The San Francisco Giants were content to play through one infielder injury, but not a second one. On Wednesday, ahead of their series finale against the Diamondbacks, the team announced that third baseman Matt Chapman had been placed on the 10-Day Injured List with an abdominal strain. Taking his place on the roster is fellow infielder Christian Koss, who was technically called up from AAA Sacramento, though he had been rehabbing an injury of his own in the Arizona Complex League at the time of the call up.

San Francisco has been playing down an infielder for a few games, after shortstop Willy Adames suffered a mild enough injury that the team decided not to place him on the IL, even though he wasn’t available. That resulted in a debacle during Tuesday’s loss when Chapman injured his abdominal, took his next at-bat anyway due to a lack of infielders on the bench, and appeared to worsen the injury before finally leaving the game. That resulted in center fielder Jonah Cox playing second base, while second baseman Luis Arráez shifted to third.

With Chapman out, Casey Schmitt — who has been playing all over the diamond this year — will become an everyday player at his best position. Koss, who is in the lineup tonight, will presumably by the everyday shortstop until Adames is able to play again. And until Adames is able to play again, the Giants will once again operate without a backup infielder, which is a very functional way to do things.

Important starting note: I am not — NOT! — Brian Murphy from KNBR. Never have been!

Back in December, I cautioned that nobodyshould want the San Francisco Giants to trade Logan Webb. Then I laid out all the reasons why the Giants would even consider it and when the best time for such an unthinkable move might be. At the time, I didn’t consider the possibility that the major league roster would go belly up, so my conclusion that this coming offseason would be the best time (should the team hover around .500 again) was wrong because now is the best time.

I didn’t want the Giants to trade Logan Webb then, but I do now. And I think you should want them to do it, too.

Now, there are many arguments for and against this, and I’ll lay them out in a moment; but, the main thing is that history is repeating itself in a somewhat eerie way. This isn’t exactly the situation Farhan Zaidi found himself in with Madison Bumgarner when he took over at the end of 2018 or throughout the 2019 season, but it’s in the ballpark. The dirt bike accident had accelerated the wear and tear on his shoulder that had already been burdened by his workload. In the 2018 offseason, MLB.com asked if this was the right moment for the Giants to trade Bumgarner because this would be his maximum value heading into his final year under contract.

Bumgarner had thrown 573.1 more innings (1,638.1 regular season + 102.1 postseason) to that point in his career than Logan Webb has as of today (1,152.2 regular season + 14.2 postseason), but that’s more of an illustration of physicality than raw talent. Bumgarner is bigger and started his MLB time sooner (19 vs. 22).

The Giants didn’t move Bumgarner because he was a franchise icon and World Series hero. To move him would be to signal surrender or that the team didn’t expect to be competitive heading into or during the season. Or, that it would be a shameful way to end his Giants career. Same thinking that compelled the Giants to hold on to Carlos Rodon in 2022. Or maybe there wasn’t the right return for those guys, which acted as the most compelling reason to hold on to Bumgarner and simply let him walk at season’s end and hold on to Rodon in case the team got hot down the stretch (they did not).

So, the 50,000 foot view of the matter comes down to this: if you think the Giants can be good soon (insert your own definition of “soon”), then you can’t imagine why the Giants would want to trade Logan Webb. If you are considering other things like the current win-loss record, the age of the roster (especially the lineup core), and the weight of the last decade of failure/mediocrity, then you probably have a more open mind to trading the guy who is, without question, the face of the franchise. The Perfect Giant.

Why the Giants should trade Logan Webb

1. The Giants are bad

At some point, somebody running the Giants has to take a long view with the roster. The team has been in a “Win Now!” mode for most of the last 15 years. The only real, public power down/reset they’ve had this century was in that 2005-2008 range where they stuck with the idea of “Hmm, maybe Barry Bonds is all we need to draw fans right now” before transitioning to a post-Bonds situation.

And then they entered a competitive window and tried to keep that exact cell of success going for as long as possible. They hired Farhan Zaidi with the thought that the transition from that time period to the next competitive window would be mercilessly brief thanks to “analytics,” or whatever, a notion that’s not without merit and bore fruit only a few years later with a miraculous fluke of a season in 2021.

But the analytics guy got too myopic and the roster’s performance stagnated and that led to the Giants considering Buster Posey as the one neat trick to fix the entire organization. And here we are.

The Giants are one of the worst teams in the sport. Their only hope is the farm system developing on the level of the one he was a part of right before the team became champions. That’s a big gamble, and it might not come to fruition for a couple of years. The other gamble is that a lot of the players currently on the team play better.

Well, that’s a lot of gambling and not a lot of certainty. Baseball is a sport that laughs at certainty, of course, but when it’s there, it makes sense to cling to it. Logan Webb is about as certain of a #1 starter as it gets in MLB, so trading him doesn’t make a lot of sense for a team that’s trying to compete.

But by Buster Posey’s own words, the team’s performance has necessitated a reconsideration of that belief. They’re open to trading everybody except Logan Webb. Maybe that’s posturing to drive up the offers, but let’s assume it isn’t, because the Giants have been in this exact spot before and failed to meet the moment.

And yes, it’s about maximizing a return for players who can help the San Francisco Giants now and in the future. With Robbie Ray likely on the move, the 2026 rotation is already going to go from bad to worse and that’s with Webb fronting it. This offseason, assuming there isn’t a lockout, Buster Posey and Zack Minasian will have to once again rebuild the Giants’ rotation, needing at least another pair of starters on short-term, mid-to-low cost contracts to backup Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, and, I don’t know, Carson Whisenhunt/Trevor McDonald… and Adrian Houser, I guess, because

Giants ownership does not want to pay a lot of money for starting pitching. They have said this over and over and over and over again and their actions back up their words.

Does having Logan Webb front a bad rotation make the Giants better now and in the future? It’s a poor but not inexcusable business plan for an entertainment firm (as the San Francisco Giants are in part) to run out Barry Bonds as the face of the franchise in his age 40-42 seasons so that fans can watch him sock some dingers 4-5 times a week, but it’s less reasonable when the face is a pitcher who appears once every 5 days and can have a great performance wiped out by the defense around him or the bullpen behind him.

Logan Webb has looked great since returning from the injured list. Like his old, dominant self. The reason to watch the Giants. But since he only makes around 33 starts a year, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to hold sacrosanct the entertainment value in 20% of a season if the remaining 80% of the season ranges from unwatchable to boring and not when the team has been mediocre to bad for going on 10 years now. Since the second half of 2016, they’re 736-777 (.486) with one postseason appearance.

Will the 2027 Giants be better with Logan Webb on it? I don’t know. He’s on the 2026 roster and they’re pretty bad. He’s been on the roster since 2022 and those teams weren’t very good. He might’ve pitched them into being merely disappointing rather than outright bad, but he hasn’t been able to pitch them out of this year’s situation.

I suppose I will never convince you that a bad team should do whatever it takes to get better, and that includes trading their good players sometimes. I think that’s a key point here. It’s not like the Giants need to unload their best players every year, but to say that the Giants are one good offseason away or one year of player development away from leaping into being a contender for the 3rd Wild Card spot ignores an awful lot of what’s going on with the team and it’s this exact belief system that has caused years of frustration ahead of the franchise finally driving itself into a ditch this season.

It’s time to change the thinking.

A move of this caliber would not be without precedent. It’s sort of the Matt Williams trade. In that one, Brian Sabean needed to clear money and get a shortstop, all while improving the team. In 10 seasons with the Giants, Williams amassed 31.9 fWAR (about a 3-win player) and hit 18% better than the league average — though, in his final four years he was 39% better and a 4.5-win player. As Grant noted on this site back in 2011:

It was a bold decision, and Sabean knew it would be unpopular, but he probably didn’t realize how unpopular. Still it was absolutely the right time to trade Williams. He was 30, and he was (for the time) expensive. He was about a four- or five-win player — a hard thing to find — but the Giants were absolutely rubbish in 1996. A quality for quantity trade was a pretty good idea.

And, maybe most importantly, Williams was starting to get hurt a lot. He played 76 games in 1995, and 105 in 1996. His value was probably never going to be higher.

In exchange for Matt Williams, Brian Sabean “got death threats at home, on the voicemail […] at the office,” while the Giants received Julian Tavarez, Jose Vizcaino, and (unbeknownst to all) future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, who combined with Barry Bonds (and Sabean’s other decisions) to spark a new wave of winning Giants Baseball.

Logan Webb is approximately the same stature as Matt Williams in terms of face of the franchise value. He’s about a four- or five-win player — a hard thing to find — and the Giants have been absolute rubbish here in 2026. And just to break these filters down a bit more:

• From 2022-2025, there were just twenty-seven 4+-WAR seasons by a starting pitcher (min 190 IP). All four of Logan Webb’s seasons are in that bunch (15%). Yes, the modern game has changed enough such that a starting pitcher isn’t expected to throw that many innings in a season, and if you set the threshold to a minimum of 150 IP, the list expands to 53 starters, but you’re still talking about a workhorse who provides an increasingly rare set of skills.
• At 35-50, the 2026 Giants are one of the worst teams in franchise history. The worst record through 85 games:
  • 2005, 36-49
  • 1943, 34-50-1
  • 1994, 35-50
  • 2026, 35-50
  • 1976, 34-51
  • 1984, 33-52
  • 2017, 33-52
  • 1956, 32-53
  • 1985, 31-54
  • 1902, 28-56
• The 2026 Giants are 1 of 7 teams since 2022 to have 50 losses through 85 games. The list looks like this:
  • 2026 Giants
  • 2026 Mets
  • 2026 Royals
  • 2025 Pirates
  • 2025 Nationals
  • 2023 Cardinals
  • 2022 Pirates

Two of the teams on that list of 50-loss teams (and, to be clear, there have been worse teams since 2022) turned things around the very next year. In the case of the 2025 Pirates, though, that was a matter of adding some offense to a putrid lineup in addition to having a generational talent like Paul Skenes front their rotation in a pitching-friendly park. Now, you might say that the Giants are in this exact situation. But I’d argue that the Giants have already surrounded Logan Webb with offensive additions — Devers, Adames, Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee — only, they haven’t worked out! The team is on pace for its fifth consecutive non-winning season, something that has never happened before in the history of the franchise.

The Giants are in a position where they need starting pitching depth, a trade chip that’s hard to come by unless you’re willing to give up something big in return, and that’s a meaningful part of this thought process — the Giants might make themselves worse in the near-term, but would they be able to improve quickly just by the quality of player(s) they’d receive for Webb?

And, maybe most importantly, Webb just missed a significant amount of time for the first time as the team’s ace. Indeed, his best days might be behind him, if history is an indicator. His value might never be higher.

2. The return would be significant

Usually, the best starting pitchers are traded at the deadline when their contracts are set to expire at season’s end. Your Randy Johnson, CC Sabathia, Max Scherzer, etc. And, usually, teams don’t trade these aces at the deadline. It’s either in the offseason or not at all.

As mentioned before, if the Giants trade Robbie Ray (as they’re expected to), then how does Logan Webb fronting that rotation make the team any better? In the offseason, the rotation will once again need to be rebuilt. Major league caliber pitching is not easy to come by, of course, and comparing this situation to the Matt Williams situation or any of the other marquee starting pitcher trades in recent memory isn’t the best way to go because, usually, a team doesn’t get back a pitcher they can just plug into their rotation.

But unlike some of the names I’ve dropped, Webb’s value on the mound extends to his contract, which has two years remaining after this season. Even with a potential lockout, a rested Webb in the final year of his deal would have tremendous value. Going through some similar trades, the position player prospects tend to leap out more, but that might not be the reason to avoid making the trade. It might make it easier to offload some of the other hitting veterans for additional pitching.

About the closest comps I could find from a starting pitching point were:

2019 — Zack Greinke (from Diamondbacks to the Astros)

At the time of the deal, the 35-year old right-hander had 2.5 years left on his then-record pitching deal. In exchange for Greinke, Arizona received Houston’s #3 prospect, 1B Seth Beer, pitchers JB Bukauskas (#4 – MLB Pipeline’s #97 overall) & Corbin Martin (#5 — Pipeline’s #81), and infielder Josh Rojas. Houston plugged him into their rotation alongside Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

2017 — Justin Verlander (from Tigers to Astros)

Jeff Luhnow’s Astros at it again, dealing three from their then-top 11 prospects for the future Hall of Fame righty: catcher Franklin Perez (#3), outfielder Daz Cameron (#9), and catcher Jake Rogers (#11). Verlander had two guaranteed years remaining plus an option year.

2008 — Rich Harden (from the A’s to the Cubs)

Harden was still in arbitration years (with just one left) at the time of this deal and often injured, so it’s not a great comp, but in exchange for Harden (and Chad Gaudin), the A’s got back pitcher Sean Gallagher (the Cubs’ top pitching prospect at the time?), outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson (Murton also a top 10 Cubs prospect), and then-catcher Josh Donaldson (also a top 10 prospect).

2000 — Curt Schilling (from Phillies to Diamondbacks)

Another not-quite-the-same-situation as Schilling had just an option year for 2001, but in exchange for Schilling, Philadelphia got back first baseman Travis Lee plus three pitchers: Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla, and Nelson Figueroa.

And then there’s this musing by the sharp GPT on Bluesky:

In every scenario, the Giants would scoop up at least 3 of a team’s top 10 prospects. With the Giants not able to participate in the draft lottery for 2027, the power of this year’s draft plus supplementation with a prospect-heavy trade would be the best avenue for supercharging the team’s prospect pool. Some teams of note:

• The Brewers have 7 prospects currently in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100
• The Mariners have 6
• The Nationals have 6
• The Cubs have 4
• The Guardians have 4

… the Giants have 3.

So, there’s lots of possibilities here. Just off the top of my head (and keeping in mind that I’m bad at this, which is why I rarely do posts about trade ideas), if Luis Arraez is moved in a separate deal, then why not bring in the next best contact guy — Steven Kwan — to replace him? Logan Webb & Heliot Ramos for Kwan, Braylon Doughty, Jace LaViolette, and, like, Daniel Espino? No, no, of course not. Cleveland would never take on a contract like that (~$55 million total through 2028). By the way, I included LaViolette mainly because “His nickname is Lord Tubbington.”

As much as the farm system has improved, trading Webb offers a chance to supercharge it while also improving the weaker parts of the major league roster. They don’t presently enjoy a prospect with a 60 Future Value and that’s because they’re hard to come by. FanGraphs lists only 12 at the moment:

1. SS-Konnor Griffin (PIT), 70 FV
2. SS-Jesus Made (MIL), 65
3. SP-Nolan McLean (NYM), 65
4. C-Samuel Basallo (BAL), 65
5. 3B-Kevin McGonigle (DET), 60
6. SS-Leo De Vries (ATH), 60
7. CF-Max Clark (DET), 60
8. SS-Franklin Arias (BOS), 60
9. SP-Trey Yesavage (TOR). 60
10. SP-Bubba Chandler (PIT), 60
11. SP-Thomas White (MIA), 60
12. SP-Seth Hernandez (PIT), 60

A reminder that Leo De Vries was acquired by the Athletics from the Padres who sent them a huge chunk of their farm system for Mason Miller. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that some team(s) out there might really REALLY REALLY want Logan Webb on their team and would be willing to pay a lot to get him. He’s a dynamic, gutsy pitcher with a contract that’s a winner on any roster.

Yes, there’s a bit of luck involved in all of this. The Matt Williams trade looks a lot better because of Jeff Kent (Julian Tavarez, don’t come after me; Vizcaino stans stay away!) and a lot of the deals mentioned just a moment ago don’t really stand out as benefitting the teams that traded away the ace. On the other hand, isn’t “Well, the Giants will need Logan Webb again for the next good Giants team” also just banking on luck? What evidence has there been in the last 10 years to suggest that the Giants are a move away or a win streak away from its next competitive window? Understanding that the power of hope comes from being undaunted, I wonder what the value is — never mind the logic — in continuing to swing for the fences down 8-1 when a walk might start a rally that actually helps the team stage a comeback?

Bryan, you worthless pile of dogsh*t, you absolute dumbest person to ever live, a person I hate and whose death I will celebrate, of course the Giants aren’t trading Logan Webb and here’s why, you freaking loser

I forgot to mention that Tyler Mahle might be traded, too, meaning 40% of the rotation is set to leave before the end of the season. The only reason to hold on to Logan Webb in this case is for ticket sales and ratings. With the increase in attendance this season, that might be reason enough. Plus, where else will starting pitching innings come from?

Buster Posey and Zack Minasian are still learning on the job. As inexperienced as a GM as Brian Sabean was in 1996, he knew enough to know that the team had to make some big changes in order to improve, but also that he didn’t know what he didn’t know.

But at its core, this was a rookie GM trading one of the league’s biggest stars. So before Sabean signed off on the deal, he took Hart aside.

“I’ll never forget it,” Hart said. “Sabes came to me privately and said, ‘Harty, you gotta tell me if there’s anything I’m missing here. I’ve got to be sure.’ He was nervous. I said, ‘Look Sabes, we’re not jumping up and down on this either. We’re giving up some good players.’ That is how I remember it: we felt we were getting exactly what we wanted and they were unsure. They were trading their marquee guy.

“At the end of the day, he said, ‘If you’re ready, we’re ready.’ And off we go.”

Maybe Buster Posey has the sense that the team does need a dramatic shakeup, but that trading Logan Webb would be a step too far. Plus, despite the franchise’s plummet from champions to afterthoughts since the second half of 2016, with Logan Webb on the team the Giants have been winners, with a record of 507-487 (.510). He might be the one player holding the Giants back from total oblivion. So, if Buster Posey and Zack Minasian’s decision-making has led to one of the worst teams in the history of the franchise, why should they be entrusted with trading away such an important player?

It’s an argument you’ll see sometimes. At the same time, you’ll see the argument that the team’s farm system is greatly improved and that the decision-making there is working out. So, on the one hand, people have faith in Buster’s ability to set the direction and talent levels for the future but not in the present? I don’t think this argument actually makes sense or has any value. If Buster Posey’s biggest gambles (signing Adames, trading for Devers) are largely defensible, then the biggest one of all should be, too. The Giants have already traded Patrick Bailey, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval in the past calendar year. Go back to March 2025 and you would have a hard time believing that such things were fathomable.

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If you’re a fan who thinks the Giants are on the right track with their player development, then why wouldn’t you want Buster & Zack using their scouting acumen to acquire more young talent? When the Giants traded Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, they said that the trick would be to find the next Zack Wheeler. That didn’t really happen, and it’s important to note that Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner were all done with being aces by age 30. Logan Webb turns 30 in November.

He is their best player right now and has been for some time, but the future of the Giants must not rest on the shoulders of Logan Webb. So, I encourage us all to close our eyes and imagine the Giants trading him this season. Or talk to your friends and neighbors about it. Drop it in the group chat. However you want to communicate with the universe, but let’s all just… put it out there. It’s the fastest way for the Giants to improve.

Game Notes

Pitching preview

Lineups

ICYMI

Braves Minor League Recap: AJ Smith-Shawver Strong in Rehab

The St. Louis Cardinals will take another swing at the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night as Michael McGreevy will get the start for the good guys. The Braves will send Reynaldo López to the mound for a 6:15pm central time start at Truist Park. TV broadcast available through Cardinals.tv.

After a 13-14 June, it looks like the Royals main focus is now moving to 2027. But for today, we can still enjoy watching some baseball. Old friend Jose Cuas is back pitching for KC for the first time since 2023 and Randy Dobnak has arrived with him. Jac Caglianone will be back in right field after only hitting last night coming back from minor injury. The Royals beat Shane McClanahan in his last start and will try to beat the Tampa lefty again.

Winners of 50 of their last 69 games against the Cincinnati Reds, the Milwaukee Brewers will look to keep on rolling on Wednesday night. The Crew has taken the first two games of this series and a win tonight would secure a series victory.

Just like the first game in this series, it’ll be a battle of left-handers on the mound. The Brewers will have Shane Drohan as their hurler, he’ll be making his seventh start of the season and sixth since being inserted into the rotation at the beginning of June.

Drohan pitched against the Reds his last time out, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings, scattering five hits. He was not very efficient, using 98 pitches to get through those 4.1 IP, but he kept the Reds off the board in what ultimately ended up as a 6-5 Brewers win. His ERA on the season dropped to 3.12.

The Reds will counter with Andrew Abbott and his 3.90 ERA on the season. The Brewers did not face Abbott during their series last week. Abbott last pitched against the Pirates on Friday and gave up three home runs in 5.1 IP.

The Brewers lineup will have some of the usual adjustments they make against left-handers. Gary Sanchez gets the start behind the plate and is batting seventh. That pushes William Contreras to the DH spot and Christian Yelich gets the night off. Yelich has been scuffling a bit at the plate lately and has struggled against lefties a bit more than usual.

Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, and Garrett Mitchell are the only left-handed hitters in the lineup for the Crew. Bauers is playing right field in place of Sal Frelick, who is coming off an incredible month of June. Cooper Pratt is also back in the lineup after getting a day and a half off to help him reset a little bit following some recent struggles. Joey Ortiz mans the hot corner.

The Reds will have their big boppers at the top of their lineup once again with Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart providing a 1-2 punch. Spencer Steer, Eugenio Suarez, and Robert Stephenson make up the meat of their order.

The Brewers will be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary tonight, since they won’t be playing at home on the 4th of July. We’ll see if the Brewers offense can provide some fireworks tonight against Abbott and the Reds pitching staff. First pitch is at 7:10 PM with ESPN having the TV broadcast.

Catch us on ESPN tonight

📺: ESPN
📻: WTMJ#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/gGBCy3OHXT

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 1, 2026

Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN.

Powered by @PNCBankpic.twitter.com/B9RbruGH7X

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 1, 2026

At times, I’ve promoted the idea that MLB should have a mercy rule – down 10 runs or more after seven innings, the two managers should be able to just say, “We quit.”

It’s games like this that might make me reconsider that idea. On a very hot and windy afternoon at Wrigley Field, Dansby Swanson smashed three homers, giving him five in two games, tying the MLB record for such things. That led an eight-homer demolition of the Padres, 23-3. The eight homers tied the Cubs franchise record, set last July 4 against the Cardinals. That, my friends, was fun, even if the last eight runs came off a position player.

There is a lot of stuff to unpack about this game, so let’s get started!

After a scoreless top of the first, the Cubs got right to work in the bottom of the inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled and Alex Bregman walked. After Michael Busch struck out, Seiya Suzuki launched a home run [VIDEO].

For Suzuki, that was his 100th career home run. More on that from BCB’s JohnW53:

Seiya Suzuki is the 27th batter to hit at least 100 home runs as a Cub. He is tied with Keith Moreland. Next up: Shawon Dunston, 107; Willson Contreras, 117; Kyle Schwarber, 121; and Jody Davis, 122. Andy Pafko is 20th, at 126, 12 behind Leon Durham’s 138.

The Cubs made it 4-0 in the second. With one out, Swanson hit his first long ball of the afternoon [VIDEO].

Colin Rea got into a bit of trouble in the third on a double and two hit batters, loading the bases, but ended the inning with a ground ball.

Then the Cubs blew the game open in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Suzuki walkwd and Ian Happ doubled. One out later, Michael Conforto was intentionally walked so Walker Buehler could pitch to Miguel Amaya.

Bad idea, Padres. Amaya’s two-run single made it 6-0 [VIDEO].

That left Conforto on third and Amaya on first and it’s Dansby’s turn to go deep again! [VIDEO]

If you’re keeping count, that’s four homers for Swanson in a game (yesterday) plus three innings (today) and four RBI already. It’s 9-0 Cubs. Incidentally, Buehler had been on a pretty good run, with a 2.64 ERA over his last nine starts. This game marks the first time in Buehler’s career where he allowed nine runs. His season ERA went from 3.81 to 4.61 with his four-inning outing.

Rea made it through the fifth inning, allowing a pair of runs in that frame to make it 9-2. You could tell he was running out of gas in the heat, issuing two walks to load the bases after the two runs had scored, but he struck out Jake Cronenworth to end the inning. Earlier in the fifth, Rea had some defensive help from Happ [VIDEO].

Rea turned 36 today. Fun fact from John about that:

Cubs starters on their birthdays have won six consecutive decisions: Rea today, Jordan Wicks in 2024 and 2023, Justin Steele in 2024, Marcus Stroman in 2022 and Randy Wells in 2010. The last to lose was Carlos Zambrano, who gave up seven runs, six earned, on 13 hits (no homers) and two walks in 5.0 innings on June 1, 2007. Rea’s start is the 11th since then. Since 1901, Cubs starters on birthdays are 21-15, with 17 no-decisions.

The Cubs piled on four more runs and two more homers in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Conforto went deep [VIDEO].

Amaya followed with a walk and Swanson reached on a fielder’s choice, with Amaya winding up on third after an error on Cronenworth.

That set up PCA for this three-run blast, his 19th [VIDEO].

Now it’s 13-2 and the fun isn’t anywhere near done!

Trent Thornton threw a 1-2-3 sixth on only six pitches, and then the Cubs tacked on two more in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Happ walked. One out later, Conforto went deep for the second time [VIDEO].

If you’ve lost count, that’s six Cubs homers and a 15-2 lead.

Jordan Wicks was given the ball for the seventh and he retired the Padres in order. He allowed a run in the eighth to make it 15-3, and that’s when the position player pitcher fun began. Padres catcher Rodolfo Duran had thrown the seventh and retired the Cubs 1-2-3 – the only Padre to do that in this game.

He wasn’t so fortunate in the eighth, but Cubs fans enjoyed the show. Michael Busch, who had been 0-for-4, singled leading off the inning. Suzuki doubled him to third. A single by Kevin Alcántara scored Busch [VIDEO].

A walk by Justin Dean loaded the bases, and Conforto singled to make it 17-3 [VIDEO].

The bases are still loaded for Amaya, whose single made it 18-3 [VIDEO].

The bases are still loaded and there’s nobody out.

Step up, Dansby, and hit a slam!

GRAND SLAM. DANSBY SWANSON. pic.twitter.com/SMX9EPHX0b

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 1, 2026

Oh, we have SO MANY fun facts about that! First, as noted above, that matches the MLB record for most home runs in a two-game span. But also:

Dansby Swanson has 26 RBI in a 10-game span. The only players to do this in a 10-game span within a season since RBI became official in 1920:
Swanson in 2026
Joe DiMaggio in 1939
Jimmie Foxx in 1933
Lou Gehrig in 1931
Lou Gehrig in 1930
Mel Ott in 1929

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 1, 2026

Pretty good company, I’d say. Also, from John, who I asked, “Who’s the last Cub to have back-to-back multi-homer games?”

Patrick Wisdom, Aug. 27-28, 2021, at White Sox. Three-run shot in first inning and solo in ninth of first game, then solos in fourth and fifth of second gam

And at Wrigley Field?

Javier Baez, April 10-11, 2018, in 8-5 loss and 13-5 win over Pirates.
Only six such earlier pairs at Wrigley:
Bill Williams, Sept. 9-10, 1968
Andre Dawson, June 1-2, 1987
Sammy Sosa, June 19-20, 1998 and Aug. 20-21, 1999
Derrek Lee, May 27-28, 2005
Alfonso Soriano, May 16-17, 2008
Note that Williams had a day off between games.

Swanson had eight RBI in the game. That also accomplished something rare:

Dansby Swanson's 8 RBI are 2nd most by any player batting 9th in a game since RBI became official in 1920, trailing only Tony Cloninger (9 RBI at Giants on July 3, 1966)

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 1, 2026

Swanson’s slam was home run number seven. Two outs later, Busch made it eight [VIDEO].

That completed the Cubs scoring.

Wicks finished off the game, allowing a pair of hits in the ninth, but getting this ground ball to end it [VIDEO].

Since Wicks threw three innings and finished up, he gets a save – with a 20-run lead!

More facts about this crazy game from John:

This is the 43rd game since 1901 in which a Cub has hit three home runs. None has hit four.

Michael Busch was the last to do it, on July 4 of last year, when the Cubs set the franchise record of eight home runs that they tied today.

Sammy Sosa did it six times; Ernie Banks, four; Dave Kingman and Aramis Ramirez, three; Kris Bryant, Hank Sauer and Alfonso Soriano, two.

The Cubs are 31-12 in the three-homer games.

…

The Cubs had hit at least five homers in back-to-back games only twice before:

Aug. 10-11, 2002, at Colorado: six, then five, in 15-1 and 12-9 wins

Aug. 1-2, 2023, at home vs. Reds: seven, then five, in 20-9 and  16-6 wins

…

This is just the sixth game since 1901 in which the Cubs scored at least 23 runs.

The last was a 26-7 win at Colorado on Aug. 18, 1995.

The last at home was 23-6 over the Padres on May 17, 1977.

They beat the Cardinals at home, 23-13, on April 17, 1954; the Braves at Boston, 24-2, on July 3, 1945; and the Phillies at home, 26-23, in the highest-scoring MLB game ever, on Aug. 25, 1922.

…

This is the Cubs sixth series sweep of the season: three games vs. the Diamondbacks, Mets and Padres; four games vs. the Mets, Phillies and Reds.

In all other series they are 6-13-2, including three straight losses vs. the Astros and Brewers. 

A note on that 23-6 game from 1977 – this game matches that one as the most runs allowed in a game in Padres franchise history.

Saving the best for last from John:

This is just the third game ever that the Cubs won by at least 20 runs!

24-2 at Boston on July 3, 1945

21-0 at home vs. Pirates on April 23, 2022

Lastly, I thought you might like to have a look at my scorecard:

Whew! What an afternoon at Wrigley Field. Oh, and almost lost in all this: The Cubs have won five straight and 15 of their last 19.

The Cubs have a well-earned day off tomorrow and will open a three-game series against the Cardinals Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Cubs don’t have a starter listed yet but it should be David Peterson’s turn to make his Cubs Wrigley debut. The Cardinals are going with Andre Pallante. Game time Friday is 3:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

The Cincinnati Reds have lost three games in a row. They are just 19-34 over their last 53 games played, which is abysmal. They are the owners of an impossibly bad 4-19 record within the National League Central, and they have lost all five games in which they have played the Milwaukee Brewers so far this year.

On Wednesday night, they once again will be tasked with tackling the beast that is Milwaukee, and they’ll send out lefty Andrew Abbott to try to do it. Abbott has settled in rather nicely after a rough first few weeks of the season, and the Reds will need his unique blend of precision and deception to help keep this smack-hitting Brewers lineup on its heels.

Shane Drohan will get the start for Milwaukee. He just faced the Reds last week and held them scoreless over 4.1 IP. He has pitched in both the rotation and bullpen for the Beers so far in 2026, so odds are he won’t be in there much longer than that even if he’s being as effective as he was last time out, so Cincinnati will inevitably be required to take on a Milwaukee bullpen that’s been mostly a Top 5 unit in the game all season for an extended period.

First pitch is set for 8:00 PM ET as ESPN will carry it nationally.

Lineups for both clubs are listed below, with the Reds once again stacking righties against a left-handed starter. That includes the switch-hitting Ivan Johnson, who’ll start in LF for the first big league appearance of his career.

Mets 3 Blue Jays 9

One of those, very very rare days, where the offense and the pitching both were great for the Jays.

We scored early, we scored often:

• One in the first: Nathan Lukes started things with a single. Vladimir Guerrero followed with a double (very well hit ball). Kazuma Okamoto had an infield single, bringing the run. Course, runners on first and second with no outs, we should have scored more. But Daulton Varsho fly out, Alejandro Kirk walk, Yohendrick Piñango pop out and Ernie Clement strikeout, ended the fun and had us thinking “here we go again”.
• Four in the third: Oka walked, an out later, Kirk singled and another out later Clement doubled, scoring out second run. Sean Keys hit his first MLB home run to make it 5-0.
• Four in the seventh: Vlad walked, Oka singled but was thrown out trying to turn it into a double. Varsho singled, scoring Vlad. Kirk singled. And then Myles Straw, pinch hitting homered.

12 hits, 2 home runs, 5 for 9 with RISP. All the things we’d like every game. Lukes, Okamoto, Kirk and Clement had two hits each. Piñango and Andrés Giménez had o fors.

All-in-all a good day for the bats.

Pitchers?

• Braydon Fisher opened and gave up just a walk in his inning. I was all for having him go another, after just 14 pitches, but then the coaches are closer to the game than I am. Vlad made a terrific play on a ground ball down the line on the first at bat of the game.
• Spencer Miles went three innings, giving up just a hit and a walk, with five strikeouts. Excellent job. He also made a terrific play grabbing a line drive and a nice play on a roller down the first base line.
• Patrick Corbin, after being demoted to the bullpen, threw the last five innings. He did give up a couple of home runs, and four hits in all, but had five strikeouts and no walks. Honestly, though the two home runs didn’t look good, he knew the assignment, fill up the strike zone. I thought is was a success. Five innings on 46 pitches. He got the save.

Vlad made a nice play on a line drive and a nice play on a ground ball, going to his right and making a great throw to the pitcher at first. Nathan Lukes made a terrific throw to second on a ball off the netting in right field. Giménez had a nice play at short too.

Jays of the Day: Miles (0.13 WPA) and Keys (0.13). Lets give Honourable Mention to Kirk, Vlad, Oka and Corbin.

Other Award: Piñango (-0.11).

Nice to see some runs. Let’s make a habit of it.

Tomorrow is an off-day and then three in Seattle.

On Canada Day, the Mets dropped the rubber game of their series with the Blue Jays, 9-3. The Mets have now lost ten of their last twelve, and are 2-4 in the Andy Green era.

Certainly, the Mets hoped that Freddy Peralta’s most recent start was the beginning of a turnaround for the veteran free agent-to-be. But the Blue Jays had other plans, as three straight hits to start the game led to a run. A one-out walk loaded the bases, but Peralta was able to escape with just the 1-0 deficit, but threw entirely too many pitches in the first frame.

After a low-stress second inning, the wheels came off for Peralta in the third. A walk to Kazuma Okamoto started the inning and a single by Alejandro Kirk put two on, but Peralta managed to get two outs and almost got out of the inning. Ernie Clement doubled to score Okamoto.

Not to be outdone, Sean Keys drove a ball over the left-field wall for a three-run jack, and all of a sudden the Mets were down 5-0. Peralta would pitch a scoreless fourth, but that was merely to give the Mets a little (wait for it) relief for their bullpen. Joey Gerber was first out of the ‘pen, and he pitched an inning and a third of scoreless ball before leaving the game in the sixth with an apparent hand injury. Cionel Pérez was next up, and he went got through the sixth without incident, but had his first truly bad outing as a Met, allowing four runs to score in the seventh, including a Myles Straw three-run jack.

Anyone who has been watching the Mets know that offense has been hard to come by at points for the Mets, and they were stymied today by opener Braydon Fisher, bulk man Spencer Mills, and the unexpected 2026 relief debut of Patrick Corbin. Corbin looked about as good as he has in this decade, although with the way most of the team was swinging the bat today, they could’ve put Corbin at his worst out there and he may’ve looked like May 2021 Jacob deGrom.

Defensive was how Vlad Guerrero Jr. contributed to this game, making three excellent plays at first base. Despite his offensive skills in free fall this year, Guerrero looked almost Keith Hernandez-esque in the field today. On the Mets’ side, A.J. Ewing threw an absolute bullet off the wall to throw out Okamoto trying to stretch a single into a double. Tyrone Taylor, also in the seventh, threw out Clement on a replay-confirmed call later in the inning. Taylor made another fantastic diving catch in the eighth; this outfield construction is maybe the best defensive outfield the Mets have put out in at least a decade.

A.J. Minter came in with two outs in the seventh and quickly dispatched Keys on a held foul-tip for a strikeout. The Mets added two runs in the top of the eighth on a home run from Carson Benge. The only real consequence of this was that Luis Torrens was going to pitch the bottom of the eighth but could not because the Mets were only down by seven, not eight. Francisco Lindor hit a one-out solo home run in the ninth, but it was too little too late, as has been most Met action in 2026.

Only Unnaturally Rude Homers Operate Mercilessly, Enjoying Agonizing National Days. No Agita Toronto, IVery Enthusiastically Laud And Naturally Decree: Happy Canada Day.

The Mets are off tomorrow before traveling to Atlanta for a three-game series with the Braves. Christian Scott will go for the Mets, with our old pal TBD going for the Barves.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
Bluebird Banter

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: None
Big Mets loser: Freddy Peralta, -26.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: – 26.0% WPA
Mets hitters: -24.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s third inning double, +2.5% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Sean Keys’s three-run dinger, -15.3% WPA

Freddy Peralta had another rough outing and the Mets bats went down meekly outside some late homers in a 9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon.

New York starters had a 5.46 ERA during June, which saw them go 10-17 in the month, and it was more of the same on the first day of July as Peralta couldn't make it back-to-back good outings and was dinged for five runs on seven hits while managing just 12 outs.

The Blue Jays' (41-46) trio of Braydon Fisher (one inning), Spencer Miles (three innings), and Patrick Corbin (five innings) tallied 11 strikeouts and limited the Mets (36-51) to five hits, with three coming in the final two innings.

Here are the takeaways...

-  Peralta got out of the first inning, only allowing one run, but needed 28 pitches. The trouble began fast, as he lost a nine-pitch battle with Nathan Lukes getting an infield hit to deep short and left a 2-0 curveball over the plate that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. laced (112.2 mph off the bat) for a double to left, before Kazuma Okamoto grabbed an RBI infield hit. He left the bases loaded, getting Ernie Clement swinging on a fastball, his fastest pitch of the season at 98.8 mph.

After a bounce-back second, with two more strikeouts coming on good breaking balls, Peralta couldn’t escape danger in the third as, with runners on first and second and two out, Clement took a good Peralta 99 mph fastball to right for an RBI double over the head of Carson Benge, who was playing on the shallow side. Sean Keys then smacked a 96 mph fastball on the outside corner the opposite way for a 349-foot three-run shot as the ball just kept on carrying for the Long Island native’s first big league homer.

After throwing 77 pitches to get nine outs, he got his first 1-2-3 frame on 14 pitches, closing his account: five runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts in his four innings of work. 

- Benge was robbed of a double down the line when Guerrero made a diving stop on the game’s second pitch. Benge got his revenge, doubling past Guerrero with two down in the third. 

Benge put the Mets on the board with a two-out, two-run home run off Corbin in the eighth. He got a 91 mph fastball on the outer-half of the plate and smashed it 406 feet (103.8 mph) to left-center for his 10th long ball of the year.

- Francisco Lindor clobbered a letter-high sinker for a 408-foot solo shot off Corbin with one down in the ninth, his fourth of the year. He finished 1-for-3, going down looking at a back-door slider to end the first and working a walk in the fourth.

- Juan Soto flied out to the wall in deep right-center, but it went for a 388-foot out his first time up. He hit a weak dribbler down the first base line to strand a runner at second in the Mets’ first RBI chance of the game. Soto was 0-for-4 with a strikeout swinging.

- Bo Bichette was 0-for-2 with a four-pitch walk and a strikeout looking.

- A.J. Ewing went 0-for-3, including striking out swinging at a breaking ball and having a hit robbed from him as Guerrero made a leaping grab on a liner.

- Francisco Alvarez went hitless in four at-bats, as he struck out looking at a low-and-away 99 mph sinker, struck out swinging at a high 97 mph heater, and struck out swinging at a soft cutter below the zone.

- Jared Young, the lone Canadian Met in the lineup on Canada Day, was hitless in three at-bats with a pair of strikeouts looking.

- Brett Baty went 1-for-3 with a strikeout swinging and a single on a first-pitch fastball in the eighth.

- Tyrone Taylor, making his second start off the IL, dropped a hit down the right field line his second time up, but Lukes made a fantastic throw to second and nailed Taylor at the bag to end the fifth. He finished 1-for-3, but made a pair of great plays in the outfield, including a diving grab on a sinking liner for the second out of the ninth.

- Ronny Mauricio struck out swinging in the ninth after entering to play defense the previous half inning for Bichette.

- Joey Gerber was first out of the bullpen and worked a clean fifth and got the first man in the sixth before he exited with an apparent hand injury. Cionel Perez entered and got back-to-back strikeouts to end the sixth.

After walking Guerror, Okamoto ripped a ball into the right-center gap and was digging for second, but Ewing played the bounce off the wall perfectly and made a perfect throw to nail him at second. Back-to-back singles saw Toronto tack on another run, and with two men on base, Myles Straw got a hanging Perez breaking pitch and drilled it 397 feet over the wall in left. Perez allowed a fifth-straight hit, but Taylor made a great throw from left and nailed Clement, with Baty making a fine tag for a second outfield assist of the inning.

A.J. Minter got all four batters he faced with a strikeout.

Highlights

A.J. Ewing makes a BEAUTIFUL throw to gun down Kazuma Okamoto at second base! pic.twitter.com/6LmYIxAaIr

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 1, 2026

The second outfield assist of the inning for the Mets, as Tyrone Taylor throws out Ernie Clement pic.twitter.com/6nMK3ZzunJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 1, 2026

Carson Benge gets the Mets on the board with his 10th home run of the year pic.twitter.com/87Ex1UufHA

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 1, 2026

What a catch by Tyrone Taylor! pic.twitter.com/3KRMpiZI9Z

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 1, 2026

Francisco Lindor hits the facing of the second deck for his first right-handed home run of the year pic.twitter.com/pVna4cCh2p

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 1, 2026

What's next

The Mets head down to Atlanta for a four-game set beginning on Friday night at 7:15 p.m. 

Christian Scott, Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean, and Peralta are the expected starters. The Braves have yet to announce their pitching plans.

The fresh arm express continued for the Dodgers on Wednesday, as they optioned Tuesday call-up Wyatt Mills for Charlie Barnes to get recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Barnes has been starting in Triple-A, with a 3.67 ERA in six starts, with 27 strikeouts and 11 walks in 27 innings. He last pitched last Thursday, which makes him perfectly rested for what figures to otherwise be a bullpen game for the Dodgers in their series finale against the A’s, after the rotation was shuffled to move Shohei Ohtani from Wednesday in West Sacramento to Friday at home against the San Diego Padres.

Barnes, claimed off waivers by the Dodgers from the Cubs on May 9, has pitched two games in relief for the Dodgers this season with a pair of scoreless innings against the Angels in May in Anaheim.

Mills was called up just Tuesday, and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with three strikeout at the end of a blowout win over the A’s.

The Colorado Rockies are calling up one of their top pitching prospects in Gabriel Hughes (no. 12 PuRP) this evening, according to a report by Rockies MLB.com beat writer Thomas Harding. The move has since been confirmed by the Rockies organization.

Hughes, 24, was selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Gonzaga University. The right-handed pitcher made it as far as Double-A Hartford in his first two professional seasons, but missed the entirety of the 2024 regular season after needing Tommy John surgery.

After returning to baseball activities for the 2024 edition of the Arizona Fall League, Hughes started 2025 with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. With Hartford he posted a 3.29 ERA with 35 strikeouts over nine starts and 41 innings of work. He was promoted mid-season to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he held his own in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with a 5.11 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 14 starts and 61.2 innings.

Hughes started the 2026 season back with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he dazzled in his first two starts with a combined three earned runs allowed and 14 strikeouts over 10.1 innings. However, he was unable to make it through five innings in any of his next three starts. He finished April with a five inning, eight strikeout start against the El Paso Chihuahuas, but also with an 8.64 ERA.

The Rockies organization placed Hughes on the injured list with side and shoulder discomfort on April 30th, causing him to miss most of May. After two rehab starts with the High-A Spokane Indians, he returned to the Isotopes and has been utterly dominant.

Over Hughes’ last five starts and 21.2 innings of work, he has not allowed a single earned run while allowing just six hits and eight walks. During that stretch he has struck out 26 batters.

Hughes will wear no. 43 and is expected to make his Major League debut out of the bullpen rather than the rotation. He will be the eighth rookie to make his debut with the Rockies this season.

In a corresponding roster move, right-handed pitcher John Brebbia has been designated for assignment.

Brebbia, 36, spent spring training with the Rockies and signed a second minor league contract with the team earlier this season. He made three appearances out of the bullpen in late June, the first two of which were scoreless. In his third appearance, he gave up five earned runs on five hits—including two home runs—in 1.1 innings against the Miami Marlins.

The Rockies’ 40-man roster currently sits at 39.

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Rosters were announced on Wednesday for the All-Star Futures Game, featuring top prospects from all around the league in a showcase game as part of All-Star Week. The Detroit Tigers’ representative will be catching prospect Thayron Liranzo, currently working at the Double-A level. He’ll be behind the plate for part of the Sunday, July 12 contest at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The game will be broadcast at noon E.T. on NBC.

The sole selection of Liranzo was a little bit of a surprise. The All-Star Futures Game tends to draw on prospects that haven’t reached the Triple-A level yet. So it was expected that neither Max Clark or Max Anderson would be selected for the midseason battle of top prospects. On the other hand, the lack of Bryce Rainer is an oversight. The young shortstop is scorching hot with 8 homers, 10 stolen bases, and a .394 on-base percentage for the West Michigan Whitecaps, and generally draws 55 FV grades from national prospect rankings. Instead, Liranzo will be the Tigers only representative.

The switch-hitting, 22-year-old catcher—he’ll turn 23 in a week’s time— has really come on strong in his second season with the Erie SeaWolves. Most of that development has come behind the plate, so he’s not exactly lighting it up offensively, but right now that defensive progress is more important anyway. Liranzo has nine homers and a .337 on-base percentage in 44 games this season. He’s still walking a ton, holding a 16.3 percent walk rate in the Eastern League. Of course, while he’s starting to trim the strikeouts, he’s still holding a 28.6 K-rate as well.

It took Dillon Dingler three tries to really break out of Double-A, so there’s still plenty of time for Liranzo, and his defensive improvements now have him looking like much more of a lock to catch at the major league level, even if he’s still tracking like a backup who plays some first base, and gets looks at DH and as a pinch-hitter to access his raw power.

The Dominican born catcher was the key piece of the trade that sent Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline. With Trey Sweeney largely flaming out, Liranzo is both the key piece, and potentially the only piece acquired in that deadline selloff that looks like it could work out very well for the Tigers. Of course, Sweeney already contributed by helping get the Tigers into the playoffs that year with Javier Báez down for surgery on his hip. It’s been bleak since for Sweeney, and he’s out for the year after shoulder surgery.

Liranzo doesn’t chase out of the zone much, but his pretty grooved swing as a left-handed hitter says he’ll always whiff quite a bit. The key is to keep taking walks and doing damage while continuing to develop well as a defender. Things are well on track now in that regard. He’s earned the nod to the Futures Game, and it’s a really fun event where the younger talent in the game get to play together and against each other while enjoying the All-Star Week’s other festivities. Congratulations to Thayron on his selection.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, July 1, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to end their disastrous run of Paul Skenes starts as he takes the mound for the Buccos in Game 3 of their four-game set in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Pirates have dropped their last eight games in which Skenes pitched. During that stretch, Skenes is 0-5.

In his last start against the Cincinnati Reds on June 26, he pitched five innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs in a 6-4 loss to their division rival. The game that began this streak came back on May 17 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Skenes pitched five innings, giving up six hits and five earned runs in a 6-0 shutout loss against Philly at home.

Meanwhile, the Phillies will turn to Zach Wheeler, who is enjoying another stellar season and could be on route to his third consecutive All-Star appearance. In his last start against the New York Mets, he pitched seven innings, giving up four hits and one earned run in a 2-1 victory at Citi Field. He also pitched against the Pirates earlier in the year, pitching seven innings of shutout ball in that 6-0 win on May 17 at PNC Park.

Perhaps Skenes and the Pirates can turn things around against the Phillies.

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (6-7, 3.10 ERA) vs. Zack Wheeler (8-1, 2.03 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.