improvement ($)?

MLB news:

• What would be the ideal Home Run Derby pool to have at Citizens Bank Park? Two Phillies are on the list.
• Speaking of All-Star Games predictions, how about the first round of predictions about who will be making the team?
• The White Sox are letting the fourth and final piece of the Garrett Crochet trade debut with the team this week.
• The Brewers are signing one of their top prospects to a pre-debut extension by giving Luis Lara seven guaranteed year.

Where would the Yankees be without Cody Bellinger? Even before the Aaron Judge injury, Bellinger was by far the Yankees’ third-most productive and perhaps the most consistent hitter at the plate. Now with Judge on the shelf for at least another month, the Yankees rely on Bellinger’s steady approach perhaps more than ever. On top of that, it is hard to name a hitter who has provided them more clutch hits this season, Monday night’s game-winning single in the 10th inning the latest example.

We join Bellinger with one out in the 10th, the score tied at five apiece. A one-out intentional walk of Ben Rice and an ABS-assisted walk of Max Schuemann have loaded the bases, placing automatic runner Ali Sánchez on third 90 feet away from scoring the go-ahead run. Bellinger lined a single up the middle in his last AB and faces a similar look in the 10th, Shawn Armstrong like Hunter Gaddis a righty reliever who leans on his mid-90s four-seamer.

True to form, Armstrong starts Bellinger with a first-pitch four-seamer at 95.

This is an excellent pitch from Armstrong, over the plate but elevated just above the zone. It’s a pitch that’s too close to take for Bellinger, who also appears to be hunting a first-pitch fastball that he can pull for power, and he fouls it back to the screen. The swing is on time, but just a little under the pitch.

After showing Bellinger a fastball that maintains its vertical plane and gets the chase and foul he was looking for, Armstrong switches to the sinker hoping to fool Bellinger with a pitch that has almost a foot more break down and away than the four-seamer.

Instead, he sails this sinker high and wide. The pitch looks like a ball out of his hand and never looks like a strike on its path toward home, making for a straightforward take from Bellinger.

Armstrong introduces another wrinkle with the 1-1 pitch, throwing his third different fastball in the cutter. The cutter come in about four mph slower than the four-seamer or sinker, but with late diving movement down and in.

Fortunately for Bellinger, the pitcher tugs this pitch badly and he has to maneuver out of the way to avoid being hit.

Given that he exhibited very little feel for the previous sinker and cutter, Armstong shelves those two pitches and sticks with the four-seamer for the rest of the encounter. Patrick Bailey flashes a similar target to the four-seamer Armstrong successfully executed above the zone first pitch.

It’s clear this is the only pitch Armstrong can command, and he nails his target centrally located over the plate but elevated above the hitting zone. Just like with the first pitch of the AB, Bellinger is right on time but can’t lift his barrel to match the four-seamer’s elevation and nicks a foul tip for strike two.

Now we get to see Bellinger’s two-strike approach, where he shortens his swing, lets the ball travel, and stays on his back side looking to shoot a base hit to the opposite side.

Bellinger’s superpower in these situations is his elite bat-to-ball that allows him to foul off pitchers’ pitches and stay alive until a mistake is made that he can jump on. Indeed, we see how he’s somehow able to get wood on this four-seamer that handcuffs him in off the plate and almost keeps it fair down the line in right for what would have plated at least two runs.

Bellinger finally seems to have figured out the movement profile of Armstrong’s four-seamer, getting a fatter piece of the bat to the previous pitch after previously swinging underneath for a foul to the screen and a foul tip. He should have no trouble finding the barrel should Armstrong give him something to hit.

That’s just what happens, Bellinger lining this four-seamer on the outer half through the hole on the left side to plate Sánchez and Rice as the go-ahead runs. Bellinger gets exactly one pitch in the zone in this encounter, and he makes sure he doesn’t miss it, that’s what I call clutch hitting.

Here’s the whole AB:

Bellinger has been an absolute godsend for the Yankees since re-upping over the winter, with Gold Glove defense in left field and a 138 wRC+ that places him in the top-30 qualified hitters league-wide. He put all facets of his offensive profile on display in this AB, including zone awareness, bat-to-ball skills, and two-strike hitting. The Yankees will continue to lean on the possible All-Star’s all-around contributions while awaiting Judge’s return further down the stretch.

BALTIMORE – J.P. Crawford has held the Seattle Mariners’ shortstop position for the past eight seasons and would prefer that continue, though is prepared for change.

Cole Young was selected in the first round by the Mariners in 2022 and moved quickly through the system to fill that position - until Seattle drafted a kid just down I-70 from him who turned out to be even better.

Colt Emerson is the one with certainty – in the form of an eight-year, $95 million contract, largest ever given a player before his major league debut – yet realizes unlocking his dream job long term requires soaking up the wisdom of those who came before him.

There is an undercurrent of humanity within what could be an awkward situation – three guys, one job – and it is the Mariners who are benefiting. The defending American League West champions were 23-27 after losing on May 17, the day they summoned Emerson for his major league debut.

They’ve since won 13 of 18 games, seized first place in the West and reestablished the World Series hopes that accompanied this season after they fell two innings shy of that goal in 2025.

Along the way, they’ve fully integrated two cogs of their future – Young and Emerson – into their present. Both are benefiting from Crawford, the clubhouse sage that many have described as the Mariners’ de facto captain.

“He’s an open book. And I’m really grateful for that,” Emerson, still just 20 years old, tells USA TODAY Sports. “Him showing us support and showing us the ropes and being accepting of me is everything I could ask for.

“It’s really good to have him on this team and have his support and as a teammate.”

Crawford, 31, is in the final year of a five-year, $51 million contract. Shortly after Emerson’s arrival, he professed his willingness to move to third base, taking grounders there and expressing his desire to be a “Mariner for life.”

Off-season machinations are still months away, and the club still has prized winter trade acquisition Brendan Donovan – currently on the injured list with a groin injury – under control for another season, though Donovan can play the outfield, as well.

For now, though, he’s a de facto piece of a Mariners development machine that seems to grow more impressive every year.

“It’s his ability to relate to me and to Colt as well,” says Young of Crawford. “He knows how hard it is once you get called up. All the emotions and thoughts that come with that. He does a really good job guiding us in that direction – whether it’s on- or off-field stuff.

“He’s such a good leader and I’m so thankful to have someone like that. He’s had a huge impact on me.”

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 5-2 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-4, RBI, K, SF
RF Jasson Domínguez 3-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, SB — excellent rehab appearance, and his first look at right field, where he could play with Aaron Judge out (only ball hit to him was a routine fly in the sunny second); the homer came on his typically weaker right-hitting swing
1B Seth Brown 0-0, BB
2B Marco Luciano 0-3, BB, 2 K, GIDP
CF Duke Ellis 0-1
LF Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, 2 K — very feast-or-famine day for Scranton hitters, as they had just two hits outside of Jasson, Waldo, and Ornelas
DH Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, K, CS
1B-3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, BB, K
3B-2B Jonathan Ornelas 4-4, 4 2B, RBI — double, double, toil and trouble
CF-RF Kenedy Corona 1-4, 2 K, SB
C Abrahan Gutierrez 0-2, BB
PH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-1, K
C Miguel Palma 0-0

Elmer Rodríguez 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K (win) — pitched into seventh, lowered Triple-A ERA to 2.74; sinker and fastball both averaged just over 95 mph
Carlos Lagrange 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K — second relief appearance since shift to bullpen, pretty good; averaged 100.6 mph on the fastball, though his slider and changeup generated more whiffs

Double-A Somerset Patriots: W, 10-2 vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies — Bartolo apparently threw the first pitch because lol why not

LF Jackson Castillo 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 K — socked a pair of late homers to help turn this into a laugher
RF Garrett Martin 0-3, 2 BB, K
1B Nicholas Torres 2-4, 2B, RBI
CF DJ Gladney 1-4, K, GIDP
3B Coby Morales 1-3, 2B, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia 2-4, 2B, RBI — tied game with his double in the fourth
2B Connor McGinnis 1-4, RBI, SB
SS Owen Cobb 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB
DH Cole Gabrielson 0-4, 3 K

Trent Sellers 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 6 K (win)
Michael Arias 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Chris Kean 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K — very effective relief from the Somerset bullpen, but especially Kean
Tony Rossi 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 5-0 vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws — Renegades pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout

3B Kaeden Kent 0-5, throwing error
SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2B, SB
1B Kyle West 1-4, HR, RBI, 2 K — eighth homer of 2026 doubled lead to 2-0 in the fifth and went off the batter’s eye
DH Eric Genther 1-3, BB
LF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, HR, RBI, K — like West, belted a solo shot; his dinger made it 3-0
2B Roderick Arias 2-4, 2B, SB — both he and Jackson are exactly 15-for-20 in steals
C Josue Gonzalez 2-4, RBI, SB, picked off
CF Camden Troyer 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Luis Durango 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, fielding error — plated final two runs with double in the eighth

Bryce Cunningham 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (win) — rebounded from some rough outings with his best start thus far
Andrew Landry 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K — struck out all three hitters he faced
Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K — and so did he!
Wilmy Sanchez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: W, 7-3 at Bradenton Marauders

3B Jackson Lovich 3-5 — three singles and a 105.6-mph lineout
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-5, RBI
RF Logan Maxwell 1-4, BB, RBI, GIDP
LF Luis Puello 1-4, BB, K
CF Willy Montero 1-4, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 K — hit bases-clearing double to give Tampa 3-0 lead in first
DH Ediel Rivera 2-4, 2B
C David McCann 0-3, RBI, SF, GIDP, passed ball
C Engelth Urena 0-0
1B Austin Green 0-3, BB, K
2B Luis Escudero 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, throwing error

Justin West 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 5 K
Greysen Carter 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (win) — 2024 fifth-rounder converted to bullpen this year averaged 97.7 mph on the fastball, with three over 100 and peaking at 101.2
Matthew Tippie 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HR
Parker Seay 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, HBP, balk
Pedro Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Florida Complex League Yankees: W, 6-5 vs. FCL Phillies — a 5-1 lead in the eighth vanished over the final couple frames with five unearned runs, oops

1B Richard Matic 2-4, 2B, BB, missed catch error — the E3 began the Phils’ game-winning rally
RF Wilberson De Pena 1-5, 2B, RBI, outfield assist
DH Queni Pineda 2-5, 2 K
3B Leni Done 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, SB, CS, throwing error — good day at the plate
CF Jose Castro 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, SB, CS
CF Isael Arias 0-2, K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, 2 K, HBP, throwing and fielding errors — painful, and his E6 kept the eighth alive for two unearned runs
LF Estivenzon Montero 1-3, HR, BB, RBI — first homer of 2026
C Justin Capellan 1-4, K
2B Christofer Reyes 1-4, picked off

Blake Gillespie 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, balk
Brian Arias 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, HBP
Danny Flatt 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Edinzo Marquez 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (loss) — allowed bases-clearing triple in the ninth to put Phils ahead

Dominican Summer League Yankees: L, 10-14 at DSL Twins

CF Isaias Castillo 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, K, SB — double cut into Twins’ lead during late ninth-inning rally
DH Stiven Marinez 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, SB
RF Yostin Pena 1-3, 3B, 2 BB, outfield assist
2B Juan Torres 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K, SF, CS — double gave Yanks a quick 3-0 lead in the first
LF Eliezer Adames 1-3, 2 BB, SB, CS
SS Abrahan Pichardo 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 K, SB, fielding error
C Cesar Lopez 0-1, K, HBP — departed mid-inning in the bottom of the fifth, seems like an injury (HBP was a couple innings prior)
1B Jose Peralta 0-1, BB, K, throwing error
1B-C Edgar Jimenez 0-4, RBI, GIDP, missed catch error
3B Emmanuel Orozco 0-2, 2 BB, RBI, K, SB — Yanks scored two to take a 7-6 lead in the sixth on two walks, a wild pitch, and two groundouts

Dalvin Taveras 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HBP, 2 WP, balk — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, welcome to DSL pitching
Sebastian Rivas 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, balk — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, lost 4-1 lead
Varis Villarreal 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP
Brandon Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (6 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, 2 WP, 2 balks (loss) — fascinating 29.70 ERA through first two games; the DSL Yanks were good yesterday but the five-run sixth was too much
Jose Vargas 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 1-8 (7) vs. DSL Marlins — blanked on two hits

DH Dariel Santana 0-3, K, GIDP
SS Mani Cedeno 0-3, fielding error
2B Carlos Bello 0-3, K
1B David Carrera 1-2, BB, K, SB, CS, throwing error — the lone hit aside from Pinto’s dinger
3B Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, K
C Jesus Guerrero 0-2, K, pickoff error
RF Sebastian Pinto 1-2, HR, RBI, K — first career pro homer for 2026 IFA signee, only Bombers offense
LF Eddison Charles 0-2, 2 K, fielding error — tough day
CF Alfiery Matos 0-2

Junior Tavera 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, WP (loss)
Andre Avila 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Josue Silvestre 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Toledo Mud Hens 12, St. Paul Saints 4 (box)

The Hens scored early and didn’t stop all night as they beat down the Twins’ affiliate on Tuesday.

They got going right out of the gate. Max Clark drew a leadoff walk in the first, Hao-Yu Lee, who has impressively taken the demotion and gone down and mashed for Toledo, singled, and Gage Workman blasted a three-run homer. Easy game.

Lefty Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start, and he was reasonably solid, leaking single runs in the third and fourth innings.

In the bottom of the fourth with a 3-2 lead, Ben Malgeri got the Hens going again with a leadoff double. Max Anderson singled in the run, then scored on an Eduardo Valencia double. Jace Jung lined out, but Corey Julks pulled a drive to left center field for a two-run homer. 7-2 Hens.

In the sixth, Trei Cruz smoked a 107 mph drive for a double, and Jung singled him in to make it 8-2. Nick Sandlin gave up a two-run homer in the seventh, but the Hens came back for four more in the bottom half. Anderson walked, Cruz and Valencia singled, and Jace Jung launched a grand slam the opposite way to really blow this one open.

Workman: 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 K

Jung: 2-4, R, 5 RBI, HR, K

Malgeri: 3-5, R, 2B

Lockhart: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday, with Justin Verlander making his second rehab start for the Mud Hens.

Erie SeaWolves 10, Akron RubberDucks 2 (box)

Kenny Serwa threw a good game, and Brett Callahan and Izaac Pacheco continued their reign of terror with the long ball in a convincing victory at UPMC Park on Tuesday.

Seth Stephenson started the SeaWolves off right with a leadoff bunt single in the bottom of the first, and an errant throw on the play let him reach second. John Peck drew a walk from Ducks’ starter Josh Hartle, and an error on a Callahan ground ball allowed Stephenson to score. A wild pitch then scored Peck as well, and Thayron Liranzo drew a walk. An Andrew Jenkins scored Callahan to make it 3-0 SeaWolves after one.

In the bottom of the second, Stephenson led off again with a single. Peck flew out, but Callahan smoked a ball to deep center for a double. Justice Bigbie doubled in both runners to make it 5-0.

Serwa allowed a run in the third, and one in the sixth, but two runs over six innings of work will do everytime.

E.J. Exposito hit a solo shot in the third. In the fifth, Jenkins led off with a walk and Pacheco drilled a hot grounder for a single. Bennett Lee, back in Erie after a brief detour to West Michigan to catch Tarik Skubal over the weekend, drew a walk to load the bases. They only got one run, as Stephenson grounded out and Peck flew out to center.

Pacheco blasted his 10th homer to leadoff the bottom of the seventh.

In the eighth, Peck singled, and Callahan launched his 10th long ball to right to make it a 10-2 game. That’s three homers in fourth games for the outfielder, and his OPS is now pushing .900. Pacheco has six homers in his last seven games, and while he continues to strike out too much to get real excited about him, he is giving some signs of a breakout at 23 years old.

Callahan: 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR, BB

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

Stephenson: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, K

Serwa (W, 2-6): 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K

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

Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

Andrew Sears gave the Whitecaps a pretty good outing and looks ready to head back home to Erie, while the bats just stranded too many runners in this one.

Sears allowed a run in the second, but he also struck out six over three innings of work.

Luke Shliger tied the game in the third with a leadoff solo shot. In the fifth, Junior Tilien singled with two outs, and Woody Hadeen doubled him in to make it 2-1.

Beyond that the ‘Caps just couldn’t cash in their chances. Because of Sears rehab start, Hayden Minton, who struck out 10 in his last start, didn’t enter this one on his normal start day until the fifth. He started off strong, but got a little wild, allowing a run in the seventh and a two-run shot in the eighth, and the ‘Caps couldn’t answer back. They are tracking to get healthier with Nolan McCarthy, Stephen Hrustich, and now Patrick Lee all rehabbing in the FCL.

Shliger: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K

Rainer: 1-3, 2B, BB, K

Tilien: 3-4, R

Sears: 3.0 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 6 K

Minton (L, 2-4): 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s an 11:05 a.m. ET start on Wednesday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Clearwater Threshers 5 (box)

Casey Mize’s rehab start went off without a hitch. Assuming he recovers normally with no more issues with the adductor strain, he may be ready to go. The bullpen leaked a few runs, but the offense finally showed up in a big way in the seventh and eighth innings for a come from behind victory.

Mize threw 36 of 55 pitches for strikes over five innings of work. He allowed a solo home run to Nathan Humphreys and wasn’t that sharp, but this is mostly about handling and recovering from the workload. He struck out five and walked one on the outing.

Lefty Grayson Grinsell’s start was pushed back to accomodate Mize, and it went poorly for him when he took over in the sixth. He allowed four runs over three innings of work.

Meanwhile, the Flying Tigers wasn’t doing much, squandering a few chances and hitting a few hard-hit at’em balls. Finally in the seventh they broke through when Nick Dumesnil led off with a walk, and Jesus Pinto singled to right field. The duo pulled off a double steal, and Carson Rucker got them on the board with a sacrifice fly. That made it 2-1 Clearwater, before Grinsell gave up two more in the bottom half.

In the eighth, the Flying Tigers took over. Jude Warwick led off with a single, and Jordan Yost lined a double to center field. Beau Ankeney singled in Warwick, and Edian Espinal remained hot, singling in Yost. Two batters later, Carson Rucker mashed a three-run shot to left that made it 6-4 Lakeland.

An automatic double from Zach MacDonald followed, and Hunter Dobbins doubled him in to make it 7-4.

Grinsell allowed a run in the eighth, but Jose Guzman spun a 1-2-3 ninth inning, punching out Humphreys to earn his second save.

Espinal: 2-5, R, RBI, K

Rucker: 1-2, R, 4 RBI, HR, BB, K

MacDonald: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, 2 K

Mize: 5.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Grinsell (W, 4-2): 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Wednesday. There was one unfortunate bit of new over the weekend, as Kelvis Salcedo returned to the injured list. The right-hander is one of the Tigers top arms on the farm, but his last outing saw his velocity dip before he was pulled from the game. Probably not a good sign.

FCL Tigers 7, FCL Blue Jays 4 (box)

Jhonan Coba was a little wild for the first time this season, but the bats were hot as a rehabbing Nolan McCarthy and Maikol Orozco both went yard in this one. Cris Rodriguez chipped in with a pair of hits, while Steven Madero and a rehabbing Patrick Lee each doubled.

Johnathan Rogers, a 2023 prep pick of the Tigers who left the org last year only to recently re-sign with the club, gave up a run in 1.2 IP, walking two and striking out two. The one downer was that shortstop prospect Angel de los Santos was hit in the head by a pitch and had to leave the game. Hopefully that was just precautionary.

Rodriguez: 2-5, R, K

Orozco: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR

Coba: 2.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K

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The New York Mets will look to even their three-game series tonight when they host the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field.

The Mets may be favored, but our Cardinals vs. Mets predictions expect the Cardinals’ bats to boom tonight against Mets starter Austin Warren in a high-scoring affair. 

Read on for my MLB picks for Wednesday, June 10. 

Who will win Cardinals vs Mets today: St. Louis Cardinals (+117)

The New York Mets are favored, but the starting pitching advantage rests with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Mets start Austin Warren, a reliever forced into starting duties who struggles with an alarming 13.8% Barrel Rate and a low 34.5% Groundball Rate. 

The Cardinals send out Andre Pallante, an elite groundball specialist (51.5% GB%) who limits hard contact. 

St. Louis' patient lineup (.331 OBP) will sit on Warren's heavy sweeper usage, while Pallante generates soft infield contact against aggressive Mets hitters. Play the Cardinals down to +100.

COVERS INTEL: The Cardinals' lineup has generated an elite 40.2% Hard-Hit Rate and a lifted 38.8% Flyball Rate over the last 14 days. 

Cardinals vs Mets Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+101)

Warren is an extreme flyball pitcher with the wind blowing out to left field, facing a disciplined Cardinals lineup that excels at stringing at-bats together. 

While Pallante is an elite groundball specialist, his high-traffic approach will face a highly motivated Mets offense with a .217 ISO during the last two weeks. 

With both teams dipping into their bullpens early, the pitching environment is ripe for runs. 

New York’s secondary arms feature an elevated 3.20 BB/9 over the last fortnight, guaranteeing late-inning free passes to fuel a high-scoring environment. Play this one to +100.

Cardinals vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals +122 | Mets -127
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (-170) | Mets -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+108) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Cardinals vs Mets trend

The St. Louis Cardinals have hit the Moneyline in 16 of their last 25 away games (+10.05 Units / 39% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Mets.

How to watch Cardinals vs Mets and game info

Cardinals vs Mets latest injuries

Cardinals vs Mets weather

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The Guardians can’t hit for average, and can’t hit for power. They do draw walks, but opponents have made the extremely obvious adjustment to that: Just throw strikes, since they can’t hit for average or power.

9 more innings. Only 2 more runs. This offense is painful to watch, and they still think Grant Fink is the man for the job.

Up next is Carlos Rodon, so pencil in a bunch more 0’s on your scorecard. Parker Messick needs to pitch a perfect game to force extra innings.

Around baseball

• Braden Montgomery made his MLB debut, and hit a walkoff home run. 2nd place is calling the Guardians’ name.

• Meisel wrote a long, good article about knee-down catching leading to more baseballs to the, um, higher-than-knee.
• Not wanting to miss a game against CLE’s offense, Tarik Skubal likely to return in the coming days.

Hot Take of the Day

• Austin Hedges is better than Patrick Bailey at everything. Framing. Game calling. Blocking. Catching the ball. Even hitting.

The wear and tear of a baseball season can sure change things in a hurry, even in May. Remember when the Yankees miraculously made it through spring training with essentially the entire expected Opening Day roster intact? Since then, they’ve lost Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells, and Jasson Domínguez*. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón have made successful injury recoveries, José Caballero had a short IL stint, and Trent Grisham survived a bit of a scare last month. But the Yanks are still waiting to become whole again.

*If you want to be pedantic and say that Jasson was not on the Opening Day roster, then just tag in Luis Gil, who was in the Opening Day rotation before getting demoted and quickly shelved with right shoulder inflammation.

I’m putting the spotlight on the lineup today. This is a fairly similar exercise I did in May when it seemed like Grisham might need an IL stint, but it’s worth bringing back — especially with Judge on the shelf. Who would be in your standard Yankees lineup? The players at their disposal do generally offer some flexibility with varying degrees of potential as well, but everyone likely has their own preferences.

Here’s how I would line them up:

CF Trent Grisham
DH Ben Rice
LF Cody Bellinger
1B Paul Goldschmidt
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
SS José Caballero
RF Spencer Jones
3B Ryan McMahon
C J.C. Escarra

With lefties on the bump, I would tag in Amed Rosario at third and perhaps Max Schuemann for Jones in right in some scenarios since the rookie struggled with southpaws even in the minors. Rice and Goldschmidt can alternate between first and DH to stay fresh in the field.

I have no interest in seeing Volpe at this point; to say nothing of the bat, Caballero is the superior defensive shortstop and deserves run there. As soon as Domínguez finishes his rehab appearance, I would option Volpe again to at least let him expand his versatility in Triple-A because he offers very little right now. He had a .912 OPS in his first six games back with New York and now is right back to the same-ol’, same-ol’ with a .484 OPS in the 12 games since then. Nothing has changed! Next. (What I actually expect the Yankees to do is demote Jones once Jasson is ready and refuse to make a call on Volpe until a Stanton return forces their hand.)

I know Ali Sánchez was brought up to be a backup catcher who could also swing from the right side rather than the lefties Wells and Escarra, but I still would really only play Sánchez right now in day game-after-night game situations. Escarra is definitely taking his lumps at bat, but Sánchez is a rough hitter who offers very little hope and I’d generally roll the dice on Escarra maybe finding a rhythm with Wells out. It’s fair to look at what Escarra’s done this year and be skeptical, but Sánchez has a 22 wRC+ for his career. Escarra at least had a few hot stretches in 2025, which ended with a 79 wRC+. The options aren’t enticing, but this is the best one for now.

What’s your go-to alignment?

Today on the site, Peter will break down Cody Bellinger’s game-winning single from Monday for his Yankees At-Bat of the Week feature and he’ll return to run through the Rivalry Roundup. Kento will discuss how Ben Rice got his groove back, and in lieu of any particularly interesting former Yankees today, we turn the birthday spotlight on a former Yankees division rival-turned-MSG/YES announcer. (Spoilers: LOOK OUT!)

Then it will be matinée time!

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians

Time: 1:10 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Guardians.tv

Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

New York Post | Ryan Dunleavy: Results from Austin Wells’ MRI on Monday have shown no immediate causes for concern, and while the catcher will be meeting with doctors again this week as they attempt to find the root cause of his cervical headaches, that can only be considered good news. In the meantime, J.C. Escarra — who hadn’t even left the city before being told “Never mind, please don’t report to Scranton” — and Ali Sánchez will continue to split the catching duties.

ESPN | David Schoenfield: With the first round of All-Star voting about a week in and the game itself a little over a month away, it’s time to start predicting what the final roster will look like. Among current Yankees, Schoenfield expects to see three in the starting lineup — Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, and Cam Schlittler (Cam would have to be picked to start the game by AL manager John Schneider) — with Max Fried and Aaron Judge missing out due to injury. Perhaps surprisingly, he adds another pitcher to the list, Will Warren, although noting that there “We’ll probably see a lot of changes in this group between now and next month.”

Yahoo Sports | Gavin Groe: Technically speaking, this is not Yankees news, but it is news that affects the Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays announced yesterday that they will be pushing Trey Yesavage’s start back a day, allowing Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer to return from the injured list. This puts Yesavage in line to start against the Yankees … and we all know how poorly that has gone for the Yankees lineup so far in his young career.

Of the many injured players scattered around the Mets roster, perhaps none is more important than Francisco Lindor.

As The Post has previously reported, the shortstop is expected back from the left calf strain that’s sidelined him since late April sometime later this month.

Asked Tuesday about a potential timeline for a return, Lindor told The Post he didn’t have one.

“I have a goal of getting back as soon as I can,’’ Lindor said before the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.

He doesn’t seem to be too far off.

As Carlos Mendoza said before the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Citi Field, Lindor is expected to go through full baseball activities this week and then the team will decide his next step.

He has yet to run the bases, but Lindor said, “I can do everything. I feel like I’m getting better. I continue to check all the boxes they have for me.”

Running at full speed will be among the final tests and Lindor said he is encouraged by how he’s feeling.

“There’s no discomfort, so it would be silly to say [I’m not encouraged],’’ Lindor said. “Obviously, I want to be playing, but from what they say, everything is going the way it was planned.”

Lindor suffered the injury April 22 — the same day Juan Soto returned from his strained calf.

The inability of the two stars to stay on the field together for any length of time has been one of the Mets’ issues this season.

It’s safe to assume Lindor will need a rehab assignment before he can provide a much-needed return to the lineup.

Mendoza said an MRI exam on Jorge Polanco’s ankle was clean and that the team would adjust his pregame running routine, as well as stop him from playing defense.

Whenever Polanco does return, first base is likely not an option for the foreseeable future.

Another first baseman in the organization, prospect Ryan Clifford, continues to need development and Mendoza said he needs more playing time at Triple-A Syracuse before he is an option at the major league level.

Freddy Peralta simply didn’t have it Tuesday.

And Carlos Mendoza, as the Mets sit at 29-37, could only chalk it up as “just one of those days.”

The 30-year-old starter was a tick down in velocity across all his pitches, including 1.1 mph on his fastball, which has sat at 93.9 this season.

It was enough for the NL wild-card-leading Cardinals to take advantage, driving in six runs across six innings on Peralta in the Mets’ discouraging 7-0 loss to start a six-game homestand.

“A little off today for some reason,” Mendoza said before adding there was no concern over the velocity.

“[Pitching coach Justin Willard] checked on him. He said he’s fine. He wouldn’t put himself in a position where something was bothering him,” he said. “He was going to continue to pitch there. I think it was just one of those days. It was hard for him.”

Peralta also had little to say about how or why the outing turned south for him in what was a quiet postgame clubhouse at Citi Field.

“I felt it [the decreased velocity] a little bit. But I don’t know. I feel good. … It just happens sometimes,” he said.

The game got away from Peralta in the third inning.

After a walk, Nathan Church ripped a double, and rookie JJ Wetherholt followed with a single at the top of the order that sent in two runs.

Following that spurt, Peralta hit Iván Herrera with a pitch, and Jordan Walker knocked him in with a double before scoring off a ground ball to first by Lars Nootbaar.

It gave St. Louis an early 4-0 lead that only grew, resulting in his worst outing of the season.

Heading into Tuesday, Peralta held a 3.63 ERA with 30 walks and 74 strikeouts across 13 games. Following the loss, his ERA imploded to 4.04.

When asked how he would assess his season so far, he was blunt and said, “Not good right now.”

“Talking about numbers. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters,” Peralta went on. “But you know. I’ve been in this situation before. Good thing is that I’m healthy, and I have 18, 19 more games in front of me. I just have to keep competing. That’s it, and at the end of the day, that’s how I see it.”

Box Score

After last night’s home run fest, expectations were that today’s game would feature more of the same. It wasn’t at the same levels as last night, but offense was still plentiful in this one. Unfortunately, the Brewers just couldn’t keep up this time, and they lost 7-5 to even the series at 1-1.

If there was any doubt that tonight’s game would be similar to last night, it was put to rest just two batters into the game. Christian Yelich led off the game with a single to center. Next up was Jackson Chourio, who sent one over the right field fence for the first home run of the day. The Brewers had the early 2-0 lead.

The Brewers tried to build off that with two outs. Jake Bauers drew a walk and Garrett Mitchell doubled to put runners at second and third. However, Sal Frelick couldn’t get them home as he flew out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, it was the Athletics’ turn. Nick Kurtz hit the team’s first home run, closing the gap to 2-1. While starter Robert Gasser also walked a batter, he escaped the first allowing no additional runs.

The second inning went by quickly for the Brewers, who were retired in order by Athletics starter T.J. Ginn in order. Meanwhile, the Athletics kept up their pressure. Jonah Heim led off the bottom of the inning with a single, then Henry Bolte hit his first career home run to center field. That gave the Athletics a 3-2 lead.

It was a quiet inning for both teams in the third. The Brewers went down in order again. Meanwhile, the Athletics put together another scoring chance, this one coming with two outs. Max Muncy walked and Heim singled to put a runner in scoring position, but Gasser struck out Bolte to end the inning.

In the fourth, a one-out double from Mitchell gave the Brewers another scoring chance, and they cashed this one in. Frelick singled to center, and Mitchell scored easily from second, tying the game at 3-3.

Luis Rengifo kept the pressure on with a pop-up single, putting another runner in scoring position. The Brewers couldn’t bring him in, with both David Hamilton and Yelich grounding out to end the inning.

Gasser had a clean bottom of the fourth inning, but the Brewers gave it right back by going down in order in the top of the fifth. He went back out for the fifth, which started off with a strikeout of Kurtz. Then, the Athletics pounced. After Shea Langeliers singled, Tyler Soderstrom hit a home run over the right field wall, putting the Athletics ahead 5-3. Two batters later, Heim hammered one out to center to make it 6-3. Gasser got out of the inning with a strikeout of Bolte.

After the bullpen was overworked yesterday, Gasser had to go as long as he could in this one. Had the bullpen been rested, manager Pat Murphy might have pulled Gasser at four innings before facing the Athletics a third time. He ended up allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks. Four of those hits were home runs. He did strike out seven, and gave the Brewers some needed innings.

With all the offense so far in this series, this game was nowhere near done yet. In the top of the sixth, the Brewers mounted another rally. Bauers led off the inning with his second walk of the day, then Mitchell’s third hit (a single) moved Bauers up to third. Frelick was up next and grounded out to shortstop, but Bauers scored easily since the only play was at first base.

Rengifo got Mitchell to third with a groundout, and Hamilton drew a walk (which stood after technical difficulties on the ABS challenge system) to bring Yelich up as the go-ahead run. While he couldn’t hit one out to take the lead, he did single to center to get Mitchell home. Both runners advanced on a Bolte bobble, and that ended the night for J.T. Ginn. The Athletics went to Elvis Alvarado, who struck out Chourio to end the threat. However, the Brewers were within one at 6-5.

Joel Kuhnel was first out of the bullpen for the Brewers, pitching for the second straight night. Unfortunately, he allowed a home run as well for the second straight night, this one a Zack Gelof home run to center. Kuhnel finished the inning with no other runs allowed, though did walk one batter.

From there, the offense suddenly dried up on both sides. The Athletics tried to add on in the eighth against Coleman Crow, but he got out of the inning stranding runners at first and third. Crow pitched the final two innings for the Brewers, allowing just a hit, a walk, and an error while covering first base.

As for the Brewers, they did not have another baserunner for the rest of the game. The final 10 batters went down in order. The game ended with Chourio hitting a ball hard, but right at shortstop Alika Williams.

Even though it was another game with plenty of offense, this one was much more tame compared to last night. The two teams only combined for 12 runs and six home runs, instead of the 29 runs and 11 home runs yesterday. There were also significantly fewer ABS challenges — just five tonight — but that was partially due to a malfunction during the game.

After being the lone Brewers starter to not reach base yesterday, Mitchell rebounded with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, hitting two doubles and a single, and scoring two runs. Yelich was the only other Brewer with multiple hits, going 2-for-5. Chourio and Frelick each drove in two runs. The Brewers only drew three walks, with two coming from Bauers.

With the series tied, the rubber match will take place tomorrow evening in Las Vegas. It could be another high-powered day for the offenses, with Brandon Sproat facing Jack Perkins. First pitch will be an hour earlier at 8:05 p.m.