Smokies pitcher Jace Beck (32) pitches during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Birmingham Barons at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tennessee., on May 7, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/ News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Iowa right-hander Tyler Beede has elected free agency.
Right-hander Zac Leigh goes from the ACL Cubs to Triple-A Iowa.
Right-hander Anhuar Garcia was promoted to Low-A Myrtle Beach from the ACL Cubs.
Andrew Wantz gave up a run in the top of the first inning on three singles, but then settled down for the next three in his first start for Iowa. Wantz’s final line was one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Ty Blach pitched the final five innings, did not give up a run and got the win. Blach gave up five hits, but they were all singles and he didn’t walk anyone. He struck out six.
First baseman Jonathon Long hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his seventh on the season. Long also had a two-run single, an RBI double and an RBI groundout to give him six runs batted in tonight. He was 3 for 5 and scored twice.
DH Christian Bethancourt connected for a solo home run in the sixth inning. It was his eighth on the year. Beathancourt went 1 for 4.
Second baseman Owen Miller had two doubles and a triple in a 4 for 5 game tonight. Miller scored once and had two RBI.
Right fielder Kevin Alcántara was 4 for 5 with two doubles. The Jaguar scored twice and drove in one.
Left fielder BJ Murray went 2 for 4 with a double and he was hit by a pitch. He scored twice.
RBI double for Moisés Ballesteros, who was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Jace Beck may have turned in the best Cubs start this year in the minor leagues tonight. At least he had more strikeouts than anyone else. Beck pitched six innings and allowed just one run on five hits. He struck out a career-high 11 batters and walked two.
Tyler Santana gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, but hung on to get the save. The final line on Santana was one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out one and walked no one.
Left fielder Carter Trice doubled twice in a 2 for 4 night. Trice also stole a base. He scored one run and drove in one.
Nazier Mulé gave up a three-run home run in the first inning to the third batter of the game. The River Bandits didn’t score again and only had two more hits. Mulé final line was three runs on three hits over 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Jackson Brockett went the rest of the way and got the win. Brockett retired the first 14 batters he faced before giving up a one-out single in the top of the ninth. But then he got a game-ending double play out of the next hitter. Brockett struck out five over 5.1 innings.
Catcher Justin Stransky hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, his fourth. Stransky went 1 for 3.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda put the Cubs up for good with a two-run single in the eighth. Cepeda was 1 for 3 and he was hit by a pitch.
DH Kane Kepley went 1 for 3 with a double, a steal and a sacrifice fly. He also scored one run.
Starter Pierce Coppola went four innings, allowed just one run on two hits and got the win. (Not sure how he got the win despite only going four.) Coppola struck out six and walked two.
Daniel Avitia threw a three-inning save, allowing no runs and just one hit. He walked three and struck out three.
Shortstop Alexis Hernández is heating up and for the second-straight night, he had three hits. Hernández was 3 for 4 with an RBI triple and two walks. Hernández had two RBI overall.
Center fielder Darlyn De Leon had a two-run double in the second inning. De Leon was went 1 for 3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a stolen base. He scored three times.
The Birds scored three runs in the fifth inning on three bases-loaded walks. In fact, the Pelicans did not have a hit in the fifth.
Liam Hendricks made his Cubs and season debut in this game. He pitched the first inning and retired all three batters he faced, striking out two of them.
Jun 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zach Thornton (49) follows through on a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In a banner day in Metsland, our beloved Metropolitans lost yet another game, despite the managerial change that saw Carlos Mendoza fired and replaced with Andy Green.
The 2-1 loss was a genuine pitcher’s duel from a rather unsuspecting place — at least from the Mets side of things. Old Friend Zack Wheeler was his typically excellent self. The now-veteran righty has shown no signs of slowing down, despite the off season thoracic outlet syndrome surgery that delayed the beginning of his season, as he lowered his season ERA to 2.03 after his outing. He surrendered one run over seven innings, with the one run coming by way of a Jared Young single in the fourth, though he was lucky to not have surrendered two more. Derek Hill made an absolutely stunning catch in center field to rob Juan Soto of a two run home run, which would prove to be game winning, considering the final score of 2-1.
The Mets, to their credit, pitched well in the loss. Not that moral victories matter, really, but Zach Thornton deserves his flowers on the day. Thornton, who was called back up to the bigs after the Mets traded David Peterson away to the Cubs, matched Wheeler at every turn. He surrendered a first inning RBI single to Bryce Harper, but was nails after that, surrendering five hits, striking out seven, and walking one over six innings. With the season trending towards being lost, it is nice to see a young player put together a quality performance. Again, this is a strict no moral victory household, but facts are facts.
That 1-1 score was erased in the seventh, when Trea Turner singled a run home off of Huascar Brazoban. The Mets put runners on in the seventh and the ninth, but they simply could not scratch a run across to prevent the loss. It was a telling loss in regards to the story of the 2026 season, up until now: frustrating, and coming up short.
Big Mets winner: Zach Thornton, +22% WPA Big Mets loser: Juan Soto, -16% WPA (this is a Derek Hill stat) Mets pitchers: +15% WPA Mets hitters: -65% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Jared Young’s RBI single, +7.9% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Trea Turner’s RBI single in the seventh, -20.8% WPA
Miguel Vargas and the bats helped lead the White Sox to their second-largest win in franchise history.
It’s not every day you see your favorite team score 10 runs in a game. It’s even more rare to see them score 10 runs in a single inning, but that’s what the Chicago White Sox did Friday night. In a rare game that was over by the end of the third inning, the White Sox came roaring back to life after a tough stretch that saw them go just 3-6 over their last nine games, destroying Kansas City, 22-1.
The 22 runs tied for the second-most in White Sox history, joining the woebegone 1970 White Sox (22-13 win at Boston) but falling short of the all-time mark, coming in Kansas City (against the Athletics) in 1955, in 29-6 win. However, the 21-run margin of victory now ranks second all-time in club history, trailing just that 23-run win in K.C. in 1955.
Usually, when you score 10 runs in a game, everybody’s eating good like a college kid on Thanksgiving. For the White Sox, the entire lineup had scored at least one run by the end of the sixth inning. The party didn’t stop there, as the White Sox started tacking on runs so fast it’s a wonder the scoreboard was able to update in time. It was one heck of a jolt from an offense that has struggled to score runs consistently as of late.
It all started in the third inning, with the score knotted 0-0 and Chicago had seen seven of their first eight batters go down. A Jacob Gonzalez walk started a party that just wouldn’t stop, as 10 of the next 11 batters got on base for the White Sox and the game was over before the Royals could even cry “uncle.”
The Royals got a run back in the fourth, aided by three straight walks from starter David Sandlin, but a Benny Bomb to lead off the bottom of that same inning kept the party vibes flowing. That party continued in the fifth, sixth, and seventh as well before they showed some mercy to the Royals with a scoreless eighth. In truth, the Sox dented the scoreboard in every inning between the second and eighth. White Sox fans were treated to a fireworks display even more explosive than we’ll see at the lakefront next week.
Honestly, there aren’t many words that can be used to sum up the White Sox on Friday night, at least that are appropriate to use on this site, other than phenomenal. These games are incredibly rare, so it’s vital to enjoy them when they come around.
One part of the win that shouldn’t fly under the radar is the pitching. While it’s certainly easier to pitch when you have a huge cushion, it’s still not easy to give up just one run and three hits over six innings. Sandlin was outstanding tonight, and deserves a lot of credit for how he looked on the mound. His wildness beyond the three consecutive walks was corralled, as the Royals were held to just three free passes in the game, and four hits total.
A big reason the White Sox have enjoyed such a big resurgence this year is due to their pitching. Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, Bryan Hudson, Sean Newcomb and even Erick Fedde as of late have become incredibly reliable options. It would be foolish to believe this is the pitcher Sandlin will be for the rest of his career, but if he can give the South Siders even a sliver of what he was able to tonight, Chicago suddenly has a much-different looking rotation, and a solid option in the No. 5 slot.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 27-13 at home. Oddly enough, they sit at just 15-25 on the road. Usually that would be cause for concern, but with the way the White Sox have looked overall this season, it’s hard not to buy in to this team. The fans are buzzing, the arms and bats are back, and there is life among the fan base once again. The best part may actually be that Jerry Reinsdorf is probably livid with how much he’s having to spend on fireworks this season. With the All-Star break approaching, there’s only two things left to do: Take the division and win the whole dang thing.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 26: Royce Lewis #23 of the Minnesota Twins (C) celebrates his walk-off RBI single against the Colorado Rockies with teammates Austin Martin #16 and Byron Buxton #25 in the tenth inning at Target Field on June 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Rockies 9-8 in ten innings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies were buried early, somehow took the lead late, and still left Target Field with one of their tougher losses of the season.
Colorado fell to 32-50 with a 9-8 loss in 10 innings to the Minnesota Twins, who improved to 39-44 with their first walk-off win of the season. The Rockies trailed 7-0 after five innings, scored eight runs across the eighth and ninth, took an 8-7 lead, gave it back in the bottom of the ninth, and failed to score in extras before Minnesota ended it.
It was a comeback good enough to matter. It was not quite good enough to win.
Sugano’s mix does not hold up
Tomoyuki Sugano’s final line was ugly, but the start was not as simple as a pitcher showing up without anything working.
Sugano used seven different pitch types, and the movement profile was more functional than the final line suggests. His sinker had more arm-side run than usual, his four-seamer had extra ride, and his splitter created real separation underneath the fastballs. But Minnesota still saw him well enough to do damage.
The game tilted early. After Taj Bradley retired the Rockies in order on six pitches in the top of the first, Sugano got Trevor Larnach to fly out before Byron Buxton singled to left. Kody Clemens followed by driving an 86 mph splitter to right field for a two-run homer. The ball left the bat at 102.5 mph and traveled 380 feet, giving Minnesota a 2-0 lead.
Sugano recovered enough to get Josh Bell to pop out and Victor Caratini to strike out swinging, but Minnesota had the early lead.
The second inning pushed it further. Royce Lewis opened with a single, and Brooks Lee followed with another two-run homer, this time on an 85.9 mph slider after Sugano had worked the count to 2-2. It was not one of Minnesota’s loudest swings at 93.9 mph off the bat, but it carried 348 feet to right field and made it 4-0.
Sugano settled briefly with clean innings in the third and fourth, but the fifth changed the line. After Tristan Gray lined out to open the inning, Jake McCarthy made a sliding catch in right field against Luke Keaschall for the second out.
Larnach then doubled to extend the inning, and Buxton followed with a 106.1 mph double down the third-base line to score Larnach and make it 5-0.
That was where the inning got away. Clemens walked, Sugano’s first free pass of the night, and Bell followed by driving a 93.5 mph sinker to center field for a two-run double. Buxton and Clemens both scored, stretching the lead to 7-0.
Sugano finished with five innings, eight hits, seven earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts, and two home runs allowed. He threw 85 pitches, generated only five whiffs on 33 swings, and allowed seven hard-hit balls on 20 balls in play. The pitch shapes were there. The swing-and-miss was not.
Bradley keeps Rockies quiet
Taj Bradley controlled the game for seven innings, even if the command was not perfect.
Bradley worked seven-plus innings, allowing three hits, two runs, three walks, and no home runs while striking out seven. He threw 92 pitches, generated 14 whiffs on 45 swings, and leaned heavily on a fastball that averaged 97.0 mph and reached 99.5 mph. His four-seamer made up 61% of his pitch mix, while the splitter and cutter came in at 18% and 16%, respectively.
Bradley threw 50 pitches out of the strike zone and walked three, but the Rockies did not turn those misses into enough pressure. When he came back into the zone, his fastball and splitter were good enough to keep Colorado from building an inning.
The first chance came in the second. TJ Rumfield walked to open the inning, and Troy Johnston followed with the Rockies’ first hit, a hard single to right field. But the inning ended with runners on the corners after Ezequiel Tovar struck out. Tovar had taken a 99 mph fastball for a ball earlier in the at-bat, but Bradley got him to chase well out of the zone to end the threat.
That became the pattern. Colorado had baserunners, but not enough of them in sequence.
Rumfield walked again in the fourth, but the Rockies could not turn it into anything. In the fifth, an ABS challenge turned a ball into strike three against Edouard Julien, giving Bradley another clean inning.
McCarthy had the loudest swing against Bradley in the sixth, jumping a first-pitch 94.5 mph four-seam fastball for a double to right field. The ball left the bat at 108.6 mph, but it was only Colorado’s second hit and came with the Rockies trailing 7-0. Bradley stranded him.
Bradley came back out for the eighth, but Tovar opened with a double and Julien followed with a walk after an ABS challenge confirmed the call. Minnesota went to Kody Funderburk with two aboard and nobody out. Both runners eventually scored, putting two earned runs on Bradley’s line, but the rally changed the box score more than the shape of his start.
Rockies storm back before falling in extras
The Rockies’ bullpen gave the offense a chance to make the game matter again.
Seth Halvorsen replaced Sugano in the sixth and worked a scoreless inning, striking out Lewis and pitching around his own missed-catch error. Juan Mejia followed in the seventh, allowed a leadoff single, then got out of the inning when Clemens grounded into a double play. John Brebbia handled the eighth, giving up a two-out double to Lewis but stranding him.
Together, Halvorsen, Mejia, and Brebbia combined for three scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout. It did not erase Sugano’s line, but it kept the score at 7-0 long enough for Colorado to make a real push.
The comeback started in the eighth. After Funderburk entered with two runners aboard and nobody out, McCarthy singled to load the bases. Mickey Moniak brought home Tovar with a groundout to make it 7-1. Hunter Goodman followed with a sacrifice fly to score Julien, and Rumfield lined a single to center to bring in McCarthy, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
Willi Castro added another single, but Tyler Freeman struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the inning with two runners on.
Then the ninth changed the game.
Cole Carrigg opened the inning with a walk against Eric Orze, and Julien doubled to center after a flyout, scoring Carrigg to make it 7-4. McCarthy followed with a two-run homer to right-center field, turning a four-run deficit into a one-run game.
Minnesota went to Anthony Banda, but Colorado kept going. Kyle Karros came off the bench and doubled to left, with Braxton Fulford entering as the pinch-runner. Goodman followed with the swing that completed the comeback, launching his 22nd home run of the season to left field. The ball left the bat at 116.2 mph and traveled 451 feet. Goodman knew it immediately, dropping his head and heading toward first as Fulford scored ahead of him.
Rumfield followed with a pop-up double into short center/right field that several Twins converged on and none of them caught. It was the visual summary of a Minnesota inning that had fully unraveled.
But Colorado could not close it.
Antonio Senzatela entered for the bottom of the ninth and struck out Gray for the first out, but Austin Martin and Ryan Kreidler followed with back-to-back singles. Buxton then chopped a 78.3 mph ground ball toward third. Castro waited on the hop, but the ball jumped over him and into left field. Martin scored, and the lead was gone.
Senzatela still got the game to extras. He got Clemens to fly out to left, then got Bell to lift a short flare to center at 72.7 mph. Carrigg raced in to make the catch, sending the game to the 10th tied 8-8.
Colorado had the first chance in extras and came up empty. With Freeman starting the inning at second, Carrigg grounded out and moved him to third. Tovar followed with a grounder to short against a drawn-in infield, and Freeman was cut down at the plate after breaking on contact. Julien grounded out to first to end the inning.
Minnesota did not miss its chance. Jimmy Herget came on for the bottom of the 10th with Bell starting at second before Kyler Fedko entered as a pinch-runner. Colorado intentionally walked Caratini to create force plays around the diamond, but Herget uncorked a wild pitch that moved Fedko to third. With the infield in, Lewis punched a single back through the middle, scoring Fedko and giving Minnesota a 9-8 walk-off win.
Final notes
McCarthy and Rumfield were at the center of Colorado’s comeback. McCarthy finished with three hits, including a double, a single, and the two-run homer that made it 7-6 in the ninth. Rumfield reached multiple times, drove in a run in the eighth, and added the strange pop-up double that captured the Twins’ ninth-inning collapse.
The Rockies went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, matching Minnesota’s 4-for-10 mark. Colorado finished with 11 hits, eight runs, and one error. Minnesota finished with 14 hits, nine runs, and no errors.
Colorado scored three runs in the eighth and five runs in the ninth after being shut out through the first seven innings. Minnesota had three two-out RBIs, including Bell’s two-run double and Buxton’s RBI double in the fifth.
Andrew Morris earned the win for Minnesota, improving to 3-2. Herget took the loss for Colorado, falling to 0-2.
Up next
The Rockies and Twins continue the series Saturday night at Target Field as Colorado looks to shake off one of its more painful losses of the season. Michael Lorenzen is scheduled to start for the Rockies, entering at 2-9 with a 7.11 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Minnesota will counter with Mike Paredes, who enters at 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
This guy wasn’t the problem on the mound! Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Derek Shelton’s Magical Arm Barn managed to quickly cough up a seven-run lead, but heads-up baserunning and a nice hit by Lewis sends the fans home happy. (Or starts off tonight’s postgame Ludacris concert with good vibes.) Inning-by-inning notes:
1: Do we get good Taj or bad Taj tonight? Well, six pitches and three outs. That’s certainly effective Taj.
Buxton has a one-out single. Radio guys Kris Atteberry and Dan “Answer Man” Gladden debate whether Buxton’s yellow shoes mean he’ll run or not. They come to the conclusion that green shoes would mean “go,” but yellow means “caution.” This is what happens when you’ve broadcast a few thousand baseball games.
At any rate, Buxton doesn’t steal, and it doesn’t matter because two pitches later, a good thing happens.
Klobberin’ Kody Klemens, folks. Good grief! Over the top of the sandstone overhang in right. In his first four seasons and 265 games, Clemens had an OPS of .666 (the number of the Least) and a 1.1 bWAR. In his age-30 season, he’s currently at .784 and 1.2. Tell me he doesn’t have his dad’s old “special pharmacy” phone number. Twins 2-0
2: Well… here we get Lucky Taj. He walks one and gives up a hit, but fortunately with two outs the batter is Ezeqiuel Tovar (no relation to César). Tovar is batting .208 on the season with 81 strikeouts; make it 82.
Royce (he’s all fixed now) Lewis has the leadoff single. Brooks Lee decides to bounce one off the top of the right-field wall.
Tristan Gray puts down a good bunt, and pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano makes a terrible throw to first. Gray assumes second will be his on the overthrow, but Edouard Julien (we remember him!) makes a solid grab-and-throw to nail Gray by ten feet at second. So, a heads-up play followed by a TOOTBLAN, or a HUTOOTBLAN. Still, ex-Senators 4-0
3: A pretty easy inning for both pitchers, but Rockies CF Cole Carrigg has an exciting moment when he falls on his buttbutt going for a fly ball. He’s young, though, and gets up in time to go catch it. I’d probably still be on my buttbutt.
4: Second walk of the game for Bradley; second strikeout of the game for old friend Willi Castro. Gladden says the Rockies have been around for “about 25 years” which is only off by 27%, so we’ll call it a dart that misses the board but at least doesn’t put anybody’s eye out.
5: Bottom of the lineup, and it takes Taj eight pitches to get right through ’em. We shouldn’t get TOO excited — the Rockies have the worst record in baseball. But they’re only tied for eighth-worst in MLB on offense (with a 94 OPS+, where 100 is league average, adjusted for ballpark). They’re second-worst in pitching.
To wit: back-to-back two-out doubles by Trevor Larnach and Buxton. Clemens takes a nine-pitch walk, and Josh Bell doubles both runners home. The 830-ft.-high City 7-0
6: The Rockies’ second hit! Jake McCarthy, starting Bradley’s third time through the lineup with a leadoff double. A flyout to left means McCarthy can’t tag up and advance, and the next dude strikes out. Then a long pop fly that new RF Luke Keaschall calls everybody off for. (Not BRAND new; Keaschall has played one inning in RF before.)
Seth Halvorsen replaces Sugano. I think I recognize Halvorsen’s name from somewhere. I look at his player page, and no, I don’t know him. Maybe my alternate-timeline self is Halvorsen’s best friend, or he beat me half to death with a flounder one time.
7: Bradley gets ’em 1-2-3 and sits at 91 pitches. He’s never recorded an out in the eighth inning, so we’ll see.
Larnach singles and Buxton ALMOST knocks one out, but doesn’t because Clemens stole all his ‘roids.
8: Bradley still hasn’t recorded an out in the eighth; a double and walk end his night. In comes LHP Kody Funderburk. Per the Twins’ wesbsite, Kody’s entrance song is AC/DC’s “Thunderstaruck,” sadly without new vocals singing “Funderstruck.” An infield hit, groundout and flyout score two runs. TJ Rumfield, who’s 26 and looks 17, singles home another. Still, it’s the Millers Saints 7-3
9: Eric “Small Pasta” Orze in for the Twins. Hey, how about some Drama! A walk, flyout, Julien double and Jake McCarthy homer. Oops.
Anthony Banda in. First-pitch double by Kyle Karros. The Rockies’ best hitter, Hunter Goodman, up.
No more damage afterwards, but this is pretty hilariously bad stuff.
Antonio Senzatela trying to save it for Colorado. A one-out Austin Martin hit, a Ryan Kreidler hit, and that brings Buxton up. He grounds it to third and…
10: RHP Andrew Morris pitching. A FC (to Morris) pushes the runner to third. Then a slow Tovar roller to short, and Kreidler throws it home. Yer out! No scoring occurs.
Kyler Fedko (who?) pinch-runs for Josh Bell at second. The Rockies intentionally walk not-great hitter Victor Caratini to (I guess) set up the double-play possibility. Royce now up. On reliever Jimmy Herget’s second pitch, the ball barely gets away, and Fedko scampers to third. Then…
Studs: Bradley (7.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 SO.) Royce walkoff! The Bash Brothers in Clemens and Lee, doubles duo in Buston and Bell, Keaschall for not embarrassing himself in RF. Duds: no duds, Twins win!
(except the bullpen management was really dudley do-wrong)
COTG go to SooFoo for “Are we secretly playing at Coors?” (because nobody made much noise rooting for the Twins), Nagurski for a bullpen management criticism that turned out to be prophetic, Zach for some blockbuster trade ideas, falcontimmy for reviewing the new Shakopee ampitheater, Matt for immoral support, and JustAnotherMinnesotan for “This is Ludacris” (referring to the bullpen and the postgame concert performer).
Thanks for everyone who joined in, I know it’s more fun to be outdoors on a lovely summer evening. (For people who like the outdoors, which is Not Me.)
Tomorrow’s game is at 6:10, featuring Michael Lorenzen’s Oil pitching against our own Mike Paredes. Catch ya next time!
Jun 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (36) falls over Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) after being tagged out trying to steal second base in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
That’s two in a row where the Jays have fallen behind big early, rallied late, and fallen a single run short. Add to that Tuesday’s loss, in which a successful comeback was blown in extra innings, and it’s been an extremely frustrating week of Toronto Blue Jays baseball, in a season where frustration is the signature.
Patrick Corbin was bad from the start today. Wyatt Langford opened the game with a single. Corbin then hit the next batter, gave up a double to Brandon Nimmo, a single to Justin Foscue, and another to Ezequiel Duran. That put the Jays in a 3-0 hole before they recorded the second out of the ball game. He rallied for a clean second, but the walked Jake Burger with one out in the third to set up a two run Justin Foscue homer, extending Texas’ lead to 5. He’d work around a double in the fourth and record one out in the fifth before being pulled. His ultimate line was 4.1 innings pitched, five runs (all earned) on seven hits and a walk against five strikeouts.
Spencer Miles took over to finish the fifth, and stuck around for the sixth and seventh. He was excellent, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Adam Macko handled the eighth, walking a pair but avoiding runs. Louis Varland, for some reason, was called to work the ninth. He worked around a single for a clean frame.
So five runs was the hill the Jays offence had to climb. They couldn’t find any purchase against Nathan Eovaldi. Their first base runner was a Daulton Varsho walk in the third, and they didn’t get a hit until Vladimir Guerrero jr.’s one out single in the fourth. The first Jay to reach scoring position was Andres Gimenez, who doubled to open the sixth. He advanced to third on a Nathan Lukes line single, but a Guerrero double play stranded him.
They again had a little something going in the seventh. Singles by Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement put a pair on with one out. Eovaldi rallied to strike out the next two batters, though, and they couldn’t break the shutout.
They were able to get to the bullpen in a way they couldn’t the starter. Gimenez singled and Springer walked to put two on with one out off Robby Ahistrom. The Rangers swithched to Jacob Junis, who advanced both runners on a wild pitcha nd then gave up a line single to Guerrero, plating both. Kazuma Okamoto followed with his 19th home run of the season, cutting the deficit to one. Junis got two of the next three Jays swinging, though, preventing them from tying it up.
Down to their last three outs, Brandon Valenzuela worked a walk off Jacob Latz to put the tying run on base. A pair of pop outs and a fly out wasted that final opportunity.
Jays of the Day: Okamoto (0.13), Valenzuela (0.10)
Less So: Corbin (-0.29), Springer (-0.13), Straw (-0.13)
Game 3 goes tomorrow at 3:07pm ET. Dylan Cease (4-3, 2.75) represents the forces of goodness and light, while Cal Quantrill (3-0, 3.73) represents the Texas Rangers.
The Mets were swept away by the Cubs in four games to start the week. Injury woes continued with Marcus Semien hitting the injured list and Juan Soto experiencing back discomfort early in the week. The morning after that Cubs series ended, news broke that they had fired manager Carlos Mendoza.
On Friday night, despite a great performance by rookie starting pitcher Zach Thornton in interim Mets skipper Andy Green’s debut, they dropped their seventh game in a row with a 2-1 loss to the rival Phillies.
On Friday night before the game, though, an awkward moment on the TV broadcast with Steve Gelbs and Mr. Met put a weird note on the week.
The sideline reporter was doing a live hit on the field discussing Mendoza’s firing when Mr. Met appeared behind him in frame…and began dancing.
Mets: last in their division, six-game losing streak, just fired their manager
With such a somber topic being discussed, it was an uncomfortable moment as Gelbs discussed the rough state of the franchise. But Mr. Met just wouldn’t disappear.
Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza in the Mets dugout on June 25, 2026, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Gelbs, in a professional manner, continued the segment, pretending like nothing was happening behind him.
When asked about their emotions surrounding Mendoza’s firing, several players — including Francisco Lindor — placed the blame on themselves and discussed their close relationships with their former manager.
President of baseball operations David Stearns seemed somber in his pregame availability as well, but did express optimism for the future.
“I believe that we are building the foundation of an organization that can deliver what we all want,” Stearns said, when asked why he hasn’t considered stepping down. “I don’t believe that our record on the field this year is indicative of some of the advancements that we have made in the organization, but clearly our record is nowhere good enough.”
New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks during a press conference before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. The club earlier today parted ways with manager Carlos Mendoza. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With their loss Friday night, the Mets fell to 34-48, a season-worst 14 games under .500. They’re 10 games out of a National League wild-card spot.
Jun 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer (23) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
If you’re hoping to see highlights of a lot of offense at Busch Stadium Friday night, you’ll have to wait awhile as both Michael McGreevy and Max Meyer were determined to have an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel and they were both successful…for awhile. But, the Cardinals bullpen would eventually lose it to the Marlins.
Let’s start with a lack of offense, shall we? The St. Louis Cardinals only had 2 hits and no runs going into the bottom of the 6th inning. Based on that, you would rightly imagine that the Cardinals chances of winning would not be high. However, the Miami Marlins only had 5 hits through the first 6 innings and they had no runs to show for them either. The stories of the night were the Marlins Max Meyer and the Cardinals Michael McGreevy. The problem is that the Cardinals were losing the pitch count battle as Meyer completed the first 2/3 of the game with only 66 pitches. Michael McGreevy’s pitch count after 6 full innings was 94 which is why he was relieved by JoJo Romero entering the 7th inning.
The only offensive play worth mentioning in the first 6 innings was Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins who wins the award for the worst ABS challenge in history (or that I’ve seen) where the replay showed the ball could not have gone any more directly through the strike zone if it tried. A defensive play worth highlighting was a lightning-fast pickoff by Michael McGreevy as he nailed Ruiz at first in the top of the 5th inning.
In a shocking development, Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the 7th inning and yes, that’s sarcasm. That’s a Major League-leading 22 hit-by-pitches for Herrera. After that, Max Meyer experienced a rare moment of wildness as he walked Alec Burleson on 5 pitches to bring up Jordan Walker who had one of the Cardinals only 2 hits on the night leading up to that at-bat. Jordan was charged with a pitch clock violation before Meyer even threw him a pitch which was odd. Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice with Burleson being forced out at 2nd giving the Cardinals runners at first and third with just one out. That gave Lars Nootbaar the opportunity to finally help the Cardinals break through Friday night’s scoring drought. He worked the count full before drawing a walk to load the bases which brought up Masyn Winn. He unfortunately grounded out to the other shortstop who forced out Herrera at home. He was slow to get up after sliding hard into home as the replay appeared to show him roll over his ankle somewhat, but he eventually retreated into the dugout. It was up to Nathan Church to try and save the Cardinals from another RISP disaster. I wish I could say he was successful, but he lined out to left field to end the bottom of the 7th with the game still deadlocked at 0-0. The Cardinals would not get another great opportunity to score the rest of the night.
JoJo Romero was successful keeping the Marlins scoreless in the top of the 7th inning. For the top of the 8th, it was George Soriano‘s turn. He gave up a sharp single to Ruiz who led off the top of the 8th. What had been a scoreless battle suddenly became a Marlins lead when Graham Pauley ripped a double down the right field line scoring Ruiz making it 1-0 Miami. And then the rains came…and we as Cardinals nation had 15 minutes to contemplate our lives. Meanwhile, George Soriano had to return to the mound and figure out how to hold the Marlins to just 1 run with a runner on second with nobody out. Soriano was able to get Marsee to pop out to shortstop for the first out, but then he walked Conine and Edwards to load the bases. The next play would be pivotal. Stowers hit a ground ball that Alec Burleson grabbed, stepped on first and then fired the ball home to Herrera who tagged Pauley. The ump called him out on the field and after a long review from New York, the call was overturned giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead which would be the score after the LONG top of the 8th was done.
The good news for the St. Louis Cardinals was the fact that Max Meyer did not go out to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. His impressive stat line for the night was 7 innings pitched allowing just 2 hits and no runs while striking out 5 and walking 2. Michael Petersen was his replacement for the Marlins. He would get Blaze Jordan to ground out leading off the 8th, but José Fermín cracked a ground rule double into the left-center field stands although a fan did not make a good play on the ball. JJ Wetherholt then lined out hard to left-center which brought up Iván Herrera with two outs. He struck out to end the St. Louis hopes of going into the 9th inning with anything other than 0’s on the board.
Max Rajcic was not able to hold the Marlins at bay in the top of the 9th inning. After getting the first out, he walked Mack and Ruiz. He was able to get Pauley out on a deep flyball to right which sounded like a home run off the bat, but Nathan Church was unable to make a diving catch on a single from Marsee which scored both Mack and Ruiz giving the Marlins a commanding 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning.
For the Cardinals to pull off a miracle comeback win, they’d have to get through the Marlins Calvin Faucher. Unfortunately, they didn’t. The grand total of St. Louis Cardinals offense Friday night was a very disappointing 3 hits and nothing but bagels on the scoreboard.
After a pitcher’s duel Friday night, the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins will tangle again Saturday night. The expectation was that Dustin May would get the start for the Cardinals, but there is a report that he has back tightness and may skip his next start. The most up-to-date lineup for Saturday shows Andre Pallante starting for St. Louis Saturday. The Marlins have not officially announced a starter either, it could be that Ryan Gusto will take the mound for Miami. First pitch is set for 6:15pm central time at Busch Stadium. The game TV broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
Jun 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) and Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (2) shake hands after scoring runs against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
It wasn’t the easiest outing for Noah Schultz, but he continues to make progress back from injury. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Rochester Red Wings 6, Charlotte Knights 2 After pummeling Rochester a couple of nights ago, Charlotte decided it was only fair that the Red Wings get a couple of jabs in, too. Nolan Jones carried the team, producing both of Charlotte’s runs. He started with an RBI double plated in the fifth, and followed up with a sac fly in the eighth with the sacks packed and one out. Although Michael Turner and Korey Lee made sure Jones wasn’t the only productive batter at the plate, the rest of the lineup decided to take a break for this one.
Meanwhile, the pitching failed to get off the ground for the first half of the game. Noah Schultz’s two runs allowed in 4 2/3 innings were tolerable considering he struck out seven, but he tipped the domino in the wrong direction when he turned the ball over to the bullpen. Duncan Davitt and Lucas Sims each gave up a pair of runs between the fifth and seventh innings, pushing the Knights further from striking distance and ultimately costing them the game.
The worst part of the game wasn’t the loss, though; it was Rikuu Nishida’s exit. Nishida promptly left the game in the sixth after Rochester’s Trevor Gott hit him. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, but getting knocked out of the game is never a good sign.
Knoxville Smokies 3, Birmingham Barons 2 The losing train keeps plugging along for the Barons, who have fallen into a seven-game slump. The lineup hindered their run production by going 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight on base. Caleb Bonemer delivered a blooper single into center to score Alec Briley in the third to keep his bat lukewarm. Although Bonemer has continued to cool off since April, especially since encountering the Double-A talent jump, it was nice to see him deliver tonight. Brendan Dixon tried to rally a late comeback in the ninth with a sac fly, but the attempt was extremely short-lived.
From the arm side, there’s not much else that could’ve been done. Connor McCullough put on a hearty performance, allowing six hits and two runs while punching out five in 4 1/3 innings, while the bullpen backed him up for nearly the entire game. Pierce George pitched his second Double-A game since graduating from Winston-Salem, and he did well, all things considered. Although he gave up a run, he lasted two full innings.
While the lineup didn’t pull its weight, the Barons simply came up short on this one.
It turns out the scoring would come to a screeching halt after that, though. Nathan Archer made his High-A debut as a pinch-runner to replace Taussig in the 10th to try and bring in the go-ahead run with two outs and runners on second and third, but he ended up never grabbing a bat.
Juan Carela had his first rude awakening to High-A hitting after being promoted from his rehab assignment in the ACL recently. Carela gave up three runs in four innings but managed to get four strikeouts to give the Dash a fighting chance. Unfortunately, that chance ended with Jake Peppers, who blew his save and turned the game back to Hub City for the rest of the night. Even though the momentum never shifted back towards Winston-Salem, Mathias LaCombe deserves a round of applause for his standout effort: 2 1/3 IP with seven strikeouts and no runs allowed helped send the game to extras when the offense had shut down.
Columbia Fireflies 5, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 0 It’s a good thing the Ballers had postgame fireworks, because their bats didn’t bring any. Jaden Fauske and Leandro Alsinois pieced together four of Kanny’s six hits, while the rest of the team might as well have sat on the bench waiting for the postgame pops and cracks. Although they didn’t fare too poorly in the strikeout category, the lifeless CBs offense was back after a not-so-brief hiatus.
Pointing never feels good, but unfortunately, Gabriel Rodriguez was the lone pitcher to blame for Kanny’s loss. Rodriguez was tagged with all five earned runs in four innings and really tangoed with command, giving up four of the five runs via the home run. Worse, but understandably, three of the four dingers came from pitches over the middle of the plate. Needless to say, tonight was not Kanny’s night.
The only person who profited from Rodriguez’s poor outing was Blaine Wynk, who allowed just three hits and struck out three in a three-inning shutout.
DSL Phillies 11, DSL White Sox 1 The 5-14 Sox floundered big time. Four hits and six walks only totaled a single run, courtesy of Carlos Vielma’s bases-loaded walk. Pulling highlights for this game is difficult and painful, as not much good comes from a lineup that went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. A shout-out should go to lefty reliever Cristopher Romero, who only allowed a walk in his 1 1/3 innings hurled, and provided reprieve for the our DSL defenders in the fifth. It was the first time since his first DSL appearance on June 2 that Romero went scoreless, so that’s something to cheer for. But other than that, that’s all she wrote.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 26: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the final out of the the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Holy crap. Payton Tolle was flat-out brilliant Friday night at Fenway—seven innings, one hit, zero runs, seven strikeouts. Five perfect frames. The Yankees lineup managed just three hits for the entire game. THREE. Goldschmidt, Bellinger, Chisholm—a combined 0-for-11. The one guy who got to Tolle at all was Spencer Jones with a single in the sixth. That’s it. That’s the whole résumé for New York’s offense. Aside from two walks from a gassed Tolle in the 7th but still.
On the flip side, Will Warren couldn’t find a punchout if he walked into Cask ‘N Flagon or the Lansdowne at 1am 5 2/3 innings, seven hits, five runs, three walks, and zero—A BIG OL’ GOOSE EGG—strikeouts. The Red Sox just put the ball in play all night, refused to expand the zone, and let Warren beat himself. Frankly letting the Yankees beat themselves is a special kind of schadenfreude in Boston. By the time Ryan Yarbrough came in to clean it up, the game was already decided.
The only blemish on the night was Tommy Kahnle coughing up the lone Yankees run in the eighth on a Wells RBI. But after seven shutout innings from Tolle, that’s about as high-stakes as finding a scratch on your car bumper.
Oh, and Willson Contreras decided to make things interesting. Warren’s walk to him in the 5th came on a pitch that ran decently inside—almost hitting Willy’s elbow, and apparently Contreras took real exception to just how inside it was. He and Warren started jawing at each other, and the next thing you know both benches and both bullpens had emptied. No punches, nobody got tossed, the whole thing defused itself. But Contreras was unmistakably the main character of the situation and was not visibly interested in calming anyone down. Honestly, this isn’t even close to the first time he’s looked like he’d be perfectly fine if things escalated to a full field brawl. Bowser came to play baseball and apparently is open to other activities as well.
Studs
Payton Tolle (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K)
There’s a version of this piece where I write a whole section about the offense and mention Tolle at the end. That’s not the right version. Seven innings, one hit against a lineup that has legitimate lineup depth—that’s the kind of outing that earns a little reverence. Tolle commanded everything tonight. Seven strikeouts and it didn’t even feel like he was hunting them; he was just pitching and hitters were running out of options. Really nice start.
Willson Contreras (2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
Contreras keeps doing this thing where an at-bat builds logically to a home run. Two hits, the long ball, two runs driven in, a walk. Good Contreras is genuinely one of the better offensive players on this roster and nights like this are a reminder of that ceiling.
Caleb Durbin (2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 R)
Still rolling. No RBI tonight, but he scored twice and the double was a loud one—the funniest knuckleball screaming line drive that Spencer Jones can’t track well. He’s in the middle of a real stretch at the plate and has become a guy you watch every at-bat wondering what he’s going to do. Is it the private hitting coach? The lack of Driveline finally in this team? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Connor Wong and Tsung-Che Cheng (2 RBI and 1 RBI, respectively)
I’m going to lump these two together because the bottom of this order deserves a lil moment. Wong had a hit and two RBI with a walk. Cheng had an RBI double and a walk. In a game where Tolle was going to make this comfortable regardless, the early cushion those two helped build was a real gift.
Duds
Ceddanne Rafaela (0-for-4)
Rafaela has been one of the better offensive stories on this team through 63 games—wRC+ of 123, OPS north of .770, the whole thing. He went 0-for-4 tonight and that’s fine, it’s a 162 game season. One game doesn’t undo a two-month arc. Moving on.
Mickey Gasper (0-for-4)
He brought a run home, which is credit, but four at-bats without a hit keeps him in this section. Gasper has been a bit of an enigma at the plate this year and tonight didn’t change the picture.
Play of the Game
Has to be Tolle’s full outing. From the first inning to the last pitch, he gave this team exactly what it needed—and then some. Absolute fire and a blast on the mound to watch.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 26: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field on June 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to another edition of a recap of a game the Guardians have played eighty-five million times this season. They have lost a 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, or 3-2 game for the 175th time this season. It is an MLB record.
Joey Cantillo was good, again, tonight. He’s begun spinning his breaking pitches much more effectively recently, something that has yielded great success for him. Even though the Mariners have been bad against LHP this season, Cantillo was still able to shut them down quickly and effectively. He went 6 innings, striking out 9, and giving up his only run of the night on a homer from Colt Emerson (an Ohio native, if anyone were surprised).
Khalil Watson cares! He drove in the only run of the night, tonight, on an RBI double off the left field wall.
Khalil Watson is responsible for driving in 6 of the Guardians last 9 runs if you were wondering how the offense has been.
Herrin pitched again. In the 7th inning. Yay. Walked Cal Raleigh (.575 OPS) and Dominic Canzone (23 PA vs LHP) to start the inning. Got old friend Josh Naylor to ground into a double play on the first pitch, but then Travis Bazzana was unable to come up with another groundball, leading to the go-ahead run scoring.
Espino gave up a run in the 8th on a Rodriguez RBI single.
Manzardo, Rocchio, and Watson went strikeout-strikeout-groundout to end the game.
In what was, yet again, an uninspiring performance from both the offense and bullpen, the Guardians dropped the series opener against a struggling Mariners team, 3-1.
It’ll be Cecconi vs. Gilbert/Hancock (piggybacking) tomorrow night.
Zach Thornton took the mound for the Mets on Friday night for just the second time in his career, and it was awfully impressive.
Going up against the high-powered Phillies and with Zack Wheeler on the mound, Thornton held his own, allowing just one run across six innings while striking out seven batters. Although the Mets fell 2-1, Thornton was impressive.
"You have to be pleased with the pitching tonight. Zach Thornton was really good," Mets interim manager Andy Green said after the game. "Talking about a young kid who gets a barreled up three consecutive times. Gets a mound visit, settles in and gives us six great innings....Thought he was great."
As Green alluded to, Thornton's night started off precariously. He allowed three straight hits and the Phillies to drive in a run, but retired the next three hitters (two on strikeouts) to escape further trouble.
Green said that Thornton mixed his pitches effectively, speeding up hitters with his fastball, allowing his offspeed pitches to be more effective. He also liked the young left-hander's aggressive approach.
"He really attacked, went after aggressively, that’s what you’re looking for in a young guy," Green said. "We knew that was inside of him and who he is that he showed at every level. It’s good at this stage for everyone to see that from him."
"Got the nerves out in that first game, now I just go out there and compete," Thornton said of the difference between his first start and second.
A big part of Thornton's night was the defense behind him. First baseman Jared Young grabbed a screamer hit down the line for the second out of the first to help the youngster get out of the inning. Young would catch a few other snares hit at him throughout the night and Francisco Lindor made a couple as well, all in support of Thornton, which helped settle him down.
"Let's me pitch freely in the zone knowing I got Francisco Lindor there at shortstop," Thornton said.
Thornton became just the fifth left-hander in franchise history to record at least seven strikeouts in one of their first two major league appearances (David Peterson, 2020). Friday was also just the third time this season a Mets pitcher threw six-plus innings, struck out, seven or more batters and allowed one or zero runs.
So, did that start earn Thornton another go through the rotation? Green was non-committal, stating the organization had to figure out the pitching order since Christian Scott is to be activated for Saturday's start. A pitcher will need to be optioned to activate him, and Thornton could be the unlucky pitcher.
Whichever direction the Mets choose to go with Thornton, Friday's start has instilled in the 24-year-old that he can pitch at this level.
"Gives me the confidence that I can compete with the best out there and get anyone out," Thornton said of his performance. "I want to pitch in the big leagues for a long time and I think I can do that."
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 26: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on June 26, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Somewhere in another baseball universe, the Arizona Diamondbacks challenge a called ball, and it gets overturned as strike three. Junior Caminero walks back to the dugout, shaking his head, and Friday night’s game unfolds a little differently.
That is not the universe the Tampa Bay Rays played in on Friday night.
Instead of Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno challenging the pitch with two runners aboard in the first inning, Caminero got one more pitch, and he launched it over the centerfield wall for a three-run homer that immediately flipped the game in Tampa Bay’s favor.
Zac Gallen perfectly executed a 1-2 slider on the lower outside corner to Junior Caminero.
It was mistakenly called a ball, Gabriel Moreno did not challenge and Caminero delivered a three-run homer on the next pitch. Brutal. pic.twitter.com/DitZ0J7UYy
That is not the whole story of the Rays’ 6-1 win, but it is awfully hard to tell the story without starting there.
The Diamondbacks looked like they might be the ones setting the tone early. Nick Martinez got Ketel Marte to fly out in foul territory to start the game, with Jonny DeLuca making a running catch near the seats. A nice play, but also a bit of foreshadowing for the defense to come in the game.
Then Geraldo Perdomo homered to right center to put Arizona up 1-0. Corbin Carroll followed with a triple to center after the ball deflected away from DeLuca, and suddenly Martinez was trying to keep the first inning from getting away from him.
He did. Moreno popped out. Nolan Arenado popped out. Arizona had landed the first punch, but the Rays kept it to one run.
That mattered almost immediately.
Yandy Díaz opened the bottom of the first with a walk, because Yandy getting on base to start chaos is basically tradition at this point. Jonathan Aranda was hit by a pitch, bringing up Caminero with two on and nobody out.
His 20th homer of the season did not just flip the score. It flipped the whole feel of the night. The Rays went from trailing 1-0 to leading 3-1 in one swing.
Junior Caminero picks up right where he left off yesterday, a three-run shot to put the #Rays up 3-1! Junior has five home runs this homestand! pic.twitter.com/ByKn1UbjzF
From there, the game became less about constant offense and more about the Rays refusing to give the Diamondbacks a clean inning to get back into it. The Rays did not strikeout once, the first time they went a full game without a strikeout since June 15, 2013, against the Kansas City Royals.
They did not crush everything. They did not turn every ball in play into a rally. But they forced Arizona to defend every at-bat, and eventually that pressure helped extend the lead.
The bigger separator, though, was Tampa Bay’s defense. Arizona finished with eight hits, so this was not Martinez and the bullpen simply mowing everybody down. The Diamondbacks had opportunities, but the Rays had gloves that did not come from a two-day online sale.
In the fourth inning, Carroll singled, Moreno followed with another hit, and Arizona had runners on the corners with nobody out. This was a spot where a two-run lead can start feeling very flimsy, very quickly.
Instead, the Rays handled it. Arenado popped out in foul territory. Max Kepler then lined a ball toward third, and Caminero went up for a leaping grab that took away a RBI-swing and helped Martinez breathe. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a force out, and the threat was gone.
DeLuca added another strong defensive play in right in the fifth, running down a ball near the angled wall in the right field corner.
Tampa Bay missed a chance to add on in the sixth when Díaz doubled, and Caminero was intentionally walked. Arizona wanted no part of another big swing from Junior, which was understandable. Richie Palacios popped up, DeLuca flew out, and the Rays left two aboard.
A 3-1 lead was fine. It was also not enough to relax.
Mullins helped with that in the seventh. Leading off the inning, he drove a solo homer to right center, pushing the lead to 4-1 and giving the Rays the breathing room they had been chasing. Mullins had been quiet at the plate earlier, but all it takes is one swing for the rest to be forgotten.
Then the Rays kept going. Hunter Feduccia doubled with two outs, Díaz singled him home, and Aranda doubled in Díaz. A tight 3-1 game had become a 6-1 game, and suddenly the Diamondbacks were running out of innings.
Mullins added the defensive punctuation in the eighth. Perdomo reached to start the inning, and Carroll lined a ball to center that looked like it might start something. Mullins charged in, dove, and made the catch. One batter later, Moreno grounded into a double play started by Caminero and turned through Palacios to Aranda.
Caminero had the swing everyone will remember, the leaping grab that helped save the fourth, and a hand in the double play that helped erase Arizona’s last real push. If I weren’t out of tin foil, I’d make a hat and say that it feels scripted on the night the Rays celebrated Dominican Heritage Night.
Craig Kimbrel was doing 2026 Craig Kimbrel things and made the ninth a little wobbly with a walk and a wild pitch, because even a five-run lead needs a small stress test. But he got Gurriel on a foul tip strikeout and ended it when Pavin Smith lined out to Palacios.
An impressive win with big hits, no strikeouts, and incredible defense. The Rays will look to clinch the series when these two teams meet again tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm.
"THE RAYS BEAT THE DIAMONBACKS IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE SERIES AND HAVE WON THEIR THIRD CONSECUTIVE GAME!"@andybfreed with the call as the #Rays beat the D-Backs 6-1! pic.twitter.com/NuUNffAUjz
But when it comes down to a weekend matchup against one another at the end of June, young outfielder Samad Taylor views the rivalry as “Just another day of baseball.”
Samad Taylor running on the basepaths for the San Diego Padres. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Of course, Taylor had a smile on his face after he called Friday night’s game another day of baseball, but he does understand what the rivalry means.
“When I signed over here at first, you know, over the previous years of watching baseball, you see all the bench clearings and guys getting hit, and you see all that good stuff, and you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Taylor told 97.3 The Fan.
“I know the rivalry that it is, and like I said, it’s just another day of baseball. We’re gonna keep working, and hopefully we get a sweep, or hopefully we get a series win.”
Samad Taylor spoke about being teammates with Ty France after coming up through the ranks with him, how he feels about facing the Dodgers and if the Padres are beginning to click at the right time: pic.twitter.com/knEIYJrxGl
Taylor is prepared to get his first taste of the rivalry as he will make his debut as a member of the Padres, after signing with the club during the offseason on a minor league deal.
Taylor just missed the Padres’ first series against the Dodgers when they came to town at the end of May while he was playing with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chiuhauhaus.
After a strong start to the minor league season, he was called up to the Padres’ MLB roster and has served as a platoon corner outfielder, spending time between right and left field.
San Diego Padres outfielder Samad Taylor. Getty Images
Through 17 games this season, Taylor has been on a tear across the MLB, slashing .379/.446/.448 with 22 hits, 11 RBIs, 7 walks, and 6 stolen bases.
“I know the stadium is going to be rocking, per usual. I wouldn’t necessarily say just because of the team across, the stadium is going to be more packed. You look at the past couple of series we’ve had at home, it’s 40,000 fans. Are there probably going to be more? Who knows?” Taylor said. “It’s just going to be another game, another day, take it how we got it.”
