Category: MLB

Sports are a part of our lives that provide us with the best human stories. While we don’t have access to the everyday lives of players we see on the field, court, ice, or diamond every night, those with more access than most have the responsibility to tell their stories. And one of the most curious Yankees stories is David Parrish.

Selected twice by the Yankees, Parrish never took the field in pinstripes despite donning them in the dugout. But his story is still one of the most interesting (and, for many, potentially sad or disappointing): working his way up to the minors, coming up to the major leagues, and sitting in the dugout without any playing time.

David Michael Parrish
Born: June 13, 1979 (Ypsilanti, MI)
Yankees Tenure: 2000-06 (minors); 2004 (called up but didn’t play)

Parrish was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and moved to Yorba Linda, California, at a young age. The son of Lance Parrish, an eight-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and 1984 World Series champion with the Detroit Tigers, David played high school baseball at Esperanza High School. After a successful high school career that put him on the map for plenty of scouts, he was initially drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 1997 MLB Draft, but instead chose to return to Michigan to play for the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

He didn’t play much in 1998 and 1999, but in his 2000 season, he was the starting catcher for the Wolverines—where future well-traveled big-leaguer Rich Hill was his batterymate—and posted some excellent numbers, including a .432 on-base percentage and a .621 slugging percentage. Along with his .356 batting average, his OPS came out to 1.409 that season, putting him amongst the best college baseball prospects.

The Yankees decided to dip back into the well again under general manager Brian Cashman and select Parrish again, this time in the first round (28th overall) of the 2000 MLB draft, hoping to fare better than they had with their last batch of first-round picks, which were absolutely abysmal. However, he was still considered a reach at the time.

Parrish was a touted pick selected between 1996 (Eric Milton, who was traded to the Twins in the Chuck Knoblauch deal) and 2004 (Phil Hughes). But it would be another pick in a string of many that would turn out poorly for the Bombers. David would never achieve much above A-ball. He finished with a .664 career Double-A OPS and .644 career Triple-A OPS between 2002-08. However, the real story for Parrish comes from his time on the Yankees’ roster from May 13-16, 2004.

On May 12th, Yankees starting catcher and the year prior’s third-place finisher in American League MVP voting, Jorge Posada, suffered a broken nose when he was struck by a thrown ball while trying to break up a double play. Parrish was then called up and assigned uniform No. 57, providing insurance behind backup catcher John Flaherty.

Despite his hopes and dreams of stepping into a major league game, Parrish never got the chance. Yes, he got to exit the Yankees clubhouse and sit in the dugout for major league games. But Posada returned to the lineup on May 18th. And while he was in the dugout for the Yankees through a series with the Seattle Mariners, one of his father’s former teams, his dreams were short-lived. He never appeared in a game, and, according to our site manager who covered those 2004 Yankees with extreme depth, he doesn’t even remember Parrish making a TV appearance. As such, he became a “phantom player.”

The Yankees and Parrish eventually parted ways early in 2006. The team was set with Posada for the foreseeable future, and considering Parrish’s production in the minor leagues, or, rather, lack thereof, there was no reason for them to keep him around with a new crop of players coming in (including Francisco Cervelli). The Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres organizations all took a flyer on him, but despite those teams giving him a chance, he never returned to the majors. Parrish eventually retired in 2008 following his age-29 season in Long Beach in the Golden League, where he played only 10 games. In fact, in the last three seasons of his minor league career, he played only 111 games with a collective batting average of .187, almost solidifying that his time playing any sort of professional baseball had come to a close.

Since the selection of Parrish in the first round of 2000, there was mostly a string of disappointing picks for the Yankees. There were picks who drew plenty of hype from the media and those outside of baseball spheres but didn’t end up signing with the men in pinstripes, including Mark Prior and Gerrit Cole, the latter of whom obviously ended up signing with the Yankees as as free agent later in his career, and exciting minor leaguers who never seemed to truly put it together for them in pros such as the aforementioned Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain. But, it’s also important to remember what happened the majority of the time, which was players who just weren’t great picks at all by the Yankees front office and its scouting staff, increasing scrutiny from the fanbase.

Parrish’s story is one that is disappointing, but it’s also a good reminder that not every sports story is glamorous. There are plenty of those who see the light of day for just a moment and are eventually dragged back to what is viewed as the doldrums. Sure, it’s still professional baseball, but it’s very different than walking through the tunnel and into the Yankees dugout donning the pinstripes. Additionally, as the son of a decorated MLB player, there was somewhat of a legacy to live up to. However, Parrish made it as far as he could, and he will forever have the story of sitting in that Yankees dugout for a series, experiencing life as a Yankee in front of fans in The Bronx.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

We’ve reached the point where these Cubs now feel like someone you dated some time ago. You see a couple of good things, but your brain just keeps reminding you of all of the painful moments from the past. Even against two teams that have already played themselves firmly into wait til next year territory, two nice looking road wins isn’t nothing. A couple of strong pitching performances back to back and some signs of the offense coming back to life wants to feel good. But of course, before these two nice games were three losses to these same two teams right before it. And before that, it was pretty ugly for a while. And so, it’s going to take an awful lot of this to get us to start leaning back into it.

And so, we friend zone this team. We don’t want to hear it talking about this time is going to be different. We’ve been burned. Hard. They tried in April and into early May to show us that not only could this team be a playoff team but a team that could win at least a series after it gets there, like its predecessor did. But we’re savvy baseball fans. We’re not going to be fooled so easily. Yeah, these games looked good. But we’ve been fooled before, only to get burned. Nothing has really changed. These are the same players that were losing all of those games.

I mean, I guess Matt Shaw came back. I don’t think that’s nothing. But I didn’t have Shaw on my scorecard as locker room leader. He’s one of the youngest guys on the team. I just think he’s a key bat against left handed starters. The Cubs haven’t faced one this week and he hasn’t started a game. And they lost the first couple of games after he got back. So that isn’t a change. At least not yet. None of the wounded starters is back. I mean, Edward Cabrera is. And he started one of the wins. But he’s been back for a little while now. He was also here for some of the losing. So that isn’t a change. He hasn’t been all that good as a Cub. The potential is there. But will he put it together?

Then Seiya Suzuki had that grand slam on Thursday. That’s proof of concept in that it qualifies as an actual hit with runners in scoring position. He crushed that double on Friday that started the scoring in that game. Not RISP, but still scored a run. Then Michael Busch added a three-run homer. You can’t have a grand slam or a three-run homer without them being hits with runners in scoring position. All those runners aren’t on first. Big hits with RISP. Two days in a row. A good start from Cabrera and a very good start from Javier Assad.

Doubles. Homers. That’s slug. Why did this team stop slugging? Every position player on this team has the potential given ample playing time to hit 15 homers. Many of them have the potential to hit twice that. Why did the slug go away? Whether or not you like OPS as a simple barometer of offensive prowess, it does have some value that way. It’s a really simple stat, even if it’s a weird one for us to add two numbers that have different denominators together into one number. Also, it still has some predictive value for a player or a team. It’s a simple metric. On base. Plus slug. That slug is important. I would argue that it’s the more important part of the two. It’s hard to beat teams with walks and singles alone. You’ll do it a handful of times per season. But it just isn’t sustainable.

This team was a lot of fun back in April and early May, no? We had a lot of good times together. So many walk-offs. I wish we could get back to the way things were back then. Those were the best days. Maybe it would be different this time? Maybe we’ve learned from our mistakes.

Three Positives:

• Javier Assad threw six innings. He allowed three hits and a walk. He struck out five. This is Javy when things are good. Worked into some trouble, but so elusive and evasive. Feels like a second generation championship era pitching offspring. Managing and inducing weak contact.
• Michael Busch had the big three-run homer and also drew a walk. Made the game comfortable.
• Seiya Suzuki doubled his first two times up. Both were smoked, the second one just didn’t have the kind of lift to get out of the park, particularly to center. Drove in the first run.

Game 70, June 12: Cubs 5, Giants 1

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Javier Assad (.258). 6 IP, 21 BF, 3 H, BB, 0 ER, 5 K (W 4-1)
• Hero: Seiya Suzuki (.217). 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R
• Sidekick: Michael Busch (.199). 1-3, HR, BB, 3 RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Ian Happ (-.067). 0-4, R
• Goat: Moisés Ballesteros (-.049). 0-4
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.039). 1-3

WPA Play of the Game: For the second straight day, the big hit is a Seiya Suzuki fourth inning extra-base hit. This one, an RBI double with a runner at first and one out. Scored the game’s first run. He ended up on third himself (and later scored the second run) after a throw towards the plate. (.178)

Giants Play of the Game: Bryce Eldridge singled to right leading off the fourth inning for the Giants with the Cubs up two. (.048)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 69 Winner: Seiya Suzuki received 124 of 145 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.

• Michael Busch +23
• Ben Brown +11.5
• Pete Crow-Armstrong/Michael Conforto +10
• Ian Happ/Trent Thornton, Carson Kelly +7.5
• Caleb Thielbar/Phil Maton/Jameson Taillon -8
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -12
• Seiya Suzuki -23.5

Up Next: Game two in San Francisco Saturday night. It’s Ben Brown Day for anyone who celebrates. Ben is 2-2 with a 1.74 ERA and has been the bright, shining star of this team. They ended up needing extra innings to do it, through no fault of Ben’s, but the one game the Cubs won against the Giants in Chicago was Ben’s start. The Cubs are 11-7 when Ben Brown pitches in a game, 4-2 when he starts.

Trevor McDonald (2-3, 4.15) threw five innings, allowing a run on four hits and three walks while striking out six last Sunday in Chicago. The Giants eventually won that game. Despite a relatively pitching friendly home park, he’s been better on the road (3.27 in four starts) than at home (5.29 in three starts).

I’m not going to lie, three straight wins would be cool. It’s going to take more than that for me to be over the last month or so of baseball, but you know. It’s a start.

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The Braves still have baseball's best record, but they've now lost three straight games, including Friday's series opener against the last-place Mets. Atlanta will try to even the series and set things right on Saturday.

With a favorable pitching matchup and more than two months of results, I like their chances.

My Braves vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks call for Atlanta to roll.

Who will win Braves vs Mets today: Braves run line -1.5 (+167)

The Atlanta Braves haven't lost more than three straight this season. Even with Ronald Acuna Jr. injured, Atlanta is hitting. They've scored 5 or more in four of the last six games. And they've allowed 3 or fewer in four of the last six as well.  

The New York Mets'Sean Manea is making his first start of the season. In 14 games as a reliever, Manaea has a 5.02 ERA and the highest walk rate and WHIP of his career.

I'm looking for the Braves to tee off. If the run line is over +150, I'll give up the 1.5 to cash in.

COVERS INTEL: On six or more days' rest, Martin Perez has a 5.10 ERA and .287 average against. The only time he's worse is on short rest. For his career, Perez has a 4.23 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a .272 average against when on schedule. That balloons to 5.13, 1.46, .286 when the schedule changes.  

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

The Mets have scored 12 runs in the last two games, although they've allowed 25 in their last four.

Atlanta starter Spencer Strider left Friday's game with an injury after three innings, and yet the Mets' bullpen may be in worse shape. New York used four relievers on Friday, and the Mets' pen has pitched 19.2 innings in the last three games, with a 5.49 ERA.

A Thursday rainout pushed Braves starter Martin Perez back a day. He has struggled as a starter when his routine changes. Marcus Semien, Juan Soto, and Bo Bichette are a combined .307 with .853 OPS against Perez. Take the Over if it's plus.

Braves vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Braves +104 | Mets -108
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+170) | Mets +1.5 (-178)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-108)

Braves vs Mets trend

The Atlanta Braves have covered the Run Line in 36 of their last 50 away games (+23.75 Units / 39% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Mets.

How to watch Braves vs Mets and game info

Braves vs Mets latest injuries

Braves vs Mets 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.

Of course the game where Jordan Lawlar makes his return to the field and then puts together a player-of-the-game performance would be pre-empted by Apple TV, leaving the majority of fans with no way to watch it. At least there was something else worth watching elsewhere last night as the USMNT kicked off their World Cup challenge with a convincing pounding of their South American rivals, Paraguay.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Grind Out Much Needed Win
Eduardo Rodriguez was Houdini in the first inning and out of the game before finishing the third, having thrown 85 pitches and allowing two runs (one earned). But Jordan Lawlar and Nolan Arenado flashed some leather and the bullpen locked things down. The Diamondbacks’ offense, anemic of late, scraped together five runs and stopped the losing streak.

Eduardo Rodriguez’s Baffling Start
85 pitches. Eight outs. It was the shortest outing of the season by an Arizona starter giving up less than eight runs — Ryne Nelson’s 0.1-inning blowup being the shortest overall. Rodriguez only surrendered two, one of them coming from a throwing error from outfielder Jordan LAwlar.

Diamondbacks Have Chance to Erase Bad Memories
Last night was a good start to the endeavour.

Jordan Lawlar Returns, Helps Stop Skid with Glove, Bat, Legs
Outside of a throw to third that took a short hop and ended up in the dugout, allowing an unearned run to score, the return of Jordan Lawlar could not have gone much better, or come at a better time.

Other Baseball News

Brewers’ Miz Hurls 15 K CGSO
If he keeps pitching like he has been, Jacob Misiorowski is going to need to clear some space on his mantle.

Braves Place Spencer Strider on 15-day IL
The Braves’ ace has suffered yet another injury, one that does not sound like the 15-day IL is the end of the story

Chase Dollander Expected to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Of course the first capable pitcher the Rockies have had in over a decade is now set to miss a year and change of work and there is no telling how he will return. The pain in Colorado just keeps getting worse.

Boone Says Chapman Not Owed Apology
Aaron Boone fired back, responding to claims by Aroldis Chapman that he is owed an apology by Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman for removing him from 2022 playoff roster

Well, the sad writing was brightly stenciled onto the proverbial wall last night, and there goes Spencer Strider to the Injured List, again:

Strider departs, perhaps temporarily, with a 127 ERA-, 131 FIP-, and 103 xFIP-. Despite the hope that he’d build on an extended but uneven stretch in the rotation after returning from a series of injury woes last year, his 2026 was similarly uneven, with him seemingly alternating between “really good” and “ah, nuts” on a start-to-start basis. In aggregate, the bad was worse than the good, and while a Strider without HR/FB issues would be a useful rotation piece (his aggregate 102 xFIP- last year, and 103 this year), it’s not clear whether he can avoid HR/FB issues given what’s transpired when he’s pitched. In any case, there’s now a bigger hurdle ahead of him, as his velocity precipitously declined amid mechanics-related command issues over the course of yesterday’s start, and now we’re in wait-and-see mode.

Anthony Molina has been a prime yo-yo candidate for the Braves this year. This will be his third time pulled up to the big league club, though he’s only made one appearance for the Braves. His performance as a swingman for Gwinnett has been pretty blah — an FIP and xFIP in the mid-4.00s — but he’s not really here to get outs while preventing runs, as the focus on any appearance he makes will be the former with little attention paid to the latter.

Stay tuned for… more bad news, but maybe the Braves will snap their skid later today in New York.

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We have a busy day on the diamond ahead with 15 games on the docket.

Let's dive into three MLB same-game parlay predictions and my MLB picks for what should be a thrilling day of baseball.

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
LAD vs  CHW	+385
SD vs   BAL	+254
ARI vs  CIN	+252

Dodgers vs White Sox SGP: Yamamoto chews up the Sox

The Chicago White Sox rank 27th in strikeouts and 30th in whiff rate against right-handed pitching. That sets up well for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to have a day.

He has averaged 7.4 punchouts and cleared this line in four of five games against teams ranking 16th or worse in strikeouts, posting a 1.59 ERA in such matchups.

Sean Burke allows a lot of contact to left-handed hitters. Kyle Tucker has hit safely in 18 of 20 games in which he faced a starter ranking 30th percentile or worse in contact allowed.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNLA, CHSN

See full analysis of this game in our Team vs. Team predictions.

Team vs Team SGP: Orioles lefties get to Vasquez

Randy Vasquez has allowed a .276 average, .359 xwOBA, and ranks in the 19th percentile in xSLG against left-handed bats.

Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are a couple of hitters who should take advantage for the Baltimore Orioles.

Rutschman has averaged 2.5 H+R+R in games against righties who rank 50th percentile or worse in xwOBA vs. left-handed hitters.

Meanwhile, Basallo has cleared 1.5 H+R+R in 71.4% of such matchups – including all eight when the pre-game total was 9.0 or higher. This total sits at 10.0.

Look for Baltimore's bats to lead the way.

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SDPA, MASN

See full analysis of this game in our Team vs. Team predictions.

Team vs Team SGP: Snakes bite in Cincinnati 

Rhett Lowder has allowed a .375 xwOBA against left-handed hitters, having a much harder time than against righties.

Corbin Carroll feasted on similar pitchers, recording multiple total bases in eight of his last 11 when facing righties, ranking 30th percentile or worse in xwOBA vs. lefties.

Ketel Marte’s expected stats are strong against righties, and the hitting conditions are favorable at Great American Ballpark.

This is a great spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks to score runs in bulk, putting them in a strong position to get a win.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ARID, CIN

See full analysis of this game in our Team vs. Team predictions.

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.

Troy Tulowitzki never got to reach MLB's mountaintop in his decade-plus career.

But he's looking to help Texas reach it at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The former MLB shortstop is in his sixth season serving as an assistant coach for the Longhorns, and his second under Jim Schlossnagle.

CWS BRACKET: Full CWS schedule, how to watch each game

Texas, with Tulowitzki in the dugout, opens up play at the College World Series against No. 3 Georgia at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 13. The Longhorns are making their nation-leading 39th overall appearance at the College World Series, and their first since 2022.

Here's what to know on Tulowitzki:

Brock Stewart started a minor league rehab assignment on Friday night in the California League. The Dodgers right-hander struck out a pair in one inning of work for Ontario in Lake Elsinore. He allowed a run on a pair of doubles, though the latter was a bloop shot to shallow left field. Stewart threw 18 pitches, and induced three swinging strikes.

Stewart missed the first 36 games this season after recovering from last September’s shoulder surgery. He pitched in his first two games back on the active roster before suffering a bone spur in his left foot on May 8. Stewart last Saturday at Dodger Stadium faced hitters, and the plan then was for him to throw to hitters once more before going out on a rehab assignment.

“It’s not an arm thing, it’s a foot thing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on June 6. “We’ve just got to make sure he can recover from the foot thing, covering first base, PFPs, because that’s what set him back last time.”

Player of the day

Jack Suwinski homered twice for Oklahoma City, part of a three-hit game in which the outfielder drove in four runs.

Suwinski has four home runs in four games so far in this interleague series, and during his six-game hitting streak has four three-hit games, hitting a robust .625/.643/1.292 during the streak.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Dodgers weren’t the only team allowing a big inning to a White Sox squad on Friday. Oklahoma City gave up innings of five and four runs in a road loss to the Charlotte Knights (White Sox).

Taylor Young hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning that tied the score, his first Triple-A home run after getting promoted this week.

Charlotte took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning off Ronan Kopp and Nick Frasso, which each allowing a home run during the frame.

Earlier in the game, a rehabbing Tommy Edman made this nice diving catch in center field as he gets closer to likely activation next week.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers were walloped by double digits by the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins).

Mike Sirota walked in the sixth inning, extending his on-base streak to 51 games. Josue De Paula singled twice in the loss, accounting for 40 percent of Tulsa’s hits.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons split a doubleheader with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), both games decided by a 5-3 score.

Christian Zazueta struck out five in 3 2/3 innings in the winning nightcap, allowing one run.

Wisconsin climbed Jac(k)ob’s ladder in the first game, scoring two runs off starter Jakob Wright in the fourth inning and two more off Jacob Frost in the fifth, during a 3-1 Loons lead into a Great Lakes loss.

Right fielder Samuel Muñoz had a two-run single and walk in the first game. Cameron Decker hit a two-run home run in the second game.

Matt Lanzendorfer walked a pair to but the tying runs on base in the ninth inning of the nightcap, but struck out his final two batters to finish off the save.

Class-A Ontario

Once down 5-0, the Tower Buzzers rallied to beat the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).

Mairo Martinus tripled and doubled, and drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth with a groundout.

Easton Shelton hit a two-run home run, his team-leading 19th.

On the aforementioned bloop double in the fourth inning, left fielder AJ Soldra and shortstop Joendry Vargas collided in the outfield, and both were down for several minutes. Multiple trainers from both teams tended to the players, and Soldra had to be carted off the field. Vargas remained in the game.

Transactions

Triple-A: With Chuckie Robinson called up to the Dodgers, Oklahoma City got fellow spring non-roster invitee Griffin Lockwood-Powell to help share catching duties after two and a half seasons in Tulsa.

Double-A: Dodgers signed catcher Hayden Gilliland three days after he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays, and assigned him to Tulsa. The 24-year-old hit .228/.374/.380 with three home runs and five doubles in 28 games for High-A Vancouver this eason.

Friday scores

• Charlotte 12, Oklahoma City 7
• Wichita 14, Tulsa 0
• Wisconsin 5, Great Lakes 3 (Game 1)
• Great Lakes 5, Wisconsin 3 (Game 2)
• Ontario 9, Lake Elsinore 8

Saturday schedule

• 3:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Charlotte (Hagen Smith)
• 4:40 p.m.: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Wisconsin (Jayden Dubanewicz)
• 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Roque Gutierrez) vs. Wichita (Preston Johnson)
• 6:45 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at Lake Elsinore (Tyler Schmitt)

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers got thumped by the Red Sox last night.

Jack Leiter was once again done-in by the fifth inning, continuing a worrisome trend.

The Rangers offense didn’t have much to offer without Corey Seager.

Seager, by the way, is day to day after a collision at home plate in Thursday’s game.

Josh Smith also might need a little more rehab time as he attempts to return from viral meningitis.

On a positive note, Shawn McFarland writes about the breakout season in Frisco for Rangers prospect Dylan Dreiling.

And David Murphy is the latest guest on Evan Grant’s podcast.

That’s all for this morning. Have a good weekend!

Tarik Skubal’s five-week journey from operating table to a major league mound is complete.

The Detroit Tigers’ two-time American League Cy Young Award winner will make his first start since undergoing elbow surgery Saturday, June 13 against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Skubal underwent an innovative NanoScope surgical procedure May 6 to remove a loose body from his elbow.

The Tigers proceeded to lose 16 of 18 games and 21 of 26 after Skubal was idled, falling to the cellar of the AL Central. They rebounded to win seven of nine, escaping last place as Skubal’s return drew closer to reality.

Now, they take on the division rival Guardians while trailing the first place Chicago White Sox by eight games.

Here’s how to watch the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians on Saturday:

How to watch Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians

The Detroit Tigers take on the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of their three-game weekend series.

• Date: Saturday, June 13
• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Detroit SportsNet, Guardians.TV, MLB.TV app
• Location: Progressive Field (Cleveland)

Kris Bubic had a setback in his rehab.

“He will not make his start on Sunday,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His forearm feels good (but) his shoulder didn’t respond as well to the previous start. So he is going to see a doctor sometime this weekend, and we’ll know more at that point.”

Seth Lugo is on the 7-day Injured List with a concussion, writes Drew Davison.

“He felt a little bit worse today than yesterday, so we’re going to put him on the concussion [IL],” manager Matt Quatraro said.

Quatraro said Lugo has been battling “just a normal headache” that took time to come on.

“Just pressure, swelling,” Quatraro said. “There’s a good amount there. Pressure is going up a little bit.”

Jaylon Thompson writes how Jac Caglianone has regained his confidence after a tough first year.

It was a steep decline from his minor-league numbers. The Royals knew Caglianone would be a work in progress. It just took him time to realize it for himself.

“I took the offseason to really get the mental right,” Caglianone said. “Wasn’t in the best headspace, but, you know, speaking with some psychs and stuff, (I was) finding new pathways to compartmentalize some things. Figuring where to grow, what are the strengths and all that type of stuff played a big role in it.”

David Lesky is impressed with Caglianone lately.

Jac Caglianone is hotter than he’s ever been in his big league career. I actually thought it was hotter than any hitter the Royals have had since Witt in 2024 went on that insane run, but there are two who were hotter last year, surprisingly. He had four hits on Wednesday and then two more yesterday. Even with a shoulder issue baked in that caused him to miss a game, Caglianone is now hitting .452/.531/.714 since the start of the last road trip. That 12-game stretch (that does include one at bat before he left in Minneapolis) with a 1.245 OPS is literally one point higher than Witt’s best stretch this season.

Some others who have had a 1.200 OPS or higher in a 12-game stretch with at least 40 plate appearances recently include Mike Yastrzemski last year, and both Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez had stretches with a higher OPS than Caglianone’s right now at some point last year. Actually, one of Yastrzemski’s was a bit higher, too. I know that sounds like I might be downplaying Caglianone, but I’m expressing legitimate surprise that the Royals have had 12-game stretches this hot this recently. Either way, it’s an incredible development that he just continues to hit.

Russell Dorsey at Yahoo Sports ranks Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo among the top trade chips for the deadline.

If there’s one thing both Wacha and Lugo have brought to the Royals’ rotation over the past three seasons, it’s consistency. Wacha (4-4, 3.44 ERA) and Lugo (2-4, 3.91 ERA) have been two of the American League’s best starters in recent years, and with both having one more year of club control after this season, they could be intriguing targets for teams looking for rotation help for this season and next.

Kansas City‘s moves the past few seasons have not worked out the way the team had hoped. But starting pitching has been an area of strength for the Royals lately. Moving one or both of their better arms could be the key to injecting some much-needed life into both the farm system and the big-league roster, while knowing the rotation has quality arms such as Cole Ragans and Noah Cameron to build around in the future.

Yirsandy Rodríguez at Royals Keep wonders when we will see the Isaac Collins that performed in Milwaukee.

Craig Brown recaps the Rangers series finale and Kyle Isbel’s injury.

Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski strikes out 15 in a one-hit, complete game gem.

The White Sox trade Derek Hill to the Phillies and acquire Nolan Jones from Colorado.

Mark Feinsand at MLB.com looks at potential trade candidates.

Aroldis Chapman says if the Yankees want him, they need to apologize.

How would a salary cap work in baseball?

Who are the disappointing players and teams that should start to panic?

Who are the best contact hitters in the game?

The Astros are interested in outfield and bullpen upgrades.

MLB is investigating Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache after reports he supplied PEDs to UFC star Conor McGregor.

Longtime MLB broadcaster John Sanders, who grew up in Kansas and worked in Kansas City, dies at age 83.

The U.S. Men’s National Team has their biggest margin of victory in the World Cup since 1930.

Was the Knicks Game 4 comeback one of the greatest in sports history?

Humans prefer to walk counter-clockwise, but scientists aren’t sure why.

Forbes declares Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

A ranking of post-break-up Beatles collaborations.

Your song of the day is Chuck Berry with You Never Can Tell.

Welcome to Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, the new/old favorite from Chris McShane and Brian Salvatore.

Another strange week of Mets’ baseball is in the books. The Mets looked good against the Padres and decidedly not so agains the Cardinals. The starting rotation is a real question mark still, and with the upcoming schedule, things are looking rough for the Mets going forward. 

Chris’s Music Picks:

Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Brian’s Music Picks:

Sunny Day Real Estate – LP2

You can listen or subscribe to all of our wonderful Home Run Applesauce podcasts through Apple Podcasts, where we encourage you to leave a review if you enjoy the show. It really helps! And you can find us on the Stitcher app, Spotify, or listen wherever you get podcasts.

If you’ve got questions that you’d like us to discuss on the air, email the show at brian@homerunapplesauce.com.

Visit our⁠ Patreon⁠ for bonus episodes and to help directly support the podcasters whose work you’ve enjoyed for years.

Brian and Chris are on social media @ChrisMcShane (⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠), and @BrianNeedsaNap (⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠)

And, until next time, Let’s Go⁠ Mets⁠.

The Yankees did not have their A-game in their opener against the Blue Jays, falling behind 5-0 before ultimately losing 8-5 and suffering another potential blow to their outfield with Trent Grisham leaving the game early. While they wait for news on Grisham’s hamstring and whether he’ll need an IL stint, the rest of the league had a chance to capitalize on their loss, beginning with the most significant in their direct competition in Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay Rays (40-26) 3, Los Angeles Angels (28-42) 4

Thankfully, the Rays could not take advantage of the chance to retake sole possession of the AL East. They fell behind early to the lowly Angels, and despite making it a close contest late they couldn’t get over the hump and complete the comeback.

The Rays had a chance to start the game off on a better note, working the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the first, but Ben Williamson’s hard-hit liner went right in the direction of Mike Trout’s glove for the final out. The Angels made them pay for not cashing in, as Trey Mancini’s two-run triple with two outs put them on the board first.

Los Angeles went back to the well in the third inning, getting a leadoff double from old friend Oswald Peraza to kick things off. After a pair of outs moved him up a base but threatened to strand him, Nick Madrigal bounced a single to the right side that barely managed to be contained by the second baseman, but allowed Peraza to score from third. Madrigal then stole second and scored on a Logan O’Hoppe single to make it 4-0.

The Rays didn’t go down lightly, however. After staying quiet for the next few innings against Sam Aldegheri, they managed to start a rally in the fifth when Chandler Simpson led off with a walk. Nick Fortes bounced a ball to shortstop, but an error by Zach Neto kept everyone on base and then a Taylor Walls single loaded the bases with no outs. Jonathan Aranda made it count, singling to left to score two runs, but a double play would end the threat before they could get any more.

The score remained at 4-2 until the ninth inning, when the Rays made one last push. A single and walk put two on with two out, and Aranda again came up with the clutch hit to push one more across. With the tying and go-ahead run aboard, Junior Caminero worked a walk to keep it alive, but pinch-hitter Cedric Mullins struck out to end it.

Other Games

Cleveland Guardians (38-33) 3, Detroit Tigers (29-41) 2: Jack Flaherty has had a rough season, pitching to a 5.35 ERA, and it didn’t get any better after he had to leave this game just three innings in with a leg injury. He gave up two runs on a Brayan Rocchio triple in the second inning, and that would be enough to tag him with the loss as Tanner Bibee spun seven strong innings on the other side. Bibee did get tagged for a couple of solo shots, but the eventual winning run came in the sixth when Angel Martínez hit a one-out double and Steven Kwan scored him on an RBI single.

Seattle Mariners (37-34) 10, Washington Nationals (35-35) 2: The Mariners made this a laugher real quick, scoring five runs in the second inning with a two-run Dominic Canzone triple and a Colt Emerson two-run blast doing the majority of the damage. James Wood got one back for the Nationals with a solo blast in the fourth, but Seattle answered right back with three more in the fifth to make sure that Washington stayed buried. Canzone and Josh Naylor both hit bombs to round out Seattle’s scoring, making it an easy night for Bryce Miller who went eight innings in a winning effort.

It’s another Saturday morning, which means we’re about to record a Meet at the Mitt episode. Look for it later in the day. We’ll be without the baritone of one Anders Jorstad, which is why I’m covering links. He enters Day 7 of his honeymoon, a career high for the young righty.

The Mariners face off against the Nats this afternoon in pefect baseball weather for a change. First pitch is at 1:05 PDT on Mariners TV and 710 KIRO.

In Mariners news . . .

• Randy Arozarena left last night’s game early with a hamstring strain that might have been more of a spasm or a cramp, according to Dan Wilson. He’s day-to-day.
• The good news from the game was Bryce Miller reaching a new career high in innings pitched with 8.
• Down on the farm, Kade Anderson did a stand up with Arkansas’ KATV.

Around the league . . .

• Jacob Misiorowski pitched what Brew Crew Ball is calling the best start in franchise history: a 15-strikeout Maddux.
• Sandy Alcantara became the fifth active Dominican-born starter to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.
• Spencer Strider left last night’s game early. His velo had been down one and a half ticks.
• Jonathan Mayo did another mock draft. He sent Bo Lawrence to the M’s.
• On May 27, 1941, FDR issued a radio address to outline Hitler’s plan to conquer the world and “strangle the United States.” The Braves-Giants game was paused after the seventh inning so the speech could be aired over the PA system at the Polo Grounds. Read all about the historical oddity from Harrison Golden.

Zach’s Picks

Who else is disappointed with Olivia Rodrigo’s new album released yesterday? “Drop Dead” was such a promising lead single.

Friday brought a ton of action with it as Atlanta’s minor league teams were in full action. Let’s get into it.

(35-32) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (36-31) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4

• Aaron Schunk, 1B: 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 3-4, R
• Luke Williams, 3B: 1-5, 2B, 2 R
• Austin Gomber, SP: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Box Score

They needed extra innings to do it, but Gwinnett came away with a win on Friday, beating Jacksonville 5-4.

The Stripers bounced back from a less-than-stellar start from Austin Gomber, who tossed 2.2 innings while giving up three runs on four hits.

Trailing 1-0, Gwinnett tied things up in the top of the third as Jim Jarvis scored as Luke Williams reached via error to make it a 1-1 game. The Stripers took their first lead of the game in the top of the sixth. First, Williams scored on a Brett Wisely single to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Brewer Hicklen and DaShawn Kiersey Jr. scored on an Aaron Schunk double to give the Stripers a 4-3 lead.

Jacksonville tied things up in the bottom of the eighth and the Stripers failed to plate another run in regulation.

In the top of the 10th, Gwinnett benefitted from some misfortune on the part of Jacksonville to take a lead.

Luke Williams started the inning at second base before advancing to third on a wild pitch. After a Wisely walk, Williams scampered home on an incredibly wild pitch to give Gwinnett a 5-4 lead.

Rolddy Munoz came on in relief and despite a passed ball, he proceeded to sit down Jacksonville in order to get the save and preserve the win for the Stripers.

(28-30) Columbus Clingstones 6, (30-31) Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3

• Will Verdung, 3B: 2-5, 2B, 2 R
• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
• Logan Braunschweig, RF: 2-5, RBI, R
• Lucas Braun, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Box Score

Columbus came out on the positive side of this one, beating Pensacola by three runs to inch closer to .500.

Lucas Braun got the start for the Clingstones on Friday and he put up a respectable outing as he went six innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He also issued a pair of walks and struck out four as well. It’s Braun’s second straight start of at least six innings pitched and two or less runs given up.

Braun got plenty of help at the plate as the Clingstones scored six runs on 11 hits on the night.

Columbus got the scoring started in this one as the Clingstones plated two runs in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Drew Compton and Tyler Tolve laced back-to-back singles before Keshawn Ogans singled home Compton for the first run of the game. Tolve proceeded to score on a Clohisy single to extend the lead to 2-0.

Will Verdung and Patrick Clohisy led the offensive effort as both guys tallied the only two extra base hits for Columbus — a double apiece. Verdung scored two of the Clingstones’ runs, while Clohisy registered two hits and two walks to his credit.

(33-27) Rome Emperors 5, (42-18) Bowling Green Hot Rods 8

• Owen Carey, LF: 1-3, RBI, R, BB
• Eric Hartman, CF: 1-5, R
• Mason Guerra, DH: 1-4, 2 RBI, R
• Isaiah Drake, RF: 1-1, R, 3 BB
• Briggs McKenzie, SP: 1.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Box Score

Briggs McKenzie’s first start at high-A might not have gone according to plan, but it wasn’t necessarily the lefthanders fault.

Across 1.2 innings pitched, McKenzie gave up four runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out two in the process.

McKenzie gave up a soft single in the second inning that was originally called an out, but was overturned despite no official challenge being conducted. He then gave up a pair of bunt singles and his defense committed an error behind him as Bowling Green tallied four runs in the frame. While it wasn’t great, it could have been much worse and it was good to see McKenzie’s composure through the inning.

At the plate, things got off to a scary start as Tate Southisene was hit in the helmet by a pitch. While it could have been much worse, Southisene stayed in the game and was thankfully okay.

Overall it wasn’t the strongest offensive performance for Rome as the Emperors failed to register an extra base hit in this one.

The first run of the game for Rome came in the top of the second as Mason Guerra singled home Isaiah Drake and Owen Carey to make it a 2-0 game. Then, in what was a weird set of circumstances, Colin Burgess reached on an error as the Bowling Green third baseman airmailed a throw to second base, which allowed Guerra to score all the way from first to extend the lead to 3-0.

Trailing 5-3, the Emperors actually tied things up in the top of the seventh thanks to an RBI-single off the bat of Eric Hartman and a run-scoring forceout from Owen Carey.

However, the Hot Rods tagged reliever Colin Daniel for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take an 8-5 lead, which held as the final.

(32-29) Augusta GreenJackets 13, (23-36) Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3

• Conor Essenburg, CF: 2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB
• Luis Guanipa, DH: 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB
• Juan Mateo, 2B: 3-5, RBI, R, BB
• Alex Lodise, SS: 1-5, 2B, RBI, R
• Cooper McMurray, 1B: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Landon Beidelschies, SP: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 7 BB, 3 K

Box Score

The Augusta offense showed up and showed out Friday as the GreenJackets tallied 13 runs on 15 hits to move to three games over .500 on the season.

Conor Essenburg led the charge with a pair of homers and four total RBI on the night to pace the offense. Essenburg also scored four runs while walking three times as well. Essenburg has been as good as advertised to begin his pro career, as he has homered five times in 97 at-bats while posting an OPS of .941.

Luis Guanipa also had a very solid day as the designated hitter went 2-5 with a double and four RBI. The biggest swing on the night for Guanipa came in the top of the second as he took a fastball above the zone and launched it into the left centerfield gap to clear the loaded bases to give Augusta a 7-2 lead. With his performance on Friday, Guanipa raised his season OPS to .871.

Leading 10-3, Augusta managed to tack on three more runs in their final at-bat. Austin Machado scored on a sacrifice fly from Alex Lodise, while Cody Miller scored on a Guanipa single — giving him his fourth RBI on the night. The final GreenJackets run came as Essenburg scored on an RBI-double from Cooper McMurray — who tallied two doubles on the night.

The one downside, if you could consider it that, is that Landon Beidelscheies — who tossed 4.1 innings of two-run ball — walked a staggering seven batters in the process.

(8-21) FCL Braves 2, (19-10) FCL Rays 6 (SUSPENDED)

• Mario Baez, 3B: 1-2, 2 RBI
• Arlenn Manzanillo, C: 2-2, 2 R
• Manuel Campos, DH: 2-3
• Wuilinyer Tovar, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

Box Score

This one got suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning due to rain with the FCL Braves trailing the FCL Rays 6-2.

Wuilinyer Tovar got the start on the mound and control issues continue to plague the 18-year-old as he issued four walks in 3.1 innings pitched. On the season, Tovar has walked 10 batters in 17 innings , but he has also struck out 13 over that same stretch.

At the plate, Mario Baez led the charge with a pair of RBI on the day, while Arlenn Manzanillo went 2-2 and scored both runs Baez drove in.

(1-8) DSL Braves 7, (4-5) DSL Rays 12

• Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez, DH: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
• Yasssel Pena, 1B: 2-3, HR, RBI, R
• Starlyn De La Cruz, CF: 1-4, 2 R, BB
• Ezequiel Martinez, SP: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K

Box Score

Despite putting up seven runs on 12 hits Friday, the DSL Braves will have to continue their search for a second win of the season.

Ezequiel Martinez got the start on the bump and limited the damage to two earned runs across 3.1 innings of work.

Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez continues to impress as the launched his second homer of the season on Friday while driving in three runs and going 3-4 at the plate. Through eight games, Da Costa Gomez is batting .364 with an OPS of 1.290 to go along with it.

Yassel Pena and Starlyn De La Cruz also had solid nights at the plate as well. Pena homered and went 2-3, while De La Cruz went 1-4 with two runs scored and a walk to his credit.