Category: Baseball

Round 1

The Mets ended the 2024 season with an 89-73 record, making them eligible to make the 28th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Because their 2024 payroll exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million dollars, their first selection dropped by 10 picks, meaning that their first selection instead was the 38th overall pick, which came in Competitive Balance Round A. With the 38th overall pick, the Mets selected Mitch Voit, a two-way player from the University of Michigan. He signed for $1,750,000, below the MLB-assigned slot value of $2,569,400, and was assigned to the St. Lucie Mets for the remainder of the season, hitting .235/.343/.294 in 22 games with 1 home run, 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts, and 13 walks to 24 strikeouts. Over the winter, he was ranked the Mets’ 9th top prospect by Amazin’ Avenue. He began the 2026 season with High-A Brooklyn and through July 1 hit .250/.356/.417 with 11 doubles, 9 home runs, 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts, and 28 walks to 57 strikeouts.

Rounds 2-10

Due to their signing of Juan Soto, the Mets were not eligible to make a second-round draft selection.

With their third-round pick, the 102nd overall selection, the Mets selected Antonio Jimenez, a shortstop from the University of Central Florida. He signed for $564,000, under the MLB-assigned slot value of $752,000 and was assigned to Single-A St. Lucie. Appearing in 26 games, he hit .263/.345/.274 with 0 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 11 attempts, and drew 12 walks to 15 strikeouts. Over the winter, he was ranked 18 on the 2026 Amazin’ Avenue Top 25 Mets Prospect list. He began the 2026 season with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and hit .124/.181/.206 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 3 stolen bases in 4 attempts, and 5 walks to 30 strikeouts. In mid-May, because of his poor performance, he was placed on the Developmental List for roughly a week, and then was assigned to Single-A St. Lucie, where he hit .194/.344/.333 though July 1 with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 13 attempts, and 13 walks to 29 strikeouts.

With their fourth-round pick, the 133rd overall selection, the Mets selected Peter Kussow, a right-handed pitcher from Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. He signed for $897,500, above the MLB-assigned slot value of $555,800, and was assigned to the FCL Mets, but did not appear in a game. Over the winter, he was ranked 25 on the 2026 Amazin’ Avenue Top 25 Mets Prospect list. He underwent season-ending labrum surgery on his right shoulder just prior to the start of the year.

With their fifth-round pick, the 163rd overall selection, the Mets selected Peyton Prescott, a right-handed pitcher from Florida State University. He signed for $197,500, below the MLB-assigned slot value for the 163 overall pick, $415,100. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a game, because he underwent Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow while playing in the NCAA Super Regionals against Oregon State. He remains recovering from the procedure and has not yet pitched as a professional.

With their sixth-round pick, the 193rd overall selection, the Mets selected Nathan Hall, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Central Missouri. He signed for $297,500, below the MLB-assigned slot value of $322,300. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He was placed on the FCL Mets 7-Day Injured List on May 1, when their season began, and recently came off of it, appearing in a pair of games through July 1, throwing two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, walking none, and striking out 1.

With their seventh-round pick, the 223rd overall section, the Mets selected Cam Tilly, a right-handed pitcher from Auburn University. He signed for $397,500, above the MLB-assigned slot value of $254,000. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He was promoted to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 has a 4.64 ERA in 54.1 innings over 12 starts with 51 hits allowed, 22 walks, and 52 strikeouts.

With their eighth-round pick, the 253rd overall selection, the Mets selected Camden Lohman, a right-handed pitcher from Fort Zumwalt North High School in O’Fallon, Missouri. He signed for $797,500, above the MLB-assigned slot value of $213,200. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He remained with the FCL Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 has a 5.79 ERA in 28.0 innings over 9 appearances- 7 starts- with 25 hits allowed, 23 walks, and 34 strikeouts.

With their ninth-round pick, the 283rd overall pick, the Mets selected Anthony Frobose, a shortstop from Lakeland High School in Westchester. He signed for $3990,000, above the MLB-assigned slot value of $196,800. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He remained with the FCL Mets when the 2026 season began and through July 1 hit .228/.352/.406 in 34 games with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts, and 17 walks to 44 strikeouts.

With their tenth-round pick, the 343rd overall pick, the Mets selected Tyler McLoughlin, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Georgia. He signed for $7,500, below the MLB-assigned slot value of $196,800. He was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets and appeared in 2 games, allowing 2 runs in 2.1 innings, giving up 1 hit and walking 2 while striking out 4. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 has a 8.10 ERA in 23.1 innings over 19 appearances with 26 hits allowed, 23 walks, and 33 strikeouts.

Rounds 11-20

With their eleventh-round pick, the 343 overall selection, the Mets selected Wyatt Vincent, an outfielder from Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri. He signed for $272,500, above the $150,000 cut-off for selections made after the 10th round, meaning that $122,500 of his bonus counted against the 2025 bonus pool. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He remained with the FCL Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 hit in .256/.358/.511 29 games with 5 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 5 stolen bases in 10 attempts, and 14 walks to 30 strikeouts.

With their twelfth-round pick, the 373 overall selection, the Mets selected Truman Pauley, a right-handed pitcher from Harvard. He signed for $400,000, above the $150,000 cut-off for selections made after the 10th round, meaning that $250,000 of his bonus counted against the 2025 bonus pool. He was assigned to the FSL Mets and appeared in 3 games, allowing 1 run in 4.1 innings, giving up 0 hits, walking 4, and striking out 3. On January 20, 2026, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, along with Luisangel Acuna, in exchange for Luis Robert Jr.

With their thirteenth-round pick, the 403rd overall selection, the Mets selected Frank Camarillo, a right-handed pitcher from the University of California: Santa Barbara. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not get into game action in 2025. He began the 2026 season with Single-A St. Lucie and appeared in 7 games for them, all starts, posting a 4.35 ERA in 31.0 innings with 27 hits allowed, 11 walks, and 28 strikeouts. He was promoted to High-A Brooklyn in late May made three starts for the Cyclones before having his season paused due to injury; in those three starts, he allowed 7 earned runs in 17.2 innings, good for a 3.57 ERA, allowing 17 hits, walking 4, and striking out 8.

With their fourteenth-round pick, the 433rdoverall selection, Mets selected James Smith IV, a two-way player from the University of Memphis. He elected to not sign with the Mets and returned to Memphis.

With their fifteenth-round pick, the 463rd overall selection, the Mets selected Conner Ware, a left-handed pitcher from Louisiana State University. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a single game. He was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie for the 2026 season and though July 1 has appeared in 13 games, making 9 starts, posting a 5.36 ERA in 47.0 innings with 41 hits allowed, 24 walks, and 54 strikeouts.

With their sixteenth-round pick, the 493rd overall selection, the Mets selected Zack Mack, a right-handed pitcher from Loyola Marymount University. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he appeared in two games, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings, walking one batter. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 has appeared in 15 games, posting a 2.08 ERA in 21.2 innings with 20 hits allowed, 8 walks, and 24 strikeouts.

With their seventeenth-round pick, the 523rd overall selection, the Mets selected Sam Robertson, a shortstop from Northwest Shoals Community College. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he hit .172/.294/.172 in 20 games with 9 stolen bases in 10 attempts, 9 walks, and 27 strikeouts. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets when the 2026 season began and prior to being placed on the 7-Day Injured List in early June hit .246/.390/.297 in 43 games with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 24 stolen bases in 30 attempts, and 30 walks to 49 strikeouts.

With their eighteenth-round pick, the 553rd overall selection, the Mets selected Dillon Stiltner, a right-handed pitcher from Trinity Christian High School in Sharpsburg, Georgia. He signed for $222,690, above the $150,000 cut-off for selections made after the 10th round, meaning that $72,690 of his bonus counted against the 2025 bonus pool. He was assigned to the FCL Mets but did not appear in a game. He remained with the FCL Mets when the 2026 season began and though July 1 has appeared in 7 games, making 3 starts, with a 12.06 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing 21 hits, walking 11, and striking out 7.

With their nineteenth-round pick, the 583rd overall selection, the Mets selected Joe Scarborough, a right-handed pitcher from Jacksonville State University. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he appeared in a single game and pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit and 3 walks. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets to begin the 2026 season and through July 1 has appeared in 22 games, posting a 5.47 ERA in 24.2 innings with 28 hits allowed, 23 walks, and 23 strikeouts.

With their twentieth-round pick, the 613th overall selection, the Mets selected Garrett Stratton, a right-handed pitcher from Rice University. He signed for a sum below the $150,000 bonus threshold and was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, where he appeared in a single game and pitched a single inning, allowing 2 hits. He was assigned to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones for the 2026 season and appeared in 21 games, posting a 2.73 ERA in 29.2 innings with 25 hits allowed, 15 walks, and 44 strikeouts. He was promoted to Double-A Binghamton in mid-July and has appeared in 4 games with the Rumble Ponies since, allowing 2 earned runs in 6.1 innings, good for a 2.84 ERA, with 5 hits allowed, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

Congratulations to Caden Scarborough, who has been named the #3 prospect in the 2026 LSB Midseason Community Prospect Rankings, receiving over 60% of the vote.

Our list so far:

1 — Sebastian Walcott

2 — Caden Scarborough

Moving on…

Because there has been a history of vote-spamming shenanigans in the rankings, I used Google Forms for the last several of community rankings, and it worked out well, so we will use it again. You will need to include your LSB user name when you vote. If you don’t have an LSB user name, you need to use some sort of identifier. While this won’t eliminate the possibility of vote spamming, it will make it harder.

So who is the #3 prospect in the Rangers system right now?

Cast your vote below…

Trea Turner’s issues at shortstop have officially become too troubling to put off any longer.

In Monday’s get-away game in Kansas City, another Turner error, his 12th of the season, opened the floodgates to a 6-run Royals outburst in the first inning of what would eventually become a 15-1 boat-racing of the Phillies.

To be fair, Turner’s error prevented the inning from ending, but Sanchez was every bit as responsible for the deluge of runs scored by a heretofore anemic Kansas City offense. The Phils’ ace left-hander clearly didn’t have it on Monday, and the Royals took advantage.

It was additionally damaging to Sanchez in that all the runs were earned, despite the throwing error. Scoring rules dictate one cannot “assume a double play.” The runner was safe at first not on an error, but on a fielder’s choice. The error allowed the runners already on base to move up. So when those runners came in to score, they were all earned, as the scorers could never assume the third out would have been recorded.

I’m here to tell you, you CAN assume a double play. But let’s move on.

One year after having a rennassiance defensive season at short, Turner is once again one of the worst defenders in baseball. His -9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is last and in terms of Outs Above Average (OAA), his mark of -6 is 4th-worst among 17 qualified shortstops in MLB.

The time has come. However they want to go about it, the Phillies’ brass must sit Turner down and tell him a transition to the outfield is beginning now.

Turner is as fast as ever and should be able to make the transition, but it won’t be easy. It may be impossible for them to make the switch mid-season, although Bryce Harper worked out at first base once Rhys Hoskins got hurt and made the transition in the middle of the year. Why can’t Trea?

And it’s not just that Turner is committing errors. He’s failing to finish routine plays. His 22 ground ball double plays turned this year is tied for last among MLB shortstops, despite the Phillies leading the league in ground ball rate (45.2%). His 196 assists are tied for 6th-most, and yet, only 22 double plays.

A temporary double play combination of Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott would be an improvement, and Turner’s addition to the outfield would negate the need for the Phillies to trade for one over the next few weeks. As has been noted repeatedly, there is a dearth of quality right-handed hitting outfielders available.

On our latest Hittin’ Season podcast, we discussed the Turner situation and whether the transition can take place now, or must wait until later.

The great fear is that we will gaze in horror this October as Turner commits an error in a key situation in the postseason. Imagine Game 3 of the NLCS and Turner boots a grounder with runners on base that leads to a big inning and costs the Phils a playoff game. It’s a real worry.

Can the Phillies make the switch over the next few weeks? Can they re-make the roster on the fly with Turner in the outfield? How much better would the pitching staff be with the speedy Turner in the outfield and a solid double play combo of Sosa and Stott in the middle of the diamond? While Sosa is not built to play every day, one would think a platoon situation with Stott and some mixing and matching at second base could improve the Phils’ run prevention.

Either way, it’s time for these conversations to begin taking place. If it doesn’t happen this year, the Phillies almost certainly can’t go into 2027 with Turner penciled in as the starting shortstop.

So, why wait? Don’t wait to make an improvement if it can be made sooner rather than later.

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (41-46) won 6-5 (BOX SCORE)

McCullers started for Sugar Land and went 4 innings allowing 4 runs, 2 earned, while walking 3 and striking out 4. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Meyers 2 run home run. After Rodriguez allowed a run in the 5th, Sugar Land rallied in the 6th for 3 runs to tie it on a Whitcomb RBI single, Meyers walk and Spence hit by pitch. In the 7th, Sugar Land took the lead on a Pena RBI double. Blanco tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief before the game was called due to lightning as Sugar Land won 6-5.

Note: Spence is hitting .300 in Triple-A.

• Jeremy Pena, SS: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
• Joey Loperfido, LF: 1-for-4, R
• Shay Whitcomb, 3B: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB
• Trenton Brooks, DH: 1-for-3, R, BB
• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• Lucas Spence, RF: 1-for-3, RBI
• Cesar Salazar, C: 2-for-3, 2 R

• Lance McCullers Jr., RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Ronel Blanco, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (WIN)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (37-44) lost 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the first inning on a Bush 2 run home run. Nezuh got the start and pitched really well striking out 11 over 5.1 innings allowing just 1 run. Swanson came on for the 8th but allowed 2 runs as the RoughRiders took the lead. The offense was unable to score again as the Hooks fell 3-2.

Note: Nezuh has 80 K over 65.2 innings this season.

• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-4, SB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB, SB
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-4, 2B, SB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (28-53) won 11-3 (BOX SCORE)

Rodriguez started for Asheville and allowed a 1 run before getting out of the first. Asheville got the offense going early scoring 3 runs in the 2nd inning on a Nunez RBI single, Garcia groundout and Nigh RBI double. In the third, Moss added a solo home run. The offense got 2 more runs on a Garcia solo home run and Ochoa sac fly. In the 5th, Nigh added 2 more runs on a 2 run single. The offense got another in the 6th on a wild pitch and another in the 7th on a Powell RBI single. The pen allowed a couple of runs but the offense did more than enough as Asheville won 11-3.

Note: Moss is hitting .404 for Asheville.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-4, R, BB
• Caden Powell, DH: 2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
• Nehomar Ochoa, RF: 0-for-4, RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB
• Zach Daudet, SS: 0-for-1, 3 R, 4 BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 2-for-5, R, RBI
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Brandon Nigh, 3B: 3-for-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI

• Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Garrett Apker, RHP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Jordan Carr, LHP: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Conor Steinbaugh, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (41-40) lost 10-9 (BOX SCORE)

Forcucci started for Fayetteville but struggled allowing 4 runs while retiring just 2 batters. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Flores solo home run. The offense got a run in the 5th on a wild pitch and a run in the 6th on a Salas RBI single. After the Warbirds took a 5-3 lead, Wakefield tied the game in the 7th on a 2 run triple. The Warbirds took the lead in the bottom of the inning but in the 9th, the Woodpeckers rallied for 3 runs on a Luciano sac fly and Flores 2 run single. Fraide allowed 3 runs over 6 innings in relief. The game went to extra innings and in the 11th, the Woodpeckers got a run on a Wakefield RBI groundout. Saunier got the bottom of the inning but allowed 2 runs as the Woodpeckers fell 10-9.

Note: Neyens has a .460 OBP this season.

• Anthony Huezo, LF: 1-for-5, 2 R, BB
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-2, 2 R, 4 BB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 0-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB
• Waner Luciano, DH: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
• Josh Wakefield, RF: 1-for-3, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-6, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
• German Ramirez, SS: 0-for-3, R, BB

• Ryan Forcucci, RHP: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Jose Varela, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Juan Fraide, RHP: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Grayson Saunier, RHP: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Josh Hendrickson – 7:05 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 6:35 CT

AV: Yeriel Santos – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 10:05 CT

In Blake Butera’s pre-game press conference yesterday, there were two big topics of conversation. One was his decision to use Cole Henry for a second inning and the other was discussing the ongoing player planning meetings, which take place a few times a season. Honestly, the way Butera discussed both really impressed me. He showed his hands-on approach, as well as his ability to be accountable.

After Cole Henry imploded in his second inning of work, and allowed four runs, Butera took full blame for the situation. Henry had not thrown more than one inning in any of his AAA outings since being sent down. Butera said that he and the team did Henry a “disservice” for not properly preparing him for this situation.

He also said he would 100% wear Henry’s bad outing. All managers make mistakes, but I appreciate the fact that Butera is willing to take it on the chin. It is hard to manage a bullpen without a whole lot of proven options. Sure, Butera has made some big mistakes along the way, but it is no easy task. When Butera feels he has made a mistake, he is willing to hold himself accountable.

By holding himself accountable, it is easier to hold players accountable as well. After all, trust is a two way street. If you call out the players, but never acknowledge your own mistakes, why would the players trust you? It felt like that was going on at times towards the end of the Davey Martinez era.

Martinez openly said it was never on coaching, which in turn shifted all of the blame on the players. If it is never about coaching, why are the coaches even there? For Blake Butera, he spends every day trying to make himself and his players better.

One of the things he talked about during the presser was the player planning meetings. Butera, the coaching staff and members of the front office meet one on one with every player about three or four times a season. Right now, they are in the second round of these player planning meetings.

In these meetings, the players and coaches openly talk about what they are doing well and how they need to improve. This is the kind of one on one teaching that is so important to this new regime. After the last round, Keibert Ruiz exploded offensively after further embracing pulling the ball in the air. I wonder who the breakout for this round will be.

Blake mentioned that he met with James Wood yesterday. He said that the meeting was fairly short because Wood does not have a ton to work on at the moment. Some of the meetings can go a bit longer like Ruiz’s last time.

These player planning meetings really seem like an integral part of the new regime’s philosophy. Everyone in the player development space talks about individualizing and tailoring things to the player, but that is hard to do in practice and is very time consuming. There is a reason many teams just have overarching models. The Nats want to tailor things to the individual as much as they can though.

While Blake Butera has a warm exterior, and truly wants what is best for the player, he is not always Mr. Nice Guy. Last night he was clearly upset with Andrew Alvarez’s performance and his inability to find the zone. He did not like how Alvarez was nibbling and really did not like the fact that he threw a 3-0 breaking ball. Butera said he pitched scared, which is not the first time he has used that line.

This is a lot of Butera praise, but it is deserved. He is very good at controlling the clubhouse and fostering an environment that helps players get better. Do his bullpen decisions and insistence on pinch hitting Andres Chaparro for Luis Garcia Jr. frustrate me? Absolutely, but he is still a first year manager who has a near impossible task on the bullpen side of things.

The most important part of being a manager is leading and setting the culture. Right now, I feel like Butera is doing a great job of that. Hopefully the in game decision making sharpens up as he gains experience. Overall, I have been a fan of the Blake Butera experience.

His hands-on style and willingness to hold himself and his coaching staff accountable is a breath of fresh air. Butera and his coaching staff have been a massive upgrade and have helped make this team better. There is simply no way this team would lead baseball in runs with Darnell Coles as the hitting coach. It is not perfect, but Blake Butera has brought new life to this Nationals team.

Morning, all!

Josh Jung expects to return to the lineup today, saying his knee feels fine and that the fluid that accumulated has gone down.

Jacob deGrom had some hip soreness during his start yesterday but doesn’t think it will interfere with his next scheduled start.

The hip issue is something that has bothered deGrom between starts before.

Corey Seager, on the other hand, has no idea when he will return to the lineup but he hasn’t swung a bat so it will likely be after the All Star break.

Jordan Montgomery threw 40 pitches in his latest rehab start as his return from Tommy John surgery continues apace.

It is time to make hay while the sun shines, as the Rangers are in the midst of a stretch where they will be playing 16 of 19 games at home.

This year’s draft class includes a couple of DFW high schoolers that are expected to go in the first round.

The DMN is reranking their top 30 prospects midway through the season.

Jacob Latz lost out on the fifth starter role but turned that into an opportunity to earn another high profile role.

Justin Foscue had his first pinch hit home run in last night’s win over the Angels.

Perspective check: Just four teams with more wins than the Cubs, 91-win pace. For now, I’m just going to keep reminding us. This team has its flaws. We know them intimately because we follow them every day. The rest of the teams, with maybe one or two exceptions, have flaws as well. We don’t know them quite as well because we don’t follow those teams as in depth. Do I think this a top 5 (or even 6) team? Probably not. Though I do believe that their performance to date is fair at about top 5. Even with the slumps in the equation, this team overall has played very well.

Last year the Cubs were fifth in baseball at 92 wins. That was good for the top Wild Card spot. They are on pace for 91 wins. That would get them the top Wild Card spot if everything stayed the same as it is now. So regardless if there are some smoke and mirrors in the results to date, the results are quite good. We all suspect that the team tails off somewhat in the second half due to the large number of injuries. Or if we don’t think they will tail, we at least recognize that there is a distinct possibility of a tail off. So far this team has treaded water through all of the injuries. There is always the chance that they could do so.

As blasphemous as it is to say, Tuesday night was one of my favorite wins of the year. Yeah, 10 walk-offs. Yeah, almost as many games with double digit runs scored, including one with 23. There’s Pete Crow-Armstrong’s cycle game and several other really fun wins. But for me? I’ll take this one. Some timely hitting against a pretty decent pitcher. There was a strong outing by the starter. Hand in hand, that turned a lead over to the bullpen. The pen struggled early, letting the Orioles sneak back into the game. And then the bullpen came together, stacked outs and closed out a win.

There haven’t been a ton of these for the Cubs. A lead handed to the bullpen for the final three innings to protect. To be sure, the pen allowed two runs in three innings. If the starting 10 turned a lot of leads over to the pen and the pen consistently allowed two runs, there wouldn’t be a metric ton of wins. Two runs blows a lot of leads. But they had five to protect and after two early runs out of the pen’s work, they came together and locked it down. Dare I say, the team managed to make a competitive game look a little like an easy win. A good, clean hard fought win. The kind you need to have some of. A win against a good pitcher on a bad team on the road. Check.

What this team hasn’t had a ton of this year are wins based around key contributions from Alex Bregman. Or from Matthew Boyd. Two players with the words All-Star on their resume. They are paid well to be good. One has been healthy and under producing and the other spent time hurt but has under produced when healthy. Tuesday night, the team got strong contributions from both. With Monday’s off day, this week feels a little like it belongs to the second half, rather than being the last week of the first half. This felt like the start of the race to the finish. The kind of win you stack to get into the top spots of the playoffs.

Mission accomplished in the first of the final 72. One might not break it up that way. If you prefer, you could look at it as the 17th win in the last 23 games. Or just plain old 51st win in the 91st game. That’s why I enjoyed this win. At the end of the day, it is a mundane, forgettable win in what is a long season. There won’t be anything particular that stands out down the road looking backwards. They just took care of business. A good day as another day falls off of the calendar.

Go Cubs.

Three Positives:

• I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with Matthew Boyd. While the Cubs scored first, they didn’t score right out of the gate. Boyd held the line while they settled in offensively. Six scoreless innings. Very solid.
• Alex Bregman had two hits and two runs batted in. The two runs batted in came in two separate plate appearances. He came through twice with runners in scoring position.
• Miguel Amaya was the table setter supreme. He got the offense going with a two out walk in the third, leading to a run scoring rally that gave the Cubs some momentum. He would score two more times.
• Obligatory Pete Crow-Armstrong update: A pair of singles, one continuing the above mention rally and another driving in a run later. .293/.383/.525 (wRC+ 150) on the year. This was a subpar game. He’s been that good, a two hit, one RBI game is below average (though a tiny positive bump to batting average on the season, it wasn’t enough to raise his on base and his slug actually dropped).

Game 91, July 7: Cubs 5, Baltimore 2 (51-40)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Matthew Boyd (.331). 6 IP, 23 BF, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 7 K, HBP (W 4-1)
• Hero: Alex Bregman (.155). 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI
• Sidekick: Miguel Amaya (.127). 2-3, 2B, BB, 3 R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.147). 0-4, DP
• Goat: Ian Happ (-.062). 0-4
• Kid: Michael Conforto (-.047). 1-4

WPA Notes: Neither Ryan Rolison nor Jacob Webb appears on the goat podium because Rolison dug the hole but Webb allowed the runs, splitting the negative between them. Webb’s is mitigated by getting the third out and preserving the lead. That out was worth .107 and was one of the biggest plays of the night. The Cubs had an 87 percent chance of winning once they escaped that inning. To be fair, it was 93.5% before that seventh inning.

WPA Play of the Game: Adley Rutschman’s two-run single with two outs in the seventh cut the Cubs four run lead to two. (.141)

Cubs Play of the Game: Alex Bregman had an RBI-single with two outs and runners on first and second in the third, for the first run of the game. (.124)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 90 Winner: Javier Assad received 63 percent of the 67 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

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

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +21
• Carson Kelly +14.5
• Michael Busch +14
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Dansby Swanson -9
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Caleb Thielbar -13
• Seiya Suzuki -16.5

Up Next: Game two of the three-game set Wednesday night in Baltimore. Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74) vs. Dean Kremer (1-1, 3.18). Rea is in a bit of a good groove lately, just three earned runs over his last three starts (15.1 IP). That’s what Craig Counsell is looking for from him. Keep the team in the game through five innings. Kremer has made only three starts, two of those were back in April when he was 0-1 with five runs allowed in 11 innings. He made four minor league starts with a 1.83 ERA before coming back to the team. In his return, he won while allowing one run on four hits and a walk in six innings against the White Sox in Baltimore. The time away was due to a right quad strain.

Kremer has been a pretty solid starter for the Orioles for a number of years. He’s 1-1 in his career against the Cubs with a 6.00 ERA in nine innings of work. The most recent of those games was in 2024. Almost two years to the day. Michael Busch and Ian Happ each homered against him that day. For Busch, it was part of a four hit day.

This is another one that is not a gimme. Hopefully, Rea keeps them in it and the team can find a way to win another one and keep this rolling.

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The Cincinnati Reds welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to Great American Ballpark tonight, with Chase Burns taking the hill. 

Behind their ace, my Phillies vs. Reds predictions and MLB picks are targeting Cincy to take the second game of this series. 

Who will win Phillies vs Reds today: Reds moneyline (-131)

The Cincinnati Reds send the dominant Chase Burns to the mound this evening. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a 3.08 FIP across his last five outings, surrendering just 0.99 HR/9. 

During that span, Burns has limited opponents to a 33.3% hard-hit rate. Opposing hitters are batting just .222 off his primary offering, the four-seam fastball, and his second-most-used offering — the slider — has been a real issue for several Phillies hitters, most notably Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are likely to go with an opener, and that's good news for the Reds. Philadelphia's bullpen sports a 4.87 FIP and 7.20 ERA across the last week. While Cincinnati isn't in great form offensively, it's an opportunity to jump on a Phillies relief corps giving up 1.35 HR/9 right now. 

Burns deals, and the Reds do some damage off Philly's pen. I'll play this pick up to -150. 

COVERS INTEL: The Phillies have been substantially worse offensively on the road, posting 78 wRC+ compared to 106 wRC+ at Citizens Bank Park. 

Phillies vs Reds Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-131)

Tonight's total is set quite high at 9.5 runs. The Phillies are not exactly thriving offensively on the road, and Burns' ability to keep opponents at bay is a clear strength for the Under. The Cincinnati bullpen has also been impressive lately. 

Across the last week, they own a 3.63 FIP, and the penhasn't allowed a single home run. That's promising against a Phillies team that's sixth in the big leagues in home runs. 

While Philadelphia's relievers aren't pitching great, the Reds have just 74 wRC+ in their last six contests. I do expect them to score some runs behind Burns, but this will not be a high-scoring matchup. 

I'll play this pick up to -150. 

Phillies vs Reds weather

Conditions will be warm and relatively calm at Great American Ball Park tonight, with temperatures in the mid-80s at first pitch before falling into the upper 70s later. Winds will be very light at around 1-to-2 mph, while rain chances stay low. Overall, the weather should have minimal impact on the game.

Phillies vs Reds odds

• Moneyline: Phillies +119 | Reds -131
• Run line: Phillies +1.5 (-168) | Reds -1.5 (+146)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+131) | Under 9.5 (-131)

Phillies vs Reds trend

The Phillies have cashed the Under in 22 of their last 30 road games for +13.30 units and a 40% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Reds.

How to watch Phillies vs Reds and game info

Phillies vs Reds latest injuries

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The El Paso Chihuahuas and San Antonio Missions were the two minor league affiliates to have a winning week. The two Single-A teams, the Fort Wayne TinCaps and Lake Elsinore Storm, both lost their series this past week.

Lake Elsinore, the first-half winners of their Single-A division, has gone 4-11 since the wholesale promotions that marked the end of the first half. That is the worst record in their league. They will await the new arrivals that come in late July or early August after the draft.

In preparation for those new arrivals, the Padres’ organization has continued to make moves to rearrange the players in the system. Every MLB team is allowed 165 minor league members on their rosters, with the moves made over the past two weeks taking the organization to 153 players.

RHP Kannon Kemp completed his rehab assignment and was assigned to Fort Wayne. Right-handed reliever Johan Moreno, who was promoted before the break, was moved again and will play with El Paso. Reliever Ryan Och, who also excelled after his rehab, was promoted from Fort Wayne to San Antonio. Lefty starter Jamie Hitt was also promoted from Fort Wayne to San Antonio.

Right-hander Eric Yost, who moved to El Paso for a start when Jhony Brito was promoted to the major leagues, was returned to San Antonio.

Pitchers Tristan McKenzie and CJ Widger were released from the organization. McKenzie was signed to a minor league deal as one of the reclamation projects general manager A.J. Preller invested in before the season. He has a high-90’s fastball and was successful as a major league starter previously, but has never regained his command since his injury.

The organization will likely make more moves before and after the draft takes place this weekend. 

Catcher Ethan Salas and LHP Kash Mayfield will represent the Padres as part of the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 12, at 9 a.m. PST, carried on NBC/Peacock.

El Paso Chihuahuas (40-47 record, 4th in Pacific Coast League East)

Going 4-2 in their six-game series, the Chihuahuas remain significantly weaker after losing their best offensive players to the major league team. Outfielder Carlos Rodriguez has stepped up to the plate and now boasts a .306/.373/.396 batting line with 14 doubles, two triples, two homers, and 46 RBI. The 25-year-old now leads in RBI and has 31 strikeouts with 31 walks.

Infielder Pablo Reyes, 32, was released from the organization with Nick Solak, Dylan Grego, Mason McCoy, Marcus Castanon, Luis Rengifo, and Clay Dungan all able to play the same positions.

Both Grego and Rengifo have had good starts since joining El Paso.

RHP Evan Fitterer has joined the small ranks of pitchers who are able to sustain success in the PCL. Over 18 games/12 games started, Fitterer, 26, has a 3.53 ERA in 63.2 innings pitched. He has 44 strikeouts to 37 walks and has allowed only two home runs. He signed with the Padres after electing free agency in the offseason and was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins.

Reliever Andrew Moore, recently promoted to El Paso, has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings since joining the Chihuahuas. Overall, Moore, 26, who was acquired by the Padres in the Connor Joe trade last season, has a 1.71 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched.

San Antonio Missions (37-44 record, 5th, last, in Texas League South)

The Missions had a 4-2 record in their six-game series, benefiting from the newly arrived outfielder Jake Cunningham. The 23-year-old former Baltimore Orioles prospect started the season with Fort Wayne and is hitting better with the Missions than with Fort Wayne. In 11 games, Cunningham is hitting .298/.313/.511 with seven RBI.

Catcher Ethan Salas just returned from a stint on the injured list with a minor oblique strain. He has cooled off significantly since the start of the season but has a team-leading .351 OBP with 26 walks and 37 strikeouts. 

Salas and first baseman Romeo Sanabria are both having good seasons, though neither is leading in home runs or RBI. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas, sent to San Antonio at the start of the season, has 11 homers and 36 RBI in his age-26 season and is no longer on the Padres’ roster.

LHP Jagger Haynes has had some rough outings, which is why he has a 4.10 ERA. But over the past month, Haynes has had a 3.31 ERA and a .177 average against. He leads the team with 76 strikeouts to 37 walks in 65 innings pitched and 14 games started in 16 appearances.

Reliever Francis Peña, 25, has struggled with his command over the first half of the season. He has recently shown improved results with a 3.15 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched, but has 28 walks to 47 strikeouts.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (34-47 record, 4th in Midwest League East)

Despite being the recipients of a large portion of Lake Elsinore’s potent offense at promotion time, the TinCaps lost four-of-six in their series this week and are 5-7 over the past two weeks. 

Outfielder Kasen Wells, 22, leads the team with a .283 average. His game involves running and contact hitting with a .383 OBP, 17 stolen bases, and 38 walks. Outfielder Kavares Tears leads with 12 home runs and 41 RBI but also has the most strikeouts at 78.

Centerfielder Ryan Wideman, who has now played 11 games with Fort Wayne after his promotion, is hitting .277 with five RBI and seven stolen bases in nine attempts. For the season, Wideman has 50 stolen bases but has been caught 15 times.

LHP Kash Mayfield, 21,  had a break over the past two weeks and will have his innings managed over the rest of the year. He currently has a 3.33 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts to 19 walks. RHP Abraham Parra, 20, has 57.1 innings pitched with 59 strikeouts but has walked 38. He has a 5.81 ERA with some uneven command.

RHP Ryan Och, now promoted to San Antonio, has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings with 25 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Lake Elsinore Storm (43-38 record, 1st in California League South)

The Storm is guaranteed a playoff spot at the end of the season thanks to their first-half dominance. The story has been very different since the promotions of many of their best offensive players. They now have a one-game lead in their division.

Newly promoted infielder Dawson Willis has had a good start with a .295/.343/.541 line with four doubles, a triple, three homers, and 15 RBI in the 16 games he has played. Catcher Alcides Hernandez, given a greater opportunity with the injury to Ty Harvey, has taken advantage, leading the team in average at .333 and an OBP of .429. 

RHP Jesus Castro, 19, now leads the Storm starters with a 3.52 ERA in 53.2 innings and 13 starts. Newly arrived reliever Jeferson Villabona, 25, has thrown 9.1 innings with a 0.96 ERA.

ACL Padres (26-21 record, 3rd in West division)

Outfielder Eddson Martinez, 18, promoted from the DSL, has played in 10 games for the Arizona team and has a .364/.455/.545 batting line so far. Outfielder Jesmaylin Arias leads the team with six home runs, while infielder Santiago Vargas leads with 24 RBI.

Reliever Jose Leclerc joined the ACL team to start his rehab from shoulder surgery. He has appeared in only one inning and will be built up slowly.

RHP Miguel Mendez, out since his June 17 start for the Missions with a shoulder injury, has been assigned to the ACL team to begin his rehab.

DSL Padres

The Brown team continues to struggle and has a 5-20 record that has them last in their division.

The Gold team sits 20-6, first in their division. Multiple hitters on the Gold team are hitting over .300 with infielder Abraham Bastides having a .667 slugging percentage, including three home runs and 14 RBI. He leads with a 1.235 OPS while shortstop Joniel Hernandez leads the team with 27 RBI and has a .986 OPS.

The best pitching is coming from the bullpen for the Gold team. RHP Josias Figuereo is the best starter with a 5.49 ERA, but multiple relievers have provided strong support. Due to the age of these players (17-20 for the most part), their workload is limited for both starters and relievers.

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Playing away from Sutter Health Park did not cure the Athletics’ ails. Yesterday, the team began its six-game Midwest road trip with another loss, falling 6-2 to the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series. Tonight marks the middle game of this midweek series and then the team will play three games at the surprising Chicago White Sox this weekend.

Next week, most of the Athletics players and coaches will rest and prepare for the second half of the season. However, catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz will travel to Philadelphia as American League All-Star starters. They will be joined by A’s head athletic trainer Jeff Collins, who will serve on the AL’s training staff during the “Midsummer Classic”.

Langeliers already declined his invitation to the Home Run Derby, which takes place Monday night before Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Kurtz, who grew up in Pennsylvania as a devoted Phillies fan, also turned down the event due to the risk of injury and fatigue.

The 2026 MLB Draft will kick off the festivities in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday. The Athletics hold the No. 8 overall pick, which they secured in the draft lottery this past offseason. Once again, it appears the “Green and Gold” will not be able to choose from any of the top-of-the-class talents, yet the franchise will likely have a bevy of talented players to choose from.

The past three years, the A’s drafted a college player in the first round. Will that trend continue or will they dip into the well of high-school talent for the first time since taking Tyler Soderstrom and Max Muncy back-to-back in 2020 and 2021?

It will also be worth monitoring how the A’s allocate their bonus pool money. For example, they could select an older college player for an under-slot bonus in one round, then use the resulting savings to entice a highly touted high school prospect selected in the following round to sign rather than honor his college commitment. The A’s should draft an outfielder at some point because Lawrence Butler has significantly regressed in every facet of his game since signing that team-friendly contract extension.

All of that is just around the corner. First, though, the Athletics have five more games to close out the first half. A strong finish could provide valuable momentum heading into the All-Star break and set the tone for what they hope will be a meaningful second half.

What are your predictions for the A’s final five games before the time off?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s fall to Tigers 6-2
• Trade Deadline Outlook: Athletics ($)
• A’s Release Michael Kelly
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In July
• Julyeball Scout Report As Hopes, Like The Sun, Sink Slowly In The West
• Thoughts And Well Wishes For A’s Prospect Ryan Lasko
• The Athletics and the Cost of a Bad Extension
• A’s Late Rally Falls Short as Marlins Complete the Sweep
• A’s Take Series Finale, Beat Dodgers 7-1
• A’s roster moves: Massive Shakeup
• A’s To Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
• A’s Fans Want Tommy White in Sacramento, But Is He Ready?
• Two Pitching Options in Draft for Athletics This Weekend
• It’s Harder To Win When You Don’t Understand Your Own Personnel
• Fun Parallels To 2012 Emerging
• What Kade Morris’ Role Will Look Like for A’s in Future
• Some Easy Fixes Rocket Science Aren’t
• Athletics’ Devin Taylor Emerges As All-Around Talent
• From celebratory pool dip to the A’s, Meneses’ journey back to Majors a memorable one
• Athletics Could Deal Hottest Triple-A Bat This Summer
• Status Report: Uncertainty Persists In 5 Places On The Diamond

MLB News and Interest:

• Handing out 2026 midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams
• 2026 MLB draft: One big question and intel for all 30 teams
• MLB stars share draft-day stories: Kurtz, Misiorowski, more
• Rice joins Home Run Derby field, looking to be Yankees’ first winner since ’17
• Here are the 2026 All-Star Game roster replacements
• 3 homers, 10 RBIs … by the 6th inning!? What a night for O’Hearn
• Brewers To Promote Luis Lara
• Torn finger tendon could sideline Griffin for several weeks (source)
• Dodgers’ Evan Phillips back 13 months after Tommy John surgery
• John Mozeliak Discusses Angels’ Draft, Deadline Plans
• 10 non-All-Stars poised for a big second half
• Max Kepler hits first homer since 80-game suspension ended
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Who is the most realistic pitcher the A’s can target this trade deadline without blowing up their farm system? At this point, it seems like the team should be sellers, but that outlook could change if they stop losing nearly every game.

This is worth listening to. Let’s hope that Ryan Lasko continues to recover and gets back to playing baseball sooner rather than later.

Interesting MLB Draft opinion. Who do you think is the team’s best option with the eighth pick in the first round?

This news is a sigh of relief for A’s fans as Ginn has been the team’s best starting pitcher this season.

Good morning everyone! Happy Wednesday.

Last night, the Mariners lost a heartbreaker to the Marlins 6-5 after blowing several key run-scoring opportunities.

Cal Raleigh seems to be heating up, with a pair of doubles in last night’s contest. Do you think we’re about to see a resurgence for Big Dumper?

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners have made it loud and clear now: Dom Canzone is no longer just a platoon player.
• The Mariners reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with veteran outfielder Stuart Fairchild.
• The MLB Draft is just around the corner, so Max Ellingsen provided a quick preview of “the rest” of the players potentially up for grabs for the Mariners in the first round that he hasn’t yet profiled extensively. If you’re looking for more in-depth analysis of top M’s draft targets, Max has you covered here.
• Daniel Kramer also provided a complete preview of the upcoming draft.
• Josh Kirshenbaum talked to Randy Arozarena and Mariners staff about his All-Star first half and how he’s found more consistency this year.
• To round out the Fourth of July festivities, Eric Sanford graded your comparisons between Mariners players and the framers of the United States Constitution.

Around the league…

• If you’re looking to dive even deeper into draft coverage ahead of the big day, friend of the site Tyler Pride provided a full breakdown of his top 85 MLB Draft prospects.
• The Brewers promoted top outfield prospect Luis Lara to the big leagues. Lara signed a seven-year contract extension with the club earlier this year.
• Ryan O’Hearn broke a Pirates club record with 10 runs batted in during last night’s contest against Atlanta.
• The Yankees made MLB history by striking out 17 times in two consecutive games.
• The Royals have agreed to a minor league deal with former Mariners reliever Justin Topa.
• Young Pirates infielder Konnor Griffin will miss 8-10 weeks with a torn tendon in his left hand.
• The Twins placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the injured list with a right hip strain.
• The Mets activated infielder Jorge Polanco from the injured list. Polo has been out since April due to an Achilles injury.
• The Astros demoted right-hander Mike Burrows to Triple-A after he got rocked by the Nationals in his last start.
• The Tigers announced that they’ve parted ways with third base coach (and former Mariner) Joey Cora.
• Patrick Dubuque at Baseball Prospectus tried to get to the bottom of whatever is going on with the baseballs. ($)
• Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel updated their ranking of the top 100 trade candidates.
• Ryan Blake at Fangraphs dug into the American League pitchers for this year’s All-Star Game.
• David Schoenfield at ESPN gave midseason grades to each MLB team.
• Kiri Oler at Fangraphs wonders what on earth is going on with Paul Skenes, who has a 5.36 ERA over his last nine starts.

Anders’ pick…

• In the FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi led Argentina to an improbable comeback victory against Egypt to win 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinal.

There was a moment where the Yankees’ hopes of turning their deficit around in one series burned a little brighter on Tuesday, as Ben Rice launched a three-run home run to give them a one-run lead in the third inning. Unfortunately, an inning later those hopes were dashed when the Rays scored four runs and took a lead they wouldn’t surrender. Now they’re playing to take the series overall and walk away with a shortened deficit, but before they can get back to that we’ve got to go over what went down around the league while New York was busy battling in the Trop.

Toronto Blue Jays (43-49) 9, San Francisco Giants (38-53) 3

Credit where credit is due: after getting demolished on Monday by the Giants the Jays responded and smacked the Giants right back. The second inning saw them scoring first with a Jonatan Clase three-run homer, and after San Fran scratched one run back they jumped right back into the batter’s box in the third and scored five more runs. The first three Jays all singled scoring one, a groundout moved the runners over before another single from Sean Keys scored two, two more singles brought one more home, and then a sacrifice fly finally varied up the scoring to round out the inning.

Spencer Miles looked like he was going to let the Giants back into the game despite the significant lead, giving them a bases-loaded with nobody out setup in the bottom of the third. Rafael Devers brought in their second run of the game, but he did so via a double play that wound up killing all momentum in the frame, and Miles escaped by getting a groundout in the next at-bat. Miles only lasted four innings and saw plenty of traffic on the basepaths with seven hits, but despite the fact that he only struck out one batter he managed to induce enough soft contact to work around the jams he created. Patrick Corbin entered for his second relief appearance of the year and just the third of his career outside of his rookie season and gave them 2.1 innings of one-run ball before the traditional relievers entered and closed the door on any more antics, easily securing this one.

Chicago White Sox (47-43) 1, Boston Red Sox (41-48) 8

Welcome to the Roundup Chicago. With the Rays playing the Yankees this week and the White Sox holding first place in the Central we figured now would be a good time to give them a trial run on our coverage, though they sure didn’t give a good impression in this game. Boston jumped ahead 3-0 on a pair of homers from Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela in the second inning, tacked on another in the fourth with a successful safety squeeze bunt, and then poured it on late with four runs in the ninth as RBI doubles from Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez combined with an RBI single from Jarren Duran led the way. Payton Tolle delivered six shutout innings on the other end for the BoSox, and Danny Coulombe was the only one to stumble out of the bullpen putting the first three batters he faced aboard leading to Chicago’s only run in the seventh.

Cleveland Guardians (47-45) 1, Minnesota Twins (45-47) 3

Shades of the AL Central Rock Fight are emerging as the Twins pull within three games of first place following a narrow win over Cleveland. Taj Bradley was masterful, pitching seven innings and allowing just the one run on three hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts. The lone bit of damage came via a Rhys Hoskins solo shot in the second that briefly gave the Guardians the lead, but the Twins jumped to steal it right back in the bottom half. An error gave them a free baserunner right off the bat, and that quickly spiraled into runners at second and third with one out. The error proved costly by allowing Minnesota to lift a sacrifice fly to tie the game and a Brooks Lee single put them on top for good. Kody Clemens gave them some insurance with an RBI triple in the seventh, but they were cruising by that point.

Seattle Mariners (47-45) 5, Miami Marlins (50-42) 6 (10 innings)

Nobody had a better June than Miami, and they’re riding that hot streak into July with a four-game winning streak after surviving a wild one against Seattle. The Marlins got a great start, going ahead 4-0 by the fourth inning as Owen Caissie hit a solo shot, Jakob Marsee singled home another, Kyle Stowers lifted a sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch tacked on one more.

After looking lifeless through those four innings though, Seattle rallied against Max Meyer in the fifth. Cal Raleigh led off with a double and scored two at-bats later on a sacrifice fly, and Cole Young punched one out to right field to cut the deficit in half. The sixth and seventh were quiet as the bullpen entered the game on both sides, but the eighth saw the Mariners pull through. A walk and hit-by-pitch put runners on with no outs immediately and Raleigh doubled one of them in, Josh Naylor singled the other one across to tie the game, and a wild pitch once again tilted things to put Seattle up 5-4.

Miami had an immediate answer, with pinch-hitter Heriberto Hernández leading off with a blast to tie the game back up. The ninth inning was a wash, and we were off to extras where Seattle moved the Manfred Man over to third but couldn’t get a fly ball deep enough to score him. Miami just needed one hit to walk it off and they got it when Marsee turned on a middle-middle cutter dropping it onto the grass in right field.