Corbin Burnes injury setback damages Diamondbacks' playoff hopes

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks, who would be back in the National League playoffs if the season ended today, were dealt a blow to their postseason hopes when ace Corbin Burnes was shut down in his throwing recovery program from Tommy John surgery, likely sidelining him at least until September.

Burnes, who signed a six-year, $210 million free-agent contract a year ago, the largest in franchise history, was expected to return to the Diamondbacks around the All-Star Game to provide the D-backs a huge lift in the second half.

Instead, Burnes was diagnosed with a teres major strain after throwing about 18 pitches in his first outing against hitters a few days ago, and will have to re-start another throwing program, perhaps in July.

“It’s a blow, and it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with,’’ Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It’s what we do in this game, and we’ve got very qualified players in that clubhouse that are going to get some opportunities. We’ve got five really good starting pitchers right now and they’re doing a really good job. I want that to continue.’’

Burnes underwent an MRI Monday that showed no further damage, but the Diamondbacks still don’t know what caused his setback.

“There’s no real defined answer,’’ Lovullo said. “He felt it after his last outing. He felt like the next day something was just a little tight. He threw a little bit, and it just amplified a little bit. …

“We’ll just remain hopeful. We want him to get healthy once he gets there.’’

Burnes, who rejected a four-year, $180 million contract to return to the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent, was originally expected to exercise the opt-out of his contract after the first two seasons and hit the free-agent market again. Yet, after averaging 31 starts and 189 innings in his previous four seasons before joining the Diamdonbacks, the former Cy Young winner has now made just 11 starts and pitched 64.1 innings.

He most certainly will stay in Arizona now, with the Diamondbacks owing him $140 million over the next four years, with $11 million deferred each year. His full no-trade provision will be converted to a partial no-trade clause, allowing him to reject trades to 14 clubs.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Corbin Burnes injury setback hurts Diamondbacks' playoff hopes

Astros vs. Pirates Game Thread: Game 63, 6/3/2026

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (27-35), who are 6-4 in their last 10 games, will continue their nine-game homestand tonight as they play the second game of a three-game series against their former divisional opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates (33-28).

RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-1, 1.34 ERA), who was acquired from the Pirates this offseason, will open the series against his former club tonight opposite defending Cy Young winner RHP Paul Skenes (6-5, 2.89 ERA).

ABOUT Arrighetti: Arrighetti is fresh off of winning the AL Pitcher of the Month award following a month that saw him go 5-1 in six starts.

VS. THE PIRATES: The Astros are hosting the Pirates in Houston for their first series in the Bayou City since July of 2024.

Since the Astros moved to the AL in 2013, the Astros and Pirates have nearly split their 19 matchups evenly with the Pirates owning a 10-9 record. Historically, these teams have played each other 718 times, with the Astros going 348-371.

YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 191 career regular season home runs, which ties him for sixth in Astros history along with 3B Alex Bregman.

HOME RUNS IN ASTROS HISTORY (REG. SEASON):

  1. Jeff Bagwell: 449 
  2. Lance Berkman: 326          
  3. Craig Biggio: 291 
  4. Jose Altuve: 259
  5. Jimmy Wynn: 223

T6.  Alex Bregman: 191

T6.  Yordan Alvarez: 191

TODAY’S AVAILABILITIES: The Astros clubhouse will be open to approved media at Daikin Park until 4 p.m. CT…Astros Manager Joe Espada will be made available in the Astros dugout at approx. 4 p.m.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, June 3, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network, SCHN2 (Spanish)

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Astros

SS Jeremy Pena

DH Yordan Alvarez

1B Christian Walker

3B Isaac Paredes

RF Cam Smith

CF Jake Meyers

LF Zach Dezenzo

2B Nick Allen

C Christian Vazquez

Pirates

1B Spencer Horwitz

2B Brandon Lowe

LF Bryan Reynolds

3B Nick Gonzales

CF O’neill Cruz

DH Marcell Ozuna

RF Jhostynxon Garcia

SS Jared Triolo

C Henry Davis

Mets’ Carson Benge swipes home on perfectly executed double steal

The Mets tried to pull off a double steal with Carson Benge on third earlier this season. 

Benge hesitated slightly, and ended up being gunned down at the plate. 

The rookie learned from the mistake, and was sure to make up for it the next time the play was called. 

That came on Wednesday afternoon in Seattle. 

Jared Young stepped to the plate with Juan Soto on first and Benge on third as the Mets pieced together a rally against Seattle right-hander George Kirby in the top of the third. 

Soto came into the day with just five stolen bases on the season, but he got a terrific read on Kirby and took off on just the second pitch of the at-bat. 

Seattle’s catcher Jhonny Pereda still decided to make the throw through to second, which immediately prompted Benge to start busting down the line towards home. 

The rookie came in easily, standing up for the Mets' third run of the inning. 

“That’s just part of his game,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “When him or A.J. [Ewing] are on-base, they are going to put pressure on the defense, they are going to try to create runs -- it’s good we were able to execute today.”

New York ended up tacking on another run just a few pitches later, and then held on for a  much-needed 7-1 victory to close out the series against the red-hot Mariners. 

For Benge, he says it was his first steal of home at any level. 

For the Mets, it was the franchise's first since Francisco Lindor executed that same play in Aug. 2023. 

The speedy 23-year-old is now 10-for-12 on stolen base attempts during his rookie campaign, pushing him into a tie for the eighth-most in the National League. 

Dodgers on Deck: Thursday, June 4 at Diamondbacks

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 02: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a sacrifice fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on June 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 6-5. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers conclude their four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The way the current MLB schedule is formatted, teams play divisional foes 13 times each year, split into four series. That means one four-game series against each divisional opponent. This series is the Dodgers’ third four-game NL West tilt this year, after splitting two series — on the road vs. the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field from April 17-20, and against the San Francisco Giants from May 11-14 at Dodger Stadium.

The final NL West four-game series for the Dodgers comes from July 2-5, hosting the San Diego Padres in Los Angeles.

On Thursday night in Phoenix, Justin Wrobleski starts for the Dodgers and right-hander Ryne Nelson is on the mound for Arizona.

Thursday game info
  • Teams: Dodgers at D-backs
  • Ballpark: Chase Field, Phoenix
  • Time: 6:40 p.m.
  • TV: SportsNet LA
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Cristopher Sánchez's scoreless streak finally snapped after record run

Cristopher Sánchez's streak of scoreless innings just kept going, as he vaulted into the top 10 and then the top five and dislodged Hall of Famers and, amazingly, topped the half-century mark.

And then suddenly, it was over for the Philadelphia Phillies' indomitable left-hander.

Sánchez's streak died in a manner that perfectly captured the precarity of it all along: A two-out double into the left field corner by the San Diego Padres' Ty France, a seeing-eye single to left by Jackson Merrill, a poor throw by Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh. France slid home, and a silence fell on Citizens Bank Park, before a capacity crowd of 40,453 rose to acknowledge the moment.

And what a run: With six more scoreless innings on Wednesday, June 3, Sánchez ran his streak to 50⅔ innings, ranking fifth all time and coming within nine innings of topping Orel Hershiser's all-time record of 59 spotless innings, coming in the Los Angeles Dodgers' improbable run to the 1988 World Series title.

Little wonder Sánchez responded to their cheers with a wide smile and an expression of gratitude.

Cristopher Sanchez reacts during the seventh inning after the Citizens Bank Park crowd acknowledged the end of his scoreless streak at 50 2/3 innings.

Before the streak ended, Sánchez passed a couple more Hall of Famers and set a record for consecutive scoreless innings by a left-hander. His first inning of work against San Diego vaulted him from 11th on the all-time streak list to a tie for No. 6 with Zack Greinke.

He then passed Greinke with a scoreless second inning and Hall of Famer Bob Gibson after pitching around a walk in the third. After posting zeroes in the fourth, fifth and sixth, he pushed his streak to 50⅔ innings − fourth all-time.

Along the way, Sánchez passed a pair of left-handers − Doc White and Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell − for longest scoreless streak by a southpaw. White set his mark of 45 innings in 1904 and Hubbell (45⅓ innings) passed him in 1933.

Sánchez ultimately beat the Padres for the second time in a week: France's double tied the game, but the lefty completed the seventh and home runs in the bottom half by J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber provided the margin in a 3-2 victory.

For several innings, it looked like Sánchez might be all the Phillies needed − he needed just 70 pitches to complete the first six innings, striking out seven.

It looked like he'd survive the seventh, too, as he began the inning striking out Gavin Sheets and inducing a groundout from Xander Bogaerts. Yet France's second hit of the night put a runner in scoring position and Merrill didn't miss.

Sánchez struck out eight in seven innings − seven on his deadly changeup − jumped ahead of eight batters 0-2 and walked one. His strikeout-walk ratio since May 1: 53 strikeouts, four walks.

Longest shutout streaks of all time

Sánchez was ultimately aiming for Los Angeles Dodger Hershiser's streak of 59 innings set in 1988. He could have got as high as fourth place against the Padres, with No. 4 Jack Coombs (53 innings, 1910) within reach.

The Dodgers' Don Drysdale (58 innings) ranks second and Walter "Big Train" Johnson is third, at 55⅔ innings in 1913.

Cristopher Sánchez stats during streak, season

Sanchez entered his June 3 start coming off Pitcher of the Month honors for May, when he gave up no runs, struck out 45 and walked three. He last gave up a run to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning April 30.

His statistics during the streak: 50⅔ innings pitched, 28 hits, 53 strikeouts, six walks, a .155 batting average against and a 0.67 WHIP.

For the season, Sánchez has a 1.46 ERA − it was 2.94 before his streak began − a 1.09 WHIP and 103 strikeouts against 17 walks.

Cristopher Sánchez: Longest streak in Citizens Bank Park history

With his scoreless fifth inning, Sánchez established another mark: Longest scoreless streak in Citizens Bank Park history.

While the ballpark is just 22 years old, it has hosted no shortage of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, such as Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Zack Wheeler. Sánchez passed both Lee (29 scoreless innings, 2011) and Halladay (33 innings, 2010) to seize the ballpark record.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cristopher Sanchez scoreless streak finally ends: Where he stands

Game #61: Athletics at Cubs Game Thread

May 22, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Last night, the Athletics opened this week’s six-game road trip with a 2–1 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The newly crowned May American League Player of the Month Nick Kurtz and starting pitcher Gage Jump played key roles in the victory.

Tonight, the A’s will look to make it two straight wins at “The Friendly Confines”. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs is set to make his 13th start of the season. The 33-year-old enters the outing with a 3-6 record, a 4.07 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 57 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings pitched. Springs took the loss in his most recent start against the Seattle Mariners, allowing five runs—though only two were earned—on six hits over five innings of work. Over his last seven starts, Springs is 0-5 with a 4.66 ERA. The veteran southpaw hopes to earn his first win since April 14 against a Chicago club he has faced only four times in his career, posting a 5.68 ERA in those appearances, including one start.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks for the second game in Chicago:

Several regulars comprise this evening’s A’s starting nine. Carlos Cortes is once again batting leadoff and playing right field. Henry Bolte started in center field yesterday, but today he will give way to slumping Lawrence Butler, who is surprisingly batting sixth in the order.

The A’s need Butler and designated hitter Brent Rooker to come through, as their spots in the lineup make them likely to bat with runners in scoring position. At the bottom of the lineup, offensively challenged shortstop Alika Williams will make his third start with the Athletics. For the visitors to win tonight, they will need Williams and eighth-place hitter second baseman Jeff McNeil to avoid being automatic outs at the plate.

These A’s hitters will face Cubs right-hander Colin Rea, who will make his 13th appearance and 10th start of the season. He enters with a 5-3 record, a 4.70 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 59 1/3 innings pitched. Rea has put together back-to-back quality starts entering Wednesday’s contest. In his previous outing, he nabbed the win after holding the Pittsburgh Pirates to two runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He’s pitched twice against the A’s, one start and one relief appearance spanning nine innings and allowing four runs. Hopefully, the A’s offense can capitalize on Rea’s mistakes and give Springs the run support he needs to work his magic.

And Chicago’s starting lineup tonight:

Springs and the A’s bullpen will try to silence the Cubs’ offense for a second straight night. However, that will be easier said than done, as Chicago features multiple talented hitters capable of breaking through at any moment.

An A’s win would lock up the series and prevent a rubber game tomorrow. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Milwaukee Brewers

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 29: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 29, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who enters tonight’s game with a 4.82 ERA, 3.55 FIP, with 47 strikeouts to 18 walks in 52.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, in which he allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks in four and a third innings.

As of the time this is being written, the Brewers have not yet announced a starting pitcher for tonight’s game, so check down in the comments for more up to date info!

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

  • Fewer ads
  • Create community posts
  • Comment on articles, community posts
  • Rec comments, community posts
  • New, improved notifications system!

Game #62

Who: San Francisco Giants (23-38) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (37-21)

Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When: 4:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals vs Texas Rangers Wednesday Night

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 6: Andre Pallante #53 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium on May 6, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Andre Pallante will lead the charge Wednesday night as it’s game 3 of the St. Louis Cardinals series versus the Texas Rangers. MacKenzie Gore is scheduled to make the start for the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv. Note that JJ Wetherholt has the night off.

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

  • Fewer ads
  • Create community posts
  • Comment on articles, community posts
  • Rec comments, community posts
  • New, improved notifications system!

Game #62: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 28: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 28, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros, June 3, 2026, 8:10 p.m. ET

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (6-5, 2.89 ERA) vs. Spencer Arrighetti (7-1, 1.34 ERA)


The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Houston Astros looking to grab a win.


Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

  • Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
  • Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
  • Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
  • The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.

BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

Game 62 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Jun 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) celebrates with third baseman Josh Jung (6) after the Rangers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Texas Rangers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 6:45 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Busch Stadium

LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Andre Pallante

Today’s Lineups

RANGERSCARDINALS
Joc Pederson – DHMasyn Winn – SS
Josh Jung – 3BIvan Herrera – C
Brandon Nimmo – RFJordan Walker – RF
Jake Burger – 1BNelson Velazquez – DH
Ezequiel Duran – SSAlec Burleson – 1B
Alejandro Osuna – LFJose Fermin – LF
Evan Carter – CFNolan Gorman – 3B
Kyle Higashioka – CThomas Saggese – 2B
Nicky Lopez – 2BVictor Scott – CF
MacKenzie Gore – LHPAndre Pallante – RHP

Go Rangers!

Bo Bichette collects four hits in Mets’ victory over Mariners

Jun 3, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) hits a 2-RBI single against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Facing a sweep at the hands of the first-place Mariners, the Mets salvaged their trip to the Pacific Northwest and won the third game of the series in dominant fashion, 7-1.

The Mets first got on the board via poor Mariners play rather than their own offensive prowess. After a line-drive single by Bo Bichette and a dork over short by Juan Soto, Jared Young grounded into what should’ve been an easy double play. However, Josh Naylor threw the ball into left field and Bichette came around to score.

The 1-0 lead would be brief however, as J.P. Crawford took Freddy Peralta deep for a solo home run in the first Seattle at bat to tie the game. But Peralta settled in almost instantly, with a sharp slider really working for him today.

Each team would put runners on base in each half inning early on, but it wasn’t until the fourth that anyone cashed in. With one out, MJ Melendez walked and, on an attempted steal of second, Luis Torrens shot a ball the other way to put two on. Carson Benge singled to load the bases, bringing up Bichette. With his third hit of the game, Bichette scootched a ball up the middle, scoring Melendez and Torrens. Soto avoided a double play by legging out a fielder’s choice, and there were runners on first and third with two outs. Soto stole second and, in a delayed double steal, Benge came home to make it 4-1. Young hit a slow grounder that careened off of first base, and the ball kicked deep into right field, scoring Soto and increasing the lead to four runs.

The Mets beat up on Westchester County native George Kirby, who has historically struggled against the Mets. Kirby struck out five, walked one, and gave up five runs in four innings of play.

His counterpart, Peralta ran into a little trouble in the bottom of the inning, with back to back one-out singles by Cole Young and Dominic Canzone threatening to allow the M’s right back into the game. However, a truly bizarre ‘strikeout’ of Jhonny Pereda and a more traditional strikeout of Colt Emerson ended the inning.

I say bizarre strikeout because no one on the field or in the broadcast booth truly knew what happened initially. At first it was thought that Pereda was not ready and engaging the pitcher with nine seconds on the pitch clock, but it turns out it was even more unusual. Pereda had already called a time out, and when he requested a second, home plate umpire Adam Beck called an automatic strike, his third, and that was all for his at-bat. Gary Cohen and Daniel Murphy did not realize that a requested second time out would lead to a strike call as opposed to just a refusal of said time out, but the play is so rare that no one was really sure.

The Mets added a sixth run in the fifth when A.J. Ewing scored from first base on a Melendez triple down the right-field line. But more important than that, Peralta was able to limit his pitch count in the fifth and sixth innings and was able to get through the sixth for just the fifth time this season. All told, Peralta went six innings, allowed six hits and two walks on six strikeouts for one earned run. It was perhaps his most complete start of the season.

Scoreless outings from Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, along with a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Bichette, brought the Mets to the bottom of the ninth up by six. Joey Gerber made his second Mets’ appearance in a scoreless ninth to secure the win.

All told, this was a good day for the Mets as a club. Bichette collected four hits, Ewing three, and two apiece for Young and Torrens. This was the Mets’ first victory in Seattle in nine years, and somewhat softened the sting of the club losing the first two games of the series.

The Mets are off tomorrow as they travel down the coast to face the Padres for three at Petco Park. Christian Scott will take on Michael King in the series’ first game on Friday.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
Lookout Landing

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

WPA to follow

Cincinnati Reds vs. Kansas City Royals – Chase Burns vs. Stephen Kolek

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 26: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds takes the field prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Yesterday’s come from behind victory by the Cincinnati Reds over the Kansas City Royals did a little bit to assuage the mental damage done by losing Elly De La Cruz to a hamstring injury and IL stint earlier in the week. The Reds have managed to keep their heads above the .500 mark for another day, with Blake Dunn’s single scoring Spencer Steer for a walk-off victory in extra innings providing the latest drama.

The Reds will look to close out the series with a victory that, in turn, would win them the series on Wednesday evening in Great American Ball Park. They’ll do so with resident ace Chase Burns on the mound after he was scratched earlier in the series due to an illness, a game that ended up being mopped up by a pair of bullpen arms that were subsequently designated for assignment in the wake of the spot-action (Lyon Richardson and Brandon Liebrandt).

Such is the brutal nature of the administrative side of the game.

First pitch is slated for 7:10 PM ET, and you should definitely be watching this instead of Game 1 of what figures to be the best NBA Finals in years. Definitely.

Lineups for both clubs are listed below. Noelvi Marte, who was called up earlier in the day at the expense of TJ Friedl, is not in the starting lineup, though is apparently with the team having arrived earlier in the day from Memphis. Edwin Arroyo will sit to begin this one.

Today’s Lineups

ROYALSREDS
Carter Jensen – CBlake Dunn – CF
Bobby Witt – SSJJ Bleday – LF
Vinnie Pasquantino – 1BSal Stewart – 1B
Salvador Perez – DHNathaniel Lowe – DH
Jac Caglianone – RFEugenio Suarez – 3B
Isaac Collins – LFSpencer Steer – 2B
Michael Massey – 2BWill Benson – RF
Nick Loftin – 3BTyler Stephenson – C
Kyle Isbel – CFMatt McLain – SS
Stephen Kolek – RHPChase Burns – RHP

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians: Gerrit Cole vs. Gavin Williams

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 22: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, May 22, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Tonight, the Yankees will decidedly be a second-tier act in The City That Never Sleeps. The Knicks, perhaps New York’s greatest unifying force, will be playing in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. That sort of occasion tends to take the starch out of all the other concurrent sporting events, but take heart. The Yankees-Guardians contest at the Stadium tonight promises a scintillating pitching matchup—and may wrap up in time for you to catch the second half of the Knicks game if those pitchers are on a roll.

It took until June, but Cam Schlittler finally had a clunker of a start. Good thing the Yankees have the blueprint upon whom Schlittler was based starting right after him. Okay, obviously Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler aren’t completely alike, but it’s cool to have both. Cole hasn’t yet allowed a run through his first two starts back in the rotation, and will seek to keep the good times rolling against a Guardians squad looking to break away in the AL Central.

The Cole Train had a bit extra of extra locomotion in his last start, in which he struck out 10 Royals across 6.2 shutout frames. This young Cleveland lineup presents a tougher task; indeed, most of their breakout players in 2026 are hitters Cole has never faced in regular season play before. But armed with his full complement of weapons, it’s hard to envision catastrophe.

Catastrophe tends to take one form and one form only with Gavin Williams: some days he simply walks too many guys. But when he doesn’t, the 6-foot-6 right-hander is incredibly dangerous. It certainly helps that Williams has free pass rate from 11.8 percent in 2025 to 7.9 percent in 2026. Meanwhile, his always-solid ability to keep hitters on the ground has been paired with some elite swing-and-miss offerings: his sweeper gets hitters to whiff almost 45 percent of the time, while the fastball and curve are running rates around 30 percent. Pair that with his ability to pitch deep into games when his stuff is working, and Williams is starting to look like a true ace—good news for a Cleveland staff that hasn’t had a true number-one guy in a while.

The Bombers might have their hands full, especially since they’re still without Aaron Judge. The Captain needs at least another day after the bone bruise on his rib kept him out of the lineup last night. Said starting nine didn’t do much outside of Paul Goldschmidt, so a more well-rounded attack will likely be needed to take care of Cleveland and even this series.

How to watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium

First pitch: 7:05 pm EDT

TV Broadcast: Amazon Prime Video (NYY); Guardians.TV (CLE)

Radio Broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY); WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7, Guardians Radio Network (CLE)

For updates, follow us on BlueSkyTwitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.y

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

  • Fewer ads
  • Create community posts
  • Comment on articles, community posts
  • Rec comments, community posts
  • New, improved notifications system!

Blue Jays vs. Braves Game Thread

Apr 8, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; General views of the field as the Atlanta Braves honor the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th career home run prior to the game against the New York Mets at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Game two of the series with the Braves.

More scoring would be nice today.

The team says that Chad Dallas is up with the team, in case they need an extra arm tomorrow. I suppose that depends on how deep Patrick Corbin can go in tonight’s game. The cool thing about the rule that you can only option a player 5 times in a season, is that we get to see many different relievers in that ‘last man in the pen’ role. I’ll admit, it becomes a pain at the end of a OOTP Baseball season.

Jesus Sanchez gets back into the lineup as DH today, with George Springer sitting. Nathan Lukes gets the leadoff spot.

Today’s Lineups

BLUE JAYSBRAVES
Nathan Lukes – LFRonald Acuna – DH
Yohendrick Pinango – RFMichael Harris – CF
Vladimir Guerrero – 1BMatt Olson – 1B
Jesus Sanchez – DHOzzie Albies – 2B
Ernie Clement – 2BMauricio Dubon – LF
Daulton Varsho – CFAustin Riley – 3B
Kazuma Okamoto – 3BEli White – RF
Andres Gimenez – SSHa-Seong Kim – SS
Brandon Valenzuela – CChadwick Tromp – C
Patrick Corbin – LHPGrant Holmes – RHP

Here is a stat that I’m sure surprises you all. I hate when they get hits off pitches out of the zone, I think it just reinforces the idea that they should be chasing, but then Clement has always been this way and it works for him. I wonder how it will work as he ages?

Braves vs Blue Jays Chat and Discussion Grant Holmes vs Patrick Corbin

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 2: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates his solo go-ahead home run with Ozzie Albies #1 in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Truist Park on June 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The stage is set for game two in Truist Park, where the Braves’ offense is looking to support Grant Holmes in a steady outing against the Toronto Blue Jays.

First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. EDT. Check back with us for a recap of tonight’s turn of events.

Game Notes

Preview

Lineup