Jun 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) reacts as he walks off the field after the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will play the 4th game of their 5-game series this week versus the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday night. Birthday boy Michael McGreevy will get the start for St. Louis while Milwaukee will give the ball to Kyle Harrison who’s 8-1 on the season with a 2.82 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium after St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Nelson Velazquez (not pictured) hit a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers, winners of seven straight against the Cardinals and four straight overall, are looking to extend both those streaks on Wednesday night as they’ll take on St. Louis for the fourth game of their five-game set. Left-hander Kyle Harrison is set to start for the Brewers, with righty Michael McGreevy starting for the Redbirds.
Harrison, 8-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 99 strikeouts this season, had a short start on Friday night in Arizona, as he exited after just 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk, striking out three on 72 pitches. That marked his third consecutive and fourth start in his last five allowing at least two runs — he’ll look to buck that trend in St. Louis tonight.
McGreevy, 3-7 with a 3.12 ERA and 60 strikeouts this season, has lost each of his last four decisions despite a still-solid month of June — across five starts, he went 0-2 with a 3.41 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 29 innings, allowing two runs or fewer in four of those five games.
In roster news, Brandon Woodruff had an MRI in Milwaukee, but the news is not good: he has a new injury to the anterior shoulder capsule. His surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, will provide a second opinion before determining a timeline. Another big “oof” for the Brewer veteran.
Additional info from the Brewers is not good: Brandon Woodruff’s imaging showed a new injury to the anterior shoulder capsule. Waiting on a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister before determining a timeline.
Tonight’s lineup once again features Christian Yelich in the leadoff spot as the DH, followed by Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, and Luis Lara make up the middle of the order, with Cooper Pratt, Joey Ortiz, and Greg Jones (at second base!) rounding things out.
First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. CT on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 07: Alejandro Osuna #19 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Ezequiel Duran #20 after hitting a three run home run during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field on July 07, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Julio Rodriguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners hits his first professional home run during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 01, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners are about to play baseball again.
They’ll be playing the Marlins tonight after losing to them last night in extras. They’ll face Tyler Phillips, who Jake Mailhot previewed for the site yesterday. George Kirby will pitch for the Mariners and looks to build off an eight-inning performance last time out. And yeah, that’s all I got for the pregame, let’s watch some baseball.
The Toronto Blue Jays' 36-year-old no-hitter jinx still hasn't met its match.
But Dylan Cease nearly finished the job.
Cease came three outs shy of pitching the second no-hitter of his career and just the second in Blue Jays history Wednesday, July 8, striking out 11 San Francisco Giants and throwing a career-high 118 pitches in a 10-0 conquest of the San Francisco Giants.
He took a no-hitter into the top of the ninth inning, but Heliot Ramos ended the suspense quickly with a solid single to center field. And so the Blue Jays no-hitter saga continued, despite manager John Schneider's best efforts.
Cease, 30, is in the first year of a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays, and they certainly expected him to dominate. Yet pitch efficiency has been a bugaboo in his first season in Toronto, and it nearly derailed his no-hit hopes.
But Schneider just kept sending him out there, and Cease kept rewarding his faith.
He was aiming to throw the first no-hitter for Toronto since Dave Stieb tossed the first in Blue Jays history on Sept. 2, 1990 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. And that didn't come easy: Stieb had three no-hit bids broken up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before making Toronto baseball history.
Cease tried taking the long way home: He walked three batters and had thrown 115 pitches through eight innings. Three days earlier, the Miami Marlins lifted Eury Perez after needing 92 pitches to complete seven perfect innings.
But Perez has been injury-prone; Cease threw a 114-pitch no-hitter as a member of the San Diego Padres against the Washington Nationals in 2024. That stood as his career high in pitches until Wednesday.
And so he jogged out to the ninth, buoyed by the one great play so many no-hitters seem to include: Center fielder Daulton Varsho chasing down Bryce Eldridge's fly ball to left center field, hauling it in and then crashing into the fence, some 399 feet from home plate.
Is this THE PLAY?!
Daulton Varsho makes an amazing catch to keep Dylan Cease's no-hitter intact 👏 pic.twitter.com/QUzCH19goy
Cease also shouted out Ernie Clement's across-the-body throw to get Willy Adames after the second baseman ranged across the bag to field the chopper in the seventh.
"Usually a couple of those happen every no-hitter" Cease said of Varsho's catch in an interview with Sportsnet. "Ern Dawg made a good play up the middle the inning before. When you start to see stuff like that, you start to think maybe it’s your day."
Nobody could stop Ramos' solid shot to center, though. Perhaps next time.
"I probably should've thrown a slider," Cease said after leaving a 96-mph sinker up in the zone for Ramos.
Jun 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Hao-Yu Lee (50) receives congratulations from left fielder Riley Greene (31) after he hits a home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (41-50) vs. Athletics (41-50)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:Athletics Nation Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (4-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-8, 5.79 ERA)
Jul 8, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 10 Giants 0
What an amazing start by Dylan Cease. I wasn’t all for sending him back out for the eighth inning at 104 pitches. But Clease isn’t going to make a start in several days, with the All-Star break ahead (well, he might start the All-Star game). But in the eighth Daulton Varsho made an amazing catch running into the center field wall at close to full speed to make the catch, and then got two strikeouts. At 116 pitches, Clease was coming out for the ninth.
Unfortunately the first batter, Heliot Ramos, in the ninth lined a singled to center.
Cease walked three and struck out eleven. And the one hit. Just an amazing start.
Tyler Rogers finished off the one-hit shutout.
Everything that mattered, offensively, happened in the top of the first (well I shouldn’t say that, Vlad’s homer in the ninth matters, I hope, as a step in the right direction).
Ernie Clement and Nathan Lukes singled to start the first inning off. Vladimir Guerrero tapped a ball that barely trickled in front of the plate, which worked like a bunt, moving runners up to second and third. George Springer walked. Daulton Varsho popped one in front of the right fielder, who came up just short of making the catch (the Giants defense was terrible today), getting us a run. Then Kazuma Okamoto hit a grand slam (barely, hit right at the edge of the right field wall). They did a replay review and called it a home run. It was very close. 5-0. Barely works, and it is a long say out to right field in SF.
The Jays had four hits that inning, Logan Webb would go seven innings and gave up just one more hit. He did have some bad luck that inning
We scored two more in the eighth. With one out, Varsho and Okamoto each singled. Alejandro Kirk walked (on eight pitches). Myles Straw hit into what looked to be a double play, but first baseman Rafael Devers missed the catch at first base, gifting us another run. Andrés Giménez followed that with an infield single. As talked about in the GameThread, Giants shortstop Willy Adames isn’t the defensive player he used to be (maybe that unnecessary ‘e’ in his last name stands for error?). Adames made an error in the fifth inning.
And then three more in the ninth. Lukes walked and Vlad hit the first pitch for a home run. 108.3 mph and 419 feet. Then George Springer, hitting cleanup and playing in his first game since coming back to the team from Paternity Leave, also homered. This one 104.3 mph and 415 feet. Almost to the same spot as Vlad’s.
Vlad had hits of 108.3, 101.8 and 99.9 today. Springer 104.8 and 104.3. Lukes had one 106.1. Kirk 104.7. Okamoto 101.7. And Varsho 101.6….so there was lots of hard contact. Well, not all hits, contact off the bat.
Jays of the Day: Cease (0.18 WPA), Okamoto (0.19), and Varsho (0.10, plus that catch in the eighth).
No one gets the ‘Other Award’.
19 runs in the past two games is a nice sign.
Tomorrow is an off-day.
Then we have three in San Diego to lead us into the All-Star break.
In a matter of days, the MLB's most talented players will face off in Philadelphia during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. From established names such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Juan Soto, to the 26 first-time All-Stars, there will be plenty for baseball fans to enjoy.
In the latest episode of his podcast, MLB According to CC, CC Sabathia reacted to the starting position players and pitchers for both the American League and National League. A six-time All-Star himself, Sabathia knows a thing or two about the Midsummer Classic. Here are some of his takeaways:
2nd base is deep for National League
Every year, there are players who may have been "snubbed" from the All-Star Game. While Sabathia believes that Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies was the right pick to start, he acknowledged the depth at the position in the NL.
San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez was selected as a reserve. Arraez is hitting .327, second-best in the majors this season. Two of the NL second basemen who didn't make the cut for the All-Star Game are JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals and BriceTurang of the Milwaukee Brewers. Wetherholt has 13 home runs and 36 RBIs while playing elite defense, while Turang has 54 RBIs and a .815 OPS for a Brewers team that is one of the best in baseball.
It's a deep position that leaves some key contributors home during the break.
Junior Caminero will be a superstar
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was selected to the All-Star Game for the second time and will be starting at the hot corner. At just 23 years old, Caminero isn't just one of the best young players in the sport, but one of the best, period.
Caminero has been on fire as of late, with 11 home runs in his last 14 games. He'll take his power surge with him to compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Sabathia said Caminero, who has 26 home runs and a .918 OPS, is the "catalyst" for a Rays team which leads the American League by four games.
Sabathia believes that the All-Star break should be longer. This year's break doesn't start until Sunday afternoon's games wind down, and action picks back up just a few days later on Thursday and Friday. If the break was a full week, Sabathia thinks MLB players who aren't in the All-Star Game would show up to watch, NBA-style.
The short break also means that star pitchers can't take the mound at the All-Star Game. Brewers' pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, who is having a "season for the ages," is facing off against Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes on Sunday. Both will only be in the dugout on Tuesday because of it.
New episodes with CC and Ahmed Fareed drop every Wednesday on NBC Sports NOW, NBCSN, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 03: Spencer Arrighetti #41 of the Houston Astros pitches in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Daikin Park on July 03, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (46-48) and Washington Nationals (47-46), who share their Spring Training complex together in West Palm Beach, FL, will conclude their three-game series with a rubber game in the nation’s capital tonight.
RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 3.81 ERA), who owns a share for the club lead with seven wins, will make his final start of the first half tonight opposite LHP Foster Griffin (9-2, 2.87 ERA) and the Nationals.
SPENCER’S GIFTS: RHP Spencer Arrighetti has been tough to hit this season, entering tonight’s start ranking fourth in the AL in hits per 9.0 (6.69) and seventh in opponent average (.208, 58×279) (min. 75IP). Arrighetti, who’s coming off a strong start his last time out vs. TB (1ER/6IP), is looking to regain his form from May, when he was the AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) in five starts.
SPINNING RECORDS: At 46-48, the Astros are two games below .500 for the fourth time in the last 10 days. A win tonight would move them to just a game below .500, a mark they have not been at since they were 6-7 on April 8.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 26-17 since May 21, which is the best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
Winning Percentage since May 21, AL
1. Astros 26-17 (.605)
2. Mariners 23-18 (.561)
3. White Sox 22-19 (.537)
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Astros have six series victories in their last seven chances and can improve on that by winning tonight’s rubber game vs. the Nationals. The Astros have also won four of their last five road series.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 16-9 on their last four road trips combined and are 22-15 on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. At 23-24 on the road this season, a win tonight would even the Astros road record at an even .500.
WINNING THE CLOSE CALLS: The Astros are 9-6 in one-run games and 21-11 in two-run games. Prior to last night’s three-run victory, each of the Astros last nine wins and 14 of their last 15 victories had come by two-or-fewer runs.
GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros and Nationals rank first and second in the Majors in first-inning runs, with the Astros leading the AL with 64, and the Nationals leading the NL with 70. Overall, the Astros rank third in the American League in runs scored (430), while the Nationals check in leading the Majors in runs scored with 500 on the season.
LAST NIGHT’S WIN: The Astros evened their series with the Nationals last night with a 6-3 win in Washington. The bottom of the Astros order picked up five RBI between SS Nick Allen (1×12, 3RBI) and C Christian Vázquez (1×3, 2RBI), which proved to be enough in the win. The Astros bullpen was great, tossing 5.1 innings on one-run ball.
ALL-STAR ALVAREZ:DH Yordan Alvarez has been voted by the fans as the starting DH for the AL AllStar team…this marks the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez (2022-24, 2026) and the second time that he has been voted as a starter (also in 2024).
MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid first half to his season, currently leading all of baseball in OPS (1.041), OBP (.420), SLG (.621), and total bases (208). Additionally, he ranks first in the AL in extra-base hits (45), first in HR (29), first in hits (105), first in runs (62), first in RBI (67), second in batting average (.313), and fourth in walks (59).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Announced on Monday, DH Yordan Alvarez was named the American League Player of the Week for the week of June 29July 5. For the week, Alvarez hit .435 in six games with four home runs and 11 RBI while posting a 1.418 OPS. This marks the sixth career AL Player of the Week Award for Alvarez and his third this season.
GOING FOR 200: 1B Christian Walker hit his 199th career double on Monday and now needs just one double to reach 200 for his career. Walker is also in pursuit of his 200th career homer, as he checks in with 194 career long balls entering play tonight.
TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 68 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (62%). 3B Isaac Paredes (11-for-11) has the most successful challenges in the Majors without losing one. 2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-21 challenges (71%), ranking second in the Majors in challenges won.
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 3-0 with 10 saves (in 10 chances), has a 0.59 ERA (1ER/15.1IP), 25 strikeouts in 15.1 innings, a .061 (3×49) opponent average, and a 0.72 WHIP in 16 appearances. Prior to allowing an infield hit last night, Hader had not allowed a hit in eight straight appearances (8IP).
OUT ON ASSIGNMENT: The Astros have five players out on minor league rehab assignments:
• RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) pitched in relief at Triple A last night, tossing 2.0 hitless innings on 27 pitches before the game was called due to lightning.
• RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (rt. shoulder inflammation) started at Triple A last night, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing two earned runs with four K’s on 77 pitches.
• LHP Bennett Sousa (lt. elbow inflammation) began a rehab assignment at Triple A on Sunday, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning on 10 pitches with one strikeout.
• RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) made a rehab start at Double A on Sunday, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts while tossing 46 pitches (29 strikes).
• SS Jeremy Pena (lt. calf strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple A last night, going 1×4 with an RBI double in a start at shortstop.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1980 – RHP J.R. Richard becomes the first Astro to be the starting pitcher in an All-Star Game. He fans three in 2.0 scoreless innings of work in the NL’s 4-2 win at Dodger Stadium. Richard faces nine hitters, striking out three, including a 1st-inning strikeout of perennial Yankees All-Star RF Reggie Jackson.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 8, 5:45 p.m. CT
Location: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
TV: SCHN
Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 07: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals leads off first base in the fifth inning during the game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After winning the first game and dropping the second, the Nats are looking to avoid a repeat of what happened against the Pirates. They will look to secure the series win and stay above .500. To do so, they will lean on their reliable ace Foster Griffin.
The Nats are only making a couple of changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will be back in center field, taking Jacob Young’s spot. Jose Tena will be the DH in this one. Keibert Ruiz is catching, but he is moving down in the lineup. With CJ Abrams back at short and Jorbit Vivas remaining at second, there will be no Nasim Nunez tonight. As mentioned, Foster Griffin will be on the mound.
The Astros aren’t changing a ton. Yainer Diaz will be catching again, but that is the only change in personnel. There are a few tweaks in terms of the order, but nothing major. Spencer Arrighetti got off to a red hot start to the season, but has not been as sharp lately. Hopefully that trend continues.
Astros 7/8
J. Altuve 2B Y. Alvarez DH I. Paredes 3B C. Walker 1B C. Smith RF Y. Diaz C B. Matthews CF Z. Dezenzo LF N. Allen SS
This feels like an important rubber match for the Nats, who look to avoid another home series loss. With Foster Griffin on the mound, Blake Butera will like his chances. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
After a rough series opener, the White Sox turn to Davis Martin to stop the skid and keep their grip on first place in the AL Central. | (Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images)
After getting thumped, 8-1, in Tuesday’s series opener, the White Sox will get a shot at redemption and even the series against the Red Sox. Fortunately for the South Siders, Cleveland also lost, allowing Chicago to maintain its one-game lead atop the American League Central despite the lopsided defeat. It was an ugly loss, but the standings did not budge.
The Good Guys will hand the ball to Davis Martin, rolling in at 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. The book on Martin is simple — stay away from the heart of the plate. Opposing hitters have feasted on pitches left in the middle third of the strike zone, batting .356 or better across all three middle-zone locations. By contrast, Martin has been far more effective working the edges, especially at the top corners, where hitters are batting just .188 and .111. Against a Boston lineup that has been swinging the bats well of late, the key will be living on the corners. If Martin can establish the fastball on the edges, keep his secondary pitches below the zone to generate chase, and avoid catching too much of the middle, he’ll give himself a strong chance to navigate the Red Sox lineup and give Chicago a fighting chance.
Boston counters with rookie lefthander Jake Bennett, who made his major league debut in May after arriving in a December 2025 trade with the Nationals. Bennett has been impressive through his first seven starts, going 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 40 2/3 innings. The book on Bennett is do not chase up. He is untouchable up in the zone, where hitters are batting a big fat zero. The damage comes when he misses down or grooves one over the plate. Opponents are hitting over .400 in the middle and .333-plus low. The Sox need to ignore anything up, work the count, and capitalize on mistakes that leak down or catch too much of the plate.
If the Sox want to salvage this series, the bats need to wake up. Over the past seven days, Chicago has managed just six home runs while batting .220, ranking 22nd in Major League Baseball with a paltry .660 OPS. Reinforcements are on the horizon, with Munetaka Murakami starting his rehab in Charlotte, but he will not be back before the weekend. Until then, the South Siders have to scrape together enough runs to give Martin a chance.
Here’s how Will Venable sends them out to tackle Bennett.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Manny Machado #13 and Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres celebrate on the field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on July 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After dropping their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Diego Padres put one back in the win column quickly. The club rode a resurgent start from Germán Márquez alongside a Jake Cronenworth three-run homer to a convincing victory over Arizona.
It felt like maybe the Padres’ recent tough streak would continue after Márquez loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning. That was due to Cronenworth making an error at first base, though Márquez would have been in trouble either way. With the bases loaded, he walked Max Kepler for the first run of the game before Sung-Mun Song made an unassisted double play to get out of it.
Cronenworth made it up immediately with a deep drive to right field off of starter Zac Gallen, putting the Padres ahead. The score wouldn’t change on either side for the remaining eight innings. It was a fantastic showing for the Friars after a tough shutout on Monday night. They’ll need to keep it up in the hopes of winning the series over the Dbacks.
Taking the mound
Jose Cabrera (AZ) v. Michael King (SD)
With the Dbacks dealing with injuries to their rotation, Cabrera was called up a few weeks ago to bolster the pitching staff. The righty has pitched just three games for Arizona and had looked decent. He debuted with five shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins but has since regressed, surrendering seven runs in his last 8 1/3 frames.
Cabrera is a pitcher the Padres should be all over tonight. His two primary pitches are a cutter and four-seamer, both of which feature below-average velocity (89.6 and 93.4 mph on average). Even though the Friars haven’t faced Cabrera before, he shouldn’t be difficult for them to solve.
There’s no other way to say it, King needs to rebound soon. It’s the right-hander’s last start before the All-Star break. It would certainly be much better to head into the break with a good outing in the minds of the Friar Faithful.
That said, King has been better lately than it’s seemed. In his last three starts, the righty has given up six runs across 17 1/3 innings, good for a 3.12 ERA. That’s considerably better than the 4.69 mark across his last seven outings (and a slight improvement from the 3.52 ERA King’s posted this season). If he can keep that recent uptick going by quieting Arizona’s bats, it could give San Diego some momentum.
Batter up!
After scoring four runs on three hits in the first inning, the Padres’ lineup went somewhat dormant. They scraped together three more hits but didn’t put any more runs on the board. They didn’t need it last night, but San Diego didn’t take advantage of as many mistakes from Arizona’s pitching staff as they could have. They’ll be more margin for error tonight against the rookie Cabrera, but only if King can rebound from his recent difficulties.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Miguel Andujar, DH
Luis Campusano, C
Samad Taylor, LF
The new-look lineup paid off immediately despite looking quite interesting. After Cronenworth’s move to second in the order, the keystone position player shifted to the cold corner for the day. That went just about as well as could be expected, with Cronenworth making an error on the first ball hit his way. He mellowed out after that, but Sheets or Ty France should be back at first base tonight.
Relief corps
After Yuki Matsui struggled to record a second out in the sixth inning, newcomer Jhony Brito came in with runners on first and second base and just one out. He immediately induced a double play to end the trouble before pitching a perfect seventh inning. Brito has long been viewed as a hopeful addition for San Diego who has been derailed by injuries. Hopefully, he can finally put it all together.
Behind Brito, Bradley Rodriguez and Mason Miller pitched a perfect eighth and ninth. Miller nailed down his 23rd save of the year, putting him atop the National League in the statistic (third overall). Brito’s outing allows the Padres options tonight, with Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta available. Miller could also pitch if the Friars enter the ninth in a save situation.
After a rumor came out that Anthony Volpe refused to learn second base when the club asked him, the Yankees shortstop and the team defended the young infielder.
"It definitely caught me off guard. It's confusing because it's not true. It couldn't be further from the truth," Volpe told the media, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, on Wednesday. "From my end, from our perspective, that's been very clearly communicated to Boonie and the team, and I think it's just kind of B.S.”
The rumor began when Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay said on his radio show on Tuesday that he had heard from people that Volpe refused to learn a new position while he was optioned to the minors. Kay has since retracted what he said.
Volpe was asked if he felt playing shortstop was a part of his identity and pushed back on that assertion.
"No. When I was getting optioned, I told Boonie I'd play catcher. I'd do literally whatever the team needed, and that's the truth behind the story," Volpe answered. "I still have no problem [playing second]. I want to be here, and I want to help the team win the World Series. That's literally all I want. So for anything opposite to be put out there, it's kind of just confusing."
"He handles things incredibly well, and I don't think he is affected by the different things that can be said on whatever, social or -- he's a gamer. He's a tough, tough kid that loves the game and plays his butt off every single day," manager Aaron Boone said prior to Wednesday's game with the Rays. "I wish that was celebrated a little bit more."
Volpe's fourth season in the bigs has been a tough one for the 25-year-old. In 41 games, Volpe is slashing .240/.338/.326 with an OPS of .664. He's also not playing shortstop regularly, as Jose Caballero has performed well enough to take playing time away from Volpe.
The Yankees are starting Volpe at shortstop in Wednesday's game against the Rays with Caballero playing second.
Jun 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott (45) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – CF Juan Soto – LF Bo Bichette – 3B Francisco Lindor – SS Carson Benge – RF Jorge Polanco – DH Jared Young – 1B Brett Baty – 2B Francisco Alvarez – C
Christian Scott – RHP
Royals lineup
Carter Jensen – C Bobby Witt – SS Jac Caglianone – 1B Lane Thomas – CF Salvador Perez – DH Michael Massey – 2B Nick Loftin – 3B Isaac Collins – LF Tyler Tolbert – RF
Randy Dobnak – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10pm EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 09: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After such a promising start to this pivotal four-game series against the Rays, the Yankees ceded that ground back thanks to a disappointing start from Will Warren in which he allowed three home runs in four innings. It means that the Bombers can no longer finish this series tied for the division lead – something that a four-game sweep would have accomplished. All the same, there is still a chance to take three of four from the division leaders, starting with a win tonight.
Hopefully Gerrit Cole can right the ship after Warren’s stinker last night. He’s coming off one of his better starts of the season — five innings of two-run ball with no walks and seven strikeouts against the Twins. His four-seam command was as good as we’ve seen it since his campaign started on May 22nd, but he’ll need to find a more consistent release point on his slider and changeup facing a Rays team that traditionally demolishes fastballs from Yankees pitchers. In eight starts, Cole is 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA (105 ERA+), 4.41 FIP, and 41 strikeouts in 42.2 innings.
Shane McClanahan is back to his best after missing all of the last two seasons to Tommy John surgery in 2024 and triceps surgery in 2025. The fastball velocity is down about a tick-and-a-half from his peak resulting in a slightly depressed strikeout rate, but he has more than made up for that by slashing his home run rate almost in half from his prior career average. That becomes important when you consider that the Yankees’ relative success against him — 4.70 ERA, 4.91 FIP, .507 SLG in eight starts — is largely down to the long ball. In 16 starts this year, McClanahan is 7-5 with a 3.05 ERA (141 ERA+), 3.29 FIP, and 77 strikeouts in 79.2 innings.
The Yankees make three changes to last night’s lineup. Trent Grisham gets the night off, meaning Max Schuemann slides over to play center and Jasson Domínguez comes in to play right. Anthony Volpe returns to play short moving José Caballero to second and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the bench. Austin Wells replaces Ali Sánchez behind the plate despite the latter’s two hits yesterday.
The Rays also make three changes from last night’s lineup. Victor Mesa Jr. and Hunter Feduccia both homered off Warren, but they are replaced by Jonny DeLuca in right and Nick Fortes behind the plate, respectively. Richie Palacios was pinch-hit for by Ben Williamson in the sixth and now its Williamson who gets the start at second.
