Category: MLB

(The below is Brandon’s post. It was somehow incorrectly posted as weeks ago, so I’m copying it here)

First Pitch: 1:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

After years of going “well, that looks fun,” and keeping up with the PC scene on the outside looking in, I finally broke down and bought my first-ever desktop computer this week, which has come with two immediate benefits. One, the already-significant purchase meant that I felt justified in adding a peripheral into the mix, which means you’re reading this from the comfort of my new Keychron keyboard. The other is that Balatro runs a little bit faster.

I bring this to your attention because I’m assuming that the newfound comfort with which I am, shall we say, strokin’ keys, has no doubt translated onto your screens and is making for a significantly more enjoyable readership experience. Basically, you ARE welcome, and you didn’t have to say all that.

Tonight, the Twins continue their interleague series with the St. Louis Cardinals, one of baseball’s reddest, birdest teams. (You can tell from the logo. And the name!) Despite sort of rebuilding, and asserting their intention to deal away rental pieces next month, the second-place Redbirds are the owners of a 37-29 record which puts them four back of the Brewers and atop the National League Wild Card standings by a full game over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s Connor Prielipp, and it’s also Matthew Liberatore. How is that possible? I guess we’re gonna find out. I didn’t think there could be two pitchers in the same game. I’ll have to read up on that.

GO TWINS GO!

The Texas Rangers have purchased the contract of pitcher Joe Ross from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room for Ross on the active roster, the Rangers optioned Luis Curvelo to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Ross on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated pitcher Michel Otanez for assignment.

The Rangers are in a lengthy stretch of games, and after Luis Curvelo’s one inning, three run outing last night, the Rangers apparently decided that he needed to be replaced by a fresh arm. Thus, we have the addition of veteran righthander Joe Ross.

Ross, 33, is the brother of Tyson Ross, who you may remember pitched for the Rangers in their 2017 season. Ross started the season in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and ended up pitching for their AAA team for a while. He was released in mid-May and signed with the Rangers, who sent him to Round Rock. After allowing three runs in his first outing of 1.2 IP for Round Rock and a run in his second outing, Ross has had five straight scoreless appearances, totaling 8.2 IP, with six strikeouts against no walks.

Curvelo getting sent down was not surprising, though I thought he might be sent down to make room for Alejandro Osuna, if Corey Seager and/or Evan Carter were too banged up to go today, but not so much so that an injured list move was necessary. Osuna left yesterday’s Round Rock game in the fifth inning, presumably due to Carter having to leave the Rangers game yesterday after hurting his oblique.

As for Otanez, he was claimed on waivers over the winter, and managed to outlast several other 40 man roster members, but the axe finally swung for him. He’s not pitched well at Round Rock, with 37 Ks against 25 walks in 26.1 IP over 25 games, and a 6.15 ERA. The Rangers will now have to trade, waive or release him.

The Dodgers finished off their road trip with one more game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon at Rate Field, perhaps during time for brunch back in California.

Emmet Sheehan starts the series finale for the Dodgers, with right-hander Erick Fedde on the mound for Chicago.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at White Sox
• Ballpark: Rate Field, Chicago
• Time: 11:10 a.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, I gave you a choice of four Cubs who had gotten off to rough starts this year and asked you which one you thought would turn things around first.

Now, there were a couple things not quite right about the four choices. First, I left Nico Hoerner off the survey, and probably should have included him because though Nico got off to a good start, he’s been in a slump for a while now. And I did include Michael Busch, who had a terrible start but then had a pretty good May.

Also, Josh did a BCB After Dark survey on a similar topic and you can read the results here.

With those caveats, here are the results from this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey:

Given what I just wrote about Busch above, yes, that is probably the correct answer. At the end of April Busch was hitting .193/.295/.281 (22-for-114) with just two home runs in 30 games. Since then: .301/.436/.522 (41-for-136) with six home runs in 39 games, including the big three-run blast Friday night in San Francisco. Given that Busch hit 34 home runs in 2025 — and four in eight postseason games — I’d still like to see him up the power output. Hopefully that will happen.

Nico Hoerner has also been in an extended slump — just .207/.289/.251 (37-for-179) over his last 45 games so, yes, it would be nice to see him turn things around, too.

Here are the results of the national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey.

That’s a really interesting vote. Alvarez has been kind of under-the-radar this year because the Astros have struggled. But, he is currently leading MLB in SLG and OPS, and tops the AL with 22 home runs.

This seems pretty accurate. We’re only at the beginning stages of MLB/MLBPA negotiations, there’s been just one offer made from each side and there hasn’t really been any response to either in terms of modifying anyone’s requests or demands (other than the usual blustering). It’s still nearly six months until the CBA expires so crunch time is a ways away.

Yes. This is definitely a concern. And unless either side budges on what they’re asking for, owners will almost certainly lock players out when the CBA expires Dec. 1. That doesn’t mean that games will be lost in 2027 — not yet, anyway. Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping track of what’s happening in these negotiations as the summer goes by, and I’ll report any developments here.

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.

If you’ve been around the internet in the past week or so, you may have seen the spread of a series of quick and fun little sports games. Seemingly starting with 82-0 and the NBA, games have been sprouting up where you have to try and make the best possible starting lineup after a random generator spits out a franchise and a decade. However, the conceit is that you have no idea what team and decade may come next. You have to balance picking the best possible player while trying not to leave yourself in a spot where you have to take a complete scrub with your final picks.

There has been a baseball version that’s popped up as well, 162-0. Playing that version of those games got me thinking about what would be the best possible team you could make using only the Yankees. So, here’s an effort to try and find out.

Some rules I made for myself include not repeating any players or decades. For example, I wasn’t going to put both 1920s and 1930s Babe Ruth on the team, nor was I just going to stack the team with a bunch of Murderers’ Row era stars and ignore other decades. I also decided to keep some sense of positional realness. Aaron Judge technically has played a handful of games in left field over his career, but I wasn’t going to put him over there just for the sake of stacking the team. The same deal applied to the designated hitter spot, I wanted to pick someone who has spent a good amount of time playing DH.

With that in mind, here’s my team.

Catcher: 1960s Elston Howard
Yankees stats in that decade: 959 games, .278/.329/.435, 109 HR, 111 wRC+, 24.7 fWAR

I strongly considered 1970s Thurman Munson for this spot, while a bunch of the other candidates (Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Jorge Posada) had their decades locked up by other players. Howard’s still a very good choice though, as he was very good in the ‘60s, including his AL MVP win in 1963.

First Base: 1930s Lou Gehrig
Yankees stats in that decade: 1397 games, .343/.453/.638, 347 HR, 173 wRC+, 76.0 fWAR

Yeah, no, there was only one real choice for the ‘30s. The Yankees had other good players that decade and have had other good first baseman, but Gehrig in the ‘30s had one of the single best decades in baseball history.

Second Base: 1980s Willie Randolph
Yankees stats in that decade: 1135 games, .276/.378/.355, 35 HR, 111 wRC+, 32.0 fWAR

Both the 1980s and second base were one of the last spots I filled up, but Randolph’s a pretty solid choice considering that. At least according to FanGraphs WAR, he was actually the best Yankee position player of the decade.

Shortstop: 2000s Derek Jeter
Yankees stats in that decade: 1500 games, .317/.387/.456, 161 HR, 125 wRC+, 46.1 fWAR

Over the course of his career and the discourse that came with it, Jeter somehow simultaneously became one of the most underrated and overrated players at the same time. However, there’s nothing to argue about over what he did in the 2000s.

Third Base: 1970s Graig Nettles
Yankees stats in that decade: 1092 games, .255/.329/.437, 181 HR, 116 wRC+, 40.4 fWAR

You can make an argument for Nettles being one of the most overlooked players in all of baseball history considering his stats compared to how little of a Hall of Fame look he got. I considering a couple different alignments and a couple different third baseman, but than you look at what Nettles did in the ‘70s and it became a pretty obvious pick, at least in my opinion.

Left Field: 1940s Charlie Keller
Yankees stats in that decade: 953 games, .281/.406/.521, 173 HR, 152 wRC+, 39.7 fWAR

Left field is an interesting one, as most of the Yankees’ most legendary outfielders have mostly patrolled center and right. If I was being laxer on the rules, I could’ve shoved one of them over here, but I wanted an out and out left fielder, and “King Kong Keller” was probably my best choice there.

Center Field: 1950s Mickey Mantle
Yankees stats in that decade: 1246 games, .311/.425/.569, 280 HR, 172 wRC+, 67.9 fWAR

Again, there are other good choices for center field and for the 1950s, but when you just look at what the Mick did, I had to pick him.

Right Field: 1920s Babe Ruth
Yankees stats in that decade: 1399 games, .355/.488/.740, 467 HR, 202 wRC+, 106.7 fWAR

The current Yankee captain and the decade so far that Aaron Judge has had is maybe the one player I felt most bad about leaving out, but c’mon, it’s Babe Ruth.

Designated Hitter: 2020s Giancarlo Stanton
Yankees stats in that decade: 588 games, .237/.317/.486, 148 HR, 122 wRC+, 6.9 fWAR

As I mentioned, I didn’t want to just shove the next best player in at DH and wanted to pick someone with a legitimate amount of time at the position. Big G’s 2020s stats over that period somewhat pale in comparison to the rest of the entries on this team, but when healthy, the man has hit.

Starting Pitcher: 1990s Andy Pettitte
Yankees stats in that decade: 165 games, 1044.1 IP, 3.92 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 81-46, 20.9 fWAR

For as much success as the 1990s Yankees had, picking a representative from them was somewhat tough, as their strength was having very few holes as opposed to having a Babe Ruth level star. In the end, I decided to go with Pettitte to be this team’s starter on the mound.

Relief Pitcher: 2010s Dellin Betances
Yankees stats in that decade: 358 games, 381.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 36 saves, 11.3 fWAR

The Yankees obviously have the greatest reliever ever in Mariano Rivera, but I used his best decades elsewhere and he didn’t pitch long enough into the 2010s to take the spot. Plus, it shouldn’t be forgotten how absolutely unhittable Betances was in his prime.

That’s my team, but I want to see your configurations. Let us know your all-time Yankees lineup picking one player per decade.

Hoping to even the series in a duel of average-ish pitching, Atlanta is batting Mauricio Dubon at leadoff, starting Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop, and DHing Jorge Mateo, with Sandy Leon starting at catcher…whoof. This lineup desperately needs the return of Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna. Austin Riley remembering how to hit like a star player and Sean Murphy returning sure would help too.

I will update this once the Mets post their lineup.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, June 13, 4:10 p.m. EDT

Location: Citi Field, Queens, NY

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLBTV

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

The St. Louis Cardinals continue their weekend in Minneapolis as it’s game 2 versus the Minnesota Twins Saturday. Matthew Liberatore will make the start for the Cardinals while LHP Connor Prielipp will be on the mound for the Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm central time at Target Field and the broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv. Note that JJ Wetherholt has the day off and Masyn Winn is leading off Saturday.

Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup after missing a game with left knee inflammation as the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar is batting leadoff for their Saturday, June 13 matchup against the Chicago White Sox.

Ohtani was pulled from the team’s game Thursday at Pittsburgh and underwent an MRI on his knee Friday in Chicago. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters the scan came back clean and he expected, for now, Ohtani would make his next scheduled pitching start Wednesday.

Roberts initially said there was also pain in the back of Ohtani’s knee, but walked that assessment back. The Dodgers lost the first game of the three-game series 8-6 Friday night.

After what was for him a pedestrian start at the plate, Ohtani has been on a one-month tear since May 12, with seven homers and a .412/.508/.753 line in 118 plate appearances. He's also posted a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts, which would lead the National League if Ohtani had two more innings pitched to qualify.

Now in his third year with the Dodgers, Ohtani won a World Series and an MVP award in each of the first two seasons of his record-setting $700 million deal.

Dodgers lineup today vs. White Sox

Today’s #Dodgers lineup at White Sox: pic.twitter.com/dVBnxFeaex

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 13, 2026

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The Toronto Blue Jays have been the kryptonite of New York Yankees star right-hander Cam Schlittler in his young career. 

The Jays’ bats profile well to continue that dominance this afternoon, making Schlittler Over 5.5 hits allowed an attractive play at +120.

Read on for my Blue Jays vs. Yankees Predictions and MLB Picks for this Saturday, June 13 matchup. 

Yankees vs Blue Jays predictions

Yankees vs Blue Jays best bet: Cam Schlitter Over 5.5 hits (+120)

Cam Schlittler is having a Cy Young worthy season, but has struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays throughout his career, which has led to his market being mispriced. 

I expect the Jays to go over 5.5 hits on Schlittler today. 

Toronto’s current lineup owns a .339 batting average, earning 28 hits against the New York Yankees starter through four games, profiling well against his aggressive strike-throwing style and pitch mix.

Schlittler has a high zone rate and uses a mix of four-seamers, cutters, and sinkers. 

As a team, the Blue Jays own a .272 average (8th) with a 41% hard-hit rate (5th) against these pitches.

Schlittler has eclipsed this hit total in 3-of-4 career starts against Toronto, with the lone other start only lasting 1 2/3 innings, where he still gave up five hits.

I’d play Schlitter Over 5.5 hits down to +110. 

COVERS INTEL: Toronto is averaging 13.2 H/9 against Schlittler in his career. 

Yankees vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

We'll continue to bank on a productive day for the Blue Jay bats in today’s SGP with Ernie Clement and Jesus Sanchez hitting props.

Clement has 18 hits over his last 12 games, eclipsing this total in 10 of them. He profiles well against Schlittler as a contact hitter, and it has led him to being 4-for-9 against the Yankee starter in his career.  

For the last leg of this SGP, I’ll bet on Sanchez Over 0.5 hits. He owns a .330 average and a .370 BABIP against Schlittler’s pitch mix. He’s also eclipsed this total in four of his last five starts and is 3-for-5 career against the Yankees starter. 

Yankees vs Blue Jays SGP

• Schlittler Over 5.5 hits
• Clement Over  0.5 hits
• Sanchez Over 0.5 hits

Yankees vs Blue Jays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+475)

Kazuma Okamoto leads the Jays with 14 homers this season and hits Schlittler's pitch mix well with a 60% hard-hit rate, to go along with a 9.7% barrel rate. 

This positions him well for success today as the Yankee starter does get barreled up quite often, while also ranking in the 33rd percentile in hard-hit rate.

However, despite giving up the hard contact, Schlittler does keep the ball in the yard, allowing only four home runs in his 14 starts this season. 

Therefore, I’ll be making this a half-unit wager today.

Yankees vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: New York -125 | Toronto +105
• Run line: New York -1.5 (+140) | Toronto +1.5 (-160)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5 

Yankees vs Blue Jays trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Game Total Over in 10 of their last 16 games at home (+4.70 Units / 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Yankees vs Blue Jays and game info

Yankees vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Yankees vs Blue Jays weather

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

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Fresh off an opening-game victory, the Chicago White Sox look to protect home field once again on Saturday afternoon at Rate Field.

Standing in their way is a massive pitching mismatch, as the Los Angeles Dodgers hand the ball to the stellar Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Given the clear edge on the mound for L.A., my Dodgers vs. White Sox predictions favor the road favorites to cover the spread.

Read on for more analysis and to get my free MLB picks for Saturday, June 13.

Who will win Dodgers vs White Sox today: Dodgers -1.5 (-117)

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto is getting batters to chase on 34.3% of their swings while maintaining a walk rate of just 5.1%. He’s also generating a 47.3% ground ball rate, which plays well against a Chicago White Sox lineup that hits grounders 44.2% of the time.

White Sox starter Sean Burke has a 5.40 ERA over his last six starts, and will have trouble turning things around against a Dodgers lineup leading the majors with a .345 wOBA. The Dodgers are the pick to cover the run line, and I’d take them to do so at -130 or better.

COVERS INTEL: The White Sox lead the majors in whiff rate at 27.9%, a troubling number against Yamamoto, who is getting batters to whiff on 29.5% of their swings.

Dodgers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-113)

With two teams that have powerful offenses, the total is a bit high at 8.5 runs today. Yamamoto has only allowed a total of three runs over his last four starts (spanning 27.1 innings), and Burke should at least compete against the Dodgers thanks to his arsenal of pitches.

Burke relies on his four-seam fastball and curveball, throwing them a combined 59% of the time. Los Angeles only pulls those pitches in the air 17.2% of the time against righties, which will limit the damage their lineup can do. I’m taking the Under today at -120 or better.

Dodgers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -186 | White Sox +178
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-117) | White Sox +1.5 (+113)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+108) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Dodgers vs White Sox trend

The Dodgers are 3-0 in Yamamoto’s last three starts, winning each game by at least four runs. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Dodgers vs White Sox and game info

Dodgers vs White Sox latest injuries

Dodgers vs White Sox weather

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

You are still singularly focused on Cincinnati Reds baseball, and for that I applaud you (to a degree).

They’ve lost key player after key player to injuries. They’ve nosedived from first place to dead last in the National League Central. They’ve found ways to lose that will make you absolutely rip out every hair on your head that you haven’t ripped out while watching them over previous years.

Yet here you are, loyal Reds fan. Here you are reading about a Saturday afternoon game between the Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks that’s taking place during the first weekend of the world’s biggest sporting event.

That’s fandom.

The Reds, to their limited credit, appear to have shaken the lineup a little bit after last night’s frustration. Not anything super serious – there were no promotions or demotions – just a handful of tinkers that manager Terry Francona surely hopes can light a fire under this underperforming group.

Edwin Arroyo will hit leadoff tonight and play shortstop, as Matt McLain – who’s still hitting 9th – swaps over to 2B for the game. Noelvi Marte, who homered last night, will get a start in CF this afernoon. Spencer Steer will slide out to RF, and Blake Dunn will start on the pine tonight after last night’s unbelievably forgettable 9th inning.

All that will be behind Rhett Lowder, who’ll start having allowed 13 BB and 11 ER across 7.1 IP over his last three starts combined. Woof!

First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET, and it’s back on Reds.tv after Friday’s Apple TV coverage.

Here’s how the Reds will line up to start:

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The Kansas City Royals are short favorites against the Houston Astros on Saturday night, and I’m laying the small moneyline price.

Noah Cameron gives Kansas City the cleaner starting-pitching profile, while Mike Burrows’ low-strikeout, contact-heavy profile gives the Royals enough scoring upside. 

Here are my Astros vs. Royals predictions and MLB picks for June 13.

Who will win Astros vs Royals today: Royals moneyline (-125)

This is a matchup of two pitchers that are trending in different directions. I'm backing the Kansas City Royals, who have the better pitcher by a sizable gap in this matchup. I'd play them to -135.

Houston Astros SP Mike Burrows has a4.72 xERA and a .338 xwOBA, which creates too many balls in play against a lineup with real top-end damage from Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone.

Royals SP Noah Cameron is not dominant, but his 3.98 xERA and 6.2% walk rate are cleaner than Burrows’ profile.

COVERS INTEL:Burrows is bottom-fourth percentile in fastball run value, and Kansas City’s two best bats both own 52%+ hard-hit rates.

Astros vs Royals Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+100)

I have slightly more conviction on the Over than a side and would play to 10 at even money.

Although I expect Kansas City to eventually get the win, it won't come without trouble. Cameron has allowed a 41.0% hard-hit rate and 9.3% barrel rate, which is dangerous against an Astros lineup with plenty of power, particularly considering the current form of Yordan Alvarez. 

Burrows is the bigger trigger for a variety of reasons, the most pressing being his bottom 20th percentile of most hard-hit metrics paired with looming negative regression.

Astros vs Royals odds

• Moneyline: Astros +105 | Royals -125
• Run line: Astros +1.5 | Royals -1.5 
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 | Under 9.5

Astros vs Royals trend

The Royals have covered the F5 Run Line in 7 of their last 11 games (+2.85 Units / 22% ROI)

How to watch Astros vs Royals and game info

Astros vs Royals latest injuries

Astros vs Royals weather

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

By now, it’s safe to say that third baseman Ryan McMahon has met expectations on the defensive end since landing in New York via trade last year. The offense, however, has been a big problem so far, as Sam Chapman recently pointed out. Last year, the third baseman posted an 84 wRC+ with the Bombers, and he was at 79 before Friday’s game against the Blue Jays. That’s actually not that far from his career mark of 88, but New York always expects more from its players.

There might be some light at the end of the tunnel, though. From May 19th until Wednesday, McMahon has turned things around to some extent, and the numbers show it. Over that span, the infielder is hitting .304/.319/.587 with four home runs and a 150 wRC+ in 47 plate appearances. Has he turned a corner? Is that kind of performance sustainable? Let’s examine his profile and what’s under the hood.

The short answer is no, because McMahon is definitely not a 150-wRC+ player. Life, however, is full of grays, as things don’t always have to be black or white. So the answer to the original question could be that some of his gains could be sustained over time. For example, McMahon boasts an 89th percentile hard-hit rate this year, at 50 percent. That means half of his batted balls leave his bat at a minimum of 95 mph, which makes them much harder to field cleanly. We don’t need to tell you that hitting the ball hard leads to success.

However, even if he hits the ball hard consistently, McMahon is in the 19th percentile in launch angle sweet spot, which are batted balls hit with launch angle between 8 and 32 degrees. If he could live between those two numbers more often, we would be more inclined to believe in a full-on breakout.

Another roadblock to continued success is plate discipline. Even during his hot stretch in the aforementioned span, McMahon is walking just 2.1 percent of the time and striking out at a 34 percent clip (last night’s game not included). That’s hard to stomach and doesn’t bode well for the future.

If you want to know whether what he’s currently doing can be sustainable or not, the wOBA and xwOBA gap might give us an idea. It’s not the be-all, end-all, but it helps us understand where we are. Since May 19th, the lefty hitter boasts a .389 wOBA, but a .349 xwOBA. It means that he is overperforming a bit, but the newfound power has made a difference for the better. The .040 gap says that he’s playing a bit over his head, but the xwOBA on itself isn’t bad at all.

McMahon can hit the ball over the fence, and it’s not just short-porch cheapies to right field at home:

To sum up, McMahon is still wildly inconsistent and keeps striking out a lot, but at least he has shown much more power since May 19th. There’s still a lot of work to do in the plate discipline department, but if you ask the Yankees, they would probably take the over-the-fence power even if it comes with precious few walks and lots of whiffs. The Yankees sure would be happy if McMahon could be an 85-95 wRC+ hitter with elite third base defense and consistent 20-25-homer power. Heck, you can even throw the ‘consistent’ part away, because it might be unrealistic.

Rangers making a move for Hearts boss Derek McInnes if Danny Rohl leaves for Red Bull Salzburg would be a "no-brainer", according to BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English.

The Ibrox club have reportedly asked Hearts for permission to speak to McInnes as Rohl seemingly edges closer to an Ibrox exit.

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, English said: "If Rangers are looking for a manager, Derek McInnes is a no-brainer. I think it's an obvious call.

"He moved to Hearts and almost won the league in his first season. He's very experienced, a gnarled pro in Scotland, there's nothing he doesn't know about this league. His worth ethic is through the roof.

"He would be a very good fit for Rangers. They will spend money this summer and I just think it makes sense.

"I don't think Jamestown Analytics - who are obviously hugely influential at Hearts - would shed any tears because they're quite a clinical operation. If a player or manager leaves it's, right, who's next? They're very focused and don't dwell on people coming and going."

Former Hearts captain and manager Craig Levein believes an approach from Rangers would leave McInnes with a "very difficult decision".

"I think the fact Hearts have been elevated by Tony Bloom's arrival - and the manager has that backing - it would be a very difficult decision for Derek to leave and go to Ibrox," Levein said.

"He's building a really good team at Hearts and last season was the closest any non-Old Firm team has come to winning the league in 40 years.

"He seems happy where he is and that's quite an important thing. For me, this isn't as cut and dried as it might have been two or three years ago. I think there's more for Derek to mull over."

Former Hearts striker Darren Jackson has questioned whether McInnes would reject Rangers again, having turned down the job in 2017 when at Aberdeen.

"He's obviously a Rangers man and that pull got Lawrence Shankland, who wanted to play for his boyhood heroes," said Jackson.

"The expectations next season at Hearts are through the roof. Third won't be good enough - because of what's happened this year - so the pressure becomes a lot more."

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The Chicago Cubs took the first game of the three-game weekend series against the San Francisco Giants and have their unlikely ace on the mound as they try to clinch a series win on Saturday.

Ben Brown has been one of the top pitchers in MLB since joining the starting rotation.

The Giants have not been producing against regular pitchers and got the short end of this starter matchup. My Cubs vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks call for a Chicago win.

Who will win Cubs vs Giants today: Cubs -1.5 (+138)

The Chicago Cubs' moneyline is too lopsided to bet. If it gets down to -110, it might be worth taking back those 1.5 runs. However, lately the San Francisco Giants have only won when they score 10+ runs, and you'll lose either way if that happens.

It's not likely to happen against Ben Brown, who has led Chicago to wins in four of his six starts and posted an ERA on par with Ohtani, the Miz, and Cristopher Sanchez.

His underlying metrics are even better. Brown's breaking stuff is in the 100th percentile in MLB, thanks to a knuckle curve with a 44.8 whiff rate.

COVERS INTEL: Brown's four-seamer is the only pitch he throws with an average against over .200 and a put-away rate under 20%, and yet it's also one of the 318 pitches thrown in MLB with a positive run value.

Cubs vs Giants Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (+102)

They've shaved a run off the Over/Under cutoff, but that just helps give you positive odds. This one should go way Under. The Giants have scored 3 or fewer in five of six. The Cubs snapped a streak of five such games on Thursday.

Giants starter Trevor McDonald has whiff rates of 40% on two of his four pitches and is in the top 10% in missing barrels and inducing grounders. He shut the Cubs down for five innings last weekend.

Seeing him a second time so soon should help Chicago produce enough to win and cover, but it won't be a slugfest.

Cubs vs Giants odds

• Moneyline: Cubs -122 | Giants +117
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+138) | Giants +1.5 (-144)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-113) | Under 7.5 (+108)

Cubs vs Giants trend

The Chicago Cubs have hit the Team Total Under in 20 of their last 30 games and the Game Total Under in five of six. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Giants.

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