Category: MLB

LAS VEGAS — I’m walking around in the desert heat with a hard hat on my head, boots on my feet, gloves on my hands, sunglasses on my face, looking out at 600 construction workers roaming nine acres of dirt with 350,000-pound beams hanging overhead, and seeing the Athletics’ future on the Las Vegas strip.

This is the site of the Athletics’ new home in Vegas that could be completed next summer, well ahead of their move-in date in 2028, and it will be a ballpark like no other. It’s shaped like an indoor amphitheater with a towering glass curtain wall with gorgeous views of the Strip, along with the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the distance.

It will be a fully enclosed dome without a retractable roof, where baseballs will have normal carry in the climate-controlled conditions, unlike playing outdoors in Summerlin, Nevada, where routine fly balls became moon shots this past week. The ballpark is located on the most populated intersection on the Strip – the southeast corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Tropicana Blvd. There will be air conditioning circulating underneath each seat, and the intimacy of a 30,000-seat arena – the smallest ballpark in MLB.

There will be 44 luxury suites, including two that are adjacent to the dugouts, close enough where you could whisper your thoughts on late-game strategy and pitching changes to the manager at the end of the bench.

There will be celebrities, entertainers and high-rollers in the stands, a young, entertaining team on the field, resurrecting memories of the days of Rickey, Reggie, Stew, Rollie, Catfish, Big Mac and Eck.

This $2 billion joint will be surrounded by an entertainment district along with a Bally’s resort and casino. It should immediately become the ultimate destination for the game’s marquee free agents, with players on opposing teams already telling A’s players to pass the word they want to come.

“Let’s just say," A’s president Marc Badain tells USA TODAY Sports, “we won’t have trouble recruiting."

The A’s may never again be viewed the same.

This is a proud franchise that was once a powerhouse, winning four World Series titles and six American League pennants from 1972-1990, including three consecutive championships. Yet, they haven’t won the World Series since 1989. They haven’t won a postseason series outside the COVID-shortened season since 2006. And they haven’t had a winning season since 2021.

It became an organization run on the cheap, where the biggest stars departed when given a chance, playing in the decaying Oakland Coliseum where rats roamed the ground and hot water became a luxury.

They lost 102 games in 2022, bottomed out with a 50-112 record in 2023, and then announced they were giving up and leaving. They improved by 19 games their final season in Oakland in 2024, another seven-game improvement to 76-86 last season, and this year are 34-35 are just two games out of first place in the AL West.

“They’re coming," Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after losing two of three games to the A’s this past week. “There’s some really special dudes over there."

So I asked Athletics owner John Fisher what would create the biggest splash for 2028 Las Vegas arrival. Making the playoffs before they leave Sacramento? Or come roaring out of the gate by making the postseason and playing deep into October in their first year in Vegas, just like the Golden Knights who made the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season?

“I don’t want to wait, I want to win the World Series this year," Fisher said in a 30-minute interview at their Triple-A Las Vegas ballpark office. “And I want to win it next year. I’m not smart enough to think about how to plan for being great in 2028 or 2030.

“Life is short and unpredictable. When I look at the Golden Knights making it to the Stanley Cup in their first year and winning it in their sixth year, and back in it again in their eighth year, that is incredible."

The Raiders, who moved to Las Vegas in 2020, may stink to high heavens, failing to win a playoff game since 2002 while going 7-27 the past two seasons, but the Golden Knights and Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA have already established championship pedigrees.

It’s only natural for the A’s to feel a bit of pressure to win immediately  just to keep up with the local neighbors. Their adopted town can’t stand losers.

“I'm like the fans here are so spoiled to think that it's that easy," Fisher says, laughing. “You know, not just get to these Finals, but win them. I mean, there are people who own their teams their whole lives and never make it to the finals of their given sport.

“They're definitely a good example for us to look up to and to follow some of their best practices."

Fisher, of course, is one of those owners who haven’t won anything, either. He has spent 21 years with the A’s and will forever be loathed in Oakland for fleeing town.

The good folks in Sacramento haven’t warmed up to him either, with the A’s refusing to be identified with the city’s name, and making it clear that the stay would be only temporary. If Fisher had his druthers, the A’s would be in Las Vegas tomorrow, and although the ballpark construction is ahead of schedule, the move-in date remains Feb. 29, 2028.

It will be a clean canvas for Fisher to prove he’s interested in building a World Series caliber team, emptying his wallet to swim in the deep end of the free-agent pool, and grossly expand their organization’s infrastructure.

Fisher has told associates that he expects to receive about $500 million in revenue their first year in Las Vegas, which would be the sixth-highest in baseball, ranking behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, according to Forbes.

Now, if they want to play with the big boys at the adult gaming table, they’ve got to raise the ante. The A’s opened the season with an $89.8 million payroll, sixth-lowest in MLB, and $71 million less than any other team in the AL West.

If you want to really create a grandiose, red-carpet entrance into Vegas, go bid this winter for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who grew up just 100 miles away from Vegas in Kingman, Arizona.

If you want legitimacy, increase your contract extension offers to Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers. Let your fans know you’re not ready to stop spending just because you’ve already locked up young stars like Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Jack Wilson and Jeffrey Springs to $312.5 million worth of deals.

“It hasn't always been the easiest thing for the Athletics to sign the best players or to retain them for lots of reasons," Fisher said. “But now that we're in a new facility and able to generate the kind of revenues that are consistent with what larger market teams are able to generate. The free-agent market itself is a dicey, dicey place, but I think the added resources will for sure make a big difference in our ability to retain our players and attract new players to this great market.

“It’s not like we didn’t try before. I mean, we tried to sign [Matt] Olson. We tried to sign [Matt] Chapman. We just couldn’t make it happen. Now, we think that we have the nucleus of incredibly dynamic young players, and we want to keep those guys as long as we can. I think that really bodes well for us in the future."

Certainly, the A’s chic ballpark, even with a capacity of just 30,000 – with 3,000 standing-room only tickets – should deliver revenue streams. The team attracted more than two million fans only once since 2006. But already, nearly all of their 44 suites have been sold out, with the casinos also purchasing thousands of season tickets in the club level, too.

“We’re not going to take any of that for granted," Fisher said. “You know, you have to earn your attendance by giving people a great product. If you don't have a great team, it doesn't matter how nice your building is. We’re really focused on the ability to again draft well, make good trades, and then begin to enter the free-agent market, which I think will become easier and easier for us to attract players."

The A’s also plan to generate revenue with concerts and shows at the ballpark. The lower deck will have only 20 rows of seats and upper deck features consists of just eight rows, which should make it feel like the most intimate setting in baseball. They’ll also have a partial share of the mixed retail zone with Bally’s, who plan to build a 2,500-room hotel with two towers.

The toughest ticket in town may be just grabbing a parking spot for the games. There will be only 2,500 parking spaces available once Bally’s builds its garage, although the A’s say there will be 18,000 parking spots at nearby casinos.

And how do the A’s plan to capitalize on tourism? It’s not as if they expect families to pull up in their station wagons to kill a night, anyways.

They’ll be attracting the tourists who come to town to watch their favorite team, or the men and women who want a diversion from the blackjack and craps tables. The casinos plan to have their limos ready for the high rollers, making sure when they leave their joint, they’ll be coming back where they can drop more money at the end of the night.

“If you're going to build a stadium in Vegas, you want to capture everything that Vegas can deliver on," Badain said, “and you want to be a part of the infrastructure of the city and the strip and all the economic activities."

The A’s role model is not the Raiders and their gorgeous Allegiant Stadium or the Aces, who play their home games at the Michelob Ultra Arena inside the Mandalay Bay Resort, but the Sphere, the $2.3 billion revolutionary music and entertainment arena that has turned into a gold mine.

“People thought that [Sphere executive chairman and CEO] Jim Dolan was crazy and that he was going to go bankrupt with it," Fisher said. “It’s become the biggest attraction in Las Vegas for a good reason. It’s so unique.

“I think our stadium is equally unique in its own way. We created something from a design point of view that’s unique and has never been done before. We’re not a retro or a throwback. We didn’t want that. We thought this market wanted sort of something new, and create an environment that feels more like a theater than it does like a traditional stadium.

“So, we have a real opportunity to be a place that attracts not just baseball fans, but music fans and other sports fans. I think we built it to be the best baseball stadium in the world, but also built it with the idea that we wanted it to be one of the best music venues around and to serve other kinds of uses.’’

Meanwhile, the A’s have their players buying in, too, giving them a tour of their future home and letting them know they have invitations to stay in town instead of being traded away as soon as they become too expensive. There already were a handful of players who went house-hunting during the past week in Las Vegas, with several insisting they plan to have homes before they report to spring training, and manager Mark Kotsay already buying a place.

“These guys have heard from the hockey players and football players and basketball players here," Fisher said, “that this is a really great place to live. Not just because it's more affordable than a lot of other communities, but it's a very family-oriented place.

"The players’ spouses, girlfriends and significant others really drive the decision, right? They want to be in a place where they feel comfortable, safe, where there’s a lot of things to do, and where it’s a nice place to raise kids. This checks all of the boxes. 

“I think people who aren't familiar with Las Vegas have the perception that Las Vegas is just all about the Strip. Obviously, the Strip is a really important part of the engine that serves Las Vegas, but there's 2½ million people here who are passionate about sports, about the community, and about becoming a world-class city, irrespective of the strip itself."

It’s up to the A’s now to take advantage of the golden opportunity. They were given Las Vegas without having to pay an expansion fee north of $2 billion. They were given their choice of relocating to other markets out West such as Portland and Vancouver, perhaps even Salt Lake City.

They’re gambling on Vegas, and soon, we’ll find out whether they made the right choice.

“You know, the success of the Raiders, the success of the Golden Knights, the success of the Aces," Fisher said, “showed to me that this was a market that embraced sports. The question is if this is a baseball market. I will say after spending time in Carson City, meeting the politicians, I was just surprised at how many of the politicians were strong baseball fans. It didn’t matter to me they weren’t A’s fans, I just wanted to know they were baseball fans.

“It’s up to us to win the hearts and minds of these kids and families and make sure the Vegas fans become Athletics’ fans.’’

Brewers president mourns Oakland Coliseum

The Oakland Coliseum was antiquated with rats patrolling the field, raw sewage coming from the drain pipes, but, man, did Matt Arnold, the Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations, ever love it.

He grew up in Bakersfield and was a diehard Athletics family with the rest of his family. They were so loyal that at one point someone in the Arnold family had been at every home playoff game they ever played. Arnold and his grandfather sat in the bleachers at the 1988 World Series between the A’s and the Dodgers.

“When I was a kid, I had my initials, my dad’s initials, his brother’s initials, and my grandfather’s initials,’’ Arnold said, “were all carved into the wood bleachers before they build Mount Davis in center field."

So, pardon Arnold for not feeling the A’s euphoria moving to Las Vegas, sitting in the Brewers’ visiting dugout this past week, lamenting the fact that they are gone from Oakland forever.

“Man, it’s tough," he said. “I sat in the left-field bleachers and watched Rickey Henderson growing up, and Carney Lansford and Dave Stewart. I loved the A’s. All of them. That was my team."

It’s why he took his family to Oakland when the Brewers played there one final time, with him and his now 14-year-old son, Tyler, climbing to the top of Mt. Davis in center field to take pictures.

“When I walked out and leaving the ballpark from our final game there, getting onto the team bus,’’ Arnold said, “and it kind of hit me. It’s tough. That place meant a lot to me. That’s how I got introduced to the game. I still have so many great memories at that ballpark. I’d play catch in the parking lot with my dad before and after games. I’d sit in the bleachers with my uncle. I just loved it there. I was so emotionally connected.

“It’s hard to believe they’re gone. It still doesn’t feel real. I know they’re excited about their new ballpark, but for me, my heart is always going to be in Oakland.’’

Around the basepaths

– It was a year ago when Milwaukee Brewers sensation Jacob Misorowski was asked to be an injury-replacement for Cubs starter Matthew Boyd at the All-Star Game, drawing backlash and ridicule since he had pitched in just five MLB games, the fewest ever by an All-Star.

These days? There wouldn’t even be an All-Star Game without the hardest-throwing starter we’ve ever witnessed, and arguably the best pitcher in the game today.

He is the talk of baseball. In his last eight starts, Misiorowski is 7-0 with a 0.17 ERA, with 80 strikeouts, nine walks, a .105 opponents average, and two extra-base hits allowed. It’s the lowest ERA over any eight-game span by any pitcher in MLB history.

Overall, he is 8-2 with 1.34 ERA, striking out 131 batters in 87 innings.

He celebrated his one-year anniversary in MLB with one of the most dominant performances in history. He was one pitch from a perfect game with a one-hit shutout over the Philadelphia Phillies, striking out 14. He facing the minimum 27 hitters, throwing 58 of his 95 pitches over 100-mph, including four pitches at 104-mph.

Let’s just say there won’t be anyone uttering a negative peep about him on this All-Star team.

“It will feel good," Misiorowski told USA TODAY Sports, “proving people wrong about last year."

– Teams expect New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette to opt out of the final two years of his Mets contract after the season, giving clubs like the Philadelphia Phillies a second shot at him. It could be a massive gamble for Bichette considering he’s still owed $79 million. He is earning $2 million this year after already being paid a $40 million signing bonus, and if he opts out, he will be paid an additional $5 million.

– Hold those phone calls: The Detroit Tigers went into an utter free-fall after Tarik Skubal went down with a bone chip in his elbow, losing 21 of 25 games, with teams salivating at the chance to acquire Skubal.

Yet, the Tigers since have gone 7-3 in June and Skubal returned Saturday, with Casey Miza and Justin Verlander on the way back. The Tigers plan to wait until around the All-Star break to see if they can get back in the race before pulling the plug on their season and trading Skubal.

– The Phillies are desperately looking to acquire an outfielder at the trade deadline with Adolis Garcia expected to miss the rest of the season with his torn lat, and have Angels right fielder Jo Adell and Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki on their radar.

–While Athletics owner John Fisher is encouraging and even insisting some staff members to move to Las Vegas when their ballpark is ready, GM David Forst has been reluctant. His contract expires before they play in Las Vegas and has no plans to uproot his family not knowing his future.

– The Boston Red Sox ownership insists that Craig Breslow, president of baseball operations, is in no immediate danger of being fired. It’s just that no one in baseball believes them, believing they’ll be looking for his replacement this winter.

The Red Sox already fired manager Alex Cora and six of his coaches after going 10-17. They have since gone 18-22, and in danger of being the first Red Sox team since 1933 to have 50 losses by July 4.

The Red Sox also have a recent history of pulling the plug quickly on executives, firing Ben Cherington, Dave Dombrowski, and Chaim Bloom within four seasons, including Dombrowski just 10 months after winning the World Series.

Breslow is in his third season.

– The most stunning aspect of the Chicago White Sox’s breakout year with an AL-best 31-18 record since April 17 – is that they have already had 12 players make their major-league debut this season.

They entered the week with 37 victories and a chance to eclipse their entire win total from 2024 when they set an MLB record for futility with a 41-121 record. They plan to be aggressive at the trade deadline in their search for pitching, but not at the expense of parting with any of their top prospects as they build towards the future.

– The A’s would love to play more games in Las Vegas in 2027, but are capped at six because of the lease they signed in Sacramento, requiring them to play 75 games at the Giants’ Triple-A ballpark.

– San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado wasn’t blaming anyone for the worst start of his career, but finally confirmed what Padre officials quietly revealed about the root of his woes this year:

He began seeking hitting advice during the winter from a self-taught swing instructor who calls himself, “Teacherman." Richard Schenck teaches players to stay on their back leg, letting the ball travel as deep as possible and then unleashing a vicious swing.

It may have worked for Aaron Judge, but the results have been disastrous for Machado, who entered Saturday hitting .178 with a .612 OPS.

– You never know who you’re going to run into in Las Vegas, but sitting in Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s office this week was famed Notre Dame football figure Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, whose life at Notre Dame was portrayed in the hit movie.

The way the Brewers have been playing with their small payroll, Ruettiger may be pushing for a new movie: “Murph.’’

– When the A’s had their groundbreaking ceremony last June, the team created some parting gifts with clear, plastic boxes filled with dirt from their site. Well, there was one little problem. Some of the dirt seeped out, and when one of the financial officers tried to board his flight, he was stopped.

The dirt contained remnants of the Tropicana explosion, alarming TSA officials.

“We felt bad about the leakage," A’s president Marc Badain said, “but it sure made me feel good about our TSA officials."

– Pete Alonso missed a total of just 27 games in his entire seven-year career with the New York Mets, hitting 264 home runs. Jorge Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract to replace him, has missed 56 games and counting. He has one home run.

– Well, the good news for the Boston Red Sox’ struggles is that closer Aroldis Chapman’s trade value has gone up.

There won’t be a single reliever traded at the deadline who will have a fresher arm. Chapman, who has converted all 13 of his save opportunities with a 0.46 ERA, has pitched just twice in the last 26 days going back to May 18, and has pitched only 19.2 innings this entire season.

– Teams are convinced that this is the year that the Marlins will trade ace Sandy Alcantara, who is under control for one more season with a $21 million club option.

– White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery, who hit a walk-off homer in his MLB debut this week, is the latest young star who played baseball because of Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

“Braden grew up a Derek Jeter fan," Richard Willock, Montgomery’s step-father, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “The reason why Braden plays baseball now is Derek Jeter. He saw himself in Derek Jeter, being an interracial kid playing a sport that a lot of Black kids aren’t playing. Braden for the longest time wore No. 2.’’

Montgomery is one of 125 players who have made their Major League debut this season.

– Los Angeles Angels left-handed starter Reid Detmers is starting to pick up plenty of traction among teams seeking a starter at the trade deadline. Detmers is 1-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his past four starts, yielding a 0.54 WHIP and .105 opposing batting average with 37 strikeouts in 26 innings. He also has two more years of control.

– Congratulations to Toronto Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, who produced his 3,500^th strikeout this past week, and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who collected his 2,500^th hit.

Scherzer ranks 11^th on the all-time strikeout list and Freeman becomes the only active player to achieve 2,500 hits.

– The Chicago White Sox took a $20 million gamble that they would find a sucker to take center fielder Luis Robert Jr. off their hands when they picked up his option, and the Mets right up stepped up, acquiring him for outfielder Luisangel Acuna and minor-league pitcher Truman Pauley.

Robert, who missed 289 games the past five years with the White Sox, has already been sidelined 46 games with a back injury and no timetable to return.

He has earned a cool $70 million since 2020.

– Now that the Giants are putting him in the lineup every day, they may have found a star in Bryce Eldridge, who is hitting .316 with a .959 OPS, and embracing the responsibility of being an aircraft carrier.

“I want to be the face of this franchise,” he told reporters. “That’s something that motivates me every day. I want to be in that moment. I want to be that guy.”

– Brutal news for the Colorado Rockies with prized young pitcher Chase Dollander diagnosed with a torn UCL that likely will sideline him for the next year.

–Mariners starter Bryan Woo is still trying to figure out how in the world he can be 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA at home this season, and just 1-5 with a 5.93 ERA on the road.

– Tampa Bay Rays officials now must wait until Aug. 20 on their preliminary $2.3 billion stadium agreement with the vote pushed back from June 1.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When are Athletics moving to Vegas? New era turn MLB upside down

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 4-3 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, 1 BB — winning run came on a dropped pop-up Luis Castillo-style
2B Marco Luciano 1-2, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 BB
LF Oswaldo Cabrera 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
1B Seth Brown 0-4, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-4, 2 K
CF Duke Ellis 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
C Abrahan Gutierrez 0-4, 1 K

Dom Hamel 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR
Yerry De Los Santos 1 IP, 0 R
Peter Strzelecki 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Angel Chivilli 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H (win, blown save)

WALK OFF: Luck of the Irish Edition ☘️#RepBXpic.twitter.com/FchoQfUDgo

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) June 14, 2026

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 4-3 vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies

LF Jackson Castillo 2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K — go-ahead homer in the second, game-winning single in the fourth
RF Garrett Martin 1-2, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
1B Nicholas Torres 1-2, 2 BB, 1 K
CF DJ Gladney 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
3B Coby Morales 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
C Manuel Palencia 0-1, 3 BB, throwing error
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
SS Owen Cobb 1-3, 1 R, 1 SB
DH Cole Gabrielson 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K

Kyle Carr 6.1 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR (win)
Chris Veach 0 IP
Chris Kean 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K (hold)
Ben Grable 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (save)

ACTION JACKSON 4⃣

Jackson Castillo clubs his 4th home run of the week to give Somerset back the lead. pic.twitter.com/BNVh1AXdjY

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 13, 2026

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 4-7 vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws

SS Kaeden Kent 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3B Core Jackson 0-5, 1 R, 1 K, throwing and fielding error
DH Eric Genther 1-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
1B Kyle West 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 K
RF Wilson Rodriguez 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
C Josue Gonzalez 1-4, 3 K
LF Josh Moylan 0-4, 2 K
CF Luis Durango 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB
PH Camden Troyer 0-1, 1 K

Franyer Herrera 5 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (loss)
Andrew Landry 1 IP, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Tanner Bauman 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H
Thomas Balboni Jr. 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Aaron Nixon 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Kyle West knocks a RBI Double that rolls to the wall! pic.twitter.com/IlsxzV8cCY

— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) June 13, 2026

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 2-1 at Bradenton Marauders

3B Jackson Lovich 2-4, 2 K, 1 CS
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-4, 3 K
2B Hans Montero 0-4, 1 K
RF Logan Maxwell 1-4, 2 K
CF Willy Montero 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
LF JoJo Jackson 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
C Luis Puello 0-4, 2 K
DH Engelth Urena 1-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI — two-run double in the second stood as the winning hit
1B David McCann 1-3, 1 2B, 2 K

Tyler Boudreau 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 11 K (win) — career-high 11 strikeouts, five of which came in the fifth and sixth innings
Jose Martinez 1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K (hold)
Pedro Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 0 R, 2 K (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 9-7 (7) vs. FCL Tigers

3B Richard Matic 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
RF Wilberson De Pena 3-4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R
DH Queni Pineda 1-4, 1 K
SS Leni Done 0-2, throwing error
CF Jose Castro 1-4, 1 R, 2 K, 1 SB
LF Robbie Burnett 2-3, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
LF Estivenzon Montero 0-0, 1 BB
2B Dexters Peralta 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
C Justin Capellan 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1B Christofer Reyes 1-3, 1 R

Sabier Marte 3 IP, 5 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Brian Arias 1 IP, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (win)
Rafael Arias 1.2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (hold)
Edinzo Marquez 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB (save)

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-5 (7) at DSL Bombers

CF Isaias Castillo 2-5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
SS Stiven Marinez 1-2, 1 3B, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, fielding error
CF Yostin Pena 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
2B Juan Torres 1-4, 1 RBI
C Juan Martinez 0-4, 1 K
RF Manuel Aguilar 0-2, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Cesar Lopez 2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R
3B Alfred Ciriaco 1-1, 1 2B, 2 R, 2 BB
3B Abrahan Pichardo 0-0, 1 BB, 2 SB, throwing error
1B Edgar Jimenez 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K
1B Jose Peralta 0-1, 1 K

Jhon Beltre 2 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Freddy Lopez 2.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K (win)
Emanuel Vargas 1.1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 K
Varis Villarreal 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 5-9 vs. DSL Yankees

2B Daniel Santana 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 SB
SS Mani Cedeno 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3B Carlos Bello 0-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS
CF David Carrera 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 K
C Alessandro Rodriguez 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, throwing error
DH Jesus Guerrero 0-3, 1 K
LF Richard Meran 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 CS
RF Sebastian Pinto 1-2, 2 BB
1B Adrian Feliz 1-3, 3 R, 1 BB

Sebastian Castillo 3.1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K (loss)
Carlos Hampshire 1.1 IP, 6 R, 3 H, 5 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Andre Avila 2.1 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

The Detroit Tigers have not had much luck this weekend, dropping two straight to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, including a 3-1 loss on Saturday afternoon in Tarik Skubal’s return from the injured list. While the offense put up nine hits, the team reverted back to its unclutch ways, going just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 on base in the defeat.

On Sunday afternoon, the Motor City Kitties look to prevent a sweep at the hands of their American League Central rivals with right-hander Casey Mize toeing the rubber. The 29-year-old is also returning from his second stint on the IL this season with inflammation of his right groin.

Mize had looked great in his return from his first trip to the IL, posting a 1.08 ERA and 1.61 FIP stretching over 16 1/3 innings and three starts, allowing eight hits and a walk while striking out 14 over that stretch. The last time he saw Cleveland was in the AL Wild Card Game last September, in which he gave his team three one-run innings on just a solo home run and two walks while striking out one in what turned out to be a 6-1 loss for the Tigers.

For the Guardians, fellow righty Gavin Williams will climb the hill looking to secure his team’s second sweep and seventh straight win over Detroit this season. The 26-year-old comes into Sunday having struggled over his last two outings — both against the New York Yankees — posting a 5.23 ERA and 7.17 FIP stretching over 10 1/3 frames with four walks and 11 strikeouts.

Williams faced the Tigers last year in the postseason, earning a quality start for his two-run (neither earned) effort over six innings on five hits and a walk while striking out eight in a 2-1 loss.

Here is how the two match up in the series finale.

Detroit Tigers (29-42) vs. Cleveland Guardians (39-33)

Time (ET): 1:40 p.m.
Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 72: RHP Casey Mize (2-3, 2.27 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.32 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Mize	9	47.2	26.5	6.5	35.2	2.42	1.8
Williams	14	86.2	28.7	8.1	46.5	3.81	1.4

MIZE

WILLIAMS

It would be rather nice to steal a series in Milwaukee, wouldn’t it?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The Phillies may have had history made against them by Jacob Misiorowski, but they were happy to have faced him ($).
• Jhoan Duran wants to pitch in every game for the Phillies. That will require him to listen to his body quite a bit ($).

MLB news:

• The Cubs are a mess right now after winning ten games in a row. Can they right the ship in time?
• Cleveland will be without their star player for a while with Jose Ramirez breaking a bone in his hand and needing to go on the injured list.
• Paul Skenes’ name gets brought up a lot in CBA chatter, so his thoughts about the negotiations are something listening to.

Hello, friends.

The Orioles continue to sidestep any opportunity to win a fourth game in a row. They’ve now managed three straight wins five times in this 2026 season and each time they have failed to really stitch together a nice winning streak that will get them back where they needed to be. Their latest failure yesterday was a 9-3 setback at the hands of the Padres, a game where they trailed from the top of the first inning. Trey Gibson had a rough day, Albert Suárez had a rough day finishing it off, and all in all, things stunk. Check out Tyler Young’s recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.

There may end up being lingering drama from this game. In the fifth inning, as Gibson was running out of steam, he threw a sinker that did not sink and ended up hitting Xander Bogaerts in the head. Bogaerts later left the game to be checked out for the concussion protocol. This was obviously not intentional, but still, it was a hit in the head, and you can understand them being a little peeved about it. The Padres seemed to be looking for some retaliation with the bases empty in the seventh inning, Gunnar Henderson at the plate as they lead, 7-2. Over the course of a seven-pitch walk, three pitches were well inside at Henderson. They were trying to hit him, and they didn’t, and that should have been the end of it.

That wasn’t the end of it. In the ninth inning, Henderson again batted with two outs and the bases empty. The Padres pitcher at this point, Ron Marinaccio, threw his first pitch right into Henderson’s back. The home plate umpire immediately ejected Marinaccio and, after Padres manager Craig Stammen argued about that ejection, he was also ejected. That’s to the plate umpire’s credit. He knew the deal. Everyone knew the deal. Henderson certainly did, telling reporters after the game:

We hit somebody of theirs and obviously weren’t trying to, but it is what it is. You had your opportunity to get it back and they did and missed. So that should have been it. … I guess they were trying to get payback, so I guess we’re even now.

As Henderson said, that should have been it. And perhaps it would have been if Orioles manager Craig Albernaz didn’t, for the second time in a week, really step in it when it comes to one of his players. The manager’s quote on the same matter:

Trey hit Bogaerts in the head and their dugout didn’t like it at all. Obviously, it definitely wasn’t intentional. It was a two-seam that slipped out of his hand. I get there why they’re mad, the ball hit him in the head and he had to come out of the game. I’m not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way. And that’s why there was no gripes from us, and Gunnar was fine with it and just took it to first base.

What in the actual hell are you talking about, man? There is no “right way” to blatantly throw at Henderson twice in the same game, coming back for a second bite at the apple after failing the first time. If Albernaz wants to be diplomatic about it because he’s not looking to carry over the situation into Sunday, that’s fine, but if you’re not going to at least gripe about the guy who was the best player on this team for the last three years running getting thrown at on purpose, what are you doing here? And not only is he not complaining but he writes it off as “the right way”?

Take this in combination with Albernaz’s recent bungling about Samuel Basallo, which I ranted about the last time it was my turn to do Bird Droppings, and this is two really bad missteps in the span of just a few days. I will say again that I think a lot of discontent with Albernaz up to this point has largely stemmed from “Orioles players haven’t played well” and Albernaz takes flak for a bunch of little decisions that probably didn’t matter all that much, and frankly were likely suggested by the Orioles front office instead.

It’s not that there’s no room to second-guess tactical decisions that fail, it just doesn’t interest me to do it except in the most ridiculous of situations, like, say, calling up Jonathan Rodríguez from the minors and immediately putting him in as the cleanup batter.

Now there’s this. Albernaz doesn’t have to channel the ghost of Earl Weaver and go out and kick dirt on home plate or anything like that. I don’t even care that he didn’t leave the dugout; the Padres pitchers was immediately ejected and their manager was ejected for whining. Umpires often screw up this kind of thing by letting the aggrieved team get a free shot in before issuing warnings, and they didn’t do that, they just ejected Marinaccio, as they should have done. The situation was handled.

For Albernaz to come out and call all of that “the right way,” especially when Henderson accurately summarized the whole situation and was understandably getting peeved about them trying and succeeding at hitting him again after the first attempt, is unacceptable. I would not be pleased if that was my manager saying that. I don’t know.

Maybe Albernaz didn’t mean it the way it reads and maybe that’s not what he told Henderson privately, but after the Basallo business I’m not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and this is another big screwup. Relationships with the players was supposed to be his strong point and this is a concerning sign that he’s not actually all that when it comes down to it. All that he had to say was exactly what Henderson said, he should have seemed like he was annoyed about it but he wasn’t going to do anything else about it because that kind of retaliation isn’t worth it, and he didn’t do it. Geez.

The Orioles and Padres conclude their three-game set starting at 1:35 this afternoon. If the O’s are going to manage the series win before heading out west, they’re going to have to overcome a Trevor Rogers start. Walker Buehler, who has a 4.33 ERA in 13 games, starts for San Diego.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Notes on Alonso, O’Neill, and other Orioles (School of Roch)
Before yesterday’s game, the manager gave a small update on Ryan Mountcastle, plus some thoughts on recent performance by a few active Orioles, including Tyler O’Neill. Things are quietly going a little better for O’Neill lately. He’s going to need a whole lot more than that to change anyone’s mind about him.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1985, Earl Weaver un-retired, replacing recent World Series-winning manager Joe Altobelli in the Orioles dugout. The team played to a 53-52 record the rest of the way that season.

In 1996, Cal Ripken Jr. set a less-heralded record to do with The Streak in game #2,216, passing the 2,215 consecutive games played by third baseman Sachio Kinugasa in Japanese professional baseball.

After last night, Orioles first baseman has played in 488 consecutive games.

Of all the players to ever play for the Orioles, not a single one has been born on June 14.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811), psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (1864), actor/singer Burl Ives (1909), actress Lucy Hale (1989), and rapper Gunna (1993).

On this day in history…

In 1775, the Continental Congress established the Continental Army. Today’s United States armed forces recognize this as their creation date.

In 1807, Napoleon’s French Grande Armée notched yet another victory in the Battle of Friedland, in which a combined clash between close to 150,000 French and Russians led to Russian defeat and the end of the War of the Fourth Coalition. It took two more coalitions to finally beat Napoleon and three more to send him packing for good.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 14. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!

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Sunday's massive 15-game MLB slate offers numerous player prop betting opportunities that we are eager to take advantage of.

I'm targeting three sluggers in great spots and terrific plus-money odds for James Wood, Yordan Alvarez, and Jonathan Aranda to have big days at the dish.

Read on for my MLB player props and MLB picks for Sunday, June 14.  

Best MLB player props today

James Wood Over 1.5 total bases (+117)

Washington Nationals slugger James Wood is an absolute hammer spot against the Seattle Mariners and starter Emerson Hancock. 

Wood’s 2026 profile is pure elite material, sitting at a 100th percentile .627 xSLG and an absurd 25.4% Barrel %. 

The massive catalyst? He’s lifted his launch angle to 10.5°, turning those rockets into extra-base hits.

Now enter Hancock. He features a fastball-heavy mix over 61% of the time, which plays right into Wood’s hands (4.8 combined Run Value against 4-seamers and sinkers).

Hancock doesn’t miss bats, doesn't chase, and surrenders a dangerous 90.4 MPH average exit velocity (18th percentile).

Wood has at least two total bases in three of his last four games, and is a strong bet to +100. 

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, Nationals.TV

Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)

Yordan Alvarez is in a great spot against Kansas City Royals righty Stephen Kolek, whose pitch mix favors the Houston Astros slugger.

Alvarez has been elite in 2026 (.327 AVG, .658 SLG, .744 xSLG, 100th percentile), backed by a 94.9 MPH exit velocity and 19.1% Barrel rate.

Kolek leans on a fastball-sinker combo more than half the time, and Alvarez has crushed both (.806 SLG vs four-seamers, .488 vs sinkers, positive Run Values on each). 

Kolek's 17.4% K rate means plenty of balls in play, and a bonus for Alvarez. Play this prop to -105. 

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Space City Home Network, Royals.TV

Jonathan Aranda Over 1.5 Total Bases (+115)

Jonathan Aranda has a solid path to clear 1.5 total bases against Los Angeles Angels righty Grayson Rodriguez, especially with the wind blowing out to center.

Rodriguez has been brutal in 2026 (8.10 ERA, 6.66 xERA, .306 xBA allowed, 52.0% hard-hit rate allowed), and opponents are slugging .596 against his four-seamer, which he throws 52% of the time.

The Tampa Bay Rays slugger has punished four-seamers before (.353/.569 last year) and brings a strong power profile (.372 xwOBA, .473 xSLG, 11.7% Barrel rate, 45.6% hard-hit rate) and declining whiff rate on the pitch this season (20%). Play this one to +105. 

• Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Angels.TV Rays.TV

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

St. Paul Saints 6, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

Toledo outhit St. Paul on Saturday, but the Mud Hens still fell to the Saints 6-1 thanks to nine walks.

All six runs for St. Paul came with Carl Edwards Jr. on the mound for Toledo. Edwards had five of the nine walks and gave up a three-run homer to ruin what was otherwise a solid bullpen day.

Konnor Pilkington got the start, striking out four over two innings. Jack Little and Tanner Rainey each gave two innings of no-hit ball, with the latter allowing just one walk. Woo-Suk Go worked around a base hit in the eighth, and Tyler Gentry worked around a walk in the ninth.

Max Clark drove in the only Mud Hens run of the game, singling Cal Stevenson home in the third. Besides that little rally, Toledo stayed fairly quiet until the sixth, when Gage Workman led off with a double. The big hit never came, though, and Toledo suffered an unfortunate loss.

Max Clark with an RBI single to right, scores Stevenson. pic.twitter.com/6vbNeqsFGZ

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 13, 2026

Clark: 1-4, RBI

Anderson: 0-4, K

Workman: 1-4, 2B (20), 3 K

Edwards Jr. (L, 2-5): 1.0 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, K, HR

Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens look to break a four-game losing streak on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Akron RubberDucks 5, Erie SeaWolves 4 (box)

Some late bullpen struggles ruined a great start from Max Alba and cost the Erie SeaWolves a sixth straight win on Saturday, as the Akron RubberDucks mounted a comeback and finished off a 5- 4 win.

Alaba was efficient, getting through five scoreless frames while allowing just two hits and a walk. He struck out four along the way before turning things over to Wandisson Charles in the sixth. Alba’s 14 whiffs induced were the fourth most across Double-A today.

Charles got into trouble right away, giving up a one-out double and walking the bases loaded. He’s lucky that Akron only managed one run off him. Justice Bigbie threw a runner out at home for the second out, and Charles got out of the jam with a strikeout, preserving a 2-1 lead.

Chris Meyers gave Erie an early lead, blasting a solo homer in the second. An error put Peyton Graham with two outs in the fifth. He stole second — his 30th of the year — and Brett Callahan drove him in.

Brett Callahan RBI single gives @erie_seawolves the 2-0 lead pic.twitter.com/cYbOc4twoe

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 13, 2026

Bigbie followed up his fielding heroics with a leadoff home run in the sixth to put the SeaWolves back up by two, and Meyers took a bases-loaded walk in the seventh to make it 4-1.

Charles went 1-2-3 in the seventh, but Dariel Fregio had a complete meltdown with two outs in the eighth. The sequences went: single, two-run homer, double, double to tie the game. Erie couldn’t capitalize on a one-out triple from Aaron Antonini in the bottom half, and Tyler Owens gave up the lead in the ninth.

The SeaWolves loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but E.J. Exposito flied out to center to end the game.

Meyers: 1-4, HR (2), R, 2 RBI, BB, K

Bigbie: 1-3, HR (3), R, RBI, 2 BB

Pacheco: 2-4, 2B (9), BB, K

Liranzo: 1-3, 2 BB, K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves can get back in the win column on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET.

Lake County Captains 9, West Michigan Whitecaps 8 (box)

A five-run eighth nearly led to a West Michigan win on Saturday, but Lake County walked it off, 9-8, with a two-run ninth.

The ball was flying early for both teams. Garrett Pennington hit a two-run homer in the top of the first, and Dean Curley answered with a solo shot for Lake County in the bottom half of the inning. Caleb Shpur brought in
Andrew Sojka in the second to give the Whitecaps a 3-1 lead, but a four-spot for the Captains in the fourth swung momentum the other way.

Once again, the big inning caught up to Rayner Castillo. Three straight hits, including back-to-back doubles, put Lake County in front, and the bullpen came in to relieve Castillo in the fifth. Juanmi Vasquez struck out four over 1.2 innings, but he gave up a pair of singles and a run in the sixth.

Duque Hebbert went 1-2-3 in the seventh, but he couldn’t replicate that after a long top of the eighth for West Michigan. Bryce Rainer sparked the rally with a solo home run.

Bryce Rainer hits a bomb that goes 106.9 MPH off the bat, 412 feet home run. pic.twitter.com/INNW7dwVHk

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 14, 2026

After that shot from the Whitecaps’ shortstop, Lake County walked the bases loaded. Woody Hadeen evened the score at six runs apiece with a two-run single, and Jackson Strong tripled home two, making it an 8-6 game.

Jackson Strong stays hot with a 2-run triple into the right corner that puts the Whitecaps up 8-6. pic.twitter.com/603ybNsfyq

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 14, 2026

Hebbert immediately gave a run back in the bottom of the eighth, allowing a leadoff home run. Jalen Evans took over for him with two outs. Evans struck out the first batter he faced, but everything fell apart in the ninth. He hit Jace LaViolette to open the frame, threw a wild pitch, gave up a single, walked the bases loaded and gave up the tying run on a groundout to short.

A wild pitch sealed it for Lake County. What a way to lose…

Rainer: 2-5, HR (5), R, RBI, 3 K

Pennington: 2-4, HR (11), R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Strong: 3-4, 2B (6), 3B (2), R, 3 H, 2 RBI, BB

Coming Up Next: West Michigan can still tie the series on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

Clearwater Threshers 2, Lakeland Flying Tigers 1 (box)

Caleb Leys only gave up one run over five innings, but the Lakeland Flying Tigers’ offense didn’t provide any run support until the eighth. The Clearwater Threshers took control of the series 3-2, with a 2-1 win on Saturday.

Leys was solid, generating a 32% CSW on his changeup. The southpaw only struck out three, but he also only walked one in his first time working through the fifth inning. It was in that fifth frame that Leys gave up the first run of the ball game.

Jose Guzman walked in the second run, which ended up deciding the game; otherwise, he worked around four hits and two walks over two innings. No strikeouts, though. Eliseo Mota went 1-2-3 in the eighth with a pair of strikeouts.

Lakeland had base hits in each of the first three innings but couldn’t score. The best opportunity came in the second after back-to-back two-out singles from Carson Rucker and Hunter Dobbins, but Newremberg Rondon couldn’t get it done.

Jordan Yost led off the fifth with a single, but Jude Warwick erased it with a double play right after. Lakeland finally got on the board in the eighth, thanks to a leadoff triple from Warwick and a sacrifice fly from Edian Espinal.

Yost: 1-4

Warwickr: 2-4, 3B (3), R

Leys (L, 0-4): 5.0 IP, R, ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: Lakeland is looking to tie things back up in the series finale Sunday at noon ET.

FCL Yankees 9, FCL Tigers 7 (box)

Owen Hall (2024, Round 2) got hammered over 3.1 innings, giving up a home run in each of the first two frames and six earned runs overall. Both balls were center-cut and dispatched appropriately. Still, he managed four strikeouts before turning things over to the bullpen with a 6-3 lead and two men in scoring position.

Leonardo Rossell took the loss, allowing both runners to score and two more under his own ledger. Bryce Alewine (2024, Round 18) gave up one more run in the sixth.

Patrick Lee had two of the club’s six hits, including a three-run homer in the second. Lee’s OPS is above 1.500 through four games of his rehab assignment, so it’s only a matter of time until he’s back with the Whitecaps. Stephen Hrustich doubled in a run, and Steven Madero homered, too.

Lee: 2-3, HR (1), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K

Hrustich: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, 2 K

Hall: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, BB, 4 K, 2 HR

Gm 1: DSL Tigers (1) 8, DSL Twins 6 (box)

This one was picked up in progress from Friday. The Tigers plated six runs in the bottom of the third, which is when lightning delayed the game. Most of the runs came on singles, and the Tigers didn’t score again after the third. A four-run seventh for the Twins gave them a scare, but the rally came up short.

Padilla: 3.0 IP, H, R, ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Moya: 2-4, 2 R, RBI

Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B (1), R, BB, K

Benavides: 1-3, 2B (2), R, BB

Gm 2: DSL Twins 11, DSL Tigers (1) 5 (box)

The game stayed close until the fifth, when the Twins scored seven runs to run away with it. The Tigers still had a couple of runs left in them, but nowhere near the dozen needed to make a comeback. Enny Rodriguez homered in the sixth, and Randy Santana did the same in the seventh.

Reyes (L, 0-1): 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, K

Santana: 1-2, HR (1), 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K

Rodríguez: 1-3, HR (2), 2 R, RBI, BB, K

DSL Tigers (2) 3, DSL Giants Orange 2 (box)

A three-spot in the fifth was enough for the Tigers to take this one. Alexander Bertiz went four innings and gave up just one run. Jesus Miranda got the win in relief of Bertiz, with three strikeouts over 1.2 hitless innings. Dariel Morillo logged his second save of the summer.

The nine-hole hitter, Diego Orro, tripled in two of the three runs and scored himself on an RBI single from Sterling Bazil.

Bertiz: 4. IP, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, K, HR

Orro: 1-3, 3B (1), R, 2 RBI, K

Good morning to a new New York everybody. The Yankees squared things up in their series against the Blue Jays thanks to a timely two-run homer from Paul Goldschmidt and the return of Jasson Domínguez proving fruitful with a solo blast, securing the win after Cam Schlittler gave the team seven strong with just one run allowed. However, even on a Yankees page like this we have to acknowledge the monumental achievement that is the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals after 53 long years, besting the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 with yet another comeback win in the fourth quarter. The vibes in the city are sky-high, and hopefully with the stage now fully clear for baseball in the city the Yankees can ride that momentum into being the boys of summer.

We’ve got a relatively quiet day to wrap up the weekend before getting into the rubber match against Toronto. Jonathan wishes former Yankee Chase Whitley well on his birthday and reminisces on his career, Kevin covers the Rivalry Roundup featuring a Tampa Bay loss that puts the Yanks back in the driver’s seat in the AL East, and John has the weekly social media spotlight featuring plenty from that Knicks run with Yankees past and present making cameos at the games.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 1:37 p.m. EST

TV: YES, Sportsnet1, TVA Sports

Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Questions/Prompts:

1. Does Will Warren do better or worse than the five innings and three runs he gave up in his previous meeting with the Blue Jays this year?

2. If you’ve been a Knick fan throughout this drought, what were the emotions that came up when they finally won the title? Where does Jalen Brunson rank in your All-Time Knick leaderboard after delivering a Finals MVP?

MLB.com| Bryan Hoch: Surely Yankees fans haven’t forgotten how last season ended in pitiful fashion at the hands of the Blue Jays. Neither, apparently, have the players themselves. After the Yankees won 3-1 on the back of his gutsy seven-inning, one-run start, Cam Schlittler said that he and his teammates should carry “a chip on their shoulders” every time they play against the Blue Jays. While the Yankees have by far the better overall record this year, their head-to-head record against Toronto is 3-3 so far, and 9-14 dating back to last year (including the ALDS). It would be great if the boys in pinstripes could make that record look a little better this season.

MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: Giancarlo Stanton has suffered a setback in his quest to return to the Yankees’ lineup, as he tweaked his calf while running this week. Prior to the injury, he was reportedly nearing a return to the team, but now it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer. Details on the injury are unclear, as is when exactly Stanton is scheduled to start his recovery process. With the Yankees already without Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham, the Yankees’ offense needs all the firepower they can get. Here’s hoping Stanton’s injury isn’t a biggie, and that he can resume ramping up baseball activities before long.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Some positive news on the injury front for a change (shocking, I know): Max Fried’s recovery is going well. On Friday, Aaron Boone disclosed that the lefty was cleared to throw a light bullpen session on Saturday after imaging on his left elbow bone bruise showed that the injury was sufficiently healing. Compared to the position player corps where the injuries are starting to pile up, the starting rotation’s needs are less pressing. However, as the adage goes, you can never have enough starting pitching, and the Yankees would gladly welcome a pitcher of Fried’s caliber returning to the rotation.

There were plenty of baserunners to go around for both sides in Las Vegas on Saturday night, with the Colorado Rockies and Athletics combining for 19 hits. While the Rockies had their chances, another rough outing from Kyle Freeland didn’t help the cause, and they were never able to stay ahead of the A’s.

The Rockies losing streak grows to three games as they drop the series.

Freeland falls behind early again, but rebounds

The first inning has not been kind to Freeland on the season.

Coming into tonight’s game, he carried a 9.00 ERA with 11 runs and 13 hits surrendered in 11 first innings pitched. He’s only been worse in third innings (11.45 ERA, 14 runs, 24 hits).

That trend continued with another rough game start for K-Free. He secured the first out against Colby Thomas leading off, forcing him to a grounder. After a Nick Kurtz single and a Shea Langeliers double, Freeland got a strikeout for out number two. With those two outs and runners on second and third, Freeland allowed a two-run single to Jacob Wilson to give the Athletics an early lead.

Things got better from there — for a bit, anyway — as Freeland settled in over the next couple innings. Aside from a double in the second inning, Freeland worked through the second and third with relative ease. He notched another strikeout in the second and logged a 1-2-3 third.

Rockies claw back in and a slew of triples bounce Estes

For their part, the Rockies offense chipped away at the A’s leads. After a quiet first and second inning, the Rockies initially broke through in the third with a Brett Sullivan solo home run to right field, cutting the lead to 2-1.

TJ Rumfield doubled to second to lead off the fourth inning. He was brought home a few batters later on a Troy Johnston single. Johnston was thrown out trying to stretch it into a two-bagger, but got the job done and tied the game at 2-2.

That tie wouldn’t last long. In the bottom of the inning, Henry Bolte singled, and a Zack Gelof dinger put the Athletics back ahead, 4-2.

The rollercoaster, or maybe seesaw, continued with the Rockies bats getting to work in the fifth inning. Kyle Karros got his first career triple to start the momentum. Sullivan scored him on a fly ball to right to bring the Rockies within a run. Another triple from Sterlin Thompson would chase Estes, with José Suarez coming in to relieve him.

Before being called up and given the start in tonight’s game, Estes was 2-6 in 12 starts with a 5.95 for the Las Vegas Aviators in triple-A. Getting the start in familiar surroundings at the Aviators’ home, Estes made it 4.1 innings giving up five hits, four runs (including the homer to Sullivan), and four strikeouts.

By the end of the inning, the Rockies took a 5-4 lead after Thompson made it home on a passed ball and an Edouard Julien double scored Rumfield.

Things get rocky for the Rockies in the sixth

Freeland’s up and down night continued. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, Freeland would again let the lead slip away in the sixth inning. Freeland gave up a single to Alika Wiliams that brought Gelof home from second to tie things up again at 5-5.

Following that, Freeland was pulled for Jaden Hill. Freeland’s day ended after 5.2 innings, giving up a whopping 10 hits and six runs, with four strikeouts. His ERA jumped up to 7.98 after this start. Manager Warren Schaeffer noted that he “thought Kyle battled well tonight. Kyle was throwing the ball very well; the pen is a little light at the moment. He did a great job taking it to 95 pitches.”

Of those 95, he relied primarily on his four-seam fastball throughout, but leaned heavily on his cutter for his third time through the order. The A’s were able to get their bats on his cutter, though, with four of their 10 hits against Freeland coming off of that pitch.

Hill, who was so reliable to start the year, would unfortunately log another off night. On a 1-1 count with two outs, Hill surrendered a double to Tyler Soderstrom that gave the A’s a 6-5 lead on a Williams run. Hill intentionally walked Kurtz, walked Langeliers to load the bases, and hit Carlos Cortes with a pitch to move a runner home and extend the lead to 7-5.

Steady as she goes

Despite lots of early lead changes, the runs dried up in the later innings. The Rockies needed a couple pitchers to make it through the bottom of the seventh. Seth Halvorsen replaced Hill to start the inning, getting the first two outs but allowing Gelof to board second on a fielding error. After Williams walked and Gelof stole third, the Rockies looked to Juan Mejia to get the final out. That he did, as Soderstrom grounded to the mound. Neither side mustered much of anything in the eighth.

The Rockies went out with a dud. They only managed one hit from the fifth inning on and were blanked in the ninth when Elvis Alvarado entered to close things out for the A’s. Alvarado struck Karros out on four pitches, mixing sliders and a sinker, ultimately getting him out on the former. Sullivan battled for a good at-bat, but met the same fate, striking out after 10 pitches. Thompson grounded out towards first to put the game to bed.

Schaeffer pointed to “sloppy baseball” being the reason for tonight’s loss. He noted that the team “had the chance to get out of innings, chance to win the game. But sloppy baseball prevented that from happening.”

Up Next

The Sin City series comes to a close with a Sunday afternoon matchup. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. MDT at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Tomoyuki Sugano (6-4, 4.08 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies, while the Athletics will turn to Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.68 ERA).

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For anyone whose perspective is “Expect the Worst” as a Cleveland sports fan, tonight must have come as no surprise as Jose Ramirez fractured his left hamate.

It’s unclear if Jose will get surgery or wait for the situation to heal, but somewhere between 4-8 weeks is the recovery time and a hitter’s power can be sapped for a while afterwards. Jose was on his way to a 60-steal season and looking to take the franchise lead in home runs, so, even though his numbers looked pedestrian compared to his career norms, this is about as big a blow as the Guardians can sustain, short of a season-ending injury to Ramirez (God-forbid).

From the looks of Columbus’ lineup activities, Gabriel Arias will be called up and probably take Jose’s place as the primary third baseman (spelled occasionally by Daniel Schneemann). The good news is that Arias should be a great defensive replacement. The bad news is that no one is Jose Ramirez offensively and Arias is very likely to be at least a 30 wRC+ drop from Jose’s expected output. On the positive side, the next 4-8 weeks should finally put a bow on the Arias experience for the Guardians; he will either hit enough to be a league average hitter or they can DFA him when Jose returns.

Chase DeLauter was also removed after crashing into a wall with what was described as a rib confusion. CJ Kayfus being removed from the Columbus game late makes me suspect this may end up being an IL stint. Hopefully, just a 15-day variety, but that’s definitely a blow. I see folks asking for George Valera or Kahlil Watson. I would have chosen Valera, myself, but Kayfus’s September from last year should not be forgotten where he put up a 126 wRC+. He can take a walk and he’s got some pop. Let him handle left field for a while and see what he’s got, I suppose, is the mindset.

I am sure that we are not far from a Watson debut or a Valera return engagement. Watson and Kayfus have some similar red flags as hitters, so I can’t argue too much there. I do think Valera has shown more signs of consistent plate discipline and power than Kayfus, but his defense looked borderline unplayable in most recent instances. I think it’s Kayfus for a bit and then if he isn’t showing much and DeLauter needs more time, we will see Valera before the All-Star break. But, hopefully, we will not be missing Chase that long.

Angel Martinez also has a foot bruise and is day-to-day. “Oh, what a night!” As the Four Seasons once said. Only in a much more somber tone from me.

The way this team responds to losing the leader of their team and future Hall of Famer will define the 2026 season. If they can find a way to pull together and win baseball games at a .500 level in his absence, that should be a great confidence builder for this group. If not, well… they will have some ground to make up in August and September and they have done that before.

I hope everyone remembers to go and vote Jose to the All-Star game. He deserves the selection and it will be a way for us to show our appreciation to a player whose absence we are about to feel keenly, even if the team is able to step up during his recovery.

The A’s came out on top for the fourth straight night in Las Vegas, beating the Colorado Rockies 7-5. The win put the A’s back at .500, secured the series win and gives the Athletics a chance at a sweep tomorrow afternoon. And thanks to losses from a pair of division rivals in the Mariners and Rangers, the A’s rose in the AL West to sole possession of second place and just a game back of first place.

The A’s got to work quickly against Colorado starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. A first inning single and walk put two on for the recently returned Jacob Wilson, and he came through with a two-out, two-run single to give the Green & Gold a quick lead:

J Willy plates two for the lead 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ytM9K69yH5

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 14, 2026

The Rockies would soon get one of those runs back against A’s starter Joey Estes, who was making his first big league start in over a full calendar year. After a solid start with two uneventful innings Colorado catcher Brett Sullivan came to the plate to lead off the top of the third and got ahold of a hanging breaking ball in the middle of the zone for a solo home run to put the Rockies on the board. Estes bounced back to retire the next three batters in a row but gave up another run in the fourth that tied this game up at two-all.

With Freeland still in the game the A’s offense needed to get back to work. Rookie center fielder Henry Bolte began the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff single. Zack Gelof, playing right field tonight, was next up to the plate and he got ahold of his own misplaced pitch, launching a two-run home run to retake the lead for the A’s:

GO GELOF GO#VoteAthletics ⭐️ https://t.co/SBezYOtGtGpic.twitter.com/pdvovnVXVD

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 14, 2026

That blast was #9 on the year for Gelof and it also extended his hitting streak to 17 games, currently tops in MLB.

But Estes couldn’t supply the much-needed shutdown inning. The Rockies rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth, with two charged to Estes and another charged to his replacement left-hander Jose Suarez. Once again the A’s would have to ask their offense to bail them out.

It took them a couple innings but they did some serious damage in the bottom of the sixth. First, with a runner on second and two outs the A’s needed a base hit and Alika Williams delivered one, tying this game back up at 5 with a bloop RBI single to center:

Alika Williams ties it with a bloop single 😎 pic.twitter.com/oMgFVl9Qdj

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 14, 2026

Williams would finish the night 3-for-3 with that RBI and a run scored. That hit also chased Kyle Freeland from this contest and we were now into a below-average Rockies bullpen. Mark Kotsay decided to counter the pitching change with a swap of his own, pinch-hitting Tyler Soderstrom for Colby Thomas. His decision worked to perfection as Sodey came through with a go-ahead RBI double:

Sodey delivers a pinch-hit RBI double for the lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/WtcJ3ozyWT

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 14, 2026

Things continued to unravel from there for the Rockies. An intentional walk was followed by an unintentional one, loading the bases for the A’s but still with two outs. Again Kotsay turned to his bench, this time going with the lefty in Carlos Cortes in place of switch-hitter Jonah Heim. And again it worked out, but with some help via a hit by pitch that brought home the Athletics’ seventh run of the evening. The A’s now had a two-run lead with nine outs to go. Could the bullpen hold for a second straight night?

Next out of the ‘pen was Scott Barlow. He pitched a scoreless seventh with just a meaningless walk allowed. Fellow righty Mark Leiter Jr. followed him for the eighth and tip-toed around a runner making it to second to post a zero himself. With a two run lead it was now up to Elvis Alvarado to close this one out against the 7-8-9 batters in Colorado’s lineup. With a 1-2-3 inning he sealed the deal, finishing off the Rockies for the win and securing his second save of the year.

Another solid win, if not perfectly well-rounded. Estes looked good in his first two innings but quickly fell apart. On the bright side he at least managed to provide 4 1/3 innings, saving the bullpen from a heavy lift tonight. The offense came through with 11 hits with only one of those leaving the yard. Gelof’s hit streak continues, the A’s are back to .500 and we’re right back on the Mariners’ heels in the AL West.

The series wraps up tomorrow afternoon for the series finale. Lefty Jeffrey Springs, who was originally scheduled to start tonight’s contest, will instead get the ball for the last game of the series. He’ll be hoping to bounce back from a tough stretch in what’ll he his 15th start of the year for the A’s. He’ll be opposed by Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who has been a solid if unspectacular member of a subpar Colorado starting rotation this season.

The best, most positive bright spot of this game and this series is that it happened late at night on the West Coast, in between a packed World Cup slate, and during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Ideally the absolute minimum amount of people were exposed to the completely lifeless version of the Rays that June has wrought.

Rays couldn’t make the key defensive plays needed to win. They couldn’t come up with any clutch hits or even weak hits with runners in scoring position. Rays pitched well enough but not well enough. Angels on the other side did all of those things.

And isn’t that the true biggest level of agony: the Angels?! The freaking Angels? The Martin Prince of baseball teams are bully balling their way to shoving the Rays into a locker? Oh, that does it!

Let me make this relatively quick and painless for those lucky enough not to have watched.

Griffin Jax continued to be sharp in a starting role. 5 innings, 5 hits, no walks, and 5 Ks. The only run he gave up, and the reason for the L on his ledger, is a very sharp grounder directly to Taylor Walls which Walls could not handle and hopped wickedly off of him into the outfield. A fairly harsh error, but also a ball I know Walls would say he needed to make, especially with 2 outs to preserve the shutout.

Rays bullpen was less sharp, but Cash wisely chose not to chase the late trailing game (1 run seems like 10 right now) and used the strugglers and returners. Garrett Cleavinger continued to be ineffective, but at least it was quick. 3 batters, 1 K, 2 hits, and 1 out recorded. Recently returned Craig Kimbrel was very wild and got tagged for MORE 2 out offense from the Halos.

Later on, Cash got more of the low leverage struggle bus involved and Cole Sulser gave up a 2 run dinger to Jose Siri. The Angels would feast some more off of Sulser, who also could not finish a full inning, leaving with just 2 outs recorded 5 hits and 1 walk and 4 ER given up.

On the offensive side of things, there was nothing to really write home (or in recap) about. Yandy Diaz extended his on base streak to 26 games and the Rays didn’t get no-hit. The went 0-7 with RISP and left 6 on base, but there never really was a serious threat of scoring. This yard sale whiff from Caminero pretty much sums up the Rays June:

With a Yankees thrilling win and Tampa Bay’s humiliating loss tonight, the Rays sink to 2nd place for the first time since May 8th.

Oh, I just thought of more good news: June only has 30 days.

It was a huge win for the Guardians as they regained first place in the AL Central standings and continue to destroy the Tigers season. Winning this game against Skubal was great not only in the standings but it also had to demoralize the Tigers players. A 2 run HR from Schneemann was all we needed today after a great start from Cantillo where he didn’t walk a single batter, which is absolutely massive for him. I know there has been some panic over the bullpen, but I feel really good about all 3 of Holderman, Gaddis, and Smith right now. I think they’re gonna be just fine, especially when we get the likes of Aleman, Espino, and Walters settled in.

Now for the bad news…José Ramírez fractured his hamate bone and will be out for 4-6 weeks. Gabriel Arias was scratched from the AAA lineup so I think it’s probably fair to assume he will get the bulk of the ABs at 3B, which I am ok with. Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez were also both removed from the game due to injury, but neither injury appears particularly serious. Martinez had x-rays on his foot and they came back negative, thankfully. DeLauter left the game with a right ribcage bruise, let’s hope he doesn’t miss too much time with that.

We are really going to see what this team is made of over the next month and a half. They will look to sweep the Tigers tomorrow at 1:40 pm ET. It will be Gavin Williams vs Casey Mize.

Any hopes the Texas Longhorns had of contending in the College World Series took a massive blow on Saturday at Charles Schwab Field in a 7-1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs as right-hander Joey Volchko delivered the best outing of his career, striking out a career-high 15 batters in a complete game for the first Bulldogs win in Omaha since 2008.

Volchko took control early by striking out the first three batters he faced and never faltered, pouring in strikes early in the count and missing bats with the glove-side run on his four-seam fastball and electric slider. Of the 114 pitches thrown by the Stanford transfer, 84 went for strikes as Texas only managed four hits, two by sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez, who scored the only run for the Horns in the fifth inning. Volchko’s ability to fill up the strike zone resulted in Texas only drawing one walk.

The Horns went 1-for-9 (.111) with runners on and 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position as only one player in the starting lineup, junior first baseman Ashton Larson, avoided a strikeout. Larson went 0-for-3.

As Volchko worked ahead in count, Texas responded by trying to attack the first pitch, a strategy that worked as poorly as attempting to get deep in at bats. After junior right fielder Aiden Robbins worked a full count against Volchko to start the game before striking out, the Horns didn’t get to a three-ball count again until pinch-hitter Josh Livingston in the eighth inning.

The Bulldogs took advantage of early mistakes by the Longhorns as sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis struggled with his command in the first inning, walking the first batter he faced before giving up a line-drive home run off the foul pole in left field by center fielder Rylan Lujo.

Upon further review…HOME RUN RYLAN LUJO‼️

B1 | UGA 2, TEX 0#GoDawgs | @RylanLujo | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/zvWWvHUHIY

— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) June 14, 2026

Even as Volantis became more effective, it backfired when junior catcher Carson Tinney airmailed a soft throw on a swinging strikeout that allowed Georgia to put a runner on first with one out after Lujo’s homer. A soft single through the right side of the Texas infield increased the pressure on Volantis, who was able to record the second out before hitting a batter and giving up two unearned runs when Tinney made another mistake on a swinging strikeout, missing his throw to first instead of trying to get the runner out at home.

The Dawgs add two more 🤯

B1 | UGA 4, TEX 0#GoDawgs | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/mq7S74Bsye

— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) June 14, 2026

So the Bulldogs took command of the game after the first inning with the benefit of only one hit as Tinney committed his third and fourth errors of the season in an uncharacteristically shaky performance.

Volantis wasn’t always able to work in the zone over the ensuing innings, hitting two more batters, even though he didn’t allow another hit until the seventh when he gave up an RBI double and a two-run single when Georgia scored three unearned runs thanks to an error by junior third baseman Casey Borba.

If the game wasn’t already out of reach for Texas before the seventh, it certainly was afterwards as the top four batters in the lineup combined to go 0-for-15 with 11 strikeouts, including four by redshirt senior second baseman Temo Becerra.

The Horns also saw junior designated hitter Ethan Mendoza depart in the eighth inning with an injury after hitting a single up the middle.

With the season on the line, Texas faces Alabama on Monday at 1 p.m. Central in an elimination game. The Tide lost to the Sooners 9-0 in the early game on Saturday.